Text: Deuteronomy 27-30

Our Focus: Deuteronomy 29:1, 9-13; 30:1-6, 15-20

Why are we here? What is life all about? What is the meaning of it all?

If you were to confront anyone and give them a choice between living in their present circumstances or not living at all, most of us would choose to continue living. This tells where are priorities are!

Life is truly valuable and dear to us, regardless of the circumstances!

But is this what the Bible teaches?

Jesus says:

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, [I am the way, the truth, and the life]: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

And Jesus also says:

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

The Bible teaches us that if we choose life in this world then we have not chosen true life.

To choose eternal life then is to choose death!

We must “die to our flesh” in order to live for Our Lord Jesus Christ!

When God calls out a special people to Himself, He will always make a place for us to meet with Him. To the Jew it was the Tabernacle and then the Temple. To the Church it is our local assemblies.

The Jew is promised the land of Palestine where they will rule with King Jesus for 1000 years.

The Church is promised a home in Heaven for eternity!

There is a great difference between these two promises!

In order for these things to happen “choices” must be made “while we are still living” in these bodies of flesh.

This Book of Deuteronomy we have been studying tells us that Israel will take possession of the land of Palestine.

69 times in this book we can read that Israel will take possession of Palestine. It is the Jew who own the land of Palestine.

But, the Lord did set down conditions for them to stay in the land!

They had to obey the Word of God and judgments would come if they would not obey!

The prophecies of dispersion are foretold!

We know that they were dispersed by Assyria about 722 BC, and by Babylon about 586 BC and finally by Rome in 70 AD.

But we also see that God will reveal that Israel would once again possess the land.

They only live on a small portion of it now that began on May 14, 1948. They added another portion during the six day war of 1967.

The ultimate fulfillment and the return of Israel to all their land will come during the Millennial Kingdom “after” the Church has been called home!

Before this Palestinian Covenant will be fulfilled, Israel must first come to a place of repentance and knowledge of the Messiah whom they rejected the first time.

The Bible tells us:

Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Zec 12:11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

So what we study in these final chapters of Deuteronomy are prophesies that are partially fulfilled and the remainder will be fulfilled after the Church Age ends, with the “Rapture” of the Bride of Christ, the Church.

One of the main things we should determine is, that the land of Palestine belongs to Israel and not any other nation because God says so, and we do not need any other reason to believe this!

The true Palestinians are the Israelites!

Some of God’s promises are conditional!

His blessings are based on obedience from the heart!

God will keep all His Word, when we meet all His conditions!

*****Our Text:

Deu 29:1 These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.

Deu 29:9 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.
Deu 29:10 Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,
Deu 29:11 Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:
Deu 29:12 That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day:
Deu 29:13 That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

Chapters 29 and 30 are known to Bible scholars as the Palestinian Covenant. Many say we can understand the Bible best by learning these covenants.

There are many people we call Dispensationalist, who study the Bible by the dispensations but I believe if we are to understand what God says we will use both the Covenants and the Dispensations as we rightly divide the Word of God.

The Covenant given at Mount Horeb was the Moral Laws, along with the laws of worship, and the oracles of life.

This the Mosaic Law or the 613 laws given to Israel, or whats called the Mosaic Covenant.

This Palestinian Covenant deals with the land that was promised to Abraham in the Abrahamic Covenant.

This is not as complicated as it may sound and makes a good Bible study.

God does not wait until after Israel enters this land of Canaan to make a covenant with them. This is an unconditional covenant AND some conditions must be met for them to stay in the land, BUT there is also no condition to be met for them to own the land.

This is the fulfillment in part of the promise made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

To compare:

God says there are many mansions in His house in Heaven, this is an unconditional statement, but there are conditions that must be met for us to live in our mansion. Namely faith in the work of our Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ!

But even today, once Born Again as Jesus said, we already own that Home in the Gloryland!

We make a “covenant of faith” with the Lord when we pray the sinners prayer:

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

and

1Jn 4:15 “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God”, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

and

Heb 12:24 [And to Jesus the mediator of the "new covenant"], and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel

The secret to life after being saved is being obedient to the Word of God!

Obedience is still the place of blessings! Israel was warned by Moses of this fact. Blessings come with obedience!

Notice Moses began with the leaders of Israel.

It is sad to say but in 1789 our nation adopted the Constitution of the United States of America. These are the laws that govern our nation and strict guidelines were given before any change could be made in any of those laws.

Our leaders are to obey those laws and then see that they are obeyed.

Our nation was formed as a Christian nation and now our leaders have forgotten that fact and ignore not only God’s Word but they ignore our Constitution as well!

They have placed themselves above the Law of the land and the Laws of God!

And we wonder why America is suffering! Our leaders do not set a very good example to our own shame.

Our laws are for our leaders, every individual, and for every immigrant that comes to America!

How many migrants have forgotten this and want to live by their own laws which is why many left their own nation to come to America.

We can also see that not only the leaders of Israel but everyone else were to have that same obedience to the Law of God!

The men, the women, the children and any servants and also any stranger that was not a Jew.

How can we say we have a God if we do not yield ourselves to His Word?

What God does for us depends a great deal on how we relate to Him:

2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? [for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people].
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 [And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty].

To Israel the Palestinian Covenant is forever but for them to enjoy this land promised to Abraham, would depend on how well they were obedient to the Word of God.

It is also important to realize, that what these people decided this day would also affect their children and grandchildren, and all their descendants for years to come.

This was not so much a warning as it was the truth!

*****Our Text:

Deu 30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,
Deu 30:2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;

As we try to understand this covenant of God we will see about seven great promises but we will not see
the word “IF”.

Notice the first thing we see is the “fact” that Israel would be dispersed among all nations because of disobedience and unfaithfulness.

This is a fact and it has happened!

There will be a future repentance and a coming back to God.

This has not happened! They were dispersed for disobedience and they will have to obey for this to take place but this will be under “Grace” and not by any law.

There are at least 12 prophesies of the regathering of Israel in the Old Testament and they have not taken place yet even though other prophesies have been fulfilled to make preparation for this event.

*****Deu 30:3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.

This is an important prophecy of the Messiah. This is the very first time the Bible mentions the return of Christ Jesus to the Earth in the Bible.

Jude says:

Jud 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

Jude makes a record of what Enoch said, but this was not recorded in the Old Testament for the Jews to see.

These children of Israel were to listen entirely to the Word that God gave to Moses!

This prophecy has not yet been fulfilled! Yes, Jesus the Messiah came to begin His Church and to make a way of salvation but this was before Israel had been dispersed by Rome after 70 AD, when they have been dispersed all over the world.

It is the second coming of Christ Jesus that will bring peace to this world and blessings to the land for 1000 years. This will be after Jesus comes in the clouds to get His Church.

The Bible says:

1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24 [Then cometh the end], “when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God”, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

Our Text:

*****Deu 30:4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
Deu 30:5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.

We can see that this is the promise that Israel will be restored to the land but only after they have been scattered all over the world.

No amount of scattering can change the “fact” that in the future God will bring them back into their land. This is made very clear in this passage. This is not some new land but the exact same land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

*****Deu 30:6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.

Notice there will be national conversion BUT Even this may not mean every single individual but it does mean that Israel as a whole will be converted to Christianity.

Jeremiah 32:39 gives us this same prophecy.

Hosea gives us this same prophecy.

Ezekiel 11:19-20 and Ezekiel 36:26-27 gives us this prophecy.

And the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church:

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Notice the fulness of the Church still refers to the Rapture!

BUT, This is God’s fulfillment of this Palestinian Covenant!

This is the second coming of Christ to judge the enemies of Israel, as the Church will already be in Heaven!

The “enemies” of Israel and of the Church, are all that reject Jehovah God, The God of the Holy Trinity!

This is where many get lost in the Word of God. The Church is not “Spiritual Israel”!

These Old Testament prophesies are not being fulfilled in the Church!

These prophesies were not fulfilled at the first coming of Our Lord!

Moses is speaking to Israel in these passages and not some other people of God!

The Church has “NO” covenant relationship to the land of Palestine!

These blessings and curses were declared to Israel and not to the Church!

God will forgive Israel of her sins and they will be establish in Messiah’s Kingdom:

The Bible says:

Zec 14:8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
Zec 14:9 [And the LORD shall be king over all the earth]: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

*****Our text:

Deu 30:15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
Deu 30:16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

When Christ Jesus was on this Earth, He said the greatest commandment was “to Love God with all our heart” and that all the laws could be wrapped up in that command of “Love”.

We see this in these words of Moses. If we love the LORD as we should, we will walk in His ways. We will keep His commandments. [He will bless us for our obedience!]

We know that Israel lost their land for more than 1878 years and have still not gotten it all back.

God will return all their land but we will probably not see it in our life time. Why? Not because of obedience! God will return the land to Israel because He promised.

It is in the promises of God that we have written down for us in this Bible, that we need to place our faith and not what the world tells us. We never read of God breaking a promise and a covenant is a promise!

God ask us to trust the Lord Jesus as our Savior.When we pray a prayer of faith we receive God’s Promise of eternal life and a place of rest in His House forever!

*****Our text:

Deu 30:17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
Deu 30:18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
Deu 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: [therefore choose life], that both thou and thy seed may live:
Deu 30:20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them

Again we see the the word “Heart” is one of the key words in these chapters.

Because we are created in the image of Our God, we have minds to think with, hearts to feel with, [and and a free will to choose]!

God has given us His pure Word and God expects us to make the right choices!

Moses made it very clear to Israel that this should not be a very difficult task.

God says:

Only a fool will say there is no God. (Psa 14:1)

We can choose life or we can choose death. We must choose because if we do not choose, we have chosen death!

Blessings still come with obedience and therefore cursings still come with disobedience!

Moses called all God’s creation to witness the great opportunities God was giving Israel at this time.

As believers God gives us a great opportunity for eternal life!

But He also gives us a great opportunity to receive His blessings while we are still living!

We hinder our own blessings with disobedience. Shame on us!

Let’s Pray!

Our Text: Deuteronomy 13-26

Our Focus: Chapter 13:1-5; 18:9-15, 18-22

Many writers always try to give the key verse in a Bible passage and we should always look for the key message God has for us when we study the Bible. It is true that the Holy Spirit will guide us if we pray and listen to Him.

We will learn how to distinguish a true prophet of God in this lesson and we certainly need to know this but there is another lesson we need to know in this passage.

Deu 13:3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: [for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul].

God is going to test us from time to time to see if we are sincere in our love for Him! We might not like these test but they are going to happen.

We must accept this part of God’s Word as the truth also and in most of these cases God will test us in full view of others. God wants witnesses not cowards!

If you call yourself Christian, the world will be watching. If the world is watching God wants to show the world what it is to be one of His children.

God does not test us to make us fail but we will fail sometimes. Many times the test is to see if we will humble ourselves and come back to Our Savior. There are other reason God test us so we need to see how He does this.

In our lesson today God says He will test us with false prophets and He tells us how we can tell the difference in the false prophet and the true prophet of God.

God raised up prophets in Israel during those times when the people needed to be called back to the faithful worship of the Lord. A faithful prophet spoke only in God’s name and gave only God’s message for God’s glory and for the good of God’s people.

If we would only listen and learn the Word of God we would see that everything God does is for the good of His Creation and His children.

Israel would have no problem in detecting the false prophets because they had a Biblical, God-given test that works in every case. This same test of false prophets, preachers and pastors still works today!

Our text:

*****Deu 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
Deu 13:2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
Deu 13:3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deu 13:4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

What we must realize is that false prophets or in our case false preachers and pastors, are going to have enough of God’s truth in them to get you hooked. Not many would go the way of the false prophet if they totally preached against the Word of God.

Even Satan used scripture when he was tempting the Lord Jesus!

Jesus Himself warns us of this very thing:

Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16 [Ye shall know them by their fruits]. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

It may be hard to explain how some people are healed in some meetings but any true healer would spend their time at the hospitals healing the sick and not in tents and buildings preaching a false gospel and under the power of Satan. Then we could see the truth in their healing. The world could stand some relief of medical costs.

We must not forget God has warned us of false prophets! God says that when a false prophet comes along and performs signs which come to pass, we are not to believe them if they deny the Christian faith.
The Christian faith will show someone to be like Jesus. They would give God all the glory in any action they have taken.

This a very important principle that we must understand. [To deny any part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to be a false prophet]!

Moses told these people that even if a prophet predicted an event that came true and then turned around and invited or told them to worship false gods or in false ways that go against the Word of God, they were not sent from God.

A miracle is not proof of God. A prophecy that comes true is not proof of God.

Only obedience to the unchangeable Word of God is His truth!

As the Body of Christ, we also have a test for our men of God to meet:

1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Most of the world we live in deny Jesus Christ is the Messiah and God says they are teaching a false doctrine!

God also says:

2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

We should remember this when someone comes calling at our doors. We certainly need to remember this of those that stand in the pulpits in our places of God!

The truth is that there will be among those rejected by Christ in the last days, many preachers, so-called soul winners and good moral men, simply because they are devoid of true faith in Christ who alone is the foundation of salvation. Beware of mere lip-devotion which signifies nothing, either here or hereafter.

To be a follower of these of false doctrine will not be an excuse at the judgment!

Even if a child of God is led astray, they will not loose their salvation but they will be useless as a weapon in God’s army and this is the reason behind these workings of Satan.

Many orthodox religious leaders in the Church have abandoned their calling and have gotten involved in the cults of this world or have organized their own cults.

Most have a desire to have their own following or they desire to have authority or for many them are in it for the money.

These are the ways of the day we live in.

The Apostle Paul said:

Gal 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Gal 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

There is only one Gospel and it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

*****Deu 13:5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

God has only one answer for these false prophets. They should be put to death!

Does this sound extreme or to severe?

As I am a cancer surviver, I know that there is no cure of this disease. A cancer must be removed or destroyed for some one to be a surviver.

Well a false prophet is like the worst cancer known and it will grow to destroy the Church if it is not destroyed itself.

God is the Great Physician and if He says these men, or in some cases women, should be destroyed then, that is the truth I must believe.

Our places of worship are open to all that come in the doors. We cannot allow any one to preach or teach until we are sure that they know and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

They have already removed prayer from our schools and just about stopped any reading of God’s Word by our kids.

They are now trying to eliminate the blood from our song books and trying to convince us we need to get a another Bible that is suited for their needs.

God laid down these rules to the children of Israel and we need to heed this warning today in our day!

History has revealed to us that Israel did not obey this command of God and if we do not study God’s Word we will not know or realize when these false men or women are in our pulpits.

It’s ridiculous how we allow history to repeat itself and America is headed down this road of destruction now!

Remember God allows these things to happen to test His people. How are we doing in our test? If our church fails somewhere down the road we should accept that we are part of the problem if we allow these things to happen.

Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you [that ye should earnestly contend for the faith] which was once delivered unto the saints.

We cannot forget that we are in a war and we must defend the truth of God on every front!

God says we must put away the evil from our midst. We may not be able to take these false men out and stone them but we can surely show them the exit door in our places of worship and broadcast to all what they truly are to warn other places of worship. They cannot be allowed in our fellowship!

1Co 5:13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

We must remove this cancer from the Body of Christ!

Our Text:

*****Deu 18:9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
Deu 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
Deu 18:12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

God cannot make it any more simple than this. We are not to be like the world we live in. We are not to learn from the sinful ways of this world.

God forbids His people to have anything to do with non-believers. Yes, we are to witness to them! Yes, we are to be a testimony of Jesus to them! Yes, we are to love them! Yes, we are to be friendly!

But we are not to take part in their sinful ways! A Christian “that does not hate evil”, not the evil doer, is not obeying God’s Word!

We are also not to have any part with the occults! These are just snares of the Devil and it is to easy to get caught in these traps.

God explains this to the church also:

Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, [that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God].

God is serious about what He says. In fact God says that these practises will be more prevalent the closer we get to the end:

Rev 9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Rev 9:21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

This is the enemy that must be destroyed and God will destroy this enemy!

Jesus says this enemy has a future home in the “Burning Lake of Fire”!

Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

God says there will be some in the church that do not pay any attention to these warnings.

1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

This is the unseen satanic world that is alive and around us every day of our lives. When you have to get up in the morning and check your horoscope before you check with God you are already trapped in these foolish things.

Demons are real! There are real “Fallen Angels”! There is an actual evil unseen spirit world!

The Bible says these things are real!

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

It is to easy to say that we do not sacrifice children in our modern world but abortion happens daily in all nations and brings real shame to America but, every time we place this world before Our God we are sacrificing our children to the Devil. When you worship Satan you will pay the price and that price is most of the time your family.

Satan will give you what you want long enough to get you hooked! If you give him what he wants, Satan does not give back.

If Satan could offer Jesus this world he does not own to Jesus, then he will offer you anything to gain control over you. You cannot bargain with the Devil!

The diviner says he can tell you your future. This a lie.

The sorcerer wants to control people with magic, witchcraft and spells.

By being in league with demons and casting spells, witches and magicians will try to influence people.

The great minds of this world laugh at these things, laugh at these things where there is actual proof, yet they believe in evolution which has no facts at all to back it up.

Just go to some foreign countries where the occult rules and it can be easily seen the control these things have on people. The land of Canaan was full of this stuff and Moses was telling Israel this before they crossed Jordan.

Our Text:

***Deu 18:13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
Deu 18:14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

God was using the nation of Israel as His weapon to bring judgment to the land of Canaan because of all these things. Israel was called to be a witness of the true and “Living God”!

Israel did not need to experiment with new religions because the Lord had already revealed Himself and His Word to them through Moses and His miracles.

Once you have seen the real thing, it is sinful to seek a substitute!

Jesus told the woman at the well:

Joh 4:22 [Ye worship ye know not what]: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

Jesus told her she could not even tell what she was worshipping and that the truth of Salvation was brought forth by the Jewish Nation. Jesus Christ was in the flesh as a Jew and it does not matter what the world says.

Jesus rejected all other religions except the teachings of the Old Testament Judaism(faith) and the New Testament Christianity(faith)!

To be “Blameless” does not mean to live in sinless perfection. A heart that belongs to the Lord will walk in the ways of Jesus and obey the Word of God.

Psa 101:2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
Psa 101:3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
Psa 101:4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.

Our text:

Deu 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Deu 18:19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

Moses promised Israel that God would raise up other prophets as they were needed so they would always know what God intended. Israel was to always listen and be obedient to them.

Not all prophets of God have their words written for us as their words were intended for Israel only. God did make a record of all His Word that pertains to the Church age, which is the 66 Books of the King James Bible we have now.

Every prophet rebuked Israel for their sin but also encouraged them to follow the truth of God above all else.

Israel was told of the Messiah. Sadly they missed Him the first time He came.

When Our Lord Jesus resurrected He taught those on the Emmaus Road, He began at these words of Moses:

Luk 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Christ Jesus did not reject any part of the Bible and taught it a complete truth and it is!

Jesus said:

Joh 5:20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
Joh 5:21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

If God spoke down from Heaven today He would not have a new message but He would speak these same words:

Mat 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; [hear ye him].

We have the message we are to listen to and obey and that is the teaching of Jesus and what he gave to the Apostles, including the Apostle Paul.

These are the Words of Salvation!

This message will not change till all has ended and Jesus will say:

Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Our Text:

Deu 18:20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

We have the completed Word of God!

That is the reason we have no business trying to seek the future through things like Astrology. This only shows a lack of faith which is a grievous sin.

It is “faith” that got us saved!

We have no need to pry into what some call mysteries because we have no mystery of God to solve! We have God’s complete truth!

We can explore our world but we should be looking into God’s creation in amazement and not trying to figure out how God did what He did. He has already told us all we need to know!

There will not be anymore prophets during the Church Age!

When mankind craves knowledge of the future they open the doors for spiritualists, necromancers, and diviners, and witches and warlocks and all kind of false prophets.

Then come the sorcerers with their mind altering drugs for those that want to be a different plane in their minds.

Can some of these people do what they say?

They are equipped by Satan to do certain things. Hitler used a fortune teller on a regular basis and we know the results of that.

If you look, you can see that fortune telling is big business in Washington DC!

A true Christian knows that God owns the future and He has told us all we need to know to have a joyful and peaceful life until He calls us home.

One fourth of the Bible is prophecy and we can see where the fulfillment that has already taken place and we can know what the future holds.

God has a test that all prophets must meet to know whether they are true or not.

Jer 14:14 Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

Here is what God says:

Our text:

Deu 18:21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
Deu 18:22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Isaiah prophesied the Virgin birth and guess what it is recorded in the Bible. This may can be done by artificial methods in our day but not in the time of Jesus.

Isaiah also told about the life of Jesus and His death these things are also recorded for us. Isaiah told of these things 700 years before they happened.

God’s prophets have to be 100 % completely accurate. They cannot miss one little detail. Any inaccuracy at all would have disqualified them!

How could Isaiah be acknowledged as a prophet in his day. When Israel was surrounded by the Assyrian army in the day of Hezekiah, Isaiah said not one arrow would be shot into the city of Jerusalem. The Assyrians had conquered every nation they had faced up until this time at Jerusalem. Isaiah was right and they failed.

God told Isaiah:

Isa 37:33 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it.
Isa 37:34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.

This proved that Isaiah was a true prophet of God. Isaiah’s prophecies have not failed up to our day!

There is not one so called prophet in our day that has been 100 % correct on anything they have said. They have guessed right a couple of times but that’s the best they can do.

Look at how many times the end of the world has been predicted. This shows their falsehood as God said no one would ever know the exact day this would happen. We all can see the signs and know it will not be very long till the end of the church age but it will be at least another 1007 years after that time.

We do not have to have prophets in our day because we already have all the prophecy from the Word of God!

We do not have a warning of false prophets but we do have God’s “Warning” about false teachers:

2Pe 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, [even as there shall be false teachers among you], who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2Pe 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

This is our task for today and the best way to know if a teacher is false is by knowing what the Word of God says by our own study of it!

Let’s pray!

Revering The Deity of God

Text: Deuteronomy 6-12

Focus: Deuteronomy 6:4-18

There should be no doubt in the heart of the Christian that Jehovah God is the only Lord, He is the only God, He is the only Creator, He is the only Savior and He is the only Redeemer. It is only with this faith that we can be a witness to the world.

No matter what the world thinks or believes the obedience of any nation should be based the spiritual principles of Jehovah God and not on personal principles.

We will only be a force in this world we live in when we are encouraged by the right motives. That right motive is Jesus Christ!

God gave Israel these moral laws to be a guideline to build this nation! There must be rules to live by in every nation.

There are no better rules than the moral laws of God! Peace and welfare can only come when there is a civilized society!

To be civilized is the opposite of being criminal. To be civilized is to have order in our society. Order must rule to stop anarchy, and to have a government that has a goal to make things better for it’s people.

To be criminal or any other thing is to violate our moral obligations to God. If we do not see anything else in America, we see our nation becoming more and more uncivilized by God’s standards and more and more criminalized and it begins with our own government and men in power who believe themselves to be above the law.

To Israel, the standards for civilization were to be the Laws of God. What we know that happened is that over the years, Israel had religious leaders that either added to or took away from the Word of God and Israel became a society based on “Traditions”. This is also failure to obey the Word of God.

God’s Law and God’s Word is intended to draw all people closer to Him and our obedience must come from the heart before it can be noticed in our actions.

Love is an “action” word! We must be active in our “Faith”! Love is not a lustful word which comes from being covetous!

We should all ask ourselves this question, “Why should we obey God’s Word’ in a world where most people ignore what God has to say?

If our love is right then our obedience will be right!

God’s love is expressed in His Law. The great principle of the law is love!

Jesus said:

Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

This not a hard thing to do when we focus on Jesus.

Salvation is a “love affair” with Jesus Christ!

The Bible says:

1Jn 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

In the New Testament the love of God is seen in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ!

God took His Word that He gave to Israel and because “Love” is an action word God came down out of Heaven to show us how much He loves us by dying for our sin.

He next showed His power in the resurrection!

1Jn 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

If God’s Word was all talk and no action we would never believe what He tells us. If we open our eyes we can see that our Lord is still a God of action in this world we live in. None other religion have a touchable God who is active in the lives of believers!

There are only two types of people in this world. Those that love Jehovah God and those that hate Jehovah God.

This new generation of Israel must understand and be obedient to this covenants basic principles before they can obey more detailed instructions!

They must realize:

1.) There is a purpose for life.
2.) There are principles for life.
3.) God has a plan for life.
4.) But, There will be perils in this life.

We must realize these things also:

Our Text:

*****Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

When we see the title “LORD” (all capitol letters) in our Bible this is YHWH or JHVH and this is the title Yahweh or Jehovah.

Jehovah means the self-existing or it can mean eternal. This is Our God, who does not require any part of His creation to sustain Him!

Jehovah is the proper name of the One True God.

His name is not Allah.

His name is not Buddha.

His name is not any of the gods of Hinduism.

His name is not associated with any other religion except Judaism which is based on works and not faith!

When we see the phrase, “LORD thy God” , we are seeing Jehovah thy Elohim. Elohim, which is plural and therefore “Jehovah our Trinity”.

Our Trinity: The Father, The Son, The Holy Ghost, are the One God Jehovah!

Unless we can wrap ourselves around this fact, we will fall into the traps Satan plants about us.

We are all, “that are saved”, headed to the same place, the place where Jehovah the Trinity, abides!

There is only one Jehovah and we have His Word given to us which is the only truth and all the truth we need!

At this time of the beginning of Israel, the world was filled with Polytheism, nations that worshipped many gods and and had many idols.

Though this is still true today we also find a world that is full of Atheists, but the message of God does not change.

We have the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit but they are still THE ONE Jehovah!

*****Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

According to Our Savior, this is the greatest commandment in the Bible:

And Jesus also said:

Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

This is a question we should ask our selves. Just how much do we love Jehovah God? If this is our measuring stick, not many of us can say we meet this standard, “But” it should still be our Goal!

We should be as the Apostle Paul:

Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

There are many who question some of the things of the Apostle Paul, not I, but we cannot question his desire to be more like Jesus Christ and that is what being a Christian is all about. If we are not growing in Jesus every day, then we are going back wards.

I love the Lord but it is rare that I show that love as I should. Just as Jesus asked Paul, “why are you persecuting me”, He probably wonders the same thing about me many days. I have no excuse and have no answer when I realize I have failed Him. You can judge your own selves, I know that I am, “just a sinner in absolute awe of a wonderful God” [who has enough love to look beyond my failures and still loves me].

If we have one ounce of hate for any person on this earth no matter who or what they are, we are failing in our love!

*****Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

We must not only hear and receive the Word of God, we must make a place in our heart to keep it.

1Th 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

We must receive the Word of God as the absolute truth or we will miss out on it’s meaning!

We must not only receive the Word of God as truth but we must be living epistles of Jesus Christ!

2Co 3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

This cannot happen without the Holy Spirit who lives within each child of God!

*****Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Again, where have I failed, I did not learn the Word of God so that I could teach my own children. How can I complain about how they turned out. I just pray I have not waited to late to learn about God’s love.

God reminds us even after we are saved:

Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

We must never quit on our children, because Jesus Christ never quits on anyone. To be a quitter is to be a failure!

The Bible still says:

Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

How we live is the most important thing we can show our children and our grandchildren.

*****Deu 6:8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

There should not be any doubt that Satan takes full advantage of our eyes. Most every billboard advertises sin. Everything that is sold on this earth and advertised on the television is introduced by a beautiful woman and most of them not properly dressed. Signs and neon lights advertise sin. We are confronted with sin daily and it is only getting worse.

God says that if we keep a copy of the Bible in our hands and keep His Word before our eyes we will not see these other things.

The professing Jew will recite a prayer at least daily called a Shema, that prayer begins with these verses of the Book of Deuteronomy 6: 3-9.

The professing Jew wore what is called a Phylactery on there forehead or their hand which contained their Shema, their prayer.

They took these words of Deuteronomy serious and if we spent more time in the Bible and less time with the television we could take the Word of God more serious and we would be better off.

These were physical things that were constant reminders of the importance of the Word of God!

*****Deu 6:9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

It is not hard to see that God’s Word should be around us at all times!

God’s Word should even control who is permitted to come in our yards and into our houses!

The practicing Jew will put a Mezuzah on their front door and on every door in their house. This box also contained the Shema prayer which began with these words of Deuteronomy.

Every Jew would touch the Mezuzah before entering the house and before entering any room.

These Jew have a great respect for the Word of God. It was a sign that the house was to be a sanctuary for the Lord and a place where the Word of God was loved.

Our homes must be a place where God dwells.

Our homes must be a place where the scriptures are honored.

Our homes must show the world that we are not afraid of our faith.

Our homes must be a witness that we belong to the Lord.

There are some places where this would bring death to those inside the home, but not in America and we need to do these things, not only for ourselves but on behalf of all those that are around the world.

We are God’s Witness to the world around us and we need to act like it!

To not do so shows that we are ashamed of the Lord!

*****Deu 6:10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
Deu 6:11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;
Deu 6:12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

It is always a strange thing with people, once they are blessed they forget where that blessing came from. It is real easy sometimes to forget our Creator. The world has no respect for our Creator and the Church is being swayed by those that think science has the answers.

I have the Book of Genesis, I do not need some scientist to explain creation to me! When I understand this, it is easier for me to see the blessings God gives freely every day.

Moses was equipping this new generation of Israel to enter into the promised land of God and he knew that they would see all the billboards, the neon signs, their false worship centers and their idols, things that would tempt Israel. Now there may not have been any billboards or neon signs but we can be sure these things had their beginnings at this time:

God sent Ezekiel to see them:

Eze 8:9 And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
Eze 8:10 So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, [pourtrayed upon the wall round about.]

Moses knew Canaan land would be a place of temptation:

They would be tempted from the riches of the spoils of war and forget the Lord who won the victory.

They would be tempted by their pagan religions and forget to be a separate people.

*****Deu 6:13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

The Lord Jesus Himself used this verse when He was tempted of Satan:

Luk 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

We have a great responsibility when we become God’s children. We must fear Our Lord and obey Him.

This what we are committing to, when we pray the sinners prayer!

It is a great privilege to serve the Lord, “especially in this time He has chosen for us”.

*****Deu 6:14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;
Deu 6:15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

We cannot expect the benefit of God’s promises unless we make conscience all of His precepts. God’s name is “Jealous” and we cannot worship Him right if we do not worship Him alone!

Exo 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church:

1Co 10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
1Co 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.
1Co 10:22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

When we are tolerant of any false religion, we are tolerant to their gods! There is only one God and we have already stated that it is Jehovah the God of the Holy Trinity. No other religion beyond Christianity worships Jehovah of the Holy Trinity.

The Jew call His name Jehovah but do not recognize the Holy Trinity.

The Jehovah’s Witness include Him in their name but do not recognize the Holy Trinity, what a slap in the face of Jesus this is!

The Muslim worship Allah and this is not Jehovah at all!

We cannot have fellowship with devils and we cannot eat at the Lord’s table and also at the tables of devils.

We must not get confused with what the world says!

*****Deu 6:16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
Deu 6:17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.

In the words of Jesus our Lord to Satan himself:

Luk 4:12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Even though Satan will attack the Word of God, we must put forth more effort to keep it. If Israel did not at this time in their history, they would loose the land they were promised and we know that happened. They were removed from their land in 70 AD and could not return fully until May 14, 1948 when again they were recognized as a nation.

We cannot miss these important facts of God’s Word!

And we must diligently keep the commandments of the Lord our God or Jehovah of the Holy Trinity.

*****Deu 6:18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers,

God’s purpose for bringing Israel out of Egypt was so He could take them to the promised land.

God’s purpose for sending the Lord Jesus Christ to take us out of the bondage of sin was so He can take us to our promised land which is Heaven. The church does not have an earthly land of promise!

The church has a Heavenly Promise.

And, It’s all because of Jesus we have this privilege:

Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

We already have eternal life!

We already stand before Jehovah God because of Jesus!

God is working in our lives now!

God is working in us at His will and for His pleasure!

God will not discourage us and He is not through with us!

God is preparing our Home and He will return soon to take us there!

We know God is not through because, when He returns we will be like Him:

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

*****Not part of this lesson but let’s take a moment to see another verse:

Deu 12:4 Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.
Deu 12:5 But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:

Israel was to have only one way to worship.

They were to bring all sacrifices to only one altar.

They were to have only one Tabernacle or one Temple.

They were never to worship Jehovah God in the ways that the false religions worshipped their false gods.

As the church, we are to offer up all “Spiritual Sacrifices” to God in the name of Jesus Christ. This is where our hope lies:

1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

As the people of God, and the Body of Christ are the people of God!

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

As the chosen people of God, we must worship in the way that He commands and not imitate the religious practices of any false religion. This is a command of the Lord just as any other command!

The Christian faith and the Jewish faith came by the revelation of God and are not “man-made”!

Not by man’s invention nor by Satan’s instruction!

The most important activity of the church is to “worship our Lord”.

The next most important activity is to “make disciples”.

Then come the mission’s work.

God said to the Philadelphian Church:

Rev 3:8 I know thy works: behold, [I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it]: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

God says that there are no closed doors to the that body of believers that keep His Word!

When we try to imitate the world we will become what God calls the Laodicean Church.

If we love the Lord like we say we do, then let’s worship the way we are commanded and serve the way we should:

Joh 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Jesus was a Jew from Judah, it was Israel that preserved God’s Word for us. We have already said that Jehovah is the God of the Holy Trinity and there is no other. To believe these things is to be saved and filled with the Holy Spirit.

Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

The Holy Spirit will teach us about Jesus and it is Jesus that made the way for us because there is no other way!

This is the truth and all else is a lie!

Let’s Pray!

Recalling God’s Word

Text: Deuteronomy 5

Our Focus: Deuteronomy 5:6-12, 16-22, 29, 32, 33

At this time the nation of Israel had been reborn. An entire generation had died. This new generation needed to understand the law of God. They also needed to understand it because what they had seen in the past 40 years.

Though these commandments had not changed there are some differences in the way Moses presented them to this new generation.

This younger generation needed to understand that there was not one set of rules for their fathers and another set for them. There is one law, one Mediator, and there is only One Lord because there is only One God!

With these things understood then there can be no doubt that there is only “One Way” to God’s Heaven.

Every religion in the world has its own demands, they all have a means of going to a better place but the biggest thing they lack is the knowledge of the God of Love, and who instills that love to those that believe on him.

The Bible says:

Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Joh 13:35 [By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another].

God loves us enough to set the standard for our lives!

If love is the standard then God uses His commandments to teach us this standard of love.

There are four important steps we are to take in relation to the Word of God:

The first step: We must first “hear” the Word of God.

The second step: We must “learn” the Word of God.

The third step: We must “keep” the Word of God.

The fourth step: We must “do” the Word of God.

Not only should the Word of God be in our heads and in our hearts, but it needs to get down to where our hands and our feet are!

We have way too many people in our world that say they live by the Ten Commandments, but if you ask, we’ll find out what they really mean is they have heard the 10 Commandments and they think they are good, but they certainly are not keeping them and being obedient to them.

1.) These Commandments are a “plumb line” to determine the crooked walls of our lives.

2. These Commandments are “mirror” we can look into to see what is in our hearts.

3.) These Commandments are “a headlight” to show us the way in the darkness of this world.

The Bible says:

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

4.) These Commandments will lead us to the truth that is in Christ Jesus!

God makes it very clear that he does not save men through the keeping of moral laws.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with these laws but there is something very wrong with us!

The Bible says:

Gal 2:16 [Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ], even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

These laws were not given to the nation of Israel while they were in Egypt. These laws were given to Israel only after they were in the wilderness.

When we live in the land of idolatry, such as Egypt was, we will not be obedient to God’s law!

When we live in our own world, with our own little idols, we will not obey the Word of God.

Moses told this new generation that their future in the promised land depended on their faithfulness to Jehovah God.

Moses told this new generation that they would have to love God with all their heart, with all their mind, and with all their strength.

Moses told this new generation that God had chosen them to be a special people.

Because of the promises to Abraham, the Lord continues to bless this stubborn and rebellious nation of Israel.

We must understand as Christians that blessings only come, when we have accepted His Son Jesus and the Work that only He could do on the Cross.

It is still by the Blood of Jesus that salvation becomes real!

*****Our Text:

**Deu 5:6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Israel was in a land of idolatry and Israel was living in the age of idolatry. These things will destroy us and our families. Look back at Lot. He was still saved but he lost all his family to evil and he lost all that he owned. We must separate ourselves from this evil before we will ever understand what God has for us.

**Deu 5:7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

The very first law and sin that is mentioned is that man had become polytheist and worshipped many gods. We must remember the Tower of Babel. These people would offer sacrifices to almost anything but especially to the Sun and the Moon. If you include the planets, these were all considered to be gods and were worship as such.

We can be sure that after the flood in the day of Noah, no one worshipped thunder and lightening. This is the time when mankind would worship God’s creation. They are still around today. They are called green-peace, and Mother Earth, and Gaia among some of the names.

But God says:

Psa 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

These are the ones that ignore the truth of God:

Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

In the time of King David some of these types then became Atheist. Like children, if they could not worship whatever or whomever they chose then they simply would not believe in God.

Psa 14:1 [The fool hath said in his heart], There is no God. [They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good].

That word “fool” as used in this scripture means “insane”. [Anyone that says there is no God is insane]. This first commandment does not even mention any disbelief in the existence of God but it prohibits the worship of many gods.

The Lord wants us to obey Him, not as slaves, but as grateful children who are in love with their Heavenly Father and appreciate His Goodness, because we do not have any goodness in ourselves.

**Deu 5:8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
Deu 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
Deu 5:10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

We should see that the first four commandments have to do with our relationship with God. There are only two types of people in this world.

1.) Those that “hate” God.

2.) Those the “love” God.

There is no middle ground!

God goes into detail when He forbids the making of any likeness of anything that could be worshipped.

Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment we have is to love The Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our might.

You will not convince very many that they have idols of worship today but the truth is that anything that you place between yourself and the Lord becomes your god. Anything that takes first place in your heart is an idol!

We already know that the Lord “does not” punish children and grandchildren because of what their parents do but He can and will permit the consequences of those sins to affect their future generations. Children will imitate their parents!

As we go through the Old Testament we will read many places where Israel is called a whore and in idolatry because they had broken this commandment.

But, The Lord will also bless successive generations of those that are faithful to Him!

**Deu 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

The Apostle Paul wrote that the mouth of mankind is full of cursing and bitterness.

All we have to do listen at our places of work, the television, the movies and in almost any other place we are around others and we hear foul-mouthed people and dirty-minded people. It like the entire language has been changed into something evil, which it has.

God hates these things and He says so and He will certainly not hold those guiltless who take His name in vain.

God’s name represents [God's character and His reputation] and to honor His name is to also look good’ to the people that are around us.

Using God’s name even in an oath to defend a dishonest statement, and cursing and swearing are just some of the ways we can dishonor the Name of Our Lord.

**Deu 5:12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.
Deu 5:13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:
Deu 5:14 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
Deu 5:15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

We should not find it odd that all these commandments are repeated in the New Testament except this one about the Sabbath. The Sabbath day was not given to the Church. The Sabbath is the seventh day of the Jewish week. The Church meets on the first day of the week because this the day Christ Jesus arose from the dead.

The Sabbath was given to Israel as a sign between them and God. This sign was not given to any other nation. The Sabbath had it’s beginning in the week of Creation and this was an actual week of seven 24 hour days. The Sabbath was part of Israel religious life even before these laws were given. At Mount Sinai the Sabbath became part of God’s covenant with Israel. Canaan land was to be Israel’s place of rest.

This not so for the church, as the church can only rest in Jesus Christ and look forward to eternal rest in Heaven!

The Old Testament will prove that Israel did not honor the Sabbath Day, The Sabbath Year, nor the Jubilee of Sabbaths and they are still in punishment for this.

[Sunday is not to be called the Christian Sabbath]! Sunday is the first day of the week, which was and always will be The Lord’s Day.

The Sabbath symbolizes the Old Covenant of Law just as the Lord’s Day symbolizes the commemorates the New Covenant of “Grace”.

At the time of Moses there was no Roman Calendar, the seventh day just followed the sixth day. The 8th day was the day of New Beginning.

**Deu 5:16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

When we are born into this world, our fathers and mothers stand in place of God until we know Him individually. As little ones we look up to our parents. The Bible tells us to listen to the instruction of our fathers and not to forsake the law of our mothers.

If those two parents love the Lord then those children born in to their house should be trained in God’s ways and God’s Word.

We can see that Moses was speaking to Israel but God’s Word will hold true even today, Any Nation That Does Not Do This Will Not Be Blessed.

In a house that the children do not honor their parents affects the entire nation. In America this is a nation wide problem. It is true that their are many parents that do not deserve the honor from their children but God also tells these parents to not provoke your children into wrath but bring them up in the Lord. We know America is trying it’s best to kick God out and we as Christians are just setting around in our fancy pews and allowing this to happen. It is a fact that we think more of our bellies and our pocket books than we do God.

**Deu 5:17 Thou shalt not kill.

The word “kill” in our English translation is used here for the original Hebrew word “ratsach”. This Hebrew word means to murder.

Some the Hebrew definition is: dash in pieces, put to death, murder and it is referring to human beings.

This would be an act of premeditation, or killing out of anger, or for a personal grievance.

This verse has nothing to do with warfare! God had already told His people that they would have to destroy His enemies out of the land and destroy meant to give them to the Lord for the atrocities that they had committed.

A soldier should never kill out of anger but as any good soldier killing should only come as commands and as necessary. If a soldier kills out of anger and premeditation, he too has committed murder.

God did not tell Israel to try to reform her enemies, they were to be destroyed because the Lord had commanded them to do so.

Notice also that the Bible does not condemn self-defence in any form.

But the Bible does authorize capitol punishment to governments and not individuals.

**Deu 5:18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery.

There is little doubt that we live in a sex-mad age. It is ridiculous the amount of products advertised by sex. This shows the depravity of man is real. This one of the greatest sins that is destroying our nation today. As the family has no real commitment, we have no commitment to God nor to our nation. Sadly no one seems to care about the family. They all just want to have fun they say.

In the day of Moses this was a capitol crime requiring death. Today in America and most of the world it is not even a sin but a way of life. And we wonder how our children got like they are!

**Deu 5:19 Neither shalt thou steal.

No doubt it is very true that not many of us have robbed banks or broke into some one else’s home to take from them, but we should not even have the desire to have what other have. Our thoughts are still sinful.

**Deu 5:20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Deu 5:21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

It is our heart that makes us guilty of murder, of adultery, and it is covetousness that makes us desire what belongs to some one else. The command against covetousness shows that it is a sin just to feel an excessive desire for what belongs to another.

Truth should be the cement that holds a society together. Things fall apart when people do not keep their promises. Our salvation depends on the promises of God. How would it be if we read where God did not keep all His promises.

Notice this commandment also forbids slander, which is lying about other people.

A Christian should be known for always speaking the truth. This includes rightly dividing the Bible!

Because we have been born again into the family of God and have received God’s divine nature we can with the help of the Holy Spirit be obedient to the Laws of God and live godly lives.

**Deu 5:22 These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

When we know God on a personal level, it will bring joy knowing we are obedient to His Word. Moses reminded this new generation that God had reveal Hid Glory and His Greatness at Mount Sinai. They should not think they could mock Him with disobedience and rebellion as their parents had.

God would never again in our time reveal Himself in the fire and the cloud and the thunder and the lightnings and with His awesome voice as He had at Mount Sinai. This was a time of God’s happiness and not wrath.

But we know God will reveal Himself in even a much more awesome way during the tribulation period. If you God as your Savior, in the name of Jesus Christ we will also miss this time of His wrath.

**Deu 5:29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

This verse list three things that had to happen for things to be well in Canaan Land.

1.) There heart had to change.

2.) They needed a godly fear of the Lord.

3.) They had to obey God’s commandments.

We know that they did not keep these commandments and we always ask why when the reality is that, no one can keep all these commandments.

If we consider these laws as our mirror, then when we look into our mirror we will see the faults and blemishes that just will not wash off.

They only way to wash off the filth of our selves is to be washed in the blood of Jesus. Jesus is the fountain of life, we must drink of Him and We Must Bath in Him!

It is not so much important whether we approve of the Ten Commandments. It is important to know that you have not kept them.

We have measured up to God’s Standard!

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

God knew this and God sent His Son so that we could be saved!

God says to take a reasonable look at your self in His mirror:

Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

It is the blood of Jesus that makes us spotless when we stand before the Lord.

**Deu 5:32 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
Deu 5:33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.

God says we must use these commandments as our guide, we are to “observe” them.

These moral laws still stand as our guide and God still judges sin by these laws.

The children of Israel made a promise that they could not keep. God knew this and God does not expect perfection. God does expect the desire to keep these commandments and for us to try our best to do so.

Israel wanted to be like the other nations around them.

God wants us to be like Him and these two things will never come together.

We cannot call ourselves Christians and walk as the world walks.

These Laws prove we are sinners but they cannot cleanse us of the sin:

The Son of God became the Son of Man that the sons of men through Him might become the sons of God. The best thing we can do with this knowledge is to tell some one else so that they can know also.

Let’s Pray!

Renewing His Covenant

Text: Deuteronomy Chapter 4

Our Focus: Deuteronomy 4:1-9, 23-31

Israel was not a great nation because it had great Army. Israel was not great because of Abraham. Israel was not great because of Moses. Israel was not a great nation because of the Jew.

Israel is a great nation because it is the “Covenant Nation of God”!

We can say we have faith in the Word of God BUT if we do not apply God’s Word to our daily lives then where is our faith? Believing God’s Word is a matter of focusing our whole mind, all our heart and our will on the Lord. We must die to ourselves!

To change our lives God’s Word must penetrate deep inside our entire being!

This chapter in the book of Deuteronomy concludes Moses’s review of the 40 year wilderness journey. Israel now stands on the east bank of the Jordan River and are very near Mount Nebo.

As Moses gives his final instructions, there are only a few others that have made the whole trip. They are Joshua and Caleb and those that were under twenty years of age when Israel left Egypt.

That path taken by Israel so far has been of death and destruction. The new generation has seen this death and Moses has reminded them of it as they are now ready to enter into the Promised Land.

Moses pleads with them to obey the God who loves them!

Moses reminded this people of the character of God and how they should respond to Him.

If we do not know the character of the God we worship, how can we worship Him in spirit and truth knowing this is the only worship that will please Him!

Our Text:

Deu 4:1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.
Deu 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
Deu 4:3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you.
Deu 4:4 But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.
Deu 4:5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.
Deu 4:6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.

These people are to not only hear the Word of God they are to be doers of the Word!

They were not to try to add to what God had said and they were certainly not to take away from God has said.

In the world we live in many do this very thing. There is the Liberal side that takes away from God’s Word and the Legalistic side that adds to God’s Word. We must trust the entire Word of God just as it is written, rightly divided!

They were to obey it just as God gave it. The Church Age assemblies are to rightly divide God’s Word and obey it just as God gave it!

There is no doubt that we do not need some help to understand what the Word of God is saying but these people also needed some help to understand what God was saying.

God knows this:

The Bible says:

Neh 8:2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, [and all that could hear with understanding], upon the first day of the seventh month.
Neh 8:3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate [from the morning until midday], before the men and the women, and [those that could understand]; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

Now we see the Sunday School of Israel:

Neh 8:7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, {caused the people to understand the law}: and the people stood in their place.

Ezra was a great Priest of the Lord but he also had helpers to cause the people to understand but we should also notice that this worship service lasted more than just an hour or a couple of hours.

We will never understand God’s Word if we do not open our Bibles but once a week!

The Bible says:

2Ti 2:15 [Study] to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

To study means more than just read.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the [man of God may be perfect], throughly furnished unto all good works.

And, If you are seeking perfection it will come from the Word of God!

God had made a long list of the blessings He would have given Israel if they had been obedient.

To be quiet honest, we will not know what blessings we missed out on until we get to Heaven and know the truth of what we missed because of our disobedience.

Israel chose to not obey God’s Law and we know know that “No Flesh” can be justified before God by those laws.

It is not these laws that we need to concentrate on, it is God’s Love, and God’s Mercy, and God’s Grace that we should see in these passages.

But we will also see what happens when God gets angry.

Moses is pleading with this nation to obey God! That should also be our prayer that this nation we live in would obey God!

1.) God wants His people to prosper and He will preserve them.

Verse 1 says “that ye may live, and go in and possess the land”

*****There can be no blessing without obedience.

The Bible says:

Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

God already provides many things that we all seem to forget but God will especially bless those that are obedient to His Word!

Psa 115:13 He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.

God writes all the things down that we do good and that we do for one another and these things are precious to Him and the people who do these things are precious to Him.

Mal 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: [and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name].
Mal 3:17 [And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts], in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, [as a man spareth his own son that serveth him].

We know that God resurrected His son and He will resurrect every child of God on the day of the Rapture!

And again we see His promise that we will miss His day of wrath!

*****When we are obedient to the Lord it shows our gratitude for what He has done in our lives!

These things would be noticeable to all that observed them when they were in their land.

These things should be noticed from those in the world then they see a child of God!

If we do not see anything else on T V we can sure see that Israel and the land of Palestine are at the forefront of the news most of the time.

***** God’s love should prompt us to obey Him.

Deu 4:37 And [because he loved] thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;

The word “love” is used before this passage, but this is the first time in the Bible that God tells a people that He loves them.

God has demonstrated that He loves mankind from the very first of Genesis but up to this point He hasn’t said very much about it!

God makes it very plain that He does things out of His “Love” for us!

In spite of “Sin” God loved us enough to send His Son to provide a means for us to be with Him.

That cross that Our Lord was hung on was the “Cross of Love”!

*****When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we can experience the Love of God!

*****And, We should be obedient to God because we belong to Him.

God delivered Israel out of bondage and He has delivered every Saint of God from the bondage of Sin!

Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, [which he hath purchased with his own blood].

We belong to the Lord! He owns us!

Deu 14:1 says Ye are the children of the LORD your God:

We only have one duty:

Ecc 12:13 says Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

As we get out of public, people see the results of our obedience or are disobedience to God. Israel was no different, any that looked upon Israel from the outside would be able to see if they had been obedient or disobedient.

The children of Israel themselves had seen how God reacted to disobedience. Moses was referring back to the time of Balaam. Remember Balaam at been hired to curse in Israel but God would not allow that.

Though Balaam tried to cursed the Jews he ended up blessing them. His curses did not work but, he came up with a plan that did work. The Jewish men were invited to a religious feast of the Moabites and and they had been enticed by the prostitutes of the Temple of Moab.

God used this as an example for this new generation but it is also an example for us.

We cannot take any part in false religion!

We will soon be studying the Cults in Bible College and I have been assigned William Branham and you would not believe how much influence this false religious cult has had in this world we live in.

Obedience would bring the blessing of God, which is the promised land. Israel was to be a witness to all the world and that could not happen if they intermingled with the world.

The body of Christ is in the world but we are not to become a part of the world!

God’s command is simple:

Mar 16:15 says Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

The truth of the Gospel is real!

Every believer should have some part in getting the Word of God out to the ends of this Earth!

This is our purpose after we come to know the Lord Jesus as our Savior!

We cannot all be preachers and teachers, but we can be prayer warriors and those that give, and those that witness. God’s plan includes every Born Again” in child of God!

This Was the Way, Israel was to witness to the world. If they obeyed God would bless them!

*****Our Text

Deu 4:7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?
Deu 4:8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?
Deu 4:9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;

The nation of Israel was given the privilege to teach God’s Word to the world. Notice how this was to begin at home with their own sons and daughters.

The greatest undertaking of every nation is to teach its children. The greatest failure of any nation is the failure of educating it’s children. In America we have not only allowed the education system to take God out but we have failed miserably in teaching them at home.

God placed a great responsibility on these parents of Israel.

When we bring a child into this world we are responsible for that child in the eyes of God! God will hold us accountable for what we have done with our children.

Parenthood is a great responsibility and God makes this very clear to this new nation of Israel! the nation of Israel failed because it failed at home and America is failing because we fail at home. For this we will be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ.

God also made it very clear to Israel that they were never to have any likeness of God whatsoever.

Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

And, Even the woman at the well had been taught that when the Messiah came he would teach us all things.

Joh 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

The Lord Jesus became a man when he came to this Earth but we still do not have any physical description of Him.

We certainly cannot use any pictures we see of Him for the truth of what He looked like.

Jesus abides in our hearts, this is the picture of Him that is most important!

We need Him in our hearts today we don’t need any pictures of Him!

These instructions given to Israel still hold true as great principles for us today!

Our Text:

Deu 4:23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.
Deu 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
Deu 4:25 When thou shalt beget children, and children’s children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:
Deu 4:26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
Deu 4:27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.
Deu 4:28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
Deu 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Deu 4:30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
Deu 4:31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

The nation of Israel is still a witness to the world today but they are still a witness in their disobedience. Many of them go home every day to Israel which means they are still scattered all over the world today. Yes they are new nation and have fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

Isa 66:8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? [Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once]? [for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children].

When we read this we usually to stop with that part that says “a nation born one day” but if we read the rest of the verse it plainly states that once established “Israel would bring forth her children”. In other words the Jews had to have a home before they could go home. And Many more go home every day.

We can also see there is not one moment’s peace for them at home. We will know prophecy has been fulfilled when Israel is not having trouble it has today. Israel is still under the judgment of God!

Judgment will come upon any and every nation that rejects Him!

This is a lesson that we are learning in America!

What we see in verse 30 is the first mention of the Great Tribulation. The nation of Israel will still see a more terrible time than what they are having now.

This will take place after the “Rapture” to the church though many disagree. The Bible is specific, the Body of Christ will not see this time of Great Tribulation.

1Th 5:9 [For God hath not appointed us to wrath], but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th 5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

God delivered Lot:

2Pe 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
2Pe 2:8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
2Pe 2:9 [The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations], and [to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished]:

God promises the Philadelphian Church:

Rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, [I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world], to try them that dwell upon the earth.

And verse 31 says that God is merciful. God will not forsake the children of Israel. God will not destroy the children of Israel.

The only reason that any of us have not been consumed is because of our merciful Savior and our God.

We have been saved, not because we are sweet and innocent, it is only because God is a merciful God!

Even in these days of Israel’s travel in the wilderness, God still reached down from heaven to make contact with them.

Even on my worst day the God of glory reached down to make contact with me. God does not want us to forget these things.

God does things because He loves us!

I don’t have a good bone in me but I know a good God!

God loves us but God does not save by love!

God saves by his “amazing grace”!

A righteous God will not open the doors of Heaven and just let us slip in. There are many that believe He should do this but if He did He would not be God!

God had to sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ before there was any deliverance from our sinful ways.

John 3:16 tells us that God loves the world but it does not say that God so loved the world that he saved the world.

It does say God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. He did this so that whosoever, it makes no difference who it is, believes on the Lord Jesus Christ will not perish but have everlasting life.

These are the things that Moses is trying to tell the children of Israel so that they would not make the mistakes that they did.

Israel failed just like I fail my Lord everyday!

Let’s pray!

Text: Deuteronomy Chapters 1-3

Our Focus: Deuteronomy 1:1-8, 21-32

There are many today that think that since it has been more than 2000 years since Jesus ascended back to Heaven that we may need some new truth today. In fact many that say they are Christians believe this also.

The fact is that we do not need new truth because truth is always the truth in any age. Truth is eternal and truth never changes.

What we need is a commitment to God’s Word which is and always has been the truth!

We therefore come to the meaning of the title to this book “Deuteronomy”.

The title Deuteronomy means “the second law”.

God was giving His people “a second chance”. We know they had been afraid to go into Canaan at their first opportunity. They now had a second chance to make the right choice!

SO, What is choice?

First, When we are forced to obey, there can be no choice.

So we can say that choice is the act of voluntary selection between two or more things or preferring one thing above another.

We are known as a people who make decisions without considering the long term affects of those decisions. If we could look ahead in time we would see that there were many things we should never have done.

We may not want to believe it, but God takes every decision we make seriously and we should too!

No one has to reject Jesus Christ as his or her Savior but if you “choose” to do this, God will honor your decision!

No child of God is forced to live in unbelief! To believe is the basis of living under the umbrella of God. When we reject the Word of God as the guide of our lives, we will find that “our choice” has eternal consequences.

God has a plan of salvation. We do not need to make up our own plan! All God wants us to do is be a part of His plan. This is His purpose for our lives!

When we rebel against God’s Word we have sinned against God. In fact it is major sin!

The Bible says:

1Sa 15:23 [For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft], and [stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry]. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee.

Rebellion is an open resistance to lawful authority. God is the only lawful authority for all His creation!

A Witch is said to be a person who can manipulate energy, supernaturally, to create their own reality. It is easy to see that this is also rebelling against the Divine Authority of Our Father in Heaven.

Witchcraft is also called “divination” which means foretelling of future events by means other than human knowledge.

If that knowledge does not come from Jehovah God then it must come from the Devil.

These people then will try to make money doing this.

Sounds a whole lot like Balaam in the Book of Numbers who had also rebelled against the Word of God.

Rebellion, stubbornness and witchcraft are all sin and abominations to God, but these things will not send you to Hell.

It is the rejecting “of the truth of Jesus Christ” that will send you to Hell, all other sin can be forgiven!

God does not hate any human being but God does hate the sinful actions of “all” human beings!

The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Pentateuch, the FIVE(Pente) books of Moses.

When the Book of Numbers ends, a new generation of Israel has emerged. This wandering band of pilgrims were not raised in a home but they were raised in the wilderness. They seem determined to avoid the same mistakes their parents made.

God has kept Moses, Joshua, and Caleb alive and they are just as determined to guide Israel toward Canaan Land.

Moses now will give Israel a somewhat revised covenant or we could say a new treaty with God since the first one was not kept by the parents of these these that are now living.

1.) This covenant contains the names of those involved: Jehovah God and the Nation of Israel.
2.) The covenant contains the history of previous covenants.
3.) There are general and specific regulations.
4.) And last there are blessings if the covenant is kept and curses if the covenant is not kept.
5.) We know that God always keeps His side of every agreement!

The word Deuteronomy then can be said to mean “the repeating of the law”.

We will now see how Moses reviews the laws that were originally given at Mount Sinai to this new generation of Israel.

Our Text:

Deu 1:1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
Deu 1:2 (There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.)
Deu 1:3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them;
Deu 1:4 After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei:

In the Book of Numbers it could be said these are the words God spoke to Moses but in the Book of Deuteronomy it could be said that these are the words Moses spoke to the people.

Moses reminds these people that because of the rebellion of their parents a journey that could have been done in as few as eleven days had actually taken 38 years.

Moses mentioned this to show this new generation that God was not to be tempted. We need to understand God does not change and we can expect similar actions today if we choose to tempt our God!

The Bible says:

Psa 78:31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
Psa 78:32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
Psa 78:33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
Psa 78:34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.

Moses also mentioned the destruction of Sihon and Og because they had tried to deny Israel access to the promised land of Canaan.

This was God’s proof that He would indeed fulfill His promises to encourage this mostly untested group!

Moses was also pointing out that time may be precious to each of us as individuals, BUT time has no relevance and is limitless to God. God can patiently wait for one evil generation to come and go and still fulfill His plan of salvation. It is always “our choice” to be a part of God’s plan or to be passed by for some one else to come along and get God’s blessings that we could have gotten.

We have only one chance for each moment that passes by! Once that moment is gone it cannot return. If God were not a God of the second chance we would all burn in Hell!

Moses was not instructing from what he had learned in his 120 years but he was instructing from the Word God had given to him.

The important thing to this new generation was not the men who had led them in their past but what the Word of God had directed them to do.

Israel is not a great nation because it has had great leaders. Israel is a great nation because it has a Great God!

The Body of Christ is not great because of the great Preachers from now and from the past. The Body of Christ is great because of the Lord Jesus Christ and that is the only reason!

We have no merits of our own to stand on!

Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: [for without me ye can do nothing].

When we step out on our own, we have made “a choice” to rebel against the Word of God and we will find out that we can truly do nothing without the Lord Jesus.

It is God and He only that can give us “Victory” in our lives and this is still His promise!

Our Text:

Deu 1:5 On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,
Deu 1:6 The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:
Deu 1:7 Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.
Deu 1:8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.

It pays us to look back in our history books to see the struggles and the turmoils our ancestors went through. As Christians we need to remember well why our nation was formed. Many of our forefathers came to America to seek freedom of religion and that religion they were seeking was Christianity.

This has given us an identity in this world. It seems our government officials seem to think that this is not important anymore but they are wrong!

If we cannot hold onto our historical roots, we will never know when we arrive at our destination.

This is the truth of the Bible. There is enough history in the Bible to tell us the historical roots of the Church and if we cannot hold on to that history, how will we know when we have reached our destination. The entrance into Heaven is within the grasp of everyone of God’s Creation and “choices” must be made.

Israel was at this point “of choice” this day in the book of Deuteronomy.

The Lord did not give Israel His Law to save them from sin:

Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: [for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified].

Under these old covenants, people were saved by faith, just as we are today:

Rom 4:12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, [but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham], which he had being yet uncircumcised.

Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

These laws can only reveal the sinfulness of mankind. A saint of God does not need any law to tell them if they have sinned.

When a Saint of God is pleasing Him, they will enjoy His blessings and blessings do not come by any law except the “Law of Love”!

These written laws of God provided for a civil, orderly and just society. We can see as these laws are mocked by our judges and our government and lawyers, our society is deteriorating into chaos and immorality.

These laws also prepared the way for Israel’s Messiah:

Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Israel was sitting at the entrance to the promised land and all they had to do was to follow God’s orders and the Lord would give them “victory”!

Our text:

Deu 1:21 Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.
Deu 1:22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.
Deu 1:23 And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:
Deu 1:24 And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.
Deu 1:25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us.
Deu 1:26 Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:
Deu 1:27 And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
Deu 1:28 Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.
Deu 1:29 Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
Deu 1:30 The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
Deu 1:31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
Deu 1:32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,

When we take the five books of Moses all together we would see that:

1.) Genesis gave “choice” to the people.
2.) Exodus gave them “redemption”.
3.) Leviticus gave them “worship”.
4.) Numbers gave them their “history”, their wanderings.
5.) In the Book of Deuteronomy, we see their “obedience”.

*****We know that “Salvation” comes by the “Grace” of God but we also know that to have a “Testimony” and to “Enjoy” salvation then there must be “Obedience”!

Obedience is the call of the past, the duty of the present, and the guarantee of the future!

1.) Obedience is based on our relationship with God and that relationship cannot begin without salvation!
2.) Our standard for obedience is the Pure Word of God!
3.) Our incentive for obedience is our Faithfulness to God!

The Bible Says:

1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

4.) The alternative to obedience is the “Justice of God”!

God must be a giver of punishment if His people are unfaithful and disobedient!

*****When Moses sent out those twelve spies into Canaan to explore and bring back a report, they found that

1.) The land was abundant just as God said.
2.) The men of Canaan grew taller than the men of Israel.

Joshua and Caleb were prepared to trust in the Lord, THEY WERE GOD CENTERED.

There were 10 others who had no faith of there own and THEY WERE SELF CENTERED.

Rather than “choose” God and His power, they had focused on themselves and their own weaknesses. They could not imagine how they could defeat this enemy.

God had already prepared the way. Even forty years later Rahab described what God had already done 40 years earlier:

Jos 2:9 And she said unto the men, [I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you].
Jos 2:10 [For we have heard] how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
Jos 2:11 [And as soon as we had heard these things], our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

By their lack of faith these people of Jericho and Canaan land had 40 years to be prepared for Israel.

Because these 10 spies were self-centered these children of Israel had spent 40 years of needless waiting in that wilderness.

We just do not realize what God has in store for us until we give our selves over to Him, until we “choose” Him!

To be self-centered is to fall into a common trap. The world gives praise for self-reliance. Trusting God makes no sense to the world!

Thank God that trusting in Him makes perfect sense. We must trust God for everything and everyday.

To be God-centered requires a daily denial of our selves and a daily submission to the will of God.

Jesus said:

Joh 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

The rebellion of Israel 40 years earlier was a means of teaching this new generation. These descendants never mentioned wanting to go back to Egypt. No matter the difficulty, they knew their future lay in the Promised land of God.

When God allows us to have our own way, it is a concession on His part!

God knows that there is always a danger that we will become proud and self-confident and start thinking we can tell God what to do.

Many of us know that this true because we have been there!

Being in God’s Will, and at the forefront of the battle is the safest place for every child of God to be.

Israel had for gotten that the same powerful God that had brought them out of Egypt would be taking them into Canaan Land.

We too sometimes forget that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and delivered us from all our sin is the same power that can rule our lives much better than we can.

Unless we receive God’s Word in our hearts and give thanks to Him for His blessings, we will become proud and selfish and begin to take the Lord’s blessings for granted.

*****There is a difference between unbelief and doubt:

1.) Unbelief is a matter of our will and will cause rebellion.
2.) Doubt is a matter of the heart and our emotions. This comes from wavering between fear and faith.

The doubter will say:

Mar 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, [Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief].

God “will encourage” the doubter and help them believe!

God “can only bring justice” to all those that rebel against His Word!

“Murmuring or complaining” is a popular thing to do among Christians but there will be no rewards in Heaven for complaining!

“UNBELIEF” is deadly, this is the only sin that will place you in Hell:

Joh 16:8 And when he is come, [he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment]:
Joh 16:9 [Of sin, because they believe not on me];

Lives are lost everyday simply because men will not believe the truth!

2Co 1:18 [But as God is true], our word toward you was not yea and nay.

Our God is “Theos” it is not “Allah”!

As Israel was to move forward and there were people to avoid:

1.) They were to avoid Edomites.

Because they were of Jacob’s brother Esau and therefore related to the Jews.

The Edomites were still caught up in a family feud that still goes on today!

Of all problems we face today, family disagreements are probably the most painful. These are things we should avoid if at all possible.

The Bible says:

Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

If more individuals, and families and even nations were more content with the blessings of God, there would be less fighting.

2.) They were to avoid the Moabites and the Ammonites:

These were descendants of Lot, the nephew of Abraham.

God sits on the throne and He will deal with all nations according to His will. These two nations did not deserve God’s kindness but the Lord will sometimes bless people because of their relationship to other people.

Israel was blessed because of Abraham and David!

The Body of Christ is blessed today because of the Father’s eternal covenant with His Son Jesus!

3.) They were not to avoid the Amorites but they did offer to move through that land peacefully which did not happen. We are to wear the armor of God when we are in the land of His enemies. They should consider the peace of God before they attack the Church, the Body of Christ. It is Our Lord that will fight for His Bride!

These Amorites were an extremely wicked people. They were brutal in their sin even sacrificing their own children, not for any sort of salvation but just so their income would increase the Bible says for their own bellies.

Things are “Not” much different in the world we live in now!

It was a long suffering God that allowed them to live this long.

The Bible says:

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

There can be no rest for God’s people in this war we are in, until God calls us home!

Canaan Land is not a picture of Heaven, it is actually a picture of our Spiritual Victory over our own self-centered thoughts.

We must die to self, before we can live for Jesus Christ!

Let’s Pray!

Our text: Book of Numbers 21-36

Our Focus: Numbers 21:3-9, 21-24, 32-35

If we cling to our faith with a death grip and rely on Our Lord and Our God as we should, though we fail Him, we will still have victory!

Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you [that ye should earnestly contend for the faith] which was once delivered unto the saints.

To “earnestly contend” would be to fight for our faith, to defend our faith, to fight for the prize that our faith brings and “That Prize Is Victory”!

Jude also says our salvation is only delivered once. One dip in the blood of Jesus is all it takes!

That being said, we can never know what victory feels like until we have felt failure.

1.) Abraham was strong in faith, yet he still failed in his faith.

2.) King David was strong in his integrity, yet he still failed in his integrity.

3.) Peter was strong in his courage, yet he failed miserably in his courage, when he was asked of that maiden if he had been with Jesus.

Satan knows how to turn strength into weakness but The Lord Jesus turns weakness into strength!

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

That word strengtheneth means that Christ “empowers” us in all things that are done in His will.

Since our last lesson almost 38 years have come and gone.

At this time most of that old generation had died off just as God had said. They had been replaced by another generation that was born and raised in the wilderness. This generation had seen life where the old generation saw death.

These years of wandering had not been wasted. Many valuable lessons had been learned from this time in the wilderness.

If we cannot learn from our failures then we can never have victory!

This Nation of Israel was now headed toward Canaan land. At this time the land of Canaan was the most wicked place on all the earth by the standards of God and it is His standards that realty matter!

Canaan land “in type” represents the world we live in, especially now in the latter days that we live.

We must remember as the “Body of Christ”, God blesses those that walk by “faith”.

Heb 11:6 [But without faith it is impossible to please him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

God blesses those that rely on Him for their strength!

Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: [for without me ye can do nothing].

Even after we have failed, if we confess our sin, repent of that sin, and trust in God, we will have “victory” in the end.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

We will face daily battles as long as we are still on this earth but the Captain of our Salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ is also a mighty Man of War.

When we wear the Armor of God, we cannot be defeated!

*****Our Text:

Num 21:3 And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.
Num 21:4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
Num 21:5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
Num 21:6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
Num 21:7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
Num 21:8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
Num 21:9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

By this time Aaron and Miriam had died and had been buried. Moses was still the leader of Israel and it was time for God to give His new army some military training.

Israel had made a vow to utterly destroy these cities in Canaan but we must not by confused by this. The Hebrew word for “destroy” that was translated here means “to devote something completely to the Lord”.

To compare, we are to devote our selves to the Lord! We are to destroy the Old Man and become the New Man in the Lord!

Once saved, we become the Temple for the Lord in the person of the Holy Ghost.

God will not allow evil in His house!

The Bible says:

Lev 27:28 Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD.
Lev 27:29 None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death.

And again:

Deu 7:2 And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:

These people of Canaan were so caught up in their religious practices, that they could not be changed.

God gave Israel the victory and the people kept their promise.

But, Sometimes when we have a great victory we will begin to think that we did this ourselves, when it was God all along that brought that victory. As we see of Israel, this victory was soon followed by defeat.

*****What we should see is that while Israel was growing in the Lord and progress was being made, they still had a long way to go.

We know that the day we are saved, we are only one step from what we were. The process of sanctification will take time and effort.

Israel may have felt that God’s blessing was just not enough. They began to base there actions on works and they bring up that same old issue of food again.

*****This first battle was only one battle in the long war Israel was about to face and are still facing. It was not time to complain to God but it was time to thank God for what He had done.

Edom had refused to allow Israel to pass through their land and it was a long journey around this nation. When you have journeyed for near 40 years and had just tasted victory, this journey seemed ridiculous to them. They felt like they could take on the world.

When God gives a victory, we must not think that we can immediately go out and take on the devil alone. Every battle we face must be faced with the Lord at our side!

God would not allow Israel to do battle with Edom. God had reserved this vengeance for Himself:

Deu 2:5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

We know that Edom is a desolate place today and the Bible tells us why:

Joe 3:19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

God has reserved the Battle with Satan for Himself and Satan will also be cast into a place of desolation known as the “burning lake of fire”!

But, Israel sinned again.

Their anger and impatience became harsh words against the Lord and against God’s man Moses.

Again they began tempting the Lord.

The Apostle Paul reminded the church of this later:

1Co 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
1Co 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Paul said that these are some things we need to learn!

We must reverence the Word of God and be obedient to it!

Israel again had forgotten God’s Promise! God had said that they would enter into the land of Canaan and it would be their home and God keeps all His promises.

There journey was nearing it’s end but God had not forgot to feed them, He had not forgotten to provide them water to drink. God had kept clothes on their backs and shoes on their feet.

*****We know that it can be said that there is no greater food than the food that comes down from Heaven.

We do not hear of starvation not even major diseases during this time except for a time of chastisement.

Who is to say that we will not eat some Manna when we get to Heaven?

Psa 78:24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.
Psa 78:25 Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.

The Apostle John said there is a much greater reason for the Manna:

Joh 6:32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Joh 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

1.) This manna came only to Israel and fed Israel for 40 years but Jesus Christ came to be the Savior of the entire world forever.

2.) All this manna could do was sustain life, but Jesus came to give life.

3.) To reject the manna from Heaven was in type to reject the Son of God.

4.) AND, Once more God had tested His people and again they had failed.

We cannot count our victory day by day, the victory we seek is eternal and we must stay in the battle to get that victory. We cannot quit on God!

We need our daily feeding of manna (the Word of God) if we are going to succeed in our pilgrim journey!

What was the punishment?

This time, God gave no warning. His judgment came immediately!

***God sent the poisonous snakes:

That word “fiery” does not necessarily describe the appearance of these snakes but it surely describes the inflammation and the pain caused by their bite.

Those that were bitten died quickly!

By God’s command, Moses made a serpent of brass and set in upon a pole.

**It is not hard to see here that “The Serpent” is a symbol of sin that is judged.

**The “Brass” speaks of Divine judgment.

**This brass serpent then becomes a “type” of Christ, who was made sin for us:

Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Israel had sinned and had repented many times but this time they seemed to be sincere. Again the prayer of Moses changes things.

God answered their pleas and this prayer in a different way this time.

God provided a way for escape but every individual had to make a move toward God’s remedy!

Each individual had to personally make a decision for themselves.

Jesus said:

Joh 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
Joh 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

Jesus also said:

Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

These children of Israel had to confront their sin face to face and know that relief could only come from the things of God!

There is no relief from the pain of this world except through Jesus Christ Our Lord!

Notice this thing Moses had made was not to be worshipped!

2Ki 18:4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

This brazen serpent was only a symbol of God’s Mercy and His Grace!

True “Grace” can only come through a relationship with Jesus Christ!

Every individual on this earth has been infected with the fiery serpent of sin and will one day die and face judgment!

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

But if they look “By Faith” on Jesus Christ, He will save them and give them eternal life!

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

When Israel looked upon this thing of Brass they were saved from a physical death but those that look upon Jesus will be saved from a “Spiritual Death”.

Moses displayed this bronze serpent on a pole so everyone could see it:

**Jesus was crucified publicly, out side the city, to be looked upon by the world:

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

**Moses did not stick this pole inside the Tabernacle:

Jesus Christ is the only Savior to the sinners of all this world not just the Jew:

Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

**No one could look on this bronze serpent for another person.

The salvation Jesus brings is personal and individual!

Sin came into this world because of the “look” of Eve in disobedience:

Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw.

Deliverance from sin can only come to those that have a “look of faith”!

Isa 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

There had to be great joy in the children of Israel when they found this cure that was available to everyone!

The only ones that died were the ones that refused “to look”!

This is the same as it is in the New Testament “Gospel” of Jesus Christ Our Lord.

This is the “Good News” of the Bible.

1Ti 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

*****Our Text:

Num 21:21 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,
Num 21:22 Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by the king’s high way, until we be past thy borders.
Num 21:23 And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
Num 21:24 And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.

Before we go further let’s look at where we have seen Jesus in these Old Testament passages.

1.) We’ve seen Him in the Manna:

We know Jesus Christ is the true bread sent down from Heaven.
Jesus is the “bread of life”.

2.) This lesson did not cover it but in verse 16 we can see Jesus as the water:

Num 21:16 And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.

We know Jesus Christ Our Lord is the “Giver of Living Water”

Joh 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

**We know that “living water” for drinking, is a picture of the Spirit of God.

1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

**We know that “living water” for washing, is a picture of washing in the Word of God.

Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

3.) But before Jesus could send His Spirit, He had to die on that cross:

Joh 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

This in type was the “uplifted serpent”, The Brazen Serpent.

*****It is not hard to see the the Gospel here:

A.) The “manna” emphasizes the act of Jesus in the taking of a human body, as the incarnation of the Son of God.

B.) The “serpent” emphasizes the crucifixion of Our Lord.

C.) The “water” emphasizes His Resurrection, His Ascension, and the out pouring of the Holy Spirit.

1Jn 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
1Jn 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
1Jn 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

**Before Israel had reached this point in their journey they had fought two battles and The Lord had delivered them both times.

The title Amorite is seen 72 times and only in the Old Testament. This group of people are in “type” the “Lost” of this world.

They represent mankind’s sinful state:

Deu 20:18 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.

Eze 16:3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.

They are the enemies of God’s people!

We know that God is a God of timing and it was time for God’s people to battle this enemy:

Gen 15:16 says But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

****We should know that when the world we live in today reaches a point where it’s iniquity is full, God will return to destroy His enemy.

This will happen after the “Rapture” of the Church and at Armageddon!

But, Before this battle began, God would show His mercy by sending Moses in an act of peace.

We know that God will show His mercy right up till the end!

And since we know that God is a God of timing, we should realize that God has chosen for us to live at this time for a reason.

We do not have to have some great plan for our lives!

God has already made all the plans, we just need to get involved and He will show us where He wants us to serve.

*****Our Text:

Num 21:32 And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.
Num 21:33 And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edrei.
Num 21:34 And the LORD said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.
Num 21:35 So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.

This reborn nation of Israel now had victory three times in this chapter.

How had victory come?

What can we learn from this experience?

1.) We can still have victory in our lives even though we have had many failures! Our Lord cannot fail.

2.) We can still have victory in our lives if we remain faithful to God! Our Lord will always be faithful.

3.) We can still have victory in our lives if we show courage with that faith! Our God is a Mighty God of war who has never lost a battle.

We can also learn that we will be discouraged at times in our long journey but this will also be because of sin in our lives.

The truth of the Gospel is that the look of faith is simple, searching, saving, and satisfying as long as that look is on The Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible says:

Psa 89:31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
Psa 89:32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
Psa 89:33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.

Let’s Pray!

“Walking By Sight”

Our Text: Book of Numbers Chapters 11-20

Our Focus: Numbers 13:27-28, 30-33; 14:6-9, 28-35

There can be no question that chapters 11-20 of the Book of Numbers describe some of the most tragic events in the entire Bible!

From a point in time when Israel should have entered into the Promised Land, they fell from the “Grace” of God in great depths and most of these that escaped Egypt, would die in the wilderness.

Even Moses would lose his privilege of entering into the Promised Land!

These chapters are filled with one disaster and missed opportunity after another.

Some things we should learn are:

1.) Sin comes because we have short memories of what God has done for us.

2.) Discontent comes from distrust.

3.) Influence from those of the world can affect, God’s people.

4.) The standards of Spiritual living may be lowered by stress if we allow it.

5.) But God is very pitiful and full of mercy even to His children who fail Him.

6.) The Gifts of the Holy Spirit cannot be limited nor can they be monopolized by any one group of God’s people.

7.) There is joy in being filled with God’s Holy Spirit!

It is a sad thing that the human heart is prone to forget the love of God!

History books are full of the facts that we just do not learn our lessons from our actions, so history repeats itself over and over and over again!

It takes “faith” to be able to follow God!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We should notice that God is not very happy with those that complain.

We are told to come out from this world and to be a separate people!

We will not have joy by listening to what this world may tell us!

Num 11:4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

We can see it was a mixed multitude that started this turmoil with God’s people.

The Hebrew word “asapsup” is used here, which means a”rabble” or it could be said the “rift-raft” which are controlled by Satan were causing problems with God’s people.

Because they had no “faith” in the Lord, because their hearts were never changed!

Heb 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
Heb 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

In most cases in our assemblies it seems that those that complain the most to the Pastor and to the Elders of the church are the very ones that come running to the Church for help. These are, in most cases those that have no faith!

Jesus teaches the Body of Christ the parable of the “wheat and the tares” which says that where ever the Lord plants His true children, the Devil will come along and plant his counterfeits! (Matt 13:24-43)

The Apostle Paul warned the early church of false brethren. (Gal 2:4)

The Apostle Paul even warns us of the false Gospel that is preached in many assemblies today. (Gal 1:6-9)

In most cases as we have already learned, it is these false brethren inside the church that can cause more damage than those enemies outside the church.

These counterfeits, might dress like the church, and march like the church but they do not have an craving for Spiritual Things!

These people crave the things of the world and not the things of God!

There is no substitute in the world, for the things of God!

Just think, we see churches that strive to attract and please this mixed multitude, but the commandment of God is to reach out to the sinner not to those that continuously reject God’s commandments.

We see churches that turn the house of God into a place of entertainment rather than a place of worship.
That mixed multitude will attend for a performance but they will rebel against godly worship!

There have been some of these people in every church from the beginning and these are the very ones that will find God’s true people gone on the day of the “Rapture”.

Paul told us:

Php 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Php 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Php 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

Not only was the Apostle Paul discouraged by this sort of people, we can see that even Moses, God’s man, became very discouraged and this can happen to our man of God, our Pastor.

What did Moses say:

Num 11:29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!

And what has God done?

Every Born Again child of God is filled and sealed with the Holy Spirit and we are all to be the God’s Priest!

A valuable lesson we should learn from the Book of Numbers is that when God wants to judge people, “He Will Just Let Them Have Their Own Way”!

Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

If God left this world alone, It Would Destroy Itself!

But, God will sometimes use the things He gives us to test our obedience to Him.

The Manna given to Israel was such a gift!

Exo 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, [that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no].

We need to be very wise in how we handle the gifts of God!

Our text:

Num 13:27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.
Num 13:28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
Num 13:29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
Num 13:30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
Num 13:31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
Num 13:32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
Num 13:33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

We should remember, God delivered this new Nation of Israel out of Egypt so they could enter into the land promised to Abraham. The Lord reminded them on many occasions of this fact.

God’s promise was the “title deed” to this land which is still in effect today as many are still trying to deny this land to Israel.

God guaranteed that they would defeat their enemies!

It was doubt in God’s Word that caused Israel the most problems and they began to “walk by sight” and “not by faith”.

Anything that is not of faith is then a lie and is sin:

1Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
1Jn 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

We must defend our faith at every opportunity:

Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you [that ye should earnestly contend for the faith] which was once delivered unto the saints.

What was the first sign of doubt?

They wanted to see for themselves:

Deu 1:22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

They just could not accept God’s Word!

God allowed this so He could teach them a valuable lesson.

We sometimes have to learn some painful lessons before we accept that it is God that is always right and if we do differently, we will always be wrong!

These 12 men spent 40 days just to see that what God had said, was true.

1.) They already knew the names of those nations.

2.) They had already been told it was a good land.

3.) They had already been told that this was a land flowing with milk and honey.

4.) They saw the great bounty of the land in it’s food supply, God had said that this would be true.

5.) They even visited Hebron the burial place of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and even Joseph.

None of these things encouraged them in God’s Word!

The survey of the land may have been good for a military nation but not for the Spiritual nation of Israel.

**God had already given them the land, all they had to do was go in and take possession of it.

**God had promised them the victory!

All they had to do was to “Trust and Obey”!

**God had said He would go before them and scatter their enemies!

They doubted God’s Promises!

Sounds familiar does it not.

**God has given every saved child of God the victory yet, we still doubt He will fulfill His promises.

It’s no wonder we still struggle to obtain the joy of the Lord and find peace in our lives!

Now As Paul Harvey would say “we will see the rest of the story”.

When we “walk by sight”, we will always be discouraged!

We have watched our government, men and women that we put in place with our vote, gather in their sessions to look after the people of this great nation. What is the end result? We have had a “do nothing government” that have only yielded to the the abortionist, the gay community, and to the rich and ungodly of this nation.

They have done nothing to make things better for the majority of this nation and they don’t intend to!

These 12 spies, except for Caleb and Joshua, chose to forget what God said and “Became a Do Nothing” group of men!

This set off discouragement through out the nation of Israel.

I don’t know about you but I am more discouraged every day with the actions of our own elected officials.

I know there are some good people there but they yield to those “do nothing people” that have managed to wrangle their way into the leadership roles and we have a President who has his own agenda and does not care what the people of this nation think.

I’m sorry but that’s the way I feel!

Israel was in this same situation. This committee of 10 had no faith in the Word of God.

This is when doubt turns into unbelief!

The promised land became “just a piece of land” and not the “homeland” promised of God.

WHEN WE LOOSE SIGHT OF HEAVEN, THEN THIS PLACE WE LIVE IN DOES NOT SEEM SO BAD!

Heaven is our home! Heaven is the Promised Land of the believer!

We cannot allow the things of this world to cause discouragement!

They saw a fruitful land to be desired, but they could only remember, cities with walls to big to overcome and every man looked to be a giant.

The men of Israel were shorter than the average Gentile but Canaan land was not full of giants!

And the men of Israel were not grasshoppers!

When we say “we are not able”, we have taken Jehovah God out of the picture!

The Bible says:

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

There was once three Jewish boys that knew the difference in Faith and unbelief:

Dan 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
Dan 3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Satan is the “little g”, god of discouragement. When we choose to serve him we will fail!

We must realize that what Our Lord says He will do, He Will Then Do!

Abraham had this kind of faith!

Rom 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

This is the faith we should have also!

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Our faith must be based on the Word of God and the knowledge that Our God cannot fail!

To not believe is to rebel against God’s Word, which is to rebel against The Lord!

These Jews decided to remain slaves rather than seek the freedom that God promises.

We have this decision to make for our selves!

I tell you, I have refused to be a slave to this world. Heaven is my home, And I Am Going There!

*****Our Text:

Num 14:6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
Num 14:7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
Num 14:8 If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
Num 14:9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

We can see that discouragement now would bring defiance!

When we focus our eyes only on ourselves and only on our own circumstances, we lose our perspective of the truth!

Our own government have the majority of Americans in this position now. America has lost sight of the goals of our nation and can think of only our individual self.

If we can see the truth, we can see that the Body of Christ is also loosing sight of the “goals of God” and are also thinking more and more of their own selves.

We are also becoming a “do nothing people” in this world we live in!

How can we expect God’s Blessings!

Until we can admit where we fail The Lord, we can never have real victory in our lives!

When we find ourselves in God’s Will, we will find no room to complain!

A complaining spirit is the evidence of an ungrateful heart!

A “complainer” is then, one who says he knows more than God Himself and knows more of how to take care of himself!

The titles of this lesson is “Walking By Sight”

1.) What did the ten spies see?

The unbelieving saw a land that would devour Israel.

2.) What did Joshua and Caleb see?

They saw a land that God’s Army would devour.

The nation of Israel did not see things at all, but chose to believe the ten who lied and decided to stone those that had faith.

We can see this happening in every place in this world and it is coming to America unless we stand up for God and Our Lord NOW!

God’s Will, Is God’s Love!

God’s Plan, Comes From His Heart!

The Bible says:

Psa 33:11 The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Psa 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

God’s Will Is Not Punishment!

God’s Will Is Nourishment For Our Soul!

Joh 4:31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
Joh 4:32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
Joh 4:33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
Joh 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, [My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work].

God’s Will Is Not A Chain That Binds Us, that is the bondage that comes from The Devil!

Psa 2:3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

God’s Will Is A Cord That Ties Us To His Heart!

Hos 11:4 I drew them with cords of a man, [with bands of love] and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.

God Wants Us To Know His Will, He Will Not Hide His Will From Us!

Act 22:14 And he said, [The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will], and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.

God only has ONE rule about His Will!

“If we are not willing to obey, then God is not obligated to show us His Will for us”!

*****Our Text:

Num 14:28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
Num 14:29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
Num 14:30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Num 14:31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
Num 14:32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
Num 14:33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
Num 14:34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
Num 14:35 I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

We must fully understand that if we are foolish enough to tempt God, We Will See His Judgment!

Because He is a Holy God, He must punish sin!

BUT, Because He is a gracious and merciful God, He will also forgive sin!

God solved this for us by sending the Lord Jesus to die in our place.

Because of the cross, God is both just and the justifier, but only to those that trust in Him and His Promises!

God will uphold His Holy Law!

God will be true to His Character!

God has made forgiveness available through Jesus Christ!

When the truth of God is rejected, He will allow sin to have it’s effect on our lives!

God will never hold our children responsible for our actions. They will always be responsible for their own actions!

AND, Just because God will forgive, it does not give us a license to sin!

The Bible says:

Psa 130:3 If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
Psa 130:4 But there is forgiveness with thee, [that thou mayest be feared.]
Psa 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

That word fear means “to have a moral reverence” to the Word of God and To The One Who Wrote This Book We Call The Bible.

The Bible is “The Word Of God”!

What was God’s judgment at this time:

1.) The Nation of Israel would wander in the wilderness for a total of 40 years. One year for each day they spied on the land.

2.) During this time, the older generation would die off. (Twenty years and up to the eldest)

3.) Those ten unbelieving spies died because they gave such an evil report.

This judgment caused conviction throughout all of Israel but God had said what He would do and God would do what He said!

The Nation of Israel would see death daily because of unbelief.

We need to realize, we see death every day of those that do not know God and this is the death of Hell!

We need to be busy about the Masters Work!

Israel mourned greatly. They showed regret but they refused to repent!

Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the Lord but we do not read that any of these people did the same.

Admitting sin is not the same thing as confessing sin!

When we are not right with God, we can never ask for God’s help!

Or we may still ask but He will not hear us.

Our efforts without God are futile:

Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: [for without me ye can do nothing].

The lesson we should learn is:

There is no substitute for “faith”!

We must trust God no matter how we feel!

No matter what we think!

And no matter what we see!

When we walk in our own sight and try to serve by the things we see, we are doomed for failure and we will see the wrath of God!

When we trust and obey the Word of God, The Lord will delight in us and we will receive blessings while we are yet alive on this earth!

Faith is taking God at His Word and proving it by obeying what He tells us to do!

Let’s Pray!

Our Text: Book of Numbers 1-10

Just as in the Book of Leviticus, our lessons will only cover a small portion of the Book of Numbers. In fact we will only have three lessons and we cannot do justice to this great Book of the Bible.

The title “Numbers” comes from the Hebrew word “be-midmar” which really means “in the wilderness”. But this book is also called The Book Of “Numbers” because it contains a record of the numbering of the children of Israel.

This book is historical because it gives us details that are not found in other places of the Bible, of the route taken by Israel when they escaped from Egypt,(the Iron furnace) of the Bible.

This book covers almost the entire 40 years of Israel’s journey in the wilderness.

The Book of Numbers is then the recorded history book of the wanderings of the children of Israel before they got to Canaan, the promised land.

What is recorded in the Book of Numbers is the fact that Our God is a God of Order!

Israel was not to be a rag tag bunch of freed slaves wandering lost in the wilderness.

God would organize His people through the painful process of testing and maturing them, according to His written Word.

The Book of Numbers begins with an old generation, then moves through a transitional period, and then ends with a new generation at the door way of Canaan. This where the Book of Deuteronomy takes over.

What we can learn from this book is that this is the same transition of every “Born Again” the Child of God!

1.) Our old life, as a lost soul in need of a Savior.

2.) Our salvation and the process of Sanctification.

3.) Preparation to enter into God’s Heaven.

The Apostle Paul preached this sermon to the Corinthian Church and the modern day church should also learn this valuable lesson!

This sermon is found in I Corinthians 10:1-11

Paul said these things were written for our examples!

1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
1Co 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
1Co 10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
1Co 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
1Co 10:7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
1Co 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
1Co 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
1Co 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
1Co 10:11 [Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come].

I can personally relate to this.

I was saved at the age of 12, but I chose to wander aimlessly in the wilderness of life for 40 years before I realized that I was not living the truth of God’s Word. God caught up to me after these 40 years and began to show me with His Word and also with His Hickory switch, that I was not dedicated to Him.

Thank God for His patience and His truths!

The Nation of Israel would learn that there would be Divine Judgment on “unbelief” in the Word of God!

***We all need to learn this lesson early in life so we can be a part of the tremendous blessings that come from serving the Lord God Almighty!

The Book of Numbers is a testimony to the “Grace “and “Mercy” of God and points everyone who studies the Old Testament to the “Divine Grace” that is shone to the entire world through Jesus Christ.

1.) The fire is in type, His divine presence.

2.) The Cloud is in type, His divine guidance.

3.) The Manna is in type His divine provision, the bread of life, His Holy Word.

4.) His thirst quenching water is in type being washed in the Word of Life by the Holy Spirit.

5.) His gifts in type represent the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus made reference to this time when He was teaching the 12 disciples who were to teach the New Testament church.

Joh 6:31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Joh 6:32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Joh 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

What we will also see in this short study is the God is a God of “Order”!

Things must be done in a certain order for us to end up in Heaven!

*****Our Text:

Num 9:15 And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning.
Num 9:16 So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.
Num 9:17 And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.
Num 9:18 At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.

It had been a complete year since the the first passover that signaled the escape from Egypt. And, We know that Israel had not traveled very far.

Israel was not in jeopardy of Egypt because God had not only destroyed the evil Pharaoh but also his entire army and had left Egypt in turmoil through those plagues.

It would be many years before Egypt would again rise to become a power in the region, but they would never dominate, as a world power again, as they had for a period of time after Joseph and they have not up till this day we live in.

During this first year Israel had received the Law of God and they had built the Tabernacle of God.

First we see.) God had called on Moses to number a standing army. This Book of Numbers is also a book of preparation for war.

Num 1:2 Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls;
Num 1:3 From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.

***The number of Israel’s Army was 603,550.

a.) These were all males, the age of twenty and up.
b.) These had to be able bodied men, mentally and physically able to go to war.

This did not include women and children, nor the Levites so we can figure on at least 2,000,000 people or better of the Nation of Israel at this time.

It is easy to see this group of God’s people would have to be organized in order to travel to Canaan Land.

*** Think about this, If God numbered the believers in His Church today that are willing to be in the Spiritual Battle of our time, I wonder how many would He find ?

We know that Our God is a God of love but the Bible also says:

Exo 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

Our God is a God of War!

We can read of the wars that will be ending at Armageddon but the War we are in now with Our Lord during the church age is the Spiritual Battle for Souls.

This is the war we are in now!

The Bible says:

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

To be a soldier in God’s Army is a privilege and the safest place to be is “in the battle”!

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

The enemy will not have any excuse!

It is a sad thing but this entire Army of Israel, died in the 40 years they traveled in the wilderness because they refused to enter into Canaan Land when God first sent our those spies. They refused the Word of God to get into the Battle!

Just using the number of this army, this averages out to about 15,088 men a year or about 42 men dying daily.

These were all unbelievers. This was tragic and should make us realize that in the world be live in there are many more than this that are dying lost without the Lord every day and yet we as Christians simply will not get into God’s Army and will not be a part of this, God’s battle for souls.

We will see that this entire army was replaced before it went into Canaan Land:

Num 26:51 These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.

The Levites were not included because they were assigned a much greater place in the Battle, their ministry was the care of the House of God!

Worship and Warfare may seem to be two different extremes but we must realize that it takes special training to be in God’s Army and we know that when we get to the Book of Revelation we can see God’s Warfare with evil.

*****Once saved, we are in the war, as King David found out, the safest place to be in this war is at the forefront of the Battle.

We should want to be on the front line of this war!

Second we see.) This army had to be organized!

It would have been impossible for this large group of people to get the word that they were moving or that they were stopping. So God used a cloud to signal these moves and He used a fire by night to show them that they were never alone.

As the people of God, it would be impossible to figure out what we are to do without God’s Word, the Bible. We are most of the time, are own worst enemy in our war with evil.

This is why we need a daily dose of the Word of God! He has given us His instruction manual that we call the Bible!

Just as Israel was to be a separated people and “that fact was to be noticed when they traveled”, the Church is to be a separated people from the evil of this world and “is also be noticed as such”. Not in any evil way but in a Holy and Godly way!

God’s presence as that cloud, was noticed by the children of Israel, therefore their camp had to be pure and holy in His sight.

God abides in every believer by the Holy Spirit, we are to be aware of His presence and therefore be holy and godly!

Third we see.) The people of God must be dedicated!

Every thing that was done in the camp was ordered by the Lord!

At the end of the first year of freedom, the Tabernacle was built and assembled and the worship service was set in precise order. The Levites were chosen as Priests and dedicated to the Lord. Moses had been chosen as leader but Aaron was to be the spiritual leader as the chosen of God. Through Moses was there was divine revelation and divine leadership.

Today God has revealed His will through His written Word and prayer.

God says:

1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1Th 5:19 Quench not the Spirit.
1Th 5:20 Despise not prophesyings.
1Th 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Just as the Levites camped closest to the Tabernacle, God’s called out preachers and pastors must be diligent to protect the flock from those that would destroy the Church:

Praise the Lord for our Pastor, Preacher Sam!

Act 20:28 says: Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

We know that dangerous enemies are trying to pervert the Word of God and there are even some of those are inside this church and every other House of God:

Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

Fourth we see.) Just as the children of Israel, the Body of Christ are wandering pilgrims, marching through the wilderness of this evil world like an army but still needing the guidance of The Almighty God and Our Lord and Savior.

The Body of Christ should journey by the command of the Lord and when they find their place in a local assembly then they should pitch as long as God’s cloud abides over that Tabernacle.

Unless God calls us to to leave we are to put in roots and stay the course in the place He has chosen for us and “If” we listen to the Holy Spirit we have the assurance that God will be with us no matter where we are.

*****Our Text:

Num 10:29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses’ father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.
Num 10:30 And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred.
Num 10:31 And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes.
Num 10:32 And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.

When it comes to that pillar of cloud moving, it was to be “the absolute command of the Lord”. There could be no debate about being ready or about let’s wait until tomorrow. The camp was to be broken and Israel was to move. These people were to follow God not knowing where God would lead them!

This is exactly what we are to do as Christians. We are to trust that God will lead us to where we need to be!

These Jews always had to be ready to move because they knew the place they were at, was not their home!

Again this is exactly what God wants us to do. Our home is in Heaven and we must be ready to go where ever God leads us!

Those that are not on the road of God will never make it to Heaven. Jesus Christ is God’s Highway!

Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14 [Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it].

Jesus Christ is God’s door to Heaven!

Jesus is not the door way, He Is The Actual Door To Heaven!

Jesus is not the gateway, He Is The Actual Gate To Heaven!

What we must realize is that this “pillar of cloud” is in typology the “written Word of God”!

It brought light to God’s people and darkness the their enemies!

Those that do not know Christ as their Savior, will never understand the Word of God!

***It is probable that Israel placed watchers just to keep an eye on that “pillar of cloud” just so they would not be caught of guard and be ready at all times.

The Bible tells us:

Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Chapter ten tells us about two silver trumpets. These two trumpets were sounded by the priests.

The Levites were the official musicians but these two trumpets were not for worship, they were used to communicate orders to the camp.

***Not only did Israel need those that would watch for that pillar of cloud to be ready to move, they also had to keep their ears open to listen for the commands of God.

When we are assembled in the House of God we are to keep our ears open to the message of the Pastor or the Preacher to hear the commands of God.

***Keep in mind, we are now waiting on the sound of those trumpets, that will call us home:

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and [with the trump of God]: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, [at the last trump]: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Notice how Paul says “this is the last trumpet for the Saint of God” at the day of “the Rapture” of the church, the Body of Christ.

As we begin this section of the Book of Numbers, Israel will begin a 38 year journey to the promised land. At this time they are only in their second year of freedom.

We will see a long time of unbelief and failure!

I can certainly relate to this time in my sinful life!

But also in our daily walk with God, we will not see growth unless we see challenge!

We must accept that everything God allows to cross our path is a means to challenge us and make us stronger!

If we are obedient to God, He will bring out the best in us!

If we are obedient to Satan, he will bring out the worst in us!

These are the facts of life!

***There is another thing we should notice as Israel journeyed:

The children of Israel moved in a precise order!

Every tribe moved in their place and together but, there was always a group of people who were in the rear!

Exo 12:38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

This mixed multitude that could not be assigned to any tribe walked in the rear and in the rear is where they were most vulnerable to attack.

*****The children of God must find a place to worship and never try to walk alone in this evil world. Satan will be relentless in his attack on all those that make themselves vulnerable. There is much truth to the saying, “there is safety in numbers” especially in the Church.

*****Moses gives us a great example of inviting others to go with us in our journey to Heaven.

Moses at first just gives an invitation and when that was rejected, he gave an appeal, he pleaded with Hobab.

We should never give up on our family or anyone else we are praying for!

Notice that his appeal worked:

Jdg 4:11 Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.

The children of Hobab settled in Canaan land and were known as Kenites.

The witnessing of Moses gives us a guideline of how to witness in today’s world:

1.) Moses gave a his Testimony. (We are journeying in the Lord)

2.) Moses gave an Invitation. (come with us in this journey)

3.) Moses told of God’s Promise. (we will do thee good because the Lord will do us good)

4.) Moses told of God’s Reason. (for the Lord spoken concerning Israel, The Lord Promises)

There is not a better outline for witnessing in the Bible!

There is no better order in which we should tell others about Jesus Christ and His plan of salvation!

Remember God is a God of order.

Moses had faith. He knew that Jehovah God was with Israel and Moses knew that the future lies with those that trust the Lord!

Some say Moses needed Hobab as a guide because he knew the territory but Moses knew he had to follow the “pillar of cloud”, God is our guide!

The Bible says:

Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

BUT the Bible also says:

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Every Christian should know how to use both his heart and his mind in discerning the “Will of God.”

These two things do not contradict each other!

These two things work hand in hand to allow for us to grow as Christians and be more equipped for the work of God!

It pays for us all to remember who and what we are:

1Pe 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, [to the strangers] scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you [as strangers and pilgrims], abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

We are strangers in this world we now live in!

And, We are on a journey to the Promised Land of God!

*****Our text:

Num 10:33 And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days’ journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them.
Num 10:34 And the cloud of the LORD was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp.
Num 10:35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.
Num 10:36 And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel.
Why did Israel depart at this time?

God had decided it was time for Israel to begin their journey to the promised land.

It is God that sits on the throne to direct all our lives!

It was important that Israel realized it was not Moses who was in control because even Moses moved at the will of God.

We can see that Moses and Aaron marched ahead of all the tribes but their position was just behind the Ark!

*****Each time the pillar of cloud moved and when it settled we know that Moses prayed.

Moses is revered throughout this world as a man that led a rebellion that freed a people of captivity.

This again showed Israel, and should show the world, that even Moses was to follow the will of God.

We also know that these people never really believed these things, though they witnessed them:

Deu 1:32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,
Deu 1:33 Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.

We can also be sure that this cloud covered the entire army of God as they moved from place to place:

Psa 105:39 He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.

Not only could these people see God’s presence but they could also feel His presence and His comfort from the heat of the wilderness!

We know that when God rested, these people would rest But God would still show His presence:

Psa 139:11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; [even the night shall be light about me].

This prayer of Moses was used by many a believer and it would be good for us to remember it also:

Psa 10:12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.

God made a promise to Israel and He makes this same promise to the Church:

Exo 23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
Exo 23:21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.

We are wrong when we do not dissect, study and learn from these great examples in the Old Testament!

These things were taught to the early church in the time of the Apostles:

We cannot have a better outline of our own travels after salvation.

Our journey will not end until we die or at the rapture of the church, whichever comes first.

God wants us to have decency and order in our lives until that time.

God expects us to follow that pillar of cloud that dwells within us, The Holy Spirit.

Most of all God encourages us to invite others to travel with us as NUMBERS are important to God!

Let’s Pray!

Our Text: Leviticus chapters 25-27

As we finish our lessons in the Book of Leviticus we must realize we have only touched on the importance of this book. This book is one of the most quoted books in the New Testament.

Being a “separated” people to the Lord is the theme of this great book and the church is also to be a “separated people”.

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, [and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,]

We most always read this verse and understand that we are to come out of the ways of this world but we seem to not read the second part of this verse.

We are admonished as the “Body of Christ”, to not only come out of this world we live in but God says to not even touch anything that is unclean.

Unclean means “anything that is immoral in the eyes of God”, anything that is of the devil!

*****The Greek for unclean is “akathartos” which means immoral, impure, demonic or lewd.

We have skipped over much in the Book of Leviticus to get to this chapter 26, where we finish our short study in this book.

Even though there some spiritual lessons here as in all the Bible, we also have the history of the Nation of Israel “before” they went into the land of Canaan.

*****We can see the word “IF” nine times in this chapter.

This chapter gives us some of the details of the “covenant” God had made with Israel. That word “If” means that this was a two party covenant with both sides having to meet certain requirements.

Each side of the agreement had certain responsibilities. This was a conditional covenant.

There are also some unconditional covenants in the Bible that we should study!

*****In this same chapter God says “I Will” 24 times!

God says “He will act and react to Israel’s response to those “ifs”!

In other words, there is a great emphasis on being obedient to the Word of God and there is still a great emphasis on being obedient to the Word of God!

What we will see is that even what we call the laws of nature, are under direct control at the hand of God.

1.) Rainfall is mentioned.

2.) Bountiful crops are mentioned.

3.) Famine is mentioned.

4.) Drought is mentioned.

5.) Living safe from their enemy is mentioned.

We should take note of all these things because, Our God never changes. And He will certainly keep His side of every covenant!

God loves His Church and wants to shower us all in His “Blessings”.

BUT!

1.) When we try to remain neutral in the ways of this world.

2,) When we remain in sin after we are saved.

3.) When we refuse or reject God’s Will in our lives.

Then, we will see the other side, of Our God of Love!

We cannot hide behind our sinful ways and expect the Blessings of God!

The Nation of Israel is still learning this lesson!

And so is the Body of Christ!

And so am I!

*****Our Text:

Lev 26:1 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.
Lev 26:2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
Lev 26:3 [If ]ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;
Lev 26:4 [Then I will] give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
Lev 26:5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
Lev 26:6 And [I will] give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and [I will] rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.

God first describes His Blessings.

These first two verses sum up the first part of the Ten Commandments, without which there can be no relationship with Our God!

These things were essential for the nation of Israel to stay in the land of Canaan. The land was given to them for them to enjoy and have a home and to have a home land.

The saying ” that there is no place like home” is very true for most people.

What were the conditions [ what were the "ifs"]?

1.) They were to make no idols:

What does that word “Idol” mean?

That word “idol” means a nothing, a vain thing.

It is hard to make a friend out “of a nothing”!

When we place any vain thing in between ourselves and Our Lord we are making “a nothing” out of our relationship with our Savior!

Anything that takes the place of God is “a nothing”!

We would call a Totem pole or anything else of wood a standing image.

We would call any monument of stone a carved image.

The cross could be considered a standing image but we are not to worship the cross nor worship before the cross.

There are some who worship the cross as an “idol”.

WE ARE TO WORSHIP, CHRIST OUR LORD WHO HUNG ON THAT CROSS!

2.) The Nation of Israel were commanded to keep the Sabbaths.

They were to set aside one seventh of their time for the Lord weekly but also all special days and feasts on their own Jewish calendar.

This commandment was not given to the church, the Body of Christ. The veil is torn, we can worship everyday and we are commanded to do so.

I still believe God wants us to give Him at least, one seventh of our time in certain things But we are to be 100% dedicated to the Lord!

3.) The Nation of Israel were to “Reverence” the Sanctuary.

Spending time with the Lord and worshipping and reverencing the Lord at a place He has placed His name is also commanded of the Church, the Body of Christ.

To “reverence” is to have a godly fear, and be mixed with respect and affection!

We must not forget when we are saved our bodies become the “sanctuary” of God and we must be careful to use our bodies for His glory.

The Holy Spirit lives within us, we must not “grieve” Him.

Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

*****Why are we to do these things?

God says: “I AM THE LORD”

That title LORD as used in this verse means “JEHOVAH” your “ELOHIM”, your Almighty God!

*****In can be said that idolatry is having thoughts about man-made things. Those thoughts should be shown to the Lord Our God.

There are those that worship vain things in their lives but, the worst of all are those that try to worship their idols in the Name Of God!

This is turning a reality into an illusion or, truth into a deception and this will lead to the destruction of the Church.

*****Again why are we to do these things?

It’s called “blessings”!

We can then say that our blessings depend on our “Ifs”!

If we obey, then God will bless!

The Nation of Israel is still struggling with the “Ifs” in this passage but we know that this will change after the Rapture of the Church and Israel comes back to the Lord God Almighty.

Amo 9:13 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.

Joe 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
Joe 2:24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.

We can see that these words of prophesy began in the Book of Leviticus and have not been fulfilled as of yet, even though Israel is in blossom, they have not done so completely because they still do not have peace. In fact there is no real peace in this entire world. Every place, and every nation live under the threat of “Terrorism”!

*****Our Text:

Lev 26:14 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;
Lev 26:15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
Lev 26:16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
Lev 26:17 And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

Again the Lord begins with the “ifs”.

God now describes His chastisements.

Chastisement will mean the things God will use to correct by punishment and this is painful most of the time.

The Bible says God whips us as an act of love and this is true.

Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

We also see that there are some in this world that seem to never be punished for their actions BUT this same scripture says that they are not God’s children.

Those that are not God’s children are the children of the devil!

A wise man wrote:

Pro 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
Pro 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

It is a great privilege to serve Our Lord but this privilege also brings a responsibility for us to act like the children of God.

This chapter in Book of Leviticus tells us about six periods of chastisement of the nation of Israel. They suffered five times while they were in their own land but the sixth judgment caused them to be dispersed from their land.

What are these things mentioned:

1.) Great distress
2.) Great terror
3.) Disease
4.) Drought
5.) Famine
6.) Defeat at the hands of their enemies
7.) Death from war
8.) Fear of animals
9.) Plagues
10.) Destruction
11.) Exile
12.) The children would suffer because of the actions of their forefathers.

All these things have happened to the Nation of Israel.

We have seen that the cycle of prophesy is in reverse now as Israel did become a nation again on May 14, 1948. The land is blossoming again but many other things are still in the future.

Four times in this chapter God says “I will punish you seven times for your sin”

Each period of chastisement has been completed except for the last one.

Seven is God’s number of completeness.

*****Our Text:

Lev 26:23 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me;
Lev 26:24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.
Lev 26:25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.

What we have seen is that Israel took some steps with God that we should learn from and avoid:

1.) The first step:

Israel stopped listening to God’s Word.

The Bible is God’s Word of truth. When we do not listen to what God has to say, WHO ARE WE LISTENING TO?

Rom 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
Rom 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

2.) The second step:

Israel refused to keep the commandments of God.

Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

The Bible tells us:

Pro 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

3.) The third step:

Israel actually hated and despised the Laws of God.

Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:

Any nation that has no laws will destroy itself.

4,) The fourth step:

The Nation of Israel completely broke their covenant with God.

This covenant nation no longer had a covenant with God BUT God will always honor His side of every covenant.

God promised there would come trouble in disobedience!

When God is against us, then there is absolutely no one that can help us!

*****Our Text:

Lev 26:40 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;
Lev 26:41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:
Lev 26:42 Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.
Lev 26:43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
Lev 26:44 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God.
Lev 26:45 But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.

Let’s look at how God will forgive:

The most important thing we can see in this passage is that the “Land of Israel” will always be the ‘Land of Israel”.

When this nation repents God will honor His covenants He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
This is before the time of David and we will see that God will honor that covenant also.

*****God gives His requirements for them to stay in the land:

1.) They must obey Him!

2.) If they do not obey then they must leave the land.

(God will not have them utterly destroyed)

3.) They must repent to get back into the land.

(The land is always theirs to come back to)

While they were off their land the land enjoyed her sabbaths:

That word “enjoy” as used in this verse, means “to satisfy a debt”:

Lev 26:34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
Lev 26:35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.

The Bible says:

2Ch 36:20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:
2Ch 36:21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, [until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths]: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

The History of Israel in captivity can be proven. From the time of King Saul to their captivity was about 490 years. (490/7=70)

They stayed in captivity until they were released by the Persians who had conquered Babylon.

This was prophesied by God to take place!

Not only here in the Book of Leviticus but listen to what Jeremiah said:

Jer 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

Jer 29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

Daniel realized the truth of God’s Word and Daniel offered up a prayer of repentance to God:

Dan 9:3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

God loved Daniel and God heard his prayer:

Ezr 1:1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
Ezr 1:2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Cyrus, King of Persia came under conviction of the Lord.

Not only was this prophesy fulfilled in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, we know that there is still a future prophesy to be fulfilled:

Zep 2:5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.
Zep 2:6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks.
Zep 2:7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: [for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity].

Daniel wrote:

Dan 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem(Ezra1:1-2) unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

This where we are today:

Daniel reveals that one week (or seven years) remain in order the seventy weeks (490 years) to be fulfilled.

This information allows us to know that the coming tribulation period will be one week(or seven years).

Those seven years will be divided into two parts” of 3 and 1/2 years apiece.

This gap we are in now is what is called the Church Age!

It may be mistaken to think that the Tribulation Period(the seven years) will begin at the Rapture of the Church though it could.

Daniel says the Tribulation Period will begin when the Nation of Israel confirms a covenant with the Anti-Christ. (Verse 9:27 confirm the covenant for one week)

All the way back to the Book of Leviticus we can see that even before Israel first went in to Canaan Land, God has a plan for Israel that has not been fulfilled but only in part.

If we say we believe the Bible then we must believe this part also!

Just as Adam brought judgment upon the whole world with his sin, Israel has brought judgment upon Palestine.

I believe that on May 14,1948 when Israel again became a nation we saw a great sign that we are in the end times, and nearing the end of the church age!

God looks down through the ages to see these things happen but we must realize that no matter if God’s people keep their promises:

GOD WILL ALWAYS KEEP HIS WORD!

Moses could not save Israel!

There is only One Savior!

Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

God may punish His people but He will never reject them nor cast them away!

To not be chastised is to obey the Word Of God!

Let’s Pray!