John Carter – October, 12 2013 – Deuteronomy 30 – HVBC Men’s Breakfast
If you Love God, the you will obey His commands
In a time when the sin of male chauvinism has been replaced with the sin of feminism men are no longer encouraged for being men but are under constant barrage of propaganda that they are of no use and a hindrance to society progressing. Men, abandon the lie. This belief system a lie and is contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That Gospel being: God Created everything good, man rebelled, God promised a plan of redemption, and Jesus if the fulfillment of that redemption. Where do you stand in this relation to this Gospel? Are you an observer, an ardent enthusiast, or do you deny this Gospel?
Those who believe this Gospel will unashamedly admit that they love Jesus the who is the fulfillment of our redemption. This is the very thing about which I write— loving Jesus who is God in the flesh. The disciple John, a believer of this Gospel, records that Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments”.[1] Later John writes, “By this we know that we have come to know Him [Jesus], if we keep His commandments”.[2] It is my desire that these words come to men as an encouragement.
If I ask a believer if He loves God I would most likely get a resounding “Yes!”, but if I follow up with, ‘then don’t you keep His commands?” the response may no longer ring. In fact the responder may become offended that I would even measure their love by their actions. But this is how we treat every other relationship bond by love. If our wife loves us then she will obey our command to be faithful. If our children love us then they listen to our directions. If our friends love us then they will return our books and tools when we ask.
What should be important to point out is that Jesus is not giving us a new commandment or revealing to us something new about Himself. If fact this is a foundational insight given to the Nation of Israel as they stood receiving the covenant at Mt. Moab[3] when Israel was preparing to enter the Land promised to Abraham.[4]
Read Deuteronomy 30
The driving thought in this chapter is when Moses says in v.6 that someday He will circumcise the heart of His people rather than their foreskin. But why is God going to circumcise the heart of His people? To love God so that they may live. It will be after this circumcision that finally God’s people will be able to obey Him![5] Through the work of Jesus on the cross and the gift of the Holy Spirit we who are members of the universal Church have each had our heart circumcised so that we might Love God and obey him. Our love for God is wasted if it is not spent obeying Him. The prosperity promised in chapter 30 is after obedience. We do not love God so that we might be blessed. We love God that we might obey. But is such obedience even possible?
According to Moses, yes. How? Because the word needed to obey is found in our heart.[6] This should bring relief upon relief. Lover of God the very thing necessary to obey God is in our mouth, it is in our heart. Believer, as the word of God dwelt in the Israelite so it dwells in you.
At the hearing of the Gospel every listen is offer two options. Obey God and receive eternal life or deny the work of Jesus on the cross that grants forgiveness and suffer eternal death. For the unbeliever I say “Choose Life!”, and to the Christian I say, “Obey Christ!” by loving God, by obeying God, and by holding fast to Him![7]
How, how are men in this world— which attacks men for being men and finds God offensive— are men to obey God. This is where we turn to a vision of Isaiah where we see what it is that bring God Glory and honor.
I’ve had enough! (stop with your religiosity)
Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; (repent and confess your sins)
Remove the evil deeds from My sight (Anger, porn, laziness, shirking of responsibilities)
Cease to do evil,
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless (teach the Gospel)
Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.[8]
Being a obedient Christian is offensive to our society. Being a Man is offensive to our society. Therefore loving God is offensive to our society. Because loving God requires that we are obedient and requires us to be Men. Stop wishing the Christian walk would become easy. Every day we must prepare for the battle that has been given to us. The battle to love your wife, to work as if for Christ, to rule and subdue the earth, to lead the Church, to raise boys to become God loving men, the battle to make disciples of all nations.
Men, it is time we stop playing victim to the attacks of our society. Instead it is time to say, today I will love my God in word and deed.
Musica Theologica 