What Loving & Serving the Lord Looks Like Deuteronomy 11:1-15
What were your parents like? And if I can ask, what was your dad like? Some of us didn’t have the best examples of fathers. I had/have a good dad; love him to bits. You all have met him; he is 83, is very well and his health is excellent. My dad is very definite in his views and that was certainly the case when I was growing up. I loved him as a boy and pre-teen even though, on quite a few occasions, we didn’t see eye to eye. We still don’t. But I never doubted or questioned his love for me. While not overly affectionate, I knew he loved me and he still does. I wanted for nothing: great house, schooling, pocket money. I think our relationship now is the best it’s ever been. But he was strict; if I listened and did what I was told, doors opened for me. If not, bars of iron would come and encase me.
Rules, order and structure combined with warning, discipline and grace work. That’s what we see here.
Background for Israel: After 40 years, about to enter Canaan. Their parents had died out; this new generation needed to know the rules, as Pastor Otte said last week, the Latin deutero – second, nomos – law; second time to tell the law so they knew the rules before they entered the land.
God reminded them what happened to the guys who chased them after leaving Egypt: Pharoah and the army (verses 3-4), what the Lord did to provide for them in the wilderness (verse 5), but also, the undeniable discipline that came upon those who rejected God and Moses. They thought their own opinions were of more consideration. Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Reuben, were the leaders; the ground opened and swallowed them “with their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel. For your eyes have seen all the great work of the LORD that he did.” (verses 6, 7)
Therefore, be holy. He said keep the commandment and be strong; why? “that you may be strong, and go in and take possession of the land that you are going over to possess, and that you may live long in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give to them and to their offspring, a land flowing with milk and honey.” (verses 8,9)
Look at the contrast. It’s better than where you have come from: Egypt, “where you sowed your seed and irrigated it, like a garden of vegetables.” Nothing wrong with vegetables, but this land they were going into was lush, verdant, flowing with milk and honey.
A land of excess. “But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven.” This describes Mt Hermon: pure, abundant, fresh: full of life!
God has a particular care for this land that they were about to inherit. He said that it was “a land that the LORD your God cares for. The eyes of the LORD your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.” (verse 12) Whatever the season, God’s care and provision and abundance was there – with a promise.
But there was a condition: Abundance would come through obedience. “And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full.” (verses 13-15)
Egypt, the world, is undeniably enjoyable, isn’t it? (eg. music, movies, experiences, the finer things in life) But the promises in Christ are for far greater abundance than Egypt. The blessings of the Holy Spirit are far better than any spirit the world can offer: better than any house you can own, car you can drive, holiday you can experience.
The world’s spirit wants to escape, distract, and tantalize for a season, but God’s Spirit brings a peace, a joy and a blessing that comes from God’s throne.
His promise is to eat to the full. Jesus said His Spirit is like a well of life coming up from within: living water; this is life and life abundant now and into eternity. (John 10:10)
So, let’s make a deal with God and each other this morning: We all, I trust, have submitted our lives to Christ, but we have not always experienced that abundance. We are not in Egypt; we are saved; we are in Canaan. Jesus loves us, but we want to be filled up a bit more. Let’s encourage each other in these 3 things.
Loving and serving God (verse 13) 1. Obey the commandments, reading God’s word 2. Love the Lord your God; just be thankful not critical, give a shout of praise, sing a Hallelujah with your life and lips. 3. Serve him with your heart and soul: give of the first fruits in your life; be in ministry (you have plenty of opportunity here), serving with joy knowing that God’s blessing is guaranteed to follow. Even if you do it for selfish reasons, serve God and be obedient to Him; life is far better.
Ways to do it.
1. Worship ministry/Technical team
2. Cell group member/leader
3. Café
4. Kids church
5. Kids Klub Fridays
6. Serving and setting up for alpha
7. Tithe; Jesus gave his life for you and you can’t give back 10% of the blessing?
So, our heavenly father is much more caring, loving, and gracious than our earthly fathers. Why don’t you put him to the test and find out? You have everything to gain. The limit is on you, not the Lord!