Sunday 11th June 2023, Salt Church will continue our series in Deuteronomy!
The main purpose of the book of Deuteronomy:
Israel is on the plains of Moab about to enter the Promised Land. Their leader Moses is about to die. And so comes Deuteronomy – 3 sermons from Moses to tell God’s people how to love God.
Deuteronomy is to the Old Testament what Romans is to the New Testament; it’s the most thorough explanation of the character and purposes of God, how to become one of God’s people and how to live and to love God as one of his people.
The main purpose of the book is to call every generation of Israelites to faithful covenant love for God, in response to his salvation and revealing of himself. Hearing God’s word on the lips of Moses is meant to lead God’s people to learn, to fear, to obey and to have life. How Israel hears God’s words, and what they do in response, will determine whether they prosper or perish in the Promised Land.
If you could capture the message of Deuteronomy in 1 sentence, it would be this one (Deut 10:12-13):
And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart & with all your soul, & to observe the LORD’s commands & decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
For Israel, love for God is shown by having Yahweh alone as their God (6:4) demonstrated in unwavering loyalty, obeying all God’s commands, and resisting the pull and allure of the false gods they will meet as they enter the Promised Land and interact with other nations.
Our culture, time and place in history is different, some of the commands have changed between the Old and New Testaments, and the false gods that surround us are perhaps not as obvious as they were for Israel. Even still, our love for God is shown in much the same way, as we strive to:
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Matt 22:37-39)
…in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1)
We’re diving into chapters 12-26 this year, but you can find all sermons from this series uploaded here!