The Revelation

INTRODUCTION

Throughout my time as a Christian as well as my time in Ministry, I have heard a common theme from people that God is a mystery, and His will for my life is something I have a hard time figuring out.

Today we begin our new series entitled, The Bible: Prioritizing God’s Word in Our Lives.

What does prioritizing God’s Word in our lives have to do with knowing God and His will for my life?

Here is why this subject is vital for us to understand.

God’s Word reveals who God is and his purposes for believers, but we often struggle to engage with Scripture in a meaningful way.

Honestly, I think the problem many have with knowing God and understanding His will for their lives comes from wanting to know these things without knowing God.

We want to know God and His will without taking the time to know Him.

We get to know Him through His Word, the Bible.

There is no getting around that fact; there are no shortcuts.

When you consider human relationships, there is no fast track to getting to know someone other than time spent with one another.

Today we will go back to the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy to a passage that Jesus quotes when asked about which commandment is the greatest in Matthew 22:37-38.

From this critical passage for Jesus to share, we will learn that God’s Word reveals who God is.

We should interact with Scripture regularly, not just at church or Bible study.

Let’s turn to Deuteronomy 6:4-9!

We will begin with verse 4.

Deuteronomy 6:4 (NET 2nd ed.)

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!

SERMON

I. Where it all begins.

God reveals something essential for us to understand.

We need to have a frame of reference in life, and this passage gives it to us.

Verse 4 gives us an important frame of reference.

This passage gives us a vital frame of reference.

Let’s talk about verse 4 so we can understand why this passage was so important, to the point that Jesus used the passage when asked about the greatest commandment.

This passage is called the Shema, named for the first Hebrew word of verse 4: “Hear.”

It is a core text of Judaism and conveys what God commanded Moses to teach God’s people (Deuteronomy 6:1–3).

First, he declares that “the LORD is one.”

This statement is an affirmation of what Moses already told them in Deuteronomy 4:35: “the LORD is God; there is no other besides him.”

The word HEAR is essential.

This word does not mean just to let something come into your ears; it denotes both paying attention AND obedience to what is written and spoken.

Before I became a Christian when I was 20, I ALWAYS believed there was a God, and I also believed there was a Jesus and a Holy Spirit.

I think many people’s belief in God may line up with that.

The problem I had, as well as many others, was the OBEDIENCE part of it.

I liked thinking there was a God who has a heaven so my existence isn’t over when I die.

That is what scared me about death, NEVER existing again.

I was comforted by the thought that I would exist for eternity without any strings attached!

Did you catch the no strings attached part?

My view of God was that if I was a good person, that was all it took.

However, I fought with the religious upbringing that made me feel like I was not a good person and that God did not love me.

But when push came to shove, I did what I wanted and figured it would all work out.

Folks, when we live life in that manner, we become our own god, setting the rules and demanding that the true God follow our rules.

I never heard God because I was not willing to obey Him.

What are we called to hear?

We are called to hear (pay attention and obey) that the Lord is OUR God, and the Lord is ONE!

The word ONE speaks of the uniqueness of God as well as the unity of the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)

Commentary on Deuteronomy (Chapter 6 (Deuteronomy 6))

There is, was, and always will be only one true God. See Deut. 4:35, 39; Eph. 4:6; 1 Tim. 2:5; and 1 Cor. 8:4.”

Commentator Keil stated dogmatically that, “This clause not merely precludes polytheism, but also idea which reduces the one absolute God to a national deity.”[7]

This passage condemns and denies every form of theism and deism and all philosophical deductions regarding God which tend to reduce Him to a mere abstraction.

“Jehovah, although the absolute One, is not an abstract notion, but He is the absolutely living God, as He made Himself known in His deeds to Israel for the purpose of bringing salvation to the whole world.

Now let's go back to why this small verse is vital to giving context to our life.

Since there is only ONE God, no one else or nothing else is God.

Moses told Israel that God is the only one and that all others are false, so they should not HEAR any other gods.

Once you understand there is a God in heaven, and it is not you, it changes your outlook.

Understanding this principle also gives us the reason we are to be obedient to God.

Let’s move to verse 5, where God will offer another revelation we need to know.

Deuteronomy 6:5 (NET 2nd ed.)

5 You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength.

II. The depth of commitment desired by God.

What are we called to hear?

First that God is God, and there are no other Gods.

Next, God reveals the level of commitment He calls for from us.

We are called to love the Lord our God with our whole mind, whole being, and strength!

What does God mean when He tells us we are to love Him?

I love baseball, I love steak, I love donuts, I love my cats, I love my daughters and my grandkids, I love my wife, and I love you all.

When I use the word love, it can mean many things.

So does God want me to love Him like I love baseball, donuts, and my kids, or is my love for God to be deeper?

The Hebrew word love denotes not an emotional love (although emotions can be involved); it points to loyalty and obedience to Him in EVERY respect.

Deuteronomy (The Great Shema (6:4–9))

Love in this context was not an emotion. It involved the behavior becoming to love (loyalty and obedience) and so could be commanded.

One cannot command emotions.

The command to love occurs seven other times in Deuteronomy and is often associated with obedience to the commands.

It also appears in contexts with fear, serve, cling, walk, and keep and is parallel in meaning to those concepts (10:12; 11:1, 13, 22; 19:9; 30:16, 20).

“Total self-entrusting and faithful love for God, then, is at the heart of what the OT regards as genuine piety and a love that necessarily includes an attitude of gratitude … trust … and consistent solidarity.”

Obeying the covenant law then was not a burden but a privilege and a joy (Ps 119).

John 14:15 (NET 2nd ed.)

15 “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.

Jesus taught the same thing.

The words following loving the Lord paint the very picture of the kind of love God seeks.

He begins by calling us to love God with our whole MIND.

Many translations use heart. The word is not incorrect, but it misses the point a bit in modern language.

When this was written, the heart was considered the seat of a person's intellect, will, and intentions.

Next, we are called to love God with our whole being, or as many translate it, our soul.

Loving God with our whole being or soul means loving Him with your life.

This includes the entire inner self with all its emotions, desires, and personal character.

The translation ENTIRE BEING catches the flavor of this part of the verse.

Then if that is not enough, we are told to love the Lord with all our strength!

Strength is a rare meaning for this common Hebrew adverb, which is usually translated as “very, exceedingly.”

Here, however, it is apparently a noun (and in the parallel text, 2 Kgs 23:25).

The love required involved the uttermost of personal devotion, a total commitment.

The oneness of God was to be matched by the oneness of devotion to him.

This devotion would protect Israel from apostasy (13:3–4).

Josiah was the only OT figure to achieve this ideal (2 Kgs 23:25).

Next, God will reveal what all this looks like.

Deuteronomy 6:6–9 (NET 2nd ed.)

6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind,

7 and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up.

8 You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm and fasten them as symbols on your forehead.

9 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates.

III. Living the Word.

What does a life devoted to God look like?

What does it look like when one loves God the way He calls us to?

First, we keep all we are told in our mind.

God’s teaching must be internalized, memorized, and made part of the will!

Since obedience comes from the mind (heart), the Word must reside there.

We are not talking about an external code to be legalistically followed, like a stop sign, but rather a way of life that springs forth from within.

Deuteronomy (The Great Shema (6:4–9))

This internalization of teaching was a part of the wisdom tradition as well (Prov 3:1; 4:4; 6:21) which suggests Moses’ role as a teacher was being emphasized.

As we live the Word in our lives, we are also called to teach others, particularly our children.

When I coached ASA Softball, I tried to use that platform to teach the girls how to play softball and live life.

We are called to use every opportunity to teach and lead others.

We owe it to future generations to pass on the ways of God.

Education and example are crucial elements in leading others.

In verses 8-9, the Jewish people took those passages literally.

These people would write scriptures on scraps of parchment and place them in small boxes called phylacteries, then strap them to their forehead and arm.

Because of verse 9, the Jews would also place small containers holding scripture verses at the city gates.

I am not saying these are bad ideas, but they miss the point of what God wants.

God is not looking for outward show; He seeks inward love and obedience.

CONCLUSION

It’s hard to build a relationship, learn about, or grow closer to anyone if you don’t spend time with them.

In the classic funk song “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” the vocalist wonders why he isn’t connecting with an old friend, even though they see each other around.

But God doesn’t drift away from us.

He invites us to meet with him through his Word all the time.

To grow closer to Him, we must practice meeting with him through consistent time in Scripture.

Sometimes the most practical ways to connect with God prove to be the most difficult.

Application Point: By prioritizing consistent time in God’s Word, the believer can be transformed by God’s love.