I PLEADE ALLEGIANCE TO THE LORD. PART 2

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE LORD

Part 2

DEUTERONOMY 11:1-8

INTRODUCTION

· Continuing Our Series On “The Gospel According To Moses.”

· I Pledge Allegiance To The Lord Pt. 2

· Moses Was A Great Leader.

· He Certainly Was Not Perfect.

· The People Believed What He Said Came From God.

· But, Sometimes, His Flesh Got In The Way Of His Thinking.

· I’ve Done The Same Thing In Letting The Flesh Get In The Way Of My Preaching.

· July3, I used An Illustration That I Thought Would Add To The Story. There Was Nothing Wrong With The Illustration Except:

· I Used It As If It Were Mine, But It Wasn’t. I Own My Mistake And Humbly Ask For Your Forgiveness.

· That Was A First For Me And Be Assured It Will Be The Last.

· 10:12-13

I. WHAT DID GOD REQUIRE OF ISRAEL?

A. V1—Love And Obey.

1. Remember What They’ve Experienced.

a. Learn From Their Past.

b. Experience From The Past Would Encourage Them To Love And Obey God.

B. V2-7—It Wasn’t Their Children That Experienced It.

1. V7—It Was You Who Were Saved By Grace From Egypt.

a. You Experienced The Discipline Of God.

b. Witnesses His Majesty, His Hand And His Power.

c. Remember: Love And Obey.

d. Moses, “This Is What God Requires Of You.

II. WHAT DOES GOD REQUIRE OF US?

Thought 1. What does the Lord God require of us? That we love and obey Him and that we remember what we have experienced with Him. Remembering the past will stir us to love and obey God. Just think for a moment:

A. God Saved Us.

B. God Guides Us.

1. Experience Day By Day Victory.

2. Empowers Us To Conquer Our Enemies.

a. We All Face Trials And Temptations In Life.

C. God Educates Us With His Correction.

1. He Corrects Us When He Needs It.

a. He Has Done So Much That We Owe Him Our Allegiance.

b. We Must Love And Obey Him.

1) And Obey Him.

D. God Demands That We Love Him.

1. Deut. 6:5

Jim Wilson : Daniel Gilbert, a Harvard psychologist, studies happiness. One thing he discovered is that married people are happier than those who just live together. He uses himself as an example. He and his girlfriend had been living together for a dozen years. Because of his discovery, he proposed marriage. How did it work out? “I love my wife more than I loved my girlfriend, even though she’s the same person. Commitment isn’t just a sign of love; it is a cause of love.”

God can command a man to love his wife because God already knew that commitment is a cause of love. Sometimes the action of loving someone wholeheartedly precedes the feelings of love.[1]

2. Jude 21

E. God Demands That We Obey Him.

1. Mt. 7:21

In General Patton’s Principles for Life and Leadership, Gen. George-S. Patton Jr. says:

Picking the right leader is the most important task of any commander. I line up the candidates and say, “Men, I want a trench dug behind warehouse ten. Make this trench eight feet long, three feet wide and six inches deep.”

While the candidates are checking their tools out at the warehouse, I watch them from a distance. They puzzle over why I want such a shallow trench. They argue over whether six inches is deep enough for a gun emplacement. Some complain that such a trench should be dug with power equipment. Others gripe that it is too hot or too cold to dig. If the men are above the rank of lieutenant, there will be complaints that they should not be doing such lowly labor. Finally, one man will order, “What difference does it make what [he] wants to do with this trench! Let’s get it dug and get out of here.”

That man will get the promotion. Pick the man who can get the job done!

God too is looking for people to whom he can give authority and responsibility. Like Patton, he gives people jobs and watches to see how they respond. Most of all, God is looking for obedience and faithfulness.