Take Care How You Worship

Intro

Deuteronomy 6:1-25

Main Idea: God cares about how you worship

Deuteronomy means “second covenant.” Moses restated the covenant in chapter 5. Mountains of Moab. Looking at Jericho. Three speeches. How do we worship in this new place?

Imperative #1: Obediently Worship God (1-3)

Exp. Common theme in the wilderness was their disobedience. Verses 1-3. Verse 1 = God gave these to you. These are his words. Not mine. They do not change because you are going to a new place. Verse 2 = the goal is to fear the Lord. Fear was essential. Keep ALL his statutes and commands. Everyday. Verse 3 = Another goal: multiply. Doing as God intends brings about the goal in which God wants. How? Be careful to do them. Careful means watchful.

Ill. Careful to do these things. Reminds me of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He’s in the cave at the end and he’s moving slowly but deliberately to make sure he gets to the end. Every step is calculated. He isn’t flippantly pushing ahead. Every step matters. That’s what Moses is instructed them to do. Be deliberate.

Christ - The New Testament defends this point. Jesus was deliberate in all he said and did. He wasn’t flippantly going about life ignoring the Pharisees. He kept the Law even when it went against traditions. Paul’s writing to the churches was specific because we needed someone spell it out.

App. Why obedience matters:

God’s commands

Generational

Multiplication

Imperative #2: Holistically Worship God (4-9)

Exp. Shema = to hear. Verse 4. Heart = inner man; will. Soul = appetite; desire. Might = force; abundance. Inside out. Every part of who you are. If any part is lacking, your faith will be incomplete.

Ill. I’m a Tennessee fan, but my faith isn’t complete. I have the t-shirts, jackets, banners, welcome signs, travel mugs. Used to have season tickets. I talk a big game about Tennessee, but when their actually playing, I don’t think they’ll win.

Exp. Notice there is a dual approach to following God. Verse 6. Internal; personal. Verses 7-9. Public. Outward expression. Many Jews took this literally. Phylactery. Mezuzah = has letter “shin.” Not literal. Personal and public.

Christ - Jesus had this type of relationship. He went away to be with the father. Knew Scripture so it was “written on his heart.” He quotes this passage twice. But he taught the disciples as the Israelites were to teach children. He spoke God’s word everywhere, so people knew what he was about.

Romans 12:1-2, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

App. Which area do you struggle to worship? Personal or public? Interconnected.

If you struggle with personal, public worship will not take place.

If you struggle with public, personal is likely lacking.

If you don’t worship God with your whole self, then it leads to idolatry.

Imperative #3: Exclusively Worship God (10-19)

Exp. Focuses on God’s provisions for the Israelites. Verse 13-15. Going to a place with idolatry and other worship. God does not remove all the pagan worship, but gives instruction on how to dwell there. This is why he instructs them on being careful. He echoes the same word in verse 17.

Ill. Instructing your child before he goes to school. He says, “But everyone else is doing this thing.” You say, “I don’t care about the other kids.” Such and such’s dad lets him do this. “Well, I’m not such and such’s dad.” This illustration fails in that God is sovereign over these pagan nations. But the concept remains: keep your eyes on God, not on other religions.

Arg. Verse 16. Don’t test God by trying something new. Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Christ - Jesus kept pressing on towards the cross. Not only did he keep pressing on, but he is the object of our gaze. He is what we look to. We run to him.

App. How we exclusively worship God:

Keep your eyes on Jesus

Worship God personally and publically

Carefully obey God

Imperative #4: Reflectively Worship God (20-25)

Exp. The end of this section is capped with a future hypothetical. Verse 20-25. You tell them about what you saw at Egypt. You tell them about his provision in the wilderness. You tell them about his promise of the land. We live in a culture where this question is asked a lot more. Our Egypt is the cross.

Christ - Why is it that we worship God? Because like the Israelites, I was in slavery to sin. Ephesians 2, I was dead in sin. Like the Israelites, I needed a savior. Galatians 3, I was redeemed from the curse. Like the Israelites, I would die in the wilderness without God’s help. John 6:35, I am the Bread of life. Like the Israelites, I hope in the promise of the land that is to come. Colossians 1:27-28, “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.”

App. Never forget Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. The only way we can obediently worship, holistically worship, and exclusively worship is to be reminded daily of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is our hope.