Remember the LORD Your God

Order of Service

Welcome

Prayer

Hymn -

Notices

Prayer Meeting - 7:30pm

Friday 7pm - Online

Sunday Morning 11am & 6pm

Tithes & Offerings - £

Main Prayer

Hymn - NOT WHAT THESE HANDS HAVE DONE (701) - HORATIUS BONAR 1808-89

Reading

Deuteronomy 8 ESV

“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.

Sermon

People desire to have a deeper faith, but neglect to appreciate what that means

How can I grow spiritually?

Performance?

Give Money?

Bless the LORD and take care not to forget him

Chiasm [Kiasm]

A verse 1: The land the LORD swore to give to your fathers.

B verses 2–6: Going through the wilderness.

C verses 7–10a: The good land in which you will eat and be full.

D verses 10b–11: Bless the LORD and take care not to forget him.

C verses 12–14a: Having eaten and become full in the good land.

B verses 14b–16: Going through the wilderness.

A verses 17–18: The covenant the LORD swore to your fathers.

Hard times in the past (vv. 1–5)

Deuteronomy 8:1–5 ESV

“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.

40 years in the wilderness were hard years

Initially travelled through the desert region

God used this to humble and test Israel

This was then extended to forty years

Humble (v3) ‘made you feel your weakness and dependence’

In Egypt the Nile would flood each year providing for food production

In the promised land it would be different, dependant on rain

Rainfall would depend on their obedience to God

So in the desert God was training them to trust and reply on His provision

God’s Provision

Food

Manna in morning (flakes of bread like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey)

Quail in evening

Clothes & Shoes would not wear out

God was testing what was in their hearts

Testing indcates we are his people (evidence of sonship)

For Discipline, to draw us from sin so that we may share in His holiness (v10)

Hard times can be some of the most valuable times of the Christian life

Spiritual growth requires learned dependence on God

Deut 8:3 “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord”

Trust God and rely on him for everything

Our whole life is lived under his overruling providence

The good times yet to come (vv. 6–10)

Deuteronomy 8:6–10 ESV

So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

Discipline leads to obedience to God’s laws

Obedience is all the more, because he is on the verge of bringing them into the promised land

Promised Land was a beatiful and productive place

We must remember that the blessings of the New Covenant are primarily spiritual blessings

Peace with God

Fellowship with the Father and with the Son

Israel only knew of the Messiah in type and shadow, in prophesy and promise

In the new covenant we have the full and clear revelation of Jesus Christ

Brought into union with the Messiah

Transcends anything possible for the Israelites

We look forward to a new heaven and a new earth

When the Israelites ate and were full they were also to bless the Lord for the good land he has given to them

Never forget the LORD (vv. 11–17)

Deuteronomy 8:11–17 ESV

“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’

The danger was that they would take God’s blessings for granted and forget to thank Him

Eventually forgetting that He is the one who had given those blessings

True gratitude was not simply thanksgiving but by obedience - keeping God’s commands

John 14:23 ESV

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Return...

Deuteronomy 8:11–17 ESV

“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’

Moses gives warning against forgetfulness

Such forgetfulness comes about through pride (v14)

The Israelites will fight their way to conquest and settlement in the land

It would be all too easy to think they had gained vitcory by their own strength

Forgetting it is God who had stengthened them and given them every success in battle

Such an attitude starts in the heart

It is possible to express thanks to God with the lips, while the heart begins to take credit to itself

This could lead to even forgetting the time of testing in the wilderness

There they had been completely dependant upon God

God gave water when there was no water

He gave food when there was no food

Ke kept them safe leading them through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery (venomous) serpents and scorpions (v15)

As time passes it is easy to allow the memory of God’s past goodness to fade

This is why God ordained feasts like Passover and Tabernacles

Every year the people were to be reminded of God’s deliverance in order to keep alive the memory of His Goodness

Hard times of testing - “you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful”

James 5:11 ESV

Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Always remember the LORD (vv. 18–20)

Deuteronomy 8:18–20 ESV

You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.

A reminder that it is the Lord who gives Israel power to get wealth

the people exert themself and fight

But that power and strength comes from God

In our Christian lives and service for the Lord, it is the power and grace of God that enables us

We also have no reason to lift up our hearts in pride or to congratulate ourselves on what we think are our achievements

The Canaanites themselves are a warning to Israel

Why are they destined to perish?

Idolatry and Sinfullness of their Behaviour

So if the Israelites turn to other gods and refuse to obey the voice of the Lord their God they are more responsible and they too will perish

We have a great responsibility as Christians to proclaim the Gospel

Hymn - NOW, O MY SOUL, FORGET NO MORE (736) - KRISHNA PAL 1764-1822

Q&A

Hymn - CAN I TRUST THAT GOD HAS MADE ME (1115) - Norman Phillips

Closing Prayer

Doxology