You Can Do It!

Introduction:

How many of you have a motivational coach? There are some famous ones out there. Some of you know of Tony Robbins or Michael Hyatt or Oprah Winfrey.

These are all people that use positive, encouraging language to try to influence their audience and followers.

We live in a world of influencers. We always have.

However, that is not a bad thing is it? We need people to encourage us. That’s part of what a coach’s job is. He is to motivate and encourage his team.

We have life coaches that encourage us, be it in the gym with a fitness coach, or a financial coach, or any other type of coach we need.

Tonight, we are going to look at a passage of Scripture that encourages us as well. It is a passage that is meant to motivate the children of Israel, and us, to keep God’s commandments and the covenant that He has made with us.

Let’s take a look.

Deuteronomy 30:11–20 ESV

11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. 15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Pray

1. God’s Commandments Are Not Hidden From Us (v.11)

Deuteronomy 30:11 ESV

11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.

2. God’s Commandments Are Able to Be Kept (vv.12-13)

Deuteronomy 30:12–13 ESV

12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’

3. God’s Commandments Should Be Internalized (v.14)

Deuteronomy 30:14 ESV

14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

4. God’s Commandments Are a Blessing to Enjoy (vv. 15-20)

God is giving us two choices. There are only two choices.

Deuteronomy 30:15 ESV

15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.

Remember when we started studying through AIG and one of the first lessons was from Genesis where we are given two paths. One is God’s Word and the other is man’s word. We build our lives and beliefs on one of those two foundations.

Well, God has given us two paths, one that leads to life and good, and one that leads to death and evil.

Which one will you choose?

How you live will determine which one you choose.

Look again at our passage.

Deuteronomy 30:16–19 ESV

16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,

Conclusion

There is a warning that God gives over and over in His proclamation of His Word. God warns us and tell us the future of what it will be like for those who don’t believe HIm.

This is not the first passage where God has given this warning. He is patient and long-suffering, but that does not mean that His patience will not run out or His kindness will not turn to severity.

If the people would obey God, they would experience His blessings. If they disobeyed, there would be discipline and curses.

God’s commandments are for our own good. They are guardrails for our protection, as we’ve already said. God is not trying to limit our freedom or keep something God from us. Satan can tempt us to believe that God is hiding things from us like he did to Adam and Eve in the Garden. It was a lie, because Satan is the father of lies.

We are commanded to obey that it may go well with us.

Deuteronomy 30:19–20 ESV

19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Despite the fact that we are expected to obey, we also must acknowledge that while God says that these commandments are not too difficult that we can’t obey them, at the same time, we have a fallen nature and so we are battling the flesh.

We can keep these commandments in terms of our ability, but we can’t keep them in terms of our fallen sin nature. We need Jesus. He is the only one that can fully keep the law for us and atone for our sins.