FHBC Sermon Notes

This time of year, people naturally seem to think of starting anew.  The world's approach is to make new year's resolution, new goals to try and improve personally.  As Christians sometimes we try and do the same thing.  We say, "I'll pray more…" and perhaps the most common, "I'll read my Bible more…" We say we want to read it all through finally, this year…. And let's be honest, it can be hard to do this.  We get bogged down.  It is long, over a thousand pages.  It sometimes sounds archaic to our ears, sounding as if it is written to a different time, a different people. 

But… we read in the Bible, we know in the Spirit, that it is in the scripture that brings life. So this year, we are not going to do this alone. For it is in unity together, in reading the Word together that we will grow spiritually, and in it find our mission and purpose in Christ. For we grow more together, than each of us individually.  And unlike the world, this is not just a resolution for betterment, it is a commitment for life. There is no other bullet in the gun, there is only this, that "man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."

**Our passage: Deuteronomy 8:1-20**

The book of Deuteronomy is basically three sermons by Moses, in which God speaks to his people.  As the people are about to enter the promised land, God reminds them of his promises, his law. Here at the end of the of the second sermon, God is reminding his people what they must cling to, "to every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." This is not being spoken to a certain group, pastors, or fathers, or the leaders, but to all the people.  This is for everyone, young and old.

So we ask two questions here: "Why" and "How".

**1. Why must we abide in God's Word together?**

*Because God's Word speaks to and shapes our corporate life together.*

We are so used to in our society having it "our way." It is the mantra of fast food, marketing, of the American dream.  But this is not what makes us children of God.  "Our way" does not define us, but "God's way".  The thing that is different between us and the Elk's Lodge or some other group, is that we have God's word.  We do not live lost without direction.  There is authority, righteous, eternal authority that we live on. 

Most of the world is interested in acknowledging that God exists, but they are not interested in making God king in their life.  Without God, we cling to our chains (v.14), cling to having it "our way" and so live without him, and so we perish, (v. 20), for only in him do we have life.

What does this look like?  We say that Christ is Lord, that he has authority, that his Word is sovereign.  We are declaring that we are his subjects, his people, his children.  When we declare that we Christians, we are saying that we will not only hear, but obey his word.

>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 - Deut 8:11

This is important, even more important than food.  It is the picture we see here, that food, that "manna" is not enough. We cannot "live by bread alone." God's word defines us gives us our identity. But that is not where it ends.

The word of God also gives us God's will.  This isn't something that we hold and stand still and say, "here I am, a servant of God".  No!  For the servant is no servant if he does not obey. Standing in uniform and doing nothing does not count.  It is only in our active obedience that we live and demonstrate the will of God. 

But we do not need to fear, for God has not called us to death and destruction, but to light and life.  We know him, in Christ, the Living God, in a way that no other in the world can.  He desires to give to us, to bless us, for us to delight in him, if we will if only abide in him…

This does not mean that suffering will never find us, but this knowledge in him let's us experience life eternally, and is critical for the life, health, and success of the church.  Apart from God's word, we are nothing.

So knowing why we must, the next question is how…

**2. How cab we abide in God's Word together?**

**a. By reading the Word together**

This is an act both individually, considering and meditating on the Word, but the way this command is given here, it is corporately we do this. 

Consider how sacred we treat certain aspects of our life. Let us make an appointment with God each day.  Let us do this together.  Challenge yourself.  So here we asking that we all make it a priority that God may speak to us corporately each day where we all are, so that when we gather, we may declare how the word has affected us as a church corporately.

**b. Through the hearing of the Word together.**

This is what the nation of Israel and the church has done throughout its life.  For this reason, we see that Sunday in our reading plan has no assignment, but on Sunday Jim will preach on what we have read, as we will gather and consider it together.

**c. In the application of the Word together.**

We cannot simply let us Word of God wash over us and fall like water.  We must pray and obey that the Word may change us, conforming us into the likeness of Jesus.  So as we read, ask God to change us.  Write down what God is saying to us.  Let us share this with one another.  Let us make it part of our pray life.  Let us let it lead us to greater faithfulness.

The word of God will bring us to life together in Christ.

So…

Will you commit yourself to the word?

Will you gather together and reflect?

Will you apply and obey?