There's a message in God's words, sweetest for me ever heard. how that Jesus died upon a jewel tree. And the reason for it all was to save them who were called upon Christ to cleanse their souls and set them free. It's amazing what grace can do for a sinner. It's amazing how far the Christ can set us free. But more amazing, when God provided salvation, He included a guilty soul like me. so Not by merch which we have done, but by God's redeemed Son, can we find the grace to cleanse our guilty hearts. What of foes and foes will do, just one sacrifice is true, through the power of Jesus Christ we live anew. It's amazing what grace can do for a sinner. It's amazing how blood of Christ can set us free. But more amazing, when God provided salvation, He included a guilty soul like me. Now adopted by God's love, now to home with Christ above, we anticipate His coming for His home. We're joineers with God's dear Son, Satan's floss of victories won, through the power of Jesus' blood which did us all. It's amazing what grace can do for a sinner. It's amazing not what a price can set us free, but more amazing when God provided salvation, He included a guilty soul like me. Yes, He's included, a guilty soul like me. All right, thank you for seeing that. I appreciate that. And it's amazing, isn't it, what God has done for us through the gospel. And if only people would humble their hearts and accept Jesus Christ, what he would do for them as well. We'll dismiss the little ones who go to class with Mrs. Schwartz. And you can open up your Bibles, please. We're doing Romans chapter 5. And our text is verse 22 down to verse 33 that we've already read. In our Sunday school class, our adult Sunday school class, we go through the book of Romans. And I said this morning, we've been in it for quite a while, but it's been a good study for us. We've just come through chapter 9. We started chapter 10 today, but obviously before that, chapter 8, we were in not that long ago. And when you study Romans chapter 8, It's really the privileges that we have as believers, if you remember that in our study. It talks about, in Romans chapter 8, things like you're freed from the wrath of God. There's no hell for a believer. You're freed from the bondage of sin. That sin that enslaved you before you got saved by the grace of God, you're set free from. You're given life and peace. You're given the spirit of God. God himself comes and dwells us as God's children. That's another part of it. We're adopted into God's family. We're put into the son of God's inheritance. As part of God's family, we become joint heirs with Jesus Christ and the inheritance of Christ. We're anticipating Future glory, think about what God has in store for us in the future. And then we get to Romans 8, 28, in that very familiar verse, all things work together for good. You know, even this tragedy that our hearts have gone out to the Bambita family in Ireland and the loss of this little girl, but praise God, even through this great, great child, Jesus Christ has worked so many things together for good. We're given everything that we need by God. We're declared righteous by God. And it's just a list of privileges. And then it says in Romans 8.31, what shall we then say to these things if God be for us? Who can be against us? And really as you get to that, in that passage, it's kind of like sin's God is for you. If you're a child of God, walking in obedience to God, who can be against us? So if you're sinning, God is for you. If you're lost, you think about something that's unsaved. Even as we read this morning, the Jews by and large, in Paul's day, had rejected Christ. But even so, Paul was still praying that his heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel was that they might be saved. Why? Because somebody could enter into the privileges of a child of God, by faith, and so that God would, in that case, be for them as well, and so that they could have that promise of God before us, who can be against us. So I want to preach a message this morning about that idea, and it's this, God is for you. God is for you. And my challenge to us this morning is be for God, for God is for you. Be for God, for God is for you. And so in our study this morning, Deuteronomy chapter 5, Moses has just reiterated the law that God gave. And then as he ends his chapter, it really is a statement of the fact that God was for Israel. God desired greatly to see Israel accomplish everything that he desired for them that was good, all right? And so Moses is challenging them, be for God, because God is for you. And so in our hearts and lives, we just want God to do the same, God is for us, may God help us to be for him. Let's pray and ask God's blessing as we come to this study. Father, we thank you for the grace that you've given us, we've just sung about, and the words I've just talked about from Romans chapter 8, and all the blessings that are ours as believers. Father, Satan likes to come and say, God isn't for you. But finally we know that you are and finally we can see that you are we're going to talk about truth Regarding that today may the Spirit of God open up our hearts and minds to understand that God in heaven is for us And Father, it could be that somebody hears this message that's not saved. And Father, you're not for them until they repent and they accept Jesus Christ. But then Father, having accepted the Son of God as their Savior, they can claim that truth that we've read. If God before us, who can be against us? Father, I can't preach without the enablement of the Spirit of God, and I ask, please, Father, that I could preach this message in a loving way. Father, I would preach it true to the Bible, and it would be very clear, clearly what the Spirit of God intended. Father, I pray that it would be practical, that it would be helpful, that it's something that we could walk away with that would help change our lives. And Father, I pray that you help me preach it powerfully as I ought to speak. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. If any man minister, let him do it as is the ability that God give it, that God in all things may be glorified. And Father, I pray give us ears to hear this morning. Father, we thank you for your help now as we come to the Word of God. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. What I want to do is, I just want to look through this passage this morning and point out ways that we can look at it and say, you know, God is for us just like God was for them. Okay, so how can we see that in the text? Be for God, God is for you, and the first thing this morning is He reveals Himself to you. Be for God, God is for you. God reveals himself to us. And in our text, it illustrates the ways in which God does reveal himself. First of all, God reveals himself to you in creation. It says in verse 22, these words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire and of the cloud and of the thick darkness with a great voice. And as Moses speaks about God revealing himself to Israel, God revealed himself, in this case, in that verse, through nature. The things that he's referencing are not a visible aspect of God, but it's the things taking place in the natural surroundings around Israel. the mount, it talks about a cloud, it talks about a fire, it talks about thick darkness, it speaks about the voice of God, a voice which the Bible often spoke of as an aspect of nature, and it talks about it as thunder, as it says in 2 Samuel 22 verse 14, where it says, the Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice, and in John 12, 28, Jesus is praying, Father, glorify thy name. Then came a voice from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. The people, therefore, that stood by and heard it said that it thundered. Others said an angel spake unto him. And so, obviously God is going to reveal Himself way beyond just nature to Israel, way beyond just nature to us. But the reality is, that is one of the ways God does reveal Himself to us as mankind. It is through nature. Psalm 19 and verse 1. Psalm of David says, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day utter his speech, night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where the voice is not heard. And I enjoyed this past week of flying to Ireland, and praise God, it was light. I had a window seat. I wanted to look out and see God's creation. And I saw the clouds down below me and the sunlight coming from the other side of the plane and lighting up the clouds on my side of the plane. I saw the sea coast of Ireland, the sea coast of Scotland, the waves that were so big when we flew over that. Even from the height we were at, I could see the white caps that were down there, and the amazing wonder of God's creation. I walked outside this morning, and I'll show you after church if you want to see it, I took a picture of the sunrise this morning, and you saw it, it was beautiful, and just the whole sky lit up with these pinks and purples, and it was gorgeous, and you think, how can man not see it? But there's a very specific way in which Satan has blinded the minds of people. In our day, we saw it as our family went to Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow on Friday and just a little time out. But there, they had a display to Darwin. And there's a plaque. And the plaque said this, it almost quote, before Darwin's origins of the species, most or many people believed that God created. It's a very sad statement, isn't it? But you know what? Heaven's haven't stopped speaking. God's creation has not stopped saying to us as human beings that God exists and that God is glorious. He reveals Himself to us in creation. He reveals Himself to us in His Word, the Bible. It says in verse 22, These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the night out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice. And He added no more, and He wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto Me. And it's the record of God giving the Ten Commandments to Moses that God took the time to not just let us see in creation that there is a God, but more specifically that God took and he gave us truth that tells us exactly who he is and who we are and how to know him personally through Jesus Christ. God's given us a book that testifies as to who He is and His truth. The Bible says there in Psalm 19, as we continue, that the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great reward. I mentioned that God's given some good opportunities this past week to share the gospel with some people. And with one young lady that I was witnessing to, she said, the Bible's open to interpretation. I said, well, you know, really it's not. And can I just tell you this, that the question when you come to the Word of God is this, what does the Bible say? I just started speaking to her about what does the Bible say about sin, what does the Bible say about hell, what does the Bible say about Jesus, what does it say about salvation, what does it say about the priest, because she was a Catholic young lady, and so, and by the way, the Bible doesn't speak about the priest, the Catholic priest, the Bible speaks about the bishop, 1 Timothy chapter 3, that he is to be blameless and the husband of one wife. In chapter 4, it says a false teaching is to forbid him to marry and command him to abstain from means. And praise God that we've got truth like that, that God's given to us. Why? Because God is for us. He wants us to know who he is. But then God is for us as well because he reveals himself to us in experience. And so verse 23 says, And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out amidst the darkness, for the mountains did burn with fire, that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes and your elders. And ye said, Behold, the Lord our God hath showed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out amidst the fire. And that's the experience that these men had as the leaders of the children of Israel went up with Moses into the mountain. They got as close as they wanted to get to God. And they saw the glory of God and they heard God speak to them. God revealed himself to them experientially. You know what? Experience, true experience, trumps knowledge. True experience trumps knowledge. I saw a news story this past week. There's a lady by the name of Katie Mason Rouge. And she's waited 15 years, quote the BBC article, 15 years for a trip that she knows will be out of this world. She booked her flight on the Virgin Galactic thing that's going to go up out of the Earth's atmosphere and then back down. And Kenny's going to, hopefully, get that experience this year because they're going to be starting those flights that are going to go up. You know, when she gets down, she can have round earthers and flat earthers come to her and say, Kenny, I just want to argue my point with you about whether the earth is round or whether the earth is flat. Okay? But Kevin, I dare say, having experienced that flight up at that height, is going to be able to say, it doesn't matter what you say to me, it doesn't matter what you say to me, because I know, and I'm not going to solve the equation here today, where the earth is flat or where the earth is round. Her experience would trump knowledge. The Bible actually speaks about that in Ephesians 3, verse 19, when it says, and to know the love of Christ. which passive knowledge that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. You ever read that and thought, what is that talking about? How can you know something that passive knowledge? I mean, that's kind of like impossible, you know, knowledge that passes down. But listen, experiential knowledge trumps intellectual knowledge. We were coming down the hill yesterday as we went hill walking. Parker and Logan and myself, we went up to the top of the highest point on the Pentlands and crossed across the top in 50 mile an hour winds and we were kind of relieved to be coming down the backside and it was still frozen solid up there and as we're coming down, a couple of us slipped and fell, I'll just put it that way. There's three of us, two of us slipped and fell. And we got down to these three ladies, and these ladies were coming past, and I said, well, it looks nice out, because when you go to the top, picking on our winds aren't that nice, but it looked nice. And they said, yeah, but it is really slippy. Be careful. And I said to these guys, did you hear what they said? And why? Because experientially, they already knew, somebody, that it was slippy out. And that experience trumps knowledge. Does that make sense? And so, when I got saved, and I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart, God gave me a taste of heaven on earth. Those of us that are saved understand what I'm just talking about. Our experience of God trumps knowledge. Somebody could come up to us and tell they're blue in the face, there is no God, there is no God, there is no God, there is no God, and we go, well, fine. I know there's a God. And it's what the hymn writer meant in his hymn text, Ellen Jackson, when he wrote the hymn, He Lives. You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart. Praise God. You know what? God is for us this morning. God has written up in the heavens. There is a God. God has written in His Word. There is a God. Jesus Christ is His Son. He died on the cross for your sins. He rose from the dead. By faith in Him, you can be saved. And if somebody obeys that... God is for them. He's given them an experience. You know what, this morning there could be people that have that experience of the Word of God speaking that there is a God. They have the experience of the Bible being the Word of God testifying to who that God is. But I wonder today, do they have that experience that God desires them to have? But in all those things, can't we stop and go, you know what, God is for us? God is for us. He's given us all this information to help us to know how to have a personal relationship with Him. Be for God, for God is for you. He communicates to us. And be for God. He's revealed himself to us. Be for God. God is for you. He condescends to you. Be for God. God is for you. He condescends to you. I shared before that on my 40th birthday, we didn't know what to do. We were out in the day somewhere over by Musselburgh. And we heard on the radio that the Queen was opening up Parliament. She always comes about the time of year of my birthday. And so anyway. We went down to the Royal Mile, where Parliament is, and we got there with the crowd to watch the Queen as she came out. Now imagine this, this isn't what happened, but imagine if she comes out, she makes her way across the road, we were just on the other side of the road, in the front, on the curb, her car is straight across from us, she comes across and she says, Benjamin, I just wanted to meet you. And I'm so happy you're here. Do you have some time? Would you please come with me to Hoi Ruk? And I'd just like to have you in for a cup of tea. Now the Queen is very condescending. She is. But we understand this today. She is the highest person because of her position in Britain, that it is only by condescension that she comes down to the level of, can I say a commoner, that is just a normal person because she is so far above us. Let's think about this today, how far God has condescended to us. David said it well when he said, what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him? David was a king himself, but as an earthly king, I mean, he was a humble shepherd boy to begin with, but as he existed, he never thought more about himself. He thought more about God and less about himself. He understood that it was a great thing for God to reach down, and we see it in the text here. We see that God condescended from omnipotence to impotence, from powerfulness to powerlessness, from mortality to immortality. The Bible says in verse 24, he said, Behold, the Lord our God hath showed us his glory and his greatness. And we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. And the word that is used, the name that is used of God, the Lord our God is Jehovah. It's the great I am. It's the one that Moses was told as he was there at the burning bush and said, as I go to the children of Israel, who should I say sent me? And God said, I am. It's a self-existent one. And so the Lord in His name showed, as they speak about His name, showed His greatness, and then they testify that He showed us His glory and greatness. These men were moved by the fact that Almighty God reached down to humanity. He condescends from omnipotence to impotence. He condescends from deity to humanity. They said in verse 24, and we have seen this day that God doth talk with man and he liveth. You kind of sense the awe in their voice, you know, we're still alive. You know, I mean that this is taking place and that we still have life and you get the sense of what Peter had in his heart an amount of transfiguration as he saw the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that the Bible says, he said, let's make some tents to you, to Moses, to Elijah, because he was not what to say, for they were sore afraid. You see the awesomeness in the hearts of these men as they look at God condescending from deity to humanity. We know this morning that God is creator, that we are his creation. Romans 9 verse 20 says, Nay, but O man, who art thou that replyest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? And how the pride of man wants to say to God, God, you don't have a right to do this, and yet we are just nothing to God. To understand our position is less than nothing. Twice this past week, I shared in my evangelism that I've had people say to me, I disagree with God. What a shocking statement. But an honest statement. But maybe understand, God is God, God is over all. God is the creator. We are His creation. He is sovereign. And we are His subjects. Isaiah 45 verse 0.3 says, I have sworn by myself the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. And as you think about that verse, you think about men like Richard Dawkins, David Attenborough, and the evolution as Charles Darwin. I think that someday those men are going to bow before a holy God. I think God says this so specifically, I've sworn by myself, the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return. Why? Because He is sovereign. He is over all. He condescends from deity to humanity. He condescends from holy to unholy. As you read the text, you sense that in the heart of these men, there's a fear that they could die, and that fear is rooted in the fact that it's a sinful man standing before a holy God. Verse 25, they said, now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore, then we shall die. And this fear is in their heart because God is so perfect. And in the presence of the Holy God, there's a great recognition of their imperfection. My illustration I gave about seeing the Queen on my birthday would be better if I'm standing on that curb, and I'm covered in filth, and I've got tattered garments on, and my beard is disheveled, and my hair is messed up, and I smell. And the Queen came over and said, Benjamin, it's so nice to see you here. I'd like to invite you. Isn't that a better illustration of what God has done for us? 1 Peter 3.18 says, For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. Jesus Christ is absolutely perfect, no sin at all, and that perfect, sinless Son of God came and lived among sinful humanity so that he could die on the cross in our place, the just for the unjust, God condescended. Romans 5a, for God commended his love toward us, and that while we are yet sinners, Christ died for us. How do I know God loves me this morning? Why? Because God condescended from who he is to who we are. When Logan was just six months old, I'm sure, before he had major head surgery. And as we were going through that difficult time, I remember somebody that really encouraged me was receiving a letter by email from Dr. Bob III, the president of Bob Jones University, the university that my wife and I graduated from, and not somebody that I knew really, I met him, but not somebody I really knew, but who took the time to say to me and to my family that he was praying for me. That meant a lot to me. Why? Because he condescended. You know, does it mean a lot to you this morning as you stop and think about God's love for you and God being for you, that God condescended to you? Doesn't that shock us? That God is for me. God did so much to come down for me. God reveals himself to me, showing that he's for me. And then, be for God, third, God is for you. He listens to you. Be for God, God is for you. He listens to you. You know, praise God, there's times in life where God reveals that he's watching over us and that he hears us. Last week, in our message, we looked at a little bit of that story of Hagar. And the angel Lord, remember, speaking to Hagar in Genesis 16, verse 13. It says, and she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, thou God, seest me. For she said, have I also here looked after him that seeth me? And God knew just where to find Hagar, because God is God, and God knows and sees all things. And listen, God hears all things as well as we see in our text, because God listens to us audibly. Verse 28. Says in the Lord heard the voice of your words Now praise God there were good words that God heard But God heard the voice the audible sound that came out of the lips of these men as they spoke God took in what they're saying You know, praise God today, we don't have to wonder if God hears us. Jesus, when he came to heal Lazarus at the tomb, in John chapter 11, verse 41, it says, they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid, and Jesus lifted up his eyes and he said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me, and I knew that thou hearest me always. But because of the people that stand by him, I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. Jesus knew that his father heard him, and praise God, his relationship was perfect with his father, and he knew what the Bible speaks about, that if our heart is right with God, and God hears us as he heard Jesus, that we'll receive what we have asked Jesus for, just like Lazarus came out of that tomb, because the Bible says in 1 John 5 15, if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desire with him. Praise God that it's more than just the fact this morning that God audibly hears us. It's that if our heart is right with God and we're in a place of obedience to God, that when he hears us, he also answers us. But you know what? When I open my lips right now as I preach, when you open your lips, God hears what you say. Praise God. God is for us. He listens to us. And so he does that audibly, but he does that also always. God listens always. And since God is listening always, how careful should we be this morning with the things that come out of our lips? Because notice this in verse 28. It says, and the Lord heard the voice of your words when you spake unto me. Who's saying that? Moses. God wasn't just listening to them as they prayed and as they saw the face of God. God was listening to them in everything that they said. They were speaking to God's servant, the mediator between God and them. But as they spoke to Moses, God heard them. The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, got embarrassed a little bit in December at the NATO summit when he was over with a lot of the world leaders and President Trump was here. And there was a hot mic, a mic that was still on, that picked up as Justin Trudeau and some other leaders, including Boris Johnson, who was part of that group, joked about President Trump's long press conferences. It was a caught on mic and they were caught out. And you know what? No matter what you think about President Trump or anything to do with the politics of it, it hurt the relationship of the nations because of that inconsideration of the fact that there might be a mic here picking up something that I say and I should be very careful with what I say. You know, how careful should we be this morning in the things that kind of come out of our lips, knowing this, that God in heaven hears everything that we say. Psalm 139, verse four, says, for there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Luke 12, verse three, therefore, whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light. That which ye have spoken in the air in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. Matthew 12 verse 36, but I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account of in the day of judgment. And so there ought to be caution in our hearts. In fact, God is listening, listening. Every time I speak to whoever I speak to, God cures every word that comes out of my mouth. But if my heart and my life are right with God, God is for you. God is for you. Why? Because God is taking the time to listen to everything that you say. And so God is for you. God listens to you. God condescends to you. God reveals Himself to you. So be for God because God is for you. Be for God. God is for you. And the fourth thing that we see here is that He commends you. Be for God, God is for you. He commends you. Verse 28 says, And the Lord heard the voice of your words, which you spake unto me. And the Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee. They have well said all that they have spoken. That's a precious verse, isn't it? I mean, that God heard what they said, he comes to Moses, and he said, you know what? They're right. They're right. That's good. That's good. And it's like saying, I appreciate what they have said. I think, in my own heart, my own life, I think, God, how many times do I wrongly have this idea about you that I can't please you? That you're impossible to please. And that's just not the way God is. The Bible says in Proverbs 16 verse 7, When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. When a man's ways please the Lord. I mean, it's possible today for us to be walking in such a way that God would look at us and say, you know what, I'm pleased with that. Or I'm pleased with what they said. Job 2 verse 3, you know the story about Job and the temptation that he went through. The Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and askeweth evil? And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movest against me to destroy him without cause. God looked at Job and said, I approve. You know at Cain, God disapproved of him. Even Cain, when God spoke to him, God said to Cain in Genesis 4 verse 7, And if thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? God would accept them. What does that mean? God would commend them and say, that's good, I accept that, and praise God. And so if we're looking at this this morning about God commending the speech of these people, what was there about their speech that God commended? What was speech that showed that they understood their privilege? And God would commend us if we have speech which shows that we understand our privilege. Verse 26 says, for who is there of all flesh that have heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire as we have and live? They understood. They're kind of in a unique experience of the grace of God. And we answered that this morning. We said, no, I've never heard that. These men were privileged to hear God speak out of the fire. And they knew their privilege. The children of Israel, as God's people, are privileged. The Bible said in the previous chapter, chapter 4 of Deuteronomy, in verse 7, it says, For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? What other nation could cry out to God and say, God, help? And God would do something about it. And as God's children, we understand this, that we have a privilege of going to God, as we've already spoken about, and God hears us, and God answers us. Deuteronomy 4, verse 8 says, and what nation is there so great that statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day? What other people are so privileged as believers to have the Word of God, that God has given to us perfect statutes and judgments, that God has gifted to us so that we can have a right relationship with God. As I went to Ireland for the death of this for the prayer time, but also to pray about the death of this little girl that took place in Ireland. As I thought about her death, I thought about the fact that my dad had lost his wife and three kids in a car accident. And I was reminded of something that I was often reminded of in my youth, and that is this. If my dad hadn't had that accident, I wouldn't be alive. My dad was married, he had three children. God took his whole family, and it's a tragedy that that dad went through, but I was reminded many times that I had a life that those kids didn't have. They died three, two, and one, and you know, God gave back to my dad three kids, and so I'm the middle one, and my dad actually took the shoes, or somebody did for my dad. He couldn't go to the funeral for the kids. They took the shoes of the kids, and they bronzed them. and gave them to my dad, alright? I've got the shoes of the middle kid in my office, they're up on the shelf. And just as another reminder that, you know what, the life that I live, I live because somebody else died. Listen, as believers, the life that we live and the privileges that we have is because somebody died, right? So that we can say with Paul, the life that I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God. Because He died, I live. If we understand our privilege, it would be a great thing to bring that before God. God would commend that if we understood what a privileged people we are. Speech which shows that we submit to His instruction. Verse 27 says, Go thou near and hear all that the Lord our God shall say. And speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee. Moses, again, was a mediator between God and His people, and they said, Moses, go and hear all, and come and tell all. And there was an allness statement there that they wanted everything that God would say to them. Listen, when you go to God and you say to God, God, I want to hear from you, do you want to hear all? God commends that. There's some people that don't like it at all. We talked about it already today that we had a great witnessing opportunity, Tim and I, yesterday. But you know what? I said to that young lady, I used her name, I'll just say it like I was the person I was talking to, and it was a man, I said, you know, you've got Ben's Bible, and I've got God's Bible. I want God's Bible because then it's fallible. But the thing about that is that person in that condition, they don't want all. They don't want God to reveal everything, but God commends the person that comes and says, I want all the counsel of God. The counsel that Paul spoke about in Acts 20, 27. For I've not shunned and declared to you all the counsel of God. The other conversation I had this week, I was asked by that young lady, how can I believe in a God with whom I disagree? You know, I didn't say this to her, but I could have said this. Agree with God. Because you're right, you can't worship a God with whom you disagree. You have to go to God and say, God, I'm sorry, you're right, I'm wrong, please forgive me. I accept all the counsel of God. Listen, God commends that. Speech that shows that we submit to all his instructions. And then speech which shows that we acknowledge our obedience as well, because they didn't just say, come, hear all, tell all. They said also at the end of that verse, and we will hear it and do it. They said, Moses, whatever God says, that's what I want to do. You know, God would commend that again today if I could go to God and say, God, whatever. Whatever you say. God, if it's in this book, and it changes my life, then God, that's what I want. I don't want what I want. It'd kind of be like this. If God commends you to his word that your music and entertainment was bad, would you commit to changing it? If God convinced you that drinking alcohol is sinful, maybe you're not teetotal. And if he convinced you that drinking alcohol is sinful, would you be teetotal? If God convinced you by his word that you need to get saved, you need to get baptized, you need to surrender, you're called to the ministry, would you commit? If God called you to church membership, if God called you to tithing, if God called you to missions giving, maybe those things aren't a part of your life. Would you say to God, all that you say to me, I will do? Listen, God would commend that. God would say, that's great. I have heard what these people said. That is good, just like He did in the case of these that spoke. God commended them, showing that God was for them. God is for you. He commends you. He listens to you. He condescends to you. He reveals Himself to you. And fifth, be for God. God is for you. He wants you to succeed. He wants you to succeed. I walked recently over to a football game that's taking place at the center by our house. And as I walked over there, I didn't know the teams that were playing. There were actually girls playing football. I'm surprised how well they played, age 14, 15. It was incredible. But as I'm there, I didn't know the teams. But it wasn't very long before I realized, oh, these fans are tuned for that team. These fans are cheering for this thing and they're on their side. How? Because I know because they're cheering for them. You know the thing about God being on our side this morning that we can take great confidence in from this passage is that God is cheering for us just like God is cheering for them. It says in this text, oh, that there was such a heart in them. God's cheering for them, right? He said, I wish, I want, I desire, I want them to succeed. And so as God shares His heart with us in this verse, what is it that is needed in the people of God for them to succeed? What is God cheering for us about? That we would love Him always. He says, oh, that there were such a heart in them. Do you have the heart of God this morning? We talked about zeal in our Sunday school class. Are you zealous for the things that God is zealous for? King David had the heart of God. And the Bible says in Acts 13, verse 22, I found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. Because David had the heart of God, David was burdened about getting God's will done and doing what God wanted him to do. And God could safely, in a sense, trust David, just like he trusted Abraham, because God knew Abraham would raise his family godly. Because they had the heart of God. We read in our devotions this past week, in our family devotions, 1 Kings chapter 15, it talked about two great-grandsons of David. They were by the same father, Rehoboam, and they were kings separately. And the first king was King Abijan. But the Bible says about King Abijan, he walked in all the sins of his father which he had done before him. His heart was not perfect with the Lord his God as the heart of David's father. What was wrong? Why wasn't he doing the things that God wanted him to do? It's because he didn't have the heart of God, but his brother did. And when his brother came to reign after him, the Bible says that Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. As did David his father. And it says further on, Asa's heart was perfect with the Lord all his days. Do you know what that means this morning? It means your heart isn't determined by your heritage. That's a choice this morning. Are you going to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? Are you going to set your affections on the things that God is concerned about? Why? Because when God cheers for us and wants us to succeed, the first thing is love me always. The second and third thing are fear and obey me always. And that they would fear me and keep all my commandments always. That it might be well with them and with their children forever. Oh, that they would fear me. You know, you stop and think about this idea. Do I fear God? Do I fear God? The Bible says in Proverbs 9 verse 10, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And we might look at that, and we go, I don't know what the fear of God is. How does that look? What does that mean? Well, let's think about it this way. The Bible says in Proverbs 29, and I think verse 28 or verse 30, it says, the fear of man bringeth a snare. Can we understand the fear of man this morning? If I have a fear of man, I care about what they think. If I have a fear of man, I'm afraid of what they'll do, right? If I have a fear of man, I want to please them. And so let's put it the other way, do you have a fear of God this morning or a fear of man? Do you fear this morning what God thinks? Are you afraid of what God will do? Are you afraid in the sense that I want to please God? That's a fear of God. But then not just fearing Him, but obeying Him. Luke 6, verse 46, Jesus said this, Why call ye the Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? And as God is cheering for us and saying, you know what, I want them to fear me and I want them to obey me. And have the heart of God. You know, those three things aren't that difficult for us to understand this morning and examine in our own hearts. Do I have the heart of God? Do I fear God? Do I obey God? And David's mighty men, when they heard their king breathe from his desire in his heart, he said, oh, that I had a drink from the well that's in Bethlehem. Those mighty men of God, they ran through the host, you know? They go to that well, they get him that drink of water. Why? Because he desired it. Listen, as you hear the heart of God this morning in this first day, I wish my people had my heart. I wish they feared me. I wish they obeyed me. I'm cheering for them. I want them to succeed. Is there anything in your heart that responds and says, by the grace of God, I'll go there. I want to get that. Because God desires that. God's for me. He wants me to succeed. He commends me. He listens to me. He condescends to me. He reveals himself to me. And then be for God. God is for you. He has possessions for you. It says in verse 30, Go say to them, get you into your tents again. But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments and the statutes and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they might do them in the land which I give them to possess it. I'm not going to spend much time here at all this morning. We spent a lot of time here last two Sundays. Caleb got these possessions. The angel of the Lord takes us to these possessions as we looked at last Sunday. But God had a land, a promised land, a place of privilege that was before them. How do we know God is for us? Because God has possessions for us. My wife, almost 20 years ago, on the 17th of June this year, our 20th anniversary, but as I got to that date, you didn't have to come and tell me that, my wife was for me. She gave herself to me as my bride. She became my wife. Listen, those of you that got saved, don't have to wonder if God is for you. God gave you His Son, Jesus Christ. He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? And so it began with Christ, but it just goes on from there. And even this past week, we look back at our lives and say, you know, God, you're good, and you have given me good things. Then our last one this morning, Not only does He have possessions for you, He wants you to succeed. He commands you. He listens to you. He condescends to you. He reveals Himself to you. But be for God, God is for you. He's seeking your best. It says in verse 32, you shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you. You should not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. And remember it's saying, be for God, be for God. Straight through this passage there's been an emphasis on what we need to do, but God is for us. Verse 33, You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, that it may be well with you, that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess. I mentioned in Sunday School that both the conversations I had that were good witnessing opportunities this week went to homosexuality because of their inability to agree with the Bible because of that fact. And so I said to one of the young ladies, I said, can I just share something with you? God is the creator. And in Genesis chapter 3, God made Adam and Eve. And I said, you know, men and women are different. You know, my kids, straight, they're me. They don't run to dad. They run to mom. Because mom's sympathetic. Mom cares. Mom balances me out. I just go, hey kid, get back at it. But there's a difference between us, right? And I said to her, I know this is a basic fact of biology, but it takes a man and a woman to have offspring. Do we understand that? You know, that makes sense. And I said, let's just even talk about what the Bible says about fornication. A husband and wife are in a committed relationship, one to another, that a child can look at and say, you know what? Mom loves dad, dad loves mom, and they're committed to that relationship to one another. And that's a good thing. And guess what? The family is the building block of society. You know, the point is this. The law that God has given is for man's good. Always. And so when you read this, at the last part of this, God says, keep my law. He gave him the law at the beginning of the chapter. Keep my law. Why? That it may be well with thee, that you may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess. God wants His best for you. That's why He gave us this. Be for God. God is for you. You know, this morning, again, so many times we can kind of feel like, I don't know, sometimes we feel like God's against us. And it's just not true. According to the Bible, the Bible teaches very clearly that God is for us. How do we know? He reveals Himself to us. He condescended to us. He listens to us. He commends us. When we do those things and say those things that are right, God commends us. He wants us to succeed by cheering for us. Oh, that there was such a heart in them. He has possessions for us that He gives us, starting with Christ. And He's seeking our deaths. So what can we say this morning? Be for God. Be for God. God is free. May God help us to do that. Let's pray now. God bless you. Father, thank you for the time that we've been able to spend in the Word of God this morning. And Father, forgive us for not being for you as much as you're for us. And Father, if the Spirit of God has spoken to a heart this morning about something specific, then I pray that they would make a specific decision. Father, maybe it's salvation, maybe it's baptism, maybe it's church membership, maybe it's church attendance, maybe it's timing, maybe it's missions given. Father, maybe it's a matter of sin, something that needs to be set aside and that they never really said to you, God, all that you've heard says, I want to obey you. But I pray today, may the Spirit of God help us, Lord. We know that you're for us, but God, help us to be for you. It's in Christ that we pray, amen. Let's stand please while singing hymn of invitation this morning. Precious Lord take my hand. 438. 438.