Well, this morning, if you would turn back in your Old Testament to Deuteronomy chapter five, we'll be concluding this chapter, chapter five, verses 28 through 33. So we are moving from today's recollection of the fanfare in Jerusalem with Jesus, the Son of God, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, to the Israelites' recollection of the terrifying fear of the presence of God at burning Mount Horeb or Mount Sinai. And here, we are reminded of a worthy God, worthy of our fear and worthy of our obedience. Follow along as I read the conclusion to this chapter that started with the Ten Commandments, recalled, of course, the speaking of the Lord to the people and the fear that they had asking Moses to intervene on their behalf, and we pick it up in verse 28. And the Lord heard your words, and when you spoke to me, or when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, I have heard the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. Oh, that they had such a heart as this always to fear me, and to keep all my commandments that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever. Go and say to them, return to your tents. But you stand here by me and I will tell you the whole commandment and the statutes and the rules that you shall teach them that they may do them in the land that I am giving them to possess. You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess. As we consider these words, let us bow briefly to the Lord in prayer. Lord, these are your words, inspired by your Holy Spirit. They are authoritative. They do not change, and they will last forever. You have reminded us in your word that your words shall not come back void, but they will accomplish the purpose for which you sent them. Father, I pray that as we consider these things, we would marvel at your word, learn from your word, and grow in our walk with you. I pray that you would give us ears to hear it and hearts to understand it. And Lord that anything that is said, done or thought here inconsistent with your word or your will might pass away never to be heard from again. We pray in Jesus name, amen. I was reminded by a short video that I had watched this week of the cousins of socialism and communism. You know, they sound so good. They sound like a way to live in peace and harmony and unity and all those things. After all, the premises are that everyone would be equal, that society would care for the poor, and that a beneficent society where no one lords it over others, it is also true that no one is left uncared for. In the 1950s, With all its resources and wealth, the country of Venezuela had the fourth largest per capita of any nation in the world. They had oil, they had resources, they had wealth. To many in the country, socialism sounded so good. A big welfare society followed and profligate spending by the government so much so that taxes rose and it became a burden upon the people, but these socialist policies took hold in the government and were attractive to the people. But again, that heart, that gets in the way. In 1998, a man by the name of Hugo Chavez was elected president and while there were temporary benefits as he went full force into not only socialism, but into communism and Marxist principles, Temporary benefits were seen for the poor and it looked like this might be something that was good. But in a short period of time, Hugo Chavez became a brutal dictator. Beginning by attacking the upper classes and bringing the whole country into poverty as socialism and communism have almost always done. If only the heart could match the words of the famous isms. You see, it's not that communism or socialism as an idealistic philosophy is necessarily the problem. The problem is in the people. People are sinners. They are not basically good. And because they are sinners with deceitful hearts, these things don't work. And so too the people of God. They had words they had just told God on Mount Sinai after they heard the Ten Commandments and they told Moses, we are afraid. And they said, we will do all that he has said. This is what it says in verse 27. It says, speak to us all that the Lord our God will speak to you and we will hear and do it. The idealism. I think they meant it. They were afraid of God. They had a proper fear. In fact, God will say in just a few verses, all that they said is right or it is good. And yet he also says these things, if their heart would match their words. Then we look at the role of Moses with the people then at Mount Sinai. And then we will conclude with this section of scripture on the duty of the people entering the land. If their heart would match their words. You know, this is kind of a fascinating little section here of verses 28 and 29. Because the concept here throughout this portion of the Bible is that God is supposed to speak and the people are supposed to listen. But God is so faithful here, the roles are reversed. The people have spoken in relationship to him after hearing these 10 commandments and having the fear of the mountain before them, and they speak and God listens. And it says the Lord heard the people's voice. Now, God doesn't always listen to everybody. Now he knows what everybody says and he hears what they say, but there's a difference between hearing and listening, isn't there? In fact, we're told that if someone is coming to God and they are sinners and they are refusing to repent, God will not listen. But here it says, the Lord heard the people's voice. And here's what he said. The Lord said to Moses, I have heard the words of the people, God heard them. God loves these people. I don't know why. I don't know why he loves this people here in this room. After all, if we're honest with ourselves, we all know we're sinners, unworthy of God's grace, and if we were living in a just and fair universe, every last one of us would be struck down by the Lord. And yet here, he said he heard the words, and then he said this, they did well in what they spoke. It is that verb, for doing something good or doing something well. He said they did well in what they spoke. In other words, he commended them for what they said. It is right for them to fear him. It is right for them to confess obedience to him. These are good things. But the problem is God is also a realist, isn't he? Oh, that they had such a heart as this always. Here's the Lord's desire for their heart. First of all, to fear me, to fear the Lord. In our society around us, we wanna make it out that God is a big old teddy bear, and he just wants to hug us all the time. The problem is, this is the same God who is the God of the mountain with the burning fire and the arrows being shot and the thunder and the lightning and the warnings and all those things. The same God who earlier in this context, the people rightly said, we cannot bear to be in his presence lest we die. You see, God is a fearful God. In fact, it was the New Testament in Hebrews where it says our God is a consuming fire. So it is right for us to fear the Lord. In fact, even the Psalms tell us that we should fear the Lord because he's a forgiving God, because he has that power within his hands. So he says, for their heart, oh, that you would have this heart to fear me, says the Lord. But he doesn't stop there. He says, and to keep all my commandments. Remember, they just said, we're going to do it. Tell us everything God says to you, Moses, and we will do it. And he says, oh, I wish they would. I have to say, that's the heart of anyone who gives rules, isn't it? That those who are under your authority will follow those rules and make life easier, wouldn't it? Not only that, but it provides for a joyful atmosphere and it provides for unity and peace and all those different things. And he says, oh, that they would have this heart to fear me and to keep all my commandments and to do this all the days. In fact, it's interesting how it says here that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever. All the days here. Imagine what life would be like if a community was perfect. That would be wonderful. In fact, that's what we long for, isn't it? God gives them the blessings. If they obey him, the blessings are this, it will go well for them and it will go well for their sons, their children. And it will go like this forever if you will just fear God and keep his commandments. In the 17th century, in the 1600s, the North Virginia Company and the South Virginia Company were contracted by the British government and the king to establish two communities in the New World. One was named Plymouth and the other was named Jamestown. These early English settlements in America were both founded on corporatism or what we might say today was communistic principles. It was before Marx, it wasn't Marxist. But the idea was these companies would bring all these people to settle in these towns and each person there would basically be working for the company. And everyone would get equal shares and whatever they brought in would be put in the storehouses so that the companies could make a profit and the people could live there happily together. Sounded good. But what happened was that heart. You see, there were people among them who were lazy and weren't good workers. And when they began to realize they were going to get an equal share, whether they worked hard or they didn't work hard, they decided they weren't going to work hard because their hearts were lazy. And then there were those whose hearts were profligate. That was they were wicked or undesirable in the community. And they realized that they too would still get the equal share even if they did things that would harm themselves or others or the community. And so they began to take advantage of this and it began to do they began to do those things more frequently. And pretty soon the leaders of the community began to realize their communities were on the brink of collapse. It wasn't because of the principles by which they were founded, because after all the companies just wanted to make their profit and the king wanted his part too and they thought, hey, we will now have more land, more rule, more things. And yet that wicked heart got in the way, didn't it? The blessings of good intentions often meet the deceitfulness of the heart, if their heart would only match their words. So then the Lord continued in verse 30 to speak to Moses individually. After all, the people had selected him rightly so as the mediator. Of course, he was already selected by God to be the leader of the people. He had already been giving him revelation here and there And here it is in verse 30 where the Lord says, go and say to them, return to your tents. In other words, you said the right things, you have the right intentions. Now go home and of course one commentary writer says on this particular passage that reminds us that the law is not just for when you're standing together in community at special events. The law is effective in all of our lives, in our homes, in our tents, our houses, our communities, it's for all time. But he says to Moses, stand in my presence. You. Stand here by me and I will tell you the whole commandment and the statutes and the rules that you shall teach them that they may do them in the land that I'm giving you to possess as Moses stands in that presence of God. God says I will speak to you all the commandment. Now it's interesting here. You might note he lists three things commandment statutes or what I translate limits and judgments or As our ESV says here, it is rules. Did you notice that the first one is singular and the other two are plural? In other words, he's referring to all the law that he's going to give to Moses and he calls it the commandment. This is consistent with other parts of Deuteronomy. It reminds us that it includes these other two categories. One is limits. Part of setting rules or having commandments is to put boundaries in place for the benefit of the people. After all, if you have a classroom, you don't want chaos in the classroom. You want to set those boundaries so that they know the limits that will make it so there's a happy place to be. And it also includes those rules or judgments. In other words, these are God's judgments of how to live in a society peacefully and honoring to God. And so he says, I will speak to you all these things, the commandment, including the limits and the judgments. And so he did, in fact, we're gonna look through much of the book of Deuteronomy and see not just the 10 commandments that were spoken orally to the people, but all the rest of the specific and individual laws, limits, boundaries, judgments, whatever you wanna say they are, that were to be given to all the people. He says, I will speak to you all these things and Moses, here is your job. You're to teach them. In fact, this is what mediators do. They reveal to the people the word of God. And of course, Moses is not a perfect mediator. After all, he's going to give this very long speech, the book of Deuteronomy, and then he's going to die. But here he is. He is to teach the people these rules. And then what are they supposed to do in response? They shall do them in the land that I'm giving them. In fact, this is such an appropriate time to go over these things because they concluded their wandering years. They've already inherited some land on the east side of the Jordan. Now they're about to cross over the Jordan River and establish the communities of Israel and the land that God is providing for them. And he says, here are the limits, the boundaries, the statutes, the commandment, all the law that I will give you so that you can live together in peace, glorifying God. You know, what is it that we in America think is the most important thing to teach our children? We often say it's reading, writing and arithmetic. We call it the three R's, even though writing starts with a W and arithmetic starts with an A, but we like those alliterations. We tend to think that there's all kinds of other things, history and sociology and science and all those other things that we put in there Sometimes we disagree over what should be in there, but I'm asking the question this morning, is it working? You know, statistics tell us that we spend more on education per student than any country in the world. And yet, over a period of time, our standing among developed nations has continued to fall lower and lower. And of course, this has caused great debates in our government and academia and all those other things. Why aren't we teaching the moral law to these people? What did God say Moses should teach them? Was it to make sure that they all knew how to read? Was it that they had good math skills? Did God say that after all the most important thing is that they're able to write? Now I think these things are wonderful. I think the core of education when it comes to actually being able to learn and do things is reading, writing, arithmetic, these types of things. But it's all for nothing if there is no moral base or standard of these children or a society from which to be. The moral law is the dimension of a framework in society that is absolutely vital. If we don't have law, and we don't have standards, and we don't have limits, and we don't have boundaries, it doesn't matter what everybody learns. Because the heart is so wicked, it's all going to fall apart. So here is the duty that God says the people have. Moses is now changing from a recollection of the past of that event on Mount Sinai. Up to this point in chapter five, they've been recalling that great time at the mountain when God was speaking the Ten Commandments, and then going over that time period right after that where the people tell Moses, you go and get the rest of the law. And Moses told them what God had said in that intervening time. And now he changes back to Moses and the people of Israel's presence as they're about to go over the land. And he says this to them in verse 32. You shall be careful, therefore, to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. The duty of the people entering the land is this, complete obedience. Complete obedience. Be careful or watch, the word is keep. Watch to do as the Lord commanded. Not just how anybody commanded. After all, we can follow anybody. Watch as the Lord commanded. Do not turn aside rightward or leftward. Now we tend to use these words in politics in our country, but I think what he's saying here is not one way or the other. Go down that road and follow God's law, not those who would subtract from it, not those who would add to it. Follow God's law and notice this. Walk in all the path the Lord has commanded. In other words, as they enter that promised land, the way that they walk, of course, he's not talking about north, south, east, west here. He's not talking about the style in which they walk, had people walk in different styles. It's the way in which you walk. Are you walking in the way of the Lord or are you walking in the way of the world? And he says, stay on the path that the Lord has commanded. And then in verse 33, he says, or tells them the consequences of disobedience. Again, the repetition, you shall walk in all the way that the Lord, your God has commanded you. But notice this, that you may what? You shall stay alive. In fact, Earlier in chapter four, verse four, he reminded them of a terrible event when they were committing immorality and all those things. And he told the people there because people had died from a plague that God had started as a result of that. He said, but you who held fast to the Lord your God are all alive today. One of the blessings of obedience is life. Then he says, it will go well with you. In other words, things will go well. You'll be at peace. You'll be able to live with each other. Things will be in unity. You shall even extend your days in the land. In other words, the more you obey me, the longer you'll live in the land. And I don't think he's just saying to the people, okay you as individuals you have long life and your life expectancy will be longer. I think he's saying you together corporately as a nation will be in the land longer. And I wish I could say they did all this and they lived happily ever after. And you know there are consequences to being law breakers or law keepers. There are real life consequences. Some of you may have been arrested at one point in your life and gone before the authorities. Some of you may have gone to court. Maybe it was just because you were speeding and had to go and appear in court because of your speeding ticket. Or maybe it was something much more serious. There were consequences to you breaking the laws of our land. But there are also conscience consequences. Even if you don't get caught, what happens? You know, I love some of those old Russian novels that talk about the conscience of somebody who's broken the law. In one case, a murder and the guy can't live with himself because of his conscience. You see, Our conscience is aware of when we break the law and though we may continue to break it and our conscience may be seared yet there are times when we know the evil of our hearts. Harmony and unity and families are from those who generally are law keepers. If you're lawbreakers, it impacts not just you, but your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, your parents, your extended family. It impacts everybody. And so therefore, I want to commend to you all, follow God's law. And the problem is this, we're all lawbreakers. Why is it so joyful that Jesus entered the gates of Jerusalem Even though the people there didn't understand what they were shouting or what they were doing, why is it so wonderful that Jesus came on a donkey in peace riding into that city? On the one hand, we know Jeremiah 17, 9, the heart is deceitful above all things. The words are good. The people on Palm Sunday said the right things. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed to the King of David. Hosanna to the highest peace. All those things, those words were good. The people of Mount Sinai, their words were good. They said, we fear God and we will do everything that he tells us to do. The people who founded our country, many of them said good things about being a country under God, about recognizing our creator in our founding documents. People who vow to study the peace and purity of the church when they become members of our church. You know, you made a vow to do that if you're a member of our church, to study the peace and purity of the church. You made that vow. Those are good things. But we have human hearts that are deceitful above all things. We have human hearts. that did not keep the word of God. We have human hearts that did not understand the glory of Jesus, but would later be perhaps among the crowd who cried crucify him. We are those who need a savior. You see, to have such a heart as this is only possible by the renewing heart given by the Holy Spirit to believers. You see, your heart will take you away from the fear of God and you will begin to mock God unless God intervenes in your life. You will take the laws of God and instead of following those laws, your heart will lead you to break those laws. and to be guilty before a holy God. In fact, if you live in this world, you will be under the power and authority of that world unless God intervenes in your heart and life and brings you to your knees to recognize that you are a sinner in desperate need of a savior. And the only provision of that savior is the man who went riding on a donkey into the gates of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. only to die on the cross a few days later. This is exactly why we need our Savior. When God says to the people, oh, that your heart were like this, He's telling us, I can make it like this through Jesus. in your new creation, in your new body, and when you are finally sanctified and glorified in the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven. Oh, my desire for you today with me is that we would have such a heart as this. Let's pray. Father, remove from us our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh. Place your law in our hearts. by the power of your spirit, that we might love you and serve you. There might be no need to teach each other your word because we will all have it. Father, what wonderful words, what merciful words, but also what grave words that in Christ alone is our hope because we have not followed your law. Help us, Lord. to place ourselves completely within your power and trust you forevermore. We pray in Jesus name, amen.