God is our priority. Let me try it another way: In verses 1 through 25, Moses preaches the sermon, and then in verses 26 through 32, he opens the doors of the church. Much of this is repetition from previous chaptersgoing in, taking the land, living longbut would you note there's a new phrase here? It continued to the side in front of the Arabah northward and went down to the Arabah. 6:17-18). Love for God is not optional. Not only will he take care of your needs, but if somebody rises up against you, he knows how to fight your battle. 11:11). All of us can talk for God. scripture Reading: John 14:15-21. Note that "all the commands I am giving you today." That makes perfect sense to us, but all of life works that way. The sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. The wife said, "Things have really changed over the years. A graduate of Stetson University with a bachelor's in communications, Blair previously worked as a writer/editor for several local magazines in the Central Florida area, including Celebration Independent and Lake Magazine and currently writes for the Southwest Orlando Bulletin. Your children didn't see it, but you've seen it." The message of the chapter is simply this: To love God is to obey God. Look at verse 12: This is a land that the Lord cares for. Words of affirmation, physical affection, gift-giving, service, time, and opening opportunity are various ways love is communicated, flowing out and flowing in. And he'll bless you with victory, as we'll see in verses 18 through 25. The border extended from there and turned round on the west side southward, from the hill which lies before Beth-horon southward; and it ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the sons of Judah. No one will be able to stand against you. It's not obedience if you pick and choose what you are going to obey. -If you were to rate your love for God on a scale of 1 to 10, what would it be? The other half of the tribes were to climb Mount Ebal. God blesses obedience.". Joseph's body would be buried by the oak trees of Moreh. But if you run to the Cross and bow at the tree and trust in the One who paid the price, then at the tree you can have a fresh start, a new beginning, and an eternal hope. Love God. View all Sermons How To Love God Contributed by Kemuel Travis on Mar 29, 2007 (message contributor) based on 34 ratings (rate this sermon) | 8,625 views Scripture: Mark 12:28-34 Denomination: Wesleyan Summary: To show what it means when we truly love God. Verses 18 through 21 are almost a verbatim repetition of Deuteronomy 6:6-9. You see love is an action word not an abstract idea. This was the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin, according to their families and according to its borders all around. You used to sit real close to me. If you want to know the real issue about the dispute about the Holy Land, it is not political. I dont have to show it., Would He even know it was me showing my love for Him?. That's God's land, and the New Testament says when Jesus comes back, he is going to set up his millennial kingdom on that land, where he will reign for 1,000 years. These questions an. Denomination: A momentary choice can end up having lifelong consequences. How can you love someone best by loving someone else most? John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. From Tappuah the border continued westward to the brook of Kanah, and it ended at the sea. Thus there fell ten portions to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan. -God is all of these, but He is so much more. "I want you to have one service," he says here, "in two locations: one on Mount Gerizim and one on Mount Ebal." . But how do we communicate love to God? ", The sons of Joseph said, ``The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the valley land have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth-shean and its towns and those who are in the valley of Jezreel.". But during the dry seasons, they claimed that Baal had gone somewhere far away and was in seclusion. ``Provide for yourselves three men from each tribe that I may send them, and that they may arise and walk through the land and write a description of it according to their inheritance; then they shall return to me. To love God is to obey God. The way we talk to our parents needs to be as wholesome as the way we talk to our pastors. Included also were Ummah, and Aphek and Rehob; twenty-two cities with their villages. Charles F. Stanley was the founder of In Touch Ministries, and a New York Times best-selling author. That's your choice, but after that, you're kind of out of choices. You all walk around and talk about "my season"; I don't need a season when I've got a God who is watching over me from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Love for God. This message deals with the love of God. These seven things are simple but meaningful ways we can demonstrate our love and appreciation for God that will speak volumes to Him personally: giving Him praise, praying to Him, reading the Bible, loving those around us, tithing, fasting, and being hopeful. Seven Ways We Can Show God That We Love Him 1. They came near before Eleazar the priest and before Joshua the son of Nun and before the leaders, saying, ``The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers." To love God is to obey God, and to obey God is to serve God. It is a heart that has forgotten how dependent we are on God for everything. 1 Corinthians 2:2, Galatians 6:9, Mark 12:28-34, Mark 12:33, Philippians 4:8, 52-week preaching calendar to help you plan your sermons, Customizable sermon manuscripts for verse-by-verse preaching, Preach with creativity and impact throughout the year, Experiencing the mercy of God in our lives, Looking to Jesus for help now and hope in the future, Help your church understand God's plan in pain. So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, ``How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you? If you will live in loving obedience to God, this is what God will do: He "will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you" (v. 23). "Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess" (Deut. Moses is saying, "I'm almost through with my preaching ministry, and I won't be able to go into the land with you to remind you: You got a choice. 11:8). From the heart flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4:23), and without ones will, desires, passions, affections, perceptions, and thoughts rightly aligned, the life of love is impossible. There are consequences to our choices. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. It went from Bethel to Luz, and continued to the border of the Archites at Ataroth. Some have tagged the Supreme Command of Deuteronomy 6:5 the all-command, because of the three-fold all You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (ESV). That place is His Word. "The most important" commandment, says Jesus ( Mark 12:29-30 ), and one that both the old and new covenants portray as necessary to enjoy God's sustained favor. There's an awkward parenthetical in verse two where Moses says, "I'm not talking to your children who haven't seen and who don't know what I'm about to tell you. In other words, God wants us to love Him with our whole being and in every possible way. The territory of their inheritance was Zorah and Eshtaol and Ir-shemesh. Consider who God is. Here's the phrase I want you to get: "near the great trees of Moreh." Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. An ungrateful heart is a heart that is cold toward God and indifferent to His mercy and love. By tithing, we let God know that our love isnt connected to dollar bills, but in the knowledge that God loves and provides for us. Staff writer, desiringGod.org. From that perspective, Moses here will teach us what it means to love God, issuing three charges, if you willthree challenges to lovingly obey God. This is a transitional message in the series on "The Greatest of These Is Love". Think with me: If Mosess call to love Yahweh starts with our heart and then moves out to our being, could not our very-ness be one step bigger and include all our resources (see Block, Deuteronomy, 18384)? There are few things so universal and yet so challenging. The sixth lot fell to the sons of Naphtali; to the sons of Naphtali according to their families. Consider, first of all, the call to loving obedience. Blair Parkeis a freelance writer for BibleStudyTools.com and freelance book editor who wrote her first book,"Empty Hands Made Full," in 2021 about her journey through infertility with her husband. We are all called according to God's purpose and grace. He just mentions the tag-alongs, which may be a warning: You better be careful how you let people lead you astray. "Whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" ( Matthew 10:37 ). Prayer is one of the strongest forms of intimacy we can have with God, sharing everything on our hearts in prayer so only God knows. . He already said, in Deuteronomy 8:3, words that Jesus quotes in Matthew 4:4: "[M]an does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." Some may question tithing as an act of love toward God, but its a sacrifice to God in that our love can be tied to how much money we have or what it buys us. The children of the people of the generation here that Moses addresses were not in Egypt. Then the priest would announce on Mount Ebal all of the curses of God in the Book of Deuteronomy, and the people would affirm the curses. The territory of the sons of Dan proceeded beyond them; for the sons of Dan went up and fought with Leshem and captured it. That same God is still a covenant-keeping God. Article by. Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us (1 John 5:14). In 1677, twenty-seven-year-old Henry Scougal wrote this to a friend: "The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love" ( The Life of God in the Soul of Man, 20). This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim according to their families. Then the second lot fell to Simeon, to the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families, and their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Judah. It is then that we understand what it means to love unconditionally. It's a land flowing with milk and honey." The next time you want to let someone know how much you care for them, remember that we show others we care, not just by sending flowers and gifts, but by showing acts of kindness each and every day -- just like Jesus did. Five Practical Ways To Show Your Love To Others A couple that had been married for 50 years sat reflecting one day. He says, "If you'll just lovingly obey me, I'll take care of all your needs." Scripture: Deuteronomy 11 H.B. Ken Shigematsu Moses says at this point, "You've learned so muchyou should be getting better grades now. All rights reserved. It's your body. Your children ain't seen it, but you've seen it. Should Christians Invest in the Stock Market? Then Moses instructs the children of Israel, "Get far away from Korah's house. Knowing that God is for you will strengthen your trust in Him during times of hardship and the unknown. and Jehud and Bene-berak and Gath-rimmon. "The great test of life is obedience to God. There are some new believers here who've got growing up to do, but some of us have seen God do too much for us to continue in our foolish ways. It's not military. Love for God. The ups and downs, the highs and lows, the successes, the failuresyou call it life. God Is Our Keeper - Part 2. We show God love when we show others love, as God shares countless times in the Bible that loving Him means loving His creation, those around us. So he built the city and settled in it. But you haven't done that for a while." "Well I can fix that." said the man as he got up and moved closer to his wife. Seek Truth in Scripture. To show what it means when we truly love God. In fact, centuries later, in John 4, Jesus would have a conversation with a woman at that well, near the trees of Moreh. The seven ways mentioned here (tithing, fasting, being hopeful, loving those around us, giving God praise, reading the Bible, and prayer) are recognized ways mentioned in the Bible that people before us showed their love and appreciation for God, and we can do the same. Then the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, ``Why have you given me only one lot and one portion for an inheritance, since I am a numerous people whom the LORD has thus far blessed? He puts them in their place." ``For the Levites have no portion among you, because the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance. That was good stuff they enjoyed in Egyptso much so that when they would be in the wilderness and God didn't move the way they thought he should, they would complain to Moses. ", Joshua said to them, ``If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you. Noting the urgency of this exhortation, he says in verse two, "Consider today who God is and what he's done for you." Our compliance to the Fathers known will reveals how deeply we care about Him. How do we resist such deceptions. 1. Here we see that personal obedience is the spiritual key to divine blessings. Jon Bloom. Through the ups and downs and highs and lows and wins and losses, God is trying to teach you and train you and discipline you and instruct you and prepare you. Love God. We must fight against the influences of this debased world, which "is lying in the power of the wicked one." ( 1 John 5:19) We must also contend with the imperfect flesh, which inclines us toward violating God's laws. "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome" ( 1 John 5:3 ). The God who chose a people chose a land, and God put his name on the line, declaring that the evidence of his faithfulness to the people he chose is that he's also going to be faithful to the land he chose. You've seen too much. If you'll saturate your life with the Word of God, look at verse 21: "[Y]our days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.". So Moses is not just saying "make your choice." He's saying here that if God catches you being obedient, he will bless you. All these statements have one thing in common: they are all statements regarding the love we would show to a God who loves us without limits. Oh, our culture loves this word: "choose." Our selfish love discriminates and is subjective but the love of God is pure and unconditional. But the Bible says here, "You saw how the Lord made the water of the Red Sea flow over them as they pursued you and how the Lord destroyed them to this very day. She's usually found with a book in her hand or enjoying quality time with her husband Jeremy and dog Molly. All of us can talk to God. Sermons Search Results: Loving God Free Sermons and Sermon Outlines for Preaching : Sermons on loving god: showing 1-15 of 190,716 Sort By Scripture Rating 5 stars 4 stars or more 3 stars or more Any Rating Date Last Week Last Month Last 3 Months Last 6 Months Last Year Any Time Denominations *other (4635) Adventist (297) Anglican (2497) So the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities in seven divisions in a book; and they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. He's finished this major point, and he's now saying, "What are you going to do in response to the Word?" Verses 8 through 25 contain the consequence of loving obedience: God blesses obedience. We choose to hope in hopeless circumstances because we know that God always prevails and always provides for His children. So you better love God. This then associated these oak trees of Moreh not just with the patriarchsAbraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Josephbut with covenant. Then the south side was from the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border went westward and went to the fountain of the waters of Nephtoah. Then these will be the four consequences: You will be strong, you will go in, you will take possession of the land, then fourthly, in verse nine, "so that you may live long in the land the Lord swore to your ancestors to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.". ", "You also saw," he says in verse four, "what the Lord did to the army of Egyptto the horses and to their chariots." We can overcome our shame, which connects to envy, as we experience and express God's love. He's saying, "The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden" (Deut. Obedience Is an Act of Worship. The great hymns of our faith teach us about God, ourselves, and our calling as Christians. These are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the households of the tribes of the sons of Israel distributed by lot in Shiloh before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. In verse seven, Moses says, "[Y]our own eyes saw all these great things the Lord has done," and this great work in verses three through six is not good stuff. We hope that as our day moves forward, we show our love for You in the ways mentioned here, always remembering that You are who we worship and adore. For example, there is the kind of love between a mother and her child, between friends, the romantic love between a man and a woman, etc. Now this was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. God is saying, "I'm going to bless you with land, but not only am I going to bless you with land. Here God says, "I'm going to give you this land. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. He urges Gods people to lay it to heart that there is no God besides Yahweh (Deuteronomy 4:3940) and to ensure that his words be on your heart (Deuteronomy 6:6), thus anticipating the miraculous heart-work that the new covenant would realize (Jeremiah 31:33). Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine (Prov. Sure, He can be disappointed in our actions or hurt by what we say or dont say to Him, but His love is constant and doesnt depend on whether we are good believers or not. There needs to be an authentic love for God that starts with God-oriented affections, desires, and thoughts, that permeates our speaking and behavior, and then influences the way we spend our money and how we dress, and drive, and our forms of entertainment. Our blogs mine the spiritual wisdom of the noted Christian writers of the period in order to make . But the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites persisted in living in that land. If you believe that, give God praise for his work. From there the border continued to Luz, to the side of Luz (that is, Bethel) southward; and the border went down to Ataroth-addar, near the hill which lies on the south of lower Beth-horon. Relying on God's Love 1 John 4:13-21 Introduction Apostle John is often called the "apostle of love" because he spoke about the subject on . H.B. What then is the meaning of loving God with our might? Now the fifth lot fell to the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families. These messages are going to focus on character qualities, or attributes of God, and how we can best reflect them in our own lives. Learn about each of Dr. Stanleys 30 Life Principles in this set of sermons. He has a great vision for us, and shows us the way that can be attained. Love for God is not about a feeling on Sunday morning. God visits to test, punish, and bless his children. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. ( Romans 7:21-25) But our love for God can win out. Answer. Charles, Jr. Introduction (Read Deuteronomy 11:1-7) I want to label the message "How to Love the Lord Your God." In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses has already told the children of Israel that they must love the Lord. But the emphasis of this chapter is on how to love the Lord. You keep telling us what to do and what not to do. If you go home this afternoon and turn on the news and hear about a dispute in the Middle East, it's because they understand something we often don't pay attention to. ", This is not just an agricultural geographic reality. There's a word for selective obedience. When we don't keep our word, he still keeps his word. 3:9-10). Professor, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His argument is that to have a healthy relationship, you need to learn your partner's love language and communicate love in a way that speaks to the one love. Jesus taught that frequent prayer is essential to the Christian life. Distinct from one another but parallel to one another are mutual exhortations here in verse one. Sermon Title: "Showing Our Love for Jesus". 1 Life's Longest Journey - Gen. 22 How to Show Love and Respect to Others - John 13 Scriptures: John 13 Introduction The Bible says we are to love one another. When Baal was present, the rains would fall and the land would be fertile. Jacob, his grandson, bought land near these oaks of Morah. Choose. There is no room here for divided affections or allegiance. who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). So they finished dividing the land. The keys to God's blessings are found in his Word. Then it turned from Sarid to the east toward the sunrise as far as the border of Chisloth-tabor, and it proceeded to Daberath and up to Japhia. Pharaoh had a hard heart and would not obey, and God sent 10 plagues on the land of Egypt until Pharaoh changed his mind. ``You shall describe the land in seven divisions, and bring the description here to me. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. It shows that His love is the incentive, the motive, and moral cause of our love. 2 John 1:1-13 Many people say "I love God" to express good feelings about the Lord, but Jesus taught that only those who obey God's commands truly love Him. -There was a scribe in Jesus day who was faced with answering this question without it even being asked, -In this passage, we are given four ways we are to love the Lord, -This is where we often think of love as coming from, -If we truly love someone, we should show it in tangible ways everyday, -We often are afraid to show our emotion to God, -God loves for us to be emotional with Him, -Especially the women as they left the tomb, -What God wants, is for us to channel our emotions to Him in love, -This could be the hardest because this part of our being is the most difficult for us to understand, -But the blessings far exceed those of forgiveness as well, -It is said that we only use a tiny fraction of our brains ability, -But what kind of information are we holding, -All of this is well and good, but where does all of that knowledge stack up to your knowledge of scripture, -Where does all of that knowledge stack up to your knowledge of who God is and how He works. In this chapter, land means land. Here though, Moses doesn't mention Korah. It was also the greatest spiritual revival that Scotland has ever experienced. True prayer seeks to determine Gods mind in order to carry out His agenda. Why Is It So Important for Us to Be Able to Defend Our Faith? ", God is saying, "Some of you all are going to the Promised Land with an Egypt mentality. Many people are deceived by false teaching and lost while believing that they know the truth. His conversation is recorded in the eighth chapter of John's gospel. Do you need to be reminded that when we are unfaithful, he's still faithful? My eye is on that land from the beginning of the year to the end of the year." ", Then the men arose and went, and Joshua commanded those who went to describe the land, saying, ``Go and walk through the land and describe it, and return to me; then I will cast lots for you here before the LORD in Shiloh.".