Title: For God's Grace to Be Graceful
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For God's grace to be
Deuteronomy 4:1-14
How should we Christians lead a life of faith “for the grace of God to be gracious”?
1. We must realize that keeping the word of God is a blessing (verses 1-5).
(1) Moses exhorts the Israelites to thoroughly observe God's ordinances and laws (verse 1). The reason life in the wilderness is blessed is that it is a life in a place where we can only rely on God. God helps me when I give up the will to live on my own. It is only through faith that you can enter the land that God wants.
(2) In order for the Word of God to be heard as the voice of God, we must give up the idea that our thoughts take precedence over the Word of God. Since the law is a holy law from God, it must not be added to or subtracted from it in any way (verse 2). Moses reminds the children of Israel the incident of Baal-peor as they passed through Moab (v. 3). Human laws are made according to convenience. Made to benefit humans. Therefore, human laws are sometimes amended or repealed (Mark 7:1-23).
⑶ All those who do not have God die in the wilderness because of their sins (verse 4). We live by clinging to God and not leaving.
2. Be grateful for the privileges of a child of God (vv. 6-8).
(1) What are the privileges of a child of God? First, it is the wisdom and knowledge that God gives (verse 6). Through the fullness of the glory of God in the church, the work of wisdom and revelation is accomplished (Ephesians 1:17-19).
(2) Second, whenever we worship God, God meets us closely (verse 7). The promise of “God is near whenever we pray” means God who is present in worship. The grace of the presence of the kingdom of God came when Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai (verses 10-13).
⑶ Third, it is to experience God's justice (verse 8). God's justice comes as a result of his judgment of sin and his desire to forgive his people. Where do you find God's justice? It is from the Word of God. God's laws are rules of life and laws. Through God's law, the nation of Israel is refined into God's holy people.
⑷ In order for God's grace to become grace, we must give thanks.
3. The problem lies in knowing God's grace only as a privilege and forgetting it (verses 9-14).
(1) We must not forget the wonderful things God has shown the Israelites until now (verse 9). We need to teach them to take the commandments of God into their hearts so that they can remember the word of God (verse 10).
(2) Moses reminds God that God had given him the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai (verses 11-13).
⑶ God gave the Ten Commandments and the Law in the wilderness, it was God's will that they ultimately enter the land of Canaan and set their standards of life on the word (verse 14).
We must realize God's grace and give thanks for His grace. And we must teach our children not to forget the word of God and keep it.