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The Top Themes of the Bible 

Do you know how many times the New Testament uses Deuteronomy 6?

Deuteronomy 6

Don Ruhl • Savage Street, Grants Pass, Oregon • May 5, In the year of our Lord, 2013

 

Prelude: 

  1. How many times does the New Testament quote Deuteronomy 6? 
    1. I have counted about 9 times!
    2. Do you know how many quotes, allusions, or themes
      1. Matthew through Revelation uses from Deuteronomy 6?
      2. I have counted over two dozen!
  2. What then does Deuteronomy 6 say? 
    1. Did you know how important this chapter is to the word of God?
    2. Have you ever read it before?
  3. If Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, Peter, and Jude, 
    1. the writers of the New Testament,
    2. were so captivated by Deuteronomy 6,
      1. do you think we should also?
      2. It is the word of God, how can we ignore it?
  4. Let me show y0u the top themes of Deuteronomy 6, for 
    1. they are the top themes of the Bible, and truly
    2. they are the top themes of the New Testament.

Persuasion: 

  1. Deuteronomy 6.1–3 – Fear the Lord

    1 “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey’” (Deu 6.1–3).

    1. Teaching the commandments of the Lord
    2. leads to fearing the Lord,
      1. which causes obedience to the commandments of the Lord,
      2. which brings blessings.
    3. Does the New Testament teach that we should fear the Lord?

      5 “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 12.5).

      17 Fear God (1Pe 2.17).

  2. Deuteronomy 6.4–9 – Love the Lord

    4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deu 6.4–9).

    1. Here is the first thing we must know: God is one!
    2. Therefore, we love Him as one.
      1. We do not love Him with part of ourselves.
      2. We love Him with our heart, soul, strength, mind, and body,
        1. not leaving anything of ourselves out, but
        2. giving Him our all even as Jesus loved us with His all.
    3. Verse 6 says His commandments have to be in the heart (See Rom 10), for then
      1. His commands will come out
        1. in the things we say and
        2. in the things we do,
          1. leading us to teach our children
          2. as we interact with them throughout the day.
      2. Therefore, verse 8, let us remind ourselves that we need to love the Lord.
    4. Where does loving the Lord rank as a theme in the New Testament?

      29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment” (Mark 12.28–30).

      3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him (1Co 8.3).

  3. Deuteronomy 6.10–15 – Remember the Lord

    10 “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— 12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you 15 (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth” (Deu 6.10–15).

    1. Let us not forget the Lord, but remember Him, because
      1. every good thing we enjoy in life,
      2. He gave us.
    2. Everyone of us here today
      1. has been born into this country or come to this country, and
      2. have been born again, becoming members of the church,
        1. even as the Israelites went into the Land of Canaan,
          1. They entered a land with a ready-made infrastructure.
          2. So we have we in the country and in the church.
        2. Both of these exceedingly great blessings
          1. came about because prior generations remembered the Lord, and
          2. we have built upon what they did, but
            1. many believe there is no place for remembering the Lord
            2. in today’s nation, and even in some churches.
    3. Verse 15 warned that He would punish the people who forgot their benefactor.
    4. Does the New Testament command us to remember the Lord?

      24 …when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me” (1Co 11.24, 25).

      8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel (2Ti 2.8).

  4. Deuteronomy 6.16–19 – Obey the Lord

    16 “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah. 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers, 19 to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken” (Deu 6.16–19).

    1. After all that the Lord has given us in this nation and especially in the church,
      1. many people demand that the Lord prove Himself.
      2. They tempt the Lord.
        1. They say they will not obey Him, unless
          1. He proves that He exists or unless
          2. He blesses them as they determine.
    2. When Israel tempted the Lord at Massah,
      1. He destroyed many of them, because
      2. they did not appreciate what He had already done.
    3. They wanted out of bondage, and
      1. He wanted their obedience.
      2. We want out of our bondage, and
        1. He wants us to obey Him.
    4. Have you read anything in the New Testament about obeying the Lord?

      15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14.15).

      3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome (1Jo 5.3).

  5. Deuteronomy 6.20–25 – Understand the Lord

    20 “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; 22 and the Lord showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. 23 Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. 24 And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. 25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us’” (Deu 6.20–25).

    1. The Lord knew that later generations,
      1. who were not part of the exodus,
      2. would want to know why they had to do the commandments, and so on.
    2. Therefore, He gave them a five point lesson plan for teaching their children:
      1. v. 21 – Explain the history of religion
      2. v. 22 – Explain the miracles of religion
      3. v. 23 – Explain the purpose of religion
      4. v. 24 – Explain the good of religion
      5. v. 25 – Explain the righteousness of religion
    3. We understand the Lord by
      1. learning the meaning of His teachings and
      2. we learn by reading and meditating upon His entire word.
    4. Does Christianity say that we should understand the Lord?

      17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is (Eph 5.17).

      9 [we] do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Col 1.9).

Exhortation: 

  1. Deuteronomy 6 shows 
    1. that the Lord has always desired to have fellowship with man,
    2. going to great lengths to achieve it,
      1. using Israel to demonstrate that to the world.
      2. All of Israel’s history drives toward His ultimate achievement,
        1. the giving up of His blessed Son
        2. for the sinners of the world.
  2. God loves us, but 
    1. He also wants our love,
    2. shown by what we do with our entire beings.
  3. Do you 
    1. fear the Lord?
    2. love the Lord?
    3. remember the Lord?
    4. obey the Lord?
    5. understand the Lord?
      1. If not,
      2. why not?
        1. Do you find it inconvenient at the present?
        2. Do you think it is too hard?
        3. Do you believe you do not know enough?
  4. The Lord knows that people will not do as Deuteronomy 6 teaches. 
    1. Using a vineyard to symbolize His people, the Lord questioned,

      4a “What more could have been done to My vineyard
      That I have not done in it?”
      (Isa 5.4a)

    2. He wanted to know, and still wants to know, what He has done wrong,

      5 “What injustice have your fathers found in Me,
      That they have gone far from Me,
      Have followed idols, and
      Have become idolaters?”
      (Jer 2.5)

    3. He wanted to know whether He has been too hard,

      3 “O My people, what have I done to you?
      And how have I wearied you?
      Testify against Me.”
      (Mic 6.3)

    4. He wants to hear your reasons,

      21 “Present your case,” says the Lord.
      “Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob.
      (Isa 41.21)

    5. He gave His Son to suffer
      1. physically,
      2. emotionally, and
      3. spiritually
        1. beyond anything that we could ever possibly imagine
        2. to free us from the condemnation of our sins
          1. that keep us from fellowship with Him.
          2. What more could He have done?
  5. If after all that, 
    1. we still decide that we will not
    2. fear, love, remember, obey, and understand Him,
      1. He will say, “Your will be done,” and
      2. He will banish us away from Him forever, but
        1. do not think that is a good thing, for
        2. no one can possibly imagine something more horrible.
          1. To be without God totally
          2. is like being thrown into a lake burning with fire and brimstone.
  6. Therefore, give 
    1. everything you are and
    2. everything you have
      1. to fear the Lord,
      2. to love the Lord,
      3. to remember the Lord,
      4. to obey the Lord, and
      5. to understand the Lord.
  7. Believe on the Lord Jesus and 
    1. die to yourself for Him, and
    2. let us bury you in water, then
      1. we will bring you up, because
      2. you will be walking as a new person.
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