We've finished Exodus and Leviticus
and Numbers. We've come here now to Deuteronomy.
And hopefully I won't keep you too long tonight. I want to just
consider mainly what this book is about. It has two titles to
it that I like. It has several titles that men
have attached to it. The two I like, we'll look at
one of them tonight. It's found here really in verse
1 of Deuteronomy chapter 1. These be the words which Moses
spake unto all Israel on this side of Jordan in the wilderness.
These be the words. And that's one of the titles
that the Hebrew word means is the words. The words. And also another title that I
like to this book is it's also called a book of remembrance.
It was written, if I understand the book rightly, a couple of
months before Moses went up into the mountain and died. They had
wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Most of the first generation
that had came out of Egypt was dead. Mostly now it was just
their children, Moses and Joshua and Caleb left. And this is when
Moses goes back and rehearses all of their journey coming out
of Egypt, 40 years in the wilderness. We have it here in chapter 1
in verse 3. And it came to pass in the 40th
year, in the 11th month, on the first day of the month, that
Moses spake unto the children of Israel according to all that
the Lord had given him in commandments unto them. They had wondered
for 40 years, and now he goes through and remembers. So maybe
we'll take up that study next time, how profitable it is to
remember our memory. But tonight we want to look mainly
at this title, the words, Deuteronomy, the words which Moses spake,
there in verse 1. And that's what this book of
Deuteronomy is about. It's about the Word. The Word. I didn't know this, I'll confess
my ignorance, this and this book, but as you study this book, there's
one thing that's absent from it, and that's the sacrifices. You don't see the work of the
priest, you don't see the tabernacle. If it's talked about, it's just
in passing. This is about the Word, the words. And one of the things we notice
in the book of Exodus, even in Genesis, but especially in the
book of Exodus, we begin to see the sacrifices. We begin to see
the building of the temple, the tabernacle rather than what that
was all about, the priesthood. And as we studied that, we saw
Christ in it. We saw Christ in the sacrifices.
We saw Christ in the tabernacle. We saw Christ in the priesthood,
in the offerings, the blood. In this, we don't see Christ.
We don't see Him in His sufferings. We don't see Him in His death.
We don't see Him in His intercessions. But in this book, we hear Christ. In the other books, we saw Him.
Now we hear Him. And therefore, we have that proverb
fulfilled that says, The seeing eye and the hearing ear, the
Lord has made both of them. So we're going to start sort
of a little introduction in this book, and that's what we'll be
studying on is the Word, the Word, the Word of Moses, but
we know in all reality it's not the Word of Moses, is it? The
Holy Ghost moved upon Moses, and he's the author of this book,
and I think he's probably the author, and I think it would
be safe to say that he's the author of all five of the books
of the Bible. That is, the first five books,
we call the Pentateuch. We know he's the author of this
book here, all but the last chapter that someone else wrote in. But
to show us the importance, I want you to turn to some Scripture
with me to show us the importance of this book. Of this book. The words. I want you to look
at three places with me. Different places. Not just three
places, but several places. I want to show you the importance
of this book. In chapter 17 of this book. Deuteronomy chapter
17. And verse 14, three things here
especially that shows us the importance of this book. The
first one is chapter 17. And here in verse 14, he was
speaking about the duty of the king. And look here how it says
this in chapter 17. And look in verse 14. When thou
art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee,
and shall possess it, and shall dwell therein, and shall say,
I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about
me, thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the
Lord thy God shall choose. 1 One from among the brethren
shalt thou set king over thee, thou mayest not set a stranger
over thee, which is not thy brother, but he shalt not multiply, horses
to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end
that he should multiply horses. Forasmuch as the Lord hath said
unto you, ye shall henceforth return no more that way. Neither
shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away,
neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold."
Why think about Solomon, don't you? And the trouble he got into. Remember what his downfall was?
Many women. Strange women. Multiplied wives.
In verse 18, and it shall be when he saith upon the throne
of his kingdom. Now look at this. Here is the
importance of this book of Deuteronomy. He shall write him a copy of
this law in a book out of that which is before the priests and
the Levites. Now, they are in the first chapter
if you want to read it. This book is called the Law.
It is called the Law. Not the Ten Commandments, but
it is called the law. In verse 19, And it shall be
with him that he shall read therein all the days of his life, that
he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words
of this law and these statutes to do them. So their king was
to sit down and personally make a copy of the book of Deuteronomy
and read in it all the days of his life. Now that's an important
book, isn't it? Not at the exclusion of all the
other books, but in particular, this book. Look over in chapter
31 in verse 10. Here's something else that shows
us the importance of this book. When the children of Israel came
into the land of Canaan in the promised land, they had a jubilee
every seven years. It all gets together as a congregation. And every time they got together
in those Sabbath years, somebody or some people had to stand up
in the midst of the congregation, the large congregation, and had
to read this entire book of Deuteronomy to the congregation. Look here
in chapter 31, look in verse 10. And Moses commanded them,
saying, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the Feast
of Tabernacles, When all Israel is come to appear before the
Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read
this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people
together, men and women and children, and your stranger that is within
your gate, that he may hear, that he may learn, and fear the
Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law. And that their children, which
have not known anything, may hear and learn to fear the Lord
your God, as long as ye live in the land where the ye go over
Jordan to possess Now, I'm sure they were trained and learned
in the sacrifices, but there's something the Lord realized was
more important than the sacrifices, and that was the Word. And they
were to read to their husbands, to their wives, and to their
children. One more place, look in chapter
27, verse 2. This is something else they were
to do when they were going over Jordan into the land of Canaan. And you can imagine what a task
this was. Look in verse 2. And it shall be on the day when
ye shall pass over Jordan into the land which the Lord your
God giveth you, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and
plaster them with plaster. And thou shalt write upon them
all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou
mayest go in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee,
a land that floweth with milk and honey, as the Lord God of
thy fathers hath promised thee." Therefore it shall be, when ye
go over Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones which I command
you this day in Mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaster them with
plaster." And look down in verse 8, "...and thou shalt write upon
the stones all the words of this law very plainly." And I remind
you again in chapter 1, this book, this whole book is referred
to as the law. Not the Ten Commandments law,
but all 34 chapters is referred to as the law. Now most scholars,
most commentaries believe that the law was literally carved
upon huge stones. And I have no problem with believing
that. I don't know how many people there was that went over Jordan
into the Promised Land, but there was a bunch of them. And they
were expert in carving. They could have got 25 or 30,000
men and have carved these 34 chapters in no time, couldn't
they? But that's how important it was that they got these huge
stones and carved them and set them upon these mountains when
they crossed Georgia. So there's three things. Now
let me give you another thing to show the importance of this
book of Deuteronomy. You remember when the Lord Jesus
Just as he was ready to enter the ministry, he was baptized,
and the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness, the abode
out there where the beasts, and he was tempted of the devil.
Remember that? Satan. He fasted 40 days and
40 nights. And Satan tempted him three different
times there. And every time the Lord Jesus
answered him by the Scripture. It is written, it is written,
it is written. All three quotes that our Master
used is from this book of Deuteronomy. Now that's something in itself,
isn't it? He said this when Satan said, you know, if you're hungry,
command these stones that they may bear bread. If you're the
Son of God, command these stones that they may may be made bread. And here is what the Lord Jesus
answered him. Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. And
he said it is written. It is written. Where is that
written at? I want you to read this. The reason I want you to
read this is very peculiar. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 8
and look in verse 3. Deuteronomy chapter 8 and verse
3. I want you to read this for this
reason. As I'm reading this, this thing, 2,000 years ago,
the Son of God came to this world, lived in our humanity, and He
had read this very verse Himself. And He quoted it. He was in the
midst of the battle with Satan, and He quoted this very verse. This is amazing that you and
I still have this verse that He quoted. And as I read it,
remember he quoted this in verse 3. And he humbled thee, the Lord
humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with
manna, which thou knowest not, neither did thy fathers know,
that he might make thee know that man doeth not live by bread
only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of
the Lord doeth man live. Now, he quoted that. The Son
of the living God quoted that verse. And you and I still got
it. And then Satan took him up on the pinnacle of the temple
and said, if you be the Son of God, cast yourself down. For
it's written, He'll give His angels charge over you. And the
Lord quoted another verse out of this book. You shall not tempt
the Lord your God. That's found in Deuteronomy chapter
6 and verse 16. And then Satan took him up on
an exceeding high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of
the world and said, I'll give you all these if you'll fall
down and worship me. And the Lord quoted from Deuteronomy
chapter 6 and verse 13 and Deuteronomy chapter 10 and verse 20, Thou
shalt fear the Lord thy God, thou shalt worship him, and him
only shalt thou serve. So that's something in itself,
that the Lord had been reading this book. I'd say He read it.
He's the author of it. But as a man, I imagine He read
it, don't you? He sure quoted it. He sure quoted
it. And when He finished quoting
it, do you know what the devil done? He fled from it. And here's
the wonderful thing, isn't it? The same word that He used, you
and I still have today. It's the infallible Word of truth. It's just as pure. It's just
as powerful. It's just as effectual as it
was when Moses wrote it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
and when our Master Himself quoted it, and when you and I read it
today and believe it by faith. It hasn't changed, has it? It
hasn't changed. Heaven and earth pass away, but
my Word shall not pass away. I tell you, it has been a long
time. since Moses wrote this to our Master quoting it. But
it was still powerful. It made Satan flee. And it's
been a long time now since the Master quoted it. But I'm telling
you, it's still powerful. It's still the Word of God. It's
still the Word of God. Something else about this, fifthly,
is this. This has one of those favorite
passages that you and I have read and quoted so many times
about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. A prophet shall
the Lord your God raise up unto me." Lacking to your brethren.
We quote that. And we know who that's speaking
about. Peter told us who that was speaking about. Jesus Christ.
But you know, more than just about Him, it's something very
particular in that passage that Moses says about Him. And I want
you to turn over there and read it. Look in chapter 18 of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter 18. And look
here in verse You are on with chapter 18. Look
in verse 15. You are on with 18 and 15. The
Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst
of thee of thy brethren, like unto me, and to him shall you
hearken. According to all thou desirest
of the Lord thy God in Horeb, Mount Sinai, and the day of the
assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord
my God, neither let me see this great fire any more that I die
not. And the Lord said unto me, They
have well spoken that which they have spoken. And here it is.
I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like
unto thee, and I will put my words in his mouth. And he shall
speak unto them all that I shall command him, and it shall come
to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words, which
he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him." Now, what's
the emphasis here on? It's not even on his miracles,
is it? As important as that is. Not even upon his sacrifice,
as essential as that is. but it is upon His words. Did
you notice that? My words which He shall speak
in My name. And the person that will not
hearken to His words, I will require it at his mouth. And
in Acts chapter 3, Peter quotes this passage and he emphasizes
that it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hear their
prophet will not believe him, he shall be destroyed from among
the people. So the emphasis, again, is upon
his word. And Stephen quoted the same passage
in chapter 7 and verse 37 of Acts, and he emphasized the very
same thing, the words which he shall speak. So it's not just
the coming of Christ, the person of Christ, but it's the words
that he was going to speak. Why do we make a point out of
this? Because one of the things that the enemy hated about the
Son of God, not so much His miracle, but it was what He was saying. Remember how often they tried
to catch Him in His words? Tried to find fault with what
He was saying. Tried to prove that He was wrong.
Listen to John chapter 8 and verse 45. This is the most amazing
statement, I think, that I have ever read in the New Testament.
How telling it is. The Lord Jesus was talking to
the scribes and pharisees, and He said, Because I tell you the
truth, you believe Me not. Isn't that amazing? If I had
lied to you, you would have believed Me. But because I tell you the
truth, you don't believe Me. And he told his brothers one
day, he said, the world can't hate you, but it hates me, because
I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. They hated
the truth that he spoke. They hated him because of the
words that he spoke. The scribes and the Pharisees,
they laid aside the Word of God and taught their tradition. They
taught their personal convictions. And nobody confronted them with
it. Nobody called them to task for doing that. But every time
the Son of God opened His mouth to preach the truth, somebody
tried to catch Him in a lie. That's very telling, isn't it? Remember up on the cross, hanging
there between two thieves? What was it that the scribes
and the Pharisees reproached him with? You said. You said. He hangs between two
thieves. Nobody said anything to the thieves. They were the only criminals
on the cross, but nobody said, you rascals, you broke into my
house. You ransacked the place. My family
is afraid to sleep there anymore. Nobody said a thing to them.
They were fussing on Him. You said, you said, we remember
you said, in three days, you're going to destroy the temple and
raise it up again. We remember you saying that.
You said you were the Son of God. If you are, then come down
from the cross. They reproached Him for what
He said. Everybody else could get Bible
saying anything, but left the Son of God open His mouth. And
what happens? They reproach him. Try to prove
him wrong. That's very telling, isn't it? And you know something,
brothers and sisters, things haven't changed today, have they?
The church loves the Word of Truth. You and I love it. We believe it. But does the world
love it? No, they don't, do they? It's
important. It's essential. The most important
thing that you and I have in the way of being tangible that
we can get our hands on is the Bible. It's the Word of the Living
God. I tell you, it's amazing. It's
the most important and essential thing that we have. All Scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and we have it in our hands.
The words that I speak unto you, their spirit and their life.
Every word of God is pure. It's tried. He's a shield of
those that put their trust in Him. And we've got it. We've got it. The words. The
words. We go back now at the sacrifices
that these other books teach us of. But, boy, Deuteronomy
is different. It's special. There we hear the
abiding voice, the inspired voice of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
we're told to believe it. We're told to fear it. We're
told to live on it. We're told to love it. We're
told to desire it. We're told to hide it in our
hearts that we sin not against God. We're told to let it dwell
in us richly in all wisdom. We're told to preach it, to teach
it to one another, not to be ashamed of it. And we're told
of the dreadful penalty if we take away from it or add to it.
I tell you, it's amazing, ain't it? It's amazing. And this is
what the book of Deuteronomy is all about. The words. The
words. I think it's very telling, two
places in the Scripture. in Deuteronomy. One is chapter
4 and verse 2, and listen to what it says. See if this reminds
you of anything. You shall not add unto the Word
which I command you, neither shall you diminish from it. That
sounds like Revelation 22.18, but that's Deuteronomy 4.2. It's
all about the Word. The Word. And while saints love
it, and even tremble at it and believe it, the world hates it. I want to emphasize that because
you and I love it. We study it. What's powerful
to us. We couldn't live without it.
How firm a foundation that it's laid for our faith. But I want
to emphasize this too. I want to emphasize the negative.
No lost man likes or loves the Word of God. I want to show you
a couple of places. Look in the book of Acts. And look at chapter 13. The Word of God has been under assault
from the very beginning. And I tell you, it's not going
to lighten up as long as the church is in this world. It's
not going to lighten up. And it's not just the rich, the
educated. It's the poor, the uneducated. The world is against the Word
of the Lord. Look here in Acts chapter 13
and look in verse 48. This is where the Gentiles heard
the Gospel and they were glad, it says in verse 48. Glorified
the Word of the Lord, Paul was preaching. And as many as were
ordained to eternal life believed. Acts 13, verse 49. And the Word
of the Lord was published throughout all the region. They published
it. They preached it. And look what happened. But the
Jews stirred up the devout and honorable women and the chief
men of the city and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas and
expelled them out of their coast. Now, what do you think they expelled
them for? Feeding the poor? They did that, didn't they? Peter
exhorted them to be sure to remember the poor. But you know Christianity,
sure it's about feeding the poor. I will all admit that. We take
care of the poor when we have an opportunity, don't we? We
don't turn our backs on someone that needs help. But it's not
just about being kind. It's not just about being thoughtful.
Christianity is that. But I tell you, that's not the
critical and most important aspect of Christianity, is it? It's
about this Word, isn't it? It's about the Gospel. And the
world will love Christianity as Christianity lives its life
and is kind and thoughtful and helpful and so on. But I tell
you when the world will turn on Christianity. It's when this
Word of Truth is shined into their lives. When this light
of the Gospel, this Word, is shined in these dark places,
I tell you, that's when the world throws up its hands and hates
us. And here it was the influential
people. It was the honorable women and
the chief men of the city. I tell you, you have to be careful
about rich people and educated people. Do you know that? They're
coming out of the seminars. They're writing books. Writing
commentaries. And a lot of them are spending
a lot of time telling us that the Word of God is not infallible.
that we've lost it, that it's for mistakes? And why do they do that? They
hate the Word, don't they? They hate the Word. But look
here in another place, look in Acts chapter 17. It's not just
the rich. It's not just the educated. It's
those old-time religion folks down at the country church. You
know, we used to talk about the uptown churches and how they'd
err, and they don't even believe the Scriptures anymore to be
the Word of God. But I tell you, it's not just
the big uptown churches. You go to churches out in the
country that sing and give me that old-time religion, and you'll
find out that they care a little about God's Word themselves.
No matter where they read, they won't be honest with God's Word.
They tell us about free will, and you've got a choice, and
all of this. Come up to the altar of the mourner's manger. But
I'm telling you, brothers and sisters, I know some of the old
churches that I've went to out in the country. A lot of them
might as well have went ahead and thrown away their Bible. Some of them don't even study
the Bible. Brother Larry had a fellow, he heard a fellow,
He said something to the effect that he didn't have to study.
Is that what he said, Larry? He practiced what he preached.
This opens it up. Larry told him so. He can tell you don't study.
But see, why don't he study it? He cares nothing about it. He's
not interested in it. He don't care to take away from
it. He don't care to add to it. But the book of Deuteronomy says
you better be careful that you don't add to or take away. And
I bet you when that fellow gets up to preach, he just gives a
bunch of opinions. But look here in Acts chapter
17. Paul and Silas that came here
to Thessalonica. In verse 2, And
Paul, as his manner was, went unto them, and three sabbath
days reasoned with them out of the Scripture, opening and alleging
out of the Scripture, out of God's Word, that Christ must
in each have suffered and risen again from the dead, and that
this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is the Christ. And some
of them believe. Bless God, they do, don't they?
Just keep on telling people the truth, somebody is going to believe
you. And they consorted with Paul and Silas, joined with him,
and the devout Greek, a great multitude, of the chief women,
not a few. Here, everything is turned upside
down. Look at this. And the Jews, which believed
not, moved with envy, talking to them certain lewd fellows,
uneducated people. rude and lewd, of the baser sort,
and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and
assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out
to the people." So you have the devout men, the chief men, and
you, you have the baser sort, and they are all gathered together
against the Word. So you have those who believe
it and rejoice in it, and you have those who don't. But you
know something? It doesn't change the Word, does it? It doesn't change the Word. Look back over in Deuteronomy
right quickly. Just one or two more things and I'll let you
go. Look in Deuteronomy chapter 12. I thought it was very fitting.
that this book deals with false prophets. That's why I'm dealing
with it in a negative aspect in some of these points tonight,
because the book of Deuteronomy warns us about false prophets.
In chapter 12, and look in verse 32. What thing soever I command
you, observe and do it. Thou shalt not add thereto, nor
diminish from it. Verse 1 of chapter 13. If there
arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth
thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to
pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other
gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them, thou shalt
not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer
of dreams. For the Lord your God is proving
you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your
heart and all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord
your God and fear Him and keep His commandments and obey His
voice. And you shall serve Him and cling
unto Him." Now, I've got no problem with anybody saying, the Lord
said to me, or I heard the voice of the Lord. If they'll tell
me what chapter and what verse they heard it, If they'll tell
us what chapter and what verse, He said to me, I'll take it then. If it's coming out of thin air,
or running down to the grocery store, you know or something,
I ain't taking that back. How do we examine false prophets?
Here is a mystery. He said if He tells something
and it comes to pass. Boy, that's tough there, isn't
it? If He tells you something and it comes to pass, only one
other way to try it. And that's for the Word. Is he
speaking contrary to the voice of the Lord that we have recorded
and the Word of God? Deuteronomy is a book about
words, then isn't it? But not just any words, but the
words of the Lord. But it's about encouragement.
It's about taking these words and being encouraged by them.
And believing these words. and being saved by believing. And having our fears and our
anxieties dispelled and our doubts dispelled by believing the Word
of Truth. Look over back in the first chapter
again. Look at this. You remember we studied in one
of the passages why the children of Israel weren't able to enter
the Promised Land. Remember what kept them out.
It wasn't some open and profane sin they were committed. That
would have been bad enough. But it was one sin that kept
them out. Remember what it was? Unbelief. They could not enter because
of unbelief. The only way they could have
entered the land of Canaan was by believing God's Word. That would have been the only
remedy for unbelief. Is it not? Faith comes by hearing
and hearing by the Word of God. Look here in chapter 1. This
is the very thing Moses is rehearsing to him now. In Deuteronomy 1, verse 28. The brethren had just come back
and said, It's a land flowing with milk and honey. It's a good
land. The third giants and so on. And they said in verse 28,
further, shall we go up? How shall we go up? Our brethren
have discouraged our hearts, saying, The people is greater
and taller than we, the cities are great and walled up to heaven,
and moreover we have seen the sons of Anakims in the land. Then I said unto you, Dread not,
neither be afraid of them, for the Lord your God which goeth
before you He shall fight for you according to all He did for
you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where thou
hast seen how the Lord thy God bare thee as a man bareth his
son in all the way that you went until you came to this place.
Yet in this thing you did not believe the Lord your God." What encouragement! The Lord
is with you! Be of good courage. He's with
you. He's going before you. He's seeking you out of place.
He's going to fight for you. But they didn't believe it. They
didn't believe the Word of the Lord. Look right quickly, a couple
more places. Look at chapter 31. Look at this,
chapter 31. I emphasize this, brothers and
sisters, because you and I are in a battle just like they are.
Just like they were. We're in a battle. We're going
against giants, aren't we? Not physical giants, but that's
one thing that makes the battle so tough. We're going against
spiritual giants. We're going against walled cities.
We need to be encouraged to believe this Word. That's what it's for. Chapter 31. And look in verse
1. Moses went and spake these words
to all Israel. And he said unto them, I am a
hundred and twenty years old this day. I can no more go out
and come in. Also the Lord hath said unto
me, You shall not go over this Jordan. You are not coming into
the land of Canaan. The Lord thy God, He will go
before you. He will destroy those nations
from before thee, and thou shalt possess them. And Joshua, he
shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said. And the Lord
shall do unto them as he did to Sihon, and to Og king of the
Amorites, and unto the land of them whom he destroyed. And the
Lord shall give them up before your face." that ye may do unto
them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you, be
strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them. For the Lord thy God he is that
doeth go with thee, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."
And you know something? These went in and touched the
land. kill the giants, and lived in
these cities, drunk water out of their wells, and eat out of
their fields that had been sown, because they believed His Word. And the only difference between
this generation and their moms and dads, their moms and dads
wouldn't believe it, and they did. One more passage I want to show
you because I think this shows us what this book is about. Look in chapter 30. This book
is about the infallible Word and believing it and living upon
it, being guided by it, practicing it, fearing it, being comforted
by it, overcoming by it. That's why it's such an important
book. Here in verse 11, look in chapter 30 in verse 11. For
this commandment, which I command thee this day, it is not hidden
from thee, Neither is it far off. It is not in heaven that
thou shouldst say, Who shall go up for us to heaven and bring
it unto us, that we may hear it and do it? Neither is it beyond
the sea that thou shouldst say, Who shall go over the sea for
us and bring it unto us, that we may hear it and do it? But
the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart.
that thou mayest do it." What in the world is this talking
about? Do you remember Romans 10 when Paul quoted this? He said, The Word is nigh you. Moses said, It is very near you.
What? The Word of faith which we preach. What does the Word of faith say?
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe
in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt
be saved." Moses puts it in a way of doing. Paul puts it in a way
of believing. The Word is very near you. Believe
it and be saved. Brother Todd and I were talking
a few days ago, and we've reached the conclusion, I have, that
every man and woman who believes God's Word is saved. No lost person believes this
Word in his heart. That's the assurance that we
can have as God's children. I believe the testimony of God. Don't you? And I'm telling you, everybody
that believes is saved. He that believeth is born of
God. He that believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And the Word is near you. We
don't have to say, bring Jesus Christ down from heaven. I'll
see Him and believe Him. We don't have to say, bring Him
up from the deep. I'll see Him and believe Him.
We believe what's written about Him. We believe Him. God bless His Word. Any questions? Any comments?