And the LORD our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day. For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the LORD our God has given us.’ [Deuteronomy 6.24-25]
So, how's that grace-of-God-in-Jesus thing working out for you?
The problem with people today is that they religiously read the Bible (if they read it at all) without paying one bit of attention to what it is actually saying. Then, they make stupid, unsubstantiated claims about "Jesus" and "grace" of which they neither know nor show by their allegedly redeemed lives. If this sounds sarcastic, then at least something is making sense...
Jesus said the entire Bible points to Him:
“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! [John 5.39]
Matthew recognized this for face value:
That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.” [Matthew 8.16-17]
In contrast, today's One Year Chronological Bible reading includes:
You must diligently obey the commands of the LORD your God—all the laws and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight, so all will go well with you. Then you will enter and occupy the good land that the LORD swore to give your ancestors. You will drive out all the enemies living in the land, just as the LORD said you would. [Deuteronomy 6.17-19]
"All going well for you" does not mean financial hardship, loss, sickness, or ignorance. In fact, today's reading defines what "all going well for you" looks like:
The LORD did miraculous signs and wonders before our eyes, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. [Deuteronomy 6.22]
In Christ, this should look like Paul wrote to the Church in Galatia:
But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” [Galatians 3.13]
It is pure mockery of God and Jesus Christ to make all the claims the Church and its leaders make today with nothing to show for it. And, the problem is in plain sight in today's One Year Chronological Bible reading:
“The LORD your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the LORD, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. You must fear the LORD your God and serve him. When you take an oath, you must use only his name. [Deuteronomy 6.10-13]
God's people today have not been "rescued from Egypt." Instead, they are still "relying on Egypt" in cities they built, houses stocked with goods they produced, drawing water from wells they dug, and eating from vineyards and olive trees they planted. In short, God's people are living just like Egypt in total reliance upon themselves and their accomplishments. Egypt and idolatry are synonymous in the Bible, and God's people have yet to come out of Egypt! God's alleged people live and look just like Egypt. This is a farce and a total mockery of God.
What's more, in spite of what the Bible clearly says are curses for idolatrous disobedience, the Church today abstractly says "it's all under grace in Christ" while demonstrating zero tangible evidence of God's promised blessings. Then, they mitigate curses with their own man-made systems and call it "God's doing." Oh sure, people give God credit for "blessings" that have perfectly understandable origins, but they are not living in actual miracles they had no part of whatsoever like Deuteronomy 6.10-13 says God's people would live and look like.
Today's OYCB reading reveals two reasons that God's people, then and now, are not distinguished from the world: 1) they have not come out of Egypt (idolatry) and 2) they are grossly ignorant of God's Word.
“In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the LORD our God has commanded us to obey?’ “Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand. [Deuteronomy 6.20-21]
“Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. [Deuteronomy 6.4-9]
No, this is not just Old Testament teaching that has somehow passed away. Jesus left no room for imagination when He demanded:
If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]
To give up our own way is to give up man-made (idolatrous) self-preservation in deference to His way: undeniable, unexplainable miracles. To take up our cross is to give up our hold on life in deference to mountain-moving faith that transports us to resurrection life on the other side of the cross. Following Jesus is to wholeheartedly follow God's Word without regard for "self." Jesus is God's Word.
I am not trying to be mean. This "pokes me in the eye" as much or more than it does anyone. Something is terribly wrong in the Church today and it has everything to do with our death grip on "Egypt-idols" and our gross ignorance of God's Word - Jesus.
Look at references to the distinction God wishes for His people. God never has, nor ever will be, satisfied with His people looking and acting just like the world and, in particular, Egypt! Our ignorance of God's Word and intimacy with idols prevents God's distinction in our lives.
And the LORD our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day. [Deuteronomy 6.24]
Get in the word and get rid of idols!
Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. [1 John 5.21]
Jesus pointed out the problem:
For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ [Matthew 13.15]
Father, help us to get it right concerning Your Word and idolatry. Help us to see. Help us to hear. Help us to look at our powerless lives and understand! So be it.
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