Jonah Albrecht

Deuteronomy 4:1-2;6-9

Pentecost 15

September 1st, 2024

Statutes Meant For Eternity

1“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the just decrees that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you. . . .6Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8And what great nation is there, that has statutes and just decrees so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? 9“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.”

May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. Amen.

In the name of Jesus, whose love does not change, dear fellow redeemed:

It is amazing how quickly things change, isn’t it? Over the last lifetime, we have gone from corded phones stuck to the wall, to a powerful computer that fits in your pocket wherever you go. Our knowledge of medicine has ramped up. As a result the life expectancy shot up by nearly 20 years. You can hardly find a town in America that doesn’t have a gas station, fast-food restaurant, or a small diner. The list of change in this world really seems to be endless, and just about every single aspect of our lives has been changed in some way or another. In many ways, for the better; but some ways for the worse.

How should we deal with change? Should we welcome it? Or fight against it? It really depends on how much control you have over it. There are some changes that are out of our control, or sometimes, you don’t notice the change until it is too late. That can be a very dangerous evolution, can’t it? Things that slowly evolve right underneath your nose until you wake up one day and nothing is what it used to be. Whether you have noticed or not, that has become Satan’s number one way of attacking God’s Word and the church. Slowly, but surely, weaving in a tiny error here and a dash of false doctrine there until…. bam! The church’s teaching is unrecognizable.

Yes, even the church is susceptible to change. Most often it changes due to the evolution of the society in which it resides. Church adapts to ideology of the day to stay relevant and appear more accepting to the world around them. There is some change that is not wrong, but might actually be welcomed, like changing the pews, or painting the walls. But changing the teachings of God to fit in with the world around us? That is a change that is to be resisted with all our might.

God’s Word is the one thing immune to change. Think of passages like Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Or Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my Word will by no means pass away.” Countless other passages in Scripture talk about the longevity and unchanging nature of the Word of God.

The reason for those qualities given to God’s Word is found in our text this morning. With Israel being on the verge of crossing into the promised land, and Moses knowing that his death was imminent, he took the time to remind the people of the LORD’s commands. He urged them to remain obedient to the LORD and to teach His statutes to generation after generation. Moses reminded them that the LORD had given the people Statutes Meant for Eternity.

This was not the first time Moses urged the people to remain faithful to the LORD and shoot down change that might come from an outside influence, and it wasn’t the last time Israel would need such a reminder. Joshua urged the people before he died to serve the LORD faithfully and He would continue to be their God. It was the whole point of the Laws in the first place. Namely, to keep the people away from the paganism around them. God gave Israel the Law, both ceremonial laws and moral laws, to form a bubble around His people.

Not only was this bubble to protect them from false doctrine that would try and seep in, but it was also their evangelism tool. 6Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ In a land surrounded by paganism and polytheism, a nation that worshiped one God, had direct evidence of His hand working in their lives, and did not engage in the passions of the flesh like everyone else; well, that would stand out like a sore thumb. The people around them couldn’t help but notice how different Israel was and it gave Israel the change to witness to them about the one true God.

The same is true today. Though we are not surrounded by the same type of paganism or polytheism that Israel was, it is still prevalent in its own way. From Atheists to Agnostics, to Mormons, to JW’s to Hindus and Muslims. America is a melting pot for all sorts of religions. Religions that don’t follow the one true God. A people that remains faithful to the teachings of God rather than adapt to the religion of the world will stick out like a sore thumb. It gives us an opportunity to repeat the words of Moses, “7For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8And what great nation is there, that has statutes and just decrees so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?”

But alas, God knows the sinful nature of man better than we do. He knows how quickly the temptation to adapt to the world around His people can sprout up like leaven in bread. As such, He used Moses to give them a stark warning: “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life.”

This people had spent the last 40 years wandering in the wilderness because their fathers did not trust the Word of the LORD that He would give the land of Canaan to them as He promised. They were scared of the people in the land and refused to enter it. As a result, they had to wander in the wilderness for another 40 years.

Only 2 people from that generation would see the promised land, Caleb and Joshua. They were the exceptions because they did remember all the things their eyes had seen. They remembered how the LORD provided for them in the wilderness, they remembered the glory of the LORD at Mt. Sinai. They knew the defeat of the people in Canaan was a small feat for the LORD and they could trust in Him.

For the rest of the people, Moses urged them to remember what the LORD had done for them. And, as they would see the power of the LORD’s hand working in their favor against the nations of Canaan, implant that into their memory for when they face a different enemy, that enemy of change to their worship of Jehovah.

That is the enemy we face today. It is an enemy unseen by human eyes. During WWI, America employed a tactic already in use by the British called Razzle Dazzle. The idea was simple: Paint their ships in zebra stripes, or in bright colors in order to distort the enemy’s view of the ship’s position. It could buy them the few seconds needed to gain the upper hand. The enemy we face as a church works in a similar way. They employ razzle dazzle to its false doctrine. What do I mean by that? Well, it is nothing new. Satan employed the same tactic when tempting Jesus in the wilderness. He twisted Scripture in an effort to get Jesus to sin.

Satan will misuse Scripture to distort one’s view into thinking that the error creeping in isn’t really an error, but falls under God’s command to love your neighbor as yourself. Think of all the churches today that sport the pride flag in their windows, or advocate for abortion and the like. Rather than remembering what the LORD has done for all people and remembering His statues, they get blinded by the name of “love” to let these falsehoods seep into their teaching.

There are no exceptions to whom Satan will try to bring his error. Mounting pressure from the neighboring community? Desire to boost up church attendance numbers? Why fight what you can’t stop? At every turn, we face this great temptation to let our guard down, to give in to the world around us. But, in doing so, we put ourselves in danger of forgetting what God has done for us: our Salvation. Satan is never satisfied with just one error entering the church. He wants to destroy its foundation. He will attack the doctrine of Justification by grace through faith. Any way he can get you to lose that truth, he will exploit. In the words of our Savior, What will it profit a man if he were to gain the whole world, yet lose his soul? The only gain to be had, is hell.

What is our defense against the increasing pressure of Satan’s attacks? Remembering God’s Statutes Meant for Eternity. For the Children of Israel, it wasn’t just remembering the 10 Commandments and all the laws of purification. It was also remembering God’s command regarding things like the Day of Atonement. The day where the sins of all the people were laid on the scape goat and sent away from the people – a visualization of God’s forgiveness that would become more concrete when Jesus died on the cross for the sins of all mankind. They had the Gospel too, and that was their strongest defense against the pressure of the nations around them.

You too have the Gospel. Your command is not the sacrifice of an animal once a year. Yours is much better than that. God’s command for you is an evangelical one – an invitation. God’s command is found in the words, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household;” and “Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thess. 5:16-24 ESV)

Remembering God’s commands for you is not just a matter of the Law. It is remembering that Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins and rose again from the dead so that you can be declared not guilty before God. 

2You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you. There is nothing more for you to do. Nothing to add, nothing to take away, Jesus accomplished it all for you.  He is your defense against every flaming dart of the evil one. And Jesus does not fail.

Moses saved perhaps the most important command for last. If the people wanted to ensure faithfulness to the LORD would continue, Make them known to your children and your children’s children. They needed to instill these truths in their children. It would be the next generation that are faithful stewards of the statues of God. It is our duty to instill in them the knowledge of their Savior, His love, and His unchanging nature.

We cannot stop the world from changing. But that doesn’t mean it should change every aspect of our lives, especially when it comes to our faith. The LORD has been faithful to us, and He will continue to be so. There is no good thing that the world can give you that God does not already do. Remember the LORD, what He has done for you and all people, remember His Statutes Meant For Eternity and remain steadfast in His grace. Amen.