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Deuteronomy 5:1, 6 – 12 KJV And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. … 6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me. 8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: 9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, 10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. 11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.

I was reading a very interesting article the other day on a secular business site called Entrepreneur.com. What caught my eye was two things. First, this is a thoroughly secular news site. It is intentionally NOT a Christian group. They report on business trends. Secondly, reporter Matthew McCreary had something good to say about a Christian founded business. You don’t find that much anymore in our United States. The article is entitled Chick-fil-A Makes More Per Restaurant Than McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Subway Combined … and It’s Closed On Sundays¹. That headline grabbed me. The reporter started out by stating that McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Subway are the top three fast food franchises in yearly U.S. sales. McDonald’s makes over $37 billion dollars yearly, whereas Starbucks and Subway trail at $13 and $10 billion dollars respectively. Chick-fil-A takes in $9 billion per year, and is the eighth restaurant in sales among all the national chains. But here’s what was interesting to the reporter. Though Chick-fil-A only has about a sixth as many restaurants as it’s competitors, each restaurant makes an average of over 4 million dollars. McDonald’s – the top fast food restaurant in the world – only takes in a little over 2 million dollars each year – about half on what Chick-fil-A restaurants earn. What amazed the reporter? He wrote:

“That’s crazy – especially since Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays. Most people would assume that closing one day per week could hurt company profits. However, it’s clear by the per-unit sales numbers that so9mething about Chick-fil-A makes it more attractive that its competitors. Could it be that closing its doors one day a week actually helps Chick-fil-A make more money, not less?”

The reporter went on to speculate as to why Chick-fil-A is making nearly twice as much per restaurant than the top fast food restaurant in the world. Why is this? My opinion is this. I believe God has blessed Chick-fil-A because the Chick-fil-A Corporation has honored God. The Bible tells us:

1 Samuel 2:30 (KJV) … them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

Chick-fil-A honors God by giving its employees a day of rest, a day to choose to worship the Creator or not. God says “I will honor those that honor Me”. His promise stands true forever,
for God’s promises are eternal.

The blessings of God will always be on those who honor the Lord, who are obedient to what He has said. It is wisdom to honor God, to love Him Who is the Giver of all things (Proverbs 8:15-17).

Our God never changes.
We change – we age and grow.

I am not the same person I was when I was born. I am not the same person I was when I was a child. I am not the same person I was when I was in the military. I am not the same person I was when I first came to this beloved Church over six years ago. I change. You change. But God is unchanging. Our God is the One Who gives good and perfect gifts, Who never varies nor ever changes (James 1:17).

The Creator of all things is not evolution, but the sure and certain design of the Master Architect that is God.

Our Creator is the Source of all peace. Where confusion is, He is not. Where peace is, He is (1 Corinthians 14:33). His Promise and His Gospel is forever the same. We are told:

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

His ways are always best. His Gospel always saves. The Blood never loses it’s power!

As Israel – a nation saved by God – got ready to go into the Promised Land they would not be without challenges. God spoke to His people:

Deuteronomy 5:1 (KJV) … Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.

The first three words are “Hear, O Israel” – only two words in the Hebrew. God cries out:

שָׁמַע (shama`) יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisra’el)
Hear, O Israel!

God spoke to that nation, to that people He loved. He wanted the people whom He had freed from slavery to hear the way to blessing. I believe that God is calling out to a mortally wounded America today. God is crying out:

Hear, O America!

God is calling to us to LISTEN to what He has to say. God loves America. Our country – much like Israel – was founded by believers in Christ. Certainly they were flawed as we are. Certainly they erred as we do. Yet America was blessed because many who professed Christ did their best to live for Christ.

Our Lord Jesus looked at a fig tree one day to get a small snack from it. When He saw the fig tree had no fruit our Lord said:

“No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever”

The next day the disciples saw that the same fig tree was dried up and dead to the root. Peter said:

Mark 11:21-22 (KJV) … Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

Israel or America – We Must Have Faith In God

The fig tree died because it did not give the Master its fruit. Our Lord cursed the fig tree. The fig tree is an image if a dead faith.
A dead faith is one that produces NO FRUIT.

The step brother of Christ inspired of God writes:

James 2:20-26 (KJV) But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. … 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

God saved Israel so that Israel could live for God. God saved America – and has prospered us beyond all other nations – so that we can live for God. We are all called to “Have faith in God”. We are called – like Abraham the Father of Faith – to “Have faith in God”.

What does it mean to “Have faith in God”. I submit to you that genuine faith is defined in our text today. Look at it again:

Deuteronomy 5:1 (KJV) … Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.

The first part of faith is to HEAR. The Scripture says:

Romans 10:17 (KJV) … faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

You can sit and hear the SOUND of my voice and never have faith. Faith comes by not just hearing SOUNDS, but INTELLIGENTLY HEARING. If you are dozing right now (and many are the times when we all doze off or daydream) then you may be hearing SOUND but not intelligently. The same thing happens with many of us men when our wives walk into the room and we are watching something on television or reading a book. She will say something and we’ll say:

UH HUH

Later on she’ll come back and say “I thought you were going to take out the trash” and you respond (foolishly, I might add) “When did I say I was going to take out the trash”? She replies “When I walked in here and asked, and you said UH HUH!” Uh oh! We didn’t HEAR intelligently. Many people hear but they do not hear. When Moses said “Shema Yisrael” he wasn’t saying “Listen to poor old Moses”. What he was saying was “Take heed – really listen – because what I’m about to say COMES DIRECT FROM GOD!” This is not my opinion. I saw God. God told me to tell you. You need to hear. Faith cometh by INTELLIGENTLY HEARING what is said is THE WORD OF GOD. Many of you will hear me speak today. You may be entertained, but you’ll leave this place the same way you came in. Why? Because you thought it was MY opinion I was shouting … but it is GOD’s WORD. What has God said? HEAR, O America!

If you HEAR God’s Word only, this is not faith. Look at our text again:

Deuteronomy 5:1 (KJV) … Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.

You need to HEAR what is said as statutes and judgments. I explained last week that:

Statutes are unchanging rules from God for every person
Judgments are unchanging rules from God for specific persons

All people are to keep God’s Ten Commandments. They are not suggestions but commandments. But Israelite males were circumcised on the eighth day after birth. Why? Because God said so. Israelites did not have to be baptized in water. However Christians do not have to be circumcised, but are to be baptized in water after salvation. Why? Because God said so. You hear the Word of God. You believe it is from God. If you have believed:

You LEARN what God said to YOU.
You KEEP or GUARD what God said to YOU.
You DO what God said to YOU.

That’s what Abraham did. God told Abraham:

Genesis 12:1-2 (KJV) … Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

How did Abraham respond to God’s direction. First, he recognized it was God’s Word. Right after hearing God’s Word Abraham said:

“I’ll get right on that Lord, right after my TV show ends.”

Is that what Abraham did? No. He IMMEDIATELY and INTELLIGENTLY heard what God said. Abraham then MOVED as if God commanded. This is faith. To hear, to intelligently perceive, then to DO as God commands.

Deuteronomy 5:1 (KJV) Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn⁶ them, and keep⁷, and do⁸ them.

God wants the nation to be blessed. Blessing comes by hearing, by memorizing, to guard His Word, then to DO as He says.

Israel, if you will be blessed then HEAR, MEMORIZE, GUARD, and DO what God says. America, if you will be blessed then HEAR, MEMORIZE, GUARD, and DO what God says.

They Were Not Ten Suggestions

God then gives Israel – in fact, any Nation that wants to be blessed of Him – Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were the basis of every law that God issued to the nation Israel. The Ten Commandments are the basis of every law that maintains order in our America.

Deuteronomy 5:7 (KJV) Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

There is but One God, the God of the Scripture. If you are a Christian then you declare with the Scripture that:

1 Corinthians 8:5-6 (KJV) For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

The world and the worldling have many gods and goddesses, and many times worship themselves. There is no power in the false gods of this world. As the Psalmist said of idols:

Psalms 115:4-8 (KJV) {The unbelievers} idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. 5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: 6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: 7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. 8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

Idols can do nothing for you. You can do nothing for you! Beloved, we all need the Lord. We need the Creator of all. We need to reject the idols, and come to Him that loves us so very much! We who are Christians know that:

1 Timothy 2:5-6 (KJV) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

We are not to create gods and goddesses, but to read and study of Him in His Word, this Beloved Scripture.

Deuteronomy 5:9 (KJV) Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, …

God made you. God gave you life. God provides oxygen, water, and blessing. You may work for a living but God gave you the strength to work. Let us reverence Him and only Him. Let us acknowledge Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son. Let us praise Him in both tongue and deed. Let us live for our God, for His Smile. Let’s quit living to please a selfish and unbelieving world, and let’s let Him live through us.

Deuteronomy 5:11 (KJV) Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

When we speak of God, let it be to praise Him, to pray to Him, to tell others of Him. Let our lips honor the God Who made us. Let us confess Him. Let us speak the Word of Faith:

Romans 10:8-13 (KJV) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

How fragile and fallible we all are! The Scripture declares “all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Oh how often have I failed my God. Yet still He loves me. Oh, how often you have failed your God. And yet, how He loves you. Though sinners all, fallen and far from perfection, He calls out to us in promise. He calls to us:

Believe Me.
Follow Me.
Hear Me.
Do What I Have Said.

Galatians 3:11 (KJV) … The just shall live by faith.

Romans 1:16-17 (KJV) “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. {17} For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Romans 5:1-2 (KJV) “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: {2} By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

America It’s Time To Come Back To God

We are called of God to love God – to hear Him and do what He has said. Our Lord Jesus said in:

John 14:15 (KJV) If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 14:23-24 (KJV) … If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

When we like Israel love the Lord Who made us – when we intelligently hear what He says and do what He says – then we as people and as a nation will be blessed. In America life has become cheapened because we do not see our fellow man through God’s eyes. The Bible says:

1 John 3:23-24 “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. [24] And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us”

1 Thessalonians 4:9 “But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another”

This is the source of the racism and divisions we have in our country today. This is the reason we have warring and collapse at the government level, in the White House, the Congress, and the Supreme Court. Life is cheapened when God is removed. Oh Beloved, how we need God. Oh Beloved, how we all need Jesus. We have freedom FROM oppression so that we can serve the Living God. We have freedom to choose so that we can choose the Lord Jesus Christ, receiving Him as our Savior and Guide.

Deuteronomy 5:16-21 (KJV) Honor thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 17 Thou shalt not kill. 18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery. 19 Neither shalt thou steal. 20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbor. 21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbor’s.

Let us find our fulfillment in God our Savior. You cannot work your way to Heaven, but by faith in Him you can be assured of both Heaven later and blessing while on this earth. May the Lord touch your hearts with His Word.