March 29, 1992 pm - Lent IV Lesson: Deuteronomy 4: 23 - 40 & Deuteronomy 6: 4 - 9 Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 4:39, 24, 31, 29 A Call to Worship THE GOD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH Introduction The Shemä [Deut. 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.] is a focal point for worship. It calls the faithful to the wonder of the Mystery that is our God. Jesus used the Shemä, recorded in Mark (12:29) when a teacher of the law came to Him, seriously seeking to draw closer to God. This teacher asked Him 'What is the most important commandment?" Jesus, quoting our text, reminded him that the key in seeking to understand God is LOVE! God is to be loved, not merely 'studied' or 'talked about' with disinterest. And Jesus quickly added that we need to love one another as well. [Whenever WE speak about God we should always seek to have this added factor of love and reverence and even worship. The "LORD" (note the small capital letters in your English Bible text) refers to what we call YHWH, the "unspeakable name." This is the name that we have translated "I AM THAT I AM." [God is never an "object." He is to be approached with awe.] Look with me at some Lenten truth contained in the Shemä: Deuteronomy 4:6 "The LORD is ONE." (Also) Deuteronomy 4:39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. I. OUR GOD IS THE GOD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH A. ONE GOD-- a God for all of life and living. 1. Israel's neighbors did not operate from this radical concept of religion. They had gods who met their (perceived) needs. The reason their gods fitted their situation so well was pretty simple: they had invented their own gods. 2. There was probably a strong temptation on the part of the Israelis to take the gods of their hostile neighbors seriously. It "made sense:" their LORD God had done miracles in Egypt and the desert. But what did HE know about agriculture and settled living in Canaan? So Moses reminded them: ONE God-- for all of life! 3. Before we condemn these heathen idol-makers- did you ever consider that WE pick and choose bits and pieces of scripture to make a composite sketch of a "God" of the Bible who meets OUR needs-- or what we feel or "believe" to be our needs?? [EVERYBODY seems to be an "expert" on the subject of God! We hear people say, "God wouldn't do that!" or, "God doesn't care about that!" And amazingly, God usually agrees with the person talking!] If we select those scripturally true statements about God that appeal to us, and refuse to meet face-to-face with the God who IS, we are no better than the enemies of Israel, and our God is NOT the God of the Bible. B. ONE GOD FOR ALL OF LIFE AND LIVING 1. We want a "heavenly God" that we can meet (and leave) in the church; a God to whom we dedicate our babies, and before Whom we take our wedding vows. We want a God to explain our fears of death away. 2. But when we leave the church we have a variety of earthly influences that demand that we listen to them. They want to set our values and kindle our admiration. Our idols may be as concrete and real as a fine car, or as abstract and ethereal as "financial security"-- they can be as pervasive as "eternal youth," or as subtle as the intellectual pride of proving we are keeping up with the academic cutting edge. But we need to recognize them for what they are: the idols of our day. C. ONE GOD -- who is still the "self-revealer," the I AM THAT I AM. This text is NOT out od date; remember, Jesus used the Shemä. We come to know this self-revealing God as we reach out to Him in love! Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. Deuteronomy 4:31 For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy or forget the covenant with your forefa thers, which he confirmed to them by oath. II. ONE GOD BOTH MERCIFUL AND HOLY A. A DIFFICULT TRUTH, BUT TRUE JUST THE SAME Sometimes justice and righteousness and holiness seem to be incompatible with forgiveness and tenderness and mercy. A God of both awesome justice and great compassion seems to us like paradox: WHAT IS THIS ONE GOD? Is He demanding and just and aloof? Or is He condescending and merciful, a sort of cosmic soft- touch? Is He a God fit for heaven? Or, is He a God for city streets? 1. If only this One God would stay in heaven-- and sort of shout down from time to time when he wanted a sacrifice, but for the most part just leave the day-to-day living to us, so that we didn't have to miss the "soaps" or whatever we want to do, we could get along fine. We could call on Him if our children got a high fever or there was a tornado watch, but for the most part He can just stay in heaven where He belongs. 2. But NO-- we do not have just one simple statement (God is HOLY! or God is JUST! or God is 'UNCONDITIONAL LOVE'. We have what appear to be conflicting statements: B. GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE, a "jealous God. Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. 1. Granted, this is an Old Testament passage. It represents "earlier understandings" about God, but is it passé? "Jealousy" is usually a mean, cheap adjective. But there is appropriate jealousy! 2. In a marriage relationship petty jealousy can stifle and crush a trust and love; but at the same time a marriage relation ship is based on the fidelity of both partners to covenant vows. If the solemn vows of marriage are taken lightly the relationship is in serious trouble. God cares about us so much that He does not take our covenant lightly! C. GOD IS ALWAYS OPEN TO HEAR YOUR CRY; HE IS MERCIFUL AND LOVING Deuteronomy 4:31 For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath. 1. This, too, is an Old Testament passage. It probably represents a darker age, a more primitive understanding. But it is a part of divine revelation, and states real fact about the nature of a God who has NOT changed. 2. God cares about His people! He listens when they cry to Him. He is NOT anxious to find fault, to abandon His own. His conviction is for the purpose of restoration and communion. God loves YOU! Can we live with this paradox? If we take the one, we can and must also take the other view of this One God of heaven and earth! III. WORSHIP THE GOD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH A. THIS IS A CALL TO WORSHIP! We are never told about God simply for the purpose of information. What we think we KNOW about God is probably not as important as HOW WE ENDEAVOR TO RELATE TO GOD. 1. God loves us; God responds to love. 2. God has promised: Every effort to draw near to Him will be met with a divine response: Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you! James 4:8 B. TWO important facts reach out to us from the call to worship, the Shemä: 1. God will always hear a cry of your heart or mine to know Him! Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from (wherever you are) you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. God wants a people who are absolutely crazy about Him! He wants a family who thinks that He is wonderful! He craves our love-- in some small way reflecting the great and tender kindness with which He already loves us! 2. God does not exist for us; we exist for Him! Our love for Him demands that we make Him Lord of heaven and earth! ONE God! Only one! God is to be God of ALL your life! Nothing is to be beyond His jealous care: Deuteronomy 4:39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. (Conclusion:) The Shemä [Deut. 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.] is a focal point for worship. It calls the faithful to the wonder of the Mystery that is our God. In Mark's Gospel (12:29) Jesus used the Shemä when one person was seriously seeking to draw closer to God. 1. LOVE THE LORD! Jesus reminded him that the key in seeking to understand God is LOVE! He quoted the Shemä, saying that God is to be loved, not merely 'studied' or 'talked about' with disinterest. And Jesus quickly added, that we need to love one another as well. 2. LET GOD BE GOD! Acknowledge the mystery of God. Affirm in your heart that this God is a GOOD God! But don't try to make Him into YOUR image! 3. LET GOD BE GOD! Seek to make ourselves available to HIM, rather than simply using our religion to help us accomplish OUR purposes! DO try to discover what in you and me constitutes the "image of God" in us! WE are made in HIS image! We CAN live in His Presence! We CAN live in a way that, by grace, is pleasing to Him and deeply fulfilling and satisfying to ourselves! Prayer Hymn # 283 Dear Lord and Father of Mankind