I'd ask you to turn your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 6. It is a familiar chapter, Deuteronomy chapter 6, but I think it has a lot of truth relevant to being a real Christian. In case you're wondering which side of that paper we're on, we're on the marks of a real Christian, Deuteronomy 6, 1 to 15. Hopefully it doesn't look too daunting.

Trust me, we will not be here until 2 o'clock. In case that was your first thought, I hope to move through the points fairly quickly. So Deuteronomy chapter 6, I'll read the whole section 1 to 15. Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may fear the Lord your God to keep all his statutes and his commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson and all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.

Therefore, hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you, a land flowing with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words, which I command you today, shall be in your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. So it shall be when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and bountiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things which you did not fill, hewn out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, When you have eaten and are full, then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage.

You shall fear the Lord your God and serve him and shall take oaths in his name. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you. For the Lord your God is a jealous God among you. Lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.

Amen. Let's pray and just ask God to bless the reading of his word as well as the preaching. Let's go to God in prayer. Our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father, we would seek you now, Father.

We pray that your spirit might be amongst us, that, Lord, you would be pleased to tabernacle here in this place. We know, Lord, that you are well-pleased when your word is opened up, and that's what we desire, that's what we intend to do this day. And so, Lord, we pray that that attending Holy Spirit might be here. We know that it's not up to man, it's not up to the eloquence of words or lack thereof, but rather it's the spirit of the living God that takes your word and makes it sharp. like a two-edged sword, so that it might pierce the soul and find its mark in each one of our hearts.

So, Lord, we pray that Your Spirit might do that even now. We pray, Lord, that I would not become a distraction in any way, but that rather Your Word would be what we would center our focus and thoughts upon, and that, Father, You would be well-pleased to bless Your Word, cause it to not return into Your void, but we pray that it would have its intended effect in each and every heart here this day. And we pray in Jesus' precious name. Amen.

Introduction

Well, certainly when we go to the doctor for a check-up, those who have had to go to the doctor for a check-up, any decent doctor, at least I would consider a decent doctor, he will ask the ABCs of your health. He's going to question you about your diet, he's going to question you about how much sleep or rest you've been getting, he's going to question you about your exercise patterns. And if I were to tell the doctor, well, I eat fast food five nights a week and I'm never in bed before midnight and I get no exercise at all, Well, the doctor is going to be rightly concerned about me. The doctor has a concern, and he has a right to concern.

Well, spiritual health is much the same as our physical health. Spiritual health, in spiritual health, there's called the ABCs, what we might call the ABCs, that must be in place for the Christian to be living in a healthy manner. And so therefore, I've indicated at the top of your paper that today's sermon is going to be entitled Marks of a Real Christian. we might say marks of a sincere Christian, we might say marks of a healthy Christian. So if we're not doing these things to their fullest, as instructed in Deuteronomy, then I suspect that we are not living as healthy or as sincere or as real as we could be or ought to be as believers.

So I trust that the seven marks that we look at this morning in regards to the marks of a real Christian, that you'll have cause, as I've had cause this week, to consider my own heart and consider, well, I may not be doing that one or I may be doing this one, you know, reasonably well, but I certainly could pick it up on that one. But God, it's not a smorgasbord. God doesn't call us to, well, you choose whatever it is you want to really, to wax eloquent on or do very well on. No, God expects us to do all of these things.

These were instructions to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 6. It wasn't a choice. It wasn't do the best you can and as many as you can, but it was these are the things that you ought to do if you want to remain a real Christian, if you want to remain a healthy Christian or a sincere Christian.

First Mark: Loving God

So let's look at the first one, which is loving God. I'll just reread the text, which is verses 4 and 5, just so we can hear it. We'll be doing a fair bit of flipping in our Bibles. I think I put most of the texts on your papers, so you can refer to them.

If you don't hear the exact text, you can refer to the paper and see where it is I'm reading from. So the first, the fact that we ought to love God, that's the first mark. of a real Christian that comes from verses four and five. It says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

And if we flipped over to chapter 10, verse 12, a similar theme. I'm gonna take two other verses in Deuteronomy. A similar theme in chapter 10, verse 12. I think you'll hear it well.

It says, And now Israel, What does the Lord your God require of you? But to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. So to love God. And also in chapter 11 verse 1 it says, therefore you shall, what?

You shall love the Lord your God and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always. The first thing there in chapter 11 verse 1 is we ought to love God. That's our first thing. The New Testament, in Matthew 22, 38, says that the Lord Christ calls love, loving God, the first and the greatest commandment.

So if God calls it the first and the greatest commandment, then that's why I put it first here in our outline, even though it doesn't necessarily come first in the text. It is of most importance. Please turn your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 16, verse 22. 1 Corinthians 16, 22. Now, this is a bit of a negative view.

We can assume if this is a negative, then obviously the positive is the opposite of it. 1 Corinthians chapter 16 verse 22 says, if anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. Well, who in here wants to be accursed? Obviously, we don't want to be accursed. We want to be loved by God.

We want to be blessed by God. So therefore, what ought we to do? 1 Corinthians 16, 22. If anyone loves God, then we can be sure that we're not accursed by him. And that's what he expects.

And we flip over to 1 Peter 1 7-8 for a couple more passages. 1 Peter 1 7-8 is a very positive one, a very familiar one. 1 Peter 1 7-8. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold, that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom, having not seen, you love." Amen to that. And the last passage I'd like to look at is, 1 John chapter 5 verses 1 to 3, just over a couple of pages, to 1 John chapter 5 verses 1 to 3. Again, the theme here being that we would love God.

The marks of a real Christian are that they love God. 1 John 5, 1 to 3 says, that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God, and everyone who loves Him, who begot also loves Him, who has begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. So again, just that important theme throughout all the scripture, but certainly in those texts, both Old Testament and New Testament, And very much, today you will see that I will start in the Old Testament, but go right through the New Testament, that this wasn't just something for the Old Testament Israelites to follow.

It wasn't just something for the Old Testament Israelites to, at the end of the Old Covenant, to put aside, and we're into a new covenant, we're into something different. No, what the Old Testament covenant people were taught and expected of by God, the New Testament, the New Covenant people are expected the same thing. The same thing is expected of us. And that is, first and foremost, that we would love God.

Second Mark: Fearing God

Please go back to Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 2, the second point, in terms of marks of a real Christian, of a sincere and healthy Christian, is that he would fear God. And that is in verse 2. Verse 2. It says, that you may fear the Lord your God to keep all his statutes and his commandments which I command you and your son and your grandson all the days of your life.

This is a description of biblical religion in the Old Testament. And I will argue that it's also a description of biblical religion in the New Testament. We sometimes think, oh, those Old Testament Christians, they were to fear God. Well, we're just to love God.

No, we're to fear God as well. John Murray says an excellent quote, and then we'll go to a passage in 2 Corinthians. But John Murray, first of all, says, listen carefully to this. It's an excellent quote.

It says, the fear of God is the soul of godliness. The fear of God is essentially a religious concept. It refers to the conception we entertain of God and the attitude of heart and mind that is ours by reason of that conception. The fear of God in which godliness consists is the fear which constrains adoration and love.

So it's not fear to cower, but rather it's fear that draws out adoration and love. It is the fear which consists in awe, reverence, honor, and worship, and all of these on the highest level of exercise. So that's what it means to fear God. It's a positive thing.

It's not something, as Pastor Butler, I always remember him saying, it's the fear somehow he always points to the piano. I can see why you do that up here, just it's naturally there, to fear and cower under the piano. That's not the kind of fear, fearing God, that is referred to in the scriptures. If you turn to the New Testament, to 2 Corinthians chapter 7, Verse 1, 2 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 1, and it talks about this same fear amongst the New Testament believers, fearing God that is. 2 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 1 says, therefore having these promises beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

So they were expected to fear God, they were expected to live in the fear of God. If you just flip over to Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 12, verse 28 and 29. Hebrews 12, 28 to 29. It says in Hebrews 12, Since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

For our God is consuming fire." So you can see it's the same God in the Old Testament as in the New Testament. We may think back to an incident in the Old Testament. If I bring up the names of Nadab and Abihu, I think we all can remember immediately. They were Aaron's sons.

And they offered up a strange fire. What did God do to them? He killed them. He struck them dead right there.

Why? Because they offered up a strange fire. So certainly we know the God of the Old Testament is a God who certainly worked vengeance towards those who did not fear him. We can think of also another man by the name of Uzzah.

In the Old Testament, he simply steadied the ark so it wouldn't fall over. We would think, well, that's a good thing to do. But God struck him dead because he thought that he had to step in and, in a sense, help God. He didn't fear God the way he ought to.

We may think, well that's great, those are Old Testament examples, what about the New Testament? We're in the church age, we're in the church where it's all about love. Well not really, if you consider the opening chapters of Acts, Acts chapter 2 I believe it is, no maybe a little further, 3 or 4, where we've got Ananias and Sapphira. Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead.

Why were they struck dead? Because they lied to the Holy Spirit. So, it's the same God that we deal with in the Old Testament as in the New Testament. So, we may not have as many examples in the New Testament of God striking dead or coming upon people with vengeance for those who don't fear Him.

Yet, we have to believe God's the same yesterday, today, and forever. So, the God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament. So, we want to be a real Christian, we will want to fear God.

Third Mark: Obeying God

Moving on to the third point, obeying God. referring back to our passage in Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy chapter 6, and this refers to the idea of obeying God. God expects to be obeyed, not to be trifled with. Chapter 6, verses 1 to 3, and listen carefully for the the ideas of obedience. Now this is the commandment and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you.

That you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess. That you may fear the Lord your God to keep all his statutes and his commandments which I command you. you, and your son, and your grandson, and all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Therefore, hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you, a land flowing with milk and honey." So I think I put on your outline there the next sentence, which I'm just simply going to read. And that is, it's to be in obedience in all areas of our lives.

It's to be in obedience 24-7. It's not a choice of when we obey or what we obey. It's all areas, it's at all times. And it's to be, it's a careful and precise obedience.

Now I feel like when speaking about obedience, especially in reference to the Old Testament, I think I do need to give a caveat, and that is that this obedience is the result or the evidence of grace. It's certainly not, obedience can never ever merit or earn my salvation or your salvation. And I would never want to give that impression that somehow, well, we just have to obey and we can merit with God. We can receive that grace from God.

No, never ever. Grace is grace and obedience is something else. But it's to obey God in all of our lives with careful and precise obedience is I think what we see demonstrated throughout the whole Old Testament. Matthew Henry says it this way, he says, religion and righteousness advance and secure the prosperity of any people.

Fear God and it shall be well with thee. Those that are well taught, if they do what they are taught, shall be well fed too. as Israel in the land flowing with milk and honey." I just want to read that one more time, because sometimes in a quote we hear certain things, we don't always hear the whole thing, because I think it's very relevant in regards to obeying God. This is Matthew Henry, he says, "'Religion and righteousness advance and secure the prosperity of any people. Fear God and it shall be well with thee.

Those that are well taught, if they do what they are taught, shall be well fed too, as Israel in the land flowing with milk and honey.'" Please turn your Bibles to Philippians chapter 127. I'd like to just look at a couple of passages in the New Testament as well. Philippians chapter 1. And Philippians chapter 127 says, only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or I'm absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith in the gospel.

So you sense a sense, you get there a sense of obedience, obedience to the instructions of the Apostle Paul. And just over into the next chapter, chapter 2 verses 12 to 13, He says something similar. He says, therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed in, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to do, for his good pleasure. So it's that sense of obedience.

When Paul wasn't watching, when Paul wasn't in the church, when Paul wasn't observing them, he wanted to know that they were being obedient. I remember a number of years ago someone saying to me, I think it was in Bible school at the time, he said, and I always remember the statement, and it is, what a man is when he is by himself is what a man is. Right? When you think no one is looking, When you think no one is around you, when you are literally by yourself, what you desire, what you contemplate, what you think about, that's really what we are.

So sometimes we may watch our behavior because the boss is watching us, right, at work. It might be the boss. For children, it might be because mom and dad are watching us. So that somehow, sometimes that affects our behavior.

But let's consider our behavior, we're always being observed, we're always being watched by God. Not in a mean, ogrily way, but if we consider that God sees us at all times, He observes us at all times. I think that would affect our behavior. I would hope that that would give to us that desire to be obedient, whether it be a child in the home or a parent in whatever responsibilities and whatever we involve ourselves in, that we would desire to obey God because He sees us at all times.

It's not like we can somehow do something in the dark, or, oh, He doesn't mind, or, God's a forgiving God. We have all sorts of reasons. ways of, of negating the fact that God observes and God expects obedience. And certainly we see that in Deuteronomy, and we see it in the New Testament, throughout the Old Testament, and the New Testament as well. Continuing on in the Marks of a Real Christian,

Fourth Mark: Holding to Sound Doctrine

let's look at verse 4, back in our passage in Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 4, holding to sound doctrine, holding to sound doctrine. Verse 4 says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. So that's called the Shema, the first sentence, or Shema, I guess would be a better pronunciation.

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. That's the Shema. It was known as the morning confession. of every genuine Old Testament Christian. It was a declaration of faith in one God.

That's what they are declaring, that's what they were declaring, that there is one God. The word one certainly stresses the monotheism of Israel, and it's a rejection of polytheism in the day in which they were living. The people were to give their allegiance to God and God alone, who was God. However, the word for one here The word does not mean singleness, but rather unity.

And therefore, it's not inconsistent with Trinitarianism. The sense that if we look at in Genesis, Genesis 2.24, where it talks about a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined with his wife, and the two will become one flesh. Well, that's the one being referred to. Obviously, we're talking about two individuals becoming one flesh, acting as one.

And that is what is being suggested here in the Shema, that God is one. Even though it's three persons, the God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, they act as one. And it was a declaration of that truth that they were to have. And so, therefore, what are they being instructed here to do?

Since the marks of a real Christian would be that we hold to sound doctrine. Hold to sound doctrine. kind of refer to it a little bit in our Bible reading this morning when we read 2 Timothy chapter 2, but I would just refer you to 2 Timothy chapter 1 first of all, 2 Timothy chapter 1 verses 13 and 14, with this idea of holding fast, holding strongly to sound doctrine. So 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 13. and 14, says, hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was commanded to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in you.

So there's a sense of a commitment. They were to be committed to holding to sound doctrine. Paul expected that of Timothy as the pastor and of the congregation as well. Flip over to chapter 3, verses 14 and 17.

Chapter 3, 14 and 17. And it says, but you must continue in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. So certainly when it comes to sound doctrine, we know it's, we certainly hear it, we hear it thundered from this pulpit. Sunday after Sunday, we hear it in the Wednesday night Bible studies.

We've gone through some Old Testament books. We see a wandering away from truth, a wandering away from doctrine. And that is not something that we just read about in our scriptures. That's something that's relevant today in the churches throughout North America and around the world.

Some Christians, they simply become bored. I think it's, Pastor Butler and I have talked many times. they simply become bored with the truth. The truth just becomes boring. Therefore, they have to invent, invent new doctrines, invent new ways of looking at things.

Or perhaps it's a matter of shaving off the truth a little bit, or redefining the truth. We ought to remember that a degree here, in 2014, a degree off here, as we continue and project out, becomes a much greater degree off the truth and off sound doctrine in 10, 20, 30, 50 years from now. We ought to be encouraged as a congregation that Pastor Butler and Pastor Porter, along with him, but mostly Pastor Butler, has been working very hard on the impassibility of God. That's a doctrine that has been under attack.

It's kind of been left to the wayside. It's been kind of shuffled away. Pastor Butler and a few other men in the Reformed Baptist world, other pastors, are seeking to just redefine it and just make it more clear and make it just more, bring it into sharper focus. So we ought to rejoice in that as a congregation, that we do have elders and teachers here in this congregation that do consider holding to sound doctrine to be of utmost importance, which unfortunately you would not hear in too many other churches around the world, or certainly in Canada, of which I think we can speak of.

So, in essence, if you want to be a real Christian, if you want to be a sincere and healthy Christian, Hold on to truth with a tight grip, not a loose grip. Hold on to it tightly and encourage our pastors when they too want to hold on to truth and doctrine in a tight grip. Encourage them in the things of God that they would not grow weary in the fight. Continuing on,

Fifth Mark: Heart Religion

let's go back to our passage in the fifth point of Marks of a Real Christian is that he desires heart religion. The mark of a true Christian of a sincere and healthy Christian is that he desires heart religion, and that's in verses 5 and 6. Again, we sometimes think in the Old Testament it was all about the outward, it was all about behavior, behavior modification. That's certainly not what God promoted in the Old Testament, if we actually take him at his word.

So verses 5 and 6 read, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart." Right? So that's what, that's what God desires. The Old Testament was not concerned with merely externals.

Hence the Sermon on the Mount. We don't have time to read it, but if you were to go to Matthew 23, the first 12 verses, Jesus' indictment upon the Pharisees there is that basically, Don't do as they say, but don't do as they do, which is kind of unfortunate that you would have to say that about a teacher in the land. Do what they say, but not what they do. So clearly, the Lord Jesus recognized that there was heart religion involved.

They had left their heart out, and they were simply following the physical, the outward. They weren't following God with their heart. If we flip the page to Deuteronomy chapter 11, verse 13, Deuteronomy chapter 11 verse 13 says something similar. It says, and it shall be that if you earnestly obey my commandments, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season.

And then he goes on in that passage. So there's that sense of God wants our earnest. God wants our earnestness. He wants our heart in following him, not just the outward.

The truth of God has got to become internalized. It can't be an external thing. If you flip over to Romans chapter 12, Romans 12 verses 1 and 2, it's a familiar passage, but I think in light of what we're talking about here, that God desires heart religion, Romans 12, 1 and 2, speak very well to this. It says, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. And one last passage, if you flip over to Philippians chapter 4, Philippians 4, 8 and 9, we'll see there too that God desires that we are meditative, that we are, that the Word of God gets into our heart, not just into our mind. And Philippians chapter 4, 8, 9 says, Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there be any virtue And if there be anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. Internalize them.

Meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. So clearly, that's what God wants. God wants to see us meditating, internalizing His Word, that that might benefit our souls and make us healthy, sincere, real Christians.

Sixth Mark: Promoting Truth

Moving on to point number six, the promotion of truth, that's in chapter, or back in verse verse 7 of chapter 6 in Deuteronomy. Verse 7 says, you shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. So we're to diligently teach our children at all times and in all places. Teach them at the kitchen table, teach them in their bedrooms as they go to bed at night, teach them as we are on a walk, teach them as we go throughout life that this would be, that we would be promoting truth at all times.

Ephesians chapter 6 verse 4 says, and you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Psalm, Psalm chapter 34 verse 11 says, these are several verses in a row, so you may not be able to turn to them fast enough. I'll just read them because they're fairly short. Psalm 34 verse 11 says, come you children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

So that's the Lord speaking to us like his children, as we ought to imitate. Psalm 78 verse 4, we will not hide them, that is the law, from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord and his strength and his wonderful works that he has done, right? Telling the generation to come of the praises of the Lord. We've had many births here in the Church of late, in the last several, well, really, you could look at a number of years.

There's lots of little ones growing up and lots of little babies. Well, as parents, that's your responsibility. For some of you as new parents, that's a brand new responsibility, to train them, to speak to them about the praises of our God. It's a wonderful privilege, but it also comes with great responsibility. as well if we consider that God has commanded us to promote the truth amongst our children.

Psalm 145 verse 4 says, one generation shall praise your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts. One generation, that's their responsibility, is to declare it to the generation coming up. The idea is to propagate, promote, and protect the faith once for all delivered to the saints. If we believe that this is truth, contained in our Bibles, in our Scriptures, if we know that to be the truth, the only truth, then we will want to promote it, we will want to propagate it, we will want to protect it within our families.

Our homes ought to be that place where truth is promoted and where it is protected. And it goes from parent to child, from one generation to the next generation, one after the other. It seems clear from Scripture that God instituted the family for this very purpose. If we think of, it was around the section we were reading there in Timothy, I didn't read it, I won't refer, I won't go back to it now, but just refer to it for, for your memories, from your memory.

But remember Timothy, Timothy was what's commended because he was, he was, he was going on in the faith. And who got the credit for that? But rather, but, but it's grandmother and mother. Truly the, the, the faith, the truth had been passed down from one generation to the next generation.

And that is how truth is propagated. That's how truth continues within the, within the context of the church. And let's turn to our, to our last, our last mark, and that is number seven.

Seventh Mark: Prizing God's Word

that if you want to be a sincere, real Christian, we're going to value or prize the Word of God. That's referred to in verses 8 and 9. Verses 8 and 9, considering valuing or prizing the Word of God. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Right? To prize it, to recognize this is the Word of God, and what a privilege it is to have the Word of God that we would not just kind of cast it aside or consider it as something that is just like any other book. but rather it is the very Word of God Himself. And I'll refer you to Psalm 19, 7 to 11.

Of course, if you're speaking of the Word of God, you have to go to Psalm 19. It just oozes of that idea of prizing and valuing the Word of God. Psalm 19 verses 7 to 11 reads, The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true. and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward." If you flip over to Psalm 119 verse 72, Psalm 119, 72 says, The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver. Is that the way, do we value the word of God that way? Or would we rather have the riches?

Would we, do we value this if we were to lose all our possessions? that be left of their Bible, would we be satisfied? Or we would say, well, I would rather have my possessions and give up my Bible. Psalm 119, just a little further along, to verse 127, it says, therefore I love your commands more than gold, yes, than fine gold. And 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17, it's a familiar verse, probably I could say and you could all, you'd all be able to say it along with me.

It says, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." Well, that to me is a man who values, who prizes the Word of God, that we would see that if we understand what it does, then truly we are going to prize it. And if you flip over to Jude, there's no chapters in Jude, so Jude 17 to 21, for our last scripture text on point seven. So Jude 17 to 21 says, excuse me, but you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are central persons who cause divisions not having the spirit.

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Here's where it is. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. So how are we to keep ourselves in the love of God?

Well, by prizing his word, by reading his word, making it part of our daily life is so very important to remaining a healthy Christian, which is what we're talking about.

Cautions Against Apostasy

Let's move on to the second main point, and that is found in verses 10 to 15. 10 to 15, and it's cautions to avoid apostasy. Apostasy is simply turning away from God, turning our back on God. And it may not be turning our back on God and leaving the Christian faith. It may just be turning our back on God in terms of a specific command or something we know we ought to be doing, something we ought to be performing or doing in the Christian life.

That is a form of apostasy. Unfortunately, apostasy is a natural default position of every Christian. Hebrews chapter 12 describes the Christian life as a race. It's for those who endure, it's for those who continue and finish the race.

Paul describes in Romans 7, he describes the Christian life as a battle, that we'll battle with our old Adam, our old nature. until we breathe our last breath, and thus the warning to the Old Testament saints is here in the remainder of the text that we have not read yet or have not re-read in verses 10 to 15. We see that sense of, here's a caution, because you may leave the faith, you may turn away from God, you may depart from the things that are truthful and right and scriptural and biblical, so therefore, here's what we ought to do.

The Danger of Forgetting God

We are not to forget God. There's a temptation in times of abundance. When things are going well, we can sometimes feel, well, I don't need God. I'm doing well.

I'm eating my three meals. I have a nice house. I have a nice family. I drive a nice car.

We're able to go on holidays. We can enjoy all the luxuries of life. And so, therefore, the temptation often is, in that time of abundance, we are to confess our native sinful ignorance. And that's in verses 10 to 11.

Let me read verses 10 to 11. It says, When the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things which you did not fill, hewn out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, what were to acknowledge that God who sustains us with raiment and homes. It's God who gave us homes. It's God who's given us the raiment, the clothing that we wear today.

We didn't get these things on our own selves. We're to confess sinful neglect that we read on in verse 12. Verse 12 says, when you have eaten and are full, then beware lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage. So we're to acknowledge that it is God who sustains us daily with food.

When we pray for our food, isn't just a while we pray simply because we're supposed to pray? Or do we genuinely thank God for that daily food? Do we genuinely thank God that we have a house to live in, that we have clothing to wear, that we enjoy the many benefits that we enjoy? These don't just happen by accident.

And if we're acknowledging God's faithfulness in these things, then I do believe that we will not forget God. And that seems to be the warning here towards apostasy, is it's a forgetting God, it's a turning away from God. So we are to confess our native worldliness, When our possessions become more important than God, that needs to be confessed. When we need to confess our pride and our native selfishness.

These are all things that are common to you, they're common to me. The only answer, I suppose, to put it that way, is to confess these things, to have daily and regular confession to the Lord.

The Biblical Remedy: Contentment

So what is the biblical remedy? We need to learn to live with contentment and joy in the Christian life. If you flip over from Deuteronomy, chapter 6 to Deuteronomy chapter 28. To Deuteronomy chapter 28, verse 47, learn to live with contentment and joy in the Christian life.

Deuteronomy 28, 47 says, because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies. So that was a punishment, because they didn't acknowledge God, because they did not, they weren't content, they weren't expressing that joy and happiness in the Lord. for the things he provided, then he allowed them to serve their enemies. We need to learn to have a biblical view of stewardship. Psalm 24 verse 1 says, the earth is the Lord's and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell in it.

So do we have a biblical sense of stewardship that all we enjoy on this earth is from the Lord? And the final passage is in 1 Timothy chapter 6, verses 17 to 19. 1 Timothy chapter 6, 17 to 19, it says, command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. So that's the biblical remedy to this forgetting God, to this natural apostasy, and that would be to recognize that God is in everything.

To recognize that God is in the raiment and the homes and the food that we daily get. To recognize that we ought to be content and joyful in our Christian lives. And with that, God is well pleased to add blessing upon blessing to those who are going to ultimately be healthy in their Christian life.

Rejecting Idolatry

And the last point is verses 13 to 15, back in chapter 6. Verses 13 to 15, and then I'll finish with some application. Chapter 6, 13 to 15 says, You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him and shall take oaths in His name. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you.

For the Lord your God is a jealous God among you. Lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth. So we are to fear God and serve Him, not run away from Him, but rather run to Him. That's what fearing God means, to love Him, to serve Him with all our heart. soul, mind, and strength.

That's what's going to help us to not engage in idolatry. We're to reject the competitors. You know who the competitors are in your life. I know who they are in my life.

What would you rather do then to come to church? What would you rather do then to read or pray or read the Bible or pray? Those are the competitors in our life, and we need to confess those things to God. Otherwise, if we don't, then we follow after them.

Those become our idols. That is idolatry. We are to understand that, according to this passage, God's a jealous God. That ought to be something that ought to enthuse us and give us great hope, that God's a jealous God.

He's jealous for our love. He's jealous for our attention. He's jealous for us. And in the New Covenant, 1 John 5.21, What does John tell them at the very last verse of 1 John?

It says, little children, keep yourselves from idols. So that meant that they were to keep themselves from anything that was going to be more important than God. So again, idolatry is not just something in the Old Testament, and we don't have to worry about the New Testament. Idolatry is anything that steals our heart away from God.

And the people that John was writing to, He recognized that they would have idols, and they were to keep themselves from idols. So you know what your idols are, I know what my idols are, so this afternoon consider what they are. What is stealing our attention away from God? Because whatever is stealing our attention ultimately doesn't make us healthy, sincere Christians, that it doesn't.

Application

In regards to application, just to finish off, I began by talking about the ABCs, like a good doctor who would ask questions, about our physical health while we have the ABCs of the Christian life. And with the help of the Holy Spirit, I believe we need to ask ourselves the questions of one through seven on the handout that you have, those marks of a real Christian. Be critical of yourself. I need to be critical of myself.

And we need to ask that God will continue to, or I need to ask us, or we need to ask, sorry, I kind of put that wrong. We need to, as Philippians chapter two, verse 12 says, it says, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. What does that mean? It means to ask questions.

It means to ask those things of ourselves. Which of these seven points am I not engaging in? Which of these seven points do I need to engage more in? That is what working out your own salvation with fear and trembling, to be self-critical, but with the aid and help of the Holy Spirit and, of course, the Scriptures.

Keep in mind, of course, in the Christian life We believe in progressive sanctification. We're not fully sanctified when we become saved. We're all along this road of sanctification. And where someone is at may not be where someone else is at.

But nevertheless, we are seeking to be sanctified, to be set apart. And I would encourage you that I hope this has not become a message of discouragement. Well, I don't do this and I don't do that. And I do have idols in my life.

I trust that we would say, well, I'm not where I want to be. But I'm not where I used to be. I'm not where I once was. And I am, slowly but surely, progressively becoming more and more sanctified by God and His gracious Holy Spirit.

The marks of a real Christian, what are they? Well, they're faith in Christ, their love to God, obedience, delight in the truth, desire to propagate, to promote and protect biblical Christianity. The very seven marks that I've laid out here. So, a second application is, do these mark me?

Am I, if they do mark me, then I'm healthy, then I'm reasonably well. The doctor would give me, he'd sign a bill of clean health. But we need to ask these questions of ourselves, and I trust that in the quietness of your own heart in the coming week, that you would take that paper and that you would ask yourself those questions with the help and aid of the Holy Spirit. Third point of application, third of four points.

There's really nothing new under the sun here. I've not, I've not, I trust I've not wowed anyone with, wow, I never knew that before, wow, I've never seen this before, never heard of it. Forgetting God and having idols in our lives, they're two constant threats that were constantly threatening the old covenant Christianity. And forgetting God and idolatry, having idols in our hearts, they're also two threats that continue to threaten new covenant Christianity as well.

So we ought not to ever think that, well, that was in the old, I live in the new. What they were struggling with in the old, what they had to deal with in the old, what God expected of them in the Old Testament, God expects of us in the New Testament. So let's learn and implement the biblical remedy to guard against the wickedness that ultimately we do see in the life of many Israelites as we have been in Bible study, as well as in the preaching here by Pastor Butler, we've seen in the Old Testament scenes. And finally, everything I've said this morning is true only for the believing Christian, ultimately.

And that may not describe you this morning. Living the Christian life can only be accomplished through knowing Christ personally. So everything I've said today is really irrelevant to you if you are not a true believer, if you're not a true Christian. Upon witnessing a startling event in his jailhouse, the Philippian jailer was not told by the Apostle Paul, well, you've got to love God, you've got to fear God, you've got to obey his commandments, you've got to hold to sound doctrine, You've got to promote the truth.

That's not what the Philippian jailer was told by Paul in that jailhouse. The answer to the question of Acts chapter 16 verse 30 was, to sirs, what must I do to be saved? Well, the answer was, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. And so I would invite any who perhaps have heard this this morning and said, wow, The Spirit of God is at work in me.

I don't do those things, but how can I do those things? I need to... I'm not a believer. I'm not a true Christian.

So therefore, these are things that you will not be able to engage in until you first come to a knowledge of the Savior. And I would invite you to consider that, even this morning. Well, let's close with a prayer. Just ask God to bless the thoughts that we have here before us this morning, and that He would be pleased to bless His Word as we go into the afternoon.

Let's pray.

Closing Prayer

Our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, that you are a kind God, that you are a merciful God, that you do not hold over us something that we cannot accomplish. Lord, you have given to us your Holy Spirit, you've given to us the aid of the scriptures, and how I would pray this morning, Lord, that each and every person who has heard this sermon this morning, they would be encouraged. that they would seek to delight themselves in the word of God and seek to delight themselves in this passage, especially in Deuteronomy chapter 6. How we pray, Lord, that you would help us to see where perhaps we need to make confession to you where we are not living as we ought to live. We desire to live as healthy, sincere Christians that bring glory to you.

And so we pray, Lord, that you would help each one of us to do the things that we need to do in the coming days that we might delight ourselves in you and that you would be well pleased to add your blessing to. Lord, how we praise you, we thank you that you are a God who forgives as well. We thank you, you are a God who does call any and all who know nothing of the things of Christ to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. Lord, how we pray that the gospel would be effective here in this place this day, that you would be pleased to save, that you would be pleased to sanctify, that Lord you would be pleased to bless this whole day.

May we worship you and glory in the things that we have in Christ Jesus and it's in his precious name we pray. Amen.

Scripture References

• Genesis 2:24
• Deuteronomy 6:1-15; 10:12; 11:1; 11:13; 28:47
• Psalms 19:7-11; 24:1; 34:11; 78:4; 119:72; 119:127; 145:4
• Matthew 22:38; 23:1-12
• Acts 2; 5:1-11; 16:30
• Romans 7; 12:1-2
• 1 Corinthians 16:22
• 2 Corinthians 7:1
• Ephesians 6:4
• Philippians 1:27; 2:12-13; 4:8-9
• 1 Timothy 6:17-19
• 2 Timothy 1:13-14; 3:14-17; 3:16-17
• Hebrews 12; 12:28-29
• 1 Peter 1:7-8
• 1 John 5:1-3; 5:21
• Jude 17-21