COMMUNITY MESSAGE Deuteronomy 4

Big Picture vv 1-2 Hear and follow God’s commands Don’t improvise or get fancy, just do exactly what I tell you to do If you do these things you will completely conquer the land, not be slaves in the land

Baal of Peor vv 3-4 Remember the example that happened when they worshiped the Baal of Peor ▫Accepting Evites to party ▫Pigging out on their food ▫Bowing down to their idols ▫Getting busy with their women (Sexual Immorality) So God got Mega Mad

God commands a hit Exodus 25:1-13 (vv. 3-4) Kill and expose the people who committed the sin, so that everyone does not have to die A bold man brought a strange women into the camp and his own house to have sex Phinehas saw this and drove a spear through both of them as they were getting busy Phinehas was commended by God for being zealous for God’s honor So the plague stopped after 24,000 men were killed, sin is expensive

Importance of the Commands vv 5-14 Witness to other nations – vv. 5-8 ▫Wisdom ▫Understanding ▫A close connected God ▫Laws that work to peoples benefit Legacy to next generations – vv ▫Your experience and passion is always first ▫Then you pass what you know down to the generations that follow

The Heavy Concern of Idols vv God did not show Himself in any form when He appeared to the children of Israel in the mountain. So don’t make an earthly symbol that stands for God and worship it. God demands our worship to Him alone always considering who He is and what he has done.

Moses Messed up Mission Num 25:1-13 (vv ) Peoples compliant against water outage! ▫You should have let us die in Egypt ▫Why in the “ ” did you bring us into the desert to die? Moses & Aaron go frantic and face-down before God for answers God answers with miracle water solution from a rock Moses in anger called the people rebels took the glory from God, for the miracle

The Heavy Punishment of Idols vv Don’t get soft and relaxed after you have been in the land for a while If so, I will banish you from the land and scatter you to live in strange places You will see how much your fake idols will do for you, or won’t do for you Hopefully, that will spark you to repent so you can turn back to God If so, He will have mercy and restore you to the land, I gave you at first

Consider Past Favor, that has Gotten You to Present Blessing vv Check out your history of blessing after blessing The Lord is God alone and He loves you Fully acknowledge him in your heart! Experience fully the blessing of my total security blanket that covers my people

Provision for Accidental Events vv Cities for those who commit accidental murder This provision keeps the injured party from taking vengeance It keeps the accidental party alive and able to experience some level of life, out of the area of the injured party