Everything Comes From Christ For His Glory (Deuteronomy 17:14-20)
We will share the grace of God today with Deuteronomy 17. Deuteronomy is the content that God is rooting down in the Israelites as he repeats his message before they go into the land of Canaan. This means if you follow God’s word then the land of Canaan will be conquered. However the environment of the land of canaan is very tempting to us and we can be easily enslaved by. Deuteronomy 17:14. The land of Canaan is the land God has given to us, only because the Lord has given us this land do they take possession of it and settle in it.
However, the culture of Canaan is the culture of people and demons. Exodus 20:4 says “Do not make or bow down to or worship any idols for yourself.” What that means is that if we make an image of an idol, that is ultimately for ourselves. And so, they are at this point they are fighting against these people who worship idols, and they are overtaking that culture. The culture that Satan moves everyone in this world is centered on humans, and so these idol worshiping nations set up a very strong king to rule the entire nation and the Israelites are bound to look at that thinking we should set up a strong organization like that as well. And this is not something that God wanted, but He knew that once they enter into the land of Canaan, this is something they would think.
And when they began to think that way he says, “Be sure to appoint over you the king the lord your God chooses,” that means do not raise any one as a king the Lord God hasn’t chosen. And the person they must raise up must be one of their own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you one who is a brother Israelite, this means someone that’s not in the blood of the covenant.
And if they are raising up a king, that king has tremendous power because through the command of the king the entire nation of the Israelite nation is conquered and the king has power over the army. However, the Israelites are the people of God and they must move, following God’s orders. By raising up a king, it seems like it might be a good thing, but that might actually cause problems. Because the authority of the king is so great, if the king is not aligned with God, it creates problems for Israel. Because the king has so much power, when they do cause problems for Israel, it’s usually caused by four things.
One of them is in Deut. 17:16, “The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself, or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them.” In order to create a larger army for the Israelites, they needed to have horses to run their chariots, which, back in those days, are similar to the tanks we have today. In order to get that, they would have to go back into the land of Egypt, and the LORD is telling them to not go back that way again. “Do not go back to Egypt.” He is saying, “Do not go back into the world and rely on their methods.” However, because we are physical, when we lose faith in God, the ways we are bound to rely on are the methods we used to live on in the world and the strength of the world.
When God conquered the land of Canaan, the Israelites did not overcome using weapons. Those were things God controlled personally, as the priests holding onto the Ark of the Covenant went out. However, if the king is not aligned with that, he will end up blocking God’s work, and God is saying, “If you want to raise up a king, go ahead and do it, but be careful of this.”
Let us look at Hosea 1:7. “Yet I will show love to the house of Judah; and I will save them–not by bow, sword, or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but by the LORD their God.” God says He is doing this because He loves them. It means we do not win the war by preparing lots of weapons or war materials. However, oftentimes we think that the battle belongs to the LORD, but we need to prepare so much for it,” but that’s not the case.
It’s very important that it says the LORD showed love to them. Romans 9:18, “Therefore, God had mercy on whom He wanted to have mercy, and He hardened the hearts of those He wanted.” God is the One Who hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and God is also the One Who had mercy on the Israelites and saved them. That means God does not even need 1% of our help; God is doing it. God is saying, “You guys are raising a king, but can you guys take charge of this?” Can the king just obey and submit to the work that God is doing? He is saying, “Be careful that when you become the king, do not use the physical power of the world to do something by yourself.”
The second warning God gives, in Deut. 17:17, “He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.” Because a king has so much power, he can have many wives; however, there is a promise God made to the Israelites before they went into the land of Canaan, which was, “Do not marry with the Canaanite women.” For people who live in the 21st century age today, it may seem a little strange. “Why don’t we just marry?” That’s not what this is talking about. He is saying that, because, what happens when you marry with a Gentile woman who does not have the covenant?
1 Kings 11:2, “They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, ‘You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.’” Because if they get married to these Gentile women, without a doubt, their hearts will get stolen by the idols that their wives worshiped. King Solomon is King David’s son, and King David spent all his life and kingship fighting wars, but King Solomon was able to enjoy the great wealth King David had amassed, and that’s when the corruption began.
In 1 Kings 11:3, it says, “He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.” He had a thousand women on the side, and these women led him astray. 1 Kings 11:4 , “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his hearts after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.” So, whenever there’s a king, they have tremendous authority and power, and God already knew what was going to happen, so He gave them His Word.
As a result of this wickedness, God splits the nation of Israel in two, after King Solomon reign when his son King Rehoboam’s reign, he splits two nations with ten tribes in the North and two in the South. So, we’re supposed to rule with the power and everything God gives to us; however, the moment we try to rule on our own, God split the nation of Israel in half and made both sides completely pitiful and powerless. So, even if they raise up a king, that king must completely rely upon and heed the LORD; that’s how he should rule the nation.
King David was the king, but he said that the LORD God was his King, and that is the confession of a king who has God’s grace. People like their own glory, and if he accumulates all these things for himself, it is his sign to say “I am a king of a very powerful nation.” God gave King Solomon so much wisdom that many people from other nations would look for wisdom from King Solomon. They did not only go to King Solomon, but they came with gold and silver. That is why in Deut. 17:17, God says, “He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.”
1 Kings 10, it says King Solomon’s nation was the greatest, he had so much more gold than anyone else, and that’s how much his nation had advanced. Even though God had told him not to accumulate so many riches, it just happened naturally because people brought him so many things. It would have been fine if he had accumulated all this gold and silver, but he had gotten it for himself.
You can say that these three things are like the snares for leaders. The things that destroy leaders the most are wealth, glory, and women. The words of the Bible are not only given to the Israelites, but this is true of all kings and leaders of the world. So, even though King Solomon had heard this and he knew it, when someone actually has power like that, they’re not able to follow this. The devil knows this, so very sneakily, he tries to destroy them. If anything, when a person has nothing, they seek God’s grace. However, when they receive a lot of things physically, that is when they start to go astray.
Though this is the snare of the leaders and the kings, in 1 Peter 2:9, it says we have been called as the royal priesthood, the ones to declare the marvelous light of God. So, this means this word applies to every believer. It means we do not do God’s work with any worldly power or physical power. Because the spiritual battle belongs to the LORD, He is not using anything that we have. It seems like we’re doing it with a lot of our material possessions, but that is not the case.
The Bible tells us that everything comes from God and that everything is done through God, and that everything exists for Him. Then, that means every material possession we have comes from the Triune God. Everything we will get in the future also comes through Him. Why does it come? For Him. That is what it means that everything is within Christ, so we must only be satisfied with Christ alone, but when I begin to seek satisfaction from the things that come from Him, then that becomes a channel of Satan.
That’s what it means in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” Apostle Paul didn’t have any wealth, he had nothing. So what was his mindset when he made this confession? He knew this. You and I are the same. Everything comes from the Lord, but if we don’t believe in this, if we don’t have something, we say we don’t have anything and we just fall. Or, if we have a lot, then we think we did it ourselves and we become arrogant. But everything exists through Him and for Him; there is nothing that is ours. If we do think that it’s ours, we become like Solomon. Even though I have nothing I can see with my eyes, it’s not that I have nothing, because there are things I will get through Him for Him. I hope you will enjoy this true freedom through Christ, but if you don’t have something, you’re going to be anxious.
Why are you so anxious? You’re insecure because you think you’ll die. Heb. 2:14 says the one who has authority over death is evil. Why are you so filled with fear and worries? You’re afraid to die. If your business fails, you can just fail, but why are you shaken by it? Because you think it will be your death. We’re not afraid we’re going to die because of this, but we fear suffering a death-like pain. So, everyone is living their life as a slave dragged around by the authority of Satan and the fear of death.
Then, how can I enjoy true freedom? Just like the Word says, everything is within Christ, and everything will come for Christ. God will work through Christ according to His time schedule. Then, if you fail, you can just fail, and if there’s something to be joyful about, you can just do that. Even if you die, it is for the Lord; even if you live, it is for the Lord. If it is completely for only Christ, then the darkness cannot budge. It doesn’t matter what position or seat I am in. That is the person to whom God will entrust His work.
Deut. 17:18, God is telling them to be careful, “When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write himself a scroll, a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees. This means for his whole life, he must read and have the word of God and he must learn to revere the LORD and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees.” These were the words given in the Old Testament, and once we go tinto the New Testament, Jesus Christ has fulfilled this.
Jesus Christ fulfilled all the words of God’s law on the cross, and in Jeremiah 31, God promised to give us a new covenant, that is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ that lives within us. It is now no longer us, but it is the spirit of Christ Who lives inside of us Who gives us his grace and strength to follow and fulfill God’s Word.
In Deut. 17:20, “and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he had his descendants reign along time over his kingdom in Israel.” The laws of the Old Testament were not enough for the people, so in Jeremiah 31, to give us the Word and to fulfill the Word within us. When Jesus Christ is in the very center of our hearts as the complete Lord and Master of our lives, then our hearts will not be shaken nor arrogant.
In regards to the heart, the words a person speaks is very important. James 3:8, it says, “No man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” It says in the earlier verses in James 3:6-7 that we can control everything else. We can control nature, animals, and fish, it says we can even control insects, but no man can tame the tongue. In James 3:9, “With our tongue, we praise our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.” In James 3:11, “Can both freshwater and saltwater flow from the same spring?” In James 3:12, “Can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?” That means that whatever a person says comes from their heart.
So, when we say no one can tame the tongue, it means no one can tame their hearts. We try to control ourselves with morals and ethics, and the people who have the personality for it will learn to control their own minds. There are some people who try to control their hearts with transcendental meditation. But there’s no answer there. Only when Jesus Christ takes His place in the center of our hearts as the Master of our lives will our words become ones of God’s grace as well as saving people and evangelism. That is why we must receive grace in our hearts.
Romans 10:8, “But what does it say? ‘The Word is near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim.’” Whatever words we proclaim come from our heart. So, when we accept Jesus Christ, we say to proclaim Jesus Christ, but that’s not just coming from your mouth; it must come from the faith that is in your heart. That’s why when we proclaim the words of Jesus Christ, it’s not just with your mouth or following after somebody else, but with the faith in your heart you are confessing with your mouth.
If you don’t believe in something, but you speak from your mouth about it, that’s the wrong word, because words absolutely come from your heart. Whoever God pours His grace and is bound to proclaim from their heart that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior. Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the One Who meditates on the Law day and night.” This is talking about the law of the Old Testament. When Jesus Christ, Who fulfilled all of the laws of the Old Testament, comes into our heart as our LORD and Savior, then everything that comes from our mouth and every action we do will save people.
If the way someone speaks changes, it means they have received God’s grace in their hearts. However, if you say words to the point where you cannot control what you’re saying, that’s the state of your heart. This does not mean you have to be careful about what you say. All unbelievers say, “You have to be careful about what you say; your words are important.” What’s important is that the faith in Jesus Christ in your heart must be confessed through your words. If you don’t have that faith in your heart but you’re just chanting as if it’s some chant or ritual, that’s fake.
Ask yourself, “Do I believe this?” But we don’t ask about that; we only think about the words we say externally, but that’s fake. You have to believe this; it is by the work of God that this must arise in your heart first. The word of God from Sunday has to come into my heart and move me. That is how your words and actions change. Then, that state you’re in, where Jesus Christ has finished all your problems and you’re satisfied with only Jesus Christ, will be expressed through your words; otherwise, because you’re lacking something, you have to take some kind of action, or you’re bound to speak words of complaint or being disgruntled. If that is the case, then you have to examine your own spiritual state first.
Without a doubt, God said, “Everything is hidden within the Christ,” and He says, “All wisdom comes from Him,” and all blessings of meetings with people are coming through Christ. All economic power also comes through Him, why? For His glory. “For His glory,” meaning, “to reveal the name of Christ.” However, instead of revealing the name of Christ, we keep revealing our own name. We say things like, “Because I’m good at this.” I’m not talking about unbelievers right now, I’m talking about believers. “It’s because I did this,” then that’s not the glory of Christ; that’s your own glory, then one day, the devil will slowly creep in. When the devil creeps in, you’ll have repetitive patterns take place.
Jesus Christ finished all problems on the cross and now we are living for His will; we are living by His grace, for Him, and that is the reason why the only words you’re able to speak about are words of thanksgiving. If you don’t have this original state take place, then you’re only forcing yourself to be thankful. You’re only thankful because you believe everything comes from Christ. You believe God gives you everything for Christ’s glory, to proclaim Christ’s name, for world evangelization of the 237 nations.
However, especially if you become the king, you must keep God’s Word before you every single day, and acknowledge that there’s God who’s always about you. Unfortunately, when King Solmon got older, he was not able to do that. Success is not the problem. What’s important is what comes after the success. After success, we must have only Jesus Christ’s glory, power, and grace.
The Early Church had nothing of their own, but they changed the entire, tremendous nation of Rome. They did not change Rome by their own abilities, but they changed it with the power of Christ. They saved Rome. Where did they get their money? God works according to their need of Christ. God worked to the point where Rome evangelism needed to take place, and where did the people come from? God prepared the people who were needed for world evangelization, and God raised them up according to God’s time schedule.
Only by the work of only Jesus Christ, only the kingdom of God, and only the Holy Spirit. So, all your life, every day, remember the covenant of Christ, then God will always give you the wisdom and His Word and His power. From the moment you think you did it by your own strength, you will become far from God and God’s covenant, then you will lose everything you have in your hands.
That’s what happened when North and South Israel split apart. God said, “You thought you were controlling Israel with your strength, but now it’s breaking apart in your hands.” So it’s the same thing for you and I through God’s Word today. What you have is not what you have, and what you do not have is not what you do not have; everything comes through Christ, and God gives you all things for Christ in Gods’ time schedule. Then, our lives will see the continuous fulfillment of the words, “I have been crucified on the cross and Christ lives within me,” and you naturally testify of this Word, and those are the words that save people.
But if you’re testifying of your thoughts, those thoughts come from Genesis 3. ALl of that is about your methods and your experiences but that cannot save people. May you and I have this blessing.
Prayer
Let us pray together, holding onto the Word God has given us. Allow us to be filled with only the grace of Christ. May we work with only God’s power. Let us pray.
Our second prayer topic, without a doubt, there are people who are prepared by God in the field to receive the gospel and become disciples for world evangelization. God is bound to give those answers to those who believe in that. God, we pray that You will raise up those who received the gospel for the gospel movement and the disciples in the field. We believe God works according to His covenant regardless of our power or our powerlessness. We pray that God will raise up the hidden disciples in all 50 states of America. May the disciples of the 237 nations be raised.
Our third prayer topic, next Monday, we have Holy Wind Day. That’s a spiritual battle. The culture of America is one of demons, it is not a culture of the church; it is the culture of demons, and Halloween is a holiday where they say, “We are going to use demonic images to block demons.” Churches are doing this, too. Churches that are spiritually ignorant are doing that without realizing what it is.
Why do you think they’re spiritually ignorant? They know the Bible by text so well, but they are darkened in their spiritual eyes. So, there are a lot of people who practice witchcraft inside of the church. They take it just as the culture, they don’t know spiritual things. There are Christians who accept transcendental meditation which doesn’t have God. They know the theory and the logic of the Bible so well, but they’re spiritually ignorant, and that’s why the culture of darkness is completely controlling the future generation. We have to pray for Holy Wind, for the Kingdom of Christ to be established and for the Holy Spirit to work to raise up the multiethnic remnant disciples.
Let us pray for the remnants and the future generations. May the remnants live with only the faith in the Triune God arise. May the remnants who only live for the Triune God arise. Let us raise up the remnants who live only by the power that comes from the Triune God. Let us especially pray for the multiethnic ethnics who are receiving training at our church. May we raise up the remnants with the faith that finishes everything with only the Triune God. May they become the remnants who do not rely on the help of any human, but only the triune God, live for him and only by everything that comes from Him. Raise them up as the remnants who will rightfully save the 237 nations and the 5000 unreached tribes.
Finally, let us pray together for the missions fields, and after the benediction, we will have our church and personal prayer and go home, and one more prayer, let us pray for Dongju Jo. I’m telling you again, but cancer surgery mastectomy going well is not the issue. She must receive healing; it’s not about treatment, it’s about healing. What God desires is for the changing of her spiritual state so the cancer cannot set foot in her again. Same thing for your finances, you should not ask for money, but you should be healed in your finances. Your spiritual state must change by the spirit of God so that finances cannot set foot against you. Exactly as the Word we received today, it must happen through “only.” It’s the same thing as your healing ministries in your fields. Let us pray for the missions fields as well as Dongju Jo and her family as well as the spiritual influence to go into their fields.
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, working, guidance, and communion of the Holy Spirit, be upon all the heads of the people of God, the multiethnic people, and the remnants who desire to live their life only by, of, and for the kingdom of God, in His power, be with us from now until forevermore always, amen.