Text: Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Title: A New Year’s Declaration

Introduction: This is the time of year for an unbelievable amount of resolutions. People making vows that they will do things
that they have every intention on doing, but never getting around to it. The purpose of the sermon today is see how we can learn
from this declaration given by Moses, as well as understand that this declaration is part of our stewardship living.

Deuteronomy means the “second law”. Repeated law to the next generation.

I. A Declaration (4a)
• Words from the text are words called the “shema” which means ‘to hear’
• It is not a prayer, but a confession of faith
• Of the 5,845 verses in the Pentateuch, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” sounds the historic keynote of
all Judaism
• The “Shema” is the first scripture taught to Jewish children, and is recited by the orthodox Jew every morning and
evening. It is as central to Jewish piety as John 3:16 is to the Christian.

II. A Proclamation (4b)
• The statement clearly emphasizes/proclaims the UNITY of Israel’s God; it condemns POLYTHEISM, many gods. God is one.
• “The Lord OUR God…”

III. An Obligation (5-9)
• Obligated to LOVE, the word ‘love’ is taken from the vocabulary of family life, therefore expresses the most intimate and
warm of all human emotions
• ‘with all’ the heart, meant to direct the will and mind totally to his service because the heart was viewed as the sphere
of activity of the will
• ‘with all thy soul’ meant to the Hebrew the total person. After God breathed into man the breath of life, he became a
living soul.
• The terms heart and soul together describe the totality of will and being. Man is to love God with all that he is—mind,
will, body, and spirit.

• Obligated to OBEY (6), this is a command, not a suggestion
• Genuine love should lead one to active obedience
• Stewardship involves obedience
o (7) Teach it to the children, throughout the day (walk by the way), in the morning (when you rise), and at night (when
you lie down).
o (8)Practice it in the community…in later years the Jews interpreted these instructions in a physical way. They
instructed men to wear phylacteries, boxes containing passages of scripture, whey they prayed. In any case they were to be close
to the mind and hands of his people at all times (Thy word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.)
o (9) the door post, in a mazzuah (cylinder type object where the God’s title, Shaddi/Almighty could be seen)

• CONCLUSION: door post was a title & blood; on their door was a title (ALMIGHTY) and BLOOD (repeat)

• On Calvary, there was a DOOR…with a TITLE (King of the Jews) and BLOOD

 

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