We’re going to take a look at giving pre-eminence to His Word.  Just hearing clearly what the Holy Spirit is saying to the church; amen?  We want to make sure that you’re hearing what we’re saying, because we don’t always get that the first time around.  We believe that we’ve truly been hearing a Word from the Lord, hearing what the Spirit has to say to the church, preparing us for His soon coming.  That day is upon us that the trumpet is going to sound and we’ll be changed, praise God, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we will see Him, we will be like Him, hallelujah!  Corruption taking on incorruption; mortality, immortality.

Deuteronomy, Chapter 4.  Some great verses here in the beginning of this book of Deuteronomy that remind us of the fact that though God has given us a promise of entering into His promises, they’re contingent upon our obedience to His Word; amen?  We have a promise of victorious Christian living just as sure, possibly more sure, than that word that was given to Israel that they would possess the promised land, and yet the same requirements given.  Not a guarantee.  A promise that is contingent upon us receiving it by faith.  And we read in Hebrews, Chapter 4, that that promise was there but they could not enter in because of what?  Unbelief.  Unbelief was just the self-reliance, independent thinking, thinking contrary to God, looking at things that were natural.  Now to the natural eye going in and possessing that land looked like an impossibility, didn’t it?  There were giants in the land.  They were not imagining that.  There were walled cities to be taken.  There would be opposition, just as there is in our lives today, but thank God, in all of these things we are more than conquerors, (amen?) if.  So, with all of these great promises, they are all followed by an “if.”  So, it’s contingent upon you and me as we’re entering into these last days, to follow that admonition to purify ourselves, even as He is pure.  It doesn’t mean we are contributing to the purification.  We can do nothing to make ourselves pure.  The purifying of self is us learning to enter into that rest that Hebrews speaks of.  We are resting from our works and labors to enter into His complete finished work.  And that’s where our rest is.

So, here in Deuteronomy, as they’re preparing to partake of this promise, it says, “Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of our fathers giveth you.  Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you.”  Now we’ve spoken a lot lately toward this second verse.  We can’t add to it, and we can’t diminish.  We can’t like so many people we’ve taught before, we cannot have, “my Jesus.”  “Well, my Jesus would never bring that affliction or that judgement or that punishment on them.  ‘My God’ is merciful and kind.  He would never send anybody to hell.”  You cannot add to His Word and you cannot diminish from it; amen?  God is love, but God is just.  And we realize that His Word, then, makes very clear to us who our God is, what His character is; and with that revelation of the love and mercy and tenderness and kindness of God, we also realize that our God is an awesome God, and that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of this living God; amen?