A LAND THE LORD OUR GOD PERSONALLY CARES FOR My name Gilbert Hughes, MINISTER of the word Call in Christ Jesus, appointed by God, anointed as a teacher Operated in the gift of PROPHECY, WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE & healing Mission statement the lord as anointed ME TO build leaders, worshiper, Greeting Brethrens, Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ COMMENCING THIS YEAR, 2007 ST MARTIN & ST MAARTEN IT IS A LAND THE LORD OUR GOD PERSONALLY CARES FOR My topic today is taking from the fifth book of Moses (DEUTERONOMY 11: 1-12) The three essentials for Israel s conquest and enjoyment of the Promised Land were: listening to God s Word, remembering it, and obeying it. They are still the essentials for a successful and satisfying Christian life today. As we walk through this world, and it also helps to have a Happy New-Year 2007 DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 11 1 Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway. 8 "You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and possess the land into which you are about to cross to possess it; 9 so that you may prolong {your} days on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. (NAS) Deut 11:11-12 11 "But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, 12 a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year. (NAS) In our text Moses is explaining to the people what a beautiful country Canaan is. The land that the Lord is going to give to His people Israel is a blessed land. A land flowing with milk and honey. A land where flocks of sheep and goats graze in abundance. A land of fruitful vines and orchards. A land where the crops will grow abundantly. The land of Canaan was of old known for the good wheat harvests. The soil was very fertile. 1
A. Moses said: A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. Let us now look at our own situation and our own country, what must we say? Can we not say the same? The land where we dwell here in ST MARTIN, the land the Lord has given us to live in, is also a land of hills and valleys. Is it not also a land that drinks in the rain from heaven? The Lord has given us rain this past year. We had a fair portion of rain. The Lord opens the heavens and gives us rain and sunshine. DEUT 11:12 More than that ST MARTIN & ST MAARTEN IT IS A LAND THE LORD OUR GOD PERSONALLY CARES FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD OUR GOD ARE CONTINUALLY UPON IT, DAY AFTER DAY FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR 2007 EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE YEAR. Provider (care) To be concerned, supply all my need Protector (eye) keep you safe; build a shield around you God s guidance Always There B. Deuteronomy 11:16-26 The problem wasn t with God or the land; it was in the hearts of the people. Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived (v. 16). If the people turned aside from worshiping Jehovah, His anger would be kindled and He would have to discipline them. Since their idolatry polluted the land, God would have to remove them from the land and cleanse it; They have to choose who you going to serve this year of 2007, believe, obedience or disobedience, blessing or cursing Some of us will forget about the blessed and run to the blessing 26 Behold, I set before you this day a a blessing and a b curse; 27 a blessing if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: 28 And a curse, if ye will not c obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. 2
C. IT IS ALL GOD'S GRACE AND MERCY. We can t succeed without God s guidance, protection, and provision, In spite of their sins Israel received the land not because of their worthiness. It only because of God's grace Our island has not deserved to be looked upon in grace. We have sinned. Our nation is turning away from the Lord. We have adopted sinful laws. We have forfeited God s favour and yet, if we look back at the past year, we may say that the eyes of the Lord have looked upon our island in mercy and in rich blessing. It truly may be for us a Thanksgivings day. IT IS GOD WHO OPENED HIS HAND AND BLESSED YOU. REALIZE, GRASP, RECOGNIZE YOUR DEPENDENCE THERE WE NEED GOD 1 Therefore thou shalt 1 love the LORD thy God, and keep his 2 charge, and his statutes, and his 3 judgment, and his commandments, always. 1. first, God want you to SURRENDER totally your life to Him, There is none like God, none compare, and Without Him you cannot do anything Love the LORD your God, and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 2. There is a second effect, (Keep his charge), HONOR, RESPECT GOD, PRAISE, EULOGIZE God from whom all blessings flow. 3. There is a third effect keeps His word, meditate; ponder, study, Let our hearts be filled with the word of God: Lay up these words in your heart and in your soul. The heart must be the treasury or store-house in which the word of God must be laid up, to be used upon all occasions. We cannot expect good practices in the conversation, unless there are good thoughts, good affections, and good principles, in the heart. Let our eyes be fixed upon the word of God. "Bind these words for a sign upon your hand, which is always in view, and as frontlets between your eyes, which you cannot avoid the sight of; let them be as ready and familiar to you, and have your eye as constantly upon them, as if they were written upon your door-posts, and could not be overlooked either when you go out or when you come in. Deut 11:18-21 "Thus we must lay God's judgments before us, having a constant regard to them, as the guide of our way, as the rule of our work, <Ps. 119:30>. 3
Deut 11:18-21 18 So keep these commandments carefully in mind. Tie them to your hand to remind you to obey them, and tie them to your forehead between your eyes! 19 Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are sitting at home, when you are out walking, at bedtime, and before breakfast! 20 Write them upon the doors of your houses and upon your gates, 21 so that as long as there is sky above the earth, you and your children will enjoy the good life awaiting you in the land the Lord has promised you.(tlb) 4. There is a forth effect; that is thankfulness, gratitude, appreciation. When the Lord has richly provided for you, you see that it is all His blessing, His grace, His goodness for you. You didn t deserve it. You didn t work for it. He gave His blessing to you, as it were in the sleep. Finally, with God in our side and the word in us, we shall possessed the land The eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year 2007 even unto the end of the year 20007." Deuteronomy 11:12. "This year, 2007, will be a year of victory and defeat, a year of mountain tops and valleys, a year of shadows and sunshine, but don't forget, whether in the mountain top or in the valley, every year, every month, every day, every moment, from the beginning of the year until the ending of the year, the eyes of the Lord are upon you!" Moses is saying, «You will have to start the year in EGYPTE. (When you keep companies with Egypt-thinking people, need deliverance, salvation, but don t forget the eyes of the Lord will be upon you from the beginning of the year until the end of the year." Moses is saying, «You will have to start the year in the wilderness. (Don t want to let go the past, murmuring, gossip, and low-self-esteem, but don t forget the eyes of the Lord will be upon you from the beginning of the year until the end of the year." 4
Then he said, "You are going to face the Jordan River. You are going to have to cross the Jordan River sometime this year. (Decisions making, want to change, plan, vision) but don t forget, the eyes of the Lord will be upon you from the beginning of the year unto the ending of the year." Then he says, "You are going to have to fight the battle of Jericho.(face challenges and oppositions but God will give the victory, those who will speak with authority, boldness But don't forget, the eyes of the Lord will be upon you from the beginning of the year unto the end of the year." You are going to live up on top of the mountain, (Responsibility, Liability, commitment, faithfulness but don't forget, the eyes of the Lord will be upon you from the beginning of the year unto the end of the year." On the mountain top, in the valley, in victory, in defeat, in good days, in bad days, in righteousness and in sin, don't forget the eyes of the Lord will be upon you from the beginning of the year unto the end of the year." God sees you. Yes, God sees you! Nothing is hidden from God. I say to you as we point toward a new year, if I could give you one word of admonition as a minister I would say, "For twelve months, 52 weeks, 365 days, live every moment of every hour of every day of every week of every month of the year realizing the eyes of the Lord are upon you from the beginning of the year to the end of the year." 5
The eyes of the Lord are upon you from the beginning of the year unto the end of the year. Don't forget it! Don't forget it! Don't forget it! When you rise in the morning, don't forget, the eyes of God are upon you. When you go to school, don't forget, the eyes of God are upon you. The eyes of God are upon you! The eyes of God are upon you from the beginning of the year to the ending of the year. This could change your year and your life. Conclusion MAY OUR GRACIOUS GOD DEAL WITH US, FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR 2007 TO THE END OF THE YEAR 2007 THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD MAY WE SEEK TO INCREASE IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND IN LIKENESS TO JESUS CHRIST SO THAT EVERY DAY WE MAY BE BETTER AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR 2007, I WOULD URGE EACH ONE OF YOU TO SAY: 1. I WILL MAKE THIS YEAR BETTER THAN THE LAST 2. I WILL PRAY MORE, 3. BELIEVE MORE, 4. LOVE MORE, 5. WORK MORE, 6. GIVE MORE 7. AND BE MORE LIKE CHRIST Let us pray I pray that Jesus rule over our island in righteousness and judgment I pray that our island will submit to the rule and reign of Christ I pray that our island will seek the lord the lord and enter into his rest I pray that our island will see the glory of God Let the people who walk in darkness in the land see the Light-- a Light that will shine on all those who live of the shadow of darkness And Let God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him. Copyright 2007 Gilbert Hughes. All Rights Reserved. 6