Sun, Sep 24, 2023 – "How Can We Glorify God" (Deuteronomy 10:12-11:1)
David Bowlin, Tyson Hodge, and Bob Radank
Part of New City Catechism—BASICS OF CHRISTIAN BELIEFS IN 52 WEEKS

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Follow Along with Today’s Sermon Manuscript (sort of, mostly, kind of)

  • Our preachers don’t always follow word for word, (especially Scott, our Lead Pastor!), but it will help you follow the train of thought and prepare for your study below.
  • David (Afton)
  • Tyson (Greeneville)
  • Bob (South Greene)

  • New City Catechism: Basic Christian Beliefs in 52 Weeks

    Structure, Outline, Content, Memory Verses
    The New City Catechism (NCC) is comprised of 52 questions and answers, one Q&A for each week of the year. We will be doing NCC in 3 separate parts, alternating with the Exodus series we began in January 2023.
    • Part 1: God, Creation and Fall, Law – 20 wks
    • Part 2: Christ, Redemption, Grace – 15 wks
    • Part 3: Spirit, Restoration, Growing in Grace – 17 weeks
    • *Notice that (a) the 9 Parts, in succession—God, Creation and Fall, Law, Christ, Redemption, Grace, Spirit, Restoration, Growing in Grace—are the basic trajectory of God’s work in the world as told in the Scriptures from beginning to end, and that (b) in each of the 3 main Parts, each of the 3 sections vertically corresponds with the same relative section in the other Parts. So the first section in each of the 3 Parts highlights the Trinity—God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The 2nd section—Creation and Fall, Redemption, and Restoration—is about the condition of the world relative to God and His plans. And the 3rd section speaks to humanity’s condition relative to God and His work in Christ—being condemned under God’s Law (what God commands), under His Grace, and then Growing in Grace.


    Each week’s content…
    • starts with a Question that focus our attention on a key doctrinal or theological theme.
    • provides an Answer that is a Biblical and time-tested truth. This will, in effect, be the bottom line of each week’s sermon as well as each week‘s kids’ and students’ teaching and curriculum.
    • highlights a Key Bible Verse/Passage that will guide our Sunday sermons (as well as the kids and students environments).
    • includes a short Devotional Commentary developed from the writings or sayings of both a past and contemporary preacher/theologian, to help us reflect on the topic being explored.
    • ends with a short, original Prayer.
    • includes ”Children’s Mode” (on app, see below) with simplified verbiage and song for learning the content.
    You can find more info and introductory material like a brief explanation and defense of the word “catechism,” and links to the content, etc., on our series info page: fccgreene.org/ncc.

    Sermon Notes
    “How Can We Glorify God” (Deuteronomy 10:12-11:1)


    Q: “How Can We Glorify God?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-11:1)
    A:We glorify God by enjoying him, loving him, trusting him, and by obeying his will, commands, and law.

    Memory Verse: Deuteronomy 11:1 – “You shall therefore love the LORD your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.

    (D’load free Bible Memory app & join “FCC Greene” at fccgreene.org/mv)


    Deuteronomy 10:12-11:1 – 12 “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good? 14 Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. 15 Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. 19 Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 20 You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. 21 He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. 22 Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.
    11:1 “You shall therefore love the LORD your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.


    Hebrew Prayer: She-ma ( שְׁמַע ) to listen, pay attention, to be heard and understood, to act on what is heard.
    Deuteronomy 6:4-5 – 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”




    Application Points

    1. Believe and embrace that glorifying God is for your good.
    2. Be humbled that God chose you.
    3. Be driven to glorify God from your heart.

    John 12:27-28 – 27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”



    Prayer

    Gracious Lord, we want to fully know and enjoy you. Open our eyes to see you as you are that we might trust you and long with all we are to keep your commands. Whether through small kindnesses or great courage, may each act of obedience bring you glory. Amen.



Life Group Discussion Questions
(See fccgreene.org/discuss for intro info.)


1. Read Deuteronomy 10:12-11:1. What key phrases or actions describe how God’s people were called to glorify Him in the Old Testament?


2. Reflect on John 12:27-28. What does Jesus say about His upcoming sacrifice and how it relates to glorifying God?


3. God commands His people to love Him. How does this challenge the common perception of commandments being a list of rules? How does love transform our obedience to God’s commands?


4. How does being created in God’s image connect with glorifying Him by enjoying, loving, trusting, and obeying Him? How does this understanding impact your perspective on your own purposes?


5. Consider the six ways mentioned in Deuteronomy 10:12-22 to glorify God through love and obedience. Which of these areas do you feel you need to work on in your own life?


6. Reflect on the idea that “God chose you.” How should this humble us and affect our attitude toward God and others? How can this truth motivate us to glorify God more intentionally?

For further study: Inductive Bible Study Notes/Questions


For Further Study: Some Mostly Trusted & Mostly Free Resources

  • ESV Study Bible – Our #1 recommendation. The English Standard Version, which we use for preaching, has really good Study Notes, maps, introductions, mini-systematic theology, etc. Available in hardcopy at cost in The Hub at every campus (or for Logos Bible Software below.) The ESV Bible text is free on our app under “Bible” or at ESV.org, where the Global Study Bible Notes are also free.
  • Logos Bible Software – Download 40+ free resources here to get started, incl 6 Bible versions, ESV Audio Bible, Faithlife Study Notes, Lexham Bible Dictionary, and Easton’s Bible Dictionary, as well as some classics like Charles Hodge’s Systematic Theology, JFB Commentary (Critical/Explanatory on Whole Bible), Matthew Henry Concise Commentary, Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions, Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Augustine’s Confessions. ESV Bible and Study Notes available for purchase at logos.com, along with basically any other important biblical and theological resource you could possibly imagine. (Scott’s favorite resource. He says, “I’m in and out of Logos dozens of times a day.”)
  • NETbible.org – Free Bible (various versions, incl ESV with lots of helpful textual notes and a few decent resources and commentaries.
  • IVP New Bible Commentary – Good basic one-volume commentary. Available in The Hub at any campus.
  • Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem – Good overall and highly readable introduction to Christian doctrine. Available at cost in The Hub and also for Logos Bible Software. Though there are a few places where Scott and Mark Liebert would disagree with Grudem, we often use it as a guide on our Brown Bags & Bibles podcast.
  • Free Online Whole Bible Commentaries (by dead people, who are usually more reliable than living people) – Albert Barnes, John Calvin (missing some books), Adam Clarke, Matthew Henry (Concise), Matthew Henry (Complete), Alexander MacLaren, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
  • Free Online Dictionaries/Encyclopedias – Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Holman Bible Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia