Culture Study

Deuteronomy 6:10-12 - Real Estate
* God created and cares for real estate!
* He spoke all of it into existence.
* Then He gives us the command, “Thou shall not steal.”
* What does this presuppose?
* Ownership!
* God wants us to own stuff, including real estate.
* He just doesn’t want us to be greedy with it.
* Then, in Genesis 12 God showed up to Abraham He promised to multiply him in two ways:
* People
* Property
* 400+ years after that promise Abe had multiplied into more than 2 million people.
* But they were all slaves in Egypt.
* So God shows up to Moses to deliver them from Egypt so they can have property of their own.
* Before they got to this new land, God shares these verses with him:
* Vs 10-11 - “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant…”
* In these verses we see four things God promised to give His people:
* Raw Land
* Residential real estate
* Commercial real estate
* Active businesses on that real estate
* Vs 12 - “and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
* “When you get God’s provision, don’t forget God’s promotion!”
* God is such a good God!

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 - What Does God Require?
* Moses, the man who had a stuttering problem and didn’t want to be cast into the public spotlight, now arises a great orator and delivers the most powerful address we see in the Old Testament.
* He was speaking to all of the people shortly before his death, and he gives one command here that has been quoted almost as much as John 3:16!
* These two verses show us what God requires and what our reward is when we do it!
* Vs 12-13 - “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”
* What does God require?
* 1) Fear God - everything hinges on this.
* Blessings are found in boundaries.
* We punish our kids for transgressing boundaries because we want them to have a healthy fear of what’s on the other side.
* 2) Walk in His Ways - familiarize yourself w/God’s ways and His pace.
* Spend time in Scripture.
* Spend time in prayer - learning to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit.
* God walks, He doesn’t run.
* 3) Love God - the essential element of love is sacrifice.
* If you love God you’ll sacrifice everything for Him.
* Why? Because He sacrificed everything for you.
* Marriage ceremonies are powerful because of mutual sacrifice.
* 4) Obey God - honor His commands.
* He knows more than you do, so trust Him.
* Trust is the foundation for relationship.
* 5) Serve God - be willing for God to use you to help others.
* Serve like Jesus did when He washed feet.
* The test of a true servant is how you respond when you’re treated like one.