Today, let us examine the last section of Deuteronomy, Chapter 5, verses 23-33. Do you truly understand its meaning? This passage emphasizes that the Ten Commandments are a bottom line that must never be crossed.

The preceding section of Deuteronomy, Chapter 5, discusses the Ten Commandments, which are exceptionally well-stated. God says, There are many things you must not touch; if you do, you cannot live well. Yet, you might say, I have kept these commandments, but I am not necessarily living well. While the Ten Commandments are about do not touch, they merely represent a baseline, far from the prosperity you could have. However, in the New Testament era, the Jesus Christ we believe in is the Jesus Christ who enables us to thrive. Verses 23-33 primarily discuss living, receiving blessings, that is to survive, to be able to live, not only to survive, but also to receive blessings, not only to receive blessings but also to live long, not to die young. In other words, if a person wants to survive, receive blessings, and live long, one must never touch the high-voltage wires, because touching them will prevent one from living long.

Do Not Be Presumptuous

The Israelites, upon hearing God's voice, feared they would die and did not personally inquire of God, which was a grave error. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they arrived at Mount Sinai, where God issued the Ten Commandments. Although the Israelites could not see God's form, they could hear Him speaking to them from the sky. However, their subsequent reaction surprised me greatly:

(All the leaders of their tribes and the elders said:) “See, the LORD our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks with them. But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer. For what mortal has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived? (Deuteronomy 5:24-26)

They started by saying, The LORD our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire, which was quite good. But what did they say next? Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks with them. Does hearing God speak cause death? The following words are even more bewildering:

For what mortal has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived? (Deuteronomy 5:26)

What nonsense is this? Who taught them this? Is this not a contradiction? These leaders heard God's words and did not die, did they? If they did not die this time, why would they die upon hearing them again? These Israelite leaders and elders presumed to know God. In fact, they never examined their words, which were not in line with God's heart. Do not presume to know God. Many people do not know God but believe they do, which is truly tragic.

Presumptuous people are detestable. One sister was particularly presumptuous, claiming that there were no problems with her thoughts and intentions. How could there be no problems? There is a problem if our thoughts and intentions are not completely like Jesus. Therefore, we need to improve and change. A person can progress by recognizing their shortcomings. Knowing God and changing our thoughts and intentions is an endless journey until we attain the full measure of Christ. To know God, one must know Him through His words. What is God's will?

So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in obedience to all that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. (Deuteronomy 5:32-33)

Originally, God’s will is for us to live long, prosper and be blessed! God’s intention is not to consume us! Some time ago, there was a sister whom our church pastored for three years, and she asked the same question as she did three years ago: Pastor, whenever I hear you study Deuteronomy, I feel accused, as if God is a very harsh God who wants me to die. This astonished me!

How many among us today still have this idea: If we hear God's words again, we will surely die? We must reject this thought! We live on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4). Originally, God's words are meant for us to live, not to die. God is full of grace and mercy; He does not want us to die, He wants us to live, and we live by every word that comes from His mouth.

So, what deceived these Israelites? They were deceived by the spirit of the dragon. The spirit of the dragon does not need to enter a person to plant this idea in them. If a person accepts this idea without examining or studying God's words and presumes to know God's heart, they will be deceived by the spirit of the dragon.

After the Israelites were deceived by the spirit of the dragon, their logic became incomprehensible and full of contradictions: they did not die the first time they heard, but they would die the next time. If people die upon hearing God's words, why did Moses not die? Even if these Israelites had doubts, they could have asked God: God, will I die if I hear Your voice again? God would surely have told them: You will not die, you will live well.

Do Not Have a Secondhand Mentality

Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then tell us whatever the LORD our God tells you. We will listen and obey. (Deuteronomy 5:27)

So today, let us begin to understand that we should no longer have a secondhand mentality. Believing in the Lord cannot be outsourced. Today, we must diligently obey the words of God we hear. If you are a secondhand Christian, not studying God's words, not praying, and not diligently obeying, you will be ruined once the devil deceives you. If you are a firsthand Christian, the devil will find it difficult to deceive you. Everyone must become a person of prayer; only prayer in the name of Jesus is effective. We are children of God, not guests of God. No one can replace you in reading the Bible and praying; you must read it yourself.

As a Christian, never have a secondhand mentality. When you hear the words of God, put them into practice, and in practice, you will discover whether you truly understand. Those who hear the words of God but do not put them into practice cannot understand. To obtain firsthand knowledge, you must act. God is very willing to establish a direct relationship with people. By encouraging the brothers and sisters to participate in healing, deliverance and other ministries, we are pushing people into practice, so that people can understand many things and establish a direct relationship with God.

You Receive According to How You Think

And the Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken.' (Deuteronomy 5:28)

If you identify yourself as a second-hand person, a second-hand person in Jesus Christ, then God says, They are right in all that they have spoken; you are indeed second-hand.

Oh, that they would have such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever! (Deuteronomy 5:29)

God is truly helpless. God cannot make this choice for you. God can only say: since you are so self-righteous, then receive it as such. But how can a second-hand person enter and possess the land? This Oh, that is God's helpless reaction.

I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, an object of ridicule and cursing, in all the places where I drive them. (Jeremiah 24:9)

Second-hand people are bound to be cursed, unable to inherit the word of God, so you must reject the second-hand mentality. Precisely because you have a second-hand mentality, what you experience is second-hand. God lets you experience what you believe. If a person does not believe that by the wounds of Jesus we are healed, then it is difficult for him to be healed because he does not believe he will be healed; he thinks the illness is given to him by God, then God will say: so be it.

Our faith is built on the word of God, not on our own flawed understanding. Today, the terms evangelical and charismatic are strangely divided. For example, evangelicals believe the Bible is true but pick and choose, not accepting the belief of the entire Bible when preaching, saying, Those who believe do not necessarily have signs and wonders following, and saying that those who can perform signs and wonders are charismatics. This is odd. Today we must value the word of God and truly live out the word of God; that is what is called the true gospel.

We carefully read the Bible, reading the word of God into our hearts. Faulty understanding leads to faulty reception, and faulty reception further becomes evidence of faulty understanding. If you do not break this cycle, it is a very foolish practice. We must practice according to the word of God. If we have not practiced it, then adjust ourselves until we live out the word of God, then we will see God's promises and grace fulfilled in our lives. Later, the history of Israel proved that they had always lived in a second-hand state.

Go, say to them, ‘Return to your tents.’ But as for you, stand here by Me, and I will speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I am giving them to possess.’ Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess. (Deuteronomy 5:30-33)

You Shall Do All That God Commanded

Today, in church circles, I see a very common phenomenon: not doing all, but only doing part. I often hear, This generation is different, so this statement is no longer suitable for our generation. Jesus said he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it because not one iota, not one dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished; you shall do all that God has commanded (Matthew 5:17-20). This is very important. That is to say, man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God, and you shall do all, is the same. This definitely requires paying a price because we were born and live for this.

The concept of doing all must enter into us; do not only do half. The most important concept in the New Testament is building a glorious church. Building a glorious church can transmit the grace and blessings of Jesus Christ, setting the captives free and liberating the oppressed. In the Bible, there should be no discount, no cutting corners in the church. We often hear people say, I do not have the gift of casting out demons, so I do not cast out demons. But the New Testament says:

And these signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. (Mark 16:17-18)

That is to say, this is the basic course that each of us must do. In our church, healing and deliverance and basic ministry are the two trainings you must complete, and there is also evangelism, which is outreach ministry. Although you are not a Chinese teacher, you still need to speak Chinese; you may be a teacher, but you still need to be a believer. Paul was an apostle, but he also cast out demons. We must say that some things are the most basic, some are more detailed divisions of labor, and we must do the more detailed divisions of labor after doing the basics well. Only when we do all that God has commanded can we live and prosper and prolong our days in the land we will inherit. This is what we call the basic principle. Amen!