Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20021009.htm

DEUTERONOMY: GETTING OTHERS TO BE VICTORS, NOT CASUALTIES
Part XII: Discipling Others To KNOW and HEED The TRUTH Above All Pressures To The Contrary
(Deuteronomy 13:1-18)
  1. Introduction
    1. When the believer heeds written Scripture, God fellowships with him and he with God, John 14:21, 23.
    2. However, some believe God "speaks" to them in how they feel, or in circumstances or by the advice they receive from close associates or by way of majority opinion of other Christians, and that in CONTRAST to what even they themselves understand from written Scripture, for, as the saying goes, "You cannot be sure you yourself have the right interpretation, so you need these other sources to help you out!"
    3. In motivating Israel to obey God, he discipled the people on the correct epistemology they were to have -- the correct way of knowing the TRUTH in Deuteronomy 13:1-18. We view that information to know how to disciple others to be SURE of the truth and to follow it for blessing as follows:
  2. Discipling Others To KNOW And HEED The TRUTH Above All Pressures To The Contrary.
    1. When Moses addressed the people of Israel shortly before his passing, he was aware that his absence would leave them vulnerable to being deceived and thus misled away from obeying the Lord.
    2. Accordingly, he commanded the people on the correct epistemology relative to knowing the truth, or how to know the truth for obeying the right commands for blessing, cf. Deuteronomy 13:1-3:
      1. In opening a section on false prophets, Moses shared it was possible for a prophet or dreamer to arise performing miraculous signs to use these as evidence to deceive Israel to disobey God, Deut. 13:1-2.
      2. Hence, as he directed the people not to heed such a party in Deuteronomy 13:3a, we know this section is valuable for handling deception, and, with it, discerning the right way of being sure of the truth!
    3. Thus, as did Moses, we view Deuteronomy 13:1-18 with 2 Timothy 3:13-17 to know how to tell others we disciple how to discern for themselves God's truth for heeding the right beliefs for blessing:
      1. Factor One - God wants His people to rely on what they themselves are convinced His written WORD teaches above all miraculous sources of insight to discern the truth, and to heed it, Deut. 13:1-5:
        1. Moses presented the hypothetical situation in which a party with charisma would arise performing an obvious miracle, and use that miracle to try to persuade them to disobey what they understood the written commands in the Law of Moses dictated, Deuteronomy 13:1-2.
        2. In such a case, the people were to side with what they themselves believed written Scripture said versus even the miracle-worker's deeds and words, and put him to death, Deut. 13:3a, 4-5.
        3. Such an event was seen to be God's test to see if the people would obey God in truth, Deut. 13:3b!
      2. Factor Two - God wants His people to rely on what they themselves are convinced His written WORD teaches above emotional pressures from close or family relationships, and to heed it, Deut. 13:6-11!
        1. If a party in Israel was enticed by the emotional pressure of his tie to a close friend or family member to depart from what he himself was convinced God's written WORD commanded, he was to reject that pressure, and even turn him or her over for execution, Deuteronomy 13:6-10.
        2. This would cause the rest to fear enticing others close to them to disobey Scripture, Deut. 13:11.
      3. Factor Three - God wants His people to rely on what they themselves are convinced His written WORD teaches above what even a whole town holds to the contrary, and to heed it, Deut. 13:12-18.
        1. If a party lived in a town that followed a teacher to depart from what he himself was convinced God's written WORD commanded, he was to expose that town's error even if it meant its total destruction in battle to preserve the rest of the nation from apostasy, Deut. 13:12-15, 16-17a!
        2. In doing so, God would turn from His wrath and have compassion on the rest of Israel, 13:17b-18!
Lesson: When discipling others on how to be SURE of the TRUTH so as to obey it, we can tell them to heed what THEY THEMSELVES DISCERN God's WRITTEN WORD SAYS, and that above all other pressures to the contrary, and to FUNCTION accordingly in relating to God! Indeed, GOD gave us EYES and BRAINS as our surest means to discern so we can obey Him with confidence, Prov. 20:12!

Application: GOD wants US and those we DISCIPLE to trust what our EYES see and our MINDS perceive from His WRITTEN WORD, and to obey THAT as the TRUTH! (Pr. 20:12; 2 Tim. 3:13-17)