IN ORDER TO ENTER THE PROMISE LAND.

Deuteronomy 4:1-14 (NIV)
4 Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.
3 You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.
5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” 7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?
9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.” 11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. 13 He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 And the Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.

In order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Moses told the Israelites that in order to enter the promised land of Canaan, they must be obedient to God’s laws. The path to obtaining the promised land didn’t depend on making more weapons or gaining more soldiers but it depended upon their obedience to the God that had given His promise to them.
Though the church building is prodigious, if God is not within that church, wouldn’t you be disappointed, nay, wouldn’t you be disheartened? There is a story of a black man who wandered looking for a church to attend and could not find a black congregation. He did find a white congregation and tried to enter the church. The white usher denied him entry and sent him away. He tried to enter again and the congregation pushed him so hard he fell and rolled away from the church. In his tears of pain, there was a voice from behind, “why are you trying to enter a place I am not at?”

1. Hear

Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.(Deut. 4:1)

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.(Rome 10:17)

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.(Eph.5:17)

and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.(Exodus 23:3)

2. Do not manipulate God’s words

and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.        
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.(2Timothy 3:15-17)

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.
And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.(Revelation 22:18-20)

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.(Hebrew 4:12-14)

3.  Keep to the words of God.

For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.(Rome 2:13)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22)


Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."(John 14:21)

4. Always remember God’s words.

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.(Deut. 4:9)

5. Spread and witness the words of God.

9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.(Deut 4:9)

Application

1. We have received salvation. This has confirmed our relationship with God so
   that we can enter Heaven. God has become our Father and we have become
   his children and thus are now righteous in his eyes.

2. We are now sanctified and must run towards the prize in Heaven.
    (Philippians 3:12-14)

“12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.(Philippian 3:12-14)

3.  In order to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must hear the word of God, obey
    the word of God, as is, without modification, and act in accordance with His
    words. As we live our sanctified lives, we can ask for the help of the Holy
     Spirit through our prayers and glorify our God with our praise. In this way,
    just as the Israelites entered the promised land of Canaan, we too can enter
    the Kingdom of Heaven.

4. The steps to enter Heaven

     1) Anthropomorphic (being human): We must become God’s children.

     2)  Sanctification: God is holy and thus we have become holy and so we
        must separate ourselves from sin. God is light. Jesus Christ is light.
       As we receive our Lord Jesus Christ as our savior, we too can become
      light.

     3) Spiritualization: As we enter this state, time and place melds together and
        we will be with our Lord Jesus Christ as we enter Heaven.