On Tuesday, I was reading someone else's sermon and ran across these words: "I believe God more than my own thoughts or reason . . . God will not lie." I sat and marveled at how simply those words could end any debate. Why would anyone rely on their own knowledge and disregard what God says? Would you trust your own wisdom over the all-knowing mind of God? Are human reason and intellect more reliable than the Almighty's? It is such a simple sentence: "I believe God more than my own thoughts or reason . . . God will not lie."

Despite this, our culture today does regard human thought and reason to be greater than the Lord's infinite wisdom. There is a tidal wave of support in our culture for the idea that you can believe in any god and still have eternal life. People are jumping on the bandwagon in mass even though the Bible clearly states that there is one God, and only one God. And we know that the Bible is God's Word. So why do people today think that just as long there is a hint of spirituality in a person's life the gates of heaven are thrown wide open for them. Doesn't God make it clear in His Word?

The sermon in which I found those words was actually a sermon that was written 468 years ago and was preached by Martin Luther on Trinity Sunday. 468 years ago on Trinity Sunday, Martin Luther was preaching about the same issue that we are addressing today. Let us be ever so grateful that the same God that Martin Luther pointed the people of his congregation to is the same God the Apostle Paul pointed his congregations to and the same God Moses pointed his people and the same God we worship today. God does not change. He is the Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let us HONOR THE TRIUNE GOD with total obedience and with constant remembrance.

1. With Total Obedience

In order to understand this concept of honoring the Triune God with total obedience, let break down God's Word here in the book of Deuteronomy. Look at verse 4 of the lesson for today. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." If you look at the original language that Moses wrote these words in, it is evident that the Holy Spirit was not telling us that there are many gods and many religions, pick one of them and you will be all right. These words clearly point us to the fact that there is only one God. And as you read the rest of the Bible, it is also clear exactly who that God is - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have this evidence from God's Word all the way back to the very first chapter of the Bible in the book of Genesis. In those words, we see that all three persons of the Trinity were present. That's what God says and God does not lie. And nowhere else in the Bible does the Triune God leave any room for any other deities. He did not tolerate the gods of the Egyptians, or Baal worship, or the Greek and Roman gods. And today he does not tolerate Allah, Buddha, or the worship of any god that is not the Triune God. The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

So now we understand whom the God is we are honoring, let us now see from verse 5 how to honor the Triune God. "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." The Triune God demands our entire love, without exception. Now here is where our human reason gets us in trouble again. We start thinking, "Well God doesn't really expect me to give my whole life to him. That would be ridiculous. God really doesn't want much that much from me." But everyone look at those words in verse 5. How many times do you see the words "some," or "part of?" Zero. Now how often do you see the word "all?" Three times. I am ashamed that I don't even come close to loving God with all my heart, soul, and strength. I think if all of you were honest with yourselves, you would admit the same thing.

But by the grace of God, we are forgiven. It is that grace that moved God the Father to ordain the plan of salvation, which offers us the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. It is that grace which motivated God the Son to live for us and also die on the cross for us. It is that grace which stirred the Holy Spirit to create faith in our hearts and makes the goal of our entire lives to honor the triune God with all of our heart, soul, and mind.

This work of the Holy Spirit is described very clearly in words of verse 6. "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts." The Holy Spirit gives us the life saving medicine that we need internally. It goes straight to the heart. And so that is why the Apostle Paul encouraged his congregation in Collosae to "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." As the Word dwells in us, the Holy Spirit leads us to honor the Triune God, or in other words, the Holy Spirit leads us to obey the First Commandment. And we know that if we are obeying that first commandment, all the others must be obeyed also. Let the Word dwell in you that the Holy Spirit may affect your heart in order that you will honor the Triune God with your total obedience.

2. With Constant Remembrance

A few weeks ago, our country celebrated a very important national holiday, Memorial Day. Memorial Day is the day we set aside to consider and give thanks for all those who served our country in armed forces. It is a day of remembrance. Now this year I was excited because I actually had a home where I could proudly display an American flag in remembrance. I was anxious to purchase one and put it out. However, I had a couple of things going on in May. And so in the weeks leading up to Memorial Day and it never got done. I failed to follow through. But I promised myself I would have an American flag up for the 4th of July.

Moses' words here in the lesson for this morning tell us to honor the Triune God with constant remembrance. We are encouraged not to let other things take priority over our remembrance of the triune God. We are expected to follow through no matter what. Honoring God with constant remembrance means more than just one hour in the pew each week or every other week? Honoring God with constant remembrance means doing it not only when it is easy, but also when it is hard and you being tempted. It means doing it right now, not promising to do it sometime in the future like I did with the flag for the 4th of July. Good intentions don't cut it. Honor God with constant remembrance.

Let us look at the Word of God and see the guidelines he gives us to honor him with constant remembrance. First of all, look at verse 7 of the lesson for this morning. "Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Who is to take the lead responsibility in this constant remembrance of the triune God? It is the parents.

The Apostle Paul reiterates this point as he addressed his congregation in Ephesus. He wrote: "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." God, our heavenly Father, expects a lot from earthly fathers, even on Fathers Day. In order to train the child, fathers and mothers, need to study God's Word themselves. And the Holy Spirit pronounces to us that this training ought to be done at home, maybe with daily home devotions, and elsewhere, maybe taking the children to Sunday school or our Christian Day school. He also declares to us that it ought to be constant, "when you lie down and when you get up."

Why is it so important to constantly remember the Triune God? It is because the devil is waiting for that moment when we let our guard down. He is waiting in the tall grass ready to pounce on us like a roaring lion. He waits for us to think that our grade school children get God's Word all school year; they don't need to go to Sunday school too. He waits for us to let our guard down because we are around friends and because they don't really care what we do in secret. He waits for our moment of greatest weakness and wants nothing more than to drag us into unbelief.

And so we take note of the last two verses of the lesson that tell us, "Tie them (that is: God's commands) as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Moses was telling the people not to hide the commands of God. Keep them with you all the time.

There are some real easy ways to do this without actually tying them to your forehead. In fact many of you have them right behind your forehead because of all the memory work you had to do in Confirmation class. Memorizing Bible passages is great way to honor the Triune God with constant remembrance. Another way is to take your Bible with you wherever you go. Those of you who are students, this should be easy in the age of the backpack. Just get a pocket Bible and slide it in with you. Take a Bible to work with you or in your car. If you have a few minutes, pull it out and read a few verses. Make it a conscience decision to honor the Triune God with constant remembrance.

In a few moments we will be confessing our faith using the Athanasian Creed. Christians throughout the centuries have confessed the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit using this creed. Let us take comfort that we have the same God, who has not changed and who stands alone as the only God. Today and everyday let us honor the Triune God. Amen.