Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Exodus

Exodus 20:1-3 04/25/04

Message Title: ‘Looking Out for #1’                                                                                                                                       Text: Exodus 20:1-3

Powerpoint: Cajun 10 Commandments

Introduction: Ruth Hoke, sent me that and I thought it was so funny. BUT, it also shows that she was thinking about what was coming up in the sermon series. Thanks Ruth for thinking of me and for doing your homework.

While we can have some fun with the 10 Commandments, there are those who take them very seriously.  U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson defied an order to remove a monument to the 10 Commandments from his courthouse. While all over the country individuals and groups are working hard and spending a lot     of money to get the 10 Commandments taken out of public places. Why? Why do you think people want to get rid of the 10 Commandments from public places?
   
The bottom line, is that the 10 Commandments were given to reveal our sinful nature and actions. People don’t want to be reminded of that. It makes them uncomfortable. It is not  good for their self esteem. People, looking out for #1, will do anything to hide from their sin. Is it any wonder then that surveys show that 63% of Americans reject the idea of moral absolutes, saying that morality depends on the individual situation. Everything is relative, there is no absolute truth.

Explanation: This is important because it is the basis for the first commandment. If there is no absolute truth, if there are no moral absolutes, there can’t be a God to give or enforce them. By denying moral absolutes and absolute truth, we deny the existence of God. And then anything and everything goes as we are seeing all too clearly today.

The 10 Commandments are important because in an increasingly immoral society, they give a clear sense of moral boundaries. Boundaries which were used by our founding fathers to establish our judicial system. Boundaries from which our society is quickly departing. The question often asked is, who sets the boundaries? Society claims ownership of that right. The problem is the boundaries, when they do exist, constantly change and are readjusted, often at the whim of public opinion…and most often the minority opinion of a relative few.

Transition: Well, In Ex. 19 God called his people together to meet with him. He commanded them to prepare for this meeting. And he set boundaries for that meeting. At this meeting God would reveal the 10 Commandments to them and it would change their lives forever.  Open your Bibles to Ex. 20:1-2 where we will find that  rules without relationship leads to rebellion.

Read: Ex. 20:1-2

God knows that rules without relationship leads to rebellion, so before he gives them the rules, he reinforces his relationship with them. How? Three ways, according to our text.

1. God spoke to them. We need to realize that while Moses was on the Mountain top with God, and the rest of Israel was at the foot of the mountain, all could hear what God said. Moses emphasized this when he said that God SPOKE all these words. It is hard to maintain a relationship where there is no communication. God fortified his relationship with his people by talking to them… and he does the same thing today to those who will take the time to listen.

2. God came close to them. Not only did he come close by coming down from heaven a speaking to them from the mountain top, he came even closer when he said  ‘your God’. God wasn’t establishing a relationship with the rest of the world, not at this point in history. He was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he was the God of Israel, but he also was their personal God. God always moves in our lives from the general to the specific…from our God to my God.

3. God reminded them what he had done. He created them and brought them into a covenant relationship with him, he is their Lord. He also freed them from the bondage of Egyptian slavery. He is their creator, redeemer and sustainer. It was their relationship with God that caused them to promise their willingness to obey his commands, even before he gave them. Remember, rules without relationship leads to rebellion. Although the Israelites would rebel often against God, it was not because God did not work at establishing and nurturing a relationship with them.

Are you fighting God’s attempts to meet with you? To establish and deepen his relationship with you? Is your disobedience and rebellion to God’s rules and commands as found in His Word, a result of avoiding God’s intimate courtship with the object of his affection, you, his beloved child?  Just something to think about.

Transition: After establishing relationship with his people, God gives his Law, what we know as the 10 Commandments. And he begins with one, that unless it is followed, all the rest will fall.

 
Read: Ex. 20:3
 

While Christians today take this idea for granted, it was news to the Israelites. In that day, there was no such thing as monotheism, (one god) Nobody had just one God. All of Israel’s neighbors had many gods. If a god or gods of another neighboring nation seemed  powerful, they were added to their collection. This is what the Philistines did when they captured the Ark of the Covenant and took it  back with them to their own temple. 

This is why the first commandment is so important. In the very real competition for allegiance to God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Israel, the One True and Living God says,  I am the only one worthy of your allegiance, I am the only one worthy of your worship, I am the only one worthy of your time and     obedience.

Understand that when God said ‘you shall have no other gods before me’ he was not saying that I must be the main god or the principal god or the chief god among all the others in your life. He was saying then and he is saying now, I must be the only God in your life.

Time for a few definitions for the biblical use of the word god. These are references to those other than the One True and Living God.

•    Gods are the object of our worship and service. These gods have a certain authority and claim over our life which is acknowledged by our service and worship.
      The strength of this claim is determined by what price we will pay in order to worship that particular god.

•    Gods are worshipped pragmatically. That is they are vied as a means to an end. If we worship this god, we will get something in return.

•    God’s are rarely worshipped alone, there are usually more than one.

•    God’s are always manmade, the result of a particular desire in our life.
      God, speaking to his people, who are in relationship with him, tells them that they are not to be like everyone around them who worship and serve many gods.
      Jehovah is to be their One True God and he demands exclusive worship and service.

Now, I don’t believe that Israel had ever totally rejected God to wholly worship other gods. But, Israel often added other gods to their worship of the One True and Living God.

    Since God is a jealous God,
    Since God relates to us a husband
    Since God says that when we worship other gods in our life we are harlots

We need to consider if we are courting other gods. Certainly we are not forsaking or rejecting the one True and Living God, but are we going to the altars of other gods we have set up as necessary or at least helpful and desirable in our life and worshipping, serving or spending time with them? Don’t answer in the negative too quickly.

What are some of the gods we can set up in our life that we worship and serve in addition to the One True and Living God?

•    The god of pleasure: sports (football), sex, entertainment
•    The god of possessions: things, toys, houses, cars, clothes
•    The god of wealth: the accumulation of money, greed
•    The god of plans: tomorrow this or tomorrow that, w/o God’s input or direction.
•    The god of affection: the love of whatever to the distraction of your relationship with God.
•    The god of career: moving up the corporate ladder at the expense of spiritual integrity and devotion.
•    The god of me first: looking out for #1,me. Life revolves around me.
•    The god of relationships: keeping company with those we know are a hindrance to our spiritual growth.
•    The god of time: living by our daytimers and PDA’s but not making any entries for time with God.

Remember the definitions of a god.
1.    Objects our worship and service with a certain amount of authority over us. Because of that we are wiling to sacrifice things in our life to spend time with them.
2.    We go to these gods because we think we will get something out of them.
3.    We usually have more then one of them.
4.    And we create them to fill a desire in our life.

The false gods in our life fit these definitions don’t they?And there are more gods than the ones we mentioned.
   
Since they are all man made, all we need is a desire, a want and we create a god to fill it. Then we spend time with it and do what it says so that we will feel better about some part of our lives. While at the same time still worshipping the One True and Living God… when we can. And we think we are OK. Read Ex. 20:3 again and tell me if we are still OK.

Conclusion
What do you do if you have multiple gods, multiple altars at which you give your worship and service?

1. Examine: Take a look at your life, your habits, how your money and time are spent. Find those things/persons/ideals who are keeping you from worshipping God alone. Ask those closest to you to give you an honest assessment of what gods they see in your life. Let them be honest and don’t get mad at them if they tell you the truth.

2. Choose: Life is full of choices. We make choices concerning
our lifestyles, allegiances, commitments, affections and priorities.

•    Will we live for ourselves or for someone else?
•    Will we live for an ideal or a dream? Or will we live for the truth revealed in the Word of God?
•    Will we let God be God or will we let someone or something else take that place in our life?

    Make the choice to let God be God.

3. Clean house: Whatever or whoever has been competing with God in your life needs to be removed from the field. God will not have any competitors for your affection or devotion. In prayer, place them at the foot of the cross and ask Jesus to bring you victory over them.

4. Relate to God: Spend time with him, worship and serve him. Talk to him and take the time to be still and listen. Remember rules without relationship leads to rebellion. If you have other gods in your life it’s often because your relationship with the One True and Living God needs to be fortified, built up.

5. Be patient: This will not happen overnight. Give it time, but don’t use that as an excuse to hold on to your favorite gods.

Let me close by asking      Are you looking out for #1 one? Which #1?