The Ten Commandments - Week 2 - No Other Gods

REVIEW

God’s commands are not a list of ten completely separate rules. They are distinct, different, but not isolated.

they also aren’t separate from the laws of Deuteronomy or Leviticus

LAST WEEK - like a filing system.

IN THE SAME WAY - all of God’s laws communicate the same truth. They represent the same God. Which is why - James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.”

And also why - Mark 12:30-31 “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.””

the first four commandments are represented in the first half of that passage “love the Lord...”

the last six are represented in the latter half “love your neighbor...”

TODAY we begin walking through the ten commandments (sometimes referred to as the ten words), keeping in mind they represent the one God, AND remembering to think of them as more of a filing system.

They are true COMMANDS - but there’s more to them than just surface level.

Exodus 20:3 ““You shall have no other gods before me.”

BEFORE ME - is not “in front of”

we think of God as a number on a list of priorities, and as a result we get this wrong.

God isn’t something we add to a list of priorities - he is CENTRAL to everything we do.

in the words of Abraham Kuyper - there is not a square inch of the universe over which God does not sovereignly declare MINE.

EVERTYHING we do is done under the purview and for the Glory of God.

Getting THAT right starts with understanding this commandment rightly

you shall have no other God’s BEFORE me - means “before my face” or “in my presence”

so… on the Lord’s day? in church on Sundays?

sure - that’s a place to start for Acadiana I suppose.

We’ve got the idols of nation worship - American flags waving, July 4th worship services, churches singing hymns of praise to Donald Trump or Joe Biden (I’m not making those last two up).

We’ve also got the idols of Mary worship in view in Roman catholic churches - and we’ve got the idol of celebrity pastor worship in the Evangelical churches..

SURE - just Sundays would be a good starting point.. but that’s not what we’re talking about.

Jer 23:24 “Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.”

Proverbs 15:3 “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”

Col 1:17 “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

God is “omnipresent” - God is everywhere, always.

That means - we don’t worship any other Gods… ever. We choose NOTHING over God, ever. That’s the command.

We can think of the Atheists

Ps 14:1 “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.”

aside - there is no “good” atheist. Bible makes it plain. Why though?

Because apart from the law of God governing their actions - they can’t do anything righteous. They’re building with wood, hay and stubble. AND Building in sin.

God won’t honor that, it’s in rebellion to him.

it won’t last, and it won’t bless.

if what we’re building is not built on the law of God… it is not good.

and the very fabric of atheism is built on the purposed suppression of God’s truth.

Rom 1:18-23 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”

They reject God, reject his ways - they are liars to themselves and others.

today we’ve seen it fully metastasized into a belief that we can change our genders, in the day Paul wrote Romans it wasn’t much different, it culminated in the homosexual revolution of their own time.

Why? Because at that fundamental level is a rejection of and rebellion against reality.

Who decides your gender? Gen 5:2, Mark 10:6 - God made them male and female.

and God will not be mocked.

The denial of God - the “atheistic” view - is full center on display in the first commandment.

ANOTHER FALSE VIEW - is idolatry.

Now, we’re gonna get into images next week, that’ll be a fun one. But that’s not all of what I’m getting at today.

RCs are easy targets to take pot shots at.

and apparently in the world full-blown paganism and shamanism is making a come back - Tim Keller called that years ago.

But I’m not only talking about idols made with the hands.

You can also make idols with your minds.

John 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”

to worship in TRUTH means to worship properly informed.

both informed of WHO GOD IS

and also HOW HE WANTS US TO WORSHIP

Which means, to not be informed is a problem and probably sinful. AND To be informed and not doing it, is definitely sinful.

How do we know WHO GOD IS?

We know and study his attributes. Read and study his word. Listen to our pastors.

Maybe in an upcoming class we can go through the attributes of God.

how do we know HOW HE WANTS US TO WORSHIP?

same song - second verse.

read, study, be teachable, listen.

Being a Christian means we turn from our idols

1 Thess 1:9 “For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,”

but it also means that we KEEP OURSELVES from idols

1 John 5:21 “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

Meaning there is a temptation to go back. To move backwards a bit.

As we learn more about God, about his character, about the way he wants to be worshipped, we are perpetually repenting of our old ways.

“Oh, God wants me to rest on the Lord’s Day...” Oh, God wants me to tithe...” Oh, God commands that I should raise my kids as christians and teach them his ways and discipline them”

God commands that I should be fruitful and multiply...

If we aren’t repenting - we aren’t worshipping the true God.

We are worshipping another God. A false God.

“Well I could never worship a god like that...”

folks who say that are at least partly right.

God, before he pours out judgement on Israel for their rebellion says -

Jer 4:22 ““For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.””

Prov 29:18 “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.”

Hosea 4:1 “Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land;”

SO - Atheism - Idolatry and:

people worship (or angels… in this case)

Acts 10:25-26 “When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.””

Rev 19:10 “Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

We live in an age of “influencers”

and as a result, we can worship people pretty easily today. So be aware!

LASTLY!!!

and maybe the most pertinent for many.

Is God sovereign over all things?

then what are we doing when we are complaining? or murmuring about what the Lord has given us...

we’re wanting a different God.

“this god isn’t good enough, I want a different one.”

Now that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t go to God with your troubles - don’t misunderstand me - you should.

but the apathetic “I can’t believe this is happening to me” or the like.

the complaints are idolatry against God.

Maybe we don’t believe outright in another God… but we wish we could.

God cannot be accused.