No Other Gods
The Ten Commandments • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 17 viewsThere is only one God, one God worthy of worship, and one God who can bring salvation.
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“You shall have no other gods before Me.
I like how the Christian Standard Bible states it…
Do not have other gods besides me.
How important are the Ten Commandments to God?
Read Deuteronomy 6:4–9
““Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
“These words, which I am commanding you (The Ten Commandments) today, shall be on your heart. (They are to be a part of our very being)
“You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. (Fathers, Parents, We are responsible to teach them to our kids) (They should be a part of our everyday conversation)
“You shall bind them as a sign on your hand (When I am working I am honoring the Ten) and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. (They are on my mind consistently)
“You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (They govern the activities of my home)
Key Points:
They are a part of our very being
We are to teach them to our children
They are a part of our everyday work and lives
We are to ponder them continually
They are to govern our homes.
Let’s read the first commandment again.
“You shall have no other gods before Me.
The point of this verse is simple and yet profound.
God wants an exclusive relationship with you and I.
If there are other things, other persons, in our lives in which we are dependent on other than God, we are breaking this commandment.
The Hebrew words which form “You shall have no other or do not have” means to keep or refrain from having a
relationship with. The positive (nonnegated) statement of the same Hebrew words “shall have or to have” was a comma idiom for the establishment of a marriage. This same statement would be used to express God’s relationship with Israel.
God is saying, we are exclusive, don’t bring in a third parties in any form to replace who and what God does.
Isaiah says it this way.
“I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God.”
History and Context
The Israelites were 3 months removed from living in Egypt
They had spent 400 years in a culture that worshiped many gods.
The Egyptians had nearly 1500 gods which they knew by name, and many others that were unnamed.
The Egyptian term for “god” was a much broader range of meaning than the English word “god.” Divine beings in Egypt included not only the gods, but also minor deities, spirits, demons, monsters, and even the pharaoh himself.
The Egyptians depicted their gods in a variety of ways,
including human (anthropomorphic),
animal (zoomorphic),
hybrid, and composite forms. The hybrid forms—those depicting the god with a human body but the head of an animal, or with animal characteristics such as horns—are perhaps the most familiar because of the mysterious nature of their appearance.
The Egyptians considered their gods to be mysterious and perhaps even unknowable to a degree.
Clearly the first commandment God is doing away with any form of multiple gods.
Polytheism - The belief in the existence of many gods in contrast with monotheism, the belief in the existence of one god.
Pantheism - The belief that all things are part of a single divine reality. There is no distinction between deity and reality. The term derives from Greek meaning “all is God.” In pantheism, God does not have an existence distinct from that of the universe.
Atheism - Includes philosophical systems that deny the existence of god(s). Though atheism was rare in the ancient Near East, it would later be addressed.
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
For the People of Israel, God was establishing a monotheistic thought that would have been new to them.
He was making clear to them, not only are they to no worship other gods, but in reality there is only one God.
“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.
God was letting them know, there simply is no other god, so don’t waste your time worshiping, creation, spirits, or anything else, because all things that could be possibly worshiped outside of God, God created!
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
For you and I the Easy Understanding is God is one God, and we are not to have other God’s.
There may be some who struggle with worshiping other god’s, I hope not, but I would like to suggest a couple other thoughts that are more subtle.
There is more to this verse than just a simple “No other gods”
I stated earlier God wants an exclusive relationship with you.
God is One God
God Wants Exclusive Worship
God Wants Exclusive Worship
God Wants Exclusive Worship
Jesus when being tempted by Satan reemphasizes this thought
Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’ ”
Martin Luther said, “Whatever thy heart clings to and relies upon, that is properly thy God.” - Martin Luther
or maybe a little more modern English
Duane Christensen has more recently stated: “Anything that relegates the relationship with God to second place functions in effect as ‘another god.’ ” - Duane Christensen
What things do you and I worship, that takes the place of God?
How about money?
Is money the driving force in your life?
It is not wrong to plan for your future, but when you do, how much time and effort are you giving to God in the process?
God Demands Exclusive Worship!
How about relationships with others?
You might argue but aren’t we to love others? - YES! But not above God.
I would contend even a marriage relationship can be wrong if you are putting your spouse’s desires above God’s
Are we allowing our children the place of God?
Parents will do pretty much anything for their children
But children often affect parents views on how they worship God.
LGBTQ+
Athletics
If some of these thoughts on relationships resonate, then you may check your motives.
God Demands Exclusive Worship!
How about entertainment?
Sports
when you talk about your team, are you more excited about talking about them than God?
Might check your motives - God Demands Exclusive Worship!
Movies
Are you compromising on what you know is wrong to watch?
Do your shows or movies have nudity?
Do your shows or movies make fun of God and Christianity?
other activities
If we are compromising our obedience to God’s word in any fashion then we are worshiping that thing, person, or idea.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Matthew is referencing the love of money, but this verse can apply to anything we put before God.
God Demands Exclusive Worship!
God’s One God
God Wants Exclusive Worship
Salvation is Exclusive
Salvation Is Exclusive
Salvation Is Exclusive
It is real popular today to hear on the radio, or TV that as long as you are doing good things then you will be good.
All religions lead to God is what many will say.
Salvation is Exclusive
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Any idea salvation can be gained by some kind of work is a pagan religion.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
There is no other way but through Jesus Christ!
Jesus reminds us in John…
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
How are we doing this morning?
Is God the Only God?
Are you giving Him Exclusive Worship?
Are you trying to find salvation through other means than Him?
Let’s Pray
If you are struggling in any of these areas, can I challenge you this morning to confess them as sin.
If you are believer this morning it is simply applying 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Christ in His amazing love and mercy is willing to forgive you and to make that relationship restored.
If you are not a Christian and you have realized this morning that you are trying to find salvation another way other than through simple belief in Christ death, burial, and resurrection then don’t wait. Come talk to me today.
