No Other Gods Before Me! Series

No Other gods Before Me!

Exodus 20:1-3

© 2007 Eric Bain

NOTE: This sermon is available in audio format @ www.sanctuary-church.com

HOOK –

You know over in West Sac there’s a new Wal-Mart Super Center…

• And I know that some of you may be very much against Wal-Mart… you want to rage against the machine...

• But, I got to admit… I was very eager for it to open… and not for the reason you might think

• The Wall-Mart 15 pt Oil Change

o They not only change the oil, but…

 Fill the washer fluid

 Fill the tires

 Check your tread depth

 Grease the joints

 They take out the trash…

 And they vacuum the interior

o They breath new life into your automobile – all for twenty some bucks!

o And if you’ve seen my Jeep Cherokee… you know that’s a really good thing!

o When I drive out of the Wal-Mart 15 pt Oil Change

 I feel like my car has a new lease on life

 It’s like it’s got more power… I know that’s not true.

 But I feel like it can go farther

 And go faster

• It reminds me of when my son was about four… and he used to think he could run faster just because he got new tennis shoes!

It’s the Wal-Mart 15 pt Oil Change… and think what you want about the beast… but I am a fan!

But here’s why I bring that up….

Wouldn’t it be awesome… if there was something like a Wal-Mart - 15 pt Oil Change for our Spiritual lives?

• Cause I don’t know where you’re at…

• Maybe your faith is on fire… but you want to maintain that fire. In fact, you want to stoke it up!

• Maybe you’ve been a Christian for the majority of your life… but over time the energy has just been drained out of your walk with Christ.

o You know… you were really on fire when you first came to faith… but now that fire is only embers

o In fact, maybe your even thinking that this faith – like an old car – is gonna die… if something doesn’t breath life back into it.

• Or, finally… maybe you wouldn’t even consider yourself a Christian.

o But for some reason you’ve found yourself here this morning. Perhaps it’s because you’re just trying to figure some things out… cause you know there’s a spiritual aspect to this life… and it just feels like… you’re not firing on all cylinders!

o Or who knows… maybe you were just dragged here by some friend

But my point is… Wouldn’t it be great … wouldn’t it be cool… if we could just have something like a Wal-Mart 15 - pt Oil Change done on our Spiritual lives?

Well, we can…

Only, it’s not a 15 pt service… it’s a 10 pt service… and it’s found in the book of Exodus… Chapter 20

Exodus is the 2nd book in the Bible… If you don’t have a Bible, there are some on the tables throughout the room. Don’t be embarrassed to get up and get one.

Exodus, Chapter 20… While you flip there let me give you a little HISTORY to set the scene...

• There’s an ancient group of people known as the Hebrews

• And they were conquered and turned into slaves by the Egyptians

• But they believed in… and worshiped… the one true God – Yahweh!

o And although he must have seemed like a distant God

o They cried out to him

• Even if you’ve never read the Bible, you’re likely familiar with the story of the Hebrews being miraculously released from their Egyptian oppression.

o Cecil B. DeMille did a famous movie called The Ten Commandments

o Disney, more recently, did a film called The Prince of Egypt

 Both of these films tell the story… a story that actually comes from the book of Exodus…

 Which is found in the Bible

In a nut shell….

• A guy named Moses get’s a calling from God to lead his people to freedom!

• Then God – for his part – does a series of miracles to make this happen…

o Probably the most famous of which is the parting of the Red Sea

o You see, God parts the Red Sea to bring the Hebrews to safety in the desert…

o And then he releases the waters to wipe out the Egyptian army

• It must have been a very exciting time for the Hebrews!

o They’re faith must have been so alive

o So real

o So fresh

 But – in truth – that didn’t last long

 Cause they then spent 3 months walking through the desert!