The Tender Commandments #2: Numbers Loving God Series

THE TENDER COMMANDMENTS #2: LOVING GOD

REVIEW: Why are we taking the time to study the Ten Commandments?

• “60% of Americans cannot name five of the Ten Commandments.” (USA Today).

• Last Sunday, I asked how many of our church people knew all ten = only three!

1. We must understand the three different aspects of the Old Testament Law:

a. The Ceremonial Law, The Civil Law & The Moral Law

2. Keeping the Ten Commandments or the Moral Law Doesn’t Save us.

3. The Law was Given to Show the Sinner Their Need for a Saviour.

4. The Law was Given to Show the Believer How to Love God.

• Jesus summed up the whole OT law = love God and love people. (Matt. 22:37-40).

THE BIG IDEA: "The rightful setting of the Ten Commandments is the boundless, faithful, Father-love of the living God.” (Ron Mehl). God gives us rules because He loves us.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS: (Exodus 20:1-17).

LOVING GOD:

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.

2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image.

3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

LOVING PEOPLE:

5. Honor your father and your mother.

6-10. You shall not murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness or covet.

I. REVIEW THE FIRST COMMANDMENT:

“God spoke all these words, saying: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Ex. 20:1-3).

• The First Commandment tells us to put God first.

• The First Commandment tells us that God is passionate about us.

• The First Commandment calls us to trust God wholeheartedly.

II. THE SECOND COMMANDMENT:

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (Ex. 20:4-6).

1. The Second Commandment forbids us from making false images or idols of God.

• In our North American culture, most of us don’t worship images or statues.

• So how does this Scripture apply to us today? Don’t make false mental images of God.

2. The Second Commandment warns us against letting anything take God’s place.

• Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matt. 6:24). = Materialism.

• “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don’t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5).

• Whatever captures your attention, interest, time and money and takes it away from God.

• “American Idol” = people idolize music stars, actors and athletes.

3. The Second Commandment tells us that our choices affect our children.

God doesn’t punish children for their parents’ sins, but the life decisions we model for our children – for good or evil – affects them.

QUOTE: “God says to us: The reason I’m asking you not to place any object or enterprise or image ahead of Me is because I don’t want you to wake up one day with a broken heart, as you watch your loved ones making the same mistakes you made, tripping over the same rocks you tripped over, and struggling with the same cynical attitudes that affected you… because your life will dramatically affect and influence them.” (Ron Mehl, The Tender Commandments).

STORY: (Al Sanders, Crisis in Morality).

"Max Jukes, the atheist, lived a godless life. He married an ungodly girl, and from the union there were 310 who died as paupers, 150 were criminals, 7 were murderers, 100 were drunkards, and more than half of the women were prostitutes. His 540 descendants cost the State one and a quarter million dollars… There is a record of a great man of God, Jonathan Edwards. He married a godly girl. An investigation was made of 1,394 known descendants of Jonathan Edwards of which 13 became college presidents, 65 college professors, 3 senators, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 preachers and missionaries, 60 prominent authors, one vice-president of the United States, 80 became public officials in other capacities, 295 college graduates, among whom were governors of states and ministers to foreign countries. His descendants did not cost the state a single penny.