The Two Commandments
Exodus 19-24
CHCC: April 5, 2009
INTRODUCTION:
There was a Gallup Poll taken in 1990 which indicated that only 47% of the adult population in the United States knew more than five out of ten of the commandments. In fact, more people claimed to live by the ten commandments than those who knew what they were.
Before we talk ABOUT the 10 commandments, step one is to know what they are. None of us need to leave here without knowing what the 10 commandments are … they are printed in the Sermon Notes today. Let’s read together…
"Then 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 slavery.
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet anything that is your neighbors.
Moses didn’t show up in Egypt with two stone tablets and say, "If you guys will agree to obey all these commands, God will deliver you from Egyptian slavery." Notice the verse that comes before the 10 commandments. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
First God Saved … THEN He Commanded.
1. The 10 Commandments are a document of grace
Have you ever heard anyone say, “The God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath while the God of the New Testament is a God of love.” If you actually READ the Old and the New Testament you find that the God who revealed himself to Moses as the great "I AM" is the same God who revealed Himself through Jesus in the New Testament.
The God of the Old Testament shows the same overwhelming love and grace as the God of the New Testament. Look how God introduced himself to His people. "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." God introduced himself as SAVIOR in the Old Testament as well as in the New.
The main difference is that the Old Testament tells a long history of God’s gradual revelation of Himself to individuals and then through the Nation of Israel. In the New Testament, the “mystery” is revealed … the promised Messiah arrives.
Since today is Palm Sunday we sang Palm Sunday related songs and involved the children in a Palm Sunday related program, But right now I am working on a new class for Vision International Univ. dealing with the way the Jewish feasts commanded in the Bible point to Jesus Christ. My study revealed to me that the palm branches and Hosanna’s we usually relegate to Palm Sunday were actually related to the events in the fall festival called the “feast of Tabernacles” It is at this feast that people wave tree branches and shout Hosanna (Lord, save us!) Therefore, the people who celebrated Christ’s entry into Jerusalem were taking a part of the fall festival, and using it to honor Jesus in the time of the Spring festival. This was an odd departure from the usual protocol.
Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna! " "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" Mark 11:9
Hosanna! Means Save now!
2. The 10 Commandments fit within the 2 commandments
Matt. 22:36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " ’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment.
Exodus 20:2-11, (summary)
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
Matt. 22:39And the second is like it: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Exodus 20:12-17 (summary)
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet anything that is your neighbors.
Jesus was not just another rabbi among thousands. He was unique in so many ways, And here in Matthew’s gospel he reveals his ability to cut through the fog of legalism to give the essence of all law by boiling everything down to its most basic parts. He was able to take the Decalogue (10 commandments) and condense them to two simple rules. Love God and love others. If we are able to obey these simple admonitions we will wind up keeping the whole law.
This isn’t such a foreign concept when we understand that as a child grows into maturity he will be able to take all the myriad “no-no’s” handed down by loving parents and translate it all into basic common sense. He will be able to translate, “Don’t touch the stove, don’t touch the iron, don’t touch the heater, don’t touch the candle, don’t touch the fireplace. Don’t touch the tail-pipe of the car. Don’t touch the match.” Into a basic overarching principle. Don’t handle hot stuff!
Have you wondered why the 10 commandments have been banned from some courthouses and other public places. Well, it is obviously NOT because there is disagreement on Lying or Murder being wrong but because of the First commandment. That’s what gives offense to those not willing to put God first.
But consider the problem we create when we attempt to remove God from all public discourse. When happens when the Judeo-Christian tradition is relegated to the back rooms and closets? If there is no God then what is morality based on, the decrees of whatever Ruler is in power at the time? Will we allow men like Hitler and Stalin to dictate our morality?
Will we allow the changing winds of political correctness to set the tone for how we treat each other as individuals. Our constitution says…”endowed by our Creator with certain rights” Shall we abandon the religious verbiage of our founding fathers? How far will we allow society to go in marginalizing our religious heritage? Shall we remove “in God we trust” from all our coins? Shall we remove, “under God” from our pledge? Just how “secular” will we allow liberal activists to take us as they seek to erode all religious emphasis through decisions in the courts? Of course, godless people dislike the 10 commandments. They disavow the God who created them. They seek to evade any admonition that might place them under any higher power of any kind. But realize this, the ten commandments weren’t written to pagans but to believers.
3. The 10 Commandments are given to those God has SAVED.
Only people in relationship with God and with each other in community will have any interest in learning or keeping the 10 commandments. Those without a connection to God or others around them have no reason or ability to obey any law of any kind. It just isn’t in them to carry out God’s commands. At the root they are lawless. Therefore, they may seek to remove the tablets of law from public places, but the saddest part of it all is that the tablets of law don’t reside in their hearts anyway. When I watch shows like Judge Judy or People’s Court, I see lawless people who use the courts to beat each other over the head. It quickly becomes obvious that neither side of the case is right and neither the plantiff nor the accused has a right to win. Both sides are selfish and self absorbed so It is not rare to see a frustrated judge declare “Case Dismissed!” and send both parties on their way empty handed. That’s all either side deserves. The 10 commandments are valuable to God fearing people, but useless to lawless people. Heaven help us if the day should come that lawlessness is the common denominator in all our society. At that point we will become ungovernable.
If you were to ask 10 people why they think God will let them into Heaven, 8 out of 10 will usually reply that they will get in because they’ve kept the 10 Commandments. Not only are they inaccurate in their own personal assessment; they’re also wrong Biblically. Why? Usually because they’ve been taught unsound doctrine. Surprisingly, the correct Biblical doctrine is just the opposite of what the natural man or woman might think.
Why is this true? It’s because most Christians are not ready for what the Apostle Paul calls the "meat" portion of the Gospel; they are still infants on "milk"! The Apostle Paul rebukes the believers at the Church in Corinth for this very reason (1st Corinthians 3:2 KJV) as does the author of the Book of Hebrews (Hebrews 5:12-14 KJV). It’s time that Christians understood the Grace of Almighty God in Jesus Christ so that they may effectively and accurately spread the Good News of the Gospel.
This teaching is hard for people to understand and accept. However, by carefully examining the Scripture, we shall see that this truth is quite clear. No person can or will keep God’s Laws and Commandments: it’s impossible. Those who think they are, are only fooling themselves, not God. The Pharisees couldn’t keep the 613 Laws and Ordinances, no Jew could keep the 10 Commandments of God and Adam and Eve couldn’t keep 1 Commandment from God! Having learned our lesson and graduated from "milk" to "meat" we shall be able to witness to others more effectively. And we’ll learn why the Grace that Saves us can also Save others!
Exodus 19 4 ’You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.
Remember what happened when they first received the 10 Commandments? They decided to violate at least the first two of them by building the golden calf and having a pagan party. And what did God do? He forgave them and reissued the commands. That’s grace.
The 10 Commandments are a way we can show that we LOVE the God who has already poured His Love and Grace on us.
I could tell my wife I love her, but if I don’t ACT OUT that love, the words mean nothing. I show my love for her in the same way I would show my love for God by obedience to the first four commandments.
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
1st by being a faithful husband, (I don’t put any other women before her)
2nd – I don’t let material things or images take her place
3rd – I don’t talk to her or about her with disrespect
4th – I set aside time regularly to spend with her
That’s what loving my wife means! And that is what the first 4 commandments say about my love for God.
CONCLUSION:
The 10 commandments are a starting place for us to RESPOND to the God who has already saved us.
Faith, like love, is too easily kept in the realm of theory. The Ten Commands don’t allow us to claim belief in God without demonstrating that belief in concrete actions and behaviors. They require us to affirm our faith in the daily grind of living.
So instead of, "Do you believe in God?" the Ten Commandments ask us ten questions,
Do you honor anything or anyone above the one true God?
Has God been replaced by something physical or material in your life?
Have you dishonored God’s name by using it in a frivolous manner?
Is your work more important than your relationship with God?
Do you honor your father and mother?
Do you value human life?
Have you kept your marriage vows?
Do you respect other’s rights of ownership?
Do you tell the truth?
Are you content with what you have or do you covet the possessions, relationships and successes of others?
