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.
III. THE THIRD COMMANDMENT:
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7).
1. The Third Commandment warns us against misusing the Lord’s name:
• Examples: To say “Oh my” and “God” together; “Jesus” and “Christ” as an exclamation; to tell God to damn something; or even the “omg” internet slang.
• We need to be careful of euphemisms as well. i.e. “Oh my gosh” and “Darn it!”
2. The Third Commandment tells us to honor and respect God’s holy name:
• “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.” (Psalm 34:3).
• The Jews had such respect for God’s name they wouldn’t say it or write it (YHWH).
• “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9-11).
IV. THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT:
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20:8-11).
1. Keep it Holy:
• v.8: The first thing the Scriptures teach us about the Sabbath is that it is a holy day.
• The most basic definition of holy is: “dedicated or devoted to the service of God.”
• Therefore, the Sabbath is a day to seek God. NT Sabbath = the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1).
• Seek God and think about His kingdom: Go to church, pray, read His Word!
• How we do that is up to us as individuals – how can YOU keep the Sabbath holy?
2. Rest from Work:
• v.10: If we don’t rest, we will burn out or die! The Sabbath rest is for our benefit.
• Jesus said to His disciples, when they were busy from doing the work of the ministry: “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.” (Mark 6:31).
• It’s not legalistic – Jesus said we can do works of mercy and necessity (Matt 12).
• We need a Sabbath daily (sleep) weekly (a day off) and yearly (a vacation).
QUOTE: Ron Mehl says, “It is though our spirits were equipped with a rechargeable battery, and we simply run down after a while. The current becomes very weak, the light in our heart becomes very dim, and it affects every other part of our lives. Every relationship. Everything we touch. God knows our need to be restored and during that time of rest is when it happens.”
• Too many people are sick because they have disregarded this Tender Commandment!
QUOTE: Dr. Don Colbert, Seven Pillars of Health. Pillar #2: Rest About 9 Hours a Day.
“Lack of sleep is just as disastrous for you as an individual… An estimated 50-70 million (Americans) live on the brink of mental and physical collapse because of a lack of sleep… Sleep and rest are important because of what they do for your health… A good night’s sleep restores, repairs, and rejuvenates your body.”
1. Sleep slows the aging process. The term “beauty rest” is literally true.
2. Sleep boosts the immune system.
3. Sleep improves brain function.
4. Sleep reduces cortisol levels (cause you to be irritable; prone to depression & anxiety).”
3. Do Something Fun:
“If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, God’s holy day as a celebration, If you honor it by refusing ’business as usual,’ making money, running here and there - Then you’ll be free to enjoy God!” (Isaiah 58:13b-14, The Message Bible).
• There is nothing in the Scriptures that says you can’t have fun on the Sabbath!
CHALLENGE: No idols, respect God’s name, and keep the Sabbath holy!
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://thelandofpromise.blogspot.com/
