There’s a new crisis forming in the Strait of Hormuz with Iran. That could lead to a gas price crisis. There’s a global economic crisis that keeps erupting in pockets in Europe. There’s a new worldwide crisis called Lady Gaga, but I want to direct attention to a crisis in our nation of even greater magnitude: There’s a character crisis in our nation.
Violence and fear of it continues. The border with Mexico continues to be unsafe. School and workplace shootings continue to happen every year. A month ago now, Rob Blagojevich became the 4th of the past 9 Illinois governors to go to be sentenced to prison. And last year, Forbes Magazine ranked Rockford #10 on the list of US Cities with the most violent crime occurrences.
Just another indicator that we’re in the middle of a crisis that’s at the root of all others.
Ill – 1991, in The Day America Told the Truth, James Patterson and Peter Kim:
74% of Americans will steal from those who won't miss it
64% will lie for convenience as long as no one is hurt.
93% say they alone decide moral issues, basing their decisions on their own experience or whims
84% say they would break the rules of their own religion.
81% have violated a law they felt to be inappropriate.
What’ll we do? Let me suggest there’s help to be found in what we call the 10 Commandments.
10 Commandments?
You mean that list that the ACLU keeps taking people to court over?
You mean the list that Bible-thumping people with southern accents keep throwing in other peoples’ faces?
You mean that list of things on a bookmark that I learned one summer in VBS but now I can’t quite remember #4 and 6?
You mean the stone tablets that Charlton Heston brought down from the mountain in the movie?
Yes. That list.
The Jews came to know them simply as “the 10 words.” That’s what another name, “the Decalogue” means. We commonly refer to them as the 10 Commandments. I’ll also be calling them God’s Big 10. I know that the Big 10 is actually the incorporated college athletics league that was started in 1895 as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives, and that actually now has 12 members instead of 10. Roll with it. I’m going to take 10 weeks in the 10 Commandments, which deserve a lot more attention in our lives. And I’m going to refer to them as God’s Big 10.
I probably don’t need to tell you that not everyone looks upon the Big 10 with favorable eyes.
Quote - Ted Turner, creator of Cable News Network, told members of the National Newspaper Association in Atlanta that the 10 Commandments don’t relate to current problems. Turner said, "We're living with outmoded rules. The rules we're living under is the Ten Commandments, and I bet nobody here even pays much attention to 'em, because they are too old. When Moses went up on the mountain, there were no nuclear weapons, there was no poverty. Today, the commandments wouldn't go over. Nobody around likes to be commanded. Commandments are out.
Maybe you don’t really care what Ted Turner thinks of the Big 10, but there are other negative attitudes toward them that we need to consider first thing, because a lot of them are in the Church. Here are a few…
We’re NT Christians, so these don’t apply.
To glibly tell someone, “If you want to be saved, keep the 10 Commandments” misses their point.
I’m not interested in the Law as a way to be saved, but rather as a way to please God. Besides, these aren’t the only commands God gave on Sinai. If we were going to try to keep the OT Law to be saved, we’d have to also learn the other 603 commands, most of which are given right here in the book of Exodus. But God gave a special emphasis to these 10 commands. They represent a comprehensive code of ethics – one that everyone ought to live by – a kind of bare minimum. They work!
The 10 Commandments are just a bunch of “Thou shalt not’s”
This code of ethics must be received in its context. It was on their release from Egypt that God gave these to Israel. They needed the structure and order that comes from laws. They also needed to come to know and appreciate God as their only God. God didn’t free them from Egypt to enslave them all over again.
They’re active, not passive. And as we look at them over the next few months, we’ll be taking them that way. Where it says not to murder, we’ll talk about respecting human life. Where it says to not commit adultery, we’ll talk about keeping covenants. Where it says not to steal, we’ll talk about keeping “things” in perspective. Today, when it says, no other gods, we’ll talk about giving God first place in our lives. And in this way I hope we’ll begin to better appreciate the value of these 10 commands.
These aren’t the only laws that ever were written.
True, although these are the only time laws were ever given by a God to His people.
They’re different from every other old system of law, because they focus on people, not on property. Other attempts at law protected things. These were different.
Laws are for bad people. They don’t make people better; they make people into law breakers.
True, more laws don’t make better people. But the NT is pretty clear in telling us that the ultimate purpose of the OT Law was to show us our need for forgiveness in Jesus.
These laws identify the need for inner change, not just outside motions. Jesus details this in the Sermon on the Mount. God wasn’t just seeking people who were squeaky clean in the way they acted. He wanted people whose hearts were given over to Him exclusively. The Big 10 simply better show us how that looks.
Now, with all that said, let’s approach the wealth of wisdom that the Lord has given us to draw from in the 10 Commandments.
Exodus 20:1-3
And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before me.
Another way to say this is:
I. Putting God First is the Key to Godly Character
There’s an important parallel to this in the NT that Jesus spoke:
Mark 12:28-30
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'
One of my first Sundays at Central Christian Church, I preached these words of Jesus, because in life, it’s foundational for all that we do. When it comes to commands from God, it’s related to the keeping of every one of them.
This is the reverse of the world’s approach.
Ill - College students were asked to order the Big 10 in order of importance. 90% reversed this order. The teaching of so-called “values” is all about the way we treat other people. In other words, your religious convictions, and the way you choose to acknowledge and relate to God is something you keep in the back and “tolerate.”
The 1st 4 principles of God’s Big Ten have to do with the way that we relate to God. It’s not a coincidence. That’s God’s approach.
What’s ours?
Why should I be sexually pure? The typical approach gives me a short list of reasons:
1. Your reputation
2. Sexually transmitted diseases
3. Someone might get pregnant.
There are people in Christian homes who take this approach. “What’s the worst thing that could happen to a girl who’s sexually active? Why, getting pregnant before she finishes school, of course! Or else, getting some disease!” So, we try to prevent those, or else try to fix those if they do happen -- all of that attention, given to those things that could happen, instead of paying any attention to what is going on inside that girl and what is going on between her and God.
We have a totally different reason for moral purity! What’s happening in my relationship with God is more important than anything else!
Notice, also, that this first principle is about having the right God in the right place in life. Egypt, where the Israelites had just lived for 430 years, had plenty of gods. They weren’t lacking for gods in Israel.
Neither are we.
Whatever or whoever sits in the throne in our hearts is god to us. That may be lust, stuff, sports, fun - in other words: self. Whatever we place our trust in, devote our time to, are motivated by, occupy our mind with, is our god.
This principle is foundational. Just like a keystone holds an archway of bricks in place, this command upholds all the other 9:
You could restate #4 by saying, “Don’t let work be your god.” Give God first place
You could restate #6 by saying, “Don’t late hatred be your god.” Give God first place
You could restate #8 and 10 by saying “Don’t let stuff be your god.” Give God first place
Putting God first in your life is the key to godly character.
What is it about God that makes Him deserving of such exclusive devotion?
1. Unchanging – That’s why the principles of the Big 10 remain relevant for us today, even though we’re not seeking to be saved by keeping the Law.
2. Personal – “Your God” the “you” is singular. God repeatedly reminded people that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And when God begins the Big 10 it’s with this reminder – a singular “you.” I am your God, Scott Nelson, Miriam Ramirez, Todd Henning, Edie Hill, Steve Schroeder, Shirley Berg . I am your personal God Who knows you on a personal level.
Ill – I appreciate George Washington, who’s often called the father of our country. I’m amazed at how he survived what he did to become our first president. Still, he doesn’t carry near the weight with me that Sherman Vaughn Nichols carries. My own father, whom I knew personally, who made himself known to me, has a much larger portion of my love and loyalty, because he’s my personal father, not just the father of the country.
As He demands first place in your life, God reminds you: “I am your God.”
3. Deliverer
(20:2) "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
God could rightly expect the devotion of His people because it was He Who rescued them from Egypt – 10 plagues and all. And for the same reason, the appropriateness of God having first place in our lives is in front of us this morning.
Colossians 1:13
he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
The answer to the world’s character crisis is for men and women, boys and girls to give God 1st place in life. That’s the key to a godly character. How we make sure we give Him that place is another story..
II. Putting God First Means Putting Other Things 2nd
When asked Who has first place in your life, all of us know what the right answer is supposed to be.
Ill – I’ve told the story of a 2nd grade SS class. The teacher asked, “OK, what is either brown or gray, has a bushy tail, lives in trees, and gathers nuts for the winter?” A little girl raised her hand, “Well, I think the answer’s Jesus, but it sounds like a squirrel to me!”
Who’s on first in your life? We already know the right answer to that. It’s hard to be honest with ourselves when we already know the right answer. So, here’s another way of applying this first principle: identify what belongs in 2nd place in your life and make sure you keep it 2nd.
Here’s an acrostic to help make sure that God has first place and other things 2nd. It spells FIRST:
F – Focus – what occupies your free-thought time?
What are you focused on those moments when you’re driving, taking a walk, mowing the lawn, cooking a meal?
In the time He was on the earth, Jesus was focused on the Father.
The disciples are coming back out of Sychar to bring Him some lunch. He has been sharing the good news with a woman who needed to hear it. They say, “Aren’t you hungry?” (John 4:34) "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
What are you focused on?
I – Income – what gets first place in your finances?
Perhaps few concrete aspects of our lives would more about who’s first in our lives than our bank account registers. (Matthew 6:21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Take out the bank statement and take a look at where you put the treasure in your life. What is it?
That’s where your heart is.
R – Relationships – Having God in first place will help us put all other relationships in the right order.
1 John 4:20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
-When God is in first place, every other human relationship becomes either people who bring me closer to Him, or people I can bring closer to Him.
S – Security – Where do we turn for security? Where does it come from? The military? A government program? Good health? A spouse? Insurance? A nest egg?
Mt 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. When God’s in first place, security comes from Him.
T – Time – What do we schedule in…and out? The things that get bumped when we get busy are the 2nd place things. What are they?
“Well, we’re supposed to go line dancing that night, but this is important. We’ll make the time for it.”
“I usually wax the dog on Thursdays, but that can wait. This is important.” You have those things.
(You finish this one) “Well, Sunday is church day…”
How’d Jesus make sure that the 1st things got 1st place? He scheduled them ahead of other things.
Luke 4:16 …on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom…
Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Now, run over that list. What’s 2nd place in your life?
Putting God 1st means the other things are kept 2nd.
III. Putting God First is All that Fits
Jesus identified the people who attempt to have God and money share the spot.
Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Have you ever noticed, thrones are made to seat one? In the throne room of your heart, you can’t put 2 masters up on the throne. It doesn’t fit.
Ill - Welcome to sunny Ft. Lauderdale, FL. You’re looking at the parking lot of an International House of Pancakes. The vehicle is a VW Jetta. There’s a lady asleep in the passenger’s seat. The engine is running. When this picture was taken, the driver was jogging up and down FL Rt. 925. The load, estimated to weigh about 3,000 lbs, was loaded by Home Depot. The store owner made the man sign a waiver before they loaded it. In the back seat are 10-80 lb bags of concrete and 6 cases of beer. (There’s a shock!)
Some things just don’t fit! And trying to fit the first place God into 2nd place just doesn’t fit – for 2 reasons:
1. God doesn’t want to be your 2nd best
Exodus 34:14
Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
God is rightfully jealous. It’s hard to picture God, the Creator of all that is, the Lord of Hosts, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, saying, “After you’ve done everything else, it would be nice if you could give me a little attention too.”
Neither has God said, “It’s OK if you date other gods. Just please keep me in your little black book.”
The only place where God fits is first place. He doesn’t want to be your 2nd best.
2. You don’t want God to be your 2nd best
Some of you have decided to put other things ahead of God. You who have put God somewhere down the list of gods in your life, have you really thought this through?
If God isn’t in first place in our sexual choices, neither is He in first place to help when you face rejection and hurt.
If God isn’t in first place in your finances, neither is He your first help when you lose a job or face financial disaster.
If God isn’t in first place when you schedule your week, or plan your life, neither is He in first place when you receive the news that you have 6 months to live.
I don’t want a God who’s in 2nd place! I need a God Who’s on the front line. And there is such a God, Whose voice rang out from Mt. Sinai and can be heard today, saying, “You shall have no other gods before me.”
Conclusion:
What we’re speaking about today isn’t what most people are doing. The Scriptures put it this way:
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
The sign on the highway says Speed Limit 45. You glance down at your speedometer. 46. Don’t you just love cruise control? Then, another car comes whizzing by you doing at least 55. An angry-faced trucker, who has been stuck behind you, finally gets around you. But what about the law? What about that 45 MPH sign?
Laws are just words on books. They’re worthless unless there’s power to back them up. Those same people who were passing you, they’ve suddenly slowed down, and you notice a police car “taking pictures” along the road. That’s the power behind the law. But can you ever think of a time when a law or a policeman ever instilled you with a love for driving the speed limit?
The same is true with God's commands. Fear of punishment or getting caught may check our actions. But it takes a stronger force than that to make us want to obey. That power comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In other words, put God first. That power comes from considering the love of a Savior Who gave His life for you – who bore the punishment for your law-breaking when He didn’t deserve it.
So, don’t leave here today saying you heard a sermon telling you to keep the 10 Commandments. Leave here understanding that the only way to even come close is to begin a real relationship with Jesus Christ.
