May 28, 2000 Exodus 20:1-3
¡§Numero Uno¡¨
INTRODUCTION
Exodus 20:3 ¡V ¡§You must not have any other gods before or besides me.¡¨ Who would you say of all the persons spoken of in the Bible other than Jesus best lived out this commandment? Who kept God as the Number One ¡V the numero uno ¡V better than anyone else? Job comes to mind as a possibility. Even after he lost all 10 of his kids, all his possessions and was told by his wife to just quit on God and die, Job still worshipped God. Paul would be another candidate. He gave up everything that was important to him and was willing to endure any form and any level of suffering in order that new churches might be started and nurtured. Ruth would be in the running too. She left behind her family, friends, & future in order to serve a God whom she knew nothing about and enter a future that was filled with uncertainties. Or what about Mary, the mother of Jesus. When she was told that she was going to give birth to God¡¦s Son, she could have rebelled. But instead, she welcomed this life-altering privilege into her life. All of these, at one time in their life or another, gave evidence through their actions that God was the supreme focus of their life. He was not only the God of the universe, but He was God in their everyday lives. If we had the time this morning, we could take a look at each of these lives, and see how they showed their undivided commitment to God. But we don¡¦t have that much time, so we¡¦re only going to look at one life ¡V the life of Abraham. And I want us to focus on one single event that happened in Abraham¡¦s life. Abraham lived long before the Ten Commandments were ever given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. But he didn¡¦t need a commandment written in stone to know that God deserves and demands our complete undivided worship and commitment.
Abraham had a son. His name was Isaac which means ¡§laughter¡¨. Laughter had come into A¡¦s life when A. was 100 years old. Many years before, God had promised him a son, and just when Moses was about to give up on the promise, it happened just as God said it would happen. Where disappointment and frustration had filled Abraham and Sarah¡¦s hearts and home, now laughter was heard both from the child and from them. But this blessing of a child became a problem or at least a potential problem in Abraham¡¦s relationship with God. Since they had planned and prayed for this child for so long, now that he was finally here, he became the focus of everything that they did. The very gift that God had given now had the potential for stealing God¡¦s place in Abraham¡¦s life. So God sent a test to Abraham to see who was number one in Abraham¡¦s life ¡V was God #1, or was Isaac #1? This testing of Abraham is recorded in Genesis 22. One day, God came to A. and told him to take Isaac up onto Mt. Moriah and sacrifice him there. God was telling Abraham to kill his only son. At that point, Abraham had to make a choice. Who is more important to me ¡V God or my son? Early the next morning, Abraham got up and prepared everything for the journey to Mt. Moriah. In order for there to be a sacrifice, there had to be wood for the fire. A. got out his ax and chopped wood that would be placed underneath his son and which would be lit with the fire that would consume his son¡¦s body. With every swing of the ax, I imagine that there were a lot of thoughts that were going through his mind. Maybe he thought about the many memories that he and his son had already made and the laughter that Isaac had brought into the family ¡V laughter that would soon be gone. Maybe he thought about how he was going to be able to explain all this to Isaac¡¦s mother and what his devotion to God was going to cost her. One of the thoughts that might have been going through his head that certainly would have been going through mine is this [and this is the first point on your note sheet]:
1. What gives God the right to expect me to give 100% commitment to Him? What gives Him the right to tell me what to do?
That¡¦s the same question that the Israelites were probably asking themselves as God handed down those commandments for the first time. It¡¦s also the same question that most people ask themselves when they are faced with a decision that is going to force them to choose between what looks good for them and what God says is right. Why should I listen to God?
„X Because of who He is ¡§the Lord your God¡¨
The first thing that God did was to identify himself to the Israelites. When you hear the word ¡§Lord¡¨, you probably think of master or boss. But that is not the meaning of the word here. The word that is translated ¡§Lord¡¨ is actually the word ¡§Jehovah¡¨. It is God¡¦s personal name just like Chris is my personal name. The middle word in his description of Himself expresses the fact that He had a relationship with the people. They had chosen to recognize Him as their God when they agreed to follow Moses out of Egypt. There was a relationship there. And then the final word of the designation ¡§God¡¨. The one who created the universe. The one who had created them. The one they would one day stand before as their Judge. God was God no matter whether they chose to declare their allegiance to Him or not. The same is true in our lives. God is going to be God no matter what, but He is only going to be your God by your choice. He won¡¦t force Himself on you during this life. But since He is God, you will have to account for how well you followed the commandments that He laid down. God declared His name, the relationship that He had with them and His place in the universe. It would be much like me saying to Tammy, ¡§I am Chris, your husband¡¨. ¡§I am Ben your son; I am Terry your neighbor; Bob your employee; Kristen your friend.¡¨
As many of you know, Ernie likes to go golfing. Let¡¦s say that there was a day that Ernie couldn¡¦t get any of his buddies to go golfing with him, so he decided to go to the course and allow them to pair him up with someone. When the time came, his appointed partner walked up to him and said, ¡§Hi, I¡¦m Andy Woodring your gold partner.¡¨ That would mean nothing to Ernie because Ernie has no idea of who A.W. is. He was one of my buddies in middle school. If A.W. gave him advice about whether Ernie should use and iron or a wood, Ernie would have no idea about whether or not to listen to my friend. He¡¦s an unproven resource. But now let¡¦s say Ernie got a different partner. This time, his new partner walked up to him and said, ¡§Hi, I¡¦m Tiger Woods your golf partner for today.¡¨ Would Ernie be wise to listen to what Tiger tells him to do while he is out on the golf course? He would be pretty stupid not to listen.
When we refuse to listen to what God tells us to do, we are being stupid too. He¡¦s God after all. He made us. He knows what makes us tick. He knows the future which means He knows the outcome of every decision that we might make. And this God who knows us so well is the same God that wants a deep and intimate relationship with us. Listen to Him because of who He is.
„X Because of what He¡¦s done ¡§who brought . . . slavery¡¨
It is far too easy when we face the struggles and problems of today to forget God¡¦s provision in our lives just yesterday. That¡¦s what the Israelites did. Soon after crossing the Red Sea, they ran out of water and began to complain against Moses and God. They had already forgotten how God had provided rescue for them from the taskmasters of Egypt. They were just concentrating on the moment. Didn¡¦t they understand that the God who had parted the waters and had turned the water into blood could also provide water for them in the desert? And because of that provision of God for them, they owed everything to Him. They owed their lives, their future and their willing obedience. They had not gotten out of Egypt through their own efforts. The whole thing from beginning to end was a work of God. They were eternally indebted to Him. They owed God their obedience.
Do you know that we have been set free too? (Rom 6:22 ¡V23 NIV) But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:2-3 NIV) . . . through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. . . We didn¡¦t earn our release from the law of sin and death. It was all a work of God. We owe Him everything. That includes our 100% obedience each and every day of our lives. Have you forgotten where you were headed before Jesus got a hold of your life?
„X Because the alternatives don¡¦t measure up ¡§no other gods¡¨
When the Israelites lived in Egypt, there was a multitude of gods that they could choose from. There were gods of water, gods of earth, gods of fertility, gods of the sun, moon and planets. If you didn¡¦t like the requirements of one god, no problem. You just substitute in a different one until you find one that agrees with everything that you are doing or desire to do. The problem with all these gods and all the things that can become gods in our own lives is that they don¡¦t measure up to the power and certainly not the love of the God who sent His Son to die for us. When God destroyed Egypt through the plagues, He showed the powerlessness of all the other fake gods. He turned the Nile to blood and showed the god of the Nile to be a fake. He turned the sun to darkness and showed the sun god to be impotent. He brought about the death of all the firstborn and showed the god of fertility had no control over life. Whatever god you may be serving now, it cannot provide what you really need. It cannot even protect itself.
The lamb was desperate. A huge wolf was on its heels and rapidly gaining ground. Seeing a temple nearby, the lamb made a quick decision and dashed through a narrow opening in the wall. The wolf, smiling a wicked smile, said, "You might as well come out; the priest will slay you if he catches you in there." The lamb thought for a moment and then replied, "I choose to stay here. It is better to be sacrificed to God than to be devoured by you." - Mark Sutton, "Sermon Illustrations" Proclaim, (January-March, 1997), 19
TRANSITION Abraham knew who God was, He knew what God had done for him, and he knew that all the alternatives that he could put in the place that God was supposed to have in his life would eventually let him down and be a poor substitute for God. Because He knew all those things, He knew that God had the right to tell him what to do, and his responsibility was not to try and reason out God¡¦s command but simply to obey. So he saddled the donkey with the provisions for the journey and the necessary supplies for the burnt offering, he chose two servants to go with him, he watched as his son kissed his mother goodbye knowing that if all went as planned, this would be the last time that mother and son ever embraced, and they headed off on their journey. God didn¡¦t make it very easy on Abraham. The place that God had chosen for the sacrifice was 3 days¡¦ journey distant. (vs. 4) There wasn¡¦t a lot to do on their journey except think and talk. Isaac probably noticed that his dad was unusually quiet and seemed to have a lot on his mind. He knew that when dad was like this, the best thing was to just leave him alone and let him figure out whatever it was that was troubling him. Abraham did have a lot on his mind. Every time he looked at his son, he pictured the moment that he would plunge a knife into his son and then set fire to his body. Yes, he had committed himself to this obedient course of action, but still, three days is a long time to consider the options. It was easy to rationalize reasons why he should not make this commitment to God, even as people today rationalize reasons why they can back out of commitments that they have made to God or can refuse to ever enter into those commitments.
2. Why don¡¦t people give their 100% commitment to God?
A wife who is 85% faithful to her husband is not faithful at all. There is no such thing as part-time loyalty to Jesus Christ. There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results. Today, Christianity seems to be less a matter of commitment and more a matter of convenience.
„Ï X Fear of being used, taken advantage of or of being unappreciated
I suppose that¡¦s one of the major reasons that couples are hesitant to make that marriage commitment to one another. They are afraid that once they commit, then their spouse will not work on the relationship like it was when they were just dating. This is also one of the major reasons that marriages fall apart or become far less than they could be. Once we¡¦ve got that ring on their finger, we figure we don¡¦t have to impress them anymore, and we figure that we can treat them however we want. Let me caution you husbands. Don¡¦t use your wife ¡V love her. Let me caution you wives. Don¡¦t be unappreciative to your husband ¡V let him know how much he means to you.
„Ï X Not worth committing to
If you¡¦re like me, your time is valuable. You only put your time where you can see that something of significance is being accomplished. Every time that I am in the hospital visiting someone who is having tests or has been admitted, I have to go to an information table to find out where those persons are. That information center is staffed by volunteers. Throughout the hospital, there are volunteers everywhere. They give countless hours. Why? Because they feel that the cause they are serving is worth the sacrifice. That¡¦s the same reason that people give their time, energy and resources to organizations like Habitat for Humanity, the Red Cross, little league baseball teams, their schools ¡V they see something being accomplished. There is a result to their efforts. People are helped. Lives are shaped, changed and made better. But although these organizations have been used to change lives, they are limited in the lasting effects of those changes. Whatever changes they have fostered will end at that person¡¦s death. There is only one organization that can effect eternal change in a person¡¦s life. That is the church as it spreads God¡¦s Word to people. Is it worth it to commit yourselves to this church as it is an instrument of God? Do you see people being changed here? Have you been changed as a result of this church¡¦s ministry? We could affect even more lives if you were willing to commit yourself 100% to God and His work within this church. Is it worth the cost of commitment to see people released from their sins and living in right relationship with God? What do you think?
„Ï X Too high a cost
Rev. L. B. Williams, in his book on "Holiness Illustrations," relates the following: "A young man who was desperately in love with a young lady, wrote her that he would be willing to endure the cold of the frigid zone, or cross the burning sands of the desert, or climb the highest mountains, or swim the ocean, just to be in her charming presence." Then he closed his letter by saying, "And I will see you Wednesday night if it does not rain!" How many people love the Lord devotedly, and will be at prayer meeting and do many things if perfectly convenient. By William Moses Tidwell, "Effective Illustrations." The men and women that we honor today because of their commitment to us and this nation ¡V ask them. Was the cost too high? The men and women that are losing their lives today because of their faith and their unwillingness to deny Jesus ¡V ask them. Is the cost too high?
„Ï X Over-committed already
If your commitment to other things prevents you from being committed to what is really important in your life ¡V God, family, and church ¡V then you are too committed. You need to let go of some things. Find out what is really important, and let the rest go. You haven¡¦t got time or energy to get involved in everything that you would like to do or even everything that is worthwhile to do.
„Ï X Not able to live up to the commitment
Can I give you a word of insight ¡V the only one who has ever lived up the commitment that He made was Jesus, and He was God. Peter made a commitment to Jesus. He said, ¡§Though all may run away from you, I will stand and fight with you!¡¨ He didn¡¦t follow through, but God still used him to preach a sermon which led to the salvation of 5000+ people and write a portion of the Bible to stand for all eternity! I¡¦m not able to live up to the commitment that I made to my wife ¡V to love her and put her above myself at all times. But I still made the commitment and attempt to keep it. Where I fail, I seek her forgiveness, and we move on. You can¡¦t let your own tendency to sin prevent you from making a commitment to God either. He knows you¡¦re going to fail. But He wants you anyway!
„Ï X Don¡¦t see the need / benefits
„Ï X Don¡¦t want to be tied down
¡§Commitment is viewed negatively because it limits our ability to feel independent and free, to experience new things, to change our minds on the spur of the moment and to focus on self-gradification rather than helping others. People willingly make commitments only when the expected outcome exceeds what they must sacrifice as a result of that commitment.¡¨ - George Barna, The Frog in the Kettle, (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1990), 35.
„Ï X Don¡¦t want to be obligated
The conductor of the community orchestra was almost out of his mind. At every single rehearsal, there had been at least one member who had been missing. Planning for a well organized concert was almost impossible. At the last rehearsal, he called for attention and said, "I would like to thank the first violinist for being the only member of the orchestra to attend every rehearsal." The violinist smiled shyly and humbly said to the conductor, "Well, it seemed the least I could do since I won’t be at the concert tonight."
„Ï X Fear of being let down / hurt
TRANSITION For three days now, Abraham had been wrestling with the performance of the action that he had been commanded to do. In spite of his fears and his love for his son, he couldn¡¦t get over one simple fact ¡V the son whom he loved so much was a gift from the God who had given him life. He could not sin against God by worshipping the gift rather than worshipping the One who had given the gift. Abraham was resolved that he was going to follow through on his commitment no matter what. There was one more time that he almost lost it though. His son had been pondering something for three days now, and he could not keep the question to himself any longer. He said, ¡§Dad, we¡¦ve got the wood, and we¡¦ve got the fire, but where is the sacrifice?¡¨ How would you have reacted if your son asked you that question knowing that you were getting ready to sacrifice him? I can see Abraham stop for a minute, get that thoughtful pained look on his face, and respond to his son, ¡§God himself will provide a lamb¡¨ even as tears welled up in his eyes.
The moment of the sacrifice drew ever closer with each step that they took up the mountain. Abraham had to be wondering if he would have the courage and the commitment to actually plunge the knife into his son. He wouldn¡¦t know until that point where his true allegiance lay. Was he totally 100% committed to God, or had some of that commitment been transferred to his son? How could he know? How can any of us know if we are 100% committed to God?
3. How do you test your commitment to God to see if He is #1 in your life?
„Ï X God¡¦s desires and directives are the #1 influence in your decisions
(Rom 12:1-2 NIV) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Someone has defined a ¡§god¡¨ as this: ¡§Something is a god, an object of worship, when it becomes the source of our self-worth and the ultimate consideration in decision-making¡¨ [Where is Moses when we need him? Peel, p. 47] In other words, when you allow something to be the main factor around which all your decisions are based, it has become a god to you. If that is an accurate definition, then think of all the gods in your life ¡V the TV Guide, your boss, your kids, money, your own personal pleasure, sleep, fear, your past, and you could go on and on and on. Whatever factor most controls your life has become your god. If I make all my decisions based on how they are going to affect me financially, then money has become my god. If I base all my decisions on how they will affect my kids, then my kids have become my god. But if I base all my decisions on how they will affect my relationship to God and my obedience to Him, then He is truly #1.
„Ï X God¡¦s pleasure is the #1 goal of all you do
(Psa 19:14 NIV) May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. I like to make my wife happy. I like to please her. You know the old saying: ¡§When momma isn¡¦t happy, no one is happy¡¨. I like to please my kids. It makes them say things like, ¡§You¡¦re the best daddy in the world.¡¨ I like to hear things like that. How important is it to me though to make sure that what comes out of my mouth, what I do with my body, and what thoughts are going through my head are pleasing to my God? Is God the person that I am trying the hardest to please with my life?
„Ï X God¡¦s reputation is the #1 protection of your life
(1 Cor 10:31 NIV) So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. We have been made in the image of God. When people look at us, what kind of image do we represent? Everything that we do, and every part of our life in one way or another reflects on the God who made us. My goal in how I treat my wife and kids, how I take care of my cars and house, how I present myself personally is not to protect my reputation and make me look good. My goal should be to make God look good to people who need to see Him.
„Ï X God¡¦s presence is the #1 desire of your day
(Exo 33:14-15 NIV) The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. (Psa 73:25 NIV) Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
There is an ancient tale from India about a young man who was seeking God. He went to a wise old sage for help. "How can I find God?" he asked the old man. The old man took him to a nearby river. Out they waded into the deep water. Soon the water was up just under their chins. Suddenly the old man seized the young man by the neck and pushed him under the water. He held the young man down until the young man was flailing the water in desperation. Another minute and he may well have drowned. Up out of the water the two of them came. The young man was coughing water from his lungs and still gasping for air. Reaching the bank he asked the man indignantly, "What did that have to do with my finding God?" The old man asked him quietly, "While you were under the water, what did you want more than anything else?" The young man thought for a minute and then answered, "I wanted air. I wanted air more than anything else?" The old man replied, "When you want God as much as you wanted air, you will find him." Do you desire God¡¦s presence more than you desire the presence of air and water? Do you desire His presence more than you desire the presence of your wife and kids?
„Ï X God¡¦s kingdom is the #1 building project on your to do list
Every morning, I faithfully fill out my ¡§to do¡¨ list for the day ¡V things that I would like to accomplish in that day. I rarely ever get all the things done that I had planned. And when I look at all those things that I haven¡¦t been able to complete, I am tempted to feel like I haven¡¦t accomplished much in the day. And then there are other miracle days that I am able to check off everything on my list. Those days, I feel really great about. Those are miracle days. But the real determinant on whether or not my day has been successful and on whether I should feel good about the day is whether or not I accomplished anything that day that furthered God¡¦s kingdom. Did I share my faith with someone today? Did I grow in my own relationship with the Lord? Did I do study work or counseling that will help someone in their growth? Did I encourage another Christian to not give up and enable them to deal with some trial that they are facing?
(Mat 6:10 NIV) your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Mat 6:33 NIV) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
When Dr. David Livingstone was working in Africa, a group of friends wrote him: "We would like to send other men to you. Have you found a good road into your area yet?" According to a member of his family, Dr. Livingstone sent this message in reply: "If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."
TRANSITION When the time came for Abraham to sacrifice his son, he proved true to his commitment and would have followed through. But at the last possible moment, God told him that he had passed the test. Abraham proved his 100% commitment to God by his willingness to sacrifice that which was most important to him ¡V his son ¡V if that¡¦s what God required of him. Abraham and Isaac came down from that mountain in a totally different spirit than they had ascended it. No longer was everything all somber. They had passed the test, & God had granted Abraham¡¦s greatest desire. The journey home was much different than the journey there. Abraham wasn¡¦t quiet and thoughtful anymore ¡V he was in a party mood. When they arrived home, and Sarah saw her son, her only son running toward their tent as if nothing had happened, Sarah grabbed him and held onto him as if she would never let her go. She had wept tears of suffering for 6 days, but now she wept tears of joy. As much as everyone rejoiced in the fact that Abraham had passed the test, the battle was not over. Just because he was 100% committed on one day does not mean that he would be on the next or at some other period in his life. How could he work to be sure that he would pass the test the next time that it came around? Even though you may be 100% committed to God right now, how can you work to be sure that the same will be true tomorrow?
4. How do you keep God as #1 in your life?
„X Revel in God ¡V Psalm 89:6-18 or any of the Psalms
„X Remember what God has done
„X Recognize the competition ¡V Keep up your guard. Constantly check to see why you¡¦re doing what you¡¦re doing. Is it to please God, or to please someone else?
TRANSITION Abraham came home with his son that day, and he was happy. He knew that he had passed God¡¦s test. He was 100% committed to God. There was nothing in his life ¡V not even his relationship with his son - that was more important to him than his relationship to God. But there was another time that a similar test was given to discover the level of commitment that another potential disciple of Jesus¡¦ had. I read the account of the incident to you a little earlier this morning. A man came to Jesus one day and asked him what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus responded a little bit differently than what you might expect because He began naming off some of the 10 Commandments as if to say that keeping the commandments could get him a place in heaven. The young man was overjoyed when he heard the requirements, for, as far as he was concerned, he had kept all of the commandments from the time that he was a little boy. But then Jesus threw a monkey-wrench into this man¡¦s way of thinking. He told him that he needed to do one more thing. He needed to go and sell all that he had, and he was a very rich man, and then he needed to come and follow Jesus. Now it sounds like Jesus is telling him and us that in order to be in right relationship with God, we have to sell everything & take a vow of poverty. That¡¦s not what Jesus is saying. Jesus is giving him the same test that the Father gave to Abraham. He¡¦s saying something like this, ¡§Young man, you claim to have kept all the commandments since you were a little boy. Fine, let¡¦s do a little test. The first commandment is ¡¥Thou shalt have no other gods before me¡¦. Let¡¦s see who your god is ¡V is it the Creator of the universe, or is it your money?¡¨ When faced with a test of where his commitment actually rested, the young man failed the test. And the Bible says, ¡§He went away sad.¡¨ Isn¡¦t that interesting. The one who was willing to commit that which was most important to him went home rejoicing, and the one who wasn¡¦t willing to commit everything to God went home sad.
CONCLUSION
Now, what does this all mean for you and me? The question for you is ¡§Is there anything in your life that you have committed yourself to that is preventing you from giving your 100% commitment to the Lord, your God? Have you forgotten all that He has done for you, how he rescued you from the slavery to sin and death that you were under? Have you substituted a fake, powerless god in His place?¡¨ How deep is your commitment to God? He will accept nothing less than 100%.
