Sunday Worship 11.00 am and 6.30 pm Minister: Dr William (Bill) J M Parker
2. God First – Exodus 20:1-3– 31/12/17 (am)
Ten Commandments
Sermon Date: 31 December 2017 (am)
Putting God First – Exodus 20:1-3
Main Teaching Point:
God commands that we should have no other gods before Him.
The prologue to the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-2) is important.
- God spoke
all the words that are about to follow. We must listen!
- God reminded each
Israelite [2nd person singular] of Who He
is (20:2a). He is the LORD (Yahweh, the Self-Existent One), the God (Elohim, the powerful God of creation) of each
Israelite.
- God reminded each Israelite that He had brought them out of slavery (20:2b).
As well as placing the Israelites under obligation, and discouraging ingratitude, God was about to give direction as to how they were to live after
their deliverance!
We must never put Sinai before Exodus! Keeping the Law is never a formula for salvation. We live according to the Law as the result of being redeemed (Romans 6:17-19).
The First Commandment – Its Key Terms
You. The Commandment is addressed to each individual Israelite
… and individuals today.
Gods. Is the First Commandment saying that other deities exist? No. God is dealing with an immature people at their level. In time He would reveal explicitly
that no other gods exist (Isaiah 45:21; 1 Corinthians 8:4).
We have fuller revelation today. There is only one true God … and He has revealed Himself to us in the Bible in Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-3; John 14:9).
Before/besides Me.
This is not suggesting how God should be ranked. The Hebrew, al paniym,
means before my face
or before my presence. Everyone is always
in the presence of God because He is omnipresent.
The First Commandment – Its Meaning
1.
God is a Jealous God
(Exodus 20:5). Some things are not to be shared! A unicycle! Your spouse! God is not willing to share His deity/glory with another … and He demands our devotion.
2.
Because of sin all people have a tendency to make other things more important than God.
If anyone
or anything
claims our primary loyalty that person/thing has become our god, our idol, and we break the First Commandment.
Our hearts are idol-producing factories. You can always tell what your idol is by your reaction when something comes between you and it. Can you identify your idols? Your spouse? Your children? Your possessions? Money? Power? Pleasure? Career? Study? Sport/hobby? Boyfriend? Girlfriend?
God has created worldly things to sweeten our passage into Heaven.
[Richard Sibbes]. But we must guard that these things do not become our gods/idols
(1 John 5:21).
3. Everyone is called to put God first in every area of life. God demands that all His creatures give Him honour, devotion (Matthew 22:37-38). We are to give Jesus priority in every area of our life all the time. We only begin to do that when we come to Him in repentance and faith for salvation.
Conclusion – The Commandment Most Often Broken
The First Commandment is violated more than any other. That is why it is the First Commandment!
Like the other nine it is meant to humble us; to drive us to Christ for salvation, forgiveness, assurance, comfort; then call us to put God first in all things. Has it had such an impact on you?
© Dr Bill Parker 2018