1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:04,720 I’d like you to open your Bibles at Exodus and Chapter 20. 2 00:00:04,720 –> 00:00:08,660 Over these next weeks we’re going to be looking at the 10 commandments that really 3 00:00:08,660 –> 00:00:16,040 describe and lay out the 10 greatest struggles of our lives. 4 00:00:16,040 –> 00:00:22,320 God knows you, God understands you, and so it shouldn’t surprise us that when God 5 00:00:22,320 –> 00:00:28,400 speaks about these greatest issues in our lives, he targets his words to the issues 6 00:00:28,580 –> 00:00:31,379 that will frame our Christian lives. 7 00:00:31,379 –> 00:00:36,220 These 10 issues that we’re going to look at really are the areas where the Christian life 8 00:00:36,220 –> 00:00:43,220 will be worked out, where all the key decisions of your life and mine are going to be made. 9 00:00:43,820 –> 00:00:46,720 And this morning we’re coming to the first commandment. 10 00:00:46,720 –> 00:00:52,520 Let’s look at it together, Exodus Chapter 20 verses 1 to 3. 11 00:00:52,520 –> 00:00:56,720 God spoke all these words. 12 00:00:56,720 –> 00:01:03,720 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 13 00:01:04,919 –> 00:01:10,040 You shall have no other gods before me. 14 00:01:10,040 –> 00:01:16,980 I want to suggest to you this morning that the greatest struggle of your life and mine 15 00:01:16,980 –> 00:01:23,279 is simply this, our struggle to let God be God. 16 00:01:24,059 –> 00:01:31,160 It’s very significant that before giving the Ten Commandments, God introduces himself. 17 00:01:31,160 –> 00:01:37,339 And so it’s only appropriate that before we launch into the Commandments we actually meet 18 00:01:37,339 –> 00:01:38,220 the commander. 19 00:01:38,220 –> 00:01:44,279 I am the Lord your God, He says, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 20 00:01:44,279 –> 00:01:48,879 This reminds us that the Ten Commandments are intensely personal. 21 00:01:49,699 –> 00:01:54,419 It’s this God, the only God, He’s speaking to you. 22 00:01:54,419 –> 00:01:57,720 And when He says, You’re our God, it’s singular, not plural. 23 00:01:57,720 –> 00:02:01,739 It’s a face-to-face encounter. 24 00:02:01,739 –> 00:02:05,080 I am the Lord your God. 25 00:02:05,080 –> 00:02:11,580 It’s so personal, a different God would have given different Commandments. 26 00:02:11,580 –> 00:02:17,539 So it does make sense that we meet the commander before we look at what he has to say to us. 27 00:02:17,660 –> 00:02:20,600 Now this is particularly important for our country at this time 28 00:02:20,600 –> 00:02:22,080 because you don’t need me to tell you 29 00:02:22,080 –> 00:02:25,580 that one of the greatest debates that’s going on in America today 30 00:02:25,580 –> 00:02:28,559 is the debate over values. 31 00:02:28,559 –> 00:02:32,279 There are discussions about values going on almost everywhere that you look. 32 00:02:32,279 –> 00:02:35,360 There’s discussions about values in schools, in churches, 33 00:02:35,360 –> 00:02:36,740 in politics, in business. 34 00:02:36,740 –> 00:02:38,279 What are your values? 35 00:02:38,279 –> 00:02:42,160 The discussion goes on everywhere. 36 00:02:42,160 –> 00:02:45,720 Where do you get your values? 37 00:02:45,720 –> 00:02:48,639 How would a person know which were the right values 38 00:02:48,639 –> 00:02:50,199 and which were the wrong values? 39 00:02:50,199 –> 00:02:54,279 Or is it only a matter of personal choice? 40 00:02:54,279 –> 00:02:56,720 And if it’s only a matter of personal choice, 41 00:02:56,720 –> 00:03:02,100 what about the values of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, or Al Qaeda? 42 00:03:02,100 –> 00:03:06,059 They have values too. 43 00:03:06,059 –> 00:03:10,940 Values come from somewhere. 44 00:03:10,940 –> 00:03:13,580 And the first thing that we need to grasp about the Ten Commandments 45 00:03:13,820 –> 00:03:17,539 is that they are a reflection of the character of God. 46 00:03:17,539 –> 00:03:22,899 That’s why He introduces Himself before He tells us what He wants us to hear. 47 00:03:22,899 –> 00:03:27,699 And, of course, that is precisely why there is so much controversy in our country today 48 00:03:27,699 –> 00:03:31,559 over the display of the Ten Commandments in public. 49 00:03:31,559 –> 00:03:35,419 The objection that the secularists have to the Ten Commandments 50 00:03:35,419 –> 00:03:37,940 being displayed in public is simply this, 51 00:03:37,940 –> 00:03:41,300 that they are specifically tied to the God of the Bible. 52 00:03:42,279 –> 00:03:47,220 I have to say that the secularists are absolutely right in saying that. 53 00:03:47,220 –> 00:03:50,419 They are tied to the God of the Bible. 54 00:03:50,419 –> 00:03:56,139 They come from Him and they are directly a reflection of His nature. 55 00:03:56,139 –> 00:03:59,639 God says this is who I am, 56 00:03:59,639 –> 00:04:01,960 and because this is who I am, 57 00:04:01,960 –> 00:04:06,139 this is the life that I am calling you to lead. 58 00:04:06,960 –> 00:04:13,639 So the God you worship will shape the values that you hold 59 00:04:13,639 –> 00:04:17,839 and the values that you hold will, in turn, 60 00:04:17,839 –> 00:04:20,640 shape the lifestyle that you pursue. 61 00:04:20,640 –> 00:04:22,359 There’s no separating these things. 62 00:04:22,359 –> 00:04:24,519 God values lifestyle. 63 00:04:24,519 –> 00:04:27,220 They are integrally connected. 64 00:04:27,220 –> 00:04:31,279 Of course, the common values that shaped the foundation of 65 00:04:31,279 –> 00:04:37,399 this country arose from a consensus about God. 66 00:04:37,399 –> 00:04:39,720 And the problem that we’re facing now, of course, 67 00:04:39,720 –> 00:04:43,540 is that when you lose a consensus about who God is, 68 00:04:43,540 –> 00:04:50,760 you therefore lose a consensus about what the values are. 69 00:04:50,760 –> 00:04:53,399 And of course, when the God of the Bible doesn’t fit with 70 00:04:53,399 –> 00:04:58,480 where we want to go, we end up with a society desperately 71 00:04:58,480 –> 00:05:02,880 looking to find another God who can give us different values 72 00:05:02,880 –> 00:05:05,480 and therefore accommodate a different kind of lifestyle. 73 00:05:05,480 –> 00:05:07,279 That’s why so many folks don’t want 74 00:05:07,279 –> 00:05:10,519 the Ten Commandments in public. 75 00:05:10,519 –> 00:05:12,339 If you choose a different lifestyle, 76 00:05:12,339 –> 00:05:16,019 you need to find a different God. 77 00:05:16,019 –> 00:05:23,519 If a country chooses to abort 40 million babies, 78 00:05:23,519 –> 00:05:25,859 it’s going to have to find another god. 79 00:05:25,859 –> 00:05:31,279 This god won’t accommodate that. 80 00:05:31,279 –> 00:05:37,940 If a country wants to pursue the line of 81 00:05:37,940 –> 00:05:39,760 marriage of folks in the same gender, 82 00:05:39,760 –> 00:05:45,500 it has to find another god. 83 00:05:45,500 –> 00:05:48,619 So the search is on in our country to find new gods 84 00:05:48,619 –> 00:05:53,660 who will reflect different values and our own choices. 85 00:05:56,239 –> 00:05:59,140 Now the fascinating thing to me is that 86 00:05:59,140 –> 00:06:00,859 when you think about it, you’ll soon realize 87 00:06:00,859 –> 00:06:06,279 that this reshaping of God, this refiguring 88 00:06:06,279 –> 00:06:09,320 of God, to suit a different agenda, 89 00:06:09,320 –> 00:06:12,660 goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. 90 00:06:12,660 –> 00:06:15,480 You remember that God had given just one commandment, 91 00:06:15,480 –> 00:06:17,380 Don’t touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, 92 00:06:17,420 –> 00:06:20,880 and Satan came in to the first man and the first woman 93 00:06:20,880 –> 00:06:24,320 in the Garden and began to suggest that God’s commandment 94 00:06:24,320 –> 00:06:25,660 was far too restrictive. 95 00:06:25,660 –> 00:06:27,540 His aim was simple, he wanted them to make 96 00:06:27,540 –> 00:06:31,059 a different choice, and in order to change 97 00:06:31,059 –> 00:06:33,339 the way which the man and woman would behave, 98 00:06:33,339 –> 00:06:36,739 he had to undermine what the man and woman believed. 99 00:06:38,040 –> 00:06:39,459 And so he goes about it. 100 00:06:39,459 –> 00:06:44,459 Did God really say you shall not eat of this tree? 101 00:06:45,239 –> 00:06:50,239 I mean, how can anyone in the 21st century 102 00:06:50,540 –> 00:06:54,359 really be sure about what God has said? 103 00:06:56,119 –> 00:06:59,959 You shall not surely die, he said in the Garden. 104 00:06:59,959 –> 00:07:02,339 You know, this idea that there are consequences 105 00:07:02,339 –> 00:07:04,720 that come from moral disobedience, 106 00:07:04,720 –> 00:07:07,500 this is greatly exaggerated. 107 00:07:07,500 –> 00:07:10,859 This is a power play to repress some people 108 00:07:10,859 –> 00:07:14,160 to cause them to conform to other people’s ideas. 109 00:07:16,059 –> 00:07:18,059 And then he says you shall be like God. 110 00:07:20,100 –> 00:07:22,459 You can be the Lord of your own life. 111 00:07:23,299 –> 00:07:26,299 You can decide what’s right and wrong for yourself, 112 00:07:26,299 –> 00:07:27,899 you can have the knowledge of good and evil, 113 00:07:27,899 –> 00:07:29,779 you can be in the position of being the one 114 00:07:29,779 –> 00:07:32,299 who decides what’s right for you. 115 00:07:32,299 –> 00:07:34,739 This goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. 116 00:07:36,380 –> 00:07:40,600 So they become confused about who God is. 117 00:07:40,619 –> 00:07:43,880 Then they attempt to put themselves in the place of God 118 00:07:45,119 –> 00:07:46,720 and when they do that they necessarily 119 00:07:46,720 –> 00:07:48,239 turn away from the creator 120 00:07:48,239 –> 00:07:50,760 and sin with all its disastrous consequences 121 00:07:50,760 –> 00:07:52,320 then comes into the world. 122 00:07:52,320 –> 00:07:54,459 So although they did not have the First Commandment 123 00:07:54,459 –> 00:07:57,519 obviously, in this form, I’m suggesting to you 124 00:07:57,519 –> 00:08:00,079 that Adam and Eve’s biggest struggle 125 00:08:01,459 –> 00:08:04,459 was with what we have right here in the First Commandment. 126 00:08:06,119 –> 00:08:07,500 It’s the struggle with God. 127 00:08:08,420 –> 00:08:11,839 And anyone who knows anything about religious history 128 00:08:11,839 –> 00:08:13,779 and the history of the world, indeed, 129 00:08:13,779 –> 00:08:16,760 anyone who has studied sociology, comparative religion, 130 00:08:16,760 –> 00:08:19,859 you will know that the history of the human race 131 00:08:19,859 –> 00:08:23,320 is just strewn with different gods. 132 00:08:23,320 –> 00:08:25,640 You can study the gods of the Egyptians, 133 00:08:25,640 –> 00:08:29,260 of the Babylonians, Baal and Nebo of the Philistines, 134 00:08:29,260 –> 00:08:33,200 Baal and Dagan, a history of gods 135 00:08:33,840 –> 00:08:36,479 that have been invented by culture 136 00:08:38,340 –> 00:08:42,400 in order to accommodate lifestyle. 137 00:08:44,239 –> 00:08:46,719 And as we move into more modern times, 138 00:08:46,719 –> 00:08:51,039 you have communism placing the state in the position of God, 139 00:08:51,039 –> 00:08:54,760 you have capitalism placing money in the position of God, 140 00:08:54,760 –> 00:08:59,119 you have hedonism placing pleasure in the position of God. 141 00:09:00,320 –> 00:09:03,700 The world is a marketplace of gods. 142 00:09:04,659 –> 00:09:07,679 So the question is why should we go for this God? 143 00:09:09,239 –> 00:09:10,059 Why? 144 00:09:11,299 –> 00:09:14,239 Why should we listen to what he says? 145 00:09:16,359 –> 00:09:18,359 I want to give you two answers that we find right here 146 00:09:18,359 –> 00:09:20,140 in the verses that are before us. 147 00:09:21,159 –> 00:09:22,640 Why do we follow this God? 148 00:09:23,520 –> 00:09:25,960 Why should we listen to and obey what he says? 149 00:09:27,400 –> 00:09:30,479 Number one, because he is God. 150 00:09:30,479 –> 00:09:32,539 Because he’s God. 151 00:09:32,559 –> 00:09:37,559 I am the Lord, your God. 152 00:09:37,820 –> 00:09:40,299 Now remember that God had already introduced himself 153 00:09:40,299 –> 00:09:42,799 to Moses at this same mountain earlier, 154 00:09:42,799 –> 00:09:44,700 so I expect, because there had already 155 00:09:44,700 –> 00:09:46,799 been the encounter with the burning bush, 156 00:09:46,799 –> 00:09:49,880 Moses must have had a sense of deja vu 157 00:09:49,880 –> 00:09:51,479 of coming back to this mountain 158 00:09:51,479 –> 00:09:53,700 where he had his original encounter with God, 159 00:09:53,700 –> 00:09:54,960 and the only difference, of course, 160 00:09:54,960 –> 00:09:58,020 is now he has two million people standing around him. 161 00:09:58,859 –> 00:10:02,239 God said in Exodus three and verse 14, 162 00:10:02,239 –> 00:10:05,380 I am who I am. 163 00:10:06,559 –> 00:10:08,960 I am who I am. 164 00:10:10,900 –> 00:10:14,140 Now the original Hebrew 165 00:10:15,700 –> 00:10:18,940 gave that in just one word, with four letters, 166 00:10:18,940 –> 00:10:23,419 the letters Y-H-W-H. 167 00:10:24,460 –> 00:10:25,820 It’s hard to be certain about 168 00:10:25,859 –> 00:10:28,500 how this was pronounced, this name, 169 00:10:28,500 –> 00:10:30,940 because the Hebrew text of the Old Testament 170 00:10:30,940 –> 00:10:34,419 was preserved without the vowels, 171 00:10:34,419 –> 00:10:36,419 and how do you know how to pronounce something 172 00:10:36,419 –> 00:10:38,559 if you’re not sure about the vowels? 173 00:10:39,619 –> 00:10:43,840 If you add vowels to the letters Y-H-W-H, 174 00:10:43,840 –> 00:10:46,900 you could get something like Yehoah, 175 00:10:46,900 –> 00:10:50,859 or if you angularize that, you would get Jehova, 176 00:10:50,859 –> 00:10:53,020 which is where we get that particular name 177 00:10:53,020 –> 00:10:55,739 in the authorized-version translation of the Bible. 178 00:10:55,760 –> 00:10:58,820 Jehovah, but most scholars think today 179 00:10:58,820 –> 00:11:02,119 that in fact the name should be pronounced Yahweh, 180 00:11:03,919 –> 00:11:07,460 with just the two vowels added to the four letters. 181 00:11:07,460 –> 00:11:10,000 This is the name by which God made himself 182 00:11:10,000 –> 00:11:11,500 known to his people. 183 00:11:11,500 –> 00:11:13,719 It is the name that he announced to Moses 184 00:11:13,719 –> 00:11:16,099 from the burning bush and it is the name 185 00:11:16,099 –> 00:11:18,619 specifically that he uses here 186 00:11:18,619 –> 00:11:20,599 at the beginning of the Ten Commandments 187 00:11:20,599 –> 00:11:23,440 as he introduces himself to his own people. 188 00:11:23,440 –> 00:11:25,640 You always know when it’s this name 189 00:11:25,640 –> 00:11:28,440 that’s being used, because in your English Bible 190 00:11:28,440 –> 00:11:30,380 if you look very carefully, you’ll see there 191 00:11:30,380 –> 00:11:35,380 that the word Lord is printed with four capital letters. 192 00:11:36,340 –> 00:11:38,739 Now it’s not always like that in the Old Testament 193 00:11:38,739 –> 00:11:41,140 but whenever you see the word Lord 194 00:11:41,140 –> 00:11:44,960 in your English Bible printed with four capital letters, 195 00:11:44,960 –> 00:11:48,419 it is translating this particular name Yahweh 196 00:11:49,280 –> 00:11:52,419 which means I am who I am. 197 00:11:52,419 –> 00:11:54,900 It’s the name by which God made himself 198 00:11:54,960 –> 00:11:57,559 and into Moses from the burning bush. 199 00:11:57,559 –> 00:12:01,059 So coming back now to Exodus as God is introducing himself, 200 00:12:01,059 –> 00:12:04,640 he’s saying, I am the Lord your God. 201 00:12:04,640 –> 00:12:08,340 I am Yahweh, your God. 202 00:12:08,340 –> 00:12:13,340 Or to translate it right through, I am the I am your God. 203 00:12:16,500 –> 00:12:17,400 You say, OK, I’ve got that. 204 00:12:17,400 –> 00:12:18,739 It sounded a little technical. 205 00:12:18,739 –> 00:12:20,099 Why is it important? 206 00:12:20,099 –> 00:12:20,919 Here’s why. 207 00:12:21,880 –> 00:12:26,099 Yahweh is who he is. 208 00:12:27,520 –> 00:12:30,840 God is who he is. 209 00:12:31,979 –> 00:12:35,239 He’s not whoever you or I might want him to be. 210 00:12:36,559 –> 00:12:39,520 He is not the product of some ancient culture. 211 00:12:39,520 –> 00:12:42,619 He wasn’t thought up by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 212 00:12:45,340 –> 00:12:48,219 He’s not a reflection of the ideas of Moses. 213 00:12:49,179 –> 00:12:52,659 He is the creator and the sustainer of all things, 214 00:12:52,659 –> 00:12:56,780 he is the unchanging self existing God. 215 00:12:56,780 –> 00:13:00,820 He is dependent on no one, and he is obligated to no one. 216 00:13:03,479 –> 00:13:05,099 That’s the point about the burning bush. 217 00:13:05,099 –> 00:13:08,140 The fire does not depend on the bush for its life. 218 00:13:08,140 –> 00:13:10,340 It goes on burning and the bush is not consumed. 219 00:13:10,340 –> 00:13:13,299 It is a self existing fire. 220 00:13:13,299 –> 00:13:15,299 That’s how God is making himself known. 221 00:13:15,299 –> 00:13:17,760 He’s saying, I don’t depend on anybody. 222 00:13:18,700 –> 00:13:23,020 Belle, and Neebo, and Bale, and Deighan, 223 00:13:23,020 –> 00:13:24,679 who worships them today? 224 00:13:24,679 –> 00:13:27,719 They depend on the market that gives rise to them. 225 00:13:29,140 –> 00:13:30,280 But I don’t, says God. 226 00:13:30,280 –> 00:13:31,799 I am who I am. 227 00:13:32,840 –> 00:13:36,539 From eternity to eternity, I am the living God. 228 00:13:36,539 –> 00:13:39,239 Let me introduce myself to you. 229 00:13:40,679 –> 00:13:41,880 Some folks love him. 230 00:13:42,799 –> 00:13:44,179 Some folks hate him. 231 00:13:45,239 –> 00:13:47,359 No folks can avoid him. 232 00:13:48,320 –> 00:13:50,840 He is who he is. 233 00:13:50,840 –> 00:13:54,239 So to put him in the place of God 234 00:13:54,239 –> 00:13:56,700 is to conform to reality. 235 00:13:58,059 –> 00:14:01,679 Resisting him would be the world’s most futile business 236 00:14:01,679 –> 00:14:04,260 because none of us can ever avoid him. 237 00:14:05,799 –> 00:14:07,200 There’s no one else like him. 238 00:14:07,200 –> 00:14:09,099 Every other God is a product 239 00:14:09,099 –> 00:14:11,200 of human history and of culture. 240 00:14:11,200 –> 00:14:13,880 They were the products of the culture that sustained them. 241 00:14:13,880 –> 00:14:16,280 They were like pop stars. 242 00:14:17,200 –> 00:14:19,979 That depend on the market that gives rise to them 243 00:14:19,979 –> 00:14:23,140 and die as the market moves away from them. 244 00:14:24,419 –> 00:14:27,460 Who worships Baal or Dagon today? 245 00:14:29,400 –> 00:14:32,200 They were designer gods produced by 246 00:14:32,200 –> 00:14:35,140 and fitted to a particular culture. 247 00:14:38,200 –> 00:14:40,940 Of course our world thinks that’s true of all religion. 248 00:14:41,020 –> 00:14:46,039 But this God says, I am, I am. 249 00:14:52,299 –> 00:14:55,539 And you shall have no other gods before me 250 00:14:55,539 –> 00:14:59,059 and the reason why you and I should bow before him 251 00:14:59,059 –> 00:15:02,140 is number one, he’s God, he’s God. 252 00:15:04,780 –> 00:15:07,679 Number two, the reason we should bow before him 253 00:15:07,679 –> 00:15:10,919 is that he’s good, I am the Lord, your God, 254 00:15:10,919 –> 00:15:14,099 who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 255 00:15:14,099 –> 00:15:16,039 Now why does he say that? 256 00:15:19,039 –> 00:15:24,000 See, God could’ve said, I am Yahweh your creator. 257 00:15:24,000 –> 00:15:26,539 I own the cosmos, that woulda been true. 258 00:15:27,960 –> 00:15:31,679 I have more power than a million nuclear bombs 259 00:15:31,679 –> 00:15:34,280 so you’d better knuckle under and worship me. 260 00:15:34,280 –> 00:15:36,299 He could have said that, it’s true. 261 00:15:38,280 –> 00:15:39,559 But it’s not what he says. 262 00:15:42,179 –> 00:15:45,320 The creator himself, who has all power 263 00:15:45,320 –> 00:15:48,099 and is accountable to and subject to nobody, 264 00:15:49,559 –> 00:15:51,619 does not make his appeal to you 265 00:15:51,619 –> 00:15:54,619 on the basis of raw power like some dictator. 266 00:15:56,400 –> 00:15:58,719 But he comes to you and appeals 267 00:15:58,719 –> 00:16:03,719 as the gracious God who extends mercy towards you. 268 00:16:04,760 –> 00:16:06,320 Think about that, it’s awesome. 269 00:16:08,559 –> 00:16:12,960 I am Yahweh, you’re God who brought you 270 00:16:12,960 –> 00:16:15,919 out of the land of Egypt he says to these folks. 271 00:16:17,359 –> 00:16:19,200 Life in Egypt for them of course was miserable. 272 00:16:19,200 –> 00:16:22,419 The Hebrews had been there for 400 years. 273 00:16:22,419 –> 00:16:24,539 They had been oppressed, abused, 274 00:16:24,539 –> 00:16:26,400 they were miserable, they had no hope. 275 00:16:26,400 –> 00:16:29,320 There was no political process to bring them out of Egypt. 276 00:16:29,320 –> 00:16:30,960 There was no educational program 277 00:16:30,960 –> 00:16:33,659 that was gonna get them a better start in life. 278 00:16:35,559 –> 00:16:37,260 And then Yahweh stepped in. 279 00:16:38,119 –> 00:16:42,260 And he brought these desperate people out of Egypt. 280 00:16:43,239 –> 00:16:44,919 And now he introduces himself. 281 00:16:44,919 –> 00:16:49,039 Iım the one who did that, I am Yahweh. 282 00:16:49,039 –> 00:16:52,039 I sent the plagues that overpowered 283 00:16:52,039 –> 00:16:53,460 the gods of the culture. 284 00:16:54,940 –> 00:16:57,099 I’m the god who opened the Red Sea. 285 00:16:57,099 –> 00:16:59,380 I’m the one who closed it over your enemies 286 00:16:59,380 –> 00:17:02,039 and thereby delivered you from a terrible slaughter. 287 00:17:02,940 –> 00:17:05,719 When you cried out, 288 00:17:05,719 –> 00:17:08,359 nobody else was listening, 289 00:17:09,619 –> 00:17:10,599 but I was. 290 00:17:12,800 –> 00:17:16,239 Nobody else saw a future for you, but I did. 291 00:17:19,599 –> 00:17:21,099 I came down to help you. 292 00:17:22,400 –> 00:17:24,760 And I didn’t do it because there was some pressure 293 00:17:24,760 –> 00:17:26,640 on me coming from somewhere to do that. 294 00:17:26,640 –> 00:17:28,859 I did it because it pleased me. 295 00:17:29,319 –> 00:17:30,160 It pleased me. 296 00:17:34,119 –> 00:17:37,500 He’s good, he’s good. 297 00:17:41,880 –> 00:17:45,420 Do you know, you will never be ready to embrace God fully 298 00:17:47,239 –> 00:17:50,140 until you’ve come to the conclusion that he’s good. 299 00:17:52,140 –> 00:17:54,959 That’s why knowing him through Jesus Christ you say 300 00:17:54,959 –> 00:17:57,199 is the very foundation of the commandments. 301 00:17:58,199 –> 00:18:00,800 It’s the beginning of this struggle, 302 00:18:00,800 –> 00:18:02,579 It’s where this whole life begins. 303 00:18:05,160 –> 00:18:08,260 We may submit to raw power 304 00:18:09,800 –> 00:18:11,979 but we will never love raw power. 305 00:18:13,040 –> 00:18:15,079 That’s why it’s so significant that God brings us 306 00:18:15,079 –> 00:18:17,219 into a relationship of love. 307 00:18:18,560 –> 00:18:20,400 See, there is all the difference in the world, 308 00:18:20,400 –> 00:18:21,219 think about this. 309 00:18:21,219 –> 00:18:22,520 There’s all the difference in the world 310 00:18:22,520 –> 00:18:24,800 between a kidnapper and a lover. 311 00:18:25,239 –> 00:18:27,479 Think about the difference. 312 00:18:29,180 –> 00:18:33,119 A kidnapper may say you are mine 313 00:18:33,119 –> 00:18:34,699 on the basis of power 314 00:18:37,239 –> 00:18:39,439 but a lover says you are mine 315 00:18:40,800 –> 00:18:42,459 on the basis of affection. 316 00:18:43,880 –> 00:18:45,500 All the difference in the world. 317 00:18:47,800 –> 00:18:50,260 One writer, I think very provocatively, 318 00:18:50,880 –> 00:18:55,719 describes the Ten Commandments as pillow talk. 319 00:18:56,819 –> 00:18:57,780 Think about that. 320 00:18:59,300 –> 00:19:00,339 Pillow talk 321 00:19:02,619 –> 00:19:05,520 because we’re light years away from the courtroom 322 00:19:05,520 –> 00:19:08,819 in which sterile power is exercised. 323 00:19:11,099 –> 00:19:13,979 We’re in the intimacy of a love relationship 324 00:19:15,619 –> 00:19:19,000 in which Yahweh, who has come down 325 00:19:19,040 –> 00:19:22,079 and reached out to make us his own 326 00:19:22,079 –> 00:19:26,520 says you’re mine and I want you to know me 327 00:19:26,520 –> 00:19:28,000 and I want you to walk with me 328 00:19:28,000 –> 00:19:29,560 throughout the course of your life 329 00:19:29,560 –> 00:19:31,500 and to enter into all the goodness 330 00:19:31,500 –> 00:19:33,040 that I have planned for you. 331 00:19:35,800 –> 00:19:37,140 The talk of the lover 332 00:19:38,359 –> 00:19:40,760 who has won the affection of the loved 333 00:19:40,760 –> 00:19:45,760 and now embraces her and says you are mine. 334 00:19:49,680 –> 00:19:51,579 Why should we make Yahweh our god? 335 00:19:53,400 –> 00:19:57,099 Because he’s god and because he’s good. 336 00:19:58,199 –> 00:20:00,000 And of course we see that, 337 00:20:00,000 –> 00:20:03,119 we see that even more clearly in Jesus 338 00:20:04,040 –> 00:20:07,000 because in the New Testament the I am 339 00:20:07,000 –> 00:20:12,000 took flesh and came down to rescue us. 340 00:20:13,560 –> 00:20:15,280 That’s what the coming of Jesus Christ is all about, 341 00:20:15,520 –> 00:20:20,239 that’s why he says before Abraham was, I am. 342 00:20:20,239 –> 00:20:23,060 That’s why he says I am the bread of life. 343 00:20:24,119 –> 00:20:26,880 That’s why he says I am the way and the truth and the life 344 00:20:26,880 –> 00:20:31,000 and no one comes to know God, the father, except by me. 345 00:20:32,979 –> 00:20:37,839 You had no way out of a future of hell itself 346 00:20:37,839 –> 00:20:42,199 except that I came down and I gave myself for you. 347 00:20:42,199 –> 00:20:44,439 Let me introduce myself to you, he says, 348 00:20:44,459 –> 00:20:48,819 and he holds out his hands and there are nail prints in them. 349 00:20:50,900 –> 00:20:55,900 Why would I follow Jesus, because he’s God, 350 00:20:57,959 –> 00:21:02,780 because he’s good, he’s Yahweh with us. 351 00:21:06,000 –> 00:21:07,359 That’s the motivation. 352 00:21:07,359 –> 00:21:09,479 And if we’re really going to get into this climb, 353 00:21:09,479 –> 00:21:11,800 it’s very important that we’ve got it absolutely clear 354 00:21:11,800 –> 00:21:13,819 as to why we’re doing it because we’re gonna face 355 00:21:13,880 –> 00:21:16,359 some difficult struggles on this rock face. 356 00:21:17,219 –> 00:21:19,020 We need to know why we’re climbing. 357 00:21:20,599 –> 00:21:22,339 Moving on if that’s your motivation 358 00:21:22,339 –> 00:21:26,439 that we pursue this God because he is God 359 00:21:26,439 –> 00:21:29,219 and because he is good, then let’s see secondly 360 00:21:29,219 –> 00:21:32,979 that our calling is to a life of loving loyalty. 361 00:21:32,979 –> 00:21:35,800 This God introduces himself and now he says to us, 362 00:21:35,800 –> 00:21:40,520 you shall have no other gods before me. 363 00:21:41,339 –> 00:21:43,780 Your calling in mine is to give ourselves 364 00:21:43,780 –> 00:21:47,500 to a life of loving loyalty to the God who loved us 365 00:21:47,500 –> 00:21:51,239 and gave himself for us and of course, 366 00:21:51,239 –> 00:21:53,359 you will see then for that the first commandment 367 00:21:53,359 –> 00:21:57,219 is really a natural response of gratitude. 368 00:21:57,219 –> 00:22:02,219 It is gratitude to the grace of God in Jesus Christ 369 00:22:02,500 –> 00:22:05,859 that has come down and it’s reached me 370 00:22:05,859 –> 00:22:07,300 and therefore, I respond and I say, 371 00:22:07,300 –> 00:22:10,000 how could I put anyone else or anything else 372 00:22:10,040 –> 00:22:12,099 in the place of you, O Lord. 373 00:22:14,160 –> 00:22:17,680 What does it mean in practice to keep the first commandment? 374 00:22:17,680 –> 00:22:19,319 Let me make three suggestions. 375 00:22:20,239 –> 00:22:25,239 First, it involves cultivating your affection for Him, 376 00:22:25,400 –> 00:22:27,359 no other gods before me. 377 00:22:29,000 –> 00:22:32,239 That’s going to mean thinking about Him, 378 00:22:32,239 –> 00:22:35,520 remembering Him, appreciating Him, 379 00:22:35,520 –> 00:22:38,199 honoring Him, choosing Him, loving Him, 380 00:22:38,199 –> 00:22:40,900 desiring Him, fearing Him. 381 00:22:40,900 –> 00:22:42,479 It’s going to mean believing Him, 382 00:22:42,479 –> 00:22:43,880 it’s gonna mean trusting Him, 383 00:22:43,880 –> 00:22:46,000 it’s gonna mean hoping in Him. 384 00:22:46,800 –> 00:22:48,420 It’s gonna mean delighting in Him, 385 00:22:48,420 –> 00:22:51,160 it’s going to mean being zealous for Him, 386 00:22:51,160 –> 00:22:53,439 it’s going to mean calling upon His name, 387 00:22:53,439 –> 00:22:56,800 it’s gonna mean giving thanks to Him in all things. 388 00:22:58,660 –> 00:23:01,760 It means giving Him more weight in your life 389 00:23:01,760 –> 00:23:03,040 than anything else. 390 00:23:04,719 –> 00:23:06,640 It means that if you face a decision 391 00:23:06,640 –> 00:23:08,180 in which every inclination 392 00:23:08,180 –> 00:23:11,300 of your heart is to say no, 393 00:23:12,260 –> 00:23:15,300 but honoring God means saying yes, 394 00:23:15,300 –> 00:23:17,599 that you say yes because honoring God 395 00:23:17,599 –> 00:23:22,540 counts more to you than every inclination of your heart. 396 00:23:22,540 –> 00:23:24,300 That’s of course what thousands and think of hundreds 397 00:23:24,300 –> 00:23:28,040 and thousands of Christians have done 398 00:23:28,040 –> 00:23:30,579 when they’ve gone to prison 399 00:23:30,579 –> 00:23:32,599 and sometimes died 400 00:23:33,880 –> 00:23:37,719 for the sake of the name of Jesus. 401 00:23:37,819 –> 00:23:40,760 That’s when they’re living the first commandment. 402 00:23:42,640 –> 00:23:44,339 Cultivate your affection for him. 403 00:23:44,339 –> 00:23:46,280 That’s why we gather here in worship 404 00:23:47,619 –> 00:23:50,280 because as in any relationship of love 405 00:23:50,280 –> 00:23:52,479 that needs to be renewed and replenished 406 00:23:52,479 –> 00:23:54,479 and in the place of worship 407 00:23:55,459 –> 00:23:57,060 my love for him is strengthened. 408 00:23:58,680 –> 00:24:02,359 Second, it means turning from all the offense to him. 409 00:24:02,359 –> 00:24:04,400 Now, I find it helpful to identify 410 00:24:04,400 –> 00:24:08,119 some of the sins that break the first commandment 411 00:24:09,119 –> 00:24:10,920 because they displace God. 412 00:24:10,920 –> 00:24:12,660 You see, anything that puts someone 413 00:24:12,660 –> 00:24:16,119 or something else on the throne of my life 414 00:24:16,119 –> 00:24:18,500 puts them in a controlling position 415 00:24:18,500 –> 00:24:19,920 breaks the first commandment 416 00:24:19,920 –> 00:24:21,479 because God alone belongs there. 417 00:24:21,479 –> 00:24:23,439 You shall have no other gods before me. 418 00:24:24,839 –> 00:24:26,079 So here would be some things 419 00:24:26,079 –> 00:24:29,719 that were sins that break the first commandment. 420 00:24:29,719 –> 00:24:32,160 Number one, pride. 421 00:24:32,160 –> 00:24:34,079 That puts me on the throne, doesn’t it? 422 00:24:35,040 –> 00:24:40,040 Hero worship, infatuations, 423 00:24:42,079 –> 00:24:45,319 allowing other people to bind your conscience 424 00:24:45,319 –> 00:24:46,839 and manipulate you 425 00:24:46,839 –> 00:24:49,319 so that you no longer think for yourself. 426 00:24:51,280 –> 00:24:54,079 Consulting the devil, mediums, 427 00:24:54,079 –> 00:24:57,760 spiritists or fortune tellers, superstition. 428 00:24:59,619 –> 00:25:01,760 It seems to look for another power to guide me 429 00:25:01,760 –> 00:25:03,920 and what’s going to work out for me today. 430 00:25:05,359 –> 00:25:08,800 Impatience with God, which means I want something 431 00:25:08,800 –> 00:25:11,500 that he’s not yet given more than I want himself. 432 00:25:11,500 –> 00:25:13,800 Complaining about his providence, 433 00:25:15,380 –> 00:25:18,619 teaching or believing that all religions lead to God, 434 00:25:18,619 –> 00:25:20,459 which is a way of saying that all gods are the same 435 00:25:20,459 –> 00:25:22,400 and putting them all on the same level. 436 00:25:23,839 –> 00:25:26,800 Unbelief, distrust, or despair. 437 00:25:26,800 –> 00:25:28,500 You say despair? 438 00:25:28,500 –> 00:25:33,500 How can you despair if the Lord is your God? 439 00:25:35,180 –> 00:25:38,839 See, despair always arises when there’s something else 440 00:25:38,839 –> 00:25:43,859 that I want and I’ve decided that I won’t get it, 441 00:25:43,859 –> 00:25:46,719 and what that means is if I despair 442 00:25:46,719 –> 00:25:48,380 that I put that thing that I wanted 443 00:25:48,380 –> 00:25:50,579 and I’ve decided I won’t get in the place of God 444 00:25:50,579 –> 00:25:53,020 and therefore I despair because I’m not getting it. 445 00:25:55,859 –> 00:25:57,400 I have to tell you, the more I’ve thought about this, 446 00:25:57,400 –> 00:25:59,020 the more I’ve seen that this first commandment 447 00:25:59,020 –> 00:26:01,319 is absolutely liberating. 448 00:26:01,459 –> 00:26:04,040 Some of us desperately need to be released 449 00:26:04,040 –> 00:26:08,199 from infatuations, from relationships 450 00:26:08,199 –> 00:26:10,380 from which some other person is controlling 451 00:26:10,380 –> 00:26:12,859 and manipulating. 452 00:26:14,560 –> 00:26:17,140 This will deliver you from the overbearing parent, 453 00:26:17,140 –> 00:26:18,739 from the dominating friend, 454 00:26:18,739 –> 00:26:22,260 from the manipulative religious leader. 455 00:26:24,219 –> 00:26:28,219 This is the very basis of our rejection of tyranny. 456 00:26:28,219 –> 00:26:30,459 No other gods before me. 457 00:26:30,479 –> 00:26:33,839 This, therefore, is the very foundation of freedom. 458 00:26:37,219 –> 00:26:40,280 And our country wants to move away from it. 459 00:26:44,260 –> 00:26:46,760 See, the values and the blessings we enjoy 460 00:26:46,760 –> 00:26:48,459 come from somewhere, 461 00:26:48,459 –> 00:26:51,400 and they’re rooted right here in the first commandment. 462 00:26:51,400 –> 00:26:53,140 And why would we embrace this God? 463 00:26:53,140 –> 00:26:54,719 Because he’s God, and because he’s good. 464 00:26:54,719 –> 00:26:57,660 And every good that we enjoy comes from him. 465 00:26:57,699 –> 00:26:59,699 And every good that we enjoy comes from him. 466 00:27:02,859 –> 00:27:04,859 You shall have no other gods before me. 467 00:27:06,719 –> 00:27:10,099 It’s going to mean cultivating our affection for him, 468 00:27:10,099 –> 00:27:11,420 and it’s going to mean turning away 469 00:27:11,420 –> 00:27:12,900 from all that offends him. 470 00:27:12,900 –> 00:27:14,020 Thirdly, it’s going to mean 471 00:27:14,020 –> 00:27:16,280 subjecting everything to him. 472 00:27:17,339 –> 00:27:19,319 You shall have no other gods before me. 473 00:27:20,540 –> 00:27:22,839 So, well, what other gods? 474 00:27:24,500 –> 00:27:26,400 I mean, the stuff about the history of world religions 475 00:27:26,400 –> 00:27:27,239 all very interesting, 476 00:27:27,280 –> 00:27:28,439 and we can see its application 477 00:27:28,439 –> 00:27:29,959 across the scene of the world today. 478 00:27:29,959 –> 00:27:32,819 But frankly, we’re here because we’re Christians. 479 00:27:32,819 –> 00:27:34,780 None of us are gonna have a secret worship session 480 00:27:34,780 –> 00:27:38,420 for Baal, or Marduk, or any other god this week. 481 00:27:39,640 –> 00:27:41,959 Well, there are plenty of other gods, 482 00:27:43,219 –> 00:27:44,859 plenty of other powers 483 00:27:46,180 –> 00:27:49,760 that can be placed on the throne of your life. 484 00:27:49,760 –> 00:27:54,099 Dr. Jim Packer makes some suggestions. 485 00:27:54,560 –> 00:27:59,079 Noticing that God is a trinity, 486 00:27:59,079 –> 00:28:02,079 a tri-unity of persons, 487 00:28:02,079 –> 00:28:05,280 he suggests some other trinities 488 00:28:05,280 –> 00:28:06,959 that vie to take his place. 489 00:28:06,959 –> 00:28:07,839 Here are three. 490 00:28:09,359 –> 00:28:12,680 Sex, shekels, and stomach, 491 00:28:14,040 –> 00:28:16,239 the unholy trinity, he says. 492 00:28:17,880 –> 00:28:22,219 Pleasure, possessions, position. 493 00:28:25,079 –> 00:28:29,839 Football, the firm, and the family. 494 00:28:31,380 –> 00:28:32,900 There’s a few trinities there 495 00:28:32,900 –> 00:28:36,400 that vie for the place of God in our lives. 496 00:28:37,979 –> 00:28:38,859 Let me ask this question, 497 00:28:38,859 –> 00:28:40,040 what dominates your thoughts, 498 00:28:40,040 –> 00:28:41,739 your goals, and your conversation? 499 00:28:42,819 –> 00:28:45,000 What really is the first love of your life? 500 00:28:45,000 –> 00:28:47,239 What is the biggest affection of your heart? 501 00:28:48,619 –> 00:28:50,640 That is your God. 502 00:28:51,520 –> 00:28:55,920 Now, as you think through Packer’s examples, 503 00:28:55,920 –> 00:29:00,020 sex, shekels, stomach, pleasure, 504 00:29:00,020 –> 00:29:01,800 possessions, position. 505 00:29:01,800 –> 00:29:03,079 Football, the firm, and the family. 506 00:29:03,079 –> 00:29:05,119 Every one of these is a good gift from God. 507 00:29:05,119 –> 00:29:06,020 Every one of them. 508 00:29:07,920 –> 00:29:12,719 The problem for us arises when we take the gifts 509 00:29:12,719 –> 00:29:16,660 and we put the gifts in the place of the giver. 510 00:29:16,660 –> 00:29:18,459 That is idolatry. 511 00:29:21,099 –> 00:29:23,959 To boil this down, I was very moved earlier this summer 512 00:29:25,079 –> 00:29:29,939 when our high school ministry had a farewell for seniors, 513 00:29:29,939 –> 00:29:32,280 and we were treated in the course of a marvelous evening 514 00:29:32,280 –> 00:29:35,760 to a video in which we saw pictures of each of the seniors 515 00:29:35,760 –> 00:29:38,079 who were graduating from high school this summer, 516 00:29:38,079 –> 00:29:41,199 along with a note about their favorite memory 517 00:29:41,199 –> 00:29:45,280 and what they would like written as their epitaph. 518 00:29:45,280 –> 00:29:48,119 And as you could imagine, there were some very funny ones, 519 00:29:48,119 –> 00:29:49,920 there were some very good ones. 520 00:29:49,920 –> 00:29:52,060 There was one that I will never forget. 521 00:29:53,000 –> 00:29:56,380 It was written by one of our students now at college 522 00:29:56,380 –> 00:30:00,479 who achieved outstanding success 523 00:30:00,479 –> 00:30:03,380 as a senior in his high school football team. 524 00:30:04,599 –> 00:30:08,000 And this is what he suggested for his epitaph. 525 00:30:09,939 –> 00:30:12,839 Football was his game. 526 00:30:3,859 –> 00:30:16,380 It wasn’t his life. 527 00:30:16,939 –> 00:30:20,420 I think that is brilliant from an 18-year-old. 528 00:30:22,000 –> 00:30:25,520 And it came from a lad who was trying to live 529 00:30:26,699 –> 00:30:30,880 the first commandment, and it’s a struggle. 530 00:30:33,000 –> 00:30:38,000 He’s climbing the wall, he’s faced all kinds of pressures. 531 00:30:40,699 –> 00:30:43,380 Some of us, as parents, have had to make tough decisions. 532 00:30:43,380 –> 00:30:45,180 Frankly, in this sphere, have we not? 533 00:30:47,380 –> 00:30:48,739 We’ve had to sit down with our kids 534 00:30:48,739 –> 00:30:51,040 and work out what really matters 535 00:30:51,040 –> 00:30:52,939 as a primary value in our life, 536 00:30:52,939 –> 00:30:57,619 and where is the place of God fitted into the agenda, 537 00:30:59,040 –> 00:31:03,359 or is he to be on the throne of our lives? 538 00:31:05,780 –> 00:31:07,699 Sometimes that struggle is harder 539 00:31:07,699 –> 00:31:09,640 for the parents than for the kids. 540 00:31:10,439 –> 00:31:14,900 You shall have no other gods before me. 541 00:31:16,959 –> 00:31:18,780 So now we’re going to come to the challenge 542 00:31:18,780 –> 00:31:20,319 in these last moments. 543 00:31:20,319 –> 00:31:25,319 Your challenge is to embrace him unconditionally. 544 00:31:25,599 –> 00:31:29,239 You shall have no other gods before me. 545 00:31:31,560 –> 00:31:33,900 Now, this is where we come to a step of faith. 546 00:31:33,900 –> 00:31:36,160 A step of faith that God invites every one of us 547 00:31:36,160 –> 00:31:38,380 to take on the basis of the psalms. 548 00:31:39,020 –> 00:31:40,579 Every one of us to take on the basis of trust. 549 00:31:40,579 –> 00:31:45,579 He’s God, he’s good, are you ready to embrace him today 550 00:31:45,920 –> 00:31:47,699 unconditionally? 551 00:31:47,699 –> 00:31:48,699 That’s the question. 552 00:31:49,680 –> 00:31:52,099 Rather like the marriage service, 553 00:31:52,099 –> 00:31:55,520 God invites us to commit ourselves to him 554 00:31:55,520 –> 00:31:58,180 for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, 555 00:31:58,180 –> 00:32:01,839 in sickness and in health, and forsaking all other 556 00:32:01,839 –> 00:32:05,900 to cling only to him not until death parts us, 557 00:32:05,939 –> 00:32:09,079 but until death brings us into his immediate presence. 558 00:32:10,520 –> 00:32:15,359 By the way, it is a wonderful foundation for marriage 559 00:32:15,359 –> 00:32:17,760 if you will make that kind of commitment to God. 560 00:32:18,979 –> 00:32:20,040 I ask you to think about this, 561 00:32:20,040 –> 00:32:21,160 if you can’t make that kind of 562 00:32:21,160 –> 00:32:23,060 unconditional commitment to God, 563 00:32:23,060 –> 00:32:24,339 how are you going to sustain an 564 00:32:24,339 –> 00:32:26,319 unconditional commitment to anyone else? 565 00:32:29,180 –> 00:32:33,219 If we lose the capacity of unconditional commitment here, 566 00:32:33,219 –> 00:32:35,339 it will not exist anywhere else. 567 00:32:36,000 –> 00:32:38,880 Of course. 568 00:32:42,699 –> 00:32:44,859 People who want negotiated contracts with God 569 00:32:44,859 –> 00:32:47,280 want negotiated contracts with everyone else. 570 00:32:50,380 –> 00:32:54,099 This is a step of commitment based on trust. 571 00:32:54,099 –> 00:32:55,359 And that’s what faith is. 572 00:32:56,739 –> 00:32:58,739 Trust of someone you’ve come to know 573 00:32:58,739 –> 00:32:59,959 to be God and to be good, 574 00:33:01,040 –> 00:33:03,219 that’s what faith is, I believe. 575 00:33:04,199 –> 00:33:07,900 And sometimes when my wife has 576 00:33:07,900 –> 00:33:11,819 come home with a surprise, 577 00:33:11,819 –> 00:33:13,819 some kind of gift or something, 578 00:33:13,819 –> 00:33:16,020 she said to me on occasion, 579 00:33:16,020 –> 00:33:18,479 close your eyes and hold out your hand. 580 00:33:20,040 –> 00:33:23,479 And I ask you, close your eyes 581 00:33:24,359 –> 00:33:27,060 and hold out your hand. 582 00:33:27,060 –> 00:33:28,699 I mean this makes me vulnerable. 583 00:33:31,920 –> 00:33:32,959 But I do it. 584 00:33:33,859 –> 00:33:38,839 If a stranger in Chicago came up to me, 585 00:33:39,800 –> 00:33:41,319 tapped me on the shoulder and said, 586 00:33:41,319 –> 00:33:44,219 hey, close your eyes and hold out your hand, 587 00:33:44,219 –> 00:33:46,380 you think I’d do it? 588 00:33:46,380 –> 00:33:48,400 Not a chance. 589 00:33:51,219 –> 00:33:53,199 When Jesus said to the first disciples, 590 00:33:53,199 –> 00:33:55,079 follow me, not one of them knew 591 00:33:55,079 –> 00:33:56,199 where it was leading. 592 00:33:57,959 –> 00:33:59,319 And frankly, when Jesus says to you, 593 00:33:59,319 –> 00:34:01,040 follow me, you don’t know either, 594 00:34:01,040 –> 00:34:02,439 you don’t know what kind of scrapes 595 00:34:02,439 –> 00:34:03,280 you’re gonna get into, 596 00:34:03,280 –> 00:34:04,680 what kind of challenges and decisions 597 00:34:04,680 –> 00:34:05,599 you’re gonna have to face, 598 00:34:05,599 –> 00:34:07,560 what kind of sacrifices you’re gonna make, 599 00:34:07,560 –> 00:34:09,439 you commit yourself unconditionally to him, 600 00:34:09,439 –> 00:34:11,419 you might end up the other side of the world, 601 00:34:11,419 –> 00:34:13,399 you may end up with some tough scrapes, 602 00:34:13,399 –> 00:34:15,540 it may cost you your life. 603 00:34:18,719 –> 00:34:21,399 But God is calling you and me to a commitment 604 00:34:21,399 –> 00:34:23,879 that is based on trust. 605 00:34:25,020 –> 00:34:26,600 Because you know that he’s God 606 00:34:26,600 –> 00:34:28,560 and because you know that he’s good. 607 00:34:29,600 –> 00:34:30,879 And that’s faith. 608 00:34:31,820 –> 00:34:34,879 He shall have no other gods before me. 609 00:34:34,879 –> 00:34:38,820 Your challenge is to embrace God unconditionally. 610 00:34:38,820 –> 00:34:42,239 No ifs, no buts, no whens, 611 00:34:42,239 –> 00:34:45,219 because if you put an if, a but, or a when in there, 612 00:34:45,219 –> 00:34:48,919 you have put the if, but, or when in the place of God. 613 00:34:48,919 –> 00:34:52,000 If you say, yes, if you give me my health, 614 00:34:52,000 –> 00:34:54,639 you’ve put your health in the place of God. 615 00:34:54,639 –> 00:34:56,699 If you say, yes, if you bless my family, 616 00:34:56,699 –> 00:34:58,560 you’ve put your family in the place of God. 617 00:34:58,620 –> 00:35:02,620 If you say, yes, when I’ve resolved this problem 618 00:35:02,620 –> 00:35:03,520 that I’m struggling on, 619 00:35:03,520 –> 00:35:06,280 you’ve put the problem in the place of God. 620 00:35:09,000 –> 00:35:11,879 So do you see why the First Commandment’s such a struggle? 621 00:35:13,739 –> 00:35:14,760 Oh, the more I’ve looked at it, 622 00:35:14,760 –> 00:35:16,320 the more deeply convinced I’ve become, 623 00:35:16,320 –> 00:35:18,280 this is a lifelong struggle 624 00:35:18,280 –> 00:35:20,040 and it’s much harder than I thought. 625 00:35:20,040 –> 00:35:22,979 You can look at a cliff face from a distance 626 00:35:22,979 –> 00:35:25,120 and say, you know, I could climb that, 627 00:35:26,320 –> 00:35:28,439 but boy, when you get up close to the First Commandment, 628 00:35:28,479 –> 00:35:32,020 you realize it’s much tougher than you ever thought. 629 00:35:33,860 –> 00:35:36,679 So it won’t be long when you get to this First Commandment 630 00:35:36,679 –> 00:35:37,899 before you’re saying, you know, 631 00:35:37,899 –> 00:35:40,179 we just started and I’m not for one 632 00:35:41,919 –> 00:35:43,879 and I’m gonna need a little bit of help 633 00:35:45,159 –> 00:35:47,600 and it’s right there that we reach out to Jesus. 634 00:35:48,699 –> 00:35:53,699 I need help, Jesus, deliver me, save me, 635 00:35:54,520 –> 00:35:56,120 it’s a great way to come to him. 636 00:35:56,120 –> 00:36:01,120 Ask him to create a new and intense love for God within you 637 00:36:02,939 –> 00:36:05,719 and then you’ll be able to pray like this, 638 00:36:05,719 –> 00:36:09,840 the dearest idol I have known, whatever that idol be, 639 00:36:09,840 –> 00:36:14,840 help me to take it from your throne and worship. 640 00:36:17,659 –> 00:36:18,500 Only thee. 641 00:36:19,739 –> 00:36:22,100 Let’s bow in a moment of quiet prayer together. 642 00:36:27,020 –> 00:36:31,340 You are God, you’re good. 643 00:36:34,560 –> 00:36:35,820 Around this table, 644 00:36:35,820 –> 00:36:40,000 we see that you have given yourself unconditionally to us. 645 00:36:42,320 –> 00:36:44,520 Help us in the name of Jesus 646 00:36:46,459 –> 00:36:49,000 in a new way to give ourselves today 647 00:36:50,479 –> 00:36:51,879 unconditionally to you 648 00:36:53,760 –> 00:36:54,600 for Jesus’ sake. 649 00:36:56,120 –> 00:36:57,679 Amen.