The first commandment is to make sure we worship the right God. The second commandment is to make sure we worship the right God the right way.
97% of American say they believe the 10 commandments but only 5% can name at least 3. Can you name them? The first 4 teach us to love God. The last 6 to love people. If your relationship with God is not right, your relationship with others will not be right. The vertical affects to horizonal.Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. If you love me, you will keep my commandments!
Who is Your God? In Exodus 20 God spoke…These are not the words of man or Moses. The God who spoke to Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses speaks to us today. He is personal. He is the Lord and He wants to be your God. The 10 commandments are not just a list of do’s and don’ts or a list of restrictive rules. They are not legalistic but liberating!God wants you to say goodbye to bondage and hello to blessing! He is the God who delivers us from the slavery, bondage, addiction of sin. He is the God who brings us out! This is the gospel, the good news of why Jesus came. He is the One and Only! God has an exclusivity clause. A no compete clause. Many businesses have a no compete clause. They want and expect loyalty. How much more God does!
What is Your Idol? It took only one night for God to get Israel out of Egypt, but it took 40 years for God to get Egypt out of Israel. Verse 4 says Do not make an idol for yourself… 5 Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them…Idol worship seems so primitive and third world. But every day we have idols and false gods that compete for the throne of our heart. We do our bowing and serving with our bank accounts, credit cards, smart phones, search engines, and calendars.Every sin that you struggle with comes back to idolatry.
For yourself- Idols are self-centered. They are for the worshipper not for God. Everyone worships someone or something. Idolatry is putting someone or something in the place of God. Romans 1:25. God does not share His glory with another. Idols are wrong because they are not a good representation of God. Psalm135:15 You become like what you worship. An idol is anything that takes the place of God in your life. What do you sacrifice to and serve? What do you devote your time and energy to? Where do you turn when things are going wrong?
One reason it is hard to identify your idol is because they are often good things. God is not against money, sex, power or family. He made it all. But when you start worshipping the gift more than the Giver it has become an idol. Psalm 106:19People worship a house, a career, a job promotion, a championship team, a body that is fit, etc…Anything can become an idol. If someone searched your computer and smart phone what would they find is your idol? Kyle Idleman says in his book the gods at war, these questions will help reveal the problem areas. What disappoints you? Do you have hopes and longings other than God? Disappointments are God’s way of reminding us there are idols in our lives. What do you complain about? Whining is the opposite of worshiping. Where do you make financial sacrifices? Examine your spending habits and we can find out what is most important to you. What worries you? What wakes you up and keeps you up? Where is your sanctuary? Where is your place to run? God is to be our refuge and strength a present help in time of trouble. What infuriates you and drives you crazy? Maybe your temper reveals the idol of self. What are your dreams? Is your motivation the glory of God or the glory and fame of self?
You do not have a lust, food, or money problem, you have a worship problem. Take food for example, do you eat for pleasure, comfort or nourishment? Why do you overindulge? Comfort food. One of the names for God is the Comforter. That is why I have to fast.
You need to worship the right God in the right way. We were created in the image of God.Just as mirrors reflect you. We bear His image. We reflect the goodness and glory of God. When we love, stand for justice, truth, and are generous we reflect His image. The object of our worship is Jesus. Jesus is the prefect image of God. Not people, trees, nature. Col 1:15Jesus is the image of the invisible God…Heb 1:1…Jesus is the express image of His person…What Are You Passing to the Next Generation? Verse 5…I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ iniquity, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, 6 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands.
Jealousy is one of the attributes of God. Idolatry is like prostitution and adultery. In the Bible God’s people are His bride. When God’s people worship other gods, they are committing spiritual adultery. God is not interested in an open marriage. God is jealous for your heart because He loves you.
God is not punishing the children for the father’s sin, but He is talking about the impact of the father on your children. Generational curses. You can inherit negative traits from your earthly dad. Once you come to Christ those issues no longer have rule over you. Make your decisions with your grandchildren in mind.
Idolatrous parents commit spiritual adultery. They pass on to their kids a predisposition to commit the same sins. Abraham lied about his wife and said Sarah was his sister. It was a half-truth. His son Isaac lied about Rebekah saying she is my sister it was a whole lie! Children often do in excess what Parents do in moderation.
The 10 Commandments cannot save you. The Israelites failed. Moses their mediator failed, but Jesus did not fail. He came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it. The law drives us to Jesus! He lived the life we could not live and died the death we should have died. Where and how you worship, serve and live for God will affect your family forever.
