Who Do You Really Love? - January 23, 2011

This is the second sermon in a series of sermons on the Ten Commandments. This message deals with the first commandment, "Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me."

(To download an MP3 file of this message, click on the title above. To listen now online, click on the play button on the audio player above.)

Written excerpts:

A. Negative Meaning: Do not worship any other god(s) in addition to Jehovah.

Language scholars tell us that the word "before" (KJV), could also be translated "beside" or "in addition to." The word "before" can give the impression that God doesn't care who or what else we are devoted to, just as long as He is first on our list. But, God is literally telling the people of Israel that He will not tolerate them giving worship or devotion to any other besides Him.

B. Positive Principle: The sanctity of internal worship and devotion.

When Jesus said the first and great commandment was to "love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind," He is speaking to this core principle in the first commandment. He was highlighting the fact that our heart affections and devotions must be sacred, that is, reserved for God alone.

C. Explanation of the command:

1. God is to be the singular focus of every area of life.

God is not only supposed to be number one in our lives or the first one we adore, but He is supposed to be the rightful focus of every area of life. I believe that this principle addresses the problem of a dichotomy that many people practice in life between what is secular and what is sacred. Living out the principle of this command means that all areas of life should be sacred for the child of God.

2. A false god is anything that steals our devotion or affection away from God and God alone.

Martin Luther is quoted as saying, "Your god is whatever you run to in your time of need... That to which your heart clings and entrusts itself."

We tend to direct our affections toward those things that give us comfort in our time of greatest need. Is that God, or is that something or someone else?

3. God will not compete for the right to be the authority figure in our lives.

Dr. Laura Schlessinger refers to the polytheism that was prevalent among the pagans at the time the Ten Commandments were given. She speaks of the many gods who all had competing and sometimes conflicting roles in the world. The pagans were constantly trying to manipulate one against the other to suit their own desires much like a child will do with his or her parents.

To obey the first commandment means we must forever establish in our heart of hearts who is going to be the first and final authority in our lives.

4. God is claiming to be the all-sufficient One for every need in our lives.

Again, in a polytheistic worldview, the people felt a need to appease the various deities through their worship, sacrifices and gifts so that each god would feel compelled to provide the services over which it had control.

If there was a shortage of rain, it was because the god who controlled the rain or weather had been offended and was punishing the people. If there were other deficiencies, it was thought to be the result of one or more gods being offended.

In this covenant being established between Jehovah and the people of Israel God was letting them know that He alone supplied everything they needed. He alone was sufficient for every area of their lives.

Do we really believe that God is all we need? Someone once said, "When I got to the place where God was all I had, it was then I discovered that He was all I needed."

The next sermon in this series is: Worship Methods Do Matter (link is available in blog archive on right)