30 Jan The First Commandment: “You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me”
Preacher Huijun - 2 July 2015
God's Greatest Gift To Mankind
A lot of people want securities in life, they hope for a smooth-sailing life thinking that it is through this that peace can be felt in their hearts. But after having all that they have ever wanted, something is still missing in them - something deeper within themselves needed to be satisfied- the soul of man. However, sin separates man from God, the creator and satisfaction of their souls. As a result, man live in the endless race of flesh-satisfying but spirit-depriving life. The distance between man and God has thus become further. Because of the presence of sin, man cannot enjoy all wisdom and blessings from God, and they have no answer to the problems that plague them. One problem leads to another, and many more. Because the wages of sin is death, and there’s no way that man can save themselves from the bondages of sin. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and Only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16). For those who’re called into God’s kingdom, God has fashioned our hearts such that we can never find peace and security unless in a two-way relationship with Him today. And in this relationship, He convicts us, leads us and shape us to be more and more like Christ through life experiences. Unless we continue to see Immanuel and confirm Immanuel in all that we are doing, we will be easily deceived by the insinuations and lies from Satan, forgetting that God is still the sovereign God who’s leading us with His good, pleasing and perfect will today. Let's avoid the sin of not seeking Immanuel today, for God's help and presence is now and not later.
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<Ex 20> 1 And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
2 questions:
(1) What does this commandment teach me about God?
(2) What does this commandment teach me about our Christian response and duty?
“First” commandment: Most important >>> Foundation to other commands
First commandment: The object of our faith; are we worshipping the right God?
“What does the Lord require in the first commandment?”
- HEIDELBERG CATECHISM: “What does the Lord require in the first commandment?” [Q&A 94]
- That I, not wanting to endanger my own salvation, avoid and shun all idolatry, sorcery, superstitious rites, and prayer to saints or to other creatures. That I rightly know the only true God, trust Him alone, and look to God for every good thing humbly and patiently, and love, fear, and honor God with all my heart. In short, that I give up anything rather than go against God’s will in any way.
- Challenges faced today in obeying this first commandment: Pluralism, relativism and liberalism
- “No other gods before me” may sound like God just wants to be the Number 1 God among many other ‘gods’, but no!
- “Before me”: Besides me, to my face, in my presence
Idolatry is a BIG problem for mankind
- Idolatry is the Number 1 enemy of our relationship with God
- It’s so hard for the human heart to stay single-hearted
- HEIDELBERG CATECHISM: “What is idolatry?” [Q&A 95]
- Idolatry is having or inventing something in which one trusts in place of or alongside of the only true God, who has revealed Himself in the Word.
- 2 tests:
- (1) What do you love most?
- (2) What do you trust most?
Exclusive devotion
- “Forsaking all others”
- Similar to exclusive relationship in marriage
- Problem: We may not reject God altogether, but we also want other ‘gods’
- God is a jealous God <Ex 20:5>
- We are called to worship God with our everything <cf. Lk 10:27>
- Though salvation is God’s free gift, following Jesus will cost us everything <cf. <Lk 14:25-33; Mt 16:24-26>
Reflection
- Share about your struggles with idolatry. What are your idols? How can you set them in their right places (e.g. let money really be a ‘tool’ instead of ‘master’), and not let them usurp God’s place in your heart? How can you test whether you have succeeded in so doing?
- How have the pluralism, relativism and liberalism of our times challenged your obedience to the First Commandment? How can you restore the exclusive and singlehearted devotion to God? Are you willing to exclusively worship God even if it costs you everything?
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