Connected (to God)

CONNECTED (To God)

In their book “The Day America Told the Truth”, James Patterson and Peter Kim lay down the law for postmodern times. They observe that today there is “absolutely no moral consensus at all.… Everyone is making up their own personal moral codes—their own Ten Commandments.” Patterson and Kim proceed to list what they call the “ten real commandments,” the rules that according to their surveys people actually live by. These rules include the following: —I don’t see the point in observing the Sabbath; —I will steal from those who won’t really miss it; —I will lie when it suits me, so long as it doesn’t cause any real damage; —I will cheat on my spouse—after all, given the chance, he or she will do the same; —I will procrastinate at work and do absolutely nothing about one full day in every five.

These new commandments are based on moral relativism, the belief that we are free to make up our own rules, based on our own personal preferences. The law is not something that comes from God, but something we come up with on our own. And our laws usually conflict with God’s laws. It is not surprising that what Patterson and Kim call the “ten real commandments” generally violate the laws that God gave to Moses. We have become a law unto ourselves. One would hope to find that the situation is somewhat better in the church. Surely God’s own people honor the permanent, objective standard of God’s law! Yet the church is full of worshipers who do not even know the Ten Commandments, let alone know how to keep them. This problem was documented in a recent report from The Princeton Religion Research Center. The headline read, “Religion Is Gaining Ground, but Morality Is Losing Ground,” and the report showed how recent increases in church attendance and Bible reading have been offset by a simultaneous decline in morality. How is this possible? How can people be more interested in God and at the same time less willing to do what he says? The only explanation is that people do not know the God of the Bible, because if they did, they would recognize the absolute authority of his law. Respect for God always demands respect for his law. And whenever people have a low regard for God’s law, as they do in our culture, it is ultimately because they have a low regard for God.

Last week, I challenged us to be ready this morning to meet the God who gave the Ten Commandments. From the above we realize that we don’t truly “know” God because if we did, we would know and obey His commands set forth in His Word. We wouldn’t want to make up our own laws, we would want to follow and obey His laws, because we love him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. As we look at the Ten Commandments the next couple of weeks, we will be reminded of who our God is because they are all about Him. They are not just a list of rules, but they show his love, care and concern for us as his people. They help us to understand why the creator of the universe wanted a relationship with us. He chose to create human beings in his image with whom he wanted to be in a relationship with and whom he wanted to reflect his character. The Ten Commandments remind us that since the beginning of creation, God has wanted people to “know” him and worship him because he is the only one worthy of being known and worshiped. ​​ The Ten Commandments were about taking the people he had saved, forming his holy character in them, so they would reflect that holy character to the world around them, all for his honor and glory. That brings us to our big idea this morning which is that God desires to form His holy character in His people.

Let’s pray: Heaven Father, pour out your Holy Spirit on us as we open your Word this morning. Open up our hearts and minds to what you want us to learn and share with those we come in contact with this week, as we study your Ten Commandments. Let us remember that you are a holy God and you demand holiness from us. I pray that we will use these commands from your Word to form your Holy character in us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

We have two points this morning, the first is Connected by Covenant, found in Exodus 20:1-2. This is what God’s Word says, “And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Before we jump into the scripture, here’s some background for us. First, what is this covenant that connected the Israelites to the Lord? In Genesis 12:1-3 we read these words, “The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Abraham was faithful to the Lord and his commands. That faithfulness was passed down to Isaac, Jacob or Israel, to Joseph and to the Israelite people in Egypt. The Lord saved the Israelites from slavery and was bringing them to the land he had promised them because of his promises made to Abraham. They were connected to God by this covenant. ​​ 

Second, these laws were not given to the Israelites while they were still slaves in Egypt. The Lord didn’t want them to believe that by observing these laws they were able to save themselves from their oppression. God’s law was given to a people who had already been saved by his grace. They needed to know how to live as His people saved by Him, so they could fulfill their purpose of being a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. By obeying these laws, they would be closer connected to God and to each other, showing their commitment to him and their love for one another. ​​ Strom notes, “The Lord did not give the law to establish his relationship with the Israelites. He gave it because he already had a relationship with his people, and he wanted them now to learn how to express this relationship faithfully.”

That brings us to last week. If you remember, Moses and the Israelites have all gathered around the base of Mt. Sinai. Moses has just come down from meeting with the Lord and warns the people not to touch the mountain or they will die. The stage is now set for the people to hear from the Lord and He speaks directly to them for the first time. Verses 1 and 2 are an introduction to the laws that God is going to lay down before His people. This introduction was very similar to the “treaties” of the day that were set up between a King and the peoples subject to him. The king would introduce himself and then would state the historical facts of their relationship which would be the motivation for them to follow his commands. Here the Lord introduces Himself as “the Lord your God” which was his covenant name, Yahweh. He also reminded them that it was he who had brought them out of slavery in Egypt. The Lord had saved them, showing his love for them and his continuing commitment to them as his people, and now he wanted them to love him in return. Their love would be demonstrated by their obedience to his laws, which were not handed down to restrict them but to free them to worship and serve Him alone.

A couple of other notes: Nowhere are these laws called the Ten Commandments, that’s the English translation for the Decalogue or in Hebrew, simply “Ten Words.” Also, there is an order to the Ten Words. The first four focus on our relationship to God. If we obey these “words” from the Lord, we will be better connected to Him. Today we are also going to cover the fifth “word” as it is a transition between the first four and the last five. Next week we will look at “words” six through ten which focus on our relationship to each other. If we obey those “words” of the Lord, we will be better connected to one another. We must first be totally committed and surrender to the Lord with the proper behavior before we can even begin to behave properly with our fellow human beings. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus put it like this: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.

After identifying himself to the people and reminding them of the historical reasons for being in covenant with him, the Lord will now give them the stipulations, or terms, of the covenant. That brings us to our second point called, Connected to God, found in Exodus 20:3-12. This is what God’s Word says, “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

The first “word” or command that the Lord gives to his people starts where he began in verse 1, “I am the Lord your God” and logically it follows that if he is the Lord their God then they shall have no other gods before Him. Because of who he is (Yahweh) and what he has done (saved them), he will not share his worship with any other. He should be the only one that they worship. This doesn’t mean that as long as they worship Yahweh first, they can worship other gods second. This means that he is to be exclusively worshiped by His people. This was unique religiously in the ancient world at that time where all other peoples worshiped many gods. God was making a unique claim that he was the one and only true god, all other gods were false, and his people should worship Him and Him alone. Remember they had come from Egypt who had a god for every aspect of their life and land. The Lord had already proven them to be false gods, but the Israelites, in slavery, only really knew about these many gods. Now they would come to intimately “know” the one true God by accepting and obeying these commands from the Lord their God.

Another thing to note is that these “words” from Lord are all in the second person singular meaning even though they were spoken to the nation as a whole, they were to be obeyed individually by each member of the community. When we speak of becoming holy or becoming more like Jesus as we have in previous years here at Idaville Church, we must individually do those things before our church as a whole can be transformed into being holy or more like Jesus. Obedience has to start with us individually just as it had to start with each individual Israelite before they could become a “holy nation.” Like Israel, we are also called to worship the one true God and are not to have any other gods before us. Today we are tempted to worship the false gods or idols of our culture—sex, money, power, luxury, security, pride, social prestige, love of country, profession, self-worship and even other people. ​​ Matthew Henry states, “Pride makes a god of self, covetousness makes a god of money, sensuality makes a god of the belly; whatever is esteemed or loved, feared or served, delighted in or depended on, more than God, that (whatever it is) we do in effect make a god of.” So, how can we know if we are violating God’s first “word” or command? First, we must ask ourselves “What do I love?” What are my passions and obsessions? Are they taking the place of God in my heart? Second, we must ask ourselves “What do I trust?” Where do I turn to in times of trouble, trial or struggle in my life? What gives me security? Like Israel we are called to be totally and exclusively committed to God and trust only in his son, Jesus. How can we keep our focus on the one true God and not the gods of this world? We must strive to fall passionately and deeply in love with Jesus every day. That brings us to our first next step on the back of your communication card which is to Fall more passionately and deeply in love with Jesus daily, having no other gods before Him.

The second “word” or command is one of the longer words and has four parts to it. The first part is the rule. They were not to make any idols for themselves to serve as objects of worship. Idols were usually made out of wood or stone and were created to make the god accessible and to be controlled by the worshiper. The Lord is not talking about the pagan gods of the day because he prohibited them in the first “word.” He was talking about idols that were created to represent himself. He banned all created things in heaven, on the earth or under the waters, from being made into an idol. There were no exceptions. He didn’t want His people to try to control Him and put him on the same level as themselves. He is Yahweh, the one true God, higher than any other persons or things. He is sovereign and can’t be controlled by rites and words. This speaks to the transcendence of God – the theological concept that God is above and beyond human comprehension and his creation. The Lord, because of his holiness, kept his true form shielded from the people. It would have been wrong to have claimed to know the nature of God that he had deliberately hidden from them. Any images of God were both unnecessary and inappropriate.

God is defining what proper worship is. They were not to bow down to any idols or worship them. This ran counter to how God desired true worship to be. The first “word” instructed them on whom they were to worship, the second “word” instructed them about how they were to worship. Since God is spirit, he commanded them to worship him in spirit and not with images. John 4:24 says, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” To worship any created object, even if it were to represent God, was equal to idolatry and was considered adultery by the Lord which brings us to the second part of this “word”, the reason. The reason they were not to bow down or worship these idols was because He is a jealous God. God loves his people too much to not be jealous when they take another lover. This jealousy might be better defined as zealousness, a passionate, intense caring love and loyalty that God has for his people that comes from the uniqueness of God and his unique relationship with them. The Lord doesn’t ignore, take lightly or is indifferent about his people going after other gods. God is jealous because he is supreme. God’s jealousy is love in action. Redpath says, “He knows that upon loyalty to Him depends our very moral life . . . God is not jealous of us: he is jealous for us.”

The third part of this “word” is a warning. There was a punishment for not keeping this “word” or command. The Lord would punish the children for the sin of their fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate him. The reason for this is because replacing God with idols has far-reaching consequences. God created the world with cause and effect, where the actions and choices of the parents precondition the choices of the children. If the parents are worshiping other gods, it becomes a learned behavior and one that is hard to erase. When a family is worshiping something other than God, the truth about God and the truths found in the Bible are not passed down to the next generation. The Jewish people had a strong family culture. It was not unreasonable for there to be children, parents, grandparents and possibly great-grandparents all living in the same house. If the hatred and disdain for God has been passed down in the same family, who have all been living together, you can see how it would be difficult to change that behavior. We all have free will to do what is right so the children will be punished for modeling the sin of their fathers.

The fourth part of this “word” is a promise. The Lord will show love/blessing to a thousand generations of those who love Him and kept his commandments. God’s love will be given to those children who model the good choices of their parents because they have loved the Lord by being obedient to his commands. Even if the parents’ choices have preconditioned the children to make the wrong choices, the children must still make the choice to do what is right. If they do so they will be blessed and if they don’t, they will be punished. ​​ Here we see the greatest contrast in the Bible – three/four generations to thousands. God’s desire is for his people to remain loyal to Him so that he can bless them. A thousand generations defines the limitless extent of the mercy shown by God. Two things we can learn from this: One, God holds families responsible for their conduct within their families. Two, the promise is more powerful than the warning because its blessing lasts not just for three or four generations but for a thousand; in other words, it will last forever.

This warning and promise should make us search our lives. Even if we don’t have children of our own, we all probably have younger relatives that we are in contact with. And no matter what, we are all influencing the next generation in some way. So some questions for you this morning? What kind of life are you leading? What kind of worship are you giving? What kind of legacy are you leaving? This goes for our families and in our church. That brings us to the second next step which is to Leave a legacy of proper worship for the next generation.

The third “word” or command is “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” This word is structured like the second: it contains a prohibition followed by a threat of punishment for those who do not obey. Literally, “You shall not bear up (or lift up) the name of the Lord your God to falsehood (or emptiness).” The “name of the Lord” refers to all that the Lord has revealed of himself: his identity, his reputation and his character. When we ‘lift up his name to falsehood’ we are acting as if we are loyal to the Lord, on the one hand, but are trying to manipulate Him or misappropriate his name, on the other. God is not at our disposal. We must approach him in reverence, awe and holiness not in a false way. This “word” defends the honor of God’s great name. The Lord speaks in the third person which again brings attention to his covenant name, Yahweh, who defeated the Egyptians, saving them from slavery, so that his name would be proclaimed to the entire world, all for his glory. ​​ 

We demean God’s reputation and character by speaking His name in an empty or vain way. This is done when we use God’s name to guarantee an oath, we know we won’t keep. Or when we refer to God in a frivolous, mocking, or disrespectful manner or when we say things in God’s name that aren’t true such as false prophecy. In the OT, the mark of a true prophet was that everything he prophesied came true. If even one prophecy didn’t come true, he was put to death. That was how serious this “word” was. Also, we shouldn’t say anything to make God appear insignificant, faithless or unholy. This prohibition would also include profanity especially with God’s name attached. Think about what the use of God’s name attached to profanity tells others about God and what we think of Him, especially those who don’t know Him. It tells them that we don’t respect our God, so why should they? God demands respect and reverence for His holy name.

When we profane the Lord’s name, we treat the holy and sacred as common and secular. We do this when we speak about Him carelessly, thoughtlessly, or flippantly, as if he didn’t matter or really didn’t exist at all. We should avoid any use of God’s name that detracts from how He is perceived. Yahweh’s name must be honored, blessed, praised, celebrated, pronounced, and so shared. When the name of Jesus Christ is lifted up and exalted, people come to him for their salvation. So the way we lift up his name is doubly important as there is a connection between honoring God’s name and spreading the gospel. The threat attached to this “word” shows that God expects to be obeyed. Those who break his law will be charged with guilt and will not go unpunished. Leviticus 24:15–16a, says this, “Say to the Israelites: ‘If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death.’”

The fourth “word” or commandment is the longest one and is one of two that are expressed positively instead of negatively: “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” This word comes in three parts. The first part tells us what to do. We are to “remember” the Sabbath by keeping it holy. To “remember” can mean to recall from the past or to keep in mind for the future. The Sabbath was first instituted back in Exodus 16:22-26 when God gave manna to the people. They were to gather enough on the sixth day for that day and the next, because they were to cease from working on the seventh day. As they remembered the Sabbath every single week, they would be celebrating God’s work of creation and redemption. The second part of this “word” specifies how they were to keep it holy. God began by telling them what he wanted them to do the other six days. They were to work. And on the seventh day they were to rest. But the seventh day was not just a day to do whatever they wanted to do. It was to be dedicated to the Lord for his worship and service. The seventh day was to be sanctified and set apart for sacred use, it was a Sabbath to the Lord. God was governing their work and their rest as he commanded them to cease working on the seventh day.

We must use the Sabbath to rest and recharge our physical and spiritual well-being. This is what means to keep the Sabbath holy. Also, we can’t work seven days a week like it’s our efforts that are supplying our needs. We must rely on God to provide what we need when we need it. Everyone was to keep the Sabbath. It was to provide a regular weekly reminder for all, even their servants, animals and aliens within their gates. Even those who did not profess faith in God but were living among the Israelites had to respect the God-given structures in their community. This command also prohibited the Israelites from making their children, servants or the aliens do their work. Everyone was to benefit from a Sabbath rest and be free and ready to worship and serve the Lord. The Sabbath was a sign of the covenant in that, as they stopped their work for one day every week, they openly demonstrated that they were keeping the covenant. This word was to remind the Israelites that their relationship with the Lord was special. Nowhere else in the ancient world was there this idea of taking one complete day of rest out of every seven.

The third part of this command tells us why we are to take a Sabbath day. The fundamental reason for obeying this command is because God is our model for a Sabbath rest. After creating the world in six days, the Lord who didn’t need to “rest”, rested on the seventh day. The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. We are to obey this command because God made it holy, and he desires to form His holy character in His people (Big Idea). There must be a rhythm of life, of work and rest and worship. The Sabbath was designed to help us become spiritually stronger and closer connected to God. He knew the effects constant work would have on our bodies and spirits, so he graciously and lovingly gave us one day a week to recharge both our bodies and souls. Also, the writer of Hebrews, in chapter 4, links the Sabbath to the final rest that all of God’s people will enjoy. In this “word” God declared his sovereignty over the entire life of Israel. All time belongs to God and serves to remind us of the sacredness of all our days. Observing the Sabbath is a mark of our devotion to God and should be a witness to our neighbors who don’t know Jesus.

The fifth “word” or commandment is also a positive worded command. “Honor your father and mother” is a transitional command forming a bridge between those “words” that connect us in relationship to God and those that connect us in relationship to each other. The reason that this “word” is connected to the first four “words” is because God is our ultimate father. The honor and respect we are to show God the Father is the same we are to show our earthly fathers and mothers because they are the ones who are to represent God to their children. By placing this command here, it shows the importance of the family. God addresses the earthly human relationship that is central to the continuation of the covenant through the generations – the parent/child relationship. This relationship serves as a reflection of God’s relationship with us. The word for “honor” means “heavy” or “weighty.” To honor our parents means to give due weight to their position and authority. They should be treated publicly and privately with due respect as long as they live. Honoring parents is more demanding than just obedience. To honor means to respect, esteem, value and prize our fathers and mothers as a gift from God. This command is so important, Ryken says, “The way to destroy a nation is to destroy the family, and the way children can destroy the family is by disobeying their parents.” “God intended the family to be the first hospital, the first school, the first government, and the first church. If we do not respect authority at home, we will not respect it anywhere.” This fifth “word” is God’s plan for preserving the family.

The fifth command requires respect for our parents, but it also forbids showing them disrespect. We see this later in Leviticus 20:9: “If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood will be on his own head.” ​​ In the NT, in 2 Timothy 3:1-2, we see that disobedience to parents is listed as one of the signs that we are living in the “terrible times” of “the last days.” So, why should children obey their parents? Colossians 3:20 says, “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” ​​ Ephesians 6:1 says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” But probably the best reason is because God added a promise to this command, “so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” God had just brought the Israelites out of slavery and promised to take them to a land all their own. One way to ensure that they could continue to live in this Promised Land was to honor their fathers and mothers in faith. This was not a promise of individual long life, but it was a promise of the fullness of God’s blessing, a promise of an abundant life. This is echoed in the NT, in Ephesians 6:2: “Honor your father and mother’… that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Keeping the fifth word is essential to God’s plan for passing down faith. Parents have the God-given responsibility to teach their children to know, serve and worship the Lord. But children won’t learn those lessons if they don’t have respect for their parents. And their respect for their parents should last for a lifetime. No matter how young or old we are and no matter how old our parents are, we must show them the respect that they deserve for the role that God has placed them in our lives.

We notice some important things here. Even in the patriarchal structure of Israel both the father and the mother were to be honored. Their status had to be jointly acknowledged to preserve the integrity of the family and promote the well-being of society. This command also speaks of honoring and respecting all of those in authority over us. The fifth word rules our relationship to the government. 1 Peter 2:13, 17 says, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men.… Show proper respect to everyone … fear God, honor the king.” It also regulates our work. We are to respect our bosses and show honor to our employers. It also requires respect for the leaders of our churches. Respecting our church leaders means to pray for them, encourage them, and assist them in their efforts for our spiritual progress. But if we don’t first respect and honor God, the Father, we won’t respect and honor those that God has put in authority over us.

During the days of the gold rush, a young man and his bride set out across the country to make their fortunes. ​​ Somewhere along the way, they drank some contaminated water, and the young bride became ill and died before they could reach Fort Kearney in Nebraska. ​​ Heartbroken, the young man took her body to the highest hill and buried it using the wagon bed to make a coffin. ​​ He drove down some wooden stakes to mark the grave, thinking that he would go on West and later come back. ​​ But the more he thought about it, the more he was certain that he couldn’t go on. ​​ He said to himself, “I’ll forget where this is; I will never remember it.” So, he retraced his steps all the way to St. Louis, Missouri. ​​ He found a stonecutter and had him prepare a tombstone engraved with the name “Susan Hale” along with the date of her birth and death. He tried vainly to get someone to haul it back for him, but all the wagons going west were already overloaded, and no one would help him. ​​ Finally, he bought a wheelbarrow, put the stone in it, and walked those weary miles back toward Fort Kearney, and set the stone up on her grave. It’s a tender story. ​​ The man knew that there was something he must never forget. ​​ Here was a sacred spot on earth, and he must always remember where it was. Thus, it is with Mount Sinai and the Ten Commandments. ​​ The Ten commandments have been set up for us so that we will never forget the importance of some things. ​​ We keep coming back to them, for they speak to us of eternal truths and values. These Ten Words were given to us and to remind us that God desires to form His Holy character in us. Let us be a people who, because the Lord is God and has saved us for His honor and glory, remember and write His words in our heart and strive to obey them daily. In doing so he is forming His holy character in us. (Big Idea) That brings us to our last next step, which is to Remember God’s words, obey them and pass them on.

Next week we will look at how we can be better connected to each other as we study words six through ten. As the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and offerings and as Gene and Roxey come to lead us in a final hymn, let’s pray: Lord, thank you for the privilege of being together in your house. I pray that we would take these words of yours to heart. That we would have no other gods before you, striving to fall more passionately and deeply in love with you. That we would leave a legacy of proper worship for the next generation and that we would remember these words, obey them and pass them on. May we allow you to continually form your holy character is us, every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.