Exodus 20: 1st Commandment Bible Study - Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Exodus 20 beginning, in verse 1 and God spoke.

All these words saying, I am the Lord your God who brought you

out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself. A carved image or any likeness

of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth

beneath or that is in the water, under the Earth, You shall not

bow down to them or serve them for I the Lord your God am a

jealous God. Visiting the iniquity of the

Hours on the children of the third and the fourth generation

of those who hate me but showing steadfast love to thousands of

those who love me. Keep my Commandments, you shall

not take the name of the Lord. Your God in vain for the Lord

will not hold him Guiltless. Who takes his name in vain?

Remember the Sabbath day to keep 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, you

or your son or your daughter, your male servant nor your

female servant. Or your livestock, or the

Sojourner, who is within your gates for, in six days, the Lord

made Heaven and Earth the sea and all that is in them and

rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the

Sabbath day and made it. Holy Honor your father and your

mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord,

your God is giving you. You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false. Witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor's house.

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male

servant, or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or

anything. That is your neighbors.

When all the people saw the thundered the Thunder and the

flashes of lightning in the sound of the trumpet and the

Mountain Smoke knit. People were afraid and trembled

and they stood afar off and said to Moses you speak to us and we

will listen but do not let God speak to us unless we die.

Moses said to the people do not fear for God has come to test

you that the fear of him maybe before you that you may not sin.

The people stood far off while Moses Drew near the thick

Darkness where God was Let's pray together.

Father, helped us really believe that who we are speaking to now

and who we've been worshipping is the same.

God we just read about, give us that Revelation, may it be true

within our hearts May touch us. Lord and may bring every fiber

of our being into the fear of the Lord and to a place in which

we stand in awe of your majesty in your Holiness.

Give us Clarity of mine. Make complex things, simple law.

Through the power of your Holy Spirit and give us words of

wisdom, May every mind and heart be attentive to your word

tonight and may Jesus be glorified in light of the Ten

Commandments. We pray this in Jesus name.

Amen. You may be seated.

Pop quiz. It's always exciting to come to

Bible study because we never know how these chapters will be

covered. Sometimes they lean more to a

preaching segment, sometimes they're very teaching, sometimes

they're very interactive. Sometimes there are pop quizzes,

and this is one of those moments.

I hope you studied. Who here?

Knows close your Bibles. All of You Close Your Bibles,

close your miles. I know there are definitely a

few that were here probably last week.

They did this. I can tell by your face.

Don't worry who here knows the Ten Commandments by heart, stand

up and share with us. The Ten Commandments.

Yes, preferably go for it. Don't worry your other gods.

Other than me, no carved images, do not blaspheme.

Keep the Sabbath day. Holy honor your father and

mother. I'm do not murder.

Do not commit adultery, do not steal.

Do not bear false witness and you're not covered.

You got it? Yeah. unfortunately don't have a

reward for you, but Does anybody else know the Ten Commandments?

I won't make you say it, but I just want to see a show of hands

Hannah. You know it in the KJV for sure

to write anybody else know, the Ten Commandments Tim yes.

Eva you know what? In Arabic morning, you don't

anybody know what in Arabic Yeah.

Okay, impressive. All right.

The Ten Commandments. If you think we're going to go

over all of these tonight. We're not Though, they may seem

simple and straightforward. There's so much to each of these

Commandments that for us to just skim through them would really

do Injustice to understanding of who God is and what he asks of

us. And even the first two verses of

this chapter, give us an Insight of how important these

Commandments are read with me in verse 1, it says, and God spoke.

All these words saying, I am the Lord, your God who brought you

out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

So what can we say about these first two verses?

By the way, This will be more of a teaching these next few weeks

will be very more teaching than preaching and that's what I'm

planning on, but it can turn. Otherwise the reason is because

I want us to really grasp this. And here's, here's the aim of

it. By the time we finish the Ten

Commandments, my desire, my prayers that we would all be

exhausted. that by seeing the standard of God, we would

literally be breathless at the standard that he asks of every

human being only to run to the inexhaustible grace of God, that

we may be exhausted of the standard of the law so that we

can run to the inexhaustible grace of God through Jesus

Christ, Our Lord And so, we're going to take our time with

this. And this is very important to

the Lord. And the first two, verses tell

us why it's important to the Lord.

Can you, can you spot an inside of why this is so significant?

if you hang up, Yes. Before God tells anything to

them, probably just telling them what he did for them.

So, whatever he says they have to obey whatever you did for

them, still live to breed observation.

So we see the Lord here, reminding, the people of what

he's done before. He tells him what to do.

That's significant. Absolutely.

Yes saying all these words to the people, he's not to speaking

through Moses or Aaron. He's speaking to Buddy, that's

the main point. God, here is speaking directly

to the people. He's not speaking through his

Prophet. He's not speaking through a

mediator. You know what he's doing here?

He's saying Moses step aside, I have something to say myself.

Now it's one thing for a king of a city or a nation to deliver a

message through a faithful messenger.

It's another thing when the king steps off his throne so to speak

and gives the message himself, and that's exactly what God is

doing. He wants there to be no

misunderstanding, he wants you to be no.

Miss interpretation. He doesn't want there to be any

sense in which people might say, well, this is a Man-Thing.

This is not a God thing. God is coming and breaking all

those things. I could be possible and he's

making it very, very, very clear.

That this is my heart. This is my commands.

This is from my voice directly. That's significant not only

that, when he gives the Ten Commandments, the, you know, how

he gives it. you know how by the end right in his finger, he

writes it with his finger on what Tablets of stone.

And so he even puts his finger on it, he doesn't have Moses,

write the commitments, he speaks to the people directly and when

he wants to establish, its permanence to the people of

Israel for all generations. He says, you know, I'm going to

do this with my finger on a tablet of stone, two of them.

People get all the Beatty about how many were on each or why to

that's not significant what's important.

Is that God wrote with his finger, God spoke to the people

directly and it was terrifying. I mean earlier, we read about

how Moses and all the Israelites were coming up to the mountain

and they heard thunder. And when God spoke, it was like

thunder. Have you ever been in a storm?

Have you ever heard thunder rumbled?

Your house, have you ever been awoken by storm at night?

You woke up to thunder. Imagine the amplification of

God's voice with every single one of these commands given to

the people, it shook their bones, it brought them to the

place where they said, we can't even hear anymore.

Moses from now on, you have to speak.

So this is weighty, this is not light.

This is not an email sent. This is not even something

spoken through a messenger. It's not a dust, says the Lord,

a Jeremiah and Isaiah know. This is move aside profit.

I'm going to sit I'm going to speak myself.

So we should pay careful attention to what these things

mean. And before we explore these

Commandments and we don't know how much will cover tonight.

You mentioned something about verse 2.

I am the Lord, your God who brought you out of the land of

Egypt out of the house of slavery.

Now, why do you think God would bring that up again?

He brought up earlier. Why is you reminding them?

Yes, for them to be humbled. Absolutely be reminded for what

I've done for you. Yeah, absolutely.

Do need constant reminders. Yes, I think

that the Deliverance so that they can be faithful.

Yes. Confirm it by the witness of two

weaknesses. American Furniture.

Sure. So, there's a confirmation here.

You guys all acknowledging that I delivered you absolutely

consider the rest of the chapter.

To why he's doing this? Yes, when you bought them out so

now they're his. Yes, you are mine because you

were so you're my possession. I delivered.

You, we talked about Eagle's Wings last week of how God

stirred up, the nest and fluttered over his, his young

and he brought them out. Yes, they are his own

possession. But remember here, there was all

you guys all touch. Touch on something.

And one of the main things to, to add to that, is that he's

about to give these important commands.

And before he does it, he reminds him of his grace.

He did not give the commands to the people of Israel and then

say, if you keep these, I will deliver you.

He delivered them in spite of that.

He pulled them out of bondage, she pulled him under the out of

the grip of pharaoh and out of that Grace.

He says now be motivated by my kindness be motivated by my

consideration, be motivated by my Act of Deliverance to obey.

So he's reminded me saying, listen, I saved you before you

obeyed anything. Before they were tablets of

stone before you looked at anything.

I saw you. I heard your cry.

I sent my profit and I delivered You Now obey is that God's order

even in the New Testament. Absolutely, God Saves us, and

were motivated by grace, to obey him.

I give you my life Lord because you gave your life.

When I was yet an enemy of God, you still saved me.

Here's my life. And it puts a whole different

spin to this thing called obedience, it's done.

Enjoy! Boy, and he's establishing that

even now in the hearts of the people, listen, I saved you

remember, where you came from, remember how I came with a

mighty arm of Deliverance and brought you to myself.

Now, now that I've done that walk in my ways, walk in my

ways. Do you see the tone here?

And so, don't, don't get it twisted.

We're not in Egypt right now. And these people are not in

bondage, and God says, you know, before I deliver you a big make

a testimony for my name obey these Ten Commandments, memorize

them obey them for a week or two and then I'll see if you're

worthy of Deliverance. No.

He pulled them out even in the midst of their complaining.

Their disbelief at the Red Sea, a few days after they cry, and

he's faithful. And so he says, because of my

grace of my faithfulness to you, would you return it to me?

With the revelation of my goodness.

And then he gives the Ten Commandments with that tone,

that's important. because people have this wrong on understanding

of obedience, God delivers you out of slavery.

What to put you in slavery, again are Commandments to put

you in bondage to infringe upon your freedom.

No, that's not what the Commandments are four

Commandments are for your freedom, there for you to

benefit, and to enjoy the most out of this life in your

god-given and God ordained purpose, those are Commandments,

they are guard rails. They keep you any loving father,

takes a child and put him in the backyard with a fence especially

if there's a highway or country road by their why to protect

that child. Would it be loving for a father

to let that? That child go run Loosely for

the sake of freedom and Independence.

Know we would look at and say that's abuse.

To let somebody run wild without any sense of direction or

guidance. That is not Freedom.

That is not love. And so for some of these say,

well, God is putting, he's a joy kill, he's a buzzkill, these

commands that I gotta follow. You don't understand God's

heart. He's a father And he wants you

to walk in the fullness of this life.

So before we even Explore these Commandments, I wanted to take

our our time here, to really unpack these Commandments, and

the purpose before we identify each one.

What are the purpose of the Ten Commandments?

And there's more than one, there's a main one.

But what are the purpose is of the Ten Commandments?

Why is he giving out these laws? We know yes to give them a sense

of direction in life. Absolutely.

But there are others. Guess here's the reality.

A new believer might come up to you.

Those who are older in the faith and say I read something in the

Exodus 20 about these 10 commandments.

What do I do with those? What are the purpose of those?

Is that just for Israel, is it for me?

Old Covenant, New Covenant. What do I do?

Yes. So these Commandments are the

expression of the greatest commandment and the one second,

right? Second one to it, it's a good.

Yes. I think about it and just like

these Commandments show us how much we you've got off because

we give it to you how much we like we almost going to fall and

you like to begin to like break everyone like almost everyone

with not murder maybe not only can like make so many of them

and be like when you cannot be that good without God and how

much they needed and how much good absolutely you said that

this is a standard you said something that maybe not murder.

I would say Probably half of us in here.

Have committed murder. Saying what?

Jesus says, if you hate your brother, you've committed murder

in your heart. Jesus does something with this

law. Greater than what we see in

here. Remember that?

Remember that? Yes.

So we've covered that was great. So we have this idea of

fulfilling the greatest commandment loving God and

loving our neighbor and that is fleshed out and these

Commandments, we have this understanding of being holy and

set apart as a people and we have this understanding That we

cannot meet this standard here. And those are actually the three

purposes, the main purposes of the law.

Number one, they reveal God's character and nature.

We're going to go scripture heavy today like I said, this

can be more teaching because I want you guys to have these

verses to explore and understand this.

And there's a lot of debate in clash between Christians today,

about how this Law relates to Christians today.

And so let's look at it in the immediate context.

First it reveals God's character.

ER and nature Leviticus 19. To we know this verse and Peter

even quotes it he says you will be holy as I am Holy and after

that, he begins to give some of the Commandments that he gave an

Exodus 20. And so in light of the Holiness

of God and US imitating him, the Ten Commandments are given even

in Leviticus 19. Some of them at least.

And so we have to see this and understand, this is revealing

God's nature and character. He is a moral lawgiver, he has a

standard of living and that is, if we understand apologetics is

very important because we must understand the dangers of

subjective moral reasoning. To simplify that we do not

believe as Believers. That you have a standard of

right and wrong and you have a different standard of right and

wrong and you have your own and you have your own.

You can determine that. No, there is an objective moral

Giver God, and this is where we get it from.

An atheist. Would argue that.

And a lot of debate goes around while.

If you don't have God, if you don't have his word, how do we

have morals? How do we determine how we live?

And the argument comes back and says well we developed our

understanding of morality through Evolution and through

all these different things and our society determines that And

I would say, well, there was a man who thought killing Jews and

different people that did not fit his race.

He thought it was good to do that for his society and for his

nation and who are you? If you don't have an objective

moral standard to say that, that is wrong.

For a man, it seems right to him to rape a woman to fulfill his

desires. Now, if you don't have objective

moral reasoning, how can you say no to that and how can you tell

him? He's wrong.

Somebody in this place can feel that.

It's right to punch somebody else in the face.

And if you don't have the standard, we don't have an

understanding right? And wrong.

Who are we to say you can't do that.

Do you understand the chaos that comes from not having a moral

law? And so, we understand that God

has a way of living that this is a reflection of who he is.

That he is pure, that he is compassionate, that he is not

self-centered and he wants us to imitate that and he does so by

dishing out these Commandments to his people.

So number one, we understand who God is through these things,

he's not like the pagan gods that we read of, and these Greek

gods, that murder each other and sleep with one another and have

Offspring and they eat their offspring and all this weird

stuff. It's tough.

He's holy he's holy, He's Transcendent, he's immutable.

He is constant, he is love. He's good.

And these commands reveal who he is.

Secondly, they provide once again.

Guidelines for the people to live in harmony and to live in

Holiness, right? What was the purpose of these

Commandments? If you understand, especially

the later books of the pentateuch, he gives all these

Commandments and it gets even more detailed about what they

are to eat and how they are not to mix fabric and how they are

to, to keep certain festivals. Why did he ask for those things?

Okay, heart posture. But remember, remember what he

said in Exodus 19 that he was he was going to W redeem unto

himself. A kingdom of what priest.

That they would be a, what? Holy nation.

So what was the purpose of these Commandments?

One of them at least. That they would stand out

amongst their neighboring Nations.

That all these other nations that worship these false gods

bail Nash rather than all these different goddesses and gods

Israel would stand out and they would show these different

people how they serve the living and true God, through their

practices. So, a lot of those commitments

was really nitty-gritty details, the dietary laws and all those

things we have to keep in mind, the historical context that God

was trying to pull out of them, the practices of the world so

that they would stand out not just in But indeed that they

would not imitate. And I think that's a wonderful

principal for Christians today to we're going to get into how

this relates if we if we look like the world smell like the

world. Talk like we entertain ourselves

like the world. How are people going to see

something different? I'm not talking about you

attaining, your salvation by living in a certain way of

dressing a certain way. I'm just saying if we look like

them, how are they going to see anything different?

If we sound like them, and talk like them and there's a

principal there. Remember every scripture is

god-breathed and is useful for teaching instruction.

For training in righteousness. So there's principles even in

those things that are Obsolete and do not relate to us today

because of the New Covenant, keep that in mind.

You mentioned something. And this is important to how

these laws are the practical means, by which we fulfill what

Jesus said is the greatest commandment.

What is the greatest commandment?

Love the Lord your God with what?

Heart and with all what strength with what else mind and soul.

Every fiber of your being should be the love.

And what's the second one? That is like it.

Love your neighbor as yourself. And he says, in Matthew 22, when

somebody a lawyer asked him that question, and you can write this

down in Matthew 20 to 35, to 40, I won't read it.

But just as a reference, Matthew 20, to 35, to 40, a lawyer asks,

him, what is the greatest commandment?

And you know what? You didn't go through the Ten

Commandments. He says to love the Lord your

God, right? With what we just said and love

your neighbor as yourself for the law in the profits, depend

upon these. So to love the Lord, and to love

your neighbor as yourself. Every commandment is hinge upon

that truth. So even as we look at the Ten

Commandments, it's a fulfillment of both of those things, right?

The first four Commandments are regarding our relationship to

God. The last six Commandments are

how we relate to one another. So we see the first for loving

the Lord, our god with everything within us.

And we see the last six, loving our neighbor as we would want to

be treated. So we see it fleshed out here

and that's you're absolutely right.

To provide moral guidance for the People Israel.

All right, so that there would be Harmony in society laws.

Provide just that, can you imagine a world in which nobody

would be held accountable for what they did?

Absolute chaos. And that's why government is

instituted by God. Romans 13 to what provide the

sword for those who disobey the law and to reward, those who do

good. That's why we must pray for our

government. They are God's people, God's

judges. In this land, in this time that

represent his expression of Wrath and celebration over good.

And so laws provide order or two provides Harmony, that's why you

can sleep at night safely. And some of us have misfortunate

experiences where people try to break in or whatever, but we

have this General fear, that if you do something wrong, you're

going to be held accountable for it.

So, don't don't buy into this. Well, these Commandments hinder

my expression of identity. Hold up there. just think for a

moment before you speak and just regurgitate something that you

heard in college, Study, if you really want to be serious about

your life, it shows us. What The moral guidelines for

the people of Israel and even for us today.

And lastly, this is the main thing.

Paul, even answers. The question for us.

Why the law And he gives us different reasons, but all have

essential Point. Romans 3, 19 to 20.

Now we know what, that, whatever the law says, it speaks to those

who are under the law. That every mouth may be stopped.

And the whole world may be held accountable to God.

No man will be justified by The Works of the law.

Since through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

So we know Romans 33, 9220 tells us that the law, the purpose of

the law given preach Proclaim written.

However, it is expressed is to say give the world.

It tastes of humility regarding themselves so that every mouth

may be stopped stopped. And what any boast of

self-righteousness, any attempt to think that you have the right

to inherit eternal life, based on your behavior because James

tells us when you break one of the law, you break them all.

Think of it this way, if you were to contact me via phone and

call me all it takes is one digit off and you can't get a

hold of You just dial one wrong number and you're calling

somebody else. And in light of that same

principle, one command broken, you have no contact with God,

you have no way to reach God. You have no way to stand in his

presence forever. You have officially disqualified

yourself from being in his presence for all eternity

because you did not meet his standard, So that's why the law

is important in our evangelism because there's a lot of people

more than anything that are convinced that they are good.

You know, you can go to hell, two ways just being really bad

and knowing it and by yourself deception of thinking that

you're really good. And so you hear this from

people, well, I'm a good person and this is the purpose of the

law you bring it before them like a mirror.

You say, do you meet this standard?

And somebody like, what you mentioned might bring up, what

I've never murdered somebody and Jesus, all right.

Well, let me bring it up here. If you hate your brother, you've

committed murder in your heart, so you're a murderer.

So even in Matthew 5, when Jesus steps on the scene, whatever

justification these Pharisees might have had concerning their

spotless though, they were Hypocrites and though they were

something else in dark than in the light, any sense of boasting

would have been destroyed by Jesus upholding and enhancing

enlarging? This understanding of the law by

bringing it to a whole nother standard?

And that's Grace Jesus what? Grace and Truth came through.

Jesus Christ And so Grace is not this Freedom Grace is.

Yeah, if you think it, you did it.

And so, Romans tells us that it keeps us.

It keeps us in a place of humility and brings us to a

place of realizing what I'm in trouble.

Another versus Galatians. Galatians 4, rather Galatians 3.

19. Why?

Then the law he answers it again, it was added because of

transgressions. It was added because of

transgressions and Romans 5:20, it's another verse it says, now

Romans 5:20

the law came in to increase the trespass.

So what is the law do? Well, Romans 2 tells us what

that the law is given. And it's sealed somewhere.

Where is it? The conscience, right?

So, those who are not under the law, those who do not practice a

lot of those who were not under these teachings, these gentile

people that didn't have the law, God planted a little chip called

your conscious in your mind to understand right from wrong.

Everybody has a general understanding that if you take

something, that's not yours, you don't want to be caught doing

that because it's wrong, it's built within our system.

Got put that in there. Now, what does the law do?

The law comes puts it on Stone. So to speak puts it on paper, so

that when we look at it, it arouses and it shows and it puts

the spotlight on what's already in our conscience.

It enhances trespass. So to speak.

Paul says that even Romans 7. He says, well, the law is not,

this law is not simple, because if it wasn't for the law, I

wouldn't know what coveting is. I wouldn't know what this looks

like. And so what does it do?

It arouses sin in me, it causes me to realize what this thing is

and how it defiles God, and how the files my relationship with

others. And so, the law comes in to

strike the nerve, so to speak in us, to show us what it is in

detail. It's a confirm that our

conscious is. Yes.

What God has put in us to tell us right from wrong.

So then I ask the second question.

If that's the case, what do we do with the law?

What do we do with this? Still study it to know what God

expects of you. Because we know that in this,

these last verses, especially that the, the what, the law is a

Schoolmaster, it brings you to a place where what you realize

that your mouth is stop. You can't boast in your

righteousness. You can't boast in your

Perfection. You can't do any of that.

It arouses sin within you. It shows you at highlights, the

iniquity that dwells within and what is it cause you to do.

Paul says it causes you to go to Christ.

It literally brings you to a place where you say, I need a

savior. I'm in trouble if God's standard

is this and I broke in 18 of those.

By the time I had breakfast this morning, And so what do I do in

the Paul says, it brings you to Jesus, it makes you run and fall

upon his feet and to run at the cross towards it at the foot of

the cross, plead for his blood, plea for his forgiveness, and to

realize that I cannot do this, that's what really repentance is

repentance. In one sense is just giving up.

Sure, we have this understand that repentance is what turning

from your sin turning from your way?

You think about Sin and how the files our relationship with God?

But repentance is also turning Away from your attempt to do.

Good works to inherit salvation, that's repentance as well.

It's giving up on your own efforts and falling upon Christ

and his deeds in the Fulfillment of the law that he performed on

your behalf. So it's a Schoolmaster, it's a

tutor. It brings you to Jesus.

So what do we do with it? Because Jesus fulfilled, the

law. This is an important question.

Jesus fulfilled, the law. So we are no longer under the

law. That's all over the New

Testament. So we read this and we're going

to spend a few weeks on this and we go.

Well, how does that relate to me?

As a New Covenant believer. That's trusting that Jesus

Christ walked the law out forming that it is imputed unto

me by faith and by faith alone is as a historical document.

Is this this the same way? We look at circumcision and say?

Well that's what they did in the old Covenant but neither

circumcision nor uncircumcision matters but a changed life.

What do we do? We're under grace.

Paul says it Over Yonder, Grace. He's he's the Apostle of that

message. Grace Grace, Grace, not law,

Grace. Mom, he answers it and Romans

Romans 7:12

7:12. He said something about the law

before we get into how we relate to, he says, so the law is Holy.

And the Commandment is holy and righteous and good.

So, he doesn't speak against the law.

He says it's good. It's holy, it's something to

regard. because the opposite understanding of this is, Well

since we're under grace, the law doesn't apply gung ho let's just

do what we want. His blood covers Us.

Employee answers that too. It says in Romans, 6, 15.

What then are we to sin? Because we are not under the

law, but under grace three words, by no means you've

completely misunderstood what it means to be under the law and

under grace in no way. Does it give a license for

somebody to live in sin because we had a transfer of Covenants?

He says, no. To be under the law, this is so

important, pay attention to this to be under the law.

Is for us to be under the power and authority that it carries to

judge us for not fulfilling it. To be under the law is to be

under the condemnation and the penalty of not keeping the law

that we are held accountable for breaking it.

That's what it means to be under the law.

Now, why are we no longer under the law?

Because Jesus absorbed the wrath of God for you and me.

Jesus, not only fulfilled, the law pay attention.

This is the gospel and I pray that we would never become dull

to this gospel. I love what Paul says in Romans

1. He's talking to Chris.

He's like, I can't wait to come to you so I can preach to you

the gospel that Paul, they're saved.

Yeah, but it never never never stops getting glorious when you

hear it. Jesus, the man that we worship.

Before we opened this book together, He Walked In the Flesh

to do what to fulfill the law. He said that I have not come to

abolish it, I've come to fulfill it and he kept it perfectly and

he's the faithful Israelite. And what does he do by faith?

When we say, I believe in Jesus Christ, his faithfulness to the

law is transferred to your account as though you.

Yes, you and me sinner. Liar, adulterer murder.

Covenant breaker is seen by God, the judge as perfect and holy,

Not only that, but he takes our broken law.

What we could not keep and he drinks every drop of the wrath

of God upon the cross. That's what we call the

Beautiful Exchange. His righteousness, is your

righteousness. Your condemnation becomes his

condemnation? That's the gospel.

And so when we say were not under law, we are no longer

under the penalty. Or the condemnation that comes

from breaking the law. Because Jesus took it for us.

Praise be to his name. And so we understand that he

says listen just because you're not under law doesn't mean that

you can just do whatever you want.

You're not under the penalty of the law and something happens

with this gospel. Something happens.

It's not just this judicial it's not just this.

Positional thing that happens in which we walk without wonderful

truth as wonderful as it is. Something Supernatural happens.

And these prophets of old testify of it.

They say, you know, this law that you could not keep I'm

going to write it on your hearts.

That not only is it something in which you come out of the

condemnation that it brings to your life.

But something that's outside of you something that you look at

every day and say oh I can't do this.

I'm going to imprint it on your heart.

That's the born-again experience that when I yes.

Put my faith in Jesus Christ. Something happens in me with the

spirit of God comes and he writes, not on tablets of stone,

but tablets of hearts And he writes the law.

So the law now becomes something that I desire, it is an

effortless shift within the way. I look at sin and obedience and

it is this desire. Now in me, these see why

salvation is nothing short of Supernatural?

Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 31:33. This is the Covenant that I will

Jeremiah 31:33

make with the house of Israel. After those days, declares the

Lord that I will put my law within them.

I'll put my law within them. Ezekiel says, the same thing is

he'll 3627. He says what and I will put my

spirit in them to cause him to walk according to my statutes

and be careful to obey my rules. Deuteronomy talks about the

circumcision of the heart. And so we see that there is this

promise to come. Yes, that Jesus comes and he

removes us from the condemnation of the law, but he also by the

spirit puts the law on US in US. So it's not something that's

outside in. It's something that's inside

out. and you know that if you truly been born again, Before

you were saved and you grew up in a Christian home, I can tell

you what I did. I was looking through this Bible

to try to find loopholes to my Disobedience.

Well, the Bible didn't didn't say that.

So, why not? Then talk about any of that.

So that is not a person was a regenerate heart.

But a person that's been born again.

Looks for the things, looks for the standards and joyfully

Embraces every command. Why?

Because of, you know, because the Holy Spirit In You, Who did

something to you? When you gave up and fell upon

Christ? And what about the food laws,

and the ceremonial laws? Well.

That's an important question. But I think it's also important

to notice that the Ten Commandments How many of them

are seen in the New Testament as commands in different ways?

Nine, you're right. Which one is not in there, the

Sabbath. If you pay attention to the New

Testament, you will see that all these commands that we just read

Resurfaced in the New Testament in different ways through the

letters and the Epistles and Jesus teachings.

Except one The Sabbath. And there are other branches of

Christianity that would disagree with that.

And there are some genuine Christians that keep the Sabbath

there. Are I even know a family that

keeps the feasts. And they're Believers, but they

do it in light of the prophetic imagery of Jesus Christ.

And so considering that, what does the Bible have to say

Colossians 2 tells us, Paul addresses?

This with the Colossians 2:16? Look what he says.

Colossians 2:16

It's so plain he says, therefore, let no one pass

judgment on you and questions of food and drink, there's the

food. Or with regard to a festival or

a new moon, or a Sabbath, it's right there.

These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance

belongs to Christ. So Christ, fulfills.

He is the Fulfillment of those things.

All those things were yes for the Israelites and immediate

application. Absolutely.

But they were also shot oohs and Christ was the substance.

He's not the shadow, he's the Fulfillment of it.

So the Sabbath we're going to talk about this when we get to

the Sabbath commandment, but the Sabbath just for us to get it in

the surface level, the Sabbath is Jesus.

He's our rest. We rest in Christ.

It's not about a day, it's about a person.

And we are our soul is at ease, because of Grace, because of

what he's done and we can rest in him.

Oh it's going to be exciting when we come to the Sabbath.

And so, what does Jesus say even for these food laws?

Because there are even Ministries that say no, you have

to keep the food laws. Now, there are some practical

health tips to the food laws. I mean, all those Critters in

the ocean that he tells not to eat, if you look into those

animals, they're not very healthy for you there.

Like the vacuum of the ocean. They eat up all the junk.

Pork is not healthy for you. So there's some practical

understanding there. But it does not condemn us.

He says, in Colossians, if you want to keep those dietary laws,

you can do that, listen, do it. But don't condemn your brother.

If he doesn't do it. In fact, Paul takes chapters to

specific chapters to talk about how we are to do with this meat

thing. So if eating me stuck makes your

brother stumble. Don't eat meat.

Do you see? It's not as black and white as

we think people want black and white, the Bible doesn't give us

black and white. So you can keep those feasts and

hey, you want to keep the Sabbath the way the Jews do you

can do that all you want. Just don't think that you're

doing as a means to attain salvation.

Nor do you do it to look at somebody else and think you are

more spiritual for keeping those things.

If it's a conviction for you, keep that conviction.

Don't flaunt it. Don't bring judgment, stay in

your own lane. So we see some Freedom, there

concerning these ceremonial and civil laws, but the moral law

here is extended into the New Testament and it is expressed in

different ways. Look, what Jesus is a mark 719.

He's talking about this idea of how the Pharisee says what, you

know, washing your hands. And how that the files are

Jesus, you've got it all twisted.

It's not what comes into a man that defiles him?

It's what's in his heart already?

Proud of his heart and Matthew 720 says all this filthy names

him in detail. What comes out of the heart of

man. But look what it says here,

Matthew 719. There's like a little annotation

here says, thus he declared all foods clean talks about how he

declared all foods clean. That's an important verse

because that's Jesus So we see how this relates to us in the

New Testament, so let me just, let me just say this as we go

into the first commandment. In summary, we are to understand

the Ten Commandments in light of the New Covenant.

Okay? We can't look at that separate

from the New Testament teachings.

They are not a means of justification, but a delightful

standard elevated under grace, Jesus, enhances those things for

the spirit and dwelt believer to pursue in his life.

So if somebody were to ask me, are you under the law?

Somebody were to ask me that somebody were to ask you.

You can answer confidently know. I'm not under the law because to

be under the law means that I am condemned for breaking the law

and Jesus Took My condemnation for me.

Equally, I am not under the law because I do not fulfill the law

as a means to be justified because Jesus did that for me.

But because of his heart transformation because of this

heart transplant through the gospel.

I Delight in the law. And I want to pursue the law,

the psalmist talks about how he loves the law.

He didn't have the New Testament wasn't talking about Ephesians

when he was saying that he was talking about all those

Commandments. All those sacrificial

Commandments. All those food laws he goes, I

love to keep thy law. David.

I've said this before was a New Covenant Believers at Old

Testament, Covenant. He understood it he delighted he

saw it as a joy. Why?

Because it was an opportunity for him to walk in the will

character nature of God and it was an opportunity to walk in a

way to please God not a means by receiving justification.

But to please him, the sense of walking in obedience to what

he's called us to walk in, in order to glorify his name.

Nevertheless, as we go into the first commandment these

Commandments reveal once again, the The character of God.

They are moral guidelines for us to operate in our lives and they

are standard in, which we should uphold personally and to fulfill

by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

First commandment. You shall have no other gods

before me. Seems pretty straightforward.

Now, when he says, you shall not have any Gods, before me, what

he's not saying is you can have other gods as long as they're

not above means standard of priority, he's not saying that

don't read it that way you can translate this way you shall

have no other gods before my face.

Or you shall have no other gods besides me.

And what he's saying there is I am the only one that has access

to be Lord and Master of your life I'm the only one and I'm

not willing to share that step that status.

Now for us to unpack, what this means.

What this commandment means for us practically, I'm going to

read to you this the same book, you'd have to turn there, but

you can write as a reference because the Bible interprets,

the Bible, Exodus 23 23, What does it mean to have other gods

before the Lord? It says, when my angel goes

before you and brings you to the amorites and to the Hittites and

the perizzites and the Canaanites, and the hivites and

the jebusites, and I blocked them out.

Look what he says in verse 24. You shall not bow down to their

gods, nor serve them nor do as they do, but you shall utterly

overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.

So he's saying here, when you go into the promised land, I'm

making this very clear, I don't want any Gods before my eyes.

I don't want any idolatry. I don't want you to adopt any of

the gods or the practices of these ights.

In fact, I want you to bring them to fine powder to never be

seen before my eyes ever again. In other words, he's saying,

what only I can be God of your life.

Total exclusivity no options for anything else.

He's saying me and me alone and I want you to demonstrate that

by crushing all those things that you see in the land of

Canaan. Now, we all read this

commandment, we say, well sure. Absolutely.

God, Jesus, there's no other God.

I go to church, to talk about him.

I go to church to sing about him.

There's no Idol. There's no asherah pull that.

I bow down. That's ridiculous.

There's no bail alter that. I go to and sacrifice.

No way. I'm fulfilling that.

That's the standard that I'm pursuing.

So we realized what a God is, what a God, can potentially be.

Can any of you identify maybe give a simple definition of what

an idol is. No, just a specific.

Now a definition will get to specifics in the moment.

Anything that you place above God.

That's a standard definition. Anything you place above God.

But what does it mean to place above?

Go ahead. No, go ahead.

You said it. Thank you.

That you desire. Something that your heart

desires. Can we say more than God?

Sure. Yes.

Your heart worships Treasures above anything that your heart

Treasures or worships above God? Yes.

Anything that has authority over you.

That's a great insight. Well we just read what it means

to have another God in our lives.

In Exodus 23 24, what does he say here?

Look You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them.

God is anything. An object that we worship.

Or devoted to. Anything, an object, a thought,

a person and occupation anything that we worship or devoted to

more than God. That's a definition that X is

2324 gives us Anything that we adore, anything that we desire,

anything that we are thrilled by anything that we find more

pleasure in other than God, is an idol.

I do not care what it is. Because this is what the Bible

says. You're not to bow before it nor

nor are you to serve it. And the reason and this is the

beauty of these commands, because we're going to explore

the reason why God instituted them.

The reason why God gave this command is in the second

commandment in the last part or the middle part, revealing who

he is. He says, something very similar

in a second command that you don't make a carved image.

And he tells us the reason why I near the end for I the Lord your

God am a jealous God, I'm jealous.

Now there are two types of jealousy.

There's a jealousy that comes from insecurity.

That's an unhealthy jealousy. And we'll get into that when we

come to the second commandment, but there's a righteous

jealousy. And the best example to give of

a righteous jealousy is a man and his wife.

Who's ferociously jealous for her?

And he has every right and vice versa to feel those emotions

when he sees or she sees their spouse.

Going into a different direction other than the Covenant that

they've established between one. Another that's totally

justifiable that burning sense of She's mine is totally right.

That burning sensation of. He's mine is totally acceptable.

Why? Because God feels it towards his

bride. Because it's right, it's

righteous. It's according to his character

and his standard. It's not coveting, it's not

envying. It's something that is fueled by

a covenant. That was established between two

people and he's saying here, I'm a jealous God, so I don't want

you for anybody else. I'm not sharing you.

I'm not going to let you find your pleasure in another person

or thing. Because we made a covenant that

I am for you and you are for me. So the question the porn

question is, how do I identify an idol in my life?

That's a very important question and I think it just comes back

to what we've been saying. Where do you find all your

pleasure? What is the theme of your

thinking? What causes you to adore?

What gives you a sense of purpose?

Because if it's anything except God, it's an idol.

Now, God says, I've given you things to enjoy, he says that

first Timothy 6, you are to enjoy things in life.

You are to glorify God even in your eating.

You can enjoy a good meal, you can enjoy time with your family,

you can enjoy the job in the occupation that God has given

you because he's giving you those skills, but you were never

allowed to enjoy those things more than God himself.

God wants to be the source. God wants to be the object and

even all those things that we do, we should do, in light of

our relationship with God and glorify him and worship him

because of those things. In an idol can be anything.

You can put that up, please. Oh, you think it's just about a

statue? now, if you see these things,

let me just be straight if you see these things. and any of

them offend you, it's probably because it's your God, and as

you look at these things, let me just encourage you.

The best thing that you and I can do concerning how we are to

live. This commandment out Faithfully

is to look at all these things and to see how Jesus feels about

them in light of the scriptures. Do you understand what I'm

saying? Will you sing?

I don't see an iPhone in the book of Colossians.

I don't see an iPhone in the book of Ephesians.

I do how Redeem, the time. Redeem the time paraphrase,

Ephesians 5:15, don't waste your time, don't you know, the days

Ephesians 5:15

are evil, don't just squander your time.

Don't just give it up hours on end.

There's something to fulfill you have a purpose.

Don't just give yourself over to devices and let them be little

Vacuums in your life. That sucked everything out of

you that God's put in you. Sports we say, oh, we don't

worship idols. We don't worship things.

No, we just packed stadiums and people paint their faces and

they go crazy and people fight. And people lose money over

people that don't even know them.

So it's going to get very quiet and few moments here.

Marriage. Beautiful instituted by God.

But too many people have elevated this above him and

their identity is in their spouse.

And their Idol is the thrill of the of the relationship in every

aspect of the way. But let me tell you something,

your husband will make a terrible God.

Your wife will make a terrible. God, they will fail you.

They will not fulfill what your soul is craving for.

Do they have a place in your life?

Yes, but not above God ministry. That's a Pulpit, by the way.

Ministry. There are people that preach the

word and love to preach more than the one they preach about.

They love the sound of their own voice.

They love people. Praising the fact that they have

all this wealth of knowledge and all this influence, it can stir

their hearts. They seek that more than him.

They find the thrill and giving to the poor more than Breaking

that Alabaster flask as we learned about.

And loving him, an adoring him. That's not makeup.

By the way, that's about you. It's about idolizing yourself.

You can come to a place in which how do you know if you idolize

yourself, you think about you all the time?

How do I look? What are people saying about me?

Is this and what is that pose? I heard somebody Whispering.

Were they talking about me? And what are people going to

your own Idol? Your eyes are inward, they're

not outward. Do not worry about what people

think about God in your how you represent.

God, that's totally awesome. That's fine.

That's holy it's about you. It's about your image is about

how you look so many people invest in this body.

And the Bible says it very clear in 1st.

Timothy 4:8 that bodily exercise is of some value, but godliness

is a value in every way. There's this I'm all for a

health and fitness and dieting and all that stuff is important

and good. But don't come to the place

where it becomes your God. Do I have to talk about

Instagram? Family.

You're saying hold on damn Lee. I love my children, I love my

wife. I love my husband.

I love my parents. I'll give you letters in red.

If you love them, more than Jesus, you're not worthy to be

his disciple. These were not even in the Old

Testament. I'm leaning more in the New

Testament, and Jesus is giving away higher standard than the

old Covenant. You love your family, more than

me if you cannot submit to the gospel because of your family,

that's your Idol. Grades money.

Possessions, all those things. Listen.

Now let's step back. Are those things bad?

No, but we can take once again the blessings of God and turn

them into Idols. We'd be very careful.

So what do we do? We ask the Lord to take all

these things and to enjoy all these things and light of him,

being the ultimate pleasure in our lives.

That's what we do. That he is the Fountain and

everything else flows out of that, as an extension of who he

is and his person. It's properly appropriating and

placing these things in our lives.

Him being the Supreme him being the source him, being everything

to us. How do I know you've heard me

say this so many times? I'll say it again.

If Jesus were to ask you to get rid of any of those things,

would you be able to do it? If not, it's an idol.

He's saying, well, this is a little This standard is pretty

high. I don't know if I can walk in

that standard, you know, a group of people said that the Jesus in

John chapter 6, he says, eat my flesh and drink my blood and

John 6 · chapter mention

they said those very exact words they says, how can we keep that?

This is too much for us and they walked away and Jesus, let them

Why? Because he's a jealous God.

Hear me. He wants you.

And all of you now. Let's give an illustration to

this young ladies. If a young man approached you

and you got to know each other and you began to be fond of one

another and you want to fulfill that Covenant of marriage and

that day where he proposes to you do that glorious day.

He gets on one knee, looks at you in the eyes, and he begins

to express how much he wants to be devoted to you and how much

he wants to spend his life. And how much she wants to

glorify God and marriage, and all these things.

And you're ready, you're just bursting from the seams.

You're ready to say, yes, tears are streaming down.

There's the picture guy right there, taking it, all being

recorded, and all for a sudden. The young man Bert's a splits

out these words. Listen in light of all of that,

sweetie. I'm going to ask you for one

thing. Out of the 365 days in which we

are together in. Holy Union.

I just want one day, just one day to be with somebody else.

Just one day, 24 hours, that's it?

That's all I'm asking for. And you look and you say are you

out of your mind? Okay, okay, okay, hold on.

Not one day, went out one day when our there's a girl that I

used to know. And I haven't talked to her in a

long time, but I want to meet with her for one hour, just one

hour. She's gonna come, pick me up.

And all I want is one hour with her and then you have me for

every other hour of the year. I'm yours with that sound

appealing to you. You would be out of your mind to

say yes, to somebody like that. I don't care what he says.

I don't care what he promises, that is absolutely ridiculous.

Now, how many of us do that with the Lord?

Where he demands total exclusivity, he wants all of us

and he wants all these things. Guess what?

To be enjoyed with him? But you and I instead, we take

one of those things and we make it a side partner.

Once again, don't hear me wrong, we are to enjoy these things.

But we are to never say this is something that I desire more

than him. And he is jealous.

You saying, are you really he's jealous?

He's jealous when you give more time to the thing than to him.

He's jealous when your heart finds more thrill and enjoyment

and pleasure in your job than in his presence.

The Prophet Jeremiah system am closing with these verses

relating to all of this. Jeremiah to 11 to 13.

This is fantastic, it's summarizes this perfectly.

Jeremiah to 11 to 13. This is when the nation of

Israel did not fulfill the first commandment, and Look What the

Lord says, as a nation changed its Gods, even though they are

no gods, But my people have changed their glory for that,

which does not profit. Stop there.

So he says they went after these different gods and they're not

even Gods, they're man-made things.

Isn't it amazing that people worship man-made things things

that were built in a factory things that were produced by

human minds and they have elevated, those things more than

the one who created all those things.

And he says, they have exchanged their glory for that, which does

not profit. In other words, for that would

does not satisfy the inner man says, that's what they've done.

And look what he does. In verse 12, he does something I

think is absolutely amazing. He says be appalled.

Now, he calls the heavens as a witness.

He says, be appalled, o Heavens at this.

Be shocked. Be utterly desolate declares the

Lord. Why Is my people have committed,

two evils. So he's saying all of Heaven.

I want all the Angelic hosts. I want every Celestial being to

check this out. My people have exchanged their

glory for something that does not profit.

And God identifies it as evil. Why look?

How he paints this picture? They have forsaken.

Me, me, the Fountain of Living Waters And hewed out cisterns

for themselves, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

That is a commentary on the first commandment broken.

The very startling picture he says heavens.

Look at this. Look at how these people are

finding more pleasure in that and their family and their job,

in their clothes, in their bank account in their sports team.

In their iPhone. Look at look, they exchange

this. What I can give.

For that, which does not profit. And it is like somebody who is

so thirsty, and there's a fountain of the purest.

Cleanest most fulfilling water that never ceases to flow.

I mean, you can be thirsty every day of your life.

In this Fountain will satisfy you, and this is what they're

doing. They're digging with their hands

on the side of the road to try to find water at the end of that

pit. that's what it looks like to God when we have Idols in our

lives and God is appalled, and he goes, you have no idea what

you're missing out on So we have to look at our own hearts.

And these 10 commandments will do just that.

Is there anything in my life? That I am more thrilled by more

pleased, by that takes occupation of my mind, the most

other than God. Do I do, I do things outside of

the goodness of God. And do I do things in spite of

the fact that he gave me these things?

And these things should cause me, even my steak should cause

me to worship God because he made it so flavorful and he gave

me the money to provide for and he gave me the family to enjoy

it with. Do I do things outside of that?

Do I worship the created thing more than the Creator?

And so he says, enjoy it, enjoy this life, happily enjoy these

things, but not more than me. Not never more than me.

If anything, it should cause you to love me more.

Because these are extensions of my grace and mercy to you.

Let's pray together. So how are we to understand the

first commandment? We are to understand it as a as

God speaking, as a ferociously jealous bridegroom over his

bride. That I have set the standard the

same way, a man or a woman has a standard concerning marriage

that I am yours and you are mine.

We do not share each other. That when we make this Covenant,

we are making that statement. And before we pray, I think this

is important to understand in light of the New Testament.

In Colossians 3:5. Look what Paul says he says, put

Colossians 3:5

to death. Therefore, what is Earthly in

you sexual immorality, impurity passion, evil desire.

And look at this and covetousness.

Which is idolatry. So how does Paul Define

idolatry? Covetousness.

What does it mean to covet? It means to have a strong desire

for something or someone that does not belong to you.

So this is one strong element of idolatry which is very, very

interesting because the last commandment is not to covet.

And so we have a full circle. The first one is not have any

God before me, not to have idols and based on this text and Idol

is anything that you and I can covet or we do covet.

So when I look at something that somebody has in my my heart so

wanted that it consumes my mind and my time That's an idol.

If I do the same with another person's spouse, that's an idol.

Anything that we have a strong desire for that does not belong

to us. Paul says that's an idol because

the very thing that is occupying, your thinking and

making your heart feel that way. I want me to do that to you.

I want me to be the passion of your heart.

I want you to pursue me, not that I'm supposed to have that

occupation in your mind. I'm supposed to make your heart

feel that way. And so when you covet something,

when you spend all that energy and you meditate upon those

things that aren't supposed to be yours in the first place,

that's the pursuit that I'm anticipating from you, for me.

So he says don't crave those things, crave me.

Don't run after those things. Run after me.

Don't get caught up in those things get caught up in me.

That is the essence of the first commandment.

So it's not even things that we have placed in our lives.

That take the place of God. It's even the things that we

have a craving for that, we might not even have You saying

well, that's just getting crazy. Well let's take it to the

marriage example, again. Let's say that you have that

with somebody, but you know that that person's heart.

The opposite person, the spouse of yours in their heart, they

want somebody else. Or they find pleasure in

something, other than you, we can.

We can use. As example, all day, long God

says, not only do, I want to see it.

Yes, obviously, physically, I want every Idol in the land of

your cane and to be crushed, but I want your heart, the attitude

of your heart, the posture of This Heart To Be Mine.

And we should none of us should step back and say well that's

just a little bit too much. He loves us and he wants to make

covenant. And relationship experience in

its fullness of joy, must demand total commitment to one another.

Father, we thank you for tonight.

Thank you for showing us how this Law relates to us.

We thank you that Jesus fulfills the law.

That we are no longer under the law.

But we thank you that you have given us a heart transplant for

us to desire to walk in these things.

And Lord, we want to be a people that have no other gods before

you. That you would receive the

fullness of who we are and Lord help us understand the balance.

Let us never fall into the ditch of legalism as we drift away

from lawlessness. Help us stay on that balance

road that we are to enjoy things in life.

But not more than you. We are to walk in the things of

this life with our families and our friends and do certain

things that our hearts desire but never are they to replace

the pleasure that we find in the king.

And so Lord we pray that if there are any Idols in our

hearts even tonight that you would show us and that we would

do with the nation of Israel was to do and that's put it in its

right place. The crush it.

It's a lord. If money occupies are thinking,

if finances occupy, our thoughts, if anything, anything

takes that place of you, would you with this glorious truth.

Give us the power of the Holy Spirit to even love you.

Rest to fulfill the greatest commandment is impossible, apart

from the Holy Spirit, pouring out his love in our hearts.

And so Lord, we need you to love you.

Help us. God.

See the futility in the vanity, in the silliness of these

things. When there is an eternal God

that wants to commune with us. Bring us to the right place.

Lord. And as we explore these other

Commandments, may we yes since this understanding exhaustion

for those who are not in Christ and are living.

According to this, to try to get salvation and may it bring

people to the foot of the cross. But Lord, may we also for those

who are born again, see these things. as a way of enhancing

our experience of a relationship with you, May we be motivated

rights lie? By these words, in the name of

Jesus, we pray. By these words, in the name of

Jesus, we pray.