9/17/17 – Eph 6:2-3, The Commandment, Pt. 4, The Commandments, Pt. 4 Lesson # 17-099

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GZxKfXog4Q
Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard Grace Fellowship Church www.GraceDoctrine.org

1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The Doctrine of the Ten Commandments Related to the Church Age, Part IV.

The 1st Commandment:
Ex 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” 
Deut 5:7, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Deut 6:4-5, “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! 5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

This first mandate, upon which all the subsequent are based, means that God was to be their only object of worship, and they were to live in blessed fellowship with Him as their glory and their guide.

This commandment prohibits every species of mental idolatry, and all inordinate attachment(s) to earthly and sensible things. 

New Testament usage:

We see this command reiterated it the NT, when Jesus railed against Satan after his third temptation in Mat 4:10; Luke 4:8; cf. Rev 14:7.

Mat 4:10, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY'.”

Our Lord also reminded the Pharisees of the greatest commandment given in the Law, Mark 12:29, the “Great SHEMA.”

Mark 12:29, “Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD’.” 

Mark 12:32 (NKJV), “So the scribe said to Him, ‘Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He’.”

Other passages include:

1 Cor 8:6, “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.”

Eph 4:6, “One God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

1 Tim 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

James 2:19, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”

Having other gods before God, means to worship falsely any other man made god, whether it be of human image or animal or of creation. Worshiping the One true God was still a shocking thing in Paul’s day to the Gentile world. Paul spoke of this in Rom 1:21-23.

Rom 1:21-23, “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”

In ancient times and even today, there have been made many wooden, metallic, or clay images of false gods like totem poles, the Buddha, or various paintings of presumed deified beings that people pray to and worship. Even inside “Christianity,” there are many statues of “saints” that are erected and prayed to by their followers, which are nothing less than false pagan idols. 

Finally, there can be many other things or objects in your life that become a false god to you, when you trust and rely upon its presumed power to protect you. This can include, but is not limited to, your President or country, a bottle or drug, money, hobbies, sporting events or sports stars, entertainment stars, etc., as our Lord stated in Mat 6:24; Luke 16:13; cf. Gal 1:10; James 4:4.

Mat 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Gal 1:10, “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”

James 4:4, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Committing adultery against God is worshipping or prioritizing other things in life rather than God, including false pagan god worship.

For us today, Alexander Maclaren puts the 1st Commandment like this, “For what is it but the declaration that at the center of things is throned, not a rabble of godlings, nor a stony impersonal somewhat, nor a hypothetical unknowable entity, nor a shadowy abstraction, but a living Person, who can say 'Me,' and whom we can call on as 'You,' and be sure that He hears?” (Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture)

He goes on to say, “The first commandment enjoins, or rather blesses us by showing us that we may cherish, supreme affection, worship, trust, self-surrender, aspiration, towards one God. After all, our God is that which we think most precious, for which we are ready to make the greatest sacrifices, which draws our warmest love; which, lost, would leave us desolate; which, possessed, makes us blessed.” (Ibid)

A PERSONAL NOTE FOR YOU

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I am here to tell you that Jesus loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you. God the Father also loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His only Son for you by sending Him to the Cross. At the Cross Jesus died in your place. Taking upon Himself all of your sins and all of my sins. He was judged for our sins and paid the price for our sins. Therefore, our sins will never be held against us. 

Right where you are, you now have the opportunity to make the greatest decision in your life. To accept the free gift of salvation and eternal life by truly believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day as the proof of the promise of eternal life. So right now, you can pause and reflect on what Christ has done for you and say to the Father:

"Yes Father, I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins."

If you have done that, I welcome you to the eternal Family of God!

Grace Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher: James H. Rickard
23 Messenger Street, Unit 3
Plainville, MA 02762

Copyright © 2001 - 2017. 
Property of: James H Rickard Bible Ministries
All Rights Reserved.