Love God First

Love God First

Exodus 20:2-3 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

"You shall have no other gods before me.

OTHER GODS?

The language from the commandment suggests that God, the One who delivered the Israelites from out of slavery in Egypt, does not want any other gods before Him. This suggests that there are other gods or what is He talking about? What does that mean?

The Gospel according to Webster indicates that a god is:

1. any of various beings conceived of as supernatural, immortal, and having special powers over the lives and affairs of people and the course of nature.

2. an image that is worshiped; idol [we talked about that last week - no sense covering the same ground again.]

3. a person or thing deified or excessively honored and admired.

and God with a capital "G" in monotheistic religions.

4. the creator and ruler of the universe, regarded as eternal, infinite, all-powerful, and all-knowing’ Supreme Being; Almighty.

A "monotheistic religion" by definition, has only one God. The Israelites under the guidance of Moses and the Law are considered "monotheistic" and yet the first commandment from that God suggests He must be first. If there is only one god, what god would be before him or after him for that matter? If there is only one god, not only is he first, but he is also last. This may be troubling to some.

Christians are monotheistic. So are Jews and Muslims. Some Jews and "all" Muslims consider Christians to be polytheistic because we declare: "Father, Son and Holy Spirit." That is three personages or, from their viewpoint, three gods. Obviously, more than one god.

There is something else troubling to Jews and Muslims and atheists. Come to think of it, Jesus was crucified for this reason. How can God have a Son? That means, in their point of view, God had to have sexual relations with a human which they consider an abomination. The church has fought that perception for years. The Roman church has declared that not only was Jesus supernaturally conceived, but so was Mary. And Mary remained virgin forever. It is difficult to just accept the predictions of the prophets and the testimonies of the Apostles. But Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin in a little town called Bethlehem.

But God in His first commandment said He had to be first -- ahead of who? Or what?

THERE IS NO OTHER GOD.

Deuteronomy 4:39-40 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. 40 Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.

Moses is discussing the Law and in the next chapter, the Ten are again presented. Here Moses reveals that the I AM is indeed the only one. "There is no other." And we who are monotheistic believe there are not other "real" gods. There may be supernatural beings such as angels or demons, but they are not "real" gods even though sometimes they are worshiped.

The Israelites had a tendency to take as their gods, any and every little idol that may come about. Baal was relatively common and frequent. That god seemed to have a requirement for child sacrifice in the same way that Allah seems to like having young people blow themselves up. And certain liberal elements of our society feel the blood-sacrifice of the unborn is appropriate for their lifestyle.

Isaiah noted that it was the craftsmen who made the gods who were declaring them -- selling them as gods.

Isaiah 44:9-11 All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless.

Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame.

10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit him nothing?

11 He and his kind will be put to shame; craftsmen are nothing but men.

Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and infamy.

Paul ran into a problem over idols.

Acts 19:23-26 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all.

Is it too much to say that for an idol to be considered a "god", some man has to declare it. Aaron did that for the Israelites while Moses was up getting the Ten.

Exodus 32:4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."

Demetrius did it for Diana in Ephesus. Muhammed did it for Allah. Joseph Smith did it for Moroni: supposedly and angel. Even in the endtimes, an Antichrist man is the one revealing and worshiping the Satan.

But there is no other God. So all these idols -- or whatever they are -- cannot be in front of God. They are not gods. "Man-made gods are no gods at all." But man declares there are gods.

People who claim to be Atheists also claim the "god" is the invention of mankind . They may be mostly right, at least for the gods man tends to worship. However, Christianity brings up an entirely different problem..

YOU ARE GODS

Psalms 82:6 "I said, 'You are "gods "; you are all sons of the Most High.'

John 10:34-37 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods '? 35 If he called them 'gods ,' to whom the word of God came-and the Scripture cannot be broken- 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'?

Jesus was killed because He had to admit under oath that He was. He could not sin and to declare anything different from the truth would have been sin. He had to answer the High Priest as to who He really was. But even that does not seem to be what the Psalmist and Jesus were talking about. You are gods. They were talking about people: men and women. This is a problem in semantics for Christians. We are taught not to consider ourselves as gods and yet according to Gospel of Webster, if we are indeed Christian in function and activity, to the rest of the world, we are gods.

1. any of various beings conceived of as supernatural, immortal, and having special powers over the lives and affairs of people and the course of nature.

Supernatural: we work in the Gifts of the Spirit and signs and wonders are to follow us wherever we go.

Immortal: Because he lives, we will liver forever.

Special powers over the lives and affairs of people: What we declare is forgiven, is forgiven.

The course of nature: Do we believe in miracles?

To the non-Christian world, we should seem to function as gods. Even Jesus, who is God, said we should be doing greater things than what He did. Suddenly, the first commandment has a slightly different meaning. I am less concerned about the demons or even Satan who may try to set themselves up as gods to be worshiped. We know they are losers. The evidence is that they are losers. But what about the Christian working under and through the power of the Holy Spirit with signs and wonders following who suddenly is impressed with what he is doing and steps in front God?

"You shall have no other gods before me" could be stated, "You shall have not man stand between you and me." Let’s state it with the child in the manger, "You shall have no man, not even my human mother, stand between you and me." The Shepherds came to see the baby, not Mary and Joseph. The wisemen came to worship Jesus, not Mary, Joseph, Herod, the Jewish Temple, or Caesar. We come to church to worship the Being in the manger, not the denominational traditions. The pastor does not represent Jesus, he or she only can teach about and point to the Savior. "Put no other gods before me." And from scripture the case can be made that only a man -- another man than Jesus -- could even try to be a god. Satan tries to be an angel of light. Antichrist points to a "living statue" as an object of worship. That is not another god placing himself in front of God, but a man declaring, like Aaron, "Here is your god."

Revelation 13:11-15 Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. 14 Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.

It is always a man who stands before God when the first commandment is broken. Only a man can stand before God as a god.

THE LORD IS ONE

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

"The LORD our God, the LORD is one." And at the baptism of Jesus, we see the unity of God as One.

Luke 3:21-22 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Through the waters of Mikveh, the Lamb of God, took on His responsibility to be a priest because only a priest can offer a sacrifice and He would offer Himself in three and a half years. Through the waters of Mikveh, the legitimate King of Israel through the line of David started His ministry declaring the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand -- at His hand. Through the waters of Mikveh, the man Jesus stood as all other gods with one small detail: the rest of the Trinity presented themselves. Holy Spirit descended upon Him. The voice of the Father declared Him. And John was the human witness of the event and declared it as such.

John 1:1-39 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'" 16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."

21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?"

He said, "I am not."

"Are you the Prophet?"

He answered, "No."

22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'"

24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."

28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."

32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"

37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?"

They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"

39 "Come," he replied, "and you will see."

So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.

John 3:30-31 He must become greater; I must become less.

31 "The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.

John the Baptist, who could have been considered a god in the eyes of man, did not go before or stand in front of or in the way of God -- the man Jesus -- the Lamb of God.

THE CHOICE

Each of us has a choice as a god. Do we try to provide our own salvation through what we do? Or do we accept what the Lamb of God has done and stand behind Him?

"You shall have no other gods before me."

This commandment can be seen as the basic call of salvation. No other way. There is only one path. And the man Jesus made it clear to us.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

No other god or man will work. Not even yourself.