ANCIENT PATHS SERMON SERIES
MESSAGE 5 OF 17
CHRISTIAN HOPE CHURCH OF CHRIST, PLYMOUTH, NORTH CAROLINA
SUNDAY NIGHT, SEPTEMBER 14, 2008
by Reggie A. Braziel, minister
Ancient Paths Sermon Series
Message 5 of 17: The Ten
Ten Commandments (Part One)
20:1--17
EXODUS 20:1
Read Scripture Text
Prayer
Introduction
When we last left the ISRAELITES they had just made their
EXODUS from Egypt and had crossed through the opening in the
Red Sea God had miraculously provided for them.
According to Bible time lines and historical data, the EXODUS
took place sometime in the month of April in the year 1446 B.C.
For the next two months the Israelites wandered in the wilderness
southeast of Egypt known as the Wilderness of Sin or Zin.
They soon forgot about the joyful EXODUS and the
miraculous escape through the opening in the Red Sea.
Moses’ popularity in the opinion polls had dropped dramatically
as the people questioned his ability to lead.
When they arrived at Marah they were glad to find a stream, but they
quickly learned the waters were bitter and unfit to drink. And as you
might expect they started griping and complaining. So God
commanded Moses to pick up a piece of wood and throw it in the
water and when he did the waters of Marah turned sweet to the taste.
But it wasn’t long before the people started griping and
complaining again. This time about the food or the lack
thereof. Once again God miraculously provided for their
needs by providing them with a honey-wafer like substance
called “manna.” Manna means “what is it?”
As we come to EXODUS 20 the Israelites are camped out near
Mt. Sinai. It has now been approximately 3 months since the
Exodus from Egypt. This means it is probably late June
in the year 1446 B.C.
For the first time in 430 years the Israelites have assembled
as a nation. But there is a problem. They have no laws
by which to govern themselves as a nation.
It is here at Mt. Sinai, God will provide them with His laws,
the Ten Commandments.
God instructed Moses to have the Israelite people consecrate
themselves to prepare for the receiving of His laws.
That word consecrate means to “cleanse” or to “set apart
as holy.” The inward spiritual preparation of the people
was to be symbolized by the outward cleansing of their body
and clothing.
Another aspect of this consecration came in the form of a
WARNING from GOD. And that was that NO ONE was to follow
Moses up Mt. Sinai, nor were they to even touch the foot of the
mountain while Moses was gone.
God was setting Mt. Sinai apart as holy ground just like He had
done with Moses at the burning bush.
God was making the people aware of His unapproachable
holiness. Anyone who even touched the foot of Mt. Sinai
was to be executed.
After the people had consecrated themselves, it was time for
Moses to ascend to the summit of Mt. Sinai . He would be gone
40 days and nights. In other words Moses would be on top of Mt.
Sinai from approximately late June to mid-August in the year
1446 B.C.
This had to have been an incredibly awesome sight to
the Israelites. As God descended upon Sinai, the mountain
shook………the mountain was shrouded with a thick
cloud………there was a loud trumpet blast…….lightning
was flashing and there was loud claps of thunder.
Now I don’t know about you but that in itself would be enough
to make me stay as far away from the foot of that mountain as
possible.
***********************
A Brief Overview of The Ten Commandments
Before we look at these Ten Commandments let me give you a
brief overview.
Why Did God Give the Ten Commandments? Let’s
consider the three-fold purpose of these commands:
(1) The Ten Commandments reveals the HOLINESS of GOD.
(2)
The Ten Commandments reveals the UNHOLINESS
of MAN.
(3)
The Ten Commandments reveals the manner in which
man can have a strong relationship with GOD and with
his fellow man.
The Ten Commandments are commonly referred to as
the Decalogue. This comes from two greek words,
“deca” which means 10 and “logos” which means
words or pronouncements. Literally translated,
The Ten Words or Ten Pronouncements of God.
The first four commandments deal with man’s relationship
to GOD. The last six commandments deal with man’s
relationship to his fellow man.
Tonight in PART ONE of this message we will examine the first
four commandments. Then Lord willing, next Sunday night we
will look at the last six commandments.
**************************
Alright, here we go!
The First Commandment: You Shall Have No
Other gods Before Me verses 11-3
1. God is commanding the Israelites (and us) to be
monotheistic. Those of you who have been with us on
Wednesday nights ought to recognize that term.
Mono means “one”, theo means “God.”
So to be monotheistic means to worship
ONE GOD!
2. Now remember the Israelites had been in captivity in
Egypt for the past 430 years. Egypt was and still is
a polytheistic nation. And what does polytheistic
mean?
(poly=many, theos=gods)
I mentioned a number of those false gods of
Egypt in last week’s message.
3. Well let’s pause right here and answer two critically
important questions:
First, what is a god?
And secondly, why can there be “no other gods?”
(a) What is a god?
A god is any person or thing that is believed to have superior
power or worth.
A god is anyone or anything deemed to be worthy of
worship, praise, or exaltation.
Now when we think of “gods” we think of the images of
stone, wood or precious metal worshiped in heathen
nations. But let me give you a different perspective:
Illustration: Many of us are old enough to remember the
night a British rock group called The Beatles appeared
for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964.
If you saw that show that night or have since seen replays
of that appearance, you can probably remember those
vivid black and white images of women in the audience
screaming and nearly fainting. They were worshiping
the Beatles…….they were praising and exalting the
Beatles. In the very truest sense of the word, the
BEATLES were “gods” (small “g”) that night.
We have witnessed many musicians, sports celebrities and
movie stars worshiped as “gods” since then.
A “god” is anyone or anything that is worshiped,
praised or exalted. People can be worshiped as
gods. Money and material things can be worshiped
as gods. Power can be worshiped as a god.
Pleasure and recreational hobbies can be worshiped
as a god.
(b) Now to the other question: Why can there be no
other gods?
God answers that question for us in vs.5
For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous
God.
God has a protective jealousy for toward us.
He wants to protect us from anything that is
harmful to us. And the worship of false gods
is certainly harmful to us.
False gods are worthless and powerless.
-They rob us of a relationship with the
One true God.
-The worship of false gods gives us a false
sense of security about our well-being.
-False gods can’t provide your needs.
-They can’t comfort you when you’re sick or
grieving.
-They can’t help you when you’re in trouble.
-They can’t hear you when you pray to them.
-They can’t see you. They can’t respond to you.
-They can’t forgive you of your sins.
-They can’t save your soul.
The worship of false gods inhibits us from the worship
of the ONE TRUE GOD.
4. Before we move on to the second commandment, let me
bring this commandment do a personal level.
-Is there anything in your life that would incite
the jealousy of God?
-Is there anyone or anything that dominates so much
of your time, your attention, your desire and passion
it could actually be considered a “god” in your life?
5. GOD said, You Shall Have No Other gods Before Me!
*************
Now let’s move on to:
The Second Commandment: You Shall Not Make
For Yourself an Idol verse 4
1. The King James Version translates it this way:
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.”
New American Standard “an idol”
New King James Version “a carved image”
The Message “carved gods of any size, shape, or form of
anything.”
2. Now it may seem this is basically a repeat of the first
commandment. But there is a difference.
The first commandment has to do with the
Person of worship.
The second commandment has to do with the
Practice of worship.
3. So just what is an “idol” or “graven or carved image?”
An idol/graven or carved image is anything inspired by the
intellect and created by the hands of man.
An idol/graven image is anything man-made that is either
itself worshiped or used to enhance the worship of the
One true God.
An idol/graven image is any household god that is
looked upon as an object of good luck , fortune or love.
4. One of the major errors in the Catholic Church is the
use of graven images in worship.
In fact, the Catholic Cathecism of the Council of Trent
specifically states: “It is lawful to have images in the Church,
and to give honor and worship unto them.”
5. This was the very thing God was warning about in the
second commandment.
I was reading the other day about a man who carries
a New Testament in his pocket for “good luck.”
Seems so innocent doesn’t it? But you see that is a form
of idolatry. That man’s faith is in his “lucky New Testament”
rather than in the living God.
6. Quite often televangelist will sell things over the air
like “prayer cloths” or certain “oils” or “items they claim
to have personally prayed over” that will bring good fortune
to those who are willing to SEND MONEY to support
their ministry.
7. GOD said, YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FOR
YOURSELF AN IDOL or A GRAVEN
GRAVEN IMAGE
Now let’s move on to……
The Third Commandment: You Shall Not Misuse
the Name of the Lord Your God verse 7
1. The King James Version says, Thou
Thou Shalt Not Take the
Name of the Lord thy God in Vain.
2. The name of God is to be revered, respected and
honored. His Name is Holy thus it should never be
used casually or profanely.
When we think of the NAME of GOD being taken in
VAIN we think of God’s name being used as a
swear word.
There is hardly a day goes by but what we don’t
hear the precious Name of God used as a swear
word. We hear it on TV, we hear it in the movies
we watch, we hear it in the secular workplace,
we hear it at ball games
Using God’s Name as a swear word is just one form
of taking HIS NAME IN VAIN.
a. Another way to take God’s Name in VAIN is to use
His Name as a common expression in every day talk.
How many times do we hear someone exclaim,
“Oh my ________!” or “Oh ______!” And if you
say something to them about it they say,
“Well I don’t mean anything by it.” That is exactly
what it means to take the NAME of the LORD in
VAIN. To speak His Name with no meaning, no
respect, no reverence.
b. Another way to take God’s Name in VAIN is to use
His Name to declare an OATH.
“I swear to “_______” I’m telling the truth!”
“I swear to ________” it happened!”
JESUS said, “Let your yes be yes and your no be no.”
c. Another way to take God’s Name in VAIN is to worship
with our lips but not with our hearts.
Hypocritical worship is a form of taking God’s
Name in vain.
3. Here is the focal point of this third commandment:
God takes the USE and MISUSE of His Name very
seriously and so must we!
*****************************************
Well let’s move on to………
The Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath
Day By Keeping It Holy verses 88-11
1. Sabbath means “rest.”
2. “Remember the Sabbath” means, “Don’t forget to take
a day off!”
In verse 11 God teaches the Israelites the importance
of remembering the Sabbath by His own example.
For six days God worked on creation; but
on the seventh day, God rested.
3. Of course the Sabbath rest for the Jewish people was
from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday.
4. What God was saying was work six, rest one…….
work six, rest one!
5. But you notice this commandment is two-fold.
God doesn’t just say “Remember the Sabbath” He says,
“Remember the Sabbath by Keeping it Holy.”
One day of the week should be set aside as
a day of REST and REMEMBRANCE.
6. As Christians we are Gentiles. Does this commandment
apply to us? Perhaps not directly, but there is an
important principle to consider.
As Christians, we need a day of REST
from our work, don’t we?
And as Christians, we need a day of
REMEMBRANCE don’t we?
For the Israelites, that day was Saturday, the last day
of the week. What better day for the Christian to
have a day of rest and remembrance than Sunday,
the first day of the week?
7. REMEMBER THE SABBATH BY KEEPING
IT HOLY.
CONCLUSION
Back in 1990 I interviewed for a prison chaplaincy position with the
North Carolina Department of Corrections.
In that interview I sat across the table from four or five
directors of the State Prison Chaplaincy System, all of whom
were wearing clerical collars, which told me they were either
Catholics or Episcopalians.
After the formal introductions, the head chaplain explained to me that
80% of the prison population in North Carolina are of the BLACK
MOSLEM faith. Then he asked me this question, “Mr. Braziel, in the
event you are accepted as a prison chaplain, will you be willing to
ORGANIZE, PLAN and PROMOTE special religious observances for
inmates of all faiths, including those of the MOSLEM faith?
Without hesitation I said, “NO, I would not be willing to do that.”
They asked me to explain my answer.
I said, “I believe in the ONE TRUE GOD of the BIBLE and
I could not, with a clear conscience, promote the worship
of any false god I don’t believe in.
You could have heard a pin drop. Before anyone spoke again, I
asked them a question. I said, “As ministers, how can you guys do
what you are asking me to do?” Again there was total silence.
My question had created a very awkward atmosphere to say the
least. Knowing I wasn’t the man they were looking for, I politely
excused myself and concluded the interview.
Thou Shalt Have No Other gods Before Me!
Thou Shalt Not Make Unto Thee Any Graven
Images!
Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of the Lord, thy God
in Vain!
Remember the Sabbath day, To Keep it Holy
These are the loving commandments of the One
True God who desires more than anything to have
a meaningful relationship with each and every one
of us!