Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
Who Is Number One In Your Life?
Exodus 20:1-3 July 8, 2007
It is not easy being a parent today. The charge that Chris and Sally Huntington accepted a few
minutes ago, agreeing to raise their children to know the love of God, is something that far too
many people are turning their back on today. The truth is that even some of the basic tenants of
our faith are being questioned. A vast majority of the people in our country, although they
profess a belief in God, don’t want to commit to worshipping or serving or even giving their total
allegiance to God. You might say that we live in a society that has adopted the idea of “free
agency” when it comes to our faith practices. We pick and choose what we like about religion
and leave the rest behind. There are no absolutes anymore. For example,
Ted Turner, never shy about making his thoughts public, has proposed that we do away with
the Ten Commandments or at least do a rewrite. Setting aside the old, traditional commands
about adultery and greed, Turner proposed new priorities such as: “I love and respect the planet
earth and all living things thereon, especially my fellow species, mankind”; and offered up “I
promise to have no more than two children, or more than my nation suggests”; and “I reject the
use of force, particularly military force.” Larry King reported his suggestions and said, “Ted
Turner’s new ten commandments make a lot more sense than the old ones.”
Before we get on Ted Turner, I think a lot of people would like to rewrite the Ten
Commandments. It stems from the idea that in polite society we should not force anyone to
accept God as being supreme in life and that is where the Ten Commandments begin.
When I was growing up I always heard one phrase from my parents. I think it is part of the built
in vocabulary given to new parents. When we asked our parents why… they said, “Because I
said so” and that was the end of the argument.
You see our parents had built in authority. They were responsible for us and they had to make
decisions that we couldn’t understand. And so there was no explaining. That is the way it is with
God. That’s why the very first commandment, the one that all the others build upon, has to do
with the authority and primacy of God. If we don’t begin with God, the creator and sustainer of
life, then nothing else matters. If we want to build a life of character, we have to put God first in
our lives. That is the foundation on which everything worthwhile in life is built.
Now most people would either be puzzled by this statement or disagree whole-heartedly like Ted
Turner. The world’s prevailing attitude about character is that it has to do strictly with how a
person handles his relationships with others.
For example, a few years ago some university professors gave out copies of the Ten
Commandments to their students and asked them to arrange them in order of importance. Ninety
percent of the students reversed the order, putting the commandments about how we are to treat
our fellow man first and the commandments about how we are to relate to God last.
Our relationships to others are important t but when asked about which of the commandments
was most important, Jesus said that it was to ‘Love the Lord you God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ And to ‘Love your neighbor
as yourself.’
Jesus understood the fact that the first four principles – those dealing with our relationship with
God – provide the theological basis for living a life of character. In other words, they provide the
WHY for us to live lives that so dramatically go against the current of society.
You look at all of the other commandments. Don’t kill, steal, lie, commit adultery are things that
we know we shouldn’t do. But when we factor God into the equations and say if we respect and
honor God we will not do these things, they take on much more depth. Let’s face it, when you
teach sex education in school and preach abstinence. It doesn’t make a lot of sense in today’s
society. We try to scare kids with talk about STDs and pregnancy but it hasn’t worked. But
when we talk about God and how he has a plan for our lives that includes marriage, a family and
a future, it becomes something much more worthy of our consideration. Sexual intimacy in
marriage becomes something holy and good. We don’t preach that enough. No wonder our kids
struggle with this issue. We’ve lowered our standards in the church to match the level of society
and left God out of the discussion.
So you see God has to be first and not just any god. The truth is that we all have gods in our life.
In every person’s heart, there is a throne; and on every throne, there is a god. The question is
who is sitting in the throne room of your heart today.
There was a commercial for Lamacil a few years ago. Lamacil is a topical drug that gets rid of
fungus. In this commercial there were these grub like creatures that took up residence under a
toe nail. They were having a grand old time until Lamicil came along and chased them out. There
have been similar commercials about fleas and ants and roaches. The point is that they come in
and set up shop where they don’t belong. For many people today that is what has happened in
their hearts. Someone or something is sitting where God belongs.
The truth is that all sin is the result of putting other gods on that throne. Whoever controls our
heart controls what we think and do. So the first commandment is to have no other gods in your
life. Think about this. If you have ever been on a tour of a castle the first thing you will notice
when you come to the throne room, the seat of power in the palace is that there is only room for
one on the throne. It is not a throne pew. Thrones come in all sizes, shapes, and styles but one
thing they all have in common is that they are made for a lone occupant. The first step toward
building a life of character is deciding that God will be the lone occupant on the throne of your
heart.
In order to fully understand the Ten Commandments you have to understand the context. Most
of the time we get them they are all alone. But when they were delivered to the people, they
already had a relationship with God. He led them out of bondage and slavery in Egypt. He had
provided manna and quail for them in the wilderness. He had established the fact that he love
them and would take care of them. That gave him the right to ask certain things of them. God
made the first move.
That’s still true today. God has even gone a step further. He tackled the whole issue of sin and
gave up his son for us. Jesus died on the cross to take away our sin and open the gates to
heaven. The apostle Paul says that god did that even before we knew him. He did that while we
were still deep in sin. Before he asked us to do anything, God reached out and shared his grace
on us. He committed himself to loving us.
I remember when Lori was pregnant with each one of our girls. I couldn’t imagine what they
would look like or what their nature would be like, but I loved the very thought of them. Ask
Sally and Chris and they will tell you the same thing about their precious children. So it is with
God.
You see there are three things about God that make him worthy of our affection beyond what I
have already said. The first is that he doesn’t change. The name he gave Moses was I am who I
am. That means he is dependable. Second, he is a personal God. He didn’t introduce himself as
the national God of Israel. He said I am the Lord you God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
That means he cares about you. Finally he is a God who delivers on his promises. He reminded
them that he had led them out of bondage and that he would walk with them. When we walk
with God he will deliver us.
So when we put God first in our lives, we can’t go wrong.
Exodus 20:1-3 July 8, 2007
It is not easy being a parent today. The charge that Chris and Sally Huntington accepted a few
minutes ago, agreeing to raise their children to know the love of God, is something that far too
many people are turning their back on today. The truth is that even some of the basic tenants of
our faith are being questioned. A vast majority of the people in our country, although they
profess a belief in God, don’t want to commit to worshipping or serving or even giving their total
allegiance to God. You might say that we live in a society that has adopted the idea of “free
agency” when it comes to our faith practices. We pick and choose what we like about religion
and leave the rest behind. There are no absolutes anymore. For example,
Ted Turner, never shy about making his thoughts public, has proposed that we do away with
the Ten Commandments or at least do a rewrite. Setting aside the old, traditional commands
about adultery and greed, Turner proposed new priorities such as: “I love and respect the planet
earth and all living things thereon, especially my fellow species, mankind”; and offered up “I
promise to have no more than two children, or more than my nation suggests”; and “I reject the
use of force, particularly military force.” Larry King reported his suggestions and said, “Ted
Turner’s new ten commandments make a lot more sense than the old ones.”
Before we get on Ted Turner, I think a lot of people would like to rewrite the Ten
Commandments. It stems from the idea that in polite society we should not force anyone to
accept God as being supreme in life and that is where the Ten Commandments begin.
When I was growing up I always heard one phrase from my parents. I think it is part of the built
in vocabulary given to new parents. When we asked our parents why… they said, “Because I
said so” and that was the end of the argument.
You see our parents had built in authority. They were responsible for us and they had to make
decisions that we couldn’t understand. And so there was no explaining. That is the way it is with
God. That’s why the very first commandment, the one that all the others build upon, has to do
with the authority and primacy of God. If we don’t begin with God, the creator and sustainer of
life, then nothing else matters. If we want to build a life of character, we have to put God first in
our lives. That is the foundation on which everything worthwhile in life is built.
Now most people would either be puzzled by this statement or disagree whole-heartedly like Ted
Turner. The world’s prevailing attitude about character is that it has to do strictly with how a
person handles his relationships with others.
For example, a few years ago some university professors gave out copies of the Ten
Commandments to their students and asked them to arrange them in order of importance. Ninety
percent of the students reversed the order, putting the commandments about how we are to treat
our fellow man first and the commandments about how we are to relate to God last.
Our relationships to others are important t but when asked about which of the commandments
was most important, Jesus said that it was to ‘Love the Lord you God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ And to ‘Love your neighbor
as yourself.’
Jesus understood the fact that the first four principles – those dealing with our relationship with
God – provide the theological basis for living a life of character. In other words, they provide the
WHY for us to live lives that so dramatically go against the current of society.
You look at all of the other commandments. Don’t kill, steal, lie, commit adultery are things that
we know we shouldn’t do. But when we factor God into the equations and say if we respect and
honor God we will not do these things, they take on much more depth. Let’s face it, when you
teach sex education in school and preach abstinence. It doesn’t make a lot of sense in today’s
society. We try to scare kids with talk about STDs and pregnancy but it hasn’t worked. But
when we talk about God and how he has a plan for our lives that includes marriage, a family and
a future, it becomes something much more worthy of our consideration. Sexual intimacy in
marriage becomes something holy and good. We don’t preach that enough. No wonder our kids
struggle with this issue. We’ve lowered our standards in the church to match the level of society
and left God out of the discussion.
So you see God has to be first and not just any god. The truth is that we all have gods in our life.
In every person’s heart, there is a throne; and on every throne, there is a god. The question is
who is sitting in the throne room of your heart today.
There was a commercial for Lamacil a few years ago. Lamacil is a topical drug that gets rid of
fungus. In this commercial there were these grub like creatures that took up residence under a
toe nail. They were having a grand old time until Lamicil came along and chased them out. There
have been similar commercials about fleas and ants and roaches. The point is that they come in
and set up shop where they don’t belong. For many people today that is what has happened in
their hearts. Someone or something is sitting where God belongs.
The truth is that all sin is the result of putting other gods on that throne. Whoever controls our
heart controls what we think and do. So the first commandment is to have no other gods in your
life. Think about this. If you have ever been on a tour of a castle the first thing you will notice
when you come to the throne room, the seat of power in the palace is that there is only room for
one on the throne. It is not a throne pew. Thrones come in all sizes, shapes, and styles but one
thing they all have in common is that they are made for a lone occupant. The first step toward
building a life of character is deciding that God will be the lone occupant on the throne of your
heart.
In order to fully understand the Ten Commandments you have to understand the context. Most
of the time we get them they are all alone. But when they were delivered to the people, they
already had a relationship with God. He led them out of bondage and slavery in Egypt. He had
provided manna and quail for them in the wilderness. He had established the fact that he love
them and would take care of them. That gave him the right to ask certain things of them. God
made the first move.
That’s still true today. God has even gone a step further. He tackled the whole issue of sin and
gave up his son for us. Jesus died on the cross to take away our sin and open the gates to
heaven. The apostle Paul says that god did that even before we knew him. He did that while we
were still deep in sin. Before he asked us to do anything, God reached out and shared his grace
on us. He committed himself to loving us.
I remember when Lori was pregnant with each one of our girls. I couldn’t imagine what they
would look like or what their nature would be like, but I loved the very thought of them. Ask
Sally and Chris and they will tell you the same thing about their precious children. So it is with
God.
You see there are three things about God that make him worthy of our affection beyond what I
have already said. The first is that he doesn’t change. The name he gave Moses was I am who I
am. That means he is dependable. Second, he is a personal God. He didn’t introduce himself as
the national God of Israel. He said I am the Lord you God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
That means he cares about you. Finally he is a God who delivers on his promises. He reminded
them that he had led them out of bondage and that he would walk with them. When we walk
with God he will deliver us.
So when we put God first in our lives, we can’t go wrong.
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