Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Well, it is my privilege again, to open God's word with you. And especially this morning, because we get to start a brand new series. The series that we're working through now is actually the 10 commandments. We actually walked with the children of Israel. I don't know if you know this, you might've forgotten it because we have, we had been so impacted by the fruit of the spirit series, which I hope I never do again. And those of you that have had conversations with me will know why it's so interesting that each of the fruit of the spirit just took on a very personal form in our lives. Every single week as a church. Now we, we come back to the Exodus, to the children of Israel that we left wandering in the wilderness. They've been there just under, uh, I think it's like three months is all they've been. And they come to this place
Speaker 1 00:00:47 Called Sinai.
Speaker 0 00:00:49 This is a place where they get to be introduced to the God who rescued them for the very first time. Keep in mind, they've grown up in Egypt, they've grown up in a polytheistic culture. They've grown up as slaves. That's all they know. They had no idea that they had heard the stories. Sure they had. There were elders of Israel, but how much can you do when you're in a slavery situation for 400 years? And they had begun to give up on the fact that they could be rescued. But at one point after this 400 year period, God pulled this person out of the outcast situation. He was in
Speaker 1 00:01:27 From Egypt, wasting his life in the desert,
Speaker 0 00:01:32 Call some in a burning Bush. And he says, Moses, go and tell Pharaoh
Speaker 1 00:01:38 To let my people go. Moses obeys. And the people
Speaker 0 00:01:43 After 10 plagues finally released Pharaoh changes his mind, chases them down. And there you have the story of the sea that split in half the Egyptian army was swallowed up, but the Hebrews were saved. Now they are on the other side and they are a boat to find them
Speaker 1 00:02:00 About the character of the God who has rescued them. This is an amazing story from the old Testament, because it to us introduces us to God as God would
Speaker 0 00:02:17 Introduce himself to a nation, to a
Speaker 1 00:02:19 People for the very first time God did this. And now he is
Speaker 0 00:02:25 Ready to introduce his P himself properly to his chosen people
Speaker 1 00:02:29 For the very first time.
Speaker 0 00:02:32 Now I want you to know, first of all, he makes no qualms about anything. He's about to say he doesn't couch it. He, he doesn't say, now I know this is going to hurt, but here's what I want you to know. He doesn't, he doesn't make it sound better than it should. He doesn't make sure they're okay with what he's saying. He simply reveals himself in the 10 commandments as a God who has rescued them and is displaying his character
Speaker 1 00:02:57 To them. As you read through these
Speaker 0 00:03:00 10 commandments, you'll find the first four are human obligations to God. And the last six are human, uh, obligations to society.
Speaker 1 00:03:13 The first four
Speaker 0 00:03:14 And the last six are divided by Sabbath and honoring your parents. Now, if I were to quiz you on how many people actually know the 10 commandments, I wonder how many of us would get it right in the right order. It's not something we go through technically every day. But over this time, period, I'm hoping that these become something that mean a lot to you as I break them down. And we learn about them together as a church, I want you to know, these guys are very excited about meeting God, who is this? God that has basically changed,
Speaker 1 00:03:46 Changed creation,
Speaker 0 00:03:49 Made creation, do what it's not supposed to so that he could grip the heart of Pharaoh and get his people freed. These tech amendments to these people are a little different than they are to us, to these people. These take amendments were about the foundation upon which their nation would be built. The first four, they were obligated to God and he was making exclusive claims based on his character. We're going to study number one today. The last six are how they were to behave in society. These take amendments were the foundation upon which all the rest of the law for them was built. These principles, even though we are not building a nation on the 10 commandments these days, they still are important to us because they reveal to us who the one true God really is. And what is in the center of his heart? What is important to God?
Speaker 1 00:04:45 The other thing I love about these is the question
Speaker 0 00:04:48 That we ask ourselves so often as is God knowable.
Speaker 1 00:04:53 I find
Speaker 0 00:04:54 It very amazing that God goes out of his way throughout scripture to make himself known to his people.
Speaker 1 00:05:03 And he does so through the 10 commandments, God,
Speaker 0 00:05:08 God wants people to know. Humankind are invited to learn and know God. Now
Speaker 1 00:05:19 Fast forward to May 8th and the year is 2000. I don't know
Speaker 0 00:05:26 You remember this, but I did some research and all of the magazines, all of the, all of the popular literature, literature that you could buy off the shelves at the turn of the century, they were at the turn of the millennium. They were all kind of dipping into what changed over this last millennium. Newsweek did an article on May 8th, 2000 called searching for a Holy spirit
Speaker 1 00:05:50 Is a long article. And they
Speaker 0 00:05:52 Interviewed a bunch of different people. One of the people they interviewed, her name was Ashley. She's 16 years old and she attended a Catholic school. She described herself as a spiritual person, quote, I don't think the Pope as this Holy man is really closest to God. I believe in Darwin's theory of evolution and possibly God being even a woman. I never believed in the story of Adam and Eve because it was so demeaning toward women. However, I do believe in karma.
Speaker 0 00:06:25 This is fast forward from the 10 commandments where God makes himself known to the year 2000, that is now behind us. And some things have changed. The same article interviewed Rob rhino he's. He was a pastor at one of the pastors at Wheaton Bible church. Uh, just a couple of blocks from us, his youth group. He thought to himself, I'm going to ask them about this very question, who is God, who is God, God wants to be known. God has made himself known 10 commandments are all about God revealing himself. So who is God youth? And when he asked his use of youth, this question, their answers quote, whereas individual is the kids themselves. One thought God was like his grandfather he's there, but I never see him. Another took a heart of you describing an evil being who wants to punish me all the time. Two more opinions followed. And then finally the last weighed in, I think you're all right. She said, because that's what you really believe. In other words, rhino says after his long conversation about God and how the kids thought God of God, God is whatever works for you. And on this, all of the youth agreed
Speaker 1 00:07:44 Fast forward to 2021, 21 years later,
Speaker 0 00:07:51 Last Sunday in the us house of representatives, a Methodist pastor ordained Democrat representative Emanuel Cleaver from Missouri, opened the Congress for the very first time. This year in prayer. This is the, this is the one who finished with amen and a women. Have you, have you heard that? Now? I put a women in my, in my, in my, uh, message like numerous times and it kept changing it on me. My spellcheck, I hate my spouse. Even now there's a little red line under it. I can't get, can't get rid of it. Like a man and a woman are not the same thing. But after that, he simply explained he was trying to make a point about the fact that Congress had more women in it than any other thing. But what we miss, hang on a second before you put that quote up there. Now that everybody's read it, we may look at this. Amen. A woman thing, Hannah, if you could just take that down just for a second. Thank you. Now everybody's read it. We may look at this. Amen. And this a woman thing is that, you know, he was just, he was just making a pun. He was, he was making a point. There's more women in Congress than ever before. So it's it's all right. Not so fast.
Speaker 2 00:08:59 Maybe
Speaker 0 00:08:59 You didn't hear his whole prayer. It sounded great. It started by addressing God of the Bible. It began by addressing God. He even quoted scripture in his prayer and you're going, thank God, somebody like that is representing us in the house of representatives. But here's how he finished. And dare I ask, go Lord peace. Even in this chamber now, and evermore, we ask it in the name of the mano theistic, God Brahma and God known by many names by many different faiths, a man and a women. I don't have a problem with amen and a women. If you want to make a point by using a weird word, I do have a problem with that prayer because you might as well talk to the bathroom wall. This kind of thing is, is not only common. Nowadays, it's expected to start a prayer by addressing the Lord God,
Speaker 2 00:10:00 To quote scripture
Speaker 0 00:10:02 In your prayer and to finish by addressing Brahma. The highest of the Hindu gods is absolutely wrong. Think what you want about amen and a women. You listen to the rest of the prayer and it makes things a little more clear who we have in the chambers of Congress. Listen, if you address God, you are addressing only one. God, It has to be the only God to talk to. This is where God begins his introduction to his nation, to his new people. This is the first one, Exodus 20 verse one. God spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord. Your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Say with me church, you can say it at home. You can do this. You shall have no other gods before me. It is the very first one.
Speaker 2 00:11:08 Now
Speaker 0 00:11:08 Before me is not in my presence. I'm sorry. Before me is not preeminent. Before me is in my presence. In other words, don't go sticking something in front of me and calling that God people are to understand that there is only one God, and he shares his spot with no one else, nothing else.
Speaker 2 00:11:33 All the
Speaker 0 00:11:34 Power they have seen in their lives come from God. All of the blessings they have seen in their lives come from God. All of the challenges they've seen in their lives are allowed by God. In all the prayers, they pray in their lives, go to one set of ears. There is one God don't attribute Godness to any other thing. There's
Speaker 1 00:11:54 Only one God, no other gods. Before me, we
Speaker 0 00:11:57 Live in a world where we create gods out of whatever.
Speaker 1 00:12:00 We want them to be the danger
Speaker 0 00:12:02 Jurors. We create our own God by elevating the things or crediting the things in our lives with the power that only belongs to God. This is where we make
Speaker 1 00:12:12 Gods. It's something
Speaker 0 00:12:15 We constantly do. And it is so subtle. Even in the same breath we claim, we're not doing this. We actually are doing this. I don't know if you notice that in the prayer from Emmanuel, but the representative Emmanuel, but he actually said one God, and then addressed all these other gods. We don't even know
Speaker 1 00:12:31 No we're doing it. If we do not
Speaker 0 00:12:34 Track this carefully pointing out the errors. When we see them, we will raise up a generation of Christians who claim to be followers of God, but do not know the one true
Speaker 1 00:12:45 God. There's a Pew poll that came out this, uh, not too long ago.
Speaker 0 00:12:52 A couple of years ago, one third of American adults
Speaker 1 00:12:55 Believe in a higher power
Speaker 0 00:12:57 Of some kind. And I don't know if you could see this chart on your screen, but it's very interesting. One third of American adults believe in a higher power of some kind, but not the God
Speaker 1 00:13:09 Of the Bible. A pluralism,
Speaker 0 00:13:13 The culture will always pull at us to move ever so slightly on this ever so subtly on this. Even we, Christians will be pulled into the direction of saying there's one God, but betraying that
Speaker 1 00:13:26 Chief in the way we live. It reminds me of this woman who got married.
Speaker 0 00:13:32 She was very nervous about getting married. And she told her mom, I, I, I just, I don't know if I can pull this off. And her mom said, do you love the guy? And she says, I love him, but I'm just so nervous. He said, okay, here's what I wanted to do. I want you to go to the back of the auditorium. Once we exit the bride's room, go to the back of the auditorium
Speaker 1 00:13:50 And hang on to your dad, just hold on to him tightly.
Speaker 0 00:13:54 And then what I want you to do is I want you to think about when those doors open. Just think about one thing. Just think about the aisle. Just think you got to get from here to the front of the aisle. Don't think about anything else. Just think about that aisle. When you, when you're on the, I'll just start thinking about the altar right
Speaker 1 00:14:11 In front of you. Just start thinking
Speaker 0 00:14:14 When I get up there, I'll get to the altar and you'll be fine. And then, then you get handed off
Speaker 1 00:14:20 To your fiance and all you have to do is think about him. She said, okay,
Speaker 0 00:14:24 Mom, thanks. I'm glad. Okay. I can do that. So she goes to the back of the auditorium. The doors are shut. She hangs onto her. Father's on the doors, fly open. And she walks down the aisle to the hearing of everyone she passed. She kept repeating. I'll alter him. I'll alter him. I'll alter those. Aren't good words to say, when you're walking down
Speaker 1 00:14:48 The Island, your wedding day. But unfortunately this is how we treat God too.
Speaker 0 00:14:56 Come to God as if he's everything like he's everything in the slice of bread. He's, he's exactly what we need. But as we live with him and as we grow with him and as we're influenced by the culture around us, we are compelled. We are. Magnetised
Speaker 1 00:15:09 The idea
Speaker 0 00:15:13 That God is still God, but maybe there's other things
Speaker 1 00:15:16 That can come before him. I
Speaker 0 00:15:21 Am the Lord. Your God who brought you up out of the land
Speaker 1 00:15:23 Of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, you shall have no other gods before me. The point is the God of the Bible is the only God. There is no other God, but the God of the Bible, even saying that
Speaker 0 00:15:42 On Sunday morning, January though, what is it? The 10th, 2021 people will be tempted to turn the TV screen off. How can Craig, how can you piously say, how can you as simple human declare that God of the Bible is the
Speaker 1 00:16:00 Only God I don't, God does look at it.
Speaker 0 00:16:04 What he says again, I am the one God says who saw you and had compassion on you. Israel. I am the one who heard your cries in the night. I am the one who broke the laws of nature to get you up out of Egypt. I am the one who cares for you like a mother, caring for her children. I am that God, there is no
Speaker 1 00:16:22 Other and nothing
Speaker 0 00:16:25 Changes about him because that is the way he is
Speaker 1 00:16:27 Introduces himself to his people for the very first time. And God never changes.
Speaker 0 00:16:36 We're all naturally tempted to give the credit for the stuff.
Speaker 1 00:16:39 Five to the things around us, other than the source of the gods.
Speaker 0 00:16:45 I see. And by we do this so subtly, we claim that God is our provider, but freak out
Speaker 1 00:16:51 The money gives away. We say that God is the controller.
Speaker 0 00:16:56 The friend, people out of hatred for opposite political views
Speaker 1 00:16:59 Use. We say, God is all we need.
Speaker 0 00:17:03 Or we crash and burn. When we lose a relationship of somebody that we love, we have a tendency to subtly buy into this idea that I need God and something else. And God says, no, you're missing the here's the deal.
Speaker 1 00:17:17 I hear you. I love you. I rescued you. I will lead you. I am God. And there is no other. If there is one, God, he is the one who controls,
Speaker 0 00:17:29 Supports, feeds, grows, blesses and directs the path of our lives. According to
Speaker 1 00:17:35 His will. Now
Speaker 0 00:17:37 This is challenged in culture constantly.
Speaker 1 00:17:41 You are going to
Speaker 0 00:17:42 Be surrounded and you probably are already by people who claim that a belief in a singular God is old-fashioned, it's out of date and you're out of touch. They'll say things like society has evolved. They'll say things like you believe in a spaghetti monster in the sky. They'll say things like you're narrow-minded and irrelevant in a progressive society. Don't fall for it. This is where the abandonment of the singular truth of Christianity begins. Church. This is where the singular abandonment of the singularity of a single God begins. God knows our inclination as humans is to succumb to these assaults so easily in this I believe churches, why he puts it. The first one I am this God, I heard you. I rescued you don't have any other gods before me.
Speaker 0 00:18:40 And this is the one we're most likely to break first because as human beings, if there's a no singular, God controlling all things. Listen. Now, if there's no singular, God controlling all of the direction of our lives to whom are we responsible for? When we die, see if you can get rid of that one, singular, God, you can choose your jury. You can choose your judge. But if you go with the God of the Bible, you are saying, there is one God and I'm responsible to him. And that is a horrific idea for people who don't know God,
Speaker 0 00:19:23 Why is this broken? So subtly? How can we have pastors praying to God and Brahma in the same prayer. You want to know why it hits our pride. It hits our pride. Then here's how popular culture will never accept people who are so narrow-minded. So you know why we give on this? Because we don't want to be irrelevant to popular culture. I don't want to be the one that sticks out. I don't want to be the one everybody makes fun of. I don't want to be the one talking about Jesus. When I get on national TV, what are people gonna think of me? That that church is pride. Absolutely. From the core. In fact, it might be the definition of pride. I don't want people to think bad about me. So church, if God introduces himself as the one and only God, we got to believe it from the, from the soles of our foot, to the crown of our head. When people come up to us and challenge our pride by saying, who are you to tell me that your religion is better than mine? Who are you to tell me? There's one and only one. God, who are you to tell me that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Would you please respond simply in one way and say, it's not me, man. It's the one true living. God, it's his deal. I'm just sharing with your truth out of love for
Speaker 1 00:20:48 You from the year 2000 to the year 2021, even now, things have changed. Even in that period of time. Can you imagine how difficult it's going to be to proclaim one and only God in the next 20 years, do you imagine how to touch? You're going to be how irrelevant society will claim that you are and listen,
Speaker 0 00:21:15 Will we be accepted? If we boldly say that the Muslim gods
Speaker 1 00:21:18 And the hidden new gods do not match up to God, not the God of the Bible, the Muslim God and the Hindu gods are just not the same.
Speaker 0 00:21:32 And if you're thinking of this is a brand new thing, Solomon struggled with this way, way back when Israel was first to verse buildup as a nation Solomon, I mean, and there were, there were many of the Kings of Israel and Kings of Judah that did the same thing. But this verse kills me in first Kings three, three, listen to this. Solomon is David's son. David is like, nobody's better than David, right? David King, David. He's the best we had. He's the best we'll ever.
Speaker 1 00:21:58 Solomon. His son comes along rains after him and expands
Speaker 0 00:22:02 Kingdom brings a time of peace, does an amazing job. As King, listen to this guy, Solomon loved the Lord. It says in the Bible, walking in the statutes of David, his father, and we all go, yay. That's fantastic way to go Solomon. But you know how this verse ends only he sacrificed and made offerings
Speaker 1 00:22:23 At the high places. It is subtle
Speaker 0 00:22:31 In one breath. Solomon was praising God and serving the one true living God in another and another breath praising and serving the idols of his day. Why? Because he had a lot of wives and they all came from different nations. They all had different gods and he has to go home and live with all of them at the end of the day. And what kind of a husband is going to come home and tell his wife, your gods are wrong. And my God is right now. He didn't do that. So he subtly moved into the direction, his culture demanded,
Speaker 1 00:22:59 Right?
Speaker 0 00:23:02 Cause he wanted to salvage the relationships in his life. He,
Speaker 1 00:23:05 He gave up the idea of the very first commandment. You shall have no other gods before me slowly, subtly, but sure you see it's insidious.
Speaker 0 00:23:20 It's insidious because it sounds right. The idea of multiple gods or a pluralistic view of God seems to be right. It seems to be progressive. It seems to be reasonable. And this church, it seems even to be a little bit of loving. Like if you tell somebody else that dare God is not the right. God
Speaker 1 00:23:39 Not very loving is it it's insidious. But church. I want to really encourage you. If you want to know the God of the Bible, he wants you to know him. And he has filled his word by underlining the truth of this very first commandment. It is everywhere. God is one. There is no other God, but Yahweh God, Exodus 23. You shall have no other gods before me.
Speaker 0 00:24:12 Psalm 86, 10, the Psalmist degrees for you are great. And do wondrous things. You alone are God Isaiah proclaims that in 44, verse six, thus says the Lord, the God, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts. I am the first I am the last besides me. There is no other, God will Craig. That's old.
Speaker 1 00:24:35 You want to hear what Jesus said? John 14, verse nine,
Speaker 0 00:24:42 Verse six. Jesus says, there's disciples. I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father, but by me, how many fathers are there?
Speaker 1 00:24:50 Would you say one,
Speaker 0 00:24:53 No one comes to the father, but by me, John 17, three, Jesus prays for us for the church before he goes to the cross. This is eternal life
Speaker 1 00:25:03 That they may know you. The only true God and Jesus Christ me, whom you have sent you.
Speaker 0 00:25:12 You know how many times Jesus quotes the Shamar in scripture. We'll get to that in a second. But I want to take, even to the new Testament again, I could have picked a million verses for these. Here are some of my favorites. First Timothy two, five. Paul says to Timothy, when you're a pastor, make sure Timothy, when you're teaching,
Speaker 1 00:25:30 There is one God. There is one mediator between God and man. And that is the man Christ Jesus. Listen, there is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved. Jesus is a son. God is the only father. That's how it works. The Shama, which means
Speaker 0 00:25:49 Here. This is what Israel quotes at all of their special events. This is like a modern prayer is John three 16. They quote the Shamala on a regular basis. And it's found in Deuteronomy six, four to five. And it is built on this idea of a singular God hero Israel. That's why it's called the Shamal here. Hero Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is what does it say?
Speaker 1 00:26:13 One, you shout.
Speaker 0 00:26:15 Y'all love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might. Jesus quoted this passage, Oh,
Speaker 1 00:26:21 Over and over and over in his lifetime, you can even find the illustrations of this and the new Testament and the gospels. Dig it up. Jesus agreed. There is one God in the Bible
Speaker 0 00:26:34 Bible. We must see God as he reveals himself. This is an ancient, uh, illustration of what that looked like. God is singular but exists in three persons. God is the father is God. The spirit is God and the son, Jesus Christ is God. But the father is not the spirit. The spirit is not the son and the son is not the father. There are three distinct personhoods of the one, true
Speaker 1 00:27:01 God,
Speaker 0 00:27:03 The bottom line in the Bible. You'll never find God trying to compare himself to anything or anything. Anybody else in creation. In fact, this is why we call God. Holy, did you know that? Do you know what the word Holy means? It means set apart. God says, I am Holy. What he means by that is you won't find anything to describe me. You won't find any words to do it. You won't find any things to describe me. As I am set apart from everything, you know, or have experienced. I am singular
Speaker 1 00:27:36 In my existence. He is completely other the Holy one. Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:27:42 And this declares his singularity. And because God says he is Holy. He elicits a response from us. You know what that response is? He says, because I am Holy. You are Holy to listen. I can tell you. I'm not that Holy. My wife can tell you. I'm not that Holy. My children could probably do a wonderful job of giving you lots of illustrations to show how I am not Holy in and of myself. But because I am a child of God and God is Holy. He has declared me to be Holy. He is set apart. I am set apart. And so if you don't feel like you fit in with the world, congratulations,
Speaker 1 00:28:23 You just might be, Holy
Speaker 0 00:28:26 God makes no qualms about describing who he is. I am alone. I'm singular. You can't compare me to anything. And I am calling you Israel. And now in the new Testament, you church to be my Holy set apart, people listen, God alone hears our prayers. Nobody else does God alone prepared. Moses, God alone poured out the plagues, God alone, fiddled with Pharaoh's heart, God alone. Split the sea in half Exodus. 19 four says this. You yourselves have seen God says to Israel, what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on Eagle's wings and brought you to myself. No one else gets a credit for this. Now, therefore he says, if you will indeed obey my voice,
Speaker 1 00:29:08 Keep my covenant.
Speaker 0 00:29:10 You will be my treasured possession among all peoples for the earth is mine. And you shall be to me, a kingdom of priests and a whole
Speaker 1 00:29:20 Nation. Nobody liked you on the earth.
Speaker 0 00:29:25 I mean, is this church is, is crucial for our spiritual growth to willfully and fully acknowledged. The God of the Bible is the only
Speaker 1 00:29:33 God. So what
Speaker 0 00:29:38 Well, the temptation to give at the end of this one is really huge. Pastor after pastor have fallen on their knees to culture and given up the idea of the very first commandment, Rob bell, one of the pastors of the fastest growing church about a decade ago, maybe two decades ago, I don't know. Rob bell put out the NOOMA videos who was just skyrocketing in his popularity was invited on the Oprah show, sat down with Oprah. And Oprah said, Rob, it's so good to have you with us. You're only one of the most popular people around. Tell me who God is and I've gone. Yeah. Rob, go brother. Let's tell Oprah. Let's tell the nation. Let's tell the world. Everybody watches Oprah, you get a car and you get a car. And everybody watches. This show. Belle responded. God is the sound of music coming from the open window
Speaker 1 00:30:31 In the other room. That was his answer.
Speaker 0 00:30:39 The sound of music coming from an open window in the other room,
Speaker 1 00:30:46 Swinging a mess.
Speaker 0 00:30:49 Joel Olsteen was interviewed on Larry King. Shortly after that, Larry King asked Joel steam, if you're Jewish, which Larry King is Jewish
Speaker 1 00:31:05 Or you're Muslim,
Speaker 0 00:31:07 You go to heaven. If you don't accept Christ at all. Oh, Steans answer in front of hundreds. And thousands of people was this, you know, Larry, I'm very careful about not saying who would and who wouldn't go to heaven. I just don't know King responded because he had just interviewed Billy Graham. They were close friends and he knew Billy Graham always gave the plan of salvation when he interviewed him. So he's poking at Joel and he says to him, well, if you believe doesn't that mean you have to believe in Christ. And if you don't believe in Christ, you're wrong, aren't you? Oh, stain. While I don't know if I believe they're wrong. I believe there's. Here's what the Bible teaches. And from the Christian faith, this is what I believe. But I just think it's, you know, only God will judge a person's heart. I spent a lot of time with India, with my father.
Speaker 0 00:31:55 I know about their religion, not a lot about their religion, but I know that I love God. And I know I've seen their sincerity. So I don't know. I, I know for me and what the Bible teaches, I want to have a relationship with Jesus. King keeps prodding and prying and he says, so then the Jews not going to go to heaven, Larry, King's a Jew. O'Steen says, I just say, here's what the Bible teaches. And here's where I'm going to put my faith in Christ. And I just think it's wrong. When you go around saying, you know, you're saying, you're not going to heaven or you are going to have it, or you're not going because it's not exactly my way. This is a subtle poll on our sinful hearts to, to, to join with the, so that we don't
Speaker 1 00:32:40 Look stupid. And that's pride
Speaker 0 00:32:44 Because it's God himself who says I am the only God, that's how it is. Take me or leave.
Speaker 1 00:32:55 Now it
Speaker 0 00:32:56 Should be said, O'Steen actually apologize for
Speaker 1 00:32:58 This afterwards. But not very many people heard that apology. So where are you church? Where are you?
Speaker 0 00:33:08 When I sat down with Michael at the, uh, an Alex, we were a couple of different churches, represented a couple of different churches.
Speaker 1 00:33:13 Does that actually have combined our preaching. We're going through this series together. And we were sitting down
Speaker 0 00:33:19 And Michael came up with this great illustration. I'm going to give you a scale. All right. So this is Michael's. I've told you this, this is his, this isn't mine, but it's wonderful on a scale of one to 10, where are you? Let's say we begin at 10, right? 10 is straight up. Polytheism I believe in multiple gods. Are you number 10? Number eight. We'll go down a little bit. I believe in one God, but all religions get to that same. God let's move it down to number six. I know what I believe, but all other gods are helpful and real
Speaker 1 00:33:51 Go down to number four.
Speaker 0 00:33:52 I know what I believe, but who am I to tell you that your belief is wrong? Sounding a little better. Number two. I believe in one God. Y'all way, but I can't see, but I can't see certain practices as acknowledging the validity of false gods. Like maybe it's not as bad as you're making
Speaker 1 00:34:06 Them out to be moving
Speaker 0 00:34:08 To number one. I believe in one God Yahweh, but I live like something else.
Speaker 1 00:34:12 God. Or are you on the foundational floor? Will you live on the foundational floor? Singularity in belief, speech, practice and evangelism, who is God to you? All God's cannot be true. When one of those gods claimed to be the only one. I want to leave you with two thoughts this morning, number one,
Speaker 0 00:34:42 And this, this is going to kind of shock ya. All other gods are an illusion or a demonic expression. You may say Craig, that is crazy strong talk. We live in a world that that's going to get people not coming to church. Okay? Let's dig it
Speaker 1 00:34:59 To this one a little bit. Make no mistake about this one.
Speaker 0 00:35:05 Cool. To waiver on this idea of one. God comes straight
Speaker 1 00:35:10 From the pit of hell. You want to know how I know that?
Speaker 0 00:35:14 Who do you believe? Who do you think believes that there is one God, more us or the demonic realm? Yeah, it's the demonic realm. They live under the authority
Speaker 1 00:35:27 Of that one. God, you don't believe that. Look in James. Two verse 19,
Speaker 0 00:35:32 James writes, you believe there's one. God good. Even demons, believe and shudder. You see the demons have no problem declaring that there is one God. They know that he is exclusive. They affirm that there is one God, but their lie from the beginning has always been the same. You can be like, God, you can have the place of God. He doesn't have to be. He doesn't have to exist in that place all by himself anymore. And when they came to the M to, to, to the first man and the first woman, when he visited Eve in the garden and the very third, the third chapter of the first book of the Bible, his question to her was simply this. Did God really say that? You see, God's not telling you everything because he knows the minute you disobey, you can be like, God.
Speaker 0 00:36:38 The goal of the enemy is to get his demonic hordes to cause us to doubt here first to cause us to give here first he knows there's only one, God, because he's a father of lies. This is his starting place. If he can get us to doubt the exclusiveness of God, he can start getting us down a road that will lead us to more lies, doubts, and fears. And if you want to ship wreck your faith, this is where you can start. Allow for more than one. God put yourself there. You can have that position.
Speaker 0 00:37:18 Do you know why the Egyptians had so many gods simply because with that many gods, you just find the one that fits you the best you create a God in your image. And this is where we break this commandment. It's sinister because it is couched in love. A loving God would not be dogmatic about this. A loving God would understand this is the demonic side of pluralism. Listen, church. The God you find in the Bible is steadfastly one God and makes steadfast claims to be the only God. Why does he do that? Because that's the truth that sets you free. Second thought. I want to leave you as this be warned. The human heart because of sin is magnetically drawn to false gods. This is why the is wanting to go back to Egypt. The Egyptian gods didn't make demands on them like this. God did the Egyptian gods kept their bellies fat. At least sure they were in slavery, but they were still breathing. The Egyptian gods didn't scare them with a mountain that shook and thunder voices, voice that came and scared. The children, Egyptian gods didn't
Speaker 1 00:38:39 And them. The way that this God would,
Speaker 0 00:38:41 You are free in Egypt to pick whatever God fits your agenda. And this is exactly why God
Speaker 1 00:38:51 Did 10 plagues. Each
Speaker 0 00:38:53 One destroyed the gods of Egypt
Speaker 1 00:38:55 Face first. Ultimately it is sin to give credit to anything other than God.
Speaker 0 00:39:04 Our culture walks down a dangerous path. When we trivialize God to bring him down a notch from his singular position. And we do this all the time church, and I'm finishing with this. We dangerously walked down the path of bringing God down a notch from his place of prominence in our lives and a singularity as God alone, we do this on a regular basis in our lives. And it is a dangerous path that will lead us to places we can't believe we
Speaker 1 00:39:29 Would end up.
Speaker 0 00:39:31 The way it begins is we turn on TV and we buy always blessings for 1995 and
Speaker 1 00:39:36 A prayer cloth to
Speaker 0 00:39:38 Go with it. We saw God like a genie. If you're rubbing enough times, we'll give you health, wealth prosperity and solve all of your issues. We put his name on our bumper. We sell tic Tacs with his name on it, to cure our halitosis. We have taken God and moved him from his prominent, Holy set, apart singular position and posted him and sell him like a Walmart special with a, with a, with a coupon that we get at a checkout line. We have trivialized God and God
Speaker 1 00:40:08 Or trivializes himself, unconsciously. We have removed him from business
Speaker 0 00:40:15 Exclusive place. You want to know the God of the Bible. He is the alpha and he is the Omega. He is the beginning. He is the end. He never had a start. He will never have a finish. He is the only God. And you exist because this God
Speaker 1 00:40:29 Let's it. So
Speaker 0 00:40:33 If there were nothing else, there would be God. And sound says, there's one of our church fathers. If you think about God and you finally think, Oh, I got it. That's who God is. No, no, no. Think back to a higher thought. And if you think that higher thought finally, encaptures God, do you think back to one higher thought? And if you think that God, that thought gets you finally understand God, you moved back to and until you can't move back any farther, you're closer, but not even
Speaker 1 00:40:57 Close to who God is. Do you know who the one true? God is sure.
Speaker 0 00:41:03 This is a God who raises floods from nothing. The God who holds Kings in his hand, raises them up and throws them down. The God who shuts the mouths of lions. The God who speaks to the voice of thunder that got her splits water with a knife that God who heals with a touch, the God who shakes his fist at demons and causes them to fall down the God who broke through the Gates of death. That God who secures your place in heaven and the God who is coming for us. There is one God who occupies all of
Speaker 1 00:41:29 That.
Speaker 0 00:41:31 God is who he is, regardless of who we think he is. He shares this position with no one else. He shares his position with nothing else. He is the all powerful, all sustaining all Holy, all superior being of whom we have the greatest blessing of calling our
Speaker 1 00:41:48 God. There is one God. And yeah,
Speaker 0 00:41:51 If you want them to know him as your savior and friend, this God wants nothing more.
Speaker 1 00:41:56 Then to give you that gift,
Speaker 0 00:41:59 He has revealed himself to you numerous times, even this past week, even this day, God is in the pursuit of humanity. Not because he is bored or needs us. It is because he loves us. And this God who is singular and preeminent and powerful and superior and singular who needs nothing to it
Speaker 1 00:42:20 Exist chooses to love us, chooses to love you. This God loves you. And that blows me away here. Oh, world, the Lord, our God, the Lord is one let's pray.
Speaker 0 00:42:45 Father. We come to you at the end of this message. A very,
Speaker 1 00:42:49 The simple truth, but one that we are challenged
Speaker 0 00:42:56 To break on a regular basis in our lives because we are so much on an onslaught of culture, demanding that we give in on this one, Lord, may it never be. So instead of looking to compare you to all of the fallen gods of this world, may we lift you up as a preeminent and prominent and Holy God that you are instead of trying to compare you to something else or giving credit for good things in our lives to anything else, our lucky stars, the universe, or however, how my, my stars lined up for me, may we Lord bow our knee and declare that you alone are in control instead of
Speaker 1 00:43:37 Get out. When the world burns,
Speaker 0 00:43:42 We take time and rest on the truth that there is one, God,
Speaker 1 00:43:45 God, and you are, you are that God,
Speaker 0 00:43:51 And we can come and pray to you just like this. Anytime we want. And
Speaker 1 00:43:54 You hear us,
Speaker 0 00:43:57 You listen to us and you love to answer, okay?
Speaker 1 00:44:00 Prayers, your willingness to transcend, to descend to us so that we can know you like this absolutely blows me away. Where else should we go? You alone have the words of life.
Speaker 0 00:44:28 And so father, may we as a church, be reminded of this, the first Sunday of our
Speaker 1 00:44:32 Pluralistic new year in the pluralistic society, in which we live, we breathe and we walk and we work and we play, may we remember you alone are God. And if there's hope for this world, it's going to be found in you alone. Thank you father, for this truth, for how it's just as relevant in 2021, as it was at the time for the Sinai. You want us to know you alone are God. There is none before you. Thank you for that truth. Thank you for preserving it for us. And thank you that when we believe it, it can change our lives in Jesus name. Amen.
Speaker 1 00:45:14 You get to do communion today. I'm excited to do that. We finish our service every Sunday by doing communion. The reason we do this is because if at all, we have gone down a path too much where we have not made the gospel clear. This is our moment to do it. And so here's what I want you to know church. Here's what I want you to know, guests who are visiting with us. And if you stuck it with us this long and thought to yourselves as churches really out of touch, congratulations, you've had a good picture and what we believe here at village church East already.
Speaker 1 00:45:49 It's not, it's not that God is preeminent. It's that's not the thought that blows us away. The thought is that this preeminent, Holy, absolute other God would come to us in the form of a baby would live a sinless life and give a life voluntarily on the cross where his creation could kill him so that he could shed the only perfect blood so that we could be saved. You see that blows us away. That's why we finished with communion. Every Sunday we eat the bread. It's a representation of the body that Jesus had that was, was pierced for our transgressions. We drank the juice. Doesn't turn into blood. There's nothing wackadoodle that goes on. It's it's juice in a cup. But for us, when we drink it together as a church for us, it blows us away. It reminds us of this, this Holy preeminent one, God came to us, Emmanuel God with us and shed that perfect blood so that we could be redeemed from our sin. That's what blows us away.
Speaker 1 00:47:07 And we don't even talk about this. Like we think we're all, all of that in a slice of bread, because quite frankly, the reason we're in church is because we think we're all sinners. We think we're, we're all at the bottom of the pile. If you've gotten anything other than that picture, please erase it from your mind and realize, uh, you don't have to be perfect. Oh my goodness, no. Uh, only one person was perfect and what he did when he shed his blood and when he pierced, it allowed his body to be pierced. He took that perfection and he put it on you. He laid it on you like a cloak so that when God, the one true living, God, the only God looks on you, he doesn't see somebody. Who's a sinner. He doesn't see somebody who a disappointment. He doesn't see somebody who's going to judge who walks around with a baseball bat like that. Young girl said he, that's not. The kind of is, this is the kind of God that would sacrifice his only son because he loves you.
Speaker 1 00:48:09 We eat and we drink to remind ourselves, that's the kind of God we serve. And we are blown away. Every time we do, I would invite you. If you're at home, you're thinking yourself, I've never done communion at home. Well, welcome to a new way of living. Uh, go grab something in the kitchen, crackers, cookies, whatever you have, uh, early piece of Turkey, bring it back, grab something to drink. Because again, it's not the elements that mean anything. It's what those elements mean to us. And to us, it's just a representation that God has done great things for God. So loved the world that he gave. His only son that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. So running. Get those things. What we're going to do is we're going to spend a moment in prayer, just silently. And I would invite you at home to just bow your heads and spend some time talking to God.
Speaker 1 00:49:11 I don't know what he's laid on your heart. I find it very interesting at the end of every message I give it's like people hear different things, different ways, whatever God has spoken to you just bow your head and in the silence in your mind, God hears every word. Would you just thank him? Acknowledge who he is, acknowledge who you are because of him. And then I'm going to come up. I'm going to read a passage of scripture. We're going to eat and drink together. We do that because I'm in the same boat as you. I don't feed you anything because I'm on a different plane. God has given us all righteousness through the death and the burial and the resurrection of his son. And so we eat and we drink together because we're all equal in this. Would you take a moment, spend some time with the Lord silently. Now we'll get, we'll sing a little bit. And then I'll read a passage of scripture. We'll eat and drink together. Would you do that with me?
