SUGGESTIONS?

1. SUGGESTIONS?

3. Ten SUGGESTIONS or Ten COMMANDMENTS? • “67% of Americans cannot name five of the Ten Commandments” – (USA Today) • How many can you name?

4. God Spoke All These Words to His newly nation of Israel

5. THE CONSTITUTION OF A GODLY NATION • Exodus 20:1- “And God spoke all these words.” • The Ten Commandments come FROM GOD!

6. “God spoke all these words.” • These are not: • “Ten Suggestions for a Better Life” • “Ten Ways You Should Consider” • “Ten Habits of Highly Successful People” • “Ten Ways to Climb the Ladder” • “Ten Ideas That Might Work For You.” • NO!

7. God spoke all these words. • God spoke all these words—therefore they have lasting moral authority. • God spoke all these words—therefore we must take all of them with utter seriousness. • God spoke all these words—therefore we must give these words our primary attention.

8. I. You shall have no other gods before me. II. You shall not worship false gods. III. You shall never take my name in vain. IV. You shall keep the Sabbath day holy. V. Honor your father and your mother. VI. You shall not murder. VII. You shall not commit adultery. VIII. You shall not steal. IX. You shall not lie. X. You shall never want what belongs to someone else.

9. Rediscovering the Commandments

10. A journey through the Ten Commandments. 1-4: The commandments about God. 4-10: The Commandments about us.

11. 1-4: The commandments about our relationship with God. To enhance our relationship and communication with our God.

12. 4-10: The Commandments about the relationship with one another. To enhance our relationship and fellowship with people around us.

13. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

14. I. You shall have no other gods before me. Modern Version: You shall consider God first in ALL things. GOD MUST BE YOUR PRIORITY IN LIFE ABOVE ANYTHING ELSE.

15. THE SECOND COMMANDMENT

16. II. You shall not worship false gods. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

17. We can turn this commandment into beatitude. Blessed are they who need no substitutes for God. Blessed are they who do not bow down to any other than God.

18. II. EXPLAINING THE COMMANDMENT: Do not worship false gods: In the heart Before an image to substitute God Do not bow down or worship them

19. II. You shall not worship false gods. Because: God is a jealous God; He will evaluate our love through our fidelity and faithfulness to Him. “If you love Me, you will obey My Commandments.” Worshipping other gods is unfaithfulness to God. This Commandment is about LOVE.

20. IS. 42:8 • I will not give my praise to idols. • “I am the LORD; that is my name!    I will not yield my glory to another    or my praise to idols.” • This Commandment is about HONORING GOD ALONE.

21. II. You shall not worship false gods. Because: God is a jealous God; He will evaluate our love through our fidelity and faithfulness to Him. “If you love Me, you will obey My Commandments.” Worshipping other gods is unfaithfulness to God. This Commandment is about LOVE.

22. THIS COMMANDMENT COMES WITH A PUNISHMENT AND A PROMISE: • The Punishment: • GOD will punish the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Him. • To God, worship false gods means hating Him. • The punishment of the parent’s sin of idolatry will fall upon their children.

23. The promise: • But God will show love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments. • This is the best inheritance you can leave to your children and family. • It guarantees that God will show love to the generations that will come after you.

24. Modern Version: You shall not idolize anything that is not God: false idols, money , things or people. A. The quest to get things or win approval of people has caused many of God’s children to put God aside and to idolize friendships, family and other things.

25. B. Worship God, love people and use things. Don’t worship people, love things and use God. Money is a graven image and some people tend to worship it. Our society has become so work centered that people do not leave time for God.

26. God doesn’t tolerate idolatry from anyone not ever • When Moses came down from the mountain he smashed the tablets of law- symbolizing Israel had broken the ten commandments and that now they are subjected to the judgment of God. • He burned and reduced the golden calf idol to powder and spread it on the water of a mountain stream, and made the children of Israel drink it until the last ounce of it was gone, symbolizing that there is a judgment for sin. There will be a day when all sin has to be accounted for. Every sin we didn’t repent and that was not covered by the blood of Christ.

27. God doesn’t tolerate idolatry from anyone not ever • 3000 people who refused to repent were killed that day. • God will not tolerate idolatry not ever.

28. IDOLS IN THE HOUSE? • What idols do you have in your life or in your house that will invite the prince of darkness to ruin your family, marriage and children. • 12 There is a way that appears to be right,    but in the end it leads to death. (Prov. 14:12) • 23 “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.(Nu. 32:23)

29. CONFESS IDOLATRY AND REPENT IN YOUR HEART 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

30. THROW AWAY OR BURN ANY IDOLS YOU MAY HAVE

31. DECLARE GOD IS THE ONLY GOD IN YOUR LIFE AND PLEDGE YOUR LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS TO HIM.