S1: Today on Bold steps with Mark job, we're learning to
S1: give God his proper place.
S2: You cannot replace God or compete with God or substitute
S2: God for other things in your life. He stands high
S2: above all the universe and controls the world and the
S2: destiny of man that God cannot be substituted. There is
S2: no substitute for that God.
S1: Welcome to Bold Steps. Our Bible teacher is Mark job,
S1: senior pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago and
S1: president of Moody Bible Institute. I'm Wayne Shepherd. You know,
S1: when you hear the phrase the Ten Commandments, what comes
S1: to your mind? Maybe Charlton Heston coming down from the
S1: mountain and a Cecil B de Mille movie or or
S1: do you see yourself remembering those ten commandments and memorizing them? Mark,
S1: did you have to memorize the Ten Commandments. Growing up.
S3: I did have to know them. Yes.
S1: We can't pick and choose, can we? They are for today,
S1: as well as old covenant times.
S3: You know, Charlton Heston was from the Chicagoland area?
S1: Yes.
S3: Yeah. And that was a great, great movie, The Ten Commandments.
S1: He actually grew up in a little town in Michigan
S1: where my folks lived.
S3: Okay. Great actor. But you know, this first commandment, thou
S3: shalt have no other gods before me is really at
S3: the core of what we all struggle with. And when
S3: I say idolatry, most of us think of a tribal
S3: group in some remote place.
S1: A statue of some kind.
S3: Yes, worshiping a totem pole. But the heart of idolatry
S3: is much more common than that to all of us.
S3: And it's the idea of putting anything equal to or
S3: above God that's idolatry. All right. And that's the heart
S3: of this first commandment.
S1: Well, we're just starting today with this new series. So
S1: listen now here's Mark Jobe's message. Give God his proper place.
S2: And so I'm going to begin reading in verse one
S2: of Exodus chapter 20. You can follow along. It says,
S2: And God spoke all these words, I am the Lord
S2: your God, who brought you out of Egypt and out
S2: of the land of slavery. You shall have no other
S2: gods before me. I want to start with this first command.
S2: I want to talk to you about what it means
S2: to have no other gods before him. Now, as we
S2: look at the Ten Commandments and before I get into
S2: commandment number one, I think it's important to talk about
S2: how the Ten Commandments were given. Many of you know
S2: that the people of Israel were in slavery for 400 years.
S2: For 400 years they had been Subject to the Egyptian rule.
S2: For 400 years they had lived under someone else's government.
S2: The Egyptians had multiple gods. They were pagans. They worshiped
S2: the god of the Nile. They worshipped Baal. They worship, uh,
S2: dozens and dozens of gods. But the people of Israel,
S2: they knew that their God was the God of Abraham, Isaac,
S2: and Jacob. But they had no written law. They had
S2: no principles that they could follow. They had no law
S2: that would govern them. So here they are, being set
S2: free to be a country, a nation. Three months after
S2: they're liberated, God says to Moses, Moses, I want to
S2: take you to Mount Sinai. I want you to ascend
S2: unto my holy mountain. I'm going to have an encounter
S2: with you. He told the people of Israel, no one
S2: else is to even come close to this mountain. If
S2: you come too close to this mountain animal, man, child
S2: or woman will die. They watched as Moses climbed up
S2: that mountain, and for 40 days and nights he spent
S2: that time on that mountain in a supernatural fast, with
S2: no food and no water. While he was on that mountain,
S2: God appeared to Moses, and God spoke to him and said, I,
S2: I have a covenant with these people. I, I have
S2: a purpose and a plan. I have a promised land
S2: for these people, but I want them to follow the
S2: laws that I give them. And so God supernaturally on
S2: tablets of stone, it says, he spoke the commandments. And
S2: then with his finger he engraved on these tablets of
S2: stone what would come to be known as the Ten Commandments.
S2: In the Hebrew it means the ten sayings or the
S2: ten statements or the Ten Commandments. You remember the story
S2: when Moses came down from the mountain. He had been
S2: gone so long that the people of Israel, they decided, hey,
S2: maybe he's never coming back. Maybe he died on that mountain.
S2: We need a God to worship. And so they reverted
S2: to their pagan practices. They took jewelry, earrings, rings, any
S2: kind of gold they could find, and they melted it
S2: into the image of a god they had worshiped in Egypt.
S2: And they began to worship and dance around a calf
S2: as they went into this major pagan frenzy, worshiping while
S2: Moses was on the mountain. When Moses came down and
S2: he heard the roar of the people and looked, he
S2: saw that the people had quickly gone astray. How about it?
S2: 40 days, and they had already gone astray. They had
S2: just been liberated. They saw the miraculous sign of the
S2: parting of the Red sea. They saw the cloud and
S2: the fire. Isn't it amazing how quickly we can walk
S2: away from God, even after we have seen the hand
S2: of God work so powerfully in our lives? Does it
S2: amaze you? Oh, it amazes me how quickly my heart
S2: can stray away from God after I've seen God do
S2: so much. The Bible tells us that Moses was so
S2: angered at the people of Israel that he threw the
S2: tablets of stone on the ground, and they burst and
S2: they crushed. And so a second time Moses ascended unto
S2: the mountain and met with God. And for the second
S2: time God engraved in these tablets of stone ten commandments.
S2: The power of God was so evident that when Moses
S2: walked down from that mountain after having met with God.
S2: The Bible tells us that his face was glowing. When
S2: people looked at him, they noticed the glow on Moses face.
S2: So strong was the glow on Moses face that he
S2: had to put a veil over his face so they
S2: could not see the fading glory of the presence of God.
S2: I want you to understand these commandments were given at
S2: a special moment in time. They were given because the
S2: people of Israel needed a rule. They needed guidelines to
S2: conduct their society in a healthy manner. In. They needed
S2: a moral code that reflected the design of God for
S2: their lives. And so God gave them ten commandments. I'm
S2: going to read those ten commandments for you. Many of
S2: us have heard those ten commandments as negatives. Thou shalt not,
S2: because that's the way they are placed in Scripture. But
S2: I want you to understand that although there's a negative,
S2: there's also a positive because God is saying you should
S2: not do this because you should be doing this. So
S2: let's read it that way. Thou shalt have no other
S2: gods before me. God is saying God is God. So
S2: make sure that you honor and worship God as number one.
S2: You shall not make for yourself any idol. God is
S2: not contained in stone or wood or image. God is
S2: a spirit and therefore we should worship him in spirit
S2: and in truth, because he's alive and well. He travels
S2: with us, goes with us, and there are no images,
S2: no graven images that should replace God. You shall not
S2: misuse the name of the Lord your God. God is holy.
S2: So therefore, when you address God, address him with respect.
S2: His name is to be honored. Remember the Sabbath day.
S2: God is a God of patterns and rest, so make
S2: sure in your life you carve out time both to
S2: worship God and to replenish yourself and to rest. Honor
S2: your father and your mother. God has given you a family.
S2: Cherish them. Honor them, esteem them in high value because
S2: as you esteem them, you honor God. You shall not murder.
S2: God is the God of life. So therefore uphold life.
S2: Honor life, value all life because all life comes from God.
S2: You shall not commit adultery. God is faithful, asking you
S2: to live as a married individual in a monogamous, faithful
S2: relationship in which you do not violate that covenant. Because
S2: as you violate that covenant, you sin against God. You
S2: shall not steal. God wants you to work. Work hard,
S2: make your own money, and live off of what you
S2: make and not take of others what does not belong
S2: to you. Thou shalt not lie. God is a God
S2: of truth and therefore God expects integrity of our life.
S2: So therefore we speak truth because God is truth. Thou
S2: shalt not covet. God is sufficient. So therefore we should
S2: not be looking at what other people have wanting it
S2: for ourselves. We should learn contentment and peace in our
S2: life because God is all sufficient. Now think about that
S2: for a moment. Think about what this society would look
S2: like if our society practiced the Ten Commandments. Think about
S2: how Chicago would be different if Chicago was practicing the
S2: Ten Commandments. The dozens of youth that have been murdered
S2: this summer would not have been murdered. The robberies that
S2: have been taken, that have taken place over these last
S2: couple of months, no one would have stolen. You would
S2: not hear cursing on the street, using the Lord's name
S2: in vain because people would be honoring that. Our marriages
S2: would be stronger because people would be faithful to their
S2: marriage partner. You wouldn't have people backbiting and gossiping because
S2: we would be content with what we had, and honoring
S2: that our churches would be full on Sunday, because people
S2: would be putting God in the main place and not
S2: worshiping other gods. You would have people that aren't burnt
S2: out because they would be taking the Sabbath as a
S2: day of rest. You would have parents that are older
S2: and retired, and instead of just being shoved to the
S2: side and neglected, they would feel a part of the
S2: family and they would feel like they are being honored
S2: and being cherished. It would strengthen our families. It would
S2: help our society. It would make our neighborhood safe. It
S2: would strengthen the fabric of of son and daughter relationships
S2: with parents. In fact, this society would be an utterly
S2: different society if we practice the Ten Commandments. And I
S2: want you to understand that exactly. I want you to
S2: understand this, that the Ten Commandments are not obsolete. I
S2: know they were written in the Old Testament, but they
S2: come out of the heart of God. And so since
S2: they come out of the heart of God, they are
S2: applicable for us today just as much as they were
S2: 2000 years ago.
S1: You're listening to the Bible teaching of Mark job here
S1: on Bold Steps. We're pausing our program to take a
S1: moment to let you know that we'd love to hear
S1: from you. If you have a question or a comment,
S1: or even a prayer request that you'd like to share
S1: with Mark and the team, you can do that online
S1: at bird-stamps.org. And we encourage you to keep listening, because
S1: you might even hear your question answered in an upcoming episode.
S1: Right now, let's get back into the second part of
S1: today's message, because Mark is going to dive into the commandments,
S1: and you don't want to miss what he has to
S1: say about God's place in your life.
S2: I believe that God put the first commandment in place there,
S2: because if we don't get the first commandment right, we
S2: miss all the other commandments. It's like buttoning your shirt.
S2: If you don't get the first button right, all the
S2: other buttons are going to be wrong. What is that
S2: first commandment? You know, a lot of people compete for
S2: number one, right? Coke and Pepsi are always competing for
S2: number one. The Sox and the Cubs are always competing
S2: for number one. There's a lot of competition for number one. Well,
S2: this number one is the number one top commandment that
S2: God gives first on purpose for us to follow. And
S2: I believe it's the foundational commandment that makes all these
S2: other commandments fall into their place. And it says this
S2: you shall have no other gods before me. Commandment number
S2: one you shall have no other gods before me. Now
S2: it's a very short commandment, but it has some huge
S2: implications to it. And so I want us to look
S2: for a moment at what this means. I believe there
S2: are three breakdowns of what this means that you can apply.
S2: When it says you shall have no other gods before me,
S2: the language that's used here in the Hebrew is marital
S2: covenant relationship. It's the idea of a married man marrying
S2: a woman, and there's no other partner involved in that.
S2: It's an exclusive relationship right now. It's not between the
S2: man and his wife and three other women or other people. No, no, no,
S2: this is an exclusive relationship. And the language that's used
S2: here is marital language. God is saying, I will not
S2: share your worship of me with any other gods. I
S2: want exclusive devotion from your heart to my supremacy. I
S2: want to be number one in your life and have
S2: no competitors that even come close. I want to be
S2: before every other God in your life. What does that
S2: mean practically? Well, practically it means that you cannot have
S2: any other gods instead of him. Sometimes we substitute something
S2: else for God. I love what it says in Isaiah
S2: chapter 43 verse 11. It says, I am the Lord,
S2: and besides me there is no other. Isaiah 45, verse 21.
S2: One Isaiah 62, verse 11. They, they, they all proclaim
S2: the sovereignty and exclusivity of God in our life. What
S2: God is saying is, if you call yourself a follower
S2: of mine, if you are going to worship me, then
S2: there can be no substitutes for me. I know that
S2: works for for sweeteners in your coffee you say, no, no, no,
S2: I don't want sugar. Give me sweet'n low. I want Splenda.
S2: I want equal. Hey, that works for your coffee, where
S2: you can put substitutes in for the real thing. But
S2: it doesn't work in your Working your relationship with God.
S2: There are no substitutes permitted or allowed. You cannot replace
S2: God or compete with God or substitute God for other
S2: things in your life. God says I am supreme, I
S2: am God, I am the I am. There is no
S2: other like me. I am not replaceable. I was, I am,
S2: and I will be the eternal God, the omnipotent God,
S2: the sovereign God, the God that is always known all
S2: things because he is omniscient and has never learned anything,
S2: because he's always known everything. The God that is omnipresent,
S2: present at every time, everywhere, all the time. The God
S2: that is omnipotent, that has unlimited power in the palm
S2: of his hands. The God that is sovereign, which means
S2: that he stands high above all the universe and controls
S2: the world and the destiny of man that God cannot
S2: be substituted. There is no substitute for that God. Now,
S2: in classic paganism, there are five primary other gods. There's
S2: the God of Mars, who is the god of war
S2: and conquering. There was the god Bacchus, the God who
S2: promises comfort, joys and thrills. There is the god Mammon,
S2: the god of money and success. There was the god Venus,
S2: the god of love and romance. And there's the god Minerva,
S2: the God of wisdom and philosophy and understanding. Now, most
S2: of us today here we live in a country that,
S2: for the most part, considers itself a Christian nation and
S2: Christian country. When you hear the command, thou shalt have
S2: no other gods, you sit back and you say, I
S2: got that down. I'm not out there looking for an idol,
S2: worshiping some pagan god and some foreign religion out there,
S2: but I, I want to pause and I want you
S2: to think a little deeper, because this commandment is not
S2: only violated by people in Africa and tribal Africa that
S2: are bowing to some statue or pole or addressing some
S2: other God, this commandment is violated every day in the
S2: United States of America and is violated not only outside
S2: of the church walls, but listen to me well, this
S2: commandment is violated many times by Christians. Oh, we violate
S2: it not because you go and you bow at some
S2: shrine of some other god. But the Bible tells us
S2: that there is no competing gods. When you make the
S2: center of your life pleasure. When you make happiness and
S2: thrill the center of your life, the most important thing
S2: of your life, you have just worshiped at the God
S2: of Bacchus. When you make money and finances the primary
S2: drive of your life, and that is more important than God,
S2: than you have just worshiped at the altar of Mammon.
S2: When you make love in romance and your date, or
S2: the person that you're marrying when they become higher than God,
S2: than you have just worshipped at the altar of the
S2: God of Venus? Oh, I see it all the time.
S2: Whatever's at the core of your life, whatever's most important
S2: in your life will determine the decisions that you make
S2: in life. You see every day across America and every
S2: day in churches across America, we violate the number one command.
S2: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. There is
S2: no God that should ever compete for my superiority, my
S2: preeminence in your life. I am the God that should
S2: have no competition in your life.
S1: Pursuing God instead of all others. That's the takeaway from
S1: today's message from Mark Jobe, and we'll continue on tomorrow's
S1: edition of Bold Steps. In the meantime, Mark, we've got
S1: a special resource available to our listeners right now, and
S1: we'd like to tell them more about it.
S3: You know, Wayne, today's young girls, they're just bombarded with
S3: messages that shape their beliefs, Leaves affect their identity. That's
S3: why I'm excited about this Bold Steps gift this month.
S3: It's called LA Girls Believe by Dana Gresh.
S1: And Dana is with us right now.
S3: Absolutely, Dana, great to have you with us. Tell us
S3: a little bit about why you wrote this book.
S4: Oh, well, my friend Nancy DeMoss, Wolgemuth wrote a book
S4: called Lies Women Believe. And over a million women read
S4: that book, and it helped them to really identify where
S4: they were in bondage to lies. And that was resulting
S4: in emotions that weren't working, that weren't healthy. That was
S4: one of the telltale signs, as well as sinful behaviors
S4: that they just couldn't stop. And when they identified the lies,
S4: they felt freedom. Well, those women said, these lies started
S4: when I was in my teen years and in my
S4: teen years. So Nancy and I worked together to write
S4: both Lies Young Women Believe for teens and then Lies
S4: Girls believe for the 8 to 12 year old girls.
S3: So this is for 8 to 12 year olds specifically,
S3: by the way. I just think this is so, so needed. Yes,
S3: especially in today's culture where young girls more than ever
S3: are bombarded about identity, lies about who they are, gender,
S3: where they fit into the world. What would you say
S3: are the top three lies? I know you have a
S3: list of quite a few lies. Can you identify what
S3: you'd say are the top say three lies.
S4: God is not enough. If we don't believe that God
S4: is enough, then that dismantles and affects everything else around us.
S4: And one of the ways that shows up is emotions,
S4: which I just addressed. Emotions are one of the telltale
S4: signs that we aren't believing God is who he says
S4: he is, and he will be in our lives who
S4: he says he will be. So we believe God isn't enough.
S4: I need the car, or the house or the job
S4: or whatever. But as as tweens, they tend to really
S4: believe the lie. God isn't enough. I need the friend
S4: and friends lead you down a road of believing all
S4: kinds of other lies. Peer pressure is either a great
S4: gift in our lives that leads us to Jesus, or
S4: it is a great dismantling of our faith and leads
S4: us away from Jesus to counterfeits. And so I think
S4: that's probably one of the big lies. And you mentioned
S4: identity so many times. If if that friend isn't from
S4: a source of biblical truth, a home that's grounded in
S4: biblical truth today, which of us feels good about ourselves?
S4: Our emotions are healthy in our in our middle school
S4: and pre-teen years, none of us. Well, today people are saying, okay,
S4: the reason you don't feel good is because and they're
S4: leading them down, these really lethal, dangerous roads of lies
S4: that lead to lots and lots of years of struggle
S4: and pain.
S1: Well, Dana, we are so happy to partner with you
S1: in getting this book into the hands of our listeners lives.
S1: Girls believe and the truth. Can't forget the subtitle Mark
S1: the truth that Sets Them Free. Dana, thank you so much.
S4: My pleasure. Thanks, guys.
S1: And we'd like to send you a copy of this book.
S1: When you give a donation of any amount to bold
S1: steps to send a check in the mail, write to
S1: us at bold steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois
S1: 606 ten. Or call us at 800. D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639.
S1: And of course, you can also visit us online at
S1: Bold Steps. Well, that's our time for today. On behalf
S1: of the entire Bold Steps team, thank you for listening.
S1: Be sure to join us again tomorrow as we continue
S1: this message. Give God his proper place. We'll be discovering
S1: how to let God be God in our lives. That's
S1: Tuesday on Bold Steps with Mark John. Bold steps is
S1: a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.