You know, there is a very special group of people I want to introduce you to. They are a group of people who are passionate about the gospel of Jesus Christ being proclaimed in this nation and beyond. Without them, harvest ministries could not even exist. We call them harvest partners. They're people who have chosen to give monthly to harvest to keep the gospel moving forward.
Will you become a harvest partner and help us fulfill the great commission in our lifetime? Let's do this together. Just go to harvest.org. We are going to be looking into the book of Exodus, chapter 20. Exodus chapter 20.
And the title of my message is How to Love God. Uh It's Valentine's Day. How many guys just figured that out just as I said that? Oh no. There's a couple dressed in red.
They got the memo. You can always pick people dressed in red, can't you? A lot of them, a lot of you out there.
Well, happy Valentine's Day. And of course, what is Valentine's Day about? It's about. Guilt, that's right. Guilt.
You're supposed to buy flowers/slash chocolate, some gift for your loved one, and then go out to a restaurant along with five million other people, all trying to get reservations in the same restaurant and so forth. But no, seriously, though, Valentine's Day is a day dedicated to love. But what is love?
Well, if you listen to the songs that are played on the radio over the years, you have some interesting definitions. It's kind of frightening to think that some people might come up with their view of love from movies and songs on the radio. What do we know about love from songs, for instance?
Well, for starters, we know that what the world needs now is love. Sweet love, okay, so we'll start there. But what is love?
Well, of course, we know love is a many splendored thing, right? Another sings, love is the answer. Led Zeppelin reminded us that we need a whole lot of love. And then Phil Collins reminds us, you can't hurry, love. But why?
Another says, well, that's the way love goes. All right, let's put together what we've already learned about love. It's the answer. It's many splendored. We need a whole lot of it.
You can't hurry it because that's the way it goes. But someone had to go and rain on our love parade by recording the song that said, I said I loved you, but I lied. Causing the black-eyed peas to wonder in their song, where is the love? Another warns, too much love will kill you. Maybe that's why Deion Warwick saying, I'll never love this way again.
And Tina Turner reminded us, what's love got to do with it? And that's probably why the Jay Giles band recorded this song called Love Stinks. But then you remember that guy, Meatloaf? He recorded a song, said he would do anything for love. Remember that band that 70s band called Bread?
How many of you remember bread? Oh wow.
Okay. They had a song out as well called Lost Without Your Love. I think meatloaf. The black-eyed peas and bread ought to go on to it. Just makes me hungry thinking about it.
And they could bring along that one-hit wonder band. They were called the 1910 Fruit Gum Company. Is that not a stupid name for a band? But you know their song, I guarantee it. Yummy, yummy, yummy, I've got.
That's right. Loving my tummy. Oh my. I guess the Beatles recorded the definitive song on love. All you need is love.
Then they broke up and sued each other. It was a beautiful thing, really. Various philosophers have opined on love as well. Plato said, love It's a grave mental disease. He had probably been listening to the Jay Giles band song Love Stinks a Little Bit Too Much.
Oliver Wendell Holmes was more optimistic about love when he said to us, love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness. Another said, love makes your soul crawl out of its hiding place. Even another says love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence.
Well, what is love? The Bible says clearly God is love. And we don't have a greater example of love than what we have in God showing His love toward us. Probably the definitive statement. On love is John 3:16, for God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, and whoever believes in Him should not perish and have everlasting life.
And probably the greatest definition of love is 1 Corinthians 13 from a modern translation. It says, Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for itself. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love isn't always me first.
Love doesn't keep score of the sins of others. Love puts up with anything. It trusts God always. It always looks for the best. It never looks back.
Love keeps on going to the end.
So as I already said, we have this amazing example of love where God loved us.
So how should we respond? We ought to love him back. In fact, the Bible says we love him because he first loved us.
Now, we can talk all day about love and how much we love God. We can sing about our love for God. We can speak of our love for God. But probably the best way to show our love for the Lord is in what we do. Jesus said to us in John 14, 15, if you love me, keep my commandments.
So We're in a new series now that we're calling Um world view. How to live, how to think and live biblically. And we're talking about the Ten Commandments to start because it gives us. a set of absolutes to live by. To form our opinions by, so we can look at the world and life and everything through a biblical lens.
And you remember that Jesus really summed up the Ten Commandments when he said, You should love the Lord with all of your heart, your soul, and your mind, and you should love your neighbor as yourself. And if we work on that, we will really get to the heart of the Ten Commandments because the commandments are broken into two sections: four and six. The first four have to do with our relationship with God, the final six have to do with our relationship with others.
So if I'm loving the Lord with all of my heart, soul, and mind. I will not have other gods before him. I won't bow before graven images. I won't take his name in vain. If I'm loving my neighbor as I ought to love myself, I won't lie to my neighbor or steal from them or covet what belongs to them, and I certainly would not kill them.
the Ten Commandments God gives us Absolute truth in them. We've looked at the first one. Let's look at the rest. Commandment number one. Exodus 20.
Verse 2 and 3, I'm the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. out of the house of bondage, you shall have no other gods before me. That's the first commandment. What does it mean? As we saw, this God with the small G.
Could be a lot of things. Any person Any pursuit, any passion? That takes the place of God in our life could potentially be an idol.
Someone or something, if you were to lose it, would leave you desolate. That is the place for God and God alone in your heart. The Lord wants to be number one in your life. He wants your faithfulness. He wants us to be loyal to him.
Don't have any other gods before him. How sad it is when A husband leaves his wife. Royal wife leaves her husband. How tragic it is when there is unfaithfulness in the marriage. But let me ask you this.
Wives, how would you feel if your husband left you for another? But you found out it wasn't another woman.
Well, it was kind of a woman. Actually what it was was a mannequin. You know what a mannequin is, that they dress them in the stores. Your husband left you for a mannequin. What?
You demand an explanation.
Well, I saw her down at the department store and. She's very pretty. She looks good at night and in the morning. She never nags me. She's always smiling.
She goes with me anywhere I want to go, anytime I want to go there. She goes to the restaurant that I choose. She never complains. I'm in love with the mannequin. You would think my husband has flipped his lid.
Is it any stranger? When we leave the true God for a false God, and especially a graven image. I actually read an article in the paper the other day about a woman that was busted for driving in a carpool lane with a mannequin. And the officer pulled her over. And as it turns out, she had dressed this mannequin up with a brunette wig, makeup.
She was very stylish clothing and so forth. And so the officer, knowing what was going on, said, ma'am, I'm going to need to see her license and registration. And I want to see her ID as well. The woman was not amused, the article said. And she said to the officer, she saw no problem with her dummy since everyone else is doing it.
Really? Are a lot of people driving around with dummies?
Well, maybe they are. I guess it comes down to your definition of a dummy. But I'll tell you one thing. There's a lot of people worshiping dummies, if you will, or at least a dumbed-down version of God. Listen, the first commandment has to do with worshiping the right God.
We must reject every false God in order to worship the true God, who is the only God. But the second commandment has to do with worshiping the right God in the right way. We must worship him the way he wants us to worship him, not with a man-made idol, because how we worship matters as much as whom we worship. The first commandment, have no other gods before him, has to do with the existence of other gods. The second commandment, making a graving image and worshiping or bowing before it, forbids the making of other gods.
It's possible to break the first commandment and not be completely aware of it, but one would be very aware of the fact that they're breaking the second.
Now, let's explain what this means and does it mean. Is it wrong to have a cross, say, on your wall? Or is it wrong to have a painting or a drawing of Jesus? You know, of course, you know that we don't know what Jesus looked like. I guarantee he didn't have long blonde hair parted down the middle like some hippie dude or something, okay?
As he is often portrayed, we don't know what Christ looked like. The Bible doesn't give us a description of him, which is noteworthy. But is it wrong to even have an artistic rendering of Christ? What about if we have a little statue of an angel? Or what about if we wear a cross around our neck or something else like that?
Is that having a graven image?
Well, the answer to that is no, it is not. God's not against art. He's not against expression. Especially as we reflect the beauty of his creation, God gave us this creative ability. And even in the Ark of the Covenant, We know that there were cherubim that were sculpted to preside over it.
And also we know that in the temple itself, there would be the lions and the bulls and the cherubim also carved out.
So the Bible is not criticizing the making of figures or objects. It's criticizing it when we make those objects and use them as an aid to worship. When we use them as an aid to worship. The Bible says, Jesus speaking, actually, God is the spirit, and those that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. It's good to worship God in spirit, you see.
There is a place for emotion in worship, too. You know, well, what's uh Super Bowl game. That was a great Super Bowl, by the way. Right to the very end, suspenseful, surprise ending. A lot of excited people and understandably so.
And we watch that, and that all seems normal to us. And people screaming, yelling, painting their faces, wearing the team colors, you know, running around in circles. Yeah, there's a fan for you. Then someone comes to church and they lift one hand to the Lord and you look at them and say, fanatic. He's a That's so out of place, is it?
Is there a place for emotion in worship? Yes, there is. We need to worship God in spirit, but Jesus said we must also worship Him in truth. There is a right way to worship the right God, and God doesn't like it when we feel we need images or icons or statues to help us in our worship. Here's another thing to consider: God is not only against material images that misrepresent him, he's also against false mental images.
False mental images. You say I don't understand. It's when we say things like, well, my God is like. Fill in the blank there. I like to think of God as a insert answer here.
I like to think of God as a loving Father. I like to think of God as a nurturing mother. I like to think of God as a flower. I like to think of God as whatever. You know, my God, we will say, my God, well, he's like scotch tape.
You can't see him, but you know he's there. My God. He's like Coca-Cola. He's the real thing. My God, shut up.
You're God Is a figment of your imagination. Let me take it a step further. I believe in a God of love, not a God of judgment. I believe in a God of forgiveness, not a God who would send a person to hell, for instance.
Okay, here's the problem: you're inventing your own God. And when you speak that way, not only is it unbiblical, but you're having another God before him. I cannot edit God. The objective is not to make God into my image, it's to make me into his. And so this is exactly what this commandment is dealing with.
You shall have no other God before him or a graven image. Look at verse 4 and 5 of Exodus 20. Don't make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that's in heaven above or in the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them, nor shall you serve them. For I the Lord your God Am a jealous God.
Now, here's the why. Why can't I have another God before him? Why can't I have a graven image? Answer: Because our God is a jealous God.
Now I have to warn you that Oprah Winfrey does not like that. She's spoken out against it. She said, and I quote, I was raised a Baptist. And we were way too hung up on traditional ways. I was sitting in church and I heard God is a jealous God, and I asked, why?
Oprah said the idea of a jealous God is absurd. Jesus, come on, let's get over it. She believes a jealous God is an insecure God. She says, God is not like that at all. She says, I believe in the force.
I call it God. She also said, if you believe in a rhythm of nature and in love, then you believe in God. Thank you, Oprah. But what God is that? It's not the God of the Bible.
If you like it or not, God says he's a jealous God. But what does that mean? You know, we equate jealousy with pettiness and selfishness, and we see it as a vice, not a virtue. But that is not what God means when he says he's a jealous God. Maybe if we change the spelling, it would help us in our understanding of it.
Let's drop the J and put in the Z. Our God is a zealous God. Let me explain. Our God is zealous in his love for you, and he wants you to be zealous in his love for him. God loves you and wants an exclusive relationship with you.
Does that make sense? Doesn't a wife want her husband to be faithful to her? Doesn't a husband want his wife to be loyal to him as well? Doesn't a parent look out for their child and care about their welfare? Of course they do.
If you saw your child running into the street in a car approaching and you ran the fastest you could to get to your child, even in danger in your life, would that seem unusual? Of course not. That's a jealous parent, a parent that loves their child, or a jealous husband, or a jealous wife. This is what God is saying. He says, I want your complete love.
I don't want you to bow down before other gods.
Now, how did this happen?
Well, there's a vivid illustration of this in the book of Exodus. Here's Moses up on Mount Sinai receiving the commandments of the Lord.
Meanwhile, back at the camp, Aaron was in charge. Aaron was not strong like Moses, not a great leader like Moses. Moses.
So the people came to him and said, Hey, where is this Moses that led us out of Egypt? You know, we don't know where he's gone to. We don't know if he's ever going to come back to us again. And what are we supposed to do? And Aaron said, I'll tell you what.
All of you bring your gold, bring your earrings, your bracelets, everything. Bring it to me.
So all the men and all the women and the children brought their gold. Aaron melted it down and made a golden calf, an image of a calf. cow basically. Put it up in front of them and said, this is the God that led you out of Egypt. And the people are bowing before the golden calf.
But then this one little twist is thrown on the story. Right before they did it, Aaron said, tomorrow will be a feast or a festival unto the Lord.
So we'll worship the Lord through the golden calf.
Meanwhile, up at Mount Sinai, the Lord said, you need to get back down to the camp again. And these people are doing the very thing you told them not to do.
So Moses is descending from the mountain and Joshua is ahead of him. He hears noise in the camp. He says, Moses, there's a war going on down there. No, son, there's a big party going on down there. And he comes down, and what does Moses see but the Israelites dancing before a golden calf?
Moses demands an explanation from Aaron, and Aaron offers probably the lamest excuse ever put forth in human history. Maybe second only to Eve in the garden, or Adam in the garden when he said, It's the woman you gave me. Aaron says, Well, he says, Look, I know this looks bad.
Okay, it doesn't look good. It looks like we're worshiping a false God, I know. But here's what happened: We took this gold, we melted it, we threw it into the fire, and this golden calf came out.
So, what else could we do but strip off our clothes and worship? You know. Moses was so ticked off, he throws the commandments down, they're broken. Then he takes this golden calf, he has it ground to powder, and makes them eat the powder. I mean, this thing was a mess, but here's the thing: how do they rationalize their behavior?
Oh, they said, it's for the Lord. Oh, tomorrow is a festival to the Lord. Here's the interesting thing.
Sometimes We'll do all kinds of ungodly things, but we always remember to say grace before a meal. Oh, they won't go out and do this and do that. Oh, let's pray for the food, though. Oh, you know, maybe a few our fathers and Hail Marys will fix this. Hey, maybe you should change your behavior.
Maybe you should actually do what God has told you to do. They were saying this golden calf was a representation of the Lord. Call it what you like, it was flat out. Idolatry. A person who really knows God and who has experienced a new birth and is living in fellowship with him should not need an image or representation to help him pray.
Something is not right if you feel you need to do that.
So you have this carving of Jesus or this painting of the Lord or whatever it is. And you say, now I'd like to get down on my knees in front of this statue. It looks like I'm bowing before a statue, but I'm really not. I'm praying to the God it represents. The Lord knows my heart.
That's the problem. God says, I don't like stuff like that.
Well, I'm not really worshiping the statue. I'm just bowing in front of it and kissing the foot of the statue, but I'm really worshiping God. You ever heard the expression, looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck? Yeah, that's what it is. God says, I don't want you to do that.
Why is this a problem? Because it gives us a false concept of what God is really like. If the image is false, Then the thought of God is false, and it will produce a character that is false. Psalm 115:6, speaking of idols, says, They have ears, but they can't hear. They have noses, but they cannot smell.
Those who make them become Like them. A man becomes like the thing that he worships. And if you put something in the place of God, you will eventually become like that thing. What is the end game here? What is our goal?
It's to become like Jesus. Commandment number one. No other gods before him. Commandment number two, no graven images. Commandment number three, verse seven.
Exodus 20, you shall not take the name of the Lord in vain. This is done more often than you may think. One of the most obvious ways is through profanity. We've all heard it. When people use the name of Jesus to punctuate a point, Jesus Christ.
They'll say. I hear someone say that, I poo. I mean, more than any other word that people say. I noticed that. And I've even said to people who've said it, be careful, he might answer you sometime.
And then the lad this Jesus H Christ. What is with the H? Where did that come from? You know, you never hear people do that with other You know, religious leaders or gurus or whatever you want to call them. You don't hear someone who's upset.
You know, they go, oh man, Buddha. The You know, they're nailing something, they hit their thumb. Ah, Hare Krishna! Or better yet, Hari eats Krishna. Why do they use the name Jesus Christ?
Even people who are avowed atheists will say Jesus Christ.
Sometimes people who are atheists talk more about Jesus than Christians do. Not in the right way, but they say his name more all the time. It's Jesus this, Christ that. What's with that? I believe that even the atheists in their heart of hearts.
Knows there is power in that holy name. And that's why they do it. Oh sure, they're taking it in vain. They're violating the third commandment, but in a way they're acknowledging the existence of God. I mean, why invoke the name of a God you don't believe in?
Why say the name of a person you don't even think ever existed? Why do you say his name? Because you know there's power in that name. As we're reminded in Philippians 2, God has exalted him to the highest place and given him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus Christ, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Jesus, the name.
It has power. If you don't believe me, just say it somewhere, anywhere. Just say the name Jesus. You know, you can talk about anything you want, talk about politics. Talk about spirituality.
Talk religion. Even talk Christianity if you want to. But when you say, well, you know, Jesus Christ, I'm what?
Well I kinda look at what? Did he actually just say the name Jesus Christ as in he's alive and real, and you're talking about Jesus? What kind of a crazy person are you? People pay attention. God wants us as His followers to never take His name in vain, but instead to honor it.
Psalm 113:2 says, Blessed be the name of the Lord. We just sang that a few moments ago, forever and ever. He wants us to invoke that holy name in our hour of need as well. Proverbs 18:10 says, The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe. Job knew the power of that name when tragedy hit.
Job 121 says, Job said, Naked came from my mother's womb. I'll be stripped of everything when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Elijah on Mount Carmel knew the power of the name of the Lord.
as he faced off with the prophets of Baal. They called on their God, and he said, And I will call on the name of my God, and let the God who is God answer by fire. Deuteronomy 32:3 says that we are to proclaim the name of the Lord. There's power in that name. God pays attention when we speak that name.
Imagine if someone used your name for profanity. Oh, Greg Laurie! What? Yeah, I use your name to cuss now. Right.
You wouldn't like that, not would you? Have you ever noticed when someone speaks your name, you hear it? You know, it's also Greg Lori. Yeah. You know your name.
The Lord knows his name. He hears when we speak it. Let's not take it in vain. His name is holy. How do we take the Lord's name in vain?
One way is by swearing to God. When people say things like, I swear to God. This is true. I swear. It's true.
Why do people say that? They're probably liars a lot. That's why. They need to take the oath, or listen, man. I know, you know, I've said things before, but I swear, I swear on my stop with that.
If you tell the truth, you don't have to swear by anything. Remember that old expression, your word is your bond? Just tell the truth. This is true. This is not true.
You can take my word for it and you can reject it. But Jesus said in Matthew 5, 33, he said, you've heard the law of Moses. Don't break your vows. Carry out the vows you've made. But I say to you, don't make any vows.
Just a simple, yes, I will or no, I won't will do just fine. Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that something is wrong. If you say you're going to do something, do it. If you're not going to do it, don't say that you will do it.
If you're hired to do a job, do it. Christians should be the hardest workers at what they do, the most diligent, not the least, never using their faith as an excuse for laziness. Ephesians 6:7 says, Work with enthusiasm as though you were working for the Lord rather than for a people. How else do we take his name in vain? When we say things like, oh my God.
Oh God, people will say.
Now, it's one thing if you're in trouble, you're in crisis, oh God, perfect. But when you see a cold car, oh my god, no, no, no, no, don't say, oh my god. You're calling on the Lord, yes.
Well, look at that car, Lord, just wanted to say, look. What do you think? Yeah, I kind of was hoping you'd call on me when you really needed me. Or you text OMG. Poor oh my god.
Even my granddaughter has busted me on this. I don't say, oh my God. But I do occasionally say Oh my gosh. And I said it the other day, oh my gosh, three-year-old Stella said, you're not supposed to say that.
Sorry. Go play with your dolls. Hate to be rebuked by a three-year-old. Another way the Lord's name is used in vain is when we use it for personal gain. You know, you've all seen this happen.
Maybe you're looking at something to buy. And someone's talking to you a salesperson, and I've been with people that are cussing, you know, cussing, cussing, cussing. And then they'll say, by the way, what do you do for a living, Craig? Is that your name, Greg? Yeah, it's Craig.
What do you do for a living? I'm a pastor. Praise the Lord, bro, man. Wow, were you just converted at that moment? Oh, pray.
Hallelujah. Glory to God. Man, the Lord has been blessed.
Now, stop. Don't do that. I liked you better the old heathen cussing way. Mm-hmm. You're being true to yourself there.
Now you're just the liar, you know? And I'm not going to believe anything you say. Oh, pardon my French, Reverend. Is that what that was, French? I wasn't sure.
Interesting words. Another way the Lord's name is taken in vain is when it's used for. Selling things. You know, we have a bookstore here. I don't know if you're aware of that.
It's an outstanding bookstore, if I don't say so myself. It uh It's won Christian Bookstore of the Year a number of times. uh Christian uh church bookstore of the year. And we were very intentional when we put the store together. We decided we didn't want to sell junk.
We decided we wanted to offer quality spiritual items. To help people, you'll go into some Christian bookstores today, there's a lot of gift items. Very few books in many so-called bookstores today, but you go into our store, you'll find a lot of good books, books that we have approved or are close enough to our theology where we feel they'll be a blessing to you. Outstanding Christian music, things for your children as well. But you know, we've been very intentional in how we put this bookstore together.
There's a place for these wonderful products and resources that can be a blessing to each of us. But then there is a whole nother group of people that market stuff. Just because they think people will buy it and they'll put the name of Jesus on practically anything, because someone will want to buy the Christian in quotes version instead of the secular one. For instance, these are actual products, I'm not making any of these up. There's a Christian football popcorn bowl.
Complete with Philippians 4.3. Emblazon on this day. Thank you, I don't want a secular bowl. I want a Christian popcorn bowl. Then there's a walk the walk Christian flip-flops with scripture on them.
Yeah, don't give me those secular flip-flops. I want Christian footwear. Then there's the end time survivalist Bible cover in olive green with a GPS unit. Enclosed?
Okay. How about this, the Christian LED flashlight with walk on the light written on the side? Here's another one. I'm not making any of these up. The Jesus Reigns Golf Umbrella.
By the way, rains is spelled R-E-I-G-N-A-S-K-y-RAINS umbrella. I got a Christian umbrella. This I'll be a witness. Jesus reigns so season. You also can get Christian bird feeders.
You know, you want to evangelize the hummingbirds, right? They're moving on read the scripts or read it reasonably. Read a hurry. Convert the hummingbirds. Christian mud flaps, wallpaper, candy bars, mouse pads.
I would never want to drive around with heathen mud flaps. Thank God I can find Christian. And Greg, it sounds like you're mocking. I am mocking. I'm mocking because I think, honestly, some of this, I'm not going to say what or who.
God knows, but it seems to me that when we use the Lord's name that way, we're misusing it. Here's something to consider. The phrase in vain means to use it in an empty, idle, insincere, or frivolous way. Again, the phrase in vain, as in taking the Lord's name in vain, means to say it in a way that is empty, idle, insincere, or frivolous. We've all done it.
I've done it. Here's a way we'll do it. We'll say, praise the Lord. Not me, praise the Lord. I've heard some people.
In between every sentence, it's praise the Lord, praise the Lord. I'm gonna go down and get a burger, praise the Lord. Then I'm gonna go over here and praise the Lord. What do you keep saying that for?
Well, I don't know, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, praise the Lord. Do you mean that every time you say it? I mean, if you do, that's fantastic, but. Or we'll say Someone will say something to hell. I'll pray for you, man.
I'll pray for you, bro. Nice. Just make sure you do it. How about God bless you? We throw that on.
God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless. God bless.
God bless you. Sometimes we say it to get rid of people. You know, they're talking, okay, great, God bless you. In other words, can you go now? I don't want to just say go, so I'll say, God bless you.
Conversation over. All I'm saying, I'm not saying don't say God bless you or don't say praise the Lord. I'm saying when you say praise the Lord, when you say God bless you, when you say Jesus, mean it. It's the name above all names and the Lord pays attention. To his name.
But perhaps the most awful and subtle form in which this law is broken. is through hypocrisy. The man or woman who says, Lord, Lord. But does not keep his commandments. Jesus said, Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I say?
See, it's important. The hypocrisy of the church is far worse. Then the profanity. in the street. We'd see someone say the Lord's name.
And by the way, God's last name is not Dan. You know that. Comes as a revelation to some. We'll hear someone use that phrase, which is, oh, it's horrible. And it is.
It's bad. I'd hate it. But Is it worse in the church? When we say Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, and openly live in contradiction to what he says, I'm not calling you to be perfect. I'm not saying we're not going to have moments of hypocrisy.
I'm not saying we're not going to fall short because we all will. I'm talking about a hypocrite. A hypocrite is an actor. That's a literal definition of the word. It means a person who pretends to be something they are not, they're playing a part.
They ought to get an Oscar or an Emmy. But they're not living as they should. And this is more offensive to God than anything because Jesus said, Some will come in that day saying, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not cast out demons in your name? Did we not do all of these things in your name?
And I will say to you, I never knew you, you worker of iniquity. Commandment number three. Do not take the Lord's name in vain.
Now, finally, in closing, commandment number four. This command has produced more confusion, misunderstanding, and hard feelings than probably any other. What is it? Verse 8. Remember the Sabbath.
Day. to keep it holy. The Sabbath day. By the way, it's Saturday. Saturday, always has been and always will be Sabbath.
When God was creating all things, on the seventh day he rested. He institutes this law in the Ten Commandments as a day of rest. Remember the Sabbath day, keep it holy. But here's the question. Are we still to keep the Sabbath the way it was originally set up for the Jewish people?
As believers living in the new covenant, Or does the way we look at it change? I suggest that is the case. Saturday still is Sabbath. But how we view it is another thing. For instance, This is the only commandment of the ten that is not repeated in the New Testament.
Every other commandment is repeated in the New Testament.
Some are made even more stringent. For instance, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says in Matthew 5:21, You've heard that it has been said, In the law of Moses, do not murder. And if you commit murder, you're subject to judgment. But I say to you, if you're angry with someone without cause, you're subject to judgment. Then again, the Lord says, You've heard that it was said, The law of Moses, you shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you, if you look on a woman with lust in your heart, you've committed adultery.
So he actually. Took it to the next level. And that's exactly what Jesus came to do. Not to do away with the law and prophets, but to fulfill them. Here's the interesting twist.
When Jesus himself, God in human form, Walk this earth, he was accused of breaking the Sabbath. Because he healed a guy on the Sabbath and he had to remind everyone: hey, guys, you got it all wrong with all your extra restrictions and laws you've added to the Sabbath. You've missed the point. Man was not made for the Sabbath, Christ said. Sabbath was made for man.
It's a day of rest. It's not repeated in the New Testament. Jesus never taught anyone to keep the Sabbath. He came to fulfill it. Also, the apostles never taught anyone to keep the Sabbath.
In fact, they began meeting on the first day of the week, Sunday, because Jesus rose on Sunday. In the old covenant, the Jews would gather together. in the temple, the synagogue. And they would worship on Sabbath. But now in the new covenant, because our Lord rose on the first day of the week, Sunday is a day set apart.
Sunday does not become Sabbath. Sabbath is Sabbath. Sunday is Sunday, but it is a day set apart. To worship the Lord, and the scripture even criticizes those that would make a big deal out of Sabbath when it comes to Christians. In Colossians 2.
Sixteen to seventeen. Paul writes, Don't let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink or with regard to a religious festival, a new moon celebration, or Sabbath. Why? Because these are a shadow of things to come. The reality, however, is found in Christ.
These things are a shadow, see? For instance, we don't sacrifice animals anymore. Did you know that? We don't do that anymore. Why?
Because Jesus is a Lamb of God. Who fulfills those Old Testament types?
So, Sabbath in the same way is fulfilled in a relationship with Christ where we enter into the rest of the finished work that Jesus did on the cross. These other things were a shadow of things to come. You can't hug your shadow. I've chased my shadow with Stella. We'll chase her shadows around.
Jump on her shadows. But These are why why chase why hug a shadow when you can hug the one the shadow comes from? These things are a shadow of the Lord who has come to fulfill all of these things. And Hebrews 4:9 to 11 sort of pulls it together when it says there is a special rest or Sabbath rest, literally, waiting for the people of God. For those who enter into God's rest will find rest from their labors as God rested after creating the world.
Let's do our best to enter that place of rest.
Now, I bring this up because. People will say, well, some people will say, well, what day do you go to church? I go to church on today. Oh, you don't go on Sabbath?
Well, no, oh, you're breaking the commandment, the fourth commandment. The Sabbath day is holy.
Well, actually, I worship the Lord on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday and Saturday and Sunday. Every day is holy to the Lord. Don't let a person tell you you have to keep Sabbath day to be a true follower of Jesus. It's a distortion of Scripture.
Okay, that's what it isn't. What is it? Is there any principle here for us? I think yes. We need a day of rest.
The Sabbath was a day of rest, and we need to rest as well. We're always in a hurry. Have you noticed that? We are the only nation in the world with a mountain called Rushmore. Yeah.
Right? And you know, our schedules are jam-packed, and we're always. Doing things multitasking, we call it. You know, where you're talking to someone and you're texting over here and you're taking care of this, and a lot of things, not doing any of these things really as well as we ought to. But there's a principle here, which is take time.
to recharge yourself spiritually, slow down, shut it down. Be still and know that he is God. Listen, even Jesus took time off. Mark 6, 30 to 32 says, The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. And so many people were coming and going, they didn't even have a chance to eat.
And he said, come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. And they went away to a solitary place. Oh, Jesus, it's so exciting. Everybody wants to talk to us. And we're just, hey, you know what?
You guys need some time off. We don't believe it in ya, you need to eat. Doc, we need to get away from these crowds. You need to just be with me. And we can be so busy.
And listen, the easiest place to do this. is in ministry. We're doing things for God all the time. You know, we're accomplishing this for God and doing that for God. And sometimes you can forget about God.
Forget about just sitting at his feet and drawing in. I mean, we're busy. Our bodies are busy every single day. Did you know that in the next 24 hours, your body's going to work very hard? Your heart is going to beat 103,689 times.
Your blood is going to travel 168,000 miles. You're going to breathe 23,000 times, and you're going to inhale 438 cubic feet of air. You're going to eat three and a half pounds of food. And that's at McGill's Jr. That sounds good, doesn't it?
Or maybe that's just what I eat in one burrito. You will drink 2.9 quarts of liquid, you will speak 4,800 words. And that's just one phone call for a girl. You're going to move 750 muscles and you will exercise 7 million brain cells. No wonder you feel tired.
Yeah, it's a good thing to say, you know what? On Sunday, the first day of the week, just like the early church, we're going to get together and we're going to worship the Lord and we're going to get into the word and we're going to fellowship one with another and we're going to take this time to be recharged spiritually. That's a good thing, and that is the principle we can draw from the Sabbath that is given. to believers. But the ultimate fulfillment Is resting in the work that God wants to do for you.
Jesus said, Come here to me, all you who are growing weary to the point of exhaustion. Does that sound familiar? And you've been loaded with burdens and you're bending beneath their weights. I will cause you to cease from your labor. I will take away your burdens and refresh you with rest.
Rest in me. You know the great thing about being a Christian is I don't have to do a bunch of things to earn the approval of God. That has been accomplished at the cross, where Jesus met the righteous requirements. He met the demands of a holy father. All other religions say do this, do that.
Christianity says done. Titalistai. Is the word that Christ used from the cross? Tetelestai means it is finished, it is completed, it is made an end of. It was a common word back in that culture.
If you were building a chair and you were done, you'd say, Tetelestai, it's done. You finish your day at work to Telestai. The food's come out of the oven. It's ready to eat. To tell us that it's finished.
That's what it meant. But when Jesus used that phrase on Calvary, it took on a whole new meaning. It's done, it's completed, it's satisfied. You don't have to do these things. to be loved by God.
You should do these things because you know you already are loved by God. And these things that you do are a response. to his love for you. We started by saying that, that God loves you.
Now, I want to show my love, not just in what I say or in what I sing, but in how I live. If I love him, I will keep his commandments. Let me say. Finally, that if you've joined us here today and you don't have this relationship with God. If you don't have your sin forgiven, Come to Jesus and believe in him.
and be forgiven of all the sins you've ever committed. You know, beyond this life, Unearthed. There are two destinations. for a person. There's heaven and hell.
According to the Bible, In hell. There's no rest. Revelation 4:11 says, The smoke of their torment rises forever and ever, and they will have no rest day or night, no rest in hell. But in contrast, one characteristic of heaven is it's a place of complete rest. Revelation 14, 13 says, I heard a voice from heaven saying, write this down.
Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Lord, they're blessed indeed. They will rest from all their toils and trials. for their good deeds follow them. Yeah.
Rest. But even before heaven We can rest in the work that Christ has done. Have you come here today full of turmoil and anxiety? You're under pressure. You're worried about a lot of things that are going on right now.
You need to come to Jesus as he said, come here to me. All you who are weary to the point of exhaustion and have been loaded with burdens, and you're bending beneath their weight. I will cause you to cease from your labor. and take away your burdens. And refresh you with rest.
Come to Jesus. and find his forgiveness and his pardon. He will come and live inside of you. And you can start fulfilling the purpose for which God created. Created you for.
Let's pray. Father, now I pray for any that have joined us who do not yet know you. Help them to believe in you now. Help them, Lord, to come to Jesus. and be forgiven of their sin.
While our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're praying. Maybe you're not sure if Jesus Christ is living inside of you. Maybe you don't have the confidence that your sin is forgiven. Maybe you've come here today weary to the point of exhaustion and loaded with burdens and you're bending beneath their weight and you're ready to come to Jesus. If you would like...
To be forgiven of your sin. If you would like to go to heaven when you die, If you would like your guilt removed, If you want Jesus Christ to come into your life right now, I'm going to ask you to stand to your feet. And I'm going to lead you in a prayer of commitment. If you want Christ to come into your life right now, I want you to stand to your feet wherever you are. And I'm going to lead you in a prayer.
God bless you. Stand up wherever you are. God bless you and you. You outside in the amphitheater, I want you to stand as well. You up in the court building, I want you to stand too.
I can't see you, but the Lord can. Stand to your feet right now, wherever you are.
Now, I'm going to lead you in a prayer of committing your life to Christ. Anyone else? Up in the balcony, many are standing. And by the way, others are standing, so don't feel like you'll be the only one. People are standing now.
Do you want to receive Christ into your life? Do you want to go to heaven? Do you want your guilt taken away? Stand to your feet now, and I'm going to lead you in a prayer of commitment to Christ. This final moment, anybody else, stand up now.
God bless you. God bless you. Anybody else? Stand now. God bless you.
God bless you. Anybody else? Stand in this final moment. All right.
Now, all of you that are standing, I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me. This is where you are asking Jesus to come into your life. As Savior and Lord, pray this prayer out loud right where you stand. Lord Jesus. I know I'm a sinner.
But you died on the cross for my sin. I turn from that sin now. I ask you to come into my life. Be my Saviour. Be my Lord.
Be my God. And be my friend. Thank you for loving me.
Now I want to love you, Lord. And follow you. From this day forward. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
And let's congratulate these folks that stood and prayed. God bless you, guys. God bless you. Hey everybody, thanks for listening to my podcast. Before you go, I wanted to let you know about the important work we're doing here at Harvest.
You know, we've had the same goal these last 50 years, which is simply this. We want to know God and we want to make Him known. And we do that in a lot of ways, documentary films, animation, radio, television, large-scale evangelistic events, and more. If you want to be a part of what we're doing to fulfill the great commission, you can support us with whatever you can give. At harvest.org slash donate.
Again, that's harvest.org/slash donate, and thanks so much.
