This last Sunday, we started a new sermon on the Ten Commandments called “Ten Words.” If you have not had a chance to hear the first sermon, I would encourage you to take a listen on the church app, website or Facebook page.
In summary, the first commandment teaches us that God made us to worship Him and Him alone. Idolatry is what happens when we worship someone or something else instead, placing them wrongfully on God’s throne. Pastor Jon reminded us that we don’t obey God to earn our salvation, but rather, that Jesus obeyed that He might give us salvation.
As we continue the Ten Words series over the coming weeks, there are a couple books that we want to tell you about to help enrich your personal study. These are books that the elders have found helpful as we have prepared for this series.
"The 10 Commandments" by Kevin DeYoung
Kevin DeYoung has a very helpful yet brief book titled, “The 10 Commandments: What They Mean, Why They Matter, and Why We Should Obey Them.” We have recommended this book to our group leaders too as DeYoung has provided a helpful study guide that takes readers through discussion questions on each commandment.
DeYoung reminds us that only the one true God is worthy of our worship. He strikes the heart when he says “We are happy to have God in our lives, just as long as he fills only a part of our lives” (Pg.32) Ouch!
He goes on to say that “salvation is not the reward for obedience. Salvation is the reason for obedience.” It is such great news to know that we don’t need to work to receive salvation, but, instead, we can trust in the work of Jesus to receive salvation. I’m looking forward to hearing how DeYoung’s book helps you learn to love God and approach Him as the only one worthy of our worship. You can grab a copy of DeYoung’s book at Amazon.
"The Ten Commandments" by Peter J. Leithart
Another helpful resource is a book by Peter J. Leithart titled “The Ten Commandments: A Guide to the Perfect Law of Liberty.”
After working through the chapter on the first commandment, I found both my mind and my affections stirred up in new ways toward God. I found myself pausing and searching my heart upon reading these words: “Does the voice in your head come from advertisements, popular songs, YouTube or Netflix shows? Who is your true Lord- not your professed Lord but the one who actually speaks with authority into your life? If the voice in your head says ‘do this’ but the voice from Sinai says ‘don’t,’ which do you listen to? When you silence the Lord’s voice, you’ve deafened yourself because there’s an idol in your ears.” (Pg.25-26). Leithart’s book can be purchased online at Amazon.
As we continue the Ten Words sermon series, I want to encourage you to fix your eyes on Jesus as the only one who is worthy of our worship and praise. And as we consider how to live in light of the first commandment this week, I want to leave you with 1 John 5:20-21 as a prayer and encouragement:
