Jealous God (Ex. 20:5; 34:14) (Part 5)

Conclusion: (Part 2)

What are you to do with the truth that God is jealous? Here are three assessments.

• Assessment #1 > Are you committed or devoted?
• It is possible to be committed to Jesus but not be devoted.
• Commitment includes formality, habit and duty.
• Devotion includes zeal, delight and a willingness to sacrifice.
• When you go to church, you are committed; when you verbally and unashamedly heap lavish praise on Jesus, you are devoted.
• When you put into the offering the same token ten you've given the past twenty years, you're committed; when you tithe on the fullness of all your increase – paycheck, pension, social security, dividend income, inheritance, etc. – you are devoted.
• When you show up every now and then to do something to help the church, you are committed; when you do this week in and week out because you love God and love people, you are devoted.
• When you open the Bible each morning to read the assigned chapters, you are committed; when you discover Jesus in your reading and delight in Him and yield to something specific He asks, you are devoted.
• Assessment #2 > Are you living out of reputation or reality?
• The Church at Sardis > Rev. 3:1 > “He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘ I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”
• Reputation is what other people say about you.
• Reality is what God knows is true about you.
• In other words, are you doing a superb job fooling everyone into believing that you're devoted when you know you're not?
• If that's you, I don't want you to get mad and not come back. I don't want you to continue living with the tension by pretending.
• Return to the love that you first had for Jesus (Rev. 2:4).
• Assessment #3 > Are you “all in” when it comes to serving and loving Jesus?
• Mk. 12:28-31 > Love for God will spill over into love for people.
• Love the Lord your God with all your heart (desire).
• Love the Lord your God with all your soul (emotion, will).
• Love the Lord your God with all your mind (intellect, thoughts).
• Love the Lord your God with all your strength (effort, energy).

Jealous God (Ex. 20:5; 34:14) (Part 4)

Conclusion: (Part 1)

“God is not jealous like an insecure employer who fears that his employees might get lured away by a better salary elsewhere. God's jealousy is not the reflex of weakness or fear. Instead God is jealous like a powerful and merciful king who takes a peasant girl from a life of shame, forgives her, marries her, and gives her not the chores of a slave, but the privileges of a wife – a queen. His jealousy does not rise from fear or weakness but from a holy indignation at having his honor and power and mercy scorned by the faithlessness of a fickle spouse.”¹ 

“O, if Thou car'st not whom I love

  Alas, Thou lov'st not me.”² 

1Piper, John. “The Lord Whose Name Is Jealous.” http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-lord-whose-name-is-jealous (accessed 8-23-16)

2Donne, John. Holy Sonnets.  

Jealous God (Ex. 20:5; 34:14) (Part 3)

2. DEMAND OF GOD'S JEALOUSY

ILLUSTRATION – Emily Litella

• “Some will remember this elderly, hard-of-hearing character played by Gilda Radner on "Saturday Night Live" back in the 1980s. Emily was constantly ranting about one cause or another, based strictly upon her misunderstanding of a word: 'What is all this fuss I hear about the Supreme Court decision on a deaf penalty? It's terrible! Deaf people have enough problems as it is!' Similarly, she would take off on the Eagle (Equal) Rights Amendment, conserving our natural racehorses (resources), youth in Asia (euthanasia), and sax and violins (sex and violence) on TV. When corrected at the end of her tirade, Emily would smile sweetly and say, 'Never mind.'”¹
• Emily was a master of mishearing, misinformation and misinterpretation. She assigned meaning to that which she didn't understand.
• When it comes to God's jealousy, I don't want you to pull an Emily Litella by misunderstanding it.

EXPLANATION

• You must understand that God's jealousy demands entire, exclusive devotion.²
• Read Ex. 24:14; Deut. 4:24; 32:16, 21; Josh. 24:19; Psa. 78:58; 1 Cor. 10:22.

To say that God is jealous means “that he demands from those whom he has loved and redeemed utter and absolute loyalty, and He will vindicate His claim by stern action against them if they betray His love by unfaithfulness.”³

APPLICATION

• The only way you can be comfortable with God's jealousy is to inspect your heart for idols. Inspect it regularly.
• “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (1 Jn. 5:21).
• Quote: “Oh! It is a marvel that God hath not dashed the world to pieces with thunderbolts, when we recollect that even to this day millions of men have changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. With what unutterable contempt must the living God look down upon those idols which are the work of man's hands . . .”⁴

1Coppenger, Mark. “Oprah & A Jealous God.” http://www.bpnews.net/28150/oprah-and-a-jealous-god (accessed 8-23-16)

2Youngblood, Ronald F. Exodus. Everyman's Bible Commentary. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1983. p. 96.

3Packer, J. I. Knowing God. 20^th Anniversary Edition. Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1973. p. 171.

4Spurgeon, Charles Haddon.. “A Jealous God.” This is a sermon he preached on March 29, 1863.

Jealous God (Ex. 20:5; 34:14) (Part 2)

1. DEFINITION OF GOD'S JEALOUSY

EXPLANATION

• God's jealousy is the action He takes because of the feeling He gets when He knows your heart is straying from Him.
• Hebrew – qanna' – jealous – “a consuming single-minded pursuit of a good end . . . This positive usage is frequently associated with the marriage relationship where a jealousy for the exclusiveness of the relationship is the necessary condition of its permanence . . .”¹
• Quote: “The interesting thing about this word is that it is only used in reference to God. In no instance is the word qanna' used to describe human jealousy. The reason that God is 'jealous' is because He wants people to choose to love Him.”²
• The basic meaning of qanna' is 'to become dark red', indicating that passion or intensity is increasing.  Don't get the idea, though, that God is an out-of-control Judge Who can't wait to vent His displeasure.  Read Zeph. 3:17; Psa. 86:15; Jer. 9:24.

ILLUSTRATION

• This past week was move-in week at area colleges and universities. After parents helped their adult children carry all those boxes into the dorms, the time came when the lugging was over and room setup was done. Then it was time for “the talk” – the final chance to list the do's and dont's for successful college life.
• Don't go to parties, don't smoke, don't drink.
• Don't drink and drive; don't text and drive.
• Be picky about whom you date. Remember that dating is not why you're here.
• Get enough sleep and make sure to put some green stuff on your plate. Man does not live on cold pizza alone.
• Study hard. If you don't, I'm not sending you any more money.
• Get connected with a local church and find some Christian friends.
• Pastor Mark Adams, in his sermon titled “Why Study The Ten Commandments”, asks:
• Quote: “Now did these parents hand down these rules because they wanted to limit their children's freedom and prevent them from having any fun? No, of course not. They gave their children their own ten or twenty or thirty 'commandments' because they love them and want them to be happy and healthy and safe. They laid down the law because they wanted to protect them from the raving effects of sin.”³
• The parents were jealous for their children's well-being.
• In both verses for today, the context is the Ten Commandments.
• The Ten Commandments is God's 'talk' to His people as they embark upon their new freedom after 4oo+ years of slavery. God “laid down the Law” because He wanted to protect His people from the ravaging effects of sin.
• In other words God is jealous for His people.

APPLICATION

• When you read that God is jealous, does that cause you concern or bring you comfort?
• Why does it cause you concern?
• Why does it bring you comfort?

1Milne, B. A. “Jealousy.” New Bible Dictionary. Second edition. Ed. J. D. Douglas et al. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1987 (4^th reprint). p. 553.

2Deem, Rich. “If God Is Jealous, Doesn't That Make him The Divine Hypocrite?” http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/jealous_god.html (accessed 8-23-16)

3Http://www.redlandbaptist.org/sermon/why-study-the-ten-commandments/ (accessed 5-5-16)

Jealous God (Ex. 20:5; 34:14) (Part 1)

Introduction:

When you think of God's description, names, or attributes, what comes to mind? Did the word 'jealous' make it onto your list? Why not? The word 'jealous' has a bad ring in our ears. From our experience, we associate the word 'jealous' with not-so-nice results. For example, we associate jealousy with Cain's murder of his brother, Abel.

“ . . . 'jealousy' means something much different to God than it might mean to you or me. It's certainly not flavored by pettiness, narrowness, selfishness or insecurity, as our 'jealousy' might be.”¹

How, then, is God 'jealous'?

“God is jealous in the sense that He will not accept being merely added to” [one's] “life. He insists on being supreme . . .”²

• Illustration: God is not a Post-It Note to be conveniently re-positioned, as you manage your life by rearranging life's responsibilities and realms. One Post-It note reads “career” and a second “family.” Another note says “sexuality” while a different note contains the word “finances.” You rearrange the notes at will to suit your purposes and plans. You don't discard God; you merely stick Him somewhere else for the time being.
• Before Post-It Notes, we had a device that looked like a long metal toothpick protruding upward from a stable base. In order not to lose important scraps or memos, we pierced them at the top of the "toothpick" and then pulled them down. To say that God is Supreme is to allow Him to pierce through every area of your life. According to Colossians 3:4, God isn't part of your life; He is your life.

1Mehl, Ron. The Tender Commandments. Sister, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 1998. p. 71.

2Www.enduringword.com re: Ex. 20:5 (accessed 8-23-16)

Honor Your Mother (Ex. 20:12) (Part 6)

Conclusion:

1. “A Parable for Mothers” (Temple Bailey).  You can find the parable here. (Stop reading after the words “I have shown my children God.”)

2. Children, the greatest gift you can give to your mother, the best way you can honor her whether she is living on earth or living in your memory, is to surrender your life to Jesus Christ and serve Him with your entire being. Your mother pointed you to Jesus and showed Him to you. What have you done with her life work in this regard?

What if your mother didn't point you to Jesus and show Him to you? You can surrender your life to Jesus today and serve Him with your entire being. If your mother is still living, you can have the joy of introducing her to Jesus! Neither parent nor child should have to miss out on the wonderful love relationship with God found only through His Son, Jesus Christ.

3. Honor your mother. Why?

• Because of obedience: God said to honor her.  Now let's go do it!
• Because of advantage: it is in your best interest to do so.
• Because of testimony: you live in a culture of dishonor. Defy the world!
• Because of satisfaction: your mother is worth celebrating!

Honor Your Mother (Ex. 20:12) (Part 5)

4. SATISFACTION: YOU SHOULD HONOR YOUR MOTHER BECAUSE SHE IS WORTH CELEBRATING.

Where would you be without your mother? (It's a rhetorical question since, without your mother, you wouldn't be here today reading this post, thus contemplating an answer.)

Today, don't celebrate motherhood; celebrate mother (your mother). Mother and child – it is a personal relationship, from which you have benefited greatly.

It is possible to celebrate Mother's Day and not celebrate or honor your mother. Perhaps that is why Anna Jarvis, the founder of what we know as Mother's Day, would later regret having pushed to make it a national day. She lamented there was too much commercialization and not enough personalization.

Honor Your Mother (Ex. 20:12) (Part 4)

3. TESTIMONY: YOU SHOULD HONOR YOUR MOTHER BECAUSE YOU LIVE IN A CULTURE OF DISHONOR.

The concept of honor is a virtue that is vanishing quickly in society. If a person will not honor mother – I mean, come on, how difficult is it to do that? – how will he or she honor other authority figures? 

Just so I'm clear, young people, that wonderful nurturer in your life deserves your respect. Show some! She is not “the old hag”, “the old bag” or “that witch.” This means control both your tongue and your thoughts. You're not off the hook just because you didn't say something rude or disrespectful. Were you thinking it? Was it in your heart? (Mt. 12:34b)

The Bible says that “in the last days, difficult times will come.” (2 Tim. 3:1). Two details about these “difficult times” involve the child-parent relationship. First, Paul told Timothy that people would be “disobedient to parents” (2 Tim. 3:2). Second, Paul told Timothy that people would be “unloving” (2 Tim. 3:3). The Amplified Bible reads “without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman) . . .” Would you agree that it is impossible to honor your mother if you don't show love?

On Mother's Day and every day, enjoy defying culture.  Do more than be nice to mom.  Honor her.

Honor Your Mother (Ex. 20:12) (Part 3)

2. ADVANTAGE: YOU SHOULD HONOR YOUR MOTHER BECAUSE IT IS IN YOUR BEST INTEREST TO DO SO.

And all the mothers said . . . .  (They're no fools and neither are we. Mother brought you into the world, and she can take you out!)

This commandment to honor your mother is called, in Ephesians 6:2, “the first commandment with a promise.” What is the promise? Ex. 20:12 > “ . . . that your days may be prolonged in the land . . . .”  While this isn't a guarantee for each individual, it is a statement of expectation for society as a whole. The gist is that those who not only obey their parents but honor them are less likely to dishonor other authorities and incur even stiffer penalties.

Honor Your Mother (Ex. 20:12) (Part 2)

1. OBEDIENCE: YOU SHOULD HONOR YOUR MOTHER BECAUSE GOD SAID TO HONOR HER.

This is the “because I said so” motif.  The force behind those four words – 'because I said so' – varies depending upon who says them. If your sibling says, “Because I said so”, you might talk back a bit. If your boss says, “Because I said so”, you might want to preserve your job and keep your mouth shut. If your Creator says, “Because I said so”, this is absolute. You don't mess with the One who holds your every breath in His hand!

Honoring one's mother was God's idea long before Anna Jarvis campaigned to make it a national holiday (which it became in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed the bill).

Notice the verb 'honor' is in the imperative. In other words, do it! Don't think about it, don't wait until you feel like it, don't wait for her to do something special for you first. When God commands you to do something, aren't you wise to do it?

Honor Your Mother (Ex. 20:12) (Part 1)

Introduction:

1. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.”

2. Why should you honor your mother? (Well, today is Mother's Day, right?) The reasons have nothing to do with May's calendar, family tradition or seasonal obligation.

3. In order to answer the question – Why should you honor your mother? – it is important to know what 'honor' means. To 'honor' means:

•  'to respect, to esteem, to regard highly, to have concern for, to show affection and be considerate toward, to appreciate, to view as superior.'¹
• 'to prize highly, to care for, to respect, to obey.'²
• 'to yield respect, submission and obedience; to give love and tenderness; to lighten cares; to guard reputation; to succor and comfort in old age.'³

4. Wow! The word 'honor' is loaded with meaning, wouldn't you say?

-----

1 Fretheim, Terrence E. Exodus. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary For Teaching And Preaching. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1991. p. 231.

2 Youngblood, Ronald F. Exodus. Everyman's Bible Commentary. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1983. p. 98.

3 Www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/what-background-ten-comandments (accessed 5-5-16)

Where All The Water Came From (Gen. 7:11)

In the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17) the writer mentions "the water under the earth" (Ex. 20:4, NASB).  During the account of the flood (Gen. ch. 6-9), the record mentions "the fountains of the great deep burst open" (Gen. 7:11, NASB).  

Water from above, called "the floodgates of the sky" (Gen. 7:11), we're familiar with.  That was the worst rainstorm man ever encountered!  What's the deal with "the fountains of the great deep"?  It sounds as if that water sprang up from below.

Today on Yahoo I saw this headline:  "Found!  Hidden Ocean Locked Up Deep in Earth's Mantle."  You can read the article here.  Is this "hidden ocean" the same as "the fountains of the great deep"?

One of the criticisms about the Biblical account of the flood concerns the amount of water.  Where did all that water come from?  Even if we allow for water from above and water from beneath, would there have been enough to flood the world?  

The area between 255 miles and 410 miles beneath the earth's surface is referred to as "the transition zone."  Here's what got my attention in the article:  "The transition zone can hold a lot of water, and could potentially have the same amount of H2O [water] as all the world's oceans."

The Uniqueness of God (Ex. 15:11)

Most likely, your sermon is done for tomorrow.  In case you've had an extremely busy week and haven't started, here is a "built-in" sermon outline.  Since it is about God (crazy topic, I know), it should be easy to preach.

Title:  "The Uniqueness of God"
Text:  Exodus 15:11, NIV84
Introduction:  "It's a one of a kind." (Explain)  We serve a "one of a kind" God.
Points:
1.  God alone is holy.
2.  God alone is glorious.
3.  God alone works wonders.
Conclusion:  Jesus is God.  Jesus is holy.  Jesus is glorious.  Jesus works wonders.  Jesus is your "one of a kind" God.  After all, no other god claims to have been raised from the dead.

LEGO GOD (Part 1) > The Therapist God > 10 Tweets

1. Ex. 20:3-5a. False gods are "Lego gods" -- figments of imagination and products of human creativity. #idolatry
2. Ex. 32:19-24. The creativity (creative excusing) required to build a "Lego god" goes way back. "Out came this calf." #idolatry
3. "If God created us in his own image, we have more than reciprocated." (Voltaire) -- #legogod
4. Jam. 1:21-25. Refusal to act upon good counsel stalls the change process. God is interested in changing people. #legogod #therapistgod
5. Do you keep your visits with God and keep talking until your time is up? #legogod #therapistgod #prayer
6. Telling God EVERYTHING about it DOESN'T mean He wants you to do NOTHING about it. #legogod #therapistgod #change
7. God is more than your therapist; He is a CATALYST. His agenda is CHANGE. #legogod #therapistgod #change
8. Mt. 13:20-21 > "... persecution arises because of the WORD..." Some get offended when God does MORE than listen. #legogod #therapistgod
9. We must do more than "have a little TALK with Jesus." How about a little WALK with Jesus? (Col. 2:6-7) #legogod #therapistgod #discipleship
10. God doesn't want just your problems. He wants ALL of you (Mk. 12:30). #legogod #therapistgod #totalsurrender

"Lego God" -- Introduction to the Series

Series Title:  "Lego God"

Series Text:  Ex. 20:3-5a

From 1958 to 2008, there were 400 billion Lego parts made.  Since 1978 there were 4 billion mini-figures made. A standard Lego block has 8 studs (raised bumps).  Six standard Lego bricks of the same color can be assembled in 915,103,765 combinations.

 

Exodus 32:19-24 contains the "Lego god" mentality.  "Out came this calf."

"If God created us in his own image, we have more than reciprocated." (Voltaire)

To serve a "Lego god" means you redefined the God of the Bible.  God is now who or what you want Him to be.

Do you serve the God of the Bible or a god of your imagination?

"Lego God" to Begin 9.16.12

Series Title:  "Lego God"
Series Text:  Exodus 20:3-5a
Series Question:  Do we worship the God of the Bible or the god of our fabrication?
Series Quote:  "If God created us in his own image, we have more than reciprocated." (Voltaire)
This Sunday:  the therapist god
That's all.  I've already told too much.


Multiplication in Affliction (Ex. 1:12)

Four times in Exodus chapter one the words "multiply" or "multiplied" occur.  I call this chapter "The Multiplication Chapter."  One motif is multiplication in affliction. 

Psalm 34:19 says the afflictions of a righteous person will be many, but to cheer up -- God delivers from them all.  However, there is more to affliction than its end.  What about its duration?  God can bless you in and through your afflictions. Until it ends, your affliction can be advantageous.  God multiplied the Israelites in proportion to their increased level of slavery and forced work.  Don't view your affliction as something just to get past (hard as that is).  View it as an opportunity for God to increase you, to extend you, to set you up.  Go ahead -- say it aloud -- "I'm being set up for good!"