series: #
verse: Exodus 20:1-6 #
Main Idea: #
The Israelites still didn’t trust in God’s power and providence. They still depended on worldly metrics such as the food they had, the things they possessed. But these verses show how God addresses
What is at the heart of the Commandments? God is jealous. This Godly jealously is different from human jealousy. It’s not an insecure jealousy, it’s a faithful and convental jealousy. He refuses to let his people be led into destruction. God wants exclusive worship because he’s worthy of it.
God will not tolerate divided attention, and disingenuous worship.
God’s passion #
“God’s jealousy in our text is his fierce love that refuses to share us because he loves us”. The jealousy doesn’t flow from insecurity, rather from redemption. It’s not by perfectly obeying God’s command that saves us. That’s why his focus isn’t on whether or not we follow them. He just desires our attention and passion.
Our problem #
We have a tendency to make all good things in our lives, an idol. When we experience goodness, we start to depend on it. And when that “good” thing eventually leaves us (because nothing worldly is permanent), we start to rebuke God for taking away things that make us happy. And this is a vicious cycle that misplaces our joy. It shouldn’t be the idols themselves that make us happy. True joy occurs through recognizing that we need to be grateful to the provider of these good things.
If it was our “perfection” that would earn our salvation, then all of us would be eternally condemned to Hell. Jesus came to this earth and took our place and cleansed us our sins. So we should continue to remind ourselves of this life-changing act and truly love our God. It is true that, “It is finished.”, but that doesn’t mean that we can be complacent. We need to repent our sins, we need to live like Jesus. We can always be more radical. This doesn’t mean that we have to live like John the Baptist and give up all of our possessions. But simply soaking ourselves more in the truth of God enables us to take down our idols, and focus on the beauty of our God.
The provision that God provides BECAUSE of our problem #
God puts us in positions where we need to cry and reach out to him. When we start to turn away from God and turn towards material goods, our significant other, our careers, and whatever else, he works in our lives to make sure we stay grounded and come back to him.
Be careful with what you prioritize in your life. What you think, what you desire, will ripple out from you and affect generations. Carry yourself in a manner in which God desires you to, and spread that goodness to everyone around you.
Call to action #
God is not judging us. He is jealous because he deserves all of us, and sometimes we give none of us to him. Listen to the word of God and follow his truth. It is impossible to have true transformation, without constantly looking towards the truth of God.