Well, it's good to see everybody
out. Remember those who requested prayer. Add the letter editor
to your prayer list. She's got to go to the hospital
soon. Tomorrow, maybe. Got a spot on
her leg. I don't know what it is. Hoping
it's a spotty, Rocky Mountain spotted fever. But remember her in your prayers
until the doctors find out where it is right quick. And remember
the others we requested. Dee Parks continues to fight
the cancer. Tracy Wright starts her chemotherapy
pretty soon. And so remember them in your
prayers and seek the Lord's help for them. Let's begin our worship
service tonight with hymn number 517 on Jordan Stormy Banks' I
Stand. On Jordan's stormy banks I stand
and cast a wishful eye To Cana's fair and happy land where my
possessions lie I am bound for the promised land. I am bound for the promised land. Oh, who will come and go with
me? I am bound for the promised land. eternal day. There God the sun forever reigns
and scatters night away. I am bound for the promise Oh, who will come and go with
me? I am bound for the promised land. No chilling winds, no poisonous
breath. are felt and feared no more. I am bound for the promised land. I am bound for the promised land. Oh, who will come and go with
me? I am bound for the When shall I reach that happy
place and be forever blessed? When shall I feel my Father's
face and in His bosom rest? Oh, who will come and go with
me? I am bound for the promised land. M number 205. ♪ Free from the law, oh, happy
condition ♪ Jesus has bled and there is remission ♪ Cursed by
the law and bruised by the fall ♪ Grace hath redeemed us once
for all ♪ Once for all a sinner receive it ♪ Once for all a brother
believe it ♪ Cling to the cross the burden will fall ♪ Christ
hath redeemed us once for all ♪ Now are we free there's no
♪ Jesus provides a perfect salvation
♪ Come unto me, oh, hear His sweet call ♪ Come and He saves
us once for all ♪ Once for all, oh, sinner, receive it ♪ Once
for all, oh, brother, believe it ♪ Cling to the cross, the
burden will fall ♪ Christ hath redeemed us once for all ♪ Children
of God, oh, glorious calling ♪ Surely his grace will keep
us from falling ♪ Passing from death to life at his call ♪ Blessed
salvation once for all ♪ Once for all, oh sinner, receive it
♪ Once for all, oh brother, believe it ♪ Cling to the cross, the
burden will fall ♪ Christ hath redeemed us once for all If you have your Bibles, turn
with me to Exodus, the 20th chapter. We'll read verses 5 and 6 tonight. The title of the message is,
Them That Love Me. Speaking of these idols that
men make, the Lord says, Thou shalt not bow down thyself to
them, nor serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing
mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments."
Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, most merciful
and gracious God, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy, who will
not always chide who not dealt with your people after their
iniquities nor awarded them according to their sins. And Father, you
pity them as a father pitied his children, remembering that
they are framed, knowing that they are dust, flowers of the
field that fade away. You have shown great grace to
the ruined and wretched sinners of this world, and we thank you
for it. We pray for those of our company
who are sick going through trials and tribulations, those who are
away from us for whatever reason. Remember especially Loretta,
she's going to the doctors to find out what this spot is. We
ask Lord you'd be with her, be with those doctors, give them
great skills and understanding. They can find out what the problem
is. We pray Father for Brother D. Parks, he's contiguous with
this cancer. Lord we pray you'd be with him
and with Christy, she ministers to him. the children Jackson
and Kate as they stand watch. Also for Sandy and Moose and
CJ as they have to go through this too. Ask Lord you would
be merciful to them, help them. Pray for Tracy Wright as she's
getting ready to start the chemotherapy. Pray you'd be with her and be
with her parents as they minister to her, her other parts of her
family as they watch with her at these times. We know that
troubles come to your children according to your good pleasure,
according to your wisdom, always designed and ultimately will
always bring your children to Jesus Christ to bow at his feet
and call out for mercy. We ask for mercy for these. We
ask for healing. We ask your will be done, for
we know that is the fact that will happen. Help us tonight
as we look at your word, we might worship you in spirit and in
truth. Cause us to think on him who's altogether lovely, the
chiefest among 10,000. The lily of the valley, the bright
and morning star, who died in the room instead of his people,
and by his shed blood, propitiated you, satisfied your justice and
law, so you are just to justify them that believe on Jesus Christ.
Help us now we pray in Christ's name and may you receive all
the glory we pray in His name, Amen. Now these verses are continuing
to address the prohibition of idolatry and the absolute requirement
of worshiping God alone and no other God. No idol or false god or no image
of anything is permitted to be worshipped and is not permitted
to be incorporated in the worship of the true and living God. In
these words, our Lord makes a statement that forever settles the issue
of law and grace. Here in this presentation of
the law that indicts people for their transgressions, He speaks
a word that has not been spoken in reference to Him to this point
in all of Scripture. Barnard used to say, uh... what's important is the doctrine
of first mention in scripture when something is first mentioned
that's an important time here in the beginning of this law
giving here on Mount Sinai the Lord speaks the first time of
his people loving him not until this time does he speak of that
language and in doing so he sets the tone for what it means to
keep his commandments And this singular statement will inform
the believer's understanding of the commandments throughout
the New Testament and the Old Testament. Now whether it is
the true God or an idol, men embrace the one or the other
for a specific purpose. The purpose is to worship. That's
why they do it. And all references to idols and
God's words are concerning the distinction between worship of
the true and living God and worship of idols. When idols are mentioned,
it is always in reference or comparison or distinguishing
the worship of God. In Kings and Chronicles, the
kings that did right in the sight of God were said to follow in
the path of King David. And those that are said to have
done evil in the sight of the Lord were said not to follow
the path of King David. And if you look at the life of
David, the Bible is clear that David was a real man He was a
real sinner, had real problems, real weaknesses, and his weaknesses
and his frailties are honestly cataloged in the Word of God.
But what distinguished David that God would account a good
king as one that followed in his path is that King David,
with all his troubles, with all his weaknesses, never allowed
the worship of idols or the incorporation of idols in the worship of the
true and living God. And so the kings that followed
him were said to do good in the sight of the Lord, or did what
was right in the sight of the Lord. The kings that were steeped
in idolatry and even incorporated the idol worship in with the
worship of God were all said, and this is most of the kings,
were said to not do right in the eyes of God. This alone was
the difference between good kings and bad kings in the inspired
Word of God. God is a jealous God. He said
this in the very passage we just read. He is jealous for His glory
and His glory is seen and manifested in the worship that men give
unto Him for His glory. He alone deserves glory and glory
belongs to no one else but him and he allows no rival over in
exodus chapter thirty four in verse fourteen it says this for
thou shalt worship no other god for the lord whose name whose
name is jealous is a jealous god and over in deuteronomy chapter
four and much of what is spoken by Moses here in the 20th chapter
of Exodus is spoken again in somewhat different terms. Deuteronomy
chapter 4 by Moses just before they go into the Promised Land.
In Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 24 it says, For the Lord thy
God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. Now as God, He
has a right to be jealous for His glory because He deserves
it and no one else does. Now an idol, a graven image,
or a religious icon is manufactured, as I said, for one purpose. It
is made to worship or to aid in worship. And since the idolater
is the creator of the idol, the worship offered is actually worship
of self. any worship that's not worship
of God singularly is the worship of self in some form. Self-deification
is the heart of idol worship. It was part of the promise that
the serpent made to Eve in the Garden of Eden. He said God didn't
mean you'd die. He knows when you eat of this
fruit you'll be as gods and he used the word Elohim the all-powerful
God. You'll be gods and that's very
intoxicating to the carnal mind to be known as a God. But people
believe that about themselves especially in this day it is
very obvious that if you do not agree with someone or you have
a disagreement as to opinion you are done for. They have nothing
to do with you because they are absolutely right. That is deification,
that is self, that is what it is about. The power that is attributed
to the idol is derived from the idol maker That is why every
religion except one emphasizes the WILL, emphasizes WORKS, emphasizes
DECISION, and the supposed POWER of PERSONAL FAITH. They are God's
HANDLERS. They're God's HANDLERS. They
HANDLE Him. their God into their hearts letting
it let it that God do stuff manipulating it through praying through and
being its hands feet eyes and ears that's the language they
use now if my the only hands God has is my hands then I'm
the God and he's not it's just that simple but that's the language
they use and they think they're talking about the true and God
but that God that is preached that you have to let do something
is an idol It is not the true and living God. Now the consequence
of idolatry we saw last week in our study in Deuteronomy is
death. That is the consequence of idolatry.
And in this passage the Lord says there is a further consequence.
He says the iniquity of the father will be visited upon the children
through the third and fourth generation. What does that mean? It simply means this, that the
children and the children's children will continue in the Father's
idolatry. He will visit that iniquity,
that's the iniquity He's addressing here, not just any iniquity but
the iniquity of idolatry. He said for generation upon generation
these children will follow in idolatry and if you read the
history of Israel from here all the way to Malachi you'll find
that every generation upon generation followed the idolaters practices
of those in Israel who were idolaters. And they will suffer the same
consequence. Our Lord said in Exodus chapter 30 and verse 37,
I will in no wise clear the guilty. And he said that upon the basis
of what he has just told what his glory was to Moses when he
said, I will make my goodness pass before you. I will proclaim
the name of the Lord before you. I will be merciful unto whom
I will be merciful. I will be compassionate unto
whom I will be compassionate or show compassion. And then
he says, I will in no wise clear the guilty. I will visit the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children for generation to
generation. over, look over at 1st Kings
21 and verse 29. The Lord is going to spare Ahab,
though he doesn't deserve to be spared, the Lord shows him
mercy. In 1st Kings chapter 21, but
he says something about the generations that follow him. In 1st Kings
chapter 21 and verse 29, It says, See Thou how Ahab humbled
himself. He did, he cried unto the Lord
and begged God not to kill him, so God let him go. Because he humbled himself before
me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but in his son's
days will I bring the evil upon this house. That is visiting
the father's evil upon the children. The Lord is King and He is Sovereign
and He acts according to His good pleasure. And note well
that the idolaters are defined in our text as them that hate
God. That's what he says in the last
phrase of verse 5, he says, the fourth generation of them that
hate me, that hate me. Since idolaters love and worship
self, they hate God because they have a natural carnal mind. Most
people like the God that's being preached today because He He
just sort of loves everybody and he's really a nice old fellow
and kind and generous. You know, they get mad at him
when some calamity happens and they question him, you know,
if a baby dies or something like that, they get all upset and
they say, well, how can a loving God do that? And they talk about
that guy, but he has no power. They have all the power. He's
not really a God. And the reason is because they're
idolaters. There are idolaters. Romans 8,
7 and 8 says the carnal mind, the natural mind, the mind you
are born with is enmity against God. That means it is God's enemy. In Romans chapter 5 he talks
about dying for those that hate him, that hate him. Enmity to God is not subject
to the law of God and neither indeed can be. That is the language.
Over in Proverbs chapter 8, when he talks about Christ's
delight is with men, speaking of Christ as the Wisdom
of God. Proverbs chapter 8 and verse
36, but it says, But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his
own soul. All that hate me love death. They love death. You see, the
opposite of love is not really hate, it is self. The opposite
of love is self. Carnal nature is manifested in
love of self above all. Without Christ, you are your
own God. You believe that about yourself.
Now, the opposite of love of self is the love for God. If
you don't love yourself, it must mean you love God, because it
just has to be that way. This is the first time that God
speaks of His people loving Him in Scripture thus far. and it
is squarely in the context of one thing, worship. Worship. This is the singular matter in
which the love of God is manifested, worshiping Him alone, rendering
all praise and glory to Him. In Psalm 29, that's how it talks
about the congregation of the Lord, giving glory to His name. Psalm 29, verses 1 and 2, it
says, Given to the Lord, that is, RENDER UNTO HIM, O YOU MIGHTY,
GIVEN TO THE LORD GLORY AND STRENGTH, that doesn't mean you give Him
glory and strength, you say He has glory and strength, you say
He is the SOURCE OF ALL GLORY, GIVEN TO THE LORD THE GLORY,
DO HIS NAME WORSHIP THE LORD IN THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS, so
giving Him glory is worship. That's what we do, we give Him
glory. We don't come to worship service
to get glory for ourselves or to get something out of it. We
come to worship to give Him something, to give Him glory. And that's
what it says in verse 9, the voice of the Lord maketh the
hinds to calve, He gives life, He discovers the forest, and
in His temple, that is His church, doth everyone speak of His glory,
of His glory. The commandments The commandments
then find their obedience in worship. And this is the context
in which he speaks. He starts out by saying, Thou
shalt have no other gods before me, no graven image of anything
in heaven or earth or under the sea. None of that. What's he
talking about? They're worshiping false gods.
He said you can't do that. That's prohibited. So he's talking
about worship. So the commandments of God here
in this text, in context, are centered in the worship of God.
And even those that deal with taking care of your neighbor,
that's part of worshiping the Lord. Worshiping the Lord is
taking care of the household of faith. Them that love Him,
worship Him. Worship Him. He shows mercy to
them that love Him. Now, their love is not the CAUSE
of His mercy. His mercy is the cause of their
love. We love Him because He first
loved us. Now the believer perceives that
God loves him because He laid down His life for him. That is
how we understand that. For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life. For God so loved He gave
Himself. Galatians 2.20 says God loved
us and loved us and gave himself for us. Revelation 1.5 says God
loved us and washed us in his blood. First John 3.16 through
18 says here's how I perceive we to love God. That's how we
know God loves us. He laid down his life for us so we ought to
lay down our life for our brothers and sisters in Christ. In 1 John
chapter 4 verse 10 it says, Herein is love, not that we loved God,
but that He loved us and gave Himself as the propitiation for
our sins. Now the believer's love for God
is the response, response to God's love. Scripture speaks
of those who love God, it does. One of the favorite verses of
everyone who knows God is, we know all things work together
for good to them that love God. To them who are called according
to His purpose. To love God is to worship Him
alone. He has commanded that. It's to
worship Him. That's how we obey His command. Our Lord said it this way in
John 14, 15. He said, if you love Me, you'll keep My commandments. If you love Him, that's what
you'll do. What will you do? If you love
Him, you will worship Him. You will worship Him. Over in
1 John chapter 5, it says the same thing. To love God is to
worship Him. When the Pharisees asked Christ
which of the Ten Commandments was the greatest, how did He
quantify the commandments of God? Now, they were asking about
these Ten Commandments which are spoken here in Exodus 20,
repeated in Deuteronomy. Now look over Matthew chapter
22, that's where this took place, you're probably familiar with
it, but let's look at it anyway. Matthew chapter 22, the Pharisee
comes, now they're trying to trick him, they're trying to
get him to say one law is greater than another law. Matthew 22
verse 36 says, Master, which is the greatest commandment in
the law? Jesus said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy might. Now he is
talking about Exodus 20 when the Lord said, Thou shalt not
have no other gods before me. But he doesn't quote Moses from
Exodus 20. He quotes Moses from Deuteronomy
chapter 6. He doesn't quote Moses when he's
getting ready to take the children into wilderness for 40 years.
He quotes Moses when he is thirty days prior to crossing Jordan
and taking him into the Promised Land in Deuteronomy chapter six. Verses four and five say, ìHear,
O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and I shall have no
other gods before me.î and thou shalt love the Lord God with
all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might."
Now, those words are not spoken in Exodus, but they mean the
same thing. They mean exactly the same thing,
because the Lord said, ìThen that love me, keep my commandments.î
Thou shalt love the Lord God with all thy heart, soul, mind,
and strength." This is what Christ said to these Pharisees back
in Matthew chapter 22. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind. With all thy mind. The message
is the same. To love God is to worship God. It is to worship Him and to worship
Him as He has commanded. But what has He commanded? In
the context no other gods. No gods but Me. That is what
He has commanded. Thou shalt have no other gods
before Me, no graven image or any such thing. Thou shalt not
bow down to them, thou shalt not serve them. I am a jealous God.
This is how we love God. We love God by worshipping Him.
We express our love by worshipping Him. Them that love God have
no other gods before them. That is what He says. have no
other gods before, and they will not make unto them graven images,
or the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is
in earth beneath, or that is in the water of the earth, to
add to, or to worship, or to incorporate in the worship of
God. They shall not bow down to them, nor serve them. For he is showing mercy unto
thousands of them that love him, and keep his commandments. If
you love God, you'll worship Him, and you'll worship Him alone. Father, bless us to understand
and pray in Christ's name, Amen.