Grace and Peace Episode 46
Presbyterian Church of Easton
August 1, 2021
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2
Heidelberg Catechism
93Q. How are these (The Ten) Commandments divided?
A. Into two tables. The first has four commandments, teaching us how we ought to live in relation to God. The second has six commandments, teaching us what we owe our neighbor.
94Q. What does the Lord require in the first commandment?
A. That I, not wanting to endanger my own salvation, avoid and shun all idolatry, sorcery, superstitious rites, and prayer to saints or to other creatures. That I rightly know the only true God, trust him alone, and look to God for every good thing humbly and patiently, and love, fear, and honor God with all my heart. In short, that I give up anything rather than go against God’s will in any way.
95Q. What is idolatry?
A. Idolatry is having or inventing something in which one trusts in place of or alongside of the only true God, who has revealed himself in the Word.
Deuteronomy 5:7 You shall have no other gods before me.
In the ancient world, people worshiped many gods. Each nation had their own gods. And people shared gods with one another. It was thought that gods would fertilize crops, or bring the much-needed rain. People just had to ask the appropriate god for help. So people would have many gods and try to keep them all happy so that blessings would continue.
But if you asked them where these gods came from you would usually hear about an ancient god who had created them all. And the God the children of Israel worshiped was this very God, the creator God, Yahweh, The Lord God of Israel. And this God demands absolute loyalty from us.
Sadly God’s people were rarely loyal. They continued to worship weather gods and fertility gods. And they found themselves right back in slavery when their enemies defeated them in battle and hauled them into exile. All of this was preventable. But it was also predictable. Because God’s commandments are designed to keep you free. Ignoring his commands always leads back to slavery. By obeying the Ten Commandments we preserve our freedom. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father we acknowledge that you are one God; there is no other. We worship you and you alone. Bless us with freedom. Amen.
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