Sermon -January 06 - Ten Commandments - Westwood Baptist Church

January 6, 2008

Sermon
Scripture KJV

Reverend David S. Huffer

Westwood Baptist Church - 2124 Davis Road
Waynesboro, VA

Exodus

20:2		I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
20:3		Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Ten Commandments

Priority One

Exodus 20:2-3

Frightening statistics point to a breakdown of law, moral responsibility, and even conscience in our world.

WHAT HAS GONE WRONG?

· What has happened to this enlightened world of ours?

· We don’t have standards anymore – or even feel we should!

DEAR FRIEND – I believe we need a fixed standard.

· We need goals and limitations

· A strong sense of what is right and wrong

· We need some dependable rules for right living

There is no better starting point for understanding right living than God’s Ten Commandments!

4 REASONS FOR STUDYING THE 10 COMMANDMENTS

1. To Refresh Our Memories

The Commandments divide easily into two sections:

Commandments #1-4 – Duties that we owe to God

· Teach love for God

· Teach Reverence for God

· Are vertical in nature – deal with our relationship with God

· Instruct in Doctrine

Commandments #5-10 – Duties we owe to people

· Teach love for others

· Teach respect for others

· Our relationships are horizontal

· We need to instruct in morals and ethics

2. To Reaffirm The Absolutes

Judges 21:25 – “In those days there was no King in Israel: Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

3. They Motivate Repentance

Romans 3:20 – “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: For by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Romans 7:7-8 – “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said: “You shall not covet.” But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law, sin was dead.”

FRIENDS – Paul is saying: Law reveals sin

· The law stirs up sin in your life. Sin can exist in your life without the law, although without the law it may be dormant

· Without a standard of right and wrong – there can be no judgment of what sin is and what it is not.

· The law, however, with its commands against certain behaviors, can arouse the desire to perform those evil behaviors.

1. To Review God’s Guidelines For The Good Life

1 John 5:3 – “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: And His commandments are not grievous”

GOD’S WILL FOR HUMAN LIVES

A. We Must get Back To The Word Of God

· Rules for right living

B. The Bible Pinpoints The Human Dilemma And Offers An Answer

1. Problem? Our self chosen ways usually lead to destruction

· Proverbs 14:12 – “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

2. Solution? Obeying the commands of God

· Psalms 119:172 – “For my tongue shall speak of Your Word, for all Your commandments are righteous.”

· 1 John 5:3 – “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

C. God Has Not Let Us Decide What Is Right: Only whether we will choose to walk the path He has marked for us.

Matthew 7:13-14 - "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide [is] the gate and broad [is] the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow [is] the gate and difficult [is] the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

D. Right Living Is To Walk In His Commands; Breaking Them Is A Form Of Destruction

1 John 1:7 - “But if we walk in the Light, as He is in the Light,

2. Matt6:33 - "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

3. Colossians 3:1-3 – “IF then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

FRIENDS - The other rules annoy and frustrate you until this has been dealt with successfully!

THE PLACE THIS COMMANDMENT HAS FOR US

What God asked of His people at Mt. Sinai – He asks of us.

A. Every major Failure In our Lives Traces To A failure of This Point

False Doctrines – Someone has placed his own ideas first

· Isaiah 55:6-11 – (BLACK RIBBON)

Sinful behavior – wrong Priorities – hurt feelings, depression, etc.
Lack Of Spirituality

· We put God and His work on the back burner

FRIENDS – Whenever we put what WE want above what we KNOW is right – we have broken the 1^st rule of living!

· JESUS is either FIRST or NOTHING!

Matthew 22 - "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Every Aspect of a Christian’s life is to find meaning in Jesus as Lord.

CLOSE

IF WE TURN AWAY FROM GOD WE WILL SEEK THE “UNHOLY Trinity”

1 John 2:16 - For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.

Everything that competes with God for 1^st place comes under one of