Thoughts After the Sermon, "No God But God" (Exodus 20:3)

Thoughts After the Sermon

By Vermon Pierre, Lead Pastor

I came across a lot of good quotes in the course of my preparation for last Sunday’s sermon, “No God But God” (Exodus 20:3). Some of them made it into the sermon and some of them didn’t. I’ll be using this post to give again some of the ones I used during the sermon and also offer up some of the ones I didn’t have time to use.

·      “One of the primary laws of human life is that you become like what you worship; what’s more, you reflect what you worship not only back to the object itself but also outward to the world around. Those who worship money increasingly define themselves in terms of it and increasingly treat other people as creditors, debtors, partners, or customers rather than as human beings. Those who worship sex define themselves in terms of it (their preferences, their practices, their past histories) and increasingly treat other people as actual or potential sexual objects. Those who worship power define themselves in terms of it and treat other people as either collaborators, competitors, or pawns. These and many other forms of idolatry combine in a thousand ways, all of them damaging to the image-bearing quality of the people concerned and of those whose lives they touch.” – N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope

·      “If we idolize our gender, we must demonize the other gender. If we idolize our nation, we must demonize other nations. If we idolize our political party, we must demonize other political parties. If we idolize our socioeconomic class, we must demonize other classes. If we idolize our family, we must demonize other families. If we idolize our theological system, we must demonize other theological systems. If we idolize our church, we must demonize other churches. This explains the great polarities and acrimonies that plague every society. If something other than God’s loving grace is the source of our identity and value, we must invariably defend our idol by treating everyone and everything who may call our idol into question as an enemy to be demonized so that we can feel superior to other people and safe with our idol.” – Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe

·       “Jesus must become more beautiful to your imagination, more attractive to your heart, than your idol,” Keller says. “If you uproot the idol and fail to ‘plant’ the love of Christ in its place, the idol will grow back.” Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters

·      "We need to ponder the superiority of God as our great reward over all that the world has to offer. If we don’t, we will love the world like everyone else and live like every one else. So take the things that drive the world and ponder how much better and more abiding God is: take money or sex or power or popularity. Think about these things.

First think about them in relation to death. Death will take away every one of them: money, sex, power, and popularity. If that is what you live for, you won’t get much, and what you get, you lose. But God’s treasure is “abiding.” It lasts. It goes beyond death.

It’s better than money because God owns all the money and he is our Father. “All things are yours, and you are Christ’s and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:22-23).

It’s better than sex. Jesus never had sexual relations, and he was the most full and complete human that ever will exist. Sex is a shadow, an image, of a greater reality—of a relationship and pleasure that will make sex seem like a yawn.

The reward of God is better than power. There is no greater human power than to be a child of the Almighty God. “Do you not know that we shall judge angels” (1 Corinthians 6:3)?

It’s better than popularity. Fame is a pipe dream if you are only known by human nobodies. But if the greatest beings know you, that is a popularity of another kind. The greatest popularity is to be known by God (1 Corinthians 8:3; Galatians 4:9). And when it comes to angels: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14)?

And so it goes on and on. Everything the world has to offer, God is better and more abiding. There is no comparison. God wins—every time. The question is: will we have him? Will we wake up from the trance of this stupefying world and see and believe and rejoice and love? And suffer?"

- John Piper, in a sermon entitled, The Present Power of a Future Possession

·      How weak the gods of this world are--
And weaker yet their worship made me!
I have been an idolater
Of three--and three times they betrayed me!

Mine oldest worshipping was given
To natural Beauty, aye residing
In bowery earth and starry heaven,
In ebbing sea, and river gliding. 

But natural Beauty shuts her bosom
To what the natural feelings tell!
Albeit I sighed, the trees would blossom--
Albeit I smiled, the blossoms fell. 

Then left I earthly sights, to wander
Amid a grove of name divine,
Where bay-reflecting streams meander,
And Moloch Fame hath reared a shrine. 

Not green, but black, is that reflection
On rocky beds those waters lie;
That grove hath chillness and dejection--
How could I sing? I had to sigh. 

Last, human Love, thy Lares greeting,
To rest and warmth I vowed my years.
To rest? how wild my pulse is beating!
To warmth? ah me! my burning tears. 

Ay, they may burn--though thou be frozen
By death, and changes wint'ring on!
Fame!--Beauty!--idols madly chosen--
Were yet of gold; but thou art STONE! 

            - Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Idols

               

Bonus Case Study and Question for Command #1

Bonus Case Study and Question for Command #1

Consider this a "deleted scene" from the Ten Commandment Study Guide we are passing out tomorrow for our look at the First Command ...

BONUS CASE STUDY

A friend of yours says he heard his college professor say that this command proves that Moses believed that other gods existed and Moses taught that YHWH was just the best god for the Israelites. He says that this shows the religion of the bible has evolved over time and should not be taken too seriously because it the obvious product of human imagination.

What would you say to this friend about what his proff said?
What specific passages would you turn to?
Do you think this would require some extra research to really give a solid answer?


BONUS QUESTION
Q: In regards to the other commandments, what will happen unless we first commit ourselves to God alone?

Example Answer: Our hearts will be drawn away from the righteousness the Ten Commandments decree.

Four Thoughts After the Sermon, "God, Law, and Jesus" (Exodus 20:1-21)

Four Thoughts After the Sermon

By Vermon Pierre, Lead Pastor

Some highlights/reminders/further thoughts from last Sunday’s sermon, “God, Law, and Jesus” (Exodus 20:1-21):

1. It’s important to remember that God’s commandments are an expression of God himself. So for instance, we should not lie and stand for what’s true because God is truth. Thus lying means denying God himself. Rejecting God’s law in any way means that we are personally rejecting God as God.

2. The Ten Commandments were written in stone and were the only part of the law that would later be placed in the ark of the covenant. This suggests the unique and enduring significance of the Ten Commandments. They were meant to be thought of regularly thought and used as guiding principles to Israel’s regular worship of God.

3. Yes, the Ten Commandments are truly commandments. They are meant to be obeyed by us, period. But for those in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, they can’t be seen as restrictive obligations upon their freedom but instead as welcome habits that draw believers closer to the One they love and who loves them. Think for instance of a marriage. There are certain regular obligations within a marriage that could be viewed as onerous commandments that have to be obeyed for the sake of the marriage. Like for instance, not forming emotional or physical connections with anyone other than your spouse, or regularly showing affection for your spouse through your words and your touch. The partners in a good marriage however would never view such things as onerous or restrictive  commandments! Rather they are part of the habits and obligations they willingly and joyfully follow, all because they are means of forming a closer bond of love with their spouse. And so the growing believer is a person who seeks to obey God more, not less, because of their increasing delight and joy in the relationship they have with God. 

4. A few good quotes on the whole topic of the law, grace, and Jesus:

“Therefore we do not abolish the Law; be we show its true function and use, namely, that it is a most useful servant impelling us to Christ. After the Law has humbled, terrified, and completely crushed you, so that you are on the brink of despair, then see to it that you know how to use the Law correctly; for its function and use is not only to disclose the sin and wrath of God but also to drive us to Christ.” – Martin Luther

“Let the law be faithfully proclaimed, as binding on every creature, and as cursing every impenitent sinner, and let the utter inability of man to satisfy its demands be clearly set forth, not as an excuse, but as a fault; and then let the riches of grace in Christ Jesus be fully exhibited and freely offered, and let all – however great their guilt – be urged to accept of unmerited pardon, and complete salvation.” – Archibald Alexander

Three Thoughts After the Sermon

Three Thoughts After the Sermon
By Vermon Pierre, Lead Pastor

Some highlights/reminders/further thoughts from last Sunday's sermon, "Evangelize, Establish, Entrust: A Vision for the Expansion of the Kingdom through RCC":

1. I described mission this past Sunday as involving movement and intention. That definition of mission comes from the book, "Paul the Missionary" by Eckhard Schnabel. His full definition of mission or missions is worth mentioning. "The term 'mission' or 'missions' refers to the activity of a community of faith that distinguishes itself from its environment in terms of both religious belief (theology) and social behavior (ethics), that is convinced of the truth claims of its faith, and that actively works to win other people to the content of faith and the way of life of whose truth and necessity the members of that community are convinced."

2. The gospel brings people together and keeps people together. This is why we can never stray away from the message of the gospel. Repeatedly in Acts we see that the building up of the church is a function to the word of God increasing.

3. If the mission of the church is to see the church established in cities and regions all over the world, then every church needs to be about planting new churches and establishing churches. God's cosmic intentions are directly tied to the church, so any missional work must be church-connected work (cf Eph 3:10).

New Audio for Sermon "Time, Wrath, and Death"

New Audio for Sermon "Time, Wrath, and Death"
Series: Worship the Lord: A series in the Psalms
Date: 08/29/10

Here is the link to launch the jukebox to listen online:
http://www.rooseveltchurch.org/sermon/time-wrath-and-death

Did you know all of our messages are available online? You can browse through our messages by Series, Category, Date, or Speaker. You can also subscribe to our podcast using iTunes or any other podcasting software.

Or you can download the mp3 directly right here.

PS - props to Edward Cross for all his labor in this area!