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other God's II

cripturs_Lesson:- Exodus 20:Text:- Exodus.20: 3. "Thou sha~t h.ve no othergods before me]' -" t .'ntrodllction; - This mornifig a are beginning a

~ tS~udy of that ancient code, known-a~ the Ten_Com-mandment.s . I nave called these old lavTS " - n Ru.- ,les for-L iv!ng~' By balling them ten ules forliving, I 2 . . 0 not mean that they speAk w._e final ~word o~ b~man conduct. I remember that JesFs ChrisBummed up these ten com ma ndm ents intoccne law oflove "'hen he said, "Thou shalt love the Lora. thyGod with all thy_heart~_nd with all thy spul, and"Iith 11-'-hy mind, aDO. with all tlJy btrength- J andthe neighbor as t yself~'_~ut inthls-day, when somany- of our peOf:lle ar conr'used , 'whe-~.B.o_manyo.f

~them aV~ flpng away their old convic~ioPB-And let,go their old mooT~ngs~ I_am wonderius if these ~rules may not Berve 8S, guidaposts to them, so that_they may find finer and ~ul~er ways ~o l1va theCl;lristian.life .. r;

Ph~losophers and al~ thinkers are agreed thateven the most primi ti v-e r aces of- mankind reach outand beyopd th~ world of matter to a superior beingIt is a ,natural thing for man to re eh out after

-'God; when all of his-physicaL neeaa ar satisfied. he still h as a -.l:iungerand thirst of the soul that

ne e d a satisfylng_! J .1J :an does" not' need to be commandeto worship, as there isnot a race so high or solow in the scale of civilization but has some kind;----_/

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( or what they need is to be directed. in their ')

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worship.Reme ber to whom this commandment was given, andwe shall see how necessary it was. The forefathers !of the Israelites had worshipped ~l~ols, not so manygenerations back. They had recently been deliver(out of Egypt, a 1.and of many gods. The Egyptians '--worshipped the sun, the moen , insects and animals.The_children of Israel were gOing-up to take pOB~-- session of a land that was j_nhabi ted by heatp.en,

--who al_.soworsbipped _idol~b:ere ore was a great"neeQ of such a commandme~t ~B this There couLd beno bight".,elationship Lbetween God and. man in thos-edays, until man understood that he must recognizeGod alone, and not offer him a diYided heart.

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-Let us look now at this firt commandment.-Veryapporprivately ~tbegins withtGod. Tha~~s alwaysthe best place to begln~ The f irst com ma ndm enthas a brief' preface. U I a m . the l.ord cthy God .. thoushalt h av e- no other' gods before me: t This eode orcommandment OU see, begins with a great-aSUIDptiomlI t a s!?um es the reality of God. It begins by .assert-ing that God ms. He,'the author raake-B-no~effort trcprove God. He simply affirms him. In so doing. heis in harmony '\.;ithll t.he, other writers of theBible. The -sal_!!1istso no_t argue about God. :f'hey-'realize him and rejoice In H-1:smercies. The proph-ets never und.er-t.aketo_I>!,ove_ Godl th._eypro.c~a.im ~him. l'his_sQ true of Jesus. He 1.ived in eona tarrt:fe Ll.owsb.Lo -with the Father. He communed:Wi th him;he d~d his work through the migb.t Q 1 ' hispower. Herevealed him, saj'"ing_, "He that !lath seen me ne thseen the l'at.her-;'. I/--- - - - --

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r t .ta j w j \o~ l II. 6 a : _ . 1s available, 1s the assert10n of this firs~law. III am the Lord thy God tho u ahal t have no_ ~ther g_Q~S:-bej'lJre me~1;.That~means, that God l8 not

unly a re ali ty., but he ia real-Iy ac ces sible. Heiar available for. human ne ed, I may fall at hisfeEt, and if 1. will, may say with Thomas, Ili"'y Lor

-.-, and my God~I I may shout with the victorlus_certaititof_Paul, 1 l 1 . 1 y God shall supply every need of

?.yeurs according to his riches in glory by~Chrlst- - Jesus~' Every men, assente this ancient ...aw t may

have God for h1s very- own.Or- course, the conception of God that was prev-

alent "'hen this code was- wri tten 18 not our 'con-ception- . -ian1s conception of God hall changed vastly

S _ since then.- Since then. the viord h.aa become fla8band dwelt among us, and we have been pri~ilegedto bel].~~dhi~ glory. Ye l1ave aeen him, tliis god.,

1- gather little children into his arms. e-have seenl him bend over-vout caat.a in love and mercy. vle-li2D9seen him make evry...man 18 burden his own. \'1e have, -,_ -he-aDd him say, ....f God were here he wou'ld be doingjus twha.t am do ing. Me ~.share 1n me, for he! ........~tgat hath seen me hath seen the Father~

------ ut the fa.ct that our conceptions o-f God changew1trr the passing of the years does not mean that.t: God qhanges , Though our conceptions of God change,- God abides, "the same yesterday, today, and farevel_. :~owin saying that God is ours "for -the- takin&,this aneient 18.\1131er -. &peaks in h'p.rmony wd . th the- Jwhole 3ible. This aff1rmation that sounds heart-4migly in the .'T. rises to a ~hout of viotDZ'Y in

../

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( the New Testament .Fhatever man may miss, he doeanot need to miss God. .III.

You do not have t o ' go to the heatnen lands' toda~to fiHd; r a se bUUS. America,. is full of tJiam. -:hat-ever; .rpu ake most of is ycur- god, 'w'1hatever you

. love m ore . th an God ira your idol. Rtch~~and poor , learned ~~d ~learned, all olasses of men and wo~en are-guilty of this sln.

a man ay make a god of himself, of a child, pf amather, of some precious gift that God has g2ven.He may forget the giver, and let his heart.go out -in adoration toward the- gift. - ,.

Many make a sod of pleasure; that 1s what so manyheart~ are set on. If some old Greek or Roman cameto life agalnr and saw man in--a drunken idebatlch,would ,he believe that the worship of Bacchus had died out? 1Othars take fashlon as their god. They give theirtime and thought to dress. T~ey fear whatothers willthink of thlm. Let us not flatter ourselves that allidolaters are in heathen countries. I

~ith many others it is money. "te hAve not yet go : : ; - J

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~en thro~gh worshiPping the golden tcalf yet. If . 13 . ._