1. “And God Said…
I Am the LORD
Your God!”
Who is God?
What Does it mean to Love God?
How are We Doing?

2. Exodus 20:1-21
And God spoke all these words, saying,
[2] “I am the LORD your God, who brought you
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
slavery. [3] “You shall have no other gods
before me. [4] “You shall not make for yourself
a carved image, or any likeness of anything
that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth. [5] You shall not bow down to them or
serve them, for I the LORD your God am a
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers
on the children to the third and the fourth

3. generation of those who hate me, [6] but
showing steadfast love to thousands of those
who love me and keep my commandments.
[7] “You shall not take the name of the LORD
your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold
him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
[8] “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it
holy. [9] Six days you shall labor, and do all
your work, [10] but the seventh day is a
Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall
not do any work, you, or your son, or your
daughter, your male servant, or your female
servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner
who is within your gates. [11] For in six days

4. the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and
all that is in them, and rested on the seventh
day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath
day and made it holy. [12] “Honor your
father and your mother, that your days may be
long in the land that the LORD your God is
giving you. [13] “You shall not murder.
[14] “You shall not commit adultery. [15] “You
shall not steal. [16] “You shall not bear false
witness against your neighbor. [17] “You shall
not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not
covet your neighbor's wife, or his male
servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his
donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”

5. [18] Now when all the people saw the thunder
and the flashes of lightning and the sound of
the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the
people were afraid and trembled, and they
stood far off [19] and said to Moses, “You
speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let
God speak to us, lest we die.” [20] Moses said
to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come
to test you, that the fear of him may be before
you, that you may not sin.” [21] The people
stood far off, while Moses drew near to the
thick darkness where God was.

10. Christians are no longer under the law.
Consequently, we have become
casual toward God.
Our vision of God has become colored
by our love for ourselves.

11. 4 Truths to Refresh our Vision
[1] And God spoke all these words, saying,
[2] “I am the LORD your God, who brought you
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
slavery. [3] “You shall have no other gods
before me.

12. 4 Truths to Refresh our Vision
The Great Truth…
God is the Ruler Over All
“Ruler”

13. He is Ruler: YHWH, God
He is Active: “Brought” – Gracious,
Personal and Intimate – Intervenes
Therefore… Prefer no other gods – Literally –
don’t push any other god in the face of the
Ruler of all things – YHWH …
• Like flirting with a lover in front of the
fiancée – don’t flaunt your affections
• Cannot pretend to worship God and
others

14. 4 Truths to Refresh our Vision
[4] “You shall not make for yourself a carved
image, or any likeness of anything that is in
heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth. [5] You
shall not bow down to them or serve them, for
I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting
the iniquity of the fathers on the children to
the third and the fourth generation of those
who hate me, [6] but showing steadfast love to
thousands of those who love me and keep my
commandments.

15. 4 Truths to Refresh our Vision
Because He is the Ruler…
We Do Not Replace Him
“Replace”

16. He is a Person: Not an Object, Thing or Idea
He is Un-Measurable: He Cannot Be Defined
or Belittled by an Object
He Alone can Make His Image: Mankind
An Image: Tarnishes God’s Glory
Limits God to a Place
Lowers God to an Object
Subjective to the Artist
Subtracts from God
He is Jealous or (Zealous): Like Passionate
and Pained Husband – (Covenantal)

17. “The real horror of idols is not merely that they
give us nothing, but that they take away from us
even that which we have.”
Joy Davidman
We desire to comprehend the Divine – but the
Divine is incomprehensible. So our attempt in
describing and designing God has been an effort to
make Him in our own image. Americans are not
blatant idolaters except in worshipping God’s own
image created in us – so that we fashion Him after
ourselves. We our the graven image – making it
impossible to love God by loving others.

18. Command with a Promise of Judgment:
Idolatry = Hate or Loathing of God
Punished – generations – the hate of
one generation is perpetuated in the
next thus they are punished. God does
not punish next generation for sins of
previous – Deut. 24:16

19. Command with a Promise of Love:
ḥeseḏ - God’s longsuffering merciful
active sacrificial love will extend to
thousands who treat Him with the
“affection” of a loved one – “beloved”

20. 4 Truths to Refresh our Vision
[7] “You shall not take the name of the LORD
your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold
him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

21. 4 Truths to Refresh our Vision
Because He is the Ruler…
We Express Deep Reverence for Him
“Reverence”

22. Not to raise the Name and Renown of YHWH
falsely, with vanity, as an empty plea,
deceitfully, worthlessly, lip service – casually
– this is profane
God’s Name is not a vapor – that is here and
passes away. His name never passes – it is
eternal and shouldn’t be treated casually or
with some kind of passivity.
His name should not be used for evil
purposes or to involve Him in things that
are not His will – bear false witness…

23. OMG – Seriously??? We have now reduced
to profanity to the lowest common
denominator – that we mean it but dare not
say it. We don’t even spell it out
OMG is a complete testimony of our
profanity
Goodness – or Gosh – is God’s name so
simple.

24. 4 Truths to Refresh our Vision
[8] “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it
holy. [9] Six days you shall labor, and do all
your work, [10] but the seventh day is a
Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall
not do any work, you, or your son, or your
daughter, your male servant, or your female
servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner
who is within your gates. [11] For in six days
the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and
all that is in them, and rested on the seventh
day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath
day and made it holy.

25. 4 Truths to Refresh our Vision
Deuteronomy 5:15 [On the Sabbath…] You
shall remember that you were a slave in the
land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought
you out from there with a mighty hand and an
outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God
commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

26. 4 Truths to Refresh our Vision
Because He is the Ruler…
We Rest in His Greatness and
Provision
“Rest”

27. Sabbath for Israel: Creation’s Rest/Rest from
Slavery
A Blessing of Rest – To Remind us of God’s
Provision – to Remember He is the Ruler – to
Remember He has our back
It was a day to spend in Relationship with
each other and with God
People gathering to focus and think about
God – for Christians – to remember the
Resurrection

28. 4 Truths to Refresh our Vision
God is Our Ruler…
Do Not Replace Him,
Practice Deep Reverence for Him,
And Rest in His Greatness Daily

29. Can These Rules Clean Us Up?

30. Can These Rules Clean Us Up?
No

31. Can These Rules Clean Us Up?
Our Best Effort

32. It Is About Perspective

33. Aslan exlclaimed…
“Welcome child”, he says
“Aslan!”, says Lucy, “you’re bigger!”
“That is because you are older, little one.”
“Not because you are?” replied Lucy
“I am not. But every year you grow, you will
find me bigger.”
From Prince Caspian

34. [18] Now when all the people saw the thunder
and the flashes of lightning and the sound of
the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the
people were afraid and trembled, and they
stood far off [19] and said to Moses, “You
speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let
God speak to us, lest we die.” [20] Moses said
to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come
to test you, that the fear of him may be before
you, that you may not sin.” [21] The people
stood far off, while Moses drew near to the
thick darkness where God was.

35. Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom; all those who
practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!

36. “And God Said…
I Am the LORD
Your God!”