1st Commandment: God First

 

"You must not have any other god but me."  Exodus 20:3

    God's first commandment is clear: He comes first.  That means that you do not worship anything other than Him.  Your allegiance goes to Him before anyone or anything else.  If He calls you stop everything and say here I am what do You want.  God is your master.  You seek to obey Him and make Him happy.  In return you get a slew of blessings.  Your worship belongs to God.  

    Keeping God first is not easy.  You live in a world full of distractions.  You may think you are devoted to God until something comes along and you see yourself choosing something or someone over God.  This is why you need to check in with yourself every once in a while.  See if you have drifted from God at all or if you are still drawing closer.  He alone is God and you need to remember that in your heart and soul.

    Other gods are anyone you put before God, idols, or desires that you prioritize before time with God.  It can be something simple like sleep, comfort, or something else.  It could be bigger and you have to learn how to change priorities because you can't stop.  Some examples are food, work, family, or even church.  

    You know something has power over you when your react to loss or fear of loss.  If you make money your god, then when you loose some or all you go into a panic.  If it is power, you feel crippled or destroyed when you loose it or if it is challenged.  Same thing goes for things like car, boat, tv, books, or anything else you may care about.  Politics can become a god of fear.  It comes down to what you care about most in life.  Is it God or is it other things?

Exodus 20:1-3, & Deuteronomy 5:6-7, 6:4-5

Commandments

 

    God's commandments are a gift for you to have structure in your life.  It is a way for you to know who God is.  He is giving you what you need to build a real relationship with Him.  It also allows you to see how much you need Him.  To break one rule, only one time is to sin.  If you sin there are consequences.

    You were created to be holy.  You have the ability to walk in life with a perfect mind, heart, and soul that aligns with God's standards.  However, Satan has corrupted the world and everything in it.  His influence trips you up as you listen.  In all reality you hear his influence in your life far more than you hear God's because you don't live in a bubble.  

    God's Commandments come in statements, creeds, regulations, and guidelines.  Each one is a blessing because it provides clarity for you on how to live a long, healthy, and thriving life.  God has provided boundaries since the beginning of time, but they were never written down before the 10 commandments.  That is why we typically only think of them when it comes to God's rules.  

    The 10 commandments are the fundamental commandments that focus on how to have a relationship with God.  Then it tells you how to honor yourself as His creation by how you treat other people.  How you treat yourself and other people reflect the relationship you have with God.  If you love God, then you will love yourself righteously and other people as His special creations.  

    All of God's commandments are summed up to the greatest commandment: love God with all your heart and love other people as you love yourself.  You can't really love yourself until you see yourself through God's eyes.  You can't love completely until you experience God's love and let it into your life.  Love God's way summarizes all His commandments and law.  Living out love is living out your faith.

Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:6-21, Matthew 22:37-40, John14:15, Romans 13:8-10, & 1 John 5:1-3

Covenant vs Promise

 

    A covenant is a sacred, binding agreement.  God's covenants were made between Him and humanity.  He always initiated it and upheld all of it or what He said He would do.  His unconditional covenants are based on His grace.  The conditional covenants require people to uphold their part which is always much simpler than God's portion.  All His covenants compounded on each other to make humanity better and bring you closer to Him.

    A promise is declaration or assurance that something will or will not happen.  It is a commitment that provides hope.  It can come in a simple promise or as a pledge, vow, oath, guarantee, or indicated behavior.  

    A promise made by God will never be broken.  His word is true.  His character can't allow Him to lie.  His promises reassure you of His presence and plans for humanity.  God's unconditional promises reflect who He is to give you hope and peace.  Conditional promises tell you how things will be if you do or not do something.  It is meant to give you boundaries.

    Many promises are built in God's covenant.  They are both everlasting unless God gave a deadline.  They are both meant to ensure you of His presence and protection.  They both uphold a purpose, but sometime in different ways.  They are both binding, but work differently.

    God's promises are a declaration of intent or guarantee of events to come.  They are more general to serve a purpose.  God's covenant however is typically more formal.  The promise is based on the relationship.  The Covenant is based on building the relationship.  A covenant has a broader impact on the world than a promise.  A promise is more personal and yet general.  

    An example would be the Noahic Covenant.  God made a covenant with humanity and animals that he would never destroy the world through a single flood again.  Then he made a promise to reassure people of the covenant: a rainbow.  Every time you look at a rainbow it should be a reminder of God's power, promise, and security of the binding covenant.  God's Covenants and promises do not work against each other.  They work together for your best interest.

Genesis 9:11-13, 15:18, Deuteronomy 7:9-11, Isaiah 54:9-10, Ephesians 1:7-8, Colossians 1:13-14, & Hebrews 8:6

God's Covenant: Christian Foundation

 

31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make ra new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-34 ESV

    The last covenant God made is conditional.  God has been building on His foundational covenant until now.  Jesus is the final covenant God made with His people.  It is all inclusive, but also set you apart from the world.  Anyone can have salvation, but only those who accept it and follow Jesus will receive membership into God's family.

    God prepared His people first for this covenant.  That is why He told the Jewish nation that the Messiah was coming.  They had the first opportunity.  After Jesus came, lived out what Christianity was really about, died, resurrected, and ascended to Heaven every thing changed.  

    The Holy Spirit was not a guaranteed.  Only a few people had the Holy Spirit upon them until now.  Now if you become a follower of Jesus you get the title Christian because you are following Christ in life and into Heaven.  It is sealed by the Holy Spirit.  He will never depart from you once He lives within you.  

    True Christianity is not just a title.  It is a way of life.  It is revealed by the Holy Spirit.  It can't be faked.  Anyone trying to claim the name without actually becoming a part of God's family is lying and insulting God.  True Christians have the law imprinted on their heart to obey out of love by the Holy Spirit who lives within the soul.   You train your mind by spending time in God's Word, prayer, and other Christians on being different from the world.  

    The New Covenant is about having a real relationship with God.  It is an internal transformation.  It may not happen immediately.  You may have a lot to deal with, but the point is you are moving closer to God and rejecting your old sinful nature to do be able to get closer to Him.  

    God's people includes every nation and ethnicity as long as you are walking in faith with Jesus led by the Holy Spirit.  It is universal knowledge meaning anyone can learn it if they want to.  Jesus' blood is the way to complete forgiveness.  His sacrifice changed everything for your benefit.  

Jeremiah 31:31-34, Luke 22:20, & Hebrews8:8-13

God's Covenant: Davidic

 

"I will be he father, and he will be my son.  If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would." 2 Samuel 7:14 

"Is it no my family God has chosen?  Yes, he made an everlasting covenant with me.  His agreement is arranged and guaranteed in every detail.  He will ensure my safety and success." 2 Samuel 23:5

"Then Solomon said, My father, David, wanted to build this Temple to honor the name of the Lord, the God of Israel."1 Kings 8:17

"I will be his father, and he will be mu son.  I will never take my favor from him as I took it from the one who ruled before you.  I will confirm him as king over my house and my kingdom for all time, and his throne will be secure forever."  1 Chronicles 17:13-14

    The Davidic Covenant is an unconditional covenant.  God declared that His bloodline would come from David's lineage.  He declared it and it happened several hundred years later when Jesus was born.  Mary was a direct descendant of David.  It was an unique father/son royal line promise.  It took some twist and turns where it was not as people expected, but it stood true because of God's love.

    When God declares that something will happen, then it is everlasting.  It will happen.  Nothing can stop His Word from being true.  David was a man who had a heart for God unlike anyone else.  He was far from perfect, but He never turned from God no matter what happened.  In return God gave him success, a long life, and protection.  He also disciplined David like a good father.

    David never forgot what God did for him.  He wanted to build a temple to be God's home on Earth to honor him.  However, for all the blood on David's hands from creating this world of peace he was not permitted.  From the beginning of time blood was required to cover sins.  David did the sacrifices and always got right with God, but God wanted him to understand that humans have limits due to our sinful nature.

    The only permanent home that God has on earth is the Holy Spirit living in each of His people.  That will continue until the end of time.  You have to be a follower of Jesus to be a living vessel for the Holy Spirit to live within.  It is walking your life in faith not comfort, complicity, church, or culture.

    Jesus was the fulfillment of this covenant.  David built a strong nation with God, but people struggle with sin.  Some people choose their own path instead of following God.  It was the weakness of humans that David's kingdom did not last.  Jesus is the only one strong enough to rule the world and all people.  Some people may not acknowledge his reign, but it doesn't make it any less true.  One day he will return and everything will be as God has promised.  

2 Samuel 7:14, 23:5, 1 Kings 8:17, & 1 Chronicles 17:13-14

God's Covenant: Palestinian

 

    The Palestinian Covenant is also called the Land Covenant.  It is an unconditional covenant that God made with His people just before Moses died.  He reinforced the promise of land.  Here is it is becoming a reality, so God set very clear land boundaries for each tribe, so there would be no dispute or changes made.

    This covenant goes back into circumcision, but God was always more concerned about circumcising the heart.  He wants His people to remove the old desires and give Him their heart.  He wants to turn your heart into something strong and able to love like Him.  

    This covenant is about restoration.  It is seen in the land, but God is also talking about the heart.  When you submit to Him completely, then you have access to Him that not everyone has.  He gives you blessings that go beyond what you need.  Sometimes it is financial, land, a platform, or anything else that the world esteems as wealth or important.  He gives you this so you can tell those who notice about Him and to make you happy in the process.

    If you live in sin, then you will face the consequences.  God punishes you because He loves you.  He is not trying to hurt you.  He is not trying to make you suffer.  The more you suffer is typically because you resist correction.  He is good and loving.  He corrects you for your benefit.  He has warned you and given you opportunity to stop and think.  If you still pursue sin, then you will face the consequences.  However, God is still pursing you.  He want you with Him, but it is always your choice.  Repent and turn to God and you will reap the blessings.  He will give you family, community, life, wealth, land, harvest, and more.  

Deuteronomy 30:1-10

God's Covenant: Mosaic

 

    The Mosaic Covenant is the first conditional covenant.  It means that God's people have to make choices.  If they choose to love God through obedience, then they get a long healthy life that prospers.  To prosper does not guarantee that you will be rich.  There are many ways to proper and how you prosper depends on your relationship with God.

    God loves all people, but He set higher standards on His people.  He also gave them more opportunities.  He provided them with His laws, ordinances, and statues.  The Bible lays it all out clearly, but the 10 commandments are the ones that most people know.  God gave them in love to set healthy boundaries for people and help them see how much they really needed Him.

    The same standards are expected today, but you have Jesus to show you the best way to live them out and give you understanding behind them.  When you see how much you need God, then obedience does not feel like a choir, checkoff list, or ritual you have to perform.  It is an act of love in response to how God loves you.

    The Mosaic Covenant is also a call to remember.  Remember all God has done throughout history.  Remember what He has done in your life.  Remember the promises He made for your security in the future.  

    The condition of the Mosaic Covenant is you have to obey, but you also have the responsibility to pass down God's expectations and way of life to the next generation.  You don't have to have children.  You are still responsible to find a way to live God's covenant in your life and teach others about who He is.  It is called discipleship.

    If you choose to not obey and follow God, then you seal your own fate.  If you turn away from God, then you will face His anger one day.  It is better to face it in life, so you have some more time to change your mind.  However, if you die without getting right with Him, then you will face an eternity void of His presence, but always with Satan, his demons, and everyone else who rejected Him.  You may not believe, but you do live in a world where God is present.  A world without Him would be far worse.

    It comes down to this.  If you obey God and follow Him in love, then you will be blessed.  If you reject Him, then you are already cursed.  You walk away from your only true hope.  Embrace the life that God designed for you.  Treasure the relationship you can have with Him.  Be grateful for all that He gives you.  The other option is not something I fully comprehend or want to imagine.

Exodus 19-24, Leviticus 18-26, & Deuteronomy 11