Title Only GOD
Contents
Text Content Exodus 20:3-6
In Nepal, where I went on a missionary trip, how many gods there are, male symbols, beasts, sending (a foot shape under an old tree), snake god, curse god, and blessing god are made and served in the form of living goddesses and buffalo He cut off his head as an evil god and dragged him around the city, making the whole place covered in blood. There are so many shrines in each town that there are shrines and gods everywhere. In this way, the gods of the world are visible things, so people worship them and wish them good luck. However, this is extremely foolish and foolish, and it is the thing that God hates the most.
“Any tree of this tree is a propitiatory for man, and he warms himself with it, and makes fire with it and bakes bread; he makes idols from it and worships them, and makes idols and prostrates himself before them. Some of them are burned, some of them are boiled meat, some are roasted and they are full, and they warm their bodies, saying, “Ah, it is warm. I have seen fire.” And with the rest he made an image of his own, and bowed down before him and worshiped it They pray and say to them, "You are my God, save me. They neither know nor understand, because their eyes are blinded that they cannot see, and their heart is darkened so that they do not understand" (Isaiah 44:15-18).
God said, “You shall not have any other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or make any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them. Do not despair, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God; I punish the sins of those who hate me, from fathers to sons to the third and fourth generations” (Exodus 20:3-5). He said that he is a jealous God.
Who is God in the first place? In the book “The Doctrine of the Bible” by R. A Torrey, about God as novelty,
1. God is Spirit. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).
Spirit is an invisible reality. The tree, stone, or figure you see is not God.
2. God is unique. “Hear, O Israel, the LORD is one God” (Joshua 6:4).
“I am the first and the last, and there is no other God” (Isaiah 44:6). “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). ”
3. God is eternal. “Do you not know or do you not hear? The eternal God, the LORD, who created the ends of the earth, does not tire or grow weary” (Isaiah 40:28). Till you are God (Psalm 90:2-4).” God must be self-existent, eternal, and immutable. Otherwise, you are not God. There is only one person in this case, God. So, the title of the sermon was “Only God”.
Let's take a look at the omnipresence and attributes of God.
(1) He is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7~10). (2) Be Almighty. - God can do all things, and nothing is impossible (Matthew 19:26).
(3) Let us be omniscient. - God knows everything. Perfect in knowledge and infinite in wisdom.
(4) He is holy. - Among the attributes of God, holiness is the essence of God (Isaiah 6:3, Psalm 99:5, 1 Peter 1:15-16).
(5) It is love. - The God of love is love itself. Together with holiness, it is the essence of God's attributes.
(6) Be righteous. (7) Be merciful.
There are several other places in the Bible where a great and good God expresses God differently.
1. A jealous God - “Your God is a jealous God” (Exodus 20:5)
2. The God of Conflict - “I will quarrel with you, and I will quarrel with your descendants as well (Jeremiah 2:9)”
3. God who curses - “I will put a curse on you and curse your blessings” (Mal 2:2).
The God of love, forgiveness, and mercy, why does such a good God appear as a God of jealousy, a God of contention, and a God of curses?
As I read the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah over the past week, I could see that the people of Israel worshiped idols of gods behind all the wars, diseases, famines, and captivity in Israel's history. Even Solomon, whom God blessed and gave wisdom so much, left a foreign woman as his concubine and grew old and tolerated their gods, so God divided the kingdom in two. No matter how good or smart you are, if you get close to the idol you bought, God hates it (1 Kings 11).
God is the most sensitive to ignoring God by serving four idols rather than making mistakes in others, making fun of God's name.
The first four of the ten commandments given to the people of Israel who left Egypt are commands to “serve only God, not idols.”
The first commandment in the Ten Commandments is, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). Other gods are not God.
Throw away the god of death. We must serve only God. It does not mean that we do not oppose the church and tolerate Jesus Christ, but we must serve God. “This people was made for me, that they may sing my praises” (Isaiah 43:21).
We must glorify God with praise. We must glorify God through worship.
Only God should be served as a true God. Otherwise, He said, “I will put a curse on you” (Mal 2:2).
Dear saints! I pray that you will be in the class of blessing by thoroughly avoiding the idols you bought and serving God well.