’10,’ Part 2: No Other Gods - I

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God, to find out how to know God personally go to know God.org K NOW know God.org would you do me a favor sure this message was someone who needs to hear your great glory watches to be warned about modern-day idle idols these days you lose anyone or anything that takes the voice of God in your life. So let me know what you get really excited. What get you fired up about what you think about the most extreme about as you fall asleep in your bed, perhaps even scheme for the red is your relationship with God. We sold out or real show are we sold out for the Lord is number one we don't compromise we allow ourselves to sell out basic question each and every day today of a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie points out that as you drift in the 10 Commandments decision that affects our quality of life are you happy person.

Some of you are very good docs but maybe there's someone listening to me right now that basically has everything they should have applied to theoretically make them happy.

But yet they don't find themselves in that state. Why is that because there's a right and a wrong way to find happiness because there are two ways that we can live. There's a right way and there's a wrong way, there are two paths that we can take in life. The broad path that leads to destruction in the narrow path that leads to life.

There's two foundations you can build your life on the rock or the sinking said, and the result is will either live a happy and holy way or the miserable and on the holy way that I bring this up because some people have a false idea of what it means to be a Christian server caricature. You know it's pretty rare to find Christians portrayed on television programs or in movies in a positive light.

Have you noticed that there were usually an exaggerated version or a completely distorted version, but people sort of think of Christians as what's the right word Lane people to live by a lot of rules and regulations. People that don't have any fun. People that live in perpetual boredom that I suggest you that is completely false in the opposite is actually the case. Let me illustrate. In the story of a boy who ran away from home. We often call it the parable of the prodigal son. Remember father and two sons of the son.

Please paraphrase the data sick of living here with you. I'm sick of the rules, the regulations all the rest of it. I want my portion of my inheritance and now so the father gave him his inheritance.

The boy went off Olympic crazy live with hookers and shrinking, then all kinds of horrible decisions and and then he came to his senses and realized how messed up his life was and let me just take a little extra different paths here for a moment. If you have a prodigal child, a son or a daughter that's gone astray. Don't give up on them. Keep praying for that they can escape your presence will still never escape your prayer. Both of my sons when prodigal, and they both returned to the Lord, but it took a little bit of time and they didn't return to the Lord because I pressured them into it.

I didn't have an advantage being a preacher, dad, you see, it was a decision they had to make and so always keep the door open your prodigal son, no matter what they're doing. Always keep communication open with your prodigal daughter.

Remind them that their love and you would always welcome them back home to coming back to the story in Scripture here's a boy he's come to the end of himself listen when you get to the end of yourself. You get to the beginning of God and he is lost everything is lots of money is lots of so-called friends or friends of all in the Bible since he came to himself. He came to this realization. You know what, I had a better back in my father's house so we returned home and we read when he was still a great ways off.

The father saw him and ran to him and took out a large stick feed him over and over again. Right now, that's my Bible.

The father ran to him through his arms around him and kissed him and hugged him and said welcome home son and then announce this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and found. Here's the point I want to make what was a boy looking for.

Apparently he wanted to wear nice clothes. Apparently he wanted to have great food, and apparently he wanted to party and one of the fine when he came back home. Oh, one of the father sake put a new robe on him only got his nice clothes.

What else anyone nicely. Let's have a feast and then the father announces let's have a party. Here's my point.

I'm not suggesting the Christian life is wearing close eating food, imparting I'm trying to make the point that everything the boy was looking for was found in his father's house. It was there to begin with and everything you're looking for in life is found in your father's cells in a relationship with God. The fact is I have more enjoyment and fulfillment in a worship service in a Bible study then I ever had in any party rights party so it is since it is a party is just a different definition of one so that point here is that everything we need is in this relationship with God. Sometimes people talk about all that they give up to follow Christ. My responses seriously.

You didn't really give up all that much. Paul sums it up this way. In Philippians 3 you know everything I use the value I now see is worthless when compared with the prices gain of knowing Christ, my Lord, I discarded everything else County unit as garbage that I made have Christ by the way, the word garbage is a very kind translation. The literal word is a word that translates to excrement do know that is were talking through people well it's I got when you walk your dog and by the way, I just read that Peter and organization for animal rights is very upset when we call our animals are pets. They should be called our companions now. First of all, animals don't understand human language so they don't care what you call him all they care is that you pet him, put food in there – and to come out on walks right outside who's really in charge or we think there are pets and were their owners. I think if you look at it from a dog's perspective, they might think you are their pet.

Why would they not think that what they do they work, then they move along.

They fertilize the lawn. You know, did they make any contribution know they just sit around all day. That's what they say it's a dog's life. I think they're in control. I know you could just tell from the person on their face when we were out serving our master also known as our dog. They may relieve himself, and I hope you're one of those people that carries little doggy bags to some people don't and I know this because I've stepped in it right so once you I know talk a lot about this I'll be off that soon. I didn't come to church error sermon about this preacher, let me finish it has appointed. So when your dog does his business and you put it in the little bag know what you did you cure the bedroom to show the people check this out know you want to get rid of it as quickly as possible because it smells it's offensive that your old life before you knew Christ. Paul says that's what it's like. If it garbage and junk I don't want it anymore because I want to focus my attention on following him and listen to me. This is where you will find happiness. Know this might surprise you. The Bible actually tells us there's happiness in keeping the commandments of God some 112, one says praise the Lord blessed or happy is a man who fears the Lord, and delights in his commandment, it doesn't say happy is the man who resists them or breaks them no copy of the memo, the woman who delights in them, so you don't just keep it. You delight in it. If you want to be happy and holy. You must live holy WHO LOL why committed to Christ. If you want to be holy live holy committed.halfhearted commitment and someone that says happy is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful listen is the light is the lie he looks forward to it. His delight is in the law of the Lord or the word of the Lord, and it does he meditate day and night. Your great glory will have the second half of this message in just a moment we send these daily studies out via radio, satellite and online. We don't always know how these messages are touching lives when we hear the stories of her listeners really encouraging to us over work colleague heard me on to you and harvest Christian Fellowship and was driving in my car listening to your a new beginning radio repeated her prayer word broadcast and it took Christ as my Lord and Savior and friend) my car after the prayer moment was so emotional and powerful. I actually had to stop driving until parking lot now for the first time in my life. I'm a member of the church going to group my church family and I start every day with the Lord to pray and worship him and complete each day before going to bed with his word.

My life is meeting 360 and is full of God's blessing in many ways never missed a day. Listen to new radio devotional. I just want to thank you and bless you Pastor Craig prayer life of evangelism and for your hard-working committed team at harvest. Thank you were so thrilled these daily studies are touching and changing lives. And if your life is been touched. Would you tell us your story. Call us at 866-871-1144. That's 866-871-1144 were digging into the 10 Commandments today as Pastor Greg leads our study of Exodus in the life of Moses Exodus chapter 20 years. Commandment number one the Lord to sign the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. It you shall have no other gods before me commandment number two the Lord says you shall not make for yourself a carved image of any likeness of anything that's in heaven above, or earth friendly, or in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them, the why does God ask this of us here is the answer for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. So commandment number one have no other gods before him. A lot of things can become gods with a small G or idols in our life and I lose anyone or anything that takes the place of God in your life.

So let me ask you this. What do you get really excited. What get you fired up. What are you passionate about what you think about the most dream about as you fall asleep in your bed, or perhaps even scheme for what you passionate about that my friend is your God. Sometimes we can make ourselves. God, we can become God. Romans 126 as they traded the truth about God for a lie and they worshiped and served the thing created instead of the creator himself.

I can make myself God for some people it's her body it's all about the way they look. They worship the first Church of the perfect physique they're not here with us today there working out and there taken Sophie's why they do people decide to take selfie.

I read the other day that 250 people have died in the last few years taking so please and dangerous places the edge of a cliff like oh well, your 500 think this is a great place for a shot.

Here would like what you doing don't do that. But there are all about themselves. They are their own God. For others it might be an object when you drive your idle gases and get out of the car. People turn on the loan, luckily somebody dings your door. You freak out for another person to be an object of just when this object. This metal people in the film industry actors, producers, directors that are all hoping for the Oscar am I going to win the screen of the Oscar, even, looks like a little idle, doesn't it. I knew there is a gold statute. Everyone wants if I won the Oscar you might think. I know all all achieve everything I wanted all be fulfilled. The old actor Matt Damon actually won an Oscar.

At the age of 27 for his film Goodwill hunting. He made an interesting statement in a recent interview he said he was alone with this offer is a 27-year-old guy and he is looking at it and he said suddenly.

I had this thing wash over me where I thought I mentioned chasing that and not getting it until you're in your 80s are your 90s with all of your life behind you and realizing what an unbelievable waste that was then, he made this statement. Speaking of the Oscar it can fill you up if that's a whole that you have that one fella." So Oscar gold medal object career house whatever it is you want to put their that can become a God in your life.

Listen to this. Idols are not always evil outright. The most dangerous idols are good things that are listed things that are not bad in and of themselves, but we make them more important than the Lord himself and why is it that we should not have any other gods because our God is a jealous God. Exodus 24 doesn't mean God's insecure actually. The effect of these jealous speaks of how much he loves you he he has this commitment is made to you and he expects you to honor the commitment you made to him in the Lord doesn't want to share you with another God wants an exclusive relationship with you is that not reasonable. I have an exclusive relationship with my wife Kathy and her with me. I illustrated this last time I said imagine their father wipe enough store husband honey I'm going out on a date now with Chad by the way, I heard from a guy named Chad that didn't appreciate me using his name. Sorry. Chad I and then she went on to say, and you know I may not even be on the die they may sleep over with Chad Pelosi in the morning. Love you, what moronic cousin would go with that game plan, but what of the husband said all that's no problem at all because you know I met a fine woman and I don't care what you do with Chad where is this woman. She's right here in the closet and he opens it up both automatic.

I bought a town of them all. I like this woman number one. She's always smiling Stephen waves I can move her arm around you know and I admit she's a bit stiff but she's the perfect companion. How weird would it be for a husband to leave his wife for an object okay. How weird is it to leave the Lord for an object and that brings us of the second commandment you shall have no graven images verse four, or likeness of anything in heaven above or near earth beneath you think will.

How could this happen. Let's talk about when it did happen back in the days of Moses and the Israelites of Moses was a great man of God was and wasn't a flawless manner.

Perfect man, as we'll see later, but he was described as Moses, the man of God. Men I can think of a higher complement to be given to a person then for some it is a you know what that person is a man of God that that woman she's a woman of God. Moses was the man of God through his influence is godly influence in his personal integrity.

He effectively get 2 to 3 million people from churning the fulltilt idolatry. You know integrity is so important read an article in Forbes magazine and this statement was made quote successful come and go, but integrity is forever. The article went on to point out that building integrity takes years and it takes only seconds to lose. Never heard of Warren Buffett, a billionaire investor. He says one of these. Looking for someone to hire. He looks for three things. Number one integrity number two intelligence and number three energy said something to think about when you're applying for a job, integrity, intelligence and energy but but but one on the ad but the most important is integrity.

What's integrity, it's what you are on the dark if what you are when no one is watching its honesty. Moses was a godly man, full of integrity and the reason I say this is the moment he left the scene, all hell broke loose and he was summoned by the Lord up to Mount Sinai to receive the commandments any (and charge his brother which was a big mistake.

So I Moses is gone, the people come to Aaron and an exit is 32 we read the people said Aaron. How long is it going to take Moses to come back down from the mountain.

Then they said Aaron. Come on make up some gods that can lead us.

We don't know what happened to this fellow Moses brought us here from the land of Egypt. They're basically saying the Aaron you know that we don't know where Moses says we need something tangible we can worship right here right now so Aaron said discouraging. This is all right bring bring all your bling to me right now all your rings or airings. Everything all your jewelry getting melted down any putting in the shape of a golden Bulimics a census of the golden calf will he worship those back in Egypt for lots of God so sort of brought in Egyptian God and then Aaron boldly announces this is the God that brought you out of Egypt and so they stripped off their clothes and some translations of the words in their use would imply there was an orgy and they danced before the golden calf. But here here's the interesting thing. Their first title was Moses the golden calf was her second see they made an idol out of Moses and we can do the same thing we can make an idol out of a person.

Look, it's finally had people you look up to spiritually. But just remember their human and are going to disappoint you.

Either the opportunity to meet a lot of very impressive godly people to hang out with them. I'll be honest somewhere a little disappointing. They were what I hope for others surpassed my expectations and amazed me. But in every one of them. No matter how godly they were, they still had human foibles, they still were a person just like I am and so sometimes we put people on these pedestals and we expect them to walk on water, we discover the feet of clay like we do word devastated and we say I don't know if I want to be a Christian anymore. Any role, grow up. You can look up to. People don't put them on pedestals to make gods out of them. Their flawed just like you are.

These people made Moses and will God. So when there God left the scene.

We need another God: God will do just fine. That's what they ended up worshiping Pastor Greg Laurie is providing some important background as he offers a practical look at the 10 Commandments you run a new beginning. And if you missed any part of today's insight get a replay by going to harvest.org just look for the message called 10 part one no other gods if you prefer a CD copy.

Call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 Prof. Greg are you good with the equations if that involves math. The answer is no. Well, here's an easy one can look at you take the true story of an American hero with lots of suspension danger.

You add the fact that many men's lives were at stake. You can kinda feel the tension already catcher add the fact that a world war was hanging in the balance give that story to a gifted storyteller who also happens to be a gifted movie director who also happens to be the real-life grandson of the hero of the story and I'm already smelling popcorn in the box of Junior mints as I was. You have together popcorn and Junior mints. I don't know if I agree with that. I talk about equations. It's popcorn and milk duds thing out it's not Junior mints are kind of their own thing, but yet you're talking about a brand-new book that is just been written by my friend John Irwin and the title of the book is beyond valor, subtitled the World War II story of extraordinary heroism, sacrificial love in a race against time and John of course is a director along with his brother Andy they run kingdom Studios which is under the umbrella of Lions gate studios and they did the film.

I can only imagine. More recently, I still believe and now John is taken his skills because really when it's all said and done. John is not just the director. He's a storyteller and he's telling us a powerful true story about his own grandfather read Irwin a routine mission to Coram Japan upon his face onboard between answer fortress smoke is now filling playing on the pilot has lost control. He's now going into Georgia Pacific and it looks curtains for everybody grandfather in that split-second moment had a choice to make his buddies lives were at stake knew if he didn't do something. Everybody was going to die. His answer that call.

And the choice that he would make. I would define his life and generations of lives and read to the fastest presentation of the Congressional we know in our nations history. This is always been the story that has been the inspiration to immunize Brandon and her film career movies like I can only imagine and nice to believe in Woodlawn grandfather story is is sort of the one that inspires them all gone and so it's it's a wonderful opportunity to share this story with the world in book form was truly a story of heroism and you and I think we throw the word or the term hero around rather loosely that the guy knows you know five cords in the guitar. He's a guitar hero if you can drop ball in the basket or cancer pasties, a sports hero. But though those are impressive acts.

They're not really heroism a hero is someone that sacrifices some of the puts the needs of others above himself and your grandfather was a real hero tell us what he did. This act of heroism that caused him to be awarded this incredible medal of honor by the president of the United States William in the medal of honor is is our nations highest military honor and it's given for acts of extraordinary heroism beyond the call of duty, and my grandfather's it's what we know this is the fastest presentation of medal of honor in history and he was a radio operator onboard between answer fortress occult and red are winning great red hair looked a lot like Matt Damon from out the war. Basically, they were the lead plane on these missions so you can imagine six or 800 of these massive bombers and one of his jobs as the radio operator was to drop a phosphorus flare when they approach the target and signal all the other planes in formation on this particular raid April 12, 1945, arrayed on Coram, Japan. They had an air pocket and instead of the bomb deploying it shot back up and into the plane exploded in his face and filled the plane with toxic smoke and flame went into immediate dies and they were only umpteen hundred feet and it was really just a question of whether they were to crash into the ocean and die or whether it was going to erupt the 6 tons of bombs on the plane and and you know explode all the planes around them and in some sort of a superhuman shouldn't of been able to do it. Act just felt it a piece in a presence within fungi with them on the plane and he went for the bomb instead away from and he found it clutched it like a football and began about a 20 foot march to the front of the plane and just erupted like a human fireball meant moved at a move navigator stable Sears handprint to the Nampa navigator stable and got to the front of the plane and there was a Col. onboard Col. Strauss was sitting in the copilot seat very calmly said excuse me sir, and over his shoulder. He got the bomb out of the plane to the window smoke cleared the plane and they pulled up at 300 feet just seconds from disaster. If you're moved by this story and I'm sure you are of a John Irwin's grandfather, Henry Irwin known as red because he had a thick mane of red hair.

If you want to read a powerful inspiring story, a real page turner is a say, but not a fictional work, a true historical story, but told in a powerful way by expert storyteller John Irwin you want to order a copy of this brand-new book, beyond valor that we will make available to you for your gift of any size. They help us continue to bring the gospel to people and teach the word of God.

The people all around the world. That's our mission and we hope you might partner with us so we can reach even further if you would like to partner with us asked about becoming a harvest partner and with your first gift as a harvest partner will be glad to send you this new book called beyond valor as court when you write a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300 – 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org and by the way the book is scheduled to be released on August 18. We have some advance copies available right now, so be the first to own a copy of beyond valor, everybody, Greg Laurie here in finding you to join me every weekend for what we call Harvest at Home.

It's a church service. It's a worship service. It's a Bible study and its wherever you wanted to be in your home in your car sitting on a beach walking down the street watching it on your phone wherever you are taken with you and be ministered to every weekend. Join us for Harvest at Home@harvest.org when next I more insight from the practical wisdom and instruction found in the 10 Commandments. Join us here on a new beginning with Pastor Greg Laurie and possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email devotions@harvest.org