March 11/12, 2012 sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert

Lent 3, March 11/12, 2012 sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text Exodus 20:1-17
1 And God spoke all these words:
2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping 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, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land 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 give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SEE THE CROSS! is the theme for our six Wednesday Lenten services. Let us always continue to SEE THE CROSS. But for this service let us also move on from seeing to going and, considering the ten commandments, let us make the theme GO TO THE CROSS! As we do that we’ll try to bring in some events of the passion season.
GO TO THE CROSS!
COMMANDMENT 1
1. What God demands. (1-6) And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."
a) God describes Himself here as their God who delivered them.
b) But He also is their just God who won’t tolerate substitutions.
2. See how Jesus fulfilled this.
a) When Jesus began His public ministry the devil tempted Him
to put the devil, physical things like earthly kingdoms and
possessions, ahead of God and God’s will.
b) But remember Jesus’ words, "Away from me, Satan! For it
is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."
And remember His Gethsemane prayer that God’s will be done. 3. What must we confess?
a) Do we truly acknowledge that there is but one God, the saving
and just God who has revealed Himself as Father and Son and
Holy Spirit? And do we give Him and His will first place in our
lives - not just once in a while but always?
b) Or do we often want our wills to be done and listen to Satan
who tells us to put many things ahead of God, things like TV
and money and pleasure and recreation and use of time, things
that push God out of our lives and out of our scheduling?
4. Go to the cross with your sins.
a) There Jesus kept the first commandment, did not forsake God.
b) But there the unthinkable also took place. God forsook Him.
Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken
me?" And you and I, our sins, are the answer!
5. Come back from the cross with forgiveness.
a) Yes, in true penitence take all of your sins to the cross.
b) There hear your Substitute say, "Father, forgive them."
COMMANDMENT 2
1. What God demands. (7) "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."
a) Did God give His name, His Son’s name, to be used in
so-called swearing or cussing, or as filler words heard only too
often on TV and on the streets and at work?
b) Use God’s names for prayer and praise and proclamation. But
misuse them and God will hold guilty all who misuse His name.
2. See how Jesus fulfilled this.
a) "My God" is often misused by people who without even
realizing it thoughtlessly come up with the OMG expression.
b) Jesus on the cross used "My God" correctly in prayer.
3. What must we confess?
a) How often has the misuse of God’s name come from our lips?
b) How often has the correct use of God’s name in prayer failed
to come from our lips?
4. Go to the cross with your sins.
a) Go there to Jesus. He was there because of our sins.
b) There He died, paid the wages of our sins.
5. Come back from the cross with forgiveness.
a) Hear again His words on the cross, "Father, forgive them."
b) Then in penitent prayer say: "Thank You, O my God."
COMMANDMENT 3
1. What God demands. (8-11) "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."
a) Do you see the connection between the 2nd and the 3rd
commandments?
b) Don’t misuse God’s name. Instead use it for worship and
prayer and praise. Set aside time, prioritize time to do that.
2. See how Jesus fulfilled this.
a) The 7th day is no longer a requirement. Jesus fulfilled the
purpose of that OT ceremonial law, as He also fulfilled the
purpose of the OT sacrifices. The resting on the 7th day was a
pointer to the real rest to come through Jesus who said, "Come
to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give
you rest." The foreshadowing of a specific day has passed.
b) But using time to worship the Lord has not passed away.
3. What must we confess?
a) Whether it is Sunday, Monday, Wednesday or whenever, do
we plan to set aside time for regular worship and praise?
b) Do we plan to pray daily, regularly?
4. Go to the cross with your sins.
a) Not only is God’s name often misused. It often is either not
used at all, or it is used in a meaningless and thoughtless way.
b) Penitently go to the cross. Jesus died also for those sins.
5. Come back from the cross with forgiveness.
a) Yes, Jesus gives rest for our souls for these sins too.
b) Believe that, and do use God’s name in worship and prayer.
COMMANDMENT 4
1. What God demands. (12) "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you."
a) Here God says He wants the family, parents and children, to be
protected and blessed.
b) He even attaches a special blessing to this commandment.
2. See how Jesus fulfilled this.
a) We could not, but as a child Jesus lived a perfect life.
b) Think of how He did that also on the cross. There He said to
His disciple John, "Here is your mother" and to Mary, "Here
is your son." Jesus honored her, wanted her taken care of.
3. What must we confess?
a) As children we often think we are right and parents are wrong.
b) But honesty has to make us recognize our shortcomings.
4. Go to the cross with your sins.
a) Yes, go to your parents with honoring now.
b) But go to the cross with your sins and look to Jesus’ sacrifice.
5. Come back from the cross with forgiveness.
a) Jesus once said, "Let the little children come to me."
b) We children, whatever our age, there hear of forgiveness.
COMMANDMENT 5
1. What God demands. (13) "You shall not murder."
a) Life is a gift of God and is to end only by God’s direct doing
or by those God has authorized for that.
b) Apart from that, we are not to kill a fellow human being.
2. See how Jesus fulfilled this.
a) Jesus Himself was the victim of murder. A government may
execute the guilty, but it has no right to kill the innocent.
b) Yet He who came to harm no one, but to save and give eternal
life, after sham trials was condemned and crucified, murdered. 3. What must we confess?
a) The killing by criminals, the murder of unborn children, the
many voices demanding a right to do that - that’s the world.
b) But let us also remember that murder starts in the heart with
hatred and anger - and who here can claim innocence?
4. Go to the cross with your sins.
a) You may not be able to undo some things you have done.
b) But go to the cross with your sins.
5. Come back from the cross with forgiveness.
a) Murder by deed or by thought, Jesus hung there for it.
b) Jesus can and does undo our wrongs with forgiveness.
COMMANDMENT 6
1. What God demands. (14) "You shall not commit adultery."
a) In the 4th commandment God clearly speaks of the family, and
here reminds us that by His creation order marriage belongs
between a man and a woman in a commitment of faithfulness.
b) What God established the world mocks as out-dated as more
and more states redefine marriage and as many try to establish
as good what God calls perversion. .
2. See how Jesus fulfilled this.
a) He saw how Mary and Joseph honored marriage.
b) And He used marriage to picture something wonderful about
Himself as a groom. Think of these words from Ephesians 5:
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the
church and gave himself up for her to make her holy."
3. What must we confess?
a) Has there been open adultery, physical breaking of God’s will?
b) Has there been lusting, or adultery in the heart?
4. Go to the cross with your sins.
a) The world may well insist on wrong being right and not a sin.
b) But where we have sinned, let us repent and go to the cross.
5. Come back from the cross with forgiveness.
a) Remember, Christ died to make us sinners holy.
b) Let thankfulness move us to want to always honor marriage.
COMMANDMENT 7
1. What God demands. (15) "You shall not steal."
a) This surely is not hard to understand.
b) What belongs to others is not to be taken by us.
2. See how Jesus fulfilled this.
a) Jesus did take something that wasn’t His: He took our sins!
b) And look at what He gave us - Himself, His death!
3. What must we confess?
a) Maybe we weren’t like Jesus’ betrayer, Judas, who stole from
their treasury. But what of a little shoplifting, snitching?
b) And since all we have is a gift of God to be used to His glory,
how much have we stolen from God by withholding offerings?
4. Go to the cross with your sins.
a) Remember the thief on the cross? He turned to Jesus.
b) Whatever our sins, turn to Jesus too.
5. Come back from the cross with forgiveness.
a) Jesus promised the thief on the cross Paradise.
b) In His grace He promises that also to you and to me.
COMMANDMENT 8
1. What God demands. (16) "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."
a) You don’t like somebody? How easy it is to lie about him.
b) Slander, gossip, spreading what we shouldn’t - guilty? Yes.
2. See how Jesus fulfilled this.
a) Many slandered Him, brought false witness against Him.
b) He took that for you and me.
3. What must we confess?
a) We may not have hurt anyone with our fists.
b) But how often have we hurt others with our tongues?
4. Go to the cross with your sins.
a) Sad to say often the tongue’s damage cannot be undone.
b) But our gracious Savior has done something to undo our guilt.
5. Come back from the cross with forgiveness.
a) Jesus died for the sins also of our tongues.
b) Penitently and thankfully take His forgiveness from the cross.
COMMANDMENTS 9 and 10
1. What God demands. (17) "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
a) These commandments make it clear that sin starts in the heart.
b) Not only stealing but also some wanting can be wrong; not
only murdering but also anger and hatred are wrong.
2. See how Jesus fulfilled this.
a) Nobody could convict Him of sin, outward or inward.
b) When Jesus was sacrificed, it was a spotless, innocent death.
3. What must we confess?
a) We are far from spotless and innocent.
b) We need to look no farther than into our hearts.
4. Go to the cross with your sins.
a) Sins of the heart, sins of the tongue, sins whatever.
b) Lay them on Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God.
5. Come back from the cross with forgiveness.
a) If you had only the 10 commandments, you would be lost.
b) But you have the Savior who perfectly kept those
commandments for you, paid for your transgressions, and gives
you His righteousness!
Now, having gone to the cross and coming back from the cross, let us as Christians go into our daily lives not to sin, not to disregard God’s holy will, but to thank and glorify God by striving with His Spirit’s strengthening to keep and not break His commandments. And never forget to GO TO THE CROSS!