Rev. David Holwick ZC Exodus series, #11
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
September 13, 2009
Exodus 20:1-11
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I. It started out so simple...
A. How many laws are there in the United States?
According to the Office of the Federal Register, in 1998, the
Code of Federal Regulations, the official listing of all
regulations in effect, contained a total of 134,723 pages
in 201 volumes that claimed 19 feet of shelf space.
In 1970, the CFR totaled only 54,834 pages.
The General Accounting Office reports that from 1996 to 1999, a
total of 15,286 new federal regulations went into effect.
Of these, 222 were classified as "major" rules, each one having
an annual effect on the economy of at least $100 million.
That's just the federal government.
Every state, county, city and town has its own laws.
Roxbury itself probably has 100,000 pages of laws.
One of them states that holes in the road for utility work must
be four feet wide.
When we put our new building up, we made some two-foot wide
holes in the pavement on the street in front.
This week we had to tear them out and make them three feet wide.
The law says so.
By one estimate, there are 35 million laws on the books in the
United States.
#36001
In a cartoon, Frank and Ernest are standing in front of row
after row of shelves of books.
On top of one of the shelves is a sign, which reads, "Law
Library."
Franks turns and says to Ernest: "It's frightening when you
think that we started out with just Ten Commandments."
#25823
B. The Ten Commandments form the foundation.
1) There are other law codes which are older.
a) Summarian
b) Akkadian
c) Babylonian (Hammurabi)
2) Ten Commandments is special because of their brevity.
a) Don't do this. Don't do that.
b) They are absolutes, whereas most ancient laws were
conditional. (If you do this, then...)
c) They are addressed to individuals (thou or you = singular),
showing our personal responsibility.
3) Their negative slant has been criticized.
a) Too restrictive? Eight of them are "no"s.
b) But what is not forbidden is permitted.
1> Jesus' Golden Rule of "do to others what you want
them to do to you" is positive but open-ended.
2> It can never be fulfilled perfectly and there would
be no way to enforce it.
II. The Ten Commandments have been a lightning rod.
A. Ten Commandment conflicts in courthouses and town squares.
1) Alabama judge Roy Moore made (and broke) his career
over the issue. His display was ordered removed.
2) Of course, Moses looks down on Supreme Court.
(He is one of the historical figures carved on the
frieze that encircles the main court room)
3) Public schools face an interesting dilemma.
Chris Cotelesse, a high school senior in Pennsylvania,
hung a copy of the Ten Commandments on his locker.
The principal ordered him to take it down because of the
separation of church and state.
So Chris made a homemade sandwich board, put the Ten
Commandments on it, and wore it to school.
The principal said that was okay because of freedom of
speech.
#28392
B. Modern society has moved away from commandments.
1) Ted Turner's infamous criticism has been followed by others.
Tom Brazaitis was a senior Washington editor for the
Cleveland Plain Dealer and was the husband of liberal
commentator Eleanor Clift.
Brazaitis wrote in one of his columns, "The Ten Commandments
have their place as a historical artifact.
But over the centuries, humankind has refined and improved
them."
He then goes on to ridicule the Commandments themselves.
Forbidding taking God's name in vain would violate free
speech.
Enforcing a Sabbath would kill the economy.
Honoring parents only makes sense if they deserve it.
Forbidding false witness would kill politics.
Forbidding coveting would kill capitalism.
By his account, the first four commandments are just
concerned with "protecting God's turf".
I kind of agree with him on that one.
#22470
III. Ten Commandments are more than basic morality.
A. For many, killing, fornicating and stealing sum up the Ten.
1) In reality, there are two sections.
a) The second half deals with human morality.
b) But the first four commandments focus on God.
2) The Bible always ties morality with spirituality.
a) It is true that a non-religious person can be moral.
1> They may follow the traditional rules even if they
reject the basis for them.
b) Nevertheless, the Bible assumes these laws are from God.
1> They are not up for a vote.
2> If Tom Brazaitis doesn't like them, tough!
B. The New Testament expands on this.
1) The Ten Commandments are an expression of God's character.
a) But they are not the end-all of religion.
b) What you really need is a relationship with God.
2) Paul takes a very strong stand against a law focus.
a) He says the purpose of the law is to show you are a
sinner. Rom 7:7
b) The law cannot make you a good person and cannot get
you to heaven.
3) He speaks as a devout Jew who followed every little law.
a) By his estimation, he did this perfectly! Phil 3:6
b) But he was not a saved man until he encountered
Jesus.
c) As he sums it up, the Law kills but the Spirit gives
life. 2 Cor 3:6
C. Don't reduce God to a morality policeman.
Of course, modern people reduce him much more than this.
Dr. Christian Smith is a sociologist at Notre Dame who has spent
his life studying the practice of religion in America.
He sees a definite decline in authentic Christianity.
Smith writes that the "de facto dominant religion" among
American teenagers is what he calls "moral therapeutic deism."
According to this "religion," God created and watches over the
world.
But otherwise is only to be called upon to solve problems.
All God requires is that people be nice and fair to each other,
"as taught in the Bible and by most world religions."
Not surprisingly, "the central goal of life is to be happy and
to feel good about oneself."
Even Christian teenagers get caught up by this.
Perhaps I should say American Christians in general.
It soft-sells morality and critical thinking and commitment.
This God is a wimpy God of low expectations.
He won't do much to change you.
#35999
IV. How to keep God in his rightful place.
A. No other gods - he allows no competition. 20:3
1) Sticklers might say you can have other gods, as long
as our God is #1.
2) But the clear intent of the passage is that we treat God
as supreme.
3) Watch what you worship!
B. No idols - don't reduce God to something you create. 20:4
1) In Moses' time, they made little statues of gold and
silver.
2) The New Testament adds that money can become an idol too.
a) Anything that takes God's place is an idol.
3) This commandment gives a strong appeal to God's character.
a) It is rather harsh language - God is jealous, and
he punishes on down through generations.
b) But note that his love is even more powerful, lasting
thousands of generations.
c) As scholar Walter Kaiser puts it, this commandment
rejects every form of substitution, neglect or
contempt for the worship of God.
C. Protect God's name: do not take him lightly. 20:7
1) If the second commandment deals with worship, this one
deals with profession.
2) What we say about God matters.
3) Lots of people act like they are on a first-name basis
with the Almighty.
They ask him to damn this, and damn that.
Do they really mean it?
D. Honor his day - God deserves some of your time. 20:8
1) It is a gracious command, because he knows we need to rest.
a) All people and all animals are included.
2) It is also commanded to make the day holy.
a) Over the centuries, it became the prime day of worship.
b) Christians have shifted from the seventh day to the
first (Sunday) but the principle is the same.
1> One day belongs to God.
2> Do you honor him on it?
V. God has commanded; do you obey?
A. These ancient words still apply today.
B. God does not give them to us to oppress us but to save us.
1) The opening lines mention God's deliverance from Egypt.
2) God wants to deliver you, through Jesus.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
#22470 "Another Critique of the Ten Commandments," by Mark Coppenger,
Baptist Press, http://www.baptistpress.org, January 7, 2003.
#25823 "It All Started With 10 Commandments," by Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn,
Rev. Brett Blair's Illustrations by Email,
www.sermonillustrations.com, November 2, 2003.
#28392 "The Sandwich Board Was Allowed," by Rev. Craig Watters,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/illustrate/message/869 (quoting
from the Associated Press), February 11, 2001. Another article
from the Sharon (PA) Herald can be found at
http://www2.sharonherald.com/localnews/recentnews/0102/~
ln022101c.html
#35999 "Moral Therapeutic Deism," by Charles Colson; edited by David
Holwick, BreakPoint Commentary, September 11, 2009.
#36001 "The Number Of Laws In The United States," by Rev. David Holwick,
September 12, 2009. The statistics on the Code of Federal
Regulations comes from "Federal Regulations: Laws Behind the
Acts; Part 2: Type and Number of Federal Regulations,"
http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/blfedregs_b.htm. The
estimate of 35 million laws comes from the sermon "Is That All?"
by Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn, November 11, 2000; Kerux sermon #9868.
In reality, no one knows the total number of laws in America.
These and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
=========================================================================
Study notes:
Bernard Ramm, "His Way Out: A Fresh Look At Exodus"
I. Features of the Ten Commandments:
A. The covenant and morality are based on redemption.
1) Redemption first, then morality.
B. Laws have a universal character.
1) Not based on local custom.
2) Not nationalistic.
C. The laws are simple, absolute and programmatic assertions.
1) They state the spirit, character and pattern of morality.
D. They are without parallel.
1) They are superior to other examples of the period.
E. They sound negative and restrictive but are not.
1) What is not forbidden is permitted.
F. They are purely monotheistic.
II. Morality (or ethics) cannot be separated from religion.
A. There is a powerful effort today to separate them.
B. Biblical assumptions:
1) To be moral, we must be redeemed.
2) To be moral, we must be in a covenantal relationship with
God.
C. Modern philosophy says humans prescribe their own morality.
1) There is no higher court of appeal.
2) Only religious-based ethics can thwart tyrants like Hitler
or Stalin.
D. All of us will answer to a higher law.
________
[*] "Dis" is slang for "Disrespect."
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