The God who redeems rightfully commands exclusive worship, and through Christ, has freed us
from idols so we can live joyfully under His reign.
I. The God Who Redeems Demands Preeminence
a. God acted mightily in grace and delivered Israel from captivity, and He is right to
claim His people for Himself. YAHWEH will tolerate no rival for His glory and
worship. The desire of rebellious man is to dethrone the creator, and worship how
and what we want. (Romans 1:18-24)
II. The Heart of the Commandment
a. The first commandment gives us language of a King who will not allow or
tolerate someone or something pretending to take His throne. As God states “no
other gods before me,” He is saying, “No other gods before my face or in my
presence.” There is no allowance for “you may have other gods as long as they
are ranked below me.” (Deut 6:4-5, 1 Cor 8:4-6, Matt 22:37-38, Col 3:5)
III. The Primal Sin of Idolatry
a. This commandment exposes the heart and takes us back to the effects of the fall in
Genesis 3:5. When the word “idolatry” is stated it is easy to think of an image
made to worship (2 Commandment), but this commandment is first because it
deals with the heart. We know God is on His throne above, the question is – “does
he occupy the throne within?” Anything that competes with His worship and
affection is a functional idol and becomes spiritually destructive. (James 4:4, Matt
6:24, 1 John 2:16)
IV. Scripture Instructs Us on How to Fight Idolatry
a. Fleeing from it (1 Cor 10:14, 1 John 5:21)
b. Guarding the heart (Proverbs 14:3, Ezk 14:3)
c. Setting your mind on eternal things (Col 3:1-2, Romans 12:2)
d. Seeing Christ in His glory (2 Cor 4:6, Heb 12:2)
e. Finding contentment in God (Heb 13:5, 1 Tim 6:6-10)
f. Fight together (Heb 10:24-25, Ps 96:9)
Application: Christ perfectly fulfilled the demand of the first commandment. Jesus loved the
Father with undivided devotion on your behalf. Is Christ the Lord of your life and does He
occupy the throne within? If so, rejoice. We are free to worship God through Jesus who is
supreme over all things.