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you know I don't think we reflect enough
on the ten commandments which is so
central to the Old Testament and it
provided the foundation for a lot of
Western society if we do think about
them we might avert more to what they
call the second table of the law the
ones dealing with our relation to you
know each other
so honor your mother and father don't
kill don't steal don't commit adultery
etc but the Bible clearly favors the
first table of the law so remember the
image like Moses coming down with the
two tablets the first table of law deals
with our relationship to God and see the
Bible stresses that one appropriately
because it always ties our relation to
each other to our more fundamental
relationship with God see everything in
the spiritual life and the moral life
will flow from clarity on that score
look now at the very first commandment
I'm the Lord your God who led you out of
Egypt etc you shall have no gods besides
me there is nothing more fundamental
nothing more basic nothing more
elemental in the spiritual more order
than that commandment why because
everything will flow from what you
worship
I very much subscribed to Stanley how
our bosses view that everything you need
to know about someone you can learn from
asking one question what do you worship
what's of highest worth to you what's of
highest value to you everything else
your life will be read in relation to
that the Bible's intuition and it's so
basic is God must be the fundamental
value in your life and when that happens
things will fall into harmony around it
don't have other gods besides me that's
what it's saying don't make you know the
big four I've talked about the four
substitutes wealth pleasure power honor
don't make your country don't make your
culture don't make a political leader
don't make your family don't make your
ego God
none of those things or people is of
ultimate concern to you they shouldn't
be if they are something will get thrown
off will get skewed inside of your soul
worship got along now here's a way to
test it by the way do you say to
yourself honestly pleasing God is what
is most important to me so you're
looking at your day you're looking at
your year looking at your life what's
the question you fundamentally ask it
has to be does it please God what I'm
doing what I've resolved to do if not
then you've got a problem then you are
in effect worshiping something or
someone other than the true God I love
that lying you know where it says I the
Lord your God am a jealous God
don't read it emotionally as though God
is falling in and out of emotional
states or as though God is defending
some prerogative of his I'm jealous
because you've you know run off with
somebody else
that's not the case with God God has no
needs God needs nothing rather read it
this way God is jealous because he knows
bad worship hurts us times acquaintances
said that God's the praise of God
doesn't benefit God how could it God
needs nothing God's perfect but the
worship of God benefits us and so he's a
jealous God because He loves us and
wants the very best for us looking out
the second commandment don't take the
name of the Lord your God in vain now I
know that can sound like Oh fussy little
Puritanism you know don't swear or be
careful well don't weed it that way we
it this way that your speech especially
about ultimate things matters the way we
talk about people the way we talk about
ideas the way we talk about nations
influences very much our attitudes our
interstates that's why you know when it
comes to other people we're very careful
about speech and about language if
you're talking about people in a very
disrespectful way a very flippant way
if you're not attentive to titles for
example and honorifics and regarding
certain people if you're referring to
your superior by you know a nickname or
something but what that's doing is it's
shaping your interior in a bad way so
with regard to God how we speak of God
the language we use matters if we're
flippant a blasphemous disrespectful
about God then our own attitude toward
God begins to shift in the negative way
look at the third commandment no keep
holy the Sabbath day I think this is so
important you know it's been around from
the very beginning what's being said
here I think is this you must
instantiate the first commandment in
certain definite forms of behavior or
it'll fade away love the Lord your God
alone him alone use the door
God is number one well you've got to
instantiate that you've got to embody
that in some way or that conviction will
fade away somebody I've noticed how much
Sunday has changed in my own lifetime
when I was a kid sunday was a different
day sunday had a whole different feel
the culture generally said sunday is a
day of the Lord
things were closed you know the
presumption was that you didn't shop and
you didn't engage in a lot of like you
know sporting activities and all that
you were going to church and you were
you know dedicated to the Lord on Sunday
now of course Sunday's like Saturday
it's just another Saturday people play
sports the kids have all kinds of
activities all the stores are open all
the gas stations are open why not just
under-- Saturday it's a day that's been
desacralized now you also see it in my
lifetime the huge shift in Mass
attendance when I was a little kid to go
back to the early 60s maybe mid 60s
still I think 60 or 70 percent of
Catholics went to Mass any of you
surveyed Americans the vast vast
majority would have gone to church
regularly now of course it's what 25
maybe 30 percent the desacralization of
son
day is proceeding apace serious problem
yes because we're violating their by the
third commandment you've got to keep
holy the Sabbath or you will forget whom
you worship hugely important ok what I
want to do now is stop with that first
table of law and now fast forward to the
New Testament and every particular scene
all the Gospels have an account of Jesus
cleansing the temple so John's Gospel
toward the beginning of his public
ministry a Passover is approaching and
Jesus comes in to the temple and what
was the temple it was the place where
these Commandments the first table law
were especially honored love the Lord
your God I have no false gods beside him
no you worship the one God
you keep his name holy you know the way
people would speak of God in the temple
the praise of God on their lips thirdly
it's where you you worship you kept holy
the Sabbath day in the temple Jesus
comes in famously looks around and he
says you've made this House of Prayer
into a marketplace in John's Gospel
worse identify even the other Gospels
and then he turns over the tables he
cleanses the temple purifies it st. Paul
said that the individual Christian the
individual body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit it's very powerful in that little
description that your own person so for
Jew when you say body you mean the
person they they weren't doulas like the
Greeks your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit it's a place where God alone is
praised where God is honored by speech
and God is honored by action it's a
beautiful way to think about your own
life your own person so here's the
question imagine Jesus coming into the
temple that's your body what would he
find it's meant to be a house of prayer
yourself your person is meant to be a
house of
where was he find does he find a
marketplace is very telling isn't it a
lot of false gods power on our pleasure
etc but I wonder like especially today
in our society if that's the principle
false god marketplace how much time do
you spend fussing about money shopping
worrying about material things trying to
fill up your life with all sorts of you
know things have you turn what's meant
to be a temple into a marketplace now
there's a lot of other gods as I say
which one is really being honored inside
of this temple it's a good question
spiritually relatedly if you allow Jesus
to come into that temple and look around
and wander about what's he gonna find
chances are he couldn't want to turn
some things over right
that's why letting him inside is a dicey
business because he will affect change
he'll turn things upside down were the
keepers of the money changers tables
happy with his presence undoubtedly not
was the temple establishment happy with
his invasion obviously not was he you've
got a certain temple establishment don't
you going on inside of you there's a
certain way of doing things
watch how Jesus when he comes in
rearranges and upsets turns upside down
because he wants to cause you trouble
no because he wants to turn that
marketplace into a house of prayer what
it's supposed to be a place where God
alone is given proper praise and see
that's the key to joy that's what the
commandments are all about they're meant
to make us happy so let him in it'll be
a little tricky it'll be a little
unsettling but he's trying to rearrange
things to bring you joy
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