“If Christ is not raised, if his body is decayed into dust, what are you left with?

How about Eastern mysticism? Let’s travel back in time and around the globe to India. It’s 490 BC, and Buddha is willing to see us. Here is our question: “Can you defeat death?” He never opens his eyes, just shakes his head. “You are disillusioned, dear child. Seek enlightenment.”

So we do. By virtue of a vigorous imagination, we travel to Greece to meet with the father of logic, Socrates. He offers a sip of hemlock, but we pass, explaining that we have only one question. “Do you have power over the grave? Are you the son of Zeus?” He scratches his bald head and calls us raca. (Probably Greek for “turkey brains.”)

Undeterred, we advance a thousand years and locate the ancient village of Mecca. A bearded Muhammad sits in the midst of followers. From the back of the crowd we cry out, “We are looking for Allah incarnate. Are you he?” He stands and rips his robe and demands that we be banished for such heresy.

But we escape. We escape back in time to Jerusalem. We ascend the stairs of a simple house where the King of the Jews is holding court. The room is crowded with earnest disciples. As we find a seat, we look into the radiant face of the resurrected Christ. The love in his eyes is as real as the wounds on his body.

If we ask the question of him— “Are you raised from the dead? Are you the Son of God?”—we know his answer.

Jesus might well personalize the words he gave to the angel. “I am raised from the dead as I said I would be. Come and see the place where my body was.”

Quite a claim. Just like passengers in the airport about to board a plane, we get to choose how we respond. Either board and trust the pilot—or try to get home on our own.

I know which choice I prefer.

One of the best ways to avoid false teachers and their teachings is to know the Word of God.” –Max Lucado, The Encouraging Word Bible

Moses led the Israelites to demonstrate that worship of God must be free from all idolatry—the worship of all other gods. God even used false prophets in order to test God’s people. What if a false teacher proclaimed the future and it came true?  Would you follow him/her when they suggest following other gods?  When someone comes into our lives that seem like God’s prophet, walk and talk like a prophet and appear to be successful—should we follow without question?  No, we must be cautious and discerning especially when they suggest anything other than God and is not in God’s Word. 

Deuteronomy 13

Worshiping Other Gods

If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, ² and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” ³ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴ It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. ⁵ That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.

⁶ If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, ⁷ gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), ⁸ do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. ⁹ You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. ¹⁰ Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ¹¹ Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.

¹² If you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is giving you to live in ¹³ that troublemakers have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods you have not known), ¹⁴ then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly. And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you, ¹⁵ you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock. ¹⁶ You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. That town is to remain a ruin forever, never to be rebuilt, ¹⁷ and none of the condemned things are to be found in your hands. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger, will show you mercy, and will have compassion on you. He will increase your numbers, as he promised on oath to your ancestors— ¹⁸ because you obey the Lord your God by keeping all his commands that I am giving you today and doing what is right in his eyes.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

There is no question about the first four of the concise Ten Commands of God:

1 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3

God wants what is best for you. If you put something else before Him in your life, we lose sight of God, our Father in heaven. Our communication with God is hampered.  Our attention is distracted with our time given to other gods of this life rather than the God who longs to bless us with all that is good and right for us! 

2 “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.” Exodus 20:4

Anything we worship more than God is a “graven image.” Cars, clothes, sports, even our jobs and the lives of our family members are dangerous things to worship because they can go away. But God will never go away. God was, is, and always will be God and that’s why it’s best for us to only worship Him.  Who or what we think about most is who or what we worship.

3 “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” Exodus 20:7

This can mean using God’s name like a swear word, or it can mean saying you are a Christian believer but not living or acting like Jesus, God Son, who was sent to earth to save us from our sins and teach us how to love God and love each other. 

4 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8–10

Sunday, or the Sabbath day, is a day we can all gather in a place dedicated for worship of God.  We also go to learn how about who God is and what He requires of us. God knows we need Him and others who know Him, to make us and keep us holy as we cannot do this for ourselves. Keeping it holy means pausing our agendas to be still, let go, and surrender to what God wants to do in and through us.  Lord, make us holy, is our prayer individually and corporately in worship.

“In this way you will purge the evil from among you” is a statement found at least eight more times in the Book of Deuteronomy. Paul quoted it in 1 Corinthians 5:13 with reference to discipline in the local church. We don’t stone guilty people in our churches, but we should see evil and guard evil from others who openly live in sin, refuse to repent and obey the Word of God.  Israel enemies were enemies of God who did detestable sins such as killing their own children, drinking human blood, in the their worship of all kinds of gods but God.

At this point, I’m reminded of what Jesus said:  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” –Jesus, Matthew 5:43-45a We don’t stop loving the offenders and enemies of God; we compassionately pray for those who need Jesus and turn to other gods but God alone.  It is not God’s desire that anyone perish but to live.  But we must also guard ourselves from becoming like those who run after other gods to do what is not pleasing to God. It also occurs to me that others are watching to see if we who believe God follow other gods!

Jesus also explained that sins unrepented are like yeast that permeates dough in bread.  It spreads!  Sin is like yeast and when it’s not purged, it will spread and infect others in the church. (See 1 Corinthians 5:6–8; Galatians 5:9) Just as a surgeon skillfully removes cancerous tissue from a patient’s body to keep it from spreading, so the local body of believers must experience skilled compassionate surgery, no matter how painful, to maintain the spiritual health of the church—The Body of Christ.  When we pursue the god of self and our wants, not willing to ask God what He wants; we are in danger of judging others’ lives.  Ask God for wisdom in all relationships!

The bottom line:  You shall have NO OTHER gods before me says God.  None, nada, zero. Only God is God!  Only God resurrected Jesus from death in victory! Only God created all, is in all, and loves to help us with all the details of our lives.  Only God reigns eternal and forever!  There is no one like our God!  Love God.  Love Others.  Do what God says.

Trust and obey God.  We must consistently rid ourselves of all that is not of God or God. Why? Because it makes our lives too confusing.  Stay focused!  Fix your attention on God!  These warnings are made from God’s prophets and teachers throughout His Word.  God wants us to live a simpler life of relentless love that permeates our beings with a desire to love Him back and to love others like He loves us.  AND God will help us with the same power that resurrected Jesus by His Holy Spirit who lives in all who believe Him.  Yes, there is no one like our God!

Lord,

Thank you for your help to focus on You.  You are the most important relationship to have and to cling to in our lives!  All other glorious relationships begin with our relationship with you for you are love. By realizing the depth of love you have for me, my love for others naturally grows deeper and wider.  Your Holy Spirt transforms my thinking and behaving, my responses and reactions to the world as you guide me to all that is true.  So, continue to cleanse my heart of all that is not you. Renew my mind, refresh my soul.  Daily restore the joy and peace of your salvation powerfully at work within me.  I love you with all my heart, mind, and soul.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

In Jesus Name, Amen