Confessions of a Church: The First Table

The Psalm writer wrote:  Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received.   This is the word of God.  It is eternally true and applicable for all of life.  

Deuteronomy 5:1-15  Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing, that you may learn them and observe them carefully. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, with all those of us alive here today. 4 The Lord spoke to you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire, 5 while I was standing between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain. He said, 6 ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 7 ‘You shall have no other gods before Me. 8 ‘You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 9 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 11 ‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. 12 ‘Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Paul writes in Philippians 3:1-

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

Just as a parent must regularly and patiently repeat themselves when instructing their child regarding some task, chore, or math problem, Paul highlights a reality  we find present in the pages of Scripture which is vital to us as dull, stubborn sheep. As we have heard before, the name of the book we are studying, Deuteronomy, signifies the "second Law", or "repetition of the Law." The reading from God's Law, or "Time of Confession", is oftentimes a repetitive, redundant affair. Sometimes that is due to the cyclical, repetitive nature of God's Word, other times it is because the Pastor and Elders recognize that you continue to step in the same stinking pile of sin over and over, and thus will continue to hear the same lesson until you repent. God in His Word frequently drives home a particular point by way of repetition, because we typically don't get it the first time.

Which brings us to the Ten Commandments this morning.

Time would not allow an in depth dive into each of these first four commandments today, so what we will do is take these first four as a unit.

Known by theologians as the first table of the Law, these four commandments represent man's obligations and duties in relation to God.

1.     You shall have no other gods before Me.

2.     You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

3.     You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

4.     Observe the Sabbath Day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.

Jesus, when asked by a lawyer which is the greatest commandment, pointed to this first table of the Law in reply:

And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment.

— Matthew 22:37-38

Translated, our love for God isn't merely an outward conformity to this first table of the Law, but rather is a love which dictates how, where, and when we spend the energies which God has granted us, the focus of our hearts. This love for God will impact our desires, our will, and will reveal the state of our souls before God. Lastly, love for God will transform our mind and bring all of our thoughts and meditations into conformity to His Law. Our love for God will lead us to love the things He loves, hate the things He hates, and do so with all our heart, soul, and mind, the very fiber and essence of who we are.

Any dog can be trained to sit, roll over, and play dead to get the treat. God desires that we love Him first and foremost from within, having a cup which has been washed first on the inside. As we are transformed by the renewing of our minds, as our hearts are made new, as our souls, our will are knit together with God's, it will necessarily impact our outward conformity to God's Law. As Pastor Spurgeon once said, "right orthodoxy leads to right orthopraxy." In other words, the right set of beliefs held by a mind which has been renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit, will lead to right practices, "which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)

Tevye in the musical Fiddler on the Roof, in the midst of all the changes and turmoil taking place in his life asks his wife a very important question, and it goes like this: "Do you love me"?

Her response was an indignant "Of course I love you!", and she proceeds to list for him all the things she does which display how she has loved him all those years of marriage. Now, her outward working is mere window dressing if it isn't issuing from a heart of love for her husband, but nonetheless, if there is no outward practice, there is definitely no inward love. He was left assured that his wife did indeed love him.

So two questions rise to the surface this morning, and we must answer them:

Do you love God?

And

What evidence is there that you do?

If you were put on trial and the jury was tasked with determining if you do in fact love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul, what verdict would they hand down?

Would they see evidence of someone who is a practicing polytheist, or would they perceive that you in fact have no other gods but the One True God?

Could the jury, after a cursory exam of your life, identify a plethora of household idols which you bow down to daily, or would they find evidence that you bow only at the throne of grace?

When the jury heard your proclamation of "No King but Christ", then compared that outward testimony with your other practices, would they see harmony there, or be left thinking that you are a liar who merely pays lip service to the King of Kings and takes His name in vain through your hypocritical living?

Would the jury see you on the Lord's day meditating on His Word, worshipping Him, seeking your Sabbath rest in Him, or would Sunday look like Monday through Saturday, with you striving to cram a few more moments of " me time" into the weekend before you get back to the grind?

Brothers and sisters, all of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. All of us, every single day, violate God's Law when we do not love him with all our heart, mind, and soul. We may have the cleanest cup on the outside, while inside it is full of filth. This is rebellion and hatred of God, and we must repent lest we likewise perish.

At this time if you are able, please kneel as we confess how we have broken these first four commandments found in God's Law.

Heavenly Father, Your Word teaches us that we will be judged for every thought, deed, and careless word. This is problematic for us because many of us have minds which are distracted, chaotic, and focused upon everything but Your Word. Many of us are busybodies, striving and doing, boxing at the wind but always missing the target. Others of us talk so much, with our mouths and keystrokes, always giving an opinion, or telling someone how it is, or ranting, complaining, or gossiping.

Our sins against You are too numerous for us to count, yet You witness them all, whether done for everyone to see, or in the darkest recess of our minds.

Father, please forgive us for our sins against You.

Please transform us in the renewing of our minds, bring us into conformity with Your Son, and help us to obey Your commands, for we are weak, frail, and cannot save ourselves.

Please strengthen us in the inner man, and help us to delight in Your Law, worshipping You alone, destroying idols in our lives, exalting Your name in every area of life, and finding our rest in Christ.

In Jesus's name we pray, Amen.

Please stand and listen to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to his church: 

Romans 8:1-4 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

To all those who thus repent and seek Jesus Christ for their salvation, your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lift up your hearts!

(From the 01/23/2022 liturgy of Sovereign King Church written by Aaron Sabie.)