The Ten | Week 2 – Nothing Like the Real Thing
There is a great line in the Avengers movie when Captain America is warned not to follow after Thor and Loki because they are --“like gods”. Cap’s response is classic, he quips, “There’s only one God, ma’am, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that”. That response sums up what the First Commandment is all about. There is one God, he created us and He sets us free when we are lost in slavery. And that freedom allows us to do what He created us to do - worship Him. We hear about all kinds of gods found in the various formal religions of the world. We also are faced with the gods that we create for ourselves. “You should have no other gods before me”, this statement is meant to be taken seriously. God is not just some line item on our daily list of things to do. He should be at the top of that list and the rest of the list should stem from and reflect our relationship with Him.
READ Psalm 20:7-8
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.”
READ the passage again and consider these related questions.
Why is trusting in our own strengths and talents insufficient?
Describe why we will be disappointed when we create other gods to trust in.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Read Exodus 20:1-3; Deuteronomy 5:6-7; John 14:1; Ephesians 4:20; Proverbs 3:5-6;
Joshua 24:14-15; Hebrews 13:8; Acts 17:22-25
1. What does it mean to fear the Lord?
2. Even if it’s not actual gods from other religions, what kind of things do we worship?
3. How is having misaligned priorities the same as worshiping other gods?
4. When does self-reliance and confidence become spiritually unhealthy?
5. How does the verse from Hebrews help us to better understand the first commandment?
6. How might pride get in the way of keeping the first commandment?
7. How does the first commandment point to the belief that we are saved by faith and not by works?
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