In this blog, we'll focus on the working being done at Sligo Presbyterian Church, Sligo, Pennsylvania. We'll also look at what's happening in Sligo, Rimersburg, Clarion, and all the other communities served by our congregation.
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Sunday's Message (The 10 Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus: No Other Gods)
Jesus reframes the ten commandments from a list of external rules into matters of the heart. He taught that true righteousness is not merely about avoiding bad actions, but about harboring pure thoughts and actively demonstrating love for God and humanity. During the months of July, August and September, we’ll consider the Ten Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus, focusing on the following topics:
Ok, before we get started, I’ve got a question for y’all and feel free to raise your hands: Over the last couple of weeks, how many of y’all have been hot? Just raise your hands. Wait a minute. My bad, I should have mentioned this first, when I say hot I’m talking about temperature, not appearance. Ok, let’s do it again. How many of y’all have been hot? Just raise your hands. I’ll tell you, for me, that’s a no-brainer. Even though for those of us who see summer as June, July and August, I think we can all agree, over the last couple of weeks, summer has officially started.
And I’ll tell you, we’re doing the same kind of thing this morning. You see, even though we started this new sermon series, The 10 Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus last week, we’re going to begin covering the actual commandments today, beginning with commandment number one. Of course, that’s not to say last Sunday wasn’t important. As y’all may remember, we looked at the relationship Jesus had with the law and sort of came to the conclusion that, with respect to what we find in the Old Testament, he fulfilled it and he radicalized it and he summarized it. And in my opinion, that was important for us to do, because it established a foundation that we can build on over the next ten weeks.
And with that done, this morning we’re going to start discussing the commandments themselves by looking at the first one. Now, this is what it says in the twentieth chapter of Exodus:
I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves.
Do not worship any god except me. [Exodus 20:2-3, CEV]
Now, that’s the first commandment, and even if we’re a little fuzzy about the next nine, I think most people have a pretty good idea about what it means. You see, this business about not worshiping other gods, that reminds us that the one we do worship, well, for us, he really should be the ultimate authority and should draw our undivided attention. In other words, our God, and I’m talking about the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, should be above everything else, serving as the focus of our loyalty and worship and faith. Now, in my opinion, that’s what obeying the First Commandment is all about and maybe that’s why it kicks off the list.
And I think Jesus would agree. For example, according to the Evangelist Mark, just listen to what Jesus said as he was offering the first of his two great commandments:
One of the teachers of the Law of Moses came up while Jesus and the Sadducees were arguing. When he heard Jesus give a good answer, he asked him, “What is the most important commandment?”
Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’” [Mark 12:28-30, CEV]
You see, for Jesus, this idea that we shouldn’t worship and love anything other than the one Lord God, man, that was a big deal. In fact, it provided the basis for everything else.
And that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning, and in particular, how Jesus was able to obey the commandment and to worship the one and only Lord. And I’ll tell you, when you look at what was written about him, I think there were three things that Jesus did to keep God above everything else, each of which we can also do as individual Christians and a faith community.
For example, to keep God above anything else, first, I think Jesus intentionally avoided the distractions. In other words, he deliberately resisted the temptation to let anything distract him from the one he came to serve and to love. And I’ll tell you, I think we can see him do this very thing when he encounters the devil in the desert. Just listen to what the Evangelist Matthew wrote:
The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert, so that the devil could test him. After Jesus had gone without eating for 40 days and nights, he was very hungry. Then the devil came to him and said, “If you are God’s Son, tell these stones to turn into bread.”
Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say:
‘No one can live only on food. People need every word that God has spoken.’”
Next, the devil took Jesus into the holy city to the highest part of the temple. The devil said, “If you are God’s Son, jump off. The Scriptures say:
‘God will give his angels orders about you. They will catch you in their arms, and you won’t hurt your feet on the stones.’”
Jesus answered, “The Scriptures also say, ‘Don’t try to test the Lord your God!’”
Finally, the devil took Jesus up on a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms on earth and their power. The devil said to him, “I will give all this to you, if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus answered, “Go away Satan! The Scriptures say:
‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” [Matthew 4:1-10, CEV]
Now that’s what Matthew wrote, and just think about what was going on here. You see, to avoid the distractions the devil was throwing at him, Jesus not only recognized them, he also confronted them. You see, although what the devil was saying sort of made sense and sure seemed to be pro-Jesus and, in one case, was even supported by scripture, man, Jesus wasn’t taken in by the baloney Satan was dishing out. In other words, he knew that he was being tempted and tested. And I think, because of that, he confronted each suggestion the devil made. For instance, when the distraction involved physical comfort, Jesus talked about what people really need. And when the distraction involved pride, Jesus talked about how we should relate to God. And when the devil tried to distract him with wealth and power, Jesus talked about the one we should actually worship. You see, in the desert, Jesus kept God above everything else, first by avoiding the distractions
And I’m telling you, we can too. I mean, we can do the exact same thing as we deal with all those distractions, all those temptations, all those enticements that are dangled in front of us. Of course, let’s get real, none of us are like Jesus; therefore, on our best day, we just don’t have his inner strength or even his grasp of scripture. In other words, for us, well, distractions are probably going to be a heck of a lot harder to spot and temptations a whole lot harder to resist. But you know, even though, compared to Jesus, we are limited and weak and exposed, we do have something he also had that can surely help. You see, that same Holy Spirit that led him into the desert also surrounds us and fills us and empowers us. And you know, when we trust it, when we trust it to open our eyes and to strengthen our spines, man, I believe we’re going to experience a genuine source of power. And we’re going to be able to see the temptations come before they land. And we’re to be able to resist no matter how enticing they may be. In other words, we can keep God above everything else by intentionally avoiding the distractions because that’s the first thing Jesus did.
And second, I think Jesus was also able to keep God above everything else by intentionally focusing his attention. I mean, in spite of what was happening, like a laser beam, his attention was directed toward God. And I’ll tell you, I don’t think there’s a better example of what I’m talking about than what happened to Jesus right before his betrayal and arrest and crucifixion. Just listen:
Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he told them, “Sit here while I pray.”
Jesus took along Peter, James, and John. He was sad and troubled and told them, “I am so sad that I feel as if I am dying. Stay here and keep awake with me.”
Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt down on the ground and prayed, “Father, if it is possible, don’t let this happen to me! Father, you can do anything. Don’t make me suffer by drinking from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want.” [Mark 14:32-36, CEV]
Now that’s what happened. Right before he was betrayed and arrested and ultimately executed, Jesus intentionally focused his attention not on himself but rather on God. And I think he did it by putting aside his personal ambition and submitting himself to God’s will. I mean, based on what he said, he didn’t want to “drink from this cup.” In other words, he didn’t want to suffer and die. He even said, “Father, if it is possible, don’t let this happen to me! Father, you can do anything. Don’t make me suffer by drinking from this cup.” Man, I don’t think he could have been clearer than that, Jesus wanted to live. And yet, he was able to put that desire aside, and completely submit himself to the will of God. Even though it meant death and he knew it, Jesus could say, “But do what you want, and not what I want.” Now, that’s what I call focused attention.
And you know, we can do the same thing ourselves. I mean, if we want God to be above everything else, if we want to feel that God is close, if we want to put him over any and all other gods, well, we may have to put aside some of our personal wants and desires, some our personal hopes and dreams, some of our personal assumptions and prejudices. And then, we may have to submit ourselves to the will of God, and I’m talking about submitting ourselves to the one who said, “If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it.” [Mark 8:34b-35, CEV] Now that’s what Jesus taught, and let me tell you, living this kind of life in our kind of world, man, it’s going to be challenging. And for that reason, I think we need to remember that we have access to the exact same thing Jesus used at Gethsemane to focus his attention. You see, we can pray. We can pray with honesty, telling God how we feel. And we can pray for clarity, seeking out the direction we should go. And we can pray for strength, asking for help as we do what we’ve been called to do. You see, we can keep God above everything else by focusing our attention, because that’s the second thing Jesus did.
And third, Jesus kept God above everything else by intentionally loving his Father. In other words, he did more than just resist the distractions. And he did more than just focus his attention. Jesus Christ decided to actually do what God had called and equipped him to do. In other words, he really did love the Lord God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. And I’ll tell you, in my opinion, that’s exactly what the Apostle Paul believed happened when he wrote this to the Philippians:
...think the same way that Christ Jesus thought:
Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain equal with God. Instead he gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us.
Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross. Then God gave Christ the highest place and honored his name above all others. [Philippians 2:5-9, CEV]
You see, along with avoiding the distractions and focusing his attention, Christ demonstrated his love for God by humbling himself and taking action. I mean, he gave up his authority and his power and his place, to become like one of us. And why did he do it? Why did he sacrifice so much? My gosh, why did he die on a cross? Well, as he said to Nicodemus, “And the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as the metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert. Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life. God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them!” [John 3:14-17, CEV] You see, Jesus gave everything he had, because he loved God just that much.
And you know, we can do the same. I mean, if we want God to be in the center of our lives, we can decide to love him with all our heart and soul and mind and strength. Of course, that’s not easy to do, because it’s going to take humility and let’s face it, we don’t live in a world that values humility or rewards humble people. But more than that, it’s also going to demand some action on our part. I mean, although words and promises have their place, love is demonstrated by those who pick up their crosses and follow. In other words, it’s shown by those who roll up their sleeves and actually do something for someone who needs their help. And doing that kind of thing, well, that ain’t easy, at least not for me. But here’s the good news: it’s not about me and it’s not about you. Loving God is about us. It’s about us studying together so that we can learn what God wants us to do and be. And it’s about us praying together so that we can experience the kind of power that can only come from the Holy Spirit. And it’s about us taking those directions and claiming that power and working together to make this a better congregation in a better community in a better world. I’m telling you, if we want to keep God above everything else, we’re going to need to love our heavenly Father, because that’s the third thing Jesus did.
And you know, when we do that, we’re really living the first commandment, and man, that’s important. You see, as we continue through the list, we’re going to see all kinds of ways we might love God and neighbor. And we’ll consider how each can shape our lives. But I’ll tell you, it really all starts with commandment number one, you know, the one that says, “Do not worship any god except me.” [Exodus 20:3, CEV] And I believe this is something we can do the minute we follow the example of Jesus Christ and decide to avoid the distractions and to focus our attention and to love our Father. As a matter of fact, I think it’ll put us in a much better position to claim and to apply something we’ll discuss next week, and I’m talking about the second commandment:
Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. Don’t bow down and worship idols. I am the Lord your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations. But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations. [Exodus 20:4-6, CEV]
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