9.9.24

We are continuing our series on the Attributes of God. And this week we move on to see that God is supreme. He is God and we are not! And we will be looking at passages in Exodus 20:1-6 and Romans 1:21-32.

Built in the to DNA of the human heart is the capacity to latch on to things outside of ourselves in order to find meaning, purpose, joy and delight. This is a capacity purposely put there by God, because he designed us to find all this in a relationship with him.

But the nature of sin is such that this capacity is turned away from God - and toward anything else - in order to find that joy and satisfaction. And when we do, it creates what the Bible calls idolatry. The seductive lie that drives this pursuit is the promise of freedom and happiness. But the inevitable result is always slavery.

As the 10 commandments are laid out, it’s showing us the power that idols have over our hearts. And the loss of power that we have as people because of them. Idols are always enslaving. And these commands are calling us back to the true God. Back to the freedom and joy we were designed for.

This whole process is called worship. Infatuation. Delight. Adoration. We don’t just “notice” things, we are captivated by them. We fill our hearts with them in the hopes that they can fill us. But they never do.

And so these are pictures for us of self-discovery. It explains why we chase after certain things. It tells us why we are so frustrated with life, distraught at times, and shouting with delight at others. It explains our passions and hobbies. Our obsessions and hopes and dreams. In short, this is the foundational source of all our problems.

The truth is: you were made to find joy and satisfaction in God. The lie is: that you can find it on your own apart from him. And the battle is for your allegiance - where will you turn for life?