Sand Mountain Sermonette 65
Exodus 20:2-3; Commandments 1-4; Commandments 5-10
Big Herb!
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery (bondage). You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Exodus 20:2-3
There was a family living in my hometown when I was growing up that was to be commended! The father owned and operated a big feed store, the mom was very sweet and kind, and their three sons were excellent football players. As a matter of fact, John, the older son, would play for the New England Patriots and the middle son, “Charlie,” would play pro for Tampa Bay. And I had the privilege of playing Pee Wee football with both Charlie and the youngest son, David. And boy oh boy, could they put you on the ground! But perhaps the neatest thing was their father, “Big Herb,” who played professional football for Chicago back in the day.
I will never forget the night our Pee Wee team was playing at our regular field in Albertville, Alabama, and I was playing as a defensive lineman. The other team had possession of the ball and their running back was pinned next to the sideline by one of our defensive linemen who had fallen on the ground attempting to stop him but had only managed to have grabbed hold of his feet! So, as their man was about to break and as I rounded the offensive line and was almost there to assist in bringing this man down, I saw “Big Herb” out of the corner of my eye on the side line moving his big arms together in a “tackle fashion” yelling, “Hit 'em Louie!” Hit 'em!” And I did! And he came down right inside the sideline for a down!
One has referred to the Ten Commandments as “The Big Ten!” And the first commandment sets the stage for the others which apply to our lives both vertically: [God to man, Commandments 1-4] and those which apply horizontally [person to person, Commandments 5-10]. But the truth is, God who gave us these commandments to keep in check lying, stealing, adultery, etc., gave them to us for specific reason: because, whether we like it or not personally or as a society, we need absolutes or we will not only fracture as a society, but will also miss God’s blessings such as salvation, peace, and contentment in life!
Put it this way, what if there were no sideline markers on a football playing field! What if the pee wee running back, or an NFL running back for that matter, upon receiving the football and so as not to be tackled, decided to run up through the concession stand, out into the parking lot, around to the other side, and then, back down through the concession area and back onto the field to score a touchdown in the end zone! Would the coaches, the players, and the fans go for that? Not at all! The truth is, we want to live our lives by our own will and way which, without Christ, ultimately leads to disappointment, frustration, and loneliness of soul. Will you choose to exchange the world system’s false promises for God’s absolutes found in His word? When you do, you will discover true freedom and blessings in life that only He can provide and longs to do so in your life now and forever?
Pastor Louie