Summary: God’s commandments are "for our good" -- not to keep us from fun, but to keep us from pain. This sermon is on Commandment #1. *HANDOUT INCLUDED*

For a CD of over 100 of sermons by Darrell Stetler II (most complete with handouts), please e-mail darrellstetler2@sbcglobal.net.

Preventing Unnecessary Pain In Your Life

SERIES INTRO

There are different kinds of pain that come into our lives.

1. Inevitable Pain: comes into our lives just because they are lives.

- You learn to walk, and you’re going to fall down.

- You eat, and you’re going to get sick sooner or later.

- Hurricanes hit the gulf coast.

2. Victim pain: comes into our lives because others do wrong.

- Someone drinks and drives, and someone is killed or crippled.

- Someone flies a plane into a building and many people die.

- Someone abuses/rapes, and people have scars forever.

3. Growing pain: comes into our lives to make us more like Jesus.

- “Pain with a purpose”

- Some sickness. (We talked about this last week.)

- Sometimes emotional pain of hurts and hangups.

Nothing can keep you out of these kinds of pain. But some pain is not like that at all. There’s a fourth category, and that’s what this series is about.

4. Unnecessary pain: comes into our lives because of mistakes and sins. (Mistakes and sins are not the same thing. Leaving your car door unlocked is a mistake. Disobeying a command of God written in the Bible is a sin. See 1 John 3:4)

How many of you have ever heard someone ask “Why did this happen?” How many of you have heard that question and known EXACTLY why it happened, and it was that person’s fault? Have you ever thought "I could tell you, if you’d listen...?"

Too often, people ask “Why?” when the answer is very clear. They were playing “Russian Roulette” with sin and lost.

With some kinds of pain, God sits in heaven, watches us hurting and sighs. . . “They could have stopped that from happening!”

I passed out a survey some months ago, asking people what things they’d like to hear talked about in our Sunday morning service. I had a question on that survey that said this: “Finish the sentence: ‘What do you say to someone when...’”

Guess what the #1 response to that one was?

“When they’re hurting themselves and everyone around them?”

Maybe you’ve lived with that person. Maybe you ARE that person!

Let me take a little survey: How many of you would say, “Darrell, if you could teach me principles of how to stay away from that pain, I’d love to learn them and apply them to my life!” *HANDS*

Well, good, because that’s what we’re going to do. You’ve got a lot of life ahead of you, and I want to share some principles with you that will keep you out of that 4th area of pain.

Let me say something right up front here: These sermons are for the believers who are here. If you’re not a believer, we want to respect you and give you the right to choose on YOUR timetable whether you want to be an all-out follower of Jesus Christ. But I want to give you the lowdown ahead of time – this is what you’re getting into. If you like the sound of it, great! Join up and take the journey with us. If not, I respect your right to make that decision, and I hope you’ll come back and hear the rest of what the Bible has to say.

Let’s begin with this Scripture:

Deuteronomy 10:12 "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?”

Now, circle the words FOR YOUR GOOD. That tells us something. First of all, God is not a tyrant in the sky. . . he’s not doing this just because he’s mean, or he doesn’t want you to have fun. He’s doing it because he knows that it is best for you.

God’s commands are not fences to keep you from fun.

God’s commands are fences to keep you from pain.

God knows what’s best, because he set up the universe with certain laws. Live within those laws, you live with very little unnecessary pain. Live outside them, and you mess up your life but good.

Let me give you some examples:

> If you jump off a 2 story building and shatter the bones in your legs, should you ask, “Why did God let this happen to me?” NO. You just didn’t live within the law that God set up.

> If you drive drunk, and wreck your car, should you ask “Why did God let this happen?” NO. You didn’t live within the laws that God set up.

> If you have sex outside of marriage, and you or your girlfriend winds up pregnant, should you ask “Why did God let this happen to me?”

> If you live one way all your life and then your kids disappoint you by living like you did, should you blame God?

> If you do drugs and wind up with physical problems, should you blame God?

When people say Christianity is all about rules, I always ask them, “OK – give me one you don’t like?” - Doug Fields

For this series, we’re discussing the 10 Commandments.

We’re beginning with the 1st one:

Exodus 20:1-3 “And God spoke all these words, saying: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.”

God gives them the reason for this before he even gives the command:

1. “Because of WHO I am.” (I am the LORD...)

God deserves to be first simply because He is God.

2. “Because of all I’ve done for you.” (brought you of the land of Egypt.)

God specifically mentions that he brought them out of bondage. For 400 years, the Jews had been slaves in Egypt. They had been there with the whips and the slave drivers. . .and they weren’t getting out on their own!

How many of you have been in bondage to something before – drugs, alcohol, tobacco, pornography, and many more – and you’re free from it today by God’s help? God deserves to be first in your life because of what He’s done for you.

Let me say right offhand that this is the most important command in the set.

But WHY? Why would God start off with this one?

– In the early 1990’s, several university professors passed out copies of the 10 Commandments to students and asked them to arrange the commandments in order of importance. Over 90% of the students rearranged the commandments and placed the commandments dealing with man’s relationship with his fellow man above the commandments dealing with man’s relationship with his God.

But the truth is this: Putting God first has to be the top priority if we’re going to live lives that are in harmony with the way he has put this world together. If you don’t have God first, it’s difficult not to want to steal something, or kill someone who’s done you wrong, or misuse God’s gift of sex.

TRUE or FALSE: Most people have God in first place in their life.

What are some things that people put in God’s place today?

- Money. - Sports.

- Pleasure. - Sex.

- Career. - Girlfriend/boyfriend.

Let’s talk about how to apply this to your life. There are several areas where God needs to be first. I’m going to use the word FIRST as an acronym.

(NOTE: I am using an adapted form of an acronym that I found from a sermoncentral.com user. I regret that I do not know the user or sermon title.)

F – Focus

A lady and her friend were having a conversation after church services. The lady asked her friend, “Did you notice that hat Myrtle was wearing?” The friend responded, “No.” The lady then asked, “Well, what about the coat that Hazel had on?” Again, her friend said, “No.” The lady then said, “Well, a lot of good it does you to go to church.”

“When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night hours.” (Psalm 63:6)

Who/What occupies your free time? Your thoughts?

I – Income

A modern biographer’s research includes reviewing his/her subject’s check stubs.

“The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives.” Deuteronomy 14:23 (TLB)

R – Relationships

“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.” (Proverbs 12:26)

What about your friendships? Do they lift you or drag you down? Are you influencing them in the right direction, or are they changing you?

What about your wife/girlfriend? Are you following God’s plan in that relationship, or are you valuing the relationship above obedience to God?

S – Security

A man in a hospital bed was told by his doctor told all that could be done now was to pray. The man responded by saying, “Oh no! Has it come to that?”

“Be my strong refuge, To which I may run continually... For You are my rock and my fortress.” (Palms 71:3)

T – Time

Another thing that a modern biographer checks is his/her subject’s appointment books.

“Making the most of every opportunity, because the days we live in are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16)

What if a husband were to tell his wife that he would be totally committed to her one day a week. Would she be happy?

How to know if God is first:

It’s not what you spend the most time on. (That would mean sleeping is first, work was second.)

It’s not what you give the most money to. (That would mean your house or food would be first.)

Here’s how to know:

1. Your God is the thing you love most.

2. Your God is the thing you serve gladly.

3. Your God is the thing that is non-negotiable.

If everything else in your life could possibly go, but God stays.

- Your job - Your friends - Your family

- Your hobby - Your habits -

Dawson Trotman, the founder of the Christian organization “Navigators”, used to go to bed at 10:00. He did that because he got up early each morning to pray. When he was with someone, and 10:00 rolled around, he’d pass out magazines, and say "Folks, I’m going to bed. You can stay here as long as you want. I’ve got an appointment with God tomorrow morning and, frankly, my appointment with God is the most important thing in my life."

______________________________

Handout

______________________________

Preventing Unnecessary Pain In Your Life

#1 - Put God First

Four different categories of pain:

1. Inevitable Pain: comes into our lives just because they are ___________.

2. Victim pain: comes into our lives because ____________ do wrong.

3. Growing pain: comes into our lives to make us more like ____________.

4. Unnecessary pain: comes into our lives because of _____________ and __________.

"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?” Deuteronomy 10:12-13

God’s commands are not fences to keep you from ___________.

God’s commands are fences to keep you from ______________.

When people say Christianity is all about rules, I always ask them, “OK – give me one you don’t like?” - Doug Fields

“And God spoke all these words, saying: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:1-3)

Why God says you need to put Him first:

1. “Because of ________ __________ _________..”

"I am the LORD your God...”

2. “Because of ________ _________ __________ for you.”

“...who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

How to put God FIRST:

F – ________________

“When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night hours.” (Psalm 63:6)

I – ________________

“The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives.” (Deuteronomy 14:23, TLB)

R – ____________________

“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.” (Proverbs 12:26)

S – ________________

“Be my strong refuge, To which I may run continually... For You are my rock and my fortress.” (Palms 71:3)

T – ____________

“Making the most of every opportunity, because the days we live in are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16)

Here’s how to know if God is first:

1. Your God is the thing you ___________ most.

2. Your God is the thing you ______________ gladly.

3. Your God is the thing that is non-__________________.