New Summer Series – The 10 Commandments for Today’s World

New Summer Series – The 10 Commandments for Today’s World
by
June 02, 2026

This Sunday, June 7th, we will start a new summer series titled “The 10 Commandments for Today’s World.” God gave Moses the Ten Commandments centuries ago on Mount Sinai. These rules would govern the relationship between God and the Israelites for years to come. Are we still abiding by them today? When Moses came down the mountain after being away for a while, the people were worshipping a golden calf. Consider the irony of that image. I am recommending a great book by Stanley Hauerwas and Will Willimon to go with the series.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “A person will worship something, have no doubt. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.” Tim Keller writes: “What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and your imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living.” There are plenty of idols and counterfeit gods in our lives that we turn to for security and meaning on a regular basis. Here are some of the most common ones:

SELF: Many think life revolves around them and are only concerned with their own needs. The concept of putting others first does not even begin to cross their mind. Christians are called to deny self in the midst of a selfish culture.

MONEY: Friedrich Nietzsche once predicted that Western culture would soon replace God with money. To a large degree, he was right. We live in a world where it’s all about money. Those who don’t have any money want more, and those who have plenty fear losing it. There are very few things in our world that motivate people as much as money. To some degree, it’s understandable because it takes money to pay for basic necessities in life like food, shelter, clothing, and education. But misunderstandings about money abound in our culture. It does not solve all problems. If it’s true that wealth brings about ultimate happiness and satisfaction, then shouldn’t the wealthiest people in our culture today be the happiest and the most satisfied? Jesus didn’t say you can’t be wealthy. He said, “You cannot serve both God and wealth.”

SOCIAL STATUS: We want to know the right people, be in the right place, go to the right parties, send our kids to the right schools, have the right connections. We treat certain people differently if we think they will help us climb the ladder. Jesus didn’t seem to be too concerned about social status. He challenged authorities. He hung around the rich and the poor. Sometimes, we’re way too concerned about it.

PHYSICAL BEAUTY: It’s amazing how much time and money we will spend trying to make ourselves look young and beautiful. Many people are much more concerned with outer beauty than inner beauty. Remember, humans look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

CHILDREN: Many parents give their children everything they want, protect them from failure at all costs, but forget that their primary role is to be their parents first, and not just their buddy.

MATERIAL THINGS: Houses, cars, TV’s, furniture, designer clothing, shoes, purses, handbags, jewelry, watches – all the things that we think we have to have to keep up, to be happy and satisfied, but the joke is always on us. We get this stuff, but it never satisfies us. We always want more.

POLITICS: When partisan politics from either side gets in the way of logic and sound decision-making, we have a problem. Sometimes we are so blinded by political ideology that we refuse to think for ourselves.

WORK & CAREER: Usually our intentions are good, but we can quickly lose our sense of balance and find ourselves living to work rather than working to live. Rarely will you hear somebody on their deathbed say, “I wish I had spent more time at the office.” Workaholics usually sacrifice something at home.

DRAMA & CONFLICT: There are some people in life who thrive on drama and conflict. They are always out to pick a fight. If everything is going well, if it’s a peaceful time, then you don’t see them. Living in community and interacting with other people is not always easy. But the more peaceful and understanding we can be, the better.

God speaks to us through the Ten Commandments: “You shall have no other gods before me.” The Israelites made a golden calf. How are we doing?

Blessings,
Clay

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