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Jack Graham: We as his redeemed people who name the name of Jesus, we have been redeemed. Remember the Christian life is not a list of do's and don'ts, we are not saved by keeping the commandments.

Guest (Male): On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about how the Ten Commandments still have relevance today. Now here's Dr. Graham with his message, One Nation Under God.

Jack Graham: Exodus chapter 20 is where you find the first reference to the Ten Commandments in the Bible. The Ten Commandments are foundational to the moral ethical law of Western civilization. And with Western civilization, of course, America. America is a nation of laws, laws of liberty. We have a constitution and a declaration.

We have a biblical worldview in this country, at least in terms of the basic principles upon which our nation thrives and survives. And the Ten Commandments is the basis of all of this. Ten Commandments, 286 words in English. Just ten, but try as you may you could not think of an eleventh commandment. Because the commandments of God are clear, they are concise and they are comprehensive.

They are just as relevant as they have always been. The Ten Commandments, so vital, so essential to any person, not just a nation, but to every person on earth. The Ten Commandments and yet so many people don't even know what the Ten Commandments are. Only 14% of Americans can name the Ten Commandments. Probably less if you ask them to do it in order.

40% can name a few, but that means 60% of Americans can't name you one commandment. And why don't we know the Ten Commandments? Maybe you haven't thought about them in a while, you should. Maybe you've never been taught the commandments. But you don't know what God has said in terms of the rules for life, the rules for living.

But Christians, we need to know and understand the significance of God's law. Because with God's law comes real freedom. It is with the commandments of God that we learn the truth of God and how to live our lives. And they are a perfect ten that still come thundering from Mount Sinai where God gave us the commandments. Moses didn't write the Ten Commandments, he only delivered them.

And when we see the law and study the laws of God's word and of the Ten Commandments, that's when we begin to understand what am I to do, how am I to make decisions about life and my lifestyle, what is right and what is wrong. And it is in the Ten Commandments that we come face to face with our own failure to keep the commandments.

We come face to face with our own sin because we have broken the commandments of God, all of them. You say, not me, I've not committed all of them. Well, in spirit and in substance I would say most have broken all the commandments of God. Because Jesus took a deep dive with the commandments. What, I've never murdered anyone? Well Jesus took it deeper.

He said, if you harbor hatred, if you live with a hate-filled heart, you are committing murder in your heart. He said concerning adultery, he said you commit adultery when you live in lust. God writes it down as adultery. And Jesus did not disobey the commandments, he's the perfect son of God and he did not disallow them. In other words, Jesus came to fulfill the commandments of God.

He didn't take them away, he took them up. In fact, Jesus said if you love me, keep my commandments. The commandments that he gave to his disciples and the commandments that God has given throughout his word. And we have this moral law of God. You say, I thought the Ten Commandments was for the Old Testament, I thought the Ten Commandments were for the Jews. No.

All of including Jesus, all of the New Testament writers mention the commandments of God. All of the commandments are reiterated and amplified in the New Testament as well as the Old Testament. Why? Because the moral law of God transcends time. The moral law of God is applicable. We don't need to modify the Ten Commandments, we need to clarify the Ten Commandments.

Now we live in a generation of people who, many who name the name of Christ, who are casual, carnal, and what does that produce? That produces the chaos we have in our culture and in our society. Because now what has happened among Christian people and Christian churches, many churches, is that we've grown tolerant of what is wrong. We've gotten used to the darkness.

We live in a world in which the Ten Commandments, I mean there was a time when most everybody conceded that it's always wrong to tell a lie, it's always wrong to steal, it's always wrong to murder, it's always wrong to commit adultery. That was a consensus viewpoint for years and years in this country. But now you have to defend the commandments. Because we have a generation, as in the scripture, that says woe to you, in the book of Isaiah, woe to you that call good evil and evil good.

Situational ethics came along in the 1960s. I remember when the first time I was taught in university the meaning of situational ethics. Some of you in the 60s and maybe later, I don't know what we're calling it these days, but situational ethics. In other words, if you're taking the commandments, you shall not commit adultery ordinarily, you shall not steal ordinarily, you shall not lie ordinarily, unless it fits the ethic of what you need to do.

If you need to change things, change it because according to the situation it's never exactly right or exactly wrong, you have to find a middle ground and sometimes you have to cheat a little bit to live. That's situational ethics and it doesn't work. Some people believe that the laws of God, the commandments of God are oppressive, others believe they're obsolete. But the Ten Commandments are not obsolete, they're absolute. God's truth.

We are a nation of laws and a constitution as I've said and throughout our history, many of our founders and framers and presidents have spoken of our biblical foundation and what made America America. And some of these leaders have spoken of the Ten Commandments. I grabbed a couple of quotes. One from one of my favorite presidents, Ronald Reagan. Here's what President Reagan said, the Ten Commandments are the basis of all morality and justice.

And then Dwight Eisenhower who led the D-Day invasion, liberated Europe, became President of the United States. He was president when I was a child. This quote is sometimes attributed to James Madison but it was actually given by Dwight Eisenhower. It says, we have staked the whole future of American civilization upon the capacity of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.

We have a country that no longer understands what God has said. And the result, what's the result in many young people's lives? This lawlessness. This life without rules. I mean, who wants to play a game without rules? But God gave us the commandments to love and to cherish, to treasure and to keep for our good. And remember, for every negative there is a positive.

So when God says you should not do this, he's saying you should do that, and the that that God tells us to do is always a good thing, it's how we are to live. That's why the Psalmist said in Psalm 1, stay away from the cynics and the critics, don't hang out with them. He says, but my love is for the law of God, I delight in God's law. So love and cherish and celebrate the laws of God in your life.

Where are you going to get your morality? How are you going to make the choices about life? Where do you get your information? From the influencers, from the podcasters, from social media, from music, from media, movies? That's where so many today are getting their untruth instead of God's truth. Paul said it in Romans chapter 1, they've turned the light into darkness.

Who among us would say that our society is more dangerous and less loving than it's ever been at least in our lifetime? The first twenty verses of Exodus 20 show them all. Number one, you shall have no other gods before me. Number two, you shall not make for yourselves an idol or a graven image. Number three, you shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. Number four, remember the Sabbath day.

Number five, we turn the corner. The first four are vertical, our relationship with God, how we relate to God. The last six have to do with our relationship with others and it starts, it turns on the hinge of family right at the center which says, honor your father and your mother. And then number six, you shall not murder. Number seven, you shall not commit adultery. Number eight, you shall not steal. Number nine, you shall not lie or bear false witness. And number ten, you shall not covet. So there they are.

Guest (Male): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, One Nation Under God. We are excited to share that we have a new way to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content.

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So this month we want to say thanks for your gift of $10 or more to help share the biblical truth with more people around the world by sending you Dr. Jack Graham's book, Ask. In this encouraging resource, Dr. Graham helps you discover that prayer is not about performance. It's about knowing God personally and learning to come to him with confidence, persistence, and faith.

Text JULY to 59789 to give today and request your copy. Again, text JULY to 59789. Now let's get back to today's message, One Nation Under God.

Jack Graham: The commandment number one, no other gods. Back to the text itself in the first three verses. It says, and God spoke, this is verse 1 of Exodus 20, and God spoke all these words. So where do you get your laws from? God. Moses didn't give these, 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 slavery, you shall have no other gods before me.

Obviously, this is the first and foremost of the commandments. That God himself is the law maker and the life giver and the liberator. And the commandments are authorized not as a social construct or a human ethic, but God who is described here as God Elohim, Lord Yahweh, who is king and who is redeemer. The one who has brought us out of slavery.

Like he brought the children of Israel out of slavery, we as his redeemed people who name the name of Jesus, we have been brought out, we have been redeemed. Remember the Christian life is not a list of do's and don'ts, we are not saved by keeping the commandments. First of all, no one could keep them. We've all broken them as we said. You break just one of them and you're guilty of all according to James.

And so at the beginning of the commandments, there is God. So this is not a best practices choose if you like an opinion, these are the rules that are made by Yahweh, the one and only one who is God. And because we want to have a right relationship with God, we have a proper understanding of the Ten Commandments. Second commandment, it sounds like the first commandment, where it says you shall not make idols or graven images.

You say, well whew, man, I haven't done that one because I've never made an idol. You know, not out of wood or not out of stone or not out of metal. Now the Bible is full of idols. But don't think of idols as just being, it can be this, but not just being statues or exotic temples or icons or carved pieces of wood or metal or some religious temple. Don't think of that as being an idol.

Nor should you think of, or just that that is an idol, I should say, that that's the only kind of idol, we have those kinds. But neither should you think that this commandment not to make graven images means that we should not have beautiful art or statues or replicas, symbols that represent our faith. If that was the case, God would have broken his own commandments because there was a lot of beautiful art and symbols in the temple and in the tabernacle.

But we don't worship these images. They remind us of who God is. And we reflect upon what God has done. When you see a cross, but you know you can take a symbol and make it the substance. I mean, if you've got a crucifix, some people like to hold a cross or a crucifix and many times, not all the time, but many times people use a little crucifix like it's a talisman, like it's a good luck charm and in effect worship it as a little god.

Some people worship their traditions. You see the first commandment is about who God is. I am the Lord your God who redeemed you, brought you out of. The second commandment is how we worship God. Not with idols, not with the god of our own imagination. So many people have made their own little gods in their own image. Human gods, religious gods, personal gods, my god of choice like a cafeteria line.

So some worship their traditions, whether it's their denomination or even the way we sing songs. Well, I don't like all those new songs we're singing, or I don't like those old songs we're singing. Some people worship their church. Love your church, but don't worship your church. Paul says you turn from idols to serve the one true God. You turn from idols to serve the one true God.

And before he died, among his last words to Christians, the aged apostle John kind of summed it up in 1 John 5, dear little children, talking to us like a parent or a grandparent, dear little children, keep yourself from idols. Worship the God of revelation, not the god of somebody's imagination. Christians took on the idols of the Greco-Roman world. The philosophies, the political movement of the Romans.

Idols were everywhere when Paul and his little band of believers took off on those missionary journeys. When those disciples scattered around the world as Jesus told them in the power of the Holy Spirit, they took on all these gods, all these idols. Christians refused to bow down to Caesar. It's either worship Caesar or die. So many died because they refused to bow down to the gods of the age, in their age.

And you know what? They toppled with the power of the gospel, all these old deities. These Roman and Greek deities and now just they're in the dustbin of history. But Jesus lives. And the gospel is power. Third commandment, and that is honor God's name. Honor God's name. Says, do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

In vain means to misuse or to abuse his name. A person's name is very important. In fact, Dale Carnegie, if you want a good book about human relations and get along with people, read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I think the first chapter says, everybody loves the sound of their own name. So learn to speak people's names and know their names and call their names because everybody likes their name.

Your name represents you, your reputation, your character. A good name is according to the Proverbs is to be chosen rather than great riches. So you don't want someone to take your good name and abuse it or misuse it in some way. Now when it comes to the name of God, his name is a holy name. When Jesus taught us to pray, he began with these words, our father who art in heaven, hallowed, holy is your name.

And so never abuse God's name. Say, how would I do that? Well of course the first thing we all think of is profanity. To use the name of God profanely, to blaspheme his name, to curse, to swear, using his name as an expletive. Watch your mouth because out of the heart the mouth speaks. And if you abuse and take the name of the Lord the holy God in vain, I feel sorry for you because a great judgment is coming.

That is not only ignorant, it's insulting to a holy God. In fact, no way can you be saved if you consistently abuse the name of God in profanity. No way that characterizes a true believer and Christian and follower of Jesus. It also speaks, this word vanity, of trivializing or frivolity. Let's use that word, frivolity. That's a word you hadn't heard in a while, frivolity.

That is, the word vanity here means making it meaningless, make it empty. Speak it and don't mean anything by it. You know, there's power in the name of God, there's power in the name of Jesus. That's why we're to pray in his name, that's why we're to praise his name, that's why we're to proclaim his name. There's great glory. And remember the commandments, for every negative there's a positive.

We are to not take the name of the Lord in vanity, we're to take it in victory and there's victory in the name of Jesus. But to belittle it, say how would you belittle God's name? By saying things like this, well I just want to thank the man upstairs. Or, I thank the big guy in the sky. Or, Jesus is my homeboy. How about OMG?

Even writing OMG, you know that means Oh my God. How many times do people say Oh my God or take the name of Jesus in a way that is empty? Say, well I don't mean anything by that, doesn't mean anything. That is the point. You use and abuse and misuse the name of God in a meaningless, empty way. Good Lord.

And then one final thing, you can break this commandment with hypocrisy. As Christians, we wear the name Christian. We bear his name. In fact, the earliest believers in the book of Acts were called followers of the Way. They weren't even called Christians until later when at Antioch they were first called Christians. I believe in the 11th chapter of Acts. So they didn't have, why did they start calling them Christians?

The outside world looked at them and said you people remind us of Christ. You remind me of Jesus. And thus the name Christian. But if I carry that name and besmirch it or belittle it or I'm hypocritical, I don't live according to the laws, I'm not talking about perfection here, but the direction of your life is Christian. You love the name, you live the name because at this name every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Praise his name, embrace his name, love his name, but never abuse or misuse the name of our precious savior and our God.

Guest (Male): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, One Nation Under God. We want to remind you about a powerful resource Dr. Jack Graham has created to help strengthen your prayer life. It's his book, Ask. This practical and encouraging book explores Jesus's invitation to ask, seek, and knock, helping you discover that prayer is not about saying the right words, but about growing closer to your heavenly father through faith-filled relationship.

When you give today to support the outreach of PowerPoint Ministries, you'll help share biblical truth and the life-changing hope of Jesus with people around the world through broadcasts, podcasts, and digital ministry. So be sure to request your copy of Ask as our thanks for your gift of $10 or more. Text JULY to 59789. Again, text JULY to 59789.

So that everyone has a chance to receive this helpful resource, please limit one per household. We're excited to share that we have a new way to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content.

To join, start a new text conversation by texting CONNECT to 59789. Again, text CONNECT to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: Three questions worth sitting with before we end this program. First, is there anything or anyone that has moved closer to the center of your life than God? Not necessarily a statue, not something you would ever call a god, but something you trust more, think about more, build your sense of security around more than him. That's the first commandment made personal.

Second, have you let the forms of faith become a substitute for the presence of God himself? Tradition, preference, routine, none of those are wrong in themselves, but any of them can quietly become what we're really devoted to. The second commandment isn't just about statues, it's about anything we've built up in place of him.

Third, does your life make the name of Jesus larger or smaller in the eyes of the people watching you? Because we don't just speak his name, we carry it every day in how we talk, how we treat people, how we live when no one is looking. We are either honoring or misusing the name we bear. These aren't ancient rules chiseled in stone for another people in another time.

They are a mirror and if you look honestly, you see exactly what you need. Not condemnation, but a savior. The commandments were never meant to save you, they were meant to show you who can. Only Jesus can save you and only he can bring you true freedom.

Guest (Male): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift to PowerPoint, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, Ask. Just text JULY to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how you can find rest even in the busy times of life. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.