Scary Bible 3 // None Other Than God
Last Week: A Corrupted Culture
- Pride, arrogance, and laziness led to other sins
- God longs to restore us from our sinful idolatry
This week: None other than God
Exodus 20:3-6 (NLT) | You must not have any other god but me. ‘You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
Our Jealous God
- Envy: wanting what belongs to someone else
- Jealousy: holding tightly to what is yours and desired by someone else
Nebuchadnezzar and the Golden Statue from Daniel 3
Our Corrupted Culture Takes Advantage of Godly Values
- Submit to authority
- Romans 13:1-2 (NLT) | Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.
- What if it’s a Contradiction?
- Acts 5:29 (NLT) | “But Peter and the apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority.’”
- Stand against Injustice
- Micah 6:8 (NLT) | No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
God Shows up for You
- Isaiah 43:2-3a (NLT) | When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Hope and Help
- Don’t let our corrupted culture turn you away from God
- Live with a life of obedience and holiness
- Trust God with you when life is hot and/or hard
Reflection Questions
- What is the difference between envy and jealousy? How does this point to the spiritual warfare between God and the devil?
- God wants us to submit to the authorities. What are we to do, however, when the authorities require things contradictory to our faith?
- How did the three friends from Daniel 3 exemplify this in their interaction with King Nebuchadnezzar? What was the result of their bravery?
- You are called to have an “even-if” faith. What does this mean?
- What does God’s promise to be with you in the hot and hard times mean to you? Discuss when you have experienced this previously? Think about your testimony and how you might help another with your own story?
