Trusting & Delighting in Our God (1st Commandment) — Law Homily

Now today, as we do come before the law of God, we come back around to the first commandment, which we read in Exodus chapter 20 at verse three.

And that commandment reads, thou shalt not have no other gods before me. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

The first commandment calls us not only to reject false gods but to rest the whole soul in the living

God. To believe him is to receive his word as true. To trust him is to lean our weight on his promises.

To hope in him is to expect good from his hand, even when we cannot see the outcome or can't predict what that outcome might look like.

To delight and rejoice in God is to find our gladness in him, not merely in the gifts that he gives to us.

This means that the first commandment is not only about what we refuse in worship, or what we refuse to worship, but it is also about where we place the center of our lives.

Idolatry is not always a carved image. It can be control, it can be approval, comfort, reputation, or the illusion that we can secure our own future for ourselves or for our family.

But the Lord says, thou shalt have no other gods before me because he alone is worthy of the whole heart.

And so this commandment asks where our hearts are anchored. When fear presses in, do we run to control or we run to trust the

Lord? When the future feels uncertain, do we despair or do we hope in his goodness?

When God blesses us, do we boast in ourselves or do we rejoice in him alone?

Scripture says in Psalm 37, verse three, trust in the Lord and do good. And again, in Romans 15, 13, now the

God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing. And the psalmist also says in Psalm 37 at verse four, delight thyself also in the

Lord. And Peter speaks of those who, though they have not seen Christ, yet believing you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

These are not separate duties, right? But they are one holy posture of heart towards God.

As the larger catechism puts it, part of the duties required in this command are believe in God and trusting, hoping, delighting and rejoicing in him.

Faith rests in God's character. Hope looks to his promises. Joy rises from his goodness and delight is the soul's agreement that God himself is better than every rival.

It's an amen posture of life, it agrees. The first commandment therefore calls us to a settled, cheerful confidence that the

Lord is enough, that his word is sure. His providence is wise and his mercy is better than life.

But too often, I think, that we Christians make ourselves to be misers, right? Barely making it through the difficulties of life and just hoping for a better day.

And we should, right? We obviously have this great hope that we look forward to in the resurrection, right?

We should look forward to that fuller kingdom. But we cannot let our hope for the future lull us into thinking that rejoicing is something that we do tomorrow.

Christ has come that we may have life and life more abundant and that life today, right? Therefore, we are to be a joyful people today for this is the day that the

Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it, amen? And so let us not merely avoid idols, right?

If we want to obey this command, we can't just, it's not just about avoiding idols, but let us love the true

God. Let us love Him, rejoice in Him, believe in Him, right?

Let us love the true God with a believing heart, a trusting heart, a hoping heart, and a rejoicing heart.

This is the life that the first commandment requires of you. Faith that clings to God and joy that finds its home in Him.

And so if you're able, I'd invite you to join me in kneeling as we confess our sin to our

God and acknowledge that we often fail to believe, trust, hope, delight, and rejoice in Him and asking that He would strengthen our hearts for praise.

Our gracious God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed. We have trusted ourselves, followed our own desires, and failed to love you as we ought.

Lord, in our short -sightedness, it's easy for us to forget your many kindnesses to us, to lose the joy that we should live in as your redeemed people.

Lord, we ask that you would strengthen us in faith, that you would continually restore to us the joy of your salvation.

Father, forgive us, we ask for Jesus' sake. Cleanse us by His blood and renew us by your

Spirit that we may walk in humble obedience and joyful faith in Him. Amen.

Amen. If you would, please stand with me now as the forgiven people of God who by the work of Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone can stand confidently before the throne of grace.

Hear these words from your God who assures you that you are His and He has granted pardon over you forevermore from Psalm 23 at verse three.

He restoreth my soul, He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

The Lord has granted forgiveness to us in the name of Jesus Christ. He has restored our souls and He has saved us from the estate of sin and misery and grants to us life in His name.

And we know that this pardon is sure for us, that this is not something that we will lose or something that we can misplace because God Himself leads us in the paths of righteousness, right?

This is our assurance, not that we believe, but that God has saved us. That is our assurance.

And God's word speaks that to us. He has declared it over us. He will preserve His people.

He has restored our souls and He leads us in the paths of righteousness for not for our name's sake, for His name's sake.