For When You Know You Should Trust God, But Don't (On The First Commandment)

I’ve never been tempted to bow down and worship a golden calf. I’ve never melted down Kim’s jewelry, shaped it into livestock, set it on the dining room table, and danced around in circles hoping to somehow make God happy. But I have definitely been tempted to believe that if I just had a little more money, a few more people in church, and get to meet my grandkids before I die, then everything’s going to be okay.

I can stand up here and give a watertight sermon about trusting God on a Sunday morning, and then spend Sunday afternoon low-key panicking about the success of NewChurch. How many people weren’t here—watch our bank account suck air. Wonder if that one family who hasn't been here in three weeks is mad at me. I tell all of you to cast your anxieties on the Lord, and then I wake up at 3 AM wondering what we can do to reach more people. I don’t really worry about much else. 

Hit me like a high speed train this week. Probably because I’m going to talk about the 1st Commandment today and the devil wants to make sure I break it real good before I get up here. So, don’t worry, I most certainly did. 

I know God's in control. My job is to keep planting seeds and trust Him with the results. I know. I've listened to my sermons, too. But apparently, I also think everything is going to fall apart the second I stop worrying about it. I don’t have any golden statues of gods in my house. But there’s plenty of things that will absolutely ruin my day if they don’t go the way I want them to. Which raises a pretty uncomfortable question: What does it actually mean to have another god?

None of us get through life without putting our trust somewhere. We’re hardwired to look for something or someone to assure us that everything’s going to be okay.

We live in a culture that absolutely congratulates itself for not believing in God anymore. Like we’ve evolved past all that ancient religious superstition. But even if we say we don’t believe in God, we haven’t stopped worshiping. We’ve just found new gods. We just put our trust in bank accounts, and gym memberships, and everything else in the world instead of Jesus.

What do we look to for assurance that our life is working? For a lot of us, it's money. We honestly believe if we have enough saved, if that retirement account hits the magic number, we'll be safe. The world can burn down around us, but our 401(k) will protect us from the fire.

Or maybe it's our family. As long as the kids are doing well and our spouse is happy, life is good. Or maybe we live for the approval of other people. If people like me, if they validate me, then I matter. If enough people like my Instagram photos or TikTok videos or if I have enough Facebook friends, then I'm somebody.

What are you afraid of losing? What do you love more than anything else? What do you trust to make sure everything's okay?

None of those things are necessarily bad. They're incredible gifts from God. But good gifts make terrible gods. We're always tempted to make idols out of good things.

We're a couple weeks into our series on Luther's Small Catechism. Not so we can win at Lutheran Trivia Pursuit, but to go deeper into the basics of our faith. The first section covers the Ten Commandments—God's moral law, written on every human heart. They're not just rules; they're the way life is supposed to work. We break them at great peril to ourselves and the others in our lives. Today we're tackling the First Commandment.

The text is Exodus chapter 20. But before God gives Moses a single rule, He says this:

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Exodus 20:2

Before God tells them what to do, He reminds them what He's already done. Salvation comes before commandments. Grace comes before Law. He doesn't say, "Have no other gods, and maybe I'll rescue you." He says, "I already rescued you. You're my people."

God’s commandments aren’t a ladder we climb up to Him to make Him love us. They describe the life He wants His people to live. First He saves them, then He gives the First Commandment:

“You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3

He’s not just telling them to not make statues. He’s also not saying, “You can have other gods, just put me in the top spot.” He’s saying, “I don’t want any of your stupid gods in my face.” He doesn’t want to be your favorite god among a bunch of other gods. He’s not asking you to make sure He gets first place on Sunday mornings before the NFL pregame show starts. He’s declaring He alone is God.

Luther, in the Small Catechism, asks the question: What does this mean? And his answer gets under everything and goes straight to the heart. We should memorize his answer, it will serve us well. Luther said, “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” Say that with me: We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

These are the three dimensions of what it means to have a god. Fear: What has the greatest power over you? Whose judgment matters most? What are you most afraid of losing? Love: What do you treasure above everything else? What do you believe will satisfy your heart? Trust: Where do you turn when everything goes wrong? What are you counting on to save you?

Luther also said, “Whatever has your heart and your trust is truly your god.”

Remember the story of the Ten Commandments? Israel didn't waste any time breaking them. By the time we get to Exodus 32, Moses is up on the mountain receiving more of God's instructions, and the people down below are already making themselves another god. The mountain is on fire, there's a massive storm, it's terrifying—God in all His awesomeness on display. Moses walks right into it and is gone longer than they expected. Think about this: They had just been delivered from Egypt through spectacular, undeniable miracles. God in all His raw glory is right in front of them. But Moses took too long, and the people got scared. So they did the only logical thing they could think of... They melted down a bunch of gold and made a cow to worship.

The crazy thing is, they didn’t necessarily believe they were abandoning God. Moses’ brother Aaron, the High Priest, even called it a festival "to the LORD." They wrapped their idolatry in religious language. Because a god you can see and control is a lot more comfortable than a God you have to trust by faith.

And we think they were so dumb but we’ve been building golden calves ever since.

We make false gods out of all kinds of shiny things but they will always fail us. 

Money promises security, but the market crashes, inflation spikes, and it can all disappear tomorrow. Success promises significance, but the goalpost always moves; it never says we’ve finally done enough. Approval promises acceptance, but people are fickle, and they'll change their minds about us when someone better comes along. Control seems like safety, but we can’t even control the traffic on the way to work, or the weather, let alone what else happens.

Even the people we love most can't carry the weight of being our god. God commands us to worship Him alone because He's actually God—the source of everything good. When we turn our kids into gods, we put a weight on them they were never meant to carry. When we turn our marriage into a god, we demand something from our spouse that no human being can possibly deliver. A relationship can't save your soul. A career can't give you everlasting worth. And a gym membership isn't going to put off death forever.

We love to fool ourselves. We’re tempted to think the Ten Commandments are mostly about avoiding the big, obvious, egregious sins. We tell ourselves we’re doing okay if we haven't murdered anybody, didn’t rob a bank this week—haven't cheated on our spouse.
But Luther understood all the other commandments flow from the first one. If we actually feared, loved, and trusted God above everything else, we'd want to keep all His commandments because we'd trust that His ways are good. And when we break the other commandments, we're breaking the First one, too.

Think about it. Why do we lie? Because we're afraid of what somebody might think of us. We fear their judgment more than God's. Why do we steal? Because we trust all that stuff to make us happy more than we trust God to provide for us. Why do we dishonor our parents? Because we think we know better than the authorities God has placed over us.

It's all idolatry. Every sin is ultimately a First Commandment problem.

“You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” Matthew 22:37

And we're like, "I mean, I don't know about all that. I guess I kinda like God for the most part."

But have we feared God above all things? Loved Him above all things? Trusted Him above all things? Not just when life was easy and our bank accounts were full. Above all things at all times and in all places.

None of us can honestly answer yes.

The First Commandment utterly destroys our illusion of being pretty good. And it isn't just accusing us of loving bad, destructive evil things. It’s worse than that, it’s accusing us of loving good things more than God. Loving the things He gives us more than we love Him. Like a spoiled brat on Christmas who treats their parents like crap while they’re selfishly holding onto the amazing present they just opened. Underneath all our anxiety, under our desperate grasping for health, worrying about our families, and our finances, is the arrogant desire to be our own god. We only want God if He’s going to bless our plans, protect our comfort, approve our sin, and keep life from getting too hard. We want His help, but we don’t want to surrender our control.

We fear losing money more than we fear offending God. We love the approval of other people more than we love the One who created us. We trust our ability to manage our lives more than we trust the Lord who sustains us. Our biggest problem is we want to sit on God’s throne ourselves. We fear, love, and trust ourselves above all things. 

So what’s the solution? What are we supposed to do? Try harder to trust God? Grit our teeth and get more serious about putting Him first—promise this time we’re really going to do it?

This is where the Gospel has to interrupt us, because if the answer is just "try harder," we’re all dead in our sin. We’re not going to be able to do it.

You can’t save yourself by loving God more. This is why it’s such good news that Jesus is faithful where all of us are so faithless.

Where we’ve completely failed the First Commandment, Jesus perfectly fulfilled it. Remember Jesus in the wilderness being tempted by the devil? In Matthew chapter 4. He’s been fasting for forty days. He’s physically exhausted, starving, and as vulnerable as He was ever going to be. Satan takes Him to a high mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He offers Jesus power, wealth, glory, and absolute control. All Jesus has to do is a little bow. Just one little compromise. Just a little devil worship.

And Jesus answers with the first commandment,

“Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Matthew 4:10

Where the people of Israel panicked and made a golden calf, Jesus was perfectly faithful. Where you and I try to stay in control, Jesus trusted The Father. Where we put our comfort and survival first, Jesus submitted Himself entirely to the Father’s will. Later, in the garden of Gethsemane, staring down the horror of the cross, sweating drops of blood, He prayed,

“Not My will, but Your will be done.” Luke 22:42

Jesus feared, loved, and trusted God above all things. Perfectly. Completely. And good for Him but He didn’t do it for Himself… He offers His perfection to you. He did it for you.

We've broken the First Commandment countless times, putting our trust in money, doctors, reputations, and our own cleverness. And God doesn't pretend our idolatry doesn't matter. It carries a death sentence. We are to have no other gods. This is foundational to the way God created the universe.

But instead of abandoning us to the false gods that will eventually destroy us, He sent His Son to rescue us. Jesus took the guilt of your misplaced trust. He took on the weight of your misdirected loves, your rebellious heart, and your exhausting attempts to be your own god. At the cross, Christ took the judgment deserved by idolaters. He bled for all us sinners who love everything else more than Him.

And in His resurrection, Jesus defeated the thing every false god is totally powerless against: death. Your money cannot resurrect you. Your health cannot outrun the grave. Your career accomplishments will look pathetic on a tombstone. But Jesus stepped out of the tomb alive, proving you can trust Him to save you.

Even if you never figure out how to love Him enough. Your salvation doesn't depend on how strong your faith is. It doesn't depend on how perfectly you've loved or trusted God. Do you understand that? If your salvation depended on your ability to keep up a flawless, unwavering trust in God, you'd be without hope. Your salvation depends on Jesus Christ—His perfect obedience, His death for your sins, and His resurrection from the dead. Faith simply receives what Jesus has already accomplished for you.

God said, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.”

Then He gave them the commandments. Here’s the same idea in a New Testament context because of Jesus. "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of slavery to sin and death."

God’s not a frustrated Lord standing over you with a clipboard, demanding that you somehow muster up enough faith to earn His approval. He is your Father. A Father who has given His own Son for you. Like it says in Romans 8:32,

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32

God doesn’t tell you to trust Him because trusting harder can save you. He tells you to trust Him because He already saved you in Jesus Christ. And He doesn't leave you guessing about whether that salvation belongs to you. He attached His name to you in Baptism. He speaks His forgiveness to you through His Word. He gives you His own body and blood and says, "Given and shed for you." You don't have to go searching your heart to figure out whether you've trusted Him enough. Look to Jesus and what He promised you. Trust Him because He’s trustworthy. Trust that. 

But what about tomorrow morning when we wake up worried about everything again? How do we live in His grace instead of looking to all the things of this world to help us feel safe

First, pay attention to your fear. When something in your life creates a lot of anxiety, anger, or despair—ask yourself a question: “What am I actually afraid of losing right now?” And then ask, “What do I expect this thing to provide that only God can give?”

Not everything that causes anxiety is an idol. Anxiety can have a lot of causes, including real physical and psychological ones. But pretty often, our fears and our reactions act like a smoke detector, showing us exactly where we’re tempted to put our ultimate confidence. When we lose our mind over a dip in our savings, or when something happens with the kids and we completely spiral, when our job security feels threatened… that’s probably a clue. A little false idol detection.

We have to stop demanding from God's gifts what they can't possibly give us. Your spouse is not your savior; the’re just a sinner who needs grace as much as you do. Your kids aren’t your righteousness; they’re just young people trying to figure out who they are in the world. Your bank account isn’t protection against death; it’s just a tool to buy groceries and more guitars. Jeep parts? Shoes? And your success at work is not what makes you valuable, it doesn’t define who you are. All these things are to be enjoyed and received with deep gratitude to the God who gave them to us. All these things are to be loved and cherished in their proper place, under God’s Lordship, as part of our worship. He gave us the commandments for a reason… so we’d know wisdom from foolishness. So we wouldn’t ruin everything by making it an idol.

And when you discover an idol—and you will, probably by Tuesday—repent and return to Christ. The Christian life isn't a steady progression toward becoming so spiritually disciplined that we don't need the Gospel anymore. It's a messy life of daily repentance and faith.

When you catch yourself fearing, loving, or trusting something more than God, don't promise to try harder. Confess it. Remember who you are. You're a baptized, beloved child of God. The answer to our idolatry is being brought back, again and again, to the one true God who really loves us and is actually trustworthy.

I told you at the beginning of this sermon about the things that make me worry. No big surprises: My health, my kids, the attendance and the budget at NewChurch.

And I know there will probably be another night when I wake up at 3 AM, thinking about NewChurch. Wondering about the attendance and the budget and the people I haven't seen in a while. And maybe I'll lie there for a little while, doing what I do—trying to solve problems in my head that I can't actually solve at 3 AM. But here's what I need to remember: God doesn't go to sleep. And He doesn't need my help staying awake. The church belongs to Jesus. Not me.

And so do I.

Even when I forget that, He hasn't forgotten me. He hasn't stopped being faithful to me just because my faith is weak. He hasn't stopped loving me because I lose my nerve. And He's not going to abandon me when the things I depend on inevitably fall short.

In Psalm 73 it says,

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25-26

The First Commandment says, "You shall have no other gods." With the implication that if you do, it will ruin your life. Fair enough.

But it’s still good news. Because even though nothing in this world can save us, Jesus can.

And He has. So hear this command in a different light… as a promise: there will come a day, when you shall have no other gods, Not because you finally get your act together but because Jesus will finish what He started in you. Christ will return and you really will have no other gods, and it will be a truly wonderful day that will bring you peace forever. And ever. Amen.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us even when our hearts wander and we put our trust in things that cannot save us. Thank You for sending Jesus, who perfectly fulfilled Your Law and gave His life to redeem us. Remind us that we are Yours, that Your ways are good, and that Your faithfulness never fails, even when ours does. Teach us to fear, love, and trust in You above all things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.