Erlo Stegen emphasizes the significance of the first commandment, 'You shall have no other gods before me,' as a crucial directive for the Israelites after their escape from Egypt. He warns against the dangers of idolatry, highlighting how the Israelites' past in Egypt filled them with false gods and practices that could corrupt their new lives. Stegen illustrates that mixing worldly desires with faith leads to spiritual downfall, using examples from both biblical history and contemporary life. He stresses the importance of complete obedience to God, as seen in the tragic end of King Saul, who faced dire consequences for his disobedience. The sermon calls for repentance and a commitment to worship God alone, free from the influences of past idols.

In Exodus 20 v 1-6 we read about the first commandment that God gave to Moses. God gave the commandments to Moses when he was on the mountain after he had lead the children of Israel out of four hundred years of bondage in Egypt. These commandments were necessary for the Israelites. They taught them how to live holy lives and if they kept the commandments then it would go well with the individual and with the nation. If they didn’t live by the commandments, then the Israelites would lose what God had given them – the land of milk and honey. The Israelites had gotten used to the life in Egypt. There were many idols there and all kinds of filth, immoral living and sin. God instructed them not to mix the old life with the new. They had left the promised land but it is sad if you leave Egypt but still have it in your heart. The first commandment was, “You shall have no other gods before me.” This was bitter for the Israelites because they had had many gods in Egypt. The Hindus worship over six hundred idols and one Hindu man when told about Jesus said that he would put a picture of Jesus with all his other idols and worship him as well. If you want many people in the service, you just have to mix dancing and the world with the service and then people will flock to you. You can make an idol of money, fame, work, pleasure or the world itself but God is a jealous God and you must follow Him only. A man who found out that his wife had an affair with another man, stabbed her with a spear because he wanted to be the only man in her heart. Superstition can also be an idol. The Zulus say if birds make a lot of noise then someone is going to die. Some people look at horoscopes. They are bound by the devil. Overseas, there was a service to apologise to the animals for sinning against them. Some nations let their children be passed through the fire and it is not surprising when such children turn out to be wild. A lady went to a fortune-teller to find out if her husband had died in the war because he had not returned. The fortune-teller said that he had died. She went through a time of mourning and then remarried. She got a terrible shock when her first husband did return, three days after her wedding. You are under a curse if you do not keep this first commandment to worship God only. It is the commandment that has the most far-reaching effect of all the commandments. The life of King Saul ended badly. He was prosperous as long as he worshiped God but he didn’t only serve God but also his own will. God told Saul to kill the Amalekites completely but Saul who had received the Holy Spirit, spared the Amalekite king and the best of the animals. Samuel said, “What lowing is this that I hear? Obedience is better than sacrifice.” If you reject God’s word, you will be rejected by Him. It didn’t go well with Saul. He went to a witch and after that he committed suicide. If you have disobeyed then repent; confess your sin and forsake it completely.