No Idols
The Ten Commandments • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Last week we studied the 1st Commandment Exodus 20:3 ““You shall have no other gods before Me.”
There is only one God, it is an exclusive relationship between God and His children
He desires exclusive worship
Luke 4:8 “Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ ””
Salvation is exclusive and only found in Him
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
This week will have some crossover, but instead of establishing God as the Only God, we are going to look at the proper way to worship God.
This command warns us against two things:
having the wrong object of worship
and against worshiping the wrong way
When I was in Thailand, it was not uncommon to see Buddhas, and spirit houses in just about everyone’s house. They would pray to the buddhas and burn incense to them, and then they would leave food out in the spirit houses in hopes they would protect them if they gave them what they wanted.
We may not see those types of things here in Natchitoches, but we certainly have idols.
Let’s look at our verses.
“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
“You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Having the wrong object of worship is an idol of any kind
What is an Idol?
What is an Idol?
An idol is an object, person, or idea that are not God but are worshiped as if they were.
The easy one to identify for us often is the object.
Shortly after the Ten Commandments were given, they were given again, but this time God wrote them on two tablets for Moses.
What happened?
The people gave there jewelry to Aaron to make a golden calf and they worshiped it.
Read Exodus 32:1–8
Later while still in the desert people rebelled and God sent snakes or what Numbers 21:6 calls “fiery serpents”
if they were bitten they would die unless they looked at the “fiery serpent” which Moses made out of bronze.
But even though this was a miracle of healing, the people of Israel would eventually start worshiping this bronze serpent.
750 years had passed of worshiping and burning incense to this image, until King Hezekiah destroyed it in 2 Kings 18:4
He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan.
What does God’s Word say about idols?
Their idols are silver and gold, The work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see; They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell; They have hands, but they cannot feel;
They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them.
Psalms tells us, those who worship idols are as useless as the idol.
“What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it, Or an image, a teacher of falsehood? For its maker trusts in his own handiwork When he fashions speechless idols.
Habakuk, points out the idiocracy of worshiping something you made with your own hands.
Jeremiah has some choice words for those who worship idols.
Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them.
What are some graven images or objects we worship today?
How about a cross? - it is one thing to have it as a reminder, it is totally another thing to think it is some sort of lucky charm. If it is more than a reminder, it is an idol.
How about a Bible? - some people keep a bible in their car or on their coffee table for good luck… that is an idol.
Horoscopes? - This is an idol according to the Bible, you are looking to the stars, the times, and seasons for meaning instead of God.
How about your cell phone? - I would venture to say, the majority of us, myself included, the first thing we pick up and look at in the morning is our cell phone. If this is taking up so much time that you are not able to spend time in prayer and or devotions, then it is an idol.
The list goes on and on… remember our definition.
An idol is an object, person, or idea that are not God but are worshiped as if they were.
How can people become idols?
We call athletes, singers, actors, and so on idols. That should be a warning!
There use to be a show called American Idol!
Are we so enthralled with a person, that they are consuming our minds over God?
I said this last week, but a spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend, can easily become and idol.
How about yourself? Do you love yourself so much that you don’t discipline your time for God? Then you have made yourself your idol.
“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
If we are going to worship God properly and the way He deserves it, no person can take the place of God in our lives.
How about an idol as an idea? What do I mean by that?
There’s a humorous story about a little boy who wanted a new bicycle and told his mom. She said, “Why don’t you pray about it?” He decided to write a letter to Jesus. “Dear Jesus, I want a new bicycle and I’ve been perfect for the last year.” He knew that wasn’t right, so he threw that piece of paper away. He wrote, “Dear Jesus, I’ve been a good boy most of the time.” He knew that was wrong, so he started again, “Dear Jesus, I want to be a good boy.” He knew that wasn’t right either, so he threw that away too. He went into the living room of their Catholic home, grabbed the statue of Mary, wrapped it in a towel and hid it under his bed. Then he went back to writing. “If you ever want to see your mother again…” God forbids all attempts to fashion in our hand, in our heart or in our mind any kind of image of Him, because such images cannot CONTAIN Him Images cannot contain God
How many times do we attempt to make God fit our narrative of who we think He should be instead of who He is? That is an Idol!
Have you ever heard the phrase: “Well my God… (fill in the blank)
Just like the little boy who thought he could somehow manipulate Jesus by taking the statue of Mary hostage, to get his bicycle, whatever is said about “your god,” if does not match Scripture then that is an idol!
The second part about his commandment is against worshiping the wrong way
“You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
God is a Jealous God
God is a Jealous God
Last week we talked about how, God wants an exclusive relationship with us.
Just as a husband refuses to share his wife with another man, God refuses to share worship or be worshiped wrongly. God see’s wrong worship as repugnant as adultery.
“I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.
“For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.
How Serious Does God Take His Worship?
“You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
When we worship idols and make light of our worship of God, it not only affects us, but it will affect those who follow us.
King Uzziah 2 Chronicles 26:4 “He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done.”
He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
However, he got puffed up, and decided to worship God on his terms instead of God’s way. 2 Chronicles 26:16 “But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.”
But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.
He later dies and his son Jotham takes over as king, he tries to follow God, but unlike his father, he decides to avoid the temple altogether, in other words, he didn’t go to church. 2 Chronicles 27:2 “He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done; however he did not enter the temple of the Lord. But the people continued acting corruptly.”
He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done; however he did not enter the temple of the Lord. But the people continued acting corruptly.
He later dies and his son Ahaz becomes king. Ahaz, sees that dad didn’t go to church so what does he do? 2 Chronicles 28:1 “Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do right in the sight of the Lord as David his father had done.”
Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do right in the sight of the Lord as David his father had done.
He would then go so far as to sacrifice his children to idols. 2 Chronicles 28:3 “Moreover, he burned incense in the valley of Ben-hinnom and burned his sons in fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel.”
Moreover, he burned incense in the valley of Ben-hinnom and burned his sons in fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel.
Does it matter how we worship? You bet it does… when we do not give God the worship and honor He deserves, it will affect our children and grandchildren.
However, when we do worship right look what happens Ex 20:6
but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
When we love God and Keep His Commandments, He will show His lovingkindness to thousands!
Wow! What an awesome God.
We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Little children, guard yourselves from idols.
Do you have idols in your life that need to be removed?
Let’s Pray
