The 10 Commandments: “No Idols”

Intro:

The commands reflect God’s character. God gave us His commands to show us who He is.

The commands reveal our condition. When we’ve been changed by the love grace and mercy of Christ Jesus we will desire to obey them. If we don’t desire to obey the commands of God, then we have a heart or sin issue that needs to be addressed. In that way the commands show us who we are.

God’s commands are relational as well. They are about our relationship with God and our relationships with others. That’s why loving God and loving others are the two greatest commands. If we love God, we will show it by obeying His commands. If we love others, we will show it by treating them in a way that aligns with the commands of God.

The first 4 commandments have to do with loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

The last 6 commandments are also about loving God but they also require loving our neighbors as ourselves. Let’s read through the commandments again in Exodus 20.

Exodus 20:1–17 (NASB)

1 Then God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 “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. 5 “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, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. 8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

The Second Commandment: No Idols

Exodus 20:4–6 (NASB)

4 “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. 5 “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, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary: Idol, noun.

1. An image, form or representation, usually of a man or other animal, consecrated as an object of worship; a pagan deity. Idols are usually statues or images, carved out of wood or stone, or formed of metals, particularly silver or gold.

The gods of the nations are idols. Psalms 96:5.

4. Any thing on which we set our affections; that to which we indulge an excessive and sinful attachment.

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:1.

The first commandment is primarily about serving God. (heart) No other gods. Who or what is the God/god we serve?

The second commandment is primarily about our worship and adoration. (soul) Who or what is the object of our worship?

Idols replace God in our daily lives.

4 “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.

Romans 1:22–23 (NASB)

22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Deuteronomy 4:15–19 (NASB)

15 “So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, 16 so that you do not act corruptly and make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the sky, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the earth. 19 “And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.

*show clip*

“The human heart is a perpetual idol factory.” - John Calvin

How can we know sports has become a major idol in our nation?

Because os the emotion wrapped up in it.

Because of the amount of money invested in it.

Because of the merchandise and superstars and sports icons.

Because of the time spent on it.

Because it consumes our thoughts.

Because it has replace God in our lives! We won’t let our kids skip practice, but they will skip church to play sports.

And I know I am picking on sports, but its not just sports.

Musicians. Taylor Swift is a big one.

It used to be groups like N*Sync and the Back Street Boys.

Before that you have others. Even in my parents day, Elvis…the Beatles. The Beatles even famously said that they were bigger than Jesus Christ.

Technology can be an idol. Especially electronics like our smart phones.

Good things can become idols when they has replaced God in our lives. If they have some role God should have, they are idols.

1 John 5:21 (NASB)

21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

Idols receive the worship and adoration that God deserves.

5 “You shall not worship them or serve them…

Deuteronomy 6:13 (NASB)

13 “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.

Revelation 4:11 (NASB)

11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

5 “…for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…

Isaiah 42:8 (NIV)

8 “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.

Psalm 18:3 (NASB)

3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised…

We will sing karaoke in bars, and shout at sporting events and concerts, but barely hum, if that, during the praise and worship time at church.

We will clap, stand and cheer at ball games and concerts, but sit with our hands in our pockets at church.

We are giving things and other people the praise and worship God deserves.

Its idolatry!

Idols rob us and our loved ones of the blessings God has for us.

5 “…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, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Jonah 2:8 (ESV)

8 “Those who regard vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love…

Isaiah 44:9–20 (NASB)

9 Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. 10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no profit? 11 Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together be put to shame. 12 The man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. 13 Another shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, so that it may sit in a house. 14 Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow. 15 Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17 But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.” 18 They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. 19 No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Idols are futile and foolish!

We seek after them because we think there will be blessing or pleasure there, and yes, it can be enjoyable, but eventually it will disappoint.

Hebrews 11:24–26 (NASB)

24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

1 Peter 2:6 (NASB)

6 For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

In Closing:

So what should we do? How do we deal with these idols?

Some need to be cast down and destroyed. Some things are always going to become idols because they were made for that purpose. The have no place in the life of a Christian.

Some things you might be particularly prone to make an idol and others aren’t. For example, some people can keep sports in the proper place in their lives and others can’t. Just like some people can drink and not get drunk and others can’t.

1 Corinthians 6:12 (NASB)

12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

1 Corinthians 10:23 (NASB)

23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.

Get rid of the things that master you and that don’t edify you in Christ.

Other things are good things but we have put them in the wrong place. For example, some parents idolize their children. Don’t get rid of your kids, just make sure not to prioritize them over the Lord. Train them to put Jesus first! So some things that have become idols for need to be reordered so that God is in the right place.

Guard against idols dear Christian!

Let’s pray.

Memory Verse of the Week:

1 John 5:21 (NASB)

21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.