No Graven Images

Q. 50. What is required in the second commandment? A. The second commandment requireth the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath appointed in his Word.127

Q. 51. What is forbidden in the second commandment? A. The second commandment forbiddeth the worshiping of God by images,128 or any other way not appointed in his Word.129

Q. 52. What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment? A. The reasons annexed to the second commandment are, God’s sovereignty over us,130 his propriety in us,131 and the zeal he hath to his own worship.

A few years ago I went to Florance and visited the statue of David, and I’ll have to say it was way more beautiful than I thought it was going to be. The sculpture is a masterpiece. It’s almost as the stone has been brought to life. This graven image, pointed to the honor that is due to David the great former king of Israel. The great giant slayer. The great shepherd.

So why don’t we honor statues of Christ? As you will notice in this room there is no image of Christ anywhere. To some people, that might seem odd considering that every week we come together and worship our Lord, yet we do not have an image of him in this room. My goal today is to answer this dilema. Why do we not worship graven images? Well the first reason why is because it is explicitly prohibited in the ten commandments, which leads me to my first point.

1. The Law

Our foundation for not worshiping graven images rests in the second commandment:

Exodus 20:4–6

““You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

This clearly states that we should not make for ourselves a carved image of any likeness of anything that is in heaven above. We should not bow down to images, but what should we do? God commands us to show love to his children. God has this prohibition against worshiping his image for a few reasons.

First, we cannot create representations of the Lord.

God is so great, so filled with majesty, so incomprehensibly beautiful that nothing that we create can represent him well. Now some of you know that Havensong is my little sister. Every now and then she would draw a picture of me and give it to me, and her drawings were to be honest, not that great. Granted, she was like three and not a very skilled artist, but it looked nothing like me. Now, imagine if Havensong took that image and treated that image as if it were me. She would sit on the couch, give the image a wii remote and play Mario. She would play hide and seek with that picture, and not with me. That would be weird right? I am not that picture. That picture doesn’t even look anything like me. So why should Havensong treat that picture as her older brother. That would be weird. This example, is magnified indignantly in wrongness when it is the Lord that we are making imperfect images of, and worshiping.

Now to clarify this commandment does not prohibit art or the making of images in general, but it does explicitly prohibit the making of images for the purpose of representing God in worship.

Second, we worship God as he has revealed himself.

Perhaps you can explore how the commandment warns against making graven images, highlighting God's desire for our focus to be on His character and essence. This could help teens understand the importance of worshiping in spirit and truth, teaching them that our relationship with God is about who He is, not what we can see or create.

2. Christ: Perfect Representation

Colossians 1:15–20

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

It may be insightful to share how Christ, as the image of the invisible God, fulfills the longing for a visible representation. By concentrating on Jesus, teens can perceive the importance of seeing beyond physical idols to find fullness in a relationship with God through Christ, who embodies God's nature perfectly.

Summary: The theme centers around the biblical commandment against creating graven images, emphasizing God's desire for a relationship rooted in the spirit rather than in physical representations.

Application: This sermon provides teens with a profound understanding of what it means to worship God in spirit and truth, helping them navigate a culture filled with distractions and misrepresentations of faith.

Teaching: The sermon teaches teens about the importance of focusing on God’s character and essence—encouraging them to build a genuine relationship with God instead of relying on material representations that can lead to misunderstanding or misrepresentation of His nature.

How this passage could point to Christ: While the commandment warns against physical representations, it ultimately points to Jesus Christ, who is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). It reminds us that all scripture culminates in Christ, who reveals God’s fullness and invites us into an authentic relationship with Him.

Big Idea: True worship is not found in physical images but in recognizing and cultivating a heartfelt connection with God through Jesus Christ, who invites us to see beyond the visible.

Recommended Study: As you prepare your sermon, consider diving into the historical context of the commandment using Logos to explore ancient Near Eastern idol worship practices. Investigating how these practices infiltrated the Israelite community will provide depth to your teaching. Additionally, reviewing texts that discuss the nature of faith and how it opposes idolatry can enrich your understanding of the application aspect for teens.