Idolatry

Exodus 20:1-6

Theme: Commandments

Key verse: v.1

26 verses; 561 words

Grade level: 6.0

Outline:

I. Man’s Relationship to God. Vs.1-11

II. Man’s Relationship to Man. Vs.12-26

“The first commandment tells us whom we must worship, while the second tells us how we must worship Him.” Lehman Strauss

“When a man gets a false idea of God through images and systems of worship, he will become as false as his imaginary god.” Lehman Strauss

“Images, idols, and pictures but tend to obliterate from our vision the true God. Any and every attempt to worship God through images and idols hides God Himself from our vision.” Lehman Strauss

Here are the IDOLS that Christians must stay away from:

I. The god Of Currency.

Job said it this way.

Job 31:24 “If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;”

Job 31:25 “If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;”

Job 31:28 “This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.”

Paul said it this way.

Ephesians 5:5 “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”

Jesus said it this way.

Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

II. The god Of Comfort.

This is not resting, nor taking the day off.

Mark 6:31 “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”

This is constantly focusing on pleasure.

This is what the Bible says:

2 Timothy 3:4 “Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;”

III. The god Of Consumption.

Paul warned of this.

Philippians 3:19 “Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)”

Also, Romans 16:18 “For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

Like the gods of gold and pleasure, the god of sensual appetite will destroy us unless we turn from it and give Jesus Christ first place in our lives.

IV. The god Of Clothing.

The mandate of clean clothes.

Exodus 19:10 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,”

Exodus 19:14 “And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.”

The misuse of clothing.

1 Timothy 2:9–10

9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

The Master and clothing.

1 Peter 3:3–4

3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

Conclusion:

Are you an idolater?

Bibliography

Strauss, Lehman. 2009. The Eleven Commandments. (Chapter 2 The Sovereignty of God)