3 No Idols

Intro

TS:  The first commandment has to do with WHOM we worship God alone.

the second commandment has to do with HOW we worship the true and only God. Tonight.  the meaning of the second commandment will be explored.

Exodus 20:4–5 NKJV

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—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 nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

1 To make an idol to represent God is to debase Him.

Like a rat to represent a king

Deuteronomy 4:15–20 NKJV

“Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth. And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage. But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day.

He is glorious!

Isaiah 48:11 NKJV

For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; For how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.

All idols are poor substitutes to Him!

It lowers Him to try and contain Him in stone, metal, star, etc.

Behold the glory of God!

2. To worship God by an image is absurd and unlawful

No image could do Him justice

It sets a barrier between God and the one who would worship 

Exodus 20:5 NKJV

you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

.A Jealous God

He will allow nothing to share His glory, not even an image meant to portray Him.

For God to allow anything to represent Him, which no image or picture can, God would have to accept false witness. God jealously protects His character and Being.

Read 

Isaiah 42:8 NKJV

I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.

How does one break this command today?

Bowing down when entering the building

Kissing Jewelry to represent God

Less obvious:

Elevating our preference to be equal to God

Bible version

song style

Hymnal

Order of worship

Some might get more upset over having an extra song or leaving one out!

3. God wants to only be approached on His terms

Leviticus 10:1–3 NKJV

Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.’ ” So Aaron held his peace.

Other Times

Moving and touching the Ark of the Covenant

King Saul and sacrifice

God hasn't changed

With the NT, the question arises what now? What does this commandment mean to us today?

There are many admonitions against idoloatry:

Acts 17:29–30 NKJV

Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,

1 Corinthians 10:7 NKJV

And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”

1 Corinthians 10:14 NKJV

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

1 John 5:21 NKJV

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Revelation 9:20 NKJV

But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.

Since we are not supposed to worship with idols, how do we worship?

John 4:24 NKJV

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Spirit

Follow the leadership of God's Spirit

No order is so firm, it overrides God

Be sensitive to Him

Truth

God's word

His Spirit will lever lead against His word

He will illuminate the word