The Second Commandment: "The God We Want vs. The God Who Is"

Week 1:

(The First Commandment)

Who sits on the throne of your heart?

Week 2:

(The Second Commandment)

How do you see God?

The First Commandment dealt with the object of worship.

The Second Commandment deals with the way we worship.

Most people think the Second Commandment is simply, "Don't make statues."

Jesus says It's about creating a version of God that we're comfortable with instead of worshiping God as He has revealed Himself.

Text 📖 Matthew 5:1–2

Matthew 5:1–2 KJV 1900

1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

📖 Exodus 20:1–6

Exodus 20:1–6 KJV 1900

1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

🇺🇸 4th of July Introduction

Yesterday our nation celebrated Independence Day.

We thanked God for the freedoms we enjoy in this country.

And I'm thankful to live in a nation where we can gather together this morning with

our Bibles open,

sing the name of Jesus,

and worship without fear.

But as wonderful as political freedom is...

there's another kind of freedom every one of us needs.

Because you can live in a free country...

and still be enslaved in OUR hearts.

You can have freedom of speech...and still be captive to fear.

You can wave an American flag...and still worship things that can never truly satisfy.

That's why Jesus said,

John 8:36 KJV 1900

36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

The greatest freedom isn't found in a declaration written by men.

The greatest freedom is found in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

And that's where the Ten Commandments lead us.

Not to a life of bondage...

but to the One who sets us free.

So this morning, let's continue where we left off last week.

———

Last Sunday...we stood in front of the First Commandment.

And honestly...it held up a mirror.

It asked us a question that every one of us had to answer.

Not..."Do you believe in God?"

But..."What sits on the throne of your heart?"

Because every heart worships something.

Today...God asks another question.

And I think this one may be even more uncomfortable.

Not...Who do you worship?

But...Who is the God you worship?

Because here's the danger...Sometimes we don't reject God.

We simply reshape Him.

We create a version of God that fits our preferences.

A God who agrees with us.

A God who never corrects us.

A God who only blesses.

A God who never convicts.

A God who never says "no."

And before long...

we're no longer worshiping the God of the Bible.

We're worshiping a god we've invented.

Exodus 20:4–6 KJV 1900

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

🔥 BIG IDEA🔥

The Second Commandment is not just about carved idols.

It's about control.

It's about creating God in our own image...

instead of allowing Him to shape us into His image.

PRAY

"Lord, just as You held up a mirror to our hearts last week, hold up a mirror to our minds today.

Show us where we have believed things about You that simply aren't true.Help us to see You as You have revealed Yourself.

Not as we wish You were...

but as You truly are.

And thank You that the God You have revealed is full of both truth and grace.

In Jesus' name,

Amen."

1. WE ALL WANT A GOD WE CAN CONTROL

Main Thought

The Israelites didn't stop believing in God.

They simply wanted a version of God they could control.

Scripture:

Exodus 20:4–5 KJV 1900

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Explain:

God doesn't say,

Don't think about Me.

He says,

Don't remake Me.

Because that's exactly what idols are.

They're attempts to make God:

Manageable.

Predictable.

Comfortable.

Safe.

The golden calf wasn't Israel choosing another god.

They actually said,

"This is the LORD."

They wanted Jehovah...

they just wanted Him in a form they could control.

One they could see.

Touch.

Carry.

Predict.

And before we're hard on Israel...

don't we do the same thing?

We want a God...

who never disagrees with us.

Never confronts us.

Never tells us "no."

Never asks us to change.

TED TALK LINE

Every idol begins with a smaller view of God.

When we shrink God down...

we always end up lifting ourselves up.

Illustration

Think about a GPS.

Most of us don't like hearing,

"Turn around."

So what do we do?

We ignore it.

We take our own road.

But ignoring the directions doesn't change the destination.

And ignoring God's truth...

doesn't change who God is.

Application

Sometimes we say:

"My God would never judge."

"My God doesn't care how I live."

"My God just wants me happy."

Be careful.

The question isn't whether that's the god we want.

The question is...

Is that the God who has revealed Himself?

RESULT

The Second Commandment exposes...

not just false worship...

but false ideas about God.

2. WE DON'T NEED A GOD WE CREATED

Main Thought:

We need the God

who already revealed Himself.

Israel built the golden calf because they wanted something they could see.

Something they could manage.

Something they could touch.

Something they could understand.

We live in a culture that says,

"My God would never..."

"My God just wants everyone happy."

"My God wouldn't judge."

"My God accepts everything."

The problem is...

if your god always agrees with you...

you're probably talking to yourself.

A God who never corrects you... can never truly change you.

Scripture

Isaiah 55:8–9 KJV 1900

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, And my thoughts than your thoughts.

We like a god we can manage. But the true God refuses to be managed.

If God thought exactly like me...

He wouldn't be much of a God.

He'd just be another version of me.

Illustration

There are these kids online

who self diagnose themself

Have you ever done that?

you look up your symptoms and all the sudden googles says you have scurvy

Some people self diagnose and say:

I've already diagnosed myself."

"I've already decided what medicine I need."

"I've already written the prescription."

At that point...

you don't need a doctor.

You need someone to agree with you.

Sometimes...

that's exactly what we do with God.

Result

The Second Commandment exposes

...not just false worship...but false ideas about God.

our tendency to remake God… instead of receiving Him.

3. JESUS IS THE PERFECT IMAGE OF GOD

Main Thought:

The Second Commandment says:

Don't make an image of God.

Then Jesus comes.

And He is the image of God.

Scripture:

📖 Colossians 1:15

Colossians 1:15 KJV 1900

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

📖 John 14:9

John 14:9 KJV 1900

9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Pause.

Think about that.

The God no statue could capture...

stepped into history.

We don't have to imagine God.

We don't have to invent Him.

We don't have to guess.

God has already shown Himself.

Not as stone.

Not as gold.

Not as wood.

But in flesh.

In Jesus Christ.

God didn't ask us to imagine Him. He came so we could KNOW Him.

If you want to KNOW what God is like... look at Jesus.

How does God treat sinners?

Look at Jesus.

How does God respond to broken people?

Look at Jesus.

How does God love?

Look at Jesus.

SING : Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace."

---

Jesus is perfectly holy.

Perfectly loving.

Perfectly truthful.

Perfectly gracious.

Perfectly just.

Every attribute

meeting together

at the cross.

Gospel

At the cross...

God did not become loving.

He proved

He always was.

Jesus isn't Plan B.

Jesus is God's perfect revelation

of His heart.

John 3:16–18 KJV 1900

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Result

The Second Commandment doesn't simply call us — to remove false images.

It invites us — to behold —the true image — of Christ.

CONCLUSION

Last week… — the First Commandment asked,

"What sits on the throne of your heart?"

This week… — the Second Commandment asks,

"Is the God you're worshiping… — the God who has revealed Himself?"

Because we all have a tendency…

to shrink God down.

To make Him more comfortable.

More predictable.

More like us.

But the Gospel reminds us...

God isn't like us.

And thank God He isn't.

Because if God were only as loving as we are... there would be no cross.

If God were only as patient as we are...

there would be no forgiveness.

If God were only as faithful as we are... there would be no hope.

ALTAR THOUGHT

Before we open the altar...

I want you to ask yourself one question.

Have I been worshiping the God of the Bible...

or the god I've created in my own mind?

Maybe today...

God isn't asking you to work harder.

Maybe He's asking you to know Him better.

Maybe you've believed lies about Him.

Maybe you've seen Him only as angry.

Or distant.

Or impossible to please.

Friend...

look at Jesus.

He is the clearest picture of the Father's heart.

If you've never trusted Christ...

today, stop trusting your version of God and trust the Savior God actually sent.

And if you're a believer...

maybe today is simply a day to lay down your assumptions and say,

"Lord, teach me who You really are."

As I pray...the altar is open.