Sermon Series
Ten Truths that Show Us How to Love – Part 2
"Accept No Substitutes"
Pastor Jerry
Romans 1:18-23 (NLT); Exodus 20:4-5b (NLT)
------------------------------------- Message Synopsis -------------------------------------
Last week we began a new sermon series concerning,
“Truth!”
There are many current issues which have brought to our attention
the fighting and the dishonesty and the deception being played out in our culture.
As I claimed last week: you could say we are living in the
Age of Dishonesty. It certainly is time to begin asking again,
“What’s the Truth?”
Thousands of years ago
God gave ten truths for living; they are called
The Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments, at their heart and core, are
all about love.
Today we're going to look at the 2nd commandment and how it will
build our faith and teach us truth on how to show love. The message today is titled, “Accept No Substitutes.”
So, here is Truth number two in our series! Exodus 20:4-5b
"You shall not make any idols, you must never bow to an image or worship it in any way." The second commandment says two things:
don't idolize anything and
worship God only.
FIRST—(I.) DON'T IDOLIZE ANYTHING
What is an idol? An idol is anything that takes the focus off God and puts it on something else. When anything is first in my life that is not God it's an idol even if it’s a good thing.
It's interesting; archaeologists tell us in every culture throughout history there have been idols.
There is the desire of man, deep down in his nature to worship. In order to fulfill this instinct, this desire to worship, men and women will turn objects or people or things into objects of worship.
God says don't do that.
In Biblical times there were three primary idols. There was
Baal the sex god,
Mammon the money god; and
Molech the violence god. There were many others but these were the big three. We don't worship those carved idols today, but, we will pay billions of dollars today to watch movies to entertain us with images of sex, violence and money.
It's the same things, isn’t it? We don't worship objects as much as
we worship images, images of success, images of wealth, images of status, images of sensuality.
It's very difficult to know the truth in an environment where the culture is praising that these are the most important things in life.
Deut. 4 reads
"For your own good don't sin by making an idol in any form at all." Today we wear our idols on T-shirts and hats.
God says for your own good don't idolize anything or anyone. Why?
- Idols will disappoint you.
They always promise more than they can deliver. Jeremiah 10:14
"Those who make idols are disillusioned because the gods they made are false and lifeless." Advertisement says wear our label and you'll be popular, buy our product and you'll be successful, drink our brand and it won't get any better than this, buy our toothpaste and you'll have sex appeal.
They always promise more than they can deliver. And we worship their claims and bow down. Idols will always disappoint you. That’s truth! God says for your own good don't idolize anything or anyone. Why?
- Idols will dominate you.
Without you realizing it idols will end up controlling your life. The Bible says,
"Before you knew Christ you were controlled by dead idols, who always led you astray." The Bible says there are two inevitable effects when you love something more than God:
First (1) The thing you love more than God will begin to control you. The word we use today for idols is the word "addiction". You can be addicted to numerous things.
But eventually it controls your life when you love something more than you love God. That’s truth! Second (2) You will be led astray, you lose your perspective when something takes place in your life that ought to be where God is.
The Bible says a problem with idols, anything that you love more than God,
will distract you and cause you to lose your values. It will dominate your life.
That’s truth! God says for your own good don't idolize anything or anyone. Why?
- Idols will deform you.
Idols will change you. You will lose the uniqueness that God gave you because you become like what you value most. Psalm 115:8
"Those who make idols become like them and so will those who trust in them." We shape an idol and it ends up shaping us. You will become like whatever is first place in your life.
One time a rich man came to Jesus. He asked
“What must I do to have eternal life?" Jesus says
"Go, sell everything you've got and give it to the poor and come follow me." Be willing to let go of anything for Me to be first in your life. It says that this man could not decide if it was worth giving up what he loved, so he walked away sadly and did not follow Jesus.
How about you? What do you love the most? Do you need to give up anything? What is it that you're holding on to that's keeping you from being all God wants you to be?
If you hold on to it, it's an idol.
The Bible says idols will distract you, dominate you, disappoint you, and will eventually destroy you if you don't let go.
That truth! So God says,
"For your own good don't let anything get first place in your life -- keep Me first." The second commandment says two things: don't idolize anything and worship God only.
The SECOND thing this commandment says is– (II.) WORSHIP ONLY GOD!
God says "Worship only Me". Worship means giving my highest love and devotion.
Only God deserves my highest loyalty. The Bible in Romans 1 says,
"Many exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself." It blows my mind when I think about the crazy things that people will worship.
There are two motives behind idols. Why would people want to make a statue or a form that they can bow down to?
- It is an attempt to limit God's location.
If I can put god in a statue or if I can put him in a place, like God is only at church, then I know exactly where God is. If I don't want Him to be around, I just don’t go to that place. You’ve got Him under control --
it's limiting His location. How foolish!
The second reason why people would want to make a statue or a form that they can bow down to is:
- It's an attempt to reduce His power and size.
I'm going to whittle Him down to size. If I've got God in a statue, in a little box or an idea (like God's only in the Bible) then it's less threatening, He's more convenient and more manageable. We have reversed Genesis 1:27 that says
"Let us make man in our image" and now we're saying,
Let us make God in our image. We want to make God like us so we can control our situations.
It's a whole lot easier to change my image of God than it is to change me.
A lot of people change their theology because they can't justify their lifestyle any other way. We want to keep doing with what we are doing. We want God in our lives but we want Him in a shape we can control.
I want just enough God to bless me but I don't want Him to run my life.
The
Truth is that there are three benefits of worshiping God only, putting Him first in our lives.
FIRST (1.) IT WILL BE FOR MY DELIGHT – there is fulfillment when you put God first in your life and you love Him first. God says you will experience all the fulfillment in life that you've been looking for in other places.
Ps. 37:4
"Seek your happiness in the Lord and He will give you your heart's desire." That promise says if I seek my happiness in the Lord, not in other things, but in the Lord, God will give me my heart's desire. That is a guarantee. Romans 10:11
"Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed."
Accept no substitute. Only God!
The second benefit of worshiping God only, putting Him first in our lives.
SECOND (2.) IT WILL DELIVER ME – The bible says you will experience
freedom like you've never felt if you will put God in first place in your life.
Incredible freedom. Jesus said,
"If you obey my teaching you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." "If the Son sets you free, you will be really free."
When you are set free, you're set free first from your past (
completely forgiven), you are set free in the present(
with the Spirit’s power)
, you are set free in the future (
know real life). In Christ you’re free in the past, present, and future. That is real freedom.
As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him. Whatever you love you're going to become like. Whatever you worship you're going to be devoted to.
If you worship Christ, love Christ, give your all to Christ, you're going to become like Him. That's what God wants you to become.
You can't become all God wants you to be and all you want to be without putting Jesus first in your life, and accepting no substitutes. That’s truth!
