Sermon Date:
Sun, 05/16/2010 (All day)
Exodus 20:4-6 (NKJV)
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image (idols), 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; 5you 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 on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Introduction: A few weeks ago, I began to speak to you on the “Ten Commandments.” Commandment 1 is “I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other Gods before Me.” In other words, we are to love and trust Him only. Today we continue with His Commandments “not to make idols of any kind and worship them.” We are big on “idols” in our culture and God speaks to that in “Commandment 2,” which is my message today.
Exodus 20:4 You shall not make for yourself a carved image (idol), 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.
1. We are forbidden to make an image of any kind to worship rather than God Himself.
• Greek: Carved image: Pesel, graven image from Pacal, an idol, carved (graven) image.
• Dictionary: Idol, an image used as an object of worship; a false god (one that is adored often blindly
or excessively).
• A famous person; celebrity, star, superstar.
• Someone who is the object of admiration; hero, heroine, legendary person.
2. We are not to make images of angels, birds, animals, or fish.
3. We are not to worship nature, trees, or anything other God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Exodus 20:5a You shall not bow down to them nor serve them.
1. Again, we are not to worship or serve anyone or anything other than God Himself.
Exodus 20:5b. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.
1. Jealous: Fearful or wary of being supplanted; apprehensive of losing affection or position.
2. Vigilant in guarding something.
3. Intolerant of disloyalty or infidelity.
4. Extremely fearful of loss; possessive, protective, vigilant, watchful.
Exodus 5c. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.
1. Iniquity: Avon, perversity, (moral) evil- fault, mischief, sin.
2. God passes on the perversity, evil, and sin to children of fathers and mothers (those who hate Him, those who do not follow or obey Him) as far as the third and fourth generation.
Exodus 6 But showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
1. Mercy: Checed, kindness- favor, good.
2. NLT says to a “thousand generations.”
3. To those who love and obey God.
Conclusion: God is a jealous God and will not stand for any disloyalty or infidelity from His creatures (us). We are not to worship anyone or anything other than God alone as Father (Yahweh), Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. If we fail to love Him and choose to hate Him, He will take our iniquity (sin, perversity, and moral failure) and pass it on to our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. But for those that love God and obey Him, He shows mercy (blesses us with kindness, favor and good) to generation after generation. Little children, worship God and Him alone!
Deuteronomy 7:9 (NKJV)
Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.
