Have You Seen God Lately? - Part 2 - Part B

The only worship God accepts is the worship of God directs this is in contrast to all the statements will I picture God as this.

So I worship God in my own way. This not.

Another thing great, but the only worship God accepts worship God so you worship the true and living God is easy. Only one out there. You worship the true and the living God and the true manner that our society seems to have a singular idea of what constitutes a beautiful woman or a handsome man and thanks to Photoshop and plastic surgery. People are looking more and more like those ideals, but time is thought is that those ideals are not only unrealistic, they are unhealthy. That's why many celebrities and companies are fighting back by showing on Photoshop images of themselves and hiring larger models with very still. Sometimes those images don't accurately represent the person or the product well today and connect with Skip weekend edition skip. Isaac opens up one of the most misunderstood commandments commandment not to have an image of God is just one part of her current connection. Teaching series God's talk tab and you want to be sure to stay tuned for ordering information for this series after the show. The first this month we have a great connect with Skip offer there's more. The Bible is the most important information you can pass along to the next generation in your family and that can be a challenge right in this book, this Bible there are 16 six separate some long some very long. Some very, very short 31,173 versus sound like a big book it is as my success by looking.

We seem overwhelming during your kids and grandchildren. That's why you want a copy of this resource. Skip, soaring to the Bible gives kids and cleans an overview of the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. In a fun travel engaged all God has for them. Request your copy soaring to the Bible friendly resource you give a generous donation of $35 or more to keep this program going strong to you and others to God's word. Call now to get 800-962-1888. You can also give online securely skip.com/offer food after today thinking for Skip millennium and studio to share with us now. Let's join Skip Heitzig in Exodus chapter 20 verses four through six psychological fact that if I focus my thoughts on an image of the one that I'm praying to that I come to think of him in the way that image is depicting now if I am focusing on that aspect that image and I'm praying to the one that supposedly that image represents that's good to change my approach to him based on what I see in that image is an example. Once again the golden calf. They made that goal in A God of strength, the God of power the renewal of life and as they the Bible says sat down to eat and drink. They rose up to play or exercise in revelry. They felt this strong urge to worship their strong God and a strong, frenzied and out-of-control manner, how they viewed God dictated out.

They worship God. So it actually led them astray. Now some people have so focused on the suffering and dying Christ that they approached Jesus and a suffering Diane manner throughout history. You can read several accounts of people who felt the only way God wanted to be worshiped is by taking webs and whipping themselves as they were praying by crawling on their knees to shrines cutting their knees up and leaving blood on every step because that's what pleases God so focused on the suffering Christ that they themselves become suffering people. Now, with all due respect to any artist who would portray God or Jesus.

The artist is drawing what is in his or her mind.

It is a projection often of himself and sort like the little girl in kindergarten class.

All of them were drawing in the kindergarten teacher noticed one little girl had been out working hard and diligently never looking up and the teacher took an extra interest in said what is it your drawing. She said I'm drawing a picture of God.

The kindergarten teacher said God nobody knows what God looks like, and she looked up and said they will in a minute and so she drew her little picture of God, how she projected God to be the fundamental problem that I have personally with pictures or statues of Jesus. Don't get paranoid here, but not invite him over for dinner that took all his pictures and relax a little bit. Here's the fundamental problem I have, they bring transcendent God limitless God to a comfortable size a manageable size. It's basically me creating God in my image rather than being the one that God created in his and have you noticed the art of Jesus. Let's go back to the 1950s to the 60s is something that I noticed. Maybe you have to that he gets depicted differently in different generations so if you look back to the average picture of Jesus Christ drawn in the 1950s you find a very frail thin gaunt tail. Almost a feminine looking Jesus who blows a lot in all the pictures he's he's beaming his face you get to the 1960s in Jesus's picture to sort of a college radical now is keeping in step with the times you get to the 1970s and the pictures are cards of Jesus is that he's the macho Jesus is hairs layered quaffed a little bit more into the 80s 90s. He's the upwardly mobile Jesus.

He's he's fitting our narcissistic view of what they want Jesus to be like so here's the bottom line God's uniqueness requires unique devotion that no image on earth could ever capture God's transcendence God's uniqueness demands unique worship again. That's why Jesus said God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth and he was drying. The contrast between that and worshiping into the art depicted in the temples. When the woman said we worship on this mountain you Jews worship at the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus said the time is coming when that isn't the issue, its spirit and truth about tort text that's us we were done with that.

Now let's look at how God does reveal himself. Here's the proclamation of the true God. 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, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments.

To understand the flow here. God just got through saying I don't want any images made of me now. He does reveal himself verbally by describing his active attributes which would defy any image we think about this. How can you make an image that depicts God's jealous justice and lavish mercy. At the same time be very difficult to do so. The entire Bible gives us a verbal full or description portrait, you might say of the living and true God, and here's just a snapshot there's only three attributes that are given here in the second commandment of God. Number one is jealous.

Number two, he's just number three he's merciful at the first one for I the Lord your God am a jealous God. How do you feel when you hear that he probably doesn't sit too well with you. You don't typically think of the God you worship is being jealous. It's like the little girl who wrote out her prayer to God and said dear God, why does the Bible say here, a jealous God. I thought you had everything yet. Here's the word to describe our great God he's jealous.

By the way, it's not just mention once but eight times in the Bible. He's called jealous and he never apologizes for insight will really what I mean is he just states it now want to show you just a couple of those to frame this turn to Exodus chapter 34 for a moment 34 look at a few verses will go back. Exodus 3410 and he said, behold, I make a covenant before all your people. I will do Marvel such as have not been done in all the earth, nor any nation and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you observe what I command you this day, behold, I am driving out before you, the Amorite the Canaanite the Hittite the parasite that have by the Jebusite. The termites all the rest. Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going was to be a snare in your midst, but you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars and cut down their wooden images for you shall worship no other God for the Lord, whose name is jealous is a jealous God one more then will go back.

Deuteronomy chapter 4. Turn to Deuteronomy chapter 4, we looked at that chapter last week, but not this verse.

There were about to Genesis 4, verse 23 take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you and you make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the Lord your God has forbidden you for the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. What is that mean with the Hebrew word is con not. It means literally to get red in the face when applied to human beings. It has negative connotations when applied to God. It is wonderful connotation. It really means seal over one's property hands office is my property.

By the way, I think that something is wrong in any relationship of love where there's not some kind of jealousy. I'm jealous over my wife assembly came up to me and said Skip can I take your wife out on the date you think I'm an adult one jealous husband. Go ahead, I'd be in that case if I said that you don't lay a hand on her. I have a jealous love for her and that's healthy. That's why Paul in the New Testament says I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy because I have a spouse you to one husband. That's Christ. So here's how other translations have managed this the Young's literal translation says, for I am a zealous God, a Torok translation I'm an impassioned God, the living Bible by the Lord your God am very possessive.

I will not share your affection with any other God. Another translation says. I tolerate no rivals, and finally another translation I demand all your love so here's the flow because I am. I'm real, I'm alive. I'm active because I delivered you out of Egypt I am jealous, possessive and impassioned for all of your love and devotion.

I'm a jealous God, you're my property. I want all of your devotion. Second depiction of God in this verse says, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation. Let me tell you what that doesn't mean if you'll allow me this does not mean what some call the generational curse. I've heard this for years and frankly it's just it's nauseating to hear well you got a generational curse because of what your father, grandfather, great-grandfather did is been passed on her curse with the generational curse but hallelujah you come to one of our meetings and will go through the special mystical thing and get rid of the generational curse that's a waste of time because for some reason and they refer to this tax. They didn't notice what it says, look at that. It says, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who what hate me so this verse has nothing at all to do with the believer.

Only a nonbeliever, you may God you love them so you don't have a generational curse that's gonna follow you down to the line that you can't control.

In fact, what is the New Testament say if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us all of our sins and cleanse us from all of her neck so look back at this verse. It's pretty simple on, by the way the Bible is clear that children will not be punished for their parents sins. Deuteronomy 2416, Ezekiel 18, verses 19 to 32. Make that exceptionally clear children will not be punished or hold held responsible for their parents. What this does mean then is that children are going to feel the impact of the choices made by the parents so that children raised in an environment exposed to idolatry will naturally be prone to idolatry because the of the sin of parents. There's a, here's the overarching lesson here. You never sin and isolation. You never sin alone. You can never say my sin only affects me know. It doesn't.

It affects other people. Jonah could have said while I'm to disobey God and his son can affect anybody else but then he got on a boat and it affected everybody on that boat and Aiken chose the Babylonian garment in the battle of Jericho and entire children of Israel were defeated at the next battle because of his sin. You never sin and isolation. A disobedient Christian is a menace to everyone, but here's the third and Final Way, God reveals himself he makes another proclamation saying in verse six but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. In other words, God's mercy is always greater than judgment. Sins can affect three or four generations. His mercy will be lavished on thousands of generations. I love God's math. I love it that when whatever you subtract from your life by disobedience. God can multiply back in his blessings through his mercy on your children, your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren.

So here it is you want to give your kids a lasting legacy worship the true God and the true manner you want to protect your grandkids from lots of junk worship the true God in the true manner. Now here's a bottom-line statement that I think will summarize last week and this week the only worship the God accepts is the worship the God directs the only worship the God accepts is the worship the God directs this is in contrast to all the statements. Well, I picture God as this. So I worship God in my own way this that and the other thing great, but the only worship God accepts is the worship of God directs so you worship the true and living God is easy only when other and you worship the true and the living God in the true manner and he spells it out okay so you don't need an image.

For this reason you have him you have him so if you have a real and authentic and abiding consistent daily relationship and walk with him. You don't need anything else and you have nothing to fear.

You and I can walk through life with great confidence because your God, will you have a big God. And it doesn't matter how small you feel, or if you conceal God at the moment or apprehend God, your God, much bigger member. The lion King, the great theological movie.

By the way, if you haven't seen it, the lion King is a story of Simba. This little lion cub the lion prints his father's move Foss in one day little Simba and his friend Nila, never the story any of you remember lion King Hoke hallelujah I thought I lasted for a minute okay so there they are, they they go to the elephant graveyard member that seen in the hyenas around them. I is very open and howl in and little Simba thinks on the scared these hyenas off with my roar, not just a little kid so he is a ferociously pitiful week roar.

The hyenas like big what the date is licked their chops and surround them closer and concentric little circles he tries again to get closer and closer and about ready to devour young Simba when Simba said I'm a try one more time, opens his mouth, and this ferociously loud roar is heard all the hyenas run away and Simba puffs his little chest out like that was good. Then he looks back to someone. He hadn't seen it was his father's standing above them move fossa that gave that giant roar. No wonder the hyenas ran away wasn't because of this little peep squeak. The King was there.

Thus Simba had nothing to fear. So worship your king with an active living relationship because he is an active living being who is much greater than any image could ever depict the best way I know how to do that is by honoring his son the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, that if you honor the son you want the father.

If you don't honor the son you don't honor the father by the way, Jesus is called by Paul, the image of the invisible God, the image of the invisible God. If you see me Philip you seen the father is. It will Skip bed and do me a lot of good because I've never seen the father nor Jesus. But Peter said, having not seen yet. You love and rejoice with joy unspeakable full of glory. You can see the traces of that relationship. As you walk by faith you see in answering your prayers. You walk by faith, you place yourself out there and you live confidently with nothing to fear because though you can't see him like little Simba couldn't see his father sees you and he knows just when the rule really only worship a God accepts the worship of God direct.

I think we could all take that to heart today.

The mentor will conclude this teaching have you seen God lately. Part two. Thank you for joining us here and connect with Skip weekend edition we Skip today's teaching, which is one message in our series, God stopped in its over 10 Commandments given thousands of years ago relevant to us today, Skip alliances, they are not only relevant bear essential so be encouraged and inspired as you listen again and maybe share this series with a friend got all 17 teachings bundled as an audio CD package for only $39 plus shipping. Now here's Skip and I needed to talk a bit more about the series in any way to do this a little bit in reverse today, I'm asking a couple questions. Okay, you're on the spot. I like backwards what we've been doing a little bit of the teachings of the 10 Commandments we call God's top 10 and this message was called.

Have you seen God lately. The 10 Commandments. Do they relate to us today.

Absolutely.

I mean our Judeo-Christian ethic is all built upon our court systems, and so much of what were about so and in every way.

Nina � shall not murder, is it. It's just in our very depths of our hearts and and I think that people don't who don't even have the 10 Commandments, even if they were aborigines. There are enough tribal people.

I think they know in their heart of hearts, certain things are just wrong� Ceiling killing that these are core foundational truths or society.

The God gave well thanks a lot guys and I hope you take some time to connect with Skip today and you can when you like them on Facebook follow him on Twitter or Instagram and the hub for all that is connectwithskip.com join us next time here and connect with Skip weekend edition Skip Heitzigs.

It begins a new message God is not a swear word from our series, God's talk to connect with Skip weekend edition presentation of connection so God is never changing and ever-changing time