God's Boundaries for Abundant Living - No Worship But True Worship, Part 2

You know I've been in countries where there's thousands of idols from huge statues to two rodents, the people actually worship and I'm tempted to think that all that's not a problem in my life. But as I looked at my own heart.

I realize there's an idols in my mind that are just as real today let's look at the idols that we have, because God wants to help us. We get the highest and best statement.

Thanks for joining us for this Tuesday edition of Living on the Edge.

Chip serves as our Bible teacher on this daily international discipleship program during you know worshiping idols is something most of us struggle with his two-day trip reveals the truth about idols why it's so important to be able to recognize you have a Bible open it now to Exodus chapter 20 let's join Chip for part two of his talk, no worship, but true worship second part of the analysis here is coming out of verse second half of 4B. It says no man-made, not just an icon or a statue but no man-made likenesses images that are real or imagined pictorial representatives of God are to be used as a means of worshiping the living God just what it says not only idle but no likenesses.

The likenesses is a resemblance. The point is exactly the same as with the idols, but it broadens the scope from statues only to any real perceived or imagined pictorial representation of God. Don't use even false mental pictures to worship, don't make an idol and don't make a likeness key just expands it even farther idea brought a quote by a W toaster and toes, or rights idols fashioned with hands or idols fashioned in the human mind are no less idols to think thoughts that are unworthy of God to think thoughts that lowly represent him are just as much as idols as those that are made by human hands, and it's interesting where you know this is a prohibition against Christian art. This is a prohibition against using things in the act of worshiping God to help you draw close to him by some visible representation. Why because it reduces can I take a sensitive subject and then all bring some close to home unit for the first 400 years of the church.

The cross was never a symbol of the body of Christ.

It was introduced to the church in about the fourth century, the crucifix the cross with Jesus hanging on the cross, you know, limp in his pain was not introduced in the church until the seventh century. There are many many people when I say this sincerely and lovingly and kindly. Many people who use the crucifix as a means or an object of promoting their worship and the problem is is that it tells only part of the story. It vividly tells what part of the story, the humanity of Christ. The compassion of Christ, the love of Christ, the payment of Christ.

The suffering of Christ, and that is something we need very much to understand but what about the power of Christ.

The empty tomb of the risen Christ the controlling God who is sovereign over all the world and so if if over time you use it crucifix what happens.

It reduces God, it begins to shrink him you view him as a God who's in pain. A God who is suffered but it begins to send only part of the message and that's the whole point behind using symbols you know in the evangelical community. We done the same thing member in the 1950s. Some of you do member when people would put all the pictures and I'm not saying the people using the pictures to worship God is been great debate whether we should use pictures at all. But in 1950s the average picture of Jesus was what Jesus meek and mild.

I mean the guy always look like he needed to get out the sun and get a tan or something. And if you if you blew on them.

He would fall over in it. You know had the kind of the longhair and the really white skin and was always, like this. What does that tell your five-year-old about Jesus and then you know that in the 60s you know in the early 70s. You know Jesus became, like the campus radical unity have a little scruffy beard and look like he was starting a revolution.

You know you by the 80s the pictures of Jesus.

He looked like a model he looks like he you know he's doing both flex commercials. You know what is it why have those pictures changed and why do we make all these different pictures of Jesus and why is he even though we know he was his background. Why is he always white in our pictures and never ever talk with people from other nationalities in other cultures and other backgrounds and they see that our pictures of Jesus. In fact, if you go to Japan just what culture Jesus looks like there is soul is Japanese.

I have it on rather good authority. He was Jewish and he looked Jewish. Did you understand the point we reduce him. The second command is all about, even sincere people like you and like me taking God and unconsciously. Most of us don't have a little idol that were lighting candles to and and have a little thing on the mantle, but the same principle we keep reducing Jesus, reducing God trying to tame him and basically know what were doing were like the little boy. What we really want is a bike except we don't want a bike you want a great marriage Jesus Jesus be this you know I'll do these things any great marriage who we want our kids to turn out right. We want financial prosperity. We want to be healthy all the time.

We just want to be happy all Jesus will you please make me fulfilled and we shrink a God.

And then we package him and if you don't believe it. I mean if you can stand it with with some great exceptions go turn on your cable TV and watch about 10 hours straight of Christian programming who is the Jesus of cable evangelical Christian TV. He's the Jesus that will make you wealthy. He's the Jesus that will take away your problem. He's a Jesus that is strong and powerful. He's the one is to make you upwardly mobile. He's a Jesus that if you will: at this number at this time, he can solve all your problems. In 20 minutes about awake if you give $10 to give you hundred back. We've created a God and shrunk a God and made images of Jesus to do what controlled him. Tame him and get him to fulfill our personal agendas in the second command prohibits it. The first one says that God demands we worship in spirit. The second aspect is that we must worship him. He demands we worship him in truth.

Notice as we continue the analysis. No man-made idols or images, real or imagined, are not only to be made, but they're not to be worshiped or served. Look at the next aspect of this command because I want to understand God knows our hearts once we make them. It's only a matter of time before we worship them.

Anybody remember what happened to the bronze snake that Moses held up.

Eventually they worshiped it so they had to destroy anybody remember what happened to the calves.

The golden calves that Rehoboam made as he was trying to call the people to worship.

They begin to worship it statues of Christ of the saints.

The icons of church history. Anybody know what's happened to most all of them somewhere sometime people are bowing down kissing and worshiping them. We make idols that selectively take the parts of God that we like and then we make a man-made realignment of them to fulfill our own lusts and under. This will you jot down and most in this group know the passage, jot down Romans chapter 1 verses 18 through about 32 although they knew God, they didn't glorify him as God, neither did they give thanks but they exchanged what their worship of the creator for creatures and they begin to make what idols or statues or icons of things in the see things in the air multiple animals and then the progression is God gave them over the worshiping of idols and the reduction of God, whether intellectual or whether in physical statues or likenesses always reduces God and always ends up in immorality, you can just take it to the bank and Romans 118 to 32 shows the slide and progression when you don't glorify God is God and then the shift is you don't give thanks and then we begin worshiping the creek creation instead of the creator. The application here is we must remove the idols from our lives. Could I since is gotta be at least someone in the crowd going. You know what that guy was pretty good when he said this thing about the crew crucifix. I am really ticked off. I mean, I don't really worship good and I think he's pushing a little bit nuts, piggy piggy piggy latte. What I want to give equal time for those from different traditions. Some of us can I tell talk about maybe some potential idols among just regular ordinary Bible believing Christians in America and around the world. One wonder how many of us have made our churches idols in the church size and how many people really excite iPod been one of those mega church pastors okay I start out with 35 people in the little town in Texas and then went and we know we had a several hundred in with the thousands of people and we did the multi-buildings and five services, and video overflow for each one, and I can tell you something there, something so exciting and intoxicating about watching God multiply ministry in building buildings in 20 pastors and 30 pastors in all these things that happen all of her community and what can happen to church. Guess what becomes the idle, the success of the ministry and it's your part of a happening thing instead of being in submission to Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of lords.

You know another one, and that we we we had to cut this one at the knees early on is one how many churches have made their pastor and idle never heard anyone talk about I go to Andy Stanley's church I go to Charles Stanley's church I go to Chuck Swindoll's church I go to.

You fill in the name of your area. I have it on equally good authority that Andy Stanley that have church and Chuck Swindoll doesn't have church and whoever your pastoral hero is they don't have a church.

They are a pastor. They are a saint. They've been called by God to teach the word of God and they are an equal footing with you right there at the cross and they sin and struggle just like you and they been given a role to teach God's word and you what we do.

We've got this thing going in evangelical Christianity called celebrity is him and I mean it's idolatry annually by disguise books are this girl's books and you know we go to her Bible studies because she puts his stuff and then you know we have our stickers on our Bibles of where we've been, what we been to and you we got our multicolored notebooks depending on where we but in this just I don't think God's real happy about it. We had a little rule in Santa Cruz is pastor there for 12 years and is adding growth as a believer some real sensitive this stuff and you know it's like when you were the guy growing up as a kid and I thought coming in of this is heretical. I'm sorry I group is pagan and the only experience I had around, born again people was not good and so I thought everyone on the radio and everyone on TV were not that they're all crooks, including some of the really good ones and the you know what it's like to go on the radio when you thought all this people crooks you know that was a really a God. How do you work that out in the and I realize God really uses it in and that not all the people were crooks, but I remember when that started the happy people started to talk to me differently and start to treat me differently and talk about my church and I made. I just made some private rules one.

I would never call it my church is Christchurch number two in my presence.

I never let anyone talk about I go to your church. I would interrupt them politely and say all you can Santa Cruz Bible church.

They said yes I do to an end. Then and at times in my life that ship you're kinda rude. I said I know you know because this this this this really bugs me but working outward in a remember that Christ is the head of this church and what I understand is people when you're an upfront person people to make you bigger and smarter and holier than you really are and is for two reasons. Number one, it sets you up in a place is not good for you but number two.

Then all the stuff you're preaching is for people like you. The exceptions right missionaries pastors the superstars I got in his. I don't think there are any superstars I I think the existing body of Christ. I think there's people that live in the normal Christian life. You know they obey Scripture. They discover what the gifts are. They do what God wants him to do and God chooses to prosper it and then we all you know, put them in stained-glass or want their autograph on a book or something like what what's that all about.

Could it be that the second command has a lot more to say to us evangelical born-again Bible believing believers in we ever dreamed could could it be that our connection with God is coming through this personality or the success of our church or how about this one. Is there any chance that legalism has crept in his idle art aren't there some groups you know and if were one of them than you know, Hugh has ears to hear, let them hear you been around people that their idol is we don't do these things we don't do this, we don't do that we don't do this, we don't do this, we don't do that we don't do this, we don't do that and we don't do this this this this and this are we holy and you know as Howard Hendricks says there's a whole group of people in any cemetery that don't do any of those things either and I'm not sure that makes you holy in all but we can take pride.

You know you have you been down that road. I've been around people think God is only work in their denomination. Could it be that's an idle. Could it be that lesson has a label on the outside looks of this denomination, or has just this precise theology, even though boy this Bible is clear about all these majors and some really smart godly people might differ on some of the minors see there's a lot of different ways. The people and things in success and what about her view of God. What what about toes or thoughts about what about these kind of images, not the ones crafted by hands. What about the kind that you have a God whose harsh needs a judge and is down on you and your perfectionistic and driven and you feel guilty all the time. Not because of the Holy Spirit because you have a false view of God. That's an idle and he's a harsh judge in his arms are crossed and his fingers pointed pennies always down on you. It's an idle and you that doesn't destroy the work of Christ, because God is a faithful, loving judge, but he's made atonement for you through what Christ has done. We live with this picture in our mind of a harsh judge or how about some of us who grew up in think that God is a benign you know grandfatherly that he has his white beard flowing over his rocking chair and he just winks that sin, you know, they just quote the verse all the time. He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, you know NLP just winks at San, and I know you're living together but don't worry about it because I understand. Down deep in your heart somewhere, somehow, someway you really love me and I know your finances are completely out of order and unity and give me the first portion last five or 10 years, but you know, I know your heart need to so sincere when you sing those songs in your reading your Bible read that little devotional in Udo just warms my heart's not the God of the Bible that may been your grandfather that may be a God that you've created. And here's the deal. We always create guy God in our own image to fulfill our agenda and at the end of the day it's so were in control. God is in a box. He's been tamed and we call the shots in the second command says no idols, the kind you can set on the mantle for the kind you make in your mind. No likenesses, no pictures, no, no, thanks. Not about art but in your worship. Get rid of them and by the way, don't serve them and the progression is if you make them in your mind. You make them with your hands. The day will come because of the human heart, you will serve them and he says I have a boundary don't go there. I have a boundary. I love you too much because I want you to know me as I am. I want you to worship me in spirit and in truth. I want you to grapple with the mystery of my Holiness and my compassion.

I want you to grapple with the infinitude of my love.

I want you to struggle with a sense of all and mystery and majesty were you fall down and you don't have words to say in the spirit of God brings utterance and you worship and you pray and you love me and you get your image of me from the icon the exact representation of the Godhead who is Jesus you know exactly what God is like you I have a you and have a picture in your mind that is exactly if you've seen me, you seen the father you want to get the right picture Jesus.

Hebrews 1. Literally the word is icon. The Greek word is a picture in the ancient world, where they would take a coin and you take it on putty and you could press down the coin and when you took off the coin. All the exact representation of the coin would be in the putty. That's the same word for this invisible God. We can't see we can't touch.

What's he like you take the invisible God, and you put them in the putty of human flesh.

And here's what you get. It's Jesus you want to know how he feels about people that have blown it and send and done terrible things that they're ashamed of. It's Jesus with the woman at the well. You want to know what God is really like this invisible God. When people are religious and self-righteous and think they got it all together. It's Jesus with the Pharisees. If you were to get the right picture without images or statues. It's Jesus and his word.

It's Jesus in the life of authentic community, not just in big groups, but in small groups where you peel back the layers of hypocrisy that we all wear and you unzip your heart and you get vulnerable in the spirit of God living in you to your personality expresses the love the compassion. The reproof and the correction to other believers because Jesus lives in you. It's hearing God's word and responding yes worshiping in spirit and truth. It's saying my picture of God will not be anything I will make create about town were served to, and he gives two reasons.

One is a jealous God may not about you, but Teresa and I have this agreement she's never really been crazy about and I never been crazy about her being like first in my life any ladies here. Would you be satisfied if your husband said you know honey I want you know your first in my life and Judy is second, and Mary is third in Barbara's fourth and you know what I want to be first in her life. I want exclusive rights to Teresa Ingram you what that's called jealousy that the seal that comes out of love. That's a protective I want a unique exclusive relationship with her that a spouse has rightfully for a spouse that a parent has rightfully for the protection of your children. Don't you have a jealous zeal for your children when they are running out toward traffic. You say, but didn't not there when they reach for the stove that is not there. There is a jealousy or a seal not a selfish jealousy. This is a picture of God's deep commitment and love for you that says no images, no likenesses, no bowing down because I jealously love you to the point that I will not allow you to settle for second-best, or some reduction of who I really am in the second reason is that whatever you do, your children will follow. Ezekiel 18 is clear that God doesn't punish kids for the sins of the fathers, but there are patterns about how you worship. There are patterns of lifestyle and if you have images or false views of God. It just gets passed on.

Just like osmosis in the air and the culture of your home to the second, third and fourth generation question second command a boundary is not about you worship the right, God, it's about are you worshiping the right God in the right way to have any idols in your life are you worshiping in spirit and truth. Could you unconsciously unconsciously develop little idols about church size pastors or your group that might have tainted or reduced the surety of who Jesus is and what he wants to be, so how about are there any idols in your life.

If you're like me, the answer you intuitively know is yes, there really are in. The question is what do you do about it. This could be one of the most important days in your life you know many many many people I meet thousands literally of Christians who honestly have prayed a prayer they've asked Jesus to come into their life, their sins are forgiven and they are a part of God's family had to wonderful thing, but this command brings us to a second and most important prayer you need to pray and that's where you say you want him to be the Lord of your life. This is a Romans 12 one issue were God says what he really wants from you. He doesn't want to be first in your life.

He wants to be the exclusive love of your life you must be the master of the CEO call the shots.

He's a jealous God in that good way that we talked about. Have you ever offered your body as a living sacrifice all that you are all that you have in a moment of time and said, Lord, your Lord, you call the shots.

Whatever your word says about the future I'll do it.

Whatever your word says about relationships I know will mess up, but I purpose and to do it that way. Whatever your word says about time about money, about dreams about ministry, I commit in this moment to turn all of my life over to you and you be the CEO, the master, the Lord of my life. My question is have you ever done in his God is speaking to you right now I'm gonna challenge you to do it. I don't mean flippantly. I don't mean just emotionally I mean where you realize that if you haven't done this and then you live it out.

Day by day that there's something that's first. It's called an idol and God's a jealous God. Would you like to pray with me right now.

Would you like to get this resolved and start a new, graduate-level journey with the Lord Jesus prayed, dear Jesus, I confess to you today that I've always thought of you is first in my life. But the fact is, it's not exclusive. Your first among family and job and work in my dreams and money in Lord I ask you to forgive me for the idols in my heart and my life.

I give you permission to show me clearly what they are in right now in this moment I offer myself afresh as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to you and you've told me this is what you really want in Lord, I now know that I need to get an accurate view of you and so I ask for the grace to get into your word like never before. I asked for the grace to find other believers who are serious about you so they can inspire and encourage me Lord I ask for your grace to swim upstream in a Christian world where you're really may be number one but not exclusive than most Christians lives, O Lord God, I don't want any idols.

I want you to be the king of my heart. In Jesus name I pray, amen. If you have prayed with me. I would be very encouraged if you would take a moment and quickly email me and say chip.

I prayed with you he is the Lord of my life and then let me tell you find a pastor or a strong Christian and let them know what you did and get some help to continue on your journey. God bless you have a great day. If you just prayed with Chip, you've made what we call a Lordship decision to let you know send a brief email to chip@livingontheedge.org in case you're wondering, yes, he'll receive your email and yes will read it. Another option would be to go to our website LivingontheEdge.org and click share your story. We'd love to hear from you will now here's chip with a final thought, well, for those who listen regularly. They've heard a lot about the major match and it heard about our vision, the part about our mission. I just want to pause today to say thank you. It'll be a little while before we pull all the numbers together, but I have to tell you it's very encouraging and what fills my heart today is. Thank you.

Your partnership is so encouraging and I believe that every financial decision is a spiritual decision because Jesus said, that were ever our money goes.

That's where heart goes so God directed you to partner with us and I want just stopped today and I want to say thank you for your commitment for your love for partnering with Living on the Edge as we help Christians live like Christians you know the mission of Living on the Edges to help Christians live like Christians.

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