No Props, Please!

God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper. Verse 29 being filled with all the right way can grieve evil, full of envy, murder, deceit, malice, gossip, slanderers, haters of God, and one arrogant and boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful right across our country. There are doctors now propounding the parents are to be given three days after the child was born to determine whether it will live so that it goes through genetic tests to find out if there are any disabilities come back to wisdom for the hearts back in 1989 Stephen Devi preached a series called down from Sinai.

We wanted you to hear it now because the truth is so important. It's a series covering the 10 Commandments we've come to commandment number two commandment against making idols.

Idolatry is the natural inclination of every human heart were all tempted to elevate things as more important than God.

So this lesson is going to be practical for all of us settle in for today's message from God's word. Turn to Exodus chapter 20 pick up our study as we move this book and has we are centering our thoughts on the 10 Commandments and how they apply to the 20th the 21st century. The second commandment begins with verse four and it's really a logical progression of the first commandment that reads in verse three you shall have no other gods before me.

That is, God is to be prominent.

He is to be preeminent because he is prominent because he is preeminent this Elohim, this Yahweh of of the Israelite then verse four you shall not make for yourselves an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them. For I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children.

On the third and the fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love me and to those who keep my commandments. Before we get into exactly what I think is the application of this commandment. I want to know two things. The first thing is the importance of a role model. Perhaps you saw that it said in verse five, a phrase that I think is often misinterpreted.

He says I am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children. On the third and the fourth generations of those who hate me. I have heard this taught that what he is saying here is that if a father sins, the consequences of that sin are passed down from generation to generation and will normally take four generations before that sin or the consequences of that sin is finally abated. However, in the context of this passage. What he is saying is that the way the father warships is translated to the way the sun worships and the grandson warships and normally of a father as an idolater, if a father refuses to acknowledge God that is picked up by his son and his grandson and his great-grandson, and I think what he is teaching here is the tremendous importance of a role model in worship. Those of you who are fathers and mothers you are rearing your children and they by observing you are determining perhaps how they will worship God not only is it important to have a proper remodel, but he also stresses the importance of correct worship turnover. If you would. Verse 24 love this part. In fact, this is often overlooked. Chapter 20 verse 24 he specifies begin with verse 23 you shall not make other gods besides me gods of silver or gods of gold. You shall not make for yourselves.

Here's how your to do it here to make an altar of earth for me and you shall sacrifice on it. Your burnt offerings and your peace offerings your sheep and your oxen in every place where I cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you, if you make an altar of stone for me. You shall not build it of cut stones for if you wheel your tool on it you will profane it and you shall not go up by steps to my altar in your that your nakedness may not be exposed on it and a back up and and and help us realize what he is saying here.

It's fascinating.

Note he says to build an author. He wants them to build it out of rock stones. That is the boulders that there to dig from the ground. He doesn't want this stonemason to come along and and cut away at it into and in a sense repealed the beauty of it. He doesn't want our focus on the altar. He wants their focus and our focus today on what is done at the altar. We are to come and admired the vehicle of worship. They were not the common thing Boyden the Mason do a tremendous job will not altar look at the way the stone lays look at the beauty look at the sparkle their income. Looking at that looking at the God they are worshiping through the vehicle and if that God is in it is saying I don't want any props in worship.

They were they were guilty of that later. And I think we are guilty of it today.

We get so caught up in all of the props. We get so impressed with the stained glass. We get so impressed with all of the vehicles that we focus on them and forget it is God that we come to worship. We are not to be attracted to the things we make to the exclusion of the character of God, he says, don't go up by steps to the altar. It was the practice of the Canaanites to build high steps in the high altars and the priests were normally naked, and they then buy that activity draw attention to themselves.

God didn't want the priests drawing attention to themselves or the modern-day preacher or expositor that isn't the focus of attention is on the God who was worshiped so he says do away with the stairs where clothing don't draw attention to yourself and worship me in the Bible has a lot to say about worship as we all know it also has a lot to say about how not to worship. I want to give you what we find in Scripture as the three ways to worship incorrectly.

The first is this the worship of false gods that you would say here in America we have no difficulty with that let me tell you, ladies and gentlemen that a person is not born idolatrous a person is not necessarily born an idolater that is of some stump or some piece of stone. Some object, a person become an idolater, and I want to show you how it happens. Turn to Romans chapter 1 Romans chapter 1 only give you three steps toward idolatry. He's writing to a New Testament church is writing to a contemporary scene that we are finding today in our own community and I want you to notice what you say three steps toward idolatry.

The first is found in verse 21 is talking about the unbeliever he saying for even though they knew about God or they knew God, they did not honor him as God, that is, they did not glorify him.

The word honor is dock solids over which we get our doxology. That is the simple praise God from whom all blessings flow.

These people were not acknowledging the glory of God. He was not prominent he was not preeminent and that is in itself. The first step downward that will intimately lead you and I to worshiping sums dump some false God.

Some out of the body experience in all the contemporary idols of today. Secondly, they did not think God in honor of you will think, nor did they give thanks to the interesting thing about an atheist as they have a dilemma whenever he feels grateful for something and he wants to give thanks. He didn't have anybody to give it to one of the problems of not acknowledging God as you come to the point were you not thank God for what he has done and that ultimately leads to number three. That is, they did not acknowledge God in their lives. It says, but they became futile in their speculations. The word funeral is the same word the Jews use for idols. They became idolatrous in their speculations. If you don't acknowledge God if you don't think God you have to put something else there, something else has to fill up that void in your life and if it is not God, it must be something else.

And because of that they become idolatrous in their thinking. Those are the three steps toward idolatry and only give you in this chapter the four results I want to pay careful attention. The first is a loss of discernment, a loss of discernment and I think this is characteristic of our nation.

I think this is characteristic of the individual who does not acknowledge God.

It says the their foolish heart. Verse 21. The last part was dark in dark in this literally without insight, unintelligible you know, the wisest person.

Men and women in our society today are people who know Jesus Christ because the foundation for wisdom is a vertical relationship with Jesus Christ, and of that relationship is right in the horizontal relationships the horizontal judgments the horizontal decisions are taken care of we can make sound judgment. What we want to see is someone on the Supreme Court bench the nose Jesus Christ, because that relationship is established and then they can have insight in making decision as the individual we wanted political office that is the kind of individual who make an impact in the society. It is someone who knows Christ who acknowledges God, and by that is, given the basis for insight with we should not be surprised of the decisions that are made, it says here when you do not acknowledge God or is it as a nation or as an individual you become foolish without insight.

The second thing is there and in there is an increase of selfishness. Verse 22 professing to become or to be wise, they became fools why God doesn't have the answer, then I must so they become the center of their lives and they become fools the word fool is Morano, which we get our word moron from I think that's a classic way of viewing the people who do not acknowledge God and make decisions and they stand back and they say, isn't that wonderful isn't that why God says they are moron that is the statement here professing to be wise, they became moronic. That is, they become so self-centered that they will worship whatever they think is acceptable to themselves. Ladies and gentlemen of you and I do not worship God according to his revelation. We have not worship God.

If we worship anyone other than the God of this book we have not worship God. We have become foolish in the third step is in verse 23 they create a religion without a creator. They create a religion without a creator. Verse 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God word note and image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. If you never told this individual. Months ago that ultimately you will be worshiping some object you will be worshiping your front lawn your automobile, your career, your your expectations are's house your child whatever finds first place in your heart, they say not to worship that but yet they do. Why because they began way up in verse 18, but not acknowledging God. And finally, fourth. This is more statement, I think a summary and that is this they lead unaccountable lives that produce uncontrollable sin, unaccountable lives produce uncontrollable sin and there are three times the Scriptures say God gave them up. Verse 24 is the first will call this the excess of natural function. It says because of this, therefore, as a result, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity that their bodies might be dishonored among them, why because they are immoral yes, but what is the root of the problem.

Verse 25 for they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever.

Ultimately the problem in someone's life was living without the values of this book it again goes back to the problem that they have exchanged God's prominent with themselves and then the loss of their heart. Why not where is accountability. Where is the phone I do what I please, so they experience the excess.

When natural function. What I find happening in this country is startling me read you a couple of things.

This is a survey that was written up in no straight talk to men. There was an interview of college students, Christian and non-Christian all college students who did not claim the name of Jesus Christ felt that premarital sexual relations outside of marriage 69% of them thought it was all right.

Christians those who name the name of Jesus Christ, 39% of them believe was all right of those individuals having five or more partners. Those who knew Christ 10%.

Here is a startling statistic. Men and women.

Those who did not know Christ had between two and four partners 26% of them.

Those who knew Jesus Christ and claimed him.

23% is only 3% different college student, you did not know Christ. 23% of them had one partner. Those who knew Jesus Christ 26% more. One of the problems in the sexual revolution that is sweeping. This country is there is no longer the distinction between those who are known and admittedly idolatrous and those who say they know Jesus Christ, James Dobson wrote up in his magazine recently. The fact that 56% of all females and 80% of all males experience sexual relations, 50% of them between the ages of 11 and 13.

Why, because back to this, whenever you or I exchange God for ourselves. We opened the door to immorality. There is the excess in this country of a natural function. I think there is an excess church as well. There's a second God gave them over verse 26 to degrading passions will call this the indulgence of a natural affection, natural affection, God gave them over to degrading passions. For their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural and in the same way.

Also, the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. The indulgence of unnatural affection. The reason that I would say America is an idolatrous nation is because we are having a surge of homosexuality and lesbianism that is never before, that this country and what scares me more than anything.

Ladies and gentlemen, is the fact that this is the second step toward total idolatry.

I was reading also a survey that bothers me but I get these magazines to keep current in talks about the advances of homosexuals they in New York City have already organized the homosexual public high school at taxpayers expense their controlling many state run educational efforts in using public dollars to print brochures and other materials that are in the schools here in Cary, North Carolina encouraging elementary school students to think of perverted acts as normal. They've convinced mayors and 1/2 dozen of the nations largest cities to participate in gay pride days to celebrate her deviant behavior. I also got this in the mail that was the Newsweek special edition winter spring 1990, and it's called the 21st century family but was startling as they have rewritten the family now to be anybody who says they want to live with anybody.

In fact, they highlighted two couples. One couple two women another couple two men who have already adopted children and raising them in that kind of lifestyle and the audacity of it is that the two men who were interviewed said they had the same values of their mom and dad, but they just expressed it in a different look at that in your blood could either boil or be overwhelmed with pity and compassion for individuals who replace God with something or someone else God says why is this happening because they did not see fit to acknowledge God any verse 23rd time God gave them over to a depraved mind will call this the acceptance of sinful attractions and practices to do those things which are not proper.

Verse 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slanderers, haters of God, insulin, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful right across our country. The tragedy of this passage, the ladies and gentlemen, it is it is speaking not just to a country obviously speaking to individuals in the context indicates that these are things that are not only being practiced.

They are being accepted. They are being applauded. Murder, whether it's cold-blooded or by an abortionist who will take the life of an unborn child that is being accepted.

That is whatever our state says is legal is now legal, whether it be murder or whatever God's word is supposed to rewrite our culture. But here, murder is being accepted. It's interesting is go through this list, disobedient to parents, is another one unloving that's the fourth Greek word that we never hear a lot about when we talk about the words for love. This is the words during the day, which refers to family love. They are unloving.

That is, they have no family connections no family love a husband loves his career more than his children or wife. There is no relationship that is engendered under that roof anymore and that is acceptable, unmerciful, verse 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same but they also give hearty approval to those who practice the acceptance of sinful attractions abortion has opened the door to infanticide the killing of the unborn, based upon sex. I know I didn't want a boy.

I wanted a girl there are doctors now propounding the parents to be given three days after the child was born to determine whether it will live so that he go through genetic tests to find out if there are any disabilities.

A second way to worship incorrectly. Is this the worship of the true God in a wrong form.

Look up Exodus chapter 32 Exodus chapter 32 the worship of the true God in a wrong form. Exodus 32 verse four and he took this from their hand is gold that Aaron had said give it to me and they want to God, so he fashioned it with engraving tool and made it into a mold and Literally a bowl that was the symbol of power that was one of the chief gods in Egypt and they never got it out of their minds and the and he said they said this is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.

Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and send a note this tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord to Yahweh. It was the worship of God, but they wanted some form they wanted a prop they wanted something that they could see and touch and so they created this bowl fashioned it and what it turned into was obviously idolatry and numbers chapter 21, we will take the time to look the Israelites because of disobedience received God's chastisement and God send serpents the bike and remember that story. They came in a bit. All of the Israelites were many of them and they begin to die in Moses went and interceded in their behalf to God and God's an okay fashion a bronze serpent put it up on a pole and if anyone will look at the list now, don't misunderstand, that was not an act of worship.

That was an act of obedience was also a beautiful type of Jesus Christ would one day be on cross because of their obedience. Then they would live in is usually where we finished the story, but second Kings chapter 18. You have to see this for yourself. Second Kings chapter 18 verse four tells us what happened to that snake on a stick.

Second Kings 18 verse one says that Hezekiah became king that gives us a time element verse four. He did something for God. He removed the high places he broke down the sacred pillars he cut down the Asher. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made for until those days, the sons of Israel burned incense to it and it was called no newsstand that say for 800 years, they've been carting that bronze serpent around it was never intended to have incense burned to it. They had created an idle. They were worshiping God, but they wanted this prop and they were using it to as a vehicle to worship him and burning incense in front of it and finally this campaign broken up and throw it away. Can you imagine 800 years carting that thing around. We love the tangible and God has given us so little fact, he says, our experience is one of faith. How tragic that these Israelites became idolaters God my friends is not in a snake is not in a shroud. He is not in a splinter from the cross.

He is not in all of those things he's not in the relics. He is in and the stained glass.

We do not worship him according to this book in spirit and in truth.

We have not worship thoroughly, quickly, the worship of the true God. This is the third and final incorrect way to worship.

The worship of the true God with the wrong attitude that was get real practical.

There are two problems that I see in relation to this form of wrong worship and it is these Christians coming to church to be entertained.

Thomas Beecher once substituted for his famous brother Henry Ward Beecher, who pastored the church Plymouth Church in New York will and when the people saw Thomas Beecher approach to the pulpit. Many of them got out and began to leave, so Thomas raised his hand and he said all those who have come to worship Henry Ward Beecher may leave all those who have come to worship God, may remain can remind you of the little boy he was praying and he said there God we had a great time at church today, but I I wish you had been there a W toes are used to lament he would. He would cry he would say all it is so difficult to get people to come to church where God is the main attraction we get so caught up we come in the church and of the hymns are the ones we like. We have worshiped. If the sermon is entertaining, interesting. We have were sent we could do without all of those things then worship God. Christians come the church today to be entertained and they will choose the church with the greatest show Christians also coming the church out of fellowship. Second problem Christians coming to church out of fellowship when women you and I bring to the service heart that we have cultivated all week long. You cannot live throughout the week has of God didn't exist. Selfish, we cannot live lives focusing on ourselves and come in at 1030 on Sunday morning and say now I shall proceed to worship.

We bring into this auditorium. The heart of worship that we have cultivated throughout the week and we collectively unite our hearts and continue what we had done on Saturday. First John chapter 5 verse 21 is an interesting passage where the apostle John says little children. Guard yourselves from idols talking about stumps stone. No, he is talking about anything that will replace the prominence of God in your heart. What is the New Testament challenge to the second commandment will show you turn the Colossians chapter 1 verse eight stalking of Jesus Christ, the fantastic passage of Scripture seems to pull worship out of every pore. It says by him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created by him and for him and he is before all things and in him all things consist or hold together.

He is also head of the body, the church and he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. Note this so that he himself might come to have first place in everything is wisdom for the heart with Stephen. You'll learn more about us and be able to interact with us by visiting wisdom online God work while you're there, take advantage of the gift were offering this month we have a free resource to help you think biblically about politics and about your relationship with the government. It's an excerpt from Stephen's book. I pledge allegiance you're a citizen of your country, but the Bible also says that you're a citizen of heaven. Sometimes those allegiances come in conflict.

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