No Idols Series

“NO IDOLS” Ex. 20:4-6

FBCF – 6/11/22

Jon Daniels

INTRO – When does sports as entertainment become sports as idolatry? Banner at Lambeau Field in 1996 when Packers won Super Bowl in New Orleans & Brett Favre named MVP:

“Our Favre, who art in Lambeau, hallowed by thy arm. The Bowl will come, it will be won, in New Orleans as it is in Lambeau. Give us this Sunday our weekly win. And give us many touchdown passes. But do not let others pass against us. Lead us not into frustration, but deliver us to Bourbon Street. For thine is the MVP, the best of the NFL, & the glory of the cheeseheads, now & forever. Go get ‘em!”

Let’s talk about idolatry today.

EXPLANATION – Exodus 20:4-6

I’d like to go back & revisit a statement that was made by another pastor that I quoted last Sun: “Thou shalt not obey the 10 Commandments.” Why is this a wrong statement? Why should we still obey the 10 Commandments?

The argument against obedience to the OT Law is that we are no longer under the weight & the bondage of the Law b/c we are saved by GRACE alone through faith alone in Christ alone. That statement is absolutely true! We don’t depend on our good works & our attempts at keeping the commandments for our salvation. Depending on our good works & valiant attempts at obedience is a one-way ticket to hell.

But keeping the 10 Commandments is still expected of every Christ-follower. This does not elevate law above GRACE. Jesus never said that He came to abolish & do away w/ the Law. Listen to Matthew 5:17-18 (MSG) – “Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God’s Law is more real & lasting than the stars in the sky & the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out & earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working.” He also said that all the commandments of Law & the teachings of the prophets depend on the Great Commandment of Matthew 22:37-40 – “And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your mind. This is the first & greatest commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law & the Prophets.’”

So, no, we are not going to move back into some kind of legalistic, Pharisaical rule-keeping kind of religious expression. But we are clearly going to say that, b/c we ARE saved by GRACE alone, we have the joy & privilege of living in obedience to the commandments that God has given to us. Love what one commentator said: “Since we know that the perfect keeping of the Law is not the basis for our salvation, we can live boldly in our obedience, knowing that when we stumble over the law, or b/c of the law, or in keeping the law, our salvation is still intact b/c of GRACE.” (Maxie D. Dunnam, The Communicator’s Commentary: Exodus, p. 249).

We obey His commands b/c we love Him. John 14:15 – “If you love me, keep my commandments.” We obey b/c we are SO thankful for what He has done to save us when we deserved death & hell. When we realize that we are one of the “whosoevers” (John 3:16), we will want to live in joyful, grateful, humble obedience to Him for the rest of our lives!

One more thing: The 10 Commandments serve as spiritual checkpoints to help us evaluate our walk w/ the Lord & even determine if we are saved or not: Why do I keep stealing? Why do I keep hating? Why do I keep living in sexual immorality? Why do I keep lying? 1 John 2:5-6 – “It is only when we obey God’s laws that we can be quite sure that we really know Him. The man who claims to know God but does not obey His laws is not only a liar but lives in self-delusion. In practice, the more a man learns to obey God’s laws the more truly & fully does he express his love for Him. Obedience is the test of whether we really live ‘in God’ or not. The life of a man who professes to be living in God must bear the stamp of Christ.” (Phillips)

So, let’s talk about this 2nd Commandment about idols.

APPLICATION – There is no substitute for the one true living God.

At face value, we may think that this commandment is basically the same as the 1st one – “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” But here’s the difference: