The Ten Commandments – Worship of God

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Topic: Worship of God

Text: Exo.20:4-6

INTRODUCTION

As individuals we have been created in the image of God – which means God has created us with the capacity of worship.
Worship is an expression of love and God is love. Thus when I worship, I express my love and adoration to God. And God says reserve this expression of love for me.
WHAT IS THE SECOND COMMANDMENT
This commandment deals with the practice of proper worship.
Our individual response to God
Will we live out a life of worship that is pleasing to God? Or will our worship offend God and be unacceptable to him.
The practice of proper worship begins as we worship the right God.

1st commandment says “I am the Lord… you shall have no other good besides me.”
So many things are clamoring for this position of God in our lives.

i.e power, self, success, money e.t.c
all these are imposters.
2nd Commandment vs 4-5
God is simply telling us not to worship Him the same way the people around worship their imposter God.
God had just delivered Israel from Egypt where on every corner they saw that the Egyptians had an idol set up to some god that they worshipped.
They were going to Canaan, a land given to them because its inhabitants had outraged God by their filthy & bloody rites of Baal & Astarte.
Israel was to become a faithful witness of Jehovah.

WHAT IS AN IDOL?
We may be quick to think that an idol is a god. No. An idol is not a god; it is only the representative of a god.
Apostle Paul makes it plan in ICor.10:19-20(NLT)
Hiding behind every idol is a demon seeking to be worshipped.
Proper worship then begins with knowing who your God is. Don’t worship an imposter.

Why does God not want us to make idols?
Idolatry limits God:- Our God is infinite, immutable, sovereign, omnipresent. Etc.

You can’t cage him in an idol.
Rom.1:18-23 Paul explains how idolatry limited the people’s understanding of God – the allowed their understanding to overrule the truth about God – they now make thing to understand God. Rather look at the things he has made and grow in your understanding –Ps.19:1 – “The heavens declare the glory of God…”
Limits our reverence and fear of God

Deut.4:10-18
You saw no form
You saw my awesome glory
You saw fire and heard my voice

This was to help you revere and fear me.
An idol humanizes God: anything we make to try represent God makes him less than what he really is.

So man soon begins to reckon to God their own weakness. As we see on mount Carmel – 1Kings 18:26-29
It makes the means an end

Num.21:4-9, 2Kgs 18:1-4, The brazen serpent contemporary time the crucifix. This is now regarded with superstitious reverence.
It has become a ‘holy’ thing in itself.
Idolatry is a sin against the nature and character of God. It is degrading the power and love of God.

THE EVIL OF IDOLATRY
It has a strange power to perpetuate and increase itself
It ever engenders falsehood and deceit.
It is almost always accomplished by cruelty – Ps.74:20. Wherever you find idols there is bloodshed. Bloodshed for those idols.

THE WORSHIP OF GOD
The 2nd commandment insists that worship must be in accord with divine revelation.
Jn.2:24 – worship him according to his nature. His nature is spiritual. Spirit wise not image wise.
For only what is spiritual in us can worship what is spiritual above us.
God desires worship that springs from Love and expressed in obedience.
Worship is in vain if the feelings of heart do not correspond with the expression of the lips – Matt.15:8-9
Acceptable worship is a response to God’s mercies – 1Jn.4:19, we love him because he first loved us.
True worship presupposes the willingness to obey the Lord. – Isa.6

Pastor (MRS) Rita Udoh
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