The Second Commandment: No Idols
Sermon 47 in Series
Exodus 20:4-6
[4] “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. [5] You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, [6] but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1. How is false worship a deception? In what ways has God helped you see this deception in your own life over the years?
2. What was Christ’s response to Satan’s temptation to bow down to him? How does this encourage us regarding our justification and sanctification?
3. What is prohibited in the Second Commandment? How does the wording of the text show us that worship is in view, rather than mere image making?
4. How does Isaiah 44:16-17 depict the stupidity of idolatry? How does this help you see it for what it is and take it more seriously in your own life?
5. What reason/motivation does God give for this command? What does it mean to say that God is jealous?
6. How does this passage challenge parents? How does it push you to carefully examine the patterns and habits that you are storing up for your children?
References: Isaiah 42:8; Romans 1:25; Jeremiah 10:10; Deuteronomy 11:16; Matthew 4:8-10; Exodus 25:18; Isaiah 44:16-17; Deuteronomy 4:15-16; Jeremiah 10:14-15; Colossians 1:15; John 14:9; Deuteronomy 4:23-24; Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:4.