Sunday's Message (The 10 Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus: No Idols)

Jesus reframes the ten commandments from a list of external rules into matters of the heart. He taught that true righteousness is not merely about avoiding bad actions, but about harboring pure thoughts and actively demonstrating love for God and humanity. During the months of July, August and September, we’ll consider the Ten Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus, focusing on the following topics: 

• July 5 - The Ultimate Summary
• July 12 - No Other Gods
• July 19- No Idols
• July 26 - Do Not Take God's Name in Vain
• August 9 - Keep the Sabbath Holy
• August 16 - Honor Your Father and Mother
• August 23 - Do Not Murder 
• August 30 - Do Not Commit Adultery
• September 6 - Do Not Steal
• September 13 - Do Not Bear False Witness
• September 20 - Do Not Covet

On Sunday, we discussed the second commandment: Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. Don’t bow down and worship idols.  [Exodus 20:4-5a, CEV] Below is the text and a recording of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

Well, this has been one heck of a week, hasn’t it? I mean, thanks to all those wildfires in Canada and Minnesota, the air quality in the area has been terrible. In fact, someone told me that at the levels we’ve experienced the last few days, it’s like we actually smoked around twenty cigarettes. And I think we’d all agree, that ain’t good. And although that applies to us all, it’s particularly hard on people who have breathing issues, you know, like my wife Debbie. Let’s just say, this hasn’t been a great week for her. But you know, I didn’t realize how rough it actually was until I saw this note Friday morning. She wrote, “Please do not open any windows in the morning.” Now, this was a pretty big deal. You see, since we only have air conditioning in our bedroom, the rest of the house gets pretty hot. And so, every morning, before taking Coco out for her walk, I generally open up some of the windows, you know, to cool things off a little bit. But given all the crud that’s been in the air, Debbie recognized that letting more of it in was not a good thing. And because of that, she made the decision to deal with heat rather than smoke; therefore, until things get better the windows need to stay down.

And I’ll tell you, I mentioned all that because I think what she did on Friday is very similar to what Jesus would have us do as we apply the Second Commandment. Of course, if you’ve been around here the last couple of weeks, you already know that we’re moving through a series entitled The 10 Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus. And during the first message, we looked at Jesus’s relationship with the whole Old Testament law and talked about how he fulfilled it and radicalized it and summarized it. And then last week, we looked at commandment number one, that we shouldn’t worship any other gods and discussed how we can do that by avoiding distractions and focusing our attention and loving our Father. Now that’s what we’ve already done. And this morning, we’re going to move on to commandment number two:

Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. Don’t bow down and worship idols. I am the Lord your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations. But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations. [Exodus 20:4-6, CEV]

Of course, in Old Testament times, this business about idols was a really big deal, particularly for the Jews. You see, since ancient people believed that they could communicate with their gods through idols, graven images had the potential of distracting God’s people from the one who is far greater than something made of bronze or silver or gold. And for that reason, folks needed to avoid using anything to represent the creator and lord of the universe. As a matter of fact, using idols was the same as rejecting God; therefore, the consequences were described in the most extreme way. Now that’s the second commandment.

And I’ll tell you, I believe that’s probably the reason why, of all the commandments, this one is kind of challenging for modern Christians to apply. I mean, even though some of the great reformers of the church believed that pictures of Jesus might be considered idols, let’s get real, none of us have worshiped anything carved out of wood, much less rejected God because of that statue. In fact, if the Ten Commandments were like this checklist, I think most of us would draw a line through the second in a heartbeat, right?

And I’ll tell you, that would be fine, if Jesus had sort of left it alone, but of course, he didn’t. You see, I think he believed idols were far more broad and more personal and even more dangerous than anything carved in stone. And that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning, namely how we can resist idolatry as defined by Jesus. And you know, it’s really interesting, how we can do it is very similar to what Debbie decided to do when she wrote her note. As a matter of fact, whether it’s lousy air quality or personal idolatry, based on what Jesus taught, I think resistance comes down to three words: recognizing and prioritizing and actualizing. Let me explain.

First, if we’re serious about resisting idolatry, I believe we need to recognize, to recognize our vulnerability. In other words, in my opinion, we need to face life with our eyes wide open and to accept that we’re surrounded by all kinds of stuff that can distract us from God, and I’m talking about things on the outside but more importantly on the inside. And I believe that’s what Jesus was getting at when he said this to his disciples:

Don’t store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart will always be where your treasure is.

You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money. [Matthew 6:19-21, 24, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said. In other words, for him, the most insidious idols aren’t the ones found in temples; instead they’re the ones found within our own hearts. You see, things that result in greed or misplaced devotion, man, that can be a heck of a lot more distracting and dangerous and destructive than anything made from bronze or gold. And I’ll tell you, what makes it even worse, at least for us, is availability. I mean, just think about it. If I'm going to set up a physical idol in a physical shrine, I’m probably going to have to buy one from a sculptor, right? You see, the supply is limited. But the idols about which Jesus was talking were different. Man, we can produce them all by ourselves; therefore, the number of idols available to us is only limited by our own imagination. And because they’re hidden inside, we might not even know they’re there. And I’ll tell you, that really makes us vulnerable.

And you know, this is why I think identifying them is so important. You see, in my opinion, we need to identify those idols found within our own hearts. For example, we need to identify those assumptions that we’ve been told to accept, and I’m talking about opinions and prejudices that we’re supposed to have but that are virtually impossible to find in scripture. And we need to identify those beliefs that we’ve been told to adopt, ideas that certainly enable us to fit in with others but that may also move us away from living right. And we need to identify those desires that we’ve been told to have, but that actually distract us from what God created us to be. You know, according to ancient people, when you name the demon, it loses its mystery and power. I think the same thing can happen to those inner idols we carry around. But to get there, we need to recognize our vulnerability. And for me, that’s the first way we can resist idolatry.

And second, again based on what Jesus said, I think we also need to prioritize, to prioritize our values. In other words, after exposing all our inner idols to the light, we can use the word and will of God to decide what’s most important for us. And you know, I think Jesus told an amazing story about a man who did a miserable job of doing this very thing and sadly, paid the consequences. Just listen:

A man in a crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to give me my share of what our father left us when he died.”

Jesus answered, “Who gave me the right to settle arguments between you and your brother?”

Then he said to the crowd, “Don’t be greedy! Owning a lot of things won’t make your life safe.”

So Jesus told them this story:

A rich man’s farm produced a big crop, and he said to himself, “What can I do? I don’t have a place large enough to store everything.”

Later, he said, “Now I know what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I can store all my grain and other goods. Then I’ll say to myself, ‘You have stored up enough good things to last for years to come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.’”

But God said to him, “You fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will get what you have stored up?”

“This is what happens to people who store up everything for themselves, but are poor in the sight of God.” [Luke 12:13-21, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said, and based on that, I think I’m safe in saying the values of that rich man were really screwed up, weren’t they? For example, while he assumed that life was all about his bigger barns, Jesus made it clear that genuine worth wasn’t determined by wealth or property. And while that rich man assumed he had all kinds of control and he could use it to live the good life, Jesus reminded us that our time on earth isn’t guaranteed. And while the guy in the story seemed to assume that all his wealth made him a winner, in reality, he was actually a loser, because his obsession with himself made him poor in the sight of God. You see, although those inner idols he worshiped re enforced what he wanted to believe, in the sight of God, his values desperately needed to be prioritized.

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s something we can do when we decide to value God above everything else. You know, Jesus made a remarkable statement that I doubt we’ll ever see in a Mothers Day card. He said, “If you love your father or mother or even your sons and daughters more than me, you are not fit to be my disciples.” [Matthew 10:37, CEV] Now, personally, I don’t believe this made Jesus anti-family. Instead I think he was talking about our priorities, you know, whether we’re willing to look to God for direction and for guidance and for hope, and to do it before we turn to our families or our friends or our communities. And I think it also means that we may need to be intentional in putting a higher priority on things like truth and humility and faithfulness rather than wealth or status or power. But to do this, man, we really need to prioritize our values; for me, the second way we can resist idolatry.

And third, if we want to talk about taking a stand against graven images, I think we really need to actualize, to actualize our faith. In other words, our faith has got to be more than beliefs and words and promises. Man, it’s got to be concrete and practical and real. Now, that’s what I mean by actualizing our faith. And I’ll tell you, I think Jesus said the same kind of thing in his encounter with a rich young man. Just listen:

As Jesus was walking down a road, a man ran up to him. He knelt down, and asked, “Good teacher, what can I do to have eternal life?”

Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. You know the commandments. ‘Do not murder. Be faithful in marriage. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Do not cheat. Respect your father and mother.’”

The man answered, “Teacher, I have obeyed all these commandments since I was a young man.”

Jesus looked closely at the man. He liked him and said, “There’s one thing you still need to do. Go sell everything you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come with me.”

When the man heard Jesus say this, he went away gloomy and sad because he was very rich. [Matthew 19:16-22, CEV]

Now that’s what happened. A young man wanted to know about eternal life. And I think it’s interesting, when Jesus rattled off the list of commandments he should obey, you know, the ones the rich young man said he was already doing, Jesus didn’t mention anything about not worshiping idols, that is, until he told him to sell his possessions. And according to Mark, the man walked away gloomy and sad because he just couldn’t give up the stuff he owned. You see, in spite of his words, his wealth and the security it offered, well, they really had become idols for him. And as such, it prevented him from actualizing, from applying, from living his faith.

But that doesn’t have to be the case with us. As a matter of fact, maybe the most effective way to tear down the idols that stand within our hearts is to live the faith we profess. In other words, those idols come down when we decide to turn away from self, and I’m talking about putting aside personal control and self-interest, and accepting that, as Jesus said, “If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross every day and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will save it.” [Luke 9:23b-24, CEV] Man, that’s tearing them down. But more than that, those idols get tossed out the minute we decide to obey the command of Jesus Christ himself and to “love others as much as you love yourself.” [Matthew 22:39b, CEV] You know, in my opinion, the most important and challenging question we face isn’t “how can I give my life to Jesus?” Rather, I think it’s this: “how can I show his love to others?” You see, when we answer the second one, we’re actualizing our faith, the third way we can resist idolatry.

And like I said a little while ago, I think Debbie was doing the same kind of thing on Thursday evening after I’d gone to bed. You see, as a person with all kinds of allergies, when faced with air quality that had reached a hazardous level, my dear wife recognized the problem and prioritized breathing over comfort and decided to take action. She wrote a note. And as a result, I didn’t open the windows Friday morning.

And as we deal with those inner idols we face every day, and I’m talking about those assumptions and those beliefs and those desires, we’ve been told to accept and to adopt and to have, we can also recognize, recognize our vulnerability. And we can prioritize, prioritize our values. And we can actualize, actualize our faith. Now, according to Jesus, that’s how I think we can obey the second commandment and resist idolatry. Which means, next week, we’ll consider commandment number three:

Do not misuse my name. I am the Lord your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name. [Exodus 20:7, CEV]