9/24/17 – Eph
6:2-3, The Commandment, Pt 6,
The 2nd Commandments, Pt. 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvJr2jFnSGk
Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard
Grace
Fellowship Church
The Doctrine of the Ten Commandments Related to the Church Age,
Part VI.
1 John 1:9, “If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The
2nd Commandment.
Ex
20:4, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.”
Ex
20:5, “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, …”
Ex
20:6, “…but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep
My commandments.” Cf. Deut
5:8-10.
Ex
23:24, “You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to
their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred
pillars in pieces.”
Deut
4:19, “And beware, lest you lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the
moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them
and serve them, those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples
under the whole heaven.”
Deut
12:30, “Beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are
destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying,
‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’”
The 2nd Commandment was accompanied by both a warning
and a promise of blessing.
Ex
20:5b, is the warning, “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.”
Notice the last phrase of the warning, “of those who hate Me.” The
word “hate” the Hebrew verb SANE, שָׂנֵא that means, “an emotional attitude
of one towards someone or something which is abhorred, disdained, or opposed,
and with which a person desires to have no relationship or amiable
reconciliation.”
In other words, idolatry is a demonstration of one’s hate,
abhorrence, disdain, and/or opposition towards the One true God of Israel. It
is someone who has no desire to have a relationship with God.
In fact, God hates the abominable acts people perform in idolatry
or false pagan worship, which He absolutely prohibits in the worship and
service of Him.
Deut 12:31, “You
shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which
the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and
daughters in the fire to their gods.”
The Law, as given in Lev
18:21; 20:2-5, described child sacrifice as a capital offense and was
tantamount to murder.
Lev
18:21, “Neither shall you give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech,
nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.”
God’s judgment or Divine discipline on the people and nation of
Israel for participating in these heinous acts meant that not only would that
generation be punished, but subsequent generations as well; “visiting the iniquity of the fathers on
the children, on the third and the fourth generations.” That means they,
their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren could suffer as a result
of breaking this commandment.
On the other hand, God promises blessings in Ex 20:6, “But showing
lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
We previously noted this general promise of blessing by God to those who would
follow His commandments.
The blessing here is for God to show His, “lovingkindness,” which is the Noun CHESED, חֶסֶד that means,
“kindness, mercy, grace, loyalty, faithfulness, goodness, or steadfast love.”
In other words, God will uphold His end of the bargain, (Mosaic Covenant), by
protecting and providing abundantly for Israel, if Israel upholds her end by
keeping the Law.
This is reiterated in Deut 7:9, “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who
keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those
who love Him and keep His commandments.”
To love God is to keep His commandments. Obeying His mandates is
the expression of love towards God. For the OT saint, it meant following the
Mosaic Law as best they could. For the Church Age, it means obeying the mystery
Doctrines for the Church Age with its 300+ mandates.
Remember, keeping His mandates does not provide you with
salvation, but salvation is demonstrated through the keeping of His mandates.
Cf. Rom 3:27-28; James 2:18-20.
New Testament usage:
This commandment is also reiterated in Mat 4:10, by our Lord when tempted by Satan, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL
WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY'.” Cf. Luke 4:8.
He was quoting Deut 6:13;
10:20; 13:4.
Deut 6:13, “You
shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship (ABAD) Him and
swear by His name.”
Deut 13:4, “You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and
you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve (ABAD) Him, and
cling to Him.”
Present-day religious pluralism, “You worship your god and I'll
worship mine, because both are right,” is both unbiblical and illogical. How
can there be more than one god? If God is God, He is infinite, eternal, and
sovereign, and cannot share the throne with another being who is also infinite,
eternal, and sovereign.
Mat
6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God
and mammon.”
1 Cor 10:14, “Therefore,
my beloved, flee from idolatry.”
Gal 5:20, the prohibitions
against, “…idolatry,
sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions,
factions.”
Col 3:5, “Therefore
consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity,
passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”
Idolatry is the Greek noun EIDOLOLATREIA, εἰδωλολατρεία, used in 1 Cor 10:14; Gal 5:20; Col 3:5;
1 Peter 4:3, that is held to be a Christian formation, as it is not
found prior to the Christian period. It is a compound word from EIDOLON,
“image,” and LATREIA, “service.” It is linked to monetary greed in Ephesians
and Colossians. It is defined as: The worship of idols or false gods, blind
admiration of or devotion to something or someone, excessive admiration or love
shown for somebody or something, and an active rejection of God by willful
participation in sin, including allegiance sworn to sin rather than to God.
In 1 Cor 10:10-22, the
idol worship of the pagan nations was not only illogical and unbiblical, but it
was intensely immoral, (temple prostitutes and fertility rites), inhuman,
(sacrificing children), and demonic.
Paul also notes the powerlessness of idols in 1 Cor 12:2, “You know that
when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you
were led.”
John warned against worshipping idols, 1 John 5:21; Rev 2:14, 20; 9:20.
1 John 5:21, “Little
children, guard yourselves from idols.”
Rev 9:20, “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by
these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship
demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of
wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.”
This false worship is related to demonism and a false communion
table by Paul in 1 Cor 10:21, “You
cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of
the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” Therefore, idol worship
amounts to demon worship.
In Rev 2:14, 20, when
the churches at Pergamum and Thyatira were rebuked, it was because their eating
of sacrificial meat to idols was done in the worship of those idols. Cf. Num 25:1-5; 31:6. As opposed to the
great discussion in both 1 Cor 8 and 10, regarding things sacrificed to
idols and the mature believer’s attitude towards them and their fellow man. To
the mature believer there are no idols that exist, so it is ok to eat the meat
sacrificed to them, as long as that eating does not cause an unbeliever or
immature believer to sin by judging your eating. If so, the mature believer is
to abstain for the sake of the brother, but not for the sake of the idol.
The idols that entice God’s people today are things like money,
recognition, success, material possessions, (cars, houses, boats, collectibles,
etc.), knowledge, or even other people.
Therefore, like the people of Israel during the Jewish Dispensation,
the Church during the current Age of Grace is to not make, serve, or worship
any other gods, in image or fashion. Therefore, this commandment warns us
against having the wrong object of worship and against worshiping the wrong
way.
Isa
42:8, “I am the Lord: that is my name; and my glory I will not give to another,
neither my praise to graven (carved) images.”
Jesus said of the Church Age in, John 4:23-24, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the
true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people
the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24God is spirit, and those
who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (That is, not in or by
an image).
If
you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I am here to tell
you that Jesus loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you.
God the Father also lo
Right
where you are, you now have the opportunity to make the greatest decision in
your life. To accept the free gift of salvation and eternal life by truly
believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day
as the proof of the promise of eternal life. So right now, you can pause and
reflect on what Christ has done for you and say to the Father:
"Yes Father, I believe that Your Son, Jesus
Christ, died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins."
If you have done that, I welcome you to the eternal
Family of God!
Grace
Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher: James H. Rickard
23 Messenger Street, Unit 3
Plainville, MA 02762
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© 2001 - 2017.
Property of: James H Rickard Bible Ministries
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