No Distractions

This recording is from Willow Creek Church in Winter Springs, Florida, where Dr. Pete Owensen is our senior pastor. Today's sermon is part 13 in the series on the book of Exodus and deals with the second of the Ten Commandments. This message is taken from Exodus chapter 20 verses 4 through 6 and is called No Distractions. Now here's Pete with today's message. Well, if you have your Bibles, take them and turn to Exodus chapter 20. We're continuing a study in the, what are we studying? Does anybody remember the Ten Commandments? So if you have your Bibles, take them and turn to Exodus chapter 20. We looked at the first commandment last week, which is, does anybody remember the first commandment? No other gods before me. Good. You were here. You were awake in the first service. Nobody said anything. I said, man, I really messed up last week. Well, that's the first commandment, this commandment, the second one, backs that up. And it goes together, dovetails nicely. In fact, you cannot take these Ten Commandments out of order. Somebody tried to do it once. They tried to take the Ten Commandments. Remember, I shared with you the Hillbilly Ten Commandments last week. They took them out of order. And they tried to take them out of order and rearrange them. You can't do it. They got to flow in this order because they are logical. They make sense. And one builds upon the other. And so the first one, as you shall have know the gods before me, and the second one. Today about Graven Images is really a commandment that teaches us that distractions will kill us. Distractions will kill us. And that we're not to make any Graven Images of God or any other idols that will destroy. Distractions will kill us. Some of you say, hey, I'm into multitasking. That's just another name for being distracted. I'm convinced of that. We guys typically are not good at multitasking. And you guys say you are. You ladies say you are. It's just, maybe it's a gift. I'm not sure. Maybe it is. But maybe you just get distracted. I don't know. But at any rate, distractions hurt. I'm in trouble. I'm in trouble already. But that's okay. At least I got your attention. You know, when I used to jog, it was when I got distracted that I'd sprained my ankle. Always. Wouldn't pay attention. Tripped in the gutter or tripped on a rock. That's when I hurt myself. Here are some distractions that we have seen. I share with men's ministry as I speak to some of the guys in dangerous freedom. These people got distracted. Let's go on to the next one. That's just some people are hurting right now. Oh, feel that. Feel that. Yeah. For you soccer lovers. There it is. Something for everybody here today. I don't know about you, but I don't think legs bend that way normally. Wait, lifters. Okay. Yeah. That's not right. That's just not right. And this is not going to end up well. Is it? You know, is it not going to end up well? But this is what distractions do when you were imperfect as it is. But if something gets in the way and distracts you, you're going to mess up. It's going to hurt you. Distractions will kill you. One of the most notable distractions I heard about in the last year was a surgeon on his day off using a chainsaw in his backyard to cut down some limbs of a tree. And he cut off his own arm. That's horrible. But you see, when we don't get, when we don't watch our distractions, we hurt ourselves. And that's why what God is saying in the Ten Commandments to the Israelites is, I've just set you free. I've just set you free from Egyptian bondage. Now, let me give you these laws on these commandments, these ten words, because these ten words will keep you free. If you keep focused on these ten words, you won't slip into distractions that will surely mess up your life. These commandments are not given to gain salvation. They were given to people who had already been delivered. But to keep us free and following Him, and that's why these ten commandments are given. And these ten commandments apply to us today. Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly. But they apply to us today for building a successful life, a good life, a life built on God's grace. You follow these, you'll stay free. Now, let me read the Ten Commandments today. I'm going to give them to you. I'm going to read the whole thing. Exodus 21 through 17. Give it to you in tablet form, in brief form up here. This is what many of you had to memorize as kids to get your little awards. You know, the little pins in Sunday school. And so here it is. Exodus 21 through 17. And God spoke all these words. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery. That's the preamble. That's the basis. That's the introduction. Now, number one, you shall have no other gods before me. Four through six is what we're going to look at today. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them for either Lord your God. I'm a jealous God. Punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Number three, you shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. For the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but on the seventh day it is a Sabbath to the Lord to watch football. Neither shall you, nor your son, or daughter, nor man serve, or made servant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates work. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land. The Lord your God has given you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or as man serve, or made servant, or as ox, or donkey, or anything, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Now you notice there are two tablets. And those two tablets written with the finger of God written in stone from Sinai, God gives them two tablets, the commandments that will set the people of Israel free. Notice on the first tablet there are four typically. Well you want to put the fifth one on the first tablet, that's fine too. But the first four commandments directly focus upon our relationship with who? With God. They're God directed. In other words I've set you free. Now this is how you're to live and love me. And then the fifth commandment you shall honor your father and your mother, every parent's favorite commandment right there, is considered by many scholars. Jewish scholars also to be a hinge commandment. On our your parents you honor God and you honor them and it has many blessings in your life. And so then he comes on with the other commandments which typically then relate to how we relate to one another, how we love one another. So what are the ten commandments? A means of salvation right? No. The ten commandments are a way of life for people who've been redeemed. You've been rescued. This is how we love God. This is how we love one another. That's why they're applicable to us today. Now Jesus fulfilled all this and he fulfilled all the law and he flushes this out for us. In John 1, 14 through 15 we see that Jesus perfectly represents the father to us. The ten commandments are God's way of saying here's how to live. I want to set you free. Guys, Max Locato put it this way man. He said a man would rather floss a crocodile than ask for directions. It's true. And God says you got to ask directions. And here they are because you need them guys just as much as the ladies but they're more willing to ask. I was doing a men's seminar not too long ago and Urban Meyer was there but Brad Culpepper the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Award winner said all kinds of records was there speaking. He was speaking about Urban Meyer. I know this is a tough subject for some of you today. Tennessee fans. It's a red have a little prayer time for the Tennessee fans and after the service a lot of other people who've lost this week and it's a heartbreak. I feel bad for you. It's so good that University of Florida won last night and University of Southern California won. It was just wonderful. Culpepper was talking about as he was speaking to the University of Florida football team at some point before the season began and he said what Urban Meyer does for you guys is he gives you a clear pattern for success. That's why you're winning because he's telling you how to win and when you when you follow what he says you win and then he said this about dads he said you know every success not every successful man as a successful father but every successful father is a success. How you define your life in terms of your work guys probably doesn't matter as much as how you define yourself in terms of how you lead your family. It's a bigger legacy much bigger what God says I want you to be a success and one of Jesus favorite words is follow me follow me follow me set your life after me you know once we put our faith in him he says follow me because I'm leading you to the way of success and that's what he says in the 10 commandments so let's take a look at the second commandment what is it prohibit what does the 10 the second commandment what is it actually prohibits prohibits two things first of all it does prohibit making any graven image a graven image is something carved or something molten made out of wood or stone or gold or precious stone anything that stands as a representation of the living God the God of Israel he says I don't want you to do that. He says stop following the Jones as I got you out of Egypt and down there in Egypt they made idols of their gods and now I don't want you to do that I want you to worship me Jesus put it this way God must be worshiped in spirit and in truth yeah the worship of the living God is a spiritual thing and not to be seen in a graven image. The images that were worshiped in Canaan when the Israelites went there worth there are many gods but three of the most famous what was bail bail ashara and mallak these are just wonderful representations of God's bail bail was one of the most common and now look at that is not a kitty cat man with very weird ears I think he's a Vulcan with a nose who knows. Like some of us in this room a frog and I guess those are spider legs what a wonderful not to just make you want to worship. Oh bail the fertility God and then there's ashara sometimes she a female deity just a pole but sometimes in this form and then mallak mallak a configuration of human bull fire see that little opening down there that's where you could come and bring your baby. To give to mallak because you see if you give him your baby he will take care of you maybe maybe not but you could ensure that he would help you maybe if you gave your first second third child him and people did it and God said don't you do this don't you worship me in the form of anything in heaven on earth or under the earth. That's what people tend to do they tend to take images of God and then worship them and you say well what's the big deal I mean seeing is believing if you got an image it will help you worship God right he says no absolutely not because I the Lord your God am a God who is spirit I don't have a body I'm spirit and besides that I am more I am bigger than every one of these other gods there's nothing on this earth. There could in any way come close to representing me I created the world and nothing in the world I'm outside of the world nothing in the world can in any way come close to representing me in my majesty take your sanctified imagination and imagine what God is like and and and that's not God you don't have me in your hip pocket Steve Brown says I don't either. We don't have any clear idea what God is except that he is spirit immortal invisible unchangeable unstoppable gracious we have the attributes of God and we see the outcomes of God but he says I don't want I don't want you to be distracted by any physical representation of me because it will only lead you astray for me. So don't make any of these idols and and then wouldn't you know it that's exactly the first thing that the Israelites did I love this Exodus 32 we're not going to read it except some of the verses but by the Moses is still up on the mountains getting the ten commandments and what is the very the ten commandments are not cold yet there is still smoke coming off of the ten commandments from the finger of God and Moses is still on the mountain and what are the people of Israel do. They violate the second commandment because you see it's it's a need your thing even when we come to faith in Christ isn't it so easy for us to go back and do what we used to do and go back to doing what everybody does around us. It's so easy they did it Exodus 32 one when the people saw that Moses was so long and coming down from the mountain they get you know if God says Moses you got to stay what do you do you stay. Even if the people down there might misunderstand you follow God so when the people saw that Moses was so long and coming down the mountain they gathered around Aaron and said come make us gods who will go before us as for this fellow Moses who brought us up from Egypt we don't know what has happened to him as for this inconsequential guy Moses as for this fellow Moses as for this old guy Moses. You believe that that's for Moses we don't know what happened to him and so Aaron says you know I got to call an elder meeting you know because the first president church of the sign I was already started back then and they had elders and so Aaron says I got to call an elder meeting and see what they think I ought to do now Aaron says take the gold earrings of your wives your sons and your daughters are wearing and bring them to me so all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took the earrings and brought them to Aaron he took them what the handed him made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf fastening it with a tool they said these are your gods or Israel who brought you up out of Egypt. When Aaron saw this he built an altar in front of the calf and announced tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord so the next day the people rose early and sacrifice burn offerings and they had a party that got out of hand. He did and so God says to Moses Moses okay it's time to go down the mountain and deal with in the original Hebrew it says something like this. Go down and deal with those people who right now I want to destroy and I'm going that's what I'm going to do I'm going to do it.

Moses comes down from the mountain and he finds his brother who's his older brother and he grabs him by the toga and he says what were you thinking. I don't know if he does but I would and what does Aaron say Aaron was just the leader type guy he says I don't know man I got to tell you I don't know what happened. This is this this really is in the original text I don't know what happened he said the people gave me all of this jewelry I threw it into the fire now came this calf. Let's take a look this probably what it looked like this probably look like something like that that's what he says he says I threw the fire and how came this kept I didn't do it violated it right away. Why because it's so easy to go back isn't it can we talk came to faith in Christ even following Jesus and so easy to go back and do the old stuff we used to do. It's easy to copy everybody around us that's why when we come to faith in Christ he's got to stop us in our tracks and say no here's a better way this is how you live this will set you free that will kill you. I want to set you free and why in the new testament now that Jesus has come for sure we don't need any other physical representations of God because it says in Colossians he Jesus is the image of the invisible God. The first born over all creation for by him all things were created things in the heaven on earth and things visible and invisible with the thrones or powers or rulers or authorities all things were created by him and for him. Jesus is the image of the invisible God we don't need anything more than that and when we do we get into trouble so the first second commandment says no physical representations of God Aaron made a calf but said this is the God of Israel. But then also this commandment says don't make any other physical or non physical God substitutes don't make any other idols don't make any other gods don't make anything that important to your life and in the new testament in that some we still see that in New Testament times the Apostle still dealing with the problem of idols. In Galatians he says this the acts of the sinful nature obvious sexual immorality and purity debauchery idolatry and which is still a problem and John ends his first letter by saying dear children keep yourself from idols so it must be a problem that was true thousands of years later in the New Testament time and is still is it still a problem. Today I submit that it is because an idol is anything that becomes more important to us than God right it's an idol. He says don't have any idols because they will distract you from me they'll distract you from what I want to do with your life to set you free my word is a light it's a lamp to your path you follow these idols they'll kill you. Now then it seems stupid can we talk for a second why in the world did they worship statues of stone. And would and goal then that seemed a little silly they were kind of pre-modern people they were kind of silly people how does that happen. I mean you know Easter Island with those big statues why did people do that what's a process it's a problem you know idols couldn't talk they couldn't walk they couldn't dust themselves they couldn't they couldn't clean themselves off if they got dirty. Had to be carried if they were moved the process of worshiping a statue is an insidious process it starts like this this statue reminds me of the God that is behind it. And then bit by bit superstition builds up and you go well this is the God before you know it the thing that reminded you of the God becomes the God itself that's how that happened. And that's what happens today things that we give devotion to that we appreciate that we admire that we want whether they're physical or non-physical they can bit by bit grow in their superstitious value in our life so that you know before we know it we've elevated them to the level of idols what are idols that we serve well we've got a lot of suburban idols can we talk. Oh no you're gonna love me for this how about our houses they can become suburban idols as we pour everything into that so much into that and that's that and you know I'm happy for the church are you kidding have more it's gonna get dirty. Ain't no way our houses can become idols as we pour more and more into them our bodies. Um sculpting sculpting the perfect body you know just we Americans do that a lot and suburbs we do it a lot I read this week about a guy who was so sick of dating Christian women he was so sick of them because they were they were silly and superficial he became bored and angry with him he was a body builder he's you know and and he dated body building girls and he was so upset that that's all they were superficial and silly and thinking about that. Everything he was he went after God's don't satisfy they let you down status respect kids kids can become our idols you know you put everything into your kids and neglect your marriage. Oh that's one of the worst problems today I was talking to Elaine probes the other day she teaches in schools where the private school where the body the body building bodyguards come and pick up the kids and put them into the car seat and bring them home so one day she was standing there while this body guard that would break through this jacket that I have on said to her would you put that kid in the back seat for me. And she said why do you want me to do it because he bites me this martial art body building gun to bodyguard is afraid of this little kid why because parents never said no and he's a tear I looked at Elaine I said I bet you get him in that car seat she says oh yes I do we make an idol of our kids we don't teach him we don't stop and we give him everything and why that's no good sex here let me tell you a book to read how to ruin your life by 40 Steve for our Sergio and Carl Wilson son-in-law one of my favorite authors Steve for our great book I picked up three of them already I think there's four left they ought to all be gone today it's that important parents it's a good it's great book he tells the story I love it about tells a story in here about this very well known author in London at a dinner party with the glitterati you know I mean these were the top and he leans over he's talking to this very very attractive woman he leans over to her any whispers at the dinner party said would you sleep with me tonight for $10,000 and she nods in the affirmation and he's back to her loa lenses would you do it for $50 she says who do you think I am said he said we've already established that we're just negotiating the price right now you know sex is a god and we but it's illustrative to that we create these gods and then we sell ourselves to them we sell ourselves to these gods and God says don't do that don't create don't don't do that because these gods will still use you will spit you up chew you out throw you away you don't matter to them but you do to me don't make any other images don't be distracted by stuff that wants to destroy your life so a question at this point is what is it that we that we tend to nominate for idols in our life we need to know that let me let me go I'm going to give you some application real quick here in a minute but I want to tell you what this second command that does not teach it does not teach that we cannot use pictures that we can't use even representations statues it doesn't say we can't do PowerPoint presentations if we did I'd be in trouble it doesn't say we can't use art or beauty as long as we don't worship those things those things of beauty ought to focus us on the beauty of God so it doesn't say we can't do have objects of beauty by the way you take here about the guy that that bought some land and out here and developed it beautifully and he and he brought a brought his Christian friend out to to see his property and it was a neat neat piece of land that he developed and but he just the landscaping was incredible and so we got out there and this guy looked at his land he said this is incredible this is wonderful I mean look at this land that God has given you and he said yeah but you should have seen it when God had it we create beauty out of the beauty that God has given us and that's good but that's not in and of itself the beauty we worship is the living God by the way footnote we're going to be in the building soon I don't know when we might know Wednesday we might take a risk on Wednesday night or Sunday night at the dessert and tell you when but we're going to be in there and you know we've got teams of people that have been working for months and months and months on color schemes on how to hang things on where it's going to be you know how it's going to be hung up there and how it's going to look and the landscaping crew I can't wait to see it all done it's going to be beautiful it's going to be beautiful but let me warn you you're not going to like it not all of you're going to like it some of you will not like some of the colors some of you will not like what happened in there and you'll say why in the world did they do that why did they choose that color why did they put that there here's your answer okay here's your answer blame Pete all right because this took this took teams of people to put together who who knows who made what decision about what and it doesn't matter you want to blame somebody blame me okay everybody okay we're good with that now give like crazy and let's pay this thing off even if it's my fault you see it's not about what the building looks like is it because we're not there to worship a building and if you let a building get in a way you have got and the tool well designed beautiful tool sophisticated hammer to glorify God to bring people to Christ in his beauty blame Pete don't let it don't let a building get in your way why is this second commandment so good for us three reasons this really ought to be another sermon but it's not going to be real quick it shows us a deep love of God you shall not bow down to them a worship from for I the Lord your God let's say together am a jealous God truth if someone says they love you but they're not jealous for you they don't love you God loves you so much he says I'm jealous for you I want your time I want I want you to do life my way why because I know if you do it my way I'm good I'm perfect I'm not going to mess up your life I'm jealous for you some guy was flirting with my wife one Sunday after church out on the patio how do I know I know I went over there and introduced myself right away if you have an idol that you love other than God watch out let's show these pics real quick remember the flooding up in the Midwest if your idol is your home how would you like it in the middle of a railroad track someplace what riverfront property yeah but that close if you and I have an idol that is anything but the living God it's going to let us down it will let you down and so God says I'm jealous for you I'm so jealous for you don't nominate something that will get in the way of God it shows us God's deep love for us that he tells us not to make anything any idol number two it protects us from God's discipline for either Lord you got him a jealous God punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me usually the third and the fourth generations are as far as we go on planet Earth he says listen do not think that you're an absolute individual we're not we're connected we're organic that means that what I do affects my family and what you do affects your family and the sins that you commit when we walk away from God and says God's law doesn't matter they affect my kids because what I do my kids will probably do and so as a as a father I say do I want my kids as a mother as a friend do you want your friends to follow what you're doing that could actually lead you to experience the discipline of God no you want them to have what's best so he says listen stick with me and it will be better for your progeny it will be better for all those who are influenced by you a sunny school teacher asked little Johnny do you believe in the devil and Johnny said no it's the same as Santa Claus it's my daddy sometimes it is statistically it is a lot that's why it says fathers and making the point that what we do makes an impact in the lives of our kids but thirdly notice that the second commandment teaches us that it provides us with God's blessing when we go his way Exodus 26 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments this is the way of blessing we've been saved by grace through faith in Christ this is the way of blessing just do it my way don't get any other idols now I want to just end by saying this how how do we apply this we apply this by asking the question what do you and what do I eliminate for God's substitutes they'll make you cry like that you know idols do that they destroy your life and I've came up with my short lists are on my three by five card and I'm not going to show it to you but I I've confessed my sins in the past to you but I'll tell you I've got a list of those things that every week I tend to want to nominate for God that just bubble up I just want to put it in front of it and he keeps saying to me you know preach this sermon to yourself it'll destroy you don't do it so if you know him you you need you need to know that those idols you just like Jeff let us to sing this morning we cast out our idols cast them down Lord you could even pray that Lord take my idols you know what they are if you don't know Christ and you're looking at a cycle in your life why is it that so many families carry on the cycle of alcoholism or a physical abuse or sexual abuse why is that because we're connected if you want to break the cycle in your life today you can you can begin that process by receiving Christ as your Savior and Lord and saying no more that's it the idol has been killing my family for generation and that's it bringing me I want blessings in my life I'm going to stop this stuff as a mess you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and you get the power the grace comes into your heart and that power can set you free well those are two good applications for us and we need to we need to stop now so what is it what are your idols what are mine what do you want to break free Father thank you for being jealous for us and now Lord we give you our hearts if you don't know him and have not accepted him as Savior and Lord then you can do that right now Lord come into my life fill me teach me set me free if your his already and you're still stuck in a cycle you can say I got to break this or take my idol and throw it down and break it in half or Jesus would you set us free thank you that you love us so much that you're willing to do we pray these things in your willow Creek Church is associated with the Presbyterian Church in America our website is www.willowcreekchurch.org and our phone number is 407 699 82 11