July 13, 2003

Rev. Rurel Ausley

Believing is Better Than Seeing (Don’t Have an Idol)
Exodus 20:1-17 (Vs. 4-6)

1. Take a moment and review about absolute truth. Why do you believe that there are truths that are true for all times, all people, and all places? What makes a truth “absolute”? Why is this statement contradictory and thus false: “There are no absolute truths!”? What happens if our “values” are not rooted in an Eternal God? What gives values “value”? What eternal truth did you learn in the first commandment? What does this truth teach us about God?

2. What is an idol? How does the Scripture describe it? (Vs. 4) Many of you may be familiar with the King James language “graven image”? To the Hebrews, what was a graven image? (Is. 44:6-20) What are the ways that God claims to be unique? (Is. 44:6-8) What titles and descriptions does God use of himself? In what ways is God different from the idols of vs.12-20? For what reason is idolatry mocked in vs.9-20? In what ways do those who worship idols end up like the idols? (Vv. 18-20) What is it that people hope the idol will do for them? (Vs.17)

3. Therefore, why would God forbid idol worship? (Is. 44:19-20) Why can nothing “material” represent God? (Ps. 139 [esp. Vv. 7-10]) What is the essence of idolatry? (Is. 44:17; Ex. 32:1) How are idols a substitute for dependence upon God? The issue here is: Who is your security? Who is your dependence upon? What is the “lie” in idolatry? (Ex. 32:4)

4. Since most of us probably don’t craft things out of wood and bow down to them, how does all of this about idolatry apply to us? What is the eternal principle here that relates anything material to our need for security? In what ways are we tempted to attach ourselves to something “material” in such a way that it meets our need for “security”? In other words, what things do we depend upon to take care of us? Discuss this: Security is not our greatest need! What is our greatest need? (Luke 13:2-5; John 3:3-5)

5. In what ways is there a constant, deceiving temptation to rely upon physical things? Think for a moment of ways that we might wrongly depend on material religious symbols for our security.... What about the use of “crosses” for good luck or protection? How do we sometime get attached to the arrangement of “church furniture”? What need does that fulfill? Why do we think there might be only one way to decorate a church? How do some get attached to “physical manifestations” of the Spirit and miss God? (Miracles, gifts, feelings, what God does, etc.) How do our own “good works” sometimes get in the way of our spiritual life?

6. Think for a moment about secular ways in which people meet their security needs... What about the following of the Signs of the Zodiac (Horoscopes) for guidance? What is witchcraft? What about superstition? (Doing things in a certain repetitive way to ensure that things go right.) What about materialism? (Bank accounts, retirement accounts, Social Security, job, clothes, friends, possessions). How could all of these things that are okay in themselves get out of whack in our lives? What signs would you look for that these things might mean too much to you? How does generous giving take care of materialism?

7. What would you have to do to be able to say: “My security come from God Himself”!!