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Exodus 20:4-6
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. At times every Christian has probably wondered, what is God actually made of. What did Isaiah really see when He saw God high and lifted up? God shares enough about Himself with us that we can get the point He is not to be toyed with, but rather to be feared and worshipped for Who He is. Let’s consider just two truths that will help us see why God says, “make no graven images.”
- GOD IS SPIRIT! The word spirit in the OT means “breath, mind intellect.” In the NT is means “breath, wind, invisible, immaterial powerful.” Read John 4:21-23. In this discussion, Jesus is telling the woman she does not need to be in the Temple in Jerusalem to worship God, because He is not bound to just one location. Worship is an act determined, not by location, but by state, condition of heart or mind. God tells Man not to make any graven images because anything Man can conceive is fall infinitely short of what God really is! Aaron’s golden calf may have represented power, strength, and life which are all attributes of God, but the image woefully misrepresented God because there is nothing about the calf that represents God’s wisdom, grace, mercy, truthfulness, and so on. God is a jealous God. For us jealously is wrong because we use it to harm others, including God. God is jealous of all His perfections, and won’t tolerate them being misrepresented by fallen Man. How do you limit God’s perfections by images you’ve constructed in your life?
- GOD IS INVISIBLE. FYI, if you take away your body, you are invisible also! Scripture is abundantly clear in telling us God is invisible. John 1:8; 1Tim. 1:16, 17; John 4:14. Even though God is invisible, He shows Himself in various ways called “theophany’s.” Someone said the most complete theophany was Jesus! David says in Ps. 145:3 God’s greatness is unsearchable. When we get to heaven we get to see Jesus in all His divine glory, majesty, power which will be visible to us. If we consider just these two truths about God we can begin to see why He says make no graven image. God is angered when Man is so arrogant as to think he can make an idol that represents all God is. Consider this: how do you see God in your mind? Does God have any limits or boundaries there? Is the God you see in your heart infinite in His wisdom, power, knowledge, mercy, grace and independence; or do you impose your own limitations in those things on Him? We all know what idols and images of God we have built in our lives hoping He accepts them, even though we know they are less than right! The only way we can worship God in spirit and truth is to tear down every graven image we have erected in our hearts and lives. We must then replace them with the Almighty, Infinite God Who is the only true and Living God.
If we can help you answer your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.
