How To Build A Life – Accept No Substitutes

How to Build a Life: Accept No Substitutes

When in Doubt, Follow the Instructions.

God’s Commands are Blueprints for Building Our Lives.

Commandment #1: Put God First (Exodus 20:1-3)

Recalibration of our Consciences where God is our Reference Point

Commandment #2: Accept No Substitutes (Exodus 20:4-6)

A Prohibition of Making and Worshiping Idols
A Prohibition of Falsely Worshiping the True God

Human Beings Have Always Tried to Create God in Their Image. What is Wrong with This?

We are Finite; We Cannot Picture the Infinite God.
Any Image Would be Inadequate.
Any Image would be Incomplete, at Best, and at Worst, a Perversion of who God is.

Some Inadequate Mental Images:

God as Uncle Sam
God as a Kindly Grandfather
God as an Angry Monster
God as Santa Claus
God as a Vending Machine
God as Monte Hall/Wayne Brady (Let’s Make a Deal)

Why Do We Make Mental Images?

Convenience (Laziness)
Self-Interest
To Establish Limits
Manipulation

The Image God Chose: Jesus
(John 1:1-3, 14, 18; 2 Corinthians 3:18)

What Image of God Dominates Your Life?

Are you Willing to Replace that with the Image of Christ Alone?

Will You Allow Him to Transform You Into the Image of his Son?

We continue our lesson series on the Ten Commandments entitled, How to Build a Life. God’s commands provide a blueprint for how to build successful lives. In this lesson we will examine the second command.

Exodus 20:4-6 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. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God….

I’ll say more in my lesson. Join us for this series.

Joey