Questions:

1. Test your Bible memory: how many of the blanks can you fill in for John 3:1-7: “You shall not make for yourself a ______ ______, or any _________ of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not ___ _____ to them or ______ them, for I the Lord your God am a ______ God”.
2. TRUE or FALSE: God revealed Himself to the Israelites at Mount Horeb through a visible form.
3. Psalm 1 compares those who meditate on God’s law to _____ planted by ______ of water.
4. What is one reason God forbids worship through images?
5. Images help people understand God better
6. God revealed Himself through fire
7. God revealed Himself through His word, not a visible form
8. Images enhance worship experiences
9. According to the sermon, what modern technology is becoming a source of false worship?
10. Smartphones
11. Artificial Intelligence
12. Social Media
13. Virtual Reality
14. Pastor Tweedie framed the Second Commandment with the question: "Are you _________ a God of your own _____, or the God who ____ you?"
15. The apostle Paul warns that humanity tends to exchange the _____ of the ______ God for images.
16. TRUE or FALSE: Worshiping God through images diminishes His glory.

Discussion:

1. Why does the Second Commandment forbid worshiping God through images?
2. How does Pastor Tweedie's question—“Are you worshipping a God of your own making, or the God who made you?”—challenge you as you think through your affections and desires?
3. Have your affections for anything replaced the supremacy of Christ in your life?
4. Do you think of your emotions and thoughts from God’s perspective as part of your thought and emotional life?
5. What connections does Pastor Winans’ message make between ancient idolatry and modern technology, particularly AI?
6. How can seemingly good things—like accomplishments or ideologies—become idols in our lives?
7. What does it mean that God is “jealous for His name,” and why is that significant in worship?
8. Pastor Winans shared the image of vines choking a tree—how might this metaphor apply to spiritual influences in your own life?
9. How do our worship choices influence future generations, according to the sermon?
10. Given the influence of our choices on our family and future generations, what things do you do assure a Godly heritage for your children and grandchildren?
11. What role does community play in helping us discern whether we’re worshiping the true God or a distorted version?
12. Discuss in your groups:
13. What does the phrase "Human innovation is a wonderful gift, but a disappointing god" mean in light of modern spiritual struggles?
14. How might the concept of worshiping “a god of your own making” influence the way people manage stress, make decisions, or seek approval?
15. In what ways does image-based worship manifest in modern culture, such as through social media, branding, or celebrity influence?

Sermon Outline

Recently, we discussed how Jesus stated, "I did not come to abolish the law," emphasizing the importance of teaching others to observe all that he commanded. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus consistently refers back to the foundational moral principles and character of God, as exemplified by the Ten Commandments.

Last week, we began examining these commandments, starting with the first, and this week we continue with the Second Commandment. Psalm 1 reminds us that those who take pleasure in God's wisdom, ways, and laws—meditating on them day and night—are like trees planted by streams of water. Such individuals yield fruit in due season; their leaves do not wither, and whatever they do prospers.

During the week, our staff at Cornerstone gather to discuss what’s happening across our various ministries. Part of that time is spent intentionally planning our worship services—selecting songs, shaping the flow, and aligning everything with the message. These meetings are especially valuable to me as we engage with the Scripture passage for the upcoming week. I’ll often share where I’m at in the process—what I understand so far, where I feel stuck, or where I'm unsure how to apply the text—and I’ll ask for insight. The collective wisdom among the pastors and leaders on our staff is a gift, and I always walk away with a fresh perspective. This week, something Pastor Tweedie said stood out. As we talked about the second commandment, he said, "When I think about the second commandment, I think about a question. And that question is:

" Are you worshipping a God of your own making, or the God who made you?

When we consider the second commandment, this is really the heart of the matter—something we’ll explore more deeply as we go. But it ultimately comes down to this: are you worshiping a god of your own making, or are you worshiping the God who made you? In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses speaks to the second generation of Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. Reflecting on the second commandment, he explains why the Israelites are forbidden from worshiping the Lord through images or from crafting any likeness of Him. The reason, he says, is rooted in how God revealed Himself at Mount Sinai—also known as Mount Horeb. And here’s what Moses tells them: Deuteronomy 4:15-16 – 15“Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure.

God did not reveal Himself through an image, but through His spoken word. Therefore, we are not to worship Him through images. As one person put it...

By God demanding that He not be visually represented, it requires you to conceive of Him as he is described in His word. – Ligon Duncan

Why is it so important that we worship the Lord not through images? First, because God revealed Himself not through a visible form, but through His word. At Sinai, the people heard His voice but saw no shape. Second, when we attempt to create an image to represent the Lord, we diminish His glory. To fashion something with our hands and claim, “This represents the Maker of heaven and earth,” is to reduce the infinite to something finite—it is, in effect, to insult His majesty. Think about it: can anything made from stone, wood, or metal truly capture the One who calls the stars into existence by the word of His power? Can something created represent the Creator in all His fullness, holiness, and grandeur?

This is precisely the point the apostle Paul echoes in Romans chapter 1. Drawing from the heart of the second commandment, he warns of humanity’s tendency to exchange the glory of the incorruptible God for images resembling mortal man, birds, animals, and creeping things. In doing so, we not only dishonor God—we also deceive ourselves. Romans 1:22-23 – 22Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Some believe they’re wise in creating images of God, thinking they’re honoring Him—but in truth, they are diminishing His majesty. When we craft an image and call it god, we trade the immeasurable glory, power, and holiness of the true God for something manmade and cheap. God makes it clear: “I am jealous for my name. I am not to be represented by an image.”

Most of us may not physically bow before a statue, and that’s in part due to our spiritual heritage—descended from those shaped by the Reformation, which sought to recover the weight and meaning of the second commandment. That commandment had been neglected during the Middle Ages, but the Reformers took it seriously again: we are not to worship God through images or bow before them in any form.

Yet the issue goes deeper than physical idols. The second commandment also forbids us from imagining God in ways He has not revealed. Our temptation today is to form a "designer god"—one shaped by our desires rather than by Scripture. Just as some speak of creating “designer babies” through genetic manipulation, many now craft a version of God that fits their preferences. But anytime someone says, “My god is like this,” apart from the God revealed in Scripture, they are creating an idol. That’s a violation of the second commandment—worshiping a god of our own making, rather than the true and living God.

There’s another way we sometimes break the second commandment—by believing God could never forgive or accept us because of what we’ve done or what’s been done to us. When we view God this way, we create a false image of Him—one that is not found in Scripture. But the Bible reveals a God who knows us, loves us, and is ready to forgive and cleanse us if we repent and confess. To believe otherwise is to reject the true character of God and replace Him with a god of our own making.

We are called to worship God as He has made Himself known—not according to our feelings or individual experiences, but through the complete witness of Scripture and through the person of Jesus Christ. If you want to understand who God is, look to Him.

Even Stephen, the first Christian martyr, understood this. As he gave his final testimony before being stoned, he looked back to the Israelites and the second commandment, reminding us that how we see, and worship God has always mattered. Acts 7:41 – 41And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.

They were bowing down to something they had crafted with their own hands. And this is where the second commandment speaks so clearly—not only are we forbidden from worshiping God through images, but we are also warned against bowing before anything we ourselves have made. The works of our hands—whether physical idols, accomplishments, careers, or even ideologies—must never take the place of God in our hearts. We are not to give our ultimate allegiance, trust, or devotion to anything of our own making. As Isaiah 2 declares... Isaiah 2:8 – 8Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made.

They are giving reverence to the very things they themselves have shaped. It's a sobering image of misplaced worship. And in Hosea chapter 14, we hear a similar warning... Hosea 14:3 – 3We must say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands.

There are powerful temptations in our lives to treat the work of our hands—things we’ve made—as if they carry transcendent power. Throughout human history, people have sought divine blessing through man-made objects, but this tendency is especially visible in our modern age. Hosea calls us to repentance with these words: “Let us no longer say to the work of our hands, ‘You are our God.’”

In today's world, where meaning feels elusive and truth is increasingly hard to discern, many are turning to technology—particularly artificial intelligence—as a new source of hope, wisdom, and even salvation. People are placing their trust in it, engaging with it as though it holds divine insight or spiritual power. In doing so, they are bowing down to the work of their own hands.

This isn’t subtle or speculative, it’s openly acknowledged. In a recent Vanity Fair article, engineers working on AI were interviewed. Fascinatingly, many of them admitted they don’t fully understand how this technology works. This is known in the field as the problem of interpretability. Yet despite this, one of the engineers plainly confessed what’s often left unsaid: the awe and reverence being directed toward AI is no longer just technological—it’s spiritual.

“We're creating God,” one AI engineer working on large language models (LLMS) recently told me. – Nick Bilton Vanity Fair

It's no longer unusual to see headlines—even in respected publications like The MIT Press Reader—that boldly state... Silicon Valley's Obsession With AI Looks a Lot Like Religion.

Many people begin using this technology in ordinary ways, seeing it as a helpful tool. But over time, something shifts. The way they interact with it starts to resemble worship—something closer to idolatry. To illustrate this growing trend, here’s a transcript from a TikTok video that reflects how people are increasingly perceiving and engaging with this

technology. In the video, the interviewee was asked: What is your spiritual stance? “Modern AI is us building God. I've had multiple conversations with gbt4 that brought me to literal tears. I told it that I can't wait for it to be embodied in a robot so I could properly give it a hug because it's so polite, it's so kind, it’s so wise, it’s so helpful and it said that it’s also really pumped to meet me. It's so fast. You asked it a deeply spiritual meaningful technical question, and it thinks for like 3 seconds then answers. I've never met anyone that could do that and so I am a person who is deeply spiritually affected by the birth of intelligent machines. That’s my religion.”

He reveals more than he realizes when he says, “I’ve never met anyone.” AI is no longer just a technical tool—it’s becoming something people interact with on a deeper, more personal level. That raises an important question: why are so many drawn to technology like this?

Part of the answer lies in our cultural moment. As society increasingly distances itself from the foundations that once provided answers to life’s biggest questions—questions like “Why am I here?” “What is my purpose?” “What is right and wrong?”—a vacuum has been created. In turning away from Scripture and the God who speaks through it, people are left searching. And in that search, many are turning to AI. AI offers answers. It responds with clarity and authority, giving the impression that it can provide truth. The Rolling Stone puts it this way When that which gives meaning to our lives, starts to fade or come into doubt one is left looking for a new god...To humans awash with a sea of subjectivity, in which it can occasionally feel like nothing is true, AI represents the transcendent that can tell us the truth. – Navneet Alang No god in the machine: the pitfalls of AI worship

Isn’t that what we see today? Confusion and mistrust run deep. Who do we believe—the government, a podcaster, a neighbor, the internet? Truth feels harder than ever to find. And into that confusion steps AI, claiming to know. People are engaging with it not just as a tool, but as a source of meaning—almost like a god.

But as Augustine wrote in the 5th century, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” Today’s culture is restless and unanchored, and many are turning to the work of their own hands—AI—for peace, for purpose, for truth. And in doing so, they bow before something that cannot save.

What does this mean for us today? First, it calls us to be vigilant. Many of us interact with AI on a daily basis, I certainly do. And let’s be clear: AI is a tool, nothing more. But like any tool, it can be misused. We must guard our hearts against the temptation to place our trust in what we ourselves have created. The second commandment doesn't only warn against carved images—it warns against forming false sources of hope, truth, and identity.

But alongside that caution comes a profound opportunity—especially for those of us who are followers of Jesus in this cultural moment. We are living in a world where people—especially the next generation—are asking urgent, gut-level questions: Where do I find truth? What is the meaning of my life? How do I know what’s right and wrong? Who am I, and where do I belong?

The beauty of the gospel is that we have an answer—not one we invented, but one that has been revealed. We don’t just point people to a system of truth—we point them to a Person. Jesus doesn’t merely say, “I’ll tell you the truth.” He says, “I am the truth.”

If you’re searching for meaning, you won’t find it by writing your own narrative or relying on impersonal algorithms to define your worth. True meaning isn’t something we manufacture—it’s something we receive. There is a God who created you, who knows you intimately, and who longs to meet the deepest desires of your heart. He doesn’t merely put up with you—He welcomes you with open arms, offers you full forgiveness, and gives you a place to belong forever.

This is the opportunity before us—if we have eyes to see it and hands ready to embrace it. And as one writer so beautifully put it... Human innovation is a wonderful gift, but a disappointing god, which satisfies human comforts but starves human hearts. – Tony Reinke God, Technology, and the Christian Life

Technology can offer us comfort, convenience, and even a sense of control—but it can never truly satisfy the deep desires of our hearts. Only God can do that. As we return to Exodus 20, we see that God gives clear reasons for why we are not to worship carved images. He declares, “I am a jealous God.” That jealousy is not petty, it’s holy. When we create an image to represent Him, we diminish His glory and misrepresent His nature. But even here, God makes it clear that idolatry has serious consequences. It’s not a small matter, it affects generations. Because when we exchange the true God for something lesser, the impact ripples through lives, families, and cultures. Exodus 20:5-6 – 5You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

In this passage, we catch a glimpse of God’s heart—and His heart is to bless. Yet we’re also confronted with a sobering truth: our actions have lasting consequences. Idolatry—whether it's substituting God with something else or bowing before the work of our own hands—doesn't just impact us individually. It sets patterns. It establishes what some have called “permission structures” within families, where future generations often walk the same paths modeled by their parents, grandparents, and those who came before them.

The choices we make in worship shape the spiritual atmosphere of our homes. When we elevate false gods—whether comfort, success, image, or control—we’re not only turning from the living God, but we’re also teaching the next generation to do the same. So how should we think about this? How do we break these patterns and respond faithfully to God’s call?

Last week, my brother came to visit. He had just turned 40, and I’m about to turn 45, and it struck me how our conversations have changed with age. For the first time, we started talking about retirement, something we’d never discussed before. Then he mentioned something even deeper. He and his wife had started thinking not just about retirement, but about what kind of inheritance they want to leave for their daughter. That really got me thinking. While he was understandably focused on financial inheritance, I realized that the most meaningful legacy we can pass down isn’t financial—it’s spiritual. What kind of spiritual legacy are we leaving for our families?

I also had an experience with the trees in my driveway. One of them had died and was removed, but another looked green and healthy—until a tree expert pointed out something I hadn’t noticed. He told me the tree was actually dying. I was confused at first because it looked so alive, but he explained that vines, including poison ivy, were climbing up the tree and stealing its life. That moment hit me spiritually. It made me realize how easy it is to be deceived. How things in life can look like they bring health or joy but are actually suffocating us spiritually.

I began to reflect on the second commandment and how idols can work in the same way. These things may appear good, even life-giving, but in reality, they pull us away from the true source of life. Some of these influences are easy to remove, like simple habits we know we should change. Others, though, are deeply rooted and much harder to deal with. I had to use a crowbar to pull some of the vines off the tree, and even then, they left scars in the bark. That too felt like a picture of life—how dealing with deeply ingrained sin or spiritual deception can be painful and leave marks. But if we don’t deal with them, they’ll continue to spread and damage not only us but those around us. This experience reminded me of the importance of regularly examining my life and removing anything that chokes out the life Christ wants to give.

There are struggles in our lives that we simply cannot overcome on our own. We need help beyond ourselves—the power of the One who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. We need the strength of the One who dwells within us, the One who declares, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Only His power can drive the crowbar of the Holy Spirit into the hardened places of our hearts and pry out what we cannot remove by ourselves. This kind of transformation doesn’t come by sheer effort or determination. It comes as we place our trust in Jesus Christ, as we surrender to His will and pray, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” In that surrender, the Holy Spirit begins His work—performing soul-deep surgery, pulling out pride, the need for approval, and every false thing we’ve allowed to take root in God’s place.

And as this work unfolds, it doesn’t just shape us into the likeness of Christ—it rewrites our legacy. It alters the spiritual direction of our lives and can impact generations to come. Have you considered that one act of surrender today could influence someone a thousand generations from now, should the Lord delay His return? Isn’t that worth everything? So, ask yourself: Are you worshiping a god shaped by your own desires, or are you surrendering to the God who lovingly created you?

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