Ephesians 6:  (10) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

  I have often been asked why I do not have the practice in wearing crosses or displaying them or having anything physical that would show any representation of God and my faith in Him. I have great convictions for myself on the matter, and though I am not apposed of physical items for representation, I am apposed when they are used for more than representation. I once had someone tell me that their day cannot function properly unless they are wearing their cross around their neck, they feel empty. This topic, just as the topic of communion we talked about last time, is also a topic in which many denominations will have differences. In all the times I have read through the Bible, Outside God’s Ark of the Covenant, if you want to use that, there is nothing that show any remote that anything physical represents or is God or even Jesus.  We are going to look at a lot of scripture today,

In Exodus 32, we read about the Israelites melting their Gold to build the golden calf that they used to "represent” God and therefore worshipped it. They did so under Aaron’s directions. He did it in the name of the lord and even had an altar built. All while Moses went up 40 days to get a word from God. With everything that God had done for them delivering them from Egypt, they still needed to have something tangible to worship. I do not think making the calf was the issue, but of what they deemed it represented and how they reacted to it. God Himself would be directing the Israelites to build many physical things/objects especially in the tabernacle, but none to represent or take the place of Him. In many churches today, we see exactly the same thing the Israelites did. Making things and declaring they have the attributes of God. This goes against God’s teachings. There is no way around it and it would be wrong.

God is spiritual to us, not Physical. We even only had jesus for a short time physically.

John 7: (33) Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. (34) Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come. (35) Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles? (36) What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come? (37) In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (38) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (39)(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Acts 1: (6) When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? (7) And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. (8) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (9) And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. (10) And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; (11) which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Wow: Acts 1 is so powerful. Jesus clearly telling them that the Holy Spirit will be their Guide. Jesus was no longer going to be here in the physical but only through the Holy Spirit. He had been telling them from the very beginning.

We cannot intersect physically and the spiritual.

John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

John 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

 Notice Jesus does not say we would worship in physical and truth? Spiritual! That is why we should never hold value to anything physical and connecting it to God. If that was the case, why did God send His Holy Spirit, if God was going to be represented in the physical things? By us doing this are we denying the Holy Spirit/Ghost in our own lives? We read earlier in Acts 1 that we would receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon us. The Holy Ghost was sent to us from heaven on Jesus’s behalf.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Physical objects cannot do this. God’s spirit will teach us, His spirit will show us how to worship Him. It will be our line of communication with God. It is what will give each and every one of us the power to be able to live here on earth. Our relationship with God is not a physical one but a spiritual one.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

1 Corinthians 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

1 Corinthians 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Jude 1:20  But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

 Not sure if we can be any clearer on the subject here, our relationship with God is a very Spiritual one, outside us living in the physical sense, that is all there is to it, but just in case we will continue.

Matthew 6: (19) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: (20) but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: (21) for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 If we say God is represented in anything physical that we make, does that mean God is destroyed if the items become broken, stolen, damaged in any way? Or does "God” just move from one item that replaces the other on our command? As stated earlier, it is not so much about the Israelites making the calf, but what they were wanting it to represent. God’s spirit is with us wherever we go. Not in an item that we can carry or look at. When we try to use those items to "represent God” we actually make those items "god”. Yes, I used lower case, because they are not God nor a representation!   Just like we talked last Bible study about communion. It is not Jesus actual body and blood we drink, but we remember what Jesus did for us when we do that. He was very clear that we only do that in remembrance. He cannot be here in the physical, The Holy Spirit/Ghost is here for that. If we are to assume that it is His actually flesh and blood, then everything He was teaching would be false. That bread and wine are earthly items that will become corrupt and will not last forever. Now we also have the issue is the Bible the physical presence of God/Jesus? Nope, it is the word of God on paper. It too will pass, not God’s word, but the paper. The devil never had a physical copy of God’s word but new it very well. Why would God occupy something physically that can rot/corrupt/fail and ask us to treasure it when it goes against His word to us? Our treasure should never be anything tangible here on Earth. It is not Godly to hold physical things with the value that it has any heavenly attributes. We live spiritually in Christ in a physical world.