Freed podcast Series: Worship – Made for and to– December 4, 2020
Man’s Worship Culture
Why do we worship?
Man
God
Counterfeit
1. Identity - Many have their identity wrapped up in the wrong thing. They have
placed more value on who they are rather than in God.
2. Money - The pursuit of money and the acquisition of things is an idol for many in our culture.
Many people trust their money more than they trust God.
3. Entertainment - But when our lives become all about the search for
entertainment and chase of the best experiences we can find, then it’s
become an idol. It’s become more important than God.
4. Sex – idols
5. Comfort - Jesus tells a very different narrative for his followers. He says
that his followers will face trials, persecution, and difficulty. While comfort
isn’t bad, it can become damaging when it becomes the main pursuit in
life. When comfort is an idol we will struggle when God calls us to
something difficult.
6. Phones - For many, they simply cannot live without their phones (or online
presence). This is quickly becoming an idol for many.
In ancient times that would have looked like bowing down to worship a golden
statue. Modern day idols look different, more like getting our identity from our job
or staring at our technology all day. Anything that becomes more important to us
than God becomes an idol. And we all have them.
Ed Stetzer in an article called Idolatry Is Alive Today says: Is it that a 12-inch
tall piece of wood or bronze can do something bad to us? Or is it that we do
something awful to ourselves when we place adoration and attention that should
go to God in other things? When it comes to idolatry, the danger is not in an
item… it is in us. – Ed Stetzer
Tim Keller in his book Counterfeit Gods says an idol is anything more important
to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than
God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.
It’s also important to know that worship is reserved only for God. Only He is worthy and not
any of His servants (Revelation 19:10). We are not to worship saints, prophets, statues,
angels, any false gods, or Mary, the mother of Jesus. We also should not be worshiping for the
expectation of something in return, such as a miraculous healing. Worship is done for God—
because He deserves it—and for His pleasure alone. Worship can be public praise to God
(Psalm 22:22; 35:18) in a congregational setting, where we can proclaim through prayer and
praise our adoration and thankfulness to Him and what He has done for us. True worship is
felt inwardly and then is expressed through our actions. "Worshiping" out of obligation is
displeasing to God and is completely in vain. He can see through all the hypocrisy, and He
hates it. He demonstrates this in Amos 5:21-24 as He talks about coming judgment. Another
example is the story of Cain and Abel, the first sons of Adam and Eve. They both brought gift
offerings to the Lord, but God was only pleased with Abel’s. Cain brought the gift out of
obligation; Abel brought his finest lambs from his flock. He brought out of faith and
admiration for God.
So how do we know if something has become an idol? Here are 4 questions to
ask yourself to help you identify idols in your life.
Where Do I Spend My Time?
Where Do I Spend My Money?
Where Do I Get My Joy?
What’s Always On My Mind?
GOT:
First, we worship at the altar of materialism which feeds our need to build our egos through
the acquisition of more “stuff.”
Second, we worship at the altar of our own pride and ego. This often takes the form of
obsession with careers and jobs.
Third, we idolize mankind through naturalism and the power of science.
Finally, and perhaps most destructively, we worship at the altar of self-aggrandizement or the fulfillment
of the self to the exclusion of all others and their needs and desires.
GENESIS 3:5 LIKE GOD