Idolatry
January 27, 2013
What is worship?
• Investing our time, talent and treasure.
• Passionate, devoted, concerned and giving of ourselves.
• It is the hope of our future. It is the foundation of our life.
• The Bible tells us to worship the Creator and enjoy created things.
• Our worship never starts or stops. We are created worshipping. We
love to make much of something that is bigger than ourselves.
What is idolatry?
• Idolatry is a worship issue.
• Everyone is always worshipping. The question is, “Who or what are
you worshipping?”
• Idolatry is worshipping created things instead of the Creator.
• When you make a good thing into a God thing, it becomes a bad
thing.
Old Testament - Idolatry
• Isaiah 40:18-31
• Isaiah 44:9-22
• Habakkuk 2:18-20
New Testament - Idolatry
• Romans 1:18-25
• We exchanged the truth of God for a lie. Exchanging the worship
of Creator with the created things. - definition of idolatry
How Do We Begin To Worship False Idols?
You define what you conceive of as hell.
• fat hell
• unemployed hell
• rejection hell
• ugly hell
• stupid hell
• no technology hell
• helpless hell
• untalented hell
• not famous hell
This leads you to find a functional savior to
deliver your from your hell
• You sacrifice your morals to get into the popular crowd to get you out of
rejection hell
• You get out of “no attention” hell by hurting yourself.
• You get out of untalented hell by pouring money into trainers and spending
hours upon hours in the gym
• You get out of ugly hell by getting plastic surgery and unhealthy diets
• You get out of technology hell by making poor financial decisions to get a Mac.
These functional saviors are often good things
• Working out is a good thing
• A husband or wife is a good thing.
• Being excellent at what you do is a good thing.
• When we elevate something good into the status of something divine, we are
in trouble.
Idols make promises they never keep
• If I just marry this man, then my life will be complete.
• If I just lose 10 pounds, then everyone will love me.
• If I give my body to my boyfriend, then he will take care of me.
• If I play enough hours on xbox, then I will have joy.
• If I get plastic surgery, then I will find joy in everyone talking about me.
6 Common Idols
• Money Idolatry
• having no money is your hell
• having money is hell.
• Only Jesus alone is your righteousness and joy.
6 Common Idols
• Family Idolatry
• worshipping secure relationships
• making your last name great
• worshipping your wife/husband to give you rest and assurance.
• Jesus is our only security, Jesus is the only name worth investing in and
Jesus is the only one that can give us rest and assurance.
6 Common Idols
• Sexual Idolatry
• this is the number one religion in the world.
• people think its more enjoyable to have sex before marriage than to obey
God.
• this is an act of offering our bodies as living sacrifices on the altar of the
bed.
• Our bodies are only worth sacrificing to Jesus alone.
6 Common Idols
• Substance Idolatry
• Drugs, Alcohol and Food
• When you are stressed, what do you go to?
• Restaurants are altars for people.
• Jesus alone brings comfort. Cast your cares on Him.
6 Common Idols
• Morality Idolatry
• Do you worship your performance?
• Is your righteousness based on what you do for God?
• Jesus alone is our righteousness. We can’t earn it.
6 Common Idols
• People Idolatry
• Proverbs 29:25
• Some of us tweet just for others to think we are smart.
• Do you exaggerate a lot to make people impressed with you?
• Whose disapproval would absolutely devastate you?
• We replace God with people. We call it “peer-pressure.”
• Jesus alone is who we should fear.
How Should We Respond?
• We need to respond in repentance.
• We need to run away from our functional saviors and run to the
only savior - King Jesus.
How Should We Respond?
• Confession - mouth and mind
• Mouth - Say “I am sorry” out loud to others and God.
• Mind - Saturate your mind with more of Jesus and less of culture.
Read your bible more.
How Should We Respond?
• Contrition - expression and emotion
• Don’t say sorry just because you got caught.
• Pray for a genuine repentance.
How Should We Respond?
• Change - will and works
• Intentionally decide to come to church more
• Set up a time and a place to daily read your bible
• Continue to repent daily.