Idolatry

Series: Preacher: Date: May 1, 2005 Scripture Reference: Psalm 135:5-7, 15-18; Exodus 20:4-6

p>Psalm 135:5 – I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods.

6 – The LORD does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.

7 – He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from His storehouses.

Psalm 135:15 -The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.

16 – They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see;

17 – they have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths.

18 – Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

Exodus 20:4 – 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, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me,

6 – but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

If you have children, then I imagine that two of the most frequently used words in your home are, “not me.” You parents know what I’m talking about because these five letters form the response to almost any question we ask our kids. For example you go downstairs and find the family room empty but the television blaring and you ask, “Who left the TV on?” The response is always, “NOT ME!” In the morning you start to fix yourself a quick breakfast and find the Cherrios box wide open and the cereal inside has lost its crunch and become stale. But when you ask who failed to close the lid your kids say, “NOT ME!”

How many of you moms and dads have heard those two words more than you wanted to?

I tell you what let’s have a little “parent’s rights rally.” If you can identify with these other examples-and want to show your frustration, respond with this standard come back and do sow with gusto! Ready?

“Who left the toilet paper holder empty?” – NOT ME

“Who left the top off the tooth paste tube?” – NOT ME

“Who ate all the OREOS?” – NOT ME

“Who left the garage door open all night?” – NOT ME

“Who neglected to put the milk back in the fridge?” – NOT ME

“Who didn’t refill the ice trays?” – NOT ME

“Who likes short sermons?” – NOT ME

Good! You came to the right church! Just kidding! I remind you of these two popular parenting words not to make any children present feel guilty but rather because the truth is that as adults we often embrace this same childish attitude when it comes to certain sins. We proudly think, we’re not guilty-sure, others may trespass in these ways but…NOT ME.

And this is especially true when it comes to the deadly sin we are studying this morning: the sin of IDOLATRY. It’s so easy for us to assume, “Idolatry is something that was practiced by ancient pagan people thousands of years ago. That’s an ‘Old Testament’ problem pastor! I mean, we certainly don’t prostrate ourselves before statues these days…so, Mark, that particular sin may have been deadly in days gone by but now it’s is history. Idolatry has gone the way of bubonic plague. People in the past may have suffered from it…but NOT ME.”

Now-to help you begin to realize how foolish this “not me” way of thinking is, let me give you an accurate definition of this sin. Basically IDOLATRY is misplaced WORSHIP. It’s worshiping something or someone other than God-but as we’ve talked about repeatedly over the years. Worship is more than bowing down-it’s more than what we do here in this place on any given Sunday. No, the Bible teaches us that genuine worship is a lifestyle. It’s a 24-7-365 kind of thing. Do you remember Paul’s inspired words in Romans 12:1-2?”I urge you brothers in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies-as living sacrifices [constant sacrifices], holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of WORSHIP.”

So you see, IDOLATRY is much more than worshiping statues. It is moving God out of His rightful place in our day to day lives-and replacing Him with something or someone else. And with this definition in mind we can see that IDOLATRY is indeed still a problem, because these days there are so many ways that we REPLACE God with other things. In this, the 21st century we so often sacrifice our best time, energy, and attention not to God but to the idols of entertainment, leisure, technology, relationships, fashion, materialism, sexual indulgence, stock portfolios, cars, and personal power. I mean the SHAPES of contemporary idols may differ form those in Bible times but the TEMPTATION for idolatry is stronger than ever.

With this realization it becomes shockingly easy to see that in our society we are surrounded by more idols or false images than ever before in the history of mankind. They leer at us from billboards and magazine covers. They call to us in powerful visual impressions on televison. And, as every good advertising or network executive knows, the objective of these ads is to absolutely “capture” as many people as possible. They want to capture our attention…our interest…our money…our time..our commitment…all things that should be “captured” by God.

We should look to His Lordship when it comes to all these things.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with money or a new car or wanting to wear attractive clothes or wanting to succeed in business. It’s just that if we’re not careful, these things and a hundred others can become idols to us as they begin to control our thoughts and desires-and in this way subtly become our “lord.” But you know, as I told you last week, the most-worshiped false god in our society is SELF. In his classic work, Improving Your Serve, Charles Swindoll describes an editorial cartoon he once saw in which the words, “I, ME, MINE, & MYSELF” appeared as an enormous monument, each letter chiseled out of granite. At the base of this strange “monument” were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people with their arms held up high, as if worshiping at a shrine. Surrounding the borders of this picture were four familiar lines from well-known commercials: “Have it YOUR way.” “Do your SELF a favor.” “You owe it to your SELF.” “YOU deserve a break today.” Then in very small letters, this caption appeared at the bottom, “speaking of American cults…”

And you know, this cartoon was proclaiming accurate truth because in our society we DO constantly applaud the “I-me-mine philosophy.” We make books on the subject of selfishness bestsellers-purchasing them by the millions. We worship happiness and personal leisure and self-esteem at all costs. We worship how we look.. We especially bow down to our careers. In fact it is often not until the first heart attack that men realize that they WORK to LIVE not LIVE to WORK. We care more about personal rights than God-given responsibilities. We make every effort to “look out for number one.”

I think a perfect example of this is seen in the runaway bride from Georgia-Jennifer Wilbanks-who put her self first ignoring family, friends, and an entire nation that spent tons of money working non-stop to find her when she was in fact in Las Vegas “re-thinking” her upcoming marriage. But, Wilbanks is not alone in this particular form of idolatry. I mean, let’s face it, ours is an age of gross SELFishness. This is the “ME” era. I agree with Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s warning. She once said,”One could read the Second Commandment as follows: ‘Do not make your SELF an idol.'”

And our society does exactly that. We idolize our individual FEELINGS. As I told you last week we make and base major decisions on how we FEEL rather than on what God says-AND in doing this we in essence create our own “god.” This reminds me of an anonymous poem that I came across this week. It goes like this: “I’m going to sit down and make myself a god. I’ll have a faith that won’t make me seem odd. I want this god available when it is convenient.

Of course his doctrines will be ever so lenient. I’m going to create my own god you see. Because I don’t’ want my god embarrassing me.

Well, like this anonymous poet, more and more people in our culture commit the same sin as Aaron did at the foot of Mt. Sinai. When the God of the Bible is too demanding, we remake him according to our own SELFISH desires.

Russel Board, missionary to Japan, deals with a great deal of idolatry in Japanese culture, but in an article in World magazine, he points out that Christians are often just as guilty of idolatry when they put SELF ahead of God in all their talk of, “…accepting Christ” or “asking Jesus into our life.” He says, “We think, ‘Well my life is pretty full, but I’ll try to squeeze Him in. I believe I can spare some time on Sunday mornings. And having Jesus around sounds like a good way to enhance my quality of life.’ He warns, “We verge on blasphemy when we downplay the demands of Christ. Jesus Christ is not a cute little god of good fortune. He’s Lord of heaven and earth.”

Well, to sum this all up, let me say that whenever anything other than God becomes the absolute focus of our attentions and activities, that is idolatry. Nothing in our lives-especially not SELF-should make God take a back seat. Nothing should interfere with our relationship with Him.

And you know, another way Christians put self first these days has to do with worship styles.

More and more believers give their personal preferences in this area priority. They say, “I will worship God-but only when the style of music pleases me.” Now don’t get me wrong. I have preferences when it comes to music. I’m sure you all do and there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that but we must be careful to keep our preferences in the proper perspective because it is possible to worship WORSHIP itself rather that God. And anytime He is not the OBJECT of worship, we have slipped into idolatry and have made a MEANS into an ENDS. As St. Augustine once said,”Idolatry is worshiping anything that ought to be used and using Anything that ought to be worshiped.”

Before we go any further, let’s do a little self examination. Let’s look at our own lives and try to unmask any idols that could be lurking there. Ask yourselves these questions: “What preoccupies or rules my heart? My thoughts? My time?” “What compels me? Controls me? Drives me? Motivates me?” “To what does my heart cling?” “What takes first place when it comes to my schedule?” “What gives me a sense of worth?” What defines my identity?” “What do I crave?” “If everything else were taken away, what is one thing I could not bear to live without?” “Am I looking for someone or something to provide what only God can?” “Is worship STYLE more important to me than the Object of my worship?” “What do family or close friends think may be idols in my life?” This last one is a good question to ask because often others can see more clearly than we can that thing that we are too close to see. Others can see our idols better than we can.

Well, as you ask yourselves these questions remember, when we allow anything apart from God to rule us, compel us, or control us, we have created an idol. Whenever we look to something other than God to fulfill our deepest needs, satisfy our longings, give us hope or define our identity we have slipped into idolatry. As Martin Luther pointed out,”Whatever your heart clings to and relies upon, that IS your god.” Now-of course God is opposed to this sin just as He is to all sin. And He doesn’t hide his feelings. I mean, we see them spelled out for us very clearly in His written Word-and not just in Exodus 20 where He lists the top ten commandments. The fact is more than 50 of the laws in the first five books of the Bible are directed against idolatry. And in all Judaism it was one of only four sins to which the death penalty was attached. So abhorrent was idolatry in God’s sight that He commanded the Israelites not to leave even a remnant of the pagan peoples they conquered. Listen to Deuteronomy 7, verses 5 and 16, where God says,”Tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Burn their graven images with fire. And you shall consume all the peoples whom the Lord your God will deliver to you; your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.”

Well why would God be so opposed to this sin as He was teaching and training His chosen people? Why would He deem it necessary to forbid idolatry over and over and over again in His written Word?

1. Well…one reason our Heavenly Father has done this is because as our Creator He knows how EASY it is for us to slip into idolatrous acts.

I think TIME magazine has had cover stories at least twice in the past couple years that point to scientific research that indicates we are all hard-wired to worship a higher being. And we are-God created us with hearts that long to worship. We see this LONGING in all cultures. Anywhere you go on this planet-among any tribe or race of people-you will find people engaged in worship of some kind. This is a God-given inclination. I mean you don’t have to be a scientist to be able to see that there is a God-consciousness in the heart of every human being. And unfortunately history shows that over and over again that people have taken this natural inclination to worship and instead of directing it in its proper direction….toward God….they have worshiped other things. In Romans 1:23 & 25 Paul describes this sin when he writes, “They have changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds and four-footed beasts, and creeping things who exchanged [or SUBSTITUTED] the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator.”

And-it IS SOOOO easy for us to make this idolatrous substitution. I mean, think about it. God is unseen-a spirit and a power invisible to the eyes of men. Well, it is very hard for simple people like you and I to remember and to think about and to worship an UNSEEN God. We prefer to have something we can see, and touch-something we can relate to. It’s like that old story of a man named Jack who was walking along a steep cliff one day when he accidentally got too close to the edge and fell. On the way down he grabbed a branch, which temporarily stopped his fall. He looked down and to his horror saw that the canyon fell straight down for more than a thousand feet. He couldn’t hang on to the branch forever and there was no way for him to climb up the steep wall of the cliff. So Jack began yelling for help, hoping that someone passing by would hear him and lower a rope or something, “Help! Help! Is there anyone up there? Help!” He yelled for hours but no one heard him. He was about to give up when he heard a voice. “Jack, Jack, can you hear me?” “Yes, yes! I can hear you! I’m down here!” “I can see you Jack. Are you alright?” “Yes, but….who are you and where are you?” “I am the Lord, Jack. I’m everywhere.” “THE Lord? You mean, GOD?” “That’s me.” “God please help me…I promise if You will get me down from here I will stop sinning. I’ll be a really good person. I’ll serve you for the rest of my life.” “Easy on the promises Jack. Just let me get you down from there and then we can talk. Now, here’s what I want you to do. Listen carefully.”

“I’ll do anything Lord. Just tell me what to do.” “Okay. Let go of the branch.” “What?” “I said, let go of the branch. Just trust me. Let go.” There was a long silence. Finally Jack yelled, “Is anyone ELSE up there?!”

Like Jack, when the rubber meets the road in life, we want a god we can reach out and touch. So we have this tendency to worship things we can see and feel. And God of course knows that we are like this. As our Creator, He knew that this would be a very real temptation for us, so over and over in His word He gave us this law. Over and over again He has warned us about this particular deadly sin.

2. And then, another reason we find this law in the Bible is because God knows idolatry STEALS our freedom.

You see, when we put anyone or anything other than God in charge of our lives we become slaves to that thing or person. Now-I want to share a truth here that may be hard for you to believe so LISTEN closely: you and I will be slaves to something or someone in this life. It is unavoidable. We were created to be controlled. We were made to be mastered. We were designed to exist in a subservient relationship to GOD. Think of it this way: We are programmed to be mastered. So, the only freedom we really have is to choose what controls us.

If this shocks you then consider this. Have you ever noticed how much freedom is lost in the name of freedom? Someone says, “I am free to take a drink.” But then many times the drink takes the person. Others say, “I’m free to do drugs.” but soon the drugs DO them. Some say, “I’m free to have sex without marriage.” But in nine months they are enslaved by the consequences of that action. That’s the way idolatry is, isn’t it?! We become slaves to whatever we idolize-work or idleness, love or lust, ambition or whatever “magnificent” obsession claims us.

You see, a god is basically something you surrender your life to. Freedom comes from choosing the best master-and we are designed to function best-free-est-with God at the controls of our lives. As Acts 17:28 says, “in Him we live and move and have our being.” The air we breathe and the beat of our hearts are in His hands. He is God! Resist that and we destroy ourselves. Accept it and we find freedom. Just as a truck is free to roll far and long if it stays on the highway-just as a train is free and powerful unless it jumps the tracks, so are we free to enjoy God’s gift of abundant life so long as we stay under the rule of God. That’s the way we are made. He must be number one. When He is not-when we substitute Him for false gods, we lose our freedom.

And God’s Word reminds us of this. It tells us that like all dictators, idols promise everything and give nothing in return. They take and never give back. They use us up, drain us dry, and then discard us. Remember, as Psalm 135 says idols, “have feet”-but they can’t come to you when you need aid.

. “They have hands” but they won’t lift a finger to help you when you are struggling.

. “They have eyes” but they don’t see your heart or what is going on in your life.

. “They have ears” but they don’t hear you cry out when you are lonely or frightened or in despair.

Idols are false fronts like you see on movie sets. They look good on the outside but there is nothing behind them to back up their promises of freedom and joy. As the woman at the well discovered, you can drink all you want at the wells of the world but still be thirsty. The only way to satisfy our thirst for freedom is to be in relationship with God.

3. A third reason our Heavenly Father has given us this law prohibiting idolatry is because He knows it HURTS our children and their children and even their children.

Remember the words of the text from Exodus? God says, “…for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me,” Now understand-God is not saying here that our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be punished FOR our idolatry. No-listen to the way the King James words it. It says, “…for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, VISITING THE INIQUITY of the fathers upon the children until the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” God is saying here that the way we worship has an impact on our offspring. In essence the effects of our sin is projected upon them. They will be affected by our decisions.

If I live indifferently to the things of the Lord,

…if I continually give in to every suggestion of the flesh,

…if I have a love affair with materialism and acquiring things at any cost,

If I chase after empty, hollow images for the rest of my life, then my children and their children will do this as well. If God does not have the proper place in my life then the repercussions will be felt from generation to generation. Basically God is reminding us that our children will COPY our sins. They will follow our example when it comes to the things we worship.

And of course He is right. Idol worshipers do pass on the same forms of idolatrous religion to their children. Scripture provides a vivid example of this truth. In 2 Chronicles 26:16 we read the account of King Uzziah, a godly king up until the latter part of his life when he disobeyed God and side-stepped the temple priests to burn incense in worship. He made the mistake of thinking that every man can worship God according to the dictates of his own HEART, when in actuality we only truly worship when we worship according to the dictates of God’s WORD! Because of this transgression he was stricken with leprosy. Then, in chapter 27 we read of his son, Jotham, who began to reign when he was 25 refused to enter the temple. His dad had trouble with the church so he did too. In chapter 28 we read of Ahaz, Uzziah’s grandson who began his reign when he was 20. Ahaz not only stayed away from the temple, he closed it’s doors and began to worship false gods. He even had his own children sacrificed to these empty images. Let’s review. The father started worshiping God in the wrong way. His son quit going to the temple all together and his grandson worshiped the devil himself. So you see our attitudes toward God affect and influence our children’s attitudes toward God.

My father pastored a little church north of here when I was a little boy. That was nearly five decades ago. And I remember dad commenting that this church was such an unhappy church because all they did was fight among themselves. And you know, they continued to do that for generation after generation as children and grandchildren and even great grandchildren followed the examples of their parents. Because of this principle of parenting, idolatry can have that widespread of an effect!

4. A fourth result of idolatry is that it CHANGES us so we become LIKE the false gods that we serve.

Listen again to the words of Psalm 135, “The idols of the nations are but silver and gold, the work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.

THOSE WHO MAKE THEM WILL BE LIKE THEM.” Jeremiah 2:5 underscores this fact by saying, “They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.” So, in other words, we become just like any false image we pursue in life. If we worship self, we become selfish. If we idolize wealth, then like Scrooge we tend to value it above anything else-even our loved ones. If we bow down at the altar of physical beauty, we become shallow people. Our own beauty as individuals becomes only skin deep. We DO indeed become like that which we worship.

And the sad thing is God wants us to become like Him-not the false, empty images we pursue.

In Romans 8 verse 29 Paul says that God’s desire is that all His followers be “conformed to the likeness or IMAGE of His Son.” In 1 John 3:2 it proclaims the hope that when Jesus returns “…we shall be LIKE Him.” So, as Ron Mehl writes,”Why in the world should I waste my time chasing shadows, substitutes, desert mirages, and house-of-mirrors reflections? Why should I serve other lords who aren’t lords at all, care nothing for me and never will?” Indeed why???? Why give in to our sinful tendency to place something other than God at the center of our lives when doing so hurts us in so many ways?

*Idolatry promises us everything and gives us nothing. It steels our freedom.

*It affects our children and our grand children and our great grandchildren and,

*It changes us, so that we become like those empty things we worship.

Substituting God for anything else is such a wasteful thing to do. No wonder God has lovingly said so much about this particular deadly sin in His written Word!

But there are two other very important reasons that God is so opposed to idolatry.

5. And the first is this-not only does idolatry hurt us. It hurts GOD as well. For when we worship other Gods it makes Him feel the pain of jealousy.

Remember Exodus 20:5? Referring to idols, God said, “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” And as anyone knows, jealousy is a painful thing. In her classic work, The Good Earth, Pearl Buck tells the story of Wang Lung, a Chinese Farmer. Wang has a devoted wife named Olan. Every day she works tirelessly at his side in the rice fields. At home it was her pleasure to wait on her husband and their children. For years Wang Lung and his wife eked out a life of bare subsistence from the landowner’s soil. Then a handful of fateful circumstances totally changed their lot. Olan’s quick thinking and ingenuity enabled him to buy their own small plot of land. After years of careful cultivation and good fortune, Wang Lung himself became a wealthy landowner, able to buy the labor of others.

But in this time of leisure and self-satisfaction, his eyes turned elsewhere. The wife of his youth no longer aroused his affection, still less his desire. Gradually his persistent steps wore a path to the house of a slender girl whose fingernails were stained with lotus petals. Every night he made forays of pleasure to her house; every morning he emerged more determined to return. After months of such inconvenience Wang Lung reasoned to himself, “I am a wealthy man with servants to do as I bid them. They will build a special room onto my house and I will move this girl and her servant there under my own roof.” Olan refused to feed her husband’s mistress or to even acknowledge her presence. The Chinese have a saying that no house is large enough for two women. Well, Wang Lung’shome was never the same again.

To me this serves as illustration of what it’s like when we put someone or something in God’s rightful place. God loves us so when we practice idolatry then, like Olan, God becomes the jilted lover. He becomes the injured party. Think about it. How would your wife feel if she were to see a picture of another attractive woman along side her picture in your wallet. Would she say, “This is interesting but…..my husband has a right to his privacy.” or would she yank it from it’s holder and hold it up to your face and say, “WHO IS THIS?!!!!” And, how do you think she would feel if she learned that this other woman and you had an ongoing relationship-that you turned to her when you needed support, affection, and encouragement? Would that bother your wife? Would it? If this happened, would she continue to believe you when you whispered in her ear that you loved her with ALL your heart? I don’t think so! Of course she would be bothered…of course she would be hurt-because she expects your exclusive devotion. And she has a right to do so.

Well God feels the same way. When He sees us giving other people or other things-or even ourselves-the devotion that He deserves, He is jealous. In His Word God is saying, “I am the only God there is. I am YOUR God; you belong to Me. I am jealous of that relationship.” And the fact that God feels this way shows how precious our relationship is to Him. God is jealous for you because He loves you. Yet He has given you a free will and will allow you to chase empty idols and false images for the rest of your life if you so desire. He will let you have your own way. But you’ll have to walk right by His open arms to do it.

6. As we close I must mention one final reason God has commanded us not to make any graven images is because He has already revealed Himself in an image. He has already given us an IMAGE to worship.

Colossians 1:15 says that the Lord Jesus “is the IMAGE of the invisible God.” Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact REPRESENTATION of His being.”

Two first-grade buddies were playing when one said to the other, “I had a good time in Vacation Bible School this morning. Why don’t you go with me tomorrow.” His friend responded by asking, “What’s a Vacation Bible School? The little boy replied, “We have it at church. We play games, sing, and learn about Jesus Christ. His friend asked, “Who is Jesus Christ?” And then, in wisdom surely born of the spirit of God the six year old answered, “Jesus Christ is the best picture of God that has ever been took.” Well this little boy was right. God has revealed Himself clearly in His Son. We need look no further.

This morning let us evaluate our own lives. Are we idolatrous in any way? Are there other “snapshots” in our wallet next to the “picture” of God? Is there anything in our lives that would steal us away from a whole-hearted walk with Christ? And, if after your introspection you find something, I urge you to commit today to cast it away. This morning commit to make God the only “god” you serve. Remember, Jesus is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all. We close with a time to allow you to publically commit to God’s Lordship. Perhaps God is leading you to put Him first in your life by moving your letter to join this church and work with us side by side in ministering to this community. Maybe you need to publically re-dedicate your life to His Lordship. Or maybe you are here and are not a Christian and this morning you feel God leading you to repent of your sin and give your life to Him. Whatever decision you have to make public…we invite you to do so as we stand and sing. Won’t you come as our God leads?

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