Idols

Opening:

When you think of the words ‘idol’ & ‘idolatry’ what do you think of?

A sin from the Bible? A false god? A gold statue? Or in biblical days when people genuinely thought objects were gods so they would bow down & worship them?

You may be thinking, “I’m smart enough to know that an object could never be a god. There is only one God. I don’t have to worry about this sin, NEXT please!”

Well …. Let’s take another look!

Study:

An Idol is an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship; a person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered.

Idolatry is the worship of idols (an object or person); extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone; adoration; glorification; loving; admiring.

An idol can be any person, place, or thing that is taking your time away from worshipping God, from reading your bible, from praying, or going to church.

A few popular idols we have in today’s world are…

Smartphones, social media, game consoles, tv/movies, sleep, books that aren’t the Bible, alcohol/drugs, bars/clubs, sex/lust, & even human relationships.

Each of us has our own different things we idolize & our own things we are tempted with & struggle with.

We may not be making the type of sacrifices they did in biblical days, but in today’s world we sacrifice our time, soul, mind, & energy to these objects.

We allow these objects to control & consume the majority of our lives, instead of focusing on God.

These are all distractions created by the devil himself as a plan to keep us busy & occupied anywhere besides growing closer to God & finding the Purpose He has for us.

Warning:

Lev 19:4 “Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods; I am the Lord your God.”

Acts 15:20 “but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols & from fortification & from what is strangled & from blood.”

Lev 26:1 “You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, not shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God.”

1 John 5:21 “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”

Ex 20:3-5 “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God”

1 Cor 10:7 “Do not be idolaters”

1 Cor 10:14 “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”

•We are warned not to just ignore idolatry, but to run from it!

A Choice:

1 Cor 10:20-21 “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons & not to God; & I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord & the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord & the table of demons.”

•You can only choose one..

•God or the devil..

•A life of no sin or a life of living in sin..

2 Kings 17:16 “They forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God & made for themselves molten images“

•In choosing to make idols (a sin) they had to purposely disobey God’s commandments.

•When we choose sin we are choosing to disobey God.

Is 66:3 “he who burns incense is like the one who blesses an idol. As they have chosen their own ways, & their soul delights in their abominations.”

•The world preaches, “Do things YOUR way, Be YOU, Follow YOUR dreams, Do what makes YOU happy, People are going to judge you anyways so live your life how ever YOU please…

•God specifically tells us to not be of this world & not to choose our own ways, but to be of God & choose His ways.

Outcome:

Eph 5:5 “For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ & God.”

Gal 5:19-21 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, & things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Change:

1 Peter 4:3 “For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties & abominable idolatries.”

•‘Gentiles’ ~ meaning to those who don’t follow God & aren’t christians.

•‘Time already past’ ~ the time before we became christians.

•If we ever participated in any of these things before we were Saved we should view them as the past.

•For now that we are christians & serving Christ these things can’t be apart of us anymore.

Closing:

The Bible warns us many times to be aware of idols & to stay strong in God.

Let’s give ourselves to the Almighty God, instead of worthless objects!

AMEN!

Sources: Google Dictionary; The Bible, New American Standard Bible, By The Lockman Foundation, Lev 19:4, Acts 15:20, Lev 26:1, 1 John 5:21, Ex 20:3-5, 1 Cor 10:7, 1 Cor 10:14, 1 Cor 10:20-21, 2 Kings 17:16, Is 66:3, Eph 5:5, Gal 5:19-21, 1 Peter 4:3