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.