Idolatry Deuteronomy 5:6-7 Isaiah 44:20 Habakkuk 2:18-20 1 Corinthians 10:14 Galatians 5:19-21 Colossians 3:5 Ephesians 5:5 1 Peter 4:3-5 07.13.15

IDOLATRY

BREAD

6 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 7 You shall have no other gods before me.”   Deuteronomy 5:6-7 (NIV)

20 He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”   Isaiah 44:20 (NIV)

18 “Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. 19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. 20 But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”   Habakkuk 2:18-20 (NIV)

14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.   1 Corinthians 10:14 (NIV)

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.   Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV)

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.    Colossians 3:5 (NIV)

5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.   Ephesians 5:5 (NIV)

3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do--living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.   1 Peter 4:3-5 (NIV)

BUTTER

“We easily fall into idolatry, for we are inclined to it by nature; and coming to us by inheritance, it seems pleasant.”  Martin Luther

“There is nothing so abominable in the eyes of God and of men as idolatry.”  Blaise Pascal

“Scripture permits us to broaden the definition of idolatry so that includes anything on which we set our affections and indulge as an excessive and sinful attachment.  Therefore, the idols that we can see are certainly not the whole problem.  Idolatry includes anything we worship:  the lust for pleasure, respect, love, power, control, or freedom from pain.  Futhermore, the problem is not outside of us….the problem is in us….the heart’s instinctive plotting in this idol construction is amazing.  We know we are called to imitate God.  This means we are to live for His glory, not our own.  We are to make Him famous, not ourselves….the purpose of all idolatry is to manipulate the idol for our own benefit…..but (we) need the power of God, the message of Christ crucified and risen.  Other therapies can offer sobriety, but only this good news is powerful enough to liberate the soul.”  Ed Welch

“Whatever a man seeks, honors, or exalts more than God, this is the god of idolatry.”   William Ullathorne

“Forgetfulness is the fuel for idolatry (Deuteronomy 4:23). Spiritual amnesia often leads to faithlessness. This is the most important lesson for us in Deuteronomy 4. God's concern is that his people might ‘forget the things’ that they had seen and that the memory of their gracious deliverance might ‘depart’ from their hearts (Deuteronomy 4:9). Thus we read here of the critical importance of remembrance, of calling to mind again and again the history of God's dealing with us and His faithfulness at every turn.”   Sam Storms

“Whenever we take what God has done and put it in the place of Himself, we become idolaters.”   Oswald Chambers

“The dearest idol I have known, whate’er that idol be; help me to tear it from Thy throne, and worship only Thee.”    William Cowper

“God promises us redemption, but His sacred path leads us away from safety, predictability, and comfort.  Any attempt to fly over the dangerous terrain or make a detour to safer ground is doomed because it will not take us to God.  Instead, it leads to a host of other idols that can’t provide us with the confidence of faith, the dynamic of hope or the passion of love we so deeply crave.   Each day we either live for God or for other gods.  In each moment of hardship we fear either God or man.  When we choose to worship gods and fear men our lives will suffer an emptiness and turmoil that is not much different than trying to fill our bellies with dirt.  At first we may feel full, but in short order our violation of God’s plan will lead to torment.”  

Dan Allender

The idols of our modern world are not necessarily the hand-carved statues of the ancient world.  In our autonomous self-seeking ways, people have instead come to serve or worship the self-erected idols of approval, comfort, and security.  We must ruthlessly inspect the sin in our heart for these idols… so it is vital that [we] get to the heart. As Tim Keller puts it, ‘The solution to our sin problem is not simply to change our behavior, but to reorient and center our entire heart and life on God.’  Therefore, we must go after the nature of the sin by going after its root and not just the fruit of the sin. Oftentimes people repent of sin that is simply the fruit of the idols in their hearts. We must find out the why of the behavior and not just the what”. Tom Wood & Scott Thomas

“Every one of us is, from his mother’s womb, a master craftsman of idols.”   John Calvin

“When you cling tightly to bitterness, anger, resentment, and unforgiveness, elevating them above your relationship with God, they become ‘idols’ in your life. For each idol you are willing to destroy, you will gain more than you lose. Each time you surrender something to God, you will remove another hindrance to a productive life of faith and prayer. Every idol that is demolished will bring you new treasures of grace and peace.”   Michael Youssef

HEART SAVOR

·       God is to be number One in my heart.  He shares His throne with no other.

·       I am to rid myself of worthless idols ever keeping a watchful eye on my life as it is easy to fall into idolatry.  I fall into sin yet righteousness and holiness is a pursuit.

·       Idolatry is abominable to God.   It is man-made and man controlled.  It revolves around self.