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Idolatry |
Dear Brethren,
What is idolatry? Is idolatry
a big problem in God's church today? We would probably say, "I don't think
so... Where is the evidence of it?" In the Old Testament, idolatry was a
constant problem. The ancient nation of Israel lost their place in
the promised land and were carried away into captivity because of their
idolatry and Sabbath breaking. Idolatry is the worship and
devotion of idols, images, or anything which is not God. It is
the worship of false gods. It is excessive attachment or
veneration for anything. Idolatry robs God of His
preeminence.
God warned Israel of the consequences of their
idolatry. He said, "I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the
wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them
through the countries." (Ezekiel 20:23) In fact, Israel never
returned from captivity, and they continue to this day to be
idolatrous.
God says that He is a jealous God. He is the loving Creator God who
demands full honor, respect and obedience from all. He demands to be held
first and foremost in all these things. He does not share His dominion,
rule and sovereignty with any other. God allows no worship or recognition
of substitute gods. And, God demands that His name, authority and
reputation be held in awe and used reverently in every case. Any
less is idolatry - as shown in the first three Commandments.
"Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make
thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or
that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the
Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate
me, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my
commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain:
for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in
vain." (Deuteronomy 5:7-11)
God is the holiest of all. He,
alone, is set apart in a class all His own, and held in the greatest
respect. None other can compare to God. When Jesus
instructed the disciples how to pray, He intended that only His Father have the
title, Holy Father. He specifically excluded any earthly religious leader
being called Holy Father. In Matthew 23:9, He demanded that only His
Heavenly Father be referred to in that way. “And call no man your
father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in
heaven.” “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath
commanded his covenant forever: holy and reverend is his name.”
(Psalms 111:9)
God’s authority, His power, His majesty,
His name, are in a class high above every other being. In Isaiah
55:9, God tells us that His ways and thoughts are completely different from
man’s. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My
ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” God
intends that we come to understand His supreme
sovereignty.
We hardly ever hear of idolatry being mentioned
in the Church of God today. It seems to be almost non-existent. Oh,
people curse sometimes invoking God's name, but that's about all people examine
themselves on with regard to these Commandments. Maybe all the
idolatry today is perhaps in the Catholic Church with all their statues.
Maybe these three Commandments are not much of an issue these days. Could
it be that the sin of idolatry, which was so pervasive in the Old Testament,
doesn't apply so much to the True Church of God at this
time?
Or, brethren, could it be that we are looking in
the wrong places? Could we be fooling ourselves into thinking that we
are putting God first, and in reality, asking Him to take a back seat to our
other pursuits? That is putting God in second place.
"Thou shalt have none other gods before me."
Is it possible that instead of images and
statues, we declare our endeavors to be God's will and give our pet projects the
priority ahead of His? That is making our pursuit a substitute
god. We are to follow what God says, not our own
designs. "Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve
them."
And, is there any chance that we usurp God's name
and authority, and claim to be His agents when, in reality, we are actually
furthering our own agendas? That's taking God's name in vain.
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in
vain."
Brethren, we get over the measles, mumps and
chicken pox, but maybe we haven't gotten over our idolatry. Maybe we
should take a closer look and get another diagnosis of our present day
spiritual condition. The truth is, Idolatry is just as much
alive and active today as it has ever been. Here's the problem; we are not
Old Testament Israel. We are converted Christians. For God's Church,
led by His Spirit - Idolatry is fatal.
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Sermon: |
"Idolatry Part 1"
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Sermon: |
"Idolatry Part 2"
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