The Cost of Idolatry
Jeremiah 10:1-10 (NLT)
A Stand Alone Message | Mick Veach | lead pastor | first aired on 09.05.2021
Introduction
Read Scripture
Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O Israel! This is what the Lord says:
“Do not act like the other nations,
who try to read their future in the stars.Do not be afraid of their predictions,
even though other nations are terrified by them.Their ways are futile and foolish.
They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.They decorate it with gold and silver
and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails
so it won’t fall over.Their gods are like
helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!They cannot speak,
and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.Do not be afraid of such gods,
for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”Lord, there is no one like you!
For you are great, and your name is full of power.Who would not fear you, O King of nations?
That title belongs to you alone!Among all the wise people of the earth
and in all the kingdoms of the world,
there is no one like you.People who worship idols are stupid and foolish.
The things they worship are made of wood!They bring beaten sheets of silver from Tarshish
and gold from Uphaz,and they give these materials to skillful craftsmen
who make their idols.Then they dress these gods in royal blue and purple robes
made by expert tailors.But the Lord is the only true God.
He is the living God and the everlasting King!The whole earth trembles at his anger.
The nations cannot stand up to his wrath. —Jeremiah 10:1-10
1 ) What is an idol?
a ) We often say to someone who we admire, “you are my idol…”
b ) An image or representation of a god used as an object of worship
2 ) What does the bible say about idolatry?
- Exodus 20:3-6 — You must not have any other gods but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or image of anything in heaven or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them…
3 ) The entire old testament story is how Israel missed their purpose of blessing the nations because they continually practiced idolatry.
4 ) Jeremiah is the prophet that makes the declaration about idolatry
a ) Idols are worthless
b ) Idols turn your heart away from God
5 ) Israel is taken over by Babylon as God’s judgment
6 ) Biblical Examples
a ) Romans 6:16 — you will become a slave to whatever you choose to obey
b ) Romans 1 — you are guilty because you have chosen to worship creation rather than the Creator
7 ) Idolatry is destroying the church today
a ) We put something on an equal level as God or even more important than God
b ) It is fueled by PRIDE
8 ) Jeremiah 9:20 — We need to learn to lament and repent if we are going to survive today’s challenges
The Idols facing the Church Today
I. The Idol of
A. I Timothy 6:10 — the love of money is a root of all evil
B. The pursuit of it is all encompassing
C. It never fulfills and delivers
D. The purpose of the tithe is to protect your heart
E. Matthew 6:24 — you can’t serve two masters…you can’t serve both God and money
II. The Idol of
A. The American dream has been sold to us and we believe it is owed to us
B. Most cultures of the world do not know of comfort, struggle is the norm
C. Matthew 16:24-26 — Pick up your cross and follow me
D. The way of the cross is death
E. We preach it from the pulpit—God owes you your best life—who defines your best life?
F. Sacrifice brings fulfillment
II. The Idol of
A. The entertainment industry is worth billions and billions of dollars
B. We spend more money on our stadiums and our theatres than caring for the starving children of the world
C. The church has fallen prey to this temptation
D. We move from church to church to the one with the best…You name it
E. We spend more time on entertainment than we do discipling and doing the mission of Jesus
F. James 4:14 — your life is a mist that is here today and gone tomorrow
III. The Idol of
A. Luke 14:26 — if anyone does not love me more than his family, he can’t follow me
B. Elevating people will always disappoint
C. Superstar Christianity is killing the church
D. If we put our family as the most important item in our life, then they become an idol
E. Test this by asking yourself if you think more about someone than you do about Jesus
IV. The Idol of
A. How much effort do you put in what people think about you?
B. John 3:30 — May I become less that he would become more.
C. The root of this is pride
D. Galatians 5:1 — it is for freedom that you have been set free
V. The Idol of
A. Matthew 16:18 — Jesus will build the church and the gates of hell will not prevail
B. We are on the same team and we must stop with the competition and comparison game
C. I Corinthians 12 — we are one body with many parts
D. The church will continue to change
VI. The Idol of
A. How many hours a day are you engaged with these?
B. You are being fed another gospel that will change you
C. It is destroying our relationships
D. It is destroying our relationship with Jesus
VII. The Idol of
A. Politics matter but once we move toward it answering all our challenges, we are in trouble
B. The amount of time and energy spent on politics compared to building the kingdom of God?
C. Mark 12:17 — Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s
D. It is dividing the church
E. It is getting the church off mission
F. Let me remind you that Jesus is not aligned with any political party
VII. The Idol of
A. I Corinthians 7:7-17 — Paul summarizes that we if possible stay single as he is so that you can stay focused on the gospel
B. We live in society that states you cannot be fulfilled with sex
- Simply is not true
C. We have walked away from biblical purpose of sex
Procreate
Intimacy of oneness of one man and one woman in the covenant of marriage
D. LGBTQt is a movement that in many ways has won the culture discussion on this topic
The church has responded in many ways inappropriately
The goal is now to redefine what scripture says about
E. The bible is clear about sexual sin
Adultery
Fornication
Homosexuality
F. Our identity is not our sexual desire or preference, our identity is found in Christ Jesus
G. The church must learn now how to hold to biblical truth and yet lovingly accept everyone without condoning their actions
H. We love everyone and value everyone while holding to God’s truth
Call to Action
1. Repent from our idols
2. Lament for our sins
3. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill us
4. Focus on Jesus
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