Even If
September 19, 2021
Part of American Idols—2021

Even If - September 19, 2021

We want to please God. Idols don’t please God because He knows they’re not good for us, and He definitely wants good for us.
Jonah 2:8… “those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love…”
Psa 16:4… “troubles

for those who chase after other gods…”
1Cor 10:14… “my dear friends… flee from idolatry…”
1John 5:21… “dear children… keep yourselves from idols…”


If self becomes an idol…
Rom 8:5-11 MSG… “those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle, but never exercising it…
those who trust God’s action in them find that the Holy Spirit is living in them… obsession with

is a dead end… attention to leads us into an open, spacious, free life…
focusing on self is the opposite of focusing on God…
anyone completely absorbed in self ends up thinking more about self than God…
that person ignores who God is and what He is doing… and God isn’t pleased at being ignored…”
1John 2:15-16 MSG… “don’t love the world or its goods…
love of the world squeezes out love for the Father…
practically everything that goes on in world… wanting your own way… wanting everything for yourself… wanting to appear important… has nothing to do with the Father… it just isolates you from Him…”


How do we please God? Through faith. Faith helps destroy idols.
1Thess 4:1… “we urge you to live in a way that pleases God…”
Heb 11:6… “without

… it is impossible to God…”
Heb 10:38… “live by faith… I take no pleasure in anyone who turns away…”


Remember, grace and faith go together. It’s not either/or, but both/and.
Rom 1:5… “received

… to bring about the obedience of …”
Rom 5:2… “obtained access thru Him by … into this …”
Heb 4:2… “grace was preached… did no good… wasn’t mixed with faith…”


Faith comes when we hear messages about Jesus. Miracles happen when we believe those messages. Life rules when we receive.
Rom 10:14-17… “faith comes by

message about Jesus…”
Gal 3:5… “miracles come… the message you heard about Christ…”
Rom 5:17-21… “ grace and righteousness… reign in life…”


Faith perceives as real fact what is not revealed to the senses. Faith is having a good opinion of God. Every time you think the best of God… every time you see His goodness… faith comes to life and idolatry is destroyed. —Pastor Joseph Prince


Our opinion of God is one of the areas in which we need to repent. We need to change our minds about who God is. He is not out to get you, not out to punish you, not out to judge you. God is for you, not against you.
Isa 28:21… “He will rise in

to do His unexpected work… His task…”
Isa 55:7-12… “God will have compassion… He will freely forgive…”
Isa 60:10… “although I struck you in My wrath… I’ll show mercy thru My grace…”
Mark 1:15… “Kingdom of God is near… repent and believe the good news…”
Luke 13:5… “I tell you… unless you repent… you will all perish…”
Acts 20:21… “one message… repentance God… faith in Jesus…”


God wants us to give Him glory. He wants us to have a good opinion of Him. God is always good. Is that how you view Him? If not, you’ll never defeat idols because you won’t be able to approach Him in faith.
Exo 33:18-19… “show me Your glory… make all my goodness pass before you…”
Psa 115:1… “not to us, O Lord, not to us… but to Your name we give glory…”
Rom 4:20… “didn’t waver in unbelief… faith grew stronger… gave glory to God…”
1Cor 10:31… “whatever you do… give glory to God…”
Eph 3:20-21… “all

to God… thru His mighty power… accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think… to Him in the church…”
doxa… opinion, judgment, view; in NT, always a good opinion, resulting in praise, honor…


Jesus only cared about receiving glory from God. His Father’s opinion was the only opinion that mattered.
John 5:31-44… “everything My Father says about Me is

… I do not accept glory from people… your approval or disapproval means … how can you accept glory from one another, but don’t seek the glory that comes from God…”
John 8:50-54… “I don’t seek my own glory… if I glorify myself, my glory is nothing… but My Father, He is the One who glorifies Me…”


Jesus never put an idol in the center of His heart. He never gave it more value or priority than God. Why? Because He had a good opinion of His Father, and He knew His Dad had a good opinion of Him.
Mark 1:11… “You are My

Son… and I am fully with You…”
1John 4:17… “as He is… so are we in this world…”


When you hear, believe, and receive all of God’s goodness, faith comes, idols lose their power, miracles arrive, and you reign in life.
Neh 9:25… “they became prosperous and delighted in Your goodness…”
Psa 23:6… “only

and faithful will pursue me all of my life…”
Psa 65:4… “we will be satisfied with the of Your house (not idols)…”
Rom 2:4… “don’t despise God’s goodness… His goodness leads to repentance…”


Two great stories about defeating idols:
Dan 3… “whoever does not worship the idol will be thrown into the fire…
is it true you don’t serve my gods or worship my statue, who is the god who can rescue you from my power…
we don’t need to give you an answer, if the God we serve exists, He can rescue us from the fire and from you,

He does not rescue us, we will not serve your gods or worship your idols…
thrown into the fire…
they violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own, there is no other god like this…”
Luke 4:1-11… “devil said, I will give it all to you if you worship me… Jesus replied, the Scriptures say, you must worship the Lord your God and serve Him only…”


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