Sermon Tone Analysis

Today, God is calling us to a singular focus on Him.

Colossians 3:1–3 (NLT) Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

The “things” of heaven are not as important as the God of heaven — let’ set our sights on Him, let’s think about Him.

Let’s make God our priority.

Not God and (Fill in the blank)

Like:

God and country

God and sports

God and comfort

God and convenience

Etc.

What happens when we mix God with anything on this earth, that earthly thing wants to dominate and push God out of first place.

God gets pushed to an, at best, secondary place.

And then, before we know what happens He gets pushed way out on the periphery.

Anything less than focusing on God alone leads to idolatry.

When God gave the Ten Commandments, the first four speak of our relationship with Him:

Exodus 20:1–11 (LSB) Then God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.

5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

7 “You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of Yahweh your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female slave or your cattle or your sojourner who is within your gates.

11 “For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

The first 2 commandments speak of our relationship to Him:

No other gods before (or in front of) Him.

He is to be our one and only God.

If we don’t keep Him first place we will break the 2nd commandment and start making or fabricating alternatives.

It has been said that we have a God-shaped hole in our lives.

But fallen humanity tries to fill it with everything or anything else.

And when we do we end up frustrated.

We end up broken in pieces all because we didn’t put God in the a place of prominence in our lives.

So, this morning, let’s look at the human tendency to look anywhere and everywhere for an idol — a substitute for God.

Let’s resolve, that, with God’s help we will keep Him first place in our lives.

Escape!

Last week, before we shared the Lord’s Supper together, I urged us to examine ourselves.

I read from 1 Corinthians 10 & 11

Going back to 1 Corinthians 10 let’s read more of the context, specifically, the scriptures that precede whatt I read last week:

Text: 1 Corinthians 10:1–21 (LSB) For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ.

5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased.

For THEY WERE STRUCK DOWN IN THE WILDERNESS.

6 Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.

7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were.

As it is written, “THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND STOOD UP TO PLAY.” 8 Nor let us act in sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.

9 Nor let us put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents.

10 Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have arrived.

12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.

13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

15 I speak as to prudent people.

You judge what I say.

16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ?

Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

18 Look at the nation Israel.

Are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?

19 What do I mean then?

That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they SACRIFICE TO DEMONS AND NOT TO GOD.

And I do not want you to become sharers in demons.

21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.

You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

There is a sermon in vs. 6-10.

Today, not thousands of years ago, but today:

Don’t be an idolater (yes, it is still a temptation!)

Don’t give in to the sexual immorality so prevalent in this world

Don’t put God to the test

And don’t be a complainer

We can resist all these temptations, because of vs. 10.

This verse get’s twisted and misused so often!

“God will not give you more than you can handle!”

Ask Job about that!

Ask Abraham

Ask Moses

Ask Elijah

Ask any of the Apostles

Ask the one who wrote this verse under the power of the Holy Spirit!

He said:

2 Corinthians 11:23-28 “23 Are they [other apostles] ministers of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, in beatings without number, in frequent danger of death.

24 Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes less one.

25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked—a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the desolate places, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brothers.

27 I have been in labor and hardship, in many sleepless nights, in starvation and thirst, often hungry, in cold and without enough clothing.

28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.”

That sounds like more than anyone could handle!

But the Apostle Paul said in:

2 Corinthians 4:7—11 “7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8 in every way afflicted, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

Folks we WILL face things that are greater than we can handle —

so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves

so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body … in our mortal flesh.

But when it comes to TEMPTATION.

THAT is where the Lord gives escape.

THAT is where the Lord makes a way where there seems to be no way.

Otherwise, hang on buttercup, you are going for a wild ride!

And you better be holding onto Jesus!

The idol that provokes to jealousy.

But, notice what follows vs 13:

1 Cor 10:14 “14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”