s20070506m_ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES

ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES

4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. Exodus 20:4-6

I. DON'T `IDOLIZE' ANYTHING!

       "Idolize" – Is To Sin By [ACTING CORRUPTLY] With the World.

15 Since you saw no form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire, take care and watch yourselves closely, 16 so that you do not act corruptly by making an idol for yourselves, in the form of any figure…(human male or female, animals, birds, creepy crawlers, fish, or the stars) do not be led astray and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples everywhere under heaven. Deut 4:15-19

1.      Idols will [TEACH YOU LIES]

What use is an idol once its maker has shaped it—a cast image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in what has been made, though the product is only an idol that cannot speak! Habakkuk 2:18

2.      Idols will [CONTROL YOU]

You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. 1Corinthians 12:2

3.      Idols will [MAKE YOU LIKE THEMSELVES]

3Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 5 They … do not speak; … see…6hear; 7feel; walk; they make no sound in their throats. 8 Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them. Psalms 115:3-8

II. WORSHIP ONLY GOD!—The Benefits of Worshiping Only God

1.  IT [FULFILLS YOUR HEART]

18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them. 20 The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. Psalms 145:18-20

2.  IT [FREES YOU FROM SIN]

31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31-32

3.  IT [ALLOWS YOU TO BECOME LIKE JESUS]

And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18