What We Become
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We live in a world of distractions. We live in a world where idle time is always filled, and to be still is foreign. The options are limitless! Really think about all of the choices that can be made, on a daily basis, in which to fill our time with. We have endless entertainment, and brain numbing power, right at our fingertips. We have endless inventions of things and activities to enjoy. So much so, these things have become our focus. Our hobbies become our passions, and every spare moment is devoted to the things we have committed ourselves to.
The issue is, there is but ONE who should have our commitment, our passion, our devotion. The more we give ourselves over to something, the more we begin to look like the object of our devotion.
Tonight I want to talk about, What We Become.
1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.
As we read the text as a whole, we see the Psalmist comparing and contrasting the One True God, and the idols of man. We see there is no comparison. God is great, He is alive. The idol cannot even speak or see. It is easy from this position to sit and stare at these verses in context and say ‘Why? Why would anyone ever worship a dead thing, when the Great God who is alive in the heavens, sitting as creator of all things, rules with power, and is rich in mercy’. Why? But we as the same people who ask why must remember what Paul says in Romans
1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.
We are all guilty of this same sin. We may not walk into a pagan temple, and bow at the altar of a wooden carved image, but we bow at the altar of things that are not God on a daily basis.
But the Psalmist starts the Psalm with a prayer, pointing us towards the greatness of God; showing us why HE is the only One worthy of our worship.
1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
Not to us. Do you see it? He says it twice incase you missed it. “Not to us, O Lord, NOT TO US, BUT TO YOUR NAME GIVE GLORY”. Here we have an immediate application:
IT’S NOT ABOUT US!
I think this is a concept we have a hard time processing. Even as born again regenerate Christians, our flesh is always so tempted to make everything ABOUT US! In this very first verse, the Psalmist points out the heart of idolatry; SELF.
If we are not careful, we can allow “Self” to creep into everything that we do. It won’t even necessarily be a conscious thought, where we know we are making it about us. It’s subtle.
Take marriage for example. People want to get married, and they want to have a family; but little do we realize that in our marriage and in our family IT’S NOT ABOUT US! You get married because you love this person, they are pleasing to you, and you like the way they look, and the way they make you feel, and then you have all this expectation about how they should act, and what they should say, and what they should do to continue to please YOU, when in reality marriage is about servanthood and sacrifice.
Marriage reflects Christ and the Church; Christ DIED FOR THE CHURCH, He came not to be served, but to serve, and today the church is now to live to SERVE HIM! That is marriage. Dying to self, serving, sacrifice. But rarely is that seen before we say I do. It is something learned through the process of time, and for your sake hopefully it is learned QUICKLY!
The truth is, the flesh pollutes EVERYTHING. If we’re not careful, we can even allow it to taint our ministry. We can allow self to taint our talents and gifts that are supposed to be used to glorify God. And how do we do that? By keeping just a piece of the glory for ourselves.
I learned this when I first started preaching. I’m a rapper, I know how to perform, how to work a crowd, work the room. So I learned that I have to be very aware to ensure I never turn a sermon into a performance. Because second nature, in front of people is to perform. And why do we perform? In the hope of praise. What happens is pride can feed our flesh, and very subtly we begin to use our gifts 99% for God’s glory, and 1% for the gratification of our prideful flesh. I am transparent with you because I never want to forget that before I get up here to teach the Word with the hope that you apply it to your life; I must first teach myself to apply it to my own.
Verse 1 reminds us that our life should be about bringing glory to His Name, as the Psalmist prays that God would glorify His own Name. When we live a life to glorify HIM, we will find ourselves kept safe from idolatry.
When the Psalmist prays, “God give glory to Your Name for the sake of Your steadfast love and your faithfulness” - what he is saying is
God give riches, give importance, give reputation to YOUR NAME! That’s what glory means. And what gives His great Name reputation? What is He famous for? HIS STEADFAST LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS! That is the GLORY OF HIS NAME!
22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came.
Even when the Israelites had acted in such a way that the Name of God was profaned amongst the nations, God still acted for HIS NAME SAKE and for HIS NAME SAKE mean our benefit.
Isn’t that a God you would want to worship? A God who is known for mercy, love and faithfulness? A God who, even when we DON’T DESERVE IT (which is always) He acts on His STEADFAST LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS, and shows mercy and kindness? That’s what makes His Name so glorious! He is JUST, and RIGHTEOUS, and yet the JUSTIFIER OF THE UNGODLY!
What we should really have ingrained into our minds at this point is that God is an awesome, loving and faithful God, whom we should DESIRE TO SERVE!
2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
This is reminiscent of Exodus, and Numbers.
11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?
12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
13 But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them,
14 and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O Lord, are in the midst of this people. For you, O Lord, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.
15 Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say,
16 ‘It is because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’
17 And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying,
18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’
19 Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”
Moses tells God, DO IT FOR YOUR NAME SAKE LORD! DON’T LET THE NATIONS THINK LIGHTLY OF YOUR POWER! Here the Psalmist says the same.
The pagan nations surrounding Israel would find it strange that Israel had no visual representation of their God. The pagans could look at their gods, see their gods, feel their gods. But their lifeless representations were not gods at all.
I think an important application here is, that as humans, we tend to gravitate towards what we can see, what we can feel, what we sense to be real with our 5 senses. The more you look upon your sin, the more attention you give to the tangible things of this world, the less aware of the Spiritual we become.
3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
We must remember where our God is. He is in the heavens. The Psalmist here revealed the ignorance of idol worship, stating that although their “gods” could be seen, our ONE TRUE GOD is in the heavens.
We must keep our focus on God in heaven lest we live like those in Romans 1.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
When we give our time and energy to the things of this world, instead of the One who created this world, we are exchanging the glory of God for the counterfeit god of this world.
6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.
God does what He pleases. In heaven and in earth. Nothing can stop His will; nothing can stay His hand. Idols have no power. The only power idols have in our lives, is the power we GIVE THEM OVER US WITH OUR WORSHIP. But God, He is all powerful with, or without our worship. That is why HE deserves our worship. He is worthy of praise. Idols can do nothing but draw our hearts away to the path that leads to death.
35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
No one can question God, or His motives. He is perfect in holiness, in righteousness, and in power.
Our God is the only God, the one true God. He is the sovereign, and we should SERVE HIM!
So now we have reached the turning point here in this passage. We’ve seen the Psalmist reflect on the Glory of God’s Name, and His great love. What we should have in our minds now is His greatness, and why He should be the object of our worship.
Yet idol worship is still prevalent. Despite the greatness of the One True God, we have pagan worship all around us. Even in the life of those of us who profess Christ.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.
It’s interesting that the Psalmist highlights the greatest feature of these idols. He doesn’t mention the fact that they are wood or stone. He says SILVER AND GOLD. The highest things praised amongst men, yet it still pales in comparison to our God.
They may have what all men covet, silver and gold, but they cannot speak, they cannot see, they cannot hear, they cannot smell, they cannot feel, they cannot walk, they cannot make a sound.
Idols are nice and shiny on the outside, but empty on the inside…
8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.
Don’t be mistaken. You do not have to go into the temple of Baal and fall down in front of a graven image to be a maker of an idol. As Christians we make idols all of the time.
And that’s why we encounter believers who are nice and shiny on the outside, but empty on the inside; just like the idols we make and trust in.
2 “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house.
Our rebellion against God, our modern day idol worship, puts spiritual blinders and spiritual earmuffs over the eyes and ears of man.
So what’s an idol look like today? Well, it can look a couple of different ways. For one, It’s anything that exalts itself above God in our life; by capturing our hearts, our thoughts, our minds, our time. Let’s look at what God said about idols.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
God wasn’t saying “you can have other gods, just not before me, or above me, as long as I am first place, you’re okay” NO! What He’s saying is, “You shall not have another god before me” as in before His face, in His presence. And He is omnipresent, He is in all places at all times, having no other gods before Him means no other gods, point blank period.
God didn’t give us this command because there are actually other gods.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me,
6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other.
Why then if there is no other gods, did God tell us to not have any other gods before Him? For one, He is a jealous God, who will share His worship with none other. But also because God loves us. James tells us that He jealously desires the spirit whom He made to dwell in us. He is concerned for, and involved in every part of our life.
And what God knew, is the propensity of mans wicked heart to give worship to things that are not, and could not be gods. God knows what the effects of this idol worship will have on us as individuals, and the effect it has on our relationship with Him. It is spiritual adultery. That’s exactly what idolatry is, spiritual adultery. And one of the biggest forms of idolatry is KNOWN SIN!
When we as Christians, know what God’s Word says about a sin, and we decide to indulge anyways, and we continue in that. What we’re doing is saying, “God, i know what You say about this, i know what You desire for me, but MY DESIRES are more important.”. We are exalting the god of self. We are essentially bowing at the altar of our fleshly desires. Known, continual and practiced sin IS idolatry.
So let me ask this question.
What Are The Idols In Your Life?
What has more of your attention than God? What is driving your heart? What is stealing your passion? Remember, those who make idols and trust in them, become JUST LIKE THEM.
When we allow ourselves to be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin and idol worship, we will find ourselves conforming to the image of the object of our worship.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
When we continue to engage in idolatry, it is easily discoverable in the way we speak. Have you ever known someone, and a situation arises and the words that come out of their mouth just completely reveal their character?
They have mouths, but do not speak truth. When we are so infatuated with self, and sinful desires we are hardened to the truth. We no longer find ourselves speaking the word of God. Instead we speak death. We’re no longer sharing the truth of the Gospel with others, because sin has us so deceived that the truth is far from our lips.
The Psalmist says that idols have eyes but do not see. When we make idols and place our trust in them, we become blind too. Blind to the truth, blind to the sin in our lives. We will spin things, and justify our behavior. But the truth is, we cannot see, for all we see is self. Look what Jesus says in the book of John.
41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
This is what is so scary about a person with the knowledge of God who has been hardened by sin and idolatry. The Pharisees knew the scriptures, they knew the promises of God; but they were so blinded by their love for recognition and power and authority, that they couldn’t even see their need for the messiah right in front of their very eyes.
When you think that you see, and yet are blind, your guilt remains. When you think that because you are a Christian, your problems cannot be rooted in idolatry, you will never see freedom. You will remain bound because your heart is drawn away.
DO NOT BE DECEIVED! IF SOMETHING HAS MORE OF YOUR PASSION THAN GOD DOES, IT IS AN IDOL! IF SOMETHING HAS MORE OF YOUR ATTENTION THAN GOD DOES, IT IS AN IDOL! IF SOMETHING HAS MORE OF YOUR HEART THAN GOD DOES IT IS AN IDOL! We must admit that we are blind to the depths of our sin, so that Christ may open our yes.
6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.
A person who is hardened by the sin and idolatry in their life can sit under the Word, and under sound teaching and yet not hear what God is trying to speak to them. Why? You’re becoming just like the thing that you idolize. Distant from God and lifeless.
Have you ever talked to someone who can clearly hear you, but never really listens? How do you know if someone is listening to you? They respond. Their is action involved in truly listening. The idols in our life will have us in a place of spiritual lethargy. I know this from EXPERIENCE.
7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.
We are the body of Christ. We are supposed to be the hands and feet. Idolatry will have us so focused on us, and our sin, and our desires, that we CANNOT FEEL for others, we cannot serve others, because have no desire. We will have feet and yet be unable to walk. Unable to walk the narrow road, unable to walk in our calling. Think about it, when is the last time you actually shared the gospel with someone? When is the last time you saw someone in a public place and really shared Jesus with them? When our hearts are drawn away by other things, we lose focus of the FIRST THING, the MAIN THING, the ONLY THING.
That’s what idols do! They draw us away from our purpose, from our calling. These idols will drain the life out of the believer, until we are left just as empty as they are.
We must knock down all of our idols. Leave none standing. We cannot play with idolatry, we cannot play with known sin. There is nothing there for us but the way that leads to death.
Worship lust, and become lustful. Worship the substance, and become an addict. Worship the streets and become a convict. Worship money, and become covetous. Worship self and become selfish.
OR
WORSHIP GOD AND BECOME GODLY
This is the answer to deconstructing our idols. To seeing them for the lifeless, empty, evil that they are. Worship HIM and conform to HIS IMAGE. This is God’s will. This is what we were predestined for.
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
I want to quickly show you several verses that reaffirms the application of WORSHIP GOD AND BECOME GODLY.
18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
This is it! While we behold the GLORY OF THE LORD we are being transformed into the SAME IMAGE! His image, by the power of the SPIRIT!
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
As we crucify the flesh, and put to death the deeds of the flesh, we are choosing to put on the NEW SELF, IN CHRIST, which is being renewed in the knowledge after what? THE IMAGE OF OUR CREATOR!
24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Our new self is created after the likeness of GOD! In true righteousness and holiness! It is up to us to PUT ON THIS NEW SELF. To walk in our new created self, and not to walk after idols.
Notice that in all these verses, it talked about God’s IMAGE or LIKENESS. See, pagan religions have their idols; their visible representations. Their images. But it’s a perversion of what God has given us. See God has given us CHRIST, who is the VISIBLE REPRESENTATION OF THE INVISIBLE GOD!
Do not trade the glory of God, do not trade the image of God that we are called to walk in, for the perversion of the image of the world, who’s god is the ultimate pervert himself, satan.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
This is what we must do. Fear God, in the sense that we respect Him, and reverence Him and honor Him so much, that when things in this life begin to pull our hearts away, we recognize it and immediately repent.
We must trust in God, that He will sanctify us, and cause us to live holy, empowered by His Holy Spirit, when we are intentional about walking after Him. He is our help and our shield. As God told Abraham, He is our EXCEEDINGLY GREAT REWARD.
But we must understand that trusting God doesn’t just mean that we trust Him for the benefits. For the healing, for the blessings. We have to trust what His word says. We have to trust that He alone can satisfy. And that He only calls me out of sin because it will destroy me.
Think about sin, think about the things we worship. Think about what it means.
When I covet I’m saying that what He has seen fit to give me isn’t enough. As if godliness with contentment isn’t great gain.
When I lust, I’m saying that His design for marriage isn’t good enough to satisfy me.
When I sin, I am trusting in evil for my benefit and my satisfaction, rather than trusting in Him.
I close with this..
11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
This is what keeps our hearts where they should be. Having the word hidden inside of them. Let’s knock down our idols tonight. Let’s hide the word in our hearts, let’s rid ourselves of anything that causes us to drift from Him. Let us honor Him as supreme Lord, with no other allegiances.
Let’s worship HIM, and see what we become.