Jesus + Nothing = Everything

WE

On of the hardest things for me was adjust my music when i got saved, really in my 20s

i loved heart break drake,

fall out boy

"I’d catch a grenade for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah) Throw my hand on a blade for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah) I’d jump in front of a train for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah) You know I’d do anything for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah)

Oh, I would go through all this pain Take a bullet straight through my brain Yes, I would die for ya, baby But you won’t do the same."

Baby I love you, you are my life My happiest moments weren't complete if you weren't by my side You're my relation and connection to the sun You next to me, there's no darkness I can't overcome

You are my raindrops, I am the sea You and God who's my sunlight, I'm blooming, grown so beautifully Baby I'm so proud, proud to be your girl You make the confusion go all away from this cold and misty world

"I am in love with you

You set me free

I can’t do this thing

Called life without you here with me

’Cause I’m dangerously in love with you

I’ll never leave

Just keep loving me

The way I love you loving me."

people can express there love but its a problem when we will sacrifice your everything for someone esle other than the lord.

tranistion: sometimes it easy to see it in our music but not in our everyday and actions

Today we are going to look at idolitatry

What is idolatry? and what does it look today

Tim keller says That anything you put your funtional trust in

anything that absorbs your imagination more than God

When we look to a object, person, a situation to do for us what only God can do its called idolatry

ultimatley we find out the the people that were suposed to be our everything they fail us

that promtion that was supossed to solve everything actually ruined your marriage

these things fail to delver what belived they could because they arent God and they will always be found wanting when staying besides our God

Fist time we see idolatry in the bible

The First Sin Was Rooted In Idolatry

In Geniesis Chapter 2-3

English Standard Version Chapter 2

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Adam and Eve put their trust in something other than God

This is The first instance of idolatry.

Have you every wondered why you feel that you so far from God?

in this instance adam and eve were close anymore

it wasn’t that God had left them , they moved out of the vacinty

what it does is it put something in between you and God

One of the biggest problems we face when it comes to this, is that

we really dont belive that we have them

most of us arnt bowing down to statues and things

if you took a survey

If you look at where you go to cope

how you spend your money

what soothes you while your are rightously angry there you will find your idols

this conversation is ment to pick at you, let it God wants to reveal you idols so you can make room for him

research

1. Idols of Comfort and Pleasure

Ancient: Dionysus (Greek god of wine and pleasure), Aphrodite (goddess of sensuality).

Modern: Entertainment, food, addictions, pornography, leisure activities.

Core Desire: Escape from hardship or pain; seeking satisfaction outside of God.

2. Idols of Power and Control

Ancient: Mars (Roman god of war), Ares (Greek god of conquest), emperor worship.

Modern: Political influence, career dominance, perfectionism, technological mastery.

Core Desire: Security and confidence through self-sufficiency or domination.

3. Idols of Approval and Identity

Ancient: Venus (Roman goddess of beauty and love), tribal or national deities for group identity.

Modern: Social media validation, physical appearance, personal branding, relationships.

Core Desire: Finding worth and identity in the opinions of others rather than in God.

4. Idols of Wealth and Materialism

Ancient: Fortuna (Roman goddess of fortune), Plutus (Greek god of wealth).

Modern: Consumerism, luxury goods, financial security, overwork for monetary gain.

Core Desire: Security and fulfillment through material abundance.

5. Idols of Family and Relationships

Ancient: Fertility gods (e.g., Artemis or Asherah) worshiped for offspring and family legacy.

Modern: Idolizing children’s success, romantic relationships, or family expectations.

Core Desire: Stability, purpose, or fulfillment through human connections.

idolatry Definition: Anything you _________ more than God to bring the desired result you want.

Comfort 

Emotionally 

Provision

Your idols can be your problems or your goals.

Jesus + One of the biggest lies of the enemy

The Golden Calf

Gods has just saved his people from egypt and is taking them on a journey to the gift of a promised land that he promised to abraham.

but first the stop by mount sinia, the intent behind this is to make a covenant with people

an agrement.

a covenant represents a arrangement that two parties would enter into that would only be broken incase of a death.

the covenant that God has made with with his people in the old and new testament always resemble marriage and time after time the break way and forsake him calls them adulterous

because they break the covenant while he remains faithful

The people become gods people and they become their god.

while moses is on that mountain for almost a month and a half the people get afraid and they belive god has forgotten about them.

They take the gifts of gold they were given and melt them down to build a new God to be worshiped, to fullfill there needs

have you ever considered that Most of things that are idols are actually good gifts

there gifts that God gives to us and we take them and turn them into idols

Why do we seek idols? what drive us to idols?

Its easy to judge the isrealites. its easy to not see ourseleves in them , its easy to not see that even in our prilvage today that we are the same.

despration

anouxiousness

Fear

impatience

Vurenalbilty

The Past

Questions that locate our heart?

God are you good

are you a sustainer

will you come thru

will you be my vindicater

are you trust worthy

because of our lack of confience we run to these things for our peace

what drives us to idolatry is usaally the desire to seeks comfort , provision or satisfaction with a hope that it can actually bring you peace.

Romans 5:1"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Big Question: What gets in the way of time with you and God, what keeps you from being as close as

Big Ask: Anything that takes your view off of jesus… don’t play with it…starve it

Main point: Idolatry is when you give anything other than God your functional trust 

ME

In these last i’ve been addressing Idols in my life

I thought they were linked to gaming and entertainment but i’m realizing that was only a piece of the pie

Comparison, Wealth, self worth and the opinion of others has played a huge part in how i view myself

its effected how i feel about myself , how i see myself and what i feel good feels about me and honestly it sometimes pull me away from him because its what ive focused on.

this process is taking a lot of time and tears

in prayer time God has been asking me” Who are you doing this for?”

whats been hard about that is i’ve had to re-evalute my yes, removing the versions of how i see myself and how i feel other people view and what is forcefully realinging my perpective of who iam and who God is calling me to be.

The only way we can do that is if we get these idols out of the way and keep our eyes, our focus, our intent, our meditation on jesus.

GOD

The Rich Young Ruler

He is most likey apart of the sanhridrin

the bible calls him a ruler

but he has money

and his money is getting in the way of him following jesus

his money money is something that he is unwilling to say no to for a time

his money is the thing he cant live without

he money is the thing he has chosen to put his trust in

his money is his provision

here a question we have to ask oursleves? A idol is something you cant even move out of the way?

What good thing take priority in mylife over following jesus, over spending time in my bible

whats getting in the way my intamscy with God?

What can my not go without or you refuse to go without.

what good thing my life turned to for satifaction and provision first instead intentionoally seeking his face

YOU

When You Realize what your idol is:

Repent

Repentance isn’t i’m sorry its changed behavior

Starve It

Pursue His Presence

The more you feed you your spiritual 

The better you will be .

Can I hold on to my idol and god 

WE