How do I look for Idols?

Good morning, everyone! Whether you're here with us in the room or joining online—listening live or later—we’re truly glad you're here. You're part of our extended spiritual family, and we're thankful for you.

Hey, if you’ve got kids with you this morning—now’s a great time for them to head to class. We’ve got an amazing team ready to welcome them and help them know Jesus in a way that makes sense to them

For the rest of us, grab your Bible, get comfortable, and get ready for what God has for you today. We are continuing today on our journey through our series called—Treason & Triumph: Exposing Idols and Embracing Christ…So let’s dig in together…

Now, for the last couple of weeks we have been discussing idolatry and the reality of that idolatry in our own lives. Something I’ve said is that most of us think of idols as something ancient, primitive, maybe even silly—like bowing down to statues of wood or stone in far-off temples. But here’s the truth: idols are alive and well today, and they don’t look like golden calves. They look like paychecks, careers, children, sports, phones, beliefs, being right, the approval of others, and even our own comfort.

So let me ask you something: If I could quietly follow you for a week—look at your calendar, your bank account, the things you talk about most with friends, and even the thoughts that keep you up at night—what would it show you are focusing on the most? In other words, what would it show you are worshiping?

Because here’s the reality: we all worship something. Worship is not just what we do for one hour on Sunday. Worship is whatever captures your heart the rest of the week. It’s where your time, money, and emotions naturally flow.

And the scary truth is this: many times, our lips say we worship God, but our lives say otherwise. Our words say ‘God is first,’ but our choices betray a different king sitting on the throne of our hearts. That’s why we need God’s Word today—because we are experts at lying to ourselves about what we really love.

Remember, an idol is anything or anyone that captures our heart and affection more than God.

Now, we’ve just admitted something uncomfortable—that our lives often betray what we really worship. But this isn’t new. The Bible says this has always been the story of humanity. Instead of worshipping the Creator, we settle for worshipping created things.

Paul describes this exchange in Romans 1:21–25, where he shows us that idolatry is really just a tragic trade—giving up the glory of God for something that will never satisfy. Let’s read it together.

Romans 1:21–25 ESV

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 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.

Now it’s easy for us to read this passge and think…‘This is speaking to the culture around us.’ However, what if this was written for you today, in order to wake you up? This is what one theologian wrote about this passage,

“Man was willing to use God’s gifts, but he was not willing to worship and praise God for His gifts. The result was an empty mind and a darkened heart. Man the worshiper became man the philosopher”

Paul actually says that idolatry is exchanging the truth of God for a lie. This morning let’s look at three ways we can identify idols in our own hearts, and then what we should do about them. Here’s the first way to identify idols in your heart.

Follow the Trail of Your Life

What does it even mean to follow the trail of your life? Well, this is related to the question I asked you just a few minutes ago. If I were to follow you around for 1 week…even 1 day, what would we discover together? If you’re honest with yourself, would you like what we found? Would you be proud to show that heart to Christ, or do you think there may be some things you should remove from your heart first?

The thing is that the trail of your time, affection, energy, and money always leads to a throne. And whatever sits on that throne is what you really worship. So…

Where do you spend your time, money, and affection?

This is an important question that you need to answer honestly. I was speaking to a young man earlier this week who is struggling with crushing anxiety…This is a young man who has put his schedule as the most important thing. He is so rigid with his calendar that he is having moments where he just loses it. That doesn’t happen due to worshiping God…that happens when you are worshiping something else.

Matthew 12:34 ESV

…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

In other words…what is in the heart is what is going to come out. That’s important as you are attempting to identify idols in your heart. Here’s the other thing though…

The trail never lies…

When you follow the trail of your life, you will come face to face with something…the question isn’t IF something will be on the throne of your heart…it’s WHAT will be on the throne of your heart.

Pastor Louie Giglio once wrote that the at the end of the trail of your life sites a throne, and someone or something is sitting on that throne. This morning it’s time for you to figure out what is sitting on that throne. God owns the throne of your heart if you are a Christian…but so often you kick him off the throne and put something else there. Something you created, and something you put there. Sometimes it’s even something that looks good to everyone around you—but you know the truth don’t you…

Listen, the trail of your life points to what you love. But suffering reveals what you trust. Here’s the second way to identify idols in your heart.

Watch Your Heart in Times of Suffering

You see, suffering is a spotlight—It shines directly on the heart and shows you what you’re really trusting in. When you are suffering what is the thing you are trusting in? Is it alcohol, pornography, shopping, eating, what is it that you are running to when things start to get hard? Here’s the deal…

Trials expose what we really treasure

Have you ever suffered so deeply that you just didn’t want to exist anymore. Like, things were so difficult in that time that you didn’t know if there would ever be a way out of this situation. Maybe theres an issue with your health and you just don’t see how or if you will ever come out of it—your finances are so underwater that you can’t fix it—your family is so shattered that you may never see each other again.

So…in those hardships, in those realities…what is it that you are truly treasuring?

2 Corinthians 1:8–10 ESV

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

You see, we run to thing that cannot sustain us while ignoring the only One who can sustain us. What Paul says here is that when we are so down that we don’t even want to exist anymore…that’s when we should set our hope on him…not some other thing we have created in out hearts. So, watching our heart while we suffer is telling what we truly worship.

You see, disappointment unmasks our idols, this is what we are running to for comfort. However Paul reminds us that we should be running to the Lord, and not to our own creations. Listen, whether this is a god that you have with your hands or a god you have made with your heart, the implication is clear—turn from that, and turn towards Christ as the one who gives life.

Here’s what happens, pain presses our idols to the surface. But chaos shows what happens when they take charge. That’s the third way to identify idols in your heart.

Look for the Chaos Idols Create

You know that when you worship God—when you are truly worshiping God…things just feel a little easier. Oh, your circumstances may not be any different, but the load is easier. You know that in your heart. But when you are worshiping something other than God…the opposite is true. The load feels unbearable and chaos begins to reign in your life. Look at the last year of your life. Look at those times when things were just truly out of control…now ask yourself what you were truly worshiping in that moment. Thats a hard exercise especially if you would like to deny ever worshiping something other than God.

But why do we worship something other than God in the first place? Why do we seek something that deep down we know isn’t the answer.

Well, because idols always promise order, peace, and satisfaction—. That’s what they promise…but what the deliver is the opposite: chaos, frustration, and emptiness. Really—

Idols always lead to disorder, envy, and strife

So when you are experiencing that chaos…look for the idol that is causing it. When you explode into anger, or sink into fear…don’t just excuse it—ask: what craving in my heart is being blocked or threatened right now?

James 3:16 ESV

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

When you are worshiping something or someone other than God, your life will be more chaotic…that’s just what happens. Here’s the beauty in that though. Your situation and your emotions begin to be a thermometer into what you are truly worshiping and focusing on. One pastor said, “An outburst of anger invites reflection on what craving ruled the heart.” So what is it for you?

Bursts of anger, constant anxiety, or relational conflict frequently are signals of misplaced worship. Use this as an opportunity to fix the focus of your heart onto the only God that is worthy of your worship.

There is plenty of evidence showing everyone here that there are times you are not truly worshiping the Lord. The question is, what do you do about it? How do you get free of those idols, how do you tear them down? Well…the only way to begin to break that idol is to repent of false worship and rejoice in Chrsit alone. That’s actually what you should do about your own idolatry.

Repent and Rejoice in Christ

Idolatry is not just a failure to obey God, it’s actually setting your whole heart on something besides God.  So the solution has to be more than just repenting of your idol and using more willpower to try to live differently.  

You see, the first part of any Biblical fix is to repent. Repent of your sin and receive the promise of Christ. Repent of your false worship. Repent of your idolatry. Repent of loving anything more than God. Every good thing in the Gospel starts with repentance. That’s what we are going to see is the answer today as well.

There has to be something more though, right? Well, take a look at what Paul wrote to those in Thessalonica

1 Thessalonians 1:9 ESV

For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

He was praising them for their reputation. You see they had a reputation of turning to God and turing from idols. That’s quite literally what repentance is. However, there is a piece that they were doing that is really important to see. The Thessalonians had turned to God because God was more delightful than the idols they had worshiped previously. That’s important. In their repentance, they were rejoicing in Christ.

You see, idols lose their grip when Christ becomes your greatest joy. You don’t fight idolatry by loving them less—you fight them by loving Christ more. Then you are able to truly experience the peace that makes no sense and the joy that only comes from the Lord.

You want to remove idolatry from your life…start living your life for God and not for yourself—that’s where to start. Repent of your idolatry, but don’t stop there. Rejoice in Christ. Love Christ more. You can’t “will” yourself to stop worshiping an idol…you have to worship something else more. That something you worship, is God.

Repentance without rejoicing leads to despair. Rejoicing without repentance leads to shallow inspiration. But when repentance and rejoicing come together, that’s where lasting change happens.

Only by setting our hearts on Christ can idols be dethroned

In the ages of Kings and Queens when when a people no longer desired to serve a King or his dynasty, they would have to depose him. They would have to eliminate the king and all of his heirs, often through death. Then, because a throne cannot remain empty, they would place another on the throne.

The same is true with you. When you repent and eliminate your idol, you must immediately place Christ on that throne. How do you do that? Well…you rejoice in what Christ has done and you worship Christ more than you long for your idol and you put your mind to things above…not on things of this world.

Colossians 3:1–5 ESV

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

So the real question today is not whether you have idols. The real question is: Will you let Jesus take their place in your heart?

Because here’s the truth: idols don’t give up easily. They demand your sacrifice, your energy, your money, your affection, and your fear — and in the end, they leave you empty. But Jesus is the only One who gives Himself for you instead of taking from you. He is the only Savior who won’t fail you, the only King who died for His rebels.

For those of you who are Christians, this is your call: stop making peace with your idols. Don’t leave them hidden in the corners of your life. Don’t excuse them. Don’t minimize them. Bring them into the light of the cross where Christ already paid the price for them. Today is a day for repentance and rejoicing — turning from your idols, and turning to Jesus with fresh faith and joy.

And for those of you who are not yet Christians, can I just talk with you for a moment? Your whole life has been a search for a savior. You’ve been bowing down to things you thought would make you secure, happy, and whole. But none of them will last. Only Jesus can forgive your sins. Only Jesus can give you life. Only Jesus can satisfy the deepest hunger of your soul. Today is the day to stop trading the truth of God for a lie and surrender your life to Him. Don’t walk out of here holding onto your idols when the living God is offering Himself to you.

For everyone, that’s why you’ll find a card on your seat. Let this be more than just another sermon on another Sunday. This is an opportunity to respond to God in worship. Take a moment to write down two things:

What idol is the Holy Spirit exposing in your heart today?—something you’ve been trusting, fearing, or loving more than God?

How will you turn from that idol and rejoice in Christ this week?

When you come forward to receive communion, I want you to bring that card with you and place it in the baskets up front. It’s a physical act of surrender, a way of saying: ‘Lord, I’m not just listening today — I’m responding. I’m laying this idol down, and I’m giving You the throne of my heart again.’

And then, with empty hands, you will receive the bread and the cup. Communion is the reminder that Jesus’ body was broken and His blood was poured out for idolaters like you. It is the place where repentance and rejoicing meet. We repent of the false gods we’ve served, and we rejoice in the grace of Christ that is greater than our sin.

So as we come, don’t just walk through a ritual. Come with honesty. Come with repentance. Come with rejoicing. Bring your idols to the table of communion — and walk away free, with Christ as the true treasure of your heart.

Let’s pray

Describe how communion will go, and include that I will be upfront ready to pray for anyone that the Lord is convicting today.