Idols

Introduction

What comes to your mind when I mention the word “idol”…?

For some, an idol is a person that is the GOAT of their field (the Greatest of all Time), usually having to do with sports or music.

For others, an idol refers to small statues or paintings that people create in order to offer religious worship.

Hindus believe in a supreme being that manifests itself in hundreds of gods. Most Hindu households have small shrines dedicated to one or more idols. Some devout Hindus bathe their idols, dress them, offer food offerings, pray and sing to them.

As Christian believers, we believe that statues in Roman Catholic churches serve as idols because instead of praying to God, people end up praying to these statues who are not God (angel Gabriel, virgin Mary, St. Joseph, etc.).

But at the end of the day, what is an idol?

In the simplest terms, an idol is anything or anyone that takes the place of God in our life.

As an example, if we believe that we must pray to Mary for certain needs, instead of praying to God, we’ve turned Mary (Jesus’ mother) into an idol because we are treating her as if she were God.

However, there are other idols that are more difficult to identify because they are very subtle - they do not look like an idol, we do not bow before them, or pray to them, nevertheless they take the place of God in our life.

As an example, someone’s idol may be money - they are overly consumed by money.

They love money.

They always think about ways to have more money.

They neglect their family because they need to make one more dollar.

They ruin their marriage because their one true love is money - everything else comes in second place.

This type of person has made an idol out of the almighty dollar thinking that money is the key to:

Happiness, success, solution for all of life’s problems, and it’s the only thing that truly satisfies.

They become an idolator, and their idol is money.

Now why would we focus on idolatry this morning?

Idolatry throughout the Bible brought about God’s judgement.

In fact, one could say that at the center of all sin - you will find idolatry.

God designed our conscience to convict us of our sin.

Someone who lies, knows in their heart of hearts that they are violating God’s law.

Someone who cheats knows that they are are doing something wrong.

Someone who leaves their wife for another knows that they are breaking their promise to be faithful.

The shame that we feel when we sin is our conscience speaking to us to let us know that we have broken God’s law.

But we are so entangled in our sin that we prefer to turn our backs against God instead of fearing God and keeping his law.

The book of Revelation shows us that in the last day, when God’s pours out his judgement upon all of humanity…his judgement will reveal mankind’s ultimate sin.

One would think that after seeing God’s judgment through natural disasters, hunger, plagues, wars, etc., one would think that people would bow down before the Lord Jesus and repent of their sins.

But the book of Revelation shows us the true condition of the human heart.

Apocalipsis 9:20–21 ESV

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Notice that the people that surveyed God’s judgements do not repent.

Rather, they continue to worship demons and their idols instead of turning towards God.

The problem with idol worship is that in the last day judgement will fall upon manmade idols as well as those who worship them.

In the last day none of the idols of this world will be able to save mankind from final judgement.

What makes the people of God different from an idol worshipper?

It has nothing to do with anything within us…rather, it has to do with the grace God has poured out upon us by convicting us of our sin, turning away from idols, and living a life of faithfulness unto God.