Sorcery and Idolatry

Recap and Why?

Attendance is increasing, yet applying to life and viewing Scripture as authority is decreasing by age.

We can’t assume people know what sin is. I know Scripture says works of the flesh are evident, but for some reason cultures around the world have started to supress, write over, and

Read Text:

Galatians 5:19–21 ESV

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Various list of sins in NT (and OT) that include idolatry and sorcery. Some have grouped these into a group called the occult sins.

occult sins: seeking special knowledge, power, or guidance from forces, spirits, or entities outside of God.

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Idolatry: physical object made as the representation of a deity

Idolatry is not merely the worship of physical statues but as any act that places a person, object, or concept above the sovereign position of God. The first reference to idols is in Genesis. During the Hebrew people’s time in Egypt they picked up idolatry. It was long before they were delivered from it.

Give examples of what this is in bible days.

The Golden Calf: Crafted by Aaron from nelted earrings while Moses was on Mount Sinai, representing a visible god to lead the Israelites.

Baal and Asherah: Canaanite fertility gods frequently workshiped by King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.

Nebudchadnezzar’s Statue: King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon created a giant gold statue and commands all his officials to worship it. Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego refuse to comply.

The Rich Young Ruler: Jesus encounters a man who claims to have kept all the commandments but cannot bring hismelf to give up his wealth to follow Christ. This example illustrates that idolatry isn’t limited to the worship of physical statues, but can extend to anything that we place trust in over God.

Idolatry is anything you come to rely on for some blessing, provision, help or guidance int he place of a whole hearted reliance on God.

Give examples of what this is in our day.

Martin Luther says, “Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God, your functional savior.”

Idolatry is misdirected worship. Worship that is supposed to go to God, goes to…

Money and Success: Chasing wealth, status, and career achievements above all else.

Comfort and Control: Prioritizing ease, safety, and personal preferences over growth or helping others.

Approval and Influence: Cravings like fame, and the positive opinions of other people.

The prophet Jeremiah warns of making idols and worshipping them…

Jeremiah 10:2–5 ESV

2 Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, 3 for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. 4 They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. 5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.”

Explain text above.

Illustration: You have heard of a professional athlete who spends countless hours training and preparing for competition. This passion could easily slip into idolatry if the athlete prioritizes their career over their relationship with God. Like the rich young ruler in the Gospel who was sorrowful at the thought of selling his possessions, we must reflect on what we are unwilling to surrender to God, recognizing that nothing should take His rightful place in our hearts.

Passionate plea to remove idols and idolatry from our lives….having the same attitude as the Apostle Paul who said…

Philippians 3:8–9 “8 …I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—”

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Sorcery: an attempt to manipulate supernatural forces rather than submit to God’s sovereignty.

sorcery and magic comes from the same root word that gives us pharmacy. Some very conservative traditions abstain from all forms of medicines, even today. The bible treats sorcery not merely as superstition but as a fundamental spiritual rebellion against God!

Give examples of what this is in bible days.

Egyptian Magicians: Pharaoh’s wise men turned staffs into snakes using secret arts to match Moses’ early signs.

The Witch of Endor: Contacted the spirit of the deat prophet Samuel for King Saul.

The Slave Girl In Philippi: A fortune-teller possessed by a spirit that predicted the future of profit.

Give examples of what this is in our day.

Fortune telling and divination: Using tarot cards, astrology, or psychics to predict the future or find special guidance.

Witch Craft: Practicign spells, rituals, or nature magic to manifest personal desires or healing. Curses. Hexes.

Mediums: Trying to talk to the dead or spirit guides through mediums, seances, or channeled writing

Mind-Altering Substances: Using hallucinogenic drugs in order to oopen the mind to spiritual realms.

The practice of sorcery or magic is a replacement or trust in God and an attempt to make things happen using a forbidden method. It doest not matter how colorful it looks on a screen, if the word pixar or disney is before the name. It does not matter if it is a cute kid, or a lovable person. This practice is a work of the flesh.

Acts 19:18–19 ESV

18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Explain Text Above…

God was doing amazing things through miracles by the hands of Paul. People started taking handkerchiefs and napkins that touched Paul to the sick. And you know what it worked. But then people started trying to do the same thing by invoking the name of Paul and Jesus at peoples healings.

Attempting to replicate Paul’s miraculous power over demons, they invoked Jesus’s name while exorcising an evil spirit, but the demon responded with contempt—acknowledging both Jesus and Paul while dismissing these unauthorized practitioners entirely. The possessed man then attacked all seven brothers with such violence that they fled the house stripped and injured.

The Sons of Sceva’s failure wasn’t merely embarrassing; it demonstrated that spiritual power cannot be borrowed or manipulated through mechanical invocation of a name. The demon’s response reveals a hierarchy of spiritual authority—it recognized legitimate apostolic standing in Paul but found no such authority in these so called exorcists.

Word spread and caused these early Christians to cling more seriously on Jesus himself, and not a prescription phrase to say, or a handkerchief that touched someone good.

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The Bible includes the cost of repentance. They didn’t care about the cost. It costs something to follow Jesus. There at many times is a dollar value to that.

Illustration: THink about that group of friends discussing the rise of witchcraft in pop culture, intrigued by its glamor and allure. One friend shares how they've experimented with tarot cards, claiming it's just for fun. Yet, like the warning in Ephesians 6 about spiritual warfare, this playful approach can open doors to deeper spiritual influences. It's vital to remind ourselves that flippant curiosity about the occult can lead to serious consequences, drawing us away from Christ.

Conclusion:

Idolatry replaces God's presence; sorcery rejects God's authority.

Explain above statement…idols are controllable/when God is controllable. magic is controllable/when God is authority.

Great challenge for you and I today is to discern when and where idols and idolatry and sorcery or magic is taking place. It is rare to find a kids movie that doesn’t have some reference to special power that comes from some book, potion. It is hard to watch commercials or news or listen to politicians speak without thinking if I just get this new thing all my problems will be solved. It I would just vote for this politician all our communities and nations problems will go away. Promises. Promises. Promises.

Discerning what to expose ourselves to. How much? How little? Do we abandon all of society?

"Sorcery seeks power without surrender; faith receives power through surrender."

"You can't cling to Christ while consulting counterfeit powers."

represents a competing claim on spiritual allegiance—fundamentally incompatible with genuine faith

Salvation offered.

Magic/Sorcery: Substances, Exposure, Practicing. And not trusting what God gives. Making your own way.

Idolatry: Go to…for comfort, power, and so on…not God. Going to a thing that gives you what you want…not trusting God.

Flea from evil. Run from it. Do not even give it a foothold in your life. What you read, what you watch, what you think upon, discern today where God is leading you. Let us be so bold as to be willing to burn them up, recognizing teh cost, but doing it anyway.