Idolatry Part I-A
Idolatry (Part I)
(Zechariah 13:1-6)
Introduction:
We started in Zechariah and covered a great deal of information.
Now we are going to deal specifically this (morning/evening) with idolatry
And there are three areas that we are going to look at as it relates to idolatry
- Definition of Idolatry (to know whether or not you are plagued with idolatry)
- Denunciation of Idolatry (God detests idolatry)
- Danger of Idolatry
Now, let’s look at idolatry in the context of Zechariah 13
We want to spend a moment to get everybody else caught up on where we are
And share a little bit of background information about this passage of scripture.
Illustration: Soap Operas
Read: Zechariah 13:1-6
(V1- The fountain is associated with a cleansing affect. Something needs to cleaned
In the OT, a fountain is many times associated with God Himself
(Jeremiah) – Calls God that fountain of living water
And I will open this fountain out of My love for the house of David (Jerusalem)
And the benefit of this fountain is to remove sin and impurity
(V2-Three things)
The 1st thing I will do in this cleansing process is cut off the name of the idols from the land. And I will do it in such a way that they will no longer be remembered
2nd I will remove the prophets
(I am going to deal with some prophets/teachers/leaders)
With those who have the charge of being the ones that announce My name
And talk about My plans, and give the people what they should have to please Me
Because if we realize the vision that God has given us, we can’t complete that vision
If we are involved in idolatry and we have prophets who don’t prophecy right.
(Restate: Deal with idolatry & false prophets) / Then the unclean spirit
(Reference: Soap Operas)
So, we are going to deal with idolatry, then the false prophet, & ultimately the unclean spirit.
(V3-6)
That got me interested in the passage
Then I got interested in chapter where the verse is
Then I got interested in the book where the chapter is
Body:
Very quickly, I need to teach a couple of things right here.
Zechariah and Haggai were contemporaries and both came into Jerusalem
Under the leadership of Zerubbabel.
(Zerubbabel) is a very pivotal name, even as it relates to the linage of Jesus
Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father came through Zerubbabel)
Zerubbabel came to Jerusalem after the Babylonian destruction
(Explain: Babylonian destruction)
Well, there came later a man by the name of Nehemiah
And Nehemiah was the cupbearer for the king
And finally, Nehemiah asks his neighbor (How are things back in Jerusalem)
And the man said, (We are in a terrible situation) / Walls torn down / Gates burned
And the temple that we had, they have destroyed the temple of our God.
Church, it was so sad when they destroyed Jerusalem that when they led off some of the singers.
(Psalm 137) They said to them “Sing us one of those songs of Zion”
We heard that God’s children can really. So sing us one of those songs.
But they said, “We hung our harps upon the willows, down by the river…”
(How can we sing in dry and weary land
Point:
Can’t you see them wanting to go back home.
And Nehemiah heard about it and became bothered.
And the king noticed that Nehemiah’s counternance fell
And the king asked, “What’s wrong with you Nehemiah?”
Point:
If Nehemiah start to look sick then the king is going to get worried.
Because Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer and what cupbearer did was
He would drink the king’s drink before the king would drink the drink
To make sure that the drink that the king was drinking was the right kind of drink
So if the cupbearer starts to look bad, the king is going to get worried about something.
(King) – Nehemiah what’s wrong. / Nehemiah explained to the king what had happened.
So the king sent Nehemiah and Ezra back to Jerusalem and it was under their leadership that they restored the walls (the perimeter of the city)
And they begin to lay the foundation of the temple. (Oh what a glorious time)
It took them about eighteen years to do this work.
After they got the foundation laid, the people got distracted.
Illustration: (Good intentions) – Intended to stay married / Life happens
(You vowed before God / I am going stay with you until death parts us. Life happened)
But the concept that we are trying to share is we need to “Bring our intent to reality”
Point:
You started out being a father, be a good father (bad days / good days)
You started out being a good husband/wife (bad days / good days)
(Love her/him when she/he is good / not good)
So, they started out rebuilding the temple but they had not completed the temple.
And it is for that purpose that Zechariah and Haggai, along with Zerubbabel went to Jerusalem.
To stir up the people and get them to finish the good work that they started.
Point: I preach for a church that has a great vision
But where we are is we have been slightly distracted.
So we are looking at how to stir your minds to complete the vision
Because if it is a God-given vision, we are not pleasing God if we don’t complete the vision
Illustration: (Zechariah / Haggai) You are Jerusalem / Why are we going?
Because there is a God-given vision that needs to be completed
And if we don’t finish the temple, God’s not coming back
We have to finish the temple
You don’t get an “A” for effort, you get an “A” for finishing.
Point:
If you are not careful, you will get distracted, begin arguing over petty stuff
And all it is doing is stopping us from completing the vision.
(End of Illustration)
What Zechariah says, is we first need to deal with idolatry
And the thinking is (If I can get God’s people to give up their idols)
If I can cut off their names so we don’t even remember
Then I am one step closer to finishing the vision.
Point:
So what I need to accomplish this morning/evening, I need to cut off the names…
And we have to do a good job so you won’t even remember.
Now, let’s define idolatry
Define: Idolatry
(To allow anything or anyone to usurp the position that only God should have in your life)
Let me give you some references for this definition
Read: Exodus 20:1 (Has God been good to you? Has He done anything for you?)
Now, I don’t encourage people to act crazy, but if God has done something for you.
See God had been so good to me and every now and then I think about how good God has been, and I can’t help myself.
Illustration: Sis. Pierce (72 years)
6th grade education
(Got sick with cancer) – bone scan
(Begin to do work on her GED) / When she got her GED she had a graduation celebration)
(Begin working on her Associated degree) – 2years later had another celebration
At that point she was 74 years old
The church had been praying about her cancer And she went to the doctors
And the doctors said, “Ms. Pierce, we don’t know but we can’t find the cancer”
Doctors said we don’t understand what is going on
(Sis. Pierce) – said I understand what’s going on.
It’s not the medication, but sometimes only God can make it alright
Point of the Story:
And she’s is that building every Sunday
And every now and then when we would sing, she would shout
(And I will tell the people, to leave her alone)
Point:
I don’t know what it feels like to beat cancer
When God has done something for you, there is just a special place
That God should have in your life.
(Reference: Exodus 20:1-2)
Brought you out of the house of bondage / Red Sea (East wind) /
Pillar of fire /Pillar of smoke / Gave you food from heaven / Water from a rock / Shoes that wouldn’t wear out / Walked for 40 years and your ankles didn’t swell
And since I have done all of that
(V3-5) – Jealous God
Conclusion:
(Reference: Ezekiel 16) / (Married and you support your husband in school)
God told Ezekiel to go and tell Jerusalem of her abomination
Go tell her she was nothing. That her nativity is nothing special
Her father was an Ammorite. Your mother was a Hittite
When you were born they didn’t even cut the naval cord.
Nobody cared enough about you to do it. They didn’t even wash the blood from you
Nobody clothed you. If fact they threw you out into an open field
But I came by and I saw you squirming in your own blood
And I’m the one that said to you, live
I’m the one that fed you with fine flower & olive oil
I put an earring in your ear / Bracelet on your arm (You were naked and bare)
I entered into a covenant with you, but you begin to trust in your own beauty
And begin to follow after other gods
And I am the God that said, “You shall have no other gods before Me”
Then you begin to play the harlot (But you were worse than a prostitute)
You were worse than your sister Sodom & Gomorrah (At least they got something for their favors)
But you gave yours to anybody that would ask.
And that’s how God feels when you allow anybody to have the place in your life
That He has