Idolatry -- When Our Hearts Wander

Set up series

Dumb and Dumber — little ol’ lady

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPqGydC6D_s

“Change? No. I’m sorry I don’t,” she says.

(Play from :59 - 2:05)

What are some of the items that we should absolutely never be surprised by or sneak up on us… but they do?

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December 2 — Emptiness

November 25 — Compromise

November 18 — Death

November 11 — Disconnection

This morning we begin the series around the reality of Idolatry.

I’ve tried to remember a confession that sounds like this, “Ken… I’m an idolator.”

I can’t say I’ve “never” heard it… but its a rare confession. Which is odd...

Why is it odd that it is a rare confession?

Exodus 20:1–3 NIV

1 And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

Exodus 12:1–3 NIV

1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.

Command #1: you shall have no idols to rival the Lord.

You could say that the other 9 commands are implications and applications of this first command.

Idols don’t sneak up on you in the form of Buddha dolls and Golden Calfs.

The sneak up on you in other ways.

1 Corinthians 10:1–13 NIV

1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

1 corin 10.

1 John 5:18–20 NIV

18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

1 John 5:18-

Sounds like a good ending to a letter, right? And then John adds this last little add:

1 John 5:21 NIV

21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

One of the most common idols at the Lake at O Hills is fear… and few places is it more prevalent than in our behavior of gossip.

GOSSIP POLICY

Gossip isn’t the idol…

Identity creation

Information and Power

Fear

“I got robbed by a sweet ol’ lady on a motorized cart, and I didn’t even see it comin’.”

What happens when idols sneak up on us? Our lives rot, dry up, become ash… and we find ourselves spiritually dead.

Ezekiel 37:1–14 NIV

1 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. 11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’ ”