Worshiping the Wrong Things - Psalm 115:1-8
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· 64 viewsPurpose: To be encouraged to recognize the uselessness and danger or idols and to consciously seek to keep ourselves away from them.
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Intro:
Intro:
What is the most useless thing you’ve ever purchased?
[show pictures] … a banana cutter? … a squirrel finger-puppet? … dehydrated water? … a useless box? ...
According to Psalm 115, idols are just as useless as a useless box
People put huge amounts of time and energy worshiping idols - manmade gods - … but in the end, it is simply a waste of time and energy … and a waste of a life … just like playing with a useless box
Our series on worship would be missing something if we didn’t talk about the subject of idolatry
Why? Because we have been created as worshipers … but often, we worship the wrong thing … and fall into the trap of idolatry
What is Idolatry?
What is Idolatry?
The most obvious definition of ‘idolatry’ is: “The worship of a physical object as a god”
Many people in Okinawa and throughout Asia worship physical idols … they have shrines set up in their houses … there is even a community shrine down the street in Senaha that is opened up once a year during a worship ritual
So the same type of idolatry we see in the Old Testament is all around us in Okinawa … and sometimes, when someone comes to know Christ … they destroy physical idols that they had been worshiping before coming to Jesus
The second definition of ‘idolatry’ comes from the English dictionary: “Immoderate attachment or devotion to something”
This brings to mind someone who has devoted their life to something like a hobby …
I’ve met some guys who, if they had to choose between their wife and their motorcycle … they would choose the motorcycle
Many people choose their work over their family … unreasonably devoted to their jobs and distant from their families
On the other hand, this same idolatry is commited by someone who is unreasonably attached to another person …
Someone who’s life revolves around their significant other … or around a family member or friend
Just as we can attempt to find our identity in our work or hobbies … we can also try to find our identity in another person …
Both fall into the category of idolatry
But there is one more definition I would like to mention … this one comes from the Japanese dictionary: “To believe in an idolized object that has no substance” (転じて、実質の伴わない偶像化された対象を信じること)
Now, this type of idolatry is very common in Okinawa … worshiping the spirits of ancestors falls into this category … it is a very large part of the Okinawan religion … and it is a form of idolatry
But I think we can take this definition a different direction as well … because in our day, there is a lot of worship of philosophical ideas
We chase ideals that have no substance … thinking we can put our trust in a certain principles we choose to live by
Take a look at the last sentence of 1 John …
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
子どもたち、偶像から自分を守りなさい。
Now, John didn’t write about idolatry in his letter … he had been warning about false teaching entering into the church … and yet, at the very end, he slips this sentence in
But there is a reason for it … he knew that if the Christians began to follow the false teaching they were beginning to hear … they would walk away from Jesus and put their trust in their own works and their own knowledge … that they would begin to worship ideas and knowledge instead of Jesus
In Exodus 20:2-3, the Lord says to his people Israel ...
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.
「わたしは、あなたをエジプトの地、奴隷の家から導き出したあなたの神、主である。 あなたには、わたし以外に、ほかの神があってはならない。
The Lord does not tolerate idolatry … whether the idols are physical idols … mental idols … or emotional idols
By the way … idolatry is not just replacing God with an idol … it is also supplementing God with an idol
In other words, we commit idolatry when we are double-hearted … worshiping Jesus and something else at the same time
Christians often fall into this trap … being half-devoted to the Lord … and half-devoted to the world … carrying idols as we walk with Jesus
And it is very dangerous because those idols pull us away from Jesus … and pull us away from worshiping him
Why Idols are Useless
Why Idols are Useless
Psalm 115 points out how idols are really useless creations that eventually strip us of the power to fulfill God’s calling in our lives
Let’s take a look at Psalm 115:5-8 …
Vs. 5 - “They have mouths, but do not speak...” - Idols cannot make promises
One of the things we hold on to in our faith is God’s promises
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
私たちをご自身の栄光と栄誉によって召してくださった神を、私たちが知ったことにより、主イエスの、神としての御力は、いのちと敬虔をもたらすすべてのものを、私たちに与えました。 その栄光と栄誉を通して、尊く大いなる約束が私たちに与えられています。それは、その約束によってあなたがたが、欲望がもたらすこの世の腐敗を免れ、神のご性質にあずかる者となるためです。
God’s promises are at the center or our salvation … in fact, that’s why we ‘put our trust in Jesus’ … we trust that he will keep his promises to us
Idols have no promises to give … and idolatry can only bind people to a list of rules that they must follow
Vs. 5 - “…eyes, but do not see.” - Idols cannot give protection
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
私は あなたが行く道で あなたを教え あなたを諭そう。 あなたに目を留め 助言を与えよう。
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.
主の目は 正しい人たちの上にあり 主の耳は 彼らの叫びに傾けられる。
Deuteronomy 23:14 (ESV)
Because the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you ...
Deuteronomy 23:14 (新改訳2017)
あなたの神、主が、あなたを救い出し、敵をあなたに渡すために、あなたの陣営の中を歩まれるからである。...
We have a God who watches over his children … he keeps his eye on us and protects us …
Idols have no ability to protect those who worship them …
Back when the earthquake and tsunami hit Tohoku … there was a residential area that was overlooked by a giant statue of Buddha … the residential area was devastated by the tsunami … but the Buddha was fine
Watching the news … we saw people asking, “How come Buddha couldn’t protect us?” … “Was he only strong enough to protect himself?”
Idols are powerless to protect those who worship them
Vs. 6 - “They have ears, but do not hear...” - Idols cannot hear prayers
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!
もしも不義を 私が心のうちに見出すなら 主は聞き入れてくださらない。 しかし 確かに神は聞き入れ 私の祈りの声に耳を傾けてくださった。 ほむべきかな 神。 神は私の祈りを退けず 御恵みを私から取り去られなかった。
We are blessed with a God who not only hears our prayer … but answers our prayers
Can you imagine what life would be like if God didn’t hear our prayers? … I think it would feel hopeless in so many ways
Even though much energy is spent praying to idols … idols can’t hear prayer … and they can’t answer them either
Vs. 6 - “…noses, but do not smell.” - Idols cannot receive praise
In the Old Testament, burnt offerings were offered to the Lord in worship … and the smell of the offering symbolized the praise being lifted up to heaven
Idols can’t receive the praise of their worshippers … just as they can’t hear their prayers, they can’t “smell” their praise
Vs. 7 - “They have hands, but do not feel...” - Idols have no power
“With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding.
知恵と力は神とともにあり、 思慮と英知も神のものだ。
The Lord is all-powerful … idols are powerless … they have no power to work in the lives or their worshipers or cause changes to happen in situations … they are powerless
Vs. 7 - “…feet, but do not walk...” - Idols have no presence
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
金銭を愛する生活をせずに、今持っているもので満足しなさい。主ご自身が「わたしは決してあなたを見放さず、あなたを見捨てない」と言われたからです。
The Lord is always present in our lives … he has promised us that he will never leave us … that he will never forsake us
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
たとえ 死の陰の谷を歩むとしても 私はわざわいを恐れません。 あなたが ともにおられますから。 あなたのむちとあなたの杖 それが私の慰めです。
Even in the hardest times of our lives, the Lord is right there with us … guiding us … protecting us … comforting us … strengthening us ...
Idols have to be carried around … they have no power, nor are they able to always be with their worshipers
Vs. 8 - “Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.” - Idols give no progress to their worshipers
We have already talked about how worshiping Jesus brings transformation into our lives … worshiping idols does the very opposite
Those who trust in idols … those who follow false gods … their lives do not get better … they get worse … they regress instead of progress
Idolatry leads to inward consequences … our character is affected … and our conduct begins to change … and we get pulled into selfishness, greed, lust and other manifestations of sin … we go backward in life
However, we are promised that those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing … that we will continue to be changed by the Holy Spirit … that we will continue to be conformed to image of Jesus … our character and conduct will change, in a good way … worshipping Jesus, not idols, leads to true progress in life
Modern Idolatry
Modern Idolatry
Assuming none of us are worshiping idols at home … and none of us are worshiping our ancestors … what does idolatry look like?
It is easy to put on the Christian facade and ignore idolatry that is in our hearts
We’ve already spoken about a few common types of idols in Christians’ lives — hobbies … work … relationships
The big thing is to remember that worship involves trust … and that anything I trust more than Jesus is an idol in my heart
Money is a common idol … because when we don’t have enough … or when we have more than enough … we tend to believe that money will solve our problems
Reputation is another common idol … especially in the new social media driven world … the desire to maintain a certain reputation has caused some believers to turn away from Jesus
Pleasure is another common idol … more and more our society is designed to help us chase pleasure and convenience … and often the desire for pleasure can stand in between us and Jesus and keep us from wholeheartedly following him
You might be thinking that the smartphone and iPhone are idols … and I would agree with you …
Now, some people are addicted to their phones … they check for new notifications every few seconds … (like pushing the switch on that useless box)
But many people are not addicted to the phones so much as chasing after what is inside them
Is your phone a tool chest or a shrine?
To say that we all need to throw away our smart phones would be rather crazy … whether we like it or not, these phones have become a central part of our lives
We use our phones to communicate with family … to respond to emails for work … to manage our bank accounts … to research … to relax …
Our phones are an amazing tool … or really, a tool chest that we can open up to pull out the right tool at the right time
However … it might be possible that your phone is becoming a shrine … a place where idols are put on display … a place where we worship things that are not God
The tools in our phones can easily become idols when we allow them to have too much importance in our daily lives
Hours on wandering around Facebook/Instragram/… hours wandering around on YouTube … constantly checking for emails … constantly checking investment balances …
Those are some signs that your phone is becoming a shrine … as soon as there is spare time, you open it up and begin to worship
The technology we have nowadays makes it so easy to jump into idolatry … everything we worship can be neatly packaged in a small device … needless to say, we need to be very cautious of how we are using these devices
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
We have been created to worship … and if we aren’t worshiping Jesus, we are going to worship something else … an idol
Idols are useless creations … they do nothing to help their worshipers … and only cause them to go backward in life
Idols are also dangerous … they pull us away from Jesus and hold us back from worshiping him
Idols are all around us … and if we’re not careful, we will allow them to set up residence in our hearts
So how can we keep from falling into idolatry?
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
私たちにではなく 主よ 私たちにではなく ただあなたの御名に 栄光を帰してください。 あなたの恵みとまことのゆえに。
We fall into idol worship when we try to seek our own benefit in life … idolatry is an attempt to obtain what we desire … or to keep what we don’t want to happen from happening to us
In a sense, we worship idols when we want our own name to be glorified
The antidote … to seek for Jesus’ name to be glorified … to seek for him to benefit from our lives … and to respond to the gifts he has already given us, instead of chasing what we don’t have
Idols are much less tempting when we are desiring that God’s name be lifted up
Idolatry is very tempting, even for Christians … but idols are worthless and dangerous
We need to take John’s words to heart that we read earlier:
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
子どもたち、偶像から自分を守りなさい。
