Sermon Tone Analysis

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?

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 …

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 ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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:

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?