From “In the Beginning” to Amen // Idolatry - What’s the Big Deal?
Deuteronomy 30:11-20 (NIV)
“Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Half Heartedness
“You must never set up a wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build for the Lord your God.”
James 1:5-8 (NLT)
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”
Idolatry Robs Us of Our True God Designed Humanity
Idolatry is Misplaced Identity, Trust and Dependance
Idolatry Reshapes Behavior
Romans 1:21-25 – 21 (NLT)
“They knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.”
Modern Idolatry May Well be Good Things Turned to Ultimate Things
Idolatry May Be Just Hiding Inside Normal Life
Here are a few simple questions way identify modern idols are:
1. What do I fear losing the most?
2. What do I think I need to be okay?
3. What do I organize my life around?
4. What hinders my giving or generosity?
So, in everyday life, idolatry isn’t about statues—it’s about substitutes.
Therefore, we have to ask... is there anything that plays the role the Bible says belongs to God alone?