Idols and Idolatry

Posted on October 24, 2013 by admin

Foundational Scriptures:

1 John 5:21 – Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

 

What is an Idol?

  • A thing, or image of another thing or idea that becomes an object of affection, worship, adoration and love
  • An avocation, hobby, habit, behavior, association or pastime that consumes you
  • Something that eventually becomes a replacement for the real God

 

Characteristics of an Idol

  • Puts hooks in your heart
  • Appeals to the senses, sensual in nature. “Guilty pleasures that cause no guilt”
  • Associated with other behaviors:
    • Greed – “More”
    • Sexual Immorality
    • Abusive violence
    • Filthy talk
    • Drug/Alcohol usage
    • Thefts
    • Blackmail
    • Lust
    • Self Worship, headiness
    • Witchcraft, divination
    • Rebellion
    • Bitterness
    • Iniquity
    • Insubordination
    • Causes “little ones to stumble”
    • Men call on instead of the Lord
    • Associated with commerce $$
    • Image or mark of the Beast the ultimate Idol (all take the mark and join the club)

 

Idols Counterfeit the real relationship: the one with God

Idols require worship,service,adoration,upkeep,offerings,association with wicked people: mediums, spiritists, objects (ISA 44:19)

 

Idols return false Communication, Hope, Strength, Fulfillment, Rewards, Direction, Assurances

 

Idols are created and sustained by an entire infrastructure or support system

  • Worshippers design elaborate support systems to perpetuate the survivability of the idol
  • Create fake “Laws” or “commandments”so followers can play in the sandbox of the idol
  • Economy of the idol requires your sweat and tears
  • Becomes a life-source, taking up your free and busy time. “I’d rather be…”
  • Eventually starts to deny the Lord God and His son Jesus as savior.
  • Starts to mimic the real God’s “jealous love” – but without the same payoff: eternal life
  • Becomes a spiritual fight, not  “cute hobby or love interest” anymore

 

God’s Wrath will come upon both the idols and its followers

“Who is more foolish, the fool, or the fool that follows him?”

Both!

  • He will destroy all idols – “till all things be put under his feet” – 1 Cor 15:27, Heb 2:8
  • Has cast down entire nations because of idols – all nations today (sinners vs. saints)
  • Idols become cherished “national treasures”
  • National Identification through rallying around the Idol is forbidden
  • Will cause you to forget about Him – “you forgot your first love”- Rev 2:4
  • Breaks the 1st commandment – He is supposed to come first
  • Causes mixture – “your body  is the temple of the Holy Spirit”, no place for idols

 

Idolatry is love of something other than God.

“Set your heart on things above, not on things beneath.” Col 3:2

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you” Matt 6:33

 

Idolatry is Love of:

  • Money
  • Self
  • Mother, Brother, Sister – natural family becoming more important than Him
  • Things, food, clothes, housing, the output of your labors as rewards to effort

(Able offered a better sacrifice: one not of his hard work, but of faith – Gen 4:2, Heb  11:4)

  • Fame, Stature
  • Power, Authority
  • 3 Sins of Luke 4 – which Jesus gave us successful replacements for each
  • Knowledge – 1 Cor 8:1, Idols associated with gaining knowledge
    • Knowledge puffs up, causes arrogance, makes proud, inflates the ego
      • Fast, I want it now, lottery mentality, “merge and acquire” instead of work
  • Love builds up, edifies, gives preference to another
    • To build a house, brick by brick, fashioned by hand, TLC, helping to stand
    • One can say Idolatry is the opposite of Love

 

Resolution:

Keep yourself from Idols.

Greek: phulassó – Be a sentinal, an MP Guard, to Protect, assign as keeper over, tend to attentively, have an eye on,  be waiting for an inevitable attack, take it personally, see to it yourself. God entrusted you with this precious gift, therefore, like a soldier guarding the bank, do your job. It must be important if its under constant attack.

 

 

Scriptures:

1 Cor 1:27 – foolish and weak things God has chosen, idols only go after power

1 Cor 1:31 – only glory in the Lord

1 Cor 2:2 – only thing to esteem as important is: Christ crucified.

1 Cor 2:5 – have no faith in men’s wisdom

1 Cor 3:5 – don’t idolize ministers

1 Cor 3:11 – Jesus Christ – he is the only foundation

1 Cor 3:12-15 – all foundations are tested by fire, idols will go

 

 

Scriptures:

1 Cor 3:21 – all things are yours by inheritance anyways, why idolize it?

1 Cor 4:5 – The Lord will reveal all hidden things and hearts, what is left but to praise Him?

1 Cor 4:6 – Don’t idolize ministers

1 Cor 5 – fornication  is mixed with idolatry and infects the Church

1 Cor 5:9-13 – Judge the body, don’t keep company with idolators

1 Cor 6:12 – Don’t use your freedom in Christ to get re-bound by the following the law

1 Cor 6:19-20 – Don’t idolize a healthy body (1 Tim 4:8  -godliness profits more than nice abs)

1 Cor 7 – Don’t let your marriage become more important than God

1 Cor 7:23-24 – Jobs belong to Him

Matt 26:11 – Don’t idolize good works

1 Cor 8:1 – Two types of power in the World: Carnal Knowledge and Spiritual Wisdom

Knowledge puffs up                  Love Edifies

Fast, Now                                Slow, works it out

Instant gratification                    Builds it up, plans it out

End justifies the Means Becomes a partaker of the outcome

No mercy                                 Patience

Crafty conniving                        2 Cor 6 – wisdom from above, not through men

Gal 5:16-18                              Gal 5:16-18

Gal 5:19-21                              Gal 5:22-26

Leads you away from God        Leads you to God

 

1 Cor 8:3 – More important for Him to know us and for His love to come out of us

1 Cor 8:4 – Still only Him

1 Cor 8:5-6 – In a world of idols, we should only know Him: he makes all these things

1 Cor 8:8 – don’t idolize your bounty or your fasting

1 Cor 9:5-10 – Ministry has its benefits, but don’t allow them to offend a weaker believer

1 Cor 9:12 – Don’t revel in fatherly, apostolic power over other believers for the Gospel’s sake

1 Cor 9:19 – don’t even idolize your freedom in Christ

1 Cor 10:6-8 – LUST, eat-drink-play, FORNICATION – idol bookends

1 Cor 10:13 – God ALWAYS makes an ESCAPE from temptation to sin

1 Cor 10:14 – FLEE, reverse direction when you see it coming from afar

1 Cor 10:19-22 – the idol and things offered to the idol are nothing, yet they entrap men,                                   provoking God to jealousy

1 Cor 10:23 – Things that may be allowed either in the freedom Christ gives, or from the laws    that men give, maybe bad for me because they don’t build me up

1 Cor 10:27-30 – Invited to dinner by sinners? Don’t eat idolized things for their sakes

1 Cor 10:33 – freedom from idols allows the power of God to flow in your life to get men saved.

1 Cor 11 – The don’t idolize chapter

1 Cor 12:2 – idols are known for being mute/dumb/unable to speak, no wisdom

1 Cor 13:3 – good works can become an idol

Acts 15:20 – idols pollute your conscious

Acts 17:16 – entire city/country/world/culture given over to idols

Luke 10:40-41 – idolizing service, artificial sacrifice, being seen doing good instead of actually   being good – Martha got shot down, where Mary already was: at the feet of Jesus

Matt 22:41-42 – Greater than Jonah and Solomon is here – Jesus greater than his forerunners

Matt 23:17 – The gold or the temple of gold? which is greater, the gift, or the altar that   sanctifieth the gift? – The  Lord is the altar and the temple and the gold!

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