Idolatry
Exodus 20:3-6 NKJV
[3] “You shall have no other gods before Me. [4] “You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; [5] you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, [6] but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
First words are significant.
Start serving God by making Him your one and only. Relationally, I think women understand this better than men.
The surveys tell us that a woman’s greatest need is to feel secure in her relationship with her husband. She has to be his “only.”
The most emotionally damaged women are those who have been cheated on.
(Looking at pornography means your spouse is not your “only.” That is emotionally damaging as well.)
Isaiah 2:1-12,18 NKJV
[1] The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. [2] Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. [3] Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. [4] He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. [5] O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the LORD. [6] For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with eastern ways; They are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they are pleased with the children of foreigners. [7] Their land is also full of silver and gold, And there is no end to their treasures; Their land is also full of horses, And there is no end to their chariots. [8] Their land is also full of idols; They worship the work of their own hands, That which their own fingers have made. [9] People bow down, And each man humbles himself; Therefore do not forgive them. [10] Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty. [11] The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. [12] For the day of the LORD of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up- And it shall be brought low- [18] But the idols He shall utterly abolish.
Ezekiel 14:1-11 NKJV
[1] Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. [2] And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, [3] “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them? [4] “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, [5] that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.”‘ [6] “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations. [7] For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the LORD will answer him by Myself. [8] I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. [9] “And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the LORD have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. [10] And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired, [11] that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people and I may be their God,” says the Lord GOD.'”
Ephesians 5:3-5 NKJV
[3] But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; [4] neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. [5] For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
What is an idol?
Man was created with an innate bend to worship something.
You gotta serve somebody… you all have a God.
If you haven’t given your whole heart to Jesus, you are still a worshipper of something.
Whatever you sacrifice to…
How do I know if I have an idol?
1 Samuel 15:23 NKJV
[23] For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.”
Colossians 3:5 NKJV
[5] Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
- Where your treasure is…
- Where your time is…
- Church attendance.
- Attention to God’s voice.
- What can make you bow?
- Worship? When was the last time you worshipped?
Idols in America:
- Money
- Sports
- Children
- Self- gym vanity – clothes
- Cell phone
- Position or title
- Fear
- Material things
- Pets
- Drugs (alcohol) -prescription medication
- Tobacco
- Food
- Education
- Church/religion
- Whatever gets between you and God ________________________
What happens when I let idols in?
- Your children will worship what you worship.
- Idolatry breeds idolatry – you will lead others
- Idolatry effects your morals
2 Kings 21:19-22 NKJV
[19] Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. [20] And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done. [21] So he walked in all the ways that his father had walked; and he served the idols that his father had served, and worshiped them. [22] He forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.
1 Corinthians 5:9-11 NKJV
[9] I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. [10] Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. [11] But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner-not even to eat with such a person.
Revelation 21:6-8 NKJV
[6] And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. [7] He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. [8] But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
How do I destroy my idols?
Ezekiel 36:22-30 NKJV
[22] “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. [23] And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. [24] For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. [25] Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. [26] I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. [27] I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. [28] Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. [29] I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. [30] And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NKJV
[9] Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, [10] nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 10:14 NKJV
[14] Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
Galatians 5:19-26 NKJV
[19] Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, [21] envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. [24] And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. [26] Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.