Saints - KEEP Yourself From Idols

Sunday September 22, 2013 Phone: 570-829-5216 Pastor David Miklas e-mail: pastormiklas@aol.com Message #18 Saints Fellowship with God Text: Exodus 32; I John 5:21 Saints - KEEP Yourself From Idols Introduction: In our study of I John we come to a rather abrupt ending in I John 5:21 in which John says, "Little children, keep yourself from idols." This ending may be abrupt, yet the Apostle John is making a very powerful statement for the benefit of the church in this 21 st century. Likewise, the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 10:14 warns us with these words "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry." Not much has changed since John's day. The challenge is still to "keep yourself from idols." In the adult world in which we live, it seems no price is too high in the pursuit of pleasures and in the accumulation of things. There is more interest in the things of this world than there is in the things of Christ. Sadly and tragically, we are passing this philosophy down to our children, We are losing our children, even the children of Christian families, to the idol gods of Baal and Ashtaroth, as did that generation of people found in Judges 2. Going back to the Old Testament book of Joshua, we find that the children of Israel, under the leadership of Joshua, had conquered the land God had promised them. However, within one generation after the passing of Joshua and all the elders who had served with him, we read one of the saddest sentences in the entire Bible found in Judges 2:10. God says, "...there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord." They knew much about the principles of Judaism, but they did not know the Lord mentally or historically. They had lived under the great leadership of Joshua. They had seen the works of God and His miracles as few others. Yet, They did not know how to commune with God. They were cold and apathetic, going through the motions, but having lost touch with Him. They had drifted into the syndrome of the second generation Christian. The fervency of their fathers became their formality. Things that thrilled their parents were nothing but a topic of conversation to them. They had lost their vision and the spiritual excitement of their fathers. Everywhere I go, I see that syndrome. I have talked with many parents who have wondered: Why their children do not have spiritual hunger for the things of God? Why their children do not love good preaching? Why their children do not have godly convictions and standards? Why their children are drawn to worldly music, entertainment and meaningless occupations? Why their children in many cases no longer have a desire to attend the house of God? From these conversations, may I share my observations? FIRST: I believe we are losing our children because of the compromise in the believing adult world. We are not sending clear signals to them. We say we believe in spiritual truths but in ourselves we do not practice them. We say we condemn certain sins, yet we either give in or overlook when our children or church kids indulge in that sin. We say we believe certain standards, and yet we ourselves don't even practice those standards. SECOND: I believe we are losing our children because there is an absence of spiritual struggle. The first generation Christians after salvation appreciated what they had in Christ and Page 1

they struggled to live for Christ. They took a stand for righteousness and built great ministries by serving Almighty God. The parents in Judges chapter 2 had stepped out in faith and suffered and fought and died; however, their kids got everything "on a silver platter." They suffered no pain, no bruises, not even any sweat. Normally, a man loves most what costs him most. If we are going to salvage our "second generation" we must stop protecting our children and get them into the battle. We must encourage them to sacrifice their time for the Lord's work, training them to give sacrificially. We must show them that our standards are right, and we ourselves live by them. We must repent of our neglect and refocus our efforts to live a Godly life in order to create a hunger in their lives for the things of God. THIRD: I believe we are losing our children because the adult generation has not obeyed the voice of God. The key to God's blessing is obedience. In Judges 2 when God was assessing the older generation he said in 2:2, "...but ye have not obeyed my voice...' Just how much have we obeyed the voice of God in our prayers, in our giving, in our walk with God? By answering that question, we may discover why our children have stayed in the things of the Lord, or are going the way of the world. FOURTH: I believe we are losing our children because the older generation is living in spiritual and physical idolatry. That is why we read in I John 5:21, "Little children, keep yourself from idols." Now please turn with me to Exodus 32 where we have the story of the "golden calf." Moses, you will recall, has been on Mt. Sinai in the presence of God to receive the commandments. He now has returned and what he sees and hears is like a bad dream. He questions, Is this really happening? But the sights and sounds that greet him as he descends from Mt Sinai are real: The music has reached a feverish pitch with a deafening noise. The camp is in a state of utter chaos. People are naked and gyrating to the rhythm of the music. Only a few weeks earlier, Moses had left behind a well-ordered, spiritually sensitive congregation. Why then this frenzied, lewd orgy? Then to make matters worse there stood a crude, roughly-fashioned likeness of a calf that they appeared to be worshipping! It reminded him of figures he had seen in Egypt. Moses presence seemed unnoticed until he smashed the stone tablets which he had received from God. As he did, the party came to a screeching halt, and all eyes turned to see what would happen next. Folks, any church, even this church today, can fall into idolatry as easily as did the "church in the wilderness." Therefore, we must actively guard ourselves against every form of idolatry. Here in the 21 st century, what are the lessons we can learn from Israel's experience with the golden calf? NUMBER 1: Notice the idolaters were not pagans. These were the redeemed people of Israel. These were the people who had actually seen the miracles of God. They experienced the crossing of the Red Sea; they received water from the rock, and food from heaven in the form of manna. Now they were worshipping the golden calf. MY POINT: No one, not even a believer, is exempt from the temptation of idolatry. Redeemed people of God can fall into this heinous sin. In verse 30 Moses said, "Ye have sinned a great sin..." Page 2

NUMBER 2: Israel sinned by refusing to wait for directions, verse 1, And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. Moses had left the people at the foot of Mt. Sinai. They had been instructed to wait for Moses return. However, when Moses delayed his return, rather than wait, they decided to satisfy the demand of the flesh. MY POINT: We live in an "instant everything" generation which lives for the "here and now!" We know so little about waiting on God. Every craving we have must be satisfied immediately and visibly. We need to remember God does not overnight his plans, his purposes, or his directions. The key is to Wait upon the Lord and He shall direct your paths. NUMBER 3: The nation of Israel sinned with the full knowledge and participation of the spiritual leaders, verse 2, "And Aaron said unto them Aaron had been given spiritual responsibility for the people in Moses absence. Obviously, he had no character, conviction, courage or commitment to resist the sensual desires of the people. Notice verse 2-6, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. (3) And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. (4) And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. (5) And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD. (6) And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. MY POINT: Be careful! We live in a day where men in exalted spiritual positions are building empires for themselves, not for God. Remember this, "Only a man who walks closely with God will have the courage to stand firm against every temptation to idolatry." NUMBER 4: We see the people were willing to give sacrificially to construct the golden calf, verses 3-4, And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. (4) And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. I remind you what they gave for this idolatrous worship was the very substance God had given to them in Egypt from the Egyptians to be used later in the tabernacle. They were using God's money for their own sensual purposes. MY POINT: Many believers will readily spend large sums of money, willingly be inconvenienced, and make enormous "sacrifices" in order to fulfill the lusts of their flesh. Yet they are unwilling to help meet the need for missions or for the cause of Christ. We must learn to live by principle. The tithe belongs to the Lord, and the tithe is to be given to the Lord through the church. So long as you keep that money, you will find it easy to fall into idolatry. NUMBER 5: The drive of the flesh to worship that which is visible, tangible, and temporal is illustrated in verse 4, And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. They were eager to replace God with a life-less, impotent, image. MY POINT: Are we much different when we make another person, object, or ability the focal point of our devotion and commitment? NUMBER 6: The tendency to mix the worship of idols with the worship of the true and living God is seen in verses 5-6, And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD. (6) And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. As if it were not wicked enough to forsake God and worship a false god, the people blasphemed and degraded the name of Jehovah by professing to worship Him, while bowing down before the altar of the golden calf. Page 3

MY POINT: While we speak and sing the praises of God, our hearts are far, far from Him. That s the tragedy. We go through the motions without the power. Remember this, "The truest indicator of where our hearts are may be seen where we invest our time, money, energy and attention." NUMBER 7: This great sin did not escape the all-seeing eye of God, verse 9, "...I have seen this people..." MY POINT: True, we have not erected golden calves in our churches and homes. But what about other "idols" that have usurped His rightful place as Lord of our lives and God of His church? Persons can become idols. Programs can become idols and even the manner and the way we do things can become idols. For a few minutes, let s look at our 21 st century Christianity, to where we are today. Let s look at some of the golden calves that have stolen our hearts. Holding your place in Exodus 32, turn to Paul s letter to Timothy in which he listed four idols we continue to face today: First: There is the love of self. II Timothy 3:2-3, For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, This god reveals itself in our insistence that we have a right to be happy. It is the "love of self" that clings to "My rights, My time, My privacy" - to my, my, my! It is the "love of self" that causes us to want everybody and everything to revolve around us, and considers every decision in the light of "what is best for me!" It is the love of my program or activity. I will even defend it my own way. Do not touch my program; I have done it this way for years, and I will accept no changes. Folks, that kind of attitude is idol worship. Second: There is the love of pleasure. II Timothy 3:4, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; (5) having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. We are a pleasured-crazed generation. There seems to be no limit to the sacrifices we will make to the god of pleasure. We put trips, sports, fun activities, even school activities before the things of God. Folks our primary purpose in life is not to be happy. Our primary purpose in life is to be HOLY, and to bring pleasure to the heart of God. Third: There is the love of this present world. II Timothy 4:10, For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica Those who are enamored with the philosophies of this age, with the power, prestige, and popularity it has to offer, are in reality coming up empty-handed in view of eternal values. Fourth: There is the love of money. I Timothy 6:9-10, But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. (10) For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Perhaps no idol has done more to sap believers of spiritual vitality, and to diminish our capacity to respond to God, than has the god of money. When you become consumed with the things money can buy, rather than being consumed with the things of Jesus Christ, then you have progressed to idol worship. That which we love and worship controls us. Remember: John gives us words of warning from I John 5:12 "Little children, keep yourself from idols." The Apostle Paul warns us in I Corinthians 10:14, "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry." Idol worship comes with a high price tag. As you go back with me to Exodus 32, we discover their idol worship so provoked the wrath of God that 3,000 men paid for their sin with their lives. Page 4

In light of that tragic consequence of idol worship, how shall we deal with the presence of idols in our lives? Again, please notice Exodus 32. Ruthlessly put away every false god. The incident with the golden calf illustrates three contrasting responses we may be tempted to use when faced with our idolatry. Aaron's response when confronted with his sin was essentially one of indifference, Exodus 32:22, And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. In effect, he said, "It s no big deal - nothing to get excited about." Then, in an effort to save his own neck, he blamed the people, verse 23, For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. Then he lied to escape the reality of his failure, verse 24, And I said unto them, Whosoever, hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. Aaron, like many of us would do anything, but admit he sinned. On the other hand, Moses responded to the situation with intense anger, accompanied by swift, deliberate and decisive action. In verse 20 we read, And they took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. The idol must be destroyed. Every particle of it must be removed immediately. Oh, that God would give us the heart of this man of God - a holy hatred for all that would rival His place as Lord of our lives. Restore God to His rightful place. Like the Ephesians church of Revelation 3, if we have left our First Love, which is our sense of needing God, then let us "Remember therefore from where we have fallen REPENT and return to doing the first works." Let us again fall in love with the Lord Jesus Christ and commit our mind, heart and soul in obedience to His will and adoration. Our affections can so quickly and easily turn from Jesus to idols. That is why we are instructed out of Colossians 2:3 "to set our affections on the things which are above." Today, I leave you with a 20th century illustration of one who challenges us to do just that. William Borden, the heir to the Borden wealth gave up all he had to pursue the cause of Christ as a missionary. He wrote these words in his journal, "Say no to self, yes to Jesus every time....in every man's heart there is a throne and a cross. If Christ is on the throne, self is on the cross; and if self, even a little bit, is on the throne, Jesus is on the cross in that man s heart... Lord, I take my hands off, as far as my life is concerned. I put Thee on the throne of my life. Change, cleanse, use me as Thou shalt choose." William Border never made it to the mission field because he died en-route. It was said there were three phrases that summarized His life. May I ask you several personal questions? No reserve! No retreat! No regret! What are you living for? Is it worth dying for? Will you be able, one day in heaven, to face the Lord Jesus who gave everything for you, and say, "No regret? My friends, time is short. Eternity is long. Jesus is coming. When you stand before Him and all that is earthly and temporal has vanished away, what riches of eternal value will you have to cast at His feet? ******************************************************************* If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon, Saints - KEEP Yourself From Idols then right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you. Page 5

Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in: Acts 16:31,...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved... Romans 10:13, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation. If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, let me know. Please send an e-mail to: pdmikbbm@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life. The Weekly SERMON was sent as a ministry of Bible Baptist Ministry, 48 Alexie Rd., Hanover Township, PA 18706. Privacy policy: your e-mail address will not be sold, or shared with any third party. Copy write permission: Because the Weekly SERMON will be reproduced into other formats, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING: The Weekly SERMON in its original form, without any changes, may be copied and re-transmitted by electronic mail, and copies may be printed for individual or ministry purposes, provided that such copying, re-transmission, printing, or other use is not for profit or other commercial purpose. Any copying, retransmission, distribution, printing, or other use of the Weekly SERMON must set forth in full the heading that is given before each Weekly SERMON. Any other request for use, please contact Bible Baptist Ministries at pdmikbbm@aol.com or by phone at 570.829.5216. Page 6