How Do I Deal With Idols of the Heart - Part Three

Let’s turn in our Bibles this morning to 1 Tim. 2. This morning we are going to finish up our study of the idols of the heart. Idolatry is something that God takes very seriously, and just because we don’t burn incense to little gold and silver statues in our homes doesn’t mean we don’t struggle when it comes to idols. Here in the Western world, and in particular, in Western Evangelicalism, we have a tendency to worship concepts, not objects. Concepts like control, respect, appreciation, comfort, and success.

One thing I think we have learned in this study is that our God is a jealous God and will not tolerate any competition. Because of His exclusivity He deals strongly with competitors. Two weeks ago we looked again at Ez. 14 and saw that God has a single objective on His mind when His children have divided loyalties – and that is the destruction of the idol, the destruction of His competition.

The final dimension of our study of idols is “How to deal with idols of the heart.” We know what they look like, we know how detrimental they are, we know how to identify them in our lives, so it behooves us to get rid of them. And so far we have looked at three principles for dealing with idols. First of all, we have to choose whom we will serve – we can’t serve two masters. Secondly, we have to resolve to love God with all our hearts – we can’t give Him most of our affection, He wants it all. Third, we have to appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit – He was sent to be our Helper because God knows idolatry is a powerful attraction and we can’t defeat it on our own power.

This brings us up to where we are today, so let’s look at the final two principles we need to practice if we want to conclusively destroy the idols we have erected in our lives. I want us to start by looking at this passage in 1 Timothy 2:3-4. I’m calling this principle, “Carry a warrior mentality.”

4. Carry A Warrior Mentality – 1 Tim. 2:3-4

Several years ago Steve Farrar wrote a very good book for men and fathers called “Point Man.” In it he compared the job of a father to the job of the point man on a military patrol. He explained how in the Vietnam war when small groups of soldiers would be in enemy territory, there was this point man would walk some distance ahead of the rest of the patrol and serve as the lookout. It was a critically important position since the point man was responsible for the safety of the entire group, and it was a very dangerous position because he was exposed as well as isolated from the safety of the group. When you are the point man for the day, every nerve in your body is on high alert. You know that any stick on the path could be the trigger for a booby trap. Any indention on the side of the trail could be concealing a land mine. Any movement in the bushes could be an enemy soldier ready to take your life. And because of the unrelenting tension and danger, you didn’t dare mosey your way down the path and through the jungle.

That is the imagery I am appealing to when I say that one of the principles for tearing down idols is to carry a warrior mentality. The apostle Paul thought along the same lines, according to 2 Tim. 2:3-4. Here he says, “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” In his letters to Philemon and the church in Philippi, he refers to two of his co-workers as “fellow soldiers.” Why all this military terminology? Because Paul appreciated the danger associated with being in enemy territory. When you are the point man, you are not wondering if the Yankees are winning or not. You aren’t planning what you are going to have for dinner that night. You aren’t worrying about the lack of rain and how low the water table is. You’re not thinking about how the dollar is doing against the yen, in other words, you “aren’t entangled with the affairs of everyday life.” You have a single focus, and that is the danger of your situation and the survival of yourself and your men.

Something to remember about dealing with idols is that you can never let your guard down. Every morning when we wake up, our feet need to hit the floor with the realization that we are at war with an enemy who is committed to our destruction. And to feed into our imagery of idolatry, there really is an idol behind every bush. In addition to that, just because you had victory yesterday doesn’t mean you will have victory today. Just because we had victory every day last week doesn’t mean we will have victory today.

I was talking with a man one time, and in the course of the conversation he told me he was an alcoholic. I didn’t think much of it until he told me later in the conversation that he hadn’t had a drink of alcohol in ten years! How does that work? I’ve had former addicts tell me the same thing – “I’m an addict, but I haven’t used in years.” What’s going on? These people understand the nature of an idol. They know they can never let their guard down. They know they can relapse in an instant, so they carry a warrior mentality.

We have to live this way as well. Several months ago I shared with you the basic principle that idols are insidious. They disguise themselves as legitimate desires, and if we don’t view life from the perspective of a warrior mentality, we will fall.
Transition: The final principle I’d like to share with you about dealing with idols is found in 2 Pt. 1:4 – 10, and that is to strengthen critical spiritual disciplines.

5. Strengthen Critical Spiritual Disciplines – 2 Pt. 1:4-10

[For by these] he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

Let’s talk for a moment about strengthening critical spiritual disciplines. Last week as we were talking about appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit, I emphasized the fact that we are incapable of dealing conclusively with idols all by ourselves. We need supernatural help. A misapplication of that truth would be the idea that we carry no responsibility in this matter and that we can simply sit back and let the Holy Spirit do all the work. That is an imbalanced view. The principle that balances appropriating the Holy Spirit is this one found in 2 Peter 1:2-4 that tells us we have a role in the matter as well.

What we all have in common is our faith, but then we have to “apply all diligence” (v.5) to add various disciplines to our faith: virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, etc. These disciplines need to be “increasing,” according to verse 8. “Increasing” is the opposite of “stagnating.” In other words, they need to be getting larger. And in verse 10 we see that we have to “practice” these disciplines.
Do world class athletes and musicians practice every day, or do they have their skills perfected and no longer need to practice? Obviously, even the most skilled athletes and musicians practice every day. Yehudi Menuhin is considered by many to be the greatest violinist of the 20th century, and he regularly practiced 8 hours a day. Why? Because he understood the principle that practice is important. World class musicians know that while they may have intrinsic abilities that separate them from the rest of the masses, it would be presumptuous to assume they could sit back and coast for the rest of their lives.

My point is that even though we have the Holy Spirit residing in us as our Helper, it is presumptuous for us to assume we can sit back and let Him do all the work in destroying the idols in our life. In fact, there are three disciplines that figure prominently in idol destruction. Let me give them to you quickly. The first is found in Mt. 17.

A. Prayer and Fasting – Mt. 17:21

14 And when they came to the multitude, a man came up to Him, falling on his knees before Him, and saying, 15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic, and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 "And I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him." 17 And Jesus answered and said, "O unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me." 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" 20 And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you. 21 "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

Prayer and fasting is a discipline we don’t talk a lot about, which is unfortunate in light of it’s power. The point Jesus was making to His disciples is that there are some things in life that are so overwhelming that there is only one solution, and that is to pray and fast about the issue. If you are struggling with an idol that you just can’t seem to tear down, I strongly suggest you start here. Set aside a day to fast and pray for victory.

The second critical spiritual disciple I want to share with you is found in
Matt. 18:7-9, and I’m calling it radical amputation.

B. Radical Amputation – Mt. 18:8-9

8 "And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble [sin], cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire. 9 "And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into the fiery hell.

Radical amputation is the idea that we need to be willing to take radical steps to get rid of the idols in our lives. An outstanding example of what this looks like is in the movie Fireproof. Do you remember the struggle the fire chief was having with his computer? How did he deal with it? He didn’t purchase filtering software. He didn’t set up an accountability partner. He took it outside and smashed it with a baseball bat. That is radical amputation! I have a pastor friend in Albany who has men struggling this way bring him their computer. They have to turn it in to him for two months. Some of the guys balk and insist they can’t live without it, and he simply says, “How serious are you about dealing with the problem? If you are ready to do business and break the hold this has on you, you’ll bring me the computer. Otherwise, you’re just playing around.” That is radical amputation, and sometimes that is the missing element in dealing with our idols.

The final critical spiritual discipline I want to share with you comes from James 5:16. I’m calling it confession and accountability.

C. Confession and Accountability – James 5:16

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Confession and accountability is another one of those disciplines that isn’t practiced too often. The dynamic involved in this discipline is similar to the dynamic involved in appropriating the power of the HS. Do you remember when I showed you how the presence of another person had a powerful effect on our behavior? It is easy to be “good” when we are around other people, but when we are alone, it’s a battle to be “good,” isn’t it? This is the same concept behind confession and accountability.

It isn’t hard for me to confess a sin to God. Why? Because it is something I do in private, and I can’t see Him. It is a whole different dynamic if I have to confess my sin to another human. Earlier this year we tried to get a men’s accountability program going here at church, and the idea was that we would meet on a monthly basis, share our struggles with each other, hold each other accountable, and pray for one another. Guess how well that idea went over? It was a flop! Guess why? Because it is easy to confess sins to God. We can do that in private. It’s a whole different story though to confess sins to another person.

But what does James say? He says, “confess your sins to one another [not for forgiveness, only “God can forgive sins”], and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

So there you have the five principles for dealing with idols of the heart. Can you remember them all? Here’s another acronym to help you: C-R-A-C-S. Choose Whom you will serve. Resolve to love God with all your heart. Appropriate the power of the HS. Carry a warrior mentality, and Strengthen critical spiritual disciplines.

How Do I Deal With Idols of the Heart - Part Two

How Do I Deal With Idols of the Heart? - Part 2

I’d like us to start this morning by turning to Ez. 14. The topic we have been considering for the past several months is idols of the heart. We have identified five basic idols: control, respect, appreciation, comfort, and success. Three weeks ago, we started drawing this study to a close by asking the question, “How do I deal with these idols?” We know what the idols are, what they look like, how they manifest themselves in everyday life, and we know how we can determine their presence. So now we need a battle plan to get rid of them. The last time we were together I gave you the first two and a half steps, so this morning we’ll finish up the third one which I believe is a key element.

Before we get into this, I want us to look at Ez. 14 again and take a minute to remind us why we are studying this particular issue. I don’t want us to forget the overall trajectory we are on. I believe we are at a critical juncture in the history of our nation. I have shared with you that I believe we have about 24 months left to pull ourselves away from the precipice, politically speaking; and the real solution is not as simple as just electing conservative, virtuous, constitutionally oriented officials. We are in a spiritual battle that has to be fought as well as won spiritually! Now where idols come into this picture is the principle that when God’s people are involved in idolatry, God has a single objective on His mind, and that is the eradication of the idol. Let’s read this passage in Ez. 14 again and see this truth.

Ezekiel says in verse one, “Then some elders of Israel came to me and sat down before me. [In chapter 12 Ezekiel had acted out several charades that illustrated the coming destruction of Israel] 2 And the word of the LORD came to me saying, 3 "Son of man, these men [the elders] have set up their idols in their hearts, and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be consulted by them at all? [In this question, God is highlighting the absurd nature of trying to serve two masters] 4 "Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will be brought to give him an answer in the matter in view of the multitude of his idols, 5 in order to lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel who are estranged from Me through all their idols."'

So here we have the elders of Israel who wanted to know what was in store for their nation, so they inquired of God, but God didn’t want to talk to them about their nation, did He? He wanted to talk to them about their idols. As applied to us, we cry out to God to turn our nation around, and God says, “I don’t want to talk to you about your nation, I want to talk to you about your idols.” Here is a vital truth we have to understand. The fate of the United States of America is not as important in God’s eyes - as the condition of our hearts. We need to grasp this truth. We say, “God, we’re in trouble, and we need help, and the homosexual agenda is running our country, and the liberal media are blinding the eyes of the masses to the truth of what is going on. God, please have mercy on us and fix our nation!” And God says, “I don’t want to talk to you about the homosexuals, or the media, or the illegal immigrants, or anything else other than your idolatry.”

This is why we are talking about the idols of the heart. To use the language of Jesus, we need to get the planks out of our own eyes so that we can even see clearly enough to accurately identify the issues that are truly important. In addition to having clear vision, we need to deal with our idols so that we can have power with God. We want Him to hear us. We want Him to respond to us. We want Him to come to our aid. As followers of Christ, we can’t help this nation without His help – so we better start by focusing on personal holiness. That is why we need to spend some time on idols.

So as we consider how to deal with an idol, we have seen three things so far. First of all, we have to choose whom we will serve. God demands full allegiance from his followers. God demands a categorical break with our past when we put our trust in him for salvation. Secondly, we need to resolve to love God with all our heart. To the degree we are worshipping / loving idols, we are not worshipping / loving God. It is a proportionate thing. If we love God with 80% of our heart, 20% of our life will be given to idolatry. And finally, we saw that we are to appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit. According to Acts 1:8, when a person comes to Christ for salvation, something mysterious happens to him in that the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, comes to live inside him. Linked to that indwelling is power – “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” That is the promise of Jesus.

Now what does all that have to do with idols? We know from experience that we don’t have it within ourselves to simply work up the strength to deal with idols. Tearing down idols is not a matter of self discipline (though self-discipline does play a role as we are going to see in one of the next points). Conclusively dealing with idols takes Supernatural empowerment. So, how does one appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit? That is where we stopped last time we were together, so I want to take the rest of our time this morning to answer this question.

We know the Holy Spirit lives in us, we know that one of the reasons God has sent Him is to help us, and we know we struggle with idols. Have you ever wondered how all three of those propositions can be true at the same time? The reason they are all true is because the power of the Holy Spirit is not to be taken for granted, nor does it manifest itself automatically in our lives. Let me repeat that. The power of the Holy Spirit is not to be taken for granted, nor does it manifest itself automatically in our lives. Let me give you two truths about this matter of appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit.

1. Appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit is not a matter of “how much” of the Holy Spirit you have or don’t have. When you are “baptized with the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:13) you get all the Holy Spirit you will ever get. The Holy Spirit is a person, not a force of which different people have differing amounts.

2. Appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit is not a matter of “unleashing” the Holy Spirit, or “harnessing” the Holy Spirit. Those are two images that are popular in explaining how the Holy Spirit works, and they are both erroneous. There is not some kind of activity we have to engage in to release the Holy Spirit (contra the Alpha program) so He can work, nor is He some force in our lives that we have to capture if we want to utilize, like we do with wind and wind turbines.

So as we think about appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit, don’t envision the wrong thing. Once we know what appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit is not, let’s see if we can figure out what it is. To help us with this, let me give you two fundamental truths about the Holy Spirit as expressed by Wayne Grudem in his Systematic Theology.

1. The primary work of the Holy Spirit is to manifest the active presence of God in this world (Grudem, p. 634). The reason this is important is because we can’t see God because He is a Spirit (Jn. 4:24) and He is so holy that anyone who did see him would die (Ex. 33:20). In addition to this, we are 2000 years too late to see Jesus, God in flesh who did live on this planet. So remember that the primary work of the Holy Spirit is to manifest the active presence of God in this world.

2. One of the unique works of the Holy Spirit is to complete and sustain what God the Father and God the Son started (Grudem, p. 635). The Holy Spirit was active and present at creation (Gen. 1:2), He was active and present at Pentecost (Acts 1:8), and He is active and present at our salvation (Rom. 8:23). When you consider the greatest events in the history of the universe, the Holy Spirit was right there carrying out God’s plan and bringing it to completion.

Here is how this applies to appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit. God’s desire for you as His child is to live a pure and holy life (cf. Mt. 5:48 – “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”). God doesn’t want idolatrous children. God doesn’t want lukewarm followers, and when you put your trust in His Son Jesus as your Savior, God had a plan for your life and began a work in you that is designed to change you from being a self-absorbed, self-important, self-reliant idolater into a God-absorbed, God-loving follower of Christ. We have already established the fact that that is impossible, but remember what one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is – to complete and sustain what God starts. This is why Paul says in Phil. 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” The “day of Jesus Christ” is the point in history in which the work will be completed, but the agent assigned to us to get there successfully is the Holy Spirit. My point is that we each have a powerful, personal assistant committed to our success in this matter. The reality of this matter is that we aren’t in this battle alone.

Now, how else does the Holy Spirit help us in this matter of dealing with idols? We know He is personally with us, we know He is powerful, we know He is committed to our success – but is there anything else about Him that will help us in this matter of appropriating the power He has? Absolutely! Let’s go back to the point I made about the primary work of the Holy Spirit – He manifests the active presence of God in the world.

How many of you have figured out that it is relatively easy to be “good” in the presence of another person, and it’s pretty easy to be “bad” when you are all by yourself? You know how that works, right? When I’m driving through town with the family and there is a very immodestly dressed woman walking down the sidewalk, it isn’t hard at all for me to keep my eyes looking straight ahead. When the same thing happens and I’m all by myself in the car, it’s a different story – it is a battle to keep my eyes where they ought to be. When my child misbehaves at church, it isn’t hard for me to deal with it gently; but let him misbehave at home and then there is a battle in my heart because my natural inclination is to respond in anger, frustration, and severity. I’m not tempted to respond that way in the presence of other believers at church.

I have a friend who is a traveling salesman who told me a very interesting story that illustrates this principle. He and several other men would all go together on sales trips, and every time they would stop for a meal, one guy in particular always ordered a salad, or a sandwich without fries; and he always drank diet soda. My friend thought this somewhat strange because the guy weighed well over 300 lbs. One morning my friend got up early, left his hotel room and walked to the IHOP next door for breakfast, and there was his fellow salesman, eating by himself, with six plates of food on his table.

Isn’t it amazing what the presence of another person does to us? You probably see where I’m going with this, but I’m going to say it anyway – God is actively present with me, in the person of the Holy Spirit, when I am driving down the road all by myself and I see that provocatively dressed woman. God is actively present with me, in the person of the Holy Spirit, when I am at home and have to deal with my child again about the same issue, and all my fellow church friends aren’t there to observe me. God is actively present with me, in the person of the Holy Spirit, when I am all by myself and I want to gorge myself with food.

Appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit is living with a continual awareness that God is actively present with me in the person of the Holy Spirit! When we choose to worship idols in the presence of God, we are quenching the Spirit (1 Th. 5:19), grieving the Spirit (Eph. 4:30), striving with the Spirit (Gen. 6:3), rebelling against the Spirit (Ps. 106:33), dealing treacherously with the Spirit (Mal. 3:15-16), lying to and testing the Spirit (Acts 5:3), resisting the Spirit (Acts 7:51), and insulting the Spirit (Heb. 10:29). We don’t lose the presence of the Holy Spirit like Saul did in the OT, but our idolatry has effectively tied His hands and rendered Him powerless to be our “Helper.” Appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit is living in such a way that He is free to do what He was sent to do.

Can you imagine what it would be like to be locked into a marriage with a spouse who continually, and in your presence grieved you, and strove with you, and rebelled against you, and insulted you, and resisted you, and dealt treacherously with you? Can you imagine something like that? If that were your case, how likely would you be to fulfill your role to your spouse? Yet that is precisely what the Holy Spirit has to put up with far too often in our lives. He won’t leave us because it is a permanent indwelling, but He can be so grieved and insulted that we have effectively shut Him down in His capacity as our Helper. Appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit is living in such a way that He is free to do what He was sent to do.

Several years ago we camping out West, and as we were coming into Colorado, we had to cross the Rockies to get to Denver where I have family. We were really loaded down as well as pulling a camper, so I knew that making our way up the mountains and over the Continental Divide was going to be tricky. We were travelling on I-70 which peaks at the Eisenhower Tunnel, the highest vehicular tunnel in the world at over 11,000 feet. At our final stop in Utah, I had changed the spark plugs in the van because I thought it had been running roughly; but as we made our way across the plains and toward the mountains, the van would run fine when we were level or going downhill but really coughed and sputtered when I would accelerate. Sure enough, about ¼ of the way up the mountain we were coughing and sputtering our way up the mountain at about 10 miles per hour. Eventually we ended up with a State Police escort because we were going so slow, and it put us several hours behind schedule. When we got to Denver a mechanic showed me a spark plug wire that had gone bad, and explained that the bad wire was causing the loss of power.

Our engine had all the power it needed to get the job done. It was actually a pretty strong engine, but the reason we struggled up that mountain was because of my failure to appropriate the power that was available in that engine. All I had to do was change the spark plug wires, and then the engine could have operated in the way it was designed to operate.

That is the way the power of the Holy Spirit operates in our lives. We already have all the power we need to deal with idols. It is there in the person of the Holy Spirit. What we have to do is live in such a way as to allow Him to do His work.

I want to close this morning by sharing with you a great passage from Ezekiel 36. Turn with me to verse 24. “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land. 25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

How Do I Deal With Idols of the Heart - Part One

How Do I Deal With Idols of the Heart?

For the last eight weeks or so we have been studying the five idols of the heart. Let’s see if we can remember them using the acronym CRACS – control, respect, appreciation, comfort, and success. We have defined them, illustrated them biblically, illustrated them in everyday life, and analyzed what principle of scripture they violate. I hope that you have become very familiar over the past two months with the two questions that identify the presence of idols in your life: if I am willing to sin to get something I want, what I want is an idol. If I respond sinfully when I don’t get something I want, then what I wanted is an idol. I hope that you are sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as He convicts and nudges you.

This morning I want to talk to you about how we deal with an idol. As we have been going through this study I hope that a scenario similar to this one has gone through your mind. “OK, I see the idol in my life, I see the principle it violates, I understand the magnitude of what is going on, I see the negative consequences the idol brings about – but what do I do now? How do I tear that idol down?” That is the question I want to answer this morning – how do I deal with an idol of the heart?
Transition: So what I want to share with you over the course of two messages is five principles for dealing with idols. The first one is found in Joshua 24:15. Turn there with me and let’s think about choosing whom we will serve.

1. Choose Whom You Will Serve – Josh. 24:15

"And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

God demands full allegiance from His followers. Not only do we see it here in Joshua 24, we also see it in the words of Jesus in Mt. 6:24. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Paul expresses this same truth in 2 Cor. 6:14 when he says, “for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?” The answer is “none!” The call to follow Christ is a categorical call, and the first step in dealing with idols is to choose whom we will serve.

There is a very interesting passage that has bearing on this point in Rev. 3:14-16 where God rebukes the church in Laodicea by saying, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. 16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” Do you see the categorical nature of God’s call? God can really use a “hot” person, and He can work with a “cold” person, because He knows where they are. Their positions are well defined. But He despises a person who tries to maintain a “middle of the road” position.

Isn’t there something particularly distasteful about things that are tepid? Just the word itself has negative associations – I don’t think we even use the word “tepid” in a positive way. Don’t you find it irritating when you don’t know where a person stands? When he refuses to take a side? I remember the anger I felt when I was trying to speak to a state senator about NY’s effort to redefine marriage. I couldn’t actually talk to him, so I ended up talking to his chief of staff, or office manager, and the official position, the official statement coming from this senator was, “Should this legislation come to vote, at this point I anticipate voting against it.” When you think about that statement, it says nothing. So when she told me that, I responded by saying, “that is a very craftily worded statement that says nothing definite.” She smiled at me and said, “We think so.”

God feels the same way about people who refuse to give Him their wholehearted allegiance. God wants followers who leave no questions in anybody’s minds about where they stand. That is the essence of Joshua’s challenge to the nation of Israel in Joshua 24:15 – “choose Whom you will serve.”

To build on this point, turn with me to 1 Cor. 6:9-11, where we are going to see that God demands a clean break with our past. When we come to Christ for salvation, God expects a wholehearted, decisive, comprehensive break with our past. “Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you [in other words, they weren’t that way any more]; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.”
So the first step in removing an idol from our life is to realize the categorical nature of being a follower of Christ.

Unfortunately, we live in a culture that fosters convenient Christianity and doesn’t demand a radical break from our past. We really do think we can have our cake and eat it too – which is an incubator for idol worship. So if you are struggling with an idol and want to tear it down, the first thing you have to do is determine where your allegiance lies. Are you a follower of Christ, or not? Are you going to declare yourself as such, or not? Are you going to be “hot” for Christ, or not? God does not want tepid followers who can’t make up their minds whether or not they are going to worship God or their idols.

So once we make that decision to follow God, the second principle in dealing with an idol is found in Mt. 22:37. Let’s turn there and see that we need to resolve to love God with all our heart.

2. Resolve to Love God With All Your Heart - Mt. 22:37

35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37 And He said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment.”

What does it look like to love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind? Have you ever wondered that? In other words, I think we would all agree that we want to do this, we really do want to love God with everything within us, but how do we do it? Is there something I can measure to see if I am doing it? Well, it really is somewhat simple (which, by the way, is different from being easy) in that love is demonstrated best by obedience. Turn to John 14 with me, and let’s look at verses 23 and 24 where Jesus teaches this idea. “Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.” Do you see what Jesus is saying here? Our love for God is not some kind of arbitrary, subjective endeavor. It’s not like I get to love God my way, and you get to love God your way, and she gets to love God her way, and each way is equally legitimate. That isn’t what the Bible teaches. Love for God is measurable. It is objective. And it is seen by our level of obedience to Him, or as Jesus puts it in this passage, “keeping His words.”

What does this have to do with idols? Just this. The true nature of idolatry is that every act of idolatry is also an act of self love. To the degree we are worshipping idols, we are not worshipping God. Or I could say it this way, to the degree we are loving idols, we are not loving God. Idol worship is taking God off the throne of my life and putting myself up there.

One of the sobering questions we have to ask ourselves is this: “How much do I love God?” Do I love Him enough to say “no” to the call of the idol? Or do I love my idol more? That’s really what idol worship boils down to. Let’s see if we can apply this concept to our opening illustration 8 weeks ago. Do you remember when I gave the hypothetical situation of the daughter telling her dad that if he’d look for the remote with his eyes instead of his mouth he’d find it quicker? At that instant of sarcastic disrespect, something goes off in the man and he has to decide in a moment which direction he is going to go. Everything in his old nature is screaming for him to worship at the idol of respect and seek vindication and justification and to take his daughter down a notch or two.

On the other hand, he knows that this situation is not primarily about him and personal disrespect – the violation of God’s principles of honor and parental authority tremendously outweigh his personal hurt. This isn’t primarily about him. So in that moment, he has to decide the love thing. Does he love himself the most, or does he love God the most? If he loves himself more than he loves God he is going to light into his daughter and give it to her with both barrels. On the other hand, if he loves God more than himself, he’s going to firmly and persuasively convince her of the magnitude of her offense – primarily against God, and only secondarily against her father.

Do you see how love works, do you see the role love plays in idol worship? As humans, we have a limited capacity for love. To the degree we love ourselves, we won’t obey God. To the degree we love God, we won’t obey our impulses to idolatry. If we love God with 80% of our heart and soul and mind, while that sounds admirable, we are going to be worshipping idols with 20% of our heart, soul and mind. If we love God with 40% of our heart, we are going to be worshipping idols with 60% of our heart. This is why we must resolve to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind.
Transition: So as we answer the question, “How do I deal with an idol of the heart,” we have seen two principles. First, we have to choose whom we are going to serve, and second, we have to resolve to love God with all our heart. The third truth I want to share with you is found in Acts 1:1-8, and it is that we have to appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. Appropriate the Power of the Holy Spirit – Acts 1:1-8

In Acts 1, starting in verse one, we read, “The first account I composed, Theophilus, [this would be the Gospel of Luke] about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. 3 To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. 4 And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." 6 And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Note the connection in verse 8 between the coming of the Holy Spirit and the word “power.” The promise of Jesus in this verse is that when a person comes to Christ for salvation, something mysterious happens to him in that the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, comes to live inside him. Don’t ask me how it works – I don’t understand the biology involved. What I do understand is the reality.

The reality of this promise is that as a follower of Christ, you have a strength, or a capacity for accomplishment, that you didn’t have before you were a Christian. I want you to take a moment to let that sink in because this is a truth we Evangelicals often minimize because of the excesses of the Charismatics. The Holy Spirit coming upon you at the moment of your salvation gave you a supernatural strength, not necessarily physical, a supernatural capacity to do things you would be incapable of doing without the Holy Spirit living in you. That is the meaning of the word “power” in Acts 1:8. It is really interesting to me that the Greek word used here is δύναμις, spelled in English as “dynamis.” Our English word “dynamite” comes from this word.

If you want to see some great illustrations of how this concept works, read the book of Judges in the Old Testament (though it isn’t limited to this book), paying special attention to the phrase “and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily . . .” And then see what that man or woman was able to accomplish while under the influence, under the power, filled with a capacity for accomplishment, by the Holy Spirit. You will read of Gideon and his defeat of the Midianites, Jeptha and his defeat of the Ammonites, and multiple stories of Samson including Samson and the lion attack and Samson and the Philistines. What we see in the Old Testament concerning the presence of the Holy Spirit is that He came and went, as it were. And when one of God’s people in the Old Testament needed supernatural help, the Holy Spirit was sent to fill him and energize him and give him the capacity to do what needed to be done.

That is significantly different from the work of the Holy Spirit today. After Jesus was crucified but before He went back to heaven, He made this promise in Acts 1:8 to that little band of terrified followers. And on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down and took up permanent residence in the lives of the Believers, and that is how He has operated ever since – He permanently dwells in the lives of those who have come to Christ for salvation. In practical terms, what that means for you and me today is the Holy Spirit doesn’t come and go in our lives like He did in the OT, He is here all the time to give us, among other things, the power and help we need.

Turn with me now to John 14. I want us to look at verses 15 – 17 where we see Jesus explain this concept in a little more detail. In verse fifteen Jesus says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments [that sounds familiar, right? It was our last point – resolving to love God with all our heart]. 16 "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper [the reason that word is capitalized is because it is a reference to deity], that He [the Helper, who is obviously the Holy Spirit since Jesus is the speaker and He has referred to God sending “another Helper”] may be with you forever [unlike in the Old Testament times]. Now, what is the connection between “keeping the commandments” of verse 15, and the promise to send a “helper”? It isn’t very easy to keep the commandments, is it? So, in order to help us out, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit]; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.” The Holy Spirit, Who is my helper, lives in me. That is Jesus’ point. We are not trying to live up to God’s expectations on our own.

Now what does all that have to do with idols? Simply this. Those of you who have struggled with idols like I have know from experience that we don’t have it within ourselves to simply work up the strength to deal with idols. Tearing down idols is not a matter of self discipline. Now, self-discipline does play a role as we are going to see in one of the next points, but conclusively dealing with idols takes Supernatural empowerment. If you think you can just exercise some self-control and focus and overcome the idol, you are either out of touch with reality or extremely naïve about the power and nature of idol worship.

So once we understand that we can’t do this on our own, that we need help, and that God has graciously given us a “helper,” we are well on the way to dealing with idols. But there was a very important word in the title of this point – the word “appropriate.” Not only do we have to choose whom we are going to serve, and resolve to love God with all our heart, we also have to appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit. What does “appropriating” the power of the Holy Spirit look like? That is where we are going to start next time we get together.

I’d like to close our time together this morning by having everyone close their eyes and bow their heads. I want us to spend some time in personal reflection and examination. We have looked at three principles for dealing with idols this morning, and I want us to focus on the first two, those of choosing whom we will serve, and resolving to love God with all our hearts. Think about choosing and resolving – those are action words. They require you to engage your will. Mental assent isn’t enough.

My goal for you this morning is not to have you agree with everything I have said, it goes way beyond that. My goal is for you to do something. Will you choose this morning to serve God alone? I’m not talking about salvation here, I’m talking about serving. Salvation covers your eternity, service covers your day in and day out living. Will you choose this morning to serve God alone?

In addition to that, will you resolve this morning to love God with all your heart? He doesn’t want most of our love, He wants it all. And in light of what He has done to secure our eternity, isn’t giving Him all our love about the least we can do for Him?

If you would choose to serve God alone and love Him with all your heart, would you quietly stand to your feet right now as a testimony to yourself and God that on Sunday morning, June 27, 2010 you took two decisive steps in dealing with idols of the heart. This isn’t a testimony to me, or to the people sitting around you – this is a testimony to yourself and God that you are not only willing but serious about this matter of idols. Would you stand to your feet now while I pray for us.

Father's Day Thoughts

Father’s Day Thoughts

How many of you men celebrated “National Man Day” last week? For those of you who were not aware of it, it apparently took place last Tuesday. To participate in it, one was supposed to “stand up and do manly things.” Things like watching Rocky movies, sitting in your favorite chair and scratching yourself, and blowing things up, or shooting an animal. You are supposed to ignore the salad bar and light salad dressings, and instead, order the 20 oz. steak. More than a few people followed this on Facebook, in fact over 250,000 guys signed on in support of it.

Last year on Father’s Day I shared with you that manhood has fallen on hard times in our culture. There is obviously a lot of ignorance about what being a man is all about. For many, being a man is all about muscles, or procreative ability, or stoic indifference. The popular media portrays men as bumbling dolts. And as I analyze the list of things to do for National Man’s Day, there is a new layer of opprobrium being spread on men and now we see that an expression of manhood is to focus primarily on the gratification of a personal desire. Now, in fairness to the two brothers who started this I will say that they eventually they started advocating bringing flowers to you wife and being an honest and God fearing man, but after scattering these crumbs to their critics, all the ways to celebrate National Man Day were very self oriented.

As I think in general terms about what the Bible teaches about manhood, I see that a man is characterized primarily by self-denial, not self-gratification. A real man, a biblical man does the right thing in every situation, and I have learned that doing the right thing is almost never the easy thing. In fact, you could almost say that whenever you are faced with a choice where one course of action is hard and the other one is easy, the easy course of action is almost always going to be the wrong thing to do. Biblical manhood is all about doing the right thing.

What I want to share with you men this morning is three things that it is right for you to do. It is right for a man to provide for his family. It is right for a man to protect his family. And it is right for a man to shepherd his family. Turn with me to 1 Tim. 5:8 and we will see the first point.

I. It Is Right For A Man To Provide For His Family – 1 Tim. 5:8

In 1 Tim. 5:8 Paul tells us that “if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.” What is Paul after here? Obviously, I think we can make the assumption that he is talking about the physical provision that a man is supposed to make for his wife and children. In the immediate context, Paul is telling the church how to provide for the physical needs of widows, and then we come to this verse. So it is pretty clear to me that as man, I have a biblical responsibility to provide for my family.

It is the husband’s responsibility, before God, to bring home the bacon, not the wife’s. This is why I have a problem with “stay at home dad’s.” I knew a guy who stayed at home and raised the four children while his wife went off to work every day. She was glad to do this because she was very capable and could earn more money than her husband could. But that kind of a setup results in a role reversal in the home which always carries with it bad consequences. God gave Adam the job of tending the garden, and then He created Eve to help him out. Adam was the provider, Eve was the helper. That act of creation set the model for all time, and here in 1 Tim. 5:8, we have Paul affirming this setup.

But there is more going on in this verse than simply a command for men to be in the work force and bring home a paycheck every week. “Providing” for your family involves much more than giving them food, clothing, and shelter. The word Paul uses that is translated as “provide” literally means to “think in advance.” It has the idea of “foresight.” A man who is going to provide for his family has to have the ability to look down the road and see what is coming, and then get his family ready for it.

There are many ways we could make application here, but I want to focus on one in particular. Men, you need to be actively involved in the training and raising of your children. Do not make the mistake of thinking that just because you work hard and bring home enough money to pay the bills that you have fulfilled the biblical command to provide for your family – because that activity is just the beginning of your responsibility to provide.

I was speaking recently with a young man that had been married for several years, and he and his wife had a couple of children. That got us into a conversation about child rearing, so I told him about a very influential book I had read that radically changed my philosophy of parenting. The book is called “Shepherding the Heart of Your Child,” and so I mentioned it to him. He interrupted me and said, “Oh yeah, I know about that book. In fact, I bought it and gave it to my wife to read.” That is the attitude I’m talking about here. Guys, providing for your family is much broader than simply financing them. So I told the guy, “Don’t buy that book for your wife to read, buy it for yourself to read!”

So as we think about what it means to be a man in the biblical sense, we see first of all that it is right to provide for your family. The second thing I want to call to our attention is that part of being a man is that it is right to protect your family. Turn with me next to Eph. 6:11-12.

II. It Is Right To Protect Your Family – Eph. 6:11-12

When we think of protecting our family, our thoughts usually immediately go to the idea of physical protection. That is legitimate and certainly biblical. We see this concept taught in Eph. five where husbands are told to love their wives just like Christ loves the church, and then Paul gives the standard to which a husband must be willing to aspire in his love – even to the point of giving his life for her, just like Christ did for the church. Because this truth is self evident, we aren’t going to spend a lot of time developing or defending it. What I want us to do instead is think about another kind of protection a man is supposed to provide for his family, and that protection is seen here in Eph. 6:11-12.

Paul lets us in on a critically important truth when he says that we are to “put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Men, one of the easiest things to do in life is to protect our family in the physical realm. It comes naturally to us. There is nothing that arouses the fight in a man more quickly than when his flesh and blood is threatened. But Paul tells us in this passage that our battle isn’t with flesh and blood. Did you see that? Rather, our battle is with “spiritual forces of wickedness.” Do you know what that means? It means that Satan and all his demonic forces are invisibly and insidiously (that is the significance of the phrase “heavenly places”) trying to destroy your family. And just because you can’t see him doesn’t mean he isn’t engaged in a full scale firefight with you.

Let me share with you the three venues Satan uses primarily to attack your family. The public school system, television and popular media, and the computer and other personal electronic devices. Now, I’m not saying that if you work with in a public school, or if your child attends one, that you have aligned yourself with Satan and are committed to the destruction of the Christian family. What I am saying is that the public school is a six lane super-highway bringing your adversary into your home. The television and Hollywood does the same thing, as does the computer. And part of being a biblical man involves protecting your family in these three arenas.

We don’t have time to develop this point and talk in depth about how we can protect our families in these three areas (maybe we need to have a separate session some day), but the point I want to drive home is that if you are going to be a biblical man, you are going to have to protect your home from these three insidious influences. And I will warn you again that doing the right thing is not the easy thing. It never is, but being a biblical man is all about doing the right thing.

So as we continue to think about what it means to be a biblical man, we have seen that it is right for us to provide for our family and to protect our family. Let’s finish our time together this morning by looking at the importance of being the spiritual leader of your family.

III. It Is Right To Shepherd Your Family – Eph. 5:25-27; 6:4

At the end of Eph. 5, Paul is telling men how they are to love their wives, and then he sets this amazingly high standard – we are to love our wives like “Christ loved the church.” We have already looked at the truth of loving to the point of giving our lives for their protection, but in verses 26 and 27, Paul introduces a new element to the husband – that of sanctifying your wife. “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; 26 that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.”

One of the roles Christ plays in the life of the church (all us followers of Christ) is that of sanctifier. What that means is that it is His objective to “cleanse us” (v. 26) through the use of the Bible (“the washing of water with the word” – v. 26) with the result that one day He will be able to present us to God as His holy and blameless wife who has neither “spot nor wrinkle (v. 27).” The fact that Paul elaborates on this matter of Christ sanctifying the church in the middle of his teaching on the relationship of the husband to wife is not accidental. He is telling us men that one of our responsibilities to our wives is to promote spiritual growth in their lives. That is the concept behind sanctification.

Now keep that idea in the back of your mind and look at chapter six and verse four. “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” This verse is addressed to fathers, not mothers! So it is pretty obvious that Paul gives the responsibility of the spiritual instruction of the children to the father. Men, we need to lead our family in the things of God. Your wife’s spiritual growth and maturity is your responsibility. Your children’s spiritual growth and maturity is your responsibility. Part of being a biblical man is shepherding your family.

Let me give you two quick ways you can shepherd your family. First of all, set the example. Men, we need to live in a way before God that we can say to our children, “follow my example.” Don’t expect your kids to go to church if you don’t go to church. Don’t expect your kids to have a clean mouth if you have a foul mouth. Don’t expect your kids to honor their mother if you don’t honor your wife. Set the example. It’s part of being a biblical man.

Second, take the initiative. What I mean by that is your wife shouldn’t lead the family in prayer before a meal. Your wife shouldn’t be the one praying with the children before they go to bed. Your wife shouldn’t be the one getting up early on Sunday morning to get the kids ready for church while you sleep in and get up at the last minute. Men, we are the ones who should be demonstrating initiative in this matter of shepherding our families and teaching spiritual truths to our children, and our wives. Don’t delegate this responsibility to your wife.

Do you remember how I said at the beginning of the message that the right thing do is never the easy thing to do? Being a biblical man is all about doing the right thing. It is right to provide for your family. It is right to protect your family. It is right to shepherd your family. And doing each of these things is hard. I have discovered that it is never convenient to provide for my family in the biblical way. Or to protect them from our adversary, or to shepherd them in the things of God. But being a biblical man is all about doing the hard things. May God give us men the grace, the strength, and the tenacity to do what we have been called to do.

In Honor of My Father

Since tomorrow is Father’s Day, I thought it would be appropriate to share some thoughts about Fathers.

My first thought centers on my dad, Norman. Many of you have met him and know him to be a great man. He has been involved in Christian Ministry all his life, sometime full-time, but usually in a bi-vocational way. He celebrated his 74th birthday in April, and he is still actively serving at Beulah Baptist Church in Sopchoppy, FL, as the Associate Pastor.

I can say with full honesty that there is not a single undesirable trait in my Dad’s life – no caveats, no qualifications, no asterisks directing you to the fine print at the bottom of the page. I would like to be like him in all ways. He probably has an old sin nature somewhere, but I’ve never seen it. He is the human product of my Grandfather, Everett Mayfield, another great man, but that will have to come in another column.

I realize full well that there are many men who were not blessed with good Fathers. The stories I hear are heart-breaking. Because of this, I thank God for graciously blessing me with my Dad. He was good to us growing up, and he could also be severe. I still remember a time in the seventh grade not wanting to dress out in the locker room because of the bruises on my butt from a paddling I richly deserved.

It is often said that children develop their sense of God based on their human father, which is probably why I have never struggled with God’s goodness and severity (Rom. 11:22). I fully expect Him to provide for and take care of me (1 Pt. 5:7), and to discipline me in love when I need that as well (Heb. 12:6), because that is how I grew up.

As I think about being a father myself, I focus on the truth that it is an impossible task apart from God’s gracious intervention. No man has it within himself to be a really good dad. Each of the virtues necessary to excel at fatherhood are either unnatural to man (patience, gentleness, meekness, kindness, etc.) or contorted by him (drive, ambition, discipline, etc.). Only God has the ability to infuse a man with the attributes necessary to be a godly father.

I see my failures as a father with great clarity. I have a tendency toward selfishness and laziness, both of which are detrimental to godliness in general and good fathering in particular. The remedy for failure as a father is found in contrition (Ps. 51:2-3) and resolution (Ps. 51:10, 13). Our Heavenly Father has promised to empower the humble father who desires to be a godly father. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me (2 Cor. 12:9).”

Any man who wants to be a godly father has a tough row to hoe. Our culture doesn’t support him, our media belittles him, and our adversary targets him. The important things in life are difficult to achieve and costly to maintain. As we contemplate this thought, let’s remember Paul’s admonition in 1 Cor. 15:58. “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

The Idol of Success

This morning we are going to be finishing up our examination of the five specific idols we all struggle with. I hope this has been as profitable a study for you as it has been for me. Understanding what the common idols are and how they manifest themselves in day to day living has really changed how I view life. This two year process has fundamentally changed how I live, how I minister, and how I relate to my family. As a result of this study I have seen what my main idol is (it has probably been pretty evident to everyone else) and I’ve taken steps to pull that idol down.

As a result of this study, I have modified how I parent. Several months ago, two or our children weren’t getting along with each other very well and I interrupted their conflict and asked the question, “What idols are being worshipped right now?” It was a good question to ask and it went a long way in resolving the situation biblically. So being aware of idols is an important part of our lives as followers of Christ.

I also want to say that I’ve really appreciate the positive feedback I’ve been receiving. Somebody came up to me recently and said, “I just realized I’ve been worshipping the idol of appreciation all my life.” Someone else shared with me that he was actively working on the idol of comfort because he really struggled there. Those statements are good to hear because it indicates a sensitive heart and a desire to what is right. I believe God will bless that kind of willingness to deal with idols.

This morning’s idol is the idol of success. We have studied control, respect, appreciation, and comfort; so now let’s think about the idol of success. Here’s the definition I want you to remember for this idol. The idol of success is when I view personal achievement as the pinnacle of the human experience. I have really struggled with this definition, and I’m not sure it is comprehensive enough, so here is another one. The idol of success is when I view personal achievement as [not so much as a pinnacle, or objective] a barometer by which all else is measured. I really like the concept of the barometer, and I got it from a Jewish educator with the last name of Zeplowitz. That is all I know about him. So I don’t know if I like the idea of pinnacle or barometer better. Pinnacle has the idea of goal, or objective, while barometer has the idea of a measuring device. Both concepts come into play, so hopefully you see the idea.

We know the Bible teaches that “whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might.” In other words, as followers of Christ we aren’t supposed to lackadaisical in our efforts at anything – whenever we set our hands to something, we are to do it to the best of our ability and for God’s glory. Unfortunately, we many times leave God entirely out of the picture and focus primarily on self. That is where the idol of success come into play. The idol of success is when I view personal achievement as the pinnacle of the human experience, or the barometer by which all else is viewed, and leave God completely out of the picture.

We see a good example of this in Luke 12:15-23. As we read this story of a successful farmer, note how he gives no thought to God in his endeavors and focuses instead only on his personal achievement. And then to help us see his idolatry more clearly, we are going to contrast him with another very successful person in the Bible and how that man viewed his accomplishments.

15 And He [Jesus] said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." 16 And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a certain rich man was very productive. 17 "And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' 18 "And he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' 20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' 21 "So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." 22 And He said to His disciples, "For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. 23 "For life is more than food, and the body than clothing.

Several things about this story are worth mentioning. First of all, note the value he placed on his successful crop. I don’t know if we could say he viewed it as the pinnacle of his endeavors, but he was pretty pleased with what he had accomplished as we see in verse 19. “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come, take your ease – eat, drink, and be merry.” Why was he comfortable with taking a break for the next few years? Because he had a measurable amount of food. He could look out his window and see new barns that were larger than his old ones. He had empirical evidence that he was successful.

The other thing I want to call to your attention is the absence of God in his evaluation of his achievement. No mention of God being responsible for his bounty, in spite of the fact that the Bible teaches in Hebrews 6:7, “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.” No thought of sharing his abundance with those who were less fortunate, even though the Bible teaches in Prov. 14:21 that “happy is he who is gracious to the poor.” In Prov. 19:17 we read, “He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.” God had no part in this farmer’s plans or evaluation of his situation, and part of the idol of success is when we leave God completely out of the picture. Who played the largest part in his success? He did! How do we know? Because twelve times in three verses he uses the personal pronouns “I” or “my!”

What a contrast we see when we look at another successful man in the New Testament. Turn with me to Philippians 3 and let’s look at how Paul viewed his accomplishments.

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, [here is where I really want us to pay attention and start making the contrast with the wealthy farmer] 4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. [In other words, if Paul wanted to, he could measure his personal accomplishments and be viewed as a human success.] If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.7 But whatever things were gain to me [verses 5 and 6 – an impeccable pedigree], those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish [the KJV uses the word “dung” which is much more descriptive] in order that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

What was important to Paul? Or, let me ask it this way. What was Paul’s barometer for measuring accomplishment, according to verse 8?

 Your annual salary?
 The number of acres you own?
 The name of the college you have a degree from?
 Is it the number of degrees you have?
 The square footage of you home?
 The number of awards you have framed and hanging on your office wall?
 The make of the vehicle in your driveway?
 The location of your vacations?
 Whether or not you have been appointed to a prestigious professional group?

Paul’s barometer for measuring success was “knowing Christ Jesus his Lord and gaining Christ.” What was the pinnacle of Paul’s existence according to verse 10? What is it he was aspiring to? An intimate knowledge of Jesus, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, and conformity to His death. As Paul reflected on his accomplishments during his lifetime, he placed very little value on what he had done in the human realm or on his standard of living. What a huge contrast to the rich farmer – Paul’s focus was not on ease because of what he had accomplished, but on laboring because of what was still out there.

This contrast alerts us to the issue that is at stake every time we worship at the idol of success. To quote Jesus in Luke 12, “not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions [and we can legitimately insert the word “achievement” for “possessions”]." Achievement is not what life is all about. Or, as Jesus says in verse 22, “Life is more than food.” Remember, the parable really has nothing to do with food or crops or farming, its all about what we consider to be important in life. Life is bigger than achievement, and the rich farmer’s physical accomplishments had no effect on his soul’s safety!

Several years ago I heard a sermon by the dean of students at a Christian College. He told about a pre-med student he had a meeting with who was very serious about his studies, and his GPA reflected his intelligence and work ethic – he was a straight A student. The reason he was in conference with the dean was because for the first time in his collegiate career, he had received a B in a class, and he felt like the professor should have given him an A. After talking with the professor to no avail, he was now appealing to the dean of students. The dean asked him several very revealing questions, the first of which was, “Most students in school here would be thrilled to get a B in this class. Why is it so important for you to get an A?” Isn’t that a great question? That is the kind of question that will reveal your heart. The young man’s answer was, “I need to get into medical school, which is very expensive. Scholarships are based on GPA, and I need every bit of financial help I can find to get through med school.” That sounds like a pretty good answer to me, but the next question the dean asked was even more incisive, even more revealing. He said, “What if it is God’s will for you to get a B in the class, and not an A?” The student looked the dean of men right in the eye and said, “I refuse to accept that.”

What do you call it when a person makes the acquisition of personal desire a higher goal than the accomplishment of God’s will? Idolatry! It can be the idol of comfort, or respect, or appreciation, or control, or even success, as we see in this story. It probably isn’t God’s will for every pre-med student to graduate with a 4.0 GPA. A 3.9 is nothing to be ashamed of.

Practical examples of this idol in everyday life:

1. The father saying to his future Son-in-law: “All I expect of you is to get a good paying union job with good benefits and retirement, and I’ll be happy for my daughter to be your wife.” How is he measuring success?

2. Why does Japan have the second highest suicide rate in the world among industrialized nations? By some ways of reckoning, it is around 100,000 people per year. Why is it not uncommon for students to commit suicide when they are denied entrance to the prestigious universities? How does that particular culture in general measure success?

3. The wife who is always after her husband to leave his job as the school custodian and get a “real” job that will provide more for them? How is she measuring success?

4. The church board who asks the pastor to resign, because after five years of his leadership the church hasn’t grown numerically. How are they measuring success?

5. The student who sacrifices everything, because both of his older siblings were the valedictorians of their class. How is he measuring success?

Do you see the idol of success in each of these? Do you see how these examples view personal achievement, if not as the pinnacle of the human experience, certainly close to it? Or, do you see how achievement is being used as a barometer by which all else is measured? As followers of Christ, there is another standard we should pay more attention to. Let’s go back to each of these illustrations and let me ask you a question that will highlight where our focus should be.

 What difference does having a union job with good benefits make in eternity?

 What difference does getting into a prestigious university make in eternity?

 What difference does working as a janitor make in eternity?

 What difference does the size of a church make in eternity?

 What difference does being the valedictorian of your graduating class make in eternity?

That is the point Jesus made in Luke 12. “But God said to [the successful farmer], 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' "So is the man who lays up treasure for himself [focuses on success], and is not rich toward God." Our barometer needs to be eternity, not some tangible, measurable standard here on earth.

Let me make a quick qualification here. I don’t want you to hear something I am not saying. I am not saying it is ungodly to have a union job. I’m not saying that getting into a prestigious university is a sinful aspiration. I’m not saying that the only holy job is to work for minimum wage as a janitor. I’m not saying that a large church is indicative of a selfish, proud, success oriented pastor. I’m not saying that working hard and having a goal of being the valedictorian is sinful. I’m saying that our focus in life is to be on things that have eternal consequences.

Listen to how Solomon expresses this very same concept in Ecclesiastes 2.
17 So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind. 18 Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity. 20 Therefore I
completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun. 21 When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge and skill, then he gives his legacy to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil.

Solomon’s point is that our focus in life should not be on the acquisition of physical, material goods. Why? There are two reasons, one stated and the other implied. The stated reason is because we can’t take them with us! We have to leave them here for people who have not worked for them and there is a good chance they will squander the fruits of our hard labor. That is the stated reason. The implied reason we shouldn’t focus on the acquisition of material goods is that they will do us absolutely no good in eternity. That is the thought behind Solomon’s use of the words vanity, or emptiness, which literally means “vapor,” or “breath.” Solomon is referring to is the worthlessness of material goods in heaven.

I want us to close by turning to Matt. 6:19-21. In this passage, Jesus says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, [why would He say something like that?] where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 "Rather, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Our barometer for success, as a follower of Christ, should be the eternal consequences of my actions. Let me challenge you to get into the habit of asking yourself this question before you make decisions: “What difference will this make in eternity?” If we asked ourselves this question on a daily basis, do you suppose it would make a difference in how we live?

The Idol of Comfort

Let’s turn in our Bibles this morning to Gen. 25. We are going to be continuing our series on the “Idols of the Heart.” So far we have looked at the idols of control, respect, and appreciation. The idol of control is when I am unwilling to let go of my agenda and let God do His work. We have to remember that God is always at work, causing all things to work together for the good of those who love God. The idol of respect is when I demand or long for acknowledgement for what I have accomplished or become. Whatever I have accomplished in life, or whatever I have become as a person, I have accomplished or become only by the grace of God, which means He should get the credit, not me. And the idol of appreciation is when I function for any reason other than to bring glory to God. As followers of Christ, we have a sole motivation in life, and that is to bring glory to God. We do what we do, not because we want people to recognize it, or appreciate us, but because we want God to be glorified in what we do.

This brings us up to where we are this morning, and today we are going to be considering the idol of comfort. As far as a definition goes, the idol of comfort is when I indulge fleshly desires beyond biblical limits. In order for us to really understand this definition, let me clarify two things. First of all, what do I mean by “fleshly desires?” Fleshly desires, as I am using it, is not to be understood in the sense of 1 John 2:16 where John says, “For everything in the world [the anti-God system ruled by Satan]--the cravings of sinful man [lust of the flesh], the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.” That is not what I’m talking about here. The “fleshly desire” of our definition is a legitimate physical appetite. What are some of them? Food. Sleep. Sexual gratification. Relaxation. Beauty and serenity. Community. Each of these are legitimate desires, placed in the human by God, and have a physiological effect on the human body.

For instance, food is fuel, and to deprive the body of food leads to serious consequences. But it is much more than fuel, because when we eat our body releases chemicals into our bloodstream that cause a sensation of comfort. Sleep is necessary, and if you don’t sleep, you will suffer negative health consequences. What about something like beauty and serenity, do humans have an appetite for these things? Is a desire for beauty and stillness something God has created in us? Absolutely. How do we know that? Because God appreciates beauty, and we are created in His image. How do we know God appreciates beauty? Because when He gave instructions to Moses on how to build the tabernacle, there was an emphasis on esthetic appeal. The colors were not dull and drab, they were vibrant – crimson, purple, blue, and violet. And the building materials were gold and silver and brass and iron and bronze and fine twisted linen and exotic hardwood. On top of this, only highly skilled craftsmen were allowed to do the work. They were real artisans, and none of this was coincidental – God’s appreciation of beauty was reflected in what the tabernacle looked like.

We are created in the image of God, which means that we appreciate beauty; and when the human being is deprived of beauty (just like when he is deprived of food or sleep), there are negative physical consequences – primarily sociological consequences. This is why civilizations that do not have art do not flourish. On a smaller scale, why are prisons incubators for all kinds of sociological ills? It is because when you take a human and remove him from all sources of beauty, his soul withers.

So the point I want us to appreciate is that as people created in the image of God, we have inclinations / desires / appetites that are physical (as opposed to spiritual / emotional / mental) in nature, and they were given to us by God. As such, they are holy and beautiful and wonderful.

The second item of clarification for this definition is that not only has God placed these desires in us, He has also placed limits on them! For instance, what do we call the unlimited desire for the legitimate need of food? Gluttony. What is the unlimited desire for sleep or relaxation? Sloth. What is the unlimited desire for sexual gratification? Fornication. God has placed two limits on our desire for sexual gratification - marriage, and your spouse. What about beauty? Has God placed any limits on our appreciation of beauty, or is that something we don’t have to worry about? Absolutely not! Lust is a mental activity that is beauty oriented. I have had multiple guys tell me over the years that they really enjoy looking at beautiful women. They just like to look at them and appreciate their beauty. I get nervous every time I hear that statement because lust is a mental activity that is beauty driven – we don’t lust after hideous people, do we? I believe there is a reason Job said in Job 31 that he had made a covenant with his eyes. And then he asks the question, “How then can I think about a young girl?” There is a connection between the eyes, beauty, and lust. If you are a man and you appreciate beauty, in particular, female beauty, the Song of Solomon outlines a beauty appreciation program in chapter four. In those verses Solomon describes in explicit detail the beauty of his wife, starting with her face and working his way South. What that tells us men is that our appreciation for beauty has a limit, and that limit is our wife.

And even though we didn’t talk about the idea of community, the human desire for community has limits on it. God has created us as social creatures (which is also reflective of the Godhead) who thrive in community and wither in isolation, but community has God imposed limits. We see this in the command of God that when a husband takes a wife and they become one flesh, what is that man supposed to do? Leave his mother and father. What was the impetus behind God confusing the languages at Babel? Violating the limitations on community.

So with this explanation of the idol of comfort, and understanding how God has placed limits on each of man’s basic physical appetites, let’s look at a biblical example of this idol in action. In Gen. 25 we have the story of Esau trading his birthright for a bowl of stew. In the first half of this chapter, we read the background to the story. Isaac gets married to Rebecca, and she conceives and has twin sons. The firstborn, Esau, was an outdoorsman, and the second born, Jacob, was more of indoorsman. We’ll pick the story up in verse 27.

27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom.) 31 Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright." 32 "Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?" 33 But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.

How many of you see the idol of comfort here? It’s actually somewhat tricky, isn’t it? I think the reason we may be inclined to waver a little bit about labeling this as the idol of comfort is because his hunger was legitimate. The Bible says he was famished (“to be exhausted, or faint”) because of his trip. And how can the desire for something to eat when you haven’t eaten for a while be understood as indulging a fleshly desire beyond it’s biblical limits? Esau’s thinking is what shows us the idol. Remember the Biblical principle – “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Let’s analyze his thinking.

Why was he willing to give up his inheritance? Why was the inheritance meaningless to him? He thought he was about to die, which made the inheritance superfluous. When you are dead, the family farm doesn’t do you much good. Well, guess how long it takes you to die from starvation? A long, long time! It is highly unlikely that Esau was really about to die! But in addition to this, if I am about to die from starvation, but a meal will save my life, then the inheritance will be of some value to me after all, won’t it? Do you see how Esau’s thinking was all messed up here. Does it sound familiar when I say that idols distort our perception of reality?

What we see in Esau’s thinking is the typical rationale of an addict. When an addict is in the throes of craving to feed his addiction, he thinks he will die if he doesn’t get what he wants. But reality is that he may be in withdrawal if he doesn’t get it, or he may be in agony if he doesn’t get it, or he may be impossible to live with if he doesn’t get what he wants, but he isn’t on the brink of death like he feels he is. In addition to this, the addict doesn’t care what he has to give up to satisfy his craving. This is why drug addicts will prostitute their young daughters for drugs. They don’t care what they have to give up. They don’t care who they lie to or who they steal from - they don’t think beyond themselves and their immediate craving.

Idols, and in this scenario the idol of comfort, which is the basic idol associated with all addictions, distort our perception of reality. So what we see in Esau’s thought process is classic idolatrous thinking, even though it may not technically be worshipping the idol of comfort since he was legitimately hungry.

So with this example of the idol of comfort, let’s think a little while about what is at stake in the idol of comfort. In other words, why is this wrong? What biblical principle is being violated each time we indulge the flesh beyond biblical limits? The answer is found in Eph. 5:18. So let’s turn there and think about the principle of Spirit control.

In Eph. 5:18, we read, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but [rather] be filled with the Spirit.” Is it a sin to drink wine? I don’t believe it is. Where does the sin lie when it comes to drinking alcohol? When the alcohol exerts its influence on me to the extent that I am no longer under control. A drunk person is controlled by the alcohol. His tongue doesn’t articulate his words very well because there is something else controlling the muscles of his tongue. His legs are not steady because there is something else controlling his motor skills. His bladder does not hold its contents because there is something else in his system overriding his normal ability to hold his bladder.

The sin of drunkenness is that there is a foreign object controlling the drinker – which is a direct violation of what Paul teaches in Eph. 5:18. We are to be “filled” with the Spirit of God, and to help us understand what that looks like, Paul uses the drunkenness analogy. For the follower of Christ, God’s Spirit is to fill us, just like alcohol fills the drunk person. And in the same way that alcohol controls the drunk person, God’s Spirit is to control the follower of Christ. And it is this principle that sets the pattern for the idol of comfort. Every time we allow a fleshly desire to exert control over us, we are being controlled by something other than the Spirit of God. Our desires for food, or sleep, or sexual gratification, or relaxation, or community, or beauty – while they are given to us by God, they are not to be participated in without restraint. Our physical appetites have to be under the control of God’s Spirit, and when they aren’t, we are worshipping the idol of comfort.

As we have done with each of the other idols, let’s see if we can come up with some illustrations of what this idol looks like in everyday life. Who has an example for us?

 Not going to church on Sunday morning because you were up late on Saturday night? As humans, we need sleep, right? That is choosing the comfortable over the critical.

 Missing a significant church activity because your favorite football team has a televised game during that time? Relaxation is legitimate, right?

 Exploding at your wife for crunching the back fender of the car, and now that $500.00 you had set aside for a new rifle will have to be used as the deductible to fix the car?

 Being irritable and short-tempered every day when you get home from work - until you get a nap and have supper?

 Refusing to get a full time job because it will jeopardize your state funded insurance benefits?

 Buying a new pair of Nike shoes every time you don’t have a date on Friday night?

 Being irritable and short-tempered every morning when you wake up – until you have had your first cup of coffee?

 Refusing to challenge your teenager’s sinful behavior because of the conflict you know it will cause in the family? Cf. 1 Sam. 2 and 4

To say that the idol of comfort is prevalent in Christian circles is quite an understatement, and it manifests itself in myriad ways. Addictions, obesity, sexual promiscuity, laziness, our preoccupation with sports and entertainment and hobbies and amusement all are illustrations of our propensity toward comfort. What a difference it makes to be a follower of Christ who is under the control of the Spirit of God. When we make choices based on what we believe God would have us to do instead of what our flesh would have us to do, it makes a huge difference in how we live.

As we come before this Communion Table, aren’t you glad Jesus said “no” to His fleshly desire to escape the rigors of the cross? It is a little bit of an understatement, but the cross was not a comfortable place to be. Which is why Jesus said at one point during the night, “Father, if it is at all possible, let this cup pass from me.” But then, it’s as if He catches himself and says, “Nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done.” Can you appreciate this morning that our eternity is secure in heaven because Jesus chose the critical over the comfortable?