Me, Myself & Idols

1 John 5:21 (ESV) — 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

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No idols? No problem! Who were those fools who bowed down to little carvings and statues? That's dumb! Don't they know that those things can't help them? They made them with their own hands, and now they bow down and worship them as if the created could somehow help it's creator?! Ridiculous!

You know we still do this right?

It looks dumb when we can stand at a distance and point at past cultures who have done this, but how do we do when it comes to our own culture?

You've heard of the ten commandments right? It's really all about that first one, "You shall have no other Gods before me." When the Bible says, "before me," it doesn't mean having a god that butts in line before him, so that it would be okay to have many gods but just none in front of Him. Rather, it means in His sight, before His face.

If you keep the first one perfectly, you will never break commandments 2-10. Why would I steal if I trust in my God as providing everything I need and rely on his justice instead of taking it into my own hands?

The reasons we break the commandments is because something else in our lives starts vying for the "God" position in our hearts. It's usually good things too.

My wife can be my god if I place on her the burden of fulfilling me and making me happy. If my entire being depends on what she thinks of me, if I'm counting on her for my happiness. People can't bear those burdens nor should they have to. Only God can bear that burden.

How does this start? It starts by you making up your own personal hell. Not the real hell where you're cut off from God, but a made up hell. Hell is having a crappy car, hell is living in an apartment with noisy neighbors, hell is having no free time, hell is being single, hell is not having any kids, hell is having a job that you don't like, hell is not having the money that you think you deserve.

Once you've made a hell for yourself you start to look for....a savior. Not the real Savior who died for sinners of the cross, but a fake savior. If you're lonely and single your savior becomes a pet. You love that pet, you dress it up, you are sad if you feel the pet doesn't return the affection that you show it, you pour your life into the pet to make it happy, you worship it. Then what happens, it lets you down...because it's not a real savior it's a pet!

If your hell is not having money your savior becomes anything that will get you that money. You dedicate your life to it, you sacrifice time with your family, you sacrifice time with friends, you sacrifice sleep...look at the language! You are sacrificing to a false savior! Then what happens....someone bigger and better comes and takes the job you wanted/deserved. Or you grow old and rich with no one and nothing to do with your money and you die alone. Your false god lets you down. 

What do we do next then? We find another false god. I don't have enough clothes, if only I had more clothes...then I'd be happy.

I hate being in school, if only I was out of school and had a job...then I'd be happy.

I hate my family, if only I could move away and be independent...then I'd be happy.

I'm so sick of work, if only I could have a vacation to the Bahamas...then I'd be happy.

I'm lonely, if only I had someone to have sex with...then I'd be happy.

What do you day dream about? What do you spend your money on? What do you say to yourself, "if I lost that I could not go on." What are you living for? What's attached to your most painful emotions so that if that area of your life is threatened or nudged you jump from normal to furious within seconds? Whatever it is....it's probably an idol.

Idols are usually good things! But the problem is that we turn them into God things. They're not made for that, they can't handle the weight of expectation, they will disappoint. There's only one that can handle that burden...the real, living God who saves from a real hell.

Sin is real, you only have to watch the news for a minute before you realize "things aren't the way they should be." Because of sin we've put distance between ourselves and God. Because of sin you're actually an enemy of God. It may not seem like a big deal to you but think of this...

If you steal something from your brother, he'll get upset but you resolve it...no big deal

If you steal something from the president, you'll have secret service questioning you...it's a big deal

The crime was the same, but in the second case you committed against a person of "higher" authority. So now elevate that authority to the position of God of the universe...it's a big deal.

The good news though is that "getting right with God" isn't something that depends on your moral prowess.

Romans 5:8–10 (NLT) — 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

Did you get that? Who fixed the problem? Was it you? What were you doing in the verses above? Where are you mentioned? You're the sinner, the enemy.....so who fixed it? God did! 

We are made right with God because Christ died! God did the hard work, you can come to Him as you are and ask him to step into the position of God in your life. He won't disappoint, He won't let you down, He's big enough, strong enough, powerful enough to really be your God and to really be your Savior.

Romans 10:13 (NLT) — 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

John 1:12 (NLT) — 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

John 3:16 (NLT) — 16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 6:40 (NLT) — 40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

Romans 8:1 (NLT) — 1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.