Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been going through our Canadian Idols series of messages. The first week we talked about what an idol is: it’s anything or anyone that takes the place of God in our lives. It’s whatever we place in that place of priority in our lives which pushes God aside. We also talked about how whatever we choose to worship as an idol will eventually let us down. Only God will never fail us, and only He is worthy of our worship.
Last week, we looked at two things which aren’t necessarily evil, but which can become an idol for us. And when they take the place of God, that’s when they become evil. Specifically, we explored how our career and how our family can become the be all and end all of our existence. But while these things are important – even very important – they should not define who we are, they should not be what gives purpose to our lives, and they should not become an idol for us.
Today we’re going to continue our series and discuss another idol which a lot of people struggle with… the idol of self.
Sometimes it’s not the external things which we struggle with. Sometimes it’s ourselves. Our happiness, our comfort, our popularity become all that’s important. And while it’s not bad to be happy, it’s not wrong to be comfortable, it’s not evil to be popular, when all we seek are those things and they become more important than God, they become a problem. And they can greatly interfere or even destroy our relationship with Him.
God alone deserves the place of priority in our lives. And that means we can’t even put ourselves before Him. He has the place of priority. He comes first. So this morning we’re going to talk about what it means to put God first as it relates to the Idol of Self. Let’s go.
Putting God First Means…
1. You seek God’s approval, not man’s applause.
We normally think of this as a teenage problem. Teens want to be liked. Teens do things because everyone else is doing them. Teens give in to peer pressure. But it’s not just a teenage problem. Of course, we adults don’t call it peer pressure. We call it going with the flow, compromising, finding the middle ground, not causing waves… we don’t want to do anything and we don’t want to say anything that’s going to upset anyone or make them distance themselves from us, because we want their approval.
Shortly after Jesus was arrested, the religious leaders who were also influential politically presented their case before Pontius Pilate. Pilate was a Roman official who had the authority to either release Jesus or have Him executed. And all kinds of accusations were being made against Him. The religious leaders arranged for people to tell lies and make false accusations, and they really incited a mob mentality. And Pilate felt the pressure.
We’re told in the Bible that Pilate found Jesus innocent and he wanted to release Him. He even offered to have Jesus flogged (or whipped) before he released Him, but the crowd rose up with a mighty roar demanding that Jesus be given the death penalty. Again Pilate declared that Jesus was innocent, but the people continued to shout for His death. So finally Pilate gave in and handed Jesus over to be crucified. That was the first case of “Pilate Error.”
Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent. He knew Jesus didn’t deserve to die. He knew that he should release Jesus. But he didn’t. Why? Because of the pressure that was placed on him to do what everyone else wanted him to do and gain the approval of the crowd.
Pop Quiz: Who’s the richest man in the world?
1. Gates, William H III = 40.7 billion
2. Buffett, Warren Edward = 30.5 billion
3. Albrecht, Karl & Theo = 25.6 billion
4. Allen, Paul Gardner = 20.1 billion
5. Alsaud, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal = 17.7 billion
6. Ellison, Lawrence Joseph = 16.6 billion
7. Walton, Alice L = 16.5 billion
7. Walton, Helen R = 16.5 billion
7. Walton, Jim C = 16.5 billion
7. Walton, John T = 16.5 billion
~ From Forbes.com for 2003
King Solomon in the Old Testament was the third king of Israel. And at that point of history, Solomon was the richest king in the world. Comparatively, he could have put Bill Gates to shame. He was also the wisest man in the world. But catch this… the guy had 700 wives! Now, I love my wife. I enjoy being married. But 700?!? I’ve heard of the 700 Club, but I had no idea. Maybe Solomon wasn’t so wise, after all.
Actually, it was common in the world at the time for people in general and royalty in particular to have several wives. It was often more of a political union than one of the heart. Treaties could be sealed with a wedding. But God has warned Solomon not to intermarry with several of the surrounding nations because those wives would lead him to worship false gods. And sure enough, that’s exactly what happened.
We’re told in 1 Kings 11 that Solomon gave in to the pressure his wives were placing on him, he built shrines for all of his foreign wives to worship their own gods, and he even began to worship them himself. Why? Because he wanted their applause. He wanted to make them happy because it would make him look good. And he gave in to the pressure.
You go to school, people put pressure on you. You go to work, people put pressure on you. You go to a club, people put pressure on you. You come to church, people put pressure on you even here. We all face the pressure to fit in. Nobody likes to be singled out. We’re all jealous of the people who seem to be the “in” crowd… the ones who get all the attention and get all the breaks and have all the friends. And it feels good when people accept us and make us feel important. But when that pressure tells you to do something that you know is wrong, don’t give in to it. The Bible says:
Galatians 1:10 (NLT)
Obviously, I’m not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant.
Instead of seeking the applause of man, seek the approval of God. Make it your goal to someday hear him say to you;
Matthew 25:21 (NLT)
“Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”
Putting God first means you seek God’s approval over man’s applause. It also means…
2. You seek God’s way over your way.
This weekend I had the opportunity to see my two nephews… Joshua and Matthew. Matthew is the younger one and he’s still pretty cuddly and likes to be held… Josh has reached the age where he wants to do everything himself. If you try to help him, he’ll push you away. He’ll wiggle if you try to pick him up. He just wants to be independent and do things his own way.
That’s a pretty common thing with kids, though. My sister-in-law’s first words were “Do it self”. Some people make that their life motto. They want to do everything in their own way in their own time. But that’s the Idol of Self. Putting God first means that you seek His way over your way.
Last weekend when I was driving back from Beulah Camp I was thinking about this message. And I believe I was driving past Hampton when I was thinking about how the Idol of Self means we want things our own way, when I saw a sign along the side of the road which quoted Jesus saying, “I am the way…”
John 14:6 (NLT)
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
Let me show you a couple other verses:
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.
(verse 7…
Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn your back on evil.)
Psalm 119:105 (NLT)
Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.
Putting God first means…
3. You seek obedience over convenience.
Choosing to live as a Christian and devote your life to God does not mean that everything will be hunky-dory for you. Actually, it can mean that you will encounter difficulties and challenges in life that without God’s help you wouldn’t survive. Because we’re not called to a life of comfort or convenience… we’re called to a life of obedience.
It’s not like going to a buffet where you choose what looks good to you and ignore the rest. The call on your life and mine is to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ, regardless of the cost.
I once heard a story about Thomas Jefferson. I can’t confirm whether the story is true or if it’s just something that someone made up, but this is what I heard. Thomas Jefferson wanted to be a Christian and he wanted to take God seriously, but there were parts of the Bible that troubled him. Perhaps the passages demanded more of him than he was willing to give. So he took a pair of scissors and began to cut out the parts that he didn’t like.
But that’s not really an option. We don’t get to pick and choose what we think is important, because everything God says in His Word is important. And sometimes it’s not convenient to be obedient. Sometimes it’s not comfortable. But that doesn’t negate the fact that we are called to a life of obedience.
I found something out this week that I was unaware of beforehand. Of course, that’s not surprising because there is a whole array of things which I am unaware of. But this is in reference to the aircraft carriers that were sent by the U.S. to the Persian Gulf during the recent Iraqi conflict.
There were two aircraft carriers sent: the U.S.S. Kittyhawk and the Abraham Lincoln. And each of these carry between 14,000 and 16,000 people. That’s a lot of people, and there are chaplains onboard to minister to spiritual needs. You can imagine some of the questions and concerns represented by these thousands of people heading into a war. And each ship had a command chaplain responsible to oversee it all. And what I found out this week was that the command chaplain on both these aircraft carriers were Wesleyans.
That’s just a bit of trivia and perhaps gives you a sense of identity and pride with our denomination. But it also speaks to the spirit of these two men who would probably rather not be there but chose instead to allow God to place them where they can do the most good for building His Kingdom. It’s not comfortable for them to be in the middle of a war, and it’s not convenient for them to be removed from their friends and families, but it is their desire to be obedient first and foremost.
Luke 9:57-62 (NLT)
As they were walking along someone said to Jesus, "I will follow you no matter where you go."
But Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head."
He said to another person, "Come, be my disciple."
The man agreed, but he said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father."
Jesus replied, "Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead. Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God."
Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family."
But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God."
Is Jesus anti-family? No, last week we talked about how Jesus is all for families. But He also wants us to understand that it’s not about what we want, it’s about what God wants. And it’s not about convenience, it’s about obedience.
4. You seek holiness over happiness.
There’s a quote I heard years ago, and I believe it was from Chuck Colson, so that’s who I’m giving credit to. But the quote was:
“Contrary to popular opinion, the call of the church is not to make people happy but to make them holy.”
~ Charles Colson
Michael W. Smith is a name you may recognize as a top-selling recording artist with success on both the secular and Christian charts. Listen to what he said…
“Everybody plays it safe. Here’s where I’m at: I’ve got a franchise. I can sit here and play it safe, protect the franchise, do well the rest of my life, retire and be happy. That’s the last thing I need to do, even if it costs me my career. I’ve got to be God’s man. I’ve got to impact culture.”
~ Christian Recording Artist Michael W. Smith
What’s the difference between happiness and holiness? Happiness is a result of our circumstances and changes from day to day. What are some things that influence our level of happiness?
PARTICIPATION
(the weather, our work, our families, and the random events of life.)
Holiness, on the other hand is an internal condition that is the result of daily surrendering ourselves to the work of God.
Being holy does not mean you are completely without fault. It does not mean that you become someone really weird who’s completely out of touch with reality. It does not mean it is impossible for you to sin. But it does mean that it is possible for you not to sin. It does mean that it is possible for you to operate your life according to the love of God flowing through you. It means that you aim to glorify God in thought, word and deed and make Him proud of you, His child. That’s what it means to be holy. Check out these verses:
Romans 6:22 (NLT)
But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NLT)
Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God, who calls you, is faithful; he will do this.
5. You seek transformation over validation.
“God’s ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ. Becoming like Christ does not mean losing your personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created your uniqueness, so he certainly doesn’t want to destroy it. Christlikeness is all about transforming your character, not your personality.”
~ Rick Warren
If you seek validation, you want people to tell you that you’re okay just the way you are. You want to be told that your priorities, your standards, your lifestyle, your actions are all fine. There’s no room for improvement, you’ve already attained all there is to attain.
Here’s what I believe. I believe the Bible teaches that God loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way. It’s not validation we need, it’s transformation.
Romans 12:2 (NLT)
Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.
The big thing in the news lately has been the legalizing of same-sex marriages in Ontario and the federal government’s stated purpose of redefining marriage to include homosexual relationships. We haven’t dealt with this a whole lot here, but we have provided materials to you to help you protect the Biblical and traditional definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.
But this definition has been challenged numerous times in our society and has recently been thrust into the spotlight. Here’s what the perceived problem is… the homosexual community feels that this definition is discriminatory toward them and their lifestyle. And they’re right, it is. But that doesn’t mean that it’s wrong.
The homosexual community wants validation that it’s okay to be gay. They want to be told that it’s a perfectly normal and acceptable for them to live a homosexual lifestyle and choose to be married to someone of their same gender. But I can’t give them that validation because I believe the Word of God clearly speaks against homosexuality.
Leviticus 18:22 (NLT)
Do not practice homosexuality; it is a detestable sin.
Leviticus 20:13 (NLT)
The penalty for homosexual acts is death to both parties. They have committed a detestable act and are guilty of a capital offense.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NLT)
Don’t you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, abusers, and swindlers--none of these will have a share in the Kingdom of God.
But before you get too self-righteous and judgmental, you’d better take a look at the next part of the chapter…
1 Corinthians 6:11 (NLT)
There was a time when some of you were just like that, but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you.
Homosexuality is grouped in with a number of sinful practices that God detests, and the truth is that all of us have done things that are listed here or other places in the Bible which we know God detests and we have hurt Him greatly. And it’s only through the forgiveness offered to us through the sacrifice of Jesus when He died for you and died for me that any of us have any hope of having a relationship with God and spending eternity with Him.
All of us need the transforming work of God in our lives. We don’t need to be validated and told that we’re okay, we need to allow ourselves to be transformed by the power of God into the people He wants us to be.
There’s a chorus I used to sing when I was growing up – and I’m not going to get us to sing it here this morning – but I do want to read the lyrics to you:
All I must do is die to me,
That is the way you make me free.
I would give all my hopes,
I’d give everything
Just to have you living in me.
Do you need to die to yourself this morning? Do you need to put the Idol of Self away and commit to the leadership and transforming power of God in your life? I’ve got to tell you, it’s not a one time decision. It’s a daily commitment. It’s getting up every morning and giving God permission to do anything He wants to do with you, anything He wants to do in you, and anything He wants to do through you.
Would you close your eyes for a minute? Here’s your chance to respond to the message. If you feel in your heart that God’s been speaking to you this morning and you know that your need to do away with the Idol of Self and put God first, slip up your hand. I’m not going to mention you by name, but I want to pray for the life-changing power of God and the presence of His Spirit to infiltrate your life.
Let’s pray.
