Preparing for this series, like any message that I give or group that I teach, is something that I have taken incredibly seriously. Over the last couple of months I've dedicated a substantial amount of time to thinking, praying, and considering how can I in my current role and this series best serve and love you and the community? When over the course of this series the Word of God, the Bible, is opened, I want you to know that I'm not just throwing something out there. I want to stress that these messages have been written with myself, and you all in mind, as well as the context and culture in which we live, and that this series has been written to serve you. And so it's my desire that over the next four weeks, we can grow closer into the fullness of what Christ desires for us. That's the aim of these messages and this series.
So now with that being said, let's talk about idols!
The Root Issue
We're going to start in Exodus 20. You may not know these verses word for word, but I'd be willing to bet that this passage will be pretty familiar to most if not all of you.
"And God spoke all these words, saying, 'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lordblessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.'" - Exodus 20:1-17 (ESV).
Whether or not you have a background in church or not, I'd bet that you know that passage or have at least heard of it - the Ten Commandments. If you're around my age or a little older (I'm 31 at the time of writing this article), there's a chance that you may even remember these hanging up in a classroom at school. I don't know if you already knew this or not, but did you know that if you were to walk into the Supreme Court - the big one - in Washington D.C., did you know that over the building as you're coming in is an engraving of Moses holding the Ten Commandments? And then as you're walking into the Supreme Court on the big oak doors, the Ten Commandments are engraved there as well. Lastly, in the chamber where the justices will sit, on the South Wall we have again Moses carrying the - you guessed it - Ten Commandments.
So while it's evident that our country holds these principles dearly in the foundation of our legal system, Martin Luther, one of the fathers of the Protestant Reformation, said this about the ten commandments, and I thought this was really interesting: because the first two commands deal with idolatry:
Don't have any other gods before me
Don't make carved images of other gods and worship them and serve them
The rest of the commands are only broken if you break one of the first two. So what Luther is saying, is that:
If you steal.
If you dishonored your parents.
If you envied your neighbor and all that they had or achieved.
If you had sex outside of the covenant relationship of marriage.
Luther is saying that in the moments of breaking those commands you’re placing something else of greater importance on your heart than God. Something else, in that moment, is sitting on the throne in your heart.
The Bible argues, and Luther argues, that the root issue to work on - is idolatry. And so that's why I want to talk about idolatry over these next few messages.
I think that it’s so easy for us to almost mentally separate ourselves from idolatry, especially in our culture. Many of us have this mindset of thinking that idolatry is almost reserved for these uncontacted and uneducated tribes who carve statues out of stone and worship them, or something like that. Or rather it’s something that people used to do a long time ago, but that’s not really an issue for us now. Or maybe if you’re like me and have just impeccable taste in movies, maybe your mind goes here:
(Image of) The Golden Idol in The Raiders of the Lost Ark.
A fantastic movie. But those are the places that our minds often go, right? We so often adopt this mindset of "Well, I don't worship idols," because they're portrayed as fantasy in our culture. But in reality, and this is the crazy thing, the danger isn't that we're faced with bowing down to a golden statue but rather it's the subtlety of our idols that makes it possible for them to infiltrate our lives - often before we even realize.
Idolatry Defined
So let’s define it - in its simplest definition, idolatry is valuing something more than you value God.
Again, idolatry is valuing something more than you value God.
In fact, there's a quote from John Calvin that is pretty famous in theological circles, he said in his Institutes of the Christian Religion that:
The human heart is a perpetual idol factory.
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
Or in other words, we just keep on crankin' out idol after idol. And what makes them so harmful, sly, cunning, and deceitful, is that often times they are good things - but we elevate them to a place in our hearts of an ultimate desire or an identity in which we find ourselves.
That's when they take the place of God, when they dethrone Him in our hearts - and it's often without us even realizing it. Without us even knowing that it's happening, then one day - boom. There they are. Timothy Keller in his book, Counterfeit Gods said it like this, and I love this:
We think that idols are bad things, but that is almost never the case. The greater the good, the more likely we are to expect that it can satisfy our deepest needs and hopes. Anything can serve as a counterfeit god, especially the very best things in life.
Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods
It's a shame when we worship the gifts rather than the Giver.
Good things that Satan uses to slither onto the throne in which God should be seated in our hearts.
So throughout this series when we talk about idols, we're going to talk about them in two different ways: surface idols and root idols.
Now, before you sit here thinking, "Man - our Associate Pastor is one insanely insightful guy..." I just wanted to take a second to say that I didn't put this framework together. People like Tim Keller, David Powlison, Dick Keyes, and Eric Geiger have written talked quite a bit about this concept, which is now where I'm bringing it to you and applying it to our series this month.
Surface Idols
Surface Idols are those that are on the surface of our lives. They're the outward expression of a root idol. Makes sense, right? For example:
"Life only has meaning" or "I only have worth if"
1. I have a particular kind of look or body image. (Image Idolatry)
It's not bad to care about your body. Verses like 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 Corinthians 9:27, 1 Timothy 4:8 - talk about the value of taking care of ourselves. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be in shape, to be healthy. But - it makes a lousy god.
2. I am highly productive and getting a lot done. (Work Idolatry)
Again, there's a ton of verses in scripture that discuss the value and importance in being productive and working hard. Verses like Colossians 3:23, Proverbs 14:23, Ecclesiastes 9:10, Ephesians 5:15-17, Matthew 6:34 and so on. Scripture clearly isn't against being productive or getting things done - but the issue is when your identity is found in being able to get things done - when that becomes the ultimate part of your life, you're showing up to the wrong altar.
3. People are dependent on me and need me. (Helping Idolatry)
4. I have a certain level of wealth, financial freedom, and very nice possessions. (Materialism Idolatry)
5. My children and/or my parents are happy and happy with me. (Family Idolatry)
6. Mr. or Mrs. "Right" is in love with me. (Relationship Idolatry)
7. I am being recognized for my accomplishments, and I am excelling in my work . (Achievement Idolatry)
8. My life only has meaning or I only have worth if I am hurting, or in a problem; only then do I feel worthy or love, only then do I feel like I'm able to deal with guilt. (Suffering Idolatry)
I could stand here all day. Listing things could have just been the sermon, but then you would leave and I would have just spent half an hour or so accusing you all. Not really that effective of a sermon, right?
See, now I want to illustrate again how these things slip into our lives. I would think that the chances are pretty good you may be able to relate to at least one of those, I know that I can. But see, none of us actively sit here and think the phrase, "My life only has meaning, and I only have worth or value if fill in the blank."
I don't know that I've ever thought the exact phrase, "I only have value or worth if..." Instead, the focus is rather on the way that we live.
It's the way we live our lives that reveal the throne of our heart.
We don't think, "My life only has meaning and value if I have that new car or that new phone or dressed like so and so." Instead, we just drive ourselves into debt over stuff that doesn't ultimately matter and in doing so we reveal what's on the throne of our heart.
But here's the thing, everything I listed, and like I said, that could have just been the sermon this morning - listing idols - thank God it's not, right? But everything I listed is a surface idol, and this is so important this morning, they're not really the problem. They're a problem, yes, but not the problem.
At the time of writing this, it's July here in Middle Tennessee. We're in the time of year in which our yards are normally looking good - if we had rain like we should, right? This year is a different story, at least for my yard - no one come by, please.
But the first years that I lived here my yard was on point, y'all. I would double cut my grass in diagonals twice a week, and in my backyard I would do this thing where I would double cut it in opposing semi-circles, and then when it overlapped it was sweet. When I was finished, I would get myself some water or tea and sit on the back porch and look out across my yard, admiring my work - as one should do, by the way, for subduing your part of the earth like God commanded in Genesis 1 and 2. But really just feeling like the man I am, and then a couple of days later, I notice something. Something that I think can only be described as vile, wicked, and maybe pure evil would also be accurate: a patch of dandelions start coming up, and is that crabgrass? - which is the worst because it looks like grass, but I'm here to tell you it's not grass, and nutsedge, which has root systems as deep as 4 feet.
Weeds. Weeds that grow 3 to 4 times faster than the rest of the grass. While you can just simply mow it over and your yard will look great, the weeds just pop right back up.
When we deal with our idols, when we deal with our sin in the manner of the surface idols that I listed, it's like simply mowing over the weeds without pulling them out at the root, to get at the heart of the issue. To deal with surface idols, truly, we need to deal with root idols.
Let's look at the root idols that the surface idols stem from. There's four that we're going to look at and some of us will find ourselves in a particular one. Or maybe some of us will find ourselves in two or three, and God help us, some of us as I talk through these will find ourselves in all four.
Root Idols
Comfort Idolatry
"My life only has meaning or value if I have this kind of pleasure experience, or a particular quality of life.”
Now if you're someone who has a comfort idol, here's what you want - comfort. Go figure! They want privacy, they want lack of stress, they want freedom. And this often times just comes across as being laidback and easygoing, but at the cost of being productive because their greatest nightmare is encountering stress or demands.
Now maybe you're thinking, "Well good, that's not me - I strive under pressure! I gotcha, we'll get to ya, here in a second."
But for the person who worships comfort, that's the worst. Stress and demands. Greatest nightmare. But here's the thing, and listen closely here, others often feel hurt or neglected. Why?
Because when we're lazy above all else, when we pay the price of productivity for comfort, someone always gets hurt. That's because others feel like they don't matter. I'll get that done sometime. When? Sometime.
And the biggest problem emotion they experience is boredom. Why? Because we're not designed to just sit around doing nothing all day every day. Satan loves idle hands.
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." - Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)
As believers we glorify God by living our lives for Him, not allowing the enemy to take a foothold through boredom. And what's more is that relationships suffer - like I mentioned - because relationships take what? Work. They take getting in conversations, being exposed and vulnerable. They'll bounce from person to person never getting into a relationship deeper than just surface level. It's ironic, because the comfort idol never delivers what it promises. For all the comfort you seek by neglecting relationships and being bored, you just become more uncomfortable by the same amount.
So while comfort isn't a bad thing, and is certainly okay from time to time - to worship comfort, is at the heart of it, counterfeiting the peace we find in Christ - except the peace we find in Christ fulfills what is promised.
Comfort makes a terrible God.
Power Idolatry
"My life only has meaning or value if I have power and influence over others."
Or in other words, worshipping success, winning, or gaining influence over others. And more often than not, these worshipers are willing to pay the burden of responsibility. This thought of "I'll bear it - I'll go through the trenches. I'll handle it, if I can get more success then I'll handle it." So you're willing to pay price of bearing the weight of responsibility, to the point that a major fear is humiliation. When one worships success, it's not just about winning - it goes further than that. It's about not losing, and this more times than not results in others feeling used or manipulated. Worshiping success makes others feel like their relationship with you is just so that they can help you get to where you need to go.
Needless to say, the power worshipper is awfully competitive. And again - here's the thing, competitiveness isn't wrong. The desire in and of itself to win isn't wrong.
When I was in high school as a sophomore learning how to play guitar, I was taught my first chords from a close friend. I practiced those chords, G, C, and D. Eventually I started to learn some songs. It turns out that there are a ton of songs you can play with only knowing those chords. But then I realized that he was better then me - by a lot. He had the Hotel California solo down almost identically. So I practiced more because I wanted to be better. Not than him, but better than I was. As I improved, this led him to practice more, because he wanted to get better. We had a mutual goal of success, but not at the cost of our friendship. It's so easy thinking back to see how quickly that could have resulted in anger and a type of competitiveness that wasn't healthy whatsoever.
The Bible doesn't forbid competition. It's when we find that our competitiveness or drive for success often results in anger, and when we find our identity in the success that we gain, there's an issue.
A desire to be successful is great, but it's a terrible God.
Approval Idolatry
"My life only has worth or value if I am loved and respected by (fill in the blank)."
For those who worship approval, they're seeking: approval.
You want love, affirmation, relationships.
What does it cost? Independence.
They depend on others and their approval of them to find their worth in life. So much so that their greatest fear is rejection, and as such they'll make others feel smothered because they can't humanly love you like God can. And here's the tough thing, the biggest problem emotion for those that worship approval is cowardice. Dealing with the lack of a spine. It also takes the shape of people-pleasing. Maybe with one group at work you say something like, "That's a great idea! Yeah, we should do that." And then over here with this group, it's, "I can't believe they wanted to do that, your idea is way better." And at the end of the day you have to sleep with that knowledge. Thoughts like, "I disagree with so-and-so, but if I voice that opinion then what if I lose their approval? What if they don't like me anymore?"
I've been focusing on this and I'll continue to do so - it's not a bad thing to want people to like you. It's not a bad thing to want others to approve.
Some people, almost by nature, are more prone to people-pleasing. Those who tend to gauge their words and choices to avoid negative feedback. But here's the irony in this idol. Ultimately, at the end of the day - when a desire for approval is so great, so ultimate, that it results in chronic people-pleasing traits, you won't end up pleasing anyone. While we see in the gospels that Jesus loved, gave to, and served people, He also wasn't afraid to say what needed to be said, even when people got angry. He spoke exactly what needed to be said, even when it led to His death (Mark 15:1-2; John 18:37), but it was that death that led to our salvation.
So the desire to feel loved, the desire to feel affirmed is normal, and isn't in and of itself sinful - the problem comes what that fulfillment comes from the world rather than from God's love for each and every one of us.
Control Idolatry
"My life only has worth or value if I am able to get mastery over my life in the area of (fill in the blank).”
Those who worship control seek - control.
More specifically, maybe you find yourself seeking self-discipline, certainty, or standards - but this comes at the price of loneliness and spontaneity. These thoughts of "I've prepared everything for the trip, I know the weather for every day of the week down to the hour and I'll have everything I need." Or "I've read all of the articles I could find about going to the beach and someone died at the same beach we're going to - I'm not getting in the water, in fact no one should." This also takes the form of helicopter parenting - "No one will ever be in any danger, danger won't exist in this family..."It's this all-consuming desire thinking that you can control everything.
The greatest nightmare for those worshiping control, uncertainty. Other's often feel condemned, judged, or offended - and it results in loneliness. People not spending time with you because of the way they're made to feel.
A phrase so commonly found coming from the mouth of a control worshipper is this: "If you would only just _____ ...."
"If you would only just get your act together, then you would have been more prepared."
"If you would only just be better prepared, then that wouldn't have happened."
But at the heart of the matter, they worry. But it doesn't stop at worrying, it's truly a vicious cycle:
Worry --> leads us to seeking to control things --> but ultimately we realize that we can't --> which causes to worrying about it -> which leads to wanting to control it --> oops, but you can't control everything --> so you worry about it.... do you see the cycle?
Anxiety, worry, and fear well up inside, which leads to clamping down on control to mitigate those feelings. And it's this condemnation of others, or making others feel condemnation that results in loneliness.
It's a vicious, vicious, cycle. It's an enslaving cycle.
It's this thought of, "If I want something done right, I'll just have to do it myself."
This is control.
Dealing With Our Idols
So as we've walked through these, maybe you're thinking, "That's me! Nailed it!" or, "I'm not really sure... I'm worried that I might be all four...All I know is that I'm really angry about being bored because I'm lonely!"
Here's the good news.
When it comes to these idols, and we've done a lot of trucking through surface and root idols this morning, through a lot of messy stuff, because sin is messy and complicated. The good news is that the solution isn't.
Ready? It's one word: Repent.
A lot of the reason that I've laid out this language for us all this morning the way that I did, is so that as we move into the next weeks we can see the issues clearly, together.
"I'm a comfort worshipper, when I should be a God worshipper."
What so few tend to do is to own up it. Repenting of our sins, repenting of our idols, and looking to Christ is the gateway to joy. When we own up to all that we do, we can then see so much better and fuller all that Christ has done for us.
Jesus tells a beautiful story in Luke 7.
I'm paraphrasing the story here, but I encourage you to read it. He tells the story of a prostitute who comes in and falls at his feet. She's weeping, and she's washing his feet with her tears and her hair.
Simon the Pharisee thinks to himself, "If only Jesus knew what kind of woman this was, He wouldn't let her be doing what she's doing right now. He wouldn't let her touch His feet."
And Jesus answered Simon's thought - how cool is that (and a little freaky) - and said, "Two men owed a debt to a lender. One man owed a whole bunch and the other just a little. Both debts were forgiven of their debt. Who was more grateful?"
Simon knows he's busted and says, "Well, hmm. I guess it would be the one that owed a lot."
"You've answered correctly."
"Since I came into your home you didn't greet me, you didn't give me water. You didn't show me hospitality. You didn't show me that I was wanted or desired here. But this woman from the second she walked in the door washed my feet with her tears. Although her sins are many, they are forgiven fully." Mic drop.
What Jesus' point was to that room, and to us today - right now, is that when we own our sin and realize the sheer weight of it, when we dig down beyond the surface to the root of our sins and grasp the weight of it all - it magnifies what Christ did for us that much more.
"I'm materialistic.
I'm violent and angry.
I'm a liar.
I'm a manipulator.
I'm lazy.
I am a comfort worshipper.
I am a power worshipper.
I am a control worshipper.
I am an approval worshipper.
I am rebellious.
I am broken."
I just thank God that there's a three letter word that Paul uses all throughout the New Testament after pointing out sins - "but"
But thank God that we're fully accepted.
But thank God there's a savior that's rich in mercy and abounding in steadfast love that can bring us back from all of that. How magnificent, splendid, glorious, and beautiful.
Thank God that no matter our sins, we have a savior with which we can walk in joy.
