Idols of the Heart: The Sin of False Worship
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Introduction
Introduction
As we begin this new series on “House Cleaning: Preparing the Heart to Celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus,” we begin by examining idols of the heart. This morning we want to learn why idols of the heart are such a pernicious threat to our walk with the Lord and we want to learn how to identify those idols and to confront those idols.
1 John and Idolatry - As I was contemplating this topic and preparing for today’s message my mind eventually moved to the First Epistle of John. In this first letter, John concludes his letter in a very unique way (some would even go so far as to call it strange/out of place). John says this:
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
John declares to us a simply, yet emphatic command. That believers are to keep themselves from idols.
This seems strange because idolatry doesn’t seem to addressed in the book of 1 John.
So the question must be asked of why John would make this statement. Some have erroneously suggested that perhaps this isn’t even the correct ending to this letter.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ and Idolatry - However there is, I believe, a link between this statement and the rest of John’s letter. This link is likewise the link between this series of messages and what we will gather to celebrate on Easter as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. John makes this link at the very beginning of his letter.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—
the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—
that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
John is doing something unique here in his description of Jesus Christ. Jesus is different in that he revealed God in way that is definite and certain. Jesus was a god-man who existed in time and space. Men looked upon him with their very eyes. The disciples heard from his mouth the incarnated voice of God. Men and women touched them with their hands and knew Jesus personally.
Jesus is set apart in that he exists as the ultimate revelation of God. This John says separates Jesus out as truly unique. Some have even suggested that John may also be alluding to ideas present in the Old Testament about idolatry in this opening of his letter. For instance, in Psalm 135:15-18 the Psalmist declares that idols have “mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not hear; nor is there any breath in their mouths.” Here in 1 John 1:1-4 Jesus is set apart in that he is the ultimate revelation of the real and true God.
Beyond that Jesus Christ’s resurrection identifies him as clearly divine, in that his resurrection declared him to unequivocally be the Lord of life, the son of God.
Thomas - This is made clear in the scene that we often think of at Easter with “doubting Thomas.” We all likely remember the account of how Thomas declared that “unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Yet, after Jesus appeared to Thomas what did he say? We read it in John 20:27-28.
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
Paul’s writing in Romans also makes this point about Jesus divinity, and he even does so in a text that will later deal with the idolatry of the human heart. Romans 1:3-4 says,
concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh
and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
This, then, brings us back to the simply command of the ending of 1 John which really is the central point of my message to you this morning.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Proposition: The Lordship of Jesus Christ demands that we tear down idols of our heart.
Today we are going to unpack, as I said, how do we do this? Why are idols of the heart such an issue for us? How do we identify idols of the heart? And how do we confront them?
The Reality of Worship
The Reality of Worship
One of the first things the Scripture teaches about this problem of false worship is to understand who we are, what were we created for? We learn throughout the Scriptures that we essentially were created and designed to be worshippers. We were created to be in fellowship with God as genuine worshippers of God.
Designed to Worship
Designed to Worship
1 John - In many ways 1 John 1:1-4 explained this to us when John said that he was writing so that we might have eternal life and fellowship with God. John said that he was writing these things so that our joy would be complete. The reality is that God created us to be in fellowship with Him. He created us to worship him.
OT Law - We see this present in the Old Testament Law in Deuteronomy 6. Therein we read about the fundamental command of the Law of God “to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” That same passage in the law goes on to say that,
“And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build,
and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full,
then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.
You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—
Jesus in John 4 - Jesus likewise asserted that the fundamental purpose of man is to worship God in John 4:21-26 in his discussion with the woman at the well.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.”
Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
The Reality of Worship - The reality, the truth, is that we were created to worship God. God as our creator has abundantly blessed us
Problem of False Worship
Problem of False Worship
John Calvin famously wrote, “the human heart is a perpetual idol factory” or differently translated, “the human condition is driven by idolatry.”
Humanity has a deep seated problem with idolatry. This is made abundantly clear to us in the pages of Scripture. One author declared about this reality that, “Idolatry is by far the most frequently discussed problem in the Scriptures.” For instance,
The Shema - We already discussed the Shema in Deuteronomy 6 wherein God warns against idolatry.
The 10 Commandments - The first three of the commandments deal with this problem of idolatry where in Exodus 20 the law declared that “Israel was to have no other gods before Yahweh,” that they were not to “make for yourself a carved image,” and that they were not to “take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” Likewise, Exodus 32 reveals that the very first sin committed by Israel as Mt. Sinai was the sin of idolatry.
The problem, however, is not one of merely bowing down before graven images, but one that goes much deeper than that. We see that hinted at in the first commandment where idolatry is not simply a problem of images, but it is a problem of priority. It is not enough to keep from the physical worship of idols, but God’s people are called to put God first.
"Idols of the Heart” - Ezekiel 14:1-5 reveals to us that the problem of idolatry is not an external but an internal problem. In the text we actually hear the phrase that is found in the title of my message today, “idols of the heart.” In this account we learn of certain supposed elders of the people of Israel who do not merely have an external problem of idol worship, but they have a heart issue of idol worship.
Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me.
And the word of the Lord came to me:
“Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?
Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols,
that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols.
You notice at the end of that section that the Lord declares that He is going to “lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel.” The problem reaches into their heart. This idea is repeated in Ezekiel 20:26 where it says “their heart went after their idols.” The problem was not merely with an external false worship, but an internal false worship.
Worship of Creation - Likewise, back in Romans 1, Paul after declaring that Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead, Paul goes on to address the problem of idolatrous heart of man saying, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” Going on he says, “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”
Application:
Fundamental to human existence is a designed stance of worship. Fundamentally we are worshippers.
Sin has desperately corrupted the heart of human worshippers and mankind foolishly and regularly follows after other gods.
Christians, we are redeemed worshippers. God has given us everything we need to worship Him rightly, yet we still must wage a war against the temptation towards idolatry. Although we don’t have time to explore these things in depth, 1 John reveals to us that, like Old Testament Israel, we are surrounded by competing influences on our worship. John identifies them in 1 John 2:14-17 by saying that a believer must be ready to cut himself off from the temptation towards idolatry that is present in the world and on display in the lust of flesh, desires of the eyes, and the pride of life.”
Identifying False Worship
Identifying False Worship
Now that we understand that we have this God designed bent towards worship that our sinful nature corrupts and twists, we need to understand how we can identify false worship. In some sense this is simple, yet in another it is extraordinarily difficult.
Simplicity - It is simple in that the teaching of Scripture could not make it more obvious about what idolatry is… even taking the Old Testament Law as an example, we could very easily make the simple statement that false worship occurs anytime God does not have first place in my heart. To put it another way, I am to love the Lord my God with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my ability.”
Complexity - However, what are the warning signs that help me to identify when I am not loving God in this way.
Scriptures - First, Scripture gives us some clues. I am not going to elaborate a lot on these passages here, but just point them out and then draw some questions which can help us evaluate and identify false worship.
And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,
Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
In each of these passages, and we could cover dozens and dozens more, we see subtlety of idolatry on display. So what are some ways that we can identify idolatry? I would like to share with you 5 questions you can ask that I believe will help you identify areas of your life where the sin of false worship may be subtly creeping in. (These five questions aren’t totally original with me.” I am relying on a handful of authors that have posed some really helpful evaluative questions.
What do you love?
This is the question posed to us in 1 John 2:15. These things which we love become idolatrous when our love for them supplants or comes before our love for God. Chances are there are a myriad of people and things that we would say that we love. Certainly a number of those loves are good and righteous. Many of us would say “I love my wife,” “I love my children,” “I love my job,” “I love my house.” In and of themselves, viewed and utilized as gifts from God, those loves aren’t necessarily wrong. But, do I love those people and things more than I love God?
Illustration: Demas in 2 Timothy 4:10.
We have to then ask ourselves do I love these things rightly? Have these loves become disordered where I am loving them above the Lord?
What do you desire? What do you hunger after?
These are questions posed to us in Colossians 3:5 where Paul lists essentially two inordinate desires and declares them to be idolatry. He lists both sexual desire and covetous desire and says simply that they are idolatry. James 4:1-4 calls us to ask examine this as well when he examines conflicts within the assembly being rooted in unfulfilled and inordinate desires.
As human beings, as creatures, God has created us with embodied needs, desires, hungers. We grow hungry and we desire food. We grow tired and we desire rest. We are incomplete and we desire a spouse.
Many of these hungers and desires that we have, again are not inherently evil, but when they become consuming to the place where they supplant God as the one who meets those needs, when we wrestle God’s role of providing those things to us away from him and decide that we must get them on our own we fall into the sin of idolatry.
What do you trust?
This is a question posed to us in Psalm 20:7 and Psalm 146:3. It is a problem addressed by Paul in 1 Timothy 6:17 where he tells pastors to “remind those who are rich not to “set theirs hopes on the uncertainty of riches.”
Again our creatureliness makes us dependent beings. We do not exist on our own, and by our own power. God has designed us in such a way that we are not sufficient on our own. Even, marriage, is in some way designed to teach us this reality that we are insufficient on our own. The problem with our heart is that it naturally moves to trust in other things. We can trust in finances, government, family, friends. All of these things have their place, but they become inordinate when they
What do you serve?
This is a question posed to us by Christ in Matthew 6:24 where he declares that “we cannot serve two masters.” It is posed to us again in Galatians 1:10 where Paul declares that he is not seeking the approval of men but of God. What is the end to which we are working and striving. Again there are a variety of things that we can serve? We can serve our own ego? We can serve at the altar of getting a bigger job? A bigger home?
You can identify this kind of idolatry by seeing, for example, what people are most excessively taken up with, and most careful to accomplish. Or, by looking at what people will go to greatest lengths to attain. Or, by what gets most of their time and energies. Or, by what most sways, and overcomes, and overawes them most, so that they cannot resist it, even supposing they have to thrust aside a duty to God, or it puts them out of sorts for duties of worship.
What do you fear?
Another question to ask is posed to us places such as Romans 1:16, 2 Timothy 1:8, and 1 Peter 4:16 is what causes us to shrink back in fear or shame?
We may fear people, or events, more than we fear God. Fear can make us sin, or at least keep us back from doing what we should, either in little things or important things.
Application:
Asking Questions of the Motives and Intentions of My Heart
Evaluating whether even good things have supplanted God in my life.
Confronting False Worship
Confronting False Worship
Now that we understand how to identify areas of false worship in our hearts let us, last of all, examine how those areas of idolatry can be confronted in a way that will reshape you into a better worshipper of the Lord.
The Spirit and The Scriptures
Illustration: Mirror allows us to see who we really are… interestingly Scripture identifies both the Spirit and the Word as the mirror in the believers life.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
The importance of the work of the Word in a believers life is made plain in texts such as Hebrews 4:11-13 and James 1:22-25.
Believers need to be saturated in the Word, but they also need to be actively engaged in responding to the Word.
Believers also must be sensitive and engaged with the movement of the Spirit in life.
The Shepherds and the Saints
God has also granted to us two incarnate realities in life that he intends to use in sanctification.
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Here we see the importance of giving ear to the admonishment both of pastors and of one another.
Pastors serve to lead in the congregation in this capacity. We would do well to pay attention to their voices.
Likewise, we should have relationships within the church that are open to admonishment.