Sermons About Idol
How To Be Rich: Counterfeit Gods (Matthew 6:5-15)
In this day and age, most people are striving for more…a better job, a larger house, a flashier car, and the list goes on. There is more to life than chasing that elusive carrot that dangles so temptingly in front of you. Discover how to be truly rich, with what you already have. When we examine how we use our time and money, we can identify areas that we have replaced God with an idol. Here is the list of questions Josh shared tonight to discern your idols: What do I worry about the most? What if I failed or lost would it make me not want to live? What do I do to cope or feel better? What do I think most easily about? What preoccupies me? What do I daydream about? What makes me feel the most self worth? What do I want to be known for? What prayer unanswered would seriously make me think about turning away from God? What is my hope for the future? What are the clear paths of disobedience in my life?
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The Church of Thyratira: Revelation 2:18-28
In America, most of us have not been physically threatened for our faith. However, like the church at Thyratira, I would argue that most of our greatest temptations to compromise stem from either economic or social pressures. The church today is radically tempted to compromise by valuing the same things that the culture around us values. We serve a God who calls us to consider everything rubbish in order that we might gain Christ and be found in him. We cannot cling to the values of this world and still hold fast to the righteousness of our savior. Jesus offers us himself. Jesus calls us live lives of repentance, constantly letting go of our sin and clinging to his blood, shed on the cross for our sin, to forgive us and give us his perfect righteousness.
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The Church in Smyrna: Revelation 2:8
The church in Smyrna was made up of poor people who had endured many hardships. Jesus, the First and the Last, who defeated death, knows their tribulation, poverty, and the slander from the Jews that they have endured. Jesus tells them that he hears them, and yet they continue suffering. Not only does he call the church to not be afraid, he calls them to be faithful by treasuring him above all else, even to the point of death. He promises that the sufferings we experience right now, no matter how heavy they are, will one day seem light and momentary compared to the glory that he holds in store for his people. He suffered to end our suffering. He suffered so that no matter how much we have suffered at death, it is over. We will have an eternity with him.
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Change Deals With the Idols of the Heart
The elders of Israel were steeped in idolatry. One day they came to the prophet Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord and God made it plain that the only thing He was willing to talk about was the idols they had set up in their hearts. The practice of idolatry is far more prevalent than most us realize. Idolatry affects us at the heart level and steals the affection and devotion God rightly deserves. Whatever rules our hearts will exercise an inescapable influence over our thoughts and behaviors. Therefore, biblical change must thoroughly address the idols of the heart.
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Gospel and Idolatry: Our predicament and His perfection
"Is it possible to make something good, into something ultimate, therefore replacing worship for God, with that ultimate thing? In Romans 1, Paul writes, "for although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks to Him." Is this always intentional? Or does sin run so deep in us that we miss the idols we are creating? In the Church today, we quickly forget that idolatry sneaks in unannounced, unashamed and willing to do anything to steal our affection and worship to Jesus. What are the idols most prevalent in the Church today? This teaching focuses on how the Gospel of Jesus is our only hope for not only identifying those idols but also crushing them."
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Nehushtan
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.
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Exchanging Lies for Truth
The problem with Israel is our own, it is the gap between what we believe in theory and what we believe in practice. I may agree that God is sovereign (theoretical belief), but slip into deep anxiety when I am afraid or out of control (functional disbelief). What it means to grow in grace is to see the gap narrowed between what I confess to be truth and what I functionally believe in the moment. If it’s true that behind every sin is a lie, we are able to find a road out of the rut of despair and the feeling that our emotions and actions are inevitable. Nehemiah is helping us to see the path of hope in hopelessness, joy in the midst of suffering, and courage to fight our shame and disbelief.
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Set in Stone: What Do We Do with the Ten Commandments? Part 2
What does it mean in today's world to refrain from making or worshiping idols?
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Locking up Your Freedom - Galatians #9
What makes the Christian faith like no other? The good news of God’s grace is the bold claim that we are accepted by God not because we “follow the rules” or “fit the mold” but because Jesus gave his own life to rescue us. But many of us are still trying to earn God’s love with our performance rather than living in the freedom that Jesus has provided for us. In Galatians, Paul warns against the danger of religious systems that value people on grounds of accomplishment or status or cultural agreement. These things lock away our freedom in the futility of legalism, moral superiority and cultural arrogance. Focusing on either the racial/ethnic/cultural superiority or the moral successes of good works denies the gospel and divides Jesus’ followers. Join us as we explore how God offers us true freedom in Jesus and how the freedom of Christ transforms our hearts, our minds and lives.
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