Idolatry - anything take the place of God

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

The fourteenth verse states; “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”  Will one flee from something they are comfortable with, or that brings them the hope of pleasure?  Do you as a follower of Christ have any understanding of idolatry?  Maybe a better understanding of the word will be of help to each of us; Idolatry: idol worship, now I feel much better, I have no idol in my home, not even anything close to a statue we pay homage to, and I’m betting that you do not either, so shall we move on?

Wrong, for that, is not the total definition of "Idolatry” it not only refers to false pagan worship, but idolatry is found in the hearts of mankind when they honor anything or allow anything to take the place of God.  I explored some of the great men of the faith about what they had to say on the subject: “You don't have to go to heathen lands today to find false gods. America is full of them. Whatever you love more than God is your idol.” (D. L. Moody)  “The God of the modern evangelical rarely astonishes anybody. He manages to stay pretty much with the constitution. Never break our by-laws. He's a very well-behaved God and very denominational and very much like one of us...we ask Him to help us when we're in trouble and look to Him to watch over us when we're asleep. The God of the modern evangelical isn't a God I could have much respect for.” (A. W. Tozer) And let’s end this with a quote from Robert Murray McCheyne “Self-righteousness is the largest idol of the human heart - the idol which man loves most and God hates most. Dearly beloved, you will always be going back to this idol. You are always trying to be something in yourself, to gain God's favour by thinking little of your sin, or by looking to your repentance, tears, prayers; or by looking to your religious exercises, your frames, etc.; or by looking to your graces, the Spirit's work in your heart. Beware of false Christ’s. Study sanctification to the utmost, but make not a Christ of it.”

The apostle Paul’s message was oneness in Christ, that each disciple of Christ has entered into one body and by participating in the Lord’s Supper represent a unified body that celebrates Christ death and His resurrection and our union in Christ.  The fellowship we share with other followers of Christ at the Lord’s Supper is a time to examine one's self and make sure you are not engaging in idol worship.

We looked at verse 22 yesterday, but this morning I ran across this insight by Kyle Idleman, from Gods at War; “You shall not make for yourself an [idol] in the form of anything... You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.” (Exodus 20:4-5) These are some of Kyle’s thoughts from his book; “Besides, what reason would God have to be jealous? Doesn't everything already belong to Him? Is there anything that competes with His power or his greatness? Of course not — at least not in reality. But what about in your heart?

God is jealous for your heart, not because He is petty or insecure, but because He loves you. The reason why God has such a huge problem with idolatry is that His love for you is all-consuming. He loves you too much to share you...”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice