Is Your God Dead?
Text: 1 Corinthians 10:6-13
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
When we hear the word idolatry – not adultery with an “A”
but idolatry with an “I” - it is easy to imagine primitive people living in
caves with clubs, bowing down to carved
out gods made of stone or wood. But dear friends, let us not be so naïve to
think that we are somehow immune to idolatry, as if idolatry is only something
that can happen to so-called cave people long ago. No, we are not above idolatry for it is found
in every culture, in every continent, and –yes - in every generation. It even happens here in Minot, ND; it happens
in your families, in this church, and even in your very own heart.
An old French Theologian,
named John Calvin, once said,
“The
human heart is a perpetual idol factory.”
Yes, your heart – and my heart
as well – has a condition in which we manufacture idols. We shape and mold almost anything into a god
from within the caverns of our corrupt hearts.
Quite simply, when our hearts rely upon something other than God for our
ultimate security, well… that thing that we are clinging to is an idol! Whatever
you and I look to for goodness and safety – that is our god.
And so, idolatry is everywhere
because idolatry is not merely making an idol and praying to it but idolatry
happens when our heart sets its desire on something that is not the one-true-God. When your heart sets its desires on something
other than the one-true-God for help, pleasure, and worth, you have just
created an idol.
The Bible does not have gentle words to say about idolatry,
though. In our reading from the Gospel
of Luke, Jesus is quite clear that we cannot serve two masters. And the Apostle Paul, from our Epistle reading
in 1 Corinthians, clearly warns and condemns the problems of idolatry.
You see, when it comes to idolatry we are like a married
man with a wandering eye. Idolatry pulls
the heart away from the Lord God and places our attention not upon another
woman but upon something else as the ultimate source of goodness and
security. Idolatry splits the heart. It pulls our mind two different
directions. Idolatry creates theological
and spiritual two-timers, with one eye on the Lord and one eye on a mistress
idol.
This is why Jesus warns us about money in our Gospel
Reading. Keep in mind that money is not
bad. Money is not the root of all evil;
however, it is the ‘love’ of money that gets you and me into so much trouble. When our hearts shift away from God to money
as the ultimate source of goodness and safety….well, idolatry occurs. And remember, Jesus says that no one can
serve two masters – two gods. One will
either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise
the other. You cannot have your cake and
eat it too. You cannot ride the
fence. There is no middle ground! Our God is a jealous God. He does not tolerate theological two-timers. You cannot serve an idol and God at the same
time.
Now, just in case you might be tempted to think that you
don’t struggle with idolatry, let me point out that the easiest telltale sign
of the idols we have created in our hearts is to ask ourselves the questions,
“What do we defend with
tenacity when challenged the most?”
Or,
“What do we boast about to
others the most?”
You see, somewhere behind every defensive spirit, you will
typically find an idol. Since idols are lifeless things created in our hearts,
they must be defended by you and me when they are challenged by others. Have you ever met a person with a large
ego? Yup, behind that large ego, is a
large idol called prideful self-confidence.
Have you ever been defensive and lash out at people on social media over
politics? Chances are, you are defending
a threatened political idol. Have you
ever been a part of a fight in the church?
Yes, behind every fighting defensive spirit is an angry, self-righteous
idol. Christ is not divided, so those
who have His Spirit, do not fight.
Idols, though, they fight to stay alive and in power.
And regarding boasting?
When the Apostle Paul calls us to boast in Christ, we are not boasting
about anything within our hearts, but we are pointing ‘away’ from ourselves and
our self-constructed-idols to Christ. And
so, it could also be said that when our boasting points inward to ourselves, then
we are not upholding Christ but most likely upholding an idol lodged within the
dark caverns of our sinful heart.
Dear friends, this is so completely messed up! Idolatry is not only sinful but futile and
useless. Think about it for a
moment. Idols are not real – they are
only made and given power by the inclinations of our sinful hearts. Furthermore, idols cannot love you and cannot
pursue you back. There is nothing active
or alive about idols. They cannot even
bleed. And not being able to bleed is –
perhaps – the most important thing for you and I to consider.
Baptized Saints, mark this!
Hear this! You cannot have two
masters because there is no substitute for Jesus. Furthermore, you cannot have two masters
because you do not belong to dead idols but the living Christ. You were not purchased by dead-meaningless-futile
idols, but by Jesus and His precious blood shed for you.
Think of it this way. The Old Testament prophets describe
God as a pursuer- His perfect love always chases us. Like an abandoned husband
chasing after an adulterous spouse, like a lion chasing down its prey, our Lord
is living and active, always pursuing.
Our sin and corruption, though, blind us to God’s persistent
pursuit of us. We would rather cuddle up with our pretend gods, find comfort in
amassing wealth, and relax in the delicacies of the sinful slothful old Adam, while
not realizing that we are cozying up with a dead thing. The idols we make and cherish
neither cherish us back nor pursue us with goodness and mercy. These idols do not give to us but always pull
us deeper into the dark caverns of our sinful damning hearts. The idols we
create cannot save us as we journey toward death. Idols are dead already. We cannot take these idols to the grave, and
they certainly do not protect us from the grave.
But Jesus does!
Baptized Saints, the Lord our creator constantly calls us
to repentance. And through repentance He
prys our rigid, clenched hands away from our idols. He tenderly reminds us of His
constant pursuit of us. He barges
through the doors we’ve cowered behind and declares that we are HIS. He snatches
us back and declares with a boldness that HIS lifeblood flowed out to pay for
our sin. Unlike idols, Jesus bled for
you and me. Not only did He bled, but He
rose again and is alive.
And so, because our Jesus has rescued us from worthless
idols and because we cannot serve both idols and the Lord, we now know that
things like money, material goods, and so forth, are simple tools and things that
we do not worship, but use – as good stewards – to serve our neighbors. Indeed, we know that it is foolish to make
things like money into a god. Money,
possessions, and earthly pleasures have no power to possess us or protect
us. They are not alive, but again, simple
tools that we use in service towards our neighbors.
Dear Christians, know this day that your joy and security
are not in lifeless idols that are made from your hearts but in Christ who
stands above your hearts with forgiveness, life, and salvation.
And with Jesus, you live this life without a defensive spirit
because you know that Jesus is Lord, and quite frankly, He can defend
Himself. Indeed, Jesus is not a lifeless
idol that needs us to come to His rescue– He can take care of Himself.
Lift your heads, dear Christians, and fix your eyes on the
living God who has rescued you from dead idols.
Always remember who holds you.
See His wounded hands and side, and know the truth of this great pursing,
bleeding, dying, rising, and living God – Jesus Christ – who is your Master. And you, His servant.
In the
name of Jesus. Amen.
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