Sermon Notes - April 28, 2024
Back to Eden // Joy Killers
Pastor Chris Pletcher
Exodus 32:1-6
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
1 Corinthians 10:1-5
For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
1 Corinthians 10:6-14
6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
Joy Killers:
Idolatry
“Idolater” = an image worshiper, a servant of false gods
Idolatry is closely connected to coveting in the New Testament. Ephesians 5:5 actually defines the covetous man or woman as an idolater. The word for “covet” is the same word for “lust” - but it’s lusting after property, possessions, or wealth.
It’s interesting that most of the idols that were worshiped by the nations were covered in silver and gold. There is a clear biblical connection between idolatry and “the love of money”.
Remember when they tried to trap Jesus on the issue of paying taxes? He said, “Bring me a coin. Whose image is on this?” It’s worth noting that all of our currency has an image on it.
But coveting is just the tip of the idolatry iceberg…
Exodus 20:1-4
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 (worship) them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.”
God alone can save us and give us what we truly need.
As such, He deserves FIRST PLACE in our hearts… our first love, our first trust, our first devotion… idolatry is often an issue of priority.
Anything in all creation can become an idol… meaning anything can take first place in our hearts, receive our worship, and become a false god. Some of the BEST THINGS in life can actually get out of order in our hearts and become enslaving idols.
God is jealous. He knows that ONLY HE can meet our deepest needs, so He will lovingly and righteously oppose our counterfeit places of security, our counterfeit lovers, and our counterfeit pursuits of significance and validation.
“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 it can satisfy our deepest needs and hopes. Anything can serve as a counterfeit god, especially the best things in life. What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give you.” - Tim Keller, “Counterfeit Gods”
Keller quote continued…
“A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would hardly feel worth living. An idol has such a controlling position in your heart that you can spend most of your passion and energy, your emotional and financial resources, on it without a second thought. It can be family and children, or career and making money, or achievement and critical acclaim, or saving “face” and social standing. It can be a romantic relationship, peer approval, competence and skill, secure and comfortable circumstances, your beauty or your brains, a great political or social cause, your morality and virtue, or even success in Christian ministry. When your meaning in life is to fix someone else’s life, we may call it “codependency” but it is really idolatry. An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, “If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.” There are so many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship.” - Tim Keller, “Counterfeit Gods”
Isaiah 30:15, 18-22
15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling… 18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
19 For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. 20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 22 Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!”