Thursday, October 11, 2007

"Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. . . . What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offer to idols is anything? Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?" (1 Corinthians 10:14-15, 19-22).

IDEA:  The major reason that God prohibits idolatry is that idols cannot save their worshipers.

PURPOSE: To help listeners realize that God wants people to come to Him and be with Him in heaven. He hates everything that stands in the way of that desire.

Do you think it is all right to mock another person’s religion? Would you do it?

I. The Hebrew prophets warned against idols by making them ludicrous.

God himself mocks the idols and the people who worship them (Isaiah 44:9-40).

This does not imply that there is nothing to the idol at all (see 1 Corinthians 10:9-22 above). Behind them are demons whose greatest desire is to keep men and women from God.

II. What is God’s major complaint about the worship of idols? First Corinthians 10:17—an idol cannot “save” them; it is impotent to do anything for the person who worships one.

We can laugh at the stupidity of idolatry, but pity those who worship something or someone who cannot save them and bring them to God.

The final verse of 1 John 5 warns, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

Stay away from anything in your life that stands in your way of relating to God. Only the true God can save us.