The Allure of Idolatry

Exodus 20:1  And God spake all these words, saying,  2  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me.  4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  5  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;  6  And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

GOD GAVE MOSES THE 10 COMMANDMENTS… the foundation of Law that was to bring us to Christ

VERY FIRST COMMAND…  Do NOT Worship any Other Gods Besides Me!

In other words… Idolatry   – Paul said =  I Cor 10: 14  Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

i·dol·a·try (º-d¼l“…-tr¶) n., pl. i·dol·a·tries. 1. Worship of idols. 2. Blind or excessive devotion to something.

We commit idolatry when we excessively devote ourselves to anything other then the One True God.

Excessive devotion IS Worship!

James 2: 19  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.                                                                   

All throughout time  – Humans have always been drawn toward Idolatry…  WHY? What is the ALLURE?

( EXODUS 32  – WHOLE CHAPTER )

TALKING POINTS:

32:1  And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

MUCH CONFUSION BEGINS WHEN OUR CONFIDENCE IN THE MAN OF GOD GETS SHAKY

No wonder the Lord says for us to honor the man of God etc…  (2 or 3 witnesses is needed etc)

Touch not mine anointed – do my prophets no harm  = WHY?  Cause it starts a chain reaction!

They didn’t have gold when slaves… they borrowed it from the Egyptians

Exo 12:35  And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:   36  And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.    = FLOCKS ALSO…    Everything needed to Worship!!!

4  And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

HOW IN THE WORLD CAN ANYONE BE THAT STUPID?

Answer:  They were not trained in right worship!  All their thinking came from Egypt

GOD HATES IDOLATRY

7  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:   8  They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

9  And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiff necked people:

NO WONDER SAMUEL TOLD KING SAUL…

I Sam 15: 22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

NOW I KNOW WHAT YOUR THINKING…  I DON’T COMMIT IDOLATRY…  Really?

Col 3: 5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, (DESIRE) and covetousness, which is idolatry:  6  For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:  7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.  8  But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.  9  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Idolatry is not just worshipping some false doctrine or deity… it is bowing to ANYTHING that is not God!

Gal 5: 19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,  20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

GOD SAID TO MOSES.. BACK UP AND LET ME DESTROY THEM!  (Idolatry is worthy of death)

But Moses pointed out…  Wait…

12  Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

15  And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.  16  And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

NO WONDER they broken tablets were later put in the Ark of the Covenant – Blood had to be sprinkled on the mercy seat in order to keep judgment away!   (there is no remission w/o the shedding of blood)

17  And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.  18  And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.

THEY WERE PARTYING!   HAVING A BLAST!  And committing idolatry all at the same time

(going to bars, doing crack, doing woman, Heroin )   WELL, if they had had it!

See, we are doing in our day what they did in their day!   We are idolaters!

19  And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.  20  And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strowed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

2 great points here   1.  Sooner or Later… You will have to drink of your idolatry (ingest / reap)

2.     Colloidal gold reaction turned the water red

col·loid (k¼l“oid”) n. 1. Chemistry. a. A suspension of finely divided particles in a continuous medium in which the particles are approximately 5 to 5,000 angstroms in size, do not settle out of the substance rapidly, and are not readily filtered. b. The particulate matter so suspended.

IT WAS THE FIRST TIME GOD HINTED THAT WATER COULD BECOME A

SUBSTITUTE FOR BLOOD CONCERNING THE SINS OF MAN!

21  And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?  22  And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.   23  For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

LISTEN:  THERE WILL BE PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH THAT TRY TO GET YOU TO SIDE WITH THEM ABOUT WHATS HAPPENED TO THE PASTOR…  DO YOURSELF A FAVOR…

DON’T GET PULLED INTO THEIR ATTITUDE OR REBELLION!

24  And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.    I MEAN WOW… JUST HAPPENED

We try to get out of what we created!  Adam said the woman you gave me did this!

25  And when Moses saw that the people were naked;  (loose)   (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)  26  Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

27  And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.  28  And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.  29  For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.  30  And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.

è  I AM GOING BACK TO MY ORIGINAL THOUGHT… WHAT IS THE ALLURE OF IDOLOTRY?

WHAT in tar nations would make people want to CREATE their own God as opposed to the real one?

            ANSWER:    An Idol is a God without Demands!    ( I can worship w/o feeling I have to change!)

After all… What is your false God gonna say to you???        THIS WAS GOD’S BEEF WITH THEM…

You worship gods that have    EARS (that cannot hear)  EYES (that cannot see)  MOUTHS (that don’t speak)   ARMS (that don’t hug)  HANDS (that do nothing)

YET YOU WORSHIP IT!!!

 

WHY?   – Because it doesn’t demand anything of me!

WANT TO READ SOMETHING UTTERLY FASCINATING?

Rom 11:1  I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.   2  God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,  3  Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.  4  But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.  5  Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.  6  And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. (THEY ARE NOT LIVING UP TO THE LAW)   But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.   7  What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, (GENTILE CHURCH)  and the rest were blinded  8  (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

9  And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them:  10  Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.  11  I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

WOW…  NOTICE…  God put a spirit of slumber on them…   THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS IN IDOLATRY!

YOU WILL START GETTING REVELATIONS YOU NEVER DREAMED YOU’D HAVE

II Thes 2: 8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:   9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,   10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:  12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

I HAVE UNDERSTOOD FOR YEARS – THERE IS A CONNECTION BETWEEN HOLINESS TEACHING AND DOCTRINAL REVELATION…  And I have seen that when a church throws SEPERATION teaching out… the Doctrine usually follows…  BUT I have not seen clearly why…

Until now…  Listen to Jesus speak about how revelation comes

Mark 4: 21  And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?  22  For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.  23  If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.  (HEAR = GIVE AUDIENCE TO UNDERSTAND)  24  And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.   25  For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

TRUTH COMES IN PIECES AND STAGES… AND EACH BIT REQUIRES US TO ACT ON IT!

You can’t say you believe in something if your not doing it!

You will never believe anything more then your willing to do!

è    At whatever level you stop loving and acting on truth…  You not ONLY stop getting fresh revelation…

BUT GOD STARTS TO REMOVE pieces of understanding he has already given you!

Listen as Jesus continues…

26  And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;  27  And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.  28  For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.  29  But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.  30  And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?  31  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:  32  But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.  33  And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.  34  But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

YOU CAN’T EXPLAIN EVERYTHING ABOUT HOW THE SPIRIT WORLD WORKS

BUT YOU CAN OPERATE IN IT AND LEARN HOW TO BE IN IT!

DON’T HATE EVERYTHING JUST CAUSE YOU CANT EXPLAIN IT!

There are some things we are told NOT TO DESPISE…

Job 5: 17  Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:  18  For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.

19  He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

Prov 23: 22  Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

Matt 18: 10  Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones;   (NEW CONVERTS & KIDS)

I Thes 5: 16  Rejoice evermore.  17  Pray without ceasing.  18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.   19  Quench not the Spirit.  20  Despise not prophesyings.  21  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

NOT TO DESPISE ONE ANOTHER ALSO!

BOTTOM LINE:

People resist the One True God BECAUSE He demands things of us!

 

Psa 53: A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.   2  God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.   3  Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

THE ALLURE OF IDOLATRY IS HAVING A GOD THAT MAKES NO DEMANDS

I Cor 8:4  As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.    5  For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)    6  But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.   7  Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge:

But as for me and my house… we will serve the Lord!