Remember These?
A Delusion, A Servant, and a New Song
Is. 41:21-42:17
I preached this sermon on May 30, 2009 at Mission Fellowship Church in Middletown, DE. The idea I presented was that Isaiah shows us how stupid our idols are, how worthy God’s alternative is, and how desirable it is to dump our idols and embrace his alternative with all our hearts.
The section I want to highlight from the sermon is the delusion of idols from Is 41:21-29. I first looked at the issue of idols. We often think of idols as “things” that consume our time and energy. But they are more than just images and figures and charms. In the Old Testament, people take idols into their hearts (Ezekiel 14:1-11). Therefore, we can define an idol as any heart-level substitute for God. This means an idol can be an addiction, a person or an activity. It is anything that our hearts put above our heart’s longing and desire for God.
An Idol is a good, God-Created thing, some gift of God that we use as a substitute for God himself. It is also anything other than God that becomes essential to our peace, our self-image, our contentment, our sense of control or our acceptability. Martin Luther said, “A god is that which we look for all good and in which we find refuge in every time of need. To have a god is nothing else that to trust and believe him with our whole heart.”
The question we need to answer is what do we place our trust in with our whole heart, where heart indicates our complete self. Anyone or anything other than God where we find ourselves doing that indicates that an idol may be in our midst.
Though we lean on them so much, idols cannot produce anything of value. They have never done anything for us. They cannot make us whole. They cannot heal us. They cannot bring us meaning.
Take some time and consider if there is anything apart from Christ that you are emotionally attached to, that you seek to find meaning or contentment in, or that is essential to your life. If so, you may need to build a fire and burn that idol.
Enjoy this song from Tammy Trent entitled, “I’m Letting Go”.
I’m laying down my burdens
I’m laying down my pain
Every care and worry that is written in this face
I’m letting go
I’m letting go
I’m laying down rebellion
I’m laying down my pride
All the broken promises within this broken life
I’m letting go
I’m letting go
Holding nothing back from You
Ready to do all the things You call me to
Holy hands are reaching up to You
I surrender
I surrender
I’m letting go
I’m pulling down the image
The idols I let stand
I’m holding to the hope that sure they’re resting in Your hands
I’m letting go
I’m letting go
I’m bowing in Your presence
Poured out before Your throne
To be a living sacrifice and follow You alone
I’m letting go
I’m letting go
Holding nothing back from You
Ready to do all the things You call me to
Holy hands are reaching up to You
I surrender, here I stand
I surrender, all I am
I surrender, my heart sings
I surrender
Holding nothing back from You
Ready to do all the things You call me to
Holy hands are reaching up to You
I surrender
I surrender
I’m letting go
I’m letting go
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Tags: Idols, Monday, Monday Highlights, Sermons
David,
Thank you for this. This theme of idolatry is something that God has been poking me about especially lately. I’m seeing how anything outside of God can become and idol, particularly good things taken to excess. I enjoy and am blessed by many of your posts. Keep building on the firm foundation by the blessed Spirit!