LifePoint: We need to recognize, remove, and replace the idols in our lives.
Joshua 24:14-15 (NLT), “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”“The secret to change is to identify and dismantle the counterfeit gods of your heart.” - Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods
How do I Remove My Idols?
2 Kings 22:2 (NLT), “He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right.”
2 Kings 22:10 - 11 (NLT), “Shaphan also told the king, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.’ So Shaphan read it to the king. When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair.” 2 Kings 23:3 (NLT), “The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the Lord’s presence. He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all his commandments, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul. In this way, he confirmed all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll, and all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.”2 Kings 23:4 (NLT), “Then the king instructed Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second rank of the Temple gatekeepers to remove from the Lord’s temple all the articles that were used to worship Baal, Ahserah, and all the powers of heaven.”King Josiah…Burned - v. 4
Did away with - v. 5
Burned, ground to ashes, threw the dust - v. 6
Tore down - v. 7
Destroyed- v. 8
Defiled - v. 10
Removed and burned - v. 11
Tore down, destroyed, smashed to bits - v. 12
Desecrated - v. 13
Smashed and cutdown - v. 14
Burned down and ground it to dust - v. 15
2 Kings 23:25 (NLT), “Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since.”Replacement of the idol:
2 Kings 23:3 (NLT),
“The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant…”Jeremiah 19:5 (NLT), “They have built pagan shrines to Baal, and there they burn their sons as sacrifices to Baal. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!”1 Kings 18:26, 28-29 (NLT), “So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, ‘O Baal, answer us!’ But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made. 28 So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until blood gushed out. They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response.”1 Kings 18:38 (NLT), “Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up the water in the trench.”
Baal represented Protection, Power and Control.He was worshiped by:
- Bowing down - Numbers 25:2-3
- Sacred pillars and sacred stones - 2 Kings 3:2
- Vestments (special clothes/robes) - 2 Kings 10:22
- Calf worship - 2 Kings 17:6
- Altars - 2 Chronicles 23:17
- Child sacrifice - Jeremiah 19:5
- We can sacrifice our families on the altar of our idols
- Prophesying in the name of Baal - Jeremiah 23:13
What does that look like in our world today?
- Money
- Power
- Anger
- Strength
- Education
- Powerful friends
- Manipulation
- Lack of submission
- Title
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV), “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Kings 23:3 (NLT), “The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the Lord’s presence. He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul. In this way, he confirmed all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll, and all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.”“If you uproot the idol and fail to plant the love of Christ in its place, the idol will grow back.” -
Tullian Tchividjian - Pastor and Christian author (grandson of Billy Graham)
Protection and power redirected:The Lord is King of Kings -
Revelation 19:16 (NLT), “On his robe at his thigh was written this title: ‘King of all kings and Lord of all lords.”
The Lord is Enthroned over Everything -
Psalm 29:10 (NLT), “The Lord rules over the floodwaters. The Lord reigns as king forever.”
The Lord is a Shield around Me -
Psalm 3:3 (NLT), “But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head up high.”
The Lord is a Strong Tower -
Proverbs 18:10 (NLT), “The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.”The Lord will Supply our every Need -
Psalm 34:10b (NLT), “...but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.” 