01-06-2019 – Keith Cozort – What Was And Is Idolatry Part 1 (PM Sermon)

Are certainly grateful for your attendance this evening. And Cheryl is not able to be here. She wasn’t feeling great this morning. As most of you are aware, but this afternoon she really was not feeling good at all. And one of the ways that I know when she’s not feeling good and really not feeling good is when she tells me, I think I better stay home tonight.

Most times I’m having to tell her, I really think you need to stay home. You probably don’t need to go when she tells me and I haven’t even said anything. I think I need to stay home tonight. Then I know she’s not feeling good. So please remember her in your prayers. If you would it’s evening. I want us to talk about idolatry.

What was, and is idolatry this evening. We’re going to concentrate on what was idolatry, according to what the Bible teaches. Lord willing. Next Sunday night, we’ll look at what is idolatry. As we think concerning that open up your Bibles with me. If you will, to Exodus chapter 20 and Exodus chapter 20, of course, this is where Moses received the 10 commandments from God.

But I want us to read verses three through six. As we begin this lesson, God says to Moses now shall have no other gods before me now shall not make unto thee any graven 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. Thou shall not bow down to them or bow down myself to them nor serve them for I the Lord,

thy, God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children under the third and fourth generation of them. That hate me and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments here. God says to Moses to tell the children of Israel, thou shalt have no other gods before me notice. There is no. If there now shall have no other gods before me or unless if,

but whatever it is, there’s, that is a statement in and of itself that there is no contradiction to, there are no conditions placed upon that. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. And yet, as we are going to notice, and as you well know, children of Israel, didn’t abide by that command or those, but I want you to also now turn to Matthew chapter 22 in Matthew chapter 22.

Remember here is where Jesus is going to be asked concerning what is the greatest commandment We’re going to read verses 34 through 40 From the 22nd chapter. But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him and saying master, which is the great commandment in the law.

Jesus said unto him, thou shall love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind, this is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto him. Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself on these two commandments, hang all the law and the prophets. So Jesus was asked, what is the great commandment?

What is the greatest commandment? If you remember in the old Testament, it has been stated that there were over 600 laws given in the old Testament, under the law of Moses. And so evidently this was something that they did quite often among the Pharisees is debate over, which is the greatest commandment. And so this particular lawyer or scribe is one who asked the question of Jesus.

He is testing him. He is tempting him. What is his answer going to be? And so he asked him, what is the great Commandment in the law? And Jesus’ response is thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind, this is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto him.

Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself on these two commandments, hang all the law and the prophets. So he asked for what is the greatest law. Jesus gives him the greatest law and then the second greatest law, if they couldn’t agree on what was the greatest law, they certainly are not going to agree on what is the second greatest law, but no doubt,

Jesus called this the first and the greatest commandment because in actuality, in truly obeying the command one will obey all the other commands. If you truly love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and Luke would say strength, if you truly love God, that way, you’re not going to have any problems with the other commandments that are given. And if one loves God with all of his heart,

soul, and mind, he’s not going to quibble about God’s instructions. He’s not going to whimper about such things and say, well, I just don’t see why I have to do that. No. If one loves God with all of his heart, soul, and mind, he’s going to do what God says do even if he doesn’t see why it’s necessary to do that.

And that’s the very point that is made when you turn over to John chapter 14 and in verse 15 there, Jesus says, if you love me, keep my commandments. And so if one truly loves, Jesus truly loves Christ. Then he’s going to do what Jesus says to do. If he’s going to debate or argue or resent or anything that Jesus tells us to do,

then he doesn’t really love Jesus. That’s the point that Jesus is making there. What is idolatry? We’re going to begin. First of all, by looking at it from a historic Cool standpoint, I’ll do the old Testament. Idolatry originally meant the worship of idols or the worship of false gods by means of idols. And so that’s generally what we think of when we think of idolatry,

the them bowing down to these images, these idols portraying and believing that they are a God. When in fact they are nothing other than the work of man’s hands and trying to believe, and to be ones who, who believe that these images are those who produce great Power and bring great benefits to man’s life among the Hebrews. It came to mean any worship of false gods,

whether you actually bowed down to that false God or not, but most of them would generally do that. And so it didn’t matter if it was images or something else that one could devise. If they were worshiping it, then it was idolatry. It finally came to mean the worship of Jehovah God through visible symbols. Notice with me a couple of instances,

turn to Exodus, chapter 32. Remember when Moses is up on Mount Sinai, receiving the commandments of God, the children of Israel, along with Aaron or those who are down at the bottom of the mountain. And they are already in the process of breaking the commandments that God has given to Moses at this very point in time. And so in chapter 32,

and in verses one through six, we read. And when the people saw that Moses to come down out of the mouth, the people gathered themselves together under 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 watched or no,

not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives and of your ch your sons and of your daughters and bring them unto me. And all the people break off the golden earrings, which were in their ears and brought them under Aaron and re he received them at their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool.

After he had made it a molten after he had made it a molten calf. And they said, these be thy gods O Israel, which brought the up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made proclamation and said, tomorrow is a feast to the Lord. And they Rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings.

And the people sat down to eat and to drink and Rose up. Yeah, There are a couple of different ideas concerning what is stated here, as far as what the people are doing, what their intention is. Some hold to the idea that because this is a molten calf, that air, it is going to make that they are intending to worship the gods of Egypt that may or may not be the case.

It seems among the children of Israel, that they always had this desire to have some sort of physical resemblance for them to be able to say, this is our God much like they did down in Egypt, but not intending to worship the gods of Egypt intending to worship the true God, but they wanted some sort of physical resemblance or a physical thing that they could bow down to.

And therefore, that’s what they ask of air Here. Well, The indication seems to be in my mind anyway, they’re not intending to worship those false gods of the Egyptians. They just simply want something to where they can bow down to it in order to represent God. Because remember the only representation they have of God is the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of smoke.

During the day, you turn over to first Kings chapter 12. There you remember is where Jeroboam, who’s going to. After the dividing of the kingdom is going to set up his own religion for the children of Israel and beginning in verse 26, first Kings chapter 12. And Jeroboam said in his heart now, shall the King have returned the house of David.

If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then sell the heart of this people, turn again under their Lord, even under reasonable King of Judah, and they shall kill me and go again to rehabil I’m King of Judah whereupon, the King took council and made two calves of gold and said unto them. It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem,

behold, thy gods O Israel, which brought the up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel and the other put he in Dan and this thing became a sin for the people, went to worship before the one, even Dan notice that Jeroboam here as we were studying last quarter and studying concerning this particular chapter, how that after the kingdom is divided and he is now King over the Northern 10 tribes that he becomes concerned because the children of Israel are required to go to Jerusalem where the temple is in order to worship God.

Well, if they going to Jerusalem every year in order to worship God, those three major feast days that they were required to be there. Then if that is going to happen, eventually they’re going to decide why are we divided? We can do this being United. And there’s no reason for Jeroboam to be Archy. And therefore he believed in the way they would seek to kill him as a result of that.

So he devises this scheme with the council of the men that he has around. Yup. In that they make two calves of gold and they placed them one in Bethel and the other in the Northern most part of Israel at the city of Dan. And he tells the people that it’s too much for you to go all the way down to Jerusalem in order to worship God.

So instead you come to one of these two places in order to worship. And so here again, notice that these two cabs are not intended to represent idolatrous gods, but they are intended to represent God himself. And therefore it is at these places. They can go and worship rather than going all the way down to Jerusalem. Now, again, we make mentioned concerning the fact that the distance between Bethel and Jerusalem is only about 12 miles,

and yet it’s not too far for them to go to Bethel in order to worship, but it’s too far to go to Jerusalem in order to worship. But the idea seems to be that he’s trying to, you say these representations of God are those that you are to worship. Now. He’s not going to remain that way for very long, but yeah.

Seems to be the reason for the starting of the worship of these calves. These images was because they wanted something physical. Well, when you turn over to the prophet Hosea in Hosea, chapter eight, there in verses five and six, God’s speaking to Hosea says die calf, Oh, Samarria have cast the off mind. Anger is kindled against thee. How long will it be aired?

They attain to innocency four from Israel. Was it also the Workman made it, therefore it is not God, but the Catholic some shall be broken in pieces. Oh, this is what God says. He says there, the Workman made it. Therefore it is not God, No representation That man can make his God. And yet That is exactly the reason that they are going to be punished And that they are going To go into a captivity and they will be those.

He speaking to Samarria, that’s the Northern kingdom. They are going to be taken by the Assyrians and they will never return as a nation. Again, They are Looking for physical things to represent God, is the indication there? Well, when we come to the new Testament, ultimately Idolatry came to mean the giving to any creature or human creature, the honor or devotion,

which belong to God alone. So it Ultimately by the time you get to the new Testament, it’s a matter of if you worship anything other than God, then that is Tree First Corinthians chapter 10 in first Corinthians chapter 10. Remember this is where the apostle Paul is speaking to the brethren in Corinth. And he is reminding them concern The Jews specifically Ugly reminding them concerning the Jews as they were wandering in the wilderness.

And even as they came into the promised land as to how they rebelled against God and against his word. But in the process of doing that, he says in verse 14, wherefore, my dearly beloved flee from idolatry Because That was characteristic of the children of Israel. When they were wandering in the wilderness, that was characteristic as was shown there in Exodus chapter 32,

as Moses is receiving the law of Moses, they are already violating what God has instructed for them to do the idolatry. Paul says, that’s how important it is when you turn it over to Galatians. Chapter five, remember here in chapter five is this part of chapter five is where the apostle Paul is going to speak to them concerning what they are expected to do and how that he says in Galatians.

Did I say Ephesians Galatians chapter five? How we have the works of the flesh that are listed here beginning in verse 19. And in verse 20, Paul says included in the works of the flesh, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions heresies. Idolatry is in the list of the works of the flesh. Paul says,

and then when you turn over to first Peter chapter four first Peter chapter four there in verse three, Peter Says for the time past of our life must suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles. When we walked in lasciviousness lust, excess of wine, rebels things, banquet things, and abominable idolatries here, Peter speaks concerning doing these things as being those who follow the will of the Gentile.

Those who are not only outside the body of Christ, but those who are not even Jews, I Davo trees. It also came to mean the giving to any human desire of precedence over God’s will such as covetousness Colossians chapter three. And in verse five is where the apostle Paul speaks concerning things that need to be mortified. They need to be put to death in our lives.

And so he says, mortified, therefore, your members, which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil can compass sense and covetousness, which is idolatry covetousness. Paul says is the same as idolatry. And yet it’s interesting how many times people have problems with covetousness, whether they will even admit it or not. Paul says covetousness is the same thing as idolatry.

It has the same mindset which brings that about. And so the idea of that’s being spoken of here is that ultimately it came to be anything, whether as far as creature is concerned, or as far as heavenly bodies are concerned, or whether it represents nothing but symbolizes God himself, that anything that man respects more than God, that is an idol unto him.

That is idolatry. Well now I want us to step back again and look at idolatry. In the old Testament, We, we Gave a historical perspective concerning idolatry, but now it’s, let’s look at some things from the old Testament that are given to us about idolatry. This first commandment that God gives to Moses here in Exodus, chapter 20, where he is beginning to give the 10 commandments,

God says unto him in verse three, thou shalt have no other gods before me, no other gods before me. The basic message of this particular command is that God must be first and he must be the one. And the only Basis of our allegiance Must have top priority. He must be first in our lives. Our allegiance must be him to him.

First. Somebody says, well, I believe in God, Todd, do you put him first in your life? Why certainly I do. I put him first, right behind this and this and this and this. Then he’s not first. He’s not first. And even in the old Testament, God is making the point that he is to be first thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Now I think sometimes you have the idea, especially those of us in this country anyway, have the idea that there’s no real need to study concerning idolatry because we don’t know of anybody that bows down to idols. Oh, really? You think concerning what some of the denominations are doing. And they bow down to various images. They offer various kinds of gifts and stuff to those images.

They pray to those images. What are they doing? They’re making idols. That’s what they’re doing. They claim to be believers in God. They claim to be those who believe who are part of Christianity. Yeah. If they follow after worshiping the vitals, Then you go from this country and you go to other, and there’s no ifs, ands or buts,

but that they’re bowing down to images as a part of their worship. Idolatry is still here folks. And it’s in this country, but it’s also all around the world. So yes, there is the need to study concerning idolatry. This particular command of God Is the cornerstone Upon which all the other commands of God. Recce. And again, that’s the point that Jesus makes,

this is the greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it. And upon these two commandments, Jesus said all the law and the profits Recce this commandment, okay. Thou shalt love or thou shalt have no other gods before me. It is such that it demands that one come to believe in the one true living. God, if you don’t truly believe in the one true living,

God, then you can’t put God first in your life. You can’t say that there is only one. God, if you’re not willing to believe in that, God, it demands that one come to believe that there is one and only one true living God. Somebody says, well, I believe in God, but I also believe in this and this and this and this.

Then you don’t believe in the one true living God as being the only one God throughout scriptures throughout the scriptures is one who is demonstrating over and over again. He was even as we studied concerning Elijah and being on Mount Carmel with 450 prophets of bale, that God is demonstrating there with that contest. That takes place that I am the one, the only God,

there is nobody else. And he proved it, proved it. This particular command Demands. That one have a proper perspective on freedom as well as the authority of God. If he is the only God, then he is the one to which we are to listen. He is the one that provides for us. True freedom. There’s nobody else that can do that.

There is no other God that can do that because there is no other God. This first command clearly implies that God has all authority. He is the creator. No one else. And yet remember Involved in this. As we learned from John chapter one and acts chapter 17 and other passages is that Jesus is the one who actually did the creating. The word that became flesh is the one who made all things.

There was nothing made that was not made by him. He is that part of deity that made those things. And so, As God says, thou shall have no other gods before me. This particular command is one that makes clear that man has an obligation to God almighty. He is the one who is in charge. Therefore we are obligated to do that.

And when this is fully expanded, it makes clear that men can be truly free only by being in a right relationship with him in a right relationship with God. There is no one else, no other relationship that can bring about that kind of freedom and that kind of forgiveness that is available. When you look at the second command here in the old Testament,

thou shall not make under the, any graven images or any graven image. Again, God does not say thou shall not make unto thee any graven image, unless it’s this or this or this or this. No, there is no, unless there is no exception that is there. The command is thou shalt not make under the, any graven image. Well,

The basic message of this second command is that men must not turn aside to worship the creature rather than the creator. When you think concerning, I don’t know if you’ve ever taken the time to look through a Bible dictionary or a Bible encyclopedia to look up the various false gods that are listed in the old Testament, for example, to see the various representations that are there of what those false gods looked like.

And yet it’s, it’s amazing as to, as is the case with even today, when man tries to devise something in his own mind that has never existed before. I don’t know how many of you watch star Wars back in the day, back in the seventies or then, and in the first episode that was presented anyway, even though it was number four officially,

but there’s one particular scene where they’re in a Cantina. If you remember, and there are these all different kinds of beans from different planets that are there in that Cantina. And yet as you, if you remember any way, if you look at every single one of those beans, they all have something that is characteristic of this particular of this earth on which we live,

that they have to use things that they know of to represent something that some sort of beam that doesn’t exist, but they can’t just come up with something to try to represent that without it being something that they already know about. And so you had various animals that had elephant heads or, or lizard heads or whatever. It may be in different parts of their bodies had different kinds of things.

And yet that was to illustrate concerning an alien, but they have to use things that they’re familiar with in this life, matching them up, mixing them up in all different kinds of ways to represent things that are considered to be aliens. Well, yeah, You go and you look at the illustrations that we have concerning these false gods because of the archeological discoveries that we have.

We know what many of them were portrayed as, and they too are ones that were portrayed in, in ways that man understands or recognizes, but somewhat mixed up in order to have it be something that is not truly alive. One of the things that I use anyway, as an example of this is to, is to think concerning the God day, God,

okay. We know concerning the old Testament, referring to the God date gone and how the Philistines would when they took the Ark of the covenant, they took it and they put it in front of the God day gone. And we, we studied not too long ago in the adult class concerning how that overnight that God Dagon fell down in front of the Ark of the covenant,

did they’d stand around and wait for it to be lifted back up and for the God day, gone to lift himself up and put him back on the pedestal. No, they had to lift him up and set him up because they knew he couldn’t do it by himself. And then the next night, when they come in in the morning, the God day gone has fallen over again.

And this time his head is broken off. Here’s my point, the God day got it was Half man and half fish. And that’s what they worshiped. They were ones who lived on the shore of the Mediterranean sea. They were fishermen by trade and therefore their God was part man and part fish, by the way, it was the upper part that was man,

not the bottom part, But they had to use things that they knew of from this life in order to represent a false deity that does not exist. And they bowed down and they worshiped that thing. Well, that’s, that’s the very point that God is making here with his second commandment thou shall not make under the, any graven image. The underlying I’m principal of this command is that it includes anything and everything which might distract one’s allegiance from God’s authority to God’s authority,

whether it be in worship in service or in daily living anything. And it represented all of those things as far as the command is concerned. So here in Exodus, chapter 20 God is saying to each of us that we must abandoned all forms of idolatry and that our whole allegiance must be given unto Jehovah God, no exceptions concerning that Idolatry is a sin.

It is a sin which will lead men to spiritual bankruptcy, as well as to eternal damnation, God required of the children of Israel, that they were not to have any other gods before him and that they were not to make under them. Any graven image, no exceptions to those. Somebody says, well, that’s fine and good. We’re not under the old Testament.

That’s right. We’re not. But remember every one of those 10 commandments is stated again in the new Testament, under the law of Christ, with the exception of number four, to remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy. The fact of the matter is it is still true today that we are to have no other gods before us. And we are not to make any graven images or else we will be guilty of idolatry.

Now, Lord willing. Next week, what we’re going to do is we’re going to look at modern idolatry because the fact of the matter is idolatry is alive and well, as we’ve already stated, it’s alive and well, you know, even as far as images and bowing down to images, but there as Paul brings out there in Colossians chapter three, and in verse five,

there are other kinds of idolatry as he speaks concerning covetousness. And so I want us to spend our time looking at modern idolatry. It may be different than what you think at least in many respects. If you’re one who’s not a part of the body of Christ, Less than again, this evening is simply to remind us that we must be those who are willing to do what the word of God teaches.

We must be those who are willing to abide by God’s word. And if one desires to become a Christian, he has to do it God’s way or it cannot be done. Therefore, one must hear the word in order to believe it. John six verse 45, and yet one must believe it. If he’s going to have hope of being saved, Mark 16,

verse 16, then one must be willing to repent acts two verse 38 must be willing to confess his faith in Christ. Matthew chapter 10 verse 32 must be willing to be immersed in water. Must be immersed in water to be baptized in order to receive the remission of his sins. Mark 16, verse 16, next two verse 38, and other passages.

Are you needing to do that? To see, I know that most all of us have been members of the church for years and years, And yet We need to be reminded concerning those things. If you’re one who’s already a member of the body of Christ, have you turned away, have you turned away from God? Have you turned away from the church to go your own direction,

to bring reproach upon the church where you come back and repentance, praying to God for forgiveness and begin again, walking in the way of righteousness, We can help you. Will you come as together? We stand and as we sing.