01-13-2019 – Keith Cozort – What Was And Is Idolatry Part 2 (PM Sermon)

Certainly grateful for your presence this evening, as you know, our numbers were down this morning. And so we fully anticipated that they would be down again tonight. Not quite as much as I thought, maybe. So we are certainly grateful for you being here. Sister Costco was not feeling good this morning. The reasons she was not here and she’s not here again tonight,

but also Keith, let me know that she received word today that her mother passed away. If she had lived till the 25th, I think you said the 25th, she would have been a hundred years old, but fortunately she was not having health issues and she just faded away. And certainly that’s one of the best ways to go if you’re going to go.

But certainly remember Costco and her family and your prayers, if you would, He became a Christian, her mother<inaudible> That’s. That’s great. Yeah. Okay. That’s that’s great. Statistics show us that older individuals are less likely to obey the gospel than those who are younger. They are set in their ways. And so when you hear of someone who’s up in their seventies and their eighties or something like that,

and they obey the gospel, it, it certainly, of course it always causes us joy. It should anyway. But to hear somebody that is up in age like that, that realizes that they’ve not done what they need to do and to make the proper preparations for heaven. That’s certainly great when that takes place. I, yes, I know for what you and Costco have said that it wasn’t easy to reach that point.

Last week we started studying concerning what was and is idolatry. And we dealt with last week. What we read about as far as idolatry in the old Testament, and then even concerning some of those things, as it relates toward idolatry in the new Testament. I made mention to you that this week I wanted us to spend our time dealing with modern idolatry.

And when I say modern idolatry, I do not want to leave the impression that the, that we have spoken of both in the old Testament and the new Testament is no longer a reality. The fact of the matter is the same kind of idolatry that was condemned in the old Testament is still prevalent today in many countries, in many different societies, but generally speaking in our country and in our society,

it is not as prevalent as it is in other countries, but there are other forms of idolatry that are just as prevalent, if not even more prevalent in our society today. And those are things that I want us to consider this evening. When we think concerning idolatry, remember that part of the defining that we gave concerning it was that of giving honor or devotion to something or someone that belongs to God and therefore placing that thing or that person above God in a person’s life.

We may think that it doesn’t happen today, but it does. And so I want us to Consider the, the idea of modern idolatry in our society. Anyway, what are, what are some things that could be labeled as idolatry? Well, certainly one of those things would be Materialism. Material Realism could be listed as idolatry because we know concerning the fact that there are men and women who will steal.

They will kill, they will lie. They will cheat. They will resort to all forms of sin in order to gain what the world has to offer. And yet when you turn to Matthew chapter 16 and in verse 26, Jesus asked the question, what is a man profited? If he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul. And so,

as we’ve talked about on a number of occasions, Jesus has point that he is making is our soul is the most valuable thing that we have. And yet, so many times, man is searching for something else that they considered to be of greater value because they either don’t believe that they have a soul or they’re not worried about their soul. And so when,

when you are seeking, as Jesus talks about here to gain the whole world, Then you have a problem with materialism. When you remember Matthew chapter six, verse 33, Jesus, there States Siki first, the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. The context there is speaking concerning the necessities of life. And therefore,

if we are seeking first, the kingdom of which of course is the church and his righteousness that which God says is to be done in order to be considered righteous by him seeking first, the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be provided, shall be given unto you. Jesus says. And so we, we may not have every everything that we want,

but we will have everything that we need. And even when times are very, very rough as it was back during the depression, even though I was not alive, but some of you have a little more experience with that than I do, but still I’ve heard several of you talk about that. You were extremely poor, but you didn’t know you were poor because everybody else was poor too.

And so you were able to have enough food to sustain yourselves and to, for the family to be sustained, but you didn’t have any luxuries. Well, then your needs were taken care of didn’t mean it was going to be easy. And I know from various studies and, and hearing various ones talk concerning going through it, that it wasn’t easy. It took a great deal of effort in order to provide for a family.

And yet it could still be done. And so seek first, the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. You turn to first John chapter two there in first, John chapter two, the apostle John, their speeds concerning the fact that we are not to love the world or the things of the world verses 15 through 17.

He says, love not the world. Neither the things that are in the world, if any man loved the world, the love of the father is not in him for all that is in the world. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father, but is of the world and the world passeth away in the lust thereof.

But he that do it the will of God abideth forever. And so it is that Jesus makes the very point that we are not to be in love with this world. We have those today who have the idea that this life is all there is. And therefore, as the all commercial used to say, grab for all the Gusto you can get, well,

that’s not true, never has been true. That’s not what the Bible teaches. And therefore we to be concerned about our souls and we are to be those who do not love this world. Even though we have to live in this world, we don’t have to live like the world though. And that’s the point that John is making here. Materialism is a modern form of idol.

A tree. Another form of idolatry would be science. Science is in fact, a modern form of idolatry to many individuals. Anyway, it’s become a God of choice to many people and modern science. Generally speaking, scientists are those who have no room for God in their lives or in their minds. Now that is not true of all scientists. There are a considerable number of scientists who fully believe in God,

believe in the word of God and are going about seeking and finding evidence that shows that God was right all along, but they are in the minority in the scientific world. And it’s, it’s just like you, you hear on the news that 98% of all scientists believe in global warming, global warming is true. Well, where did they get their information from?

Because the fact of the matter is there is a large group of scientists that say global warming is not true. It’s faulty science that speaks concerning that. And I don’t know about you, but I remember back when I was in high school, back in the early seventies and the talk then was that we were going into another ice age before. Well, we didn’t,

but now there’s always about global warming and now quit talking about global warming so much, and it’s just change climate change. And yeah, well, climate changes all the time. Okay. All the time. And, and so there, there should not be any surprise as far as that’s concerned, but their conclusions that they have drawn because of their faulty assumptions that are included in their calculations have led them to believe something that is just not true.

And yet they’re trying to get the entire world to follow along with them. Science can in fact be, and is in many respects, modern idolatry. And that we have those who out of great respect for science that has been brought forth in the various discoveries that have been, have been those who have stated, well, if a scientist says it, then it has to be true.

Well, fact of the matter is scientists are those who have preconceived ideas just as the rest of us have preconceived ideas in many different areas and therefore work from their preconceived ideas rather than just taking the evidence and drawing conclusions from the evidence itself, which they say is that which is demanded. And yet they don’t follow Their own instructions As far as what is supposed to be done.

When that happens, science becomes An idle. Another form of modern mind idolatry is money. And After worship last Sunday evening, brother Keith came up to me and said, I know what you’re going to talk about next week. And I said, you do. He said, yep, you’re going to talk about money. And I said, well, there’s no need for me to show up then,

But certainly They money or mammon as it is spoken of in scripture is that that is a modern form of idolatry. You look at such passages as Luke chapter 12 and in verse 15 there, as Jesus is speaking to a man who has asked him a question About Forcing his brother to share the inheritance with him. And Jesus says in verse 15, take heed and be aware of covetousness for a man’s life,

consistent, not in the abundance of the things which he possessive and yet how many people in our world today and in our country, our society today are those who believe that the more possessions you have, the more money you have, then you are a greater person than somebody that has very little, they have made mammon and money to be their idol, if that’s the case.

And certainly that is true. How many times do we have those who are not very well off, who will spend all kinds of money on their lottery tickets and, and casinos and all those kinds of things go deeper and deeper into debt because they want to get more, More money and they, yeah, They figure somebody’s got to make it hit the jackpot and make it rich.

Why not me? And generally they go home deeper and deeper in debt as a result Of that. Well, Jesus here speaks concerning the fact we need to take heed and to be aware of covetousness, desiring, to have what somebody else has. And with that many times being willing to take whatever measures are necessary in order try to acquire it. It’s not a sin to be rich,

to have wealth in this world. We read of several different ones in scripture who were wealthy, extremely wealthy, beyond many of those that they lived. And yet many of them, not all of them, but many of them were those who continue to strive to be faithful and to God, and to use their wealth right service to God, rather than against God and against him.

People. I don’t know how many of you remember. I remember hearing about him, but I was doing some reading even this afternoon, concerning brother am Burton, where the Burton lived most of his life in Nashville, Tennessee. And at age 24, he became president of an insurance, a company. He was the youngest man to ever become president of an insurance company,

multi-million dollar company. And over his lifetime, he was extremely wealthy as a result of his investments that he made and what he received from insurance. And yet I remember having heard, I don’t have it documented, but I remember having heard when I was growing up how that it was estimated that he gave 90% of his income wait. And most of it,

it was given to the work of brother Marshall Keeble in order to go all around the country, preaching the gospel. And he’d been all around the world. And to start the school that brother KIBO would be director of and things such as that, but 90% of it, he gave away his philosophy was he grew up extremely poor. He moved to Nashville when he didn’t win.

He was very young. As far as a teenager is concerned, didn’t have any money. They talked about how he began as a working as a carpenter’s assistant. And he received the humongous daily wage of $1, $1 a day. And he saved half of every day’s wage. And over the process of time again, when he was 24, he becomes president of an insurance agency.

And he was one who having been raised very, very, very poor, became a member of the body of Christ. And his, his philosophy of life was that he wanted to, when he died, not have any more than he had when he came in in this world. And so he sought to Give it away to those places that would be Benefit from it,

including David Lipscomb in college at that time and other places. But he, he just gave it away because those places needed, help needed financial assistance. And He was one who was willing to share What he had. Well, money was there. Definitely not his God, even though he acquired millions and millions Of dollars, his desire was to be right with God,

Luke chapter 12, Colossians chapter three. And in verse five there, the apostle Paul speaks concerning covetousness. As far as those things that we’re to mortify in our body, he speaks concerning covetousness, which is idolatry there in verse five, that those things are to be put to death. That’s what it means to be more to mortify, put those these death.

And, and Paul says we are to mortify covetousness. And then He defines covetous for us covetousness for us, by speaking concerning the fact that it is idolatry. And if he Asians chapter five and in verse five, the twin of pistol to the book of Colossians, Paul says in Ephesians five, and in verse five for this, we know that no whoremonger nor unclean person nor covetous man,

who is an idolater half, any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. So here again, Paul speaks concerning one who is covetous is an idolater. When you look at Luke chapter 12 in verses 13 through 21, Jesus there speaks concerning the rich fool. And He says beginning in verse 13, and one of the companies said unto him, master speak to my brother,

that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said, unto him, man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said, unto them take heed and be aware of covetousness for a man’s life consists of not in the abundance of things, which he possesses possesses. And he spake a parable under them saying the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully.

And he thought within himself saying, what shall I do? Because I have no room. Where do we stole my fruits? And he said, this will I do. I will pour down, pull down my barns and build greater. And there will I be still all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul soul thou has much goods laid up for many years,

take time, ease, eat, drink, and be married. God said unto him, thou fool, this night, thy soul shall be required of the then whose shall those things be, which thou has provided. So is he that lay up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. Money. Mammon is that, which is a modern form of idolatry.

We have various other examples that we could look to in scripture, but man has always had a problem with trusting in wealth that if he was well off, if he was financially well off, then he didn’t have anything to worry about. And yet here, even in this situation, as Jesus gives this parable that very night, the Lord said to him,

thou fool, this night I soul shall be required of the, and then who shall those things be? It is when men are reduced to less wealth and even poverty that so many times they tend to have greater faith and greater confidence in God. I remember again, back in the mid seventies anyway, where brother Fort Wallace, Jr, and brother guy in woods at different times were recorded as saying that what this country meaning the United States,

what this country needs is another good depression. And I thought about that, and I didn’t know what they were talking about as far as that’s what it needs, but the point, and they both went on to say it was during the depression. When many, many people in this country began to study their Bibles and began to accept new Testament Christianity. And therefore they didn’t have confidence in money.

It was gone, they didn’t have anything. And they began to look for something greater and they were saying, what this country needs again, is another good depression to turn people’s minds back to God, rather than two possessions. The God of money. Many times is here today and gone tomorrow. And how many times we forget that when Paul writes to Timothy in first Timothy chapter six,

Paul speaks concerning those who are wealthy versus a 17, excuse me, 17 through 19. And he says, charge them that are rich in this world. That they’d be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute,

willing to communicate. So Paul specifically tells Timothy to charge those who are rich, according to this world’s standards and are a part of the body of Christ is what he’s referring to. That they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain riches. Well, that hasn’t changed since the first century, therefore the need for us to remember those things in Matthew, chapter six,

as Jesus is teaching there on the Mount in verses 19 through 21, Jesus again, speaks concerning this idea. He says, lay not up for yourselves treasures on upon earth where moth and rust have corrupt and where thieves, breakthrough, and steal, but lay up for yourselves, treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust death corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal for where your treasure is.

There will your heart be also. So Jesus is saying, what is most Valuable to you? What is most important to you? If what is most important to you is things in this life, Then you’re Going to be spiritually extremely poor. But if what is most important to you is things in the next life, spiritually speaking, then therefore you need to make preparation for that.

Now They up for yourselves, treasures in heaven, rather than treasures upon the earth. Another form of modern idolatry is man himself. Sometimes men worship themselves. That means It seems strange to us. I hope it does. But there are those that do that. They actually worship themselves. They believe that they are, as Paul talks about second Timothy chapter three verses one through four,

they are lovers of self. And therefore their confidence Is only in themselves. Second Timothy chapter three, Paul says this know also that in the last days, perilous times shall come for men shall be lovers of their own selves. Covetous. We’ve talked about that. Boasters proud. Blasphemers disobedient to parents, unthankful unholy without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers,

incontinent, fierce despisers of those that are good traders, heady high-minded lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of God having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof of such turn away. Paul says men shall Be lovers of their own selves. If it was never true before, it is certainly true in our society today That men are lovers of their own selves.

It is unfortunate. I believe. Did we have those even within the body of Christ, who project to their children or their grandchildren or their neighbors, whoever it may be that those are, who are the real heroes in our society are those who are great athletes. Yeah, those who are great athletes have made a lot of accomplishments, but great heroes.

How many times have we set them up on a pedestal and encouraged our young people to strive to be like this? And we find out that they’re the most deprived and despicable as far as character is concerned and habits and lifestyle, But they’ve got money. You see, when we do that, we are teaching our children, Took that money Is the most important thing In life.

And we should aspire to get as much of it as we can. However we can Can how wrong that is. It is not that which the scriptures teach, but again, we end up worshiping. Man, Man becomes an idol to himself and becomes an idol to those who look up to him as being the greatest, whatever it may be. Most young men are those who are interested in becoming sports stars like that person.

And they’re more interested in that than they are being like Jesus being like the apostles. Sometimes you’ll even hear somebody say, I worship the ground. He walks Well, focus has nothing but idolatry. Okay? Nothing but idolatry that individual, that person, whatever it is, takes top priority in that person’s life over God himself. We need to be careful what we teach and what we say.

Yay. Another form of modern idolatry is that a pleasure, leisure, recreation, entertainment, all of those can become idolatry to us. And we have in our society. So encouraged the idea of pursuing and following after pleasure Did we forget? I’m afraid that we were to follow after God we’re to follow after Christ Or to receive heaven as our eternal reward.

And sometimes we will even, and I speak concerning those who are members of the church. We will even allow recreation and pleasure to take Precedence over worship to God. Have you ever noticed? And this isn’t something that we haven’t talked about before, but have you ever noticed how that so many times we do Absolutely everything we can within our power to make sure that our son or our daughter or grandson or grandson get to wherever it is they’re supposed to be for whatever sporting event they’re supposed to participate in,

make sure they get there in plenty of time. So it has to be able to warm up and, and go through the practice and all that. And yet when it comes to, She will come in five minutes late. If we show up at all, where’s our priority. Where’s our priority. What has become our idol? Paul tells us first Timothy chapter four and in verse eight,

bodily exercise profits, little but godliness is profitable. Unto all things. What are we emphasizing to one another? What are we demonstrating in our lives? Are we ones who are following after idolatry? Finally, another form of modern idolatry is that a power power over our fellow, man, if I, You can just have enough power to be able to tell everybody else what they want or what they need to do,

whether they want to or not. Then that will be all that I want. Know, You may think, well, there’s nobody like that. Look around. There certainly is. Many of them are politicians, but not all of them. Not all of them. Power can become an idol and is an idol to many in our day and time, modern idolatry.

We must also always be watchful for idolatry. We must always be watchful that we do not succumb to idolatry, whatever form or fashion it may be. Gotcha. Those who are<inaudible> are always, always, always Those who are condemned in scripture. And even Paul says, they are those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. That’s how important it is.

So many of you may think, well, brother, Keith, I think you’re overemphasizing this well when Paul tells us that those who are guilty of these things are those that are going to be lost in a devil’s hell for eternity eternally. I don’t think you can overemphasize that for The need, for us to be aware, but also to guard ourselves and the guard,

those that we love to try to make sure that they do not Become victims of idolatry. If you’re not a member of the body of Christ, we plead with you to obey the gospel in order to put your Lord on in baptism, to hear the word and to believe it, to be willing, to repent and to confess your faith in Christ, and then to be immersed in water,

to be baptized for the remission of your sins, that you might be saved thereby added to the Lord’s church by the Lord himself. If you’re one is a member of the body of Christ, but you’ve wandered off, you’ve gone back into the world. Please come back and repentance, praying to God for forgiveness and begin again, Following the Instructions, the admonitions of the new Testament.

If we can help you, we come as together, we stand and as we see.