You Would Like to Think That Idolatry Is Not a Modern Day Problem, but It Is. It Is Probably

You would like to think that idolatry is not a modern day problem, but it is. It is probably worse now than ever before. Now, the idols usually are not covered with gold and bowed down too, although that does still happen of course. No, the easiest place to see idolatry is in the love of money; “Put to death your members which are on the earth: Fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5). Greed is idolatry, but it is not the only idol men serve. How can we spot idols today? Consider a few tests.

Does It Consume Your Time? The idolatrous philosophers at Athens are described as spending “their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing” (Acts 17:21). That is all they thought about. That is all they cared about. What is it that consumes your thoughts? If the Lord and His righteousness is not the answer to that question then congratulations, you are on idolater. Even family can become an idol. That is why the Lord said “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:37). Anything that consumes your thoughts is an idol. Anything.

What Do You Get Excited About? In Ephesus (Acts 19) we read of a riot that broke out because of Paul’s preaching. They cried out more and more for hours and hours. They were passionate about their idols. What are you passionate about? What are you zealous about? Again, if the answer is not the Lord and his righteousness, then congratulations are in order again. You are an idolater. Men and women will be passionate about any number of things under the sun and then sleep through church. Why do they sleep? They’ve exhausted themselves worshiping their gods and are too tired to worship the one true God.

Follow The Money. The Ephesian men who started the riot did it because their livelihood was tied up in their idolatry (Acts 19:25). It is a good test, to follow the money. Jesus said the same; “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). Follow the trail.

What do you do to idols? You have to knock them down and smash them up. Granted you cannot do that with people, but here is the point. The answer to idolatry is not “get it under control”. You cannot control idols. Seek the Lord, His Kingdom, & His righteousness. Remove the idols.

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“Tempted and tried, how often we question, why we must suffer year after year, being accused by those of our loved ones, E’en though we’ve walked in God’s holy fear. Farther along we’ll know more about it. Farther along we’ll understand why… we’ll understand it all by and by.”

Joseph. He had been despised by his brethren, thought dead by his father, sold by family, bought by extended family, and sold again into the hand of a heathen. He worked hard and was rewarded by being slandered by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into the dungeon where he was once again forgotten by those he had helped. Years have gone by and finally Joseph stands before and next to Pharaoh. At the end of it all what was Joseph’s conclusion to his brothers? “As for you, you meant evil against me; But God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Gen. 50:20). If anyone understood “Farther along…” it was assuredly Joseph.

“He comforted them and spoke kindly to them” (21). The brothers asked forgiveness, in their own way (16,17), and while we may focus on that, let us instead simply see the grace of Joseph. He spoke kindly to the offending party. He had suffered so much at their hands but had now come back to life in his father’s eyes and he was in a position to extend mercy. How much we need to look to Joseph’s example, to say nothing of Jesus’, when we have suffered at the hands of others! Let us not seek vengeance. That belongs to the Lord (19). Let us weep ourselves at just the hope and thought of reconciliation.

How much did Joseph understand when he was in the pit, caravan, or dungeon? It is hard to know. He had faith and we need to have the same. Trials will come but the Lord means it for good. Be quick to repent. Be quick to forgive. How often must the dreamer have dreamed of his father and family all of those years! Joseph looked forward to going home, and we do the same. Farther along we will. Be strong in the Lord (49:22-26).

REPENT… AND BEAR FRUITS

Imagine that you are a Jew living in the times of the Old Covenant. Imagine what every day would have been like. Imagine what ever meal would have been like under the dietary restrictions of the law. This was the way of life. This was how it had always been. Then comes Jesus and what does He say? “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man” (Matt. 15:11). He is setting the stage for what is coming, but also what already was. It was not swine that truly defiled a man. It was when a man behaved like swine. It was such a novel concept that the Apostles did not understand (vs. 16) and they would not understand for some time, for it is Peter who much later refused the Lord’s command, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat” (Acts 10:13).

It is not about what goes in, but what comes out, and that is where we often have trouble, revealing what is truly a heart issue. It is not enough to just wash our mouths out though. It is not enough to just cleanse a vessel. The vessel must then be used for holy purposes (2 Tim. 2:21). A house may be swept, but then it must be filled (Matt. 12: 44,45). What are some of the common problems when it comes to our speech and what should we say instead? Consider a few points.

Filthy Language (Col. 3:8) – It is vile. It is disgusting. The world uses it to shock people and even the world recognizes it as wrong on some level. We should not speak as the world speaks. Instead? “Let you speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt…” (Col. 4:6). Salt preserves and purifies. Our speech should be holy, sound, and un-condemnable (Tit. 2:8).
Foolish Talking (Eph. 5:4) – It is silliness or buffoonery. There is a time to speak as a child and there is a time to put that away (1 Cor. 13:11). We could also include what the Lord calls “idle words” (Matt. 12:36). They are empty. There is nothing useful in them. Instead? We should be filled with thanksgiving (Eph 5:4). Not only should our speech be with grace, it should strive to “impart grace” to the hearers (Eph 4:29). We should edify.
Wrath of Man (Jam. 1:20) – It does not produce the righteousness of God. Jesus, in our original Matt. 15 passage, speaks of murders and blasphemies and lying, just to name a few. Many of these and other things are a part of man’s wrath. Instead? “Receive with meekness, the implanted word” (Jam 1:21). We need to go slow, making sure that we are hearing and doing the word, looking for the signs of the wisdom from above (Jam. 3:13-18).
Cursing Those In Authority (Ecc. 10:20) – It is an easy trap to fall into. Leaders are wicked and godless. Children are killed. Traditional marriage is under attack. Christians are persecuted. And all of that was just in Jesus’ time! But He still taught us to avoid the temptation to curse. Instead? Pray for those in authority (1 Tim. 2: 1,2). Submit. Pay your taxes. Give fear and honor to whom it is due (Rom. 13). It does not mean you have to agree with them, but speak what is right remembering where our citizenship truly lies.

When in doubt, we should say nothing at all. “Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace” (Pro. 17:28). Remember when Peter spoke out of turn because he did not know what to say (Mk. 9: 5,6)? It would have been better to be silent. We must speak in faith, so if we do not know what to say, let us be silent and study, letting the Lord teach us. The Lord is listening to our words closely (Matt. 12:37). Let us do all things, in word or deed, in the name of the Lord (Col. 3:17).

HEROD (THE GREAT) FAMILY TREE

Herod the great would reign between 37 and 4 BC. He was granted the title of “King of Judea” by Rome. His father was an Edomite who had been forced to convert to Judaism under threat of losing land (Josephus). While Herod may have considered himself Jewish, the Pharisees did not recognize this forced conversion. Herod was a politician and he would ingratiate himself at times to the Jews and at other times to Rome.

The bible never calls him Herod the great, for while his building projects were monumental, he was a loathsome, paranoid man. His first mention in scripture is when the wise men come from the east saying “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2). His paranoia trumped any religion as he would slaughter all the infant boys in Bethlehem (Matt 2:16). Hypocrisy, greed, adultery, and murder were the family trade.