No One Like Our God [Part 2]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright is reading the Bible over the father $20 bill and God say I want to read your Bible, you can discover who you are is where with Christ, who is averaging is no one like our God can be managed that's faster to jump you will help you see your life in old I'm being excited for you to hear the teaching today the series remain as presented with an old church in North Carolina. I will stay with us throughout the entire program today.

Mr. will make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright so as you listen to the message go deeper as we send you today's special contact as a Pastor Alan.org that's Pastor Alan.R. G or call 877-5448 60 anymore on all this later in the program but right now let's dig in and get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright interpreter GK meal said what you revere here resemble either from ruin a restoration, the Scriptures back this up Jeremiah to verse five. Thus says the Lord. What wrong. Did your fathers find in me that they went far from me and went after worthlessness. Speaking of the worthless idols and became worthless auto is that God saying that people could be worthless know what is saying is that idols are dead and when you go after idols. And that becomes then there's they bring only deafness it is to say that they have no value but are empty and that the way to end up being empty yourself is in the worship of the final Psalm 115 says similarly averse for their idols are silver and gold. The work of human hands and mouth, but do not speak eyes but do not see their ears but do not hear noses, but do not smell their hands, but do not feel feet but do not walk and they do not make a sound in her throat, but those who make them become like them.

So to all who trust in what is saying is that I have no life and the more you worship, the less life you have breaks God's heart Becky Peppard in her old wonderful book out of the saltshaker said it succinctly whatever controls us is our Lord person who seeks powers controlled by power. The person who seeks acceptance is controlled by the people he or she wants to please. We do not control ourselves. We are controlled by the Lord of our lives brings us to this strange verse 14. Every Goldsmith is put to shame buys idols if you think about it. It seemed like it could make sense that on the one hand the whole passage is about how powerless and idle actually is. And yet the turn around and say but here's a power to put to shame. How can that be how can the thing that has no life has no power actually have this one power and that is to shame you and market. Here's how it happened. Let's say that that hear something that people crave today popularity and approval. Just crave it. I meet people like me me people are proving me and if you say in your heart. If I just get enough popularity if I just have enough people approving of me. If everybody approves of me, then I'll be okay if you say that in your heart, it becomes an idol. It wasn't an idol. It wasn't even a sink, just something you made just as surely as the lumberjack made some wooden statue. This is something they just make in your heart I say I got have it. Who told you that I have on our lives tonight.

I had a habit.

Learn the way the nation that is you got a habit you have that which is to say, I got have a popular I got have approval to become like an idol figuratively gets put on the shelf of your heart, and there is your thoughts are consumed by what I gotta do have the approval. What if so-and-so reject and so what we do is now we have made an idol, then in our own mind is manageable because I can do things to get more people to approve or make do what you want me to do I say what you want me to say I'll tell change the truth. I'll get a new narrative change the way I look at things I say about how I'll be a chameleon.

I'll do whatever you wanted to. We thought we could manage this God of approval and popularity. But here's what actually happens is that after slavishly trying to get everyone's approval. Then one day somebody rejects you some assistant mean online someone that you wanted to be your friend doesn't want to be your friend, whatever it might be criticizes something about you and all the sudden this idol has been sitting on the show we are now down upon you as look at you, you don't have it you don't measure up to supply all your efforts. You still have been rejected.

How worthless your life is, and it can lead either.

Therefore, to despair. I didn't get the feeling that I made and therefore my life is over, or it can lead to a greater obsession to slavishly serve the idle dues just get more approval to work even harder for it, which is a life of anxiety and futility that leads all manner of destruction doesn't beloved the way to deal with an idol of approval and popularity is to not get more of it, but do not need it. There is your moment of liberation is when your soul says well some people might like me.

Some people might not like me but I do know this. I have been radically fully forever accepted in Jesus Christ by his finished work and I'm loved by my father and I have a family or spiritual family that I live with forever and I will inherit along with Christ. All the good gifts of God best answer is serve the idle, the answer is to kill. I destroy it smash into the ground and then you're free Mark if it's not on the shelf. So that's why Jeremiah's prophetic word is marking the idle and settle in the idle market so you get rid of what Tim Keller has a great book if you're more interested in this counterfeit God. Excellent resource on this whole notion of idolatry suggests several litmus test.

Where do your thoughts effortlessly go when there's nothing demanding your attention.

Where will the thoughts always gravitate towards. I could reveal some idols. How you spend your money children parties is what you're thinking about and he says this is really important. Most things desires things you want to accomplish things you want things you like to have good things, but most of it. If you don't get it, you disappointed in you go rats I what I really wanted that to work out and it did not really wanted that I didn't get it in your disappointed and you say, but is not in the world. Life goes on and you move on most things that someone thinks is just too hard to move beyond and you start brooding over it. Why can't I get a why didn't I get apps.

I got it. Just like it it it it consumes you that's that's pointing to.

And I and he also says I think this is appropriate. Look at your uncontrollable emotion emotions are from God.

Emotions are gifts from God and were made to be emotional creatures. So it doesn't mean like you get a disappointment and you cry over that that all that means no. It means what are the what are the what is emotions.

It seemed to take over you because you keep getting angry about that or you just keep getting sad over the area. Keep the attention of that to all this is good. All this is an effort want to send want to get rid idols of person do is identify the and most people never do that first step is really worth doing right will have more teaching moment from today's important series. Many Christians in America today.

You're starting a nation's culture has turned away from God values in our country have changed. Suddenly, most people don't go to church or had a difficult one can make you feel like an alien in your own culture. There's a lot to learn from Danielle when he was exiled to the pagan land through our special offer. This night you can learn to live under the favor of guarding Aryan culture the way Daniel gave before the end in mind senior Pastor Alan's idea series. Danielle favored for you may feel like a stranger in this world that is not shared favor to Daniel and his four man race is a timeless plan ordination will not only help you navigate through these troubling times. It will also help someone else. Thanks for your partnership with how I might ministry.

We missed you as I don't call us at 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor Alan.working days teaching now continues your once again is in the second thing that I think needs to happen is you get bothered by just get bothered by it.

Paul when he was in Athens. He had this beautiful encounter with family been speaking them openly about the unknown God acts 1716 it says while Paul was waiting for them. Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols I've seen is whether forcing the Holy Spirit does you to start being bothered by all the idols of culture idols of your heart. Just be bothered by it. So identify them bothered by it and then I think you have to think about how much I will hurt you, I think we have to think about that. Not belated labor over it. Not brood over it but it's like you got to see it for what it is and how destructive it is. I was thinking this morning it came to me as preaching up singing back to a friend that I began discipling many years ago and this is life is one of the guys life is messed up and he was trying to get out of a cocaine addiction and he accepted Christ, and I was discipling him some in this and we got him some twelve-step groups to stop and I cocaine addiction very, very hard to get to get out of so addicted and and I was a one week were meeting asked you I was kinda checking with the how's it going and he said we had a hard week. He said he gone to some guy's house and he said got their people were using and I so what happened, he said well I was really tempted and so how did you get out of the Sidwell for the first time my life I let that mental videotape play all the way through the set up until now, our letter play halfway though it would play for me before, as I think about the feelings of euphoria and ecstasy and how all my anxiety would be vanquished for a little while and I think about all of the fun of that. And in that mental tape would stop right there is about what I learned to do now is all of the tape. I owing to the end. Now I think about how that drug has made me go bankrupt and lose my family and lose my wife and all that is trying to care take away from me and I let my mind go all the way to the end of the message because that's actual see the idle want you only to think about the first part, not the end. I think it's important to think about the destructive power of idols in our lives so that you get to the point you dictate a beautiful moment just hate this. I don't want want anything to do with it.

Don't want anything other than my fax is for God to fill in that blank and then after you've done those things and you've identified and you want to get rid of it is what you do 11 you think much of the love of God and you let your father love you in the midst of your greatest disappointments. There is nothing that will rid you of an idol more powerfully or purely than to fail at something that you had idolized to lose something that you'd idolized and find out that God loves you. That's the answer. Let somebody reject you in the idle of approval mock you and then find God with his arms around each and you'll be healed.

I was thinking I was thinking some reason of a moment just a little parenting moment that I'm sorry everything is emotional to me. My mom's memorial services this afternoon.

I'm standing on the edge of emotional time, but I was thinking about this parenting moment that while I guess Bennett was maybe 10 and he had become very incident golfing is a very good little becoming a very good little golfer.

He would go on to play lots of regional tournaments and be quite accomplished, Junior offer didn't go play in college side it won't pursue them but you know is a thought there for a while and we had so much fun a father-son time playing golf. I think you know sports can be a fantastic thing for kids teaches you so much. I love sports as a kid I do know but I think sometimes I idolized my tennis and I'm out by that meaning. Like if I could just when this terminal just a bit to enter my life. I feel great in and you know him, you can become an anarchical center want to go to BNI Lodge wanted to enjoy it is about 10 maybe, maybe 11 active and is going to play one of his first term exits the city tournament they were going to play much bigger term. It's in our local city term it, but this one gets a lot of attention. Your name gets in the paper and stuff like that and he got good enough. He had a chance to win the thing they really did, and he was excited about. And so it was three rounds of golf and on the second day playing at the Winston Lakes golf course municipal golf course. Here he displayed awful them is no candy coat, it was just it was the worst I'd seen him play. If there was woods he was in it. If there's a creek. He was in it and am in golf is just weird. You want to start going bad.

It just is just real hard to recover any dissenter Brown.

He is blue and he was in all, I was in and he know it. He walked off golf courses like not only do I have no chance to win this golf tournament, but he also realize they divide into two different flights.

After this you know hundred three in flight and he when he will be in the championship flight will be in the secondary flight. It just in and he was teary and it came off as disappointing as hard for them as I knew he could do much better now and we are in the car and will and I thought what would you go home, but I thought you know about that just don't feel right I don't go home and there's nobody his mother and her two things about that best mother in the world but are two things this is about the mother who is a best mother, but the first thing is you see your mother and you said you just go cry and I just thought you know I don't think he will suggest cries eyes out over there's no crime is good, try some today been crying already today is can be really good right just the actual toxins in your tears you get on your body, anywhere. That's another point. But, but I just went with it. This is golf around. We don't need to go cry all day in mommy's arms, and I said the other thing is I know what she's gonna say she's gonna say that matter is just is just a game is just about having fun. Well, it matter to 10-year-old boy is big deal is a way we can just go home and just cry.

We need to win in this mommy right now as it is another thought is like well will talk about our strategies for didn't better know you will get a lesson this week will work on this will get to drowning right away will start working on it and and will do some but I thought that's the wrong message to because what does that say that just says yeah when in the term. It's all important and we need to devote ourselves even more to it. That's not right either to one just melt it one just try harder when we want to do is driving home his military were little quiet and I just said you know what that was pullover here to the park, soccer fields, down from her house is on is why we doing this we just… Go out here and we walked to the field and sat down on the bleachers and here's what I did.

Sat with my son around quiet for a long time. I said I was rough around his class. I'm hurt and I know it was disappointing your good enough so you win the whole thing and they didn't show today. I'm hurt with you in the crowd a little bit.

We sat and finally said, I feel disappointed in it rounded off as you do, but you need to know this. I am not disappointed in you and I just sat there long enough until I was convinced that he knew his father loved him in the middle of his failure in some ways I was sovereign I could see into the future far better than he could write under the golf round was meaningless in the scope of his life under that is good golf, respond to when a lot of permits, which he did but he couldn't see all that right then. He just need a father who was with him.

We have a good good father and we have desires and dreams good things in this world that we should pursue. But here's how they don't become idols is when we have our father's arm around us and we know his heart with us so that we have this deep assurance that if I don't get what I want and it doesn't go the way I would like for it to go. I still have the most important thing of all the presents of God, which is 11 what you going to have for all eternity. Because all the idols who didn't make the heavens and the earth are going to perish in God and his love endures forever, and that's a gospel running in today's good news message. No one like our God is from the series they were in this cold remade and passed rail is back with this industry, assuring his boarding good news thought for the day in just about many Christians in America today. You're starting a nation's culture has turned away from God values in our country have changed. Suddenly, most people don't go to church or had a difficult one to make you feel like an alien in your own culture.

There's a lot to learn from Danielle when he was exiled to the pagan land through our special offer.

This night you can learn to live under the favor of God in Aryan culture the way Daniel did you give before the end in mind. The senior Pastor Alan's idea series, Daniel favored for you may feel like a stranger in this world that is not shared favor to Daniel and his four man God's grace is upon you as well. Nation will not only help you navigate through these troubling times. It will also help someone out.

Thanks for your partnership with our night ministry.

We missed us at 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor Alan.org accurate test reality reporting good news thought for the day. You know, we may have tried other things that will certainly find out and discovered that Jesus is eternal is forever. I will listeners to think about it every one of you think about how much the idle not only to occupy your mind, but can end up hurting you your people. So how do you redesign it starts with that annually starts with think how it hurts God and then think how it hurts you, and let let that be real to you and then think much of the love of God.

Let let the aim of your life in the enjoyment of your heart shift towards affection towards God. That's what that's what the gospel does.

That's what doesn't make like this that the more I hear of his grace.

The more I think of his love them more than a worship him.

The more that I am falling in love with God. So I think this is the way idols in first recognize, which they hurt you start hating the idle know that you have the authority to tear down the idle doesn't have any authority except what you've given it and then let your affections turn towards God and ask yourself, you can bring every idol down and when you do the freedom that comes is delicious. Thanks for listening today. Visit us online@pastorallen.org or call 877-544-4860 877-544-4860 if you only caught part of today's teaching. Not only can you listen again online also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources@pastoroutand.org that's pastor out.O RG. Today's good news message is a listener supported production Allen Wright ministries