The Inevitability Of Idolatry - Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. See that's the thing about ill never delivered that it will always fill you will never be what you thought it was you heard all the state you know not spent my whole life climbing the side ladder of success only to find out, leaning against the run. You know, we have all those things you see that's the whole idea.

It never delivers you can't replace God. That's what I going up today on this additional fellowship in the world. Pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie. Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word world there's sort of a good test to run when it comes when you lose see when you lose how you react as a couple ways you can react. There's a difference between sorrow and despair any good thing that we lose her sorrow. Anything should be sorrow.

It's a good thing I lost it, but there's something about sorrow. You can console me when I'm experiencing sorrow. You can console me when people console me, and time goes by I go through the grieving process and I come out the other side despair, inconsolable. You cannot console me, why because I have lost the ultimate thing in my life.

You see, that's what happens. Think of the financial crisis of 2008. Why did those men kill himself. Why, why would they kill themselves because they were in despair they had lost the ultimate thing. What was I don't know, couldn't read, but think about it this way all those men that I used in the beginning of the sermon they all died multimillionaires. They had more money than they could spend the rest of her life. Not that. Maybe it was the writer was success, and now I'm not a successful what failure. Maybe it was social significance.

You see, maybe it was that I want to be that significant person in society that everybody looks up to admires. That's what I want to be an all never be that again I there's no reason for me to live there, and despair you see in idle has an ability to take a controlling position in your heart and boy you know what happened.

You're willing to do anything for without a second thought. Anything make any sacrifice. See hasn't work one of work is my idol honey am I coming on the night honey only be gone this weekend. Honey I go to work longer, there's a big project coming honey honey honey and meanwhile a marriage disintegrates. I have children that barely know me why somebody why we say daughter for them higher. You're doing it for you because somehow you believe that that's where your meaning and purpose comes from God never intended it that way. It could be family, children, career achievement, critical acclaim, social standing. Approval beauty blames social causes political perspectives.

There are so many of us that have made idols out of politics that humans are going to be able to solve it only if there are party solve this world will make it better. They won't read the book.

Human government fails is just as simple as that.

There were even people in the same exact position I am in success in Christian ministry is there idle. They live for success in that ministry though do anything compromise any theological truth in order to be successful were all prone to this, I mean we can even make idols out of ideologies.

Just an idea back in the 19th century right at the end of 19th century something was on the rise. And guess what was the goodness of human beings. Everybody said this is going to be great revolving human beings are revolving were getting better and better and humans are intrinsically good one. World War II had a major effect on Beatrice Webb. Many consider the architect of the Britain's modern welfare state.

She will this somewhere in my diary 1890? I wrote I have state all on the essential goodness of human nature, now 35 years later I realize how prominent are the evil impulses and instincts and man and how little you can count on changing some of these.

For instance, the appeal of wealth and power. By any change in the social machinery she's is no amount of knowledge or science will be able to avail if we are not able to curb our bad impulses. Hg Wells as humanist as it gets in his outline of history wrote in 1920. He prays, belief in the human progress we are getting better and better in 1933 in the book the shape of things to come.

Wells was appalled by the selfishness and violence in the European nations.

He believed that the only hope for mankind was for intellectuals to seize control of the governments of the world and to run a compulsory education program stressing peace and justice and equity in 1945 Wells Rd. mind. At the end of its tether and erode Homo sapiens as he was pleased to call himself Homo sapiens is all played out what happened to them. They state their hopes in the goodness of human beings. You see, that's the thing about an idle. It'll never deliver to you what you think it's going to not ever. It'll always fill you will never be what you thought it was you heard all the statements you know it not spent my whole life climbing the side ladder of success only to find out what leaning against the wrong building. You know, we have all those things. Why do you think God tells us in the wisdom literature.

The beauty fades because were just dumb enough to believe it doesn't guts as look if AIDS you see that's the whole idea.

It never delivers you can't replace God with anything that's what idols do. Being tempted to be idolaters inevitable idolatry is birth and grows in the human heart.

God gives priority to the sin of idolatry. Idols are much easier to make than you might think, but maybe most importantly, just as a foretaste of what would I go. We all have to do with the danger of idolatry. Even the best of us turn your Bibles to Genesis chapter 12 is the call of Abram.

Or we could call the call of Abraham that great man of faith. This is his first call and now the Lord said to Abram, go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house to the land that I will show you how make you a great nation. I will bless you and I will make your name great and so that you shall be a blessing I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Could you imagine God speaking to you that way. You're the guy now he's in the Chaldees is likely a moving worshiper. Up to this point. And guess what the next verse says so I went what now that's interesting. God said go Abraham.

What we find out in Hebrews chapter 11 verse eight, the writer of Hebrews says he did not know what was going just imagine that you're in the neighborhood see a camel to walk with you all behind you and he and Sarah start porno stuff in his room in good way to where I don't know what Amy don't know just going you have no idea. We got new just going to go going West, so I know witnessing strain. By the way, what would it take to do that we know what it takes.

It takes great faith doesn't is just going to go may have to understand something else about him.

He's listening this and God says, and in you all the families of the earth be blessed even understand something about it on a certain level. Even at this stage of his life he probably feels completely unfulfilled. He has no son. He has no no children of all his life is all about your spot in the family and it's all about what happens after you get all those stunned ancestors children.

You see, Abram would've seen himself as a person was a very important his great-grandfather gave his grandfather life who gave his father life and he gives life that he gives life to a son who gives life to a grandchild or great-grandchild, and the most important thing in their life was the children in the most important child is the firstborn son he has none of that had to really get to turn with me to chapter 17 of Genesis, he hears this promise from God. And now in chapter 17 verse one. Some simply says this now when Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said I am God Almighty walk before me and be blameless, and I'm been establish my covenant between he says me and you and I will he says multiply you exceedingly. I guess another conversation with God. But something's happened decades.

This isn't just use now this is decades is 99 now remember, God keeps telling this, but he's 99.

He was so overwhelmed by this is such an important part of his life he comes up with Plan B. Does any. He decides Ishmael the palms mostly Sarah's anyway so if I take a servant girl and I have a son have a son, Ishmael, now that was a big mistake. There's no question about that, but I want you to think about it. Why did he do it because it's so important for him to have a son and he's 99 years old and please understand this because I know some A's in the Bible that while things are different but you know what 99 is 99 is in Hebrew. 99. It's in English 9999.

That's a lot of years without a son. You see, without a son. No watch how this plays itself out as go to chapter 21 verse one then the Lord took note of Sarah as you said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he promised, so Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age. At the appointed time, of which God had spoken to him, and Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him from Sarah boarding him. Issac laughter not just because I think that Sarah laughed when she was told she would have a son. She thought I was pretty funny. But I think it's because that's what he and Sarah did.

The moment he was born just laugh joy one expositor. The Old Testament said no man who ever lived long for son more than Abraham, but that's true.

You see, that's true. By the way it is. Having a son and a good thing.

It is so wonderful thing in this culture is even a greater thing got in there. You see, the legacy goes on. This is it. I got my son can imagine how he felt about him no man probably ever loved a son more. I could imagine this relationship was go to chapter 22 and now it came about after these things that God tested Abraham and he said him, Abraham, and he said he ran he said take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac. Now God for your sake of brevity could say take Isaac we doesn't. He understands Abraham's heart. He said take your son, whom you love, your only son, you see, God knows what Abraham thinks he loves that boy. He loves that boy. You see, do you think there's a possibility that Abraham may love the gift more than the giver you think that's possible certainly is. You see, the whole idea of it is Abraham to send now I'm prefilled, boy. By the way children make great titles very big temptation. But what you see that at the heart of a lot of things overprotectiveness you can see that with an overprotective parent. Be careful.

You know Megan, I thought of a child. You see, you're raising a child for the child's good, not for yours logically clear about that. Well, he said take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac go to the land of Moriah offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mounds in which I would tell you horrifying. We know the story. So we read into up just imagine offer my some of read that and said see that the Old Testament God he's bloodthirsty is not, but he will not he will not share his phone in anybody's life with any idle of any human heart, including Isaac, he said, offer them up now watch there's no Abraham. What a great white logo Abraham rose early in the morning and let's go out I will buy you but I would've said more clarification please.

What are you talking about no any city. He took two of his young men with a man. Isaac his son neatly said any split wood for the burnt offering and rose and went to the place in which God told him on the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw a place in the distance and Abraham said to his young men to stay here with a donkey and I and the lad will go over there and we will worship and return to you and he said, and Abraham took the word in the burnt offering and laid him on Isaac's back on a son he took in his hand. The fire and the knife and the two of them walk together. Is that a scene a member. Isaac is somewhere between 1618 and 30, 33, I would have a tendency to seem closer to 30 mark. Some say another spot but he's a grown man is in the prime of his life Abraham's a very old man. He has no physical control over Isaac.

None fact was a walk up the mountain. Isaac might've been helping his dad away on his back.

He's carrying the wood. He's on climb. She's going to climb his father's walking with them. Now we know behind the scenes as I see the imagery I see Isaac and and him him go up one side of my Moriah.

This way, and God has a ram on the other side. But when God has Rams going up the other side, we never see them until we meet him and so that's what happens here Abraham said God, he said God will provide for himself the lamb the burnt offering, my son, I city boy member. He loves this boy, this is his only son when he loves you see, but I had a hunch that Abraham is going to pass this test all along and I found that verse five Abraham said to his young men stay here with the donkey, and I know I will go over there and we will worship and we will return to you see, I know God is good. I know God is good. I know God has promised me through that boy a blessing to the world.

I know I don't know how but I know the writer Hebrews helps us out.

By the way, the writer of Hebrews tells us that Abraham believed that God could raise the boy from the dead, if that's what God was going to do.

You see, there is this man's great faith. And so what happens is they came to the place in verse nine, which got a total member handled at the altar and arrange the word and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood climbed up in his own accord, stretched out his hand and he took the knife the slaves on. Don't miss this in the imagery. Think of the father.

Think of the sun.

Just see that the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven is at Abraham. Abraham and quickly probably said here I am, and he said do not stretch out your hand against the lad and do nothing to him. For now, I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son he's in Ohio when he says fear. He doesn't mean he was afraid of God. There's a lot of different words for fear but this has the idea of reverence. You revere me affect the right of the Psalms takes the same word for fear and converts it to love God says I know you love me and here's the important point a vitals. I know you love me more than you love the boy, by the way, isn't that exactly what is in the New Testament. They asked Jesus Christ how do you summarize the entire Old Testament. He said what love the Lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength. Neighbors love with Jesus Christ say if you don't love me more if you don't love me more than your husband or wife, your mother, your father, your child, even your own life. You said you can be my disciple. Why, because you are my daughter.

She got some a jealous God, I'm number one.

I'm the only God and everything else is idolatry. And Abraham passes this in the most remarkable way and I can't leave the story. By the way, by adding a little lame after the story I keep thinking up God's perspective because in the future is only son, the one he loves is going to carry on his back up that mountain would in no one's going to stay the hand again and mail them to the cross. He's going to scream my God, my God, why have you forsaken me, and he's gonna pay the price for all of us. The sacrifice of the story of Abraham and Isaac tells me how much God loves me because God is saying, you know how much Abraham loves Isaac, probably as much, as any father is ever love any son who ever lived. God is saying to you and to me that's how much I love my son. I gave him for you, so anything that was like, but no one stayed the hand some overwhelmed by the love of God, so it's not a big thing for me to save weight human, I gotta love God more than anything he loves me more than anything, even his own son.

Yes I love her more than anything. Yes, that's this body belongs in my life and yours to when we put something else in that spot where idolaters that's what the word of God says.

Maybe some of us need to take a walk up a mountain and I would ask you to prayerfully consider is there an Isaac in your life that you need to sacrifice for God whispering father. I'm afraid that we will be like the elders of Israel.

We think of idolatry is so easy to say to you what idols but father we can live UCR heart so I father I pray for each and every one of us not only just for David.

In the weeks to come.

We examine on heart and see in our own heart. If there's anything there that we consider more important than you because if there is father we need to deal with it. We need to sacrifice it. We need to get rid of it and not only father with that please you, but that'll totally bless us. Father I pray examine each and every one of our hearts and help us come under the conviction to answer the question how much we love Christ pastor broke apart the radio ministry of fellowship in the world. If you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like to listen to the message one more time.

Remember the good a great website called in one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the Fellowship in the Word online that website you will find on today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio program at Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make his broadcast possible. Yes, all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly with just a one time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon that Pastor Bill delivered during a Sunday morning service at fellowship monitored visit our website FPC Nola.org that FPC and of LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds. Pastor Bill sermon. You can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series you're looking for or you can search by title. Once you find the message you're looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon on listening and anchoring.

And remember all this absolutely free of charge.

Once again our website is FPC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt and Jason Gebhardt.

Thank you for listening to fellowship in order