The Gospel vs. Idolatry, Part 2

JD Greer idols engage the deepest emotions in our heart and fondle my job right is your pastor, I'm to be challenging your idols like Paul did, and it's going to make you mad, making you mad when I'm preaching then I'm either on the bridge or you're not listening well Friday night and I'm glad you been with us this week. I'm your host Molly events safe to say that we all have things that were not willing to give that things that are just too important or too valuable to even consider getting away behaviors that, quite frankly, we just don't want to stop today on Summit life with JD Greer were learning that when were holding too tight to something might be an idol pastor JD is helping us to examine our hearts into identified as idols in our lives. So if you've missed any of the previous messages in our current theories in the book of acts you can listen to every broadcast online. JD Greer.com. Let's join pastor JD now for his message titled the gospel versus idolatry in acts chapter 19 everyone in your own cannot logically clickable strategy to God.

Every heart has its old Bartlett on and become a Christian major jet on the Parthenon and you put Jesus in its place.

And when it's idols when you're idols.

Your parking lot is challenged. We react just as violently as we what I tried to get up for the stored organ to get into is really applicable to you back sightseeing.

Paul enters episodes with the gospel, by the way Paul is not the first one and Ephesus with the gospel. The first guy in the social gospel is a guise for domains names Apollo's I cannot make this point too often or too strongly just about every time the gospel goes into a new area in the book of acts.

It doesn't do so through an apostle does those who are regular guy regular woman. Paul finally shows up verse 11 God was doing extraordinary miracles, but I am the ball so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that touched her skin were carried away to the sick, their diseases left them in the evil spirits came out of them this fall zero sanctified hanky ministry. Verse 13 some of the itinerant Jewish exorcist Saul Besson.

They undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those red evil spirits to say hi, ensure you by the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches verse 15 one of the demon's response to them Jesus I know, and Paul, I recognize, but who are you coming talk about the ultimate this demon says to you, throw out if you are when they said this and I said this the man in whom was the evil. Leaves on them mastered all of them and overpowered them so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Verse 17 and this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks and fear fell upon them all in the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled by the way, that's a description of what an awakening the city looks like is when there's great fear of who God is, but then also Jesus becomes more glorious in his name is I am lifted up in people are drawn to them so I will show you five things that you need to understand about idols in your life that you can learn from this passage. Five things about idols in your life as the gospel comes into your life that you can learn from this passage and then what I want to do is show you how the gospel that Paul preached would confront these idols told will do right toward the end a idols or anything that promises to us a life of security and joy apart from God. That's what Artemis did. She was the protector and prosper of the city with her. They believe they were guaranteed to have security and joy without her. They could not have been thinks so here is my question for you. What is that in your life. Idols, as I often explain to you all is our vitals are not usually bad things are just good things that we turned in the God things, things that we believe will give us security and joy and without which we can have security and joy. Even if we have God to see if you lose a good thing from your life and your sat but if you lose a God thing from your life and ultimate thing than your devastated and there's a difference between sad and devastated. You might have a preference for a lot of things you might want certain things happening. There's nothing wrong with that but if you're like there's no way I can be secure.

There's no way I can really have a good life. There's no way that I can have joy apart from that thing that it has become an idol, because whatever it is is your Artemis is probably the primary God in your Parthenon. B. Idols engage the deepest emotions in our hearts. I told you before that many of my deepest emotions are connected to my idols. Like many guys and girls not as is common overachiever I want God's I worship early source of drama life of the God of success. So when I look at the deepest emotions of my heart.

The deepest thanks as always tied around the loss about God is triggered by the fact that I worship a false God. Here's another way of coming to the same question. Were you unable you unable to forgive you. Unable to forgive is if you're unable to forgive somebody it's because it's tied with deep resentment that you have for that person and not deep resentments is probably triggered by the fact that they attack something that they damage something that you feel like you can be happy and joyful, without in other words, they got your idol. I'm not saying that it was right messing with it. It was not that bad to say the reason you can't forgive the reason you can't get over the bitterness is because it goes down to the deepest part of who you are and threatens your very being heard a pastor told a story about two women in his church, one of whom was a brand-new Christian, the other of whom was a very mature Christians you been a Christian for over 25 years. Both of them were in marriages that were headed toward divorce. Both of them had one son and the divorce was negatively affecting that sunset.

It nearly identical situations.

He said the woman who would just become a Christian was very immature in her faith was able to forgive her husband go to counseling and reconcile and save their marriage. The woman who had been a Christian for a long time was not able to forgive her husband and ended up in divorce. The pastor said as I began to talk with this woman who was a mature Christian is of the reason became very obvious she had become emotionally dependent on her son should not, in a weird way, but she kind of emotionally married her son. Her son had become an idol so when her relationship with her husband got to the point that it was negatively affecting her son.

She was not able to forgive her husband because what he was doing was affecting the thing that she depended on for life and substance where the areas that you unable to forgive.

Where's the resentment that you cannot shake again. I'm not saying that what they did was okay.

I'm not saying it wasn't bad. I'm just saying that resentment is always a sign that they've gotten a hold of something that you believe is more essential for security and joy than God himself is you know. Ironically, when you idolize something good that ultimately keeps you from being able to enjoy it all as you start obsessing over the things that you can enjoy them as your life depends on them. There become like life preservers that you cling to.

You don't enjoy a life preserver right. It saves you so is romance good romance is your life preserver. Then you become a terrible codependent spouse and marriage because you need that person in order to validate you in order to give you joy and security if your single and marriages cannot be your lifesaver into your doll awesome don't get married was Alyssa here for a phrase we use right here you're not ready to date until you're ready not to date when you're ready not to date, then you're not looking for security and joy in a human being, it will never be able to get the worst thing for you to do is get married because you're going to destroy that relationship by putting them in the place of God. They were not intended to be God. They were a good thing not God thing a marriage that is enjoyed as a marriage where you're not looking at that person to give you security and joy, because those things come from God. For I tell you loneliest the insecure single people from lonely, insecure, married people may end up in our counseling offices because they turn somebody else, and what God is never been able to satisfy or deliver them. If you depend on family is your life preserver than you become really controlling of your family so you go from sweet loving mother to dominating obsessive controlling mom and I like that. Ask your kids right idols engage the deepest emotions in our heart to fondle my job right is your pastor, I'm to be challenging your idols like Paul did, and it's going to make you mad, making you mad when I'm preaching and I'm either on the preacher you're not listening. Why is it that that discernment was criticism on your subject the wrong is not hard to figure out what sermons like it was criticism on money is because on that subject to switching two different guys are generally dumb sermons is the reason you think that's the reason is because on that subject and that subject alone. I'm just the inferior preacher. No, I'm an interpreter on multiple subjects.

The reason that subject. I get all my mail from and has nothing to call discernment that source messing somebody's idol. I don't like that like it. I don't you touch Artemis is Artemis of Ephesians don't you preach on that because that's my white blood and I had a project that would lead me to number three. Idols need to be protected. Idols need to be protected.

Demetri says we need to protect Artemis. We cannot let her be deposed of her meteorite magnificence is the irony when she slows me protector them. She's with me protector them out. Although protector are what you feel obsessive to protect in your life if you feel like life without a good marriage is empty and hardly worth living. You obsess about your marriage. So if your single homework is my chance.

Not studying. When I was single I want to see is my life obsess about it. These ridiculous question, but what if you know she misses the will of God. But what if the girl that Mary goes to make a bad decision and I do suffer for the rest my life single because she made a wrong decision if reputation is that protector of your city. If that's what means a good wife, then you're the kind of person that always protects your reputation right which is why you can't handle criticism when some of you can handle criticism because you can handle anybody even some of you will know thinking bad things about you because I reputation to protector your city. That's why you always make sure that you get the credit for whatever it is that you did, you can handle the credit going somebody else because because you need to credit you need the affirmation. That's what makes for a good life is other people recognizing your worth in your awesomeness and you can enter criticism are missing the credit D titles demand sacrifices to keep them happy. Idols demand sacrifices to keep them happy. This whole system in Ephesus was built on a PC Artemis making sure that she was not displeased she idols are always like that. Idols always say hey if you want more me if you want me to sacrifice for me so when I got sheets of his business, you realize that when I got sheets of his business. It's not that he's just a compulsive liar. Is there something right. On the other side of that cheating that he is willing to compromise his integrity to get any like edges. We just want to just be a little think I just compromise a little integrity.

This promotion for this acquisition. This is what will make a good life. I refer to that show Breaking Bad a few weeks ago many of you have seen it is accountable or the whole point of it is you got a God who makes disastrously bad decisions in his life and the whole time. He felt his wife doing this for a family I'm doing is a lot of doing for you. And finally the use of the end of the series is like I did for me. I did because I wanted the power and one of the security and with the joy that I thought the money for making these decisions would bring.

And so I compromise my integrity to grab a hold of that which I thought would make our lives good in the Bible says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

What that means to me that's the love of money that ends up triggering all the compromises is the love of money that is the root sin that's behind the other says. Why do you live.

Why do you cheat, why do you disobey God. It all goes back to the fact that money equals the good life for you, me, I'm generally a truthful person, I tell the truth in most situations. The one time I will tell the truth you want to know what is it when I got a lie to protect my success when I got to protect the illusion of success.

That's why I exaggerate my accomplishments minimize my failures over here because I want people to think of me of more successful than I actually am a goes back to the roots.

Those Christians in our church will not obey God in our finances. We realize that it's not just that there really stingy people. It's just that right now. They got something they want to obtain an idol of comfort you might take the form of a beach house might take the form of a certain amount of money in the bank, it might take the form of a new car in order to get that thing they're going to have to compromise a little bit the commands of God.

And so they're willing to do that for a season.

They think they can get this God that they really want, which is the God of comfort. We have a lot of people in our church and worship the God of an ideal family which is why they refuse to entertain the idea that God might send one of their children overseas. When I grow up. Why because that's not the vision of the ideal family they've always had and that's what I going to have us or know you can obey God, stand in your way. For some of you. It's why you will not entertain the idea of adoption or fostering because it messes up the ideal. You've always had for your family so you sacrifice obedience to God and the altar of an ideal family because that's the security and joy you've always wanted in life. Many people worship the God of personal comfort so anything that makes them uncomfortable. There does not do what is going on a mission trip or even sermon here in the weekend, I gotta be comfortable not to my top priority. So no, I can do that even though I know that's what I probably should do and when I got really has this idle bad of his wife's her skin on his nerves.

Well I gotta be comfortable so she annoys me other member I want to sacrifice my family my integrity. The bows before God, because ultimately the love of comfort was the root of that evil in his life is the love of idols. That is the root of all evils you sacrifice for the idle and here's the business tragic, but the idols never satisfied more, more, William James, who is not a Christian is a postmodern philosopher William James said that success for him. I can't quote them directly was a BI TCH got us a being God's.

He said the reason he said they said because no matter what I give to her. She always demands more. I gave her. He said my family and she said I want your health. I gave her my healthy sediment. She said I want your integrity. He said there is nothing she has not taken from me and she still shows up saying if you really want me give me more. Ancient gods required child sacrifice how we look at that we say how close – how could you do something so barbaric that they would lay their children on the altar anything for two seconds about it. Many of us sacrifice our children of the gods of success were not there for our kids, another for kids because you have to be successful you could imagine life be good without being successful. So if you kids get in the way of that.

Well you know for sure your idle much your kids pay the price. E idols are not just psychological forces. They are demonic ones as well. Then we see that fully on display in Ephesus whenever idolatry is lamp rampant you'll find demons very active. Probably the tragedy is that we fail to recognize that in our culture because Satan has figured out he can do more damage to us by keeping himself cloaked that he can outright terror and demon possession.

The way he did in these days, Satan preaches, however, listen the same lie in every idle in every age that he preached in the first idol that he presented to our first parents in the forbidden fruit.

If you eat this you will be like God and you will not surely die about what is he right now holding this out to you and saying you want security and joy. This is where it is. Once you prioritizes more than goblin to seek this morning. I want you conditioner obedience to God on this because if you had better be like God never really die.

It is the same demonic lie. It is every bit as powerful.

It is every bit as demonic, even if he's not making the eyes roll back your head and make you float 6 feet above your bed. That's his least impressive work is most impressive work.

His main work is alive. Genesis 3 Saverio Hunt of the gospel confront that idolatry.

How does the gospel confront a paltry symmetrical abrasion one point you'll notice I admittedly it's not spelled out in acts 19 but you get it from the letter to the Ephesians, which is the letter he wrote of the black Sunday fiddler has one point God is better than your idols does better than your idols is better because a true God alone gives life. The true God is a God.

Paul says is not made with hands, the true God is the creator of all. Which means that his love is more faithful and more tender than romance.

The arms that you were aching for in romance were really his arms. His promises are more secure and more reliable than money because God is the market never crashes never dips below 10,000 never changes in value is constant and never changes Jesus Christ the same today yesterday yesterday today and forever. His presence is more life-sustaining than creature comforts on 1611, because in his presence is the fullness of joy in his right hand are pleasures for evermore's future is more fulfilling than a fertile family, his attention and his affections are better than the praise of people.

Jonah 28 those who forsake idols those who see me. Those who pursue idols for sake of mercy that could be bears. Jeremiah 213. All of this verse my people since God have committed to evils number one they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters number two they have here for themselves cisterns hold the water fountain was a spring's had all water that was always rushing and never ran dry, he says, is a seminal one was a sin against God.

They thought it was something besides God was more trustworthy, more joy, giving more valuable and they blaspheme God's name by turn their back on the Almighty God and believing something else in the place of God that sin number one sin number two without a sin against God is a sin against themselves.

They hear for themselves cisterns currently hold one of the Douglas hold the ground which was used to gather rain and he says they do hold a dog couldn't couldn't hold water. So what is holding called marriage. One of her cisterns was called success and it can put water in it and would never hold water but they kept going back to it and always ran dry to send one against God against you.

Those who pursue idols say the mercy that could be bears because there is a living water fountain that overflows this presence is yours.

You take both as to what are you doing your seeking something they could never sustain the way your soul B the true God that made you protect culture, God protects you like King David would say I love you I will love you oh Lord, my strength, my rock, my refuge and my fortress.

The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid. I do not need to obsess about romance, only to obsess about money. I don't need to obsess about success because I trust you. I rest in you as you wait upon the Lord will have their strength with renewed know about with wings like eagles will run and not be weary if I seek first the kingdom of God. His rights as all these things be added to meet Isaiah 26. Three those who have their mind fixed upon you. You will keep in perfect peace. I know that if God is my God in all this other stuff you can provide. When you want God plus nothing equals everything, and all that stuff about God equals nothing so I'll take God you have the rest of our God put into my life. When you need to not only to protect him. He protects me.

Which leads me to C the true God offered his own sacrifice every other God says that you will sacrifice not for me.

I'll destroy you if you fail me. I'll make you miserable. The true God did fill me save you the true God said you did something that earned my curse instead of cursing you.

I cursed myself. That's the God that you give your life to your sacrifice. It was his only he protects you, steams you and gives you your listening to Senate life with pastor and theologian JD Greer here in our home church. The summit church in Raleigh, Durham, North Carolina. We are firmly committed to the great commission is a part of our work towards that mission.

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