Sending a message

 

SENDING A MESSAGE

Have you ever been so upset that you felt like something had to be said? You pull out your phone to send a text, open an email, or start a social media post with angry fingers blasting away at the keys. Sometimes you even hit send feeling justified, other times the Holy Spirit tells you to put the weapon down and back away. A message may need to be sent, but we know how we express our anger matters.

 

     In our passage today, a Levite is journeying home after reconciling with his concubine, when something horrific happens. So horrific, we may not believe such a story is found in the Bible. But we study it today because there is an application here for us.

 

 

     Judges 19:20-30(CSB)

 

“Welcome!” said the old man. “I will take care of everything you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.” So he brought him to the house and fed the donkeys. Then they washed their feet and ate and drank. While they were enjoying themselves, all of a sudden wicked men of the city surrounded the house and beat on the door. They said to the old man who was the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him!”

 

The owner of the house went out and said to them, “Please don’t do this evil, my brothers. After all, this man has come into my house. Don’t commit this horrible outrage. Here, let me bring out my virgin daughter and the man’s concubine now. Abuse them and do whatever you want to them. But don’t commit this outrageous thing against this man.

 

But the men would not listen to him, so the Levite seized his concubine and took her outside to them. They raped her and abused her all night until morning. At daybreak they let her go. Early that morning, the woman made her way back, and as it was getting light, she collapsed at the doorway of the man’s house where her master was.

 

When her master got up in the morning, opened the door of the house, and went out to leave on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine, collapsed near the doorway of the house with her hands on the threshold. “Get up,” he told her. “Let’s go.” But there was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.

 

When he entered his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and then sent her throughout the territory of Israel. Everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or has been seen since the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until now. Think it over, discuss it, and speak up!”

 

 

This is the Word of God.

For the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

 

 

     Before we dive into the passage, it is important to highlight a key phrase in Judges, you can read it in 19:1. It says, “In those days, when there was no king.” You see that phrase sprinkled throughout to underline the lack of governing oversight.

 

     This statement is both true and false. God was King over the Israelites, although they had no earthly king. The problem was they rejected God and His ways. They began worshipping other gods, and this in turn led to a decline in how they treated outsiders and women. True worship of God involves loving God and loving others, without God there is no standard for love. It is up to each person to determine what love is according to their own understanding.

 

     The traveler in our text is a Levite who is journeying home after reconnecting with his concubine. They had a dispute; she left and went home to her father. Together again, the Levite planned to camp in the city square of Gibeah, a community in the tribe of Benjamin.

 

     An old man sees them and invites them into his home for the night. At this time, in this part of the world, hospitality was important. However, with his comment in verse 20, “don’t spend the night in the square,” I cannot help but wonder if the old man knew his community and the danger for an outsider. Regardless, the old man invited them in, and they agree. The Levite and the old man have a good time, but it quickly takes a dark turn.

 

     The CSB says in verse 22, “wicked men of the city surrounded the house.” Other translations accurately describe them as children of the devil. Matthew Henry defined their group as “ungovernable men, men that would endure no yoke, children of the devil, resembling him, and joining with him in rebellion against God and His government.” They were given to the depravity of their own hearts and minds.

 

     As they pounded on the door, the old man is fully aware of their intentions. The old man had a responsibility to protect his family and his guests. But to protect the Levite, the old man offers his own daughter and the Levite’s concubine as sacrifices. He had no right to do such a thing, and there was no way to justify his action.

 

     If you wonder why the concubine left the Levite, his following actions and behavior in this moment could be a clue. To save himself, the Levite tosses his wife out there. Then the text reads like he goes to bed, wakes up in the morning, and then attempts to leave like nothing happened. He makes no effort to go rescue her, and seems completely unconcerned for her wellbeing.

 

     Verses 25 and 26 describe the horrific and barbaric torture this woman endured. These events in Gibeah, with one of the tribes of Israel, parallels the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis. In that story, Lot offers his daughters to ward off the pagans who lusted after God’s two messengers. God’s messengers intervene to save Lot’s daughters and Lot, but unfortunately there is no divine intervention here. Again, this is not an event that happens among pagan outsiders, but amid God’s people.

 

     After waking up and collecting his stuff, the Levite sets out for home. He finds his concubine at the doorway, and the text is unclear whether she is dead or alive at this point. Upon returning home, the Levite is outraged by what happened. Not sure if he is outraged about the concubine or the fear he encountered, but he decides to send a message to the whole nation.

 

     And if this terrible story could not get any worse, it does. The Levite takes his concubine and chops her into twelve pieces, then sends a piece of her to every tribe. This was a call to war, and would lead to an internal war within Israel. The concubine in her death continues to be a sacrifice for her husband, a man whose life is supposed to be set apart to serve God.

 

     What a terrible passage. Nothing good about it. And I would argue nothing read happened according to the will of God, this being a story simply describing what happened. An encounter with the sin of others destroying a person. Sin that is outrageous followed by an outrageous message.

 

     The message of what happened had to be shared. That horrific crime had to be addressed. But the way the Levite shared the message required him to dismantle the victim, his own wife who he failed to protect. This was a terrible crime, but the response was equally terrible. Every bit as sinful as the acts committed, revealing a sinful heart and mind in the Levite. And this is a story we would expect in the world, but not in the life of God’s people.

 

     How do we apply this passage to us? The truth here is that you and I are victims of sin, have been victims of sin, and most likely will be victims of sin. People in their depravity have and will hurt us as they give in to their sinful passions. On flip side, we have left a wake of victims in the aftermath of our own sins. And it is important that everyone knows that it is not okay, it is not God’s will, and it will leave scars on our hearts that might never fully heal. We will be outraged by what happens to us, and seeing it happen to others. But we cannot justify our sinful responses because of sin. You and I are called to life beyond victimhood through the washing of Jesus’s blood and indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

 

     I am not saying we should stay quiet, and I am not saying we sweep things under the rug. The horrors of sin and its destruction should make us angry. But our response to sin is to rescue those who are left in its aftermath. Our aim is not amplifying the sin, but redeeming the situation so it is not the end of hope in the victim’s life. Our goal is not to leave the victims for dead, but to help restore them to life.

 

     Again, I am not saying Jesus will magically make it all better. And I am not going to pretend the wounds will be gone. But Jesus can show us sin does not win in the end. Not in my life or your life. Sin wins when we chop up and sacrifice the victims. Jesus wins in us when we respond with humility, justice, and mercy. Instead of sending fury in our outrage, send Jesus.

Need prayer? Have a question? Contact The Dirt Path Pastor

Sermon Preview for October 1, 2023

 

Some events are so horrific, something needs to be said by someone. But what is said, how it is said, and to whom it is said is important. Pastor Jason explores a difficult passage in Judges 19:20-30 and how it applies to our lives.

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Watch the whole service

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Sunday at 10:45 AM ET

Shamgar

 

SHAMGAR

     Our text today is found in a book of the Bible that takes place after the death of Moses. God freed His people from Egypt, gave them the Law, and led them to the Promised Land. Now Moses is dead. It is also a period after Joshua, Moses’s successor. Joshua led God’s people through a period of conquest, conquering the Promised Land. But now Joshua is dead.

 

     All that brings us to the time of the judges, and why the book bears that name. Judge is a term applied to heroes who would rise and deliver God’s people. The Israelites went through cycles of disobedience which led to them being oppressed by their enemies, then God sent them a deliverer when they cried out to Him for help. Today we will be focusing on the third judge in this period.

 

 

     Judges 3:31(CSB)

 

After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath became judge. He also delivered Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with a cattle prod.

 

 

This is the Word of God.

For the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

 

 

     There is not much in this one verse about Shamgar. Especially when you compare this to the information about the first judge. The first judge is Othniel.

 

     In Judges 3:8, we read the Israelites are disobedient to God, which led to them being oppressed by a neighboring nation. After eight years, the Israelites cry out to God in verse 9, this is when the Lord sends Othniel to deliver them. We read that Othniel is Caleb’s younger brother, the Caleb who was the only spy from a team sent out by Moses who believed God would help them overcome the giants in the Promised Land. (Numbers 13) There is not much more information about Othniel, but more about him than Shamgar.

 

     There is not much about Shamgar in verse 31. Especially when you look at the information given on the second judge, Ehud, in Judges 3:12-30.

 

     Again, the Israelites are disobedient to God. This time they are oppressed by the Moabite king, Eglon, who allies with two other enemies of God’s people. After eighteen years of being oppressed by Eglon, the Israelites cry out to God.

 

     We have a lot of details on Ehud and his act that leads to the deliverance of Israel. Ehud is left-handed, a key detail because of where he hides a sword. Being left-handed was so unusual that King Eglon’s security team did not check Ehud’s right thigh to see where the weapon was hidden. Alone with Eglon in a locked room, Ehud stabs him in the gut. King Eglon is so fat that his belly fat completely absorbs the blade. As his guards wait for an “embarrassing” amount of time, Ehud sneaks out the window and rallies the people to victory.

 

     There is not much on Shamgar, only verse 31, and a mention of him in Judges 5:6. That additional verse says, “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, the main roads were deserted because travelers kept to the side roads.” It was dangerous to travel because the Philistines had raiding parties coming into Israel unchecked. The Israelites had been disobedient to God, and now they were suffering because of these raiding parties. Unguarded villages were also vulnerable to these Philistine bands.

 

     Shamgar is an unlikely deliverer for the Israelites. He is believed to be a foreigner. “Anath” was the name of a Canaanite goddess of sex and war, so this was not an Israelite title. But God chose Shamgar to deliver his people.

 

     While there is not a lot of information on Shamgar, we do know his weapon is a piece of farm equipment. The CSB calls it a cattle prod, but this is not like the instrument of our day which uses a gentle shock to redirect livestock. This was an ox-goad, an eight-foot-long pole with a metal tip to push or stir cattle. On the other end was a curved blade for clearing a plow. Shamgar would use this as a weapon to kill six hundred Philistines.

 

     Both Ehud and Shamgar have a unique use of a weapon in their stories. But unlike Ehud, there is no secret plot with Shamgar. It is the story of a farmer who uses his farming tool to defeat the enemies of Israel. Nothing more is shared about it.

 

     These are all the details we have about Shamgar. Perhaps there were too few survivors among the Philistines to tell the story, only claims of a crazy farmer with a cattle prod. And there is a good chance Shamgar lived in one of these unguarded villages, which would limit the number of Israelites who would witness Shamgar’s heroics. But this one verse with these limited details is all we have about Shamgar, the third judge of Israel.

 

     As I was preparing, several of the commentators compared Shamgar to Samson, who later in Judges whips the Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. Samson has a lot written about him, so much so that Samson overshadows the minds of scholars as they try to explain Shamgar. Shamgar has too few details in his story for us to grasp much of anything to form a lot of discussion.

 

     But that is exactly our application today. Not everyone will have a story that is widely known by larger audiences. Most of us will only be known and remembered by a small circle. We may have a tremendous impact on those in our small circle, creating a never-ending ripple effect. And that is what makes each of us important to the Kingdom of God.

 

     Our audience is not an arena full of people, it is an audience of One. And our faithfulness to Him is what matters. If we are loving God and loving others, it will leave a legacy. It will be His legacy.

 

     Matthew Henry wrote in his commentary on Shamgar, “He that has the residue of the Spirit could… make plowmen judges and generals, and fishermen apostles.” Our life lived in glory to God is you and me taking our one talent and investing it into the lives of people with the transformational grace of Jesus. Mordecai opens his home to his niece Esther, his love and encouragement empower her to live her life and rescue God’s people from extinction. Jochebed loved Moses enough to send him floating down the Nile River, without her sacrificial love Moses does not live to lead anyone. That is what happens when we live for the audience of One.

 

     You and I are important to God. We are important far beyond what we know. God loves you and has your life in mind to be a ripple in someone else’s life. No matter how boring or lacking in detail our stories are, He can use us far beyond our circle. We matter in His story.

Need prayer? Have a question? Contact The Dirt Path Pastor

Sermon preview for September 24, 2023

Pastor Jason will be preaching on a man named Shamgar, if you have no clue who that is, that is okay no one else really does either. Be sure to listen in to figure out how Shamgar's story applies to us.

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I'll pray for you

I'LL PRAY FOR YOU

 

     There is a story about a holy man who was meditating under a tree next to a river. The river began rising, and that was when he saw a scorpion stuck in the tree roots about to drown. So, the man crawled out on the roots to the scorpion. Of course, every time the man reached out the scorpion stung him. A passerby shouted, “Don’t you know that is a scorpion? And don’t you know it is the scorpion’s nature to sting you?” To this, the man replied, “That is true, but it is my nature to save. I don’t need to change my nature to save. I don’t need to change my nature because the scorpion will not change his.”

 

     How many of us would have had that attitude? How many of us would have seen the scorpion and cheered on the water? Many of us have that attitude toward people. Sometimes it is because they think so differently than us, we want to avoid the awkwardness of trying to connect. Other times it is because the people are worse than the scorpion. However, perhaps these attitudes make us like the scorpion. As followers of Jesus, we are called to a different heart.

 

     Daniel 4:19-27(CSB)

 

Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was stunned for a moment, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.”

 

Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies! The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, whose top reached to the sky and was visible to the whole earth, and whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant—and on it was food for all, under it the wild animals lived, and in its branches the birds of the sky lived—that tree is you, your majesty. For you have become great and strong: your greatness has grown and even reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to the ends of the earth.”

 

“The king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump with its roots in the ground and with a band of iron and bronze around it in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with dew from the sky and share food with the wild animals for seven periods of time.’ This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree of the Most High that has been issued against my lord the King: You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals. You will feed on grass like cattle and be drenched with dew from the sky for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms, and he gives them to anyone he wants. As for the command to leave the tree’s stump with its roots, your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven rules. Therefore, may my advice seem good to you my king. Separate yourself from your sins by doing what is right, and from injustice by showing mercy to the needy. Perhaps there will be an extension of your prosperity.”

 

 

 

This is the Word of God.

For the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

 

     The crazy thing about this dream interpretation is that Daniel has no problem figuring out what it means. He hears the dream and goes silent. Verse 19 says, “Daniel was stunned for a moment, and his thoughts alarmed him.” After hearing the dream, Daniel knew exactly what it meant, but that caused him to create a moment of awkward silence.

 

     King Nebuchadnezzar wanted to know what his dream meant, even if it was bad. Daniel had earned his respect, so the king encouraged Daniel to share. While Daniel did not want to share the message, this word was not the prophet’s message, but God’s word to Nebuchadnezzar. The prophet had to speak God’s truth.

 

     The clarity of the interpretation speaks to the ease of Daniel’s understanding of the dream. In his commentary, Adam Clarke wrote, “The dream is so fully interpreted that in the following verses that it needs no commentary.” Contrary to Clarke, I will give a summary of verses 20 through 26.

 

     Ultimately, God is warning that the king would go from the very top of power and knowledge to grazing in the field like a cow. King Nebuchadnezzar would go from a symbol of worldly power to the lowest of the low. His power had made him prideful, and God was going to remind Nebuchadnezzar of his place. God was ruler of all, including Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom. This judgment would last until Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged God’s sovereignty.

 

     Keep in mind, this is the same Nebuchadnezzar that we read about in Daniel chapter 3, who built a gigantic statue of himself. He commanded everyone to worship this image of himself, and when three men refused the king became so enraged he had them thrown in a fiery furnace. It is a wonder Nebuchadnezzar did not fly off the handle here. Of course, perhaps the memory of a fourth person in the fire was enough to give him ears to hear, at least for a moment.

 

     Understanding the severity of the word, Daniel offers King Nebuchadnezzar sound advice in verse 27. He suggests that the king repents. Only this repentance had to be more than lip service and even outward actions. Daniel was calling Nebuchadnezzar to “rend his heart” of evil and turn to God, evidenced by his treatment of those subject to him. Especially the people Nebuchadnezzar conquered. God expected Nebuchadnezzar to rule the Hebrews, as well as others, in the same manner as the kings over the Israelites, ruling in justice and righteousness.

 

     Sadly, even with this warning, Nebuchadnezzar would not change his ways. He would lose his mind and spend seven years grazing like a cow. While there is a lesson in this, that is not our focal point. Our focal point has to do with a holy man and a scorpion.

 

     Look at verse 19, remember Daniel’s hesitation and awkward pause? Remember how he says, “I wish this applied to your enemies”? Why would Daniel behave that way and begin his interpretation with that introduction? It could be because he hoped Nebuchadnezzar’s enemies used this against the king. But as a believer in Jesus who thinks that His call to holiness wants us to think the best of one another, I do not think that is the case. I think Daniel pauses because his heart is filled with compassion for Nebuchadnezzar. He has compassion for the king who conquered his homeland, took him away as a captive, and tried to force him to adopt Babylonian life, giving Daniel a proper Babylonian name. Instead of praying for a piano to fall on the king’s head, the prophet has genuine compassion for his oppressor.

 

     As harsh as God’s word of judgment to Nebuchadnezzar seems, this warning through a dream is an offer of mercy. God warns Nebuchadnezzar to change his ways twelve months before it happens. Daniel, unaware of the exact timeline sees this window of opportunity, so he gently and kindly extends the mercy of God to the king.

 

     The scorpion does not change his nature, but neither does Daniel! He has faith in God and lived a holy life that showed his love for God. That love led Daniel to love King Nebuchadnezzar, who was different from him in almost every way.

 

     This passage reminds us of an important truth. The Bible tells us “For the wages of sin is death.” Our sin leads to destruction, death, and eternal separation from God. As followers of Jesus, we know this is why we need to repent, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. However, we also need to remember this truth applies to everyone. And that includes people who are different from us, even those we consider our enemies. Our heart for those different from us, those who are our enemies, reveals what is most important to us.

 

     The heart of Jesus longs after our enemies like a lost sheep, one He is willing to leave us for to go and find. Jesus is searching for those people different from us like a lost coin. He is waiting to see them walking down the road like a prodigal returning home, waiting to run out and greet them.

 

     If we are Christ’s followers, this is the heart we are called to have. This does not mean we overlook their sins and shortcomings. Nor does it mean there are no issues that need to be addressed. And it does not mean we have to be their best friend. It means we must be willing to accept them at God’s table, pointing them to how to get there. When we pray for them, it is not that a piano falls out of the sky on their head. Our prayer is that they would hear Jesus calling and be transformed.

Need prayer? Have a question? Contact The Dirt Path Pastor

Sermon preview for September 17, 2023

 

King Nebuchadnezzar had invaded his homeland, led him away as a prisoner, and looked down on him as a person, Daniel had every reason to dislike the king. But when Daniel is called upon, he reveals a heart many of us would not have at that moment. Pastor Jason shares a message from Daniel 4:19-27.

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Watch the whole service

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Smash to pieces

 

 SMASH TO PIECES 

     I love football. My favorite thing to watch is football. When I play video games, I love football games. It does not matter the level, I love the game.

 

     As much as I love football, I love Jesus more. Jesus loved me enough to lay down His life for me, the least I can do is yield my life to Him. I love watching Jesus work in our midst, seeing what happens when you and I yield to His Holy Spirit. Seeing all of you worship Jesus is the greatest encouragement to me.

 

     The first commandment of the Ten Commandments is about loving God and worshipping Him, and nothing else. We cannot truly love God if we worship anyone or anything alongside Him. Our passage today is about the lengths we must go to to worship God.

 

     Exodus 23:20-26(CSB)

 

“I am going to send an angel before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. Be attentive to him and listen to him. Do not defy him, because he will not forgive your acts of rebellion, for my name is in him. But if you will carefully obey him and do everything I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. For my angel will go before you and bring you to the land of the Amorites, Hethites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. Do not bow in worship to their gods, and do not serve them. Do not imitate their practices. Instead, demolish them and smash their sacred pillars to pieces. Serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and your water. I will remove illnesses from you. No woman will miscarry or be childless in your land. I will give you the full number of your days.”

 

 

 

This is the Word of God.

For the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

 

     It is important here at the beginning that I mention this word is specifically for the children of Israel. God has freed them from Egypt, and now they are headed to the Promised Land. The promises in this chapter apply directly to them. But this does not mean there is not an application here for us, because God has a word for us amid this specific promise.

 

     In verse 20, God says, “I will send my angel before you.” This angel is being sent to protect and lead the Israelites. And if you read ahead, He will as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. However, there is something peculiar about this angel. Verses 21 and 22 highlight an unusual amount of authority given to this angel. God also states, “My name is in him.” It is worded as if this angel is God Himself.

 

     Many scholars believe this is the pre-incarnate Christ. In Acts, Jesus appears to Paul on the road to Damascus, it is amid a bright light, like this angel in Exodus will do leading the Israelites. When Jesus is on the mountain of Transfiguration, it says Jesus is enveloped in a bright cloud of light. In Matthew 17:5, a voice is heard from the cloud saying, “This is my Son whom I love dearly. I am very pleased with him. Listen to him.” That last sentence echoes what God says in Exodus 23:21 to the Israelites about the angel, “Listen to him.”

 

     What God is saying to the Israelites is the key to victory is listening to and obeying pre-incarnate Jesus. Their obedience to Jesus would lead them to success against all odds and obstacles they will face. In verse 21, God says to them, “Do not defy him, because he will not forgive your acts of rebellion.” Disobedience on their behalf would be because in their hearts they do not love God. If you do not love God it is impossible to worship Him. And they cannot be forgiven if they do not worship God.

 

     Their journey to the Promised Land would lead them to nations and cultures that did not love God. These nations would be worshipping different gods and using their unique practices to do so. God would not lead the Israelites away from those practices but through the people practicing them. In verse 24, God says, “Do not worship their gods. Do not adopt their practices.” God wanted the Israelites to worship Him the way He commanded them to do so. And that begins with the Israelites worshipping God alone, evidenced by their obedience.

 

     Now, it was not enough for them to go in and ignore the false worship that surrounded them. The Israelites were to overthrow these gods and demolish the practices. This was a preventative measure for their worship of God, and God revealing His greatness through their obedience to the cultures of the world.

 

     It is important to note God’s plan for His people has not changed. While God commanded a military conquest for the Israelites, for the Church He has called us to be subversive through love for God and people. The message of salvation through Jesus and the radical transformation that follows up ends the ways of the world. We no longer conform to their patterns. The times and methods are different, but no less effective. And the key to our victory with Jesus is based on our deep love for God.

 

     Verses 25 and 26 show how God will be faithful to the Israelites if they listen and obey. God will provide for their needs, and God will protect them from enemies and elements they encounter. Again, these promises are specific to the Israelites as they journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land. We all know godly people who struggle in our day. But we do have Jesus as our bread of life and living water with His promise of everlasting life.

 

     While the Israelites were called to be obedient, these promises were conditional based on their performance. This does not mean God’s faithfulness is based on performance. God is good and does things out of love. Obedience is an outward evidence of trust in God, and trust is a foundational element in love. Performance matters not because it obligates God to move on our behalf, but because it reveals our heart for Him.

 

     These words spoken by God were shared with the people of God, not the world. God’s word to the world was His people living out their love for Him. The application of this passage is not for the world but for us, the followers of Jesus. This is to be a group project of the Church universal, including us here at Ravenna Church of the Nazarene. The only way we can do this collectively is if you and I accept this truth personally and live it out.

 

     You and I are called to worship God only. While the Israelites were called to trust in the pre-incarnate Christ, we have the revelation of God incarnate. Jesus is God in the flesh who died on the cross and rose again so everyone could be forgiven and set free from sin. We believe that Jesus is our everything. Because of what Jesus did to demonstrate God’s love to us, we love Jesus by listening to Him and living our lives in obedience to Him.

 

     Just as Jesus is for us, we are for Jesus. We are not against anyone, but we no longer live subject to the patterns of this world. The things the world chases (or worships) we do not because Jesus is greater. To truly love Jesus and live in obedience to Him, we must do away with the world in us. If we do away with the world in us and live our lives for Jesus, our lives will go into the world and expose the idols the world holds dear.

 

     The idols of our world today are not so much physical objects as they were in the Old Testament. Today’s idols are ideas the world believes will make them happy, demonstrated by their actions and desires. We are being sent out by Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit to topple these things. And to be clear, we are not against people or even their practices, we are for Jesus. The Church is so much for Jesus that we chose Him over these other things that others use to take His place.

 

     Here are the idols we need to reject in our hearts and minds to demonstrate our faith in Jesus, which will challenge the world’s claims:

 

1) Pleasure. People seek activities that feel good physically and give their brains temporary feelings of happiness. The trouble is they come back to reality and must seek pleasure again. But we are for Jesus. He invites us to cast our anxieties on Him and to trust Him with our burdens. We do pleasurable things, but those things are bonuses to the joy already in our hearts.

 

2) Entertainment. Music and movies are used to escape life and to see a false definition of good triumphing over evil. This gives hope that evil can be overcome, but unfortunately, this hope only exists in a fantasy land or place far from where they are. But we are for Jesus and do not need distractions. He is God who is good and who has overcome evil. That is our daily and everlasting reality.

 

3) Money. They believe if they can have all the money all their problems are gone and they can have the means to fulfill all their desires. If all their desires are fulfilled, then they will be happy and so will their family. Unfortunately, more money equals more problems, with more to lose. But we are for Jesus. Money has a place, but Jesus is our desire and will provide all we need.

 

4) Success. It feels good to win and to reach the top. Accomplishments bring praise, promotions, and more. However, a bigger fish always comes along. But we are for Jesus. Success to us is glorifying God. It is not that others do not matter, but we do not seek validation from them. God loves us and is proud of us, and this propels us to keep going.

 

5) Security. They seek weapons, armies, conformity in thinking, and control. Evil always finds a way to take what is meant for protection and use it for cruelty. Human hearts are susceptible to taking up cruelty in the name of peace. But we are for Jesus. He is our peace. We are not against guns or armies, but we know Jesus wins.

 

6) Routine. They think routines are what will sustain happiness. Routines get disrupted by job changes, family changes, and a world constantly changing. But we are for Jesus, God who never changes.

 

7) Tradition or the past. If things could go back to the way they were, then the good times will return. The problem is time moves forward not backwards. But we are for Jesus, whose victory is now. His work is complete and is completing in us as we wait for His Kingdom to fully arrive.

 

 

If you are clinging to one of these idols, let go and follow Jesus. He is what you are truly seeking. If you are clinging to Jesus, worship Him in Spirit and live out truth. This will challenge the world’s idols and topple them in hearts through His transformational love. Amen.

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