IDOLS OF THIS GENERATION

IDOLS OF THIS GENERATION


Anything that you allow to come between you and the Father is an idol. Many of you probably think of the golden calf of Exodus when you think of idol worship, but the idols of this generation are cars, houses, businesses, recreational activities and one idol that is essential for you to be able to recognize. Remember, anything you place a higher priority on than your relationship with God is an idol.

Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Christ did not use the word hate in this verse. The word hate is translated from the Greek word "miseo" (mis-eh-o) which means "to love less". Christ was saying we must place God above all else.

Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Christ is telling us we all have our problems to bear, but to be a Christian we must be prepared to handle those problems. Always try to handle your problems yourself. If the problem is more than you are able to handle, turn it over to Him. As Paul wrote, when we are at our weakest, we are our strongest. When we turn it over to God, we have the strength of the Father.

Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

The analogy Christ uses here likens building a tower to having the strength to follow Him. Muster your faith and your courage will be strengthened. The lesson Christ is teaching us is to plan ahead. This lesson may be applied to your daily life. Take a few minutes each morning to plan your day. Always have an alternate plan in case your original plan doesn’t work out.

Luke 14:29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, (30) Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

If you don’t plan ahead, you may not be able to finish that which you started.

Luke 14:31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? (32) Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

When you plan ahead, you have more time to consider the alternatives.

Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

This is not to say you must give all of your possessions away to follow Christ. It does mean those things must have a lower priority in life than serving Him. Put God first in your life. What did God do to those that placed other things above Him?

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

The point that will be made in the next verses is worship the Creator, not the creation.

Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

They became empty in their own thoughts and traditions rather than placing God first. God is Wisdom. If He is not first in your mind, your thoughts become darkened.

Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (23) And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.

The word image is translated from the Greek word eikon (i-kone). When man moves away from God, he allows other sometimes heathenish, things to become part of his religion.

Romans 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: (25) Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen

They began to worship things God created more than the Creator.

Romans 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: (27) And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.

God does not like things that are against nature. If you begin to worship god’s creations more than the Creator, you are going to find yourself in trouble.

Let’s go to II Corinthians.

II Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?

Many would have you believe this means Christians shouldn’t have anything to do with sinners. I think Paul is saying Christians have a duty to help unbelievers, but you must be careful not to be harnessed to the same sins they are.

II Corinthians 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

What concord, or agreement, has Christ with Satan? There is none.

II Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

God is in you. You are the Temple of the living God. There should be no agreement with idols and the Temple of the living God.

II Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, (18) And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

He is your Father. Tell Him you love Him. Put God first in your life. We have all been taught these things since Sunday School. As I started this lecture by saying, there is one image, or idol that it is essential for you to be able to recognize. Concentrate on God’s Commandments.

Exodus 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying, (2) I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

God is speaking to Moses after the captivity has been broken.

Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (4) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

Why did God go to this length to warn us? He said make no image of anything in heaven, on earth or under the earth. God was writing to this generation and the generations before us. We are not talking about some little image whittled out of wood. A little wooden image is not what we must be concerned with in this generation, friends.

This is the generation of the fig tree. As it is written in Revelation 12:7, Michael will boot Satan and his angels out of heaven onto earth. There will be a supernatural being on this earth that will make the one world system functional. This supernatural being is the idol you must be able to recognize.

Revelations 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

This supernatural being looked like the lamb of God, but he spoke as the devil.

Revelations 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

The first beast is the new world order. This being makes the one world system work. It will be wonderful. All of your debts will be paid. People will think the Messiah has returned. There is just one little problem. Remember, God said in Exodus that we are to worship Him and nothing else.

Revelations 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

This supernatural being will perform miracles in the sight of men. Why does God allow it? Because man has not studied His Word.

Revelations 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

This is the reason God went to such length in Exodus 20:4 "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth."

God knew that you, especially in this generation of the fig tree, would need His instruction. Hold on to God’s commandments. He told you what is going to happen in His letter.

In Mark 13:22 He told you even the elect, if possible, would be deceived by a false christ.

Paul wrote in II Corinthians 11:14 Satan himself will be transformed into an angel of light.

Satan will return to this earth before Christ.

Paul made it clear. All of the apostles made it clear, if you will only take the time to study God’s Word. This is how you put Him first in your life.

Listen to your Father, or be deceived. Don’t take this, or any other man’s word. Check it out for yourself by reading the Father’s Word.

I don’t care what miracles the antichrist will be able to perform. You have nothing to fear, if you place God first. You are the Temple of God. You and He make a majority. Put Him first in your life and you won’t be deceived.