Tim Keller’s book “Counterfeit Gods”
Focuses on Modern Idols, how to identify them, how they are dangerous, and how to deal with them.
Now through Oct 22.
Why be concerned with Idols?
Exodus 20:1-6 The Ten Commandments
1Then God spoke all these words, saying,
2"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3"You shall have no other gods before Me.
4"You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
5"You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Why do you think God put his relationship with us so high on the list?
OT View of Idols
Deuteronomy 4:14-20 – Moses Talking to Israel.
14"The LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it. 15"So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, 16so that you do not act corruptly and make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the sky, 18the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the earth. 19"And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. 20"But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today.
How did Moses describe these graven images?
What was forbidden besides making these Idols? Worshipping them , Serving them
For Israel, what were the dangers or consequences of idolatry?
How do we view Idols today?
SS definition – Anything that takes the place of God in our lives.
SS Examples – Money, Power, Sex, Material possessions
Keller’s working definition – Anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.
What are some things that ONLY God can give us?
Hope – Meaning – Fulfillment – Peace – Forgiveness – Eternal Life
Keller proposes that most of the things we make into Idols are “good” things. i.e financial responsibility leads to the ability to pay our bills, fund charity, help others, and enjoy life without undue concern for financial obligations. If we make financial responsibility (a good thing) more and more important, it could become the “ultimate” goal in life, thus replacing God as #1.
Money is a real easy one. Let’s pick another. What about a meaningful life? What kind of things do people do to live a meaningful life? Helping others – Giving – Teaching – Mentoring – Serving (public service)
If God is the Lord of your life, how might that affect a person’s desire for a meaningful life?
There can only be one ultimate thing in life. God commands us that that is Him. In this study we are going to look in our own lives to see if we have any idols lurking around, and this study will challenge each of us to follow Joshua’s example in 24:15. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Joshua 23 - Last Word
Joshua 23 – Last word
This is Joshua’s final message to Israel. He was 110 years old.
Identify God’s Promises and Commands in 23:5-15
Promises
God will trust them out before you
You will possess the land
One of your men puts flight to 1000 of the enemy
He fights for you
Commands
Be very firm to keep and do all that is written in the Book of the law of Moses
Do not associate with these nations
Or mention the name of their gods
Or make anyone swear by them
Or bow down to them.
Cling to the Lord your God
Take heed to love the lord
IF you go back and cling to the rest of these nations, and intermarry, The Lord will not continue to drive them out from before you, but they will become a snare, trap, whip, thorn, until you perish.
What was the danger of tolerating other religions for the people of Israel?
Dispensationalism – There exists periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants. (progressive revelation)
Joshua emphasized the Law of Moses – That was how God revealed Himself to the people of Israel.
When Jesus came he changed things by saying “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18).
Dispensationalists call this new period of history a time of Grace or the Church.
Matthew 28:18-20 Go – Make Disciples.
We have a different command on how to interact with people who have other Gods.
Are the dangers the Israelites faced different than the dangers we face as we interact with people who call upon other gods?
What do we have that they didn’t have?
How do you fulfill this command?
Joshua 24:14-24
The choice that the people of Israel made that day was to serve the Lord.
God is a jealous God – He does not want us to serve other gods.
The choice may seem very clear, but Satan wants to put in our minds that we can serve God and still place a high priority on some other things (money, relationships, power, prestige, entertainment, security).
What does it mean to you to choose to serve God?
This is Joshua’s final message to Israel. He was 110 years old.
Identify God’s Promises and Commands in 23:5-15
Promises
God will trust them out before you
You will possess the land
One of your men puts flight to 1000 of the enemy
He fights for you
Commands
Be very firm to keep and do all that is written in the Book of the law of Moses
Do not associate with these nations
Or mention the name of their gods
Or make anyone swear by them
Or bow down to them.
Cling to the Lord your God
Take heed to love the lord
IF you go back and cling to the rest of these nations, and intermarry, The Lord will not continue to drive them out from before you, but they will become a snare, trap, whip, thorn, until you perish.
What was the danger of tolerating other religions for the people of Israel?
Dispensationalism – There exists periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants. (progressive revelation)
Joshua emphasized the Law of Moses – That was how God revealed Himself to the people of Israel.
When Jesus came he changed things by saying “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18).
Dispensationalists call this new period of history a time of Grace or the Church.
Matthew 28:18-20 Go – Make Disciples.
We have a different command on how to interact with people who have other Gods.
Are the dangers the Israelites faced different than the dangers we face as we interact with people who call upon other gods?
What do we have that they didn’t have?
How do you fulfill this command?
Joshua 24:14-24
The choice that the people of Israel made that day was to serve the Lord.
God is a jealous God – He does not want us to serve other gods.
The choice may seem very clear, but Satan wants to put in our minds that we can serve God and still place a high priority on some other things (money, relationships, power, prestige, entertainment, security).
What does it mean to you to choose to serve God?
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Joshua 11 - 12 A Little Less Miraculous
Joshua 11 – A little less Miraculous
Read 1-11 Northern Palestine Taken
What did God Promise Joshua in V6?
Same promise from God – I will deliver them into your hand.
This battle is different from Jerico and Ai in that there was no dramatic intervention from God. We don’t see any “Long day” or “Hailstone” Miracle.
Do you think that Israel still believed that the victory was from God? Why?
Have you ever been in the midst of something that you believed was part of God’s plan, but had trouble seeing God’s hand on your actions?
How can we be sure that we are still headed in the right direction?
One of Satan’s favorite tricks is to suggest that “Maybe that’s not what God wanted you to do after all”.
How can we battle those thoughts?
Joshua 12 – God is Faithful to keep his promises
From Moses through Joshua – God promised to give Israel the Promised Land.
Deuteronomy 31:5 - The LORD will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you.
Joshua 1:6 - Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
Joshua 3:9-10 - Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, "Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God. Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite.
Joshua 10:18-19 - Joshua said, "Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and assign men by it to guard them, but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies and attack them in the rear. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand."
Read 12:6-12 & 24. This is the record of God keeping His promise.
Scripture is very clear about God’s record of keeping His promises. What hinders us from believing God will keep His promises to us?
When we find promises in Scripture, how do we know whether or not they are for us or for someone else?
What can we do to build our faith in God’s promises for us?
Read 1-11 Northern Palestine Taken
What did God Promise Joshua in V6?
Same promise from God – I will deliver them into your hand.
This battle is different from Jerico and Ai in that there was no dramatic intervention from God. We don’t see any “Long day” or “Hailstone” Miracle.
Do you think that Israel still believed that the victory was from God? Why?
Have you ever been in the midst of something that you believed was part of God’s plan, but had trouble seeing God’s hand on your actions?
How can we be sure that we are still headed in the right direction?
One of Satan’s favorite tricks is to suggest that “Maybe that’s not what God wanted you to do after all”.
How can we battle those thoughts?
Joshua 12 – God is Faithful to keep his promises
From Moses through Joshua – God promised to give Israel the Promised Land.
Deuteronomy 31:5 - The LORD will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you.
Joshua 1:6 - Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
Joshua 3:9-10 - Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, "Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God. Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite.
Joshua 10:18-19 - Joshua said, "Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and assign men by it to guard them, but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies and attack them in the rear. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand."
Read 12:6-12 & 24. This is the record of God keeping His promise.
Scripture is very clear about God’s record of keeping His promises. What hinders us from believing God will keep His promises to us?
When we find promises in Scripture, how do we know whether or not they are for us or for someone else?
What can we do to build our faith in God’s promises for us?
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