GCC Message
2 Chron. 34: 3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, carved idols and cast images. 4 Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles, the idols and the images. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
Recently we talked about hunger and thirst for God, it is that hunger that moves a person to spend a night in prayer it is that hunger to see God
OUR HUNGER FOR GOD LEADS US TO SEEKING FOR HIM
As we approach God, his real Character begins to come out.
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
GLORY, GLORY, GLORY
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE
All powerful, All powerful
Your hunger for him increases, your desire to know him increases.
Then a new revelation comes into your mind. There are road blocks.
But love is pulling, desire for him increases.
WHEN WE GO NEARER TO GOD HE REVEALS TO US OUR IDOLS
Exodus 20: “3“You shall have no other gods before me.”
“4“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (ESV Bible)
§ We are created for God’s glory
§ He is the Only object of worship
§ He is a husband we are his bride
§ A king who deserves 100% allegiance
God is a Jealous God
Exodus 20 “5You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” ESV Bible
“Jealous”does not mean He is suspicious or distrustful, but that He demands exclusives allegiance.
WHAT ARE IDOLS?
Idolatry is:
image– worship or divine honor paid to any created object
a. Things (created things or man made things)
b. People
Hero worship, the worship of deceased ancestors, or of heroes, (omuzimu gwa Jjaja), that is a demon.
c. Spiritual things Demon worship, witchcraft
MODERN IDOLS: Things that take the place of God in our lives.
§ Work
§ Beauty
§ Social networks.
§ Money; Money is a great servant but a bad master, if when a deal comes you will miss church, prayer etc.
§ Sports, and sports stars.
THE BRONZE SNAKE
NUMBERS 21: 6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.
Hezekiah King of Judah
2 KINGS 18 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)
BRONZE snakes are those things God used to bless us, they look innocent but over time they take the place of God in our lives.
- Our jobs,
- Our children,
- Our spouses, cars etc
Church things:
We are worshipping the methods that God used and which have become God now.
Handkerchief, holy water, oil, holy communion, the cross, sowing a seed.
People:
Spiritual leaders, worship leaders
IDOLS AND THE DEMONIC
Worship is spiritual; when you attach worship to any created thing you immediately attract demons.
Deuteronomy 32:16–17 states, “They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded” (ESV). This passage associates pagan gods with “demons” and warns God’s people not to be involved with idolatry.
The love of work can lead you to becoming a workaholic
The love for food can end up in someone becoming a gluttony.
The love for music can lead people to worshipping the artists.
The love for sports can lead to fanatism.
People begin from loving something, they end up addicted, and in bondage.
Demons love to attach to our idols.
WHY DO WE RUN TO IDOLS?
God is a spirit and human beings have a hard time understanding the spiritual, they want something they can touch.
Satan seeks worship
Idols are Satan’s way of distracting us from true worship.
God only is a husband and King.
When God is conceived of as a husband he demands exclusive love and devotion, as king he demands trust and confidence in his ability to provide for and protect those under his care, loyal service and obedience.
TAKING ACTION
King Josiah began to:
Purge, pull down,
Matthew 5: “29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” “ESV Bible.”
1. Acknowledge
2. Pull them down, destroy them.
3. Some times it will take time. Some act immediately. Bold radical action. Abraham had to leave.
4. Deal with the roots cause.
5. Create positive habits
6. Get an accountability partner for a season.
WALK IN YOUR FREEDOM
Accept God’s forgiveness. Live in your freedom, don’t listen to the accuser.
Zechariah 3:1-7 “1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.”
“4And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”
“7“Thus says the LORD of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.” “ESV Bible.”
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