Why is my heart an idol factory and how do I turn it off?

6 · Uses Keller's definition to demonstrate how modern idols operate functionally in our hearts through relationships, money, control, approval, and even sports, showing idolatry's pervasiveness

Tim Keller is helpful here in his book on idolatry. He says this, what is an idol? It is 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. An idol is whatever you look at and say in your heart of hearts, "If I have that, then I'll feel my life has meaning. Then I know I'll have value.

Then I'll feel significant and secure." He concludes, "There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship." Here's the point. In our day, we may think, "Well, we don't have a problem with idolatry." No, no, no. Idols are as abundant in 21st century America as they were on the streets of Corinth, right? There can be an idol of a relationship. There can be the idol of money.

There can be the idol of security. The idol of control, I gotta control everything in my life. The idol of affirmation by a particular person or affirmation by a mentor or a boss, or there could be an idol of children, but both with people who cannot have children and people who do have children, that can be an idol. There can be an idol of, listen, man, it gets all the way down to your favorite hobby or your favorite sports team. Look, if you were sad your team lost in the playoffs, Okay, everyone is sad.

If you were devastated, mm, that might be an idol, right? If you're looking to that to control your week, that's what Paul is talking about.

7 · Signals the structural shift from defining idolatry to examining two specific ways the passage reveals idolatry's pervasiveness

Now, two things from this passage that help us see how common idolatry is and why it's so insidious.

8 · Exposits verses 14-22, explaining the Corinthian situation of Christians attending idol temple meals and Paul's argument that serving God and idols simultaneously is impossible despite claims of Christian freedom

And the first is this. First, you cannot serve God and idols, but many try.

Now, the later section of this passage, which is I think verses 14 through 22, And Paul, he basically arrives at his main point. So we're going to start there and then back up, because what was happening in the Corinthian church is that some of the Christians were going to temples in the city and eating food that was offered during the meal to another god as a ritual practice. Now, we covered earlier, a lot of the extra meat would be sold and resold and a million vendors and markets. And Paul is basically saying, look, that is okay to eat. He'll talk about that in the next passage as well.

But some were like, yeah, we're free in Christ. We can, you know, we can go to the temple because you go to the temple for things like sealing a business deal or having a large birthday celebration or marking a big life event. And you'd be invited to participate. And so you'd go, hey, listen, we don't get a lot of meat. There was in the ancient world at this time, Meat was a rarity, right?

You're going to probably go home from here and have a burger or something. Man, that was foreign to those people. Meat was like a treat. So you get invited to somebody's house— somebody's celebration, rather, at the temple. You're thinking, man, that sounds delicious.

And if I have to do a little idolatry along the way, hey, I'm free in Christ, right? Listen, I am a Christian now. I'm following Jesus. That's like my main thing now. And if I go to the temple and, you know, participate in a little ritual, what's the big deal?

The idols aren't real anyway. They're just, you know, they're just a little wooden thing. It's not a big deal. Paul says, no, no, no, no. You, friend, you don't think you have a problem with idolatry, but you absolutely have a problem with idolatry.

You can— you often— this is so insidious— you often think in following the Lord that you can follow the Lord and also something else at the same time, but they're mutually exclusive. Paul states it this way: you can't take the Lord's Supper, which is the meal of Christ, and then go to the meal of a demon. Human. They are incompatible. You cannot do both.

He is pleading with them to see.

9 · Tells the story of an El Paso prosperity gospel adherent who abandoned faith when prosperity disappeared, illustrating how mixing Christianity with idolatry results in serving only the idol

Now, a number of years ago, here's an example of what this looks like in real life. A number of years ago, I knew a person that went— that was here in El Paso and they went to a particular church. They said they're Christian and went to a particular church that emphasizes material prosperity. Their church emphasized that health and wealth just as much, if not more, as the other things in the Bible.

And that person was all about that, uh, that, you know, desire to live healthy and wealthy and be successful. But when they ended up in poverty and they lost many of their possessions and privileges, they also walked away from their faith in Christ. Now, if you step back, you, you see, well, those two things are separate. But for this person, they were trying to do both. They believed they were a Christian and then also maybe were serving the god of success.

But here's the reality, any syncretism, any mixing of Christianity with something else destroys the Christianity altogether and you only end up serving the something else. Because for this person who had gone and approached their faith as a— this is what happened, they approached their faith as a means of getting to what they really wanted, which is the idol of success and prosperity. They wanted the health, they wanted the wealth, they wanted the success, they wanted the accolades, and church was their means of getting there. Do you see that? You cannot serve the Lord and the god of success.

It just doesn't work. Paul is pleading with the church to see that.

10 · Exposits the Exodus generation example to show that even powerful experiences with God do not immunize against idolatry—the Corinthians' confidence in their spiritual experiences was misplaced

Second thing that helps us see how prevalent idols are is that you can still turn to idolatry even if you've had experiences with God And many people do. See, the Corinthians probably thought, "Well, listen, listen, we don't have a problem with idolatry because we, man, we've experienced salvation from Christ. We've experienced the Lord's table.

We've seen all of these wonderful things. So we would never go from here into idolatry. That's crazy. That's not even a danger for us." And Paul walks them back to the Exodus generation. The Exodus generation experienced so much, didn't they?

Paul talks about them going through the Red Sea and being sustained in the wilderness and all of these amazing experiences with God, and then points out, "Yet with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness." Meaning, despite all these experiences, they still turned to idolatry. So if you think, "Well, I've had this experience, or I've been baptized, or I've done this, or I've sat in the church, therefore I don't have a problem with idolatry," Paul is pleading with you, Perhaps you do.

11 · Tells Keller's story of a New York musician whose depression stemmed from functionally worshiping parental approval despite genuine church attendance and spiritual experiences

Tim Keller in his book shares the story of a young woman who was attending his church in New York City who was an accomplished musician and played in well-known ensembles and groups in New York. And she attended church. She was a Christian.

She perhaps had powerful encounters with the Lord or times of worship or times reading her Bible, and yet she was in great trouble. She was completely wrapped up in depression and anxiety and could barely function, even after going to the doctor and getting medication for that, even after seeing a therapist for a long time. And so, in an attempt to save her, she gave her— this woman gave Keller, her pastor, permission to talk to her therapist so that they could try to collaborate on some kind of plan to try to help her. And the counselor told Tim Keller, that he began to see very clearly that this woman was completely consumed by her parents' approval. And she was a very, very good musician, but perhaps she wasn't great.

She was not the world-famous virtuoso that her parents raised her to be. And her parents many times gave a half approval mixed with perhaps some subtle disappointment that she wasn't more well-known. She didn't get the first chair in that particular orchestra, right? That she wasn't what they hoped she would be. And so her parents' approval was devastating her.

And here's the point. Keller realized, though, despite the fact that she was often in church, that she may have had genuine experiences with God functionally, Functionally, her parents' approval was her god. Functionally, her parents' approval was that idol.

12 · Uses Giglio's throne metaphor to diagnose heart idolatry and applies it to contemporary American culture, pressing the congregation with diagnostic questions about what controls their hearts

And Louie Giglio uses this great picture of helping us understand the way idolatry functions in our lives when he says that at the center of every human heart there is a throne and there is always something on that throne and there is always only one thing on that throne. Right?

It is either the Lord or an idol or a collection of idols, but not both. There's not the Lord and an idol on the throne of your life. So let me just ask you, what might be functioning in your own life as an idol? Every person has personal idols and we are surrounded by a large collection of cultural idols, right? In America, walking through 21st century America, if you would, right?

Every television ad, is offering you, many times, an idol, right? Playing to your idols. They know your idols. The advertisers know your idols better than you know. They know that your idol of security is gonna lead you to buy this product so you can feel safe.

Your idol of looking successful is gonna lead you to buy this car so you feel successful, right? This, your idol of relationship, is gonna get you to sign up for yet another dating service so you feel someone's affection and are stable and safe, right? They know perhaps better than us. There are all kinds of idols in 21st century America. The American dream in many cases is a good dream but can easily become an idol.

Or knowing who you are is a good thing, but self-expression and identity quickly become an idol. Finding someone who loves you and getting married is a good thing, but finding a lover devoted to you can quickly become an idol. And then just dig down into your life. What what if it got taken away would make your life not worth living?

What, if you gained, would you say, "Now my life finally has meaning"?

Maybe it's your parents' approval. Maybe it's your child's approval and affection. Maybe it's your comfort, your security. Maybe it's sex. Maybe it's the approval of a mentor or a boss.

Maybe it's just being in control. Whatever it is, This text is an opportunity to look at what is sitting on the throne of our lives and our hearts right now. Idolatry is far more common than you think.

13 · Transitions from the prevalence of idolatry to its seriousness, preparing the congregation for sobering teaching about God's response to idolatry

But second, idolatry is also more serious than we think. Now, idolatry is serious, but we often don't view it as such.

14 · Uses the personal story of teaching his toddler Ford about fire pit danger to illustrate Paul's method of explaining the serious consequences of idolatry that we often underestimate

I think I've referenced this before, but a number of years ago during the pandemic, we bought a fire pit. Because I just thought, well, I guess we're gonna be outside, so we'll have a fire pit. But I did not remember that we had toddlers, and toddlers plus a fire pit is never usually a recipe for success. And the problem the toddlers have is this, that you tell a toddler not to touch a lot of things, right? If you have a toddler, the phrase, "Don't touch that," comes out of your mouth many times.

"Look, Mom, there's gum on the bottom of this shopping cart." "Don't touch that." It's not free gum, right, or whatever. So they hear this a million times, and most of the time, let's just be honest, most of the time, if they touch their brother's toy, okay, it's not that big of a deal. But here's the reality. If you touch a fire pit, that's a big deal. So I remember trying to help Ford understand this, and I was like, hey, buddy, don't touch the fire pit.

And he's like, okay, okay. And I could just tell in his eyes, he's like, I still kinda wanna touch it. But, so I walked him through the consequences. Okay, if you touch the fire pit, it's gonna burn your hand. "and you haven't had a burn, but burn is when it feels super hot and it scalds and melts your skin and it hurts a lot." He's like, "Ooh." "And then, if you get the burn, then we have to go to the hospital." He's like, "I don't like the hospital." "I know, right?

There's gonna be other people that are gonna be putting things on your hand, poking your hand, it hurts a lot, you're gonna be seeing doctors, we're gonna be there all night probably so they can dress this wound, and then you're gonna have a bunch of, a series of follow-up appointments with the doctor who will continue to push and prod your hand." And then you will be unable to use that hand to play your precious iPad for periods of time. And he's just like, oh my gosh, all of a sudden the don't touch the fire pit became, now I see why not to touch the fire pit. That's what Paul is doing here. He's helping us understand that touching an idol is far more dangerous than we think.

15 · Establishes the theological gravity of idolatry as cosmic treason—deposing the Creator from His rightful throne in our hearts and worshiping creation instead

And Paul Tripp has this great phrase that helps us understand the center of this danger. He says, "What is an idol? It's something in creation that claims the place in my heart that only God should have." Romans 1:25 says that we exchange the truth about God for a lie and worship and serve the created things rather than the Creator. Idolatry is more serious than we think because it is a defiance of our Creator, our Sustainer, and our Lord of the universe. And so it is taking in our hearts off the throne the one who actually is on the throne in all creation.

And that has profound consequences.

16 · Introduces the first of two ways the text demonstrates idolatry's seriousness by framing idolatry as trading God's salvation for a counterfeit

Two things that help us see that idolatry is more serious than we think is this: idolatry trades God's salvation for a false salvation.

17 · Exposits verses 1-2 showing how Israel's golden calf idolatry immediately after Red Sea deliverance demonstrates idolatry as trading God's salvation for false salvation—the pattern Christian hearts repeat

Verse 1 says, "For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea. He's using the image of the Exodus, right? God's people walking through the Red Sea around them onto dry land, escaping from the Egyptian armies, being rescued from Egypt, being saved from Egypt. And yet that salvation, well, just a few chapters later, as Moses is on Mount Sinai receiving the commands of God, They only make it to Mount Sinai before they try to turn back to other idols.

While he's on the mountain, they are down there building a golden calf, like a literal golden calf. Why? Because they wanted someone to save them. They saw that they were in the wilderness and they thought, who's going to save us? And so they wanted to see something physical that they could say, well, that will save us.

They traded the salvation they just experienced for the false salvation an idol offered. And this is what idolatry is in our hearts as Christians. It is a forsaking of our salvation. It is seeing what God has done to save us and saying, "No, I really need a different salvation, more salvation, another salvation to really save me." That's what idolatry is. That's why it's so serious.

18 · Exposits verses 3-4 showing how Israel's wilderness grumbling demonstrates idolatry as trading God's supernatural sustenance for the false security of Egyptian slavery

And then second, idolatry is also serious because it trades God's sustenance for a false sustenance. Now, it references, verse 3, "All ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ." Now, this is the image of God sustaining his people. So they're in the wilderness, they have no source of food, they have no source of water, and yet God day after day after day supernaturally provides their source of of food, of water, of all they need to live. And yet, do you know what the Israelites do? They say, "Man, we really wish we went back to Egypt because we always knew where our next meal was coming from.

And to be honest, yeah, the food was a little better in Egypt." And you're looking at them in the story and you're thinking, "Sure, the food might have had more variety. You ate it in chains, like you were slaves. The slave food is what you want to go back to?" And you're like, "Well, at least it was consistent and had variety." And you're like, "Okay, that's what idolatry is. It is trading God's sustaining grace, what God provides in sustainment, for the promise of being sustained by something else." That's what an idol promises.

19 · Makes the crucial Christological interpretation that Christ was the rock sustaining Israel, establishing that the same Christ who saves also sustains, making idolatry a rejection of Christ's sufficient provision

And let me press this just a little more because Paul presses it. He makes the amazing theological statement that and the rock was Christ. So what he's saying is that spiritually, this changes the way you read Exodus also, spiritually Christ was the one sustaining God's people through the whole wilderness. Christ accompanied them throughout the wilderness. They couldn't see it, but Christ was there with them.

And so the point is this, the same God who saved them in Egypt also sustained them. And for the Christian, the same God of the cross that saves us also sustains us day by day with all we need in Christ. Christ promises to provide everything we truly need in this life and in the next. And idolatry is so twisted because we take the sustaining work of Christ himself And we say, "Now we're going to look elsewhere. We're going to look elsewhere."

20 · Exposits verses 5-6 and the catalog of Israel's judgments, establishing that God's wrath against idolatry is His right and necessary response to evil

Now, when you begin to understand that, you begin to understand verses 5 and 6. Verse 5, "Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. And these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did." And then Paul goes on to list a number of times that God's people rebelled and turned to idolatry, even either physically or in their hearts, and experienced God's judgment. Paul wants us to see the only response from God, the right response from God when he sees idolatry is wrath and justice. Now that's hard to hear, but that is the reality, that wrath is justified. God, God must punish evil.

21 · Develops the theology of divine wrath as both active judgment and passive surrender, argues that all evil traces to idolatry, and declares idolatrous living to be demonic in nature

And here's the thing, God's wrath, as we see in Romans, always has a passive and an active component. The active component is there's rebellion, there's injustice, there's evil, there's an active wrath that is poured out against it. But there's also a passive wrath of God giving us over, giving people over to the thing they want and allowing them to experience the consequences of getting what they want. Because here's the reality, what does idolatry want? In its heart of hearts, idolatry is saying to the Lord, "Not you.

I want nothing to do with you. I want nothing you provide," and turning away. And what is God's wrath but him saying, "Okay." It's him saying, "Then you are cut off. Then you will experience that. Then my sustaining, I, the one who sustained your very life for now and eternity, am leaving you." allowing you to give yourself over to what you want.

Right? That is sobering. And God's wrath is also just. Now, here's what we've got to remember. God's wrath against idolatry is not him being mean.

It is him being just. Because I want you to think about this. I think this is true. Every evil in the world traces back to idolatry in someone's heart. Every evil in the world.

Why does a dictator kill many, kill his opponents, kill with abandon? Because he is serving the idol of power. That's what's driving him. Or why does an adulterer commit adultery? Because he or she is serving the idol of lust or of validation or acceptance.

Why does someone see somebody in need and not help them. Why do they hold back? Because they're serving the idol of comfort or safety. All of that is a grievous evil. All of it is injustice.

And Paul says, listen, the physical idol is nothing, but acting that way is demonic. In that way, whenever you defy the Lord and put something else on the throne of your life, look, the demons don't care what it is. They're just happy that you've kicked God off the throne of your life and are serving and worshiping something else. And they rejoice because that's— that is what they do. They have rejected the Lord and seek to oppose him at every turn.

You're acting in a demonic way when you participate in idolatry. That's what Paul is saying. That's how sobering and serious it is. Don't do that, he says. Don't stretch out your hand and burn yourself.

22 · Pivots from wrath to gospel by locating the idolatry passage within 1 Corinthians' cross-centered message, establishing that the Christian life is constant repentance—fleeing idols to run to Christ

But here's the good news. This warning about idolatry comes in the context of Paul's letter to the Corinthians. And what's the theme of the letter from first to last? Well, chapter 2, he says, "For I've decided to know nothing among you but Christ and him crucified." And chapter 15, he says, "For I'm delivering to you, I deliver to you what is of first importance, that Christ lived, that he died, that he was buried." Right? It's the message of the cross, the message of God's salvation from first to last.

And the message of God's salvation and the cross are good news for idolaters.

We've often said is one of constant repentance. That's what Luther summarized it as. But that constant repentance means running away from idols and running to Jesus and the cross again and again and again. And there is freedom again and again and again.

23 · Resolves the earlier Keller illustration by showing how recognizing the idol and turning to God's unconditional love broke the musician's bondage to parental approval

Let me finish that story with Keller and the member of his church. This orchestra member of Keller's church, when she realized that only her parents' approval that was her functional god, when she saw that, she finally found a way out. She found in God someone who loved her, not because she was good at her profession, not because she was a prodigy, not because she might be successful, but she found in God someone who saw her at her worst and loved her anyway. Right, that, that is powerful. And that finally broke the hold her parents' approval had over her.

And she saw, listen, God God saves, not my parents' approval. God sustains, not my parents' approval. Man, there's so much freedom in that.

24 · Transitions to the final main point about the practical path out of idolatry

So, third and last and briefly, fleeing idolatry is more straightforward than we think.

25 · Exposits verse 12's command to take heed, confronting the congregation's tendency to apply the message to others rather than themselves, and making a pastoral case for naming idolatry as the path to freedom

Now, the good news is that Paul gives us a sober warning, which we need to hear, but then he provides a helpful and clear path out of idolatry. The first step is right here, take heed. He says, take heed.

Let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. And here's the thing, as long as you think, okay, I'm so glad so-and-so is here to hear this message on idolatry because they have got a lot of idols. Like there's someone in my family, man, they definitely got idols. Or somebody in my community group, I've heard them talk and they've got like 5 idols, you know. As long as you're there, you're not going to be helped.

As long as you think, okay, I'm standing, I'm good. Paul says, no, no, no. Here's the reality. Everyone has a problem with idolatry. The only difference is whether you acknowledge it.

Realize it and see it and work on it or ignore it and end up bound and blind by it. That's your only choice. And look, let me just say this. As a pastor, I think this category of idolatry is far more powerful than we think. And in our generation and in our current culture, we often kind of shy away from categories of sin or categories of idolatry 'cause it feels harsh, it feels judgmental, it feels like, ugh, that's not the kind of stuff people want to talk about.

They want to talk about encouraging things and positive things. Here's the reality, people are bound by idols and it's only when we see it that they can be freed. You and I are often bound by idols and it's only when we see it that we can be freed. So the reality is, we need to take heed.

26 · Exposits verse 13's promise of God's faithfulness in temptation and verse 14's command to flee, emphasizing that God always provides escape and that passive non-fleeing means blindness to present idols

And second, we need to flee from idolatry. Look, God's word is such good news. He says, no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man, meaning you're not the first person to deal with this temptation. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it. Man, that is such a good promise to cling to when you begin to see the hold an idol has in your life. I think Paul is so wise and so pastoral here.

He knows that we just need a clear command: flee from idolatry. In case anyone is confused about my main point, flee from idolatry. We need to be active in our fleeing. Look, the reality is this. If you're not fleeing idols in your life, it doesn't mean they're not there, It just means you don't see them right next to you.

Right? That's the reality. It's just, they're there. And so just be like, okay, I don't want to see any idols. Right?

They're right there. They got their arm around you. Like, hey, buddy, remember me?

27 · Uses the hypothetical of being trapped in a room with a secret door to illustrate how knowing God promises a way of escape changes our response to temptation, with a concrete example of workplace flirtation

And here's the good news. We flee from idolatry, but God promises something. He promises that he's faithful. He promises that he will not allow temptations that that we cannot resist, and he promises that he will always provide a way of escape. If you, look, imagine you are trapped in a room, and in this room, you just think, okay, the walls begin to close in, and you know in your heart of hearts there's no way out, there's no escape, I'm just gonna die here.

What are you gonna do? You're just gonna lay down on the ground and cry, probably. You're gonna pound on the walls, ah, right? But if you— if somebody slipped you a note and you know in your heart of hearts there is a secret door in this room, you're probably going to respond differently, right? You're going to be knocking on everything, you're going to be trying everything, you're going to be thinking, "I know there is a door in this room and I'm going to get out." Right?

That is what Paul's doing for us here. He's reminding us God is faithful, he won't allow you to be tempted beyond your ability, and he will always provide a way out. The way out may be difficult, may be dangerous, it may be hard, it may be, man, I'm right in the middle of this temptation. I am, listen, my coworker has invited me out for drinks and I know I should not have built up this flirtation, but there seems to be no escape. Yes, there is.

You can walk away, you can call a friend, you can say to somebody in your community group, listen, man, I shouldn't have let this get this far. I need your help. I need you to come pray for me. There is always a way out. It is a lie from the demons that want to keep you trapped that there is no way out.

So look for it, friend. God is faithful. It is there. Flee from idolatry.

28 · Applies the command to flee by warning against idol-swapping and calling the congregation to flee toward Christ who fulfills every desire the idols falsely promise, with concrete examples of approval-seeking and anxiety

And third and last, flee toward the Lord. Look, when it comes to fighting idols and fleeing idols, it is no good to replace one idol with another idol, right? You— and let me just say this, this is all the world ultimately can offer. Meaning you flee from stress buying to stress eating. It's like, man, when I got stressed out, I used to buy so much stuff, but now my budget is in control, and you're just munching potato chips. You're like, I don't know if that's good.

That's not a good trade. Or you can say, man, I used to be so, you know, so wrapped up in what my spouse thought of me. I used to live and die by their approval, and I don't do that anymore. And then your boss calls, "Yes, sir. Right away, sir.

Absolutely. Do you like me? Am I okay? Am I getting a promotion? Do you give me an A?" Right?

And you're like, you just traded your spouse's approval for your boss's approval. That's all the world has to offer. But Christ has something far better. We flee from idols to the Lord. Look, this is where the Exodus story is such a wonderful offer, because the Exodus story offers us a way to flee from idolatry to the God who saves, to our true salvation in Christ.

And we begin to see, here's the reality, every desire in our hearts that points us to an idol is truly and ultimately fulfilled in Christ. The acceptance we crave from our parents is found in the salvation of God. And God the Father who calls us a son or daughter, who sees the worst about us and loves us anyway. Right, that, that is what we flee to. Or you're thinking, okay, I gotta plan, I gotta control every aspect of my life because I might get hurt, I might get sick.

What's gonna happen if I get sick? What's gonna happen if I get this special disease? Look, endless hours in Wikipedia research is a false functional god that offers no true salvation. You know what's a better salvation? The Lord himself who says, "Now and forever into eternity, I will be with you.

Your body will be renewed and I hold your destiny in my hands." Right? That's such a better place to be. So we flee from the false salvation and the false sustenance of these idols. We flee to our true salvation in Christ and our true sustenance in Christ.

29 · Steps out of the exposition to explain and defend the church's liturgical repetition as intentional spiritual warfare—weekly proclamation of Christ as superior to all idols

And listen, if you ever wonder, man, I notice I'm new around here, we just keep singing kind of the same themes. And then every month I'm kind of— we do the Lord's Supper every month. I mean, it's kind of like we did that last month. Can we do something new? Can we do some kind of new ritual?

Can we— there be some smells and bells or something? I mean, something. Give me something here, which just feels like the same thing over and over and over. Look, you know what we're doing on Sunday mornings, church? Do you know what we're doing?

We are setting out in what we sing and what we practice of the God of our salvation that is far better than every idol. But we need to be reminded week in and week out, he is life, he is freedom, he is hope, he is the one who holds my life, he is the one who covers my faults, he's the one who pays for my sins, he is worth following with everything I have, he is my Savior. And you know what? If I feel like I can't make it through today, can't make it through this week, That God of salvation, that same God of salvation, is also my sustainer. When I think, "Man, I can't.

I got no grace left. I got no faith left. I got no strength left." You walk into church. What we're doing is reminding one another he's a Savior.

He's a sustainer. He will bring you all the way home. Like, that is what we're doing. We're going to war, brothers and sisters, every Sunday against the idols of our lives and the idols of our culture. And the demons behind them.

We're doing spiritual warfare as we see our God as Savior and Sustainer.

30 · Signals the final illustration and conclusion by returning to the opening Indiana Jones reference

All right, I need to end. Let me wrap up this way with perhaps one of the most important things I brought up earlier, Indiana Jones.

31 · Uses the Indiana Jones franchise arc as a final illustration of the futility of pursuing idols when our true treasure—Christ—has been with us all along

Now, there's this great theory that in the first Indiana Jones movie, he actually doesn't do anything. He actually doesn't affect the outcome of the story in any way. Because essentially what happens is they find the Ark of the Covenant, and the Ark of the Covenant zaps all the Nazis. And so he doesn't really do anything. It doesn't save anyone.

The Ark of the Covenant does. Side note, I don't think it's an accurate depiction of the Ark of the Covenant, but I do like watching Nazis get, you know, destroyed by it. It's a foretaste of what's going to happen. So anyway, I'm sorry. I'm getting off.

And here's the reality. Only one thing happens in the movie. Literally, one thing changes. He reconnects with this woman who was the love of his life. And maybe kind of starts to realize, maybe she is still.

And then by the next movie, he's out gone again. He's just like out there looking for treasure. He's like, and here's the thing, nothing he finds, none of the big treasures he's after, does he ever keep, does he ever hold onto. So he's out there movie after movie looking for more treasure, having more adventures. And in the very end, I was so grateful for this resolution, in the very end, he returns home and realizes maybe, just maybe, the treasure was with him all along, right?

I know that's cheesy, but I mean, look, this is a picture of each of us, isn't it? Like in Christ, we find our treasure, we find our salvation, we find our sustaining, and we go, I wonder what else is out there? And so we are digging in every place around the world, digging for this, digging for that, digging for the next thing, digging for that thing. I don't want that thing anymore, I'm after this big thing. Maybe that thing will finally satisfy me, give me life and fulfillment and joy and peace and hope.

When in reality, our treasure, our salvation, our sustainer has been with us the whole time. And the Christian life is more and more saying, I'm not gonna dig out there anymore. I'm going to rejoice in what I have here. Amen?

32 · Closes with prayer asking God to reveal hidden idols, thanking Him for the uncomfortable truth of Scripture, and calling the congregation to flee from idols toward Christ who alone offers what idols falsely promise

Let's stand and pray. Oh, Lord, I pray, first of all, that you'd give us clarity on any areas in our life that we may not have realized that something else is on the throne of our life and it's not you. I pray that you'd help us to see it, Lord. Lord, I thank you for putting this passage in our Bible. So some of these truths are uncomfortable.

Some of them we don't like to hear, but Lord, they are there that we might be freed from a life of slavery, freed from pursuing things that have no life in them. And so, Lord, I thank you for it. But second, Lord, I pray that right now we would not be left with, okay, I've got idols, I need to deal with them. But rather, not just what we flee from, but Lord, what we flee toward. Lord, help us to flee towards something far better.

Lord, the world promises life and it is a mirage. Our life is in you. Lord, our world promises freedom, but our freedom is found in you. Lord, our world promises hope, but our hope is found in you. Lord, in every case, you have something far better than what the world and its idols can offer.

So, Lord, I pray that as we sing, you'd loosen our grip if needed, on the thing that we're holding, on the idol that we're holding. And instead, may we turn and run to Christ and offer all we are to the only God who loves us back. In Jesus' name, amen.