Watch What You Worship (Part 1)

 The above title is not an invitation to behold – to gaze intently upon – to give full attention to the object of our worship, although this would be most appropriate if the object of our worship is Jesus Christ (John 1:14) (Hebrews 12:2) (Colossians 3:1-2). In fact, it is only in beholding Him that we will become like Him, which is the ultimate goal of our salvation (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) (1 John 3:1-3) (Romans 8:28-30).

Instead, this title is a warning, a dire warning to be very careful of what or who we worship, what or who we set our deepest affections, desires and longings on; what or who we are most devoted to in giving our time, attention and energy to in pursuit of our present and eternal joy, our ultimate happiness and wellbeing.  Because if it isn’t God, the God of the Bible who ultimately reveals Himself in the person and work of Jesus Christ, we will, upon our passing from this world, be cut off forever from the glorious life with God for which we were created, subject to what Revelation 21:8 refers to as the second death.

In my previous post I began to address the soul-destroying sin of idolatry, which is the worship of anything or anyone other than the one true God.  I noted that Puritan writer David Clarkston in his treatise titled “Soul Idolatry Excludes Men out of Heaven” describes idolatry as occurring when anything is more valued in our hearts and affections than God, more desired than God, more sought after than God, more loved than God.

 Idols can take a multitude of forms.  The most well-known are the grotesque statues that are conceived in the fallen human imagination, made with human hands out of created material, (Psalm 115:4-8) (Romans 1:21-23). However, there are innumerable other idols, what Ezekiel 14:3-6 refers to as idols of the heart, which are all that we pursue in place of the one true God as the object of our deepest love and source of our greatest joy, which are conceived in and created out of our wicked and deceitful hearts and debased minds (Jeremiah 17:9) (Romans 1:28).

Our idols thus can include erroneous concepts of God that proceed out of our sin corrupted, satanically influenced minds as represented most clearly by the false religions of our day as well as corrupted versions of Christianity (Jeremiah 16:20) (1 John 5:19). They can be material things like money and valued possessions, personal fame and achievements, pleasure and comfort, or a person or persons that we have determined in our heart to be of more value or of greater necessity to us then the infinitely glorious God.  In our present man centered, pride driven culture, we worship things like sports and entertainment, health and beauty, human government and institutions, science and philosophy.

And when we find such idols failing us, unable to provide the sustained joy and pleasure, the satisfaction, significance and security we are seeking from them, we turn to the idols of drugs and alcohol and other destructive addictions that lead to the ruin of our soul and the loss of the glorious life with God for which we were created (Matthew 16:26) Ecclesiastes 2:1-11).

Behind all of these idols is the great idol of human autonomy, the worship of self, in which we believe that the freedom to choose and act according to my reasoned or spontaneous will, my desires/preferences, my personal opinions, being accountable to no one but myself, will bring me my greatest joy, pleasure, satisfaction, significance and security as opposed to obedience to God that is motivated by my confidence in His infallible wisdom and trust in His immeasurable love.  This was the God alternative offered by the serpent/devil in the garden of Eden, an alternative all mankind has bought into since – with dire consequences (Genesis 3:1-4) (Proverbs 16:25) (Ezekiel 6:8-9).

Thus, when we come to Jesus Christ for forgiveness of our idolatrous, Hell deserving sin, we are called to repent, to turn from our self-centered life to a God-centered life, with God and His glory at the center of our thoughts, affections, desires, relationships, activities and pursuits (Acts 3:19) (Matthew 16:24) (Galatians 2:20) (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) (1 Corinthians 10:31).

And this we will do, if we come, by the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts (John 16:13-14), to behold by faith the glory of God in the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ  (2 Corinthians 4:6), revealed to us in the scriptures as an infinitely glorious being, so stunningly majestic – so fearfully awesome – so infinitely powerful – so infallibly wise – so full of mercy and grace, that knowing and loving and being loved by Him becomes more important to us than anything else in this world, with pleasing, honoring and glorifying Him becoming the all consuming passion of our heart in anticipation of one day being with Him, being made like Him and enjoying Him forever as the object of our deepest love and source of our eternal joy (Exodus 15:11) (Psalm 145:8) (John 17:24) (1 John 3:1-4) (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).

More in my next post.

Grace and Peace ×