Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nybert. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. In 1 Corinthians 10, verse 14,
Paul says to the church of Corinth, wherefore, my dearly beloved,
flee from idolatry. Now what does that say to you?
Flee from idolatry. Well, with whatever it says,
it is something that's needful for you and I to do. Flee from,
run from, idolatry. Now, what is idolatry? Well,
we know that it's the breaking of the second commandment. That's
the commandment with regard to not making any images, any material
images of God, any likenesses to God or things in heaven, any
religious relic, any cross, an angel, a portrait of Jesus, all
these different things that people have, stained glass, It's idolatry. That's what the Bible says. Any
likeness of anything. You see, nothing's like God.
And any likeness we make of Him is only trying to bring Him down
to our level. God is other. He's not like anything. And that's why it is so wrong
to make an image. It's bringing him down to our
level, but it's much more than material images like totem poles
or whatever. It's essentially the breaking
of the first commandment, thou shalt have no other gods, small
g, thou shalt have no other gods before me. Idolatry is making
a small g god. and putting it before Him. And idolatry has as its root,
its source, its origin, hatred for God as He is. Therefore, we make another God
that we can control, that we have some power over, because
we don't like by nature God as He is. we're all so susceptible to idolatry. A small g God, making a small
g God and putting it before the living God. And that's expressed
in the small g gods we make, whether materially images and
physical material images or idols, or the idols in our mind and
in our heart. Wherefore, beloved, flee from
idolatry. When John closes his book in
1 John 5, verse 21, the last thing he says is, little children,
keep yourselves from idols. Now I want to read the commandment
with regard to idolatry in Exodus chapter 20. This is the second
commandment. Thou shalt not make unto thee
any graven image, or any likeness of anything that's in the heaven
above, or that's in the earth beneath, or that's in the water
under the earth. Now, here is a direct command
against the making of all religious idols. Thou shalt not bow down thyself
to them, nor serve them, for I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous
God. God takes personal offense at
trying to bring him down to a man-made God, small g. He is other, there's
none like him, and he is jealous of his own glory. Now this is
God speaking. This is not just a man speaking,
this is God speaking. I'm thankful he tells us this.
He says, for the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and
fourth generation of them that hate me. Now God says that person
who makes an idol, a likeness to him is someone who hates him. Now, any idol that is made, whether
it's a material idol or just a false concept of God, comes
because of hatred for the living God. Now, if you'd ask the average
person, do you hate God? They'd say, no, I love God. But
people do not realize their hatred of God until they hear about
who he is from the scriptures, all of his character, and his
attributes. I remember, I didn't know I hated
God until I found out. I can remember this so clearly. When I heard that God had elected
a people and they only would be saved, my heart rose up in
hatred to him. I thought this is not fair that
he doesn't have to save me. He can send me to hell and there's
nothing I can do about it. And my heart rose up in hatred.
of this God, and that was when I found out that I was guilty
of hating God, because this is who He is. And let me say this
about election. Election doesn't keep people
from being saved. It saves people who would have been damned otherwise.
But when I first heard it, I thought, how's this fair? And I was angry
with God, because my concept of God was a God that I could
control. And when I found out about the God who I could not
control, He's God, and I'm in His hand, and He can do with
me whatsoever He is pleased. That God I had no love for and
it wasn't until I found out that I had no love for this God that
I thought what I need is mercy. I need God to do something for
me because I can't do anything for myself. But you find out
how you really feel about God when you find out who he is in
his word and how he saves sinners. Now, yes, any kind of religious
relic is an idol, but any false concept of God, any preaching
of a God that's not like the God of this book, a God who wants
things and can't have them unless we allow him to, that is an idol. That is a false image of God. It's idolatry. In most pulpits,
all you have is idolatry. Men preaching a God that is not
the God of the Bible, but a God of their imagination, a God the
way they want him to be. And in the pew, what you have
is idolatry, people receiving this God that's not the God of
the Bible. I want to read a passage of scripture
from Romans chapter one, beginning in verse 20. Paul says, for the
invisible things of him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen. even being understood by the
things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so
that they are without excuse." Now, what's that mean? Anybody
and everybody can see the creation, the things that are made, and
they can see that somebody all-powerful made all this. and nobody made
Him. They see His eternal power and
Godhead, and that renders every man without excuse. Verse 21, because 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. Professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible
God into an image made like to corruptible man. I think of what
God said in Psalm 50, thou thoughtest I was altogether such a one as
thyself. What idolatry is, is taking God
and trying to make him like a man. God is holy, God is other. He says there's none like me,
and idolatry is the attempt to make him the way we want him
to be, a man-made God. Paul said in Colossians 3, verse
5, that covetousness is idolatry. Now this is the 10th commandment.
Let me read it to you. I've already read the first and
second commandment. Let me read the 10th commandment. Exodus
20, verse 17, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house. Thou
shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. nor his manservant, nor
his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything, that's
thy neighbors. Thou shalt not covet." Paul went
so far in Romans 7 to say, I had not known sin except the law
had said, thou shalt not covet. I think of the rich young ruler
who said with regard to the commandments, all these have I kept from my
youth up. And this young man didn't realize that he was totally
dominated and eaten up with covetousness. The Lord said, go sell all you
have and give to the poor, and you'll have treasure in heaven,
and come and follow me. And he went away sorrowful, for he had
great riches. What this man didn't understand
was that he was completely evil, eaten up with covetousness. He
didn't care about anybody. He wasn't going to help anybody.
All he cared about was his money. He was eaten up with covetousness
and greed. And yet he said with regard to
himself, all these concerning the commandments of God, all
these have I kept from my youth up. He hadn't kept one of them,
but he thought he did. But if you are covetous, you've
broken all the commandments. And Paul said, I'd not known
covetousness. I mean, I'd not known sin, except
the law said thou shalt not covet. And all of a sudden, Paul couldn't
press down his covetousness. It was coming up everywhere he
thought. Covetousness. Isn't that what
Satan used with Adam and Eve? You'll be like God if you eat
this fruit. You'll know good and evil. You'll be just like
God. They were now coveting to have
God's position. That's exactly what took place. And actually, idolatry, covetousness
is idolatry. There's an element of covetousness
committed in every sin. There's an element of idolatry
committed in every sin. You know when the Lord said,
all that ever came before me are thieves and robbers? Anything
you put before him. Now, I mean, if you think that
there's some work that you need to perform before he can do something
for you, you've got to do something, then he can do something, that's
putting something before him. All that ever came before me
are thieves and robbers. Now, you think of this commandment
with regard to the making of images. And the image says this
represents God. This is a likeness to God. No,
God is other. And any likeness we make is an
attempt to drag Him down to our likeness and make Him what we
want Him to be. And the reason we do that is
because of hatred for Him as He is. Now, the Lord is jealous
of who He is, and He will not tolerate rivals. He will not
tolerate likenesses. He is jealous of who He is. Now, I want to read a passage
of Scripture from Isaiah chapter 45. There are a lot of passages
of Scripture that are very interesting with regard to As a matter of
fact, let me go ahead and read some of those before I get to
Isaiah 45. I just want you to read, I want
to read these to you and see what the Bible says about this
thing of idolatry. Verse 14 of Isaiah 44, speaking of the man
that makes an idol. He eweth him down cedars, and
taketh the cypress, and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself
among the trees of the forest. He planteth an ash, and the rain
doth nourish it. Then shall it be for a man to
burn this wood. Then shall it be for a man to
burn, he will take thereof, and warm himself. Yea, he kindleth,
and baketh bread. Yea, he maketh a God, and worships
it, all of that out of that same piece of wood. He warms himself
with it, he cooks with it, and he makes a God out of it. He
burns part thereof in the fire, and with part thereof he eats
flesh. He roasts a roast, and is satisfied. Yea, he warmeth
himself, and say, Aha, I'm warm, I've seen the fire, and the residue
thereof, what's left over of that wood. He maketh a God. Even the graven image, he falleth
down into it and worshipeth it and prayeth unto it and saith,
deliver me for thou art my God. Now, here's a piece of wood. He uses some of it to cook with. He uses some of it to stay warm
with. And then with the residue, the
leftover, he makes a god and bows down before it. Can you
see how foolish that is? In Psalm 115, this Psalm of David,
David says, beginning in verse four, their
idols are silver and gold. The work of men's hands They
have mouths, but they speak not. Eyes have they, but they see
not. They have ears, but they hear not. Noses have they, but
they smell not. They have hands, but they handle
not. Feet have they, but they walk not, neither speak they
through their throat. They that make them are likened
to them, so is everyone that trusteth in them. Any false concept
of God, any image, O Israel, trust thou in the Lord. He is
their help and their shield. I want to look at how Elijah
spoke of a false concept of God when he was, uh, well, let's,
let me begin reading in verse 21 of first Kings chapter 18.
Elijah came unto all the people and said, how long halt ye between
two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him. But if Baal, then follow him. Don't try to do both. If the
Lord's God, follow him wholly. If Baal's God, follow him wholly. But don't try to jump back and
forth between two opinions. Then said Elijah unto the people,
I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets
are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two
bullocks, and let them choose one bullock for themselves, cut
it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under it. And
I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put
no fire under it. And call ye on the name of your
gods, small g gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord,
and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all
the people answered and said, it's well spoken. And Elijah
said unto the prophets of Baal, choose you one bullock for yourselves
and dress it first for your many, and call on the name of your
gods, but put no fire under it. Remember, the fire had to come
down from heaven. And they took the book which
was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of
Baal from morning until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But
there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon
the altar which was made, leaping in pagan ritual. And it came
to pass at noon that Elijah mocked. He made fun of them, and said,
cry aloud, for he's a god. Either he's talking, or he is
pursuing, which means maybe he's gone to the bathroom, or he's
in a journey, or perventia he sleepeth and must be awaked.
He was speaking in utter contempt of these false gods. Somebody
said, you shouldn't use contempt towards other people's religion.
Well, Elijah wouldn't have agreed, because This false concept of
God, this Baal, if you worship that God, you'll die in your
sins. And I finally want to read a
passage out of Isaiah 45 on this thing of idolatry. This is such
an important passage of scripture with regard to idolatry and the worship of the
living God. In Isaiah 45, verse 20, we read these words. This
is God speaking. He says, assemble yourselves
and come. Draw near together ye that are
escaped of the nations. They have no knowledge that set
up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a God that cannot
save." They have no knowledge, no understanding that set up
some kind of false concept of God. They're the ones who set
him up. And they pray unto a God that cannot save. Now, would this describe me or
you? I've heard preachers say, God wants you to let him save
you, but he can't unless you let him. That is the way the
gospel is presented. Christ died for you. God loves
you. God wants to save you. But He
can't save you unless you make a decision to accept Him and
receive Him. Christ died for you. He put away
your sins. God loves you. God the Holy Spirit's calling.
God the Holy Spirit's knocking on your heart's door. But all
of that is in vain unless you open up the door and let Him
in and receive Him. Now that is praying to a God
that cannot save. That God is a figment of man's
depraved imagination. That is a non-existent God. They have no knowledge that pray
unto a God that cannot save. Let's go on reading verse 41. Tell ye, and bring them near,
let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient
time? This has always been the message.
Who hath told it from that time? Have not I the Lord? And there's
no God else beside me, a just God and a Savior. There's none like me. Now listen to how God identifies
himself. He's not a God that cannot save.
He's a just God and a Savior. He's first a just God. He is altogether righteous. He's
altogether holy. He's altogether just. He will
never let one sin go unpunished. Now, even a human judge, if there
was a human judge who said, well, I'm going to forgive you for
that sin. You're not going to be punished for it. You know
what we'd do with that judge? We would get rid of him. He's
an unjust judge. He's a corrupt judge. A righteous
judge deals righteously with the law. Well, God is first a
just God. He's absolutely just, absolutely
righteous. All sin must be punished. If
I hear something that's contrary to the justice of God, I know
it's wrong. For instance, in most preaching
that we hear, Jesus Christ can pay for your sins and be punished
for them, but you might have to be punished for them again
if you don't do your part. And God can send you to hell
even though Christ died for you because you didn't do your part.
But He punished them. Can He punish them again? Absolutely
not. If Christ was punished for your
sins, it would be unjust of God to punish you again for what
He was already punished for. God is absolutely just. He's
a just God, and He's a Savior. He delights in saving. Jesus
means Savior. Thou shalt call His name Jesus,
for He shall save His people from their sins. He's a just
God and a Savior. This has always been the message. Now, He says, there's none beside
Me. There's none that can be compared
to Me. He says in verse 22, Look unto me. Don't look to these
false concepts of God. Don't look to these idols. Don't
look to yourself. You know, men make an idol of
themselves when they think there's something they can do to save
themselves. Don't look anywhere but me. Look unto me and be ye
saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is none
else. Look unto me. Would to God that
you and I could do that just now, to look away from ourselves,
to look away from self-salvation, to look away from all false concepts
of God, and look unto Him. Look unto the Lord Jesus Christ.
Look to who He is. He's God. He's able to save you. Look to Him in His Incarnation
when He became flesh. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. Why was He made flesh? Why did
God become a man? The God-man, Christ Jesus, He
did this to save. Look unto Me and be ye saved.
He who is the Second Person of the Trinity became flesh. Look
to Him in His law-keeping. Look to Him in His righteousness.
Look to Him in His sinlessness. He never sinned. All I've ever
done is sin. But He never sinned. He kept God's law perfectly. And that perfect obedience of
Jesus Christ is the obedience that every believer possesses.
You see, He took their sin and He gave them His righteousness. Look to Him in His death. Oh, the complete redemption that's
in His death. Somebody says, I need to redeem
myself. You can't do it, but He can because He redeemed by
His death. He put away sin by His death. It is no more. Look to Him in
His resurrection. Romans 4.25 says He was delivered
for our offenses and raised again for our justification. When He
was raised from the dead, every believer was justified before
God, a perfect standing before God. Look to Him in His intercession
even right now as He's seated at the right hand of the Father.
representing his people. Look unto me and be ye saved
all the ends of the earth for I am God and there's none else.
He said I've sworn by myself the word has gone out of my mouth
and righteousness and shall not return that unto me every knee
shall bow and every tongue shall swear. That's what Paul was referring
to in Philippians 2 when he said at the name of Jesus every knee
is going to bow. and every tongue is going to
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the
Father. Now in verse 24, here is the
personal testimony of every believer. Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness
and strength. Now here's my testimony. In the
Lord. All my acceptance before God
is simply being found in Him. In the Lord. So that when God
sees me, all He sees is Jesus Christ. That's what baptism represents. Being in Him. When He lived,
I lived. When He died, I died. When He was raised, I was raised.
In the Lord have I righteousness. The only righteousness I have
is the righteousness and merit of Jesus Christ. In the Lord
have I righteousness and in the Lord have I strength. You know
why I believe? He enabled me to. It's not because
of some decision I made. It's because he enabled me to.
You know why I Repent, because He enabled me to. He's the one
who caused me to do it. It's His strength that gave me
this new nature. In the Lord have I righteousness.
In the Lord have I strength. Even to Him shall all men come.
And that word men is in italics, all the elect will come. It doesn't
say all men without exception, but all his people will come. All that the father giveth me
shall come to me. And all that are incensed against
him shall be ashamed in the Lord shall all the seed of Israel.
That's not talking about national Israel. That's talking about
spiritual Israel. All of God's people. In the Lord
shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory. Like Paul said, God forbid that
I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Flee from idolatry. To receive
a copy of the sermon you have just heard, send your request
to todd.neibert at gmail.com or you may write or call the
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