Idolatry in a World Without Idols

The sermon today is entitled, Idolatry in a World Without Idols. Our modern world, I would say, is largely secular. It's not that people aren't religious, but now, in our society, people tend to separate their religion from the rest of their life. They tend to compartmentalize. And we're not really a society that has too many idols. Now, there are certain religious groups within our society that still have idols. They still keep a statue on their desk, and they touch it or pray to it when anything goes wrong. We still do have some idolatry, but for the most part, we live in a society without idols. And so, at first glance, idolatry can seem like a remnant of a time long ago, something that we don't do today. So many people, including ministers, will modernize idolatry and say, anything you put in front of God is an idol. Well, I would agree with that 100%, but I would like to attempt to get a little more specific on how relevant idolatry is to you and me today. So let's go back to the beginning. Look at the idolatry command and let's dissect it and find out what idolatry is all about and why it should be avoided. What is it in your life today? You don't have a statue that you pray to or touch when something goes wrong, and neither did the Church of God in the first century, except some of them would literally go back to idol worship, because idol worship was still rampant in the first century. But idolatry is so much more than a physical idol. And let's look at it. And it always was. The idol represented something that God didn't want us to do. And it was something that hurt us. Not something that he needed, but it's something that we needed to avoid. Exodus 20, starting in verse 3.

Don't replace God with anything, is the first part of the command. He says, So we started in Exodus 20, verses 3-6. You shall have no other gods before me. Don't make any carved image. And then in verse 5, Visiting the iniquities of the Father upon the children to the third and fourth generation who hate me. God says this is so important to him that he will judge us on this, and we are to not put anything else in front of him. What does that look like in the modern world? Leviticus 19, verse 4. Just the next book over, we look up again. Leviticus 19, 4. Do not turn to idols. Don't turn to them. If you're turning to something, you're turning away from something else, and that's the problem. Don't turn to idols, nor make yourself a molden god. I am the Lord your God, he says. Again, he says the reason is, I'm the one you're supposed to look to. Remember, this isn't for him, it's for us. And it's important enough, it's so big that he will literally wipe a people out if they don't follow. This is a big deal. Similar to the greatest command that Jesus quoted in Matthew 22, verse 37, he quoted Deuteronomy 6, verse 5. This is very similar to the idolatry command. And it gets to the heart of why idolatry is so bad. He says, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Brethren, the only way toward salvation is to be all in. God has said that from the very beginning. You must love God with all your heart. You have to be all in, all of you.

So the idolatry command is actually a heart command. And he warned Israel over and over and over of impending doom. And in Jeremiah 11, verse 12, he warns them again. By this time, by the time Jeremiah is written, Israel has already been taken away. They were so steeped in idolatry, but by the time they left and split into two different countries, Israel to the north and Judea in the south, Israel never turned back to God. And they've been idols ever since. So they were the first to go. And by the time Jeremiah was written, Israel's already gone. And now it's just talking to the Jews that are left.

In Jeremiah 11, verse 12, it says, Jeremiah 11 and verse 12, When there's a problem, they turn to their idols. What does that mean to them? What did it mean to them to turn to idols and not turn to the great God? They could have turned to God, but they turned to idols instead.

Did they not know that the idols were made by them? Of course they knew that. Did they not know that the idols don't actually breathe or see or hear or do anything? Were they stupid, primitive people? And now we're so modern and above them that we would never do that, and now that's no longer relevant to us? No. They knew exactly what they were doing. What were they doing when they were turning to idols? And how does that apply to us? It says, You cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble.

When you are in trouble, do you turn to God or do you do something different? It makes all the difference in whether or not you actually solve your problem or stay in your problem. It makes all the difference. When you have a problem, do you turn to God or do you turn to something different? It makes all the difference in whether or not you actually solve the problem, which is why the idolatry command exists.

This is what I'm suggesting to you, and I'll show you. So there's a prophet that preceded Jeremiah, named Isaiah. And Isaiah predicted the downfall of Israel because of their idolatry, because they would not follow God. They wouldn't turn to God, and in fact, every single time they turned to God, in some way he intervened and showed mercy. Every single time. Now, he didn't restore them, but he told one of the kings that after that point, he would never show mercy.

But one of the kings then repented, and God showed mercy to the king, even though he wiped out Judea anyway, because they were so deeply corrupted. Every single time you turn to God, every single time, he shows mercy. So this prophet Isaiah predicts the downfall and punishment of Israel, and then he predicts their return. And he talks about... This is such a loving passage we're going to go through. He talks about how much he loves Israel and wants to bring them back out of idolatry. And I want us to notice the love and kindness and gentleness of our God.

I would even suggest the humility of the great Creator God, because he did not need to say the things we're about to read. He didn't owe it to them. And he says it anyway. Just to make the point, he is their loving Father, and turning to what we're going to call idolatry today, which is what the apostles call idolatry, is not the solution to your problems.

If you want to solve your problems, you turn to the loving God. Don't do what you're in the habit of doing. Don't do what human nature normally does. So let's pick this up in the middle of Isaiah, where he starts to redeem Israel. Now, this is a futuristic prophecy. I suggest to you that this was never fulfilled, ever. A lot of commentaries will say this was fulfilled when the Jews were brought back from Babylon. I say, nay, nay.

Only the Jews were brought back from Babylon. Ancient Israel was never brought back. Because ancient Israel was not captured by Babylon. They were captured by the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrian Empire was overthrown by the Babylonian Empire. And the ancient Israelites, who were slaves, who essentially remained together in their own villages as slaves, serving the Assyrian Empire, were driven to the north, never to return to Palestine, to the Promised Land.

So these prophecies have not yet been fulfilled, which means they're yet to happen. This is a future return of Israel, of the children of Israel, and all of them, not just the Jews. And we'll pick it up in Isaiah chapter 40.

It starts with the people of Israel. They've already been punished, and they're already in captivity. And this is in the future. And in Isaiah chapter 40, verses 1-2, we're going to go through a lot of Isaiah. I hope it's not too boring to read a lot, because this is important to actually read it. We're only going to read a couple of chapters, but when you start reading chapters, people start drifting off.

Hopefully you can stay with me. Isaiah chapter 40, verse 1, Comfort, yes, comfort, my people, says our God. Speak comfort to Jerusalem, the capital city. But not just the capital city of the Jews. This is the capital city of the world. Keep that in mind. And cry out to her that her warfare is ended, her iniquity is pardoned. In other words, her sin is forgotten.

She has received from the Lord's hand double for her sins. God takes idolatry seriously. He warned them back in Exodus. If you do this, I will visit this on the third generation. And they did it, and he punished them big time. And then, away is prepared, verse 3, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Now, this was applied to John the Baptist also, one who preached the Gospel. But I want you to notice something. This is not the way back to the land of Israel or the land of Palestine. This is primarily the way of the Lord. It's a relationship. Isaiah 40 is talking about a relationship, not a land. This isn't a way back. This is the way to the Lord. It's the way of the Lord. It's back to God, not back to your land. They will come back to a land. But that's not the important point. Idolatry ruins our relationship with God. It ruins our salvation. And we do it out of habit and don't even realize it. God punishes for it, but He also brings us back. When God redeems Israel and brings them back, let's pick it up in verse 4 now. Isaiah 40, verse 4. He makes everything better. Every valley shall be exalted, every mountain and hill brought low, the crooked places will be made straight, the rough places smooth. Every piece of land will be like farmland. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. We're going to talk about the glory of the Lord in the Men's and Women's Club study after potluck. So stick around. That's an important concept. The glory of the Lord. And it has to do with male-female communication, believe it or not. It's amazing how much is written in the Bible about getting along with each other.

God is a provider and a loving God. Isaiah 40, verses 6 through 8. The voice said, cry out, and he said, what shall I cry? All flesh is like grass. All of its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers and the flower fades because the breath of the Lord blows upon it. Surely the people are grass. What's the point here? We're getting all tender-hearted, and all of a sudden he says, people are like grass. Why did he say that? Very important point to interject here because of the very next statement. Verse 8, The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of God stands forever. What's he saying? He's saying, your life is temporary. Make the most of it. And the way to make the most of your life is in my word. That's what God says. This is very reminiscent of a psalm that was written earlier, Psalm 90. Psalm 90, verse 12. I'll read this from the New Living Translation. Psalm 90, verse 12. Teach us to realize the brevity of life. Why? So that we may grow in wisdom. Yes, man is like grass, but it's the word of God that lasts forever. Our life is so short, we don't have time for idolatry. That's the point of Isaiah 40, verses 6-8. Our life is so temporary. You don't have time to just live by habit. You've got to make a change, and you've got to do it now. That's what he's saying. Okay? And as we will see, people who are idolatrous seek temporary pleasure over eternal life. They try to drown out reality with pleasure. Instead of walking through the problem with God, solving the problem, and having a better life, we run from our problems. And when we do so, we tend to fall into idolatry. And I'll show you from the Apostles how that happens.

So verses 6-8, God is asking us to consider a relationship with Him through His Word. Choose that over life's temptation for temporary pleasure. Hold that thought. We're coming back to it. Okay, move on to verse 9. And then He says, O Zion, you who bring good tidings, get up into the high mountains, O Jerusalem. You who bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength. Lift it up. Be not afraid. Say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God. Again, pointing people back to God. Behold the Lord your God, shall come with a strong hand, with His arms shall rule for Him. Behold His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in His arms and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young. You know that word good tidings is synonymous with the Gospel message? This is a definition of the overall purpose of the Gospel. Behold your God. That's the purpose of the Gospel. To point people to God. It is that simple. Stop fixing the problems yourself, and look to God. Of course, there's more to it than that. It's through Jesus Christ, through the redemption of His sacrifice, and all of that. But you want to get down to the bottom line. What is the Gospel all about? It's, hey, you, look over here. There's your God. And that's the Gospel. Next comes the next passage here that we're going to read, verses 12 through 25. To me are some of the most loving passages in the Bible. But some people read this as bragging. And that's kind of funny, because God has no need to brag. Because He's God. He's already the Almighty, ever-present, all-knowing, all-powerful. He doesn't need to brag. He just is. So what's the purpose of Him saying all of these things about Himself? He is stooping down to human level and reaching out gently with His words and leading us back to Him. The only purpose for these words is for our benefit. They do not benefit Him one bit. This is so loving. Verse 12. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand? In other words, have you picked up the ocean and said, Eh, that's about this heavy? No, you have not. He did.

Measured the heaven with the span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure. Did you put all the sand in a cup and measure it? No, you didn't. He did. He did.

Weighed the mountains in the scales and the hills and the balance. Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord or as His counselor taught Him? How many of you have disagreed with God? Don't raise your hand, because we all would. But it's laughable! You can't teach the all-knowing God who created and invented, thought up everything. Anything. You can't teach Him anything. Who teaches Him? He does. We don't. Who is... Okay, verse 14. With whom did He take counsel? And who instructed Him and taught Him the path of justice, which means righteousness? Did you make a suggestion to God? Did He have a little drop box on His desk? I think that you should do something a little bit better here, God, and it'll make you more righteous. No! He doesn't have that box on His desk.

He's stooping down. He doesn't need to say this. He doesn't need to convince us. But we need it. So He gives it. It's amazing. With whom did He take counsel and instruct Him and taught Him the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge and showed Him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are a drop in a bucket and are counted as small dust on scales. Look! He lifts up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its beasts sufficient for burnt offering. What kind of an offering would be great enough for God? Well, Lebanon, when this was written, was full of trees. My daughter and I were talking about the black forest in Germany today. Lebanon was like that. It was famous for its huge cedar trees. Lebanon was breathtakingly beautiful. If you thought of a forest on the earth, you would think Lebanon. So what's good enough to give an offering to God? Not Lebanon. Not the finest forest on the planet. It's not good enough for our God. He's greater than that.

All nations before Him are as nothing, and they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless. And yet here He is, stooping down to man's level to bring Him out of captivity, away from idolatry, and back to Himself. Why would He do that? A lot of people doubt, does God really love me individually? You know, Thomas Jefferson did. Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States, believed in God. He formed a church in the Capitol building. He ordered the Marine Corps band to play hymns every Sunday in the Capitol Dome room. He was a religious man, but he didn't really believe that God cared about anyone of us individually. Well, he wasn't a very careful study. Because I'm reading this, and I'm blown away, that the Creator God would stoop to make an argument in defense of Himself. That is beyond love. To whom, then, verse 18, will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare Him? The workman molds an image, and he gets back into idolatry. This is a comparison of the great God to you, turning to something else to solve your problems. The workman molds an image, the goldsmith spreads it with gold, and the silversmith casts it with chains. Locks it down. It's not going to move. This is one tough idol. It's going to last forever. It's a monument to our stupidity.

Whoever is too impoverished for such contribution chooses a tree that will not rot. So you can't afford a gold idol. So you cut down cedar, which won't mildew, and you carve an idol out of it. Oh, that's a good idol. It's a poor man's idol. Poor men can be idiots, too.

For he seeks for himself a skillful workman to prepare a carved image that will not totter. Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundation of the earth? It is he who sits on the circle of the earth, and inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heaven like a curtain. How many of us can stretch the heavens out like a curtain? I can go like this all I want. That cloud's not going to move. It's going to come, and it's going to rain on me. And I can't do a thing about it, so I better just run. But God, He can hold all the universe in His hand. Is he who sits on verse 23? He brings princes to nothing, and He makes judges of the earth useless. Scarcely shall they be planted, scarcely shall they be sown, scarcely shall stock take root in the earth, when He will also blow on them, and they will wither, and the whirlwind will take them away like stubble. Nothing stands up against God. Nothing. To whom will you liken Me? Whom shall be My equal? says the Holy One. So God, in that entire passage, stoops down to our level and says, son or daughter, I love you, and there's nothing, nothing compared to Me that can take care of you. You know, once His anger is done, once He's punished, it's done. He will go so far as to stoop to bring us back. He didn't need to tell us these things. We are transgressors. What we deserved was punishment and more punishment and then death. But He redeems us. And then He reasons with us that we might come back. How loving is that? So in the next section, He calls His people and assures Him that He understands their suffering. It says in verse 26, lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these things. Who will bring out the host by number and call them by name? Verse 27, why do you say, oh Jacob? And this gets to the heart of the matter. Why do you say, oh Jacob, and speak, oh Israel, My way is hidden from the Lord? Now a lot of times the word way in Hebrew would mean my actions. They're not talking about getting away with something here. Way can also mean your condition. And in this context, they're saying, I am horrible. I'm in a horrible state. I'm in captivity. I'm worthless. I'm less than a worm. And God doesn't even know it. I have prayed and prayed and prayed, and I'm still rotting in this pit. And they ask, why doesn't God even know my way, my condition? Right? So why do you say, oh Jacob, and speak, oh Israel, My way is hidden from the Lord? My just claim is passed over by my God. In other words, I have no rights whatsoever. God doesn't care about anything about me. Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faint nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He knows where you're at. He's bringing you somewhere. And it's important that you get there. So yes, you're going to go through some trials. It doesn't mean God's forgotten you. It means quite the opposite, actually. So what is the New Testament equivalent of idolatry? How are you and I often idolatrous? We don't have a little statue on the dashboard of our car. I know some people do. Most don't. We don't hang cross or beads from the rearview mirror. We don't trust in objects. So we're not idolatrous. Right? It's not so. Paul defines idolatry in one statement. He makes one statement that clearly defines idolatry. I love it when something is this clear. When he says, this, which is idolatry. Now I know what idolatry is. 2 Timothy 3, verses 1-5.

It's not that we're just going to look at one thing. He says a lot about idolatry. We'll start off with a definition of idolatry. And then we'll move into explanation of that definition. 2 Timothy 3, verses 1-5. I don't know why, but every single time I say 2 Timothy, I go to 1 Timothy.

So this time I copied it down. 2 Timothy 3, 1-5. But understand this. In the last days, there will come times of difficulty for people who will be lovers of self. That is an important starting point. That is actually the point of idolatry. Interesting that he starts there. Lovers of self. Lovers of money. Proud. Arrogant. Abusive. Disobedient to their parents. Ungrateful. Unholy. Heartless. Unappeasable. Slanderous. Without self-control. Brutal. Not loving good. I'm reading from the ESV. I know you're reading a different version there.

Treacherous. Reckless. Swollen with conceit. And then here's the one statement definition of idolatry. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Having the appearance of godliness but denying its power. Avoid such people. That is what idolatry is. And we'll get to Colossians in just a second to connect the two concepts together. But that statement right there. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Now let's remember, let's go back to Exodus.

And what did God say in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy? Do not have any idols. I am God. Love the Lord your God with what? All your heart, all your soul, all your mind. The opposite of loving God, putting God first, is idolatry. What does that look like in practical terms? Loving pleasure. Covering your problems with pleasure. It's not that pleasure is wrong. God created pleasure. Things to be pleasant and enjoyable. Food is pleasurable. Eat too much, ruin your health. Wine can be pleasurable. Wine can make for a very nice social activity. If somebody has a dinner and they offer their guests a glass of wine or two, if the guest can handle two, then you have a nice, relaxed evening.

Drink too much, you become a fool. All kinds of bad things happen. Idolatry is covering pain or trouble with pleasure. And that's exactly what the ancient Israelites would do when they sought the idols around. Why was it so tempting? Why did they always go back into idolatry? Because it was fun! Idol worship was a big party. Do the homework and you find out there was usually alcohol, drugs, and sex involved when they would go to the idols. It was immoral. It was pleasure. And it got really sickening where human sacrifice happened.

All kinds of weird things happened. How can people let all of that bad stuff happen? Because there was a reward in it for them. They loved themselves. It was pleasure. And instead of turning to God to solve their problems, they would just run up to the idol and seek pleasure. Make sense? Let's read on. Seeking pleasure no matter what the cost to you or another person. It is by nature destructive. We, by nature, cover our difficulties, our hurts, our bad feelings by making ourselves feel better. We hide behind temporary pleasures.

They don't solve anything. And that's the problem with them. The problem or the pain we have continues to get worse while we hide from them. Then the pleasure is gone, but the hurt or the bad feeling is still there and probably worse because the situation has gotten worse. Selfishness and self-seeking solve nothing, which is the huge problem with idolatry, which is why God punishes for it.

It's destructive to the children He loves. So He won't let us get away with it. Paul gives a description of idolatry in Colossians that ties together 2 Timothy, the pleasure part, versus loving God. Loving pleasure rather than loving God. That is idolatry. How do I draw that conclusion? Well, we've already seen that in the Old Testament, but we can also see it in Colossians 3.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. So again, we're drawing a comparison. Look to God, look to Jesus Christ, His Son. Don't look below. Look above. It's again the same language that was used in Exodus about idolatry.

What's He talking about? Baptism. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. This is speaking of the complete commitment that we have given our life to God. We are the redeemed property of Jesus Christ, once worthless, like the children of Israel in captivity by comparison, now bought back with a price. So your life is not yours and my life is not mine. We understand that. We gave that at baptism. So what's Paul's point by saying and reminding us of something we already knew? Why did Paul remind us our life is not ours? Verse 5. Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Look at everything in that list! It is self-seeking and loving pleasure. Fornication and uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, wanting things that really don't belong to you, but you're going to take them anyway.

Which is idolatry. Now we can go back to 2 Timothy 3 and understand that very simple definition. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

Seeking temporary pleasure, putting pleasure or anything above God, is idolatry. Why? Because it hurts God's feelings? Well, I don't know. You'll have to ask Him. But He says why? It's because it destroys you. And He loves you. And like any parent, you wouldn't let your kid run in the street when cars were coming. What would you do? If you saw your kid and the ball went in the street and they're sprinting towards the street, now, Johnny, don't run into the street, okay? Mommy's warning you. I'm going to count to 10. You don't have time for that. Your child's life is on the line. What are you going to do? You're going to run over there and grab that child. Boom! What were you thinking?

And that's what God is doing with idolatry. Yes, He's serious about it, and yes, He punishes for it, but it's because He loves us. He says, hey, what were you thinking? That doesn't solve anything. That just makes it worse.

Verse 16. What's the solution? Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. What does that verse remind you of that we read in the first part of the sermon? Do you remember? Let's go back to Isaiah 40. Because that is almost identical. Paul just said, almost identically, what Isaiah said and what the psalmist said in Psalm 90. First Isaiah 40, verses 6-8. The voice said, Isaiah 40, verse 6, cry out. What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and its loveliness is like a flower of the field. But the grass withers and the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows on it. Surely people are grass. So what's the solution to our temporary life? Verse 8. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of God is forever. What did Paul say in Colossians 3, 16? Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom. Let's jump back. See how this is all sewn together, tightly. It's the same message from beginning to end. God loves you. He will not tolerate you destroying yourself. So He takes it seriously and He punishes you, but He will redeem you at the end. Your solution, in your way out of it, is turning back to Him through His Word. Psalm 90, verse 12, do you remember, it said, Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. Let the word of God become your habit. Don't let seeking pleasure become your habit. And in finishing in Colossians 3, verse 17, Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Word or deed, the idolatry command is a heart command. It's about your heart's priorities. I'll just go quickly, since we're way out of time. In Matthew 6, verse 33, we all probably have it memorized. It says to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Don't seek immoral pleasure to cover your pain. Turn to God and let Him be your first priority. Covering pain or bad feelings with pleasure is selfish, and it is idolatry, and it solves nothing, and it hurts everybody involved. Turning to God helps you, and then God helps you to help other people. It is exactly the opposite of idolatry. Let the Word of God, His heart, His mind, be your treasure. Make every decision in your life, both in word and deed, by using the Word of God. And you know what? We don't do that. Should I watch this TV show or not? Yeah. Should I have one more drink of this? Yeah. I mean, I know I'm going from preaching to meddling here, but let me meddle just a little, and then I'll get back to preaching. There's so many things. You know, we go to doctors, which I'm not opposed to. Seek wise counsel. That's fine. But we use them to cover pain that we should be going to God for. And I'm not talking about just healing, but we actually start to use prescription drugs as a cover, as a feel-good method. That's idolatry. You're covering your pain, not your physical pain. You're emotional pain. Anything you use to cover emotional pain. Some women watch soap operas to cover emotional pain. They live vicariously, immorally, through somebody else. I don't like my life, so I'm going to jump into somebody else's life. Some people meddle in other people's lives for that reason. Some people drink too much. Some people play too much video games. Look at inappropriate pornography on the Internet. I can go on and on and on. And they do it by habit, instead of seeking the Word of God to solve your problems. We seek pleasure.

You know, it affects every aspect of our life, down to our daily habits. Things you've done so long, you don't even give thought to them anymore. It's easy for a church to drift into idolatry. It's so easy.

We start to tolerate things that God says not to do. And we just drift. And it's slow so we don't notice. And when anybody stands up and says something, they seem kind of weird. Because we're used to it now. You know, tattoos are becoming just rampant. You know, there's a prohibition on tattoos in the Bible. God said, don't do it! So you know what we ought to do? Go get a tramp stamp right in the back, right there. That's what we ought to do. That's what we do.

We don't seek the Word of God in everything that we do. Start seeking to soothe your life's challenges. But instead of seeking pleasure, seek the guidance of God. When you seek to solve your problems with pleasure, your problems don't solve. But God wants something completely different from you. He wants you to become like Him. And if you don't, you're not going to be able to do it. But God wants something completely different from you. He wants you to become like Him. To have a relationship with Him, because He loves you. And that means that you need to face your problems and not cover them with temporary pleasure that causes you to not have a relationship with God and die an eternal death. Because you never solved anything. You never faced anything. You never faced anything. God's solutions to life's challenges are to be your top priority. It's not easy. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Because it doesn't always make you feel good to walk through your problems and take them head-on. In fact, it can be quite uncomfortable until you get out of the problem. But then, you're out of the problem. You don't have that sin or that problem anymore.

His Word gives the solutions to life. Follow His Word in everything that you say and do. Think about that when you go home. What bad habits do I have? What do I do to seek pleasure instead of solve my problems? Because that, my friends, is idolatry.

Idolatry is self-destructive, pleasure-seeking, and it stops our growth process. But turning to God and following His Word restarts the growth process. And that's the good news. That's the whole reason God stooped down and explained how great He was to ancient Israel. To let them know, you can trust Me. I am so great, and I love you so much, I will pull you out of those problems. And He will! Because He's God!

Let's finish in Isaiah. Now, chapter 42 is about how God will send Jesus Christ to rule the earth, repair the earth, so it can be inhabited again. And then, in Isaiah 43, and we'll end here, Isaiah 43, verse 1. So He's gone through, and He's talked about how He's going to redeem Israel and send Jesus Christ. And He says in Isaiah 43, verse 1, But now thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, put your name there. And he who formed you, O Israel, fear not. I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. Through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through life's challenges, when you walk back to Me, you won't be destroyed. You won't be sorry that you came back.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flames scorch you. There's a passage in 1 John that jumps off of this, but we don't have time to go there. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Siba in your place. Since you were precious in my sight, you have been honored and I have loved you. Therefore, I will give men for you and people for your life. Fear not, and these were people that were against them, that put them under the sword. And God said, no, I protect my precious ones. Fear not, for I am with you, and I will bring your descendants from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, give them up, and to the south, do not keep them back. Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth. And that's you!

God's intent is to bring us out of idolatry, out of covering our problems. We can have idolatry in a world without idols. Idolatry is a matter of the human heart, where we selfishly prioritize temporary destructive pleasure over the long-term goal of being in the kingdom of God. Reset your priorities, set your eyes on God, and let your daily habits be clean and pure. Don't cover pain with temporary pleasure. It doesn't solve anything. So stop! Let God rescue you out of life's hurts with one lasting solution. His way, His Word.