idols, part 2

©2022 dan bulkley | ask@lifechurchco.com

section 1

While idols are anything that takes the place of God in our hearts; it would do us well to understand and examine the nature of these idols lest we ignore their presence within us. An idol itself is nothing at all i corinthians 10:19 , but an idol is what is in our hearts that is not of God i john 2:16 , manifesting itself in every relationship, word, action, SIN, etc. proverbs 4:23 matthew 15:16-20  matthew 6:21 . Idols are our heart’s desires, pursuits, fears, shames, lies and even emptiness. Thus, God describes and names them as such:

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reference scripture

i corinthians 10:19 esv

...That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

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i john 2:16 esv

For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.

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proverbs 4:23 nlt

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

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matthew 15:16-20 csb

"Do you still lack understanding?" He asked. "Don’t you realize that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated? But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander. These are the things that defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person."

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matthew 6:21 esv

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

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filth

nahum 3:6 nkjv

I will cast abominable filth {idol} upon you, Make you vile, And make you a spectacle.

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isaiah 64:6 nkjv

But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

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philippians 3:8 csb

More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ

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my notes:

nothing/emptiness

deuteronomy 32:12-21, 36-39 kjv esv

So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.

But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they Him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.

Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. And when the LORD saw it, He abhorred them, because of the provoking of His sons, and of His daughters. And He said, I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. They have moved Me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked Me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants, when He sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free. Then He will say, ‘Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge, who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you; let them be your protection!

"‘See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of My hand.

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jeremiah 2:13 esv

for My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

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i corinthians 10:14-11:1 esv

...That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?...

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shame

hosea 9:10 csb

I discovered Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your ancestors like the first fruit of the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal-peor, consecrated themselves to Shame, and became abhorrent, like the thing they loved.

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philippians 3:19 esv

Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

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lie

isaiah 44:20 esv

He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?"

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romans 1:25 esv

because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

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my notes:

fear

i kings 15:13 nas

He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid image as an Asherah; and Asa cut down her horrid image and burned it at the brook Kidron.

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isaiah 8:12-13 esv

"Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy. Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.

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i peter 3:14-15 niv84

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...

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my notes:

section 2

This is why idolatry is clarified to be things such as sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and greed colossians 3:5  ephesians 5:5 , enslavement galatians 4:8  i corinthians 6:12  ii peter 2:19 , our own strength habakkuk 1:11 , even the stomach as a representation of earthly desires philippians 3:19 , because it is the heart which evils like murder, theft, lying, and slander is born from matthew 15:19 .

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reference scripture

colossians 3:5 esv

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

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ephesians 5:5 esv

For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

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galatians 4:8 esv

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.

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i corinthians 6:12 nlt

You say, "I am allowed to do anything"—but not everything is good for you. And even though "I am allowed to do anything," I must not become a slave to anything.

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ii peter 2:19 nlt

They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.

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habakkuk 1:11 nlt

They sweep past like the wind and are gone. But they are deeply guilty, for their own strength is their god."

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philippians 3:19 csb

Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things.

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matthew 15:19 esv

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

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my notes:

section 3

An idol is also anything that we need to defend or justify in our lives judges 6:31 . As it would not be clearly righteous and good, or clearly worthy of the time, effort, heart, decision, sacrifices, etc. spent on it. Be aware that if your conscience isn’t clear about even innocuous activities or undertakings, you’ll likely be defensive for it as in someway it has distracted your devotion and gratitude to God. A clear conscience is for those worshipping the Creator, and those worshipping the Creator are bold, not defensive proverbs 28:1  ii corinthians 3:12 

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reference scripture

judges 6:31 nlt

But Joash shouted to the mob that confronted him, "Why are you defending Baal? Will you argue his case? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal truly is a god, let him defend himself and destroy the one who broke down his altar!"

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proverbs 28:1 esv

The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

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ii corinthians 3:12 esv

Since we have such a hope, we are very bold,

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my notes:

section 4

In keeping with faith in the True God we ourselves, as believers, shouldn’t contend for God, but rather for the faith…i.e. for the hearts of people to know God ii corinthians 5:11  ezekiel 3:18 . He doesn’t need our defense, people need saving from His righteous wrath jude 3  ii corinthians 5:11-21  acts 17:25  isaiah 46:1-10  job 33:6-7  ezekiel 3:27 . We make Him out to be an idol when we forget the proper posture, a Biblical mindset ii corinthians 5:16 . We are not arguing to defend God, He will justify Himself i corinthians 5:13  james 4:11-12  romans 12:19  romans 3:4 ; we are contending for souls to be reconciled to Him and so be saved ii corinthians 5:18-6:2 .

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reference scripture

ii corinthians 5:11 esv

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

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ezekiel 3:18 niv84

When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.

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jude 31 esv

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

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my notes:

ii corinthians 5:11-21 esv

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others....

...For the love of Christ controls us...

...All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

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acts 17:25 esv

nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

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my notes:

isaiah 46:1-10 nas

Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over; Their images are consigned to the beasts and the cattle. The things that you carry are burdensome, A load for the weary beast. They stooped over, they have bowed down together; They could not rescue the burden, But have themselves gone into captivity.

"Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been borne by Me from birth And have been carried from the womb;

Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you and I will deliver you.

To whom would you liken Me And make Me equal and compare Me, That we would be alike? Those who lavish gold from the purse And weigh silver on the scale Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; They bow down, indeed they worship it. They lift it upon the shoulder and carry it; They set it in its place and it stands there. It does not move from its place. Though one may cry to it, it cannot answer; It cannot deliver him from his distress.

Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors. Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’...

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job 33:6-7 esv

Behold, I am toward God as you are; I too was pinched off from a piece of clay. Behold, no fear of me need terrify you; my pressure will not be heavy upon you.

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ezekiel 3:27 esv

But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.

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ii corinthians 5:16 csb

From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way.

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i corinthians 5:13 esv

God judges those outside.

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james 4:11-12 esv

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, He who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

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romans 12:19 esv

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."

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romans 3:4 csb

Absolutely not! Let God be true, even though everyone is a liar, as it is written: That You may be justified in Your words and triumph when You judge.

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my notes:

ii corinthians 5:18-6:2 esv

All this is from God, Who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Working together with Him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

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section 5

Idolatry is also anything that would have our hearts stray from a pure devotion to God i corinthians 10:6 . Even grumbling shows an idolatrous heart i corinthians 10:10  as if God should be in our image rather than we in His genesis 1:27 , or if we were to make a god, he would do it our way rather than his own psalm 50:21 . All such self-gratification is what our hearts are predisposed to, and such idolatry is to be fled from i corinthians 10:1-14 .

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reference scripture

i corinthians 10:6 esv

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.

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i corinthians 10:10 csb

And don’t grumble as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer.

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genesis 1:27 esv

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

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psalm 50:21 esv

These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.

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i corinthians 10:1-14 esv

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 in the sea, and 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.

Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.

Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.

Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. 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. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

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my notes:

section 6

We exchange the glories of the unseen God for that which is seen romans 1:20, 23  ii corinthians 4:18 , self-promoting jeremiah 2:13 , immediate hebrews 11:25-26  and tangibly understandable galatians 3:3 . We bow down to desired outcomes rather than to the Truth. We prefer to serve gods, like money, that we think will serve our desires, not change our desires matthew 6:24  ezekiel 11:19-21 . So, in our sane minds we would never worship a powerless object isaiah 44:9-20 , but earthly means are all too familiar, tangible and comforting to rely on as we think we can control them numbers 23:19-20  isaiah 48:5 , and thus we become fools worshipping the results rather than the Causer romans 1:18-25 .

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reference scripture

romans 1:20, 23 esv

For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse....and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

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ii corinthians 4:18 csb

So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

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jeremiah 2:13 esv

for My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

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my notes:

hebrews 11:25-26 nlt

He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.

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galatians 3:3 csb

Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?

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matthew 6:24 esv

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

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ezekiel 11:19-21 esv

And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My rules and obey them. And they shall be My people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.

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my notes:

isaiah 44:9-20 esv

All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.

The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint.

The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it.

Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, "Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!" And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god!"

They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, "Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?"

He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?"

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numbers 23:19-20 esv

God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has he said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it? Behold, I received a command to bless: He has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.

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isaiah 48:5 esv

I declared them to you from of old, before they came to pass I announced them to you, lest you should say, ‘My idol did them, my carved image and my metal image commanded them.’

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romans 1:18-25 esv

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

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my notes:

section 7

Anything you cling to other than God Himself jonah 2:8 , or even worry about is an idol: be it your parents or children matthew 10:37-38 , spouse or siblings luke 14:26-27 , basic means of living luke 12:22-34 , your own life john 12:24-26 . If you embrace ANYTHING other than Jesus as necessary for you, it is actually stealing away from you the opportunity to draw nearer to Him Who is Everything matthew 16:25  luke 8:14  romans 8:32 , and disables you in truly loving others john 15:5 . Keep in mind that we often cling to sin as a comfort, a familiar habit, a way of life, etc. and don’t see it as it really is. Sins like that are not a struggle of growing, but a repetitive sin that we are committed to, by either ignoring it or intentionally keeping it; that is a rival god. It is an idol i john 5:18-21 .

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reference scripture

jonah 2:8 niv84

Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

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matthew 10:37-38 esv

Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.

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luke 14:26-27 esv

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

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my notes:

luke 12:22-34 esv

And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing...

For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

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john 12:24-26 esv

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

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matthew 16:25 esv

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

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luke 8:14 csb

As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit.

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romans 8:32 esv

He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

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john 15:5 esv

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

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i john 5:18-21 esv

We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but He Who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him Who is true; and we are in Him Who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

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my notes:

section 8

So how do we practically tear these idols down in our lives? Recognition is key so that we are able to choose john 8:32 . As ridding yourself of idols is a matter of choice, but not just one quick, definitive choice. No, our hearts are too fickle for that joshua 24:16, 19 . It is a matter of purposing daniel 10:12 , resolving daniel 1:8 , and choosing joshua 24:14-15  again and again and again to worship Jesus jeremiah 21:8  psalm 119:30  rather than any idol. This path is not necessarily a pleasant one hebrews 12:11  as it goes against our own desires isaiah 58:13-14 , but since that is the core of our idols it stands to reason that our desires will have to be sacrificed romans 12:1 . While we may not want to do as God wills, that is exactly the repeated, perpetual choice we have to make in our daily lives matthew 26:39 .

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reference scripture

john 8:32 esv

...you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

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joshua 24:16, 19 esv

Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods...

But Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.

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daniel 10:12 csb

"Don’t be afraid, Daniel," he said to me, "for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers.

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my notes:

daniel 1:8 esv

But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.

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joshua 24:14-15 esv

"Now therefore fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

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jeremiah 21:8 esv

"And to this people you shall say: ‘Thus says the LORD: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

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psalm 119:30 csb

I have chosen the way of truth; I have set your ordinances before me.

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hebrews 12:11 nlt

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

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isaiah 58:13-14 nlt

Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the LORD’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. Then the LORD will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the LORD, have spoken!"

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romans 12:1 esv

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your {reasonable} worship.

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matthew 26:39 csb

Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will."

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section 9

We seek the Lord with all the heart we can muster deuteronomy 4:29-30 , cooperating with Him philippians 1:6, 2:12-13  galatians 5:25  until He grants us an undivided heart psalm 86:11 . When faith, not feelings, prompt your purpose you know you are on the right track ii thessalonians 1:11 , because God is pleased to establish our hearts in the Biblical good we enact ii thessalonians 2:16-17 . We resolve to do His will, ESPECIALLY when it is not ours i thessalonians 5:14-18  so that we learn to rely on Him ii corinthians 1:9  and have our desires changed as we resolve to delight in the Lord by faith, not necessarily feeling psalm 37:4-5  ii corinthians 12:9-10 .

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reference scripture

deuteronomy 4:29-30 esv

But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey His voice.

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my notes:

philippians 1:6, 2:12-13 nas nlt

For I am confident of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.

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galatians 5:25 nas

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

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psalm 86:11 niv84

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.

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ii thessalonians 1:11 niv84

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.

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ii thessalonians 2:16-17 esv

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, Who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

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i thessalonians 5:14-18 esv

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

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ii corinthians 1:9 nlt

In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, Who raises the dead.

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psalm 37:4-5 esv

Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act.

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ii corinthians 12:9-10 nlt

Each time He said, "My grace is all you need. My power {is perfected} in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

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section 10

While this feels more like unpleasant drilling hebrews 12:5-13 ; such repetitive, heart-rending challenges shift our habitual actions jeremiah 13:23 , thinking romans 12:2  and desires ephesians 4:23  to be like that of Jesus ephesians 4:22-24 . This is not unlike a spiral staircase of repetitive choices that are leading up towards the freedom of the children of God romans 8:21 . These choices made more and more towards God frees us from the destructive worldly desires i john 2:16-17 , and ushers us into the freedom of the eternal, Heavenly life of Truth and Love i john 4:7-8, 5:20-21 . Thus, our idols are burnt away in the Truth of how WORTHy Jesus is as the One we choose to worship in Love and Truth ii john 3  hebrews 12:28-29  revelation 19:16  deuteronomy 10:17  philippians 3:7-14 .

my notes:

reference scripture

hebrews 12:5-13 nlt

And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as His children? He said, "My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when He corrects you. For the LORD disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child."

As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as His own children...

...God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in His holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

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jeremiah 13:23 esv

Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.

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romans 12:2 niv84

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will.

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ephesians 4:23 nlt

Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

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my notes:

ephesians 4:22-24 csb

...take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.

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romans 8:21 csb

that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.

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i john 2:16-17 esv

For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

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i john 4:7-8, 5:20-21 esv

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him Who is true; and we are in Him Who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

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ii john 3 esv

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.

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hebrews 12:28-29 esv

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

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revelation 19:16 esv

On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

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deuteronomy 10:17 esv

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God...

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philippians 3:7-14 niv84

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him...

I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

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my notes: