The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16b

4. Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me. I cried out to Him with my mouth; His praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Psalm 66:16-19

5. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16b

6. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:36-37

9. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be, also. Matthew 6:19-21

10. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If, then, the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. Matthew 6:22-24a

11. “No man can serve two masters.” “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be, also.”

14. Your Life is Either… Worshiping Idolizing

15. We were created continuously outpouring. Not that we were created to worship, but that we were created worshiping. Harold Best

16. Christians are not defined by skin colour, by gender, by geographical location, or even, shockingly, by their good behavior. Nor are they defined by the particular type of religious feelings they may have. They are defined in terms of the god they worship. N.T. Wright

17. What are we worshiping?

18. Keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:21

19. Three Questions for Today What is an idol? What are the dangers of idolatry? How do I keep myself from falling into idolatry?

20. What is an Idol? An idol is anything you revere above God.

21. Your life is either built on lies, or it’s built on truth. The common mistake we make is believing that what is tangible is more powerful than the intangible.

22. Although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the Immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles … they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator. Romans 1:21-23, 25

24. An idol usually begins as something good.

26. The United States is in an advanced state of synchrotism. Leslie Newbigin synchrotism = the mixing of idolatry and Christianity to the point where the Gospel is compromised.

28. What are the Dangers of Idolatry? • Idolatry harms the individuals who participate in it

29. What people revere, they resemble, either for ruin or restitution. G.K. Beale

30. False gods promise what only the true God provides.

32. Karoshi= death by overwork

33. What are the Dangers of Idolatry? • Idolatry harms the individuals who participate in it • Idolatry harms the societies in which it is practiced to the degree in which it is practiced.

34. The chief errors of our time stem from attempts to deify various aspects of creation: history, nature, humanity, economics, and political power. Herbert Schlossberg

35. If we idolize, we must also demonize.

36. If we idolize our race, we must demonize other races • If we idolize our gender, we must demonize the other gender • If we idolize our nation, we must demonize other nations • If we idolize our socioeconomic class, we must demonize other classes • If we idolize our theological system, we must demonize other theological systems

37. How do I Keep Myself from Falling into Idolatry? You shall have no other gods before Me. Exodus 20:3

39. Choose this day who you will serve –as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! Joshua 24:15

40. How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is god, follow him. 1 Kings 18:21

41. No man can serve two masters! Where your treasure is, there your heart will be, also. Matthew 6:23, 21

42. Figure out what your god is and sell out to it.

43. How do I Keep Myself from Falling into Idolatry? • Make a conscious decision to establish Jesus first • Take every thought captive • Study Scripture • Fellowship openly with other believers • Pray that God would reveal any potential idols to you

44. Am I Idolizing? • What do I long for most passionately? • On what am I spending most of my money? • Where do I run for comfort? • What makes me happiest? • How do I describe myself to other people? • What do I brag about?

45. Am I Idolizing? • What do I sacrifice the most for in my life? • What do I want to have more than anything else? • Whose approval am I seeking? • If I could change one thing in my life, what would it be? • What has caused me to be angry with God?

47. Three Questions • Where is my treasure? • Am I trying to serve two masters at once? • Am I regularly searching myself to discover any potential idols?