Victory by: #3 of 3 - True Worship of the Lord God through His Son

Jesus is True—Keep Yourselves from Idols

(1 John 5:20-21, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, March 12, 2017)

[20] 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. [21] Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

One final word from John (at least in this brief letter)

Idols. We in the church, as we face centuries of spiritual warfare, have been told to keep ourselves from idols. We know and acknowledge the Son of God, Jesus, who is Messiah, true God, and our eternal life. He has come and has given us understanding. Everyone knows that there is a God, but not everyone has spiritual understanding. Jesus is not an idol. No one else can take His place, nor do we have any description of Him that we could use to make an image. Any image of Him would have to be false witness.

Two Kings that have a measure of light for us

Solomon was a great man of knowledge. We are told one particular story about His wisdom. Two women were arguing over a baby. One was the real mother, the other one was lost in a lie. Solomon had a method to discover the truth. But what if he had not been so wise? What if he had given the baby to the wrong mother? The weight of living out any lie is too heavy for us to carry.

Jesus is Solomon's King and ours. He is the truth. He is the Word that spoke light into being. We cannot successfully live a lie before Him. When He confronts our idolatry, He calls us out of the darkness and into the light, out of death and into eternal life, out of the lie and into truth.

Three commandments to consider

#1. You shall have no other gods. The first kind of idol represents a non-god as God.

#2. You shall not make an idol of anything. You shall not bow down to it or serve it. The second kind of idol uses a non-god in a futile effort to please the true God in our own way.

#9. You shall not bear false witness against the Triune God or in particular against the Son of God. When you worship the first kind of idol, you bear false witness against God with the use of false non-gods. When you worship the second kind of idol, you especially bear false witness against the Jesus of the Scriptures who is the visible image of the invisible God, the only way to God, and the one Mediator through whom we offer up worship agreeable to God's will.

At first it might feel good to have an idol, either the first or the second kind. But like the pretend mother who has found a child that is not hers, idolatry is a lie. It is powerless to win this war.

The true worship of God through Jesus Christ is mighty for overcoming the world. Idols have their own attraction which must be resisted. To avoid what is false, all of our worship must be directed by the Scriptures, the Spirit-inspired Word of Truth.

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 5 – My King and My God

Gospel Reading—Matthew 6:9-13 – [9] Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. [10] Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread, [12] and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. [13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.