The problem with Idols

This is a copy of a brief talk I gave as part of a group I'm going on a missions trip with:

Joshua 24:14-15

“Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of 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.”

This should be a convicting verse for every believer. All too often I find myself drawn away from God by other seemingly more tangible idols. All Joshua is really doing here is reiterating the first commandment, yet with a definite sense of urgency. Joshua is first pointing out (prior to these verses) what God has done for His people. Starting with verse 14, however, he’s commanding them how to serve God, followed by a choice to not serve Him. He concludes this with a simple, yet significant statement of faith. He’s saying that his faith isn’t contingent on everyone else’s. Regardless of how an entire nation decides to go, Joshua has declared that he and his house will serve the Lord.

The conclusion I get from these verses is:

1. I must first get rid of anything in my life which I put before God. Sometimes sincere prayer and/or fasting (not just from food) can reveal potential idols or humbly asking a close friend to provide suggestions.

2. I must make a choice and then stick with it. God doesn’t look kindly on not sticking with decisions or doubting Him. Revelation 3:15-16 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” Or if we consider Lot’s wife in her moment of doubt and what happened to her. She missed her old life, doubted God and disobeyed His direct commands.

3. It doesn’t matter what everyone else is doing. I can’t control the emotions or decisions of others, nor can I allow myself to be dragged away with the choice of the masses. Might, or numbers, doesn’t make right! God is offering a personal relationship with Himself, nothing more or less. This decision cannot be contingent on the views or decisions of other people.

2 Timothy 2:11-13

“This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless,
He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

The key part of the verse, to me at least, is the last bit: “If we are faithless,
He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”

What does this mean?

God’s promises aren’t dependent on us at all. This means we can’t screw it up!!! This is huge!