Unlocking fall 2015 New Years seems to be the season of reflection. We often spend some time looking back to see what exactly happened last year. And we look forward to fresh starts and new opportunities in the year to come. One is our history and the other is our destiny. We have to make sure that we do not allow our history to rob our destiny. While looking back is useful and looking forward is important. There is one that is more important for the coming year. That is – Looking up. We need a fresh revelation of God’s upper story I may not be able to change the world, but I can change my attitude towards the world. That’s exactly what an 8 year old boy did. And when he changed his attitude, he ended up changing the world that he lived in.

Unlocking fall 2015 2 Chronicles 34:1-3 1  Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2  He did right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. 3  For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images. 2 Chronicles 34:1-3 1  Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2  He did right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. 3  For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images. Did not turn to the right or left Sin of comparison 2 Corinthians 10:12 (NIV) 12  We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. By the grace of God I am what I am. (1 Corinthians 15:10) You are really saying that God has not supplied all of your needs 1 Samuel 18:6-9 (NASB) 6  It happened as they were coming, when David returned from killing the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with musical instruments. 7  The women sang as they played, and said, "Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands." 8  Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?" 9  Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on. Where was his vision? Up Josiah was eight years old—He was one of the best, if not the best, of all the Jewish kings since the time of David. He began well, continued well, and ended well. Vs. 3 For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David He turned from being a believer to being a follower. Believing is a spectator sport. Following is what makes you a player. He went from fellowship to followship. The size of your commitment is what it takes to stop you. Josiah made his vision find a duty. Vision is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be. It stands in contradiction to the world as it is and demands change. It is the finished picture of the need met. Of all the things I could do, what does God want me to do. Not every opportunity is a calling. Why does ity say that he didn’t look to the right or left? Sin of comparison!

Unlocking fall 2015

Unlocking fall 2015 Romans 1:24-25 24  Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25  For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Romans 1:24-25 24  Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25  For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Maybe the best way to get at this instead of trying to reach out to the whole Bible and pull all the pieces together — which is not a bad thing to do — let’s just go to one verse, one passage of Scripture, because I think in this verse, in Colossians 3:5–6, the answers to all three questions are there. What is an idol? Why is it dangerous? What do they look like today? So here is the verse: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming.” (Colossians 3:5–6) Loving Jealousy “God is jealous that he be honored by being treasured, and he is jealous that we be satisfied by treasuring him.” Tweet Share on Facebook So this is the answer to the question “Why are idols dangerous?” — namely, the wrath of God is coming upon idolatry. Nothing is more dangerous than the wrath of an omnipotent, all-righteous God. And Paul says the wrath of God is coming on idolatry. Now why would that be? Listen to Exodus 20: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness or anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.” (Exodus 20:4–5) The wrath of God comes on the idolater because God is jealous. There is a righteous and holy jealousy and an unrighteous and weak and insecure jealousy. And God’s jealousy is not only righteous — that is, he deserves our deepest and strongest affections and admiration — but it is loving. It is a loving jealousy, because we were made to find our greatest joy when he is our greatest treasure. He is jealous that he be honored by being treasured, and he is jealous that we be satisfied by treasuring him. So he is jealous in a loving way and he is jealous in a righteous way. And if we find God to be so boring or so negligible that we must put other things in his place that really satisfy us more than he does, then we not only offend him, but we also destroy ourselves. Those two things make God angry. He doesn’t want to be offended and he doesn’t want us to destroy ourselves. Idolatry contradicts both of those things and so his wrath comes upon the idolater. So that is the answer to the first question: Why it is so dangerous? The other two questions can be taken together, I think, something like this: What is an idol and what does it look like today? First in the Heart Paul says, “Covetousness, which is idolatry.” So what idolatry looks like today is the activity of the human heart. This is not a deed of the body. That follows — a fruit on a branch. It starts in the heart: craving, wanting, enjoying, being satisfied by anything that you treasure more than God. That is an idol. Paul calls this covetousness — a disordered love or desire, loving more than God what ought to be loved less than God and only for the sake of God. But covetousness is the condition that this disordered heart is in, an act of loving too much what ought to be loved less. And that is why the wrath of God is coming. That is what idolatry looks like today. And it is everywhere in our culture. “Idolatry starts in the heart: craving, wanting, enjoying, being satisfied by anything that you treasure more than God.” So finally: What is an idol? Well, it is the thing. It is the thing loved or the person loved more than God, wanted more than God, desired more than God, treasured more than God, enjoyed more than God. It could be a girlfriend. It could be good grades. It could be the approval of other people. It could be success in business. It could be sexual stimulation. It could be a hobby or a musical group that you are following or a sport or your immaculate yard. I was looking for some yard stuff the other day and I clicked on a video ad for a yard service and three people came on and all of them made the point that this yard service enabled them to brag that they had the best yard in the neighborhood. I thought: What a motivation! I want to be number one in green grass! So that could be an idol. Or your own looks could be an idol. It could be anything. So Paul puts it like this in Romans 1:25: “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature” — anything that is created — “rather than the Creator.” But there is no wrath for the children of God. And why is that? Because Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 1: “You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9–10) So when we turn to Christ from idols we escape the wrath of God because he is for us. God is for us in Christ on the cross.

Unlocking fall 2015 Exodus 20:2-5 2  "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3  "You shall have no other gods before Me. 4  "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5  "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Unlocking fall 2015 2 Chronicles 34:4-5 4  They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars that were high above them he chopped down; also the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images he broke in pieces and ground to powder and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5  Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars and purged Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 34:4-5 4  They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars that were high above them he chopped down; also the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images he broke in pieces and ground to powder and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5  Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars and purged Judah and Jerusalem In his presence. It is never a good idea to allocate or delegate responsibility for the tearing down of your own idols.

Unlocking fall 2015 2 Chronicles 34:6-7 6  In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, even as far as Naphtali, in their surrounding ruins, 7  he also tore down the altars and beat the Asherim and the carved images into powder, and chopped down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 34:6-7 6  In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, even as far as Naphtali, in their surrounding ruins, 7  he also tore down the altars and beat the Asherim and the carved images into powder, and chopped down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Unlocking fall 2015 2 Chronicles 34:8 8  Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah an official of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God. 2 Chronicles 34:8 8  Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan (Shaa fan) the son of Azaliah (As a lie’ a), and Maaseiah (may’ ah see’ ah)an official of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God. Foundation first, then building. It is dangerous to fire the starting pistol while you’re still in the locker room. Then and only then was he successful. Failure is missing the goal. But it is also succeeding in something that is not important.

Never give up what you want the most for what you want for the moment

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