Tearing Down Our High Places W HAT IS D ISPLACING G OD IN O UR L IVES ?

Deuteronomy 12:1-7 1 “These are the statutes and judgments which you shall be careful to observe in the land which the L ORD God of your fathers is giving you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. 2 You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place. 4 You shall not worship the L ORD your God with such things. 5 “But you shall seek the place where the L ORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go. 6 There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7 And there you shall eat before the L ORD your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the L ORD your God has blessed you.”

Leviticus 26:30 30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you.

2 Kings 23:19-20, Now Josiah also took away all the shrines of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the L ORD to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel. 20 He executed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned men’s bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the L ORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.

Acts 17:16, Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. 22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you…”

3 Key Questions… What is it that you let displace God’s rightful place in your life? What would you not give up to serve the Lord? What are you most passionate about (consumes your time, energy and affection)?

Numbers 21:8-9 8 Then the L ORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

2 Kings 18:4 4 He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.

Tearing Down Our High Places A RE THINGS D ISPLACING G OD IN YOUR L IFE ? Things

Possessions Would you stumble as the rich young ruler stumbled? – Matt. 19:16-26 Can you truly appreciate the selfless act of those first disciples? – Acts 2:44-45; 4:32 (cf. Acts 5:1-2)

Houses If being a disciple meant wandering in a tent, could you be content? – cf. Lev. 23:42-43 (Heb. 11:13-16) Are you truly willing to surrender your earthly house for a heavenly one? – cf. Mark 10:29-31 (2 Cor. 5:1-5)

Toys Do the “toys” you purchase keep you from God? – cf. Phil. 3:7-8 (Heb. 11:24-26) Do the “toys” you buy tempt you to sin? – cf. Mark 9:42-48

Wealth Does your measure of success in life include the abundance of things you possess? – cf. Luke 12:15-21 Are you content with godliness? – cf. 1 Tim. 6:6-10 (Prov. 30:8-9)

Matthew 13: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Matthew 16: Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”