Ex.20:2-3, no other gods before Me Does it allow other gods as long as they give the true God first place? Or does it mean “besides Him”?  Creation account (Gn.1-2): ONE God  Exodus: “gods” of Egypt cannot compete (Ex.12:12)  Footnotes in Ex.20:3 – “besides”  Ex.22:20  Later statements agree (Dt.4:35)

Josh.24:14, the right audience? Ezk.14:1-4, do clothes make the man? Ac.17:29, “wise” men?  “Our country is so full of divinities that in it you may more easily find a god than a man” (Petronius Arbiter of Greece) 1 Co.10:1-12, 19-20, the right audience? I. Idols In Strange Places

II. Idolatry Takes Many Forms

Misplaced trust 1. Misplaced trust, Jer.17:5 Ac.10:25-26 Ac.12:20-24 Ac.14:…11-15  Geniuses  Pleasure American Idol / Movie Stars  Politicians  Sports heroes…

2. Money, Mt.6:24 A slave is the sole property of one master, therefore must give him exclusive service. So we… “Those that think one God too little will find two too many, and yet hundreds not sufficient”

Worldliness 3. Worldliness, Ga.5:20 Idolatry, sorcery indicate a desire to access the spiritual realm through human inventions They seek God, accepting what He rejects, and rejecting what He said – NT example of 1 Sm.28

Covetousness 4. Covetousness, Ep.5:5 The covetous man sets up another object of worship besides God  Ordinarily covetousness makes us think of money and possessions (Lk.12:13-15…)  Some contexts emphasize immorality. Ex.20:17; Ep.5:3-5

Belly 5. Belly, Ph.3:19 1 Sm.2: T.3:4 Parallels Ro.16:18 Lk.16:19 Serve belly, Ro.16:18 God is belly, Ph.3:19

I. Idols In Strange Places II. Idolatry Takes Many Forms III. Keep Yourself From Idols

1 Jn.5:20 The true God (Jesus), therefore (21) Faced same temptation as Corinthians  Avoid trusting, obeying, and revering (= worshipping) anyone or anything other than the true God

How could they (we) do this? Know the enemy 1. Know the enemy. RYR, Mt.19  Would you give up your most prized possession if Jesus asked you? Take drastic action 2. Take drastic action. Dt.7:1-7, Don’t be a secret disciple 3. Don’t be a secret disciple. 2 K.23 Remember the Judgment 4. Remember the Judgment. 2 Chr.33