Digging Deeper – Idols of the Heart
“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. 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, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
Exodus 20:4-6
IDOLS OF THE HEART
Jesus was asked this question in Matthew 22:36: “Teacher, which is the great (or greatest) commandment in the Law?”
Why did this Pharisee lawyer ask Jesus this question? Because the religious leaders of the day had just heard that Jesus had totally humiliated the Sadducees, and they wanted a crack at the untrained, uneducated Rabbi who was challenging the law they held so dear. So they got a lawyer to ask the question.
And Jesus did not disappoint.
He said to them, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your HEART, and with all your SOUL, and with all your MIND. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (See also Luke 10:25-27 where ‘Strength’ is added).
This answer stated that the Ten Commandments could not be separated, but they could be condensed. The first four commandments are summed up by loving God; the next six are summed up by loving our neighbor.
With this answer, Jesus exposed the idol worship of the Pharisees. Over the centuries, the religious elite had replaced the freedom of a relationship with their Father with the prison of a relationship to laws. The law had become what they worshipped. The Law of Moses had become their IDOL.
But in Jesus’ answer, He revealed, I believe, the five categories of idol worship that all of us struggle with to some extent, and we will study them this week!
First, idols of the heart.
Second, idols of the soul.
Third, idols of the mind.
Fourth, idols of our strength.
Fifth, idols of relationships.
An idol is anything that takes glory away from the Father.
Idols of the Heart!
What do we love more than Jesus? It is easy to determine. All we have to do is look at our calendar, our online banking account, or our scrolling summary to see what we love more than spending time with our Redeemer, our Savior, and our Friend.
What moves us emotionally? When we are in church or at a worship service, does our heart burn for Jesus? Do our eyes fill with tears when we are reminded of Jesus’ sacrifice? Does our sin wreck us in the presence of His glory? Do we love Him more than we love our spouses, children, parents, or friends?
Have we made these relationships of the heart into idols that have replaced our Lord?
In Luke 14:26, Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”
A little clarity here: Jesus is not advocating actually hating these people. He is making a comparison between how we should love HIM and how we love our family. Our love should be so immersive in Him that our great love for our family pales in His great light.
So, are our hearts completely His, or has an idol taken His place?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal who or what has crept onto the throne that we worship before Him. Spend time in prayer today repenting of this sin and returning Jesus to His rightful place in your heart!
Tomorrow we will look at idols of the soul!
Quite simply, Dave Griffith loves getting to know Jesus better by studying His Word daily and is passionate about teaching his siblings in Christ how to study His Word as well. He is passionately in love and like with his helpmate, Jackie; and is most fulfilled when he is hanging with his 10 kids (3 of his, 2 of Jackie’s, 3 are married, 2 more spiritually adopted) and 9 grandkids. He is a small group leader and a men’s group leader. He is a serial entrepreneur owning or having owned numerous businesses. He also enjoys naps!