Guard Yourselves From Idols
1 John 5:21
September 25, 2022
This morning we come to the FINAL VERSE of John’s first epistle.
• In some ways it is sort of tempting to just throw this verse in at the end of another study and move on.
• It certainly is a verse which sort of sticks out.
• In some ways it feels like an afterthought.
Except for the fact that we are convinced that
“all Scripture is inspired by God” and that includes this verse.
It is NOT a MISTAKE and it is not an AFTERTHOUGHT.
It is a command from the mouth of Almighty God.
And this morning we are going to conclude our study of 1 John
By looking at it and then seeking to understand and apply it to our lives.
SO FIRST LET’S JUST EXAMINE IT.
(21) “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”
“little children” here of course refers to ALL BELIEVERS.
It is the same group John addressed earlier:
1 John 2:12 “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake.”
• We are still talking about those who are redeemed.
• We are talking about those who have been forgiven.
And now John comes to them with a final command
And says that they should “guard yourselves from idols.”
“guard” is (FOO-LAS-SO) and it means just that.
“To guard” or “to keep watch even over a person” or “to make safe”
And here the OBJECT that is being guarded is “yourselves”
There is an implied threat.
And you are the target.
There is something that will come and steal you.
There is something that will come and carry you away.
And here John even names THE PERPETRATOR.
It is “idols”.
“idols” translates (I-DO-LON)
And it literally means “an image” or “a likeness”
John DOESN’T USE the word “idolatry”
(i.e. “guard yourselves from idolatry”)
Which speaks of the worship of those false gods
Or of those sinful greedy passions that are akin to loving the world.
Certainly I think they overlap.
But it is still important to note the word John used.
Those he wrote this letter to were to “guard yourselves from idols.”
It’s not just from the practice of idol worship that they must be guarded,
But from the idol itself.
IN WHAT SENSE MUST THEY BE GUARDED?
Was there some fear that an idol would attack?
OF COURSE NOT.
Paul is clear to the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 8:4 “Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one.”
1 Corinthians 10:19-20 “What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.”
“idols” or graven images aren’t real.
• They aren’t alive.
• They’re merely stone or wood or whatever material they are carved out of.
• At best, they are a monument of which a demon has taken up their identity in order to deceive.
So when John is talking about guarding yourselves
It’s not from some sort of attack.
WHAT IS THE THREAT THEN?
What threat does an idol pose to a believer?
Well, you should know that John’s ministry
Was heavily associated with the church at EPHESUS.
• John does not indicate that these were the only people he was writing to,
• But it’s not a stretch to consider them to be the chief recipients.
And we think about what the people of Ephesus were associated with.
You’ll remember Paul’s missionary journey there.
Acts 19:23-29 “About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. “You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all. “Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.” When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.”
So the threat in Ephesus might be seen as:
• Being deceived that Artemis was great.
• Being tempted to join that worship, even for money.
• Fear of persecution to keep you from abstaining.
So there was indeed a real and present threat to the Ephesians.
John wrote to “guard” themselves from that.
And of course this command trickles beyond the boundaries of Ephesus
To any place across the world where graven images are prominent.
ATHENS was filled with graven images and idol worship.
Acts 17:16 “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.”
We think of all the Greek gods of mythology that were worshiped.
Rome certainly had her share of idols as well.
And even today there are plenty of those who engage in idol worship.
• Hinduism and their millions of gods with all the statues that are worshiped.
• Buddhism and their fat little Buddhas all over the place.
We see evidence of this idol worship even today.
BUT WHAT IS THE THREAT?
Why do we need to guard ourselves from them?
Well obviously the threat has nothing to do with the idol itself
Since it isn’t real and has no power.
The threat from which one must be protected
Is from offending the true God
Whose glory is being given to a hunk of stone.
IF an idol was just a statue there would be no threat.
IF it was nothing more than a piece of art, there is no problem.
Idols become a problem when people are motivated to worship them,
And this is where the guarding must occur.
DON’T DO IT.
Don’t get sucked in to it.
Don’t participate in it.
The problem with idols is that they lead to idolatry.
And this is what we MUST DISCUSS here.
A study of idolatry is obviously bigger than can be covered in one sermon,
So I’m sure you’re going to have many verses enter your thinking
That we may not touch on this morning.
But we’re going to try and take a simple VIEW of idolatry
And WHAT it means to guard yourself from it
And WHY it is important that you do.
(Somewhat topical) But let’s start here.
#1 WHY GUARD YOURSELF FROM IDOLS?
Again: WHAT IS THE THREAT?
WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL?
Well let me lay 3 prominent reasons out here for you.
1) BECAUSE GOD HATES IT
Leviticus 19:4 “Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods; I am the LORD your God.”
Leviticus 26:1 “You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the LORD your God.”
Deuteronomy 16:22 “You shall not set up for yourself a sacred pillar which the LORD your God hates.”
If you read Deuteronomy 17 you’ll find that
If you catch anyone in your midst worshiping or serving other gods,
Then you are to stone that person to death.
GOD HATES IDOLS & IDOLATRY.
Exodus 20:1-3 “Then God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
You have read it many times in Scripture that God is a jealous God.
• And God’s jealousy is perfectly just for He is jealous for what belongs to Him.
• God is jealous for His is glory.
• God hates it when His glory is given to some hunk of stone that isn’t even real.
Isaiah 48:11 “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.”
And for those who insist upon worshiping false gods
And giving God’s glory to some image made by man…
There is great danger.
Those people abide under the wrath of God.
Romans 1:21-23 “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”
And people who participate in this worship will not be allowed in heaven.
Revelation 14:9-10 “Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.”
Revelation 21:7-8 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Revelation 22:14-15 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”
We could literally spend all day
Chronicling the stories of how much God hates idolatry.
Idolatry was the single biggest reason for the Exile.
• The children of Israel moved into the Promised Land built High Places and would not repent of them.
• They worshiped false gods without repentance and finally God judged them and kicked them out of the land.
God hates idolatry and HE ABANDONED ISRAEL as a result of theirs.
Isaiah 2:5-8 “Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the LORD. For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with influences from the east, And they are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they strike bargains with the children of foreigners. Their land has also been filled with silver and gold And there is no end to their treasures; Their land has also been filled with horses And there is no end to their chariots. Their land has also been filled with idols; They worship the work of their hands, That which their fingers have made.”
GOD HATES IDOLATRY.
And I would remind you friends that
YOU DON’T WANT TO DO ANYTHING GOD HATES.
To participate in such activity
Is to bring terrible reproach upon yourself from God.
That’s the second reason I would give you for why Idolatry is dangerous.
Because God hates it
2) BECAUSE IT DEFILES YOU
The book of Ezekiel is literally filled with
God’s confrontation of Israel’s idolatry.
Ezekiel 23:7 “She bestowed her harlotries on them, all of whom were the choicest men of Assyria; and with all whom she lusted after, with all their idols she defiled herself.”
Ezekiel 23:30 “These things will be done to you because you have played the harlot with the nations, because you have defiled yourself with their idols.”
Do you pick up on the perspective of God there?
For sure He points out that they have been defiled with their idols…
But do you catch the other analogy He gives?
HARLOTRY
When we say that idolatry defiles you
Think of it in the sense of how an adulterous woman
Becomes defiled in the eyes of her husband.
Israel is actually depicted in the book of Hosea
As Gomer the unfaithful harlot.
We don’t have time but go read Ezekiel 16 and note all the times God calls her a harlot and note the descriptive disdain God has for her.
• She is considered defiled.
• She is considered uncleaned.
• She is considered stained.
There is a grief there.
There is a reproach there.
Does that help you understand why idolatry is such a dangerous thing?
• It caused God to look upon Israel as a harlot.
• Ultimately it caused God to depart from her and send her into judgment.
NONE OF US WANTS THAT.
We think of Paul pleading with the Corinthians
Who were dabbling with an idolatrous view of Jesus.
2 Corinthians 11:2-4 “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.”
Their idolatry was in regard to a wrong view of Jesus.
(That is idolatry, to view the true God wrongly)
And Paul’s concern was that this idolatry was defiling them.
• He wanted to present them “as a pure virgin”
• But he was concerned that through their idolatry they might be defiled in the eyes of Christ.
• It was making them an unattractive bride to Christ.
Idolatry is extremely dangerous.
It angers God and defiles the one who engages in it.
And if that’s not enough.
3) BECAUSE IT WILL RUIN YOU
Another terrible thing about idolatry is that
Ultimately you are giving your affection
To that which cannot save or satisfy.
Psalms 115:4-8 “Their idols are silver and gold, The work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see; They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell; They have hands, but they cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them.”
Why would you love and trust something
That cannot satisfy and that cannot save?
They aren’t alive and they are not real.
Listen to God actually challenge idols to be of some benefit:
Isaiah 41:21-24 “Present your case,” the LORD says. “Bring forward your strong arguments,” The King of Jacob says. Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were, That we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming; Declare the things that are going to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together. Behold, you are of no account, And your work amounts to nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.”
They accomplish nothing for those who worship them.
• There is no satisfaction there.
• There is no deliverance there.
• There is no salvation there.
Idolatry is a horrible and dangerous endeavor.
• God hates it
• It will defile you
• It will ruin you
Isaiah 42:17 “They will be turned back and be utterly put to shame, Who trust in idols, Who say to molten images, “You are our gods.”
Isaiah 45:16 “They will be put to shame and even humiliated, all of them; The manufacturers of idols will go away together in humiliation.”
Jeremiah 10:14 “Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them.”
Jeremiah 51:17 “All mankind is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them.”
Idols cannot save they can only defile.
Idols cannot satisfy they can only provoke God to anger.
There is no benefit or value in them.
Idols are extremely dangerous.
Hence John says, “guard yourselves from idols”
You don’t want to go anywhere near those things!
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, there was concern because they thought it A TRIVIAL THING to dine in the temple of idols.
1 Corinthians 10:14-22 “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?”
WHAT A PERSPECTIVE!
• Do you really intend to commune with demons?
• Do you really want to move Jesus Christ to jealousy?
• Do you really want to be defiled in His presence?
• Do you really want to offend Him for an idol that cannot save?
Paul said, “flee from idolatry”
THERE IS A THREAT.
Idols and the worship of idols is a real thing
And you must guard yourself from it.
But that requires a little more digging on our part.
#2 WHAT IS AN IDOL?
OR WHAT IS IDOLATRY?
First I’ll just give you some of the definitions
I found from theologians and church councils.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote:
“[Idols are] things in this life and world that threaten to come between us and…[the] knowledge of God.”
And
“an idol is anything in our lives that occupies the place that should be occupied by God alone…anything that holds a controlling position in my life is an idol…”
https://www.monergism.com/keep-yourselves-idols
So anything that distorts who God is,
Or anything that is given control over your life,
THAT WOULD BE AN IDOL.
Another writer says:
“Anything that we love more than God Himself should be considered an idol.”
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/idolatry-defined
That is one you’re likely familiar with.
Anything you love more than God.
It does warrant asking the question:
How would you know if you love it more than God?
For that you need to look at things like how you ALLOCATE YOUR RESOURCES. Because “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
• Do you give more money to that or to God?
• Do you give more time to that or to God?
• Do you think more about that or God?
You can go a long way towards understanding what you love
If you look at your check book or your day planner
Or consider your thought life.
Or perhaps we should talk about PRIORITIES.
• If worship of God is forced to compete with something else, which one wins?
Perhaps you understand then a little about what you really love
And whether or not you love it more than God.
So an idol is anything you love more than God.
That runs real close to another man’s definition:
“making someone or something a “god” in our life. We may not consciously bow down before and altar erected for such gods, but in our hearts we become idolaters when we elevate anything or anyone to a position higher than what God would want.”
https://truediscipleship.com/guard-yourselves-from-idols/
When something BECOMES TOO IMPORTANT to you.
This is when something begins
To receive AFFECTION and WORSHIP in your life.
It is something that might make God jealous
Because it appears you desire it more than you desire Him.
THAT IS IDOLATRY.
Another writer says:
“Anytime we deny an attribute of the Lord’s revealed in Scripture or allow our own preferences to determine His character, we are guilty of refined idolatry.”
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/beware-idolatry
That is what the Corinthians were doing with Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
They were accepting a distorted view of Jesus.
• Like when you only see God as loving but not just.
• When you blaspheme His nature or character and seek to manipulate Him into
what you want Him to be instead of who He is.
The children of Israel worshipped a golden calf and called it Yahweh.
It was a blasphemous representation of God.
This was were GRAVEN IMAGES also fit in the Old Testament.
When God asks questions like:
Isaiah 40:25 “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.”
• Are you really going to say that God is like a bear?
• Or God is like an eagle?
• Or God is like a cow?
Any graven image that you make of God is an insult to Him
And it is to blaspheme His character.
THAT IS IDOLATRY.
It’s not just an image of other pagan deities but even a false representation of God.
That is an insult to Him.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism says:
“Idolatry is the replacement of God with something else, the yielding of our primary devotion and chief affections to anything or anyone besides the Lord. It is the “giving of that worship and glory to any other, which is due to him alone” (Westminster Shorter Catechism 47; see Isa. 42:8)
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/idolatry-sports
That makes sense to us.
It is when we let something else have God’s place in our lives.
I’ve got one more, and I saved it for last because I think it hits the nail on the head for us.
The Heidelberg Catechism states:
“idolatry is having or inventing something in which one trusts in place of or alongside of the only true God, who has revealed himself in the Word” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 95)
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/idolatry-defined
I like that definition because this is what I see
God so angered about with His people in the Old Testament.
I want to take you on a quick journey through fabulous 40’s of Isaiah.
I think this will give us a great picture of what idolatry is.
We’ll start with what we read a moment ago.
(READ: ISAIAH 40:18-26)
God has clearly pointed out that the folly of Israel is that
They have failed to recognize the greatness of God.
They have failed to see who He is.
NOW THIS IS WHERE IDOLATRY BEGINS
When you’re view of God becomes distorted
You are a prime candidate for idolatry.
Hence when John gives a command to “guard yourselves from idols”
I’m going to tell you that the BEST WAY you can do this
IS WITH A RIGHT THEOLOGY OF GOD.
Israel had dumbed God down with their idols
And sought to recreate Him according to something they desired
And the end result was disaster.
But let me show you what their idolatry ultimately looked like.
(READ: ISAIAH 41:5-16)
Now I hope you pick up on this
Because God is going to repeat it over and over.
He first points out their efforts to create an idol that will hopefully save them.
And then God responds to Israel saying, “NO NEED! I WILL SAVE YOU!”
Over and over, “I am your God” – “I have chosen you” – “I am with you”
“I will strengthen you” – “I will help you”
It is God’s call to Israel to trust Him, not some pagan image.
(READ: ISAIAH 43:10-13)
Do you hear God’s call there?
• I am the only Savior!
• I am the only God.
• I am the deliverer.
TRUST ME! WORSHIP ME!
(READ: ISAIAH 44:6-22)
Again, worship of God is contrasted with idol worship.
Look at the struggle to create a false god that cannot save.
But that’s not God.
• “there is no God besides Me.”
• “Is there any other Rock?”
• “I have formed you”
• “I have redeemed you”
God crying out that He alone is their Savior.
(READ: ISAIAH 44:24-28)
There He is again.
• I am the maker, I am the Savior.
• I am the One who does this.
• “It is I”
I am the One you need to trust.
(READ: ISAIAH 45:4-7)
(READ: ISAIAH 45:20-25)
(READ: ISAIAH 46:3-10)
More of the same.
Don’t turn to them, trust Me!
And don’t misrepresent Me.
NOW DO YOU SEE THE POINT WE ARE DRIVING AT?
The issue throughout Isaiah was THE ISSUE OF TRUST.
I wouldn’t just ask you what do you love?
I wouldn’t just ask you what do you preference?
Certainly the flesh can get in the way and we can all have things that earn an improper priority in our lives.
• Paul said coveting or “greed which amounts to idolatry”.
• To the Philippians he said “their god is their appetite”
• We can have idols out of stuff or comfort or food or any number of things.
But the one I want to bring to your attention here,
Is anything you are trusting in other than God.
What was the problem of Israel?
• When things got hard they ran to false gods to bail them out.
• When enemies arose they ran to false gods to deliver them.
They ran to false gods for deliverance.
God purposely let things get difficult
In order that He might teach them that He is reliable
But so often Israel abandoned God
And went seeking for deliverance in other places.
And God was routinely saying, “NO! I AM YOUR SAVIOR!”
NOW HOW DOES THAT TRANSLATE TO OUR LIVES?
WHAT DO WE TRUST IN?
There are plenty of people in our culture whose god is the government.
• The government is who they count on to save them.
• The government is who they count on to keep them safe.
• The government is who they think will fix their problems.
• The government is the one who will provide for them.
And if that is our mindset, that is idolatry.
I don’t care if Republicans win congress in November, they can’t save us.
I don’t care if Donald Trump gets reelected, he can’t save us.
They are not saviors!
And to expect them to be is idolatry.
There are many in our world whose god is the medical industry.
• It’s doctors that they run to for safety and health.
• It’s doctors who have all the answers.
• Whatever the doctor says.
• And there is not a doctor on earth who can heal anything.
There are many who trust in their wealth or retirement or their job
• That is their source of security.
• That is why they smile at the future.
THAT IS IDOLATRY.
Anything you are trusting in instead of God is an idol!
He is the only God!
He is the only Savior!
He is the only Redeemer!
And John says, “Little children guard yourselves from idols.”
Now, real quickly, WHY did John close his letter like this?
What does this have to do with
Anything John has said throughout the epistle?
I’ll tell you that it has everything to do with what John has said.
Listen to the beginning of his letter one more time.
1 John 1:1-4 “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.”
John wanted you to HAVE FELLOWSHIP with God
And to KNOW you had that fellowship.
Do you want to ruin that?
Then follow an idol.
Idolatry is a sin that has routinely killed
The fellowship between God and His people.
When you start loving or seeking or trusting something else,
It defiles you and puts a kink in your fellowship with God.
Watch out for those things that lure you away
From loving, seeking, or trusting Him.
Be on the lookout, and when you find them, flee!
For GOD DOESN’T FELLOWSHIP with idols.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.”
Idolatry ruins the fellowship.
“Little children guard yourselves from idols.”
