American Idols

•    April 15: Respect

•    April 22: Money

•    April 29: Power

•    May 6: Sex

Idols

•    Good things in this creation that our hearts grab hold of, turning them into ultimate things that we build our identities on.

•    In each case we’ll see that idolatry is the pursuit and grasping after these things, violating trust and the “giftness” of them. Idolatry is HOW we pursue them.

Why do we want to be on TV?

Even bad attention

Famous People in Airports

Maybe you’ve outgrown the desire to be famous but…

•    “Don’t you dis me!”

–   R-E-S-P-E-C-T

•    How much effort do you really put into making a good impression

–   Looks

–   Lies

–   Stories

–   Image management, spin, politics

What won’t we do to preserve our respect/reputation?

What won’t we do to preserve our respect/reputation?

What won’t we do to preserve our respect/reputation?

•    What does every conflict eventually turn into?

–   We justify ourselves

–   We argue to demonstrate the right-ness of our position

–   We must prevail and are willing to break marriages, relationships, even come to violence and murder to preserve ourselves

Honor/Shame culture

•    It is considered noble to die to preserve honor

•    We will lie, cheat, steal, to preserve our honor

“The Inner Ring”

•    You learn this early in school

•    Nearly every social situation there are “ins” and “outs” regardless of a formal hierarchy

•    Why do we like gossip and celebrity news?

Idols

•    Good things in this creation that our hearts grab hold of, turning them into ultimate things that we build our identities on.

•    In each case we’ll see that idolatry is the pursuit and grasping after these things, violating trust and the “giftness” of them. Idolatry is HOW we pursue them.

Goodness of Respect

•    Prov. 22:1 “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.”

•    Ron Nydam says for today’s young generation “guilt” is an achievement

–   People should be esteemed for doing good things

•    Praising someone the Psalms way…

When respect becomes an idol

•    How badly do you have to have it

–   How much worry do you put into your own image management?

–   What are you willing to spend in time and money to preserve the image you desire?

–   How thin is your skin?

–   How angry do you get when your dignity is threatened? How much pain are you willing to inflict to “defend yourself”?

Key idol indicators

•    Effort: where do you really invest your time and money?

–   “Where your treasure is there where your heart be also.”

•    Anxiety, worry, fear

•    Anger and depression

Merely practical advice?
“don’t toot your own horn”

There is a deeper level

Idols

•    Good things in this creation that our hearts grab hold of, turning them into ultimate things that we build our identities on.

•    In each case we’ll see that idolatry is the pursuit and grasping after these things, violating trust and the “giftness” of them. Idolatry is HOW we pursue them.

The Gospel

•    Jesus starts in the MOST inner right!

•    Jesus comes as a nobody

•    Jesus finds fame to be a dishonest distraction and a liability

•    Jesus dies a shameful death. How Jesus dies totally rejects the honor/shame culture.

We thought he was just giving us good advice

Gospel

•    Those who want to save their life (respect) will lose it

–   We’re ALL going to lose it to age.

–   Our respect seeking fabrications eventually wear thing

•    Those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

–   God exalts the humble, brings low the proud

We live before an audience of one!

•     You cannot simply remove an idol, it has to be displaced.

–   There needs to be something you love and value more than respect, fame, adoration

•     Stop justifying yourself. Self-justification reveals that you don’t know yourself and you seek respect and honor through arguments

•     See that you come to God with empty hands

–   Definition of humility

The Gospel

•     Your little respect charade is the height of foolishness and it’s offensive. Drop it.

•     Understand that God embraces you only because of the shame Jesus embraced

•     This will humble you so you won’t seek respect/fame/adoration

•     This will fill you because you’ve been accepted by the inner most circle of all

•     The result of this is service.

–   Selfless service naturally yields true respect

Do you really want respect? Do you want access to the “inner right”? The path is not exclusive…