Sermon Tone Analysis

5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

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11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Sermon Title: Who will you worship?

Prayer

The Children of Israel had serious problem with Idolatry.

No matter What period of time.

, they continually found themselves worshiping other Gods

In fact if you take read a through the old Testament you will become deeply acquainted with the statement

“And it came to pass the Children of Israel wandered after other Gods”.

100$ dollars for every time that Statement Occurred, or something like that in scripture.

I could by everyone in here a new CAr.

Oh yes the CHildren of Israel Had a serious Problem with Idolatry

In period Judges (THey wandered after other Gods)

In the period of the Prophets(They wandered after Gods)

In the periods the period of the Kings( They wandered after other Gods)

And even When they were carried away captive to Babylon, which was there punishment for following after other Gods, They found themselves

Bowing down to the Golden Statue erected by King Nechuchadnezzar.

The Children of Israel had a serious problem with Idolatry.

In fact summing up the experience of the children Israel from the Egypt to Canaan and from Canaan to Babylon.

God speaking through the Prophet JEremiah states

This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

Oh yes, the children of Israel had a serious problem with Idolatry.

But these later Apostasies were not the subject of the Apostle Paul in 1st corinthians 11: 7.

The Holy Spirit Instead Directs Paul's inspired Pen to Focus on the very first time the Children of Israel abandoned The God of HEaven and worshipped a False God.

The Chilrend of Israel had just been miraculously delivered from The Cruel Bondage of their Egyptian Masters.

God had done a mighty thing in Earth.

Through a series of 10 plagues on the Egypt.

God humbled a Ancient Super Power and set his people free.

The Children of Israel saw the Power of an Almighty God working on their behalf.

These were the people that had saw the waters turn to blood,

THese were the people that saw Frogs come out of nowhere and take over Egypt.

These were the people that saw hail Hail fall from the SKy Frozen, and then catch fire when it hit the ground.

THese were the people that the saw Sun refuse to give her light, and cover the Land of Egypt in Darkness while they themselves had light in there places of dwelling,

These were the people that saw almighty God open up a path through the read sea, as walked through on dry ground.

And yet despite this Comsic Heavenly Deliverance, a few days later we with the sea salt from the Red sea still on there skin, we find them bowing down to a Golden Calf,

Oh Yes, Children of Israel had a serious problem with Idolatry.

Paul in relating this tale of betrayal picks up the narrative in vs 5

When He writes

5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

Verse 7 is a direct reference to the Golden Calf episode found in eXodus 32.

32 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord.

6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

They had betrayed God.

Often times when we see the type of blatant rebellioN and misbehavior exhibited by the children of the Israel, we have a tendency to distance ourselves.

If I had been there…..

But Paul comes to knock us off our High Horse, with his commentary he says

6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

He brings home.

11 they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Paul under inspiration is trying to let us know, he is trying to warn us

that the same pull that they had to Idolatry we also possess

The reason for this is because Human nature has not changed.

WE are still born

Born in SIn Shapen in Iniquity.

THe Natural Heart is still deceitful and desprately wicked

devoid of the restraining power of Spirit of God, all we are capable of great evil

It would appear that disconnected from God,

we are prone to Idolatry,

we will worship false Gods,

we will put other Gods before him.

It is something that comes natural to us.

But what is interesting about Paul’s take on the event is that in relating the story the Idolatry of the Golden Calf, he doesn’t mention the calf at all,

but instead speaks of common day practices of eating drinking and playing.

7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

Could it be that we could eat and drink, play/recreate in such a way that makes us Idolaters.?

And what is does it mean to be an idolater in this day?

What is modern Idolatry

We don’t have Golden Calfs, Statues of Zues….

WE don’t have temples set up to Dagon, Athroditie, And Ashtoreth.

And what is does it mean to be an idolater in this day?

What is modern Idolatry?

We need to find out, cause the Bible says that Idolaters will not be in heaven?

Be not decived Idolaters will not Inherit the kingdom

14Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

15 .

But outside of the city are Idolaters and murders and liars.

Brothers We need to find out what modern Idolatry is so that we can avoid it.

The word Idolatry in the Greek comes from a combination of two words.

noun eidolon that means false God.

And a verb Latuero that means to give Service or worship.

To be an Idolater is to worship FAlse Gods.

a worshipper of false gods, a idolater

It would appear to be able to understand what Idolatry is, we must get to the heart of what Worship is?

According to the Merriam Websters Dictionary Worship is defined as extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem.

I decided to go a little deeper, and look up the word devotion, because it seems to be at the center of worship.

So I went to look up the word devotion.

It is defined as the act of devoting <devotion of time and energy>

I went to look up what it meant to devote.

To devote means to give over or direct (as time, money or effort) to cause enterprise or entity.

My understanding of Worship started to expand.