The gods Around Us

Judges: A Modern Day Religious Spiral?  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  32:52
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Men must avoid doing evil in the sight of the Lord and not fall prey to the gods around us.

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Judges 2:11–15 ESV
11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.
Introduction:
Al of mankind must avoid doing evil in the sight of the Lord and not fall prey to the gods around us.
Have you considered the idea that perhaps God still is in the raising up Judges business and if so who could it be in our day or the days before us?
Jesus obviously is the greatest of the Judges ever raised in the likeness of that calling.
But, let’s begin by first looking at what Israel did in the days of the Judges to see if we can learn and be encouraged by these things that were written aforetime...

I. Evil in the sight of the Lord

In this one book alone it states (7x’s) 2:11; 3:7; 3:12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1
55x’s the Bible records the saying “evil in the sight of the Lord”...
Everybody chose to do what was right in their own eyes… 17:6; 21:25
Even after Judges when there was a King in the land...
2 Chronicles 33:1–2 ESV
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
forsaking God’s law and choosing another to obey is doing evil in the sight of the Lord...
Jeremiah 9:13–14 ESV
13 And the Lord says: “Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it, 14 but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them.
Israel wanted what they saw around them, just like we do...

II. gods of the people around them

Part of our failing is our eyes, they develop for us a priority based on what we see...
The lust of the eyes is something to overcome...
We are not to judge good or bad simply because it exists in our midst...
Learning is needed for us to take all captive for Christ and measure it against the standard He has handed down to us...
Even before Judges God warned those who followed Moses in the wilderness...
Deuteronomy 6:14 ESV
14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—
That’s why God wanted the inhabitants of Canaan utterly destroyed...
Today we must do the same thing.
Utterly destroy those strongholds which set themselves up against God...
1 Corinthians 8:4–6 ESV
4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
Canaanites = Compromites
Jebusites = Justifites
Amorites = Moneyites
Amalakites = Mine-O-ites
Perizzites = Personalites
Philistines = FeelGoodites
Sidonians = Selfonians
Hivites = Eye-ites
Hittites = HIdolatrites
[NAME THE MODERN DAY CANAANITES] What modern day name would you give to the tribes in Canaan that God commanded to be driven out? Which would represent our struggle today. 1. Canaanites, 2. Jebusites, 3. Amorites, 4. Amalikites, 5. Perizzites, 6. Philistines, 7. Sidonians, 8. Hivites, 9. Hittites. Send me your suggestions at http://barrygjohnsonsrom.weebly.com/forms--surveys.html
Before we knew God we were captive to the gods around us...
Galatians 4:8 ESV
8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.
You need to utterly destroy the “Compromites” because they cause you to do evil in the sight of the Lord...
We cannot fall under the spell of the “FeelGoodites” for they take us away from the true God…and have us making wrong judgments...
Do not serve the “Moneyites” it's priorities are at enmity with the way and will of God…
you do not need all that you see around you…
don’t keep up with the Jones - keep up with the Lord…
where can He be found…
what does He have in store for you???
Turn away from the “Hidolatrites” their false worship will enslave you…
You will find yourself at war with God and only He can save you
70x’s in 66 verses the Bible speaks about strongholds that need to be torn down and guess who He has raised up to tear them down???

III. God raises up Judges

We are the imperfect Judges God has raised up today...
We will find ourselves in the stories of the men and women who God counted on to lead His people out of bondage...
When the last two tribes of God’s people were on the cusp of their destruction by the Babylonians God speaks to His prophet Ezekiel and He says this...
Ezekiel 22:30 ESV
30 And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.
Who among us will...
stop compromising our faith - that’s the “compromites” way
quit justifying our actions - that’s the “justifites” way
end money prioritizing our paths - that’s the “moneyites” way
Where is the man or women God has raised to...
lookout for more than just mine - that’s the “mine-O-ites” way
consider others better than your own personal interests - that’s the way of the “personalites
know that just because it feels good and sounds good don’t make it good - that’s how the “feelgoodites” do
Is their a King in Israel today??? because everyone seems to do what is right in his own eyes - just like the “eyeites
The “selfonians” have got us convinced that we should look out for self and know one else...
That’s not what God is raising up for His people...
And the "hidolatrites” whom we have refused to utterly destroy from the land
have us worshipping all types of things ahead of God Almighty..
As God’s people we look for loopholes to stay connected to a condemned world...
Today we need to fight - and not like the world...
2 Corinthians 10:4–6 ESV
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
Yes we have been raised up as Kings and Priests...
Yes we are to bring hope to the masses...

God has raised up Jesus who Saves us

Romans 10:17 ESV
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
James 2:24 ESV
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
Romans 10:9–10 ESV
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Acts 26:20 ESV
20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.
1 Peter 3:21 ESV
21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
1 Corinthians 10:12 ESV
12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
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