Chasing Every Other God but the Right One

The last verse of 1st John is this:
1st John 5:21 – “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.”

John ends this book of 1st John by warning you of idolatry. This isn’t an ancient sin, but a very modern sin. This is a sin that is epidemic in the church - a sin that is rampant in even some of the most fundament of churches who claim to believe the Word, yet let other things take God’s place in their heart.

Oh, your idols may even be good things. They could be fishing, little league baseball, your career, your home, your family, or your kids. It could be prestige or power, anything that takes God’s rightful place.

There was just new study released examining the reason for the decline in American church attendance over the past decade. Do you know what they found? The study showed that the number one reason for the decline was children’s athletics. Nowadays, you can’t drive by a soccer field in the summer that isn’t filled with uniformed kids kicking balls around every Sunday morning during the season.

There was a day when no one would schedule anything on Sunday or Wednesday night because they knew none of the Christians would be there. They would be in church or prayer meeting. Not any more, as parents allow their kids to skip church for Sunday morning tournaments. And, of course, the parents have to take them and have to watch in support of their kids. But what happened to God in this equation?

Someone once said that church attendance is a pretty good barometer of a person’s spirituality. Perhaps it shows what’s first place in your life, or what you may have made into an idol.

Let’s do a case study of the rich, young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22. The parallel passage in Luke 18:18 describes him as that - a ruler. Therefore, he was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin. He was one of Israel’s best and brightest. He was looked up to and admired by his countrymen. This is who comes to Jesus with a good question , “How can I have eternal life?” Matthew 19:16-22 records the event. Let’s take it a verse at a time.

Matthew 19:16, “Now behold, one came and said to Him, ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’” The question is good, but it has a faulty premise. One does not do anything good thing to merit eternal life. We cannot earn salvation by our works. We receives it by faith.

Jesus responds in Matthew 19:17, “So He said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.’” I assume Jesus is trying to get him to acknowledge faith, “Yes, that’s right, you are God. I believe.” But Jesus goes on to play off his assumption that salvation is by works, “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Wait! That’s an impossibility.

Bu the rich young ruler responds, Matthew 19:18, “Which ones?” The Pharisees taught that if you can’t keep them all, keep at least one perfectly, and God will be pleased. That’s in the Bible, right? NOT!

But Jesus gives him a list, Matthew 19:18-20, “Jesus said, ‘‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’’ The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?’”

“Liar, liar!” No one can keep the commandments. Hadn’t he heard the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus told that hatred is the same as murder and lust the same as adultery? But this fine young man probably did think he had kept them quite well, at least in comparison to others. No doubt he’d done as good a job as anyone.

So Jesus gives him a test. How well do you really keep the commandments? Let’s see how well you can do with the very first commandment? Matthew 19:21-22, “Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

His things were of greater importance to him than salvation.

Now, is that really a requirement of salvation - that you have to sell off everything? NO! But this young, upwardly mobile Jew claimed to be keeping all the commandments, so Jesus tested him with the first one: “Will you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind?” His answer was, “NO!”

The same question could be asked of you. What is most important to you? What do you love most? Is it God or you? Is it God or things? With the rich, young ruler, things won out. That is a violation of the first command, that we have no other gods before the one true God. He was in violation of the first and greatest commandment.

But, what about you? Are you just as guilty? Is something else taking God’s rightful place? When we refuse to surrender our wills to His, to give up our desires to His direction and leadership, we are in sin.