Today, as all of you know, is the celebration of the Super Bowl. Watching the Super Bowl is exciting for all. It could be a good day to be a witness to someone or be a good Christian role model. However; we all know people who take this game very, very seriously. Some even put money it. This message today is a fitting one. Our message today comes from Isaiah 45:22.
22Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
The message is a simple one to understand and it doesn't take a philosopher to disect it and read anything into it. It is easy and simple to understand but it is a difficult one to follow. It is about idols.
No, not the little carved men from other countries. The idols we are talking about today are the ones we hate to admit we have.
God has been teaching man this lesson since the beginning of time. God has always taught and continues to teach today, "Look unto me and be saved." If our church was a house for saints we wouldn't go to church. If you are waiting for the perfect time to go to church, if you are waiting to clean up your act first, you will never go. The point is we are all sinners. We all have issues within our own lives and demons we are all dealing with. We all have our idols (though we hate to admit that we consider them idols). As I said, idols don't have to be those little green men made of jade or hand carved pieces of wood. Idols come in all forms. Your idol may be a fixation on a sport, or an infatuation with your job, or howabout your appearance? Idols could also be in name brands, sports cars, a hobby, a habit, anything that you put above God. Idols are built from ego and pride. We are all guilty of that.
Let's look at some of the instances where God taught lessons against having idols. Look at the Pharoah. He thought of himself as a God or an idol. In 1 Samuel 5:1 we read about the Philistines who worshipped a fish god. They failed to see that God was the one that provided them with their riches from the sea and they gave credit to the fish god. God tried showing the Philistines that there should be no other Gods or idols before Him. God knocked over that erected idol they built of their fish god 2 times. The third time they picked it up and made sacrifices to it, God turned it to dust. God says, "There shalt be no other idols before me."
God will not allow you to continue to follow idols. This teaching is not new to God. Only our idols have changed. How many times do you think God has tried getting you to stop worshipping your own idols. Think of the events in your life where maybe God was trying to talk to you or get your attention. There are others from the Bible that God had to put in their place. The list is long but to name a few: Naaman, Jonah, Nebuchadnezzar, the Philistines and list goes on.
Look at our country. Do you think our country has the same morals and values as we did 100 years ago? Knowledge and Power have become our idols. We have so many things at our fingertips. Information is all around us. We live in a high tech world. We live in a society with everything offerd to us and it is readily available.
Anyone wonder why our country is in the mess it is in? God is knocking down our idols. We spend too much time looking to the wrong places for guidance. How many times did God knock down that fish god idol before turning it to dust? God is knocking down our idols. God tells us to look upon Him for salvation. But our nation and people in our nation are looking in other spots for excitement, peace, and happiness. Here are a few we tend to look to for those things: Our Presidents, Senetors, Democrats, Republicans, Facebook, Actors and Actresses, Music stars, Television, the News, the Superbowl or other Sports, Hot Cars, Those Shoes and Purses you have in your closet. Some even look up to the Preacher and view them as idols. Where are you hiding your idols? It is time to stop looking up to anyone or anything other than God Himself.
The scripture says, "Look unto me for salvation!" Take your eyes off yourself and your idols and turn your eyes on Jesus. Instead of celebrating the Super Bowl, let's celebrate something worth celebrating.....making your life a Super Soul!!! Accept God as your Savior and look only to Him for happiness and salvation in your life. Only God being on your team allows you the chance at winning this game called LIFE!
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