WEBVTT 00:00:13.130 --> 00:00:15.970 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. To get connected 00:00:15.970 --> 00:00:19.530 or to give online, please go to hcv .church slash 00:00:19.530 --> 00:00:24.000 connect or hcv .church slash give. If any point 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:26.440 during this message you feel called to make a 00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:30.500 change in your life, text change me to 97000. 00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:33.420 Now enjoy the message. In the middle of summer, 00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:36.719 it's nice and warm. I've had to top off the Jeep 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:39.960 for the last four days. It doesn't get any better. 00:00:40.060 --> 00:00:41.500 If you're joining us from home, thank you for 00:00:41.500 --> 00:00:44.399 welcoming us into your space. So let me let everyone 00:00:44.399 --> 00:00:47.159 know the DR Missions team has made it safely 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:53.710 home. They pulled in about 2 .30 or 3 this morning. 00:00:54.130 --> 00:00:58.479 I have no idea what happened. What miraculous 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:00.979 things took place. But we will learn in the coming 00:01:00.979 --> 00:01:04.219 weeks. And we'll have pictures and testimonies. 00:01:04.340 --> 00:01:06.819 And we'll have a time for all of them to share. 00:01:07.019 --> 00:01:10.280 But I know that God did do amazing things. I 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:13.319 also want to add that our series this month is 00:01:13.319 --> 00:01:16.180 based off a book. And we're going to be launching 00:01:16.180 --> 00:01:19.900 nine summer growth groups. Starting this week. 00:01:19.980 --> 00:01:22.439 You can meet those that are leading the groups 00:01:22.439 --> 00:01:24.859 at the Welcome Hub. I would love to encourage 00:01:24.859 --> 00:01:26.859 you to do that. Just to kind of get. your feet 00:01:26.859 --> 00:01:29.680 wet for four to five, six weeks. Learn what a 00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:31.200 growth group's like. If you've never been in 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:34.379 one, it's just a short time to get in, meet people, 00:01:34.500 --> 00:01:38.219 and also to grow in your relationship with Jesus. 00:01:38.939 --> 00:01:41.640 So I would like to begin our talk this morning 00:01:41.640 --> 00:01:45.659 by reading a familiar list of the rules for life. 00:01:45.980 --> 00:01:48.040 And what I'd like for you to do as I read this 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:52.680 list, reflect on which of the 10 is the most 00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:56.959 difficult for you to put into practice. Number 00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:00.879 one, you must not have any other God but me. 00:02:02.219 --> 00:02:04.599 Number two, you must not make for yourself an 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:07.200 idol of any kind or an image of any things in 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:11.400 the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. Number 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:14.139 three, you must not misuse the name of the Lord 00:02:14.139 --> 00:02:17.800 your God. Number four, remember to observe the 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:22.560 Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Number five, 00:02:22.580 --> 00:02:27.210 honor your father and your mother. Number six, 00:02:27.490 --> 00:02:30.669 you must not murder. Number seven, you must not 00:02:30.669 --> 00:02:33.909 commit adultery. Eight, you must not steal. Nine, 00:02:34.310 --> 00:02:37.969 you must not testify falsely against your neighbor. 00:02:38.590 --> 00:02:42.110 And number 10, you must not covet your neighbor's 00:02:42.110 --> 00:02:45.229 house. You must not covet your neighbor's wife 00:02:45.229 --> 00:02:49.289 or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. 00:02:50.810 --> 00:02:56.069 So how'd you do? See, we must remember these 00:02:56.069 --> 00:02:59.969 10 commandments are still here for our benefit 00:02:59.969 --> 00:03:03.469 today. They teach us about our relationship with 00:03:03.469 --> 00:03:06.689 God and with others. The first four commandments 00:03:06.689 --> 00:03:10.469 show us how deeply God loves us and desires to 00:03:10.469 --> 00:03:12.770 have a relationship with us. The other commandments 00:03:12.770 --> 00:03:15.990 show us how our relationships with others can 00:03:15.990 --> 00:03:19.030 honor God when we live a life that is pleasing 00:03:19.030 --> 00:03:22.360 to Him. I mean, I firmly believe that if the 00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:24.639 world put into practice the Ten Commandments, 00:03:24.719 --> 00:03:28.900 our world would be a better place. See, God knew 00:03:28.900 --> 00:03:31.360 that we would eventually see a perfect example 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:34.539 of these rules put into practice through the 00:03:34.539 --> 00:03:38.240 life of his son, Jesus. And now, because of Jesus, 00:03:38.340 --> 00:03:41.060 our hope doesn't have to be in keeping the rules. 00:03:41.780 --> 00:03:45.500 Our hope is in him who perfected and completed 00:03:45.500 --> 00:03:49.599 them. If, however, the... Ten Commandments are 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:53.939 a checklist for us. Isn't it true that we tend 00:03:53.939 --> 00:03:58.800 to rest easy or even skip past number two when 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:02.099 it mentions idols? At least we don't have to 00:04:02.099 --> 00:04:05.479 worry about that one. After all, we don't worship 00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:09.800 idols in our modern day civilization. Or do we? 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:15.020 See, idol worship is a topic rarely talked about 00:04:15.020 --> 00:04:18.500 in church. As I was thinking about it this week, 00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:21.379 the last time that you probably heard me share 00:04:21.379 --> 00:04:26.220 about an idol was when I talked about money and 00:04:26.220 --> 00:04:30.939 how money can become our idol. But when we mention 00:04:30.939 --> 00:04:33.759 the word idolatry, it doesn't seem to have that 00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:36.899 relevant of an issue for us today. Because there's 00:04:36.899 --> 00:04:39.920 not many people worshiping images of stone or 00:04:39.920 --> 00:04:43.660 wood. When we read idolatry, we think primitive 00:04:43.660 --> 00:04:47.319 culture. Not in our modern day civilization do 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:51.100 we struggle with this. This morning we're kicking 00:04:51.100 --> 00:04:53.600 off a new series for the month of July called 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:57.540 Gods at War. And for most of us, we will quickly 00:04:57.540 --> 00:05:02.959 learn that idolatry is actually the issue. It's 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:05.959 not a issue, it's the issue. It's the one thing 00:05:05.959 --> 00:05:09.160 that is keeping us from living an abundant life 00:05:09.160 --> 00:05:12.779 that God desires that we walk in every single 00:05:12.779 --> 00:05:17.290 day. See, we have these gods at war within us, 00:05:17.410 --> 00:05:21.709 and they battle for who is number one in our 00:05:21.709 --> 00:05:25.750 heart. Os Guinness writes it this way, idolatry 00:05:25.750 --> 00:05:29.269 is the most discussed problem in the Bible, and 00:05:29.269 --> 00:05:31.569 it's one of the most powerful spiritual and intellectual 00:05:31.569 --> 00:05:36.310 concepts in a believer's arsenal. Yet, for Christians 00:05:36.310 --> 00:05:39.949 today, it's one of the least meaningful notions. 00:05:41.639 --> 00:05:43.779 After all, there's more than a thousand references 00:05:43.779 --> 00:05:47.879 to idolatry in the Bible. But in our modern day 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:51.100 technology, in our modern day civilization, we 00:05:51.100 --> 00:05:54.040 tend to skip over those verses thinking, well, 00:05:54.040 --> 00:05:57.500 they don't apply to us. However, there are many 00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:01.620 ways in which idolatry affects who we are. It 00:06:01.620 --> 00:06:05.019 affects our personalities. It determines whether 00:06:05.019 --> 00:06:08.660 or not we are living a joyful life. But one of 00:06:08.660 --> 00:06:12.199 the... biggest areas that has the greatest impact 00:06:12.199 --> 00:06:16.740 on us is in our struggle with sin see as a pastor 00:06:16.740 --> 00:06:21.040 as you might guess I oftentimes talk with people 00:06:21.040 --> 00:06:24.079 about their struggles with sin and of course 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:27.970 I struggle with my own sin And here's the temptation. 00:06:28.089 --> 00:06:31.689 The temptation is to see someone's life, is to 00:06:31.689 --> 00:06:35.189 see their struggles and their sin. And we listen 00:06:35.189 --> 00:06:37.350 and we say, well, you shouldn't be doing that. 00:06:37.389 --> 00:06:41.889 Let me give you some steps to stop sinning. Because 00:06:41.889 --> 00:06:44.250 rarely do I talk to anyone who wants to be that 00:06:44.250 --> 00:06:47.370 person who is living actively in sin. They want 00:06:47.370 --> 00:06:50.430 to change. They want to be a better person. They 00:06:50.430 --> 00:06:53.189 get frustrated over the fact that they're stuck 00:06:53.189 --> 00:06:58.560 in sin. They don't want to do it. So why do we 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:01.500 do it? Well, see, that question leads us to our 00:07:01.500 --> 00:07:05.579 first thought. Idolatry is at the root of every 00:07:05.579 --> 00:07:09.279 sin. Exodus 24 through 5. You must not make for 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:11.620 yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything 00:07:11.620 --> 00:07:13.939 in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 00:07:14.060 --> 00:07:16.959 You must not bow down to them or worship them. 00:07:17.019 --> 00:07:19.360 For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God who 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:21.220 will not tolerate your affection of any other 00:07:21.220 --> 00:07:28.379 gods. See, behind every sin in our life is a 00:07:28.379 --> 00:07:30.560 false God that is winning the war of our heart. 00:07:31.899 --> 00:07:36.300 Sin is just the fruit. But understand that the 00:07:36.300 --> 00:07:40.459 tree from which the fruit grows is always idolatry. 00:07:41.079 --> 00:07:43.639 For example, a man caught cheating on his income 00:07:43.639 --> 00:07:47.540 taxes. He faces criminal charges. Ironically, 00:07:47.579 --> 00:07:50.360 he doesn't even need the money. He doesn't understand 00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:52.980 why he made the choice. He doesn't need the money. 00:07:53.060 --> 00:07:55.839 Why am I doing this? Why would I sin in this 00:07:55.839 --> 00:08:00.339 way? It's because of idolatry. He worships money. 00:08:00.500 --> 00:08:02.720 He worships status. He worships possessions. 00:08:02.779 --> 00:08:08.160 He needs more, more, more. And he might not say 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:11.420 that, but his actions speak louder than his words. 00:08:13.100 --> 00:08:16.699 See, we become what we worship. It's all about 00:08:16.699 --> 00:08:20.420 idolatry. And until we understand that this is 00:08:20.420 --> 00:08:23.699 a God that is winning a war in my life, in our 00:08:23.699 --> 00:08:26.079 life, we're going to continue to struggle with 00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:30.259 sin issues one way or the other. And we'll go 00:08:30.259 --> 00:08:32.539 a month and do really good and then on Sunday 00:08:32.539 --> 00:08:34.679 we'll get convicted and we'll be up front weeping 00:08:34.679 --> 00:08:36.960 and crying and then we'll be good for six weeks 00:08:36.960 --> 00:08:39.580 and then we'll fall. And it's just this awkward 00:08:39.580 --> 00:08:47.519 lifestyle that doesn't produce fruit. Addiction 00:08:47.519 --> 00:08:51.779 to pornography, alcohol, drugs. The issue is 00:08:51.779 --> 00:08:54.639 not the sexual sin or the alcohol or the drugs. 00:08:54.799 --> 00:08:57.179 They're the fruit of the sin. The root issue 00:08:57.179 --> 00:09:01.820 is who's the God of my life? Will I worship God 00:09:01.820 --> 00:09:05.620 or worship sex, a physical feeling? Will I worship 00:09:05.620 --> 00:09:09.019 the creator or will I worship alcohol? Will I 00:09:09.019 --> 00:09:12.519 pursue abundance and live an abundant life or 00:09:12.519 --> 00:09:17.570 will I worship the high? That's the choice. I 00:09:17.570 --> 00:09:23.009 want this more than I want that. And until we 00:09:23.009 --> 00:09:25.190 understand that that's idolatry, we're going 00:09:25.190 --> 00:09:28.230 to continue to struggle in our sin. Until we 00:09:28.230 --> 00:09:31.549 replace the false God of workaholism that is 00:09:31.549 --> 00:09:33.409 rampant in the United States, we're going to 00:09:33.409 --> 00:09:35.710 continue to work ourselves to death because we're 00:09:35.710 --> 00:09:40.289 not focused on the true God. We will not have 00:09:40.289 --> 00:09:44.759 victory in those areas of our life. John Piper 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:47.259 defines an idol as anything that we come to rely 00:09:47.259 --> 00:09:50.759 on for some blessing or help or guidance in the 00:09:50.759 --> 00:09:53.419 place of a wholehearted reliance on the true 00:09:53.419 --> 00:09:57.480 and living God. It's not a wooden image. It's 00:09:57.480 --> 00:10:01.340 not a golden calf. Our idols today are often 00:10:01.340 --> 00:10:04.379 that which most capture our heart's affection 00:10:04.379 --> 00:10:08.379 instead of God. And often our affections are 00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:12.389 aimed at good things. Good things that God blesses 00:10:12.389 --> 00:10:14.730 us with, our jobs, our marriages, our friendships, 00:10:14.870 --> 00:10:17.730 our hobbies, wanting to make a difference in 00:10:17.730 --> 00:10:21.490 this world, right? It's okay to love those things, 00:10:21.529 --> 00:10:24.509 to enjoy those things, but we get off track when 00:10:24.509 --> 00:10:29.090 our love for those things is higher than our 00:10:29.090 --> 00:10:33.889 love for God. 1 John 5, 21. Dear children, keep 00:10:33.889 --> 00:10:35.889 away from anything that might take God's place 00:10:35.889 --> 00:10:41.090 in your heart. Idolatry was the issue in Joshua 00:10:41.090 --> 00:10:43.570 chapter 24, our text that we'll be focusing on 00:10:43.570 --> 00:10:46.429 this morning. And let me just give you a little 00:10:46.429 --> 00:10:49.570 of a background story, what is happening in this 00:10:49.570 --> 00:10:52.809 chapter. Joshua at this point is 110 years old. 00:10:53.289 --> 00:10:56.470 He's an old man. He's lived a pretty full life, 00:10:56.610 --> 00:10:59.570 an adventurous life. He was with Moses when they 00:10:59.570 --> 00:11:02.330 freed the people out of Egypt. He walked through 00:11:02.330 --> 00:11:04.809 the Red Sea. He picked up manna from heaven and 00:11:04.809 --> 00:11:08.080 he ate it. He watched the walls of Jericho fall 00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:11.720 as the general of the nation of Israel. And he 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:14.080 led victory after victory after victory in countless 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:19.179 battles, seeing God's hand in every one. He stands 00:11:19.179 --> 00:11:21.139 in front of the nation of Israel, calls them 00:11:21.139 --> 00:11:24.480 together to what he assumes is his final address 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:28.500 to them. And he says this, Joshua 24, 14 through 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:32.460 15. So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:36.360 Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshipped 00:11:36.360 --> 00:11:38.679 when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and 00:11:38.679 --> 00:11:42.539 in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse 00:11:42.539 --> 00:11:44.700 to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you 00:11:44.700 --> 00:11:47.799 will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors 00:11:47.799 --> 00:11:51.059 served beyond the Euphrates, or will it be the 00:11:51.059 --> 00:11:53.360 gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? 00:11:53.700 --> 00:11:58.100 But as for me and my family, we will serve the 00:11:58.100 --> 00:12:01.100 Lord. Very familiar section of the Bible. Some 00:12:01.100 --> 00:12:03.820 of you hang it on the outside of your house or 00:12:03.820 --> 00:12:07.120 in your living room. But Joshua is basically 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:10.299 giving them four choices. You can worship the 00:12:10.299 --> 00:12:13.299 gods of your fathers. You can worship the gods 00:12:13.299 --> 00:12:15.340 of the Egyptians where you've been in slavery 00:12:15.340 --> 00:12:18.440 for a hundred years. You can worship the gods 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:21.740 of those whose land you are now living or option 00:12:21.740 --> 00:12:25.460 number four, you can worship the one true God. 00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:28.500 Which leads us to our next thought. You see, 00:12:28.539 --> 00:12:31.799 humanity was created to worship. Again, Joshua 00:12:31.799 --> 00:12:35.220 24. So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:39.299 Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshipped. 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:43.059 And all throughout those words, you see worshipped, 00:12:43.139 --> 00:12:46.980 worshipped, worshipped. We are all worshippers. 00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:51.440 And as we talk about idolatry, this is a foundational 00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:57.029 truth that we have to understand. Worship something. 00:12:58.090 --> 00:13:01.169 Right? Joshua, he didn't give the people a fifth 00:13:01.169 --> 00:13:03.549 option. He doesn't say, well, your other choice 00:13:03.549 --> 00:13:06.990 is don't worship anything at all. Right? That's 00:13:06.990 --> 00:13:12.350 not an option. We are all worshipers. God hardwired 00:13:12.350 --> 00:13:16.789 into our DNA that we are to worship him, the 00:13:16.789 --> 00:13:20.830 one true God and creator of heaven and earth. 00:13:21.519 --> 00:13:24.120 But if you can look throughout every civilization 00:13:24.120 --> 00:13:27.539 and culture in the history of mankind, and you're 00:13:27.539 --> 00:13:30.659 always going to find worshipers. We could visit 00:13:30.659 --> 00:13:33.259 the deepest jungles of Africa, and you find a 00:13:33.259 --> 00:13:35.299 tribe that has never been exposed to an outside 00:13:35.299 --> 00:13:38.139 civilization or influence, and what are you going 00:13:38.139 --> 00:13:41.720 to find? They are worshiping a god or many gods. 00:13:42.460 --> 00:13:46.100 We could fly to London or New York City. We could 00:13:46.100 --> 00:13:48.299 hang out with the world's elite, and we would 00:13:48.299 --> 00:13:51.629 find that they worship a god. Now it might be 00:13:51.629 --> 00:13:54.509 a God of intellect or success or money or power, 00:13:54.710 --> 00:13:58.509 but they worship. Now some of you are thinking, 00:13:58.529 --> 00:14:01.370 well Chris, I'm not a Christian. I don't believe 00:14:01.370 --> 00:14:04.789 in a God, so I'm not a worshiper. To that I say, 00:14:04.990 --> 00:14:08.809 yes you are, you just worship yourself. Everybody 00:14:08.809 --> 00:14:15.509 worships a God of some kind. Some of you choose 00:14:15.509 --> 00:14:18.360 not to worship God, then by default. You're going 00:14:18.360 --> 00:14:20.460 to worship what Tim Keller calls a God substitute. 00:14:21.320 --> 00:14:24.659 You will put in your life some substitute for 00:14:24.659 --> 00:14:28.379 God and that is what you will worship. And that's 00:14:28.379 --> 00:14:30.940 what will control us. And that's what will rule 00:14:30.940 --> 00:14:32.799 over our hearts. That's what will have power 00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:35.980 over us. And that's why people get stuck in addiction. 00:14:37.139 --> 00:14:40.080 Philosopher Peter Kreeft explains it this way. 00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:43.940 The opposite of theism or the opposite of belief 00:14:43.940 --> 00:14:49.200 and faith in God is not atheism. It is There 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:52.539 are only two choices. You either worship God 00:14:52.539 --> 00:14:55.860 or you worship a false god. You worship an idol. 00:14:56.440 --> 00:14:58.799 And please understand, a false god doesn't have 00:14:58.799 --> 00:15:01.340 to be something wrong or evil. Quite often, we 00:15:01.340 --> 00:15:03.799 think false god, we think witchcraft, right? 00:15:03.879 --> 00:15:08.460 We think blood, we think evil. No. God's good 00:15:08.460 --> 00:15:13.399 gifts can become idols in our life. Joshua highlights 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:17.440 that for all of us. We are all worshipers. And 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:20.200 it's not just in the Old Testament, right? It's 00:15:20.200 --> 00:15:22.799 not just Joshua here. Listen to Romans 1 .25. 00:15:23.320 --> 00:15:26.700 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So 00:15:26.700 --> 00:15:28.980 they worshiped and served the things God created 00:15:28.980 --> 00:15:32.320 instead of the creator himself, who is worthy 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:36.480 of eternal praise. Amen. That leads us to our 00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:39.980 third thought. God leaves us with a choice. All 00:15:39.980 --> 00:15:44.779 of us have to make a choice. Joshua 24 .15. Serve 00:15:44.779 --> 00:15:48.029 the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the 00:15:48.029 --> 00:15:51.350 Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. 00:15:52.590 --> 00:15:56.129 Joshua gives them choices. And I want you to 00:15:56.129 --> 00:15:59.929 think through this for yourself. He says, you 00:15:59.929 --> 00:16:03.730 know your choices. You can worship the gods of 00:16:03.730 --> 00:16:07.769 the culture. Here's what society values. Here's 00:16:07.769 --> 00:16:11.169 what society teaches. Just do it. Just go for 00:16:11.169 --> 00:16:14.820 it. That's one choice for your worship. The second 00:16:14.820 --> 00:16:18.340 choice, he says, you can worship the gods of 00:16:18.340 --> 00:16:20.980 your fathers. And see, that's what many of us 00:16:20.980 --> 00:16:23.320 do, and we don't even know we're doing it. We 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:25.620 worship the gods, the idols that our parents 00:16:25.620 --> 00:16:29.379 have handed down, passed down to us. That's why 00:16:29.379 --> 00:16:33.360 we worship work, success, power, because our 00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:37.620 dad worshiped work, success, and power. We worship 00:16:37.620 --> 00:16:41.179 sports because our dad worshiped sports. We worshiped 00:16:41.470 --> 00:16:45.009 Alcohol because our mom or dad was an alcoholic. 00:16:45.690 --> 00:16:49.149 We worship what other people think about us because 00:16:49.149 --> 00:16:51.610 our mom or our dad or our grandmother worshiped 00:16:51.610 --> 00:16:54.850 what other people thought about her. We worshiped 00:16:54.850 --> 00:16:58.529 our kids because our mom worshiped us when we 00:16:58.529 --> 00:17:02.450 were a kid and we were spoiled rotten. How about 00:17:02.450 --> 00:17:06.809 this one? We worship spiritual rules, religious 00:17:06.809 --> 00:17:10.309 rules and traditions. which can definitely be 00:17:10.309 --> 00:17:13.490 a false god because our parents worshipped religious 00:17:13.490 --> 00:17:18.029 rules and traditions. So that's what many of 00:17:18.029 --> 00:17:21.710 us choose to do. We just accept those idols that 00:17:21.710 --> 00:17:23.670 have been handed down through us through generations, 00:17:23.849 --> 00:17:28.250 and God is challenging us to change, to break 00:17:28.250 --> 00:17:31.990 those negative generational curses. Galatians 00:17:31.990 --> 00:17:35.559 4, 8 through 9. Before you Gentiles knew God, 00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:38.619 you were slaves to so -called gods that do not 00:17:38.619 --> 00:17:42.319 even exist. So now that you know God, or should 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:45.579 I say now that God knows you, why do you want 00:17:45.579 --> 00:17:47.960 to go back again and become slaves once more 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:50.079 to the weak and useless spiritual principles 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:54.400 of this world? So what I want to do this morning 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:56.359 is I want to spend a few minutes together identifying 00:17:56.359 --> 00:18:00.690 what are some gods at war within us. Because 00:18:00.690 --> 00:18:03.789 most of us, we don't do a good job of diagnosing 00:18:03.789 --> 00:18:07.170 where we struggle. Typically in the American 00:18:07.170 --> 00:18:10.450 church, we smile, we wear a mask. I love Jesus. 00:18:10.529 --> 00:18:14.230 Praise God. He is good. And we just move on with 00:18:14.230 --> 00:18:18.109 life. But I want us to identify some gods that 00:18:18.109 --> 00:18:20.329 are warring within us, wanting to consume our 00:18:20.329 --> 00:18:23.049 hearts and our lives. So I'm going to ask you 00:18:23.049 --> 00:18:26.509 some very simple questions. And these questions 00:18:26.509 --> 00:18:28.990 can reveal some things that will surprise you. 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:31.700 But it doesn't necessarily mean you've made them 00:18:31.700 --> 00:18:35.460 idols, but these gods certainly have the potential 00:18:35.460 --> 00:18:38.839 in your life to become an idol. So these questions 00:18:38.839 --> 00:18:41.900 come from Dr. David Paulson's work on the motivations 00:18:41.900 --> 00:18:45.799 of human behavior. Now remember, these questions, 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:48.559 they ponder thought. They make us reflect on 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:50.900 where our heart is, where we're headed, what 00:18:50.900 --> 00:18:53.299 we're struggling with. The first one is this. 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:57.799 Where is your time and money spent? Where is 00:18:57.799 --> 00:19:00.799 your time and money spent? Now in our text, in 00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:03.980 Joshua 24, the word serve is used seven times 00:19:03.980 --> 00:19:07.579 in two verses. In Joshua's day, the word serve 00:19:07.579 --> 00:19:11.700 carried with it the idea of sacrifice. Sacrificing 00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:14.259 time, sacrificing money. And for them, it was 00:19:14.259 --> 00:19:18.460 farm products and animals to sacrifice. For us, 00:19:18.579 --> 00:19:21.599 that we don't make sacrifices anymore, my question 00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:23.480 to you is, what's your schedule and calendar 00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:27.069 look like? Are you so busy that you don't have 00:19:27.069 --> 00:19:29.069 time for God? Are you so busy you don't have 00:19:29.069 --> 00:19:31.369 time for a growth group? Are you so busy you 00:19:31.369 --> 00:19:34.849 don't have time to be encouraged? What does your 00:19:34.849 --> 00:19:37.609 bank account look like? What's that say about 00:19:37.609 --> 00:19:40.890 what we worship? Because quite often our bank 00:19:40.890 --> 00:19:43.289 account is very revealing. Where do you spend 00:19:43.289 --> 00:19:46.690 your money? I mean, that's why we consider our 00:19:46.690 --> 00:19:49.190 offering that we take up every Sunday here at 00:19:49.190 --> 00:19:52.990 HTV an act of worship. An act of worship. As 00:19:52.990 --> 00:19:56.950 we pass... The buckets as you put money in the 00:19:56.950 --> 00:20:01.029 boxes. We do it at the end of worship because 00:20:01.029 --> 00:20:04.069 I believe that's the most tangible worship that 00:20:04.069 --> 00:20:07.309 we have in this gathering. God, I have this money. 00:20:08.750 --> 00:20:10.710 You've given it to me. You've blessed me with 00:20:10.710 --> 00:20:13.789 it. I want to spend it on a lot of things, but 00:20:13.789 --> 00:20:18.420 I'm choosing to give it back to you first. It's 00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:21.059 the most tangible action you can give back to 00:20:21.059 --> 00:20:23.339 God. And some of you are struggling right now 00:20:23.339 --> 00:20:25.400 with giving and you blame the church. All they 00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:27.819 want is my money. When in reality, God just wants 00:20:27.819 --> 00:20:31.619 you to put him first. Which leads us to question 00:20:31.619 --> 00:20:36.180 two. What do you worry about? Or to say it another 00:20:36.180 --> 00:20:39.430 way, what are you most afraid of? Psychologist 00:20:39.430 --> 00:20:41.890 Alfred Adler says, if you want to understand 00:20:41.890 --> 00:20:45.289 what someone is living for, don't ask them because 00:20:45.289 --> 00:20:47.529 people don't give you the straight answer because 00:20:47.529 --> 00:20:49.849 oftentimes they don't even know what they're 00:20:49.849 --> 00:20:52.490 living for. He said, if you want to know what 00:20:52.490 --> 00:20:54.930 someone is living for, ask them, what is your 00:20:54.930 --> 00:20:58.890 greatest nightmare? So what's your greatest nightmare? 00:20:59.109 --> 00:21:03.690 What are you afraid of? Because it's what you're 00:21:03.690 --> 00:21:05.849 afraid of that has the potential to become a 00:21:05.849 --> 00:21:09.430 God in your life. What is it that if you lose 00:21:09.430 --> 00:21:12.450 it, life would not continue to hold meaning for 00:21:12.450 --> 00:21:15.490 you? Maybe it's your job. Maybe it's a house. 00:21:16.670 --> 00:21:20.829 Maybe it's that you're afraid of not being successful. 00:21:21.589 --> 00:21:24.609 Maybe you have a fear of not being liked by others. 00:21:25.170 --> 00:21:28.430 You try to impress others. Maybe you're overwhelmed 00:21:28.430 --> 00:21:31.309 with anxiety because of the inflation and rising 00:21:31.309 --> 00:21:34.569 food prices. After all, we're Americans and comfort 00:21:34.569 --> 00:21:38.859 and security is a God. Or your political party 00:21:38.859 --> 00:21:40.980 didn't win, so you're pointing fingers and arguing 00:21:40.980 --> 00:21:42.980 over their wrong and their right and their wrong, 00:21:43.039 --> 00:21:46.400 when in reality, God's in control anyway. Some 00:21:46.400 --> 00:21:50.400 of you are afraid of just being alone. So you're 00:21:50.400 --> 00:21:51.880 looking for the relationship, or you're putting 00:21:51.880 --> 00:21:55.099 all this pressure on your spouse. Our fears reveal 00:21:55.099 --> 00:21:58.359 what can become a God in our life. Number three, 00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:02.500 where do you turn when you're hurting? Where 00:22:02.500 --> 00:22:05.869 do you go when you really need comfort? You had 00:22:05.869 --> 00:22:08.250 a long day at work. You were stressed. You were 00:22:08.250 --> 00:22:10.690 overwhelmed. You get home and immediately you 00:22:10.690 --> 00:22:12.690 run to the refrigerator because you need some 00:22:12.690 --> 00:22:17.769 comfort food. It works. For some of you, you 00:22:17.769 --> 00:22:20.490 turn on the TV. You binge watch Netflix to make 00:22:20.490 --> 00:22:24.309 you feel better about life. When you get into 00:22:24.309 --> 00:22:26.450 a fight with your spouse and you feel rejected 00:22:26.450 --> 00:22:29.029 and you're angry and you're upset, what do you 00:22:29.029 --> 00:22:33.769 do? Do you immediately seek? Do you immediately 00:22:33.769 --> 00:22:36.349 restore the relationship or do you run for your 00:22:36.349 --> 00:22:40.490 computer and dive into the porn that gives you 00:22:40.490 --> 00:22:43.710 comfort? Or let's say you lose your job and you're 00:22:43.710 --> 00:22:46.190 devastated. Where do you go? Do you run to a 00:22:46.190 --> 00:22:48.650 person? That's not a bad thing, but God wants 00:22:48.650 --> 00:22:51.990 you to go to him first. Henry Blackaby defines 00:22:51.990 --> 00:22:55.049 an idol this way, anything you turn to for help 00:22:55.049 --> 00:22:59.230 when God told you to turn to him for help. Number 00:22:59.230 --> 00:23:03.440 four, what makes you angry? What makes you angry? 00:23:04.839 --> 00:23:07.119 I'm a very competitive person that some of you 00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:10.960 know. Years ago, I used to play church softball. 00:23:11.059 --> 00:23:13.640 And about 10 years ago, I did a Sunday morning 00:23:13.640 --> 00:23:15.599 talk and threw away my cleats and haven't played 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:18.380 since. And it wasn't that I couldn't play. I 00:23:18.380 --> 00:23:21.039 could still play now. I've been asked to play 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:24.480 every year since. And I always say no because 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:30.380 it made me sin. I wanted to win. I don't like 00:23:30.380 --> 00:23:33.799 to lose. And it became this thing where winning 00:23:33.799 --> 00:23:35.299 was so important. It wasn't necessarily that 00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:37.539 we would win. It was just that other people took 00:23:37.539 --> 00:23:39.599 winning too far, and then I would want to really 00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:46.720 show it. But anyway, the point is, if something 00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:50.160 makes you angry, it could be a God in your life. 00:23:51.099 --> 00:23:53.180 Another thing that makes me upset is when I get 00:23:53.180 --> 00:23:58.670 disrespected. When someone disrespects me, Watch 00:23:58.670 --> 00:24:05.089 out. Why? Because when I get disrespected, I 00:24:05.089 --> 00:24:06.809 feel like they're not just disrespecting me, 00:24:06.849 --> 00:24:09.029 but they're disrespecting God. But still, that's 00:24:09.029 --> 00:24:13.970 my issue. Right? But if it makes you angry, you 00:24:13.970 --> 00:24:16.309 have to ask yourself, has it become a false God? 00:24:16.910 --> 00:24:20.990 Number five. This is a good one. What do you 00:24:20.990 --> 00:24:24.630 complain about? If I were to ask your spouse, 00:24:24.789 --> 00:24:27.309 your kids, your parents, whomever you choose, 00:24:28.190 --> 00:24:32.210 What does so -and -so complain about? Whatever 00:24:32.210 --> 00:24:35.609 answer they give back and tell us about a God 00:24:35.609 --> 00:24:39.109 that is a war within you. What are you passionate 00:24:39.109 --> 00:24:43.809 about? Is it football? Is it golf? Is it restoring 00:24:43.809 --> 00:24:48.470 a car? Is it decorating? Is it gardening? Is 00:24:48.470 --> 00:24:51.710 it your work? Is it music? Is it movies? Is it 00:24:51.710 --> 00:24:55.109 physical appearance and exercise? All these things 00:24:55.109 --> 00:25:02.140 have the potential. To become for us a God. And 00:25:02.140 --> 00:25:05.099 God is jealous because of all the passion and 00:25:05.099 --> 00:25:07.000 the time and the energy and the effort that we're 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:10.099 given to other things. Number seven, what brings 00:25:10.099 --> 00:25:13.779 you the most joy? Many things that God gives 00:25:13.779 --> 00:25:16.819 us are good gifts and he wants us to experience 00:25:16.819 --> 00:25:20.680 joy through those gifts. But when these gifts 00:25:20.680 --> 00:25:25.880 cause us to find more joy in them than him, then 00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:28.890 that's a competition. And there shouldn't be 00:25:28.890 --> 00:25:31.869 a competition between his gifts that he's given 00:25:31.869 --> 00:25:34.829 us and our relationship with him. Where do you 00:25:34.829 --> 00:25:38.190 find the most joy? Look at your phone. Look at 00:25:38.190 --> 00:25:41.349 your screensaver. Maybe it's a vacation destination. 00:25:41.490 --> 00:25:43.750 Maybe it's your house. Maybe it's your car. Maybe 00:25:43.750 --> 00:25:46.769 it's your family. Maybe it's your kids. They're 00:25:46.769 --> 00:25:50.710 all good things. When they become a God thing, 00:25:50.930 --> 00:25:54.930 it's idolatry. And our last question, whose approval 00:25:54.930 --> 00:25:59.180 do you long for? Is it your boss telling you 00:25:59.180 --> 00:26:01.259 that the company wouldn't be the same without 00:26:01.259 --> 00:26:03.779 you? Is it your spouse saying you're the best 00:26:03.779 --> 00:26:05.400 husband, you're the best wife that I've ever 00:26:05.400 --> 00:26:08.460 could have met? Is it your dad, you're living 00:26:08.460 --> 00:26:10.880 for your dad to say I'm proud of you, I love 00:26:10.880 --> 00:26:14.099 you? Are you living for your mom to say, son, 00:26:14.099 --> 00:26:15.960 daughter, you're doing a great job with your 00:26:15.960 --> 00:26:19.839 kids? You know, as I went through this set of 00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:24.079 questions, I had an answer for every single one. 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:28.480 They're convicting. And it's really easy for 00:26:28.480 --> 00:26:31.799 us to allow some false God to win the war in 00:26:31.799 --> 00:26:34.420 our heart and to have a position of prominence 00:26:34.420 --> 00:26:38.200 over the one true God. And what is it for you? 00:26:40.200 --> 00:26:42.519 What is God, what is the Holy Spirit whispering 00:26:42.519 --> 00:26:46.799 to you today that, no, this is warring, this 00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:50.579 is warring? And Joshua, he identifies these gods 00:26:50.579 --> 00:26:53.359 and here's what he does next. He basically, he 00:26:53.359 --> 00:26:55.500 throws down a challenge and he says to the people, 00:26:55.640 --> 00:27:01.279 choose this day. Choose. You get to choose. And 00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:03.180 that's what I hope will happen for all of us. 00:27:06.299 --> 00:27:09.500 I hope we all make a choice this month, over 00:27:09.500 --> 00:27:13.400 the next six months, to change, to work on, to 00:27:13.400 --> 00:27:15.980 experience freedom that God is identifying to 00:27:15.980 --> 00:27:18.799 get rid of those gods. More powerful than the 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:21.140 one true God. Francis Schaeffer talks about how 00:27:21.140 --> 00:27:23.880 many followers of Jesus think about their choice 00:27:23.880 --> 00:27:25.900 for God as a choice that was made past tense. 00:27:27.119 --> 00:27:30.160 In other words, I chose God on this date. That's 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:32.200 where I was saved. I chose God at kid's camp. 00:27:32.339 --> 00:27:34.839 I chose God when I was baptized. I chose God 00:27:34.839 --> 00:27:36.900 when I walked forward, when I raised my hand, 00:27:36.960 --> 00:27:40.420 when I said a prayer. We think about a time that 00:27:40.420 --> 00:27:42.680 we chose God, but Schaeffer points out that the 00:27:42.680 --> 00:27:45.920 word choose that Joshua uses here in this text 00:27:46.589 --> 00:27:49.970 It's not a one and done choice. It's a continuous 00:27:49.970 --> 00:27:53.450 action. It's an ongoing choosing that is to take 00:27:53.450 --> 00:27:57.049 place for us every single day. It's as if Joshua 00:27:57.049 --> 00:28:00.029 is saying to the people, as for me and my family, 00:28:00.150 --> 00:28:03.069 we choose the Lord. We are choosing the Lord 00:28:03.069 --> 00:28:08.470 every single day. And we have to understand as 00:28:08.470 --> 00:28:11.009 followers of Jesus, it's not the choice that 00:28:11.009 --> 00:28:14.519 was made on the day of salvation. But it's an 00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:17.259 ongoing choice where every day there's a battle 00:28:17.259 --> 00:28:21.160 waging in our heart for who is number one. And 00:28:21.160 --> 00:28:25.240 God desires that we put him first. And if you 00:28:25.240 --> 00:28:27.779 read throughout the Bible, you will discover 00:28:27.779 --> 00:28:31.579 how God feels about idolatry. See, there's this 00:28:31.579 --> 00:28:35.279 surprising emotion that is an attribute of God 00:28:35.279 --> 00:28:37.980 when it comes to this subject of idolatry. And 00:28:37.980 --> 00:28:43.609 the Bible tells us that he is jealous. Again, 00:28:43.609 --> 00:28:47.329 Exodus 20. You shall not make for yourself an 00:28:47.329 --> 00:28:49.490 idol in the form of anything. You shall not bow 00:28:49.490 --> 00:28:52.410 down to them or worship them. For I, the Lord 00:28:52.410 --> 00:28:58.069 your God, am what? I am a jealous God. See, God 00:28:58.069 --> 00:29:03.269 doesn't want to share. He won't share you any 00:29:03.269 --> 00:29:05.609 more than your spouse would be okay if you went 00:29:05.609 --> 00:29:08.430 to him or her and said, you know, I think I'm 00:29:08.430 --> 00:29:09.990 going to start dating other people, but you're 00:29:09.990 --> 00:29:12.829 always going to be first. Tell me how that works 00:29:12.829 --> 00:29:20.730 out for you. True love doesn't share. And God 00:29:20.730 --> 00:29:22.809 desires that we make a choice for him, which 00:29:22.809 --> 00:29:25.609 leads us to our action steps. Choosing God every 00:29:25.609 --> 00:29:28.309 single day. Three simple steps that we can put 00:29:28.309 --> 00:29:31.529 into practice that puts God first in our lives. 00:29:31.569 --> 00:29:34.289 Number one, appreciate what God has done in your 00:29:34.289 --> 00:29:37.720 life. Appreciate what God has done. In Joshua 00:29:37.720 --> 00:29:40.480 24, verses 2 through 13, you can read it for 00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:43.440 yourself. Joshua is reminding the people, God 00:29:43.440 --> 00:29:45.799 has done this for you. He has done that for you. 00:29:45.839 --> 00:29:48.140 God is doing this for you. He has done that for 00:29:48.140 --> 00:29:50.599 you. And when we remember what God has done for 00:29:50.599 --> 00:29:53.319 us, it puts him back where? He puts him back 00:29:53.319 --> 00:29:56.400 in the number one position of our life. He puts 00:29:56.400 --> 00:29:58.619 him first in our life. I mean, that's why we 00:29:58.619 --> 00:30:02.819 gather here on Sundays at HCV. We come together 00:30:02.819 --> 00:30:05.839 to celebrate who God is and what he has done 00:30:05.839 --> 00:30:08.859 for us. How he's freed us from the power of sin. 00:30:09.140 --> 00:30:11.200 How he's filled us with the Holy Spirit. How 00:30:11.200 --> 00:30:14.319 he's given us the promise of salvation. That's 00:30:14.319 --> 00:30:17.740 what we do. He becomes what is most important. 00:30:17.880 --> 00:30:21.200 We live out Psalm 107. Let them praise the Lord 00:30:21.200 --> 00:30:24.140 for his great love and for the wonderful things 00:30:24.140 --> 00:30:26.819 he has done for them. Let them offer sacrifices 00:30:26.819 --> 00:30:30.180 of thanksgiving and sing joyfully. About their 00:30:30.180 --> 00:30:34.180 glorious acts. I sent out my weekly email. I 00:30:34.180 --> 00:30:36.380 got a response last week from a gentleman that 00:30:36.380 --> 00:30:41.319 wanted to meet and share and learn how to get 00:30:41.319 --> 00:30:44.000 more involved in HCV. I said, sure, I'll meet 00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:46.720 you for lunch. Sat down with him. He said, yeah, 00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:48.660 I've been coming to HCV for about a year now. 00:30:49.019 --> 00:30:52.079 And told me his story and his background. But 00:30:52.079 --> 00:30:54.490 then he went on to say, yeah, about. A month 00:30:54.490 --> 00:30:56.930 into me starting to come to the church, you were 00:30:56.930 --> 00:30:59.690 on the stage, and you mentioned about getting 00:30:59.690 --> 00:31:02.750 prayer. You offered prayer at the end of one 00:31:02.750 --> 00:31:04.890 of your gatherings, and I just took a step of 00:31:04.890 --> 00:31:07.930 faith. I had this bad sciatica. I couldn't even 00:31:07.930 --> 00:31:10.769 stand during worship. I was constantly sitting. 00:31:10.849 --> 00:31:15.009 I couldn't walk right. I had a cane. But yet 00:31:15.009 --> 00:31:17.450 when you said, if you need prayer, put your hand 00:31:17.450 --> 00:31:21.039 up, I did. I took a step of faith. bearded guy 00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:23.279 that I have no idea who he is, came and put his 00:31:23.279 --> 00:31:26.059 hand on my shoulder. He began to pray for me. 00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:29.599 And as he prayed, suddenly the pain started to 00:31:29.599 --> 00:31:32.859 go away. And as the week progressed, by the middle 00:31:32.859 --> 00:31:34.880 of the week, I had no sciatic pain whatsoever. 00:31:34.940 --> 00:31:42.700 It was completely healed. I said, I said, it 00:31:42.700 --> 00:31:46.059 would be good to share that with people. He goes, 00:31:46.119 --> 00:31:47.500 oh, I've been sharing it with all my friends 00:31:47.500 --> 00:31:50.119 and family since I started coming. I said, okay, 00:31:50.240 --> 00:31:52.880 well, it's okay to share it with me too so that 00:31:52.880 --> 00:31:55.380 I know these things are happening because that's 00:31:55.380 --> 00:32:00.220 a testimony of healing in faith. So if you're 00:32:00.220 --> 00:32:04.359 like Jim, would you please let me know that you're 00:32:04.359 --> 00:32:06.380 experiencing some kind of healing and freedom 00:32:06.380 --> 00:32:09.960 here at HDV, please? So that I can share these 00:32:09.960 --> 00:32:12.700 testimonies and raise people's faith for more 00:32:12.700 --> 00:32:14.500 healings to come because that's what we want 00:32:14.500 --> 00:32:17.099 to see, right? We want to see the signs, the 00:32:17.099 --> 00:32:19.720 wonders, the miracles, the kingdom invade the 00:32:19.720 --> 00:32:22.640 tri -state area. That happens when people hear 00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:27.440 the stories of God. Ephesians 5. Don't be drunk 00:32:27.440 --> 00:32:29.400 with wine because that will ruin your life. Instead, 00:32:29.519 --> 00:32:31.960 be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms 00:32:31.960 --> 00:32:34.720 and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves. 00:32:35.259 --> 00:32:37.619 Make music to the Lord in your hearts and give 00:32:37.619 --> 00:32:40.160 thanks for everything to God the Father in the 00:32:40.160 --> 00:32:43.599 name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be grateful for 00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:45.339 what God is doing in your life, leading us to 00:32:45.339 --> 00:32:49.819 our next step. Recognize who God is. Joshua continues 00:32:49.819 --> 00:32:52.819 in verses 19 through 22. Then Joshua warned the 00:32:52.819 --> 00:32:55.599 people, you are not able to serve the Lord, for 00:32:55.599 --> 00:32:59.140 he is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive 00:32:59.140 --> 00:33:01.279 your rebellion and your sins. If you abandon 00:33:01.279 --> 00:33:04.079 the Lord and serve other gods, he will turn against 00:33:04.079 --> 00:33:06.339 you and destroy you, even though he has been 00:33:06.339 --> 00:33:09.339 so good to you. But the people answered, Joshua, 00:33:09.339 --> 00:33:12.529 no, we will serve the Lord. You are witness to 00:33:12.529 --> 00:33:16.410 your own decision, Joshua said. You have chosen 00:33:16.410 --> 00:33:18.390 to serve the Lord. Yes, they replied, we are 00:33:18.390 --> 00:33:21.329 witnesses to what we have said. See, when we 00:33:21.329 --> 00:33:26.650 recognize who God is and all he's done, then 00:33:26.650 --> 00:33:29.430 he becomes number one in our worship. He becomes 00:33:29.430 --> 00:33:33.430 first. One definition of worship is, worship 00:33:33.430 --> 00:33:37.569 is our response to God for who he is and what 00:33:37.569 --> 00:33:41.859 he has done for us. When we gather together, 00:33:42.099 --> 00:33:45.460 we should desire to want to just all out abandon, 00:33:45.640 --> 00:33:48.359 want to get closer to God. When we sing, when 00:33:48.359 --> 00:33:50.920 we share testimonies, when we're challenged to 00:33:50.920 --> 00:33:53.599 change, it's a choice to allow God to move in 00:33:53.599 --> 00:33:57.480 our hearts. Some of you are worried about Sherry 00:33:57.480 --> 00:33:59.759 or Tom sitting beside you and you can't put your 00:33:59.759 --> 00:34:01.920 hands up and you can't receive and you can't 00:34:01.920 --> 00:34:04.059 kneel and you can't weep and you put on this 00:34:04.059 --> 00:34:06.539 mask and God is saying, get rid of it. I'm greater 00:34:06.539 --> 00:34:11.369 than all of those. Which leads us to our final 00:34:11.369 --> 00:34:15.730 step. We destroy all other gods. Again, Joshua 00:34:15.730 --> 00:34:19.789 says, all right then, destroy the idols among 00:34:19.789 --> 00:34:21.530 you and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God 00:34:21.530 --> 00:34:23.869 of Israel. The people said to Joshua, we will 00:34:23.869 --> 00:34:26.250 serve the Lord our God. We will obey him alone. 00:34:26.469 --> 00:34:29.349 And it's funny because they say that, but we 00:34:29.349 --> 00:34:31.349 know as we continue through the Old Testament, 00:34:31.429 --> 00:34:34.320 they don't get rid of the idols. They don't deal 00:34:34.320 --> 00:34:36.539 with it in time and time and time again. It's 00:34:36.539 --> 00:34:38.519 get rid of it, bring them back, get rid of it, 00:34:38.539 --> 00:34:40.159 bring them back. They hide them, they put them 00:34:40.159 --> 00:34:42.139 away, and then they get them out when they're 00:34:42.139 --> 00:34:46.340 frustrated and they're tired. And Joshua is telling 00:34:46.340 --> 00:34:49.199 them, no, just turn your lives completely over 00:34:49.199 --> 00:34:53.159 to God. Trust him. Trust him with all your heart, 00:34:53.300 --> 00:34:56.760 then he will remove those idols, whatever idol 00:34:56.760 --> 00:34:58.880 is that you're struggling with, whatever sin. 00:34:58.980 --> 00:35:01.619 Remember the sin, what is the sin? The sin is 00:35:01.619 --> 00:35:05.409 the fruit. that points to the root, which is 00:35:05.409 --> 00:35:11.130 a idol. Deal with the idol, then you get rid 00:35:11.130 --> 00:35:15.369 of the what? Sin. And that's what God is inviting 00:35:15.369 --> 00:35:18.530 us to do this morning. And we're going to do 00:35:18.530 --> 00:35:21.489 that by sharing in a time of communion. So if 00:35:21.489 --> 00:35:23.150 you need an element, you didn't get an element, 00:35:23.230 --> 00:35:26.030 stay seated. Put your hand up so we can get you 00:35:26.030 --> 00:35:29.150 one, because there's probably a lot of you. All 00:35:29.150 --> 00:35:33.210 right, team, go. Get the elements out. Thank 00:35:33.210 --> 00:35:37.329 you. Jess, can you grab some? They're probably 00:35:37.329 --> 00:35:39.929 right out there in the thing. Here they come. 00:35:40.030 --> 00:35:48.309 Here they come. There we go. All right. Now, 00:35:48.349 --> 00:35:49.849 some of you are thinking, well, Chris, what's 00:35:49.849 --> 00:35:52.070 communion have to deal with dealing with idols? 00:35:53.289 --> 00:35:57.769 Well, as a community of faith at HTV, we share 00:35:57.769 --> 00:36:00.349 communion corporately. That means as a group 00:36:00.349 --> 00:36:03.889 once a month, every first. Sunday of the month. 00:36:04.530 --> 00:36:08.010 And we do this because Jesus told us to do it. 00:36:08.489 --> 00:36:11.849 Jesus said to share in communion and to do it 00:36:11.849 --> 00:36:15.530 regularly because we are pointing ourselves and 00:36:15.530 --> 00:36:19.369 our minds and our hearts back to him. Back to 00:36:19.369 --> 00:36:23.869 what he did for us. Back to how he desires to 00:36:23.869 --> 00:36:27.050 set us free. So please understand, this isn't 00:36:27.050 --> 00:36:30.739 just something we do at church. Some of us grew 00:36:30.739 --> 00:36:33.199 up in environments and in churches where, oh, 00:36:33.280 --> 00:36:35.920 it's just something you do. No, this isn't something 00:36:35.920 --> 00:36:38.780 we do. This is an opportunity to meet the living 00:36:38.780 --> 00:36:42.679 God and have your life radically changed. Because 00:36:42.679 --> 00:36:46.880 the bread, the broken bread is a reminder of 00:36:46.880 --> 00:36:48.900 Jesus' action, his broken body on the cross. 00:36:49.019 --> 00:36:52.800 The juice reminds us of his shed blood that frees 00:36:52.800 --> 00:36:57.039 us from the power of idols and sin and allows 00:36:57.039 --> 00:37:00.920 us to walk in freedom. So this morning, I don't 00:37:00.920 --> 00:37:02.619 want you to focus on the sin. What do I want 00:37:02.619 --> 00:37:05.300 you to focus on? I want you to focus on a God 00:37:05.300 --> 00:37:08.519 or an idol that you have discovered through those 00:37:08.519 --> 00:37:12.739 questions that is controlling part of you. Success, 00:37:12.880 --> 00:37:16.639 money, fame, whatever it is. And you say, well, 00:37:16.639 --> 00:37:17.960 Chris, how do I deal with it? You lay it down 00:37:17.960 --> 00:37:21.360 at the feet of Jesus. Just like Rhett sang in 00:37:21.360 --> 00:37:24.500 that new song, if we can just get to his feet, 00:37:24.559 --> 00:37:28.030 that's enough. Last time I checked. The woman 00:37:28.030 --> 00:37:29.710 with the issue of blood, what does she do? She 00:37:29.710 --> 00:37:34.809 touched his garment. And for some of you, you 00:37:34.809 --> 00:37:36.829 have the opportunity to be overwhelmed and filled 00:37:36.829 --> 00:37:39.250 with the power of the Spirit in a way that sets 00:37:39.250 --> 00:37:42.610 you free from your addictions, your idols that 00:37:42.610 --> 00:37:47.530 you've been struggling with for years. And today 00:37:47.530 --> 00:37:50.469 could be your day. So will you stand with me? 00:37:53.469 --> 00:37:55.869 Before I move forward and share in the communion, 00:37:55.989 --> 00:37:57.610 I'm going to pray a simple prayer right here, 00:37:57.630 --> 00:38:00.150 right now. If you're not in a relationship with 00:38:00.150 --> 00:38:03.650 Jesus, I believe that people come into our gatherings 00:38:03.650 --> 00:38:06.349 every single Sunday that are not in a relationship 00:38:06.349 --> 00:38:11.269 with Jesus. I get it. But today is your day. 00:38:12.269 --> 00:38:14.389 And if you feel like you're not ready yet, put 00:38:14.389 --> 00:38:19.349 the elements down. That's my only issue. Put 00:38:19.349 --> 00:38:22.340 it down. Don't partake in it. Because if you 00:38:22.340 --> 00:38:24.079 partake in it and you don't believe, basically 00:38:24.079 --> 00:38:26.840 you're saying, yeah, whatever, God. And I don't 00:38:26.840 --> 00:38:30.940 want anybody to do that. We partake in communion 00:38:30.940 --> 00:38:32.739 and we believe it's holy and we believe that 00:38:32.739 --> 00:38:35.000 the Holy Spirit is blessing it and overwhelming 00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:38.139 us. So I'm going to give you an opportunity to 00:38:38.139 --> 00:38:39.800 enter into a relationship with Jesus right now. 00:38:39.840 --> 00:38:41.260 We're all going to pray it together. I'm not 00:38:41.260 --> 00:38:42.539 going to have you come up here, raise your hand 00:38:42.539 --> 00:38:45.559 or anything. You know your heart. Let's pray. 00:38:45.960 --> 00:38:51.119 Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt. Shame, 00:38:51.119 --> 00:38:56.960 regret, sin. Change me. I believe you're God's 00:38:56.960 --> 00:39:01.800 son. I believe you died for me. Make me new. 00:39:02.460 --> 00:39:08.099 Set me free. Fill me with your spirit. Help me, 00:39:08.119 --> 00:39:14.239 God, to serve others. In Jesus' name, amen. So 00:39:14.239 --> 00:39:15.619 if you prayed that prayer for the first time, 00:39:15.639 --> 00:39:19.449 text me, hug me, tell me. At some point, so that 00:39:19.449 --> 00:39:22.070 I can give you some good next steps on how to 00:39:22.070 --> 00:39:25.510 follow up. But for the rest of us, if you're 00:39:25.510 --> 00:39:31.690 struggling, if you have a heart issue, where 00:39:31.690 --> 00:39:34.070 something is before God, lay it down at his feet 00:39:34.070 --> 00:39:36.570 right here. Because I believe God wants to free 00:39:36.570 --> 00:39:38.929 you of it. On the night that he was betrayed, 00:39:39.230 --> 00:39:43.389 Jesus took bread. He broke it. He gave it to 00:39:43.389 --> 00:39:46.329 his disciples and said, take, eat. This is my 00:39:46.329 --> 00:39:49.969 body, which is broken for you. Holy Spirit, free 00:39:49.969 --> 00:39:54.010 us today as we partake in this wafer in Jesus' 00:39:54.170 --> 00:40:01.670 name. Amen. Let's eat. Likewise, after supper, 00:40:01.769 --> 00:40:03.650 he took the cup of wine. He said, this is my 00:40:03.650 --> 00:40:06.429 blood, which is shed for you and for many for 00:40:06.429 --> 00:40:08.929 the forgiveness of sins. Drink it often. And 00:40:08.929 --> 00:40:12.239 when you do, do it. In remembrance of me, Holy 00:40:12.239 --> 00:40:15.260 Spirit, cover us with your peace, your comfort, 00:40:15.300 --> 00:40:19.820 and free us to live in abundance. Church, let's 00:40:19.820 --> 00:40:27.139 drink. God, I am thankful for what you're going 00:40:27.139 --> 00:40:30.260 to do and what you continue to do through our 00:40:30.260 --> 00:40:35.719 community of faith. Permission us, God. Charge 00:40:35.719 --> 00:40:38.000 us, God, to live on mission, to see others set 00:40:38.000 --> 00:40:43.030 free. to come into a loving, growing relationship 00:40:43.030 --> 00:40:46.369 with you. In Jesus' name, amen.