Sermon: Flee From Idolatry (Part Two): Faithfulness

The Example of Israel
#1703-PM

Given 12-Apr-23; 85 minutes

watch:

description: (hide)

Multiple studies have affirmed that boxing is the world's toughest sport in terms of endurance, hand-eye coordination, durability, coordination, and self-discipline, allowing no trust in luck, truly a full spectrum endeavor. Perhaps this intense demand is why the apostle Paul chose this athletic metaphor (I Corinthians 9:24-27) as a spiritual allegory, describing God's saints striving for an imperishable crown, insisting that they must be totally in it to win it, demanding excelling in a broad spectrum of skills, including the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), the Beatitudes (Matthew 5), Peter's list of virtues (II Peter 1:5-7), and the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). Using these tools we must exert ourselves with a broad spectrum of skills to subdue our carnal bodies, mortifying the flesh (Romans 8:13) with maximum self-discipline for the rest of our mortal lives, resisting the carnal pulls which pull us toward idolatry, lust, and sexual immorality which destroyed our forebears on the Sinai (I Corinthians 10:1-10) and is destroying all who have rejected God's public revelation today (Romans 1:21-28) stupidly exalting things that have been created over the Creator, especially the self-centered worship of the self. Human idolatry stems from deliberate ignorance and willful suppression of the truth, such as the clueless philosopher Aldous Huxley, having a toxic anti-God bias throughout his writings, preferring to worship self. All of society's horrible problems stem from idolatry just as our forebears experienced on the Sinai, providing an admonitory warning not to follow their example. We are warned not to yield to 1.) lusting or craving evil things, 2.) idolatry, 3.) sexual adultery, 4.) tempting Christ, and 5.) chronic complaining and murmuring. We are admonished to flee from these practices, trusting in God's faithfulness.




Loading recommendations...