This document discusses idols and worshipping God instead of idols. It begins by defining idols as anything we give our heart, soul, strength and mind to instead of God. We are created to worship God alone. While we may see outward sins as idols, inward idols like harmless hobbies can also take our attention from God. Several Psalms are cited showing how God provides greater joy and satisfaction than any idols and is our refuge, strength, and portion. To avoid idols, we must find God more awe-inspiring than any idols by meditating on his glory and provision in Scripture.

1. WHAT ARE YOU
WORSHIPPING?
Chapel – 3/11/14

2. WHAT ARE YOU WORSHIPPING?
• And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as
yourself.”
• Luke 10:27

9. Drew Cameron

10. WHAT ARE YOU WORSHIPPING?
• Why does God take idols so seriously?
• Ez. 14:2-3 And the word of the Lord came to me: 3 “Son of
man, these men have taken their idols into their
hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before
their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by
them?

11. WE ARE MADE TO WORSHIP
• Isa. 43:7 - Everyone who is
called by my name, whom I
created for my glory, whom I
formed and made.”
• We are created to worship
God – we were designed by
Him to be fulfilled and satisfied
in worship.

12. WHAT ARE YOU WORSHIPPING?
• Since we often consider more visible or outrageous sins to be
‘idols,’ we can overlook deep rooted idols in our own lives
(even if they involve good things).
• “When you think of idols of the heart, don’t think of
scandalous sins. Think of harmless hobbies in which children
[any of us] will invest vast amounts of time. Think of the
daydreams that provide excitement to a heart that is not
finding true and lasting pleasures in knowing God.” (Tripp, p.
97 Instructing a Child’s Heart)

13. WHAT ARE YOU WORSHIPPING?
• We were created to find satisfaction in
God alone – so, we will always come
up empty handed and unfulfilled as we
chase these idols.
• We are in effect asking our idol to fill a
void in our lives that it does not have
the ability to fill.
• Idols can be so appealing since they
may in some way (accurately or not)
reflect part of God’s character –
however, we must remember they are
at best a mere reflection of what God
Himself offers us – it is insanity to
follow anything less than Him!

14. •“We are made for God and we will be restless
until we find our rest in Him.”
•Augustine

15. HOW CAN WE WORSHIP GOD
AND NOT IDOLS?
• The answer to this question lies in how we view God – if He is
truly great in our minds and hearts, we will give Him the worship
He deserves.
• If we worship a God who is insignificant in our minds, we will be
led away by insignificant things.
• “Because your children are uniquely designed to worship God,
one of your most important callings is to display the glory of God.
Your job is to help your children see the dazzling excellence of
God. Children will never have right thoughts about themselves
until they have right thoughts about God.” (Tripp, p. 97)

16. HOW CAN WE WORSHIP GOD
AND NOT IDOLS?
• Psalm 4:6-7 - There are many who say, “Who will show
us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O
Lord!” 7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have
when their grain and wine abound.
• God gives greater joy than any earthly experience can
provide.

17. HOW CAN WE WORSHIP GOD
AND NOT IDOLS?
• Psalm 16:1-2, 5-11 - Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to
the LORD, “You are my Lord I have no good apart from you. The Lord is my
chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in
pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless
the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I
have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall
not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my
flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let
your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your
presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures
forevermore.”
• He is our refuge, guide, and source of every blessing we enjoy.

18. HOW CAN WE WORSHIP GOD
AND NOT IDOLS?
• Psalm 27:1-4 - The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I
fear? The Lord is the stronghold[a] of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and
foes, it is they who stumble and fall.3 Though an army encamp against
me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet[b] I will be
confident. 4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to
gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire[c] in his temple.
• He is our guardian and fortress – and within that protection we have
everything we need.

19. HOW CAN WE WORSHIP GOD
AND NOT IDOLS?
• Psalm 36:6-9 - 6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save,
O LORD.7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The
children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your
wings.8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give
them drink from the river of your delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
• He is completely powerful, loving, and provides everything we
need.

20. HOW CAN WE WORSHIP GOD
AND NOT IDOLS?
• Psalm 63:1-5 - O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for
you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.2 So
I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.3 Because
your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.4 So I will bless you as
long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.5 My soul will be satisfied as with
fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
• We find satisfaction in Him, we need look nowhere else than in Him.
• Psalm 73:25-26 - 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth
that I desire besides you.26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength[a]
of my heart and my portion forever.
• He is our strength and portion. This is the prayer of someone who is truly
worshipping God and not idols.

21. HOW CAN WE AVOID IDOLS?
• Realize the emptiness of worshipping false
idols – look for this as you read Scripture
and as you see it in every day life.
• Don’t ‘feed’ potential idols.
• “…Don’t present a worldview in which life
consists in these things, and God is just
icing on the cake. God is the cake!” (Tripp,
p. 106)
• You must be awestruck by God’s glory
• We must meditate on spiritual truth (both
with our minds and hearts)
• We must provide ourselves with the
spiritual alternatives to what those idols
supposedly offer us.