Image Breaker, Sin Slayer

"Cursed is the man who carves an image or casts an idol—a thing detestable to the LORD, the work of the craftsman's hands—and sets it up in secret." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"" (Deut 27:15).

So many idols in our world today... We fail to see and realize the need to break those images and set this generation free from idolatry.

Josiah freed his generation from idolatry.

"Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the LORD their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the LORD, the God of their fathers." (2 Chr 34:33).

I believe there's a certain zeal for God that the Holy Spirit puts in one's heart that makes a person despise idolatry. God's jealousy goes wild like a burning furnace. This fiery zeal of God is what made Jesus come to earth to put an end to idolatry.

What Are Idols?

An idol is an object of worship and adoration made in the likeness of anything that exists.

"
You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments." (Deut 5:7-9)

Many people think that idolatry is not as widespread today as it was in the past. They judge by their cultural understanding of the word "idol", referring to a statue.

Although there still are many people who worship and adore statues, even statues of Jesus, there are much greater images that have taken hold of societies and the youth and captured their hearts with this detestable practice. It's the love of money, music, sex, patriotism, philosophies, cultures, arts and so on... All of these are God-given rights to all people but setting them in a place of worship and adoration above the Lord of Lords in the heart of men makes them idols and images.

Why People Worship Idols?

In Numbers 25, we see how the devil approached the people of Israel with a new kind of attack, a new scheme, and a new strategy... It's called seduction!

A person who is immature spiritually, although a devout believer, may be deceived when the devil uses seduction. Seduction is not only related to women and sexual seduction. Many young people today are seduced with violence, certain music genres, art, rebellion, satanic worship, ornaments, piercings, religion, fame, food, drugs, sex and anything that is of exotic, weird, new, ancient and mystic, impressive or of a forbidden nature.

The truth is idolatry is in every man. Paul says all have sinned (Rom 3:23) and then says that the law is the power of sin (1 Cor 15:56). Since marrying gentile women was forbidden, the devil made use of that law to seduce the Israelites. Next, he used their deceived consciences to worship other idols until the sons of Israel, for whom the Lord had done so many miracles to deliver them from captivity in Egypt, rebelled against their God and dared to disgrace and disrespect His presence by not only indulging in sexual immorality with Moabite women and worshiping their gods but by bringing those women and habits in front of God's presence and sinning in the camp of Israel so boldly.

Phinehas acted on the zeal of God as he set himself apart from all the rest and prophetically killed sin and the sin nature by taking a spear and killing the sinner and the Moabite woman by a single stroke of a spear. This is what Jesus did on the cross. He not only took man's sin on Himself but also the sin nature of man, piercing it in his own body on the cross to destroy the power of sin.

"Phinehas...has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites." (Num 25.11-13)

Why Should You Worship Jesus? 

Jesus is your image breaker. Jesus is your bondage breaker. Jesus took upon himself the punishment / consequence of your idolatry and all of your sins, and destroyed your sin nature that is driven to worship the devil and all that comes from him. He gave you a new nature that is immune to seduction.

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (Ez 36:26)

But we all know that Christians today are seduced and many times fall into sin. That is where your mind's function comes in to fool you into believing in the old system that is dead: the law!

Paul says everything is permissible for me (1 Cor 6:12). But should I sin if that is so? "No way!" says in Romans 6:15. Jesus didn't set me free so I can go back and worship other gods! It's a matter of experience. It's whether you have had a real and delivering revelation of the Gospel or not, whether you have experienced the full power of the Gospel of Grace (Rom 1:16). Whether you have seen what Jesus did for you!

"Cursed is the man who carves an image or casts an idol..." (Deut 27.15) 

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed... After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Is 53:5,10-11)

This is the power of the Gospel: Grace... undeserving, unmerited Grace.

If your heart still leans towards idols instead of the living God, come and accept this gift... it's for free. It's called freedom, the genuine type of freedom, freedom to love and freedom to live life to its fullest. It's yours to receive before the throne of Grace.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Heb 4:15-16)