Focus: Beware Of Substitutes!

Text: 1Jh.5:21

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen."

Idols abound in our world. Man has made virtually everything he sees an object of worship. Man is a creature of worship and lives by worship. He cannot function without worship. He must worship someone or something. He worships either God, himself or things. Whatever tickles man's fancy, captivates or captures his heart becomes his god. Idols live and rule in his heart. Man also practices syncretism, which is the worship of God along with other things. He is not satisfied with one deity. Idols are gods falsely called. God has no competitor in the world. No other being or thing qualifies as God. 

Paul says, "We know that an idol is nothing in the world…," and calls idols, "dumb idols" (1Cor.8:4; 12:2). He also acknowledges that there is no agreement whatsoever between God's temple and idols. They do not match and cannot coexist. They share nothing in common.

Idols are lifeless, empty, unreal, unrelated, good for nothing, and mere imitations. Idols are things empowered by man and elevated into God's place. 

Idols are man-made, and when it comes to being God, they are total misfits. They are gods falsely called; they lack the power to meet expectations.

Beware of substitutes! We have all kinds of substitutes. Idols are substitutes for God. Israel says to Aaron, "Make us gods" (Ex.32:1). Idols are man-made gods. God says to Israel, "Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God" (Lev.19:4). Don't turn to idols; don't make idols! God says again, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me…Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold" (Ex.20:23,28). Refuse to make silver and gold into objects of worship! God alone is enough. God alone is all you need. 

The psalmist says, "For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens" (Ps.96:5). God is creator and maker; idols are not. In fact, God judges the gods. God says to Moses, "For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night… and against ALL THE GODS of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD" (Ex.12:12). God will judge the gods wherever He sees them. The psalmist says, "Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: WORSHIP HIM, ALL YE GODS" (Ps.97:7). 

Every false god in your life must bow the knees and worship the Lord God! He is the God of gods. It is written, "O give thanks unto the GOD OF GODS: for his mercy endureth for ever" (Ps.136:2). Listen, the psalmist is singing: "I will praise thee with my whole heart: BEFORE THE GODS will I sing praise unto THEE" (Ps.138:1). The psalmist is showing that the gods mean nothing by singing to the Lord right in the presence of the gods - good for nothing idols.

John is making us to understand that idols are snares, and the believer in Christ must do all in his power to keep them at bay. We must keep substitutes out of our lives.

Lusts are substitutes for love. Rituals are substitutes for reality. Shadow is a substitute for substance. Noise can be a substitute for sound. Mere formality can be a substitute for power. Human power can be a substitute for spiritual power. The immediate can become a substitute for the ultimate. The temporal can become a substitute for the eternal. Things can become substitutes for human beings. Counterfeits can become substitutes for the original. The arms of flesh can become a substitute for the supernatural ability of God. 

Let's keep away from substitutes! Let the church detect, detest and shun substitutes! No substitutes will do. No substitute is sufficient. Substitutes cannot satisfy. Settle for the real God - the God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. Idols are doomed to fail. They are hollow and shallow. Stay away from idols; they are not good for you. Idols are not worthy to be your God. Reject all forms of idols in your life! By God's doing we have already "turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" (1Thes.1:9). There should be no going back to idols. Let us constantly judge and banish any idol whenever and wherever we see it rearing up its ugly head! Amen!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter