Australians Idolatrous Relationships

peterfarrar.com Home | Seminars | Preaching | Teaching Series | About Pastor Peter | Contact Pastor Peter | God’s Fire Blog Index By Topic | Blog Index From Newest To Oldest

While the following relates specifically to Australia, I am sure that it applies equally to most western countries:

The Bible tells us that anything we worship, anything we put in the place of God, is idolatry. The Bible tells us that God forbids idolatry.

Yet many Australians are committing idolatry right now.

For some it is cars, bikes, money, houses or other “possessions”. For others it is girlfriends, boyfriends, or other relationships. For many Australian Christians though it has become one, or both, of two distinct things: Football (or other Sports) and Ministries.

Football/Sports:

I am personally horrified, and I am sure that God is aggrieved, by the number of Christians and Churches who don’t have activities on football nights.

The sort of thing I am talking about is where Churches cancel services or meetings because it is football night (eg State of Origin, etc).

Where individual Christians place staying at home watching football ahead of the doing the works of God.

Where football becomes the highlight of the week.

Or where people excuse the drug-dealing of someone because they were a footballer.

If it was some bikie, no-one would have made a sound in defence.

But mention a so-called “football great” and we should have compassion on these drug dealers because they are our idols – never mind that their drugs poison our kids as much as some bikie’s drugs would.

They are the kings of football – how dare you speak against them!

In fact, footballers are such idols to many Australians they are even excused for the multiple rapes and other sexual improprieties they commit. (Just do a “Google” search engine search on “footballers’ rape” and see how many results you get)

Yet there are what? Maybe 3000 or less professional footballers Australia wide?

But the number of rapes committed by footballers is far larger than any other group of Australians – including outlaw bikies.

Even though, in Australia, there are far more outlaw bikies than professional footballers.

And yet we hold these footballers up as ‘role models’ for our children and worship them as idols, with people speaking up in their defence should anyone point out their sins?

A cricketer idol, (those other role model for our children), got excused for his sexting and adulterous affairs because he was a cricketer.

He even got a State memorial service in his memory!

No wonder our children are turning out like they are – they have been sacrificed to our idols – something God says is an abomination.

Pastors/Ministers/Ministries:

The other idol that many Christians build up and bow down to are certain “superstar” pastors/ministers or ministries.

I once reposted a video that was already on social media about a certain minister, and had some (supposed) Christians swearing at me and “un-friending” me.

Why?

Because I said we should use discernment and that certain practices, as portrayed in these videos, were wrong.

Well, when you dare to speak against someone’s idols you can expect to get lampooned.

Idolatry is an abomination to the Lord.

It is Jesus we are to worship and follow – not a man or a woman.

Some who would profess to be Christians forget that we are called “test the spirits” and to be “watchmen”.

If something is wrong it needs to be pointed out.

Both to stop others making the same mistakes and to give those concerned time to repent.

“The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. (call to repentance) But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’ (not testing the spirits and issuing a warning and a call to repentance) “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. (doing what God says to do!) When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.” (Ezekiel 33:1-9)

It is time that we as Australian Christians woke up, repented and got rid of all our idols.

“Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Exodus 34:14)

“Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 18:21)

“Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:4)

“You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 26:1)

“Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you;” (Deuteronomy 6:14)

“You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Deuteronomy 5:7)

“He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel.“ (1 Kings 21:26)

“I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 31:6)

“They worshipped their idols, which became a snare to them.” (Psalm 106:36)

“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.” (Psalm 115:4-8)

“This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.” (Jeremiah 2:5)

“Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry.” (Ezekiel 14:4)

““Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!” (Ezekiel 14:6) “On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in my house.” (Ezekiel 23:29)

“They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to Me, as food for them.” (Ezekiel 23:37)

“But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” ” (Daniel 3:18) ” because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!” (Romans 1:25)

“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” (1 Corinthians 10:14)

“What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” (2 Corinthians 6:16)

“And they abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.” (2 Chron 24:18) “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21)

“And God spoke all these words: ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 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’.”  (Exodus 20:1-6)

The video by poet Jackie Hill opens in a new “tab”: Jackie Hill’s poem “Jig-A-Boo”

Blog Index From Newest To Oldest

Blog Index By Topic