1. Flee Idolatry: Spectacular and Successful Spirituality

[0:00] Well, let's turn our Bibles, shall we, to page 157 and to Deuteronomy chapter 13. Page 157, Deuteronomy chapter 13, and we're going to read the first five verses.

[0:14] We're starting a little series on this chapter, and you might like to, over this next couple of weeks, read it, and perhaps read chapter 12 as well, the chapters around it will help you.

[0:28] Let's just read the first five verses here of chapter 13. And this is Moses speaking to the children of Israel as they're on the brink of the promised land, after their wanderings in the wilderness, about at last to enter into the land.

[0:44] And the whole of this book is Moses expounding God's word to God's people for them as they're going to go and live in this land. And so he says, If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, Let us go after other gods which you've not known, let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams.

[1:15] You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.

[1:25] But that prophet or dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk.

[1:45] So you shall purge the evil from your midst. I'll keep the Bibles open and let's just pray, shall we? Heavenly Father, as we come today to your word, we thank you that it is a living word, that these words written all these centuries ago and spoken by your prophet were recorded for us, that you might speak to us today just as you spoke to them.

[2:12] Help us to see and to understand that powerful word to us today, we ask, and bless it to our lives, that we also might walk before you and keep ourselves only to you as long as we shall live.

[2:32] That we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. Well now the text of our three studies these next few weeks comes from the New Testament, from 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 4.

[2:45] Don't look it up, this is what it says. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. That's Paul speaking to the church in Corinth. But our focus is going to be on this chapter, Deuteronomy chapter 13.

[3:00] So let me explain. At the heart of the Christian faith is worship of the one true God. And therefore the clear understanding that all other gods and all other worship is false.

[3:17] False gods and false worship. Now immediately, of course, that's very politically incorrect today, isn't it? Because exclusiveness like that is very much out in our society today.

[3:29] The things that are in are inclusivity and pluralism. But if we want to take the Bible remotely seriously, then there's simply no avoiding this fact.

[3:42] We may not like it, but God insists on it. There is only one God and we worship him his way. And all through the scripture we find warnings about this exclusivity of worship that is absolutely central to what it means to serve God truly.

[4:00] And way back, as I've said, when Israel was on the brink of the Promised Land, Moses warned the people, just as Paul warned the church in Corinth, to flee idolatry. Be very careful, Moses said.

[4:13] There must be no idolatry. Why? For the Lord your God is a consuming fire and a jealous God. That's Deuteronomy 4, verse 24.

[4:23] So flee idolatry. And that's why on Mount Sinai, the very first command spoken of the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments, was this. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

[4:38] You shall have no other gods before me. It's the first commandment. And the second commandment? No idols of any kind. For, says Deuteronomy 5, verse 9, For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the fourth generation.

[5:01] Now you may be thinking, as you listen to me read these things, you may be thinking, thank God then, that we are New Testament Christians. We're not under the terror of the law, of that voice that came from Sinai, and all the shaking and the quaking.

[5:15] Well, just hold on a minute. What does the New Testament say to us? If you read Hebrews chapter 12, when you get home, you get a bit of a shock, because verse 25 of that chapter, written to the New Testament church, says this, If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, that's Sinai, how much less will we escape if we reject him who warned us from heaven?

[5:41] For, our God, says the Apostle, the New Testament God, the God made fully known in Jesus Christ, our God is a consuming fire.

[5:55] See, God hasn't changed, and neither have people changed. Certainly true, of course, that as New Testament Christians, we have a far greater privilege than any of those who lived under Moses, but of course that means also we have far greater responsibilities.

[6:10] With privilege always comes responsibility. But you see, we still face, don't we, the same temptations, the same dangers of drifting away from the true God and drifting away from true worship.

[6:24] And that's why Paul has to warn a church like Corinth, a vibrant church, a gifted evangelical church. He warns them, flee from idolatry.

[6:37] Don't be presumptuous, he says. If you think you're standing firm because of all your knowledge, all your gifts, history makes you think again.

[6:49] Be careful if you think you're standing firm. Beware, he says, lest you fall. Flee idolatry. And Paul says to them, if you read 1 Corinthians 10, you'll see this, he says, one of the ways that you flee idolatry, one of the ways that you keep yourself safe, is being humble and learning from the past.

[7:12] Learning from what your forefathers had to learn. Very important, isn't it, for us as Christians not to reject the past, to learn from it. Whoever it was who said history is bunk was talking nonsense.

[7:24] They were wrong. And certainly as far as the church is concerned, history is very important. It's when history is forgotten in the church of God that heresy gets a foothold.

[7:35] That's always the case. So Paul says to the church in Corinth, look back to the Old Testament, to the history of God's people because these things were written down for us, for our instructions so that we don't fall into the same sins as they did.

[7:52] That's why it's in our Bibles. Look back, for instance, to, well, chapters like Deuteronomy 12 and 13 which Moses teaches to the people and what he's doing in these chapters is he's picking up and expounding the first and the second commandments against idolatry.

[8:11] He's applying it to God's people and telling them what it really means and what it looks like in their life. It's worth reading these two chapters when you get home just to go a bit further into them.

[8:22] We don't have time to do that just now but just look at one of two things in chapter 12. Deuteronomy 12 is all about exclusiveness and exclusivity in the worship of God.

[8:34] If you read it, you'll see that. It's crammed, in fact, with what I call necessary negatives. We don't like negatives, do we? We don't want to be negative but the Bible's full of things that say no, not that way but this way.

[8:48] Just look at verses 4 and 5 of chapter 12. You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way. You see? They're not to worship God in the way the pagan world round about wants to worship God but the way God says in his one place.

[9:04] Look at verse 5. But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go. And that's the way you're to worship.

[9:17] Look down to the very end. The last section of chapter 12 is headed there warnings against idolatry. You see what Moses is saying there is when you enter the land of Canaan verse 30 you're not to inquire about their pagan gods and say well how do they serve God?

[9:36] Let's copy them. That's not enlightened thinking says Moses. That's not going after some fresh insights and learning from other traditions.

[9:48] No. What does he say verse 31? You shall not worship that way for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done. That's an abomination says God. And you're not to do it.

[10:01] That kind of religious curiosity can be fatal. You're to flee from idolatry. You're to flee that kind of pluralistic interfaith jumble of worship.

[10:15] Flee that. It's an abomination to the true God. You worship God his way. Now what I command you to do says verse 32 that's how you worship.

[10:27] Everything I command you you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take away from it. You do as I say. That's pretty clear isn't it? Read through the whole of chapter 12 and it's very very clear.

[10:41] But you see you would think we need nothing else after that clarity but the Bible is much fuller of realism than we are. Because God recognizes that although we know the truth often although we want to serve God as Christian people believing people the fact is we're in a battle.

[11:00] It's hard isn't it? It's hard to stay true to God. If you don't find that if you don't struggle to be true to God then I'm quite worried about you. If that's what you think I'm not really sure that you're actually a believer that you really understand.

[11:16] Because the mark of the true believer in the Bible is that God has put enmity into our hearts to put us into a struggle against the world and the flesh and the devil. The very mark of what it means to be a believer is not to be floating along merrily on a bed of ease as though life was grand.

[11:35] It's to be in struggle just because God has put his spirit into our heart the spirit that is against the way of the world. Now you see real worship real service of God real living for God and of course that's what real worship means living for God serving him honoring him in everything that we do well it's very hard.

[12:00] At least I find it very hard maybe you don't. But it is hard isn't it because there are many many lures in life to false worship to idolatry.

[12:12] We don't set out do we to desert God but we're very easily led astray we've got an enemy and an enemy who the New Testament tells us is prowling around always seeking to see who he can devour.

[12:26] And here's the thing our enemy knows our weaknesses he knows your weakness and mine far better than you know them yourself. It's a worrying thought isn't it?

[12:37] And so he knows how to tempt you he knows how to trap you. The devil I think has a doctorate in human psychology. He's the sharpest and the shrewdest reader of your psyche that ever you'll find anywhere in this world and mine.

[12:56] And that's a fact we've got to reckon with. And the fact is he is ruthless in exploiting that knowledge of you. And he will target his temptations. He won't waste time tempting you on something you're not vulnerable to.

[13:08] But he knows what will trip you up best and he'll target right there in your life. That's the reality. And that's why we as Christians have to be very street wise where we have to be very alert where we have to be ready to flee and to fight those temptations.

[13:25] And that's why Moses doesn't stop at the end of chapter 12 just after he's laid out those plain negatives and what we are to do. He goes on into this chapter 13 a chapter that alerts us to some of the powerful lures that we will face to false worship to deserting God.

[13:41] Things that can devile us and destroy us and divert us from the true God the Lord of heaven and earth. And the real question that he's asking us at the very heart of this chapter is this is the Lord really the only God in your heart?

[13:58] Is he the vision and the Lord of your heart? Nothing else there. He tells us in this chapter that God allows us to face lures and temptations away to false gods and to false thinking in order to test us.

[14:16] You see that in verse 3? For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. Is the Lord really the only God to us?

[14:35] Or in the language of this chapter which is rather brutal and frank do we really love God enough to execute the opposition? That puts it quite sharply doesn't it?

[14:47] Because God himself takes it that seriously. Now we tend to be a bit squeamish about the kind of demands that we read in this chapter. We've just read some of it but we'll read more and it gets even more hair-raising.

[15:00] Verse 5 That prophet shall be put to death. But if we feel like that listen to what C.S. Lewis says It's not because of our greater Christian sympathy it's really because of our appalling moral apathy.

[15:15] Or as Chris Wright says in his commentary it's not because we have a greater appreciation of human life but because we've lost all sense of the awful majesty of God.

[15:26] We don't really think it matters that much if people should worship other gods and the true God. But you see to God who is the creator of heaven and earth and the Lord of all things and the Lord of your heart it matters a very great deal if you spit in his face and worship an idol.

[15:45] Well we all face many, many temptations that will lure us away from this life of faithfulness to the true God to the living God. In the time left this afternoon let's just look at the first one in verses 1 to 5 here.

[15:59] I'm calling it the lure of spectacular and successful spirituality. Verse 1 and 2 you see speak about a prophet or somebody who arrives and does signs and wonders and they're real signs and wonders and they come to pass.

[16:16] It's an amazing power isn't it? And there is an amazing power and influence from glitz and success especially if signs and wonders and things like that are very real and evident.

[16:28] Now it's true whether it's ancient Israel or whether it's the church in Corinth or whether it's the church today. And sometimes things like that really do come to pass and they're not just fakes because there's plenty of fakes too.

[16:41] Plenty of charlatans around who prey on the naivety of Christians and get people to send their money in in response and get prayers and that sort of thing. You see it all the time on the television in the United States particularly.

[16:54] Last time I was there there was a guy I was watching who was asking for $20 to be sent in and he would send you a green handkerchief which he had blessed and you put this green handkerchief on you and you would get a blessing or you get healing or whatever.

[17:05] Hundreds of thousands of dollars were coming in for these green handkerchiefs. So there's plenty of nonsense like that but sometimes movements appear and they really do seem to be something special.

[17:17] They really do have perhaps real miracles or maybe it's just real signs of extraordinary success. Huge churches great movements built on a particular philosophy or great prosperity that really does seem to come.

[17:35] And when something like that happens it can be so very convincing that you'll begin to listen to anything that those people say because you're so impressed with a very evident success.

[17:50] Now it's the situation here isn't it? And such can be the lure of that success that you'll even listen to what these people are saying when they begin to take you away from what you know in your heart of hearts to be biblical truth and orthodoxy.

[18:06] It might be very surreptitious at the start very very subtle but underneath what is really being said is what's there in verse 2. Let's go and serve other gods.

[18:21] Now we know that happens don't we? It's easy to see how there is there's a great appeal isn't there to a gospel that offers us for example fresh and exciting experiences of spirituality.

[18:33] That's very very tempting to you and me when we're maybe feeling like we're struggling and we're feeling very spiritually dry. Or a gospel that appeals to great success.

[18:44] That's very appealing when we're seeing just failure when we're struggling along in the day of small things and we'd love to see more. But look at verse 3 again. God is testing you.

[18:58] He's testing you to see where your real love and commitment is whether it's to him or just to things that look good. And you are to test these things says God according to everything that God has taught you in the past in his word.

[19:14] Verse 2 is clear you see isn't it? The true test is never just power and success. It's doctrine and truth. If his words go away from the truth no matter what power he might have real power then even real power means you shouldn't listen to him.

[19:36] Verse 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer. We test all movements like that not by their claim to be a new blessing from God not by their success not even by real growth and all sorts of things but by the words of God in scripture.

[19:56] It's not miracles not signs and wonders it's not success that God necessarily honors or even cares about. What does God care about? Verse 4 you shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice.

[20:15] This is very clear isn't it? That's what matters to God. And however spectacular or successful something may be if it leads you away from that obedience to God and living for him then according to God it's not a fresh insight of the spirit it's not the latest blessing on the church it's not a fresh expression of religious insights from other traditions or religions what is it?

[20:41] Verse 5 do you see? It's rebellion he is taught rebellion against the Lord your God it's an evil he says to be purged from the midst that's very strong language isn't it?

[21:00] We tend to say well surely there's no great harm in that it's good to have enthusiasm we don't want to be negative we don't want to quench the spirit but God isn't so reserved is he?

[21:12] He says it's idolatry it's rebellion flee from it purge the evil from among you I wonder what you think of that I don't think the Lord would get on too well in a debate in the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland or the General Synod of the Church of England would he?

[21:30] Not very diplomatic you see we can't just write this off either for being ancient Israel and for primitive times because all through the Bible we get the same warnings that come again and again Moses himself says to his people that there will always be false prophets and false teachers that arise in God's Church always luring people away from the truth of God by attractive things successful things alternative ways of doing church that seem to be all the rage today and so it was just read Jeremiah chapter 23 God says to the people don't listen to all these contemporary prophets they continually say to those who despise the word of God it shall be well with you to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart no disaster will ever come upon you that's what they were saying then that's very contemporary isn't it of course you don't need to take the Bible so seriously on some of these things sexual things and other things it's all outdated of course

[22:35] God will never judge anybody he's a God of love it's exactly what many prophets are saying in the church today isn't it it was the same in Ezekiel's day Ezekiel chapter 13 speaks about it prophets who said peace peace God doesn't mind your lifestyle God doesn't mind your religious experimentation just do what you like but God said there is no peace I'm angry with you for that read the Lord Jesus himself in Matthew 24 he says right till the very end of time there will be those who come in the name of Christ but deceiving even the elect if that was possible he says that's why the New Testament letters themselves are constantly writing against precisely these kinds of things movements that arise within the church often offering advanced spiritual experiences and so on but actually denying and undermining the true gospel of grace alone and it can be very beguiling very very alluring otherwise nobody would fall for it would they especially when it's attended by all kinds of excitement all the trappings of success and growth we're so keen for that aren't we in the church today but you see

[23:59] God wants us to be realistic about the subtlety of sin and about deception that comes even in our spiritual lives even as believers so attractive isn't it a message that says peace it's not a fight you don't have to go on struggling day after day with sin struggling for obedience look here's a way a way of special blessing you can get it by by laying on of hands or special prayer or whatever it might be following this particular teaching a way of immediate fulfillment peace can be very very alluring in Christian service and Christian ministry and church work isn't it especially when it goes hand in hand with spectacular and growth no church work doesn't have to be slow and painstaking and full of struggles look what you can have if you follow this new church growth movement well I can tell you as a pastor that's very very tempting very tempting especially a church nearby is zipping up its numbers and it's full of buzz and excitement and there's no odium there because they're not known for being bible obsessed and fundamentalist and that kind of thing it's very hard for the lure of success not to get a hold on you not to lead you into departing from truth or at least the very least playing down some of the more difficult parts of

[25:28] God's truth some of the more offensive parts to the world today but you see God is saying trust me there's only one judgment that counts the very wonderful verse you know in John's gospel John 10 verse 41 where people are recalling the ministry of John the Baptist and they say this John did no miracle but everything that John said about this man Jesus was true you see it's not power or success or glitz it's truth about Jesus that God loves and honors just as we finish just notice particularly verse 5 notice that always at the heart of all kinds of pull towards idolatry are adrift away from two things from the historic gospel of the work of the cross and from the historic challenge of the life of the cross the New Testament is clear isn't it the drift from those two things always goes hand in hand people will reject the message of the cross because they don't want the demands of the cross the obedience to God's way to living under his rule that's why

[26:43] Paul says to Timothy watch your life and doctrine closely because the two always go hand in hand and that's exactly what we see here in verse 5 isn't it rebellion against the historic gospel the redemption of God the God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery and adrift from the rule of God leaving the way of the Lord to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk that's always the pattern abandoning the redemption of God the true gospel of the cross and abandoning the rule of God the true life of the cross always the pattern so don't be lured away from the one true God by the lure of spectacular and successful spirituality the kind of things that are constantly arising up in and around the Christian church don't be dazzled by success don't be dazzled even by wonders and power says God but instead listen out listen out for disinterest or frank departure from the centrality of Christ's redemption from the true doctrine of the cross and from the centrality of Christ's rule the true life of the cross know the true voice of the

[28:09] Lord and fear him and keep his commands and obey his voice because the Lord is testing you to see whether you really love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul anyone or anything that would lead you away from obedience to the way of the cross and belief in the work of the cross that influence must be absolutely executed cut off in your mind and in your attention flee idolatry let's pray Lord will you be our vision and the true Lord of our heart we want nothing else to take your place except for you will you be our best thought by day or by night waking or sleeping your presence alone the light of our lives keep us and protect us we pray for we ask it in

[29:20] Jesus name Amen