Danger: That's Not God You're Following, It's YOUR Idol
In this sermon, the speaker expands the biblical concept of idolatry beyond overt worship of false gods to include any priority that displaces God in a believer’s heart. He begins by defining idolatry through Scripture (Exodus 20, Leviticus 26, 1 John 5:21, Colossians 3:5) and illustrates how modern believers can idolize spouses, children, careers, money, or personal ambitions. The talk warns that some pastors misuse the term to enforce excessive sacrifice and control, and it highlights the danger of "religious OCD" where believers obsessively measure devotion by time spent in religious activities. The speaker further explains that idolatry can arise from distorted perceptions of God shaped by emotions, intellect, culture, or peer influence, leading to a false image of God that affects emotions and behavior. Biblical examples such as Daniel 3 and the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are used to demonstrate steadfastness against false worship. The sermon concludes with practical exhortations: evaluate heart priorities, remain faithful to God’s word over circumstances, and respond to the call for financial support of the ministry, urging viewers to give, share, and engage with the channel.
Chapters
I want you to listen very carefully because idolatry isn't always very blatant. When you get caught up in what is called idolatry, that is to put things before God, to worship other gods instead of the one true living God, and that begins to affect every aspect of your life. Now you might be saying, well, I don't do that. I don't serve a god by another name, or I'm not worshiping false beings or false gods. Sometimes idolatry comes simply in the form of compromise. Sometimes idolatry is simply expressed in the way we spend our time. Sometimes idolatry is expressed simply in where we put our attention. Now, in 1 Corinthians 10:6-7, and in verse 14, the Scripture says this: These things happened as a warning to us so that we would not crave evil things as they did or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, the people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry. So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. So idolatry, yes, in its very basic sense, is the worship of a false god. But as we'll learn as we progress through the Scriptures, it's deeper than that, and it can be more subtle than that. In Exodus 20:3-6, we read this. You must not have any other gods but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children, and the entire family is affected, even children in the 3rd and 4th generations of those who reject me, but I lavish unfailing love for 1,000 generations on those who love me and obey my commands. So here we see, though idolatry was first introduced as something that was sinful in the Old Testament, we understand that in principle, that still carries over to today, and it's severe. There are severe consequences for idolatry, not just in the chaos that you invite in your everyday life, but also in the way that it affects you internally. In Leviticus 26:1, we read, do not make idols or set up carved images or sacred pillars or sculptured stones in your land so you may worship them. I am the Lord your God. So yes, idolatry, again, in its basic sense, is to worship another god, to worship another image, to construct for yourself Your idea of what you think God is, and worshiping that instead of the one true living God. And it's a severe thing. But it also is to prioritize someone or something over God. Your spouse can be an idol. Your children can be idols. The ministry God has entrusted to you can be an idol. Your business can be an idol. Your job can be an idol. Your money can be an idol. Your career can be an idol. The goals you've placed for yourself, though not evil unto themselves, can become an idol. Here's what the scripture says, 1 John 5:21, dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts. Now, this is so key. Because we may, in one sense, profess that Jesus is first, but we demonstrate by disobedience and compromise that he actually doesn't have the place of first in our hearts. Who sits on the throne of your heart? Who do you follow after? What is the priority of your life? You know something's an idol? Because if God were to ask you to give it up, that means— that doesn't mean that he always is asking you to give these things up. And this doesn't mean that you can't enjoy any of the blessings that he's given to you. You are supposed to enjoy your spouse. You are supposed to enjoy your children and your family and the ministry. Of course, we understand that, but a real test of the heart is, were God to ask you to give it up, would you obey him? Were God to require it from you, would you obey Him? Colossians 3:5 says, so put to death the sinful earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater worshiping the things of this world. So the worship of a false god, that's idolatry. Putting things before the Lord, as priority, that's idolatry. Greed in your heart for the material things of this world, that is idolatry. So idolatry isn't just this single definition. Idolatry, the sin of idolatry encompasses much more than that which is blatantly obvious to us. Idolatry can be as simple as prioritizing the pursuit of wealth over the pursuit of the kingdom. Idolatry can be as simple as preferring sin over the presence of the Holy Spirit. It can be something as simple as preferring security over stepping out in faith and trusting in what God is telling you to do. Now here, I need to say something, and I pray that the Holy Spirit helps me to word this properly. And I pray that the Holy Spirit helps you to receive this, because this is, This is something that I'm very passionate about telling believers, but it's often misunderstood. And I don't want it to be abused, but it does need to be understood. I'm gonna be very honest with you here. There are pastors and leaders in the world today who will twist, abuse, and warp this concept of idolatry in their favor. Let me explain. They may say to you, and this is just one example, try to see the principle, not just the specific example. They may say to you, well, why weren't you at prayer on Saturday morning at 7:00 AM? And you may say, Pastor, I always go to prayer on Saturday morning at 7:00 AM. But you know, my mother was in town and I hardly see her. So I thought I would just take the morning to spend some time with her. And the pastor may say to you, that's idolatry. You're putting your mom before God now. Now wait a minute, think about this. Is idolatry putting things before God? Or is idolatry putting things before ministry programs that a man implemented and wants to try to encourage you to be a part of. And pastors and leaders will use this concept to hang it over the heads of the people, beat them down into submission to where they can overwork them, exhaust them, and consume all their time and resources so they give nothing else to anything else. You don't measure your devotion to God By how devoted you are to a man's program and schedule. You measure how devoted you are to God by your obedience to what the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart and what the Word of God commands you to do, plain and simple. But some will take your devotion to Jesus, twist it, warp it, and make it seem like it's actually a devotion to them. Now, This is where I need to balance this. I'm not saying that there's never a time for sacrifice. There is a time for sacrifice. There are some Christians who suffer with what I call religious OCD. In other words, they're obsessively compulsive about certain biblical concepts. And it's really fear and anxiety disguised as devotion. I'll give you an example. If I talk about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, someone with religious OCD is gonna be like, Oh, I know I committed it. If I talk about demon possession, someone with religious OCD is gonna be like, oh, well, I definitely have a demon. If I talk about the rapture and missing the rapture, they're gonna say to themselves, well, I'm definitely going to miss the rapture. If I talk about vessels of wrath, they're gonna say within themselves, I'm definitely a vessel of wrath. If I talk about Jesus saying, depart from me, I never knew you, they're gonna say to themselves, well, that's me. Jesus is gonna tell me, depart from me, I never knew you. So they're always putting themselves in the worst case scenario. In this particular case, When it comes to idolatry, those who suffer with anxiety are gonna always be worried about putting something before God, and they measure it in the wrong way. They measure it purely in time. So they'll say something like, well, you know, I only spent 3 hours at church this week, but I spent, you know, 10 hours with my family. Maybe that right there, that is idolatry. Well, that's not how it's measured. Because if that was how it's measured, then sleep would be idolatry, 'cause you should be getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night. If that was how it worked, then work would be idolatry because you work 8 hours a day. If that was how it worked, then think about the time you spend with your wife or your children. No, God understands. He's given you a role to play. Some of you are spouses, some of you are parents, you have jobs, you go to school, you live in this world. God is not upset with you at that. Amen. For that, I should say. So this idea that if I spend too much time on something, therefore that is an idol, that's not what the scripture is describing. It's talking about prioritization in the heart. Yes, sometimes that prioritization gets measured in time, but that's not the only way to measure it. Otherwise you're going to be stuck in condemnation. So I wanted to clear that up too. Now, if this is blessing you and you think other Christians need to hear this kind of teaching, like this is eye-opening and you're like, I could think of brothers and sisters in Christ who have to hear this. One, share the video with them. Two, make sure to leave a like on the video right now. By doing so, you're helping to spread the video to more people. And tell me in the comment section, did anything I say, did you find it relatable? Anything that I said just now? And don't forget to subscribe to this channel so that you don't miss any of the content coming your way. And when you subscribe, make sure that you click that notification bell. So that you don't miss anything. Now, additionally, yes, idolatry is the worship of false gods. Yes, idolatry is to prioritize other things before God. And we covered the balance on that, don't forget. And yes, idolatry is to be so consumed by this material world that that becomes the purpose of your pursuit in life. But watch this now, and I pray the Holy Spirit helps you to get this in your spirit. Idolatry is also a misperception of God. Not just a— I'm not just talking about the constructing of a completely false god. I'm talking about the warping in our perception and those subtle warpings in our perception concerning the one true God. To make an idol is to construct for yourself a version of God that you find preferable. To commit idolatry is to construct for yourself or to perceive in God something that's not true. And a false perception of God will affect everything about you. I'll give you some examples. Your emotions can construct a god. For example, maybe there are days where you feel alone. And because you feel alone, you ascribe what your emotions tell you to the one true God, and you perceive him as a distant God. Or your intellect will construct a God for you. For example, in the realm of miracles, you may have trouble believing in healing for today. You may have trouble believing in the spiritual gifts. You may have trouble believing in the manifestations of his power. And that intellect now gets in the way, and you take what your intellect tells you is reasonable or preferable, or what makes you more comfortable, and you take that subtle distortion and you ascribe it to the one true God. And now you've removed from him his supernatural working power. Just these subtle shifts in who God is. Maybe your peers construct for you a god, your people around you, your friends. They're telling you constantly what they think God is or who they think, like Job's friends. They were trying to explain his suffering in a way that just wasn't true. And so you take on all these opinions and these subtle distortions affect your perception of God. Culture constructs a God, the school systems construct a God, religion has constructed a God. Religion tells you of this big, angry guy in the sky who's just looking for a reason to punish you. And that's just not who he is. Nevertheless, those perceptions will affect us. Watch this now, Psalm 135:15-18. The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear and mouths but cannot breathe. Now watch this, verse 18. This is so key. Holy Spirit, help us get this. Verse 18, and those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. Your perception of God affects everything about you. In other words, you become like that which you worship. You become like that which you worship. If you worship idols, have misperceived God, if you have allowed distortions from your emotions, from your mind, from your surroundings to affect your perception of God in such a way that you see him as angry, you're going to be angry. If you allowed your perception of God to cause you to see him as someone who is distant and cold, you're gonna be depressed. Someone who wants to punish you, you're gonna be filled with anxiety. Someone who stopped doing miracles, you're gonna lose your faith. Why? Because you become like that which you worship. This is why it's so important that we ground ourselves on the word, that we not see God according to what we hope is true, that we not see God according to what we want to be true, that we not see God according to our preferences and our compromises and the things that we want to have in this world, but we see God according to his word. That's right. to the way he's revealed himself through scripture, by revelation from the Holy Spirit. Your perception of God will affect everything about you. You see him as abusive, you're gonna be religious. If you see him as liberal, you're gonna be sinful. And sometimes circumstances demand that we bow to God in the way we've perceived him. Look at this, for example, Daniel chapter 3. King Nebuchadnezzar made a statue, a gold statue, 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then a herald shouted out, people of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king's command. When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar's gold statue. Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. Now we of course know that 3 Jewish men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, They refused to bow. They didn't wanna compromise. They didn't wanna bow to this perception of God, to this false representation of who the one true God was. And so of course we read on in verse 14, Nebuchadnezzar said to them, is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down. And worship the statue I've made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. Now, this is so key right here. Look at verse 18. But even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up. Even if he doesn't, we will not bow. Sometimes There are pressures around you that try to get you to reshape the way you think about God. We know that God is a God who delivers his people out of every trouble. So when you face trouble, you may be tempted to say, well, I'm in a trial. God promises to rescue me, so maybe he isn't a God who rescues. We know that God is a God who sets the captive free. And you may be struggling with some addiction or bondage. Ah, that's the temptation there. Now you're tempted to say, well, maybe, maybe he just delivers sometimes, not all the time. And you're allowing that circumstance to warp your perception of who God is. Or maybe you're believing for a healing in your body. And you're saying within yourself, well, I feel sick and I have a bad doctor's report. The Word promises healing, I'm still sick. Maybe I ought to change my view on God. And this is, sadly, this is the reason why many have stopped believing in healing. This is the reason why many, they change, what they do is they, Rather than matching their experience, or I should say, rather than interpreting their experience through the Word, they interpret the Word through their experience. And they say, well, not everyone I prayed for has been healed. Or sometimes people die of sickness, or, you know, I've prayed for healing in my own body and I'm not quite seeing it yet. And because of that, they switch their theology to try to match their reality instead of the Word. And they're bowing to a version of God who does not heal. Instead of saying, even if he doesn't, I will not bow. I'm holding to the one true God. And so your circumstances will say one thing. The word may say another. You have a choice to make. Are you gonna change what you believe about God because of circumstance? Or are you gonna cling to his word by faith and say, Lord, even if you don't, I will not bow. I will still believe in and declare a God who is according to the scriptures. Father, I pray you help us do it, to be faithful to you. Teach us what it means to have the fire of first love. And precious Holy Spirit, I pray you would inspire us unto greater love. Cultivate within our hearts The love of God, and cause us to walk in truth, that we might see deception before it takes root, and cause us to see the truth about God, and cause us to think according to the scriptures and not our circumstances. Keep us from the sin of idolatry. We devote ourselves to you. We surrender to you. We trust you. We worship you. And no matter what comes, Lord, we will not bow to the gods of this world. We will not bow to false perceptions of who you are. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. I want you to type it in the comment section real big. If you agree, type a big amen. Listen to what Jesus said. Matthew 6:24. No one can serve 2 masters, for you will hate one and love the other. You will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. You know, we as Christians have a responsibility to fund the kingdom of God. We as Christians have a responsibility to give of our resources to help support ministry works. And often Christians don't do that, not because they don't have any resources, but because in their heart, they're clinging to the material things of this world, and they've not repented of their idolatry or mammon in the area of their finances. You can't serve God and money. One of the tests of your heart, Jesus said it plainly, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. That's a test. So I'm asking you today to say yes to the Holy Spirit and no to the things of the world. Yes to the Holy Spirit and no to the fear of the flesh, to the greed of the flesh, to the apprehension of the flesh. I understand within us all, there's that side of us that wants to hold the resources, grip tightly, and say, one day I'll give, when the circumstance changes, I'll give, when things get better, I'll give, when the economy looks like this, I'll give, when I've reached that goal, I'll give. And all the while we're excusing ourselves, we're making excuses instead of just saying, Lord, I surrender in the area of my finances. So I'm asking you as your brother in Christ, stand with me. We as a ministry are experiencing such rapid growth that we need partners and supporters to come alongside of us to walk through these open doors. The nations are opening, opportunities in media are opening, opportunities in church planting are opening. I don't wanna say no to any kingdom opportunity. Help us win the soul of a generation. The need is urgent. Our ministry is growing fast, and I need you. The Lord is calling you to help us. So will you step out in faith today? Become a monthly ministry supporter, that is, give an automatic monthly gift by going to davidhernandezministries.com/partner. You can also give a single gift by going to davidhernandezministries.com/donate. Everything, single or monthly, it all counts. I also wanna challenge those of you who the Lord has blessed in business, who the Lord has blessed financially. Maybe you can give something that's above and beyond. Maybe you can give something that can help us finish one of our projects. I challenge you to release those larger seeds. This is good soil. We will do well with it. So step out in faith, no matter who you are, no matter what you're giving. Do it today for Jesus. Say no to mammon, yes to the gospel, yes to the kingdom. Now, if you enjoyed this message, make sure to also check out my other teaching. This one's important. I covered it. It's about a big deception in the church and it's titled Urgent. Huge deception poisoning the church right now. Make sure to check out that teaching.
