What gets the award in your life for what you love most, what you find to be the most ultimate thing? What do you place your identity in more than anything else? What’s your first place? What’s the #1 idol in your life?
As we come off of the celebration of the resurrection, We want to think about some practical ways that the resurrection could actually change our life. One way is to ask a simple question: If Jesus is the true and almighty king of the universe, who’s acceptance and love for us surpasses everything else… then the logical question to ask is, what’s keeping me from experiencing that love and acceptance?
Hence, our new teaching series, asking the question: “What are the idols in my life? What have I taken that was good and made ultimate? Where am I trying to find my value and my identity?”
This sermon, based on Hebrews 12, teaches that God disciplines us not in anger but as a loving trainer, using painful hardships to nurture our growth and produce righteousness. We are called to endure this process, trusting that His discipline is for our good and leads to ultimate blessings, including healing and sanctification.
Pastor Jim addressed the topic of body image, explaining that it often becomes an idol when we seek acceptance and worth apart from God. He taught that true and lasting beauty is found not in external appearances or our own works, but in the gospel truth that we are loved and accepted by God because of His grace.
This sermon teaches that money can become an idol, distracting us from our relationship with God and causing anxiety. We are encouraged to trust in God's provision and to seek His kingdom first, knowing that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.
This sermon teaches that placing our hope and seeking our rest in leisure and recreation is a form of idolatry, as these can't provide true fulfillment. The message encourages us to find our rest by coming to Jesus, who, with His gentle and lowly heart, offers us true rest and a relationship that truly satisfies.
This sermon reveals that our pursuit of worldly fame is a form of idolatry, but the gospel offers true freedom from this obsession in the person of Jesus Christ. By humbly receiving the honor He purchased for us through His sacrificial death, we are empowered to serve others and find our true worth in Him alone, rather than in the fleeting recognition of the world.
This sermon, from the series "First Place Goes To," teaches that even good things like children can become idols if they take the first place in our hearts instead of God. Using the story of Abraham and Isaac, the message encourages believers to confront their idols, reminding them that true worth and success are found in Christ alone, not in the achievements of their children.
