No Other Gods (Lesson 2)

Sorry about missing last week. We were helping a family in time of need.

To love and worship the one true God

Jeremiah 10:11-15 NASB

(11)  Thus you shall say to them, "The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens."

(12)  It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.

(13)  When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings out the wind from His storehouses.

(14)  Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them.

(15)  They are worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish.

Idolatry is an act of supreme foolishness

Jeremiah is preparing to deliver God’s message.  The gods that did not make heaven will perish from this earth.  Isn’t it wonderful to know that the one true God made the heavens and the earth.  He has all power and just from the sound of His voice He moves the waters in heaven and makes the clouds ascend to earth, lightning, rain and wind.

What a powerful God.  Then it is so terrible to think that people make their images from material that will pass away. They invest so much of their time. Time that could be spent serving Jesus.  Not only does the graven images pass away but their gods are dead gods.

John tells us how to make sure we have God.   

1 John 2:22-23 NASB  Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.  (23)  Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

Get all other things out of your life and ask Jesus to be your Savior today.

No Other Gods (Lesson 1)

To love and worship the one true God

2 Kings 17:7-8 NASB

(7)  Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had feared other gods

(8)  and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced.

Idolatry is an offense to God

Hoshea becomes king and does evil in the sight of God.  Not only does he continue in the ways of the past kings of Israel.  He becomes a servant to the king of Assyria and agrees to pay tribute to him.  After a while, he gets tired of this and calls on Egypt’s King for help.  Shalmaneser takes him prisoner, invades Samaria and carries away the people into Mesopotamia.

Clearly, the actions of Israel offended God.  Anytime we put other things before God, He is offended.  What are some of the things people place before God today?

Here are just a few things that could come between God and us.  Fishing, Golf, Shopping, even our loved ones, the fact is that anything can become an idol if it distracts us from God.

Satan is roaming the earth and is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  His goal is to do whatever it takes to draw us away from God.  Do not allow the distractions of this world to become an offense to God.  

Are You Serious? (Lesson 4)

Exploring God’s Judgment

2 Kings 10:11,18-19 & 23- 28 NASB

(11)  So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.

(18)  Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, "Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much.

(19)  "Now, summon all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests; let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal; whoever is missing shall not live." But Jehu did it in cunning, so that he might destroy the worshipers of Baal.

(23)  Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab; and he said to the worshipers of Baal, "Search and see that there is here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but only the worshipers of Baal."

(24)  Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside, and he had said, "The one who permits any of the men whom I bring into your hands to escape shall give up his life in exchange."

(25)  Then it came about, as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the royal officers, "Go in, kill them; let none come out." And they killed them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the royal officers threw them out, and went to the inner room of the house of Baal.

(26)  They brought out the sacred pillars of the house of Baal and burned them.

(27)  They also broke down the sacred pillar of Baal and broke down the house of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day.

(28)  Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel.

God’s judgment is comprehensive and complete

Here we see Jehu has totally removed Ahab and all his descendants from the face of the earth.  God had pronounced judgment on Ahab and through Jehu’s obedience, God’s judgement was thorough and extensive.  However, Jehu was not finished with annihilating Ahab and his family.   

He called for all the servants and prophets of Baal to gather under the pretense that he was going to serve Baal.  When he had them all in one place, he ordered his guards to kill them all. 

I wonder how many times these people saw the hand of God and failed to worship Him.  They would worship their false God’s in order to satisfy their own lusts and wants.  The sad thing is that we still have people today doing everything to prove God wrong.  People will not accept Jesus even though the Bible plainly says

1 John 2:23 NASB Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

Ahab did this and God’s judgement was comprehensive and complete.

Yes I am serious and God is too.

He is RISEN

He is RISEN INDEED 

Happy Easter!