RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR 28TH OF JANUARY, 2024

[3]Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

[4]Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

[5]Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

INTRODUCTION: An Idol is anything that replaces the One and only True God in our lives. It can be anything that appeals to our own heart more than God does, and anything that takes a significant amount of our time leaving us with little or no time to spend with Him. While the Scripture condemns idolatry in strong terms (Jeremiah 25:6), many Christians engage in idol worship today without knowing it.

Unlike the past, where idol worship is bowing down to statues and objects typical of pagans in many cultures, modern-day idol worship is expressed through various insatiable pursuits and cravings of man, driven by his sinful nature. These shift all attention to man, leaving God out of the equation (Isaiah 42:8). It is also expressed by portraying and painting God contrary to sound and total biblical precepts but revealing Him to suit personal values and ideologies (2 Timothy 4:3).

Quite often, modern-day idolatry takes the form of:

1. Self-worship – expressed through aggressive pursuit and realisation of goals and dreams in which God is excluded.

2. Materialism – great or excessive regard for worldly possessions (1 Corinthians 7:31).

3. Pride and Ego – which often takes the form of obsession with careers/ business to increase social status (Ecclesiastes 2:21-23; Proverbs 8:13).

4. Idolising fellow humans – reverencing renowned individuals above God e.g. music stars/actors, footballers, ministers of God, politicians, spouses, etc.

5. Naturalism and the power of science – this clings to the illusion that man is the lord of his world due to scientific and technological breakthroughs (2 Peter 3:10-13).

6. Self-indulgence – through alcohol, drugs, excessive watching of TV, excessive and abnormal use of social media, clubbing, and gambling among other things (1Corinthians 10:31).

1. Deviation from the laws and teachings of the Lord (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

2. Loss of zeal for the things of God (2 Timothy 4:10).

3. Generational departure from God (Hosea 4:17).

4. Eternal separation from God (1 Samuel 2:29-36).

5. Incurring a divine curse (Daniel 4:30-33).

Students should share with the class the consequences suffered for any form of idolatry they engaged in.

CLASS ACTIVITY 2: Students should share with the class the consequences suffered for any form of idolatry they engaged in.

CONCLUSION: Self-worship is the basis of all modern-day idolatry. It is a lifelong battle in Christian life that must be resisted (Ephesians 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:3-4).

* Mention at least five forms of modern-day idolatry.

* What are the consequences of modern-day idolatry?

ASSIGNMENT: Mention five ways of avoiding modern-day idolatry (2×5=10 marks).