1.23.05
How to Escape Enslaving Sins Part 7     

“Idols of the Heart”
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Summary: To cut off the power of the enslaving sin, depose the idols of the heart (greed) through gratitude.
Review
How to gain a position of strength in the war: 
STEP 1 Get help (alliances and reinforcements) Accountability & Exposure
STEP 2  Get divine firepower – the Holy Spirit. (through Scripture, prayer, fellowship & worship)
STEP 3 Amputation (secure a perimeter) Cut off the things that draw you into sin. In order to be free, you’re going to have to make the decision to take some radical steps. You’re going to have to forsake some things, and they are going to be things that, when you first consider it, will seem impossible to give up. If you cut out some minor little thing in your life, and think that by doing that you are following this principle, remind yourself that Jesus said, “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.” He used the illustration of amputation of a limb. He did not say, “If your hair causes you to sin, cut it off.” He wanted us to think in terms of radical amputation. And the reason this is such a crucial step is because it’s a fruit of true repentance. We all know that the first step in turning from a sin is repentance. And the decision to repent is a decision to turn your back on that sin. And so whatever power you have to remove that influence from your life, you’ll do it.
Don’t go near her door
There is a lengthy section in Proverbs (5-7) that warns us against a very dangerous threat. The threat is personified as a woman, and she is a called by a number of names in that section: - the adulteress, he strange woman, the prostitute, another man’s wife, etc.  Who is this woman?   She is not a person. In fact, she’s not even a representation of an actual loose woman or certain kind of person. It’s an abstraction.  “The Adulteress” is just a personification of the lure of sin – especially sexual sin.” So each time you see her in these ch., fill in any temptation – especially the temptation that is the greatest threat to you. And the most basic principle in that section on how to escape her clutches comes in Pr.5:8.

Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house 

You can’t help it if she comes to your door, but you don’t have to go hang around hers. Proximity is 90% of the battle with temptation. We think, “Well, I’m not tempted at all right now, so I can go near her door.”   Of course you’re not tempted now – because you’re not near her door.  The famous last words of the fool are, “I can handle it.” 
	Prov 7:6-23 tells the story of the young fool, who doesn’t follow this advice. He figures he’s strong enough to handle it, and so he goes near her street, and down toward her corner. And the decision to do that ends up costing him his life. If your plan is to continue to live in close proximity to temptation, and just try to resist it through your overwhelming inner strength, take heed to the words at the end of that section in Pr.7.
26 Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. 27Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.  You think you can handle temptation? her slain are a mighty throng  Don’t kid yourself.  There is a mighty army of men stronger than you that she has conquered.  Do not mess around with temptation. Remove it from your life as much as you possibly can. 
	That’s essential, because refusal to do so means you are not truly repentant. Sometimes people assume their repentance wasn’t real if they keep falling to the same temptation. I don’t agree with that. I think you can genuinely repent, but then afterward get caught up by temptation and fall again and again. However, if you are unwilling to forsake the things in your life that bring about that temptation, then you are definitely not repentant.
Let the wicked man forsake his thoughts
A crucial part of repenting over a sin is forsaking your connections to that sin. And the starting point is with your thoughts. One of the most basic passages in Scripture on repentance is Isa 55:7
Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. 
	There are two things you need to forsake: your way and your thoughts. Sometimes we forsake the way, but not the thoughts. Suppose a man struggles with pornography. He decides he’s going to follow the principle of radical amputation and forsake his pornographic way. So he makes the hard decisions. He cancels his cable. He gets Covenant Eyes on his computer. He cancels his subscription to his magazines, even though they are paid up for the next two years. He re-arranges his life so he’s not alone during the times when he would normally use pornography. He has forsaken his way. But he still clings to his thoughts. When the moment comes when a thought about those images comes into his mind, or the thought about the pleasure of a cigarette, or the thought about that man she’s not married to but has a crush on, when that thought comes, and God says, “Are you willing to forsake those thoughts?” his answer is, “NO!” And the truth is, he has no intention of forsaking those thoughts. Radical amputation means a willingness to cut off all your ties to that sin. 
	We need to keep in mind that the greed and lusts in our hearts are intentional, voluntary decisions we make. Lust is deliberate. 
Mt.5:27-28  You have heard it was said do not commit adultery. But I say to you, anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
That is not a great translation. Literally it says anyone who looks at a woman in order to lust after her…
If you are minding your own business, a seductive woman crosses your field of vision, impure thoughts pop into your head, and you reject those thoughts – that’s not the kind of thing Jesus is talking about. What He is talking about is when you make the decision to look at her with the deliberate intention of lusting. It's talking about the man who decides to use his eyes to awaken his desires - a man who looks in such a way as to deliberately stimulate passion intentionally activating lust. Sometimes people will decide to think about their enslaving sin, roll it around in their mind like a piece of candy for a while, and then they cut it off. And they think they’ve done a great job resisting temptation, because they didn’t do anything. But sin is sin even if you only indulge in it mentally.

STEP 4 Execute Infiltrators

Once you have secured a perimeter of living space where you have removed the enemy (temptation) as much as possible, yYou find that there are still some infiltrators that remain. I mentioned them briefly in last Sunday’s sermon. Scripture calls them idols of the heart.

Ezek 14:2-8  Then the word of the LORD came to me: 3 "Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts… 
4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry. 5 I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.' 
6 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices! 
7 "'When any Israelite or any alien living in Israel separates himself from me and sets up idols in his heart …
8 I will set my face against that man 

Ezekiel is revealing something that was actually pretty obvious all along: Idolatry takes place in the heart. The idol is not that statue up on some pedestal. When someone worships an idol, the location of that idol is in the person’s heart. An idol of the heart is anything you have elevated above Christ in you heart. That’s why I told you last week in the sermon, the way to identify an idol is:
-	if you will sin to get it
-	if you will sin to keep it
-	if you will sin if you don’t get it
	If you will do one of those three things, you have just proven that that thing is a higher priority in your heart than Christ, which means it’s an idol. 
	It’s not wrong to desire a good job. But if I will sin to get it (by lying for example), I’ve just proven that that’s an idol in my heart. It’s not wrong for me to desire my child’s affection and love. But if I will sin to keep it (by refusing to discipline), then I’ve made his or her love an idol. It’s not wrong for me to want respect from my wife. But if I will sin when she fails to give it, I know that that desire has become an idol in my heart. The NT word for idolatry of the heart is “greed.” 
Eph 5:5 of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Col 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
So whether you use the OT name of “idols of the heart” or the NT term “greed,” it’s the exact same thing. 
	Don’t misunderstand the word “greed.” You’re not guilty of greed just because you want something really bad. Greed is when you’re so devoted to something that you’ll sin to get it.  Jesus really, really wanted the cup of suffering to pass from Him the night before the crucifixion, but that wasn’t greed, because as strong as that desire was in Him, He had a stronger desire – God’s will. So when He prayed, He said, “Please let this cup pass from Me, nevertheless, not My will but Your will be done.” So greed is when you want something so much that you want it more than you want God’s plan.
	At this stage in the process we are trying to eliminate the enemy’s access into your life. Last week we cleared out your house, your work, your car – the areas of your life where you have some control over which temptations will be present. We made some radical amputations and cut off some avenues through which the enemy was able to attack us. So now we’ve cleared out our living space the best we can. But that’s not enough. We can’t just clear the enemy out of our camp. We also have to clear him out of our hearts. We have to snuff out greed. We have to depose the idols of our hearts.
“Addiction” is powered by greed
Think for a minute about what supplies the power of an addiction. What is it that has so much power that it can hold you in its grip even while you are struggling with all your might to get loose? What is it that has so much power that it can take away all a man’s money, his health, his family, his job, his joy in life, and still he won’t let go of it? Most things, if they caused you that much trouble, you would drop them like a hot potato. What is it that gives an enslaving sin its power over you?
	The way to get into a position of real power in a committee is to get the position of chairman. The way to get into a position of real power in a company is to become the president of that company. The way to get into a position of real power in a corporation is to become CEO. The way to get into a position of real power and influence in a country is to become the king. And the way to get into a position of real power in a person’s life is to ascend to the throne of his heart, and become an idol in his heart. The reason enslaving sins have such incredible power in your life is because they have come up through the ranks and attained the position of an idol.
	There isn’t anything more fundamental that we will cover in this class then what we cover today. The world is at a loss to solve the problem of enslaving sins, because they don’t even know the cause. We know the cause – idols of the heart. And so we can get right at the root of the solution. The world’s methods, as they flail around in the dark, may, by coincidence strike a blow or two at an idol of the heart, and so sometimes they have success, but we know with precision what the problem is, and so we can, with precision, find a solution. 
	It should come as no surprise that both places in the NT that speak about idols of the heart talk about them in connection with sexual sins. Remember, sexual sins are the main illustrations Scripture uses when it talks about enslaving sins, because they are the most enslaving. So when you read about idols in the NT (which Paul says is the same things as greed), it appears in the context greed – especially sexual greed.
Eph 5:3-5 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Col 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

1 Cor 5:9-11 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters . In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. 

1 Cor 6:9-10 Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Cor 10:7-8 Do not be idolaters , as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry."   8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did 

13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry .

Gal 5:19-20 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry 

1 Peter 4:3-4 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do — living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry . 

The whole book of 1 John address the problem of continuing in sin, and the very last verse of that books says: Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. (1 John 5:21)

Very often people wonder what is so sinful about sexual sin. They say, “I can see why murder or stealing are bad, but what’s so bad about 2 consenting adults expressing love to one another?” or “What does it hurt if a guy looks at pornography?” “Where is the evil in it?” But if you understand the principle of idolatry of the heart, you can see what’s so evil about it. Using pornography is sin, because it arises out of an idolatrous, greedy heart.
Porn is Sin
We should probably take a moment to establish that, because some people doubt it. There are Christian married couples who will look at pornography as part of their sex life, and they don’t regard it as sin. It is sin. Jesus said if a man looks at a woman in order to lust, he is guilty of adultery. The same goes for looking at an image of a woman. And if you doubt that, think of it this way: Suppose someone were standing there when Jesus said that and asked, "What if I just have the woman stand by a mirror and I look with lust at the image in the mirror, not the actual woman? Is that pure and righteous and holy?" What do you think Jesus would say? 
	The point Jesus was making is that if it's wrong to do, then it's wrong to think about. Anything that would be wrong to do with another woman is wrong to think about doing. And since it would be wrong to stand in a room with a woman and watch her undress, then it's wrong to think about that. And obviously if you are looking at images of it you are thinking about it.
	Secondly, Scritpure teaches that a man is to gain 100% of his sexual satisfaction from his wife. 
Prov 5:18-20 rejoice in the wife of your youth. 19 A loving doe, a graceful deer--may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. 20 Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife? 21 For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD
All your sexual fulfillment is to come from your spouse. And when you seek it from some other source - even if it's just visually - you are being greedy for that which God has not given you. And Eph.5:5 and Col.3:5 call that idolatry. And it's interesting that the only thing that is mentioned in Pr.5 is breasts and the bosom (which is the whole chest area). So deriving any sense of sexual satisfaction from another woman's body - either by touching it, or looking at it or thinking about it, is adulterous.
Fantasy
That means whether you use pornography of not, the sexual fantasy itself is sin, which is why I’m convinced that self-stimulation is sin. I realize that is a point of debate among Christians. And as private a matter as that is, I feel we should address it in this class, because a huge number of people are enslaved to that practice. They think it’s probably wrong, so they feel guilt over it, yet they are not fully convinced it’s wrong, so they don’t take any serious steps to stop it. I would suggest that it’s wrong for at least 3 reasons:

1.	It violates the principle of deriving sexual satisfaction from your spouse alone.

If you find satisfaction in yourself, you are robbing your spouse of intimacy. If your only possibility for sexual release is from your spouse, you will be much more motivated to pursue the kind of intimacy with him or her that will result in a satisfying sexual relationship. Every bit of sexual satisfaction that you get from some other source besides your spouse – even if it’s just mental – decreases the amount that you need your spouse. And that will reduce the amount of energy you put into pursuing intimacy with your spouse.

2. It violates the principle of Matt 5:28. anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 
	If it’s wrong to do it’s wrong to think about. And self-stimulation always involves impure thoughts. So a decision to do that is a decision to sin.

3. It violates the principle of 1 Cor.7:9 If they do not have self-control, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
	It doesn’t say, “If they are burning with passion, let them either marry or masturbate.” Just like in Proverbs, throughout 1 Cor.7 the only option for sexual fulfillment or the alleviation of sexual desire is sex with your spouse. 
I wanted to take a moment to establish that that is sin, because if the question is fuzzy in your mind, there is no chance of being freed from it. That goes for any enslaving sin. If there is any question in your mind at all about whether it’s sin, there is zero chance you’ll be free from it. That’s why it’s so hard for overeaters – it’s so hard to discern exactly when it crosses over into sin. Eating is a good thing. And it’s good to enjoy it as a gift from God. But when it becomes an idol, it’s sin. And determining exactly when that line is crossed is not easy. But it’s essential that you do it, because as Christians, we are motivated more than anything else by what is sin and what is righteousness – what pleases God and what does not.
Why is Greed Idolatry?
So what is it that makes greed idolatry? There are two reasons I can think of why Scripture equates greed with idolatry.
1. It is misdirected desire.
	At the core of worship is desire. The greatest praise you can give God is to desire Him, because that’s the most emphatic statement you can make of how desirable He is. And so your desires really do indicate what you are worshipping. There are really only two possible things you can worship: the Creator or the creation. That’s all there is. When you enjoy the creation as part of your love for God, that’s true worship. When you enjoy the creation instead of God – with your back to God, that’s idolatry. So the first reason why greed is idolatry is because it shows your heart is inclined away from God and toward some part of the creation.
	It’s kind of like a man who has a non-physical adulterous affair. Suppose his actions make it clear to his wife that his life is dominated by deep desire for another woman, but no desire for his wife. Even if he never touched that woman, the wife is going to feel just as crushed as if he had committed adultery physically. And James 4 uses the same illustration with us and the world. If our desires are directed toward the world with our back to God, that is spiritual adultery, which is another way of saying idolatry. So greed is idolatry because it’s giving to the creation what belongs to the Creator – your heart.

2. A second reason greed is idolatry is because it becomes a master that takes the place of Christ in your heart. That was exactly what Jesus was saying when He said You cannot serve both God and mamonas (the object of your greed). Your heart only has one throne. And if the object of your greed is on it, Christ isn’t.
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  (Matt 6:24)
	This is why it never works when you think of an enslaving sin as just a bad habit you need to drop. There is a lot more to it than that. You can curtail the behavior without dethroning the idol. And if you succeed in doing that, you have succeeded in doing nothing. If you’re hooked on something, that’s not just a habit to be dropped. It’s an idol to be deposed.