Ex.20:2-3, no other gods before Me

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Ex.202-3, no other gods before Me

• Does it allow other gods as long as they give the
  true God first place?
• Or does it mean besides Him?
• Creation account (Gn.1-2) ONE God
• Exodus gods of Egypt cannot compete
  (Ex.1212)
• Footnotes in Ex.203 besides
• Ex.2220
• Later statements agree (Dt.435)

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I. Idols In Strange Places

• Josh.2414, the right audience?
• Ezk.141-4, do clothes make the man?
• Ac.1729, wise men?
• Our country is so full of divinities that in it
  you may more easily find a god than a man
  (Petronius Arbiter of Greece)
• 1 Co.101-12, 19-20, the right audience?

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I. Idols In Strange Places
II. Idolatry Takes Many Forms
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1. Misplaced trust, Jer.175

• Ac.1025-26
• Ac.1220-24
• Ac.1411-15
• Geniuses
• Pleasure
• American Idol / Movie Stars
• Politicians
• Sports heroes

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2. Money, Mt.624

• A slave is the sole property of one master,
  therefore must give him exclusive service. So
  we
• Those that think one God too little will find
  two too many, and yet hundreds not sufficient

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3. Worldliness, Ga.520

• Idolatry, sorcery indicate a desire to access the
  spiritual realm through human inventions
• They seek God, accepting what He rejects, and
  rejecting what He said NT example of 1 Sm.28

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4. Covetousness, Ep.55

• The covetous man sets up another object of
  worship besides God
• Ordinarily covetousness makes us think of money
  and possessions (Lk.1213-15)
• Some contexts emphasize immorality. Ex.2017
  Ep.53-5

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5. Belly, Ph.319

• 1 Sm.212-16. 2 T.34
• Parallels Ro.1618
• Lk.1619

Serve belly,Ro.1618
God is belly,Ph.319
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I. Idols In Strange Places
II. Idolatry Takes Many Forms
III. Keep Yourself From Idols
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1 Jn.520

• The true God (Jesus), therefore (21)
• Faced same temptation as Corinthians
• Avoid trusting, obeying, and revering (
  worshipping) anyone or anything other than the
  true God

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How could they (we) do this?

• 1. Know the enemy. RYR, Mt.19
• Would you give up your most prized possession if
  Jesus asked you?
• 2. Take drastic action. Dt.71-7, 25-26
• 3. Dont be a secret disciple. 2 K.23
• 4. Remember the Judgment. 2 Chr.33