Hating Political Idolatry

Sermon Recording

Sermon Outline

Speaker: Rev. Charles Drew
Sermon Series: Wisdom from God on How to Engage Politically

Psalm 97 (ESV)
1 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;
    let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
    righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
    and burns up his adversaries all around.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
    the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
    before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    and all the peoples see his glory.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,
    who make their boast in worthless idols;
    worship him, all you gods!

8 Zion hears and is glad,
    and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O Lord.
9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.

10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil!
    He preserves the lives of his saints;
    he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
    and give thanks to his holy name!

Sermon Outline

I)     God hates idolatry and so should we.

A)   Defining idolatry

B)    To hate fake gods is to love the real one
God is invariably good and just (v 2), glorious (v 6), protective (v 10), and holy (v 12)

C)    The incomparable glory of the real God.  

1. The beginning:
   The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.  His mercies never come to an end.  They are new every morning.  Great is your faithfulness, O Lord. (Lamentations).

2. Jesus
   Mark 10:42-45 "You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  43 But it shall not be so among you [the people of my universal kingdom]. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.  45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

II)    Where might we find ourselves forsaking the real God and slipping into political idolatry?

A)   In the shape of our love for America
God died and rose not to make any particular nation great, but to make every nation good: v. 1: The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! 

B)    In our attitude toward conspiracy theories.  
If we love the real God, whose throne is built upon the foundation of righteousness (v. 2), we will hate lies. 

C)    In the way we identify ourselves.
God speaks: “My Son died and rose again to create a single new humanity whose bond transcends every other. Do you believe and love this?” 

D)   Our withdrawal into siloed communities.    
Do we have friends who are so culturally or racially different that they force us to ask questions about our “status quo”?  v. 6: The heavens proclaim his righteousness and all the peoples see his glory

Take aways:
Hate evil! (v 10)
Rejoice in the LORD (v 12)

Prayer of Confession
Holy God, you are incomparable. No god of our own making rivals your beauty, goodness, love, and faithfulness. You lived as one of us in our wounded and oppressive world, suffering hate and death to deliver us from them. And yet, we persist in setting our hopes elsewhere. Forgive us for loving our country too much, as if it was our true home. Forgive us for allowing conspiracy theories to fill our hearts and minds, as if your love for the truth were not enough. Forgive us for identifying too much with particular parties or visions or candidates, as if being your sons and daughters in Christ were not enough. Forgive us for withdrawing into comfortable and like-minded circles, as if Jesus did not die to create a single new humanity. Deliver us from our idols. Help us to hate them. Help us to love you as you really are and not as we want you to be. Help us to love our neighbors as you do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Questions for Reflection

1. How, in our time of religious militancy, do you react to Psalm 97.3-6? 
   3 Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around.  4 His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.  5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.  6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory  

2. Read the following definition of idolatry.  Which version are you most susceptible to?
   “Idolatry happens whenever we give our first love to anything other than God.   This can happen in many ways: when we deny God altogether, when we continue worshipping him but allow other realities to rival his pre-eminence, or when we redefine what he is like or up to (often while retaining traditional “God” language).”

3. Psalm 97 is so full of joy at the prospect of God’s rule (see vv. 1, 12) because of what he is like.  What does Psalm 97 tell us about the real God?  Think of how we see the God of Psalm 97 revealed in Jesus, who told us, “He who has seen me has seen the Father”?

4. God does not object to patriotism—but he does object if our love for our country or if our love for a hoped-for version of our country becomes dominant.  Where might this be happening in America these days?  How might you be susceptible to it? How might it be impacting your relationship to other Christians?

5. Psalm 97:2 declares that righteousness and justice are the foundation of [not just on the outer edges of] God’s throne.  If we worship the real God, then, like him, we will hate (see v 10) all lying and misinformation, which will mean that we will be suspicious of conspiracy theories.  How might you be impacted by such theories?   What can you do, without being demeaning or partisan, to help friends and family members who are under their influence?

6. Upon reading Ephesians 2:14-15 (read it), we can easily imagine God saying: “Dear ones, my Son did not die to make Americans or Republicans or Democrats out of you.  He died to create a single new humanity whose bond transcends every other.”
   How might you act to demonstrate more clearly that you believe this? 

7. When God came to us in Jesus he crossed over from heavenly into human existence, and, once here, he befriended all sorts.  How about you?  Do you have any friends who are so culturally or racially different that they force you to ask questions about your ‘status quo’?

8. One of the great antidotes to idolatry is rejoicing.  It is the transformative exercise by which we join the whole earth in setting our hearts in the right place.  And once we do that, we begin to change.  Spend some time adoring the God who reveals himself in Psalm 97 and Jesus.