Nov 12, 2017 - Eternity is where a Christian's focus should really be (1 Pet 5:10) ... The Ten Commandments in the Chris
Cross Talk 12 18 Nov, 2017 You shall not make any idols of any type, part 3
1. You shall not worship any god other than Me 2. You shall not make any idols of any type The worship of ‘the world’ The Christians are members of Christ’s Kingdom which is ‘not of this world’ (Joh 18:36; Phi 3:20) We are on earth for now, but our earthly lives are nothing but a vapor (Jam 4:14; 1 Joh 2:17) Eternity is where a Christian’s focus should really be (1 Pet 5:10) Esau sold his birthright because of his love of the world(Gen 25:29-
34: Heb12:16)
2. The idol of fear (1 Joh 4:18; Luk 12:32)
Fear is a ‘powerful motivating force’ that can lead us to do things that are in contradiction with honoring God. For example: Some people accept the wrongdoings of their boss at work because they fear to oppose him/her and lose their job The fear of being bullied may cause us to turn a blind eye when other people are being bullied Fear of being ridiculed stops us at times from witnessing to our Christian faith The list can go on endlessly. Each one of us needs to know what kind of fear may stop him/her from doing good How do we deal with idolatry? To realize and admit that idolatry may be attractive When we remove God, other things come and fill the vacuum On the surface, idols seem ‘undemanding’; they do not make moral demands and it appears to us that we are in control Once they take hold of us, we need a great effort to remove them
Scripture tells us that although Solomon was the wisest of men, in his old age, he fell into idolatry (1 Kin 11:4). If it can happen to Solomon, it can happen to any one of us To recognize our own idols We need to go through self-examination To realize that idolatry insults God In the Second Commandment, God adds: ‘I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god’. God wants all our worship, not just a small part of it. We deeply insult God by asking Him to coexist in our hearts with other things. God is offended by our idolatry
‘Give me all of you!!! I don’t want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work. I want YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!! I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man or woman, but to KILL IT! No half measures will do. I don’t want to only prune a branch here and a branch there; rather I want the whole tree out! Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self---in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart’ C S Lewis, Mere Christianity
To realize that idolatry betrays us We are the main loser if ever we engage in idolatry. ‘Idols can do nothing for us’. Isaiah and many other prophets had their clear view about idols (Isa 44:9-23) To remember the power of praise The key to defeating idolatry is praising God. Praise reminds us who God really is: the all-powerful, the ever-living, the most merciful and loving, the Father! These attributes of God help us to trust only Him and to resist all temptation Bibliography 1. J. John. Ten service Outlines for Church Leaders based on The Ten Commandments (UK Monarch Books, 2001) 2. Pope Shenouda III. The Ten Commandments in the Christian Understanding 3. 4.
(Egypt, 1985) https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/801500-mere-christianity https://www.gotquestions.org/not-of-this-world.html
Legend Refers to mandatory readings
Verse to memorize
‘Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord’ Philippians 3:8a During the coming week, let us pray expectantly 1. seeking the Lord’s will to be done in Lebanon 2. for CrossTalk to find a locale 3. to become more of saints and less of sinners 4. to seek the Lord in every word I say, every act I do and every thought I think 5. to help in building His Kingdom by building His Church on earth 6. to thank Him for creating us and each one around us, on His image and likeness, and choosing us to reveal His splendor 7. to all the sick 8. to all those in prison 9. to the unity of the Christians 10. to one another to be honest and not lack integrity 11. to put all that we have in the Lord’s hands trusting His management 12. to all the Christians who are being persecuted, and to those who are persecuting them 13. to all families, that the Lord unites the parents together in His Name and stops all fights 14. to the situation in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq and the whole region
During this coming week, we will lift the Church and its unity in prayer قانون االيمان نؤمن بإله واحد ،اآلب ضابط ال ك ّل خالق ال ّسماء واألرض ،ك ّل ما يُرى وما ال يُرى وبربٍّ واحد يسوع المسيح ،ﺇبن هللا الوحيد المولود من اآلب قب َل ك ّل ال ّدهور ق من ﺇله حقّ نور من نور ،ﺇله ح ّ مولود غير مخلوق لهُ الجوهر نفسه مع اآلب الّذي به كان شيء ذاك الّذي من أجلنا نحنُ البشر ومن أَجل خالصنا ّ ن َز َل من السماوات وتجسّد متأن ًسا بال ّروح الق ُدس من مريم العذراء ب عنّا في عهد بيالطس بنطيوس و ُ صل َ وتألّم وقُبر وقام في اليوم الثّالث صع َد ﺇلى السماوات كما في الكتب و َ وجلس عن يمين اآلب ويجيء بمجد َ ليَدين األحياء واألموات ولن يكون لملكه نهاية وبال ّروح الق ُدس اال ّربّ ال ُمحيي ال ُمنبَثق من اآلب المسجود لهُ وال ُممجّد م َع اآلب واإلبن النّاطق باألنبياء وبكنيسة واحدة مق ّدسة ،جامعة ،رسوليّة ونعترف بمعموديّة واحدة لمغفرة الخطايا وننتظر قيامة الموتى وحياة ال ّدهر اآلتي آمين
الصالة الربّانيّة أبانا الّذي في السّماوات ليتقدَّسْ ﺇس ُمك ليأت ملكوتُك ل ْ تكن مشيئَتُك كما في السّماء كذلك على األرض خبزَنا الضرور ّ ي للحياة أَعطنا اليوم وا ْغفرْ لنا ذنوبَنا كما نغف ُر نحنُ أيضًا لل ُمذنبينَ ﺇلينا وال تُدخلنا في تَجربة ْ لكن نجِّنا من ال ّشرّير ك الملك والقدرة والمجد ألَ َّن ل َ ﺇلى األبد آمين
