Golden Calves: Modern Day Idols

Scriptures- Exodus 32:1-10; Acts 11: 19-30; Matthew 6:19-24

Moses had delayed coming down the mountain. The Bible tells us in Exodus that it had
been forty days and forty nights since Moses left the people to go up on the top of the
mountain and receive from God his commandment and his covenant for them. And
Moses being gone these forty days and forty nights created an atmosphere of
frightened impatience in the people.

In this situation, we need to look at what's behind the idol worship because, you see, the
people had happened on hard times prior to this. They had gotten themselves out in the
desert and crossed the Red Sea. They had run out of water and food and complained,
but this is the first instance that something happened that was so significant that they
turned their attention towards worshiping another god. Moses had been gone too long,
and the fear that they had been left alone began to grow. Their faith began to wane, and
God's presence seemed withdrawn from them. In response to this situation, they turned
their attachment to something else.

Have you ever felt that way—felt that God's presence was gone, that no matter how
hard you reached out for it, you couldn't find it? And when you have, have you ever felt
tempted to turn to something else other than God? If so, you like me are guilty of
idolatry. When times of stress or fear or boredom or crisis come, and God seems far
away, what is it that you turn to? Because the truth about you and I is that we all have a
golden calf. You and I have an idol. And some of us, if we're absolutely truthful, have a
whole herd of golden calves. But, we are Christians, and everyone knows that
Christians aren't supposed to have golden calves. So we hide them and paint them a
different color and put them in the garage. And then when ...

An idol is anything more important to you than God – anything that absorbs your
heart and imaginations more than God ….. or anything that you seek to give you
what only God can give …. Anything that takes the place of God as the most
important focus and priority in and through our life.

The children of Israel gave up the previous items that they had to put them
together to make a calf which absorbed them and could not wait – they lost
patience and were frightened

Idolatry is the worship of images and false gods …. And this is what we see at the
surface of it … we may actually think we are liberated because we no longer have
any connection whatsoever with images and false gods just like the children of
God waiting on Moses

1
Well remember, we have “ear-rings” – that is precious items that the Lord has
blessed us with for His own glory except in the name of impatience, forgetfulness
we have formed “a modern calf” and just as the topic says “Modern Calves” …
we probably have kraals of modern calves and it is time to return

Idolatry extends beyond the worship of images and false golds …. It is a matter of
the heart, associated with pride, self-centeredness, greed, gluttony (Philippians
3:19) and love for possessions (Matthew 6:24) …. Idolatry is a major teaching and
theme in the bible and we have heard several examples of modern calves drawing
from the sermons on Sunday …. May the Lord help us to expound and give us
knowledge on the subject so we are not found wanting and just to share
especially on aspects that are not images

1. Idol of Science – with COVID 19 many things have become scientific.

Well friends wrongly applied science can become idolatry and the
scientific methods become the Bible …. The ease of doing things and
making things happen that does not acknowledge the power, mercy and
favour of the Lord upon us – fails to glory His name and we glory
ourselves that we made it.

Being a scientist I know we may want to be smart and find fulfillment in searching
out answers and sharing our breakthroughs and this will in the short-run turn into
self-elevation. Well we need to know that God gave us intelligence and the
curiosity to make use of it — for a grace-filled purpose. So that, as we investigate
the world, we’ll discover its Creator and hold Him in awe. When surrendered to
Him, our studies become acts of worship that bind us intimately with our Creator.
Intellectual pursuits apart from Him, however, are not only futile, but dangerous.
Whenever we seek truth more than its embodiment, Jesus, we slip into idolatry.

2. Idol of self-obsessed: We are a self-obsessed in marriage and indeed

different walks of life. We are pre-occupied with ourselves and it
becomes Me, Myself and I …. We find this very satisfying and beneficial
because after all if we do not pamper ourselves who else will – and that
is what we have been told, etc Challenge is that we seem enjoy this and
forget to surrender and break free from this idol of self and in so doing,
find the freedom to be all that God created us to be—men and women of
purpose designed to glorify our Creator God.
3. Idol of Significance and Security - The challenge with modern day idols is
they often arise from really good things, even necessary things. These are

2
 needs and pleasures our loving heavenly Father longs to provide. The
problem comes when we attempt to fill our needs, be it for significance or
security, in our own strength apart from God. Because our efforts will always
be insufficient, our hearts will remain empty, which means we’ll continue
grasping. This is precisely how the idol of significance and security arises in
us. We know inherently, everything we rely on apart from Christ is shaky at
best. Careers end, relationships fail, investments crash, and unexpected
medical bills can wipe out, in a moment, every insufficient foundation we’ve
amassed beneath us. But Christ never fails. When we place our security in
Him, we remain strong, unshakable, no matter the chaos we encounter. To
find freedom from the idol of security, we simply need to lean deeper into
Christ. As we do, we discover He is strong and present enough to carry us
through whatever we’ll face.
4. Idol of Food – some people cannot even do a one day fast ….because they
cannot imagine a day without Pork …. Without does fresh vegetables ow
whatever the loved most in their diets …. Such momentary desires draw us
away from the gift-giver (God) ……. And we should learn to forsake pleasure
but to set our hearts on the One who is the source of all that is good, right,
fulfilling, and pleasurable.
5. Idol of Approval - We were created as social beings, to live in
interdependent community with one another. Therefore, it’s normal to want to
belong. God placed this longing within the human heart in order to draw us
closer to Him and one another—to help us experience the same oneness
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit enjoy with one another.
The problem arises when we place our desire to be liked above our
relationship with God. Whenever we fail to obey when prompted, whether that
means speaking truth or reaching out to the marginalized, for fear of what
others might think, we’ve fallen into the trap of idolatry. In valuing man’s
approval more than God’s, we demonstrate where our true loyalties lie. But
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the
other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matt.
6:24, NIV). Therefore, when we feel the idol of approval tug on our hearts, we
need to ask God to help us rest deeper in Him.
6. Idol of Relationships – sometimes we elevate relationships and we seek
fulfilment from others – children, spouse and friends …. We end up depleted
and frustrated - But no human can fill the empty places in our hearts. Only
Jesus Christ can meet our deepest needs to love and be loved. He saturates
our souls and brings light and wholeness to our interactions. Therefore, when
3
 we recognize the idol of relationships invading our hearts, we must draw
closer to Jesus.
7. Idol of Success – where are you these days and What do you do? Often,
upon meeting someone, these are the the first questions we ask. And when
we’re enslaved by the idol of success, this simple inquisition can trigger one
of two reactions: insecurity or pride. We soon find ourselves listing all our
accomplishments in an effort to prove our worth or gain respect. But God
measures success based on obedience, not results. In all things, our role is to
obey; He’s responsible for and sovereign over the outcome. Our identity is
and must be found in Christ alone. He wants us to know who and whose we
are, and Scripture says, in Christ, we’re cherished, chosen, and empowered
men and women of God handcrafted for an eternal purpose. Our value
doesn’t increase when we reach our goals or get promoted. Nor does it
decrease when we’re laid off or encounter rejections. Knowing this, and
anchoring our hearts in grace, frees us from the idol of success and enables
us to become all we were meant to be.
8. Idol of wealth and materialistic idolatry – It is an era of buy, acquire, and
accumulate. With one click and a swipe of a card, we can amass a
overabundance of gadgets and items that marketers promise will entertain
and fulfill us. But eventually, those things lose their allure and leave us
grasping for that next best thing. Scripture tells a story of a rich ruler who had
everything one might want yet felt incomplete. Upon seeing Jesus, the ache
within drew him to the Savior with such urgency, he broke out into a run and
fell to his knees before Him. “Good Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to
inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17, NASB). In love, Jesus replied, “Sell all you
have and give it to the poor, then follow Me” (Mark 10:21, paraphrased). Not
because Jesus needed the man’s money but rather because He wanted his
heart. He saw clearly this ruler’s need and the idol that enslaved him.
Generosity would be the man’s key to freedom. The same holds true for each
of us who find ourselves entrapped by materialistic idolatry.
9. Idol health - It’s good to do what we can to improve our health. Increased
strength and energy often leads to enhanced productivity. The problem arises
when wellness shifts from a tool to an object of our worship. To know when
we’ve crossed the line into idolatry, we can ask ourselves some key
questions: Which do I think of more — my weight or my Savior? Do I more
readily clear my schedule for a gym workout or Bible study meeting? Our
schedules usually reveal where our deepest love and loyalties lie. When we
sense we’ve elevated exercise and nutrition above our Savior, we have the
4
 opportunity to go deeper in our relationship with Him. As our intimacy with
Him grows, all the fears and insecurities that fuel the idol of health diminish.
10. Idol comfort: There are many modern comforts that have instead limited our
obiendence to God and made us fail to enduring the social awkwardness to
reach out to a stranger. In short, we often elevate our comfort over obedience
—over the gospel, and whatever holds higher priority in our heart than Jesus
– becomes an idol. The only way to escape the idol of comfort is to
intentionally embrace something that makes me uncomfortable: Initiate
conversation with someone different than me, serve in an area I feel ill-
equipped, or donate money to help fund international missions.

Idolatry. This ancient yet modern sin fuels countless heartaches and frustrations. It
destroys jobs and relationships and distances us from God, the only One worthy of
worship. The only One able to fulfill our deepest needs and grant us the joy and peace
we seek.

When life feels uncertain or our longings go unmet, it’s easy and comforting,
momentarily, to grasp on to temporary fillers. If only we had more money, more friends,
more experiences, or achievements, then we’d be happy and content. But this type of
mentality leads to idolatry by shifting our focus off of Jesus and placing it instead on the
temporary and insufficient pleasures of today.

Whatever we treasure more than God, whatever drives our thoughts and actions,
becomes an idol, and these idols dull our spiritual hearing and harden our hearts to
things of God.