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Made for Mondays: Work and the Glory of God Sermon: Idols at Work and the Gospel Solution Exodus 20:4-5  Sermon Summary  The Big Idea of this study is that while work is God’s good idea there are aspects of work that lead to pitfalls in our spiritual lives. Any good thing can become an idol in our hearts. The Biblical view of idols is that they can be anything that takes the place of God in our lives. Even good things can become idols if they are taken too far. Ezekiel 14:3-7 talks about “idols of the heart.” Anything that replaces the Lord in terms or our security, happiness, satisfaction, etc. has become an idol. We should be careful to be on guard against the tendency to allow anything to come between us and the Lord. The history of Israel is of course riddled with examples of them gravitating toward idolatry and the terrible consequences. The problem with idol worship is that it does not lead to good and meaningful lives, it leads to bondage. This is why the Lord wants us to worship him only and rely on him only for our security, happiness and fulfillment. When we worship the Lord he does not abuse us, as idols do, but rather he frees us and leads us toward joy. In John 15:11 Jesus reminds us of this. The danger of idolatry is that it leads to demonic oppression. In both the Old and the New Covenants we hear that demons lurk behind the idols people worship (See Deut. 32:16-17 and 1 Cor. 10:20). While this does not need to be a concern for the spiritually aware Christian, it behooves us to be very careful that Jesus remains the centre in our work world. Don’t give the enemy a foothold. Questions for Discussion: 1. Discuss together the Biblical definition of idol worship as anything we love, serve or derive meaning from more than from the Lord God 2. John Calvin said: “The human heart is an idol factory.” Why do you think that may or may not be true? 3. Discuss why authentic worship of the true God is the antidote to idolatry. 4. Can you think of other things that are good that can easily become idols if taken too far? 5. While material possessions, joy, and power are all good things if kept under the lordship of Jesus, how can we make sure they stay in their proper place? 6. Discuss the importance of being on Mission for the success of our family and work life. By this I mean having a purpose in life given by the Lord that is greater than happiness or money or status.