Hillview Family and Friends!

Ushers and greeters. We can create an alternate schedule. If anyone is interested, please see LaTanya Dunn.

Sis. Debbie will be having Children’s ministry 1st through 4th Sundays.  On the 1st Sunday the children will  do special projects. Please text Sis. Debbie if your child will not be in attendance. 5th Sunday no children’s ministry.

March 1st– First day of Women’s History Month.

March 8th– Daylight Savings time (Spring forward)

March 8th   Annual business meeting after church service. A  light lunch will be served.

March 12th– Funeral Service for Joyce Hanna will be held at the Kansas City Community Church.  Viewing at 9:30am. Service 10:30am. Repass will be at Hillview at 3pm.

March 14th Church Summit at 8 am-12 pm in the fellowship Hall. Sign-up sheet is now  available..

March 15th– Baptismal service. If anyone wants to be baptized, please see Pastor Dexter.

March 21st Board Meeting at 9am.

 

Offering Envelopes are located on the wall outside of the sound booth.

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Psalm 139:7

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

The answer to that question is nowhere because God is omnipresent (everywhere at the same time) and omniscient (all knowing).

He knows what you are going to do before you do it. And we will be held accountable for the things we have done in our lives both good or bad.

Ezekiel the prophet of God, while he was a captive in Babylon was in his home with the elders of Judah sitting in front of him. The hand the Sovereign Lord was upon him. He saw the figure of a man, but not just any man. This man from his waist down was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal. Ezekiel states this man reached out what appeared to be a hand and took him by the hair on his head, and the Spirit lifted him up between earth and heaven. And in visions of God he was transported to Jerusalem, (a distance of about 900 miles, a four-month trip) to the entrance to the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood. This idol was one of four idolatrous practices Ezekiel would be shown, and the consequences the people would endure because of them.

 

Here’s a point to bear in mind, the difference between the Nation of Israel and all the other Gentile nations with their religious practices and gods is the glory of God. Israel’s idolatry caused God’s glory to be removed.

 

“Without the presence of God, the temple was just another building. It was the blasphemous sins of the religious leaders that drove God away from His holy house, and Ezekiel was about to see how wicked these leaders really were.”[1]

 

It was the religious leaders that caused the people to sin. I need you to be praying for me, Pastor Damon, youth director Victor, children’s director Ms. Debbie, and our praise and worship leader Ms. Karen. We are the spiritual leaders of this congregation, and we need the presence of the Lord here. So, our conduct has to be above reproach.

Let’s examine the 4 idolatrous practices that were shown to Ezekiel.

The idol of Jealousy: It is believed that this idol of jealousy was a statue of the Canaanite goddess of fertility, Asherah. A brief history: King Hezekiah removed idolatry from Judah. After his death his son Manasseh replaced him as king. 2 Kings 21:6 and 7 says, “He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger. He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the LORD had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever.” When Manasseh died, his son Amon replaced him. He was as bad as his father spiritually. He was replaced by his son Josiah. Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He rid the land of all the idols, shrines, and high places. He had removed everything dedicated to false gods that were in the Temple. After the death of Josiah God allowed Jerusalem to be defeated by the Babylonians because of the sins of Manasseh. Ezekiel saw the return of the idol of jealousy, put there by Israelites that still lived in Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 8:7-13

7 Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall.

8 He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” So, I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there.

9 And he said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.”

10 So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and detestable animals and all the idols of the house of Israel.

11 In front of them stood seventy elders of the house of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.

12 He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.'”

13 Again, he said, “You will see them doing things that are even more detestable.”

This second idolatrous practice – worshipping idols in secret. It might be secret to men but not to God. God revealed to Ezekiel what the elders of Israel were doing, worshipping idols because in their thinking God didn’t see what they were doing, and He had forsaken the land. So, if God is not going to help us, maybe one of these other gods will. I didn’t keep count but in my 43 years in ministry I wish I could tell you the number of times someone has come up to me after a sermon and said to me, “I felt like you were speaking directly to me because you addressed an issue I’m dealing with. How did you know? I didn’t know, but God did. If you are hiding unrepentant sin in your life, seek God’s forgiveness now, don’t wait. He will expose you like He exposed those 70 elders.

The third idolatrous practice:

Ezekiel 8:14

14 Then he brought me to the entrance to the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw women sitting there, mourning for Tammuz.

The Israelites were in bondage in Babylon. Tammuz was the Babylonian god of spring. He was said to be the husband or lover of the goddess Ishtar. The followers of the cult of Tammuz believed that green vegetation shriveled and died in the hot summer because Tammuz had died and descended into the underworld; thus, worshippers wept and mourned his death. In the springtime, when new vegetation appeared, they rejoiced, believing Tammuz had come back to life.  God was showing Ezekiel that the people were no longer worshipping the true God of life and vegetation.

When people refer to “Mother Nature” of “Mother Earth” they have replaced God with an idol that is both ancient and modern.”[2]

“These Jewish women had forsaken the truth of God for lies and were depending on gods that didn’t exist. The rituals associated with the worship of Tammuz were unspeakably vile, as most fertility rituals were.”[3]

The fourth idolatrous practice: worshipping the sun.

Ezekiel 8:16

16 He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.

The 25 men were basically turning their backs to the Creator and worshipping what had been created by the Creator for their benefit.

God had shown Ezekiel these four idolatrous practices that the people were guilty of and explained why He was going to punish them.

Ezekiel 8:17, 18

17 He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the house of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually provoke me to anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose!

18 Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them.”

When people lose their fear of God, they do as they please and don’t worry about the consequences. There are always consequences. God told Ezekiel I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them.”

In the 21^st century as a believer in Jesus Christ we don’t bow down and worship idols, or do we? We still must beware of idols, an idol being anything that has our devotion and commands our will and takes the place of God.

I googled modern day idols and came up with this list of four potential idols.

• Materialism and Consumerism
• Celebrity Worship
• Ideologies and Philosophies
• Technology and Innovation

Materialism and Consumerism – Materialism and consumerism are prime examples where wealth, possessions, or status can become idols. Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Elevating material possessions or wealth above spiritual values diverts devotion from God to temporal entities. I’ve heard it said you can tell where a person’s devotion is by looking at their checkbook. When you invest more in your hobby, whatever that might be, or other materialistic possessions than you invest in the work of ministry within your community or worldwide, you might be worshipping an idol.

Celebrity Worship – In today’s celebrity-driven culture, figures in entertainment, sports, politics or social media can often be idolized. This can lead to a form of worship where admiration turns into blind adoration, akin to the ancient practices of idolization.

Revelation 19:10 (KJV): And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

This passage from Revelation reflects a warning against worshiping entities other than God, reminding believers to maintain their focus on divine worship.

Ideologies and Philosophies – Modern idolatry can also take the form of ideological adherence, where political, social, or even scientific beliefs are held with a fervor that borders on religious devotion. These ideologies can become idols when they replace God’s central place in our lives.

Technology and Innovation -While technology and innovation have transformed the world, they also carry the risk of becoming idols. When technological advancements or devices begin to dictate lifestyles, values, and priorities, they take the place that should be reserved for God.

Self-Examination and Reflection -The Bible encourages believers to continuously evaluate their lives and rectify any misdirected worship.

2 Corinthians 6:16 (KJV): And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Believers are reminded that they are the temple of God, and idolatry has no place in their lives.
How do we protect ourselves from following into idolatry?

• By prioritizing God in our daily Lives
• Through regular prayer, scripture study, and community worship, which helps in maintaining focus and devotion towards God alone.
• Engaging with a community of fellow believers which provides necessary support and accountability, helping individuals stay true to their faith and avoid the pitfalls of modern idolatry.

Questions

Idol Worship Exposed

1. Have you ever questioned whether your actions toward a person, place, or thing bordered on idolatry?
2. God revealed to Ezekiel secret sins of the people of Israel. Do you think God reveals the secret sins of people in the church today?
3. What might be an idol of jealousy today?
4. What would cause you to reject God and turn toward something or somebody else for spiritual guidance?
5. I hear from time-to-time people referring to God as the man upstairs. Should we?
6. Have we been guilty of referring to nature being controlled by Mother Nature?
7. Are you susceptible to the idol of Materialism and Consumerism?
8. Are you susceptible to the idol of Technology and Innovation?
9. What can we do as a church family to help each other avoid being trapped by idolatry?

[1] The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, Warren W Wiersbe, David C Cook publisher, 1288.

[2] Life Application Study Bible notes on Ezekiel 8:14.

[3] The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, Warren W Wiersbe, David C Cook publisher, 1289

Continue to pray for the sick and shut-ins and their caregivers. Prayer is needed for our entire congregation as we are all dealing with spoken and unspoken needs and requests.

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