S-"Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us." Romans 5:1
A-God's peace through faith
L-Believing the Lies
Side Note: Before we dive into verse 25, you might want to take a quick peek over here to refresh on what we studied in verse 24. It will help keep everything in context.
"Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen Romans 1:25
-There are two words in this passage that jump out at me. Deliberate and Chose.
Instead of believing the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe the lies. Wow!
What an earth would drive them to make such a crazy decision, especially after they had seen God's presence and hand right in the center of everything?
-Selfish desires and wants would be the correct answer to this, and it has really become an epidemic today. We allow our Miss "Me's" (Or if you are a man your Mr. "Me") to step in and take charge, and in doing so, we would rather believe the lies because it benefits us better. The lies allow us to be able to keep doing the sins that our flesh desires.
-The truth-it exposes us! The truth of serving God requires us to die to our selfish desires and that angers our Mr and Miss "Me's" because it means he/she no longer has control.
-The truth reveals our sinfulness and our need for Christ.
-"So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen"
-This was an easier route for them. Moses was gone and they needed someone to lead them, so who better than a man-made idol that suited their wants and desires. "When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and the dancing. In terrible anger, he threw the stone tablets to the ground, smashing them at the foot of the mountain. he took the calf they had made and melted it in the fire. And when the metal had cooled, he ground it into powder and mixed it with water. Then he made the people drink it. After that, he turned to Aaron. 'What did the people do to you? he demanded. How did they ever make you bring such terrible sin upon them?' Don't get upset, sir, Aaron replied. 'You yourself knew these people and what a wicked bunch they are. They said to me, 'Make us some gods to lead us, for something has happened to this man Moses, who led us out of Egypt.' So I told them, 'Bring me your gold earrings.' When they brought them to me, I threw them into the fire-and out came this calf!" Exodus 32:19-24
-Though we are not forming idols out of gold, we still form idols out of other things. We have discussed them several times before; money, self, TV, our spouse, our Pastor, our job, our looks, our friends, our children, etc..
So I ask again, what idols have you placed before the Lord? Have you deliberately chose to ignore the truth of God, to believe the lies, the lies that please your flesh?
As the Israelites soon found out, you can't place any idol before the Lord and get away with it. 3000 Israelites died that day due to their sinfulness. (Exodus 32:27-28)
Brethren, are you deliberately choosing to believe the lies? Why? Let's be honest before the Lord today.
Let's seek the Lord and ask Him to reveal to us any idols that we have placed before Him, and any lies we are believing that go against His truth.
None of us are immune to this. We all have believed the lies at some time or another. And we have the help of TV, Internet, magazines, the music we listen to, to fill us with so many lies that we begin to believe them and even form our opinions based off of them.
Ladies, we believe we have to be or look a certain way in order to be liked and accepted. That is a lie. We are a child of God. He created us and loves us the way we are. For some, we have made beauty and appearance become our idol. Let's remove it.
We believe we have to put on a front, because if anyone knew our struggles, our past, they would think bad about us. Those are lies. God wants us to be real and honest with one another. He wants us to be merciful and forgiving, just as He is.
We don't have to be someone or something we are not. God wants us to be who He created us to be, and to love Him more than we love anyone or anything else. His opinion matters the most.
Don't believe you are not good enough or worthy enough. Those are lies!
Don't believe it is cool to have sex before marriage or that it is okay to live with someone before you are married. Satan is filling you with those lies. I don't care if the world says it's okay. IT'S NOT!
Ladies don't listen to his lies, as he tells you it's okay to cheat. IT'S NOT!
Just remember we too, like the Israelites, will not get away with giving in to the lies and acting on them.
Let Jesus cover you in His truth and promises. Place Him first in your life. Be honest with Him and with others.
S-Share your heart with Christ today. Lay it all out, every lie you have believed and/or are believing, every idol you know you have placed before Him, and ask Him to help you overcome them. Find a friend that is grounded in the Word and ask them to help keep you accountable.
