WORKS OF FALSE RELIGION

TEXT: Galatians 5:16-21

INTRODUCTION-- When was hear the term "false religion," we may be inclined to think of the perversions of truth practiced all around us. But, Paul calls them "works of the flesh," in contrast to being led by the Spirit of God.

1. His warnings against idolatry are just as timely today as they were then.
   
   1. He said, 1 Corinthians 10:14 "Wherefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry."
      
   2. John said, 1 John 5:21 "My little children, guard yourselves from idols."
      
   3. Some Christians of their day had been idolaters.
      
      1. 1 Corinthians 12:2 "Ye know that when ye were Gentiles ye were led away unto those dumb idols, howsoever ye might led."
         
      2. 1 Thessalonians 1:9 "For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in we had unto you; and how ye turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God."
         
   4. Paul, however, defined a new form of idolatry, in Ephesians 5:3-6 "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints; nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, or jesting, which are not befitting: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no man deceive you with empty words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience." (In Colossians 3:5-6, he showed that covetousness was idolatry. "Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry; for which things' sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience:"
      
2. The definition of idolatry cannot be limited to covetousness, however, because the principle is the same as placing an image between self and God.
   

LESSON-- Idolatry and Sorcery are the works of false religion Paul identifies in our text, and they are both condemned in lists of sins, such as Revelation 21:8, "But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death."

1. IDOLATRY (Gk. eidololatreia, EIDOLOLATREIA, or, serving an idol)
   
   1. Barclay, in his book Flesh and Spirit, p. 33, says, "The fact is that in the beginning no one worshipped the idol. An idol had two functions. It was meant to localize the god it represented, and it was meant to visualize the god it represented. Originally the idol was never meant to be worshipped. It was simply meant to make it easier for a man to worship the god...by giving him something visible localized in a definite place. But once that had been done, it was almost inevitable that a man should go on to worship the idol rather than the god whom it represented."
      
   2. The Bible confirms this, in Romans 1:22-23, 25 "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.....for that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen."
      
   3. God showed the vanity and stupidity of idolatry.
      
      1. Jeremiah 2:9-13 "Wherefore I will yet contend with you, saith Jehovah, ....For pass over to the isles of Kittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently; and see if there hath been such a thing. Hath a nation changed its gods, which yet are no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith Jehovah. For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water."
         
      2. Isaiah 44:13-20 "The carpenter stretcheth out a line; he marketh it out with a pencil; he shapeth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compasses, and shapeth it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the holm-tree and the oak, and strengtheneth for himself one among the trees of the forest: he planteth a fir-tree, and the rain doth nourish it. Then shall it be for a man to burn; and he taketh thereof, and warmeth himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread: yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied; yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire. And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image; he falleth down unto it and worshippeth, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. They know not, neither do they consider: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. And none calleth to mind, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? He feedeth on ashes; a deceived heart hath turned him aside; and he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?"
         
      3. Psalm 115:4-8 "Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; Eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; Noses have they, but they smell not; They have hands, but they handle not; Feet have they, but they walk not; Neither speak they through their throat. They that make them shall be like unto them; Yea, every one that trusteth in them."
         
      4. Consider Elijah's mockery of Baal. 1 Kings 18:25-29 "And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud; for he is a god: either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening oblation; but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded."
         
   4. Why did God oppose idolatry so fiercely?
      
      1. It robs him of His rightful place in the affections of his people.
         
         1. Idolatry compares, or equates the Almighty God with the inventions of men. 2 Kings 17:19-33 (After God had sent the northern kingdom of Israel into captivity, the peoples who replaced them in the land asked for spiritual guidance) "So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el, and taught them how they should fear Jehovah. Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.......and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sephar-vaim. So they feared Jehovah, and made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. They feared Jehovah, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away."
            
         2. But Jesus says that God insists on an exclusive place in our hearts, Matthew 4:8-10 "Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."
            
      2. Idolatry leads to other sins.
         
         1. Romans 1:22-24 "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves:"
            
         2. 1 Peter 4:3-4 "For the time past may suffice to have wrought the desire of the Gentiles, and to have walked in lasciviousness, lusts, winebibbings, revellings, carousings, and abominable idolatries: 4 wherein they think strange that ye run not with them into the same excess of riot, speaking evil of of:"
            
         3. In the Apochrypha, one writer says, "The idea of making idols was the beginning of fornication, and the invention of them was the corruption of life." (Wisdom 14:12)
            
      3. (Barclay) "A man's God may rightly be said to be that to which he dedi cates his time, his substance and his talents, that to which he gives himself... Whenever any thing in the world begins to hold the princi-pal place in our hearts, and minds and aims, then that thing has be-come an idol, for it has usurped the place which belongs to God."
         
         1. On the basis of this definition, there were no idolaters in the churches of Macedonia. 2 Corinthians 8:3-5 "For according to their power, I bear witness, yea and beyond their power, they gave of their own accord, beseeching us with much entreaty in regard of this grace and the fellowship in the ministering to the saints: and this, not as we had hoped, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us through the will of God."
            
         2. In contrast, someone has written about modern society, "We wor-ship our work, we work at our play, and we play at our worship."
            
2. SORCERY (Gk. farmakeia PHARMAKEIA)

1. Barclay says that this word "followed a process of degeneration in m eaning....There are three stages in the meaning of the word....(first) PHARMA-KEIA is used medically with no bad meaning at all....The word then begins to denote the misuse of herbs or drugs....finally, the word takes the meaning of sorcery and witchcraft."
2.Galen, the famous Greek physician (130-200 A.D.), "condemns the folly of those who add sorceries and incantations to the use of herbs and drugs. That, he says, is not the practice of medicine." (Quoted by Barclay)
3.Both the Old and New Testaments condemn sorcery.

1. In the Old Testament, witches and wizards were put to death.
   
   1. Exodus 22:18 "Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live."
      
   2. Leviticus 20:27 "A man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be upon them."
      
   3. God's reason for this is shown in Deuteronomy 18:9-14. "When thou art come into the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found with thee any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, one that practiseth augury, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah: and because of these abominations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with Jehovah thy God. For these nations, that thou shalt dispos-sess, hearken unto them that practise augury, and unto diviners; but as for thee, Jehovah thy God hath not suffered thee so to do."
      
2. In the New Testament, it was the "second death" which waited for the sorcerer. Revelation 21:8 "But for... sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death."
   
   1. Sorcerers can be persuaded that their deceptions should cease in the face of a stronger, more legitimate power. Acts 8:9-13 "But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who beforetime in the city used sorcery, and amazed the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that power of God which is called Great. And they gave heed to him, because that of long time he had amazed them with his sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. And Simon also himself believed: and being baptized, he continued with Philip; and beholding signs and great miracles wrought, he was amazed."
      
   2. Like Idolaters, some who are seduced by the works of sorcery do not repent. Revelation 9:20-21 "And the rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood; which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk: and they repented not of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts."
      
3. Today, many people are seduced by the appeal of "witchcraft," which has a close connection with the "drug culture" of our modern society. But, Christ says "that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:21)
   

APPLICATION-- As hard as it is to conceive that Idolatry and Sorcery could be matters of spiritual concern to us, the threat still remains, when defined as it is in the Bible by word and example. They are works of the flesh that can corrupt us.