Subject One Hundred Seventy-seven

TURNING FROM IDOLS TO GOD

Scripture: 1 Thes. 1:9

1. Man forsook God
   1. Man is created by God and belongs to God.
   2. Due to his sin, man forsook God.
   3. Man today is living a life of forsaking God.
2. Man worshipped idols
   1. Sin causes man to forsake God. It also causes him to worship idols. The result of man’s sin is the worship of idols.
   2. Man worships idols because he has sinned and has lost God. God is the source of all peace and blessing. To lose God is to lose all peace and blessing. Once man lost the source of peace and blessing, he turned to idols. The more man sins, the more he loses his peace, and the more he loses his peace, the more he wants it. This psychological craving for peace and blessing turns him to idols. No one who worships idols loves them. All the idol worshippers are just trying to utilize the idols.
   3. The life of man today is a life of idol worship. Some idols are tangible; others are intangible. Whatever takes the place of God in a man is an idol. Whatever a man relies on, apart from God, is also an idol.
3. The fallacy of idols
   1. Idols are false; hence, they are a deception.
   2. List facts to show that idols are false.
4. The reality of God
   1. God is real and therefore trustworthy.
   2. Use examples to show how secure it is for man to trust in God.
5. Forsake idols and turn to God
   1. Since idols are a deception, we should forsake them. Those who would not forsake them are fools. They are either deceiving themselves, or are deceiving others.
   2. Since God is trustworthy, we should turn to Him. If we do not turn to Him, we are in a deception, either deceiving ourselves or deceiving others.
6. How to forsake idols to turn to God
   1. Recognize the fallacy of idols and the reality of God.
   2. Destroy all of the idols in your home.
   3. Repent and turn to God.
   4. Receive the Son of God, Jesus Christ, as your Savior.
   5. Worship and serve God through the Lord Jesus Christ.