Unobvious Idols: Wk 1
An idol is anything you look to for what only God can give.
1 Corinthians 10:1-11 (NLT)
10 I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, 7 or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” 8 And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.
9 Nor should we put Christ[c] to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. 10 And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. 11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.
Exodus 32:1 (NLT)
1 When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”
THREE REASONS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS WILL BE TEMPTED TO CRAVE EVIL THINGS AND WORSHIP IDOLS:
1. Impatience with God’s timing.
2. Desire for control.
3. Overconfidence.
1 Corinthians 10:12-14 (NLT)
12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
14 So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.
HOW TO GUARD AGAINST THE TEMPTATION OF IDOLS:
1. Be careful.
2. Be confident in God’s faithfulness.
3. Examine the things in your life – is it an idol or a tool?
1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (NLT)
23 You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. 24 Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.
SMALL GROUP MEETING OUTLINE
Where your faith intersects with real life!
Reconnect:
Each person shares a recent high and low from their life.
Explore:
Review the message notes.
Big Idea: Unobvious idols are often good things that become ultimate things, taking God’s place in our hearts. They promise fulfillment but lead us away from God.
Consider:
Choose one or two questions for your Group to discuss as time allows.
▶ Read Exodus 20:3-5. Name some unobvious idols together and categorize them; are they personal, cultural, or intellectual?
▶ Read Exodus 32:1. What are some circumstances that could cause people to experience impatience with God’s timing: desire for control or overconfidence?
▶ Read 1 Corinthians 10:23-24. What are some items that could be tools if they are used one way or idols if they are used another?
Activate:
Spend a moment in silence to consider your response, then share with the Group.
Read 1 Corinthians 10:12-14. Ask God to show you one unobvious idol to be aware of as well as the way of escape.
Prayer:
Thank God for the highs and lift up the lows.
Ask God to help us be intentional to put Him first in our lives, to trust Him, and to release timing and direction to Him.