DO YOU HAVE AN IDOL ?

Do You Have An Idol ? 

Ezekiel 14:3-8   Ezekiel is not speaking about a physical idol, he is saying an idol of the heart, the mind, the spirit of man.  The error, the idol,  is in how people think Yahweh has operated, worked among humanity. 

From the time of Adam and forever Yahweh has had various ways that HE has communicated with HIS people using angels and prophets but the Christ event changed how Yahweh now communicates with HIS people.  Hebrews 1:1-2   Yahweh now, since Christ, communicates with HIS saints through Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:1-7   Even the Apostles knew and preached that only Yahweh is able to make us grow and we should never view any man in this way, to do so sets up an idol in our minds because we would be putting some man in place of Yahweh.  This is made clear by , 1 Corinthians 3:3-4 ,  the Corinthians were looking at certain men boasting in them, 1 Corinthians 4:6 .  Paul stated plainly that not even he or Apollos could give the understanding of what what they preached, that only Yahweh can do this.  To elevate any man as the giver of spiritual understanding is to replace Yahweh with a man, glorify a man rather than Yahweh. 

Men can teach lies but no man can teach truth, this belongs to Yahweh only.  Jesus Christ gave his life so that each one of us can have a personal relationship with his God, we do not need some other mediator, some man that we may hold to be more than what he is.  The world is full of modern day Corinthians who set up Benny Hinn, John Hagee , the Pope and many others.  The saints of Yahweh should never do this, it is worldly.  1 Corinthians 3:3

Paul sums up this Corinthian error ,  1 Corinthians 3:21-22.  There is a truth being addressed here that should awaken us all to examine ourselves and ask, have I set up an idol in my mind, have I elevated some man and boast in him thinking he is the one who enlightens me ?   Do you see how this idol of the mind denies both Yahweh and Christ ?    Peter tells us plainly that the prophets, like Ezekiel, 1 Peter 1:12 , are speaking to us and Ezekiel warns against doing what Paul described to the Corinthians.  We all have access to Yahweh individually, this means with no other person except Christ the mediator.  

All of us have made this Corinthian error in the past elevating and boasting in some man led organization and we got burned, why do it again.  Do you think the next time will be different ?  Since Adam, Yahweh only has been the teacher and today the way HE teaches is through HIS son.  John 6:45 ,  Hebrews 1:2