January 22, 2023
When we remove God from the center of our lives, we all fill the void with a lesser thing in our search for meaning. As we continue in our new series, Ben Stuart looks at Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians and explores what it means for us to turn away from the idols we have constructed in our lives and fix our gaze on Jesus.
Key Takeaway
The world is using idols like success and power to fill the vacancy in their hearts that only God can fill.
- Idolatry is anything you put above God in your heart in order to find satisfaction or purpose.
- Idols will never fill the hole in your heart that you're trying to fill up/satisfy. Only God can fill that hole.
- The only way to dislodge an idol from your heart, is to replace it with a more beautiful thing—Jesus.
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"The incomplete joys of this world can never satisfy the human heart. They were not made to."
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Ben Stuart
Discussion Questions
- What is an idol?
- Does it change your perspective on idolatry knowing that anything can be an idol?
- Ben Stuart defines idolatry as something we orbit around something God made instead of God Himself. If you take a look at your own life, do you have anything you're putting before God? Have you ever considered that it was an idol?
- Does it change your perspective on idolatry knowing that anything can be an idol?
- If you have identified idols in your life, why do you think you have them? What is the core desire you are wanting to be fulfilled?
- How does it make you feel knowing that God could allow you to have that desire, and you would still be empty because He is the only one who is meant to fill it?
Scripture References
Ben Stuart
Ben Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church D.C. Prior to joining Passion City Church, Ben served as the executive director of Breakaway Ministries on the campus of Texas A&M. He also earned a master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Donna, live to inspire and equip people to walk with God for a lifetime.