(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Alright, good morning everybody. Welcome to Verity Baptist Church. And let's take out our bulletin and go through a couple things real quickly. Number one, let's count up any salvations. So the back section, were there any salvations to report? Four? Two? Anybody else? Alright, six for the first section. How about up in this section? Any salvations I'm not aware of? Any salvations? And this section, three, five? Three, five, three, brother Jerry? Five? Three, five, three, five? Is that what I said? Three, five, three, five? Okay, it's a tongue twister. Alright, so sixteen more. So twenty-two. Anybody else I missed? Any salvations I missed? Alright, well great job everyone. Of course we do have soul winning this afternoon. So our schedule today, because it is our monthly prayer meeting, our soul winning will be starting at one forty-five. And then we do have our monthly prayer meeting. We'll go into small groups here. A couple other things, we have our table tennis tournament coming up in two weeks. So we have a sign up sheet on the table over there. We have a men's section, a women's section, and then I think the other one was fifteen and under was the age. So sign up if you would like to compete and if not it's still a great time of fellowship. And the other thing is the wedding coming up on April twelfth with brother Fabian Anaya and sister Christine Sayo. And so they wanted to invite anyone who is able. Brother Fabian is a member of Faithful Word Baptist Tucson. So in Tucson, Arizona, which is one of the church plants of Faithful Word Baptist Church, brother Deacon Russell leads that church plant. So it's going to be on April twelfth, which is a Wednesday at eleven a.m. So all are invited. Not everybody in the entire world, but everybody in this room. All here, right? Not all. But you're invited to the wedding if you'd like to come. If you want more details, then ask sister Christine about this. She would love to talk to you about it. So anyways, brother Rafi will lead us in another song. The first song is already sang. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. And when my Savior holds her King, My soul to Him the King is mine. And I shall see Him grace to praise, And tell His glory say my praise. And I shall see Him grace to praise, And tell His glory say my praise. And I shall see Him grace to praise, And tell His glory say my praise. And I shall see Him grace to praise, And tell His glory say my praise. Amen. For a scripture reading, please open your Bibles to the book of Exodus. Exodus, your second book of the Bible. Exodus chapter 32. Exodus chapter 32. And we will only be reading verse 1 down to verse number 10. Exodus chapter 32, 3, 2. Verses 1 down to verse number 10. Please say amen if you're there. Amen. Exodus chapter 32 verse 1. And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together into Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us. For as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we want not what has become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people break off the golden earrings, which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron, and received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made a molten calf, and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord. And they rose up early in the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down, for thy people, which are brought us out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made them a molten calf, and a burst of it, and have sacrificed their unto instead. These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore, let me alone, that my wrath may wax out against them, and that I may consume them, and I will make of thee a great nation. Bless the ring of God's word. Let us pray. Lord God in Heaven, we thank you, Lord, for this day that you have given to us. I pray that you would please bless the Lord for this day, for our resolveny and our fellowship and our prayer meeting. Lord, later on, I pray that you would please bless the preaching of your word and our preacher, Lord, this day. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. All right, we're here in Exodus chapter 32. The first sermon I talked about basically what is idolatry, kind of gray area situations, where to draw the line. This I'm going to talk about basically not just the sin of idolatry, but why idolatry is so common and what is actually taking place because here's the thing. I mean, we understand it's just a piece of wood. It's just a piece of stone. And yet everybody understands that. If you ask someone, no, no, it's just a piece of wood, so why are we doing it? I mean, it's such a vain tradition, and yet half the world, right? I mean, the Hindus, the Buddhists, one billion Catholics in the world, I mean, like half the world is heavily into idolatry, and it's like it's just a piece of wood, right? So what exactly is going on? Now, here's the thing. When it comes to the average person that has idols, the reason why they're doing it is you worship, you know not what. Just like Jesus said in John 4, you just don't even know what you're doing. You do it because your mom did it. Isn't that true? I mean, those that grew up Catholic, you were doing things because that's what you were taught by your parents. So to really figure this out, because here's what I've learned through my years of learning various things and studying the Bible. You talk to people in various religions, and they often don't know what they believe, right? You talk to people that are INC, and they have no idea what they believe. You talk to people that are Mormons, and you're like explaining, no, no, no, you believe that you can become a god. It's like, we don't believe that. It's like, yes, you do. That's part of your religion. And people just worship, they know not what. So to really figure this out, what you have to do is listen to leaders in these religions, why exactly they're doing it. And so I read an article called Reasons for Idol Worship in Hinduism, and they give ten reasons, and we're just going to go through the list of the ten reasons of why they worship idols and what is actually taking place. And it's pretty shocking what they say is actually taking place. Now, with this list of ten, they kind of just slowly start you off. So the first three are kind of boring, like, okay, Brother Stuckey, but four, five, six, eight, and ten, you're like, wow. In their own words, what they're actually saying takes place. So I understand it's going to be a slow start. It's going to get pretty interesting. At least I think this is really interesting. It's a very interesting article. This is from the website that's probably the most in-depth Hindu website online. Hinduwebsite.com is the name of it. They've got, like, a million different things, very comprehensive. And what they do is they actually admit and show in detail what they believe. Because oftentimes you talk to people, they try to hide it. This article does not try to hide it. They just let you know this is why we worship idols, okay? And we're familiar with the story on Exodus 32, the wickedness of the golden calf. Go to 2 Timothy 2, 2 Timothy chapter 2. 2 Timothy chapter 2. Point number one, it is the easiest way to instill faith and devotion in people. So the first thing they mention is, well, the reason why we do this, it's the easiest way to make people very religious and very devoted. Well, I mean, that's probably true, right? I mean, the average Catholic in the Philippines is very religious, right? I mean, the average Hindu in India, very religious. I'm not disputing that. But that doesn't mean that what they're doing is right. Just because they're very religious doesn't mean that God actually approves of it, right? And here's what they say in explaining this. It says, as an abstract concept, God may be appealing to the intellectual mind. So if you're smart, you're really going to try to understand God and read the scriptures and figure out. However, ordinary people who are too busy with their own lives and who are not well versed in the scriptural knowledge or religious scholarship, what they're basically saying is, you know, if you're smart and you got time, study the Bible. But if you don't have time or you're Bobo, then just, you know, worship an idol. That's what they're literally saying, right? Because they say, you know, the average person doesn't have time and really understand all these things. Here's the thing. We're all busy. We're all busy. I mean, the Bible says, read therein all the days of thy life. And you know what? There's days where it's like, man, I got to work. There's all these things going on. I want to rest. But what does the Bible say in 2 Timothy 2, verse 15? Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Look, if we want to know God, we have to read His Word and study what God says. That's how we learn. And look, I get it. The average Catholic is very religious, and they never read the Bible. Is that not true? For those of you that were raised Catholic, you were probably very religious at one time, and you very rarely read the Bible. Because the Catholic Church, they don't focus on you reading the Bible. Neither do the Hindus focus on you reading the Scripture. It's like, just worship this idol, and it's the easiest way to make people devoted and religious. It doesn't mean it's the right religion. I get it. You can get people to sit in front of a statue and pray to it and give it a bath, and they're doing all these things, and they feel spiritual. It doesn't mean it's right, though. Okay? Turn to John 1. John 1. John, chapter 1. So why worship idols? It's the easiest way to make people devoted to something, right? Worshipping idols. They say it's a lot harder to get people to read the Scriptures. Just worship this idol instead. I mean, honestly, the average person would rather just stand in front of a statue and do some sort of vain tradition than read the Bible. Also, why? It's tiring. The Bible says, much study is a weariness of the flesh. It's tiring to read the Bible and memorize it, and you're trying to meditate on it and figure out, what is God saying? What does this mean for my life? But that's what God commands us to do. Number two, they say, it is a way of acknowledging the omniscience and omnipresence of God. So by worshiping an idol, you're acknowledging that God is omniscient and omnipresent everywhere. Okay? It says here, if God is omnipresent, then everything in the universe, including the one the idol one worships, is filled with His energy and presence. And look, when Hindus talk about believing in God, their idea of God is very different from us. Filled with His energy, that's essentially what they believe that God is. It's this energy that's out there. I mean, it's pretty confusing, their view on God. It's very different than what we believe as Christians. But it says, the idol's filled with His energy, and everything in the universe is equally sacred and worthy of worship, since God equally pervades all and is present in all. Everything is equal of worship. Everything, according to this. Every animal is equal of worship. And everything, right? In the Hindu scriptures, you know, it literally talks about worshiping cow dung in many places. And they've got a lot of weird and vain traditions, but God is as much that cow dung, this is what they say, as God is this, or God is this, or God is this, or whatever, because God's just everything. And they say that with sin. Whether or not you're being a patient person, or whether or not someone's being a pedophile, it's all part of God is what their theology teaches. Talk about being warped and a strange belief. But this is what the Bible says in John 1-3. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. Look, God made the animals. He made us. He made the earth. He made the sky. He is not the sky. He made the sky. He is not the earth. He made the earth. He's not me. He made me. There's a big difference between those things, right? And obviously we understand this. I'm not trying to preach a whole sermon against Hinduism. Let's go on with this to understand what's going on. Go to 2 Thessalonians 2. 2 Thessalonians 2. I mean, the Bible condemns worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator. The animal. Worshipping an animal is a wicked thing according to Romans 1. Well, I mean, the animal is as much God as everything's God. No, a cat is not a God. No, a dog is not a God. No, a cow is not a God. And, you know, Hindus can deny that they believe that cow is a God, but actually they believe every animal is God. That is what their theology actually teaches. And if you don't believe it's God, why do you bring a cow into your house to bless it when you buy a house? Why do you wrap these things around it and bow down to it? I mean, I'm sorry, but you think that's a God, and you worship it, right? Look, God made the animals. God is not the animals, though, right? So they said, number one, it's the easiest way to instill faith and devotion in people. Number two, it is a way to acknowledge the omniscience and omnipresence of God. Number three, traditionally, it is an approved practice. Approved by who, right? Just because people are doing it, it's like, well, you ought to worship this idol because your mom worshipped idols. Have you ever had people talk to you before, and it's like, you know, oh, what church do you go to? It's like, oh, we go to a Baptist church. It's like, but your parents are Methodists. Why are you Baptist? I've had that question many times. You grew up in a Methodist church. What are you doing? Why are you at a Baptist church if you grew up Methodist? Well, it doesn't matter what other people did. I've got to make decisions for myself and decide what I believe the Bible says. And here's what it says about it being an approved practice. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna cautions people about worshipping the unmanifested Brahman. He also gives the assurance that in whatever form and manner people approach him, he will accordingly reciprocate. You can worship God in any way you want. You can think God is whatever you want. If you like the evil God, I mean, you've got Kali in Hinduism, or you've got Shiva with the snake around the neck, or if you believe that God is very benevolent, worship Him in that way, because God's everything anyway. Just whatever you do, and I've read the Bhagavad Gita. It literally does say exactly what it's saying in this article. Worship God however you want, and God's happy with it. As long as you're religious, God is happy. Is that what the Bible says? Now, here's the thing. This is under the point it's an approved practice. Well, when you think of Catholicism, think about this. What justification do Catholics give oftentimes for doing things? This is what the Church Fathers did. Isn't that right? I mean, our family has been Catholic for eight generations. Born a Catholic, raised a Catholic, died a Catholic. Isn't that what people say? And it's like, it's our family tradition. It's an approved practice. It's what the Church Fathers did. Let me explain to you something. In 300 AD, there were Church Fathers that were doing things exactly the opposite of what Jesus said. I mean, even in the days of Paul the Apostle, it talks about false brethren and all these things coming in. And then, of course, when the Catholic Church comes in, what was it? 310 AD with Constantine, and they start the Catholic Church and everything like that. Yeah, you know, there's a lot of traditions, and what they did is they had a big council of all the Christian leaders. Do you realize if there was a big meeting of all the Christian leaders in Metro Manila, I would not be invited? Now, I'm not saying no Baptist would be invited. I'm just saying I would not be invited. The ones that make it high up in politics, oh, they'd be invited. I wouldn't be invited to that. And what they would agree on? Well, things that I don't agree with. Right? And that's exactly what happened with the Catholic Church. It's what the Church Fathers did. Well, worship God in whatever way you want. It's an approved practice. Well, notice what it says in 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 3. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed the son of perdition. Let me ask you a question. Is it okay to worship the Antichrist? I mean, you can worship God in whatever way you want. You want to worship me? That's equally as much as worshipping the God of the Bible as anything. Right? Worship anybody, anything, any animal, and it's just perfectly okay. That is what it teaches in Hinduism. That's pretty bizarre, right? Now, go to Acts 19. Acts 19. Acts 19. By the way, this is just kind of a side point, and as I said, number four is where it gets interesting. The first three are just kind of like stepping into the water. Let's not just fully tell them what's going on. We're going to see on number four. But in the end times theology of Hinduism, what do they teach? Well, one of the avatars, I think, of Vishnu, the eighth avatar, is going to come riding in on a white horse. Kalki. It's like, wow, that kind of reminds me of the Antichrist riding on a white horse in the book of Revelation. Oh, it's going to be real hard to get the Hindus to worship the Antichrist. No, actually, in their theology, I mean, Kalki's going to come riding on a white horse. No, actually, that's going to be the Antichrist, my friend. Right? It's amazing. And Islam also, when they talk about their end times theology, it's like, you're saying you're going to worship the Antichrist. Right? It's mind-boggling. But that's what they teach in Hinduism. Number four, the idols help the devotee become deeply religious. Now, this sounds like number one, but when they explain what they're saying and you stop to think about it, I mean, it blows your mind. In fact, I'm going to share this article in our group chat tomorrow because it is very interesting to actually read. All you've got to do is substitute the word God with devil and you'll understand what's going on. You'll understand exactly. Just realize that there's a mistranslation from ancient Sanskrit to English, and they need to translate God to devil, and you're going to be okay. You're going to understand what's going on. But here's what it says. The idols help the devotee become deeply religious. When the idols of the gods, of the devils, of the gods are installed in the house. So basically, you have your idols in your house, or in a puja mandir, parenthesis place of worship in a house. So in a traditional Hindu home, you're always going to have a set area for your idols, and this is where you worship, where you bow down and do whatever tradition. You do it in a set place, a puja mandir. I'm sure I'm pronouncing that wrong. But it says, the very house becomes an abode, which means a dwelling place. The very house becomes an abode of gods. Do you understand what it's saying? When you set up the idols and worship it, what takes place is your house gets filled with gods. Translation, your house gets filled with devils. Do you understand what's being said? When you really stop to think about it, it actually makes a lot of sense. But when you set up those idols, it attracts gods, is what they say. The problem is, there's one god, and when you're saying gods, what do you mean by that? Oh, devils is what it's actually attracting. It becomes an abode of gods, meaning you're going to have devils just hanging out at your house. Fallen angels just hanging out at your house. By the way, I actually agree with everything this article says, if you just translate god to devil. They're actually telling you what is going on. I mean, it's pretty scary. When they're worshiping those idols, it becomes a dwelling place of gods or devils. A sacred place or a temple by itself. Now, Acts 19, and they're going to go more in depth and explain that, but that is what's going on that's pretty interesting that they're going to talk about in this article. But Acts 19, verse 26. Moreover, you see in here that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods which are made with hands. Verse 27. I mean, it makes sense. If you make something with your hands, it's not a god. I mean, this is common sense. I mean, that's some very deep theology. You know that thing that you just made with your hands? It didn't make you. How dare you say that? Right? That is actually god, right? Verse 27. So that not only this our craft is in danger to be said it not, but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshipeth. And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. I mean, this article's correct. These people are very religious. Right? I mean, they're very devoted to what they believe. They're ready to kill Paul. They're extremely religious. It's the wrong religion, though. Now, of course, you might be asking, Who is Diana of the Ephesians? The whole world worshipeth her? Well, this is known as the temple of Artemis, which is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. So it's not known as Diana outside of the Bible. This is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was a very prominent religion, but what happens? Religions come and go. Right? Now, the true god doesn't go anywhere. Right? But religions come and go. They're popular, then they're gone. They're popular, then they're gone. Extremely religious. No doubt about it. But it's obviously the wrong religion. Turn your Bible to Acts 17. Acts 17. Acts 17. So number four is pretty interesting, that when you set up those idols, it becomes a dwelling place of gods. That's where devils will start to dwell. Which I think they're accurate in actually stating that. Number five. They serve as objects of concentration and meditation. So basically, you know, you set up this idol and you can just concentrate and meditate on it, and you can concentrate and get to know God. So it's kind of interesting because in a religion like Pentecostal, they've got a lot of, like, energetic things to get possessed by devils. Right? In Hinduism, it's different. You've got yoga, you've got this meditation, and all of these kind of calm methods to get possessed by devils, but the same thing is taking place. And it says by this, by keeping the mind concentrated on a particular image, one can bring it under control and stabilize it in the thoughts of the deity. So by concentrating on this, all of a sudden you can get, like, the mind of the deity, is what's taking place, is what they're saying. I mean, the Bible says, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. But the context is not on meditation, it's about laying down your life for other people, and saying that you have the same mindset, the same goals as what God has. And look, if you want to know what God is thinking or what he thinks of things, read the Bible. That's what it's going to tell you. Right? You look at these religions, and in Hinduism, they'll keep saying, you know, Drink, what is it, soma? Is that the name of it? Drink soma, it's like this older alcohol or liquor or whatever. Drink soma, drink soma, do these drugs, and you'll just get in touch with the deity. You're getting in touch with a God, just not a capital G God, is what is taking place. Now, number six is where it gets really interesting, especially as they explain this. In idol worshipper, in idol worship, the true worshipper becomes God. Okay? In idol worship, the true worshipper becomes God. Okay? So what they teach in Hinduism is that if you worship idols in the right way, you become God as you're worshipping this idol. You say, well, why would they say that? What is that? Well, I'm going to give you a long explanation on this. It's really interesting what they say. When an idol is worshiped with intense love and devotion, almost a similar process takes place in the mind of the worshipper. The idol is no doubt inert and inactive. See, at the high levels, Hindus might not realize this, but Hinduism teaches that an idol is nothing in this world. It's just a piece of wood. It's just a piece of stone. They say it's inert, which means like lazy, inactive, not moving. It's just something you created with your hands. They teach that in Hinduism. Why do they worship those idols? Well, it's going to explain. But when you create an idol out of wood or stone, it's nothing. It's literally nothing. That's what they say. Right? But then it says this. At the physical level, it is just a piece of stone, clay, wood, or some other material. It's just a piece of wood. I mean, just like Paul the Apostle said. Right? Then it says this. However, in the mind of the devotee, it comes to life as he pours his love and devotion into it and makes offerings to it. It happens repeatedly whenever a devotee worships it. Hence, it is believed that not all idols are alike. Those which are more frequently worshiped by more people accumulate higher power in proportion to the offerings they receive. Do you understand what's being said here? An idol that is not worshipped much, it's got a little bit of godly energy in it or whatever you want to call it. If it gets worshipped more and by more people, there's more energy in it. Translation, there's more devils in it. Which, doesn't that make sense? There'd be more devils around the statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil than just a small little Santo Nino you carry in your pocket or whatever. Doesn't that make sense? So not all are alike. Then it says this. Thus, in worship, devotees step into the role of God. They put life into the materiality of the idols and make them alive. Look, I believe what they're saying is accurate. As long as you change God the devil. They are literally putting life, because it says, I mean this is what Hinduism teaches, it's just a piece of wood. It's just a piece of stone. We don't worship idols, we know it's just a piece of wood. But wait a minute, as you worship it, all of a sudden the energy ends up flowing into it and you become God because you give life to that idol. And the more an idol is worshipped, the more energy it has, the more in touch it will get you with God. So basically, the person who worships an idol, which, look, is not me, I'm just using an example. Right? I was not raised Catholic. Okay? No offense. The one who is worshipping the idol, they actually make the idol alive. I believe what he's saying is actually accurate in this article. This is literally what they do. I mean, somebody makes a piece of wood that looks like whatever, nothing to it. All of a sudden people start worshipping it, and what happens? All the devils will just come around this thing, and as people worship this idol, they get possessed by devils. That's what's taking place. Look, you know, if you ever hear of someone going to this pilgrimage, to this famous Hindu site or whatever, there's a lot of different ones, they will literally say, I cannot explain what took place. When I stood in front of that idol, I felt something inside of me I've never felt before. I mean, they could have the dumbest religion in the world, which they do. And yet, because of that feeling, they're going to believe that until the day they die. And here's the thing, they're being accurate. They felt something they've never felt before. They got possessed by devils, and it's just like, man, there's this feeling I've never felt. Look, when people go to the Feast of the Black Nazarene and they touch it, there's a good chance all of a sudden they get possessed at that moment they touch that idol. That's what I believe. Right? This is literally what's taking place. So when people say, you don't understand, I felt something I've never felt, they're not lying. I don't think they're making themselves believe it either. I think it's actually taking place. I mean, there's a lot of fallen angels that are out there. They're not just hanging out. They're doing something. And look, when people are worshipping these idols, they're getting possessed. So what takes place? Well, the more devoted and religious somebody is to worshipping idols, the more likely they are to get possessed. So if somebody has a home and they pour all their money into something and they worship for hours all the time, yeah, you know what, they're going to feel something that other people don't normally do. Why? Because they're getting possessed as they're actually doing these things. And they're doing these vain traditions. Turn your Bible to 1 Corinthians 10. 1 Corinthians 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. And from this article, I'm going to read again. It says, those which are more frequently worshipped by more people accumulate higher power, higher power of energy in proportion to the offerings they receive. Okay? So when people are worshipping these idols and they're very heavily worshipped idols, they have a good chance of getting possessed by devils. That is what is actually taking place. And that's why people... Because look, everybody realizes it's just a piece of stone. It's just a piece of wood. Now here's the thing. If you talk to the average Hindu and you tell them it's just a piece of stone, they probably can't explain what their religion believes, or maybe they don't even know. They'll just say, yeah, you know, it's a piece of wood, but there's something about it. Well, the leaders will actually say, yeah, you know what, it is just a piece of wood. It's actually dead. Because, you know, I used to think, what is wrong with these Hindu leaders? They actually think there's something magical about this. No, actually they don't. Until you make it alive. Right? You make your Frankenstein alive or whatever in your laboratory, and now all of a sudden, guess what? Oh, it's an abode of devils where people are getting possessed. Look, and it's not just in Hinduism. I mean, when people make that pilgrimage to Mecca, and they do all those vain traditions around, what is it, the Kaaba, it's like, yeah, you know what, a lot of people are probably getting possessed as they're doing these vain traditions. Right? Because that is literally... They could say whatever they want about idolatry. That's literally the biggest idol in the world that's worshipped by more people than anything. I mean, if it's not an idol, why is it every one of your prayers, you have to be facing that direction, whatever direction Mecca is. Right? It's just like, it's ridiculous. But 1 Corinthians 10, verse 19. What say I then that the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything? I mean, an idol is literally nothing. It's a piece of wood, it's a piece of stone, and the food they sacrifice to idols is literally nothing. But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God. And I would not that you should have fellowship with devils. Now look, I don't think that I used to fully understand what this verse is saying. I mean, it's literally saying when they're worshipping an idol, it's not that that piece of wood is a devil. No, no, literally devils will actually come in, and they're worshipping those devils. Right? And so when it's saying, you know, they sacrifice to devils, it's being literal. Because there's literally devils that are right around as they're sacrificing that idol. Because, once again, the devotee makes the idol come alive. Right? That is what it's saying in Hinduism. Right? Come to your Bible to James 4. James 4. I mean, because worshipping idols is like one of the dumbest and vainest traditions you can think of. I mean, it makes no sense logically, right? It's just a piece of wood, it's a piece of stone. Why do people do it? People literally spend a lot of money on idols. Right? There's people here in the Philippines, they save up money to get this big statue of Mary. It's like, what are you doing? And what's taking place? Well, they learn that from their family. And here's the thing, I'm sure there's a lot of kids that grow up Catholic, and they wonder about idols. Like, why do we do this? Or they grow up Hindu, why do we do this? And their parents say, you know, you don't understand. You're going to understand why we do this. And it's like, as a lot of those people have been possessed, as they worship idols very zealously, and the kids don't understand this, but if the kids follow those vain traditions, the same thing could happen to them. Now, I'm not saying every single person that has an idol has been possessed by a devil. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is, those that are very zealous in worshipping the idols, there's a good chance that a feeling came over them they've never felt because of the fact they became a new man. But not a new man as in, put on the new man, as the Bible says. A new man as in, wow, I've never been possessed by that devil before. Right? And you know, you think of various pastors in the Bible where it talks about being possessed by a devil, and it leaveth and it returneth, and it's like, you know, seven times more. I mean, it really kind of makes you think of idolatry, like, wow, it's kind of interesting, some of the things that are actually taking place when you apply that scripture. I mean, it's a pretty scary thing, right? Number seven. The idols help us cultivate sameness and equanimity. And let me just read you what they say about this to understand this. It says, some idols which Hindus worship in ancient temples look fierce or unusual with grotesque bodies. So, some idols that are worshipped, they look very disturbing. I mean, I was actually going to bring an example of this, but I didn't think it was appropriate. Like, you know, who knows the god Kali? I mean, she's the one that has all these heads of people that she's killed in a necklace of, and it's like, what is she doing? She's stepping on Shiva. It's like, what are they doing? Right? One of the big gods that's worshipped in Hinduism, and she's like really scary. She's the one who's like, ah, really scary, and she's got all these dead heads. And there's a reason why, though. And it says, they disturb our sense of proportion, beauty, symmetry, and harmony. By worshipping them, one overcomes attachment to superficial beauty and learns to see the truth which is hidden in the things beyond their names and forms. And what they're basically saying is, when you find something that's so disturbing and evil-looking and you learn to worship that, you know, that's when you really get in touch with God because everything's equal being worshipped. Right? You know, it's not the exact same thing, but sort of in the mindset where, you know, Christians will say, you know what, the true love of Jesus is when you learn to worship Judas, or love Judas as much as you love Jesus. It's like, that's retarded. That's stupid. I mean, he was a wicked person that killed the Lord Jesus Christ. Right? James, chapter 4. And actually, let me read you also from this. Well, number 8. Let me read you number 8. It is a very powerful technique to cultivate purity and relate to the deity. So, by worshipping idols, it will make you pure. It will make you holy. It will make you godly, according to this article. Idol worship is more effective than praying. I missed that verse in the Bible. I remember reading, pray without ceasing, not bow down before idols without ceasing. Right? Idol worship is more effective than praying. In idol worship, you combine the power of prayer with the power of concentration and meditation. You further reinforce it with ritual and spiritual power. When you worship the idols with devotion, you combine all these energies into a powerful force and channel them in their direction, creating in the process a powerful field of sacred energy. So, sacred or holy energy. Right? It is why many devotees experience peace and feel energized after they perform domestic or temple worship. Do you know why they feel energized? Because they got possessed by a devil. That's the reason why. It's like, this is the reason why many people feel something they've never felt before. Because they got possessed by devils. That's the reason why. Right? I mean, they feel energy like they've never seen. How is that purity? I mean, you feel energized. How is that purity? How is that getting sin out of your life? Right? You know, when I was in Guyana many years ago, I was knocking on this one door, and I walked into this guy's backyard, and I was about ready to walk out immediately because there was two guys that were drunk. One was Hindu, and one was non-denominational Christian or something like that. Both of them getting drunk. And the Hindu guy was trying to get me. He's like, no, no, eat this, eat this. I was like, no. Because I was like, this is probably sacrificed unto idols is what I was thinking. No, you've got to eat this. You've got to eat this. He's like, I'm out of here. Right? And then he's like, no, no, you've got to look at this. He's like, I love Jesus. I love Jesus. I want you to know this is a Hindu. He's like, I love Jesus. I want you to realize that. And I was like, have a nice day. And he's like, no, let me show you one thing. And he runs before I'm leaving his yard. I'm thinking, this is weird. He had like a cupboard or this cabinet in his backyard. He's like, you have to see what's inside here. He's like, you've got to see this. And I'm just and he opens it up and he had all of these gold idols. And one of the most prominent ones he had was Jesus, an idol of Jesus. He's like, I love Jesus. And he's showing me this idol of Jesus. That guy was drunk as a skunk. He wasn't living a pure life. I mean, I was amazed because the house, he was very poor. And I'm thinking, those have to be pretty expensive. Spending all of his life's money on alcohol and idols. That's a bad combination, my friend. It's like booze and idols. He had a combination of those two things. And I mean, the guy was very religious, very zealous. He wasn't living a pure life. Now, what does the Bible say about living a pure life? James 4, verse 7. It says, submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw an eye to God and he will draw an eye to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. Look, if you want to draw close to God, get the sin out of your life. Because, I mean, as God is holy, we ought to strive to be holy. Be holy, for I am holy, he says. Right? So try to be like God. Try to be holy. Get the sin out of your life. That's what the Bible says. That's how you become pure. That's how you draw close to God. By cleansing your hands and your minds and your heart and your eyes and your ears from the filth of this world. Turn your Bible to Revelation 9. Revelation 9. And also from this article on this point, it said, in idol worship you also invoke the power of devotion. Which, according to the Bhagavad Gita, brings the devotee closer to the deity who is hidden in the idol and strengthen their relationship. Now once again, you made that idol alive by worshiping it. And as you worship it, you can become like God. Well, the problem is they've got a wrong God. Right? Have you ever read the scriptures of the Hindus? I mean, their gods are pretty filthy. Pretty perverted. I don't want to be like that God. Right? Number 9. It is a declaration of simple faith in the universal presence of God. This one's kind of a silly one. They just wanted to come up with 10. Right? It's like, okay. Number 10. This one's pretty interesting also. Might be the most interesting, that or number 6. It is a transformative and purifying process. It is a transformative and purifying process. Idol worship is a transformative practice which contributes to the predominance of sattva. It is not known to many. So what it's saying in this article, and of course, most people who read this article are Hindus that speak English. Okay? And what this person's saying, who's an expert at this. I mean, this is probably the most in-depth Hindu site. He says most people don't understand this. They don't know what's going on. It is not known to many that before a devotee worships an idol in the most reverential or respectful manner, he has to richly install it and breathe life into it. So he's saying most people don't realize this. Most Hindus don't realize that they make the idol alive is what he's saying. I'll be honest. I've seen many documentaries on Hinduism. I had no idea they taught this until I was reading it. I was like, wow. Okay, this is what they actually are believing. That you've got to breathe life into that idol. And it says the same is done when he worships a symbol or tantric diagram. It is called establishing life breath into the idol, prana pratista. In the puja ceremony, which is usually performed in the households, it is done whenever the deities are richly worshiped according to the standard procedure. However, in temples it is done only in the beginning when the idols are installed in it for the first time. So what it's saying is if a Hindu temple is built, they've got this puja ceremony that they do one time that attracts all the devils. They breathe life into these idols the first time they do it. But they don't do that ceremony more than that. It's just that one time. At home, though, it's going to say do it as much as you can. And you're going to breathe more and more and more and more and more life into it is what it's saying. So in a temple you do it one time. In your home you do it over and over again. And it says the idea of it is that you are worshipping living forms of God, not a mere physical form. When you do it, the prana that you pour into the idol comes from you. You make the idol alive. It is your life energy, you put energy into it, which you symbolically put into the idol. When the deity in the idol finally departs at the end of the ritual, the prana which you poured into it returns to you, purified and elevated. Inside your body, it purifies you further. What is it stating? It's stating that as you worship that idol, you attract the devils and when you're done with the ceremony, they enter into you. And the more you worship the idols, the more devils are attracted to the idols. Because it's not just done once. The more you do it, the more devoted, the more people who do it, the more often you do it, there's going to be more devils associated. And they're going to come back into you. There's actually verses in the Bible that talk about the devil leaving and coming back and it's like that is what's taking place. As they're worshipping these idols, all of a sudden they're walking away and they're getting possessed. Now look, I get it. Devils probably come and go. We don't understand all these things because I don't think God wants us to know everything. It'd be kind of pretty scary. This is pretty interesting, but there's a reason why God only mentions certain things because he doesn't want us to know everything. But this is what's actually taking place as they're worshipping idols. Revelation 9, verse 20. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils. And idols of gold and silver and brass and stone and of wood, which neither can see nor hear nor walk. Look, when it's saying they're worshipping devils, it's saying literally. Yes, there's a piece of wood, but there's actually devils that are right there. It's actually literal. They're literally worshipping devils. And I would presume, I could be wrong, certain devils just kind of hang out by the same idol all the time. That's what this Hindu guy is basically saying, which seems to make sense, like certain devils for certain idols or whatever. That is what's taking place. Go to 1 Corinthians 12. We'll close up. 1 Corinthians 12. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Now look, as a saved person, you can never be possessed by a devil. The Bible teaches that. At the same time, stay away from these idols. Look, I mean, if you ever visit India, don't walk into a Hindu temple. For one, you've got to close your eyes because of all the bestiality on the walls, which apparently is normal. But I wouldn't want to be around these idols where there's all kinds of devils. I mean, it's satanic. This is bizarre. This is like out of a horror movie. I mean, literally. Look, I'm not advocating watching horror movies, but I saw many horror movies as a kid. This is scarier than anything I saw as a kid. That there's going to be all kinds of devils and people are getting possessed and everything like that. And this is actually taking place. In my opinion, in Hinduism, it's probably the most prominent because they have more idolatry. But the same thing could take place in various things like the Feast of the Black Nazarene, where it's a very massive idol, or whatever the name of the statue is at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I'm sure people give offerings to it and things such as that. Stay away from it as a Christian. Just stay as far away from it. It's just like, you know what, I'm going to get a selfie with this famous idol. Don't do that. Just stay away from them. Obviously, you can't get possessed, but I think as Christians, we ought to stay away. At the very least, abstain from all appearance of evil, number one, whether you think it's wrong or not. Just stay away from these things. Now, in Hinduism, it's the most extreme. Let me just read you quickly from an article in Buddhism. Because in Buddhism, there's quite a bit of idolatry as well. And although there's more idolatry in Hinduism, most of the tall statues of the world are of Buddha. And there's different Buddhas. The fat Buddha is from China. The one that's smiling and laughing, that's the one from China. It's a different one than the famous Buddha, because the famous Buddha was an ascetic. He didn't eat for quite a long time. He's super skinny. So that's a different Buddha, but it's still a various Buddhist statue. But it says, the worshipping at the Buddha image is quite a different matter. Buddhists revere the image of the Buddha as a gesture to the greatest, wisest, most benevolent, compassionate, and holy man who has ever lived in this world. I mean, the most compassionate. He wasn't very compassionate with his son, whom he left when he was born. And it says, it is a historical fact that this great man actually lived in this world and has done a great service to mankind. The worship of the Buddha really means paying homage, veneration, and devotion to him, and what it represents, and not to the stone or metal figure. Look, I'm sure the same thing happens with Buddhism as well, that they can get possessed at these big statues. But look, Buddhism says that there is no god. There is no creator god. Look, your god is Buddha. I mean, if it's not Buddha, then why are you bowing down and worshipping it and giving it milk baths and all these vain traditions that you're doing? I mean, if you believe in reincarnation, obviously you believe in god regardless of what you say. Their god is Buddha, and as they bow down before their god, many are getting possessed when they're doing that. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 1. Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles carried away onto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Now, a dumb idol means it can't speak. It's deaf, it's dumb, I mean, it can't hear, it can't speak, it can't feed itself, it can't drink. I mean, it's just a piece of stone. It's just a piece of wood. But here's what I'm telling you. You look at certain verses where the Bible says, Well, you know, it's just a piece of stone, but then other verses, like you're sacrificing the devils, you say, Why? It is just a piece of stone, except those idols are attracting devils. Now I'm not saying if you visit your Catholic relative that the idols at their house, there's a bunch of devils that are around, but it is possible. Especially if they're very zealously worshipping these idols. Look, it's something that we ought to stay away from. It's not a random process how people get possessed. There are certain things that people can do that can actually attract devils. I mean, doing types of drugs and drinking and various things, certainly worshipping these idols, though. This is a way to attract devils, and many people are getting possessed, and they're getting energized. It's a transforming process. They become a new man. Why? Because they're filled full of devils. Let's go somewhere to prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be here today, and I ask you to help us understand how serious of a sin this is and the wicked sin of idolatry. Help us to understand what is going on when people are worshipping these idols, but help us understand that the best way to reach Catholics or people of any religion is just with the gospel of Jesus Christ, God. We just pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Let's go to page number 50. Page number 50. Page number 50. Page number 50. Let's pray this in English. First, let's pray this in English. Let's pray this in English. First, let's pray this in English. First, let's pray this in English. Let's pray this in English. One second. Let's pray this in English. Let's pray this in English. Let's pray this in English. Let's pray. Let's pray this in English.