People are People

Introduction
Most of you probably remember the British Music Invasion of America in the mid-60s. This invasion did not result in conflict, but it was a title given to a time in history when many British rock groups came to America and introduced teenagers to a new kind of rock 'n roll.  In 1963 T.V. news anchor Walter Cronkite ran a news story about a phenomenon sweeping the U.K. called Beatlemania.  It wasn't long after this story aired that the "Fab Four," aka The Beatles, touched down on U.S. soil and took the nation by storm.  Hundreds and thousands of frenzied teenage fans (mostly girls, flocked to the airport as they screamed and cried for a chance to glimpse John, Paul, George, and Ringo.  Not long after, their music flooded the U.S. radio airwaves, and soon Beatlemania was in full-blown hysteria in the good ole U.S. of A.  
 
The hype was so frenzied that many teenagers elevated these boys from Liverpool to godlike figures. John Lennon once said in an interview that the Beatles became so famous that mothers of disabled children were coming up to them and asking them to touch their child's hand in the hopes that it would cure the child's ailment.  
 
The front row at their concerts was always full of disabled kids and wheelchairs, almost as though they were waiting to be anointed by the Beatles' sweat. Soon this became a horrifying experience for Lennon.  
 
Lennon said, "When we would open, every night, instead of seeing kids there, we would see a row full of cripples along the front. When we'd be running through, people would be lying around. It seemed that we were just surrounded by cripples and blind people all the time, and when we would go through corridors, they would all be touching us. They'd line them up, and I got the impression The Beatles were being treated as bloody faith healers …" Their popularity was so great that John Lennon himself said that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ at this time.  In some ways, I think he may have been right.
 
People worship, or human elevation (that's what I will call it today), has been a thing since the dawn of creation.  In preparation for this sermon, I encountered the clinical term "Celebrity Worship Syndrome.” The word syndrome was tagged by someone other than the one who first did the study on this.  It was initially called Celebrity Worship Scale, but people changed it to a clinical term.  Maybe you have been guilty of people worship at one time in your life.  If you think the word worship is a bit much, then let's call it "human elevation." Now, you may say to yourself, no, I do not elevate people to a place higher than they deserve, stay with me as you may find you have, but maybe you did not realize it. 
 
I am going to blow your mind with the following statement. Are you ready? People let people down. We are human, and no matter how disciplined, friendly, organized, or relatable you are, you will let someone down and be let down. When I mention people worship, you may have automatically associated this with the worship of performers, politicians, and professional athletes, and you certainly would not be completely wrong. These individuals have all been elevated to a place of godlike status in the public eye at some point.
 
Again, you may be thinking, "I'm a Christian, and I would never elevate a person over God." I would challenge you to think long and hard about that statement, and truth be told, YOU may not, but others have.  It's Super Bowl Sunday, so let's use a good ole sports statistic from a few years back. A survey of nearly 1100 people asked, "Does Tim Tebow receive Divine intervention from God specifically during his games?"  An astonishingly 43% answered "yes."  These people believed Tebow was receiving special favors from God because he was vocal about his faith.  I think Tebow is a great young man, and I believe he is a strong Christian. I also assume he would never approve of other Christians elevating him to this level.  He often takes the focus off himself and places it on Jesus.  The unfortunate reality is some men and women who are/were strong Christians that we like to hold up as the "poster boy or girl" of Christianity when Jesus should fill that spot.
 
Exodus 20:3-5
"You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me."
It's safe to assume that all of us are familiar with this verse. If not, I'll refresh your memory. It is the second commandment. It is one that we hold in our hearts and lives. Sometimes I would call it the "duh" passage. But, of course, there are no other gods but God, right? Yes, but let's look at the context of this passage. When God gives the command to have no other gods, he isn't giving them new information. The reality was idolatry had already reared its ugly head among the Israelites. The irony of this passage is that while Moses is meeting with the true God on the mountain, the Israelites are constructing and worshiping a god they created down below. They essentially were worshiping themselves. They needed to worship someone or something, and they couldn't fathom what that someone or something was, so they crafted an idol after themselves. A god they created. So, if the Israelites could fall for the lie of idolatry, then so could Christians.
 
Areas of Idolatry
People worship/human elevation is something that some Christians do very well.  It's subtle and is a recipe for disappointment, destruction, and sin.  There is a reason why God does not share worship with anything or anyone because He is the only one who deserves our worship. Today I want to look at three areas where we put people in place of God

1. Pursuing people over God.
2. Pleasing people over pleasing God.
3. Putting people on pedestals.  

 

1. Pursuing people over God: This can be defined as unhealthy relationships. Relationships are good things.  God created humans to be relational creatures.  In the Genesis account, God saw that Adam was alone, which was not good.  So, what did he do?  He gave him a companion, a wife, and a relationship.  Healthy relationships are tremendous and God-given, and we all benefit from them.  The problem comes in unhealthy relationships. Unfortunately, pursuing unhealthy relationships often takes precedence over God. 
   I have seen this among teenagers and adults alike.  I have seen teenage boys abandon their faith in Jesus Christ because they met a girl, and he becomes obsessed with her.  I have seen the same with teenage girls.  I have talked to men and women who once served God with vigor and passion and have renounced their faith because they are involved in unhealthy relationships.  There are single people so consumed in the search for "finding that perfect person" that they squeeze God out of the picture in their pursuits.
   I have found this problem does not just happen with young single teenagers and adults. It can occur in marriage and parenting.  Some men and women place their spouses before God's will.  Parents go to extremes to give their children whatever they want without regard for God. I have seen parents and spouses lie, cheat, and steal to make their kids or spouses happy. Oh, the stories I could tell.
   Now, husbands and wives are commanded to love their spouses… Scripture tells me I am to love my wife the way Christ loved the church.  It also tells me not to provoke my children to wrath.  As a father, I am called to love my children unconditionally.  The only way that I can do this is if Jesus Christ is the head of my family and, ultimately, my relationships. 
   Matthew 10:37 – 40:  The cost of discipleship can cause conflict, even with family.  If so, Jesus must come first.  This statement from Jesus does not mean we stop loving our family. It simply means we are fully committed to Jesus and thus able to love our families properly. To the married person, I implore you to love your spouse and family; this is non-negotiable.  However, I pray you, even more, make Jesus the head of your life, family, and relationships so you can love them properly.
   I Corinthians 7:32 – 35: To the single person, I encourage you with these words of Paul in this passage. Secure your undivided attention to the Lord. 
2.  Pleasing people over pleasing God.  People pleasing can be a challenge for me.  I admit one of my struggles is I want to be liked.  However, pleasing humans over God is dangerous because when we seek to make people happy, we sometimes AND often can be tempted to do things that God isn't necessarily telling us to do. 
   Galatians 1:10 – 11: I have talked with Pastors who are afraid to speak the truth from the pulpit because they don't want to offend non-Christians or, worse, their parishioners. 
   ​Romans 1:16: I have met people who shy away from sharing their faith because they don't want to be made fun of or lose their friends.  I have seen people bully others and tear someone down because they want to be "cool" in front of their friends.
3. Putting people on pedestals is the third and final temptation in people worship.  Unfortunately, we are VERY good at this one.   We love sports celebrities, movie stars, musicians (even Christian ones), authors, and even our beloved Pastors. 
   Romans 3:10 – 12: People are humans, they are flawed, they are sinful, they are imperfect in so many ways, yet we insist (for some reason) on placing them on pedestals where they do not belong.  I can name dozens of sports figures, movie stars, musicians, authors, and Pastors who have fallen in the public eye.  These men and women are accused of letting their fans down, being hypocrites, and being horrible role models. In other words, for being human. 
   I would like to speak about Pastors and Christian celebrities.  I am a pastor and have been for nearly 30 years. The one thing I have found is as soon as pastors are placed on pedestals, the people putting them there better prepare themselves to be disappointed, and the Pastor better makes every effort to steer people from putting him on one.  According to Barna, Focus on the Family, and Fuller Seminar research.
     * 1500 pastors in America leave the ministry EACH MONTH due to moral failure (this does not count those who leave out of frustration and discouragement)

             *  50% of Pastor's marriages will end in divorce
             *.  80% of Pastors and spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their roles as pastors.
             *.  70% of Pastors fight depression.
             *   Almost 40% have admitted to having an extra-marital affair since beginning in ministry.
These stats tell me three things…

1. Pastors are just as susceptible to sin as any other person. 
2. Pastors are human and have no place on a pedestal. 
3. Pastors need prayer.  
   
   

Isaiah 42:8 God says He will not share his glory with anyone.  Therefore, praise, worship, and pedestals belong to God and God alone.  The irony behind pedestal people is that most do not want to be there or ask to be put there.
 
Conclusion
My intention has not been to diminish the importance of relationships, respect (for pastors and celebrities), and reverence).  Instead, I intend to free us from the bondage and the lie of the belief that a person can ever fill the role of God in our lives.  People are wonderful, and God gave us one another so we can elevate and praise him in community, not the other way around.  Every person in this room is human, and we naturally tend to fail one another and let each other down. But our God is faithful and trustworthy and will never disappoint us. So let us put our energy into worshiping, serving, and praising God and putting Him on the pedestal to receive all honor, glory, and praise.

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