False gods and the Living God

This past Lord’s Day, Pastor Harlow preached from Acts 14:8-20, where the healing of a man crippled from birth in Lystra shows how quickly the human heart makes gods of whatever it can see and admire. The crowds took Barnabas and Paul for Zeus and Hermes, and the priest of Zeus was ready to offer sacrifice, which reminds us that idolatry is the native instinct of every fallen heart. Paul and Barnabas tore their garments and turned the crowd away from themselves to the living God, who made heaven and earth and the sea and has never left Himself without witness in rain, fruitful seasons, and gladness. This is the God who heals the lame, calls us from vain things to Himself, and alone deserves our worship.