The definition of a literary classic is a book that “nobody has read, but everybody knows”. By that definition, “Moby Dick” is most certainly a classic for me. I have not read it, and don’t plan to. Probably because its 135 chapters. You can’t find that much Old English in all the Liquor and furniture stores in America combined.

Moby Dick is the story of Ahab. A ships captain that had his leg eaten off by a white whale named...Moby Dick. From that moment, Captain Ahab spends his entire life chasing after the whale...Because he believes if he can just catch up to the whale...if he can just kill the whale...he will finally have peace.

Not to spoil it for you, but you’ve had 165 years to read it. Ahab catches up to Moby Dick... but it doesn’t save him. It kills him.

In fact his obsession with this whale not only kills him, it kills his whole crew. His entire fleet of ships is crushed by the whale. And when Ahab jabs the harpoon into Moby Dick, the rope attached to it loops around his neck and the whale drags him out to sea. The object of Ahab’s obsession...the promise of the revenge that he believes will bring him peace...ends up killing him and everyone else that he’s brought along with him.

At the end of the book, just before Ahab plunges the harpoon into Moby Dick at the end of the book, he says something disturbing.

He says, “From Hell’s heart I stab at thee!” Do you know what he means?

In that moment, Ahab is realizing that all the passion that he has for chasing this whale is demonic. It’s not coming from a heavenly source....but a hellish one.

Here’s where we’re headed today. There is a kind of hellish pursuit that every single person in this room has. There is something you are stabbing at. Something you are going for. Something that you know, “If only I could ...”... “Then I’d...”

If only I could graduate....then I’d have more time.
If only I could marry...then I’d be happy.
If only I could divorce...then I’d be able to start over.
If only I could get a job with a decent salary... then I wouldn’t have these money struggles. If only I could slim down...men would find me attractive.

If only I could make it to retirement...I’d be able to rest.
If only my wife would have more sex with me...I wouldn’t look at porn.
If only my children would listen to me...we wouldn’t be in the bind we’re in.
If only I could find someone who really cared about me....then I wouldn’t be lonely.

Almost every single one of our “if only” statements are harpoons from Hell’s Heart.

What I want you to see today...is that when you finally catch whatever “If only” whale you’ve been hunting ...it won’t change a thing. You’ll only hurt the people you’ve dragged along with you...and eventually...you’ll be dragged out to sea by the Whale.

Today, I want you to come face to face with idolatry. I want you to see it in your own life... and then, I want to show you the beautiful way Jesus doesn’t simply forgive you...but replaces the passion that’s killing you...with one that brings you back to life.

Acts 19:11-34

And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”

When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's companions in travel. But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

This passage goes straight to Hell’s heart. It shows you that idols never deliver on the promises they make. and then it shows you how the gospel of Jesus does everything you have always hoped your idols would do.

1) Idols promise happiness and deliver disappointment.

Most of us are going to read the story in this text and not relate at all. You know why? Because we tend to think, “Look at all these first century bozos.” They are so gullible. Who would believe that a little silver statue ACTUALLY has any power? That something you could hold in your hand could ACTUALLY be a god?

But here’s the thing. These people of Ephesus were simply more honest than we are. They were just being honest about what we cover up. Let me show you what I mean. An idol is a god replacement. Now, whether you intellectually believe in god or not...you’re looking for him. You can’t stop yourself from worship. Because God created you to worship. And as much as you might try, you will never be able to NOT WORSHIP. Now let me ask you this. Is worship primarily something you THINK...or is it something you FEEL?

This is a scary question for some of us. Me included. While there are a myriad of passages in the Bible I could use to show you this...I’ll just share this one with you.

Psalm 16:11. This is David talking about being in God’s presence. He says, “In your presence there is FULLNESS OF JOY. At your right hand are PLEASURES FOREVERMORE.” Worship is at its core...the way you FEEL ABOUT God. It is what happens when you experience God filling up every longing you have. It is having a DESIRE to be with him. To know him. To be loved by him.

Now, for all of the intellectuals in the room...and I count myself among you...don’t abandon ship yet. Because the only way to have your heart feel this way about God...is to KNOW who he is...and what he’s done.

In fact, if worshipping didn’t engage your intellect, then God would not have chosen to reveal himself in the written word. He wouldn’t over and over in Scripture beckon you to meditate and think deeply about what he is saying.

But here’s the point. You are not just created to gather FACTS about God... What you discover about God should have you longing for the joy and the pleasure he promises....and that’s where idols come in.

See, everybody has god replacements. Everybody has something you believe is going to give you joy and pleasure. Something that’s going to make you happy. Every one of us has our “if only”. Everybody’s chasing a whale. And we don’t chase those things because we do the math and it just makes sense...we chase them because our heart wants a god... See, idols grab a hold of your heart...and then use your heart to convince your mind to keep going on the whale hunt. Even when it seems insane. You are looking for happiness, and idols always promise that. They just never deliver.

Now, Let me show you some of the idols in Ephesus. Ephesus is one of the most important cities in Asia in the first century. It was the leading city in the richest region of the Roman Empire. Think, NY City...except warmer climate. Ephesus was also a VERY spiritual city. Over 50 different gods had temples there. But the biggest temple in Ephesus was the temple of the goddess Artemis. This temple was 4 times bigger than the Parthenon in Rome...or Nashville. It was one of the 7 wonders of the world. And in it was the huge statue of Artemis, Artemis was like the good luck charm for the city. She was believed to protect it, and prosper it, even to make the couples of the city more fertile.

As the story goes, the statue of Artemis was carved out of a meteorite that fell to earth. There was all kinds of Harry Potter type stuff going on in Ephesus. Crystals, and spells, and tricks to keep away evil spirits. People were always taking orders for Essential Oils and whatnot. But it wasn’t all right-brained touchy-feely. It was filled with book worms, too. Ephesus had one of the largest libraries in the ancient world. So Ephesus is a city full of people who have lots of different idols. Some of them Covert...like Artemis. Some of them Covert...like money...or magic...or intelligence...or power.

Whether they were looking to a 50 foot statue...or to the bottom line of their bank statement, the people of Ephesus were looking for something to keep them safe, and make them happy.

First, you had these “Seven sons of Sceva” ...which sounds like a great name for an indie band...And they think power will make them happy. They love the attention that Paul is getting by healing people in the name of Jesus...” So they think... “Hey, lets try that out.” But their pursuit of power is an idol. It promises happiness. It looks good. But it doesn’t deliver. The demon that possessed one of these guys says, “I know Jesus...and I’ve heard of Paul...but who are you?” And then this demon leaps on them and sends them away wounded and naked. They thought they would be powerful, they ended up weak and beaten down.

After everyone sees what happened to the Sons of Sceva, they all realize that the power they were chasing by messing around with demonic forces isn’t going to pan out to happiness...but to being wounded and naked. So they all got together and burn all these books that they had spent their life on. Why would somebody do that? Why would you just throw away everything you had staked your happiness on? There’s only one reason. Because it utterly disappointed you...

Here’s the thing about idols. Most of time...they aren’t bad things. There’s nothing inherently wrong with power, or money, or marriage, or family. Nothing wrong with political or social causes...or romantic relationships. But once those good things become GOD things....they will never live up to your expectations. And they will always ask you to sacrifice for them. But the trade off never works out.

Let me show you. All of us...every single one of us who have chased an idol for happiness have what I call mirror moments. They are the moments in the middle of your Whale Chase, in the middle of your pursuit of happiness, where something makes you pause....in the quiet of the morning, before you step in the shower...and you look yourself in the mirror and say, “What I have I become?” “Who am I?” “Is this really worth it?” “What am I doing to myself and the people I love?” All these folks who burn their magic books in Ephesus have a mirror moment. And so did Captain Ahab.

In Moby Dick, just before Captain Ahab and his crew start their 3 day battle with Moby Dick, he has this conversation with his first mate, Starbuck. First, they argue about how much he is charging for coffee... Then Ahab talks about his wife and child. He says he’s been a fool for wasting 40 years on chasing Whales when he could have been with his family. So Starbuck tries to convince the captain to turn around...to go back to their families...but Ahab is too consumed with finding the whale. So he ignores his mirror moment and chases his whale. And 3 days later...he would be carried off to sea by it.

What’s your mirror moment? Have you had one? Its coming. This is the insanity of worshipping idols! You think, One more sacrifice and I’ll be happy. One more promotion. One more night with a beautiful woman. One more...one more...one more...and then I’ll turn around.

Let me give you another example. Chef Dan Barber is a revolutionary and wildly successful Chef in NYC. He was featured on the Netflix series “Chef’s Table”. My wife and I watched his episode about a month ago. Listen to what this incredibly successful chef says.

“Because of the drudgery and hours of exhaustion it demands, cooking
attracts people who are attracted to a certain kind of abuse. Is that the way to live a happy life? I don’t have the answer to that. I wonder, sometimes. You have this crazy life as a chef. You’re always on the brink of failure. That’s just constant. I was attracted to cooking when it was so beautiful from afar, but what I didn’t understand was how torturous it was. That’s a lesson I learned late. Still Its so difficult [I have a daughter now] and I still feel sadness, extreme sadness, when

I’m not with her on a Sunday. I’m not going to get that time back. I’m feeling a lot of pain. But I’m gonna spend some time with her tomorrow.”

Do you see it? Do you see his mirror moment? He’s realizing after a lifetime of chasing this happiness that being a chef has promised...that’s its actually been a life of abuse. Disappointment. His life isn’t really about tasting the sweetness of success...its about avoiding the sourness of failure. And what he says about his daughter. Its exactly what all your idols will tempt you to say when you hit your mirror moment. Just one more sacrifice. Just one more day of torture...and then it will pay off. And you respond “Ok. I’ll stop tomorrow.”

One of the problems with preaching on idolatry is I could spend all day giving you examples of their disappointment. But I’ll just give you one more. Here’s Andre Agassi, who through his life into a torturous, and very successful, Tennis Career. His autobiography remains one of the best books I’ve ever read. Listen to his disappointment when he finally caught up to his Whale.

“I don’t feel that [winning] Wimbledon has changed me. I feel, in fact, as if I’ve been let in on a dirty little secret: winning changes nothing. Now that I’ve wona [Grand Slam Tournament], I know something that very few people on earth are permitted to know. A win doesn’t feel as good as a loss feels bad, and the good feelingg doesn’t last as long as the bad. Not even close.” - Andre Agassi, Open

Catching up to Moby Dick never pans out the way you always dreamed it would. So you have to keep sacrificing. Keep chasing.

I’ll spend time with my daughter tomorrow. Back to tennis practice. From Hell’s Heart, I stab at thee.

Those idols keep making promises...here’s another one.
2) Idols promise to make you a captain, then drag you out to sea.

Happiness isn’t the only thing we chase. Because we are created in God’s image...we all want our lives to be ordered. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, we get this story of creation. And it starts with God making order from chaos. Take a look. See, the chaos at the beginning of the world? The earth was “without form and void”. No order ...and the rest of the first 2 chapters of Genesis is God ordering the world.

We have that same desire for our lives to be ordered. Ask any child psychologist about how children flourish, and you’ll find that its in a safe, secure, predictable environment. Whenever uncertainty and unpredictability enter into a child’s life...it messes with their heads and hearts...and can even have severe effects on their adult relationships. Some of you who come from unstable homes have experienced this first hand. We are made to flourish in order...and we fall apart in chaos. When that desire for order gets twisted...we often decide not to rely on God to provide it, but instead to try to get control. We fear our lives spinning out of control, so we chase after idols that promise we can have it. That kind of idolatry is very evident in Ephesus in Acts 19.

This guy Demetrius and whole slew of other folks make their living off of selling these little shrines of the god Artemis. Now, think about this. Demetrius is not the kind of guy who would be particularly interested in going to hear Paul speak...but as Paul preaches the gospel in Ephesus it has such an impact that Demetrius is able to quote this little slogan that Paul uses. “Gods made with hands are not gods.” ...not to mention, so many people are believing the gospel that it effects the local economy. Its putting Demetrius out of business.

Can you imagine that in Murfreesboro? If we spoke the gospel to our friends, neighbors, and co-workers...and we loved and served them in such a way that it effected our economy? What if all the Title Loan places shut down because the Christians in Murfreesboro were so generous? Imagine the sex traffickers in Atlanta getting together and trying to find a route to Nashville that didn’t go through Murfreesboro because too many of their women and pimps were hearing about Jesus, being rescued and being changed.

Listen, when you have seen the beauty of what Jesus has done for you, and you begin to share it both in word and in generosity...it's amazing what can happen...or...you can you just go to church every Sunday.

Now, take a look how Demetrius responds. He gets a rally together...with all the folks that worship Artemis. ...and They. Go. Nuts. They all rush into this 20,000 seat theater...and they’re chanting, “GREAT IS ARTEMIS OF THE EPHESIANS!” In fact, it gets so crazy and violent... That people are just going into the theater saying all kinds of different things because they don’t even know why they are there. This just turns into a violent, angry mob of people demanding Paul’s blood... And for 2 hours...2 straight hours...they chant “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

Have you seen the irony yet? Why does Demetrius rally these people? Why do all the people show up? Well, Demetrius gives you 2 reasons for it. He says first, we are going to lose our money. And second, we are going to lose our god. Do you know what the god of money and Artemis have in common?They both promise security. Protection. Control. Think about it. People worshipped Artemis, or really any god, because they got a sense of control. With Artemis, if you prayed your prayers, made your sacrifices just right... then the story goes that Artemis would not let you come to harm.

We believe the same thing about money. If we hold onto, stack up enough, we’ll be able to buy our way out of danger. Any hospital bill, we can conquer. Any trouble that comes our way...just buy your way out of it. You ever know somebody that money is the solution to everything? But listen, money can’t save you. Money can’t protect you anymore than a little silver statue of Artemis can.

See, we want to control our lives. We want limit our risk and guarantee that we not only live happy lives...but long lives....and money is a way we try to gain control. It gives us the feeling that we are standing on the Captains deck driving the ship. But you aren’t. And you never were....isn’t it strange how much we have to protect the gods that promise to protect us? I mean Demetrius has to rally people to stand up for Artemis....and then the whole thing devolves into chaos. Utter Chaos. Tons of people who are motivated by hate and anger. This is exactly what happens when your idol is threatened. I told you last week, if you want to know what god you worship, just see when you get angry.

Do you get angry when someone disrespects you? Then your idol is people’s approval. Do you get angry when someone disrupts your schedule? Then you are worshipping your ability to control your life. Do you get ticked off when someone talks to you about giving money? Maybe all your security is in your bank account. See, every time your idol is threatened...you’ll try to protect it.

But to riff off Paul’s line... “a god you have to protect cannot protect you” See, the truth is that the real doesn’t need your protection. ...and you don’t have as much control as you think you do. Look what Paul says at Mars Hill in Acts 17 to the philosophers there. See Paul says, the Real God is the captain of the ship. He is the one who steers and directs everything.

And look why he’s doing it in Acts 17:27. “So that you should seek God, and find him. and He’s not far from you.

See, God doesn’t want you to control your own life. Because in the chaos, he wants you to look to him...not to your money, or schedule, or anything else you try to get control with. He wants you to find him in the chaos. And trust him But when we take God’s job from him...we end up losing control...and just like Ahab, though we think we are a Captain, we’re dragged out to sea.

Did you know all through the Bible that the sea is metaphor for chaos? In Gen 1:2- the Spirit of God hovers over the deep dark waters of the sea. God separated the land from the sea. He preserved Noah in the flood. He directed Moses basket through the treacherous waters of the Nile, to safety. He led the Hebrews across dry land when he parted the Red Sea and then the Jordan river.

What God are you trusting to get you through the chaos of the sea? If it is a god made with hands...you have no hope. And those gods will never forgive you when you fail to protect them. That’s why when the stock market crashed a few years ago, men and women jumped out of buildings on Wall St. They trusted money to protect them...they thought they had control...but they couldn't protect their god made with hands...and in their despair, they punished themselves with death.

Idols you can protect never forgive. You fail them...they leave with nothing. That’s why any god you serve that is not the Real God will always leave you operating in fear...not love.

But there’s something better. There is a Real God. And he doesn’t ask you to protect him... in fact...he sacrifices to save you before you can ever lift a finger.

3) Jesus died to bring you back to shore.

If you add one more chapter to Moby Dick, how would it read? What if Moby Dick, instead of dragging Ahab out to sea...what if carried him back to Nantucket. What if the great whale beached himself...and there waiting on the shore, was the family Captain Ahab regretted leaving behind. What if Captain Ahab’s when Captain Ahab stabbed Moby Dick with that Harpoon from Hell’s Heart, Moby Dick ended up not only saving his life, but bringing him back to everything he lost? Well, then it wouldn’t be Moby Dick. It would be the Bible.

Did you see when this angry, chaotic crowd wanted Paul dead...did you see what he did? He wanted to go talk to them? His friends looked at him and said, “Dude, you can’t go in there, they’ll rip you to pieces.” Why in the world would Paul want to go in? Because Paul worshipped the Real God. Jesus Christ. He knew he could not lose the love of God...so he was fearless

See, Jesus though he didn’t deserve it, was arrested by an angry mob. And though his friends tried to talk him out of it, he set his face toward the cross...and he willingly died. He wasn’t killed. He gave himself up. The God of the universe. The son of God. The God that Paul preached in Acts 17 as sovereign over everything...chose to die. From Heaven’s Heart, Jesus descended...and from Hell’s heart...we stabbed him.

The angry crowd chanted “Crucify him.” Because he was a threat to their religious and political order. On the cross, Jesus was becoming the chaos that all our sin, all of our idolatry has brought on us. He was ripped apart, for you. When the spear went in to Jesus’ side, it was a collective cry from everyone who has ever worshipped any god besides the true God... “We all cried, From Hell’s Heart we stab at thee.” But this is a better God. In fact, through his death, that we caused with our sin...he didn’t condemn us...but he forgave us. We stabbed him...and instead of carrying us out to sea, he carried us back to shore.

But see, then Jesus resurrected. Because he just wasn’t making us safe...he was making us new. On the shores that Christ secured for us in his death, his resurrection is remaking the chaos of the world. And one day, he’s going to come back, and he’s going to fix everything our idol worship has broken.

He’s going to reign as king, sovereign over the people he died to heal. Jesus is the only god that doesn’t punish you when you fail him...Because he died to forgive you. He’s the only god that doesn’t eventually drag you off to chaos. Instead, he ushers you into Shalom. Perfect peace. And when he returns...well take a look what John saw when he was given a vision of the Return of the King.

Revelation 21:1: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

When he returns. There is no more sea. No more chaos. No more pain. Only peace.

There’s a story in the New Testament, in the book of Mark, where Jesus is down in the bottom of a boat, asleep. And his disciples are up on deck. And a storm comes rolling in. A violent storm. And the disciples freak out. They go to Jesus and say, “Why would let this storm come at us? We are going to die...don’t you even care?” And Jesus stands up, looks out at the crashing waves and says, “Peace! Be still!”...and everything went calm. And then he turns to his disciples and says, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still not trust me?”

That’s exactly what Jesus is asking you today about your idols. Why do you cling to money, or people pleasing, or sex, or pornography, or work, or school, or friends, or video games, or sports...why have you aimed at those idols? When you do, you are aiming at the heart of God. From Hell’s Heart, you stab at Him.

Don’t you see, you killed Jesus. And now he’s pulling you back to shore.

Why do you still not trust him?

To make the Lord’s Supper, you need chaos. Bread is broken. Grapes are crushed. But out of the breaking and crushing....comes nourishment and life. Out of the chaos, because of what Jesus did, comes order and newness. And we are reminded of what we’ll find when Jesus comes again. A meal. And a celebratory cup of wine. As we are restored to the Father, and the family we walked away from.