UNHOLY ALTARS (4 Part Sermon Series)

SERMON SERIES SUMMARY: Throughout Scripture, God raised prophets to confront the false gods that demanded His people’s worship—Baal, Asherah, Molech, and Mammon. These idols weren’t just statues; they were systems—spiritual strongholds that shaped culture, influenced behavior, and corrupted devotion.

In our time, their altars still stand, disguised in modern form. Baal calls us to control, Asherah seduces us with pleasure, Molech consumes our legacy, and Mammon lures us with wealth and comfort. Each one competes for the heart, seeking to replace trust in God with confidence in self, success, or satisfaction.

This series exposes the spirit behind these altars and empowers us to tear them down because every false god falls where true worship rises.

UNHOLY ALTARS #1

Throughout history, altars have always created atmospheres. Every altar represents a throne. Every throne reveals a god. And whether we recognize it or not, altars are still being built today.

Some altars are visible with temples, stages, and systems, while others are invisible, like our desires, our habits, and our ambitions. The false gods of the Bible that led people astray may no longer have altars of stone or fire, but they still have worshipers.

They don’t demand incense, but they demand your attention and whisper for your compromise. They promise power, pleasure, prosperity, and peace…but leave the soul in bondage.

In this series, Unholy Altars, we’re studying ancient idols and confronting their modern manifestation. They have disguised themselves in culture and infiltrated the Church. Before we can ascend in authority, we must descend in repentance.

This is a call to discern the gods of our generation, to recognize what has been enthroned in place of God, and to tear down the unholy altars as we rebuild the altar of the Lord in our hearts, our homes, and our nation.

Romans 1:20-25 NLT [20] For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. [21] Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. [22] Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. [23] And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. [24] So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. [25] They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

Humanity has always been tempted to worship creation over the Creator.
When gratitude is replaced with entitlement, idolatry is born.
False worship always begins with forgetfulness—forgetting who gave us the gift.
Every idol starts as something good that becomes godlike in our hearts.

Modern idolatry doesn’t start with statues; it starts with unholy substitutions.

Jeremiah 2:11-13 NLT [11] Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones, even though they are not gods at all? Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols! [12] The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay,” says the Lord. [13] “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!

The tragedy of idolatry is not just rebellion, it’s replacement.
Israel didn’t stop worshiping; they just shifted their worship elsewhere.
False gods promise refreshment but leave us spiritually dehydrated.
Every idol is a broken cistern! It leaks joy, drains peace, and wastes purpose.

Idols don’t just steal your worship, they drain your well.

THE ALTAR OF BAAL (The Hustle Culture god)

Baal was the Canaanite god of fertility and storms, believed to control productivity, prosperity, and rain. His worship represented dependence on self-made success rather than a divine source. In Israel’s history, Baal worship spread through cultural acceptance and leadership compromise. In today’s culture, Baal lives on as the spirit of control, manipulation, and performance where people seek results without relationship, power without purity, and progress without presence.

The Worship of Self

The idol of self, also known as the gospel of me. This is when people refer to speaking or living “my truth” instead of actual biological, tangible, and scientific facts.
Our current Culture screams to “follow your heart,” wherever it may lead you, but Scripture says to “deny yourself,” because the heart can be wicked and lead us astray.
The worship of “self” replaces repentance with self-expression and holiness with self-help. The worship of Baal was always rooted in selfishness.

The Worship of Success

Worshiping what works “best” or “faster” rather than worshiping the One who is worthy and created us.
This manifests as people who put their trust in the market more than they do in the Master.
Those who unknowingly worship Baal through their obsession with success measure worth by applause, not by anointing or spiritual obedience.

The Worship of Power

The obsession with needing to have control, influence, fame, and domination.
This is essentially witchcraft in disguise. Rebellion, control, manipulation, and self-exaltation are roots of witchcraft and can even infiltrate ministries under the guise of twisted scriptures and spiritual language.
“Manifestation” culture, and “energy” language mimics faith but removes the cross. It’s the same Old Testament demon with a slightly different manifestation.

Hosea 2:7-9 NLT [7] When she runs after her lovers, she won’t be able to catch them. She will search for them but not find them. Then she will think, ‘I might as well return to my husband, for I was better off with him than I am now.’ [8] She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has— the grain, the new wine, the olive oil; I even gave her silver and gold. But she gave all my gifts to Baal.

Baal worship was a theft of gratitude to God because the Lor’s people were crediting idols for what God Himself provided for them.
God grieves when His people misdirect their praise to empty sources, false gods, and unholy altars.
The spirit of Baal causes spiritual amnesia by causing those under it’s spell to forget the Source behind the supply. Even those who have walked away from the faith or are trying to serve God and idols will give credit to the “universe” or point to their own “good karma.”
Every blessing misused and praise redirected becomes a bridge to spiritual bondage.
When you forget who gave you the gift, the gift becomes your god.
Even good gifts can become an idol when we prioritize them above the Lord!

1 Kings 16:29-33 NLT [29] Ahab son of Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twenty-two years. [30] But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. [31] And as though it were not enough to follow the sinful example of Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal. [32] First Ahab built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. [33] Then he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him.

Ahab didn’t stumble into idolatry; he married into it and institutionalized it to please his unholy wife.
The altar of Baal thrives when leadership prioritizes popularity and pleasure over purity and true divine peace with the Lord.
Jezebel in scripture represents spiritual manipulation as the voice that normalizes compromise with wickedness and silences conviction and voices of truth.
Cultural compromise always begins with leadership alignment with wrong influences. King Ahab entered into a covenant with a woman of darkness, and as the head of a nation, that darkness was given a space to influence the rest of that nation from the top.

Every altar built in public was first permitted in private.

1 Kings 18:17-21 NLT [17] When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?” [18] “I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead. [19] Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel.” [20] So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel. [21] Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.

Elijah exposes the sin of indecision because dual allegiance is the first form of idolatry.
The spirit of Baal thrives on spiritual neutrality by saying it’s okay to have “a little of both.”
But, we serve a jealous God, and the glory, honor, praise, and worship He deserves from us belongs to no other.

James 1:5-8 NLT [5] If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. [6] But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. [7] Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. [8] Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Revelation 3:15-16 NLT [15] “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! [16] But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!

1 Kings 18:36-40 NLT [36] At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. [37] O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.” [38] Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! [39] And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!” [40] Then Elijah commanded, “Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don’t let a single one escape!” So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there.

The true altar of God doesn’t need manipulation, rituals, or extravagant sacrifices, it only needs our obedience.
Elijah’s altar on Mount Carmel was simple: confession, altar repaired, wood arranged, and prayer. God answered by fire.
There is a modern parallel between the prophets of Baal and some of our ministries. Substitutes for true worship, like methods, events, and attractions, crowd out the slow, daily altar of intimate devotion.
We need to replace programming with presence. Our ministries should be built around God’s approval, not man’s attendance and attention span.
God answers with fire when repentance rebuilds the altar.
The moment the people saw the fire, their silence turned to surrender. They had forgotten the true majesty and authority of the God of their ancestors, but the spell of spiritual amnesia was broken because one man was bold enough to address it, not just with words, but with power.

The fire of God doesn’t fall on performance; it falls on repentance.

Romans 12:1 NLT [1] And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Baal demanded human sacrifice. God still asks for sacrifice, not of death, but of devotion.
The altar of Baal consumes flesh for pleasure; the altar of God consumes flesh for purpose.

Every generation faces its own Mount Carmel moment. It’s a divine showdown between what man builds and what God breathes on. Between counterfeit power and holy presence. Between the altar of compromise and the altar of consecration.

The spirit of Baal still moves through our culture today, even in the Church. It seeks to steal devotion, seduce attention, and silence the prophetic voice. It thrives where truth is traded for trends, and worship is replaced with performance. But just like in Elijah’s day, God is raising reformers who won’t bow. It's up to you to determine which altar you will fix and which one you will flip.

Remember this: The altars we build determine the atmospheres we live in.

UNHOLY ALTARS #2

Last week, we stood at Mount Carmel and called out the altar of Baal, the altar that promises control and sells power. Today, we expose the idol where compromise hides behind beauty, and pleasure disguises itself as freedom.

THE ALTAR OF BAAL (The Hustle Culture god)

The Worship of Self
The Worship of Success
The Worship of Power

If Baal taught Israel to trade dependence for results, Asherah taught them to trade devotion for desire. Where Baal demanded influence, Asherah demanded indulgence. This is where the church gets distracted, where holiness is traded for acceptance, and where worship becomes sensual entertainment. We are coming to tear down the sacred poles of compromise and rebuild altars of purity.

THE ALTAR OF ASHERAH (The Free Love Hippy god)

Asherah represented fertility, motherhood, the sacred tree, and, in some Canaanite contexts, was known as the wife of Baal. She was a major ancient goddess widely worshiped in Syria and Palestine, embodying the “Earth Mother” and was associated with love, sensuality, sex rituals, and even war.

The Worship of Pleasure

Those who worshiped Asherah prioritized pleasure over purpose and fleshy entertainment over true discipleship.
There was a constant desensitization to sexual sin or moral looseness due to this influence.
Today, we still see that influence through the pornification of public life, casual sexualization in advertising, provocative lyrics in music, and sexual scenes and themes in movies.

The Worship of Vanity

Those under the influence of Asherah often tolerate moral compromise to avoid losing relevance or numbers. This is the “tolerance” culture of this world infiltrating the church in the name of “love” and “grace,” but with a root of vanity and desire for influence and attention.
Today, our Social media platforms normalize exhibitionism and vanity as identity, even when it’s fake, staged, and heavily photoshopped.
Beauty and bodies are seen as currencies, leading many to believe their self-worth is tied to their physical presentation and affirmative comments on their pictures.

The Worship of Emotion

Emotions and personal feelings heavily led Asherah worship. The same happens today when someone measures their spiritual life by emotional experience rather than their obedience to God.
Churches are complicit with the worship of emotion when services are structured primarily to create feelings rather than foster repentance.
Ministry strategies that leverage emotional appeal through suggestive and manipulative imagery, music, and sermon themes to grow attendance are under the influence of Asherah. Those who aim to entertain the flesh rather than edify the spirit are misaligned with the heart of God and are misrepresenting the Bride Jesus came to call to Himself.

Whatever entertains the flesh will eventually erode the spirit.

Judges 3:7 NLT [7] The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles.

Asherah is often paired with Baal, pleasure as the partner of power.
You can’t worship God at the altar and your image in the mirror at the same time. Asherah operates through pride and vanity, yet God calls us to be humble.

1 Kings 14:22-24 NLT [22] During Rehoboam’s reign, the people of Judah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, provoking his anger with their sin, for it was even worse than that of their ancestors. [23] For they also built for themselves pagan shrines and set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. [24] There were even male and female shrine prostitutes throughout the land. The people imitated the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.

Asherah poles marked public normalization of compromise, essentially saying “sexual immorality is welcomed here.” Their poles were the pride flags of their culture.
The church tolerates what it does not expose. The people of God allowed the collective worship of both Yahweh and Asherah. They would worship Baal, Asherah, and Yahweh in the same temple.
A part of the worship to Asherah involved prostitution, which was once again allowed in God’s house under the guise of “tolerance,” “acceptance,” and “religious choice.”

When pleasure becomes the priest, purity becomes the sacrifice.

2 Kings 22:1-2 NLT [1] Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath. [2] He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right.

Finally, there was a righteous King, but there was still compromise in the land due to his ignorance as a child and with limited knowledge of the Word of God. Remember, the Prophet Hosea says God’s people “perish for lack of knowledge.”
Eighteen years into his reign (at 26 years old), King Josiah asked his court secretary to run an errand and speak to the High Priest in the temple of the Lord, and what was found is both shocking and heartbreaking.

2 Kings 22:8-13 NLT [8] Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple!” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and he read it. [9] Shaphan went to the king and reported, “Your officials have turned over the money collected at the Temple of the Lord to the workers and supervisors at the Temple.” [10] Shaphan also told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” So Shaphan read it to the king. [11] When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. [12] Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and Asaiah the king’s personal adviser: [13] “Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah. Inquire about the words written in this scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing everything it says we must do.”

The Word wasn’t lost in the streets or destroyed beyond recognition; it was buried in the sanctuary due to not being valued, honored, and prioritized.
“When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.”
Conviction brought transformation to King Josiah on another level.
Josiah didn’t debate the Word, make excuses, or try to make it fit the cultural climate they were traditionally used to for generations; he responded to it with righteous action.
His humility became the bridge for national restoration.
Conviction without action becomes corruption.
Josiah recognized corporate guilt and sought divine direction as he understood that, as someone in a place of authority, he could bring change and reform.

2 Kings 23:1-7 NLT [1] Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. [2] And the king went up to the Temple of the Lord with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, along with the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. There the king read to them the entire Book of the Covenant that had been found in the Lord’s Temple. [3] The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the Lord’s presence. He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul. In this way, he confirmed all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll, and all the people pledged themselves to the covenant. [4] Then the king instructed Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second rank and the Temple gatekeepers to remove from the Lord’s Temple all the articles that were used to worship Baal, Asherah, and all the powers of the heavens. The king had all these things burned outside Jerusalem on the terraces of the Kidron Valley, and he carried the ashes away to Bethel. [5] He did away with the idolatrous priests, who had been appointed by the previous kings of Judah, for they had offered sacrifices at the pagan shrines throughout Judah and even in the vicinity of Jerusalem. They had also offered sacrifices to Baal, and to the sun, the moon, the constellations, and to all the powers of the heavens. [6] The king removed the Asherah pole from the Lord’s Temple and took it outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley, where he burned it. Then he ground the ashes of the pole to dust and threw the dust over the graves of the people. [7] He also tore down the living quarters of the male and female shrine prostitutes that were inside the Temple of the Lord, where the women wove coverings for the Asherah pole.

Josiah tore down Asherah poles, removed altars, and desecrated the high places that exalted anything above God.
Once he knew the Word of the Lord and the holiness he asked of, he could no longer ignore the poles in the community; he removed them immediately.
Spiritual reformation includes physical acts that declare spiritual intent to seek and serve God. Conviction must lead to action, as faith without works is dead.

2 Kings 23:24-25 NLT [24] Josiah also got rid of the mediums and psychics, the household gods, the idols, and every other kind of detestable practice, both in Jerusalem and throughout the land of Judah. He did this in obedience to the laws written in the scroll that Hilkiah the priest had found in the Lord’s Temple. [25] Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since.

He didn’t justify the culture; he judged it by the Word of the Lord and removed everything that went against it, regardless of how deeply it was engraved in the culture.

The idolatry normalized in culture will be normalized in the church if no one tears down the altar.

Deuteronomy 16:21-22 NLT [21] “You must never set up a wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build for the Lord your God. [22] And never set up sacred pillars for worship, for the Lord your God hates them.

God commands separation from the things of this world because holiness requires boundary-setting.
Sensuality and sanctification are not mixable. Light should not cohabitate with darkness.
You cannot place pleasure beside the altar and expect worship to remain pure.

Ezekiel 8:5-6 NLT [5] Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and there to the north, beside the entrance to the gate near the altar, stood the idol that had made the Lord so jealous. [6] “Son of man,” he said, “do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel are committing to drive me from my Temple? But come, and you will see even more detestable sins than these!”

In Ezekiel 8, the prophet Ezekiel is carried by the Spirit of the Lord into a vision of the Temple in Jerusalem. What he sees is layers of hidden idolatry inside the house that bears God’s name. At the entrance of the sanctuary, an “image of jealousy” stands, provoking the Lord to anger. Behind closed doors, seventy elders of Israel secretly burn incense to carved images, claiming “the Lord does not see us.” Women are found weeping for the false god Tammuz, mourning a sensual myth of fertility and lust. And within the inner court itself, twenty-five men bow to the sun, turning their backs to the temple of the Lord. God exposes the corruption: sensuality, self-worship, and spiritual compromise have invaded His holy space. What began as a hidden devotion to other gods became open desecration. Ezekiel's vision reveals that judgment starts not in the world, but in the sanctuary. The same Spirit that revealed defilement also points to the remedy, a call to tear down every idol in the heart, cleanse the inner court, and return to true worship.

Ezekiel didn’t find idols among unbelievers; he saw them among intercessors, leaders, and priests.

Idolatry begins when the people of God lose sight of who they’re serving.

Romans 12:1-2 NLT [1] And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. [2] Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

The antidote to Asherah is consecration. Sacrifice your desires to the Master, not the moment of culture that cosigns the flesh.
Transformation begins in the mind through thought renewal and shows in the body through physical sanctification of appearance, character, and actions.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 NLT [3] God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. [4] Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— [5] not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. [6] Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. [7] God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives.

Where Baal tempted Israel with control and results, Asherah seduced them with pleasure and compromise. Both altars ask for worship but steal what only God can give. If Part 1 called us to choose between God and power, Part 2 calls us to choose between God and gratification. The poles must fall so the pillar of God can stand.

We must tear down what pleases the flesh and rebuild what pleases the Father. As people of God, we must refuse the gods of our earthly culture and serve the living God while cultivating His Kingdom culture.

May we never forget: The altars we build determine the atmospheres we live in.

UNHOLY ALTARS #3

In this series, Unholy Altars, we’re studying ancient idols and confronting their modern manifestation. They have disguised themselves in culture and infiltrated the Church. This is a call to discern the gods of our generation, to recognize what has been enthroned in place of God, and to tear down unholy altars.

We’ve seen how God answers by fire to expose Baal and how he used King Josiah to tear down the poles of Asherah.

THE ALTAR OF BAAL (The Hustle Culture god)

The Worship of Self
The Worship of Success
The Worship of Power

THE ALTAR OF ASHERAH (The Free Love Hippy god)

The Worship of Pleasure
The Worship of Vanity
The Worship of Emotion

Some altars demand incense. Others demand everything you love. The altar of Molech never asked for possessions; it asked for children, future, and legacy. In ancient days, it burned with literal fire. Today, it burns through systems, culture, and choices that sacrifice the next generation for comfort, convenience, and climbing.

THE ALTAR OF MOLECH (The Toxic Level-Up god)

Where Baal sold control and Asherah seduced with pleasure, Molech preys through a promise: “Give me your children, and I will make your life easier, your image better, your kingdom greater.”

The Worship of Convenience

This is when we choose ease over endurance in raising or discipling the next generation. Our school systems, media entertainment, and video games disciple our children more than we do.
It looks like preferring comfort to conviction, because truth costs time and reputation.
The worship of convenience replaces parental or pastoral presence with distractions, devices, or dollars. It gives children toys, games, iPads, and phones rather than Bibles, devotionals, quality time, or purposeful discipleship moments.

The Worship of Silence

We are partnering with Molech worship by remaining quiet when culture redefines morality under the banner of progress.
Protecting your own self-image over the innocent, turning a blind eye to corruption or abuse of the young or unborn, and refusing to speak truth to “protect your peace” goes against what God expects of us as believers.
When we fear the backlash of man more than we fear God, we let future generations suffer in spiritual confusion.

The Worship of Advancement

Sacrificing family, purity, or purpose on the altar of ambition aligns with Molech worship.
When we trade generational legacy for personal achievement or influence, we sacrifice our children to the influence of this world.
Measuring destiny by how far you rise, not by who rises after you or because of you, is a toxic mindset that misaligns us with the heart of Christ.

Molech builds industries that exploit young people through trafficking, manipulation, sexualization, or greed disguised as opportunity. This idol creates adults with such ambition that they are willing to sacrifice children’s time, discipleship, or even their lives for prestige and reaching personal goals.

Molech represents the darkest side of self-optimization, embodying ambition at all costs. Anciently, he was worshipped through child sacrifice by fire. Today, people sacrifice their relationships, health, and morals on his altar, prioritizing achievement above all else, even if the innocent must pay the price. In this age, Molech is also the god of abortion.

Leviticus 18:21 NLT [21] “Do not permit any of your children to be offered as a sacrifice to Molech, for you must not bring shame on the name of your God. I am the Lord.

Leviticus 20:2-5 NLT [2] “Give the people of Israel these instructions, which apply both to native Israelites and to the foreigners living in Israel. “If any of them offer their children as a sacrifice to Molech, they must be put to death. The people of the community must stone them to death. [3] I myself will turn against them and cut them off from the community, because they have defiled my sanctuary and brought shame on my holy name by offering their children to Molech. [4] And if the people of the community ignore those who offer their children to Molech and refuse to execute them, [5] I myself will turn against them and their families and will cut them off from the community. This will happen to all who commit spiritual prostitution by worshiping Molech.

God’s law directly forbids using human life as currency for favor.
God shows His people that child sacrifice is a demonic ritual.
This biblical principle speaks against any system or choice that treats children as expendable for gain.
Our modern church culture has weakened the sense of conviction by preaching that we love by not judging and replacing the word baby with “fetus” or “clump of cells”, yet scripture clearly communicates how God feels about the detestable sin of child sacrifice.

A society that celebrates those who sacrifice the next generation is in covenant with hell.

Jeremiah 32:32-35 NLT [32] “The sins of Israel and Judah—the sins of the people of Jerusalem, the kings, the officials, the priests, and the prophets—have stirred up my anger. [33] My people have turned their backs on me and have refused to return. Even though I diligently taught them, they would not receive instruction or obey. [34] They have set up their abominable idols right in my own Temple, defiling it. [35] They have built pagan shrines to Baal in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing. What an incredible evil, causing Judah to sin so greatly!

God's anger follows when societies normalize the destruction of the innocent. He calls child sacrifice a horrible deed, incredible evil, and a great sin!
When King Josiah discovered this, he did something about it!

2 Kings 23:10 NLT [10] Then the king defiled the altar of Topheth in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, so no one could ever again use it to sacrifice a son or daughter in the fire as an offering to Molech.

Topheth means “fireplace” or “drumming place” because this is where drums would beat loudly to drown out the cries of children being burned alive.
Josiah models direct, public dismantling of an altar of sacrifice by completely defiling it rather than just denouncing it or advocating for personal choice in the name of “tolerance.”
King Josiah, in his zeal for reform, didn’t just stop the worship of Molech; he defiled the altar to such an extent that it could never function again.
Reformation is not only spiritual; it’s practical and structural. We need to remove the place and the practice to cleanse the land.
All spiritual leaders must be willing to act decisively to end institutionalized abuse, even when facing demonic backlash, man’s tradition, and community outrage.
There must be rebellion against generational sin if we wish to break the cycle in our bloodlines.

Reformers don’t quietly argue with tradition; they boldly proclaim truth while removing its unholy altars.

Ezekiel 16:16-21 NLT [16] You used the lovely things I gave you to make shrines for idols, where you played the prostitute. Unbelievable! How could such a thing ever happen? [17] You took the very jewels and gold and silver ornaments I had given you and made statues of men and worshiped them. This is adultery against me! [18] You used the beautifully embroidered clothes I gave you to dress your idols. Then you used my special oil and my incense to worship them. [19] Imagine it! You set before them as a sacrifice the choice flour, olive oil, and honey I had given you, says the Sovereign Lord. [20] “Then you took your sons and daughters—the children you had borne to me—and sacrificed them to your gods. Was your prostitution not enough? [21] Must you also slaughter my children by sacrificing them to idols?

Proverbs 22:6 NLT [6] Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

We have two options before us by which we must choose to live. The first choice is to build altars to Molech in our homes and lives by sacrificing children, time, or divine guidance for the sake of convenience, ambition, or self-interest. We would also do this by redirecting God’s gifts, talents, provision, and legacy to worldly idols.
Our second option is to build altars of blessing and covenant to the Lord. We do this by investing time, wisdom, and protection in our children, training them in God’s ways, stewarding what God has given, and cultivating obedience, character, and faith.
Every choice matters: You either hand over your children to Molech or guide them toward God’s altar.
You can’t redeem a generation while protecting the place that destroyed them.
Silence, inaction, or indifference is cooperation with the altar.
Joshua declared, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” because he didn’t give his children options to choose to serve other gods. He set the tone in his household, and so should we!

The altar you maintain determines the generation you leave behind.

Matthew 18:2-6 NLT [2] Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. [3] Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. [4] So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. [5] “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. [6] But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Kingdom greatness is measured by how we protect, value, and serve the vulnerable, not by wealth, ambition, or status.
Causing a child to fall morally, spiritually, or emotionally is a serious offense in God’s eyes.
Jesus elevates children and shows us that protecting them is central to the Kingdom.
Those who exploit or abuse the vulnerable face severe divine rebuke.
The New Covenant cares for the weakest among us; so our ministries must too (including the unborn).
Policies, cultural norms, or personal choices that harm children are modern altars of Molech.

You can't build a Kingdom legacy on the bones of a spiritually dead generation.

A godless culture will not raise godly children for you. You either remain silent and watch them die, or you prophesy the Word of the Lord to the dry bones and watch them live again!

We counteract Molech by choosing not to sacrifice our children or others, but instead being a living sacrifice by dying to our flesh and laying down our earthly ambitions.

Molech’s altar is the most brutal mirror of our moral failure, because it takes what we love most and burns it for temporary gain. In workplaces that demand children’s time for profit, in schools that prioritize cultural politics over safety and development, in entertainment and media that exploit or sexualize youth, and in social policies that normalize the devaluation of life, the fire of Molech still burns.

Where Baal promised results and Asherah promised pleasure, Molech promised security in exchange for sacrifice. But the kingdom we serve gives children as blessings, not as bargaining chips. We stand against any system, policy, or posture that would profit from a child’s loss. Tear down the altars of convenience. Raise the altars of the covenant. Build homes that protect, churches that shelter, and nations that defend the unborn and the young. The next generation is not collateral damage for our success; they are the crown of God’s promise. At this church, we boldly refuse the altar of Molech and choose the altar of the Lord.

Always remember, that even within our own homes: The altars we build determine the atmospheres we live in.

UNHOLY ALTARS #4

In this series, Unholy Altars, we’re studying ancient idols and confronting their modern manifestation. They have disguised themselves in culture and infiltrated the Church. This is a call to discern the gods of our generation, to recognize what has been enthroned in place of God, and to tear down unholy altars.

THE ALTAR OF BAAL (The Hustle Culture god)

The Worship of Self
The Worship of Success
The Worship of Power

THE ALTAR OF ASHERAH (The Free Love Hippy god)

The Worship of Pleasure
The Worship of Vanity
The Worship of Emotion

THE ALTAR OF MOLECH (The Toxic Level-Up god)

The Worship of Convenience
The Worship of Silence
The Worship of Advancement

Every generation must decide which master it will serve. Some bowed to Baal for control, others to Asherah for pleasure, and others to Molech for power and legacy. But in our time, the altar that towers above the rest is the altar of Mammon, the god of wealth and self-sufficiency.

This idol doesn’t demand blood; it demands belief that money can do what only God can. Mammon whispers, “If you had more, you’d be secure… if you could afford it, you’d be enough.” But Mammon is not just about money; it’s about misplaced trust. It is a counterfeit provider, a false savior, and a rival throne that tries to buy what only faith can build.

Proverbs 11:28 ESV [28] Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

THE ALTAR OF MAMMON (The Clout-chasing god)

Mammon is the god of luxury, excess, and materialism. He operates in today’s culture by leading people to believe their worth is measured by wealth, status, and appearance. Social media is his playground, and people worship him by posting highlight reels of their lives, flaunting luxury possessions and fake perfection. He deceives us into thinking happiness comes from clout, bling, and overabundance.

The Worship of Security

Mammon seduces by convincing us that money equals safety rather than God’s presence.
It replaces prayer and dependence on Jehovah-Jireh with planning, side hustles, and pyramid schemes; essentially replacing faith in God with fear of lack.
When People begin to trust their bank savings over the Savior and their investments over intercession, the worship of financial security is present.

The Worship of Achievement

When status becomes the measure of blessing, Mammon has been enthroned.
People who chase platforms over purpose, profit over presence, and applause over assignment are dealing with hidden Mammon idolatry of the heart.
The lie of Mammon says: “If you’re not seen, you’re not significant.” Those under his influence often feel they aren't enough unless they achieve more and do more, so they can be worth more.

The Worship of Materialism

Our television and magazine advertisements call it a luxury “lifestyle”, but scripture calls it greed.
The worship of Mammon and materialism happens when people build their identity around what brands and items they own rather than who they serve.
Anxiety over our inability to keep up with appearances reveals where we believe our worth comes from. We have a culture that loves to showcase the appearance of wealth and success while silently living in poverty and lack.

Mammon blinds the eye with luxury so you never see your own poverty of soul.

Matthew 6:24 NKJV [24] “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 6:24 NLT [24] “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

This verse isn’t just a warning; it’s a diagnosis of divided loyalty.
Jesus was confronting a heart issue disguised as financial wisdom
He was saying you cannot be owned by God and also owned by gain.
It’s not that money itself is evil; it’s that Mammon demands the same allegiance that only God deserves.

Matthew 19:16-22 NLT [16] Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” [17] “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.” [18] “Which ones?” the man asked. And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. [19] Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’” [20] “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?” [21] Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” [22] But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked beyond the young man’s possessions and saw his prison.
When the young man asked what he lacked, Jesus didn’t attack his wealth, He tested his worship and offered a way to get free from the grip of Mammon.
He chose to keep his hands too full of gold to receive grace.
You can have money in your hand and still have heaven in your heart, but the moment money gets in your heart, heaven begins to fade from your hands.

The war between God and Mammon is about loyalty, and every priority reveals which kingdom you serve.

When giving feels painful, Mammon is nearby.
When generosity requires recognition, Mammon is worshiped.
When we equate net worth with self-worth, Mammon has become our master.
When believers work harder to build personal brands and empires rather than working harder to build God’s altars, Mammon has infiltrated.

Luke 12:15 NLT [15] Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

Luke 12:33-34 NLT [33] “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. [34] Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Jesus was confronting spiritual dependency on material things.
He reveals that Heaven measures wealth by what you release, not what you retain.
Measure life by obedience, not outcome.
We must refuse to let our possessions become prisons and our items become idols.
As believers, we are called to sow into souls, not our personal “status” in the culture.

1 Timothy 6:2-10 NLT [2] If the masters are believers, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. Those slaves should work all the harder because their efforts are helping other believers who are well loved. Teach these things, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them. [3] Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. [4] Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions. [5] These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy. [6] Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. [7] After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. [8] So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. [9] But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. [10] For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Paul’s warning is against those who make godliness a business strategy by using faith as a formula for fame or fortune.
Prosperity without purity can quickly become perversion, even from our pulpits. Many ministers are guilty of doing this by turning the house of God into a business for personal gain.
When ministry is treated like a brand, people become treated like consumers rather than disciples.
Mammon can even cause people to use religious language to justify selfish motives. “Touch not my anointed,” “the tithe went to the priests,” “Honor the man of God,” “Sow $1000 so the Lord can…” is all a form of scriptural twisting for manipulative personal gain.
Contentment isn’t complacency, it’s conviction that God is enough.
Some walk away from calling, purity, and even faith for the promise of provision. They start on fire for truth, get a taste of the fame and fortune, and sell out for their own kingdom rather than God’s.

The love of money doesn’t start in the wallet; it starts in the wound.

Most under the influence of Mammon deal with insecurity or rejection trauma that taught them to see their worth through status.
Words or actions that point to Mammon can mold our thoughts at a young age and normalize greed and the desire for power and acceptance.

Philippians 4:11-13 ESV [11] Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. [12] I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. [13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Paul reveals a mindset that cannot be manipulated by money, status, or circumstance is a soul anchored in Christ alone.
Paul is writing this from prison, yet he sounds freer than most believers living in abundance.
The spirit of Mammon says: “You’ll have peace when you have more.”
But the Spirit of Christ says: “You’ll have peace when you trust Me with what you already have.”
Spiritual maturity is present when you can’t be controlled by external conditions.
True maturity is when neither success nor scarcity changes your spirit.

Paul wasn’t defined by what he held in his hands, he was defined by Who held his heart.

Every altar we’ve confronted: Baal, Asherah, Molech, and Mammon represent a different way humanity tries to replace God. But true revival begins when we return to the fear of the Lord and reestablish His throne at the center of our lives.

Mammon promises freedom but enslaves the heart. It offers comfort while draining contentment. But the Kingdom of God invites us to worship the Provider, not the provision.

We will not bow to Baal for control,
We will not chase Asherah for pleasure,
We will not feed Molech for progress,
And we will not serve Mammon for gain.

We will build altars of worship, not idolatry; altars that honor God, protect purity, and restore true prosperity of the soul. Because wherever true worship rises, false gods fall.

It’s time to tear down every unholy altar raised up above the truth of the Lord in our hearts, homes, schools, and workplaces. The altars we build determine the atmospheres we live in.

UNHOLY ALTARS (4 Part Sermon Series)

UNHOLY ALTARS #1

UNHOLY ALTARS #2

UNHOLY ALTARS #3

UNHOLY ALTARS #4

TEACHING LIBRARY

LEADERSHIP BLOG

SERMON NOTES