I Kings 12:30

"And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan."

"The Continual Mark of Sin"; jeroboam had become king, given the opportunity to rule and reign like David. But alas!, what did he do, within his first acts as king, he made false idols and utterly led the people away from God. and is this a little thing? No, it is found throughout the rest of the history of the kings of Israel, 'Who sinned against the Lord with the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin.' How would you like that for your ephitah for ever and ever? And this thing became a sin - two calfs set in two cities, dan and Bethel; Idol worship is set quicly before the people, and they rejected going to the house of the Lord in Jerusaleum, because Jeroboam was afraid that the people would turn back to the house of Judah and reject him. Pride and vanity is the source of this sinful fall. The Lord had promised him that he would be established if he served the Lord like David. But this became a sin, a continual sin, generation after generation, leading the people astray. ARe we able to see what has become sin in our own land? Entertainment, materialism, money, time, family, love of self, are the things that have been set up in place of God Almighty. These are the things our time, money and interest are given to. These are the things that have become sin. And as long as we have these false gods ruling and reigning in our lives, we cannot be serving the Lord. We cannot be blest nor walking worhty and holy as the Lord has called us. What of your own personal life? What has become sin to you? What is it that when your mind roams, it lands on? What occupies your time? What takes your money? What is the love of your heart? If it is not the Lord, it has become a sin. Cast it away, destroy before you have the title imparted to Jeroboam for the rest of your existing memory. For the people went to worship before the one - word study, went; There was only one place the people were to worship, the temple of the Lord. They immediately began false worship. Is there not much false worship today? They enter the house of the Lord, yet they know not the God in whom they are worshipping? They know not His voice; they know not His attritubtes; there is no personal relationship between the Lord and them. We have forgotten our God and turned and worshipped wrongly. When we read in REvelation the angelic hosts and how they worship the Lord, does it not burn within us to say, 'Give me a glimpse at how to worship Him in trueness and glorifying unto Him.'? And let us see the whole truth of this, it was not just a few or small group, it says, 'the people'. An entire hosts of the people went after this false god. And yet, we are quick to remember the great sin of Ahab and Jezebel, that where Israel was falsely worshipping this one, Ahab gave them Baal and this one. He multiplied their inquity. Seea and behold the wickedness of the people as they go off Sunday after Sunday to worship the sun god, the water god, the ball god and any thing else besides the One True God. Let us understand that when Jeroboam came to be king he instituted all of this fasle worship in a quick time frame. And so it is that our nation, and people are worshipping something that only recently has been set up in our nation. These things that take us away from the house of the Lord on Sunday have only in the last 30 years been established, it has not always been this way. And let me be quick to remind you again of this truth: David reigned 40 years; Solomon reigned 40 years and Jeroboam and Rehoboam have only begun to reign in our text; How quickly was the fall in this 80 years? They went from ruling the world and God fulfilling all that He promised to them, to be sinful and wicked in this sin of Jeroboam and that which Solomon had allowed in his later years. Guard against any thing that takes us away from the straight and narrow. Pray unceasinly that God would be merciful and restore us to where we should be before Him. Speak the truth to those around that there would be a witness born before the people of what the Lord has said and what is expected. Cast off the works of darkness for we are vessels of light and salt in this present world. But if the salt have lost its savor, wherein shall it profit?