Bury Your Idols, Embrace Your Identity

Good morning everyone, I am Nate Gustafson, the Location pastor for our newly announced EAST BETHEL location launching early next year. After 9 months of praying, looking, waiting, praying some more, it feels so good to say that out loud. Whew!!

And my goodness, the stories of how God brought all this together to see God transform lives are incredible. But more on that later.

Recently I came across this crazy story that During the Colorado Gold Rush, a miner named R.U. Darby struck what he thought was a rich vein of gold. So, He bought ton of equipment and went to work, but suddenly, the gold vanished. After weeks of digging up dirt, he threw in the towel, sold his machinery for essentially pennies, and went home.

But the buyer hired an engineer to analyze the site, who discovered the gold had just shifted around a fault line, finding that Darby quit exactly three feet short of a multi-million-dollar fortune.

Can you imagine quitting 3 feet from millions??

But can we be honest for a minute, how often do we do exactly what Darby did in life with God? We stop short of the abundant life God made us for.

We give our lives to Jesus, we grow for a while, but then we experience setbacks as we fall back into sin patterns, or deal with doubts, or we just get comfortable. When our spiritual lives feel stuck, we might wonder why.

The reality is we constantly stop short of full obedience. We choose comfort over calling. We choose our way instead of surrendering to God’s in our daily lives.

The reality is, stopping short is robbing us of the abundant life God has for us. "

Which is where we find Jacob as we come to Genesis 35.

If you look at Jacob’s life, it’s a roller coaster of massive failures and huge wins. Yet God faithfully shows up every time.

Thirty years earlier, Jacob was running for his life after cheating his brother Esau. Sleeping on the dirt with a stone for a pillow, God met him in a dream and promised to bless him.

Right then, Jacob made a bargain: 'God, IF you protect me and bring me home in peace, you will be my God.'

Decades pass. Jacob spends twenty years working 300 miles away for his uncle Laban. God prospers him, builds his family, and gives him great wealth.

And then, in Genesis 31:13, God speaks directly to Jacob: "I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.’

Along that long trek, God meets Jacob at the Jabbok River, breaks his self-reliance, and renames him Israel. God even brings miraculous healing to his broken relationship with Esau.

Now the road home is wide open. Yet Jacob buys land, stopping 20 miles short of Bethel and sets up camp in Shechem for TEN YEARS.

For ten years, he ignores God’s call, stops leading his family, and lets idols creep into his home. That compromise leads straight into the dark, heartbreaking disaster of Genesis 34—a tragic chapter where God’s name isn't mentioned even once.

So, thats where we pick things up, It would be great to have you open up your Bible to Genesis 35, or grab the one at your chair and turn to page 25.

What is interesting is I think we do the exact same thing as Jacob. One moment, you’re locked in—ready to forgive a friend, serve a neighbor, or confess a struggle. But on the way, you get distracted or afraid. You decide to obey God 'later.' But 'later' never comes.

We don't realize how destructive it is to treat God’s call as just another voice we can ignore. We drift into the corrupt ways of the world, and the consequences hurt.

Yet God, in his amazing grace, doesn’t give up on jacob and his family, in Genesis 35:1 it says,

35 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”

God in His love gives Jacob a WAKE-UP CALL. He reminds him where to go, calling him back to the mission of obedience.

Look at what God is doing here. He issues a command, but He also triggers a memory. He’s saying, 'Remember who I am. Remember what I did for you thirty years ago when you were terrified and all alone. Go back to Bethel.

God is saying the same thing to you! Everyday, remember that he has saved you, loves you, and is with you. If you pursue him everyday, everything changes as you live in his Power.

Yet, too often, many of us stop short of actively pursuing the incredible life God has for us to follow Jesus and help others do the same.

One major reason is that we don’t deal with one of the MAIN things holding us back

We will see what that is through Jacob, starting in verse 2…

2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem.

Woah, what a response! Jacob heard God’s call to go and knew things had to change first. It was time to repent, to bury the idols they had carried for 10 years. Idols that caused them to compromise, to fall into the evil ways of this world, that robbed them of the purpose God made them for.

The whole family gave Jacob their idols and rings that symbolized the false gods, and buried them.

Then they purified themselves as a sign of confessing and renouncing their sin and

put on new garments showing that they were leaving behind how they had lived in Shechem. Now they were worshippers of God on the way to Bethel.

This leads us to the title for our message you can write down - Bury Your Idols, Embrace Your Identity

Today you will see Jacob and his family give you a POWERFUL example to follow so you don’t stop short of the abundant life with God.

In God’s power, you must bury your idols…

Now, how this applies to your life might feel a little confusing because I am betting you don’t have any little wooden idol’s you carry around. Besides, we modern people have technology now and science, we are so much better than these ancient people, right?!?

Well, how many of you have one of these (phone) in your pocket right now? Are you sure that it hasn’t become an idol that controls your life???

The truth is, our modern gods aren't wooden statues. They are things like power, human approval, and money.

Pastor Tim Keller pointed out that the most dangerous idols are usually good things elevated into ultimate things. An idol is taking something God created as a blessing, and demanding that it provide your soul with security, value, and meaning.

You say, 'If I just have that career, that perfect house, or that relationship—then my life will have meaning.' But when a good thing becomes a god thing, it inevitably becomes a destructive thing. Idols demand sacrifices, but they can never deliver salvation.

For instance, how many of us have seen someone make an idol out of their career, they sacrifice their health, integrity, even their kids, to make it in their career. But they never really feel satisfied, so they keep grinding, completely oblivious to how they have ruined their family.

Modern idols hide behind the facade of being good, making them incredibly difficult to spot.

How do we discover the hidden idols in our lives? We have to put our hearts through a spiritual MRI with three diagnostic questions:

3 questions to find the hidden idols in our lives:

Where do your daydreams effortlessly drift? When your mind is in neutral, where your thoughts settle is a powerful indicator of what your heart truly worships.

Where does your money go? Jesus said where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. We never feel it's a waste to overspend on our idols.

What potential loss fills you with despair? This is the ultimate emotional tell. If the thought that your career didn’t go somewhere amazing someday would crush you, it could indicate it has become your god.

Let's talk about the most accepted idol of all: family. You might think, 'Surely loving my family too much isn't idolatry.' But there is a massive difference between loving your family and idolizing them. When you expect your spouse to be your whole world, or your kids' success to validate your worth, you demand that they be God for you. No human being can bear that weight.

When they inevitably fall short, it leads to control, bitterness, and resentment. Your child might even feel your love depends on their performance.

But when you turn to God as your ultimate source of security, it sets your family free. You can finally love them for who they actually are. Burying the idol of family is what actually saves your family

So what is your idol? (pause). And how are you going to bury it this week? (pause)

Once you identify your idol, it's time to bury it.

Three steps to bury your idols

Cut off the source of compromise. If social media approval is your idol, delete the apps. If late-night internet is killing your purity, put hard blocks on your devices.

Purify yourself by bringing the idol to light. Idols thrive in the dark, so wash them away through vulnerable confession to God and a trusted friend.

Stop excusing the compromise. Don't call workaholism 'providing for my family' when it’s actually a greedy pursuit of status.

But burying your idols isn't just about getting rid of something — it's about receiving something.

Look at the deep work God does as they set out to worship Him in verse 5.

5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7 There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel,[a] because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth.[b] 9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,[c] God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,[d] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.[e]” So he named him Israel.

At Bethel, they build an altar to worship God, to surrender their lives. As they worship, God speaks and blesses them because true worship creates the space to hear from God in powerful ways. Worship isn’t just about singing songs, its about a lifestyle of trusting God and living what he says.

In verse 10, God speaks life into Jacob by changing his name, giving him a new God given identity.

Ohh church, lets realize how POWERFUL this is, See,

In God’s power, you must bury your idols, so you can walk in your new identity…

Let’s unpack that. For Jacob’s entire life, his name literally meant 'deceiver,' 'schemer,' or 'manipulator.' And he lived up to every bit of it.

Imagine walking into church today wearing a name tag displaying your deepest struggle, worst habit, or biggest failure instead of your name. What would it say? 'Anxious'? 'Control Freak'? 'Unworthy'?

Well, that is what Jacob was living with.

But years earlier, when Jacob wrestled with God at the Jabbok River, God humbled him and gave him a brand-new name: Israel. A completely new identity.

But here is the tragedy of human nature: even after God gives us a new identity, we have a devastating habit of digging through the trash to put our old name tags back on.

For ten years in Shechem, Jacob forgot who he was. He had a royal name from God, yet walked around wearing the dirty, crumpled name tag of a schemer. So when Jacob finally returns to Bethel, God repeats the name change in verse 10:

'Your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel.' Israel was a royal name from God.

Why did God repeat Himself? Because Jacob forgot. He needed a reminder that his identity is defined by God’s promise, not his past mistakes. He wasn't Jacob anymore—he was Israel.

If you follow Jesus, you’ve been given a brand-new name tag. Clothed in His righteousness, your name tag reads: 'Beloved.' 'Forgiven.' 'Child of the King.'

Yet how many of us walk into work on Monday wearing the suffocating labels of shame, anxiety, or past brokenness? Today, God wants to rip those lying labels off your chest. It’s time to bury the old identity in the dirt and live in who God says you are.

This week, I want you to write your new identity—Forgiven, Redeemed, Chosen—on a sticky note, and put it on your bathroom mirror. Or better yet, write it on a literal name tag and wear it around the house!

That might sound silly, but so many of us are crushed under the weight of things said to us by a parent, a friend, or our own inner critic.

God wants to heal you, free you, so bury the idol of people-pleasing and step into your true identity. Trust it, dwell in it, pray that God would help you live it.

For me, for years I struggled with anxiety and fear, I was so desperate for people's approval that I would stand around in nervous silence. Yet as I began to trust that I AM God’s beloved child, it changed how I walked into every room.

Now I have confidence, because I know God loves me, and is with me, and now it is my mission to make sure other people know how much God loves them too. It's so life changing to BELIEVE what God says about you!!

As you truly walk in your new God-given identity, you can’t help but share it, which is exactly what happens next. Look at what God says in verse 11

11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty[f]; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” 13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him. 14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. 15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.[g]

So, In Verse 11 God Almighty promises that kings and many nations would come from Jacob’s family. They just had to follow the command to be fruitful and multiply.

In verse 14-15 we see that Jacob and his family set up a stone pillar to commemorate what God had spoken, so generations to come would know what happened. And they poured out a precious drink and oil offering, saying they would dedicate their lives to God’s call.

And chruch, we are the fulfillment of this God’s promise! When we put our faith in Jesus, the promised savior, we enter into the family of God.

That means the call from God Almighty, to be fruitful and multiply applies to us, too.

Jesus echoes this in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-19, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…’" In other words: "I am Christ Almighty; now go and make disciples"

So, In God's power, you must bury your idols, so you can walk in your new identity, and share the gospel.

Truly, It is an HONOR to share the hope of the Gospel, to share with others how they can bury their idols, step into their new identity, and be transformed for eternity.

Yet when we think about talking to a coworker, neighbor, or friend, we freeze up feeling inadequate.

But look at the text. God does not say, "Be clever or highly persuasive and increase in number" He says:

"I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number."

What does it mean that God is Almighty? It means he is the unstoppable, authoritative ruler over everything in the universe.

God is saying: 'Because of who I am, you can step out in courage.' Our confidence doesn’t rest on our speaking skills or having perfect theological answers—it rests on God's power.

Think of that friend or family member who seems totally closed off. Honestly, you think, 'They will never believe.'

But we serve God Almighty, and we pray the impossible!

Our God specializes in bringing the most resistant hearts to life. We can’t change them, but He can.".

Like Jacob, we can tell the story of God being with us. We can share how he gives us wisdom and love, how he has changed our identity and gives us hope, and will save us for eternity.

God ALMIGHTY will use your story in incredible ways!

The same God who called Jacob to go up to Bethel is actively orchestrating every detail of our story today.

We see His unmistakable providence in the timing and the miracles God did to turn the East Bethel location into a reality.

From the partner who felt led by God to build the location we are leasing, to getting the perfect piece of land that seemed like it was impossible to get.

Look at God in the details: Six months ago, Pastor David mapped out this series and assigned me Genesis 35 for this exact Sunday. Back then, this building wasn't even on our radar. We got final approval just two weeks ago.

Then I open God’s Word to prepare for today—my first message since securing the location—and the literal first verse reads: 'Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar.' That is exactly what we are going to do! Come on, the timing is wild. And honestly, how many cities in Minnesota share a name with a town in the Bible?

Just as God commanded Jacob, He is sending us to pour our lives out for East Bethel. The need is staggering. The city has 15,000 people, yet the combined Sunday attendance of local churches is only 400. Because we're right on Highway 65, there are 35,000 people within a 10-minute drive.

So many of them are isolated, desperate for genuine community and a life-giving connection to Almighty God. I am leading a team to go to East Bethel, and I am praying hundreds of you will go with me.

Together, we will carry the unchanging hope of the Gospel, share our stories, and watch God multiply His Kingdom.

Some of you are called to physically launch this location. But every single one of us is commissioned to step into our community and make disciples who make disciples.

Tomorrow, when you walk into your workplace, pray for family, or invite a neighbor in, You walk in the power of Almighty God who holds all things together. He will sustain you, provide for you, and transform lives through you.

As we close this series, it’s wild that Jacob is still wrestling to fully trust and follow God's lead. But that encourages me. Through all our highs and lows, God never stops being faithful. In every season, we can turn to Him, so that daily, in God’s power you can bury your iodls, walk in your new identity and go share the gospel!!