11/26/23
Rev. Clint Smith
Sermon Direct Link
- Throughout Biblical history, God has commanded His people to stay away from idolatry. Idolatry offends God. Genesis 3:1-24; Exodus 20:3-6; Psalm 135:13-21
- Those who worship false gods give their allegiance to demons who desire to usurp God’s rightful place in worship.
- Paul instructed the Church at Corinth to (1) keep far away from any sort of idolatry, (2) do not love anything more than God, and (3) do not participate in anything that leads to soul-trapping sin.
- Paul addressed the spiritual maturing Christian. He contrasted false idol worship with proper worship of God, as it related to communion.
- Paul focused on the utmost value of the blood of Jesus and His broken body.
- He asked rhetorical questions; Is the cup of blessing which we bless at the Lord’s Supper not a sharing in the blood of Christ? Christians spiritually share in the blood of Christ when we drink the cup!
- Is the bread which we break not a sharing in the body of Christ? Christians spiritually share in the body of Jesus when we break and eat the bread.
- Since there is one bread, true Christians from every geographical location and those from every age are united into one body; for we all partake of the one bread which represents the body of Christ.
- Paul used a story from Jewish traditions to further explain his point. Those who ate the sacrifices from the altar were united in their worship of the One True God.
- False gods and food sacrificed to them were nothing, yet the worship ascribed to them was actually demon worship.
- You cannot drink both the Lord’s cup and the cup of demons. Those involved with idolatrous actions became partners in demonic doctrine and deadly worship.
- Paul instructed the Church to stop striving with God. He asked, “Do we really provoke the Lord to jealousy when we eat food sacrificed to handmade “gods” at pagan feasts? Are we spiritually stronger than He?”
- God knows that the idols are nothing, but Christians in Corinth deeply offended Him by fellowshipping with demons through the feast at the pagan temples. We would do well to heed Paul’s warnings today, stay away, be set apart, flee, and not offend God through idolatry.
