WEBVTT 00:00:00.001 --> 00:00:05.000 First Corinthians chapter 10. 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:42.000 As you turn there, the heart of Christianity, kind of the main essence of our Christian faith, is not a list of rules or a bunch of duties, a lot of regulations, the goal, the objective that God has in saving us is not for us to be robotic in our performances, for us just to do the right things and restrain from doing the wrong things. 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:48.000 The end objective is to know the Lord and to have a relationship with Christ. 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:53.000 It's relational and sometimes we forget that. 00:00:53.000 --> 00:01:01.000 We forget how important it is to love God and enjoy His fellowship, enjoy His presence, to seek His presence. 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:13.000 And sometimes it's easy for us to realize that we need the enjoy Him and we need the fellowship of God and we know it's beneficiary for us to set in His presence. 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:20.000 But it's often hard for us to think because we know how unfaithful we are. 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:27.000 We forget sometimes to think that He delights in our presence. He delights in us. 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:42.000 Like children, you remember, some of your older people remember, or you remember even your grandkids, how you delight in seeing them and delight in watching them play and it brings you happiness to be around them. 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:44.000 And they bring you joy. 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:50.000 Well, the Lord finds pleasure in His children. He finds pleasure in you. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:58.000 And we're to have pleasure in God and to want to spend time with the Lord and be in His fellowship. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:26.000 This is the goal of heaven. This is what Christ prayed for in His high priestly prayer in John 17, that we would be made one with God and enter into that inner Trinitarian communion, to be blessed in that love that they have with each other and that we would be in the fullness of God and know God and experience God. And this should be our craving constantly. 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:31.000 I want to be in the presence of the living God. I want to know Him more deeply. 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:41.000 I love the Lord. And if you think about what love is, the essence of love, yes, love is relational. 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:52.000 It's an emotional feeling that causes us to crave or to be captivated by the object that we love. 00:02:52.000 --> 00:03:12.000 Now, God loves us unconditionally. Thank the Lord. And we need to love Him and be captivated to Him, to be enthralled with Him, to seek Him, to want Him, to crave Him, to long to come to Him. 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:23.000 Now, love is expressed in the commandments. The end of the commandments, all the law can be summarized in this, to love God with all your heart, mind and soul. The law is beautiful. 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:29.000 It's not just robotic, legalistic rules. It's love God. And this is how we love God. 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:34.000 We restrain from lying and stealing and killing. We restrain from idolatry. 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:42.000 This is what it means to love God. And so all the commandments is pushing us towards a relationship with God. 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:49.000 And sin is what destroys that relationship. Sin takes us away from God. 00:03:49.000 --> 00:04:03.000 And one of the key words in the New Testament that speaks of our relationship with God is this word "fellowship." And it's one of the most unique words in the Greek language because it has all these nuanced meanings. 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:19.000 In fact, the one word that we translate fellowship can be translated "communication." It can be communicated "partnership" or "participation." It's the word that Paul uses that no one contributed or partnered with me in the Gospel. 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:24.000 That is, no one supported me financially in the Gospel. 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:32.000 What does he mean by that? This word "fellowship" means someone who is sharing their financial goods, financial resources. 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:43.000 The word "fellowship" means to share and is to give and to receive, not just your financial resources, but to give your emotions, your heart, your time, your affections. 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:53.000 The word can be translated as "communication." The King James would translate this word as "communication." And think about the essence of speaking to one another, listening to one another. 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:57.000 You're sharing your ideas. You're sharing your thoughts. You're conversing. 00:04:57.000 --> 00:05:02.000 This is the essence of a relationship that you become when you get married. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:10.000 You have to talk. You have to converse. That's the main ingredient of marriage, just talking to one another and sharing your life together. 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:14.000 By the way, a little marriage tip. You want to keep the doctor away. 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:17.000 Have one healthy conversation with your wife every day. 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:29.000 Meaningful, not just one of these "where are the kids going to get picked up?" But how's your day and how have you been? How can I pray for you? 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:37.000 Those deep, meaningful relationships consist of those meaningful conversations. 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:39.000 And think about this relationship with God. 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:46.000 It requires prayer and reading the Scriptures, God conversing to us and we conversing back with God. 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:50.000 We're having fellowship or communion with God. 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:53.000 This is what spiritual fellowship is with one another. 00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:58.000 It's a means of grace because it's Christ in you being ministered to me. 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:02.000 Christ is ministered to me through your conversation. 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:09.000 As you speak about spiritual things, I'm built up and edified and I'm ministered to by. 00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:17.000 And this is why we need Christian friends and we need to converse and have fellowship with one another. 00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:21.000 And sometimes this word is in our text, it's translated. 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:25.000 And fellowship is translated as participation. 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:29.000 We see that in verse 16, we'll get into that in a minute. 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:33.000 Participation or partaking of something. 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:38.000 You see salvation is relational. 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:43.000 And the opposite of this is idolatry. 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:50.000 It's having a forbidden relationship with something that's not God. 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:58.000 It's your affections being drawn to the world away from God to something other than God. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:02.000 And you're to love God with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul. 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:05.000 And so we're to flee idolatry. 00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:13.000 We're to, we were to run from spiritual cheating on God. 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:15.000 Now hold all that thought to your side. 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:18.000 We're going to come back to the relational idea. 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:31.000 But just put that to a side for a second and see that these Corinthians that were getting to this text, these Corinthians were wondering if they should attend pagan ceremonies. 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:39.000 If they should continue going to or attending the various ceremonies that they used to attend growing up. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:44.000 And most likely they have friends and family that continue to invite them. 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:47.000 And they went as a child and this is what they know. 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:50.000 They're living in Corinth, a pagan society. 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:55.000 And there are remnant among, you know, there are just a few Christians here. 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:57.000 Actually the church of Corinth is pretty large. 00:07:57.000 --> 00:08:02.000 But nevertheless, they're in the environment of paganism and idolatry. 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:12.000 And many of them are going back and attending the old services that they attended when they were a child or what they attended before conversion. 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:31.000 And as we think about this, we may be tempted in our day not to go to some pagan worship service, but we may be tempted to go to some Catholic mass or something of that nature or go to a mosque or go to a synagogue or go to a Mormon temple. 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:35.000 And we may think to ourselves, well, I can attend these things as an observer. 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:37.000 I'm not going to worship with my heart. 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:40.000 I'm not going to participate with my, you know, affections. 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:43.000 I'm just going to go so I'm not offensive to my family. 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:50.000 I'm visiting my family on a vacation and they want me to go to mass with them or they want me to go to the Jewish synagogue. 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:56.000 And I can just sit there in the back of the synagogue and just observe. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:59.000 It'd be interesting, by the way, just see what's going on. 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:10.000 So we may be tempted to go and observe a pagan worship service, if you would, or to draw it to more of a contemporary concern. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:16.000 You may have a gay relative that invites you to their wedding. 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:20.000 Should you go to a gay wedding? What should I do here? 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:28.000 Is there a difference between giving a gay child or gay friend a birthday present? 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:32.000 Is that the same thing as giving them a wedding present? 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:37.000 Well, this text has some bearing on that difficult question. 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:45.000 The Corinthians here, as I said, they were free to eat meats offered to idols. 00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:47.000 We'll see that next week. 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:54.000 But some of them thought, well, maybe we're free to even attend the pagan ceremonies. 00:09:54.000 --> 00:10:02.000 Read with me in verse 14 of chapter 10. 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:06.000 "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:08.000 I speak as to sensible people. 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:10.000 Judge for yourselves what I say. 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:15.000 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not the participation in the blood of Christ? 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:20.000 The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:27.000 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 00:10:27.000 --> 00:10:34.000 Consider the people of Israel are not those who eat the sacrifices, participants in the altar? 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:36.000 What do I imply, then? 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:39.000 That food offered to idols is anything? 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:41.000 Or that an idol is anything? 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:42.000 No. 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:47.000 I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:51.000 I do not want you to be participants with demons. 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:54.000 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. 00:10:54.000 --> 00:11:00.000 You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:03.000 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:06.000 Are we stronger than He? 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:18.000 Again, as we look at this text, we are not living in the first century Corinth culture where paganism surrounds us. 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:21.000 But maybe we are. 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:25.000 Paganism is on a rise. 00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:35.000 And there's all types of foreign deities or false deities being worshipped among us, around us. 00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:48.000 So we may apply this or consider applying this, or at least taking this text and saying how does this relate or apply to these situations. 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:59.000 There were some who say that you can continue to be a Muslim while also being a Christian. 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:09.000 There was a missionary named John Travis who come up with this idea of evangelizing Muslims. 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:21.000 And he says you need to contextualize the Christian message and even contextualize your appearance, your dress and your behavior so that you can be more compelling to Muslims. 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:26.000 You don't want to be offensive to their religious thoughts and practices. 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:31.000 So you can go into the mosque and worship Allah with them. 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:40.000 You can dress like them, worship like them and even call God Allah and even claim Muhammad is the prophet. 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:43.000 You can carry these things on in order to reach them. 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:50.000 You can go to their services and in your heart worship Jesus Christ. 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:54.000 But use the language of Islam to do so. 00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:58.000 And when you're converted you don't have to separate from Islam. 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:07.000 You don't have to push it all aside and say this is rubbish, this is idolatry, this is paganism, this is demonic. 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:15.000 You can continue on as a Muslim and claim Christ in addition to your Islamic faith. 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:17.000 But is this biblical? 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:21.000 Could the Corinthians continue on in their paganism? 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:33.000 Can they continue on in their pagan worship to go to the ceremonies where they're taking sacrifices and offering the meat to these false deities? 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:36.000 Can you continue to do that? 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:42.000 And of course the objection that you may have and of course I think this is the objections that the Corinthians had. 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:47.000 My heart is with God, my body is with my friends. 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:53.000 That is I know there's a true God and I know that these idols are nothing. 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:59.000 And because they're nothing and the sacrifices are nothing I know it's just make believe. 00:13:59.000 --> 00:14:02.000 It's just like going to a play. 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:03.000 I know it's not real. 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:06.000 Therefore I can go and participate. 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:11.000 You know I can go to a wedding, a gay wedding and know that I disagree in my heart. 00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:15.000 I know that I in my heart I know that this is not right. 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:25.000 But I can not be offensive to my family and just sit in the in the pews and participate at least watch observe. 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:29.000 So this is the reasoning and this is the reasoning of the Corinthians. 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:37.000 But Paul gives us four reasons why we cannot and should not continue to go to pagan ceremonies. 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:45.000 Why we should avoid participating in their worship services and ceremonies. 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:55.000 The first reason he gives us is in verse 14 attending pagan ceremonies is not fleeing idolatry. 00:14:55.000 --> 00:15:04.000 He tells us in verse 14 that were to blub flee flee run from idolatry not flirt with it. 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:09.000 Not entertain it not see how close we can get to it without falling into it. 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:13.000 We're to run the opposite direction. 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:18.000 You know the heart of idolatry is is known in the scriptures as a spiritual affair. 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:25.000 It's a spiritual adultery is an inappropriate relationship. 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:33.000 You understand attending pagan ceremonies is not the same thing as going to Walmart or going to the marketplace. 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:38.000 He said with the marketplace is full of idolaters is full of unbelievers. 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:42.000 You understand you know he's because you were reasonable people. 00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:46.000 Think about this. He says consider this your reasonable people. 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:58.000 He goes on to say you know there's a difference between going to the marketplace where you're surrounded by pagans than actually going to their worship services. 00:15:58.000 --> 00:16:01.000 It's not the same thing. 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:07.000 Pagan worship services and ceremonies is worshipping a false deity. 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:12.000 It's flirting with idolatry. 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:20.000 It's associating with something other than God. 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:26.000 Again the objection might be we all know there we know there's no such thing as God's. 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:33.000 You know the God of Islam Allah is just a figment of Muhammad's imagination is make believe. 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:35.000 There's no real Muhammad. 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:37.000 I mean there's no real Allah. 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:43.000 There is a Muhammad but there's no real Allah. 00:16:43.000 --> 00:16:44.000 It's all play. 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:46.000 It's all superstitious. 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:51.000 Therefore I can go and know all that and be free from idolatry. 00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:55.000 You may think but that's not fleeing idolatry. 00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:56.000 That's the first point. 00:16:56.000 --> 00:17:06.000 The second point the reason we should not attend pagan ceremonies is pagan ceremonies is having participation or communion with demons. 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:08.000 Now verses 15 through 20 he works this out. 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:11.000 So this is kind of a long syllogism. 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:13.000 So let's work this out with Paul. 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:31.000 Let's work through this passage and see how how he built this case that when we go and participate in these pagan ceremonies we're actually participating in associating ourselves and even having communion even if we don't think we are we're having communion with demons. 00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:42.000 Look at verse 15 first of all he gives us three examples two clarifications and one applications three examples two clarifications and one application. 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:45.000 Let's look at the three examples that he gives us. 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:54.000 First he gives us an example of the Lord's Supper how partaking of the Lord's Supper gives you put you in participation with Christ. 00:17:54.000 --> 00:18:02.000 Look at verse 15 and 16 I speak as to sensible people judge for yourself what I say the cup of blessing that we bless. 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:07.000 Is it not a participation in the blood of Christ the bread that we break. 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:14.000 Is it not a participation in the body of Christ you see partaking of the cup. 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:22.000 Now when you go to these pagan ceremonies they're they're taking these animals are sacrificing them and they're passing a bit of the meat around. 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:33.000 And so they're eating meat offered to idols not at their home not bought at the marketplace which is suitable but they're doing it at the ceremony. 00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:45.000 They're entering into the ceremony and partaking of the sacrifices but in the same way when you come to church and you partake of the Lord's Supper when you drink the cup. 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:51.000 Paul is saying when you're drinking that cup you're participating in the blood of Christ. 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:55.000 You understand that the Lord's Supper is a means of grace. 00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:57.000 It's more than just a memorial. 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:14.000 You know it's not it's not just that the Lord's Supper is not just like you're going a Memorial Day that we're about to have tomorrow and you go to the grave sites and you go oh there's my uncle who fought in World War two and I want to remember him and he was a good man and you go away remembering and thinking about your uncle. 00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:17.000 But the Lord's Supper is a memorial. 00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:21.000 We do remember the Lord but it's more than that. 00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:25.000 It's a it's a participation with the Lord. 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:32.000 It's amazing the Lord's Supper carries out or facilitates the very thing that symbolizes. 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:34.000 It's kind of like the word. 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:36.000 Thank you. 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:38.000 Thank you the words the two words. 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:42.000 Think you symbolize gratitude. 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:46.000 Those words sit stand in the place of your gratitude of your heart. 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:52.000 But when you say thank you it's performing the very action of gratitude. 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:59.000 And so to the Lord's Supper it symbolizes Christ's death his his blood. 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:07.000 It symbolizes the gospel that he died in our place so that we stand right before God through the blood of Christ all by the atoning work of the Lord. 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:10.000 Nothing by what we've done. 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:19.000 It symbolizes the gospel but it also symbolizes the communion that we have in the participation of God sharing his blood. 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:21.000 And this is the essence of salvation. 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:23.000 He giving us his righteousness. 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:25.000 He's taking on our sins. 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:36.000 This is great imputation of him imputing his righteousness to us freely and him taking on our sins and bearing the wrath of God in our place. 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:44.000 It's the essence of the gospel and this gospel message is God sharing and participating with us. 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:54.000 And when we have communion with Christ when we have a meal together like when you invite someone over for dinner and you're having a meal with them. 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:57.000 The meal itself represents your fellowship with your friends. 00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:01.000 But it also facilitates fellowship with your friends. 00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:06.000 If you want fellowship with your friends you want to know your friends better and invite them over for dinner. 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:13.000 Having a meal together in scriptures represents fellowship and communion and see the Lord's Supper is a meal. 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:18.000 It is meant to facilitate communion with Christ Christ communion with us. 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:22.000 We're participating with him and he participates with us. 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:30.000 It's most wonderful thing that when we have the Lord's Supper we're actually in communion not just symbolize communion. 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:34.000 We're in real communion with God and he is with us. 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:36.000 He is with us. 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:40.000 And you know the means of grace works in this way. 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:46.000 Grace doesn't come to us by being zapped into us by osmosis. 00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:50.000 You know how does God's grace get from heaven into your heart? 00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:53.000 You don't just wake up one day and you find it in there. 00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:58.000 There's always a channel or a means or conduit in which it flows into you. 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:00.000 How does grace flow into your heart? 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:02.000 How do you receive grace? 00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:06.000 You receive it through the Word of God. 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:11.000 The Word of God is the means in which God communicates to us and speaks to us. 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:14.000 Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. 00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:23.000 And when you believe the Word of God then the very grace of God through the Word comes into you and transforms your life. 00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:27.000 And so you're sanctified if you would by the Word. 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:29.000 Grace comes through the Word. 00:22:29.000 --> 00:22:31.000 And how does the Word of God come to you? 00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:35.000 Well in the church it comes to you through the five means of grace. 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:44.000 Through the preaching of the Word, through the reading of the Word, through the singing of the Word, through the ordinance which is seeing the Word and through the fellowship around the Word. 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:52.000 So the Word of God is the only means in which God is going to speak to us and minister to us and assist us and have a relationship with us. 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:56.000 It's all about having a relationship with God and the Word of God is being given to us. 00:22:56.000 --> 00:23:03.000 And by the Word of God coming into our heart we are drawn to God and we have fellowship with God and it increases and builds up our love for God. 00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:06.000 And we experience the love that God has for us. 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:08.000 It's a beautiful thing. 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:16.000 And the communion is one of the means in which God has said this is the way to communicate the Word of God to us. 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:20.000 And so therefore communion is more than just a memorial. 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:23.000 It's a participation in Christ. 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:30.000 But the second example He gives us is not just the cup but the bread. 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:55.000 He goes on to say in verse 18, verse 16, 17 I mean, get it right here,"Because there is one bread we who are many are one body for we all partake of one bread." Again this symbolizes when we have one bread as we pass it out symbolize that we're many but we're brought into union with one another in our union with Jesus Christ. 00:23:55.000 --> 00:24:07.000 And this is what the bread symbolizes that we have fellowship with Christ Jesus, union with Christ Jesus, and we have union and fellowship with each other. 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:11.000 That's why you don't take communion if you're not in fellowship with the church. 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:22.000 Why if you're angry with your brother or sister and you're in disharmony, then why would you take the symbol of that which is not a reality in your heart? 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:32.000 But Christ has given us the door of unity with one another through His blood and so we can come to one another through Christ. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:44.000 But you see this is what the bread represents and so as we take the bread we are in fellowship if you would with each other. 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:51.000 The benefits of the third example is the altar of the Old Covenant. 00:24:51.000 --> 00:25:05.000 Look at verse 18, "Consider the people of Israel are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar." You see this word participants is the word for fellowship. 00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:08.000 It's in communion with or partakers of. 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:10.000 In other words the benefits of the altar. 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:15.000 Now so here you got this altar in the Old Covenant ceremonies and the worship. 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:22.000 You had this altar, the sacrifices, the lamb would be brought and they would slay the lamb and the altar is where forgiveness would be found. 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:25.000 But how do you get the altar into you? 00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:27.000 How do you benefit from the altar? 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:31.000 Well you don't eat the altar you eat the sacrifice that was slain on the altar. 00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:38.000 And by eating the sacrifices you're being benefited by the altar, the mercy seat. 00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:41.000 This is where you find mercy at least it symbolize that. 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:46.000 And so Paul is making this illustration this is how the altar gets into you. 00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:51.000 It's by you partaking of the sacrifices of the altar. 00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:54.000 Now that's the three illustrations he gives. 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:57.000 Now he gives two clarifications. 00:25:57.000 --> 00:26:00.000 Verse 19 we don't have to think that food is anything. 00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:13.000 What do I imply then that food offered to idols is anything that is he's going to go on in the next passage to say hey if you're buying meat at the marketplace don't worry about if it has been offered to an idol or not. 00:26:13.000 --> 00:26:17.000 That's not something you should worry about it's just food. 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:20.000 And an idol you go to say idols are nothing. 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:30.000 And so you can basically go and buy your food and with a clean conscience eat if you want to eat meat offered to idols. 00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:35.000 Now you might not want to do that in someone's home that their conscience is weak. 00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:36.000 Might want to refrain. 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:42.000 In fact you need to refrain in certain situations where you can cause a weaker brother to stumble. 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:48.000 But you're free to eat meats offered to idols because food is nothing. 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:50.000 It doesn't make you better or worse. 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:55.000 Jesus says it's not what goes into your body that defiles a person what comes out. 00:26:55.000 --> 00:27:00.000 And second clarification is that idols are nothing. 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:05.000 What do I imply then that food offered to idols is anything or that an idol is anything. 00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:12.000 It is true that these idols are you know make believe. 00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:35.000 They're not any real beings but with these clarifications he brings one application and that is this attending pagan ceremonies is communion with demons. 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:41.000 Look at verse twenty three verse twenty. 00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:56.000 No I imply that what pagan sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God behind paganism behind all false worship is demons. 00:27:56.000 --> 00:27:58.000 We need to recognize that. 00:27:58.000 --> 00:28:07.000 The Bible talks about doctrines of demons. What is all this false religious ideology come from. 00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:13.000 Is it just merely from the minds of men or does it come from Satan himself. 00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:26.000 And when people gather together with their false worship is it merely just men getting together with the social club or they're actually inspired by demonic forces. 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:29.000 All as they know these things are not benign. 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:39.000 This is not like going to the supermarket when you go into pagan ceremonies and worship services you're entering into the realm of demonic the demonic sphere. 00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:46.000 This is a realm that demons are behind this. 00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:56.000 These false gods are inspired by demons pagan ceremonies are inspired by demons pagan ceremonies are a participation with demons. 00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:57.000 Look at verse twenty. 00:28:57.000 --> 00:29:01.000 I do not want you to be participants with demons. 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:11.000 Now the Corinthians probably because they were influenced by Gnosticism where it doesn't matter what touches the body is what's in the soul that matter. 00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:24.000 And that led them to be able to go to harlots and prostitutes and say hey I'm not you know I love the Lord Jesus Christ I just got these bodily appetites and it doesn't matter what happens to my body what touches my body doesn't affect my soul. 00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:37.000 And Paul's already addressed that one said no you have the Holy Spirit in you and you're sinning against your body and you're sitting against the Holy Spirit by participating or entering into these illicit sexual affairs. 00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:46.000 This is sinful so adult adultery and it's more than adultery it's wrong towards God. 00:29:46.000 --> 00:30:00.000 And in this sense pagan worship service and the false religious ideas we have today are no better than the ones they had then. 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:11.000 Mormonism Jehovah Witnesses Islam all these things come from the mind of Satan. 00:30:11.000 --> 00:30:16.000 It also I don't want you to participate with demons. 00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:29.000 I don't want you to have communion or fellowship with demons in the same way when you come to the Lord's table you're having fellowship with God in the same way when you come to the Lord's table you're having fellowship with the saints. 00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:39.000 Which is appropriate when you go to these pagan ceremonies you're having fellowship with demons. 00:30:39.000 --> 00:30:43.000 Now this is the second reason we should not attend pagan ceremonies. 00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:52.000 Here's the third reason communion with demons for Christians is a moral impossibility. 00:30:52.000 --> 00:31:00.000 Look at verse 21 you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:08.000 That is you can have fellowship with demons or you can have fellowship with God but you can't have fellowship with them both. 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:20.000 It's not a physical impossibility you can go to church on Sunday then go to the mosque on Saturday you can sure do that physically but you're not going to have fellowship with both. 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:24.000 It's impossible to have communion with light and darkness at the same time. 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:34.000 Matthew 6 24 tells us you cannot serve two masters for either you will hate one and love the other or you will be loyal to one and despise the other. 00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:41.000 You cannot at the same time worship Jesus and participate with him and participate with demons. 00:31:41.000 --> 00:31:43.000 You cannot love light and darkness. 00:31:43.000 --> 00:31:48.000 To have communion with demons is to leave off communion with God. 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:55.000 Paul put it this way in 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 14 do not be unequally yo with unbelievers. 00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:58.000 Now this doesn't mean don't speak to him at the marketplace. 00:31:58.000 --> 00:32:04.000 This doesn't mean you can't have some unbelieving friends that you associate with in a casual way. 00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:08.000 But this means don't have deep fellowship with unbelievers. 00:32:08.000 --> 00:32:15.000 Don't make your best friends unbelievers especially don't marry unbelievers if you're a Christian. 00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:21.000 For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness or what fellowship has light with darkness. 00:32:21.000 --> 00:32:27.000 What accord has Christ with Yale or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever. 00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:30.000 What agreement has the temple of God with idols. 00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:39.000 For we are the temple of the living God as God said I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them and I'll be their God and they shall be my people. 00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:44.000 Therefore go out from the mist that is separate yourself from this. 00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:47.000 Leave this you've been saved out of out of dollar tree. 00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:49.000 You've been saved out of this lifestyle. 00:32:49.000 --> 00:32:55.000 Leave it behind and be separate from them says the Lord and touch no unclean theme. 00:32:55.000 --> 00:33:02.000 Then I will welcome you and I'll be a father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to me says the Lord Almighty. 00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:08.000 So we must think to ourselves what relationship do we have with idols and paganism. 00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:13.000 Remember this is why I began with my sermon by saying Christianity is a relationship. 00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:17.000 It's communion with God. 00:33:17.000 --> 00:33:23.000 So your objection or my objection could be I can go but I won't worship. 00:33:23.000 --> 00:33:26.000 I can attend but I won't partake. 00:33:26.000 --> 00:33:32.000 I can go and not believe but you know I can do these things and in my heart reject it. 00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:36.000 I can be bodily present that mentally away. 00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:41.000 Remember he said in verse 15 I speak to you as sensible people judge for yourself. 00:33:41.000 --> 00:33:46.000 Now think of this men and women think about this husbands. 00:33:46.000 --> 00:34:01.000 Tell your wife that you can go to dinner with your ex-girlfriend and your heart not be with her. 00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:05.000 You know it's one thing to run in your ex-girlfriend at the superstore. 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:10.000 You know hey how's it going on your way to go. 00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:13.000 Your wife probably won't be jealous with that. 00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:19.000 But it's another thing to meet your ex-girlfriend at the superstore and go hey you like to go get lunch. 00:34:19.000 --> 00:34:23.000 Let's go hang out and I'll get lunch let's catch up. 00:34:23.000 --> 00:34:30.000 Now you may come back to your spouse and say hey we we just kept lunch that's all I didn't do nothing more. 00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:34.000 How's your wife going to feel about that. 00:34:34.000 --> 00:34:37.000 For you to associate. 00:34:37.000 --> 00:34:49.000 And in your mind you might have been daydreaming about your wife but in the flesh you're sitting in front of your ex-girlfriend. 00:34:49.000 --> 00:34:56.000 Do you not think eating dinner with her is not having fellowship and communion with her. 00:34:56.000 --> 00:35:02.000 Is it appropriate for a married man to have communion with other girls. 00:35:02.000 --> 00:35:06.000 And we're reasonable people think about that. 00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:10.000 Well this leads me to the last reason. 00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:14.000 Attending pagan ceremonies provokes the Lord to jealousy. 00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:17.000 Look at verse 22. 00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:21.000 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy. 00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:24.000 Are we stronger than He. 00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:29.000 See this is an encouragement and a warning versus an encouragement. 00:35:29.000 --> 00:35:33.000 God is a jealous God that means He loves you. 00:35:33.000 --> 00:35:36.000 You want your wife. 00:35:36.000 --> 00:35:40.000 Man you want your wife to have a healthy dose of jealousy. 00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:42.000 You want that. 00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:56.000 It's it'd be wrong if your wife is know it was never jealous or if a husband was never jealous. 00:35:56.000 --> 00:35:59.000 One time I went to get a haircut. 00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:08.000 And it's not really funny but I'm wondering if I even should share it but I went to go to get a haircut and my wife was there with me. 00:36:08.000 --> 00:36:13.000 She you know she's there and watching me get a haircut and this lady was giving me a haircut. 00:36:13.000 --> 00:36:15.000 I never I never went there before. 00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:26.000 I never had at least this lady cut my hair and she was there stroking my hair and giving me a sarge and go oh your hair so thick and you know and my wife is just like. 00:36:26.000 --> 00:36:32.000 I got uncomfortable like what I mean just get my haircut my hair quit my thoughts and me. 00:36:32.000 --> 00:36:39.000 You know but my wife's watching this you know and I love my wife that she was jealous. 00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:47.000 You know that she in fact that's a that's our Lord over you. 00:36:47.000 --> 00:36:55.000 You know if he didn't care for you if he didn't love you if he didn't treasure your affection is in treasure your attention and treasure your relationship. 00:36:55.000 --> 00:36:57.000 He wouldn't care. 00:36:57.000 --> 00:37:00.000 He wouldn't care what you did. 00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:04.000 But you have a God that loves you dearly. 00:37:04.000 --> 00:37:07.000 Who's jealous over you. 00:37:07.000 --> 00:37:10.000 Well listen what James says in James chapter four. 00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:14.000 You are a daughter of people. 00:37:14.000 --> 00:37:25.000 And this is that we can apply this for a second not just pagan ceremonies because most of us probably haven't done that lately but we all are tempted towards worthiness. 00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:29.000 We are tempted to idolatry in many ways we are. 00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:38.000 And this is what James says you adulterous people do you not know that friendship with the world is an enmity with God. 00:37:38.000 --> 00:37:43.000 Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 00:37:43.000 --> 00:37:50.000 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the scripture says he yearns. 00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:52.000 This is God. 00:37:52.000 --> 00:37:58.000 He yearns jealously over the spirit that he is made to dwell in us. 00:37:58.000 --> 00:38:03.000 That is God has put his Holy Spirit in you and he loves the Holy Spirit. 00:38:03.000 --> 00:38:06.000 And you're the temple of the living God. 00:38:06.000 --> 00:38:17.000 And when you go and flirt are drawn to other women are to adulterous affairs are flirting with the world. 00:38:17.000 --> 00:38:27.000 Know that that flirtation that you're experiencing is leading the Lord to be jealous over you. 00:38:27.000 --> 00:38:31.000 That shouldn't that should lead you to love him. 00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:34.000 That should leave you to to forsake this world. 00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:36.000 I don't want to flirt. 00:38:36.000 --> 00:38:38.000 I don't want to be tempted with this world. 00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:40.000 I don't want to be drawn away. 00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:43.000 My affection is drawn away to any other thing than God himself. 00:38:43.000 --> 00:38:45.000 He is sufficient. 00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:51.000 He is enough for me to be enthralled with the things of this world are nothing but garbage. 00:38:51.000 --> 00:38:54.000 They're nothing that would lead me to be happy. 00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:55.000 I've experienced it. 00:38:55.000 --> 00:38:58.000 In fact, I think for a moment as we who have been born again. 00:38:58.000 --> 00:39:00.000 We have tasted the world already. 00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:04.000 Been out with that girl and it left us empty. 00:39:04.000 --> 00:39:06.000 That girl left us heartbroken. 00:39:06.000 --> 00:39:08.000 That girl left us in the dumps. 00:39:08.000 --> 00:39:12.000 That girl left us broken hearted. 00:39:12.000 --> 00:39:22.000 Why we go back to the world when God loves us so he's been so faithful and is so faithful so good to us. 00:39:22.000 --> 00:39:26.000 And though we have flirted and unfaithful God will receive us back. 00:39:26.000 --> 00:39:34.000 And that's the good news that we have today that no matter when we stand no matter how much we wandered away from the Lord. 00:39:34.000 --> 00:39:36.000 The Lord hasn't wandered away from us. 00:39:36.000 --> 00:39:38.000 His affections remain steadfast upon you. 00:39:38.000 --> 00:39:39.000 He loves you. 00:39:39.000 --> 00:39:40.000 He's jealous over you. 00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:43.000 He cares for you and he beckons you to come back. 00:39:43.000 --> 00:39:46.000 Come back to me. 00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:49.000 Come back to your first law. 00:39:49.000 --> 00:39:52.000 This is the gospel message. 00:39:52.000 --> 00:39:55.000 But also there's a warning here. 00:39:55.000 --> 00:40:00.000 After he tells us that he's jealous over us he says are we stronger than he is? 00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:03.000 Are we stronger than he? 00:40:03.000 --> 00:40:04.000 Verse 22. 00:40:04.000 --> 00:40:10.000 You see God loves us too much to allow us to continue to chase after idols. 00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:15.000 He loves us too much to allow us to participate in idolatry. 00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:17.000 We're to flee idolatry. 00:40:17.000 --> 00:40:18.000 We do not associate with it. 00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:20.000 We're to distance ourselves from it. 00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:23.000 From all these pagans worship services. 00:40:23.000 --> 00:40:32.000 We're to run from that and he and he has the strength when we stray and he will chastise us out of love. 00:40:32.000 --> 00:40:37.000 He will draw us back because he cares for us. 00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:42.000 Now let me close with some concluding applications. 00:40:42.000 --> 00:40:52.000 First of all I think personally that there is a difference between giving a gift for a birthday present to someone who is homosexual. 00:40:52.000 --> 00:40:56.000 Then attending their wedding and giving them a wedding gift. 00:40:56.000 --> 00:41:03.000 As there is a difference between going to the supermarket and buying meat that may have been offered to idols and eating that. 00:41:03.000 --> 00:41:10.000 And then actually participating in the ceremony that celebrates this idolatry. 00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:16.000 So one thing to give a gift to a human being who's made it the image of God that's a right thing to do. 00:41:16.000 --> 00:41:22.000 You can affirm love to all God's creatures at the proper time. 00:41:22.000 --> 00:41:24.000 God is a place for that. 00:41:24.000 --> 00:41:27.000 I can affirm love to my homosexual friends. 00:41:27.000 --> 00:41:32.000 That's not the same as entering into the ceremony. 00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:36.000 You say well I can disagree in my heart and be there in presence. 00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:43.000 Well being there in presence or in giving a gift is associating with the very ceremony. 00:41:43.000 --> 00:41:47.000 It's putting your stamp on that. It's identifying with that. 00:41:47.000 --> 00:41:57.000 Just by being there is entering into that wicked ungodly ceremony. 00:41:57.000 --> 00:42:00.000 So we're not to participate in that. 00:42:00.000 --> 00:42:04.000 I think that could be a proper application for this. 00:42:04.000 --> 00:42:09.000 Two another application is that we should seek to take communion with the saints. 00:42:09.000 --> 00:42:12.000 We should strive to be at church. 00:42:12.000 --> 00:42:18.000 You know if we're to flee pagan worship services we should flee to Christian worship services. 00:42:18.000 --> 00:42:25.000 We should long for the Lord's table and enjoy taking communion with one another and with Christ Jesus. 00:42:25.000 --> 00:42:31.000 Third remember it's not a list of rules but it's a relationship that God craves. 00:42:31.000 --> 00:42:34.000 He wants you. 00:42:34.000 --> 00:42:37.000 He wants your heart. He wants your affections. 00:42:37.000 --> 00:42:41.000 He wants your time because he cares about you and loves you. 00:42:41.000 --> 00:42:48.000 And four and in conclusion we should we should avoid pagan ceremonies for four reasons. 00:42:48.000 --> 00:42:52.000 It's not fleeing idolatry. It's a participation with demons. 00:42:52.000 --> 00:42:57.000 It's morally impossible and finally it provokes God to jealousy. Amen. 00:42:57.000 --> 00:43:07.000 [BLANK_AUDIO]