1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1

too. Right, that's what we've been working through right we need to be able to put aside our own desires, our own liberties our own rights and live at peace with others. So yesterday we talked about how we're not slaves to sin but when temptation comes we can flee from it. Right, we don't have to. We don't have to be those who are falling into sin all the time and rejecting Christ and so now he's wrapping this up and he says, Therefore, right. This first first part, flee from idolatry. There's a reality here that he says, Hold on. If you go to the temple of Apollo, if you go to the temple of Artemis, if you go to the temple of Neptune or of some other god and you're knowingly partaking of the You're doing something wrong here what what's going wrong? They have taken that cup and poured out libations for it and devoted this meal to a demon. And so if you are actively participating in that you're joining your heart to a demon. He says, Don't do that, right. You can't do that hold on. He says in verses 20 and 21, rather than the things which the Gentiles sacrifice I sacrifice to demons and not to God and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink of the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons you cannot partake in of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. You cannot partake of the sacrifices that are happening at the temple, and then come to the Lord's Supper. And beg, hey, I'm wholeheartedly for the Lord. He says, No, you're not. Are you think you're stronger than the Lord? Do you think you're better than the Lord? Do you think the Lord is going to put up with these things? No, he is a jealous God. You have to be one with Christ wholly committed to Him. And so then the follow up question might be well, what happens when I'm just in town and somebody invites me over for dinner? Right? Do I do I just not eat any maintenance? It's no go go do whatever you want. Right? You don't need to be an investigator. You don't need to be a pie, you know, going in trying to figure it out. Figure out Oh, who bought this meat and who bought that meat and what's going on? He says, Just go thank God for the food and eat it. But if you find out that this was meat sacrificed to an idol, then don't eat it. Right so you have you have freedom in your conscience to go and eat whatever is set before you. But if you find out while you're at your unbelieving neighbor's house, that you're over there for their barbecue and they've grilled up the meats and and you find out hey, you know I got this at a great deal because I went to the to the Temple of Artemis, and I got it. After the sacrifice you say you know what? I can't eat this. Because I'm a Christian. And, you know, if I eaten it without knowing that that would have been one thing but I can't join myself to food that's been devoted to her to pagan demon. I'm sorry, I can't do it. This is what he points out. In the very in verse 31, therefore whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to do or to the Greeks, or to the Church of Christ, right. He's saying, do it in such a way where you're bringing God glory. If you eat, eat with thankfulness, if you drink, drink unto the Lord, whatever you do, do it with an eye towards God's glory. Not towards your own liberties, not towards what you want to do. But with an eye towards some being saved. So I'm gonna just say the best verses that I think summarize these sections as he has wrapped up this part on food sacrificed to idols and Christian liberty, would be verses 21 and 22, as well as verses 31 and 32. What would you underline maybe you disagree with that maybe there's something else that you think better highlights this. Let me know down in the comments. What would you underline is the best verse to summarize, the section will last the calling. What are you called to do? Well, I'll give you a real practical example of this, right? There are I have convictions that the Lord's Day is the Christian Sabbath. Write the Westminster Confession or the shorter catechism talks about how the Christian Sabbath from the resurrection of Christ until the end of the world is the first day of the week it is the Christian Sabbath, and so on it I don't like to do any work. And so here comes the rub right? What happens when you go to a church meal or you go to friends or family's house and and do you start asking every single person who has come Hey, did you buy this on the Lord's Day? Was this this was a bought on God's day was it was this bought on the Sabbath? Do you go and do try to become an offense to people? I'm so pure about my religion. I'm not going to eat anything that was bought on the Lord's Day. Well, I'm just going to eat it with a thankful heart. I'm not going to ask questions about it. Now if I find out about it, I might not eat it. Right. You know, I remember going to a church where I found out that food was regularly bought on the Lord's day there was a certain person who always bought food and was bought and brought on the Lord's Day. And I knew about it and so I just, you know, I don't want to I just won't eat that. There was plenty of other good food there's always good food at the presbytery. We don't like people only call I call them potluck because we don't believe in luck, right? But Providence whatever you want to call the meal we always have afterwards. But in other cultures, you know, this is a real deal. Right? There's there's a reality that when I was just got off the phone just a little while ago with a friend who's in India and he ministers around Hindus all the time. If he goes to his neighbor's house, does he ask whether their food came from a market that had idolatry in it? Or does he just eat the food with thankfulness? Because he serves in a poor community and the people are giving him food. How do you bring God glory in whether you eat or drink or whatever you do? Are you being divisive? about things? Or are you showing love? are you imitating policies imitated Christ? Now let me let me lean into a principle here. For calling. Okay, well in Orland on this. There's an absolute distinction that Paul makes here that the Holy Spirit brings to us okay. You cannot be joined to both demons and to Christ. I don't know who needs to hear this. But our hearts must be fully devoted to Christ. We must have one love, one savior, one Lord, one baptism. You cannot play around with the continued idolatry that would come up in your heart, or physical idols that you would see with your eyes. You cannot go and serve the gods of this world. Go serve the gods or the Western culture. Bow down to the things of our present or present age and then go and join yourself to the Lord at his supper. Right when you come to the Lord's Supper, when you partake of the sacraments, you must be one who says, I am wholeheartedly devoted to God. I have put away the idols on the other side of the river. I have turned away from the idols of my father's of my mother, I am devoted to God and every time I see idolatry creep up in my heart, I try to root it out that I might be fixed in Christ. God doesn't play around with adultery. Right? He go, go read through the prophets and God wants all his people's heart. So Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Bring God glory, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, and all things glorify God, glorify him with a pure conscience glorify him with a heart of unity and love for your neighbors. May we be those who love Him who live with people in an understanding way? Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day. And we pray that we would have hearts and minds that would desire to follow after you to live at peace with everyone so long as it depends upon us, Lord, we pray that you would keep our consciences pure that we follow you. In Jesus's name, Amen. May God bless you today. May you enjoy the peace that comes from meditating on God's word, and keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus? Christ, and I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Transcribed by https://otter.ai