1 Corinthians 10:14-22 says...
Today's verses are 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, which read,
v.14-16 - Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak to wise men; you judge what I say. Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?
Paul starts off with the simple instruction to the Christians in Corinth and to us that when it comes to idolatry, flee baby flee. This is the same instruction that he gives with the topic of sexual immorality. These are two areas that we don't debate or play around with, we flee from them. Paul is also asking us to inspect what he is saying by who is saying it.
Paul opens up a conversation using the practice of communion or the Lord's or Last Supper given to His disciples in the Upper Room. The cup of blessing is the third cup of the Passover meal that Jesus raised and forever changed what we remember now. It was the Exodus from Egypt that the Passover gave remembrance to and how God provided a way to salvation but now God had provided the perfect Lamb, Jesus, as a sacrifice as the way to salvation to Him. Paul reminds the Christians in Corinth that the one who is giving this instruction to them is one who has shared this Lord's Supper with them of the cup and the bread, the blood and body of Christ.
v.17-19 - Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
We as Christians have the practice like the Israelites of the Old Testament to partake in the sacrifice of what is given for the remission of sins. We come to the table of the Lord to partake or remember what was done for us just as the Israelites came to the temple to remember and recognize a God who created them and set the standard to follow.
The questions are, "Is this the same as what the Gentiles are doing? Is the Lord's Supper and the sacrifices required by God in the Old Testament times the same as the pagans idol worship and the sacrificing to them? Is this just another way to worship and to receive eternal life?" The Scripture says...
v.20-22 - No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 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. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?
The Scripture says "no!" emphatically "no!" It brings back the words of Jesus that you cannot serve both money and God. It doesn't work that way. Any worship of anything or anyone other than God is the worship of a demon. That is pretty straight forward and another exclusive statement from another Christian author inspired by the Holy Spirit that God is the only God and all others are of Satan. We want to have a little of this and a little of that and mix it all together with Christianity and think it is okay but Paul says no. God stands alone in your life and He is not to be mixed with anything else. To do so would create a jealousy of God that would lead to His wrath for the consequences of not fleeing idolatry but flirting with it or entertaining it and we are not a match for the Almighty God. The question from Paul today is "Are we fleeing from idolatry or are we playing around with it and giving devotion to other things and ideologies that are not from God?"
"Lord, thank you so much for the Lord's Supper that You gave to Your disciples and to us to keep a remembrance of You and Your supreme and only sacrifice needed for our salvation. May we guard our allegiance to You and You alone and flee from anything or anyone who would seek to take Your place in our lives. Help us to see that this is not something to play around with or flirt with in anyway. We want to align with You and You alone. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.14-16 - Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak to wise men; you judge what I say. Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?
Paul starts off with the simple instruction to the Christians in Corinth and to us that when it comes to idolatry, flee baby flee. This is the same instruction that he gives with the topic of sexual immorality. These are two areas that we don't debate or play around with, we flee from them. Paul is also asking us to inspect what he is saying by who is saying it.
Paul opens up a conversation using the practice of communion or the Lord's or Last Supper given to His disciples in the Upper Room. The cup of blessing is the third cup of the Passover meal that Jesus raised and forever changed what we remember now. It was the Exodus from Egypt that the Passover gave remembrance to and how God provided a way to salvation but now God had provided the perfect Lamb, Jesus, as a sacrifice as the way to salvation to Him. Paul reminds the Christians in Corinth that the one who is giving this instruction to them is one who has shared this Lord's Supper with them of the cup and the bread, the blood and body of Christ.
v.17-19 - Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
We as Christians have the practice like the Israelites of the Old Testament to partake in the sacrifice of what is given for the remission of sins. We come to the table of the Lord to partake or remember what was done for us just as the Israelites came to the temple to remember and recognize a God who created them and set the standard to follow.
The questions are, "Is this the same as what the Gentiles are doing? Is the Lord's Supper and the sacrifices required by God in the Old Testament times the same as the pagans idol worship and the sacrificing to them? Is this just another way to worship and to receive eternal life?" The Scripture says...
v.20-22 - No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 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. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?
The Scripture says "no!" emphatically "no!" It brings back the words of Jesus that you cannot serve both money and God. It doesn't work that way. Any worship of anything or anyone other than God is the worship of a demon. That is pretty straight forward and another exclusive statement from another Christian author inspired by the Holy Spirit that God is the only God and all others are of Satan. We want to have a little of this and a little of that and mix it all together with Christianity and think it is okay but Paul says no. God stands alone in your life and He is not to be mixed with anything else. To do so would create a jealousy of God that would lead to His wrath for the consequences of not fleeing idolatry but flirting with it or entertaining it and we are not a match for the Almighty God. The question from Paul today is "Are we fleeing from idolatry or are we playing around with it and giving devotion to other things and ideologies that are not from God?"
"Lord, thank you so much for the Lord's Supper that You gave to Your disciples and to us to keep a remembrance of You and Your supreme and only sacrifice needed for our salvation. May we guard our allegiance to You and You alone and flee from anything or anyone who would seek to take Your place in our lives. Help us to see that this is not something to play around with or flirt with in anyway. We want to align with You and You alone. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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