Reflections of Our Worship

You reflect who you worship, so …

I. Flee Idolatry Because God is Jealous for You (1 Corinthians 10:14-22)

1 Corinthians 10:14–22 NASB95

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. 16 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? 17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? 19 What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 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. 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. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?

Perhaps you could contrast the fleeting satisfaction of false idols with the eternal joy found in Christ, urging your listeners to flee idolatry by examining their hearts with honesty and humility. Emphasize how the Eucharist underscores our communion with Christ and each other, encouraging reliance on His power to transform our desires.

Flee From Idolatry

Does anyone recall how we defined idolatry last week?

Idolatry — giving ultimate worship to that which is not ultimate

Idolatry was rampant in Israel’s history.

In fact, there are many who would say idolatry was Israel’s number one sin.

In the books of Kings and Chronicles, we see this repeated theme: they built for themselves high places, they failed to remove the high places, or they rebuilt the high places.

Many of the prophets directly confronted Israel’s idolatry

But was this their greatest sin, or was idolatry the effect of a deeper rooted problem?

Idolatry becomes a problem when we forget Who is ultimate.

That was Israel’s problem.

It’s our problem still today.

We forget Who sits on the throne.

Deuteronomy 17:18–20 NASB95

18 “Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 “It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.

The reason why nearly every king of Israel failed to tear down the high places was because they forgot Who ultimately sits on the throne.

And the problem with that is we were created to worship.

The prophets who called out Israel weren’t just telling the people to turn from their idolatrous ways, they were calling the people to return to God.

What is the difference?

There’s a huge difference! The moment we stop worshipping one thing, we will worship something else. So without clear direction, we will just go from idolatry, to idolatry, to idolatry. We will replace one idol with another.

That’s why before Israel had even requested a king, God commanded for the kings to continually remind themselves who they served.

So the prophets called Israel to return to God. The Holy Spirit calls us to return to Christ, because we were created to worship.

Why is this so important to get right?

Flee from idolatry because you will worship something or someone.

Flee from idolatry because you will become like the object you worship.

Notice what Paul says in verse 16:

Sharing (Communion) — fellowship, association, joint participation

We have joint participation with Christ as Christians

We participate in His baptism (Romans 6:3)

We participate in His death (Romans 6:4)

We participate in His resurrection and life (Romans 6:5)

We participate in His inheritance (Romans 8:17)

We participate in His suffering (Romans 8:36-37)

We participate because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, a sacrifice that the book of Hebrews declares has been offered once for all.

We don’t have to come an offer a bloody sacrifice as a form of worship — that sacrifice is done and finished in the person of Jesus Christ.

Romans 12:1 says we come and offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — that is our spiritual worship.

And when we come together, or the Jews came together, or the pagan Corinthians came together, we come together as an act of worship of the God we say we believe in.

The one thing that we all share in common as Christians is that we were once dead in our sin, by the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ we have been made alive in Him, and now are lives are a living, breathing, walking testimony of the ultimate God we worship.

When we worship, we are sharing in the material and spiritual realities of that worship.

Worship is both an noun and a verb.

Worship is a title and an action.

Worship is a word we use to describe what we do.

Worship is also what we do and how we do it — it is an act, a willful, determinate offering.

Worship is an Act

There is no other God, but the one true God

But not everyone believes that.

Paul reaffirms the idols are nothing (except wood, stone, or metal) and that the sacrifices to those idols are nothing.

Those gods aren’t real.

But to the pagan Corinthians, those gods were very real, and they worshipped them accordingly.

The overarching question Paul has been answering in these three chapters is this: how do I interact with my non-Christian friends?

What are we allowed to do?

When our friends invite us to the local restaurant at the temple, can we eat there?

Are we allowed to eat the meat sold at the temple markets, meat that may or may not have been used in a temple sacrifice?

When our friends invite us to their homes, should we be concerned about the food they serve us?

So Paul finally returns to the question of meat offered to idols.

Regarding the temple restaurants, the Corinthian Christians should refrain from participating in such activities, not because the idol or sacrifice is anything, but because demons are using such idols to draw humanity away into idolatry and because for the pagan Corinthians it is a deliberate act of worship.

Where are the areas in your life where by your actions you are affirming your non-Christian friends’ lifestyles?

Where are the areas where by your actions your non-Christian friends look at you and think, “We’re exactly the same.”

We think the same.

We speak the same.

We swear the same.

We gossip the same.

We slander the same.

We complain the same.

The reality of the demonic presence

It can be difficult for us in a modern context to directly apply this portion of Scripture to our lives.

We don’t place the same emphasis on foods and meals that those in the 1st century did.

However, one thing the American church can take away from this passage is the unquestionable reality of demonic presences who can use social or cultural norms for their own evil ends.

God is Jealous

The Christian has no place with worship of something other than the Creator of the universe — Jesus Christ.

This is why Paul says to flee from idolatry, but not aimlessly. Flee with your sight set on Jesus Christ.

Why?

Because God is jealous

God is a jealous God

Exodus 20:5 NASB95

5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,

God is jealous for your love, attention, and devotion.

As a husband or wife, you are rightfully jealous of the love, attention, and devotion of your spouse.

And if your spouse were to provoke that jealousy by giving that love, attention, and devotion to something or someone else, you wouldn’t say, “It’s cool. It’s chill. That’s just how we operate.”

No, you would intentionally, and maybe uncomfortably, pursue them to retrieve their attention.

When we give our love, attention, and devotion to something other than God, He will intentionally, sometimes uncomfortably, sometimes painfully, pursue us because we were created to worship, we will worship, and He is the only One worthy of our worship.

Reflect who you worship by …

II. Enjoying God’s Creation While Acting Based on What is Eternally Profitable for Others (1 Corinthians 10:23-33)

1 Corinthians 10:23–33 NASB95

23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor. 25 Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake; 26 for the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains. 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience’ sake. 28 But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake; 29 I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks? 31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.

Maybe highlight that partaking in the Lord's Supper unites us with Christ, and any allegiance to idols breaks that unity. Demonstrate how idolatry is seductive, but remind your listeners that allegiance to Christ secures eternal redemption and transforms us into His likeness.

The Inevitable Argument — Everything is Permitted

Everything is permitted and lawful. In Christ you have freedom. In Christ you have liberty.

But not everything is profitable or edifying.

Profitable — helpful

Edifying — to build up, to promote Christian growth

The Christian life is not self-centered, the Christian life is other-centered.

The Christian life is one of service.

The Christian life is one that constantly asks the question: with eternity on the line, either in heaven or hell, what is most helpful to build up my neighbor?

The Rule

Enjoy everything God created, but through the lens of what is eternally profitable for others.

Don’t even ask where the meat in the market came from

What you don’t know won’t hurt you.

Don’t even ask where the meat at a friend’s house came from

What you don’t know won’t hurt you.

Hypothetically, if someone were to inform you this was “sacred food,” in that case abstain, because eating in that case eating it would only damage your Christian witness.

In this hypothetical scenario, the only reason someone would include such information would be out of concern for the Christian, so that they wouldn’t go against their beliefs.

To eat the food in such a circumstance would only affirm that how or who one chooses to worship is of no consequence.

The Inevitable Argument — Why is My Freedom Dictated by Others?

Because it’s not just your clean conscience before God

It’s about how your actions influence others and their perception of the God you serve.

We continually see in Paul an evangelistic and missionary heart.

He knows his future eternity is secure in Christ. He knows he has freedom to enjoy what God has created.

But he basis his decisions not for his personal gain, but for the possible eternal gain of those around him.

Paul does not know what the impact of his actions will be

He does not know if the people he interacts with will see his living witness and come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

But he refuses to chance their eternity on his selfishness.

The Final Conclusion

Everything I do, I do for the glory of Christ.

If I choose to eat, it’s for Christ.

If I choose not to eat, it’s for Christ.

I’m constantly screening my decisions and actions through the lens of what is eternally profitable for others, so that seeing my life as a living witness and testimony, they might be saved.

Reflect you who worship by …

III. Imitating Christ for the Glory of God (1 Corinthians 11:1)

1 Corinthians 11:1 NASB95

1 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

You could unpack how Paul urges the Corinthians to live for the good of others and the glory of God, culminating in his call to imitate Christ. Stress how this imitation leads to life transformation, urging the congregation to reflect the virtues of Christ in all aspects of life, transforming into His image.

Something Every Christian Should Strive to Say

What does the term 'idolatry' mean in the context of worshiping God?

How does the concept of God's jealousy play a role in our relationship with Him according to this sermon?

In what ways might you be unintentionally participating in idolatry in your daily life?

Can you think of a recent situation where you had to choose between something 'lawful' but unhelpful and something that wouldn't build others up?

What does 1 Corinthians 10:14-22 teach us about the nature of false idols?

How can we ensure that our actions reflect our commitment to Christ rather than to cultural norms?

What does it mean to you to imitate Christ in practical ways in your life?

In what concrete ways can you demonstrate love and service to your neighbors as part of your Christian witness?

How can you encourage your friends to seek what is eternally profitable in their own lives?

What are some practical steps you can take to 'flee from idolatry' in your life?

What role does accountability play in helping us avoid idols in our lives?

How can understanding God's jealousy for us change the way we view our relationship with Him?

What does it look like to prioritize the spiritual growth of others over our own freedom?