Dinning With The Devil
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PRAY
Scriptures: Genesis 3:1–6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:21 “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.”
SUBJECT: DINNING WITH THE DEVIL
I enjoy a good meal. l want to preach a message today entitled “Dinning with the Devil”. It’s not breakfast, or lunch or dinner. It’s the other meal that each of us as believers should be partaking of every single day of our Christian lives.
Ever heard the phrase you are what you eat?
Well this applies not only to the physical body but also the spiritual body. We as Christians, can do things that are offensive to God? Are you eating the
things of Jesus, and the word of God, or are you eating things of the devil; the world, that will decay your spirit, and your soul?. BROTHERS & SISTERS, If you desire to go to heaven, “YOU CANNOT DINE WITH THE DEVIL”. NKJV). Kingdom mind-sets want to eat what is good for them! Fleshly mind-sets want to eat what is bad for them!. God can change those fleshly mind-sets to Kingdom mind-sets - we just have to let Him. We do this by repenting of partaking of these things and especially that we enjoyed them, then turn away from these things. We can eat many things from the devils table such as pornography, alcohol, drugs, gambling, cheating, lying, cutting corners, marijuana, participating in occult practices and many more. In my case it was a literal thing. I loved all those foods that were bad for me, especially processed food including white sugar, white flour and saturated fat. It isn't that you can't eat them because you can, but just not excessively. We can become addicted to them. When I was younger it didn't seem to matter because I never put on weight so I didn't think much of it. Once I hit my forties I had some weight gain and some problems associated with my bad eating habits started to creep up on me. I am now in my fifties and the weight and some health problems could become more serious. I tried to stop eating that way when the Holy Spirit gave me Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee:—be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
The Holy Spirit teaches us that we can change our mind-set to eat wholesome, spiritual, Bible Based food.
I very much liked that idea and I am sure you do to!
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the things that you are eating from the devil's table". We should always pray in this manner:
"Father God I repent for eating from the devils table. I repent that I would eat of those things that are bad for me and don't reflect Kingdom values. I repent for liking what is unhealthy for me. On behalf of myself and ancestors, I repent for all addictions and addictive behavioral patterns. I repent also on behalf of man for destroying your natural creation of whole foods and turning them into something unhealthy and damaging. I would like to go from eating at the devils table to feasting from your banqueting table. Change my mind-sets so I will want to eat that which is good for me. Help me to eat unto holiness, giving thanks to you. Turning from the things of the devil not looking at him, but at You! I break these lines of addictions in Jesus name. I command all demons of addictions and addictive behavioral patterns to leave immediately in Jesus name".
It’s a good idea to pray before you decide what to eat at each meal, and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what your body needs rather than what it wants.
We all know Special occasions are often connected with food—Thanksgiving, Christmas, Anniversaries, Birthdays, etc. Whenever there’s a special meal, we can’t wait to be told: “Come to the table!” This morning, Jesus has set the table and is inviting us, “Come to My Table.” And stop dinning with the devil. There are several things we need to “bring to the table”…
1. Before we sit down to a meal, we need clean hands. You don’t work in the garden or garage and then come inside, sit down, and eat dinner. You wash up first. This is why the Bible tells us to examine our lives before receiving Communion. We may see something that needs to be confessed and cleaned up. When we were kids, we occasionally had to go to bed without supper because we did something bad.
(We would throw rocks at cars, we would walk to other communities without our parents knowing, then a neighbor would see us.)
When we come to Jesus with remorse and repentance, we find forgiveness, restoration, and an invitation to His table. Some people get so burdened by their sins, instead of asking for forgiveness, they figure they’re unworthy to participate, and they pass the tray without partaking. None of us are worthy, but if we’ve trusted Christ, we are eligible. He invites and authorizes us to come to the table.
2. Also before dining, we need a good appetite. What would happen if you were invited to someone’s house for dinner and an hour before the meal you ate a bag of chips, a Coke, and a package of Oreos? After all this junk food, you would have a little appetite for the good stuff! Paul tells us, “you can’t drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils too; you can’t have a part in both the Lord’s Table and the table of devils” (vs. 21). God offers us a plenteous meal—the Bread and Cup won’t fill us up physically, but they will satisfy our spiritual hunger. When we stuff ourselves with the junk food of sin we lose our appetite for the banquet God has prepared for us. We need to “taste and see” the satisfying goodness of the Lord.
A Doctor of Cornell University identified a chemical in grapes that reduces the risk of heart disease. He reports that grape juice lowers cholesterol and cleanses the heart of life-threatening impurities. At the Lord’s Table grape juice represents the blood of Christ, which cleanses our spiritual hearts of sin’s deadly effects.
Now we are in the world, but we don’t have to be of the world. We are exposed to sin, but we can resist temptation. This reminds me of Luke Chapter 3 Jesus was baptized and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. Then we go to Luke 4 where Jesus was full of the Holy Ghost, and being lead by the Spirit into the wilderness being tempted of the devil. One of the problems is that we don’t want to be full of the Holy Ghost. If Jesus needed it, so do we. This is why we must read the word of God and apply it to our life. Do we get an appetite for what God has for us, when we’ve been dwelling on things below, rather than things above? When our perspective is fixed on temporal things, we can get caught up in that which has no lasting value. Jesus promises, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
What does Jesus mean when He says we’ll be “filled”? I think a lot of people live their lives on EMPTY. They go day-to-day without much purpose or meaning, and when they reach the end they wonder what the point was in living. They are starving spiritually. How much different to know that God loves us individually, and has a specific plan for our lives. Jesus fills our days with a sense of significance and satisfaction.
3. When we’re dining, we also need time to enjoy the moment. I hear the chairs in places like McDonald’s and Burger King are designed so that people won’t get too comfortable, so they’ll eat, leave, and make room for more customers. In Europe, when you sit at a table, it’s yours for as long as you wish—sit down for lunch, and linger the whole afternoon if you like. No one is urging you to go. Sometimes we’re in such a hurry that we don’t enjoy our food; When we partake in the Lord’s Supper, we come to savor the moment, to linger and reflect and remember. When we come to the Lord’s Table, our spiritual meal should be the focus of why we’re here.
4. Harmony at the meal table is important. I heard about a family who got together for a meal, and before long the table conversation got controversial. They started talking about current events, but the discussion slipped into political differences. Not everyone shared the same viewpoint, and the enjoyment of the meal got ruined as they argued. We can’t expect everyone in our congregation to agree on every issue, but we are expected to get along. In vs 17 Paul makes a point of saying that “we are one body” and we “partake of the one loaf.” Conflict, tension, disharmony, can all ruin a perfectly good meal. One thing we don’t bring to the table is divisiveness. What we can agree on is our unity in Christ. What unite us is much greater than what divides us.
5. We need to be grateful for this meal. I saw an apron in a store that says: “Kiss the Cook”. Those who prepare meals appreciate being told that people enjoyed their meal. When we come to the Lord’s Table, we need to eat with gratitude, to not take it for granted. God provided manna, miraculous food, to the Jewish nation in the wilderness, and all they did was complain. We need to appreciate the cost of this meal. There’s a famous Swedish art film that’s a parable of grace, in which a young woman uses her inheritance to prepare a wonderful gourmet meal for her friends. She gets the most costly ingredients and prepares a banquet worthy of a 4-star restaurant. Unfortunately, some of her guests didn’t fully appreciate her gift. Jesus has prepared a meal for us that cost Him His life. Even more we should appreciate the sacrifice of our Savior; otherwise we miss the whole point of this meal!
6. We also come to God’s Table with loyalty. We avoid the competition. If your family owned a restaurant, you would go frequently, tell others about it, and you wouldn’t want to eat anywhere else. Paul is talking about how people try to eat at the devil’s table, yet also come to God’s. We serve a jealous God (vs 22), who will not be replaced with substitutes. He demands our undivided loyalty. The Christians at Corinth were tempted to revert to the idolatrous practices of their former lives. Eating at the Lord’s table means communing with Christ and identifying with His death. Our partaking of Communion indicates that we are undivided in our commitment to Christ. He is our top priority; He has preeminence in our lives.
As I CLOSE....… You can see that the devil has a way of sliding next too you while you’re minding your own business. The devil can make you think that your mind is playing tricks on you. I suggest that you
Keep on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Over 40 & 2 Generations Ago the TABLE WAS SET. There Is One who made it so that we would be worthy to dine at his table.… For at His Table is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are seen as evidence of a life lived in accordance with the Holy Spirit. That ONE made it so!!! At that name that demons tremble, I’m talking about a man named Jesus, a water in dry places, the one who can make a way out of no way, the one who can open doors that man can’t close and close doors that no man can open. The one whose bread to the hungry, the one whose the Bright and Morning Star, the Lilly of the Valley, THE ONE WHO DIED, ON A FRIDAY EVENING, WHO STAYED UNTIL LATE SATURDAY NIGHT, THEN EARLY SUNDAY MORNING HE ROSE WITH ALL POWER!!!!!!!!! SAY YES, SAY YES, SAY YES!!!!
