I Corinthians 10:14-23, Idolatry

Jonathan M Melchior

I Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

0 ratings

· 5 views

Notes

Transcript

I Corinthians 10:14-22, Idolatry

(ROUGH DRAFT)

I Corinthians 10:14-22

Opener

We have all been touched by addiction.

I had a grandmother died of cirrhosis of the liver from alcoholism.

We all have addicts in our family tree somewhere.

We all have friends who have at least been impacted by addiction.

-In our own church family we have addicts.

-We are all familiar with traditional big control your life addictions.

Most of us have what I call “Little “a” addictions”.

Those things that we have become dependent on to be comfortable in life.

You know you have a little “a” addiction - when that things are taken away, there is a reaction that is unpleasant.

-I’m going to name some little “a” addictions.

If this is someone you are sitting next to give them a friendly elbow nudge.

Little “a” addiction of - Sugar, internet (I spoke with a 78 year old gentleman in church one time that told me his wife was unable to go to the bathroom unless she had her iPad) - I wondered, “If she lost her iPad would she explode?

Other “little a addictions” include - being addicted to people/conversations, food, gaming, sports, gardening, workaholism, being in control, perfectionism, people pleasing.

-And I’m going to really step on some toes with this last - one coffee/Caffeine.

-I’ve see some of you without your morning 3rd cup and it’s not pretty.

How does addiction start?

- At first, the person was seeking pleasure, or relief from a pain, or just a short term distracting experience. Then the drug or the comfort becomes a habit, the habit became a dependance, dependance becomes an addiction.

We all susceptible to both big and little addictions?

We are people who seek pleasure. We love to hang out with people who make us laugh.

-Certain music gets us going.

-We go to amusement parks.

-We like movies about love.

God created us as people who seeks pleasure.

Some pleasure is completely good and God given.

Other pleasures are sinful. - Pause

The first thing that Paul tells the Corinthians in our passage is “Flee from Idolatry”.

(Slide) Flee from Idolatry, vs. 14

Why did the Corinthians struggle with getting caught back up in going to the cult temples and worshiping the Roman & Greek God’s?

Answer - They got something from it. There was a pleasure, an enjoyment, an old habit, or a nostalgia that pulled them in.

-Maybe it was an old way of life and the habit was difficult to get out of.

Maybe, As a child they had memories of being in Poseidon’s Temple with their father. Maybe some would go back and reminisce, but found themselves praying to the Poseidon while they were there.

Maybe some would go into the temple of Apollo for a free meal. Food that was offered to the god at the alter - people could come in and eat.

Maybe a Corinthian while at the temple would be tempted in worship and light a candle to Apollos.

Or, maybe one of the male or female temple prostitutes of Aphrodite would lure in a church member to sexual worship. Pause

Idolatry is something that was just in Bible times. We still have to fight against today in a different form.

(Slide) What is Idolatry? Definition of Idolatry.

Definition 1 - Anything or anyone I elevate in my life equal to or greater than God.

Those of us who have grown up in church are familiar with this definition.

Let me challenge you with a different definition of Idolatry.

Definition 2, Anything or anyone I enjoy, take pleasure in, more than God.

Anything or anyone I take pleasure in, more than God.

Worship is not just obedience. Obedience is important.

Worship is not just showing up to church.

Worship is the giving of your life - including your greatest affections to God.

Worship is giving your love to Him.

Listen to how these scriptures speak about pleasure.

John 15:11 ESV

11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Philippians 3:8 ESV

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

Psalm 16:11 ESV

11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

The challenge of this definition of Idolatry is that it tests the affections of your heart.

It asks the question, “Who has my heart?” “To who or what have I given my heart to?”

That leads us to this question. If my greatest pleasure is to be found in my relationship with God ...

(Slide) So the obvious question is … What or who do I take the most pleasure in?

Another question that this definition prompts is ...

(Slide) Is there something in my life that I should enjoy less?

Answer - Maybe

If what you love is sinful or good, but out of balance - yes

example:

Sin - definitely lessen and stop the enjoyment of the sin. Obvious.

Out of balance - sports, clothes, movies, screen time, food

-These must lessen or come in balance. God desires you to be healthy and balanced in life.

Illustration - Thursday Night I was working out and I very briefly met a teenager I had never seen before. He told me he lived in Louisville.

-I asked Him if he went to church he said, “No, I’ve been playing baseball ever since I was little. That’s what we do on Sunday instead.”

-Baseball is a good pleasure. It’s just way out of balance for his family.”

Question - What if the pleasure is something that you know that is a gift from God and he really does want you to enjoy, - family, work, Christian friends

- Should you enjoy family, work, or Christians friends less?

Answer ...

(Slide)The greater challenge is not enjoying God’s good gifts too much, but enjoy God Himself too little.

When we love the good blessings of God more than God we are loving the gift and not the giver.

Slide -The purpose of the gifts are to reflect our attention to the giver.

So when your heart is on the enjoyment of your children or grandchildren - you must immediately pray and praise God for them.

“Man, I love my grandkids so much. God thank you for giving me this wonderful gift. You God are great!”

“Wow I love my job or this great Christians friendship.” “Thank you God for this gift! You are Great!”

The gift points our affections to the greatness of the giver.

-This is why when our children get a gift, we train them to thank the giver.

-The giver is greater than the gift.

Question - What does it tell you about the heart of God - that He would give you gifts to enjoy that are so fulfilling and so wonderful?

What does it tell you about the heart of God that He would make you with taste buds that can be so fulfilled and overwhelmed with your favorite food. That piece of cake, the fried chicken or fish, fresh vegetables… This is a gift.

We won’t go into details … what does it tell you about the heart of God that He would give us romance and sex within marriage?

God is Spirit - He doesn’t even have a body to give Him orientation to all our different life enjoyments, but in His great creativity He created these pleasures and preferences for us to enjoy.

-These gifts are meant to reflect us to Him

but to love Him all the more for the gifts that you have.

Illustration of the Moon reflecting the light of the Sun.

We look at the moon and are amazed at its beauty and glory.

The moons beauty and glory is a direct reflection of something much greater and more powerful - the Sun.

A person who loves the pleasures of life and forgets the giver of the pleasures, is like someone who loves the full moon, but forgets where its radiance comes from.

Question - What is the moon in your life - that you take great pleasure in?

-What would you say is a pleasure in your life that has mesmerized you and away from it’s source of glory?

-What is something that you take pleasure in more than God?

And so we flee Idolatry.

Transition - Verses 16-17 emphasize the next truth in our passage

(SLIDE) My soul is intimately effected by what or who I worship. Lord’s Supper Illustration, verse 16-17

read verse 16-17

Paul gives 2 examples of this thought, 1st The Lord’s Supper

-Their is confession & worship at the Lord’s Supper.

-There is the Spirit of God interacting with our soul.

-The Lord’s Supper is a time of intimate communion with God.

-It is a time of intimate closeness as Jesus nourishes your soul.

-We worship Christ for His great loving payment of the cross.

-The Lord’s Supper is also a time that you not only worship Him, but WE worship Him together. Other Christ Followers around you are affirming that they to are worshiping and following Him.

-In the celebration there is a togetherness.

In this Lord’s Supper illustration Paul is reminding the people of the Gospel and their worship of God for the Gospel.

Paul is emphasizing this truth that, My soul is intimately effected by what or who I worship.

In this case the Christ follower is effected by the Lord’s Supper.

2nd illustration - And Paul goes on to His second illustration, about eating a sacrificial meal. vs. 18

Without going into detail, there was a meal prescribed in Deuteronomy 14:22-26 that was a meal of worship.

-In eating a sacrificial meal Old Testament, there is worship and a mingling of our souls with God.

-Eat food can be a way of worship.

In the City of Corinth - In the pagan temples there was food at the alter.

Most who would go into the pagan temples and eat the food would also worship.

vs. 19-20,

vs. 19 -20, The food isn’t the problem. The actual physical statue of the Cult God in the temple isn’t the problem.

The problem is this…read 19-20

During Pagan worship including worshipful meals, Demons are being worshiped. Expand.

During the holy worship of God your soul and affections are intermingling with God. Communing with God.

In Pagan worship the soul of the worshiper is intermingling with demons. Behind the cult temple statues of Zeus and Artemus are demons.

In Corinth - The people were taking worship that belonged to God and giving it to demons.

Instead of worshiping Jesus they were unknowingly worshiping demons. The sworn enemies of Jesus.

Our idolatry isn’t much different.

When we worship the created thing (our addictions) rather than the creator - we steal glory that is due God.

In the spiritual realm - the demons are tempting you to steal your greatest hearts affections away from Jesus, by encouraging you to give your hearts affections the gifts God has given you.

True worship comes when our greatest affections, our greatest love, is given as a offering to the one who saved us.

-and we love Him because He first loved us.

***Demons take the good things we enjoy and try to convince us to believe - This is better than Jesus.

Paul teaches that - Idolatry is demonic.

Idolatry is, Anything or anyone I take pleasure in, more than God.

When I enjoy music more than God - family, sports, food, job, video games, school, fishing, hunting, shopping - our small addictions … when we love them more than God - we make the Demons happy.

vs. 21, Read