Freedom From Idols / Libertados de los Ídolos
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
We are about to study a very controversial text in Scripture that speaks about the “gifts of the Spirit”. Some of these gifts are:
Healing
Miracles
Prophecy
Speaking in tongues
Knowledge, etc.
It is a controversial text because some christian believers believe these gifts ceased with the last of the apostles of Jesus Christ, whereas others believe that these gifts are still active today.
However, before we study these gifts and see what God wants to teach us, we must first consider the first three verses in 1 Corinthians 12.
Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
En cuanto a los dones espirituales, hermanos, quiero que entiendan bien este asunto. Ustedes saben que cuando eran paganos se dejaban arrastrar hacia los ídolos mudos. Por eso les advierto que nadie que esté hablando por el Espíritu de Dios puede maldecir a Jesús; ni nadie puede decir: «Jesús es el Señor» sino por el Espíritu Santo.
There is certainly a difference in how different Christians interpret or practice the gifts of the Spirit in our day.
However, there are certain things in the Bible that are clear as day leading us to the conclusion that the main things in the Bible are the plain things.
There are certain truths that do not require a theological degree or the ability to read the Bible in the original languages.
There are certain passages of the Bible that do not require hours and hours of study.
…these are the plain passages of Scripture, and through them we discover basic and fundamental truths about God, about Jesus, and about the way of salvation.
I. Life before Christ
I. Life before Christ
Paul writes to the Corinthia church to teach them about the gifts of the Spirit:
Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.
En cuanto a los dones espirituales, hermanos, quiero que entiendan bien este asunto.
Believers should desire to know about the word of God.
We should desire to learn about what the Bible says about the gift of prophecy, healing, miracles, etc.
We should desire to learn about creation, about the end times, about what the Bible says regarding marriage, the family, our children’s education, about medical ethics, about abortion, euthanasia, etc.
As believers we desire to know what God’s word (revealed only in the Bible) says about everything that it teaches.
For this reason, Paul writes to the Corinthian church to teach them about the gifts of the Spirit.
Since these gifts are gifts of the Spirit then this means:
These gifts find their origin in God’s Holy Spirit.
These gifts are given by God to his people.
These gifts are governed by the word of God for his is the giver of these gifts.
However, Paul lays some groundwork before he explains the role of the gifts of the Spirit in the life of the church.
Paul invites the Corinthian christians to remember their life before Christ. It is as if every person has a BC (before Christ) and AD (after Christ).
Paul describes the life of every Christian believer before they came to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ:
You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
Ustedes saben que cuando eran paganos se dejaban arrastrar hacia los ídolos mudos.
Paul says that before they became Christians, they were pagans.
The word pagan is not an insult or derogatory word in the New Testament.
Pagan refers to “non-jews”.
Paul uses this word to refer to non-believers.
Jews had received God’s Old Testament revelation handed down through Moses and the prophets.
The other peoples of the world were in utter darkness.
They did not possess God’s revelation. For this reason, they were considered pagans by the Old Testament people of God.
However, Paul does not see non-believers as simply people that do not know about Jesus Christ.
Paul refers to them as being “influenced and led astray to mute idols”.
You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
Ustedes saben que cuando eran paganos se dejaban arrastrar hacia los ídolos mudos.
Although the majority of the population did not have God’s revelation, it does not mean they were neutral when it came to spiritual things.
Historians tell us that practically every ancient civilization had some sort of religious worship / practice.
Many of the ancient peoples worshipped the sun, moon, and stars.
Others worshipped the god of rain, thunder, darkness.
Many even worshipped animals in their geographic region or even tribal leaders / rulers.
If we were to find a time machine and transport ourselves to the ancient Americas we would see the ancient Mayans and Aztecs worship:
Huitzilopochtli: The sun god and god of war.
Tlaloc: The god of rain, water, and thunder.
These ancient civilizations built enormous pyramids where they would offer human sacrifices to their gods in order to receive blessing, victory in times of war, or some people would take their own lives (auto-sacrifice) so that their god would bring rain upon the land.
Paul writes this letter to the Corinthian Christians who worshipped the many greek gods.
They would offer incense.
They would offer wine or oil.
They would commit adultery or fornication with the temple prostitutes.
…and they would do this all for their “mute idols”.
Paul focuses on this specific aspect regarding the idols - they are mute, they cannot speak, they are not real, they are not alive, they are false gods.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
Tienen boca, pero no pueden hablar;
ojos, pero no pueden ver;
“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?
Or an image that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
he makes idols that cannot speak.
»¿De qué sirve una imagen,
si quien la esculpe es un artesano?
¿De qué sirve un ídolo fundido,
si tan sólo enseña mentiras?
El artesano que hace ídolos que no pueden hablar
sólo está confiando en su propio artificio.
The Old Testament time and time again speaks about those that made wooden, gold, or silver idols.
They would worship these gods and move from one place to another.
They would pray to these idols that they had made with their own hands.
…and Paul says: before you knew Christ and his gospel you were carried away but mute idols.
That is the experience of all unbelievers.
All of humanity worships someone or something.
Humans are by nature religious.
They seek something or someone to worship.
They are moved to worship someone or something.
Even atheists are not 100% honest when they say they do not worship any god:
Atheists worship at the altar of science, logic, humanism.
Men and women worship sin - envy, greed, vanity,
Young people worship the desire to be known, to be well though of, to be popular, to be liked, to be admired by their peers.
…what many people call a constant obsession is really their heart’s desire to worship the object of their obsession.
There are many people that say: I do not want to be a Christian and loose my liberty. I want to be able to do what I want, I want to make my own decisions, I want to be the master of my soul and fate.
Certainly many people may have this attitude.
However, the Bible tells us that men, apart from Christ, are slaves of their own sin, and they are carried away unable to please God.
When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.
Cuando ustedes eran esclavos del pecado, estaban libres del dominio de la justicia.
People do not believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ because they do not want to follow certain rules or because they want to make their own decisions: people do not believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ because they are slaves to their own sinful desires.
It is their love of themselves...
Their love of their own sin...
Their love of their own rebellion against their creator…which holds the captive, and unable to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, unable to confess their sins and thereby receive eternal life.
II. Life after Christ
II. Life after Christ
However, Paul is speaking to believers.
He is speaking to people who were previously slaves to their own.
He is speaking to people who previously worshipped mute idols.
He is speaking to people who previously worshipped non-existent gods or who worshiped their own sinful desires...
…what changed? What happened in their lives such that they are now believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
Paul writes:
Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
Por eso les advierto que nadie que esté hablando por el Espíritu de Dios puede maldecir a Jesús; ni nadie puede decir: «Jesús es el Señor» sino por el Espíritu Santo.
Paul is speaking about the gifts of the Spirit.
Paul is speaking about manifestations of God’s Spirit in the lives of his people.
…however, he focuses on one of the greatest gifts that the Spirit can bestow on any person:
It is the Sprit of God who enables our eyes to be open to the truth, our heart to be softened to the message of Jesus Christ.
It is God’s Spirit that awakens our need to cry out to God for the forgiveness of our sins.
It is God’s Spirit that makes us realize that we need his guidance, his comfort, his protection, but most of all his forgiveness.
It is God’s Spirit that reveals to us our sinful human nature.
It is God’s Spirit that brings us to the realization that Jesus Christ is Lord.
No one can truly say Jesus Christ is Lord, except by the work of the Holy Spirit in their life.
This doesn’t mean that unbelievers cannot express these words. In fact, unbelievers can say it, sing it, chant it, or even pretend to believe the gospel.
When Christmas time comes around there are many people that fill Christian churches saying:
Joyful, joyful we adore thee
…there are others who fill churches during Easter saying:
Christ the Lord is risen today
People may say these things with their lips all the while they do not believe or follow Jesus.
This Christian expression is full of meaning: Jesus is Lord.
By this expression, we confess that Jesus is the ruler.
We confess that Jesus is superior.
We confess that we are subject to Jesus.
We confess that he is the Lord of our lives.
…if he is truly Lord, then:
We obey him
We worship him
We follow him
We seek to know him more and more each day