UntitledSermon

Text: 1Cor. 10:1-13

Psalm 103:1-13

Welcome/invocation:

Lord of life and love, help us to worship you in the holiness of beauty, that some beauty of holiness might appear in us. Quiet our souls in your presence with the stillness of a wise trust. Lift us above dark moods, and the shadow of sin, that we may find your will for our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

—Membership.

-not the keys to the golf cart. That is not what that is.

-It IS a commitment to a people. It always has been.

Prayer time:

Intro…

I want us to think today about what we see as Idolatry…

Talk to me.

First, what is an idol?

The Global Wesleyan Dictionary of Theology says this;

“For the Gentile Christians, conversion involved ‘turn[ing] to God from idols, to serve the living and true God” (1Thess. 1:9). The the NT recognizes that idolatry in more than simply worshipping images; it is a matter of the heart. An idol can be anything that claims for itself the love and devotion that belong to God alone.

Okay, so now…

What are somethings that we would call an Idol in our world today?

—our time, finances/Econ., our Politic, our identity, houses, cars, the Bible, S.S., our belief systems. Work.

Are those things we’ve named bad? No.

What makes them idols?

—

From the Wesleyan dictionary again,

“But if idols are essentially what we trust in and serve instead of the living God, then idolatry is prevalent in all societies. In the modern world, idolatry can take such forms as consumerism, nationalism, civil religion, or the veneration of science, celebrity, sex, or sports. Idolatry also occurs when people try to reduce God to an object they can manipulate for their own ends.”

I wonder if we too often look outside ourselves and point to those, them the “other” who have ‘false gods,’ not looking into ourselves for what may have snuck into our lives.

This is what Paul is doing, inviting this church to see of themselves that which is seen of of their ancestors, Israel.

This season of Lent is exactly that, a season of introspection. A season to look upon our selves, not with judgement BTW… But with the eyes of Jesus that we might find our selves humble and grateful for God’s work in us; repentant for the Idols that we prop up in our lives.

Body...

—what is the need/problem?

Paul, speaking to the Corinthian church -

we are free in Christ, we can live how we want.

Paul; that doesn’t exempt you from being caught in sin.

Humanity has a propensity for idolatry — or sin.

Paul is talking to a church that has the same propensity that Israel has… because God is merciful we can…

But, Paul reminds them, that is not the case you guys. God still punishes — that is he still acts for justice in his good world.

—what is God’s answer to the felt need/problem?

What we DON’T participate in…

I‘eve used this before; I can’t call myself a soccer player anymore. Why? I don’t participate in the activity.

I still love the game, but my identity is not in that game anymore.

God continues to invite us, his created, into his story—to participate in what he is doing in this life.

This is what Paul is doing… articulating the invite of the Corinthian church into the story of Israel.

They too have experienced God’s work and activity and yet still found themselves captivated by other gods.

what has he invited us too?

—what is the proper response to God’s answer

To worship God, is to participate w/him in his antics, whatever they may be, uh?

To show allegiance in our worship.

“To so everything for the glory of God.”

Everything we do is cloaked in love, care for the other.

The interpreters series commentary says this,

“Worship creates Koinonia. Paul’s brief but suggestive remarks about the Lord’s Supper highlight the fact that when we eat the bread and drink the cup together, we are bonded together in community with Christ and with one another. This is the positive counterreality set over against the danger of idolatry: Authentic Christian worship draws us together around the table of the Lord in such a way that we become a covenant people, receiving the blessings of fellowship with God and sharing our lives with one another. In order to flee from idolatry we MUST order our lives so that this koinonia become the focal point of our existence.”

Koinonia — fellowship with others in the spirit of the Lord.

—what kind of result might one expect if the felt need is met? How will it change you?

Wholeness in life

Belonging

Care

“Insurance?”

Conclusion

From the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene.

—Benediction:

Now, may the God of peace himself cause you to be completely dedicated to him; and may your spirit, soul, and body be kept intact and blameless at our Lord Jesus Christ’s coming. The one who is calling you is faithful and will do this.