Caution: Do Not Taint yourself 1 Corinthians 10:14-22
Introduction – Pastor Kevin Mugi – Touch on the title -Don’t contaminate yourself and the rest of us
1 Corinthians 10:14-22 (NLT) So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. 15 You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true. 16 When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? 17 And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body. 18 Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar? 19 What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? 20 No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. 21 You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. 22 What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?
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- Paul starts out with a warning – Run, run far, far away from any sort of idolatry (Ampc)– And that includes (Amp) loving anything more than God and participating in anything that lead to sin or enslaves the soul
- There are those sin that leads us to disobedience and immediately turns us away from the Lord
- And there are those sins that lead to Spiritual oppression – enslaved souls – these sins either knowing or unknowing lead to a slow death
- In verse 15 Paul reminds them that he knows that he is speaking to a wise and sensible people
- The reality of this life is that when we do things that are contrary to the Lord, most of the time we know we are doing it – we can’t claim ignorance
- Stop making excuses for sins in your life and more so, stop making excuses for others sins
- Its dangerous when we give provision to sins in our lives and we extend the same “grace” to others
- “He is a really nice person” …its only that her husband doesn’t provide, his wife is not submissive, He is good most of the time , just have a little anger issues ,she is a good kids despite the lying, the talking back, parents not holding her accountable
- I am speaking to the Church not the outside world. We have a manual (Bible) that details every scenario in life- Start in Proverbs
- Of late I have been thinking about the story of the talents a lot – There is no way we can be good and faithful servants if we are great on 4 talents and ignore 1. “Lord I did good on 4- really good”
- Paul continues; and goes into communion – that when they take the cup of blessing and break the bread, we are doing it as one body – united as one in Christ
- This is our “spill” every first Sunday of the month during communion – we drink and eat as one body
- Vs. 17: Because there is one body, for we all partake of the one bread -the Body of Christ
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- Why is Paul giving them this history run
- Because in the next verses, he cautions them against participating in idol worship
- How may you ask? Vs 21: You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of the demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons
- What was happening was that the Christians would be invited to these pagan parties and the meals served were part of the pagan sacrifices
- He was cautioning them to not participate in dinners at the pagan temples
- Just like our generation that thinks that they know better, the Corinth church prided themselves on wisdom- hence Paul is telling them discern what he was saying
- In the ancient world to eat at the same table with someone indicated friendship and fellowship with that person. Since you ate at of one bread, that made you one body because you both shared the same food at the same table. So, to eat at the table a pagan temple restaurant was not as innocent as it seemed
- Paul concludes that our God is a jealous God
- That they are not immune to falling away – that they are not stronger that God who is asking them to flee from Idolatry
- 1 Corinthians 10:12 ( Ampc) Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands [who feels sure that he has a steadfast mind and is standing firm], take heed lest he fall [into sin].
1. Run far, far away from any idolatry
- 1 Corinthians 10:14 (Amp), My beloved, run [keep far, far away] from [any sort of] idolatry [and that includes loving anything more than God, or participating in anything that leads to sin and enslaves the soul].
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- I know most of you are thinking- I am good, I don’t even eat meat, I don’t (Fill the blank)
- What are you watching, listening to, talking about, reading…eating and drinking?
- What is the source of all of these – what is sauce in all these
- What effect, either direct or indirect are they causing
- “It doesn’t matter that the Corinthian Christians didn’t intend to worship demons at these heathen feasts in pagan temples. If a man puts his hand into the fire, it doesn’t matter if he intends to burn himself or not, he is burned just the same”
- Drinking and eating with demons comes in many shapes and forms- Remember the devil masks himself as the angel of light- meaning
- We need to pray for discernment – “to understand or know something through the power of the Holy Spirit”
- Most of have heard the story of 3 young men (Daniel 3), we already know that they refused to bow down to the king and instead they were put in the furnace
- We read about the victory however most people don’t know that this victorious day was just an extension of their determination to honor God by saying no to idolatry
- Summarize Daniel 1:8-16
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- King Nebuchadnezzar conquers Jerusalem and not he owns it
- He takes the tressures of Israelites and even the people
- He orders that some people from Israel be brought over to his country in his palace and have them be taught literature and the Babylonians customs and language
- In the group he asked for children, kings’ descendants and some of the nobles of Israel
- Daniel 1:6-8 (Nlt) Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. 7 The chief of staff renamed them with these Babylonian names:
Daniel was called Belteshazzar, Hananiah was called Shadrach. Mishael was called Meshach. Azariah was called Abednego.
But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods
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- They are tested for 10 days and they come out better than those that feasted on idol food
- Battles are not won on the day of- battles are won as we prepare
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- Daniel was determined not to defile himself- are you determined to not Taint yourself, your children and your Church?
- Deuteronomy 18:10 -13 (Nkjv) There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass[a] through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are [b]an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. 13 You shall be [c]blameless before the Lord your God.
- Don’t dub yourselves in Witchcraft
2. Your ignorance may cause death.
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- The other day I looked at my mirror and I was like – Bro, my name is Kevin – “Young no more “– I can’t just breathe and have a good body – I have to work out
- I am monitoring my steps – I am watching my bread intake, I am aware of where bread is in the fridge – I stopped getting bread from the AMC
- Just because in the past I have ignored it doesn’t mean that it’s not there – I am running away from this form of idolatry
- Most of us walk around ignoring the spiritual influences of this world
- Ephesians 6:12 (Nlt) For we[a] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
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- Remember when I said” If a man puts his hand into the fire, it doesn’t matter if he intends to burn himself or not, he is burned just the same”
- We all have a responsibility to learn and to know what is right and wrong and what we are against
- Romans 1:20 (ESV) For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
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- In other words, we cannot claim ignorance
- I asked earlier what are you watching- who are you following? Even better what are you teaching your kids and those that God has entrusted you in your circle?
- Some of you have been eating, listening, reading and consuming from the demon tables – and defiling the church because of what’s happening in your homes
- And then taking communion with together at church and “Staining the church”
- Hence Paul says: 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 (Ampc) For anyone who eats and drinks without discriminating and recognizing with due appreciation that [it is Christ’s] body, eats and drinks a sentence (a verdict of judgment) upon himself. That [careless and unworthy participation] is the reason many of you are weak and sickly, and quite enough of you have fallen into the sleep of death.
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- The story of Achan in Joshua 7
- The Fall of Jericho – Gods victory
- Don’t take anything – a garment, 200 shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold
- The next time they go to war against Ai– they are defeated
- Joshua 7:5 (Esv) And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the[d] hearts of the people melted and became like water.
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- Joshua is crying out to God and here is Gods response
- Joshua 7 (Esv) The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction.[a] I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.
- Your ignorance may or has already caused death – Stay away from idolatry. Stay away from the things that are detestable to God
- You don’t want to be responsible for spiritual or physical death of your brothers and sisters because you refuse to pay attention to the Word of God
3. God hates idols
- 1 Corinthians 10:22 (Ampc) Do we [really] provoke the Lord to jealousy [when we eat food sacrificed to handmade “gods” at pagan feasts]? Are we [spiritually] stronger than He? [Certainly not! He knows that the idols are nothing. But we deeply [a]offend Him.]
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- First commandments
- Exodus 20:1-4 (Nkjv) And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [a]bondage. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor [b]serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting[c] the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
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- Doesn’t sound like there is any provision for Idols
- Colossians 3:5 (NLT) So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world
- Leviticus 19:4 (NLT) Do not put your trust in idols or make metal images of gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.
- How do we stay away from idolatry? How do we stay untainted?
- Philippians 4:8 (Amp) Finally, [a]believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].
- Jimmy Needham – Clear the stage: https://youtu.be/hQqPOgjNQMU?si=G88yR4cJVPmZ8A-5
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