1ST CORINTHIANS 10:14-33
Sometimes compromise is good…. It is good in a marriage. It is good many times in business. It is good in national diplomacy. When it comes to our spiritual relationship with God, compromise is not good.
Too often we compromise our faith by giving into the world’s temptations.
This morning we are going to finish up Paul’s summary of why we shouldn’t eat meat offered to idols. Paul begins our scriptures by telling us that when we see people who reduce God to something they can use or control; we need to get away from them as fast as possible. When he says in vs. 15 that he is speaking to sensible people, he means mature. It takes a mature Christian to focus and understand what we talked about last week when we discussed spiritual warfare. Today in vs. 14-22 Paul is still building upon this theme.
I want to ask you all something, how many of us as Christians have ever felt separated from God? Have you ever moved from that position of feeling so right with God, so close that you could see Him working in everything you were involved in and you could even feel His presence, and wonder how and why and when you could get back to that place? Did you struggle with getting back to that place? While you were struggling did you wonder why God moved?
Well, the reality of it is that God didn’t move; we did. Paul knew that the devil’s policy is to make us believe that not only does he not exist, but that there is no evil in our hearts that would cause us to move away from God. Paul is simply reminding us of what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24. (READ) Paul is not accusing anyone of idol worship in our scriptures. What he is saying is when you and I and the church at Corinth flirt with the devil; all we do is allow him to get his foot in the door. With his foot in the door this allows him and his demons to have influence on our thinking and discernment process, as well as taking up residents somewhere in our hearts. This is why we cannot have compromise in our spiritual life.
Now, I don’t mean that we do not seek harmony with our brothers and sisters in Christ who are of different denominations. I’m talking about using God’s word to justify our spiritual laziness… unrighteous living.
God wants all of our devotion. God is a selfish God and the reason is not the same kind of selfishness that leads to my and your sinful acts. God’s selfishness is a kind of selfishness that is out of love for us. Now truthfully, you and I have a hard time wrapping our minds around this concept. But it is important that we do come to an understanding of this, and I think the Apostle Paul would feel the same way.
This is why he asks the questions he does in vs.22. To help understand this better I would like to talk about the 7 deadly sins. How many of you have heard of the 7 deadly sins? Does anyone know what they are? They are PRIDE, ENVY, ANGER, SLOTH, GREED, GLUTTONY, and LUST. Now biblically there isn’t any where these are listed or singled out as such. It was St. Augustine that placed the tag on these particular sins. And even though we could make a case for other sins being worse and not making the list like physical or sexual abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction, or even adultery something that Jesus talked so much about and specifically condemned. But to me Augustine explains why we need total devotion to God.
Let’s take a common, but sad, article about a man who killed his wife by stabbing her to death. The motive; her $100,000.00 life insurance policy! Augustine called these sins deadly because of their children. Truthfully when we sin, most of the time, it is always compound.
Paul said we cannot drink from the cup of the Lord’s Table and drink from the cup of demons. When we flirt with the devil, even if you do not sin, it is the offspring of that flirtatious relationship that explains why God is a selfish God. This is why He demands our total devotion.
Even when one of God’s children sets out to do good things among good people in a good organization, sin is never far away. We must remember that Satan has always hidden himself among the good. One name I didn’t give you last week for the devil is “son of the dawn” found in Isaiah 14:12. Satan has masqueraded as an angel of light throughout history. And If the devil can control and influence people’s minds and actions to some degree, then are Christians not at risk? The answer is "yes," Christians can be influenced and attacked by the devil and his demons:
• According to Acts 4:32-37, believers were selling their homes and possessions to share the proceeds with needy people. Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold their house to give the money to the apostles, which indicates that they were believers as well. However, the enemy filled Ananias’ and his wife’s hearts and minds with greed and deception, which means that he can attack and influence the thoughts, feelings, and actions of Christians as well as non-Christians:
"Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?"" (Acts 5:3)
• The apostle Paul was concerned that Christians will have their minds led astray by the devil:
"But I [Paul] am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:3)
• The Holy Spirit Himself says that Christians will be deceived by demons:
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron." (1 Timothy 4:1-2)
• The apostle Peter rebuked Jesus and denied that Christ would suffer and die. Peter did not fully understand the implications of Christ’s death, but Jesus knew that it was actually the devil speaking through Peter who was denying the sacrificial death of Jesus:
"Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This [speaking of Jesus’ death] shall never happen to you!" Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."" (Matthew 16:22-23)
• Christians are told to submit to God and to resist the devil. This would not be necessary if the devil were powerless to attack Christians:
The reasons for Paul’s writings about their eating of meat offered to idols is to remind us that not only are we under attack by the devil, but that our own sinful nature is so deeply rooted in all our thoughts and our actions, that no amount of clear thinking or clenched-fisted determination can overcome it. Paul wrote to the Romans that he knew the good he was to do, but couldn’t do it. This why we seek power from God’s Spirit. The very same Spirit that was given on the day of Pentecost! We all need to allow the Holy Spirit to continue the transformation that started the day we accepted Christ into our hearts.
But when we lose focus on or flirt with the devil, we only place road blocks in front of God’s Spirit in producing Holy living for the Glory of God .Paul mentions the cup of Christ. The story of Jesus and Him being nailed on the cross teaches us that our virtues are not merely the opposite of our vices, but that sometimes they are the road to our worst evil. Remember Jesus was crucified for the very best of human good reasons; such as peace, justice, doctrinal fidelity, national security, and on and on. It is true in our day, today. We as a nation, even Christians sometimes, forget about the love of God for all through the death of His Son on the cross, especially if it comes to defending a noble cause like freedom, democracy, racial equality, and/or our nation’s borders.
You and I must always be aware that even though we fellowship with the godly, called to speak to and for God to the lost, and are to be the light and salt of the earth; we are in a morally vulnerable position where sin is always lurking about the door.
Let’s look at verses 23-33.
As we finish up the verses in this chapter, once again Paul is not denying the privileges of our freedom in Christ. We have seen vs.23 in chapters 6 and 8. What Paul wants us to understand about these repeated scriptures is when you and I can balance our freedom with responsibility; this is a mark of maturity. But without that balance, it is no longer freedom… it becomes anarchy and lawlessness.
You see we have the freedom to do nothing but show up here on Sunday morning, warm the pughs and go home complacent with our walk with Christ and God will still love you and your salvation isn’t in jeopardy. But when our freedom drowns out our position in Christ, then inside we live in a state of chaos and constant denial. You are hindering what the Holy Spirit is trying to do to fulfill you becoming more and more Christ like in all that you do. Our position in Christ is one who has been given responsibility of something very valuable.
(Illustration of babysitting)
it is the same with God’s gift of salvation. When we fail to maintain our true understanding of our position in Christ, this is when we are like the characters in our scriptures. If our freedom to do nothing causes a weaker or younger brother or sister in Christ to stumble; then we as a church or individually cannot be glorifying God!!
REREAD 31-33
Today Jesus reminds us trough the writings of Paul that He did not come to condemn the world but to save it. Out of these chapters dealing with the eating of meat offered to idols come several “tests” we may apply to our own decisions and activities.
“All things are lawful,” BUT—
2. Will they make me a stumbling block or a stepping-stone? (1 Cor. 8:13)
3. Will they build me up or tear me down? (1 Cor. 10:23)
4. Will they only please me, or will they glorify Christ? (1 Cor. 10:31)
5. Will they help to win the lost to Christ or turn them away? (1 Cor. 10:33)
But the most important is , am I living in such a way
. 1. Will they lead me to freedom or to slavery? (1 Cor. 6:12)
INVITATION
Always remember that our focus is to be on Jesus and not on the enemy. As Christians we are all victorious through Christ our Savior, but we must take hold of that victory each and every day by putting on the full armor of God and submitting completely to God’s will. Stay focused on Jesus, your Savior, your Redeemer, your Lord, and your King. Let Him be the object of your attention, your love, your praise, your adoration, and your worship.
RESOURCES:
THE MESSAGE BIBLE
LIFE APPLICATION BIBLE
SINNING LIKE A CHRISTIAN AUTHOR WILLIAM WILLIMON
WWW. LAY HANDS. COM
SERMONCENTRAL.COM
STRADDLING THE FENCE BY SAM PETERS
