Sermon Tone Analysis

Call To Worship Scripture

Sermon Scripture

Sermon

Pagan Idolatry is the context

Pagan (noun) a heathen, an idolater; one who worships false Gods.

In Arabic it has been used to distinguish one from a Christina and a Mohammedan.

Pertainting to the worship of false Gods.

Our immediate question is, how does pagan temples, pagan sacrifices, pagan feasts and pagan worship relate or apply to the average American Christian.

temples, pagan sacrifices, pagan feasts and pagan worship seems to be quite distant from the thinking of the average American Christian.

Many would feel this section has no relevance to them, but it does.

What Paul has to say about paganism can be directly applied to what relationship a true believer in Christ today sustains to liberal churches, apostate churches, cultic churches and quasi-evangelical churches in the twentieth century.

These verses have something to say to the sincere Christian who chooses to remain in a liberal or apostate, cultic or quasi-evangelical church in order to be a witness to it, or teach Sunday school or serve in some capacity, hoping to act as salt and light in a corrupt situation.

These verses have something to say to the naive Christian who does not understand the implications of his or her association with a liberal, apostate, cultic or quasi-evangelical church.

These verses have something to say to the carnal Christian who remains in a liberal, apostate, cultic or quasi-evangelical church for social, economic or sentimental reasons such as there is such a beautiful building or it has such a wonderful choir or it is doing so much for the community.

The relevance of this section should not be dismissed.

4 Areas Of Current Relevance

Paul’s teaching through the Holy Spirit has direct application to what relationship a true believer in Christ today sustains to liberal churches, apostate churches, cultic churches and quasi-evangelical churches in the twenty-first century.

Paul’s teaching through the Holy Spirit gives instruction to the sincere Christian who chooses to remain in a liberal or apostate, cultic or quasi-evangelical church in order to be a witness to it, or teach Sunday school or serve in some capacity, hoping to act as salt and light in a corrupt situation.

Paul’s teaching through the Holy Spirit gives warning to the naive Christian who does not understand the implications of his or her association with a liberal, apostate, cultic or quasi-evangelical church.

Paul’s teaching through the Holy Spirit have something to say to the carnal Christian who remains in a liberal, apostate, cultic or quasi-evangelical church for social, economic or sentimental reasons such as there is such a beautiful building or it has such a wonderful music ministry, great programs for my kids and fellowship groups, or it is doing so much for the community.

Context:

Prior Context:

In , Paul is dealing with the subject of meat offered to idols.

He has already taught that meat sacrificed to idols was a questionable practice and it could be eaten providing it did not cause a weaker brother to stumble.

However, if it did cause a brother to stumble, it was to be forsaken for the unity of the body of Christ and the keeping of a weaker brother from falling into sin.

Paul has just concluded an urging against arrogant Christianity of living for the carnal while taking grace for granted.

(using wilderness Israel as an example)

Current Context

Now Paul gives another reason for abstaining from the questionable practice of meat offered to idols.

Those partaking might be led into sin.

By going to the edge of what is permitted, one may very well be drawn into the sinful.

Before their conversion to Christ, all the Corinthian Christians had been deeply associated with the pagan temple.

They worshiped idols and participated in heathen feasts.

After they were converted, some of them still participated to some degree in the ceremonies and feasts of the temple worship.

They enjoyed the festivities.

Perhaps some were sincere and were trying to reach their lost relatives for Christ who were steeped in paganism.

Others may have been naive to the evils of paganism because they were babes in Christ.

Still others were just carnal and chose to stay in contact with paganism for social, economic or sentimental reasons.

Others may have been just pragmatic and refused to leave the idolatrous worship system of paganism because they did not want to rock the boat, offend friends or incur the displeasure of families.

All the Corinthians had recieved the teaching that that paganism was wrong.

They understood that there were no real gods behind the idols.

They realized that it all was a sham.

Yet they continued to associate with this pagan idol worship to some degree for whatever reason.

He (Paul) warns them to abstain from idolatrous feasts because they might be lead into idolatry.

By going to the edge of that which is permissible, they might be drawn into sin.

There was great danger that the Corinthians, convinced that an idol was nothing, might be induced to join the sacrificial feasts that took place within the temples.

It was one thing to buy meat at the market and then eat it in their homes, but it was quite another to actually go to the feasts themselves.

Paul tries to convince them that going to sacrificial feasts was the same as engaging in idolatry (Table Talk).

Now, Paul warns them to abstain from idolatrous feasts because

they might be lead into idolatry.

By going to the edge of that which is permissible,

they might be drawn into sin.

Understand: There was great danger that the Corinthians who were convinced that an idol was nothing, might be swayed to join the sacrificial feasts that took place within the temples.

It was one thing to buy meat at the market and then eat it in their homes, but it was quite another to actually go to the feasts themselves.

Paul therefore tries to convince them that going to sacrificial feasts was the same as engaging in idolatry.

ATTITUDE ABOUT PARTICIPATING IN PAGAN IDOLITARY

The first thing that Paul does is to encourage them to respond according to God’s attitude towards idolitary rather than by their own reasoning.

They are told to flee from it, to keep on fleeing from it, because God hates it.

Idolatry deals with what is false.

It attacks truth by pushing a false narrative as turth or as purpose for life.

It worships a false god and rejects the true God.

The Corinthians were not to flirt with this.

Idolatry deals with what is false.

It attacks truth by pushing a false narrative as turth or as purpose for life.

It worships a false god and rejects the true God.

The Corinthians were not to flirt with this.

Think of Israel in the Wilderness being told not to mingle with surrounding territories…the absolute worst thing they could do for their preservation would be to stand on the edge and observe, lust for, flirt with and seek round about ways to participate with the forbbiden.

It would (as it did) eventually ensare and destroy them.

Think of Israel in the Wilderness being told not to mingle with surrounding territories…the absolute worst thing they could do for their preservation would be to stand on the edge and observe, lust for, flirt with and seek round about ways to participate with the forbbiden.

It would (as it did) eventually ensare and destroy them.

Given this perspective the only wise course and the course instructed (under the guidence of the Holy Spirit) by Paul was/is to have nothing to do with it.

Given this perspective the only wise course and the course instructed (under the guidence of the Holy Spirit) by Paul was/is to have nothing to do with it.

The liberal Christian in our American culture who boast in his God-given freedom in Christ can so easily compromise and ensare themselves.

The liberal Christian in our American culture who boast in his God-given freedom in Christ can so easily compromise and ensare themselves.

Our culture is pluralistic, meaning that culture holds that there is more than one cure for the soul and thus idolitary should be not just tolorated but accepted as viable, if not for self then at least viable for the person who holds that view.

Thus the common push of culture and even liberal christianity is showing tolerance and acceptance of everything.

Our culture is pluralistic, meaning that culture holds that there is more than one cure for the soul and thus idolitary should be not just tolorated but accepted as viable, if not for self then at least viable for the person who holds that view.

Thus the common push of culture and even liberal christianity is showing tolerance and acceptance of everything.

Pluralism in America is bringing us many false gods to worship Allah, the New Age god, liberal god and the freewill god and the gods of various religions.

- very dangerous.

Pluralism in America is bringing us many false gods to worship Allah, the New Age god, liberal god and the freewill god and the gods of various religions.

- very dangerous.

There are many different philosiphies for dealing with this in the church both now and in the future as this quickly expands, which is why it is critical that we as a church look to the Bible in this now.

There are many different philosiphies for dealing with this in the church both now and in the future as this quickly expands, which is why it is critical that we as a church look to the Bible in this now.

PARTICIPATION IN IDOLATRY IS FELLOWSHIP WITH IDOLATRY

The Lords table is more than just a rememberance of the death of Christ.

More than a memorial, it is an identifying with, an actual sharing in the blood and body of Christ.

The word can mean, “participation”, “fellowship” or “share”

Christ is not in the elements of bread and wine (as Catholics believe) but there is a spiritual uniuqness, a special fellowship between the Lord and His church during that time.

We refer to the Lord’s table as a “sacrament”.

A sacrament is an oath.

The word sacrament was used for the oath of alegiance which the soldiers of the Roman legion took to show their loyalty to the emporer.

As we gather each time for the sacrament of the Lord’s table, we do so in rememberance and renewal to our allegiance to our Lord.

Our devotion and fellowship together is confessed to Him who saves us by His grace.

One body with many partakers.

The means of grace which is at the Lords table not only brings us into fellowship with Christ but also with other believers.

It is a symbol of unity.

Thus we must confess our sins and get our lives straight with our siblings in Christ before partaking or we make a mockery of the unity expressed.

The point: To participate in the Lord's Table is to have fellowship with Christ and Christ's people but to participate in idolatry in any way is to have fellowship with idolatry and ultimately demons.

In other words, whatever your thinking on the inside, realize this…there is great power in participation.