American Idolatry

Introduction:
In 1 Corinthians 8, the Spirit begins to focus on a big problem among Corinthian believers – idols.  We might think we can skip right over 1 Corinthians 8-10 because, “I don’t worship idols, this is not a problem.”  Truth is, there are plenty of idols available, plenty that are “main stream,” plenty of false gods and “high places” that are considered perfectly normal and innocent in our culture.  There are also lots ways for us to worship them.  So, let’s hear what the Spirit says to the churches…

American Idolatry:

Know-it-all ism (8:1-3)
First Corinthians 8:1 begins a discussion “concerning things offered to idols.”  This is the 2^nd major question being answered in this letter, the first being back in 1 Corinthians 7:1.  Remember that the church at Corinth was a church that enjoyed its Christian liberties, and we’ve already seen that such liberty had been an excuse leading them into much sin; we’ll see now that idolatry was a bag part of that.  The churches in Galatia were reprimanded for idolatry also, and Jesus rebuked most of the 7 churches in Rev 2-3 for the same thing.  The church at Corinth had asked something like, “Is it okay to eat food offered to idols?”  They were divided and some certainly thought, “No way!”  Others were thinking, “What’s the big deal, I can handle it!”

Verse 1 goes onto say, “we know that we all have knowledge…”  Let me ask you, is the Spirit confirming, “don’t worry, you know all you need to know?”  I don’t think so at all, given what was already said in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 which rebuked them for being carnally minded and not acting according to God’s wisdom; they were spiritually immature.  It would seem that this phrase “we all have knowledge” may be part of what the carnal church was saying to Paul and he was throwing it back at them.  Look at the next phrase… “knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.”  If we have knowledge without love we get prideful, we become know-it-alls!  Ever talk to someone like that; someone that, no matter what you tell them, they’ve done it faster, more often, better, etc?  Their only care is that you’re impressed with them, that is extreme pride.  Knowledge without love makes us think and sometimes act like that.  Even as immature believers, we can gain enough knowledge about the Bible that we become know-it-alls, thinking we’ve arrived and no one can teach us anything we don’t already know.  That is a dangerous and foolish place to be.  God has infinitely more wisdom and understanding than we do and to think we can ever know it all is a ridiculously prideful.

Don’t forget that we are beginning a discussion about idols, but the first comments are about being puffed up with knowledge.  There is a big connection!  In verse 2 it is said even more plainly.  If you think you know it all...then you know nothing that you ought to know.  Learning the Bible without an intimate relationship with its author, God, is like learning all the stats of baseball, but never seeing a single game.  Can you imagine trying to understand what baseball is like if someone who has never seen a game, but studied the rules and stats is explaining it to you?  It’s like saying you know a song you’ve never heard just because you’ve memorized the words.  It’s like saying you can fly a plane because you’ve learned what all the controls do, but you’ve never actually been in a plane.  That is Christianity for many people in the Church in Corinth and in the church today…they know some facts and rules, but don’t know the Saviour.  Or maybe they do actually know Him, they just haven’t had any meaningful contact with Him for weeks or even months.  They go to church on the weekend, but for the other 167 hours in the week they are living for themselves and worshipping the idols in their lives.  They’re missing the whole thing!

What is the whole thing?  Loving God.  Loving Him and Him only.

Ignore It All-izm (8:4-6)
Now that we “know” that if we think we know it all, we know nothing, the discussion moves onto idolatry.  First Corinthians 8:4 says, “we know an idol is nothing and that there is one God.”  So, we think we know it all, but knowledge makes us pridful…armed with that pride we think we can tackle spiritual issues and questions.  Questions like, “Do I have an idolatry problem?”  “Is it really harmful of me to spend so much time and effort pursuing this thing (whatever the thing is)?”   The Christian liberty lovers in Corinth were certainly saying, “This idol stuff is nothing, it isn’t a problem.”  But the Holy Spirit soon led Paul to write 1 Corinthians 10:19-22 which says that an idol is something; they are backed by demons.”  Yes, the actual piece of stone or wood, that drink, those adult pictures and videos, that game, that relationship, that career, that perfect body, that car, whatever it is that we pursue, love and sacrifice for more than we pursue, love and sacrifice for God is an idol and behind it is a demon.  That is what the Spirit says to the Church, to Corinth and to us.  In his book, “gods at war,” Pastor Kyle Idleman tells of confronting someone who thought their actions were no big deal and he said, “instead of making a big deal out of nothing, are you sure you’re not making nothing out of a bid deal?”  He goes on to reveal how this person’s actions were driven by idolatry.  We dismiss this entire passage in 1 Corinthians 8 because we don’t “eat meat offered to idols.”  Really?  But we consume the meat on our TV that rams ungodly images, thoughts and influences down our throats.  We eat the meat in our sports arenas that consume our time, attention, and passion.  We chow down on paychecks, bigger houses, and better cars.  We feast on beauty products, fashionable clothing and jewelry that we just have to have or we’re nobody, or so we’re told.  We’ve got idols all over!!!  These things seem innocent or even necessary enough, but we make them a god, worshipping them instead of the One True God.  When we start digging into that struggle we’re dealing with – there’s probably an idol, a false god, under there.

I know many people, even many Christians might be thinking this is a little over the edge, pastor.  “Come on, all this stuff about idols, and demons, and false gods, aren’t you getting a little carried away?  After all, I know an idol is nothing” (1 Cor 8:4).  Well, “if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet…” (1 Cor 8:2), and “the things which the gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God” (1 Cor 10:20), and “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).  To minimize or deny idolatry and the demonic influences associated with them is to play perfectly into our enemy’s hand.  Satan wants us to write him off, think he is no big deal, because when we don’t take him seriously we give him an open door. 

Even in the next verse, 1 Corinthians 8:5, there is agreement with Eph 6:12…that there are many false gods/demons behind these idols.  Demons are real, as a believer in Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit we don’t need to fear them, but we do need to understand that they can influence us, especially if we are ignoring the Holy Spirit, God’s Word, and our communion with Him.

YES, as 8:6 says, our God is One God and He is greater than all the demons, yes, yes, yes.  But those demons are still out there, behind our idols, doing everything to deceiving us and draw us away from worshipping God and into worshipping them. 

Do you remember the 1^st Commandment?  It says we are to have “No other gods before Me.”  Again, Kyle Idleman talks about this in “gods at war.”  When God says “have no other gods before Me,” He isn’t saying we put Him at the head of our god hierarchy, with God first and other gods down the chart.  Kyle says that the Hebrew means, “No other Gods in My presence.”  So think about that.  As a New Testament believer, we are given the Holy Spirit and we are His Temple…and we are to have no other gods in His presence.”  That means no idols in our life, thoughts, desires, practices, etc.  Nothing that we love, pursue and sacrifice for more than God.  Nothing else should even be a close second.

Conclusion:
Maybe you thought that since you know there is but One God, idolatry was not a problem.  Maybe you thought that due to Christian liberty, idolatry couldn’t be an issue anymore.  Maybe you’ve been wrong.

Cherish Christ

Introduction:
In June of 2012 we stepped away from our study of the Gospel of Mark at the end of Mark 13.  We moved to a series I’ve been calling “Church 101” starting in Rev 1-3, then onto our present study of 1 Corinthians where the Spirit is teaching us about basic Christianity, the Church, and growing in Christ.  One of the upcoming issues to be addressed in 1 Corinthians is Communion.  We are celebrating Communion today, but since we haven’t arrived at 1 Corinthians 11 yet, I saw this as a good time to jump back into Mark 14.

Recall our series from the Gospel of Mark: in Mark 1-10 we joined the disciples as they walked with Jesus in “A Fast-Paced Life.”  Like those 12 disciples, we watched as Jesus ministered to the nation of Israel, demonstrating by His actions and words that He is the Messiah, the Son of God.  Then in Mark 11-13 we followed Jesus, who continued “On a Mission.”  Everything Jesus did was in fulfillment of His mission, which was to be the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”  As I mentioned, we left off at the end of Mark 13, which was Jesus’ prophecy about the End Times.  We are picking up again today, and perhaps continuing each Communion Sunday, with Mark 14.

Context is very important when reading the Bible and since we haven’t been in the Gospel of Mark for some time, let’s review what’s been going on.  In Mark 8 there was the feeding of 4,000 (not to be confused with the feeding of the 5,000 – a different event).  The Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign that He was who He claimed to be (all the miracles didn’t clue them in).  Jesus warned His disciples of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and then He healed a man of blindness.  Next was Peter’s confession of Jesus being the Messiah.  This was followed by a Passion account and Jesus explained the cost of discipleship, saying that as His follower we must “deny self, take up our cross, and follow Him.”  In Mark 9 we have the Transfiguration followed by Jesus casting a demon out of a boy.  Then there is another Passion account where Jesus tells His disciples that He will be betrayed, killed, and rise the third day.  That is again followed by Jesus explaining the cost of discipleship saying, “the first will be last and servant of all.”  Jesus then gives a warning about Hell.  In Mark 10 Jesus is tested about the issue of marriage and divorce.  After that, the rich young ruler walks away and there is a third Passion account where Jesus said that He would go to Jerusalem, be betrayed to chief priests, condemned to death, delivered to gentiles, mocked, scourged, spit on, killed, and that He will rise the third day.  This is again followed by His explaining the cost of discipleship saying that we are to serve like He served.  Jesus then heals Bartimaeus of blindness.  In Mark 11-12 we have the Triumphal Entry.  Jesus cursed a fig tree (symbolic of Israel), cleansed the Temple again, and taught about faith and forgiveness.  He was then tested by scribes and chief priests about His authority, tested by Pharisees about paying taxes to Rome, tested by the Sadducees about the resurrection, and tested by a lawyer about the greatest commandment.  Jesus amazes everyone with His responses, as usual.  He then denounced the leaders for their hypocrisy.  Finally, in Mark 13 Jesus’ disciples asked about what was going to happen in the future.  He prophesied to them about the End Times.

Jesus has spent 3 years changing the way the disciples think, giving them truth even when they didn’t really like it.  Now, very near the end of His time with them He has a few more things to teach them.  That brings us to Mark 14.  Jesus is in Jerusalem.  It is Passover, only a day or two before the crucifixion, and it is one of the very rare times someone ministers to Jesus.

Cherish Christ:

The Plot to Kill Jesus (14:1-2)
The chief priests and scribes sought to kill Jesus by trickery, even after all the evidence that Jesus was the promised Messiah: the miracles, teaching, and acts of servanthood.  Those things testify  that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ.  Yet, their hard hearts caused them to reject that overwhelming evidence and they just wanted Jesus dead.  He was a problem to them; they didn’t want the Truth.  They wanted their own power and influence over the people.  They were happy putting forward the image of godliness when inside they were bent on serving themselves.  They denied the clear evidence – Jesus is the Son of God.

The Plan to Anoint Jesus (14:3-5)

“Being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper” is what it says.  Jesus spent the day in Jerusalem, but stayed in Bethany at Simon the leper’s house.  We don’t know who Simon the leper is, but he is apparently some guy Jesus had healed.

Now, some theologians try to tell you that this account (and Matthew 26:6-12) is the same as Mary anointing Jesus in John 12:1-9.  But in John, Mary anoints Jesus’ feet, before the Triumphal Entry, 6 days before Passover.  In Matthew and Mark, an unnamed woman anoints Jesus’ head, after the Triumphal Entry, 1 day before the Passover.  These must be two different accounts, meaning Jesus was anointed twice in a couple days.  Both times by a woman with a bottle of expensive oil of spikenard, both times Judas got upset about it.  The second time, Judas was so mad he goes to setup his betrayal of Jesus with the priests. 

Actually, several of the disciples were upset about this use of the expensive oil, several of them yelled at her for doing this.  Now, she is just doing what the Spirit had led her to do and all of a sudden the disciples are yelling at her.  I don’t think the disciples meant to be jerks.  After all, Jesus has been serving the poor and the outcasts for 3 years.  What they suggest sounds like a pretty decent idea, right?  But there is a higher purpose in this instance, unusual circumstances right in that moment.  Jesus had told them multiple times that He was going to be killed.  God’s purpose in this (and the other anointing in John), is anointing His Son for burial.  Still, the disciples were jerks, their harsh reaction to the woman shows some hardness of heart.

I’m sure glad we never do that!  We never criticize someone who may just be doing exactly what the Spirit told him or her to do, but it isn’t the way we’d do it.  I’m not talking about sin or dishonoring the Lord here, it’s about how we all serve God.  Have you ever been told you don’t pray right, sing right, or dress right?  She was apparently led by the Spirit to anoint Jesus; that was the higher purpose in this moment.  The disciples didn’t understand that and they ended up rebuking her.  Jesus calmly steps in and explained it to them…

The Praise from Jesus (14:6-9)

This woman did a good thing, and Jesus told them to stop criticizing her.  She honored Jesus by what she did.  She didn’t sin; she didn’t do it in a questionable way, and her motive was not to attract attention to herself.  She did a selfless act to honor Jesus, and He honored her in return.  Oh, and Jesus’ prophecy was true, here we are talking about her.  In that moment, the proper thing to do was to cherish Christ.  The disciples were not cherishing the remaining hours they had with Him. 

Look, there are always opportunities to serve.  We’ve about worn ourselves out this week, right?  Last Sunday was the service, lunch, BVNC service, and VBS.  Then all week long was work and VBS every night.  Then Celebrate Recovery last night, preparation for the SS picnic today, all along the way ministering to people, praying, serving.  Yes, we’ve had a busy week.  Still, we need to take time, in our private moments and as a church, to cherish our time with the Saviour, to cherish Christ.  We need to take time out of our busy day, throughout each day, to just focus our minds upon Him and who He is. 

Conclusion:

That’s what we’re going to do right now…as we come together to the Communion table.