Do It All For The Glory Of God, Ron Ward
DON'T COMPROMISE WITH IDOLATRY
Passage: 1Corinthians 10:14~22  
Key verse: 21
Idol Feasts and the Lord’s Supper
14 Therefore, my dear friends,(A) flee from idolatry.(B) 15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break(C) a participation in the body of Christ?(D) 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body,(E) for we all share the one loaf.
18 Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices(F) participate in the altar? 19 Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?(G) 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons,(H) not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.(I) 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy?(J) Are we stronger than he?(K)
Cross references
- 1 Corinthians 10:14 : Heb 6:9; 1Pe 2:11; 1Jn 2:7; Jude 3
- 1 Corinthians 10:14 : ver 7; 1Jn 5:21
- 1 Corinthians 10:16 : S Mt 14:19
- 1 Corinthians 10:16 : Mt 26:26-28; 1Co 11:23-25
- 1 Corinthians 10:17 : S Ro 12:5
- 1 Corinthians 10:18 : Lev 7:6, 14, 15
- 1 Corinthians 10:19 : S 1Co 8:4
- 1 Corinthians 10:20 : Lev 17:7; Dt 32:17; Ps 106:37; Rev 9:20
- 1 Corinthians 10:21 : 2Co 6:15, 16
- 1 Corinthians 10:22 : Dt 32:16, 21; 1Ki 14:22; Ps 78:58; Jer 44:8
- 1 Corinthians 10:22 : Ecc 6:10; Isa 45:9
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. Flee from idolatry (14-17)
The Lord's Supper reminds us that we have entered into a blood covenant with Jesus. When we repent and receive forgiveness through Jesus' blood, we become a part of Christ's body. This commitment is more binding even than that of marriage, for God's commitment to us and ours to him is sealed in the blood of his Son.
2. Consider Israel's failure (18-22)
The people of Israel failed to maintain God's blessings in the promised land because they compromised with the pagan culture. Idolatry is spiritual adultery. It is unfaithfulness to God. We must not act like Christians in one situation and non-Christians in another. In Corinth, as in ancient Israel, idolatry was woven into the fabric of the culture, and Christians felt constant pressure to compromise. But God's people must not compromise.
Prayer: Lord, I was a hopeless sinner, but Jesus' blood washed me clean. Help me to be faithful to you forever.
One Word: Sealed by Christ's body and blood