We Have An Important Assignment

Repetition (food)

Every morning I have a bowl of cereal, a banana, orange juice, and coffee.

I never say, “I already had breakfast this week, I don’t need breakfast today.”

We all need to refuel daily.

Even more importantly we all need to refuel our spiritual lives on a daily basis.

Matthew 4:4 (NLT)
But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

 Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

 Psalm 16:11  (NLT)
You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever.

A healthy diet may sometimes be repetitious, but a healthy diet is always nourishing.

We have an important assignment.

God has given us, as teachers or parents, or both, the paramount responsibility of training children.

Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)
Direct your children onto the right path,
and when they are older, they will not leave it.

I want to share some reminders of what our assignment is all about. (This is something most of you are probably already doing.)

Four I’s

Important (Important assignment)

Intentional

Intriguing

Integrated

Important (Important assignment) – of great significance or value; likely to have a profound effect on success, survival, or well-being.

God uses you as a catalyst for life change. (God brings about life changes, you don’t.)

Take a look at the RDS scripture verses.

Our school verses are Psalm 78:4-7,

The short version.

 “We will … tell … the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders he has done.” Verses 6 and 7 go on to say, “that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God.”

In context

Psalm 78:1-7  (NLT)
A psalm of Asaph.
¹ O my people, listen to my instructions.
Open your ears to what I am saying,
²     for I will speak to you in a parable.
I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
³     stories we have heard and known,
stories our ancestors handed down to us.
⁴ We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.
⁵ For he issued his laws to Jacob;
he gave his instructions to Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to teach them to their children,
⁶ so the next generation might know them—
even the children not yet born—
and they in turn will teach their own children.
⁷ So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
not forgetting his glorious miracles
and obeying his commands.

What is your most important role as a teacher?

What is the most important role any of us have?

but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. Psalm 78:4

Intentional – deliberate, calculated, conscious, done on purpose, intended,

Tell how God is working through all of his creation.

Explain how God has created the earth, sea, and sky.  Talk about flowers, trees, bugs, the sun, moon, and stars, the oceans ….

Tell how God has worked throughout history.

Old and New Testament Bible stories.  (The Jesus Storybook Bible)

 World history, especially the history of America.

 Intriguing – arousing one’s curiosity or interest

 Many of our presidents had a reverence for the Lord.  I will mention four by name.

In a Thanksgiving Proclamation issued by President George Washington, at the request of Congress, on October 3, 1789, Washington stated, “It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor.”

John Adams, our second president stated, “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”

In 1788, James Madison, our fourth president said, “The belief in God all powerful wise and good, is so essential to the moral order of the world and to the happiness of man, …

In God We Trust was first inscribed on U.S. coins in 1864 under President Lincoln (our 16^th president).

Many founding fathers were “Big on Jesus”:

John Dickinson (signed the Constitution, served as governor of Pennsylvania and Delaware)
“Rendering thanks to my Creator for my existence and station among His works, for my birth in a country enlightened by the Gospel and enjoying freedom, and for all His other kindnesses, to Him I resign myself, humbly confiding in His goodness and in His mercy through Jesus Christ for the events of eternity.”

“Governments could not give the rights essential to happiness… We claim them from a higher source: from the King of kings, and Lord of all the earth.”

Samuel Adams (Signer of the Declaration of Independence, ratified the Constitution, and served as governor of Massachusetts).
“I . . . [rely] upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.”

A Proclamation For a Day of Public Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer signed by Samuel Adams included the following: “the peaceful and glorious reign of our Divine Redeemer may be known and enjoyed throughout the whole family of mankind”; “we may with one heart and voice humbly implore His gracious and free pardon through Jesus Christ, supplicating His Divine aid . . . [and] above all to cause the religion of Jesus Christ, in its true spirit, to spread far and wide till the whole earth shall be filled with His glory”; with true contrition of heart to confess their sins to God and implore forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior.”

Elias Boudinot (Served as President of Congress, signed the Peace Treaty of Paris to end the War for Independence, framer of the Bill of Rights, and respondent to Thomas Paine’s The Age of Reason with The Age of Revelation).
“Let us enter on this important business under the idea that we are Christians on whom the eyes of the world are now turned… Let us earnestly call and beseech Him, for Christ’s sake, to preside in our councils. . . . We can only depend on the all-powerful influence of the Spirit of God, Whose Divine aid and assistance it becomes us as a Christian people most devoutly to implore. Therefore I move that some minister of the Gospel be requested to attend this Congress every morning . . . in order to open the meeting with prayer.”

Benjamin Franklin (Signed the Declaration of independence, attended the Constitutional Convention, signed the Constitution.)
“As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His religion as He left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see.”

Other names we could mention:

Alexander Hamilton, John Hancock, Patrick Henry,
John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,
George Mason, John Witherspoon,

These men were not necessarily Christians, but they did value Christian principles.

 

Tell them how God is working in your life.  (All of these need to be age appropriate.)

Tell them how God is working in their lives.

*We are The Redeemer Day School, we exist to share the story of Redemption.

 *Explain redemption.

 An act of God, by which He Himself pays as a ransom the price of human sin, which has outraged His holiness.

To recover ownership of by paying a specified sum.

To set free; rescue or ransom.

To save from a state of sinfulness and its consequences.

To buy back

Redeemed

Redeemed–how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child, and forever, I am.

Redemption in Scripture.

Revelation 5:9 (NLT)
And they sang a new song with these words:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and break its seals and open it.
For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.

God paid a high price for you, …  (1 Corinthians 7:23 NLT)

Romans 5:8 (NLT)
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Unearned – undeserved

Romans 6:23 (NLT)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 1:7-8 (NLT)
⁷ He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. ⁸ He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

⁵ For he issued his laws to Jacob;
he gave his instructions to Israel.

(This is different from verse 4)

Basic principles that govern our personal lives and relationships.

Biblical principles – Biblical truths

The Bible is God’s instruction manual – how to live our lives.

Scripture clearly teaches how Christians are to live.

God’s principles are permanent, unchanging, and universal in nature.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 New Living Translation (NLT)
¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. ¹⁷ God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Isaiah 48:17-18 New Living Translation (NLT)
¹⁷ This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you what is good for you
and leads you along the paths you should follow.
¹⁸ Oh, that you had listened to my commands!
Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river
and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.

God provides principles for living in a way that protects from harmful thinking and behavior.

Instructions on how to live our lives.

Character qualities

Work at it with all of your heart ….   Hard work

Character: obedience, virtue, diligence, discernment, dependability, compassion, kindness

 

that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children Psalm 78:6

Romans 10:14-15 (NLT)
¹⁴ But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 

 ¹⁵ And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

Why tell this story?

3 reasons

Intentional – deliberate, calculated, conscious, done on purpose, intended,

 

so that they should set their hope in God

Where else can we set our hope?

In our government?

in other people?

in technology?

in institutions?

in education?

in jobs?

in the economy?

in our local church

 and not forget the works of God,

Not forget the story of Redemption

Understand God’s plan of salvation.

 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 ESV)

 but keep his commandments; Psalm 78:7

Help the next generation to understand that biblical principles really do work and are clearly for our benefit.

 

How do we do this?

Deuteronomy 6

⁵ And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶ And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 

Here’s the assignment:

⁷ Repeat them again and again to your children.

⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, ESV

Spontaneous lessons are great,
but there also needs to be intentional instruction.

Intentional – deliberate, calculated, conscious, done on purpose, intended,

Family devotions are powerful.  I remember my father reading scripture every night at the dinner table.  I don’t remember the details of the scripture, I just remember that it was important.

  Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 

Integrated – to incorporate into a larger unit.  We do not a spiritual life separate from our secular life.

Use repetition

Make use of the many opportunities you have throughout the day.

 ⁸ Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (NLT)

Visual aids

Plaque:  As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

How do we do this?  This is a big assignment.

 

 

It starts with us.

We need the right relationship with God.  We need to love God with every fiber of our being.

We need to be learning from God.

⁵ And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶ And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Deuteronomy 6:5-6

Psalm 86:11  (NLT)
Teach me your ways, O Lord,
that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
so that I may honor you.

Psalm 19:14  (NLT)
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

What an awesome responsibility.

Luke 6:40 (NLT)
Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.

A child is not above his parents, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his parents. (RL)

….will be like his parents….

….will be like you….

Four I’s

Important (Important assignment) – of great significance or value; likely to have a profound effect on success, survival, or well-being.

Intentional – deliberate, calculated, conscious, done on purpose, intended,

Integrated – to incorporate into a larger unit.
Not a spiritual life and a secular life.

Intriguing – arousing one’s curiosity or interest

A fifth “I”

Investment

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be, (Matt 6:19-21).

Be sure to use your spiritual gift(s) correctly.

1 Corinthians 12:21-31 NLT

²¹ The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
²² In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. ²³ And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, ²⁴ while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. ²⁵ This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
²⁷ All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.²⁸ Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages.
²⁹ Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? ³⁰ Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! ³¹ So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.
But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.

Examine the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 12:21-31 NLT

²¹ The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

 This may have been a problem in the Corinthian church. (Flaunting spiritual gifts.) Some in positions of leadership were looking down on others in the church.

• Every spiritual gift is important.

• No part of the body is any less than any other part of the body. (repeated from the last lesson)

• No believer should think of himself or his gift as inferior to another believer’s gift. (repeated)

²² In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. ²³ And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 

Paul may have been referring to those in the church with “behind the scenes” responsibilities. (Today it might be the administrative assistants or secretaries.)

• Some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.

• Some spiritual gifts are more “public” than others. 

²⁴ while the more honorable parts do not require this special care.

 So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 

God, not man, assigned the gifts.  (Repeating verse 18)

• God has put each part just where he wants it. (repeated from the last lesson)

• Every believer has the gift(s) that God wants him to have. (repeated from the last lesson)

• God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it.

²⁵ This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 

All are essential

1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT)
Divisions in the Church
I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

Philippians 2:2-4 (NLT)
² … make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
³ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

1 Corinthians 10:24 (NLT)
²⁴ Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. 

• There should be no division in the body, its parts should have equal concern for each other. 

²⁶ If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

A stomach ache affects the entire body.

²⁷ All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

²⁸ Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages.

God appointed gifts.

The Corinthian Church may not have respected their spiritual leaders (Paul) appropriately.

²⁹ Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? ³⁰ Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! 

³¹ So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. 

• Use your spiritual gift correctly.

1 Corinthians 14:12 (NLT)
… seek those (special abilities the Spirit gives) that will strengthen the whole church.

 Ephesians 4:11-13  (NLT)
¹¹ Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. ¹² Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. ¹³ This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. 

• Spiritual gifts should be used to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.

Something greater than spiritual gifts.

Chapter 13 (next year)

 

 

Spiritual Gifts – Part 2

1 Corinthians 12:12-20 NLT

One Body with Many Parts
¹² The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. ¹³ Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
¹⁴ Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. ¹⁵ If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
¹⁸ But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. ¹⁹ How strange a body would be if it had only one part! ²⁰ Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.

 Examine the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 12:12-20 NLT
One Body with Many Parts
¹² The human body

 Used as an analogy for the church.

Scripture uses the human body as an analogy for the Church of Christ.

has many parts,

Necessary diversity

 but the many parts make up one whole body.

Many parts working together.

Dependent on each other.

One unit

So it is with the body of Christ. 

Many diverse gifts working together.

Dependent on each other.

 ¹³ Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free.

 But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit,

• At salvation all believers receive the Holy Spirit and become a part of Christ’s body, the church.

John 1:12 (NLT)
¹² But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

Romans 8:14-17 (NLT)
¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.¹⁵ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

 and we all share the same Spirit.

 ¹⁴ Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 

 ¹⁵ If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 

• No part of the body is any less than any other part of the body.

• No believer should think of himself or his gift as inferior to another believer’s gift. 

¹⁸ But our bodies have many parts,

 and God has put each part just where he wants it.  

• God has put each part just where he wants it.

• Every believer has the gift(s) that God wants him to have.

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Psalm 139:14 (NIV)
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

Genesis 1:26-27 (NLT)
²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
²⁷ So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

¹⁹ How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 

 ²⁰ Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.  

• Many different parts make up one body.

 

Challenge:

• Help other believers identify their spiritual gift(s).

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

 Tell other believers how you see God working in their lives.

Pray for each other.

Colossians 1:9-10 (NLT)
⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰ Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

Order at the Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 11:17-34 NLT

Order at the Lord’s Supper
¹⁷ But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. ¹⁸ First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. ¹⁹ But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!
²⁰ When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. ²¹ For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk.²² What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!
²³ For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread ²⁴ and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”²⁶ For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
²⁷ So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.²⁸ That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. ²⁹ For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. ³⁰ That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
³¹ But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. ³² Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
³³ So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. ³⁴ If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.

 Examine the scriptures:

The Corinthian Church was having a great deal of difficulty doing communion right.

1 Corinthians 11:17-34 NLT
Order at the Lord’s Supper
¹⁷ But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you.

 Hebrews 12:11 (NLT)
No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

 Proverbs 13:24 (NLT)
Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children.
Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.

 2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 

• Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.

 For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. 

 What is communion?

Communion

At Corinth, an experience meant to build up the church was having the opposite effect.  This was not o.k.

Paul needed to address some serious abuses in worship.

¹⁸ First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. 

The church was divided at a celebration which was meant to express unity.

Paul appealed for unity in the Corinthian Church.

1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT)
Divisions in the Church
¹⁰ I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

 1 Corinthians 3:3 (NLT)
… for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? 

• The division in the Corinthian Church carried over into their participation of the Lord’s Supper.

 

¹⁹ But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!

Divisions:
to make it clear who is genuine. CEB
to show who the real believers are! ERV
they who are genuine and of approved fitness may become evident and plainly recognized among you. AMPC
to show which of you have God’s approval. NIV
in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. ESV

• Genuine believers should be easily identifiable as Children of God.

Matthew 7:16 (NLT)
You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.

 Abuses in the Corinthian Church communion services.

 ²⁰ When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper.

 Instead of celebrating communion, church members were feasting and drinking.

  ²¹ For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk.

 Some individuals were eating meals and getting drunk while others were going hungry.

 ²² What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this! 

• The Corinthian Church was disgracing God’s church and shaming the poor by the way they did communion.

 Communion, a very sacred event.

 ²³ For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread ²⁴ and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”²⁶ For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. 

• Communion is a reminder of the sacrifice of the LORD Jesus Christ.

 ²⁷ So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

 Christians need to take communion seriously.

• Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

 ²⁸ That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.  

• Believers should examine themselves, their heart, mind, and motives, before taking communion.

 ²⁹ For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 

 ³⁰ That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.

• Violating the Lord’s Supper has serious consequences.

Sin has serious consequences.

Psalm 32:1-5 (NLT)
A psalm of David.
¹ Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
² Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
³ When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
⁴ Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
⁵ Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. 

 ³¹ But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 

1 John 1:9 (NLT)
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

 ³² Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world. 

• The deplorable behavior of the Corinthians did not cost them their salvation.

 ³³ So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. ³⁴ If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.

Instructions for Public Worship

Disclaimer: There are various interpretations of this passage.

1 Corinthians 11:4-16 NLT

⁴ A man dishonors his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. ⁵ But a woman dishonors her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. ⁶ Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.
⁷ A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is made in God’s image and reflects God’s glory. And woman reflects man’s glory. ⁸ For the first man didn’t come from woman, but the first woman came from man. ⁹ And man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man. ¹⁰ For this reason, and because the angels are watching, a woman should wear a covering on her head to show she is under authority.
¹¹ But among the Lord’s people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. ¹² For although the first woman came from man, every other man was born from a woman, and everything comes from God.
¹³ Judge for yourselves. Is it right for a woman to pray to God in public without covering her head? ¹⁴ Isn’t it obvious that it’s disgraceful for a man to have long hair? ¹⁵ And isn’t long hair a woman’s pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering. ¹⁶ But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God’s other churches.

Examine the scriptures:

Review:

1 Corinthians 11:3 (NLT)
But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

Paul was addressing the “Everything is permissible”,   we can dress and do as we please mentality.

1 Corinthians 11:4-16 NLT

Begin with verse 16.

¹⁶ But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God’s other churches. 

• Paul based many of his comments on common customs in the churches and in the culture. 

 ⁴ A man dishonors his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. 

Praying according to pagan customs.

Roman men sometimes covered their heads while worshipping pagan gods.

Out of respect to Christ (God), a man prayed with his head uncovered.

Or

This signifies a different role for men than for women.

⁵ But a woman dishonors her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head,

The preponderance of evidence points toward the public head covering of women as the universal custom in the first century in both the Jewish culture and the Greco-Roman culture.

A symbol of a subordinate relationship to her husband.

In the first century Roman society, the woman’s head covering was a sign of marriage.

Today women wear rings to show that they are married.

A married woman praying with her head uncovered was a sign of loose morals.

For this is the same as shaving her head. 

• In the first century in both the Jewish culture and the Greco-Roman culture it was a disgrace for a woman to pray in public without covering her head.

⁶ Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair!

 In that culture, only a prostitute or feminist would shave her head.

 But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.

• Corinthian women showed respect for and submission to their husband by covering their heads during public worship.

 ⁷ A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is made in God’s image and reflects God’s glory. And woman reflects man’s glory. ⁸ For the first man didn’t come from woman, but the first woman came from man. ⁹ And man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man.  

• The roles of men and women differ.

 1 Corinthians 11:3 (NLT)
But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

  ¹⁰ For this reason, and because the angels are watching,

Matthew 18:10 (NLT)
¹⁰ “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.

Ephesians 3:10 (NLT)
¹⁰ God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)
¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 

• Our actions do not go unnoticed.

 a woman should wear a covering on her head to show she is under authority.

• Corinthian women showed respect for and submission to their husband by covering their heads during public worship.

¹¹ But among the Lord’s people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. 

Husbands and wives are dependent on each other.  This is not a display of superiority.
There is no superiority.  Just different roles.
One is not more important than the other.
One was not more spiritual than the other.

• Husbands and wives are dependent on each other.

 ¹² For although the first woman came from man, every other man was born from a woman, and everything comes from God.

 ¹³ Judge for yourselves. Is it right for a woman to pray to God in public without covering her head? 

 ¹⁴ Isn’t it obvious that it’s disgraceful for a man to have long hair? 

 ¹⁵ And isn’t long hair a woman’s pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering. 

 Deuteronomy 22:5 (NLT)
⁵ “A woman must not put on men’s clothing, and a man must not wear women’s clothing. Anyone who does this is detestable in the sight of the Lord your God. 

• Simple interpretation. A man should not try to look like a girl and a woman should not try to look like a boy.

¹⁶ But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God’s other churches.

I simply say that we have no other custom than this.

Throwing off the head covering was an act of insubordination.

Maintain their distinctive feminine hairdos.

When custom dictated, women should wear a head covering.

 

Related scripture not tied to customs.

1 Timothy 2:9-10 (NLT)
⁹ And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. ¹⁰ For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

1 Peter 3:1-5 (NLT)
¹ In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over ² by observing your pure and reverent lives.
³ Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. ⁴ You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. ⁵ This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands.

A Biblical principle which is not popular in our society, in fact it is rejected by the majority.

A Biblical principle you will not see promoted on TV

Romans 12:2 (NLT)
² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Setting the stage for our next lesson.

1 Corinthians 11:2-3 NLT

Instructions for Public Worship
² I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts, and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you. ³ But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

Examine the scriptures:

Instructions for Public Worship
² I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts,

Ephesians 6:18 (NLT)
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

1 Timothy 2:1 (NLT)
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

• Be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you.

 John 8:31-32 (NLT)
³¹ Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. ³² And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

 Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT)
³³ Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.

 John 14:23 (NLT)
²³ Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.

 James 1:22 (NLT)
But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 

• Don’t just listen to God’s word. Do what it says.

 ³ But there is one thing I want you to know:

Paul moved from praised to correction.

The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.  

• The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

 What do other passages in the Bible teach about this topic?

Colossians 1:18 (NLT)
¹⁸ Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.

• Christ is the head of the church.

 Ephesians 1:22-23 (NLT)
²² God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. ²³ And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. 

• The head of Christ is God.

Ephesians 5:21-33
Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands
²¹ And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
²² For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. ²³ For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. ²⁴ As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
²⁵ For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her ²⁶ to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. ²⁷ He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. ²⁸ In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. ²⁹ No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.³⁰ And we are members of his body.
³¹ As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” ³² This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. ³³ So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. 

• Wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

• Husbands shoul love their wives.

1 Timothy 2:11-15 (NLT)
¹¹ Women should learn quietly and submissively. ¹² I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly. ¹³ For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. ¹⁴ And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result. ¹⁵ But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.

1 Peter 3:1-7 (NLT)
Wives
¹ In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over ² by observing your pure and reverent lives.
³ Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. ⁴ You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. ⁵ This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands. ⁶ For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.
Husbands
⁷ In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.

• Wives should clothe themselves with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.

• Husbands must give honor to their wives.

Do All To The Glory Of God

1 Corinthians 10:23 – 11:1 NLT
²³ You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. ²⁴ Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.
²⁵ So you may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience. ²⁶ For “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
²⁷ If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dinner, accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience. ²⁸ (But suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.” Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you. ²⁹ It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.) For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? ³⁰ If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it?
³¹ So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³² Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God.³³ I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. 11 ¹ And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

Examine the scriptures:

John 8:36 (NLT)
So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

 Be careful not to misinterpret John 8:36.

 This is not saying “Now I can do anything I want to do.”

The Corinthian Christians had (and believed) a saying, “I am allowed to do anything.”

 The Corinthians were misinterpreting their “freedom”.

 

1 Corinthians 10:23 – 11:1 NLT

²³ You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you.

  You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. 

 Romans 6:6 (NLT)
We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.

Romans 6:14 (NLT)
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

 1 Peter 2:16 (NLT)
For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.

• Activities that are not beneficial or not good for you should be avoided.
• Don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.
• Christians are not free to do anything their sinful nature wants to do.

²⁴ Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.

Galatians 5:13 (NLT)
¹³ For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

 Philippians 2:4 (NLT)
Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Romans 6:18 (NLT)
Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. 

• Use your freedom to serve one another in love.
• Our focus should be on others, not ourselves.

 ²⁵ So you may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience. ²⁶ For “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” (Psalm 24:1)

No longer under the law.

Galatians 2:19 (NLT)
For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God.

Romans 7:6 (NLT)
But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

 

Acts 10:9-15
Peter Visits Cornelius
⁹ The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, ¹⁰ and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. ¹¹ He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. ¹² In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds.¹³ Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”
¹⁴ “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”
¹⁵ But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” 

• The Corinthian Christians were free to eat any meat that was sold in the marketplace.

 ²⁷ If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dinner, accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience.

  ²⁸ (But suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.” Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you. ²⁹ It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.)

 1 Corinthians 8:9 (NLT)
But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.

• Don’t use your freedom in a way that could cause a weaker brother to sin.

For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? 

Proverbs 29:25 (NLT)
Fearing people is a dangerous trap,
but trusting the Lord means safety.

 ³⁰ If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it?

 ³¹ So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  

• So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

 ³² Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. 

• Avoid behaviors that would cause others, Jews or Gentiles or the church of God, to stumble.

 ³³ I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.

• Do what is best for others so that many may be saved.

 11 ¹ And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

Christians Interacting With Pagans.

1 Corinthians 10:16-22 NLT
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?

Examine the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 10:16-22 NLT
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? 

Communion:

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NLT)
²³ … On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread ²⁴ and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”²⁶ For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.

¹⁷ And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body. 

Communion: “to have in common, to participate and have partnership with.”

A picture of unity.

Worship

• The collective worship of Christians at the Lord’s Supper is a picture of unity and worship as Believers all eat from one loaf of bread.

The common bond to all Christians, celebrated at communion, is the gift of salvation, adoption into the family of God, paid for by the blood of Jesus.

Our relationship with Jesus needs to be taken seriously.  This is not designed to be a causal relationship.

¹⁸ Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar?

A similar picture of unity and worship was when the people of Israel ate the sacrifices at the altar.

The Israelites messed up.

 ¹⁹ What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? 

This issue is not about food.

It is not the food that is significant.

²⁰ No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God.

It is the recipients of the food that is significant.

This is about relationships.

• An offering to an idol is an offering to demons.

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.  

• The Corinthians were eating at the table of demons when they participated in pagan feasts.

• When we participate in the evil behaviors of the world we are eating at the table of demons.

• Christians must flee from all forms of idolatry.

 Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)
¹² For we 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.

John 17:15 (NLT)
¹⁵ I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.

• Christians are in a spiritual battle.

• Participation with demons is unthinkable.

• Participation in any form of idolatry is unacceptable.

Who would do this?

King Solomon

1 Kings 11:1-11 (NLT)
Solomon’s Many Wives
¹ Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. ² The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.” Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. ³ He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.
⁴ In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been. ⁵ Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁶ In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he refused to follow the Lord completely, as his father, David, had done.
⁷ On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁸ Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.
⁹ The Lord was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. ¹⁰ He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command. ¹¹ So now the Lord said to him, “Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants.

 Who would do this? We all did.

We did live in sin.

Ephesians 2:2 (NLT)
² You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.

We were taken out of this lifestyle.

Colossians 1:13 (NLT)
¹³ For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,

We are being renewed.  The process is not complete.

Ephesians 4:21-24 (NLT)
²¹ Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, ²² throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. ²³ Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. ²⁴ Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

We are in a battle.

Ephesians 6:10-12 (NLT)
The Whole Armor of God
¹⁰ A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we 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.

²² What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?

1 Corinthians 11:27-28 (NLT)
²⁷ So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.²⁸ That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 

• Examine yourself.

Now our idols are things like pride, money, popularity, hobbies, careers, fame, status, education, houses, cars, and the like.

Are any of these causing you to eat at the table of demons?

You Decide

1 Corinthians 10:14-15 NLT
¹⁴ 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.

1 Corinthians 10:14-15 New International Version (NIV)
¹⁴ Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.

1 Corinthians 10:14-15 English Standard Version (ESV)
¹⁴ Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.

1 Corinthians 10:14-15 Common English Bible (CEB)
¹⁴ So then, my dear friends, run away from the worship of false gods! ¹⁵ I’m talking to you like you are sensible people. Think about what I’m saying.

1 Corinthians 10:14-15 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
¹⁴ So, my dear friends, stay away from worshiping idols. ¹⁵ You are intelligent people. Judge for yourselves the truth of what I say now.

1 Corinthians 10:14-15 Amplified Bible (AMP)
¹⁴ Therefore, 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]. ¹⁵ I am speaking as to wise and sensible people; judge [carefully and thoughtfully consider] for yourselves what I say.

1 Corinthians 10:14-15 King James Version (KJV)
¹⁴ Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
¹⁵ I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.

Examine the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 10:14-15 NLT

¹⁴ So,

In view of how God treated the Israelites, the Corinthians should learn from this. (Lessons from Israel’s Idolatry.)

my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. 

Exodus 34:14 (NLT)
¹⁴ You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.

Exodus 20:3 (NLT)
“You must not have any other god but me.

Jeremiah 25:6-11 (NLT)
⁶ Do not provoke my anger by worshiping idols you made with your own hands. Then I will not harm you.’
⁷ “But you would not listen to me,” says the Lord. “You made me furious by worshiping idols you made with your own hands, bringing on yourselves all the disasters you now suffer. ⁸ And now the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Because you have not listened to me, ⁹ I will gather together all the armies of the north under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom I have appointed as my deputy. I will bring them all against this land and its people and against the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy you and make you an object of horror and contempt and a ruin forever. ¹⁰ I will take away your happy singing and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard. Your millstones will fall silent, and the lights in your homes will go out. ¹¹ This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

• You must not have any other god but the one true God.

Even if we are not bowing down to physical images of false gods, idolatry is still an issue today.

Now our idols are things like pride, money, popularity, hobbies, careers, fame, status, education, houses, cars, and the like.

Some of these things may in themselves not be bad. We need money in order to live; caring for our bodies is appropriate; God is a giver of good gifts, and we can take delight in the hobbies He has given us.

However, when we begin to value something above God, to expect that thing to provide us with ultimate satisfaction, we have begun making it into an idol.

Anything that comes between us and God is an idol.

God alone is sufficient for all our needs. The other things are gifts, not gods.

Principle:

Matthew 6:24 (NLT)
²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

• Anything that we value more than God (knowingly or subconsciously) is an idol.

¹⁵ You are reasonable people.

 Sensible people

Intelligent people

Wise men

 Credentials from chapter one.

How does the Bible describe the Corinthians?

1 Corinthians 1:7      NLT

² I am writing to
 God’s church in Corinth,
to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people.
He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, …

 ⁷ Now
you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

•  You are reasonable people.

• God equipped the Corinthians with the ability to make good decisions.

Can we be described as reasonable people?

• God equips us with the ability to make good decisions.

2 Peter 1:1-3 (NLT)
¹ This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ.
I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have.  (Christians) This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.
² May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.
³ By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

Psalm 32:8 (NLT)
⁸ The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
    I will advise you and watch over you.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)
⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶ Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.

 James 1:5 (NLT)
⁵ If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

 Psalm 32:8 (NLT)
⁸ The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.

 Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)
¹⁰ Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 30:21 (NLT)
²¹ Your own ears will hear him.
    Right behind you a voice will say,
“This is the way you should go,”
    whether to the right or to the left.

Jeremiah 33:3 (NLT)
³ Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.

Psalm 25:12 (NLT)
¹² Who are those who fear the Lord?
    He will show them the path they should choose.

2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)
¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

Romans 12:2 (NLT)
² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Psalm 119:105 (NLT)
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.

Psalm 19:8 (NLT)
⁸ The commandments of the Lord are right,
    bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
giving insight for living.

John 16:13 (NLT)
¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.

Yes, because of all that God has done for us, we can be described as reasonable people.

 Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true.

 Judge for yourselves.

Carefully and thoughtfully consider for yourselves.

 Study

Acts 17:11 (NLT)
¹¹ And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.

 Psalm 119:9-16 (NLT)
⁹ How can a young person stay pure?
By obeying your word.
¹⁰ I have tried hard to find you—
don’t let me wander from your commands.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
¹² I praise you, O Lord;
teach me your decrees.
¹³ I have recited aloud
all the regulations you have given us.
¹⁴ I have rejoiced in your laws
as much as in riches.
¹⁵ I will study your commandments
and reflect on your ways.
¹⁶ I will delight in your decrees
and not forget your word.

 Act on what you know to be true.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NLT)
¹⁹ “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! ²⁰ You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

• Decide for yourself.
• Take ownership of the truths in scripture that God is showing to you.

Lessons from The Past

Who is Paul speaking to?  The Corinthians.

           How does the Bible describe the Corinthians?

1 Corinthians 1:2-9      NLT

² I am writing to

  God’s church in Corinth, 

to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people.

He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
³ May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
⁴ I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. ⁵ Through him,

God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. ⁶ This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. ⁷ Now

you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

⁸ He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 

⁹ God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Today’s lesson:

Lessons From The Past

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 NLT
Lessons from Israel’s Idolatry
¹ I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. ² In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. ³ All of them ate the same spiritual food, ⁴ and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵ Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
⁶ These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, ⁷ or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” ⁸ And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.
⁹ Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. ¹⁰ And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. ¹¹ These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.
¹² If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. ¹³ The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Examine the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 NLT
Lessons from Israel’s Idolatry
¹ I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters,

Paul is speaking to the Church at Corinth (and us).

 about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago.

Remember what happened to God’s chosen people.

  All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them,

• God’s chosen people experienced:

Supernatural guidance (from God)

Supernatural protection 

and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground.  

• God’s chosen people experienced:

Miraculous deliverance

² In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 

• God’s chosen people were:

Led by a servant of God, Moses

³ All of them ate the same spiritual food,

Food miraculously provided by God.

Exodus 16:4 (NLT)
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.

John 6:31-33 (NLT)
³¹ After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
³² Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. ³³ The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

 ⁴ and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and

•  God’s chosen people all:

 Ate the same spiritual food

And drank the same spiritual water.

 that rock was Christ. 

Jesus traveled with His people.

⁵ Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 

• God severely disciplines his chosen people.

Only two adults, Joshua and Caleb, who had left Egypt entered into the Promised Land.

All of the others were disqualified from entering the Land.

Moses and Aaron were among those who were disqualified from entering the Land.

Paul understood the principle of God’s chosen people being disqualified from the race.

1 Corinthians 9:27 (NLT)
I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

 ⁶ These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, ⁷ or worship idols as some of them did.

 A warning to the Corinthians (and to us – multiple warnings in scripture)

• These things happened as a warning to us.

This passage lists four of the behaviors that disqualified the children of Israel from entering the Promised Land.

As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.”

  Idolatry

Exodus 32 (NLT)
The Gold Calf
¹ When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”
² So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”
³ All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
⁵ Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!”
⁶ The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.
^…
27 Moses told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone—even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.” ²⁸ The Levites obeyed Moses’ command, and about 3,000 people died that day.
^…
35 Then the Lord sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made.

 ⁸ And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.

Numbers 25 (NLT)
Moab Seduces Israel
¹ While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. ² These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. ³ In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the Lord’s anger to blaze against his people.

⁹ but not before 24,000 people had died.

⁹ Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. 

 Numbers 21:4-6 (NLT)
The Bronze Snake
⁴ Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, ⁵ and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”
⁶ So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. 

¹⁰ And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death.

Numbers 16
⁴¹ But the very next morning the whole community of Israel began muttering again against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the Lord’s people!” ⁴² As the community gathered to protest against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Tabernacle and saw that the cloud had covered it, and the glorious presence of the Lord appeared.
⁴³ Moses and Aaron came and stood in front of the Tabernacle, ⁴⁴ and the Lord said to Moses, ⁴⁵ “Get away from all these people so that I can instantly destroy them!”
⁴⁹ But 14,700 people died in that plague, 

  ¹¹ These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. 

• Four of the behaviors that disqualified the children of Israel from entering the Promised Land.
  • Idolatry
  • Sexual immorality
  • Putting Christ to the test
  • Grumbling

 ¹² If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 

 A warning to the Corinthians and to us. 

• If you think you are standing strong, you may be “dead wrong”.

 ¹³ The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.

 Expect and recognize temptations for what they are.

And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

• Learn to depend on God when you are tempted to sin.