Flee from Idolatry

Some time ago there was a video on the news that caught my attention. It was in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil where there's this popular hiking spot and there's lots of these dramatic cliffs and spectacular views and while there's a number of places where people will sometimes sort of hang off the edge of a rock and they get the picture from just the right angle so it looks like they're sort of dangling over this huge cliff when really there's, you know, ground just a few feet below them. There's other places where the rocks really do jut out over huge cliffs. And apparently there was a group of guys who were posing for a picture on one of those rocks and then there was this other guy who wasn't part of their group and he decided it would be fun to photobomb their picture. And he, being very confident of his strength and athleticism, thought he'd sort of show off by dangling from the edge of this huge cliff. Well, apparently, he didn't realize how hard it would be to pull himself back up, because the rock sort of jutted out in such a way that, you know, when you try to pull up, his legs would just swing underneath, and he couldn't get himself up and over the lip. And by the time the video starts, you can see the other guys are all kind of teaming up, you know, holding onto his arms and trying to get this guy back over the edge. And there's about 20 or 30 seconds of this perilous struggle before they finally get him kind of pulled up and save his life. Now I tell that story because I think it gives us a good mental picture of the spiritual reality that Paul's warning the Corinthians about here. He's writing to Christians who are strong and confident, you know, to those who know theology, who know their rights, who in this case are boldly going into idol temples to eat and drink because they know that idols are nothing and have no real existence and that they're free in Christ to eat and drink as they please. And Paul's saying, beware of the spiritual complacence and bravado that would lead you to wind up like this man dangling from the edge of a cliff or perhaps even falling off altogether. He's warning here, pride goes before a fall. So verse 12, if you think you stand, take heed lest you fall. And especially, and this is really the key verse in the whole section, verse 14, therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. Beware of stirring up the holy God to jealousy by participating in activities that are demonic and idolatrous. And that's what we'll be meditating on today, what idolatry is and why fleeing it is so important. Now, as we think about idolatry, especially in relation to complacence, it will be helpful to review some of the things we've seen earlier in the book of First Corinthians. And if you remember back to chapters one through four, you'll recall that pride is a major issue in this church. There we see that they were boasting in their wisdom and in human eloquence, and they're even dividing over which preachers they thought best. And then in chapter five, Paul has to call them puffed up because there's this sexually immoral man in the church that they're just tolerating. They're so prideful that they fail to even be fazed by this sin among them and mourn it. And then in chapter six, we find them suing one another because they're so zealous to defend their own rights and liberties that they're seemingly blind to the fact that that they are being a horrible witness to the watching world. And then in addition to pride, there seems to be an overall libertine attitude and laxity towards sin. We saw their motto in chapter six, where they say, all things are lawful for me. And based on that, some were apparently even visiting, they were justifying even visiting prostitutes. And we see again here in chapter 10 that they're using that motto to justify participation in pagan festivities. And while there does seem to be a sort of more ascetic wing in the church, in chapter seven we saw those that were kind of saying it's bad to have sex even within marriage, and in chapter eight we talked about those with a weak conscience who were sort of more restrictive than God's law would allow. But on the whole, the church seems to lean in a libertine direction. And remember, Paul is dealing with this issue of meat sacrifice to idols from chapter 8 verse 1 all the way through chapter 11 verse 1. Corinth was a place where pagan temples were everywhere, and most of the available meat would have been previously sacrificed to one god or another. And we learn in chapter 8 that some in the Corinthian church were conscientiously opposed to eating such meat, but many others had no qualms about it. They were saying, we know that there's only one true God and that idols have no real existence. So why not eat the meat? I mean, what's wrong with feasting in an idol's temple when the idol isn't even real? And in chapter eight, Paul first responds to that by saying, well, what's wrong with that is love is more important than knowledge. You know, this knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if you love your brother with a weak conscience, you won't act in a way that encourages him to violate it. Then in chapter nine, Paul continues the argument by saying, the gospel's more important than your rights. He's saying, look, your right to do something may be perfectly legitimate, but that doesn't necessarily mean you should exercise that right. Because following Jesus is not about clinging to your rights but about surrendering your rights for the sake of the gospel. And now in chapter 10, Paul shifts to the third part of his argument where one of the ways we could maybe sum this up would be to say holiness is more important than freedom. The question's not how close to the line can I get to maximize my freedom? But how can I be set apart for the holy God who is jealous for my undivided allegiance? And notice that the focus shifts here from how your behavior affects others to how your behavior affects yourself. You know, Paul's been warning those with strong consciences, beware lest your legitimate freedoms harm others. Now he's warning those with strong consciences, beware lest your conscience allow what God forbids. And specifically, beware lest you eat idol food in such a way or in such a context that you're actually participating in idolatry itself. So flee idolatry. And as we work through this passage, I think Paul gives the Corinthians, and us, three fundamental reasons why fleeing idolatry is so important. And the first is this. Flee idolatry because merely belonging to a church won't save you. Flee idolatry because merely belonging to a church won't save you. Look with me at verses one through five. Paul says, for I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them, God was not pleased. for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now remember that at the end of chapter nine, Paul speaks of the Christian life as a race. And he's exhorting the Corinthians to follow his example as he runs that race with all his might, lest he be disqualified. And now he starts chapter 10, by pointing to an example of some who were running a race of their own and were disqualified. That is the Israelites. That is those who God brought out of slavery and God brought right to the brink of the promised land and yet instead of going into that promised land, instead of finishing their race, most of their bodies wound up scattered in the wilderness. And Paul's first point to these spiritually complacent Corinthians is, don't think that merely belonging to the visible people of God is going to save you. Don't think that just because you've experienced God's special favor and blessings, or just because you've been baptized in Jesus' name and partaken of the Lord's Supper, that that makes you spiritually invincible. You have to finish the race. Just look at Israel. And notice how he works to show this similarity between Israel and the church here. First, in verse one, he calls the Israelites our fathers. And that's striking because Paul's writing to a church with a bunch of Gentiles in it. And he's telling Gentile Christians that the Israelites are their fathers. You are sons of Israel. And the implication is the church isn't some totally disconnected entity from Israel. There's an organic relationship between them. In fact, as Paul explains in Romans 11, we as Gentiles have been grafted in, right? And it's the church itself, which is, I would say, the true eschatological Israel. There's this organic relationship. Second, Notice that Paul references God's deliverance and protection of Israel. He says, our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea. And he's referring to during the Exodus when God came down and led them in the pillar of cloud and then God powerfully delivered them from Egypt by parting the waters of the Red Sea and bringing them through. He's saying, look, Israel experienced God's special favor and miraculous deliverance. Third, Paul argues that just as we enjoy the ordinances of baptism in the Lord's Supper, the Israelites had a baptism in spiritual food and drink of their own. He says, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. So here Paul calls the passing through the Red Sea and the cloud of God's presence a baptism. or an immersion or an incorporation into Moses, which I think is a reference to the Mosaic Covenant and the formation of the nation, right? It was through that experience that they became the covenant people of God. And then Paul reflects on what happens after they pass through the Red Sea when they were in need in the wilderness, and God provided the manna for them to eat, and then he provided water from a rock for them to drink. And Paul calls this spiritual food and drink to highlight the analogy to the Lord's Supper. Fourth, Paul even says that Christ was with them. He says, for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Now, I think he's combining a couple of ideas here. First, throughout the Old Testament, and especially in the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32, Israel's rock is God himself, right? And of course, God accompanies his people throughout their wilderness journey, right? So God, the rock, followed them, and theologically, we know that Jesus is the eternal son of God. So Jesus himself, the Christ, is with them in that sense. But I think Paul probably has something more in mind as well. And specifically, I think he's thinking of the story of God providing water from the rock in Exodus 17. And in that story, God says to Moses, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock and water shall come out of it and the people shall drink. Now just stop and think for a moment what you'd be thinking if you were Moses. I mean this is the God who appeared to you in the burning bush and the moment you started to get close to that bush he says stop and come no closer and take your sandals off your feet for you're standing on holy ground. And now this God says, I'm gonna be standing on this rock, and I want you to come forward and take your staff and strike the rock. I mean, this is like symbolically striking God himself. I mean, how unthinkably irreverent that seems. And I think Paul is reading that narrative with a careful eye, and he realizes the rock was Christ. Because even then God was providing for his people by means of symbolically absorbing a strike on their behalf. And all along this was foreshadowing Christ himself. When God would come and he himself would be struck down so that the provision of life would flow to his people through his own blood. And that's all the more reason why Paul can draw this analogy between the water from the rock and the cup that we drink in the Lord's Supper, remembering the blood of Christ that was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. And by the way, I think this should be a tremendous encouragement to us to read the Old Testament carefully and look for Christ. I mean, Paul's not just making some arbitrary allegorical connection. He's showing that Christ is really and organically there. And as we study the text carefully, we can see that. But the overarching point here, and why Paul's showing all these connections and similarities between the church and Israel, is so that the Corinthians cannot simply brush aside Israel's example as irrelevant to themselves. You know, Paul's point is, look at all the blessings and privileges they experienced. In the same way, the blessings and privileges that you have experienced do not render you spiritually invincible or justify complacence. That's why he says in verse five, in spite of all of this, nevertheless, with most of them, God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Or as one translation puts it, their bodies were scattered in the desert. They didn't make it to the promised land, but perished. And friends, the application for us is this. Merely belonging to a church is no guarantee of salvation. We're not saved just by being baptized and partaking of the Lord's Supper. These are wonderful benefits and blessings of God that should strengthen our faith, but they themselves are not salvific. We're not saved by being in a relationship with other believers. Belonging to a church that's full of lots of godly people, that doesn't save you. Having a really godly husband or a really godly wife, that doesn't save you. Nor are we saved by dramatic spiritual experiences, where we experience the presence and the goodness of God in a powerful way. Israel experienced all sorts of miraculous deliverance, but that didn't ultimately save them. The Corinthians, the spirit was working, there was miraculous things happening in the church. And Paul is saying that doesn't justify complacence. Nor are we saved by being intellectually enlightened. The Corinthians are very proud of all they know and of all their wisdom. But just having an intellectual understanding is not necessarily salvific. At the end of the day, there's only one thing that saves us. And it's a real and abiding personal faith in Jesus Christ. We're saved by coming to our senses and realizing that we are all sinners, that we have all broken God's law, that we have all fallen short of his glory and deserve the penalty of everlasting death. And then looking and seeing what God has provided, how God himself has come in Christ and he has taken upon himself our sin and the punishment and the wrath that we deserve. And by laying down his life and then rising victoriously from the dead, he has accomplished salvation for his people. And it's by faith in him, by personally trusting and relying in him that we have salvation. And friends, that kind of faith is not complacent. Right, that kind of faith knows something of the horror of sin. And it knows our own weakness. And it understands that we must finish the race. It understands that there's no salvation for those who just sort of think they follow Christ for a bit and then turn back and surrender to idolatry and give up on fighting the good fight. It's a faith that understands that Christ is salvation and clings to him from beginning to end. But it's not an anxious faith either. You know, it's a faith that brings about the right kind of confidence and assurance because it knows Christ. And it knows that the very same love and power of God that reached down and brought us to him in the first place is that same love and power of God that will continue to hold us firm and strengthen us so that we can finish the race. So we see that we must flee idolatry. Because we gotta finish the race. And because merely belonging to a church isn't enough. Well second, we see here that we should flee idolatry because it promises satisfaction but leads to destruction. It promises satisfaction but leads to destruction. Look with me at verses six through 13. And here Paul's gonna continue to refer to Israel's example but he's gonna talk more specifically about how and why they perished in the wilderness. And in verses six through 11, he cites five examples of Israel's sin followed by God's judgment, which he calls examples or types for us. And the first is in verse six. He says, now these things took place as examples for us that we might not desire evil as they did. or literally, that we should not crave evil things as they also craved. And this is probably a reference to Numbers chapter 11, when the people were overcome with craving. And they said, oh, that we had meat to eat. And they say, oh, we remember Egypt when we had fish and we had leeks and we had cucumbers, you know, as if slavery was so much better. And then they turn around and they complain about the manna. that God had provided. And this is when God provides the quail and then strikes them with a plague because of their ingratitude and gluttony. Now, the second example is in verse seven, where Paul says, do not be idolaters as some of them were. As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. And as we saw in today's scripture reading, this is a reference to Exodus chapter 32, when just after coming out of Egypt and receiving the Ten Commandments, Israel immediately turns around and breaks them by making a golden calf and engaging in idolatrous feasting and sexual immorality. And once again, they were struck by another plague. The third example is in verse eight, where Paul says, we must not indulge in sexual immorality, as some of them did, and 23,000 fell in a single day. And this seems to be a reference to Numbers chapter 25, when after Balaam was hired by Balak to come and curse Israel, but he really blessed them, Israel then gets seduced by Moabite women, and they join with those women in idolatrous feasts for Baal of Peor. And once again, they're struck down by a plague. The fourth example is in verse nine, where Paul continues, we must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And this is a reference to Numbers chapter 21, when Israel again complained about the manna, and so God sent fiery serpents among them. And many of them were dying from the snake bites. And this is also when then God mercifully tells Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole and anyone who looked to the serpent on the pole would live. Then the fifth example is in verse 10, where Paul says, we must not grumble as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now the term destroyer is a more literal rendering of the word in Exodus chapter 12 that we sometimes translate the angel of death, speaking of the Passover. And whoever this death angel or destroyer is, he's closely identified with God himself and is clearly God's own agent of judgment. And I think Paul probably has chiefly in mind Numbers chapter 14 here. Because although there's lots of places where Israel grumbles against God and Moses, it's chiefly there where they refuse to enter into the promised land, and then they turn around and grumble to such a degree we'd rather go back to Egypt. And that's when God sentences the entire generation to perish in the wilderness. And I think Paul's saying, look, even though they were delivered at the Passover, They were still ultimately destroyed by the destroyer, just like the Egyptians, because they grumbled against and rejected God. And through all of these examples, Paul's telling the Corinthians, beware lest you be like Israel. Beware lest you crave after idle food like they craved after meat. And that craving leads you into sexual immorality and into idolatrous festivities that anger God, or lest you grumble and complain against God because he says no to such things. And that's why he says these things took place as examples for us, and if anyone thinks that he stands, let him take heed lest he fall. Beware lest you fall like Israel. If you act like Israel and commit idolatry like Israel, you will fall like Israel. Now, notice also the significance of what Paul says in verse 11. He says, these things happened to them as an example or a type, but, or I think better translated, and they were written down for our instruction on whom the end of the ages has come. And what I want you to notice here is that Paul's saying something very significant about the sovereign intention of God. It's not merely that we can retrospectively look back and see certain similarities between us and Israel that we can learn from. Paul's actually saying here that God prospectively intended those similarities for our instruction. What he's saying is that God sovereignly orchestrated every detail of redemptive history And God also ensured that those details were recorded in exactly the way he wanted in the Old Testament so that we might now be instructed and equipped for the Christian life. And when you just pause and consider that, it makes it all the more obvious why people like Andy Stanley are so wrong when they say things like, we as Christians today just need to unhitch ourselves from the Old Testament. I mean, Paul clearly thinks that the Old Testament is there for our instruction. In fact, I think it even seems to imply that we need the Old Testament in order to live properly under the new. So friends, it's to our great detriment and impoverishment not to know the Old Testament well. So read all your Bible and seek out the whole counsel of God. Also, I want you to notice here that as much similarity as Paul's been drawing between Israel and the church, there's an assumed difference here as well. And notice that Paul says, on us, the end of the ages has come. And I think he's highlighting there that we now, as the church, in this era, live in the era of fulfillment. You know, and think back to prophecies like Jeremiah 31. When God said that the days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah and it will not be like the covenant that they broke because he says no longer under this new covenant shall every man teach his neighbor and every man his brother saying no the Lord. For they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more." And I think the point is, we are now in those latter days, this era of fulfillment. And the church is under a new and a better covenant, so it's not like Israel in every respect. And one of the obvious differences that Paul is highlighting here is that the church isn't destined to repeat Israel's failure. Just think about it. From the very beginning, you can go back to the book of Deuteronomy, and Moses is already having to tell Israel, you're going to break this covenant. You are going to so utterly fail that God is going to take you away into exile. You are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart. But friends, the church isn't like that. I mean, Jesus says much the opposite. He says, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And Paul's whole purpose in pointing to these types or examples isn't to say, you know, these things foreshadow your inevitable failure. He's saying, no, these are one of God's intended means to instruct you so that you do not do that, so that you will be warned, but not discouraged, so that you will be shaken out of complacence, but not gripped by terror and anxiety, so that you will walk in the salvation that God has called you to. And I want to return to that point in just a minute, but first, I want to also go back and observe here what this passage is teaching us about the nature of idolatry. Because as I've already explained, the overarching issue here is idolatry, and yet as we go through these examples, you notice that Paul references things like craving and sexual immorality and grumbling and complaining. So why is that? Well, I think it's because all of those things tie together. And they tie together not only because idolatrous festivities often include feasting and sexual immorality, but also because idolatry itself is at root a sin of the heart. You see, idolatry is the sin of in your own heart, replacing the one true God with some other God. And the reason we do that is because we think that this other God is going to give us what we want. That's why Paul says in Ephesians 5.5 that covetousness is idolatry. And it's why idolatry goes hand in hand with craving and lust and sensuality and every other carnal pleasure. Because it's all about replacing the one true God and the gift that he provides in the way he provides them with some other God that we think will give us what we want. And friend, whatever your idol is, it's promising you satisfaction. Maybe it comes in the form of sexual fulfillment. Maybe it's promising the satisfaction that food can give or physical comfort. Maybe it's power or prestige or freedom or security or control. You know, and maybe you would never bow down to a golden calf or eat food sacrificed to idols, but that doesn't mean you're not an idolater. The question is, is there anything or anyone that you love more than God? Is there anything or anyone that you trust instead of God or that you serve before God? Maybe it's money. Maybe it's the dream of a certain career. Maybe it's a certain relationship or lifestyle. Maybe it's sexual gratification or the yearning to be popular and well-liked. Whatever it is, it promises you satisfaction and it's saying, if you just put me first, I'll give you what you really need. And Paul here is saying to the Corinthians and he's saying to us, don't listen. Right back in verse six, these things took place as examples for us that we might not desire evil as they did. That we might recognize that yes, they lie to us, they promise us the satisfaction, but it leads to destruction. Just look at Israel. Idolatry always promises satisfaction, but it leads to destruction because it's nothing but an illusion. It's a mirage. And friends, because idolatry is fundamentally a sin of the heart, We need ongoing vigilance to fight it. This isn't a sin that you can just be done with once and for all. As John Calvin put it, our hearts are idol factories. And the moment you start to put one idol to death, how quickly your heart will just fashion a new one that begins to come up and take root and choke your loyalty to Christ. And so friends, this is why it is so dangerous to slide into spiritual complacence. when we begin to think that we would never fall. Just look at Ravi Zacharias. Look at Joshua Harris. Look at Paul's own traveling companion, Demas. Friends, if anyone who thinks he stands, let him take heed, lest he fall and flee from idolatry. But at the same time, I said we would come back to the point about not being overcome by fear and worry. And I want you to look at the promise of verse 13, where Paul immediately counters the strong warning by saying, no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it. Oh friends, what a promise this is, when you are faced with the temptation to idolatry. You see, the devil always wants you to feel like God has placed you in an impossible situation. If he can't make you complacent, he wants to make you feel like you are in such uniquely challenging circumstances that there's just no way out. And you are just doomed to sin and failure. Or else he wants you to just be so afraid that one day you're gonna be in that situation, so that even now you're gripped by worry and anxiety, and even begin to become resentful toward God. But Paul here is saying, no, God is absolutely sovereign over every trial of your life. And God is perfectly aware of your every need and weakness. And God will always be faithful, not to let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will always provide the way of escape. Just think for a moment about Israel at the Red Sea. You know, here they are, there's a sea before them, there's this army of chariots coming behind them, they feel trapped. And then God comes down and he provides the way of escape. Or think of Pilgrim's Progress, when Christian is trapped in the dungeon of the giant of despair. And he's so downcast that he even contemplates suicide. He feels so trapped and so hopeless. And then finally, he and his companion, Hopeful, begin to pray. And then as they pray, suddenly Christian remembers, I was given a key. Way back when, when I was converted, I was given this key around my neck, and he pulls it out, this key that's called promise, and the key is the key to the lock of the dungeon of despair. And God provides the way of escape. And friends, the point is, Jesus didn't die on the cross to save you, only to then abandon you to some impossible situation. No, the same love and power of God that saved you will continue to provide for you in your darkest day. And we simply need to trust him and look for the way of escape that he will provide. And notice also that it says, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it. And that's significance because it doesn't say, you know, so that you may be able to escape the temptation and never feel the temptation again. It's so that you may endure through the temptation and finish the race. You know, so maybe the temptation is the fear of persecution or social ostracism. You know, and you're afraid that standing firm in Christ will cost you socially. Well, God's not promising that there's a way Out of that, what God is promising is that there is a way of escape from that idol of comfort and social acceptance that makes you feel pressured to succumb to compromise. And it's saying that God will strengthen you to endure like a runner whose lungs are burning, whose legs are tiring, who's got a stitch in his side, yet he perseveres and finishes his race. And one of the ways God does that is by helping us to see that idolatry promises satisfaction, but it leads only to destruction. And that there is true satisfaction in Christ, even in the midst of suffering. So flee idolatry because number one, merely belonging to a church won't save you. And number two, because it promises satisfaction, but leads to destruction. And then number three, flee idolatry because it involves you with the demonic. Flee idolatry because it involves you with the demonic. This is verses 14 through 22. Paul says, therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as a sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Now, obviously, Paul's talking about the Lord's Supper here. And he's saying that one of the significances of it is that it's a community, or a participation, or a fellowship with Christ and with one another. It's symbolizing the unity that we share in Christ. And then, in verse 18, he notes a similar significance for Old Testament sacrifices. He says, consider the people of Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? Right, and this is referring to the fact that the priest and sometimes the offerer would eat a portion of the sacrifice. And Paul's saying that that act was an act of fellowship with God because it's a participation in God's altar. Well then in verse 19, Paul comes to his point. And he says, what do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything? Or that an idol is anything? No. I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. And so Paul's saying, look, idols may have no real existence, but demons do. and where idolatry is being practiced, demons are ultimately being worshiped. And we can see this going all the way back to the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32, where it says explicitly that Israel's idolatrous sacrifices were made to demons and not to God. And Paul's point is, if you eat meat sacrificed to idols in such a context that you're actually participating in a religious meal sort of akin to the Lord's Supper for Christians, then you are having fellowship with demons. I mean, there's no way around it. You are involving yourself with the demonic. Now, before we talked about the whole spectrum of context in which eating meat sacrificed to idols is okay or not okay, and we can debate the specifics of where exactly Paul is drawing this line. But either way, the point's the same. He's saying idolatry is at root demonic, so flee it. And we don't have to see how close to the edge we can get. Don't be like the rock climber. And I think this applies to us in two ways in particular. First, I've already stressed that idolatry is fundamentally a sin of the heart. But I think here we see that there are also certain actions that are in and of themselves inherently idolatrous. There are some things that you just can't justify by claiming, but my heart's in the right place. I mean, the Corinthians may have felt conscientiously clean when joining in idol feasts, because they thought, well, idols aren't even real. But Paul's saying that doesn't matter, because you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot sit at the table of the Lord and the table of demons. The act itself is a participation with demons, and it's off limits for a Christian. And I think this is very relevant for us today because, sadly, there are actually many missionaries who endorse something called the insider movement, which teaches that a Muslim who converts to Christianity but lives in this Muslim context can continue to just go to the mosque and participate in Islamic rituals and prayers, but just be praying to Jesus while he does it. And Paul here is clearly saying you can't have it both ways like that. Allegiance to Jesus will necessarily include a real outward religious separation and holiness in our lives. And as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, that's becoming more and more relevant for us as pagan practices and false religion take greater and greater root in our society. We as Christians need to be resolved that we will not participate in false religion or idolatrous worship. And we just cannot claim that we are worshiping Jesus in our heart. Because to do that is to participate in the demonic. And that brings us to the second application, which is that this passage reminds us of the reality of spiritual forces. And of the fact that one of the reasons for the appeal and the deceptiveness of false religion is that there is real supernatural power in it. The idols themselves may have no real existence, but the demons behind the idols do. And I think that we often think of Satan and his demons far too little. As Paul says in Ephesians 6, this isn't merely a physical war. We don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and spiritual hosts of wickedness in high places. So this is not a world where we can afford to go around with spiritual complacence. There is a devil who is roaming about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And that's why Paul tells us as Christians that we need to put on the whole armor of God. We need to arm ourselves every day, and we need to take up the sword of the Spirit, and we need to pray at all times so that we're equipped for our daily battle. So put on the whole armor of God and flee idolatry because it involves you in the demonic. Now, as we close, I just want to meditate on the final verse, verse 22, where Paul asks, shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? And here, Paul's clearly warning the Corinthians that if they reject his warnings, You know, they just pursue what they're doing with eating idle food and the way they are, then they will have the Lord himself to contend with. And that they have no hope of standing before the jealous wrath of Almighty God. But I also want us to just pause and consider for a moment what this tells us about God's love. Because I think this shows us that God's love is fierce. that when we reject him and his love, it stirs up jealousy. And that God is a God who is far more jealous for our affection than any husband has ever been for the affections of his wife. And God is a God who is so fierce in his love for his people that he did not even spare his own son, but freely delivered him up for us all. so that every idol in our hearts might be crushed, and every obstacle might be taken out of the way, and that we might be brought near to Him. And friends, this is the God who is now telling us this morning in His Word, beloved, flee from idolatry. Flee idolatry because it promises you satisfaction, but it leads to destruction. Flee idolatry because it robs you of fellowship with God and it leads you into fellowship with demons. Flee idolatry because if you don't, you will be like Israel who perished in the wilderness. But friends, above all, let's flee idolatry for the sake of the one true God himself, who is so infinitely better than any idol. who loves us with a love that is so pure and fierce and strong that he gave his own son so that we might live through him. Let's pray.