Communion with Christ

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This sermon was given for the celebration of the Lord's Supper. It emphasizes the importance of Christians living in such a way to communicate to others that we are in communion with Christ rather than communion with devils.

Written Excerpts:

1 Cor. 10:16 ^(NKJV) The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

Introduction:

Today we are planning to share the sacrament of communion at the close of this message, so I wanted to speak about a topic that relates to this theme.

I have spoken in the past on this passage in 1 Cor. 10. I think we emphasized the word “communion” itself and tried to explain the meaning of the word. In today’s message I’d like to pick up on that same theme but go on to explore some of the implications that we find in the context of these verses.

As I was trying to decide on a title for the message, I actually had thought about using a more catchy title, “Communing with Christ or Dancing with Devils?”

While we notice that the Apostle is stressing the participation or communion we have with Christ as we partake of the bread and the wine/juice, yet it is clear to see that the issue of idolatry is on his mind. This whole discussion on idolatry actually began at the beginning of chapter 8, where Paul talks about Christian liberty and freedom, but the importance to personally restrict one’s liberty to avoid causing a weaker believer to sin. The specific problem concerns the eating of meat that was offered to an idol.

Paul is instructing the Christians to do everything in their power to avoid the wrong influences upon younger / weaker Christians by eating food that was offered to idols. At the beginning of the paragraph we are specifically considering today (v. 14), Paul emphatically warns, “Flee idolatry.”

Tyndale New Testament Commentaries – He had [earlier] urged them to ‘flee fornication’ (6:18), and he now says flee from idolatry. Here, as there, the present imperative signifies the habitual practice. There is to be no leisurely contemplation of the sin, thinking that one can go so far, and be safe from going further. The only wise course is to have nothing to do with it. ‘They must not try how near they can go, but how far they can [flee].’

What is idolatry?

(Camden Cobern, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) – Idolatry originally meant the worship of idols, or the worship of false gods by means of idols, but came to mean among the Old Testament Hebrews any worship of false gods, whether by images or otherwise, and finally the worship of [the LORD] through visible symbols. In the New Testament idolatry came to mean, not only the giving to any creature or human creation the honor or devotion which belonged to God alone, but the giving to any human desire a precedence over God's will.

Cobern and others (e.g. Oswalt, The Bible Among the Myths) emphasize the use of idols to manipulate the forces of nature, because the deities (gods) were considered to be part of the creation, rather than separate from it. Originally this was how the Hebrews were distinct from the pagans – they understood that the Sovereign Creator was completely separate and apart from the creation/ creature. But the differences became blurred as the Hebrews repeatedly fell into the shameful practices of idolatry along with their pagan neighbors. In many cases, even their prayers were offered as an attempt to manipulate God rather than worship God and work in cooperation with God.

The Jews and some Gentiles had at times determined that the idols were nothing, and there was no other god except Jehovah, but as indicated in verse 20, Paul indicates that demon spirits connect themselves to idols. So, the conclusion is – anyone who “sacrifices to an idol” is really “sacrificing to a demon.” Furthermore, one who eats food that has been sacrificed to an idol is also communing or participating with demons.

Verse 22 implies that there is a real issue of allegiance that is being addressed here.

We either are completely loyal to Christ and avoiding any connection, communion or participation with demons, or we are compromising our loyalty and joining in with demonic influences, which arouses the holy jealousy of God. If we look at v. 16 we see Paul describing the close connection we have with Christ through the emblems of communion. When we drink the cup and eat the bread we are communing / participating / fellowshipping with Christ.

(Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) – Holy Communion there is a participation in the blood of Christ …. Those who receive the cup rightly receive Christ. They are bound together in fellowship with Christ….  Such reception is, of course, a spiritual process, and therefore takes place by faith.

The sacrament of Communion is a reminder that we are participating in the broken body and the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We are sharing in the benefits of His sacrifice as we are washed and cleansed from our sins. So, Paul is reminding us that the last thing we want to do is compromise our faith and loyalty to Christ by doing the things that would communicate that we are “tied” to an idol.

He seems to be alerting His readers and us that it is entirely possible to distort our witness and testimony by doing things that identify us with the Devil’s work and activity in our world. We distort our witness and compromise our devotion to Christ by getting involved in activities and affections that connect us with worldly and demonic forces.

Jesus had said in His teaching ministry that it is impossible for us to serve God and mammon (riches and things associated with it). We cannot have a divided loyalty or conflicting affections. In a similar way, Paul is saying we cannot truly commune with Christ and devils at the same time. We must make serious choices to separate ourselves from the things that would indicate we are communing / devoted to / participating with the god(s) of this world.

As we prepare to share the emblems of communion this morning, I ask each of us to look within our hearts and determine if our allegiance is 100% with Christ. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to search us and reveal anything that is turning us away from Christ or dividing our affection and causing us to become idolatrous in our hearts toward anything other than Him.

Let’s sing the song indicated in the bulletin: O the Blood of Jesus