What the Bible Really Says About the Lord's Table — 1 Corinthians 10:16

Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick. Good to have everybody in today, and for today's program we will be turning to I Corinthians chapter 10, and we'll drop down to verse 16 about where we left off in our last program. And again we like to let our audience know that we've got folk all the way down from cold and wintry Minnesota today, and we cherish when these people come from such a distance to be a part of our taping. We had some folk last summer from Indiana, and we've had them here from Missouri. So we really appreciate that. Now for those of you joining us on television, all the past programs are available on video and in print, and in a little while we'll have them available on the little audio cassettes. So if you're interested in any of those areas, give us a call or drop us a line and we'll get the information out to you. We always like to make listeners who are new to the program aware that we are non-denominational, we have no one underwriting us, we have no one with a great big billfold to support us, and so naturally all we depend on are the gifts of God's people. We want people to understand that, and that we are strictly an informal Bible study. I do not adhere to any one denominational line, and I'm not here to attack any one denomination. We're just going to teach the Word as I see it, and then of course we have to let the chips fall where they may. Some don't like it, and we can't help that. But fortunately when I first went on television, this was my biggest fear, was all the hate mail that I'd be getting. And in six years we've only gotten two, and they weren't all that bad. So I have to just count it a real blessing that we're not making people downright nasty. But if you disagree with me, that's your privilege. The Word of God is such that I think we can have some differences of opinion, and still not be heretics or anything like that. So as we look at these various aspects of Scripture, just understand that I'm teaching the way I feel the Holy Spirit has revealed it, and I don't claim to get all the special knowledge. I read a lot of good people, pros and cons. I read just as many men that I don't agree with as I do. But when it comes down to teaching it, then I have to depend on how the Holy Spirit opens it to my understanding. Now in the book of I Corinthians, as we have been stressing now for ever so long as we started this little letter, that evidently from chapter 7 verse 1, you might want to look at it, and I think this is the clue for Paul's writing this letter of I Corinthians. Now granted it's all inspired by the Holy Spirit, everything that happens has been directed by God's sovereign grace, but nevertheless the human element always enters in as well. Now this is the beauty of Scripture isn't it? It's all inspired of God, every word has been directed by the Holy Spirit, and yet every author maintains his personality. In other words Isaiah writes from a totally different personality than Ezekiel does, and the Gospels are from a totally different perspective than Paul, and yet they are all in a composite way authored by the Holy Spirit. So here in chapter 7 verse 1, the Holy Spirit inspires Paul to write this, but yet it gives us the human element as to why he wrote I Corinthians. It was in response to verse 1 of chapter 7, and it was concerning the things whereof you wrote unto me. So what did they do? Hey they had a whole ton of questions, and I can just see them. They probably just put them down on the page, and they were asking Paul, what about this problem we've got? What about this? What about this? So this whole letter of I Corinthians, and I guess I didn't really understand it until we started teaching it here some time ago in one of our Oklahoma classes, that it is a letter that deals with problems that Paul does not commend them for. He's too kind to just out and out condemn them, but neither does he commend them, and he isn't bragging on them for these things they're doing. So when we get through the love chapter, I Corinthians chapter 13, I'm going to emphasize it all the more that Paul is just backing into this situation so that he doesn't flare up their anger, and put them into a place where he can't deal with them, and yet he is not going to agree with all of their problems, and we know the reason is that they are still so carnal. And don't forget that of all the churches that Paul deals with, none were as carnal and fleshly minded as the church at Corinth. And all you have to do is read the content, and it just immediately comes right up and you can see it. And so here again as we come now back to chapter 10, even their practicing of what we call the Lord's Table, or the communion service, or whatever your particular denomination may call it, the Corinthians had made it a problem. They were having all kinds of things going on that should have never taken place in the church, and Paul has to address it. Now we just came out of the situation of eating meats, and so forth that had been offered to idols, and there again that tells us that the Corinthians were having to deal with things that you and I know nothing of. We�re not living in a culture where people have offered meat to idols in some pagan temple, and then have it end up in our butcher market, and then we have to buy meat and wonder, well has this come from that pagan temple? Well we�re not up against that, but the Corinthians were. And you remember earlier even before that, they were going to law with one another. They were suing each other in the pagan courts, and Paul says that�s not the way you do things when you�re a believer. So the whole book of I Corinthians is dealing basically with problems that were besetting the Corinthians church. Now we come to verse 16 concerning the Lord�s table. Again the cup of blessings we bless, is it not the communion, is it not the fellowship of the blood of Christ? Christ. The bread which we break, is it not the communion, or again the fellowship, of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread." Now when we get into chapter 12 we�re going to see Paul make the analogy of the body of Christ is put together like the human body, with all our various functions of fingers and toes, but yet we�re under one central nervous system aren�t we? Everything is centered in the head, in our brain. So also is the body of Christ. He is the head in heaven, and every born again believer is a member now of that body, and we are all members of each other. Now the bread speaks of much the same kind of thing, because we all know, you�re all close enough to agriculture, a lot of New York City kids don�t know, but you all do. Where does bread come from? Well I hope you know, it comes from wheat doesn�t it? What makes a bin full of wheat or grain? It�s the kernels. I used to just once in a while just look at a 10,000 bushel bin I had, and I would just have to stand there and be amazed. This whole 10,000 bushel of corn is comprised of individual kernels. That�s the analogy. Every time you eat a loaf of bread, what has comprised that loaf of bread? Umpteen kernels of wheat that were ground into flour of course, and then made into the bread. So the analogy still holds. What are we as members of the body of Christ? We�re just like that loaf of bread that has become a composite of all those individual kernels of grain. So we are the fellowship of the blood of Christ, and the bread which we break, is it not the fellowship of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread. Even though that loaf of bread comes from several thousand kernels of wheat, yet in the final make up it�s one loaf. In fact, let�s even stretch our imagination a little further. Within that one loaf of bread there may have been a composite of wheat shipments from all over the United States that ended up maybe in a Kansas City mill, where it was in turn ground into flour. So we have that loaf of bread here in Oklahoma, and where may some of that wheat have come from? Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, who knows? But it all ended up as part of that one loaf of bread. And so is the body of Christ. We�ve got believers in China, we�ve got believers in Europe, we�ve got believers in England, in America, and in South America. Regardless of their background, we are all members of that one body by virtue of the blood of Christ. We�re blood bought. Now let�s read on. Ephesians 2.18a "...for we are all partakers of that one bread, and now behold Israel after the flesh..." In other words the nation. "...are not they who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?" Now you want to remember that when the pagans set up their animal sacrifices, it was satanic counterfeit of what God had established to be the right way, because that�s what Satan always does, he establishes a counterfeit. So when the pagans offered their animal sacrifices and then had the meat from the temple taken down to the market place, or maybe given to the individual who brought the sacrifice, where did they really copy it from? Well from Israel, because Israel did the same thing. If Israel took a sacrificial animal up to the priests, who could eat of that meat first that was left over? Well the priests did. But on the other hand, if there was more than the priests could handle, evidently it was within their power to designate to the individual, maybe the person who brought the sacrifice in the first place. And so even the Jew who brought his sacrifice could end up partaking of the meat of that sacrifice, and that�s what Paul is saying. Ephesians 2.18b "...and behold Israel after the flesh, in their religious system, are not they who eat of the sacrifice partakers of the altar?" It all brings it down to that same activity then, that when they brought the sacrifice, they were identifying themselves with a God to whom they were sacrificing. Now then he comes down to verse 19, and he�s going to bring in the idolatry side of it. Ephesians 2.19b "...what say I then, that the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything?" Now you know it�s kind of hard to comprehend Paul�s thinking. On the one hand he makes it sound like there�s absolutely nothing wrong with eating meat offered to idols, because as far as Paul was concerned, that idol was nothing but a bunch of dead stone or wood. It could never have an effect on that meat, so far as he was concerned he could eat it without compunction. But on the other hand he would warn people that there was something associated with those demonic gods, and they had power, and so there were instances where Paul says, don�t eat of it. We�re going to see that even in the next few verses of this chapter. But right here now he�s coming back and he�s saying, that idol can�t affect that meat, it�s dead. But on the other hand the idol may be dead, but what about the power behind it? It�s not dead, and that�s Satan, because Satan of course works through idolatry. Now let�s look at verse 20. Ephesians 1.20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, not to God. Why did they sacrifice the demons instead of the true God? They didn�t know the true God. They didn�t know who God was. Do you remember back in Acts chapter 17? Paul comes to Athens, and you want to remember Athens was a thriving city of intellectual import. They had all the philosophers, and good universities today still study the Greek writers. So Paul comes into Athens, this great center of intellectualism, and while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the city completely, totally given over to idolatry. In spite of all their intellectualism, in spite of all their intelligence, in spite of all their knowledge, nothing. They were given over totally to the worship of idols and the mythological gods. Then you come on down to verse 21. Ephesians 1.21 Now did they ever hear anything of the true God in the new things that they heard? No. It was just another rehash of another oriental god of some kind, or another mythological goddess sitting up on some mountaintop supposedly, in their minds at least, and they knew nothing of the true God. Then you come all the way down to verse 23. Now I�m just doing this so that you get the picture of these people amongst whom Paul is ministering. Ephesians 1.23 "...for as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, that is their idolatrous worship, I found an altar with this inscription, to the unknown God." See just like a fellow that told me one time years ago when I was going through some real financial hardships, and he knew I was. Boy he came flying into my farm yard one day, and the dirt was flying, and the dust was rolling, and he came to a stop, and he jumped out, and he said, �I was just going down the highway, and I was thinking of you. Have you ever thought about praying to St. Jude?� I said, �Why should I?� He said, �I�m a firm believer you plug every hole.� That�s the way these Athenians were. I mean they had all these gods and goddesses, and all their worship, and yet just in case they were missing one, they set up a special one and dedicated it to the unknown God. They knew nothing of the God of creation. They knew nothing of the God of Abraham, even though the Jews had been in their midst for hundreds of years. Now if you�ll come back with me a moment to I Corinthians chapter 10 again. I don�t like to use the word heathen, because I think most of us in America think of the heathen that our missionaries ministered 100 years ago when they would go into the Amazon jungles of South America, or maybe into the Congo in Africa, and they go right down into deep, dark paganism. We�ve still got that connotation when we use the word heathen, but in the Scripture the word heathen just means any non-Jew. Anybody who wasn�t a Jew is considered a heathen, so you�ve got to keep your definitions straight. Now let�s come back to verse 20. I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God, because they know nothing of God. He is a total unknown to them. And he says, I would not that you should have fellowship with demons. That�s why when we get to another chapter in II Corinthians chapter 6, what�s he going to say? He�s going to say, you cannot have fellowship with God and demons. There has to be that separation. And so here again he�s saying it so clearly, that you cannot have fellowship or communion with demons. Now remember he�s building his case for the communion table. Verse 21. I Corinthians 6.21-22 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons. You cannot be partakers of the Lord�s table, and the table of demons won�t fly. You just cannot do it. I think Jesus made the statement Himself, didn�t He? You cannot serve God and mammon. You can�t have one foot in the world, and one foot in the church, it just won�t work. Oh you can get by for a while, but you�re miserable. Now this of course is just strictly forbidden. Now in verse 22. So do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? Now remember what argument he�s building, that they have to be careful how they practice the Lord�s communion, the fellowship, the Lord�s table, or however your particular denomination may refer to it. Now in verse 23, as I said a couple of programs ago, you know Paul here in Corinthians shifts gears every once in a while. And here again now all of a sudden he just seemingly changes the subject, and drops into something totally different. But it�s still coming home to the effect of the Lord�s table, compared to fellowship with demons, and fellowship with the Lord and His work of the cross. Verse 23. Now Paul says, "...all things are lawful for me, but they are not all expedient." Now what does that mean? Well there was no set law resting on Paul�s shoulders that thou shalt not. The cross has finished all that haven�t it? We�re not under law, we�re under grace. So even though he is now set free from law, yet is he free to do the things contrary to the law? No. And when we say we�re not under law, we�re not under grace. I never imply that we are now free to do as we please. Oh God forbid! You know I�ve said it over and over, grace is not license. And so here again he�s making it so plain. Yes there is no law that forbids him from doing anything, because he�s not under the law. But not all things are good for him, and so consequently he�s not going to do whatever he thinks he�s free to do. He says all things are expedient, or not all things are expedient, but all things are lawful. So far as legalism is concerned there�s no law telling Paul what he can or can�t do. He�s not under that, but he said all things edify not. And again he�s going to be building his case here that every believer has to be careful what they do, what they practice, because there are people, believers and unbelievers alike, constantly watching us. In fact I couldn�t think what the verse was in our class last night, and fortunately somebody found it. Where Paul does use the expression that every one of us are a living epistle. What does that mean? There are a lot of people who will never pick up this Book and read it, but they can look at you and they can read. You are a living epistle. And this is what Paul is trying to bring these Corinthians to understand, that even though they were living in the midst of abject immorality and idolatry and mythology, yet wherever those Corinthians went within that Greek culture, they could be and were to be a living epistle. They were to be something that the world around them could read and understand. So in light of all this now, remember he�s still building us to the practice of the Lord�s Table. Ephesians 1.2-3 man seek his own, but every man another�s. Now you have the word wealth italicized in most of your translations, and again I think it�s an unfortunate place. I think they should have left it blank. Now that�s kind of a hard one to explain, but you know that Paul is not saying that you are to try to get what the next man has, because that flies in the face of everything he teaches. So what I think he�s really saying here, is that we are not to just constantly look for what�s in it for number one. That�s been the cliche the last generation or so. What�s in it for me? Well in so many words this is what Paul is saying. Don�t be concerned about what you do for yourself, but be concerned about what�s it going to do for my neighbor. How is it going to enhance his situation? And that�s exactly what he�s driving at. Now let�s look at verse 25. Ephesians 1.2-3 "...whatsoever is sold in the shambles..." And I think he�s talking about the open market. Now again you have to understand the Middle East market, and it�s one of the highlights whenever we go to Israel. You go to one of these open markets, and we Americans just shudder sometimes at the smells and the flies and everything like that. But this was just a typical way of doing things over there, and especially after a carcass had been offered up there to a pagan idol, what the priest didn�t use for themselves, or if the individual who offered wasn�t going to throw a big banquet or something, he�d rather have a little cash, he�d probably just take it down to the market and put it in there for sale. Well then they�d hang it up on the meat hooks, just that old raw bear carcass, and the flies crawling around on it, and then the housewife comes along and she�ll probably buy just a little ounce or two, and throw it in her little grocery bag and be on her way. Well this is exactly what Paul is talking about now. If this carcass of a lamb, or a goat, or sheep or something like that has been ending up in the marketplace, whatever is sold in the shambles or the open market eat, ask no questions for conscience sake. For the earth is the Lord�s, and the fullness thereof. Now I think we can probably get a little glimpse of that when Peter saw the sheep come down in Acts, and of course the Lord was teaching Peter something totally different, but it was the same analogy. And here came this sheep filled with all manner of four footed animals and creeping things, and what did he tell Peter? Kill one of them and eat it. Boy shock of all shocks to a good kosher Jew what Peter said. No way Lord, I�ve never eaten anything unclean. But here comes Paul now with that freedom that grace brings even to the Jew, and that is you don�t worry about whether it�s kosher or not, the Lord has created it, thank the Lord for it and eat it. And that�s where we are today. Now let�s read on. Ephesians 2.27-28 "...if any of them who believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go, whatsoever is set before you, eat it, asking no question for conscience� sake." But if that same individual as he bids you to his banquet, tells you ahead of time, the meat I�m serving tonight just came from the pagan temple, that makes it a little bit different. Now then Paul says, if any man is saying to you, this is offered in sacrifice tonight, then eat not for the sake of the fellow who said it. Why? Now you�re going to show him you�re not going to have anything to do with that which has been tainted by having been offered to some demonic God. But other than that Paul says, if you don�t know the difference, you go ahead and eat, because there�s nothing wrong with that meat. Offering it to that idol didn�t affect the meat one iota. It�s nothing but a dead, dumb idol. And so it all depends again on the circumstances and the amount of knowledge that the man has. Thank you for watching Through the Bible with Les Feldick, a weekly Bible study. If you would like more information about the Les Feldick ministries, a Bible study in your area, or about this program, write to Les Feldick Ministries, Route 1, Box 760, Kinta, OK, 74552. That�s Route 1, Box 760, Kinta, OK, 74552. Through the Bible with Les Feldick is viewer supported and your gift is appreciated. Thank you and be sure to tune in next time for Through the Bible with Les Feldick.