I Corinthians 10:16  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?
17  For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
18  Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
19  What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?
20  But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
21  Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.
22  Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

Writing is one of several forms of communication. Obviously it can be a good form since God chose to have His Word written down for every generation. God has also preserved His Word to make sure that every generation has the exact Word of God. God’s Word never changes. There are parts of the Word of God that were written to the nation of Israel. There are parts that were written to local churches. All of It is inspired of God and all of It is for our learning. As we have mentioned the factor that sets God’s Word apart from any writing we do is that God’s Word is inspired by God. It is God-breathed by the Eternal God who is also the Creator of all things.
One of the good aspects of written material is that the reader can re-read what is written. He or she can also see what was written. Words have meaning. In our day, the meaning of words are being changed to suit certain people. During the Wuhan Virus debacle, several words were used which had changing meanings. We were told we were entering into a pandemic. The meaning of the word “pandemic” had been changed during the H1N1 hoax and most people think that the word “pandemic” is a scary word. It is not scary unless you are lost and have no real hope in your life.
The meaning of the word “vaccine” was also changed. The poison shots they were and still are promoting, are not vaccines. They are gene-altering shots that turn the recipient’s body into a mini laboratory. There are people who insist those shots are safe and effective. There are thousands of reports of deaths and severe injuries from those shots. Those reports are being silenced and the companies responsible are protected from being held accountable for their deliberate attempt to play God with our bodies.
The Bible is the Word of God. It shows us the importance and necessity of knowing the true God. If we know the true God we will have a completely different approach to life. God has not changed. Man is still born a lost sinner. The devil is still busy trying to keep people lost and deceived. Most people walk around like the drunk described in Proverbs 23. They can’t wait until they can have their next “drink”. That drink takes many forms, but it is all delusional. We need the truth, and the truth is available from ONE source and that is the written Word of God.
In our verses today God directed the apostle Paul to begin some important teaching on the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is very important for the true child of God. It is an ordinance designed by God to help true saints to remember the cost of our salvation. That cost was borne by the Eternal Son of God — The Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul was directed to show the contrast between the Lord’s Supper and the cup of devils which was addressed in chapter 8. Meat offered to idols and then sold in the markets was designed to glorify the devil. Even though idols are worthless, the source of all idols is the devil.
In verse 16 of our text, Paul began with a question. The saints needed to stop and reflect on what they were doing with the Lord’s Supper. He began by referring to it as the cup of blessing. There is no saving power in the Lord’s Supper. The Catholics teach that their wafer becomes the body of Christ when the priest holds it in his hands and makes his chant over it. They claim the alcoholic wine becomes the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who use alcoholic wine for their communion lack the Biblical understanding needed to partake worthily of the Lord’s Supper.

Hebrews 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

I Peter 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Jesus’ blood was pure. He could never forgive us and save us if His blood were tainted with sin. Alcoholic wine is the product of fermentation. That process corrupts the grape juice and changes its chemistry. The end result of that is a product that is designed to deceive the partaker. Proverbs 20:1 makes that very clear.
The communion spoken of in verse 16 refers to the intimate fellowship that the saints have through the blood of Christ. In I John 1 we looked at the fellowship that God provides for His children through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The bread that we break at the Lord’s Supper is the communion of the body of Christ. It is that intimate fellowship that is only available through the broken body of Christ. No one can be saved except through faith in the broken body and the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The bread should be unleavened bread to depict that sinless body of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In verse 17 we see again that unity comes through knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour. There is no unity apart from that. There is much compromise today among various religions. There is a tension there that is suppressed with the ungodly music and the spinning of God’s Word by smooth talkers. True unity is only possible for those who are truly born again.
In verse 18 Paul referred back to the Old Testament again. The priests who served in the temple were to eat certain portions of the sacrifices. God gave clear and detailed instructions on that matter. In partaking of the sacrifices they were to recognize the spiritual aspect of them. The priests were not just killing animals and shedding blood. They were showing a picture of the coming Messiah who would lay down His life and shed His blood for the sins of mankind. Jesus Christ offered Himself up for the sins of the world. His sacrifice is only efficacious for those who turn to God and trust in the true purpose of that sacrifice.
For many of the priests and the common people, the sacrifices made became nothing more than a ritual. They assumed there was some mystical power there, but they never sought to understand their purpose.
During Jesus’ earthly ministry He cleansed the temple twice because the religious leaders had turned it into a house of merchandise. It was to be the house of God. In I Timothy 3 we are reminded that New Testament saints are now the house of God. We have not replaced Israel. Israel has been temporarily set aside with regard to being that instrument of God to demonstrate the blessings of the true God. True saints are the light of the world. We are to reflect the Light which is Jesus Christ.
In verse 19 Paul again referred directly to the idols that he has previously spoken of. For the true child of God, those idols are nothing and that which is offered in sacrifice to those idols in nothing. There is no value in it.
We hold services in a Catholic seniors home every month. God has given us an open door there. The staff appreciate our coming there. They try to bring as many seniors as they can to our services. At the front of the room where we meet, are many idols. The home has strung a cable across the front and a curtain that we pull to hide those idols during our services. They are all very aware of the fact that we do not recognize those idols as having any value.
There are other religions that have their idols as well. We mentioned some of that a few days ago. Idolatry is more than just that statue that some people have. It is also the philosophy that goes with false teaching.
In verse 20 Paul was directed to make it very clear that those who sacrifice to idols, sacrifice to devils. Keep in mind this is spoken in a city that was steeped in idolatry. God was not concerned about offending the idolaters. They needed to know that what they were doing was wicked. In the book of Acts we read of the uprising that took place at times due to Paul’s bold preaching and teaching. The idolaters did not like the truth.
True saints offer hope to the lost. We cannot offer hope when we cater to their false teachings. We do offer hope when we bring them the truth. We are not looking for a fight. We want people to know what they need to believe.
In verse 21 we are reminded that it is impossible to drink of the cup of the Lord, and of the cup of devils. That is contrary to the will of God. True saints cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table and the table of devils. There is no way to find common ground with false teaching. The ecumenical movement is not something that born again Christians can be a part of. When a born again Christian obeys God as he must, he will have a clear voice among the people he is called to minister to. Compromise never works with God.
In verse 22 Paul again asked a question. Do we provoke God to jealousy? Are we stronger than He is? Can we overthrow God and establish some false religion that will supersede the Truth? The answer is no. We are warned not to provoke God to jealousy. Those who are truly born again, are designed by God to glorify Him. He requires that of His children. We cannot do that if we are involved in idolatry in any way.
We see that Paul was directed to address this issue in Corinth. He was told to write this down for all time. This was not a problem unique to Corinth. It is an ongoing problem that every generation will face. Those who are saved need to be reminded of the precious gift we have been given in salvation and how important it is to reflect that gift in all we do. If you are not saved today, what are you waiting for? The truth is presented here. God’s Word is truth. Don’t settle for some mystical writings. Accept the truth and know God’s peace today!
Pastor Bartel