Sermon – “There Is Only One God”

Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. 4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. 7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. 9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands. 5 They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; 6 They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; 7 They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat. 8 Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them. 9 O Israel, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. 10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. 11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. 12 The LORD has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron.

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust de-stroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

16 This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.

We’re going to continue with 1st Corinthians is this week next week we may deviate from that out for Sabbath and then come back to it after next week so we will continue and this morning our title my message there is only ONE GOD friends there is only one true God God the Father God the Son of God the Holy Spirit clued all 3 but there was one true God So 1st Corinthians Chapter 8 verses one through 13 here the word of the Lord now concerning things offered to idols we know that we all have knowledge for as we know that today right we know that we all have knowledge we have knowledge we have brains that minds that think we have knowledge of things some have more knowledge in others but we all have knowledge but knowledge puffs up but love edifies if anyone thinks that he knows anything he knows nothing yet as he ought to know but if anyone loves God This one is known by Him therefore concerning things concerning the eating of things offered to idols we know that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is no other God but one that that sink in for a moment we know do you know that an audio is nothing in the world and that there is no other God but one friends let that sink in there is the Word of God There is only one for even if there are so called gods whether in heaven or on earth as there are many gods and many lords now so is that contradicting what he just said no they are nothing they are so there are not without a doubt so called gods but there is no other good God True God but one. Yet for us there is one God the Father of whom are all things and we for him in one Lord Jesus Christ through whom all things are who whom all are all things and through whom we live name him therefore there is not in everyone that knowledge for some with consciousness of the idle until now eat it as if thing offered to an idol and their conscience being weak is defiled but food does not commend us to God for neither if we eat are we the better nor if we do not eat are we the worse but beware less somehow you are this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak for if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idols temple will not their conscience or the conscience him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols and because of your knowledge shall the wheat brother parish for whom Christ died but when you thus sinned against your brother and wound their weak conscience you sinned against Christ therefore if food makes my brother stumble I will never eat meat lest I make my brother stumble they’ve got at his blessings to the here in the reading of His Word let us pray gracious lord we do thank you for your work and Father I pray that your spirit would be in this place today that you would speak to were hearts and our minds help us to receive your truth father anything that is not of you let it or just be gone that not even be spoken by the bit only your truth were God would penetrate deep into our hearts and our minds to give us understanding father and it would be used for Your glory in your honor in Jesus’ name amen. Burst to Paul said if anyone thinks that he knows anything. He knows nothing yet as he ought to know so let’s talk about knowledge for a moment knowledge is what guides us isn’t it knowledge is what is going to direct the paths in our lives what we take what we the knowledge we have might direct the career path we take the knowledge we have might correct the spiritual path we take in our lives the knowledge and the understanding that we have right John Wooden a former U.C.L.A. basketball coach was a man who continually strive to. Gain knowledge and gain understanding and to. Reach the greatest potential in his life and he tried to instill that same principle in the players that played for him and he had a same he said the more that you learn the greater the chance that you will think you know it all and he says if that happens you become one teachable and you know you are no longer growing in improving So knowledge is good as long as it does not come to the place where we think we know it all because when we do then we become unteachable So we should be at the place and off heard it said many times the more I know the more I know I don’t know that’s where we should be the more I learned the more that I know that I do not know so Lord help me to remain teachable should be our prayer help me Lord to continue to seek knowledge he’s not saying knowledge is bad 2nd Timothy $215.00 the King James Version says study to show that I self approved unto God a workman that need not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth so we are to study we are to seek knowledge but as the Apostle Paul says knowledge can puff up meaning that it has a potential to make one proud. I think that we we are we know it all I am so much more and I’m not speaking myself I’m just saying some people that way because I’m not that some people say I know what all I’m so intelligent and some people will use their knowledge to hold it then hold it over others there are people I know that have knowledge of certain things and they’ll they’ll grasp and keep it in here and won’t share it with others or French true knowledge is to be shared hopefully that the student will someday be even greater in more knowledgeable than a teacher knowledge is good Proverbs $1618.00 says Pride goes before destruction and a hearty haughty spirit before a fall but are to be of a humble spirit with the lowly then to divide to spoil with the proud we are not to become proud or prideful of the knowledge and the things that God has given us but we are to use it for His glory Paul is not just talking about ordinary knowledge here in this passage though he is talking about knowledge concerning spiritual things the knowledge of the freedom that a believer can have in Jesus Christ but friends there is a freedom in Jesus Christ not a freedom to sin that’s not what I’m talking about but a freedom that can bring conviction some have convictions over eating certain things you look at the ceremonial laws in the rituals that they followed in the Old Testament we had the freedom from the ceremony some of the ceremonial laws and some of the rituals like meat that was dedicated to an idol you know the devil has a counterfeit for everything doesn’t he does he has a counterfeit for everything everything that God does the devil has a counterfeit Ford God instituted the sacrificial system that’s the sacrificial system in the Old Testament why. As a way for the people to atone for their sins every year they would come they would bring their sacrifices sometimes more than once a year but burner sacrifices to God for the sins that they had committed and that they would place the the sacrifice on the altar and of course every day every year they would placed her hands on the lamb and send it off so they had a sacrificial system and it was governed by the Levites the priest of the Levites So Satan also developed a sacrificial system all of these false gods all these idols many of them there was a dream elect the sun god a share of the for to look to God Bale the principal God come off the destroyer Jupiter and Zeus to rule over the heavens and of course we can’t forget the golden calf that was an idol that they built the children of Israel build it why were they see this set in Egypt. They even they built an aisle but all of these false gods they had temples career had temples to these false gods so they had not only did they have their temples they too had priest and his people would take the sacrifices to the priest right these false priests this counterfeit system so they would take these sacrifices they would only use part of it they would only use part of it for the sacrifice so the rest they would have a private feast where they would sell it to the marketplace so here’s what happened in Corinthians the meat that the priest would sell to the market place most the time it would be much cheaper then the regular stuff so because like you go down to the marketplace and you might find some steak there for $2.00 a pound I’m trying to go back I mean sort of more than less than that even back then but there’d be some there for $0.50 a pound. Because it was sacrifice dedicate to an idol so they got it very cheap so for these poor Christians they could only afford the cheap the cheap stuff but the key to the debate is this if I can call it a debate there were gentile believers that had knowledge that knew that these idols were nothing that this meat offered to the sacrifice fice meant or the sacrifice to this idol meant absolutely nothing because the idol was nothing right all it was was a statue or a graven image that they built by the hands of men by the imaginations of men by the hands of men by the deception of Satan counterfeits system they knew that they had that knowledge they knew it meant nothing at all they knew that that meat that had been dedicated that idol that left over had no way to defile that Christian it was not going to harm them or hurt them spiritually in any way they had that knowledge it was nothing they knew that there was no other God but one and that is the God in Heaven the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob Paul declares the nothingness of idols the Psalms the choirs and nothing the bottles also songs $1153.00 through 12 but our God is in heaven he does whatever he pleases their idols are silver and gold the work of man’s hands. That’s all it is the work of men’s hands they have mouths but they do not speak they have eyes but they do not see they have ears but they do not hear noses they have but they do not smell they have hands but they do not handle they have feet but they do not walk nor they do or nor do they monitor the earth mother through their throats those who make them are like them so is everyone who trust in them Israel trust in the Lord he is their help and their shield Oh how severe Aaron trust in the Lord he is their help and their shield you do who fear the Lord trust in the Lord he is their help and their shield the Lord has been mindful of us he will bless us my friends our God hears our God has ears he hears when we pray he hears when we speak to him or God has hands they are not just hands made of stone by the fashions of men’s minds he has hands that help he has feet he is alive and he is well received that today is not the God Who was he is the God who is you know I’m sure that most have probably read the account in 1st Kings Chapter 8 team the children of Israel had turned their backs on God They began to warship and follow the idols of their neighbors. And God sent a word to Elijah he says challenge the people challenge these false prophets the prophets of bail and the prophets of assurance there were 450 prophets of Bale and 400 prophets of a shero I lived it went to them and and challenge them he says here’s what we’re going to do because our my God does not allow people to worship false idols along with him at the same time you either warship the one true God or you do not he said so here’s what we’re going to do I challenge you will build to altars and we will bring a sacrifice you placed your sacrifice upon your altar and you cry out to your god and then I will place my sacrifice upon the altar to God and I will cry out to God and the one who answers with fire he is God He is the one and he shall warship and they said that sounds great talk us we are dishonest like a good plan we’re going to settle this once and for all so the prophets of bail built their sacrifice their altar and put their sacrifice upon it and they cried out to their gods from morning until noon in nothing happened nothing at all happened so that a lodge of began to mock them they said maybe your god is asleep maybe he is meditating maybe he’s on a journey somewhere maybe you need to cry out a little louder so they did they cried out The louder they cut themselves can throw themselves upon that altar. Till the time of the evening sacrifice from morning until evening they cried out to their God my friends in and by the end of that town the only thing that happened is they had blood coming down their arms or liberties or wherever because nothing happened there God did not hear why because he is nothing but a false idol so then a LIED TO says OK it’s my turn they poured the water around the they built a trough around the altar put the sacrifice of pot it in god said caught up to God the God in heaven and a maidenly fire came down out of heaven consume the sacrifice consume the altar lift up the water out of the trough why because he is the Living God how Lujack he is the one true God He is the God that can bring down far out I haven’t and consume the sacrifice that’s why something happened whenever God illogic called out to God because He is God and I do a false god my friends they’re not going to hear their stone there or go there or steal whatever my friends there are many false or false idols or false gods today we may not have a graven image standing up in our yard or in our buildings but there are many false gods out there today it is anything that is more important to you than God can be an idol So what is more important to you than God I pray nothing I pray that God is the most important thing if your low in your life I hope that you are seeking Him with all of your heart soul mind all that is within you all that is within you because if you want to find true joy if you want to find true peace you’re only going to find it in Jesus Christ and God the Father. Matthew 6921 says Do not lay up for yourselves strangers on earth where moths and rust destroy or thieves break in and steal but lay up for yourselves strangers in heaven where neither MOF nor rust destroys and worth these do not break in and steal for your treasure is there your heart will be also operate we have no idols upon this earth but the only one that we seek is God the God in heaven Romans 1513 says Now May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit want to get back to the principle behind this entire passage Paul speaks to those who have the knowledge that the false gods are nothing and that believers in faith faith in the one true God that made up their of these sacrifices is no way going to defile a Christian has no demonic power of the Christian that I had no power no power at all my friends of any of those idols had any power at all they could have at least sent a little spark to ignite that playing under that sacrifice on Mount Carmel couldn’t it right if they had any power at all they could have done that but they didn’t Paul said in verse a but food does not commend us to God for neither if we eat are we better or if we do not eat are we the worse that’s pretty clear the food is not going to commend is one where the other no matter what type of food we’re talking about food does not command you to God Period I know there’s a lot of things out there we say where we shouldn’t it is we should need that it’s not going to commend us to God I know that there are some foods out talked about it before some foods are definitely not very healthy for you but we’re not talking about health we’re talking about spiritual matters here this morning spiritual matters. I think a key word in this passage is a little word called However however Paul says however there is not in everyone that knowledge meaning everyone did not have the knowledge that idols are nothing but some still had the conviction yes they had faith in God They believed in God but their conscience convicted them from eating anything that may have been dedicated to an idol but they still believed in God in their defense brothers and sisters they had been taught all their lives to separate themselves from anything that had to do with an idol all their lives I mean they were taught to separate themselves from foreigners do not marry those from the foreign lands do not allow any other idols or any other false worship to command they were taught all their lives to be separated from it had nothing to do with it so I can imagine why they would have a hard time not being convicted of beating something that was offered to us act or to a false idol in their minds that was very real very real so it’s easy to understand so the heart of this entire message is be sensitive be sensitive sensitive to those who convictions convict them of such things friends if you have a brother or sister in Jesus Christ that before they came to the Lord they had a drinking problem and if you would invite them to go out to dinner and say bring us a few beers you are put in a stumbling block at the feet of that brother a stumbling block you could cause that want to fall right back into the sin of drunkenness friends there may be some that. You know they could go view an R. rated movie because they have absolutely no problem with any lustful thoughts or anything like that in their minds and they might be just fine but if you invite a brother or sister to go see an R. rated movie that you know have central sings in it you could be put in a stumbling block before them so that’s what this whole thing is about be sensitive to your brothers and sisters in Christ do not put a stumbling block before them be mindful of the freedom that you have and don’t think you have to push it on them let them grow with their own pace let them gain the runner standing as a study of the Word of God and seek Him in prayer and meditate upon his word let them grow as God would have them to grow but whatever we do don’t put a stumbling block before brothers and sisters that what this all about this whole passage is about don’t be a stumbling block because that is not the way of Christ we are to edify What did he say love builds up love edifies it does not tear down or put a stumbling block in. Paul said even though I had the freedom to eat whatever I want also that I can eat anything I know it’s not going to hurt me but I will never eat meat again because my brother to stumble are we there I’ll give up meat for the rest of my life rather than cause one the stumble I will never drink wine again or a beer again but not going to be a sacrifice me not drink like that like. I’ll never drink it again though because my brother to stumble let’s never do that thing that causes our brother or sister to stumble even though we may have the freedom to do it we can’t use our knowledge of our faith in our freedoms to hinder a fellow believer. Because love builds up Acts $2416.00 says this being so I myself always strive to have a conscious without offense towards God and man towards God and man let’s not offend our brothers and sisters for 6 said yet for us there is one God the Father of whom are all things and we for him and one Lord Jesus Christ my friends the Lord that we serve. Was Alive walked this earth and is alive I diverted didn’t get into the. Palm Sunday or the palms waving the palm branches so we’re going to close with the reading that scripture from Matthew $21.00 it’s not going to be on the screen now when they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethpage at the Mount of Olives then Jesus sent to visit Siple saying to them go into the village opposite you and immediately you will find a colt tied and a colt with or a donkey tied and a colt with or lose them and bring them to me and if anyone says anything to you you shall say The Lord has need of them and immediately he will send them all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet saying Tell the daughters and behold your King is coming to you lowly and sitting on a donkey a colt the fall of a donkey so the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded they brought the donkey and the colt and laid their clothes on him on them and set him on them and a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road and others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road then the multitude went before and those who followed cried out saying Hosanna to the son of David bless it is he who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest. And when he had come into Jerusalem all the city was moved saying Who is this my friends it was Jesus he is alive he was alive but he still is alive he was crucified buried resurrected and he is alive our God is alive and real and well he hears our prayers He sent His Spirit to help and he works through you and I He works through those who believe in him to be his hands and feet to give Him glory and honor so we as you have those palm branches more member they wave them they shouted Hosanna Hosanna son of David the one true God the One True God I pray that he is your one true God and everyone listening everyone may be watching I pray that you make Jesus Christ the one that you seek with all your heart with all those within you do not follow the ideals of the things of this world but only him the one true God amen.