 Okay, welcome back. We'll just continue from where we stopped. We just started that passage from verses 15 to 18. Okay, so I'll just read verse 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? So this is what we were talking about where when we are taking in the Lord's table, we are participating in what Christ did on the cross. That is, we are receiving that for ourselves. So we are saying that whatever was accomplished on the cross is what we are receiving for ourselves. We are going to be people who share in the benefits of what was done on the cross for us. And then verse 17, for we though many are one bread and one body, for we all partake of that one bread. So apart from us individually receiving the blessings of the cross through the Lord's table. In verse 17, it says, we also affirm our unity as a body of Christ. That we are all one because we all take part in that one bread and one body of Christ. So we affirm our unity as one body under Christ's Lordship. And then verse 18, observe Israel after the flesh are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar. So here what Paul is referring to is that those in Israel's history, there was sacrifices that took place. So usually it would be the priests who would take part in the sacrifices and they would eat the meat that was offered. Some of the meat would go to the priests. But only with the Passover mean was where that was shared by the whole of Israel. So he views that as sacrifice. So if we look at 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 7, he says, let me just open it here. 1 Corinthians 5, 7. So he says, get rid of the old yeast so that you may be a new unleavened match. As you really are for Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. So he's referring to that sacrifice of the Passover lamb that the whole of Israel took part in that meat. So all of them were able to receive the blessing of the Passover, which was the Exodus from Egypt. So they took the blood of the Passover lamb. They covered it on their doors so that their houses, their children would be protected. So when the destroying angel was sent in Egypt and the first son of every family was killed, it was this blood of the Passover lamb that protected the people of Israel. And so in the same way he's saying, when you take part in the sacrifices, you are receiving the blessings of that sacrifice. You are becoming someone who is taking part in that worship, taking part in that act of worship, and you are receiving whatever it is that that sacrifice offers. So when you're doing it with the Passover, then you receive those blessings. But if you're doing it before an idol, then you are participating in that worship and you are becoming one with that act of worship to the idol. So that's what he will go on into in the following verses. Someone can read verses 19 to 24. 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 19 to 24. What am I saying then that an idol is anything or what is offered to idols is anything, rather that the things which the gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of the demons. You cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one, the others will be in. So in chapter 8, Paul had said an idol is nothing. So we know that an idol is nothing. We know that it is lifeless. It has no power. So he goes back to that in verse 19 saying, am I now saying that an idol is something or that what is offered to idols has some spiritual significance? So he then says, no, I'm not giving the idol value. I'm not giving that food offered to idols any value. Instead, in verse 20 says, the things which the gentiles sacrifice is sacrificed to demons. So it's not that physical object or that idol has any power, but behind that is a spiritual or a demonic influence that draws people to worship that physical object. So there is spiritual blindness. There is some kind of deception and that comes from a demonic source. And so when you are going to worship or you are taking part in that food that is offered to the idol, although the physical object is nothing, that spiritual work that is happening behind that worship, that act of worship and that sacrifice is what you are taking part in. So you are taking part in this spiritual act rather than giving the idol value. I'm saying that there is something spiritual going on and that's what I want you to recognize. That's what Paul is telling them. So verse 21, you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. So he is saying you can participate and be in relationship with or be in communion with, be in fellowship with only one or the other. So you can be in communion with Jesus or you can be in communion with demons. You cannot do both. There is no place for both in anyone's life. You choose one or the other. So if you're going, if you are choosing to be part of what is happening with the demonic realm, then you are choosing to forsake Christ. But if you are saying that you want to participate in what the cross offers, that you are receiving that full salvation in Christ, then you can have no, there can be nothing in your life that has any participation with demonic work. So he's separating these two and he's saying you have to choose. So you can either choose to be part of the Lord's table to take part in this communion with the Lord or you can choose to be part of, take this food that's sacrificed to idols and be part of the demonic work that is there in this worship of idols and in this sacrifice to idols. Verse 22, Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? So like we read in Psalm 106 as well, God's anger was against the Israelites because they had prostitute themselves. They had left their first love. They had abandoned God and gone after these other gods. They had chosen, they had chosen meat. They had chosen sexual immorality. They had grumbled against God's chosen leaders. All of these things were a rebellion against God himself. And so he's saying, when you are doing these things, if you want to participate in this idol worship by taking part in the food, by eating of the food, then what you are doing is you are basically again rejecting God and you're choosing these other gods. You're choosing that demonic realm over the work that Christ has done for us, for our salvation. And then verse 23, All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the others will be. So this is a very important way to make decisions for us, even in our regular life decision making. All things are lawful. So there are many things that are allowed, whether legally by the government or whether acceptable in culture around us. There are many things that are acceptable, but are those things truly helpful? Are they going to help us grow in Christ? Are they going to help us in our work with Christ, help us be better disciples of Christ or make us more Christ like? Those are the questions we should be asking. Whether it is legal as per the government or whether it's acceptable as per society is secondary. Our first allegiance is to God, to his law and to the things that he approves of. And so if what we are choosing in a moment aligns with God's heart and his will and his desires and his character, then we can go ahead with it. But if it is against those things, then we will choose to not do it. And then verse 24, let no one seek his own, but each one the others will be. So have that attitude of caring for another person over your own self. If it means that you sacrifice something so that the other person will be well, then be willing to make that sacrifice. Be willing to do it for the other person's sake. So the four points that he mentions, the main points as he's addressing this issue of eating food is the spiritual aspect of it. The second is worship of God, worship of demons. The third is whether it like evaluating is this helpful, is this edifying? Is this really what is desired by Christ, by God for me? Or is it just something that's culturally acceptable? And the last is to consider the other person's well-being. So all of these things when you're making that one decision about eating food offered to idols. We'll go on from there to verses 25 to 33. Someone please read that for us. Verse 25, eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience's sake. For the earth is the Lord's and all its fullness. If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner and you desire to go eat whatever is said before you, asking no questions for conscience's sake. But if anyone says to you, this was offered to idols, do not eat it. For the sake of the one who told you. And for conscience's sake. For the earth is the Lord's and all its fullness. Conscience I say not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man's conscience? But if I partake with thanks, why am I even spoken of for the food over which I give thanks? Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the Church of God. Just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own prophet or the prophet of many that they may be saved. Thank you. Okay. So earlier we had mentioned there were two scenarios in which people would have the opportunity to eat food offered to idols. One was meat that was sold in the market. So they would sacrifice meat in the temple. So sacrifice meat to their idols. And then part of the meat that was left over would go to the market is to be sold along with the other meat. Now sometimes that wouldn't be very obvious, which was the meat that had been offered to idols and which was other meat that had come into the market. The other scenario would be where someone was in some kind of gathering either near the temple or in the temple and there there was food offered to idols that was being offered as part of the meat. So now we had already discussed eating food in the temple. So this is the case. Now he's talking about when there is food in the marketplace that is being sold. So he says here, don't go to the marketplace and start to ask, is this meat offered to idols? Can I buy it? Don't go with that kind of consciousness. You just go buy whatever is there and you play over it. Because everything that is created, the earth is the Lord's and all its fullness. Everything that is created, everything that is in the earth belongs to the Lord and the Lord is master over all that is created. So you don't need to be, his main intention here is don't have a spirit of fear about this. Don't be worried about, is this meat offered to idols? Am I eating some demonic food? That shouldn't be the intention or the posture in which we have our food or think about our food. And he'll go on to say a little bit more about this. So first Timothy 4-3-5 says for every creature of God is good and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. And so this should be our approach that we receive everything that is available to us. Whatever food is available to us, we take it with thanksgiving. We pray over it, we sanctify it by God's word and prayer and we receive it with thanksgiving. So we can eat it without any fear of what has happened to it or without any fear of getting sick or anything like that. Because all that is in the earth belongs to the Lord. Verses 27-30, now he goes to a different scenario. The first one goes where you are in the marketplace. He said just eat whatever is there. Don't worry about whether it is offered to idols or not. On the other hand, if you go to someone's house, the same rule will apply. You just eat whatever is offered to you. Don't ask questions. You don't be concerned about what has happened to the meat. But if the person himself tells you that this is part of a sacrifice, then in that situation you refrain from eating. Why should you refrain from eating? He says for the sake of the other person's conscience. So you may be okay. You want that. Okay. I belong to the Lord. I can pray over this food and it's safe for me to eat. I can bless this food and I can dedicate it. I'm already dedicated to the Lord so I can eat this food. All of those things. But for the other person, they view it as you are partaking in their worship. You are partaking in that sacrifice that they did before their God. And so they may think that you in some way believe in the power of their God and that you also are worshiping their God through that food. Because in partaking of that food, it was a form of worship of that God or acknowledging that God as being divine. And that you're eating that food as a way to receive the blessing from that God. So to kind of make sure that that person doesn't view your faith wrongly and understand faith wrongly, you be clear and say, no, I won't eat this. But we always do it with respect and gentleness. We never do it in a way that will offend the person. So verse 13, let me read it here. If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble with the Jews, Greeks or the church of God. Sorry, I've been having a cough. So that's irritating me a bit. I'll try to talk but yeah, we'll see how it goes. So Rosalind has mentioned a question. Receiving food offered to idols is sin. Like after receiving, we'll throw it out. But when they come and give, okay, so not wanting to offend friends or neighbors. Yeah, so here what Paul is saying is if it's going to, I think it's important for us to understand what does it mean to that person. When they are giving you that food, do they view it as you are participating in their worship? And do they think that you are receiving it almost as a form of worship that you are participating in it? If that is the way they're viewing it, it's better not to take it because you're misleading them in kind of saying that yeah, you are willing to participate in that worship. So if there's a way to do it in a way that is respectful and gentle and not offensive, then it's okay. But if they are just coming and giving you food, if they themselves have not told you it's offered to idols, it's fine to take it and eat it. Is that clear? I know it is a little bit, it is a very difficult situation in India. I know that there were many times that I've also faced it, especially when I was working where people would bring things back from the temple. After some time, a lot of people just recognized that I wouldn't take it and so they wouldn't come and give you the box of sweets. So yeah, if there's a way to do it in a way that is respectful without offending them, that is one way to do it so that we are not misleading them. Hope that's clear. Okay, so sorry, I'll just get some water. Okay, we will just continue from there. Yeah, so Paul concludes this saying, do it all, whatever you're doing, whether you eat or drink, do it all for the glory of God. Don't cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God. So don't be the reason that someone else stumbles. But try to please everyone in every way just as I tried to please. So like we read in the previous chapter where he says he became all things to all people, so that some may be saved. In the same way he's saying, try to please everyone in every way. But I'm not seeking my own good, but the good of many so that they may be saved. Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ. And so this is how he will conclude this whole section on worship. So he says the ultimate goal is the salvation of people. So anything that is going to hinder someone's salvation should be avoided. So his main issue with eating food or photo idols is that it may cause someone to stumble. And if it's going to cause someone to stumble, then why don't you avoid? Why don't you give up your own rights? Why don't you give up what pleases you or your own knowledge? Even if you know that idols are nothing. All of those things are secondary. The first thing and the primary thing should be your love for that person and your desire to see them saved. And you should be willing to do whatever it takes so that they will be saved. And then follow my example as I follow the example of Christ. So that is the beginning of chapter 11 where he says and it provides somebody of all that he's been talking about. He's saying, I will walk the way Christ walks and so you can follow me in the same way. Imitate what I am doing because when you're imitating me, you are imitating Christ. That is something for us as spiritual leaders, as ministers to be people who display Christ to others. And even as we are leading people, when people are following us that they are actually ultimately following Christ. So to lead the kinds of lives where people can imitate us. Where we are so much like Christ that people when they imitate us are imitating Christ. So we will go on from there to chapter 11. I'll just read verse 2. So the first verse was imitate me just as I also imitated Christ and verse 2. Now I praise you brethren that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I have delivered them to you. So here Paul is just telling them he's commending them for following things that have been passed down to them. So when he's talking about traditions that can be understood as ordinances, precepts. Anything that has been handed down or that has been given to them as a teaching, as things that are to be followed in the church. So he's telling them that they've done a good job of following those things as they've handed them down to them. They've continued to follow it just as was given to them. And they have remembered not only the teachings but they've remembered all himself in the way they have conducted themselves. So they've been obedient to the teachings of Paul as a leader, as a apostle, as one who established this church. So maybe we can just read the following verses from verse 3 to verse, I think it'll go all the way to 16. Till verse 16. But I want you to know the head of every man is Christ. The head of woman is man and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered dishonours his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head. For that is one and the same as if her head was shaved. For if a woman is not covered let her also be shown. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shown or shaved let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head since he is the image and glory of God but woman is the glory of man. For man is not from woman but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman but woman for the man. For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless neither is man independent of woman nor woman independent of man in the law. For as women came from man even so man also comes through woman but all things are from God. I continue. Yes still verse 16. Judge among yourselves is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered. Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair it is a dishonour to him. But if a woman has long hair it is a glory to her for her head is given to her for a covering. But if anyone seems to be contentious we have no such custom nor do the churches of God. Thank you. So we will continue from there. There is a table and we will go to that after we look at these verses. So the big question that most people have about this passage is is this something for the church to still follow today? Should we still be covering our heads in worship? Should women still be covering their heads in worship? So this table kind of looks at what was specific to the Corinthian church and what does the rest of scripture say? So maybe we will look at that next week because we may not have depending on how much time we have. But we will just look at this passage for now. So the verse 3 but I want you to realise that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man. So when the words used here for man and woman are specifically talking about a husband and a wife. So when Paul is talking about this he is talking from the perspective of a marriage relationship. So that spiritual headship is for the husband in a marriage relationship. It is not to say that all men are the heads of all women. But it is to say that in a family the man is the spiritual head of the family and the woman is under his leadership. So we will follow his leadership. So I want you to realise the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man and the head of Christ is God. So the head of Christ is God is obviously to say that the son has submitted himself to the father. So just like with the father and the son, Jesus and the father, they are co-equal. They are equal in power, they are equal in authority, they are equal in position. But the son chose to willingly submit himself to the father and to come down to the earth for our redemption. In the same way men and women are co-equal just as the father and son are equal but the son submitted himself. So let's quickly just take a look at Philippians. Philippians chapter 2 verse 5 and 6. Let's go from 5 to 8 if someone can read that. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God did not consider it probably to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a born servant and coming in the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. So here we see Christ being in the very nature of God, being one with the father, chose to submit himself and become a servant even to the point of death, that is for our salvation. In the same way men and women are equal, have equal standing before God, have equal, women are not lower than men. We'll just take a look at a few verses. So 1 Peter 3 7, someone can read that. 1 Peter 3 7. Husbands likewise, 12 with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife as to the weaker person and as being theirs together of the grace of life that your prayers may not be hindered. Canations 328, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor female, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. So 4 things verses talk about in Christ we are equal, we share equally in the inheritance that is us through Christ and in Christ we are all made of one. And then we see here in 1 Corinthians 11 verses 11 to 12 where he says, in the Lord women is not independent of man, not is man independent of woman. For as women came from man, so also man is born of woman, but everything comes from God. So we can see clearly here that he is not trying to teach that women are lower than men. But he is saying something about the relationship between men and women. So the first thing is that the head of every man is Christ that's referring to someone who is a believer. So if someone is not a believer then Christ is not their head. And so we take this in the context of a marriage relationship because the word man can refer to any male or specifically to a husband and the word woman that's used here refers to any female or specifically to a wife. So in that context and even within this cultural context where married women would cover their head. So it was married women it was shown that you are married by covering your head. So that was a sign of being married. So if you left your head uncovered it was almost to tell someone that you are available or if there's somebody who is interested. And usually it was prostitutes who would leave their head uncovered. On the other hand as we continue to look at this division within the current interest between the people from the higher or more elite status and those from the lower class. This was also something that was practiced where the higher class people would want to leave their head uncovered because because they would have. They would have their hair set and they would have new hairstyles that they wanted to show off. But it was considered to be sexually proper to cover your head because hair was looked at as an object of lust. So say today if somebody wore very skinny clothing that might be considered as something where they are trying to draw attention or where there is opportunity for someone to lust after that. In the same way in this culture if someone was leaving their hair uncovered it was like a way to draw attention and it was considered as a way to get someone attracted to you. And so when he's calling them to cover their heads it's both from this perspective of modesty from the perspective of showing that you are someone who is married. And the perspective that there should not be differentiation between the higher or the upper class and the lower class that all people when we come into the church are equal. So it's important for us to understand the cultural context here. Let's go on to verse 4. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonours his head. But everyone who prays or prophesies with their head uncovered dishonours her head. It is the same as having her head shaved. But if a woman does not cover her head she might as well have her head cut off. But if it is a disgrace then she should cover her head. So all of these things are just being used in support of what Paul has said initially that women should cover their head and men should leave their heads uncovered. So the practice was for women to have their heads covered but not for men. And so he's encouraging that practice to continue. A man ought not to cover his head since he's the image and glory of God but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman but woman from man. So this is where he's going back to Genesis and talking about who was created first. Man was created first and then woman was created. So all these are just being used as ways to show that okay there is some place of authority that the man has over the woman. But at the same time not to say that men are higher or have more value than women. That is not the point. The point is to communicate that leadership role that the man has in the context of marriage. So verse 15, if a woman has long hair is it her glory? It is her glory. For long has given to her as a covering. If anyone wants to be contentious about this we have no other practice nor do the churches of God. So this whole section is basically all supporting that practice of covering the hair but within the cultural context. So we will start looking at this table. So the first thing is about spiritual headship versus head covering. So first Corinthians level 5 to 16 is covering this topic of head covering. But this is the only place in the New Testament where head covering is talked about. So we'll understand it as specific to the Corinthian church that he was teaching them about head covering and saying that this is procter for their cultural context. Whereas spiritual headship which he is also talking about in connection to head covering. Spiritual headship is the principle that is spoken about in other parts of the New Testament. And so spiritual headship is something that we will continue to practice in our churches today and in our families within the church. So to say that the husband has a role of spiritual leader within the household is something that is taught in other parts of the New Testament. We can look at maybe Ephesians 5 20 to 23 and verse 33. We'll just look at that one passage. Verse 22. So there are several other passages talking about the same thing of the spiritual headship of the husband. We won't read all of them but there's just to say that when we can see something taught in other parts in the New Testament, then we can say that this is authoritative in the sense that it is something that still needs to be followed in the church today. Whereas head covering is only mentioned in this one place, spiritual headship is mentioned in several other passages in the New Testament. In the rest of this chapter, there are two other things that one will talk about. One is the Lord's table. So we see that in the New Testament, there are several passages that also talk about the Lord's table. So again, we will say that we have to continue practicing that partaking of the bread and the wine as a remembrance of what Christ did for us on the cross. Because the New Testament continues to teach that it doesn't mention it only once, it mentions it several times. On the other hand, improper behavior while eating or drinking. So Paul will talk about this a little later in the chapter where there is a judgment that is come upon the Corinthian church. They are experiencing sickness and death within the church and he relates this to them taking part in the Lord's table in a way that is not acceptable or not proper, not what God approves of. And so that judgment is specific to the Corinthian church. That is something that we need to continue to worry about today and we look more at why we don't need to worry about that as we look through the chapter. The third part of this chapter, we'll look at whether women can free prophesy and preach within the church. So we see women mentioned in many parts of the New Testament as leaders within the church, as prophetesses, as people who were teaching, people who were praying, people who were leading the church. It's only here in 1 Corinthians 14 and in 1 Timothy 2 that women are asked to be silent. So that we will see as specific to the Corinthian church and in 1 Timothy 2 the church in Ephesus. So these are specific to their context and for a reason that we will look at why Paul was saying that. So just to look at this as there are some things that are specific to the context of the church, to the culture of that day. And there are some things that we can take as things that we still need to follow today within the church. So starting with the head covering was something that was cultural that was specific to the Corinthian context versus spiritual hedge, which is something that we still continue to practice within the church today. So those are the two things that Paul covers in these first 16 verses of chapter 11. We'll continue from there next week. Sorry, we didn't have time to talk about any questions, but maybe next week we can talk about any questions that you have and then go into the rest of the chapter. Thank you all. Thank you, Pastor.