WWUTT 1628 Eat and Drink for Tomorrow We Die (1 Corinthians 15:32-34)

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Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky. We come back to our study of 1 Corinthians chapter 15, that section we've been looking at this week, verses 27 to 34.

I'm going to start out reading from the Legacy Standard Bible. This is the word of the Lord through the

Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth. For he has put all things in subjection under his feet.

But when he says, all things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is accepted who put all things in subjection to him.

And when all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself also will be subjected to the one who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all.

Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?

Why are we also in danger every hour? I affirm, brothers, by the boasting in you which

I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me?

If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.

Do not be deceived. Bad company corrupts good morals. Become righteously sober -minded and stop sinning, for some have no knowledge of God.

I speak this to your shame. So we have just these last three verses here, 32, 33, and 34, as we finish up this section.

I mentioned 32 a little bit yesterday. I spoke from it a bit yesterday, but it's that closing phrase there

I want to come back to again today. So let's look at right at the start there, verse 32. If from human motives,

Paul says, I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me?

Now, again, earlier he talks about the suffering that he's gone through for the sake of the gospel.

If the dead are not raised, then why am I out here suffering, preaching Christ crucified and risen again?

Why would I even put myself through that if the dead are not actually raised?

And verse 32, if from human motives, I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus. Now, this reference to wild beasts is probably a reference to the riots that we read about in Acts chapter 19.

I don't think it could be anything else because Paul never comes back to Ephesus again after the riots.

He leaves. We have a conversation between Paul and the elders of the church in Ephesus in Acts 20, and he says to them,

I will never see your faces again. So on this side of heaven, we'll never see each other face to face again.

And he knows that because of what the Holy Spirit has told him. So in all the missions work that Paul has to go into next, it's never going to bring him back to Ephesus again.

And he loves this church. He loves those elders. He weeps with them as he gives them his final address.

So the last thing that happens to Paul in Ephesus then is the riot. And the events that were leading up to this, there was the whole thing with the sons of Sceva.

So there were the seven sons of an itinerant Jewish priest whose name was

Sceva, and they were performing miracles in the name of Paul because Paul had gained popularity and recognition.

People were coming to faith because of what he was doing. The miracles that he did, even to the point where when he would be working out at the sun and he would wipe his face with a rag and throw it on the ground, well, some of his missionary brethren, probably also

Priscilla and Aquila who were with him there, they would take those rags and take them to the sick. And if they touched the rag that Paul had wiped his sweat with, they would be healed of their diseases.

So all of this is going on in Ephesus. Paul is gaining a lot of recognition, and there are people that try to capitalize on that.

So you have these sons of Sceva who are producing miracles. Well, they claim that's what they're doing.

They're trying to replicate what it was that Paul was doing. And they say, in the name of Jesus whom

Paul preaches, come out. That's what they would be doing to those who were demon -possessed.

Well, then they encountered an actual demon. And in Acts 19 .15, the evil spirit answered them and said,

I recognize Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you? And he overcomes them and beats them, and they run out of the place naked and bleeding.

So he worked his little demon jiu -jitsu on these guys, and everybody around heard about this, and they were filled with fear.

And the name of the Lord Christ was magnified because they recognized Paul is preaching the real

Christ. These guys are not. And the name of Christ is not just something that we can use as a magic spell and just have these powers and be able to do whatever it is that we want.

There was a lot of syncretism going on in Ephesus. So you had people that were kind of embracing all kinds of religious traditions to have all their bases covered, right?

Hey, one of these is bound to be true, so if I just adopt them all, then surely

I've got one right. But they recognize now that God demands true worship, exclusive worship to the

Lord Jesus Christ, not sharing himself with any other god or spirituality.

And so the people brought their books of divination together in the center square, the magic books they had, and all the stuff that probably even spoke of false gods and spirits and things like that.

And they were burning them in the side of everyone, and the price of all the stuff that they were burning counted up to 50 ,000 drachmas is what you'll have in some translations.

That's 50 ,000 days wages, millions of dollars in today's currency.

So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing there in Ephesus. Now, since the people were not worshiping false gods anymore, so it wasn't just Christianity attached to all these other religions, they're now forsaking all of those religions and their spiritual practices and they're worshiping

Christ alone. So because that's happening in Ephesus, all of the industry that was benefiting from these multiple religions and all this spirituality, well, now they're losing money.

They're not gaining as much anymore because people are not getting into all these religions. So many of them have turned to Christ, who's demanding exclusive worship.

You're just worshiping one God? And so some of these guys have seen a significant decrease in their income because they were benefiting off of all of the religious practices that were going on in this city.

Now, what was Ephesus most known for? What landmark do you know?

There's the seven wonders of the ancient world. One of those wonders was in Ephesus. It was the

Temple to Artemis, also known as the Temple of Diana. And there would be the silversmiths in Ephesus who would make these shrines because this was such an attraction.

I mean, when you came to Ephesus, you wanted to go see the Temple of Artemis. It was an incredible temple.

To this day, if it was still standing, would be an incredible sight to behold.

And even think about this with the kind of limited architecture.

It didn't have big earth movers or building equipment like we have today back then over 2 ,000 years ago, and yet they built this massive structure with all these huge columns on it.

So it was quite an attraction for people that came to Ephesus. Well, nobody's going into the temple anymore.

They're not buying these shrines because they've forsaken all of those things to worship Christ alone.

So these silversmiths would make these replicas of Artemis or these small little idols of Artemis.

And I've seen what some of these idols look like, and to describe it to you would be, I would have to tell you, maybe plug the kids' ears or fast -forward from this part.

I'm not going to do that. But just to say, that's kind of how, yeah, it was a very suggestive -looking idol.

And then they would also build replicas of the Temple of Artemis itself. So just like you might go see the

Statue of Liberty, and you can buy small little Statues of Liberty to remember, hey, I went and saw the statue.

So you could get little models of the Temple of Artemis. And people would buy these because they thought it meant that Diana or Artemis would be with them, and they would be able to take a little bit of this goddess and be blessed by the goddess.

I've got her little temple right here on my boat or in my cart or something like that.

Or I have a little idol with me, and I can touch it or pray to it or something like that, and Artemis will give me fortune.

This was a common thing throughout Ephesus. There was a lot of money to be made in the kind of religions that were being practiced there.

Well, since Paul and Christianity are gaining in popularity, these guys who were in charge of these guilds, the people who were making these shrines, they ran the temples or the worship centers, whatever, where they had their hands and were benefiting off of the religion, they're now losing money.

So this causes a meeting. There are some people that get together, and they're talking about what's been going on with the downturn in their income.

And one of these guys, his name is Demetrius. This is later on in Acts 19. He says,

Men, you know that our prosperity is from this business, and you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but almost in all of Asia.

Paul is persuaded and turned away a considerable crowd saying things like,

Whatever we make with our own hands, they're not really God's. And it's very similar to something

Paul said at the Areopagus in Acts 17. They're in Athens saying that, Hey, these things made by human hands,

God doesn't dwell in those things. He doesn't need us at all. Yet he shows his mercy and his grace to us through Jesus Christ, our

Savior, who's been given for us, who died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the grave. And whoever believes in him and gives him alone our worship, we have the forgiveness of sins and the promise of everlasting life, resurrection from the dead, just as we've been talking about here going through 1

Corinthians 15. So this is the gospel that Paul is proclaiming. These guys are going to, that's going to put us out of business.

So going on in verse 27, Demetrius' words here, Not only is there danger that this trade of ours would fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess

Artemis would be considered as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship is even about to be brought down from her majesty.

Can, can that happen to God? No, no matter what we say about God, nobody's ever going to bring him down from his majesty.

But these people feel like, well, we got to defend Diana because somebody's going to bring her down. If we don't do something about this, if she was real, there would not be a problem here.

So going on in verse 28, and when they heard this, they were filled with rage and they began crying out saying, great is

Artemis of the Ephesians. So this is like the, the town hall meeting that's been gathered there in the, in the amphitheater.

Well, it, it, it actually goes to that. They moved to the theater there in Ephesus verse 29, the city was filled with confusion and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia.

And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him, they thought he would get eaten alive.

They were going to kill him right there in the middle of the theater. Verse 31, also some of the

Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeated repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater.

So then some were shouting one thing and some, another for the meeting was in confusion. And the majority did not know for what reason they had come together.

Where they're just, they're shouting. They're just, they're writing about something. And they don't even know why they don't even have any good sense.

So they behave like animals. They're behaving like beasts. And we've seen this.

We've seen this recently with the riots that have been going on in the world since 2020. And some of our major cities, usually leftists, crazy people who've just gotten disorderly and insane, destroying public property, robbing, looting, killing one another, beating people up in the streets, defying authority, officer, police officers, lives being put in danger as a result of all these riots we've been seeing going on.

And if you were to stop any one of them and ask them why they're rioting, they probably don't have a good reason.

Could even tell you the order of the business of the day, why we are getting on or carrying on the way that we are.

They're just acting like crazy wild animals. And so Paul is saying, if it's, if it's from human motives that I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does that profit me?

Why would I put myself through this? If the dead are not actually raised.

So Paul goes on there in verse 32, if the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink for tomorrow.

We die. Now, this is another old Testament reference. So earlier back in verse 27, we had a reference to Psalm eight, this one here, let us eat and drink for tomorrow.

We die. This is out of Isaiah 22. So listen to what I read here out of Isaiah 22, starting in verse 12.

Therefore in that day, the Lord God of hosts called you to weeping and wailing to shaving the head into wearing sackcloth.

So the people are supposed to be mourning because of their sin. That's what God has called them to.

Instead, there is gaiety and gladness, killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine.

Let us eat and drink for tomorrow. We may die, but the

Lord of hosts revealed himself to me. Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you until you die, says the

Lord God of hosts. So the people are supposed to be mourning. They're supposed to be asking

God for forgiveness. And if they would do that, if they would humble themselves before God, then

God would atone for their sins. He would not pour out his wrath and his judgment upon them, but that's not the attitude that they have before God.

What are they doing instead? Well, I guess this is it. We've got judgment coming upon us. So let us just eat and drink for tomorrow.

We die. They're not even sorry for what they've done or recognizing that they've sinned against God.

They go on carrying on as if, Hey, nothing's going to happen to me.

Let's just enjoy ourselves now because, Hey, you know, we're just going to die.

And then that's going to be the end of the story. God's judgment is going to come upon us. We die. And then that's it. They're behaving as if there is no eternity.

Therefore there's not going to be eternal ramifications for their actions. Don't you understand?

And don't you believe according to the scriptures that we will have to stand before the throne of judgment and give an account.

We who are in Christ, Jesus, our sins are forgiven. And so when we stand before God, though, we will be judged.

Everybody's going to have to stand in judgment exactly as Jesus lays it out in Matthew 25, though, there will be a judgment.

We won't perish. We won't suffer under the wrath of God because it will be seen.

And it will be demonstrated that our works were carried out in God, that our sins were atoned for and forgiven.

And we were clothed in Christ righteousness and made his on that day of judgment.

So we won't perish. In fact, Jesus will say to those who are his, who belong to him, enter into the kingdom of heaven.

That was prepared for you by my father from before the foundation of the world. But to those who are not in Christ, it will be said to them, depart from me.

You workers of iniquity into that place that was prepared for the devil and his angels into the place of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This is the judgment for every single person. Will you go away into eternal life or will you be sent away into eternal punishment?

Now, a person who does not believe that they will not take seriously. They will not recognize that there are eternal consequences for our actions.

And so they will live as if I will not have to give an account for myself eating and drinking, carrying on like lawless idiots, because there are not going to be any consequences for my behavior.

And so if that's going to be the case, if there is no resurrection of the dead, then why don't we just all behave that way?

Jesus didn't really die. He didn't really rise from the dead. Nobody else rises from the dead. So if that's the story, go enjoy your best life.

Now, because this really is all you get. Eat and drink for tomorrow. We die. Go ahead.

Go on and behave as if this is all for nothing and that there is not going to be any sort of judgment in the end.

So many people around the world are carrying on exactly like this people in your own neighborhood, maybe even next door to your house behaving this way, that there is not going to be any consequences for our actions.

Verse 34, Paul says, become righteously sober minded.

So that's the direct contrast with verse 33. Don't behave like a drunken idiot. Be sober minded.

Know what God has said. Know the gospel that was declared to you when it first came to you. And we had that summarized at the beginning of the chapter.

Stop sinning. Know that there is going to be a judgment. So live righteously instead of in rebellion.

For some have no knowledge of God. Now, when Paul says that they're in verse 34, he's talking about them.

He's talking about the Corinthians. There are people in their church who don't have knowledge of God.

Why are they there? So though we don't get a direct call in first Corinthians 15 to purge the evil person from among you, the way that Paul said it back in chapter six, nevertheless, that's the implication.

Paul is implying there, just as he said earlier, if there are people in your midst that do not know God, they need to be removed from you.

Why are you allowing them to be there? Why are there some among you who deny the resurrection of the dead?

If there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has been, has not been raised, your faith is worthless and you're still in your sins.

That was back in verse 17. And then Paul stating in verse 20, but Christ has been raised from the dead.

So there should be none among you with all of the, the truth that has been proclaimed to you with the power of the gospel that has been demonstrated, the eyewitness accounts that are there, the scriptures that testify to these things.

There should be none among you who deny the resurrection of the dead. So as Paul is laying this out here in first Corinthians 15, either they need to repent and come to a knowledge of the truth, or they need to be removed from your midst for as Paul says, and I skipped a verse here, but yeah, bringing it together.

So let us eat and drink for tomorrow. We dive verse 33. Do not be deceived. Bad company corrupts good morals.

If you keep those people there who are unbelievers who carry on as if there's not going to be any kind of judgment, they're going to lead you into behaving godlessly.

Bad company corrupts good character. Be righteously sober minded. Stop sinning.

Some of you have no knowledge of God. And I speak this to your shame, get them out.

Either they repent and come to a knowledge of the truth, or they have to be removed from your midst because they're going to lead you into the same unrighteousness that they are in behaving as if there's no judgment to come.

You know, universalism falls into this same category, even though a universalist believes that everybody gets into heaven, they deny a judgment.

So nobody's going to be sent to hell. Everybody just gets to go to heaven. So eat and drink, right?

Do whatever it is that you want, because there's not actually going to be any eternal consequences for your actions.

That's heresy. And they too need to be removed from the congregation or bad company is going to corrupt good character.

We must know the truth and we must live according to this and recognize that a foundational doctrine to our

Christian faith is that Jesus died on a cross for our sins. He was buried and he rose from the dead on the third day, according to the scriptures, as Paul said back in verses three and four, believe these things for it is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes heavenly father.

Thank you for your guidance as we've been going through this text. And as we finished this section and God willing, we open up to the rest of chapter 15 next week.

May we embrace and love and hold dear that wonderful truth that was proclaimed to us from the beginning that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the grave so that whoever believes in him, our sins are forgiven and we have fellowship with God now and forevermore.

It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. You've been listening to, when we understand the text with pastor

Gabe Hughes Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Gabe will be going through a new Testament study. Then on Thursday, we look at an old

Testament book on Friday. We take questions from the listeners and viewers tomorrow. We'll pick up on an old