1 Corinthians 10, What Is It All About?

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1 Corinthians 10 What Is It All About?

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1 Corinthians 11:2-16, “Who’s in Charge?”

1 Corinthians 11:2-16, “Who’s in Charge?”

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1 Corinthians chapter 10 starting verse 1 be reading to chapter 11 verse 1 Hear the word of the
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Lord for I want you to know brothers that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea and all ate the same spirit spiritual food and All drank the same spiritual drink for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them and the rock was
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Christ Nevertheless with most of them God was not pleased for they were overthrown in the wilderness
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Now these things took place as examples for us that we might not desire evil as they did
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Do not be idolaters as some of them were as it is written the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play
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We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did and twenty three thousand fell in a single day
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We must not put Christ to the test as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents
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Nor grumble as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer Now these things happen to them as an example
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But they were written down for our instruction on whom the end of the ages has come Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall
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No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man God is fateful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability
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But with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it.
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Therefore my beloved Flee from idolatry. I speak as two sensible people judge for yourselves
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What I say the cup of blessing that we bless is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
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The bread that we break is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread we who are many are one body for we all partake of the one bread
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Consider the people of Israel are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar
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What do I imply then that food offered idols is anything or that an idol is anything?
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No, I imply that what pagan sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God I do not want you to be participants with demons
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You cannot drink the cup of the Lord in the cup of demons You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
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Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? All things are lawful
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But not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things are not all things build up Let no one seek his own good
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But the good of his neighbor eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any questions on the ground of conscience
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For the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof if one of the young the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed
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To go eat whatever is set before you without raising any questions on the ground of conscience But if someone says to you this has been offered in sacrifice
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Then do not eat it for the sake of the one who informed you and for the sake of conscience
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I do not mean your conscience but his for why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience if I partake with thankfulness
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Why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the
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Church of God Just as I try to please everyone in everything I do not seeking my own advantage
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But that of many that they may be saved be imitators of me as I am of Christ May the
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Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word Well, I'm marking myself as safe Reporting in I'm safe.
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I have survived Football's offseason. I made it
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Wayne is laughing. He knows the way it feels Football season has started just yesterday.
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The first college games were played. That's good. Oh Cuz well, I like I kind of like watching the news
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But you know almost all the things they talk about is the next election which is you know in the next election not even for a
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Little over a year and last spring it was a year and a half away and it was just there's still that's all they're talking About it.
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It's kind of crazy, isn't it? I got an election that far away. That's why I'm glad for football So I don't have to watch that news anymore for me.
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The purpose of football is my yearly drama You know, how well will my team do this year?
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Now as we're talking about an election that's over a year off is as if the purpose of having an election is
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For the drama to see who wins or loses, you know, they're always the polls are up or down this kind of thing
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I'd rather watch football for the drama. I think it's a much better drama than politics. But is that what politics is for?
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This is supposed to be just a drama. This is sport to see who has the most vote winning skills. I Suppose that's what some candidates think it is that's why they make the promises that they do, you know to win votes whether whether or not they actually have any intention of Doing what they promise it seemed like they better be careful they're making promises just to win an election because we might catch on and Remember next election and not believe them anymore
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The purpose after all of winning an election seems to me should be you do what you promised you would do
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Not just get votes It's amazing how easily people though getting grossed in something
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Politics whatever sports and then they forget the purpose of it You know, the purpose of kids sports for example is for the kids to have fun to get some exercise
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Hopefully learn some life lessons maybe on how to work well with others with teammates authorities
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You know the coach they got to do what he says of opponents how to win and lose Gracefully but so often parents and sometimes even coaches forget what it's all about it and think it's just about winning and So we end up teaching their kids by example, the very opposite lesson that the sports are supposed to be for People are like that with the churches to they they might have been going church all their lives
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They may be heard in passion sermons on reaching the lost They've heard it so much and serving the
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Lord and how that's so important They may have heard the right words, but they still think deep down and you can tell by the way they live
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That it's the church is all about them I'd have a church that wanted to cancel a youth program because one kid accidentally broke a chair
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Now sure if you want to protect your chairs one effective strategy to do that is to not let anyone sit in them
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But of course you kind of forget what the purpose is of buying the chairs, don't you? When we were in Ethiopia, we wanted to show a group of the poor kids who lived out south about Like everything else in Ethiopia.
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Everyone lives in these walled in compounds and this compound we lived in there's these kids
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I mean just on the literally on the other side of these walls with these little shacks. They built out of shredded plastic
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And the kids there wanted to show them that the Jesus film which had been translated into Amharic And we're supposed to be missionaries and what's missionaries for and and the kids didn't have any they didn't have any
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TV He'd have any electricity for that matter for plumbing or anything or any kind of entertainment at all And so they would love to see it for a fact for many of his first time they ever seen a
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TV And so I asked the American man who was in charge of the facilities there for permission to move the TV in the beach
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Yard that they had which is on the second floor small room To take it down to the dining room. So we'd have enough space for all these kids that wanted to see it to my amazement
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He said No And I was thinking You forgot why it was you came to Ethiopia in the first place
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Was it to protect TVs and VCRs? But so not being able to move the
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TV and VCR out of the small room It was in we packed about 30 or maybe maybe more kids in a room probably smaller than that Sunday school room back there and They didn't seem to mind
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Being so close together and they seemed to enjoy it and soon after we did that a new rule was posted on the door
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I still find this just hilarious Posted on the door to that TV room No more than five people at once You're talking about not learning the lesson
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So often Christians get so wrapped up in the things that they have their TVs their VCRs their property their routines their rights
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What they are used to the things they like That they forget what it's all about What is it all about Here in first Corinthians 10 the
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Apostle Paul answers three questions three questions the Corinthians probably didn't know they had
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That they should be asking themselves because they had forgotten what it was all about first.
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What is Scripture for? Second what is the Lord's Supper for and third?
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What is my freedom for? What is Scripture for is it a book of life lessons to help me live my best life now
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Is it history of an ancient nation? The Old Testament in particular what is it for is it the story of how
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God used to work, you know in a previous Dispensation they call it but not anymore. He didn't work that way anymore
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And so but that would make it basically irrelevant for us today and the first 13 verses of chapter 10
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He reminds them of what happened to Israel and he tells them in verse 11 that these things happened to them to Israel to be an example
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To us they were written The Old Testament was in particular to teach us to change our minds
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To think differently think differently About what this is all about Remember how chapter 9 ended we ended last week at the end of chapter 9 here
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He's continuing from that telling them that unless they became Self -discipline unless they begin exerting themselves unless they were purposeful and unless they did that they would be
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Remember the term disqualified like a runner who doesn't Run the race correctly
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Now for some that may mean as we saw in chapter 3 that they will be saved in the end
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But at that final judgment everything about their life will be burnt up as if you just barely escaped from a burning house
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Unable to bring anything out with you your your clothes smelling of smoke your your hair singed
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But you managed to make it out alive he's saying in chapter 3 He said that that's the way some people's life will be at the final judgment
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They'll barely make it out say but they don't have anything to show for their life but others
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Will be so confident in their salvation The Lord Jesus tells us in Matthew 7 that they will have the nerve to argue with Jesus the judge
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About the final verdict on their life and they will still hear him say Away from me.
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I never knew you they are disqualified in the worst possible way
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Here he warns the Corinthians of a pending possible Disqualification and he can just hear them in his imagination.
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I think arguing back. We won't be disqualified not us never After all, we've been baptized
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We've taken the Lord's Supper. We've been inoculated Against God's judgment no matter how so we're no matter how close to the disease of sin we get
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We'll never suffer for it That's what people today think that's that this is what Paul is doing in those first five verses
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He's responding to this idea. It must be coming up in their minds that we won't be disqualified
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He said he said be careful. You'll be disqualified. They think no not us We've been baptized.
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We take the Lord's Supper. And so Paul says what's the Old Testament for? It's for a warning.
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It shows us what can happen Paul says Israel was baptized to don't you know in a way they went through the sea
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They had a supper from the Lord To in a way they ate supernatural food manna came from the sky
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Supernatural drink came from the rock and the rock says it was Christ They partook in Christ you think you partake in Christ and therefore you're safe.
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They did what makes you think you're safe So they had baptism with and in Moses following him to the sea.
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They had a communion with God himself But they didn't know what it was all about they thought
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Well now I'm saved Now the hard part's over We were slaves We've been rescued out of Egypt God triumphed over the biggest power of our day over the most powerful nation
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We must be really special. We have a lot going for us We have a
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God on our side the rest now should be easy We've been rescued out of Egypt will march right into the promised land the cloud leading the way
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So to these Corinthians thought probably like a lot of professed Christians today Now we've been saved
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We are eternally secure. I've been baptized. I take the Lord's Supper. I can't be
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Disqualified what are you talking about Paul me disqualified? Impossible, not me.
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I know what it's all about It's about getting me to heaven no matter how I live from here on out and Paul says
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No It's not What are these stories in all that this history the
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Exodus out of slavery through the water and the Under the leadership of Moses is wandering in the desert all this written in Exodus and numbers and repeated in Deuteronomy What's it have to do with me all that Old Testament stuff
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Hope to next week start a series of Old Testament survey for Sunday school Come for that.
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What's it all about? For a lot of people though that puts them off. What do you mean Old Testament survey? What's that have to do with us?
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Maybe it's good just good trivial information about history But it's irrelevant to us a lot of Christians today think Paul here said instead the first Corinthians and no it's not irrelevant to you
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It's a story about us. What's scripture for they were our forefathers It's what happened to them could happen to us
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What does it have to do with us? Well, Paul says a lot. It's a warning the same thing can happen to you There are fathers in verse 1 the very people that he saved out of Egypt.
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He he killed all but two of them one by one over 40 years
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Scattered in the hot arid ground of the Sinai Peninsula. It's it's about us. It's for us all of it is a picture of What can happen?
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to us We can be brought out of slavery to sin we can be baptized we can take the
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Lord's Supper and then we can think We can't possibly be disqualified not us from here on out no matter how we live no matter how many idols we have in our lives
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Our money our career our family our pastimes our relationships or whatever it is
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Whatever it is. I want that I love no matter how we live. We think we're set Because we've repeated the repeat after me prayer
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We got wet and now We can do as we want live for ourselves.
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Is it is it that what it's all about? The account of Israel and Exodus and numbers isn't just history of a you know faraway people.
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It's it's It's about us. He says in verse 6 these things occurred as examples to us that we won't be idolaters
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We don't think we're idolaters in America It's a it's a temptation we don't think we have to deal with But people are drawn to idols when deep down they they don't really believe the
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Lord Jesus can do for us Whatever this other thing is
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Promising whatever it is. It's promising to do something for us and we believe it instead of Jesus this money
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It promises to do our bidding we have enough of it it will do whatever we want it to do
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They'll give us a comfortable life So we're gonna serve it for a while This maybe this angry quest for for revenge against someone who hurt us this hidden resentment
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There's hatred of of what he or she did to me to me of all people. Can you believe it?
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avenging ourselves That Promises us something
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That we don't believe God will deliver on Maybe the sexual encounter outside of the covenant of marriage seems to promise so much this extra money
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Stolen from an employer or not paid in taxes or not given as God wills this bending of the truth
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You know a little they don't need to know that a little white lie. We call it white Gives me an advantage gives me something.
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We don't think the truth will give us it serves my purpose Whatever it is promising us.
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We believe that we'll get from the idol The money's the relationship the car the new the new gadget whatever it is promising us
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We believe it and not the Lord that's when we know We have an idol who are idolaters would we believe in the promise?
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From that instead of believing the Lord don't be idolaters. He tells them and us we think it's obvious that Christians are not
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Supposed to be idolaters, but it's not obvious at all to people have forgotten What it's all about Does that mean we can lose our salvation?
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You know if you can be disqualified you can be baptized and take the Lord's Supper and say the right prayer and be disqualified
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No, but it does mean that we can think we are safe feel secure even when we really are not we can be convinced
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We are standing that him who stands take heed. He says lest he fall it can be convinced
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We're standing even when we're about to collapse We can think we have God taking care of with our baptism and our religion
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But it's all a sham perhaps a sham that we've pulled over our own eyes We fool ourselves with we can be disqualified but those who are truly saved.
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He says God will preserve Everyone will be tested
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You know everyone Temptations will come they must have been thinking we've we have some
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Bob Paul You don't understand what temptations we have here in Corinth this temple to Aphrodite with all the morality there
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You're from Jerusalem and so conservative there, you know, you don't get it. He says oh no temptations come to you
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It's not common to people It's the same thing a lot of people experience we will all be tested
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Those who were never really saved whose baptism and religion was empty that those will fall away When the temptations when the tests come they will fall away into living like the rest of the world
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But those who God has truly saved God will be faithful to he will not let us be tempted
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Beyond what we can bear think of the implication to that statement. God will not let let you
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Allow you to be tempted Beyond what you can bear
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Implying that he is in perfect control of the temptation Right.
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He doesn't Let it go Beyond what he will let it go We would be tempted and God is presiding over all our temptations
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He's even holding Satan's leash can pull him back and give him a little slack as he wants
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He's holding Satan's leash as he temps temptation can only go as far as God Allows for those who are truly
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God's children. He will provide a way of escape So they won't be caught by it but for others the hypocrites who thought that they could put
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God on the leash use him for their purposes those who thought that their religion was just an inoculation against the consequences of sin
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Those will be overcome By their temptations What's it all about It's about showing us how to escape
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Temptation What's the Lord's Supper about? In verses 14 to 22.
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He deals with the Lord's Supper He's already hinted in the first few verses of this chapter that they thought the
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Lord's Supper was kind of like an immunization Perhaps a lot of Baptists today think baptism is like an immunization an inoculation against God's judgment.
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So that once having received it You're immune from judgment Like we might get our shots, you know for measles mumps and rubella
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So we don't have to be afraid if we encounter someone with measles mumps or rubella We'll be confident that we won't get those diseases. That's what the
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Lord's Supper was for They thought so I if I receive it on Sunday, it's supposed to protect me from the bad effects of the sin
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I come in on Monday Especially that particularly bad effect of God's judgment. That's the one you really want to be protected from but Paul says it is instead a participation
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Done an inoculation. It's a participation There's a sharing a communion
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With the Lord just like sometimes it's proper. You can call the Lord's Supper communion when we call it communion is it is both communion with one another and The Lord it is for communing with the
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Lord and each other That's what it's all about Many evangelicals today have to say a low regard for the
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Lord's Supper sometimes almost no regard No thought for it. It's kind of the tradition they do without any thought for it because they kind of just think it's an object
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Lesson, but you see here. He's saying it's something much more than just that. It's more than just a visual aid the teaching tool
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It is that but it's much more than that. It is a way you participate you share in The body that is the physical body of Jesus and his blood
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You share in that and you share in that with the whole church that shares it together
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And so If someone comes to church, maybe they like the services they like the music this is particularly good if if it's to their taste and the speaker is
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He's fine and they but you know, they keep coming but If they aren't willing to sacrifice
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Maybe they're not willing to give they aren't willing to consider others They're not willing to discern as he'll talk about in the next chapter to think about to consider the body
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Think about other members who are supposed to be they are supposed to be committed to walking together in Christian Love because that's not what they're all about.
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They're about themselves You know, they're thinking what's in it for me? What's the service doing for me
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People like that should not be receiving the Lord's Supper Because they're not wanting to commune with the
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Lord And not with his body if you're going to take communion make sure you want to commune with the
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Lord which means Communing with his people the church Thinking about them.
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There's no way to separate that If you're communing with the Lord you're communing with his people
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And if you're commuting with his people you're commuting with the Lord. It's You you can't
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Can't say I'll have the Lord but never mind the church It's impossible It's this passage shows us it is communion with both
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So next week we plan on serving the Lord's Supper and ask yourself to prepare is your life about communing with the
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Lord? Or do you think you're getting immunized against the consequences of sin?
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What is the Lord's Supper for it's for communion and the copy says we we share the blood just as our mouth participates in that juice our our soul can participate in the blood and in the broken bread we take and we bite and swallow
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Participating physically in it at the same way at the same time together. So our hearts can participate in the broken body of Christ It's a way for us
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To remember him sure, but there's something more about the Lord's Supper than just an object lesson and just a good teaching tool
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We can if we receive it rightly Spiritually share in the blood in the body of Christ.
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That's what it's about. How do we take it rightly? We prepared the way we live on Saturday and we show we've changed by the way we live on Monday Especially how we live with others and even more especially
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The church those other people for whom Christ died that body we are to discern how we think
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About them before we take it we keep asking We keep ourselves from the idols that we might be tempted to follow for the
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Corinthian Christians and for many Christians of the world in the world today This being separate from idols
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We think that we hear that and we think what I have anything to do with me But for many Christians of the world today even some here that meant keeping ourselves from participating in literal
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Idolatry don't participate in feasts that are about the worship of another
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God Or spirit it didn't matter if they didn't directly worship the idol when they went to those feasts in the temple
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You understand some of them were thinking I could go to these feasts of these temple to Zeus or whoever I'm not gonna participate in the actual worship, but I'm just gonna eat with them
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I'm gonna be part of the festival there and part of the meal. It doesn't matter though He's saying here if they didn't bow down to the idol
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Paul says don't participate in it. You don't take part in that kind of Happening if they want if they went to a pagan feast
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Perhaps like some of us could be invited to a party which all about drugs or drunkenness or casual sex just by being part of It they were participating in it and Paul says that even though there is no
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Zeus You know before I remember he said there's no we know there's no
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Zeus But someone were thinking well, there's no Zeus. What does it matter? There's nothing going on there. We said no
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There is something there not Zeus, but something else or maybe for Chinese culture, okay, we understand
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There's no real hungry ghosts wandering around That you give sticky cakes to to keep them from stalking if they eat the sticky cakes or for Americans They're not goblins or whatever, you know ghost around Halloween None of that really going on is there but but still there is a demonic power behind those things that we can participate in if we participate in those feasts
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We don't take any part in Anything that has to do with honoring other spirits other than the
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Holy Spirit Feasting in an environment that's all about superstitions or our spirits or ghosts or our idols our intoxication our immorality or is
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Participating in that it it is breathing in the spirit of that involving us in some kind of Union Yielding some kind of alliance with it the very attitudes even the powers of the or the beings that are behind it
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Masquerading maybe they're masquerading as gods or as ancestors or as friendly ghosts or maybe is pretending
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They're not there at all But they are really demons Paul says and Paul says that to take the
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Lord's Supper rightly you have to separate yourself To set yourself apart from so that you do not share and what is offered in the table of Demons and the table of the
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Lord you have to take your pick You don't say well, I know there's no Zeus or there's no hungry ghosts
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So I can I'll play along because there's nothing really there. He's saying no, they're actually okay.
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There's no Zeus. There's no hungry ghost There's no other stuff But there are demonic powers in those things.
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So don't take part in them. It's either the Lord or the demons They felt they could have both like so many so -called
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Christian today thinks that they can take from the Lord's table and the world's table that They can mix them up as they like because it's all about me after all so I'll take what's good for me
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But Paul tells us that by living like that no differently on Saturday Then taking the Lord's Supper on Sunday and living like the rest of the world or Monday that we provoke the
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Lord He's a jealous God He says he tolerates no rivals.
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He demands an undivided devotion here, he graciously invites us to come and participate in our hearts
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But inherent in that that open joyful loving invitation is for us to leave behind to drop forever
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The table of the world with its idols and his demons and his delusions
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If we won't do that if we think we're gonna have a little of both From the table of the the demons and the table of the
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Lord he says Paul says We make the Lord angry and we're not strong enough to bear up under his fury
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So the invitation the gracious invitation to commune with him requires us to make a choice
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That's what the Lord's Supper is about They of course would insist as many
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Christians do today I'm free. I'm eternally secure. I don't have to keep the law. There's nothing
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I can do to earn my salvation So I don't have to do anything. I don't have to sacrifice a dime or a date or a dessert or a drink.
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Oh Yes, we are free But what is our freedom for? In verses from chapter 10 verse 23 to chapter 11 verse 1 he he tells us clearly what our what our freedom is for What is what is it for?
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What is freedom for? For me some of you don't think just what do you mean? What's freedom for freedom is so I can do what
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I want to do. That's what freedom is for This is I'm with the American way. We just assume that Paul says no, it's not
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Your freedom isn't not just for yourself It's for your neighbor This is for my fellow church member.
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He says in verse 24. It's for everyone else besides me in verse 33 and this
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Freedom, it's not for me Neither they then nor we now can understand
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We think freedom is for us and just just assume it so we can consume what we want to consume
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We want to consume the church we want to consume the Lord. We'll do that. That's what freedom's for.
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What do you mean? I've committed to something beyond me. I'm covenanted. No, I'm free.
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Yes, we're free. What's our freedom for? Freedom must be for me we think We choose what what is to our advantage?
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Grabbing and clutching whatever is for me But it's not just for me.
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We're free. Yes now let's freely seek the good of others, especially
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The Church of God he says in verse 32 that is those other people for whom
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Christ died To whom we are covenanted together Not just my own advantage
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Especially so we can be used by God To see them saved how bizarre though.
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This is nearly incomprehensible Think both to them in their culture that day and to especially to ours to proclaim first you're free
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What's our first thought free? I get to do what I want to do for me And he said no, you're free now go serve others
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Tell me why would a why would a small church Talk small with limited resources
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No extravagantly wealthy people no, whatever you think of Joe, you may think he's extravagantly wealthy, but Well, I'm not sure no sugar daddies with deep pockets writing big checks
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Why would a why would a church like that be spending money on lights and you know Electric bills and most of our transportation.
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It's almost all our transportation expenses are are funding our children to youth ministries and at least for now
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That has not returned one cent to us. I don't think maybe a few not hardly anything but why yeah
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Financially, you know from a business plan perspective It makes no sense.
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It's a non sustainable business model. Okay Other words, you know, it doesn't work not to mention the time our people put into and running
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Jim jr And Jim it can get on tiring Why don't we do it? After all, we're free
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We're free to say for ourselves Instead of spending on, you know lights of kids can come here.
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Why don't we save maybe get after save enough money after a while we can build a Nice traditional building where we're free to cancel our
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Jim and Jim jr. Programs and tell the kids, you know You're welcome to come here on Sunday mornings if you can get a ride and please remember to bring an offering
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We're free to do that. Why don't we? Because that's not what we're about We want to use our freedom for the good of others to serve yes, we're free
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We're free even eat with the world He says here notice in verse 27 Paul tells them here They're free to go out with me to eat with unbelievers
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Just not to a festival that they know was all about Zeus or the hungry ghost festival or our parties
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They're all about sex and drugs and drunkenness not bad, but not fighting for your rights to party but if it's just a meal out with your friend the unbeliever sure why not you're free to do that and If and if we don't know whether the meat was sacrificed to a pagan
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God or to the ancestors we're free to eat it don't ask don't tell and Paul says we're not participating with demons if we don't intend on eating in an event in their honor
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We're not intending to eat Food that's sacrificed to them. We are free to eat or drink whatever set for us, but if we're told
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Hey This is here this prime rib, whatever this this honors
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Zeus Or the kitchen God or the ancestors. I guess you don't get prime rib to the ancestors. Do you but whatever?
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Whatever you would sacrifice to the ancestors, whatever whatever drink whatever it was If you're told that then no, then you push that away
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So we don't make up our minds on things and what is right or wrong Just based on what is good for me. What looks good.
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What smells good what tastes good? What's For me, but we are prepared to accommodate. We are prepared to accommodate people to help their edification if they are
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Christian to help their Salvation if they're not yet a Christian we use our freedom to serve
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That's what it's all about churches disillusion people today when they
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When people looking at the churches realize that so often They're all about themselves
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You know, that's why occasionally you hear people complaining about churches should they should pay taxes like everyone else
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They don't do it because it's basically the same there. What are they doing for anyone else? They'll talk about having a churches
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We'll talk about having a burden to win us win souls or love God to serve God and people
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But if a chair gets broken or the TV and the VCR could get damaged when it's moved downstairs You know, what are they all about?
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Then the rhetoric are crossing an ocean to reach the loss of throwing out the window. It's proven Just to be so much empty talk if the kids are too rowdy if we have to make a choice between reaching those kids on the one hand or having a respectable building on the other and We choose the building
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People are disillusioned probably rightly by a church that seems to make every decision in the same way That others choose what's best for their careers.
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What's it for me? Some churches show year after year that they couldn't care less about others particularly people who can't do anything for them
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Maybe because they're too poor. So why should we help? Or maybe there aren't going to you know, those those kind of people aren't going to come to our church anyway, so Never mind about them.
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They'll be moving away in a few years. Anyway, when they finish school, so Never mind about them. They don't even speak my language
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So never mind about them In other words, it's all about me they forget what they were for everyone then looks at that kind of church and ask
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What's it all about? It's about Paul says the glory of God That's what
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Scripture is all about. That's what the Lord's Supper is all about. That's what our freedom is about. We can be free from ourselves to glorify
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God By being like Christ Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do
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Do all for the glory of God in verse 31 The great verse put on a poster on a wall somewhere, but notice though it begins with so or therefore
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Therefore Because of all Paul is saying all that I've said before This is a conclusion based on what he said before About giving up your rights, but thinking of your impact on others on the church
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Therefore because of that Because of what my eating or drinking may if what effect that might have on them because of them if you keep them into Into a keep them and put them into account
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When you eat or drink or whatever you do Then You glorify
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God whether you eat or drink By doing it thinking of them
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That's how You glorify God What is life all about?
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The great Westminster Catechism the marvelous manual and Christian Christian living and doctrine developed by the
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Puritans of 1647 Begins with this the very first question famously, you know, the
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Westminster Catechism first question What is the chief end of man? Chief end of man is to glorify
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God and Enjoy him forever It is to live as if life were all about God Starting now
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Enjoy him now and forever So you don't live as if glorifying
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God. It's not just glorify God Is as if as if doing that were some kind of grim duty you know,
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I can exercise regimen that you really just hate but you just make yourself do it because you know, it's good for you as If heating scriptures warnings meant giving up what
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I what I really wanted to do As if having to choose between the table of the Lord and the table of demons men having to choose between you know
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Those sweet desserts that man those demons are offering on this health food. Oh If the
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Lord has and I really hate but it's good for me So I'm gonna have it as if we really wish deep down.
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We didn't have to put up with those noisy brats But instead we could be home watching TV in his football season after all
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No, it is to enjoy him forever to be refreshed Sometimes thrilled that his word is a light to our paths
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That is truly the way of life that we we long for we even
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Pants, give me your word. Give me your presence. Give me yourself I want to glorify you in all my life to glorify him and everything we do that there's nothing more that we want and be used by God and this amazing mission of Saving many that to gain the incredible pleasure of being part of that mission
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We will eat anything or drink anything or Push away any food or drink that our life is not all about what?
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adds to our bank account Or feels good to our bodies or soothes our minds or tastes good to our mouths or puffs up our ego but that we want something that is that is higher and Greater we enjoy him now and forever.
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So we're willing even to surrender our rights and follow For that thing that is higher and greater something all our life is about from every bite we eat every sip we take
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Every dollar we spend every relationship we have it's all for the glory of God and that's