The Restraint Of Christian Liberty (part 2) - [1 Corinthians 8:1-6]

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Becoming Better Theologians (part 33)

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Christian liberty, the real issue is not can I do something, but should
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I? We are free in Christ to do many things. The Scriptures are not explicit on many decisions that we have to make.
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And so we have questions. When the Bible is silent about something, what do we do? When there's a debate in Christianity about what's right and what's wrong, what do we do?
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We all have convictions about personal obedience. About things that aren't really sin issues, but they're gray issues.
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Decision making when it comes to amoral issues. And the question today is, not can
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I do this, but should I do it? That's exactly what Paul is trying to say to the church of Corinth.
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Not can I, because you can, but should you? It's kind of like when you're a kid and you go to school and you say to the teacher, can
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I use the restroom, please? Yes, you can, but there's a different question that you should ask.
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What's the question? May I? Can I, may I? And here, Paul, when it comes to liberty, whether it's
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Romans 14 and 15, or 1 Corinthians 8, 9, and 10, it's not can I, but should
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I? That's the real issue. And we talked about many things last week, but when it comes to churches and the differences that we have, can
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I or should I is the right remedy for things not explicitly clear in Scripture.
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Let's turn our Bibles to 1 Corinthians 1. Don't go to chapter 8 yet, but let's go to chapter 1.
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If you look at the New Testament, how a book is set up, it's typically like this. Colossians 1 and 2, doctrine.
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Colossians 3 and 4, what? Duty, how we're to live in light of the doctrine.
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Ephesians chapter 1, 2, and 3, creed. Ephesians 4, 5, and 6, conduct.
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Romans 1 to 11, credenda, what we believe. Romans 12 through 16, agenda, how we act.
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The New Testament sets books up like that very often. Hebrews 1 to 10a, who we are in Christ Jesus, how do we live that out, 11b through 13.
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But weirdly, and rightly, 1 Corinthians isn't set up that way. Why? Because Paul's answering these letters and they're wondering about immorality, wondering about sin in the church, wondering about suing each other, and then they have questions about marriage and divorce and all kinds of other things.
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So it's not set up that way. But you know what on second thought? It is set up that way.
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It's just not chapter 1 and 2 or chapter 1 through 8, it's just chapter 1 verses 1 to 9.
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Chapter 1 verses 1 to 9 tells us who Jesus is and then we can live in light of Jesus in chapter 1 verse 10 and following.
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So it's the same thing. It's indicative who Jesus is, statement of fact, and then imperatives to follow.
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And by the way, that is the way you live your Christian life. It is a very, very important truth that you get that.
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I think my father would say this, if you get that into your noggin, if you can just get that into your cranial structure there, this is my life.
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Now let's think about it just quickly before we look at the text. It's true in evangelism too. How do you evangelize?
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You have to evangelize with both indicatives and imperatives. That's just Christianity.
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Jesus is God. Virgin birth. Deity of Christ. Son of man,
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Son of God. Substitution and atonement. Raised from the dead. All these facts about Jesus.
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He's the only way of salvation. I haven't told the people to do anything yet. I'm describing who
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Jesus is. This is the good news. And in light of the good news, then we give the imperatives.
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What are some of the imperatives? Repent. Believe. Trust. Follow. Forsake.
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So the gospel, even in evangelism, is this is the good news. Good news isn't repent and believe.
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The good news is we have a Savior who offers forgiveness full and free to anybody who will believe,
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Jews and Gentiles too. Then in light of that, in light of the only God of the universe sending
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His only Son to die on behalf of sinners like you, then we respond with trust and assent and a commitment.
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That's the gospel. But it's the same thing when it comes to Christianity. Here's who you are in Christ Jesus.
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This is what God has done for you out of full, free, lavishing grace. And then in light of what
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He's done for you, respond accordingly. You don't earn it. It's already been given to you. But it's out of gratitude and it's out of Holy Spirit enablement.
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This is what's going on in Christianity today. We are fighting now because the seeker -sensitive movement has pushed everything over to do this.
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Be a better husband. Be a better churchman. Be a better neighbor. Be a better husband.
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Did I already say that? Husbands need it twice. Be a better wife. It's all this do, do, do.
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And by the way, I like the commands, but in light of the gospel.
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By the way, parents, the day that this dawned on me, I thought, why didn't I learn this 20 years ago? How do you parent your kids?
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Using the indicative imperative model, how do you parent? Well, I know
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God instructs and parents indicative imperative. But I'm an imperative -driven guy.
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And you know, left to myself, that's exactly what I turn out to be. Don't do that. Do that.
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Stop that. Pick that up. Jump over there. Go over there. Why'd you do that?
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All this stuff. Those are fine to do. Elbows on the table. Stop it. I wasn't allowed to put my elbows on the table, but I let my kids.
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But if they spread them too far out like that, then they have to go back in within Dad's 12 -inch restriction. That's how we parent, because we forget how
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God teaches His children. God teaches His children, look at who you are in Christ Jesus.
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I've adopted you in my family. You're my son. You're my daughter. You're co -heir with me.
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I've given you everything I have. I've held nothing back. I've given you my son. I loved you in eternity past.
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I loved you at Calvary. I love you now. I can't stop loving you. This is what I've done for you. I'll never leave you.
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I'll never forsake you. I'll be there till the very end. I'll give you a faith that will last through your deathbed into eternity.
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I give you the hope of heaven. I've given you the Word. I've given you the Spirit of God. I've given you teachers. I've given you fellowship.
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This is what I've done for you. And when you hear that, what does that make you want to do? It motivates you to want to obey.
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You don't say, you're a hard task, Master God. But somehow in parenting, we forget this part.
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Son, daughter, I love you. I pray for you. You're the apple of my eye. I want to just give you everything that's good and healthy.
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Matter of fact, I have. I've given you a place to sleep, a place to stay. I've given you fun, encouragement, all these other things.
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This is what I've done for you. And in light of what I've done for you, what do you think you should do?
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Now Luke's big for this now, but when he was eight years old. So in light of who I am and who Kim is, what do you think you should do when it comes to hitting your sister?
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By the way, if you're a boss, how do you act as a boss? Especially if you're a
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Christian boss. It's do this, don't do this, do this, don't do that. It's all imperative driven. No, the
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Bible, just get it into your mind. This is how God works. Once I figure that out, my life is a lot easier.
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There's a few things about God you've got to get down right away. Blood. That's God's economy.
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That's just the way it works. It's not because of anything but his own wisdom. If there's sin, there's got to be blood.
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Mark it down. Back in Genesis, they sin, Adam and Eve, and there has to be a blood sacrifice. God kills the animal, cloaks
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Adam and Eve. Day of Atonement, blood. You want to be forgiven, there's got to be blood.
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And we can easily think about Christ Jesus and blood. When I get blood down, this is what God does, this is how he operates.
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I settle in. And also remember, God operates this way. Who you are in Christ Jesus, indicative.
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I don't care if you remember the word indicative or not. And in light of who God is, imperative.
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Got it? You'll see it everywhere. Now, once in a while, it might be flipped around like this.
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Husbands, love your wives. Which one is that? Like Christ, what?
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Love the church. Isn't that good? Even in evangelism, repent! For the kingdom of God is at hand.
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This is the way God operates. So here's why I brought it up. When we're studying a book like 1
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Corinthians that has 16 chapters, in my mind, this is what I always do. As many chapters there are, that's how many years were in the book.
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So then it just settles it early for me. Blood, indicative, imperative, one chapter per year.
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That's just the way God works. But I've got 16 chapters. So what do we do when now we're in chapter 8, when chapter 1 verses 1 to 9 is way back there?
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If we're not careful when we do verse -by -verse sequential preaching, which I'm all for.
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There's no other way to preach. But if I do that and then forget about the indicatives of chapter 1, 1 to 9, then
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I'm just telling you, do, do, do, do, do, do, do. It's especially important when it comes to Christian liberty.
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It's most especially important to understand who you are in Christ because if you don't, you've got liberty wrong.
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And as I analyze behavior, show me someone who doesn't understand a gray area issue.
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Show me a legalist. Show me a libertine. Show me someone who says, I can or can't do this with convictions that are outside the
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Bible. And I'll show you someone that's misunderstood who they are in Christ. So looking now to chapter 1 verses 1 to 9, let me just remind you how great
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God is, what He's done on your behalf. And in light of all this, it helps clear up what's going on in chapter 8.
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Don't count out loud, but see how many times you can find the word God, Christ, Jesus, Lord, or Him.
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You're going to be blown away. The Gospel is about God. How about that? Isn't that good?
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It has nothing to do with us primarily. The Gospel is about the glory of God. And thankfully, we get kind of a bit part.
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Aren't you glad? What was going on before you were born? The glory of God and the Trinity, but somehow missing out because God had a mic -shaped vacuum in His heart and He just wasn't quite full.
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No, the glory of God intrinsically. But then, of course, He displays it extrinsically as He saves people like us.
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The Gospel is all about God. Paul, 1 Corinthians 1 verse 1, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus and our brother
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Sosthenes, to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those in every place who call upon the name of our
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Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our
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Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus that in every way you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you so that you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for the revealing of our
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Lord Jesus Christ who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our
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Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our
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Lord. The Gospel is about God. Aren't you glad? I'm super happy.
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And Paul stresses that. And if you look down at verse 4, give thanks...
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How does Paul do this? I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus.
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Paul said, I thank you God that you graced these people. You freely, fully, divinely gave them salvation.
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You did it all. It was your gift. They received it because you were gracious. These pagan people, these carnal people, these immoral people, it was all about God and His work.
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And this is related. Don't say to yourself, this is kind of the intro. This is kind of this throwaway stuff at the beginning.
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No, this is related. Who you are in Christ Jesus. Corinth, don't you forget it. They had forgotten and now
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He can say later, then do this and don't do that. It's all about God.
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What explains the church of Corinth? If you go back 2 ,000 years ago, I was there in the rubble 11 months ago.
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But what explains the church that was there 2 ,000 years ago when Paul was writing to it? What explains it?
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It's just the grace of God. And you know, I thought about that today too. What explains Bethlehem Bible Church? Cool website.
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Lines on the floor here in the sanctuary. Deluxe parking lot.
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The list could go on and on. It's the same thing that explains Corinth, explains us.
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The grace of God. It's His doing. Then when you see the grace of God and His doing, then when
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He says later, and we're going to get there. I know you're antsy. We're going to get there. When He says, you know what, by the way, you could do it if you want, but you shouldn't do it because you should love other people instead.
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Because you're reflecting what God has done as He has loved His people, then don't you want to love the same people?
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If God loves other people, how do you love those same people? Jesus dies for certain people and then you go, you know what?
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It's just logical, indicative, imperative, that in every way, verse 5, you are enriched in Him in all speech and in all knowledge.
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He gave the Son. He gave everything. Every spiritual treasure God has, He gives because He gave
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His Son. He even confirmed the message in verse 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift.
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No, let me read verse 6. Even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you with signs of the Apostle, miracles of the
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Apostle, wonders of the Apostle, it was confirmed. And you know what?
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In an unfaithful age, in an unfaithful Corinth, what do we need? If I do a word association,
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Corinth, what should you say? Immoral. But you should say, if you're thinking about this verse, and you're a mind reader of my mind, you should say unfaithful.
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Everything about Corinth is unfaithful. Their lack of unity, their lack of dealing with immorality, their pride.
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Hey, we're the church. Here's how Corinth advertised themselves around there. You know what? Come to Corinth.
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Where we're happy, where someone's currently committing incest in our church. We have so much grace, we've got a person committing incest.
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Incest. I wish it was incest. Incest in the church. That's crazy.
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Corinth unfaithful. What do we need to remind ourselves in these days of unfaithfulness and lack of fidelity?
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Who God is. God is faithful. Don't we need that? You say to me, well, there's some people at our church here,
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Bethlehem Bible Church, and they kind of did these things, and they're kind of unfaithful, and they kind of do this, and they kind of do that.
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They're just not where they should be. And I think, you know what? Welcome. A. B.
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Let me give you a little cosmetic mirror. Maybe 5X with a big bright light on there so you can see yourself.
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But you know what? God is faithful. I'm not here because I think you're all so faithful. By the way, many of you have seen the indicatives of God and then have responded with faithfulness.
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The last two days, people running around here, like faithful little busy bees, going, God is so great,
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I'm going to serve. But we're all unfaithful at times, but God is faithful.
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And that's what Paul says here. Look it. God is faithful. Literal translation, faithful is
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God. Emphasis. Faithful is God. By whom you were sovereignly called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, the
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Lord. God effectually, effectively called you by His irresistible grace.
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A grace that is faithful. A grace that is irresistible. A grace that goes all the way back to the eternal purpose of God.
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And do you know what, friends? God can't lose a Christian. Can I lose my salvation?
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Wrong question. Can God the Father lose a Christian? Thomas Watson said, when
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God calls a sinner, He does not repent of it. God does not, as many friends do, love one day and hate another, or as princes who makes their subjects favorites and afterwards throws them into prison.
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This is the blessedness of the saint. His condition admits of no altercation.
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God's call is founded upon His decree. And His decree is immutable. Acts of grace cannot be reversed.
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God blots out His people's sins. Listen to Thomas Watson. But not their names.
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When you understand who you are in Christ Jesus, even though you were a sinner, Romans 5 says, even though you were an enemy,
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Romans 5 says, even though you were helpless, Romans 5 says, even though you were ungodly,
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Romans 5 said, God sent His Son to die for those kind of people like you and like me.
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And if that's the case of free and full and divinely initiated love, when it comes to anything else, don't we want to respond with,
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Yes, Father. No, Father. Gladly. And if you are a God who loves other people,
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I don't want by the Spirit's grace to have the apple fall too far from the tree. And when it comes to weaker
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Christians, instead of pummeling them, I'm going to love them. The gospel is related to Christian liberty.
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So now as we set the stage, let's go to chapter 8. Chapter 8.
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Long gone are the days, even if you were here the last couple days for the conference. Long gone are the days where Jesus and the gospel are for your first little bit of salvation and then once you're in, you never have to go back to it again.
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I'm going to steal a line from Haddon Robinson but change it a little bit. I'm going to call that star -spangled banner preaching.
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Star -spangled banner preaching. In the third quarter, for the pagans out here today that watch any football games, in the third quarter,
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I bet you three minutes to go or the two minute warning in the fourth quarter, the star -spangled banner is not played.
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Why? Because you just start that at the beginning to get everything going and you never return to it again.
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I want Christians. Paul wants Christians. Remember, he wrote 1 Corinthians 1 -16 so you would read at how many settings?
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One setting. How about that? At one setting. So when you were reading chapter 8, you already had chapter 1 done in there.
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The gospel is for Christians too. I like to think about the immense sound and kind of the scariness of it.
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Have you ever seen a train car, a boxcar full and another boxcar full, the engines backing up the one boxcar, there's another one here that's not attached and they've got those couplings there, they want to couple the one with the other, one's male, one's female, and then bang, that sound.
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I always think, what if I had my finger in there? That's what I always think about. What I want is the gospel coupled with your life.
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In chapter 8, 9, and 10, Paul is dealing with something that seemed like more relevant to the people of Corinth about food offered to idols.
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But it's good for us because A, there are people in the East that deal with idols all the time.
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And B, I think we can get some good principles from it. He's just come out of chapter 5, 6, and 7 pretty much saying, flee immorality.
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And now we're moving into chapter 8, 9, and 10 and he's saying, flee idolatry.
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And flee not loving your fellow Christian. Leon Morris, a wonderful scholar said, the church was never meant to be a cozy club of like -minded people of one race.
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Our social position, our intellectual caliber, the rich and the poor, the powerful, those from every stratum of society, the old and the young, adults and children, conservatives and radicals, variety.
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And then he said the right thing. But this variety puts strains on us all.
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We're different, so how do we act in the body? So chapter 8, 9, and 10, basically chapter 8,
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Paul is going to address food offered to idols and he's going to say, you don't have to say, I can.
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You can say, I should. Chapter 9, Paul is going to say, my apostolic ministry, I can say you should pay my bills, but I am not going to do it.
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And then back into idolatry in chapter 10. I gave some watchwords last week.
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Let's just have some review for watchwords when it comes to gray areas in the
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Christian life. And we'll pull these right from 1 Corinthians chapter 8. How far does
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Christian freedom go in behavior that's not specifically forbidden in Scripture? Watchword 1 in review, be humble.
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Be humble. Found right there in chapter 8, verse 1. Now concerning food offered to idols, we know that all of us possess knowledge.
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This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. When it comes to Christian liberty, can
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I get a tattoo? Can't I. Can I smoke? Can't I. Can I drink? Can't I. All kinds of other things too.
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Those are just some. We just want to be humble. Listen to what Luther said. God made the cosmos out of nothing, and He will not make anything out of you until you realize you're nothing.
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That's worse than a seeker -sensitive service, isn't it? The nothing service. People would get the animal back then.
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They'd sacrifice it. One portion burned up. One portion given to the priest. The other portion given to the offerer.
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Dedicated to the idol. The priest could say, No, I don't really want to eat it. I'll go sell it at the market. Now you have
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Christians going to the market. New Christians, Gentile Christians. Jews already know there's only one God. But Gentile Christians, I wonder if this piece of meat has something on it.
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They were not only polytheistic, they were polydemonistic.
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Polydemons. Lots of demons. All kinds of demons. And what if a demon attaches itself to some of that meat, and then you buy it in the butcher shop, and then what goes up must go down.
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Go in. I got some demon on the inside. I got some kind of gizzard demon. What am I going to do? God in my meat.
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I don't want that. And the Church of Corinth, in parentheses, you can see it in 1
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Corinthians 8, verse 1. Well, we have knowledge. We've got the inside dope. And the dope is, there's no such thing as an idol.
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But not everybody has that information. There's nothing wrong with an immature
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Christian, as long as they're maturing. There's nothing wrong with an immature
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Christian, as long as they shouldn't be mature by now. But we get brand new
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Christians. Don't you love it when there's a baptism? But when you have baptisms, I say to myself, here we go.
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I can just see it coming. I'm going to have to say, let's just talk about election again.
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Let's talk about free will. Let's talk about this. Eternal security. Let's talk about all these other things. It's kind of like Pink and Tozer.
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I'm sick and tired of people coming to me saying, how does responsibility and sovereignty go together?
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But the thing that Tozer did is he forgot. New Christians need to figure that out.
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You maybe have figured it out because God has helped you figure it out. But they haven't. How can Jesus be God and man?
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You think, I've got to explain this again to the next guy. Yep. But you know what?
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Since God has loved me so much, I'll gladly do it. Two, build up instead of puff up.
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Found in verse one as well. This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
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Paul had already said in 1 Corinthians 4, you're arrogant, verse 16. Arrogant, verse 18.
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Arrogant, verse 19. Chapter 5, you're arrogant. Chapter 13, love isn't arrogant. And they're all the same word, puffed up.
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They were a puffed up group. If Jesus didn't please himself, then we shouldn't either,
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Romans chapter 15, verse 3. Review point number three, found in verse two. Remember that you haven't arrived.
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No matter how much you know, you haven't arrived. By the way, when you hang out with old saints, you will soon find out that they don't walk around like they've mastered
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God. I can't believe it. I have a master in divinity. I've mastered divinity.
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Then why did I go get my doctorate in ministry if I had already mastered divinity? That was sure dumb.
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I've already mastered divinity. I am a master of divinity. We're always learning.
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Hang around old saints and you'll realize you never think they've arrived. Paul says here in verse two, if anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.
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We all have so much to learn. One man said, some Christians grow, others just swell.
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Man, I've got my theological ducks in a row, doctrines of grace, tulip, five solas, and this is a bat ready to knock your head off, you immature, brand new baptized person.
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Whack! If you're going to act like that, Paul says, you know what,
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I don't think you even really know those doctrines. I was going to make some comment about the
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Red Sox, but I just had to stop. If you have a different view than other
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Christians about something, here's what Paul would have you do. I should probably consider what they're doing and thinking and saying, because they just might have some truth.
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They just might be right. I've got everything all wrapped up in my mind about this, and you say, you know what, there could be, I know them,
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I know they're faithful in light of who God is, and you know what, they seem on board on a lot of things.
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They could probably teach me something. Number four, when it comes to gray areas, remind yourself that you are what you are by grace alone.
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The divine initiative alone. Difficult verse to translate, difficult to interpret, but verse three says, but if anyone loves
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God, he is known by God. That's not if then, but if anyone loves
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God, then God is able now to know him. Here's the way you can think about it interpretively, but if anyone loves
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God, he has already been known by God. That's the idea. If you say you love
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God, guess what, who's on first? God's already loved you. His initiating grace.
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So you can't say, yeah, we've got it all, because we came up with it all. No you didn't, you received it all. Just like chapter four, what do you have that you have not received?
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Fiddley said, Paul ascribes nothing to human acquisition. God's religion is one of bestowment.
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That's good. And if you've been loved by God, God has taken the initiative.
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And then you take the initiative to love others. It's said in Romans 15, 7, therefore welcome one another as God has welcomed you for the glory of God.
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How did Christ receive you? No trespassing sign until you figure out all the right theology?
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Bard, Arminians, not welcome. Charismatics, not welcome.
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Anglicans, not welcome. Whatever you want to put in there. Southern Baptists, not welcome.
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But you know what, because of the gospel of Christ Jesus, the no trespassing sign to God's presence has been replaced with a welcome mat to God's presence because of what the
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Son has done. Instead of the King Jesus saying, by the way, kill that subject.
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No, they used to kill people back in those days. I won't tell you the actual killing part. But they would tape a knife up under their neck before they went in to the
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King. Because felons even today, when you see them by a car getting taken away, what do they often do?
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They want to hide their face, whatever the shame might be, and hide. And so instead of hiding from the face of the judge as he pronounced your execution, the knife would be taped right here so you could see that judge face to face as he condemned you.
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Can you imagine? This is us without Christ Jesus condemned, deserving of hell how many times over.
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And then it's, if I could just use the figure a little bit more, take the tape off, take the knife off, kill the fatted calf, put the ring on the guy, give him the best cloak because he's my son.
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You're not going to kill my son because we're adopted into the family of God. Romans 15 says, welcome into your personal space people who are weak
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Christians. You know, Kim and I sometimes will say, well so and so is going to come over to our house.
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Let's invite somebody else over to our house that might like this couple and then this couple maybe can like that couple and it's a good way for them to kind of get to meet them.
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And then Kim and I never have to deal with them again and then they can just go. It's kind of match make. Maybe it should be even more than that.
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Maybe it should be, you know, this couple is going to come over for dinner and they're pretty strong in their faith. They're firm in their faith.
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They're mature. Let's see, who's a brand new Christian? Who are the new
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Christians? Maybe let's invite them over. So it's just not a friendship. It's the stronger ones can help the weaker ones.
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And I know what I'd probably be thinking. I'd be thinking, you know what, I'd like to kind of get to know these strong ones a little bit more and kind of employ them into gospel ministry and help serve around the church.
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But you know, these guys are going to be asking me, you know, how does sovereignty and responsibility reconcile themselves?
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Paul says, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you. Just as Christ. I know there's no one here, me included, who is not worthy of Christ receiving us.
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I know not one person here was so wonderful it's all God could do to receive us.
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One man said, did he receive me because I was irresistible? Not at all.
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By the way, that's a lie in evangelicalism where you're so valuable, God had to die for you.
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No, you know how much God loves you because he sent his son to die for you because it's not of your value.
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It's because of his love. It means everything. The difference is huge. And of course, I've said it before.
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Some haven't heard it. It's like with a makeup artist. Home makeover. Do they pick a
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Hearst Castle to do home makeovers? Do they pick supermodels to do makeovers on them?
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Who do they pick? I'm not looking at anybody in particular, like they pick you.
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I'm just looking for an answer. Who do they pick? They pick ugly people.
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So then they make them beautiful, so everybody goes, not that they're pretty, but they go, yeah, they're pretty, but look at the guy, look at the lady who did that.
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If Christ receives sinners, how do you receive saints? That's the question. That's the question.
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Number five, found in verses four to six. Study the
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Bible to remove needless offenses and increase your liberty. Study the Bible to remove needless offenses and increase your liberty.
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Verses four to six. Now this part is really, really cool. This part right here in four to six is like dropping in on Paul's home
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Bible study. How many people would like to be at Paul's home Bible study? That would really be cool.
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I have a lot of questions to ask him. But here's what Paul does. He says, you know what, you struggle in these gray areas, in Corinth, of course, with the idols and the meat and everything else, but now let me give you a
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Bible study so that you have greater liberty. Two guides in your life that you ought never to forget.
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Number one, the Bible. Number two, conscience. Don't go against the Bible. Don't go against the conscience.
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But you can take the Bible to elevate the conscience to think biblically.
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Right? Well, right. You can. You can say,
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I'll inform my mind and my conscience with the Bible so I now don't have a difference between Bible and conscience, but they'll be the same.
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So Paul says, let me just bring you in on a little Bible study. This is what I'm teaching the church of Corinth so they don't have this weird thing about what's an idol and what's not.
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So he gives them a little Bible study and he does it by using the Bible. So if you say to yourself,
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I've got some major issues with blank. Alcohol. Schooling.
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Halloween. I don't really care what it is. Tattoos. I've got some real problems with those things.
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That's your conscience. Okay, fine. Don't go against your conscience. But on some things, the things that I just said that you can find
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Bible verses for, you can elevate your conscience to think more biblically and then have more freedom.
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Sound fair? So let's just dive in and see what Paul does on a Bible study on idolatry, eavesdropping on how
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Paul teaches weaker Christians the Bible. And he says lots of things.
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Here's the first thing he says. Idols don't really exist. Verse 4. 1.
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His first point is, his first propositional point is, since idols don't exist, then eat what you want.
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Verse 4. Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know an idol has no real existence.
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Idols are nothing. Voodoo dolls are nothing. So food offered to idols doesn't defile you.
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That's the point. An idol has no real existence.
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Now when I go to India, you have 1 .2 billion people and they have 330 million different gods.
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You heard Sammy say that. 330 million. How many of those are real? Ganesh?
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Not real. Hanuman? Not real. Shiva? Not real.
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Saraswati? Not real. However you pronounce them. They're not real.
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So food has been offered to them and then you eat the food. It's still just what?
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Food. I got this little app a while ago and it's some kind of iPod, iPhone, iPad app and it tracks your calories and it's iTracker or something.
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I don't know what it is. iSpy. And so what you do is, you type in things.
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And since it goes to the internet, I say 7 ounce protein bar cliff.
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Cliff bar protein. Enter. It gets all the information off the web and it says 25 milligrams of sodium, 270 calories, 14 grams of fat, da da da da da and it just enters it in and so I know how many calories
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I've eaten for the day and then if I say to myself, but I want to eat more, you have to exercise, then your calorie amount goes up so you can eat a little bit more.
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And so I have this little app. One banana. 120 calories. I had a 7 pepper corn steak salad from Longhorn the other day and I just said 7 pepper.
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It just pulled up the rest of it. Entered in 670 calories. With dressing?
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Yes. Yeah, this is nice. Double up the dressing. 900 calories. I ate a salad today.
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And you know what? Hanuman demon possessed chicken low main.
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Enter. It will not show any calories for the demon. Why? Because it doesn't exist.
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Low cal. I'm just kidding. No cal, yeah. Now just listen for a second.
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Their idols are silver and gold, the work of man's hands. They have mouths but do not speak, eyes do not see but do not see, they have ears but do not hear, have their noses but do not smell, they have hands but do not feel, feet they do not walk, and they do not make a sound in their throat.
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Those who make them will become like them, so do all who trust in them. Psalm 115.
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Demons don't exist. Paul is teaching them from the Bible so they'll have greater liberty.
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That's how you change the conscience, is the scripture. Psalm 135. The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of man's hands.
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They have mouths, but do not speak eyes, but do not see they have ears, but do not hear Nor is there any breath in their mouths an
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Idol is nothing is what Paul is trying to say they do not exist an idol is not a him nor a her it's an it
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When I go out of overseas I usually buy a little idol and bring them home and set them up in my son room there and Kim always emblazoned down face down as it were like You know day gone in front of the ark and all that, but if you were to come to my house
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They'd be nothing, but I think to myself if someone from India came over who was a brand -new
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Christian. I better get those things out of there They're gonna think I'm I'm having a bunch of Indian.
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You know there's Saraswati. I mean I only have this little Goddess because I like to tell the kids listen this little
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God of education Goddess of education do you want to study for the next three days for your exam? Or you just want to bow down and give her a flower and say praise you
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Which one you'd like to do? Dad Just an illustration.
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You know what idols are good for things a For teaching illustrations, and you'll see in the Bible for fires
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I'm not kidding for firewood Paul's Bible said he continues
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His first point is idols don't really exist a second point is because there's only one God verse 4b
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Look at the end of verse 4 and that there is you can just hear the Shema from Deuteronomy 6 4 There is no
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God, but one if there's only one. There's no others. That's a necessary consequence
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Only one God then that means the one God made the animals and the animals aren't
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God even though the pagan priests say we offer This up to the non -existent God because there's only one God he goes on Paul's third point at the
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Bible study to help elevate conscience up It's just because something's claimed to be God doesn't mean it is you say whatever you want in other words verse 5
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For although there may be so -called gods Parentheses in heaven or on earth as indeed there are many gods and any lords.
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There's not At Corinth they had gods named Kronos Poseidon the
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Sun the calm the sea Aphrodite Artemis Isis Dionysus the tree fortune
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Apollo Hermes Zeus Asculapius Bunera and many more and none of them exist
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Paul gives another point you have your existence from God the Father He's the source look at verse 8 chapter 8 verse 6 yet for us
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There is one God the father and now he talks about source now talks about origin
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Where'd you come from? from whom are most things From whom are a few things know all things no exclusions
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God made everything in his creation There's only one God and we see the creation then that one
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God had to make all those is not half -and -half By the way on a side note, I don't have any time.
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I've run out of time pretty much Evolution is a slap in the face of God the father who's made everything.
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I looked at a website last night It's called no answers in Genesis Creationism is not the alternative to evolution ignorance is
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That's what they said. The source is
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God the father Actually, the goal of your existence is even God the father which is connected look at verse 6
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There's another point Paul gives this fifth point. He gives for and for whom we exist
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The purpose of your existence is to glorify God the father. Why am I born? Why do
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I exist? What's the purpose of my life? Do I matter? God made you and therefore he made you to live in him and for him and to enjoy him
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And what's the purpose of life to enjoy God and glorify him? He sets eternity in your heart to worship him why would you then split your affections and say half for this idol and half for something else
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God and Here comes the agent that God uses. Who's the agent that God uses to create?
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Christ Jesus now before we read this next out. Let me read it, but then I'll talk about it and One Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things and through whom we exist friends if Jesus is
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God and The father is God, but there's only one God We have to believe in the
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Trinity If he was going to talk about idolatry now And he is talking about idolatry now wouldn't it make sense if Jesus was a competing
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God This would be a good time to put Jesus in his place Subordinate to God a created being a
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Mormon God some kind of lesser thing here But in the middle of idolatry trough he talks about the father and the son
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One God and one Lord the deity of Christ the Trinity If you're a
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Christian you want to believe in the Trinity because we're talking about the father and The glory that goes to the father because there should be no other idols and who is
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Jesus by the way your Jewish friends think Jesus is not God in The midst of his discussion about idolatry you see as God would say there's no other gods or Lords before me
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There's Jesus Because the father's God the son's God the spirits God the father's not the son the son's not the spirit and the spirits not
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God one God the triune God This is great and one agent of creation
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You could read Colossians 1 to find that out one mediator the person through whom
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God accomplishes all his attentions So here's the main point here's the point
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The God's Word says this it's clear, but God's Word doesn't address certain things
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So what I do is I use the Bible to help increase my knowledge of some of these things so my conscience in the
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Bible Can be as close as they can to one another so if you struggle with things that other
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Christians Do you say they might be right? And I better study the Bible to make sure I have my own convictions and love them at the same time my last comment
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God the son is not only a means of accomplishing the father's intentions He is a great mediator you want to get to God the father heaven fellowship it has to be through the son and Because of the son the father hears our prayers speaking of idols.
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I'm going to read to you a prayer That is entitled a prayer to every
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God in the library of Ashburbanipal And here's the super sad thing this person didn't know there was just one
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God Now if you think there's more than one God, how would that affect your prayer life? I think it would affect your prayer life like our
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Father who art in heaven and Then I think would affect your prayer life like something to Mary full of grace.
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I Think you'd say you know what I got to split things up To God's two prayers ten gods ten prayers this poor fellow here
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Did not know that he was offending people and he screams out help me, but he doesn't know who's there
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It's like the pagan that knocks on the tree are you there God are you there God? And as I read this
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I just want you to think this That aren't you glad you are the recipient of first Corinthians chapter 1 1 to 9 stuff you know there's a
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God because his maze made it known to you and you get to pray to God and he hears you based on the advocacy and Mediatorial work of Christ Jesus the only
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Lord the only God and if it wasn't for the grace of God This would be you and I pity this person lost
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May the fury of my Lord's heart be quieted toward me May the God who is not known be quieted toward me
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May the goddess who is not known be quieted toward me May the God who I know or I do not know be quieted toward me
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May the goddess whom I know or do not know be quieted toward me May the heart of my God be quieted toward me in ignorance
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I have eaten of that forbidden of my God in ignorance. I have set forth on the forbid forbidden by my goddess
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Oh Lords my transgressions are many greater my sins The Transgression which
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I committed indeed I did not know the sin which I have done indeed I do not know the forbidden thing which
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I have eaten indeed I do not know the prohibited place on which I've set foot indeed
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I don't know the Lord in anger of his heart looked at me the God and rage at his heart comfort for confronted me
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When the goddess was angry with me She made me become ill the God whom
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I know or do not know has oppressed me The goddess whom I know or do not know has placed suffering upon me.
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Although. I'm constantly looking for help. No one takes me by the hand When I weep they do not come to my side.
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I utter laments, but no one hears me. I am troubled. I am overwhelmed I cannot see
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The sin which I have done turn into goodness the transgression which I have committed
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Let the wind carry away may my many misdeeds strip off like a garment May the
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God who is known be quieted to me may the goddess who is not known be quieted unto me There's one mediator and one man
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That separates that's in between the separation between God and man and it's a man Christ Jesus and aren't you glad that's not you
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I'm super glad and I with you want to live my life In thankfulness to the gospel of Christ Jesus.
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Let's pray father Thank you for our time today in first Corinthians chapter 8. I pray that the folks here today would be gospel driven people
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They'd understand who they are. So then they could live out live it out and flesh it out by your spirits power
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We're thankful that you hear our prayers that we know you by name because you revealed your name to us
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One father and one Lord the Lord Jesus Christ. We know you because you've known us personally known us
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Intimately known us, you know our rising and our setting, you know Everything we think about before we wouldn't think about it and yet you still poured out your love on us in eternity past at Calvary When we were saved now and in glory we know that we've sinned against you personally and yet you personally sent your son and the anger do your son anger do us was given to your son and one day with And because of Christ Jesus resurrection
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We will rise again to and we'll praise the slain lamb forever and ever in Jesus name.