Christ Methodist Church Memphis
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Christ Methodist Church Memphis
Wisdom and Christian Liberty (Part A) | Rev. Paul
Christian liberty is a gift, but without love, it can destroy. Discover why the Apostle Paul says being “right” isn’t enough, and how guarding the conscience of others reflects the very heart of Christ.
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In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul addresses a dispute over eating meat sacrificed to idols, showing that knowledge alone, even if correct, can lead to pride and insensitivity. While some believers understood idols were nothing, others’ consciences were still tied to their past idol worship. Exercising liberty without considering weaker believers could damage their faith and even lead them into sin. Paul insists love must govern liberty: if an action risks causing someone to stumble, refrain from it. True maturity is measured not by what we know, but by our willingness to lay down our rights for the sake of God and others.
[0:18] Thank y'all. That was beautiful. If you have your Bibles with you, go ahead and open them up to 1 Corinthians chapter 8, 1 Corinthians chapter 8, as we continue our series through this letter. Hear the word of the Lord.
[0:34] Now concerning food offered to idols. We know that all of us possess knowledge. This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that an idol has no real existence, and that there is no God but one.
[0:59] For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth, as indeed as there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom we're all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we exist. However, not all possess this knowledge, but some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this rite of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
[2:16] This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen and amen. I greet you this morning in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My name is Paul Lawler. I have the honor of serving as a senior pastor of Christ Methodist Church. We welcome you today. Delighted that you're here. Loved ones, before we dive into teaching the text, I want to remind you in the spirit of edification that there is a group of people gathered in a room just off the narthex praying for you this morning. Not merely praying for me, but praying for you, that as God is worshiped and his word is taught, that God will indeed revelate his heart, his light, his life into and through your own.
[3:08] So with that in mind, let's begin with a brief word of prayer. Father, we pray in the name of Jesus that you would pour out liquid love into the hearts of your people.
[3:24] Radiate, revelate over your bride as she worships you this morning. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Now, most of you, if not all of you, are aware we're in a series on the book of 1 Corinthians. And today we begin a three-part sub-series in the overall series of the book of 1 Corinthians. And the reason is that chapter 8 is deeply connected with what Paul writes about in chapter 9 and 10. And so for today and the next two weeks, we will cover the topic, Wisdom and Christian Liberty. Today is what we would call Part A. So all of us are aware that we refer to the love chapter in the Bible as 1 Corinthians 13. But there are a lot of us that are not aware that when Paul gets to chapter 8, 9, and 10, here in this section, these chapters could be referred to as the ultimate love chapters, and we're going to ask the question, why? Why is that true? Well, here's why.
[4:36] Because agape love, which is the love the Christians are to have for God and one another, is a sacrificial love, and Paul illustrates sacrificial love in chapters 8, 9, and 10 as he instructs Christians to sacrifice a comfort zone that they're experiencing, that they know out of love for God and out of love for other people. And loved ones, let's keep it real that there are many Christians in Western culture that the only thing they know about sacrifice is how to spell the word. And so this passage is directed at people who magnify their knowledge, who magnify an unwillingness to move out of their comfort for love for others. And so this is a passage directed at some who have their facts right, but their hearts wrong. So let's ask this question. How does this play out?
[5:35] Well, the Corinthians have written Paul a letter. That's a part of what precipitated his letter to the Corinthian church. He's aware of problems at Corinth, but they've also written the Apostle Paul
[5:48] for advice on a whole series of issues. That's why in chapter 7, verse 1, Paul uses a phrase like this, now concerning the matters about which you wrote. And he begins addressing some of the things that the Corinthian church has brought up, including, in chapter 6 and 7, human sexuality and its parameters, as God has prescribed, as well as a proper understanding of dynamics related to marriage and singleness. That's also found in chapter 7 and following. And we all recognize that as God gives instruction, it doesn't align with the values of Western culture.
[6:28] That's why the late Tim Keller reminds us to stay away from Christianity because part of the Bible's teaching is offensive to you, assumes that if there is a God, he wouldn't reveal any teachings that upset you. And the question he asks is, does that belief really make sense? God never called us to judge his will. God called us to do his will. And so we get to this section, chapter 8, verse 1. Paul again is referring to matters that they have written the apostle Paul about when he says, now concerning food sacrifice to idols. And the question that the Corinthian church is asking is, why can't we eat meat sacrifice to idols?
[7:12] You see, there were two sources of meat in the ancient world that is available on the marketplace. There was the regular market where prices were higher, and then there were the local temples from which meat, which had been sacrificed, was always available for sale. And so you may be aware there's even archaeological support that in many of the ruins of temples in Corinth that there were dining rooms where feasts were held on many occasions. Dr. Ben Witherington, whom you may see sometimes interviewed on the History Channel regarding New Testament theology makes this statement, temples were the restaurants of antiquity. So.
[8:00] The members of the church, certain members of the Corinthian church, had knowledge, and that's why you'll notice that it's in quotes in the text, where they realized that idols could not contaminate food. So they saved money by purchasing the cheaper meat that was available at the temples. And all of this, this is very important for us to catch, all of this offended young believers.
[8:27] What Paul refers to, when I say young, I don't mean youthful, like 1920, people who were newer in the faith. Paul refers to them as weaker Christians. They're getting established. And many of those who were young in the faith could not understand why their fellow believers wanted to have anything to do with meat sacrifice to idols. And so the question is, can Christians eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols. Now, before you check out this morning and say, okay, we're dealing with a controversy about meat being sacrificed to idols. That's not prevalent in our culture. Obviously, Pastor Paul, this sermon is going to be a snoozer.
[9:15] I mean, this is not something we deal with on a day-to-day basis. And so I don't relate, but can I encourage you to just wait a minute and be mindful that there are principles here that we're learning that are highly relevant. You could ask a thousand questions that parallel what Paul is unpacking in this passage. And I'll just name a few that we're not going to answer these questions. I'm just going to illustrate. Should a Christian go to an R-rated movie?
[9:48] What does that look like to a non-believer? I'm not saying that the answer is black and white. Or should a Christian vote for a political candidate that does not align with his or her Christian beliefs and then be public about that in a way that it influences or potentially offends other Christians? Or is it okay for a Christian to get tattoos that have designs and cultural and religious symbols from other faiths, other religions? I mean, there's a thousand questions that you could ask that have influence on other Christians that parallel the issues that Paul is dealing with and addressing in this passage. So let's get back to the text. Can a Christian eat meat that's been sacrificed to idols? Let's look at what he says in verse 1. Now concerning food offered to idols, we know that all of us possess knowledge. He's putting that in quote because he's quoting the Corinthians. ends. This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Now notice this as you read the text. Paul never characterizes these knowledge-filled Christians with being more mature or more developed than others. He only refers to them as Christians who have a certain knowledge. And Paul affirms that this knowledge that they have puffs them up. It's made them—that's language that describes—it has made them prideful.
[11:18] But love builds up. So what we learn already is having knowledge about something does not mean that the issue is settled just because you have knowledge. And here's the knowledge that some of the Christians at Corinth possessed. Here it is—.
[11:36] These idols aren't real. I mean, they're just made of metal or stone or wood. They can't breathe or walk or talk. So what if we eat meat sacrifice to them? And that was true in that context. But that kind of knowledge is not the pure goal. Knowledge can cause us to think and to do things that are arrogant and proud. And that's what Paul is saying here, knowledge that puffs up. Rather than boasting in knowledge, Paul is illustrating that the goal is loving God. And out of love for God flows a love and a care for others, especially persons growing in their faith in relationship with Jesus. Their knowledge was fueling a prideful insensitivity for people Jesus was reaching and drawing into the Corinthian church. Do you remember when Jesus quoted the Old Testament, quoted the Shema, and he said in Matthew 22, You shall love the Lord God with your heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is the great and first commandment, and the second is like this.
[13:02] You shall love your near one, your neighbor, as yourself. This principle is picked up on in verse 3 when Paul writes, If anyone imagined that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. And note that knowledge does not make a believer known by God. Note that, loved ones. The devil himself has knowledge of God. Having love for God, as we ought to have love for God, is how we are known by God. Loving God is the focus of our lives because only then we are known by God.
[13:47] And we're also aware that knowledge alone doesn't solve every problem. Let's think about parenthood for a moment. And your seven-year-old daughter or son wakes up at midnight and cries out for mom and dad because they believe a boogeyman is in their room. And you go into their room and you say, there's no such thing as boogeyman, and close the door and walk off. You are aware that does not solve the problem, even though you have knowledge that's absolutely true. No, you are aware that you need to get in bed and hug that child and love on them and remind them of the security of the love they have with their mom and dad and a God who loves them and that they're not alone and there's nothing to fear. You can have knowledge about the psychology of loss, but it won't ease the pain of losing someone that you love. We recognize knowledge alone is not sufficient for every problem or need, and knowledge alone can puff up and make us prideful.
[14:50] But yet one could say, wait a minute. Nevertheless, it is true that idols are made of wood and stone or metal, and they're not real. But notice what Paul says in the next verse, verse 7. He points out that not everybody understands this. Not everybody is at a place where they can comprehend this. They don't know this. Look with me, verse 7. However, he says very plainly, not all possess this knowledge, but some through their former association with idols. Recognize Corinth is made up of first-generation believers. Everybody has come out of idol worship as they've come to know Jesus Christ. So let's finish the verse. So eat, in other words, however, not all possess this knowledge, but some through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience being weak, Yeah.
[15:47] Is defiled. So in other words, not everyone understands that these Roman gods are nothing.
[15:54] Not everyone understands that there's nothing behind these idols that are being worshiped. By the way, Paul will address that in chapter 9 and 10 when we get there. Because of their former association with idols, these believers think that eating food as worshiping or that's been sacrifice to idols is as if they're going back into worshiping real gods and idols. And so other people may not have this knowledge, and their faith, however, is being destroyed and weakened because of your actions, the Apostle Paul is saying. These Christians, in the name of being knowledgeable, are causing the spiritual shipwreck of some people. Look with me at verse 13. Therefore, if food makes my brother or my sister stumble, now he's not talking about any food. He's talking about food sacrificed to idols. If food sacrificed to idols, that's my injection, makes my brother or sister stumble, I will never eat that food. I'll never eat meat lest I make my brother or sister stumble. Now, the Greek word here for stumble can be translated, actually, it is properly translated stumbling block.
[17:11] Now, this word has a unique meaning. Let me give it to you. May I give it to you? And here it is. Something that leads a Christian to sin against his or her own conscience. And the bottom line for the Corinthian church is a Christian should not eat food associated with the worship of idols because it is a stumbling block. Something that leads a Christian to sin against his or her own conscience. Now, here's something. Let's just bear this out for a moment. Our conscience is not the law, okay? But our conscience is God-given, and your conscience bears witness to what's true. Your conscience bears witness with the Ten Commandments, with the law of God, the morals of God, the ethics of God, the holiness of God. Your conscience bears witness to that, and your conscience can be suppressed. Romans 1 teaches us this, as well as the book of Hebrews. My friend Kevin DeYoung shares this antidote to illustrate this principle. The legal drinking age in most of Europe is 18. The legal drinking age in much of America is 21. Let's just for a moment suppose you're on a trip with a group of people of all ages.
[18:35] But there's some of them that are 18. And you share a dinner, and you order after-dinner drinks. And you look at the 18-year-old. The 18-year-old says, I know it's legal here, but it violates my conscience. I'm not 21, even though it's legal here. And you look at them, and you go, oh no, go ahead. You're encouraging them to violate their conscience. And I want to submit to you that this is dangerous. Why?
[19:07] It's dangerous because your conscience is a gift from God. It's a gift from God. And you are training someone to ignore their own conscience. You're training someone to live with guilt. You're training someone to live conflicted, which is why the apostle Paul says in verse 11, and so by your knowledge, this weak person is destroyed. And he uses strong language because there are other places in the Bible where he's demonstrated, as I just referenced, when we suppress our conscience, that it can have dire consequences. So by your knowledge, this weak person is destroyed, the brother from whom Christ died. And so for the Corinthians, their actions were causing others to think the worship or honoring of an idol by eating food sacrificed to them in the temple was acceptable. Notice verse 12, what Paul says, thus sinning against your brother or sister and wounding their conscience when it's weak, you sin.
[20:14] You sin against Christ. By causing other people to sin against their conscience, you're sinning against Jesus. In other words, you cannot express your knowledge in this way because you're destroying the faith of another person. Therefore, you're ruining another person's faith just because you want to hold fast to your knowledge. Therefore, the Apostle Paul lays out a Christian principle for us. If there is something that I would do that would cause a person to sin, I will not do that action. Verse 13, therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat lest I make my brother stumble.
[21:04] So, you must take caution that your right or your knowledge does not push another brother or sister into sin, violating their conscience. In verse 10, we see what Paul means, and we finally read what the issue is. He says this in verse 10, for if anyone sees that you have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food sacrificed to idols. And in verse 12, he adds clarity by saying, thus sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Jesus, against Christ. And again, I remind you that he is exhorting the Corinthians to be mindful, to let the motive of love for God and love for people rule in their heart.
[22:03] Some of you remember in the book of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar and his friends didn't bow to the statue of Nebuchadnezzar, just made of metal. It's just metal. You may remember Nebuchadnezzar decreed that when the music plays, everybody in the nation will bow to the statue made in the image of King Nebuchadnezzar and worship. But you may remember that Daniel, as well as his colleagues, could have reasoned it's just metal. It's not real. It can't speak. It doesn't breathe. Can't do anything. It's just a hunk of metal.
[22:48] But Daniel reasoned in the same way Paul is reasoning with the Corinthians. Other people don't know that. You're bearing witness to who reigns in your own heart and life. And this is core in what Paul is exhorting the Corinthian church to be lovingly sensitive to your witness in what your life is speaking to others. We can't communicate something that would cause people to our sin, but other people to sin, but in our own minds say, it's okay. Listen to these words from Jesus, church family. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin, for it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes. I'm sober.
[23:58] When God in a body uses a phrase, strong phrase, woe to the one by whom the temptation comes. Let me ask you a question. Why do we not use real wine in communion? Is it because we think drinking wine is a sin? No, that's not the reason. It's because we're sensitive. We're sensitive that we live in a culture of addiction. I remember in a former church I pastored, I remember a season that we entered into as a church family and we were in a church family.
[24:45] Where as the church was reaching into the inner city, we had made a 25-year commitment to a section of the inner city and doing gospel-centered community development, not unlike what Christ Church Memphis has engaged in for years.
[25:00] And a light began going off in the hearts of many people as they were serving among the urban poor. And they would say things like this, It's not enough that we're feeding them. It's not enough that we're listening and helping them or supporting them as they labor for shalom and education of their children and to see literacy levels rise. It's not enough that we are creating job opportunities and training, and all of these things are good to see the generational shifts of poverty change in certain zip codes. All of these things are good, but what was happening in the hearts of the people in the church was, doesn't the Scripture also say that it's God's heart to awaken every human being to the worship of Jesus Christ? Isn't that where history is culminating? And what began to happen if people in the inner city weren't going to a church and connecting with Christ and community, the people in our church family began to invite them to church and began to say things like, I'm going to drive from the suburbs into downtown and pick you up and bring you to worship. And that began to happen.
[26:27] And the more that took on traction.
[26:30] The sensitivities of the church begin to rise. And they recognize that in our gatherings, in our Sunday school gatherings and other gatherings, that it might not be wise to serve alcohol.
[26:45] We want to be sensitive to who we're reaching. We want to be sensitive to Jesus' heart for the broken and setting the captive free. We want to be sensitive, not creating a stumbling block for sisters and brothers that Jesus bled and died for. I'm even mindful at first, in the context of 1 Corinthians, don't you know, particularly when you read the sixth chapter, verse 10, and you see all the things that people came out of when they came to know Christ, I am confident there were testimonies that went like this. I was a prostitute in the temple of Aphrodite, and I was an alcoholic and an opium addict. But then there were these people who reached out to me, related to me, loved me, shared Christ with me. And I came to know Jesus, the Son of God. And when I came to know him, they invited me into community. And if that community is consistent in guarding against stumbling blocks, in reaching the people that Jesus Christ bled and died for, don't you know God
[27:55] smiles and says, I can bless that community. I can infuse that community with my presence and my power so they do even more for the glory of God.
[28:10] About once a week here in memphis i'm in a pattern of taking what i call a weekly holy pilgrimage i get in my truck and i go on a journey to a holy place, it's called elwood shack.
[28:36] Listen, you forgive me for this. I hope heaven smells like the smoke that rises from Elwood Shack, but that's a little much. So this week, I'm on my pilgrimage, and I am going down Perkins, and I'm getting ready to turn into the Lowe's parking lot where you cut through to go over to Elwood Shack. And there's this man in a wheelchair.
[29:06] And he's on the left side of the road. And many of you know Perkins, four lane with a turn lane in the middle, five lanes of traffic. And I look and I go, holy cow, he's wanting to get to the other side. He's not at an intersection, beyond the intersection. He's not going to jaywalk. He's going to jayroll. And I'm looking and I'm going, oh, dear God, protect him because he starts out in traffic. And then I pick up that he has no use of his arms. His arms are completely limp. They're paralyzed. And I watch this human being made in the image of God with nothing but his feet on the pavement, propel himself across Perkins into new territory. He uses whatever gifts he has to get to new territory.
[30:10] Church, we're halfway through the book of 1 Corinthians. And this, Corinth, was a prodigal church. Will you use whatever gifts God has given you to cross into new territory as a church family, because you can't go through this book without God speaking to you without God challenging you without God saying yield your gifts to me whatever you got yield your heart to me Yield your life to me. Yield to my way. And this has everything to do with our love, not only for God, but our love for Memphis. And the potential of not only caring for Memphis, the people of Memphis holistically, but also if God would so choose to breathe the winds of revival among us.
[31:17] Act in love, move in faith, submit to the truth of Scripture, commit to prayer and worship, and live and serve in community, labor to make her a healthy community for the glory of God. I'm going to read 1 Corinthians 8, verses 4 through 6. It will be on the screen, but I'm going to ask you to join me in a moment and read the bold part out loud. Let me read the first part, and then I'll cue you when it's time to read along with me. Paul says, Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that an idol has no real existence and that there is no God but one. For although there are many so-called little g-gods in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many little g-gods and many little l-lords... Would you read with me now?
[32:17] The Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. And church, if what we just read together is true, then he is worthy of it all. He is worthy of our yielding our comfort. He is worthy of our, yielding our hearts and lives in light of what he has done in Jesus Christ at the cross, forgiving our sins, redeeming us to God so that we live life with meaning and purpose and fruitfulness for his glory. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Let's pray for just a moment. Holy Spirit, we welcome you.
[33:27] We honor your presence among us.
[33:46] And we pray that you draw us to the sun. Draw us completely to his redeeming work at the cross, awaken our sensitivities that he is our ultimate and only hope, convict us where we're not aligned properly.
[34:21] Develop us into the image that you're seeking to develop within us, which is Jesus Christ himself. And as we have approached the halfway stage in this book, we pray that your work in us would not be a halfway work. But a full work, a full-orbed work, a work that demonstrates the beauty and the glory of your light in us individually, in our families, and who we are as a church family in this city and beyond. This we pray in the name and power of Jesus. Amen.