1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,240 It is good to be together again in the House of worship and to 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:05,320 praise God together as we ever have done. 3 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:10,440 I've titled our sermon this morning, Is your life freedom 4 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:15,160 based or law based? And there's a big difference 5 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:17,400 there. Do we live by the letter of the 6 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:20,760 law or do we live by the principle of the law? 7 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:23,720 And there's a difference. I've had conversations with 8 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:25,880 people. One man mentioned to me one time 9 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:29,800 in how some in some countries how they have laws, but then 10 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,640 it's the letter of the law by which every decision is made. 11 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:35,880 The implications of it or the spirit of the law is not that 12 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:37,120 important. It's the letter of the law 13 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:41,600 versus other countries where, Oh yes, the intent was right, the 14 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,440 reason the person disobeyed the law or the person circumvented 15 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:48,200 the law or went around the law. And so that is taken to account 16 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:51,360 as well. And so the law may not be judged 17 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:53,040 the same way. The law may not judge the same 18 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:55,760 way. Every time when the letter of 19 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:59,920 the law is given more weight than the intent or the principle 20 00:00:59,920 --> 00:01:03,880 of the law, a shift has been made that does more harm than 21 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:09,440 good. In 1998 and a warm spring 22 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:14,240 evening, a young guy named Christopher Searcy was playing 23 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,000 basketball with a few friends half a block away from 24 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:22,440 Ravenswood Hospital in Chicago. 3 teenage Latino gang members 25 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,160 looking for a black target approached and shot young Searcy 26 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:28,520 in the abdomen. His frantic friends carried him 27 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:31,840 to within 30 feet of the hospital and ran inside 28 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:35,000 Ravensbrook Hospital for help. The emergency room personnel 29 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:39,840 refused to go outside to assist the dying boy, citing policy 30 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:43,840 that only allows them to help those inside the hospital. 31 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:48,040 The boys called for nearby police to attend their wounded 32 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:50,600 friend. When the officers arrived on the 33 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:53,720 scene, they proceeded to call for an ambulance, but the 34 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,360 officers themselves, they refused to carry the boy inside. 35 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:00,440 While passersby pled with the officers to get the boy in the 36 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:02,600 hospital, he lay in a pool of blood, unconscious. 37 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:06,080 When after several minutes, the ambulance had not yet arrived, 38 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:08,759 the police gave in and carried Cersei into the emergency room. 39 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:11,560 But then nothing could be done to save his life. 40 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,080 As is often true when we legalistically insist on the 41 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:18,680 letter of the law, the needs of others are overlooked. 42 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,200 Beholding to a standard operating procedure, the Royal 43 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:24,200 Law of Love was pinned to the mat. 44 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:28,840 Initially, hospital administration vehemently 45 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,360 defended the E Rs lack of involvement and only after a 46 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:36,080 barrage of community outrage did the Ravensbrook Ravenswood 47 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:40,160 Hospital reverse its policy of treating only those inside its 48 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:44,320 doors. How does one decide as to 49 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:46,520 whether something is the right thing to do, the permissible 50 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,120 thing to do, the lawful thing to do or not? 51 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:52,800 As human beings, we know that life is bigger than just us 52 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:54,840 individually. What I do effects those around 53 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:57,120 me, my wife, my children, grandchildren, in my wider 54 00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:59,560 community. What we do as a church effects 55 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:02,000 those around us. We do make an impact. 56 00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:08,240 There are biblical principles to follow in life that we need to 57 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:10,720 know and live out. There are some things that are 58 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:13,120 always just wrong. They're never right. 59 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:16,160 For instance, idol worship. We've heard a little bit, quite 60 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:17,440 a bit about idol worship recently. 61 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:20,400 That's always wrong. Denying Christ is always wrong. 62 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:21,520 It's never the right thing to do. 63 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,000 We have stories in the Bible where people were forced to make 64 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:28,240 that choice, and they chose to suffer the consequences for 65 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,200 doing the right thing by refusing to do the wrong thing, 66 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:32,800 even maybe for a good cause. And vice versa. 67 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:36,240 For instance, the story of Daniel's three friends who chose 68 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:38,480 to face the fiery furnace instead of buying before the 69 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:42,360 huge idol King Nebuchadnezzar had made last Sunday, Pastor Joe 70 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:44,440 preached on Feed your love for the Lord. 71 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:45,680 That's what those guys were doing. 72 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:49,040 And he went on to explain what the fallout is. 73 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,560 If we find something or if we feed something else then our 74 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:53,680 love for the Lord. And he'd made reference to idols 75 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:56,600 in particular. Feeding selfish motives and 76 00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:59,320 desires where the focus is on self preservation instead of 77 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:03,600 glorifying God is always wrong. I'm not saying we should not 78 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:05,840 take good care of ourselves or we cannot enjoy good things in 79 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:10,720 life, but whatever it is that we do in our inmost being, we must 80 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:13,640 always be on guard against our own selfish motives. 81 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:16,760 We've been going through the book of First Corinthians here 82 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:19,800 for quite some time now, and I believe today is sermon #21 and 83 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:21,200 we've got quite a ways to go yet. 84 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,320 But it's amazing to me as I'm preparing sermons, as reading 85 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:27,720 what Joe is preparing, Jonah is preparing, how this all is one 86 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,200 big picture in terms of freedom and how God wants us to live as 87 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:31,680 His servant, as his servants in this world. 88 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:35,000 The Corinthian church had a lot to learn, and so do we. 89 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,320 But I'm very grateful for this letter in Scripture to reflect 90 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:40,440 on. Look at how they were instructed 91 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:42,720 to work through their issues that they were facing. 92 00:04:44,280 --> 00:04:46,160 As I mentioned, for a while now we've been looking at the theme 93 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,040 of freedom and what it is and what it's not. 94 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:52,720 We've learned of the importance of not putting the value of 95 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,600 weight on dead things like idols and food offered to idols. 96 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:57,120 And Paul wrote the church, idols are nothing. 97 00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:00,040 It's not sinful to eat food that's been sacrificed to an 98 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:04,280 idol because idol is nothing but that. 99 00:05:04,280 --> 00:05:07,040 Freedom to eat was not to be used if it was a stumbling block 100 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,280 for another weak brother who had a weak conscience, for whom 101 00:05:10,280 --> 00:05:12,240 eating meat offered to idols was a problem. 102 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:15,400 So in order not to be a stumbling block, Paul instructed 103 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:19,240 them to use the principle of love to address the situation. 104 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:23,200 Then we see how Paul used himself as an example in 105 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:26,080 explaining this concept. Paul did not use his freedom, 106 00:05:26,280 --> 00:05:30,200 his rights to financial compensation for his work and 107 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:32,360 this church. He had the right to be paid for 108 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:34,120 his work. He reminded them that he had the 109 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:36,960 right to get paid for what he was doing, but for the sake of 110 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:38,840 the gospel, he said he didn't want to do that. 111 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:42,160 One commentator that I read made this comment. 112 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:47,680 He said because Paul had decided to not take pay for his work as 113 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:49,240 a missionary, church planter and pastor. 114 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,000 And Corinth, there were people who were thinking he was a 115 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:55,240 lesser apostle, not not as much of an apostle as the other guys 116 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:57,440 who were taking the payment for the for their work. 117 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:01,600 And Paul refutes this strongly says no, that's that's not true. 118 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:05,080 He used the radical illustrations from daily life to 119 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:07,520 highlight what his rights were and why he was refusing this. 120 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:10,360 This morning. We're in chapter 10, starting 121 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:15,520 verse 23, and in this passage Paul deals with one benchmark by 122 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:20,080 which we must decide and by which we do decide daily, how we 123 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:24,960 live out our faith. Pastor Jonah covered some of 124 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:28,000 this already in chapter 8 when he preached on the right use of 125 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:29,200 knowledge. We heard that knowledge by 126 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:33,400 itself just puffs up. We're given knowledge not for 127 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:36,200 the purpose of prideful focus, self focused living, but for the 128 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:38,160 purpose of loving one another. There's a difference. 129 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:40,720 In chapter 8, Paul emphasized the importance of considering 130 00:06:41,280 --> 00:06:43,560 others more important than ourselves when it comes to 131 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:46,200 eating and eating in temples. And we'll get there in a bit, 132 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:48,720 but that get that phrase, eating in temples. 133 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,360 So you could actually go and eat an idle temple. 134 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:55,760 One commentary put it this way. In chapter 8, he writes, we have 135 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,080 a weighty paragraph in which one phrase, one phase of the 136 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:01,080 difficulties dealt with the question whether a Christian 137 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:04,520 ought to attend a feast in an idle temple, Chapter 8, verse 138 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:06,680 10, where of course, the different food items had been 139 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:10,240 sacrificed to the idols. But in chapter 10, he deals with 140 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:13,560 the case in which the meat had been bought in the meat market, 141 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:17,640 where the meat might have been coming from a temple sacrificed 142 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:19,800 to idols. What do you do? 143 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:24,480 Well, let's read 1st Corinthians 10 verse 23. 1st Corinthians 10 144 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:30,160 verse 23 to 11 verse one. All things are lawful, but not 145 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:33,760 all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not 146 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:36,880 all things build up. Let no one seek his own good but 147 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,480 the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever sold in the meat 148 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:41,840 market without raising any question on the ground of 149 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:44,920 conscience, for the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. 150 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:48,280 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you 151 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:51,240 are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you, without 152 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,440 raising any question on the ground of conscience. 153 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:57,120 But if someone says to you, This has been offered in sacrifice, 154 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:00,240 then do not eat it for the sake of the one who informed you, and 155 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:02,720 for the sake of conscience. I do not mean your conscience, 156 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,360 but His. For why should my liberty be 157 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:07,120 determined by someone else's conscience? 158 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:10,600 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of 159 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:12,800 that for which I give thanks? So what? 160 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:16,800 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the 161 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:19,880 glory of God. Give no offense to Jews, or to 162 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:23,200 Greeks, or to the Church of God, just as I try to please everyone 163 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,480 and everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of 164 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:31,720 many, that they may be saved, the imitators of me as I am of 165 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:35,320 Christ. When reading a letter in 166 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:37,760 general, there's so much that can be learned just by paying 167 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:39,919 attention to the way a letter is written. 168 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:43,720 The letter, of course, tells us what's in the writer's mind as 169 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,560 he writes, but it also tells us a lot about the questions that 170 00:08:46,560 --> 00:08:48,480 are being addressed and responded to. 171 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:50,160 The way the letter is constructed. 172 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:52,960 In this case, no doubt one serious matter. 173 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:56,800 The church was eating meat. Worship, worship have been 174 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,840 sacrificed to idols. You can just imagine living in 175 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:05,200 Corinth, temples everywhere, big business meat being sacrificed 176 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:08,480 to idols, sold in this, in the restaurants, in the temples and 177 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:11,280 whatnot. And in fact, you could actually 178 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:14,000 go and eat inside of a temple. There was some eating places 179 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:16,400 where Christians actually could do that, so to speak. 180 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:20,640 And it was not always easy to know where to draw those 181 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:22,480 boundaries. What do you do? 182 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:26,160 How does one live in a society like that? 183 00:09:27,680 --> 00:09:29,760 How does one go about one's daily life? 184 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:34,520 Does nothing matter? Is everything OK? 185 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:36,800 Or are there boundaries? And which ones are? 186 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:42,480 Then how far do they go? Paul says all things are lawful 187 00:09:43,560 --> 00:09:44,800 but not all things build up. Help. 188 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:46,880 All things are lawful, but not all things build up. 189 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:52,240 Commentators don't all explain this verse the same way, and 190 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,200 some say that this phrase all things are lawful but not all 191 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:58,000 things are beneficial. It was not a statement from Paul 192 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:01,560 saying that all things are lawful, but instead Paul was 193 00:10:01,560 --> 00:10:04,160 using their own slogan language as a comment to say that's what 194 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:07,600 you Corinthians say. You believe this, all things are 195 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:09,560 lawful. And the case in chapter 5 with 196 00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:11,480 the adulterous man was a case in point. 197 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:14,120 It's OK, they said, in fact they were proud of it. 198 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,640 But that doesn't work that way. And it's true. 199 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:21,720 In Corinth they had gotten to the idea that sin didn't really 200 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:25,120 matter anymore. Again, in chapter 5, that was 201 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:26,760 not lawful. It wasn't even permissible, but 202 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,040 they thought it was. Then of course, there are some 203 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:30,440 commentators. Take the other side, won't go 204 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:32,840 into that. But he says in verse 24, let no 205 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:36,040 one seek his own good but the good of his neighbor. 206 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:41,280 So that's the benchmark. There's there's more we'll get 207 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:43,440 to a bigger one. But this is one the idea or 208 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:46,400 comment it is lawful does not address the deeper issue. 209 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:50,000 What's the motive and what is it I'm doing? 210 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:51,240 How is it affecting someone else? 211 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:54,920 Just because something may be OK for me from a legal standpoint 212 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:57,320 does not mean it's the right thing to do. 213 00:10:59,960 --> 00:11:03,160 The first point we'll look at this morning is don't focus on 214 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:04,800 the law. Just don't do that. 215 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:07,760 Not the law is bad. It's not unholy. 216 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:12,360 It's not sin. No, the law is not bad, doesn't 217 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:15,400 say it has no value. God created, it's good, it's 218 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:19,880 holy, but it was never and never had the power to save a person. 219 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:23,880 It can't redeem a person, it can't pay for the consequences 220 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:25,720 of sin. It can't do none of that. 221 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:29,280 It can only shed light who God is, what God is, and what his 222 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:31,640 expectations are. And then also reveals we just 223 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:33,680 can't do it. We just don't measure up. 224 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:40,400 The law of God is specifically an outline of what God wants, 225 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:42,520 what his, what he, who he is, what he expects. 226 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,760 It doesn't specifically outline every last the detail of our 227 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:49,480 lives. Oh, but it would be nice, 228 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:52,200 wouldn't it, if we had a big book? 229 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:54,560 Oh, I have this thought. This is a thought sin. 230 00:11:54,560 --> 00:11:56,920 I thought about that. Is it sin really? 231 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:00,640 I think I'm going to buy an extra something. 232 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:02,280 Is it sin? Let's oh, let's look at that 233 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:03,920 law. It doesn't work that way. 234 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:07,360 We must ask, is it helpful? What will this do to my 235 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:11,800 relationship with Christ? And of what kind of heart am I 236 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:15,960 asking the question? We as human beings need to know 237 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:20,160 what God wants and does not want, but then to do what God 238 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:22,360 wants and not to do. And that's where grace comes in. 239 00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:25,360 That's where a relationship with Jesus comes in. 240 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:31,200 The law is not what a follower of Jesus focuses on and how to 241 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:34,440 live his or her life. Yes, it's there, the commands 242 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:37,560 are there, and it's all good. And the Jewish leaders were 243 00:12:37,560 --> 00:12:39,880 fixated on this. What does the law say? 244 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:42,960 What does the law say? And they would do what the law 245 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:44,480 said. Does it hurt somebody? 246 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:49,880 I don't care. And Jesus broke the law all the 247 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,040 time. Touching, touching lepers and 248 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:55,840 the unclean and all not proper hygiene. 249 00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:58,320 Even Subs and wash their hands and they eat and stuff like 250 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:00,280 that. The whole eagle system, very 251 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:03,400 strict and rigid rule based living. 252 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:06,080 And many people love this even today. 253 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:12,720 It's amazing how people love rule based living and 254 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:14,800 oftentimes, well, what should we do? 255 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:16,400 Let's make a rule. Let's make a rule. 256 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:21,200 That's what happens when rule following becomes the end. 257 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:23,960 Jesus came to bring a new covenant. 258 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:26,680 Jesus came to restore us to himself and for us to have a 259 00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:30,640 relationship with him not based on a legal code, but on grace. 260 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:35,960 If our claim is to live by the law, then we live beneath what 261 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:38,720 we're called to. Paul is saying the legal code of 262 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:41,880 the law is not how this works. As God's children, we no longer 263 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:45,640 ask, is this lawful? We look to a different benchmark 264 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,080 and that doesn't mean that there are not some things that God's 265 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:51,720 strictly forbidden. There are some things that are 266 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:56,400 actually wrong, sinful. The benchmark that Paul uses is 267 00:13:56,400 --> 00:14:00,040 relationship focus to ask is it lawful and that of that make a 268 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,880 decision can be religiously right, legal, terribly 269 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:08,160 misguided, however insensitive and I days are even wrong. 270 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:12,600 Legally right but morally wrong. Think of the young boy who died 271 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:15,160 of his wounds because the hospital followed rules. 272 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:18,840 Paul is teaching his readers here to ask the question is it 273 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:20,400 lawful? That question does not address 274 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:22,240 the real issue. It does not go to the heart of 275 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:24,120 the matter. It does not address address the 276 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:27,920 motive of the heart and that is why because in so many cases it 277 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:31,240 was day-to-day living. It just doesn't go well. 278 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:34,440 The law of the Old Testament with all its rituals, its 279 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:38,840 ceremonies, it had passed, it was, it was, it was good. 280 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:41,440 But the New Covenant changed things. 281 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:44,680 And as we read in chapter 8 verse one a few weeks ago, 282 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,360 knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 283 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:52,560 There are things in life that are not wrong, as in being 284 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:55,760 against the law, but they're not right either as they relate to 285 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:57,360 from what motive they're lived out. 286 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:00,600 Just because a person is allowed by law to do something, that in 287 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:02,400 itself again, is not the right thing to do. 288 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:07,360 So instead of looking at the law as a religious Jew would, we'll 289 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:09,720 call to freedom. Notice Paul's next words. 290 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:13,440 Words here. Eat whatever is sold in the 291 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:15,960 market without raising any question on the ground of 292 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:18,000 conscience. For the earth is the Lord's, and 293 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:21,240 the fullness thereofs. Wow, what a relief. 294 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:24,280 Now I can go shopping, I don't have to worry. 295 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:27,800 Just take my grocery cart out by the faster check out and who 296 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,360 cares? Sacrifice to idols are not just 297 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:32,040 meat. Idols don't count anyway. 298 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:33,480 I'll just eat it. Whatever they have. 299 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:38,880 Embrace your freedom. For some people, they realize 300 00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:40,760 they're sinners. They realize they need to 301 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:43,760 repent. And it's not that they were bad 302 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:46,600 people from a social standpoint. They just know they need to 303 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:48,560 repent and surrender to Christ to be saved. 304 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:50,960 And So what do they do? They go inward in their hearts 305 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:54,000 to the right to remember all the wrongs they've done, all the 306 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:56,120 sins they committed and repent of them and confess them. 307 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:57,720 And it's good. I'm not, I'm not knocking that. 308 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:01,760 OK, but then they fail because they do not embrace freedom. 309 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:05,400 They're still bound not by living in sin, but by trying to 310 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:09,560 live by a moral performance based code in which the law 311 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:12,120 breaking becomes more important than the grace factor. 312 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:16,320 They're not living in love. In essence, they're not sinning 313 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:19,680 by doing wrong things, but sinning by doing the things out 314 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:25,280 of the wrong motive and often times pride in self self 315 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:27,200 righteousness, which is still sin again. 316 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:29,760 So they're still in bondage. They're still not free. 317 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:33,600 And I know this because I was there many years ago. 318 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:40,160 That's hard for many people who are Christians. 319 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:43,640 Living life is very dark and very burdensome because they're 320 00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:47,280 constantly questioning how saved am I? 321 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:49,240 Am I really saved? Maybe I can't transgress the 322 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:49,920 law. Is this right? 323 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,000 Is this wrong? And they spend all their time 324 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:53,760 fixating on that. He pauses. 325 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,720 No, just go shopping. Don't worry if it's me to offer 326 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:01,840 to idols or not. Jesus clearly said you will know 327 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:04,720 the truth and the truth will set you free. 328 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:09,680 And he says in verse chapter one 830-6836 So if the sun sets you 329 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:18,760 free, you will be free indeed. With Jesus there's freedom, not 330 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:20,560 the focus. Don't do this, don't do that. 331 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:23,640 Yes there are do's and don'ts. Imagine going on a trip, if you 332 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,160 would, let's say I'm planning on it, to go on a trip, let's say 333 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:27,359 to Texas. We go sometimes. 334 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:29,640 OK, the first thing to do, how many signs will there be on the 335 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:32,200 road? OK, how will I obey the signs on 336 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:34,560 the road? Now as I go on there, I make a 337 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:36,120 checklist. Have I obeyed all the signs so 338 00:17:36,120 --> 00:17:37,920 far going down the road? What a trip. 339 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:40,840 Sure, there's signs. I hope there's signs. 340 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:45,360 I sure hope there's some signs. Stop light, so don't run a run 341 00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:47,320 into somebody. And signs that show where the 342 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:48,920 curves are, how fast and safe to go here. 343 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:53,480 I want signs, but you don't think about them because that's 344 00:17:53,480 --> 00:18:01,160 not the motive for the trip. And in 1st Corinthians 10 here, 345 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:02,880 the question has to do with eating meat that's sold at the 346 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:06,000 butcher shop. And it's interesting that Paul 347 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:07,880 brought the matter of eating meat up in his letter before and 348 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:12,720 it's it's a must be a big issue. In chapter 8 verse 10, it was 349 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:15,400 sacr eating meat in idol in temples. 350 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:17,080 So they they actually would did that. 351 00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:19,520 Paul talks about now he's talking about buying meat that's 352 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:23,440 been there and now brought to the to the to the shop and he 353 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:25,120 says he says why they shouldn't worry. 354 00:18:25,120 --> 00:18:30,680 But he says verse verse 26 for the earth is the Lord's and the 355 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:32,960 fullness thereof. God owns it all. 356 00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:35,800 This should be a great comfort to people when people when a 357 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:38,320 person becomes free and can freely enjoy the life the way it 358 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:40,840 was meant to be enjoyed and not attach moral values to things 359 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:46,160 that are not sin. So does this now mean we have no 360 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:49,680 responsibility anymore? No, doesn't mean that just 361 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:52,400 because the signs are not the focus does not mean we don't 362 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:57,280 live by some of them. But it's because we're free that 363 00:18:57,280 --> 00:18:59,840 we're free to eat or not to eat, not under the law that we're 364 00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:03,360 driven by the law of love, he says. 365 00:19:03,360 --> 00:19:05,520 We're 27. If one of the unbelievers 366 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:08,440 invites you to dinner, you're disposed to go eat whatever is 367 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:11,160 set before you without raising any question on the ground of 368 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:16,480 conscience. Be free as a Christ follower, 369 00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:19,440 accepting the invitation of an unbeliever to go to a meal 370 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:21,640 restaurant, wherever, maybe even idle temple. 371 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:24,680 It's not wrong can be a good thing. 372 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:27,880 In fact, the going out to eat is not the issue. 373 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:31,360 But the next verse he says, but if someone says to you this has 374 00:19:31,360 --> 00:19:35,480 been offered in sacrifice. Now you have to think. 375 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:40,080 Then don't eat it for the sake of the one who informed you and 376 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:41,680 for the sake of conscience, he said. 377 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:43,400 I don't mean your conscience, but his. 378 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:46,520 For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's 379 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:50,160 conscience? Now it's getting to where we 380 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:52,120 would say getting into the weeds. 381 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:57,160 How do we navigate this without getting all tangled up and sunk? 382 00:19:58,120 --> 00:20:03,560 Let me just do point #3 have the others best interest at heart. 383 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:08,200 You do not want to be the cause of someone stumbling because 384 00:20:08,360 --> 00:20:11,120 something that you enjoy with freedom is something another 385 00:20:11,120 --> 00:20:13,840 person has a conviction about, a conscience about. 386 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:18,080 If my personal freedom, my personal tastes and desires 387 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:21,240 matter more to me than the weaker brother, than I have an 388 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:24,600 issue. However, having said that, a 389 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,160 question must be asked. Does this now mean that we go 390 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:30,000 and see who has the strongest convictions, the weakest 391 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:33,400 conscience and the most reserved and traditional, whatever you're 392 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:35,520 going to call it, and use that person's freedom or that 393 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:38,120 person's conscience as the benchmark on which we decide 394 00:20:38,120 --> 00:20:41,640 everything? No, it's not that all either. 395 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:45,480 To refrain from eating meat offered to idols in light of the 396 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:48,160 weaker brothers conscience does not mean Paul's conscience had 397 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:51,520 now changed. He was still as before, but out 398 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:53,760 of love for the wicked brother. He's going to slow down, 399 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:57,680 restrain himself, use his freedom to not do what he can 400 00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:00,280 do, but to abstain for the sake of the wicked person, to build 401 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,320 him up. Not Paul has not changed his 402 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:06,880 mind, his conscience hasn't changed, but for the sake of the 403 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:09,080 wicked brother, he refrains from eating. 404 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:13,440 He's free to not eat for the sake of the weaker brother. 405 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:16,920 Paul was very sensitive to the people around him. 406 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:20,320 Paul was very careful not to cause disunity if he could help 407 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:22,080 it. Paul was a man who always 408 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:23,400 considered others before himself. 409 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:27,320 But, and this does not imply that the man with the weakens 410 00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:31,480 conscience is now in control, this is only used in cases where 411 00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:33,400 it's not a matter of violating the law of love. 412 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:38,400 For instance, if what a person decides to say no to for the 413 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:42,520 sake of the wicked brother, he does so only in so far as it is 414 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:45,160 honoring to Christ and helping him up. 415 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:53,120 Christ must remain center focus. If saying no to the meat does 416 00:21:53,120 --> 00:21:57,880 not honor Christ, does not build a person up, then don't say no. 417 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:02,120 The point is the law cannot be the goal. 418 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:06,240 The law cannot be the objective. The intent of the law is what we 419 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:08,480 must look at, not the letter of the law, but the purpose. 420 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:11,840 Sometimes this kind of thing takes careful discussion and 421 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:14,720 good decision making because even Christians, God fearing 422 00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:16,920 people, are not in agreement. They're not on the same page. 423 00:22:17,360 --> 00:22:19,160 There's a story in scripture that I want to use this morning 424 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:20,880 to highlight this in Acts chapter 15. 425 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:22,640 I won't read it this morning. I'll read some passages later 426 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:23,560 on. I'll put them on the PowerPoint 427 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:25,880 here. It happened in the chapter 15, 428 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:30,120 the book of Acts, the church had started in Antioch and Gentiles 429 00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:31,520 of all people have become Christians. 430 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:34,200 That was kind of new to the Jews early on in, in the book of 431 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,160 Acts, that Gentiles could become Christians too. 432 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:38,760 And so they accepted that. But then there's some Christians 433 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:42,440 from Jerusalem who called and they say, are you guys, you got 434 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,000 to be followers of Moses. I mean, you got to follow the 435 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,680 laws of Moses to be a Christian. You got to be circumcised. 436 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:49,880 You find literally that's what they said. 437 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:53,000 And then the apostle said, we're not going there. 438 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,960 That's not true because Christ saves not circumcision. 439 00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:58,240 Circumcision is no, has no value for salvation. 440 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:00,320 We're not doing that. And they had a big debate and 441 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:02,000 they go on and on. They finally said, you know 442 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:06,440 what, we're going to send Paul and Barnabas to to Jerusalem. 443 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:09,760 We're going to figure this out in Jerusalem. 444 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:12,480 They get together and they discussed this and, and there's 445 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:14,280 this discussion. They didn't agree there either. 446 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:18,120 They discussed this. Now, what do you think they did? 447 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:21,520 You think they went to the Jews with the weakest conscience? 448 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:26,160 The bigs convictions use that as the benchmark from which they're 449 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:28,040 going to instruct the new Gentiles how to live. 450 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:32,080 Nope, they didn't do that. They reached an agreement that 451 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:34,720 did not require the laws of Moses as far as certain decision 452 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:37,200 was concerned, and most dietary laws and so on. 453 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:41,440 But they did set boundaries that would contribute to helping the 454 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:45,960 other person up. James, the leader in Jerusalem, 455 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:47,520 had something interesting to say to all of this. 456 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:50,800 He's in the closing arguments. He says my judgement is that we 457 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:53,680 should not trouble those of the Gentiles that turn to God, but 458 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:55,800 should write them to abstain from the things polluted by 459 00:23:55,800 --> 00:24:00,960 idols, from sexual immorality and from what's been strangled 460 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:02,760 and from blood. They reached an agreement. 461 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:07,160 As to the message the Ruge sent to Antioch, we don't find this 462 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:12,000 was a message for all churches at all time in in the new in the 463 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,000 new church in Rome in the Roman Empire. 464 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,520 We don't find that. But this is what happened here. 465 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:20,240 And he says the reason for that is in verse 21. 466 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,480 For from ancient generations, Moses has had in every city 467 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:26,200 those who proclaim him for he is read every Sabbath in the 468 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:27,560 synagogues. And this would fall in line 469 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:30,440 with, you know, being no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the 470 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:33,160 church. What I find interesting, 471 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:40,480 however, is how James goes back to Moses and again, I I don't 472 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:42,440 find it and that should do some more research perhaps, but I 473 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:44,840 have not found it that this is actually an application for all 474 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:46,280 the churches throughout the Roman Empire. 475 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:48,880 But from reading the whole of the New Testament, I'm assuming 476 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:51,320 that this is not universally binding for all churches. 477 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:56,960 It's very interesting in this meeting and Jerusalem, they left 478 00:24:56,960 --> 00:24:59,120 something out and you probably think what it was. 479 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:04,360 The very reason for which the meeting happened in first in 480 00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:08,120 Antioch and now in Jerusalem, the very core reason why this 481 00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:10,560 meeting happened that was left out. 482 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:16,200 Circumcision, the biggest, heaviest, weightiest matter in 483 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:18,720 the Jewish code. You got to be circumcised or as 484 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:20,480 you're not part of the part of the congregation of Israel, you 485 00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:23,360 got to be circumcised or you don't count that. 486 00:25:23,360 --> 00:25:29,200 They left out by not demanding the Gentiles to keep the laws of 487 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:31,440 Moses except restrictions of eating meat offered to idol and 488 00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:33,240 so on. This was an indicator they were 489 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:37,520 no longer law based, but principle based, spirit based. 490 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:42,280 It must have been hard for some Jews obviously to, you know, OK, 491 00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:46,480 we've got to reconcile this. They had to accept the system 492 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:49,960 was not the goal. They recognize the system has no 493 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:52,560 saving power because they did not want to add to the work of 494 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:54,400 Christ. Christ for circumcision equals 495 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:55,920 salvation. They're not going to go there. 496 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:59,240 Often times people do that. How much did he follow the 497 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:00,960 rules? OK, set a confession of faith. 498 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:02,080 But how much did he follow the rules? 499 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:05,400 What rules did he follow? And without my rules, then he's 500 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:09,400 out. Let's look at the letter they 501 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:11,640 wrote here. Acts 1523. 502 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:13,960 The brothers, both the apostles and the elders. 503 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:16,240 To the brothers who are of the Gentiles and Antioch, Syrian 504 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:19,160 Cilicia, greetings. Since we've heard that some 505 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:21,600 persons have gone out from among us and troubled you with words 506 00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:24,720 unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it 507 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,960 seemed good to us, having come to an accord, to choose men and 508 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:30,280 send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men 509 00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:32,080 who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus 510 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:34,920 Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and 511 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:37,800 Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of 512 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:40,000 mouth. For it seemed good to Here it 513 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:41,360 goes. It seemed good to the Holy 514 00:26:41,360 --> 00:26:43,640 Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these 515 00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:46,560 requirements, that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to 516 00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:49,280 idols, from blood, from what's been strangled, from sexual 517 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:50,720 immorality. If you keep yourselves from 518 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:55,680 these, you will do well. What was at stake here was their 519 00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:59,640 freedom. There were things the leaders in 520 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:02,160 Jerusalem decided they would teach the Gentiles not to do. 521 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:05,640 Now he listened carefully, not from a standpoint of being under 522 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:09,720 the law, but because of the right use of freedom in Christ. 523 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:14,640 I read a commentary one time about a writer who put it this. 524 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:20,120 We said, what if, what if the Yep, OK, we're going to 525 00:27:20,120 --> 00:27:22,080 introduce circumcision. I guess that's the best thing to 526 00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:25,160 do, less and less of an offense and the Gentiles get used to it. 527 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:27,560 We'll introduce circumcision. What would have happened then? 528 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:29,840 Because then circumcision would have been become part of the 529 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:32,880 salvation process and it would have been just as one of many 530 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:37,880 religions would have devolved into something totally different 531 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:41,080 than it was. And now is of course, we believe 532 00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:43,440 it was God leading through these, these men to to decide 533 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:46,440 this. He said, and Paul continues on 534 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:50,520 in verse 30 and 1st Corinthians 10, he says, if I partake with 535 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:53,080 thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that which I give 536 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:55,800 thanks. He says my freedom should not be 537 00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:57,640 pressed into the mold of someone's conscience. 538 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:00,960 To him, it was not an issue of eating meat, but building this 539 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:04,040 guy up. He's for the sake of others. 540 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:08,080 He's he's sensitive to them. It's interesting because he 541 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:10,720 notes in this letter that we assume it's not just one person, 542 00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:12,440 probably the whole, it was the whole congregation. 543 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:15,800 So he says in verse 31, he says, so whether, and here's the 544 00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:17,640 here's the sent, here's the theme verse for this passage. 545 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:22,480 Whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do all to the 546 00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:24,680 glory of God. That's the benchmark. 547 00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:30,520 All of our actions in life should be governed by the reason 548 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:32,000 for which we do them. What's the motive? 549 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:36,680 There's a story in the New Testament of Jesus going, Jesus 550 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:38,880 telling a story of the Pharisee going to the temple to pray and 551 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:42,040 a tax inspector goes to the temple to pray and both pray to 552 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:43,960 prayer. Both did the right thing. 553 00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:44,960 Praying is the right thing to do. 554 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:47,200 Both were the right place to pray. 555 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:48,600 Time was the right place to pray, pray. 556 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:52,200 However, very different men, very different prayers. 557 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:55,920 The Pharisee prayed reminding God how good he was, how was he, 558 00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:58,560 how much he was doing and that he was better than everybody 559 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:01,680 else and and better than the tax collector over the corner there. 560 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:04,880 And the tax collector he prayed too. 561 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:07,920 He just prayed, Lord, be merciful to me, a Sinner. 562 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:10,600 It wasn't a very big prayer, not a long prayer, but a very deep 563 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:13,000 thorough prayer directed towards God. 564 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:17,560 Look, I need help, Lord Jesus the tax collector went home 565 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:19,360 justified rather than the Pharisee. 566 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:25,040 You see, the Pharisee was a law keeper, a rule keeper, and the 567 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:27,560 rules were not necessarily wrong, they were actually good 568 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:34,640 rules, but for the wrong reason. Often times you find it easier 569 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:37,640 to follow the letter of the law and be totally blind to the 570 00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:41,760 heart of the law. If we glorify God in all we do, 571 00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:44,840 what's the best way to do it? Well, Paul continues. 572 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:48,000 He says give no offence to Jews or to Greeks or through the 573 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:51,360 Church of God. Just as I try to please everyone 574 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:54,440 and everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of 575 00:29:54,440 --> 00:30:02,800 many, that many may be saved, Paul uses himself as a role 576 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:05,600 model. He says be imitators of me as I 577 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:11,760 am of Christ. It's not self, it's God. 578 00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:14,960 Too often people who claim to be Christians live such poor 579 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:16,920 testimonies. Their witnesses are destroyed 580 00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:21,080 not so much for doing sinful things, but doing the right 581 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:26,160 things with sinful motives. Paul says whether Jew or Greek 582 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,720 or the church is aimed as in all things, glorify God and all 583 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:32,480 situations live so that God is honoured that others may be 584 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:34,440 saved. So how are we doing? 585 00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:38,960 What's our benchmark from which we decide how we should live we 586 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:41,240 will not face issues of eating meat necessarily offered in 587 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:44,480 temples. That doesn't happen anymore and 588 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:46,440 it still happens that people dedicate meat. 589 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:48,640 There's halal meat you can buy and there's kosher meat you can 590 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:51,080 buy won't go into that doesn't affect us. 591 00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:54,320 But last Sunday Pastor Doe preached and this this line has 592 00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:57,880 stuck with me. He says whatever cools our 593 00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:00,880 desire for God is idle version and this can sometimes happen so 594 00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:02,880 imperceptible we're hardly aware of it. 595 00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:05,080 And that's why we need each other to remind us remind each 596 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:06,600 other, hold each other accountable. 597 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:08,800 We can do this without even thinking. 598 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:11,640 And so sometimes the question is, Hey, pastor, would it be sin 599 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:16,080 if I or would it be sin if we OK, I get it and I understand 600 00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:19,440 the the intent of behind the question and I'm not judging 601 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:23,800 them to ask that question, but I there's a but there's a flag 602 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:28,440 there and the flag is this. So why not ask would it glorify 603 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:32,640 God if I would it glorify God? If we use that phrase as the 604 00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:37,640 starting point, that changes it. Because if I say, hey pastor, 605 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:40,080 would it be sin if I I'm looking there? 606 00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:44,000 Or if I say would it glorify God if I it's a different direction 607 00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:47,280 And that's how Paul lived his life? 608 00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:52,320 Will what I do help up my brother and bring glory to God? 609 00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:54,440 Will that do that? If it does, great, then I want 610 00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:57,000 to do that. If it doesn't do that, well, 611 00:31:57,760 --> 00:31:59,320 it's not about me. I shouldn't do it. 612 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:02,520 Paul filtered everything he did through that grid. 613 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:09,280 How should this change us today? This the things that Satan wants 614 00:32:09,280 --> 00:32:13,840 to use to tempt us, We have to evaluate. 615 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:17,880 We're free. Let's, let's not create a 616 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:21,840 catalogue of rules for which we consult every conceivable 617 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:24,200 situation where we only need to click a button. 618 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:25,160 Oh, that's the rule for this thing. 619 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:26,240 Click about. That's the rule for that thing. 620 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:28,560 The Christian life is not a pathway of rules. 621 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:33,040 Oh, that's the rules, but not for the purpose for which people 622 00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:36,800 apply them. The Christian life is a 623 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:42,760 relationship with Jesus founded on the law of love and truth. 624 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:46,400 It's a life surrendered to Christ that means death to the 625 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:50,160 old life and new life through grace. 626 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:54,320 We must ask ourselves, what have we to learn? 627 00:32:54,760 --> 00:32:57,080 It's important we learn from the right source, from Scripture, 628 00:32:57,280 --> 00:32:59,360 from the Spirit. And in the fellowship of the 629 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,440 Saints. Jesus condemned the Pharisees 630 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:04,320 for their religiosity. They were so fixated on all the 631 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:06,560 other things like following this and that and the other rule. 632 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:10,760 So is my life is your life, Is our life freedom based or is it 633 00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:15,560 law based? Again, verse 31. 634 00:33:15,560 --> 00:33:20,080 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the 635 00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:23,160 glory of God. Who am I living for? 636 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:27,000 May God give us grace to live in freedom, the power of his 637 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:31,680 Spirit. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you 638 00:33:32,200 --> 00:33:34,800 that You've not left us as people to ourselves. 639 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:39,280 You did give us the law, and it's a good law. 640 00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:44,200 And as people, many times we've turned that into an idol where 641 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:46,680 it became more important than the reason for which she gave 642 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:48,880 it. We replaced it with you, and we 643 00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:50,080 worshiped the law instead of You. 644 00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:55,720 Lord, from your word we see that you set us free to be free, not 645 00:33:55,720 --> 00:34:00,240 to again be slaved in legalism, but give us the eyes to see the 646 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:02,880 hearts to understand what it is you've done for us and what you 647 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:05,280 require of us as your servant, Paul wrote. 648 00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:08,760 Help us, Lord, to do all we do for your glory and Your honor 649 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:10,280 with Thanksgiving. Amen.