WEBVTT 00:00:01.819 --> 00:00:04.660 All right, thank you. Let's open our Bibles together 00:00:04.660 --> 00:00:07.839 this morning through the book of 1st Corinthians 00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:14.919 and the 8th chapter. 1st Corinthians chapter 00:00:14.919 --> 00:00:17.760 8, and I'll invite you to read along in your 00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:20.960 copy of the Bible as I read the scripture for 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:24.920 us in the New American Standard Version. Now 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:27.359 concerning praying the sacrifice to idols, we 00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:30.460 know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes 00:00:30.460 --> 00:00:35.460 arrogance. but love edifies. If anyone supposes 00:00:35.460 --> 00:00:38.359 that he knows anything, he has not yet known 00:00:38.359 --> 00:00:40.780 as he ought to know, but if anyone loves God, 00:00:41.140 --> 00:00:45.979 he is known by him. Therefore, concerning the 00:00:45.979 --> 00:00:48.399 eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know 00:00:48.399 --> 00:00:51.020 that there is no such thing as an idol in the 00:00:51.020 --> 00:00:54.859 world, and that there is no God but one. For 00:00:54.859 --> 00:00:58.259 even if there are, so called God, whether in 00:00:58.259 --> 00:01:01.219 heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many 00:01:01.219 --> 00:01:05.079 gods and many lords, yet for us there is but 00:01:05.079 --> 00:01:09.579 one God, the Father, from whom are all things, 00:01:09.659 --> 00:01:14.560 and we exist for Him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:18.019 by whom are all things, and we exist through 00:01:18.019 --> 00:01:22.719 Him. However, not all men have this knowledge, 00:01:22.980 --> 00:01:27.640 but some, being accustomed to the idol, until 00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:31.739 now. eat food as if it were sacrifice to an idol, 00:01:32.439 --> 00:01:36.879 and their conscience being weak is defiled. The 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:39.859 food will not commend us to God. We are neither 00:01:39.859 --> 00:01:43.640 the worst if we do not eat it, nor the better 00:01:43.640 --> 00:01:48.099 if we do eat. But take care, lest this liberty 00:01:48.099 --> 00:01:50.480 of yours somehow become a stumbling block to 00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:54.299 the weak. For if someone sees you who have knowledge 00:01:54.299 --> 00:01:58.659 dining in an idol's temple, Will not his conscience, 00:01:58.700 --> 00:02:01.560 if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things 00:02:01.560 --> 00:02:04.719 sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:07.780 he who is weak is ruined, the brothers for whose 00:02:07.780 --> 00:02:11.599 sake Christ died. And thus by sinning against 00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:13.860 the brethren and wounding their weak conscience 00:02:13.860 --> 00:02:16.580 when it is weak, their conscience when it is 00:02:16.580 --> 00:02:21.319 weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food 00:02:21.319 --> 00:02:24.259 causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat 00:02:24.259 --> 00:02:28.069 meat again. that I may not cause my brother to 00:02:28.069 --> 00:02:31.229 stumble. Well, these seem like strange words 00:02:31.229 --> 00:02:35.189 far out of touch with where we live in the end 00:02:35.189 --> 00:02:38.849 of the 20th century. But in fact, they're very 00:02:38.849 --> 00:02:41.669 vital to what we are facing in our world today. 00:02:42.590 --> 00:02:45.469 Paul in this chapter is confronting a new concern 00:02:45.469 --> 00:02:48.090 that the people in Corinth had written to him 00:02:48.090 --> 00:02:52.370 about. It begins with a matter of Christian liberty. 00:02:52.780 --> 00:02:55.659 as he addresses here, which Paul has already 00:02:55.659 --> 00:02:58.460 touched upon in chapter 6 and verse 12 in our 00:02:58.460 --> 00:03:01.259 study. But we're going to find that this theme 00:03:01.259 --> 00:03:05.099 carries through, actually, chapter 11. So what 00:03:05.099 --> 00:03:07.840 Paul wants to talk about here introduces a whole 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:11.520 subject that generally is under the category 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:15.620 of Christian living. And it will take four chapters 00:03:15.620 --> 00:03:19.199 of this book for him to give his heart regarding 00:03:19.199 --> 00:03:22.990 what he wants to say. The cultural issue that 00:03:22.990 --> 00:03:26.669 brings the issue of Christian liberty into focus 00:03:26.669 --> 00:03:31.590 here is the eating of meat that had been sacrificed 00:03:31.590 --> 00:03:38.030 to idols. He's talking about pagan worship. There 00:03:38.030 --> 00:03:41.610 were times when animals were offered to these 00:03:41.610 --> 00:03:46.090 pagan gods. And when that was done, the meat 00:03:46.090 --> 00:03:49.210 of the sacrifice was usually divided into three 00:03:49.210 --> 00:03:53.610 portions. Part of it was burned on the altar 00:03:53.610 --> 00:03:57.990 to the pagan god. Part of it was returned to 00:03:57.990 --> 00:04:02.210 the offeror so that he went home with some meat. 00:04:03.349 --> 00:04:06.229 And then a third part was given to the cultic 00:04:06.229 --> 00:04:10.669 priest who offered to this god on behalf of the 00:04:10.669 --> 00:04:14.590 sacrifice. And that priest would either use it 00:04:14.590 --> 00:04:18.670 himself or he would sell it. on the market, and 00:04:18.670 --> 00:04:22.529 that was one way that he supported himself. So 00:04:22.529 --> 00:04:26.930 that was the cultural issue that the Corinthians 00:04:26.930 --> 00:04:28.970 were facing. Remember, many of them had come 00:04:28.970 --> 00:04:32.829 out of that sort of a background. Now the problem 00:04:32.829 --> 00:04:37.009 for the Christians arose in three ways. Since 00:04:37.009 --> 00:04:41.870 these public sacrifices were often sold to the 00:04:41.870 --> 00:04:44.910 market, the market then would turn around and 00:04:44.910 --> 00:04:49.759 sell them to the public. keeper. The meat that 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:56.560 had been offered to idols was less costly. And 00:04:56.560 --> 00:04:58.120 so there were families who struggled, should 00:04:58.120 --> 00:05:03.360 I, in order to help my budget, buy this keeper 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:07.959 meat, even though it has been offered before 00:05:07.959 --> 00:05:13.240 this to one of the pagan gods? Another way that 00:05:13.240 --> 00:05:17.259 the issue would arise was that unsaved friends 00:05:17.259 --> 00:05:21.660 might invite a Christian to their home for dinner. 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:27.920 And obviously they would serve a delicious meal, 00:05:28.699 --> 00:05:33.160 but that meat that was a part of the meal very 00:05:33.160 --> 00:05:35.819 likely would have been a part of an offering 00:05:35.819 --> 00:05:39.220 to a pagan god. Should a Christian go to a non 00:05:39.220 --> 00:05:42.000 -Christian's home and eat that sort of food? 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:46.379 Then a third way the question arose was that 00:05:46.379 --> 00:05:49.720 in many public, many public social gatherings 00:05:49.720 --> 00:05:55.639 were held at pagan temples. And so as part of 00:05:55.639 --> 00:05:58.500 these public occasions they would be in situations 00:05:58.500 --> 00:06:01.959 where they would be given food to eat that had 00:06:01.959 --> 00:06:06.699 been offered to idols. So what to do? Is it right 00:06:06.699 --> 00:06:11.819 to eat or not to eat this kind of food? To participate 00:06:11.819 --> 00:06:14.819 and to eat might suggest the approval of the 00:06:14.819 --> 00:06:19.579 idols and that whole religious system. But others 00:06:19.579 --> 00:06:21.540 said, no, that system doesn't mean anything. 00:06:22.899 --> 00:06:25.639 This is good food. It's just meat. So we should 00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:29.339 eat it. And there were people on both sides of 00:06:29.339 --> 00:06:32.740 this issue. Now, of course, it's not new in the 00:06:32.740 --> 00:06:34.639 church in our day that there are people on at 00:06:34.639 --> 00:06:37.459 least two sides of every issue. That was the 00:06:37.459 --> 00:06:41.319 case here. Now you say, well, how does all of 00:06:41.319 --> 00:06:43.199 this affect my life because I haven't really 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:47.160 had any meat lately offered to an idol? Well, 00:06:48.420 --> 00:06:50.680 when I first began preaching 25 years ago, it 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:53.100 wasn't too hard, frankly, to find activities 00:06:53.100 --> 00:06:58.000 that were disputed among Christians, as to whether 00:06:58.000 --> 00:06:59.819 it was right or wrong, where the scripture didn't 00:06:59.819 --> 00:07:03.420 give a clear statement of prohibition. But there 00:07:03.420 --> 00:07:07.649 was dispute nonetheless. There are fewer of those 00:07:07.649 --> 00:07:10.949 today than there were 25 years ago. I'm not sure 00:07:10.949 --> 00:07:16.709 that's a compliment. I think that the fact that 00:07:16.709 --> 00:07:19.069 there are so few things considered by the Western 00:07:19.069 --> 00:07:22.490 Church to be taboo in the late 90s is probably 00:07:22.490 --> 00:07:25.589 a sign of our Laodicean spirit, to be honest 00:07:25.589 --> 00:07:28.990 with you. As I thought about this this morning, 00:07:29.050 --> 00:07:32.850 what kind of an issue is there today where there 00:07:32.850 --> 00:07:35.600 is disagreement among Christians? something that 00:07:35.600 --> 00:07:38.720 would sort of relate to the idol thing here. 00:07:39.779 --> 00:07:42.680 And I came up with one, and there may be more, 00:07:43.240 --> 00:07:46.339 and this may not be the best one, but I know 00:07:46.339 --> 00:07:48.319 that it's relevant because I've heard it discussed 00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:52.839 within our church and within the fellowship of 00:07:52.839 --> 00:07:56.500 people I know. And that is should a Christian 00:07:56.500 --> 00:08:04.209 go to a casino for entertainment. We see ads 00:08:04.209 --> 00:08:06.250 in the newspaper all the time about so -and -so 00:08:06.250 --> 00:08:10.310 appearing at one of the casinos in the state 00:08:10.310 --> 00:08:13.970 of Minnesota. And we hear these promotions about 00:08:13.970 --> 00:08:16.129 this or that being given away and this jackpot 00:08:16.129 --> 00:08:20.050 being won. Should a Christian go to a casino? 00:08:22.110 --> 00:08:23.689 We've got two Christians here. We'll call them 00:08:23.689 --> 00:08:30.230 Jim and Tim. How's that? Nobody I know. But Jim 00:08:30.230 --> 00:08:33.549 says, you know... I've got some extra money that 00:08:33.549 --> 00:08:35.610 I use in recreation, and whether I use it for 00:08:35.610 --> 00:08:43.190 fishing or to go to a casino, it's my choice. 00:08:44.669 --> 00:08:46.629 So I think I'm just going to go up to the casino 00:08:46.629 --> 00:08:49.909 this Friday night and see if I can win some money. 00:08:50.350 --> 00:08:52.529 And if I don't, you know, I will use it on gas 00:08:52.529 --> 00:08:57.929 and bait anyway. And so, who did I say that was, 00:08:57.990 --> 00:09:01.090 that Jim? Okay, that was Jim. Now let's talk 00:09:01.090 --> 00:09:05.429 10 minutes. Tim says, you know something? Gambling 00:09:05.429 --> 00:09:09.570 was part of my past. I did that when I was a 00:09:09.570 --> 00:09:13.610 non -Christian. And to me, to go to a casino 00:09:13.610 --> 00:09:17.669 is really participating in something that's very 00:09:17.669 --> 00:09:19.929 ungodly because that's how I wasted a lot of 00:09:19.929 --> 00:09:22.850 my money and my family's money before I became 00:09:22.850 --> 00:09:25.090 a Christian. I saw the futility of all of that. 00:09:27.140 --> 00:09:29.500 So now Jim sees him on the street and he says, 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:31.240 hey, you want to go to the casino with me on 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:38.220 Friday night? You see, there is exactly the kind 00:09:38.220 --> 00:09:39.980 of an issue we're talking about in 1st Corinthians 00:09:39.980 --> 00:09:44.860 chapter 8. The one man has a rationale as to 00:09:44.860 --> 00:09:48.820 why this is OK for him. He has a knowledge about 00:09:48.820 --> 00:09:52.340 it. The other person has a conscience that is 00:09:52.340 --> 00:09:58.529 stricken with guilt. regarding going to casinos. 00:09:59.149 --> 00:10:01.149 Now, there are probably other examples that you 00:10:01.149 --> 00:10:03.169 can think of as to how this sort of a chapter 00:10:03.169 --> 00:10:05.649 applies. But let's take a look at what the apostle 00:10:05.649 --> 00:10:08.889 says. The first thing he talks about is what 00:10:08.889 --> 00:10:13.629 knowledge says in verses 1 through 6. Now, he's 00:10:13.629 --> 00:10:15.549 talking here about a specific issue, so let's 00:10:15.549 --> 00:10:18.529 think about that for a moment. He says, we all 00:10:18.529 --> 00:10:21.049 know something. We have come to know something 00:10:21.049 --> 00:10:24.070 by God's revelation. There is some knowledge, 00:10:24.070 --> 00:10:30.330 he says, that we value. He says, we may not know 00:10:30.330 --> 00:10:33.009 everything yet, but there is something that we 00:10:33.009 --> 00:10:37.190 do know. He says in verse 4, we know that idols 00:10:37.190 --> 00:10:42.610 are nothing. They're nothing. Idols are lifeless. 00:10:46.600 --> 00:10:50.259 It may be a front for a demon spirit that receives 00:10:50.259 --> 00:10:53.340 some kind of joy out of being worshipped through 00:10:53.340 --> 00:10:57.179 this idol, but the idol itself is wood, it's 00:10:57.179 --> 00:11:01.399 stone, it's some sort of a metal. Idols are nothing. 00:11:02.759 --> 00:11:06.799 No idol can represent the immaterial and glorious, 00:11:07.159 --> 00:11:11.460 immortal God of the universe. Idol is nothing. 00:11:12.340 --> 00:11:16.529 We know that. Paul says secondly, we also know 00:11:16.529 --> 00:11:21.389 that there's only one God. Verses 4 through 6 00:11:21.389 --> 00:11:24.909 he talks about this. He says this one God has 00:11:24.909 --> 00:11:27.750 revealed himself distinctively to us. He is the 00:11:27.750 --> 00:11:31.889 Father. By that Paul is saying that God is a 00:11:31.889 --> 00:11:35.750 personal God, like a father is a personal being. 00:11:37.190 --> 00:11:39.169 And like a father has authority in his family, 00:11:39.389 --> 00:11:41.570 this personal God has authority in our lives. 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:47.120 He says he is the source of the creation. He 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:49.279 is the source of it. It all came from him. He's 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:53.539 the cause of it. He says we also know that this 00:11:53.539 --> 00:12:00.440 one God is our one Lord, Jesus Christ. He is 00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:03.120 the agent. Everything came into being through 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:10.799 him. And not only that, it exists by him. is 00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:14.720 sustained by Him. That is who the one true God 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:18.100 is. Paul says we know this, and the implication 00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:20.960 is that because this one God that we know created 00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:23.620 everything, there is nothing that is unclean, 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:25.340 including this meat that has been offered to 00:12:25.340 --> 00:12:32.500 idols. He has created all things for us to enjoy 00:12:32.500 --> 00:12:37.809 and to eat, thankfully and in a right way. And 00:12:37.809 --> 00:12:41.690 so holding a piece of meat before an idol, offering 00:12:41.690 --> 00:12:46.629 it up to the so -called God, neither defiles 00:12:46.629 --> 00:12:50.610 this piece of meat, nor does it harm it nutritionally. 00:12:51.549 --> 00:12:57.190 We know that. That's what knowledge says. In 00:12:57.190 --> 00:12:59.730 the verses 7 through 13, he talks about what 00:12:59.730 --> 00:13:06.450 love does. First of all, love realizes something. 00:13:07.019 --> 00:13:09.440 verses seven and eight. What does love realize? 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:14.220 What does it realize? Well, love, in the Christian 00:13:14.220 --> 00:13:17.799 part, realizes that not everyone knows the truth 00:13:17.799 --> 00:13:22.980 about idols. Now, they may, in their belief system, 00:13:23.860 --> 00:13:25.899 other Christians may know in their belief system 00:13:25.899 --> 00:13:28.980 the idols are nothing, but that hasn't yet soaked 00:13:28.980 --> 00:13:32.559 down into their soul so that it affects their 00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:35.320 behavior and their experience and their conscience. 00:13:37.260 --> 00:13:40.879 Love realizes that there are some so accustomed 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:44.539 to idols that they cannot break away from the 00:13:44.539 --> 00:13:50.419 mental hole that those idols have on them. And 00:13:50.419 --> 00:13:53.159 eating the meat of idols reminds them of their 00:13:53.159 --> 00:13:58.100 past revulsive practices in the temple. And Paul 00:13:58.100 --> 00:14:02.799 says in that sense they are weak. They are not 00:14:02.799 --> 00:14:05.940 yet able to discern the spiritual principles. 00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:12.679 involved in the meat. And love realizes that. 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:15.759 Not everybody knows yet down deep this truth 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:21.059 about the idol. Love realizes that and therefore 00:14:21.059 --> 00:14:25.000 eating meat that is offered to idols for that 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:29.200 person with a weak conscience defiles him. He 00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:32.600 feels guilty. He feels condemned because of what 00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:36.809 he's done. Now the food itself has absolutely 00:14:36.809 --> 00:14:39.629 no bearing on his relationship with God whatsoever. 00:14:40.470 --> 00:14:44.830 It's just food. But his conscience does have 00:14:44.830 --> 00:14:49.950 a bearing upon his relationship with God. And 00:14:49.950 --> 00:14:52.750 for him, with a weak conscience, to eat the meat 00:14:52.750 --> 00:14:55.549 defiles his conscience and therefore affects 00:14:55.549 --> 00:15:00.230 his relationship with God. Love realizes those 00:15:00.230 --> 00:15:08.070 things. Now, love realizes something else. Love 00:15:08.070 --> 00:15:10.710 realizes, love remembers. It not only realizes, 00:15:10.830 --> 00:15:15.409 but love remembers. Verses 9 through 12. Love 00:15:15.409 --> 00:15:17.450 remembers something. What does love remember? 00:15:19.129 --> 00:15:22.169 Love remembers, first of all, that my liberty, 00:15:24.269 --> 00:15:27.289 that is my right to exercise my Christian freedom, 00:15:28.529 --> 00:15:31.850 must not become a stumbling block to somebody 00:15:31.850 --> 00:15:38.049 else. Verse 10 is an illustration of that. That 00:15:38.049 --> 00:15:41.350 fits in with the whole scene that we described. 00:15:45.870 --> 00:15:51.009 Love remembers that I should not use my freedom 00:15:51.009 --> 00:15:56.429 to cause somebody else to be strengthened or 00:15:56.429 --> 00:16:04.159 encouraged to do what is wrong for them. It also 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:08.759 remembers that to cause another to stumble is 00:16:08.759 --> 00:16:14.659 very serious. Love remembers that to cause another 00:16:14.659 --> 00:16:20.559 to stumble is to cause him to perish. Now Christ 00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:23.259 died to keep him from perishing. That's what 00:16:23.259 --> 00:16:26.940 he said. Christ died to keep him from perishing 00:16:26.940 --> 00:16:33.009 eternally. But if I, using my rights and my freedom 00:16:33.009 --> 00:16:37.090 that I feel as a mature Christian caused my brother 00:16:37.090 --> 00:16:39.549 to stumble, then I am in a sense causing him 00:16:39.549 --> 00:16:43.309 to perish. Paul is using that here in a figurative 00:16:43.309 --> 00:16:47.330 sense. He means to be ruined. He suffers loss 00:16:47.330 --> 00:16:52.230 of his well -being spiritually. He suffers loss 00:16:52.230 --> 00:16:55.110 of an effective and joyful life as a Christian, 00:16:55.269 --> 00:16:59.250 of his full reward as a Christian because I caused 00:16:59.250 --> 00:17:03.759 him to stumble. And love remembers a third thing, 00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:06.119 and that is to cause another to stumble is also 00:17:06.119 --> 00:17:12.720 to sin against Christ. Can I say it? He says 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:15.380 if I use my liberty to cause another person to 00:17:15.380 --> 00:17:17.759 stumble in his Christian life, I've not only 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:21.759 sinned against him, but I have sinned against 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:27.539 Jesus Christ himself because my brother is in 00:17:27.539 --> 00:17:32.190 Christ as I am. And if I sin against him, then 00:17:32.190 --> 00:17:38.750 I cannot but sin against my Lord as well. And 00:17:38.750 --> 00:17:41.549 so Paul tells us here what love does. It realizes. 00:17:42.650 --> 00:17:48.690 It remembers. And thirdly, love resolves. Love 00:17:48.690 --> 00:17:52.269 resolves. In verse 13, we come to the conclusion. 00:17:53.210 --> 00:17:57.930 And what does love resolve? Paul says love resolves 00:17:57.930 --> 00:18:02.339 never. to do anything that causes another to 00:18:02.339 --> 00:18:08.140 stumble or to be trapped in pen. Never by any 00:18:08.140 --> 00:18:13.119 means, that is the resolution, never by any means 00:18:13.119 --> 00:18:16.940 do what will cause my brother or my sister in 00:18:16.940 --> 00:18:20.940 Christ to stumble in his or her life and to become 00:18:20.940 --> 00:18:25.799 trapped in pen. Now that was Paul's own principle. 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:28.990 That was what he applied to his life. And next 00:18:28.990 --> 00:18:32.329 week in chapter 9, you'll see that. But here 00:18:32.329 --> 00:18:36.890 is God's point in this whole chapter about this 00:18:36.890 --> 00:18:40.430 strange leap that's offered to idols. Here's 00:18:40.430 --> 00:18:47.150 his point. That knowledge puffs up. It makes 00:18:47.150 --> 00:18:54.950 arrogance. But love builds up. Get edified. Back 00:18:54.950 --> 00:19:01.789 to verse 1. Love builds up, but knowledge puffs 00:19:01.789 --> 00:19:06.069 up. And here's what he's saying. When I, as a 00:19:06.069 --> 00:19:12.490 Christian, focus on my opinion and not the good 00:19:12.490 --> 00:19:17.509 of my brother, I will end up sinning against 00:19:17.509 --> 00:19:23.529 him and sinning against Christ, and I will ruin 00:19:23.529 --> 00:19:30.619 my brother. My opinion, whether it be right or 00:19:30.619 --> 00:19:35.319 wrong, tends to puff me up if I focus on it. 00:19:36.539 --> 00:19:38.859 Now I want you to notice that what these people 00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:42.059 knew to be true was absolutely doctrinally correct. 00:19:43.240 --> 00:19:48.319 Idols are nothing and there is one God. What 00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:51.319 they knew to be true was right, but Paul says 00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:57.430 even good theology can make you proud. if you 00:19:57.430 --> 00:20:01.109 focus on what you know and what your opinion 00:20:01.109 --> 00:20:05.549 is, rather than on what is good for your brother. 00:20:08.430 --> 00:20:11.009 So the question I have to ask myself and you 00:20:11.009 --> 00:20:16.769 today is this. Do you have an issue about which 00:20:16.769 --> 00:20:20.049 your opinion is more important than the good 00:20:20.049 --> 00:20:26.539 of your brother? Do you have an issue in your 00:20:26.539 --> 00:20:30.599 life that is more important to you than what 00:20:30.599 --> 00:20:34.019 your opinion is on it, than what is good for 00:20:34.019 --> 00:20:38.500 your brother? If that's what you're focusing 00:20:38.500 --> 00:20:41.480 on, you're going to end up ruining your brother 00:20:41.480 --> 00:20:47.339 and sinning against Jesus Christ. Because when 00:20:47.339 --> 00:20:50.400 I focus on what I think, and what my opinion 00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:52.779 is, and what my knowledge is, even if it's right 00:20:52.779 --> 00:20:56.940 knowledge, When I focus on that, it ends up making 00:20:56.940 --> 00:21:02.019 me proud. But when I focus on what is good for 00:21:02.019 --> 00:21:06.180 my brother, what helps him, what ministers to 00:21:06.180 --> 00:21:13.880 him, it builds him up. And that, says Paul, is 00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:17.779 what we ought to be concerned about. And so to 00:21:17.779 --> 00:21:29.500 go back to Jim and Tim. What are Jim to do? What 00:21:29.500 --> 00:21:31.400 should be his decision about going to the casino? 00:21:35.359 --> 00:21:39.279 Should he go and not tell Tim because he doesn't 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:44.859 want Tim to stumble? Should he forget going altogether? 00:21:47.660 --> 00:21:53.470 I leave that to you to decide. This is one of 00:21:53.470 --> 00:21:55.410 those cases where the Word of God does not give 00:21:55.410 --> 00:21:59.690 us yea or nay. It says, here is the principle. 00:22:01.150 --> 00:22:05.769 Now you apply it, and remember that how you apply 00:22:05.769 --> 00:22:10.890 it is what you've given answer for as a judgment 00:22:10.890 --> 00:22:22.039 to the Christ. Let's pray together. As we come 00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:27.920 to the Lord's table, it is important that we 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:33.220 come with our hearts prepared and cleansed. It 00:22:33.220 --> 00:22:38.259 is important that there not be issues between 00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:43.220 us and others. It is vital that we be living 00:22:43.220 --> 00:22:52.109 our lives under the Lordship of Christ. It is 00:22:52.109 --> 00:22:55.150 very important that we not be focusing on our 00:22:55.150 --> 00:23:02.650 opinions, what we know to be true, but rather 00:23:02.650 --> 00:23:06.609 how we can be used by God to build up our brother, 00:23:08.130 --> 00:23:11.109 who may be weaker than we are in certain respects. 00:23:13.930 --> 00:23:16.069 So let's examine our hearts as we come to this 00:23:16.069 --> 00:23:20.589 truth, and remember that that's how Jesus lived. 00:23:23.789 --> 00:23:27.509 And that's what these elements represent. That 00:23:27.509 --> 00:23:33.250 He went to the cross and gave up His right as 00:23:33.250 --> 00:23:38.009 the Holy Son of God. He gave up His right and 00:23:38.009 --> 00:23:43.470 laid down His life for what does us eternal dead. 00:23:54.410 --> 00:23:58.730 May the Holy Spirit cause each of us to search 00:23:58.730 --> 00:24:02.529 our hearts and to meditate deeply about what 00:24:02.529 --> 00:24:07.670 this bread means, so that we may truly eat it 00:24:07.670 --> 00:24:20.029 with gratitude. Amen. The same spirit of this 00:24:20.029 --> 00:24:24.059 table this morning emphasizing our relationship 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:27.079 with the Lord and with one another, we have an 00:24:27.079 --> 00:24:29.539 opportunity to participate in the Elder's Fund 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:32.740 today. That fund is specifically there to help 00:24:32.740 --> 00:24:35.539 others in the great church family as they have 00:24:35.539 --> 00:24:40.859 financial need. The early church practice supporting 00:24:40.859 --> 00:24:43.000 each other and bearing each other's burdens, 00:24:43.079 --> 00:24:46.140 even the financial ones that they would run into. 00:24:46.759 --> 00:24:48.960 Do you care to participate in that fund this 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:51.390 morning? The offering box in the back of the 00:24:51.390 --> 00:24:55.529 church is going to be used for that and indicate 00:24:55.529 --> 00:24:58.309 on the check that this is for the elders' funds. 00:24:59.569 --> 00:25:02.049 Also tonight, don't forget we have the great 00:25:02.049 --> 00:25:04.650 gospel reunion tonight. That'll be a fun time 00:25:04.650 --> 00:25:07.269 celebrating the Lord and old -time gospel music. 00:25:08.390 --> 00:25:10.349 Be sure to come on out for that. It's a warm 00:25:10.349 --> 00:25:14.210 Sunday, but come on back for that anyway. So 00:25:14.210 --> 00:25:16.809 it'll be a fun time here this evening. And as 00:25:16.809 --> 00:25:19.700 we leave the Lord's house this morning, Let's 00:25:19.700 --> 00:25:22.900 get up and greet each other. Those that you haven't 00:25:22.900 --> 00:25:25.200 met, say hi to, or as we say in Colorado, say 00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:27.980 howdy. And we'll see you all back here next week, 00:25:28.140 --> 00:25:28.640 where it's next.