WEBVTT 00:00:00.609 --> 00:00:02.910 This week is an important week of ministry in 00:00:02.910 --> 00:00:07.009 our children's area Vacation Bible school begins 00:00:07.009 --> 00:00:09.050 in the morning with hundreds of boys and girls 00:00:09.050 --> 00:00:12.089 will be coming and The scores of adults will 00:00:12.089 --> 00:00:14.410 be coming to help lead and teach and help in 00:00:14.410 --> 00:00:16.969 various ways So be in prayer, please for Vacation 00:00:16.969 --> 00:00:20.149 Bible school and ask God to give us a wonderful 00:00:20.149 --> 00:00:25.629 week of ministry to these young lives Please 00:00:25.629 --> 00:00:27.469 open your Bible with me to first Corinthians 00:00:27.469 --> 00:00:32.920 chapter 10 This book of 1 Corinthians, I hope 00:00:32.920 --> 00:00:35.340 you've noticed as we've studied it together, 00:00:36.020 --> 00:00:41.200 speaks to a world like ours. Its context is pagan 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:46.380 and immoral. The pages of 1 Corinthians penetrate 00:00:46.380 --> 00:00:50.700 to the very core of the cultural values and the 00:00:50.700 --> 00:00:56.600 sensual lifestyle that tempt believers away from 00:00:56.600 --> 00:01:01.119 Jesus Christ. Paul speaks about this again this 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:04.659 morning as he writes beginning in verse 14. Therefore, 00:01:04.900 --> 00:01:12.459 my beloved, flee, flee from idolatry. I speak 00:01:12.459 --> 00:01:16.959 as to wise men, you judge what I say. Is not 00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:19.920 the cup of blessing that we bless a sharing in 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:23.140 the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we 00:01:23.140 --> 00:01:27.280 break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:32.099 there is one bread, we who are many are one body, 00:01:33.019 --> 00:01:38.219 for we all partake of the one bread. Look at 00:01:38.219 --> 00:01:41.480 the nation Israel. Are not those who eat the 00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:46.239 sacrifices sharers in the altar? What do I mean 00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:50.420 then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, 00:01:50.980 --> 00:01:55.459 or that an idol is anything? No. But I say that 00:01:55.459 --> 00:01:58.629 the The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, 00:01:59.590 --> 00:02:03.310 they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And 00:02:03.310 --> 00:02:06.069 I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 00:02:07.390 --> 00:02:09.669 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the 00:02:09.669 --> 00:02:13.509 cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table 00:02:13.509 --> 00:02:17.050 of the Lord and the table of demons. Or do we 00:02:17.050 --> 00:02:20.810 provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger 00:02:20.810 --> 00:02:24.560 than he, are we? All things are lawful, but not 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:28.479 all things are profitable. All things are lawful, 00:02:28.939 --> 00:02:33.400 but not all things edify. Let no one seek his 00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:38.520 own good but that of his neighbor. Eat anything 00:02:38.520 --> 00:02:40.819 that is sold in the meat market without asking 00:02:40.819 --> 00:02:43.460 questions for conscience sake, for the earth 00:02:43.460 --> 00:02:46.900 is the Lord's and all it contains. If one of 00:02:46.900 --> 00:02:49.300 the unbelievers invites you and you wish to go, 00:02:49.400 --> 00:02:52.419 eat anything that is set before you. without 00:02:52.419 --> 00:02:57.139 asking questions for conscience sake. But if 00:02:57.139 --> 00:03:00.400 anyone should say to you, this meat is sacrificed 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:05.199 to idols, do not eat it for the sake of the one 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:08.860 who informed you and for conscience sake. I mean 00:03:08.860 --> 00:03:12.599 not your own conscience, but the other man's. 00:03:12.840 --> 00:03:15.840 For why is my freedom judged by another's conscience? 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:20.360 If I partake with thankfulness, Why am I slandered 00:03:20.360 --> 00:03:24.539 concerning that for which I give thanks? Whether 00:03:24.539 --> 00:03:29.080 then you eat or drink or whatever you do, do 00:03:29.080 --> 00:03:33.520 all to the glory of God. Give no offense either 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:36.280 to Jews or to Greeks or to the Church of God, 00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:39.580 just as I also please all men in all things, 00:03:40.139 --> 00:03:43.259 not seeking my own profit, but the profit of 00:03:43.259 --> 00:03:47.000 the many that they may be saved. Be imitators 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:53.189 of me. Just as I also am of Christ In the ancient 00:03:53.189 --> 00:03:55.610 days of old when I played basketball in high 00:03:55.610 --> 00:03:59.569 school I remember our coach on many occasions 00:03:59.569 --> 00:04:02.229 explaining to us a certain play and how he wanted 00:04:02.229 --> 00:04:05.909 it done But it didn't really come across to me 00:04:05.909 --> 00:04:11.210 as one of his coach ease Until he demonstrated 00:04:11.210 --> 00:04:15.110 it until he went through the motion or showed 00:04:15.110 --> 00:04:18.379 us on the floor or did the exercise that he wanted 00:04:18.379 --> 00:04:21.860 the rest of us to do. I'm one of those people 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:27.160 who needs an example. The Corinthians needed 00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:32.019 an example. They needed a flesh and blood model 00:04:32.019 --> 00:04:36.660 of what it means to live out godly conduct in 00:04:36.660 --> 00:04:41.620 an ungodly culture. They needed to know what 00:04:41.620 --> 00:04:44.550 godly living looked like on the streets of a 00:04:44.550 --> 00:04:49.829 place like Corinth. They needed a mentor, a discipler 00:04:49.829 --> 00:04:52.889 who would give them a pattern and show them that 00:04:52.889 --> 00:04:58.209 it is possible to live a self -disciplined, race 00:04:58.209 --> 00:05:03.889 -winning life in a corrupt world. That's why 00:05:03.889 --> 00:05:08.170 this book is so important for us. Because we 00:05:08.170 --> 00:05:12.310 also need to be reminded that we can live a self 00:05:12.310 --> 00:05:16.689 -disciplined, race -winning life in a corrupt 00:05:16.689 --> 00:05:19.769 world. And that's the point that Paul raises 00:05:19.769 --> 00:05:22.930 in the text, because he had personally lived 00:05:22.930 --> 00:05:27.029 among them for 18 months. They knew his life 00:05:27.029 --> 00:05:32.250 well. And he wasn't afraid to tell them to imitate 00:05:32.250 --> 00:05:38.709 himself, for Paul himself had imitated Christ. 00:05:40.009 --> 00:05:42.810 Paul is not here claiming that he is perfect 00:05:42.810 --> 00:05:46.790 when he says, imitate me. He is not claiming 00:05:46.790 --> 00:05:50.569 he is perfect in every respect. He is only saying 00:05:50.569 --> 00:05:55.170 that Christ had taught him, that Christ had transformed 00:05:55.170 --> 00:05:58.629 his attitudes and his actions to such an extent 00:05:58.629 --> 00:06:03.930 that he could say, imitate me, literally says 00:06:03.930 --> 00:06:12.240 mimic me, as I also have imitated Christ. Jesus 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:16.639 was evident in Paul. And that's why Paul could 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:20.379 not hesitate to say, imitate me, because if you 00:06:20.379 --> 00:06:25.319 do, you will imitate Jesus. I believe the point 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:28.000 that God wants us to grasp in this text today 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:31.040 is that you will know how to be like Jesus and 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:36.079 finish your race with success if you too mimic 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:41.639 Paul. You say, well what does that mean? Well, 00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:43.740 Paul explains it in this text. In fact, there 00:06:43.740 --> 00:06:48.160 are four imperatives in this text that are in 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:50.720 the present tense that show us that Paul is telling 00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:55.819 us what habits we need to have in our life in 00:06:55.819 --> 00:06:59.379 order to mimic him. Indeed, I believe to follow 00:06:59.379 --> 00:07:01.899 Paul, to imitate Paul, you must seek to build 00:07:01.899 --> 00:07:06.759 four habits into your life. The first habit is 00:07:06.759 --> 00:07:11.170 this, to flee idolatry. He talks about this in 00:07:11.170 --> 00:07:16.970 verses 14 to 22. Flee continually as a habit 00:07:16.970 --> 00:07:22.410 of life, idolatry, he says. Corinth had a long 00:07:22.410 --> 00:07:26.149 history as a center of idol worship. There was 00:07:26.149 --> 00:07:29.689 a restored temple of Apollo that was originally 00:07:29.689 --> 00:07:33.670 built 600 years before Paul was in the city. 00:07:34.170 --> 00:07:38.350 It had been restored. And there was another sanctuary 00:07:38.350 --> 00:07:44.490 that had a colossal statue of a god. There are 00:07:44.490 --> 00:07:47.290 seven columns of Apollo's temple that still remain 00:07:47.290 --> 00:07:51.410 in the ruins of Corinth till this day. So magnificent 00:07:51.410 --> 00:07:55.790 and massive was the structure. On the slope of 00:07:55.790 --> 00:07:59.970 a nearby hill there was a shrine to Athena. Near 00:07:59.970 --> 00:08:02.930 the Apollo temple there was a shrine and a fountain 00:08:02.930 --> 00:08:07.399 to Poseidon. Other remains from the Roman period 00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:10.439 include a pantheon, which is a temple to all 00:08:10.439 --> 00:08:14.139 of the gods. There were also temples to Heracles, 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:17.879 Hermes, and Jupiter. In addition, there was a 00:08:17.879 --> 00:08:21.439 temple to the deified sister of Emperor Augustus, 00:08:21.579 --> 00:08:25.600 whose name was Octavia. But then on the rocky 00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:27.980 pinnacle that was nearby, that was called the 00:08:27.980 --> 00:08:31.399 Acro Corinth, that stood about 600 feet above 00:08:31.399 --> 00:08:34.820 the plain where Corinth was located. was this 00:08:34.820 --> 00:08:37.019 famous temple that we've mentioned several times 00:08:37.019 --> 00:08:43.279 to the goddess Venus or Aphrodite. And then on 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:46.639 the north slopes, leading from the top down toward 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:51.679 the city, on the north slopes of this rocky pinnacle 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:55.500 were other temples as well, to the Egyptian gods 00:08:55.500 --> 00:08:59.899 Isis and Serapis. And there was Wanda Demeter. 00:09:00.350 --> 00:09:03.350 In fact, that particular temple was used from 00:09:03.350 --> 00:09:08.470 600 BC for almost a thousand years. In other 00:09:08.470 --> 00:09:11.190 words, 300 years after Paul left the city of 00:09:11.190 --> 00:09:13.909 Corinth, that temple was still in use and in 00:09:13.909 --> 00:09:16.230 the ruins of it they have found large dining 00:09:16.230 --> 00:09:20.470 rooms. Perhaps that is the occasion for Paul's 00:09:20.470 --> 00:09:24.149 remark here regarding the table of demons that 00:09:24.149 --> 00:09:28.620 he tells them not to eat at. And so you see, 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:31.220 when Paul says to these people in Corinth, flee 00:09:31.220 --> 00:09:37.600 idolatry, it was a very pertinent command. You 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:39.019 say, well, what does that mean today? Because 00:09:39.019 --> 00:09:41.320 we don't have idols all over the place. Well, 00:09:42.179 --> 00:09:44.720 it depends upon how we define idols, doesn't 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:48.539 it? We don't have idols perhaps in the sense 00:09:48.539 --> 00:09:52.360 of Corinth. We can say this very clearly from 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:55.500 what is is meant by Paul that Christians ought 00:09:55.500 --> 00:10:00.559 never to be involved in idol worship or in any 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:03.360 false religious system that leads men away from 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:06.600 God. For that's what idol worship really is intended 00:10:06.600 --> 00:10:09.899 to do, to lead men away from the knowledge of 00:10:09.899 --> 00:10:13.919 the true God. Christians ought never to be involved 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:18.480 in a false religious system like that. Now Paul 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:21.120 reminds us that an idol is nothing in itself. 00:10:23.280 --> 00:10:28.980 But demons, he says, exploit idols for their 00:10:28.980 --> 00:10:34.080 own wicked gratification. You say, well so what 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:37.740 if they do? Paul's point here is that believers 00:10:37.740 --> 00:10:41.899 are united to Jesus Christ and as such we dare 00:10:41.899 --> 00:10:45.019 not fellowship with demons. Someone has said 00:10:45.019 --> 00:10:48.120 you can't walk with God and run with the devil. 00:10:49.610 --> 00:10:51.990 That's what Paul is saying here. He makes an 00:10:51.990 --> 00:10:55.769 allusion in verses 16 and 17 to the Lord's Supper. 00:10:56.350 --> 00:10:59.950 He speaks about the one bread, which of course 00:10:59.950 --> 00:11:04.029 is Jesus Christ who said, I am the bread of life. 00:11:04.970 --> 00:11:07.529 He is the one bread and we who are many have 00:11:07.529 --> 00:11:11.450 been made one by partaking of this one bread. 00:11:13.169 --> 00:11:15.889 In verse 18 he gives an illustration from Old 00:11:15.889 --> 00:11:20.570 Testament Israel. Harold Meir says, here Paul 00:11:20.570 --> 00:11:24.190 compares the Old Testament sacrifices with pagan 00:11:24.190 --> 00:11:27.570 offerings. When the people of Israel sacrificed 00:11:27.570 --> 00:11:30.509 at the altar and ate part of the sacrifice, they 00:11:30.509 --> 00:11:33.529 participated in and became a part of the sacrificial 00:11:33.529 --> 00:11:38.149 system and worship of God. And so, when the pagans 00:11:38.149 --> 00:11:43.070 sacrifice, they do so to demons. And Paul doesn't 00:11:43.070 --> 00:11:45.950 want the Corinthians to share in worship having 00:11:45.950 --> 00:11:51.470 to do with demons. That is his point. And so 00:11:51.470 --> 00:11:54.350 we can say from this part of the text that to 00:11:54.350 --> 00:11:58.789 imitate Paul means to avoid anything that compromises 00:11:58.789 --> 00:12:02.470 the uniqueness and the completeness of Jesus 00:12:02.470 --> 00:12:06.950 Christ's saving work in his death on the cross 00:12:06.950 --> 00:12:10.230 for our sins and his resurrection for the dead. 00:12:11.149 --> 00:12:14.389 Anything that compromises the gospel message 00:12:14.389 --> 00:12:18.419 we are to stay away from. any kind of false religious 00:12:18.419 --> 00:12:22.980 system. But there's also more meaning here than 00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:27.399 that, I think, for us. Because it also means 00:12:27.399 --> 00:12:30.960 if we are to flee idolatry that we must forsake 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:36.419 anything that takes the place of God in our lives. 00:12:38.360 --> 00:12:44.840 Any idol, put that in quotes, any idol that interferes 00:12:44.840 --> 00:12:49.960 with Jesus Christ's lordship must be forsaken. 00:12:52.379 --> 00:12:57.659 The Christian is not ruined by living in the 00:12:57.659 --> 00:13:04.419 world, but the Christian is ruined by the world 00:13:04.419 --> 00:13:09.230 living in him. What we have today in our culture 00:13:09.230 --> 00:13:11.529 is not the worship of idols of stone, but the 00:13:11.529 --> 00:13:15.190 worship of attitudes and things and pleasure. 00:13:16.610 --> 00:13:19.629 We have idols of fame and idols of relationship 00:13:19.629 --> 00:13:23.590 and idols of self -interest, idols of things 00:13:23.590 --> 00:13:26.389 that we possess and idols of things that we want 00:13:26.389 --> 00:13:31.070 to possess, idols of sports, idols of entertainment, 00:13:31.690 --> 00:13:38.120 idols of games, idols of television. We can go 00:13:38.120 --> 00:13:40.840 on and on down the list and describe the idols 00:13:40.840 --> 00:13:44.259 that are prominent in our culture And I want 00:13:44.259 --> 00:13:47.100 to submit to you today. We may not live in a 00:13:47.100 --> 00:13:49.940 culture like Corinth where there are temples 00:13:49.940 --> 00:13:54.139 to gods and goddesses But we live in a culture 00:13:54.139 --> 00:13:58.940 that is filled with idolatry Where there are 00:13:58.940 --> 00:14:01.820 many things that can take the place of God in 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:06.600 the lives of people and those things also take 00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:13.440 the place of God too often in our lives. And 00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:15.840 so let's not think that Paul's words are somehow 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:18.960 foreign and for somebody else when he says that 00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:24.480 if we're going to imitate him, if we're going 00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:31.179 to run the race and win it, then we have to flee 00:14:31.179 --> 00:14:35.210 from those things that take the place of God 00:14:35.210 --> 00:14:38.289 in our lives. You say, well, how do I know what 00:14:38.289 --> 00:14:40.450 things are taking the place of God in my life? 00:14:42.250 --> 00:14:44.909 You have to examine your heart and ask yourself 00:14:44.909 --> 00:14:47.370 questions like, does this thing receive more 00:14:47.370 --> 00:14:56.529 of my time and energy than the Lord does? Do 00:14:56.529 --> 00:15:02.039 I make greater sacrifices for this activity or 00:15:02.039 --> 00:15:11.220 for this purpose than I do for God. Do I think 00:15:11.220 --> 00:15:17.220 about this? Do I desire this more than I desire 00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:22.720 God's will in my life? Really all we have to 00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:25.000 do to find out what the idols are in our lives 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:28.899 is think back to the last week and see how we 00:15:28.899 --> 00:15:34.440 really spent it. to take a look at our checkbook 00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:36.500 and see what we're really spending our money 00:15:36.500 --> 00:15:41.159 on. And to think through our plans for the future 00:15:41.159 --> 00:15:44.700 and what we're focusing on doing in the next 00:15:44.700 --> 00:15:47.419 year or the next 10 years or the rest of our 00:15:47.419 --> 00:15:53.940 lives. And when we have honestly answered those 00:15:53.940 --> 00:15:56.200 questions, then we'll be able to know to what 00:15:56.200 --> 00:16:05.720 extent we are idolaters. Paul is writing to the 00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:08.019 Corinthians who believed in Jesus Christ, just 00:16:08.019 --> 00:16:14.179 like you and I do. But here they are in their 00:16:14.179 --> 00:16:19.980 worldliness, with the world living in them, now 00:16:19.980 --> 00:16:26.759 going back to their old ways. And the values 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:31.379 and the priorities of God are being forsaken. 00:16:35.529 --> 00:16:39.049 And that is as true in the 20th century church 00:16:39.049 --> 00:16:41.769 as it was true in the first century church at 00:16:41.769 --> 00:16:47.490 Corinth. And so I say to you that if we're going 00:16:47.490 --> 00:16:54.490 to mimic Paul, we need to make a life habit to 00:16:54.490 --> 00:16:58.750 ruthlessly examine our hearts for idols and to 00:16:58.750 --> 00:17:03.220 dump them. And not to do that once on some Sunday 00:17:03.220 --> 00:17:07.680 morning, but to make it a habit of life. To examine 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:10.839 our hearts and to say, God, does this thing come 00:17:10.839 --> 00:17:16.460 before you? Do I prefer this above being with 00:17:16.460 --> 00:17:22.559 you? Am I giving more of myself to this thing 00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:27.200 than I'm giving to you? To ruthlessly look at 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:32.559 our hearts and to flee. From those things that 00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:36.980 are robbing God of the the preeminence and the 00:17:36.980 --> 00:17:45.700 supreme place That he rightly deserves There's 00:17:45.700 --> 00:17:48.420 a second command that Paul gives that we find 00:17:48.420 --> 00:17:54.079 in verse 24 He says it in the negative, but we're 00:17:54.079 --> 00:17:55.779 going to put it in the positive. He says let 00:17:55.779 --> 00:17:59.799 no one seek his own good but that of his neighbor 00:18:01.160 --> 00:18:03.099 I want to suggest to you that if we're going 00:18:03.099 --> 00:18:08.859 to imitate Paul, it means not only to flee idols, 00:18:09.819 --> 00:18:15.019 but it means to bless others. Verses 23 to 30 00:18:15.019 --> 00:18:18.039 talk about this, and here Paul again introduces 00:18:18.039 --> 00:18:20.259 the theme that he's talked about several times 00:18:20.259 --> 00:18:22.859 as we've studied the book, and that is this problem 00:18:22.859 --> 00:18:25.079 of eating food that has been offered to idols. 00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:29.460 He's not talking about going to the idols. temple 00:18:29.460 --> 00:18:32.119 and they're participating in something, but he's 00:18:32.119 --> 00:18:35.059 talking about food sold in the marketplace that 00:18:35.059 --> 00:18:37.579 had first been offered to idols and which was 00:18:37.579 --> 00:18:42.480 therefore cheaper, easier to get a hold of. Paul 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:45.000 introduces this problem. Should a Christian eat 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:49.460 that kind of meat? Well, Paul says possibly so. 00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:53.220 He says all things are lawful. Remember, that 00:18:53.220 --> 00:18:56.819 was the little statement. that some of them were 00:18:56.819 --> 00:19:01.920 using to justify their lifestyle. I'm a Christian. 00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:04.200 I can do anything. I have freedom in Christ. 00:19:04.380 --> 00:19:08.160 All things are lawful for me. Paul says, okay, 00:19:08.700 --> 00:19:11.660 you can possibly eat of it, but consider this. 00:19:12.759 --> 00:19:15.440 Not all things are profitable. It doesn't bring 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:20.019 advantage to others. Not all things edify. That 00:19:20.019 --> 00:19:25.009 is, they don't build up others. And so he suggests 00:19:25.009 --> 00:19:28.849 to them, you may want to limit your choices out 00:19:28.849 --> 00:19:33.049 of love when that's necessary in order to bless 00:19:33.049 --> 00:19:37.369 others, in order to do them good. Paul reminds 00:19:37.369 --> 00:19:43.410 them again, let love for others limit your liberty, 00:19:43.470 --> 00:19:47.890 if need be, so that your life will be a blessing. 00:19:49.300 --> 00:19:52.779 Paul applies this idea in verses 25 through the 00:19:52.779 --> 00:19:55.500 first part of verse 29 where basically he says, 00:19:56.319 --> 00:20:00.920 hey, he can eat anything. And if you go to an 00:20:00.920 --> 00:20:03.680 unbeliever's house and he puts before you food 00:20:03.680 --> 00:20:09.519 of any sort, eat it. Unless, unless someone says 00:20:09.519 --> 00:20:18.579 to you, that's been awful. Paul says, if you 00:20:18.579 --> 00:20:21.839 learn that, then you're better off not eating 00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:24.279 it for that person's sake, not your own conscious, 00:20:24.339 --> 00:20:27.599 but for his conscious sake, so that he will not 00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:33.279 be offended. Then Paul says, why is my liberty 00:20:33.279 --> 00:20:38.339 judged by somebody else? Doesn't that sound like 00:20:38.339 --> 00:20:41.839 a 20th century question? Why should I limit my 00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:46.240 life for somebody else? Paul's point here is 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:48.720 that although he may eat with thankfulness anything, 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:55.299 if his actions create misunderstanding and slander 00:20:55.299 --> 00:20:58.200 against him by somebody who's weak in their conscience, 00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:03.819 it's better for him to refrain from eating. But 00:21:03.819 --> 00:21:05.900 Paul's point, I think, in this part of the paragraph 00:21:05.900 --> 00:21:08.420 is this. If you and I are going to imitate him 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:13.410 and thus run a winning race, We need to make 00:21:13.410 --> 00:21:17.069 it a habit of life to conduct ourselves so as 00:21:17.069 --> 00:21:22.410 to bless others. And sometimes that means putting 00:21:22.410 --> 00:21:26.230 ourselves second or third or tenth on the list. 00:21:29.230 --> 00:21:31.170 There are things we would rather do or there 00:21:31.170 --> 00:21:35.789 are things that we feel free to do that so we 00:21:35.789 --> 00:21:39.839 can be a blessing to others we don't do. John 00:21:39.839 --> 00:21:42.380 Greenleaf Whittier said, he who blesses most 00:21:42.380 --> 00:21:46.839 is blessed. So let me tell you, in living that 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:49.160 kind of a life, this life of love that Paul is 00:21:49.160 --> 00:21:52.940 suggesting here, it's not that we rob of ourselves. 00:21:54.119 --> 00:21:57.839 We may deny ourselves, but we also bring ourselves 00:21:57.839 --> 00:22:01.380 into the place of blessing when we bless others. 00:22:02.740 --> 00:22:06.180 So, Paul says, imitate me. And if you're going 00:22:06.180 --> 00:22:12.380 to do that, it means Choosing, every day, to 00:22:12.380 --> 00:22:16.660 make it a habit of your life, every day, to live 00:22:16.660 --> 00:22:22.420 to bless other people. To live to bless others. 00:22:24.660 --> 00:22:26.500 There's a third command that Paul gives, we find 00:22:26.500 --> 00:22:32.759 it in verse 32, verse 31 rather, where he says, 00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:37.240 do all to the glory of God. Do as imperative. 00:22:37.240 --> 00:22:40.380 It's in the present tense Paul says if we're 00:22:40.380 --> 00:22:42.339 going to imitate him it means fleeing idols. 00:22:42.339 --> 00:22:45.039 It means blessing others third. It means glorifying 00:22:45.039 --> 00:22:49.440 God In whatever actions you take or the choices 00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:54.599 you make You and I are to seek God's interests 00:22:54.599 --> 00:23:00.720 Not our own What does it mean? to glorify God 00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:04.359 Let me suggest a couple of phrases that I think 00:23:04.519 --> 00:23:07.839 encapsulate the heart of it. In the first place 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:13.940 it means to advance his purpose. To glorify God 00:23:13.940 --> 00:23:16.640 is to understand what God is about and to advance 00:23:16.640 --> 00:23:21.259 his purpose and therefore I make my choices in 00:23:21.259 --> 00:23:26.740 whatever I do so that God's purpose is put forward. 00:23:27.900 --> 00:23:31.700 It's advanced, it's promoted. Secondly it means 00:23:31.700 --> 00:23:37.130 to enhance his reputation. That whatever I do 00:23:37.130 --> 00:23:44.049 I'm concerned about how others view God. I want 00:23:44.049 --> 00:23:52.910 to enhance God's reputation in the world. Sometimes 00:23:52.910 --> 00:23:55.650 God gets a pretty bum rap in this area by Christians, 00:23:56.150 --> 00:24:02.450 doesn't he? Because the way that we choose to 00:24:02.450 --> 00:24:07.690 live or to talk or to act Actually detracts from 00:24:07.690 --> 00:24:12.710 the glory of God and God's reputation is smeared 00:24:12.710 --> 00:24:15.609 Now God himself is still all glorious, but the 00:24:15.609 --> 00:24:20.490 fact is his reputation can be smeared And so 00:24:20.490 --> 00:24:23.170 that's why Paul says if you want to imitate me 00:24:23.170 --> 00:24:27.710 and run a race that will win in the end Then 00:24:27.710 --> 00:24:31.009 you need to make it a habit of your life to promote 00:24:31.009 --> 00:24:34.990 God's reputation in everything you do. Make that 00:24:34.990 --> 00:24:38.089 a habit of your life. The Westminster Shorter 00:24:38.089 --> 00:24:41.069 Catechism says that the chief end of man is to 00:24:41.069 --> 00:24:46.690 what? Not too many Anglicans here today. To glorify 00:24:46.690 --> 00:24:54.849 God and enjoy him forever. The chief end of man. 00:24:57.869 --> 00:25:01.640 One man wrote, To lift up the hands in prayer 00:25:01.640 --> 00:25:07.180 gives God glory. But a man with a dung fork in 00:25:07.180 --> 00:25:12.460 his hand, or a woman with a slop pail, give him 00:25:12.460 --> 00:25:16.460 glory too. He is so great that all things give 00:25:16.460 --> 00:25:22.140 him glory, if you mean that they should. I was 00:25:22.140 --> 00:25:24.880 talking the other evening to a student at one 00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:28.779 of our Christian colleges nearby. very involved 00:25:28.779 --> 00:25:34.779 in athletics in the past, at least, and now majoring 00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:38.339 in what he needs to major on as a college student. 00:25:39.720 --> 00:25:42.880 And he said, you know, God has taught me in the 00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:48.079 last few months that when I'm out playing basketball 00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:52.400 or I'm playing sports that I should not do that 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:57.730 for my reputation. And he said, the reason I'm 00:25:57.730 --> 00:26:02.250 studying now hard in college is not to glorify 00:26:02.250 --> 00:26:04.710 me, but he says, I'm doing it to glorify God. 00:26:05.269 --> 00:26:10.549 Hallelujah. He's made a huge step of maturity 00:26:10.549 --> 00:26:14.549 in his life. And that's what Paul is saying here. 00:26:15.289 --> 00:26:24.130 Whatever you do, be it eating or drinking, the 00:26:24.130 --> 00:26:27.299 course of life, the routine things of the day, 00:26:27.480 --> 00:26:34.359 whatever you do, make it a habit of life to advance 00:26:34.359 --> 00:26:38.359 and promote God's reputation in those things. 00:26:40.039 --> 00:26:43.059 And then there's a final word of command that 00:26:43.059 --> 00:26:47.279 Paul gives in verses 32 and 33 where he says, 00:26:47.640 --> 00:26:52.759 give no offense, give no offense, present tense, 00:26:53.019 --> 00:26:56.230 it's to be a habit. He says, if you're going 00:26:56.230 --> 00:27:02.430 to mimic me and Jesus, and thus win the race 00:27:02.430 --> 00:27:08.549 of life and receive the reward at the end, then 00:27:08.549 --> 00:27:14.710 what you need to do is to win the lost. For he 00:27:14.710 --> 00:27:20.750 says, give no offense that they may be saved. 00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:25.980 What he's saying here is that we must live not 00:27:25.980 --> 00:27:31.539 to create harm or injury to anyone He is not 00:27:31.539 --> 00:27:35.599 saying that we should become men pleasers But 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:41.019 that rather we should not be self pleasers He 00:27:41.019 --> 00:27:43.640 says that we don't want to put a hindrance in 00:27:43.640 --> 00:27:49.339 the way of anyone being rescued by Christ And 00:27:49.339 --> 00:27:52.819 so he says if you're going to imitate me then 00:27:52.819 --> 00:27:57.380 you must live to win the lost. You must make 00:27:57.380 --> 00:28:00.339 it a habit of life to be concerned about them. 00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:04.619 Make it a habit of life to help others come to 00:28:04.619 --> 00:28:09.200 Jesus. And so live your life to be a blessing 00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:13.740 and not a blight, a stepping stone to Him and 00:28:13.740 --> 00:28:17.700 not a stumbling stone. Live your life to be a 00:28:17.700 --> 00:28:23.539 builder, not a destroyer. The secret of evangelism 00:28:23.539 --> 00:28:28.579 is allowing the love of Christ to overflow every 00:28:28.579 --> 00:28:32.579 action and every thought and every word in your 00:28:32.579 --> 00:28:39.200 life. The most successful soul winners are those 00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:43.220 whose lives are just flooded with God's love. 00:28:44.759 --> 00:28:50.519 And they make it a habit of life to live in such 00:28:50.519 --> 00:29:00.230 a way that the lost are one to the Savior. Godliness 00:29:00.230 --> 00:29:06.329 is found in imitating Jesus and Paul, because 00:29:06.329 --> 00:29:10.670 Paul imitated Jesus. It means fleeing anything 00:29:10.670 --> 00:29:14.009 that challenges God's preeminence and supreme 00:29:14.009 --> 00:29:18.430 place in our lives. It means conducting ourselves 00:29:18.430 --> 00:29:23.099 so as to bless others. It means making it a habit 00:29:23.099 --> 00:29:26.079 also to promote God's reputation and to help 00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:31.619 others find a relationship with God. He who lives 00:29:31.619 --> 00:29:41.359 like Christ will win others to Christ. What Paul 00:29:41.359 --> 00:29:44.059 says here to these Corinthians in the midst of 00:29:44.059 --> 00:29:46.440 their culture are words that come to you and 00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:51.960 me in the culture of the late 20th century. and 00:29:51.960 --> 00:29:58.000 how the world today is crying out to see examples, 00:29:59.740 --> 00:30:05.680 to see models of what a Christian is. Paul says 00:30:05.680 --> 00:30:08.799 that's what you need to be, folks. He says imitate 00:30:08.799 --> 00:30:14.119 me. Imitate me. And as you do, you will imitate 00:30:14.119 --> 00:30:20.099 Jesus. Will you choose today to make that a habit 00:30:20.099 --> 00:30:24.329 of your life? to imitate Paul in these four areas, 00:30:24.789 --> 00:30:28.410 will you choose today to seek to add these four 00:30:28.410 --> 00:30:37.829 habits to your life? If you do, those around 00:30:37.829 --> 00:30:44.349 you will be touched by God. Hearts that have 00:30:44.349 --> 00:30:48.930 remained closed to you will begin to open up. 00:30:51.920 --> 00:30:54.460 Doors that you have sought to go through but 00:30:54.460 --> 00:31:00.880 have been closed will begin to crack open if 00:31:00.880 --> 00:31:08.339 you will imitate Paul and thus Jesus. Let's pray 00:31:08.339 --> 00:31:17.500 together. Lord, I pray as did that man of old 00:31:17.500 --> 00:31:22.640 who said, Make me more like yourself and less 00:31:22.640 --> 00:31:35.299 like myself. Jesus, we need today to be convicted 00:31:35.299 --> 00:31:41.079 of the worldliness that has overtaken us. Thank 00:31:41.079 --> 00:31:43.519 you for this wonderful model that is set before 00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:49.799 us. I pray that we will forsake all that robs 00:31:49.799 --> 00:31:55.740 you of your rightful place in our lives. And 00:31:55.740 --> 00:32:00.839 that we will seek to add these four habits this 00:32:00.839 --> 00:32:04.740 week and that it will make a difference in how 00:32:04.740 --> 00:32:15.809 we live and how your gospel is advanced. I'm 00:32:15.809 --> 00:32:18.069 going to give you just a moment now in the quietness 00:32:18.069 --> 00:32:20.910 of this moment to say something to the Lord yourself 00:32:20.910 --> 00:32:39.809 about these four habits. Father, I pray that 00:32:39.809 --> 00:32:42.750 you will hear our prayers and answer them in 00:32:42.750 --> 00:32:46.609 Jesus' name. Amen.