Sermon Transcript:

Well, we are in Corinthians. And we've tried to be very practical because this book is practical. The reason why I chose to go through this series and to really go a chapter a week is because I am keenly aware that as I look at the people and what's going on in the Corinth church in the first century, I find ourselves back there again, as a people, it really helps us set up really what should a church be like? And how should we function as a body and as a Christian community, and all these things are covered, really, by Paul, the writer of most of the New Testament, let's think about Corinth for a minute, let's make sure we go there mentally, in our heads, it is a modern city. It is a city filled with temples, these are pagan temples for worship, there was food offered to idols in this culture in the setting, they would have had food offered to idols, and he's really going to answer the question today of what are we gonna do about that? And how are we to understand our responsibility before God and before others and our freedom that we now have in Christ. So this food offered to idols, really three things could happen to in terms of how they understood it. In the first century, it could be eaten right there in the temple, right after the sacrifice to the pagan deities, or gods or idols can be sold in the marketplace. So again, any leftover meat that occurred through the sacrifices in the temple can be sold in the marketplace, or it can be taken home to be eaten inside the homes of various people, the Corinthian, folks, they came from a certain background, just like we do, they came from a certain background and background is just a way of conducting ourselves pre conversion. We all have families and history and things of origin. And we all know that we're a combination of our nature and our nurture. And we understand as we rub up against other people that we have baggage, and so the Corinthian people would have had baggage as well, what is that that stuff left in the basement? I realize we don't have basements lock here in El Paso, but stuff left in our heart that continually trips us up and really pulls us back in you and me, right? We all have things that we take into any relationship, whether it's relationships, when you think about romantic relationships, or relationships with your family, or relationships in your church or your workplace. We all come with, with baggage and if it's bad things, we're all tempted to sort of go back to what we knew and what we experience. But he's gonna answer the question I told you, he's answered all kinds of questions, you can go back and hear his various thoughts on even last week on marriage and singleness. Today. Paul's going to answer the question about what do we do about this food that's offered to idols?

verse one of chapter eight. Now, regarding your question about food that's been offered to idols. Yes, we know that we have, we all have knowledge about this issue. Right? So let's just connotes is just that idea of like we all we all know, this is this is going about in our community, in our town in our city. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn't really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes. And I want to just kind of start off with a joke someone from the church sent me this week that really sort of encapsulates some of our feelings about this. Here's a joke that someone texted me this week from church. Here's the joke. Those of you who think you know, it all are really annoying to those of us who actually do. And so I thought that was a good joke. And I think it's very applicable to when you think about this knowledge here. Because the question is, remember verse one, here's the question on the table, can I meet offered to idols? Now, we could modernize this question with our own gray issues. You know what a gray issue is, it's not black and white. In the Bible, there's some things that are real clear. It's often told us in the 10 commandments, don't steal, don't kill, don't lie, we understand that's black and white, don't do these things. But we all have areas that we interact with, in our own lives that we find. Well, it's not real clear, it's a gray issue. And really, Paul's going to help us today. Think through that. So here's one of the questions you and I may have that are gray issues. After we are converted to Christ. That's what we become a Christian. One is Can I drink publicly with all my buddies? Or should I be drinking alcohol at all? You're like, well, I'm free. I understand that I'm free in Christ. But what if your buddy struggles with alcohol or used to be or is a current alcoholic? Right? It complicates things right. Now. We have to have some wisdom we have to have some thought that comes into this. Another question you may you know, I may have in terms of gray areas as a Christian, what can I watch on Netflix or other streaming channels? What about video game systems? Are there good ones are there ones that are bad are there What about the

ratings. Should I pay attention to those on the entertainment that I consume? Or that I let my children consume? What age is appropriate to let my children or my nieces and my nephews, young people around me consume these things? What about smartphones? Is it supposed to be till eighth grades? It's supposed to be till they're 18? Should we never give it to them? Whatever? What about grandma's house around the American Day? Or my auntie's house, my uncle's house and my grandpa's house? What about those weird things that are still hanging out? In your family of origin homes? I'm not just talking about alcohol. What about those weird spiritual pieces that are still hanging out? In maybe some of your ancestors or your extended families homes? What do you do about that when you're invited over for family meals, or, again, maybe a time around do them work day and maybe they have them just like, over the mantel or over certain walkways? And maybe they kiss it for luck? Or pray towards it, or talk to it? Or ask you to maybe touch it or pray to it? See, these aren't easy. And Paul, when he's asking these questions and things that we're grappling with, right now, as we live in our own culture in 2024, we have to learn with the tension of things that are gray and take a lot of wisdom and a lot of responsibility. As we think about our newfound freedom in Christ. It's not as simple as just yes or no, right? A lot of times we want that right. But just just tell me what to do. And I'm I understand where the line is, I know, am I supposed to cross it, I'll either cross it because I don't care. Or I'll make sure I stay back. Again, we know that that's clear. In some things in the Bible, there is black and white issues. But there's also things that in this case, we've got to figure out for ourselves. What is our aim, though, and I hope you saw it from the passage. The first point I wants to see this morning is whatever you and I decide on some gray issues on the Christian faith. Number one, our aim has to be love. Our aim has to be loved. You see that in the verses? I'm not just making this up. This isn't just you know, Brent's thoughts. This is right there in the church. He says, How do you strengthen the church, according to verse one, he tells us it's love. It's not knowledge that that puffs up. Who is the one whom God recognizes? We often think, oh, okay, when I go to these parties, or I go to these gatherings, you know, I'll just let the smartest person in the room talk. But the one whom God recognizes, according to verses one through three of this chapter is what the one who loves God, and it's evident, how do we know if they love God? Because they just tell us a lot and they pray a lot, or they sing a lot? No, because of their lifestyle. Because what if we love God, it will ultimately bear fruit. So when you and I think about this, let's just start here, point one, wherever we land on some of these issues. It's not just, you know, meat, or food offered to idols, but anything that we find ourselves sort of living in that tension of what am I supposed to do with this now that I'm a Christian, and I'm still in the world but not of the world. We have to make our aim love. Paul talks about this in other areas, we could go to a First Corinthians I'm not First Corinthians, We got to Romans, chapter 14. And he really lays out some of this idea of freedom and freedom of conscience and how we love our brothers and sisters in Christ isn't the only place this principle is talked about. But this is the only place that's talked about in reference to meat or food offered to idols. All right, so he's going to continue on verse four. He says, so what about it? What about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a God, and that there is only one God. There may be so called Gods, both in heaven and on earth. And some people actually worship many gods and many lords. But for us, what there's only one God the Father by him all things were created, and for whom we live, and there's one Lord Jesus Christ, through him all things were created, and through whom we live. Second point I want us to see this morning is everyone else may be aimless, but we know whom we live for. Now, the Holy Spirit isn't mentioned in this passage specifically, but it is in other parts of Corinthians. And so we understand that this is a Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and we could go all the way back to Deuteronomy six and we can look at here Oh, Lord, here. The God is one right here, O Israel, the LORD our God is one that's often called this Shimon Deuteronomy six. And so he's really repeating this theme here, that everyone else may be aimless around us and we find ourselves what in a culture in a time where people aren't sure about who God is and what they're supposed to worship. Now this idle concerns and sharing life and friendships and meals together, this isn't some sort of hypothetical exercise for me and I hope it isn't for you either. Because we can see some real practical applications I can say for me personally, I see some real practical applications for these principles.

For me today, and I'll say this because as a El Paso in, there are all kinds of people from all over the world that find themselves settled here. And as we interact with them, and as my family interacts with them, we get invited to meals over to people's houses, and we return that favor, and they come back to meals at our houses, but they're not all Christians are not all believers. And in fact, they all don't even have the same sort of worldview or perspective that myself and my family may have. That doesn't mean we don't share meals ago. So I'm gonna give you the first image here, I in the last 30 days, so that's why I say this is real. For me, this isn't just, you know, some sort of theory or theological exercise for me this morning. My family and I, we were in a home of someone who is Vietnamese, they invited us in a, they had my children there and fed them and all that. And as I walked around their home, they would have statues like this. Why? Because they asked, and they're Buddhists. And so that makes sense. But here I am, and I'm eating with them. And was that okay, was that a good thing? I thought it was and I returned the favor and they've come over to my house and they've eaten with me, but how do we process that as our as our families now interact was what my family our family interact with, with people who literally have idols in their home that we are sharing meals with together and I don't know what they did before they cook the meal, I don't know if they, you know, rubbed Buddha's belly or what I don't know what they did. I know, they didn't ask me to, I would have gotten up and left. So we have, we all have lines, we all have boundaries of how far we're willing to go. Also, in the last 30 days, our family and I, we were in the home of someone who is Indian from India, and they had this very small version, they had a big, huge Laborat

really idle to their Hindu God, because they were from India. And so we came into the party and I was ushered into the kitchen where the food was. And before I got to the kitchen, there was a whole room that was set up with this huge idol that was much bigger and more elaborate than this. Now, I was okay, pretty quickly on because I saw that they had catered Chick fil A sounds like praise God, Christian chicken. Um, okay. Now Now they had also they had also catered the pizza joint, which I think is a subtle way for me to be okay with marijuana. But I just looked past that I just looked past the pizza joint, I did not partake, if I wanted. If I wanted to be, you know, forced to think about marijuana, I would just drive to New Mexico. And so that's not, you know, I didn't want to do that. And so, so I but I stayed, and I ate. And it was Saturday night, and they had an open bar. And I didn't drink because you know, I want to be fresh for you guys today. But but but it was just that sort of, I don't drink anyways, by the way, but but he's just showing you like, like that we have to sort of interact with each other when we're at these gatherings. And what do we think about this? How do we interact with that? How are we Christ in those circumstances. And again, they didn't ask me do anything that I thought went against my conscience, or against my religion, but I'm also keenly aware of what kind of things go on in their home. And then finally, we might be very, very aware and accustomed to these kinds of religious things that are in many homes around here in El Paso. And so I myself, when I go into someone's home, who's maybe a first generation American, where they're very, very fresh from coming from Mexico, a lot of times, they'll bring many of these artifacts, then sometimes they still have sort of a religious connotation for the people whose home I am gathered in now sometimes they're like, listen, that was just grandma grandpa's folk art. We just, you know, we just put it back in the closet. I just want to remember grandpa grandma or auntie or uncle, I have good, you know, thoughts and feelings about him. But sometimes, and you and I know this, we find ourselves in homes of some of our friends and relatives and ancestors, and they're still what, they're still using these things, and things like this as idols that they really have some sort of divine power in their mind. This is what Paul's talking about. He's saying that we're here we understand that this is not that this is not really God, that these are gods. That's what he says here in this passage, because we serve the one God, but he's still asking, What are we supposed to do? And that's why I said our second point this morning is everyone else may be aimless, but we know whom we live for. And I felt being okay being in their homes and having them in mind. Why? Because I was sure of where I was, I had a solid SHRM foundation and I really saw myself as being a light in a dark place and I was able to not compromise or say or do anything against my conscience. He's going to continue on the verse seven he's gonna say, however, not all believers know this. So now

He's going to shift and he's going to ask you and me to make accommodations. Even though we're free in Christ. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real. So when they eat food that's been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods and their weak consciences are violated. It's true that we can't win God's approval by what we eat. We don't lose anything, if we don't eat it, and we don't gain anything if we do, but you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. For if others see you with your superior knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, will they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol. So because of your superior knowledge, a weak brother, believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. And when you sin against other believers by encouraging the do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again. As long as I live for I don't want to cause another believer to stumble. It's the same principle. I told you. This was repeated in the book of Romans chapter 14 and fallings if you really are interested more in these things, you can start Romans 12, and go to the end of the book and you'll see this principle repeated that you don't want to do anything against your conscience because even then, it'll be sin because you have an understanding that this is not right. This is not something you want to participate in, because you're trying to honor God. So what he's really laying out for us, and I've been using these terms, but I want to kind of make it clear for us, is this sort of this sort of how are we aiming towards responsibility, and freedom? And, and so I've got little bullet holes is just I'm sticking with the aim theme, right? So shoot, fire aim, that kind of thing. So how do we understand because we all have a spectrum of this, right? Think about this in terms of, we all make choices along the spectrum of, I'm trying to be responsible, but man, I'm ready to you know, I'm ready, I'm ready to be free. So people quit jobs, and you've probably maybe been one of these people, people quit jobs, when there's tons of responsibility, right? But there's little to no freedom you ever worked that job before? Right? Where you know, you know that there's tons of responsibility, but you're not empowered to make the decisions you need to make in order to do whatever job that you're called to do. So that's high responsibility, little freedom. But people also lose their jobs, when they take advantage of freedom. Maybe you were young, or maybe you know, a young person where, you know, you give them a lot of freedom. And all of a sudden, they think that freedom is don't show up, you know, or, you know, texts, you know, when it's five minutes till the hour, they're supposed to be there and say I can't make it today. There's a lot of freedom that they've been given, maybe you've been given, but you're taking advantage of it. Because why? Because you don't want to be responsible. So we can take this. And again, we all run the spectrum. So think about this, if you're going to be responsible tonight, you're going to say, Okay, I'm not going to numb myself with alcohol, or that glass of wine or that glass of scotch at the end of the night. So I'm gonna be real responsible. So you may you may aim yourself there. You say, I'm going to be sort of responsible, okay? So I'm going to limit my, my intake of maybe food or drink or entertainment, right? Or you're gonna say, no, no, I'm gonna move a little bit more towards freedom, and be a little bit less responsible. Why? Because I'm free. Depends on what that what we're talking about here. So we understand there's a spectrum. Or you say, Oh, I am free, man. I'm good. I can always make it up later. tomorrow's a new day. I can be going to the gym tomorrow. What's that word that we hear all the time? In our choral culture? Manyana Manyana. Come on, we're free. But you see the different aims, right? So you're still you and I still were saying, okay, Brent, Pastor Brent. Paul in New Testament God. So can I go out drinking with my buddies or not? Can I watch that movie by myself? Or not? Or should I show it to minors? Is it appropriate for them? Or is it appropriate for anybody? Can I go out to eat with them? Or not? Can I go in their home and, and eat with them and sit and have their food and then return and have them in my household? Well, it depends what your aim is. That's the point this morning. So third and final point is the aim is to have a life pulling yourself and others towards Jesus. So we have to ask ourselves, what are we doing this for? Why are we doing this? How are we just doing it to relive the glory days to do something I know I'm gonna regret tomorrow to put off tomorrow what I know I should get done today. Well, then that's not really aiming your life towards love for self or others. You and I are aiming to aim to have a life that's pulling ourselves and others towards Jesus. Here's another question I want you to ask is, what's the price you're willing to pay for Christian

community. That's what we are here live church is one expression of a Christian biblical community in the, in the town in the city of El Paso, what price are you and I willing to pay for Christian community because love causes us to voluntarily limit our freedom. This is very hard for us to think through because we, we are Americans, and we have our rights. And we talked about our Bill of Rights and our human rights, and I can do what I want to do when I want to do it. We love to demand our rights. But this text is saying, don't do that, when it causes other fellow Christians to sin. That's the whole point. Why else would Paul say I'm free to eat meat, but I would even go my whole life and become a vegetarian. That's pretty strong. Paul, I don't know if I'm there yet. But I'm willing to go my whole life and become a vegetarian, If it means that you won't stumble in sin, because why what he's doing there is he's limiting himself of real freedom that he has, why for the cause of love. So you have to ask yourself, when you're interacting, and you're eating meals, and you're, and you're participating in certain kinds of entertainment, you're going out and you're doing certain things, why are you doing it, just be honest with yourself, you have to talk to yourself a lot and preach to yourself a lot. Don't, don't do what we were all taught in the 80s and 90s, through Disney and say by the bell and you know, back to the future of just follow your heart. You know, you've got to lead your heart and guide your heart, especially when you find yourself in a community that does not have biblical standards. And that's the community they found themselves in in court. That's the community you're gonna find yourself in El Paso and 2024. Aim to have your life pulling yourself, lead yourself first, this is the hardest person to lead and analyze pulling yourself and others towards Jesus. Here's what it means. It means that I actually call and check on a person I haven't seen in church in a while. You look around, you shake hands from and I get all that but we want a strong biblical community here at 15 at Joe battle Boulevard at Life Church. So we have to get to know one another's exchanged phone numbers hang out a little bit before and afterwards. That's why we're, we've been giving away free drinks here lately, not the alcoholic con The other con here at Life Church, right? Because we want you to feel like man, I can stick around here.

And if I don't see someone whom I used to love with and fellowship with, I'm gonna call him. It's actual sacrifice, not getting something I want financially so I can be faithful at Life Church. Listen, there are always other things that we could buy and spend our money on, than to donate towards righteous causes, whether it's Life Church or other nonprofits. But what we find is, is that when we give our firstfruits to the Lord, and when we give to him, when we're faithful to Him, when we actually sacrifice, right, all of us wherever we're at financially, it is always a sacrifice, to give a portion of our money towards a nonprofit called or a church. But it's saying that it's worth it. It's worth it to create the type of Christian biblical community I want to be a part of, or number three, that I'll actually serve somewhere, not just a 10 life churches, not just 10 Life Church, that I won't make excuses anymore, the however long I'm here, whatever I've got in my hands in my body, whatever I've got to give, I want to give a portion of that and part of that here at Life Church when you're doing that. And when we're just being the light out here in El Paso was we gather at certain gatherings and, you know, I haven't answered all your questions about I know family and friend gatherings. But hopefully, I've given you some principles that Paul gives us here of how to think about these things on the spectrum of the responsibility you have towards God and others and the freedom that you have in Christ. But again, make it our aim to pull ourselves and others towards Christ. Let's pray. Father, I thank you so much for your word. I thank you for the attentiveness of people online and in the room. And I just pray right now for those that are struggling with what to do with certain relationships with certain habits that they're trying to kick or how to have hard conversations or how to draw boundaries, how there's many things that are confusing and harmful and hurtful to us. But there's also many things that are good for us to enjoy. So I pray for those in the room that are struggling to enjoy your good gifts and I pray for those in the room that are struggling to know what to give up for the sake of Christ. Wherever we're at father, lead us we pray, we ask these things. In Christ's name, Amen.