Situational Awareness (For The Gospel)1 Corinthians 8-9

July 24, 2022

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. —1. Corinthians 8:1-3

From the LifeSpring Christian Chruch Website
–We believe knowledge puffs up, but grace builds up. How mature a person is in Jesus isn’t based on how many years they have been a Christian, nor how much intellectual knowledge they have about the bible or Christianity, but it’s how we serve and show love to one another. (1 Corinthians 8:1)

It’s not what you know it’s who you know

4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. —1 Corinthians 8:4-6

“The Corinthian Christians may have reasoned like this: if idols are really nothing, it must mean nothing to eat meat sacrificed to nothing idols, and it must mean nothing to eat in the buildings used to worship these nothing idols.” —David Guzik

7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. —1 Corinthians 8:7-13

Just because we can doesn’t mean we should

15 But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. 16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. 18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. 
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. —1 Corinthians 9:15-23

The GOAL: For others to recieve the blessings of the gospel

I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. —1 Corinthians 9:22

Takeaway: Submit Yourself To The Gospel In All Circumstances

Honoring God with Our Bodies

1.Your body is not your own, honor God with it.

2.Your body belongs to your spouse if you’re married.

3.You need to help your spouse honor God, if married.

• Be physically, mentally, and emotionally available
• Agree to not be intimate for a limited time so as to devote yourselves to prayer.

4.Your passions need to be guarded, especially when you’re single.

Takeaway: Whether married or single, we need to honor God with our bodies.

Getting Along

Christians need to learn to settle disputes among themselves.

Christians need to not always demand justice.

Christians need to keep in mind their own past to be humble in disputes.

Kingdom Culture 
“A Little Leaven” 

1 Corinthians 5-7

A little sin affects the whole body

Your body belongs to the Lord

Repentance is a choice to change course

TAKEAWAY: Evaluate your life, elimninate your sin, put on Christ

I’d Rather Be a Fool 
1 Corinthians 1:18-2:15

The world thinks believers are foolish.

The wisdom of the world will perish.

The gospel is simple, so everyone can be saved.

God is God and I am Not!

TAKEAWAY: Be a fool for Jesus.

A Spirit of Unity

June 16, 2022

We are to be unified around the essentials.

Our actions reveal a unifying or devisive spirit.

When we idolize, are jealous, or envious, we are living according to the ‘flesh.’

How to have a spirit of unity:

1.Correct and redirect gossip/slander

2.Focus our speech more on God than on an individual.

3.Go directly to the person with whom there is an issue.

Intro to Corinthians. 

Winning Through Losing

20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. —John 12:20-26
We must lose our life to keep eternal life3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. —John 3:1-6

We must be born again
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. —Romans 6:3-11

Baptism is both a tomb and a womb
3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. —Philippians 3:3-11

Resurrection happens through death
Takeaway: Giving up leads to an abundant life in Christ

Notes from James 4:1-12

Adam & Eve 
Cain & Able 
Tower of Babel 
Pharaoh 
King David (Bathsheba) 
Saul/Paul

Pride Says… 
“You are an exception to the rule”

“It’s your job not mine”

“Put on a show”

Humility Says… 
“We are all equal and subject to Christ”

Takeaway: SELF is the most dangerous 4-letter word

Wisdom for Fools

Characteristics of a Fool:

Denies the existence of God. 

Seldom stops talking.

Too proud to listen to advice. 

Lacks self-control.

Obsessed with self.

Unteachable.

Wisdom to Answer the Foolish 
1. My answer has the potential of helping me become more like a fool. (Prov. 26:4) 
2. My answer has the potential of helping them become less foolish. (Prov. 26:5) 
3. My help has the potential to bring harm to myself. (Prov. 9:8; Matt. 7:18) 
4. No answer is sometimes best.