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Living with Purpose and Liberty in Christ 0:09 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Well, I just finished a bike ride, and I can tell you, fall is in the air, and it feels good. Alright. Today, we are looking at 2 really remarkable chapters as we look0:21 at first Corinthians chapters 9 and 10. Verse 23 of chapter 10, all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for lawful for me, but not all things0:33 edify. Now Paul is actually addressing multiple issues at once. He's countering his critics who claim he is not the the real McCoy, not not a real apostle,0:46 because he wasn't taking money from them, from the the churches like the other apostles were. Now Paul defends his apostleship by using his actions of an example, what0:58 he just been talking about, how to exercise liberty in Christ. He had a right to take support from them, but he didn't because he didn't wanna hinder the mission, which we'll see in just a1:10 moment in verse 12. Alright. Verse 1, chapter 9. Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ, our Lord? Are you not my work1:22 in the Lord? Now 1 of the things that set the apostles apart is that they saw Christ. And remember, he saw him. We know according to scripture, we saw him on the he saw him on the road to Damascus1:34 in that vision. If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. There's evidence that he is an apostle. My1:46 defense to those who examine me is this, do we have no right to eat and drink? Now look drop down to verse 11. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we1:57 reap your material things? If others are partakers of this right over the of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless, we have not used this right, but endure all things,2:09 lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. What he is saying, I have the right, just like the other apostles, to ask of these things. Meaning, you know, a, a servant is worth his hire. But I've not. Why? Because I2:21 did not want to hinder the gospel of Christ. He was mission minded. Everything else including food and clothing was secondary. Now he goes on to make clear that ministers have this right to2:33 expect those they minister to to provide for them. Even so, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. But I have used none of these things, nor have I written2:44 these things, that it should be done so to me. For it would be better for me to die than anyone should make my boasting void. Now look here2:56 at his Christian liberty in action. Verse 19. For though I am free from all men, I had made myself a servant to all that I might win the more. Verse 20. And to the3:08 Jews, I became as a Jew that I might win Jews, to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law, to those who are without the law as3:20 without the law, not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ that I might win those who are without the law. Now let me stop for just a moment because Paul sometimes can be hard to follow.3:32 And I wanna look at 1 element of verse 21 that I think is important as we consider the role of the law. Paul parenthetically says that while not under the Mosaic law, but in the law of3:44 Christ. So what does that mean? Jesus fulfilled the law for those who believe and are in Christ. The law of Christ is the law of love. So it's not like again, it goes back to this concept of liberty.3:56 Yes. We have freedom in Christ who restrains us internally, not externally. And the law that guides us from inside is love, a love for God, which gives us a4:08 love for human beings, our fellow human beings. Verse 22. To the weak, I became as weak that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men that I might, by all means,4:20 save some. Now he closes the chapter with an illustration of this mission minded focus. Look at verse 24. Do you not know that those who run-in a race all run, but 14:32 receives the prize? Run-in such a way that you may obtain it, and everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an4:44 imperishable crown. Therefore, I run thus, not with uncertainty. Thus, I fight not as 1 who beats the air, but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached to4:56 others, I myself should become disqualified. That is a great passage. He's saying, look, you know, people run, and I we can use this illustration. I mean, we look at the celebration, the time, the5:08 expense, all that is put into professional sports. And and and and so many young people aspire to move into professional athletics, college athletics. And, you know, I I5:19 played all that when I was younger, and and and I think it's great. But Paul is using that to describe how we should run the race. We don't just get in it to run it. We get in it to win.5:31 And so as we run-in this race of life, as we pursue what God has given us, we should run to win. We should do our very best. They do it in this world to5:43 obtain a prize that is perishing, but we as we run this race in Christ, an imperishable eternal crown. Great stuff. But then he goes on.5:55 I like verse 27, but I discipline my body. You know, an athlete trains. They work out. You know, I try to stay in good shape, continue, and I work out. It takes work. Spiritually,6:07 we need the same thing. That's why we're doing this journey through the Bible. If we're gonna be strong spiritually, we gotta discipline our body. Prayer, fasting, studying the scripture, all of that6:19 helps us to be fit to run the spiritual race that we're in. Okay. In chapter 10, Paul warns them by pointing to the children of Israel coming6:30 out of Egypt as an example from which we should learn. Look at verse 1. Moreover, brother, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud and passed through the sea. All6:42 were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food. Now the Old Testament you've heard me say this before if you've been on the journey for a while. The Old Testament speaks to the,6:54 what, the physical or material where the New Testament speaks to the spiritual. Alright? They were baptized in the Red Sea. They ate manna, and they drank from the rock. Look at verse 5. But with7:06 most of them, God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples to the intent that we should not lust7:18 after evil things as they also lusted. So what did their lust about? Well, Paul let me summarize what Paul writes here in this first part. The bodies of the children of Israel were scattered in the wilderness because,7:29 number 1, they lusted after evil things. Now this is a reference to the food. They wanted all the nice food, the garlic and the leeks, yeah, that were in Egypt. And they complained about the manna that God was7:41 providing for from heaven. They complained about it. They wanted the garlic. I don't know why, but they did. They worshiped idols. They committed sexual immorality. They spoke against God. They murmured.7:53 They questioned God's justice. Verse 11. Now all these things happened to them as an exam as examples, and they were written for our admonition upon whom the8:05 end of the ages have come. What did Paul just say? Paul said the old testament was written for our admonition. In fact, elsewhere he says, all scripture is given for instruction, and he8:17 he was referring to the Old Testament. We are not to push the Old Testament aside. It provides depth and commentary and context to the New Testament. Paul8:29 makes clear that we are not under the Mosaic law if we're in Christ. Okay? They are there are different views on this, but the the classic understanding, which I hold to, is that the law is made up8:40 of of basically 3 parts. You have the moral law, the ceremonial law, and the civil law. The moral law, which Paul actually notes in Romans chapter 2 is written on the hearts of all people, was also given8:52 in written form at Sinai because of the corruption of man's heart. It became corrupt. It's like like an old, you know, tombstone. Have you ever been to an old cemetery? And over time, the the9:04 writing becomes it's it's worn off and it's hard to see. Well, the corruption of our heart has made the moral law of God less clear. And so the Lord wrote it very clearly in the9:16 10 commandments. Now the the moral law remains binding. We're still commanded not to kill, not to steal. We're to honor God who created us. But the ceremonial law and the civil laws, which9:28 were specific to the nation of Israel, are no longer binding on us in Christ. Now let's go back to our passage, verse 12. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he9:40 fall. Now Paul is telling them to be on their guard so that they don't go down the same destructive path that Israel did and fall away themselves, because that's the natural progression of the fallen nature9:52 of man. And so he he warns them. And and what happens when we go down that path, we fail to dwell on the abundant life that Jesus has provided for us. Now be prepared10:04 because the temptations will wreck our lives like they did those in the wilderness. And, and and look at verse 13. No temptation is overcome you except such as common demand.10:16 Right? I know it may feel like sometimes we're experiencing something no 1 else has experienced, but they have. And it says, but god is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond that which you are able.10:28 But with temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. Now it doesn't mean it's gonna take it away, but it does mean that you'll be able to endure and there'll10:40 be an exit. Now sometimes temptations are more blatant, and we can find a quick exit. Other times, there are trials that we go through that we're just gonna have to, by God's grace, bear it.10:52 Therefore, my beloved and now there there are certain things that we bring ourselves into these temptations. Alright? And and and so he says here, therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as11:04 to wise men. Judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The blood the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body11:16 of Christ? Now Paul is returning here. This is topic we we looked at previously about idols. So he's, he's returning once again to things offered to idols. Verse 19.11:28 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything or what is offered to idols is anything? Remember he said that idols are nothing and that this what is given to them is nothing, but he11:39 goes on here to expound upon that a little further. Rather than the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.11:51 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the Lord's table and the table of demons. Now what he was talking about before was that if you happen to go someplace with a friend,12:04 to a friend's house and they're serving food that had been some meat that had been offered to an idol, you know, you're not condemned by that. But now he's talking about actually participating12:16 in these, idol worshiping events. Alright? Now many will be quick to skim over this thinking it has no application to us because we don't have idols and demons and all this stuff in the 2012:28 first century. This is all stuff from the past. Right? No. Look at what Paul says these idols are. They're demons. Idols are simply storefronts for principalities,12:40 powers, rulers in the darkness of this age that Paul later talks about in Ephesians. And they can and they do change their names and their storefronts. Paul said this in his second letter to the12:51 Corinthians when he wrote about this in second Corinthians chapter 11 verse 13. For such are false prophets are false prophets, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ, and no wonder for Satan13:03 himself transforms himself into an angel of light. So what's my point? Well, I think Paul's point and, my point is we need to be discerning of what we participate13:15 in. Paul's saying don't don't you can't drink the cup of demons and the cup of Christ as well. You know? So what application would that have to us? Okay. So I may offend some people13:26 here. Halloween, is it innocent fun? I don't think so. Mardi Gras in my home state of Louisiana is a big deal. Now I've never participated in it all of my13:38 life. I've never participated. Why? Take 1 of the big parades. It's named Bacchus. It was, and Bacchus was a Roman god of the agriculture, fertility, resurrection,13:51 life, and more. He is the Roman version of Osiris, the Egyptian god. Revivalist preacher Jonathan Edwards, who was a part of the first14:03 great awakening, pointed out that the religious, pointed out this religious nature of Bacchus by the parallels of his story, the stories of Bacchus, with that of Moses to14:14 include being born in Egypt, surviving in an ark, later fleeing the country through the Red Sea. Both had water flow from Iraq and more. There's so many14:26 parallels. So what does that mean? Well, here's what I I I see kind of, ancient mythology. I don't know if you've ever been to New York, but if you go to New York, probably other14:38 big cities the same way, but there are these street vendors, and they're, they're selling what appears to be designer brand purses, clothes, and Rolex watches. In fact, 1 time I had 1 of my daughters with me, and I14:50 bought her 1 of these, designer purses. It was a knockoff. Right? They're not real. They're imitations. They're fakes. Most of them made in China. Well, ancient mythology is is is is a knockoff of the15:02 truth. It's a false front for for principalities and powers seeking to deceive. And Paul is saying, don't be a part of it. It's demonic. But you say, wait a minute. I'm under grace. I'm not15:14 under the law. I'm free to do what I want. Verse 23, all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. Yes. I can do it. You can do it, but it's not helpful. All things are lawful,15:26 but not all things edify. So what should be our guide? Number 1, is it helpful? Is it helpful? Does it help me in my walk with Jesus, and does it help others,15:38 or does it cause them to stumble as Paul talked about before? And number 2, does it build up? Does it edify? Does it strengthen myself and others? And then third, look at this, verse15:50 31. Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Now think about this for a moment. If eating and drinking drinking matter16:02 to God, what you eat and drink, if that matters to God, what else does he care about? Well, the short answer, everything. And here's the the the the final, I guess,16:14 acid test, if you will, is does it glorify God? What I'm doing, does it glorify God? What I'm saying, does it glorify God? How I'm living, does it glorify God?16:26 That's the ultimate question. Father, we thank you for your word and the practical instruction that Paul gives, and and I thank you for the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit16:38 leads us on this journey to help us see these principles and how they apply to our lives in this world in which we live. And we pray for the Holy Spirit. We thank you for the Holy Spirit to give us strength16:50 to live the sanctified life that we might, lord, not be a stumbling block, but be a light to others, building them up and edifying them as we build up17:02 selves and edify ourselves in the lord Jesus Christ. For it's in his name we pray. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. Thanks so much for, tuning in, and until next time, keep17:14 standing on the word.17:18 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you17:30 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 Living with Purpose and Liberty in Christ
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