1 Corinthians 7:25-8:13 - Part C

Hundred people take essentials that matter people believe in the resurrection, the matter people leave me atonement and when they do that they are stripping the gospel of the gospel.

There are some church this picture of the gospel focus on lesson 40.as a result, the body of Christ today on connect with Skip Skip shares build unity in the church by focusing on essential truths to the first did you know that Scriptures important updates and biblical encouragement on social media.

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Please consider getting a gift today to encourage others like you in the same way, just call 800 9218 at 819 to 1888 or visit connect.com/donate.com/donate. Thank you. We were in first Corinthians chapter 7 as we dive into today's teaching with Skip I mentioned last week, God's original design.

One man one woman for one liked now that is not always maintain it. In many cases, Jesus spoke about another exception. Besides, death, and that was adultery appears you commits adultery that that gives a freedom to divorce one's spouse and thus if one chooses to remarry so death, divorce, and then Paul gives another, and that is departure. Departure of an unbeliever. If an unbeliever departs the marriage then you're also free but in this case, he is just referring to death of a wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives.

But if her husband dies, she is a liberty to be married to whom she wishes only in the Lord.

That is only marry a Christian not well I met this guy and he's really cute and he says he's interested in God really has. He always said he's interested in God or just since he met you. That's a very important thing to find out because of suddenly he's interested in God because you're interested in God and you think I'm gonna missionary date him that is on a date this unbeliever and as a missionary and relate them to Christ. Maybe and maybe not. And listen, people change, but not that much if you marry somebody this is this just marriage advice I would say that anybody when you marry somebody with the idea. I'm going to change that person your your don't don't know.

I used to going to marriage. I am allowing myself to be changed by the spirit and power of God and that other person if they're doing that great. That's how it should be. But if you're going and thinking that you're gonna make adjustments and tweaks and change that person all Dell change and you'll change the porcupine adjustment factor, but make sure they know the Lord, make sure that is their priority.

They love the Lord, make sure that that guy loves the Lord more than he loves you. Make sure that gal loves Jesus more than she loves you. That's the pursuit so only in the Lord, but she is happier.

She remains as she is according to my judgment and I think I also have the spirit of God. Now chapter 8 chapter 8.

These 13 verses deal with an issue of Christian liberty now concerning things offered to idols and easy to get into us in the next few chapters, what we would call gray areas, gray areas, there are issues that we face today that they didn't face 2000 years ago there were issues going on in Corinth that Paul had not addressed with them. Hence the question.

Gray areas in their gray area was can I eat meat sacrificed to an idol are gray area would be different Christians for generations have debated issues like King can women wear pants suits. I remember when pantsuits were bait when was it what decade was at 70s, 80s and some people inserted where you can't do that because she's wearing something that pertains to a man that's men's clothing that's and then there's debates about can Christian see movies can Christians smoke cigarettes can Christians dance and when people are speaking Christians dance my answers. Some can, some I can never been good at it. That's why played in the band anyway. Another story so these are great issues in one of the issues was sacrifice food sacrifice idols meat sacrificed to idols concerning things offered to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up or edifies when it comes to gray areas not black and white areas.

We know certain things are wrong. Biblically speaking, we have enough working also certainly got wrong one today. Stay away from that.

That's right get into that do that then there things were not quite sure about when it comes to these gray areas or nonessential issues. Now it's good by the way, just backup. It's good for you to know what is essential and what is nonessential. Why is important because we must never raise nonessentials to the level of essentials and we must never lower essentials to the level of nonessentials.

So when it comes to who is God, the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The atonement of Christ the vicarious atonement him dying in our place. Salvation by faith through grace by grace through faith all about. Those things are essentials. If you don't believe in, and some certain things you are not a saved individual you're not a child of God there essential. There are other things that are not essential. Eating meat sacrificed idol nonessential going to a movie nonessential having a cigarette.

I nonessential. Some people take an raise nonessentials to the level of assent over you smoke you going to fill that role the smokers you know you just taken a nonessential friend raised it to the level of an essential then there's people take essentials that yeah that matter. If you believe in the Trinity and bought better.

If you believe in the resurrection. The matter if you believe in the atonement and when they do that they are stripping the gospel of the gospel there taken all the power out of there's nothing to believe so Paul knew his essentials but he certainly knew that certain things were nonessentials. The rapture of the church nonessential. I believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. Not everybody does.

That's okay I can fellowship with people who don't believe as I do the wrong but I can still fellowship with my fellow shipping with people who are ignorant of the facts and and have lost the blessed hope you're still believers are my brothers and sisters in Christ. Okay now concerning things offered idols, we know we all have knowledge.

Knowledge puffs up. Love edifies if anyone thinks that he knows anything he knows nothing as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God this one is known by him.

It's not what you know, it's who you know it is not even who you know, it's who knows you would do you know the Lord yes I do more that he knows me he knows my name. He knows me intimately. The Lord knows those who are his. Paul writes your known by him. Let me give you a little bit of the background in those days there were two sources of where you would buy your protein base in Corinth. Your meat eater you would buy it at the general market, which was Slim Pickens or you would buy it from the butcher shop at the temple you didn't buy from the marketplace or the temple.

Typically, when a sacrifice was given at a temple, even the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, and there was a priest that officiated that the sacrifice was divvied up into generally three pieces, one piece offered to the Lord. One piece given to the price one piece taken home by the offeror and they could enjoy that as a meal with her family.

Well, because the priest would offer so many sacrifices he had more meat than he needed. So what would he do, he would make some extra money and go down to the butcher shop at the temple and sell it off and they would sell it on the streets so you can go down to the temple butcher shop and see you know not nice cuts in glass enclosed case with lights like you did say just like if you've ever been to the Middle East you to see me hang out right animals hang up and you you buy the meat and you take it home so this is very common to buy your meat from a temple.

The animal had been sacrificed to it and idol of pagan God. So just imagine you go to somebody's house or you go to a restaurant and they tell you what's on the menu.

They say well it tonight are special is we have a prime cut that is been offered to Jupiter at 4 PM this afternoon and you're a Christian book is to Jupiter. Oh my goodness, I can eat that thing you know, and it became a problem.

This will help one of the reasons it became such an issue because most of the meat he didn't buy the marketplace. Most of the meat you bought at the temples and here's why Greek theology. They were polytheistic know that as they believe in many gods, they were also probably demonic. They believed in demons everywhere surrounding everyone everything all the time there were in the air and they were looking for a way to get inside people and one of the ways they got inside. People usually according to this superstition is they attach themselves to food and you would eat that and you would go crazy you go nuts. And the reason the personal go graces because they food that had demons.

This was an ideology back then.

The way to get rid of the demons is to sacrifice it to one of the gods we sacrifice one of the gods, like Jupiter, whoever that God be so tickled that you gave them homage that he or she would offer you protection from the demons of the in the food. I know that sounds crazy, but that was an issue but I'll give you something even crazier ready for this. Even among the Jews, they have this idea of demons attaching themselves to food so some of the rabbis believe that there was a particular demon by the name of sheep. Sheep was a demon that attached itself to food and when you touch the meat on your hands.

That demon would cling to you. So the only way to get rid of the demons was elaborate washing of the hands and Jesus makes reference to you. Wash your hands elaborately the Jews would watch it two different ways 3 Different Way sometimes and dry it off and be very particular about how they handle things because of this crazy idea among rabbis of demons entering people through their hands once they touch the food so it's not an issue to watch us.

If you buy hamburger at a guy from a guy who's a Muslim or a Buddhist or a Christian, where you just buy food and get whatever fears you have knowledge you have knowledge, you know better. You know that a demon is nothing a false God is not a God and idol is just fake news is no such thing is only one true God. You not you know that.

But not everybody knows that not everybody has that conscience there informed not by logic but by their conscience and their conscience is tendered for data free for you to eat something that had been offered a free come out so what you do what you could say well I know better, and I have a liberty in Christ. I have freedom in Christ.

Well, therefore, concerning the eating of things offered idols. Verse four we know that an idol is nothing in the world and that there are no other gods but one we know that we know there's only one God. We know these are fake gods and goddesses. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth is there are many gods and many lords yet for us there is only one God the father of whom are all things and we for him and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we live. However, is not this knowledge in either is not an everyone that knowledge for some with consciousness of the idle until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol in their conscience, being weak is defiled, you know, there are some things you don't solve by logic, even though you know the truth and you know better, and you know that an idol is nothing, nothing. There's no God there. There's no power… The statute people bow to a statue and talk to a statue that look about and talk to it. You know better.

It's a piece of wood, nothing more.

But not everybody thinks our not everybody thought that way so for you to make decisions based on logic. It's not spark the saw smart and I would say that as a parent you don't example, your child, you have a child or young child is scared of the dark.

Dark. You know better than that. There's nothing in the dark. That child older brother knows better. But what if you and the older brother sit down with a little child say now let me tell you, the logic behind things in the dark will they go oh okay thanks now I think better. Now I know better know they still have a feeling the still of the tender conscience so you accommodate that right you you get people past that you are sensitive toward their conscience same in the church. There are weak brothers and weak sisters and Paul is addressing the strong brother and the strong sister very similar to Romans chapter 14 when he says receive those who are weak in the faith, but not to dispute over helpful things for one says they can eat me. The other was weeks as I can. Only vegetables same idea.

So he's appealing to the stronger in faith, brother, sister, reverse taper, but food does not command us to God for neither.

If we eat are we the better. Nor, if we do not eat are we the worse. But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you, who have knowledge eating in an idols temple will not the conscience of him who is weak being bolded to eat the things that are offered to idols, worldliness is an interesting topic. I have discovered that worldliness is geographical in many ways what we consider worldly other Christians in other places, but not consider worldly what they consider worldly we would not consider worldly not uncommon in Europe in Germany for after Sunday service. All the pastors go down to the pub and have a beer or have beer parties at church. I know churches that have bars on their campuses. Not a big deal to them, but you get that you get an American Baptist.

Tell them that will be apoplectic over that it's just as wrong yet for that American Baptist. Being overweight or being obese is not a problem but that would be a sin to many European Christians. That's why say it can be. It can be geographic so I love most of the story about Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Charles Ed Spurgeon was a pastor in London and he knew many pastors in London.

He was in particular friends with one other pastor at another church. They spoke highly of each other. They share pulpits together until Spurgeon found out that that pastor went to the theater and when Spurgeon found out he didn't take a liking to that worldly entertainment and spoke out against worldly entertainment. It's funny because Spurgeon was a cigar smoker and saw no problem with having a stogie you know. After a good sermon Raymond before a good sermon. You know, not a big deal and then Spurgeon on one occasion was visited by an American evangelist named DL Moody. One of my favorite also DL Moody heard about Spurgeon wanted to visit them flew all the way to England visited Spurgeon knocked on the door. Spurgeon open the door. This is what I read with a stogie. Just imagine open the door. There's there's the preacher you always wanted is stinky preacher and Moody looked at that Moody was kind of a heavyset fellow… A very rotund and looked up at Spurgeon on the stoop of that house and looked it up at him and pointed to the cigar and said how can you as a man of God do that and Spurgeon smile and pointed to his belly. Moody's belly and said the same way that he was a man of God can do that. You see your see what I've got wrong, not even noticing what you're doing to your temple so I saved you geographic worldliness. Nobody comes to heat this order gray areas in our lives.

They see you eating food to an idol or to be able to do the same. Let's say I decide to go down to a local bar and have a cocktail margarita well somebody sees pastor Skip slug and a couple margaritas down goes home and said a at the connect group.

I saw Skip of the local bar man. He was like Simon margaritas not really what if he can do it I can do it. And especially if there's somebody in that group was struggled with alcoholism.

It's going to be detrimental.

So Paul wraps on allotments is because of your knowledge. Verse 11 shall the week brother parish, for whom Christ died. But when you thus sinned against the brethren and wound their week conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble I will never again eat meat that's that's quite a statement either freedom be anything I want but if it's in the stumble. My brother will never again eat it last. I make my brother stumble is the difference between Greek ideology and Christian ideology. Greek view of liberty was.

I can do anything I can think up. I am the arbiter of my own existence.

I can do anything I dream of that was Greek liberty Protagoras 1/5 century BC philosopher court was quoted by saying man is the measure of all things, meaning I am my own judge of anything I do self-determination. That's the Greek view of liberty. The smart modern man's view of liberty by the way modern American man and woman's liberty pauses the Christian view of liberty is that I can do anything, but I consider weaker brothers and sisters in the choices that I make. I have liberty are not under the law course. Christ set me free. But there are other things that filter out my choices so if you remember from our foes last week, but I think was maybe a couple weeks ago I said I gave you three testing members three tests for gray areas. I just remind you of them. Test number one principle number one. The principle of utility utility is it good is it beneficial, is it helpful. Paul said in first Corinthians 6 I can do all things, all things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial or expedient or helpful to me so number one test of utility never do the test of authority will it begin to control me. Paul said first Corinthians chapter 6 and 10. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any American let's sum activity. I engage in a micro engage in it, if eventually it takes over my life.

So it's like yeah yeah I just haven't.

I just have a drink, you know, when I come home pretty soon you have to have a drink to settle down now. It's control number three is the test of charity charity, love first Corinthians chapter 10, all things are lawful for me, not all things build up that Skip the message from the series expound first want to share that will help strengthen your trust in God so you can live with greater confidence and peace like his heart is a harsh but accurate philosophy into this gentle encouragement.

But, that's right, in the most difficult to consensus God can intervene as he did for Joseph to the resurrection of Jesus here Skip I think the fact there may not be two more hopeful words than these two words but God because they point us to the great interrupter, the one who can powerfully and graciously interrupt our live with his plans and change our lives forever help you understand some of the most profound moment. You can have more hope for change in your life.

Pastor Skip 10 message teaching series is our thanks $35 more to help connect people to the only one please change your life that God CD collection to get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer or call 892 1880 11:52 tomorrow. Skip Heitzig six years what it really means to have liberty in Christ were not saved by works were saved by God's grace through our faith. Simply believe in him.

God declares us justify just as if we had never sent and first and