Eating Well (I Corinthians 10:14-33)

We're going to be in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, starting in verse 14.

1 Corinthians 10 · chapter mention

If you are able, please stand for the reading of God's word.

So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

I am speaking as to sensible people.

Judge for yourselves what I am saying.

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?

The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?

Because there's one body.

We who are many are one body, since all of us share the one bread.

Consider the people of Israel.

Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?

What am I saying then?

That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

No.

But I do say that what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God.

I do not want you to be participants with demons.

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.

You cannot share in the Lord's table and the table of demons.

Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy?

Are we stronger than he?

Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.

Everything is permissible, but not everything builds up.

No one is to seek his own good, but the good of the other person.

Eat everything that is sold in the meat market without raising questions for the sake of conscience, since the earth is the Lord's and all that is in it.

If any of the unbelievers invites you over and you want to go, eat everything that's set before you without raising questions for the sake of conscience.

But if someone says to you, This is food from a sacrifice, do not eat it out of consideration for the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience.

I do not mean your own conscience, but the other person's.

For why is my freedom judged by another person's conscience?

If I partake with thanksgiving, why am I criticized because of something for which I give thanks?

So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the Church of God, just as I try to please everyone and everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.

Lord, I thank you so much for today.

I thank you for your word.

I ask that you would be glorified with everything that's said or done today.

That you would fill me with your spirit to rightfully teach your word, that to rightly teach your word, that you would fill the hearers with your spirit to rightly divide.

Please be glorified in your name.

Amen.

Alright, go ahead and have a seat.

Okay.

So this is an interesting passage as I'm going through and going like, I feel like we've touched on these things before, but it makes sense because as we've talked about, and as we have mentioned before, this is all one long letter.

So Paul writes to the Church of Corinth and they send, they he sends this whole thing, they get this whole thing and they read it all in one sitting.

So it makes sense there's a little continuity there.

It would be kind of weird if it's like, and today we're going to talk about something completely different because it's a natural flow of conversation.

So with that in mind, on the surface here, it looks like there's three food topics.

And so Paul apparently is a Baptist preacher because he has a three-point message today.

But under the surface is one big same message, which is the same thing we've been talking about for the past few weeks, which is being a part of one body for the good of others.

And so that's what it boils down to is being part of one body for the good of others.

And he highlights this with three topics that they may be struggling with or dealing with or asking about, or things that he has heard of.

And so those of you who are parents know very, very well what it's like to, when somebody asks a question, answer the question, and then answer the real question under the question.

And that's what we see going on here.

So he starts off in verse 14.

So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

Interesting transition with there, but for those of you who were here two weeks ago when we were in the beginning of chapter 10, we see this idea of the nation of Israel as an example of people who have been happy to be freed from slavery in Egypt and yet refused to come under the service of the Lord.

They were happy to be set free from what was putting them in bondage, but they were not willing to submit to him as their Lord.

And so there were multiple examples of what that looked like.

And then he tied that into the example of temptation and trials, and whoever thinks you stand must be careful not to fall, and that God is faithful who will not be not allowed to be tempted beyond what you're able, and provides a way out so that you may be able to bear it, so you can endure through it, not escape from it, but bear through it.

And then he says next, so then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

Our idolatry today is a little bit more subtle than it was back then.

So it's a thing that we need to unpack a little bit in that sense, because uh back then it was very blatant.

What does it look like for someone to be worshiping an idol, to be going to the temple here in these different examples here?

Well, that actually was a literal thing.

There's a building that is a temple, that is a center of worship to a supposed god, and they would go there and they would either have a food sacrifice, which we see here, or in other examples in Corinth, there would be other uh sexual things involved in that, with temple prostitutes and such, and it's all a literal thing that was happening there.

So when he says flee from idolatry, that's a very real thing in their world, and the thing that was there and uh in their groundwater before they heard the gospel.

So we're sitting here, most of us have are very familiar with Jesus and with salvation, with Christianity, and idolatry and explaining what that looked like back then is kind of foreign.

For the Corinthians, they are steeped in idolatry, and hearing about healthy walking in Jesus is kind of foreign.

So it's a little bit reversed from what we're used to here.

So, why on earth would somebody be sacrificing at a temple?

Because that worship is very transactional.

Their idea is that if there is a they had a pantheon of many gods, and with that there would be somebody who was the agriculture god, there would be someone who's a god of war, the goddess of fertility, all these different things.

And so you are trying to curry the favor of that supposed god in order to get what you want.

And so you sacrifice something important to you, i.e.

food and drink, partake in that to try to get the favor of that supposed deity in order to get what you want.

Christianity comes along, and that doesn't work that way in any way, shape, or form, because we were when we were enemies of God, he offered us salvation through the blood of his son, and we can't manipulate him to get what we want out of it.

So that's the difference we see here.

So when they are sacrificing to idols, when they are going to the temple to do so, they are participating in a process that is number one asserting that that God, that deity, is divine and can has the power to give them something.

They are giving them something and hoping to get something from them.

So that is the default of Corinth, of what they understand, of what their religious practice is.

So when Paul says, flee from idolatry, it's very, very possible that the people in Corinth who have uh committed to following Jesus in this point have gotten to the point where they're like, well, we can still, this is part of our culture.

This is still what we do.

And didn't a couple of chapters ago, even though the chapters weren't there, didn't a couple chapters ago you say that uh food is nothing and an idol is nothing and all these different things.

So what's the big deal?

Well, it's a really big deal here.

Why is it a big deal?

He'll give us two examples to explain why it's a big deal.

Number one, continuing in verse 15, I am speaking as to sensible people.

Judge for yourselves as to what I'm saying.

He's appealing to them saying, hey, I am talking as to sane logical people, and you can follow me in that.

The grown-ups are talking, is basically what he's saying here.

So, we say that way too often in our household.

So, especially when you have people with really good hearing.

Um in verse 16, the cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?

The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?

He's talking about communion here, which was a thing that Jesus instituted at Passover before his crucifixion and resurrection, where he said, Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you, drink, this is my blood, which is poured out for you.

Do this in remembrance of me.

And so they continue to do that, which is a fulfillment of the imagery that they had in Passover in the first place in the Old Testament.

So here he's saying, When you take communion, is that because you want a snack?

Because surely there's better snacks.

Well, no offense to the way that we have mass-produced communion at this point in time.

So when you take the cup of wine, when you eat the bread, that's not just because you want to eat, it's because you are doing so in remembrance.

It means something to you.

And it is also a tying in together that we are all falling under this as a part of the body of Christ.

So when he's saying that, it's when you do communion, you're doing it for a reason, right?

So, therefore, when people worship in the temple and sacrifice food to idols, it means something to them too.

It's the same idea, even though they're not worshiping the true God.

It continues.

Verse 17.

There's one bread.

We who are many are one body, since all of us share the one bread.

Which is cool because this is that body metaphor.

This is one of the threads that I see running through 1 Corinthians in subtext that's now coming to the forefront.

That's really going to come out in a couple chapters.

This idea that we are all part of one body, together, all different body parts, fueled by the Holy Spirit, joined together by that, with Jesus as the head.

And therefore we interact with one another.

What one person does affects one another, and then we also have the ability to build up or to tear down one another in the process.

And so here he's saying we are celebrating communion as part of one body, together as one group.

This is how we commemorate that.

Just to be clear here, he's not saying that when he's saying we're sharing the blood of Christ, sharing the body of Christ, if you take that verse and then you don't look at the rest of Scripture, then it can take it, it can make it seem like he's saying something.

And so we don't hold to transubstantiation in our faith with this, which is the belief that the body, the when you eat the bread and drink the wine, that it physically turns into the body and blood of Jesus in your body, which is something of the Roman Catholic vein, which was what the church believed up until like the 1500s and beyond.

And then you have the Reformation with Martin Luther, but he believed in something called consubstantiation, which is like, no, it's not that the body and the blood physically transform into Jesus in your body, but he is present in there somehow.

Just to be clear, we see it as a remembrance, as a symbol, as an imagery, and nothing more.

So the scripture is not saying anything beyond that.

Ultimately, that we do that as a remembrance of that.

So it's important to remember what we believe as it comes to communion.

It's not magical, it's not mystical in that sense.

It is a celebration and a reminder and a reflection that ties us together as one body in that way.

So he continues in verse 18 with his second example as it comes to participating in idolatry sacrifices.

Consider the people of Israel.

Again, Corinth, not Israel.

Map Israel, not Israel.

They're in the not Israel part of it.

And so Corinth is in the Macedonian part of the world there.

And they do not have the Jewish heritage that you may have seen in other parts of Scripture.

So it's cool though.

Why am I bringing that up?

Because he keeps bringing up Israel to them.

Why does that matter?

Because in the beginning of this chapter, we saw him using them as a primary example for that, and that's important because we have also potentially heard, just worry about the New Testament.

Old Testament doesn't matter at all.

You know, basically, like we need to we need to basically unsaddle ourselves from the problems of that and just worry about that.

Because it's funny because Paul keeps going back to the Old Testament to show how it is fulfilled in Jesus.

So it's cool how Paul keeps bringing that up, even to Gentiles.

It is relevant in that sense.

And there's so much fulfillment of that in the sacrifice and the person and work of Jesus.

So consider the people of Israel.

Don't those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?

So there was a system of animal and grain sacrifice.

Leviticus is a gripping read.

For those of you who have done the Bible plan, don't raise your hand.

How many of you stopped in Leviticus?

Don't raise your hand.

Okay, good.

Thank you.

With that in mind, there is a lot that goes into that, and there are many different sacrifices described in there.

There is sin offerings, burnt offerings, all these different things.

And those ones, a sin offering and the daily burnt offering, are consumed or are burned outside the camp, depending on what they are.

But there's such a thing as a peace offering or a thanksgiving offering.

And at that point in time, you're taking your animal to the temple and it's being slaughtered, and there's a portion for the priest, but then you get to eat the rest of it.

And you get to participate in that, which is pretty cool.

Why are they doing that?

It's not because the priests are epic pit masters who know how to cook the meat better than you.

It is a bringing the food that and acknowledging that God gave it to you, bringing it to him, giving a portion of that, and celebrating in that.

And so he's saying here, when the Israelites did that, they participated, they eat the sacrifice, they're participating in the altar.

They didn't do that just for fun.

This wasn't their tailgating process.

This was actually them participating in worship.

And so, what does this have to do with what he's saying?

These two examples, communion and the peace offerings, are examples of why participating in the sacrifices and eating in the temple is a problem.

So, up until this point, he's made very good points of saying, this is not a big of a deal unless you stumble people.

And he's here that says, this is off limits.

Don't do this.

Why?

Why does he say that?

Verse 19.

What am I saying then?

That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

No.

We established that in 1 Corinthians 8 that the food is not gonna hurt you, it's a neutral object.

It doesn't become toxic when it's sacrificed to an idol.

And an idol is a statue.

There's nothing in there.

If you bust it open, there's nothing divine in there.

It's just a hunk of gold or wood or something like that.

However, verse 20, I do say, what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God.

That's pretty intense.

So the object is just an object.

The food is just food.

But the context there is a problem because it is a process of worshiping something other than God.

And that is fueled by demons.

How uncomfortable does that make you just we're not supposed to talk about that in the 21st century because we're too enlightened too far far too enlightened to really be talking about demonic activity.

But with that, they are sacrificing to demons when they do that and not to God.

God made it very clear from the very beginning you will worship no other God but him.

He is the only because he's the only God.

And he is true and he is right.

All the way back in Genesis, it was God, and then he created Adam and Eve.

That was it.

There wasn't anybody else.

There wasn't somebody like in terms of that worship system.

There wasn't like there was a competition going there.

It's like, yeah, but then there was also Poseidon over here who was going, don't forget me.

And all they did.

That's the imaginations of people's minds coming in the future.

But there was the devil in the form of a serpent.

And he was telling them, God is wrong, do what is wrong, eat, and then you will become like God.

And in the same way, when people are sacrificing in their temples to an idol, they are being driven to do so through the work of the enemy.

That's not a neutral thing.

That's not a, oh, well, that's, you know, it's just a thing we do in a part of our culture.

So that is a serious problem, worshiping another God.

And so he is saying, don't have any part in that.

Continuing in verse 20, he says, I do not want you to be participants with demons.

New youth group t-shirt.

No context.

Just, I do not want you to be participants with demons.

Slap it on the kids and let them free and see what happens.

No, uh Verse 21.

You can't drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.

You can't share in the Lord's table and the table of demons.

Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy?

Are we stronger than He?

What is it saying here?

We can't be promiscuous in our worship.

You can't have it both ways.

If you're going to say that you follow the Lord, then you can't chase after these other things as well.

How crazy would it be for somebody who is married to be sleeping with somebody else and then go, well, it doesn't mean anything.

It's fine.

Would anybody be comforted by that?

Would anybody be like, oh, okay, well, in that case, if it doesn't mean anything, it's fine.

No, that's crazy.

And in our context, that's crazy, but that's what's happening here when it is a believer who is participating in the temple sacrifices to an idol and saying, oh, but it doesn't mean anything, I'm just here for the food.

That's not okay, is what Paul is saying.

And this is important for a few reasons.

Number one, because he is continuing to contextualize the world that they live in, but he's also having the nerve to tell them that what they are very used to is wrong.

And that is a very thankless job in that world.

But that's part of his role, and his job as an apostle is telling them like when you follow Jesus, you are serving Jesus and you're worshiping Jesus.

Do not provoke the Lord to jealousy by also doing these things.

So he is willing to say that the culture that you're used to is not a neutral thing in this context.

That's a problem, and flee from that.

Don't kind of avoid it, weather through it, kind of just saunter away from it.

Flee from it.

So example number one here is participating in the temple sacrifices is off limits.

And it continues on.

Verse 23.

Everything's permissible, but not everything is beneficial.

Everything's permissible, but not everything builds up.

No one is to seek his own good, but the good of the other person.

So he kind of couches the midpoint, the whole point of this right in the middle of these examples.

It seems that everything is permissible is a saying in the church.

There seems to be it's like, ah, it's fine, we're good, we're free, we have freedoms, we have in those ways, because that also came up.

In 1 Corinthians 6 12.

Same idea where they're like, everything's permissible.

And here he's like, everything's permissible, but not everything is beneficial.

Just because technically you can doesn't mean that you should.

Everything's permissible, but not everything builds up.

And that is the why.

Why you shouldn't, because it could also bring harm to the body, to others, to those we are attached to and connected with.

So just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Is the example here.

As this church has been born and grows, and is obviously steeped in a world of knowledge and wisdom and their own culture and experiences, in their immaturity here, it's very easy to see them saying, cool, I'm free, I can do what I want, we're good, and oh, it's not a big deal.

And if you have a problem with it, then you clearly don't understand.

And he's saying, it's not, it doesn't work that way.

Why doesn't it work that way?

Because we are a part of a body.

Exactly.

We are interconnected.

And what one person does impacts the other person.

Seeking the good of others.

No one is to seek his own good in verse 24, but the good of the other person.

We see in 1 Corinthians 13 5 that one of the hallmarks of love is that it's not self-seeking.

It seeks the benefit of the other.

We see in Philippians 2, 3 through 4, which we've referenced already a few times throughout our journey in Corinthians, that do nothing from selfish ambition, but do so for the interests of others.

And so it is an interesting thing here as we're talking about these topics of things that are neutral topics, about incomplete knowledge in that, about rights, about freedom, about conscience, which we're about to talk about.

All of the context here is for the benefit of others.

Why do I say that?

Because culturally, for ourselves, in our current moment in time today, a lot of times when we talk about rights, freedoms, responsibilities, conscience, it's kind of for our own benefit.

We say it so that we can assert what we want, our rights, our privileges, our freedoms.

And God help us if we are told that we should give up our rights for somebody else.

That's kind of antithetical to our DNA as a 21st century evangelical American Christian.

You just don't do that because that's primary number one.

And here he's saying, don't seek your own good, but the good of the other person.

Continuing forward, verse 25.

His next example, as part of being part of the body, is the meat market.

Eat everything that's sold in the meat market without raising questions for the sake of conscience.

Since the earth is the Lord's and all that is in it.

So here you have the idea of going to the market.

The meat that's there, has it been sacrificed to an idol before it was slaughtered?

Has it not?

If I was hypothetically a pagan Corinthian businessman, which I'm not for the record, it would be a pretty good gig to do my sacrifice and try to curry the favor of my God, then take the rest of it and sell it in the market.

So I have the favor from that, and then I have my profit, I went all the way around.

And so here Paul is saying there's a number one, there's a possibility that the meat that's sold in the meat market could have been sacrificed to an idol.

And he says, eat it without raising questions for the sake of conscience, since the earth is the Lord's and all that is in it.

Again, the food is neutral.

It has not been polluted by being sacrificed in that way.

What could cause harm here is going to buy something and going.

Is this idle meat that you're selling here?

I don't think I can buy that if it's idle meat that you're selling here.

Do you sell idol meat?

Is that what you do here?

This person right here, idol meat.

Does anybody have pure meat?

Meat that's holy?

Meat that I'm okay to eat because I'm holy?

Anyone?

Anybody in the market here?

How does that benefit anybody?

We see that was the context that Jesus was born into in Israel.

And where it was the idea of I need to not only keep myself pure, but let everybody else know how pure I am at all times.

You know what that's called?

Pride.

And that's an important lesson because pride can be well-meaning.

You can have a really good motivation, a really good start, and it could end up as pride.

Because it's not just the general topic, it's what we do with it and what we do, how we manifest that.

And so he says here look, if you're in the market, buy the food.

You're here to buy food.

The temple is very cut and dry.

Nobody there is sacrificing, going, oh, I didn't know what was happening.

Very, very obvious.

In the meat market, it's like, just get your food and go home.

What's the deal here?

You don't need to announce, thank you, Lord, that I am not like that sinner over there.

And then he says in verse 27, if any of the unbelievers invites you over and you want to go, eat everything that is set before you without raising questions for the sake of conscience.

So our third food topic here, you're invited to somebody's house who is an unbeliever, who doesn't follow Jesus.

You want to go, then eat everything that's set before you without raising questions for the sake of conscience.

You have the opportunity to demonstrate the life in you having Jesus.

Down at the table, and you don't lead with, before we start.

Anything here idolatrous?

Because I mean, there's a possibility that'd be like, yeah, that's what we do.

But his statement here is don't just lead with that question without raising questions for the sake of conscience.

But if someone says to you, this is food from a sacrifice, don't eat it out of consideration for the one who told you and for the sake of conscience.

So don't ask.

Don't go like, just I want to make sure that is all the food here okay and pure and worthy of being eaten by me, who is a Christian and is by default better than you.

At the same time, if they start going like, hey, I want you here's I made this for you, and just to make sure that you know that I want to honor you, I made sure to sacrifice this to this God, here you go.

So then it would be one of those, like, what do I do?

And at that point in time, he says, Don't eat it.

That's pretty pretty uh awkward, right?

It would be much less awkward at that point to be like, okay, cool, whatever, I just we'll have that conversation later.

You know, if necessary, use words.

Uh and here he's telling them, look, if that's the case, don't eat it for the sake of the other person and for the sake of conscience.

So there is a bigger topic at hand there than the food, and it's the other individual.

And if they need to be aware in that sense that you can't, that a person cannot serve God and serve other gods.

Why?

Because their culture says, yes, you can.

You can serve anything you want.

Whether the Greek pantheon there or the Romans, where this is a Roman part of the Roman Empire, and there got to be the point where Caesar was like, look, you can worship any God you want as long as you worship me too.

And this is what they are used to, and here you are, a follower of Jesus saying gently, there is only one God.

There's only one way which we can be saved and have relationship with Him.

And so, therefore, I can't partake in this.

Which on one hand is immensely awkward, but on the other hand, is really the most easy like gospel in in the world.

It just is kind of uncomfortable.

Because it's yeah, it would be really weird to say, like, yeah, no, I can't eat that.

Sorry.

Pack your thanks.

We're going.

But be able to say, look, I can't participate in this, it's not because of you, it's because of this topic, because here's who I serve, and here's how this works, and here's how he saved me from my sin and my death, and has brought me into newness of life, and here's how this looks, and how you don't actually have to sacrifice in order to curry his favor, because he was the sacrifice brought to you.

It's such a good opportunity in that, but it is a little bit awkward in that.

And so, here, for the sake of the other and for the sake of conscience, he clarifies in verse 29 I don't mean for your own conscience, but the other person's.

That's a very interesting pivotal verse in that.

Because it's easy to read this and go, yeah, well, my conscience is the most important thing.

My rights is the most important thing.

My conviction is the most important thing.

It's like I was talking about the other.

The others.

It's not all about you, the others.

You are important, but it's I'll put it this way: like being in a marriage, which was talked about uh very, very well a few chapters ago, it is not 50-50.

You're serving another person, and you're trusting, they'll take care of you as well, without demanding that in that process.

In a healthy context, of course.

Don't go weird with that.

But with that, in the same way, we're serving the others, and if it's a healthy body, they will take care of us as well.

But our it's amazing how much our view and our mindset has been about take care of ourselves.

We need to take care of ourselves, we need to have what's right for ourselves, we need to do this, we need to keep everything else out, and we need to be in with that and make sure that we're safe and protected, and that whatever I think is the most important thing is what everybody needs to hear and know and do.

And here he's like, Oh, I'm not even talking about you, talking about the person that you are sitting down with.

Why is my freedom judged by another person's conscience?

If I partake with Thanksgiving, why am I criticized because of something for which I give thanks?

He's saying, look, it's not gonna harm me to eat the food.

That's not the topic.

The topic is what that does to the other individual and what they might come to believe in the process.

Because his point, his goal, his focus is the gospel and is salvation, is the other person becoming a part of that body.

Verse 31.

Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

Here's what I love about this the context is serving others for the sake of the gospel.

Right?

Being a part of the body for the sake of the gospel.

But this is one of those verses that, like, without show without a show of hands, how many of us knew that this was the context of this verse?

How many otherwise we see it slapped on a t-shirt or on a vinyl wall art or you know, everywhere we see, whether you eat or drink or do whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

And you go, I'm not sure what's up with the eat or drink, but due to the glory of God, that means I am free to be the best me possible.

I'm gonna live my best life now.

And he's saying, do it for the glory of God, verse 32, give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the Church of God.

Glorify God, act in such a way, even with your food and drink, in a way that gives no offense to the Jews or the Greeks or the Church of God.

Verse 33, just as I also try to please everyone and everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.

Coming back to that core hope of for their salvation, for the sake of the salvation of others.

Which we saw very well in chapter 9.

This is all tying together.

Same.

It's funny, as I was prepping this, I'm like, I kind of feel like I've preached this three times already, but it makes sense because it's all the same letter.

It would be weird if it was coming out of left field.

So, here again, for the sake of the gospel, the salvation of others, giving no offense.

Here's the cool thing.

He made it very clear at the beginning of this passage.

That does not mean that you compromise on sin.

Very clear right out the gate in this passage.

Look, you can't do what is wrong in order to bring people into or to show them the light of salvation.

You can't compromise and say, hey, let me tell you about this God that I serve by doing the thing he told me not to do.

That's crazy.

It doesn't work that way.

And so it's a very clear context in here.

Also, in the same way, he's saying you could, it might get a little awkward if you have to tell them you can't eat what they gave you, so that you can show them the reason for the hope that you have in Jesus.

But there are very clear guide rails and guardrails in here for that.

It's also not a secret gotcha.

It's not a secret, like, hey, uh, you're going to accidentally fall into this thing.

Clearly this way, he's like, look, it's food.

But it matters how you actually impact other people in that.

But with all of that, it's never confusing.

It's never a question of should I sin in order to bring people to God.

That's crazy.

But that's very in the groundwater for the last chunk of time with that.

And so, having that said, I think what is important of what Paul is saying in these chapters, he is giving very clear, specific examples in their own culture, in their own life that actually hits them right where they live, in a way to try them, to try to get them to focus less on those very clear-cut specific moments and instances and these things, box checking and go underneath and see what's important.

And once they, if they if we are to understand what is important, then these things become a little more self-explanatory.

And then he doesn't have to keep writing them letters, except he did write second hands.

But you see somebody here trying to shepherd them toward maturity.

Less of, well, how do I do this?

What do I do this?

What does it look like in this situation?

What about in this situation?

What about in this situation?

What if my eyes are closed?

What if I'm turning to the left?

What if I do over these different things?

What's the right answer and all these things?

And more love and obey Him and love one another.

Stick close to Jesus, and that will inform how that looks.

Because otherwise, it becomes very, very much a really, really long list of things of every possible context of how we're supposed to do exactly what the right thing is in that right moment.

And if you don't do it in that exact moment, God might not like you anymore.

Which is antithetical to the gospel.

So the goal here, giving no offense, not seeking your own benefit, but the benefit of others so that they may be safe.

And I it's a good thing to take mental inventory of in all of our lives is the things that consume our thoughts, the things that are central to our focus, that are the most important thing to us, that are the things that keep us up at night.

Number one, does it benefit us?

Or does it benefit all of us?

Number two, does it stand the test of time?

So many of the things that we are so bent out of shape about, damn, five years from now isn't even going to be a topic of conversation.

And yet those are the things that we fill our minds with and consume, get consumed by.

But then secondly, thirdly, does it also further the advance of the kingdom?

Sometimes I think that uh we, I'll just talk about myself then maybe sometimes I think that I can very much be consumed by things that benefit me and become my own pet topic and become my own personal crusade, it doesn't benefit anybody.

It doesn't benefit the body, it doesn't further the kingdom.

Sometimes it hinders the furthering of the gospel, the way that we go about things.

And yet, never an issue of sin, that's already been cut and dry, clear, dealt with.

So, all that to say, jumping back here, everything's permissible, but not everything's beneficial, and everything's permissible in verse 23.

Not everything builds up, don't seek your own good, but the good of the other person.

And he is honing in further into chapter 12, where we have that idea of us being a part of one body together for the good of all involved in that, fueled by the Holy Spirit, with Jesus as the head.

Because when we become the head, then everybody is motivated, fueled together by uh outrage for the purpose of my own well-being.

My own agenda.

If I'm the head, then suddenly whatever uh I say is what is most important to God is probably just my own little personal pet peeve.

But ultimately keeping God as the head, thinking about one another, fueled by the Holy Spirit, and sticking close to Jesus.

He is the author, he is the finisher of our faith.

We see that we are to keep our eyes on Him in order to do this, because there's something weird inside of us that wants to make a list of checklists of this is how I do the right thing.

I get all of that done, I get God off my back, and I can do what I want.

And instead, it's just stay close to Jesus, stay part of a body, because it doesn't work in a vacuum, it just does not work in isolation.

Number one, because you can't bless others if there's no others.

But number two, because we are terrible analyzers of ourselves.

And so having people who know us and love us who can actually go, it looks a little scripture, is important.

So that's the goal here.

Yes, there's things that are about food, that are about sacrifices, that are about the meat market, that are about the house of the unbeliever.

But the goal is how do we love and obey God?

And how do we love one another?

Have you guys heard that before at any point here at this church?

Loving God, loving others.

Hopefully that's not new.

Let's pray.

Lord, I thank you so much for today.

I thank you that you are good and that you are right and that you are loving and holy.

I thank you that our salvation is not predicated upon our performance, upon our abilities, upon our rights, upon our work, but upon what you did on the cross.

I thank you so much that you have defeated sin and death and the devil on the cross.

And then you rose again, demonstrating that the price was paid and that it was sufficient.

I ask, Lord, that we would have eyes to see what you see, to love what you love, to know what you know, to follow you.

That we would be burdened naturally, supernaturally, for one another, for the benefit of the other, and not for our own benefit.

Help us to trust you, that you take care of us better than we do.

And we can trust in you.

We can lay aside our rights for the sake of others.

Give us further resolve not to tolerate sin in our own lives.

And for those of anybody who is listening, Lord, I ask that by your Holy Spirit you would move on their hearts if they don't know you, if they don't haven't confessed you, to know the freedom and the peace and the hope that is found only in you and nowhere else.

That they would experience the joy that is to be had in walking with you, in submitting to you, and following you, and obeying you.

Be glorified in all these things in your name.

Amen.