Sermon – 1st Corinthians 10

Title – Lessons, Learning, & Doing All For God’s Glory

  • 1st Corinthians 9:19-27 (NLT) … Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ.  When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ.  When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law.  Even thought I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law.  When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ.  But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.  When I am with those who are wear, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ.  Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.  I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.  Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?  So run to win!  All athletes are disciplined in their training.  They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.  So I run with purpose in every step.  I am not just shadowboxing.  I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.  Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
     
  • 1st Corinthians 10:1-10 … (history lesson about Israel)

  • 1st Corinthians 10:11-11:1 (NLT) … These things happened to them as examples for us.  They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.  If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.  The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.  And God is faithful.  He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.  When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.  So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.  You are reasonable people.  Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true.  When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ?  And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ?  And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body.  Think about the people of Israel.  Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar?  What am I trying to say?  Am I saying that good offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods?  No, not at all.  I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God.  And I don’t want you to participate with demons.  You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too.  You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too.  What?  Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy?  Do you think we are stronger than he is?  You say, “I am allowed to do anything” – but not everything is good for you.  You say, “I am allowed to do anything” – but not everything is beneficial.  Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.  So you may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience.  For “the earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it.”  If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dinner, accept the invitation if you want to.  Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience.  (But suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.”  Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you.  It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.)  For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks?  If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it?  So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God.  I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do.  I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.  And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
  • 9:19-27 … In 9:19-22 Paul asserts that he has freedom to do anything; in 9:24-27 he emphasizes a life of strict discipline.  The Christian life involves both freedom and discipline.  The goals of Paul’s life were to glorify God and bring people to Christ.  Thus, he stayed free of any philosophical position or material entanglement that might sidetrack him, while he strictly disciplined himself to carry out his goal.  For Paul, both freedom and discipline were important tools to be used in God’s service.

  • 9:22-23 … Paul gives several important principles for ministry – and they are still valid today:
    • 1 … find common ground with those you contact
    • 2 … avoid a know-it-all attitude
    • 3 … make others feel accepted
    • 4 … be sensitive to their needs and concerns
    • 5 … look for opportunities to tell them about Christ

  • 9:24-27 … Winning a race requires purpose and discipline.  Paul uses this illustration to explain that the Christian life takes hard work, self-denial, and grueling preparation.  As Christians, we are running toward our heavenly reward.  The essential disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and worship equip us to run with vigor and stamina.  Don’t merely observe from the stands; don’t just turn out to jog a couple of laps.  Train diligently – your spiritual progress depends upon it.

  • 9:25 … Whatever happened to self-discipline?  Many books and speakers guide wandering souls to self-fulfillment, self-satisfaction, and self-awareness.  Not many tackle self-discipline.  Self-discipline requires an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses, with emphasis on the latter.  It means building the will to say no when a powerful appetite inside you screams yes.  For example, you can
    • 1 … say no to friends or situations that will lead you away from Christ
    • 2 … say no to casual sex, saving intimacy for marriage
    • 3 … say no to laziness in favor of “can do” and “will do.”

  • Self-discipline is a long, steady course in learning attitudes that do not come naturally, and channeling natural appetites toward God’s purposes.  Where are your weak points?  Pray with a friend for God’s help to redirect weakness into strength.

  • 9:27 (Calvinist leaning) … When Paul says he might be disqualified, he does not mean that he could lose his salvation but rather that he could lose his privilege of telling others about Christ.

  • 9:27 … It is easy to tell others how to live and then not to take our own advice.  We must be careful to practice what we preach.  If we’re telling others they need to pray, but we don’t; then we are hypocrites.  If we’re telling others they need to study, but we don’t; then we are hypocrites.  If we’re telling others they need to active in a local church, but we aren’t; then we are hypocrites.
    • Going further … if we tell people to repent – to live properly – to follow God’s standards, and we don’t … then yes, our witness / words / teaching will hold no weight or value … if we’re living a sinful life, then we would be disqualified from leading or perhaps even removed from a position or even kicked out of a congregation … and yes, if we live such a life to where we are unrepentant or walk away from the faith; then yes, this disqualification could include “losing salvation” – which is really forfeting it or giving it up.

  • In chapter 9, Paul used himself as an example of a mature Christian who disciplines himself to better serve God.  In chapter 10, he uses Israel as an example of spiritual immaturity, shown in their overconfidence and lack of self-discipline.

  • 10:11 … Today’s pressures make it easy to ignore or forget the lessons of the past.  But Paul cautions us to remember the lessons the Israelites learned about God so we can avoid repeating their errors.  The key to remembering is to study the Bible regularly so that these lessons remind us of how God wants us to live.  We need not repeat their mistakes!

  • 10:13 … In a culture filled with moral depravity and sin-inducing pressures, Paul encouraged the Corinthians about temptation.  He said that
    • 1 … temptations happen to everyone, so don’t feel you’ve been singled out
    • 2 … others have resisted temptation, and so can you
    • 3 … any temptation can be resisted because God will show you a way out

  • God will aid you in resisting temptation by helping you
    • 1 … recognize those people and situations that give you trouble
    • 2 … run from anything you know is wrong
    • 3 … choose to do only what is right
    • 4 … pray for God’s help
    • 5 … seek friends who love God and can offer help when you are tempted.

  • Running from a tempting situation is your first step on the way to victory
    • 2nd Timothy 2:22 (NLT) … Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts.  Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace.  Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

  • 10:14 … Idol worship was the major expression of religion in Corinth.  There were several pagan temples in the city, and they were very popular.  The statues of wood or stone were not evil in themselves, but people gave them credit for what only God could do, such as provide good weather, crops, and children.  Idolatry is still a serious problem today, but it takes a different form.  We don’t put our trust in statues of wood and stone but in paper money and plastic cards.  Putting our trust in anything but God is idolatry.  Our modern idols are those symbols of power, pleasure, or prestige that we so highly regard.  When we understand contemporary parallels to idolatry, Paul’s words to “flee from the worship of idols” become much more meaningful.

  • 10:16-21 … The idea of unity and fellowship with God through eating a sacrifice was strong in Judaism and Christianity as well as in paganism.  In OT days, when a Jew offered a sacrifice, he ate a part of that sacrifice as a way of restoring his unity with God, against whom he had sinned.  Similarly, Christians participate in Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice at the Lord’s Table when they eat the bread and drink from the cup, symbolizing his body and blood.  Recent converts from paganism could not help being affected if they knowingly ate with pagans in their feasts the meat offered to idols.


  • 10:21 … As followers of Christ we must give him our total allegiance.  We cannot as Paul explains, have a part in “the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.”  Eating at the Lord’s Table means communing with Christ and identifying with his death.  Drinking from the cup of demons means identifying with Satan by worshipping or promoting pagan (or evil) activities.  Are you leading two lives, trying to follow both Christ and the crowd?  The Bible says that you can’t do both at the same time.

  • 10:23-24 … Sometimes it’s hard to know when to defer to weaker believers.  Paul gives a simple rule of thumb to help in making the decision: We should be sensitive and gracious.  The goal here is not a general hypersensitivity that worries about what other might possibly think.  Rather, it is a genuine awareness of others and a willingness to limit what we do when there is a real possibility of misunderstanding and offense.  Some actions may not be wrong, but they may not be in the best interest of others.  We have freedom in Christ, but we shouldn’t exercise our freedom at the cost of hurting a Christian brother or sister.  We are not to consider only ourselves; we must also consider the needs and perspective of others.

  • 10:25-27 … Paul gave one answer to the dilemma: Buy whatever meat is sold at the market without asking whether or not it was offered to idols.  It doesn’t matter anyway, and one’s conscience would be bothered.  When we become too worried about every action, we become legalistic and cannot enjoy life.  Everything belongs to God, and he has given us all things to enjoy.  If we know something is a problem, then we can deal with it, but we don’t need to go looking for problems. 

  • 10:28-33 … Why should we be limited by another person’s conscience?  Simply because we are to all things for God’s glory, even our eating and drinking.  Nothing we do should cause another believer to stumble.  We do what is best for others, so that they might be saved.  We should also be sensitive to the meaning of our actions to new Christians who are sorting out how to renounce sinful ways from the past and live for Christ.

  • However, Christians should not make a career out of being the offended people with oversensitive consciences.  Believers must not project their standards onto others.  Many believers who have been Christians for years are still oversensitive and judgmental of others.  Instead of being the offended weaker brothers and sisters, they are no more than offended Pharisees.

  • Christian leaders and teachers should carefully teach out the freedom Christian have in matters not expressly forbidden by Scripture.  New or weaker Christians should not remain in a weak or sensitive state but should grow into maturity and discernment lest they prove to be an unnecessary burden on other’s freedom in Christ.

  • 10:31 … Our actions must be motivated by God’s love so that all we do will be for his glory.  Keep this as a guiding principle by asking, “Is this action glorifying God?” or “How can I honor God through this action?”

  • 10:33 … Paul’s criterion for all his actions was not what he liked best but what was best for those around him.  The opposite approach would be
    • 1 … being insensitive and doing what we want, no matter who is hurt by it
    • 2 … being oversensitive and doing nothing, for fear that someone may be displeased
    • 3 … being a “yes man” by going along with everything, trying to gain approval from people

  • In this age of “me first” and “looking out for number one,” Paul’s startling statement is a good standard.  If we make the good of others one of our primary goals, we will develop a swerving attitude that pleases God.

  • Why did Paul say, “imitate me?”  Paul wasn’t being arrogant – he did not think of himself as sinless.  At the time however, the Corinthians believers did not know much about the life and ministry of Christ.

  • Paul could not tell them to imitate Jesus because the Gospels had not yet been written, so they did not know what Jesus was like – (or at least, not everything).  The best way to point these new Christian to Christ was to point them to a Christian whom they trusted.  Paul had been in Corinth almost two years and had built a relationship with many of these new believers.