Sometimes Right is Wrong

Sometimes, the worst thing you can do is be right

Families are notorious for proving that that is true.

Have you ever been to a family thing where something happens and someone goes off.

Someone says something that’s wrong and crazy uncle Harry who can never keep his mouth shut

Or maybe it was you - you know, our perfection only runs so deep, right?

Someone makes a statement that is totally wrong - and you feel that heat run from your head to your toes

And before the filter pops in, the words come out.

And what you say isn’t wrong.

You are spot on.

Absolutely correct.

Almost everyone there agrees with you and yet

You were wrong.

You were wrong to say it.

Wrong time.

Wrong place.

Wrong audience.

Wrong attitude.

I think I can say this as truth and we’d all agree.

We’ve been programmed - by education, both formal and informal

By Social Media - by society

To believe that “we” - “me” - “I” am more important than “us.”

Evidence: Something as small as the clerk at a store saying, “That’s not my job” when they could have fixed my problem in just a few seconds.

Or as large as students taking out 10’s of thousands of dollars of student loans

And then saying “I” shouldn’t have to pay.

What “We” want matters most.

“We” are important - and you’d better know that.

We are finishing up Paul’s discussion of meat sacrificed to idols in 1 Corinthians 10.

This was a big deal for them - Paul’s spent a large part of this letter addressing that.

And since we think most people who still sacrifice animals are weird at best - this seems irrelevant.

His first point seems to bear that out.

Don’t go to a idol’s temple and participate in the worship service.

They are worshipping demons - that’s not a good place for you to be - stay away.

Unless you had an invitation to the Grammy’s this last year, or you are going places you shouldn’t, this isn’t super relevant.

But his second point is.

What about things that aren’t “necessities?”

Things where there are no “thou shalt’s” or “thou shalt not’s”?

What is our guide to make a decision when there is no clear direction?

Our text is 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1.

Please take your Bibles out to follow along and while you are doing that.

Go ahead and put a marker in Psalm 24.

That Psalm figures very heavily in Paul’s logic.

If you are joining us by live stream, welcome.

If you are nearby come - we’d love to see you in person.

If you are our guest today, we are pleased the Lord led you here.

We pray FBC-G feels like home to you and that the Lord speaks to your heart today.

Hear now the Word of the Lord from 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1

1 Corinthians 10:23–11:1 ESV

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

It is for freedom that Christ set us free, yet

The focus of our freedom is to give glory to God.

The mantra of my generation was “Sex, drugs and rock n’ roll.”

Every generation has their thing - right?

So think of your generation’s biggest desires or goals.

And take them apart.

Is sex bad?

Sex itself is neither bad nor good - it is amoral.

Drugs - ditto.

Same with rock n’ roll.

The yuppie generation that came after me.

Is there anything wrong with pursuing a career?

The current “justice” culture - is there anything wrong with pursuing “justice?”

All of those things are amoral - they are neither good nor bad on their own.

So once you figure out that something is amoral - that within itself it is neither good nor bad.

One you figure out something isn’t black and white - but it is gray - how do you know what to do?

What makes something right or wrong?

1 Corinthians 10:24 “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.”

Before I do whatever thing it is I want to do, I have to ask - I have to - how is this going to affect everyone around me?

How will this affect my wife, my husband, my kids?

My mom, my dad, my co-workers - my church family?

How is my behavior - how is my exercise of my Christian freedom - going to affect them?

This is where we start getting aggravated.

The question the Corinthians asked Paul, the question we ask all of the time

“Why should I base what I do on what everyone else thinks?”

But that question leads us to a bigger question - just who is really our god?

If I’m doing whatever I want to do, or I’m insisting everyone do - believe - think - like I do.

Maybe, just maybe I’m god.

That’s why this is relevant.

In 2023, everyone is god.

Whatever anyone speaks is truth and has to be accepted as truth.

That means everyone is god.

We think the same way.

No one can tell me what to do.

And, I shouldn’t have to put up with anyone else’s nonsense.

So Paul quotes Psalm 24.

So here is something Israel reminded me of in a big way

Let me ask you a few trivia questions that almost no one will be able to answer.

When did the Bible get chapters and verses put in as a regular thing?

That would be 1557 AD.

When did chapter and verse markings first appear?

That would be 1227 AD.

When was the Biblical text broken into paragraphs?

Yeah, people didn’t always write in paragraphs - so when did that happen?

In the 300’s AD.

So, if I was a Hebrew of Hebrews, if I was a very learned Pharisee and I wanted to refer you to a particular passage of scripture

And I’ve got no verse markings and no chapter designations - how would I do it?

I would recite to you the first line of the section.

Jesus did it on the cross.

Remember this?

“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

Psalm 22:1 ESV

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

Jesus was pointing everyone listening to the 22nd Psalm.

Not to the first line, but to the whole Psalm.

Because far from being abandoned, Jesus wanted us to remember the victory of God over all.

Psalm 22:28 “For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.”

I’ve preached Jesus’ crucifixion incorrectly - and I repent and will never let that happen again.

Paul wants them to remember a Psalm too.

1 Corinthians 10:26 “For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.””

That’s the first line of Psalm 24 which we read earlier in the service and he want’s them - and us - to remember the entire Psalm.

He picked this Psalm for multiple reasons.

First, this Psalm is what the Jews used to make their rule that you must bless every meal before you eat it.

We still do that mostly - and here’s why we do.

It started 1,000’s of years ago with the recognition that whatever we have comes from the Lord.

So we should give thanks.

And that gets lost on us - we are fat, dumb and happy.

We have more food than brains mostly - but in the place and time they lived it, it didn’t take much for them to die.

If the rains didn’t come, neither did the food - so they would starve.

They were most grateful for the food.

And since he’s talking about food being purchased in their version of a supermarket

He’s saying, if it’s on the shelf and you like it’s looks and you want to buy it

Don’t ask questions about where it come from because where it came from doesn’t matter - be grateful for the food.

“The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it...”

But he could have said that without drawing us to this Psalm.

But he wanted us to remember this Psalm.

There’s something else in there he wants us to hear.

So what is it?

Psalm 24:3 ESV

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?

Who is Godly?

Who does the right thing?

If the situation isn’t black and white, if it is a shade of gray - who will make the right choice?

Psalm 24:4 ESV

He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.

Well, that’s pretty plain.

The person who is pursuing Godliness - the person whose heart is focused on the Lord.

The person who is thinking of what the Lord wants because he knows if the Lord wants it, it will be best.

The person who recognizes that “The earth is the Lord’s

That “Everything on the earth is the Lords

That “The world is the Lord’s

That “Everyone who lives on the earth is the Lord’s.

The person that knows that the Lord is the Lord and every thought of His is what is best for us.

That His every plan is to guide us to safety

And to provide for our needs.

That His focus is to save us and keep us new.

That person will “stand in his holy place,”

And that person will know what the right choices are to make.

But we aren’t through

Because if we leave it there, it sounds like we can make ourselves holy - but that’s not the way it works.

Psalm 24:5–6 ESV

He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

The person whose sole focus - whose primary goal is following the Lord will receive a blessing from the Lord

And the Lord will make that person righteous.

And the world gets to understand: Psalm 24:7-10

Psalm 24:7–10 ESV

Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah

Who is the one the Lord is happy with?

The one who follows Him and who proclaims to the world where their blessings come from.

Who is the one who will know what to do when black and white turns to gray?

The one who follows the Lord and sets their heart on making sure everyone knows that WE know where our blessings come from.

What is the chief end of man?

You’ve heard this before, right?

From the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

If something is your chief end - that’s just a fancy way of saying your ultimate goal.

It’s what defines you.

Listen, it’s what you are chasing.

It’s what you want to achieve more than anything else in life. (let that rest a second)

Now, we’ve talked about - so let’s remember.

No earthly goal will give us soul satisfaction, remember?

So when you get the new job, the new spouse, the new house, the new 4-wheeler, the whatever.

It will be enjoyable for a minute - but then the joy will fade fast.

And you’ll want something else.

But if your goal is to chase the Lord

Well - then you will live and you will enjoy him forever.

The Corinthian church that Paul wrote this letter to is living in good times.

There is plenty of food and drink.

People are healthy and wealthy and they aren’t having to work all of the time.

They have enough free time they can start looking for things to amuse themselves.

Amusement is addictive.

Don’t believe me?

Tell a deer hunter he can’t hunt anymore.

Tell a fisherman that he can’t go fishing.

Tell a shopper she can’t go shopping.

We all want to do what we want to do.

And the evil one slips in and helps us see our amusements as necessities.

They are first order priorities.

And they are not.

How does Paul end this discussion?

1 Corinthians 10:33 ESV

just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

He’s not saying he’s a people pleaser.

He’s saying he isn’t deliberately causing a ruckus.

It doesn’t matter to him where the burger came from if it doesn’t matter to you.

He doesn’t care one way or another.

Paul’s primary goal is for God to be glorified.

And the best way for that to happen, is for people to see him working in our lives.

So they can know that he will work in their lives.

And they can be saved from a lifetime of chasing the fog

And an eternity of anger and regret.

And that will never happen - they will never see Jesus

If it’s all about us.

What is your chief end?

What is your ultimate goal?

What is the driving force in your life?

What are you living to accomplish?

If you chasing success - it will never be yours.

You will never have enough success to be satisfied.

But if you are chasing the Lord - you’ll find success and it won’t look like you expect.

And it will be better than well, anything you could ask for or think.

We are as wealthy as the Corinthians.

I’m asking you if we need to repent?

What is your ultimate goal?

If it’s not following Jesus - you are missing the point.

Let us pray.