Following Christ Blamelessly

Introduction:

ILLUSTRATION:

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 5404 Needed: Example or Saviour

5404 Needed: Example Or Saviour

At the close of a religious service a gentleman approached Dr. D. M. Stearns with a criticism. “I don’t like your way of preaching,” he said. “I do not care for all this talk about Christ dying for the lost. Instead of preaching the death of Christ on the cross, it’s better to be up-to-date. Preach Jesus, the teacher and example.” “Would you then be willing to follow Him if I preach Christ as the great example?” asked Dr. Stearns, “I would,” said the gentleman, “I will follow in His steps.”

“Then,” said Dr. Stearns, “let us take the first step. “Who did no sin,” as we read in 1 Peter 2:22. Can you take this step?” The critic seemed confused. “No,” he said, “I do sin, I must admit.” “Well, then,” said Dr. Stearns, “your first need of Christ is not as an example but as a Savior.”

—Clarence Jones

Beyond Salvation, we are given Christ as the One Who has made possible living out the Christian life.

ILLUSTRATION:

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching Challenging Example

In the February 26, 1963, issue of Look, C. P. Snow made this trenchant comment concerning Winston Churchill: “He has not only helped to save us from dying. He has shown us a pattern of how life can be lived.”

So How Should We Define the Conscience? After considering all these passages, here is our attempt to define the conscience: The conscience is your consciousness of what you believe is right and wrong. 6 Consciousness means awareness or sense, and we include that word in the definition to make it more memorable.

One of the New Testament themes is that of following Jesus Christ. There are different groups that we observe following Jesus. There are the crowds of people. There are the disciples. There are particular women.

Naselli, Andrew David; Crowley, J. D.. Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ (p. 42). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

Here, Paul commands the church in Corinth to follow him as he follows Christ. What Paul is saying is that what I have commanded you to observe, I observe (, , ). What I observe is what I see in Jesus Christ.

Believers have not only been commanded to follow Christ but they have been enabled by God’s Holy Spirit to be followers of Jesus Christ. This is not only an individual matter; but it is a corporate matter as well.

What does following Christ blamelessly mean:

(1) Seeking to make others rich at your own expense (v. 23 - 24)

v. 23 - 24 PRINCIPLE (v. 23) and PRINCIPLE-BASED COMMAND (v. 24): Paul explains that all things are allowable for him as a believer but not everything is profitable to others, and we are not to seek our own good but the building up of others. Seems to be implying the selfish tendency of men.

* this means Christ could have eaten and drank anything (they even called him a wine bibber) but he lived for the edification of others.

ILLUSTRATION:

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching Greater Love Has No One …

Greater Love Has No One …

Various persons have observed that no one has any more religion than he or she can demonstrate in an emergency. This was certainly true of Arland D. Williams, Jr., a bank examiner with the Federal Reserve System in Atlanta, who was aboard the ill-fated Boeing 737 that crashed in the frigid Potomac River shortly after taking off from Washington’s National Airport, January 13, 1982.

Identification of the hero was announced in June of 1983. Representatives from the Coast Guard said when a helicopter lowered a line to survivors, Williams indicated he was trapped (it was later discovered his seat belt was jammed) and passed “the line on to other injured persons.” By his not grabbing the rescue line, thus saving valuable time, other passengers were saved.

In presenting the medal to Williams’s mother, Virginia L. Williams, Mattoon, Illinois, his teenage son, Arland D. Williams, III, and daughter, Leslie Ann Williams, President Reagan said: “You can live with tremendous pride in your father.” (Read John 15:13).

Application: Know and believe the law of Christ: I am free, but I am bound.

Know and believe the law of Christ: I am free, but I am bound.

RECAP:

(1) Seeking to make others rich at your own expense (v. 23 - 24)

(2) Securely living with the full assurance of the Supremacy of God (v. 25 - 26)

v. 25 - 26 MORE SPECIFIC COMMAND (v. 25) and FOUNDATIONAL REASON for the command (v. 26) Paul tells them to eat the meat without asking any questions that conjure up potential conscience issues. A more specified command about what is sold in the meat market (outside of the pagan worship ritual). The truth that should guide the conscience is a reference to . The point is that the Lord is sovereign over all creation and has provided all food regardless of how some people have misused it.

Application:

* Be careful with imposing pre-fall and pre-flood dietary restrictions upon yourself and others.

* Be warned against becoming a slave to environmentalism.

RECAP:

(1) Seeking to make others rich at your own expense (v. 23 - 24)

(2) Securely living with the full assurance of the Supremacy of God (v. 25 - 26)

(3) Staying evidently faithful to the reputation you have in the Lord (v. 27 - 30)

Naselli, Andrew David; Crowley, J. D.. Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ (p. 42). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

v. 27 - 30 CONDITION/HYPOTHETICAL (2 of them) is followed by a COMMAND (v. 27) Another CONDITION/HYPOTHETICAL followed by a COMMAND (v. 28) and the reason why. It would seem that here, if someone potentially would give credit or honor or thanks to another false deity for the provision and they make this known to the Corinthians believer - the command is to NOT eat because God is the sovereign Lord over all creation.

So How Should We Define the Conscience? After considering all these passages, here is our attempt to define the conscience: The conscience is your consciousness of what you believe is right and wrong. 6 Consciousness means awareness or sense, and we include that word in the definition to make it more memorable. - Naselli, Andrew David; Crowley, J. D.. Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ (p. 42). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

Naselli, Andrew David; Crowley, J. D.. Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ (p. 42). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

It is important to not give evident cause to unbelievers to speak contemptuously or in a blasphemous way about you, or to injure your reputation - by partaking of something that you are free to partake of but not morally free in the conscience of the other person.

EXPLANATION (v. 29) and CONDITION (v. 30) with IMPLICATION.

ILLUSTRATION:

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching How Do You Think Jesus Looked?

How Do You Think Jesus Looked?

A minister filling in for a teacher of a young boys’ class asked, “What do you think Jesus was like?”

Doubtless the pastor expected an answer like: He was a good man; He was a poet; He was a carpenter; He was like God. But no.

One little fellow raised his hand and replied, “I think Jesus was like my Sunday School teacher.”

Has anyone ever compared your demeanor and deeds to those of Jesus?

Application: Don't participate in anything that gives "grace" a bad name in the conscience of the observer.

Don't participate in anything that gives "grace" a bad name in the conscience of the observer

Examples of this?

* If the observer is a religious individual (Jew) - what might they see a Christian from GBC do that would cause them to condemn the "grace" way? Might post things that are anti-Israel or anti-organized religion.

* If the observer is non-religious individual (Gentile) - what might they see a Christian from GBC do that would cause them to condemn the "grace" way? Might see you tell a "little white lie" to get a leg up at work or to get time off.

* If the observer is a young believer or a believer with a weaker conscience - what might they see a Christian from GBC do that would cause them to condemn the "grace" way? Might see you socially ostracizing certain groups of people in your communications.

RECAP:

(1) Seeking to make others rich at your own expense (v. 23 - 24)

(2) Securely living with the full assurance of the Supremacy of God (v. 25 - 26)

(3) Staying evidently faithful to the reputation you have in the Lord (v. 27 - 30)

(4) Selflessly living for the deliverance of others to God's glory (v. 31 - 11:1)

v. 31 - 11:1 Interesting - all is to be done for the glory of God (who is the King of Glory). He is worthy of supreme recognition.

v. 32 Answers what it means to give glory to God - Be blameless ("none offence" - compare to v. 29-30) before the Jewish conscience, the Gentile conscience and the various consciences in the church.

v. 33 - Seeking the pleasure (not creating conscience issues) so that people would be delivered - this brings glory to God.

11:1 - This all makes sense when we consider who we are following.

Application: Make decisions with the clear understanding of what it means that you do "all for the glory of God"

What this does not mean:

(i) It does not mean that you can only do things you hate to do

(ii) It does not mean that you play a sport with maximum energy

(iii) It does not mean that following Christ is absent of all fun

Make decisions with the clear understanding of what it means that you do "all for the glory of God"

What does this mean?

(1) It means that you do not decide your involvement based first on your likes or tastes

(2) It means that you ask, "Will this profitable to others?"

(3) It means that you ask, "Will this lead to the salvation of others?"

CONCLUSION:

What is the ultimate reason for this? It is because Christ the blameless One lived by:

(1) Seeking to make others rich at your own expense (v. 23 - 24)

2 Corinthians 8:9 KJV 1900

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

(2) Securely living with the full assurance of the Supremacy of God (v. 25 - 26) -

John 19:10–11 KJV 1900

Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

(3) Staying evidently faithful to the reputation you have in the Lord (v. 27 - 30) -

Matthew 27:4 KJV 1900

Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

(4) Selflessly living for the deliverance of others to God's glory (v. 31 - 11:1) -

Revelation 1:5 KJV 1900

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

FINAL ADMONITION:

1 John 2:6 KJV 1900

He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.