1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 All to the Glory of God

All to the Glory of God

Chair Bible p. 958

You can’t say or do that here…we are at church or the preacher is here.

So, it is ok to have places in our lives where we do not glorify God.

For many being a Christian is simply about discovering what you have permission to do or not do. Permission: authorization to _______________. Right and wrong and the rest.

Most of life is lived with no thought to the normal activity we are a part of day by day. How we work, play, treat our families, eat our meals, drive our cars...

The text before us today speaks to the rest of life, all of life.

Main Idea: The glory of God, instead of permission, must dictate the choices and actions of followers of Christ.

The teaching of this text is countercultural and counterintuitive to our own selfishness. It is the culmination of the first 10 chapters and serves as the introduction to the next section.

Permission alone must not dictate our choices and actions as followers of Christ.

23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

1 Corinthians 6:12 ESV

12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful.

“

Not simply a question of can I do this(lawful-authorized or permitted), Clement: “Those who take advantage of everything that is lawful rapidly deteriorate into doing what is not lawful.” (Garland 488)

freedom is limited by consideration to others. being helpful---beneficial to a particular end…

“All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.

strengthen or bring to completion…good of others

24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

Romans 15:1–3 ESV

1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

The key to the gray and controversial areas in life is the law of love. (Um 187)

Instead of me first, others first. Illus: the way we drive is a parable of how we live. massive traffic jam ahead and we will race the car beside of us to get in front of them and then get angry if they cut us off.

Three potential approaches to God and neighbor:

The legalistic pietist was attempting to glorify God without loving his neighbor.

The libertarian individual was attempting to love his neighbor without glorifying God.

But there is another way to approach this issue, a third way, namely the gospel-centered approach. This Pauline approach loves one’s neighbor in order to glorify God. (Um 189-190)

2 Examples of loving your neighbor from the discussion about food sacrificed to idols.

25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”

Psalm 24:1 ESV

1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,

Meat is a gift from the Lord…eat the meat as meat.

Don’t delve into whether is it was used as a sacrifice to an idol.

The legalistic pietist was attempting to glorify God without loving his neighbor.

The libertarian individual was attempting to love his neighbor without glorifying God.

But there is another way to approach this issue, a third way, namely the gospel-centered approach. This Pauline approach loves one’s neighbor in order to glorify God. (Um 189-190)

27 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.

similar to above…don’t ask. Food is food…eat what is set before you.

Challenge for us as the modern church... is the unbeliever asking you to dinner.

The following is dealing with the question, “What do you do if it is announced that the meat has been offered as a sacrifice?”

28 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— 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

2 interpretations of this section...”if someone” either the non-believer who invited you to dinner(to eat would be to endorse the idol or a believer who invites you over who is the knower in Ch. 8 whose mission is to get everyone to eat food sacrificed to idols.

Illus: lady offering drinks when we entered…she asked if we were ok with drinking. we told her thank you but no.(she drank all of them)

How do you move from simply thinking about is this right or wrong?

“...when the Corinthians think about issues related to food and drink (or any other issue), their overriding concern should not be with the exercise of their own rights and freedom or desires but with the potential implications for God’s honor and glory. (Gardner 496)

The glory of God must dictate our choices and actions as followers of Christ.

i. ‘Do all to the glory of God’ (31) -- not to establish my freedom.

ii. ‘Try to please all men in everything’ (33) -- not claiming my rights.

iii. ‘Seek the advantages of many’ (33) -- not my benefit or fulfilment.

iv. ‘Seek that many may be saved’ (33) -- not being preoccupied with my personal salvation.

v. ‘Be imitators of Christ’ (11:1) -- not boosting my reputation. That is Christian freedom: being free from ourselves to glorify God by being like Christ. (Prior 176-177)

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

The opposite of v. 22

God made you for his glory. Sin made us fall short.

Salvation for his glory.

1 Peter 2:9–10 ESV

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Glory properly defined is “public praise, honor, and fame.” To glorify is also to light something up brilliantly. (Um 187-188)

When you glorify God, you do not make Him better or seek to make Him better.

Illus: someone provides you a good meal. You do not go into the kitchen to add to the meal. You enjoy it and speak of it highly by encouraging others to join you.

We must learn to see and think beyond the obvious things that bring glory to God worship and devotion.

Even though the matter of food offered to idols is at hand, the statement here is a general principle that applies to every arena of life, for Paul adds the words whatever you do. (Schreiner 218)

The focus of our lives in every area is to publicly bring honor to the Lord.

Even though the matter of food offered to idols is at hand, the statement here is a general principle that applies to every arena of life, for Paul adds the words whatever you do. (Schreiner 218)

Illus: Playing sports to the glory of God…do my best, give it all I had (those things are necessary to win and can lead to great pride). The bigger issue was how I handled myself when I played hard—my attitude, actions.

Thinking beyond the obvious things that bring glory to God worship and devotion. However, even those things can be made about you.

Illus: holding onto the guys shorts and the ref said hey preacher you can’t hold onto him.

The vertical has everything to do with the horizontal. Our choices and decisions, every area of our lives, inevitably involves others.

The focus of our lives in every area is to publicly bring honor to the Lord. The vertical has everything to do with the horizontal. Our choices and decisions inevitably involve others.

When you glorify God, you do not make them better or seek to make Him better.

32 Give no offense(no stumbling block) to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 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.

Jews-religious

Greeks- pagan

church of God(brothers and sisters made up of former Jews and Greeks)

Going Deeper: The verb “to please” in has the positive idea of accommodating oneself to the desires and interests of others (cf. ). It is a Christ-focused, self-denying kind of accommodation that does not seek its own advantage (v. 33) but instead seeks the good of his neighbor (v. 24). We must get to know our neighbor with love, which includes an awareness and sensitivity to cultural and religious backgrounds. ...the purpose of seeking to please everyone... “that they may be saved” (v. 33). (Going Deeper)

1 Corinthians 9:23 ESV

23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

How will the course of action that I take bring glory to God and point the unbeliever to Christ?

11:1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

not some kind of holy than thou life…instead a real life…a sacrificial life.

Philippians 2:4–5 ESV

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

As Christ did not please himself (10:24) but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave even to the point of dying on the cross to save others (), so Paul is always given up to death and carries in his body the death of Jesus (). As Christ was rich yet made himself poor for our sakes so that by his poverty we might become rich (), so Paul was regarded as poor, yet making many rich (). As Christ loved us and gave himself up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (), so Paul understands his potential martyrdom as being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and offering of the Philippians’ faith (). As Christ suffered on behalf of others, so Paul sees himself as completing what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ (). As Christ did not please himself so that he might benefit others, so Paul does not please himself () but endures anything (9:12) and punishes his body to enslave it (9:27)n that he might save others. Christ’s self-sacrifice for others becomes the norm of Christian behavior and the pattern for Christian evangelism. (Galand 503)

So What?

Is the glory of God dictating my(our) choices and actions as a follower(s) of Christ?

Colossians 3:17 ESV

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

We find Christian freedom in its true creativity when we follow Paul’s five ground-rules for life together in Christ. They really need to more than stating, contemplating and obeying.

i. ‘Do all to the glory of God’ (31) -- not to establish my freedom.

ii. ‘Try to please all men in everything’ (33) -- not claiming my rights.

iii. ‘Seek the advantages of many’ (33) -- not my benefit or fulfilment.

Illus: good meal. You do not go into the kitchen to add to the meal. You enjoy it and speak of it highly by encouraging others to join you.

iv. ‘Seek that many may be saved’ (33) -- not being preoccupied with my personal salvation.

v. ‘Be imitators of Christ’ (11:1) -- not boosting my reputation. That is Christian freedom: being free from ourselves to glorify God by being like Christ. (Prior 176-177)

I fear many Christ followers have so long lived in a world of permission and preference that they have failed to see the good gifts God has given in people and things. In an age of pleasure, there is so little joy. When we enjoy God’s good gifts and recognize them as from Him, we glorify Him. When we move beyond our personal preference and ask how can we sacrifice together, the Lord is glorified.

How have you altered your plans in the last week--large or small--in order to do what was best for others?...We must work to help each other defeat our consumerist impulse to be served at church and instead labor to help one another and to give ourselves in love. We want to be a church marked by seeking the good of others. (Dever 102-103)

Use an illus from a missionary in a moment. Couple of questions first...

Do missionaries have to live a more Christian life than the rest of us?

Do we get to live less of a Christian life than a missionary?

Illus: M denied access back into a country that he and his family lived in for 20 years. “I’m grateful for the many laughs with my friends. I am grateful that there are now 7000 believers in the country. and for the never say die spirit of believers like H and E. I am grateful for good food with friends and for the people of my country who will drop everything to do literally anything for you. I’m grateful for people who work together, for the good of the Gospel, without regard for team or organization. Mostly I’m grateful for a great God who uses frail creatures of dust like us to accomplish his purposes.”

Matthew 5:16 ESV

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Prayer—reread the so What question.

David Belle Isle:

Celebrating 10 years of service...

Christ centered care for people in time of need

Joyful brother and man of prayer.

Gift to the body of Christ at Parkwood.

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