Who Are We? Part 3

Introduction

You don’t have to teach a person to be about themselves. Our natural state as individuals is to do what is best for us and for those closest to us. There are some situations that we find ourselves in where we have a fundamental choice: We can either do something that will help ourselves or that will help others. There are sometimes where an action will help ourselves and others. We see this often with celebrities and how they have philanthropic efforts. They do photoshoots and fundraisers to raise awareness and funds to important efforts and these funds genuinely help others, but these celebrities also benefit in the eyes of the public. Sometimes we see examples in nature where both parties involved benefit. How many of you have seen Disney’s Finding Nemo? If you have not, the story involves a clownfish who loses his son and travels the ocean to find him. Clownfish are unique creatures as they live in a sea anemone which provides shelter and protection for the fish while the fish provides nutrients for the anemone. In our lives we can do something that will help us and help others - this is called mutualism.

But what if we are facing a situation where we have the ability to do something to help ourselves, or we can do something that will help someone else? Our instinct is to help ourselves. Our instinct is to say that my rights include this and that. That we have freedom to do whatever I so desire to do! This is the American way, after all. What if, though, we paused and thought about our purpose in life. Is your purpose to bring glory and honor to yourself? Many people would say absolutely! As followers of Christ, we know that this isn’t our purpose. Our purpose is to bring glory and honor to Christ with the way that we live our life! This requires us to think and operate with a Christ-centered mindset. Even though the world might say that some things are “right” - we know that those things don’t always align with what the Bible teaches. Rather than living a life that is self-centered, we are to be Christ-centered with our thoughts, words, and actions as we looked at last week with Jesus Sermon on the Mount.

There are some things in life that are essentials and other things that are non-essentials. We know that we must be united and agree on the essentials of our faith. We must believe that Jesus died on the cross, rose from the grave, and ascended back to heaven. We must believe that He paid for our sins in full and that our works do not save us. These things are essentials. In our text this morning, we’re going to look at how living with a Christ-centered mindset impacts our life with essentials and non-essentials. Whenever we disagree with someone else it can be easy to say we are right and that the law says we have the freedom to do whatever we want. Rather than looking to the law, Paul reminds us to look to Christ and to bring Him glory as we live our life to benefit others - not ourselves.

1 Corinthians 10:23–11:1 CSB

23 “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything builds up. 24 No one is to seek his own good, but the good of the other person. 25 Eat everything that is sold in the meat market, without raising questions for the sake of conscience, 26 since the earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it. 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. 28 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. 29 I do not mean your own conscience, but the other person’s. For why is my freedom judged by another person’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thanksgiving, why am I criticized because of something for which I give thanks? 31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, 33 just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved. 1 Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.

The Reminder (23-24)

In life it can be easy to think that whatever we do is right - we are able to justify our actions better than anyone else! Think of a rule that your parents gave you as a child: one that I was given was that I had to be home by 10pm most nights unless I had permission otherwise. Why did they give me this rule? Was there a curfew law in Ozark that said that teenagers had to be home by 10pm? No. Did some of my friends not have this rule? Absolutely, I was one of the only people I knew that had a strict time that I had to be home. Because of this, did I think that this was fair? Not always. Sometimes parents make rules that are unique to your family unit and they don’t always make sense. Why do they do this? Because even though something isn’t against the law of the land, it doesn’t mean that it’s something you should be doing. Paul opens up this passage by saying that everything is permissible (in the Greek the word can also be read to mean lawful) but not everything is beneficial.

Think of some things in life that are legal but not beneficial. Pornography is something that is, sadly, easily accessible in our world today and is completely legal. You can whip out your smartphone and view pornography without breaking any laws. Certainly, as Christians, we would all agree that pornography is not beneficial for anything. It is wicked. It is wrong. It is sin. Pornography, according to a study conducted nearly a decade ago, plays a direct role in nearly 50% of all divorce cases in the United States. Yet, 76% of Americans say that pornography is morally acceptable. Not only is it legal, it’s acceptable. This is the world that we are living in today! Everything is lawful. Everything is acceptable. My rights say that I can do this or I can do that… But not everything we do is beneficial.

Not only this, but Paul continues to say that not everything builds up. How many of you have ever been bullied by someone else? How many of us, maybe you don’t raise your hand, but how many of us can honestly say that we’ve bullied or picked on someone else? We’re all guilty of speaking ill of people behind their back - it’s called gossip and it grows like a cancerous tumor in the church. Is there anything illegal about talking behind someone’s back? Probably not. It’s legal. It might even be what other people do about you, but is it something that builds people up? Absolutely not! In fact, Proverbs 18 reminds us of the power of our words

Proverbs 18:21 CSB

21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Our tongue has power - the power of death and life. We can either build one another up or we can tear one another down and often times, as we live with a mindset that has ourselves on the throne, it can be easy to play the “rights” game. I have the right to do this action or say this thing because the law says I do. This makes me feel good, therefore I’m going to do it or say it. This is natural - yet, Paul reminds us that you don’t come first.

1 Corinthians 10:24 CSB

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

Whenever you are about to say that thing that comes to mind, ask yourself, “Is this for the good of the person I’m talking about?” If the answer is no, then we probably shouldn’t say it! As followers of Christ, we know that it’s not about us, it’s about Christ. We are called to be like Christ. This is the example given to us throughout the New Testament

Philippians 2:4 CSB

4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.

Romans 15:1–3 CSB

1 Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. 2 Each one of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.

What did Christ do for others? He laid down His life as Romans 5:8 shares with us and as we celebrate this week with Good Friday and Easter Sunday! Because of what Christ has done, laid down His life, we have freedom and salvation. Therefore, if we are to imitate Christ and live a Christlike life, what must we do? Sometimes, we must lay our “rights” down in order to benefit others. Sometimes the greatest way to say, “I love you” and to demonstrate Christ’s love is by putting someone else’s needs above those of your own. This is incredibly difficult in our society where it’s every man for themselves.

As a result of this, the example Paul pains in the coming verses is helpful because we are reminded that it’s all about the Gospel being shared and disciples being made. This is what it means to live with a Christ-Centered mindset.

The Challenge (25-30)

Throughout the New Testament there is the call to serve others and look out for the good of others. Also in the New Testament there is this picture painted of the “weak” and the “strong” in the church. Now whenever we think of weak and strong, we usually think of strength or power. Most people in our world would rather be strong than weak - in context to what the Bible says, though, it has nothing to do about power or strength

Romans 14:1–3 CSB

1 Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about disputed matters. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while one who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not judge one who does, because God has accepted him.

It has to do with a matter of conscience. Some people in the early church felt comfortable eating meat that was once considered unclean whereas others felt as though they couldn’t do this because of their conscience. Think of the way that people are about their conscience today. It doesn’t matter what your opinion is, this is right in my mind, therefore you should do it as well. This is the mentality of so many people in 2021! This is why peer pressure is as bad as it is in our world now as well.

The challenge presented by Paul in the middle of our text is this: Don’t violate the conscience of another believer. Specifically, Paul uses the idea of eating meat sold in the market that had been offered to an idol. In our world, we love our meat and many of you all have your own animals and farm fresh meat is much different than store bought meat. Our world is much different than 1st century Palestine, though. Meat was not a commonly eaten thing because it was expensive. As a result of this, whenever it came time to get meat to eat, you were left with a couple different options. If you were fortunate enough to have livestock, you could go that route, but if not you had to buy it from someone. In the market place there were many different people who would sell you meat. What’s the problem, you’re wondering? Much of the meat had been butchered by priests who used the animal in a pagan sacrifice. The meat had been used in idol worship! Therefore, many Jews believed that they were unable to eat this meat. Because many of the earliest Christians were former Jews, this became a “thorny” issue of sorts. You had some Christians who said that you could eat this meat and others who disagreed because of what the meat had been used for.

What are some thorny issues in the church today? While we might not have differences of opinions as to what types of meat we can and can’t eat, we still have differences of opinions on all sorts of issues. How often should we observe the Lord’s Supper? How often should we have business meetings? What time should service start? What songs should we sing? What instruments should we use? What translation do we read out of? There are many other things that we could think of as well. How do we address those who disagree with us over these types of matters? Are these things essentials? Absolutely not. You can be a Christian whether you prefer the KJV or the ESV or the NIV. Yet, there exists a part inside all of us that says that we are right and our position is the right position. When it comes to essentials, we can’t waver from this, but when it comes to nonessentials, especially in the body of Christ, we have to be careful with how we go about things. Whenever we look at things through our human eyes, we have a position that is defensible, as verse 23 says, and we think that we’re right and that everyone else should just do what we do because it makes the most sense to us! What does Paul remind us of in this section, though? There are others who have a different position due to their conscience.

Paul is addressing those who think that eating this meat is wrong and his argument is this in verse 26

1 Corinthians 10:26 CSB

26 since the earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it.

His argument is simple: Meat is meat, but it and eat. It belongs to God! Don’t draw a line that God Himself doesn’t draw.

What a great reminder for us when it comes to arguments, debates, and differences of opinion with our consciences. Everything we have and all that we are belongs to God. If I disagree with a fellow brother or sister in Christ over something that’s a secondary or tertiary issue, let’s not get divided and break fellowship over something like that. Let’s not cast stones and say that this person has a weak faith because they believe this or that this person doesn’t really care about their faith because they don’t like the hymns that Jesus sang… wait… It’s not about that. It’s about following the Holy Spirit’s prompting and what we feel like we can and can’t do.

Have you noticed that even the best of Christians we know do things differently? We all have different consciences. The world says that we should all live out our truth. We know that this isn’t the way that we are called to live. We know that we shouldn’t simply do what is right in our own eyes and call it good. We are called to follow the Holy Spirit and do what the Word says. If there is something that the Bible doesn’t address specifically, we pray for guidance and understand that we should give charity to other believers who hold to a different position on these non-essentials.

The Priority (31-33)

As we go about this process, we have to remember what it’s all about… Glorifying God! Some people think that being a Christian is about having a bunch of rules and things that we no longer can do. Oh you’re a Christian so you can’t do this or that. Oh, you’re a pastor so you can’t do this. Oh, you’re a pastor’s wife so you can’t do this. Doesn’t that drive you crazy to an extent? Yes, we know that there are internal and external changes that take place whenever we become a part of the Kingdom of God, but it’s not just about rules and things that we shouldn’t do anymore. It’s about what we are called to do. People focus on the negative and forget the positive! Paul reminds us what we are called to do in verse 31

1 Corinthians 10:31 CSB

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

Do everything for the glory of God! How can we live our lives in such a way as to do it all for the glory of God? Think of giving God glory - one of the primary ways that we do that is through worship. Because of this, some people think that you can only give God glory by worshiping Him at church. Worse yet, some Christians think that only the pastor or deacon is supposed to give God glory with how they live their life from Monday-Saturday! Both of these are false. If you are a teacher - you teach your kids for the glory of God and share the love of Jesus with others and have a smile on your face. If you are a truck driver - you drive for the glory of God and praise Him along the way. If you are a stay at home mom - you show your kids what it means to love Jesus by reading your Bible and praying with them. This is not just a command for a select few - this is a call for all of us! As one commentator put it - the glory of God

An Exegetical Summary of 1 Corinthians 10–16 10:31

It refers to God’s character and actions seen in people’s lives

We have a role to play in this process and Paul says that as we do everything for the glory of God, we seek the benefit of others so that they might be saved. Our objective isn’t ourselves. It is bigger. Our objective is not just our family or our local church. It is bigger! Our objective is to live our life in such a way that others benefit and would come to know Christ as Lord. Does this mean that we water down our message and become people pleasers? Absolutely not. Paul, the one who says that he tries to please everyone in everything also says this

Galatians 1:10 CSB

10 For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

So, if he tries to please people, he wouldn’t be a servant of Christ, yet here he says that he does try to please everyone. Which one is it, Paul? What comes first? Our love for God. As we grow in our understanding and love of God, we naturally love others as God loves them. Therefore, we try to build one another up. We don’t cower down and take the easy way out, we have a Christ-centered mindset and do what He did: Whatever it takes.

What is the goal? That others would be saved.

Application

What role must we play in this process? Paul concludes by giving us a call to action.

We must imitate Christ! This includes our thoughts and words, but certainly our actions in context to what Paul has shared in this passage. We look out for the good of others. Even though we have the freedom and liberty to do certain things, we look out for the good of other people. It’s all about Christ and we must point people towards Him!

We must be for God above all else. If God is ultimately for God, we must be as well! While people might prioritize things, we prioritize the Gospel above everything. Secondary issues find their proper place whenever God comes first.

Conclusion

What is your purpose in life? That’s a loaded question that can be approached in a variety of different ways. After looking at our text and in thinking about this with a Christ-centered mindset, what do you think your purpose is? Why are you here? You might think that your life has no purpose or that you’re a mistake - hear me - God doesn’t make mistakes! If you’re hear this morning and you belong to the Kingdom, understand that you have a purpose right now. You’re not saved to sit, you’re saved to serve. How can you go about fulfilling your purpose of proclaiming the Gospel and making disciples? By having a Christ-centered mindset. By taking the focus off of yourself, your rights, your freedoms, and your opinions and thinking about others. By prioritizing their needs above those of your own. This isn’t natural and there are lots of instagram and facebook pages and advice that will disagree with this - but this is what the Bible shares with us. To do everything for the glory of God, to look out for the needs of others, and to imitate Christ.

Looking ahead to Easter this coming week, how can you imitate Christ? Lots of people profess to be Christians but in the same breath they say, “my rights”… As we imitate Christ, what do we realize? It’s not about getting up in arms, but about laying it all down at the foot of the cross. It’s about loving God and loving others. It’s about preaching the Gospel and making disciples. We live a life that points people to Christ regardless of the cost - what is stopping you from living a sold out, Christ-centered life today? Whatever it is, repent! If you don’t know Christ as Lord, if you don’t understand what Christ has done and why you are supposed to live for Him rather than yourself, understand this: Your life has a purpose. You were created for good works as Ephesians 2:10 says. You must understand that you are a sinner and that you require a Savior. You must repent and trust in Him. You must imitate Him and follow Him the rest of your life!

Jesus must be at the center… This is what it means to live a Christ-centered life. Is Jesus at the center of your life today?