Sermon Brief
Date Written: June 25, 2014
Date Preached: June 29, 2014
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Series Title: A Series in 1 Corinthians
Sermon Title: What do you do with your knowledge?
Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 [ESV]
TEXT:
Essence of the Text: Paul tells the Corinthian believers that the they possess great knowledge in Christ.
Essence of the Sermon: We learn here that ‘in Christ’ we also have great knowledge!
Main Question(s) of the Sermon: What do you do with YOUR knowledge?
Applicable Objective of the Sermon: You will hear the:
WORD PROCLAIMED: In Christ I have knowledge of how to live right before God …
WORD EXPLAINED: This knowledge is for my living and the improvement of the fellowship NOT for my judgment
WORD MADE PERSONAL: I must live in a manner that exalts Christ and uplifts the body
Introduction
How much do you KNOW? What is your ‘knowledge’ base when it comes to your faith? Many of us think that we don’t ‘know’ anything or that we ‘know’ very little…
But Jesus tells us that when we profess Him as Savior and when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in our hearts that He brings with Him the knowledge of all truth… He brings discernment FOR truth…
Paul writes to many believers and the focus of his prayer for these believers is mainly that they grow in the KNOWLEDGE and grace of Christ! In other words… to the Christian… KNOWLEDGE is about MUCH more than just information… it is taking what God instills in us and using it the right way!
So often we take our ‘knowledge’ and we allow it to override our calling in Christ to love Him and to love our fellow humans… We use our knowledge to press down others when it should be used to lift them up…
Paul was speaking to the believers in Corinth and he was responding to some questions that had been posed by the group… here they had obviously asked him about what they were to do in a certain situation.
The situation he uses to illustrate his point was the eating of meat sacrificed to pagan gods. Let’s go to the scripture and see what Paul how he tells these believers to USE the knowledge God has granted to them in the wisest and most Kingdom-friendly manner!
When we read this Scripture we can see it divides into 3 aspects of knowledge… the first being…
Christian Knowledge (v1)
1Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. 2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; 3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.
The question Paul raises here is one the church had asked him regarding meat that had been sacrificed to an idol. They wanted to know if they should attend meals where that sort of meat was going to be served, or not?
Paul’s answer probably angered some of those in the church, but I am sure it also gave MANY good guidance and direction on how to live out their Christian witness.
Paul basically told the believers in Corinth… “Hey sometimes we tend to think that we know it all or ALL we need to know to answer these kinds of questions—but I want to tell you that sometimes our humble hearts are a much greater help to us than our proud minds.
Then Paul gives a little shot to all those who THOUGHT that they had it all together and knew everything… Paul tells them that we never really know enough until we recognize that only God knows it all…
When we look at v1-2 we see that Paul is basically saying that the knowledge we have ‘in Christ’… when it is in Human control…
1… we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant… 2If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know…
Knowledge in Human control leads to arrogance (v1-2)
The knowledge Paul is referring to here is the knowledge & wisdom of God that comes through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when we ‘grow’ and mature in our faith…
How often do we seen Scripture taken and perverted by those who claim to have knowledge? They use Scripture to validate their own agenda and what Paul is saying here is that when we take the wisdom and knowledge of Scripture and use it to validate our own agenda…it leads to an arrogant heart.
God hates arrogance! When we begin to take ‘control’ of the knowledge God grants us, as humans, we begin to think it is OUR intelligence and NOT God’s wisdom. This leads us to the belief that we are more important than we are… We must realize that we are of WORTH to Christ, but our value to Him is NOT in our wisdom or knowledge!
However, when we allow God to control our hearts and minds and the knowledge we have is in the very capable hands of our Savior, then we see a different result (show v3)
3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.
Knowledge in Godly control leads to humility (v3)
When God is in control of the knowledge He grants us in Christ, AND we understand God is in control… we don’t become arrogant and self-important!
When we realize God is in control we realize our limitations and appreciate the provision God has granted in His mercy and presence in our lives!
God grants us the knowledge to grow in Him… to learn from His word and to deal with situations here in our broken world… ALL thru His Holy Spirit that indwells us… the knowledge comes to us THRU the Holy Spirit but what do WE do with what God gives us?
In v4-7 Paul reveals the discernment of this knowledge that comes to us by way of the Holy Spirit…
Discernment of Knowledge (v4)
4So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.”
Paul establishes for the sake of his argument that knowledge is the basis for his answer. He tells the believers in Corinth that believers have ALL knowledge and it is a reference to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to reveal truth and convict us of sin…
So as a believer we are equipped with the Holy Spirit who gives the ‘knowledge’ to live our lives in tune with God…and as part of that knowledge we have from the Holy Spirit all believers know and understand that ‘idols’ are nothing more than the wood or metal they are carved from… they are not real gods, but just inanimate objects that HUMANS assign importance to…
Now on top of the fact that we KNOW idols are NOT worth our worship because they are NOT real… Paul teaches that we also know that GOD is the only God! God is the only God and He has said that HE is the only one to be worshipped (Exodus 20…Ten commandments)
What Paul is doing here is opening the eyes of the believers in Corinth… for them to be able to discern truth. He shares that they KNOW idols are NOT real and that God is the only God…so, now that you know this and realize it, let me share how you should handle this situation of eating meat sacrificed to idols.
First Paul addresses how…
Knowledge used wisely – makes our direction clear (v5-6)
5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
Here Paul taught that even though in this world there are many things that are held up as gods or lords… we know that as believers we have ONE God… He is the Father from whom all things came and FOR whom we now live our lives…
God is FATHER is what Paul says, but he continues here telling us that the One God is also Jesus our Lord! Paul taught that thru Jesus all things were created and it is THRU Jesus that we can live our lives here in this world!
Paul had already addressed the ‘knowledge’ issue which implicates God as Holy Spirit indwelling his children… so here we find Paul using this moment to teach about the Triune God we serve! God the Father… Author of creation and Sovereign! Jesus our Lord (the Son) who enacted Creation and gave His life that we may be redeemed thru Him! AND the Holy Spirit, who indwells us and reveals all knowledge to the believer!
So when we take this ‘knowledge’ given by the Holy Spirit who indwells us, it leads to obedience and submission to God and His plan for our lives! BUT when we listen to God and we apply His wisdom to our lives, we also find that our path is much brighter and we know where we are headed!
Now sometimes the brightness that God provides in the knowledge He gives us is nothing more than the next step in our lives! So often we DESIRE to know the entire journey before we take one step! However, when we surrender and submit to the Lordship of Christ in our lives, we trust Him and we know that all we need in Him is light enough for the next step in our walk!
When we submit to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we will experience a more clear direction within our lives…and the lives of those around us! We will see the milemarkers God has laid out for us and we will know the direction He desires us to go…
Now how does this teaching apply to the Corinthians… “as regarding the question on eating meat sacrificed to idols”… Paul is teaching them that the Holy Spirit should be their guide in this matter. That if the believer would follow the leading of the Holy Spirit… his direction in this matter would be clear…however,
Paul also says that when…
Knowledge is used foolishly it makes our direction murky/unclear (v7-8)
7But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
However, Paul realized that not all people who say they are a Christian are actually Christians… AND that not all Christians are to the point where they are ready to 100% surrender and submit to the Holy Spirit in their lives!
With that being said, Paul says, “…not everyone possess this knowledge…” but why does Paul say this?
Paul says this because so many people were NOT allowing the Holy Spirit guide them, but they were guided by their own self absorbed desires…SO when we allow our focus to be on something else other than God… we become disoriented as a believer!
Now I am sure that MOST of whom Paul was speaking about were new believers who had come OUT of the pagan temples and religions where sacrifices to idols was considered a holy act… and it actually did something to the meat.
Paul has already established that idols are empty, but here he reinforces this by saying that food does not bring us closer to God! It does us no harm if we eat it and it does us NO good if we do NOT eat it. So, in other words, there is act on our part or ceremony or ritual that can bring us closer to God, that only happens IN CHRIST!
So, in discerning the ‘right’ path, the knowledge we have ‘in Christ’ when used right (submissive to Christ) makes our path more clear and we understand where we are going…
BUT, when that knowledge is used improperly, it murkies the waters for us and we cannot see any clear pathway to where god wants us to go! In other words, when we don’t submit to God but take matters into our own hands, we always make a mess of things!
So just how are we supposed to use this knowledge that we have in Christ?
The Use of Knowledge (v9)
9Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
Knowledge in an of itself is a good thing but to have knowledge & NOT know how to use it OR worse, refusing to use that knowledge is a shame and it makes the knowledge useless!
Can you imagine a doctor studying for 8-10yrs to get himself thru med school only to decide that he wanted to go to the beach and sell tshirts… he would have ALL this knowledge and it would be useless!
Now think about this for a moment. “In Christ” we have ALL knowledge, but we must understand that God did not save us, and then give us ALL knowledge to sit idly by and NOT use that knowledge! God wants us to use what He gives us for His glory and for the advancement of His kingdom.
So, for the believer what does ‘using’ this knowledge we have ‘in Christ’ look like? Paul takes the next four statements and gives us 3 warnings and an underlying principle for the knowledge we have in Christ!
First let’s look at the underlying principle for this knowledge we have in Christ…
Knowledge is given to strengthen the fellowship – helps the weak (v10)
10For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?
We are equipped with this knowledge thru the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide our walk, but also to help us be an encouragement to our fellow believers… also to help us steer those weak in the faith away from potentially dangerous situations…
In this context it was about the eating of meat sacrificed to idols… and how someone who was NOT mature in the faith could be hurt by this practice…
Although the mature believer would understand that idols are empty and of no spiritual value, and that eating food (even if it is sacrificed to idols) cannot gain OR lose any standing they have with God…but the immature believer may be tempted and fall in his faith if he partakes in such an activity.
So first and foremost the knowledge we have in Christ is for the maturation and protection of the fellowship. For those who are mature in your faith, you are responsible for bearing the load and protecing those weaker in the faith from falling prey to a situation such as this…
But if the ‘mature’ believer is not careful, he or she could ‘misuse’ this knowledge and then it becomes harmful…Paul gives us 3 warnings here about the harm it can cause:
Misuse of Knowledge is harmful to our communion with others (v11)
11So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
Now when I say ‘communion’ with others I am speaking of the fellowship and brotherhood we share ‘In Christ’… if you abuse your mature knowledge around a younger or less mature believer you can destroy their faith… and hurt their walk with Christ!
So the implied meaning here is that Paul is admonishing those who KNOW better to watch out for those who do NOT! If we know something is NOT inherently wrong, but others who are less grounded in the faith think something is wrong… and they see us doing it, it is going to destroy their faith and could lead them to regress and venture away from a Christ-like life!
Example… going into a restaurant that has a bar is a ‘normal’ thing here in New Orleans because you simply cannot find a restaurant that does not have one… the mature believer can enter into a bar or a restaurant with a bar and it NOT be an issue within their life.
They could go in just to eat OR they may be meeting a lost friend on ‘his turf’ with the hope he can share the Gospel with his friend. BUT if a new believer sees this they could be led astray in thinking that going to bars (and by association all that is connected with going to a bar…such as drinking and immoral behavior) is ‘ok’ in and of itself.
Our duty as mature believers is to seek to edify or uplift the fellowship and if we take liberties with our spiritual freedoms we may harm the fellowship more than we help them…
But Paul takes it ONE step further here… not only can this harm the less mature OR new believer, BUT it can also be a stumbling block for you as a believer, bringing sin into YOUR life! Look what Paul says in v12
Misuse of Knowledge is harmful to our personal walk with Christ (v12)
12When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
Now the context of this verse is speaking about sinning against the weaker brother… When we sin against our brother, we are sinning against God and that is wrong! .
Jesus speaks of the woe that will come to those who lead the innocent astray… New believers and believers YOUNG in the faith are innocent and still learning and getting their spiritual footing… and for us to lead them into sin… THAT is a sin on OUR part!
That leads us into sin and damages OUR Christian walk. But let me take this one step further! Let’s say that you don’t hurt another believer… it is STILL dangerous because it could come back to hurt YOUR walk through the temptations brought to you when you are in a place not beneficial to the believer!
What if you go see that lost friend in the bar, and YOU are tempted and fall prey to that temptation! This is what Paul was speaking about when he taught about misuse of this knowledge leads to arrogance.
We ARE free to go into that bar to witness to a friend, but you better make sure you are prayed up and that you have shielded yourself with the Armor Of God before you set foot in that difficult situation.
Paul understood this and so in the next verse he encourages all believers to AVOID misusing their spiritual freedoms if it is going to cause someone to fall… SOMEONE means those who are seeking God, the new believer In Christ, the believer who is struggling OR even YOU as a believer falling prey to temptation…
This knowledge we have in Christ is a spiritual freedom that we must be vigilant about keeping… vigilant in that we NEVER lose sight of where the knowledge comes from AND the reason we are free IN Christ… if we cannot do this, Paul says…
Misuse of Knowledge must be avoided (v13)
13Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
Here Paul says that if he is going to cause someone to stumble that he would rather give whatever that is up for life before he causes ANYONE to stumble and fall!
We are called to GO and make disciples… we are given a freedom FROM sin and a freedom to go ANYWHERE in this world because Christ who dwells IN us has authority over all things… We have enormous freedoms IN Christ!
However, we are NOT called to be the stumbling block… and if our actions prevent others from coming to know Christ it is sin on our part! This is because God cares when we use our freedom carelessly and leads fellow believers who are spiritually vulnerable to be thrown off track.
In other words, if you know something is NOT a sin, but it is a stumbling block for someone seeking Christ OR to someone who is new to the faith or someone struggling IN their faith…
Then in this verse Paul says he would AVOID IT! This is because our goal and purpose as believers is NOT to be able to experience all of our freedoms, but we are commanded by Christ to see others come to know Him as Savior!
WORD PROCLAIMED: This morning you have heard that when you are saved…when you are ‘In Christ’ that you have knowledge of how to live right before God because the Holy Spirit is IN you!
WORD EXPLAINED: This knowledge the Holy Spirit brings into your life is for you to live your life for the glory of God AND to help you improve of the fellowship… it is NOT for your judgment of others!
WORD MADE PERSONAL: Paul tells us that you must live your life in a manner that exalts Christ and uplifts the body… How are you going to apply the knowledge the Holy Spirit brings into your life?
Believer invitation: How have you been using this knowledge Christ has given you? Are you using it to glorify Him? Are you using it to uplift and encourage the body of Christ? OR are you using this knowledge for your own personal desire OR to judge other believers?
I encourage you to come and give it to the Lord this morning!!
Non-Believer invitation: This morning you are here for a reason. God has set up this DIVINE appt for you! You have heard how me speak about the Holy Spirit and how He comes to live in our heart when we call out to Jesus for salvation… and you may be here and NOT know just what I mean by that…
Jesus came born of a virgin
Jesus lived a sinless life as an example
Jesus died willingly on the Cross for our sin
Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb
Jesus raised from the dead on the 3rd day for our eternal life
Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father interceding for YOU!
Do you want to know Him? The staff and myself will be RIGHT HERE… why don’t you step out and come give your heart to Him this morning and experience the presence of God overwhelm your life today! Step out and come as Jason leads us in our time of confession! Jason, lead us…
