Guard Your Testimony
1 Corinthians 8:1-13 (NLT)
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Intro: In one “Peanuts” comic strip one of the females Small Fry came to Charlie Brown and said, “Yes sir, Charlie Brown, Abraham Lincoln was a great man. Charlie Brown, would you like to have been Abraham Lincoln?”
“Well, now, I don’t think so,” he replied slowly; “I am having a hard enough time being just plain old Charlie Brown.”
. It seems that many times we get caught up in what others are doing when we should be concerned about what we are doing.
. Christian Liberty is a truth that you find throughout scripture.
. In John 8:31,32 Jesus said this:
"... “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.
32And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
.Paul writes to the Corinthian church in 2 Cor.3:17
. 17For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
. To the church in Galatia, he writes this in Gal. 5:1
. 1So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.
. Folks we are free in Christ Jesus. There are no rules and regulations for us.
. That what Paul is referring to there in Galatians. Christians are free and should be careful that they don't get caught up in the legalism that came with the law.
. He is referring to what is called the Law of Moses. Many think that it is the Ten Commandments that Paul is talking about but it's not. It's all the dietary and Sabbath and weighty restrictions that were placed on the people in order to try and stay in a right relationship with God.
.That's what Jesus was referring to in Matthew were he said this:
. 30For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
. We all know that the Ten Commandments will be followed if we just follow Jesus' commands of loving God and loving each other.
. We are free from any other restrictions unless strictly for bidden in scripture.
. Christian freedom has long been a theological debate.
. What is too much, what is too constricting.
. In our scripture this morning, Paul addresses this with the Corinthian church. We are back in 1 Corinthians this morning.
. It has been a while since we have been in 1 Corinthians with all the holidays and everything so let's review for just a second.
. Paul had previously written to the Christians in the church at Corinth (we have no record of that letter) and they have responded with in kind and have asked him to clarify some issues within the congregation.
. Paul Addresses factions within the church and questions they had about Christian marriage. We have looked at those.
. Paul now moves on to Questions about Christian freedom. While it involves the eating of meat sacrificed to idols, Paul really addresses the issue of "legalism" verses "liberalism".
. The legalists believed that everything that a person does is either black or white. There was no grey area for them. Legalists live by rules which was dangerously close to what Jesus said He came to abolish.( paraphrase of John MacArthur)
. The liberal believed much like the legalist in that they didn't have much grey area. The problem was they didn't have much black area. Everything was and is acceptable unless it was strictly forbidden by scripture. Their salvation through Jesus gave them total freedom. (paraphrase of John MacArthur)
. Let's look at our scripture. 1 Cor. 8:1-13
1Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.
2Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much.
3But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.
4So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God.
5There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords.
6But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.
7However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated.
8It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.
9But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.
10For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol?
11So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed.
12And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ.
13So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.
. Paul starts out saying you know what, we all know that there is freedom in Christ. Especially you liberals. We know that the old testament told us not to eat meat sacrificed to idols but Jesus came and set us free from all of that.
. You legalists are carrying things way too far. This is not something the church should be arguing about. What to eat or not eat.
. You both think that you know the answer but you miss what's important.
.This knowledge that you have that gives you this freedom, and yes you do have the freedom to eat the meat sacrificed to idols is not what's important.
. While you can feel vindicated and puff out your chest and yes, I was right and feel important in your knowledge, you are missing the mark here.
. It's love that is going to strengthen the church. Not your knowledge. Your understanding that not everybody is in the same place spiritually.
. I believe that Paul is in a way telling them that legalists are really not where they should be yet spiritually yet. Rules and regulations were easy but the true freedom that is found in Christ was and is a spiritual Journey. Learning to rest in the grace of God.
. It's not you being right about everything, God wants your love and He wants your love for Him to permeate the church and transfer to each other.
. Then in verses 4-5 Paul addresses the issue.
. 4So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God.
5There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords.
6But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.
. He says look, let's focus on what we know. There are many people in this world who may believe that their idols are gods but Christians know better.
. What we know is that there is only one God, we call him Father and He created everything and we live for him.
. There is only one savior and that is Jesus Christ through whom God created everything and it is through him that we find salvation and this freedom that we are talking about.
. That is what's important, not what we eat or drink.
.Then Paul says this in verse 7:
. 7However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated.
. He again tells us to realize that everyone is in the same place spiritually.
. Notice he says "not all believers" not pagans. You can't expect pagans to even consider this. These are Christians who do not have the same spiritual maturity that some have.
. They think that when they see others eating meat sacrificed to idols that they are doing something wrong and they are sinning.
. This comes from their spiritual immaturity.
. We teach and preach things that are not biblical but traditional and then we see Christians do things that we have been told that are wrong and we lose confidence in that person and in the sight of a less mature Christian, they lose their testimony.
. Paul goes on to tell the Corinthian Christians and us that there is a solution to this problem of less mature Christians being offended by what a more mature Christian does with the freedom that we have in Christ.
.Look at how Paul finishes out this chapter again.
9But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.
10For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol?
11So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed.
12And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ.
13So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.
. Paul is writing that yes we have freedom to do anything we want as long as scripture does not forbid it.
. If you are out in public and people see you eating meat that has been offered to idols and their spiritual maturity level will cause them to look at you in a different light, then don't do it.
. Many call that losing your testimony.
. Is what you are doing wrong? no
. The problem is really not that you are doing something wrong, the problem is the perception of those who are not spiritually mature.
. Paul writes, so you have freedom but if that freedom makes you lose your testimony, then don't do it.
. This causes turmoil in the church and may cause the less mature to stumble in their walk with God.
. You may have more spiritual knowledge that other believers but that could cause others to stumble in their biblical ignorance.
. You see biblical knowledge means nothing without love.
. Paul tells us that our freedom in Christ does not give us the right to throw love out the window.
. You see there is knowledge and then there is loving knowledge.
I want to close with some scripture that Paul tells the Corinthian believers over in chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians.
1If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.
3If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
. Looking back on the first verse of our scripture Paul tells us:
. "...But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church."
. Let your actions show love not arrogance.
. While there is freedom in Christ Jesus, Christian:
. Guard your testimony.
Invitation
*** To my Christian brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read this sermon. I ask that you take another second and score this for me. I am always open to feedback so that I can continue to grow in the proclamation of God’s word.
May God bless you as you continue to strive to walk worthy of His calling.
Sources: The Holy Bible, NLT
John MacArthur, New Testament Commentary, 1 Corinthians; Moody Press
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