Believer’s freedom
1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1
Prayer-
Introduction-
Sermon title-Believer’s freedom- that will have different meaning to different people.
Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
John 8:36-
So if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.
Galatians 5:13
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
We see from these scriptures that our freedom is in Christ.
What Christ has done for us.
That as believers in Christ we should not abuse our freedom to sin in the flesh.
We are humbly to love one another.
Amen. Thanks for coming.
Today we live in a time that most people are searching to find their individual freedoms, there rights and find what they are willing to stand up for and die for.
There is always a cause that needs your help and a group of people that feel slighted and are rallying an army of people to defend them and give them a voice.
There are people passionate about their causes and there are people who just love to fight and cause trouble.
There are doors that need to be opened and I believe some doors that need to be closed.
In the midst of all this, we as Christians have to determine what battles to fight, what stands we will take, and what voice we want to have to be heard no only for ourselves but just as important our expression of faith in Jesus Christ.
The sermon and the text today are not about your rights. Sometimes it is not about you.
Question
How do we as believers use our God given freedoms and not trip up weaker Christians.
How we exercise our freedoms as God intends so that we can move the cause of Christ forward and also be an example of His love.
1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 read
At first reading, I think of this passage like Cat in the Hat- like reading about Green eggs and ham.
Apostle Paul- Roman 7:15- “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
After reading, I want to say just do what you are suppose to do! If only that it would be that easy!
For us all to interpret laws and rules the same, and be willing to accept the authority of who gave the rule or the law would be a stretch.
To understand this passage, you have to look at the context. Apostle Paul, writing to the church at Corinth had a lot to say about believers freedom.
He is talking to them about idol worship and what is to be offered on the altar to God. The sacrifices that are given to God must be pure and untainted and not something that is left over from another God or from your extra. He won’t accept seconds. He demands first fruits and is a jealous God.
He has disciplined them for their behavior concerning running the race of life and finishing strong for the Lord. They cannot be like boxers air fighting and not hitting anything, they are to be Purposeful, and preparing for the tasks on hand for the Lord.
They are to be in the race for the long haul and to finish... not just start but finish and finish strong and accomplish all they were created to do while they are running.
He warns them of Israel’s history of coming and going away from the Lord and calling them to a consistent life of service to God.
I can picture him in that conversation reminding them of the times that they have stumbled and what had caused them to stumble.
If we would be honest, the things that have caused most of us to stumble are other people not doing what they are suppose to do. Professing one thing and doing another. Having double standards.
Kind of like when your parents look at you and say don’t do as I do, do as I say. That will cause us to stumble… apostle Paul said follow me as I follow the Lord.
Everyone is after freedoms, we all like our freedoms and not many of us can handle the freedom when we get it.
So let’s look at this passage and see if we can take away some truths this morning- (23) “I have the right to do anything, you say- but not everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything, but not everything is constructive.”
Some versions say I have a right, some say I am allowed, some say it is permissible- you get the picture here. There are some things that you can do but they are not beneficial and some things are not constructive.
What are the things that Apostle Paul would call beneficial?
First, let’s look at his audience, he is writing to the church who ministers to both believers and unbelievers. He is trying to express the importance that everything we do weather we eat, drink, and our actions should be done for the glory of God and the edification of God’s people.
To have Believers wanting to purify their lives and be a blessing to those that they come in contact with.
To desire not be a stumbling block to weaker Christians and advance the kingdom of God.
Webster’s dictionary
Beneficial- “favorable or advantageous; resulting in good.”
Here would be beneficial-
Having a new person come into church and not drill them on the signage on their tee shirt or let them know they have too much make-up or dress is a little short- let God convince them of that and you just love them and be glad that they have come.
Not taking your years of knowing your Bible and making a new convert feel inferior but in a loving way take them through the scriptures and teach them to find key passages themselves.
You can be right in the debate and still lose the battle.
Peter would not eat pork- Jesus showed him that the eating of pork was now sanctified and acceptable but he struggled with it.
I know some believers today that the thought of going for a good shrimp and lobster dinner would not set well with them
Anything that we can do to cause good things to happen.
Things that build the kingdom of God-
Illustration-
When a believer considers how much God has forgiven him, he is able to extend pardon to others no matter what they have done. A Christian husband found this to be true when his wife, who had become an alcoholic, told him of an affair she had had with his best friend 10 years earlier. She said she experienced such feelings of guilt that the bottle was a means of escape. Anger and resentment began to sweep over him, for his wife’s drinking had embittered their children and nearly destroyed their home. He was also deeply hurt by the fact that his close friend had betrayed his trust. Then he remembered Jesus’ words, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." As he thought of God’s mercy toward him, he prayed for grace to do the Christ like thing. Here is his description of what happened the next time he met the man who had caused him such heartache: "With a sob in my soul, I reached out my hand and gripped his, and for the first time in my life I knew what it was to forgive. I felt a tremendous sense of release as the unbearable weight of bitterness was lifted from my heart. This freedom enabled me to renew my love for my wife, and to overcome the barrier that had arisen between us. When I said to her, ’I forgive you and will accept you just as I did when I pledged to love and cherish you unto death,’ the healing process began its wonderful work."
In his freedom as a believer, he was justified in leaving. But as Christ was the center of his actions, his freedom was not beneficial to him.
Illustration-
Sitting at a railroad crossing, waiting for a freight train to pass through town, one can see lots of interesting graffiti. Some of it can be quite artistic. Some of it expresses anger or rage; some expresses a person’s love for another; some expresses gang affiliation. Some of it is lewd, while some of it is quite beautiful and impressive. Point is that someone, somewhere, at some point in time felt that they needed to make their mark.
All of us will make a mark with our lives. It is up to us what kind of mark we will make. Will our lives make a mark that will bring honor and glory to God and point others to Him? Or will our lives make a mark that dishonors His name and causes others to stumble and fall?
In our freedom, we need to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of those that are around us.
Illustration-
Martin Luther was approached by a working man who wanted to know how he could serve God. Luther asked him, "What is your work now?" The man said, "I’m a shoemaker."
Much to the cobbler’s surprise, Luther replied, "Then make good shoes and sell them at a fair price."
Luther didn’t tell the man to make "Christian shoes." He didn’t tell the man to leave his shoe business and become a monk.
In our freedom, be who God wants us to be, where he has placed you. You are not here by accident. Be the best at where he has us, glorify Him by our actions even when no one is watching.
Illustration-
Six months before he was assassinated, Martin Luther King spoke to a group of Jr. High School students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia and this is what he said: "If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: 'Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.'"
Everything you do, no matter what it is should bring honor and glory to God
Hang in there coming down the stretch!
Illustration-
The story is told about a small, country church where the pastor called a special meeting of the congregation to approve the purchase of a brand new chandelier. After some discussion pro and con, an old farmer stood up and said, "Buying a new chandelier may seem like a good idea to you, but I’m against it for three reasons. First of all, it’s too expensive and we can’t afford one. Second, there isn’t anybody around here who knows how to play one. And third, what we really need in this church is a new light fixture."
Make sure we know and understand what we are fighting for.
I hate religion, it is a set of rules and takes us away from Christ
Stephen Hill- Religion is hanging around the cross , Christianity is hanging on the cross.
“I want to know Christ--yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” Phil 3:10
You cannot live that verse without wanting the freedom in Christ above your own freedom.
Closing
The situation Paul is addressing here is something that we don’t deal with today --- but it was a big deal to the Christians in Corinth. When was the last time you were in the awkward social situation of having to decide whether or not to eat meat that has been offered to idols?
It was a common situation in Paul’s day.
When a person sacrificed an animal to a pagan god, the animal was divided into 3 parts: 1/3 burned; 1/3 given to the priests; 1/3 given back to the worshiper or sold on the market. The meat offered on the market was usually sold at a discounted price; in other words, it was a bargain.
Some Christians believed it was wrong to participate in ANYTHING that had connection to the pagan idols they used to worship. But many other Christians thought, “We know he is not our idol, so what’s big deal?
We aren’t going to pass up a good bargain!” Wouldn’t all you “bargain hunters” feel the same way?
Paul knew that in Christ we are free from the old LAW and its many dietary restrictions.
Paul also knew that there was a higher LAW for the church – the Law of LOVE.
Here’s the test Paul gave to the believers in Corinth: Now, about food sacrificed to idols, we know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God. 1 Corinthians 8:1-3
Paul explained that, as Christians, we KNOW we have FREEDOM to eat whatever we wish. However, if using that freedom will hurt our brothers and sisters in the church, we should let LOVE win out over KNOWLEDGE.
In our journey, we run into these kinds of situations all the time.
Prayer-
Father, today as we close, we are again reminded of who we are in Christ. Set free from the bondage of our sins. We are reminded that you have forgiven much in our lives and we need to have a forgiving heart toward those that we come in contact with. Help us not to abuse our freedoms that would cause others to stumble. That our motive would always be to restore rather than to teardown. In Jesus name !
Amen.
