Ben O'Grady - Do All for the Glory of God (1 Corinthians) - Class 4 - All Things Are Lawful

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:02

   By way of introduction, this morning we have a reading from First Corinthians 10 verses 19 through to 1st Corinthians 11 verse one, and we’ll ask Brother Alvin Brown to come forward and read that to us. How do you? Read this one. Reading with your brethren and sisters from first Corinthians 10 verses 19 three to 11 verse one. What shall I say then?

2. 0:41

   That the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything but. I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice the devils, and not to God. And I would not that you should have fellowship with devils. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils.

3. 1:00

   You cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table and the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth whatsoever is sold in the shambles that eat asking no questions for conscience sake.

4. 1:26

   For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof. If any of them believe not, bid you to a feast, and you’d be disposed to go whatsoever is set before you, eat asking that question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for the sake that show that showed it, and for conscience sake.

5. 1:52

   For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof. Conscience, I say, is not thine own, but of the other. For why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience? For if by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that which is for, for that which I give thanks.

6. 2:13

   Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God, Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Ecclesia of God, even as I please all men in all things, not seeking my own prophet, but the prophet of many, that they may be saved, be followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Thanks, Elvin.

7. 2:49

   All right, well, we’ll now ask Brother Ben to come forward and address us. All things are lawful, but not all things are expedient. Thank you, brother Stephen. Good morning my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ. As it’s become a habit now, there’s a couple of points I just want to pick up from yesterday morning which were raised with me.

8. 3:13

   The first thing to do is to acknowledge actually that I get I got the order of the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the Passover completely wrong. Someone very helpfully pointed out to me actually that the Feast of Unleavened Bread is after the Passover, not before. And I apologise for the looseness of of Scripture in that position.

9. 3:30

   Interestingly, the principle involved is actually even more powerful because it makes sense with what Paul’s saying there where he says to take away the leaven for even our Christ, our Passover is sacrificed. In other words, he’s saying the the sacrifice of the Passover has already occurred and now is the time to remove the leaven. So I’ll still stand very much by the principle, but thank you to those who who actually got me to use Scripture correctly. They’re out of Exodus.

10. 3:57

    And the second one is just a point that someone’s raised, which I think is very powerful and worth reiterating. That whilst in many respects we are looking at ecclesial life and the principles associated with ecclesial life. That in almost every circumstance there are parallels between our own individual lives and an ecclesia. That in essence the principles of how we live our individual life are just those which are expanded into ecclesial life and likewise the principles that work in ecclesial life are those that can become very powerful for our individual life.

11. 4:27

    So where the lessons might be might seem to be focused more on eclesial life together, which in itself is not bad, but we can also take those and apply them to ourselves personally as well. So we come to our section this morning which is going to come up from chapter 8 through to Chapter 11.

12. 4:43

    The Apostle Paul had some unsavouring and difficult subjects he had to deal with in the Corinthian ecclesia, and yet we can be eternally grateful that instead of just answering it by a particular answer of rule that answered that particular issue, that is to say, this is what you must do. Instead, he transcends the issue in the way we have come to know from Paul by showing us the principle of how issues should be addressed. And in so doing he gives not just answers to the Corinthian Ecclesia, but he gives us powerful insight 2000 years later on how we can also pattern our lives. Also the power of life lived upon the foundation principles established here is one that transcends our own desires and helps us to become true servants and Co labourers with the Lord. Every one of the issues that the Apostle addresses in the Corinthian ecclesia he addresses by going back to the principle at stake.

13. 5:43

    And so this morning, we shall deal with another principle at stake. You could call it, because it’s the meat offered to idols from Chapter 8 through to Chapter 11. I promise you we’ll cover this relatively high level, otherwise we might miss out on on lunch as well. What we’ll find is that the apostle picks up the concept of eating meat offered to idols, and he expands on it from chapter one right through to Chapter 11.

14. 6:08

    And again, he shows the power of principle. So Chapter 11 and the issues he is talking about in Chapter 11 are actually the outcomes of what he is talking about in Chapter 8. There is one small little mistake they had made in Chapter 8, and he shows them that mistake in chapter 8. And then he talks about it and he expands on the outcome of that mistake.

15. 6:32

    And he shows by Chapter 11 that that little mistake had had a devastating impact upon that ecclesia, that that little mistake had grown and fested in that ecclesia until it had LED them, as Paul tells us, to have drunken face in the memorial meeting. That one small mistake had led to a debacle at the memorial meeting.

16. 6:52

    At the time they were meant to be remembering the death of their Lord. It’s the impact of consequence. A minor, seemingly innocuous academic reasoning on the side just here in chapter 8 had led to major and far reaching behavioural change by the end of Chapter 11. We touched on it yesterday and you’ll see that our title for for today is this idea of all things are lawful, but all things edify not, which we essentially covered yesterday.

17. 7:21

    But it’s because the apostle Paul picks up and he reuses that that verse as we read this morning and and focuses that that principle that we saw yesterday to show how it can be outworked. How just such a little academic justification has resulted in such major consequences for Anaclesia. So first Corinthians 8 and verse 1/3 to verse 4. Just see if you can find the keyword here as we read through now as touching things offered unto idols. We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but love edifieth and if any man think that he knoweth anything he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

18. 8:02

    If any man love God the same as known of him as concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered and sacrifice unto idols. We know that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is none other God but one. No doubt you’ve seen it. It’s the concept of know, isn’t it to know knowing knowledge that is actually flows right through this chapter here and he takes the the the he talks to the clinger and he says the reality is that we do know.

19. 8:32

    We have a knowledge, a form of knowledge. We’ve got our logical knowledge that we’ve managed to pull together and we’re, we’re able to say, I know this. It’s often the phrase, isn’t it? I know that this is the case or I, I can justify this. It’s the sense of, of knowing and using the, the academic ability to know this particular.

20. 8:50

    I know that this is the the right case. He says, we all know that an that an idol is nothing. Verse 4 as concerning the things eating of those which are sacrificed into idols. We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and so their basis of their reasoning here is based on that knowledge that that foundation knowledge that they had, that an idol was nothing. And of course we would absolutely agree with that, wouldn’t we?

21. 9:17

    An idol is nothing. It’s just a hunk of stone or a hunk of wood which cannot do anything or change anything. So then we go to the next point. If an idol is nothing, then I can eat meat that’s been offered to an idol and it won’t have any impact on me whatsoever. And that is also exactly right.

22. 9:36

    The reality is, they were exactly right in their knowledge here. Knowledge told them, and rightly so, that if meat had been offered to an idol, it had absolutely no impact on that meat whatsoever. If an idol was nothing, they could legitimately turn around and eat meat offered to it, and that meat would be absolutely no different than if it had not been offered to an idol in the 1st place. There was no physical change, no evil that was was attached to that meat after it had been offered to an idol. We know that that’s the case.

23. 10:08

    But he gives a very strong response, doesn’t he? In verse, Verse one is touching things offered unto idols. We know that we all have knowledge. We’ve all got that knowledge that an idol’s nothing and therefore meat offered to it has no impact. But knowledge puffs up and love edifies. And so right here at the beginning of this particular issue of the meat offered to idols, he’s taking us back to the same principles that he raised in our session yesterday.

24. 10:34

    It’s about being puffed up, the fact that we’re there in our pride, pretending to be someone we’re not, the big puffer fish. So we’re coming in our puffed up knowledge that an idol’s nothing, but we’re missing the concept of edification or of love. So he’s reminding them of that earlier principle. Take care not to be puffed up in your own knowledge, taking pride to be able to justify our own position. I’m clever because I know that an idol’s nothing and that makes me feel good, that I know that it helps me to to feel something good.

25. 11:11

    And so I’m going to hold on to that point. I can justify it. But he says, on the other hand, love edifies and this concept of love edifying the body is 1. We will consider in our session together tomorrow a very, very powerful concept that he picks up tomorrow. It’s interesting just also in passing to to see this contrast that he draws here in verse three.

26. 11:33

    If any man love God the same as none of him. So here’s one individual who knows that an idol is nothing, who has their knowledge, a puffed up knowledge, and they’re using that as the basis of justification for their actions in life. But on the other hand, he says if that man instead learnt to love God, then actually the knowledge would not be one about the fact that an idol was nothing, but would actually be the knowledge of God himself who knows that man as one of his own.

27. 12:02

    So that’s the choice, isn’t it? We can be puffed up in our knowledge and take our position and our justification, or we can choose the love of God and to be known of God as one of His.

28. 12:17

    So we can technically justify on a basis on a legal basis. But remember that question, has it edified, built up and assisted our brothers and sisters? But if we love God and edify, then in turn, God will know us. So we haven’t even actually dealt with the issue of meat offered to idols yet. But right here at the beginning is the warning that it’s another matter.

29. 12:44

    Yet again, surprisingly, it’s based upon ego. Comes out time and time again, doesn’t it? Every ecclesial issue that arises, even those that appear to have very strong sort of academic arguments around them in the rationale, are actually at their core, matters of ego, matters of individual pride in being puffed up. He’s warning them that it was their clever logic flow they were using to justify their position was the very thing in itself which was puffing them up rather than helping them to respond in edification. Verse 4 As concerning therefore, the eating of those things that that are offered in sacrifice unto idols. We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.

30. 13:29

    For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as there be gods many and Lords many, but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him and 1 Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we in Him. There is a plethora of gods out there, he says, but we all acknowledge together that there is only one God, that we are in and by only one God the Father.

31. 13:52

    So we agree both sides of that of that equation agree, don’t they, with the principle that there is only one God. Yes, I agree with you, Paul says. We just need to remember that it’s one God by whom we exist. All of him are all things and we in him. It’s just a little reminder that Paul is laying even using their argument that actually this is a focus about God.

32. 14:16

    It’s about one God and him that we focus on and also his son in the way he’s done throughout this book. Remember right from our our very opening sentences in our in our sessions together, we’ve seen this concept of the focus on the Lord Jesus Christ and his work. So he’s agreeing to their principle that an idol is nothing, that there is only one God, and that we exist because of and are utterly dependent on the Father and the Son working together.

33. 14:44

    Because this becomes an important concept as we start to work through this. So verse 7. Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge. For some with conscience of the idol eat unto this, of the idol unto this hour, eat it as a thing offered unto an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

34. 15:06

    So yes, the principle is correct. You can eat meat that has been offered to idol and it will have no impact on you. It can’t have an impact on you because the idol’s nothing. So therefore it hasn’t changed the meat. Except he says that there is a brother here who who has a different knowledge, a different way of thinking about it. And he looks at it and he says that meat, that that idol is an idol where where people are worshipping it. And I’m going to go and eat it.

35. 15:32

    But is it because others are? But as he eats it, his conscience is default. He’s believing that he’s sinning as he’s eating that, that he’s gone to eat it, but his conscience is eating him out. He’s saying, I shouldn’t be doing this because this meat has been associated with with an idol. And so we get this situation, don’t we, in ecclesial life, where one person says, well, I can see it this way, an idol’s nothing, therefore I can eat it.

36. 15:55

    And someone else says, well, actually I see it as an idol and therefore I can’t eat it. And you get this tension that arises and occurs as a result of these different perceptions of different matters on, on, on how we live our life.

37. 16:11

    So yes, the meat itself is irrelevant. The fact that it’s been offered to an idol is irrelevant. But it is possible, even using that argument, to still have a brother who has a defiled conscience. So here’s the picture that we’re starting to build up here.

38. 16:29

    An idol is nothing. Was the argument that they were putting forward to you, an idol is nothing and therefore we can eat it? Verse 8 He then says, well, OK, let’s let’s have a look at how important it is to eat this meat off of the idols. If if you’re saying an idol is nothing and we can eat its meat, let’s have a look at how important it is. Verse 8 But meat commendeth us not to God, for neither if we eat, are we the better?

39. 16:56

    Neither, if we eat not, are we the worse. OK, So what he’s telling us now is OK, so, so you can justify on a legal basis the fact that the meat hasn’t changed and therefore it’s it’s edible. Absolutely correct. So let’s now take a step back and see what eating that meat does for you. And unbelievably, at the end of meat, eating that meat, you are actually not any better off.

40. 17:19

    It’s just like eating any piece of meat or any other food. The eating of that particular meat has not improved you whatsoever, and if we decided not to eat that meat, nor would that have hurt us, we wouldn’t have been any sicker or any worse off as a result. Funny enough, we don’t die because we haven’t eaten meat offered to idols.

41. 17:41

    We don’t end up sicker or worse off if we’ve chosen not to eat it. So eating that meat doesn’t help our personality or our relationship with God. It doesn’t even particularly have an impact on our physical well-being. If we have other food available. If we don’t eat it, we don’t actually get worse.

42. 18:03

    And So what we find is, is that the I get this right? The Corinthians were actually forming this view to say if an idol is nothing and therefore meat offered to an idol is nothing, I can actually prove to God that I accept that idols are nothing by eating the meat. That actually formed this next basis almost of saying if I eat the meat offered to idols, it’s actually commending me to God because I’m actually proving to God how much I know that that idol is nothing and therefore I can eat it and it’s and it’s strengthening my relationship with God. And Paul’s just made the point very emphatically. There is no benefit to you eating that meat offered to idols.

43. 18:43

    It’s not going to commend you to God. There is no physical outcome, no benefit that you gain from going and eating that meat offered to idols.

44. 18:53

    It doesn’t actually help our relationship with God. They were there in their ego proving to themselves how righteous they were because they could eat that idol’s meat. And he says it has no impact at all. There is there is no benefit at all on that basis.

45. 19:14

    And so the Corinthian brethren were eating meat offered to idols. Can you see that, that this process of, of argumentative reasoning that’s happening here, they know that an idol is nothing. They can see that that it can commend me to God if I eat it. Therefore I’m justified in eating the meat offered to idols. And you’d look at it and you’d say, that’s well, that’s fine, isn’t it?

46. 19:35

    They’ve got their rationale in place. They’ve got a logical reason as to why they can eat that meat offered to idols and it has no impact on them whatsoever. So therefore, there’s nothing really wrong with eating that meat offered to an idols that that justified themselves and they had justified themselves to others and they’d given their reasoning and their logic behind it and felt very comfortable in their ability to do so. So Paul’s point here at this position is at best, doing so is a nothing is a zero.

47. 20:07

    There is no benefit whatsoever that you get from eating meat offered to idols. So so he’s just laying the foundation, isn’t he? Let’s have a look at this concept of met offer titles at best is going to do nothing for you. Then he comes to this next little verse here in verse 9. But do take heed, he says, lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which has knowledge sit at meat in the idols temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols?

48. 20:41

    And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died also. Now there’s a there’s AI was going to say a slight change. There’s a huge change, isn’t it? There’s a dramatic cut that comes across their arguing or their their reasoning here. Here they were with this power of liberty. We’re not going to live under this law, they say. We’re we’re going to live in, in liberty. We can transcend the concepts of of this idol. We’re going to eat meat that’s offered to idols because all things are lawful to me.

49. 21:10

    I’m at liberty to eat. Oh, he says. Just just be careful because you may find that an eating freely that meat offered to idols. You’ve just cast a stumbling block in front of your brother or your young person.

50. 21:30

    You’ve just caused another person, another brother or sister, another young person to stumble and fall in the truth. So yes, you’re right. You may be able to justify the eating of the meat offered to idols, but you’ve just hurt someone else in doing so. I don’t know if you noticed in verse 10, there’s a there’s a small but very explosive addition to the equation here. If any man shall see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idols temple.

51. 22:15

    So the justification had actually gone another step further and idols nothing. I can eat meat off into idol and it’s not going to hurt me. And in fact, because an idol’s nothing, I can actually go up to the idols temple and inside the idols temple I can eat meat offered to idols and because an idol’s nothing, it’s not going to hurt me.

52. 22:36

    Can you see the little progression of behaviour that’s starting to occur here? There’s a logical argument and reasoning here. An idol’s nothing, I can eat meat offered to idols. It’s just that phrase which shivers down my spine when I first saw it there. If any man see thee which hast knowledge, sit it meat in the idols temple. And you can just see Currently the sense now in which their legal justification, their basis of self justification, where they’d said I can do this, has now resulted in them as brothers and sisters sitting in the idols temple and starting to eat that meat offered to idols in the idols temple. I can go up to the temple of the idols and sit in the temple and eat that meat offered to idols.

53. 23:18

    And because an idol is nothing, it’s not going to hurt me. From a purely legal sort of rational argument perspective, it’s true. If an idol is nothing, going and sitting in their temple shouldn’t hurt you. You’ll have no impact, no, no physical impact by eating that meat on a purely legal basis. But his point was verse 10, as we saw the man, the brother sees them going there.

54. 23:48

    His own conscience, which is weak, is emboldened. He thinks, well, if they can do it, I can do it as well. And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died. Someone may see you and decide that they can do the same thing as you’ve justified. And they’re emboldened and they go up to the evil idols temple and they eat and they sin. And through thy puffed up knowledge shall thy weak brother perish.

55. 24:20

    And that that phrase at the end, which is just awful, isn’t it, for whom Christ died. So a little justification here to say an idol’s nothing, therefore I can eat meat off into idols, has now led to a position where I’ve justified being in the idol’s temple and I’ve caused one of my brothers to also go to the idol’s temple, and I’ve lost him to the idols.

56. 24:40

    And there’s just that little phrase of that, brother, by the way, that you have just destroyed is 1 for whom the Lord Jesus Christ was prepared to hang on the stake he gave his life. How dare we, brothers and sisters, be in a position where we have got our own puffed up knowledge and self justification that justifies our actions in life. And we use that justification to say we’re righteous and we destroy someone who’s struggling through our bad example, who the Lord Jesus Christ was prepared to die for. He brings them up with an absolute jolt, doesn’t he? Actually, your actions are not just puffed up in pride, but they are causing now a destruction of your brother. And that’s a brother for whom Christ hung on the stick. There’s a, there’s a dramatic change in perspective that comes over the story here from an idol’s nothing. I can easily eat this meat.

57. 25:30

    Offer to idol and I can eat in its temple because it’s nothing. Yes, but in doing so, you’ve destroyed this brother. And that brother happens to be someone for whom the Lord Jesus Christ died. If we could only keep this perspective, brothers and sisters and young people. If we could only remember when it’s a question of some silly little piece of meat that we want to eat, or some other silly little action or activity that we want to undertake, that we can never risk the potential that our own wants and our own justification have destroyed a brother or a young person for whom Christ died. Suffer yourselves to be defrauded. He says all things edify, not destroy not him with thy meat. How could we possibly take a pathetic piece of meat and put that ahead of the life of our brother? That piece of meat which does nothing for us whether we eat it or not.

58. 26:24

    But so often we do. We let the little things of life get to us. We demand our rights. We want what we want, and it gets not just in the way of us helping and building up those who are in real need, but actually cause causes the destruction of our brethren. Christ verse 12 But when ye sin so against the brethren and ruin their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

59. 27:02

    And so the little technical argument had become something now where the individual themselves were sinning against Christ, they had destroyed a brother. And that sin, that destruction of a brother, would be held against them as a sin against Christ himself.

60. 27:21

    If if there is any risk whatsoever that our actions are not justify, are not edifying, but could hurt a brother or a sister or a young person, then understand that if we head down that route, we are sinning against Christ. It’s as if we’ve taken the Lord himself and put him to death.

61. 27:39

    Isn’t it that that we’ve we’ve destroyed the power of his death on the cross for that particular individuals? It’s not about our legal justification. It’s not about being able to find verses that justify our position in life. It’s not about you deciding that actually it’s fine for me to do this because of my own process of justification. All things are lawful unto me, but all things edify not. And then the apostle finishes this chapter in such a powerful way.

62. 28:12

    Wherefore if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. And he’s completely answered the issue of meat offered to idols, hasn’t he? And actually more than that, because his comment is not just if meat offered to idols makes my brother to offend, he says if there is any risk that me eating a piece of meat could be seen by a brother, and they might think that that’s a piece of meat offered to idols and therefore causes them to sin, then he said I will abstain from eating meat. I’ll become a vegetarian.

63. 28:43

    As hard as that would be, I’ll be. He said I’ll abstain from eating meat as long as I live. If meat make my brother to offend, I’ll eat no flesh. He says, not just flesh off. I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. And the apostles example to us is to say if there is any chance that what we are doing in our life has the potential to destroy a brother or sister or young person, then take it completely out of our life, move away from even.

64. 29:15

    Even if it involves us having to go vegetarian. It’s an extreme example. If there’s any risk of offence, he says, then we must do that for the sake of our brothers and sisters. You know, it comes back exactly to what we saw yesterday, yesterday, doesn’t it? This principle of what will edify or build up my brother and sister, rather than what can I justify getting away with, what can I, what can I justify that I want to do must be removed and replaced with the concept of what will build up, what will assist. Our life cannot be lived on the basis of our own justification, but focus only on doing what will edify and build up to the glory of God.

65. 30:05

    We should also note what I believe is a vital point here, that this is not a chapter that should be used to point the finger at other people and demand their actions in life. If this becomes a chapter, as it can often do, where people say, well that’s made off of titles and you shouldn’t be doing that, and they say I can justify this, and the chap becomes used in a way that people are pointing the finger at each other, then we have completely missed the power and the point of this chapter.

66. 30:39

    It’s a chapter that works brilliantly when I’m prepared to take it as a personal message to me personally. If every member of this ecclesias of of our ecclesias can live by this principle, then it would take out any issue, wouldn’t it, of that controversy caused by our own interaction or us going after our own wants. But if we start to fire this verse as an arrow in the defence of our own personal position, and we use it against each other, then ironically we are actually starting to break the power of the verses themselves.

67. 31:15

    Where there are differences of view in ecclesial life, it’s particularly easy for both sides to use this as a justification for their position. But Paul, as we have found right throughout this chapter, is saying this is an issue of people being puffed up. You need to examine yourselves, to go internally into your own heart, and to see whether your response is one of having puffed up knowledge.

68. 31:46

    If there is anything that’s going to cause my brother to offend, then we should cast it off. He actually tells us in here that this is something we need to take personal responsibility for. Verse 9. Take heed, lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge. Verse 10.

69. 32:13

    Verse 11. And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died. Verse 12. But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. It’s yours, it’s thee, it’s thy, it’s ye sin, ye sin against Christ. His point is you need to take personal responsibility here.

70. 32:34

    It’s not a chapter about others, but a chapter of self examination that pleads with us to look at our own motivation on the actions and the things we do in life. Can you see the power of this principle? If everyone in ecclesia is able to say I’m going to live by this principle, you would take away the issues of ecclesial life instead of justifying our own positions that we hold onto.

71. 32:58

    You would say actually I don’t mind if I miss a nice roast leg of meat tonight. What is what is important to me is that I am a Co labourer with God who is building up my brother and therefore I will do what is best for my brother. It’s a chapter of self examination that must be made powerful by personal application in ourselves, not pointing at others but of each of us to 100% can learn to live by this principle. Then the eclosure life would be so powerful and so united. You imagine how powerful that environment would be if we could live in that way, live our life which is not our own, for the sake of those around us.

72. 33:43

    Paul then comes in Chapter 9 to what seems at first to be a digressing argument, a slightly strange sort of interlude in the argument as we flow through to Chapter 11. But we shall find that there is exactly the same connecting thought in here. And in fact, it fits so, so beautifully into the the flow of his argument here, because what he does is he focuses on the work of the apostles and their own way that they fulfill this concept.

73. 34:08

    So Chapter 9 and and verse one, we found the example of the apostles am not an I am an apostle. Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are not ye my work in the Lord if I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you for the seal of mine apostleship.

74. 34:24

    Are ye in the Lord? So he say it’s his credentials, isn’t it? I am an apostle. He says, now my answer verse 3 to them that to examine me is this, have we not power to eat and drink? So there are others who are saying, well, the apostle Paul said, what are you doing about it?

75. 34:40

    And he says, here’s my answer. I’ve got power to eat and drink, don’t I? He says verse 5, have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife as well as other apostles and as the brethren of the Lord in Cephas or I only in Barnabas. Have we not power to for bear working.

76. 34:56

    And So what he starts to do is he says, OK, what are the rights that I have in as an apostle? He says I’ve I’ve got the ability to eat and drink. I need to eat and drink. He says I could also bring a a sister wife with me as well who you would have to look after. So I’m here preaching to you as an apostle and you should be looking after me and I could also ask you to look after my sister wife in verse six.

77. 35:22

    Yeah, I only in Barnabas have we not power to forebear working. We don’t actually have to work. He says I could quite easily justify a position where I said I’m here on your behalf and I’m asking you to to provide food to me. Verse 7 who goes a war for any time in his own charges, who plants a vineyard and eateth not the fruit thereof, or feeds A flock and eateth not of the milk of the flock?

78. 35:42

    He he’s saying that as a worker in the in The Who planted the vineyard, he should be able to take the benefits of the vineyard. He should be able to eat and drink from the ecclesia essentially. Verse 8 say I these things as a man or saith not the law also. And he then gives this lovely example out of Moses where it’s written in the law of Moses. Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn.

79. 36:02

    Doth God take care for oxen or saith he altogether for our sakes. And so he, he draws this picture saying as an apostle, I have the ability to ask you to provide food for me. And he uses that lovely quote out of the law to say, here’s the ox that’s muzzled up and it’s treading round and round and round with all the corn underneath. And it starts to get a bit hungry because it’s got the muzzle on it can’t actually bend down and eat any of that food. And he says no, that that that ox is not allowed to be muzzled. So it’s got the ability occasionally when it’s getting hungry to actually bend down into have some of the benefit of the corn that it’s treading out.

80. 36:41

    And, and he makes the point, which is a really clever point. Did God put that law in place for the sake of the oxen? Well, no, he didn’t actually. And oxen is well able to go in to do its work without having to stoop down occasionally and have something to eat, provided it’s being fed.

81. 36:56

    Well, it can go and do its job and then be fed afterwards. But he’s making the point that that principle was put there right in the law as a evidence of the fact that someone working in the ecclesial context could expect to be looked after and sustained on a physical basis. That the ox Paul, as the ox as the servant, could expect that they would look after and feed him as he came to work in their eccleses.

82. 37:24

    Verse 11 If we’ve sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things, if others be partakers of this power of you are not we rather haven’t, haven’t we got more of a right to ask you to feed us when you’ve already done it for other people?

83. 37:40

    Verse 12 Nevertheless, we have not used this power, but suffer all things lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. And I think what the apostle’s saying is you Corinthian ecclesia, when we’re there, we’re aware of all your particular issues and struggles we’re having. And we’re saying, if we ask you to feed us, it’s going to cause a problem. You’re going to come back and say, huh, So we’ve fed the apostle Paul.

84. 38:04

    And either they’ll go into the Paul good brigade and say, look, I’m the one who looked after him, or else they’ll start to grumble about the fact that they’ve had to use some of the food out of their own cupboard and and look after him. And Paul says, there’s no way I’m going to give you an opportunity to do that. There’s no way.

85. 38:17

    He says I’m going to allow the fact that we require food to become a stumbling block in your ecclesial environment and he carries on through verse 13, etcetera to to really reinforce this this concept of of the fact that he had the opportunity to require them to feed him, but that they have chosen not to this 15 I have used none of those things.

86. 38:42

    Neither have I written these things that I should be that it should be done so unto me, for it were better for me to die than any man should make my glorying void. He says, look, I I’ve chosen deliberately not to use that that right that I have to require your food. And in fact, he says I’m writing this.

87. 38:58

    I’m not writing it by the way, so that next time I come you feed me because I’m not doing it for that, because I don’t trust that it would that it would go down well. He says, though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glorify of for necessity is laid upon me.

88. 39:13

    Yeah, woe is me if I preach not in the gospel. And he’s saying, look, I’m not coming to the Corinthian ecclesia and working there because I want you to look after me. But that becomes my lifestyle and I’ll get nice food and be able to be looked after as I move around. He says I’m there to preach the gospel. And so from Paul’s perspective, he’s actually telling or showing us beautifully, isn’t he, this principle of the eating and drinking in an ecclesial context, because he’s saying it’s not about me.

89. 39:39

    It’s not me demanding my own rights little and demanding the right to eat meat off of the idols. He’s saying it’s not about me coming to you and demanding my own rights and that you have to provide that food. We could require you of the food to be unmuzzled, but we’ve chosen not to be because we are the ministers.

90. 40:01

    We haven’t used that liberty. And see, what he’s doing is showing that by his own example, life and the truth is not about him. It’s not about what he can eat or drink or justify eating and drinking. That is the important thing. His whole focus is on the good of the gospel. He won’t even partake of their food, lest that would become a hindrance in the work of the gospel that he was there to grow.

91. 40:31

    And so he’s, he’s actually picked up this concept, not just of the eating meat offered to idols and, and whether or not that was justifiable, but he’s actually shown the whole he’s expanded it, hasn’t he, in the broader context of eating and drinking to show actually, I don’t, I, I’m careful even with my eating and drinking to make sure that I’m not going to do anything in the ecclesial environment that will subvert or hurt the gospel. Verse 19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant or slave unto all that I might gain them more. And then he goes into the section here where where he actually takes this idea of him not doing things for himself, but making sure that it’s going to assist the ecclesia. And he he gives us, I think, an incredible, an intense insight into the way of life that Paul was prepared to live for the sake of his brothers and sisters. He said, I’ve, I’m free from anyone, there’s no requirement for me to be a slave of anyone.

92. 41:28

    He said, but I’ve made myself a servant unto your he’s he’s understood this principle, hasn’t he, that the flesh is nothing and he desires to be a servant. Verse 20 unto the Jews I became as a Jew that I might gain the Jews. What does that mean? Well, it means that he was able to go into a Jewish house and to live with those people, to interact with those people in a way which would not hurt the sensitivities of those people.

93. 41:54

    That he was aware of the particular things that would that would cause an issue if he went into that house and he made sure that he avoided them. In essence, when he went into that house, he was living as a Jew with them. That doesn’t mean he was living in a pharisaical or, or a legalistic way, but he was living the principles of Jew of, of the truth, but from the perspective of a Jewish person.

94. 42:18

    So he could walk into a Jewish house and he could live in a way that that met the sensitivities of a Jewish household to them that are under the law is under the law that I might gain the law. Then verse 21 to them that are without law as without law not being as without law to God, but under the law of Christ, not under the law of Moses that I might gain them that are without law.

95. 42:46

    Now that starts to get a tricky concept, doesn’t it? Because he’s saying I can go into the House of those who are living under the law and I cannot hurt their sensitivities. In other words, he’s, he’s living his life under the law with them, but he can also turn around on this side and go into the House of a gentile who is not living under the law and he can live that life without hurting their sensitivities.

96. 43:11

    So there’s only two options here. 1 is that he lives the law here and then he works walks out the door and he changes his, his his head around, sort of gives himself a bit of a shake and walks into the next one. And he actually lives completely different lifestyle and makes sure that they’re happy.

97. 43:30

    But see, the consequence of that would be that at some stage the 2 are bound to meet, aren’t they? You go to the memorial meeting together and all of this one says, hang on, you are living the law, but you’re not. And that one says, Hey, you weren’t living but now and the whole thing would blow up, wouldn’t it?

98. 43:43

    So the point clearly is not that Paul’s saying, well, I’ll just change my way. I’m doing for each person. The point is this that Paul was able to encapsulate in whole in his life every component of what it would mean for that person to be living under the law and that person to be living without the law. In other words, he was prepared to go, and it’s not the phrase lowest common denominator, it’s the worst one. It’s probably the highest common denominator really, isn’t it? He’s prepared to take on the requirements, the harshest and deepest requirements of each of those groups, but to live them in a compatible way so that not one of them would look at it and say, I’m offended.

99. 44:23

    That’s a remarkable life that the apostles prepared to live. He didn’t have to live under the law. He knew that, and nor did he necessarily have to live things according to way the the Gentiles with their particular sensitivities did. He could have made-up his own sort of way that he was comfortable with himself.

100. 44:39

     But he’s saying, if there’s any components of my life that we’re going to cause a brother to offend, then I’m prepared to adjust that. And to a Jew they’ll look at me and they’ll say a Jew, there’s a Jew. To A to a non law keeper, they’ll say there’s a non law keeper. And they can look at Paul as a person and say actually there is nothing in Paul that causes me issues or or problems. That is the full extent of Paul the Apostle and his work in edifying.

101. 45:08

     I could justify things. All things are lawful, but all things edify not. And so the the apostle, I think shows an incredible example here and and it just just takes some time afterwards to stop and really contemplate the fullness of what this is talking about. But this is a man who says if, if an if eating meat is going to make my brother to offend, I’ll put any concept of eating meat out of my life.

102. 45:32

     I will live as a Jew and I will live as a non Jew in a way that is compatible so that my brethren are elevated and encouraged. He’s prepared to be a slave is what he said, isn’t it? We’re ministers, we’re we’re your servants unto all that I might gain them all. That’s what it means, brothers and sisters, to say all things are lawful, but all things edify not.

103. 45:54

     Is there anything in my life that is going to cause offence too or a problem for for my brother and sister or young person? Then I’ll take that out of my life because this is about working as a slave to build up the ecclesial environment. He’s making sure Verse 22 to the weak became I as weak that I might gain the weak.

104. 46:19

     I made all things to all men that I might by all means save one. He’s prepared even to live according to the weakest conscience, and to lift up and carry upon his arms those who are weak and who struggle as well. He’s showing by his own example what it means to live under the law of liberty.

105. 46:39

     Verse 22 Halfway through I made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. That’s the only focus that the apostle has here is, is if I might by by by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel sake, that I might be take a thereof with you.

106. 47:01

     Here’s the example of the apostle. It’s not a life based on justification of law. It’s not a life saying here’s the minimum standard I can keep or here’s myself righteous achievement. He transcends that completely. It’s a life based entirely on the edification of his brothers and sisters. Can you just see the power of that life lived on the basis of edification, lived in slavery because we are not our own to build up and to assist our brothers and sisters.

107. 47:43

     So Paul has shown us this incredible example of how he is prepared to respond to the question of, as it were, meat offered to idols and the expansion of this concept of eating and drinking. Let’s come now to to Chapter 10. And this really is quite incredible. So we’ve got the example of the apostles that he’s shown us and their willingness to to transcend their own wants and to do only what is what would edify.

108. 48:10

     Now he goes back to the example of Israel in the wilderness and he picks out a few little examples of Israel in the wilderness and just see the connections that he pulls together here. First Corinthians chapter 10 and verse one. Moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea.

109. 48:30

     We’re all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. So saying that every single one of them was baptized. How can he say that that the the the crossing of the Red Sea was a was a baptism in water? Wasn’t it just a, a walking through the sea? Well, he actually says his words quite carefully, doesn’t he? All our fathers were under the cloud and passed through the sea.

110. 48:55

     So the sea has opened up and as they’re walking through, there’s a cloud over the top of them. They’re immersed in water, aren’t they? If you go back and and look at some of the Psalms that talk about it, there is a sense of this torrential rain and of the storm that was happening.

111. 49:09

     So literally the children of Israel were encompassed about in water as they crossed through the Red Sea. And he says that’s the symbol of baptism. Israel came out of Egypt and they went through the symbol of baptism as they crossed the Red Sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. And verse three and four, that it all eat the same spiritual meat.

112. 49:30

     That was the manner, wasn’t it? They had the benefit of the manner that had been provided to them and that it all drink the same spiritual drink, for they drink of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. So he’s going back to the example of Israel in the wilderness and he’s saying they were all baptized.

113. 49:50

     And he’s starting to draw a parallel here for the Corinthian ecclesia. Here’s the congregation of Israel in the wilderness, baptized. Here’s the congregation of Corinth baptized. Snap, same thing. They all ate the same spiritual meat. Manner, the provision of daily manner, the bread of life, provision of the bread of life. Here they all ate the same spiritual drink, but they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. And so he’s saying the spiritual drink that they have is the water that precedes from Christ as the water of life. So he’s actually now starting to draw a parallel between the Corinthian ecclesia and the congregation or the ecclesia in the wilderness.

114. 50:28

     And he’s actually saying, look, they both had the same circumstances. They were both baptized and they both had. And note his point here, they both had the same thing, to eat and to drink. So he’s still carrying on the concepts of eating and drinking. He’s picking up the concept of meat offered to idols and he’s carrying on the concepts of eating and drinking into chapter 10. Am I pushing that too far?

115. 50:53

     Well, let’s just hold judgement for a moment and and see if I can prove that through the rest of this section. But with many of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. So it’s the same for us, He says. We’ve we’ve all been baptized into Christ. We’ve all eaten the same spiritual meat and drink. We partake of the bread and the wine together, don’t we? Sunday by Sunday, more than that, we drink the water of life and we eat the bread of life, and we’re in this together. We’ve come through baptism, we’ve had our spiritual meat and drink, and we’re following that spiritual rock. Even Christ, We’re all together here. But in verse 5, He becomes quite personal. But with many of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

116. 51:44

     So His point is we can have baptism and all the advantages of the truth of the eating and drinking of the spiritual meat and food, and we can ignore that and perish in the wilderness.

117. 51:59

     But what he’s starting to do, brothers and sisters and young people, is actually to start to open up for us exactly what the issue was for the congregation in the wilderness. He’s been deliberately paralleling the children of Israel and the Corinthian ecclesia. And then verse 6. Now these things are our examples to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. So they are our examples.

118. 52:25

     He’s saying it’s something we need to learn from. So he’s he’s asking the brothers and sisters in Corinth to stop and to re examine their approach to the truth here. And he’s saying this issue of the meat offered to idols that we talked about here, he said, now I’m actually going to show to you that this concept of eating and drinking and the focus on eating and drinking is actually a major issue that destroyed the ecclesia in the wilderness.

119. 52:49

     That the self justification they used in the wilderness and their attitude in the wilderness around eating and drinking was something that caused the devastation of the ecclesia in the wilderness. And he’s actually going to lead them in by parts in this chapter to the realization that they were eating and fellowshipping the table of the devil.

120. 53:11

     Their self justification was not just hurting others, but it led to them living a life in the wilderness that rebelled against God and LED to them partaking of a meal and fellowship with devils. And he’s asking us 2000 years later to stop and to examine our own life, to have a look at our own puffed up self justifications to see whether actually we might just be doing the same thing.

121. 53:44

     So, So what examples does he use in the wilderness? Well, the first is this one in in chapter 6. These things were our examples to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And then he goes through a string of a whole lot of examples out of the wilderness. So why did Paul use these particular issues that were arising in the wilderness?

122. 54:05

     Well, the first is that the issues in the wilderness were mirroring those that were existing in the Corinthian ecclesia. The lasting, the fornication, the tempting of Christ, the murmuring issues around eating and drinking, we’re all exactly the same issues that he had to deal with in Corinth. They were all baptized, but not all of them were saved. Have have a look in your spare time in, in Psalm 78 and just see the connections between the wilderness wanderings and the perfect link into the Corinthian ecclesia and their struggles. So verse 6 to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.

123. 54:42

     Just hold your hand here and come across to Numbers Chapter 11. Now I’m going to flick through a few quotes quite quickly here because we’re going to go backwards and forwards between the wilderness wanderings and the Corinthian ecclesia to, to really start to get the sense of how it works. So First Corinthians 11 and in verse 4 they’ve just really just made it out of of Egypt.

124. 55:04

     And verse 4 the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting and the children of Israel also wept again and said, who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic.

125. 55:18

     But now our soldiers dried away. There was nothing at all beside this manner before our eyes. So what’s the issue here? Well, this corresponds, doesn’t it, to the intent that they we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. That phrase here is exactly the the mixed multitude that the mixed multitude lusted. And what was the lusting?

126. 55:38

     Well, in their minds, they’d gone back to the food of Egypt. They wanted all the beautiful food of Egypt, if you can call some of those beautiful. They wanted all the the beautiful food of Egypt, but in doing so they had despised the manner. Our soul has dried away. There’s nothing beside this manner before our eyes.

127. 55:58

     And so they were looking at the manner and they’re saying our souls dried away. We hate the manner. We want to go back to the food of Egypt was the particular issue here. So they lusted and as a result, verse 33 and 34, they were given the quail, and while the flesh was yet between their teeth, here it was chewed.

128. 56:19

     The wrath of Yahweh was kindled against the people, and Yahweh smote the people with a great, you know, plague. And he called the name of that place Kibroth Hatava, the graves of the greedy, because there they buried the people that lusted. And so this first example that he uses of them lusting in the wilderness is an example that’s completely related, isn’t it, to this concept of eating and and of drinking and showing that they despised the manner that had been given to them because they wanted the food of Egypt.

129. 56:50

     OK, what about the next one, verse 7? Neither be idolaters, as were some of them. As it’s written, the people sat down to eat and drink and to rose up to play. So that’s a a citation directly out of Exodus 32 and verse 6. I won’t actually get you to turn that one up because Paul’s given us the key part of it here.

130. 57:08

     If I told you to think about the golden calf, what would you think of? You would think of the fact that they had made a calf, it is clearly idolatry. It’s clearly taken them back to the idolatry of Egypt and then the fact that they rose up in and indulged in immorality. But the connecting point which Paul has quoted out of here in Exodus 32 is exactly this point. The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. So actually the key issue of the golden calf was they made a calf based on idolatry and then they indulged in a fellowship meal together and eating and drinking based around that calf. And then they rose up to play and engaged in immorality. I’ve got a, a table up here.

131. 57:52

     You can no doubt look ahead and see some of the ones before we quite get there. But I want you to see the patterns that are starting to build up here. The first one is that they were it was associated with eating and drinking, but it turned them against the manner. They hated the manner and they wanted the food of Egypt.

132. 58:07

     The second one is is eating and drinking, but in the context of idolatry and it turns them to immorality. So I’ve given it away here. Let’s just work through the rest of this verse 8. Neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed and fell in one day three and 20,000. Now we know very well that that’s the incident of Bale peel, don’t we, that that number of of 23,000 dying is the incident of Bale peel and this concept of committing fornication.

133. 58:34

     But I’ll just read to you from Numbers 25 and verse one to three, which is exactly this incident of Bale peel. So Numbers 25 and verse one to three. And you won’t be surprised to you Israel Abode and Chittim and and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab, and they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods. And the people did eat and bowed down to their gods, and Israel joined himself unto Baal Peor, and the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Israel.

134. 59:10

     So you find once again that the concept of the idolatry and of partaking of idolatry is closely associated with the concept of eating, that the people were called to the sacrifices of the Moabite gods. And the, the, the people of Israel ate and bound down and bowed down and joined themselves to Baal Peor. It’s exactly the same concept.

135. 59:33

     They ate and they drank. They committed idolatry and it turned into immorality. They began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. Verse 9 Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted him. We’re destroyed of serpents. So clearly this is the incident of the of the fiery serpents, isn’t it out of numbers 21.

136. 59:55

     And they they tempted Christ, we’re told. So. Numbers 21. And verse 5 to 6, what was the issue in in Numbers 21? And the people spake against God and against Moses. Wherefore have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, neither is there any water. And our soul loathe this light bread. And Yahweh sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and much people of Israel died. It’s the same issue, isn’t it?

137. 1:00:27

     There they were with the fiery serpents. Sorry, there they were in the wilderness and they said there’s no bread, there’s no water. But then they answer the fact, they say our soul loatheth this light bread. So actually the issue with the fiery serpents and the devastation caused by the fiery serpents was because they were saying we hate the manner we don’t like the food of God in the wilderness. We want the food from back in Egypt. We want our own food which we enjoy and so yet again we find that this concept that Paul picks out is 1 which hones right into the issue of eating and drinking and the impact of of that eating and drinking.

138. 1:01:03

     And in verse 10, neither murmur years, some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now the marginal reference there is in Numbers 14, which which does talk of murmuring, I’m actually going to take you back to Exodus 1516 and 17 because I believe in the context of what we’re seeing already here, that this is the such the example he’s talking about. Exodus 15, verse 24, they come into the waters of Mara. Verse 23, they were bitter and the people murmured against Moses saying what shall we drink? So it’s the same.

139. 1:01:43

     So this concept of the of the people murmuring comes out here strongly in Exodus. In Exodus 15 there was no water, therefore the people murmured or chapter 16 and verse verse 2, they took their journey to Elam and verse one and the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said unto them, would to God, we had died by the hand of of Yahweh in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, and when we did eat bread to the full. For ye have brought us forth into the this wilderness to kill this assembly with hunger.

140. 1:02:18

     Verse 4 Then Yahweh said unto Moses, Behold, I will reign bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather. And so that incident is actually the incident where the the manner is commenced for the for the people of Israel. And so see where their focus is, though they’re murmuring because they’re saying, oh, why would why did we even come out to wilderness?

141. 1:02:38

     Would God? We had died back in the land of Egypt by the fleshpots of Egypt where we had food and abundance and chapter 17 and verse 3 and refidom, wherefore the people chode with to chide with Moses and said, give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, why charge you with me? Wherefore do you tempt Yahweh?

142. 1:02:58

     And the people thirsted there for water and the people murmured against Moses. Excuse me. So that context of the murmuring and the idea of murmuring, I believe is actually out of those early section here in Exodus, which again gives us this concept of the eating and the drinking and particularly this the the going back to the food of Egypt and God in response gives the manner.

143. 1:03:25

     So this is a battle, isn’t it, between the gods of the nations, the lifestyle of the nations and Yahweh between the fellowship meal of the gods of the nations and the and the fellowship meal of Yahweh. And Paul brings out so brilliantly here, using these particular examples to show that the issue is not just one he’s having to deal with in Corinth around the eating of meat offered to idols.

144. 1:03:54

     But he’s showing that the issues that are arising in Corinth were because of their focus on eating and drinking, of eating and drinking of the gods of the nations around them. That in Israel, in the wilderness, that focus on eating and drinking had led to idolatry and immorality and destruction on the one hand. And in other examples it relates to the fact that they despise the manner of God’s providing.

145. 1:04:22

     They despised the manner because they wanted to eat and drink things the way the world had provided them. They preferred to head back to the leeks and onions and garlics, and so therefore loathed the angels food that they had given. And therefore, they would never enter into the land that was overflowing in milk and honey from the abundance of the Father, because they wanted to fellowship the feast of the idols of the nations around them. And so in such an incredible way, Paul brings them right back to the very heart of the issue in Corinth. It wasn’t just justification around mere eating meat offered to idols.

146. 1:05:05

     They actually wanted to indulge in the idols worship. They wanted to indulge themselves in the idols around, just like Israel in the wilderness who had fallen time and time again. They wanted to betake of this life and the lifestyle of the nations around them. They hated the manner, the word, the bread of life that had been provided. But you see, they’d found a legal justification to do so, hadn’t they, when they said that an idol was nothing. And Paul just turns that on his head and and he warns not just them, but he warns us also, doesn’t he, that we need to be careful in case our own justification, just such a simple little academic justification here should lead to such an incredible behavioural transformation that we end up fellowshipping the idols of the nations around this 15 of of 1st Corinthians 10.

147. 1:06:00

     Our speakers to wise men judge he what I say the cup of blessing which we bless. Is it not the communion of the blood of Christ, The bread which we break isn’t not the communion of the body of Christ, For we being many are one bread and one body. We’re partakers of that one bread. And now Paul starts to pull all these ideas together in terms of our own worship and our own approach to God because he’s been building up this context.

148. 1:06:24

     Yes, an idol’s nothing. You can go and eat that. But actually he’s saying when you go into the Idols Temple or he takes a back a step, he says when you come to the memorial meeting and you share in the bread and the wine, what are you doing? We’re becoming one body. We’re becoming a communion, a common union of the body of Christ. We’re one bread and we’re one body. So as we share that bread that’s broken, as we share the wine that is passed around, we become, as it were, I’ve sat carefully, but we become part of that body and part of that bread.

149. 1:06:56

     We fellowship, as it were, the sacrifice of the body of Christ. We become the communion of the body and blood of Christ. He then expands that verse 18 Israel after the flesh are not they which each of the sacrifices partakers of the altar. So there were particular sacrifices where Israel would come and would join in the eating of the sacrifice that was placed upon the altar.

150. 1:07:20

     And it’s saying that it links the offer and the offering and the priest in the process of offering together in one united fellowship meal together. So verse 19, he says, well, let’s now take that principle and apply it and idol worship. What I say then, is the idol anything or is that which is offered and sacrificed to idols anything?

151. 1:07:41

     Well, they’d argued it wasn’t. No, it’s not. So therefore it doesn’t impact. But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God. And I would not that you should fellowship with devils. And his point here is when you go up to the idols temple and you eat meat that’s been offered to an idol, you are fellowshipping the table of devils. You are there sharing in a fellowship that binds you together with that idol, with all of that. It represents with all of the immorality and all the issues associated with that idol worship. If you are prepared to go up there and to eat there, then you will become part of that idol is what he’s saying. So their little legal justification here that an idol is nothing and therefore they could go up there has now been utterly turned on its head to say actually that legal justification has now brought you to a position where you’re prepared to instead of having the the community of the body and blood of the Lord, you are actually fellowshipping the table of devils.

152. 1:08:41

     You are becoming part of the idol itself. As we become as as we partake of Yahweh’s feast memorial meeting, we become the communion of the body of Christ and we’re bound in that beautiful fellowship that the memorial feast becomes for us spiritually. We’ve become part of the body of Christ. But he tells us if we’re prepared instead to go out and to eat in an idol’s temple, then actually we’re fellowshipping with devils.

153. 1:09:15

     There’s little justification here had brought them to a position where they were in fellowship becoming one with and part of the table of devils. You might be able to justify it, but in reality it’s LED you to the horrible position of being in fellowship with the idol. You can’t expect that he says to happen. Verse 21.

154. 1:09:43

     You can’t drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils. He cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table and of the table of devils. We can’t expect to fellowship the table of devils and then to come to the Lord’s feast on a Sunday morning and expect that we’ll have fellowship with a father. He says you cannot do it if in our life we are justifying ourselves into a position where instead of edifying one another, we are living our life based on what we want to do. If that way of life has LED us to a position where we are indulging in fellowship with the world and bringing the world into our lives.

155. 1:10:30

     And he says, how can you expect to turn around on a Sunday morning and fellowship with the Father? And in such an incredible way, Paul has has shown us that it’s not just others we’re hurting with that little justification, but we’re actually destroying ourselves that we are in, and we’re destroying the fellowship with the Father.

156. 1:10:49

     It’s that law of consequence, isn’t it? Just a little academic justification that’s LED inevitably by tunes to major behavioral change that put us in fellowship with the devil and not with God.

157. 1:11:08

     We haven’t got time to look at it in detail now, but in One Corinthians Chapter 11, actually this chapter that we use every Sunday and perhaps use too much every Sunday as as a basis of of of words just for for the memorials is actually a chapter that’s pulling together all of these ideas to show now what had happened. And what is this in in Chapter 11, verse 20, when we come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s Supper for an eating everyone taketh before other his own supper and one is hungry and another is drunken. What have ye not houses to eat and drink in or despise ye the ecclesia of God and shame them what have not? So what had happened?

158. 1:11:48

     Well, the memorial feast had actually got to a position where before the memorial feast they’d have a meal together and one of them was so poor that he was sitting in the corner starving and the other one who was wealthy was sitting there overindulging and drunken. What’s that if it’s not the idols worship that has now become part of the memorial meeting? So it’s not just that they were fellowshipping the table of devils up in the idols temple, but their self justification had now led to an outcome where then the meat offered to idols had become idol worship in the memorial meeting of God itself. They had taken the influence of the idols worship and they had brought the drunken feasting approach of the idols worship into the memorial meeting itself. Brothers and sisters and young people, you cannot take little things which you justify as a self justification and expect if they are against the principles of God, that it will not find its way into influencing the ecclesia and by turns we’ll end up in our memorial meetings impacting our ability to fellowship with the father.

159. 1:12:53

     It had come into the memorial meeting itself, and Paul says that a man examine himself before he takes the bread and the wine to see whether we are bringing the idols worship with us. It’s the final horrific outworking of a simple little statement that an idol is nothing. What is started as a seemingly minor comment had now drifted into them eating idols meat in the idols temple and by degrees and slips and tones they had taken the fellowship of the temple and bought it into the ecclesial life itself. The reality is that none of us eat meat offered to idols. None of us have a concern about the question of meat offered to idols.

160. 1:13:39

     It’s simply not a problem for us today. But it’s very easy for us to take self justification in many matters of life. We’re told all these things happen to them. For examples, there’s no temptation touch you, but such as is common to men and I believe, brothers and sisters, that in the age we live in, there is a significant danger that we are fellowshipping the table of devils. That we can have justified our own life, our own lifestyle, our own way of life to such an extent that we have missed the concept of edifying our brothers and sisters. It was the issue in Sodom, wasn’t it? Abundance of idleness and fullness of bread. We live in an age of, of relaxation of an age of focus upon ourselves.

161. 1:14:29

     On one hand, we rush madly around in the world that’s going faster and faster. And on the other time when we have that spare time, we we try and fill it up with all the relaxations and all of the focuses of this life. And we actually have to stop and to examine our own life’s personally, brothers and sisters and young people, to see whether our life has lived in the fullness and the completeness of service to our brothers and sisters in their edification, to make sure that what we’re doing will not make them hurt or stumble. All things are lawful, but not all things are expedient. The word expedient there we’ve looked at already is the idea of to bear together and to contribute. But now Paul adds another phrase to edify. He says in in one Corinthians 10 and verse 23 and 24. All things are lawful but all things edify. Not that word.

162. 1:15:34

     Edify interestingly is to be a house builder to construct or confirm. Paul’s bringing us back to the concept of being Co labourers or builders with God and the building we build is our brothers and sisters together. This is God’s salvation that He is working. He wants us to to to take each other and to build and to lift each other up, and therefore we should be prepared to put anything aside in life that could harm or destroy that outcome. That way of salvation is shown by the Lord in the ultimate example of expedience and edification, of building us up, of bearing us.

163. 1:16:23

     Take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you. This cup is the New Testament, the New Covenant in my blood. God does not tempt us above that we are able. He has made the way of forgiveness and reconciliation available through the life and the death of His dear Son. It’s up to us as individuals to examine ourselves, to turn on our heels and to flee from idolatry and to devote our life in slavery to one another.

164. 1:17:04

     Wherefore he says, whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, make sure that it’s all to the glory of God.