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

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By way of introduction, this
morning we have a reading from

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First Corinthians 10 verses 19
through to 1st Corinthians 11

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verse one, and we’ll ask Brother
Alvin Brown to come forward and

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read that to us.
How do you?

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Read this one.
Reading with your brethren and

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sisters from first Corinthians
10 verses 19 three to 11 verse

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one.
What shall I say then?

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That the idol is anything, or
that which is offered in

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sacrifice to idols is anything
but.

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I say that the things which the
Gentiles sacrifice, they

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sacrifice the devils, and not to
God.

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And I would not that you should
have fellowship with devils.

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You cannot drink the cup of the
Lord and the cup of devils.

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You cannot be partakers of the
Lord’s table and the table of

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devils.
Do we provoke the Lord to

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jealousy?
Are we stronger than He?

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All things are lawful for me,
but all things are not

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expedient.
All things are lawful for me,

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but all things edify not.
Let no man seek his own, but

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every man another’s wealth
whatsoever is sold in the

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shambles that eat asking no
questions for conscience sake.

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For the earth is the Lord’s, and
the fullness thereof.

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If any of them believe not, bid
you to a feast, and you’d be

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disposed to go whatsoever is set
before you, eat asking that

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question for conscience sake.
But if any man say unto you,

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This is offered in sacrifice
unto idols, eat not for the sake

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that show that showed it, and
for conscience sake.

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For the earth is the Lord’s, and
the fullness thereof.

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Conscience, I say, is not thine
own, but of the other.

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For why is my liberty judged of
another man’s conscience?

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For if by grace be a partaker,
why am I evil spoken of for that

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which is for, for that which I
give thanks.

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Whether therefore ye eat or
drink, or whatsoever ye do, do

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all to the glory of God, Give
none offence, neither to the

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Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor
to the Ecclesia of God, even as

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I please all men in all things,
not seeking my own prophet, but

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the prophet of many, that they
may be saved, be followers of

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me, even as I also am of Christ.
Thanks, Elvin.

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All right, well, we’ll now ask
Brother Ben to come forward and

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address us.
All things are lawful, but not

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all things are expedient.
Thank you, brother Stephen.

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Good morning my dear brothers
and sisters in our Lord Jesus

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Christ.
As it’s become a habit now,

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there’s a couple of points I
just want to pick up from

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yesterday morning which were
raised with me.

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The first thing to do is to
acknowledge actually that I get

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I got the order of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread in the Passover

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completely wrong.
Someone very helpfully pointed

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out to me actually that the
Feast of Unleavened Bread is

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after the Passover, not before.
And I apologise for the

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looseness of of Scripture in
that position.

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Interestingly, the principle
involved is actually even more

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powerful because it makes sense
with what Paul’s saying there

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where he says to take away the
leaven for even our Christ, our

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Passover is sacrificed.
In other words, he’s saying the

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the sacrifice of the Passover
has already occurred and now is

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the time to remove the leaven.
So I’ll still stand very much by

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the principle, but thank you to
those who who actually got me to

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use Scripture correctly.
They’re out of Exodus.

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And the second one is just a
point that someone’s raised,

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which I think is very powerful
and worth reiterating.

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That whilst in many respects we
are looking at ecclesial life

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and the principles associated
with ecclesial life.

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That in almost every
circumstance there are parallels

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between our own individual lives
and an ecclesia.

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That in essence the principles
of how we live our individual

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life are just those which are
expanded into ecclesial life and

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likewise the principles that
work in ecclesial life are those

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that can become very powerful
for our individual life.

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So where the lessons might be
might seem to be focused more on

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eclesial life together, which in
itself is not bad, but we can

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also take those and apply them
to ourselves personally as well.

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So we come to our section this
morning which is going to come

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up from chapter 8 through to
Chapter 11.

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The Apostle Paul had some
unsavouring and difficult

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subjects he had to deal with in
the Corinthian ecclesia, and yet

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we can be eternally grateful
that instead of just answering

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it by a particular answer of
rule that answered that

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particular issue, that is to
say, this is what you must do.

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Instead, he transcends the issue
in the way we have come to know

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from Paul by showing us the
principle of how issues should

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be addressed.
And in so doing he gives not

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just answers to the Corinthian
Ecclesia, but he gives us

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powerful insight 2000 years
later on how we can also pattern

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our lives.
Also the power of life lived

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upon the foundation principles
established here is one that

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transcends our own desires and
helps us to become true servants

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and Co labourers with the Lord.
Every one of the issues that the

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Apostle addresses in the
Corinthian ecclesia he addresses

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by going back to the principle
at stake.

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And so this morning, we shall
deal with another principle at

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stake.
You could call it, because it’s

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the meat offered to idols from
Chapter 8 through to Chapter 11.

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I promise you we’ll cover this
relatively high level, otherwise

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we might miss out on on lunch as
well.

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What we’ll find is that the
apostle picks up the concept of

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eating meat offered to idols,
and he expands on it from

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chapter one right through to
Chapter 11.

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And again, he shows the power of
principle.

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So Chapter 11 and the issues he
is talking about in Chapter 11

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are actually the outcomes of
what he is talking about in

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Chapter 8.
There is one small little

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mistake they had made in Chapter
8, and he shows them that

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mistake in chapter 8.
And then he talks about it and

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he expands on the outcome of
that mistake.

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And he shows by Chapter 11 that
that little mistake had had a

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devastating impact upon that
ecclesia, that that little

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mistake had grown and fested in
that ecclesia until it had LED

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them, as Paul tells us, to have
drunken face in the memorial

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meeting.
That one small mistake had led

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to a debacle at the memorial
meeting.

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At the time they were meant to
be remembering the death of

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their Lord.
It’s the impact of consequence.

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A minor, seemingly innocuous
academic reasoning on the side

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just here in chapter 8 had led
to major and far reaching

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behavioural change by the end of
Chapter 11.

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We touched on it yesterday and
you’ll see that our title for

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for today is this idea of all
things are lawful, but all

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things edify not, which we
essentially covered yesterday.

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But it’s because the apostle
Paul picks up and he reuses that

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that verse as we read this
morning and and focuses that

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that principle that we saw
yesterday to show how it can be

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outworked.
How just such a little academic

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justification has resulted in
such major consequences for

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Anaclesia.
So first Corinthians 8 and verse

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1/3 to verse 4.
Just see if you can find the

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keyword here as we read through
now as touching things offered

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unto idols.
We know that we all have

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knowledge.
Knowledge puffeth up, but love

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edifieth and if any man think
that he knoweth anything he

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knoweth nothing yet as he ought
to know.

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If any man love God the same as
known of him as concerning

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therefore the eating of those
things that are offered and

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sacrifice unto idols.
We know that an idol is nothing

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in the world and that there is
none other God but one.

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No doubt you’ve seen it.
It’s the concept of know, isn’t

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it to know knowing knowledge
that is actually flows right

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through this chapter here and he
takes the the the he talks to

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the clinger and he says the
reality is that we do know.

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We have a knowledge, a form of
knowledge.

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We’ve got our logical knowledge
that we’ve managed to pull

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together and we’re, we’re able
to say, I know this.

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It’s often the phrase, isn’t it?
I know that this is the case or

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I, I can justify this.
It’s the sense of, of knowing

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and using the, the academic
ability to know this particular.

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I know that this is the the
right case.

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He says, we all know that an
that an idol is nothing.

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Verse 4 as concerning the things
eating of those which are

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sacrificed into idols.
We know that an idol is nothing

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in the world, and so their basis
of their reasoning here is based

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on that knowledge that that
foundation knowledge that they

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had, that an idol was nothing.
And of course we would

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absolutely agree with that,
wouldn’t we?

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An idol is nothing.
It’s just a hunk of stone or a

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hunk of wood which cannot do
anything or change anything.

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So then we go to the next point.
If an idol is nothing, then I

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can eat meat that’s been offered
to an idol and it won’t have any

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impact on me whatsoever.
And that is also exactly right.

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The reality is, they were
exactly right in their knowledge

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here.
Knowledge told them, and rightly

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so, that if meat had been
offered to an idol, it had

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absolutely no impact on that
meat whatsoever.

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If an idol was nothing, they
could legitimately turn around

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and eat meat offered to it, and
that meat would be absolutely no

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different than if it had not
been offered to an idol in the

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1st place.
There was no physical change, no

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evil that was was attached to
that meat after it had been

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offered to an idol.
We know that that’s the case.

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But he gives a very strong
response, doesn’t he?

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In verse, Verse one is touching
things offered unto idols.

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We know that we all have
knowledge.

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We’ve all got that knowledge
that an idol’s nothing and

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therefore meat offered to it has
no impact.

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But knowledge puffs up and love
edifies.

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And so right here at the
beginning of this particular

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issue of the meat offered to
idols, he’s taking us back to

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the same principles that he
raised in our session yesterday.

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It’s about being puffed up, the
fact that we’re there in our

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pride, pretending to be someone
we’re not, the big puffer fish.

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So we’re coming in our puffed up
knowledge that an idol’s

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nothing, but we’re missing the
concept of edification or of

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love.
So he’s reminding them of that

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earlier principle.
Take care not to be puffed up in

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your own knowledge, taking pride
to be able to justify our own

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position.
I’m clever because I know that

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an idol’s nothing and that makes
me feel good, that I know that

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it helps me to to feel something
good.

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And so I’m going to hold on to
that point.

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I can justify it.
But he says, on the other hand,

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love edifies and this concept of
love edifying the body is 1.

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We will consider in our session
together tomorrow a very, very

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powerful concept that he picks
up tomorrow.

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It’s interesting just also in
passing to to see this contrast

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that he draws here in verse
three.

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If any man love God the same as
none of him.

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So here’s one individual who
knows that an idol is nothing,

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who has their knowledge, a
puffed up knowledge, and they’re

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using that as the basis of
justification for their actions

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in life.
But on the other hand, he says

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if that man instead learnt to
love God, then actually the

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knowledge would not be one about
the fact that an idol was

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nothing, but would actually be
the knowledge of God himself who

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knows that man as one of his
own.

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So that’s the choice, isn’t it?
We can be puffed up in our

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knowledge and take our position
and our justification, or we can

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choose the love of God and to be
known of God as one of His.

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So we can technically justify on
a basis on a legal basis.

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But remember that question, has
it edified, built up and

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assisted our brothers and
sisters?

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But if we love God and edify,
then in turn, God will know us.

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So we haven’t even actually
dealt with the issue of meat

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offered to idols yet.
But right here at the beginning

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is the warning that it’s another
matter.

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Yet again, surprisingly, it’s
based upon ego.

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Comes out time and time again,
doesn’t it?

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Every ecclesial issue that
arises, even those that appear

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00:12:53,400 –> 00:12:56,880
to have very strong sort of
academic arguments around them

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00:12:56,880 –> 00:13:01,160
in the rationale, are actually
at their core, matters of ego,

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00:13:02,160 –> 00:13:04,680
matters of individual pride in
being puffed up.

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00:13:06,400 –> 00:13:09,920
He’s warning them that it was
their clever logic flow they

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00:13:09,920 –> 00:13:13,360
were using to justify their
position was the very thing in

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00:13:13,360 –> 00:13:17,120
itself which was puffing them up
rather than helping them to

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00:13:17,120 –> 00:13:21,600
respond in edification.
Verse 4 As concerning therefore,

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00:13:21,600 –> 00:13:24,600
the eating of those things that
that are offered in sacrifice

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00:13:24,600 –> 00:13:27,040
unto idols.
We know that an idol is nothing

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00:13:27,040 –> 00:13:29,240
in the world, and that there is
none other God but one.

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00:13:29,640 –> 00:13:32,000
For though there be that are
called gods, whether in heaven

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00:13:32,000 –> 00:13:35,560
or on earth, as there be gods
many and Lords many, but to us

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00:13:35,560 –> 00:13:39,560
there is but one God, the
Father, of whom are all things,

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and we in Him and 1 Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom are all things,

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and we in Him.
There is a plethora of gods out

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00:13:45,080 –> 00:13:48,360
there, he says, but we all
acknowledge together that there

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00:13:48,360 –> 00:13:52,240
is only one God, that we are in
and by only one God the Father.

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00:13:52,960 –> 00:13:56,760
So we agree both sides of that
of that equation agree, don’t

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00:13:56,760 –> 00:13:58,880
they, with the principle that
there is only one God.

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Yes, I agree with you, Paul
says.

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00:14:02,360 –> 00:14:07,200
We just need to remember that
it’s one God by whom we exist.

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All of him are all things and we
in him.

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00:14:09,960 –> 00:14:12,920
It’s just a little reminder that
Paul is laying even using their

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00:14:12,920 –> 00:14:16,120
argument that actually this is a
focus about God.

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00:14:16,240 –> 00:14:21,080
It’s about one God and him that
we focus on and also his son in

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00:14:21,080 –> 00:14:22,400
the way he’s done throughout
this book.

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00:14:22,400 –> 00:14:25,880
Remember right from our our very
opening sentences in our in our

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00:14:25,880 –> 00:14:29,160
sessions together, we’ve seen
this concept of the focus on the

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00:14:29,160 –> 00:14:33,920
Lord Jesus Christ and his work.
So he’s agreeing to their

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00:14:33,920 –> 00:14:37,480
principle that an idol is
nothing, that there is only one

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00:14:37,480 –> 00:14:42,040
God, and that we exist because
of and are utterly dependent on

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00:14:42,040 –> 00:14:43,840
the Father and the Son working
together.

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00:14:44,640 –> 00:14:47,720
Because this becomes an
important concept as we start to

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00:14:47,720 –> 00:14:51,440
work through this.
So verse 7.

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00:14:52,400 –> 00:14:55,440
Howbeit there is not in every
man that knowledge.

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00:14:55,440 –> 00:15:00,320
For some with conscience of the
idol eat unto this, of the idol

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00:15:00,320 –> 00:15:03,240
unto this hour, eat it as a
thing offered unto an idol, and

254
00:15:03,240 –> 00:15:05,160
their conscience, being weak, is
defiled.

255
00:15:06,200 –> 00:15:08,120
So yes, the principle is
correct.

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00:15:09,440 –> 00:15:12,120
You can eat meat that has been
offered to idol and it will have

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00:15:12,120 –> 00:15:15,520
no impact on you.
It can’t have an impact on you

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00:15:15,520 –> 00:15:17,800
because the idol’s nothing.
So therefore it hasn’t changed

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00:15:17,800 –> 00:15:20,320
the meat.
Except he says that there is a

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00:15:20,320 –> 00:15:23,840
brother here who who has a
different knowledge, a different

261
00:15:23,840 –> 00:15:25,840
way of thinking about it.
And he looks at it and he says

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00:15:26,160 –> 00:15:29,640
that meat, that that idol is an
idol where where people are

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00:15:29,640 –> 00:15:32,120
worshipping it.
And I’m going to go and eat it.

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00:15:32,640 –> 00:15:35,320
But is it because others are?
But as he eats it, his

265
00:15:35,320 –> 00:15:38,920
conscience is default.
He’s believing that he’s sinning

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00:15:38,920 –> 00:15:40,680
as he’s eating that, that he’s
gone to eat it, but his

267
00:15:40,680 –> 00:15:42,560
conscience is eating him out.
He’s saying, I shouldn’t be

268
00:15:42,560 –> 00:15:46,280
doing this because this meat has
been associated with with an

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00:15:46,280 –> 00:15:48,880
idol.
And so we get this situation,

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00:15:48,880 –> 00:15:51,760
don’t we, in ecclesial life,
where one person says, well, I

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00:15:51,760 –> 00:15:54,560
can see it this way, an idol’s
nothing, therefore I can eat it.

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00:15:55,000 –> 00:15:57,240
And someone else says, well,
actually I see it as an idol and

273
00:15:57,240 –> 00:16:00,120
therefore I can’t eat it.
And you get this tension that

274
00:16:00,120 –> 00:16:04,520
arises and occurs as a result of
these different perceptions of

275
00:16:05,040 –> 00:16:08,000
different matters on, on, on how
we live our life.

276
00:16:11,200 –> 00:16:13,680
So yes, the meat itself is
irrelevant.

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00:16:15,400 –> 00:16:17,800
The fact that it’s been offered
to an idol is irrelevant.

278
00:16:17,800 –> 00:16:21,240
But it is possible, even using
that argument, to still have a

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00:16:21,240 –> 00:16:23,760
brother who has a defiled
conscience.

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00:16:24,760 –> 00:16:26,920
So here’s the picture that we’re
starting to build up here.

281
00:16:29,960 –> 00:16:32,560
An idol is nothing.
Was the argument that they were

282
00:16:32,560 –> 00:16:37,320
putting forward to you, an idol
is nothing and therefore we can

283
00:16:37,320 –> 00:16:42,240
eat it?
Verse 8 He then says, well, OK,

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00:16:42,240 –> 00:16:45,120
let’s let’s have a look at how
important it is to eat this meat

285
00:16:45,120 –> 00:16:48,800
off of the idols.
If if you’re saying an idol is

286
00:16:48,800 –> 00:16:50,840
nothing and we can eat its meat,
let’s have a look at how

287
00:16:50,840 –> 00:16:53,480
important it is.
Verse 8 But meat commendeth us

288
00:16:53,480 –> 00:16:56,800
not to God, for neither if we
eat, are we the better?

289
00:16:56,960 –> 00:16:59,360
Neither, if we eat not, are we
the worse.

290
00:17:00,640 –> 00:17:05,319
OK, So what he’s telling us now
is OK, so, so you can justify on

291
00:17:05,319 –> 00:17:07,440
a legal basis the fact that the
meat hasn’t changed and

292
00:17:07,440 –> 00:17:09,760
therefore it’s it’s edible.
Absolutely correct.

293
00:17:10,440 –> 00:17:13,560
So let’s now take a step back
and see what eating that meat

294
00:17:13,560 –> 00:17:16,440
does for you.
And unbelievably, at the end of

295
00:17:16,440 –> 00:17:19,200
meat, eating that meat, you are
actually not any better off.

296
00:17:19,920 –> 00:17:22,720
It’s just like eating any piece
of meat or any other food.

297
00:17:23,560 –> 00:17:26,640
The eating of that particular
meat has not improved you

298
00:17:26,640 –> 00:17:30,800
whatsoever, and if we decided
not to eat that meat, nor would

299
00:17:30,800 –> 00:17:33,760
that have hurt us, we wouldn’t
have been any sicker or any

300
00:17:33,760 –> 00:17:38,080
worse off as a result.
Funny enough, we don’t die

301
00:17:38,080 –> 00:17:40,600
because we haven’t eaten meat
offered to idols.

302
00:17:41,720 –> 00:17:45,520
We don’t end up sicker or worse
off if we’ve chosen not to eat

303
00:17:45,520 –> 00:17:49,040
it.
So eating that meat doesn’t help

304
00:17:49,080 –> 00:17:51,520
our personality or our
relationship with God.

305
00:17:52,160 –> 00:17:55,280
It doesn’t even particularly
have an impact on our physical

306
00:17:55,280 –> 00:17:57,200
well-being.
If we have other food available.

307
00:17:59,000 –> 00:18:01,840
If we don’t eat it, we don’t
actually get worse.

308
00:18:03,640 –> 00:18:07,960
And So what we find is, is that
the I get this right?

309
00:18:08,880 –> 00:18:13,640
The Corinthians were actually
forming this view to say if an

310
00:18:13,640 –> 00:18:16,960
idol is nothing and therefore
meat offered to an idol is

311
00:18:16,960 –> 00:18:21,920
nothing, I can actually prove to
God that I accept that idols are

312
00:18:21,920 –> 00:18:25,520
nothing by eating the meat.
That actually formed this next

313
00:18:25,520 –> 00:18:28,880
basis almost of saying if I eat
the meat offered to idols, it’s

314
00:18:28,920 –> 00:18:32,160
actually commending me to God
because I’m actually proving to

315
00:18:32,160 –> 00:18:34,720
God how much I know that that
idol is nothing and therefore I

316
00:18:34,720 –> 00:18:37,640
can eat it and it’s and it’s
strengthening my relationship

317
00:18:37,640 –> 00:18:39,200
with God.
And Paul’s just made the point

318
00:18:39,200 –> 00:18:41,920
very emphatically.
There is no benefit to you

319
00:18:41,920 –> 00:18:43,160
eating that meat offered to
idols.

320
00:18:43,160 –> 00:18:45,040
It’s not going to commend you to
God.

321
00:18:45,360 –> 00:18:49,120
There is no physical outcome, no
benefit that you gain from going

322
00:18:49,120 –> 00:18:50,960
and eating that meat offered to
idols.

323
00:18:53,320 –> 00:18:56,480
It doesn’t actually help our
relationship with God.

324
00:18:59,560 –> 00:19:03,880
They were there in their ego
proving to themselves how

325
00:19:03,880 –> 00:19:06,120
righteous they were because they
could eat that idol’s meat.

326
00:19:07,000 –> 00:19:08,560
And he says it has no impact at
all.

327
00:19:08,560 –> 00:19:11,640
There is there is no benefit at
all on that basis.

328
00:19:14,600 –> 00:19:18,320
And so the Corinthian brethren
were eating meat offered to

329
00:19:18,320 –> 00:19:20,640
idols.
Can you see that, that this

330
00:19:20,640 –> 00:19:23,440
process of, of argumentative
reasoning that’s happening here,

331
00:19:23,640 –> 00:19:25,080
they know that an idol is
nothing.

332
00:19:26,360 –> 00:19:29,240
They can see that that it can
commend me to God if I eat it.

333
00:19:29,800 –> 00:19:31,880
Therefore I’m justified in
eating the meat offered to

334
00:19:31,880 –> 00:19:33,600
idols.
And you’d look at it and you’d

335
00:19:33,600 –> 00:19:35,160
say, that’s well, that’s fine,
isn’t it?

336
00:19:35,240 –> 00:19:36,680
They’ve got their rationale in
place.

337
00:19:37,200 –> 00:19:39,520
They’ve got a logical reason as
to why they can eat that meat

338
00:19:39,520 –> 00:19:42,200
offered to idols and it has no
impact on them whatsoever.

339
00:19:43,480 –> 00:19:45,520
So therefore, there’s nothing
really wrong with eating that

340
00:19:45,520 –> 00:19:51,160
meat offered to an idols that
that justified themselves and

341
00:19:51,160 –> 00:19:55,040
they had justified themselves to
others and they’d given their

342
00:19:55,040 –> 00:19:57,840
reasoning and their logic behind
it and felt very comfortable in

343
00:19:57,840 –> 00:20:01,760
their ability to do so.
So Paul’s point here at this

344
00:20:01,760 –> 00:20:06,960
position is at best, doing so is
a nothing is a zero.

345
00:20:07,920 –> 00:20:11,120
There is no benefit whatsoever
that you get from eating meat

346
00:20:11,120 –> 00:20:13,840
offered to idols.
So so he’s just laying the

347
00:20:13,840 –> 00:20:15,440
foundation, isn’t he?
Let’s have a look at this

348
00:20:15,440 –> 00:20:18,720
concept of met offer titles at
best is going to do nothing for

349
00:20:18,720 –> 00:20:21,800
you.
Then he comes to this next

350
00:20:21,800 –> 00:20:26,960
little verse here in verse 9.
But do take heed, he says, lest

351
00:20:26,960 –> 00:20:30,640
by any means this liberty of
yours become a stumbling block

352
00:20:30,640 –> 00:20:34,280
to them that are weak.
For if any man see thee which

353
00:20:34,280 –> 00:20:36,800
has knowledge sit at meat in the
idols temple, shall not the

354
00:20:36,800 –> 00:20:39,720
conscience of him which is weak
be emboldened to eat those

355
00:20:39,720 –> 00:20:40,960
things which are offered to
idols?

356
00:20:41,200 –> 00:20:43,680
And through thy knowledge shall
the weak brother perish, for

357
00:20:43,680 –> 00:20:47,560
whom Christ died also.
Now there’s a there’s AI was

358
00:20:47,960 –> 00:20:50,360
going to say a slight change.
There’s a huge change, isn’t it?

359
00:20:50,360 –> 00:20:53,160
There’s a dramatic cut that
comes across their arguing or

360
00:20:53,160 –> 00:20:56,480
their their reasoning here.
Here they were with this power

361
00:20:56,480 –> 00:20:58,840
of liberty.
We’re not going to live under

362
00:20:58,840 –> 00:21:02,080
this law, they say.
We’re we’re going to live in, in

363
00:21:02,080 –> 00:21:04,920
liberty.
We can transcend the concepts of

364
00:21:04,920 –> 00:21:07,880
of this idol.
We’re going to eat meat that’s

365
00:21:07,880 –> 00:21:10,000
offered to idols because all
things are lawful to me.

366
00:21:10,360 –> 00:21:14,720
I’m at liberty to eat.
Oh, he says.

367
00:21:14,720 –> 00:21:19,800
Just just be careful because you
may find that an eating freely

368
00:21:20,320 –> 00:21:24,160
that meat offered to idols.
You’ve just cast a stumbling

369
00:21:24,160 –> 00:21:27,920
block in front of your brother
or your young person.

370
00:21:30,520 –> 00:21:35,120
You’ve just caused another
person, another brother or

371
00:21:35,120 –> 00:21:39,040
sister, another young person to
stumble and fall in the truth.

372
00:21:41,480 –> 00:21:47,320
So yes, you’re right.
You may be able to justify the

373
00:21:47,320 –> 00:21:51,600
eating of the meat offered to
idols, but you’ve just hurt

374
00:21:51,600 –> 00:21:56,240
someone else in doing so.
I don’t know if you noticed in

375
00:21:56,240 –> 00:21:59,760
verse 10, there’s a there’s a
small but very explosive

376
00:21:59,760 –> 00:22:05,280
addition to the equation here.
If any man shall see thee which

377
00:22:05,280 –> 00:22:12,080
hast knowledge sit at meat in
the idols temple.

378
00:22:15,120 –> 00:22:18,280
So the justification had
actually gone another step

379
00:22:18,280 –> 00:22:23,640
further and idols nothing.
I can eat meat off into idol and

380
00:22:23,640 –> 00:22:26,680
it’s not going to hurt me.
And in fact, because an idol’s

381
00:22:26,680 –> 00:22:31,000
nothing, I can actually go up to
the idols temple and inside the

382
00:22:31,000 –> 00:22:34,560
idols temple I can eat meat
offered to idols and because an

383
00:22:34,560 –> 00:22:36,080
idol’s nothing, it’s not going
to hurt me.

384
00:22:36,560 –> 00:22:39,280
Can you see the little
progression of behaviour that’s

385
00:22:39,280 –> 00:22:42,280
starting to occur here?
There’s a logical argument and

386
00:22:42,280 –> 00:22:45,040
reasoning here.
An idol’s nothing, I can eat

387
00:22:45,040 –> 00:22:47,640
meat offered to idols.
It’s just that phrase which

388
00:22:47,640 –> 00:22:49,920
shivers down my spine when I
first saw it there.

389
00:22:50,920 –> 00:22:53,560
If any man see thee which hast
knowledge, sit it meat in the

390
00:22:53,560 –> 00:22:55,640
idols temple.
And you can just see Currently

391
00:22:55,640 –> 00:22:59,200
the sense now in which their
legal justification, their basis

392
00:22:59,200 –> 00:23:02,120
of self justification, where
they’d said I can do this, has

393
00:23:02,120 –> 00:23:05,960
now resulted in them as brothers
and sisters sitting in the idols

394
00:23:05,960 –> 00:23:10,240
temple and starting to eat that
meat offered to idols in the

395
00:23:10,240 –> 00:23:15,080
idols temple.
I can go up to the temple of the

396
00:23:15,080 –> 00:23:18,120
idols and sit in the temple and
eat that meat offered to idols.

397
00:23:18,120 –> 00:23:20,280
And because an idol is nothing,
it’s not going to hurt me.

398
00:23:21,040 –> 00:23:24,640
From a purely legal sort of
rational argument perspective,

399
00:23:24,640 –> 00:23:27,800
it’s true.
If an idol is nothing, going and

400
00:23:27,800 –> 00:23:29,280
sitting in their temple
shouldn’t hurt you.

401
00:23:30,800 –> 00:23:34,160
You’ll have no impact, no, no
physical impact by eating that

402
00:23:34,160 –> 00:23:44,760
meat on a purely legal basis.
But his point was verse 10, as

403
00:23:44,760 –> 00:23:48,520
we saw the man, the brother sees
them going there.

404
00:23:48,800 –> 00:23:52,080
His own conscience, which is
weak, is emboldened.

405
00:23:52,560 –> 00:23:54,720
He thinks, well, if they can do
it, I can do it as well.

406
00:23:55,440 –> 00:23:59,920
And through thy knowledge shall
the weak brother perish, for

407
00:24:00,960 –> 00:24:08,200
whom Christ died.
Someone may see you and decide

408
00:24:08,200 –> 00:24:10,240
that they can do the same thing
as you’ve justified.

409
00:24:10,240 –> 00:24:12,920
And they’re emboldened and they
go up to the evil idols temple

410
00:24:13,360 –> 00:24:18,120
and they eat and they sin.
And through thy puffed up

411
00:24:18,120 –> 00:24:20,040
knowledge shall thy weak brother
perish.

412
00:24:20,080 –> 00:24:22,840
And that that phrase at the end,
which is just awful, isn’t it,

413
00:24:22,840 –> 00:24:27,880
for whom Christ died.
So a little justification here

414
00:24:27,880 –> 00:24:30,000
to say an idol’s nothing,
therefore I can eat meat off

415
00:24:30,000 –> 00:24:33,200
into idols, has now led to a
position where I’ve justified

416
00:24:33,200 –> 00:24:36,080
being in the idol’s temple and
I’ve caused one of my brothers

417
00:24:36,080 –> 00:24:39,320
to also go to the idol’s temple,
and I’ve lost him to the idols.

418
00:24:40,960 –> 00:24:43,800
And there’s just that little
phrase of that, brother, by the

419
00:24:43,800 –> 00:24:47,600
way, that you have just
destroyed is 1 for whom the Lord

420
00:24:47,600 –> 00:24:52,200
Jesus Christ was prepared to
hang on the stake he gave his

421
00:24:52,200 –> 00:24:54,680
life.
How dare we, brothers and

422
00:24:54,680 –> 00:24:57,520
sisters, be in a position where
we have got our own puffed up

423
00:24:57,560 –> 00:25:01,440
knowledge and self justification
that justifies our actions in

424
00:25:01,440 –> 00:25:04,400
life.
And we use that justification to

425
00:25:04,400 –> 00:25:07,400
say we’re righteous and we
destroy someone who’s struggling

426
00:25:08,240 –> 00:25:12,240
through our bad example, who the
Lord Jesus Christ was prepared

427
00:25:12,240 –> 00:25:14,320
to die for.
He brings them up with an

428
00:25:14,320 –> 00:25:17,120
absolute jolt, doesn’t he?
Actually, your actions are not

429
00:25:17,120 –> 00:25:19,640
just puffed up in pride, but
they are causing now a

430
00:25:19,640 –> 00:25:22,520
destruction of your brother.
And that’s a brother for whom

431
00:25:22,520 –> 00:25:25,760
Christ hung on the stick.
There’s a, there’s a dramatic

432
00:25:25,760 –> 00:25:28,320
change in perspective that comes
over the story here from an

433
00:25:28,320 –> 00:25:30,360
idol’s nothing.
I can easily eat this meat.

434
00:25:30,360 –> 00:25:33,160
Offer to idol and I can eat in
its temple because it’s nothing.

435
00:25:33,160 –> 00:25:36,320
Yes, but in doing so, you’ve
destroyed this brother.

436
00:25:36,880 –> 00:25:40,040
And that brother happens to be
someone for whom the Lord Jesus

437
00:25:40,040 –> 00:25:44,320
Christ died.
If we could only keep this

438
00:25:44,320 –> 00:25:46,880
perspective, brothers and
sisters and young people.

439
00:25:48,280 –> 00:25:51,280
If we could only remember when
it’s a question of some silly

440
00:25:51,280 –> 00:25:54,600
little piece of meat that we
want to eat, or some other silly

441
00:25:54,600 –> 00:25:59,080
little action or activity that
we want to undertake, that we

442
00:25:59,080 –> 00:26:03,600
can never risk the potential
that our own wants and our own

443
00:26:03,600 –> 00:26:06,840
justification have destroyed a
brother or a young person for

444
00:26:06,840 –> 00:26:09,440
whom Christ died.
Suffer yourselves to be

445
00:26:09,440 –> 00:26:11,920
defrauded.
He says all things edify, not

446
00:26:12,040 –> 00:26:16,160
destroy not him with thy meat.
How could we possibly take a

447
00:26:16,160 –> 00:26:19,560
pathetic piece of meat and put
that ahead of the life of our

448
00:26:19,560 –> 00:26:21,520
brother?
That piece of meat which does

449
00:26:21,520 –> 00:26:23,560
nothing for us whether we eat it
or not.

450
00:26:24,720 –> 00:26:28,840
But so often we do.
We let the little things of life

451
00:26:28,840 –> 00:26:32,160
get to us.
We demand our rights.

452
00:26:33,480 –> 00:26:38,120
We want what we want, and it
gets not just in the way of us

453
00:26:38,120 –> 00:26:42,960
helping and building up those
who are in real need, but

454
00:26:42,960 –> 00:26:46,920
actually cause causes the
destruction of our brethren.

455
00:26:46,920 –> 00:26:56,760
Christ verse 12 But when ye sin
so against the brethren and ruin

456
00:26:56,760 –> 00:27:01,240
their weak conscience, ye sin
against Christ.

457
00:27:02,520 –> 00:27:05,560
And so the little technical
argument had become something

458
00:27:05,560 –> 00:27:08,720
now where the individual
themselves were sinning against

459
00:27:08,720 –> 00:27:10,520
Christ, they had destroyed a
brother.

460
00:27:11,840 –> 00:27:15,640
And that sin, that destruction
of a brother, would be held

461
00:27:15,640 –> 00:27:18,160
against them as a sin against
Christ himself.

462
00:27:21,280 –> 00:27:25,840
If if there is any risk
whatsoever that our actions are

463
00:27:25,840 –> 00:27:29,560
not justify, are not edifying,
but could hurt a brother or a

464
00:27:29,560 –> 00:27:33,840
sister or a young person, then
understand that if we head down

465
00:27:33,840 –> 00:27:35,680
that route, we are sinning
against Christ.

466
00:27:36,520 –> 00:27:39,320
It’s as if we’ve taken the Lord
himself and put him to death.

467
00:27:39,320 –> 00:27:43,920
Isn’t it that that we’ve we’ve
destroyed the power of his death

468
00:27:43,920 –> 00:27:46,840
on the cross for that particular
individuals?

469
00:27:47,960 –> 00:27:50,640
It’s not about our legal
justification.

470
00:27:51,560 –> 00:27:55,000
It’s not about being able to
find verses that justify our

471
00:27:55,000 –> 00:27:58,920
position in life.
It’s not about you deciding that

472
00:27:58,920 –> 00:28:01,640
actually it’s fine for me to do
this because of my own process

473
00:28:01,640 –> 00:28:06,200
of justification.
All things are lawful unto me,

474
00:28:07,800 –> 00:28:11,040
but all things edify not.
And then the apostle finishes

475
00:28:11,040 –> 00:28:12,560
this chapter in such a powerful
way.

476
00:28:12,560 –> 00:28:16,320
Wherefore if meat make my
brother to offend, I will eat no

477
00:28:16,320 –> 00:28:18,920
flesh while the world standeth,
lest I make my brother to

478
00:28:18,920 –> 00:28:20,960
offend.
And he’s completely answered the

479
00:28:20,960 –> 00:28:22,440
issue of meat offered to idols,
hasn’t he?

480
00:28:22,840 –> 00:28:26,440
And actually more than that,
because his comment is not just

481
00:28:26,440 –> 00:28:30,480
if meat offered to idols makes
my brother to offend, he says if

482
00:28:30,480 –> 00:28:34,440
there is any risk that me eating
a piece of meat could be seen by

483
00:28:34,440 –> 00:28:36,600
a brother, and they might think
that that’s a piece of meat

484
00:28:36,600 –> 00:28:39,840
offered to idols and therefore
causes them to sin, then he said

485
00:28:39,840 –> 00:28:43,280
I will abstain from eating meat.
I’ll become a vegetarian.

486
00:28:43,280 –> 00:28:45,440
As hard as that would be, I’ll
be.

487
00:28:45,680 –> 00:28:49,000
He said I’ll abstain from eating
meat as long as I live.

488
00:28:50,680 –> 00:28:53,600
If meat make my brother to
offend, I’ll eat no flesh.

489
00:28:53,600 –> 00:28:57,040
He says, not just flesh off.
I will eat no flesh while the

490
00:28:57,040 –> 00:29:00,200
world standeth, lest I make my
brother to offend.

491
00:29:00,200 –> 00:29:05,840
And the apostles example to us
is to say if there is any chance

492
00:29:06,480 –> 00:29:09,480
that what we are doing in our
life has the potential to

493
00:29:09,480 –> 00:29:12,240
destroy a brother or sister or
young person, then take it

494
00:29:12,240 –> 00:29:15,080
completely out of our life, move
away from even.

495
00:29:15,640 –> 00:29:18,520
Even if it involves us having to
go vegetarian.

496
00:29:20,040 –> 00:29:24,280
It’s an extreme example.
If there’s any risk of offence,

497
00:29:24,280 –> 00:29:28,960
he says, then we must do that
for the sake of our brothers and

498
00:29:28,960 –> 00:29:31,360
sisters.
You know, it comes back exactly

499
00:29:31,360 –> 00:29:33,600
to what we saw yesterday,
yesterday, doesn’t it?

500
00:29:33,600 –> 00:29:36,600
This principle of what will
edify or build up my brother and

501
00:29:36,600 –> 00:29:41,240
sister, rather than what can I
justify getting away with, what

502
00:29:41,240 –> 00:29:46,400
can I, what can I justify that I
want to do must be removed and

503
00:29:46,400 –> 00:29:49,960
replaced with the concept of
what will build up, what will

504
00:29:49,960 –> 00:29:53,360
assist.
Our life cannot be lived on the

505
00:29:53,360 –> 00:29:57,960
basis of our own justification,
but focus only on doing what

506
00:29:57,960 –> 00:30:01,400
will edify and build up to the
glory of God.

507
00:30:05,800 –> 00:30:09,120
We should also note what I
believe is a vital point here,

508
00:30:10,600 –> 00:30:14,640
that this is not a chapter that
should be used to point the

509
00:30:14,640 –> 00:30:17,520
finger at other people and
demand their actions in life.

510
00:30:19,040 –> 00:30:23,080
If this becomes a chapter, as it
can often do, where people say,

511
00:30:23,080 –> 00:30:25,200
well that’s made off of titles
and you shouldn’t be doing that,

512
00:30:25,200 –> 00:30:30,080
and they say I can justify this,
and the chap becomes used in a

513
00:30:30,080 –> 00:30:33,080
way that people are pointing the
finger at each other, then we

514
00:30:33,080 –> 00:30:37,680
have completely missed the power
and the point of this chapter.

515
00:30:39,280 –> 00:30:43,480
It’s a chapter that works
brilliantly when I’m prepared to

516
00:30:43,480 –> 00:30:46,440
take it as a personal message to
me personally.

517
00:30:47,680 –> 00:30:51,200
If every member of this
ecclesias of of our ecclesias

518
00:30:51,200 –> 00:30:55,000
can live by this principle, then
it would take out any issue,

519
00:30:55,000 –> 00:30:59,640
wouldn’t it, of that controversy
caused by our own interaction or

520
00:30:59,640 –> 00:31:04,440
us going after our own wants.
But if we start to fire this

521
00:31:04,440 –> 00:31:07,280
verse as an arrow in the defence
of our own personal position,

522
00:31:07,520 –> 00:31:09,960
and we use it against each
other, then ironically we are

523
00:31:09,960 –> 00:31:13,640
actually starting to break the
power of the verses themselves.

524
00:31:15,080 –> 00:31:18,600
Where there are differences of
view in ecclesial life, it’s

525
00:31:18,600 –> 00:31:23,040
particularly easy for both sides
to use this as a justification

526
00:31:23,040 –> 00:31:26,600
for their position.
But Paul, as we have found right

527
00:31:26,600 –> 00:31:29,680
throughout this chapter, is
saying this is an issue of

528
00:31:29,680 –> 00:31:33,600
people being puffed up.
You need to examine yourselves,

529
00:31:33,600 –> 00:31:38,440
to go internally into your own
heart, and to see whether your

530
00:31:38,440 –> 00:31:41,640
response is one of having puffed
up knowledge.

531
00:31:46,800 –> 00:31:50,360
If there is anything that’s
going to cause my brother to

532
00:31:50,360 –> 00:31:53,240
offend, then we should cast it
off.

533
00:31:56,040 –> 00:31:58,360
He actually tells us in here
that this is something we need

534
00:31:58,360 –> 00:32:00,280
to take personal responsibility
for.

535
00:32:00,280 –> 00:32:04,320
Verse 9.
Take heed, lest by any means

536
00:32:04,320 –> 00:32:08,360
this liberty of yours become a
stumbling block to them that are

537
00:32:08,360 –> 00:32:11,120
weak.
For if any man see thee which

538
00:32:11,120 –> 00:32:12,880
hast knowledge.
Verse 10.

539
00:32:13,440 –> 00:32:16,120
Verse 11.
And through thy knowledge shall

540
00:32:16,120 –> 00:32:18,680
the weak brother perish, for
whom Christ died.

541
00:32:19,000 –> 00:32:21,360
Verse 12.
But when ye sin so against the

542
00:32:21,360 –> 00:32:24,440
brethren, and wound their weak
conscience, ye sin against

543
00:32:24,440 –> 00:32:27,280
Christ.
It’s yours, it’s thee, it’s thy,

544
00:32:27,280 –> 00:32:29,840
it’s ye sin, ye sin against
Christ.

545
00:32:30,240 –> 00:32:34,000
His point is you need to take
personal responsibility here.

546
00:32:34,880 –> 00:32:38,080
It’s not a chapter about others,
but a chapter of self

547
00:32:38,080 –> 00:32:41,880
examination that pleads with us
to look at our own motivation on

548
00:32:41,880 –> 00:32:44,280
the actions and the things we do
in life.

549
00:32:44,520 –> 00:32:46,160
Can you see the power of this
principle?

550
00:32:47,040 –> 00:32:50,320
If everyone in ecclesia is able
to say I’m going to live by this

551
00:32:50,320 –> 00:32:53,320
principle, you would take away
the issues of ecclesial life

552
00:32:54,040 –> 00:32:56,840
instead of justifying our own
positions that we hold onto.

553
00:32:58,360 –> 00:33:01,800
You would say actually I don’t
mind if I miss a nice roast leg

554
00:33:01,800 –> 00:33:05,160
of meat tonight.
What is what is important to me

555
00:33:05,160 –> 00:33:07,960
is that I am a Co labourer with
God who is building up my

556
00:33:07,960 –> 00:33:11,000
brother and therefore I will do
what is best for my brother.

557
00:33:12,600 –> 00:33:16,800
It’s a chapter of self
examination that must be made

558
00:33:16,800 –> 00:33:20,680
powerful by personal application
in ourselves, not pointing at

559
00:33:20,680 –> 00:33:25,120
others but of each of us to 100%
can learn to live by this

560
00:33:25,120 –> 00:33:27,560
principle.
Then the eclosure life would be

561
00:33:27,560 –> 00:33:31,400
so powerful and so united.
You imagine how powerful that

562
00:33:31,400 –> 00:33:36,120
environment would be if we could
live in that way, live our life

563
00:33:37,000 –> 00:33:40,400
which is not our own, for the
sake of those around us.

564
00:33:43,920 –> 00:33:47,640
Paul then comes in Chapter 9 to
what seems at first to be a

565
00:33:47,640 –> 00:33:50,640
digressing argument, a slightly
strange sort of interlude in the

566
00:33:50,640 –> 00:33:52,800
argument as we flow through to
Chapter 11.

567
00:33:53,880 –> 00:33:56,360
But we shall find that there is
exactly the same connecting

568
00:33:56,360 –> 00:33:58,560
thought in here.
And in fact, it fits so, so

569
00:33:58,560 –> 00:34:01,960
beautifully into the the flow of
his argument here, because what

570
00:34:01,960 –> 00:34:05,560
he does is he focuses on the
work of the apostles and their

571
00:34:05,560 –> 00:34:07,640
own way that they fulfill this
concept.

572
00:34:08,239 –> 00:34:12,719
So Chapter 9 and and verse one,
we found the example of the

573
00:34:12,719 –> 00:34:14,639
apostles am not an I am an
apostle.

574
00:34:15,320 –> 00:34:17,480
Am I not free?
Have I not seen Jesus Christ our

575
00:34:17,480 –> 00:34:19,560
Lord?
Are not ye my work in the Lord

576
00:34:20,520 –> 00:34:22,960
if I be not an apostle unto
others, yet doubtless I am to

577
00:34:22,960 –> 00:34:24,639
you for the seal of mine
apostleship.

578
00:34:24,639 –> 00:34:28,560
Are ye in the Lord?
So he say it’s his credentials,

579
00:34:28,560 –> 00:34:29,880
isn’t it?
I am an apostle.

580
00:34:29,880 –> 00:34:33,040
He says, now my answer verse 3
to them that to examine me is

581
00:34:33,040 –> 00:34:35,840
this, have we not power to eat
and drink?

582
00:34:35,960 –> 00:34:38,679
So there are others who are
saying, well, the apostle Paul

583
00:34:38,679 –> 00:34:39,760
said, what are you doing about
it?

584
00:34:40,280 –> 00:34:43,840
And he says, here’s my answer.
I’ve got power to eat and drink,

585
00:34:43,840 –> 00:34:46,639
don’t I?
He says verse 5, have we not

586
00:34:46,639 –> 00:34:49,600
power to lead about a sister, a
wife as well as other apostles

587
00:34:49,600 –> 00:34:53,000
and as the brethren of the Lord
in Cephas or I only in Barnabas.

588
00:34:53,000 –> 00:34:54,920
Have we not power to for bear
working.

589
00:34:56,400 –> 00:34:59,640
And So what he starts to do is
he says, OK, what are the rights

590
00:34:59,640 –> 00:35:03,280
that I have in as an apostle?
He says I’ve I’ve got the

591
00:35:03,280 –> 00:35:05,920
ability to eat and drink.
I need to eat and drink.

592
00:35:06,440 –> 00:35:10,560
He says I could also bring a a
sister wife with me as well who

593
00:35:10,560 –> 00:35:14,040
you would have to look after.
So I’m here preaching to you as

594
00:35:14,040 –> 00:35:17,080
an apostle and you should be
looking after me and I could

595
00:35:17,080 –> 00:35:22,360
also ask you to look after my
sister wife in verse six.

596
00:35:22,480 –> 00:35:25,360
Yeah, I only in Barnabas have we
not power to forebear working.

597
00:35:25,520 –> 00:35:28,440
We don’t actually have to work.
He says I could quite easily

598
00:35:28,440 –> 00:35:31,760
justify a position where I said
I’m here on your behalf and I’m

599
00:35:31,760 –> 00:35:33,880
asking you to to provide food to
me.

600
00:35:34,600 –> 00:35:37,520
Verse 7 who goes a war for any
time in his own charges, who

601
00:35:37,520 –> 00:35:40,360
plants a vineyard and eateth not
the fruit thereof, or feeds A

602
00:35:40,360 –> 00:35:42,160
flock and eateth not of the milk
of the flock?

603
00:35:42,160 –> 00:35:44,920
He he’s saying that as a worker
in the in The Who planted the

604
00:35:44,920 –> 00:35:46,840
vineyard, he should be able to
take the benefits of the

605
00:35:46,840 –> 00:35:48,840
vineyard.
He should be able to eat and

606
00:35:48,840 –> 00:35:50,720
drink from the ecclesia
essentially.

607
00:35:51,560 –> 00:35:54,720
Verse 8 say I these things as a
man or saith not the law also.

608
00:35:55,120 –> 00:35:58,280
And he then gives this lovely
example out of Moses where it’s

609
00:35:58,280 –> 00:36:00,880
written in the law of Moses.
Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth

610
00:36:00,880 –> 00:36:02,520
of the ox that treadeth out the
corn.

611
00:36:02,920 –> 00:36:06,640
Doth God take care for oxen or
saith he altogether for our

612
00:36:06,640 –> 00:36:09,440
sakes.
And so he, he draws this picture

613
00:36:09,440 –> 00:36:14,160
saying as an apostle, I have the
ability to ask you to provide

614
00:36:14,160 –> 00:36:16,320
food for me.
And he uses that lovely quote

615
00:36:16,320 –> 00:36:19,520
out of the law to say, here’s
the ox that’s muzzled up and

616
00:36:19,520 –> 00:36:22,200
it’s treading round and round
and round with all the corn

617
00:36:22,200 –> 00:36:23,360
underneath.
And it starts to get a bit

618
00:36:23,360 –> 00:36:26,200
hungry because it’s got the
muzzle on it can’t actually bend

619
00:36:26,200 –> 00:36:30,680
down and eat any of that food.
And he says no, that that that

620
00:36:30,800 –> 00:36:33,240
ox is not allowed to be muzzled.
So it’s got the ability

621
00:36:33,240 –> 00:36:35,720
occasionally when it’s getting
hungry to actually bend down

622
00:36:35,720 –> 00:36:40,800
into have some of the benefit of
the corn that it’s treading out.

623
00:36:41,960 –> 00:36:45,400
And, and he makes the point,
which is a really clever point.

624
00:36:46,160 –> 00:36:48,640
Did God put that law in place
for the sake of the oxen?

625
00:36:48,680 –> 00:36:51,560
Well, no, he didn’t actually.
And oxen is well able to go in

626
00:36:51,560 –> 00:36:54,040
to do its work without having to
stoop down occasionally and have

627
00:36:54,040 –> 00:36:56,280
something to eat, provided it’s
being fed.

628
00:36:56,280 –> 00:36:59,840
Well, it can go and do its job
and then be fed afterwards.

629
00:37:00,520 –> 00:37:03,080
But he’s making the point that
that principle was put there

630
00:37:03,080 –> 00:37:07,880
right in the law as a evidence
of the fact that someone working

631
00:37:07,880 –> 00:37:11,480
in the ecclesial context could
expect to be looked after and

632
00:37:11,480 –> 00:37:15,680
sustained on a physical basis.
That the ox Paul, as the ox as

633
00:37:15,680 –> 00:37:19,800
the servant, could expect that
they would look after and feed

634
00:37:19,800 –> 00:37:22,840
him as he came to work in their
eccleses.

635
00:37:24,440 –> 00:37:28,200
Verse 11 If we’ve sown unto you
spiritual things, is it a great

636
00:37:28,200 –> 00:37:31,080
thing if we shall reap your
carnal things, if others be

637
00:37:31,080 –> 00:37:33,840
partakers of this power of you
are not we rather haven’t,

638
00:37:33,960 –> 00:37:37,280
haven’t we got more of a right
to ask you to feed us when

639
00:37:37,280 –> 00:37:38,720
you’ve already done it for other
people?

640
00:37:40,040 –> 00:37:45,520
Verse 12 Nevertheless, we have
not used this power, but suffer

641
00:37:45,520 –> 00:37:48,560
all things lest we should hinder
the gospel of Christ.

642
00:37:49,400 –> 00:37:52,480
And I think what the apostle’s
saying is you Corinthian

643
00:37:52,480 –> 00:37:55,240
ecclesia, when we’re there,
we’re aware of all your

644
00:37:55,240 –> 00:37:57,200
particular issues and struggles
we’re having.

645
00:37:57,200 –> 00:38:00,200
And we’re saying, if we ask you
to feed us, it’s going to cause

646
00:38:00,200 –> 00:38:02,000
a problem.
You’re going to come back and

647
00:38:02,000 –> 00:38:04,200
say, huh, So we’ve fed the
apostle Paul.

648
00:38:04,520 –> 00:38:06,640
And either they’ll go into the
Paul good brigade and say, look,

649
00:38:06,640 –> 00:38:09,160
I’m the one who looked after
him, or else they’ll start to

650
00:38:09,160 –> 00:38:11,200
grumble about the fact that
they’ve had to use some of the

651
00:38:11,200 –> 00:38:13,200
food out of their own cupboard
and and look after him.

652
00:38:13,360 –> 00:38:15,520
And Paul says, there’s no way
I’m going to give you an

653
00:38:15,520 –> 00:38:17,840
opportunity to do that.
There’s no way.

654
00:38:17,840 –> 00:38:21,960
He says I’m going to allow the
fact that we require food to

655
00:38:21,960 –> 00:38:27,800
become a stumbling block in your
ecclesial environment and he

656
00:38:27,800 –> 00:38:31,600
carries on through verse 13,
etcetera to to really reinforce

657
00:38:31,600 –> 00:38:35,560
this this concept of of the fact
that he had the opportunity to

658
00:38:35,560 –> 00:38:39,080
require them to feed him, but
that they have chosen not to

659
00:38:39,080 –> 00:38:42,200
this 15 I have used none of
those things.

660
00:38:42,200 –> 00:38:44,360
Neither have I written these
things that I should be that it

661
00:38:44,360 –> 00:38:47,520
should be done so unto me, for
it were better for me to die

662
00:38:47,520 –> 00:38:49,680
than any man should make my
glorying void.

663
00:38:50,360 –> 00:38:54,160
He says, look, I I’ve chosen
deliberately not to use that

664
00:38:54,200 –> 00:38:56,440
that right that I have to
require your food.

665
00:38:56,680 –> 00:38:58,040
And in fact, he says I’m writing
this.

666
00:38:58,040 –> 00:39:00,240
I’m not writing it by the way,
so that next time I come you

667
00:39:00,240 –> 00:39:04,000
feed me because I’m not doing it
for that, because I don’t trust

668
00:39:04,160 –> 00:39:06,600
that it would that it would go
down well.

669
00:39:08,160 –> 00:39:10,640
He says, though I preach the
gospel, I have nothing to

670
00:39:10,640 –> 00:39:13,440
glorify of for necessity is laid
upon me.

671
00:39:13,440 –> 00:39:15,280
Yeah, woe is me if I preach not
in the gospel.

672
00:39:15,280 –> 00:39:17,680
And he’s saying, look, I’m not
coming to the Corinthian

673
00:39:17,680 –> 00:39:19,920
ecclesia and working there
because I want you to look after

674
00:39:19,920 –> 00:39:21,680
me.
But that becomes my lifestyle

675
00:39:21,680 –> 00:39:24,280
and I’ll get nice food and be
able to be looked after as I

676
00:39:24,280 –> 00:39:26,720
move around.
He says I’m there to preach the

677
00:39:26,720 –> 00:39:29,960
gospel.
And so from Paul’s perspective,

678
00:39:29,960 –> 00:39:32,600
he’s actually telling or showing
us beautifully, isn’t he, this

679
00:39:32,600 –> 00:39:35,560
principle of the eating and
drinking in an ecclesial

680
00:39:35,560 –> 00:39:38,720
context, because he’s saying
it’s not about me.

681
00:39:39,440 –> 00:39:43,240
It’s not me demanding my own
rights little and demanding the

682
00:39:43,240 –> 00:39:44,680
right to eat meat off of the
idols.

683
00:39:44,680 –> 00:39:47,880
He’s saying it’s not about me
coming to you and demanding my

684
00:39:47,880 –> 00:39:51,240
own rights and that you have to
provide that food.

685
00:39:51,640 –> 00:39:55,640
We could require you of the food
to be unmuzzled, but we’ve

686
00:39:55,640 –> 00:39:59,080
chosen not to be because we are
the ministers.

687
00:40:01,480 –> 00:40:06,600
We haven’t used that liberty.
And see, what he’s doing is

688
00:40:06,600 –> 00:40:10,080
showing that by his own example,
life and the truth is not about

689
00:40:10,080 –> 00:40:12,880
him.
It’s not about what he can eat

690
00:40:13,280 –> 00:40:15,600
or drink or justify eating and
drinking.

691
00:40:16,240 –> 00:40:21,240
That is the important thing.
His whole focus is on the good

692
00:40:21,240 –> 00:40:24,160
of the gospel.
He won’t even partake of their

693
00:40:24,160 –> 00:40:27,160
food, lest that would become a
hindrance in the work of the

694
00:40:27,160 –> 00:40:29,440
gospel that he was there to
grow.

695
00:40:31,160 –> 00:40:33,680
And so he’s, he’s actually
picked up this concept, not just

696
00:40:33,680 –> 00:40:36,600
of the eating meat offered to
idols and, and whether or not

697
00:40:36,600 –> 00:40:39,520
that was justifiable, but he’s
actually shown the whole he’s

698
00:40:39,520 –> 00:40:42,200
expanded it, hasn’t he, in the
broader context of eating and

699
00:40:42,200 –> 00:40:47,120
drinking to show actually, I
don’t, I, I’m careful even with

700
00:40:47,120 –> 00:40:50,240
my eating and drinking to make
sure that I’m not going to do

701
00:40:50,320 –> 00:40:53,560
anything in the ecclesial
environment that will subvert or

702
00:40:53,560 –> 00:40:58,800
hurt the gospel.
Verse 19 For though I be free

703
00:40:58,800 –> 00:41:02,480
from all men, yet have I made
myself servant or slave unto all

704
00:41:02,480 –> 00:41:05,600
that I might gain them more.
And then he goes into the

705
00:41:05,600 –> 00:41:08,200
section here where where he
actually takes this idea of him

706
00:41:08,880 –> 00:41:11,200
not doing things for himself,
but making sure that it’s going

707
00:41:11,200 –> 00:41:14,600
to assist the ecclesia.
And he he gives us, I think, an

708
00:41:15,000 –> 00:41:19,640
incredible, an intense insight
into the way of life that Paul

709
00:41:19,640 –> 00:41:21,920
was prepared to live for the
sake of his brothers and

710
00:41:21,920 –> 00:41:24,960
sisters.
He said, I’ve, I’m free from

711
00:41:24,960 –> 00:41:28,520
anyone, there’s no requirement
for me to be a slave of anyone.

712
00:41:28,520 –> 00:41:32,040
He said, but I’ve made myself a
servant unto your he’s he’s

713
00:41:32,040 –> 00:41:33,920
understood this principle,
hasn’t he, that the flesh is

714
00:41:33,920 –> 00:41:35,920
nothing and he desires to be a
servant.

715
00:41:36,440 –> 00:41:39,720
Verse 20 unto the Jews I became
as a Jew that I might gain the

716
00:41:39,720 –> 00:41:41,960
Jews.
What does that mean?

717
00:41:43,320 –> 00:41:47,400
Well, it means that he was able
to go into a Jewish house and to

718
00:41:47,400 –> 00:41:50,320
live with those people, to
interact with those people in a

719
00:41:50,320 –> 00:41:54,280
way which would not hurt the
sensitivities of those people.

720
00:41:54,920 –> 00:41:57,080
That he was aware of the
particular things that would

721
00:41:57,080 –> 00:42:01,120
that would cause an issue if he
went into that house and he made

722
00:42:01,120 –> 00:42:04,480
sure that he avoided them.
In essence, when he went into

723
00:42:04,480 –> 00:42:06,640
that house, he was living as a
Jew with them.

724
00:42:07,880 –> 00:42:10,840
That doesn’t mean he was living
in a pharisaical or, or a

725
00:42:10,840 –> 00:42:14,600
legalistic way, but he was
living the principles of Jew of,

726
00:42:14,600 –> 00:42:18,000
of the truth, but from the
perspective of a Jewish person.

727
00:42:18,840 –> 00:42:22,480
So he could walk into a Jewish
house and he could live in a way

728
00:42:23,200 –> 00:42:28,600
that that met the sensitivities
of a Jewish household to them

729
00:42:28,600 –> 00:42:32,000
that are under the law is under
the law that I might gain the

730
00:42:32,000 –> 00:42:35,600
law.
Then verse 21 to them that are

731
00:42:35,600 –> 00:42:40,240
without law as without law not
being as without law to God, but

732
00:42:40,240 –> 00:42:43,720
under the law of Christ, not
under the law of Moses that I

733
00:42:43,720 –> 00:42:45,520
might gain them that are without
law.

734
00:42:46,360 –> 00:42:48,320
Now that starts to get a tricky
concept, doesn’t it?

735
00:42:48,320 –> 00:42:52,720
Because he’s saying I can go
into the House of those who are

736
00:42:52,720 –> 00:42:56,360
living under the law and I
cannot hurt their sensitivities.

737
00:42:56,360 –> 00:42:59,320
In other words, he’s, he’s
living his life under the law

738
00:42:59,400 –> 00:43:03,440
with them, but he can also turn
around on this side and go into

739
00:43:03,440 –> 00:43:07,080
the House of a gentile who is
not living under the law and he

740
00:43:07,080 –> 00:43:10,360
can live that life without
hurting their sensitivities.

741
00:43:11,920 –> 00:43:15,520
So there’s only two options
here. 1 is that he lives the law

742
00:43:15,520 –> 00:43:19,840
here and then he works walks out
the door and he changes his, his

743
00:43:19,840 –> 00:43:22,880
his head around, sort of gives
himself a bit of a shake and

744
00:43:22,880 –> 00:43:25,040
walks into the next one.
And he actually lives completely

745
00:43:25,040 –> 00:43:29,160
different lifestyle and makes
sure that they’re happy.

746
00:43:30,560 –> 00:43:32,960
But see, the consequence of that
would be that at some stage the

747
00:43:32,960 –> 00:43:34,040
2 are bound to meet, aren’t
they?

748
00:43:34,040 –> 00:43:36,200
You go to the memorial meeting
together and all of this one

749
00:43:36,200 –> 00:43:38,200
says, hang on, you are living
the law, but you’re not.

750
00:43:38,720 –> 00:43:41,520
And that one says, Hey, you
weren’t living but now and the

751
00:43:41,520 –> 00:43:42,720
whole thing would blow up,
wouldn’t it?

752
00:43:43,680 –> 00:43:46,360
So the point clearly is not that
Paul’s saying, well, I’ll just

753
00:43:46,360 –> 00:43:48,240
change my way.
I’m doing for each person.

754
00:43:49,160 –> 00:43:53,840
The point is this that Paul was
able to encapsulate in whole in

755
00:43:53,840 –> 00:43:58,120
his life every component of what
it would mean for that person to

756
00:43:58,120 –> 00:44:00,840
be living under the law and that
person to be living without the

757
00:44:00,840 –> 00:44:04,320
law.
In other words, he was prepared

758
00:44:04,320 –> 00:44:07,440
to go, and it’s not the phrase
lowest common denominator, it’s

759
00:44:07,440 –> 00:44:08,840
the worst one.
It’s probably the highest common

760
00:44:08,840 –> 00:44:11,280
denominator really, isn’t it?
He’s prepared to take on the

761
00:44:11,280 –> 00:44:15,160
requirements, the harshest and
deepest requirements of each of

762
00:44:15,160 –> 00:44:19,760
those groups, but to live them
in a compatible way so that not

763
00:44:19,760 –> 00:44:21,600
one of them would look at it and
say, I’m offended.

764
00:44:23,240 –> 00:44:26,200
That’s a remarkable life that
the apostles prepared to live.

765
00:44:26,200 –> 00:44:27,920
He didn’t have to live under the
law.

766
00:44:27,920 –> 00:44:32,200
He knew that, and nor did he
necessarily have to live things

767
00:44:32,200 –> 00:44:34,560
according to way the the
Gentiles with their particular

768
00:44:34,560 –> 00:44:37,360
sensitivities did.
He could have made-up his own

769
00:44:37,360 –> 00:44:39,200
sort of way that he was
comfortable with himself.

770
00:44:39,560 –> 00:44:42,040
But he’s saying, if there’s any
components of my life that we’re

771
00:44:42,040 –> 00:44:44,400
going to cause a brother to
offend, then I’m prepared to

772
00:44:44,400 –> 00:44:46,720
adjust that.
And to a Jew they’ll look at me

773
00:44:46,720 –> 00:44:48,240
and they’ll say a Jew, there’s a
Jew.

774
00:44:48,240 –> 00:44:51,160
To A to a non law keeper,
they’ll say there’s a non law

775
00:44:51,240 –> 00:44:53,440
keeper.
And they can look at Paul as a

776
00:44:53,440 –> 00:44:57,600
person and say actually there is
nothing in Paul that causes me

777
00:44:58,720 –> 00:45:05,440
issues or or problems.
That is the full extent of Paul

778
00:45:05,440 –> 00:45:08,200
the Apostle and his work in
edifying.

779
00:45:08,800 –> 00:45:11,840
I could justify things.
All things are lawful, but all

780
00:45:11,840 –> 00:45:14,520
things edify not.
And so the the apostle, I think

781
00:45:14,520 –> 00:45:18,400
shows an incredible example here
and and it just just takes some

782
00:45:18,400 –> 00:45:21,320
time afterwards to stop and
really contemplate the fullness

783
00:45:21,320 –> 00:45:25,240
of what this is talking about.
But this is a man who says if,

784
00:45:25,320 –> 00:45:28,600
if an if eating meat is going to
make my brother to offend, I’ll

785
00:45:28,600 –> 00:45:31,200
put any concept of eating meat
out of my life.

786
00:45:32,160 –> 00:45:35,400
I will live as a Jew and I will
live as a non Jew in a way that

787
00:45:35,400 –> 00:45:38,440
is compatible so that my
brethren are elevated and

788
00:45:38,440 –> 00:45:41,240
encouraged.
He’s prepared to be a slave is

789
00:45:41,240 –> 00:45:44,080
what he said, isn’t it?
We’re ministers, we’re we’re

790
00:45:44,080 –> 00:45:46,960
your servants unto all that I
might gain them all.

791
00:45:47,640 –> 00:45:51,240
That’s what it means, brothers
and sisters, to say all things

792
00:45:51,240 –> 00:45:53,320
are lawful, but all things edify
not.

793
00:45:54,600 –> 00:45:58,640
Is there anything in my life
that is going to cause offence

794
00:45:58,640 –> 00:46:01,360
too or a problem for for my
brother and sister or young

795
00:46:01,360 –> 00:46:03,320
person?
Then I’ll take that out of my

796
00:46:03,320 –> 00:46:07,320
life because this is about
working as a slave to build up

797
00:46:08,000 –> 00:46:16,160
the ecclesial environment.
He’s making sure Verse 22 to the

798
00:46:16,160 –> 00:46:19,200
weak became I as weak that I
might gain the weak.

799
00:46:19,680 –> 00:46:23,600
I made all things to all men
that I might by all means save

800
00:46:23,600 –> 00:46:24,880
one.
He’s prepared even to live

801
00:46:24,880 –> 00:46:27,800
according to the weakest
conscience, and to lift up and

802
00:46:27,800 –> 00:46:31,680
carry upon his arms those who
are weak and who struggle as

803
00:46:31,680 –> 00:46:35,680
well.
He’s showing by his own example

804
00:46:35,680 –> 00:46:38,960
what it means to live under the
law of liberty.

805
00:46:39,720 –> 00:46:46,720
Verse 22 Halfway through I made
all things to all men, that I

806
00:46:46,720 –> 00:46:49,800
might by all means save some.
That’s the only focus that the

807
00:46:49,800 –> 00:46:54,400
apostle has here is, is if I
might by by by all means save

808
00:46:54,400 –> 00:46:56,560
some.
And this I do for the gospel

809
00:46:56,560 –> 00:46:59,600
sake, that I might be take a
thereof with you.

810
00:47:01,040 –> 00:47:03,080
Here’s the example of the
apostle.

811
00:47:04,800 –> 00:47:08,400
It’s not a life based on
justification of law.

812
00:47:09,440 –> 00:47:12,400
It’s not a life saying here’s
the minimum standard I can keep

813
00:47:13,120 –> 00:47:15,200
or here’s myself righteous
achievement.

814
00:47:16,120 –> 00:47:21,560
He transcends that completely.
It’s a life based entirely on

815
00:47:21,560 –> 00:47:23,680
the edification of his brothers
and sisters.

816
00:47:25,080 –> 00:47:30,760
Can you just see the power of
that life lived on the basis of

817
00:47:30,760 –> 00:47:36,080
edification, lived in slavery
because we are not our own to

818
00:47:36,080 –> 00:47:38,240
build up and to assist our
brothers and sisters.

819
00:47:43,760 –> 00:47:48,160
So Paul has shown us this
incredible example of how he is

820
00:47:48,160 –> 00:47:51,360
prepared to respond to the
question of, as it were, meat

821
00:47:51,360 –> 00:47:54,280
offered to idols and the
expansion of this concept of

822
00:47:54,280 –> 00:47:57,840
eating and drinking.
Let’s come now to to Chapter 10.

823
00:47:59,440 –> 00:48:01,680
And this really is quite
incredible.

824
00:48:02,120 –> 00:48:04,640
So we’ve got the example of the
apostles that he’s shown us and

825
00:48:04,640 –> 00:48:07,880
their willingness to to
transcend their own wants and to

826
00:48:07,880 –> 00:48:09,920
do only what is what would
edify.

827
00:48:10,480 –> 00:48:13,920
Now he goes back to the example
of Israel in the wilderness and

828
00:48:13,920 –> 00:48:16,320
he picks out a few little
examples of Israel in the

829
00:48:16,320 –> 00:48:19,600
wilderness and just see the
connections that he pulls

830
00:48:19,600 –> 00:48:22,960
together here.
First Corinthians chapter 10 and

831
00:48:22,960 –> 00:48:26,400
verse one.
Moreover, brethren, I would not

832
00:48:26,400 –> 00:48:28,800
that you should be ignorant how
that all our fathers were under

833
00:48:28,800 –> 00:48:30,400
the cloud and all passed through
the sea.

834
00:48:30,400 –> 00:48:33,840
We’re all baptized into Moses in
the cloud and in the sea.

835
00:48:35,960 –> 00:48:38,400
So saying that every single one
of them was baptized.

836
00:48:39,440 –> 00:48:42,720
How can he say that that the the
the crossing of the Red Sea was

837
00:48:42,720 –> 00:48:46,240
a was a baptism in water?
Wasn’t it just a, a walking

838
00:48:46,240 –> 00:48:49,400
through the sea?
Well, he actually says his words

839
00:48:49,400 –> 00:48:52,920
quite carefully, doesn’t he?
All our fathers were under the

840
00:48:52,920 –> 00:48:54,680
cloud and passed through the
sea.

841
00:48:55,200 –> 00:48:58,440
So the sea has opened up and as
they’re walking through, there’s

842
00:48:58,440 –> 00:49:02,160
a cloud over the top of them.
They’re immersed in water,

843
00:49:02,160 –> 00:49:04,160
aren’t they?
If you go back and and look at

844
00:49:04,160 –> 00:49:06,280
some of the Psalms that talk
about it, there is a sense of

845
00:49:06,280 –> 00:49:08,680
this torrential rain and of the
storm that was happening.

846
00:49:09,000 –> 00:49:12,400
So literally the children of
Israel were encompassed about in

847
00:49:12,400 –> 00:49:14,280
water as they crossed through
the Red Sea.

848
00:49:14,800 –> 00:49:16,680
And he says that’s the symbol of
baptism.

849
00:49:16,920 –> 00:49:20,120
Israel came out of Egypt and
they went through the symbol of

850
00:49:20,120 –> 00:49:22,600
baptism as they crossed the Red
Sea.

851
00:49:23,680 –> 00:49:26,400
They were all baptized into
Moses in the cloud and in the

852
00:49:26,400 –> 00:49:28,920
sea.
And verse three and four, that

853
00:49:28,920 –> 00:49:30,440
it all eat the same spiritual
meat.

854
00:49:30,440 –> 00:49:33,000
That was the manner, wasn’t it?
They had the benefit of the

855
00:49:33,000 –> 00:49:36,560
manner that had been provided to
them and that it all drink the

856
00:49:36,560 –> 00:49:39,880
same spiritual drink, for they
drink of that spiritual rock

857
00:49:39,880 –> 00:49:42,880
that followed them, and that
rock was Christ.

858
00:49:43,880 –> 00:49:46,040
So he’s going back to the
example of Israel in the

859
00:49:46,040 –> 00:49:48,400
wilderness and he’s saying they
were all baptized.

860
00:49:50,040 –> 00:49:52,280
And he’s starting to draw a
parallel here for the Corinthian

861
00:49:52,280 –> 00:49:54,800
ecclesia.
Here’s the congregation of

862
00:49:54,800 –> 00:49:56,160
Israel in the wilderness,
baptized.

863
00:49:56,160 –> 00:49:58,920
Here’s the congregation of
Corinth baptized.

864
00:49:59,040 –> 00:50:02,560
Snap, same thing.
They all ate the same spiritual

865
00:50:02,560 –> 00:50:05,560
meat.
Manner, the provision of daily

866
00:50:05,560 –> 00:50:08,720
manner, the bread of life,
provision of the bread of life.

867
00:50:08,720 –> 00:50:12,760
Here they all ate the same
spiritual drink, but they drank

868
00:50:12,760 –> 00:50:15,000
of that spiritual rock that
followed them, and that rock was

869
00:50:15,000 –> 00:50:17,320
Christ.
And so he’s saying the spiritual

870
00:50:17,320 –> 00:50:20,520
drink that they have is the
water that precedes from Christ

871
00:50:20,520 –> 00:50:23,560
as the water of life.
So he’s actually now starting to

872
00:50:23,560 –> 00:50:25,840
draw a parallel between the
Corinthian ecclesia and the

873
00:50:25,840 –> 00:50:28,040
congregation or the ecclesia in
the wilderness.

874
00:50:28,400 –> 00:50:30,560
And he’s actually saying, look,
they both had the same

875
00:50:30,560 –> 00:50:33,800
circumstances.
They were both baptized and they

876
00:50:33,800 –> 00:50:36,440
both had.
And note his point here, they

877
00:50:36,440 –> 00:50:40,160
both had the same thing, to eat
and to drink.

878
00:50:41,400 –> 00:50:44,440
So he’s still carrying on the
concepts of eating and drinking.

879
00:50:44,440 –> 00:50:47,480
He’s picking up the concept of
meat offered to idols and he’s

880
00:50:47,480 –> 00:50:50,000
carrying on the concepts of
eating and drinking into chapter

881
00:50:50,000 –> 00:50:52,960
10.
Am I pushing that too far?

882
00:50:53,320 –> 00:50:56,360
Well, let’s just hold judgement
for a moment and and see if I

883
00:50:56,360 –> 00:50:58,160
can prove that through the rest
of this section.

884
00:50:59,520 –> 00:51:03,280
But with many of them, God was
not well pleased, for they were

885
00:51:03,280 –> 00:51:08,000
overthrown in the wilderness.
So it’s the same for us, He

886
00:51:08,000 –> 00:51:09,520
says.
We’ve we’ve all been baptized

887
00:51:09,520 –> 00:51:12,040
into Christ.
We’ve all eaten the same

888
00:51:12,040 –> 00:51:15,160
spiritual meat and drink.
We partake of the bread and the

889
00:51:15,160 –> 00:51:18,720
wine together, don’t we?
Sunday by Sunday, more than

890
00:51:18,720 –> 00:51:21,480
that, we drink the water of life
and we eat the bread of life,

891
00:51:21,480 –> 00:51:23,640
and we’re in this together.
We’ve come through baptism,

892
00:51:23,920 –> 00:51:27,040
we’ve had our spiritual meat and
drink, and we’re following that

893
00:51:27,040 –> 00:51:29,760
spiritual rock.
Even Christ, We’re all together

894
00:51:29,760 –> 00:51:34,120
here.
But in verse 5, He becomes quite

895
00:51:34,120 –> 00:51:39,600
personal.
But with many of them, God was

896
00:51:39,600 –> 00:51:42,760
not well pleased, for they were
overthrown in the wilderness.

897
00:51:44,160 –> 00:51:47,560
So His point is we can have
baptism and all the advantages

898
00:51:47,560 –> 00:51:50,520
of the truth of the eating and
drinking of the spiritual meat

899
00:51:50,520 –> 00:51:56,640
and food, and we can ignore that
and perish in the wilderness.

900
00:51:59,440 –> 00:52:01,600
But what he’s starting to do,
brothers and sisters and young

901
00:52:01,600 –> 00:52:04,880
people, is actually to start to
open up for us exactly what the

902
00:52:04,880 –> 00:52:08,600
issue was for the congregation
in the wilderness.

903
00:52:10,560 –> 00:52:13,440
He’s been deliberately
paralleling the children of

904
00:52:13,600 –> 00:52:15,800
Israel and the Corinthian
ecclesia.

905
00:52:16,000 –> 00:52:18,600
And then verse 6.
Now these things are our

906
00:52:18,600 –> 00:52:22,120
examples to the intent we should
not lust after evil things as

907
00:52:22,120 –> 00:52:25,240
they also lusted.
So they are our examples.

908
00:52:25,240 –> 00:52:27,240
He’s saying it’s something we
need to learn from.

909
00:52:28,200 –> 00:52:30,880
So he’s he’s asking the brothers
and sisters in Corinth to stop

910
00:52:30,880 –> 00:52:32,560
and to re examine their approach
to the truth here.

911
00:52:32,560 –> 00:52:35,160
And he’s saying this issue of
the meat offered to idols that

912
00:52:35,160 –> 00:52:38,560
we talked about here, he said,
now I’m actually going to show

913
00:52:38,560 –> 00:52:40,960
to you that this concept of
eating and drinking and the

914
00:52:40,960 –> 00:52:46,400
focus on eating and drinking is
actually a major issue that

915
00:52:46,400 –> 00:52:48,920
destroyed the ecclesia in the
wilderness.

916
00:52:49,880 –> 00:52:52,800
That the self justification they
used in the wilderness and their

917
00:52:52,800 –> 00:52:55,280
attitude in the wilderness
around eating and drinking was

918
00:52:55,280 –> 00:52:58,120
something that caused the
devastation of the ecclesia in

919
00:52:58,120 –> 00:53:01,280
the wilderness.
And he’s actually going to lead

920
00:53:01,280 –> 00:53:06,800
them in by parts in this chapter
to the realization that they

921
00:53:06,800 –> 00:53:09,480
were eating and fellowshipping
the table of the devil.

922
00:53:11,840 –> 00:53:19,840
Their self justification was not
just hurting others, but it led

923
00:53:19,840 –> 00:53:23,840
to them living a life in the
wilderness that rebelled against

924
00:53:23,840 –> 00:53:28,200
God and LED to them partaking of
a meal and fellowship with

925
00:53:28,200 –> 00:53:32,360
devils.
And he’s asking us 2000 years

926
00:53:32,360 –> 00:53:36,320
later to stop and to examine our
own life, to have a look at our

927
00:53:36,320 –> 00:53:39,560
own puffed up self
justifications to see whether

928
00:53:39,560 –> 00:53:42,680
actually we might just be doing
the same thing.

929
00:53:44,160 –> 00:53:47,200
So, So what examples does he use
in the wilderness?

930
00:53:47,200 –> 00:53:49,440
Well, the first is this one in
in chapter 6.

931
00:53:49,880 –> 00:53:53,520
These things were our examples
to the intent we should not lust

932
00:53:53,520 –> 00:53:55,720
after evil things as they also
lusted.

933
00:53:56,480 –> 00:53:58,240
And then he goes through a
string of a whole lot of

934
00:53:58,240 –> 00:54:02,280
examples out of the wilderness.
So why did Paul use these

935
00:54:02,280 –> 00:54:05,160
particular issues that were
arising in the wilderness?

936
00:54:05,760 –> 00:54:09,400
Well, the first is that the
issues in the wilderness were

937
00:54:09,400 –> 00:54:11,360
mirroring those that were
existing in the Corinthian

938
00:54:11,360 –> 00:54:13,200
ecclesia.
The lasting, the fornication,

939
00:54:13,200 –> 00:54:16,200
the tempting of Christ, the
murmuring issues around eating

940
00:54:16,200 –> 00:54:18,920
and drinking, we’re all exactly
the same issues that he had to

941
00:54:18,920 –> 00:54:23,880
deal with in Corinth.
They were all baptized, but not

942
00:54:23,880 –> 00:54:26,440
all of them were saved.
Have have a look in your spare

943
00:54:26,440 –> 00:54:29,920
time in, in Psalm 78 and just
see the connections between the

944
00:54:29,920 –> 00:54:33,400
wilderness wanderings and the
perfect link into the Corinthian

945
00:54:33,400 –> 00:54:39,000
ecclesia and their struggles.
So verse 6 to the intent that we

946
00:54:39,000 –> 00:54:42,040
should not lust after evil
things as they also lusted.

947
00:54:42,600 –> 00:54:46,440
Just hold your hand here and
come across to Numbers Chapter

948
00:54:46,440 –> 00:54:47,920
11.
Now I’m going to flick through a

949
00:54:47,920 –> 00:54:50,400
few quotes quite quickly here
because we’re going to go

950
00:54:50,400 –> 00:54:52,840
backwards and forwards between
the wilderness wanderings and

951
00:54:52,840 –> 00:54:56,160
the Corinthian ecclesia to, to
really start to get the sense of

952
00:54:56,160 –> 00:54:58,920
how it works.
So First Corinthians 11 and in

953
00:54:58,920 –> 00:55:04,240
verse 4 they’ve just really just
made it out of of Egypt.

954
00:55:04,720 –> 00:55:07,240
And verse 4 the mixed multitude
that was among them fell a

955
00:55:07,240 –> 00:55:10,240
lusting and the children of
Israel also wept again and said,

956
00:55:10,240 –> 00:55:13,920
who shall give us flesh to eat?
We remember the fish which we

957
00:55:13,920 –> 00:55:16,520
did eat in Egypt freely, the
cucumbers and the melons and the

958
00:55:16,520 –> 00:55:18,160
leeks and the onions and the
garlic.

959
00:55:18,680 –> 00:55:22,040
But now our soldiers dried away.
There was nothing at all beside

960
00:55:22,040 –> 00:55:26,080
this manner before our eyes.
So what’s the issue here?

961
00:55:26,080 –> 00:55:29,840
Well, this corresponds, doesn’t
it, to the intent that they we

962
00:55:29,840 –> 00:55:32,600
should not lust after evil
things as they also lusted.

963
00:55:32,760 –> 00:55:35,200
That phrase here is exactly the
the mixed multitude that the

964
00:55:35,200 –> 00:55:37,760
mixed multitude lusted.
And what was the lusting?

965
00:55:38,680 –> 00:55:41,800
Well, in their minds, they’d
gone back to the food of Egypt.

966
00:55:42,520 –> 00:55:45,720
They wanted all the beautiful
food of Egypt, if you can call

967
00:55:45,720 –> 00:55:48,160
some of those beautiful.
They wanted all the the

968
00:55:48,160 –> 00:55:52,800
beautiful food of Egypt, but in
doing so they had despised the

969
00:55:52,800 –> 00:55:54,720
manner.
Our soul has dried away.

970
00:55:54,720 –> 00:55:57,640
There’s nothing beside this
manner before our eyes.

971
00:55:58,560 –> 00:56:00,840
And so they were looking at the
manner and they’re saying our

972
00:56:00,880 –> 00:56:03,160
souls dried away.
We hate the manner.

973
00:56:03,680 –> 00:56:07,160
We want to go back to the food
of Egypt was the particular

974
00:56:07,160 –> 00:56:11,560
issue here.
So they lusted and as a result,

975
00:56:12,560 –> 00:56:17,800
verse 33 and 34, they were given
the quail, and while the flesh

976
00:56:17,800 –> 00:56:19,440
was yet between their teeth,
here it was chewed.

977
00:56:19,440 –> 00:56:21,920
The wrath of Yahweh was kindled
against the people, and Yahweh

978
00:56:21,920 –> 00:56:24,440
smote the people with a great,
you know, plague.

979
00:56:25,040 –> 00:56:27,880
And he called the name of that
place Kibroth Hatava, the graves

980
00:56:27,960 –> 00:56:31,600
of the greedy, because there
they buried the people that

981
00:56:31,600 –> 00:56:34,320
lusted.
And so this first example that

982
00:56:34,320 –> 00:56:37,520
he uses of them lusting in the
wilderness is an example that’s

983
00:56:37,520 –> 00:56:41,040
completely related, isn’t it, to
this concept of eating and and

984
00:56:41,040 –> 00:56:45,360
of drinking and showing that
they despised the manner that

985
00:56:45,360 –> 00:56:48,320
had been given to them because
they wanted the food of Egypt.

986
00:56:50,640 –> 00:56:52,520
OK, what about the next one,
verse 7?

987
00:56:52,520 –> 00:56:54,640
Neither be idolaters, as were
some of them.

988
00:56:54,800 –> 00:56:57,160
As it’s written, the people sat
down to eat and drink and to

989
00:56:57,160 –> 00:57:01,520
rose up to play.
So that’s a a citation directly

990
00:57:01,520 –> 00:57:05,120
out of Exodus 32 and verse 6.
I won’t actually get you to turn

991
00:57:05,120 –> 00:57:07,720
that one up because Paul’s given
us the key part of it here.

992
00:57:08,200 –> 00:57:10,320
If I told you to think about the
golden calf, what would you

993
00:57:10,320 –> 00:57:12,160
think of?
You would think of the fact that

994
00:57:12,160 –> 00:57:15,520
they had made a calf, it is
clearly idolatry.

995
00:57:15,520 –> 00:57:19,120
It’s clearly taken them back to
the idolatry of Egypt and then

996
00:57:19,120 –> 00:57:23,000
the fact that they rose up in
and indulged in immorality.

997
00:57:23,720 –> 00:57:27,040
But the connecting point which
Paul has quoted out of here in

998
00:57:27,040 –> 00:57:31,720
Exodus 32 is exactly this point.
The people sat down to eat and

999
00:57:31,720 –> 00:57:36,200
drink and rose up to play.
So actually the key issue of the

1000
00:57:36,200 –> 00:57:41,160
golden calf was they made a calf
based on idolatry and then they

1001
00:57:41,160 –> 00:57:44,160
indulged in a fellowship meal
together and eating and drinking

1002
00:57:44,160 –> 00:57:47,600
based around that calf.
And then they rose up to play

1003
00:57:48,120 –> 00:57:51,280
and engaged in immorality.
I’ve got a, a table up here.

1004
00:57:52,000 –> 00:57:55,280
You can no doubt look ahead and
see some of the ones before we

1005
00:57:55,280 –> 00:57:57,080
quite get there.
But I want you to see the

1006
00:57:57,080 –> 00:57:58,840
patterns that are starting to
build up here.

1007
00:57:59,000 –> 00:58:02,000
The first one is that they were
it was associated with eating

1008
00:58:02,000 –> 00:58:04,280
and drinking, but it turned them
against the manner.

1009
00:58:04,840 –> 00:58:07,400
They hated the manner and they
wanted the food of Egypt.

1010
00:58:07,600 –> 00:58:11,120
The second one is is eating and
drinking, but in the context of

1011
00:58:11,120 –> 00:58:13,720
idolatry and it turns them to
immorality.

1012
00:58:14,760 –> 00:58:17,920
So I’ve given it away here.
Let’s just work through the rest

1013
00:58:17,920 –> 00:58:20,440
of this verse 8.
Neither let us commit

1014
00:58:20,440 –> 00:58:23,200
fornication as some of them
committed and fell in one day

1015
00:58:23,400 –> 00:58:25,920
three and 20,000.
Now we know very well that

1016
00:58:25,920 –> 00:58:28,400
that’s the incident of Bale
peel, don’t we, that that number

1017
00:58:28,400 –> 00:58:32,560
of of 23,000 dying is the
incident of Bale peel and this

1018
00:58:32,560 –> 00:58:34,120
concept of committing
fornication.

1019
00:58:34,640 –> 00:58:38,160
But I’ll just read to you from
Numbers 25 and verse one to

1020
00:58:38,160 –> 00:58:41,000
three, which is exactly this
incident of Bale peel.

1021
00:58:42,400 –> 00:58:46,600
So Numbers 25 and verse one to
three.

1022
00:58:46,600 –> 00:58:49,840
And you won’t be surprised to
you Israel Abode and Chittim and

1023
00:58:50,080 –> 00:58:53,200
and the people began to commit
whoredom with the daughters of

1024
00:58:53,200 –> 00:58:56,480
Moab, and they called the people
unto the sacrifices of their

1025
00:58:56,480 –> 00:59:01,960
gods.
And the people did eat and bowed

1026
00:59:01,960 –> 00:59:06,640
down to their gods, and Israel
joined himself unto Baal Peor,

1027
00:59:06,640 –> 00:59:09,160
and the anger of Yahweh was
kindled against Israel.

1028
00:59:10,720 –> 00:59:14,320
So you find once again that the
concept of the idolatry and of

1029
00:59:14,320 –> 00:59:18,120
partaking of idolatry is closely
associated with the concept of

1030
00:59:18,120 –> 00:59:22,440
eating, that the people were
called to the sacrifices of the

1031
00:59:22,440 –> 00:59:25,440
Moabite gods.
And the, the, the people of

1032
00:59:25,440 –> 00:59:30,560
Israel ate and bound down and
bowed down and joined themselves

1033
00:59:30,560 –> 00:59:33,120
to Baal Peor.
It’s exactly the same concept.

1034
00:59:33,120 –> 00:59:36,360
They ate and they drank.
They committed idolatry and it

1035
00:59:36,360 –> 00:59:40,480
turned into immorality.
They began to commit whoredom

1036
00:59:40,480 –> 00:59:46,240
with the daughters of Moab.
Verse 9 Neither let us tempt

1037
00:59:46,240 –> 00:59:48,320
Christ as some of them also
tempted him.

1038
00:59:48,320 –> 00:59:51,200
We’re destroyed of serpents.
So clearly this is the incident

1039
00:59:51,200 –> 00:59:54,680
of the of the fiery serpents,
isn’t it out of numbers 21.

1040
00:59:55,720 –> 00:59:58,120
And they they tempted Christ,
we’re told.

1041
00:59:58,520 –> 00:59:59,920
So.
Numbers 21.

1042
01:00:01,280 –> 01:00:05,080
And verse 5 to 6, what was the
issue in in Numbers 21?

1043
01:00:08,080 –> 01:00:10,480
And the people spake against God
and against Moses.

1044
01:00:10,480 –> 01:00:12,800
Wherefore have you brought us up
out of Egypt to die in the

1045
01:00:12,800 –> 01:00:15,000
wilderness?
There is no bread, neither is

1046
01:00:15,000 –> 01:00:17,640
there any water.
And our soul loathe this light

1047
01:00:17,640 –> 01:00:20,400
bread.
And Yahweh sent fiery serpents

1048
01:00:20,400 –> 01:00:23,960
among the people, and they bit
the people, and much people of

1049
01:00:23,960 –> 01:00:26,800
Israel died.
It’s the same issue, isn’t it?

1050
01:00:27,960 –> 01:00:29,760
There they were with the fiery
serpents.

1051
01:00:29,880 –> 01:00:32,520
Sorry, there they were in the
wilderness and they said there’s

1052
01:00:32,520 –> 01:00:36,320
no bread, there’s no water.
But then they answer the fact,

1053
01:00:36,320 –> 01:00:38,440
they say our soul loatheth this
light bread.

1054
01:00:39,440 –> 01:00:41,880
So actually the issue with the
fiery serpents and the

1055
01:00:41,880 –> 01:00:44,760
devastation caused by the fiery
serpents was because they were

1056
01:00:44,760 –> 01:00:49,240
saying we hate the manner we
don’t like the food of God in

1057
01:00:49,240 –> 01:00:51,320
the wilderness.
We want the food from back in

1058
01:00:51,320 –> 01:00:53,240
Egypt.
We want our own food which we

1059
01:00:53,240 –> 01:00:57,600
enjoy and so yet again we find
that this concept that Paul

1060
01:00:57,600 –> 01:01:00,640
picks out is 1 which hones right
into the issue of eating and

1061
01:01:00,640 –> 01:01:03,040
drinking and the impact of of
that eating and drinking.

1062
01:01:03,040 –> 01:01:08,360
And in verse 10, neither murmur
years, some of them also

1063
01:01:08,360 –> 01:01:10,360
murmured and were destroyed of
the destroyer.

1064
01:01:10,640 –> 01:01:14,280
Now the marginal reference there
is in Numbers 14, which which

1065
01:01:14,280 –> 01:01:16,400
does talk of murmuring, I’m
actually going to take you back

1066
01:01:16,400 –> 01:01:20,800
to Exodus 1516 and 17 because I
believe in the context of what

1067
01:01:20,800 –> 01:01:24,080
we’re seeing already here, that
this is the such the example

1068
01:01:24,080 –> 01:01:35,590
he’s talking about.
Exodus 15, verse 24, they come

1069
01:01:35,590 –> 01:01:39,310
into the waters of Mara.
Verse 23, they were bitter and

1070
01:01:39,310 –> 01:01:42,070
the people murmured against
Moses saying what shall we

1071
01:01:42,070 –> 01:01:43,880
drink?
So it’s the same.

1072
01:01:43,880 –> 01:01:47,400
So this concept of the of the
people murmuring comes out here

1073
01:01:47,400 –> 01:01:50,800
strongly in Exodus.
In Exodus 15 there was no water,

1074
01:01:51,000 –> 01:01:55,680
therefore the people murmured or
chapter 16 and verse verse 2,

1075
01:01:56,880 –> 01:01:59,560
they took their journey to Elam
and verse one and the whole

1076
01:01:59,560 –> 01:02:02,600
congregation of the children of
Israel murmured against Moses

1077
01:02:02,600 –> 01:02:05,280
and Aaron in the wilderness.
And the children of Israel said

1078
01:02:05,280 –> 01:02:09,200
unto them, would to God, we had
died by the hand of of Yahweh in

1079
01:02:09,200 –> 01:02:11,920
the land of Egypt, when we sat
by the fleshpots, and when we

1080
01:02:11,920 –> 01:02:14,800
did eat bread to the full.
For ye have brought us forth

1081
01:02:14,800 –> 01:02:17,840
into the this wilderness to kill
this assembly with hunger.

1082
01:02:18,480 –> 01:02:22,000
Verse 4 Then Yahweh said unto
Moses, Behold, I will reign

1083
01:02:22,000 –> 01:02:25,000
bread from heaven for you, and
the people shall go out and

1084
01:02:25,000 –> 01:02:26,920
gather.
And so that incident is actually

1085
01:02:26,920 –> 01:02:30,200
the incident where the the
manner is commenced for the for

1086
01:02:30,200 –> 01:02:34,240
the people of Israel.
And so see where their focus is,

1087
01:02:34,240 –> 01:02:36,760
though they’re murmuring because
they’re saying, oh, why would

1088
01:02:36,760 –> 01:02:38,280
why did we even come out to
wilderness?

1089
01:02:38,280 –> 01:02:40,120
Would God?
We had died back in the land of

1090
01:02:40,120 –> 01:02:43,880
Egypt by the fleshpots of Egypt
where we had food and abundance

1091
01:02:44,320 –> 01:02:48,200
and chapter 17 and verse 3 and
refidom, wherefore the people

1092
01:02:48,200 –> 01:02:51,520
chode with to chide with Moses
and said, give us water that we

1093
01:02:51,520 –> 01:02:54,760
may drink.
And Moses said unto them, why

1094
01:02:54,760 –> 01:02:57,920
charge you with me?
Wherefore do you tempt Yahweh?

1095
01:02:58,400 –> 01:03:01,440
And the people thirsted there
for water and the people

1096
01:03:01,440 –> 01:03:05,760
murmured against Moses.
Excuse me.

1097
01:03:05,760 –> 01:03:08,280
So that context of the murmuring
and the idea of murmuring, I

1098
01:03:08,280 –> 01:03:11,760
believe is actually out of those
early section here in Exodus,

1099
01:03:12,040 –> 01:03:14,840
which again gives us this
concept of the eating and the

1100
01:03:14,840 –> 01:03:19,640
drinking and particularly this
the the going back to the food

1101
01:03:19,640 –> 01:03:22,400
of Egypt and God in response
gives the manner.

1102
01:03:25,520 –> 01:03:28,240
So this is a battle, isn’t it,
between the gods of the nations,

1103
01:03:28,840 –> 01:03:33,680
the lifestyle of the nations and
Yahweh between the fellowship

1104
01:03:33,680 –> 01:03:37,840
meal of the gods of the nations
and the and the fellowship meal

1105
01:03:37,840 –> 01:03:43,880
of Yahweh.
And Paul brings out so

1106
01:03:43,880 –> 01:03:48,040
brilliantly here, using these
particular examples to show that

1107
01:03:48,040 –> 01:03:51,240
the issue is not just one he’s
having to deal with in Corinth

1108
01:03:51,240 –> 01:03:53,160
around the eating of meat
offered to idols.

1109
01:03:54,040 –> 01:03:57,120
But he’s showing that the issues
that are arising in Corinth were

1110
01:03:57,120 –> 01:04:01,280
because of their focus on eating
and drinking, of eating and

1111
01:04:01,280 –> 01:04:04,480
drinking of the gods of the
nations around them.

1112
01:04:06,080 –> 01:04:09,320
That in Israel, in the
wilderness, that focus on eating

1113
01:04:09,320 –> 01:04:15,080
and drinking had led to idolatry
and immorality and destruction

1114
01:04:15,160 –> 01:04:18,600
on the one hand.
And in other examples it relates

1115
01:04:18,600 –> 01:04:22,040
to the fact that they despise
the manner of God’s providing.

1116
01:04:22,560 –> 01:04:25,960
They despised the manner because
they wanted to eat and drink

1117
01:04:25,960 –> 01:04:28,480
things the way the world had
provided them.

1118
01:04:29,400 –> 01:04:32,320
They preferred to head back to
the leeks and onions and

1119
01:04:32,320 –> 01:04:35,800
garlics, and so therefore
loathed the angels food that

1120
01:04:35,800 –> 01:04:41,160
they had given.
And therefore, they would never

1121
01:04:41,160 –> 01:04:45,000
enter into the land that was
overflowing in milk and honey

1122
01:04:45,840 –> 01:04:49,600
from the abundance of the
Father, because they wanted to

1123
01:04:49,600 –> 01:04:52,880
fellowship the feast of the
idols of the nations around

1124
01:04:52,880 –> 01:04:55,400
them.
And so in such an incredible

1125
01:04:55,400 –> 01:04:58,560
way, Paul brings them right back
to the very heart of the issue

1126
01:04:58,560 –> 01:05:01,400
in Corinth.
It wasn’t just justification

1127
01:05:01,400 –> 01:05:03,800
around mere eating meat offered
to idols.

1128
01:05:05,920 –> 01:05:10,160
They actually wanted to indulge
in the idols worship.

1129
01:05:11,280 –> 01:05:13,440
They wanted to indulge
themselves in the idols around,

1130
01:05:13,440 –> 01:05:16,200
just like Israel in the
wilderness who had fallen time

1131
01:05:16,200 –> 01:05:18,840
and time again.
They wanted to betake of this

1132
01:05:18,840 –> 01:05:20,800
life and the lifestyle of the
nations around them.

1133
01:05:21,960 –> 01:05:26,520
They hated the manner, the word,
the bread of life that had been

1134
01:05:26,520 –> 01:05:29,080
provided.
But you see, they’d found a

1135
01:05:29,080 –> 01:05:31,600
legal justification to do so,
hadn’t they, when they said that

1136
01:05:31,600 –> 01:05:34,480
an idol was nothing.
And Paul just turns that on his

1137
01:05:34,480 –> 01:05:38,160
head and and he warns not just
them, but he warns us also,

1138
01:05:38,160 –> 01:05:42,760
doesn’t he, that we need to be
careful in case our own

1139
01:05:42,760 –> 01:05:46,360
justification, just such a
simple little academic

1140
01:05:46,360 –> 01:05:49,360
justification here should lead
to such an incredible

1141
01:05:50,480 –> 01:05:53,200
behavioural transformation that
we end up fellowshipping the

1142
01:05:53,200 –> 01:06:00,280
idols of the nations around this
15 of of 1st Corinthians 10.

1143
01:06:00,920 –> 01:06:03,560
Our speakers to wise men judge
he what I say the cup of

1144
01:06:03,560 –> 01:06:06,440
blessing which we bless.
Is it not the communion of the

1145
01:06:06,440 –> 01:06:10,120
blood of Christ, The bread which
we break isn’t not the communion

1146
01:06:10,120 –> 01:06:14,320
of the body of Christ, For we
being many are one bread and one

1147
01:06:14,320 –> 01:06:15,880
body.
We’re partakers of that one

1148
01:06:15,880 –> 01:06:18,400
bread.
And now Paul starts to pull all

1149
01:06:18,400 –> 01:06:21,200
these ideas together in terms of
our own worship and our own

1150
01:06:21,200 –> 01:06:24,400
approach to God because he’s
been building up this context.

1151
01:06:24,400 –> 01:06:26,040
Yes, an idol’s nothing.
You can go and eat that.

1152
01:06:26,040 –> 01:06:29,480
But actually he’s saying when
you go into the Idols Temple or

1153
01:06:29,960 –> 01:06:32,640
he takes a back a step, he says
when you come to the memorial

1154
01:06:32,640 –> 01:06:35,640
meeting and you share in the
bread and the wine, what are you

1155
01:06:35,640 –> 01:06:38,360
doing?
We’re becoming one body.

1156
01:06:39,240 –> 01:06:43,400
We’re becoming a communion, a
common union of the body of

1157
01:06:43,400 –> 01:06:46,120
Christ.
We’re one bread and we’re one

1158
01:06:46,120 –> 01:06:48,000
body.
So as we share that bread that’s

1159
01:06:48,000 –> 01:06:51,160
broken, as we share the wine
that is passed around, we

1160
01:06:51,160 –> 01:06:54,840
become, as it were, I’ve sat
carefully, but we become part of

1161
01:06:54,840 –> 01:06:56,040
that body and part of that
bread.

1162
01:06:56,800 –> 01:07:01,040
We fellowship, as it were, the
sacrifice of the body of Christ.

1163
01:07:01,040 –> 01:07:04,640
We become the communion of the
body and blood of Christ.

1164
01:07:06,240 –> 01:07:09,680
He then expands that verse 18
Israel after the flesh are not

1165
01:07:09,680 –> 01:07:12,040
they which each of the
sacrifices partakers of the

1166
01:07:12,040 –> 01:07:14,120
altar.
So there were particular

1167
01:07:14,120 –> 01:07:16,840
sacrifices where Israel would
come and would join in the

1168
01:07:16,840 –> 01:07:19,640
eating of the sacrifice that was
placed upon the altar.

1169
01:07:20,280 –> 01:07:25,240
And it’s saying that it links
the offer and the offering and

1170
01:07:25,240 –> 01:07:29,040
the priest in the process of
offering together in one united

1171
01:07:29,040 –> 01:07:34,320
fellowship meal together.
So verse 19, he says, well,

1172
01:07:34,320 –> 01:07:36,720
let’s now take that principle
and apply it and idol worship.

1173
01:07:36,960 –> 01:07:40,240
What I say then, is the idol
anything or is that which is

1174
01:07:40,240 –> 01:07:41,840
offered and sacrificed to idols
anything?

1175
01:07:41,840 –> 01:07:43,800
Well, they’d argued it wasn’t.
No, it’s not.

1176
01:07:43,800 –> 01:07:46,680
So therefore it doesn’t impact.
But I say that the things which

1177
01:07:46,680 –> 01:07:50,760
the Gentiles sacrifice, they
sacrifice to devils and not to

1178
01:07:50,760 –> 01:07:52,720
God.
And I would not that you should

1179
01:07:52,720 –> 01:07:55,560
fellowship with devils.
And his point here is when you

1180
01:07:55,560 –> 01:07:58,520
go up to the idols temple and
you eat meat that’s been offered

1181
01:07:58,520 –> 01:08:01,560
to an idol, you are
fellowshipping the table of

1182
01:08:01,560 –> 01:08:04,800
devils.
You are there sharing in a

1183
01:08:04,800 –> 01:08:09,120
fellowship that binds you
together with that idol, with

1184
01:08:09,120 –> 01:08:11,440
all of that.
It represents with all of the

1185
01:08:11,440 –> 01:08:14,160
immorality and all the issues
associated with that idol

1186
01:08:14,160 –> 01:08:16,240
worship.
If you are prepared to go up

1187
01:08:16,240 –> 01:08:20,399
there and to eat there, then you
will become part of that idol is

1188
01:08:20,399 –> 01:08:23,640
what he’s saying.
So their little legal

1189
01:08:23,640 –> 01:08:25,920
justification here that an idol
is nothing and therefore they

1190
01:08:25,920 –> 01:08:29,120
could go up there has now been
utterly turned on its head to

1191
01:08:29,120 –> 01:08:32,520
say actually that legal
justification has now brought

1192
01:08:32,520 –> 01:08:36,640
you to a position where you’re
prepared to instead of having

1193
01:08:36,640 –> 01:08:39,279
the the community of the body
and blood of the Lord, you are

1194
01:08:39,279 –> 01:08:41,760
actually fellowshipping the
table of devils.

1195
01:08:41,760 –> 01:08:44,439
You are becoming part of the
idol itself.

1196
01:08:47,200 –> 01:08:51,479
As we become as as we partake of
Yahweh’s feast memorial meeting,

1197
01:08:52,319 –> 01:08:55,279
we become the communion of the
body of Christ and we’re bound

1198
01:08:55,279 –> 01:08:58,479
in that beautiful fellowship
that the memorial feast becomes

1199
01:08:58,479 –> 01:09:01,479
for us spiritually.
We’ve become part of the body of

1200
01:09:01,479 –> 01:09:06,040
Christ.
But he tells us if we’re

1201
01:09:06,040 –> 01:09:11,800
prepared instead to go out and
to eat in an idol’s temple, then

1202
01:09:11,800 –> 01:09:14,479
actually we’re fellowshipping
with devils.

1203
01:09:15,319 –> 01:09:18,560
There’s little justification
here had brought them to a

1204
01:09:18,560 –> 01:09:22,399
position where they were in
fellowship becoming one with and

1205
01:09:22,399 –> 01:09:27,560
part of the table of devils.
You might be able to justify it,

1206
01:09:28,880 –> 01:09:32,560
but in reality it’s LED you to
the horrible position of being

1207
01:09:32,920 –> 01:09:39,800
in fellowship with the idol.
You can’t expect that he says to

1208
01:09:39,800 –> 01:09:42,359
happen.
Verse 21.

1209
01:09:43,479 –> 01:09:47,479
You can’t drink the cup of the
Lord and the cup of devils.

1210
01:09:48,560 –> 01:09:51,760
He cannot be partakers of the
Lord’s table and of the table of

1211
01:09:51,760 –> 01:09:58,840
devils.
We can’t expect to fellowship

1212
01:09:58,840 –> 01:10:03,160
the table of devils and then to
come to the Lord’s feast on a

1213
01:10:03,160 –> 01:10:06,600
Sunday morning and expect that
we’ll have fellowship with a

1214
01:10:06,600 –> 01:10:10,320
father.
He says you cannot do it if in

1215
01:10:10,320 –> 01:10:13,480
our life we are justifying
ourselves into a position where

1216
01:10:13,480 –> 01:10:18,760
instead of edifying one another,
we are living our life based on

1217
01:10:18,760 –> 01:10:23,280
what we want to do.
If that way of life has LED us

1218
01:10:23,280 –> 01:10:26,200
to a position where we are
indulging in fellowship with the

1219
01:10:26,200 –> 01:10:28,800
world and bringing the world
into our lives.

1220
01:10:30,280 –> 01:10:34,280
And he says, how can you expect
to turn around on a Sunday

1221
01:10:34,280 –> 01:10:35,880
morning and fellowship with the
Father?

1222
01:10:37,360 –> 01:10:40,040
And in such an incredible way,
Paul has has shown us that it’s

1223
01:10:40,040 –> 01:10:42,920
not just others we’re hurting
with that little justification,

1224
01:10:43,760 –> 01:10:47,840
but we’re actually destroying
ourselves that we are in, and

1225
01:10:47,840 –> 01:10:49,640
we’re destroying the fellowship
with the Father.

1226
01:10:49,640 –> 01:10:51,320
It’s that law of consequence,
isn’t it?

1227
01:10:51,400 –> 01:10:55,520
Just a little academic
justification that’s LED

1228
01:10:55,800 –> 01:11:02,320
inevitably by tunes to major
behavioral change that put us in

1229
01:11:02,320 –> 01:11:05,640
fellowship with the devil and
not with God.

1230
01:11:08,560 –> 01:11:10,760
We haven’t got time to look at
it in detail now, but in One

1231
01:11:10,760 –> 01:11:16,320
Corinthians Chapter 11, actually
this chapter that we use every

1232
01:11:16,320 –> 01:11:20,120
Sunday and perhaps use too much
every Sunday as as a basis of of

1233
01:11:20,320 –> 01:11:24,520
of words just for for the
memorials is actually a chapter

1234
01:11:24,520 –> 01:11:27,640
that’s pulling together all of
these ideas to show now what had

1235
01:11:27,640 –> 01:11:30,520
happened.
And what is this in in Chapter

1236
01:11:30,520 –> 01:11:33,880
11, verse 20, when we come
together therefore into one

1237
01:11:33,880 –> 01:11:36,360
place, this is not to eat the
Lord’s Supper for an eating

1238
01:11:36,360 –> 01:11:39,720
everyone taketh before other his
own supper and one is hungry and

1239
01:11:39,720 –> 01:11:42,840
another is drunken.
What have ye not houses to eat

1240
01:11:42,840 –> 01:11:45,920
and drink in or despise ye the
ecclesia of God and shame them

1241
01:11:45,920 –> 01:11:47,920
what have not?
So what had happened?

1242
01:11:48,360 –> 01:11:50,680
Well, the memorial feast had
actually got to a position where

1243
01:11:50,680 –> 01:11:53,400
before the memorial feast they’d
have a meal together and one of

1244
01:11:53,400 –> 01:11:55,680
them was so poor that he was
sitting in the corner starving

1245
01:11:55,840 –> 01:11:57,640
and the other one who was
wealthy was sitting there

1246
01:11:57,640 –> 01:12:02,760
overindulging and drunken.
What’s that if it’s not the

1247
01:12:02,760 –> 01:12:05,720
idols worship that has now
become part of the memorial

1248
01:12:05,720 –> 01:12:08,320
meeting?
So it’s not just that they were

1249
01:12:08,320 –> 01:12:11,320
fellowshipping the table of
devils up in the idols temple,

1250
01:12:11,640 –> 01:12:15,800
but their self justification had
now led to an outcome where then

1251
01:12:15,920 –> 01:12:19,920
the meat offered to idols had
become idol worship in the

1252
01:12:19,920 –> 01:12:25,200
memorial meeting of God itself.
They had taken the influence of

1253
01:12:25,200 –> 01:12:29,080
the idols worship and they had
brought the drunken feasting

1254
01:12:29,080 –> 01:12:31,840
approach of the idols worship
into the memorial meeting

1255
01:12:31,840 –> 01:12:34,080
itself.
Brothers and sisters and young

1256
01:12:34,080 –> 01:12:37,560
people, you cannot take little
things which you justify as a

1257
01:12:37,560 –> 01:12:41,640
self justification and expect if
they are against the principles

1258
01:12:41,640 –> 01:12:44,600
of God, that it will not find
its way into influencing the

1259
01:12:44,600 –> 01:12:48,400
ecclesia and by turns we’ll end
up in our memorial meetings

1260
01:12:48,640 –> 01:12:51,360
impacting our ability to
fellowship with the father.

1261
01:12:53,160 –> 01:12:57,240
It had come into the memorial
meeting itself, and Paul says

1262
01:12:57,240 –> 01:13:01,320
that a man examine himself
before he takes the bread and

1263
01:13:01,320 –> 01:13:04,960
the wine to see whether we are
bringing the idols worship with

1264
01:13:04,960 –> 01:13:09,120
us.
It’s the final horrific

1265
01:13:09,120 –> 01:13:11,440
outworking of a simple little
statement that an idol is

1266
01:13:11,440 –> 01:13:14,520
nothing.
What is started as a seemingly

1267
01:13:14,520 –> 01:13:18,280
minor comment had now drifted
into them eating idols meat in

1268
01:13:18,280 –> 01:13:23,280
the idols temple and by degrees
and slips and tones they had

1269
01:13:23,360 –> 01:13:27,520
taken the fellowship of the
temple and bought it into the

1270
01:13:27,520 –> 01:13:32,920
ecclesial life itself.
The reality is that none of us

1271
01:13:32,920 –> 01:13:36,760
eat meat offered to idols.
None of us have a concern about

1272
01:13:36,760 –> 01:13:38,720
the question of meat offered to
idols.

1273
01:13:39,560 –> 01:13:41,400
It’s simply not a problem for us
today.

1274
01:13:44,200 –> 01:13:47,080
But it’s very easy for us to
take self justification in many

1275
01:13:47,080 –> 01:13:51,560
matters of life.
We’re told all these things

1276
01:13:51,560 –> 01:13:54,120
happen to them.
For examples, there’s no

1277
01:13:54,120 –> 01:13:58,960
temptation touch you, but such
as is common to men and I

1278
01:13:58,960 –> 01:14:02,040
believe, brothers and sisters,
that in the age we live in,

1279
01:14:02,720 –> 01:14:05,400
there is a significant danger
that we are fellowshipping the

1280
01:14:05,400 –> 01:14:08,840
table of devils.
That we can have justified our

1281
01:14:08,840 –> 01:14:13,200
own life, our own lifestyle, our
own way of life to such an

1282
01:14:13,200 –> 01:14:16,160
extent that we have missed the
concept of edifying our brothers

1283
01:14:16,160 –> 01:14:19,360
and sisters.
It was the issue in Sodom,

1284
01:14:19,360 –> 01:14:21,040
wasn’t it?
Abundance of idleness and

1285
01:14:21,040 –> 01:14:24,160
fullness of bread.
We live in an age of, of

1286
01:14:24,160 –> 01:14:28,080
relaxation of an age of focus
upon ourselves.

1287
01:14:29,280 –> 01:14:31,840
On one hand, we rush madly
around in the world that’s going

1288
01:14:31,840 –> 01:14:34,200
faster and faster.
And on the other time when we

1289
01:14:34,200 –> 01:14:36,520
have that spare time, we we try
and fill it up with all the

1290
01:14:36,520 –> 01:14:39,000
relaxations and all of the
focuses of this life.

1291
01:14:39,000 –> 01:14:42,920
And we actually have to stop and
to examine our own life’s

1292
01:14:42,920 –> 01:14:46,960
personally, brothers and sisters
and young people, to see whether

1293
01:14:46,960 –> 01:14:49,760
our life has lived in the
fullness and the completeness of

1294
01:14:49,760 –> 01:14:54,200
service to our brothers and
sisters in their edification, to

1295
01:14:54,200 –> 01:14:56,840
make sure that what we’re doing
will not make them hurt or

1296
01:14:56,840 –> 01:15:07,160
stumble.
All things are lawful, but not

1297
01:15:07,160 –> 01:15:13,440
all things are expedient.
The word expedient there we’ve

1298
01:15:13,440 –> 01:15:15,840
looked at already is the idea of
to bear together and to

1299
01:15:15,840 –> 01:15:19,240
contribute.
But now Paul adds another phrase

1300
01:15:19,800 –> 01:15:24,560
to edify.
He says in in one Corinthians 10

1301
01:15:24,560 –> 01:15:32,960
and verse 23 and 24.
All things are lawful but all

1302
01:15:32,960 –> 01:15:34,400
things edify.
Not that word.

1303
01:15:34,400 –> 01:15:39,560
Edify interestingly is to be a
house builder to construct or

1304
01:15:39,560 –> 01:15:42,320
confirm.
Paul’s bringing us back to the

1305
01:15:42,320 –> 01:15:46,760
concept of being Co labourers or
builders with God and the

1306
01:15:46,760 –> 01:15:49,640
building we build is our
brothers and sisters together.

1307
01:15:51,600 –> 01:15:55,760
This is God’s salvation that He
is working.

1308
01:15:57,240 –> 01:16:02,760
He wants us to to to take each
other and to build and to lift

1309
01:16:02,760 –> 01:16:06,280
each other up, and therefore we
should be prepared to put

1310
01:16:06,280 –> 01:16:10,040
anything aside in life that
could harm or destroy that

1311
01:16:10,040 –> 01:16:14,240
outcome.
That way of salvation is shown

1312
01:16:14,240 –> 01:16:17,200
by the Lord in the ultimate
example of expedience and

1313
01:16:17,200 –> 01:16:22,200
edification, of building us up,
of bearing us.

1314
01:16:23,840 –> 01:16:30,480
Take, eat.
This is my body which is broken

1315
01:16:30,480 –> 01:16:35,800
for you.
This cup is the New Testament,

1316
01:16:35,920 –> 01:16:41,640
the New Covenant in my blood.
God does not tempt us above that

1317
01:16:41,640 –> 01:16:44,200
we are able.
He has made the way of

1318
01:16:44,200 –> 01:16:47,840
forgiveness and reconciliation
available through the life and

1319
01:16:47,840 –> 01:16:52,520
the death of His dear Son.
It’s up to us as individuals to

1320
01:16:52,520 –> 01:16:56,960
examine ourselves, to turn on
our heels and to flee from

1321
01:16:56,960 –> 01:17:01,440
idolatry and to devote our life
in slavery to one another.

1322
01:17:04,120 –> 01:17:11,720
Wherefore he says, whether
therefore you eat or drink or

1323
01:17:11,720 –> 01:17:17,600
whatsoever you do, make sure
that it’s all to the glory of

1324
01:17:17,600 –> 01:17:17,960
God.