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Title: *What Confines a Christian?*
* *
Text: 1 Cor 8
Idea: Love limits liberty: Every yes contains a no when you follow Christ.
Purpose: To illustrate that Christian love will limit your freedom to say yes to everything because every yes has a no.
KW: Theology; Discipleship; Accountability; Freedom; Liberty; Love;
I.
What limits my freedom as a Christian?
* Today is the Super bowl and the leading candidate for MVP, Tom Brady, has recently told a reporter that he has questions about life and living.
Quarterback Tom Brady Still Searching
During the 2007-2008 NFL regular season, New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady set the record for most touchdown passes in a regular season, paving the way for his winning the MVP award.
At the age of 30, he has already won three Super Bowls—an accomplishment that sets him apart as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game.
In 2005, Tom Brady was interviewed by /60 Minutes/ journalist Steve Kroft.
Despite the fame and career accomplishments he had achieved already, Brady told Kroft that it felt like something was still lacking in his life:
Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there's something greater out there for me?
I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, 'Hey man, this is what [it's all about].'
I reached my goal, my dream, my life.
Me?
I think, 'It's got to be more than this.'
I mean this isn't—this can't be—all it's cracked up to be."
Kroft pressed Brady as to what the right answer was, and Brady added:
What's the answer?
I wish I knew… I love playing football, and I love being quarterback for this team.
But at the same time, I think there are a lot of other parts about me that I'm trying to find.
/Van Morris, Mount Washington, Kentucky; source: www.cbsnews.com
and //60 Minutes// (CBS, 2007)/
Will anyone in here take the time today to hold up Tom Brady in prayer?
* Many of the Corinthians started life the same way; they had questions about their purpose.
Along came a preacher by the name of Paul and he told them about a God who has a purpose for them.
* But saying yes to Jesus doesn’t mean the end of all questions.
As a matter of fact, the Corinthians had a list of questions to their leader.
Questions about marriage, lawsuits, divorce, worship, spiritual gifts.
In chapter eight of First Corinthians, the question is concerning eating something that had been offered to false gods.
While today we do not face the question of eating meat sacrificed to idols, we face many issues surrounding the ‘gray’ areas that impact our relationships with other Christians.
(Issues such as alcohol, smoking, movies, work and sports on Sundays, etc)
So, today I want to answer the question, ‘What does it involve when we say ‘yes’ to Jesus?’
*II.
**It involves a relationship between knowledge and love; knowledge may say yes but love may say no.*
* *
1Co 8:1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: a We know that we all possess knowledge.
18 b Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
1Co 8:2 The man who thinks he knows something c does not yet know as he ought to know.
d
1Co 8:3 But the man who loves God is known by God.
* *
* We must learn to understand the relationship between knowledge and love.
Knowledge and love can lead you in different directions.
The First Century Corinthian church was a church on the move for God gaining much knowledge of their freedom in Christ.
However, at times they lacked love, which is the great applicator.
The Corinthian church was one of the most important cities in Greece during Paul’s time.
It had a population base of 700,000 and about 60% of whom were slaves.
Many of the citizens were into gambling, legalized temple prostitution.
It housed the Temple of Aphrodite (or Venus), and other cult temples designed to appease the gods of the Romans.
A pagan temple could have as many as 1,000 religious prostitutes, both male and female.
Nonetheless, the people in Corinthian church were much like us today.
Like our churches in urban centers it housed many different national, social, economic and religious backgrounds.
No wonder they had many different views in the church, causing Paul to write this letter.
Can you imagine the questions and gray areas today's churches face?
In dealing with ‘gray’ areas Paul is teaching them some basic principles:
* First, Paul is trying to teach them to separate the issue from the person.
Corinth was a town with a large pagan temple and most of the meat available to purchase had at one time been part of the pagan sacrifices.
Part of the meat was burnt as an offering, part was taken by the priests for their meals.
The rest given to public officials as part of their salaries.
The rest was sold to the markets for general sale.
Today, it may be boycotting a store owned by Hindu because he uses the money to fund his religion.
Or, allowing a real estate agent to sell your home even though he is a practicing Mason.
These are real issues for modern Christians today.
Ron Lee summarizes, ‘Paul states the problem as it is.
He does not sugar coat, take side, tro lessen nor hide the problem.
He invites all to have an honest and open dialogue.
Ron breaks the verses down for us; v1, "let’s talk about food t~/ has been sacrificed to idols" He doesn’t say, "you people who believe this way and t~/ way ..." We must learn to separate issue f~/ people.
\\ Paul opens up with addressing the superficial issue first (v1), then, he addresses the real issue, the real motives, what is inside our heart (v1~/b,c).
Then he provides real solution in v3.
...arrogant (RSV, NLT), puffs up (NASB), i.e, self-righteous and self-importance.
(Ron Lee)
While it first involves learning how to separate the issue from the person.
* Second, Paul appeals to love as a trump card over knowledge when dealing with gray areas because knowledge can lead to pride.
Illustration: A man came into this church to discuss the issue of (end times?).
After about 5 minutes of trying to give him an answer, I knew he didn’t want to hear an answer.
He wanted to tell me what he believed and he wasn’t prepared to listen or accept what might be an alternate view of things.
We are all like that man.
I remember as a college freshmen arguing with one of my NT professors on how to interpret Matthew 5-7.
He was so gracious with me.
I left feeling intellectually superior but I was a really a fool.
He allowed love to trump his knowledge (which was superior to mine) in order not to break my faith.
We must be gracious with others who may not hold the same knowledge of being a Christian in modern culture, or the same understanding of our freedom in Christ.
To feel confident and assured, we must learn to separate issues from people and then learn to discern good from bad theology.
Knowledge may lead you to say yes to something but love may lead you to say no.
When that happens, take loves lead.
Love learns how to do the separating.
*III.
**It involves an understanding that yes will also mean no in Christian monotheism.*
In dealing with gray area issues we must separate the issue from the person, and we must also ask seek the truth behind the issue.[1]
* What is the truth behind the issue?
1Co 8:4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: f We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world g and that there is no God but one.
h
1Co 8:5 For even if there are so-called gods, i whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”),
1Co 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, j the Father, k from whom all things came l and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, m Jesus Christ, through whom all things came n and through whom we live.
What is Paul saying here?
The truth of the matter is there is only one God and one Lord.
The truth of that statement means you need to say yes to one God and one Lord only.
The truth of that statement means when you say yes to Jesus you also say no.
Let me try to explain that in more detail:
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