Pastor Dan Eddy
I Corinthians 8:1-13
How
do you look and sound to others?
1-29-12
Let
us pray: Father God, this morning let the knowledge we gain through Your
Word in this sermon not puff us up with pride and conceit, but instead, through
the Holy Spirit, do what is necessary for us to build each other up in love. In
Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
The
text for this morning’s sermon meditation is our Epistle Reading from 1
Corinthians 8:1-13.
Dear
brothers and sisters in Christ…
I.
Introduction
– What do you do?
Imagine
you’re at a restaurant with some of your friends, many of whom are believers in
Christ and some who have recently admitted to you that they are reformed
alcoholics and struggling. The waitress takes your table’s drink order. She
comes do you. Do you order an alcoholic beverage or not?
You’re
at work and Superbowl fever is in high gear. Some cocky New York Giants fans
bet you their team will again beat the Patriots. Some co-workers are
watching this bantering (some who even attend church). They’re not betting
because in the past they’ve had some gambling problems. They’re watching to see
if you’ll support your team by betting the obnoxious Giants fan. Are you
going to put down some money on the game?
The
latest edition of the Halo video
gaming series is out for your Xbox. You’re playing it in your home getting into
the game by shouting “You’re dead you nasty terrorists. I’m going to kill
you.” Children are watching you as you play. Do you stop?
You’re
at home and a neighbor brings over a beautiful chocolate cake. Your favorite.
You know your spouse is trying to lose weight and he or she loves chocolate cake,
too. Do you keep the cake and eat it or pass it on to someone else?
How
do you look and sound to others if you decide order a drink, take the bet, play
a video game, or eat cake?
Today’s
Epistle Reading from 1 Corinthians 8 offers believers insight into how God
wants us to help those who are weaker in their faith or have weak areas in
their walk with Christ.
II.
Background
of the Text – Adiaphora
The
text addresses a question some in the Greek congregation at
Sometimes meals for trade guilds (businesses), clubs, and private
dinner parties (like birthdays, weddings) were held in pagan temple dining
rooms.
Because pagan temples offered parts of animals in sacrifices to
the Greek gods, they also often functioned as butcher shops and banquet halls.
So,
the question was, “Can you eat that food and be right in the eyes of the
Lord?”
Inspired
by the Holy Spirit, Paul had no problem with people eating food that had been
sacrificed to idols, because the gods that were manifested in those idols never
existed. Only one God exists. The Lord, or as spoken in Hebrew, Yahweh, our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Paul
is applying a theological concept known as Adiaphora (put on the front of the pulpit). Things that God
neither expressly forbids nor commands.
So
as it relates to the idol question Paul writes in verse 8: “Food will
not commend us” or bring us closer “to God. We are no worse off if we do not
eat, and no better off if we do.”
In
other words, Paul is emphatically saying “It doesn’t make one whit of
difference.”
Using
our opening examples, God’s Word doesn’t prohibit us from drinking alcohol (as
long as we don’t get drunk), ban us from gambling (as long as the needs of our
family and church are addressed), doesn’t command us not to play video games,
or eat chocolate cake.
Adiaphora,
which is (ἀδιάφορα)
Greek for "indifferent things" is part of our freedom we are given as Christians
to engage in the blessings of life from God.
But,
Paul is saying here be careful how you use the knowledge of this freedom,
and how your words and actions might lead weaker brothers and sisters in Christ
to unintentionally sin.
III.
Knowledge puffs up and love builds up
You see the test of
adiaphora or living our freedom in Christ is what do you do with the knowledge
you have?
The strong believers, the
“knowledgeable” brothers, in Christ in this Corinthian church knew there were
no such things as other gods, so it was no big deal if they ate food sacrificed
to others gods. But this knowledge was self contained…it puffed them up,
because not all the believers in this congregation knew that.
The weaker believers ate this
food thinking that it really was sacrificed to other gods. And they thought it
was okay, because they saw the stronger believers eating the same food.
Some of these weaker
believers thought that there was more than one god…so they indeed enjoyed
eating food sacrificed to these gods. Other, perhaps, felt guilty eating food
dedicated to these idols.
In any event, the stronger
believers’ “knowledge” was not helping the weaker believers. And therefore, was
leading the weaker believer down a path away from the faith to everlasting
destruction.
What good is knowledge if it is applied in the
wrong way? True wisdom seeks to understand, based on the situation, and then is
used to build up the body of Christ.
Paul is saying here to the
stronger “knowledgeable” believers that their actions are acting as a
temptation for the weaker believers, and, as a result, is offensive to God. So
Paul is saying, in essence, knock it off. By no means should you eat food in
this manner. And as a result of not eating food sacrificed to non-existent
gods, you will keep your brother in Christ from falling away. Love that builds
up means brothers and sisters in Christ have to look out for each other.
So let’s go back to our opening
examples.
Does ordering a beer or
cocktail in the presence of struggling reformed alcoholics tempt them to engage
in behavior leading down the path to alcoholism again?
What about a tempting bet
for the Superbowl for someone who has struggled with gambling problems, or
eating cake in front of someone trying to lose weight, or shouting about
killing in the presence of impressible children, even if the figures “being
killed” are animation?
How do these actions look
to others? Is this the ways we build up other’s faith in Christ? And how do
these actions look to God?
What if you were the
person struggling in the weaker position? How would you like to be treated?
Where do we
send a confusing message when it comes to witnessing our faith in Christ to
others?
Whether we realize it or
not…we, too, are prophets of God; prophets with a small “p”. A prophet is
someone who represents God to others, not necessary someone who makes
predictions about future events.
I am your called and
ordained Prophet here in this congregation…but you are prophets to the people
you know out there…especially the ones who are part of Christ’s church…either
here in this congregation or elsewhere.
We do what we have to do
in order to keep our brothers and sister in Christ in the faith. Strong in knowledge
means strong in love, helping the weak become strong. “We’ve got out for each other,” because Jesus has and continues to
look out for you.
IV.
Jesus is the Prophet with Knowledge to love;
Jesus Christ is the
ultimate Prophet with the complete knowledge to love completely. He is one with
God. The Heavenly Father is one with Him, and together with the Holy Spirit
they are the one and only Lord God.
At the Cross, Jesus showed
us how far He would go to love you. And through His Word gives us the knowledge
of Baptism. A knowledge that should never puff us up, but, through the Water
and the Word, builds up the Church by spreading His love, through saving
others.
Jesus Christ through the
Holy Spirit in the Word gives us the knowledge of His Holy Supper so that love
builds you up and strengthens your faith, renews His grace for you.
We know that the food we
are about to eat and the cup which we are about to drink are not food and drink
sacrificed to idols; it’s food and drink from Christ’s sacrificed body and body
to build up our faith in love.
This knowledge of Holy
Communion assures us that when we have not looked or sounded good to others or
to God…that His body and blood through God’s Word forgives and cleanses you…removes
the puffiness….gives you a fresh start in love.
V.
Examples of Christ to love the weaker believer
True love from Jesus
guides mutual concern and care for fellow believers in Christ
Through His Word God gives
us the knowledge to love in more thoughtful ways…like it has with this text,
because “We’ve got to look out for each
other.”
Faith is not a private
matter. How it looks to others is very important in how that witness is seen to
encourage a stronger faith and better acceptance of Christ’s teachings.
Christ sacrificed for
you…so you can sacrifice to build up other believers. And that means we think before we speak and do. We use our
knowledge of God and wisdom in life to love others better.
This
means there might be certain words or actions that may not be forbidden nor
commanded by God but we cease doing in order to keep others in the faith from
falling away from Heaven to Hell, and to build up their faith in love.
And
I’d like to close this morning’s sermon with how another brother’s faith in
Christ witnessed to me this past week, and strengthened my trust in the Lord in
a very weak moment in my life.
I’d
been having problems getting heat in my ’96 Chevy Camero this winter. So I took
it over to Chuck at Midway Auto’s Service Department in Abington as I have for
the past 4 years. Chuck said I needed a new water pump. They put it in. I had
heat for maybe 5 minutes and nothing.
So
I brought it back in. He said “just need to bleed the radiator. There are
some air pockets in there. You’ll have it back in an hour.” Well then they
were getting heat but the car was overheating.
So
they tried a new thermostat…nothing. Then they tried a few other
things…nothing. Days were now going by…and I am getting very nervous. Chuck
calls me, “My mechanic says you may need a new head gasket.” Ouch…that’s
a very expensive repair like $1500 to $2000. Chuck said, “I don’t
believe that’s the problem. I’m going to take it to another place. I’ll pay for
the diagnostic.”
The
other place said “Yup he needs a head casket.” Now I am getting really
nervous trying to figure out how we’re going to pay for this repair. Chuck said
“I am going to try one more place…and if they say it’s a head casket
problem, then it probably is.” At this point they’ve had my car for over a
week. Don’t worry they gave me a free loaner. Anyway he calls me back this past
Thursday and said it wasn’t a head casket problem. All they needed to do was
back flush the radiator to the heater core. The final repair was 1/5 of the
cost of replacing a head gasket.
Berta and I were so
relieved. I mean Chuck didn’t have to go through all this, and eat these costs.
He wouldn’t have been wrong in having the head gasket repaired, because he’s
not a mechanic and his mechanics were telling him otherwise. He could have given
up after the second diagnosis and he wouldn’t have been wrong. But he didn’t…he
went the extra mile. And when I thanked him for treating me so well he said, ”Pastor, we’ve got to look out for each
other.”
In a moment we will be installing
our congregations’ elected council officers, appointed committee members and
lay deacons and deaconesses. They will be making a commitment to look out for
you. And as you follow them…you are making a commitment to look out for them.
Live in such a way that
those who may have a weaker faith or weaker area of their faith in Christ will
come to know Jesus ever more strongly, because they know God loves you by the
way you speak and show it to them.
In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.