1 CORINTHIANS 7-11 A CONFUSED CHURCH2014 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 1 Corinthians 7-11 A Confused Church

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2014. And we're going to be continuing on in the book of 1 Corinthians this evening, looking at 1 Corinthians chapters 7 through 11.

Last week I wasn't here. I was at the pastor's conference and being blessed by the Lord and ministered to. But Richard was here and he taught through the first six chapters of Corinthians and really did a fantastic job as he looked at the division and things that were going on, the problems there in Corinth that Paul was addressing.

As we go forward now, looking at chapters 7 through 11, I kind of group these or title these chapters, A Confused Church, because there's a lot of confusion that Paul is addressing as we go now into our chapters this evening.

The book of Corinthians, or 1 Corinthians, is written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth for two main reasons. Number one was to address problems in the church. As we saw last week, there was lots of problems with the division and such, and there'll be some more problems that Paul's going to address. But then he's also answering questions that they had asked.

And so they had communicated and sent word to him. And so he's responding to some of those things as they're trying to figure out what does it mean for us to live as Christians here in Corinth in the first century? What does that look like, Paul? How do we behave and how do we respond to these situations? And so Paul is going to be giving them insight and at the same time giving us insight into how to live out our Christian faith.

Quick look at the timeline. The Apostle Paul is writing this during the period that we read about in Acts chapters 19 through 21. It's his third missionary journey. He writes to the Corinthians twice and then he also writes the book of Romans which we just studied a couple weeks back.

And so here's what it looks like on the map. He's in his third missionary journey. He stays in Ephesus for three years. And during that time, he writes to the church of Corinth these two letters. And then he's going to go visit them shortly and spend a few moments with them as he heads back to Jerusalem.

Well, again, Richard shared last week some of the concerns for Corinth that Paul had because of the divisions and contentions. He deals with those in chapters 1 and then 3 and 4. He also dealt with the sin that was tolerated in the church, the immorality that was going on that even the world wasn't participating in, but the church was celebrating. And he also dealt with the sin that was tolerated in the church, the immorality that was going on that even the world wasn't participating in, but the church was celebrating.

And then also in chapter 6, he dealt with the lawsuits that were happening amongst the believers. And then later on, he's going to address some more concerns about the Lord's Supper. We'll see that tonight. And then next week, some of the disorder that was going on during the church services and then also the misunderstandings about the resurrection.

But as we go into chapter 7, we're kind of entering into a new section where Paul is answering questions. And here's some of the questions that we'll be looking at. First of all, in chapter 7, he's answering kind of three questions. Now, this is kind of pieced together. We don't have the letter from Corinth to Paul.

But from what he's writing, we can kind of, you know, get that these were the questions. It's kind of like Jeopardy, right? We have the answers in 1 Corinthians 7. And so we're trying to figure out what questions were they asking?

So the first question seems to be, should husbands and wives refrain from sex? And they were wanting to know what to do about that in, you know, their new life in Christ. Secondly, should a believer divorce an unbeliever? What if I'm saved and my spouse is unsaved? Does that mean now that I'm a Christian, we should separate and go our different ways?

Then thirdly, in chapter 7, they ask, should single people get married? And so as we go now into chapter 7, Paul's going to be addressing these questions and I think giving us some important insights for us as well. So as we get started in our chapters, chapter 7 this evening is our first chapter. Verse 24 is the key verse. Paul says, Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

And so he's encouraging us to, hey, just because you're a Christian, that doesn't mean that suddenly you have to change everything. You have to quit your job, leave your spouse, you know, all of that. And he's saying, no, no, no.

Be a Christian within the context that God saved you. Now, there's balance in that. So he's not saying continue to live in sin. But he's saying, look, you don't have to abandon everything that you've ever known and leave your family and such. But be a Christian and be a witness to those who are around you. But he starts out in verses 1 through 9. And he explains here that the husband and wife are to...

render the affection that is due to each other. Now again, it seems that Paul is answering the question that they were asking, what about a sexual relationship for us now that we are believers?

Now, there were some in that day who would teach that it was more spiritual to not have sex, even if you were married. That, you know, if you really wanted to be spiritual, that you would abstain, that you would refrain, even if you were married. And so they're asking Paul, is that true? I mean, is that what we're supposed to do? Is that what a Christian marriage looks like?

And Paul is answering now and says in verse 2, Paul writes back and says, that's not true. When he's talking to a married person,

He says, to refrain from sex puts you in a place where you are vulnerable, you're more vulnerable to temptation and the attacks of the enemy. You know, there's a saying, I don't remember who said it, but I remember hearing it, so I know I didn't make it up. But they said that before marriage, Satan does everything he can to get a couple to have sex.

But then after marriage, he does everything he can to keep a couple from having sex. And it's reversed, right? Because God's plan is abstain before marriage. But then after marriage, things change. Hebrews tells us that the marriage bed is undefiled.

Now, if all this talk about sex makes you a little bit uncomfortable, imagine how I feel as I have a spiritual mom right here, second row watching me. So I'm trying to be very careful with what I say and she can come correct me afterwards. But these are important things. And really, this is something that the Lord put on my heart, especially for us tonight, guys. We're going to spend more time in chapter 7 than the other chapters because...

These are really pertinent to what we face today and the things that we are going through. Check out verse 5. Paul says,

Paul says, you need to realize that Satan wants to destroy you. You need to be thinking about things in a way that you understand that the enemy is out to get you. And so when it comes to your marriage relationship, he says, well, you can take a break for a short time, a time for prayer and fasting, but don't let that go on too long. Because Satan wants to come in and use that as an opportunity to

Well, to bring some problems because of your lack of self-control. And I really want to exhort you. I really want to encourage you as your pastor. Can I say married couples, you need to sit down and have an honest discussion about sex with your spouse. Like make an appointment, make a date, go out for coffee, do something and have an honest discussion about what Paul is addressing here in 1 Corinthians 7.

What was going on there for the Corinthians was, well, they had temple prostitution that was just prevalent. It was a way that they worshipped, you know, the false gods there in Corinth was you would go be with this prostitute. It was an act of worship and it was common and it was normal for the Corinthians before Christ.

And so if there's this abstaining within the marriage, then there's this readily available opportunities for, you know, them to seek that relationship elsewhere. And Paul is saying, look, you need to be careful because Satan wants to take advantage of your lack of self-control and use this as an opportunity to bring destruction into your marriage.

Now, in the same way, we don't have temple prostitution and that kind of thing, but we have plenty of opportunities for men and women to engage in sexual immorality. Whether it be with people or whether it be, you know, in the privacy of your own home with your own devices, there's plenty of opportunity. There's great danger for temptation, for the enemy to come in and bring this destruction because of our lack of self-control.

Notice again in verse 2, he says, nevertheless, because of sexual immorality. So Paul says, yeah, you know, it's good to abstain. That's fine. That's okay. But because of sexual immorality, he says, think about the dangers. Think about the realities. Think about the temptations. And because of those temptations, he says, let each man have his own wife and each woman have her own husband.

And so because there are these dangers, because we live in a dangerous world as far as immorality is concerned, Paul says, think about that.

relate to one another appropriately because of those dangers. Now again, married couples, I want to encourage you, I want to challenge you, sit down and have an honest conversation about these things. Because there are temptations that we face. There are things that we go through and we need to be able to discuss these things.

Now, there has to be balance. And this passage, you know, has been taken to extremes throughout the centuries. And so one extreme says that, you know, hey, one spouse has to give sex every time the other wants it. Like, it's just, it has to. Look, here's what Paul said.

That's taking things a little bit too far. But then on the other side, well, one spouse blames their involvement on sin because of the other spouse and their situation or reluctancy or whatever. We've got to find the balance between those two extremes. And that's why I'm saying, have a discussion.

It's not, you know, a must always, every time. And it's not, well, because you don't, then I'm free to live in sin. No, no, no. That's not the reality. But the reality is you guys need to work together because the enemy's out to destroy you. He's united. So you be united in your defense. You be united in your relationship as you continue to walk with the Lord that you can stand against his schemes.

Let me remind you that husband and wife, you are a team. You're called to be a team. A team against sin. A team against Satan. A lot of times when there is some type of sexual problem within a marriage, or any kind of problem really, the husband looks at the wife and says it's her problem and she looks at him and says it's his problem. But you need to understand you don't have his and her problems anymore once you're married. You only have our problems.

It's not the other person's problem. It's our problem. It's something that you two are to work together to overcome. And so as you have this discussion, if there is issues, understand you're a team and the enemy wants to take you out. But you guys got to work together and address these things and deal with these things so that you can render the affection that's due and minister to one another in that way and keep that temptation away. Now, nothing will take away temptation.

But you got to work together to fight to honor the Lord in your marriage. In verse 4, Paul says, the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Paul says, look, you guys are a team. You're to work together. You belong to each other. You have to work together to overcome and to conquer and be victorious.

And so married couples, make an appointment. Have the discussion. Work through these things. Read through this passage. And allow God to help you guys draw near together that you would be victorious in what God wants to do.

So the question they asked, should husbands and wives refrain from sex? I'll summarize Paul's answer this way. Refrain if you want to, if you both agree, and only for a short time to fast and pray. Notice Paul didn't say, yes, you can refrain if you want him to get something done or, you know, you want to get back at them for something else, you know. No, no, no, no, no, no. For prayer and fasting, that's the purpose. Other than that, you guys need to be working together to

Well, then going on in verse 10 and 11, Paul says that believers are not to divorce. So, here it seems that they're asking the question, should a believer divorce an unbeliever? Now again, here in chapter 7, I mean, these are things that we are facing today.

And Paul here gives some great answers, and we don't have time to spend looking at all the possible scenarios, but he gives us some principles. So basically, for two believers, husband and wife, you're a believer, you walk with the Lord, divorce is not to happen for you. He says, if it does happen...

then you're to be unmarried and kind of waiting for the opportunity to be reconciled back together. That's God's plan for divorce for two people who are believers in Jesus Christ.

But then going on in verse 12 through 16, he goes on to say, do not divorce an unbelieving spouse if they are willing to stay. So in the case of two believers, hey, God can work in your marriage if you will submit to him. And he will work in your life, he will work in your heart, and he can bless and work within any marriage. But if it's a case of a believer who's married to an unbeliever,

Now we know that the Bible strongly encourages us and exhorts us and commands us, I guess, to not be unequally yoked. That is, hey, you're a Christian and you're dating an unbeliever. That's not a good idea. That's not what the Lord would have for you. But two people, unbelievers, they're married and one of them gets saved. Now what are they to do? What is the believer to do? Well, Paul says, stay in that relationship with

If the unbeliever is willing. So if they're willing to stay with you, even though, you know, you've messed up their life by becoming a Christian, if they're willing to stay with you, then stay with them. He says in verse 16, hey, you might be used by God to bring them to salvation. So yeah, it's probably going to be rough on you as a believer in this marriage that's mixed unbeliever and believer, but

But God's going to use you to be a witness and a testimony and to minister to them. And so you stay in the marriage if they're willing. But then if they're not willing, verse 15, he says, if the unbeliever departs, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. And so if the unbeliever is not willing to stay and says, forget this, I'm out of here. I don't want to be with a Christian person. Then let him go.

Just let them go. You're not under bondage. Paul here is giving the green light. If you have an opportunity to be remarried, you have the green light. You're able to do that. If they leave, then you're not under bondage. You are set free from that relationship, those vows that were made. And so should a believer divorce an unbeliever? Paul says no, unless the unbeliever is unwilling to live with you.

Well, then answering the third question here in chapter 7, should single people get married? He goes on in verses 17 through 28 and says, it is good to remain as you are. Again, he says, look, you don't have to freak out and change everything because now that you're a Christian. That doesn't mean you have to quit your job because, you know, now you're a Christian. Now, maybe there are some jobs that you should quit if you become a Christian that, you know, are good.

Well, jobs that require you to sin against God. So there is that. But generally speaking, you know, you don't have to quit your job just because you became a Christian. You don't have to abandon your culture just because you became a Christian. You don't have to, you know, change...

your singleness or your marriedness. You don't have to make those changes. Stay in the condition that God called you and allow your life to be changed and you to be a witness and a testimony to the people around you. You can be a Christian in the life that you were in, in which God called you. Going on in verses 29 through 40, he says, I want you to serve without distraction.

Paul goes on to explain, talking again to single people or to widows, and the idea of being remarried. He says, look, when you get married, your responsibilities change. There's a change that takes place. In verse 32, he says, I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world, how he may please his wife.

And so, that's Pastor Tom's wife, Joanna's phone ringing right there. Just so I could tease her a little bit. So he says, look, when you get married, your responsibilities, your priorities change. You change.

You know, not that you cannot serve God or not that God can't bless you, nothing like that. But just that there's a real change that takes place. And so he says, look, if you have the opportunity to stay single and you're able to do that, then stay single because you'll be able to do what God has called you to do.

And then if you have the opportunity to not be remarried, then don't get remarried. Continue just to focus on the Lord because your responsibilities will change and it will be different the way that you will serve the Lord after you are married.

But then he goes on in verse 38 to say, he who gives her in marriage or he who gets married does well, but he who does not give her in marriage or he who does not get married does better. And so Paul is talking about their present condition and the difficulties that they're going to face and, you know, the struggle that there will be in the struggle to serve the Lord and be faithful to the Lord and the persecution and such. And so he says, you know, there's a balance and

And not everyone can receive this idea of not getting married. Even Jesus said that in Matthew chapter 19. Remember when he was telling the disciples, look, when you get married, it's for life. And as the disciples were kind of coming to grips with that, they were like, well, if that's the case, then maybe nobody should get married. And Jesus said, you know, that's not for everybody. There are those who are called to be celibate and gifted with that.

But that's not for everybody. And so God doesn't have that plan for everybody. Some he's called to remain single and some he's called to be married. And so Paul is explaining there's just a difference in the way that you can serve the Lord and what you're focused on in those different scenarios. So should single people get married? Well basically I'll summarize it this way. If they do not have the gift of celibacy, they should get married. That

It's a good thing. Marriage is a good thing. It's blessed of God. It's designed by God. And so it is to be enjoyed. But God has called some people to not be married and so to keep that in mind. Well, as we go on now to chapter 8, so we answered three questions here in chapter 7. Now, as we go on chapters 8, 9, and 10, are all answering one question.

And the question is, is it okay to eat meat that's sacrificed to idols? And so for the next couple of chapters, he's going to be dealing with what we refer to as Christian liberties. You are free in Christ to do certain things, but he's talking about not allowing those things to stumble other believers. Now this was an issue because...

The meat that they would purchase in the marketplace would often be meat that was first sacrificed to an idol.

And then sold in the marketplace. And so there was a lot of people in the church that were wrestling over this issue. You know, how can I enjoy this great steak when it was offered to an idol? I think, you know, that's a problem. And so they're like, you shouldn't eat meat. But then others were like, so what? It's an idol. Idols are nothing. There's no gods behind those. You know, there's only one God. And so...

It's fine. I can eat the steak if I want to eat the steak. And there was this discussion and difficulties that was happening back and forth. And so Paul is going to be answering that here in these next few chapters. So 1 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 9 is the key verse. He says, "...but beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak."

So watch out in our liberties. You have freedom in Christ, but you also need to care for one another. Well, he starts out the discussion in verses 1 through 3 saying, knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.

You can see in verse 1, he says, Now concerning things offered to idols, now you can see, so he's changing the direction, you know, he's responding to their question about idols and the things that were offered to them. He says, look, we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And so Paul says, before we get into this discussion, let's remember that this is not a battle of wits. That it's not that the smartest person wins.

Or the one who can answer the best wins. Paul says, let's remember that the goal is love. Love edifies. It builds up. And our goal needs to be, Paul is saying, to build each other up. And so it's not about what you know. It's about, well, how can you build up and help other believers grow in their relationship with God? Verses 4 through 6, he says, we know that an idol is nothing.

So knowledge puffs up, but here's what we know. An idol is nothing. There is only one God, and so idols are false gods. But then he goes on in verse 7 and 8, and he says, not everyone has this knowledge. So yes, you know and understand that an idol is nothing, but not everybody understands that.

There's some cultural things that are really deep in people that they can't just let go of that. They have this deep sense of there's some mystic power to that idol or there's some superstition that they have. And so it's really hard for them to let go. So not everybody has that knowledge.

Notice what he says in verse 8. He says, But food does not commend us to God, for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. So Paul says, not only is the idol not really anything, but, you know, food is just food. Food does not commend us to God. Food is not really a spiritual issue. Sometimes people try to make food a spiritual issue. You know, if you really want to be spiritual, you got to have the Daniel diet.

If you really want to be spiritual, you've got to eat this way, or you've got to abstain from that food, or you've got to eat more of that food, or whatever. They try to make food a spiritual issue. But Paul is saying, look, food does not commend us to God. We're not better off spiritually, we're not worse off spiritually based on eating this food, whether it was sacrificed to an idol or not. But his point is, not everybody understands this.

And so he goes on in verses 9 through 13 to say, beware lest your liberty become a stumbling block. Now we dealt with this a little bit as well back in the book of Romans where Paul is dealing with the same thing to the church in Rome about not only food sacrifice to idols, but which days do you celebrate, which holidays you celebrate and things like that. And so there's this idea of these liberties that in Christ you are free and you are free

to do all kinds of things. But we need to be careful, Paul says, that the freedom that you express or the way that you express your freedom doesn't cause other people to stumble. And so when does that happen? When does your liberty become a stumbling block to somebody else? Well, it becomes a stumbling block when it causes someone to violate their own conscience.

And this is something, you know, again, I dealt with a little bit in the book of Romans. But sometimes people say, you know, that causes me to stumble. But they're using it in a different way than what Paul intended. So just because someone doesn't, you know, isn't really excited about something that you do or some food you eat or whatever, or just because it upsets them or they disagree, that's not causing someone to stumble. But causing someone to stumble is causing them to violate their own conscience. Check out verse 10.

He says, So he's saying, look, the weaker person who doesn't understand, but they feel really strongly, you know, hey, I shouldn't be eating things that are sacrificed to idols.

Paul says, if you're eating things sacrificed to idols and you embolden them and you help them to violate their own conscience and then they feel guilty over what they've done because they feel like, well, I violated what God wanted me to do. He says, that's causing somebody to stumble. And so again, there's a difference between liberty and you have liberty in Christ and you have knowledge and great that puffs up, but you need to love. You need to build up.

And not try to get people to violate their conscience, but to help them remain faithful to what God has called them to do. You know, there is lots of room for personal convictions in our lives. And the convictions that God has given to you may be different than the convictions that God has given to someone else. And sometimes we make it our agenda, our purpose in life to get everybody to agree with our convictions. But listen, where the scripture is written,

then that needs to be all of our convictions and we need to be on the same page as that. But there are a lot of things in our lives that the scripture does not specifically address and so we need to give people room to hear from God and respond to God and they don't have to see things exactly the way that we do. Paul's explaining here, look, you may be right. You may know more than that person.

But if you cause them to violate their conscience, you're not building them up. You're messing with their relationship with the Lord. And so we need to be careful. Even if you know better, even if you know more, even if you've been around longer. I like the way Warren Wiersbe puts it. He says, if your knowledge puffs you up, it will tear others down. And so if you're puffed up in your knowledge and how much you know, and so that gives you this freedom, but others are convicted by it, and so they can't do it, but you're trying to get them to

Hey, understand, you're free to do this. You're free to enjoy this. It tears others down when your knowledge puffs you up. Well, now going on into chapter 9, verse 19 is the key verse. He says, Now again, Paul is continuing on. Remember the context.

Overall, I would say here's the context. Paul is saying, restrict your own liberties to not stumble others. And Paul now is going to be giving himself as an example of that. In verses 1 through 18, he says, I have not used my rights that I may not abuse my authority.

Here he's talking about how he refrained from support from the Corinthians. How he held back, he provided for himself. He allowed the church of Philippi to meet his needs instead of having the church of Corinth meet his needs financially while he was there. Now he says in verse 11, if we've sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?

He's making the point, it's right. He quotes the scripture, do not muzzle an ox, you know, while it treads out the grain. It's right for a worker to be paid for his wages. And it's right for a minister to receive support and provision from the ministry. But Paul says, when I was with you, I refrained. Even though it was my right, I didn't receive it. I limited myself regarding that right.

He says in verse 12, nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. So although we have our right to make our living from preaching, we chose not to use it. And he's going to deal more with this in 2 Corinthians chapter 11, and we'll see it more there. But the point is, he limited his rights. He limited himself for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of the people.

In verses 19 through 23, he said, I made myself a servant to all that I may win more. Again, he's talking about restricting your own liberties to not stumble others.

And so he says, to the Jews, I became like a Jew. I restricted myself, even though I didn't have to live under, you know, those regulations any longer. To those under the law, I related to them as those under the law. To those without law, I related as to those without law. To the weak, I became weak, he says. In verse 22, he says, I became all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now Paul is talking about here limiting himself. He's

restricting his rights, he's restricting his privileges, although he has liberties in Christ, he pulls some of that in depending on who he's ministering to so that he doesn't offend them and drive them away because his goal is to win more people to Jesus Christ. And so he limits himself to connect with others for the opportunity to share the gospel.

Again, knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And so he says, I'd rather restrict myself, withhold some of my rights, withhold some of my liberties, so that more people might hear the gospel. Verse 24 through 27, he goes on to say, I discipline my body, lest I should become disqualified.

This is a famous passage, right? You talk about, you know, running the race and finish and you have to compete according to the rules. And this is a verse that, you know, or a passage that people turn to often. But remember the context. The idea is about restricting your own liberties to not stumble others. And so he compares it to a competition. He says, look, athletes limit themselves and they push themselves forward.

For their sport. They try to see how far they can go. They try to grow. They try to run faster. They try to hit harder. They try to do the best that they can and be the best that they can be. And as part of that endeavor, they also restrict themselves. And so they don't do certain things because they want to reserve their strength. They want to keep up their discipline to be able to be better at the sport that they're engaged in.

And he's saying, listen believers, our sport is to love, to edify, to build up. Those who are believers, we build them up. Those who are unbelievers, we seek to bring them the gospel. And so Paul is saying that believers should limit themselves and push themselves for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of love, to build up and bring the good news. Well, that brings us now to chapter 10, verse 23 is the key verse.

Paul says, all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Here in chapter 10, Paul brings it back around and wraps up this idea of our Christian liberties. And he says, yes, you have liberty. All things are lawful, but not everything is helpful. He gives another example in verses 1 through 13 of Israel in the wilderness.

They're an example for us. How? Well, he says in verse 6, And so Paul reminds them of the children of Israel in the wilderness having come out of Egypt and the things that went on out there as they turned away from God and

Paul says, look, this is an example for us. God made sure to record that and keep it so that we could learn from their example. And what do we learn? Not to lust after evil things as they also lusted. Paul's point here is that there are real dangers for God's people. And so Christians can't just have the attitude, you know, hey, it doesn't matter. You know, they're saved. They're in church. They're fine.

No, we need to have a concern for one another because he says, look at Israel. They were blessed. They were with Moses. God provided for them. God did miracles. They ate and drank from that spiritual rock. And yet still, God was not pleased with most of them. They were still, although they were God's people, although God worked miracles in their midst, although God worked and blessed them, it did not remove them from discipline and judgment.

And so as Paul's dealing with this idea of liberties, he's saying, look, don't be so casual about this to think, hey, if I offend them or get them to violate their own conscience, no big deal. Paul says, look, no, no, we need to understand. You need to understand. These are warnings for us that we don't lust in the same way that they lusted. Hey, you might be convinced that your liberties will not hurt anyone, but they might. And you need to think about that. You need to consider the people around you.

Even more so, I would say, you might be convinced that your liberties will not hurt you. Hey, I have freedom in Christ. I can do this. And Paul is saying, you need to take heed. Think about some of the examples. You think you can behave that way. And let me take you back to Samson. And he behaved that way too. And look what happened in his life. Paul is saying, look, remember these as examples. You have freedom. You have this liberty. You feel like, hey, there's grace. I can live this way.

But that doesn't mean that you will not experience God's discipline and judgment. And so in verse 12, he says, Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. You think you're all awesome and you have the superior knowledge and all these liberties? He says, watch out. Because you still experience the same temptations as everybody else. And God will provide a way of escape, but you need to be on guard. You need to be prepared for those battles that will take place.

And so in verses 14 through 22, he says, flee from idolatry. Yes, you can eat meat that's sacrificed to idols, but stop and think about it. It might not be the wisest thing. It might not be the best thing. It might, although it's lawful, it might not be helpful. And so if there's any hint of idolatry there, you need to flee. Because you might say, hey, you know, no problem. I can engage in this and it's a lot of fun.

And then you realize down the road, my heart is entangled and caught up in idolatry. And so Paul says in verses 23 through 33, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Yeah, all things are lawful, but what is helpful? What builds you up? You might have the right, you might have the liberty, but he says engage in the things that are helpful. He also says in verse 24, let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being.

So think about the people around you. How can you build them up? And does your behavior build up other people and help them grow in their relationship with God? Now, ultimately, he answers the question in verse 25. He says, look, just eat whatever is set before you without asking any questions. Just don't worry about it. It's nothing. It doesn't mean anything. But if somebody says, hey, by the way, this was offered to idols, then don't eat it. Because you know it's an issue. There's...

There's some expectations and there's some concerns there. So then just hold yourself back. The issue is not so much about the meat. It's about what's helpful to you. What's helpful to those that you are around. And so verse 31, the overarching principle is whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God. And that's what we need to think about when it comes to liberties. Now, we don't really deal with meat sacrifice to idols here in the United States, but we

we have lots of other things that we address and have to deal with. Things that people have really strong convictions about or people couldn't care less about. I mean, there's always that. There's these issues that we wrestle with. We looked at this in the book of Romans. Things like drinking alcohol, watching movies, getting tattoos, smoking, so on and so forth. There's all kinds of issues. There's all kinds of things that people say, well, I have liberty and others say, ah, you shouldn't be doing that. Paul says, whatever you do,

Do it all to the glory of God. Think about what's helpful to you and to the people around you to help you maintain and grow in your relationship with God.

Warren Wiersbe says, the two extremes must be avoided. Number one, practicing license in the name of Christian freedom. That is, just engaging in sin because, hey, well, I have Christian freedom. And then on the other side, he says, being so fussy that we cannot live in a real world and make rational decisions.

I like that word fussy. I think sometimes as Christians we can be kind of fussy. We get caught up and upset and all frazzled over things that really don't matter. Things that really don't make a difference. And so we need to find the balance and look at what's helpful. What builds up? What glorifies the Lord? Well now we finish it up in chapter 11. And now in chapter 11 Paul goes back to one of his concerns for the church there in Corinth.

And that was the way that they were partaking of the Lord's Supper. And so he's going to be dealing with that here in chapter 11, as well as some cultural things that we'll talk about. Verse 17 of chapter 11 says, Now in giving these instructions, I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better, but for the worse. In verses 1 through 16, Paul encourages them to keep the traditions just as he delivered them to them.

Now, he's dealing specifically here with the subject of head coverings. And this has been a great confusion for many people for hundreds of years. As we consider this idea of head coverings for men and women, these different things that Paul is dealing with,

I think it's clear as you look at this, it is specific to their context and their culture. And we often refer to that. It's cultural. It's not, you know, laws for all of the church throughout history. But it's also based on an important principle. It's found in verse 3. He says, "...but I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God."

The real issue at play here is Paul is talking about head coverings. Now, head coverings were part of their culture. And it was normal for the ladies to have some type of covering. Sometimes it was just over the back. Sometimes it was a veil that covered. It kind of depended on, you know, their family, their context, and where they came from. But it was normal for a woman to have a head covering. But in Corinth, there was this issue where ladies were removing that covering.

Now, there's also other issues that were going on because the temple prostitutes, one of the ways that you would recognize them is they'd be walking around without a head covering. And it was one of the ways that they identified themselves. And so there was this freedom. Hey, I'm free in Christ. I don't need this covering anymore. There was this like, hey, what's a prostitute doing in church because she's not wearing a head covering. There was all this drama that was going on. And again, it's not really a spiritual issue.

But Paul brings it back to this order that God has established here in verse 3. He says, I want you to know the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. This is the order that God has set. Now let me remind you that order is not a statement of importance or value. If I were to line us all up from tallest to shortest,

It's not a statement of value, right? The shortest person isn't the most valuable or the least valuable, whichever way you want to look at it. It's just an order. In the same way, God has established an order. He even demonstrates that order because the head of Christ is God. Jesus submits to the headship of the Father. We saw that just a couple weeks ago as we looked at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

And so he submits. In the same way, God has established an order. The head of every man is Christ. Man is to be submitted to the Lord, and woman is to be submitted to man, or the wife is to be submitted to her husband. Now, in their culture, the head coverings were an expression of that.

It was an expression of that order. The woman would wear the head covering as a symbol of respect for her husband. Saying, hey, you can't see what's under here. That belongs to my hubby. I mean, that's for him, his eyes alone. That's not for you. It was something that they would do out of respect for their husbands. Now, you could think back, you know, maybe decades.

30 years ago, if you can remember that far back, there was, you know, it was a big deal in the church. If you would wear a hat to church, it was like, or if you wore a hat, you know, whenever people prayed, you had to take your hat off when you prayed, right? Because it's hard for God to hear you when you pray with a hat on. It was considered very disrespectful, right?

But it's really nothing. It's just, well, it was what we understood as a culture. Now, if you did that on purpose as a symbol of your rebellion against your authorities, well, you don't like me to wear a hat in church? I didn't know you were going to be wearing a hat, bro. I'm sorry, man. But here's Matt saying, well, I'm just going to be rebellious then and wear a hat, and I don't care if you don't like it. Now, look, if that's your attitude, well, clearly you have a problem. And so, if you were wearing a hat, you know,

rewind 30 years, you would take it off as you came into church because you wanted to say, yeah, I'm in submission to the authorities that are here. And so that's what Paul is dealing with. It was these cultural issues around this order and this rebellion that was being expressed or perceived from these removings of head coverings. Now he says in verse 16, but if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom nor do the churches of God.

Paul says here, look, this is what's normal for us. This is our culture. This is what we know. And so you might have freedom to remove that head covering, ladies, but it might not be the battle that you really want to fight. It might not be, look, this is our custom. It's probably best just continue on with that. It doesn't cause you to violate the things of God and it probably enables you better to be faithful in what God has called you to do.

And so he's re, you know, kind of rewinding, like, let's focus, remember the principle, and let's honor that principle. And things change, cultures change, and so that's not an issue. Again, the spiritual issue is not whether or not you have a head covering, but are you submitted to the authorities that God has placed in your life? Are you submitted to the order and the headship that God has established? Well, now for the rest of the chapter, he deals with the

Lord's Supper or Communion. In verse 17 through 22, he says, what you are doing is not eating the Lord's Supper. You guys are coming together and you're calling it the Lord's Supper, but it's not the Lord's Supper. Now, what they practiced as the Lord's Supper is different than what we practice typically. And that is, you know, on the first Sunday of the month, we get a little tiny cracker and a little tiny piece of, you know, cup of juice and we partake of Communion together.

When they did the Lord's Supper, they did a potluck. They called it an agape feast. And so they would fellowship together with a meal. And well, maybe your meals represent or, you know, are like the communion portions, but my meals are not. And so, you know, a feast is like you're having a good meal together. You're fellowshipping together in that way. And that's what they were doing. They were having a potluck. They were having a feast. And that was fine.

But the problem, he says in verse 21, is in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of the others, and one is hungry and another is drunk. And so the problem with the way that they were partaking of the Lord's Supper was not the portions, but that they were just looking out for themselves. And so there were those who were hungry. They didn't have food to bring to the potluck. They were just hoping to get a little bite. But those who brought food...

Well, they engorge themselves on their own food and they're drunk. They're overindulging while others are going hungry. And he says, look, this is not the Lord's Supper. He reminds them in verses 23 through 26 of what the Lord said. When I received from the Lord that which I delivered to you.

He took the bread. He said, this is my body. He took the cup. He said, this is my blood. And as often as you do this, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. This is to be a proclamation of the Lord. And as you're overindulging and leaving others hungry, you're not proclaiming the Lord. You're not representing the Lord. This has nothing to do with the Lord. It's all about you. And so you're not partaking of the Lord's supper as you do this, he says.

He goes on in verse 27 through 34. He says, you should examine yourself and then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. Take a moment to consider yourself. Where are you at? Are you remembering the Lord? And so you're enjoying this feast in remembrance of the Lord or are you consumed with yourself?

He says in verse 29, He who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. And I think Paul means that two ways. Not discerning the Lord's body is not remembering the cross and what Jesus did and His body being broken and His blood being shed. And so, if you are unworthy...

It's because you're not discerning the Lord's body and what He did for you upon the cross. But the second way to understand that also is not discerning the Lord's body and that is the people around you. We are the body of Christ and you're overindulging and the other person is hungry and you're not discerning. You're not caring for one another. You're not paying attention to each other. And that, well, that's a lack of discernment regarding the body of Christ.

And so it's eating and drinking in an unworthy manner. And he says, you bring judgment to yourself. Because you're saying, I know all about Jesus, but you're disregarding all about Jesus. You're disregarding his body. And so he says, remember the cross. Care for one another. That's the right way to partake. That's the heart that you need to have as you partake of communion together.

And so here Paul is addressing these issues within the church. As we go forward in chapter 12, he's going to deal with another issue. That is the chaos that was happening in their services and the overuse or the misuse of the spiritual gifts. And so next week we'll get a look at that and kind of try to bring some understanding to the way that these things are to operate within the church. But just a couple things as we look back at this evening. First of all,

In chapter 7, I would remind you, married couples, make an appointment, have an honest discussion about sex, about the temptations that are there, about the attacks of the enemy, and work together as a team to overcome and be victorious in what God has for you. Then, as we saw in chapters 8, 9, and 10, believers, limit yourself for the gospel's sake, for the benefit of one another, and push yourself, grow, go forward like an athlete.

To be more effective for the kingdom of God. And then finally here in chapter 11, remember the cross and care for one another. Discern the Lord's body. Pay attention to each other's needs. And allow the Lord to use you to minister to one another and to meet those needs. To care for one another. To love one another. Because we are the body of Christ. Amen? Let's pray.

Lord, I pray that you would help us to hear these things that you've been speaking to us this evening. Lord, that we would receive them, that they would be implanted within our hearts, that they would take root and begin to grow, that we might become more and more like you. Lord, more effective for you. Lord, again, that you would be high and lifted up in our lives, that you would be glorified. And so, Lord, draw us near to you.

Show us the ways that you want us to go, that we can represent you well, that we can allow you to work in us the way that you desire. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.