Well, good evening, everyone. Thank you so much for your warm welcome, Willie. And let me bring
the prayers and the greasings of your brothers and sisters in Grace Church Montrose. It's wonderful,
really, really is wonderful to be with you. As we read from 1 Corinthians, would you please
open up back up there if you'd close your Bibles? That's where we're going to be spending all our
time together this evening. And let's pray, let's ask God in prayer one more time for his help
as we open it up and dig into it together. God, our Father, we pray this evening, please
speak clearly to us. Help us to understand how we as your people should live in a way that
honors you and seeks the best for others. Pleased by your Spirit, the Spirit who inspired your
words, illuminate it for us this evening, so that we would not just be hearers of your
words, but doers of it as well. Work through us and in us this evening, we pray in Jesus'
name. Amen. Amen.
Now let me open up a time together, just asking you a question. I wonder if any of you know
how many selfies somebody in their early 20s is predicted to take in a lifetime. I wonder if any
of you have got a guess. How many selfies do you think somebody is predicted to take? We've got quite
a quiet audience in here. For those who are online, there is no one speaking at all. The answer is, how
many? A thousand. A thousand in a lifetime. No, the number is 25,700 selfies somebody in their early 20s is
predicted to take in their lifetime. Or to put it into another metric, people are predicted to take,
spend 53 hours per year taking selfies. 53 hours per year taking selfies. If that's you and you need to
seek help, come and talk to one of the elders afterwards. I'm sure they'd like to pray for
deliverance for you on that. One of my slight bugbears is I gave up social media a while ago,
but every so often I look over my wife's shoulder and look at her pictures, whether that's on
Instagram or Facebook or whatever it is. You know, historically what you would do if you had a camera,
what you would have done is you would have looked in an event and you would have looked through a lens
and taken a picture of something. But what happens now is instead you turn the picture against you,
your phone against you, and now you become front and centre. And where my issue is, is when it comes
to pictures of weddings. So often I see pictures of people going to weddings, but I never see a
picture of the people actually getting married. Normally it's a picture of the selfie of the two
people or the one person who's been, and you never find out who it was that got married or how they
looked or how they dressed. What we're looking at this evening together is a passage in a letter that
Paul wrote to the early church in Corinth. And what he wants them to do, what God wants us to do,
as his people, is to decenter ourselves. Take ourselves out of the centre of the frame
and seek to put God in his glory and others in their good right in the centre of it.
And particularly the goods that Paul speaks about here, what he's doing in this section of 1 Corinthians
that we've come to the end of here, I'll explain a little bit more about that as we go along,
is he wants to make sure of the salvation of all his brothers and sisters and those who he meets in
his community. And where we are here is at the end of a section in 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians chapter 8
through to 11 verse 1. And here is the culmination of his arguments. What Paul is doing is he's trying
to help the church in Corinth think about what does it look like to live as God's people in a world
that rejects and ignores God. What does it look like for those who have been transformed by the grace of God,
whose lives have been turned upside down to live in a world that is the other way around to the way we now see the world?
You see, what Paul says is that those who have believed in Jesus
are now shaped by a wisdom that looks totally opposite to what the world pushes forward.
A wisdom that is rooted in the fact that Jesus, the King of all creation,
came to die on a cross, living in poverty amongst people whom he came to save and was rejected by.
And so what Paul wants us to do is to de-centre ourselves and our chief consideration must be
the salvation of others and the glory of God. And that shapes all that we do.
This whole section is deeply helpful for you on that front. I'd really encourage you to read through it.
But I've got two big points for you this evening. If you're those people who like to take notes,
I've got two points for you. And the first point this evening is this. Eat and don't eat.
Eat and don't eat. Now it's my fault I should have said that we should have read from verse 23.
So let me just read it for completion's sake. Verse 23, Paul says this,
I have the right to do anything, you say, but not everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything,
but not everything is constructive. You see, this is kind of sums up what Paul is trying to do here.
While the Christians have the ability to do certain things, while they have been freed by the grace of God,
that is not what is to shape the decisions that they make.
Their rights must be set aside when they're seeking the good for others.
Responsibility over rights, we might say.
And so here, what Paul is saying, and he kind of gives us a few case studies here,
is he's saying this, eat and don't eat. Have a look at those two case studies with me.
Verse 25,
Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience,
for the earth is the Lord's and everything in it.
So here, the first case is, imagine this, you're going to the local market and you are walking along
and you're walking in your tweed jackets, one of those lovely kind of middle class markets,
and you're walking along and you walk past and you see this venison in one corner
and you see this lamb in another, you see this chicken in another place and pork in another.
And what Paul is saying is, as you walk down and you're looking at these different meats,
you're not to worry about where they've come from.
You're not meant to pull aside the man or the woman who's manning the stall and say,
where did this come from?
What happened to it before it came here?
Who touched it?
How was it killed?
Who was it sacrificed to?
What Paul is saying here is, don't worry about that, it's all.
Your conscience need not be panged on that front.
Fear not, you can eat this food however you want.
Or here's the other scenario that we get.
Verse 27,
If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go,
eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.
What Paul is saying here is, imagining that you're invited around to a meal,
you've sat down at a table, the food is put in front of you.
Once more again, you don't need to stop and say,
hey, where did this come from?
Who touched it on the way?
How was it killed?
Who was it sacrificed to?
No, instead, Paul says,
you can eat it freely without your conscience panging,
without any fear or anxiety.
You can take that with joy and thanksgiving.
The passage just before what we're reading now,
Paul was telling them that they are in no way to eat food
which have been sacrificed to idols.
Yet here he's saying,
you don't need to fear where the food comes from,
even if it has been sacrificed to idols.
What's the difference?
In this scenario, back in this, earlier in the chapter,
this is going into a temple where you are,
people know what's going on,
where the food is being given,
obviously and openly in an act of worship.
And what Paul is saying,
by doing that,
you are uniting yourself to the God
whom that food has been eaten to.
But here Paul is saying,
you don't need to worry about that
because, verse 26,
for the earth is the Lord's
and everything in it.
And so what Paul is wanting
the Christians here to know,
and he wants us to remember is this,
is we don't need to ask where it came from
because as Christians,
we know that everything
comes from the hands of the good God
whom we serve.
He's saying we don't need to worry
or be anxious.
He said all we need to do
when we receive food
is to receive it with thanksgiving.
Because we remember a good God
who gives good gifts,
seeking the good of his people
to sustain us as we live in this world.
The earth is the Lord's
and everything in it.
It's that reminder for us
to whenever whatever God gives us
is to thank you for us.
I know so often
when we gather together for meals,
when we thank God for the food,
it can be quite perfunctory.
We've got a toddler
who we're teaching the prayer for
and at the moment
it seems to be more of a password
for him to get to the food quicker
than having for us.
So he tries to pray before I do.
Thank you God for food.
Amen.
Let's eat.
But it's a reminder here
that wherever the food has come from,
we don't need to be fearful.
We can be joyful
and thankful
for what God has given us.
And so what Paul is saying here
to the church is eat.
Eat without your conscience panging.
Because you know there is one God
who has given good gifts to his people.
Yes, have a look at where he goes then
in verse 28.
But if someone says to you,
this has been offered in sacrifice,
then do not eat it,
both for the sake of the one who told you
and for the sake of conscience.
Here the issue,
what Paul is saying,
is that our own conscience
is freed and liberated.
We trust and we know
who God is
and what he has given us.
But the concern here,
the way that the decision
is made by a Christian
is not primarily about
what we can do
or what benefits us,
but what another thinks
that they can do
and what might benefit them.
This kind of shifts.
This is what we're saying
about the shift
and the worldly mentality,
the worldly wisdom
that shapes the whole
of what Paul is trying to undo here,
is that the worldly mentality,
if it is lawful,
then I can do it,
no matter what.
But the mentality of the kingdom of God says,
wait a second,
what can I do
that serves others?
de-centers ourselves
and thinks,
think to ourselves,
what is the good,
what is the benefit,
what is the advantage
for another?
Who is it that is asking
this question?
Well,
if you have a look down
at verse
20,
30,
verse 32,
do not cause anyone
to stumble,
whether Jews,
Greeks,
or the church of God.
This can be a question
from a Jewish person,
a Greek,
these would have been
the two dominant people
that they would have encountered
in Corinth,
or a Christian as well.
Someone whose conscience
might be panged
by what you are doing.
So,
let me put forward to you
a few case studies
that might help us
to translate it to here.
You see,
what Paul is doing
is he's thinking through
one of the most prominent examples
that is going on
in the life of Corinth.
But underneath this
are principles
which are meant to shape
the life of Christians,
not just
1900 years ago,
but shape the way
that we think
our service
here in Edinburgh
and wherever it is
that you are from.
And so let me
put a few
forward of these.
And I wonder if you want to,
I'll give you some answers,
but these are ones
for you to think through
and consider
what does it look like
for you
as you seek to
live out
what Paul says here.
So imagine
you're at work
and you've made
the long walk
this week,
the temperatures
have gone up
and you've made
that long walk
to the Bacon Bussey shop.
You've just been craving it.
You get all the way
there and back,
it's taken 20 minutes
to get there,
20 minutes to get back
and your back
is dripping with sweat
but you think
this is the best
Bacon Bussey in town,
this is wonderful.
You sit down
and you're just about
to unwrap it
and then one of your
colleagues comes over,
a devout Muslim.
What do you do
in that scenario?
You're free to eat it.
As a Christian,
you are free
to eat that food.
As a citizen of Scotland,
you are free
to eat that sandwich.
But here,
the concern
for the Christian
is the salvation
of another
and by eating
that food,
are you stopping
that colleague
standing,
sitting with you
and talking with you
over that remaining
20 minutes of lunch?
These are the kind
of questions
that are being put
for us.
What about something
like doing yoga?
Now,
I know there's probably
lots of different
opinions on this
and some might not
have opinions at all
about what yoga is,
where it's come from.
Many people
who practice yoga
nowadays don't do it
with any kind
of spiritual impact.
It's more about
body and mental health.
But some Christians
really struggle
with this,
seeing it as
an abandonment
of worship of God.
And so while you
think that you
might be free
because the yoga
that you go to
has no kind
of spiritual
undertones,
what happens
if one of your
friends says,
do you know
that that's
worshipping
another God?
What do you do
in that moment?
You are free
to do it.
Maybe you can
keep it silent
and don't tell
anyone else about it.
Or finally,
and here's one
that I won't give
an answer to you,
but I wonder
if it's this.
I think it might
not be as much
as controversial
as it would
have been a year,
18 months ago.
What happens
if somebody
you know,
when it came
to the COVID
crisis,
thought to
themselves,
I can't go,
I can't be in
the living room
with you if you
don't wear a mask.
Yet you think
to yourself,
I don't want to
do it.
I don't have to
do it.
There's nothing
in the law
that says this.
It makes life
uncomfortable for me.
What do I do
in that moment?
One of your
neighbours comes
around,
wants to talk
to you,
but they demand
that you wear
a mask.
What do you do
in that moment?
And what Paul
is saying here
is he's saying
when you're
making this
decision,
think about
them.
Think about
their goods.
Think about
their benefits.
Think about
their salvation.
because that's
what Paul
says here
as we get
to the final,
our second
point is this
and if you're
those note takers,
here's your
second point.
What Paul
says here
is when
you're making
your decisions,
do all for
God and
all for the
good of
others.
Do all
for God
and all
for the
good of
others.
And what
happens here
is this is
now Paul
kind of zooming
out right at
the end of
his arguments
of this section
of Paul's
first letter
to the
Corinthians.
Paul zooms
right out
here and
he focuses
on the
driving
principles
for us
as Christians
as we
seek to
live in
this world
in a way
that is
honoring to
Jesus
and honoring
to those
whom we
are around.
And so
Paul says
the two
driving
principles
are these.
Glorify
God
and seek
the good
of others.
Glorify
God
and seek
the good
of others.
So this
evening
is
good
regular
members
of the
free
church.
You'll
remember
the answer
to the
first
question
of the
shorter
catechism.
What is
the chief
end of
man?
It's
to glorify
God
and to
enjoy
him
forever.
You see
this has
kind of
shaped
all of
Paul's
arguments.
If you
just
flick
back
with me
a page
or so
you will
see in
1 Corinthians
chapter 8
verse 5.
For even
if there
are so
called
gods
whether
in
heaven
or
on
earth
as
indeed
there
are
many
gods
and
many
lords
yet
for us
there
is
but
one
God
the
father
through
whom
all
things
came
and
for
whom
we
live
and
there
is
but
one
Lord
Jesus
Christ
through
whom
all
things
came
and
through
whom
we
live.
This
is the
core
confession
this
is the
central
truth
that
shapes
everything
that we
do
as a
church
that
there
is
one
God
this
is
the
central
truth
which
shaped
the
worship
and
the
life
of
Israel
hero
Israel
there
is
one
God
there
is
one
God
alone
and
so
this
is
what
Paul
is
saying
there
is
only
one
true
God
only
one
God
worthy
of
all
our
worship
the
one
God
who
shapes
every
decision
that
we
are
to
make
and
so
part
of
what
that
looks
like
is
it
means
don't
dine
with
other
gods
don't
do
something
that
would
suggest
any
legitimacy
to
another
god
don't
do
anything
which
would
bind
you
to
another
god
because
they are
not
true
they
are
empty
and
there
is
just
one
lord
who
demands
the
full
allegiance
of
his
people
and
so
what
Paul
is
saying
is
that
we
must
consider
in
everything
that
we
do
how
can
God
be
glorified
look
at
their
verse
31
so
wherever
you
eat
or
drink
or
whatever
you
do
it
all
for
the
glory
of
God
this
is
the
very
first
thing
that
we
must
think
about
as
we
wake
up
in
the
morning
the
very
first
thing
as
we
consider
what
our
weeks
going
to
look
like
what
our
very
first
decision
as
we
meet
other
people
as
we
consider
big
life
choices
is
saying
how
can
we
do
whatever
we
do
to
the
glory
of
God
here
for
Paul
he's
saying
for
the
people
in
Corinth
they
must
look
like
a
people
whose
lives
are
shaped
solely
by
their
concern
to
worship
God
in
Christ
their
true
distinctiveness
as a
church
is
seen
in
saying
there
is
one
God
one
God
alone
and
he
alone
is
who
we
worship
and
obey
he
alone
is
the
one
that
is
worthy
of
glory
and
praise
and
honor
and
so
everything
that
we
do
will
be
shaped
by
that
concern
and
seeking
the
good
of
others
and
so
this
is
what
Paul
is
saying
then
that
we
are
called
to
seek
the
good
of
others
and
that's
where
he
finishes
this
section
that
we're
looking
at
here
have a
look
at
verse
32
do
not
cause
anyone
to
stumble
whether
Jews
Greeks
or the
church
of
God
even
as
I
try
to
please
everyone
in
every
way
for
I'm
not
seeking
my
own
goods
but
the
goods
of
many
so
they
may
be
saved
so
you
see
they
about
seeking
good
of
others
and
he
defines
for
us
then
what
is
the
good
of
others
it
means
to
be
saved
and
his
concern
is
if
he
wants
to
see
people
saved
the
danger
is
causing
a
stumbling
block
for
them
where
he
talks
there
about
do
not
cause
anyone
to
stumble
literally
it
means
putting
a
stumbling
block
before
someone else. So it's like a toddler when they are playing with their toys and they leave a
train in the way so often that can cause a stumbling block for parents. And that's his
concern here. Anything that might protrude, anything that might hinder, anything that might
block and turn people to turn around and walk away, that is what Paul wants to do. Except for
the most important thing, and we'll think about that in a moment, only one thing should cause people
to push away, but not the church seeking their own rights, their own benefits above others.
So whether it's Jews or Greeks or the church of God, our concern must be how is this going to
make sure that those who are maybe already in the church, how can we make sure they do not lose their
salvation or walk away? How does this make sure that those who are considering Jesus don't walk
away because of the foolish things that we do? And so when Paul then says here, he says,
even as I try to please everyone in every way, Paul's not here talking about being people pleasers.
I know for many of us, people pleaser is quite a negative and a kind of a derogatory way of calling
someone. You never call yourself a people pleaser, or maybe you do sometimes. Normally you talk about
it to someone else when they're making a decision that you don't like that they've made. But what
Paul is saying here is when he's talking about pleasing everyone, he's talking about this idea of not
putting stumbling blocks, but making sure that people can see Jesus. That is his grace concern.
Because what Paul is saying here is the only thing that should offend, the only thing that should
cause people to stumble, is the gospel itself. You see, what Paul has been driving at throughout
this letter, where he begins is he talks about the nature of the gospel. How it upends our understanding
of reality. What he says is earlier in this letter is that the gospel seems like foolishness and
weakness to the watching world. Because it does. For a people who were concerned about wisdom and
sophistry, for a people that were concerned about power and influence.
What Paul was saying is that all the church does is preach a crucified savior. All the church does
is put their trust in a man who was overwhelmed by the Roman Empire. You see, the gospel is rooted in this,
is that Jesus, the one who was rich beyond measure, became poor. The one who was greater than all became
weaker than all. So that whoever puts their trust in him can be saved. The very heart of the gospel is of a weak,
vulnerable, vulnerable, rejected savior. This is a message that put many people off. People laughed at the
Christians then and they still many times laugh at Christians now. But Paul says it is that and that
alone that people should reject. Not the people who try to stand in front of it, who put in stumbling blocks in
front of it, in front of that. I'm reading a book at the moment about a woman who went in the mid-noughties
to do some mission work in Afghanistan. She worked in a small rural town and she talked about what life
looked like for her. And she talked about the clothing that she would have to wear every time that she
walked out of the house. And it was really interesting the way that she vindicated what she did. She said,
those are the rules. That's what's demanded of a woman in this area and that's what I will do.
As a Christian, she could have worn what she wanted, knowing she was loved and accepted by her God.
But so that she could reach the women in that area, her concern was not to push any stumbling blocks
which were getting the way. And so often for us, what we must remember is this, is that perception is key.
We're quite a visual people, aren't we? And so often we will see something and make a judgment
almost immediately. I don't know if you know this, people can make their first impression of someone
within, I think it's two seconds. I don't know what my impression that I gave you this evening was like.
Hopefully you have pulled back from whatever it was.
But if you think of what it's like for these people who see us as Christians,
what are the decisions that we make? Are we those who are known with a deep concern for others,
who would lay down our rights so that we can seek the good and benefit of others,
which is ultimately their salvation? And so this is what Paul is saying.
Paul says this as he finishes. Verse 1,
follow my example as I follow the example of Christ. Back in chapter 9, Paul talks about how
as an apostle of Jesus, as one sent by God,
he was due to be paid by the people, those who are Christians. They were to financially support him.
Yet he said he laid aside that responsibility so that they could hear and know and trust the gospel
and live in light of that gospel. And so Paul says, imitate me, follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.
Because again, as we thought about that, Jesus set aside his own goods
to be spat upon, to be rejected, to receive slander and false accusations,
to be beaten, to be nailed to a cross,
laying down all that belong to him, all his rights as the king of the universe,
so that we might be saved.
Jesus died on the cross, bearing the wrath of God in our place.
He who knew no sin became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God.
And what Paul is saying here is, there is the ultimate example for us.
The one in whom we have found life
was the one who laid down his life for us.
And so what Paul is saying is, therefore, we must lay down ourselves
so that we can seek the good of others.
Now this evening, what I've been doing, and I've given you examples,
but what Paul is giving here is principles which shape.
I can't tell you what to do in every situation.
But ultimately, what Paul is saying, and he's given us these driving principles,
but most importantly is he gives us a picture.
He points us to Jesus.
And he says, look at him.
Look at all he's done for you.
And that's what the life that he calls us into as his followers.
As we seek the good and the salvation of others.
And we seek to glorify God in everything that we do.
And we seek the good and the glow.
And he says, the beautiful thing with the friend,
and theidän of the family we make the two are,
for God's sake.
Thanks Hangody.
Here there are three how it tells him who was the one who was the one
who I am so is, and he tells him,
and he's given us today.
And that's what he means.
And I think everybody can continue to you.
And he'sacts a lot of emotion.
We can only do this i remember.
다고, and of course,
because one of the other words
most importantly,
on this LED network,
did he give us 70 points.