What Happens to the Church When Christ is Not Center?
Knowledge
We know God has given us freedom to love life
Be sure your love for the things of life
do not shadow your love for God
and cause others to stumble
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But the man who loves God the same is
known of him
1Corinthians 8:3 Greek
You and I
are known by what we love
What are you
known for?
Be careful, however, that the
exercise of your freedom
does not become a stumbling block to
the weak.
For if anyone with a weak conscience
sees you who have this knowledge eating in
an idol's temple, won't he be
emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?
Look at the
strong words Paul uses
So this weak brother, for whom Christ
died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
Therefore, if what I eat causes my
brother to fall into sin,
I will never eat meat again, so that
I will not cause him to fall.
Let us always consider how our actions will
affect others
Make sure
that the number one thing others see is your love for God
Don’t let
your love for other things, which you have a freedom
in Christ to
love, shadow your love for Christ
For what you
love you will be known by others to love
Knowledge
The Book of Proverbs says we should get Knowledge.
Knowledge is power.
Knowledge makes us feel secure.
Knowledge gives us an advantage in life.
There is a lot of good things
you can say about Knowledge.
Knowledge can go to our head.
In 1 Corinthians 8 Paul says…
We know that we all
possess knowledge.
Knowledge puffs up, …
The man who thinks he
knows something
does not yet know as
he ought to know.
“Knowledge puffs up”
Knowledge can make us proud or haughty.
Being a kid it was always cool to be the first
to know something or to have a secret.
Paul writes about knowing God in a way
that causes other to stumble in their faith.
Paul gives the example of meat sacrificed to idols.
He says…
We know that an idol
is nothing at all in
the world and that
there is no God but one.
So meat offered to idols
does not affect the meat to eat.
But then Paul says…
For even if there are
so-called gods,
whether in heaven or
on earth (as indeed
there are many
"gods" and many "lords")
So Paul what are you saying are there gods or not?
Paul is saying…
Yet for us there is
but one God, the Father,
from 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.
There is only one God, but in the minds
of many men and women are gods.
Paul is saying the mature believer knows
there is one God, Jesus Christ, but in the
minds of others there are many gods.
Paul is addressing our freedom
that comes from knowing God.
Even though Paul told Timothy to take a
little wine for his stomach sake and the
early church used wine for communion,
I have kept myself from alcohol.
I know I am free to
drink alcohol in moderation
but I know that many people know alcohol
to be a part of this world’s evil (addiction,
abuse through lack of control such as
drunk driving, meanness or stupidly).
I am a very disciplined person and if I were
to drink, I think I would drink responsibly.
But there are those whose knowledge of alcohol would
associate me with the evils of alcohol as those in
Corinth associated those who ate meat offered to idols.
For some, I would be looked at in a negative way,
to others they could
see drinking not from a
biblical view but as the world views and miss Christ.
Paul says…
The man who thinks he
knows something
does not yet know as
he ought to know.
But the man who loves
God is known by God.
From the Greek verse 3 reads…
But the man who loves
God
the same is known of Him.
You and I are known by what we love.
Do people see I love God more
than the other things I love.
Or, are there things in my life that
put my love for God in a shadow.
Our lives are models to others.
You are a leader to someone.
You may know you can love God and know your
freedom to eat meat or drink or some other things…
But do you love others enough to not do
something that would cause others to stumble?
Be careful, however,
that the exercise of your freedom
does not become a
stumbling block to the weak.
For if anyone with a
weak conscience sees you
who have this
knowledge eating in an idol's temple,
won't he be emboldened
to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?
Look at the strong words Paul uses…
So this weak brother,
for whom Christ died,
is destroyed by your
knowledge.
Therefore, if what I
eat causes my brother to
fall into sin, I will
never eat meat again,
so that I will not
cause him to fall.
Let us always
consider how
our actions will affect others.
Make sure that the number one thing
others see is your love for God…
So that you will be known for your love for God.
Don’t let your love for other things
which you have a freedom in Christ to love
shadow your love for Christ.
For what you love, you will be
known by others to love.
Don’t let your love for family, sports, relaxation,
eating, drinking, or any other thing God has
given you to love and enjoy be what you
are known for above your love for God.
Scripture Reading
1 Corinthians 8 NIV
8:1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all
possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The man who thinks
he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But the man who
loves God is known by God.
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know
that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5
For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed
there are many "gods" and many "lords"), 6 yet for us there
is but one God, the Father, from 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.
7 But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so
accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having
been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.
8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and
no better if we do.
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom
does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak
conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't
he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak
brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin
against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin
against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin,
I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.
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