Today is the day that the Lord has made. So let us rejoice and be glad in it. And everyone said, Amen. Amen. So last week we kicked off a sermon series called Calling Out Cultural Lies. And what we did last week was we looked at the lie of live your truth. We talked about how that lie is founded on a bunch of other lies, but that one lie, live your truth, is kind of like the umbrella term that validates all the other lies of our culture. If we accept live your truth as the great commandment for our culture and our time, then we must also accept that truth is relative and there's no true standard of right and wrong.

Which brings us to today. Today we are looking at the lie of as long as it doesn't hurt someone else. I'm sure you've heard this. You can do what you want as long as it doesn't hurt someone else. Now, here's what I'd say to you. Going back last week, if if live your truth is the mantra of our day, then as long as it doesn't hurt someone else is the ethics of our day. That's the base moral ethic that our culture wants to abide by. Now I've know, I know you've heard this, the statement before you can do what you want as long as it doesn't hurt someone else. Meaning that apparently we as a people have to accept anything and everything as permissible quote,mas long as it doesn't hurt someone else, that is the prevailing moral ethic of our time. But here's my question for you. Do we really want the moral fabric of our society to be based on the lowest common denominator?

The notion of do what you want as long as it doesn't hurt someone else, that presupposes that it's actually possible to do something without hurting someone else or without having an effect on someone else, whether good or bad. But I think most of us have lived long enough to know that we can do nothing of consequence that won't affect others. Our actions always have consequences that spread waves far beyond our life. And I would tell you that actually one of the beautiful things of humanity, one of the beautiful parts of our human existence is how much we are truly connected and interconnected. Now, Scripture recognizes this. Scripture tells us that our actions always have consequences. But here's the reality. We as the people of God, we don't follow the lowest possible moral ethic.

We seek to live to the highest possible one. We get to show the world not just a better way, but the good way. And so I invite you to turn with me to a very challenging, perplexing Bible passage. Would you please turn to 1 Corinthians 10, and we'll look at verses 23 to 33. Now that's on page 1218 if you wanna use the Bibles we've provided here. Now as you're turning there, let me just kind of catch us up to speed We call it a book of the Bible, but first Corinthians is actually a letter It's a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to a church in Corinth, Greece now this church was full of Christians who were very young in their faith and They were at times tempted to revert to their old ways of living as they lived according to the pagan culture around them rather than living in the renewed culture of the kingdom that that Christ calls us to and so Paul Paul is gonna bring a great challenge to them he's gonna remind them that that they are above their old ways he's gonna remind them that we are called to live to the new way of Christ and so he gets to this section here in chapter 10 he gets to the section of this letter and he's beginning to talk about what it means to exercise our freedom as Christians what it means to be free people. As Christians, our faith is not about following rules. Our faith is about being in a right relationship with God. And everyone said amen. But as we'll see in this passage, Paul's whole presupposition about our faith flies in the faith of our modern assumptions about life. And so let's get into it. Would you hear the word of God? First Corinthians chapter 10, we'll look at verses 23 to 33. Would you hear God's word?

1 Corinthians 10:23-33

23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

Amen? This is God's word. Let's pray and we'll continue. Let's pray.

Father God in heaven above, Lord we need your guidance this morning, so please would you send us the Holy Spirit and Holy Spirit would you illuminate this passage for us. Help us to know how to live in light of this passage and in the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ which has brought us back from sin and death. We pray these things for your glory, for our joy, and for the good of our neighbor. And everyone said amen.

So this is a very interesting and a challenging passage, but if I could boil it down to one statement and to one truth that challenges the modern lie of, as long as it doesn't hurt someone else, it would be this. And I'd give you this as the main point here for today. Our faith should be to our neighbors benefit. Our faith should Imagine if you would. Imagine if our society lived according to actually helping others rather than just, quote, not hurting them.

Wouldn't you rather live in a society that helps one another rather than avoids one another? See, this is why I'm going to argue here today. This is why the Christian moral ethic is the greatest human ethic on the planet. In part because our faith should be to our neighbors' benefits. And I'm gonna tell ya, I always say this and I always believe it. But today, you're really gonna wanna have your Bibles open. This is a very interesting passage. So with your Bibles open, we're gonna look at it through three things.

Through our faith, we should seek to, number one, bring good to others. We'll look at verses 23 and 24 for that. Then we're going to see that through our faith we should seek to bring glory to God. We'll look at verses 25 to 31 for that. And then we're going to close it up by looking at this. Through our faith we should seek to bring the gospel to everyone. And we'll look at verses 32 and 33 for that. So first thing, through our faith we should bring good to others. Let's take this one verse at a time. If you're looking at your Bibles and you see verse 23, you'll see that Paul has some quotations here. He says, quote, all things are lawful, end quote, but not all things are helpful. Quote, all things are lawful, end quote, but either way Paul quotes this to challenge it. It's like he's saying sure Sure, you can do whatever you want may not be good for you, though Sure, you you can do whatever you want may not be good for other people though And then he brings one of the hardest challenges. And not just this book and not just the New Testament, we're going to see that Paul brings one of the hardest challenges in all of the Bible. Look at verse 24, if you dare. Verse 24, let no one seek his own good but the good of his neighbor.

isn't it? Seriously though, this is hard. This is hard in our world that champions our personal rights and our personal freedom. This is hard. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. So let me say this clearly. This is why the gospel brings

a better ethic. Our culture says, do whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt someone else But the gospel the Christian faith actually says no Actually, what you should do is seek the good of those who are around you and that's better. Amen Amen, so church we have to decide are we going to be people of the kingdom culture or the culture of this world? Are you gonna follow the ways of the world? Are you gonna follow the mantras of our day? Or are you going to be different? See, the Bible tells us that our salvation is by grace.

That word grace is basically just connected to and kind of just word means gift. That our salvation is by grace, meaning it's given to us through the gospel even though we could not earn it nor we do not deserve it. The gospel that Jesus Christ died for our sins,

taking the penalty that should have been ours. Jesus dies in our place, and then on the third day, rises again. When we place our faith in that, God graces us, gives us what we do not deserve, gives us salvation.

Our salvation is by grace through faith. And this is so good. This is a beautiful picture of God's goodness. My friends, God has been so good to us all the more through the gospel, giving us what we don't deserve and therefore that's what we should do for others. Bringing good to them in ways they do not deserve because God's undying goodness to us. Double-stuffed Oreos. Now, I'm going to do something here. Ah, man, who likes double stuffed Oreos?

Who doesn't like double stuffed?

Yeah, I do.

You know what?

I'm gonna call on Jim.

Jim Baker, you wanna come up here for a second here, bud? If you guys didn't know, Jim Baker, Jim is one of our zone elders.

How you doing, my man?

As a patriarch of your family, I'm gonna give you these Oreos for you and for your family. Okay, now, you did not know I was going to call you up here. You didn't know about this. I'm sure you're way out of your comfort zone, which is exactly why I brought you up here. But you're one of our zone elders.

But even being a zone elder, you're just a brother in Christ. Now, I'm going to give you this package of Double Stuff Oreos for you and for your family. And you can go and have a seat with them right now. You go ahead and have a seat. Now, here's the thing. I did not prep Jim for this, but I gave cookies to Jim. He did not earn it. And you could say he really didn't deserve it. I just out of goodness decided to bless him with some cookies. Now, imagine that I said to Jim as the patriarch of his family, I said, now Jim, those cookies are for you and for your family, but here's the deal. When you run out, I'll give you more. And when you run out again, I'll give you more. And that will never stop. Now, imagine that Jim sits down with his family and people around him are like, man, those cookies look pretty good. Hey, can we have some of those cookies? Now, what would you think if, knowing that Jim and his family have an unlimited supply of cookies they did not earn nor deserve, what would you think if they said, no, these are ours? No, you can't have any. You probably wouldn't think very good things of the Baker family, would you? I think some of you know exactly where I'm going with this. Here's the point. The goodness that God has shown to us in the gospel is unlimited.

It's more than you need, it's more than you could earn, and certainly more than you deserve. God's goodness is unlimited to us. Therefore, we should be sharing that goodness even with those who don't deserve it, because neither did we. If God is going to constantly pour out His goodness upon us in an unlimited, forever fashion in ways we did not earn nor deserve, how could we, as the people of God, not take that goodness and want to share it with those around us? But let's be clear here. The goodness that we are to share, Paul clarifies in our passage, that the goodness that we share are to be things that build up other people. Build up other people. Make no mistake, when Paul is talking about building up others, he's talking about the good things.

Good things are those things that truly bring people into greater alignment with God's design for us. It does not mean catering to people's sinful desires. It does not mean enabling an ungodly lifestyle just because just because something may affirm a person or affirm their identity or make them feel Comfortable. It does not mean that it's actually good for them. It does not mean that it will actually build them up Because if we enable sin what we're doing is we're tearing them down

Even if they feel affirmed in it We have to do things that build people up and the things that build people up are the truly good things that at least point us towards, if not bring us closer to God. It's not good if it leads people away from God and away from His plan for humanity.

Because my friends, we have to remember, we have to live according to His plan, not ours, because His plan's better. Which leads us to number two. Through our faith, we should seek to bring glory to God. Now here's where the rubber meets the road,

and I really want you to have your Bibles open here, because this is a complex passage, but I think if we walk through it, you'll see what's going on here. Now Paul, Paul gives us an example of how to live this out. Now again, we're gonna try to understand their context

and apply it to ours. So verse 25, here's where it starts to get thick. So here's what Paul says. He says, eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the grounds of conscience. Okay, so clarify. So in Paul's day, when you went to go buy meat at the market, sometimes that meat or not? And Paul is actually saying,

it doesn't matter, buy it and eat it. Now listen, that may sound a little counterintuitive to us. Right, I thought we're supposed to live holy and pious life. Like what's going on here? It's almost counterintuitive.

How can Paul say that? Well, like we say at all things here at Peace Church, if the Bible is confusing, just keep reading. Verse 26, Paul goes on to say, for the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Okay, so Paul is quoting Psalm 24 and what he's basically trying to get at is this, is that that meat belonged to God before it was sacrificed to another God. It belonged to God first, so go ahead and eat it. Now, here he's talking about our faith

that's happening in the public square, but then he goes on to discuss how this actually might play out in a private and a personal setting. So, remember, he sets a general principle and then he's going to talk about specifics. So he says this, verse 27, if one of the unbelievers, again, a non-Christian, if one of the unbelievers invites you to

dinner and you are disposed to go, you want to go, go and eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the grounds of conscience.

Okay, he seems to be following his argument. Meat sacrificed to idols don't mean anything because that meat belonged to God first. So you're gonna go hang out with a non-christian, go ahead and eat whatever they place before you even if it's sacrificed. Now, side note, notice here, Paul does not forbid Christians eating with non-Christians. But what he's saying is that when you do, here's the moral of the story, don't be a jerk. Eat whatever is set before you and be thankful about it. But what if it has gluten in it? I don't know, Paul doesn't address that. You better ask your pastor. So now he says, go enjoy the food and enjoy the company. Be a good guest. But Paul says, okay, what? Okay, now here we go. Now it's time for the exception. He's laid out the rule. Now it's time for the exception. But Paul says in our ears perk up and we say, okay, but what Paul verse 28, he says, but if someone says to you, this has been offered in sacrifice, then do not eat it for the sake of the one who informs you. And for the sake of conscience, I do not mean your conscience, but his. Okay. This is where this is where it can get a little confusing, but it's super interesting. What's going on here. So let's recap. If you go to the meat market, Paul says, go ahead, buy whatever you want. Eat it all. If we go to an unbeliever's house, Paul says, eat whatever they give you and be thankful about it. And then he says, but if someone, if someone tells you that it was sacrificed to a false God, then don't eat it. Okay, what's going on here is we really have to understand who this someone is. And that's why when you read some commentaries, you're going to find some different thoughts on this.

But here's what I believe is going on here. Who is this someone, if someone says to you? Now, it doesn't appear to be the unbelieving host. Rather, it appears to be someone else who has mixed feelings about the meat being sacrificed to another god. And Paul is saying, if someone has mixed feelings about it, don't make a big deal about it, just don't eat it in front of them.

Okay, so what's the logic going on here? This doesn't make, I mean, Paul's going in different directions, at least it seems like, right? Okay, so we can go to the meat market, we can buy meat sacrificed to a foreign god, okay, we go to someone's house who's not a believer. They offer us meat sacrifice to a foreign God Apparently we can eat that but if someone tells us that the meat is sacrificed now, we can't eat it Paul

What is going on here? See I think what happens is and I did the same thing You're viewing this all through the lens. This is what we do here You're viewing this all through the lens of what you are free to do. That is not the lens that Christians engage this world with. That's an American way to approach this. But we are kingdom people first. See, what's going on here? He says all this because you have to remember our prerogative is that the example we are to set is not about exercising our freedom. It's about building up someone else.

If eating this meat is going to tear down someone else's conscience, we're not going to do that. If people are fine with it and we're fine with it, then we're free to do that. If someone doesn't... Now, what's it mean for here today?

Here's some examples. If someone doesn't think that Christians should drink, then don't drink in front of them. If someone doesn't think that Christians should go trick-or-treating, don't send your kids to their door for free candy on October 31st. In our freedom, and this is where Christians have to be so charitable to one another, in

our freedom, some things are a matter of conscience in the Christian faith. These are things that in our Christian freedom, the Bible neither commands nor forbids in the scriptures. And I've asked our guys at our podcast, we have a podcast called That's a Good Question. I've asked our guys to talk about this a little bit more, about this notion of Christian freedom. So make sure you tune in this week. So when it comes to this notion of things that Christians are free to do that are a matter of conscience, again neither commanded nor forbidden in scripture, what are we to do with these sorts of things? Now I love what one man said about this. This is a man from about over a thousand years ago. His name was Ecumenius. Now Ecumenius was a Greek bishop from around 900 AD.

And he was reading this passage and he wrote a commentary on it. And this is what he said about this very passage we're looking at. He said this. He said, the question is not whether you are eating with a clear conscience, it's whether what you are doing is of benefit to your brother.

You may be fine doing something,

and that's all good and dandy, but you also need to be asking, is this for other people's good? Does this build up those around me, or does it tear them down? Paul is saying, I know your conscience may be just fine in this matter, but theirs isn't, so care about them. Care about them before you go and flaunt your freedom. But here's the thing, he's going to throw another curve at us. Does this conflict with Paul says in the very next line, look at verse 29, the second half of verse 29. He says this, he says, for why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I gave thanks? Okay, so we really have to follow this at Peace Church. We're going to be Bible study years, so let's make sure we study this well. This seems like such an odd thing coming right after him saying, don't eat meat sacrifice if someone else has a problem with it. That's what he said in verses 28 and 29.

But when we read this in its fuller context, it seems that what is going on here is that Paul is connecting this thought here. Why should other people's conscience inhibit my liberty? He's connecting this thought here back to the more general principle we find earlier in the passage in verse 27. He's not referencing the exceptions of verse 28 and 29. A 29 a meaning the first part of verse 29. He seems to be saying, God has called me to freedom. And just because some people in principle disagree with me doesn't mean I need to follow what they say all the time. But when I am with them, I will seek their good above my own freedom. And then Paul, Paul lays it down. He sums it all up with one of the most powerful verses in the New Testament. And this verse kind of gives us the overarching principle of our lives. Look at verse 31. He says, So whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, Panta estaxante u poeta. Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Panta estaxante u poeta. If you could translate that word for word, what it would say is, all things into the glory of God, you must do. We do all things for the glory of God.

What are we free to do? We are free to glorify God. We don't have to follow our sin nature anymore that seeks to glorify ourselves. We get to do things that glorify God, because my friends, here's what you need to know. To glorify God is not a burden, it's not God you're glorifying. It's probably yourself. And you were not meant to bear the weight of all the glory of the universe. If you think it's a burden to glorify God, then you're either not glorifying God or you're in a not-right relationship with God. And you're not doing it in the ways that God has commanded. To glorify God is a joy. I love what the Westminster Shorter Catechism, this was a document written to help people understand their faith and Westminster Shorter Catechism, the very first question that it asks, it asks a series of questions. The very first question it says is this, it says, what is the chief end of man?

Now I know we don't talk like that anymore. Here's what it was saying, meaning

what is humanity's highest purpose? Answer, man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. To glorify God is not a burden. To glorify God brings us joy. Christians, God is the essence of goodness and therefore bringing him glory is the highest good and when we do that which is the highest good it Should bring us the most amount of joy Do all to the glory of God is the antithesis of as long as it doesn't hurt someone else So let's be clear on something

The moral ethic of as long as it doesn't hurt someone else isn't just the lowest Common denominator as far as moral ethics go. I'm going to argue something even stronger here today. I'm going to argue that as long as it doesn't hurt someone else isn't the lowest common moral denominator. I'm going to argue it's not even moral. It's not a good thing. I'm going to argue it's not moral to do whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt someone else. I just happen to think that you and I were made for more than that. So let's go ahead and let's take this, let's take this statement to task. See, as long as it doesn't hurt someone else, may come across as a tolerant statement and oh man, do we love our tolerance in America, don't we? Oh, we just, we can't get enough of it. It may come across as a tolerant statement, but it's actually veiled in a false compassion. When you dig into that phrase, it's actually quite selfish of a statement. See, what it's really saying, what it's really saying is, is I want you to be able to do what you want so I can do what I want.

What it's actually saying is, I don't care if you even hurt yourself as long as you don't hurt me. What it's actually saying is, I won't call out your sin if you don't call out my sin. See, it's actually quite selfish of a statement, see, but the gospel, the Christian faith,

calls us to something so much better. The gospel says something so much better. See, the culture selfishly says, do whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt someone else, but the gospel selflessly says, do whatever you want as long as it builds up someone else See the culture says do what you as long as it builds up someone else the culture says do what you want as long as it Doesn't hurt someone else The gospel says do what you want as long as it brings glory to God, which is the highest good The culture says do what you want as long as it doesn't hurt someone else, but it is actually saying I don't care if you hurt yourself as long as you don't infringe upon me. Whereas the gospel is actually saying, do what you want as long as it seeks your flourishing, builds the faith of others or glorifies God, brings you joy and is for the good of your neighbor.

The gospel calls us to something so much better. This is what the gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to, and this is why the gospel of Jesus Christ gives us a better moral ethic, and this is why, through our faith, we should seek to bring the gospel to everyone.

Look at verse 32.

Paul goes on to say, give no offense to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God. Listen, my friends, basically what he's saying is don't openly seek to offend anyone inside or outside the church.

And then he shows us that he himself is trying to live up to this example. When he says, verse 33, have your Bibles open, verse 33, he says, just as I try to please everyone, hold on, stop right there. I just love how Paul is just really honest here.

I try to do this. It's almost like he's saying, fall short sometimes, because we're human. I try to please, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. And there we have it.

There we have it, my friends. The highest good is to bring glory to God, and the greatest good we can do is to see others be saved. And we do this by bringing them the gospel, so that they could be saved and they could live according to a better moral ethic. And this is the gospel.

That Jesus Christ died on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, that paid for our sins, and his resurrection from the grave is the guarantee that his promises are true. That we can have not just eternal life, but we can have reconciliation, meaning we can be brought back into a right relationship with God again, and this is because of the gospel of Jesus. Jesus did not do whatever he wanted as long as it didn't hurt someone else.

Rather, Jesus gave up his very life for the good of others, paying the penalty for their sins by his blood. And now to follow Christ means we do not sink to the lowest common denominator as so many in our culture would have us do the whole as long as it doesn't hurt someone else rather we the people of God sons and daughters of the kingdom we rise to the highest good which is to live unto the glory of God and for the salvation of our neighbors not because we're forced to because we're free to God has been so good to us let us do good to others so that they may too know God's goodness, because that's where following Christ should lead us. And our freedom should build our neighbor's faith. Amen? Amen. Church, one of the things that we get to do as a church, as a family of God, is respond to God by coming to the table that he invites us to. So we're going to celebrate communion. Let's do that now. Would you please bow your heads and let's pray together.