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All to the Glory of God

July 10, 2022 Preacher: Kevin Godin Series: Growing in Grace

Topic: Glory of God Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:23-33

Sermon Text:

We are continuing our series Growing in Grace as we work our way passage by passage through 1 Corinthians. God is speaking to us through this letter, teaching us how to live together in Christian community and grow to maturity in Christ. Today we pick back up in chapter 10, at verse 23. If you are using the blue Bible, we provide it is page 1195. If you do not own a Bible or have need of one, please take that one as our gift to you.

In the first half of chapter 10 Paul is calling the church to flee from idolatry. He tells us to learn from Israel’s example in the wilderness that God will judge idolators so that we can avoid such judgment. We are to remain faithful, serve God alone, and do all things for His glory. If we read carefully throughout this letter, we will notice that when Paul talks about the pursuit of God’s glory it is frequently connected to our concern for others.

That is a key connection that we have to understand to follow Paul’s points in this letter and especially in this passage and it is the main point of the message this morning: God's glory is displayed in our love for others. If we want to glorify God in our life, we must have a loving concern for others. The two things are inseparably connected and the connection isn’t original with Paul. It is found throughout both the Old and New Testaments.

Jesus makes this connection in Matthew 22:35–39 when He was asked about the greatest commandment. He said,

37 …. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Love God with all you are and all you have and the second is just like it… love your neighbor.

1 John 4:20–21 says it even more directly. John says,

20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

We see this same gospel logic in our main passage this morning. Paul gives two related commands in this passage from which all his other applications flow. In verse 24 he says, 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. And then in verse 31 he says, 31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Paul is teaching that the Christian ethic is really emphasizing the same priorities as the Jewish Law but fulfilled through love. Rather than a set of rules guiding behavior where we are free to do some things and not others, Paul will show that when we are transformed by the love of Christ, we will fulfill these two great responsibilities.

Everything he teaches in the passage is connected to the glory of God and to a concern for others and the two things are inseparably connected to each other. Let’s look closer:

23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.

 

As is his custom in this letter, Paul begins by quoting one of the slogans the Corinthians were using to support their actions. They had this slogan, “All things are lawful” they would use when challenged on the wisdom of certain actions. They understood the truth of being freed by the grace of God, but they understood it in highly individualistic terms. It was a way of thinking that disconnected the biblical truth from its proper connection to other truths. Paul has addressed this several times already in the letter already and he will deal with it again in this passage. Their pride led to a selfish and distorted view of gospel blessings and Paul is looking to correct that.

 

Paul says, yes, it is true that all things are lawful, but it does not then follow that all things are helpful or that all things build others up. There is something even more fundamental to our walk of faith than our freedom from the law. We are made free from the law not so that we can satisfy ourselves, but so we can have fellowship with a Holy God and worship Him as we ought. That relationship and that worship should always overflow into our attitudes about other people.

 

Verse 24 says, 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Friends, we need to let that sink in. One of the most fundamental truths about human nature is that we naturally seek our own good. In every interaction people can generally be expected to look out for our own interests but the gospel flips that on its head. If we have true faith, we are being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ who gave up everything for others. Selfishness does not come from the Spirit of Christ and is evidence of a remaining hardness in our heart.

 

The evidence that the Spirit of God is living within us is a continual putting to death of the self. If we have received the mind of Christ, we will not seek after our own comfort and advantage without concern for that of others. Much of the process of Christian maturity is deprogramming the instinct for putting our own interests ahead of the needs of others and ahead of God. The Gospel demands a radical reorientation of our priorities.

 

In Matthew 20:26–28 Jesus says,

 

26 …whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 

The Scripture says we are to “clothe ourselves with humility toward one another” and throughout the Bible one of the clear duties of the righteous is to show hospitality to strangers. At the very core of the Christian life is the admonition, “24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

 

Pride is at the root of the sin that leads us away from God and is expressed through our self-centeredness. For believers though, the old man has been crucified with Jesus and we have been given a new nature, raised in Christ to walk in newness of life. We are now free to pursue God’s glory knowing that our treasures are in heaven. The sinful nature that expresses itself in the fear and greed and pride that lead to selfishness has been nailed to the cross.

 

The old man, however, doesn’t want to die. He will struggle and fight with all his might to wrestle himself free from the nails that hold him to that cross. He will rage and resist, and so everyday believers must be diligent to walk in the spirit and not the flesh. If we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus, we must put off the old nature and by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the flesh. The Lord calls us and empowers us to do it. We must therefore pursue it by faith.

 

We are not called to seek our own good or our own comfort. In everything we do we are to consider the good of our neighbor. This has relevance for every aspect of our lives. It includes how we spend our time and how we spend our money. It includes our politics, our economics, and our willingness to be inconvenienced so that others may be blessed.

 

It also has significance for how we come together as a church. It might mean that we sing certain songs we don’t enjoy or sing them in a style that isn’t our favorite because it blesses others. It might mean we set aside our preferences for how things look or are organized so that the needs of others are met or that those who visit us have as few distractions as possible to hearing the Gospel.

 

For example, we have several facilities upgrades that we are prayerfully planning to undertake. They are costly and I know have asked why we need those things. The truth is “we” do not need them. We are not doing them for those of us who are here. We desire to do them out of obedience to the numerous biblical commands to exercise hospitality as best we can and to consider the needs of our neighbors. I pray we would be a church willing to sacrifice so that others may have as few obstacles to hearing the word as possible.

 

It would be sinful to try and use our concern for others and our hospitality to attract people or to manipulate them. If, however, we seek to be hospitable and deferential, and respectful in serving others so that we can preach the truth to them and the love of Christ would be seen in us, we do well. To come to Christ in faith is to die to self. It is to be identified with Christ in His humiliation. Too many of us want the Christ of glory without the Christ of suffering. We want to be seated in the heavenlies with Him but are unwilling to be humbled with Him. But when we come to faith in Jesus, our life is no longer about us.

 

A heart that is being transformed by the grace of God does not simply consider others as a duty. A heart of faith seeks to find joy in the serving of others because in doing so we are more like our savior. We should pray frequently that charity would overflow from our heart as we celebrate the outpouring of God’s charity to us. We do not need to evaluate options based upon what it costs us or what we will get out of it.

 

We no longer decide what to do based upon how much comfort or satisfaction we will get, but from how much of Christ’s love we can give. The question isn’t whether we want something or if we need it. The question is, will it allow us to glorify God by showing love? Love is the standard and love will not lead us to be irresponsible and love will not lead us to be selfish.

 

As we have seen, the eating of meat sacrificed to idols was a significant issue in Corinth. This issue was leading to people using their theological knowledge to be selfish and inconsiderate. Paul will address this by applying this standard, glorify God and consider the needs of others. Remember, he has said that believers can eat the meat, but cannot participate in the fellowship meals where the offerings are taking place. Now, he is going to provide specific instructions. Verse 25,

 

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.

 

As before, there is no issue with the meat itself, the concern is with how the behavior of the believer affects others. They can go buy whatever meat they want. Also, if they are invited to eat with an unbeliever, they can eat whatever is placed in front of them without raising any issue for their conscience. They are not to offend their host by turning up their nose at the meal and they do not need to be concerned about whether it was offered in sacrifice. If nobody mentions anything related to the offering of the food, they are free to enjoy the meal. In verse 28, however, Paul says,

 

 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?

 

If someone brings up the fact that the meat has been offered, then believers are not to eat. Paul explains that this has nothing to do with the conscience of the believer, but of the one who mentioned it. The believer is free to eat but is not free to be a stumbling block to another. The believer is to limit the exercise of her freedom out of a concern for the spiritual wellbeing of her brother or sister.

 

Paul then asks two rhetorical questions. We must think carefully about these questions because they seem to run counter to what he has been saying up to this point. He asks,

 

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?

 

He has just told us that we must take the consciences of others into consideration and now he asks these questions that seem to imply that our liberty should not be limited so long as our heart is right in being thankful for what we eat. The key is to notice that these questions are connected to the point he just made that it is in consideration of the other person’s conscience and not theirs. Notice he introduces them with the preposition, “for”.

 

Paul is anticipating their questions. The Corinthians viewed their freedom under grace in such a way that their own personal attitude toward the food was all that mattered. Remember, they said, “all things are lawful for me”, therefore they had no hesitation in eating food that had been identified by someone as having been offered to idols.

 

Paul’s point is that their freedom and their personal attitude of thankfulness were not the only things to consider. They were to be sensitive to the consciences of other believers who considered it idolatry to eat that food. It would have created a strain upon fellowship for those who were sensitive to this to see them eating in that way. His command does not bind their consciences, but only the way they treat others.

 

We have similar examples we can draw from contemporary culture. I know of a situation at another church where one of the children would often play his Pokeman game in the hallway prior to the service. One of the other members was very sensitive to this and considered the game to be demonic. He was greatly disturbed that another brother whom he knew to be learned in the Scriptures would allow his kids to play the game. Well, the parent had studied it and even consulted with the elders and did not share the view of the sensitive member. Even so, out of a concern for his brother would not let his kid bring the game to church any longer.

 

We can also think of examples related to food and drink. Many Christians believe that it is sinful for anyone to drink alcohol at all. Others recognize that drunkenness is a sin but do not believe that having a glass of wine or a beer is sinful. Even if you are convinced there is no sin in having a drink, it would be wrong for you to do so with a brother or sister whose conscience would be bothered by it. For believers, our personal convictions are not the only consideration. We must consider how we can best love and support our brothers and sisters as well.

 

Paul continues in verse 31 with the parallel commandment. He says, 31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

 

What struck me about this verse is that everything surrounding it was about putting others interest ahead of our own. He says we are to pursue God’s glory in all we do within the context of teaching that we are to put the interests of others ahead of our own. Why do you think God’s glory would be mentioned here sandwiched in the middle of this teaching on interpersonal relationships?

 

It is another example of this inseparable connection between our duty toward God and our responsibility to our fellow man. The two things turn out to be different parts of the same thing. Both proceed from a love for God. When we love God, we want Him to receive all the glory He deserves. We want our lives to reflect His glory so that He will in turn receive the honor due to Him.

 

That means that we will exhibit Christlikeness in our concern for them. We will show the love of God. We will do everything we can to bring them to God. We will want to give no cause for bringing reproach upon the name of God by our actions or words. We will want to love the church as He does. We will seek the lost as He does. We will be gracious as He is.

 

All these things express themselves through a love for others that can come only from God and therefore brings glory to Him. God's glory is displayed in our love for others. God created everything in the universe to display His glory. When we love God, we want Him to receive the glory He deserves from every living creature. The result will be that we do whatever we can to help people to learn, grow, and make progress toward Him. Some are weak and some are strong. Some have knowledge and others know almost nothing of Him. Whoever they are and whatever situation they are in we want to be sure we are not a stumbling block to them.

 

We cannot forget the grace and patience the Lord showed to us. The grace that saves any sinner is a form of God’s charity to strangers. Sinners were cut off from fellowship with him and instead of magnifying Himself through His power and self-sufficiency, he instead made accommodation for our weakness. Sinners are not accepted on account of any goodness in us, but because their salvation brings glory to God. It was for the weak that Christ humbled Himself. It is because of the charity and patience of God alone that there is hope and salvation.

 

Friends, every one of us was born selfish sinners. We all lived to serve ourselves rather than God. We broke His law and instead chose to follow our own way. Rather than seek God’s glory, it is our nature to seek our own. That is rebellion and it is treason.  God has created us to reflect His glory, the way the moon reflects the glory of the sun. His goodness was to be shared throughout all creation, but we sought the things of the world for our own satisfaction. If you have any doubt that human beings are morally broken, just watch the news this evening.

 

There is nothing good in us, apart from the grace of God. We are all guilty of sin and we will all stand before God and give an account for our lives. Friends, none of us can point to anything we have done that will be able to explain the darkness of our sin or the selfishness that has characterized so much of our lives. If we stand along upon our own merits, every one of us stands condemned before God.

 

But God has provided a way of salvation. In the greatest act of selflessness that the universe has ever witnessed, Jesus Christ left the glories of heaven and came to earth as a poor carpenter’s child to live as one of us, experiencing the temptations and pains that are common to all of us. He knew hunger and thirst; he knew poverty and exhaustion. He experienced every trial that you and I have but in everything He was perfectly faithful. In everything He glorified God. In everything He considered the needs of others. He alone lived a perfectly holy human life under the law and yet He came to give His life so that others could share in the glories that were rightfully His alone.

 

Astonishingly, He offered himself up as sacrifice for the sins of all those who would put their faith in Him. He became a substitute for all those who would trust in His righteousness rather than their own to save them. He humbled himself even to the point of a shameful and excruciating death on a cross. He had no sin of His own, but was punished so that others would not have to be. He demonstrated perfect love in that He gave His everything to those who had nothing to offer Him in return. His reward was knowing that in doing so, He glorified His Father.

 

Three days later, He rose from the dead proving that the payment had been made. In Him, God offers salvation to all who will believe and repent. All who will turn from our pride and selfishness and trust in Him alone will be saved. Through faith, our sins are nailed to that tree, through faith we have died with Him and have been raised to walk in newness of life. Through faith, it is no longer we who work, but Christ in us.

 

When you experience that reality in your life you can walk as He walked. Only then can we live this life that Paul says is to be the example for the Christian. If we want our lives to glorify God, Paul says in verse 32,

 

 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. 11:1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

 

What could be a greater way to glorify God than to dedicate your life to serving others so that many may be saved? What could be more like Jesus than putting others ahead of our own interests so they too may be brought to the Father? God's glory is displayed in our love for others because Christ is the revelation of the glory of God, and when we come to serve rather than be served, Christ is made visible in us.

 

I would like to leave you this morning with Paul’s words to the Philippians in Philippians 2:4–11. He says,

 

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

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