Well again, I want to welcome all of you to Cornerstone this morning. It is a joy and delight to be together as the church, as brothers and sisters in the Lord, to open up our Bibles and to be fed by our exalted Lord Jesus Christ. If you have your Bibles, would you open to the New Testament, to the book of 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. Acts, and then Romans, and then you'll come to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. As you're turning, let me just give you a brief advance warning. This is where we're going to go in the next few weeks throughout the summer months. After our passage today, there's a natural break in the book of 1 Corinthians right at the end of chapter 10. take a break from 1 Corinthians through the summer months. We will come back to 1 Corinthians. We'll pick up where we left off in the fall. And we've got some weighty passages that will be waiting for us when we come back in the fall. So we'll come back and pick it up in chapter 11, and we'll go through the end of the book in the fall. So what are we going to start with next week? Well, we're going to have a study through the book of 2 Peter. Second Peter is one of my favorite books. I think it's one of the more underappreciated and understudied books in the New Testament. It's only three brief chapters, but there is a lot in those three chapters about who is Jesus Christ, about the role of the Spirit, about the authority of Scripture, about the place of false teachers, the call to holiness, the new heavens and the new earth. I mean, there is an entire systematic theology just in three short chapters in 2 Peter. So that's where we're going to go. I think we can finish that over the summer, 2 Peter 1-3, and then in the fall we'll come back and we have, right out of the gate, we've got some pretty heavy hitting passages waiting for us when we come back to 1 Corinthians. That's where we're going to go. So we will finish up chapter 10 today, and then there's a pretty major break in the book. We'll head to 2 Peter throughout the summer. come back to 1 Corinthians in the fall, and we will finish it up in the fall and on out into the winter. So that's where we're headed. So we can be in prayer. Hope you're excited about 2 Peter. I know I am. So it'll be an encouraging study together. This morning, we're going to finish up chapter 10, 1 Corinthians chapter 10, looking at verses 23 through technically through chapter 11, verse 1. Many people kind of joke it's probably the most unfortunate chapter break in the New Testament. It makes no sense to have the break there at chapter 11, verse 1. So chapter 11, verse 1 goes with the passage we're going to look at today. Chapter 11, verse 2 is the next major section. So follow along with me if you have your Bibles. 1 Corinthians 10, we'll begin reading in verse 23, and this is God's Word written for you and for me today. All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. 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. 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. I do not mean your conscience, but his. 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 give thanks? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the Church of God. 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. Be imitators of me as I am of Christ." Heavenly Father, we ask that you would give us insight into this passage, that you would Give us your Spirit. Point us to your Son. Conform us more to the image of our Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. Let me begin this morning by asking you a question. As a Christian, what is it that governs your life? What principle or principles govern your life as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ? Now, of course, I hope that all of us here this morning would answer the Bible. It's a good answer. Indeed, the Bible is, as our confession puts it, the ultimate standard of faith and practice, the ultimate standard of doctrine in life. Jesus says about the Bible, Thy word is truth, John 17, 17. The prophet Isaiah, when he was confronted with a question, how did he respond? To the law and the prophets. In other words, to the Bible. What does the Bible say? Isaiah chapter 8, verse 20. The Bible is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. It is our foundation. It is our cornerstone. It is our plumb line, so to speak. But we need to go one step further. What guidance does the Bible give us? What parameters or what principles, so to speak, does the Bible give us that ought to characterize the life of a Christian? Well, there are many. There are numerous we could point to. And in our passage this morning, the Apostle Paul lays out two, and arguably, the two most fundamental principles, the two most fundamental characteristics or parameters that ought to govern the life of you and me, that govern the life of a believer, namely, the glory of God and the good of our neighbor. glory of God and the good of others. You see him there, plainly laid out, verse 31. Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. And then verse 24. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Now, of course, Paul didn't come up with this on his own. This is simply a summation of the two greatest commandments. We are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second is like it. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. And we'll see how Paul unpacks these two principles this morning in our passage. But first, remember the context. Remember where we've come over the last few months. This section we're looking at this morning is the closing section, the closing passage of a major section in Corinthians, chapters 8 through 10, dealing with the larger issue of the Christian conscience, or Christian liberty, or the freedom of the Christian. And in this passage, one commentator says Paul is tying up some loose ends. Paul has already given his major constructive teaching, but there's a few questions remaining. There's a few scenarios that the Corinthians are asking about, and so Paul has to deal with a couple more everyday scenarios that the Corinthians might find themselves in and give them instruction, give them guidance, give them some teaching, tying up some loose ends, as this one scholar puts it. Now, remember what Paul has been driving home in this major section, chapters 8 through 10. That is the freedom of the Christian. As believers, we are gloriously free. Chapter 9, verse 1, Paul asks rhetorically, am I not free? And of course, the rhetorical answer is, yes, you are. As believers, we are wondrously free. We are free from the condemning power of the law. We are free from Satan's accusations. We are free from the fear of final judgment and from the fear of death. We've been set free from the guilt and from the power of sin. We've been set free from Satan. We are gloriously and wondrously free in Christ. But the flip side, we have been set free to do something positive. Namely, we've been set free to live to the glory of God in the good of our neighbor. We've been set free to serve. And as Paul unfolded in chapter 9, we've also been set free and we have the great freedom to lay down our freedom. It's somewhat of a paradox. We have the freedom to set aside our rights, to set aside what is our due in service of and in love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Perhaps the greatest testimony of our freedom is that we can lay it down in the good and in service of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Now, the specific context and background out of which this discussion has flowed, chapters 8 through 10, this is all somewhat a little bit of review, is the broader issue of food, specifically of food offered to idols, somewhat Somewhat obscure for us, but an everyday issue for the Corinthians on every corner in the ancient world would have been a temple. And at that temple, there would have been food and meat offered to idols. And the temples were like the civic centers of the first century. They were like the restaurants of the first century. It was part of your everyday life to go to the temple and have meals and engage in various aspects of social life. So this was a live issue for the Corinthians. If you remember, some in the Corinthian church were seeking to exercise their freedom by going to those temples and partaking of meals. And Paul told them no. Paul said you cannot do that. You cannot attend and partake of a meal of a feast at the local pagan temple. You cannot associate with idolatry that that meal was part and parcel of. Look back at chapter 10. We looked at this last week. Chapter 10, verse 21, you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Paul was pretty clear on that issue. So as we'll see, what we're looking at this morning is similar but different. It's similar in that the issue of meat, what can we eat, what can we dig into, so to speak. But it's different in that we're dealing with different scenarios. No longer are we going to be thinking about going to the temple to eat, but we'll look at a couple other scenarios that the Corinthians would come across. in their everyday life. So two things I want us to note this morning, Paul's principles in his practice, the principles by which he lives, and then the concrete examples that he gives us. And just one note by way of structure, you'll note that the principle brackets this passage. Let me be specific. Verses 23 and 24 on the front end is one side of the bracket. And then verses 31 through 33 on the back end is the other side of the bracket. So these two principles sandwich, as it were, these concrete examples and illustrations that Paul is going to give us. And you'll see how this works out as we go through. So first, the principle. What principle does Paul give us as to the Christian Life, and there's two. The good of our neighbor and the glory of God. The good of our neighbor and the glory of God. Look, let's pick it up in verse 23. All things are lawful, and that might be in quotation marks in your translation. All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up. Now this expression, all things are lawful, was a popular slogan used in Corinth. It was a popular slogan used by the Corinthian church almost like an excuse For their behavior to excuse their newfound or the abuse of their newfound Christian liberty we've seen this this phrase before look back at chapter 6. We've already seen this earlier in our studies chapter 6 verse 12 Paul quotes it earlier. Again, he says, all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. Now back in chapter 6, it seems that the Corinthians were using that slogan to excuse their sexual sin. engaging in sexual immorality at the local temple. But here, it seems as if the Corinthians were using this slogan to excuse what we might call their social liberty. We'll see what that means in just a moment. And Paul is going to correct them, that just because something is lawful does not mean that it is good. does not mean that it is right. Freedom is not a golden ticket, so to speak, to do anything that we feel, anything that we want, so long as it's not explicitly mentioned in Scripture. So Paul corrects them. What he says, all things are lawful, Corinthian slogan to excuse their abuse of liberty, but then Paul corrects that. But not all things are helpful. But not all things build up. The Corinthians were focused on themselves. The Corinthians were focused on exercising their rights, their authority, preserving their freedom without considering the situation, without considering the context. I can do whatever I want to do. All things are lawful. I can do whatever I want to do, so long as it's not explicitly mentioned in Scripture. And Paul says, no, all things may be lawful, but not all things are necessarily good. All things are not necessarily good for the building up and for the edification of the church, of your brothers and sisters. Just because something is lawful does not mean that it is edifying unto the church. And Paul gives the clear principle in verse 24. Let no one seek his own good. In other words, don't just ask if I can do this or that. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Is this beneficial to my neighbor? Is this beneficial to my brother or sister in Christ? Will it encourage them? Will it lift them up? Will it edify them? Will it encourage them in their walk with the Lord? Will it be an encouragement in their growth in grace, in their pursuit of holiness. Notice that the first thought is not, is it good for me? Not, my rights, what can I do, but is it good for my neighbor? Simply put, Paul wants us to get our eyes off of ourselves. and on to others, on to our neighbors, on to our brothers and sisters in the Lord. And dear friends, this is Christianity 101. This is not complex theology. This is the basic. This is the ABCs. We are to love our neighbor as ourself. The second greatest commandment. Let me read you a couple other verses. Romans chapter 15. This teaching is all over the Old and New Testament. Romans 15, verses 1 and 2. We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up. Almost the exact same verse we're reading here, Paul repeats in Romans 15, 1 and 2. Or Philippians 2, 4. Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Again, Matthew 22, 39, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. John 15, verse 12, we read it in our scripture reading this morning. As I have loved you, so you are to love one another. And of course, the parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10, 25-37. Who is my neighbor? To whom are we to do good? To whom are we to show the love of Christ? Whoever the Lord brings across our path. is in biblical language, that is our neighbor. And know how this flies in the face of our me first world. Our world tells us Whatever pleases me is most important. Whatever makes me feel good is most important. Whatever I can get away with is most important. My needs, my rights, me, me, me. That is the mantra of the world in which we live. That is antithetical to the teaching of the Gospel, from Genesis to Revelation. In fact, Paul echoes this later on in this passage. Look at verses 32 and 33. Paul's burden was for others. Paul's burden was not for himself, but it was for others. He spent and was spent for the good and the benefit of others that they might be saved. Paul's outward focus was a gospel-driven outward focus that they might come to know the redeeming love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, Paul's not talking about compromising his convictions or anything like that. You never read Paul if you think he's going to compromise his convictions. So when he says, give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church, he's simply talking about loving your neighbor and doing good unto your neighbor. Becoming a Jew to the Jews and becoming like a Greek to the Greeks. Paul said earlier in chapter 9 that he might save some. Not putting up unnecessarily hindrances and stumbling blocks to those to whom Paul is going to minister. Think of it this way, dear friends. Think of this question. What if Christ had taken the view of the world with respect to us? What if Christ had absorbed, and this is obviously a hypothetical here, so what if Christ had absorbed and had taken the view of the world, a me first, my rights mentality, when it came to you and me? Well, dear friends, we would have a one-way ticket to the gates of hell. We would be forever lost. without hope in this world. I pray the Lord Christ did not do that. Philippians 2, 5 and following. that he did not consider equality with God something to be clung to, that made himself nothing. A passage we've looked at again and again and again over the past several weeks. The love of the believer for others is simply a reflection of the love of Christ. It's simply a reflection of our Savior. The cross is not only that once and for all event by which Christ purchased us for salvation, it is also the model of Christian discipleship. Of serving one another. Paul says, again, the same thing in Romans 15. Let me just read you this verse. So again, Romans 15, we who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up. Why do we do this? Romans 15 verse 3, for Christ did not please himself. There it is right there. Why do we do this? Because that's what Jesus did. He did not please himself. But as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproach you fell on me. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5.14 that the love of Christ constrains me. It's strong language. It constrains me. It binds me. It impresses upon me. It directs all that I do. Christ's love for me constrains me. It governs all that I do and my love for Him and my love for others. So first, the first principle is Christianity 101, the good of our neighbor. And then secondly, it is the glory of God, verse 31. We'll come back to this. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. All that we do is to be done to the glory of God. There is no higher motivation, there is no higher goal, there is no higher principle in the Christian life than the glory of the triune God. We were created to bring glory to God. We are redeemed to bring glory to God. This has been every week in our Exodus studies, even this morning. We are redeemed to worship. We've been saved to serve, redeemed to worship, created and redeemed to bring, to reflect the glory of our triune God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism. What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever." So in the passage we're looking at today, it both begins and ends brackets with these principles of the Christian life, both of which are outward focused. Did you notice that? Both of which are focused outwards. We might simplify upwards and outwards. giving God the glory and outwards and doing good to others and love for our neighbor. Alright, so far so good. The principle, the glory of God and the good of our neighbor. Secondly, and much more briefly, the concrete example that Paul gives us in verses 25 through 30. So let's pick it up in verse 25. eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. Verse 26, for the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Now, this is a different scenario than what we've talked about earlier. Chapter 8 was all about going to the temple. and partaking of a meal and of a feast at the temple that was associated with temple worship. Partaking of a feast at the temple. This is a different scenario. And here we're talking about going down to the local market, going to your neighborhood HEB. or a Kroger, whatever it might be, and buying meat to eat, buying eat-to-meat for your family. And there is a pretty good chance that the meat that you would get at your first century HEB came from a pagan temple. That's just where most of the meat came from. It came from farm, so to speak, through the temple to the local market. And the question is, can we eat it? Can we eat that meat that had gone through the temple and was now at the local market? That's the question of the day. And what does Paul say? Paul says, eat. Go for it. He says, eat whatever is sold in the market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. Eat, don't ask any questions about its origin. As Gordon Fee, a wonderful commentator says, meat is meat, go and eat. Whereas Ian Hamilton says, the only question that we should ask is, do you want it rare, medium, or well done? Don't ask any questions about its origin. Don't concern your conscience. It's not a matter of conscience. Eat. Eat freely and enjoy. Why? Why can we do this? Well, Paul grounds his reason in the Bible, verse 26. For the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. And there he's simply quoting Psalm 24, 1. Because God created it, and God created it good. There's nothing inherently wrong with it. No longer is it tied to, in a sense, it's lost its religious significance. It's no longer tied to the idolatry at the temple. So you are now free to go and partake, according to the New Testament, and enjoy freely. So fairly straightforward. Things get a little more tricky. in verses 27 and following. So pick it up in verse 27. And here is another scenario. So we've had a scenario at the temple. We've had a scenario of buying meat for our own family, we might say, at our own house. Well, here's another scenario, verses 27 through 30. So first, verse 27, if one of the unbelievers invites you to their house to dinner, and you want to go, you are disposed to go, go for it. Eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. So if an unbelieving friend invites you to go, and you want to go, then go. Don't raise any questions. Don't say, hey, by the way, where did this meat come from? Just go and enjoy. In fact, raising all of those questions might actually bring a hindrance to sharing the gospel to your unbelieving friend. And just note in passing, I think it's stunning that Paul talks about the regularity of going and eating with your unbelieving friends. He just assumes it. Conviction for us, perhaps. Paul's burden is for the lost, for his unbelieving neighbors and friends. But then something happens. Something happens in verses 28 and 29. Look at what it 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 informed you and for the sake of conscience." I do not mean your conscience, but His. Now, pages and pages of ink have been spilled on this verse. That very solid, good, faithful, biblical commentators are on complete different sides as to actually who this verse is talking about. And the issue is, who is the one asking the question? That's the technical issue. Who is the someone who says to you, this has been offered in sacrifice? There's generally three options. It's either the host of the meal, it's either an unbeliever at the meal, or it's either another believer at the meal. Three options. And again, Faithful, good, solid commentators take completely opposing angles. And at the end of the day, it really does not affect the point and the main idea, the main thrust of this passage, but just so you're aware in terms of the more technical discussions going on. I might suggest, and I don't say this with certainty at all, I might suggest that the reference is to another believer at the meal. It's a weaker Christian who is also with this meal. And I'll admit, there are some weaknesses to that view. But perhaps it is another believer at the meal, a weaker Christian, Why would I say this? Because the context of the strong and the weak has been running through this entire section. It's more of a contextual argument, we might say. But again, we cannot be, and we shouldn't be, speak with certainty, because we just simply don't know. But you might imagine the scenario. You're sitting down at the table. You're getting ready to eat. And your brother or sister is there, one who is of weaker conscience. And he says to you, You know, by the way, that was offered in sacrifice to an idol. You can imagine that. Maybe he thinks he's doing you a favor. He wants you to know. You know where this came from, right? You can imagine a scenario, something along those lines. And Paul says, if that happens, then do not eat. Why? for the sake of conscience. Whose conscience? Not your conscience. Your conscience is free. But for the conscience of your weaker brother or sister in the Lord. You don't want to wound his tender conscience. So the point to get is this. Paul is calling on the Corinthians to change what they would do for the good of their neighbor. It's an illustration of the point of verse 24. Regardless of who's the one asking the question, the point is this, that the Christian, the one at this meal, is to think of his neighbor first. That's the point. He has to think of his neighbor first, even to the extent that it might actually change whether he partakes of this meal or not. Depending on the circumstances, you might act in a different way. Now let me give a little qualifier. Do not confuse this with any kind of modern situational ethics, where if something is sin here, it's not sin there. That's not at all what Paul is getting at. If something is sexual immorality here, then it's not here. That's not at all what Paul is getting at. Paul is dealing with what might call gray areas. what theologians call adiaphora, things indifferent, gray areas where the Bible is not explicit. And there are lots of these in the Christian life. And those call for wisdom, humility, grace. Wisdom, humility, and grace, the principle of what is good for your neighbor. The glory of God and the good of your neighbor. And then Paul closes this section with two questions in verses 29 and 30. And again, the commentators are all over the map on what these questions actually Who's actually asking these questions, verses 29 through 30? 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 give thanks? Again, it's difficult to nail down what's going on in these questions with certainty. Who is the one speaking these questions? Who is being referred to? I might follow Charles Hodge, the great Princeton commentator, who says that Paul is speaking about himself and paraphrases, why would I give unnecessary offense to my fellow brothers and sisters? Why should I make use of my liberty to cause my weaker brothers and sisters to speak ill of me or of the church? Why would I make use of my liberty to perhaps put up a stumbling block to my weaker brothers and sisters? But again, these are some of the more obscure verses in 1 Corinthians. And we need to be honest when it comes to speaking with certainty. We just can't speak with absolute certainty. But the principle is clear. The glory of God and the good of our neighbor. So as we close this morning, let me leave you with three brief thoughts as we wrap up. The first is this, the importance of wisdom in the Christian life. I think it's an issue that does not get as much consideration as it should. Not everything in scripture is crystal clear. Now, there is a lot that is clear, which is why we have confessions. And we believe in not minimalistic confessions, but good, robust confessions, like the Westminster Confession of Faith, or even the London Baptist Confession. There are a lot of great, robust confessions out there. But not everything is crystal clear in Scripture. And when it comes to those areas, those times where the Bible was just simply not explicitly clear, Many matters with respect to the Christian life and how we do in this or that scenario, we need to act with wisdom. And we need to pray that the Lord would give us wisdom. There is a gross absence of wisdom in the church today. And we are called to act with wisdom, humility, patience, grace, praying for the leading of the Spirit. We need to ask the Lord to give us what I call good biblical instincts. That our instinct is one of humility, patience, and grace. Seeking to apply the biblical principles to this or that scenario. But we always do so with humility, grace, and charity. Ask the Lord to give you wisdom in leading the Christian life. Secondly, may we be those who seek the good of our neighbor. Verse 24. May we be those who love our neighbors as ourselves. If you ask the question, who is our neighbor? Well, Jesus tells us, Luke chapter 10, whoever the Lord brings across our path is, in biblical lingo, your neighbor. We are to show and do good to them, not seek our own good first. The church is not, it is not a me first place. So let me ask you this. How are you loving your neighbors in your own life today? What are you doing to show love to your neighbors? Maybe it's your literal neighbor. Maybe it's a co-worker. Maybe it's an unbelieving friend. Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are neighbors. How are we showing love to one another? That's a good diagnostic question to chew on for a few days. And thirdly and finally, may we live for the glory of God. Verse 31, whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. Commit this verse to memory. Let it soak in. Let it soak deep into your bones. All that we do is to be submitted to the Lordship of Christ and to be lived unto His glory. My former pastor and professor, John Currid, when he talks about when he came to understand and to learn more about the Reformed tradition, he says that what struck him was not so much the doctrines of grace, the five points, tulip, although those are wonderful and those are true, but what struck him more than that, what gripped him more than that was the scope of the lordship of Christ. that all of life, every aspect of our life is to be lived quorum Deo, that is before the face of God. From cradle to the grave, from vocation to vacation, our time, our money, our relationships, our hobbies, all that we do is to be submitted under the all-embracing Lordship of Christ, so that all that we do is to be lived unto the glory of our Triune God. There is no area of our lives that are a hands-off to the Lord. There's no area of our lives where we say, you know, this one's mine. Lord, you can have these 99 other areas, but this one area belongs to me. Not according to Scripture. Christ is our Lord and King. And dear friends, that is good. That is good. That is not bad news. That is good news. Because He is perfect. And we are created and redeemed to live to His glory. So the question to take home, how am I living to the glory of God? Take any area of life, hobbies, time, finances, our time in the Word, our time in prayer, our family life. How is this aspect of my life submitted to and being lived unto the glory of God? And may we pray for the Spirit to give us wisdom, to give us strength to do that very thing. May we be a church who shines the glory of Christ in all that we do. Let's praise God for His Word. Let's pray together. Father, we thank You for this text, this passage. We thank You for Your Word. We ask that You would give us help, that You would give us grace, for we confess that we are not wise. And we need Your leading, we need Your Spirit, we need Your grace, that we might live with wisdom, with humility, with grace, with patience, submitting all that we are and all that we have to our Savior, who loved us and gave Himself for us. Give us Your Spirit to do that this next week. We pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen.