Text: I Corinthians 10:18-33<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. Difficulties arise in groups of people when people have strong opinions on various matters<\/p>\n A. Each individual tends to focus on what he wants and is only satisfied if things go\nhis way.\n B. People lose track that their purpose and the purpose of the church is to get people\nto heaven.\n C. One of the stated reasons for the I Corinthians letter was to get a group of\nChristians with numerous problems to work together – I Corinthians 1:10\nII. The dispute in the first century over the eating of meats sacrifice to idols makes a good\nillustration even though this particular issue doesn’t bother the church today.\n
A. The cause of the problem<\/p>\n 1. Idolatry was rampant in the early days of the church and along with it came\nanimal sacrifices\n
a. Many idol temples butchered a lot of animals each day<\/p>\n b. To help finance their operations, the leftover meat was sold to\nshops in the market place.\n 2. In many places it would be hard to tell where a particular shop was getting\nits meat.\n
B. The response to the problem<\/p>\n 1. Some Christians took the hard line of refusing to support idolatry in any\nway, even indirectly.\n 2. Others said meat was meat. They were purchasing meat at a shop, not in\nsome idol’s temple.\n
3. Romans 14:2<\/p>\n a. Paul is saying the group who only saw meat for sale was the more\naccurate in their understanding.\n
b. They were stronger in their faith.<\/p>\n
C. Idolatry was the worship of men’s imagination – I Corinthians 8:4<\/p>\n
1. There is no “god” behind the idols.<\/p>\n 2. Thus it didn’t matter if a cut of meat in a shop was earlier a part of an\noffering to an non-existent God.\n 3. What did matter was the connection or fellowship with idolatry – I\nCorinthians 10:18-22\n
III. Unity is achieved through truth and love<\/p>\n
A. Raw facts by themselves do not show concern for people – I Corinthians 8:1<\/p>\n
1. It is possible to be factually right and lacking love at the same time.<\/p>\n
2. As we continue this illustration, consider that such remains true to this day.<\/p>\n B. A person with greater knowledge in the Scriptures must take into account the\nviews of someone having less knowledge and less faith – I Corinthians 8:7\n
1. Why? Because the things we do must come from faith – Romans 14:22-23<\/p>\n
2. Faith alone doesn’t make something right (Notice the “if”)<\/p>\n 3. But a person with doubts condemns himself if he goes against his\nconscience, even when dealing with something that God allows.\n C. The critical point: Can at least one side see that the other side, while not doing as\nthey would choose, are at least not condemned in their choice?\n
1. I Corinthians 8:8<\/p>\n
a. God doesn’t require that we eat certain foods in order to be saved.<\/p>\n
b. A person is not harmed if he chooses not to eat certain foods.<\/p>\n c. Therefore both the eater and the non-eater, by God’s teaching, can\nstand justified before God.\n
D. With understand comes responsibility<\/p>\n 1. Usually the more mature Christian and a better understanding about the\nlimits and freedoms under God’s law, but this understanding places a\ngreater burden on their shoulders – I Corinthians 8:9-12\n 2. The more knowledgeable brother might push the weaker brother into doing\nactions before he has faith that his actions are right.\n
3. Thus he will violate his conscience and sin<\/p>\n
4. Because the mature Christian caused another to sin, then he too has sinned.<\/p>\n
E. I wish more would see this<\/p>\n 1. When you cause someone to act against their conscience, you are\ncommitting a sin\n 2. The action you are encouraging may be perfectly right, but without\nconsideration for another’s conscience, it can be wrong for that individual\n F. It is better for the stronger brother to take on unnecessary restrictions to his\nactions rather than cause another to sin – Romans 14:13\n
IV. Who then is in control?<\/p>\n
A. It would appear that the weaker brother is in control.<\/p>\n 1. All a brother would have to do is say, “That offends my conscience,” and\nthe stronger brethren would bow to his will\n 2. But such an idea is backwards. Since when would the less knowledgeable\nand weaker in faith dictate what is done?\n
B. Romans 14 was written to show there must be a balance<\/p>\n
1. Weaker brethren join us, but not to cause trouble – Romans 14:1<\/p>\n
2. The obligations of the strong and the weak – Romans 14:3<\/p>\n C. The weaker brother cannot state or view that a stronger brother is sinning just\nbecause he advocates or does something that the weaker brother would not do.\n 1. That is a hard pill to swallow. The weaker brother must realize that his\nview isn’t necessarily right.\n 2. I don’t know many who have been able to do this – personal pride too\noften gets in the way – Romans 14:4\nV. Understanding is needed that each Christian is striving to serve the Lord to the best of his\nability\n
A. There are plenty of issues where it is not a matter of personal decision<\/p>\n
1. Matters where a person is violating God’s law directly or by omission<\/p>\n
2. Deal with those and let God handle the ones where you might not be sure<\/p>\n B. Romans 14:6-8 – We need to face that this is God’s world operating under God’s\nlaws. We are not the ultimate Judge.\n
C. Seek each other’s well-being – I Corinthians 10:23-24<\/p>\n 1. A brother wrote: “One older man in the congregation made the comment\nto me today, “if a man helped to build the building and wants to have his\nmemorial service in the building he worshiped in for years it doesn’t seem\nright to say that he can’t.”\n
a. With what we learned, the answer becomes simple.<\/p>\n b. No, it is not right to say that a brother cannot have his funeral in the\nbuilding.\n c. But he has brethren who aren’t certain this is proper. They would\nhave a conflict about whether to attend because of their friendship\nor stay away because of their beliefs.\n d. That brother would not want someone he known and worshiped\nwith all those years to be uncomfortable. He would want them there\nto give his family comfort. So he would choose to have the funeral\nelsewhere so they could attend without violating their conscience.\n 2. I might forego something, knowing perfectly well that I don’t have to, but\nI want to because I love my brother.\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Text: I Corinthians 10:18-33 I. Difficulties arise in groups of people when people have strong opinions on various matters A. Each individual tends to focus on what he wants and is only satisfied if things go his way. B. People lose track that their purpose and the purpose of the church is to get people to heaven.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[32],"tags":[849,253,456],"class_list":["post-61736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-conflict","tag-fellowship","tag-unity"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15110,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/conducting-worship-in-song\/","url_meta":{"origin":61736,"position":0},"title":"Conducting Worship in Song","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 12, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As people come in, have them sit up front in as few pews as possible \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Have them divide by parts: Alto, Tenor, Melody, Bass \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Start with a prayer II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0An important aspect of worship is our coming together to offer a united worship \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Colossians 3:14-17 - We were called in one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52330,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/perfected-in-unity\/","url_meta":{"origin":61736,"position":1},"title":"Perfected in Unity","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 17:13-26 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In Jesus\u2019 final prayer to the Father before his arrest, Jesus expressed his desire that his followers be united, just as he and the Father were one - John 17:22-23 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0That \u201cone\u201d is not numerical, but a unity in purpose and action.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53790,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-limited-sphere\/","url_meta":{"origin":61736,"position":2},"title":"A Limited Sphere","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Corinthians 10:7-18 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Without a doubt unity is important to God and His people - John 17:17-21 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is something to strive for - Ephesians 4:1-3 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Division is condemned - I Corinthians 1:10-13 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Paul, when he entered Jerusalem wanted to join with other Christians\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7137,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/before-we-post-or-share\/","url_meta":{"origin":61736,"position":3},"title":"Before We Post or Share","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Before we post or share something, let us ask: Does it show that we are striving to build up the people of God? (Ephesians 4:28) Will it help promote unity or will it cause unnecessary division? (I Corinthians 12:25) Does it show love for one another, love\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66937,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-need-for-distinctive-preaching\/","url_meta":{"origin":61736,"position":4},"title":"The Need for Distinctive Preaching","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jim Deason Biblical Insights, September 2014 In the shadow of the cross, Jesus prayed, \"I do not ask on behalf of these alone (the apostles - jhd), but for those also who believe in Me through their word (me and you - jhd); that they may all be one;\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31445,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-multiculturalism-work\/","url_meta":{"origin":61736,"position":5},"title":"Can multiculturalism work?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 23, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Can multiculturalism work? What should our attitude as Christians be toward the same? Answer: Multiculturalism is the belief that people from diverse cultures can peacefully co-exist without changing. It doesn't work because there is no effort at uniting the groups, only a pretense of unity by ignoring the differences.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61736\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}