Normal Christianity
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.
Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?
What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.
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.
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?
All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.
Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.
Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake;
for the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains.
If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience’ sake.
But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake;
I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience?
If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God;
just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.
INTRO: Oftentimes as Christians, we think in grandiose terms. When we speak of worship, we often speak about joining together either in this building, or even at the throne of heaven and singing praises to our King. When we think of living out our calling, we often consider mission trips or maybe even vocational ministry. In fact, just this past Sunday, we celebrated some of the mission work that GOD has accomplished through our giving and going.
But what about just normal, everyday life as a Christian? We kinda know what we ought to do when we are gathered together, but how do we go about life between the events?
One of the major challenges facing the church today is discipleship. Discipleship is basically replicating your faith in another person. The problem is that we don’t spend enough time on just normal life. What does Christianity look like when we are watching TV or preparing a meal? What does Christianity look like when we are riding in the car or going through the drive-thru at Dunkin’ Donuts?
Now, before you get ahead of me, there are not specific rules that you must say certain things or listen to certain music or whatever. But I believe that God has given us instructions - a framework by which we live out our lives. And if we hope to really “be the church” when we are gathered, then we need to address the ‘in-betweens’.
Of course, we are always learning and growing. So, we could speak for hours on things we’ve picked up along the way- helpful warnings and habits, dangerous ideologies, etc. So the idea is not that we exhaust the subject of Christian living- that would be impossible! Rather, through our study this morning, I hope to share a structure with you that you can begin to apply to your life today.
So, I won’t be challenging you this morning to do unimaginable things in the name of Jesus. I won’t send you out in a bit with a list of tasks that you cannot comprehend or accomplish. I’m not even going to discuss the primary disciplines of prayer and Scripture study. These are all good and important things. Yet, that’s not what our text focuses on.
Instead, we are going to talk about the normal, everyday life that you engage in. In our time together, I want to give you a process that will lead you toward what should be Normal Christianity. I am praying that you will take this study and put it into practice so that, even when you are not in this building or on a mission trip, you can know that you are indeed living a normal Christian life.
Let’s learn together. If you picked up a bulletin, you can use the sermon guide located on the inside flap to follow along. The sermon is titled “Normal Christianity”.
Now, as we dive in, let me remind you that this teaching coincides with our study over the last several weeks. A couple weeks ago, we looked at how we can face temptation and overcome it. That lesson specifically connects with what we will study this morning. You’ll see what I mean here shortly. BTW, if you missed the last message, you can find the recording on Youtube or Facebook.
Paul teaches that in order to live a normal Christian life, the first step is to
Establish Your Identity (17-22)
Establish Your Identity (17-22)
Who are you? I’ve asked people this question a number of times and the answer I get is often a description of what they do. A man told me he was a banker. A lady shared that she was a chef. A student told me he was an athlete. These are just things we do.
Now, just for fun, I want you to think of something you do, but you would never tell anyone that is your identity. Do you drive like a maniac? Do you pick your nose? Do you pull for the Cleveland Browns?
The problem is that when we try to use what we do as identity markers, we are actually practicing idolatry because we are saying that the most important indicator of our identity is something other than God.
Let’s read v. 17-22 again and hear what Paul is saying. (READ)
In v. 17, Paul makes it clear that we- remember he is speaking to the church- we are united together in Christ.
Our identity is (1) as a body and (2) in Jesus.
Pointing back to the Lord’s Supper, we observe this ordinance in order to proclaim Christ’s victory and worthiness as our King. We, united together, confess that we are under His authority, joined with Him in His death and resurrection.
This is who we are. We can do all kinds of things, and it’s great that we can. But WHO we are in Christ is so much greater!
Look, if you lose your job, your identity isn’t lost. If you can no longer play sports, your identity is not lost. If you get cancer or some illness that impedes your ability to do the things you love, your identity in Christ is still certain! As the song goes, He will hold me fast!
And it’s this identity that we work out of. Look down to v. 21.
Here is the first decision we make each day. Because I am in Christ, I will not unite myself with Satan.
This is a question of our faith and allegiance. How many of you grew up saying the pledge of allegiance to the US flag at school? You did this exercise so that you would root your identity is your citizenship as an American. As an American, if you were to partner up with China or Iran and work against the US, that’d be considered treason and you’d earn a name in America- Traitor!
I’m thankful to be an American- I love this country! But folks, as Christians, our citizenship is FIRST AND FOREMOST in the Kingdom of God. I will not, therefore, unite myself with the kingdom of Satan.
Now, we have to again remember that one issue Paul has been addressing with the Corinthian Church is the whether or not a Christian could eat meat sacrificed to idols. (Ch. 8) This topic comes up again here and what he is saying is that as Christians, we can eat whatever, but we cannot join in or support the sin of idolatry. We are the Lord’s, and as such we demonstrate our allegiance to His kingdom.
Therefore, our first step in being a normal Christian is establishing our identity as a citizen of God’s Kingdom.
Discuss: How do we ensure our identity as a Christian is not compartmentalized? Are you more engaged as an American than as a citizen of heaven?
But next Paul helps us with our perspective. Again, we are free in Christ, so why should we worry about what anyone thinks? Here, Paul points us to
Engage Culture Thoughtfully (23-30)
Engage Culture Thoughtfully (23-30)
Paul lays out the argument here in 23-30, but we can see much of this point in v.23-24 (READ)
Here is the idea: Just because it’s not illegal does not mean that it is valuable.
Similarly, Paul says that just because something is legal, it does not mean that it builds up the church.
We talked about this with alcohol a few weeks ago. It is legal for adults over age 21 to drink alcohol. It’s sold in almost every restaurant and grocery store. It’s acceptable in culture.
But, I’ve never seen alcohol give someone more clarity of thought. I’ve never seen alcohol lead to virtuous behavior and wise decisions. But I’ve seen alcohol tear families apart, assist in very poor decisions, and hinder one’s health.
The reality is that we are going to come across events and be enticed to take part in all kinds of activities that are lawful. But Paul points us to the reality that
“Lawful” is not equal to “worthy of our engagement.”
Further, Paul says in v. 24, we are not to take part in something based purely on our own assessment. If it’s not harmful to us, we might say “Why not?”
Well, just as we learned in ch.8, we must consider our neighbor and his/her spiritual walk as well.
Am I causing someone to stumble?
Do I see the immature believer with enough compassion to understand their weaknesses?
This ought to make us stop and think. If the greatest command of the Bible according to Jesus is to love God with all our heart, and the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves, then you and I are rightly pointed here to seek the spiritual well-being of our brothers and sisters with the same passion and determination that we seek our own spiritual health.
Whether we are talking about partaking of an event or substance that might cause our neighbor to stumble, you and I must be thoughtful and wise enough to abstain.
Still, the question remains, “HOW?” How do I saturate my life with the Gospel?
Paul gives us the key in the final verses of ch. 10. Here, we learn the principle to:
Discuss: What ‘lawful’ things might cause another believer to stumble?
Exercise and Evaluate Daily (31-33)
Exercise and Evaluate Daily (31-33)
Here at LRBC, we have a mission. We exist to make disciples of Jesus to the glory of God. Every program, event, partnership, mission, and song is meant to lead us forward to this goal.
So, we are constantly trying to be intentional about what we are doing and then we go back and ask, “Did it work?”
That’s the idea that Paul is putting forward here as well. Let’s read again these verses. (READ)
I’m going to give you an easy mantra or filter that I have taught in our youth. You ready?
Live to the Glory of God and the Salvation of Man. (REPEAT)
Every day we make hundreds of choices. What to eat, what to watch, what to say, what to do, what to read, etc.
Before we make those normal decisions, simply ask 2 diagnostic questions:
“Will this bring glory to God?” and
“Will those in my sphere of influence be brought closer to Jesus?”
If you are at home and you get to choose an activity, you can say “What can we do that will bring glory to God or bring another to experience Him?”
If you are out at a restaurant, you can ask “How can I give glory to God or How can I exemplify His goodness to those around me?”
Do you see? Let me give you some examples:
You can ask your server at the restaurant if you can pray for her.
You can choose to have conversations that are encouraging and filled with God’s grace.
You can work in such a way that your attitude and effort point to the true Hope of Jesus Christ.
Normal Christianity means that even in the mundane, we are living as citizens of God’s Kingdom. We are refusing to sit with Satan and thoughtfully loving our neighbor.
As we close this morning, I challenge you to live authentic, everyday faithful, Normal Christian lives. Go out from here, and LIVE IT!
God can do much more with your life this way than will ever be accomplished in a short-term mission.
[PRAY]
Discuss: What daily decisions can you make to bring glory to God and salvation to mankind?