The Warning

The sermon today left me feeling kind of depressed. It's not really the type of message I enjoy presenting but felt that the text left me little choice. It is interesting that Paul doesn't just set everybody straight at the beginning of the discussion on "meat offered to idols" (8:1) by simply stating in a few bullets:

• Stop going to the idol temples
• Your are free to eat idol meat sold in the market unless someone makes a reference to it being sacrificed to idols

I get the feeling that for Paul it was more important that they learn to love one another and take care of each other than it was for them to get all their moral I's dotted and T's crossed. In other words, he was not trying to form a society that was simply "moral" but one that was Christ like.

Someone did tell me I should work on my illustrations. If I45 runs from Houston to Galveston, and the illustration for avoiding temptation is to take the exits provided, then .... does that mean Galveston is Hell? I'll leave that for you to decide.

The Freedom

How much fun was it watching me scramble to fill time while Alan worked on the DVD player? I can be scary when I get away from my script. All in all I communicated what I felt I needed too even if you all missed out on the excellent Rocky II clips. Paul argues for preachers to be financially supported in 1 Cor. 9 but then says that while he was among the Corinthians he waved his rights for the sake of the Gospel. I then take his words and make a major point about how we all need to be involved in supporting the ministers we've asked to devote a substantial part of their time to minister among us (a point I don't believe Paul was specifically making). I felt I was taking Paul's original point (giving up one's rights for the sake of the weak) and expanded upon his arguments to apply his words to our situation (which I think he would agree with). Is that what Paul did when he made an argument for supporting preachers because in the Law we are required to not muzzle our oxen? Oh well, my primary point, which I hope all will remember, is to keep our eyes on the prize so that we will freely deny ourselves of certain freedoms and rights so that we can win as many as possible.

The Attitude

There are so many good things one can say about knowledge. It opens doors of opportunity. It empowers one to make good decisions. It enables one to be able to teach others. It is also impressive to be known as a knowledgeable person. Within Christianity one with a deep knowledge of the Bible is given great respect. It comes as something of a surprise to read the words of perhaps the most educated and knowledgeable Christian of the first century when he wrote, "knowledge puffs up." A puffer fish is a fitting example of one who may have knowledge but does not have love. Working with people who are weak in faith due to their lack of knowledge, is difficult at times. The puffer fish illustrates us when we are proud of our knowledge and the enlightenment such knowledge provides. What would we look like if we had genuine love for the weak, "for whom Christ died"?

I put a counter on this page to see how many "hits" I get each week: it is somewhere around 30-40. I'd love to read your comments about the sermon, my reading list, or anything else related. It's really easy. At the bottom of this post click the link marked "comments". On your left you'll see what others have written and on your right is a form for you to fill out. You don't have to have a blog or a web page to leave a comment. You can even be anonymous if you like (but at least put your first name in your comments!). Click "publish your comment" and you're done.

The Perspective

Translating the message of God from one culture to another is no small task. I found the material in 1 Corinthians 7 to be especially difficult to present. What was happening in that 1st century Corinthian church that would cause Paul to write such things? And then, how does that apply to our 21st century, Houston church? As I came to grips with the message that needed to be preached I then had to ponder all the implications of such a message. Would this message make people feel condemned for past choices they had made? How could I present such a message with grace so that people would have hope and not despair? These were the thoughts and questions that burdened me during my preparation last week.

Now that the sermon is over I wonder what message was heard by those who listened. Did they hear the voice of judgment or the voice of love? And more importantly, will we all be more inclined to seek God's eternal perspective in the important decisions of life? Maranatha.

The Life

This is a picture I found in the prayer notebook I mentioned this morning. This is my cousin James after God extended his life. It was taken at Thanksgiving, 2001 at my brother's house. After having a long period of relatively good health he was on the decline at this point and this was the last family gathering he was able to attend.

During the prayer time this morning Maedell came to pray with me simply to thank God that she had been able to meet James and spend a little time with him. I felt that even though James is dead God is still working through his life ("And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead." Heb. 11:4). When we choose to live a sanctified life God works in wonderful ways for his glory. What greater goal can a person have for their life than to be used by God for his glory?

The Loaf

Application of the biblical text is not always as easy one might think. I wonder what the full story was on the man who was sleeping with his father's wife. Surely it was not his mother or else Paul would have said so. But what was the story and what had Paul's previous attempts been to restore the man? And how do we apply the command to not even eat with such persons when it appears that the kind of meal Paul was referring to does not even exist in our church culture? Such questions trouble me but I think we can still glean the point Paul is making and there is certainly plenty of relevant application to be made to our lives. The sermon this morning was an attempt to do that. Imagine how much fun we'll have when we get to women wearing veils, men not cutting their hair, and women remaining silent! If only we had someone from Chloe's household to fill in the details for us.

The Irony

One definition of irony is, "an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected." Talking about the cross in 21st Century North America is vastly different from talking about the cross in 1st Century Corinth. To think that God would allow his son to suffer the indignity, humiliation, and shame of death on a cross was almost unthinkable to a person familiar with the use of crosses for public execution. For Jesus to say that one who would follow him must take up their cross daily is laughable until we realize that he is serious. To view the slide show of methods of execution I referenced in the sermon this morning click here. (You many need to click the link "Continue Gallery" to get past the ads.) I find these images disturbing but they do put into context why "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing" (1 Cor. 1:18).

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