We want to turn this morning to First Corinthians chapter eight. First Corinthians chapter eight. We're continuing our study in First Corinthians chapter eight, verse one. Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but love edify us. And if any man thinks that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet, as he ought to know. But if any man loves God, the same is known of him. As concerning, therefore, the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, as there be gods many and lords many, but to us there is but one God, the Father of whom are all things and we in him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things and we by him, albeit there is not in every man that knowledge, for some with conscience or the idol unto this hour eat it, as a thing offered unto an idol, and their conscience being weak is defiled. But least commendeth us not to God, for neither if we eat are we the better, neither if we eat not are we the worse. But take heed, lest by any means this liberty of yours, excuse me, become a stumbling block to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which has knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols, and through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom Christ died. But when ye sin so against the brethren, and ruin their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore? If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. May the Lord bless the reading of his words. Let us pray together. Now let us again look to the Lord. Father, graciously enable us to grasp truth from this portion of your word in order that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be exalted in our midst for his name's sake. Amen. We're in that section in First Corinthians that deals with Paul giving answers to problems and questions that arose in the Corinthian assembly and that they asked him about. And you'll notice that the portion here is dealing with those things touching or food or meat that had been offered to idols. Now this question involved the supreme question of the influence of the Christian community upon pagan karma. And what we do in our lives and with our lives and how we live our lives as the children of God influences the pagan community in which we live. And the community in which we live is just as pagan as Corinth was. Now here in chapter eight, I'm going to lay down a little bit of an outline. In chapter eight the principles are stated which are to govern believers. Here they're stated. Then in chapter nine he still deals with these same principles but he uses them in a different application. Then he illustrates these principles in other realms in chapter nine and then he again applies them in chapter ten. Now the problem that existed at Corinth shall meet that has been offered in sacrifice to an idol in the pagan temple now be that is put on sale it's afterward on sale shall can it be eaten by a Christian now this was a real problem for when a man offered a sacrifice to an idol suppose he took a book to the idol's temple, one third of it was consumed on the altar, one third of it was given to the priest, and one third of it was given to the man who offered it. The offerer, the priest, and the altar. They each partook. That which was on the altar was consumed. But that which the priest got many times was sold in the, what is called the shambles or what it was sold in the marketplace. And many times that which the man got was also sold because he couldn't take it all to himself. Now, that which was sold in the marketplace was offered at a much cheaper rate than the going price for meat. Therefore, people bought the meat that had been offered to an idol far more readily than they paid the price or the full price of the meat. So you understand that this became a real problem. Here's a person with a conscience of where that meat had been in the idol temple. And he's a believer. He had turned his back on the idols of paganism and had embraced the one true God, our Lord Jesus Christ. He believed the gospel. He was identified with the Lord in the waters of baptism. He was part of the Christian community. Can he eat that which was offered to idols? So that presents the problem. And the problem is purchasing and using such meats by Christians They did not want to compromise with the idols that were worshipped. That was the problem. Well, when they asked this question of Paul, it revealed two things. And we have to deal with these two things. Excuse me. And these two things are with us today. First of all, there's a great tenderness of conscience. They did not want to compromise their witness in that pagan city in any way. And then second, there was a difference of opinion. And these two things, they may seem as though they're rather unimportant at a time. But when there's a difference of opinion, and when there is a tenderness of conscience about something, It does create a problem. And it's a good thing to have a tender conscience. There is nothing wrong with it. And I'm going to work this over this morning in such a way that I believe it becomes relevant to us. For you and I are living in a pagan culture. So the question must be asked, how did Paul deal with a problem? And I stand amazed here at this portion, at the wisdom of the Spirit of God that he gave through Paul for scriptures by divine inspiration on how to deal with this problem, not only in the first century, but also in the twentieth century in which we live. And the first thing we notice is that knowledge possessed must be knowledge practiced. The opening word says, Now, as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. That's knowledge possessed. We all have knowledge. But now, in verse seven we read, how be it, there is not in every man that knowledge. So while he talks about the fact that we all have knowledge, and then he goes on to say that knowledge puffs up, but love edifies, We got to put it all into perspective that he's saying. So knowledge possessed must be knowledge practiced. Ye know that we all have knowledge. This doesn't mean that they knew everything. But it does mean this. Entrance into a relationship with Jesus Christ in a saving way brings a clear shining light upon all subjects. The Lord Jesus said of himself, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. And it is an amazing thing that the person in union with Jesus Christ, that person has the light by God on many, many subjects. So these people had knowledge at their disposal. But this fact of knowledge at our disposal is something that can be abused. And therefore he writes in verse two, if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing as he ought to know. That is a tremendous statement. I have a series of texts that I call seven texts for preachers. They're for preachers, and if they're for preachers, they're for others as well. And I'm going to quote these seven texts. I've quoted them on numerous occasions previously, but I'm not ashamed at repeating because there are texts that I need to bring to myself time and time again. Text number one, First Timothy six, verse six, it says, we brought nothing into the world. Some of us act as though when we came, everything came with us. Well, it didn't. We brought nothing into the world. No matter who we are, we brought nothing into the world. The second text is John chapter six and verse sixty-three. The flesh profiteth nothing. No matter what you call the flesh, no matter how you polish it, no matter how you paint it, it is still flesh. The flesh profits nothing. The third text is John chapter three and verse twenty-seven. A man can receive nothing except it be given him from above. None of us who are saved possess a thing that we didn't receive. A man can receive nothing. In other words, has God withheld his divine revelation from me? I'd be just as lost and just as blind and just as dark spiritually as a man who never heard. Beloved, a man can receive nothing except it be given him from above. This is one of the reasons I enjoy the doctrine of God's divine grace. Grace, beloved, a man can receive nothing except it be given him from above. The fourth text is Galatians chapter six and verse three, where it says, For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. What a text. The next text is the one right here. And if any man thinks that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing, as he ought to know. And then in John fifteen, verse five, text number six, without me he can do nothing. And then text number seven, we come back to where we began. We began, we brought nothing into the world. And the ending of that verse says, and it is certain, we can carry nothing out. So you begin with nothing, you end with nothing, and what do you have in between? Nothing. In other words, Christ must be all in all. He must be all in all. Therefore, if a man who thinks he knows completely and finally... that person doesn't have the first element of knowledge. Now he says we know that the idol, that no idol is anything in the world. Now that's something that we do know. We know that the idol is nothing. But we've got to remember that our text says knowledge puffs up, let love edify us. Knowledge puffs up. In other words, To be puffed up means to be inflated. To be puffed up means to be proud. Knowledge of itself always tends to make the intellectual proud and conceited. Ever notice that? A group called the intelligentsia. Proud and conceited. I know more than other people do. Be very careful. Be very careful. Knowledge always tends to puff up and to make the intellectual proud and conceited. Our knowledge may make us proud, it may puff us up, and the puffed up intellect is incapable of true discernment and true judgment. When a man is puffed up and proud of his intellect, that man is not able to render genuine discernment. and judgment in a giving situation. Now, the contrast here in the verses is between being puffed up and being built up. We're puffed up by knowledge, but we're built up by love, love edifier. Now, puffed up is inflation, and anything inflated is liable to collapse, to burst. But love, on the other hand, edifies. Love builds up. There is a perfect and a lasting effect to love when love enters the picture. A lasting effect. If they are no more than knowledge, they are incapable of judgment, for knowledge will make them conceited. But if love is there, love is concerned. Not with personal advantage, but love is concerned with other people. And love builds up. That's what we have. Now let's notice the application of the principle. The principle is knowledge puffs up. Love edifies. And in this section, we're dealing with loving the other person. Therefore there can be no meaning in things sacrificed to what does not exist. If the idol is nothing, there can be no meaning at all to offering something to him that doesn't exist. I don't need to have a conscience at all about eating a steak that had once been in the idol's temple. Because the idol is nothing. Why should I pay two dollars a pound for steak when I can get it for fifty cents? That's the thought here in the passage. Consequently, if we have this knowledge, the idol is nothing in this world. So consequently, we can do as we like. We can eat, and we can enjoy it with weight. You see, that first statement, that was knowledge. But wait, alone thinks of somebody else. There is a person here who doesn't have my knowledge that the idols are nonexistent. That's what he says in verse seven. How be it there is not in every man that knowledge. Not everybody has that same amount of knowledge. There is someone else. He doesn't have the knowledge that the idol doesn't exist. And love now enters the picture. And love comes in as a corrective to knowledge to balance it. All how we need balance in our lives. Balancing the Christian life. And the action of the Christian will not be based merely on the knowledge that he has. But upon the love. that the Christian must also have, these principles must be applied. And beloved, if we walk around proud as a peacock over the amount of Bible knowledge that we have, and we can tell the Lord, you can count on me, I'll be at the Lord's Supper every Sunday morning, and we're proud of what we do, that doesn't impress God. God is not impressed by what we tell Him. God is not impressed when we sing, I love you, I love you, I love you. He is impressed when He tells us, He that hath my word and keepeth it, He it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father. Do not forget here in this passage Paul says here that this may be, that a person here may be tempted to look with contempt upon the man to whom you feel yourself superior because you have knowledge. But remember, that man is one for whom Christ died. That's what we read in verse eleven. For verse eleven says, And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish? for whom Christ died. So there is a genuine teaching here. Now I'm going to apply this to myself in a situation in order that you may get beyond the meat and the idols temple to our present situation today. I had the privilege a few years ago to speak to a group of businessmen in another city and it was a very nice sit down meal and they wanted a message from the word of God but these businessmen have no knowledge of the word of God but it was that time of the year when people get religious you know it comes around twice a year Christmas and Easter it was one of those times and before dinner at this place Everybody, not everybody, but most of them were walking around with a glass in their hands. And the glass contained hard liquor. One of the men who was there says, Phil, don't you want a ginger ale? No, I don't want a ginger ale. I was thirsty. My tongue was dry. Do you want a ginger ale? No, I don't want a ginger ale. You can't tell the difference of whether I'm drinking ginger ale or hard liquor. I wouldn't walk around with a glass in my hand with a knowledge that I knew it was ginger ale in my glass. Somebody else wouldn't know it. Somebody else wouldn't know it. I'm not going to give them that privilege. For you see, I was going to proclaim the message of the death and the burial and the resurrection of Christ, coupled with a purpose for which He came into the world. And my love for those people was that great, that I would forego my right. I would forego my right. Certainly I was thirsty. but I wasn't going to drink in their presence lest I would cause my brother to stumble. That's what Paul is teaching in this passage, beloved. That's what it means to love our brother. Now let us move on. There must be the mastery of love in the exercise of our judgment. You see, knowledge may go astray. It may go astray. Knowledge may lead us to do things in which in themselves there's nothing wrong with them. Wouldn't it be wrong for me to drink a Coke or ginger ale or a seven up or something like that? Wouldn't have been anything wrong with it at all. But it may lead the weaker brother who has not this knowledge to stumble and fall and we be the stumbling block. God tells me I cannot be a stumbling block in the past way of another brother or sister. My love to Christ must be such that I care for others. You see, the ultimate victory of love in the forming of a judgment is the foregoing of a right. Do I have the right to do it to serve enough? Well, certainly I do. Do I have the right? To be a stumbling block to my brother, certainly I do not. And here's where we need to exercise the love and the grace of our Blessed Lord. So the ultimate victory of love in the forming of a judgment is a foregoing of a right. Oh, and we're living in a day when people cry, I want my rights, I want this and that. And they never think of the other person. And many, many times believers fall into this category. The foregoing of the right, friends, is the supreme thing. Now we know that there is nothing in the temples of the idols. And because of this knowledge, we have the right to eat. But love will forego that right. Love will forego that right. If by foregoing it, we are helping the man who doesn't have the knowledge that we have. Beloved, when our Lord came in his first advent, he graciously ministered to people. He forego this right or that right, which was his. out of love for others. And now, beloved, you and I living in a pagan environment wherein we are called upon to shine as lights in the world, wherein we are called upon to spread abroad the message of God's redeeming grace, let us not ruin our message by forgetting to love our neighbor. Be willing to forego your right in order that you may be able to tell your neighbor the blessed news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, in closing, I'd just like to mention three or four things. Number one, love is the perfect balance, and love is the fruit of the Spirit. It is love that gives us balance. So you see, the principle is applied in the last verse of the chapter. Paul says, Wherefore, if meat make my brother to stumble, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth lest I make my brother to offend. Do I care that much for my brother? Do I love the other believers, whether they're weak in the faith or strong in the faith, that I will forego my right You see, love is the fruit of the Spirit, and it is love that gives perfect balance to the Christian life. That's why our Lord Jesus said to his own, we're to love one another as he loved us. And this love is one of the things that is often lacking among the people of God. Love for one another. We are so self-centered. We are so filled with our own opinion that we have no time to listen to our brethren. We're to love one another. So it's love that gives a balance to the Christian life. And beloved, the first part of that glorious fruit in Galatians five, the fruit of the Spirit is love. The second thing is this. We must be careful by our example that we never cause another brother to stumble. Don't cause another brother to stumble. But there's a third thing, and I'm mentioning this because we're living in a day when people... like to read things into passages. And for that reason, I'm going to let you know that there is a sanctification of knowledge. And there should be a sanctification of knowledge when we read the Word of God. You see, when you read verse thirteen, it says, Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth. See, there are those who have taken and put other words in there. Some have taken and put the words in. It codes make my brother to offend. Well, you finish it, you see. And here we see the principle stated and applied, and we're going to see it, beloved, in the following chapters. Love must be the overruling attitude that gives balance to the Christian life. Love for our brethren. This is Romans chapter fourteen in first Corinthians chapter eight. So the same truths that are right here in first Corinthians eight. Paul wrote to the Romans about in Romans chapter fourteen. Let us not be a stumbling block to another. In other words, we must hold high. the gospel of Jesus Christ and recognize the grace of our Lord Jesus whereby we have been saved you and I are only able to love as we are united to Jesus Christ the sinner knows nothing about this but the child of God who has the love of God Dwelling in him by the Holy Spirit, he's able to love. This is written to believers. And grace, beloved, is love in action. Let's stand together and sing one stanza of number four hundred six. Love with everlasting love. Led by grace, not love to know. Gracious spirit from above, thou has taught us. It is so. Let's stand together and sing. One stands of four hundred cents.