Lord's Day,
October 5
I Corinthians 9:19-11:16
Sermon Notes
ADAPTABILITY, AUTHENTICITY AND SENSITIVITY: LOVE’s LORE
1.
Adaptable to whom, for what ? I Cor. 9:19-27
“Although I am
free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the
more.”
What a principle is that! With
the Jews, his Jewishness is a bond, with those who
are law-sensitive, he shares his zeal, to those without law, his liberty comes
to the fore – but not from God! Where there is weakness, his own appears, so
that he might be “all things to all men”, in
the service of Christ, making contact where he may, sharing where it is apt,
bringing all to the one point from which all derive, to which all must return,
Christ.
“Run,” he says, “in such a way
that you obtain!” This means application, discipline as in a race, yes
of the body, of all the talents; for the teacher must be exemplary, and the proclaimer an illustration!
2.
Authentic the Seed of Faith that Grows the Flower of
Fearlessness and the Fruit of Content I Cor. 10:1-13
Not
form but faith, not trust in something, but in Christ,
not as a suggestion box, but as Lord, not mere participants in ceremony, but in
the life of the Lord: this is the need. Remember, the apostle declaims,
Israel’s unbelief in crucial episodes, yes and its sexual liberties, and such
things are meant to teach us who have come to the threshold of eternity, with the Messiah now come, and His judgment
impending.
Therefore do not grumble, complain or wallow in self-satisfaction. Believe, act
and rejoice in the Lord, not tempting Him to see how far you can go! Is that
the issue of faith ? NEVER are you tempted too much:
when it SEEMS so, seek a way of escape (I Cor.
3. Purity Perceives the Principle, Pursues the Pith
I Cor.
God
being the source, saviour and scent of life, treat
idols, substitutes, syntheses, combinations like death adders! Therefore, while
liberty is yours, so make purity your own. Remember the sacrifices of
If
now, as far as mere meat itself is concerned, where it may have been offered to
idols, there are no questions asked, then do not ask them. The sacrifice
to an idol is nothing so long as YOU do not participate in that! If however the
issue is raised, then DO NOT eat it, lest some brother
who does not understand, should be offended.
Is
it an issue of conscience, then, NOT to eat it when the point is raised ? Certainly, it is; not of your conscience however,
as if it would compromise you, but
of the conscience of the one who does not yet understand, an immature fellow
Christian (I Corinthians
What
then is the principle in all this ? Do not seek your
own will, or profit, but that of others, so that they may be saved. This is the
example to follow, just as Paul Himself followed Christ (cf. Romans 15).
4.
Head Coverings and Heart Openings I Cor.
11:1-16
Here
we enter into hirsuit symbolism. Man is the
head of the house, God the head of the man, in terms of presidency, so that man
should NOT cover his head, but woman should, in praying or ‘prophesying’ (11:5 – biblical
exposition now, the canon being complete, Rev. 22:18-19, both in things
given, and words unsubtractible). It is at once
apparent from this that the reactionary current custom of some to prohibit
public prayer in women is foolish. Why talk of the symbolism WHILE you
pray, where observation is the keynote in question, if there is nothing to be
observed, because women never so pray!
Woman,
says the apostle, was created for the man, however, and so in approaching God
in public, she should keep her head covered, the man not; indeed, he pursues
the point, the natural style is that woman’s hair is a
glory, but not so with man. There is a natural covering, just as a symbolic
one. But even given the mode, what of the prohibition in I Timothy 2,
concerning women speaking in church ? This was in the
domain of questions, and in the field of authority of man. To pray could be
used to assert authority, but normally it is not, and so is not then relevant.
In
public meetings, clearly outside church, women could pray or open up the word
of God. However, in the formal meeting for worship, lest there be an avenue for
disorder, it would seem best simply to follow the direct teaching of I Timothy 2, which deals with
that formal occasion. This may not exclude invitation
to pray (cf. I Cor. 11:5), but assuredly excludes preaching or teaching there, by women. Certainly
a woman cannot be an elder for SPECIFICALLY elders have supervisory authority
(Acts
One
local church in our own area has women elders who nevertheless do not go to the
Elders’ meeting; but this is trifling with the word of God, since the office is
created by God (Titus 1) and is not available for formalities. What it is, means authority; what is excluded for women in the
Church, is authority. It is as simple as that.
Nevertheless,
it is important to realise that the power women can
wield over the young, other women and in counsel with men, is tremendous. Often
the thoughts are clarified outside the meeting, and the understanding comes
before it! In this way, order and method are preserved, liberty becomes not licence but specialisation, and
all should serve in the respective roles with the joy of assignment, each for
all, all for Christ.