Message shared by Ps Kok Moi on 15th Jan 2012, focusing on "Food offered to idols" based on 1 Cor 8

1. Liberty & Liability

2. Liberty & Liability
~Food offered to Idols~

3. Big Ben Roethlisberger of the
Pittsburgh Steelers

4. Big Ben Roethlisberger of the
Pittsburgh Steelers

5. Big Ben Roethlisberger of the
Pittsburgh Steelers
June 12, 2006

6. Liberty & Liability
~Food offered to Idols~
 1 Cor 8:1-13
 1 Cor 10:16-33

7. Principles of Inductive Bible Study

8. Liberty & Liability
~Food offered to Idols~
 1 Cor 8:1-13
 1 Cor 10:16-33
What does it say
to the people at that time?

9. Corinth in Bible Time

10. Corinth in Bible Time
• Capital city of Achaia, Southern
Greece
• Important commercial & trade
city
• Prosperous – merchants,
traders
• “Religious” – many temples
• Immoral – gambling, gaming,
prostitution, legalized temple
prostitution

11. Bema – raised platform Stoa – covered porticos
Basilica – Roman public building Agora – marketplace

12. The Corinthian Church
• Established by Paul during 2nd missionary
journey
• Gifted church
• “Problematic” church
• Disunity & division
• Morality – Incest
• Law suits
Paul tried to answer some of the questions & issues
raised by the Corinthian Christians

13. 1 Cor 8:1 – “Now about…..”
1. 1 Cor 7:1 -- Now for the matters you wrote
about: It is good for a man not to marry.
2. 1 Cor 7:25 -- Now about virgins…
3. 1 Cor 8:1 -- Now about food sacrificed to
idols…
4. 1 Cor 12:1 -- Now about spiritual gifts…
5. 1 Cor 16:1 -- Now about the collection for
God's people…
6. 1 Cor 16:12 -- Now about our brother
Apollos…

14. 1 Cor 8:1-13
2 groups of believers:
Eaters Non-Eaters
Knowledge Knowledge
Strong (Rom 14) Weak (Rom 14)

15. “Eaters’ Arguments”

16. Paul’s Rebuttal #1
V1 – Knowledge puffs up, but love
builds up
“People don’t care how much you know
until they know how much you care.”
John C. Maxwell

17. Love & Knowledge

18. Paul’s Rebuttal #2
V9 – Your freedom should not be a
stumbling block to others
A stumbling block
– something that
might cause
someone to trip or
fall into sin.

19. 2 early Christians in Corinth
Demetrius Clement

20. 2 Principles from 1 Cor 8

21. 1 Cor 10: 14-22 (Idol Feasts)
V16 – comparing the Lord’s table with
the table of demons
V18 – Israelites’ Tabernacle sacrifices
V20 – Pagans’ demon feasts
Conclusion:
“No-no to idol feasts” (v21)

22. 1 Cor 10: 23-33
2 scenarios:
1. Meat market
2. Invitation for meals, either at
home or in restaurants near
the temple

23. Cultural Context

24. Implication for Christians

25. Implication for Christians

26. Conclusions from 1 Cor 10

27. Liberty & Liability
~Food offered to Idols~
 1 Cor 8:1-13
 1 Cor 10:16-33
What does it say
to us at this time & age??

28. Present Day Application:

29. Scripture #1 – Acts 15:29
~ Jerusalem Council ~
Decision: Non-Jew converts need not
follow the Mosaic Laws except to
abstain from:
• Eating food offered to idols
• Sexual immorality
• Meat of strangled
animals
• Blood

30. Scripture#2 – Rev 2:14 & 20
Church in Pergamum (Rev 2:14)
“I have a few things against you… sin by
eating food sacrificed to idols and by
committing sexual immorality.”
Church in Thyatira
(Rev 2:20)
“I have this against you:
sexual immorality and
the eating of food
sacrificed to idols.”

31. Present Day Application:

32. Present Day Application:

33. Present Day Application:
What indwells the ancestral tablet is not our ancestors,
but demonic spirits impersonating as our ancestors.

34. Action Plan

35. Concluding Remarks

36. Pizza & Beer

37. Galatians 5:13

38. The Ham Sandwich

39. The Ham Sandwich
“I am free to eat pork….
and I am also free NOT to eat it….
But …………………………….”