So that they may be saved

In this message Pastor Josh takes us back into 1 Corinthians to ask a simple but confronting question: Why do we do church the way we do? Underneath all the teaching on sexuality, food, marriage, gifts, and church life, Paul is pushing one big point: everything comes down to gospel and love, lived out “so that they may be saved.” This sermon is a call to remember what matters most, to put aside living for ourselves, and to reorder our freedom, our relationships, and even our Sundays around the salvation and good of others.

What matters most: gospel and love

Pastor Josh reminds us that people often read 1 Corinthians as a collection of random issues, but if you sit and read all 16 chapters in one go, a single thread appears. Paul is constantly returning to what matters most: the gospel and love.

The gospel is not just a doctrine, it is the only answer for a broken relationship with God. Love is not just a feeling, it is the visible proof that the gospel is real in us. Gospel motivates love, and love displays gospel. If you separate the two, you can do church for years and still build something that is not actually about Jesus but about yourself.

So why talk about sexuality, idolatry, marriage, food, work, spiritual gifts, how to run services? Because all of it is meant to flow from gospel and love. Why get a job? Why serve? Why does a husband love his wife and a wife respect her husband? Why do we gather as a church at all? So that the gospel is seen, and love is shown, and ultimately so that they may be saved.

Learning from Israel’s example

Paul then takes the Corinthians back to the Old Testament. Israel saw miracles that most of us can only imagine: the Red Sea opening, pillar of cloud and fire, manna from heaven, water from the rock. Paul even says “the rock was Christ” – Jesus was already present in the wilderness. Yet with all that blessing, most of them still did not please God.

Why? Because they fell into idolatry, sexual immorality, grumbling and testing God. Their problem is our problem. We often think, “If only I could feel God more, have that camp experience again, see something dramatic, then I would really live for Him.” But Israel proves that experiencing miracles does not automatically produce obedience or love.

Paul calls their story an “example” written for us. Our temptations are not unique. The form changes, but the heart is the same. And he warns: “Let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” The danger is not just sin out there, it is overestimating our own strength and underestimating sin in here. That is why in our church there are boundaries for pastors and leaders. It is not because they think they are strong, but because they do not trust themselves. There is a healthy fear of what sin can do.

Temptation, fear of sin, and God’s faithfulness

Temptation itself is not sin. Jesus was tempted. Temptation is like a suggestion, an offer, a whisper: “What about this? Have you thought of that?” The serpent did not force the fruit into Eve’s mouth. He painted it in a certain way and let her choose.

God does not tempt us, but He allows temptation and trial so that we can grow. The promise is that no temptation is beyond what we can endure, and that God always provides a way of escape. The problem is not that there is no way out. The problem is that we often do not take it.

So the right response is not confidence in ourselves, it is a greater fear and hatred of sin. That is why wise Christians set boundaries. Not because they are super holy, but because they know they are not. They do not want to play near the edge and “test” how strong they are, they want to flee.

Idols that do not look like idols

When Paul says “flee from idolatry”, our minds go to statues and temples. Pastor Josh points out that for many of us the idols are far more “normal”: marriage, children, career, image. God is love, but love is not God.

You can turn your kid, your spouse, or your family life into an altar. It shows up when people say they stopped serving, stopped coming, and slowly drifted because “life stage changed” – they got married, had kids, or got busy. Their priorities shifted, and without realising it, God slid under their family in the order of importance. At the core, that is not worship of children or marriage. It is worship of self.

Idols over-promise and under-deliver. Parents who centre their whole life on their kids may later discover that their kids still make painful choices, still go their own way, and cannot carry the weight of being “god” in the family. The Old Testament stories, and Paul’s warning, exist so we do not repeat the same mistake in a modern way.

Freedom that chooses to limit itself

Paul then brings it all to a crunch point: “All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.” The gospel sets us free. Christians should not live in a suffocating, hyper-religious atmosphere where no one can smile and everyone is scared of breaking some invisible rule. There is real, deep freedom in Christ.

But Paul draws a line: freedom is not the highest value. Love is. “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbour.” So yes, you can eat meat from the market without asking a thousand questions. But if you are sitting in a pagan temple, sharing in their worship meal, that is different. Yes, you might drink alcohol with some friends. But if you know someone will stumble, you choose not to. Not because God suddenly hates the drink, but because the person in front of you is more important than your freedom.

Pastor Josh shared how, for a long time, even driving a certain car or wearing certain things required thought and prayer, because people watch. Not to live in fear of people’s opinions, but to ask: “Will this help, or will this hinder someone from seeing Christ?” Even something as simple as his daughter fixing his outfit before church became an illustration. He was happy with what he was wearing, but he changed for the sake of those he would serve. “If my clothing is going to distract, I should get changed.”

Real gospel freedom says, “I could use this right, but I love you more than I love my right.”

Examples of costly love in community

To make it concrete, Pastor Josh pointed to people in our church who have quietly embraced this posture.

There is the brother who started serving coffee, not because someone rostered him on, but because he wanted to make others happy and create a welcoming space. As he made his life available to bless others, joy grew in him too.

There is the older brother who used to drive younger members to their driving tests, acting like a big brother so they could grow in independence. That kind of sacrifice is not glamorous, but it builds a family.

Imagine church with none of this. No one makes coffee. No one spends extra time with the younger ones. No one opens their home. Everyone comes late, leaves early, and only asks, “What did I get out of it today?” That is not heaven, that is a picture of hell: no God, no gospel, no love.

In contrast, the gospel produces a people who say, “I am here to encourage someone else.” Sometimes the most powerful encouragement is simply showing up. Being present in worship. Singing even when you are tired. Looking up and engaging as the Word is preached. Joining the gathering not as a consumer but as a participant. You might think you are “just there,” but God may be using your presence to steady someone’s faith.

So that they may be saved

Paul ends this section by saying, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God… I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.” That is the heartbeat of the entire letter, and of this message.

Church is not built around the question, “What is in it for me?” It is shaped by, “How can my life, my choices, my presence help someone else know Christ?” Even powerful moments like the Abide retreat or conference can become empty if they end with “I feel so good,” instead of “How will I now love others?”

For our church to remain what it is called to be, people cannot just “watch” from the edges. We are invited into a costly but beautiful way of living:

• Let the gospel and love set your priorities.
• Lay down idols, especially the subtle ones that look like good things.
• Use your freedom, but be willing to limit it for the sake of another.
• Show up. Serve. Open your home. Encourage. Live so that someone else might come to know Jesus.

Conclusion: Let God be God, and love for His sake

Pastor Josh finishes by bringing it back to the heart. The Christian life is not actually complicated. You do not become a “great Christian” by going to Bible college, praying longer than others, or filling your head with theory. You grow by letting the Holy Spirit confront your idols, pull self off the throne, and root you again in gospel and love.

When God is truly God in your heart, you will find wisdom for your marriage, your work, your house church, your struggles. You will see that many of your questions are answered when you stop living as the centre and start living for His glory and for the good of others.

The invitation is simple and searching: Where is the gospel and love in your life right now? Will you allow God to reorder your freedom, your priorities, and your Sundays so that others might be saved?

This is how 1 Corinthians begins to make sense. This is how a church like ours stays on course. We do what we do, we gather, serve, and lay ourselves down, so that they may be saved. And then, together, we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help us live it.