Legalism And Liberty (pt-3)

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When I first became a Christian, I thought it was strange that you could actually write in your Bible. You could underline and you could highlight, you could do things to this precious book.
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Then somebody asked me a question one time, they said, Do you love the verses that aren't underlined and highlighted as much as you love the verses that are?
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For you see everything in God's Word is good and profitable and inspired and He wants us to know it.
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That was convicting to me. The last two weeks we've been going through a series with two of the most under preached chapters
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I think in all the Bible. Romans chapter 14 and 15. Romans is a great book.
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It's Paul's magnum opus. It tells us about how to be relieved from the burden of sin. Who's the
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Savior? How He makes us right in God's eyes. How we can say no to sin as a Christian. How we're secure in Christ.
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What He's going to do in the future with Israel and the Gentiles. How to protect our mind.
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How to obey the government. And then dealing with how Christians should get along with one another.
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Even though they're different. And we can look around, this is still a fairly homogeneous area.
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Our church is still homogeneous in one sense, but we are different people. So turn to Psalm 133 before we get to Romans chapter 15 today.
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And I just want to highlight to you, in a very picturesque way, the importance of unity.
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Getting along, even when we're different. And again, I do not mean, for those of you that haven't been here the last two weeks,
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I don't mean we're somehow different on our views of Scripture. That it's not inerrant and it's not infallible, because we would have to part company on that.
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I'm not discussing issues about Jesus as the only Savior. He is, and we will not negotiate that doctrine.
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We're not dealing with issues about grace alone, and faith alone, and Christ alone.
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No, we're dealing with issues that are neither commanded by God to do, nor prohibited by God to do.
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Gray areas, if you will. And these gray areas, if we're not careful, can separate us as Christians. And can you imagine in Romans chapter 14 and 15,
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I said 35 before, I recounted. 36 verses on Christian unity.
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When Jesus prays in John 17, He prays for love and joy, but more than anything else, four times as much
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He prays for, guess what? Unity. It's important for the church. Now, I said
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I was going to use picturesque language, and you know me by now. It's not with my own poetic ways about me, because I don't have those poetic ways.
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You can take the boy out of Nebraska, but you can't take Nebraska out of the boy. I mean, I am who I am. But through Scripture, look at the great language of the
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Hebrew language in Psalm 133, 1. The New Testament is written in Greek, and it's a scientific kind of language.
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Here, in the Old Testament, Hebrew is very picturesque, and it's very vivid.
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Psalm 133, 1, stressing the importance of unity and why this message will be good for our congregation.
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It's good for us as we wrap up liberty and legalism in Christ. It says in your text, a song of ascents of David.
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Several times a year, the Jews would go to Jerusalem for these feasts. Two of these feasts were during hot weather.
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One wasn't so hot, and they would go and listen to what the text says. Behold, how good and how pleasant is it for brothers to dwell together in unity.
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All these pilgrims come marching together, streaming in. If you were up in a helicopter, you could look down, and it would look like ants all streaming to Jerusalem for those three great festivals in the year.
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They might be in this city or in that city, but as they get together, and the psalmist says, it's just great that we're all together worshipping
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God. How great is it? He uses two comparisons. Verse 2, it is like the precious oil upon the head coming down upon the beard.
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Even Aaron's beard coming down upon the edge of his robes. Now, to think like a
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Jew just for a minute, there was a special kind of oil in Exodus that you would make, and it was only for the priests.
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And he would pour that on, and you couldn't use it for anyone else. It was like a special blend. And here, the psalmist is saying, it's just like you pour on the oil on the beard of the priest, and it is down the face, down the beard, down the chest, probably on the twelve stones there representing
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Israel, on his covering there around his breast, and then down on the end of his robes, there's just this special anointing oil everywhere.
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And for us, we're thinking, you know, Crisco everywhere, it's just a big mess. But to them, it's just this oil and this gladness and this special anointing, just specially from God.
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It's just everywhere, and it's all over us. It would be a rich picture for someone in the
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Middle East. Fragrant oil, smelled good. Read about it in Exodus sometime,
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Exodus chapter 30. And then there's another one. Remember, it could get hot, and you're parched, and you're getting together.
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How good is unity? It's like a special oil just all over you. And it's also like, verse 3, it's like the dew of Hermon, that mountain that's almost 10 ,000 feet up.
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It's like that dew from Hermon. Do I say it? It's like mountain dew.
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Now, I don't want you to think about that green stuff full of caffeine, but that's where they got the name most likely, not from the
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Bible, but it's just the dew from the mountain. And Mount Hermon was high, and it was snowy, and all the water melts up there and comes streaming down in the valley.
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You're hungry, you're tired, and you're just thinking, I'm parched, I'm going to worship God. And unity is just like mountain dew from Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion, for there the
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Lord commanding blessing, life forever. And in this case, no pun, well, maybe puns intended, oil and water, and they mix in the sense that they're trying to give you a picture of unity.
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It's just good to be unified. If you've got a relationship and you say, we just are getting along, there's just something about that.
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And if we'll turn to Romans chapter 15 for our message today, we want the third aspect of this very issue of getting along, not because we change our doctrine, that's false unity.
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Truth does divide. But we need to get along when the Bible doesn't teach us about certain aspects that can be prohibited, or controversial, or we do it and our friends don't.
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We are not a bunch of clones. Variety is the spice of life, and we are different people, and God doesn't want us to major on issues that are so irrelevant when it comes to God.
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For you see, there is no condemnation for those who are what? In Christ Jesus. If you eat food, if you eat pig or you don't eat pig, it doesn't condemn you any more or any less.
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And so this passage here in Romans 14 and 15, Paul is taking especially Jews and Gentiles completely different, and he's saying, now you're in the church, and I want to make sure you love each other instead of you're looking for areas to divide on.
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And if you remember Romans chapter 14 verses 1 to 12, basically we were talking about striving for harmony in spite of differences, and I used the phrase to put up.
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Put up with other Christians. They're immature, just, you know, you don't have to shape them up, you can just put up with them.
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Just love them. Accept them as a weaker brother. Treat them like God does, and keep your convictions about issues that don't matter private before God.
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Then in verses 13 through 23 in chapter 14, we are not just to put up, we are to build up.
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We are to make edification the goal. How do we make other Christians more like Christ? How can we help them in that?
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By not tripping them up, by saying no to self, and by remembering what's really important.
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Let's just take a quick review while we're here. Romans chapter 14, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking.
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It's not about alcohol and caffeine and what you drink, but in very theological shorthand, because there's more to it than this, he says, but righteousness, how you live before God.
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Peace, how you live with one another. And joy, how your conscience is clean and you just live in joy knowing that you're not making people stumble and you're free in Christ to enjoy anything you'd like.
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It's not about eating and drinking. He says then in verse 19, so then let us pursue the things which make for peace and building up one another.
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The flip side, don't tear down the work of God, the church, the people, for the sake of food, and it's emphatic there, food.
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For food? We're going to split over food? I'd get together for food, but let's not split over food.
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It's always the joke, you know, come over for fellowship. Translation in Baptist circles, food. There's nothing wrong with that.
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It's a good thing to do. And he's saying your liberties take a low priority when it comes to building up the saints.
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Verse 21, it's not good to eat meat, which you can do, or to drink wine, which you can do.
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You have the liberty in Christ to do that, but you'll say no to the exercising of those liberties when someone else is around who's weaker, or to anything by which your brother stumbles.
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It's good, it's right, it's beautiful to say no to self, so they don't stumble. Now let's look at the third aspect found in chapter 15.
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By the way, just I'm curious, how many people have ever heard a sermon on Romans 15, the whole sermon on Romans 15?
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A few. Okay, so at least some. Let's go to Romans chapter 15. This is like one of those treasures you didn't know was there, and all of a sudden you study and you think, when
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I read Romans, I just read all those underlined things. I could ask you another question, how many things do you have underlined in Romans 15?
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We just usually don't do that that often, and this is like one of those special finds. Chapter 16.
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We don't have time for 16 today, but let's look at chapter 15, which is still in this overall framework of unity and love in the
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Christian body, even though we're different. And chapter 14, 1 to 12 is put up.
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14, 13 to 23 is build up. And now finally, requirement three for loving in spite of differences, look up, if we'd like to use that kind of catchphrase.
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In other words, follow Christ's example. We are going to see Christ not only as an example, but also motive.
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And you'll see, this is what Jesus did. You want to look at the Savior, this is exactly what kind of person he was.
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And this whole chapter is about service. Let me just take you on a little jet tour. The key word in chapter 15 besides Christ is service.
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Our minister. Look at verse 8. Christ has become a servant. Verse 16, to be a minister or servant, same
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Greek word, same root, of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. Ministering, same word.
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Go down to verse 25, but now I'm going to Jerusalem serving the saints. Verse 31, towards the latter half, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints.
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Paul says, I want all the Christians to get along. Don't divide on what you eat or drink or what you wear.
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And some people do this and some people don't do that. I mean, I've tried to think of all the different examples that I could think of.
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Oh, you like to get tanned, you don't like to have tanning, you go to a tanning booth, you don't. I mean, we could think of thousands of them, couldn't we?
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It's like when I was in India, I went to a big pool there and I was putting on, and it's hot sun, it's 110 degrees,
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I'm putting on suntan lotion. All over, I think, this is baking sun and I'm just going to get burnt.
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I don't want to be a lobster. I have a long trip to go. And a guy came up to me and he said, you can't put that on.
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It's a lifeguard. He said, you can't put that on. I'm like, can't put that on?
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Who are you to tell me what to do? No, I didn't say that. It's one of those things. I didn't want to be one of those, you know, gross
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Americans, one of those angry Americans. And so I just said, okay. And so I put it down and I swam, and at least I had my shoulders covered.
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My back was kind of burnt, but I was okay. Then at the end of the trip, of the swimming trip, they said to me,
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I found out, one of my friends, one of the locals said, I talked to that lifeguard and asked him why you couldn't put suntan lotion on.
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He said, suntan lotion? He said, I thought he was putting soap on. I thought he was taking a bath. There's this big pool and take a bath, and suntan lotion?
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We don't know that. We're all dark skinned. I thought, oh, I should have just put it on anyway.
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I mean, why would we separate for something as stupid as tanning or not tanning? You want to get a tan?
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Get a tan. People say, well, you drink, we don't drink. You smoke, we don't smoke.
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All these different issues. Hopefully at the end of today, I'll give you some principles maybe that you can discern if those are right or wrong, but God wants us to get along, and He's going to use
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Christ in chapter 15 to say, look what Jesus did. Servant. And in chapter 15, we'll see this little pattern two times.
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Here's the pattern ahead of time. Christ's example, proof from the Old Testament, and a prayer so we could do it.
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Again, here's Christ's example, here's proof from the Old Testament, and a prayer so that we could do what
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God has called us to do, because we can't do it on our own. Example, proof, prayer. Chapter 15, two times.
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Let's look at this first time. Sacrificial service. Romans 15 .1. Paul's just repeating himself all the time.
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Now, we who are strong, first time he uses the word strong, even though he was implying that they were strong the week before, and he's saying that he's strong.
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You think Paul's mature or immature? Of course, he's mature. Now, we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not just please ourselves.
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Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to his edification, for even Christ, there it is, did not please himself.
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What would Jesus do? Better. What did Jesus do as an example and a motive for us to do the right thing?
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What did Jesus do? We ought not to please ourselves.
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Look at that in verse 1 of chapter 15. We who are strong ought. That word, it means we are in debt.
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Romans 1 .14. He's a debtor to the Greeks. Here he says, you are in debt to do this.
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This is an obligation. And we, I, true confessions, I sometimes think about church like a consumer.
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Well, has this program to offer me? And this one, it doesn't. And, you know, I'm out of town. What church should I go to? I'm out of town.
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Well, this one has this, and this one has that, and I just kind of pick my churches like I pick my soda or something.
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There's 19 kinds of different soda in this little area, and how do I pick them? Also, we ought not to just put up with them, not to get them shaped up, but look at the word he used.
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We ought to bear with them. Now, it could mean we have to, we have to kind of put up with them.
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That's used in Revelation 2 too, but here it means to carry them. Think about it. If you're strong and you're around weak people, why do you think you're around them?
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Because your strength can help them. Right? Here's this, I'll never forget, I had back surgery. It was years ago, and Kim and I, I had a territory in Las Vegas.
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I was selling things there. Some of us go to Las Vegas, and some of us don't. Let's not divide over it. And so I had to go there for work, and so I had some luggage, and so I had back surgery on a
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Thursday, and Friday we had to fly. It was one of those, you know, walk in, walk out kind of things. And so we had two things of luggage.
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And it was so weird, and I was trying to explain to people all the time, well, I've had back surgery and stuff, because here's Kim. And I'm just kind of like,
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I got my notebook, you know. We're strong there, and we're to be helping.
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And in this case, if we have convictions that let us do things and enjoy justification by faith in a subjective sense, then the strong are there to help the weak, right?
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So he says, we should just not put up with them, but we should help them. Not just tolerate, but we could lift more than they can.
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We're not to criticize them and expect them to be mature. We're to help them and come alongside of them and do things that they will be built up.
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That's why if you have the option of starting a reform cigar club, or discipling somebody, you've only got one night free, and it's
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Friday night, and you say, we're going to have a Christian wine party, because pastor says, there's nothing that doesn't change justification, or I'll have two people over, and I'll pour my life into them.
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We're the stronger ones, we don't need to kind of push that, we need to help people. Christian life,
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Christ's example is, it's not about us. We're to be thinking about our neighbor for his edification.
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And look at Christ's example, for even, this just summarizes all of Jesus' ministry, for even
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Christ did not please himself. I mean, doesn't that sum up his entire ministry on earth?
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His entire life, not my will, but thy will be done. This is Jesus Christ.
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And we say we're Christians, Paul is saying, well act like that, even though you have your liberty. Mark this, no one can take your
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Christian liberties away, but you can choose not to exercise some of those Christian liberties for the sake of others, to be like Christ.
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Jesus put others first in every possible way. 1 Corinthians chapter 13, true or false, love does not seek its own.
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True. John chapter 4 verse 34,
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Jesus said to them, my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. John 5 30,
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I can do nothing on my own initiative as I hear and judge and my judgment is just because I do not seek my own will.
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And it goes on and on and on. And then if you'd like conviction, here it comes. Verse 3, here comes the
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Old Testament proof, but as it is written, it is written and it stays written, the reproaches of those who reproach thee fell upon me.
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Right from Psalm 69 9, Jesus said no to himself and yes to the father and what did he get for it?
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From the crowd? He got reproached, they slandered him, they reviled him.
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Now there's two ways you can look at this. The first way is, okay, when we say no to self and yes to God, we might have some people that would revile us and say bad things about us.
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This might be a similar thing. Similar things might happen to us. But that's not it at all, beloved. Here's the major conviction for me.
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If Christ said no to himself and got reviled and reproached, can't we say no to self?
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This is a contrast. Say no to self? When it's the issue of exercising our liberty?
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He said no and got reproached and if he said no and got reproached, can't you just say no to your cigars in front of other
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Christians as it were? Doug Moose said, a great Roman scholar, occasionally abstaining from meat or wine or observing a special religious day should not seem like much of a burden in comparison with what
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Christ had to suffer for the sake of others. So he said here's an example and if he did that, can't we just say no to ourself in front of other people?
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And that's our society today. I don't know if the Bolivars are here, but you have those little timers at McDonald's sometimes to drive through.
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How fast do you have to serve a typical customer? What's the average? 90 seconds. And do you know why that is?
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Partly because the Bolivars run a tight ship, but the other part is something else. They are catering to the consumer and the consumer wants their food and they want it now.
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90 seconds for lunch or we're going to drive over to Wendy's or BK or whatever else is around there.
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90 seconds are conniption fit. I want my food and I want it now. I've been there,
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I've been to, you know, you go to Price Chopper and they've got the lines of 12 or less and then the regular ones and you do that quick math and figure out that guy in front of you has got 14 things in front of you and says 12 or less.
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Pretty bugged at that whole thing, you know. Except when I want to do it. Oh, I just got 14.
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Can I get by today? Paul is going to now say in one of the verses that's taken out of context more than any in the entire
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Bible. It's just yanked right out. He's going to say it's going to be worth it to say no to self.
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Worth it eternally. Worth it in heaven to say no to self now for the sake of somebody else to be like Christ.
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It will be worth it. Society wants to grab the gusto and grab it now and Paul is going to say by Christ's example he wasn't in it for everything he could get on earth.
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And if you'd like to know and be reminded that this statement is true even though the world is saying everything else read your
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Old Testament. Because the Old Testament is filled with people who said no to self for hope that was coming and that's the next verse.
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That's the very next verse. We just use this verse all the time to talk about how great the Scriptures are in the
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Old Testament. Well, that's true. But there's a word that connects this all together.
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The context is Christian liberty. The context is Jesus saying no to self and if He said no to self and got crucified can't you say no to some of your liberties in front of other people?
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There's hope for those in the future who say no to themselves in the present for the sake of love for the sake of Christ.
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Verse 4 For whatever was written in earlier times he's talking about the
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Old Testament 39 books in the English canon was written for instruction. Instruction. What kind of instruction?
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That through perseverance and encouragement of the Scriptures we, we strong ones who are saying no to self for the sake of others following the example of Christ might have hope.
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It's worth it in this life to say no to self for Christ in heaven, right? Do we believe in eternal rewards?
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Absolutely. Self -denial here, the abounding of the glory of God now and for you later.
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Look at Hebrews chapter 11 I want to give you this laid out in full force.
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If you turn your Bibles to Hebrews 11 We don't have to be in this church the now generation.
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We want it all now. I want the world and I want it now. We can say no to self for the sake of our brothers so we can get along.
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We don't have to have these divisions. We have confidence that there's going to be future blessings so we can say no to self now.
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Hebrews 11 .24 I mean the whole chapter is just this great chapter of faith by faith
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Moses Hebrews 11 .24 when he had grown up refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
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He could have. Verse 25 Choosing rather to endure ill treatment with the people of God than to enjoy did you get it?
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The passing pleasures of sin. Now I'm not saying liberty is sin but I am saying the correlation that I'm trying to build is
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Moses is saying no to something on earth because he's thinking about heaven and the rewards in heaven.
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Verse 26 Considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasure of Egypt for he was looking to the reward.
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That's what Paul is trying to say in Romans 15. Look beyond. And if you want hope that it's worth saying no to self today in something that you could say yes to but for the sake of Christ and the sake of others you say no.
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Look to the Old Testament. By faith he left Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king for he had endured a seen him who was unseen.
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You read the Old Testament for a lot of reasons. There's not a lot of moral imperatives for the church there but there are all kinds of principles and precepts and illustrations of many things in this particular case of hope.
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People that said no to self for the future. You say pastor I get it. I know. I mean it's maybe a bad illustration but there's something about knowing the future and what the future holds that you can say oh that's worth it.
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Just an illustration. You have to use your kids. It's not a bad illustration but my daughter
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Haley she asked when she could wear a bikini. Haley's 10. Now I could have said never.
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I could have said over my dead body. And you know what I told her? I told her when you're married you can wear a bikini all you want.
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That was good enough for her. Oh. Okay. I can wear a bikini. She sees that in the future and she goes
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I can do that. It's the same thing with Luke. When can I see Lord of the Rings? When can I see Lord of the Rings? When can I see Lord of the
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Rings? When you're 15. Okay. Man. Okay. How old am I? Six, 15.
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Nine years I get to see Lord of the Rings. It's good enough. It's a simple principle when you say alright.
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This world isn't all that it seems to be and there's something better in the future and I'm going to say no now even though I could say yes because I know what the future's going to bring.
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But if you're like me you can't do it. I can't do it. I need help.
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I need a prod and I need God's help and in the best way of all languages Paul uses this certain talk here in verses 5 and 6 to give this prayer of hope.
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This is just the best way you can say something. It's not a direct prayer but it's more like a wish and so it's prodding you to pray and it's in a sense asking
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God. You can't be a better husband. You can't be a better wife. You can't be better at not exercising your liberty but God can help you do it.
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Look at this. Now, may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the
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God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You want unity? You want to say no to self for the future?
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God, help me. And he's not saying here that God may give you one mind and we all think about movies the same way.
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We all think about child raising the same way. We all think about schooling the same way. He's not talking about that.
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He's saying so we all have the same mind and we view gray areas as gray and get over it and get along with people even though they are different.
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God is the author of this. He can give it. For what purpose? Verse 6.
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For common worship. Then he says in verse 7 kind of summarizing it. Wherefore, except one another.
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That's the word to receive with the Greek students pros on the front. Receive into your personal space into your hearts and your homes one another.
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Just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. Receive Him close.
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I don't know about you but sometimes I like people in my personal space and other times I don't. And he's saying in this great way receive people just close.
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He's saying find somebody in a sense who's different and just love on them anyway. Just as Christ received us.
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Christ received us as sinful. What does Romans 5 say? He received us as helpless.
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As sinners. As hopeless. And as enemies. And we can't receive other
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Christian saints? That's his point. It's almost I hate to say it but it's almost kind of like an example of shame.
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Christ dies on the cross gets reproaches from men. Can't we say no to ourselves? Remember what the
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Pharisees said about Jesus? This man receives sinners and eats with them. A disciple is not above his teacher nor a slave above his master.
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Matthew 10 .24 Matthew 10 .40 He who receives you receives me and he who receives me receives him who sent me.
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Even if you can't stand other people you say I'm just going to see Christ in them and have them over. Now let's look at 8 -13 and see another example of Christ proof from the
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Old Testament prayer of hope. Christ was self -sacrificial and now he's impartial.
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And I think there was something in this Roman church with Jews and Gentiles and there was a problem. He doesn't want that to be a problem nor does he want anything to be a problem when it comes to these things.
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I like rock music. I like hip -hop music. I like Christian music. I like non -Christian music. When I was young Christian was a noun not an adjective.
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I mean all these things we just polarize. He doesn't want us to do that. If you like a certain kind of music listen to it.
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Verse 8 Here's the example of Christ's impartiality. He was self -sacrificial 1 -7 now 8 -13
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He's impartial for I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers and for the
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Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy. Jesus kept
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His Word God kept His Word through Christ and made the covenants to Israel firm.
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God in His mercy included the Gentiles. When you say Jews and Gentiles how can
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I figure out how they got into God's kingdom? What word would I use? One word.
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Jews, truth faithfulness of Abrahamic covenant Gentiles, mercy He didn't owe it to you but He got you in anyway.
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That's what He's saying there. Now He uses the Old Testament to prove it as it is written and He's going to prove it from the law from the prophets and from the writings each division of the
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Jewish Old Testament and He's going to quote these in the Septuagint and He's going to kind of progress.
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Look at this proof that Jesus is not impartial all leading to this you should not be impartial either with your
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Christian love. The Jews are praising God among the
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Gentiles verse 9 right from Psalm 18 therefore I will give praise David says to thee among the
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Gentiles and I will sing to thy name a Jew praising God in front of the Gentiles flip side verse 10 from Deuteronomy 32 and again
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He says rejoice O Gentiles with His people now Gentiles are praising God with Israel and the progression keeps going verse 15 and again praise the
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Lord all you Gentiles and let all the people praise Him now the Gentiles are praising God alone and it's all possible because of the next verse verse 12 and again
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Isaiah says there shall come from the root of Jesse a Jew and He who arises to rule over the what?
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Gentiles and Him shall the Gentiles hope so I can't do it I don't think
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I'm prejudiced and the world says you got to be tolerant and you have all these programs and everything but I just like people who are like me ok so do
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I so do I right? Old Testament Christ Old Testament example what's the next thing?
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He prays He says verse 13 maybe one of the sweetest prayers now may the
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God of hope what a name for God fill you with all joy and peace believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the
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Holy Spirit here's this benediction that He has so God help me I gravitate towards my own
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Richard Baxter the great Puritan writer had a pseudonym that he would write under and his pseudonym was
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Rupert Maldinius and he said this in essentials unity in non -essentials liberty in all things what?
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charity that's exactly right so Paul says in Romans 14 and 15
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I want you to put up with other Christians I want you to build them up and when you have a hard time doing it see what
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Christ did because Christ was both self -sacrificial and He was impartial why?
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for the weak Christian and nine times out of ten the weak Christian is legalistic He has a do list and a don't list
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I can't do this I have to do that I want to just talk about legalism in the time that we have left let me tell you what legalism is not legalism is not recognizing right and wrong sin and righteousness
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I remember when I first got to this church and somebody said to me you're very legalistic I said what do you mean by that?
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they said well you're telling everybody to do all these things that the Bible says to do I said that's not legalistic obedience is not legalism legalism is not having a standard or a conviction those things are good true?
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you should have standards and convictions I go see these kind of movies I don't those are good I want you to have those it is not having a preference that's not legalism what is it?
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oh I should also say legalism is not obeying your husband obeying your boss obeying the church leaders that's not legalism that's submission it's another sermon what is legalism?
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it is do's and don'ts and extra biblical rule keeping to somehow please
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God imposing your conscience on someone else man made rules of the church who's in and who's out you say why do people become legalistic why do people want do's and don'ts remember when you first got saved
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I wanted to know what was right and what was wrong didn't you can I do this can't I do that so some of it might be good but I'll tell you why
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I think people are legalistic one it's easy because anyone can make up rules two it's a lot easier to obey a rule than to love
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Jesus Christ and obey from the heart true? three we become legalistic because leaders often are afraid that Christians who have no boundaries just become wild you don't give any rules people are just running wild pastor said it's actually okay to drink alcohol from the pulpit so don't say anything
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I don't know if you exactly do that one of the other reasons why we're legalistic or we could become legalistic or I could or you could or I am or you are is because it take it's bad bible interpretation you take something from the old testament or even in the narrative in the new and say this is a description and therefore now
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I have to do it so for instance I said in India to a group I said why do we gauge other
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Christians on I get up early for my devotions or I have three different devotions I pray at such and such a time of the day and all that stuff and so one of the men said he was a
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Plymouth brethren pastor and he said it is right and godly to get up early in the morning and pray
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I said it's right and godly to get up early in the morning and pray but there is nothing in the bible that says you are supposed to get up early and pray he said
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Jesus got up early to pray I said I know he did but Jesus didn't tell us nor did he tell his apostolic messengers to tell everybody get up early in the morning and pray or it's sinning
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I said what you are doing is the classic case of a bible description making it a prescription in other words the bible says
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Jesus went up and he got up early to pray therefore I have to that's not good bible interpretation and I should have said but I didn't because I was in their view
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I was an honored speaker in my view I was just same old Mike but I wanted to say and Jesus got up early and went to a mountain to pray you better get over to that mountain and pray if you are going to finish it up why do we become legalistic because you see something in the old testament and you say yeah
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I've got to do that when you go wait that was in the old testament forced Israel at Mount Sinai ceremonial law for such and such we have to be careful but the thing about legalism that's deadly is that inhibits us to make inhibits us from making hard decisions discernment suffers
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Kerry Hardy said it also eliminates the need for true biblical decision making making personal moral decisions is not necessary when they are being made for you by another individual or some spiritual hierarchy how can we keep up with rules all the time for what's going on at church when new things always happen well we can't do that it's like the story
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I told years ago of a pastor found the roads blocked one Sunday morning was forced to skate on the river to get to church which he did when he arrived the elders of the church were horrified that their preacher had skated on the
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Lord's day after the service they held a meeting where the pastor explained that he either had to skate to church or not go at all finally one elder asked did you enjoy it when the preacher answered no the board decided it was alright all these rules you say
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I won't do this on the Lord's day then don't those rules are fine but when the rules become imposed that aren't from the scripture it becomes difficult what it does is it takes accountability away from answering to God and it puts it before men our peer group our elders and it does this deadly thing legalism takes conformity and somehow supposes that it's spirituality conform with these rules then you're spiritual
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I think this should be one of the most diverse places in all the world with what we believe about the bible no with what we just let other people do yes these are matters which have to be sure in salvation context the appearance of wisdom and self made religion and self abasement and severe treatment of the body but are of no value against fleshly indulgence why don't you turn in the last few minutes we have turn to first Corinthians chapter 6
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I've got too many sermons and not enough time so let's just finish it up this way the remaining amount of time
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I want to deal with this issue just because you have liberty you should ask yourself a few questions before you exercise those liberties we've already looked at conscience does it go against your conscience or someone else's we've already looked at will it make somebody stumble will they do something because we're doing it and then they feel bad but there's something else too that I don't want you to get caught up in and that is in bondage look at first Corinthians 6 12 we are to subdue the earth that was the creation mandate and so people do things smoking cigarettes alcohol and they are in total bondage to those things and so therefore they say
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I've got liberty in Christ but really it's just a cloak so they can do those things smoking a cigarette is not sinful it's wrong if you smoke it and feel bad that you're smoking it but also
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I would just encourage my friends that do something like that I just don't give you a pass I want to challenge you to say ask some questions does it go against your conscience does it make others stumble and furthermore verse 12 of first Corinthians 6 this is great for the
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Christian liberty realm all things are lawful for me but not all things are profitable so you can ask yourself the question does it profit me does it make me in bondage but I will not be mastered by anything all things are lawful except those things that have just been told we've just been told in first Corinthians 1 ,2 ,3 ,4 ,5 and earlier part of 6 are wrong we can't go around saying
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I like to sin and God likes to forgive why don't we just all be a happy family but he's saying everything is permissible but they're not all profitable people always ask the question and I'm using this one because it's just such a common one is smoking sinful not necessarily but it's stupid how about that you want to smoke
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I can't tell you we will not discipline you from this church if you smoke we will not put ashtrays out in the front nor will we put them in the back you're just going to have to figure out some place to put your cigarette butts and if you say
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I want to smoke a cigar someday and you just smoke a cigar I'm not saying it's wrong or sinful but I am saying you should at least deal with this verse here of being in bondage to something and you say pastor what about caffeine touche
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I don't know what to tell you I'm picking something that I don't do that's what I'm picking all things are lawful
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I've been preaching that for three weeks straight but not all things are profitable all things are lawful for me but Paul said and he's a good example here
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I'm not going to be mastered by anything because beloved if you are mastered by anything what happens when someone is over that you might make stumble and you can't say to no one of the self because you are mastered by it and then people have all kinds of ways to get out of sinning and so what you do is you take something like verse 13 and it most likely was some kind of catch phrase food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food this is all in the context of sexual sin hey gotta eat
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God made me this way gotta indulge but God is going to do away with both of them yet the body is not for immorality but for the
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Lord Now, God has not only raised the
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Lord, but also raised us up in His power. You don't own you. Don't you know that your body is a temple of the
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Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price, therefore glorify
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God in your body. You say, Pastor, that has nothing to do with smoking. You are exactly right.
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My only point is there, can't you draw a principle that you shouldn't be mastered by anything? And then jump down to chapter 10, verse 23, and then we're just going to have to finish here.
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1 Corinthians 10, verse 23. Ask yourself this question. So far you say, conscience of myself and others, will it make somebody else stumble?
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Will it bring me into bondage? And then lastly, will it benefit me, or edify me, or edify the body?
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1 Corinthians 10, verse 23. All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but all things don't.
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Chapter 6 said, some things bring you into bondage. Here's the flip side, or the positive side. Some things don't give you edification.
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Aren't we about trying to build other people up? And so, even if you say to yourself,
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I'm not convinced about my liberty that I shouldn't do it. If I can at least get you to ask the question, conscience, stumbling, mastering, and edification, then
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I think I've taught you the Bible. And that's the key. Chuck Swindoll said, when a man, that was a youth worker many years ago in an ethnic community, he attended a church that had
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Scandinavian roots. Being a rather forward -looking and creative young man, he decided he would show the youth group a missionary film.
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We're talking safe, simple, black and white, religious -oriented movie. That film projector hadn't been off an hour before a group of leaders in the church called him in and asked him about what he had done.
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They asked, would you show the young people a film? In all honesty, he replied, well, yes,
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I did. We don't like that, they replied. Without trying to be argumentative, the youth worker reasoned, well,
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I remember that at the last missionary conference, our church showed slides. One of the church officers put his hand up, signaling him to cease talking.
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I mean, can't you just see it? Then in these words, he emphatically explained the conflict. If it's still, fine.
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If it moves, it's sin. You can show slides, but when they start moving, you're getting into sin.
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I haven't said the first on legalism and liberty and all those things and how it fletches itself out, but here's the thing.
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People in this church are different than you are. I'm different than you are. We don't need to all conform in the way we flesh out our justification by faith alone.
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True? We need to love people in spite of that.
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It was just a cool thing that the Lord did. I was teaching this session in India, and there were two elders sitting right there and a neat young man sitting right next to them named
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Bibi. And I said, listen. I said, I remember when I first got to the church
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I'm at now, somebody said to me, Pastor, we don't want to do what you've asked us to do. If you show us a
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Bible verse that says to do that, we'll do it. And if you can't show us a Bible verse, I don't have to do it.
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I said, I don't know what they were thinking, but I might be from Nebraska. I said, you don't understand submission.
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That's not submission to an elder. If I ask you to sin, and you can show me that it's sin, then you don't have to do it.
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And then I just said, out of the clear blue of my mind, I said, if the ushers are always late, and you say to the ushers as an elder, ushers, would you please be on time, it's very important, this is a ministry.
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You're welcome to the church, stay in there at ushering, but you have to be on time if you're an usher. Then you know what
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I started seeing? B .B. was an usher, and he was just confronted by these two elders the past week, saying, you've got to start being on time, this is a ministry, we need help.
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And B .B. said, show me a Bible verse in the Scripture, and it says do it, and I'll do it, otherwise get off my back, you legalist.
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Then it started with the elder going back. No, just kidding. And it was just one of those things where I thought, you know, in our hearts, left away from the
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Spirit of God, we are all legalistic. We all want people to do what we want them to do.
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Tomorrow, when you go to work, men, some of you ladies go to work, some of you are allowed to work, some of you are forced to work, and your boss says, could you go down to the coffee machine and get me some coffee?
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You could say, I'm not your secretary, show me a Bible verse and I'll do it. You'd never do that, would you?
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You'd just say, okay. And maybe you'd say, you know, that's not my job description, I'm in sales and marketing, I'm not in coffee delivery, and it's not
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Starbucks anyway, so what do I care? We just have to. You know, I hate to do the
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Rodney King theology, but we just need to get along. Your husband, you ask your wife to do something, you don't say as a wife, honey, show me a
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Bible verse and I'll think about it. If your husband asks you to sing, you can say, honey, this is what the
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Bible says, but if your wife says, I love you, but I'm not going to do that. And it's the same thing at the church.
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If I say to you, should you do something, and you tell me that has nothing to do with spirituality and everything else, then
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I'm going to say, you know what, that's right. But if I ask you to do something, be on time if you're an usher, and you don't want to do it, then we'll help you, and then we'll get somebody else to be an usher, because the
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Bible says you're to obey your leaders. In the Word. And I don't think that's an unfair request. Anyway, this is a whole other sermon, so I have to stop.
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Is there anybody in this entire congregation that you wouldn't want to hang out with for lunch? Is there so different?
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Is there so weird? You know how they look?
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They smell? There's hope because the
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Bible talks about the prayer that God will give us unity. The next time you want to sit down and you want to eat something or drink something for God's glory, you can just look at that glass of wine and say,
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God, nobody's around, nobody's going to stumble, you made the grapes, Jesus drank grape juice, Jesus drank wine rather, and that's just for your glory.
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If you can do that, then enjoy the Christian life that God has given you. Eat, drink, and be merry, knowing that everything's come from God.
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And I won't worry this week that you're all running around wild, sinning. Because if you follow
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Christ's example of self -sacrifice and impartiality, you'll be all right. Father, we do thank you for this day.