Christian Liberty #15

The point: Preach this series of messages out of genuine pastoral concern for the health and well-being of the members and friends of this congregation and especially the rising generation.

The human mind can alter nourishing gospel truth, like Christian liberty, into poison through perversion, distortion, and imbalance, leading to destruction instead of nourishment.

It is a frightening fact of biblical revelation and also of church history that there is no nourishing truth of gospel provision which the human mind and heart cannot alter in its internal chemistry and turn it into poison. No truth, no truth of gospel provision which the human mind and heart cannot alter. It cannot alter in its internal chemistry thereby turning that truth into poison so that the thing that ought to nourish us ends up destroying us. And among the many proofs of this reality perhaps none is greater than the way in which the biblical and gospel truth of Christian liberty has be...

5:48 - 7:19 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first directive is to receive one another into hearts and the church, mirroring Christ's unconditional and sincere reception of believers in conversion, all to the glory of…

Paul's instruction to Philemon to receive Onesimus as he would receive Paul illustrates the verb 'receive' as taking someone to oneself with unrestrained affection and an open heart.

It means to take to yourself with unrestrained affection and an open heart. It's the verb Paul uses in Philemon and verse 17, where he's sending back the slave who's been converted while he's been at Rome. And writing to Philemon, and he says in verse 17, Now Philemon, you owe a lot to me. And he's been telling Philemon what Philemon owes to him.

23:29 - 24:06 Read in full sermon

Driving home: you are to receive one another in a manner that mirrors the very way Christ took you to his heart and into his church when you came to him in your conversion.

The weak brother's fear that a strong brother drinking wine will lead to staggering drunkenness illustrates the emotional trauma and judgmental tendencies of the weak.

Now here's the strong brother, struggling with all it's going to cost him to truly receive the weak brother into close, intimate, personal church fellowship. And here's the weak brother contemplating what it's going to cost him of emotional trauma to fully receive that strong brother when something in him says, man, he's on the slippery slope. I mean, if he has wine on his table before long, he'll be a staggering, bleary-eyed, blubbering drunk. Lord, that's hot.

30:12 - 30:43 Read in full sermon

Driving home: you are to receive one another in a manner that mirrors the very way Christ took you to his heart and into his church when you came to him in your conversion.

The story of the prodigal son's unconditional reception by his father, who runs to him and embraces him, illustrates how Christ receives sinners.

He took you in. When you saw your sin, you were ready to leave the hog pens and the whore houses and the dens of iniquity like the prodigal. This was the offense Jesus receives. And he says, yes, and you know how I received them?

31:59 - 32:17 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first directive is to receive one another into hearts and the church, mirroring Christ's unconditional and sincere reception of believers in conversion, all to the glory of…

Being received with a 'plastic smile and limp arms' illustrates insincere or reserved reception, contrasting with Christ's genuine and full embrace.

Unconditionally. Furthermore, unfeignedly and sincerely. There's no reservation in his heart. No plastic smile on his face and no limp arms when he embraces us. You ever have somebody receive you with a plastic smile and limp arms? It's not like saying, why bother?

32:59 - 33:18 Read in full sermon

The point: Neither despise nor judge one another because of differing convictions and practices in legitimate matters of Christian liberty.

The Pharisee in Luke 18, who trusted in himself and despised others, illustrates the meaning of 'set at naught' or 'despise' as looking down on others with disdain.

to an idol in an idol's temple 1 Corinthians 8 addresses this issue and somehow he can't separate how the meat was used from what the meat now is. It's not just a hunk of flesh on the table it's a hunk of flesh that's got an umbilical cord to an idol in an idol's temple and I've rejected idolatry and all that goes with it and I want nothing to do with it so I cannot with good conscience eat. So whether it was Jewish kosher laws or a sensitivity about idol meat in either case he says do not let the one who eats judge him, eats not, judge him who eats. Now we take the first the prohibition to th...

44:31 - 45:59 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not stand in judgment of the strong; do not become censorious of the strong.

The weak brother's fear that a strong brother exercising liberty (e.g., drinking wine, piercing ears) is on a 'slippery slope' to drunkenness or immorality illustrates the judgmental tendency of the weak.

stands or falls he shall be made to stand you weak one think oh oh that man over there exercising his full liberty he is on the slippery slope he is going to end up a drunkard he is going to end up an idolater he is going to end up she is going to end up looking like a street walker she got her ears pierced she is going to end up looking like a whore out for business she has got paint on her face you see you see how Paul understands the human heart and the weak is the one who then does not look down his nose at the strong but he stands in judgment of the strong he becomes censorious of the str...

49:58 - 51:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not develop little clicks of the strong who feel comfortable with other strong ones and little clicks of the weak who feel very comfortable only with the weak.

The internal struggle to either judge others with strict standards or look down on 'hyper-sensitive' people illustrates the mess-making potential of indwelling sin in matters of Christian liberty.

I'm not shocked when it breaks out in me I'm grieved I'm pained I know what it is to cry wretched man and Lord how long how long how long before I can serve you without sinning when I see thee as thou art love thee with unsinning heart then Lord shall I fully know not till then how much I owe but dear people we've got to recognize this is not going to be easy you've got something inside you and I've got something inside me that wants to make a mess of this whole thing you're either going to sit yourself up as a judge of others and think that your strict standard must be the standard for all or...

57:10 - 58:39 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not develop little clicks of the strong who feel comfortable with other strong ones and little clicks of the weak who feel very comfortable only with the weak.

The development of 'clicks' (cliques) among the strong and weak, where they talk about despising or judging the other group, illustrates the practical outcome of failing to mortify sin in this area.

he knows you he knows me and dear people if we by the grace of God as a congregation are going to be an instrument to the praise of God's grace and the power of the gospel we have got to be a people that fully aware of our differing convictions and practices in legitimate matters of Christian liberty are committed to receive one another into our hearts and into the church in a way that mirrors the very manner in which Christ has received us and we will be committed neither to despise nor to judge one another because of those differing convictions and practices and one of the proofs that we're ...

58:39 - 60:07 Read in full sermon