Directives to the Stronger Brother, Part 2

Review of Christian Liberty Principles and the Weaker Brother

0:03 We come this evening to the sixth in a series of studies in the general theme of what has been called in the history of Christian thought the doctrine of Christian liberty. Having laid the foundation and the consideration of this subject from a historical and then a biblical and theological perspective, we have been wrestling for the past few weeks with some of the practical outworkings of the doctrine. Now, I cannot go back and lay the foundation. Some of you are here for the first time.

0:35 It's like coming in for the dessert and missing the main course and everything else. Well, all I can do is ask that if you have the time, perhaps you obtain the tapes from the library on a loan basis if necessary and catch up in terms of the essential perspectives, historically, biblically, and theologically, without which the practical instruction loses much of its force and much of its direction. But we are in the area. We are in the area of the practical, having laid a solid foundation in these other areas.

1:07 And as we approach the subject of how shall we exercise the liberty that is rightfully ours in Christ, we must never do so either ignorant of or indifferent to that principle that I've quoted as given by John Brown in the last two lessons. And I'll quote it again because it's the simplest way to review the principle. Christian liberty is an internal. It belongs to the mind and conscience and has a direct reference to God.

1:39 The use of Christian liberty is an external thing and it belongs to conduct and has reference to man. No consideration should prevail on us for a moment to give up any of our liberty. But many a consideration should induce us to forego the practical assertion or display of our liberty. And we must keep that distinction constantly before our minds.

2:07 Our liberty is the relationship we sustain to things and to God. It is vertical. Exercise of our liberty is horizontal. Nothing must induce us to relinquish one iota of our liberty for it is a liberty purchased in the blood of Christ.

2:28 Many considerations ought to prevail upon us to relinquish and forego the external exercise of that liberty in all of its manifestations. Having made that distinction, I then suggested that there are four major principles which qualify and guide us in the exercise of our liberty. The prior claims of personal holiness, number one. Number two, the powerful claims of the advance of the gospel.

3:00 Number three, the practical demands of edification. And the fourth is presently under consideration, the claims of the weaker brother. And these principles, these guidelines, have all been extracted from the major Christian liberty passages, 1 Corinthians 8, 1 Corinthians 10, Romans 14, and 15. In our last study, we began to consider this fourth guideline, the claims of the weaker brother.

3:29 The first thing we did was to consider the claims of the weaker brother. The first thing we did was to identify the weaker brother. Why is he called weak? Because, according to the scriptures, he's weak in faith, weak in knowledge, weak in conscience.

3:41 Second question about him, where is he? He's found mixed in with the stronger brethren in common assemblies. The weak did not establish their own assemblies. The strong did not ostracize them.

3:53 They did not draw aside to themselves. And thirdly, we identified him by asking the question, what is his basic problem? And his basic problem is, he is tempted to go beyond his own understanding of his liberty in following the example of the strong. And therefore, the word of God comes both to him and primarily, or with greater emphasis, to the strong, telling the strong that they have great responsibilities to this man who is weak in faith, weak in knowledge, weak in conscience.

4:26 And again, I'd like to go back and redefine all of that, but I cannot do that. Those of you who are just with us, forgive me, I feel the pain you feel. You can't sort all this out. I felt it in preparation.

4:37 I feel it right now. If you love people and you're not just trafficking in ideas, you'll feel pain when you know somebody else is pained. And some of you are pained, but you're going to have to live with your pain because more people will be pained if I don't get on to the new material and simply re-preach the old. All right?

4:52 Having identified the weaker brother, we then addressed ourselves in the second place to this broad subject, the responsibilities towards the weaker brother. And we saw from the scriptures we have three responsibilities. We must receive him, Romans 14.1, Romans 15.7.

5:11 We must not destroy him, Romans 14.13-22 and 1 Corinthians 8.9-13. And we must not alienate him, 1 Corinthians 9.12 or 22 and Romans 14.19.

Caution: Do Not Conform to the Weaker Brother's Conscience

5:25 Now, that's the review. And before we move on to the next area of our concern, I want to give a word of caution. And the word of caution is, In all of this loving, sanctified concession to the weaker brother, we must receive him, we must not destroy him, we must not alienate him. We are never to conform to his conscience.

5:49 We do him no service, we do ourselves no service, and we do God no honor if in our loving, selfless accommodations to the weaker brother, if at any point, if at any point, our conscience is to come into bondage to his false standard. For remember, the standard of his conscience is an evidence of weakness. That doesn't mean he's weak in every other area, but with reference to God and things and his relationship to those things, the Bible says, He that is weak eateth only herbs. And that weakness must never become the rule to which others submit.

6:31 And Paul is the great example of this. Paul said, look, I'm willing in selfless, self-denying love to accommodate myself to the weaker brother. He says in 1 Corinthians, a language that's even stronger than Romans, he says, If meat makes my brother to offend, I'll eat no meat while the world stands.

6:50 I'm willing to accommodate myself in love. But in the very setting of those statements of accommodation, Paul makes it evident that he's not giving up the liberty that is his in Christ, nor is he bending his conscience to the conscience of the weak. He says, for instance, in Romans 14, 14, and the very way he does it is so powerful. I don't know if you catch this when you read it.

7:13 He said, now I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself, save to him that accounteth anything to be unclean. To him it is unclean. In other words, before he goes on to say, now look, be willing to relinquish your liberty for the weaker brother. He makes it very evident, if that weaker brother begins to think straight, he's going to think like I think.

7:33 I know as an apostle, as a child of God, and I'm utterly persuaded by virtue of my union with Christ, and having the mind of Christ, and looking at things as Christ would have me look at them, I'm absolutely persuaded that when this man says, oh, that's a no-no, and that's a yes-yes with reference to things external, he said, I know that the uncleanness is in that poor guy's head. It's not in the thing itself. He said, I'm persuaded of that, and I will not allow an army of weaker brethren who say, that's unclean, that's unclean. He said, I will never allow them to change my persuasion that nothing is unclean of itself.

8:10 That is, things material. Things that are condemned by the law of God, adultery and idolatry and theft, of course. Those things are morally and ethically unclean. The context is dealing with meats and drinks and things external.

8:26 And therefore, my brethren, as I will be speaking very forcefully tonight, because the passage demands forceful speaking concerning the implications of failure to respond to the claims of the weaker brother. There are at least seven powerful and at times almost shocking implications if we will not do what God says we must do in the presence of the weaker brother. Receive him, refuse to destroy him, refuse to alienate him,

9:00 denying love lest we alienate, destroy him or hold him off at a distance. But in all of that, my brethren, we must. Never conscience to his weakness. Never circumstance.

9:15 Paul is the great example of an unyielding persuasion of liberty coupled with the exercise of that liberty in Christian love. And he does that all the way through the passages. We can look at more examples. That will suffice.

Implication 1: Usurping God's Right of Judgment

9:32 All right? I trust now, having given an accurate statement from these passages of what our responsibilities are towards the weaker brother, now we come to this broad subject, the tragic implications of failure to respond to those claims. Looked at the claims of the weaker brother, having identified him, having outlined the claims, now we come to the third major division under the subject of the weaker brother. What are the implications of failure to respond to his claims?

10:08 Number one. First thing we do is we usurp the right of judgment which belongs only to God. Turn, please, to Romans 14.

10:22 We usurp the right of judgment which belongs only to God. But him that is weak in faith, receive ye. And that receiving, you remember, according to 15.7 of Romans, is to be a receiving that is parallel to the unfettered reception of Christ on behalf of his people.

10:44 Receive ye one another as God hath received you. And then he describes the areas of difference. One man hath faith to eat all things. He looks upon all of God's gifts and conscience against eating meat.

11:03 Then he encourages, let not him that eateth, set it not, or despise him that eateth not. The temptation of the strong man in this area is to despise the weaker. To say that crazy guy, he's all hung up on his old legalistic fundamentalist mentality. Despise him, see?

11:21 Treat him with scorn. Now what's the temptation of the weaker brother? Let not him, him that eateth not, judge him that eateth. You know, he doesn't use the word despise again.

11:32 You see, the temptation of the weaker man is to say, since I cannot eat this with a good conscience and it would be sin to me, how can that guy claim to be such a big shot Christian? And look what he's doing. He's sinning. He passes judgment.

11:45 The strong is tempted to despise the weak. The weak is tempted to judge the strong. And that theme goes right through this passage. And Paul is very careful to keep the two things separate.

11:55 All right? Now he's going to ask some questions. This one is, he's dressed primarily, obviously, to the strong. Why art thou, who art thou that judgeth the servant of another?

12:06 To his own Lord he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be made to stand, for the Lord hath power to make him stand. See, the weak man says, how in the world can a man be a Christian and go on with God and live a holy life and eat that? Or drink that?

12:19 Or go there? Or go here? Paul says, wait a minute. Are you his judge and his Lord?

12:24 To his own Lord he stands or falleth. In fact, he says, I've got news for you. Now, walking in the integrity of his conscience, God's going to make him stand because God started a work of grace in him. He's going to complete it.

12:35 To his own Lord he's answerable. He stands or falleth. In fact, he says, his God shall make him stand. Verse 5.

12:42 One man esteems one day above another. Another esteems every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind, weak and strong. He that regards the day, there's the weak man, still keeping special days that aren't assigned by God.

12:55 It's not speaking of the weekly Sabbath. I can't go into. The exegesis of that, but I believe it's dealt with ably in Professor Murray's appendix in his exposition of Romans on this very passage. One man esteems one day.

13:08 He regards it to God. Another man, he says, he doesn't keep the day. He doesn't regard it. But what is common to both?

13:17 With reference to days and food, he says, he that eateth, eateth unto the Lord, for he giveth God thanks. He's not eating like a pagan. He's eating as a Christian. Taking his food from God, returning thanks to God, receiving strength to serve God.

13:33 All right? He that eateth not, unto the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. So when he has his little mess of lentils, he gives God thanks for it. And he doesn't say, now, Lord, I thank you.

13:47 I'm not like that strong man eating those crazy meats. No, no, that would be a Pharisee. But what he has, he receives with thanksgiving. He prays that it will be sanctified.

13:55 Why? Because he's also the Lord's bondservant. He wants to please the Lord. You see, this is the point Paul is driving at.

14:02 The concept of each one being submissive to and answerable to Christ his Lord is the thing that's coming through and will come to a climax in verse 12.

14:12 Verse 7, For none of us lives to himself, none dies to himself. Whether we live, we live to the Lord. Whether we die, we die to the Lord. Whether we live, therefore die, we are the Lord's.

14:23 To this end, Christ both died and lived again, that he might be Lord, both of the dead and of the living. But thou, why dost thou judge thy brother? That's the strong, you see, judging, I mean the weak judging the strong. Or thou again, why dost thou set it not?

14:37 You see, despise thy brother. That's the strong, despising the weak. So he gets at both of them. He says, look, both of you have a defect in your thinking.

14:45 You that are saying, oh, that crazy guy got all those stupid hang-ups and he's over here saying, huh, how in the world can that guy claim to be such a big shot Christian? Look what he's doing. See? He says, now both of you have a common problem and your common problem is this.

14:59 Why dost thou judge thy brother? Or thou again, why dost thou set it not, thy brother? We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God, for it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, to me shall every knee bow, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then, here's the conclusion of it all, so then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.

15:20 Do you see what he's saying? If the strong does not receive the weak, if the strong does not embrace him in unfettered unthing, in bonds of Christian love, he is usurping the right of judgment which belongs only to God. He's saying, because of your weak conscience with reference to days and foods and the rest, you are an inferior servant. He says, who are you to say he's inferior?

15:51 That very weakness in that area may be the same principle that makes him a superior servant to you in ten other areas. That very sensitivity, sensitivity of conscience that keeps him from eating meat may be the thing that keeps him much more careful in fifty other areas of his life where you, Mr. Strongman, are careless. And when you both stand before your Lord, he may receive the ten cities and you the five.

16:19 He may receive the ten talents in reward for faithfulness and you only the five. Listen, he says, get hold of this principle, God alone is the judge of his people.

16:31 And if we do not receive the weak, in bonds of unfeigned love,

16:38 we usurp the right of judgment which belongs only to God. Now granted, that works the other way. If the weak does not receive the strong, he is guilty of usurping the right of judgment which belongs only to God as well. You see, this sword cuts both ways.

16:58 And there's none of us who can pride ourselves that we're excluded from this world. This constant tendency in all of us to take the place of a judge when God says we are common servants of a common Lord. All right? Second implication, if we do not follow these directives concerning our actions to the weaker brother, if we refuse to receive him, if we are not careful to take a course of action calculated not to destroy him, not to alienate him, we are not walking in the way of God.

Implication 2: Not Walking in Christian Love

17:37 We are not walking in Christian love. We are not walking in Christian love. Romans 14 and verse 15. For if because of meat, here's the strong man, he knows he can eat meat to the glory of God, he knows, as Paul says, that no creature of God is to be refused.

17:57 If it be received with thanksgiving and prayer, it is thereby sanctified. He's strong in conscience. He understands that. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.

18:07 But he knows, he knows also that his weaker brother, in close association with him, has been watching him eat that meat, and that that weaker brother, following his example, is sinning against his own conscience. And he says, now look what you're doing. Look. If because of meat thy brother is grieved, thou walkest no longer in love, destroy not with thy meat him for whom Christ died.

18:36 Paul indicts this person who will, who will not relinquish the exercise of his liberty in the presence of a weaker brother as one walking contrary to love. Romans 15, 1-3, Now we that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. You see, I don't see the word love there. Remember 1 Corinthians 13?

19:02 Love seeketh not her own. Not to please. Not to please ourselves.

19:12 Love beareth all things. You see, two of the qualities of love described in 1 Corinthians 13 are set before us in this very passage. We that are strong ought to bear. We ought to show that love that bears the infirmities of the weak, that love that seeketh not her own.

19:33 Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good unto edifying, for Christ, also please not himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproach thee fell on me. In other words, he's saying, you want to know what it is to walk in love? Look at your Savior. He deliberately, consciously chose a course which demanded denial of himself for the benefit of those upon whom he set his love.

20:07 And he said, in essence, Father, your righteous, your holy law, must be satisfied on behalf of your people. There must be the upholding of the rectitude of your own nature, the honor of your law. And Father, everything that should be the portion of your people, I will voluntarily bear that they may be released. That's love in action that seeks not its own, seeks the good of its object at great personal cost.

20:39 And the Apostle Paul is the great example of this. In his own statements in 1 Corinthians 8, 13 and 10, 24, notice what he says. 1 Corinthians 8, 13, Wherefore, if meat causeth my brother to stumble, I will eat no flesh forevermore. Why?

20:58 Because loving my brother where love needs to be manifested is more important than titillating my taste buds and filling my belly. That's exactly what he's saying. My love for my brother is strong enough for me to forego, oh, the taste of a succulent piece of steak for the rest of my days.

21:23 That's love in action. Love in action. Again, chapter 10 and verse 24.

21:30 Let no man seek his own, but each his neighbor's good. And then Paul exemplifies that directive. Verse 33, Even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of the many. Now, here's a good case where you don't put more in the all than the context demands.

21:54 See, people try to do this with reference to the atonement and other things and they end up with ridiculous conclusions just as you'd end up with ridiculous conclusions here. When Paul says, I please all men in all things, he's talking about all men in terms of the basic categories of weak and strong and all things as reference to things indifferent. Because he says in another context, Galatians 1, if I should seek to please men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Well, is he guilty of hopeless contradiction?

22:24 No. The context determines the extent of the reference of the all. Now, here's a man who said, I'm so immersed in that love that seeketh not her own that in the presence of Jew or Gentile or the church of God, I do not seek my own profit. In other words, he said, I've gotten beyond that infantile stage where the whole world revolves around my appetites and my whims.

22:48 I'm willing to do that. I'm willing to do that. I'm willing to do that. I'm willing to do that.

22:50 I'm willing to do that. I'm willing to do that. I'm willing to do that. I'm willing to do that.

22:51 I'm willing to do that. I'm willing to forego many lawful liberties so that I might not offend negative, that I might edify positive. Now, do you see the folly of demanding rigid conformity in churches? You see, if you demand such rigid conformity that the strong no longer have to deny themselves for the weak, look what you rob them of.

23:17 You rob them of the sanctifying influence of the selfless exercises of true love. You see, nobody needs to bear with the infirmities of the weak because by legislation you make everyone weak with your list of no-no's and do-do's in your church covenant.

23:39 Now, isn't that what happens? Sure it is.

23:45 It's careful to guard from any kind of legalistic, pharisaic uniformity of lifestyle in the adiaphora and things indifferent. No, no, he says. The weak will always be there dwelling alongside of the strong, and the strong will manifest whether they're not only strong in conscience but strong in grace if they dwell together in love, responding to the demands of the weaker brethren. And if we are not willing to relinquish lawful liberties in their exercise, whether with reference to food, associations, places of amusement, dress standards,

24:27 every single area that is a matter of legitimate liberty, if our attitudes, I've got my liberty in Christ and I'll not restrain its exercises for anyone. My friend, you're in a dangerous place because the Scripture says, He that loveth not knoweth not God.

24:51 You better remember that. Paul says if you refuse to yield the exercise of your liberty when you know that exercise will cause grief to your brother, the grief of defiled conscience as he follows your example, he says, you no longer walk in love. John says he that loveth not knoweth not God.

25:13 If that becomes the course of your life, there is reason to question the reality of your professed experience.

25:24 You see on the one hand then the folly of conformity causing us to miss the sanctifying influence of self-giving love and also what is it that secures your real confidence in the assembly when you know that there's a brother or sister who is deliberately, giving up the exercise of his liberty for your sake. What a tremendous bond of confidence is established between the weaker and the stronger brother. Because remember, Paul did not veil the strength of his conscience when he's dealing with this problem. He says, I know and am persuaded nothing is unclean.

25:59 He says, we have knowledge that an idol is nothing.

26:03 So if Paul came to the home of one of those Corinthians who said, Paul, I still can't disassociate the meat that's been offered to an idol from the worship of an idol. And Paul says, look, we'll have a vegetarian meal today.

26:15 It wasn't as though Paul veiled the fact that he had liberty to eat meat. No, no. He said, I have full knowledge that I could eat that meat with good conscience. But when that weaker brother sees the great apostle who could say, look, I'm an apostle around here.

26:29 It's about time some of you people shaped up and got your kooky old consciences sorted out. Now let's have some meat.

26:36 No, no. When they saw that man who had a clear understanding of his liberty and had great ecclesiastical authority saying, look, brother, let's have our vegetarian meal and give God faith. Look at the love that was established and the confidence between that weaker brother and the servant of Christ. Why?

26:56 Because he's walking as his Lord did who pleased not himself. All right? If we refuse then to follow these directives towards the weaker brother, we usurp the right of judgment that belongs only to God. We're not walking in Christian love.

Implication 3: Regarding Lightly Christ's Purchased Property

27:11 Thirdly, in the first three are the most powerful and they'll take the most amount of time to get through. The others will get through rather quickly. Now I know some of you young budding preachers are told, hold your most powerful things till last. Well, who made that rule?

27:28 Since I don't recognize the authority that made it, I don't follow it unless it serves the interest of truth and I wanted to deal with the most powerful ones first while your minds were still fresh. And they take the lesser weighty ones or the less weighty ones afterwards. All right? Number three.

27:44 We regard lightly the purchased property of Christ if we do not follow these directives. The apostle emphasizes this in Romans and again in Corinthians. If we will not receive the weaker brother, if we'll not accommodate our conduct to his weakness where necessary, thus causing him to sin against his own conscience, the scripture says we are regarding lightly the purchased property of Jesus Christ. Romans 14 and verse 15.

28:18 For if because of meat, that is, your eating of meat in the presence of this weaker, thy brother is grieved, thou walkest no longer in love, destroy not with thy meat him for whom Christ died.

28:38 What value did Christ put upon this man? He put such value upon him that for this man he let out his life's blood. Not just death, not just a violent death at the hands of men, but remember, every time the scriptures say Christ died, it means death under the malediction of God. Death under the curse of God.

29:06 Death in the abyss of abandonment. It means taking our hell upon himself. Now how much value did Christ put upon that man? Weak conscience and all.

29:19 He loved him enough to die for him under the curse of his father. Keep that in mind now and go over to 1 Corinthians 8.

29:28 1 Corinthians 8 and verse 11.

29:32 For through thy knowledge, well, let's back up, verse 9, but take heed, lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak. For if a man see thee who has knowledge sitting at meat in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols? See, there's his problem following the example of the strong against his own conscience. For through his knowledge, he that is weak perisheth, the brother for whose sake Christ died.

30:05 Now instead of allowing ourselves to become distracted with the sound of these verses which seem to cast a shadow on the well-established doctrine of the preservation and perseverance of the saints, and already some of you are all taken up with that question, sweep it aside and get the thrust of what the apostle is saying. Feel the impact. Feel the impact. You're destroying the property of Christ.

30:39 Paul goes on to verse 12 to say something that is almost staggering. And thus, sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, ye sin against.

30:55 In other words, the union that exists between Christ and His people is such that when you sin against His people, you sin against.

31:06 Now you see, how you regard a man's property, is an estimation of what you think of the man. If I gave this treasured volume, the exposition of Galatians by John Brown, one of the young men, Dennis should say, Pastor Martin, I'm doing some studies in a chapter in Galatians and you keep raving about John Brown, may I borrow the volume? Well, after I've made him put up his car for collateral, or after driving in that car, I want something more substantial, I think, Dennis. And I give him my book.

31:36 Suppose he returns it. He returns it a week later and the covers are turned. They're torn off and the pages are soiled and muddy.

31:47 And I ask for an explanation and it's not one that something unusual happened that he couldn't. It was just a reflection of careless treatment of my property. I would need to ask Dennis what he thinks of me. How he regards something that is precious to me as an indication of the esteem he places upon me.

32:07 You say you love Christ?

32:10 All of His children, the weakest of the weak are His property. How you treat His property is indicative of the fact of your attitude to Him. Do you feel the thrust of it? So Paul says, when you sin against that weaker brother, you sin against Christ, the brother for whom Christ died.

32:32 He's the purchased possession of Christ. Regard Him as such. You see, if Christ gave His life for Him, is it any big deal for you to give up a little meat for Him? Huh?

32:46 If Christ gave up His life for Him, is it any big deal for you to give up a little wine for Him? If Christ gave up His life for Him, is it any big deal for you to give up some legitimate entertainment? To give up playing certain records, listening to certain music, going to certain places of amusement, which you have perfect liberty before God to do? And you won't let Him rob your liberty.

Implication 4: Allowing Your Good to Be Evil Spoken Of

33:10 But my friend, if you won't let the possibility that you may wound His conscience cause you to restrain your liberty, you show you despise the purchased property of the Son of God. And then the fourth implication, if we don't comply with the directives of God, the strong to the weak, we allow our good to be evil spoken of.

33:41 Romans 14 and verse 60.

33:44 In the same setting, destroy not with thy meat him for whom Christ died. Let not then your good be evil spoken of. Keep that in mind and then look at 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 30. Let not your good be evil spoken of.

34:00 1 Corinthians 10, 10, 30. If I partake with thankfulness that is of my meat, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? You see what he's saying? Here's a strong brother in the presence of the weak.

34:16 Now he knows that he's in the presence of a weaker brother. And that goes back to one of our first studies. There's got to be communication. I'm no mind reader.

34:24 And the weaker brother has conveyed to the stronger brother his problem. And the stronger brother says, well, I'm going to exercise my liberty. Anyway, so he bows his head and gives thanks for that meat that had been offered up to an idol and was sold in a shambles.

34:39 Now, as he's eating that meat, what's the poor weak brother saying?

34:44 Well, he's facing the terrible and almost overpowering temptation. Even though he knows he shouldn't judge that brother, Paul assumes that he's not quite strong enough to live up to that directive at times. And he then says, that guy's indulging in sin. He's eating meat offered to an idol.

35:02 And this man is allowing what is intrinsically good in itself. Remember, Paul still calls it good. Let not your good be evil spoken of. Now, what does that tell us about a true believer?

35:13 It tells us this. He not only wants to do what is good, he wants his good to be seen as good, lest there be any reproach to the name of Christ. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and what? Glorify your Father which is in heaven.

35:31 Now, sometimes our good is going to be evil spoken of and you can't help it. Remember Jesus? His good was to be the friend of publicans and sinners to win them. Now, the Pharisees always spoke evil of that.

35:43 They went around bumping one another and saying, this man received sinners and he lived with them. Look at that. He's with the harlots and the used car dealers and the whole bunch. Look at him.

35:54 I mean, he spends time with the people that just aren't nice.

36:02 Jesus never let that deter him. He was willing to let his good be evil spoken of where it was necessary in the course of his obedience to the Father. And there will be times when your good will be evil spoken of. But in this context, it's not necessary.

36:18 It's the context of brethren, the strong and the weak. And not only do we want to do what is good, we want our good to appear as good. So that's why Paul says, Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God.

36:31 Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that which he alloweth. If you can eat that meat offered to an idol and sold in the shambles with thanksgiving to God, keep it in the fridge till your weaker brother goes home and then have a meal and a midnight snack alone before God and thank him for the meat. That's what he's saying.

36:49 Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Don't give up your faith and become weak with that man and throw the meat out. That's God's gift to you.

36:57 And you've got a good meat bargain? Thank God for it. Use the money you saved in that meat bargain and give some more to missions. Use good sense, Paul is saying.

37:05 Don't just throw your conscience away. But don't allow your good to be evil spoken of.

37:15 And if we're not sensitive in this area, we will have our good evil spoken of again and again and again. You say, but now that's that man's problem. As long as I...

37:24 Wait a minute. Paul said in Acts 24, 16, Herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward man. We do have a responsibility to one another. And one of the cursed things of this crazy mixed up age that is thrown out the Bible is the idea that you can live as an island to yourself on the plane flying down the island from Winnipeg.

37:49 No, from Saskatoon to Winnipeg. McQueen's Magazine is a popular magazine in Canada, sort of like a Time magazine. They had an article in there, an interview with this Germaine Greer who was one of the leading prophetesses of the feminist movement. And I could not believe what I read.

38:05 Much of it was just sickening. But the whole idea expressed there is that every man, woman is an island to himself to do his own thing. My friends, that's not the world in which God put us. He put us in a world with our fellow creatures.

38:21 And that is most true in the assembly of God's people. We cannot cop out like Cain who said, am I my brother's keeper? God says, you bet your boots you are because his blood cries unto me from the ground and I've come to reckon with you about it.

38:37 And you and I are one another's keepers. And we must be concerned that our good is not evil spoken of. All right? A fifth implication if we don't follow these directives is we misrepresent the Godhead.

Implication 5: Misrepresenting the Kingdom of God

38:53 The great issues of the kingdom of God. Romans 14, 14 to 18. I told you before we'd be done. We'd pretty well go over every verse in these chapters.

39:01 And I think I've kept that promise. Romans 14, 14 to 18. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean of itself save to him that accounteth anything to be unclean. To him it is unclean.

39:14 For if because of meat thy brother is grieved, thou walkest no longer in love, destroy not with thy meat him for whom Christ died. Let not then your good be evil spoken of for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he that herein serveth Christ is well pleasing to God and approved of men. You see what Paul is saying?

39:43 Here's the strong who knows he can eat anything, he can drink anything. He has liberty in Christ. This is God's world. But he selfishly clings to that liberty in its exercise.

39:55 And in so doing he's leading a weaker brother from a path of righteousness into what is a path of sin to him, right? To him that esteemeth a thing to be unclean. It is unclean. What happens then when the weaker brother sins?

40:09 He loses his joy. When he walks out of a path of righteousness he walks out of the orbit of joy. And then there is discord between him and the other brethren.

40:22 So you have the antithesis of those things that characterize the kingdom of God. Righteousness, peace, joy in the Holy Ghost. So then, when you are not willing to relinquish the exercise of your liberty which pertains to things and to places and to the external world, if you are going to cling tenaciously to the exercise of your liberty at the expense of your brother's walk in righteousness, his joy in the Spirit and peace among the people of God, you are misrepresenting the priorities of the kingdom of God.

41:00 You are saying, look, I am free in Christ. I am going to stand by my liberty. Ah, but not at the expense of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. There is something bigger than the titillation of your taste buds with that hunk of meat, Paul says.

41:15 Something bigger, something bigger than the titillation of your ears with that particular music form that you like and you say, I see nothing wrong with it. I receive positive good. And therefore, no one will hinder me from listening to anything I want to under any circumstances. And you claim to be a Christian concerned with the great issues of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost?

41:42 Those are the dominant concerns of the kingdom of God. Don't misrepresent that kingdom and say, no, sir, the kingdom of God to me is knowing and enjoying every one of my liberties in every circumstance no matter what the influence may be. My friend, that sounds like another kingdom,

42:01 the kingdom of that prince of darkness whose whole spirit is I'm going to do my own thing. I will ascend into the hill of the most high. And the little phrase doing my own thing is but an echo of the language of hell itself.

42:18 And there's no greater tyranny under the sun than doing your own thing.

42:24 So don't show, don't misrepresent the great issues of the kingdom of God by refusing to submit to the demands made upon you by the weaker brother than to do your own thing. by the weaker brother than to do your own thing. by the weaker brother than to do your own thing. And two other things very quickly in closing.

Implication 6: Indifference to the Glory of God

42:37 If we do not conform to these demands that we've outlined in the previous study, we show indifference to the glory of God.

42:47 And I think for the first time I'm beginning to see what this verse means in its context. I said I think I am beginning to see.

42:58 I've often quoted 1 Corinthians 10.31 because it's one of those texts so vast, so comprehensive it would stand on its own feet if it appeared in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus or any other book in the Bible right through the book of the Revelation in any context it would be right for this kind of admonition to be given. Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God. Now that's true in any context for the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

43:31 But notice that comes in the context of Christian liberty and in particular in particular an admonition to the strong to relinquish the exercise of their liberty. Look at the flow of thought. Verse 28. Verse 27.

43:47 If any one of them that believe not biddeth you to a feast and you're disposed to go whatsoever set before you eat asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say to you that is while you're there eating this has been offered in sacrifice. Eat not for his sake that showed it and for conscience sake. Conscience I say not thine own but the others.

44:07 In other words Paul says the only reason that guy would have nudged you and said hey did you know this has been offered to an idol? It's because that's bothering his conscience. You see? He says oh if he intimates it by being concerned about it if he just can't say boy isn't that a choice cut of meat can't wait to dig my teeth into that.

44:23 If he says Paul says chances are to him eating that meat is going to be partaking in sin. So he said just on that possibility he said you just say thank you sir I just don't feel like meat today I just feel like vegetables today and you graciously refuse the meat. Conscience I say not thine own but the others. For why is my liberty judged by another's conscience?

44:45 If I partake with thankfulness why am I evil spoken of for that which I give thanks whether therefore it's in this very context ye eat whoever ye do do all to the glory of God. What is the connection? I think the connection is this it is utterly impossible genuinely to glorify God while at the same time being insensitive or indifferent or indifferent to the effect of my conduct upon others.

45:20 And we're right back to this whole biblical concept John articulates it beautifully in 1 John chapter 4 and verse 20 He that saith I love God and hated as a brother is a liar for if we do not love our brother whom we seek how can we love God whom we have not?

45:46 What does it mean to do all to the glory of God? In this context in this context it means to do all unto the edification of our brethren and if it doesn't edify it doesn't glorify. Put the two things together. No edify no glorify.

46:06 How then could this man once the brother nudges him and says hey Henry that was offered to an idol. He says oh interesting let's give God thanks. Now Lord we thank you for this food. How can he glorify God in eating while eating he knows that that's an offense to his brother.

46:25 See he's playing games. I think that's the connection in the context.

46:30 Brethren you want to say I'm indifferent to the glory of God? No no as a Christian and much more as one who confesses adherence to that understanding of the scriptures which we believe the scriptures themselves force upon us which makes the glory of God the beginning middle and end of all that is revealed. How can we claim adherence to that and be indifferent to the glory of God in the way he says we glorify him? And then seventh and finally if we do not comply with these directives we show indifference to the spread of the gospel.

Implication 7: Indifference to the Spread of the Gospel

47:06 First Corinthians 10, 32 and 33 Give no occasion of stumbling either to Jews that is Jews still regarded as Jews out of Christ or to Greeks those who are non-Jews yet in their sins or comprised of both Jews and Greeks to the church of God with the strong and the weak and everything in between give no occasion of stumbling let nothing in your life or conduct consciously deliberately lead to another choosing a path of sin even as I also please all men in all things not seeking

47:50 mine own profit but the profit of the many that they may be saved be ye imitators of me even as I also am of Christ. Paul says there's something bigger than the succulent taste of meat over my taste buds there's something bigger than the sweet taste of wine over my taste buds there's something bigger than my ability to say no to all the trappings of the ceremonial law there's something bigger than every lawful liberty that is mine in Jesus Christ and it's the salvation of fellow sinners that looms

48:35 in my mind and heart than every other consideration and driven by that is that I seek to please all men in all things that they may be saved and brethren if we are not willing to follow these directives concerning our responsibilities to weaker brethren we show an indifference to the gospel directly and indirectly directly by the offense we may cause to those outside the fold indirectly by disrupting the joy and peace and righteousness of the assembly of God we grieve and quench the spirit and to some degree hinder then the ongoing of the gospel.

49:18 You'll notice now as I conclude the study tonight that most of the directives in these chapters are explicitly or by inference given to the strong and their responsibilities to the weak. You notice that? Now God willing next week we're going to take up as our subject the responsibilities of the weak and there is something to the weak but I'll be able to cover all that in one message and maybe even have to beat it thin at the edges in a couple of places but I've had to condense to get in in two one hour studies the responsibilities that we have to the weak. Now if God's put the preponderant emphasis there

50:02 then that's where we need to put it.

Pastoral Application: Confession, Forgiveness, and Christ as Pattern

50:06 Now I believe if I have any pastoral knowledge of this assembly there are a number of you who in recent years have grown in your understanding of the liberty that is yours in Christ and you may now with thanksgiving before God partake in a way of food in a way of God's gifts in his world in many areas of your life of things which once you looked upon as no-nos. Thank God for that. Others of you have been brought to the Lord in a context where you haven't been crippled with a lot of evangelical legalism. You've been given your liberty and nobody's been there to spy out the liberty that is yours in Christ and I give God

50:51 thanks for that. I know I speak for the other elders. One reason I've delayed in even bringing this series of messages until now is I wanted to sense in my own spirit that the concept of the nature of our liberty in Christ was firmly entrenched lest any should feel that liberty was being snatched away. But I believe that many of you many of us have something yet to learn in the area of our responsibility in the matter of the exercise of that liberty.

51:24 And some of us have to confess before God that we've exercised the liberty carelessly and in so doing some of these things have been true of us. We've usurped God's right of judgment. We've despised the weaker. We've not walked in love.

51:41 We've regarded lightly the purchase of the good. We've misrepresented the property of Christ. We've allowed our good to be evil spoken of. We've misrepresented the great issues of the kingdom of God.

51:49 We've shown indifference to the glory of God and indifference to the spread of the gospel. What do we do? Well, we don't become Roman Catholics and go do a form of evangelical penance. We confess our sin to the Lord.

52:01 In some cases sins of ignorance. We say, Lord, I just didn't see that before. My sin was sin. But Lord, it was a sin of ignorance.

52:10 And there is provision in the blood of Christ for sins of ignorance. They're not false. They're sins. With some of us it's been sins rooted in selfishness.

52:19 And we need to confess to God that selfishness. But we need, having discovered our sins, to look out of ourselves and to Christ for pardon, Christ for cleansing, and then Christ for strength and Christ as our pattern. Isn't that where Paul closes? He says, this is my pattern.

52:38 I am doing this as I follow Christ. Be followers of me. That's what he did in Romans 15. The strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, even as Christ.

52:50 You see, Christ is the beginning, middle, and end of the whole Christian faith. And here we've been at the nerve centers of the most practical things. The old writers would have called it casuistry. It has to do with the matter of regulating conduct in detail according to the scriptural principles.

53:08 But even in the most intimate intricacies of Christian casuistry, there's Christ at the center. And so I plead with you. If God has discovered your sin to you, go to the fountain open for sin and uncleanness. Go to Christ for cleansing.

53:24 Go to Christ for strength. Continually gaze upon Him as the great pattern of selfless accommodation to sinners. My friends, the great accommodation was the incarnation.

53:36 He had every right to remain equal with God in the full undiminished glory of pre-incarnate existence. But the scripture says He thought not this a thing to be selfishly retained, but made Himself of no reputation. Now that's the Christ who has stamped His image upon your heart and is perfecting that image in you by His Spirit. Do I speak to some who know nothing of this liberty?

54:03 You can't receive God's gifts with thanksgiving because you squander them upon your lusts. And all of God's gifts to this present moment have simply intensified your accountability to God because you squander His gifts in a course of self-centeredness and rebellion. Oh, my friend, as I've sought to point His children to their Savior, so I would point you to the same Savior. He receives guilty, bound, helpless sinners who know nothing of the liberty of free access to God through the blood of forgiveness.

54:38 And He bids you to come, to trust Him, to cast yourself upon Him. And He promises that all who come unto Him, He will graciously and freely receive. May the Lord write upon our hearts these directives even as He's promised to do in the New Covenant. I will write my law upon their hearts and cause them to keep my statutes.

55:03 Is it too much to believe that God can give us the continuing experience of an assembly with the weakest of the weak to the strongest of the strong, dwelling together in the bonds of mutual acceptance and self-control? Self-denying love. I don't believe it's too much to expect God can do that.

55:23 May God grant that you, as an individual part of this assembly, will be found submissive to His word. Let us pray.

Closing Prayer and Exhortation

55:38 Our Father,

55:41 we are humbled by Your Word.

55:46 Once again this night we've had our own selfishness, our nearsightedness, our callousness laid bare. And what can we do but cry out,

55:59 Lord, have mercy upon us. We thank You for Your promise if we confess our sins. You are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And, O Lord, where we have failed to comply with the directives given with reference to how we are to conduct ourselves in the presence of the weak, O Father, forgive and cleanse and purge us in the blood of Your Son and grant that measure of grace that we may run in the way of Your commandments.

56:37 Write Your Word upon our hearts for those who know nothing of the liberty that is in Christ Jesus, who are still the slaves of sin and selfishness and pride. O God, will You not take even a practical message geared to Your people and make it a word of saving mercy? For You've said in Your own Word, no word from God shall be void of power. O Father, take even the name of Your Son as it's been preached and make it a stronghold that sinners shall run into it and be safe.

57:16 Seal now to our hearts the new understanding given this day and grant that as we go forth into this coming week we may do so as men and women filled with a new vision of the glory of our selfless Christ. And as we gaze upon Him, may the Holy Spirit transform us into that image from one stage of glory to another. Keep us, O Lord, from the curse of legalism. Don't ever allow this assembly to become a place where the rules of men bind the consciences of other men.

57:52 Father, preserve us from such wickedness. And then we pray You'd preserve us from a careless exercise of liberty. O Lord, may we have the Spirit given by Your Spirit to the Apostle that says that I will eat no meat forever if necessary if it caused my brother to offend. O God, we confess this is not native to us.

58:17 We're too selfish. We don't want anyone to trample upon the circle of our own legitimate liberties. But Lord, You have that right. And we confess ourselves to be Your bondservants.

58:29 O Lord Jesus, as You've given us Your Word, give us new measures of Your Spirit that we may, even as You, seek not our profit, but the profit of others. Hear us now and be with us and grant that we may glorify You in the days of the week that lies before us. We ask through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.