Practice Grace Under the Spirit’s Leadership
Notes
Transcript
Saved, Sanctified and Too Holy for Holidays
Saved, Sanctified and Too Holy for Holidays
Those of us who know Jesus as Savior and Lord, who know the infilling power of the Holy Spirit, who have submitted ourselves and surrendered ourselves to God and have tasted the blessings of holiness have a special responsibility to others.
But it is not the same responsibility we sometimes think:
A newer Christian, or a recently holy-spirit filled Christian, who has been saved from sin and set free from the fear of hell and directed away from the past behaviors of sin, is sometimes so eager to lead others to follow the path that God has laid out for them that they think that anyone who isn’t driven by the same renewed conscience must be continuing to sin. so they have to be corrected.
Saved, sanctified and too holy for holidays, they can be a real pain to be around, because their enthusiasm has not been tempered by love and grace.
We celebrate the amazing work of God in the lives of others, but we must also temper our tendency to make others follow our playbook when it comes to winning the race against sin.
We are to be a . . .
A Grace-Filled Community of Faith
A Grace-Filled Community of Faith
Following the laws of Love laid down by Jesus: Love the Lord your God, Love Your Neighbor, Love One Another.
To be a grace-filled community of faith means that we will be faithful to God, follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, live like Jesus is walking into every room with us, and wanting God’s best plan for our own lives as we encourage others to find God’s best plan for our sisters and brothers.
The way we do that is to encourage their closer relationship to Christ, helping them to discover what is making that difficult, and encouraging by example and lifestyle a model of following Christ that others would gain strength from following. Just consider, how do you want your children or grandchildren to see your walk with Christ? What will encourage them to become dedicated followers of Jesus?
Don’t Be So Right You’re Wrong
Don’t Be So Right You’re Wrong
Lighten Up and Encourage
Lighten Up and Encourage
13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.
Love Must Guide You
Love Must Guide You
14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.
Be An Example of Grace
Be An Example of Grace
16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Good with God, Good with Guys
Good with God, Good with Guys
18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Don’t Let Freedom Be a Trap
Don’t Let Freedom Be a Trap
For yourself or for others.
Some Diets are Spirit-Driven
Some Diets are Spirit-Driven
20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.
Love Enough to Abstain
Love Enough to Abstain
21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
Work It Out with God
Work It Out with God
22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.
God Guides What’s OK
God Guides What’s OK
23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Practicing Grace Under The Spirit’s Leadership
Practicing Grace Under The Spirit’s Leadership
Is a practice of caring more about the conscience of another than about your own freedom.
There is a difference between law and grace. The Bible has enough “thou shalt nots” to keep us on our toes. What Paul is teaching here is about those things of conscience: Vegan, vegetarian, milk, eggs, fish, frog legs, lobster, shrimp, crab, abalone, chicken, rats, rabbit, possum, horse meat, elk, deer, bear, antelope, goat, mutton, lamb, squirrel, veal, beef, buffalo, sausage, sugar, dragonfruit, corn syrup, tomatoes, artichokes, even wine or a touch of alcohol. Of course you should never eat what you are allergic to.
Paul is also addressing the background issue of idolatry and ritual sacrifice. Much of the meat in a 1st-century market had been slaughtered ritually in pagan temples in the name of a false God. Is that OK to eat? Well, if you used to bow before that false God before Christ, you probably need to reject it because of what it represents. Until the Lord gives you spiritual freedom.
For the Jewish Christian, a Kosher diet is appropriate, but not mandated (except when around other Jews). For other Christians, there is nothing wrong with a Kosher diet but it is not a matter of salvation.
We have some cultural standards in the Church of God in North America that are designed to avoid any appearance of evil: generally, we don’t drink alcoholic beverages so no one can claim we are ever drunk; we don’t use tobacco for smoking or chewing, because it is proven to be abusive to the body and intrusive to others. Not only that, both alcohol and tobacco use up resources that the family may need for basic life. And, a home clear of tobacco products and alcoholic beverages will never offend another Christian. And by the way, it’s OK to let your guests know that if they must smoke, it needs to be outside.
Our goal as Christians is to set a Christ-like example, to avoid judging matters of conscience, and to encourage growth in practices of faith. Why? because we love one another enough to care about their spiritual growth and peace with God.
Sometimes we need to be reminded that our own freedoms in Christ are not yet a matter of freedom for one of our sisters or brothers. Grace is better than judgement, Love is better than Law.