Drinking and Christian Liberties - Tim Conway

Lord Jesus we can hardly imagine you'd give us the time of day at all but you call us friend servants yes though we be you call us friends you actually want to be friends with us and what a friend you are we thank you for all you are to us Lord just as my brother was speaking about we just we thank you for the patience that you have with us all the blunders all the falls all the backwardness we come to you just as we are but Oh Lord we cast ourselves on you that resurrection power might flow and course through our veins that we would be changed and transformed people arising in the newness of life and all that that can be we pray for the power of God that sin might not have dominion that the devil may not hold sway help us to live as the free people we are all may you help us to live worthy of him who calls us friend amen I'd like you to turn in your Bibles to Romans 14 Romans chapter 14 I recognize that the Apostle Paul he was very pastoral he had the care of all the churches he wasn't just a pastor of one he was pastoral towards a number of churches and it's apparent to me that with the church at Rome and the church at Corinth that he had Christian Liberty issues and it's been interesting how John and I recently we were talking over some of the situations in the church and John made the comment that sounds like Corinth and it's interesting that when you get when you get first-generation Christians and a lot of young people I don't think it's surprising that we would likewise have the same kind of issues obviously the Scriptures bill written 2,000 years ago address us where we are and many of the pastoral concerns though they may take a little different flavor little different colors hue in our day you know what the route we have many of the same problems that crop up time and again and I feel like I want to deal with Christian Liberty today I want to tell you a story back about ten years ago when we were located over on hackberry perhaps ten years ago we had an issue arise in our church only just a few of you are gonna remember this because most of you weren't here most of you probably have never heard about this situation some of you have heard that in our early days we had a number of people make professions or come around in the church who died not just one not just to not just three maybe like four people who had come under the sound of the word we're very quickly dead after that and not in a good way they came under the sound of the gospel they made professions and they perished let me tell you about one of them he and his wife had family in the church they were involved in all manner of sexual immorality though they were married they had had various other partners they were involved in drugs hardcore drugs heroin just really messed up life heavy drinking they had family in the church so the gospel was coming at them on on a fairly regular basis over the years in fact even when we were out at a community there was I remember that there was some contact with these folks anyways here we are we've got this work downtown this family is in the church and this man and his wife outside the church living all this wicked lifestyle they're being evangelized that so they start coming they start showing up at GCC and before long it seems like perhaps they're being affected and influenced by the by the gospel they both begin to profess we never did bring her into membership it just I had no confidence that God had saved her but with him it seemed more positive we baptized him we brought him into the membership of the church well let me tell you something about what happened to him or maybe more to the fact something that didn't happen to him as a professing Christian he did not put away the use of alcohol now how much he didn't is is another question but he didn't he didn't get rid of it and what happened was some in the church immediately began to suspect his claim to Christianity while others wanted to be more patient and you know what happened in the midst of all this a doctrinal dispute erupted and you can imagine over what the question on the table was is it even right appropriate for a Christian to consume alcoholic beverages at all that was the question that got to put on the table and as I remember it it was it was a rather contentious dispute and it went on for some time that's what that's what surfaced in the midst of that whole event I was somewhat in the middle of that whole thing not really wanting to say a whole lot but very concerned about this man who is now a member of the church I was watching both sides go back and forth and trying to be somewhat of an intercessor here because I really felt like the fact that that argument was on the table was missing the heart of the matter I showed up at this man's house on a Saturday evening and I found him slobbering drunk and the next day I sat him down before the elders which we had to at that time and after a long talk we dismissed him from the membership of the church as lost and shortly after thereafter he died of a heroin overdose in more recent days it's come to my attention you know it's interesting as a pastor I know that I don't know a lot of what goes on in the church I know that but I know that what I do know is usually the tip of the iceberg a lot of times and I try to stay plugged in with where people are at but I still know that there are things that happen that but there has been a level of discussion on the table in these days again about whether Christians drinking alcoholic beverages is within our Christian Liberty or not it's gone even further than that it's obviously on the table because there are those in the church that are experimenting with drinking alcoholic beverage I say experimenting they're doing it and it's happening or it has happened at times and on occasions in front of brand-new converts and it has happened in front of lost folks and it has happened in front of new converts who come out of a background of heavy drinking I know that and it's happened in front of some people that lost or saved may even be struggling right now or it's happened within the earshot so what I want to do this morning is I want to you know what is it is this the right thing is this a good thing as a pastoral thing is this appropriate thing it certainly is Christian Liberty is important it's important enough to come up a lot in first Corinthians it comes up in the books where there's there's an issue with Christian maturity and and so I think it's it's befitting at this point in time for us to deal with it I'd like you to look at Romans chapter 14 and verse 13 therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer now you have to recognize that that comment is being made in light of what comes in Romans 14 1 through 12 which there Paul is dealing with observing a day or not observing a day eating meat or not eating meat now you have to understand right off if you read through the Epistle to the Roman Church you will find in some places Gentiles are directly spoken to and you will find in some places Jews are directly spoken to you know why obviously the makeup of the church at Rome was both Jew and Gentile and you can understand how Jews and Gentiles you get them saved put them together in a church and you're gonna have some issues why because the Jew comes out of a background where he's used to eating and kosher fashion there are certain things forbidden him by the Mosaic law a Jew didn't eat pork what else didn't they they didn't eat shrimp shellfish yeah they didn't do it so you've got that kind of dietary laws that are in these people's minds in their culture they've been ingrained in them Peter said Lord I've never touched anything unclean but then on the other hand you've got the Gentiles and you can imagine that there would have been issues there they were used to the temple worship and now they come to find out that some meat a good hunk of beef over here that a Jew has no problem with him believe in idols there's only one God he can partake of that but that but the Gentile who's used to that kind of background doesn't want to touch that meat because he knows it was bought at the temple butcher shop you can tell there would have been issues and that's often the time you have those of the weak those that are strong those that come from one background those that come from another and so in different areas we might be it's by strong means maybe you have a better understanding of what truly is right and wrong but we all have areas where because of our background certain things kind of you know there's a cloud associated with it it's coming out of there and you can understand the observance of days you know the Gentiles had their own series of religious days and the Jews would have had theirs you know when they first came in they were used to practicing the festivals there was so you can see how food and drink and days would have been very prominent in the kind of things in that day between the Jews and the Gentiles that all mix together in a church now that they would be having issue with it's coming out of that that he says these words he got done saying to them look don't stand in judgment of one another because the truth is there are people that can do the thing and do it to the honor of the Lord and there are people who don't do it they don't do it to the honor of the Lord and quit judging each other we're gonna stand before God on Judgment Day we all have to do it we all have to stand there we stand or fall before our own master so stop judging each other and these issues now notice therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer but rather these are the verses here to the end of the chapter that I really want to deal with decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother 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 that's a that's a pretty general principle for living the Christian life if you think something is wrong it is wrong even if it isn't wrong why because if you think it's wrong and you do it you think you are violating the will of God and if you go do it even if it's something God does give you Liberty you're doing it thinking God has not given you Liberty and it is rebellion you see I mean if my child if I give my child Liberty to do something but my child thinks I haven't they go ahead and do it anyways and I find out after the fact that's what happened I see that my child doesn't have any respect for my authority even though it was something I actually gave him Liberty to do it's the same way with the Lord because it's the heart that matters not the thing itself it's the heart that matters and if you go ahead and do what you think God forbids you from doing your heart is against God that's the issue here so verse 15 for if your brother is grieved in other words if he thinks something's unclean if he's grieved by what you eat you're no longer walking in love by what you eat do not destroy the one for whom Christ died destruction is on the table here folks so do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil for the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit in fact the title of my message is what the kingdom of God is all about that is the highlight text in my estimation of this whole section verse 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 verse 18 whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men so then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding 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 it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble 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 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 now I want to make how many I guess I have six observations that I want to bring out of this here's the first one these verses definitely do deal with drinking wine that's the first thing I'm not dealing with verses that don't deal with this these verses do deal with this subject and you can see in verse 21 it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble now I just want you to see in verse 21 drinking wine is indeed on the now don't yet get hung up on whether God gives Liberty to drink it or not just notice that it is at least one of the things that Paul is thinking about in these verses it's drinking wine he's talking about alcoholic beverages now here's one thing I want you to know about this word wine this one in specific specifically used here in verse 21 it's the kind of wine that people can get drunk on you say how do you know that or why do you even want to make that point I want to make that point because there's a lot of folks out there today saying that wine in the New Testament was nothing more than purified sanitized water and some of you have undoubtedly heard that teaching that is not true I mean there are different words used for wine I recognize this one here that's on the table is the kind of wine that can get you drunk you say how do you know that I know that because the same word is used in Luke 7 remember this verse 33 John the Baptist came eating no bread drinking no wine and you say he has a demon the Son of man has come eating and drinking and you say look at him a glutton and a drunkard a friend of tax collectors and sinners what kind of wine was Jesus drinking that somebody would even be able to make that accusation not sanitized water I assure you second it's the same word for wine used in John chapter 2 when the wine ran out at the wedding Jesus turned water into wine the master of ceremony said it's good wine that doesn't mean sanitized water that means the kind of wine you drink at a wedding that's really good the second or the third text that I would bring out here same word for wine Paul says in ephesians 5:18 do not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery but be filled with the spirit same word he obviously is talking about wine that can give you get you drunk he says don't get drunk with line so my point in emphasizing that these verses contain the same word is to make this point it's not just sanitized water that's not the point being made here Jesus would not get the title slanderously given to him I'll be it but he would not get it if he was just drinking water that had a couple drops of wine in it to get the bacteria so I want you to see that now look at verse 17 the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the holy spirit I just want you to see the word drinking because obviously we can drink milk we can drink grape juice we can drink water but when he's talking eating and drinking here in verse 17 obviously if we let the context define the meaning for us verse 21 says that the kind of drinking he has in mind is the drinking of alcoholic beverage namely wine so I mean that's my first point I want you all to see that drinking wine the kind of wine that can get a person drunk it's being talked about in these verses specifically verses 17 and 21 carry the idea of drinking wine that's what's on the table here so my second point these verses are obviously speaking about more than wine look at the look at verse 21 it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble anything meat if you go look through this chapter meat is spoken of meat or eating is spoken of about 14 times the idea of drinking only twice eating in Paul's day was a far more severe matter that was on the table I have a feeling if Paul lived in our day you'd have drinking 14 times and eating twice because the truth is I know we get eating hang-ups and certainly there there were in that day and there can still be today but drinking tends to be more of a matter but anything this is dealing with anything that has the possibility of causing a brother to stumble and I'll tell you we need to be sensitive to the idols people had in their past you may be able to freely partake of sports but sports can be idle to people and if it was an idle to people and they get saved and you bring them over to your house to watch the football game don't do that don't do it be sensitive to that be sensitive to the idols people had in the past but this is dealing with anything not just alcohol but that that's my second point first one this is dealing with the kind of wine that gets people drunk the second point is it's not only speaking about wine it's speaking about anything that may be a stumbling block towards a brother or sister now here's the third thing Paul puts drinking wine in the category of Christian liberty he simply does and you you cannot view the fact from these verses verse 14 and verse 20 are pretty clear verse 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 verse 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 when he says nothing is unclean in itself in verse 14 and everything is indeed clean we know wine is in that category why because it's one of the things he brings up that you can have a Liberty to do but can be a stumbling block for other people that's very clear it falls into the realm remember how Paul says it over in 1st Corinthians 6 all things are lawful but not all things are helpful all things are lawful for me but not all things build up not all things are profitable not are in 1st Corinthians 6 it's not not all things are freeing not all things are necessarily he's not going to be dominated by anything look I want you to think folks Jesus Christ in his first miracle turned water into wine and you know what you ought to see in that is well there it is Jesus is giving me liberty undoubtedly undoubtedly he is but think about all the things I was just I was just talking to one of the brothers and and talking to my wife about this very thing it's it's amazing that when Jesus Christ came into this world the first thing he didn't do was you know fly like a speeding bullet or jump buildings in a single bound like a Superman see Superman does those things because he's the creation of men but when God sends his own son into the world the very first miracle that he would have himself the radiance of the glory of God the Express image of his nature and he sends his son to a wedding to turn water into wine if that isn't a picture of the power of God yes but also just the goodness of God God wants the joy of people he saves us for our joy the oh yeah there are other reasons but God comes into this world in the four of man and what does he do he feeds men he gives them to drink he heals their bodies I mean he he's a lover of men he he has in my man's good and man's joy he really does I mean think it's his first miracle not just one in a long way it's the first if that doesn't speak something about the heart of God so certainly certainly it falls into the category of that which is clean I mean in and of itself it's clean romans 14 makes the case and Jesus didn't turn water into wine to encourage anybody to sin and drunkenness clearly not but look I'll tell you this even elders and deacons in a church are not forbid from drinking the Deacons in this church can't can't be given to lots of it that would be bad David you got that okay elders are not supposed to be drunkards but they're not forbidden altogether so it does fall into the realm of that which is clean now forth and I want you to see this you really need to get this some other this point might be saying okay I heard it brother Tim gave us all liberty why the Super Bowl parties today are gonna be fun everything's inked everything's clean we see it in Romans 14 and so what we do is we have our spiritual checklist okay allowable not allowable I'll call check excuse me we've got our checklists if there's anything the Apostle Paul does not want you to do its to live the Christian life that way not at all and a lot of people do a lot of people live their life with the checklist you think about fundamentalists you know the kind of lots of Baptists from the south dancing not allowable smoking not allowable I remember Lester roll-off he was one of these old fundamentalist preachers he used to be down in Corpus Christi when I first moved down here his on the radio he would he outlawed chewing gum not allowable even medicine when he'd get a cold or something no medicine and that's not allowable a lot of people live their Christian life that way the check lists you know what's right what's not right God does not want you living your life with a list of do's and don'ts why how do I know that because Romans 14 says you know what as soon as you say Christmas that's bad I come from a background like I did out of Catholicism and Christmas with something I shunned but you know what as soon as you say observing that day is bad and I'm doing it under the Lord and you make that a capital rule for everybody it's bound you know what the Apostle Paul says here's a guy over here that's gonna observe it and he does it to the honor of the Lord and don't judge him you see as soon as you put it on your checklist what he's saying is your checklist isn't the same as the next guys you have no universal checklist and even what might be right or wrong at one point in time might change because there's a lot of other factors it's not just is this thing right or wrong thank you very much I mean I know you know I told you John MacArthur he was my mentor in the beginning he observe Christmas I couldn't do it but he did it and you see as soon as you say eating this food it's bad see what he's saying is who are you to stand in judgment who are you to judge if that guy over there wants to enjoy a soda he may be enjoying that soda the glory of the Lord you're standing there all judgemental thinking well if he knew anything about health he wouldn't be drinking that it's like the Jews saying man if they knew anything about what it was to be godly they wouldn't eat Biedenharn on that pig bone over there but that's a and Paul was saying God does not want you to live your lives that way this is not about a bunch of list not at all not at all and the same holds true for chewing gum and for alcohol and for sports and for retirement accounts and for having insurance or not and on and on I'm in this list you don't want you don't want to live your life that way you don't want to live your life with alcohol just you know you get in your crowd well is it right or is it wrong you see that's what happened when this guy came into the church and suddenly he was drinking and everybody's wanting to argue about is it right or is it wrong and it's like that's not even the issue you've got a man that comes out of a background like that and it's a snare to his soul even if you've got Liberty the last thing you ought to be doing is telling the guy how Christians have Liberty to drink that's not what he needs to hear this it goes deeper this isn't just again that's that's my fourth point the New Testament is not just a bunch of lists so 5 takes me to verse 17 the kingdom of God the kingdom of God is not a matter of lists I mean here you have it verse 17 this is the heart of the matter remember drinking in this verse that the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the holy spirit and you remember if you could look down in verse 21 drinking here is obviously dealing with wine now it might be dealing with something else that could cause people to stumble too but in his mind it's it would be wine the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking the kingdom of God is a matter of righteousness and peace and joy in the holy spirit now think about the kingdom of God where are we going with this that think of some things said about the kingdom of God Luke tells us the kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed it's not a kingdom that's of this world jesus said My Kingdom is not of this world it's a kingdom you can't see it's a kingdom that's in our midst but you can't see it it's a kingdom that must be entered we're told the kingdom of God is at hand we had to repent and believe repentance and faith is the way you get in enter the kingdom the kingdom is constantly talked about being entered you have to become like a little child or you cannot enter you must be born again or you cannot enter we're to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness it is a kingdom of power Jesus says you have this kind of thing thy kingdom come Thy will be done now by the kingdom of God Paul does not mean the realm of God's rule universally is God in control of everything certainly is the kingdom of God is not just simply a statement on the sovereignty of God the kingdom of God is somewhere where you enter in other words you can be outside the kingdom of God that doesn't mean that you're outside of the realm of gods domination Jesus said to one man you're close to the kingdom what does that mean he's not yet in the place where God reigns no he's in the place God reigns the kingdom of God here does not just mean God's realm of sovereignty the kingdom of God is the place where God is submitted to willingly submitted to you enter by becoming like a little child it's those who are broken those who are surrendered that come in thy kingdom come Thy will be done his kingdom is that realm of those who enter who submit to his rule that's the idea there's other ways that we can describe it but clearly those are it's a powerful realm it's the realm of salvation it's the realm where you come when you're saved this is the kingdom of God it's about living the Christian life that's what he means when he says the kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking he means when you become a Christian and you're now surrendered to God and you're living as one who is in Christ and following Christ and one of Christ you're living under his domain under his rule you call him Lord Lord and you do what he says his word abides in you his kingdom has come to you and his will is being done you are those who are now surrendered to it it is it this does not mean that people that get saved don't eat and drink when he says the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but it's a matter of righteousness it's a matter of peace it's a matter of joy what he means is one matters and one doesn't matter you never want to put one over and above the other that's what he's speaking about the kingdom of God listen the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness peace and joy in the whole spirit Kingdom people you never want to live your life elevating food and drink and whether you do it or don't do it above the things that really matter you see when you ever get together and you get together well everybody feel okay about us drinking I mean do you all believe we have Christian liberty that's not it it you should not be sitting down and just saying well I'm the checklist of do's and don'ts does this fall all over in our category what he's saying is when that becomes the chief motivator you've missed it because that's not what the kingdom is about listen if that's how you're trying to determine whether to drink or not he's saying you don't understand Kingdom life all right the kingdom of God when you come together if you're gonna have a camping trip you're gonna have a fishing trip you're gonna have a get-together you're gonna go all get over have people come over and you're going to do something what he's saying is if you're gonna be involved as a kingdom person and the things that really matter the thing chief and far most on your mind is not how far can we go with Christian Liberty it's looking at one another insane if we get together how can I be used most to encourage righteousness and my brothers and sisters peace with God and joy in the Holy Spirit how can I do that you see it's about up building brethren it's that's what happens all through here look at verse 13 never put a stumbling block or a hindrance in the way of a brother look at verse 15 if your brother is grieved by what you eat you're no longer walking in love by what you eat do not destroy the one for whom Christ died or verse 19 so then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up building did you get this if you look at verse 13 you never want to put a stumbling block it's a stumbling block a stumbling block is something some but he trips over it's something if you are running along and you stumble over something it hurts it knocks you down and it takes you out of the race at least momentarily and you can might get up and you might brush yourself off but it slowed you if you're running a race do you want to keep hitting things and falling over as a guy that's gonna run the marathon and win the guy that keeps tripping over the curb and falling down somebody keeps throwing bricks out in front of his way he falls down smashes his head on the pavement that's not the way you win you don't want stumbling blocks if you really want to win don't put stumbling blocks in the way of others don't that's one of the chief things you need to be thumbing backs to what righteousness and peace and joy that's that's where the his the heart of the matter is in these verses you want to encourage righteous you want to encourage them to run this this life of faith as best as they can don't put a stumbling block and look in 15 you're no longer walking in love if if all you are about is your Christian Liberty and you don't care what this does to somebody else you're not loving lay it down that's what he's saying you're not loving you're not really concerned you're more concerned about how far you can live out there on the edge you're more concerned about your own liberties it's like get out of the way man I don't really care about you I might have fun this is what I want to do and I don't care how this affects you that's unloving verse 19 a building verse 20 don't destroy the work of God don't hinder the work of God and this can go outside of just your brother don't hinder the work of God you see God at work in a lost person what do you want to do you want to start drinking in front of him do you think you're gonna be the powerful witness if that's what you're doing listen I know for a fact that drinking or at least the knowledge that Christians have been drinking have come to the ears of some that are struggling some that are new converts that have come from a background where drinking was a problem and drinking has been taking place in some of in front of some of the lost people that some in this church have desperately pleaded with God for their souls for months and years and some of you are drinking in front of them and it's a stumbling block to the lost person because the lost person has said so that's not love you're hindering the work of God in the name of liberty this is exactly what these verses were put in our Bibles for that's wrong that's wrong do you not see verse 16 so do not let what you regard is good be evil spoken of do not let what you regard is good be spoken of as evil do you see what he's saying there's something you consider to be good you say I think Jesus drank alcoholic beverage I think he made water into wine and I don't think in and of itself there's anything wrong with it I think it's clean I think it's good okay it's good Paul says don't let what you regard is good be spoken of as evil well how is you how would it ever be spoken of as evil because you do it in front of a weaker brother or a lost guy that the Lord might be working on and what you do though it may be a permissible Liberty it may actually be it's suddenly spoken of as evil because it is evil because what you're doing isn't right the good thing that you're taking liberty that maybe you do have permissible Liberty look he goes on to say here he goes on to say in verse 22 whatever faith you have in certain areas you have between yourself and God that that doesn't mean my faith in Jesus Christ and I should just keep that between me and God never tell anybody the gospel that's not what that means that means the faith towards this if you believe that this is right keep it between you and God and don't let it be known to the guy that might stumble don't brethren here's the thing think with me here this is not legalism this is kingdom living and and here's the thing I want this church I never want it to be given to legalism legalism will kill the church legalism will get biting and devouring it'll get people thinking they're superior to others we don't want any legalism but listen on the other hand we want to run this race as fast as we can as well as we can as fruitful as we can and I'll tell you this you have a bunch of guys over say you even let's say you had five guys get together and they decide they're gonna pull out beer and watch a game if two or three of those guys they look at that and they just feel in their soul like you know I don't really see that this is wrong and I recognize you guys have Liberty and if you do this it's not like I'm gonna stumble head over heels but if they look at it and they say but you know what it drops the bar just a little bit on what on what the cleanest best Christianity looks like and they say well they're doing it I'll do it and so you and you in their minds you get them to drop the bar just a little bit you get them to come down and you know what you multiply that times a hundred times where you get people in the church that are just there backing away they're backing away little bits by little bits you ever read what the Apostle Paul said to the Philippians in chapter 1 verse 9 of that epistle he desired and he prayed for them that their love might abound more and more with all knowledge and discernment that they would approve the things that are excellent and you know what happens when you get people who are constantly coming off the bar of excellence well we got freedom and you know what it may be that somebody like Christ could sit down and maintain the bar of excellence but if we live in a day and an age and in a generation where a bunch of guys sitting around drinking in most people's mind is dropping the bar of what the hardest runners in Christianity should look like then it's bad it's wrong you don't want to be the example of dropping the bar all the time look I know you can look through history somebody can dig up and say well Spurgeon drank but I'll tell you if I various things have come back obviously at times he did but my understanding is once he recognized what kind of influence he was having with other people he stopped I know there William Carey and his cohorts there they'd shoot rum before they went to bed and you can read it and I have a feeling it was so hot and they didn't have air-conditioning they did it to sleep you can a you can obviously come up with these arguments but and these were men who maintained as it would appear the very height of excellence but you know as well as I do that there are things we associate in our generation with that which is not Christian we associate with look if you if in your own mind you think if you've got five guys together and they're there and their chief desire is we want to get together and we want to promote righteousness and peace and joy you tell me is it going to be five guys sitting around drinking drinking a 12-pack of Budweiser is that in your mind what is bringing that out drawing that out is that what's excelling and you see the thing is we we got to be mindful here you've got to be mindful about your actions how can you help the brothers and build them up because if you're taking the edge off you're not building them up you're dulling them if you're and look if you drink in front of a brand new convert you shouldn't even do that at all if you've got a young man young lady that just recently been converted why in the world would you do that in front of them why not out of love and especially if you've got a new convert that came from a background of drunkenness you would never do that not if you're thinking about their good their righteousness their joy you would never do that and then drinking in front of somebody that's law especially somebody that you know people in the church have been pleading before God that they would be saved who in their own testimony have said it's bothered them to see Christians doing this just hindering the work of God that is not love that is not a building that does not promote peace between that sinner and God that promotes wrath why because you may be hardening them in their sin by your example and if you don't think that's true our witness our example can harden sinners in their sin all the more and they're looking for opportunity to do that a lot of times blameless brethren blameless and that is not blameless don't let your good be evil spoken of and the way it's come back to my ear is some of your good can be evil spoken of because it's not good anymore it is evil it's not helpful to this church and it's not helpful to our running I'm not being legalistic and saying there isn't a place for liberty I'm saying when you're doing in front of other people especially when you're taking the edge off in their minds and you're getting people to do that if we get people to to see how far out we can go to be like the world how far out we can go to to enjoy our liberties and then do it in front of other people and actually encourage more and more it can begin to snowball and before you know it multiply a hundred times multiply it a thousand times and we have people living like that and suddenly you know what happens this becomes a kind of church you don't want to be a part of and I don't want to be a part of because it's taken Christian liberties to the place where its destructive its dulling it's slowing it takes the edge off president we want to do everything to encourage that edge to be sharp and for us to run as fast as we possibly can righteousness Brethren Kingdom living is about righteousness you need to be thinking about one another I mean if you're really thinking is there any look you don't you do not want to get to the place where you just blow people off when you're making your decisions can you see from these verses love faith working through love Paul said to the Galatians circumcision nothing but you know he didn't stop there he said uncircumcision is nothing in other words what well wait if we're not supposed to be circumcised any more than uncircumcision should be good no he says all of it's nothing because again all you're doing is coming back to Liss is it right or is it wrong that's not it that's not it he says the heart of the matter is when you have faith in Jesus Christ and what you believe works out in love that's what matters brethren we have to be thinking all the time I know I do just but all of us we're not an island to ourself everybody's being watched by everybody and your example can help people run this race better or it can slow them down and this is it like I said this does this is anything that might be a stumbling block and whether it's a majors you know somebody can stumble and fall down dead that's why it says don't destroy because you can be an example that can destroy other people yeah I think with me the Apostle Paul stands before Felix is the second most important thing that you would say before a governor self-control would that be the second most important thing you would think of it was the second most important thing Paul thought of why because it's that important rather we can we we can destroy people this is an important deal it's important in the life of the church we need the highest examples again not legalism but in everything everything brethren we need to be asking is this going to slow others down is my example here gonna take the edge off it's my example here gonna harm somebody is it possible you don't even need to be able to assure yourself that it's the case but is it possible remember his desire for our love we pursue excellence excellence brethren do you want mediocrity then you push all the limits just push all the limits and you end up mediocre the athlete look you know what I grew up with a bunch of athletes but we were all heavy drinkers and drug users in high school guess what my high school sports teams were always mediocre you know why because these guys weren't committed to the point you need to be committed if you really want to be winners it's the same thing that's just a physical example but it's the same thing brethren we need to push the limits of excellence not of mediocrity if you have Liberty to do something do it between yourself and God and don't do it where it's ever gonna damage this church and I mean the people that make it up not not the institution the people love them be the highest example they're people that Christ that's what it's the same there these are these are people that have been bought by Christ and we are responsible for one another don't be a bad example strive brethren excel you think about it next time you're going to get together with anybody and this might be a possibility think think righteousness peace joy it's this what's gonna just blossom out of this because I can tell you this I can tell you this do you know what has come back to my ears that's happened when these things have been happening the limits have been crossed in sexual purity the limits have been crossed in the kind of movies that are being watched is it promoting righteousness it's not and you know it any of you involved in it you know it it's not if if there is Liberty to drink and I believe there is what you're doing with it is not excellent and it ought to be evil spoken of it has encouraged things in this church which are not good they're not wholesome they're not righteous they don't engender peace and they don't flood people with the kind of joy that Paul's talking about all brethren god help us here Christian Liberty may it be influenced by love your checklist all of them of course every one of us we have to come to point where we recognize things as right or wrong but it should be it's not this steadfast dogmatic list it needs to be changing all the time excuse me because everything I'm doing I should look over my shoulder to see who's watching and say I love that brother I love that sister how is this gonna affect them I want to affect them the best way I possibly can and run that way that's the way Christ taught us to walk do you remember he washed the feet and he loved he's I've given you an example love is the example we are to love the Brethren love them love one another think think think not how can I enjoy my liberties to the greatest possibility because then all you're thinking about is you but think about others think think think enjoy your liberties I mean there's a place it says that food was made so that we as believers we can enjoy it and to the praise and the thanksgiving to God he's given us all things to enjoy and by all means what you do and what you have Liberty to do do it to the glory of God give him thanks for it if you can enjoy your your dr. pepper enjoy it under the Lord give Him glory but be careful that brethren our love needs to be ready to say I will put that away in a second if it'll help you that's what Paul's saying he said I won't eat I won't drink if it's gonna harm you at all I won't do it and help us help us brethren if you see somebody else being an example that's bad in the church talk to him if you see me doing something that you say that's not a good example for others I mean especially the more people are in leadership the more they need to tow the line brother I expect you come to me please come to me if you see me doing something that you say that is not a good example brethren for this her brother for this church come to me please tell me let's be faithful to one another that way that's what I'm wanting to do to the church today just be faithful to have us think on what's most important righteousness peace joy the kingdom of God is not a matter of right and wrong and lists and eating or not eating it's much bigger than that so god help us god help us to enjoy our liberties and God help us to love one another to strive after excellence amen

Channel: I'll Be Honest

Views: 23,599

Rating: 4.7510729 out of 5

Keywords: tim conway, romans 14, convictions, eating, drinking, wine, Christian, righteousness, church

Id: 3WOs-EKqS7A

Length: 63min 18sec (3798 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 10 2013