11 June, 2000

Am I My Brother's Keeper?

1 Corinthians 10

Just in case any of you missed Wednesday night's Bible study, we heard some neat stories about some local men of God, and their preaching.
David got to telling about this Presbyterian minister that was well known in Blountville years ago, and how at some point in his sermon, he always talked about how smoking and drinking.
And the comment was made that when the old preacher got going, he could really shuck down the corn.

Later that night, while fellow shipping with a few of the brethern and sistern at Arby's, and munching on a cheddar melt roast beef, I got to thinking out loud, and realized that I had never preached on smoking and drinking. Never did.
Maybe that's what I really needed to do, to become a genuine Blountville preacher, was preach a sermon on smoking and drinking.
Isaac was there with us, he told me that was a great idea, but first I had to go find some corn, so that I could stand off to one side of the pulpit, and shuck it down while I was preaching.
Unfortunately, it's the wrong time of the year. It will be at least a couple more months before the corn will be ready to shuck down. Sorry.

But what do the scriptures say? Will smoking and drinking send you to hell?
If you have your Bibles with you today, and I hope you do, turn to 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 1.
To teach the Word of God correctly, (and that's the only acceptable option) every pastor has to be careful not to fall into either of two opposite errors.
One error is to fail to go as far as the Bible teaches, to white wash or "spiritualize" difficult passages, or "sanitize" politically incorrect topics.
Churches that prefer that sort of preaching and teaching are known as liberal churches. By the grace of God, we will not be one of them
The other, opposite error is to go further than the Bible goes, and in our zeal for religion, because of our own opinions or preferences, to go farther than what God has set down for what is true, for what is right and wrong.
That was the error of the Pharisees, and churches that go off in that direction become legalistic. By the grace of God, we will not go that way either.
For some of you here today, this sermon will go too far, and you will be uncomfortable. It will seem too strict.
For others of you, it will not go far enough. It will fall short of what you would like to hear. It will not be as strict as you would like.
Either way, it doesn't matter, because my job description is not to give you preaching that will please you, --- or beat you up.
My job is to set forth the Word of God faithfully, truly, and in such a way that the Holy Spirit can use that Word to make you more like Jesus.

Starting in 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 1, Paul recounts how all the Israelites that came out of Egypt had the exact same religious experience.
All of them were delivered from Egypt, but many of them never made it to the promised land.
Some failed because of idolatry, some because of testing God, a lack of faith, some because of departing from God's covenant and taking foreign women, committing both a literal and spiritual fornication.
Then in verse 11, Paul explains why God allowed these things to happen the way they did.

He says; " Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.- referring to our particular age, the church's time frame.
It happened to them back then, as an object lesson for us now.
Verse 12; "Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
I speak as to wise dudes; judge,- contemplate, meditate- on what I say."

Flee from idolatry. Paul sums up all the things that tripped up the Israelites with just one word; idolatry.
Not just idol worshiping, although some of them did that, but also wanting strange women more than the holiness of God, or preferring the foods that they had eaten in Egypt, to being fed by God,
or not having as much water as they expected, a lack of physical comfort, preferring the things of the flesh more than the things of God.
Even preferring their own opinion of how to do things over the leading of the Holy Spirit, even when the actual presence of God was leading them in a pillar of cloud or fire.
Paul refers to it all by just one word; idolatry. Things we prize more highly than God.

Miriam gave a wonderful example of that Wednesday night during her testimony.
One the things that she mentioned, was how she knew that before she could commit herself to Christ, she would have to make up her mind that she would give up smoking.
She knew that she had to want Jesus more than she wanted to smoke.
Smoking was like an idol to her. The same as the things that the Israelites loved more than they loved the things of God. That's idolatry.
I remember talking to my mother years ago about her salvation, and she addressed the issue sort of from an angle.
Rather than confront the issue of her personal salvation head on, she said that if she started going to church, she would have to give up drinking beer. And she was not willing to do that.
In the context of what Paul is teaching here, beer had become something more important than following God, it had become an idol.
Eventually my mother did quit smoking and drinking, and made a profession of faith, and I am hoping that I will see her again in Glory.

Now I tell those two examples to illustrate the question: will smoking and drinking send you to hell?
They certainly will; but not merely of themselves. Follow with me closely and see what the Bible teaches.
Look a little farther along in the chapter to verse 23; "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not."
When Paul says that all things are lawful for him, he is taking the position that if the Bible does not forbid it, then it is lawful.
Does the Bible forbid idolatry? Yes, Idolatry is unlawful. Does the Bible forbid fornication? Yes, that is unlawful also.
Does the Bible say anywhere that it is wrong to breathe the smoke of burning leaves?
Not that I know of. Can you find me a chapter and verse? Anybody?
How about if we take the leaves and stick them in our mouths and set them on fire, and then breath the smoke; does the Bible say that's wrong?
Not that I could find. Does that make it lawful according to Paul's definition?
Sure, absolutely; it is lawful from the Scriptures to stick leaves in your mouth, and set them on fire, and breathe the smoke. Now read the rest of the verse.

"Not everything is expedient, all things are lawful, but not everything edifies."
The word "expedient" is from a Greek word that means to bring things together to make something profitable, adding things up to make something worthwhile.
Edifying here means to build up, or strengthen the Christian growth and wisdom of ourselves, but especially other believers even more than ourselves.
Verse 24 even explains verse 23; "Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth", we would say another's welfare, or their good.
When we go around putting leaves in our mouths, and setting them on fire so that we can breath the smoke, how does that build up other Christians?
How does going around with burning leaves in our mouth contribute to the good of other Christians, or the good of anybody, for that matter?
Maybe that's why the Bible doesn't mention smoking; when you ask the question that way, the answer sort of supplies itself. To ask the right question is to automatically come up with the right answer.

The real question is not so much "what can I lawfully do", although that is a reasonable question, the question must also be framed in the idea of "what is going to strengthen my brother or sister in the body of Christ?"
"What can I do, to build up the Body of Christ? Is there some game plan, some track that I can run on to do that?"
Sure, turn over to chapter 9, and verse 19.

Paul is explaining here how even though he is not obligated to do anything, he is entirely free, that gives him the freedom to choose to do whatever it takes to build up others.
Verse 19 says; "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;" Was Paul obligated to keep the Jewish law himself? No.
Paul says that even though the Jewish law is not binding on him, he will still do everything that it requires so that he does not stumble up the people that he is trying to teach and preach to, the Jews.
Verse 21; "To them that are without law, (the Gentiles) as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."
Paul is saying that all things are lawful to him, he has tremendous liberty to do all kinds of things, but he is willing to deliberately give up his freedom, his rights, in order to build up the Body of Christ.
His plan of action is to see what is edifying, what is expedient for other people, and then use his freedom to go and do that.

Now: we have already determined that smoking is not in the Bible, but drinking is, and we need to see how Paul handled that.
Turn to Romans 14 and verse 1; "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations."
Paul mentioned weak people back in 1 Corinthians 9, what does he mean by weak in the faith?
Some people think that a weak Christian is someone with poor self control, and a strong Christian is someone that is very self disciplined, but that is not what it means at all.
Since we need to know exactly what it means, lets just read through this passage; "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations."
Some people want to argue about Bible doctrines that have very little or no Scriptural basis. Paul says not to do that.
This whole passage is to teach us the alternative to that; verse 2; " For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs."

Notice here that Paul's definition of a weak Christian is one that feels that God has given him a very narrow liberty.
A person that thinks being a Christian means keeping a bunch of rules, as if do's & don't's will make you holy. Let me give you a for instance:
I went motorcycle riding yesterday with my buddy Ed Martin, and while I was at his house, his wife Joyce asked about today's sermon, and we talked a bit, and she told me this very appropriate story:

She and Ed were newlyweds, going to Bible College in Chicago, and one of the things the school required, was for the young men to form up in teams, and go out street preaching.
Ed and Joyce would have these ministry teams stay at their home for a week at a time, and sometimes she would encounter what Paul is referring to.
One time this group of young men were there from a background that did not believe in women wearing makeup, so for a week Joyce never wore any makeup.
Another time, this group of students were from a background that believed that women always needed to wear long skirts down to their ankles.
Well, it was the middle of the summer, no air conditioning, and she had planned to wear culottes that came down to her knees, but instead she wore long hot skirts down to her ankles all that week.
Another time it was a group of students from a background that believed that women should always wear long hair, and hers only came down to her shoulders, and she said; "There was just nothing I could do about that one!"
When she finished this story, she said; "I think maybe that's what the Bible means when it talks about weak believers." I think she's right.

So how are Christians with different understandings of what is lawful, or edifying, or expedient, supposed to get along?
I think Joyce was a good example in how she treated her house guests. She very graciously did what was expedient for them. Obviously not for her, but for them.
Compare what she did, with what Paul says in verse 3; "Let not him that eats (referring to meat) despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him (or condemn him) that eateth: for God hath received him.
Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand."
Both servants are saved, both have Christ for their Master.

Verse 5; "One man esteemeth one day above another: (referring to wether it is better to worship on the Sabbath; Saturday, or the Lord's Day; Sunday) another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks."
Notice here that Paul does not come out and say; "Eat this, don't eat that! Worship on this day, don't worship on that day!"
He could have, but instead he refers us back to the liberty that we have in Christ, and then says in verse 12 that we are responsible for how we handle that liberty.
"So then, every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: (referring here to what kind of meat you eat) but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean."

And that principle right there, of what you have faith to believe is lawful or not, sanctifies or defiles the things that you do before God.

Some of you have heard me make this illustration before, it fits so good I need to do it again;
At the start of World War Two, many of the Jews were smuggled out of Holland, away from the Nazis, by the Dutch Underground.
There is a book called "The Hiding Place" and it was written by a Dutch Christian woman whose family died in the German concentration camps for working with the underground, smuggling people out of Holland.
They were strong Christians, they had a genuine faith, and they put it into practice. They lived it to the death. They were wonderful role models for how Christians should live for Christ, and if necessary, die for Christ.
The men were also all cigar smokers. In that culture, in that society, it was apparently not considered a poor testimony for Christian men to smoke cigars.
In our culture, in our society, especially in the Bible Belt, it is different. Cigar smoking is considered to be inappropriate for Christians, a poor testimony, in Paul's context, an unclean thing, for Christians to do.
In their culture; lawful, and neutral, in terms of expedient, but in our culture; lawful, but not expedient. Instead, it would be a stumbling block.
If the apostle Paul were here today, and we were to ask him what he meant by verse 14, I suspect that he would tell us that cigar smoking might be all right for Christians in Holland in 1940, but it is unclean for Christians in Tennessee today.
Why? The culture of the society that we live in does make a difference.
Those people had a liberty, in that culture, that we do not have. Does that make sense? Do you see how this applies?

Now; if you were a Dutch Christian, raised in that culture, and cigar smoking was perfectly normal and natural, no uncleanness attached, and you came to East Tennessee, and joined a church here, how would you act from these verses to edify and build up your brothers and sisters in Christ?
Lets apply this situation to verse 15 and see; "But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, or thy cigar, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, or thy cigar, for whom Christ died.
Let not then your good be evil spoken of:"
What good? The good of Christian liberty, that something might not be unlawful, you have freedom to do it, but depending on where you are, or who you are around, judge yourself that you can cause trouble and disrupt the faith of Christians around you.
Does that mean that Christians who are troubled by your behavior are weak in faith? Sometimes. Sometimes.
Other times it just means that you are a thoughtless clod that needs to have better manners. Either way, we all need to judge our own selves.

Why are we doing what we're doing, and who are we doing it for?

Because back in verse 12, it says that each of us will give account to God for how we judge ourselves, that's the standard we shoot for.
So how about drinking? What does Scripture have to say about that?
I can tell you one thing: what the Bible has to say about alcohol is not always the same as what some preachers have to say about alcohol.
Over the years I have probably heard more unscriptural sermons about alcohol than anything else, because people approach that topic with strong convictions, and with very good reasons for having strong convictions.
Let me ask a question: how should a preacher's opinion of a topic influence what he thinks the Bible teaches about that topic?
Any time that I get up to preach about anything that I have real strong convictions on, I need to be extra careful.
It becomes very tempting to preach the Bible the way I want the Bible to preach, and that's not good.
Because anytime a preacher gets up in the pulpit and preaches the Scripture to where it conforms to his opinion, then we have trouble.
It doesn't matter if the topic is alcohol, law, grace, sanctification, Sabbath keeping, sex, you name it.
Anytime a man goes to the Bible with a strong opinion, and his mind made up, and then sets out to prove his opinion from the Bible, the result is not God's word, it is just man's opinion.

What does the Bible teach about alcohol? Just so that we're not here all day, let me keep it simple: Proverbs 20:1 says ; "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."
Do you want to be wise? Then don't deceive yourself. If you fool with alcohol, it will deceive you and mock you.
Particularly in our culture, it will cause us problems that we would be better off without. It is not expedient. It does not edify anybody.
It is a stumbling block to people within the church, it is a stumbling block to people outside the church.
And if you are thinking that this verse only mentions wine and strong drink, but it doesn't mention beer; 3000 years ago, Jewish wine had the same alcoholic content as 20th century beer, so when you read the word wine, you could mentally add beer under the same category, and be accurate.

For today, let's get back on topic and see what Paul has to say, verse 17; "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
For meat - for the sake of what you eat or drink- destroy not the work of God."
Does that mean that what I eat or drink or smoke or whatever can mar or damage the Kingdom of God? What do you think?

Verse 20; "All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence." Do you understand what he is saying here?
What you are doing might be pure and lawful before God, but if offends your brother or sister, then it becomes something evil.
Verse 21; "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak."
Do you see the principle here? All things are lawful for me, but not everything is expedient.
Maybe it's true (as I have been told) that in Germany the Lutherans take beer to their church picnics, but this ain't Germany, and it's not expedient!
All things are lawful for me, but not everything is going to build up my brother or sister in Christ, and I need to be sensitive to the other believers around me.
Do I have liberty? Yes, and I also have responsibility. It is my responsibility to avoid behavior that stumbles or weakens my Christian family.

Verse 22; "Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth."
Is there something that you feel that you can do in good conscience? Other believers are not an issue? Your conscience does not condemn you? The Holy Spirit has no negative input about whatever it is? Then be happy about it. Do it. Do it. Rejoice in your Christian liberty!

What if there is something that you are doing that your conscience is not real happy about? Something that your conscience is not doing real well with?
What if you have doubts about whatever it is, and you think maybe you shouldn't, but then you go ahead anyway?
Verse 23; "And he that doubteth is damned if he eats, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin."
The word damned here means to judge worthy of punishment. Self condemnation. A bad conscience, and a lack of peace with yourself and before God.
Paul is referring here to the normal response that a Christian has when he commits a sin; a conscience that condemns himself and calls for confession and repentance according to 1 John 1:9.
Sometimes this comes because we know we are stumbling up other believers with our technically lawful actions, and sometimes we even stumble up ourselves with our technically lawful actions.
Turn to 1 Corinthians 6 and verse 12; "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any."
Not be brought under the power of any. What has the mastery over you?

Because now we need to make this sermon broader than just smoking and drinking.
We have some people in here that have probably never smoked or drank, and just in case you are out there thinking; "Yeah! You tell those sinners!"
It's your turn. What do you have in your life that is not expedient, or does not edify your fellow believers, but you have put yourself under it's dominion in your life?
Food? Some addictive habit? Inappropriate behavior? Anger? Bitterness? An unforgiving spirit? Gossip?
A loose tongue, nobody can tell you anything without you running off to tell somebody else? Greed? What is there in your life that has got you in it's power?
Maybe a bad temper? When things set you off, do you normally respond in a way that is not expedient?
Do you have a hot button, and when someone in your family pushes it, does the whole neighborhood know it?
Do you go off, blow up, lose your temper, and your family is not edified?
Has God been tapping you on the shoulder about some bad habit that has got you in it's power?
It might even be a lawful habit, but if it has got you in it's power, if you are in bondage to it, if it has the mastery over you; then it is not expedient, not edifying, not for you, not for anybody else.

Maybe sometimes we ask the wrong questions. Maybe instead of asking how much is lawful, how much can we get away with, maybe we ought to ask what it takes to build up and strengthen others.
Maybe our problem is that we need to spend less time worrying about how much we can get away with, worrying about our rights, and more time thinking about what we can do for the cause of Jesus Christ.

A well known Christian teacher told the story recently about a man, years ago, who was thrown into prison. The conditions were terrible.
The cell was very bare and cold, and the only thing the man had to keep himself alive was his blanket.
One day, another prisoner was thrown into his cell. This prisoner had been severely beaten, and was nearly naked. And he had no blanket.
It was bitterly cold, and the first prisoner was moved with pity for the man, he thought that as badly as the man was hurt, and with no blanket, he would never make it through the night.
The first prisoner was a Christian, and he began to pray, and ask God to do something for this man who had no blanket.
And as he prayed, the Lord seemed to say to him; "But you have a blanket."
And the man replied to the Lord; "How can I give him my blanket? If I give him my blanket, then I won't make it through the night."
And the Lord seemed to say to him; "Yes. But you'll be with Me."
Years later the story came out, it was true, the first prisoner did not make it through the night, he died in that freezing cell.
He had given his blanket to the other man, and as he did, he shared the Gospel, and the love of Jesus with that other man, who did survive, and lived to tell how he later came to know the Lord.
Someone cared enough to give up their rights, give up what was lawfully theirs, for the cause of Jesus Christ.

"Let no man seek his own, but every man, another's good."
When you look at things from that point of view, the question is bigger than wether smoking or drinking is lawful or not, but are they edifying? Are they expedient?
Do we want to build up the others in our fellowship? Do we want to be an encouragement to our brothers and sisters in Christ?
Then we need to put not just our questions about smoking and drinking on the line, but a lot of the other things we do, and see how they stack up.
Paul tells us; "Whether, therefore you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Give no offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God;
Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved."
Judge yourself, and the things that you do. Paul gives us a path to follow. This is the way we need to act, this is the attitude we need to have.
Ask God to give you the same attitude that he had, because if you have that, then trying to decide what you can, or should, or should not do, will sort itself out pretty well.