Gray Area Series

Series: Be Genuine [#9]

GRAY AREA

1 John 4:1-6

Introduction:

There are some things in life that are absolutes; and we say that those things are “black and white”. While there are other situations that aren’t so clear; we say that those things are gray area. The ironic thing about this word is you can spell gray with either an “a” or an “e”. Apparently, there has been a battle over this for years with linguists and they have decided that this is a gray area. As proven here, this phrase is often used instead of just saying, “I have no idea”. Here, I’ll let you help me with some quick examples. I’ll tell you the action and you tell me if it is sinful or not sinful.

* Murder? Sinful. How do you know? Because God said so in the 6th commandment.

Exodus 20:13 (NIV)

13 “You shall not murder.

* Loving others? Not sinful. How do you know? Because Jesus said that loving your neighbor as you love yourself is the 2nd greatest commandment.

Mark 12:31 (NIV)

31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

* Stealing? Sinful. Again, how do you know? Because God said so in the 8th commandment.

Exodus 20:15 (NIV)

15 “You shall not steal.

These questions have absolute answers and there are many things in life that you have to deal with that we know exactly what God says about it; but there are those things that are in the “gray area”. If you truly want to walk in a way that pleases God, then you need to learn how to handle those things that fall into the “gray area”. How do you do that?

1 John 4:1-6

If you are going to walk like Christ through the “gray areas” of life; then…

1. Don’t believe everything you hear.

Just because someone says God told them something doesn’t make it so. There are evil spirits (demons) and good spirits (the angels of the Lord). A false prophet or teacher gets their information and direction from an evil spirit while a true prophet or teacher gets their information and direction from good spirits. Remember the spirits here are referring to the messengers, not the source. We know that the source of the evil angels is the devil, and the source of the Lord’s angels is God.

If you are going to walk like Christ through the “gray areas” of life; then…

2. Don’t make decisions based upon feelings.

Just because it feels good or makes you happy doesn’t mean that it is good. That would be like saying it is o.k. to cheat at playing games because winning makes you feel good or it is o.k. to cheat on your taxes because it makes you happy to get a refund instead of having to write the IRS a check.

If you are going to walk like Christ through the “gray areas” of life; then…

3. Don’t base decisions upon popular opinion.

Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t make it right. Now we know or have been reminded of what we shouldn’t do; but what should we do?

If you are going to walk like Christ through the “gray areas” of life; then…

4. Give it over to God.

Pray about it. Study about it in the Bible because the situation may not be “grey area”; it may be “black and white”.

If you are going to walk like Christ through the “gray areas” of life; then…

5. Give it the Jesus Test.

What’s the Jesus Test? Whatever it is that you are not sure of, just ask yourself this simple question: “Would Jesus do this”? If Jesus wouldn’t do it, you probably shouldn’t either.

If you are going to walk like Christ through the “gray areas” of life; then…

6. Give it some time.

There are some things that fall into “grey area” that work out great if they are in God’s time. For example- marriage. Getting married to the person that God has prepared for your life is wonderful. Just “jumping” into a marriage because it looks fun or you’re lonely, can end up into disaster.

Conclusion:

The bottom line is this- “Does your life glorify Jesus”?