“Be responsible not irresponsible!”
Have Dr. Joe share about his mission trip?
Summarize last week’s message:
Lessons on marriage and family – Paul tells the church to be responsible and do things God’s way! Today he tells them to be responsible also in their relationships with others in the Body of Christ especially with the weaker less mature believers in Christ.
Opening Illustration: The importance of being responsible
AN HONEST DAY’S WORK The USS Astoria (C-34) was the first U.S. cruiser to engage the Japanese during the Battle of Savo Island, a night action fought 8-9 August 1942. Although she scored two hits on the Imperial flagship Chokai, the Astoria was badly damaged and sank shortly after noon, 9 August. About 0200 hours a young midwesterner, Signalman 3rd Class Elgin Staples, was swept overboard by the blast when the Astoria’s number one eight-inch gun turret exploded. Wounded in both legs by shrapnel and in semi-shock, he was kept afloat by a narrow life belt that he managed to activate with a simple trigger mechanism. At around 0600 hours, Staples was rescued by a passing destroyer and returned to the Astoria, whose captain was attempting to save the cruiser by beaching her. The effort failed, and Staples, still wearing the same life belt, found himself back in the water. It was lunchtime. Picked up again, this time by the USS President Jackson (AP-37), he was one of 500 survivors of the battle who were evacuated to Noumea. On board the transport Staples, for the first time, closely examined the life belt that had served him so well. It had been manufactured by Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio, and bore a registration number. Given home leave Staples told his story and asked his mother, who worked for Firestone, about the purpose of the number on the belt. She replied that the company insisted on personal responsibility for the war effort, and that the number was unique and assigned to only one inspector. Staples remembered everything about the lifebelt, and quoted the number. It was his mother’s personal code and affixed to every item she was responsible for approving. SOURCE: Commander Eric J. Berryman, U.S. Naval Reserve, Proceedings, U.S. Naval Institute, vol. 15/6/1036 (June 1989), P. 48. Contributed by: Terry Dashner
Thesis: Paul warns the mature Christians in Corinth not to be irresponsible but responsible for the growth and spiritual well being of the babes in Christ.
Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 8
1Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3But the man who loves God is known by God.
4So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.
Introduction:
In our Scripture text today Paul challenges the more mature believers in Jesus to act responsibly to their less mature brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul is telling the more mature Christian to look out for their weaker family members. He tells them not to allow their freedom in Christ to be used without regard for its impact upon another.
They need to be responsible Christians and sensitive to the needs and mindset of others!
There was a major problem in this church because the mature Christians were doing things which caused the less mature believers to stumble and fall.
The issue in this church centered around eating meat which had been offered to idols. I assume that these more mature Christians could get a discount on this meat because it was offered at idol sacrifices. But Paul also insinuates that people were going to idol feasts and eating the meat offered up to the idols at these feasts. He knows that they were not worshipping the idol but going so as to have a good steak and a great meal. But the less mature followers of Jesus saw them there and it caused them great trouble in their minds and spirits. It even caused some to fall back into sin!
Paul tells these insensitive Christians that they are not being a good role model for the ones who have just been delivered from idol worship. He tells them to stop offending them and becoming a stumbling block to them. They were to help build up these babes in Christ not bring them down. Paul challenges these more mature Christians to act responsibly and to be sensitive to the less mature ones in Christ. It was their responsibility!
I came across this article this week which I would like to share with you this morning.
How to make people more responsible Posted: February 21, 2002
By Harry Browne
© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com
…Discouraging irresponsibility
So what should we do about people who won’t take responsibility for their own actions? I believe the answer is simple:
Set them free.
Give them the freedom to make their own decisions, to face the consequences of their own acts, to see for themselves what their actions do to others and how others respond to them.
Only free people have an incentive to be virtuous. Only people who bear the consequences of their own acts will care about those consequences and try to learn from their mistakes.
A free society rewards virtue and punishes irresponsibility. Government does just the opposite – subsidizing irresponsibility while taxing work and responsibility.
What do we do about people who might not plan for their own retirement?
Set them free.
Let each person know that his future depends largely on his own actions. If younger people see older people who haven’t planned ahead and have to rely on charity, the young will be more likely to provide for the future. Today when someone plans poorly, the only consequence people see is a demand for more government.
What do we do about people who are insensitive to other people?
Set them free.
Let other people shun them or respect them for what they do. Let each person bear the results of being civil or uncivil.
Freedom and responsibility
It’s often said that freedom and responsibility are two sides of the same coin – that if you want freedom, you must first accept the responsibility that goes with it.
The truth is simpler. Freedom and responsibility aren’t interconnected things. They are the same thing.
Freedom is responsibility. Responsibility is experiencing the consequences of your own acts – not the consequences of others’ acts or making others pay for what you do.
And that’s what freedom is. Without government to force others to pay for your pleasures or mistakes, and without forcing you to pay for what others do, you are a free, responsible human being.
Freedom and responsibility are inseparably linked – not because they should be, but because they are. Responsibility accompanies freedom, whether or not you want it to.
So the only way to induce people to be more responsible is to set them free…”
Steve Taylor from sermoncentral.com states, “In America we are told that we should value our rights above almost everything else. To be an American is to be free. To be free is to be able to speak freely, write freely, and worship freely. It is a true blessing to be free. We believe in these rights so absolutely that men and women die to protect these rights of ours. So what if I was to tell you that you should be willing to give up your rights?”
The question arises in our text as to whether we have total freedom to do whatever we want with our lives.
Illustration of the right to choose within the Church:
10% of church members cannot be found?
20% of church members never attend church
25% admit that they never pray
35% admit that they do not read their Bibles
40% admit that they never contribute to the church in tithes or offerings
60% never give to missions
70% never assume responsibility within the church
85% never invite anyone to church
95 % have never won anyone to Christ
BUT!
100% expect to go to heaven
(The Choice, by Thomas Trask, Zondervan Pub. House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1999)
Many in the church are choosing not to be responsible and believing that they have a right to choose to do something or not. They have freedom in Christ and therefore they don’t have to do good works to get into Heaven. They can live free and be free without being answerable to anyone else. But can I do something as a Christian knowing that it will be offensive and hurtful to another person? Does my freedom in Christ give me the right to do things that could lead my brothers and sisters in Christ away from the Lord? Do I have the right as a Christian to do things that would benefit me but make my weaker brother or sister in Christ fall away or hinder their walk?
Paul says “No you cannot!”
T.S. - Paul addresses the rights and responsibilities of the Christian and gives the Body of Christ sound advice and even a warning. He tells them they have an obligation to be sensitive to the weaker ones in Christ. Paul warns them about the danger of knowledge:
I. Knowledge will cause your head to swell and explode if pride takes root.
a. Knowledge puffs up love builds up. Puffed up knowledge is pride and arrogance.
1. Illustration: Blow up a balloon and let it explode!
a. Say: “Puffy heads go poof! Every time!”
b. The Bible addresses this sin clearly and forcefully:
i. Proverbs 8:13: "To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."
1. God says, “I Hate Pride!”
a. Pride has no place in the head or heart of a believer!
ii. Proverbs 16:18: "Pride goes before destruction a haughty spirit before a fall."
1. The Word says “Stay prideful and I will knock your feet out from under you!”
iii. Isaiah 2:11, 12: "The eyes of the arrogant man will be brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. The Lord almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled).
1. God promises to humble the prideful so choose to let it go or God will help you be humble.
iv. Daniel 4:37: "Now I Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble."
1. He the great king was humbled before the Lord and he is giving us wise advice about letting go of pride and arrogance.
c. Paul tells us that knowledge can have the tendency to cause people to become prideful and even arrogant toward others. In their self-centered puffy head state they think, “I can do whatever I want. It’s my Christian right!”
i. Kapteyn helps us see what happens with pride along with some of my own observations: “Pride is what hurts us in our relationships - in church, in families, (at work, at school), with friends. Pride makes us stubborn - I’m right, she’s wrong - (I know all more about this than they do-they need to listen to me!). Pride stops us from forgiving "I was right she needs to apologize to me not visa versa! Pride makes us put up false fronts "I’m not letting anyone else know my sins and weaknesses" ("I don’t have any problems only those kind of people do! My life is perfect! I don’t make mistakes! ) It creates walls of pretension. Pride makes us think we are better or know more than the other. We become proud of what we do, read (or achieve).”
ii. The danger is knowledge without love is very hurtful in our society and we need to be careful what we do with our knowledge.
1. Illustration: I like what Jesse Duplantis says about pride and prejudice, he says that we were all made of dirt, that there’s white dirt, red dirt, yellow dirt, brown dirt, and black dirt, so we all came from the same place, we’re dirt. We would think that it crazy if we saw one clump of dirt telling another clump of dirt" I’m better than you are. "That is exactly what we do, when we tell someone who’s not the same color that we are, I’m better than you, or I’m so different than you that we can’t associate with each other. We’re all just dirt and no matter what color dirt we are, we’re still just dirt.”
iii. The man who thinks he knows it all needs to realize he does not know it all. God is the one who knows it all!
d. The man who loves has the attention of God and God takes note of Him whereas a man with a doctor degree and no love God pays no attention too!
i. Loving others is the key to being who Christ wants us to be. We are instructed to love others as we love ourselves!
1. James tells us, “Love your neighbor as yourself!”
a. This is the right thing to do!
2. Have you ever noticed individuals who just love themselves.
a. They are always kissing their muscles.
b. Staring in the mirror.
c. Boasting about all their accomplishments
d. Stroking their own chains
e. Letting their Ego rule their lives.
f. They are great at telling others how great they are.
g. They are always focused on themselves.
h. Life revolves around “ME!”
i. And there whole life centers on themselves but never on others. This is the wrong way to live!
3. We are told to not be like this but to love others as ourselves. We are not to show favoritism (discrimination) to those that we think we can benefit from.
a. We are not to cater to the rich or wealthy we are to treat all people the same. We are to treat everyone equally. With dignity and respect! That is the way of God and the right way to live.
e. What does love look like?
i. Video Illustration: Heidi Baker from “Finger of God”
ii. The Bible paints a picture for us of love in I Cor. 13 and other texts:
1. II Thess 3:5: “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”
a. We are to allow God to direct our hearts toward love!
2. I John 4:18: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
a. Perfect love drives out fear!
3. Psalm 63:3: “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”
a. Love is actually better than our own lives!
4. Psalm 57:10: “For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”
a. God’s love reaches into Heaven!
5. Proverbs 21:21: “He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.”
a. When you pursue the way of love you find life, prosperity and honor.
6. I Cor. 16:14: “Do everything in love.”
a. Love should motivate and direct our lives.
7. Ephesians 4:2: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
a. We need to bear with one another by using God’s gift of love.
8. I Peter 4:8: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
a. Love is the key which covers over our sins.
f. The choice to love is up to you and Paul says for us to chose this path!
i. ..."Love is not blind--it sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less." --Rabbi Julius Gordon
1. When love is surging through our veins it’s amazing at what happens to the senses. When love is injected it helps us to really see for the first time. It should affect our perception of others.
2. It not only should affect our eyesight but it should also affect our tongues as well.
a. Sometimes the simplest things we say convey the strongest messages to loved ones, says Boston marriage and family therapist Ellen Dunn, Ph.D. Some of these powerful words and phrases are: Nice going! - Terrific! - I’m proud of you! - Wow! - Way to go! - I really appreciate your help. - You’re the best! - Awesome! - Great job! - I know you can do it! - Most excellent! - Couldn’t have done it better myself!
3. Quote: “If we are brave enough to love, strong enough to forgive, generous enough to rejoice in others happiness, and wise enough to know there is enough love to go around for us all, then we can achieve a fulfillment that no other living creature will ever know.” --Harold S. Kushner
ii. Love doesn’t’ make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile. "--Franklin P. Jones in Quote Magazine.
iii. Leadership magazine’s illustration about love:
1. Lee Iacocca once asked legendary football coach Vince Lombardi what it took to make a winning team. In the book Iacocca records Lombardi’s answer:
a. There are a lot of coaches with good ball clubs who know the fundamentals and have plenty of discipline but still don’t win the game. Then you come to the third ingredient: if you are going to play together as a team, you’ve got to care for one another. You’ve got to love each other. Each player has to be thinking about the next guy and be saying to himself: If I don’t block that man, Paul is going to get his legs broken. I have to do my job well in order that he can do his. “The difference between mediocrity and greatness”, Lombardi said that night, “It is the feeling these guys have for each other.” In the healthy church, each Christian learns to care for others. As we take seriously Jesus’ command to “Love one another, we contribute to a winning team. (Christopher Stinnet)
g. Paul tells us that eating meat offered in idol worship is to be forsaken for the sake of love. He tells them to be sensitive to the current spiritual maturity level of others in the body of Christ.
i. Key words here are love and sensitivity toward others – it’s a willingness to love others enough to forsake things that could lead another person away from God.
1. It’s the willingness to give up my rights for the sake of another’s conscience.
h. This by the way does not just apply to meat but too many areas in life!
i. Drinking
ii. Smoking
iii. Certain TV shows
iv. Certain Movies
v. Gambling
vi. Language
vii. Attitudes
T.S. – We as believers in Christ need to make sure that our knowledge is controlled by love and that we never become a stumbling block to less mature believer in Christ. We need to taper our freedom with responsibility to the Kingdom of God.
II. The danger of freedom without responsibility
a. Illustration “Rights and responsibility”
i. In America we have the Statue of Liberty on the East coast but I often thought we need to have a Statue of Responsibility on the West coast to balance everything out here in America.
1. The Statue of Liberty in New York is known for its meaning of freedom and democracy. The statue is located on Ellis Island and was originally a gift from French people to show their understanding for the desire for freedom shown by the American Revolution in 19th century as well as by the French Revolution in 18th century. The Statue of Liberty also represents a memorial to the friendship between Americans and Frenchmen since the American Revolution. The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom and democracy.
a. But is life all about freedom and rights? Or is it about being responsible with our freedoms?
ii. We are out of balance in America and even in the church when our rights supersede our responsibility to serve one another in the Body of Christ.
iii. Today we always here of, “My rights but what about what is our responsibilities?”
1. DAVID F. LLOYD in his essay “Rights vs Responsibilities” Summer 2001 Issue of Vision:
a. Legally, rights have never been so extensively defined. For starters, there are the rights of ethnic minorities. Then we have the rights of women. The rights of children. The rights of homosexuals. The right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy or, depending on your viewpoint, the rights of the unborn. The right to claim compensation when your rights are violated. The rights of workers. The rights of consumers. The rights of the “unwaged.” The rights of single parents. The rights of companies and organizations. Even the rights of animals and, believe it or not, plants. It’s a list seemingly without end. The situations in the United States and the United Kingdom are parallel in many respects. American society has a reputation for being the most litigious in the world. Lawyers often offer “no win, no fee” inducements, so the attraction of a quick, opportunistic buck can be alluring to those who believe their rights have been trampled. Compensation demands are also increasing in Britain. In both countries, the growing likelihood of compensation claims has had the effect of pushing up employment costs such as insurance…The prosperous nations of the Western world have never been more focused on rights. Many people would therefore say we’ve come a long way since the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But have we? Is this obsession with rights creating a better society? Surely a focus on rights should have made us all happier. But is society any better and are we any happier? WHO’S RIGHT ABOUT WHOSE RIGHTS? Certain concepts of human rights appear self-evident: the rights of people not to be tortured or abused, freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom of political association. But what happens when perceived rights conflict with one another?.. .Replacing traditional values today we find such idealized concepts as personal freedom, individual choice, self-actualization, self-esteem and “the right to know.” Note that all of these focus on the individual, the self. An inevitable and worrisome result of those values and that kind of focus, of course, is that subjects that used to be off limits, such as a nation’s security secrets, are now open to disclosure, discussion and critique. That highly prized commodity, freedom, has thus moved to the point where one can exercise one’s perceived rights even if it puts national security at risk. We seem to have moved light years from a society where personal responsibility came first, to one where personal rights are the first and sometimes only consideration… So what about that other R, responsibility? Could it be that by privileging rights over responsibilities we have lost sight of a fundamental fact? Think about it: If we do not—as a society and as individuals—put responsibilities ahead of rights, then we will paradoxically begin to lose those rights that we hold to be inalienable. As laws, proclamations and politically correct pressure groups rain supposed rights on ever more narrowly defined and exclusive groups and causes, it is a sure sign that we are forgetting how the very freedoms we take for granted were preserved through the centuries; namely, by the responsibility and self-sacrifice of our predecessors. Nobody said it better, from a national perspective, than John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”Apart from a few brave and increasingly lonely voices, it appears that many of our religious and governmental institutions are abandoning—indeed sometimes uprooting—the moral underpinnings of society. Self-fulfillment and political correctness have replaced that deeper, lasting set of values that overarches and simultaneously underpins individual rights. The warning voices that do sound forth are usually not those of killjoys wanting to make life miserable for the sake of it, but rather those of astute individuals who foresee—and warn about—the damaging outcomes of our self-indulgence… Other voices have also lamented the corrosive effect of this blinkered focus on rights alone. W.A. Borst, for instance, author of Liberalism: Fatal Consequences, wrote of the United States: “A nation which had set up a near-perfect and flexible government is now finding common sense more endangered than the snail darter. Lawyers have hamstrung society with nit-picking minutiae. . . . This lack of common sense has led inevitably to a rights revolution, where only selfishness and personal interest seem to reign supreme.”… RIGHTS OR BLESSINGS? Interestingly, God never promised rights. He promised blessings, and that is the critical difference. A self-sacrificing individual who serves his or her society, a people that truly looks to God, doesn’t need to be and indeed isn’t focused on rights. Such people are focused on other people and on God, and on their responsibilities to both. This is the lesson of social responsibility: “For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Romans 13:9). Our narrow and selfish preoccupation with our rights threatens to engulf and destroy us. It is not until we begin again, as individuals and as nations, to look outside ourselves to our religious, moral and social responsibilities —to other human beings and to God—that we will reverse national, social and spiritual decline.
2. Today no one wants to be held responsible for their actions and how those actions impact others around us.
a. Responsible: The state of being responsible, accountable, or answerable (Wikipedia Encyclopedia).
3. We quickly say, “I can do that because it’s my right but what is your responsibility?”
4. In America we are quick to say what are rights are?
a. Wikipedia Encyclopedia explains rights this way: “In the jurisprudence and the law, a right is the legal or moral entitlement to do or refrain from doing something, or to obtain or refrain from obtaining an action, thing or recognition in civil society. Rights serve as rules of interaction between people, and, as such, they place constraints and obligations upon the actions of individuals or groups (for example, if one has a right to life, this means that others do not have the liberty to kill him).”
5. The Constitution is often quoted to verify what our rights are as Americans!
a. Thoughts from the Bill of Rights:
i. Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
ii. Amendment II: A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
iii. Amendment IV: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
iv. Amendment VI: In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
b. Thought from the Declaration of Independence:
i. “…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...”
6. Today rights seem to be superseding responsibility in America and even in the church.
b. Paul tells us the church that “Yes” we could become a stumbling blocks to other Christians.
i. He tells us that we as mature Christians that we have the responsibility to protect the baby Christians.
ii. He tells us that we have the responsibility to build people up in the Body of Christ not tear them down.
iii. He tells us that we have the responsibility to be a role model to other Christians.
1. The reality check is we do not have the choice about being a role model:
a. Illustration: PLEASE DON’T RETIRE: We’ve got a dangerous practice in America called "retirement." It’s a blessing in some ways, but it’s also dangerous because it implies that your productivity stops when you get to be 62 or 65. It’s dangerous in the church because people look forward to retiring so they can get out of all responsibility and relax and travel. While you may want to refocus your interests and redirect your involvement in the church, don’t quit. Don’t drop out of all responsibility. Don’t turn it all over to the younger generation. We need the vitality of youth, but we also need the example and the wisdom of those who are older. If you came to Southeast Christian Church during the week, you’d be inspired by many retired people who perform invaluable service to this church. Every Monday morning, one of our older Sunday-school classes, the Friendship Class, comes in and cleans the sanctuary. Some pretty sophisticated people are picking up gum wrappers, straightening up the books. Retired people are working in the yard, maintaining the vehicles, serving on the Tally Committee, setting up chairs, cleaning the sanctuary, greeting at the door. They have taken the focus off self and put it onto service. The Bible has many examples of people who kept enduring until the end. Abraham’s wife Sarah was 90 when she gave birth to Isaac. Moses was 80 when he led the children of Israel out of Egypt. Caleb was 85 when he conquered the hill country in Palestine. Simeon was an old man in the temple when he held the baby Jesus in his arms. History has all kind of examples that people don’t lose their purpose when they turn 62. Picasso was past 75 when he dominated the art world. George Bernard Shaw was still writing plays when he was 90. Michelangelo did some of his best painting after 80. Norman Vincent Peale is 90 and still preaching. Bob Hope is past 80 and George Burns past 90, and they’re still entertaining. Ronald Reagan was president in his late 70’s. If God permits you to live long, continue to serve and be an inspiration to those who are younger. Matthew 10:22 says, "He who stands firm till the end will be saved." SOURCE: Bob Russell, God’s Message for a Growing Church.
iv. If we become a stumbling block to another Christian then this is going to get us in trouble with God.
1. As a matter of fact if you destroy another Christian with your knowledge you will be held accountable by God.
a. Luke 17:1-3: “1Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3So watch yourselves ...”
b. When you become a stumbling block to another you fall into sin.
c. Paul says this sin is not only against the weaker brother but it is a sin against Christ himself!
i. And you will face “The Judgment Seat of Christ” for your sinful ways.
Conclusion:
In the church we as believers must take responsibility and learnt o give up our personal freedoms for the sake of the Body of Christ!
Quote: Elizabeth Dole, NC Senator and former presidential candidate, said, “Life is not just a few years to spend on self-indulgence and career advancement. It is a privilege, a responsibility, and a stewardship to be lived according to a much higher calling.”
Quote from sermoncentral.com : Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” Whatever our gifts are and whatever God has enabled us to do, we have a responsibility as believers to use those gifts for the building up of his Kingdom
Quote from Sermoncentral.com: “The evangelistic harvest is always urgent. The destiny of men and of nations is always being decided. Every generation is strategic. We are not responsible for the past generation, and we cannot bear the full responsibility for the next one; but we do have our generation. God will hold us responsible as to how well we fulfill our responsibilities to this age.” Billy Graham
Review:
The danger of knowledge is it could lead to pride and arrogance!
The danger of freedom without responsibility is it could lead you into sin and others into sin!
