Join us as Pastor Adrian Rogers delves into six crucial principles for living a godly life. These principles go beyond mere rules, offering profound guidance in making moral decisions. In this insightful message, Pastor Rogers emphasizes the importance of applying Christian principles to everyday situations, demonstrating how they provide a timeless framework for righteous living.
Pastor, teacher, and author Adrian Rogers has introduced people all over the world to the love of Jesus Christ and has impacted untold numbers of lives by presenting profound truth simply stated. Thanks for joining us for this message. Here’s Adrian Rogers.
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We’re speaking on this subject, six positive principles for proper practice. I want to give you today some principles that will help you to make the moral decisions of your life. Now I want to say this, listen carefully. THERE ARE SOME GREAT ETERNAL STANDARDS OF RIGHT AND WRONG THAT HAVE BEEN SET BY ALMIGHTY GOD, SETTLED BY THE WORD OF GOD, NO STUTTER, NO STAMMER, NO EQUIVOCATION, NO APOLOGY. GOD SIMPLY SAID, THIS IS RIGHT AND THIS IS WRONG. Men and women come and go, but the Ten Commandments are here to stay. And men and women are still being broken, trying to break them. God has given His Word. But having said that, there are a lot of issues that are not settled by the Ten Commandments per se. And why is that? I’ll tell you why. The Bible is not primarily a rule book. The Bible is primarily a guidebook. The Bible is not so much a book of minute laws as the Bible is a book of great principles. And I’m glad that it is a book of great principles. And I’ll tell you three reasons before we ever get into the message. If the Bible were a book of minute rules and laws, you’d need a freight train to carry it around on. I MEAN, THERE WOULD BE SO MANY ISSUES AND SO MANY SUBJECTS THAT YOU’D HAVE TO LOOK UP, THAT YOU COULD NOT CARRY YOUR BIBLE AS YOU CARRY IT NOW UNDER YOUR ARM. I’LL TELL YOU SOMETHING ELSE, ANOTHER REASON I’M GLAD. IF THE BIBLE WERE A BOOK OF MINUTE LAWS AND RULES, WHAT WOULD RELATE TO ONE AGE WOULD NOT RELATE TO ANOTHER AGE. CAN YOU IMAGINE SOMEBODY IN CORINTH PICKING UP THE WORD OF GOD AND READING, THOU SHALT NOT GO TO AN R-RATED MOVIE. NOW WHAT WOULD THAT MEAN TO THEM? or thou shall not drive recklessly in the school zone. What would that mean? It wouldn’t mean anything to them at all. But you see, principles can apply to the first century, and principles can apply to the 20th century. I’ll tell you another reason that I am glad that the Bible is not a book merely of rules, but principles. You can find loopholes in laws. but you can’t find loopholes in principles. There’s a difference. And everybody’s always looking for a loophole, aren’t they? Back in 1908, there was a football game between Carlisle and Harvard. And Paul Harvey told this interesting event in his very popular series, The Rest of the Story. Now, these were football rivals. And you know how important football is to this generation, just as important back in that generation. Now, the coach at Harvard was what we call a purist. That is, he went by the rules. He lived by the fundamentals of the game. But the coach at Carlisle, he was always looking for ways to bend the rules and get around the rules. And his claim to fame was what we call today razzle-dazzle. In that day, they called it whiff-waff. And that’s Coach Warner. And Coach Warner had just played a Syracuse game. AND HE STAYED UP ALL NIGHT READING THE RULEBOOK, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW HE COULD READ THE RULEBOOK, PLAY BY THE RULES, AND STILL BY WIF-WAF WIN THE GAME. AND HE BEAT SYRACUSE. YOU KNOW WHAT HE DID? BEFORE THE GAME, HE HAD ALL OF THE JERSEYS OF HIS TEAM ALTERED. AND ON EVERY JERSEY, HE HAD SEWED A FOOTBALL, PUFFED OUT LIKE THIS, MADE OF CLOTH. Everybody had a football right there. So the men got down on the line and the ball was hiked and every man stood up and every man had a football. Nobody knew who to tackle. And Carlisle beat Syracuse and they complained. He said, there’s nothing in the rule book against it. So these two coaches, the coach at Harvard and the coach at Carlisle met. Now they were mortal enemies on the football field, but they respected one another and they met the night before. And the coach at Harvard said to the coach at Carlisle, you’re not going to use those jerseys again, are you? Well, he said, yes. There’s nothing in the rule book against it. The coach at Harvard said, all right. So when they met on the field of combat, they were meeting at Harvard, the home team, and the home team always gets to supply and choose the balls. The coach at Harvard came out, all of his team was dressed in the same crimson red jerseys that they always wore. Out came Carlisle, there were the footballs, all sewed on their jerseys. But when they reached in the bag and pulled out the footballs that Harvard had prepared, every football was crimson red. Harvard won the game. I just tell you that story because to me it’s an interesting story of how you can manipulate rules. But there’s a principle in football and what is the principle in football? Play fair. fair. Now if they’d used the principle they would not have equivocated about these little rules that they have. Now I want to say that to say this about living right. If you’re one of these people who just simply try to live by the rules but not by the principles you’re always going to try to figure out a way to bend the rules to do what you want to do. Now Paul was writing TO SOME VERY IMMATURE PEOPLE, THE CORINTHIANS. HE SAID, I HAD TO TREAT YOU LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN, LIKE IMMATURE BABIES BECAUSE THEY WERE WANTING TO LIVE BY RULES AND NOT BY PRINCIPLES. AND NOW THE APOSTLE PAUL IS TRYING TO GIVE THEM SOME PRINCIPLES. RULES ARE FOR KIDS. WHEN YOU GO AWAY FROM YOUR HOUSE, IF YOU HAVE LITTLE CHILDREN YOU SAY, AND YOU THINK THEY’RE OLD ENOUGH, YOU KNOW, TO STAY AT HOME, BUT YOU’RE NOT QUITE CERTAIN, WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU GIVE THEM A LOT OF RULES. Don’t let anyone in the house. Don’t play with matches. Don’t do this and don’t do that. You don’t tell that to your grown children, hopefully, because they’re old enough to live by certain principles. Principles are for those who are mature. Rules are simply for children and for kids. Now let me give you six positive principles for proper practice. They’re all going to come right out of this book of 1 Corinthians. Are you ready for them? Principle number one. It is the principle that we want to call from the Word of God, the principle of expediency. Look, if you will, in chapter 6 and verse 12. Paul says, all things are lawful unto me, but all things are not lawful. EXPEDIENT. NOW HOW DO YOU MAKE UP YOUR MIND WHETHER OR NOT A THING IS RIGHT OR WRONG FOR YOU? SHALL I DO THIS THING OR SHALL I NOT DO THIS THING? CAN I PRACTICE THIS OR SHALL I NOT PRACTICE THIS? WELL, ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION. NOT IS IT LAWFUL, BUT IS IT EXPEDIENT? YOU SAY, WELL, I DON’T KNOW WHAT EXPEDIENT MEANS. WELL, WHEN YOU THINK OF EXPEDIENT, WHAT OTHER WORD DO YOU THINK OF? YOU THINK OF EXPEDITION. An expedition is a journey. You’re going somewhere if you’re on an expedition. And what the word expedient means is something that brings you to your goal, something that brings you to your destination. Every Christian ought to have some God-given goals. Every one of us ought to have a holy ambition in our lives. I have goals for my life. I believe they have been given by God, hammered out on the anvil of prayer. And these are goals for my life. Now I can tell whether a thing is right or wrong for me, number one, by this. Does it bring me to my appointed goal? Or does it hinder me? Is this activity an anchor that keeps me out of God’s harbor? Or is it something that propels me toward my God-given goal? Now, number one, if you don’t have any God-given goals, then expediency makes no difference for you. That eminent theologian and philosopher Yogi Berra said, you have to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going because you might not get there. YOU NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING, WHAT GOD HAS LAID HIS HAND UPON YOU. THIS WAS THE GREAT GOAL OF THE APOSTLE PAUL. HE SAID, THAT I MIGHT LAY HOLD OF THAT FOR WHICH GOD HAS LAID HOLD OF ME. DO YOU HAVE A PHILOSOPHY FOR YOUR LIFE? DO YOU HAVE SOME GOD-GIVEN AMBITIONS AND GOALS? DO YOU? then for you a lot of things will be settled. You won’t have to say this is right or this is wrong because of some rule. You say this is right or this is wrong for me because it may or may not bring me on my way. It is not expedient for me. There’s some things I don’t do just simply because they don’t help me to reach my God-given goal. So what’s the first principle? Principle of expediency. Here’s the second principle. The principle of enslavement. Look if you will in chapter 6, 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. Now to be brought under the power means to be enslaved by anything. You see, Jesus Christ came to set you free. And the Bible says, if the Son, that is the Son of God, shall make you free, you will be free indeed. But anything other than Jesus Christ that enslaves you is wrong for you. You say, well I’m not a Christian, but I’m not enslaved. Oh yes you are. He that serves sin, the Bible says, is the servant of sin. The unsaved man is free to do what he wants, but he’s not free to do as he ought. And he is free to choose, but he’s not free to choose the consequences of his choice. But Jesus, Truly, by that perfect enslavement to His sovereignty sets us free in every other area. Now, are you a free person? Or is there something that has enslaved you? Are you enslaved by pornography? Lust? Nicotine? Caffeine? Rock music? Television? appetite. Far more people are killed in America by overeating than they are by poison. Are you a slave? Many people are slaves to a little cigarette about that big. A great big 6 foot 2, 205 pound man, I just can’t quit. I THAT’S GOT HIM. I WAS READING ABOUT A PERSON WHO HAD BURGER’S DISEASE THAT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO AMPUTATE A LIMB. THIS INDIVIDUAL HAD GONE TO SEE THE DOCTOR AT OSHNER CLINIC AND THE DOCTOR SAID TO THIS INDIVIDUAL, IF YOU DON’T QUIT SMOKING, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO CUT OFF ONE OF YOUR LEGS. YOU KNOW WHAT HE SAID? ABOVE THE KNEE OR BELOW THE KNEE? That’s pathetic. But how easy it is to be enslaved by anything. You say, well, I can quit anytime I want to. The only problem is you just don’t want to, do you? You’re enslaved and you’re kidding yourself. All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient. That is, they don’t bring me to my goal. All things may be lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. And no man is fully free who drags his chain with him. Hmm. I heard of a man who was in the midst of a battle, a very furious battle, and he called out to his commander and he said, I’ve taken a prisoner. And the commander said, that’s wonderful, bring him with you. He said, well, he won’t come. Well, he said, then you better leave him and come yourself. He said, he won’t let me go. YOU’LL WONDER WHO HAS TAKEN WHO. IN JESUS, IN JESUS WE ARE TO BE SET FREE. AND I HAVE TO WATCH, AM I GETTING ENSLAVED BY ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST? THAT’S A PRINCIPLE. NOW HERE’S THE THIRD PRINCIPLE, AND THAT IS THE PRINCIPLE OF EXAMPLE. NOW THIS TIME FAST FORWARD TO 1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 8, AND LOOK WITH ME IN VERSE 8 THROUGH 13. HERE’S A VERY INTERESTING PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE. But meat, M-E-A-T, commendeth us not to God, for neither if we eat are we the better, neither if we eat not are we the worse.” BUT TAKE HEED, LEST BY ANY MEANS THIS LIBERTY OF YOURS BECOME A STUMBLING BLOCK TO THEM THAT ARE WEAK. THE KEY WORD IS STUMBLING BLOCK. FOR IF ANY MAN SEE THEE WHICH HAS KNOWLEDGE SIT AT MEAT IN THE IDOL’S TEMPLE, SHALL NOT THE CONSCIENCE OF HIM WHICH IS WEAK BE EMBOLDENED TO EAT THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE OFFERED TO IDOLS? AND THROUGH THY KNOWLEDGE SHALL THE WEAK BROTHER PERISH, FOR WHOM CHRIST DIED. BUT WHEN YE SIN SO AGAINST THE BRETHREN, AND WOUND THEIR WEAK CONSCIENCE, YE SIN AGAINST CHRIST. WHEREFORE, IF MEAT MAKE MY BROTHER TO OFFEND, I WILL EAT NO FLESH WHILE THE WORLD STANDETH, LEST I MAKE MY BROTHER TO OFFEND.” PASTOR ROGERS, I DON’T UNDERSTAND THAT SCRIPTURE. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? WELL, IF I TELL YOU THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND, YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND. what happened paul is living in a pagan society there at corinth there were many people who were practicing idol worship and they would practice idol worship with their bloody sacrifices they would take the very best of the sheep and the oxen and the goats and they would sacrifice them to their god and they would sacrifice those bloody sacrifices to these idol gods there was the meat had been sacrificed to the idol well THEY WOULD TAKE THAT MEAT AND THEY WOULD BRING IT TO THE PAGAN MEAT MARKET AND PUT IT THERE IN THE MEAT MARKET. AND THERE IN THE MEAT MARKET, THIS MEAT WOULD BE SOLD. NUMBER ONE, IT WAS THE BEST. NUMBER TWO, IT WAS THE LOWEST PRICE. And many Christians were saying, well, it’s good stewardship to go down there and buy that meat. Because if you go down there and buy that meat at the pagan meat market, it’s the very best meat. It’s good and nutritious for you. It’s not contaminated in any way. And we’re being good stewards. We’re saving our money. We’re buying prime rib for 50 cents a pound. And that’s wonderful. Other people were saying, don’t tell me that you, in order to save money, or in order to get a better cut of beef, that you would eat something that has been used in devil worship? That you would eat meat that’s offered to idols? God forbid that you should do such a thing. You can see how an argument could go, couldn’t you? Paul said, well, if you eat meat, you’re not any better or any worse. The food’s not going to change. And the meat, I mean, putting something in here, it’s not going to change what’s here or here. He said, you’re neither better or worse if you eat that meat. Nothing wrong with the meat. I want to ask you a question. Let’s just take a survey here today. You up to it? Okay. How many of you think it would be better to buy your meat there, save money, Get better food, have some extra money to give to the love offering this year. How many of you think that would be better? Let me see your hands. A lot of you, good. How many of you say, well, now look, even though it’s better food and all that, and even though we’re being good stewards, I don’t want to have anything to do with any kind of meat. HAS BEEN OFFERED TO IDOLS. LET ME SEE YOUR HAND. ALL RIGHT, NOW HOW MANY OF YOU TAKE THE FIFTH AMENDMENT? LET ME SEE, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO VOTE. ALL RIGHT, NOW YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THEREFORE, WE’RE JUST ABOUT SPLIT THREE WAYS HERE, THE EATERS, THE NON-EATERS, AND THE NON-VOTERS. ALL RIGHT, NOW THAT’S THE WAY IT WAS AT CORINTH. AND ACTUALLY, THEY DIDN’T LAUGH ABOUT IT THERE BECAUSE THEY WERE GRIM ABOUT IT, THEY WERE DEADLY SERIOUS. Now the Apostle Paul is approaching this and he’s not going to give them a rule. He’s going to give them a principle. Do you know what the principle is? The principle is the principle of example. In verse 9 he says, don’t do anything that will be a stumbling block to your brother. Eating meat, not going to make any better, not going to make any worse. But if it causes somebody else to stumble, don’t do it. And so, all of those of you who voted for eating the meat, you say, well, Pastor Rogers, that just kind of offends my intellect. Well, go back to chapter 8 and verse 1. Now, as touching things offered unto idols… We all have knowledge, but now watch this. Knowledge puffeth up, charity edifies. It builds up. Now as you go through life, don’t let your head run away with your heart. Knowledge puffs you up, but love builds up. And we’re here to operate by love. There’s some things that I don’t do, not because I think in the doing of them I would be harmed. There are certain things I don’t do because in the doing of them, somebody else would be harmed. Somebody else would be caused to stumble. Somebody else may think less of me than they would have if I didn’t do it. So you can’t just ask yourself about anything. Well, will it hurt me? WILL IT HURT ME? YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF THIS BIGGER QUESTION, WILL IT HURT SOMEBODY ELSE? IT’S VERY SELFISH SIMPLY TO ASK, WILL IT HURT ME? NOW LET ME GIVE YOU A COUPLE OF VERSES FOR YOUR MARGIN. PUT IN THE MARGIN, ROMANS 14 VERSE 13, LISTEN TO IT. LET US NOT THEREFORE JUDGE ONE ANOTHER ANYMORE. YOU’RE NOT TO JUDGE ME, AND I’M NOT TO JUDGE YOU ABOUT DOUBTFUL THINGS. LET US NOT THEREFORE JUDGE ONE ANOTHER ANYMORE, BUT JUDGE THIS RATHER, THAT NO MAN PUT A STUMBLING BLOCK OR AN OCCASION TO FALL IN HIS BROTHER’S WAY. NOW WHAT THAT MEANS IS, I’M TO BE VERY EASY ON YOU AND I’M TO BE VERY HARD ON ME. I’m not to judge you if you do something that I think you ought not to do. But I’m not to do anything that would cause you to stumble. Listen to it again. Let us not therefore judge one another anymore. But judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. Now most of us do just the opposite, don’t we? We’re very easy on ourselves and very hard on others. But this scripture says we’re to be very hard on ourselves and very easy on others. Now I want you to listen to Romans 14 verse 21. And this is a key verse. Listen to it. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.” That settles the issue of social drinking for me. Right there. You’re wondering about social drinking? Is it right or wrong to socially drink? Well, the Apostle Paul says here, it’s good neither to eat meat or drink wine. or do anything, whereby your brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak. Now, in America, the problem of alcoholism is a big problem. We’ve got an army of walking dead, millions who are, apart from the grace of God, incurable alcoholics. We’ve got homes that have been turned into hell holes, highways that have been turned into slaughter pens because of beverage alcohol. NOW THE LIQUOR PEOPLE, THEY WILL TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, MODERATION IS THE ANSWER. JUST BE MODERATE. BE A MODERATE DRINKER. BUT THEY NEVER SAY THAT EVERYBODY STARTS OUT A MODERATE DRINKER. THEY SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, MODERATION, IT’S JUST LIKE OVEREATING. YOU OUGHT NOT TO OVEREAT. YOU OUGHT NOT TO OVERDRINK. WELL, IT’S NOT JUST LIKE OVEREATING. I’VE HEARD OF PEOPLE BEING ARRESTED FOR DRIVING DRUNK. I’VE NEVER HEARD OF ANYONE ARRESTED FOR DRIVING FAT. There’s a difference. And they know there’s a difference. But now you listen to me. Moderation is not the answer to the liquor problem. It’s the cause of it. If everybody who drank got skunk drunk, then you could do something about it. But you see, it’s the man of distinction who drinks who encourages other people to drink. Do you know why I don’t drink? A lot of reasons. One man said when he was a little kid, he saw a drunk trying to get in a car and he said the drunk had one leg outside the car door and he kept slamming the car door on his leg. Couldn’t get, he said, I didn’t know anything about the Bible or anything else, but I made up my mind. I would not do anything. Make me that stupid. When the Shakespeare said, what fools men are to put that in the mouths that steals the brains away. But now suppose I said, look, I can handle it. I cut the grass. I want to come in and knock back a cool one. I WANT TO WATCH THE BALL GAME IN WORLD SERIES. I WANT TO HAVE A SIX-PACK THERE. I JUST WANT TO ENJOY IT, HAVE SOME BUDDIES OVER. OR WE GO OUT TO DINNER, WE LIKE TO HAVE A COCKTAIL. OR, YOU KNOW, WINE GOES GOOD WITH THIS FOOD OR THAT FOOD. WE’RE NOT DRUNKARDS. WE’RE NOT BAD PEOPLE, PASTOR. WE’RE JUST GOOD FOLKS. WE DRINK IN MODERATION. WE DON’T BELIEVE IN DRUNKENNESS ANY MORE THAN YOU DO. WELL, SUPPOSE I DID THAT. SUPPOSE I WOULD GO TO A RESTAURANT, ORDER SOME BEER, SOME WINE, KEEP A LITTLE IN MY REFRIGERATOR, KEEP SOME UP IN THE SHELF FOR CHRISTMAS AND HOLIDAYS AND NEW YEARS. NOW LET’S SUPPOSE YOU’VE GOT A BOY OR GIRL THAT COMES TO THIS CHURCH, AND THAT BOY OR GIRL SAYS, MOM, DAD, SHOULD I DRINK? YOU SAY, WELL, HONEY, I DON’T THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA FOR YOU TO DRINK. WELL, MOM, PASTOR ROGERS DOES. HE’S A GOOD MAN. Pastor Rogers never gets drunk. Pastor Rogers loves God. He does. I believe I will. And then that child becomes one of those alcoholics. And nobody knows who’s going to become one. Everybody thinks somebody else will. Nobody ever knows. No one ever starts out to be one. First the man takes a drink, then the drink takes a drink, and then the drink takes the man. Nobody ever knows who’s gonna be what. Now as far as I’m concerned, I’m not gonna drink this stuff. You know why? Let me just give you this verse, listen to it. IT IS GOOD, THE BIBLE SAYS, NEITHER, NEITHER, LISTEN TO IT, IT IS GOOD NEITHER TO EAT FLESH, NOR TO DRINK WINE, NOR ANYTHING WHEREBY THY BROTHER STUMBLES, OR IS OFFENDED, OR IS MADE WEAK. SEE, THAT’S THE PRINCIPLE OF EXAMPLE. IT GRIEVES ME TO SEE THESE ATHLETES, YOU KNOW, THESE ATHLETES THAT HAVE THIS GOD-GIVEN ABILITY, WONDERFUL, MEN WITH MUSCLES THAT RIPPLE, MINDS THAT WORK, THEY’RE COORDINATED. AND THEN THE BEER PEOPLE SAY, WOULD YOU GET ON TELEVISION AND TALK ABOUT OUR BEER FOR US? DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS? IT’S A FORM OF PROSTITUTION. where those marvelous athletes prostitute their God-given ability to somehow get in children’s minds that there is a link between being an athlete and drinking beer, which is sheer unmitigated stupidity. No link between that at all. But you see, the world’s very clever, isn’t it? The world wants these kids to associate drinking beer with that success. They never show them a drunk in a back alley covered with vomit and flies and rats running over his nose. They never show that. Of course not. Now, why don’t I do it? I’ll tell you why I don’t do it. Now, you may say, I’m free to do it, and indeed you are. As a matter of fact, you might search the Bible and try to find, ah, this is where somebody made Jesus turn water into wine. even know what kind of wine that was. That’s a generic word which simply means drink. It does not necessarily mean that it was intoxicating at all. I don’t believe it was. But you’re looking for a loophole. WHY DON’T YOU LIVE BY A PRINCIPLE? WHY DON’T YOU JUST SIMPLY TAKE A PRINCIPLE AND SAY, THIS IS A PRINCIPLE. I WON’T DO ANYTHING THAT WILL CAUSE SOMEBODY ELSE TO STUMBLE. NOW, IS YOUR LIFE GOING TO BE RUINED IF YOU SAY, I’M NOT GOING TO DRINK THIS OR THIS? NO, YOUR LIFE WILL BE ENHANCED. BUT I’LL TELL YOU WHETHER YOUR LIFE IS HURT OR BETTER, THERE WILL BE A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO WILL BE BETTER IF YOU’LL JUST SIMPLY LEAVE IT ALONE. NOW, THERE’S THE FIRST PRINCIPLE OF EXPEDIENCY. DOES IT BRING ME ON MY WAY? THERE’S ANOTHER PRINCIPLE, THE PRINCIPLE OF ENSLAVEMENT. THERE’S ANOTHER PRINCIPLE, THE PRINCIPLE OF EXAMPLE. NOW HERE’S THE FOURTH PRINCIPLE, AND IT’S THE PRINCIPLE OF EDIFICATION. LOOK IF YOU WILL HERE IN 1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 10, 1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 10 AND VERSE 23, All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient. We’ve already dealt with that. All things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Now, what does the word edify mean? Well, what are we in? We’re in an edifice. To edify means to build up. An edifice is a building. Everything that you do is either building you up or tearing you down. Now you have to ask yourself about anything that you do, does this build me up or does this pull me down, does it tear me down? So every film you watch, you have to say, does this build me up or does it tear me down? Every program that you enter into, does this build me up or does this bring me down? Every friendship, do you know what a real friend is? A real friend is somebody who makes you a better person. Anybody that does not make you a better person by being in their midst is not truly a friend. Anybody that pulls you down, every conversation has to pass this test. Is this something that builds or is it something that destroys? Now, Entertainment is legitimate. If you think that I’m one who doesn’t enjoy entertainment, you don’t know me. If you think I’m one who doesn’t enjoy sports, a good joke, a picnic, going fishing, or rollicking with my kids, or anything like that, I love that. Vacations, wonderful. That’s a part of life. God made us that way. Recreation literally means re-creation. That’s where we get the term. You see, what does true entertainment do? It relaxes, refreshes, renews, and restores. It re-creates. And you need that. But I’m going to tell you something else. There’s a so-called kind of entertainment that debases and degrades. The devil is very clever. Do you know what most of your sitcoms are about today? You know what they’re about? What? Sex, alcohol, drugs, and now abortion and sodomy. That’s come in. And in the context of all of that, Holy things are being laughed at. You know why? Do you think that just happened? I know. That’s a part of a plan. Whose plan? Satan’s plan. Why? Because the devil knows that if he can get you to laugh at something, it’ll be very hard for you to take it seriously again. And so we have a generation that is laughing its way into hell, laughing its way into hell, laughing at that which God has condemned, laughing at sodomy, laughing at adultery, laughing at fornication, laughing at drunkenness. And you can laugh your way into hell, but you can’t laugh your way out once you get there. You watch certain things, they don’t build you up. You feel kind of dirty after you’ve watched it. Kind of grimy. It doesn’t edify you. It doesn’t renew you. It doesn’t refresh you. It doesn’t restore you. It doesn’t relax you. It degrades you. It debilitates you. It drags you down. Now Paul said, it may be lawful, but it doesn’t edify. See, there’s a principle of edification. Now let me give you another principle. Look if you will in chapter 10 again and verse 31, whether therefore you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. Here’s a big principle, it’s the principle of exaltation. Exaltation. Does this thing exalt the Lord Jesus Christ? YOU SAY, WELL, PASTOR, WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT CHURCH NOW, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT DAILY LIFE. THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT PAUL IS TALKING ABOUT. HE SAYS, WHETHER YOU EAT OR DRINK, OR WHATEVER YOU DO, WHATEVER YOU DO, Do all to the glory of God. Everything you do either honors or dishonors the Lord. Everything. Every conversation, every friendship, every vacation, every meal, every business transaction either honors or dishonors the Lord. You have to ask yourself this question. Is God glorified by what I’m doing? Is God glorified by what I’m doing? Whatever you do in word or deed, do how what? A double L to the glory of God. The way you dress, do you dress for the glory of God? Some girls go out on a date and things they ought not to even come downstairs in. One of these gownless evening straps. I mean… Would you go out if Jesus Christ were your escort? Is that the way you address? I mean, would you tell that story if Jesus Christ were one of the guys in the crowd? Can you say, Lord Jesus, this is what I’m doing for your glory? Whatever you do, in word or deed, do all to the glory of God. Now I know there are people listening to me right now, you say that man is a fruit loop. He doesn’t know what life is all about. I know that. I mean, you’re coming from a different paradigm than I am altogether. See, I’m a Christian. I’m a believer in Jesus Christ. Christ is Lord. Christ is Lord. I’m not trying to teach billy goats not to butt. You don’t have any understanding of what I’m talking about. I am talking about people who know God, who love the Lord Jesus Christ, who are looking for practical principles for proper practice. I said it. All right, now listen. Listen. There’s the principle of exaltation, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Now let me give you the last one, and it’s the principle of evangelism. Continue to read, I’m in chapter 10, verse 32, look at it. Give none 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.” The last principle is the principle of evangelism. The principle of evangelism. Now, what determines how I’m going to live? Well, is there anything that keeps me from bringing somebody else to Jesus Christ? Then for me it’s wrong. Now Paul said, I’m not going to offend the Jews. I’m not going to offend the Gentiles. I am not going to offend the church of God. I’m going to try to be as pleasant to all of these as I can possibly be. Not that I’m going to compromise my convictions, but listen, even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit. I am not asking what is best for me. But he says, I’m doing this for the profit of many that they might be saved. Every man, every woman, every boy, every girl that I meet, I ought to be moving them closer to Jesus. And I can’t do anything, say anything, give anything, buy anything, go anywhere, eat anything, drink anything, anything, THAT KEEPS ME FROM SOMEHOW BRINGING THOSE PEOPLE CLOSER TO JESUS CHRIST. SEE, THAT’S A GUIDING PRINCIPLE. I’VE TOLD OUR PEOPLE THIS. THERE’S A MAN IN NASHVILLE WHERE WE HAVE OUR DENOMINATIONAL HEADQUARTERS. HE LOVES GOD. HE WENT INTO A LAUNDRY TO HAVE HIS SHIRTS DONE. HE’S ONE OF THESE FELLOWS, HIS COLLARS HAD TO BE JUST RIGHT. Cuff’s just right. I don’t know whether he liked a lot of starch or a little starch or starch here and no starch there or whatever, but he had it just right. I mean, he had a formula. He took his shirts into this cleaning establishment and said, I want you to do these shirts this way. When he came back to pick up the shirts, they were not done that way. So he just smiled and he said, Would you redo these shirts? You didn’t do them like I asked you to do them.” They said, yes, sir, we’ll redo them. When he came back the next time to get his shirts, they’d messed up again. He said, look, I brought them in the first time, I told you how. I brought them in the second time, I told you how. Now, you’re wasting my time. Let me explain it to you. This is what I want. Is that clear? Can you do this, please? You know how we talk. Please. I said, yes sir, we’re sorry, yes sir, yes sir. Later on this same man living in that town, a member of a church that had a visitation program just like ours, went for visitation and he got a card and on the card was a name and the name matched the name of the cleaners. He called the person over who was distributing the cards and said, I want to ask you a question. Are these the people that operate a certain cleaning establishment? They said yes. Well, he said, do you know them? He said, yes, I know who they are. He said, well, may I ask you another question? Do they know me? I said, well, yes, they do know you. Have you ever talked to them about me? He said, yes, I have. I said, oh, no. You want me to go see them? He said, that’s right. Well, he said, I want to ask you a big question. What do they think about me? You know what the answer was? He said, they think the most important thing on earth to you is the way your shirts are done. Do you know what I want people to think of when they think of me? That the most important thing in life to me is Jesus Christ. That’s what I want people to think. That the most important thing on earth to that man is Jesus Christ. That’s a principle to guide my life. Now again, I want to say that if you’re not a Christian, If you don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ, or if you are an immature Christian, you’re going to be looking for little rules because you want to find loopholes in laws. But these are six practical principles. You take these principles and live by these principles, and I believe when you meet the Lord Jesus Christ, you’ll hear him say to you, well done, good and faithful servant. No one can behave himself into the kingdom of God. I’m not telling you to live this way so you can go to heaven. You go to heaven by repenting of your sin. AND RECEIVING JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR AND LORD. CHRIST CARRIED YOUR SINS TO THE CROSS AND HE DIED THERE FOR YOU AND HE PAID YOUR SIN DEBT AND YOUR SIN HAS BEEN PAID FOR WITH HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD AND THE BIBLE SAYS, BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED. AND IF YOU WOULD PRAY A PRAYER LIKE THIS, OH GOD I’M A SINNER AND I’M LOST AND I NEED TO BE SAVED AND I CAN’T SAVE MYSELF BUT RIGHT NOW LIKE A LITTLE CHILD WITH ALL OF MY HEART I TRUST YOU LORD JESUS TO SAVE ME. I PROMISE YOU Jesus will save you today if you trust him. Lord Jesus, seal the word to our heart. Lord, may many today come to Jesus. Draw them, Holy Spirit. In your holy name I pray. Amen.
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