This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "One Language, One Understanding", 7/27/2014

ONE LANGUAGE, ONE UNDERSTANDING

 1 Corinthians 14:13-26

 

V:13. " For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says."

A. One of the gifts of the spirit given to the early Church was the gift of languages.

     1. The gift to speak in an unlearned language different from their native language.

     2. The gift of languages was first displayed in the early Church in Acts chapter 2.

     3. Some members of the Church begin thinking that this gift was  the most

 

       important    gift.

     4. Even today some Churches seem to think that this gift is the evidence of having

         the Holy Spirit.

     5. The word "tongue" is the Greek word glossa which means a specific language

          not acquired naturally.

 B. The Apostle Paul sets the ground work for utilizing the gift of tongues (languages)

      in public.

     1. Obviously this is a gift that is Holy Spirit controlled.

     2. Paul says that you should pray that you will be able to interpret what you are

 

        saying.

     3. How can you know what you are saying if you can not interpret?

 

V:14. " For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful."

 A. If I used by gift to pray and I don't understand what I am saying, then

     I am not fruitful to myself.

     1. Here is the misunderstanding of the use of the gift.

     2. It is not us that is controlling the conversation, but the Holy Spirit.

     3. It is the Spirit speaking through us to a particular person or group

        of  people who do not speak our language.

     4. We think the words of God as a witness and the Holy Spirit controls our

         speech in the language of the hearer.

 B. The only way the mind can be unfruitful is if I don't have an understand

      of the language that I am speaking.

 

 V:15. " So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind;   

   I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind."

 A. To be fruitful I must pray in the language that I know and others around me know.

    1. To be fruitful, I must talk in a language that I know and others know.

    2. To be fruitful, I must sing in a language that I know and others know.

 B. If we all know the same language, why speak in an unknown language?

    1. To whose benefit is an unknown language?

    2. If no one knows what I am saying, who is being edified?

 

 V:16. " If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?"

 A. If we are exercising the gift of language of the spirit and some outsider comes in

      who do not know the language, how will the outsider be brought to Christ?

    1. When we abuse the gift to puff ourselves up, there is no gain.

    2. It is possible to drive the unbeliever away from Christ when we abuse our

       gifts.

 B. God did not gives us the gift of language to make ourselves look good before

 

    others.

    1. God does not give us gifts so that we may  boast.

    2. God does not give us gifts for a display of our abilities.

 C. We are given gifts so that the body may be built up.

    1. God did not give us gifts to lift ourselves up.

    2. God did not give us gifts to impress others.

    3. God gave us gifts so that others may be drawn to Christ.

 

V:17. " You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified."

 A.  Our praise and worship should be in a language that every one can understand.

     1. If we praise God in an unknown language, who would know that we are actually

         praising God?

     2. Our language of praise must be common for all to be edified.

 B. If  I speak French and you don't know French, will you be edified?

    1. If my native language is English and someone who speaks only French

        comes to me, the gift of language becomes a useful tool to witness for

        Christ.

    2. Every believer has gifts, but not always the same gifts.

    3. Any gift we have should be held in reserve until the time comes that it

        can be useful to edify the body of Christ.

    4. Any gift can become disruptive if it is not used appropriately.

 

 V:18. " I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you."

  A. The Apostle Paul journeyed to many different cities and countries,

       preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the languages of  the people.

     1. Paul spoke many languages.

     2. Paul only spoke in the language of the people in front of him.

 B. Because Paul was commission by God to preach the Gospel to the

     Gentiles, he was gifted to preach in different languages.

    1. The native language from country to country was different.

    2. Paul spoke the native language of each country.

 C. Paul gave thanks to God for his gift of languages.

     1. Paul glorified God with his gifts.

     2. Paul edified the body with his gifts.

 

 V:19. " But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others

    than ten thousand words in a tongue."

 A. Paul did not boast in his language skills.

    1. He boasted in preaching the Gospel in whatever language necessary for

        hearers to understand Christ Jesus. 

    2. Someone with a large vocabulary who cannot communicate is of no use

        to anyone.

 B. The Gospel must be preached in the language of the people for God to get

      the Glory.

    1. We must be able to adapt our gifts to the person we are witnessing to.

    2. Gifts that are not uses out of love for the hearer will not be effective.

 

V:20. " Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your

  thinking be adults."

 A. It is children that like to show off their talents for the sake of themselves.

     1. Children like attention for their edification.

     2. Children like the praise of those around them.

 B. Mature Christians should not seek the praise of man, but seek to give

     God praise.

    1. Mature Christian should not seek to display their gifts as a sign of their

        spirituality.

    2. Mature Christians should seek every opportunity to use their gifts to

        draw others to Christ.  

 

V:21. " In the Law it is written: "Through men of strange tongues and through the lips of  foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me,"  says   the Lord."

 A. We have to be careful of what voice we listen to.

      1. The voice of the flesh says take every opportunity to edify ourselves.

      2. The voice of the Spirit says take every opportunity to edify the

          body of Christ. 

 B. If I speak with an unknown language , I must be careful that I speak

      for Christ and not for myself.

    1. If I speak with an unknown language, I must be careful that body of Christ

        is edified and not the flesh of men.

    2. We all have gifts, but not all gifts should be used at all times.

 

 V:22. " Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy,

  however, is for believers, not for unbelievers."

  A. God gave us the gift of languages so that we can communicate with none

       believers who speak a different language.

      1. All gifts are to be used to draw unbelievers to Christ.

      2. If I speak to an unbeliever who only speak French, I need the gift

          speaking French to witness to him/her.

      3. If I and the unbeliever speak English, I don't need to use my gift of speaking

          French.

      4. If a group of believers all speak the same language, why speak a different

          language?

  B. If we all speak English, and I speak English words that you don't understand,

       am I communicating with you?

      1. For example: The ambience of the situation produced a calming effect on my

 

          inter   man.

          a. This is English, but do you have any idea what I said or what I meant by the

              statement?

          b. It may sound good, but I don't understand it.

      2. When we witness for Jesus, we must speak the language of the unbeliever.

 C. Prophecy which is proclaiming or teaching the Word must done in the language of

 

     the  believers so that they my be enlighten, encouraged and built up.

      1. Any gift used for selfish reasons will be ineffective.

      2. Every gift of God must be used with love for the brethren.

      

 V:23. " So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and

   some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you

   are out of your mind?"

 A. We are all in the body of Christ and must be unified with the Word of God in a

       language we can all understand.

     1. God did not gives us gifts to display as some trophy we have won, but to use

 

        them  in love so that body is built up.

     2. As an example, during one of our revivals, a visiting Pastor brought his ministers

         with him who prayed in some unknown language (tongue).

         a. After the message people come up to the altar for prayer.

         b. The visiting Pastor's ministers came and laid hands on us and prayed in this 

             unknown language.

         c. I had no idea what they were saying, so I was not enlighten, uplifted or

             encouraged.

         d. I didn't know if they were praying for me or against me.

         e. Since I didn't know the language, I was not sure they were praying to my

 

             Jesus.

 

         f. They did not bring an interpreter, so they disregarded God's command.  V:28

 B. God makes His Word plain to us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

     1. The Holy Spirit interprets the Word of God as we study.

 

 V:24,25  " But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while

   everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be

   judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and

   worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!"

  A. The better gift is to teach the Word in the common language of the people.

      1. An unbeliever will not be impressed of convicted by our gift of language

          that he does understand.

      2. Love is the key that should guide our use of gifts.

  B. Preaching the Word is for unbelievers.

      1. Teaching the Word is for believers,

      2. Preaching gets us into the Church.

      3. Teaching keeps us growing in the Church.

 

V:26. " What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn,  or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must   be done for the strengthening of the church."

 A. We must keep our focus on the purpose of teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

      1. Jesus laid down His life to save the souls of all sinners.

      2. The believers mission is given in the great commission Jesus gave His disciples.

           Matthew 28:19-20

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  

 

B. If we teach in an unknown language that people can't understand, are we fulfilling

 

     the  great commission ?

    1. Do we edify ourselves when we display our gifts for the purpose of show

        when we speak in a language that is uncommon to the church.

    2. Our job at all times is to speak a plain language so that the body is built up.  

 

Rev. M. Mitchell

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Remembering Christ, The Solution To Temption", 7/20/2014

REMEMBERING CHRIST, THE SOLUTION TO TEMPTATION

 

1 Corinthians 10:12-22

 

 

V:12. " So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"

 A. No believer can stand against the world on his own.

     1. God has not given us the power to exist without Him.

     2. God made us to be dependant on Him and to be guided by His commandments.

     3. The world around us walk without God and follow the gods of their imagination.

     4. The world walks in darkness, but we have been blessed to walk in the Light.

 B. If we attempt to stand on our own, we will fall into sin, because the world will

      persuade us in their ways.

     1. We are in the flesh, but we must walk in the spirit.

     2. The flesh and  the spirit oppose each other.

         a. Their is a war going on within our members.  Romans 7:23

         b. It is only with the Spirit of God that we can win this war daily.

    3. We must put on the full armor of God to stand against the wise of the devil.

         Eph 6:11-18

 

 V:13. " No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

 A. God has equipped believers to withstand the temptations of the world.

     1. God has not isolated us from the temptations of the world because we are the

         light of the world.

     2. It is God's design that we bear the temptations of the world.

     3. It is through the resisting of the temptations that our faith grows in the Lord.

     4. Temptations are a test of our faith.

          a. Without a test, there would be no testimony.

          b. It is my belief, that some temptations are designed to grow our faith

              in the Lord.

      5. If mature Christians are to be a guide to the weaker Christians, we must

          experience certain trials and tribulations.

      6. Jesus being God, was born in the flesh to bear the sins of the entire world.

          1 Peter 3:18. 1 Tim 3:18

 B.   God the Father is so intimately involved with us, that He knows our strengths

        and weaknesses.

      1. God the Father will not allow us to be tempted more than we can bear.

      2. God knows what temptations you will face before they arrive into your

          life.

 C. Just as Jesus was tempted by the devil at the start of His ministry on earth,

      we will be tempted by the devil throughout our lives.

     1. God has equipped us with the Holy Spirit to know the schemes of the devil

         and the power of His Word  to escape all temptations.

     2. Armed with the Spirit of righteousness, we can easily identify the evils of

         the world and make  decisions to follow the Lord.

 

 V:14. " Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry."

   A. Fee means to run away, or seek safety.

       1. Idolatry is a sin of the flesh.

           a. Anything that  takes your focus off God can become your idol.

           b. Today we are obsessed with this idea of being successful through

               eves of the world.

           c. Reality TV shows push us to compete with one another to see who has

               the best talents.

           d. While competition is not bad in itself, it does take our focus off the

               true and lasting success that can only be found in Christ Jesus.

       2. To be safe, you have to run away from anything that is not Godly.

       3. Our safety is in the Word of God.

       4. Jesus said that if you abide in Me and My Word abide in you, you can ask

           what you will and it will be done for you. John 15:7

          a. Since the righteous should always pray, our road to safety begins in

              prayer.

   B. Because we have knowledge of the Word, we have knowledge of idolatry.

       1. The knowledge we have of God's Word must always be applied to our

           current situations.

       2. It is God's Word that convicts us of our sins and forces us to repent

           and turn back to God.

 

 V:15. " I speak to sensible people;   judge for yourselves what I say."

   A. This message is to the Church of Jesus Christ.

       1. Since we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are informed

           and rational people.

       2. We know that following our fleshly desires can only lead to our

            own destruction.

       3. Anything that does not include the Lord Jesus is idolatry.

   B. We know the difference between what edifies God and what edifies

        ourselves.

       1. We know that God hates the proud and loves those who humble

            themselves before Him.

       2. The greatest in the kingdom of God is one who is a servant of all.

       3. To serve God, we must forsake all earthly desires that does not

            include God.

 

 V:16. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the  

  blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of

  Christ?"

  A. All believers participate in the ordinance of communion in remembrance of the

       death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

     1. We all were baptized into His death and resurrected into a new life with Him.

     2. Any man in Christ is a new creation.

  B. We are all new in Christ Jesus and one with Him.

       1. Therefore we should began to think like Jesus, walk like Jesus and  act

           according to His Word.

       2. We are to be imitators of Christ.

 

 V:17. " Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf."

 A. Jesus is the vine. The Church are the branches.

      1. There are many branches attached to the vine of Jesus Christ.

      2. There are many Churches that belong to Jesus Christ.

 B. Jesus is the body. And there is but one body.

      1. We are many and we all are part of the body of Christ Jesus.

      2. We were grafted into the body of Christ by our faith in His death and

           resurrection.

      3. Therefore, all believers are one with Christ.

      4. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.

            

 V:18 "Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in

          the altar?"

 A. We become apart of what we crave.

    1. Those who worship idols become one with the idols.

    2. Since idols are nothing, you become one with nothing.

 B. The Israelites repeatedly worshiped idols, rejecting the living God.

    1. They suffered throughout their time before and after entering the

        promise land.

    2. The Lord gave us the history of worlds disobedience as an example

         for us to resist idolatry. Jude 7

 

    V:19. " Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol

            is  anything?"

      A. Sacrifices offered to idols is more than nothing.

          1. The "nothing" is the evil of the world.

          2. Being involved with those who worship idols has a way of affecting the way

              you feel about your own spirituality.

          3. Taking for granted your affections for the things of this world can result in

              a loss of focus on spiritual things.

      B. God made everything for our enjoyment, but not for our worship.

         1. Idols are nothing as long as we remember that God is everything.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 V:20. " No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not

   want you to be participants with demons."

   A. We need to be selective to whom we have associations.

      1. Those that are not for the God we serve may be against God.

      2. Those who worship idols of any kind, worship demons.

   B. We have a responsibility to all we come in contact with to be a witness for Jesus

        Christ.

      1. We have a responsibility to Christ Jesus to stay away from pagan worship

          services.

      2. If it is our desire, God will give us the opportunity to witness to those who worship

          idols.

 

Amen

 

Rev. M. Mitchell  Asst Pastor of GMBC

 

 

 V:21. " You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot

   have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.

    A.  Our witness to those who worship idols must be outside of their worship services.

       1. To win them over, we cannot take part in their worship services.

       2. We can't worship in pagan worship services and worship God.

    B. The God we serve is a jealous God and will not share us with any other god.

        1. Idols are nothing, but worship of idols is sin against God.

        2. We cannot give the appearance that we worship anything other than the

            true and living God.

 

 V:22.  "Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?"

        A. The God we serve is watchful over His flock.

             1. God is aware of our involvement in things that are against His commands

             2. Disobedience arouses the anger of God towards us.            

        B. Our hearts must be fixed on the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.

             1. Idolatry is spiritual adultery.

             2. It is best not to fellowship with those who worship pagan gods.

             3. If they are passionate about their god, they will try to win you over.

        C. You cannot play with fire and expect not to get burnt.

            1. The devil is clever enough to draw you into that which you associate with.

            2. The God we serve is jealous enough to punish us for our involvement in things     that do not please Him.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Use Your Knowledge To Show Your Love", 6/13/14

USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE TO SHOW YOUR LOVE

 

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

 

There were idol temples in Corinth. It was the practice that meats were offered in

those temples to the idol gods. That which was not consumed or eaten in their

service were sold in the market place. 

  

V:1. " Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."

 A. Under the Law, the Israelites were forbidden to participate in idol worship and

       and not to eat that which was offered to idols.  Num 25:2. Ps 106:28

    1. Christians have this knowledge that Christ fulfilled all the requirements of the

         Law   and we are no longer under the penalty of the law

    2. We have this knowledge that all things were made by Christ.

    3. We have this knowledge that what Christ has made clean is clean.

 B. We must be careful to not let the knowledge we have build us up to the point that

      we are unconsidered of the lack of knowledge of others.

     1. Other Christian may not have the knowledge we have and affected by the

         liberties  we exercise.

    2. There will be times when we know what do is right, but seem wrong to the

         uniformed.

 C. Whatever liberties we have should be exercised with love for our brothers and

       sisters   in Christ.

    1. All that we do should be done to build up the body of Christ.

    2. Christian love requires us to be considerate of others.

    3. Knowledge applied without love can be hurtful, harmful and a stumbling block

        to Christian unity.

 

V: 2. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know."

 A. The pursuit of knowledge may make you think you know everything.

     1. The pursuit of knowledge may make you think when someone speaks you need

          to correct them.

     2. You will probably never know everything about any one thing.

     3. You should always  be opened to learning more.

     4. Even someone who don't know, can point you in a direction where your

         knowledge  can be increased.

 B. The moment you think you know it all is a red flag that you are puffed up.

    1. To know should include knowledge acquired by actual experience.

    2. Unless you have walked in another's shoes, you don't have all the knowledge

        to judge him.  

 

V: 3. "But the man who loves God is known by God."

 A. The man who loves God is known by others.

     1. Those who love the Lord keep His commandments.

     2. Those who love the Lord loves his brothers and sisters.

 B. God knows the hearts of those who love Him.

     1. The evidences of our love is our pursuit to edify our brother or sister with our

         action.

     2. The evidence of our love for our brothers and sisters is when we choose not to do

         what we are at liberty to do, because our actions would harm their spiritual

         growth.

 

 V:4. " So 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."

 A. Idols are made by human thoughts  and their images worshiped by those who are

      ignorant of the true and living God.

     1. Spiritual mature Christians know that idols are nothing and worship of them is

         foolish.

     2. Paying any attention to the worship of idols and giving any important to them

         is harmful to Spiritual growth and maturity.

  B. Buying food in the open market that may have been sacrificed during idol worship,

       is nothing.

     1. Food that has been sacrifice to nothing has not been devalued nor made unclean.

     2. Food that was sacrificed in idol worship was made by God and made  for man's

         consumption and looses no value because of misguided practices.

 

V:5. " For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"),"

 A. Misguided men have called many things that God made their gods.

     1. Man deny the existence of the true and living God yet accept that which God

         made as their god.

     2. There is no power in sun, the moon  or anything God made to bless or save,

         yet some men would choose dead objects over the power of God.  

 B. God is the power of the entire creation.

    1. It is God the Father that gives us strength,

    2. It is only Jesus that saves us from our sins                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

 V:6. " Yet 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."

 A. "Yet for us"

      1. The Lord set us apart from the world for His glory.

      2. All believers in Jesus Christ are God's elect.

      3. Some were chosen for Heaven and some were not.

      4. Some were chosen to live after God's own heart and some were not.

      5. We were not chosen to serve dead idols, but chosen to serve the living God.

 B. The believer serves one God who is the eternal Father.

     1. We are united with God through the blood of Jesus Christ.

     2. The world serves many gods. The gods of their imagination.

     3. Anything we put before God can be our idols.

 C. The God we serve is the creator of all things.

     1. God created every thing out of nothing.

     2. God the Father maintains, provides for and protects that which He created.

     3. It is through Him we live and have our being.

 

V:7. " But 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."

 A. The early Church was formed with believers who were trained and tutored by the

     Law.

     1. They brought with them their customs, traditions and practices under the Law

          into the Church.

     2. Those who become mature in the faith, know that idols are nothing and eating

          food offered to idols is no sin against God.

  B. There are many still weak in the faith who don't know the difference between the

       Law and Grace.

      1. When they read the Law (the first 5 books of the Bible), they are convicted by

           it and in their minds condemned by it.

      2. Those still weak in the faith, don't know that Jesus death on the cross fulfilled

          all the requirements of the Law.

          a. Jesus death on the cross redeemed us from the penalty of the Law.

          b. Jesus is the final sacrifice, once and for all times accepted by God the

              Father for  the sins of all mankind.

      3. Those who are still weak in the faith don't know that idols are nothing and

          sacrificing food to idol account for nothing.

          a. Why should we give credit to idol worshipers practices by believing

              what they do can defile anything that God has made?

          b. Food offered in idol worship cannot defile us. But it is our giving

              credit to what they do that defiles us.

 

 V:8. " But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do."

 A. The only thing that brings us close to God and keeps us close to God is our

      obedience  to His commands.

    1. It has been said that there are 613 commands in the Law.

    2. Jesus gave us two new commands which fulfill all the Law and the prophets.

           a. The first is the Love the Lord with all your heart, your mind and your

               strength.

           b. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.

 B. Those who are weak in the faith do not understand how to put into

      practice the new commands of the Lord.

   1. Jesus said, "It is not what goes in to the mouth that defiles us, but what comes out

       of   the mouth that defiles us."

   2. What goes into the mouth comes out the other end.

   3. What comes out of the mouth comes from the heart.

 

 V:9. " Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak."

 A. I once saw a well known preacher drinking wine in a restaurant. Being weak in the

      faith and ignorant of the Word, I thought it was a sin against God.

    1. I read in the Word that Paul told Timothy, to stop drinking water only, but drink

        some wine for your stomach and your persistent health problems. 1 Tim 5:23

    2. Drinking wine is not the problem, but the excessive abuse of the command is the

        problem.

       a. Don't get drunk with wine is another command. Eph 5:18

 B. For those who don't know these commands and are weak in the faith, drinking wine

      is a stumbling block to their spiritual growth.

    1. Just because we have the liberty to a thing does not mean we should always

        exercise that liberty. 

    2. Someone weak in the faith, may be made weaker by our liberty.

    3. The love we have should cause us to refrain from doing that

         which is harmful to our brothers or sisters.

    4. A careful study of the Word will bring our brothers and sisters to an
 

        understanding of our Christian liberty.

       a. Understanding the Word strengthen our faith.

       b. We have this responsibility to teach the weak so they will have an

           understanding   of the Word.

 

 V:10. " For 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?"

 A. The Greek work for "emboldened" means to build up.

     1. We should build up others for their good and not for bad.

     2. If someone who is weak in the faith see a mature Christian doing what he thinks

         violates God's commands, he may be moved to ignore God's commands.

     3. It is our responsibility to reframe from exercising our liberty until they are

         educated.

 B. Training in the Word is necessary for those weak in the Word to grow spiritually.

    1. We all have some growing to do.

    2. Understanding how and when to apply the principles of living given in the Word

        is important to us and to the weak.

    3. The love of our neighbors is the key to doing what is necessary to build them up.

 

 V:11. " So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge."

  A. Christ died for sins of all of us.

     1. We all grow into spiritual maturity at different rates and different times.

     2. God has been patient with us to allow us to grow into spiritual maturity.

  B. We must be patient and compassionate enough to allow others to grow in the

      Lord.

     1. Those weak in the faith presents an opportunities to those mature in the faith

         be role models for Christ and to teach the Word of God.

     2. When we are all on the same page, Christ will be glorified in all our actions.

 

 

 

 V:12. " When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak

  conscience, you sin against Christ."

  A. We can sin by doing what is right.

      1. We harm our weak brothers by exercising Christian liberty when they don't

           understand the truth in what we are doing.

      2. Our job is to edify Christ in all our actions.

          a. Our actions become sinful when a weak brother is weaken because of what

             we  do.

          b. If we take time to teach the Word concerning what we do, than the weak 

              brother   will become stronger in the faith.

  B. In the Church, we sin against our brothers when we complain about them and point

       out their faults to others.

      1. We all have faults that need correcting.

      2. The weak brother or sister can be discouraged by our actions.

 

 V:13. " Therefore, 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."

  A. Our decision to do or not to do should be based on the love of our brothers.

     1. When we only consider what we want to do, we run the risk of affecting a weak

         brother or sister.

     2. To know weather our action affect our brothers and sisters, we have to know

   

         what  they believe.

         a. We can only know a person if we spend time with him/her.

         b. Fellowship and Bible Study is the key to getting a right understanding of the

             Word.

   B. The Apostle Paul gave an example of his restraint from exercising his Christian

        liberty to edify and build up his weaker brother.

      1. How we practice Christian principles is just as important as knowledge of

          Christian principles.

      2. A religion without love is not a religion at all.

  

Rev.  M Mitchell , Ass Pastor of GMBC