Insight for Living

Announcer: In the family of God, we tend to divide Christians into two categories: the mature and the immature, or the free and the legalistic.

Announcer: But the truth is, we need each other.

Announcer: Today, on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll reveals why the spiritually strong can be just as immature as the weak, especially when they flaunt their freedom.

Announcer: Drawing from Romans 14, Chuck challenges the legalists to chill out, and the grace abuser to show some heart.

Announcer: The goal isn't picking sides; it's pursuing what builds each other up.

Announcer: Chuck titled his message: Liberty on a Tightrope.

Chuck Swindoll: The essence of Christianity is not externals. It's eternals.

Chuck Swindoll: It's not externals.

Chuck Swindoll: What you will answer for is not what you put into your stomach, but what the attitude of your heart was or is.

Chuck Swindoll: Look at 18. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable across the board, to God and to others.

Chuck Swindoll: So then, he adds, let's pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.

Chuck Swindoll: That's one of those great verses you do well to commit to memory, or at least write out and put on the visor of your car, or maybe on your bathroom mirror.

Chuck Swindoll: The great verse. So then, let's pursue.

Chuck Swindoll: Today, Lord, help me to pursue the things that bring peace and build up others.

Chuck Swindoll: Guard me from even inadvertently tearing down or weakening or offending someone.

Chuck Swindoll: I know you can go to crazy extremes with this, but some of us have a long ways to go before we get to extremes of this.

Chuck Swindoll: Let the love show through.

Chuck Swindoll: And at the same time, may I say a word to you who are busy with your lists for us.

Chuck Swindoll: Lighten up, okay?

Chuck Swindoll: Donald Barnhouse, who for years was a pastor of 10th Memorial Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, wrote a wonderful commentary on Romans, and in it he tells a number of great stories.

Chuck Swindoll: This one I especially like.

Chuck Swindoll: Many years ago, he says, I led a Bible conference in Montrose, Pennsylvania.

Chuck Swindoll: About 200 young people were present and a few older people.

Chuck Swindoll: One day two of the older ladies complained to me in horror because some of the women were not wearing stockings.

Chuck Swindoll: These ladies wanted me to rebuke them.

Chuck Swindoll: I call that co-rebuking. People want pastors to rebuke other people for them.

Chuck Swindoll: And Barnhouse wisely does not go there.

Chuck Swindoll: This was about the year 1928.

Chuck Swindoll: Looking them straight in the eye, only Barnhouse could do this, I said.

Chuck Swindoll: The Virgin Mary never wore stockings.

Chuck Swindoll: They gasped, she didn't?

Chuck Swindoll: I answered, in Mary's time, stockings were unknown.

Chuck Swindoll: So far as we know, they were first worn by prostitutes in Italy.

Chuck Swindoll: I love that line.

Chuck Swindoll: Back in the 15th century when the Renaissance began. Later, a lady of the nobility wore stockings at a court ball, greatly to the scandal of the public.

Chuck Swindoll: Before long, however, everyone in the upper class was wearing stockings, but at the time of Queen Victoria, stockings had become the badge of the prude.

Chuck Swindoll: These ladies who were holdovers from the Victorian era had no more to say.

Chuck Swindoll: I did not rebuke the girls for not wearing stockings. A year or two afterwards, most girls in the United States were going without stockings every summer.

Chuck Swindoll: And nobody thought anything about it. Nor do I believe that this led toward the disintegration of moral standards in the United States.

Chuck Swindoll: Times were changing and the step away from the Victorian legalism was all for the better.

Chuck Swindoll: I remember reading a story of a bride who was fixing a roast for her new groom, and she cut off the end of the roast as she put it in the pan.

Chuck Swindoll: And, her husband looking over her shoulder wondering, why is she cutting all? Those are good pieces of meat.

Chuck Swindoll: Not long afterwards, she was fixing a ham. She put the ham in the pan and she cut off the ends of the ham. He said, wait, wait, what, what is this? Why do you cut off the ends of the roast and the ham? Those are good.

Chuck Swindoll: She said, my mother always cut off the ends of the roast and the ham.

Chuck Swindoll: So the next time he was with the mother-in-law, he said, hey, Tuts, or whatever he called her.

Chuck Swindoll: Hey, what is it about cutting off the end?

Chuck Swindoll: She said, well, my mother always cut off the ends of the ham and the roast.

Chuck Swindoll: Finally they got a hold of the grandmother, and the grandmother said, well, actually, I had a real small pan and I couldn't fit the big meat in the little pan.

Chuck Swindoll: So I cut off the ham, and I cut off the roast.

Chuck Swindoll: You laugh.

Chuck Swindoll: But that's about as much logic as your list makes for the rest of us.

Chuck Swindoll: Please.

Chuck Swindoll: You want to cut off the ends of the roast, cut them off.

Chuck Swindoll: Just don't expect me to.

Chuck Swindoll: And don't judge me because I like the whole roast.

Chuck Swindoll: Now here's a tough part, especially for those of us who love our liberty and stand firm in it and want so much for everyone to grow to the place where they can see how free we are.

Chuck Swindoll: Here's the third one. Look at verse 20.

Chuck Swindoll: Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food.

Chuck Swindoll: All things indeed are clean, but they're evil for the one who eats and gives an offense.

Chuck Swindoll: Here's the reminder.

Chuck Swindoll: When my liberty hinders God's work in someone else's life, I yield.

Chuck Swindoll: I yield.

Chuck Swindoll: When my liberty hinders God's work in someone else's life, I yield.

Chuck Swindoll: I don't put them down, I control what I prefer.

Chuck Swindoll: Now, let's go back to the restaurant. Let's put Paul sitting at the table with his buddies and some folks he doesn't know that well, and they've all gathered for great steaks.

Chuck Swindoll: Everybody's served a big T-bone steak, big, thick, mother, really nice steak. Baked potato, asparagus, cream cheese pie, the whole thing.

Chuck Swindoll: And Paul starts to cut into his steak. He says, this is great. Where'd you get this steak? And the guy across the table, the host says, I bought it at the meat market. It's some of that great meat that was once offered to idols.

Chuck Swindoll: Two or three people go, whoa, no thanks.

Chuck Swindoll: Paul notices.

Chuck Swindoll: You know what Paul says?

Chuck Swindoll: I'll take a to-go box.

Chuck Swindoll: In other words, I'll have this at home.

Chuck Swindoll: But there's no reason to hurt them because I happen to want steak right now.

Chuck Swindoll: Just load up with a little more asparagus.

Chuck Swindoll: Load up the potato.

Chuck Swindoll: When my liberty hinders God's work, I yield.

Chuck Swindoll: That's called maturity.

Chuck Swindoll: When my liberty hinders God's work, I yield.

Chuck Swindoll: Remember Paul's words in First Corinthians 9. Just occurs to me. I want you to go there. The very next book, ninth chapter, look at the end of that chapter.

Chuck Swindoll: I love this. 9:19.

Chuck Swindoll: He starts right where we are.

Chuck Swindoll: Though I am free from all men, I've made myself a slave to all that I may win more.

Chuck Swindoll: Look at that.

Chuck Swindoll: The man who carried the torch for liberty and grace says, I care about other people.

Chuck Swindoll: So that I may win them. To the Jews, I became as a Jew so that I might win the Jews.

Chuck Swindoll: To those who were under the law, as under the law, though not being myself under the law, so that I might win those who were under the law. To those who are without law, the wild and crazy bunch, the group that's completely and totally pagan.

Chuck Swindoll: I lived my life as though free of the law.

Chuck Swindoll: And yet not being without the law of God, but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak.

Chuck Swindoll: Here is this apostle, which is the whole point of chapter nine, where he begins with the defense of his apostleship. He says, to the weak, I became as weak that I might win the weak.

Chuck Swindoll: Become all things to all men that I may by all means save some.

Chuck Swindoll: You wanted to say all, don't you?

Chuck Swindoll: I become all things to all men that I might by all means save all of them.

Chuck Swindoll: Well, he wishes that, but you'll never win them all.

Chuck Swindoll: Which maybe where that comes from.

Chuck Swindoll: When my liberty hinders the work of God in someone else's life, I care.

Chuck Swindoll: Why? Why do I care?

Chuck Swindoll: Because I love them.

Chuck Swindoll: Now, everything has to be said in balance because some hear only that.

Chuck Swindoll: So let me broaden it a little and say.

Chuck Swindoll: Nothing is unclean. Remember that.

Chuck Swindoll: Giving an offense is not what we want to do.

Chuck Swindoll: So if you are among those who are weaker and you're just learning your way, think before you quickly admonish someone who feels the freedom to enjoy that.

Chuck Swindoll: And you will be happier and you will grow up.

Chuck Swindoll: I don't mean that to be insulting, I mean it to be encouraging.

Chuck Swindoll: If you find that you're still living under the constancy of lists, you'll always stay immature, you'll always.

Chuck Swindoll: You'll become a professional weaker brother.

Chuck Swindoll: I don't know a better way to put it.

Chuck Swindoll: And you become hard to live with. So.

Chuck Swindoll: Lighten up.

Chuck Swindoll: Even though you may not ever want to get out on that tight wire, a lot of us like it out there.

Chuck Swindoll: Now, I'm going to get specific because right now it's very safe and there's no risk in what I'm saying.

Chuck Swindoll: Everybody says, oh, that's good, Chuck, preach it. Tell them.

Chuck Swindoll: So let me, let me go a little further, okay?

Chuck Swindoll: I think what we need are some warnings to guard us from stumbling while we're on the wire, okay?

Chuck Swindoll: Here are three of them. One is in verse 21, one is in verse 22, and the third is in verse 23.

Chuck Swindoll: 21.

Chuck Swindoll: It's not good to eat or to drink wine or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. So the warning is, be considerate.

Chuck Swindoll: Be considerate.

Chuck Swindoll: Now, some of you read that and you say, oh, my mom and dad drink a glass of wine at the table. You, you know what is it? Kids can be really like that. Do you realize what Paul writes in Romans 14, 21?

Chuck Swindoll: Remember the context.

Chuck Swindoll: What you do in your home is your business.

Chuck Swindoll: Okay? Remember the to-go box?

Chuck Swindoll: Paul gets home that night, probably tears into the steak because he had to pass it up in the meal. Of course to him, it's not unclean.

Chuck Swindoll: What is unclean is drunkenness.

Chuck Swindoll: That's never allowed, never encouraged and never promoted in the scriptures.

Chuck Swindoll: But a sip of wine or a glass of wine enjoyed in the privacy of your family or your home. It's your call.

Chuck Swindoll: You want to observe a certain day and you, you think that, or you don't want to observe a certain day and you, you want the freedom to do whatever you do, whatever day it is. Enjoy it.

Chuck Swindoll: You just don't have to, you know, tell everybody.

Chuck Swindoll: I have freedoms I enjoy that you know nothing about. Now, that's going to be the talk of the lunch.

Chuck Swindoll: What is it Chuck is doing that we don't know about?

Chuck Swindoll: It is none of your business.

Chuck Swindoll: The goal here is to be considerate, to be considerate of each other when you're around one another.

Chuck Swindoll: I'd finished a long, long trip, sort of involved itinerary that was sort of back-to-back speaking on behalf of Biola University. And this was years ago. Up in Northern California and I finished in a place called Santa Rosa. Lovely little community there.

Chuck Swindoll: And I was all alone and I came to the restaurant and I sat down.

Chuck Swindoll: A waiter walked over and he said, good evening, could I help you? And I, I just going to tell you, okay? I've never told this story before.

Chuck Swindoll: I, I sat down and I thought, boy, a nice glass of wine would taste great. Kind of a great ending to a wonderful week. I mean, there's nobody here that I know. And.

Chuck Swindoll: Nope. And so I thought, well.

Chuck Swindoll: And for some reason, this is a true story, some reason the waiter kind of lingered. And he said, just comment, he said, you look familiar. Or he said, your voice is familiar. And.

Chuck Swindoll: So I. He said, would you like anything to drink? I said, iced tea would be great. So.

Chuck Swindoll: And I finished the meal and all through and I gave him the credit card to pay for it. And he goes, whoa.

Chuck Swindoll: I knew I knew you, and we exchanged comments together.

Chuck Swindoll: And he said, you know, I didn't know who you were, but I just decided to watch you. Because you're, I knew there was something that was familiar about you. And I thought, all the time I'm eating my meal.

Chuck Swindoll: He's over there watching me.

Chuck Swindoll: And I got to know him and I said, tell me about your past. He said, well, actually, I've come through a recovery program for alcoholism.

Chuck Swindoll: And I, I said, boy, that's great. I admire that. It's wonderful.

Chuck Swindoll: He said, and said some other things. I'm not going to go into all that. The point I'm making is obvious.

Chuck Swindoll: You never know.

Chuck Swindoll: And guys that are in my shoes can hardly be too careful. Now, if I go crazy with that. I mean, I'll never do anything but toothpicks and water when I'm out eating somewhere. Somebody be offended that I ate two pieces of pie. Somebody be offended that I, that I had raw meat. Not raw, but rare, rare meat. I need raw, like caveman here.

Chuck Swindoll: Okay, verse 22, let's get back to it. There's a.

Chuck Swindoll: Warning here. Be convinced. I like this principle. Be convinced. The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. There is a verse for life. Determine your faith, determine what works for you and for goodness sake, do it.

Chuck Swindoll: And you know what the result? Happiness. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.

Chuck Swindoll: One day, you're going to learn it's fun out on a tightrope and it's a great way to live and the exhilaration is beyond belief. And you will, you'll leave the fear of what people think and you'll walk out.

Chuck Swindoll: That's what brings that that acrobat out on that wire.

Chuck Swindoll: You are convinced in your mind and for all the right reasons, you, you go there.

Chuck Swindoll: Truth be told, some of you do not know what your convictions are. My heart goes out to you. Because you live your life pleasing other people or plagued by their expectations.

Chuck Swindoll: You can't live your life like that.

Chuck Swindoll: You want to be wise, you want to be loving, but you can't live your life afraid that around every corner is somebody that's going to find something wrong. So somewhere in the middle of this is a balance. I think you're getting it.

Chuck Swindoll: Be considerate, be convinced, and finally, verse 23, he who doubts is condemned if he eats. If you're not comfortable, don't do it.

Chuck Swindoll: Don't go against your conscience. And if your conscience needs to grow up, that takes time. To let it grow and become what it ought to be.

Chuck Swindoll: But do your best as you grow to stay consistent. Be what you are consistently the same.

Chuck Swindoll: Hard assignment, isn't it?

Chuck Swindoll: There was a time when Peter was hobnobbing with the Gentiles. And he was enjoying their diet, their meals. He was enjoying time with him. And then the Jews showed up from Jerusalem. So he turned and he started enjoying, you know, all the kosher stuff and acted like he had nothing to do with the Gentile. He was inconsistent. And Paul rebuked him and and confronted him, reproved him. He said, that's not consistent.

Chuck Swindoll: Either you're a man of grace or you're not a man of grace.

Chuck Swindoll: Bible teacher Ralph Kyper paraphrases the verses this way. Peter, I smell ham on your breath.

Chuck Swindoll: Forgot your shirts.

Chuck Swindoll: There was a time when you wouldn't eat ham as a part of your hope of salvation. Then after you trusted Christ, it didn't matter if you ate ham. But now when the no ham eaters come from Jerusalem, you've gone back to your kosher ways, but the smell of ham still lingers on your breath. You are most inconsistent.

Chuck Swindoll: You are compelling Gentile believers to observe Jewish law, which can never justify anyone.

Chuck Swindoll: He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith and whatever isn't faith-based becomes sin.

Chuck Swindoll: Doesn't it take a long time to grow this thing called a Christian life?

Chuck Swindoll: You know what takes a long time is unlearning false stuff. Wrong stuff.

Chuck Swindoll: Unlearning what isn't from the scriptures but comes from the the lady who had the small pan. It comes from the tradition of some ethnic group.

Chuck Swindoll: Another one of those mottoes worth remembering, not a scripture but a statement. In essentials, unity, in non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.

Chuck Swindoll: Isn't that good?

Chuck Swindoll: When I got out of seminary, I'm going to confess to you, everything was essential. Whoa, I'd die for everything. Older I get, the less I'll die for.

Chuck Swindoll: Because there aren't many essentials.

Chuck Swindoll: There are some. They absolutely are some, and we ought to be in lockstep, standing together in them. But there are more things that bring us together than separate us. Which brings us to the non-essentials.

Chuck Swindoll: Non-essentials.

Chuck Swindoll: In all things, love.

Chuck Swindoll: It's impossible to drive people away because you love them.

Chuck Swindoll: Most of us just can't get away from genuine love. Be loved, love.

Chuck Swindoll: I want to tell you at this place, at this church, whether you wear a Louis Roth tailored suit that cost $650 or cutoffs and sandals, you're loved. You have a place here.

Chuck Swindoll: Whether you drive here or ride here on a bus or you drive a Rolls Royce, God bless you. Come on. We got room for you.

Chuck Swindoll: Whether you lay on heavy cosmetics just to the point where we really wonder what you look like.

Chuck Swindoll: Or you don't even powder your nose.

Chuck Swindoll: We love you. We need you.

Chuck Swindoll: You're a part of us. Whether you vote Republican or Democrat. Now, there's not going to be many amens here. Whether you vote Republican or Democrat, whether you're a libertarian or out and out liberal or independent.

Chuck Swindoll: You belong here.

Chuck Swindoll: You belong right here.

Chuck Swindoll: This isn't a precinct. It's a church, it's a family.

Chuck Swindoll: Whether you prefer the translation I use or somebody else uses, or nobody else uses.