Somebody Loves You

Raul Ries: Anything that I hear or that I'm going to follow up and do, I have to ask the question: how is this going to bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ? Because if what I am going to do and partake of, if it's not bringing glory and honor to Jesus Christ, then what is it going to do? It's going to stumble a person, it's going to keep people out of the kingdom of God.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Somebody Loves You Radio, the Bible teaching ministry of Raul Ries in Diamond Bar, California. It's great to have you with us today. Continuing our focus on the spiritual liberty found in Jesus' salvation, Raul will urge you to be mindful of your life's witness.

Your actions can have a direct impact on the faith of others, either spurring them on or causing them to stumble. Stay with us to see how your obedience to the Lord is an expression of love that will positively influence those around you. Today's study is titled Christian Liberty. In 1st Corinthians Chapter 8, here's Raul Ries.

Raul Ries: You've heard many people ask many questions concerning Christian liberty. This morning we're going to be dealing with meats and Christian liberty. Some people have asked in my counseling and they've come to me, and usually, it's almost about the same questions that they ask. First of all, they ask, "Is it okay for a Christian to drink beer? How many can I drink?"

Secondly, they ask, "Is it okay to go to the movies?" Thirdly, they ask, "Can a Christian smoke? Is it a sin to smoke?" Fourthly, they ask, "Is it okay to wear shorts or short skirts?" Fifthly, "Is it okay to listen to rock music?" And then others would ask, "Is it okay to have a glass of wine with my meal?"

These are very tough issues and questions that people ask, but there is an answer to these questions. First of all, what we want to do is we want to establish that our relationship to God is not a law relationship. It's very important to understand because I know that there are many churches that are very legalistic churches.

They don't believe in going to the beach. They don't believe that women should show their necks and wear their hair in some style and wear their actual skirts below the knee and sometimes to the ankles. And yet when you read the scriptures, the scriptures are very clear when it comes to Christian liberty.

I think this morning we're going to be hitting some pretty heavy issues, so bear with me. Let me say that first of all, we are not bound by rules and regulations as a Christian. Our motive should always be the motive and the intention of love. Always, always should be the intention of love.

As we look at this great chapter eight of the book of 1st Corinthians, the problem here that we have is that Paul is talking to these Corinthian Christians that have a problem in the city of Corinth, which is the problem of worship of idols. They have a temple, a temple of Aphrodite.

What was going on is that a lot of the people that were non-believers and were actually worshipping in the temple of Astarte, they were not only coming back, but they were going to the butcher and buying meat from the butcher in the meat markets.

The problem was that these meats that the butchers were actually selling in the butcher shop, these meats had been offered in the temple of Aphrodite to worship other gods, to the worship of idols. To those people that were non-believers, they really believed that the meat actually possessed a god.

It's amazing how we as believers do not really have to worry about meats or drinks that are offered to idols or to demons. The reason is because we possess the light of Christ. One of the things that the problem came about in the city of Corinth that Paul ran into was all these people that were believers and they were going to the butcher shop and they were actually buying meat.

There was a young believer there and the young believer actually may be stumbled by what you buy for yourself to eat. Or you were invited to a person's house to eat meat, and when you would get to the house over the course of the meal, they would serve you this piece of meat, and right away you would think, "Now, I wonder if this piece of meat was offered in one of the temples to their idol?"

But if you because of conscience—conscience is the voice of God—if you felt in your heart that this would not stumble your brother or your sister in the home and they served it to you, then don't ask any questions and you pray over it and you eat it. But if you feel that it's a weakness and that it will stumble you to eat that piece of meat, then you should not eat it.

Paul the Apostle was running into these kinds of problems where young believers would be stumbled by something that you may do by seeing or hearing or actually eating or drinking. Because what the scripture teaches is that there are some things that we need to be careful with so that we do not make anyone stumble in Jesus Christ.

So, it's important that as we study the scriptures that we stay within the context of the scriptures, that we don't start making up our own rules and regulations. Anything that I do, anything that I hear, or that I'm going to follow up and do, I have to ask the question: how is this going to bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ?

Because if what I am going to do and partake of, if it's not bringing glory and honor to Jesus Christ, then what is it going to do? It's going to stumble a person, it's going to keep people out of the kingdom of God. Surely we don't want to do that.

We want to make sure because we love God and because God loves us and because we love our neighbor as ourselves that we do not do anything to make them stumble and they don't see Christ in us. Very important. Here Paul the Apostle in the eighth chapter, he really clarifies a lot of things concerning Christian liberty.

Look how he begins in chapter 8, beginning with verses one through six. Here Paul the Apostle once again is actually showing the contrast between knowledge and love. If you have knowledge and you have love, love is greater than knowledge.

Look what he says: "Now concerning things offered to idols"—and here he talks to Christians—"we know that we all Christians have knowledge, but knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." You see, one of the things is that you may have all the knowledge of the world and know all things, and yet if you have no love, you are nothing. Love is the greatest basis of everything that we do.

The reason that I don't want to make my brother or my sister stumble is because I love them. This is a real situation and a real problem because there are so many people that are in bondage in so many different little churches that are actually living by the law and by rules and regulations when we're not bound by those things.

We're not even bound by meats. If you want to eat pork, you can eat pork. We're not bound by the law of the Old Testament. So, it's important that we realize that as we do get this knowledge and we learn about God that we always stabilize it through the gift of love, always through the love of Christ, why we are doing it.

Then in verse two look what he says: "And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to really know it." Then verse three, here's a key: "But if anyone loves God, this one is known by God." Therefore, concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is no other God but one God.

You see, he's making a correction to the believer. Again in verse four: "Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world and there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as there are many gods"—and that word "gods" there is in reference to demons and we'll get that in chapter 11 of Corinthians.

He talks about these people that were idolaters and literally they believed that as you would eat the meat, you were transferring the meat and the demon would go into your mouth and it would actually possess you. Yet Paul teaches that in these sanctuaries where they're worshipping other gods, demons hang out in those temples.

But a Christian can't be possessed by any demon, for greater is he that is in me than he that is of the world. The light is greater than the darkness. So, we as believers don't have to worry about that. But non-believers, he's talking to. For even if there is so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as there are many gods or demons, many lords.

Yet for us Christians, there is only one God, the Father of whom are all things and we for him, and one Lord Jesus Christ through whom Jesus are all things and through Jesus we live. You see, everything we do is because we love Jesus Christ. Everything I do is to bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ because of his love for my life. That's the basis.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. It's our joy to help you grow in your relationship with God, and we encourage you to visit us anytime at somebodylovesyou.com to check out our many resources. Raul's four-lesson series, Celebrating Freedom in Christ, is available on CD and USB. We'll tell you how to get a copy in just a few minutes. But first, back to more with Raul Ries.

Raul Ries: Verse seven, this is so good here. He says, "However, there is not in everyone that knowledge." There are people that are naive or they are immature or they don't really know the knowledge of God. Watch what he says: "However, there is not in everyone that knowledge, for some with consciousness of an idol until now eat as a thing offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled."

Because the problem is their conscience. They think that there are demons in the meat and they think that by eating the meat, you become demon-possessed. Not so to the believer. Because in our conscience, according to the grace of God, it doesn't matter what we eat, but it's the attitude and the motive of the heart, why are you doing it?

Verse 8 corrects it. Look what he says: "But food does not"—that word "command" in the Greek means does not draw us to God. It has nothing to do with our salvation. It has nothing to do with our relationship with Jesus Christ. For neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we don't eat are we the worse. It doesn't matter because my main concern is my relationship with Jesus Christ, and that is based on love.

But here's the warning, verse nine: "But beware, lest somehow this liberty of yours becomes a stumbling block to those who are weak." What does it mean by that? Well, you may get the attitude that you don't care anymore whether you eat or drink or go to dirty movies or whatever it may be.

All of a sudden, you go to one of these places and you find yourself that somebody knows you. But they are just brand-new believers. When they see you, not only are they in sin, but what happens is that they become stumbled by you, and it could cause them for them to totally leave the Lord because of what they see.

Anything that makes us not only weak or takes us away from our fellowship with God, then we need to draw a line and stick to that line of grace and the mercies and the love of Jesus Christ. Really, that's the last thing that I would ever want to do or that you would ever want to do, and that's to keep anyone of you out of the kingdom of God because of my selfish desires.

I don't want to do that so that I can enjoy a beer or a glass of wine or something like that or smoke a cigarette and make my brother, my sister stumble. One of the things that I see that young people are so naive to is that they don't understand that they can drink one beer or two beers, but sooner or later the drug is going to adapt to you.

Not only are you destroying cells in your brain, but also your liver, and eventually, you find out that you can't quit but you have to have a beer. I've seen guys that have to have a beer early in the morning before they go to work, or they hide their bottles around the house. That's a problem, but they won't admit to it.

So, it's important that whatever we do is in asking the question: how is God going to get the glory for me being here today? What I'm watching, what I'm listening to. Not what I eat. It doesn't matter what you eat. I mean, when you go to different countries, some of you probably would never make it.

You go to the Philippines, there's actually a delicacy of an egg with a live bird inside. You eat it. Some of you say, "No thanks." Some of you if you go to France, you wouldn't eat escargot, you wouldn't eat snails. They're a delicacy. Just pray over them and enjoy them and hope nothing happens to you.

I've been in those positions in China and in Thailand and it's been amazing. I don't even know what I ate. I just prayed and asked God to protect me. But it's amazing the things that we do in the name of Christ, and it's nothing to get hung up on, nothing to be in bondage to or be bummed out or be condemned. Let us do it for the love of Christ, whatever we do.

Look what Paul says also here again, verse 10: "For if anyone sees you who has knowledge eating in the idol's temple, will he not for conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to the idols? And because of your knowledge, shall the weak brother perish for whom Jesus Christ died?" Notice that.

So you could make a person perish from Christ who Christ died for by not maintaining your liberty in Jesus Christ. And again, we do it because we love that person, because of what Christ has done for us. Then verse 12, he says, "But when you thus sin against the brethren and wound their weak conscience, you sin also against Jesus Christ."

Notice that. When you wound a weak brother's conscience, you also are guilty of sinning against Christ. Verse 13: "Therefore, if food makes my brother to stumble, I will never, ever eat meat." I like Paul. I mean, if going to the movies stumbles anybody or doing anything else, I won't do it.

But I think we have to be careful in the things that we preach to other people that we don't put anybody in bondage according to our rules and regulations. But like Paul said: "Therefore, if food makes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, lest my brother be stumbled." All on the basis of love.

In conclusion, let me give you seven things that I wrote down, which I call them guidelines to not make anyone stumble. They all start with an E. First of all, the word excess. Very good word. That is, in whatever I do, do I need to do it? Do I really need to do this as a Christian?

In Hebrews 12:1, it says this: "Therefore, we also, since we have surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Do I really need this? Is this extra baggage? If not, get rid of it so you can end the race with confidence and endurance.

There are things in our lives that are slowing us down in the race, and eventually, if you don't get rid of them, they will slow you down and they'll disqualify you from the race. Understand that. Secondly, expedience. Is it useful to me? Is this thing that I'm going to do right now or that I'm going to hear or see or do, is it useful to me? How is this going to bring glory and honor to the Lord?

1st Corinthians 6:12 says this: "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of anything." That's the key. Don't let something master your life. It will kill you, it will ruin you. Paul says, thirdly, emulation. Is this what Christ would do? Put yourself in the place of Christ.

1st John 2:6 says, "He who says he abides in Christ ought himself also to be walking just as he walked." Emulating Christ is the key. Fourthly, evangelism. Is it going to enhance my witness to other people that I'm sharing with Christ with them? Colossians 4:5 says, "Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside"—the non-believers—"redeeming the time."

Make sure you use wisdom in witnessing. Fifthly, edification. Will it build me up or will it tear me down? 1st Corinthians 10:23 again: "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but all things do not build up." And then sixth, exhortation. If I do it, will it bring glory to God?

I like this scripture, 1st Corinthians 10:31, you should memorize it: "Therefore, whether we eat or whether we drink or whatever you do"—which leaves it open—"do all to the glory of God." That's the key. All to the glory of God.

Guest (Male): Today as you think about the influence your life's testimony can have on others, we encourage you to consider any changes you need to make out of love for those around you. You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. If you'd like to hear today's lesson, Christian Liberty, in its unedited form, we'll be happy to send a copy to you for a donation of $5 or more. Just call us at 800-634-9165.

We'd also like to mention Raul's four-part liberty study, which is available on both CD and flash drive. Featuring three lessons in addition to the one you've heard today, this resource underscores your responsibility to be a living witness of Jesus' freedom and salvation. You'll find that you don't have to preach sermons to share the gospel; your actions truly can speak louder than words.

Visit somebodylovesyou.com or call 800-634-9165 to order Raul's four-message series, Celebrating the Spiritual Liberty Found in Jesus Christ. We'll send you the CD set for $19 or the thumb drive for $10. That's 800-634-9165. This resource can also be ordered by writing to us at Somebody Loves You Radio, Post Office Box 4440, Diamond Bar, California 91765.

Somebody Loves You Radio is listener-supported, and every gift you give enables us to keep sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. We are grateful for your partnership. Next time, as we continue in this series, we'll contemplate our God-given role as spiritual salt. Our lives can be a source of eternal influence when we put Jesus first in our conversations. Here's Raul once again with a final comment.

Raul Ries: Seventh and lastly, example. If you do this, will it set a right pattern of righteousness for my weaker brother? How is this going to set the example for those that are weak in the faith? Romans 14:13: "Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or cause to fall our brother's way."

And then again, 1st Corinthians 8:9 and 13: "But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours becomes a stumbling block to those who are weak. Therefore, if food makes my brother to stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble." Why? Because everything we do is under the basis of God's love.

Guest (Male): This program is sponsored by Somebody Loves You Radio in Diamond Bar, California.