A Responsible Influence

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. Good morning to each one. Greetings in the name of Christ. I remember as a boy, it seemed like there was a lot of people who were willing to, or there was a lot of people that had plenty of advice or were able to tell me what to do. [00:00:34] I had plenty of work to do at times, I felt, and I had some aspirations to do a little bit Robbins and Crusoe style and go off somewhere in the woods and be alone. I could survive in my own ingenuity or maybe some insulated storage barn and trap and hunt and fish or garden to survive. But the one thing I would savor is that I would make my own decisions. [00:01:05] I would make my own decisions. Well, I'm sure each of you know how long I would have survived or how long I would have lasted. Those things tend to wear off really quickly because that's really not the way God made us. You know, the thought of being alone was something that I just couldn't get around. I didn't know how I'd deal with the thought of being alone. God created us and it says in Genesis 2, it is not good that man should be alone. [00:01:41] And I recognize in this context he's speaking of or he's referring to the institution of marriage. But I also believe that it's in context that it refers or it's also clear that we are social beings. We have need to interact with other people, and it's for our own good. We need interactions, we need relationships, and we are not meant to survive alone. Just even on a human level, we recognize a need for each other, emotional, physical. [00:02:18] I'm told that if you take or even if you provide everything physically necessary for a child to live Yet you withdraw a physical and an emotional contact or interaction with that child It will not survive I don't have any proof of that I almost remember reading somewhere that in communist days they might have tried that to some degree. [00:02:48] I'm not completely certain on that. But we do need each other. Our great good God created us with a need that we need each other. We're not hermits. And let's just stop and consider the benefits that we receive from interaction with each other. When there is a relationship, there is a connection through which ideas, truths, values can pass from one to the other. [00:03:20] And as I was thinking this morning, what ideas, what things do you have that are completely original with you? We drove this morning here in our vehicles. If you would have had no concept of a gas engine, could you produce one? Maybe some of you could have. I doubt I could have. While God has given us brilliant minds to discover a few things, we benefit a lot from other people and their ideas, their values, their contributions. [00:03:56] Really, if we would have to start from scratch on everything that we have or everything that we know, we would be severely limited. I personally don't have any patents in my name, do you? You know, we really do benefit a lot from each other. And I learned a lot from my parents, and I still do. There's things that I do that other people say, oh, that's dad. Okay, well, that's the way it works. [00:04:29] There's people I've worked with, and probably Wal has been the one I've worked with the most. And there's ideas and different things that I've learned that were neither right nor wrong, and yet he showed an easier way. A way that just made more sense. There was more experience behind there, and I could think of other people that have contributed in that way as well. Teachers have influenced the way that I think, the way I go about discovering different things, and the path that I've chosen. [00:05:03] You know, this basic connection that we have with each other is a pathway in which parents can have or pass on values to their children. They can transmit truths of God's Word and influence them in a right way. You know, we can read in the Old Testament, it happened back then, kings, it says, and they walked after the way of, or they walked after their fathers. [00:05:35] Maybe not every one of them exactly in the way of their father, but some followed in the good, some followed in the evil, and that's still happening today. and that is because God has given an opportunity for parents to influence their children. And that's an opportunity that should not be taken lightly as we can read in Deuteronomy 6 and also in Ephesians 6.4. That's a duty as parents to take that opportunity and to influence our children in the ways of God. [00:06:11] If, well let me retract a little bit, let's consider that power of influence that God has given us. If that were to be taken away, really how would you raise a child? Even on a secular level, how could, if there was absolutely no way that you could influence or impress upon or do any type of educating to a young man or a young lady, even in secular society, how would he become a decent citizen? [00:06:44] Would he become so on his own? I doubt it. And, you know, if it's just impossible without the opportunity of influence, and I think that's a God-given thing. And that's what's puzzling our society. There's a push to be independent, the individual. And really, if we look at that individualistic spirit, it's really not practical on any level, because we depend on each other. [00:07:19] It's not realistic, and most of all, it's not at all for our good. We benefit a lot from others. The opportunity to influence is not only limited to parents and children, but young people can influence older people. I think of the case of David and Jonathan. There was an age difference there, and quite obviously, Jonathan was influenced by David. You know, we as Christians need to seize the opportunity to influence our children and others in the ways of God. [00:07:55] Because if we don't, someone will. The newspapers will, or other types of media will, books will, businesses will, ads will. Somebody is going to impress and influence, and I think we have a God-given opportunity to do so in a way that pleases God. But with this opportunity comes a responsibility and that's what I'd like to focus in on a little bit this morning. Responsibility of this opportunity. And maybe I'll just say responsibility as in whether we like it or not or as Luke shared the other Sunday evening whether we want to or not we do and will influence others. It's inevitable. [00:08:44] What I say and what I do not only can, but it will affect others. I don't know of any way to get around that reality. It seems to be a part of the parcel. Just to say that I can live my life the way I want it to and it will not affect you in any way is not true. It is simply not true. And I'd like to look at some scripture this morning in the New Testament. We can find direction concerning this principle of considering, thinking about the effect of our decision on others. [00:09:25] I'd like to begin by reading in 1 Corinthians 10. If you would open your Bibles to that. First thing I'd like to begin with is reading the word of God, beginning with truth, so that we can understand the principle and then know how to apply. If we open our Bibles to 1 Corinthians 10, in this chapter here, I think it helps to understand the context of 1 Corinthians. Paul was writing to the church in Corinth because they had allowed evils from the society around them to infiltrate into the church. [00:10:05] And obviously in chapter 1, you can read there were some very divisions among them. They were not getting along with each other. And I think that a lot of his teachings in this whole book of 1 Corinthians pertains to principles that bring us together, that keep us together. And as I read different chapters, preluding chapter 10, you can find this principle exemplified in his writings and in his life, almost in every chapter. [00:10:45] We can see Paul's passion of bringing souls to God and he was willing to sacrifice any right or privilege he had that may have stood in the way, that may have offended, that may have been a stumbling block for them. It wasn't about him. He was concerned also about them. The emphasis was not only what he could himself in all good conscience do, but it was for his brother. [00:11:18] Let's begin reading in verse 23. He says, all things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth, whatsoever is sold in the shambles that eat, asking no question for conscience sake, for the earth is the Lord and the fullness thereof. If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go, whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. [00:11:54] But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that showeth it, and for conscience' sake, for the earth is the Lord, and the fullness thereof. Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other, for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that which I give thanks? Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God [00:12:30] 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 my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved In the first two verses, the issue here was eating things that were offered to idols. And in this area of eating, if it would have been up to Paul, he would have been able to eat anything. [00:13:01] In this, as I understand these verses here. But since it wasn't just him, he didn't think of only himself. His goal was to build up the church. And so he considered his brother. I'd like to take note of two words that are found in verse 23. He says, all things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient. The word expedient, obviously this word clicked up on his screen as he decided whether or not, [00:13:40] or in the decisions that he faced, that came up on his mental screen. Is it expedient? In the original, it means for the good. It means for the good in the context of bringing them together, to bear together. And if we would just glance on down to verse 33, even as I please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit. The word prophet is the exact same Greek word and so you see it's also for the good and it is in the context of bringing them together. [00:14:21] Paul had the privilege of eating whatever he wanted, but expedient came into his mind. Is it expedient? Is it good for my brother if I, maybe not indulge, but if I eat in this way? Was maybe some of the questions that came to his mind. Is it going to bring us together? Is it for my brother's good? also another word that we see is in the last part [00:14:51] all things are lawful for me but all things edify not edify and that simply means to be a house builder literally a house builder one that constructs or confirms one that builds up and there again that was another one that entered into his mind as he considered Lord, all things edify not. Does it build my brother up? Does it build the church? Does it build the body of Jesus Christ? [00:15:25] In many of Paul's letters, we can see or we can read of how he stresses the importance of edifying the body of believers, edifying the body of Christ. You know, and I ask the question, can that, can, as we make decisions today, can we follow the example of Paul and ask ourselves, this thing that I want to do, is it expedient? [00:15:56] Is it edifying? Does it edify? Does it build up each other? Does it bring us together? You know, what we say, what we do, does affect others. And so we must be careful and it is very important to guard our influence. If we continue on in the verses that we read, verse 28 and 29, we need to consider the conscience of others. Very clear, it says, Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other. [00:16:31] And there are times when I've been in a conversation And as we maybe talk about a certain issue There have been times when I've heard someone say Oh, well, it doesn't bother my conscience to do that And I would raise the question Is that the only basis for our decision? Is there more that enters into the picture? By what Paul writes here, obviously it did for him. [00:17:02] You know, the flip side, we could ask and say, well, there's as many different convictions as there are people. So where do you draw the line or how do you respect everyone's conscience? Well, I don't have any down pat answer for that. There may be hard decisions at times, but I believe that it comes down to an attitude of a respect for another man's conscience. [00:17:33] You know, I believe there's a way, there's ways to keep a low profile or ways to go the second mile, to do without for the sake of those that have a conscience against something. and especially to those who have chosen to do things different from us, I think we need to be careful. But one way that we do not guard our conscience is when we flaunt those things in the presence of other people who have a conscience against that. [00:18:08] And my friends, that's not building. That's not edifying. I think we do well to show respect. and I think God can direct us in ways that we can show respect to those that we are in contact with. But I would ask or I would suggest that for the local church body to consider the step, the level that Paul took and we can read that if we back up one chapter or two chapters in chapter 8 verse 13. [00:18:43] This is the high road that Paul took. He said, Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. That's a high calling. And it brings us to another reason in which we need to be careful, in which we need to guard our influence, is so that we are not a stumbling block in another man's life. You know, I remember many years ago, I did something, and it wasn't sinful, but unnecessary. [00:19:22] And I remember a young boy said, I can't believe Wendell did that. And I never forgot that. There was just something about that. I believe it was a reminder of God to me. I've thought of that time and time again, that I need to be careful. What I do does influence others. You know, it's pretty easy for me to sometimes think, it doesn't matter. It's really not here nor there. [00:19:56] But what if it encourages some brother to go beyond what his conscience or what what what if a young child is led to believe that that's that's good for you or that's that's OK when it might not be the best for him. Jesus has some pretty harsh words when it comes to being held accountable. And if we would turn to Matthew 18, he specifically talks to those that are an offense or a stumbling block is really what it means there. [00:20:36] Matthew 18 is when he took that child and he set him in the midst and he says, in order to enter heaven, you must be like this little child in so much as the humility of a child. in the sense that we need to have faith and trust as a little child. And then in verse six, he says, but whosoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depths of the sea. [00:21:13] Now, that to me is not a pretty picture. And to me, that's pretty clear. That's pretty straightforward. There is accountability that we share if we offend, if we mislead someone in the wrong direction. Our choices do affect others, and we need to be careful. Paul, as well, doesn't paint a nice picture either. In 1 Corinthians, the 8th chapter, I'd like to begin reading in verse 9. [00:21:45] Four verses? Five, I guess. And he warns, he says, but take heed, lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which has knowledge sit at meet in the idols temple, shall not the conscious 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? [00:22:16] But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Ye sin against Christ. There is an accountability there that is for us, whether we like it or not. And we do well to take note. And I believe that Paul saw the seriousness of this, and that's why he chose this high road that we see in verse 13. Wherefore if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend [00:22:53] I wasn't there in Paul's day I don't know how big of an issue this meat offer to idols was But I wonder if Paul could have not just said, it's not a big deal Why are we making a fuss out of a little thing? But that wasn't his heart His passion was to bring souls to Christ, and he wanted nothing to stand in the way. He wanted to make sure that he did nothing that would offend them or slow down their progress. [00:23:29] He wanted to build the church, and most of all, his concern was for others, not so much on himself and what he or his liberties were. He was concerned about the effect that it would have on others. In 1 Corinthians 9.19 he says, For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant of all, that I might gain the more. We can see again the passion of Paul's heart. Does this principle apply today? [00:24:01] 2 Timothy 3.16 says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. I wondered, what would Paul write to the church of today? Would it be a lot different? I don't know. Maybe you can answer that in your minds. I wonder if it wouldn't be very much the same. We have the same enemy that seems to want to take us away, to cause dividing walls to be built. [00:24:41] And I believe that the principles that were established here are also for us today. It reaches us today. You know, this church allowed the influence of their world to infiltrate them. And we are no different. You know, continually to be oppressed by different influences, we need to be careful. You know, today there's a lot of independent or individualistic thought that seems to be alive and well in our world. [00:25:19] and it completely runs contrary to this principle of considering others and of what effect we have on others instead of just on myself. I know it's easy to say and we may say that no, we don't do just whatever we want to But sometimes our actions indicate that we really run counter to the position of the brotherhood, the position of our relationships. [00:25:57] But I think it should be our goal, and it must be our goal, to be expedient for the good of bringing us together, for the good of the body. You know, that takes a long range view. When we need to consider of how it will affect others, how it will affect our children and their children, that doesn't happen just in a year. [00:26:28] That takes generations and we must continue to have a long range view as we consider of what effect that our decisions today have on our children, have on our brethren, to those that, anyone that we have contact with. You know, I believe what builds a brotherhood and the cause of Jesus Christ as much as about anything I can think of, and that is humility and an humble spirit that is willing to sacrifice, willingly, for the cause of somebody else. [00:27:04] You know, love speaks when sometimes words can't. And I believe if others can see we are concerned, if others can see that we willingly do this for your sake, that builds togetherness. That builds unity. As Christians, we're part of the body. The body of Jesus Christ. Now a body works together, doesn't it? It needs to. When we're sick, we really discover how much we want our body to work together and to function together. [00:27:47] But as Christians, we are part of a body, and we are not entirely on our own. And we function within this body, and that's the body of believers. Ephesians 4, the entire chapter dedicated to and gives much instruction to unity of the body of Christ and it really brings out in plain words how much each individual part is important [00:28:17] each individual part contributes to the whole and I think it's very important for us to consider each other When I don't do, when I run counter to the rest of the body, there is division. There is a beginning of an independent spirit that builds walls. It doesn't build the church. It restricts. And just as paralyzed people know, if their legs don't function, they are limited in many ways. [00:28:55] And so also the body of Christ. If we do not consider each other, and I think we miss a blessing of the body functioning as it ought to properly. Opportunity to influence, that comes with responsibility. And we do well to consider that. And as we make choices from day to day, that we do well to consider Remember, what will this do to our children? What will this do to our church? What will it do to the ones I work with? We are not entirely dependent or independent, and so therefore, inevitably, we will affect others. [00:29:42] And let's remember to have it our goal to edify, to build up, to profit another and not ourselves. My aim and goal is that God could save us, as Paul said of the Thessalonians. And I'm just always blessed as I read those two verses in the first chapter of Thessalonians. Verse 7, prior to that he speaks about their love for God and how they were following God [00:30:13] And he says, so that ye were in samples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia For from you sounded out the word of God I'm sorry, for from you sounded out the word of the Lord Not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place Your faith to God's word is spread abroad so that we need not speak anything. There was somebody who guarded their influence and their influence was being sounded out and others heard and knew. [00:30:50] May that be our desire and our goal as we serve him from day to day. Let us stand for a word of prayer.