July 1, 2001

Do you know right from wrong?

I want to begin this morning’s message by giving you a short test. As you can see, I have here a number of items:

1.                A whiskey bottle

2.                A television set

3.                A bathtub

4.                A mirror

5.                A box of chocolates

6.                An automobile

7.                A bottle of mouthwash

8.                A hamburger

Are these things good or bad? To be sure, that is rather hard to say.

Take for instance the TV set; while there is much evil on the tube today, it is also true that I have had people in my church who have accepted Christ while they watched a television preacher. Is it good or bad? You decide.

A bathtub? While everyone here would agree that a nice hot bath is good, yet a woman recently used a bathtub to drown her five children.

A mirror? You can use it as an aid to fixing your hair, or you can use it as an extension of your vanity.

A bottle of whiskey? While I strongly oppose the consumption of alcoholic beverages, I also know that this bottle is 80 proof; in other words, this stuff is 40% alcohol. You can use this as an antiseptic or as a paint remover.

A bottle of mouthwash. Mouthwash is big business here in the United States. Aren’t you glad? Nevertheless, 10,000 children under age 6 have been poisoned by mouthwash over the past five years. One ounce of a mouthwash with a large amount of alcohol can cause seizures, brain damage and comas in small children, and five ounces can be fatal. 

Hear me please. Sin is not so much in things, but in people. Generally speaking, many so-called bad things can be used for good purposes while many so-called good things can be used for bad purposes. The objects are simply that, objects. It is what we do with these objects that determine whether or not they are good or bad.

This morning I want to begin a new and very important series of messages on matters of right and wrong.

·        We will establish just how a person is to know what is and what is not approved behavior.

·        We will study the issue of temptation. What is it? How do we overcome it.

·        We will look at bad habits and both how they develop and how they can be broken.

This will be an extensive and practical series. It will help you understand the issues that make up holiness and true religion. I would imagine the series will run for several weeks.  

Today I want to give you several guidelines which will help you to determine right from wrong.

Through the years I have had to deal with many people who have gotten caught up in some sort of vice. Many times their defense was simply to pled ignorance. They said that they just didn’t know that such an act was bad; that such behavior was considered sinful. They may well have asked, “How was I to know?”

Hebrews 5:14 notes, “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” The point is, one  of the marks of spiritual maturity is the ability to be able to distinguish right from wrong without having to run to the preacher and ask, “Pastor, may I?” Are you able to make such a distinction? 

Let me give you four major guidelines:

1.      THE TEST OF THE WORD OF GOD

As you well know, just as there are positive commands concerning things in the Bible which we ARE TO DO, there are also negative commands in Scripture concerning things which we are NOT TO DO. These commands are cut and dried. There is little if any room for compromise.

·        For instance, should I ever question the rightness or wrongness of MURDER? NO! The Bible point-blank states, “Thou shalt not kill.” There are no "if, ands, or buts" about it. The word is forever settled in heaven. You can take it to the bank.  It is a done deal.

·        Again, should I question the rightness or wrongness of stealing? NO! The Bible says, “Thou shalt not steal.” It's plain and simple.

·        Is it right to commit adultery?

·        To tell a lie?

·        To covet that which belongs to someone else?

The answer to each of these questions is "NO, NO, a thousand times NO"!

Each of these prohibitions can be found in the "Ten Commandments."

They aren't "Ten Suggestions," "Ten Good Ideas," or "Ten Recommendations."

Rather, they flatly state: “Thou shalt not,” and they mean, “Thou shalt not.”

They are laws set down by the Supreme Court of the universe under the hand of the Chief Justice -- God Almighty! Jehovah God has attached His signature to each and every one of them; they therefore are “thus saith the Lord!”

As such, they apply to all people, at all times, in all circumstances, at all places. To seek a divine by-pass in any of these matters is simply a waste of time!

However, the Ten Commandments aren't the ONLY such taboos set forth in God's Word: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 adds: “Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

This list is not complete either.

Simply put, many questions concerning right and wrong are covered in the Bible. In questioning the correctness of a WORD, THOUGHT, ACT, or DEED, you will oftentimes have to go no further than to the Word of God. David wrote in Psalms 119:9,11, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Leadership magazine carried a cute story some time back. A man named Edwin in North Carolina bought a new car with a voice‑warning system. At first the gentleman was amused to hear the soft female voice gently remind him, for instance, that his seat belt wasn't fastened. Edwin grew to where he would affectionately call this voice the ‘little woman.’ He soon discovered his little woman was programmed to warn him about his gasoline. ‘Your fuel level is low,’ she said one time in her sweet voice. Edwin nodded his head and said, "thank you Little Woman." He figured he still had enough gas to go another 50 miles, so he kept on driving. But a few minutes later, her voice interrupted again with the same warning: "Your fuel level is low." "Your fuel level is low." "Your fuel level is low."  And so it went over and over and over again. Although he knew it was the same recording, Edwin thought her voice sounded harsher each time. "Your fuel level is low!"  Finally, he stopped his car and crawled under the dashboard. After a quick search, he found the appropriate wires and gave them a good yank. So much for the little woman. He was still smiling to himself a few miles later when his car began sputtering and coughing. He ran out of gas! His fuel level was really low --like empty! Edwin was to say later that he was sure he could hear the little woman laughing from somewhere inside the dashboard. 

I have come to find that many people are like Edwin when it comes to the Word of God. They think that if they ignore it, of maybe disconnect the wires, the voice will stop. The warned consequences will not come to pass. Not so! The truth of God's Word is truth regardless! We may silence it in our minds but we can not stop it's promised effects in our lives!

Some wise sage once wrote: “Most of us can read the handwriting on the wall; we just assume it's addressed to somebody else." It's not, it is addressed to each and everyone of us.

Then too, the Bible may not directly cover an issue, but it can deal with it indirectly by way of life principles. For instance:

The Bible does not say “Do not look at pornography.” Frankly, they did not have the stuff back then. However, Scripture does say,

·        Psalm 101:3, “I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate;  they will not cling to me.” The word vile here actually means “evil or naughty.”

·        Job 31:1 adds here, “I made a covenant with my eyes  not to look lustfully at a girl.”

·        Matthew 5:28, in the words of Jesus: “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

While the exact wording “You shall not look at porn” is not found in the Word of God, the principle that prohibits the vice certainly is.

Another gray area is gambling. I have no idea how many people have asked me for some guidance in regard to this issue. Let me quickly note that I pastored in Nevada for several years. While there I wrote an article on gambling which was published in the Evangel. I grew to truly hate the sin. I can also boast that I never once gambled in all of my time there. To have credibility with this point, I felt I needed to say that. Anyway, it is with that experience in mind that I tell you that while the Bible doesn’t directly cover the topic by name, it does again provide us with certain principles.

Please note:

1.      Gambling is a sin because it is based upon gaining from another's person’s loss. Can you truly love your neighbor as yourself and yet profit from his or her misery?

2.      Gambling is not an innocent past time or fund raiser; it is covetousness. Colossians 3:5 says covetousness is idolatry; and idolatry is sin. Also covetousness violates the Tenth Commandment.

Proverbs 21:25-26 (NKJV) “The desire of the lazy [man] kills him, For his hands refuse to labor. He covets greedily all day long….”

Martin Luther noted: "For although you go your way as if you had done no one any wrong, you have nevertheless injured your neighbor; and if it is not called stealing and cheating, yet it is called coveting your neighbor's property, that is, aiming at possession of it..."

3.      Romans 12:17 tells the saint to “Provide things honest in the sight of all men….” Gambling does not have the reputation of being honest.

2.      THE TEST OF CONSCIENCE

This is a great time to ask some very hard questions. I want each one of you to answer them personally and privately. Here they are:

·        What do you believe in regards to matters of conduct?

·        Do you have any personal boundaries?

·        What effect if any do those boundaries have on your words and/or behavior?

·        Do those closest to you know of your boundaries and respect them?

The problem here is, many people have never taken the time to set forth any personal boundaries based on their own individual conscience.

·        Rather, most folks go with the tide of public opinion. What they see practiced by their peers or done on television.

·        Some, I have no idea how many, follow the opinions of a preacher,

·        Then, others observe blindly the teachings of their parents or spouse.

The issue is, what do you believe? What does your conscience say?

In regard to this point, notice two verses from Romans 14:

·         Verse 5: “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” 

·         Verse 23 (The Living Bible) is also important here, “But anyone who believes that something he wants to do is wrong shouldn't do it. He sins if he does, for he thinks it is wrong, and so for him it is wrong.  Anything that is done apart from what he feels is right is sin.”

Paul was dealing with two major issues here in this chapter: holy days and eating meat. I want to focus on the meat issue. Some of the Christians in Rome, being former idol worshippers, had difficulty eating meat. They were afraid that the meat may have been offered to a pagan god in a heathen temple before it made it’s way to the butcher shop. Other saints from within the same body had no trouble at all in this area. Meat was meat, parts was parts. To be sure, Paul doesn't condemn or approve either side here. His point was simply, whatever course they took had to be taken with a CLEAR CONSCIENCE BEFORE GOD!

If the conscience isn’t clear, T H E N   D O N ' T   D O   I T – whatever it is!

I was reading that on opening day of hunting season in one state, games wardens put up a sign on a certain highway that read as follows: "Check Station 1,000 yards ahead."  At 500 yards, there was a convenient side road.  Lawful hunters went straight ahead.  Over-limit and doubtful hunters ducked down the side road.  The check station?  It was 500 yards down the side road. An uneasy conscience can get a person into trouble!

John and Charles Wesley's mother once noted, "Would you judge the lawfulness of a pleasure? Take this rule: Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of conscience, obscures your vision of God, or takes away the relish of spiritual things, or increases the authority of your body over your mind -- that is sin."  Friends, that's a good rule to go by!

In Acts 24:16 Paul simply said, “So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.”

3.      THE TEST OF LOVE FOR others

No doubt, one of the most popular verses in scripture is found in John 8:36. It says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” The point is, the saint has great liberty in Jesus Christ. And yet as true as that is, my love for others motivates me to readily sacrifice my liberty if my liberty would cause my brother to sister to stumble.

Hear me, please:

·        No man is an island. 

·        My having the freedom to do something does not mean THAT I'M BOUND BY LAW TO DO IT.

·        Liberty is not necessity!

·        Freedom still as a price to pay!

The Bible is clear here!

Let me illustrate what I am saying. For some time a conflict has raged in certain Christian circles over the use of owls, goats, unicorns, dolphins and rainbows as decorative items in the home. Many saints feel as if such things are taboo. For those who may not understand the reasoning behind this conflict, let me state that these items are very popular in the New Age Movement, the gay rights movement, or in witchcraft. The child of God who may have had some back-ground in either of these areas prior to salvation may easily find them to be rather offensive. His or her conscience may, in fact, be very sensitive here.

Now, just to be honest, I have no such sensitivities in any of these areas. I happen to like owls and rainbows, for instance. God made both. He has pronounced them good. Do I have problems displaying them in my home? Of course not. I have perfect liberty in this area. But then, I have never seen anything sinister in them either. One is merely a bird while the other is a token of God's promise. Both are beautiful.

The question is, though, do I decorate my home with them? Personally, no. Although I have the knowledge that nothing is wrong with these things, I also have the weaker brother to think about. I will not do something knowingly that might cause my  brother or sister in the faith to stumble. His or her conscience is more important to me than my liberty in this area.

NOTHING IS WORTH ENJOYING IF IT CAUSES SOMEONE TO LOSE HIS or her SOUL. THE TEST BY WHICH WE ARE TO JUDGE OUR LIFE AND ACTION IS NOT OUR OWN WELFARE, BUT THE WELFARE OF OUR FELLOW SAINT.

Please notice the following scriptures in this regard:

·        1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (The Living Bible), “You are certainly free to eat food offered to idols if you want to; it's not against God's laws to eat such meat, but that doesn't mean that you should go ahead and do it. It may be perfectly legal, but it may not be best and helpful. Don't think only of yourself. Try to think of the other fellow, too, and what is best for him.”

·        1 Corinthians 10:33, adds, “Do not cause anyone to stumble.... For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.”

·        1 Corinthians 8:9,  “Be careful..., that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling-block to the weak.”

·        Galatians 5:13-14, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

·        1 Corinthians 8:13, "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."

The case is made!  Our lives affect the ETERNAL destinies of others. The saint of God understands that a person’s soul is infinitely more important than the meat that we eat, the games that we play, or the decorative items in the home! 

Romans 14:15 is likewise very important here. It warns, “If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.”

The word “distressed” here can also be translated "pained, grieved, hurt or injured." 

The word “destroy” here literally means to "destroy utterly." It is used elsewhere in the New Testament to speak of a soul that dies lost without Christ. 

Therefore, it is clear that one's selfish exercise of personal liberty may cause the weaker one to be not only pained and injured spiritually, but he could also be eternally lost without God! The mature in the Lord would never let that happen!

Several years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales meeting in Chicago. They assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for supper on Friday night. One thing led to another and the meeting ran overtime.  The men had to race to the airport, tickets in hand. As they barged through the terminal, one man inadvertently knocked over a table supporting a basket of apples. Without stopping they all reached the plane in time and boarded it with a sigh of relief. All, that is, but one. This fellow stopped due to feeling a twinge of compassion for the girl who was operating the stand which had been overturned. He waved good-bye to his companions and returned to the terminal. He was glad that he did. The ten year old girl was blind. The salesman gathered up the apples and noticed that several of the apples were battered and bruised due to the fall.  He reached into his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this ten dollar bill for the damage we did. I hope it didn't spoil your day." As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered girl called out to him, "Sir, are you Jesus?"

What was it that prompted that question? Was it not his own personal sacrifice on behalf of the young girl? He could have left with the others; who would have given it any thought?  After all:

·        He wasn't the one who knocked the table over. 

·        He did have a plane to catch. 

·        His wife would be waiting for him. 

But all of that mattered not. Love ruled. In acting in love, he acted like Jesus would have acted. 

It has been said that:

·        Those who are weak in faith live by conscience,

·        Those who are strong in faith live by knowledge, but

·        Those who are mature in faith live by love.

Obviously, the salesman was mature. 

4.      THE TEST OF LOVE FOR GOD

I would like to buy three dollars worth of God please,

I would like to buy just a little of the Lord. 

Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep,  Not enough to take control of my life; I'll keep

Just enough to equal a cup of warm milk

Just enough to ease some of the pain from my guilt.

I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please;

I would like to find a love that's pocket‑sized.

Not enough to make me love a black man. 

Not enough to change my heart; I can only stand

Just enough to take to church when I have the time,

Just enough to equal a snooze in the sunshine.

I want ecstasy, not transformation. 

I want the warmth of the womb

But not a new birth.  

I would like to purchase a pound of the eternal

In a paper sack

guaranteed or money back.

You see, I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please;

I would like to hide some for a rainy day, 

Not enough to make people see a change in me,

Not enough to impose responsibility;

Just enough to make church folks think I'm O.K.,

Just enough to exhibit once a week on Sunday.

I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please. 

How much of God do you have? How much of you does God have?

Luke 14:26 notes, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.”

We understand that Scripture cannot contradict Scripture. The Lord is not into our hating anyone: much less our parents, whom we are to honor; or our spouse whom we are to love as Christ loved the church. What He is saying is, in comparison to our love for Jesus, all other affections must appear to as nothing.

If anything comes between us and our love for the Lord, then that word, thought, act, or deed is wrong. It is sin.

Let me speak to the teenagers that are here this morning. Suppose you get a clear word from the Lord saying that He wants you to go and serve the rest of the summer in an orphanage in Haiti? Instead of going, though, you take the time and spend it vacationing in Orlando. Which held greater sway over your heart; obedience to the Lord or Disney World?

The song writer wrote, "Put Jesus first in your life...."  That is the point here. 

Perhaps you have heard of a fellow by the name of Demas. He is mentioned three different times in the Bible.

·        In Colossians 4:14, he is spoken of along with Luke, the beloved physician.

·        In Philemon 24, he is again seen with Luke and also, this time, with Mark. Here he is called a “fellow worker with Paul.”

·        Then in 2 Timothy 4:10 we read, “For Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica....”

Herbert Lockyer's book, All the Men of the Bible, states: "Demas saw the magnificent halls of the Caesars, the gorgeous homes of the rich, and the glitter of a world of music, sensuous loves, jest and wine. Such a world cast its glamour over Demas, and he yielded to its charms. The prison where his friends were languishing seemed wretched alongside the music-haunted, scented, dazzling halls of heathen Rome." In short, Demas backslid. The world held first place in his heart, not Christ. When push came to shove, he chose the world!

Jesus, in Matthew 6:24, notes, “No-one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Someone noted, "Where our love is, we eventually end up ourselves." Demas is, again, a case in point! He loved the world and he wound up being a part of the world.

The same applies to you and me. 

·        If we love the world, we will eventually be in the world.

·        If we love money, we will eventually sell ourselves out for money.

·        If we love things, we will sacrifice whatever, even God, for the gadgets that we crave.

·        If we love God, we will put Him first above anything and everything.

·        The issue is, who is in charge of our affections? Who is the Lord?

A pastor told an amusing but pointed story about an unsaved man who was on his way to attend a costume ball one Sunday evening. He was wearing a red suit with a tail and a skintight mask with horns. He looked like Satan; that is, he conformed to the false but widely accepted picture of the devil. As he hurried along, he was caught in a sudden rainstorm, so he sought shelter in a church where the service was just ending. When he ran into the building, he shocked the members, who thought he was the real thing. A flash of lightning and a clap of thunder added to the illusion. The congregation panicked and rushed for the rear exits. The intruder thought the church had been struck and was on fire, so he raced after them. Everyone got out except one elderly lady. Turning in fear, she stretched out her hands and pleaded for mercy, saying, "Oh, devil, please don't hurt me. I know I've been a member of this church for 30 years, but I've really been on your side all the time!"

Doesn't she illustrate divided affections?

In judging the rightness or wrongness of an act, settle in your heart where your affections lie. Is Jesus first, or is something else? Is He really the main thing, the only thing, the love thing?

The early church father Chrysostom once observed: “Love God and do as you like. What we like will be His will, and what we do will be His pleasure.”

Some other tests to consider in passing:

1.    Will God receive glory in the word or deed? 1 Corinthians 10:31states, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

2.    Would Jesus have done the thing in question?

3.    Would you want to be doing the thing at the point of the Lord’s return?

4.    Do you feel comfortable doing it knowing that God knows all; sees all?

5.    My wife has a very tender conscience. When all else fails, I personally can ask, “What would Marilyn do? Say? That also seems to help.

In closing:

I was reading a while back that one of the controversies among the early Quakers was whether they should have tombstones over their graves! Some of these very devout people felt that tombstones were wrong, others didn't.  

Another issue that is being debated in certain churches in Europe today is whether or not a believer can drink Coca Cola.

Such issues are always going to be with us. Who knows what tomorrow’s issues might be? Nonetheless, the guidelines that I gave you will work today, tomorrow, or one hundred years from now. Know them; use them. Again they are:

·        THE TEST OF THE WORD OF GOD

·        The test of conscience

·        The test of love for others

·        The test of our love for God