Romans 14:20-23 My Confession

Romans 14:20-23 “Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God.  Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.  It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.  The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God.  Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.  But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith.  For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin”.  (NASB)

Ok – I have to confess I blew it last night.  I have been at a company meeting here in Minneapolis all stinking week and we had a big dinner with about 180 managers.  It was a big deal.  When it all finally broke up some of us from our unit thought it would be a good idea to go somewhere alone.  We did.  Around the block was a place we had actually found the night before, “Ike’s”.  And, like the night before we each ordered a drink.  ONE!  “Last call” the waiter said and out we went back to the hotel.  There we found the group that had left the restaurant had reassembled in the lobby lounge adjacent to the elevators and there was no escaping the gravity.  So, we joined back in the social revelry of the company banter over another beverage.  “Last call” there was indicated when the lights went up and we all scattered back to our rooms.

So what’s wrong Dale?

Here’s what is wrong.  After my reminding all to “Shoot Straight or Don’t Shoot” very recently I managed to come back to the room and give the glamorous FaceBook rendition of the evening.  “Closed two pubs tonight, haven’t done that in awhile”, I wrote.

Yep!  I blew it with that post because it violated the Scripture shown above.  I had not behaved in violation of my conscience and understanding of Biblical standards of conduct for myself for the evening.  But, I may have led others to believe that I had with that post.  And, I have to confess I thought it was kind of cool that a just turned 53 year old guy that barely can stay up past 10 could actually stay up late enough to close not one but two establishments.  Of course “Pub” was a stretch too in reference to the hotel lobby lounge.  So, I was off the reservation with my comments.

No excuses, I blew it and someone may have read that and wondered, “What the heck” I thought this Dale Nicol was the guy that wrote all this stuff about the Bible and here he is out getting drunk and closing down pubs all over Minneapolis.  Although that isn't what happened someone might have thought so, and then taken liberty they believed wrong but since Dale did it ...  That's causing, "Your brother to stumble".   

The key violation was not my behavior but allowing it to be viewed or misconstrued or even twisted by my own hand into something it was not that could have tripped someone up.  
“Do not for the sake of food, destroy the work of God”.

Well, here’s maybe the biggest lesson.  We all blow it, and I did.  You will too.  If so, suck it up and admit it. It's not so easy but here's my confession in black and white. And ... don’t do what I did.  It's easier to avoid the problem than have to explain and confess it!  AMEN!

Luke 8:4-8 Sown for Maturity

Luke 8:4-8  When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable:  "The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up.    "Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.   "Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.  "Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great." As He said these things, He would call out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (NASB)

Maturity, or perhaps the antithesis of it, Immaturity is the prompt for today’s BLOG.  Perhaps you wouldn’t think of the parable of the sower when you think of maturity but it is there plain as day.  As Christians, Scripture challenges us to a life of Spiritual growth.  Doctrinally this is referred to as sanctification.  Simply put, sanctification is the process of growing up into Christ likeness.  In the modern sense it is living out that WWJD bracelet for real in your life.  When you have done that perfectly, (not that you can) you are fully sanctified.

The Easton Bible dictionary defines it this way:  Sanctification, “Involves more than a mere moral reformation of character, brought about by the power of the truth: it is the work of the Holy Spirit bringing the whole nature more and more under the influences of the new gracious principles implanted in the soul in regeneration.  In other words, sanctification is the carrying on to perfection the work begun in regeneration, and it extends to the whole man (Rom_6:13; 2Co_4:6; Col_3:10; 1Jo_4:7; 1Co_6:19). It is the special office of the Holy Spirit in the plan of redemption to carry on this work (1Co_6:11; 2Th_2:13)”.

So how does maturity or sanctification come to life in this parable?  Most often we look at this parable and analyze, what is the seed, who is the sower etc. etc.  By the time we’re all done with that, there is little time to look at the seed that took root and grew in the “Good soil”.  What happened?  Or better said, what is supposed to happen?

Before we get ahead of ourselves, this parable speaks of the Gospel message being shared and received by some.  By the power of the Holy Spirit that message comes to live in the new believer and takes root in this fertile soil prepared from eternity past to hear and receive the Word of God.  That is the, “Other seed (that) fell into the good soil”.  But my friends the message does not stop there.  The parable of the sower does not stop with germination and a sprout popping out of the ground.  In fact, Other seed did that.  “Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away.”  So that is not to be the fate of seed falling on the fertile soil.  That is not to be the fate of Christians.

"Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great."

Christians are to grow up through a process of sanctification into Christ likeness.  No, not all at once but steady progress over a life time is the design.  Paul rebuked some long time Christians who failed to grow up.  Here’s what he had to say.  ”For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.  But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil”. Hebrews 5:12-14  (NASB)

So how do I do this Dale?

That is the beauty of the Christian experience.  If you will just surrender and admit you don’t get it but open the Word and pray to the Holy Spirit to teach you.  He will!  That is the work of the Holy Spirit, to teach.  Pray when you are under the teaching of trained Bible teachers that you will “Get it”.  But you have to take some responsibility.  If you fail to attend services or studies, if you choose not to open the Word, If you choose not to pray for the Holy Spirit to teach you, how do you expect this to happen?

The Lord wants you to grow up spiritually, His word says so.  He will help you do it.  AMEN!

Job 6:24-28 Shoot Straight or Don't Shoot

Job 6:24-28  "Teach me, and I will be silent; And show me how I have erred.  "How painful are honest words! But what does your argument prove?  "Do you intend to reprove my words, When the words of one in despair belong to the wind?   "You would even cast lots for the orphans And barter over your friend.  "Now please look at me, And see if I lie to your face”. (NASB)

I have been challenged recently with thoughts from shall we say, “A different perspective”.  The thoughts though are just that, thoughts; dreams of a human nature not based on truth.  Not even based on logic or a position that might be articulated clearly.  Ideas and opinions of fools in my view, but what does Scripture have to say.

Job is where I found this passage.  I found it searching on the key word “Honest” or “Honesty”.  Oddly, that word appears very few times in Scripture – just 7 times by my count.  Most references were in Genesis and had to do with fair dealings.  This reference hits home on the topic.

The passage starts out with the simple declarative and open view of the listener, “Teach me” and (if you do)”I will be silent”.  So, in other words, if you are able to lay out your position clearly, teaching me, then I will be silent.  Crudely, you might say, “I’ll shut up and listen”.  The premise though is that you have the capacity to, “Teach me”.  “Teach me, and I will be silent”.  And as you teach me … “Show me how I have erred”.  So not only am I open to your teaching but I am open to the possibility that I have had it wrong previously.  Bottom line – I am teachable if you are capable of teaching.

“How painful are honest words”!  Paraphrased again – the truth hurts sometimes.   This isn’t Job speaking about being hurt himself.  He’s talking about the other guy.  Make a legitimate case and convince me!  But instead, “What does your argument prove”?  There is nothing to the argument that has been made.  The painful truth is your argument is hollow at best and most likely foolish.

Matthew Henry sums up the situation this way:

“If, instead of invidious reflections and uncharitable insinuations, you will give me plain instructions and solid arguments, which shall carry their own evidence along with them, I am ready to acknowledge my error and own myself in a fault: Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; for I have often found, with pleasure and wonder, how forcible right words are. But the method you take will never make proselytes: What doth your arguing reprove? Your hypothesis is false, your surmises are groundless, your management is weak, and your application peevish and uncharitable.” 

Now you may not like the Old English but he got right to the point.

Personally, I am open to legitimate challenges to my weaknesses.  I admit I am a sinner saved by grace and I continue to make mistakes every day.  In my weakness, I may bow up and argue at first but I will admit my error when confronted with real truth.  But, I stand on the truth of God’s Word and the principles derived from that place alone.  Try to make an argument from another position and you will find yourself in the bucket of fools referenced above.  2Timothy 3:16-17  “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;  so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work”.

Those confronting Job were not coming from a righteous place.  How do we know for sure?  Check out verse 27 … “You would even cast lots for the orphans And barter over your friend”.  Now Job may have gotten a little personal in verse 27 with, “Casting lots for orphans” but it does speak to the character of the guy he is dealing with.  Fortunately I don’t think the ones’ I have encountered are in that league so we’ll let this verse go for now.

The section closes with, “Now please look at me, And see if I lie to your face “.  I wanted to include that because it is important that as we enter into these situations that we are completely honest with ourselves and the other individuals.  If we are going to say the other party isn’t being clear and speaking the truth even being honest with themselves then we had better not be guilty of the same thing.  So, “Please look at me, And see if I lie to your face”  AMEN!