God’s Toolbox
God’s Toolbox
Consider Others
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Always do and say what brings God glory. Consider others in all your ways.
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The message Bible. I'm gonna be reading from the message Bible today. I looked at many different translations of this word, and I thought that this one gave the clearest and the most compelling message. It's 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verses 23 through 33. 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verses 23 through 33 today from the message Bible. And this is what the word says. Looking at it one way, you could say anything goes because of God's immense generosity and grace. We don't have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster. But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well. With that as a base to work from, common sense can take you the rest of the way. Eat anything sold at the butcher shop for instance. You don't have to run an idolatry test on every item. The earth after all is God's and everything in it. That everything certainly includes the leg of lamb in the butcher shop. If a non believer invites you to dinner and you feel like going, go ahead and enjoy yourself. Eat everything placed before you. It would be bad both bad manners and bad spirituality to cross examine your host on the ethical purity of each course as it is served. On the other hand, if he goes out of his way to tell you this or that was sacrifice to God or goddess, so and so you should pass. Even though you may be indifferent as to where it came from, he isn't, and you don't want to send miss mixed messages to him about who you are worshiping. But except for these special cases, I'm not going to walk around on edge shells worrying about what small minded people might say. I'm going to stride free and easy, knowing what our large minded master has already said. If I eat what is served to me, grateful to God for what is on the table, how can I worry about what someone will say? I thanked God for it, and he blessed it. So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you. You're eating to God's glory after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way heartily and freely to God's glory. At the same time, don't be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who aren't as free as you are. I try my best to be considerate of everyone's feelings in all these matters. I hope you will be too. The word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Our sermon topic for this noonday service is consider others. Consider others. There's a popular comedian out today by the name of Drewski. As most comedians do, he makes fun of just about everything and everybody. A few weeks ago Drusky hosted the BET Award show, and he came out in the very beginning of the show acting as though he was a mega church pastor. That is not the only time Drewski has done skit where he has imitated a megapastor and made statements using the name of God and phrases of faith that one might hear in church. Many people were offended by his antics at the award show. But then others praised him for calling out mega pastors who prey on their congregations for money and a lavish lifestyle, but don't really uphold the principles of godliness and holiness. So the question is who is right in this case? Those who were offended by comedian Drewski or those who defended his right to say and do anything for laughs. Well the word of God says that we as Christians have to be sensitive to unbelievers and to babes in Christ. We have to set a good example for others by how we live and the things we say and do. Our foremost efforts should be, as the word says, to be help to others, to help others live well, and to not send mixed messages about who we worship. David in the Bible was loved by God from a very young age. He was called by God to be king, and God recognized him as one of his elite worshipers, saying that David was a man after God's own heart. But God could not allow David's sin of adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband to go unpunished. After all, people were standing and watching David as leader and king of Israel, and in the minds of many he set the standard. Who are you setting the standard for? Who's watching you and your behavior, what you do and what you say and how you treat others? When you call yourself a Christian and you acknowledge that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, there's a target on your back. You are his, and what you say and do reflects back to our God. Think about what Paul said in the word. He said I'm going to stride free and easy, knowing that our large minded master has already said what I do. He says, If I eat what is served to me, grateful to God for what is on the table, how can I worry about what someone will say? I thank God for it and he blessed it. But at the same time, he says don't be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who aren't as free as you are. So we need to think about our actions in light of others. Consider others. How many times have you heard it said that if that's what they do in church in that church or how they treat one another in that organization, I want no parts of it. As God's ambassadors here on earth, we have to be careful because for so many people we're the only sermon they will see and hear. There are many people who will never enter the doors of a church, but they can be saved. The thief on the cross had not lived his life for Christ, neither of them. But one of them who was not a follow who obviously was not a follower of Jesus and hadn't made a public declaration of his allegiance to God and been baptized, but he watched Jesus' actions and his behavior from that cross, how Jesus was horribly mistreated, and he hung there being crucified, but still praying in love on behalf of the ones that were executing him. This made an impression on that thief. And he says, You know, we deserve to be up here. But he does not. To the other thief, he said, Truly this man is the son of God. So based on what he saw, the way Jesus carried himself in the face of evil and hatred, loving others, even then, this thief asked Jesus to remember him when he entered into his kingdom. And Jesus' response was, Today you will be with me in paradise. So the point is that many things in religion and society that we quarrel about are not that important and have no bearing on our salvation and worship of God. Many things are simply just man-made preferences, like the day of the week we uphold is the Lord's day. Some say it was Saturday, some say it was Sunday, or whether or not Jesus was actually born on December 25th. Some say it's not possible because December 25th was not the season uh that was aligned with that time of year in the Middle East where Jesus was born. But whether it was December 25th or any other day, we know the fact is that Jesus was born. Some argue about whether we should dress up in reverence to God as we enter his house or come as we are. Those things are not worth squabbling about because in the total scheme of things, they just aren't that important. We have so many other things to worry about.
SPEAKER_00People who are homeless, people who are unsaved, people who are living in war-torn countries, people who have chronic illnesses, and we're squabbling over things that don't even matter.
SPEAKER_01Some people eat meat, some have only a plant based diet, which is best. Each man or woman has a right to his own preference, but the problem comes in when one of us insists that our way is the only way. When we downgrade people because they don't do what we do. Jesus said it is not what goes into the body that defiles a man, but rather it's what comes out of the body in the things we say, the ungodly things we do. So comedian Drewski has probably overstepped his bounds by making fun of church folk and making light of things that many see as sacred. He has freedom of speech to say and do whatever he wants to do, but is it helpful to society and to others who may look at his success and want to be like him? And what about each of us? How many times do we lead others astray by what we say and what we do? Just like we shouldn't say and do any and everything in front of our young children who may not be old enough to understand the conversations and the actions accurately, then we should not say and do everything in front of other people who may be babes in Christ or to the ungodly. We should not tell off color jokes and make fun of other people, downgrade and complain and speak ill of those in leadership positions, but rather pray for them. Think about it. How many children have trouble in school because their parents downgraded the teachers in front of them? How many people have stopped attending church because someone in the church alluded to the stealing of money by the pastor? The truth is that when you send your children to school, they must know that respect of those in charge of them is the best course of action. And God commands us to pay our tithes and offerings. If the pastor is stealing the money, then God will deal with him or her ever so harshly. But we must lead by example. Consider others. So today let's examine what we do by two tests. The profitability test and the edification test. The profitability test asks the question Does what I'm doing or saying benefit others in their walk? Is it going to help them to be better people? Am I showing them a better way? For example, is it profitable or edifying for me to get into an argument over religious preferences, like whether we should have a choir or a praise team? No. We're commanded to give God praise and there are no specifics on how it should be done. Does it make sense for me to debate with other people which political party is doing a better job Democrats or Republicans? No, because there are good and bad politicians in both parties. Vote your preference and leave the arguing out of it. Should I be judging people for whether or not they attend in person church services or virtually? No, let's thank God that we have the ability to reach people wherever they are. Do I dare say that someone who eats a well rounded diet of all the food groups is going to live longer than a vegetarian or a vegan? No, that's not my call to make. God is in charge of all life. So how many of any of these things are profitable in helping others see the Jesus in us? I venture to say that many of the things we say and do not help at all. What is profitable is being kind and helpful to others, minding your own business. That is the best course of action. And then there's the edification test, which ask if what I'm saying and doing builds up someone's faith and makes them stronger believers. Does making fun of church leaders and churchgoers make people stronger believers?
SPEAKER_00I think not.
SPEAKER_01Why would making fun help others be more mindful of going to church? What about criticizing others? Does criticizing the beliefs of others make people stronger? No. Does arguing over biblical contents like which version of the Bible is the most accurate? Does that help encourage people to read and study the word more? No, whichever version leads them to God is what's best for them. The Holy Spirit is able to correct any errors in judgment that we might have. So when we are dealing with others, we must consider our ways and our actions, our words, and not only what we say, but how we say it to others. Is it profitable and does it edify? If not, keep it to yourself. Do what's best to do to glorify God. That is always the goal of our lives to bring God glory. Some years ago there was a song that came out that said, What if God is not happy with my praise? The song speaks about how our life should match the words we sing and not be full of hypocrisy, that our praise must be in humble alignment with God and obedience over melody and just a good rhythm in a song. Philippians two and verses three and four says Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourself, not looking to your own interest, but each of you to the interests of others.
SPEAKER_00So when talking to others, when talking about others, let's consider this. Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? Does it profit them? Does it edify them? Consider. Always consider others.
SPEAKER_01God bless you. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for your word on today that leads us and guides us and shows us the way to grow and to be better. We thank you, Lord, for those who are sick that we've lifted up today. We thank you for all who will hear this message. Help it to be edifying and encouraging to them. We thank you for all who are here, each person, each family that's represented. We ask that you would cover us, Lord, and bind the enemy in our lives. We declare and decree that you are God, and besides you there is no other, and we will serve and please you. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you everybody for joining us on this Friday. We know that you could have been doing anything else. There are a myriad of places you could be, but you decided to join us for worship. And we just say thank you. We don't take it lightly. Now unto him who's able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God, our Savior, be glory, majesty, dominion, and power both now and forevermore. Let us all say Amen. Now go and be great for God and go to church on Sunday. God bless you.