SOMETIMES DOING WHAT WE KNOW TO BE RIGHT CAN BE WRONG

PROCLAMATION

“Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.”  1 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Corinth.  Here Paul tells them about eating food which had been used in sacrifices to idols. (1 Corinthians 8:1-6)  Some people thought that if they ate the meat of an animal which had been sacrificed to an idol that they were defiled. (1 Corinthians 8:7)  Paul told them that the idols can do nothing and that eating the meat which was sacrificed to them would not make them better or worse in the sight of God. (1 Corinthians 8:8)  He said that the problem is that those who are weak in The Word may see them eating that meat and they may do likewise and then feel defiled. (1 Corinthians 8:10-11)  They may also change their opinion of the believers that they see eating that meat.  Paul said that the strong in The Word sin when they do things which cause the weak in The Word to fall. (1 Corinthians 8:12-13)  If eating meat in front of a brother offends him, then do not eat it in front of him.

 

APPLICATION

It is possible for a believer to do something which is right, but has the appearance of being wrong, which may cause someone who sees them to stumble and fall into sin.  As believers we must avoid even the appearance of doing evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:22)  It is better not to do something which we know to be right if it would cause someone who is less knowledgeable in The Word to stumble.  We are always being observed, especially by children, and we do not want to cause a child to sin. (Matthew 18:6)  Just because something is right, or legal, does not mean that we should do it.  If it appears wrong to other believers, then we should not do it.  Less informed believers who look up to us may become disillusioned and turn away from the faith.  We do not want to be guilty of causing someone to fall away from The Lord because they saw our behavior. (1 Corinthians 8:10-13)

 

KEEP SEPARATE FROM THAT WHICH IS UNGODLY

PROCLAMATION

“But now, our God, what can we say after this?  For we have forsaken the commands You gave through Your servants the prophets when You said: ‘The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples.  By their detestable practices they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other.  Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons…”  Ezra 10:10-12 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

Several months after the celebration and dedication of the temple, the Israelites celebrated the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.  (Ezra 6:19-22)  Chapter seven of the Bible Book of Ezra contains the letter which King Artaxerxes wrote to Ezra, and his decree regarding the Israelites. (Ezra 7:26)  Chapter eight contains the names of the head of each family that was with Ezra. (Ezra 8:1-14)  It also includes the actions which Ezra took after he learned that there were no Levites there with him. (Ezra 8:15-36)  Sometime later on Ezra learned that the people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, had intermarried with the neighboring people who had once been their enemies.  He was very grieved by this.  He gathered the people together, and after much prayer, (Ezra 9:1-15) the men agreed to separate themselves from their foreign wives and any children from those marriages. (Ezra 10:1-17)  The second half of chapter ten of The Book of Ezra listed all of the men who had married foreign women. (Ezra 10:18-44)

APPLICATION

As believers we are not supposed to do all of the things that non-believers do.  Just because we can do it does not mean that we should do it.  It may not be illegal or immoral, but if it goes against The Word of God, then we should not do it.  Like Christ, we are in this world but not of it. (John 8:23)  We are to function in a Christ-like manner in this sin-sick world without taking on its sinful ways.  We are not to befriend or hang out with those individuals who consciously practice ungodly behavior. (Ephesians 5:11)  Only birds of the same feather will flock together. (Amos 3:3)  Let us fellowship one with another as part of the body of Christ. (1 John 1:7)

THE LORD GOD KNOWS ALL THAT WE DO SAY AND THINK

Proclamation:

“For your ways are in full view of The Lord, and He examines all your paths.”  Proverbs 5:21 (NIV)

Explanation:

This proverb, like all of the other proverbs, was written by King Solomon under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This fifth proverb also addresses wisdom, but it focuses on avoiding adultery and abstaining from the lust of the flesh.  The seventh of the Ten Commandments states that we should not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)  We are encouraged to flee from fornication because it is a sin. (1 Corinthians 6:18 and 1 Thessalonians 4:3)  Solomon warns them of the consequences of fornication, including the loss of honor and dignity, (Proverbs 5:8-10) and the effect on the body from contracting a sexually transmitted disease. (Proverbs 5:11)  He told them to stay with their own mates and enjoy their company instead of seeking the companionship of someone else’s mate. (Proverbs 5:15-20)  The Lord God sees all that we do, hears all that we say, and knows all that we think.

Application:

The Bible is full of good advice, we just often choose not to follow it.  We really should not turn away from the wisdom of the words of The Bible.  Even when we have the best of intentions, we often still do or say the wrong thing, or we think sinful thoughts which we do not act upon.  Adultery and fornication are not our only sins but in our society, we are bombarded with sexual innuendoes at almost every turn, on television, in songs, at the movies, in advertisements.  Temptation is all around us.  We need to pray for the strength to avoid sin and even to avoid the appearance of sinful behavior. (1 Thessalonians 5:22)  As the hymn says, “Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin.”  Remember, The Lord God sees all that we do.  Additionally, we should not judge others because their sin is different from our sin.  We all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and we all need His help to turn from our wicked ways. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

KEEP ME SAFE FROM THE HANDS OF THE WICKED

Proclamation:

“Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet.”  Psalm 140:4 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This psalm is a prayer which was sung asking for The Lord God’s protection from evil doers, violent people, and the wicked.  Protection from the people which the devil uses to trip us up, get us off track, and get our minds off of The Lord God and onto something sinful or onto our situation. (Psalm 140:1-4)  This prayer asks for The Lord God to have mercy and be our strong deliverer. (Psalm 140:6-7)  This prayer also asks that He not let the wicked succeed, that their plans would back-fire on them, and that burning coals would fall upon them and that disaster would befall them. (Psalm 11:6 and 140:8-11)

Application:

This is a prayer for deliverance from evil people and situations.  Unfortunately, there a many people in this world that would enjoy seeing a righteous person fall, suffer, and sin.  Some not only enjoy watching it but they will gladly participate in it.  Everyone who smiles in your face is not your friend.  Be very careful of the advice that you get from your “friends”.  We should pray over every decision that we have to make, and we should be sure to ask The Lord God to protect us from those who mean us no good but mean to harm us.  We should also pray for this same protection for our family and friends.  Do not get caught up in revenge, pray for deliverance.

THE LORD GOD IS ALWAYS NEAR TO US

Proclamation:

“Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from Your law.  Yet You are near, Lord, and all Your commands are true.”  Psalm 119:150-151 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This is the nineteenth part, Qoph, of this twenty-two part psalm.  Here David appears to be bargaining with The Lord.  He basically says if He does something for him, then he will obey His laws.  David says answer me and I will obey, (Psalm 119:145) and save me and I will keep Your statutes. (Psalm 119:146)  He says that he has been up all night thinking about the promises that God gave him and he asks Him to hear his prayer and preserve his life. (Psalm 119:148-149)  David is aware that those evil people who would do him harm are nearby but he is also aware that The Lord God is nearby and he wants His protection.

Application:

This world is full of people who plan and develop schemes to take advantage of the innocent, unsuspecting, and the naïve.  Most of the “do-gooders” can’t imagine the lengths that people will go to in order to deceive them.  People will tell convincing lies in order to take advantage of others.  They offer tempting promises of great rewards to lure in their victims.  We need to stay “prayed up” and wrapped up in The Word of God in order to be protected from the evil wicked people in this world.  The Lord said that He would never leave us or forsake us, but if we want His help we must believe in Him and ask Him. (Hebrews 13:5 and John 15:7)  We do not have to stay up all night long and pray, but it is better to lose a little sleep and pray each night.   We need to ask for His help and to thank Him for that which He has done, is doing, and will do.

LEAD A BLAMELESS LIFE AND PUT NOTHING VILE BEFORE YOUR EYES

Proclamation:

“I will be careful to lead a blameless life … I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart.  I will not look with approval on anything that is vile.  I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.”  Psalm 101:2-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Before he became king, David was careful to behave wisely and walk in God’s way.  That is why King Saul feared him and hated him, and that is why the people loved him. (1 Samuel 18:14-15)  David said that he would rule his own house well, with integrity of heart, and in a sincere and upright manner.  He would be an example to his family and to all good men.  He said that he would not put anything vile, lustful, evil, or representing idols before his eyes, nor would he meditate on those things.  He would meditate on The Lord. (Psalm 16:8)  This was all long before his unfaithful episode with Bathsheba. (2 Samuel 11:1-5)  Many Bible scholars believe that David was speaking prophetically regarding the reign of Christ is this psalm and not about his own life.

Application:

It is not possible for us to live a life without committing a sin. (Romans 3:23)  However, we should strive to live a sin-free, blameless life.  Our goal should be to conduct our lives in such a manner which would be pleasing to The Lord.  We should endeavor to walk in the light, and in an upright and righteous way. (1 John 1:7)  Our behavior should be a Christ-like example to our family, friends, and to all of the people that we encounter.  The books that we read and the movies that we watch should not be vile, evil, pornographic, or demonic.  We should not even think about those things.  We should not let the ungodly, worldly people influence us to participate in things which would displease God.  We should be involved in and meditate on things which are true, honest, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, and Godly. (Philippians 4:8)  We should read and meditate on The Word of God day and night. (Psalm 1:2)

AVOID EVIL AND THE APPEARANCE OF EVIL

Proclamation:

"Avoid every kind of evil."  1 Thessalonians 5:22 (NIV)  The King James version of The Bible for this verse reads: "Abstain from all appearance of evil."

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the believers in The Church at Thessaloniki.  Paul gave them advice regarding guidelines and examples of good Christian behavior.  In this verse he told them to avoid every kind of evil.  The Amplified Bible for this verse reads: "Abstain from evil; shrink from it and keep aloof from it, in whatever form or whatever kind it may be."

Application:
In order to engage in successful Christian living, one must avoid sinful behavior, as much as is humanly possible.  As believers we will still sin, but when we fall and sin, we do not stay down.  We ask The Lord God to forgive us and He picks us up and cleans us up. (Psalms 37:24 and 1 John 1:9)  However, believers are not only encouraged to avoid any activity which is sinful, we are also to avoid anything which even appears to be, or might be perceived to be sinful. (1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJV)  We are advised to avoid corrupt or evil practices which suggest sinful thoughts or actions, even if they are legal by the laws of man.  We should be very careful regarding that which we place before our sanctified eyes, or in our sanctified ears, because some inappropriate things can lead to sinful thoughts. (Psalms 101:3 and 2 Timothy 4:3)  Listening to false witness reports, or watching sinful acts on television, at the movies, or on the internet, produces sinful thoughts which is sinful behavior.  (Exodus 23:1, Psalms 101:3, Matthew 5:28, and Proverbs 23:7)  So, let us ask God to forgive us of our sinful thoughts, words, and actions.  Let us pray for guidance in our decision making, for help in avoiding sinful activities, and for help avoiding those things which appear evil or sinful.  We do not want to stumble and fall into sin, and we do not want to cause someone else, who is watching and imitating us to stumble and fall into sin. (Malachi 2:8) 

BE CAREFUL WITH WHOM YOU ASSOCIATE

Proclamation:

"In the name of The Lord Jesus Christ ... keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received ..." "... Do not associate with them ... Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer."  2 Thessalonians 3:6 and 3:14-15 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Apostle Paul under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God in a letter to the believers in Thessalonica.  Paul told them not to regularly associate with non-believers and those who repeatedly engage in sinful behavior.  They were to warn them, gently, of the consequences of their actions and then leave them alone.

Application:

We have no control over who our family members are, and we have very little control over who our coworkers are, but we choose our friends.  Some of the friends that we had earlier in our lives are not close to us now as we have grown apart.  Some of our friends still partake in the sinful behaviors that we, with the help of God, have put behind us.  It may be time to put those friends behind us also.  Christian believers are to separate themselves from, and not to regularly fellowship with, the habitually disobedient believers and from non-believers.  Do not hang out with or frequently interact socially with the blatantly sinful, non-believing individuals or with believers who live a pattern of life that is not conforming to The Word of God.  We are to warn them, in brotherly love, of the consequences of their behavior and their non-belief, but we are not continue to walk with them.  "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3)  We need to be careful regarding the people that we choose to "walk with".  Who our friends are says a lot about us.  If we are not strong enough to pull them out of their sins, we need to leave them before they pull us into their sinful behavior.  It has also been said that silence is consent.  Just being there with them, and saying nothing while they sin is for us a sin of omission.  To the world, we will be seen as committing the same sin, or at least condoning it.  “Birds of the same feather will flock together.”  The Bible teaches us to avoid sin and to abstain from all appearance of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJV) 

BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO DOES WHAT IS RIGHT

Proclamation:

"This is what The Lord says: 'Maintain justice and do what is right, for My salvation is close at hand and My righteousness will soon be revealed.  Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.’" Isaiah 56:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Prophet Isaiah under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After inviting the people to become suffering servants and heirs to abundant life, Isaiah tells them to do what is right.  He tells them that The Lord says blessed is the man maintains justice, does what is right, keeps the Sabbath, and keeps from doing evil.

Application:
We are to do what is right and honor The Lord on His day and every day of the week.  Blessed are the Jews and Gentiles (Isaiah 55:6 & 56:3) who are willing to love, serve, and obey The Lord, keep the Sabbath, and turn away from evil.  According to the English Study Bible (ESV), keeping the Sabbath is a covenant sign that represents a lifestyle of devotion to The Lord.  True observance of the Sabbath entails not only refraining from work but also refraining from doing any evil.  Every Sunday we should rededicate ourselves to The Lord and renew our commitment to love Him more and serve Him better.  Blessed is the man who does this.  Knowing that which is right is not enough, we must also do right.  Part of our daily prayer should be that God will help us to recognize and do the right thing.

DO NOT CAUSE SOMEONE TO STUMBLE

Proclamation:

“It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.  So whatever you believe about these things keep them between yourself and God.  Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.” Romans 14:21-22 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are The Holy Spirit inspired words of the Apostle Paul which were written in a letter to the believers in Rome.  In a discussion regarding new and seasoned believers, ones weak in the faith versus one who is strong, they were not to judge their weaker brothers. (Romans 14:10-13)  Paul said that they should not eat meat around the less knowledgeable brothers who believe meat to be unclean. (Romans 14:15-16)   His point was that the kingdom of God is not concerned about their eating or drinking but it is concerned abut righteousness and peace. (Romans 14:17)

Application:

We should be extremely careful regarding our behavior around new believers.  We should teach them what The Word of God says when we have the opportunity.  However, it is important that babes in Christ not see senior believers engaged in non-Christian behavior.  It is important that we avoid doing evil in front of them so as not to destroy their new weak faith.  It is also important that we avoid even the appearance of evil as this may also cause them to fall back into sin. (1 Thessalonians 5:22)  In the minds of most people, perception is the same as reality.  As believers we are to make every effort to do things which lead to peace and to the edification of others.   We help them by letting them see The Christ in us.  Our lives and behavior are the only “bible” that some people will ever read.  We do not want to cause someone weak in the faith to stumble and fall away from Christ and into sin.  If they truly believe that their behavior is glorifying God, and there is nothing sinful in their behavior, we are not to judge them. (Roman 14:10-13)  If we can’t teach them what The Bible says, then we should not argue with them and destroy their weak new-found faith.

Avoid Evil And The Appearance Of Evil

"Avoid every kind of evil."  1 Thessalonians 5:22 (NIV)  The King James version of The Bible for this verse reads: "Abstain from all appearance of evil."

In his letter to the believers in The Church at Thessaliniki, the Apostle Paul gave them advice regarding guidelines and examples of good Christian behavior.  In this verse Paul told them to avoid every kind of evil.  The Amplified Bible for this verse reads: "Abstain from evil; shrink from it and keep aloof from it, in whatever form or whatever kind it may be."

In order to engage in successful Christian living, one must avoid sinful behavior, as much as is humanly possible.  Believers still sin, but when we fall and sin, we do not stay down.  We ask The Lord God to forgive us and He picks us up and cleans us up. (Psalms 37:24 and 1 John 1:9)  However, as believers are encouraged to avoid any activity which is sinful, and to avoid anything which even appears to be, or might be perceived to be sinful. (1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJV)   We are advised to avoid corrupt or evil practices which suggest sinful thoughts or actions, even if they are legal by the laws of man.  We should be very careful regarding that which we place before our sanctified eyes, or in our sanctified ears, because some inappropriate things can lead to sinful thoughts. (Psalms 101:3 and 2 Timothy 4:3)  Listening to false witness reports, or watching sinful acts on television, at the movies, or on the internet, produces sinful thoughts which is sinful behavior.  (Exodus 23:1, Psalms 101:3, Matthew 5:28, and Proverbs 23:7)  So, let us ask God to forgive us of our sinful thoughts, words, and actions.  Let us pray for guidance in our decision making, for help in avoiding sinful activities, and for help avoiding those things which appear evil or sinful.  We do not want to stumble and fall into sin, and we do want to cause someone else to stumble and fall into sin. (Malachi 2:8)