This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

(upbeat music) - This is day four together of our look through 1 Corinthians
chapter eight. We've been walking through this sort of a minefield of how you
and I balance knowledge and love. And we've seen God's principles.

And once you see God's principles, the path becomes pretty clear. It doesn't
seem so confusing or so dangerous at all. Our first priority we've talked about
several times this week is our love for God.

Our second priority is our love for people. And out of that, we act. And so in
verse 13, Paul tells us if I'm going to act in love, not in knowledge, not based on
knowledge, but based on love, then I've gotta place the priority on people.

Paul makes this decision very clear. In verse 13, he follows up on the strong
words that we read yesterday with this. 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.

Paul focuses here on what's really important. That's the question. Are your
ideas, your needs, is your freedom more important?

Or are people and loving people more important? Well, God's word is very clear.
Love is more important.

Are your simple pleasures more important? Or are people more important? Is
getting a better deal more important?

Are finances and money more important? Or are people more important? The major
reason that we have struggles in our relationships, whether it's in a family or
in a church or in a business, wherever, the major reason that Christians have
struggles in our relationships is our priority gets on our rights rather than on
other people's needs.

And Paul here says, place the priority on people. Now, we've been walking
through this this week. And one of the keys to understanding this is how this
works itself out in real life.

In order to navigate these waters, how to not hurt a weaker Christian, you have
to understand the difference between love and legalism. That's a key to
understanding this, a key barrier to get out of the way here. The difference
between love and legalism.

Love is when I choose to make a sacrifice for another person. Legalism is when
someone demands that I make a sacrifice for them. Love is when I choose to give
up something I'm doing in order to keep from hurting a weaker Christian.

Legalism is when a stronger Christian demands that I give up something I'm doing
in order to meet their expectations. Love is choosing not to go to certain
movies because you know what's in them might take the thinking of a struggling
believer in a wrong direction. Legalism is a Christian who would never go to
that kind of a movie, who's never gone to that kind of movie in 50 years,
telling you you can't either just because they want to control you.

Love is all about sacrifice. Legalism is all about control. As you walk through
these waters, there's going to be people on one side of you who are legalists, who
are telling you you have to give up your freedom in Christ because of their
little list of rules, or maybe their long list of rules.

You can't do this, you can't do this. Everybody's list is a little bit
different. A lot of similarities, but it's a little bit different.

And the truth of the matter is, and Paul writes about this, the whole book of
Galatians is about this, you can't let a legalist rule your life, run your life.
The legalist is not the weaker brother. They're the person who is as strong in
their faith as you are.

They're not going to be hurt by the fact you make that decision. Their faith isn't
going to be hurt by that. The truth is they're trying to hurt your faith by forcing
you to give up a freedom that you have in Christ.

So you don't let the legalist rule. You realize that is not going to control my
life. They want to control my life.

You don't let a legalist control your life, but that means two things. You don't
let a legalist control your life by doing what they're telling you you have to
do, but you also don't let a legalist control your life by saying I'm going to do
it no matter what. And I meet a lot of believers today.

They're letting legalists control their life by saying I'm going to demand this
freedom in Christ 'cause I don't want to be like that legalist. You just write the
legalist off. You ignore the legalist altogether.

You turn your back on them and you face the weaker brother, the weaker sister in
Christ, and you act based on what they need. I see a lot of us not acting based
on what a weaker brother or sister needs 'cause we're afraid of the legalist.
And guess what?

The legalist is still in control. That's where they love to be in that
situation. So you just ignore that person who wants to be in control and you
face that person who has the greatest need, the weaker brother or sister, and
then you make your decision.

What do they need? How do I need to love them? How do I need to act towards
them?

And you realize that all of those actions that you take, all those things that
you give up, those little sacrifices that you make, it's because you love that
person who has a need. You love that brother, that sister in Christ. Now Paul
says here, I'm going to never eat meat again if it's going to cause somebody to
stumble.

He's saying, I'm sure he liked meat. He's saying, really, it's not that
important. In light of eternity, if it causes another believer to stumble, out
of my motivation of love, this is a simple choice.

So when you face away from the legalist and you face the person who has the
need, it really does boil down to a very simple choice. How could you allow any
luxury or habit or practice of life to become more important than people? This
is the challenge that Jesus brings us.

Jesus had the right to remain in heaven. He did not have to come to this earth
and be born in a stable. He did not have to live his life on this earth.

He didn't have to go to a cross and give his life for us. But he came and he
died. Why?

Because he placed his priority on you. He places his priority on people. So in
my life, in your life, the question is, how can I do that today?

Well, I certainly can't do it by getting caught up with the legalists. And I
certainly can't do it by getting caught up in knowledge. I certainly can't do it
by getting caught up in my pride.

I certainly can't do it by getting caught up in my ability to love or not to
love. How do I place the priority on people today? Only way I know to do it is
by turning to him who placed the priority on people, is by asking Jesus Christ
for a strength that I don't have in and of myself, to love the people that are
around me.

In order to love like Jesus, you need the presence and the strength of Jesus in
your life today. I need his strength and love today. So for just a few minutes
together, I'd like to stop, I'd like to pray in relationship with him for that
strength to love.

Jesus, we turn to you. We know that you love us. We see it on the cross.

We see it in the life that you live for us. We know that your love for us will
never fail us. We're promised that in the resurrection.

We're promised that in your word again and again. So Lord, I pray that in the
security of that love, you would give us a new kind of way of living life. Help
us to set our selfishness aside and help us to live in the life of your spirit.

Lord, any of us who've tried to do that, it gets tough sometimes. 'Cause we want
what we want when we want it. But Lord, if we can only see you in that moment,
see your love for us, we realize what we want.

Really, it isn't that important. The fact that we want it right now might show
us how important it really is. Because what's going to last isn't the right now.

What's going to last is eternity. What's going to last is you. What's going to last is
your love.

So Lord, I pray for strength for every one of us to live in a different way
today. To live in your love. And because we live in your love, to live out your
love toward other people.

Not faking it, not being phony, not feeling like I have to give this up even
though I don't want to and feeling more and more stubborn inside. But instead,
having a freedom to truly love. Because of your love for us.

Jesus, do something different in us. Do it today and then do it the next day and
do it the next day. Do it one day at a time.

Today, show us who to love. Show us how to love. Give us the freedom to love.

We ask this, Jesus, in your name. Amen. Tomorrow, we're going to take a broad look
together at how to decide whether something is right or wrong for you to do in
that moment.