Which Side of the Cross - Lesson 14

Alright, we are on lesson 14 of the Which Side of the Cross Do You Live On series. We got through, I think, question, we're just beginning question 6, but I want to go back just real briefly. Does everybody feel comfortable with question 5? Would God allow a believer under grace to live by individual judgment? Is that still kind of a freakish thing? Is that a weird concept that it still relies upon our individual judgment in grace?

It's basically that you're a spirit-filled believer under grace and are growing spiritually, that you're learning the word, and therefore you can apply the principles. And the principles are based on individuals. I mean, well, the principles are global. But your application of it is individual. And there's some measure of judgment that is applied in that. And we'll get into that a little bit more. But that was, I think, some of the hardest things, I think, to understand.

Because we always think, you know, we're always trying to get away from self or individuals and all that. in these principles or applying these principles. And again, just the last part of that was Galatians 5 where talking about the liberty that we do have, stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free and do not be entangled again by the yoke of bondage. So again, the freedom that we have in Christ in the operating system of grace. Grace takes us out of that legal system and puts us into an operating principle of grace.

And a lot of times that freaks people out. And especially the old man wants laws, rules, regulations. And many times we fall back into that. That's the old man who wants to have some kind of rules, some kind of regulations, something. And that's the old man. In grace we have great liberty in it. And we'll see that as we move on. So going back to question 6, we read the principles, and this is from a lot of what Chess McCauley had in his series on this. accurate principles of how grace operates.

We'll look at the first one, which is brought out in 1 Corinthians 6.12. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. What we began with was, all things are lawful. And we kind of touched on that to begin with. And the reason why I want to do that is to say where this verse is focused. All things are lawful.

Last week I asked you, which I listened to the tape again, I was kind of stunned. Is it okay for me to rob a grocery store? And nobody said anything. It was very quiet. That was pretty weird, you know. Nobody said, no, no, that may be wrong. That could be a problem. Nobody said anything. So if all things are lawful, can I rob a grocery store? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I don't want to listen to the tape again and hear that it's blank. Yeah. My brother has a grocery store. Don't try to rob it. Oh, so it only applies to your brother's grocery store. I can rob other ones. Okay. Got it. So why is that? What did we talk about? What this means?

The all things lawful. So why can't I rob a grocery store? Why can't I kill somebody? It's against the law. There are specifics that God has laid out on those topics. Do not rob, do not steal. They're very straightforward principles or commands that say do not steal, do not kill. So there are specific things in scripture that are definitely we're not supposed to do or to do.

So what that means is that this is dealing with something else. And this is dealing with the other things that people may put under a legal system. So I guess the point is, it's not about specific things. All things are lawful doesn't mean I can do anything. There are specifics. But this is dealing with those things that are not specified in scripture.

And so we're looking at the back half of that verse, which is, that says, I will not be mastered by anything. And that's really the principle that is brought out. So, things that aren't specified are under this principle, not to be mastered by anything.

So, I also looked up some other verses, 2 Peter 2.18 and 19.

For speaking out arrogant words of vanity, enticed by fleshly desires, by sensuality, by those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption. For by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. Very similar, what his man has overcome or mastered, he is enslaved. And then 2 Peter, and this was a little bit longer section, but it touches on a lot of these different things. 2 Peter 1, 2-11, and it has a lot of stuff in between, but it gets down to about the mastering.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, seeing that His divine power was granted to us, everything pertaining to life and godliness. through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

For by these things He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence in your faith, which we'll touch on in the back half of this year's class. Supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For he who lacks these qualities is blind and short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling in choosing you. For as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.

Between 2 Peter 1, 2 through 10 actually. So basically the two verses in Peter, for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. Is that very similar to 1 Corinthians 6, 12? But I will not be mastered by anything? I think they're very similar. by, you know, I will not be mastered by anything, and for what a man has overcome, or I think mastered, then he is enslaved. So the principle is, the whole principle here is about being mastered. So that is the principle, the first principle under grace that we're talking about. Because remember, this isn't a bunch of rules and regulations under grace.

They're principles. And what are principles? He runs the school. So you're using the word in the definition which is always forbidden by me. You can't use the word in the definition of what principle is. A principle is a principle. So what is a principle? the way something works. So it's kind of like the operating system or how something functions, how it operates. So that's the principle.

So the principle here is I will not be mastered by anything. So that's how in the liberty we have within grace, that's one of the principles about mastering. Why won't you be mastered by anything? Why won't I? I guess I don't understand the question. Why won't I? I can choose to be mastered, or I follow, or I can do that and be mastered by something. And we'll get into that in a little bit. The point is, I already have a master. Yeah. Well, yeah. As we move down, that will be.

So, in question seven, in any situation, what is a good question to ask myself In any situation, what is a good question to ask myself regards whether I should or not do a thing? So the first principle is, if something masters you, therefore the first question regarding our liberty in Christ under grace, and should we or should we not do something, is it the activity or action that masters us? That's the question. What are some things that might master you? Work. Others. What could master you?

Macaulay had one about gardening. He had a guy, his neighbor, he had just started gardening. Kind of funny how he, you know, tweets and he doesn't care. But his neighbor comes home, jumps out of the car, still in his suit and tie, jumps into the garden and immediately starts gardening. Gets out of his car every day.

Into the garden. Wow. Golfer. Golfer. Golf is another one. I think you had a story you can probably relate on, a guy who he was playing golf with, a Christian guy I believe, and he said, you can fill it in, you know, this is my thing. This is my thing. So, what other things could master you? Anything. That's the point. Anything can master you. You know, I'll touch off on the really big bomb that I'll throw out there. Social media. What about that? Could that master you? Absolutely. So, is there a specific command regarding gardening, golf, social media? Quote me the verse. Thou shalt not do Facebook today. That's the 11th commandment. Where is the commandment that says about, I really shouldn't be gardening? It says gardening. Could you read that? What version do you have?

So this is something that falls under grace or believer's liberty. So this is where, again, there aren't specific commands for these things. Again, what is the principle that overrides this whole thing? This is what we just talked about. What is the principle?

Mastering you. So, whatever it is, can you live... I guess my question, this is my question, and this is how First Court named 213, is whatever you do, can you live without it for a day, a week, a month, If it masters you, you find that very difficult. That's what I use as my kind of barometer. Can you live without it for a day?

I know. How about coffee? He changed. He used to be Dr. Pepper forever. I am Dr. Pepper. It's probably cheaper that now. Yeah, I can live without coffee. I do it. But that's the key. That's at least something that I use. Now, this isn't anything. This is my individual. way that I look at things. Can you live without it for a day, a week, a month, for the rest of your life if you had to?

If the Lord took it away, does that destroy you? And that's really what thinking about mastering. If it masters you, if it's taken away, that's like cutting off your left arm. What about medication? That one's a touchy one. I think if it's required for life, if you overdo it or drugs in general, and that becomes a dependency, then yes, I think that's something that is mastering you. But if it's medically required, I think that's not being mastered by it. But they're putting a lot of people on them openly. Oh yeah, I mean, and we're seeing a lot of those consequences.

But whether it's medically required versus a dependency based on addiction or something like that, I think are different aspects. It kind of depends on, like, time with the Lord. I mean, if I could have a cup of coffee, I can study my Bible a little crisper. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right.

Yeah, I'm a lot crisper. You don't want to see me without coffee. You don't want to see me uncrisp. Isn't that an excuse? If it's a dependency, I think it is. If it's required to do that, that if it's taken away, Can you still study the Bible without drinking coffee? Yeah, I mean I don't really need to, but it's not like I'm in an accident.

It's close, it's a close second to an accident. No, I think the real thing is again the mastering, and again let's go back, that's why I touched on question 5. Individual. You may be able to drink 15 cups of coffee and stop dead tomorrow. Another person, or addiction, opioid. There are things that are, again, does it master you? And that's individual. You may be able to have a glass of wine, but he can't.

So again, that's where I went back to five, is the individuality of it. It's really up to the individual and what masters them. Because what masters you may not master me at all. So again, that's why the question five, it's individual. Within this operating system of grace, there's individual judgment on that. There are things that master me or attempt to, but it may not touch you at all.

Yeah, I was just going to say, I think in terms of what Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 6, 12, he goes right into the fact that the body was made for the Lord. And it's about the union with Christ. And he uses the example of prostitution and how that leads to it. But even before that, he talks about idolatry, which is really the heart of mastery. When you're serving something else, it's idolatry. And so we're not talking about the law of do not have false gods. we're talking about the principle of idolatry, and that can include absolutely anything.

And I think that as we start pinpointing coffee or different things, we're maybe losing sight of the fact that the point is not those things, it has to do with what the body was designed for. And now that we are joined with Christ, and that's what the previous verse talks about, we have the spirit of our God, it says, justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the spirit of our God, and then he goes in to think, he goes in to say, oh, things are lawful or commissible.

In other words, I can do all this stuff, but it's not to the extent I value it. It's not profitable. It's not profitable. I can be mastered by this stuff, but that's not to my own valueless design, now that I'm a new creator. Yeah, I think the principle, and I'm trying to get out of idolatry, because some people think you have to worship something. It's the mastering of it, and that's why this verse, it's really, idolatry will fall under that.

The great American dollar, yeah. Which is what we're going to touch on a little bit, the list. That's what I was getting at. We're kind of creating a list for ourselves right now. Exactly. And that's not the point of what Paul is saying in this verse, I don't think. Right. Well, it's a principle. It's a principle.

And again, going back to the individuality of it. We can talk about coffee, we can talk about opiates, but that's again individual. But that's all under the umbrella of the principle of something mastering you. Like food? Yeah, anything. Anything. giving a list of things. But what we're going to talk about is that a comprehensive list and what that means. We'll get that in some of the other questions. Yes? I want to talk about the body for a minute because we have a dying body that's corrupting.

And so God has allowed the medical field to come up with the things that that will prolong the life of my physical body that really are seizures from him. Like in my case, I'm on Coumadin. A lot of people are on Coumadin, which keeps you from having strokes or heart attack or whatever. So in that case, I think there are things that, you know, does Coumadin master me? No, but I, you know, I want to take it every day because I want to keep going.

But when it comes to psych drugs, I think that's a whole other realm of understanding because a lot of times my lack of faith, walking by the dead pigs of the world, worry and all of those things cause physiological issues within me that sometimes those medications help, sometimes they don't. And so you can't say well just because the doctor prescribed them They're probably from the war. You have to make your own judgment about that.

Question five, individuality. And that's why to put out, again, these are principles. We're almost proving what the next few questions are going to do. We all come up with a list. And there isn't a list. There's some specifics, but there is no list. And it comes down to the individual, and that's why I bump back to five, is that everyone has to make their decisions about whether it masters.

And, which we'll get into questions, can I determine that's mastering you? So, this is the thing, you know, we're falling back into specifics where under grace we have a principle. And each one has different aspects of that. I mean, we have the freedom, the liberty, but what masters use is individual. So, we're kind of getting into the questions we'll get down on about what I can say and what I can't say as a believer to another believer or how this principle works. So, question eight. Can I apply my principles to someone else? You're always trying. I know, I try with you and it never works. It never works. We all do that. What have we been doing? What have we been doing? We all try and think of my principles. You said it last week, I think that's probably right.

What irritates me, I'm going to really get on you, because it irritates me. Do we have that in scripture? That if it irritates me, I can put this guideline on you? Again, this rests on individual judgment. This is where I actually have it in my notes. You'll probably want to copy. I have to apologize to my kids and my view of those who use social media. I can't say anything about their liberty to use social media, even if it masters them. It is their judgment of mastery, not mine. Is that true?

Stunned silence. There are so many deer in the headlight out there. Thinking about that, if I knew someone was contemplating suicide, I might feel like I have the liberty to at least go walk beside them and talk about it. Her verse last week. And not from a standpoint of my opinion, but a standpoint from what the Word of God says. Exactly. But that's applying specific commands about killing and murdering and suicide and those types. So that's specific. I have another issue about that that I've thought long and hard about.

If you're an elder in a church and you have a specific incident principle issue. You know, it's not so much, oh, we don't do things around here that way. It's not that. It's really an issue of it may not be a sin to that person, but it may be a cause of stumble for somebody else or something. Does another have the right, do you think, to go in and talk to somebody? Exactly my next statement. I wanted to get that, I thought he'd be doing the jumping jacks over here and screaming over here, that I actually apologize for saying that about social media.

It's all recorded, don't worry. Playback, playback, playback, playback, playback. The key is, and we'll learn later, even under this system of grace, God has delegated some authorities that are used in conjunction with the principles. Elders. Parents. Government. Older men to younger men. Older women to younger women. Even under this system of grace, God has delegated some authorities. Elders. Elders have authority over this body. So, if they're directing this body, you can certainly challenge them, talk to them, whatever. But the authority of this body of believers is under the elders.

Still under grace, but the elders are the ones who say what kind of meetings we have. We have Sunday school and then we have main service. We have a statement of faith. We have all those. Those are dictated by the elders. Under grace, we have certain authorities that have been delegated.

What about parents? Under grace, do parents have authority over children? So, this wide open liberty of grace that we have still has some authorities that will channel those principles, hopefully guide those principles, through the authority given to them. So, parents have the authority to teach their children, guide them through scripture, presumably, but that's their authority. Governments, are we under the authority of governments? Are we under grace? I can go 85 miles an hour down 25. I have 25, is that right? You can do a hundred. I can do a hundred, yeah.

Just another ticket. But that authority will tell me and make me pay for that. That's right. So are we under the authority of a government? Yes. And we're clearly in what, Romans 13? It goes out and talks about that in a couple of verses too. So we have some authority there.

I think where some of this comes in too is older man to younger man. It says that older men counsel younger. So that's some of the coming beside and that. I think the problem is just what happened in the class today is we have a lot of things that are individual that I'm going to think on you and I'm going to try and apply that to you.

Outside of my authority. We all tend to do that. And my colleague goes through quite a bit of that too about how we jump our authorities. This is another good one. Husband and wife. Can I tell you as a husband what to do with your wife? But I'm a husband. Can I do that? It's outside my authority. I have no ability to say anything about your wife because of what with my husband and wife relationship.

I was going to say, because I think about this as a parent too, and even as an elder thinking about your situation, but it's the under-shepherd, and you mentioned the authority given to, as parents, as elders, as teachers, and so forth, we're operating with authority that yes, but it's underneath the authority of the Lord Jesus, right? wanted to go camping.

But at the end of the day, if Mike is, and this is our responsibility for those that are under, is that we are still to, it's not a questioning of the authority, but it is a, we have to make decisions about how much does this story align with what the Lord Jesus has said. Because ultimately, but we still respect them and There's times when you have to remove yourself from a church because... And that was getting to my point, is that if this authority is not in your heart, what the Lord has put on you, they are not leading according to scripture. If you stay here, you're still under their authority. But if not, you should remove yourself and then they have no authority for you going to anywhere else. just leave your family. You know what I'm saying? So how do we submit underneath a situation like that? I think that's a fairly simple one because we're given commands when we get married to leave and to establish our own family.

Your responsibility goes from to them, to for them. And so I don't think you're, I'm going to say this, I think at some point, your responsibility is before the Lord and not before your parents anymore. Right, but while you're at it, and so one of my thoughts was, there's times as a, and this has to do with mastery, and I think it's a good conversation, it's all stuff in the back of our heads, isn't it? where you know that the authority is wrong.

Maybe they're walking in sin and you recognize that. But because of the order that the Lord has placed in that relationship, you wait. You patiently pray and wait. And that's part of what being, you're not being submissive to a wrong authority, you're being submissive to the Lord. Even though, even if it means waiting for that authority to walk by faith again and align their thinking with the Lord.

There's times where that's absolutely necessary and we've all been through that. Yeah, I don't think, yeah, like, yeah. Camping trip, ugh. No, I mean, I know, but I'm going to leave the church because of that, you know. Constant, then you as the head of your household makes the decision that they're not being godly in their direction of this body and you remove yourself from that authority.

Parents, you have, there are very specific things about parenting, about don't, you know, what is it about getting your children riled up or whatever it is, you know, this kind of stuff. Husbands and wives, there's very specific things on husbands and wives. Those are things that, you know, and they're, you know, directions for operation of a wife within a marriage and a husband within a marriage. And those are things that you follow because those are specifics.

It's not an overlying principle other than the principle of a marriage, the principle of elders. But there are specific commands even for elders. The qualifications of an elder. Huge amount of qualifications for an elder. Scary about being an elder. and all that. So there are specifics under that that are guidelines.

And if they're not following it, they're not following scripture, they're not following the word, they're not in their authority. But under that, you can remove yourself from it. In a marriage, it's a whole different thing. I mean, that one's a really tough one. The husband's supposed to do these things. The wife is guided on different. The hard part is there's not an if-then in there, which is really tough, is that if they do this, I do this. Here's a criteria for a husband. Here's a criteria for a wife. This is what, if you want a harmonious marriage, these are the principles you follow, or the guidelines.

If we did not know and understand the Lord as our life, this stuff would wear me out, man. And all of this revolves around the union with the Lord. Our fellowship with the Lord. If we're focused on the Lord, do these problems really get manifested? If my focus is on the Lord, am I worried about... What were you doing? Golfing. Am I worried about that? I'm focused on the Lord, and my relationship with that manifests Christ.

That's the underlying principle of all of this. If we're not doing that, we're apt to be dragged off in ten different directions. Let me look at some of these things on the delegated authorities. Every person, every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

So if your guy didn't win, or woman didn't win this election, did God say, oops, missed that, did He put in the right person? The Russians did. And I can even go, who allowed the Russians to do that? We can chase that rabbit down as far as we want. It still comes back to God put that person in.

Whether you like it or not, God puts the authorities in. Titus 3, 1 and 2. Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. Remind them to be subject to rulers and to authorities. God has put this in place.

1 Peter 5.5 You younger man, likewise, be subject to your elders, and all of you clothe yourselves with humility towards one another. Younger man, likewise, be subject to your elders. Younger man, to older. So, again, the underlying whole principle is the elder or the older man is a godly man functioning under the principle of grace with the manifestation of Christ and that he is imparting that on a younger man. Okay? Yeah.

The verses that we're dealing with is in a context of Paul addressing the Corinthians in a way that they would understand this in the environment they're living in of Gnosticism. where the body is evil and cannot be good and it doesn't really matter what we do with the body since it is evil and contains no good and the spirit is all good and everything to do with the spirit is good and there's a dichotomy between the two in fact their culture was that you could go roll in the mud with your body or go to the prostitutes with your body you could do anything you really wanted with your body and God wouldn't care That was the error that he was talking about here. And he puts it in a framework that, wait a minute, we are designed for God in our bodies. That the body is the Lord's, in contrast to this Gnosticism that was being taught. Don't marry or don't join your body to prostitution. That's, from God's perspective, wrong. It's unprofitable to do that. But this is an overlying principle. He's addressing that, but this is an overlying principle. And that's why, like I said, when he says all things are lawful... But let me just say one last thing.

In this verse that we've looked at, Is it coming at this issue that I will not be mastered where I am the one that is deciding not to be mastered or is it stating a fact that I as a person newly created by God will not be mastered by anything? And it's in the context of profitability that we make that determination. Not that I'm going to do X, Y, Z or not do X, Y, Z. I'm not mastered by any of these things anymore. My master is the Lord. My body is the Lord's. But that's the principle that we're trying to get at. The principle is we're not to be mastered by any of this. But I'm listening to all this and I'm saying here's a set of do's and don'ts in this room being discussed versus this where it says I won't be mastered by any of these things. I think I learned. Is that not correct?

Maybe I'm coming at it from a different perspective, but in grace and truth, the reality that we live in is a whole new reality. This actually, in the Greek, is future. I understand. Future tense. So it is not now, it's do not be mastered by this. So it's not a command. It's indicative. So it's a fact, and it's passive being acted upon. So in the future I will not be acted upon. Nothing passively is going to control me is being said here.

Yeah, I think we're in the same. I think getting away from all the specifics, and that's what I said, that's part of the... It's like our position in Christ. It's absolute. But this is a conditional future. Do not be mastered by this. No. I think it's based on a set of principles. You can't make this verse into a command. It isn't a command. Yeah. It's a fact though. And it all rests on an adequate understanding of the Word of God entirely. I can't pick one piece.

But what happens is that as we grow spiritually we contribute more and more to the set of principles that we live by. And those principles, you know what's interesting about those principles? They really come from intimacy with Christ. Because I don't want to do anything that would harm my intimacy or fellowship with Him. And so I learn from that. the principles to be applied. I get to decide. Right. That's the cool part about it. I get to decide. Well, that's why I brought up the second Peter one, too.

It's we're not to be overcome, then you're enslaved. It's the same principle that you're overcome or mastered by, and then you become enslaved to it. So it's not just the Corinthians and Gnosticism that, I mean, this principle is out there that anything that masters you were not to be mastered by.

And again, as I said, the whole thing is about, you know, the underlying is our relationship with Christ. And in a marriage, in our meeting here, in all these different things, it all is predicated on a relationship with Christ. That's the foundation.

If you don't have that, These all become very contorted, very abused. Well, and that relationship is tied inextricably with the Word of God. You cannot get away from the Word of God in this whole discussion, because therein lies the words that are life. So, I can have a set of principles, but if I'm not in the Word, my principles are not verifiable.

Isn't it a principle that we've already been delivered? Well, positionally, yeah. Position and condition, a lot of this is conditional. Those are also principles, by the way. Yeah, yeah. So, I mean, there's differences, too, between our positional truths and some of these conditions, how we function in the day. We're going to get down into some of that, about how he did this. In question 11 we'll get down there about that, about should there have been rules for everything. I don't know if we can get into question 9.

What do we do with believers who have no principles? God will take care of them. What do we do? Contemplate that for next week. Or no, two weeks. We don't have electives. So contemplate that one. Especially these last couple ones. What do we do with believers who have no principles? What do we do? And then question 10. These are really good questions to ponder under grace. Do we need to have restrictions outside the Word of God? We all kind of did that at the beginning of the class, actually, about different things. So yeah, think about those for next week. Let's close. Heavenly Father, we thank you. We thank you for this time. We thank you for any time we can study your Word. We thank you again for your Word and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

We realize that all these things we talk about are predicated on our relationship with the Lord. And again, the more we have knowledge of, we will grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, with the knowledge comes the knowledge of grace also.

We thank you that, again, you haven't left us alone. You have given us your word, and rightly dividing that word is critical. And again, that is through the conviction and direction of the Holy Spirit. And we rest in those facts. And we thank you for the operating system of grace that you have us living in right now. In Romans 5, the reigning principle now is grace. And we thank you for that. So we just, uh, we, uh, uh, again, just, uh, pray for Vern in the next meeting, just again to accurately bring forth the word and prepare heart to receive it. And again, just, uh, thank you for all that you do in Jesus name. Amen.