Building a Resilient Church Culture: Part 3 - Robust Theology

Well, good morning. I hope you have a copy of God's Word with you today.

If you do, please join me in 2 Timothy chapter 3.

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

Two weeks ago now, I began preaching a series of sermons, which is not a thing we do normatively here, expressing our need to build a resilient church culture.

The first week was an overview, at which time I made the case that we live in days of growing, soft totalitarianism, particularly concerning anthropology, how we came to be, why we exist, etc.

This is largely a problem concerning the very definition of mankind, and it is making inroads into our culture at a sweeping pace.

I think perhaps you all know already what I've been talking about.

There's going to be a pressure felt against Orthodox Christianity already being felt, but being felt in greater measure than I believe ever before in this country.

If you haven't heard the past two sermons, I think you'll be well helped by listening to their recordings.

For the sake of time, I can't rebuild each case as we're doing this.

You should be able to find those on the website.

But each week, I've begun with three prerequisite statements.

Of course, I could say that correctly, prerequisite statements.

And I think that they bear repeating once again.

So I'm going to do these three things quickly before we get to the topic for today.

Number one, as a general practice, we preach expositional sermons.

Most simply put, this means that we take for the sermons point or points the main point or points of that week's text.

We typically preach verse-by-verse exposition.

And I'm looking forward in the fall to get started on the book of Romans with you.

We want to be especially careful not to read into a text what we want the text to say.

This is called eisegesis, right?

We want to exegete the text.

Many errors have arisen through the practice of eisegesis.

And so, with that in mind, as we think about a text and we think about it topically,

I just want to warn you to be especially discerning.

Secondly, I am not trying to be an alarmist.

But there are times in which we need to be thinking carefully and looking forward well.

And because of this, your elders feel a burden to prepare you for challenges that we believe are coming.

We love you very much.

We want to teach you well from God's Word for your good and for the glory of our God.

And to be frank, if we're entirely wrong,

all the things that we're going to be talking about are just good and proper things for the church to be doing anyway.

So, we'll be okay.

Third, the six total weeks we're going to be spending thinking about building a resilient church culture

will not be enough time to exhaust the topic.

Nor will each week be enough time for the particular thing that we're talking about.

I feel that like I want, you know, three times as many pages of notes as I presently have.

But I hope that it will prime us and get us talking and thinking.

We're going to need to do so both formally and informally, day to day.

And above all, we would ask that you would spend time with the Lord and His Word as you consider the days in which we live.

So, how do we build a resilient church culture, right?

A church that is going to stand against the rising tide of this soft totalitarianism, right?

A requirement to toe the cultural line.

We're going to have to build it, right?

It's not going to just happen, right?

It will be spirit-empowered if it's valuable at all.

But we're going to have to do some things in order for it to happen.

We will have to be strong, right?

Because the tide, the cultural tide, it will be destructive.

And it will have to be cultural.

It's going to have to be ingrained into every part of who we are as a people set apart for God's praise.

So, this morning we're going to consider the second of five things your elders believe we need to be working on.

The first was clear mission.

The second, robust theology.

The third, accurate history.

The fourth, sacrificial hospitality.

And the fifth, healthy family.

Today, we're going to consider robust theology.

Now, many people, when they hear the word theology, think, oh, that's for the theologians, right?

That is for the high-minded in places of academia.

But theology is merely the study of God, of our Creator.

If we are to rightly answer the questions, how were we created?

For what purpose were we created?

How ought our lives to be ordered?

If we're looking for any meaning or purpose at all, then we're going to have to do so theologically.

Even the atheist makes a theological statement in declaring there is no God.

That is a form of theology.

Not only will we need to be theological to stand against the rising tide of soft totalitarianism,

but we will have to do theology robustly.

We're going to have to do it well.

Our theology will need to be strong, and it will need to be healthy.

It will need to be altogether biblical.

We will need to know what we believe, why we believe it,

and be able to recognize attacks at the very core of our Christian faith.

So, let's begin this morning with our text.

2 Timothy chapter 3.

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

I'm going to read the entirety of chapter 3 and into verse 5 of chapter 4.

Let me remind you that the subheadings and the verse numbers and the chapter numbers are not inspired.

They're very helpful to us, right?

We all arrived at the same point in our English text by saying chapter 3, verse 1, but not inspired.

And I want you to see the flow of Paul's reasoning here to his disciple Timothy.

Before I begin reading, let me remind you, beloved, that this is God's word to us.

It was written for his glory and our good, and so we would do well to approach it with reverence,

to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.

2 Timothy 3, verse 1 and following.

2 Timothy 3:1

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents,

ungrateful, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control,

brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit,

lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

having the appearance of godliness but denying its power.

Avoid such people.

For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women,

burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,

always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

Just as Janice and John Brace opposed Moses, so these men also opposed the truth,

men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.

But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.

You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love,

my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra,

which persecutions I endured, yet from them all the Lord rescued me.

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

while evil people and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed,

knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings,

which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,

and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead,

and by his appearing and his kingdom, preach the word.

Be ready in season and out of season.

Reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching,

but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering,

do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

So, this is known as Paul's last epistle, the last letter that he wrote.

He's on his deathbed, he's anticipating his soon coming end,

and he's issuing these final words to Timothy, who is serving as a pastor,

but that doesn't mean that the words here only apply to Timothy and his particular ministry.

Notice that he says that this time is here and it is coming.

Timothy himself experienced this and the practical application that he needed in his day,

and we also need to consider it.

So, to do so, we're going to do it in a two-point simple outline,

which is as follows.

Number one, two exhortations,

and number two, three reasons for the two exhortations.

We've got all those numbers.

Number one, two exhortations.

Number two, three reasons for the two exhortations.

We won't look at this text exhaustively.

Remember, I'm driving to a point, right?

Trying carefully to exegete, not eisegete.

Be discerning.

We can't pick up every little detail that's found in this long bit of text.

But I want to draw your attention first to two exhortations.

So, number one, continue.

Paul is urging Timothy, right?

That's what it means to exhort.

He's urging him to continue, right?

In something specific, right?

He says, but as for you, right?

In contrast to these type of men,

you continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed.

Paul tells Timothy that there will be difficulty in the last days

because of ungodly people.

And his response to that is to instruct Timothy

not to withdraw from society or abandon his work to start a new one,

but to continue, right?

To settle in, to keep moving forward.

It's what many of the Puritans called plotting, right?

Stay on the path.

Just keep going.

Continue.

Timothy is told, right, to continue in what he had learned and believed,

which we see as Paul continues is the Word of God.

In verse 15, Paul calls this the sacred writings,

which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

It says that he was familiar with them from a child, right?

We know that his mother and his grandmothers were followers of Christ

and taught him the Old Testament text that he might come to faith in Christ.

And then in verse 16, we see Paul call this the Scripture,

who has God as its very source, right?

Breathed out, expired by God himself.

If we are to continue, then we are going to have to continue by God's Word,

which means we're going to have to study God's Word, right?

We will need to know the sacred writings.

And beloved, we live in a tragic day of biblical illiteracy.

Too many people who claim to be a people of the book do not know the book they claim to be a people of.

This is our text, and we ought to know it much more than we presently do.

We will need to do robust theology.

Not merely to know things, right?

Not to be high-minded, not to be academic.

This is not the great end of reading the Scripture,

but rather to know personally our God.

To know his purposes in the world,

and know how we are to walk in his will.

This is the end, the practical application of the knowledge of our God.

And it will take work on your part.

In a survey released by Lifeway Research,

showed that evangelical Christians, only 36% say that they read their Bibles daily.

What a shame.

What an absolute shame.

It's going to take work on your part.

But it is also a community project.

So if you will, listen.

Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse 11.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

Jesus gives to the church apostles, prophets,

which I'll argue is the Scripture.

But for another time.

The evangelists, the shepherd teachers,

to do something specific,

to equip the saints for the work of ministry,

for building up the body of Christ.

Right?

So there's gifts given to the church

to equip the saints, all of us,

for the work of ministry,

which is what?

It's building up the body of Christ.

And we're to do this work,

verse 13 tells us,

until we all attain to the unity of the faith

and of the knowledge of the Son of God

to mature manhood,

to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Which means that this work will not be done this side of glory.

Right?

We're going to have to do robust theology

until the Lord returns

or takes us home.

Right?

One of the two.

And it has a point,

verse 14 of Ephesians 11 tells us,

so that

we may no longer be children

tossed to and fro by the waves

and carried about by every wind of doctrine.

And doctrine just is a great word for truth.

By human cunning,

by craftiness

and deceitful schemes.

So how will we stand

against the tide of soft totalitarianism

against all the ideas

that are out there in the world

that are assaulting the church?

We will do so

by doing robust theology

and doing it together in community.

Speaking the truth to one another.

This takes all kinds of forms.

Right?

As the clear mission of the church

is to make disciples,

we do this in big and public ways

and we do this in small and private ways

to press on together in the truth.

To continue.

In what we have learned

and firmly believe.

Right?

The scripture itself.

That's the first thing

Paul is exhorting Timothy to do

is to continue.

But secondly,

he exhorts him to preach.

Chapter 4 and verse 2.

He says,

preach the word.

Not only is Timothy exhorted

to continue in what he has learned,

but he is also exhorted

to proclaim the word to others.

To declare it to others.

And I want to say to you

that this is preaching,

but you are also meant to preach.

You are meant to proclaim the truth

to others.

Right?

See Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

Timothy is told in this text

that there will be difficulty

and he is to respond

to that difficulty

by continuing in the truth

and by proclaiming the truth.

He is told to reprove,

rebuke,

and exhort.

Or,

if you prefer,

correct,

warn,

and urge others.

And to do this

all the time.

And to do this

with patience

and with careful instruction.

Speaking the truth

to one another

has to be

and has to continue to be

and grow in measure

built into who we are

as a people.

Always helping,

always directing.

We have to,

as a church,

have a louder voice

than the culture's voice.

Right?

For what the truth is

and what it is

not.

The second main point,

let's look and see

the reasons

for these exhortations.

Number one,

three reasons

for two exhortations.

Number one,

to avoid

licentiousness

and

legalism.

Right?

Bear with me.

If we are

off the mark

of how we are meant

to respond to the truth

as gospel people,

it will be one in two ways.

We'll either become

licentious,

right?

We'll take for granted

the grace of God

and we'll throw off the law

and we'll think

that we can live

however we'd like to live

in response to God's grace.

Right?

God has forgiven me

of my sin,

therefore I can sin abundantly.

Paul says,

may it never be.

The other temptation

is to trend off

toward legalism.

Right?

To think that

we can earn our favor

and what we seek

is for other people

to look like us

and not like Christ.

Right?

To add to the law

in particular ways

and demand the same

from others.

So,

walking

in gospel response,

obedient lives

is like walking

a tightrope

and there's always

two ways

to fall off.

Look at chapter 3

and verse 2,

2 Timothy.

I won't read

the whole list

but you'll see

people will be

lovers of self,

lovers of money,

proud,

arrogant,

abusive,

disobedient

to their parent,

jump down

without self-control,

treacherous,

reckless,

lovers of pleasure

rather than

lovers of God.

So,

you see all of this

licentiousness

in the text

and then you see

hints of legalism

as well,

them being proud

and arrogant,

having the appearance

of godliness

but denying

its power.

And these are people

who are part of

this fellowship

of faith,

right?

they're to be

found out,

they're to be

discovered,

they're to be

avoided.

This is not just

the culture

at war here

but the culture

infiltrating within

God's very people.

Down through verse 7

and Paul elaborates

further but I think

you can see the point.

There is a promise

of wicked people.

They will be

around us

and within us.

and because of this

there's also a promise

of persecution

for the faithful.

This verse is the

hammer blow

to the prosperity gospel.

This verse,

most who believe

the prosperity gospel

and see that what God

is seeking to accomplish

for us here

is the avoidance

of suffering,

they have never heard.

And I challenge you

with this.

When you meet somebody

who's been at

prosperity gospel churches

ask them,

have you ever heard

2 Timothy 3, 12?

This doesn't preach

in a prosperity church.

Indeed,

all who desire

to live a godly life

in Christ Jesus

will be

persecuted.

It will happen.

It is inevitable

that the world

is going to push back.

Ungodliness pushes back

against godliness.

We are disciples

of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why do we think

that our path

will look any different

than His?

Hated in this world,

suffered and died

for our sake.

Why would we think

that this world

will love us

and accept us

for all that we have

to offer?

It will not.

Those who desire

to live a godly life

in Christ Jesus

will be persecuted.

And it's on the heels

of this

that He then says

to Timothy

in verse 14,

but as for you,

this will happen.

It will be going on,

but as for you,

continue

in what you have learned

and firmly believed.

We must be careful

not to believe

that we have

already arrived.

We still may be tossed

to and fro

by the wind.

We're going to have

to press in

and continue on

because we want

to avoid

licentiousness

and we want

to avoid

legalism.

Right?

We are susceptible

to such errors.

Listen for a moment

to Paul's farewell words

to the Ephesian elders

recorded for us

in Acts chapter 20,

Acts 20:28

verse 28 and following.

He says this

and this is just,

this strikes me,

especially as an elder,

as a warning

for me

and for all of us.

He says,

pay careful attention

to yourselves

and to all

the flock.

To yourselves

and to the flock

in which the Holy Spirit

has made you overseers

to care for the church

of God

which He obtained

with His own

blood.

I know

that after my departure

fierce wolves

will come in among you

not sparing

the flock.

Okay.

So we're going to

pay attention

to ourselves

and to the flock

because wolves are coming.

Right?

You can see this language

being picked up here

in 2 Timothy chapter 3.

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

Right?

This type of activity

is going to be happening.

This ungodliness

coming in,

taking people captive.

We must be careful

but then in verse 30

He says,

and from among

your own selves

will arise men

speaking twisted things

to draw away

the disciples

after them.

So both from without

and from within

and so we are

then to be careful,

to pay careful attention

to ourselves

and to the flock.

To avoid licentiousness

and legalism.

The second reason,

the second reason

for these exhortations

is to do the opposite

of that

which is to pursue holiness.

Right?

We want to avoid

sinfulness

but we want to

also pursue

holiness

for the glory

of our God

to be a people

set apart

for His praise

in a dark

and a twisted generation.

Verse 16

is our classic

sufficiency

of Scripture text.

I hope you don't

grow tired of it.

all Scripture

breathed out by God

and profitable.

It comes from Him.

He is its source.

Carrying along

the pens of men,

it is His

word

and it is

profitable.

It is the very thing

we need

to teach,

to reprove,

to correct,

and to train

in righteousness.

In order to pursue holiness,

this is the text.

It is empowered by the Spirit

that we might

live in a way

that is pleasing

to our God.

And verse 17 says

that the man of God

may be

complete

and you can see there

the word proficient

would be another way

to translate that word.

that the man of God

may have all

that he needs

to be equipped

for every

good

work.

Every good work.

There is not a good work

outside of what

this book

instructs us

to do.

The Bible

is the sufficient

source for all things

pertaining

to godliness.

You want to know

how to please our God?

Look to His word.

He has

spoken.

He has

condescended

to become

an author.

And I just want you

to stop

and think about

that for a moment.

In our culture,

to become an author

could make you famous.

God is

infinitely famous

and yet He became

an author

to write us

a book.

A book that we

ought to pay attention to.

We ought to have

our lives

shaped by this book

for our eternal good

and for His

eternal

glory.

So this exhortation

to continue in the word

and to preach the word

or proclaim the word

has this as its

second reason

that order that we

might pursue

holiness.

Third,

we ought to continue

and to proclaim

to help others

pursue

holiness.

Now this

is a way

in my life

that the chapter break

did not serve me well

in my reading of

2 Timothy.

that I separated

the end of chapter 3

from the beginning

of chapter 4

for a lot of years.

But he flows

right from this

incredible,

incredible words,

right?

The man of God

may be complete,

equipped for

every good work.

And then he says,

I charge you

in the presence of God

and of Christ Jesus

who is to judge

the living

and the dead.

There will be a judgment

that will come.

There's something

to be warned

against.

And by his appearing

in his kingdom,

what?

Preach the word.

Be ready in season

and out of season

all the time.

Reprove,

rebuke,

exhort

with

complete

patience

and teaching.

many of you

know that I am

not in my

natural self

a patient person.

One of my

high values

in my flesh

is efficiency.

I love doing

things efficiently.

And let me tell you,

the church

is not efficient.

It is

anything but

efficient.

So the Lord

has had to do

a lot of work

of grace in me

and is still

completing that work.

The end of

verse 2

knocked me down

when I first saw

the connection here

that we are

to proclaim

the word

to one another

with complete

patience

and teaching

which means

instruction.

And why?

And why?

Why are we

to do this?

Verse 3

and into 4

tells us

4

the time

is coming

when people

will not endure

sound teaching

but having

itching ears

they will

accumulate for

themselves

teachers to

suit their

own passions

and they will

turn away

from listening

to the truth

and wander

off

into myths.

Beloved,

those who

claim to

follow Christ

will not

endure

Bible teaching

and the

response to

that is

that we

continue

to teach

with complete

patience.

We press on

we keep at it

we keep going

we keep

proclaiming

God's

word.

This blew my

mind open

I don't know

if it does

for you

but as I

have tried

to teach

things

and teach

things

and teach

things

over the

past 13

years

and just

things that

don't seem

to stick

like what

is happening

why is

none of

this

sticking

why are

people not

hearing

these good

exhortations

from the

scripture

right why

is it

not

I'm not

saying you

guys are

all not

enduring

and you

have itching

ears

but it

happens

it happens

in this

fellowship

and the

exhortation

to me

and to

you

is to

keep

at it

just

keep

proclaiming

the truth

just

keep

doing

theology

for the

good of

people

and for

the glory

of God

that we

would help

others

to pursue

holiness

now I

know

broadly

as a

church

we love

theology

what a

good thing

what a

wonderful

thing

you bear

with me

the fact

that you're

even here

means you're

willing to

tolerate

some

theological

presentation

on the

Lord's

day

get up

and some

people have

said I'm

more like a

lecturer

than a

preacher

I don't

know what

to do

with that

I

sometimes

feel like

good

preaching

is a

lecture

but

we're

going to

have to

continue

or we're

going to

have to

press

and we're

going to

have to

see that

each and

every one

of us

plays a

part

in doing

this

well

together

so I'm

going to

cover again

and I'm

going to

do it

in brief

because

it's

already

new

a

concept

called

theological

triage

I'm

going to

do it

quickly

we've

done it

before

if you

happen to

have a

bulletin

I just

quickly put

notes on

the back

for you

if you

want to

scribble

on the

back

of

that

I want

to tell

you that

this concept

is not

explicitly

found anywhere

in the

Bible

although

you could

argue it

is

implicitly

I

I think

the term

was

invented

by

Albert

Moeller

the

president

of

Southern

Seminary

but it's

a practice

that has

been

happening

and we

can read

about it

throughout

the history

of the

church

triage

is the

assigning

of

importance

right

we have

a number

of medical

professionals

in

in the

church

and so

you know

exactly

what

triage

is

but if

you

note

if an

entire

bus

was in

an

accident

and there

were a lot

of varied

injuries

in that

accident

and that

entire

bus load

was taken

to the

emergency

room

somebody

there

the doctor

in charge

or maybe

the charge

nurse

would quickly

do

triage

they would

assign

importance

to the

injuries

right

somebody

bumped

their head

they can

sit to

the side

and wait

right

somebody's

got a

piece

of

bus

frame

through

their

abdomen

they're

getting rushed

to the

back

right

it's an

assigning

of

importance

how much

time

and energy

do we

give

to different

areas

of

theology

right

so you

have

in a

tier

you've

got

primary

secondary

tertiary

and

one of my

favorite words

in the

world

quaternary

doctrines

right

now I

want to

address

these

just in

brief

and I'm

going to

take them

in opposite

order

so we're

going to

build from

least

important

to

most

important

so

firstly

quaternary

theology

or

doctrines

are just

this

frankly

they're

unimportant

they don't

matter

it's the

kind of

stuff

that sometimes

people like

to sit

around

and muse

about

lots of

quaternary

conversations

on seminary

campuses

right

let's just

think and

muse

my classic

example is

is there

life on

other

planets

I don't

care

the Bible

says nothing

about it

maybe

maybe

so if

you're a

college

guy

this is

college

guys

question

I like

to ask

this

question

I won't

take a

meeting

with you

to ask

this

question

it doesn't

matter

it's

unimportant

there's

other

things we

can talk

about

but

not

that

tertiary

tertiary

doctrine

these

kinds

of

things

are

important

so

they're

not

unimportant

but

they're

important

for

you

and

possibly

those

you

have

some

measure

of

authority

over

this

is

those

gray

areas

of

the

scripture

that

we're

all

trying

to

navigate

how

exactly

am

I

meant

to

do

such

and

such

so

an

example

how

will

you

navigate

October

31st

in our

culture

do

you

celebrate

in

what

measure

do

you

do

you

do

something

else

do

you

do

an

outreach

do

you

hunker

in

your

home

and

turn

off

all

the

lights

what

are

you

going

to

do

and

your

family

and

with

your

children

navigate

the

holiday

of

October

31st

do

you

have

any

particular

convictions

concerning

food

or

drink

is it

okay

to

consume

alcohol

in

moderation

is it

not

okay

to

consume

alcohol

in

moderation

let me

give you

an

example

of

tertiary

type

of

thinking

from

1st

Corinthians

chapter

8

this

is

Paul

here

reasoning

!

the

Corinthian

believers

they were

having

some

conflict

over

whether

or not

it was

okay

to

eat

food

that

had

been

offered

to

idols

right

so

this

meat

was

offered

to

idols

and

then

sold

in

the

marketplace

and

there

were

some

who

thought

that

was

okay

and

some

who

thought

it

was

entirely

unacceptable

listen

to what

he

says

therefore

as to

the

eating

of

food

offered

to

idols

we

know

that

an

idol

has

no

real

existence

and

that

there

is

no

god

but

one

so

he

basically

saying

we

know

that

food

offered

to

idols

it

doesn't

matter

because

there

there's

no

other

gods

for

although

there

may

be

so

called

gods

in

heaven

or

on

earth

as

indeed

there

are

many

gods

and

many

lords

yet

for

us

there

is

one

God

the

father

from

whom

all

things

and

from

whom

we

exist

and

one

Lord

Jesus

Christ

through

some

people

haven't

matured

in

this

way

just

yet

but

some

through

former

association

with

idols

eat

food

as

really

offered

to

an

idol

and

their

conscience

being

weak

is

defiled

so

people

who

have

been

converted

to

Christ

were

once

idolaters

and

they

don't

think

this

is

okay

this

feels

like

an

offense

against

the

one

true

God

Paul

says

then

food

will

not

commend

us

to

God

we

are

no

worse

off

if

we

do

not

eat

and

no

better

off

if

we

do

but

take

care

that

this

right

of

yours

does

not

somehow

become

a

stumbling

block

to

the

weak

for

if

anyone

sees

you

who

have

knowledge

eating

in

an

idol's

temple

will

he

not

be

encouraged

if

his

conscience

is

weak

to

eat

food

offered

to

idols

and

so

by

your

knowledge

this

weak

person

is

destroyed

the

brother

for

whom

Christ

died

so

they

be

sinning

in

their

own

conscience

thus

sinning

against

your

brothers

and

wounding

their

conscience

when

it

is

weak

you

sin

against

Christ

therefore

if

food

makes

my

brother

stumble

I

will

never

eat

meat

lest

I

make

my

brother

stumble

catch

that

reasoning

there

right

this

is

the

kind

of

thing

this

issue

is

the

kind

of

thing

that

characterizes

many

churches

!

picking

a

tertiary

doctrine

and

making

it

your

hill

to

die

on

you

are

going

to

convince

others

that

you're

reading

the

Bible

correctly

on

this

particular

gray

issue

it's

not

unimportant

but

it's

not

ultimately

important

right

you

may

have

more

maturity

or

in

some

cases

less

and

don't

we

do

well

trying

to

navigate

the

gray

areas

together

right

pressing

at one

another

making

our

case

and

moving

on

Paul

here

is

willing

to

become

a

vegetarian

for

the

sake

of

others

I

don't

know

I

don't

know

that

I'm

there

it'd

be

a

tough

one

for

me

notice

his

position

on

this

lesser

lesser

ordered

matter

right

so

that's

tertiary

!

tertiary

things

there

ought

to

be

a

lot

of

different

views

in

that

tertiary

fashion

in the

life

of

the

church

lots

of

diversity

lots

of

levels

of

maturity

we're

growing

in

faith

we're

moving

on

together

all

right

secondary

doctrine

very

important

this

category

particularly

for

local

church

unity

right

my

classic

example

concerns

the

ordinance

of

baptism

how

are

we

as

a

church

going

to

practice

the

ordinance

of

baptism

it

matters

what

do

we

believe

the

bible

teaches

about

this

so

we

are

credo

baptists

which

means

we

believe

that

christians

people

who have

made