Can You Drink, Smoke, and Have Tattoos and Still Be a Christian?.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. [0:04] And that’s where we’ll be for the most part this morning. [0:09] Before we get into that, let’s say a word of prayer. [0:11] Father, we come before you boldly in the name of your Son Jesus.

[0:19] God, I pray this morning that you would just soften our hearts. [0:26] Help us to be teachable. [0:30] Holy Spirit, I pray that you would fill this place [0:34] that for those of us that have baggage with these issues [0:39] and those of us that are weak on these issues [0:42] and those of us that are strong, that above all

[0:46] that we would seek to live lives worshiping you.

[0:53] God, that you would help us to not be argumentative,

[0:59] to not look for fights where there needn’t be any, [1:01] but above all I pray you would give us attitudes of worship [1:05] and a desire to live lives in which we do everything that we can [1:10] to tear barriers to the Gospel down, no matter what they be, [1:15] but also that we would live lives in trust of the cross.

[1:24] In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen. [1:28] Talk about sacred cows.

[1:32] When we were figuring out what we were going to talk about in this series, [1:38] we made a pretty long list of subjects that we could talk about [1:42] because let’s just be honest, there are so many sacred cows [1:45] where religion is concerned. [1:47] You could really talk about a litany of issues [1:49] and really it’s a sacred cow to somebody.

[1:53] But when we got down to this issue of can you drink, smoke, [1:58] and have tattoos and be a Christian, [2:00] we kind of had a bunch of things and then we kind of narrowed it down [2:04] to those three purposefully and it was mostly because [2:08] of the area in which we live in, in this culture that is Richmond, Virginia, [2:14] where we are steeped in some deep southern traditions

[2:18] because of prohibition, because of blue laws, [2:22] because of rampant alcoholism that took place in coal mining communities [2:27] as well as during the industrial revolution. [2:30] And so we all have an opinion about whether or not people should drink, [2:35] whether or not alcohol makes the world a better place or a worse place, [2:38] or if alcohol were totally taken out of the equation,

[2:41] the world would be so much better or it would not even be worth living in [2:45] for some of you. [2:47] I’m really going to talk to you today.

[2:50] And then we’ll also have the issue of smoking and well, [2:54] it’s been the backbone of Richmond’s economy for decades. [2:58] This is the capital of tobacco. [2:59] If there’s one thing you don’t want to tax too much in Virginia, it’s tobacco. [3:03] I heard a joke at one point about California enacting laws [3:08] about banning smoking in certain places,

[3:11] and they said it’s going to come to a point where as soon as you hit Virginia, [3:14] you’re going to have billboards that say, welcome to Virginia, light them up. [3:18] All right. Since then, a few things have changed. [3:22] But, man, tobacco is a serious issue in this community and culture. [3:28] And then maybe you got on the list and you’re like, tattoos?

[3:34] A little known fact maybe, a retail organization recently did a survey [3:38] of the entire United States and found that Richmond, Virginia, [3:42] is the third most tattooed city in the entire United States,

[3:48] led only by Las Vegas and Austin, Texas. [3:52] So that means there are more tattoos in Richmond per capita than in LA. [3:59] All right. [4:00] In Colonial Heights, which is just a leap, skip, and a jump from us, [4:05] which is probably, I mean, let’s just be honest, [4:07] probably one of the most white-bred upper middle class communities that we have.

[4:11] For a population of 17,000 people, they have five tattoo shops. [4:15] And they said if they had really gotten down to just towns like Colonial Heights, [4:19] Colonial Heights may have won the per capita contest in the entire United States. [4:24] What’s happening to the upper class kids? [4:27] All right. Why do we all want tattoos? [4:30] So these really are three issues that kind of go into the graining of our minds

[4:38] in this community, in this culture, in one way or the other. [4:44] All right. [4:45] And in the culture that we live in, and throughout the series of Cow Tipping, [4:48] I don’t know if you’ve been keeping up, [4:50] but what we’ve been really doing is answering what many of us think [4:53] are just these simple questions,

[4:55] but what we’ve been doing is we’ve been laying down a foundation [5:00] for trusting in the Gospel and allowing in our lives [5:04] this transformation that Jesus promises, [5:07] in which a foundation is built so that we can live lives centered [5:12] on the truth of the Gospel and seeing the Gospel actually begin to work out of our lives. [5:19] And today what I want to talk about is actually one of the most practical

[5:24] and really into your life issue where these things are concerned.

[5:32] Because the issue of drinking, smoking, and tattoos goes far deeper [5:37] than just saying, yeah, take a sip, light it up, get the tattoo.

[5:45] It would be very easy for me to just come up here and say yes or no, [5:50] but it goes so much deeper than just yes or no where the Gospel is concerned.

[6:00] What we have to understand is that in this culture, [6:02] and in the Richmond area, because I’ve lived here for most of my life, [6:05] for years there were two types of churches. [6:09] All right. [6:09] You had the Southern Baptists and the Independent Baptists. [6:13] All right.

[6:13] Now it would appear the Southern Baptists are winning the war. [6:16] All right. [6:16] But for years there were these two people, [6:20] and really when I was growing up in church it was really almost a contest [6:25] as to who could look more miserable.

[6:29] All right. [6:30] Who could separate further from the culture than the next guy? [6:34] All right. [6:34] When I was growing up, I’ll be honest with you, [6:36] I was raised in an independent, fundamental, King James only Baptist church. [6:42] You can’t really, hopefully, you can’t tell.

[6:44] But when I was growing up, the big issue in Sunday school was, [6:49] are we allowed to watch the Smurfs?

[6:55] I was once chastised for saying, holy cow. [7:00] Son, cows aren’t holy.

[7:04] So sometimes those of us that were raised inside of the church, [7:09] what is being said now is that inside and even outside of the church [7:14] in the deep south or even just at the beginning of the Bible Belt where we are, [7:20] sometimes the lines were drawn as to are you a Christian or not [7:24] based on your thoughts on alcohol, cigarettes, dress code, things like tattoos, [7:32] and whether you went to the movies or not.

[7:37] And so what we’re talking about today is not some simple issue [7:42] that we can pass over lightly because what many of us have is years and years of conditioning [7:49] and years of struggles over what am I allowed to do and what am I not allowed to do [7:55] to say just simply do it, [8:00] for some of us would almost kill our faith. [8:04] Because that’s what our faith is built on.

[8:08] Christian Smith, kind of an academic, he wrote a book called Soul Searching [8:13] in which he took a look at the faith of the emerging generation inside and outside of the church. [8:21] And he looked at issues as to what do you believe your Christian life is based on. [8:26] And what he came up with is the emerging generation bases Christianity on moral values [8:34] like drinking, smoking, tattoos, and dress code. [8:41] And what he said is that Christians now, the emerging generation,

[8:44] has a faith that is not so much gospel centered as the Bible defines it, [8:50] but centered on what he calls as moral therapeutic deism. [8:55] This idea that if you live your life in a certain way, [9:00] just living up to certain standards, you will have a happy comfortable life [9:06] and you will get heaven in the end. [9:09] But if you do not live your life based on these standards,

[9:13] then you will not be happy and you will not get heaven in the end. [9:18] But what he’s finding is that when you live your life in that way, [9:22] if you end up not living up to those standards,

[9:29] everything you’ve built your faith on is crumbled. [9:32] And rather than finding the church as a place in which you can come [9:36] and find hope and grace and forgiveness and love, [9:41] you stay away because you no longer feel welcome.

[9:47] Because you don’t live up to their standard.

[9:52] And so what we have to do today is realize that there is an entire generation, [9:58] many of whom who have been raised in the church, [10:01] who cannot form a coherent definition of the gospel, [10:06] and rather live their lives attempting to live up to a standard [10:12] that the scripture is clear on that they cannot live up to, [10:16] and force themselves to constantly say,

[10:19] what would Jesus do, and then when they cannot live up to the standard [10:23] of what Jesus would do, they are left without any hope. [10:27] Because deep inside of them, because they’ve been told their whole lives, [10:31] do not drink. [10:33] They said, but man, what’s it like?

[10:37] Do not smoke, but what’s it like? [10:41] Don’t get a tattoo. [10:42] How can I show my mom and dad I hate them? [10:46] Get a tattoo.

[10:51] And then something superficial that we see is these three things. [10:58] Some people and many in this culture build their entire lives around. [11:02] And if they ever break this code, their lives are left in ruins, [11:09] and they simply never return. [11:10] And you say, what are you basing that on? [11:13] Well, statistics say it, number one.

[11:15] But number two, I was raised with a great deal of people [11:19] who I know for a fact based their lives on these standards. [11:23] And I would say 90% of the people that graduated from pretty strict Christian school, [11:27] and I would say 90% of the people that I graduated with [11:30] that were raised with me from kindergarten have not been to church in about 10 years. [11:35] They have no faith community.

[11:37] They have no life of worship. [11:38] Because as soon as they began to live lives of rebellion, [11:42] they did not think there was any place for them in the church.

[11:49] So when we ask ourselves these questions, [11:50] understand we’re asking ourselves some pretty serious questions.

[11:54] And I’m not going to beat around the bush. [11:56] I’m going to give you some real answers today [11:58] as to whether or not you can do these biblically. [12:01] But understand the first and foremost thing that I want you to know is [12:04] I don’t want to come up here today and give you my opinion. [12:06] I want to base everything that we’re going to talk about today on the Scriptures.

[12:11] This isn’t about me or what kind of lifestyle I’m comfortable with, [12:15] because I’ll be quite honest with you, I’m kind of like George Costanza. [12:19] There’s no way wine tastes better than Pepsi. [12:22] You know, it just doesn’t. [12:24] All right? [12:25] You know, I like milkshakes.

[12:28] We were, Nate and I were out with a couple of guys one night, [12:31] and they were like, let’s just go out and get some beer. [12:33] And I was like, man, I just want a milkshake.

[12:37] Let’s live it up. [12:38] Let’s go to Chick-fil-A.

[12:41] Yeah.

[12:44] But that’s me. [12:44] I don’t know. [12:46] As you can see, we didn’t have gluttony in this list for a reason.

[12:53] What can I say? [12:55] I pull a lot of weight on what we entitled sermons. [12:57] I don’t know. [13:00] But we’re actually, we are going to talk about that today. [13:03] But what I want us to understand is I want us to get down to the Scriptures [13:06] and say, what does the Scriptures have anything to do?

[13:09] Because I’ll be honest with you, there is no Scripture that says, [13:12] thou shalt light up the Marlboro. [13:16] It’s okay. [13:17] Or thou shalt open that Bud Light and enjoy. [13:20] I don’t know how you could do that anyway. [13:21] That tastes terrible.

[13:22] Not that I’ve had it.

[13:26] All right? [13:27] In 1 Corinthians chapter 8, and I’m going to give you a little bit of a run through [13:30] of where we find ourselves in chapter 10. [13:32] But in 1 Corinthians chapter 8, Paul finds himself dealing with a church [13:35] that he planted. [13:37] There are tons of problems in the church at Corinth.

[13:39] Tons of controversies. [13:41] And tons of stuff going wrong. [13:43] Rampant immorality. [13:45] People just not loving each other. [13:47] Christians suing each other in order to make a profit on each other [13:50] rather than to love each other and help each other out.

[13:53] People trying to mix paganism with Christianity. [13:57] And people going into sexual immorality where even worship is concerned. [14:02] And people coming to communion to find a meal rather than to proclaim the gospel [14:08] to each other. [14:09] This church is a mess. [14:10] And in 1 Corinthians chapter 8, if you think this is a silly issue that we’re having to

[14:15] deal with today and this is just something so simple that mom and dad should be able [14:18] to teach their children, understand, Paul is going to spend a little over three chapters [14:21] right now dealing with whether or not the church in Corinth is allowed to eat steak. [14:26] All right? [14:26] So if the scriptures dedicate three chapters to steak, maybe we should spend a couple [14:31] minutes talking about some of the big cultural issues of our day.

[14:35] All right? [14:36] And what is happening here is that Paul is dealing with a church that is in just a place [14:41] that is not so much run by Judaism like Israel, but rampant pagan idolatry takes place in [14:47] Corinth. [14:48] And a lot of it is centered around sexual worship. [14:51] And some of it would seem just absolutely grotesque to you and I.

[14:55] But it’s the culture in which they lived in and it is what ran the culture. [14:59] And so what happens is people are coming out of idol worship and they’re coming to [15:05] know Jesus Christ. [15:06] And inside of idol worship in the city of Corinth, you had this form of worship in [15:12] which they would kill cattle and they would offer the meat to the idols. [15:18] And it’s very clear to you and I that idols don’t eat anything.

[15:22] So they didn’t eat the meat. [15:23] And in order to make a profit, what they would do is they would keep the meat from spoiling. [15:29] And then in the marketplace, they would take that meat from the idol, put it in the [15:33] marketplace, and to get meat and to eat steak, people would go and buy the meat that had [15:39] been offered to the idols. [15:41] But what happens is that there are people who used to live lives steeped in the worship

[15:47] of these idols. [15:49] And they would go to these Christian communities and they would try to live lives of discipleship. [15:54] And so they would have fellowship meals. [15:55] And they would say, where did you get that rib eye?

[16:03] Well, we got it from the marketplace. [16:04] Don’t you know that that marketplace gets that meat from the idols? [16:08] We can’t eat that meat. [16:09] That’s demon meat.

[16:14] And the guy’s like, I’m just hungry.

[16:19] I didn’t use to worship those idols. [16:21] I can eat that meat. [16:22] And they’re like, no, you cannot eat this meat. [16:24] And so a huge controversy ensues.

[16:29] And so they go to Paul. [16:30] They say, Paul, can we eat the meat? [16:31] Can we not eat the meat? [16:32] We got half the people here that are struggling with baggage from their former life and idolatry. [16:39] Some of them probably struggling with temptations to return to these lives of idolatry. [16:44] And then the other half of the church is like, look, we just like steak.

[16:48] I’ve never worshiped any idol. [16:50] Quite frankly, I didn’t even know where the meat was coming from.

[16:57] And this is such a serious issue that the church is just in anguish, agony, and they’re fighting over it.

[17:07] And so what does Paul say? [17:09] Well, Paul kind of introduces what I want to talk to you about today. [17:12] And that’s the fact that Christians are free in Jesus.

[17:16] All right. [17:17] Christians are free in Jesus. [17:19] Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, starting in verse 23, [17:22] He says, All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. [17:32] All things are lawful, but not all things build up. [17:37] Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

[17:41] Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. [17:48] For the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. [17:50] If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, [17:55] eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. [18:02] So Paul says, understand that in your relationship with Jesus, you are free in Christ to eat that meat. [18:11] In chapter 8, he actually goes and he tells them, of course you can eat the meat.

[18:16] Those are false gods. [18:18] They don’t have any power over meat.

[18:23] And so on the issue, Paul says, can you eat the meat? [18:25] Can you not eat the meat? [18:27] Sure. Eat the meat. [18:29] It’s meat.

[18:32] And then he raises a very important issue about the freedom in Jesus and what it actually exists to do. [18:42] All right. [18:42] He says, if an unbeliever invites you over to his house and offers you the meat,

[18:51] do not tell him you can’t eat the meat because of your conscience. [18:56] The question is, why would that be an issue? [19:00] They didn’t even ask about that.

[19:04] Because Paul wants them to understand something very important about this freedom in Christ [19:09] that they have where this meat is concerned. [19:13] He wants them to understand that their freedom in Christ is rooted in the gospel. [19:22] He wants them to understand that their freedom in Christ exists in order that the gospel be as clear as possible [19:31] not only to the people in the church, but also the people outside of the church. [19:36] Okay.

[19:38] And so let’s start inside of the church and let’s work our way outside of the church. [19:43] If you live your Christian life basing it on standards that if I eat that meat that has been offered to idols, [19:51] I will make myself unclean and impure and I cannot worship God.

[19:58] This is what Christian Smith, that author, is calling moralistic, therapeutic deism. [20:03] And it muddies the gospel of Jesus Christ and is what many of you are basing your standards on alcohol on.

[20:15] It’s this idea that if I do this thing that the scriptures are not even clear on,

[20:24] God won’t love me anymore.

[20:29] And Paul wants them to understand that’s not rooted in the gospel.

[20:37] Because that idea is this idea of the law.

[20:44] [20:44] And last year we spent about 20 weeks going through the book of Galatians. [20:48] It was a long time. [20:49] We spent about 20 weeks going through the book of Galatians. [20:51] And I want you to understand that I’m just going to spend a few seconds unpacking the gospel and the gospel [20:56] and then we’re going to go into the implications of the gospel.

[20:58] But I don’t want you to miss this part because our entire conversation must be framed in the idea that the gospel [21:06] is what you must base every decision in your life on no matter how simplistic or silly you think this decision you have to make is. [21:14] It must be based and centered on the gospel. [21:18] In Romans chapter 10 in verse 4, [21:21] Paul is writing to the church at Rome and they’re not really dealing with any controversy. [21:26] But he’s kind of unpacking what Christianity is.

[21:28] And in verse 4 he says,

[21:34] And so what he wants the Christians in Corinth to understand is that they are basing this question on a law that does not need to exist. [21:44] The people who do not want to eat the meat are basing looking to Paul and saying, [21:49] Paul, do we need to form a new code of conduct so that Christians know what is acceptable and what is not acceptable inside of our community? [21:59] And Paul says, don’t you understand that the law is what condemns you? [22:05] It doesn’t free you?

[22:08] And in Romans chapter 10 he gives us this idea that we have been freed from the law in order to have the gift of righteousness from Jesus.

[22:21] That the law is what condemned us rather than freed us.

[22:27] And we have to understand that we have been absolutely freed from the law for us to understand that we can have anything in Jesus. [22:37] In the Old Testament God gave a law that set a minimum standard for his holiness and we could not come close to obeying it and broke it every chance that we got. [22:47] And so Paul’s idea here is if you just simply start making laws about meat, then you are doing nothing but setting a standard that somebody is going to break and no one can really live up to anyway. [23:05] Because redemption in Jesus is not about whether or not you eat the meat. [23:10] Redemption in Jesus is about the fact that you cannot obey the law. [23:16] You are guilty of breaking the law and you are condemned and imprisoned by the law, headed for the wrath of God.

[23:25] And God in his great love sent Jesus to completely live up to a standard that you could not live up to. [23:32] To die on your behalf, to atone for your sins on the cross where he who knew no sin became sin on your behalf. [23:40] So that you could have the righteousness of God that you cannot earn no matter how hard you try. [23:47] Because you are a law breaker and Jesus is the one who lives up to the law who is your only hope of redemption. [23:54] So if you believe that your hope is found in whether or not you eat the meat or don’t eat the meat, you are hopeless because you don’t understand Jesus.

[24:07] The gospel is not about drinking and not drinking. The gospel is about Jesus. [24:13] The gospel is not about smoking or not smoking. The gospel is about Jesus. [24:17] The gospel is not about tattooed or untatted. The gospel is about Jesus. [24:23] And so if you think that your faith is centered on your actions and if you do an action one way or the other and you will lose your redemption in Jesus, you don’t understand the gospel.

[24:47] Paul wants them to understand that if they go out into an unbelieving world and say, I can’t eat that meat, you offered it to an idol.

[25:03] They are preaching a false gospel to the world. [25:06] Because they don’t understand the gospel to begin with. [25:10] And when you just start taking them to that level where the meat is concerned, they are never going to understand the gospel.

[25:24] Because basically you are giving them an idea that the gospel is about their obedience when it is all about Jesus. [25:28] And the fact that the gospel is more about my disobedience than my obedience.

[25:39] And the freedom that we have in the gospel is this freedom to understand that I have been freed from this radical condemnation that I deserve. [25:51] And so the life that I now live, I live in Jesus. [25:55] Okay? [25:57] And so the redemption that I have in Jesus does not belong to me but rather has been given to me. [26:03] And he gives us his life in exchange for our sin. [26:08] And now our lives are to be centered on that gospel and taking it into the lives of other people.

[26:17] This is what we mean by gospel centrality. [26:20] That the gospel must be the main core value of our lives because it is by very nature the thing that redeems us and gives us life to begin with. [26:33] And so when Paul is saying all things are lawful, what he is saying is you are free in Jesus through the gospel to live for the gospel. [26:55] And so life is no longer about can I or can’t I. [27:00] Life is about what furthers the gospel in the most effective way possible.

[27:07] And Paul says if all you are going to deal with is can you eat the meat or not eat the meat, you are already missing the point. [27:13] Because you are not going to get anywhere with the gospel.

[27:19] And so what we have to do in understanding this idea of values inside of culture, okay, and what are we and are we not allowed to do. [27:34] Okay, because we cannot live in this mystical theorizing fashion where it is like just live for the gospel and then you are going to walk out the door and you are going to be dealing with some issues over what would further the gospel better. [27:45] Me drinking or not drinking. [27:48] Alright, let’s try to unpack some of those answers in a gospel centered manner. [27:55] Alright, and we have to understand that our freedom exists for the gospel to be furthered. [28:01] Alright, nothing you do in your life, and this is where radical trust in the gospel is concerned.

[28:06] Nothing you do is about earning God’s favor or not earning God’s favor.

[28:13] Alright, you got to get that. [28:16] And you are like what do you mean? [28:18] What I mean is your favor with God is based on Jesus in Jesus alone.

[28:28] Alright, you cannot earn any more favor than you have in Jesus and you cannot lose any more favor than you have in Jesus. [28:36] Because if you could then it would not be about Jesus, it would be about your actions and Jesus came to free us from that kind of condemnation. [28:44] And many of you are probably living lives in which you are scared to death to do anything because you do not want God mad at you.

[28:54] We free you from that right now. [28:56] God loves you in Jesus as much as he possibly can and he will never love you any less or any more than he does in Jesus.

[29:07] God loves you so much Romans 5, 8 says.

[29:12] Even though you were living in active rebellion against him, he sent his son to die for you. [29:21] That is love that I cannot even imagine. [29:23] I would not kill my son Liam for any of you.

[29:29] I will just be honest with you. [29:32] As a father, as a radical, love.

[29:40] And his love for you is based on the obedience of Jesus, not the obedience of you.

[29:48] And your freedom in Christ exists so that the gospel can be furthered. [29:56] And so the question when we are looking at things like alcohol, smoking, tattoos, whatever be it, the question has to be. [30:06] Does this help further the gospel into the lives of those around me or does it cause a barrier that does not need to be there? [30:15] And if it does cause a barrier, is that a barrier that God has ordained be there or is it a barrier based on my preferences and cultural biases?

[30:32] The church at Corinth wants to know if they can begin making new laws and Paul says absolutely not. [30:38] So what we have to do is we have to actually think about issues. [30:43] Because it would be much simpler for us to have a list of do’s and don’ts. [30:47] But we have to actually use wisdom that has been given to us by God through the cross of Christ by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that Jesus gave us. [30:56] So that we can live a life that furthers the gospel in the most effective way possible. [31:02] And Pastor Mark Driscoll when dealing with this issue gives us four very important questions to ask ourselves when making any decision about whether or not it would further the gospel or not.

[31:13] The first thing he says is what does the Bible say? [31:18] Let’s be honest, the Bible is pretty clear about a few things. [31:22] The Bible is pretty clear that the gospel cannot be furthered by murder. [31:26] It cannot be furthered by rape.

[31:31] It cannot be furthered by sex outside of heterosexual marriage.

[31:39] The Bible cannot be furthered by drunkenness. [31:43] The gospel cannot be furthered by stealing.

[31:49] The scripture is just abundantly clear about these issues. [31:53] Because, and here’s why what the Bible says is so important, the gospel simply cannot be furthered through rebellion against God. [32:01] Redemption cannot take root for the restoration of God’s kingdom if you are in rebellion against that very thing he’s doing.

[32:11] It’s impossible.

[32:14] So the first question you always must say, what does the Bible say?

[32:20] Alright?

[32:22] And the second thing you have to ask yourself, what does my conscience say?

[32:28] So let’s talk about a few of these issues.

[32:33] Does the Bible prohibit alcohol?

[32:38] Does it? No. [32:41] It does not.

[32:45] Please hear me out. [32:47] It doesn’t. [32:49] And I know some of you are going to Proverbs 20 verse 1. [32:55] And you’re like, but Proverbs 20 verse 1 says, the wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler. [33:02] It does. [33:03] If you were raised as an independent Baptist, man, you’re a Sunday school teacher, I wanted you to memorize that verse.

[33:07] If you take one sip, you’re just going to be punching people in the face.

[33:16] This is devil’s serum.

[33:21] But notice how that verse ends in Proverbs chapter 20 verse 1. [33:27] It says, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

[33:36] It’s talking about drunkenness and alcoholism.

[33:41] Let’s be honest, drunkenness is a sin. [33:44] It does not further the gospel. [33:46] Have you ever met a drunk person? [33:48] Clearly it does not further the gospel.

[33:53] I mean, that’s just as clear as day.

[33:57] Alcoholism does not further the gospel. [33:59] Well, why not? [34:00] Because it kills you.

[34:03] And you’re drunk all the time.

[34:09] So what are you saying? [34:10] I’m saying, you are free in Christ to drink. [34:13] Yes, you are. [34:15] But be wise about it, Einstein.

[34:19] And the thing is, is a lot of people, and I used to be able to say a lot of people my age, [34:24] but a lot of people nine years younger than me.

[34:30] I hate that now. [34:33] Because it’s not about me anyway. [34:34] Because I’m getting old. [34:36] All right. [34:36] A lot of people just a few years younger than me, they’re like, free in Christ. [34:40] Let’s go to Daytona.

[34:43] Free in Christ. [34:45] Get that beer stand, that keg stand up. [34:47] Free in Christ.

[34:51] What a massive misunderstanding of what freedom in Christ is all about.

[34:58] Massive misunderstanding.

[35:01] You’re like, what do you mean?

[35:05] Look a little further. [35:08] Excuse me. [35:08] Look in 1 Corinthians chapter 9. [35:11] It’ll be up on the screen, so you don’t have to go there.

[35:15] For though I am free from all, and this is Paul, just one chapter earlier dealing with this issue. [35:21] For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. [35:27] To the Jews I became as a Jew in order to win Jews. [35:31] To those under the law I became as one under the law, though not myself being under the law. [35:36] That I might win those under the law. [35:38] And then go to text in Galatians chapter 5 verse 13 where it says,

[35:43] For you were called to freedom, brothers, your freedom in Christ. [35:47] But look at what he says. [35:49] Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. [35:55] When you take your freedom in Christ, and make it all about your happiness, your fun, what you want. [36:03] What you do is you by definition deny the gospel by your lifestyle because you’re making it about you and not others.

[36:21] Can you smoke cigarettes? [36:23] You’re free in Christ, yes. [36:26] Scriptures do not prohibit cigarettes.

[36:32] But in chapter 10 verse 23 it says all things are lawful but not all things are helpful.

[36:40] There aren’t any medical reports that show the helpfulness of cigarettes.

[36:48] So am I going to say if you smoke you don’t have Jesus? Absolutely not.

[36:54] Absolutely not. [36:55] That is legalism and will lead to a life in which you cannot know the beauty of the gospel. [37:03] Because your cigarettes have nothing to do with the gospel.

[37:09] But I struggle to think they’re helpful.

[37:16] Because scriptures don’t prohibit cigarettes but they do prohibit foolishness.

[37:23] I’m just going to be honest with you.

[37:28] I love you. [37:30] And I want you to live longer.

[37:34] Stop smoking. [37:37] It’s not helpful.

[37:39] But you are free in Christ to do it. [37:42] You’re free in Christ to go put your lawnmower on your head.

[37:50] I don’t think you should do that either.

[37:54] Alright. [37:55] So let’s just be honest here.

[37:58] Are you free in Christ to get tattoos? [38:01] I sure hope so.

[38:06] You guys in my Bible study probably get that one the most. [38:09] But are you free in Christ to get tattoos? Yes. [38:13] You’re like Leviticus 19! [38:16] Alright. [38:17] Well what does Leviticus 19 say? [38:20] Alright.

[38:20] Let’s be fair. [38:22] Leviticus 19 prohibits it. [38:24] You said it’s a biblical. [38:26] Leviticus chapter 19. [38:29] It should be up on the screen. [38:29] Verse 28.

[38:30] You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves. [38:34] I am the Lord. [38:36] And you’re like BOOM! [38:37] Got the pastor. [38:39] Well not really. [38:41] Look.

[38:42] Leviticus 19 is talking about the priests of Baal. [38:46] Alright. [38:46] Would take knives and they would cut themselves. [38:49] And they would take literally the ashes of their dead relatives. [38:52] And pour it into the cuts in their Baal worship. [38:55] To have a line marking their dead relatives.

[38:59] Alright.

[39:02] A lot of tattoo shops in Richmond. [39:03] I don’t know of many that do that.

[39:07] Alright. [39:08] This is not talking about the name of your girlfriend on your arm. [39:13] Now if you get the name of your girlfriend on your arm you’re dooming yourself to a breakup. [39:16] And well that’s kind of hard to explain to your next girlfriend. [39:19] But that’s not what Leviticus 19 is talking about.

[39:23] Alright. [39:24] Most people that get tattoos are just hipster kids trying to be deeper than they really are. [39:28] Anyway. [39:29] So I don’t think they’re being disobedient to Leviticus chapter 19.

[39:33] Okay. [39:34] Leviticus chapter 19 verse 19 also prohibits the wearing of different types. [39:39] Two different types of fabric. [39:41] And I think most of you women out there are wearing poly cotton blends. [39:45] Alright. [39:45] And none of you are like Leviticus 19, 19.

[39:48] That’s a poly cotton blend.

[39:52] Alright.

[39:54] I understand. [39:55] That’s old covenant. [39:57] It’s pretty hard to apply that to the new covenant in Jesus. [40:02] And if you’re really cutting yourself and pouring grandma’s ashes in your arm, [40:07] we need to have a whole other conversation anyway.

[40:11]

[40:13] So yeah, you’re free in Christ to get tattoos. [40:16] And that’s really important in this area. [40:18] Because let me tell you, based on statistics, you’re going to be talking to some people with tattoos. [40:23] And so if you in your mind think, man, those tattoos, those are just devil images on your arm. [40:29] They’re going to be demons that pop off. [40:31] You can kill you.

[40:33] [40:34] I’ve heard it all, folks. [40:36] Alright.

[40:39] Let me tell you, you’re going to have a pretty tough time going out and giving the gospel to some of these people. [40:45] Let me tell you, if we are a church that exists to see the gospel go as far as possible in our lifetime the way that Paul did, [40:52] there better be some tattooed people in here if we’re the third most tattooed city in the United States. [40:58] Let me fill you in. [41:00] They’re already in here. I know who they are. [41:03] They’re just wearing shirts.

[41:06] Alright.

[41:09] Don’t they have you fooled?

[41:12] I think you already know what I feel about earrings. [41:15] So let’s not even deal with that one.

[41:18] Alright. [41:19] Hey, I’m free in Christ to have earrings. [41:23] But here, let’s get it going. [41:25] Alright. [41:27] But the key here is, what does my conscience say? [41:31] Some of you struggle with alcohol.

[41:36] You were raised in traditions where it was just Satan’s serum. [41:41] So you’re telling me that in Jesus I have to go drink? [41:43] No, you don’t. [41:45] You’re free in Christ to not drink. [41:48] Or drink. [41:49] But if your conscience says,

[41:53] I just don’t feel comfortable doing it. [41:55] Please don’t do it. [41:57] Because it will not help your relationship and your journey in the gospel. [42:02] If you deny your conscience. [42:05] Romans 14 says, is anything done without faith is a sin. [42:09] Alright, so if you don’t have the conscience that just says,

[42:15] okay, yeah, that’s fine. [42:17] Don’t do it. [42:20] [42:21] Now, fourth, third question. [42:23] What do my weaknesses require? [42:26] This is a very important aspect.

[42:29] What do my weaknesses require? [42:31] Alright. [42:32] Some of you deal with temptation that others of you don’t. [42:35] If you get off every day and all you can think about is getting a drink.

[42:42] You’re on the fast road to becoming an alcoholic. [42:46] Alright. [42:47] And you are dealing with temptation from drunkenness. [42:51] Quite frankly, you need to spend a really good season not drinking.

[42:57] For some of you, cigarettes have become an addiction.

[43:02] It’s been kind of statistically proven it’s hard to smoke without it becoming an addiction.

[43:07] And the book of Matthew, Jesus says that somebody cannot serve two masters. [43:12] And he’s specifically dealing with God and money. [43:14] But you can put anything in there. [43:17] Anything that you’re addicted to has mastery over you and it’s going to hurt you where the gospel is concerned.

[43:25] If you are just weak in an area, then don’t.

[43:32] Some of you have baggage from your life. [43:35] If you were raised by an alcoholic, you may have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. [43:42] And it may be the best idea for you to never drink in your life. [43:46] For the sake of the gospel. [43:47] Don’t put temptation in your path.

[43:51] And then finally, most importantly in my opinion, what do those around me need?

[43:57] This is where I want to spend the next few minutes. [44:00] Then I’ll have you out of here. [44:02] What do those around me need? [44:04] When Paul’s dealing with this issue, understand he’s mostly dealing with the effects of our choices on other people. [44:11] And whether or not it makes the gospel clear or whether or not it makes the gospel muddy.

[44:18] In other words, real practically, and then we’ll take it just gospel. [44:22] Real practically, if you have a friend that is struggling with alcoholism, don’t offer them a drink. [44:30] And don’t drink around them.

[44:35] Don’t.

[44:37] And there are some, honestly, there are people that didn’t show up today because they didn’t want to hear me say that.

[44:43] Because we have people in this church that are struggling with alcoholism.

[44:50] Be careful.

[44:54] It’s for the same reason that if you know somebody that comes from a background where their mother, father, boyfriend or husband beat them. [45:03] And drunken rages. [45:06] You are not building them up in Jesus Christ by drinking around them and trying to get them to drink. [45:12] All you’re doing is bringing up bad memories.

[45:16] Because what did Paul say the point of this was in Galatians chapter 5? [45:19] He said, use your freedom in Christ to serve one another in love. [45:25] Remember, your freedom in Christ does not exist for you to have a good time. [45:29] Your freedom in Christ exists for you to further the gospel.

[45:35] What do others around me need?

[45:38] And this applies to people inside the church and outside of the church. [45:42] This is mainly about discipleship. [45:46] Paul takes 1 Corinthians 8-10 and says, how can we make better disciples inside and outside of the church? [45:54] Those who were struggling in the past with pagan idolatry in the eating of meat. [46:02] What does he say? [46:04] Look in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 again.

[46:07] In verse 28. [46:09] But if someone says to you, this has been offered in sacrifice. [46:14] Then do not eat it for the sake of the one who informed you and for the sake of conscience. [46:21] I do not mean your conscience, but his.

[46:30] The gospel declares that you must sometimes, often, take on the burdens of other people to help them to grow in Christ. [46:43] Paul says, if you’re with someone that’s just coming out of a lifestyle of pagan idolatry, don’t try to get them to eat meat.

[46:53] And don’t eat meat around them. Be a vegetarian for the day.

[46:58] But it’s not about whether or not you can and can’t eat the God, it’s not about your conscience, it’s about their conscience in that place. [47:07] If you’re with someone that’s really struggling through legalism that they’ve been raised with where alcohol is concerned, don’t drink with them.

[47:17] But I thought I was free in Christ too. [47:20] Romans chapter 14, verse 17. [47:25] Paul’s dealing with the same issue there. [47:27] He says, for the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

[47:37] In other words, if you think your freedom in Christ is all wrapped up as to whether or not you can drink Budweiser and smoke cigarettes, [47:45] then you don’t get the gospel any more than the legalist.

[47:53] Because the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking. [47:56] Thomas Schreiner, a great commentator, points out in this passage that even though most people are going to focus all on what you are or aren’t allowed to do, [48:05] Paul, in the middle of the entire argument, throws in, understand this is not about eating and drinking, this is about your discipleship of other people, [48:13] and how your decisions affect them. [48:17] Because remember, if we’re talking through the lens of how the gospel is furthered in this, [48:22] we must understand the key component that our decisions determine our missional influence.

[48:29] How you choose to live your life and the choices that you choose to make will determine how effective and gospel centered you are, [48:42] and how much discipleship will take place in your lifetime. [48:47] Look at what Paul says. He says, I do not mean your conscience, but his, in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 29, [48:53] for why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? [48:57] If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

[49:05] In other words, he’s saying, this isn’t about your place in the gospel, this is about your place as a minister of the gospel. [49:13] And then he says in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 31, [49:15] So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. [49:21] There’s that like youth group verse where we were like, yeah, I’m going to Dairy Queen and we’re going to eat to the glory of God, [49:27] and we’re all just like totally misinterpreting this verse. [49:29] And then he says, what he’s talking about is using your life and every decision you make and leveraging it to further the gospel,

[49:38] and it’s going to look different in every single situation that you are faced with. [49:43] And he says, give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, [49:49] just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, [49:57] but that of many that they may be saved. [50:03] Here’s how Paul lived his life, pretty simple. [50:06] How can I live in such a way as to see as many people as possible saved and discipled in my lifetime?

[50:21] And he says, Corinth, that’s how you should live. [50:25] As many as possible. [50:29] And we want to degrade this to say, how much am I allowed to drink? [50:35] Is it three beers or four beers?

[50:38] What furthers the gospel? [50:41] Because in some situations it’s going to be zero.

[50:46] And if you are not comfortable for that, you are not treasuring Jesus above alcohol and partying.

[50:57] It’s a gray area.

[51:01] Not because God didn’t want to be clear, but because the gospel must be taken to different cultures in different ways.

[51:10] What’s most effective at this particular time with this particular person in this particular situation.

[51:18] It’s not a gray area so that some people can do it and some people can’t. [51:24] It’s a gray area because this is about the gospel, it’s not about you.

[51:30] And every decision that you make must be to maximize the impact of the gospel in every culture. [51:39] That’s why Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 9, I become all things to all people, that I may win more of them. [51:45] Paul was a cultural chameleon. [51:48] He would go down to Cary Town and be a hipster for the day.

[51:53] Alright. [51:55] And he would come in the suburbs.

[51:57] And Mo was long.

[52:03] And it never had to do with how cool he looked, it had to do with his posture towards the culture.

[52:11] You can be just as missional in khakis and a polo tucked in as I can be with earrings and jeans.

[52:20] Because it’s not about the outside, it’s about the heart and how you feel about people. [52:24] People know whether you love them or not. [52:27] People don’t care what you look like, they care how much you love them. [52:31] And guess what? In Jesus, we can love them unconditionally.

[52:36] So do you have to drink to reach people for Jesus? [52:39] No! [52:41] But you can’t condemn those that do.

[52:49] Do you have to be all tatted up?

[52:52] No! [52:54] But don’t condemn those that do and love them unconditionally. [52:57] They’re just from a different culture than you are. [52:59] We’re in a vastly shifting cultural state right now in Virginia. [53:04] We’re basically going from southern to northern if you didn’t notice. [53:08] And those of you with Confederate flags at home, sorry, it’s happening.

[53:13] And I’m not an outsider, I’m from here, I can say that. [53:18] It’s just the socioeconomic status of the United States right now. [53:23] And so you better be ready to love people. [53:27] No matter what culture they come from. [53:29] And don’t for a second look to them and say, you better change your culture if you’re going to come in this church. [53:34] No, you say our church is about the gospel and everybody belongs in Jesus.

[53:42] Every decision that we make must be held captive by the gospel in light of whether or not what we choose today will further the cause of the gospel and furthering it in our lives and the lives of those around me. [53:57] This requires a lot of wisdom. [53:59] Missional living requires wisdom.

[54:04] Remember being missional is about reaching as many people in our lifetime as possible with the gospel of Jesus Christ. [54:10] So when we live a life that’s gospel centric, where the gospel is what saves us and it gives us this great God who is our joy, it gives us Jesus who is our treasure.

[54:22] We can then have wisdom. [54:25] First because he’s given us his spirit. [54:27] But then because every decision we make comes out of a life source that is the gospel. [54:34] How do you really do this practically? [54:37] And then we’re done. [54:38] This can be really tricky.

[54:42] Because sometimes you’re around non-believers that you don’t need to put barriers up. [54:47] And you need to help them understand the gospel is not about eating and drinking and morality, it’s about Jesus and the fact that they are immoral. [54:54] And that their morality can’t save them. [54:56] And then sometimes we’re with a bunch of legalists and we’re like, man, are they the weaker brother in this scenario? [55:01] Do I need to not drink? [55:03] Do I need to not listen to the secular music?

[55:06] Do I need to just avoid certain things for these people right then? [55:10] But what do you do in a situation where you’re with both of them? [55:12] You’re like, I got the unsafe guy right here, I got the legalist right here, what do I do?

[55:20] This is what Paul did. [55:23] In Acts chapter 16, Paul has led a young man by the name of Timothy to the Lord. [55:29] Timothy is half Gentile, half Jew. [55:31] He’s uncircumcised. [55:33] Well, Paul is getting ready to go into a bunch of Jewish towns. [55:38] And he wants to take Timothy with him because he wants to disciple Timothy.

[55:41] And in Acts chapter 16, Paul says, you know what, Timothy, I’m going to have to circumcise you because we don’t want any barriers coming up with the Jews where they won’t listen to the gospel because you’re uncircumcised. [55:52] That’s pretty smart. [55:54] Now, quite frankly, it also freaks me out because I don’t know how they would ever figure out if you’re circumcised or not. [55:59] And that bothers me a little bit. [56:01] But let’s not deal with that one. [56:03] All right.

[56:05] What was going on in those synagogues?

[56:10] But so Paul had him circumcised. [56:12] And that was smart. [56:14] So that he wouldn’t have to get over the barrier of explaining to the Jews why he’s carrying this uncircumcised Gentile around with him. [56:24] So you’re like, let’s just circumcise you and then we can just get straight to the gospel. [56:28] But then in Galatians chapter two, Paul’s in a different situation where he has another young man by the name of Titus with him, who is a Gentile and is uncircumcised. [56:42] And Paul comes into contact with a bunch of what’s called Judaizers or the Circumcision Party.

[56:49] And these are guys who are attempting to mix the gospel with Judaism and say you need Jesus plus circumcision in order to be saved. [57:01] And he’s got Titus with him and he looks at those Judaizers and he says, I’m not going to circumcise this guy because you don’t need to be circumcised in order to be saved.

[57:11] Man. [57:13] Two different situations. [57:16] Paul did two different things.

[57:20] Sometimes you shouldn’t eat the meat.

[57:25] If you’re with a weaker brother.

[57:28] And the only way to know this stuff is if you’re in real discipleship relationships. [57:31] So if you’re not even in a community group right now, you’re probably never going to deal with this kind of stuff. [57:35] And the gospel’s probably never going to really work out of your life, so get in a community group for your own good.

[57:43] Sometimes when you’re around weaker brothers and you know they’re struggling, you know what? The loving thing to do. [57:49] Is to let their conscience guide you because you love them so much.

[57:55] Because you want to see the gospel go into their lives and you want them to become what’s called a stronger brother in this passage. [58:02] To where they don’t have that baggage anymore because they trust Jesus more and more.

[58:07] But, sometimes you need to offend the legalist.

[58:13] Sometimes you do. [58:15] That’s why I have earrings.

[58:20] In a culture that says a pastor can’t have earrings, I ask who made that rule? It wasn’t Jesus.

[58:28] It’s just your freaking legalism.

[58:32] I’ve got just as much Jesus as you. [58:34] And honestly maybe a little bit more since you’ve got a barrier to the gospel that I don’t have.

[58:42] I don’t know many weaker brothers where earrings are concerned, but I know a lot of legalists where earrings are concerned. [58:47] So I hope my earrings offend you if you’re a legalist so much that it brings a great deal of humiliating repentance into your life. [58:57] So that you can actually trust the gospel for the first time in your life because you probably never have before.

[59:09] Sometimes you’ve got to offend the legalist so that they can understand the gospel, but here’s what’s more important. [59:16] So that those outside of the church don’t catch wind that we’re having these fights to begin with. [59:22] And then the gospel gets so muddied out there that they have 75 different definitions of it. [59:28] All of them coming from inside of the church walls. [59:32] Because guess what folks, that’s the culture we’re in right now. [59:34] Every definition of the gospel they have, we started.

[59:40] Let’s start clearing the waters by loving each other. [59:47] And stop focusing on these superficial issues of cultural preferences and biases. [59:56] And start loving people the way Jesus did. [60:00] And making decisions that make us more effective in the culture out there. [60:06] So that we can have more disciples in here. [60:09] Rather than a bunch of religious people gathering singing songs to themselves thinking they’re singing to Jesus.

[60:22] It requires a lot of wisdom.

[60:27] Paul did whatever it took.

[60:31] He did whatever it took to further the gospel in the most effective way possible. [60:35] In the way that pleased God the most.

[60:39] If you trust Jesus, that’s what you need to do as well.

[60:46] That’s what you need to do. [60:49] But some of you are weaker brothers and some of you are stronger brothers. [60:52] And we exist to make disciples who go from weaker brothers to stronger brothers. [60:57] The only way that’s going to happen is through discipleship relationships. [61:00] And some of you really have struggles with your conscience where a lot of life decisions are concerned. [61:04] And you’re just going into this life just totally unarmed.

[61:08] And so you’re going to be thrown every which way but loose. [61:11] You need to get in a discipleship relationship. [61:14] You need to get a stronger brother to wrap his or her arms around you. [61:18] To help you grow in Jesus. [61:22] Because some of you are trying to fight this battle alone. [61:26] Some of you are trying to figure out whether you’re…

[61:30] …a stronger brother.

[61:32] You’re never going to learn that if you’re not in a discipleship relationship.

[61:39] So your response today is not to go to Capital Alehouse and have your first beer.

[61:46] Your response today is to get in a real authentic relationship inside of your church community. [61:56] And if you’re here, I’m just going to go ahead and say, do it here.

[62:01] So that you can grow in Christ. [62:04] So that you can start looking at your life and saying, are the decisions I’m making… [62:08] …making me more effective for the gospel or less effective for the gospel?

[62:14] Use not your freedom as an occasion to the flesh.

[62:20] But how to serve one another in love.

[62:25] And if you’re not in relationship with one another, how do you love each other?

[62:32] Right now, I want us to start this by proclaiming the gospel to each other through communion. [62:38] We do this every week. [62:41] But I want you to do it this week as a community that loves each other. [62:45] Those in here that are weak. [62:47] Those in here that are strong. [62:49] Because we’re all weak somewhere and we’re all strong somewhere.

[62:53] Alright?

[62:56] But come.

[62:58] Proclaim the gospel to each other. [63:02] But understand.

[63:04] This is for people that believe the gospel. [63:07] I want to live for the gospel.

[63:11] All others need not come. [63:14] But if you’re coming up this morning, you’re telling each other, I want to be a disciple. [63:21] And I want to make disciples. [63:23] And I want to start leveraging my life for the gospel. [63:26] Because it’s not about eating or drinking. [63:29] It’s about the kingdom of God.

[63:33] Father, we love you.

[63:41] We ask this morning that you would give us wisdom. [63:44] Lord, that you would help our lives to be marked by a great love for your son. [63:50] And a great desire to live for his gospel.

[63:55] Lord, as we come right now, may some of us come in great repentance.

[64:01] But all of us come in a great love for Jesus. [64:06] Amen.