Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 11 - so-called "Gray Areas"

Once again here are our eight guidelines for establishing Biblical Boundaries

· Am I being brought under the power of something that should not be controlling my life?
· Am I edifying myself or others?
· Can I ask God to bless it with a clear conscience?
· If the Lord returned at this moment, would I be ashamed?
· Would it cause a brother to stumble?
· Would it be cause for a lost person to reject the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior?
· Dose my conscience condemn me for it?
· What is good or right about this thing that I would allow it in my life?

Let’s test this filter with a ‘gray area.’





We have free will and our actions bring about consequences.
Following sin will bring consequences
As will following the Lord bring about ‘consequences.’

Your choice will result in glory to God one way or another.
You will be either a vessel of honor or dishonor.
The choice is yours.

II Timothy 2:20, ‘But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour’

Which are you?
Gold, silver, wood or earth?





Let’s elaborate on this one.
It doesn’t say vessels of differing degrees of honor.
It says some vessels are to be dishonored.
In the church there are those not of lesser honor
But that are to be dishonored.

Any additional thoughts?





Let’s still look at this one further.
Even the vessels of gold and silver can be put to bad use.
Is the television good or evil?
Is the Internet good or evil?

What about vessels or wood and earth.
Are they only used for garbage?
Or are they to be used for harder tasks?

Your thoughts about that line of thinking…





Romans 9:21, ‘Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?’

The same clay is used to make a cheep ashtray
As is used to make the china that is only used once a year
And is displayed prominently.

What say does the clay have over the end product?
What say do we have over our end product?





II Timothy 2:20-21, ‘But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.’

Sounds like it is also up to us in verse 21.
When it says purge … from these, what does ‘these’ mean?





Let’s shift our focus on our liberty
Our free will.
In discipleship lesson 13 the question is asked…

How do I achieve a balance between my liberties and other people’s needs?





Romans 13:8-9, ‘Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.’

The answer is given in that lesson as…
You can achieve that balance ONLY through the power of the Holy Spirit
as you walk with Him.

II Corinthians 3:6, ‘Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.’

Made is past tense.
We are all ready capable of doing what He has asked.
Or what He has told us to do.

Has there been something asked of you that you are postponing?





II Corinthians 3:17, ‘Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’

He wants us to be free.
He wants us to not bog ourselves down.

Are you growing in this area or are you strong and ready to give us some advice?





Romans 7:6, ‘But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.’

I think it is going to take time.
Here the word used is ‘should.’
We should serve in newness of spirit.

Think of your child learning a new task.
We assign a time frame on it when they should have mastered the task.
Whether it is potty training or tying their shoes.

If they are in their early teens and still not potty trained there is a problem.

How much time should the Lord expect us to learn the task of serving in the spirit?





Romans 6:1-2, ‘What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?’

The sin that you thought of when that passage was read
Run it through our filter.
Is it sin?
Is it a bad habit?
Is it taking away from something else?

Any thoughts…





Romans 3:8, ‘And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.’

Let’s get this one out of the way.
Two wrongs don’t make it right.
Some times people say ‘It was of God.’
When some part of His word was violated.

Can young women start a dating ministry
Where they date unsaved men in order to get them saved?
Should I drive 100 mph to work to be on time to have a good testimony there?

Your thoughts on what I said…

Or your thoughts more importantly on our verse…





Conclusion

We have been given a free will.
We will reap consequences or blessings from our actions.
When we perform badly we don’t get to choose those consequences.
Just like we don’t get to choose our blessings.

We can be vessels or gold, silver, wood or earth.
What we are made of doesn’t dictate what we will be used for.

We can only live a balanced life in between the extremes with the help of the Holy Spirit.
If that trust is coupled with us walking with the Lord.

We are already capable of doing what the Lord has asked us to do
Or told us to do.
We are not doing the Lord’s work
He is doing it through us.
Or you can say we are doing it with Him.

Others will speak slanderously about us from time to time.
If we are right they will be punished by Him, in His time.
Let’s not behave wrongly to bring about a desired result.

Let’s be a lighthouse to help guide others.
Stay strong.
No need to beat others up.
And never doubt that He has left you.

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