Sunday Service - 2026-10-25

Welcome to the Lansdale Life Church podcast.

If you're seeking a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, this podcast is for you.

Thank you for joining us today.

So, Father God, thank you, Lord.

Thank you for this body of believers.

Such an honor and privilege to journey life with them, Lord.

And Lord, we just humbly come to you because we need some fresh manna, Lord.

We need some fresh meat, Lord God.

We want to be fed by you, by your word, by your Holy Spirit.

And only you can do that.

So Lord, we ask you to feed us this morning so that we can clearly perceive what we're

meant to receive from this and be transformed.

So we thank you in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So, you know, titles are always difficult to find, you know, because there's so many

things you can cover.

And I get that phone, I get that text from Lara around Thursday morning.

Do you have a title yet?

And I'm like, ah, you know, because I know the title is going to change five times

before Sunday morning, but I just have to go with something.

So that's what I came up with.

Breaking tradition for transformation.

And I added a little tagline, which isn't anywhere to be found except on your

WhatsApp that I sent out, but navigating change.

You know, because when you got first got saved, do you remember that?

Some of you are like, I don't know what you're talking about.

Well, maybe today the Lord is going to save you.

Amen.

But when you first got saved, you realize that you're different.

It might've taken a little while, you know, like for me, it took a season

of time to really believe I was new.

It took me at least a year.

Jill says two.

Jill says I'm still working on it, but anyway, but no, it takes some time

to really realize like, I'm new.

Like the word says I'm a new creation, but in a world that I've known my whole

life, regardless of what age you were when you got saved, but you're new.

And sometimes you're realizing like things seem different, but I'm

still the same, aren't I?

And you realize the Lord actually gradually starts to change you and show

you where you need to change, you know, whether it's people you spend a lot

of time with, you think, well, you know, these people aren't necessarily

healthy for me to be around.

You know, there was a season when I got saved, I basically disconnected

from anyone I really knew because of all the memories and the things

that drug me back into, you know, and so a lot of times the Lord

just shows us that we need to change the people we surround ourselves

with or places, the places you go, where you spend your time, you

know, this isn't for me any longer because I'm new, you know, it

takes a while to realize that I'm really new.

I'm a new creation.

I'm not the same.

And then perhaps the things that you do, you know, you realize that,

you know, I just can't do those things anymore because there's something

going on inside me that there's like this tug of war saying, nah, that's

not you anymore, used to be you, but it's not you anymore.

And a lot of times those things take a timeframe to figure out.

It's almost like your wilderness, you know, heading into the

promised land, you know, it's like, you know, it's just like you're

struggling to sort this whole thing out.

And really, that's what the Lord is doing.

He's transforming us and there's things we need to let go and there's

things we need to take on to be transformed, right?

And sometimes those things are easy to let go of.

Sometimes they're more difficult.

I remember when I first got saved, you know, I was in the church

thriving and suddenly my pastor said, well, you know, you need to get baptized.

I'm like, I shouldn't need to do anything.

I'm saved.

Like, like, what is this now?

All right.

I knew there was something coming.

I thought I was good.

Now I'm not good because I got to get baptized.

Like, like, why?

Like, what is that for if I'm saved?

Right.

But they explain to me, because it's another step of obedience, because if

you continue to surrender things and obey, you realize that life becomes

better because you're surrendering.

You know, you do well.

We're going to hear that term a couple of times.

You do well in your walk with Jesus.

When you realize you step in obedience.

Then they talked about tithing.

I really hated that.

Like, wait, whoa, whoa, 10% of my, that's my income.

It's mine.

It's what does God need money suddenly?

You know, I need to give my money to the church.

Like that seems, you know, that seems, you know, why, why does he need money?

You know, and I realize there's people around, there's lights, there's

buildings, there's things, but still I felt like, you know, why is that

necessary, but I realize that when you give, you actually are blessed so much.

He gives a hundredfold.

Whatever you give away in rewards, both here in this world and beyond, you

receive back.

So I realize giving is nothing now because when you give, you realize there's

so much God is going to bless you for.

Let it go.

It's his anyway, right?

Right from the beginning.

It's his, right?

And so tithing, that obedience.

So there's things suddenly that are uncomfortable at first, but you

realize, well, yeah, if I'm going to, if I'm going to do well and

advance in my walk in Christ, these things, I have to just surrender.

Right.

And there's new things I need to do.

Some of you might find difficulty, uh, maybe follow shipping or even participating

in what God's doing, you know, helping out and different things like that.

You know, for me, it was easy because I was excited to be there and to do

things, but for you, maybe it's that like, why do I have to do anything?

I shouldn't need to go there.

I shouldn't need to go to church every Sunday, every Sunday, you

know, and what, now they have this Wednesday night thing.

I have to go to that too.

Well, you don't have to do anything.

That's the thing with God.

You don't have to do anything, but if you do, you will do well.

And so, so now we're going to look at acts chapter 15 and we're going to see

kind of a pivotal time in church history because Gentiles are getting saved and

they have a lot of habits and they have a lot of traditions and they have a lot

of weird things that aren't, don't compliment Christianity.

Okay.

They don't, they aren't cohesive with the walk in Christ.

And then you also have on the other side, the Jews who have a lot of traditions,

laws, and, and things that they just think, well, we got to keep doing them.

I mean, God gave us these instructions.

We have to keep doing them.

So now there's a collision.

You got one side that's like, I like all these weird things.

And, and I don't know anything about this Yahweh God that has all these

rules and regulations.

And then you have the other side saying, no, you need to do this.

And suddenly it's like, boom, you know, there's a collision.

And we're going to read how the early church resolved it because they

realize that, you know, there is a collision.

There's a whole different culture, but what is God's culture?

Isn't that what we want in the end?

Doesn't matter what man's culture is.

It matters what God's culture is.

That's what we want for our lives.

You know, and so anyway, we're going to dive in now.

And there are 35 verses.

You're thinking of what, but we're only going to stop a couple of times, but it

reads so well, just like that story that we need to keep this section all together.

So you're ready?

Acts chapter 15 verse one.

And then we're going to stop abruptly right in the beginning.

But so verse one, and certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren

that unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.

Now imagine this, you're this Gentile.

You come to Christ and you're like this thriving, right?

You're like, wow, yeah, this is awesome.

You know, I'm forgiven.

And you can almost feel, do you remember when your sins were forgiven?

Like I know sometimes we start to own our sins again and we don't feel forgiven.

But do you remember when you really said, no, your sins are forgiven.

You and that burden was just lifted.

Well, they're feeling like this.

They're like, man, I just love people even so much more than I ever did.

This is wonderful.

And then some suddenly these guys from some other place that you don't even

know show up, they come into your town, into your synagogue or church, and they

start saying, yeah, dude, really sorry, Ben, you know, you really aren't saved

yet. OK, there's some more steps to the process.

And you're like, that's that's troubling, isn't it?

It's like, well, wait a minute.

If this guy's right, then I'm really been deceived.

And if he's wrong, get this guy.

Yeah, let's let's get this guy out of here.

Right. So there's some trouble.

OK, because, you know, because there's a conflict here.

And so and now they're telling them that you need to be circumcised.

OK, now we're not getting into graphic detail there, but you're

an older guy or a guy of whatever age, anything other than eight days old or

younger. And you're like, yeah, now we need to commit a surgical procedure

on you to cut off your foreskin.

Like, oh, wait, whoa, whoa, wait, like what?

I mean, I was bent out of shape about baptism and then tithing.

Imagine saying that you got to get sliced.

And I'm like, to be saved?

Like, I don't remember any of this being in the textbook.

Right. I mean, it's weird, right?

So they were very troubled about this and they were not happy.

So verse two, therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small

dissension and dispute with these guys, they determined that Paul

and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem

to the apostles and elders about this question.

And so being sent on their way by the church, they pass through

Phoenicia, Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles

and they cause great joy to all the brethren.

And verse four, and when they had come to Jerusalem, they were

received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and

they reported all things that God had done with them.

But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up

saying it is necessary to circumcise them and to command them

to keep the law of Moses.

Now, that's important to me.

When I read Pharisees who believed, you know, it made me

realize that like people who are very religious that we would

consider, you know, can also be saved, but they're just kind of

stuck in this religious, traditional process that they

think is also necessary.

And so they can't differentiate.

No, you still have to do all these things, but in their heart,

they know Jesus Christ.

I can't figure it out.

I can't figure out why people would stay in a system of all

these rules and regulations and so forth.

And yet you're really already free.

But I think there's an element of, you know, sometimes we

want to do something physical to prove something on the inside

and they just feel this is necessary.

You know, my mom was like that.

My mom raised us in religion and she was religious and then she

got saved.

So she started coming to our church on Sundays, but first she

went to her other church just to make sure, you know, because

by then it's just ingrained in you.

It's a familial thing.

You've been raised in it.

You have an obligation.

I don't know to what, but you have an obligation.

And she was so irritated at all the things that had happened

in religion that she disagreed with, but she was still tied,

tethered to that system.

I mean, maybe you've been there, you know, and I don't

want to bash the system and so forth.

It was because of the system.

In a sense, I was introduced to Jesus so I could honor religion

in that way, because at least it's a system to point

you to salvation, but it's not salvation.

And that's where people still get confused.

So my mom was that religious and then finally she was saved,

but she still stayed in it.

You know, so I can't figure it out, but there's people

that we can look at and say, you know, they're not even

saved because they still do all these things.

Well, maybe they are.

They just are this.

They haven't broken out of that tradition, you know, of

what they're used to.

So let's read on verse six.

Now, the apostles and the elders came together to consider

this matter, and when there had been much dispute, Peter rose

up and said to them, men and brethren, you know that a good

while ago, God chose among us that by my mouth, the Gentiles

should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

And so God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving

them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us and made no

distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts

by faith.

Now, therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on

the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor

we were able to bear?

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord

Jesus Christ, we shall be saved in the same manner as

they.

So, of course, Peter is saying, remember the Cornelius

thing?

Do you remember the Cornelius thing?

We talked about that a few weeks ago, but the Lord

showed him the blanket, you know, kill Peter, kill,

eat.

Oh, no, I would never eat anything that's, you know,

unclean.

Don't call what God has cleansed uncommon or unclean.

Right.

And so he knew this was something.

This was a sign.

And then he went and he led these Romans to Christ and

he went back and they said, did you really eat in the

house of Gentiles?

You see, wait a minute.

They're like us now.

They have the same Holy Spirit as us.

So this was him saying, do you remember?

Well, this is that.

This is what's happening here.

Listen, don't start putting burdens on them.

Don't throw a yoke on their neck that they can't or

shouldn't even be carrying.

Why lay more responsibility on them?

You know, Christ is the end of the law for those

who believe he is the law.

When you follow him, you already have the law.

He's he's all in one Jesus Christ.

Right.

And so this is him reminding them about the

Cornelius incident and verse 12 and then all the

multitude kept silent and listen to Barnabas and

Paul, declaring how many miracles and wonders God

had worked through them among the Gentiles.

And after they had become silent, James, who was

now kind of like the church leader, the half

brother of Jesus, James answered saying, men and

brethren, listen to me.

Simon has declared how God at the first visited

the Gentiles to take out of them a people for

his name.

And with this, the words of the prophets agree,

just as it is written, after this, I will return

and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which

has fallen down and rebuild its ruins.

And I will set it up so that the rest of mankind

may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are

called by the name, by my name, and says the Lord

who does all these things.

Verse 18, known to God from eternity for all his

works, therefore, I judge that we should not

trouble those from among the Gentiles who are

turning to God, but that we write to them to

abstain from the things polluted by idols, from

sexual immorality, from things strangled and from

blood.

For Moses has had throughout many generations

those who preach him in every city, being read

in the synagogues every Sabbath.

So here, James is saying they don't have to do all

that, but they should do this.

Okay, so there's something here.

Okay, there's something that we're going to talk

about in a couple of minutes that James is saying,

no, this is necessary, not for salvation, but to

do well, okay, to do well.

So these are some things we need to consider.

So I believe James is saying, now, wait a minute,

this is, if you just go back saying you don't have

to be circumcised, then they're going to just

keep going with all the other things they are

doing, which are not complimentary to a walk in

Christ, which are still paganistic, and there's

still an abomination to God.

We have to deal with this.

We have to address this, right?

Even though they don't have to do that, they

still should do this.

And he's seeing that, you know, in all these

cities, Moses is being taught, and there's going

to be a conflict in every city because suddenly,

wait, you're a Christian?

What are you doing with that Yeti full of blood?

Okay, what, you drinking blood?

I'm just Yeti, whatever, you know, you know, or

what's the Stanley cup?

You got a 40 ounce Stanley cup of blood, you

sicko, right?

But I love this Stanley cup.

But, but you know what I'm saying?

Like, there's going to be a conflict.

There's going to be completely continual

friction and collision.

So we should at least deal with this that

they are doing that should not be done.

Okay.

So we're going to get back to that in a minute.

And verse 22, and then it please the

apostles and elders with the whole church to

send chosen men of their own company to

Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely

Judas, who was also named Barnabas and

Silas leading men from the brethren.

And they wrote this letter by them, the

apostles, the elders and the brethren to the

brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch,

Syria and Cilicia.

Greetings, since we have heard that some who

went out from us have troubled you with

words, unsettling your souls, saying you

must be circumcised and keep the law to

whom we gave no such commandment.

It seemed to us being assembled with one

accord to send chosen men to you with our

beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have

risked their lives for the name of the

Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 27, we have therefore sent Judas and

Silas, who will also report the same

things by word of mouth, also report the

same things, I'm sorry, by word of

mouth, verse 28, for it seemed good to the

Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no

greater burden than these necessary

things, verse 29, that you abstain from

things offered to idols, from blood, from

things strangled and from sexual

immorality, if you keep these, keep

yourselves from these, you will do

well, farewell, verse 30.

So when they were sent off, they came to

Antioch, and when they had gathered the

multitude together, they delivered the

letter, and when they had read it, they

rejoiced over its encouragement.

Now Judas and Silas themselves, being

prophets, also exhorted and strengthened

the brethren with many words, and after

they had stayed there for a time, they

were sent back with greetings from the

brethren to the apostles.

However, it seemed good to Silas to

remain there, Paul and Barnabas also

remain in Antioch, teaching and

preaching the word of the Lord with

many others also.

So here Silas stays behind, we're going

to read about him next week when he

joins up with Paul.

And so I thought that phrase was

interesting, it seemed good to the

Holy Spirit, you know, it seemed good.

I don't know how your version reads, but

we should always know that it seems good

to him, you know what I mean?

Like it shouldn't just seem right to us.

You know, we pray quite often as a

family, elders for this church, we just

want his mind, like, Lord, you, does

this seem right to you?

What's your thoughts on this?

We need his mind.

We need the mind of Christ.

We have it, but we need more of it.

So anyway, so here they encouraged

them. So before we get into those four

things that they were supposed to

abstain from, I think that James wants

to bring unity here, doesn't he?

He wants to bring, he wants to bring

unity, but not at the expense of

compromising truth.

And I think that's the Spirit of God.

James wrote about this in James 3, 17

and 18, but the wisdom from above is

first pure than peaceable, gentle, open

to reason, full of mercy and good

fruits, impartial and sincere.

And a harvest of righteousness is

sown in peace by those who make peace.

So, you know, sometimes we think,

well, no, it has to be this.

This is what's right.

And then another side can say, well,

no, but this is right.

But a lot of times if we just ask

God to bring unity, he's able to

parse out what's the most important

thing. Like what's the priority here?

We don't have to.

We don't have to be right all the

time. We need God to show us what's

right. And so this is what's

happening here, that they deliver

this message. And I think it's

interesting. And we don't know how

the Pharisees responded to this,

but we don't see any more uproar.

It's great. It would be great to

think that these believing

Pharisees realize that, you know

what, OK, I see where you're

coming from. Maybe we don't need

this anymore.

So let's talk briefly just about

circumcision, because this was

something significant to the

early the Israelites.

Right. I mean, this was this

was actually a sign of God's

covenant with them.

And we read about this in

Genesis 17 verses 10 to 14.

And this was, of course, not

given to Moses. It was given to

Abraham right from the

beginning. This is my covenant,

which you shall keep between me

and you and your offspring after

you. Every male among you shall

be circumcised.

You shall be circumcised in the

flesh of your foreskins.

And it shall be a sign of the

covenant between me and you.

So it was a sign of a

covenant.

But, you know, it was always an

outward sign, wasn't it?

It should have been an inward

sign. It should have been like,

no, I am oh, I am owned

by the Lord, the Yahweh, to

them. I belong to Him.

I'm a special people.

I'm a special person.

And I belong to Him.

This is an outward sign.

But the Lord always wanted to be

go beyond skin deep.

He wanted to go into the heart

and the soul.

He wants the heart

circumcised.

And we read about this later

in the Old Testament, still

in Deuteronomy, we read, well,

let's read it up there.

Deuteronomy, the Lord says to

Israel, circumcised there for

the foreskin of your heart and

be no longer stubborn.

Later on, He says, and the

Lord your God will circumcise

your heart and the heart of

your offspring so that you

will love the Lord your God

with all your heart, with all

your soul and with all

and your soul that you may

live, heart, soul, mind and

strength.

So He wants them to have

a circumcised heart.

Now, that's not something that

somebody is going to go in

there and cut out.

It's your heart being

transformed.

So the outward circumcision

was always pointing to

something that would happen

later, a circumcised heart.

Paul talks about this in

Romans chapter two, verse

twenty eight to twenty nine.

For no one is a Jew who is

merely one outwardly, nor is

circumcision outward and

physical, but a Jew is one

inwardly and circumcision is

a matter of the heart by the

spirit, not by the letter.

His praise is not from man,

but from God.

So see, they were saying that

like this outward practice of

cutting skin away is unnecessary

now, because now the Lord

circumcises the heart so we

can put that away.

That's OK to put away, you

know, and actually it was so

severe that they said if

anyone is not circumcised, they

need to be cut off from the

people.

OK, I'd rather have skin cut

away than me cut away.

OK, they should be cut off

from their own people.

So this was was significant.

So you can almost imagine being

like a religious Jew.

And this was always a symbol.

All these centuries and

centuries.

This was your your history.

And some of you are saying it's

not needed anymore.

How significant is this Jesus?

Well, you answer that.

He's everything.

He is everything right.

If you don't have Jesus,

you have nothing.

You can, you know,

it's Jesus and nothing else.

Right.

So these things that they're

about to tell us to abstain

from weren't salvation either.

But they were saying, if you

want to follow Jesus well,

get rid of those things.

OK, so that they don't

cloud the way, get rid of

them. Right.

Just like that when Paul

talks about, you know,

cutting off the sin that

snares you down and and

drags you down.

Just cut it off.

Right.

And so now we're going to

look at these things that

they were called to abstain

from.

And if you could put up

that next slide.

There we go.

So things necessary to

abstain from if you wish

to do well.

Remember, he wrote at the

end of the letter, if you

abstain from these things,

you will do well.

I want to do well.

Right.

So I stopped drinking blood.

I told Jill, I'm not going

to do that anymore.

Thank God that was never

a thing for me.

OK, I don't even like rare

meat. Do you like rare

meat?

I had a friend that would

eat Pittsburgh rare.

Do you know what that is?

It's burnt on the outside

and it's it just it's

bloody on the inside.

That ain't me.

But I like medium.

Jill likes well done.

It's like all the flavor

is gone now medium well.

I'm kidding.

I'm kidding.

But I always throw

her under the bus up here.

I pay for it later.

So it's not like I go.

I come out of this unscathed.

I don't.

But anyway, but, you know,

I'm not into blood,

but, you know, this is

something that they should

abstain from.

But of course, it has so

much more significance

when we're reading it

to them back then.

Then to us now, perhaps,

perhaps, right?

So the first thing

and by the way,

James, if you read

when James was saying

I judge that we should do this,

the order was rearranged

when he wrote the letter.

So I don't know

if there's significance to that,

but it's a different order.

So I'm wondering if,

you know, the Lord gave him

an illumination,

made him realize that, oh, no,

this is what we should do.

But then as they sat down

to write the letter,

the Holy Spirit

helped them really sort this out

and bring it in a better format

and better order.

So whether there's a significance

to the order, I don't know.

But the first thing was things

or food offered to idols,

abstain from that.

Now, there's scripture

in the Old Testament that says

abstain from food

offered to idols.

Now, during this time,

there were temples

all over the place

to all kinds of Gods, OK,

mainly originating

from the Greek culture.

OK, and there are people

worshipping Gods.

And part of it, of course,

was bringing offerings.

OK, and by the way,

also drinking blood.

OK, and so forth.

So this was a part

of their worship.

OK, and so.

And so this is what they were doing.

And you can just take that

there for a second, sorry.

And it was it was

is to them, it was significant

and important, right,

to for the Gentiles,

because they offered offerings

to false Gods.

But really, they were demons.

OK, and they just didn't

even realize it.

So to them, what they were doing

naively was important to God.

And so let's read about that in

1 Corinthians 10.

If you can put that up.

Sorry about that.

I just told you to put it down.

Verse 20 to 21.

What do I imply, then?

That food offered to idols

is anything or then an idol

is anything? No.

I imply that what

pagan sacrifice they offer

to demons and not to God.

I do not want you to be

participants with demons.

You cannot drink the cup

of the Lord and a cup of demons.

You cannot partake

of the table of the Lord

and the table of demons.

So see, this was important to God.

Now, one might say, you know,

who cares?

It doesn't really have

any impact on me.

Well, that's true.

Unless you know about it

and unless the person you're with

knows about it

and it becomes a conscience thing.

OK, Paul goes on from there

in verse 23 to 25.

And he says,

all things are lawful,

but not all things are helpful.

All things are lawful,

but not all things build up.

Let no one seek his own good,

but the good of his neighbor.

Eat whatever is sold

in the meat market.

Now, remember, he just got done

saying it was offered to demons

and I don't want you to partake

anything with demons.

But now he's saying,

eat whatever is put in front of you.

All right, we're going to

reconcile that in a minute.

Eat whatever is sold in the market

without raising any question

on the ground of conscience.

And then the next slide,

verses 27 and 28.

If one of the unbelievers

invites you to dinner

and you are disposed to go,

eat whatever is set before you

without raising any question

on the ground of conscience.

There's that the ground

of conscience again.

But if someone says to you,

this has been offered to

in sacrifice, then do not eat it

for the sake of the one

who informed you

and for the sake of conscience.

And then finally, the last slide,

verses 31 to 33.

So whether you eat or drink

or whatever you do,

do all to the glory of God.

Give no offense to Jews

or to Greeks or to the Church of God.

Just as I try to please everyone

and everything I do,

not seeking my own advantage,

but that of many

that they may be saved.

So here he's saying, look,

if someone's offering you food

that has been

during worship to demons, OK,

but you don't know about it,

it's not going to have

any impact on you

because greater is he who is in me

than he who is in the world.

You know, all this idea of like,

well, you might have unknowingly

taken on a demon.

You know, I believe the only power

the evil one has upon us

is the power we surrender to him.

You're already covered

by the blood of Christ.

He says, I came to judge the enemy.

He has nothing in me

and we are in Christ.

So really, if you are in Christ,

you already have the dominating Holy Spirit

who has dominion over all other

spiritual realms, right?

So the enemy can't hijack you

unless you open the door,

say, come on in, right?

Because you are

you are a new creation.

The demons tremble

when you walk into the room

unless you don't know who you are

and who you are

and what your power and authority

is in this world, right?

And once you know

and you stand in that authority,

the enemy can't do anything, right?

So he's saying

it doesn't matter.

But now you're sitting there with someone

and they came out of this.

They might have been there

at one point when this food

was being offered, they say,

oh, by the way, before you eat this,

I should tell you

that it is offered

to the Goddess Artemis

or whatever it is, you know?

And you're like, oh.

All right, I'll pass

because you know

it matters to them.

It has no impact on you,

but it matters to them.

Now, if it matters to them,

it matters to you

because what we do

has an impact on everything, right?

And now it does matter.

You know, things don't matter

until they matter, right?

And I can give you an example of this.

So I was in Nicaragua

with the McRoberts on a missions trip

and Jill and I went to this cathedral

and it was the biggest cathedral

in Central America, actually.

And so we're there

and it's interesting.

I don't want to go there.

But anyway, so forget it.

Really, just never mind.

So anyway, we go outside

of the cathedral.

It was really cool.

And we're walking out

and there's these kids there

and they say, hey, do you want to,

you know, a lollipop?

And like, that's that's random.

But yeah, yeah, OK, sure.

So I was with these two other

Nicaraguan young guys, you know,

well, they're young,

they're 20, whatever.

And we're walking along.

And so, you know,

and so we start eating the lollipops

and suddenly they started saying,

yeah, that's part

of their atonement process.

They have to pay.

They have to pay penance

for their sins through good works.

And this is how they do it.

And I'm like, oh, whatever, you know.

So all of a sudden they

now they came out of this.

OK.

So they're walking along

and they're like,

yeah, you know, I really don't feel

good about eating this because

the person who gave it to us

thinks that they're working off

their sins as we're licking

on this lollipop.

Like I'm like, OK.

Well, listen and say, yeah,

we're not going to eat this.

I'm thinking, well, then

neither am I going to eat this?

You see, because it's it's it is.

It matters because it matters

to them because it used to be in that.

It matters to the kids that gave them

that maybe it would be better

if we knew and said, you know,

oh, no, no, no, no, you know,

only Jesus Christ pays for your sins.

Giving us a lollipop

isn't going to do it, you know.

But so but so I can see this,

you know, this connection,

you know, because it matters, you know.

There's so many examples

that they use a lot of times

this whole example with alcohol.

You know, you can have

a glass of wine and have, you know,

and not be intoxicated.

Two glasses of wine, maybe spread out

over whatever time and be fine.

You know, and there's, you know,

nothing like biblically

wrong with alcohol, right?

And wine, so forth. Right.

I mean, that was Jesus's first miracle.

I think if he was going to say

this is evil, he wouldn't have made

that his first miracle.

All right. Yeah.

If if if it is, then I can't wait

to ask him about that

when I get there.

You know, I don't understand that.

But anyway, so

and we see again and again,

you know, he's drinking the cup,

take this cup communion.

Why? And by the way,

wine was the same word,

whether it was the process

of the musk that is being developed

into fermentation or the fermentation.

So it's too vague

to really sort out,

oh, that wasn't really whatever.

But it was probably weaker back then.

But anyway, so drinking. Right.

So you can have a glass of wine now.

You're going to your family function

and your dad is there

and he is an ex alcoholic

or maybe still is an alcoholic.

And you look at him

and you think about

all the pain and sorrow

it's caused him, his family,

your family.

And you're thinking

this means way more

to him than it does to me.

I can do without.

I don't need this.

I don't need this glass of wine

or this beer.

It's not important to me.

Right. It's just not because

am I my brother's keeper?

Well, you're not his keeper,

but you're his supporter.

Right. I mean, we're all parts

of the body of Christ,

we're tendons, ligaments.

I care about how they perceive things.

I don't want to be a stumbling block.

Right. I want to be.

I want to encourage them

and support them.

I don't want to be an obstacle

to their walk in Christ.

That's the idea.

Another quick example

and you could do it.

This is your whatever you may.

But but I remember this worship leader,

Cory Asbury, you know,

and he sings some songs.

We we sing and all that.

But so he was

he was performing

and he had nail polish on.

And, you know, I don't care.

I just don't care.

But some people had a problem with it,

you know, and so his thing was,

well, my three daughters polished my nails.

And that's why I'm wearing nail polish.

Well, how many hours ago or days ago?

And that was your excuse last time.

But I don't really care.

I don't care when I say I really don't care.

But in the wake of transgenderism,

of cross-dressing,

of all the filth that's out there

and you're leading worship.

I don't care if you do that at home.

I don't care if you do it when you go out.

But you're leading worship

for the Church of God.

Is it important?

Like, do you have to have nail polish on

and then defend it?

No, no, it's like nothing I do

is that important that I can't just give it up

if it's causing someone to stumble.

What is that, pride or arrogance?

No, I fight for my right to wear nail polish.

How dare you step in between me and my nail polish?

Like, it's just dumb, isn't it?

Even when you say it.

Is it that important?

Whatever we do, is it that important

if it's causing someone else to stumble?

And that's what this is all about.

Paul is just saying,

this stuff is not conducive

to living a life of Christ

and it's going to tear people down.

And I think we could take the same,

the same message for us in our lives,

maybe not in that same exact application,

but in other ways, just say, you know what?

I don't need it.

I don't need it enough

if I'm going to cause someone else to stumble.

And then if you could put up that slide again,

you know, that was food.

We're not going to dig into all of them,

but like the blood and, you know, the blood.

What's the matter with drinking blood?

Well, the Lord commanded Noah,

don't drink the blood of animals.

Okay.

The only drink we blood,

we symbolically drink is what?

The blood of Christ, that's pure.

That is pure.

That's the perfect vintage, right?

It's eternal vintage, right?

You look on the label, eternity,

the alpha and the omega.

That's the blood that we drink, right?

Right.

But the blood, you know, carries with it pathogens,

bacteria, disease.

I don't know why people would want to drink raw blood,

but it's so prevalent in the occult,

in the actions and practices

of the old paganistic religions.

That's why God said, don't drink it.

It's harmful for you physically

and it's harmful for you spiritually

because you're looking like the rest of the pagans.

Well, now he's saying, no, keep this.

Keep this.

Not for salvation, but so that you will do well, right?

And then animals strangled, same thing, really.

You're eating an animal that died with all its blood.

You're cutting it open.

All the blood's in there, the same type of thing.

But let's go to sexual immorality.

You know, that's, for everything,

that is always going to be the downfall.

Sexual immorality is always wrong.

And it's just, it's wrong, actually,

just for society, for humanity, put away faith.

But for following Jesus Christ,

you can't be sexually immoral.

And that covers all kinds, a multitude of sins, right?

Adultery, fornication, sex outside of marriage,

homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals,

sexual intercourse with close relatives,

sexual intercourse with a divorced man or woman.

And we're not gonna get into marriage

and divorce and all that today.

But it's always wrong, okay?

Because it's always the downfall.

And it's really partnering with the evil one

when we start to engage in any of those things.

And you know, these cultures had pedophilia.

It was just like part of their practice, you know?

I mean, it's sick.

And the Lord just wanted to get rid, society, of this.

So it's just always wrong.

He says, don't do that.

You might think it's okay for you to be sleeping around

with your daughter, you're sick of them.

I'm sorry, that slipped out.

That's from me, not God, okay?

But it's not, put it away, stop it, right?

Because it's evil and wicked, sexual immorality,

any kind is just wrong, right?

And so this is still wrong.

In fact, in Revelation, the two churches

that Jesus speaks to, Thyatira and Pergamos,

if you can recall, he says,

but this I have against you.

You teach people to offer sacrifices to idols,

in other words, demons, knowingly,

and you practice sexual immorality.

So that was embedded in the church.

And he said this, I have against you.

If you don't knock it off, I'm gonna put you out.

I'm gonna snuff out your candle, your lamp.

And so in closing, and if the worship team

can start to come forward,

what are some takeaways that we can glean from this?

And I always like an application

and maybe the Lord has already given you other ones.

You could be saying,

Chris, you missed the biggest thing of all.

Share it with me later, I'd love to,

because I want that.

I want the Lord to show you things.

I love when people come up to me at the end and say,

you know what, and some one little word I said

about something that was sort of unrelated,

and that's the thing they latched onto.

I'm like, oh really, wow, okay, yeah, it's good.

Because we want the Holy Spirit to be using the word of God

to bring forward something specific to you, amen.

And so, but here's some things,

don't put a yoke on someone else's neck.

Well, how do we do that?

Okay, well, whether it be your freedom

or your conscience.

So, you see someone, oh, did you see them drinking?

Now, to me, I think it's right to,

if you're gonna bring someone else down,

as else we've shared, to just abstain, right?

But if you're the person who can walk in Christ

and you're not addicted to anything, never wire nothing,

and then all of a sudden,

you're judging someone for having a beer.

And you're like, you know, you're trying to put a yoke,

your yoke on them, like you're judging them,

whether it would be good for them or bad for them,

that's between them and God, but that's a yoke, right?

You know, you're still, in a sense,

held captive to that, and maybe you should be,

maybe it's right for you, right?

But for your conscience, that's your conscience,

you don't have to make it their conscience, right?

So don't put a yoke on their neck.

But for your freedom, for your,

I can wear nail polish if I want.

If I wear a nail polish next Sunday, okay, I don't know,

you're probably gonna stone me, but I won't, I won't.

But when you think about it,

like why should my freedom become a yoke for someone else?

Like, I can't, I just can't process this.

How could this be the right thing, you know?

And there's so many churches going haywire

into all kind of debauchery, right?

Saying, well, we can legal, well, we're,

you're gonna have to reinvent scripture

if you're gonna condone this, okay?

You're just gonna have to restructure things, right?

Because it's obviously not okay.

The next thing, avoid knowingly doing things

that will prevent you from doing well.

Remember when God said to Cain, why are you downcast?

Don't you know if you do well, you will be accepted.

He didn't do well, he didn't do well.

But otherwise sin is crouching at the door.

You know, sin is crouching at the door

if we keep stepping in things

that we are supposed to abstain from, you know?

Does it mean you're not saved anymore?

No, it's not like you're getting going to hell

because you're doing that,

but you're certainly not going to live a fruitful life.

I'm just saying.

If you're in any of these sins, you know,

like sexual immorality,

if you're held captive by pornography,

by sex outside of marriage,

like you might not think it's matters, it does.

It's weighing you down.

It's a burden.

You're not able to think clearly or to serve clearly.

And he's abstain from it, be cleansed from it, right?

Don't knowingly continue to do those things.

And then finally, number three,

be conscience of conscience, yours and others.

In other words, just, you know,

if someone else has a conscience

that that just really burdens, do you have to do it?

Is it going to change your time that much

that if you insist on doing that

and not insist on doing something else?

Like, can't you just give it up?

Isn't it worth it?

You know, Paul said,

I've become all things to all people

so that I might save some.

We can give it up.

It's not a big deal, right?

Or do it in, you know, if it's Godly,

do it in other environments.

But, you know, dancing, you know,

dancing used to be a thing.

I think in Jill's old church, you cannot dance, right?

Well, you can dance.

You can't dance certain ways.

You shouldn't wear certain things when you dance, right?

You know, because dance can certainly muster up

a lot of lustful thoughts and attitudes and so forth.

But like David danced in his underwear.

Now we're not going to go there today.

I don't know.

I think it was long and modest, but still weird.

But like dancing was certainly Godly, right?

Dancing was Godly, right?

Again, not seductive and lustful dancing

and all that stuff, but dancing was okay.

I know someone who actually left our church

because we had drums, okay?

He just couldn't get over it.

And his wife couldn't get over it

because of her background with some baggage and things.

And, you know, the beat, the uplifting music

to her and to them just reminded them of so much.

I'm like, then God bless you.

You shouldn't.

You should go where you're able to serve.

And we don't want to be an obstacle for you.

So if you come here and that's doing that to you,

then serve somewhere else.

And we love you and we're not going to try to fix you.

I don't want to fix anybody.

You know, the Holy Spirit does what he does.

And there are different cultures in the church,

you know, of all kinds.

And, you know, some are different than others.

It doesn't mean they're wrong.

And we have to fix someone.

So why don't we all stand up?

Father God, we ask you Lord, if we're doing something in our lives

that maybe is insensitive or becoming an obstacle

to someone else, Lord.

Lord, help us see how meaningless it is.

It's just food.

It's just drink.

It just doesn't even matter, Lord,

if it's a burden to someone else, we want them to thrive, Lord.

And Lord, if there's an area that we are maybe holding on to traditions,

holding on to patterns that we've been taught that are God

and it's only this way, Lord God,

may we not lay that yoke on someone else and say,

you need to do it this way because, Lord, that's their walk.

And who are we to judge them for their walk?

So Lord, help us be your hands and feet.

Help us be your ministers, your messengers.

Lord God, not our own.

And help us just lift others up and exhort them,

edify them, motivate them, and be Barnabas' sons of encouragement to others, Lord.

We ask this in Jesus' name, amen.

Let's give the Lord a round of applause. Hallelujah.

Thanks for joining us at Lansdale Life Church

as we praise God and discuss His word.

Don't forget to join us for Worship Live Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. Eastern on YouTube.

Be blessed and have a great day!