1 Corinthians 8 9 Dont Cause Your Brother to Stumble

i'm glad you could join me today i'm in the book of first corinthians chapter eight now in this particular passage paul is talking about something that is foreign to most of our ears we don't really deal very much with meat sacrificed to idols and that was particular issue in the first century perhaps in some other cultures in our world today but but probably not so much for us us in the west but paul uses this as way to speak about the sins that afflict many of us each of us has issues that we face excuse me we all have certain sins that are more prominent in our lives than perhaps in our neighbors lives it might be that one person struggles with anger more than another person but that other person struggles with pornography more than the first someone may struggle with gossip or someone may struggle with something else and one of the things that paul and joins us to do is to be sensitive to the weaknesses of others and that's that's proper and that's right for us to do that it's not an excuse for those weaknesses it's not an accommodation to those weaknesses but we need to be for our part sensitive to that and that means that even though we may have freedom in ourselves to go and see certain movies there may be others around us that upon seeing those people that are seeing us go into movie theater to see that or worse rated movie it may be that they would say how can christian really do that and it would cause them to stumble there are others of us and perhaps this is more prominent in our day who struggle struggle with drugs and with alcohol and when they see us entering bar or having cocktail or some sort of social drink it may be that there's no problem in our lives we may not have that that bent toward alcoholism but but they might and sometimes seeing us do that is cause for us for them to stumble and we become that cause for their stumbling now in the first century the issue had to be with had to do with meat sacrifice to idols that the idolatry that was prevalent in the first century caused some people to make sacrifices to these false gods and and so that meat was then sold in the in the marketplace and those people who were especially sensitive to that who were especially drawn to that may try to restrict themselves from from eating and buying meat that had been sacrificed to the gods but somebody else maybe dear brother was not was not of that particular bent and so he didn't have that that attitude he didn't have that particular issue and so he didn't have any care about that and so he would go ahead and he would purchase that meat maybe it was cheaper than the meat that was not sacrificed to the isles don't don't know but the point is that paul says if it causes your brother to stumble don't do it now he's not trying to make us legalists he's not trying to cause us to to be restricted he is causing us to be sensitive to the work that god is doing in the lives of those around us and so that's why paul tells the people in corinth at this particular time don't cause your brother to stumble don't be responsible for your brother being tempted into sin and and being being led astray in this particular way doesn't mean that you can't enjoy those things that that you have the freedom to enjoy but you have to be conscious of who it is around you who is watching and who is respecting your faith in christ and who might be drawn away from you or from christ because of your particular actions that's what paul is talking about it's not matter of you don't have the freedom to do this it's not matter of the tyranny of this weaker brother it's matter of respect for him now there are some times when in ministry we need to be people who who explain proper terminology there are people today who who believe that you should only re read from one particular translation of the bible and if am visiting in that particular congregation respect that for them but if am not if am in position of leadership where am responsible for for their education and for their training then may do something different in order to explain that to them and help them to grow so this is the idea that paul has here don't cause your brother to stumble let's pray together father thank you for giving to us your grace and your peace and provision strengthen us now and guide us that we would not cause our brothers to stumble in in their faith in you in jesus name amen god bless you hope you have great day