Sermon Tone Analysis

Law of Limitation

HEAVEN'S FIXED LAWS

Ron Dunn

1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23-33

 

12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

23All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

24Let no man seek his own, but every man another's.

25Whatsoever is sold in the marketplace, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: 26For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.

27If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.

28But if any man say unto you, this is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof:  29Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?  30For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?

31Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.  32Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:  33Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

One of the first things God said to man was "thou shalt not."

He placed man in the Garden of Eden and gave him dominion over all things that God had created.

God had made abundant provision for man so that he could live his life in fullness and in fellowship.

Yet in the midst of all that, God had a limitation.

God had a prohibition.

And he said of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, "Thou shalt not eat of it."

At the very beginning of human history, God enunciates the law of prohibition or the law of limitation.

Running throughout the Bible, you'll find over and over again God setting up limitations and prohibitions.

There are certain things that man is not to touch.

There are certain things that man is not to partake of.

The reason that God sets the law of limitation is for man's good and for God's glory.

The basic law of all human existence is a law of negative and a law of limitations.

Thou shalt not have any other gods before me.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

Thou shalt not bear false witness.

Thou shalt not covet.

Running through the New Testament you will find the same law of limitation.

The Christian who ignores and violates the law of limitation will never find the fullness of Christ in his life that God intends him to have.

We are going to take these passages that I have read and two or three others, and we are going to investigate just a little deeper God's law of limitation.

In these verses we read a moment ago, Paul laid down two great principles for the Christian life.

I.  Law of Liberty

        Paul says all things are lawful for me.

He says I have the right, I have the power, I can do anything.

There is the law of liberty in the Christian life.

Sometimes, we get the idea that Jesus Christ and his salvation isn't a liberating thing--that there is no freedom in it.

There is.

Paul said all things are lawful for me.

Yet, on the other hand, not all things are expedient.

So there is the law of liberty.

Paul means by this that Christianity, my salvation, is not dependent upon rules and regulations.

I am not saved by keeping rules and regulations.

Nor am I lost by disobeying rules and regulations.

Salvation is by grace through faith, not of works lest any man should boast.

So Paul can say all things are lawful for me.

Sometimes a person will come and ask, "As a Christian, can I do thus and so?

If I ever come to Jesus and become a Christian, can I do this and can I do that?"

Salvation is not dependent upon the things that you do.

Salvation is by grace (that means God provides it all).

It is received through faith.

Several years ago I was preaching a revival in Hurst, Texas, and a lady who had been attending the services came to me afterward and said, "I would like to be a Christian but I need to ask you one question.

I know how narrow-minded you Baptists are (of course, I could have told her of a lot of Baptists who aren't narrow), and I love to drink.

If I get saved, will I have to give up my drinking?"

I told her, "That is beside the point.

Why do you ask that question?"

She said she enjoyed drinking and didn't see anything wrong with it.

I said, "Let me ask you a question.

Would you be willing to come to Jesus without any reservation, holding back nothing, and if after you were saved, one day God came to you and told you that was wrong and he wanted you to stop it, would you be willing to do that?

If God shows you someday that it is wrong, would you be willing to stop it?

She said, "Sure, if God showed me that it was wrong, if he showed me that it was a sin, I would quit it."

I told her not to worry about that, just come to Jesus.

One night during the service she came and was saved.

God really did a work of salvation.

She came to me a few nights later and said, "Hey, do you know what?"

I started to say, "Yes, I know what."

She said, "You know that problem I was talking about?

I just don't have any desire to do that anymore."

Salvation is not dependent upon rules and regulations.

If I had told her she had to be willing to give up that thing, and that it was a sin, then I would have been saying to her that salvation is dependent upon what you are able to give up.

No person is able to give up anything in his own strength.

He comes to Jesus without reservation, willing to let Jesus take everything that is wrong away from him, and then Jesus does it.

D.

L. Moody had a man come to him one time and he said, "If I get saved, will I be able to drink all I want to?"

The man was saved and came back and said, "Mr.

Moody, I don't want to drink anymore."

Paul is saying that all things are lawful for me.

Understand that we are not condoning this tonight but Paul is saying that Christianity is not a matter of rules and regulations.

You are not saved by what you do, and you are not lost by what you do.

One of the greatest verses in all the New Testament is John 3:18 where he says,

He that believeth on him is not condemned:  but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God.

What is it that condemns a man?--the fact that he believes not.

Years ago someone handed me a little tract.

On the first page in red letters was the question, "What must I do to be saved?"

I opened the next page and listed certain Scriptures telling me what I had to do to be saved.

I turned the next page and there was another question in red ink.

"What must I do to be lost?"

I flipped to the next page and one word stared at me:  nothing.

I don't have to do anything to be lost.

A man does not go to hell because he lies or steals or cheats or drinks; he goes to hell because he believes not in the Son of God.

II.

Law of Limitation

        So Paul says "all things are lawful for me."

That means my salvation does not depend on these things.

So there is the law of liberty.

There is in that same expression the law of limitation.

All things are lawful unto me but all things are not expedient

All things are lawful but I will not be brought under the power of anything.

So there is the law of limitation.

God can only bless your life as long as you recognize and bow in submission to the law of limitation.

There are some things that are wrong for the Christian to be a part of.