Take your Bibles and turn with me to Philippians chapter 1. We will get to this passage in a few moments. We began last week really looking at the topic of principled living in a pragmatic culture. And how do you make decisions? We live in a day where Christians differ. We have the same Bible, same Holy Spirit. We desire to serve the Lord and yet we can come to different conclusions. How does that happen? And how do we navigate that in a way that will bring honor to the Lord? Last week we began and considered how certain topics really do take a level of biblical knowledge and understanding to even begin the discussion. And last week we looked at Hebrews chapter 5. In Hebrews 5, the author of Hebrews is writing to his readers and saying, you know, I would like to talk with you and discuss the comparison between the Melchizedekian priesthood and the priesthood of Jesus Christ. He said, but I'm not able to do that. He said, because there are some things here that are difficult to understand. He acknowledged that the topic is challenging. But he went on and said, that isn't the real problem. He said, while the topic is challenging, the real problem is that you are dull of hearing. And so his point was that there's a spiritual lethargy or complacency that they were not willing to or able or ready to do the mental heavy lifting necessary for that kind of an interaction. And so he continued on. He said there's this dullness of hearing. And then he said that it's actually complicating some other areas. He said, this dullness of hearing has hindered ministry. He said, because of the time you've been saved and the opportunities you've had, you ought to be a teacher. He said, but you actually need somebody to go back and cover the basic principles, the ABCs of spiritual life. And his point was, there's a right time for that. But then there's a time to be moving beyond that. And he said, because of that, you're not able to teach, but instead other people have to redirect their energy, their talent, their time, and teach you again. And so it was really perpetuating their immaturity. And that was part of the problem there. They should be teachers. But he brought it to the, we come to really the final aspect where we looked at this last week then in Hebrews 5.14 he said, but solid food belongs to those who are of a full age, that is those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil. And so we concluded last week by saying that there really are four things that were being brought out there. That there's a habitual pattern by reason of use. There's a pattern of making the right choices. That by reason of use, that secondly, there's a sensory perception. Your senses have been trained. There's a moral development, there's a discriminating taste, there's a spiritual taste buds. that you're able to discern, that there's that sensory perception, that your senses have been exercised. And that was the third thing. It was a product of training. It's a habitual pattern for sensory perception through the product of training, by reason of use. Instead of being dull of hearing, they were engaging, they were connecting, they were developing. and that they were making the right moral choices. That by reason of use you have your senses exercised to discern good and evil. And so that aspect of discernment, that these moral judgments come as we make the right choices. And so the point of all of that was that there has to be a commitment to think purposefully. We have to cultivate an appreciation and understanding for what is beautiful and excellent in God's perspective. There has to be that desire to live a holy life that we discern good and evil. And there's really a longing to develop our affection spiritually. So the first aspect then is we have to be able to tell the difference between right and wrong. That's step one. I want us to continue from there this evening, though, and step two is more than knowing right from wrong, it's the ability to determine what is excellent. You know, sometimes when we're looking at areas and trying to decide, okay, is this right, and developing that discernment, somebody says, well, what's wrong with it? Well, that is a fair question, but that's very basic. If that's where we stop, we really have not moved on to maturity. Okay, what's wrong with it? Yeah, well, we need to find out. Is it right or wrong? But there's more than just, well, if it's not wrong, then I can do it. No, we're going to see there's more involved than that as we develop, as we grow spiritually. In Philippians chapter 1, look with me at verse 9. Paul is praying for the believers there at Philippi, and he says, And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment. So we're continuing this thought on discernment. That you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense or blameless till the day of Christ. So we're moving beyond simply, well, what's wrong, and determining what is excellent. Where step one is determining right from wrong. By reason of use, having our senses developed to determine right from wrong. We make right moral choices. We develop in this area by doing what we know to be right. But now we're moving on and saying, okay, now we want to determine what is excellent. approving those things that are excellent that with more knowledge and in all discernment that we may approve the things that are excellent so that we will be sincere and blameless. That we're determining by making right choices and then we're able to discern that which is excellent. And if you want to turn over to Colossians just over a page or maybe two to Colossians 1 We see a third aspect. The third aspect is we find in verse 10. That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Notice that over and over we're seeing this increasing of knowledge. And so as we began last week, there's an element that if you're going to talk about the Melchizedekian priesthood, you have to have some level of knowledge. You're going to have to know something about the Old Testament. You're going to have to at least know where to look to find Melchizedek. back in the very first book, you're going to have to know a little bit of what was going on there and then how that priesthood would apply when we come to the New Testament. So you'd have to know something about the New Testament, you'd have to know something about the Old Testament, the priesthood of the Old Testament, and then the work of Christ, and why that's being brought up in Hebrews, that the work of Christ is better than the work of Melchizedek, or the work of Moses, as it would say elsewhere in Hebrews. So all of that to say, when we come to some of these areas, it's not simply what's right or what's wrong, it's we've got to know more. We've got to be developing. We have to be discerning. We have to know right from wrong. So the question number one is, is it right? Question number two is, is it best? Determine what is excellent. And question number three is, is it fully pleasing the Lord in my daily walk, in my daily choices? Or to turn it the other way, am I fully pleasing God in what I do? Is God fully pleased with me? That, okay, it's not wrong, so check. And often we hear this, and sometimes in working with young people, and I would hear this as a youth pastor, well, what's wrong with it? If you can't show me a verse, Well, that just communicates we're really at a low level of maturity spiritually. Because when our heart is to please the Lord, we're going to go beyond that. That we're going to be approving the things that are excellent. We're going to hold fast to that which is good, and then we're going to truly desire that I can walk each day and the Lord is pleased. That is a very high standard. As I mentioned in our men's breakfast yesterday, one of the reasons that we need to pray every day is because we sin every day. We're bombarded. We're attacked by Satan. We get up in the morning and sometimes our thoughts are sinful. Do I really have to face this day? And then we start worrying. We start complaining. We start griping. That is not honoring God. And so there's so many areas where this would apply, but to live a life that is fully pleasing to the Lord, I'm gonna have to ponder and then practice biblical principles. And so I want us to consider developing principle discernment. We've already walked into this with some of the questions that need to be in place and some of the ideas, but we're going to have to be living by principle. And many of the areas where we would say Christians differ, and Christians who want to honor the Lord, they're applying principles, but sometimes they're different principles. And so we have to look at that, or we're giving different weight to those principles. So the first question is, what is a principle? The definition that I found helpful and came across this number of years ago as a youth pastor, and then I've tweaked it personally and kind of honed it for my personal benefit, but it's an unchanging truth based on the character of God by which I govern my life. A principle is an unchanging truth based on the character of God by which you govern your life, that we make decisions, that it is a truth. I thought of idea or belief, but that seems sometimes a little more fluid, that it's unchanging. The principle is based on the character of God. And so recognizing, so really if I were to put it on a PowerPoint, I'd put it in a triangle, the very foundational level is the character of God. We have to know who God is. And isn't it interesting that in the Bible, it's not a manual for life where you go to the concordance and you look up, okay, how do I deal with this? How much time should I spend on the internet? Can't find internet in my concordance. But it doesn't mean that God doesn't give us principles to answer that question. But it's not simply, okay, so I need to turn to this verse and I'll take that verse and apply it over here. No, I really need to know who God is. Because a lot of life is making decisions based on, well, it may not be wrong, but is it best? Is it wise because of who God is? And I think that's one of the reasons that as we read through Scripture, we don't simply have everything in the format of an epistle that is often very much doctrinal and stating here's what the church needs to do. We have poetry. We have wisdom literature. We have narrative. We have stories. All of it is telling us who God is. The purpose of it is to learn who God is. In fact, let me have you turn with me to Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews 1. Because what we see, and I think this passage helps us understand We can get the application or the implication of understanding the character of God. That the Bible is God's self-revelation to us. We've mentioned he's revealed himself through general revelation, through creation, through conscience, through his control of events of history, his providence. But he's revealed himself in special revelation. and through the inspired word, the written word, and through the incarnate word. And we see that in Hebrews 1, as it says, God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his son. So God has spoken, it begins with God is. that God, who at various times in various ways has spoken in the past by the prophets, now has spoken by His Son. God has spoken, but notice what it says, that He has appointed heir of all things through whom He made the world. So already we're learning something about God. and revealed through Jesus Christ. He made the worlds, being the brightness of His glory that Jesus Christ expresses to us, the brightness of the glory of God. And the express image of His person, upholding all things by the word of His power. by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." And there's so much in this that we could unpack, but that's not my intent this evening. But simply to say, as we look at this, do you see what God is revealing about himself? His greatness, His majesty, the brightness of His glory, that Jesus Christ is the only begotten God. He is the one who expresses to us. And so when the disciples were frustrated that Jesus is telling them He's going away, and we don't know where you're going, and how can we know the way? And Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me. And then the statement, well, then show us the Father and we'll be happy. It will suffice. And Jesus said, he who has seen me has seen the Father. But we need to know who God is if we're going to make principled decisions. So the foundational level is going to be the character of God. Probably the level above that, and these really intertwine, are the commands of God. What does God say? Because the commands of God are based on the character of God. So think with me to the Ten Commandments. And just some of the requirements. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. He is God. He is supreme. He deserves first place. When you understand the character of God, you understand why that command is there. You shall not murder. Why? Well, because God is the giver of life. God is life. That He gives life. You shall not bear false witness. Because the character of God is God is truth. And when we understand who God is, then that command is based on His character. You shall not commit adultery. God is a God of faithfulness, of fidelity. We're to be faithful. And as we considered this morning, we're to be faithful spiritually and not commit spiritual infidelity. But understanding these commands are based on who God is. I did a series with our college students on the armor of God from Ephesians and said, you know, when you look at what pieces of armor are given, understand that what that piece of armor says tells you something about your adversary. to put on the breastplate of righteousness. Why? Because our adversary is wicked. To put on the belt of truthfulness because our adversary is a liar. Well, this takes us back to the character of God. And so foundational, bottom level, the character of God. This level above that would be the commands of God and the level on top of that then are the principles. that the principles are unchanging truths based on the character of God. So we develop principles. And as we grow, we have to have a lot of principles. As we come to Scripture and we find out who God is, then we find a variety of principles. that we're to have. So when it comes to certain areas, one of the areas that comes up, when we talk about the level above principles are gonna be rules. And when you have a Christian school, you have a handbook. And when you have a handbook, you have lots of rules. And they get very specific. When we started our Christian school in Maine, I told people, I said, now you have to understand. There have been a lot of things I've taught by principle that we're going to have to put in writing and they're going to have to be black and white and we're going to be drawing lines and not everybody's going to agree on where we draw those lines. But that's the level above the principles. But we need to be consistent. We need to do things decently and in order. That would be one of the principles by which we're seeking to govern things. But we need principles for all sorts of areas of life. I need principles for determining who are my friends. I need principles for making decisions concerning entertainment. Principles that would determine dress, places to go. I grew up in an era where, in our family and in a lot of others, we wouldn't go to a restaurant that served alcohol. And that was an application of principles, of not wanting to frequent that place, the appearance, abstain from all appearance of evil. And in that day, there were lots of restaurants like that. That's really not the case today. If you know if that's and there are some and I've actually known some people that still is their principle their their application based on principles their application is they don't want to go to a restaurant that would serve alcohol and You know, I think you know for me that's probably most of they'd be asking if I want fries with that Because most places you go that that's just part of it but you could also shop at grocery stores that didn't serve have alcohol and Our culture has changed. The principles of wanting to be separate from the world, of wanting to be careful, those have not changed, but the applications may. And people will differ on applications. Because even at that time there were Christians that that wasn't their application. And so the understanding that we're making applications concerning stewardship, I personally, I'm not a big fan of boycotts. We're not going to that place. But I also think if a business makes statements concerning their political bent, their cultural, what they want to promote in culture, I'm more than happy to take my business elsewhere. I'm not going to be waving a sign that I'm boycotting, but it's like, you know, if I'm going to spend my money and I've got more than one option, then why give it to them? But that's simply, that's a choice. I would actually probably put that above the rules. That's preference. And understanding that what we're seeing, we've got command, we've got the character of God, we've got the commands of God, we've got to develop principles. From those principles, we're going to end up with rules. And then above the rules are our preferences. Preferences are in those non-moral issues, those non-moral areas. It's part of the uniqueness of God has made us different. But understanding to have rules, the roots of the rules go down into those principles that go down into the command and character of who God is. And we have to understand that. So it is not legalism to set boundaries if I'm striving to serve the Lord. And often in our culture, a legalist is somebody who has higher standards than I do. If they hold a different position than I do, then they're a legalist because I'm right. And we will look at why do consciences differ? And there are a number of reasons why that may be the case. But if their goal is to please God, then I respect that. And I think I heard a pastor, I think it was Pastor Minnick, who said years ago that we need to be strict with ourselves and be gracious with others. Be strict in how we apply things to ourselves, but show grace to others. And we don't know where that is. But as I mentioned, when we were starting a school, it meant, OK, we're going to have to have a dress code for our school. And probably not everybody's going to agree with that. But there are some very clear principles that we don't disagree on. The principle of modesty. That is a very clear principle in scripture. Now, we may disagree on what is modest and what's immodest. and how you define and apply that. But we better not disagree that there is that principle. I would say another principle is the principle of distinction. That men and women ought to look different in how they dress. And you see that in the Old Testament, that there was actually an abomination for women to wear that which pertained to a man. Now I think the context of that is speaking of transvestitism, of cross-dressing. I think that is when you look at the wording that is used there. But the point was there is a difference. Now some people, and I grew up in an era where that was taken to the point where that meant that women should not wear slacks. because that was what pertained to a man. And I actually worked at a camp and we had certain weeks that they designated as no slacks weeks. And so churches that that was their conviction, that was their position, those were the weeks that they came. Now I'll tell you that one of the problems was they had taught the application but not the principles. They hadn't often taught modesty. And we dreaded no slacks weeks because those were the most immodest weeks we had at camp. And it was because they had a standard but hadn't always applied the principle. And I respect the desire for distinction. I agree on that principle. I don't see the same application. And part of that, when I read those passages in the Old Testament, it's like, well, when that was written, men didn't wear slacks either. You know, they all wore long, flowing robes. So there was a distinction in the style, or there was something that differentiated. But we do understand there was a difference. And so when I was a youth pastor, you know, that wasn't the standard in our church, and for our kids, and they'd tell our girls, you can wear slacks, they just need to be, you know, loose-fitting, modest, they're feminine, and of course the question, well, what's feminine? I'd just tell them slacks a guy wouldn't be caught dead in. But the point is, we're trying to find, okay, how do we put this out there in a way that we can apply principles? To use that same illustration, there was one time we were going to, I think we were going to a camp, and we were stopping at a church overnight on the way, and they'd given us permission to sleep in their building. And this was a church that at that time, their policy was no slacks for their girls. And so I told our girls, I said, look, out of deference, that's another principle. We would ask that while we're there, that you not be wearing slacks. We're not being inconsistent. Our policy has not changed, but we're applying a different principle over here. It's the principle of deference. Now the principle of modesty still applies, and the principle of distinction, but we understand what their desire is. They're our hosts, and being gracious to them, we're going to apply this principle of deference. And so what we're seeing and what I'm trying to show you is there are a number of ways of doing this. You know, we have rules in an academic setting against plagiarism. It's like, well, where do you find that in the Bible? And in fact, it says in the Bible, there's nothing new under the sun. So, you know, isn't that, it's like, no, because there are, it's very clear, thou shalt not steal. And to pass something off that is not yours as yours is, thou shalt not bear false witness. And then there are the principles of integrity. So there are ways that we make these applications. The applications will change, but the principles will not. And so when we, in an academic setting or in a school setting, and we try to, we tell our students, you know, we have some rules that they are simply here so things function smoothly. These rules are not moral rules, they're to make things run smoothly. So we have time that class starts and the time that class ends. So, you know, it's to protect the student and the teacher. That the student show up on time and the teacher doesn't wax eloquent and say, my class is far more important than anybody else's and I'm just gonna keep right on going. Like, no, there's a start and a stop. So, well, where do you find that in the Bible? Well, I would say do all things decently and in order. So there is a principle, but it doesn't mean, well, if you go out and start a new school, a class has to start at this time, or it has to stop, or every class has to be this long. No, those are simply to make things run smoothly. And the larger the institution, the more you need that. And recognizing this, but realizing principles such as the principle of association. That changes, things change over time. In fact, Mark Roberts and I were talking about this yesterday. He mentioned years ago when there was a banquet in this area, a Bob Jones banquet, and people had gotten together and he said some of the students who had come and faculty who had come had beards, and at that time that was not allowed. But they were wearing tags that they were going to be in one of the films that BJ was making. And so they would wear a tag that they were part of the cast to communicate that the school hadn't changed the position or was being inconsistent. And we kind of chuckled. We were laughing about it. I said, but you know, I remember when Dr. Pinozian, who taught history there, and had one of the lead roles in the film that BJ did, Flame in the Wind, back in the, I think it was the late 60s, early 70s, which really, you know, the counter-cultural movement, the hippie movement, that was all taking place. And the beard was really part of the symbol of that. And he had a full beard for the film, and so when he would go into town, he would purposely dress in a suit. And he said he would still have people flashing the peace sign to him. Because they identified the beard with the countercultural movement, and that was the reason for the rule. Now that has changed. And we chuckle and we allow our students to have beers. We don't see it because that's not the issue. But I would say, I would ask, is there not a way today that people reflect rebellion against the culture? Absolutely. It's just not that. Now the danger is if we take the application, and that's what the rule was, that was the application. The principle was we're gonna be distinct from the culture, that we're gonna have a proper attitude toward authority. The danger is when you start to make that rule the principle. And I actually remember hearing people preaching, and I don't remember who and I'm glad, but saying that Jesus didn't really have a beard. Well, that's really a problem when you realize they plucked it out before the crucifixion. And it's like, okay, we've gone to the extreme of trying to make our rule the principle. No, that rule was an application for that time in that culture. And recognizing that the danger is if we try to absolutize the application. Now the other danger if we try to take our preferences and make those the rules. And there's another danger if we take the rules and just say well those are just preferences. Well not if it's based, see the roots of the rule need to go down into the principles which are based on the character of God. And in all of these areas, and of course, one of the dangers in throwing out examples, I can come up with lots more, and it's like, some people are saying, oh yeah, I remember that, and others are saying, you gotta be kidding. I have never heard of that. And coming from different parts of the country, different countries, different cultures, there are different areas. But I think we all understand there are principles in every one of these cultures that apply to distinction, to modesty, to being separate from the world, to not being associated with the world system that is anti-God. Those differ. But we have to understand that. And recognizing that if we separate the principle from the application, we're going to end up with problems. We have to know what the principles are. And I would say that for us as parents, as educators, we need to be able to answer that. Now I would also say there's a danger that in parenting sometimes parents try to explain to their five-year-olds the reasons. The real reason to tell a five-year-old is because I said so. What they need to learn is they're under authority. But when they're teenagers we ought to be able to explain the reasoning. And the sad thing is in American culture often we've swapped that. We try to explain to our two-year-old all the reasons. And you have to understand, logic doesn't count in their world. And then with our teenagers, we say, because I said so. No, those are the ones we ought to be able to explain. You may not agree, but here's why I'm concerned about you hanging around with those friends. Let me tell you what I'm seeing. Here are the principles that I'm seeking to apply, and help me understand if I'm missing something. Help me see if I'm not seeing it properly. But we need to be able to give an answer. When you try to turn the rules into preferences or preferences which are non-moral into rules or principles, we're going to end up with problems. And one of the other areas where we're challenged in living by principle and making principle decisions in this culture is that our world is changing. It says in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 58, Therefore, my brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Be firm, be strong, be unmovable. Why is that so hard today? Well, one reason is our world is moving. The world is going from bad to worse. It says in 2 Timothy 3 verse 13, But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things that you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. There's the danger of the world moving. There's the danger of Christians weakening. Sometimes we just get tired. Tired of the battle. The gradual deterioration, or maybe it's the desensitization. And I think that's one area we have to be on guard. Because we are bombarded by the world. In 2 Peter 2, verse 7, it says that the Lord delivered righteous lot. who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked, for the righteous man dwelling among them tormented his righteous soul from day to day, seeing and hearing of their lawless deeds." If it were not for this New Testament passage, I would seriously question whether Lot was a believer. But it says multiple times in those two verses, it refers to Lot as righteous. He was in a wicked city. But he didn't just go with the flow, it bothered him. But I would also say Lot became desensitized to a point that while it bothered him, his faith did not impact his family. That while it bothered him personally, I kind of view him as almost just shutting down. It's like, I'm gonna do my business, I'll work, I'll do what I need to. But when he went home, he was not making his faith something that his family wanted to follow. And so when he's told to leave the city and he goes to his sons-in-law, they think he's mocking, he's joking. They won't go. When they leave the city, his wife's heart is still in Sodom. And when they finally get out, his daughters are still... they've got the morals of Sodom. And it's a horrible story, but what we see here is that God did deliver him, and the wickedness of the culture bothered him. So laying all of that out, and again, I'm kind of giving us the building blocks that after our special meetings we can start putting together, and how does this apply? How do we make these decisions? But being careful that we're not drifting as Christians, that we are determined to know what is excellent, and then strive every day that God would be pleased by our life, that we would live in the truth, but that we would also be people of love. And again, this is where you see this tension. It says, speaking the truth in love. Well, I just like to tell it how it is. Do you do it in love? Well, I don't really want to tell them because it's going to hurt their feelings. Well, we still have to give the truth. And it's the balancing of that. Sometimes speaking the truth is the confrontation. The love is the compassion, and we don't say, okay, I'll choose A. No, we have to take both. Well, I just want it to be this way. Well, okay, are you doing it lovingly? Because we're talking of souls, we're talking people. that as we explain and express, that we do it with an attitude that ultimately, and to give really one of the foundational principles to go back to that level that's based on who God is, is that whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Or as Revelation 4.11 says, you are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. You have created all things and by your will they exist and were created. So who is God? He's the Creator. He is deserving of glory and honor and power. And so whatever I do, if it's as mundane as eating and drinking, I have to do it not asking, well, what's wrong with this? doing it to the glory of God. And so I make applications of that principle, that God will be glorified. A principle of doing it for the good of others. And then also for my own personal spiritual development and growth. That we would be a discerning people. So as it says back in Philippians chapter 1, that as Paul said, for to me to live, it's Christ. to die as gain. He said, I want my earnest desire to be that Christ will be magnified in my body by life or by death. That we're making principled decisions. I've given you some examples this evening, but understanding, do you know who God is? The character of God. Understanding the commands of God. What principles do you have in your moral toolbox for friends, for job situations, for how you parent, for how you treat your spouse, for how we make decisions in entertainment? Those principles that we now apply in our daily life, our own rules. And there's an area for our preferences. But we shouldn't be governed merely by what I like. That ought to be at the very top of all this other. That we would be steadfast, abounding in the work of the Lord. So I trust this is helpful for us as we're laying that foundation, but that we would be a people who live by biblical principle for the glory of God. Let's close in prayer this evening. Lord, we thank you for your Word.