I'd like to go back by way of
introduction into our study this evening and consider some verses
from the book of Joshua. All of us are familiar with Joshua
chapter 1, especially verses 7 and 9, where Joshua was exhorted
by the Lord to be strong. not only to be strong, but he
was to be of good courage. We find those two statements
in verse seven of Joshua chapter one, and there is an additional
statement found in the ninth verse when he was exhorted to
be not dismayed. So there are three things. Let
us consider these by way of introduction. First of all, when God said to
Joshua, be strong, It means that Joshua felt his weakness. That's a good lesson for us.
We must feel our weakness, just as the Israelites felt their
weakness in the presence of the overwhelming odds against them
as the Egyptians pursued them. We saw that this morning. We
must be made to feel our weakness. You see, the Lord doesn't use
people who feel that they're strong. He doesn't use people who feel
that they're strong. He uses individuals who feel
their weakness. So he said to Joshua, be strong. That means that Joshua felt his
weakness. When the Lord said, be of good
courage, verse 7, it means that Joshua was not naturally a brave
person. I don't believe there are many
individuals today who are naturally brave. If you and I have any
boldness at all, it is boldness because of our relationship to
Jesus Christ and the assurance that we are right in what we're
doing. Finally, when God said, be not
thou dismayed in verse 9 of Joshua chapter 1, it means that Joshua
seriously considered whether he would not have to give up
such a responsible task. Now let's think about those for
a moment. First of all, he felt his own
weakness. Number two, he was not naturally
brave. Number three, he didn't know
but what the time would come that he would have to give up
the responsible task to which he had been called. Now the Lord
fortified Joshua by encouraging him, by saying, Be strong, be
of good courage, be not thou dismayed. Most of us are too
strong to be used by the Lord. What do you mean by saying we're
too strong? We're too strong in our own estimation. I like what one man said, and
I want to quote. He said, too much of the world's,
quote, survival of the fittest, end of quote, has rubbed off
on us. I think that's exactly right.
Too much of the, quote, survival of the fittest has rubbed off
on us. Too much of it has rubbed off
on us, even who are Christians. and it must be gotten rid of
before we will be in any position whatsoever to be used of the
Lord. We must be brought down, we must
be emptied of ourselves before we can be filled and be used
by the Lord. You see, strength is made perfect
in weakness. I do not expect the unsaved person
to understand that. I don't even expect the young
Christian, the uninformed believer, to understand that. He has to
be taught that, not only from the Word of God, but he has to
learn it experimentally. And that is what every Christian
has to learn before he can be useful in the service of the
Lord. There is, however, another aspect
of strength. Though spiritual strength is
God's gift to us, yet it is not beyond the believer's responsibility
to add to his faith virtue, and the word virtue comes from the
Greek word which literally means manliness. There are some things
that we are to add to our faith. It means that we are responsible
individuals. responsible individuals. This
is brought out in the 14th chapter of the book of Romans. We're
going to all stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ.
We're all responsible to the Lord. As believers, we are responsible
under God by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to add
to the faith which God has given to us. This is our responsibility. We're to add manliness. And this
comes from a study of the scriptures from being edified. You see,
I've already said that edification is the standard for the Christian,
and that is brought out by the Apostle Paul in the first part
of the 15th chapter of the book of Romans. Now, as vitalist strength
can be weakened by careless living, by irregular habits, and by self-indulgence
of all kinds, So, beloved, spiritual strength can be weakened in the
same manner. Spiritual strength can be weakened
by what? By careless living. Spiritual
strength can be weakened by self-indulgence. Yes, spiritual strength can be
weakened by irregular habits in the Christian life. Nehemiah
said in Nehemiah 8 and verse 10, the joy of the Lord is the
strength of his people. Not every Christian is enjoying
his salvation. There are many Christians who
have lost not their salvation, but the joy of their salvation. In the life of every person who
has lost the joy of his salvation, there is no real manliness. There is no real spiritual strength. So the joy of the Lord, according
to Nehemiah, and he knew whereof he spoke, is what? The strength of God's people. The scriptures constantly admonish
the weak to become strong. This is true not only in the
Old Testament scriptures, but it is true throughout the New
Testament scriptures. those who are weak in the faith,
that is, in the system of truth that has been committed to our
trust, may become strong, how? By means of edification. 1 Corinthians 8 and verse 1. We're not going to compare this
portion of scripture that we're studying tonight from the 14th
chapter and a portion of the 15th chapter with the 8th chapter
of 1 Corinthians. We studied the 8th chapter of
1 Corinthians last Wednesday evening, and it will not be necessary
for us to repeat. There are many similarities between
these two portions of scripture, but there are also some differences. That should be observed, but
we will not have time to observe those differences tonight. Paul
made use of what he had said concerning the indulgence of
the flesh in the 13th chapter of Romans, verses 11 through
14, to speak of those who, by an inadequate knowledge of Christian
liberty, to warn against practicing an over scrupulous asceticism. Please observe that. And that
is exactly what he is warning the young Christians about and
those who were weak in the faith in the 14th chapter. You'll notice
that Paul doesn't rebuke either the weak Christians or the strong
Christians. He has some admonitions to give,
but he doesn't rebuke them. I wonder if you have observed
the difference between the language that Paul uses in the 14th and
15th chapters of Romans, and the language which he uses in
writing to the Galatians, and the language which he uses in
writing to the Colossians. There is a difference. Now, he
doesn't either the strong or the weak Christians in Romans,
whereas he does offer some serious rebukes, not only to the Galatians,
but also to the Colossians. Now, there's a reason for the
difference. You see, in Galatia, the legalizers
had come in and they were teaching legalism, and Paul had to rebuke
them. Now, legalism was not really
being taught. The young believers that he warns
in the 14th chapter of Romans were not legalists in the sense
of legalism that was taught to the Galatians. And when we come
to Colossians, we have there the doctrine of asceticism. And the Colossians were being
taught that the way to be spiritual is to be separated from the material. And so Paul had to use some very
sharp words of rebuke against those who were teaching asceticism. Now he doesn't use that kind
of language in writing to the Christians that we're studying
about in the 14th and 15th chapters of the book of Romans. Paul passed
not sentence on either the strong or the weak, but warned both
of the temptation to which they were exposed. Now, the stronger
Christians because of their having advanced in knowledge of God's
word, were not scrupulous about certain things. They saw no need
of refusing to eat meat, but many of the weaker Christians
who had come not only from Judaism, but some from paganism, you can
see and readily see that those who had been saved from Judaism
were still scrupulous about some of the customs to which they
had been subjected all of their lives. I'm talking about ceremonialism,
and they had to be taught They had to be strengthened because
they were weak not in faith, their personal faith, but in
the faith that is the system of truth that God has committed
to the trust of believers. Jude verse 3 and Philippians
1 and verse 27. Now, some of the Gentiles who
had been saved from paganism, they were scrupulous about eating
meat. that had been offered to idols. So here, the stronger Christians
who saw nothing wrong with eating meat, they were convinced that
meat was good if it be received with thanksgiving, and they could
stand and quote such verses as 1 Timothy chapter four and verse
four. They saw nothing wrong. So Paul
said, now you stronger believers, you must be careful about something.
Do not look down upon the weaker brethren. They are to be received. They are to be received in the
church. The Lord has received them. They are saved. They need
instruction. So receive them. Strengthen them. Don't look down upon them. Don't
criticize them. Give them time to have convictions
of their own. Now here's some very important
lessons for us at this point. And beloved, I've seen too many
people take some of the verses out of the 14th chapter and out
of the 15th chapter and teach things that should never be taught. So let's keep these verses within
their context and not lift them out of their context. It is easy,
one has said, to lapse from scrupulousness about one's own conduct into
Phariseeism about that of others. That's a good statement. Another
person said, and I quote, the weak, if he is not careful, will
manifest more weakness than meekness. I like that. He'll manifest more
weakness than meekness. In other words, he's overly scrupulous
about certain things. And beloved, believe me, I know
exactly what the Apostle Paul is talking about. For a good
long period of time after the Lord saved my old wicked heart,
I was overly scrupulous about a lot of things. And I would
make a big to-do over certain things. the don'ts and the do's. So I was overly scrupulous, and
as one has said, under-spiritual. That's right. And this is true
of every believer. As a young believer, he hasn't
had time to develop. He hasn't had time to grow. He
hasn't been subjected to the whole counsel of God. And he
must learn some things, not only theoretically, but experimentally. And as he grows and develops,
then he has a better understanding of these things. So too many
times, the weak show more weakness than they do meekness. They may
think that they're manifesting meekness, when in reality, they're
only displaying weakness. On the other hand, the strong,
one person said, will be inclined to make a vigorous protest over
the narrow-minded thoughts of the weak, and finally, to show
resentment toward those who are weak, not in faith, but in the
faith. Now you can see why that the
Apostle Paul gives this good advice for all of us. And believe
me, it's good advice for us. There is no conflict between
the statement in Romans 14 verse 5, let every man be quiet, assured,
and I'm giving to you another translation, assured in his own
mind, and the statement that Paul makes
in writing to the Galatians in Galatians 1 verse 8 when he said,
If an angel from heaven preach any of the gospel which is not
another, let him be anathema. You see the question in Galatians
was, is Christ all or is he not? Is faith all or is it not? Paul is not dealing with that
subject in writing to the Romans. Now, that brings us to a very
important point that I want to bring in closing our introductory
remarks to our study of Romans 14 and a portion of chapter 15. I was thinking just this afternoon,
I'll never cease to study a passage of scripture. In fact, I never
come before you really prepare. I just prepare up to that point.
And so even though I had already prepared the outline and everything
this afternoon, I got to thinking, and some other things came to
my mind. And so I sat down after reading a work that I had not
read on this particular passage of scripture. I have his works
on three different books of the New Testament. The person's name
is Bishop Moe. He has a work on Ephesians, he
has one on Colossians, and he has one on Romans. if not an
exhaustive work, but he has some pungent things. And as a result
of reading some remarks that he made on the 14th chapter,
I came to this conclusion, and I want to share three things
with you. I want to talk to you about individualism for a moment.
Individualism. There is a noble individualism,
and there is an ignoble individualism. This is a conclusion to which
I came after reading some remarks and thinking through the subject. And actually, this, I think,
should bring to a close our introductory remarks and give us a good introduction
into the study of Romans 14 and a portion of the 15th chapter.
Number one, it is a noble individualism when it is a reverent, quote,
thinking for oneself, end of quote. Beloved, every person,
according to Paul's own statement, must be convinced in his own
mind. I do not believe in this business
of brainwashing people. You know I don't believe in it.
Yet I am here to tell you tonight that the majority of denominations,
the majority of churches, are literally filled with people
who have been brainwashed by the preacher or the preachers. You know I don't believe in it.
I don't ask you to believe anything unless you are convinced, convicted
in your own mind that it is true. Now it is my responsibility to
stand before you and to give to you the whole counsel of God,
but I cannot give you the conviction. As I said a couple of weeks ago,
I can teach you that God is holy, but I cannot give to an individual
the consciousness of God's holiness. I can't do that. But every person
must be assured, he must be convinced, he must be convicted in his own
mind. Therefore, beloved, there is
a noble individualism, and notice please how I'm stating it, when
it is a reverent, and I want to emphasize the word reverent,
a reverent thinking for oneself. Now, it is ignoble, however,
where individualism is a person's whole idea. Now, do you know
what I mean? Let's investigate that for a
little bit. In fact, I may not even get to
the subject tonight. This is pretty good. It didn't
all originate in my mind either. But in the study of a man's work,
I came to these conclusions. And I believe they're fundamental.
I believe they're fundamental for any church. I believe they're
fundamental for the strength of any church. I believe they're
fundamental for the strength of any individual Christian.
I believe they're in keeping with the context of Romans chapter
14, and especially the fifth verse. For each person is to
be convinced in his own mind in his own mind. So there is
a noble individualism. There is an ignoble individualism
when a person makes individualism his prime concern. What I mean by that is, he wants
to stand out as an individualist. even though he's convinced that
maybe what the church is teaching, what the pastor's giving is truth,
he likes to continue to stand out as an individualist, and
he doesn't want people to think, now I am becoming conformed to
that which is given by this church. I want to be known for my individualism. You see, that's ignoble. That's
ignoble. But we want to come together.
Each person wants to be convinced in his own mind. But I believe
when the truth is taught and the Spirit of God is working
in believers, that they will come to an agreement on all the
basic fundamental truths of God's Word. I believe that. Without
any reservation. Without any hesitation. Now the
second thing. The church is strong. where individual consciences
are enlightened. Notice what I said, enlightened. This is what the Apostle Paul
admonished the stronger Christians to do. Bear them up. They need edification. Receive
them. Receive them. Don't turn them
away. Don't criticize them. Give them
a chance. Give them the truth by which
they might grow. You see, we have to be convinced
that they're brethren. Sometimes, you see, there are
individuals who pose as being brethren, when in reality, neither
will their testimony nor their conduct of life prove that they're
brethren. Paul is addressing Christians. He's talking about weaker brethren. Now you can see how an individual
could take this out of its context. even though he gives lip service
to being a Christian, and yet his testimony is contrary to
truth, his life is contrary to truth, and yet he can say, now
you're to bear with me, you're to bear with me. And to a lot
of ignorant, uninformed Christians and church members, that person
could cause a lot of disturbance in the average institution today,
if he were father. So we have to be convinced that
the person is a brother. He's had an experience with the
Lord. There's evidence of grace. And
when there's an evidence of grace, receive him, treat him as a brother
in Christ. So the church is strong where
individual consciences are enlightened. I'm not through. Where individual
souls no God in Christ. I'm still not through. Where
individuals are willing to stand alone for known truth even against
the religious society. Now we're all to be individualist
in that sense. But I mean if you cannot be an
individualist in that sense, there's something wrong. Let
me illustrate it. By the grace of God, I'm not
going to do it, but just suppose that I started preaching heresy. Now, those of you who are anchored
in the truth and you know about it, if you could just sit Sunday
after Sunday and listen and go along because maybe you like
me personally, and that's kind of hard to do. But say you might
think you do, and you just continue to go along. Why? No one could have any respect
for a person like that. You must be willing to stand
for truth, to be an individual, to stand alone in the space of
the religious community going against you. And number three,
true individualism is developed not by the assertion of self. I think this is an outstanding
point. I was really attracted to this
in a recent study. True individualism is developed
not by the assertion of self. Now most of us in this auditorium
tonight have witnessed this in a great number of individuals
in the past. individuals who were always trying
to assert self. So true individualism is developed
not by the assertion of self, but by individual communion with
God. Such individualism is guided
by the higher principle of verses six through eight of Romans 14
on to the Lord, on to the Lord. Now, let's begin with the first
verse of chapter 14. Let's see if we can cover some
of the most important points of this section of scripture.
Him that is weak in the faith, not in faith, not in personal
faith, but in the system of truth, but not to doubtful disputations
or decisions that are scrupulous. Paul goes on to say, one believeth
that he made all things, another who is weak eat at herbs or he
is a vegetarian. Now don't become discouraged
with that young believer if he's a vegetarian, if he wants to
stay away from all meats, if he is scrupulous about the eating
of meats and he keeps returning to the book of Leviticus and
he reads those verses in the book of Leviticus under the Levitical
economy where that certain meats are not to be eaten. and he doesn't
realize that we're no longer under the ceremonial aspect of
the law. He hasn't been taught enough
to understand that yet. Don't criticize him. Go along
with him. Give him the truth by which he
might be edified or strengthened. It may be some time before he's
thoroughly convinced in his own mind, but rest assured of this
one fact. As a true believer, notice what
I'm saying, as a true believer he will search the scriptures
and by searching the scriptures he will be assured in his own
mind about the very thing that you are so strong about in your
belief. Now what did Paul think about
it? I'm going to skip around somewhat because we cannot teach
this in two or three hours verse by verse. But look at the 14th
verse and you can determine where the apostle Paul stood on this
very issue. Paul said, I know and am persuaded
by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean or common
in itself. But to him that esteemeth anything
to be unclean or common, to him it is unclean. as far as his
conscience is concerned, it is common, it's unclean to him.
But Paul said, I know, and I am persuaded. Now there is no doubt
about where Paul stood on this particular issue. He stood with
a stronger brethren. That's where he stood, but he
was not criticizing the weaker brethren. So he says now in verse
3, the land of conciliation. Let not him that eateth despise
him that eateth not, and let not him that eateth not judge
him that eateth, for God hath received him. Now connect the
statement in the last part of verse 3, for God hath received
him, with the first part of the first verse, him that is weak
in the faith receive Receive him, why? Because God has received
him. And then he's going to rebuke
a severe judgment in verse four because he says, who art thou
that judges the man's servant? To his own master he standeth
above. In other words, here is an individual
that has been received by the Lord. The Lord has received him
and the Lord is capable of making him stand. Now, don't criticize
him. Give him opportunity. Give him
time to grow. I'll tell you something that
all of us have to guard very carefully against. Those of us
who have been Christians for a longer period of time, We have
studied the whole counsel of God. That doesn't mean we've
arrived, but we have gone through every basic fundamental truth.
And sometimes we feel that the questions that are asked are
quite trite. But beloved, a young believer
has to grow, and we're too prone to forget where we have come
from. what we have been able to overcome. So we have to have patience with
young believers, young Christians, we Christians. This is what Paul
is saying. Now in verse 5, one man esteemeth
one day above another. Now here's something important.
Another esteemeth every day alike. Beloved, you and I as Christians
believe that on the Lord's day we should assemble together,
but yet to us who have grown in grace and knowledge of the
Lord Jesus Christ, we consider every day important. Sunday is
not a day that we put on the Sunday suit and go to church
and then put it off when we go home and forget about Christian
living during the week. Every day is an important day
to the Christian who has grown. But now to the young believer,
there are certain days that just stand out in his thinking. And
he will magnify certain days. I want to give you something
that I read just recently, and I think it's the greatest statement
on the 5th verse that I have ever read by anyone. And I've
read quite a few men over a period of more than 30 years who have
given an exposition on the Book of Romans. But this man makes
one statement that means so much to me, and it is the key to the
understanding of the 5th verse. What is it? Bishop Mole said,
and I quote, He made this statement in reference to the stronger
Christian esteeming everyday life. Everyday life. He said, the stronger Christian
does not level down. I like his terminology. And you'll see what he's getting
at in a moment. The stronger Christian does not level down,
but he levels up. his use of time. He does not level down, but he
levels up his use of time. That's a significant statement,
a great statement. Now you see, the overly scrupulous
young believers who like to magnify certain seasons or certain days
and so forth, and they will look with disdain, really, upon the
stronger Christian who doesn't see the importance of placing
so much emphasis on certain days. I'd give an illustration, and
this is the best way to answer, I think, some questions that
might be asked. Recently, I had one of the members
of the church to ask, well, how are we to consider this in the
light of Christmas? Now, there are a lot of weak
Christians who don't understand the truth about Christmas. And
yet the same person gave a good answer, a good answer, and I'll
repeat it. Someone said, I'll be glad when
Christ is put back into Christmas. This person said, you can't put
him into something he never was in. That's all that needs to
be said. I said, that's all that needs
to be said. Now, beloved, let's think about this for a moment.
Here are some, for instance, who are saved, and they start
looking at the Sabbath day, the Sabbath. And I'm amused, and
I know that most of you, as you read the works of the Puritans,
they talk about the Christian Sabbath. That's just a term that
they use, and they never overcame it. I don't like that term. That
is not a scriptural term. You and I as Christians, in the
dispensation of grace, we like to talk about the Lord's day,
the first day of the week. Now, the Christian first day,
beloved, cannot be turned into the Jewish seventh day or Sabbath. So we can't compromise We have
to take a stand. Now, we may come in contact with
young believers and they haven't grown enough to see the truth
about the Lord's day, the first day of the week. And they may
magnify the Sabbath, the Sabbath, but the Sabbath is the Jewish
seventh day. And our Lord was in the tomb
on the Jewish Sabbath, the seventh day. But it was on the first
day of the week that Jesus Christ came forth from the grave. And
it is this day that we think about. It is this day that we
commemorate. And yet, not to the exclusion,
beloved, of thinking about every day as being an important time
in the life of the Christian. That's why Bishop Mould said,
that the stronger believers must not level down, but level up
his use of time. One man esteemeth one day above
another. Another esteemeth every day alike. You notice this has to do, no
doubt, with the subject of worship. Now, the let of what? The let of conviction. Let every
man be fully persuaded or fully assured in his own mind. Be convinced. Here is where individualism
comes in. But let's stop here a moment,
lest someone runs off to a wrong conclusion. What is the apostle Paul talking
about? He's not talking about a right of private judgment,
but really of a command of God. And this conviction, Paul is
saying, must be guided by a second principle. And the second principle
is emphasized several times in verses six through eight. Listen
to it. I said this conviction, the assurance,
must be guided, must be governed by this higher principle, and
the higher principle is unto the Lord, or to the Lord. Therefore
he says, he that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord. He that regardeth not the day
to the Lord, he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to
the Lord. For he giveth God things, and he that eateth to the Lord,
he eateth not, and giveth God things. Verse 8, for whether
we live, we live unto the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto
the Lord. Whether we live, therefore, or
die, we are the Lord's. I'll come in on that a little
more in just a moment. So everything is to be guided
in the light of one's responsibility to the Lord. So when individualism
is guided by his sense of responsibility unto the Lord, there's the key. And you don't have to worry about
that person eventually coming to a right understanding, even
though he is weak in the faith. There are some things in the
Christian life not regulated by do's and don'ts. Nowhere in
the scripture does it say do not smoke cigarettes. And yet
every Christian should know that cigarettes are harmful to his
health. And he should be considerate
about his biting. But there is no thou shalt not
smoke. But the principle is in the word
of God, and the principle is found in 1 Corinthians chapter
6. I've been amused at the new law that's just been passed.
I went into a business establishment this last week. There was a large
sign, no smoking. And I had to do like this almost. Now in the first place, the people
who own these establishments, they put the signs up, but they're
not going to exercise. They're not going to say, now
if you don't put out your cigarette, I'm going to call the law, and
it'll cost you 200 bucks. They're not going to do it. You
know why? They're afraid they might lose a customer. The other day in the cafeteria,
there is a section, no smoking. But you can go to that section,
sit down, and before you get through, somebody's blowing smoke
in your face. Well, I haven't seen as yet the manager of the
cafeteria go over and say, this is a no-smoking area. Don't smoke
here, please. You see, he's afraid that he
might lose some business. Now, there are many things, beloved,
that we should not do and we should do as Christians. But we're not guided by do's
and don'ts. But there are principles set
forth in the word of God, and if we are going to search the
scriptures and believe them, then we know what these principles
are. I read a good illustration just
recently. happened some time back. This
is an old book that I read this illustration in. This actually
happened to this man. He was riding a train. Three
men got in a controversy over the Bible, and they went round and round
and round. The fourth man, he just sat and
listened and didn't say a word. Each one of the three men had
his own particular view. Each view was in conflict with
the other person's view. Each man said, I'm right, I know
I'm right. He wasn't giving any real evidence
for his conviction from the Bible, but he was saying he was right.
The fourth man sat and listened until finally it quieted down. He thought he would use this
technique to get over a point. He looked at his watch and he
said, will you men tell me what time it is? Each man looked at
his watch. One man gave a certain time. Another man gave another time.
It wasn't the same. The third man gave a different
time. He said, well, now how do I know who's right? And so
each one of the three men who had been saying for some time
that each one was right in his religious convictions, each one
said, I'm right. I know my time is right. So the
fourth man who had been listening to this conversation, he said,
I'll tell you what, when we reach the next train station, will
all of you check your watches by the main clock in the depot? They all agreed that they would
do that. He said, now since all of you
have agreed to do that, don't you think it would be wise for
all three of you to base your convictions on the word of God,
the standard that the Lord has given us. He said, I've been
listening to you men, and each one has his own standard. Each
one says he's right. And then when I ask you for the
time of day, each one gave a different time, and each one said his time
was right. But you have agreed that you
will check your watches and set them by the main clock in the
depot when you arrive. He said, my suggestion to you
is, this man was a minister, see, he said to take the word
of God, to check it very carefully and be guided by the principle
or the standard of God's word. He got his point over. This is
exactly what Paul is talking about in verses six through eight.
unto the Lord, to the Lord. Now let's look at verses 7 and
8. I must comment on this a little bit because verse 7 is a verse
that is pulled out of context and it is taught in a social
way. It is made to apply to social
living. My wife and I as we were eating
lunch today, We turned on and we listened to the Lutheran Hour.
Oh, it was horrible. Here was a man who was a big
shot of the Lutheran Church. And I tell you, if he couldn't
do any better than what he did, he ought to be back in kindergarten. Am I my brother's keeper, he
said. Am I my brother's keeper? I knew
what was coming when he took that as his subject. I knew that
he was going to take the passage from the fourth chapter of Genesis. where Cain made the statement
when he was asked the question, where was Abel? Am I my brother's
keeper? That man took that text, took
it out of his context, preached the social gospel. We're all
brothers. We're all blood brothers. And
you never heard such a social rot in all of your life. Now
let's look at verse seven. Paul said, for none of us liveth
to himself, and no man dieth to himself. I don't know how
many times since I've been in the ministry that I've heard
this verse of Scripture lifted out of its context and applied
to our social lives. Paul is not talking about that
at all, and I challenge anybody to prove it in the light of the
context. The emphasis is placed to the Lord, unto the Lord, in
verse six, and the same emphasis is stressed in verse eight. Thus,
when Paul said, for none of us liveth to himself, and no man
dieth to himself, what is he saying? He is saying the rule
of conduct for the believer is what? Is the will of God. That's what he's saying. And
that's all he's saying. Now let's observe something else.
Believers may sin by either being unwilling to die, are you following
me? or by wishing they would die. Let's let that soak in a little
bit because all of us, well not all of us, but some of us are
getting to the age that we may find ourselves on the deathbed
before long. Let's be realistic, will you?
Let's be realistic. For none of us live it to himself. No man die to himself. unto the Lord is the only principle
we should recognize within the context. But believers, I said,
may sin by either being unwilling to die or wishing they were dead. Now, if I'm on the deathbed,
and by the way, I saw something in a paper this last week and
I intended to bring that and discuss it with you. Personally,
I am concerned very much about a living will. Do you know what
I'm talking about? A living will. Let me explain
what I mean. You can get a living will by
writing for it. I'll give you the address in case some of you
haven't seen this. And then all you have to do is just fill in.
I said, I'm concerned about a living will. Suppose I got sick and
Juanita took me to the doctor. The doctor said, you have cancer. You have a terminal disease. It is just a matter of time. Beloved, I want to be sure I
have a living will for Juanita's protection, regardless if I have
one on her for my protection. I'll want for her protection.
Did you know the way things are today? Personally, I do not want
to be taken to the hospital. I do not want to be taken and
put in intensive care and retained there month after month after
month after month and given me all kinds of things to try to
keep me alive artificially. Notice what I said, artificially.
Try to, I said. when there is no hope for me,
physically speaking. In just a few weeks or a few
months, there could be a large enough bill, it would become
so large that she couldn't pay for it if she lived to be a hundred
years old. Beloved, I think as Christians,
We not only should have a will made, and it's a sad state of
affairs when a Christian dies and there is no will left. That's terrible. I have one,
and I wonder if all of you have one. But I'm also very concerned
about a living will, and I'll have more to say about that later.
Now I said, Believers may sin by being unwilling to die. In other words, the doctor says
there's no hope for you. Oh, I just don't want to die.
I don't want to die. That's a sin. You see, whether
we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. And the Lord
will take us when he gets ready. Do you believe that? I do. So
believers may sin by being unwilling to die, and they may sin by wishing
they would die. It doesn't make any difference
how sick we might be. Believe it or not, I believe
by the grace of God, you and I can say, the Lord will take
me when he sees fit. And if I am in my right state
of mind, I hope I have the grace of God to manifest that grace
even when I am undergoing maybe serious pain. Look at it. For none of us liveth to himself,
and no man die to himself. Now verse 8. Whether we live,
we live under the Lord. We live under the Lord. Whether
we die, we die under the Lord. This ought to be great encouragement
to the Christian. I'm sure that the Apostle Paul
had in mind not only some things that he gave to the Corinthians
in the fifth chapter of his second epistle. I'm sure he had in mind
some of the things that he gave to the Philippian saints in Philippians
1, 20-25. For none of us liveth to himself,
and no man dieth to himself. Man is responsible to God alone,
in life or in death. Verse 7 is not directed toward
selfishness in society, as some would have us to believe. Now
look at verse 8. What is to be our pattern of
thought? Our pattern of thought is the Word of God. but our pattern
of life is to be the living, resurrected Lord. Verse 8, if
you will notice, is the positive counterpart to what is denied
in verse 7. That's important. What did I
say? I said verse 8 is the positive counterpart to what is denied
in verse 7. With that thought in mind, let's
read the two verses. None of us live it to himself, no man
die it to himself. For whether we live, we live
under the Lord. Whether we die, we die under
the Lord. For whether we live, we live
under the Lord. Whether we die, we die under
the Lord. Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. We are the Lord's. This refers
to the relation which Jesus Christ sustains to the believer, not
the believer's exercise of faith. For to this end, Paul says, Christ
both died and rose and revived, that he might be Lord both of
the dead and living. Then the apostle brings out the
fact of the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. We're going to
all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. We're familiar
with that. Now drop down to verse 13. Let us not therefore judge
one another any more, but judge this rather. You'll notice the
word judge is found twice in this text. The first time the
word judge is found, what does it mean? The sense of censurous judgment. The second time the word judge
is found, it refers to the good sense of determining. Now look at it. Let us not, here's
the let now of charitableness, let us not therefore judge in
the sense of centrist judgment. One another anymore, but judge
this rather. Here, let us be determined, is
what he's literally saying, that no man put a stumbling block
or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. Now Paul is saying
in verse 14, I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there
is nothing unclean of itself. The weak believer's peace of
mind is not to be destroyed by wrong conduct on the part of
the stronger Christian. So he says in verse 15, but if
thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably? Destroy not him with thy meat
for whom Christ died. Don't misunderstand the word
destroy here in this text. Study the word destroy in the
light of stumbling block of verse 13. Study it in the light of
the word greed in verse 13. Look at it in the light of the
word destroy in verse 24. Meet destroy, not the work of
God. Destroy reveals the serious nature
of stumbling that overtakes the weaker brother. Destroy does
not mean that the individual will apostatize. Paul is not
talking about that. But his peace of conscience will
be disturbed if you, the stronger Christian, if you don't consider
the conscience of the weaker brother. Give him an opportunity
to develop, to grow. This is what he's saying. Thus,
in verse 16, the let of consistency. Let not then your good be evil
spoken of. Be consistent in your Christian
life. Then in verse 19, the let of
consideration, let us therefore follow after the things which
make for peace. Don't deliberately do something
that would cause the weaker brother to stumble before he is edified,
before he's strengthened in the faith. So there is the let of
consideration for the weaker brethren. Now drop down, if you
will, to the first part of chapter 15 for our closing remarks. Don't be concerned about just
having your own selfish desires fulfilled, even though it is
not wrong for you to eat meat. Consider your weaker brother.
Paul said in writing to the Corinthians in the eighth chapter, first
Corinthians, if eating meat offends my weaker brother, I will not
eat meat as long as the world stands. as long as the world stands.
So it is good neither to eat flesh, nor drink wine, nor anything
whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
For we that are strong," you see edification is now the standard
of reference for the Christian, bear the infirmities of the weak
and not to please ourselves. Now he brings out an illustration
Here is the let of Christ likeness. Let every one of us please his
neighbor. Please his neighbor. Now can't
you see somebody just grabbing that statement? You see that
Christian is supposed to please his neighbor. Is that to be given without any
qualification whatsoever? If, beloved, it is taught without
any qualification, if it is lifted out of its context, I'm asking
you a question, what about Galatians 1.10? If it is taught without
any qualification, the person would be a man-pleaser. Paul
doesn't contradict himself. He's talking about the let of
Christ's likeness. Jesus Christ came not to please
himself. He came to please the Father. So let us use Jesus Christ as
our example. Remember what we said a moment
ago? We are to be edified by studying the Word. We are to
use the life of Jesus Christ as our example. So let every
one of us please his neighbor for his good, notice, you see,
let's take it all, for his good to edification. You say, well, here's a person,
and I've been knowing him for years, he's still weak, he isn't
edified. Well, beloved, if he isn't edified
after a long period of time, It would be good for us to put
a question mark over his relationship to the Lord. You can't just go
on and on and on. For he is good to edification.
Then the example is given, for even Christ pleased not himself,
but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproach thee fell
on me. Christian love is greater than
Christian liberty. Notice what I said. Christian
love is greater than Christian liberty. Pleasing differs from
obeying. Pleasing is a privilege. Obeying is a duty. as Christ did not please himself
for our sakes, then, beloved, we should follow his example. This is what the apostle is saying.
He goes on to mention several things within the context of
the first part of chapter 15. In verse 5, he says, Now the
God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded to
be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus. Verse
6, that ye be, that ye may with one mind, you see what I believe
is in harmony with the scriptures. I believe that when Christians
are given the whole counsel of God that there is going to come
to pass a like-mindedness. and one mouth glorify God, even
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, receive ye
one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. And then the last verse of that
division of chapter 15. Now the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace in believing that he may abound in hope through
the power of the Holy Ghost. The let of conciliation, the
let of assurance or conviction, the let of charitableness, the
let of consistency, the let of consideration for others, and
finally, the light of Christ's likeness, and all of these in
the light of the last verses of chapter 13, but especially
let us walk honestly as in the day.