If you will, let's open our Bibles
to Romans chapter 14. Romans 14. Romans 14. We're going to be in verses 14
through 17 this evening. Apostle Paul writes, under the influence of the Holy
Spirit here in verse 14. I know and am persuaded by the
Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself. But to him
that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother be grieved
with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably? If he is grieved
with your meat, You're not walking in love and charity, are you?
Destroy him not with thy meat, for whom Christ died. Let not
then your good be evil spoken of. For the kingdom of God is
not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Ghost." This whole chapter of Romans is teaching believers,
weak and strong, those that are babes in Christ and those that
have been grown in Him, walked with Him a long time. It's teaching
us how to live in unity. how to live in peace, how to
live in harmony with one another. We can do this by loving one
another. The Lord said, by this shall
all men know you are my disciples if you have love one toward another.
We can do this by forgiving one another. How many times should
we forgive that believer that's offended us, that sinned against
me? Three strikes and you're out. Is that no? No. Seventy
times seven, infinite. and that love of Christ constraining
our hearts. We are to forgive our brethren
even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. We can do
this living in unity, living in peace, living in harmony,
by striving not to judge anymore. Paul wrote there in verse 13,
said, let us not therefore judge one another anymore. We have. Let's not do it anymore. If we
were to love to forgive, to not judge, that would promote unity,
wouldn't it? That'd promote harmony, peace. I know we're so likely just to
fall right back in that inner Pharisee we're born with that's
inside of us. And we pray to ourselves, not
to the Lord, we pray to ourselves, I'm thankful, I'm not like that
sinner over there. That's just prideful self-righteousness
is all that is. Instead of judging and condemning
one another, how about we love and forgive? That would be better.
And it's hard for us sometimes. That's hard for me, to just love
and forgive, to not judge. But that's just that old man
in this flesh, rearing its ugly head. That's all it is. Solomon
told us, good understanding giveth favor, but the way of transgressors
is hard. It's hard to live. That's exhausting,
isn't it? Just to be mad all the time and always trying to
pick somebody apart and watch what they're doing. Who knows
what they're going to do today? That's tiresome. Instead of putting a stumbling
block in the way of sinners coming to cross, we ought to be a building
block. Building ourselves and our brothers
and sisters up in the faith. Pointing them always. to the
Lord of our salvation, Christ Jesus. He says in verse 14 there,
Romans 14, 14, I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus.
This was taught of God. This isn't a man's opinion. He's
not speaking as a man. It's what the Lord Jesus Christ
taught Paul. He's telling us that there is
nothing unclean of itself. Nothing is unclean. The word's
common. That means it's not been anointed
by God. In and of itself, it's not unclean.
Sin is not an object. It's not in objects. So many
in religion today and in times past and in this day, they make
an issue out of things, don't they? Alcohol, tobacco, TV, sports. Can't drink soda. Got caffeine
in it. That's a drug. You can't touch
that. They say that's unclean. But there's nothing unclean in
and of itself. Sin is not in things. Sin is the nature. It's the principle. It's the rule of our heart born
of Adam when we come into this world. It's not something we
touch. It's not something we eat or
drink. It's not something we do. It's what we are. Our sin is
not a substance. It's not meat, drink, or days.
It's our spiritual condition before God And it's not based
on what we put in our bodies or what we refrain from putting
in our bodies. Our salvation is not based on
our morality. But after the Lord works in the
heart of His child and He teaches them something, He does a work
in them, our morality is then based on our salvation. Now we love. Now we forgive. Now we don't judge because of
Christ working in us. Him constraining us. That's true
liberty right there. Him working in the heart of His
child. But sadly, in most organized religions, past and present,
they say salvation is based on morality. What you do, what you
don't do, what you think. That's not scriptural. Salvation
in Christ is not based on touch not, taste not, handle not, is
it? Turn over to Matthew 15. Matthew 15. We remember here in Matthew 15,
these Pharisees, they got terribly upset because the disciples didn't
wash their hands before they ate dinner. That was their rule
at the time. Now, it's a good thing to wash
your hands before you eat. I ask my children before every
meal, did you wash your hands? No, no. But that's for the benefit
of the body, not the benefit of the soul. has no benefit to
the soul. Eating with unclean hands, it
won't be damning to your soul. Washing up before meal, it's
not a doctrine to follow. We make doctrines out of everything,
don't we? Look here in verse 9. Matthew 15, verse 9. But in vain they do worship Me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Washing before they ate
bread, that was the tradition of those elders. The elders of
these Pharisees here, those that came before. Verse 10. And he
called the multitude and said unto them, Hear and understand.
Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man, but that
which cometh out of the mouth. This defileth a man. It's not
what goes in, it's what comes out. That's what defiles us.
Verse 12. Then came his disciples and said
unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after
they heard this saying? Don't you know you hurt these
people's feelings? They're also asking, do we need to go correct
them? They're upset over this. Should I go explain this to them?
But he answered and said, every plant which my heavenly father
hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone. What frightening
words. Leave them alone. They be blind
leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind,
both shall fall into the ditch. Then answered Peter, and said
unto him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said, Are
ye also yet without understanding? Do you not understand that whatsoever
entereth in at the mouth, goeth into the belly, it's digested,
and that it's cast out in the drop, ends up at a treatment
facility here, don't it? It starts outside of the body.
It goes in, but it ends up outside the body. But those things which
proceedeth out of the mouth cometh forth from the heart, and they
defile the man." Mankind's problems isn't things, it's a heart problem. That's what defiles us, our own
sinful, wicked hearts. That's the source of our sin.
It starts inside and it ends up outside. The word, thought,
and deed. Verse 19, for out of the heart
proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts,
false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile
a man. All these outward actions, that starts in the heart, that's
exactly where it starts at. But to eat with unwashing hands
defileth not a man. Nothing's unclean of itself,
but the sinner makes it unclean. That's what Solomon was telling
us in Proverbs 20, 21. He said, A high look, a proud
heart, and the plowing of the wicked is sin. That pride, that
self-righteousness, and even the plowing. Plowing of the wicked
is evil. And back in our text there in
Romans 14, verse 14. Romans 14, 14. At the end of
that verse it says, But to him that esteemeth anything to be
unclean, To him, it is unclean. To that weak believer that's
not fully persuaded that they have liberty in those things,
to freely eat of what the Lord has made, especially those Jews
here in this early church. That's who Paul's writing to.
Those that grew up under those dietary laws and certain meats,
certain drinks, they were considered unclean. And then they were converted
to faith in Christ. The Lord saved them, did a work
in them. To them, it's still unclean. Those Jews, they would
not dare eat pork their whole life. That's all they've ever
heard from birth. It was considered unclean. All
manner of things, there's a whole bunch of things, of animals and
fish and birds and things that were determined to be unclean,
they couldn't touch it. I want you to imagine in our
day, if the Lord saved an Orthodox Jew, a Hasidic Jew, And they
look completely to Christ for all their salvation. They look
to Him solely for their righteousness. They look to Him for their eternal
security. Looking to Christ alone. But
their whole life they've lived under this law. They've been
taught to follow all these laws, these dietary laws. And they
come to have dinner with you. And you make fried catfish. Now to you, that's not unclean.
We're having catfish dinner. But to those that are still in
their grave clothes, it's unclean to that brother or sister. For
them to violate their own conscience and eat that, it would be wrong
for them. The Lord hadn't gave them that
liberty yet. And it's wrong for us to push
that fried catfish on them. They haven't been given liberty
yet. They haven't been grown in that faith yet to be able
to do that. Their conscience hasn't been cleared up. Well,
who's going to grow that weak brother or sister? Who's going
to grow that young child, that babe of God? Our Lord will. He'll be the one that teaches.
Turn back one book there to Acts chapter 10. Here's a good example
of this. The Lord sent Peter to preach
to the Gentiles to this man Cornelius. You can read that in this whole
10th chapter of Acts. But I want to look at verse 9.
Acts 10 verse 9. Acts 10, verse 9. On the morrow,
as they went on their journey and drew nigh unto the city,
Peter went upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour.
He went to go pray at lunchtime, high noon. And he became very
hungry, and he would have eaten. But while they made it ready,
while they were downstairs cooking lunch, he fell into a trance
and saw heaven open and a certain vessel descending unto him. as
it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let
down to earth, wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts
of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls
of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter, kill, and
eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord,
for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. This was a while after the ascension
of Christ. It may have been a few months,
it may have been a few years, but it was a while. And this
great apostle, he was so mildly of the Lord, was still living
under that dietary regimen he grew up with. But the Lord is
going to teach his child. He got him hungry first, didn't
he? When did he teach him this lesson about what to eat and
what not to drink and all these things? He was famished. He got
him hungry. That's the same thing that's
going to happen in this spirit. Look here in verse 15. And the voice spake unto
him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call
that not thou common. He said, what the Lord's clean,
what He's set apart, what He's anointed and made holy, don't
you call it unclean. Don't you call it common. Verse
16. This was done thrice. Three times. Peter was spoken to, and the
vessel was received up again into heaven. This teaching has
to take place three times. Isn't that every one of us? It
takes a lot. I keep hearing it over and over. Aren't you thankful our Lord
comes to us over and over? He's patient with us. He's compassionate,
tender to us in love. reasons with us. But this was
not just teaching Peter about these physical things. The Lord
wasn't saying, Peter, you can go eat all the catfish and pig
you want. That's fine. That's not what
he was teaching Peter. This was a spiritual lesson. Always pointing
us to that person and work of Christ. Who he is and what he
accomplished for his people in the hearts of his elect. Not
just physically we're free from the law, but every sinner in
Christ is free. That's the lesson. That's the
lesson. His people are free. He didn't
just abolish the law. He made a people holy. Peter
was having a hard time, as you read on here. He was trying to
ponder what this meant. He's sitting on this rooftop
trying to see what this vision meant. He was struggling to learn
from this Word of God that had been given to him. But the Lord
was going to make this lesson effectual. There was men sent
by Cornelius. They came and they summoned Peter
to go to Cornelius' house. It took them a couple of days
to get there. And when they got there, Cornelius came out and
he started worshipping Peter. He fell at his feet. And Peter
said, you get up. I'm just a man. And then he started
speaking with him. Just fellowshiping with this
believer. It says in verse 27, Acts 10, 27. And as he talked with him, Peter
and Cornelius are talking, he went in and found that many were
come together. These two brothers in Christ
were outside talking, and as they were talking, they kind
of meandered into the house. Verse 28, and he said unto them,
Peter's speaking to this group inside the house, you know how
that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep
company or come into one of another nation? You know it's not lawful
for me to come in this house and visit with you. But God hath
showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. What sinners we are. And what
a sin it is to consider a fish or a pig or a dirty hand a sin
against God. We are by nature the greatest
offense against God. It's not those things that are
unclean. It's this thing that's unclean.
It's hard inside of me. I'm the unclean thing. And if
Christ saved me, He declared me not common. You're peculiar. You're holy. You're anointed.
You're mine. My child. Then it's okay to eat the catfish.
If He's done that for us, fulfilled that law in the hearts of His
people, on behalf of His people, for His people as their substitute,
the rest of that is took care of, isn't it? Now we see the need. We don't
just need clean meat, we need a clean heart. We don't just
need a holy day, we need a holy nature. We don't just need to
abstain from a drink, we need to come to that fountain of life
and drink abundantly. That's what we need. Now back
in our text in Romans 14, being convicted of what we are. The
Lord's shown us we're the unclean thing. And we're convicted of
His holiness. Christ is holy. And what He's
done in and for us, now that we see Him, in the desire for
unity and peace and harmony. Read verse 15. Romans 14, 15. But if thy brother be grieved
with thy meat, Now walkest thou not charitably? Destroy him not
with thy meat, for whom Christ died? Would it be worth it for
the well-being of our weak brothers and sisters for us to make a
hard point about the liberty we've been given? I'm able to
do this. You need to see that. Is it worth
making that hard point? If we know that a meat or a day
or a drink offends that brother or sister, don't disrupt the
fellowship that you have in the gospel just to prove a point
or to teach them about the liberty you have in yourself. That's
not for us to do. What's the driving motive of
that? What constrains us? Look at the end of verse 15.
That one that we're doing this against, they are one for whom
Christ died. Knowing that meats and drinks
and days mean nothing if we scold and we chasten another believer
or be ornery by eating in front of them, drinking in front of
them, chewing tobacco in front of them, whatever it is. On purpose. One who Christ shed his blood
for. One that Christ called out of darkness into his marvelous
light. We're not just doing that to harm that brother. It's not
just to that brother or sister that we're doing it to. We're
doing it to Christ. to the Savior that's made one
with each of His sheep. And things concerning this life,
our walk in this world, that are not compromising to the gospel.
If it doesn't compromise the gospel, as my friend used to
say, we bend over backwards and kiss our heels trying to make
people happy. Do whatever you can to accommodate them. None
of that's worth division in the body of Christ. It's not worth
it. Look at verse 16. Let not then your good be evil
spoken of. Don't let your liberty, your
good, your freedom in Christ, don't let it become a reproachable
thing that's talked about in an evil way. Did you see Kevin? You know what I saw him doing?
You know what he told me? You know where he went? Just
bringing reproach on the gospel. On the flip side of that, same
verse, when we do restrain our liberty, Let that not be spoken of either.
Don't tell anybody, because that's just self-righteousness, isn't
it? Boy, do you know how good Kevin thinks he is? He told me
he wouldn't go do this no more. Because I'm weak, and he cares
for me. He loves me. I don't want to judge you. That's
judging it. That's why people always say,
I love you, but. I like you, but. Something else is coming,
isn't it? This was instruction to strong believers concerning
those Jews that were saved by the Lord. But this is the same
issue on the opposite end that many of the Gentiles were facing.
I think we've got time. Turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter
8. This is what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth. Here in
1 Corinthians chapter 8, that meat used in the idle houses,
they'd take the leftover down to what we call farmer's market
and they'd sell it real cheap. They was trying to protect their
losses. And those that didn't have much
money, they would go down there to that market and they'd buy
it on the clearance rack. They'd get a good deal on that
meat. And it was perfectly fine to eat. But some of these Gentile
believers, they grew up under that. That's what they grew up
around. And they had a problem with the saints eating that meat.
Paul tells us here in verse 7. 1 Corinthians 8 verse 7. Howbeit there is not in every
man that knowledge. For some with conscience of the
idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol,
and their conscience being weak is defiled." Some people haven't
been given that liberty. That Lord hadn't grown them yet.
Peter was pretty far along in that walk before the Lord taught
him, wasn't he? And it defiles their conscience. It hurts their
hearts. Verse 8, But meat commendeth us not to God, for neither if
we eat are we the better, neither if we eat not are we the worse.
That meat doesn't matter one way or the other. It doesn't
make a difference. That meat from a false church has nothing
to do with justification. It has nothing to do with sanctification
or the perseverance of the Lord's elect. It ain't got nothing to
do with it. Verse 9, But take heed, lest by any means this
liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak."
And Romans were told that not to be a stumbling block, but
a building block for those that were physical Jews and brought
to Christ. And here we're told not to be
a stumbling block, but a building block to those Gentiles that
were brought to Christ. I'm starting to see a pattern.
It doesn't matter where they come from, what center was born
under what lineage doesn't make a difference. What their grave
clothes are, those that the Lord draws to himself, brings into
the body of Christ, were not to be a stumbling block. He says
in verse 11, And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother
perish. That means hurt. Not that his eternal salvation
is at risk, but on this world, while he walks through this world,
he's going to have some heartache. And through that knowledge shall
the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died. But when ye
sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience,
ye sin against Christ. Which is more important, to have
it my way, to exercise my liberty, or to be a building stone, a
support, a comfort to my brethren? I think I could make it through
one meal, couldn't I? Our back and our texts are Romans
14. Romans 14 verse 17. For the kingdom of God is not
meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Ghost. It's good to know what something
is. It's good to be able to tell people what words mean and describe
to them how that affects us, but it's also good to know what
something is not, isn't it? There's several things we're
told that's not in the scriptures. Not by works of righteousness,
which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us. by
the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.
Paul told us in Romans 9, said, So it is not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. The
kingdom of God, the salvation that is in the Lord Jesus Christ,
it's not meat, it's not drinks, and it's not days. It's not doing. But this salvation, this kingdom
of God, it has to do with righteousness. It has to do with peace, and
it has to do with joy in the Holy Ghost. It has nothing to
do with circumcision. It has nothing to do with washing,
with diet, with religious clothing, religious days, or our morality. With abstaining from anything
or doing anything. It doesn't have anything to do with us. It has to do with the accepted
righteousness of Christ our Savior. the peace that His blood made
between us and God, and the joy that we have in Him. These are
triplets. They always go together. Righteousness,
peace, and joy. Just like hope. Hope, faith,
and love always go together. Where you find one, you'll find
the other. If someone truly has a hope in
Christ, they're going to have love, and they're going to have
faith in Him. That's why they have the hope. Our sinner is made righteous
before God. And our old man, we think, and
this world thinks, you have to do things. But that just works. We're made righteous because
it's done. A sinner being made righteous before God has nothing
to do with the sinner. This was an act that was determined.
That covenant of grace was sealed before time began. Turn back
to Romans chapter 1. Romans 1 verse 16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein
is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is
written, the just shall live by faith. Turn to Romans chapter
4, verse 5. But unto him that worketh not,
but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness. Even as David also describeth
the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness."
How does he do that? Without works. Look over Romans
chapter 10 verse 2. Romans 10 verse 2. Paul is speaking here of his
brethren in the flesh, that physical nation of Israel. He said, For
I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according
to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness, and going about to establish their own by working,
have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone
that believeth. That's how someone's made righteous.
What's the fruit of that righteousness? Lord comes in, he makes something
peculiar. He makes the heart of a sinner
holy. This is my child. What's that
fruit? It's imputed and imparted to us, this righteousness is,
and the fruit of that is peace. We have peace knowing that. Knowing
that the holy God can only have holy things in front of him.
A person coming to His presence must be holy, must be pure as
He is pure. We have a great peace in our
hearts knowing that by His grace, the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary,
taking our sins, bearing it in His body on that tree, all condemnation
is gone. That separation has been brought
together. There's that one man. Christ
is the Lord our righteousness and He is the one that made peace
between His elect and the Holy Father we sinned against. Man
doesn't make his own peace with God. We can't. That's so common. Somebody's about to die and they
say, you better make your peace with God. Man can't do it. We are the offending party. It's
not possible. Christ must do it for His people. That's righteousness and peace.
Is that joyous to you? For the Lord to receive all the
glory in saving His people, making them holy, giving them peace
in their hearts, preserving them forever. That's joyous, isn't
it? Look at Romans 15 verse 13. Romans
15 verse 13. Now the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through
the power of the Holy Ghost. If I truly have joy, the Lord's
truly given me joy, filled me with joy, and He's given me peace
in believing that Christ is all my righteousness. You think I
can restrain my liberty? so I can guard and protect a
weaker brother or sister? Wouldn't be too hard, would it?
We're brought in remembrance of Him every time, consistently. I pray the Lord enable us by
the power of the Holy Ghost to limit and measure our liberty,
to allow us to be a building block to our brethren and not
a stumbling block. constrain us in the love and
grace that Christ has so abundantly given us. That'll talk about
a bit and bridle of love. You've seen Christ's love for
a wretched, poor, unclean sin. I see what He's done for me.
And I'm brought to remember that. I'm brought to His feet constantly.
Well, nothing else matters, does it? You got to live on beans
and rice for the rest of your life. Okay. That'll be fine. It's a vapor anyway.