Open your Bibles to Romans 14. Romans chapter 14. If the Lord
will give me the ability to speak tonight, and He'll give you ears
to hear this, I'm going to ruffle feathers. Period. As I was studying this,
I got my feathers ruffled. Romans 14. Todd, my message is strong and weak.
I don't know why my mind always goes to what it could be titled.
I always tell Kimberly that. Shrimp Po' Boys on Halloween.
We could talk about that. Boy, I'd offend some people,
wouldn't I? What if I ate a pulled pork sandwich while I looked
at my Christmas tree? Sinner. I want to ask you a question.
Don't answer me. I want you to answer it inside your hearts.
and go with the first answer, not what you're supposed to say.
Okay? Are you strong or are you weak
in faith? Am I? Am I strong or am I weak
in faith? Compared to our Lord, our Savior,
we're all weak. We're all weak in faith. There
are several verses here In Romans 14, as we go through chapter
14 and into chapter 15, there are verses to those that are
mature in faith, those that are strong in faith. And what our
text tonight is, there's one verse to those that are weak
in faith. There's one comment to them. You know how wise that
is? How prudent that is? That makes us receptive, doesn't
it? If I stood up here and said, oh, you are weak in faith and
I'm strong, you're going to listen to me. You just put cotton balls
in your ears, didn't you? By nature, we think we're the
strong ones. Somebody else has got to be weak. That's our old
flesh. We know what we're talking about,
don't we? Let's look here in Romans 14, verse 1. Him that
is weak in the faith, receive ye. Take them in. but not to
doubtful disputations." That means you take those that are
weak in faith, receive them, but not just to judge their doubtful
thoughts. You got a marginal reference
there, that's what that says. You don't take them in just to
get a good look at them, to pick on them, and I'm going to teach
you something. That's not why we take them in. Paul's hand
was moved to write this to the strong believer. That's who he's
speaking to. But if we're instructed on how to grow in grace, we're
told to do that. Grow in love, grow in grace,
grow in knowledge, Lord Jesus Christ. That means that we got
some room to grow. We ain't maxed out. This is a true brother who they're
speaking of, a true believer, to receive him. One is weak in
faith. That is not someone that believes
a false gospel. Someone weak in faith is not
someone that believes a false gospel. Notice there he says
he is weak, but he is weak in faith. He's weak in the faith. There's only one faith. There's
only one faith. The faith that God gives. That's
what Paul told Timothy. The faith of God's elect. Revelation
13 is called the faith of the saints. Those that are sanctified,
the Lord set apart. It's his faith he gives them.
The common faith. This one here is weak, but he's
in the faith. He's a believer. Now what does
this guy believe? This one that's weak in the faith,
that they're receiving, this brother. What do they know? What do they know? This brother
or sister, they truly know that they are sin. They're not just,
I got some bad sides, I got some room for improvement. They know
they're sin. That's what they are. They're
convicted of this. They have a conviction of sin.
And they have a conviction of all of mankind. Everybody born
of Adam is totally depraved. We have some understanding of
that. This believer that is weak, they know that there's nothing
in them that made God choose them. He didn't look down this
telescope of time and say, well, that right there, he's going
to be weak, but he's going to choose me, or she's going to, and I'm
going to take her. But rather God chose His people
by free and sovereign grace in the love of His Son, Christ His
elect. He put them in before the time
began. That's why He picked me. Nothing
in me, nothing good in me, because I understood the first point.
Totally depraved. That believer, that weak brother
or sister, they don't believe that Christ died for everybody
and just wants to save them. That's another God. That's not
the Gospel. That's somebody else. That's
not the God of this Bible. But they know that Christ was
victorious in redeeming that particular people He came to
save. They believe God. Call His name Jesus, for He shall
save His people. He's going to. They don't witness
a failure, they witness a victorious Savior, don't they? This believer
knows that a sinner who's born again must be made willing in
the day of Christ's power. He has to make us willing. They've
experienced that grace to be irresistible to some degree.
They've been drawn by Him. They may have run. They may be
trying to run away right now. But those that are in God's hand
cannot be removed. Those that are His, those that
He calls to Him. They know that they can't keep
themselves. They've come to know Him. They've come to see the
love that's in Christ and I can't stay there. They believe the
Lord when He says, He which hath begun a good work in you shall
perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. He's going to keep His
people. He'll keep them faithful. So
this is a true child of God it's speaking of. But the problem
is that He's weak in faith. But since He's a brother or sister,
I'm to receive them even though they are weak in the faith. Now
there's a difference between weak and strong faith, isn't
there? That's what's referenced here in this text. What is it
to be strong in the faith? It's to trust the Lord. To believe
Him and to believe His Word. To rest in Christ. To stop working
and rest in Him. What's a good example of that
I thought of? It was whenever Christ was in
that boat and the storm came. What'd He do? He was back there
asleep, wasn't He? Now, if you want strong faith,
don't come to service and go to sleep. Okay? You've got to
stay awake. That's our example. He was resting
in the Lord. He trusted the Father solely, didn't he? Well, nothing
to worry about. That boat wasn't sitting still
and there happened to be a storm coming. It was a rocking and
a rolling. Resting peacefully. Nothing to worry about. In strong
faith, there's a growth in knowledge and understanding. The Lord grows
us in faith, He grows us in grace, grows us in knowledge and understanding
of Him. But knowledge and understanding is not faith. There's people
that just got so much knowledge of the Scriptures in their heads,
that their heads get so big it won't fit through the church
door. And they say, well I'm just going to stay off by myself,
ain't nothing I can learn down there. Isn't that a shame? We'll get to that next week in
verse 7. That's not strong faith. In the beginning of this chapter,
we're given a couple examples here. And this does not make
sense to the natural man. They're talking about eating
and drinking stuff. This doesn't make no sense. This
doesn't go along, this attitude that's in here doesn't go along
with what grandma and grandpa said. Why is that? Because the Lord's thoughts are
not our thoughts. His ways are not our ways. This offends a
natural man. Alright, verse 1. He that is
weak in the faith receiveth ye, but not to doubtful disputations. Not just to pick on them. Verse
2. For one believeth that he may eat all things, another who
is weak eateth herbs. This is God's description of
those strong in the faith and those that are weak in the faith.
Now Kevin, I ain't going to have that. He's up there saying that
I'm weak. No, this is the Lord's Word.
Let's remember that. This is God's Word. First He
says there, God says, Strong faith, it knows. It's taught
by the Holy Ghost that Christ fulfilled the law. So that we're
not under the law anymore, we're under grace. We have liberty
to eat and drink anything we want. That law is not eat and
drink to us no more, is it? Turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter
8, just a few pages there to your right. 1 Corinthians 8.
Christ told us clearly while He was walking this earth, He
said, It is not that which goeth into the mouth that defiles the
man, but what comes from his heart that defiles him. We have the liberty to even eat
the meat that was used in the worship of idols. The Apostle had this liberty,
the Apostle Paul did, because he was strong in the faith. Look
here in 1 Corinthians 8 verse 4. As concerning, therefore,
the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto
idols, we know that an idol is nothing in this world, and that
there is none other God but one. For though there be that are
called gods, whether in heaven or earth, as there be gods many
and lords many, there's a whole bunch of them called Lord, a
whole bunch of them called God, but to us there is but one God,
the Father, of whom all things are all things, and we in Him,
and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things, and we by
Him." How be it? There's not in every man that
knowledge. Back in that day, these false temples, these false
churches out there, they had these sacrifices to these unknown
gods. And whenever they'd slay these
animals, they'd spill their blood, do their services, and then they'd
take that carcass and they'd go sell it at the market, and
it was cheaper than the rest of the meat. This is a metropolitan
area, and people were poor, and so they'd go buy the cheapest
meat they had. It was just as good as any other lamb, just
as good as any other goat, but they would go buy that cheap
meat and eat that. And Paul's saying, it wouldn't
make a difference if they're offering that goat to a false
god or if they're offering it to a tree or a fire truck. Eating
that ain't gonna, if the Lord gave us, like our brother read
just a minute ago, if he's gave nations for you, he gave his
son for you, do you think if you ate a piece of pig, that's
gonna take you out of his hand? That's the liberty that Paul
was given. He was strong in the faith. He'd go to anything he
wanted. How be it is not in every man that knowledge. Not everyone
knows that. Not everyone's been grown to
that yet. Back in our text there. First he's strong. They can eat
anything they want. They'll get you a pulled pork
sandwich and look to Christ and not to this mouth that you're
putting it in. Look to the one that gave you life and that's
fine. But secondly here, God speaks
to those as weak in faith. He says, weak faith believes
he may only eat herbs. That's a vegetarian. I ain't
going to eat any meat. This is confusing. There's a
lot of rules. So I'm just going to stick to vegetables. Maybe
this brother or sister, they came out of a religion and they
grew up their whole life being told you can't eat pork. You
can't eat shellfish. You can't drink soda. Oh, it's
got caffeine in it. No coffee. A good friend of mine
couldn't drink coffee and couldn't drink soda. But this brother or sister may
have grew up that way and now God's brought them out of that.
He's gave them true faith and they truly believe on the Lord
Jesus in spirit and in truth. But they still have these grave
clothes. He believes he should only eat the vegetables and just
avoid all meat altogether. And this isn't for sanctification. This isn't for salvation. I just
think they ought to do it. That's what they ought to be
doing. When I grew up, I was talking to some of the folks
the other day. We got blue laws in Kentucky. That still blows my
mind here. I drive by a liquor store on
Sunday and it's open. That's just foreign to me. Why
is that place open? That ain't supposed to happen.
That's still in the back of my mind. That's ingrained in my
memory. It's my thought process. But this here, what Paul is speaking
of, this isn't a disagreement over substitution. This isn't
a disagreement over how Christ saves His elect. It's about a
walk in this world in regards to this flesh. How we walk through
this world, not in the Spirit. We walked according to this world
all the way up until Christ saves us and gives us life. And boy,
it's hard to let go of them grave clothes. We don't even know what
they are. But God says this weak brother
that's going to only eat herbs is an heir. That's why he's called
weak in the faith. Our Lord says the brother who
eats all things, go eat whatever you want, they are right to do
so. Enjoy that liberty that the Lord's
gave you. That's why God calls them strong
in faith. My pastor used to tell me, he said, if y'all want to
go eat possums, go ahead, I say it's okay. Somebody said, what's
a possum taste like? Another guy said, it tastes like
an owl. I didn't know if anybody would laugh at that. I'll explain
later. But how does God say that they should treat each other?
Here's two drastically different, we're all different, ain't we?
Everyone was born somewhere else, grew up different parents, grew
up different ways, we all have different experiences, we're
all different people. And these are two grasses we never want
to eat anything, even out of those idle temples, and the other
one won't even eat meat at all. How are we to treat each other?
Don't despise them and don't judge them. Who's that talking
to? Either or. The strong one in
faith, don't despise them and don't judge the weaker ones.
The weak in faith, don't judge them and don't despise them.
Look here in verse 3. Let not him that eateth despise
him that eateth not, and let not him which eateth not judge
him that eateth, for God hath received him." These brethren
are to receive each other because God received them. The Lord tells
you who are strong in the faith, don't pick on or think any less
of brethren that won't eat everything that you eat. And we're not to
pressure them into eating the things they aren't comfortable
with eating and they haven't been convicted in their hearts
it's okay to do so. We're not to treat them like unbelievers.
Why? Because God's received them. To be forgiving as God has forgiven
us. That's how we should walk. To
be gracious as God has been gracious to us. To be merciful to our
brethren as he's been merciful to us. We've experienced this.
Those that are strong in faith, you know something about this.
We've been matured and we have a little bit of wisdom. I know
something about mercy. I didn't before. I know something
about grace now. I didn't before. Now exercise that wisdom. Act
like you know what you're talking about. We don't expect a baby
to know everything that we know. There's some little ones in this
congregation. A believer's not full grown when they're born.
When the Lord does a work in somebody, they're not grown at
that minute. Would you be mad at a baby for acting like a baby?
If it was gooing and gawing and it fell down a whole bunch, we
wouldn't get mad at that. That's just to be expected, isn't
it? As a baby in Christ, a believer may think they can only eat certain
meats, or they can only observe certain days, not to observe
other days. But in their heart, they're fully
persuaded they're doing it. They're doing every bit of it
unto the Lord. So those strong in faith are not to blame them
for acting like a baby in Christ when their heart's to the Lord.
Do we know what their heart is? The weaker in faith, it says
there, God tells them, do not judge him that eateth. Don't
point out that, well, they eat everything. And just go set in
judgment and say, well, they're a sinner for doing that. The weak brother's not to call
the strong brother, the stronger brother's liberty licentiousness.
That means somebody that's weaker in the faith's not to say, well,
they just got a license to sin. Boy, I wish I could remember
that. Every time somebody's said, I've had a license to sin. That's
all Kevin Thacker wants to do. I've been told that multiple
times in my life. You're just trying to find a reason to do
anything you want. Well, if I can remember, that could be a weaker
brother. They think they're higher and
mightier, they think they're grown, but they just don't know no better.
That'd be like, if I was to get mad at somebody, I'd say, well,
you believe you've got a license to sin. No, I don't. That's like
a baby yelling at me and me going and yelling back at a baby. That'd
be crazy, wouldn't it? Why do I do it in the spirit? God tells that weak brother to
receive a strong brother because God's received him. The Lord
saved both of us. Does that make sense to us? If
we're grown in liberty in Christ, don't condemn your brethren for
not growing as fast as you've grown. And if you haven't been
taught that liberty, don't condemn those that do. We're so quick
in our flesh just to get high and minded on our spiritual horses,
just like brothers and sisters. Just like siblings, isn't it?
One knows better than the other. I've got two brothers and a sister.
And buddy, if they'd live and do everything I did, the world
would be a great place to be, wouldn't it? They'd just be like
me. But since God's received my brethren, I'm to remember
God as their Father, the same as mine. He's received your brother
or sister, therefore you receive them. We're not to charge them
or condemn them. That's what Paul just told us
back in Romans 8. He said, Who shall lay anything to the charge
of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who's
he that condemneth? It was Christ that died. Yea,
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand
of God, who also maketh intercession for us, for the strong ones and
the weak ones. We don't want to be picked on
and we don't want to pick on others. Now verse 4 there, it
says, Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his
own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holding up,
for God is able to make him stand. You know, some way we would word
that in our modern vernacular, words we use nowadays, mind your
own business. That's their business. That's
between the Lord and His child. We need to worry about ourselves.
What's the quickest way to get a parent upset? You that have
children, or you that know parents, you know the quickest way to
get a mom or dad mad is to condemn their children. Somebody come
to me and said, your children's doing this and that ain't right.
Boy, I wouldn't let my children do that. Even if they're wrong,
I don't like hearing it. You're going offensive, don't
you? I want to defend that child. Likewise, same way, God says
thou Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? My brother's
not my servant. My sister in Christ is not my
servant. He's Christ's servant. So if I criticize him, I'm criticizing
the master. Criticizing who's master that
owns him. And I'm saying, I think I could
do a better job. Of so and so, they just ain't,
they don't understand that they can just do what they want. They
can eat that. It ain't gonna hurt nothing. They don't have
to watch that day. They ought to know better than
that. That's me taking the place of Christ and saying, Lord, you
haven't grown that one enough to suit me. That's what I'm saying. How's my brother or sister made
Christ's servant? Same as we are. Same as every
one of us is, isn't it? God the Father chose them in
Christ before the foundation of the world. Christ Jesus laid
down His life for them. He bled for them. He makes them
His righteousness before God. That brother's sister's Christ-purchased
possession. They're bought with a price,
aren't they? Turn over Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1. How does
any spiritually dead sinner have spiritual life? any of us. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 22, second part of verse 22, it says,
Christ is head over all things to the church, verse 23, which
is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.
And you hath He quickened, who are dead in trespasses and sin.
I don't give life to my brothers and sisters, do I? I don't give
life to sinners. The Master does. The head of
His body does. The head of His church does.
He's the one that gives life. How does a child of God have
faith? Turn over to chapter 2, verse 8. Ephesians 2.8, For by grace are
you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it's
the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For
we are His workmanship. I don't give faith. And my brother
or my sister isn't my workmanship. I've got to whip them into shape.
Oh, I've got to trim some of them grave clothes off. Better
quit that. That would be my workmanship
or his workmanship. And does Christ give every one
of His children the same faith? Do we all have it in the same
measure, in the same degree? Turn over to chapter 4, Ephesians
4 verse 7. But unto every one of us is given
grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Now every
one of us is given the same amount of saving grace, aren't we? according
to Christ. We're all given that common faith,
that saving faith in Him. But my Master, He gave my brother
or my sister the measure of faith that they have. So if I doubt
and I quarrel with a brother or sister, then I'm being critical
of Christ their Master. Only Christ can increase the
faith, not me. So often I forget who maketh
thee to differ. And what hast thou that thou
didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou
glory as if thou had not received it?" I should read that every
morning. Now remember, weak faith saves
the same as strong faith does. Aren't you glad of that? The Lord spoke to those and He
said, O ye of little faith. And that's the first time I read
that, I wondered about it. I said, He said you have faith.
I ain't got much, but I have some, don't I? It's not the degree
of our faith that saves us, but it's the object of our faith.
That's what saves us. The Lord Jesus Christ. Whether
we're weak in a faith or strong in a faith, both are made justified. Both are made righteous in Christ.
So we're able to receive one another, trusting each other
to Christ. I trust my brother and sister
to Christ. They trust me to Him. So we've seen food as an example
back in our text there in Romans 14. We're given another example here
of days. Now that meat, that food, that applies to anything.
We know that, don't we? Drinking wine. Somebody has a
glass of wine. Some people say, wine never touches
these lips. Not in this mouth. That's what
he's getting at. Eating fast food. The list goes
on. Whatever nowadays. Driving vehicles.
Whatever it is. That's what he's speaking of.
You can apply this to anything nowadays. So he gives us another example
here of days. He said Romans 14.5. One man esteemeth one day
above another. Another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded
in his own mind. Now remember, we can't see the
brother or sister's heart. Only Christ can see their heart.
He knows if they're doing it to Him. But it says there, the
brother is weak in faith. He believes he should observe
a day. Now is that a Sabbath day? I don't know a believer that
observes a Christian Sabbath day. I never have. I know people
that claim to be and they argue if it's Saturday or Sunday. that
they don't deserve a day. Someone that the Lord's taught
doesn't deserve a day. They deserve Christ, our Sabbath. He who is our rest. Paul tells
us that in his letter to Colossians. Christ blotted out with the handwriting
of ordinances that which was against us, which was contrary
to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross,
that no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink or in respect
of a holy day or of new moon or of Sabbath. which are shadows
of things to come, but the body is of Christ." All those things
pointed to Christ who saved us. Doing those things doesn't save
us. But, what they're speaking of, this weaker brother believes,
let's say on Sunday, they ought to go to service in the morning.
They go hear the gospel preached. And then the rest of the day,
they go home and they read the scriptures all day. And they
pray all day. And they listen to other sermons
all day. And in the evening, they go back. to service again
on Sunday evening. They believe that they should
spend all day devoted to the Lord. That's my day off and I'm
going to spend the whole day devoted to Christ. That's a good
thing. That's good. That's not a bad one. Or they
believe That week your brother or sister believes that they
shouldn't regard Christmas. They can be for a day, but they
can be against a day, too. Well, no, we don't keep Christmas.
That's a pagan holiday. I won't even say happy holidays
with somebody. Can't do it. Or they say Halloween's just
horrible. To them, it's sinful. To dress
in costumes and hand out candy to children they don't want nothing
to do with. Those that are weaker in faith may observe days. On
the other hand, God says there that brother who is stronger
in the faith, they regard every day the same. To that one, they
wake up in the morning, the sun came up, today is the Lord's
day. I'm going to dwell on Him today. I'm going to think about
Him today. On Sunday, they go to services, they hear the gospel
preached, they go home, they eat, they might watch a football
game, eat a sandwich, take a nap, and if they're serviced that
evening, they go back that evening. The Strong Brother, they don't
put any religious significance on Christmas Day. They put up
a tree, they put lights on it to exchange gifts. I've never
heard of anyone getting down in front of that tree and bowing
to it. And getting on their knees and chanting and stuff. They
just put a tree up. On Halloween, they pass out candy
to children. They put on a Superman outfit
and give out snicker bars. There's people probably, I mean,
be fighting mad with me over that. I know a few of them. I
didn't say it. Lord said it, didn't He? What
are these brethren to do with each other? One believes that
you can't even say Christmas around me, the other one puts
up a tree and hands out gifts. How should they react to one another?
They're not to interfere with their brother's conscience, but
let every man be fully persuaded within his own mind. You're not
to live by my conscience, nor attempt to make me live by your
conscience. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind
concerning what God would have them to do. That's what we would like to
see in our society, wouldn't it? Don't make me think your
way, and I won't make you think my way. Every believer born and
taught of the Lord Jesus Christ, they walk in the light that God's
given them, living unto the Lord. Every one of them. Look here
in verse 6, Romans 14, 6. He that regardeth the day, regardeth
it unto the Lord. Those that truly do it, have
a heart of conviction, think they're doing it to the Lord,
they do it unto the Lord. And 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 thanks. And
he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not. He does it for
the Lord. And he giveth God thanks. Both of them are thankful, ain't
they? They've got something to be thankful for. If I judge my
brother, or my sister. I'm playing the legalist because
I'm saying it's necessary to walk the way that I walk. Now
is that for the stronger or the weaker? Either side of the coin.
You ought to observe the days I observe. You ought to not eat
the things I don't eat. That's put me in power over them.
Or you ought to live just as free as I do. I've got liberty.
You ought to do what I do. There's no difference. We're
putting ourselves in Christ's place to teach them. It's not
the judgment of men that matters. It's the judgment of our Master.
And Christ is going to present every one of His people righteous,
unblameable, holy, unreprovable in His sight. And next time we're
going to look at verses 7 through 9. I want us to read them. Romans
14, 7. For none of us liveth to himself,
and no man doth to himself. We see all these things and we
say, I just don't like Halloween, and I don't think you all should.
I believe the Lord, so I'm going to go live by myself. I'm going
to go on some mountaintop somewhere. That's what Brother Henry said.
We're not individually planted vines on every mountaintop. We're
all planted across that root, across the branch. 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. For to this end, Christ both
died and rose and revived, that he might be Lord of both, of
the dead and the living." Well, next week we'll see his Lordship. But what he's getting at, Paul's
telling us, put away these fleshly disputes. Whatever we can come
up with, that ain't the issue. Look to the Lord that saved us.
Put judgment aside and look to Christ. Amen. Let's pray together.