Romans chapter 14. I remember a service many, many years ago, probably 45 years ago. And I heard an old veteran preacher take his text from Romans 14 verse 9. And I've never forgot that message. I've never forgot that message. For to this end, or to this purpose, Christ died. Who died? The Lord Jesus Christ. He both died because of our sin. Risen again to justify us. He ever lived to intercede for us. To this end, to this purpose, Christ died, rose, and revived that He might be Lord or declared to be Lord.

Declared to be that He is the Lord. And you know what? He's the sovereign Lord over all things, over all men, over all flesh. So I'm taking the title with a message from what is said in verse 9. Jesus Christ is Lord. He is Lord. If you look back just a couple pages there, back to Romans chapter 9, turn over there. Look at verse 5. Whose are the fathers of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. He's over what? Over all. Romans 9 verse 5. He is Lord. He's God over all, blessed forever. forever.

The Lord Jesus Christ is not lured by what we have done. We often hear people in religious circles, well, have you made your decision to make Jesus Lord? My soul, you can't do that. God beat you to it. All eternity He is the Lord because He's God. Jesus Christ is not lured by what we have done or ever will do, but rather on the basis of God's eternal purpose, God's eternal will, God's eternal decrees. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the Lord. He's the Lord.

Peter preached at Pentecost. You remember his first sermon? He said, therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God had made that same Jesus whom you crucified, God had made him both Lord and Christ. Who made him Lord and Christ? God had made him both Lord and Christ. He thought it not robbery to be equal with God because he is God. He is God.

Now, Paul in this chapter is going to instruct us believers, Ida live among our brothers in Christ, our church family, with love, with respect, and with peace, always seeking the best for one another, for them and the whole body of Christ, not needlessly judging one another over what we eat, drink, or what day we observe.

Now, a lot of people in religious circles, they consider Sunday to be a Christian Sabbath, they call it. Well, if they want to do that, that's okay. It's not mandatory. I esteem every day alike. But if people want to observe that day, as long as they don't do it for righteousness, that's okay.

But follow peace, that's the thing. As it says in verse 19, Let us therefore follow after things which make for peace, and things wherewith we may edify, or help one another, or comfort one another, and encourage one another. So, remember, we are members one of another, as I said earlier in chapter 12. It says there, verse five, so we being many are one body in Christ, and everyone members one of another. We are one family, one body, members one of another.

So we're not to needlessly offend the believer resting in Christ over matters of indifference, matters of indifference. As it says there in verse 13 of Romans 14, verse 13, let us not therefore judge one another anymore, but judge this, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's So don't be a stumbling block, be an encouragement, be a helper. So we're not to needlessly defend, offend the believer in Christ over matters of indifference. Now he's not talking about vital, the vital issues of the gospel. Not talking about that, talking about things of indifference.

The mature believer in Christ may have much more liberty about eating and drinking and the observance of days than a young believer may have. It takes a while to grow up and mature, and it takes a while to get rid of religious grave clothes, those religious traditions of men.

But the key here is to walk in love, esteeming the brother better than ourselves, always being patient and long-suffering with those who might not completely understand the liberty that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. But the key is to walk in love, esteeming one another better than ourselves and being patient. Paul draws a contrast between the weak believer and the strong believer, as he says in verse 1 of chapter 15, we then that are strong or mature ought to bear the infirmities of the weak that bathe in Christ. and not to boast about ourselves or to please ourselves. And we'll look at that, Lord willing, next week. Paul is not telling us to compromise the gospel of Christ in order to please men, but rather to be understanding of those who might struggle over meat, drink, or certain days under that Levitical law.

Now, remember, many of these people lived in that legal bondage under the law for many years. And those old traditions of men, religious traditions, are hard to break. The grave clothes of religion are hard to drop and get rid of. Now, I had a lot of trouble with certain things when the Lord brought me to hear the gospel and to believe the gospel and to live among a congregation of believers.

The religion I grew up in, Mormonism, you were based, righteous or not, by eating and drinking. In other words, in the religion I grew up with, you couldn't drink coffee, you couldn't drink tea, you certainly couldn't indulge in adult beverages, wine or beer, and you wouldn't dare touch tobacco. I mean, these things were, man, if you, you just, oh man. Well, after I heard the gospel and the Lord taught me that salvation is all in Christ, it took me some years to get over that bondage of touch not, taste not, handle not. Sin's not in a box or a bottle. Sin's a principle and nature of the heart, which is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.

Let's not be, we who are mature and believers in the Gospel and have been for years, let's not beat up on someone who's coming maybe out of false religion, who has these religious grave clothes. Let's not beat up on them. Let's be understanding. And let's help them and encourage them. Now, we are to receive, verse 1, Romans 14, him that is weak in the faith, beat up on him. No, love him, help him. Him that is weak in the faith, receive ye. You see, weak faith is saving faith. Weak. How many times did the Lord tell those apostles, oh ye of little faith? Were they saved? Yeah.

He taught Peter and John. But him that is weak in the faith, receive them. Don't be a stumbling block unto them. but not to judge their thoughts, as a marginal reference, not to doubtful disputation, not to judge his doubtful thoughts, his doubtful thoughts. We are to receive into our fellowship those young believers, babes in Christ, who are weak in the faith, rather than judging them and condemning them. We should always be an encouragement to them, not criticizing them, not always rebuking them.

We all have need to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. So as you grow in grace, you know what that makes you? It makes you more gracious. As you grow in the love of God, what does that cause you to do? It causes you to love one another more. Hate yourself, but to love one another. We all have need of being taught, don't we?

The ways of the Lord, from the word of the Lord, not after traditions of men. Remember the Lord said to those religious in his day, he said, these people, they draw nigh unto me with their mouth, and they honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, for they teach the doctrines and traditions of men rather than the truth of God.

So look at verse two, and here he's talking about eating certain things or abstaining from eating certain things. One believer that he may eat all things, another who is weak, he just eats herbs. See what he's saying here? One believer who was strong in the faith, he feels at liberty to eat and drink all things, knowing that salvation is of the Lord, knowing it's not the religion of not. You know what the religion of not is.

Paul talks about it in Colossians chapter 2. Touch not, taste not, handle not. And by touching not, and tasting not, and handling not, those people who are self-righteous, they think that it would recommend them to God. But as it says in verse 17, Romans 14, 17, for the kingdom of God is not based upon meat and drink. That's pretty clear, isn't it? I mean, salvation is not based upon whether you eat pork or not, or whether you drink a glass of wine or have a beer. It's not based upon those things. But righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. That's where it's at.

While the weaker brother in the faith would abstain from certain meat or drink that might offend his conscience, weak conscience, and he might feel guilty about it. But look at verse 3, let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not. Don't despise him, help him. And let not him that which eateth not judge him that eateth.

Now here's the thing. The last part of this is the key. Because God hath received him. God hath received him. Now that's the key to salvation. And we do, by faith, receive the Lord. But we are accepted in the Beloved. But the key is He receives us. You see, He's received us. He chose us in Christ. He shed His blood to put away our sin. He's called us out of darkness in His marvelous light. He's received us. He has received us. Love works. Here's the way love works.

Let us not condemn and judge one another over matters which are not critical to the gospel, eating certain meat, using certain drinks. God has redeemed and received both sinners by the grace of God, saved and justified the weak believer or the strong believer by his grace, not on the basis of meat and drink. You see, it's not what goes into the mouth that defiles us, but rather what comes forth out of the heart. For the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?

You see, our salvation is based upon not our faithfulness, not our doing, not our abstaining or not. Our salvation is based upon the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. Listen to this scripture, Galatians 2, by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, not by the works of the law, Galatians 2, 16. So we're justified on the basis of his obedience unto death and his faithfulness honoring the law of God for us, not us. not upon what we have done or will do. Verse 4, who art thou that judgeth another man's servant? Verse 4. Who art thou that judgeth another man's servant?

You go into someone's business, not your business, but another business. And you go into that guy who owns a business or the boss and start criticizing his employees, he says, well, who are you to criticize my workers? That's not going to fly, is it? Who are you that judges another man's servant? To his own master, his own owner, his boss, he stands or falls. He's a good employee or he's not. The boss on the job is going to decide that, not you. Not you. Yea, he shall be holding up. Now watch this.

Now he's talking about believers here. For God is able to make him stand. God's able. Now I love to think about that God is able. The weak believer, the believer weak or strong is still one with one another in Christ, he stands before God who is able to keep us. Keep us. Remember we studied in the book of Jude, he's able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. God is able. Now I love that word, God is able. He's able. He's able to do what? He's able to save us to the uttermost, all that come to God by him, he's able.

He's able, and Abraham, believers are persuaded like Abraham of all that God has promised, he's able to perform. Or as Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for I know whom I have believed and persuaded. He is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. We've committed the whole of our salvation, the doing of it, to the Lord Jesus Christ.

He's able. He's able. Isn't that a good statement? For God is able to make him stand. For God hath received him. Verse 3, God is able to make us stand. We stand one with Christ. Now, verse 5, one man esteemeth, he goes from meats to days now. One man esteemeth one day above another, and another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be persuaded in his own mind, his own heart.

Now, some of these Jewish believers had difficulty leaving off all those certain feast days under the law. Those Jews, they'll have a problem with it, don't they? The Passover feast, the Day of Atonement, the keeping of a Sabbath day or circumcision, You know that Paul dealt with those Judaizers who came among the church and said, Jesus Christ is not enough. He said, except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you can't really be saved.

You see, they were trying to mix in law and works instead of grace. You remember what we studied back in chapter 11, I think it is. It's either of works, all of works, or it's all of grace. Can't be both. So, they were having a problem with these certain days or circumcision.

When others being fully taught of the Lord that Christ was the fulfillment of those things, there was no need to observe the Passover feast any longer because Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us. We studied that, didn't we? Christ is our Passover. We look to Him. God still says, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. And that blood is the blood of Christ. Christ, we no longer observe a day of atonement. The Lord Jesus Christ is our atonement. Here in His love, not that we love God, He loved us. And He sent His Son to be the atonement for our sin.

You remember Romans chapter 10. Turn back over there. Romans chapter 10. You remember verse 4? Romans 10 verse 4, for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. The end of it. To everyone that believeth, Christ is the goal. He honored the law of God for us, satisfied the law of God for us, and pre-stepped in penalty. Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free. He set us free.

Verse 6, back in our text. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord. And he that regardeth not today to the Lord, he does 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 also gives thanks to the Lord. whether we regard the day or not, whether we eat or not, we are the Lord's.

Over in 1 Corinthians 10, and they were having problems with people who had got a good deal at the meat market. And some of that animal was sacrificed unto idols. And they brought back the leftovers and put it in the meat market. And it was a bargain to buy it. And those believers would buy it and their conscience wouldn't be wounded because they knew that salvation is complete in Christ.

But some people had, oh, that was offered to an idol. You couldn't eat that. No, I've got a good deal on it. I'm going to take it home and cook it. You see, they had liberty to do that. Some didn't. Whether we regard the day or not, here's what I wanted to read.

Whether we eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. Whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. To the glory of God. We should always encourage one another to give thanks to the Lord. In everything give thanks, this is the will of God, for the blessed fact that our salvation is totally of the Lord, not in eating and drinking or observing certain days. We understand that, don't we? Salvation's of the Lord. The only standard of salvation is our relationship with the Lord and our union with him.

We're not to set ourselves up as a standard of judgment. We're not to judge one another who was saved or who was lost. That's not our business. That's certainly not my business. The Lord knows all things. The Lord knows the heart. I don't. I can't look on your heart. God looks right into your heart. He's a discerner of the thought and the intent of your heart. Now, verse 7 and 8. Verse 7 and 8.

None of us. Now, again, he's talking about us. Talking about humans. Us. None of us. Talking about believers. We don't live to ourselves. We live unto the Lord. We are the Lord's. None of us live to Himself. And no man or believer dies to himself. We're one with the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 8. Whether we live, we live unto the Lord. Whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. We are the Lord's. We are His church, bought with His blood. He owns us.

Paul writes that in 1 Corinthians 6.20. He said, you're no more your own, you're bought with the blood of Christ. We are His servants. We're members one of another, in one body, with one head, the Lord Jesus Christ. No believer is an island unto himself. He is put in the body of Christ to serve the Lord, and doing so by, what? Serving one another.

Now, hold your place there and turn to 2 Corinthians 5. On 2 Corinthians chapter 5, 2 Corinthians 5, verse 14. I often quote this verse and don't quote verse 15. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 14. For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that if one died, one died for all, that is all his elect, one died, Christ, then all were dead, verse 15, and that he died for all, now talking about his elect now, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again.

We live as unto the Lord, trusting him, looking to him, following him. Whether we live, we live by the Lord's will and purpose and grace. We say with Paul, I am what I am by the grace of God. Or whether we die in faith, in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're bought with his blood. Let us live seeking his glory and the good of others, and the good of others. Every believer is chosen in that eternal covenant of grace. Paul writes this in Philippians chapter one.

He said, for me to live is Christ, to die is gain. For I'm a straight betwixt two, having a desire to part and be with Christ. but to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. Every believer has been chosen in Christ in that eternal covenant that's ordered in all things and assured, redeemed with his precious blood, called out of darkness in his marvelous light, and preserved by his power.

Whether we live, verse eight again, We live unto the Lord, or whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live, therefore, or die, we belong to Him. You see what he's saying there? We belong to the Lord. He bought us. He chose us. He redeemed us. We are His servants. What a privilege to serve the Lord. Now, verse 9. To this end, or to this purpose, the Lord Jesus Christ died, We know that. He died for our sin according to scripture. He rose again the third day. He was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. And he ever lived. That word revived means that he lives, ever lives. He ever lived to make intercession for us, doesn't he?

Turn back to Romans 8 for just a moment. Romans chapter 8. Verse 33, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Romans 8.33, it is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth, it is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. He ever lived to intercede for us.

And here's the bottom line. Through His death, through His resurrection, and His eternal sovereign reign, declares that He is Lord. It declares that He is Lord to this end, to this eternal purpose. According to His eternal purpose, which He purposed in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world.

He's Lord over all things. He's Lord over death. He's Lord over all things. He's Lord over death. He defeated it. He said, I'm he that liveth and was dead, but I'm alive forevermore. And he has the keys of heaven and death. So he is Lord over death. He's Lord over sin. He appeared once in the end of the age and put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. He's Lord over all things, the dead and the living. He's Lord over Sin over death, over hell, over the grave. He's Lord over Satan. He's declared to be Lord over all things. Over all demons. Over all men. Over all events.

You remember Romans 11.36? Turn back over there. One page.

Romans 11.36. Of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. You got it? Romans 11, 36. Of Him, through Him, to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. So be it. I'm glad it's that way.

Christ died for our sin according to the Scripture. He dies at the appointed time, the appointed way, for the appointed people. He died as a Lamb of God. as a sacrifice for sin as the Lamb of God. That's God's Lamb that takes away our sin. He takes away our sin by bearing away our sin in His own body on the tree.

So the Lord Jesus Christ is declared to be Lord in that He died according to God's will and purpose. He rose again from the dead to declare that He is Lord. Every knee's gonna bow. Every tongue is going to confess He is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And He ever lives to declare His Lordship of all things. He's the Lord of those who are dead in sin, those who have died. He's their Lord.

And the living. Those who live in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who have life and salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Lord. He is our Lord. God has made Him both Lord and Christ. And we submit by His power. We submit willingly to His Lordship. His Lordship. for this purpose, to declare that he is Lord over all things. Our Lord said this in Psalm 110. The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool. May the Lord be pleased to give us life in Christ Jesus, to give us faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to cause us to bow and submit to His sovereign Lordship.

He is King. He's King in creation. Lord in creation. He's King and Lord. We read that in the Revelation, didn't we read that several times? He's King of kings and Lord of lords. He's King in creation. He's King in providence. And my soul, certainly He's King in salvation. Salvations of the Lord.

Thy people shall be willing in the day of God's power. There's coming a great day of separation when the Lord shall come back with all His holy angels, and He will separate one from another. He'll put the sheep on His right hand, the goats on His left hand, and He'll say to those sheep, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom of God prepared for you, for the foundation of the world. You see, the Lord is the one who does the separating.

The foundation of God stand this year having is sealed. The Lord knoweth them that are his. He knows. He knows his people. So the Lord Jesus Christ, why did he die? God's purpose, to glorify Christ. He died in perfect submission. He died to put away our sin. His death was an accomplishment. His death was satisfaction. He died to redeem us from all our sin. He died that we might receive the adoption of sons.