Let's open our Bibles again to
the 14th chapter of the Gospel of Romans. Romans chapter 14. When you find your place, just
hold your Bibles open on your laps, and I ask you to pray that
God will be pleased to give me grace to deliver the message
he's given me for you from these 23 verses. The title of my message
this morning is We Are the Lord. We are the Lord's. If you believe God, you are the
Lord's. If I believe God, I am the Lord's. You belong to him, not to me. I belong to him, not to you. He is your master, not me. He is my master, not you. and we are to treat one another
as the Lord's in all respects of life. Sadly, in the early
church of the New Testament era, many carnal divisions arose. I have all of my life as a believer
heard folks say, I want to get back to the pure New Testament
church. Find me one. Find me one. Read about the epistles, or read
the epistles written to and about the churches of the New Testament.
They all had big problems. Well, I can't go to church there.
Those folks don't, they don't behave like they ought to. Find
me one that did. Find me one that did. They all
had difficulties. In fact, every era of significance
Every heresy we deal with today was prominent even in the days
of the New Testament churches before ever the apostles themselves
had died. God's people have always had
to deal with and face these things. Many carnal divisions existed. Sometimes those divisions were
caused by the offense of the gospel. And when there's a division
caused by the offense of the gospel, well, it just has to
be. That's just all there is to it.
The Judaizers at Galatia were teaching men that they were justified,
that they were made righteous, that they made themselves righteous
by their works, which they added to the grace of God. Those who
denied the resurrection at Corinth, Paul said they destroyed the
faith of some because they said that Christ wasn't risen from
the dead. Those ekklesi, those Gnostics who taught that a man
could be saved without the supernatural regenerating work of God the
Holy Ghost, just by arriving at a high degree of spiritual
knowledge had to be condemned for their doctrine. the ascetics,
those at Colossae and elsewhere who taught that somehow by depriving
yourself of earthly, physical, material joy. If you like salt,
don't eat any. If you like beans, don't eat
any. Or if you wanna really make yourself
good before God, you starve yourself to death and beat yourself with
a little whip and you don't enjoy anything about life. It's called
asceticism. They had to be dealt with and
dealt with plainly. The antinomians, Jude mentioned
in the text we read earlier, those men who, speaking contrary
to the word of God, taught that salvation by grace alone promotes
and encourages ungodliness, who themselves said, let us do evil
that good may come. Those men had to be dealt with
in plainness and clarity, declaring them to be those certain men
crept in unawares, who were ordained to this condemnation, these ungodly
men, denying the Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ by telling
men to sin that grace may abound. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11,
There must also be heresies among you. These things are not accidental. Brother Lindsay has been going
with us on Sunday mornings through the book of Exodus and showing
us the children of Israel in the wilderness and all their
difficulties. Don't ever imagine they happened
by accident. By those things, God proved and
proved and proved and proved again. who are his and who are
not. Heresies must be among you, Paul
said, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. The heresy comes and destroys
this one and that one, maybe many. But those who know God,
somehow or another, they get through it because God brings
them through it. Not because they're better, not
because they're nobler, not because they're wiser, not because they're
mightier, because they're gods. And God graciously proves his
own by these things. When the gospel of the grace
of God offends people, they just have to be offended. Gospel issues
cannot be compromised and God helping us in this place will
not be compromised for anybody, for any reason. If you don't
like the gospel that's preached here, I suggest you go somewhere
else. Nothing's changing. My message
is not going to change. divine sovereignty, total depravity,
unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace,
the sure preservation of God's elect in Christ will be the salt
and pepper daily stable of this pulpit as long as I have breath
and God gives me breath. Nothing is going to change, nothing. Salvation is of the Lord. Because
of those things we preach, I recognize some division is inevitable.
It can't be avoided without compromising the gospel of God and the glory
of God and doing harm to the people of God. But sadly, divisions
exist among true believers as well, and that should never happen. Such divisions are always needless
and shameful. Never otherwise. Never otherwise. I said, Jerry and Marilyn, y'all
been married two or three years, haven't you? Both of them believers. Both of them one in Christ. For them to suddenly not be able
to get along is without excuse. I don't love her anymore, that's
your responsibility. I don't love him anymore, that's
your responsibility. Doesn't matter how you feel,
doesn't matter what you've been doing, it's absolutely without
excuse for them not to be able to get along. And so it is with
all the body of Christ. Yet those things too are common. At Corinth they were divided
over preachers. I like Peter, I like Paul, I
like Apollos. I don't like any of them, I just
like to read my Bible and listen to Jesus. I've heard that nonsense. Same people are divided and it's
true today. They get divided because of gift
envy. and he's a better preacher, she's a better singer, he can
do this, he can do that. Theatrophies, maybe he caused
more division than anybody, and he wouldn't allow certain fellas
in his pulpit because they might preach better than him or they
might be more influential than him, and he loved to have the
preeminence. I'm gonna tell you something.
Now listen, listen. Anytime, it doesn't matter who
he is, Any time Don Fortner or Skip Gladfelter or Lindsay Campbell
is running down somebody else, it's because he loves to have
the preeminence. Well, I heard Brother Bill say
something about somebody the other day that didn't sound very
good. That wasn't what he's doing. Yes, it was. Any time, any time. You've got to run somebody else
down or choose to do so. It's because you love to have
the preeminence. Now, let's look at our text.
At the close of Romans 13, God the Holy Ghost tells us, put
ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh
to fulfill the lust thereof. How many times have you read
that statement given to us three times in his epistles by the
Apostle Paul? Put on Christ. Put on Christ. Put on Christ. And always it
is written to you and I who are believers. Well, how do I put
on Christ? How do I put on Christ? Get up
in the morning and you ladies, well, that dress is just a little
too short. Maybe I got a little too much
makeup on. Maybe I ought not to curl my hair quite so much.
Are you, man, I've got to dress this way. I can't eat this today. I can't drink that today. No,
got nothing to do with any of that. Got nothing to do with
any of that. Well, what does it mean? Read
chapter 14 and you'll find out. The whole of chapter 14 is but
divine instruction teaching us how to put on Christ, what it
means to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. In this passage of scripture,
the apostle is telling us by divine inspiration that all needless
division among men, especially among God's saints, being rooted
in and springing from pride is a direct result of men and women
making provision for the flesh, striving to fulfill the lust
of the flesh. So avoid needless, unnecessary
strife and division. How do you do that? How do you
do that? Every time you think about disagreeing
with somebody, don't. Every time you think about saying
something mean, don't. Every time you think about treating
somebody hardly, don't. That's how it is not to put on
the flesh. In all matters of insignificance,
you and I are to accommodate ourselves, not to ourselves,
but to one another. As we go through this chapter,
Just follow along with me and hold your Bibles open at this
14th chapter, and let me show you five things. Five lessons
we need to learn, learn now, and ask God to teach us day by
day. Number one. In verses one, two,
and three, the apostle tells us that all God's elect are equally
dear to him. being equally dear to God, all
God's elect, the young and the old, the weak and the strong,
those who behave like we want them to and those who don't.
Those who act like we want them to and those who don't. All God's
elect are equally dear to God and being equally dear to God
ought to be equally dear to us. To put on Christ is to receive
and embrace God's people as God receives and embraces His people,
just like they are. Just like they are. Just like
they are. Verse 1, Him that is weak in
the faith, receive ye. but not to doubtful despotations."
Well, we'll receive him as a brother, but I'm gonna keep my eye on
him. We'll receive her into the church, but we'll have to put
her on probation. We'll watch over her. Not to
doubtful despotations. For one believeth that he may
eat all things, another who is weak eateth herbs. And Paul's
referring, of course, to the division with regard to men in
the early church, especially those who were converted out
of Judaism. And he said, some just, they don't believe you
ought to eat pork, so they don't eat it. Let him not that eateth, despise
him that eateth not, and let not him which eateth not judge
him that eateth, for God hath received him. In all matters
of indifference. Now, I'm gonna come back to this,
Lord willing, in a couple of weeks, but for now, let me speak
just in present language and present circumstances. In all
matters of indifference. Now, this is what I mean by matters
of indifference. Matters of indifference, things
that won't make a hill of beans difference in eternity. Things
that won't matter in eternity. Anything and everything that
is not detrimental to the gospel of Christ, things that just really
don't make any difference. Those are matters of indifference.
In all matters of indifference, you and I should always be accommodating
to one another, not to ourselves, to one another. There are great
diversities of gifts in God's church. but it is God the Spirit
who gives those gifts to each one as he will. All the redeemed,
whether weak or strong, whether gifted or not so gifted, whether
real stable or what we would look at and think maybe they're
not so stable, all the redeemed are equally loved of God and
equally accepted of God because they are accepted in Christ. That means they are to be equally
loved, cherished, and accepted by you and me, just like they
are, just like they are. All should be equally dear to
us so that we each esteem other better than ourselves I Can stop preaching right there
and I've said enough for you and me to work on for the next
two or three months Each esteem other better Well,
we're equals that's not good enough better than themselves
We should each take care to accommodate ourselves to one another's needs. I had a call this morning. I
wasn't able to take the call. When I called, I was preparing
to preach for you, but I'll call him back this afternoon, Lord
willing. Somebody who's been greatly blessed by the preaching
of the gospel from this place. I don't know him, but he was
just so enthusiastic and encouraging and complimentary. Do you know
what? I always like to hear that. I
always like to hear that. One of the ladies complimented
my grandson this morning, first thing I saw her, Susan did. That'll
always get you in good with me. I just always like to hear that.
But somebody, Brother Don, I hate to say this, but please don't.
If you hate to say it, believe me, I'm gonna hate to hear it.
Rather be anxious to compliment. anxious to encourage, slow to
criticize, slow to correct, anxious to praise. Receive the weaker
brother and the weaker sister as equal to you, better than
you. Hold none in suspicion. Overlook
the infirmities of your brethren. The reality is I've got a lot
more. Help the weak. Forgive offenses,
especially unintended offenses. God teach me to presume that
anything done by my brother that gives me pain and offense was
not intended by him to do so. Always put the best construction
upon people's attitudes, words, and actions. Always do it in
the best light possible and be gentle for bearing with one another,
especially with younger, weaker brothers and sisters in Christ. A young man, a young woman, Talk
about a young believer now that may be 75 years old, but a young
believer. Come into the congregation. I
can't take the time that is needful for study and labor in the word
and spend it with folks who really don't need that. Folks who've
been around, they kind of help each other. But the young, oh,
I'll call them, visit with them just real often, spend some time
with them. How come? Because they need the
help. because they need the help. You
do the same. Put yourself in this attitude toward people.
Be gentle for bearing with one another. Refuse to look on the
thoughts of others. Just refuse. I hate to tell you,
you hear what Mark Henson did, and you're not gonna tell me,
I've got something better to do. Just refuse to hear it. Just refuse
to hear it. Well, don't you want to know? No, I don't want to
know. Well, maybe I do, but that's just my proud flesh. I don't
need to know. And you don't need to know. You
don't need to know. Brother Donald, is it always
wrong? It's always wrong. It's always wrong. Rather, we
ought to cover up the offenses of God's saints. Well, just tell her the truth.
You don't need to. You don't need to. If you got
something to say to Don, say it to Don. You don't need to
say it to Shelby. You got something to say to Bill, you don't need
to say it to brother-in-law. Say it to Bill. But when it comes
to your brother, when it comes to your sister, cover up the
offenses. Well, that's not right. Let's
see. Listen to the book. Hatred stirreth up strifes. Listen. But love, you remember what Proverbs said?
You remember what it said? Love covereth all sins. Love covereth all sins. Oh, that looks so bad. Not anymore. Love covereth all sins. That's what God says in his word.
A fool's wrath is presently known. You don't have to wait to find
out what a fool's thinking, he'll tell you real quick. But a prudent
man covereth shame. He that covereth a transgression
seeketh love. But he that repeateth a matter
separateth friends, and that's always the intention. He that repeateth a matter, separateth
friends, and that's always the intention. Someone asked me a
while back about a very dear friend of mine, while handling
a certain situation, and I said, For me to do otherwise would
cause division between him and another friend. And that's just
wrong. That's just wrong. No matter
what it costs me, it's wrong should I try to separate friends. He that covereth the transgression
seeketh love. He that repeateth a matter, separateth
free ends. This is what Christ does for
us, isn't it? Is that what he does for us?
Then that's the least we can do for one another. Paul's quoting
from Isaiah, where the prophet tells us to strengthen the weaker
hands. Confirm the feeble knees, lift
up the fallen. Oh God, give us grace to embrace one another as you
embrace us for Christ's sake. That's what it is to put on Christ.
Number two, verses four through eight. If we're truly one with Christ
and one in Christ, then none of us live unto ourselves. To put on Christ is to live with,
serve, and treat one another as the Lord's own people. To
put on Christ is to live with, serve, and treat one another
as God's own people. Verse four, who art thou that
judgest another man's servant? Who are you to condemn another
man's servant? Who are you to determine whether
another man's servant's doing what he's supposed to be doing
or not? Who are you to even think? I wonder, I wonder that fellow
working over yonder for Joe, is doing what Joe told him to
do. Frankly, that's just none of your business. That's just
none of your business. To his old master, he standeth
or falleth, yea, he shall be holding up. This man, he is God's
server. He shall be upheld, for God is
able to make him stand. If he's God's, God'll take care
of him. If he's God's, God'll take care
of him. He doesn't need me to take care of him. Doesn't need
me to judge him. Doesn't need me to tell him what
to do. One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth
every day alike. Let a man be fully persuaded
in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth
it unto the Lord. He that regardeth not the day
to the Lord, doth he 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, and giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth
to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 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. Our lives are not our own, but
God's. This is what we confess in believer's
baptism. The initiation work of the believer
in the kingdom of God, we're buried with Christ in baptism
because we died with him. We're risen with Christ and we
walk with Christ. He's the Lord. We belong to him
in newness of life. Our lives are his and our deaths
are his. So let us live for our Savior. And when time appointed by God
comes for us to die, die for him. Let us live to him, and
when time comes appointed for us to die, die to him. He chose us. He bought us with
his own precious blood. He called us and saved us by
his grace. He said, fear not. I have redeemed thee. Yea, I
have called thee by thy name, and thou art mine. we belong
to God. All this He's done for us to
make us peculiarly and distinctly His own people. We live by Christ,
we live with Christ, we live in Christ, and Christ lives in
us. And when we die, we shall die
in Christ. Blessed are the dead which die
in the Lord. Each one who is the seed of Christ is
part of Christ, and His seed are what? Members of His body,
bone of His bone, and flesh of His flesh. O Spirit of God, give
to me and to each of these who are the Lord's grace. Never to lose sight for a moment
that we belong to God our Savior, that we live in perpetual, everlasting
union with Him who gave us eternal life. We have this assurance and this
confidence of faith Because God the Father, in his covenant love
and faithfulness, is the same in life and in death. God the
Son, in his finished redemption, is the same in life and in death. And God the Spirit's life-giving
power is the same in life and in death. We are the Lords. That means, as we live, So we
shall die rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. So we ought
to live together as heaven-born sinners, living together and
dying together in the Lord. We ought to treat one another
then, each one, as God's own as God's own property. I have often told many of you,
I don't know that I've ever said this to you publicly, but I'll
say it now. I have a pretty good library
back there. You wanna use it? It's yours. It's yours. Now, anybody who hadn't heard
me say that is making a horrible, proud presumption to walk back
there and pick up anything he wants to. Because it's mine. It's mine. I've got a car and
a truck over there. You need them, and usually the
keys are in them. You'd have it, couldn't use it.
But anybody who presumes to walk over and take it, who hasn't
been told, yeah, you can use that, that's a horrible, proud
presumption. See that fellow right there under?
That one right there with the almost silver white hair now.
He belongs to God. Not you, not me. Treat him like that. See that
young lady there? She belongs to God. Not you,
not me. Treat her like that. Oh boy,
that'd be treating the fellow pretty good, wouldn't it? Sure
would, wouldn't it? He sure would. Treat them like they belong to
God. That's what it is to put on Christ.
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. Number three, verses 9 through
16. Christ is Lord of all. put on Christ is to bow to and
recognize Christ alone as Lord of all. For to this end Christ
both died and rose and revived. Lord Jesus accomplished redemption
when he was made sin for us and died. Having put away sin, he
arose because sin has been put away by him. And revived, he
ascended up on high publicly before those very men for whom
he died, that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living. He earned the right to be Lord
both of the dead and the living. Now, I'll say much more about
this another time, perhaps, but for now, this is the one distinct
thing he's telling us. Christ is Lord. of His chosen
redeemed people, those who are yet dead in trespasses and in
sins, and those whose bodies are dead in the grave, and those
who are born again living by His grace today, and those who
live around His throne in glory. He alone is Lord of us all. We are not lords over one another.
But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at naught
thy brother? Push him aside like he's a worthless
piece of broken china. For we shall all stand before
the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, as I live,
saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall
confess to God. So then every one of us shall
give account of himself to God. Paul writes to the Corinthians
and he said, I know you think I'm nothing. I know that. I know what you say. I know what
these fellows have come saying who slander my name and I've
got nothing to say to them. It is a very small thing to me
to be judged by you or a man's judgment. I'm prepared to wait
until God does the judging. I'm prepared to wait. We'll find
out who's God and who's not. We'll find out who serves God
and who doesn't. Read on. Verse 13. Let us not,
therefore, judge one another any more, but judge this rather,
that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his
brother's way. You know, I don't think Brother
Rex ought to have done that. That's not your business. Now, I think Oscar ought to do
this. That's not my business. That's not my business. My business
is make sure I don't do anything to hurt them. My business is
make sure I don't do anything to cause them to stumble and
fall. I know, verse 14, and am persuaded of the Lord Jesus,
there is nothing unclean of itself, But to him that esteemeth anything
to be unclean, to him it's unclean. But if thy brother be greed with
thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Now this is what
it's saying. In the early church, some folks say you shouldn't
eat this, or you shouldn't eat meats off of diatols, or you
shouldn't eat this kind of meat or that kind of meat. Well, he
needs to learn better than that. I'm gonna eat my pork anyhow. Just because that was sold and
offered to an idol, and I can buy that for a nickel cheaper.
I'm gonna eat that anyhow. That's to cause offense to your
brother. Well, he shouldn't be offended
by it. Maybe not. Maybe not. but don't you be the
cause of offense. Destroy not him. That is, don't destroy his peace,
his joy, walking with God, with thy meat for whom Christ died. Let not then your good be evil
spoken of. You may be doing that which is
perfectly fine, all right, but don't behave in such a way as
to cause your good, your freedom in Christ to be evil spoken of.
The great glorious end and purpose of God in all things is the exaltation,
dominion, and glory of Christ as our Lord, Lord over all. It ought to be our delight to
bow to him as Lord and recognize that he who died for and redeemed
you is your Lord as he is my Lord so that I leave you to God's
hands and treat you as the Lord's. That's what it is to put on the
Lord Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God is altogether
spiritual. To put on Christ is to live and
walk before God with one another in righteousness, peace, and
joy in the Holy Ghost. Verse 17. For the kingdom of
God is not meat and drink. It's not carnal. It's not material.
It's not what you put in your mouth. but righteousness, and
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Righteousness of God given to
you, imputed to you, and imparted to you. Peace, the peace of reconciliation,
the peace of conscience, the peace of forgiveness, and joy,
the joy of life in God by God the Holy Ghost. That's what the
kingdom of God's all about. For he that in these things serveth
Christ. and righteousness and peace and
joy and is acceptable to God and approved to men. Let us therefore
follow after these things, the things which make for peace.
Follow after the things which make for peace. I wonder if that'd
be good. I wonder if that'd make us get along better. I wonder
if that'd make us happier with each other. I wonder if that'd
make us enjoy one another more. That's the thing to do. This
might disturb the peace. This might destroy that happiness
and joy. This might make you uneasy. Don't
do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. I don't know whether
I should say that or not. You probably shouldn't. I don't want us to
do that or not, you probably shouldn't, probably shouldn't.
But those things wherewith we may edify one another. Verse
20, for meat, that is to gratify yourself, to satisfy yourself,
destroy not the work of God. Don't disturb the righteousness
and peace and joy of a brother's conscience before God. All things
indeed are pure, but it's evil for that man who eateth with
offense. It is good neither to eat flesh,
nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth,
or is offended, or is made weak. God teach me that. How silly,
how ungodly it is for people, God's people in this world, to
offend one another, Fuss, fight and divide over things that don't
matter. What doesn't matter? Money and
meat, dress and drink, business and buildings, holidays and holy
days, meaningless doctrines and measured duties. How shamefully
disposed our carnal minds are to be taken up with carnal things. Taken up with religious activities,
Religious exercise, religious duties, anything short of the
new birth by God the Holy Ghost, anything short of eternal life,
we're taken up with it and we eat it up and we fuss and fight
and divide over, fight wars over it. And those things just don't
matter. Living upon the righteousness
of Christ with one another in peace. Living and serving God
together in joy. Ah, now that's what it is to
put on Christ. That's what it is to put on Christ. Wonder what God might use us
to do. Wonder how God might use us together. Wonder how God might use any
two people, or 20 people, or 50 people, or 5,000 people. Living and united together in
peace. Loving and serving God together
in joy. That's what it is to put on Christ.
Number five. Well, Brother Don, what's the
secret of all this? The secret of all true religion is faith. Faith in Christ. We live in a
generation of religious, spiritual, blind nincompoops, and they think
about faith, say, oh, he's such a man of faith. Mahatma Gandhi
may have been, but he wasn't godly. She's such a woman of
faith. Now they call Mother Teresa,
may have been, but she didn't know God. She didn't know God.
When we talk about faith, Eric, I'm talking about faith in Christ. The secret to everything is faith
in Jesus Christ the Lord. He's the secret to all true religion. Everything else is meaningly
bodily exercise in religion. Everything done in religious
activity, all religious service, all religious sacrifice, all
religious duty done without faith in Christ is nothing but sin. Nothing but making provision
for the flesh. Some of you go through the exercises
of religion. that you're doing godliness when
you're just making provision for the flesh, satisfying your
flesh, that's all. What is it to put on Christ?
To put on Christ is to live by faith in Jesus Christ. Everything else is sin. Verse 22, hast thou faith? Have it to thyself alone before
God. Happy is he that condemneth not
himself and that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned
if he eat, because he eateth not of faith. For whatsoever
is not of faith is sin. To put on Christ is to believe
on the Son of God. Everything else, call it what
you will, is just sin. Just a show of wisdom in will
worship to the gratifying of the flesh. Oh may God give you grace to
put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh Spirit of God, give me grace.
put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the
flesh. Oh, may God graciously teach
us to live and serve Him together, for we are the Lord's. We are the Lord's. His property,
His property, live together as his property, treat one another
as his property, his child, his servant, before whom each one
alone stands or falls. Amen.