Would you turn back to Romans
chapter 14? I would not dare say that what
we do is not important because it is. But something that's more important
than what we do is why we do it. motive. And you can't see my
motives. You may have some indication
or some guess, but you can't really see my motive, and I can't
really see your motive. That's something that's reserved
to the Lord. Man looks on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looketh on the heart. Motive is more important than
action. I hope you'll see why I say this
as I try to bring this message. In verses 5 and 6, let's read
those once again, Romans chapter 14. One man esteemeth one day
above another, and another esteemeth every day alike. He makes no
distinction. Let every man be fully persuaded
in his own mind. Now there is a right and there
is a wrong, but let every man be fully persuaded in his own
mind. Think for yourself. Come up with
your own convictions regarding this. Don't just swallow something
because you see somebody else believe that way. Be fully persuaded
in your own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth
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, and giveth God thanks. Now in verses
five and six, we have regarding a day and not regarding a day. Eating meat, sacrifice to idols,
and not eating meat, sacrifice to idols. And Paul tells us that
having the correct view or understanding of these things really is of
little consequence. He said, if you eat, you eat
to the Lord. If you don't eat, you don't eat to the Lord. If
you observe the day, you observe it unto the Lord. If you don't
observe the day, you observe it you don't observe it to the
Lord. What you do really is of little
consequence, it's why you do it. It's what your motive is. And that's what the Lord looks
at. Man looks on the outward appearance, the Lord looks on
the heart. Now, you can be right about something
and have no love for Christ. And you can be wrong about something
and have the motive behind what you're doing, love for Christ.
Which is better? To be right or to be wrong and
yet have a love for Christ behind why you're doing it. Now, verse 5, one man esteemeth
one day above another, And another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded
in his own mind. And this is a reference to the
Jewish holy days, the festival days. They're brought up thinking
we ought to observe these. It could be a reference to the
Sabbath. A man is brought up thinking he's to rest on the
Sabbath. And he just feels in his heart
that it would be wrong for him to not keep the Sabbath. Now, he's not doing this in order
to be saved. He's not making a work out of
it, but he looks at the Sabbath day. He's been raised all his
life to think, you need to not work on that day. You need to
dedicate that day to hearing the gospel, to reading the scriptures,
to prayer. You need to be that way on the
Sabbath day, or you should observe those days. Now, if someone feels
that way and they feel like, well, if I Didn't do that, I'd
be sinning against the Lord. You're wrong. You're wrong. You're dead wrong. Those days
have been done away with. There is no Christian Sabbath. Christ is our Sabbath. The fact that they say, well,
it's the Sabbath on Sunday now, where do you get that in the
Bible? It's not even hinted at in the Bible. All those feast
days and holy days have been fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. And anyone who tries to keep
a day, they're not doing it because God the Holy Spirit taught them
that. They're wrong in doing it. They're wrong in doing it. But what if what is actuating
that action is love for Christ? I don't want to sin against Him. What if that's the motive? You
know what? I admire it. I admire it. And I esteem that person who
does that. He may be wrong, but his motive's
right. And that's what Paul's talking
about. Another man who has more understanding and he realizes
that all of those days have been done away with, he loves Christ
and he feels like it would be dishonoring to Christ to try
to keep a day or observe a day. He knows they've all been done
away with. He understands that and he feels like it would be
sin against Christ to do that. I admire him too. I admire both
of those men if their motive is love to Christ. Let every
man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Think this out for
yourself. Do not simply be influenced by
other men's conviction. You ask the Lord to teach you.
Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. This is talking about what Paul
calls, in 1 Corinthians 8a, matters of indifference. He said, if
you don't eat meat sacrificed to the idols, you're no better
off. And if you eat it, you're no
better off. This is a matter of indifference,
religious conviction, religious scruples. This is not talking
about the vital issues of the gospel, because to reject any
part of the gospel of how God saves sinners is to reject Christ
himself. So understand, this is not talking
about, well, just let everybody believe what they want, that
fellow believes works, leave him alone, as long as he loves
Christ, everything's okay. No, not at all. That man doesn't
love Christ that believes works. We're not talking about that.
Someone is unsaved that does not believe the gospel of God's
grace. Now, Luke, in Luke chapter 1,
he spake of those things which are most surely believed among
us. And there are some things that
every believer believes most surely. Most surely. And I've got to begin here, the
Bible is the Word of God. And I was watching this afternoon,
they have all these religious programs, particularly on this
day, And there was this thing about the shroud of Turan. And
this guy was thinking, you know, if we show the supposed image
of Christ, there's actually blood on it. If we can just prove that
this shroud of Turan, this gives so much more credibility to the
gospel of Christ. Hey, I don't pay any attention
to that at all. The Bible is God's revealed revelation of
himself. And we believe the Bible is the
inerrant word of God. If you don't have that, you don't
have anything. You have my opinion. You have your opinion. What good
does that do? All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. The Bible is absolutely authoritative. We don't believe something because
the preacher said it or because this church said it. We believe
it because it's what God's Word actually teaches. Now that's
a given. This is, somebody says, well I don't believe that. Then
you're not a believer. I mean, really, you can't be a Christian
and not believe the Bible's the Word of God, the inspired, inerrant
Word of God. Because what do you believe if
you don't believe that? I mean, anything goes. But we
believe that the Bible is God's Word. And we believe, remember
these are the things that are most surely believed among us,
we believe that God is as the Bible declares Him to be, don't
we? We believe in the absolute holiness of God because the Bible
teaches that. We believe in the absolute sovereignty
of God. God controls everything. Everybody's
in His hands. We believe in the justice of
God. We believe in the immutability of God. He never changes. We
believe in the eternity of God. He never had a beginning. He'll
never end. We believe everything the Bible says about God. We
believe that salvation is by grace because the Bible teaches
that. God is gracious. God is merciful. God is love. Everything God's Word says regarding
the person and character of God, we believe, don't we? We bow
to what God's Word says. And we believe what the Bible
says about us. What's the Bible say about us?
You hithy quickens who are dead in trespasses and sins. Dead,
unable to do Anything to save yourself. You know, there's no
believer that believes in free will. No such thing. It doesn't
happen. You can't believe in free will
and free grace at the same time. It cannot happen. We believe
what the Bible says regarding us. We're dead in sins, unable
to save ourselves. Our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags. There's none that doeth good.
No, not one. We believe that. I believe that
my heart is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things.
Who can know it? I believe that about myself.
I believe that. We believe what the Bible says
about us. And we believe what the Bible
says about salvation. Salvation is of the Lord. We
believe that. Salvation is of the Father in
an eternal election when he chose who would be saved before time
began. Salvation is of the Son and redemption where He actually
redeemed. He didn't make redemption possible.
He redeemed everybody He died for. And when He said it is finished,
all of God's elect salvation was accomplished. Done deal.
We believe that. We believe that God the Holy
Spirit gives a new heart, that the new birth, regeneration is
of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. He
gives something that was not there before. We have a new nature.
And it's that new nature that sees the old nature. You don't
ever see the old nature. It takes a holy nature to see
a sinful nature. If you see yourself as nothing
but sin, there's a reason why. You have a holy nature. You have
a nature that was not there before. Now we believe. There are things
that are surely believed among us. And somebody that doesn't
believe the things that are most surely believed is not a Christian. No, the brother just doesn't
have the same views of us. He may not believe in sovereign
grace. He might not believe in election.
He might not believe in successful redemption. He might not believe
in the work of the Holy Spirit, but he's got his own views. We're
all still going to the same place. No, we're not. No, we're not. Salvation is of the Lord. And this is not up for negotiation.
This is not up for debate. This is not up for people to
argue one way or the other. Salvation is of the Lord. And
we like it that way, don't we? We love it that way. Now, in matters of indifference,
though, turn with me to 1 Corinthians 8, so I want you to see this
in the Bible. Verse 8, now he's talking about
meat sacrificed to idols. Meat sacrificed to idols. There
are some people who could not, in good conscience, eat meat
that had been used for idolatrous practices. I mean, maybe this
meat was used for some kind of wicked, idolatrous, perverted
thing, and they killed the animal, and hard-telling what all it
was used for, and somebody says, I cannot eat that meat in good
conscience, knowing what it was used for. And somebody else says,
steak, steak. You know, an idol is nothing. I know that. That's ridiculous
to stay away from that meat because an idol is nothing. It's just
meat. I like meat. I'm going to eat
it. Now here you have two conflicting views. One says, I could not
in good conscience eat that meat. And the other says, I don't have
any problem with it at all. Okay, look what Paul says, but
meat commendeth us not to God, for neither if we eat it are
we the better, neither if we eat not are we the worse. It really doesn't make any difference. What is your motive? Somebody says, I think on Sunday
I ought to dedicate the day to hearing the gospel, reading the
Bible and praying and doing nothing else. Good. Do it. Somebody else says, after I hear the gospel, I'm
going to go to a restaurant and get something to eat, something
good. And when I get home, I'm going
to go take a nap. And then when I wake up, I might turn on a
ballgame. And then I'm going to come back to hear the gospel.
Good. The point is it doesn't make
any difference. It doesn't make any difference. What you do doesn't
make you better. What you don't do doesn't make
you any worse. This meat that was sacrificed
to idols is what I'm having for supper today. There's nothing
wrong with it. The idol is nothing. Another says I can't in good
conscience eat that. food that was used for idolatrous
practices. I believe it would be sin against
the Lord to do so, and I thank the Lord for giving me this conviction."
The other fellow says, I thank the Lord for giving me this conviction
that I don't have to eat, that I can't eat. Good. But look back in verse 3 of Romans
chapter 14. Turn back there. Remember this.
You've got your convictions. And you can take this with so
many things. One of the things that comes to my mind is Christmas.
There's some people that thinks it's sinful to acknowledge Christmas
in any way. There are other people who think
they'd like to observe it, not religiously, but they like to
observe it. I mean, it's Christmas. It's where families get together.
Well, good. If you feel that way, don't judge
the brother who doesn't feel that way. And if you don't feel
that way, don't judge the brother who does. These are matters of
indifference. Somebody says, well, I would
never touch alcohol. Don't do it. Don't do it. You shouldn't do it. Somebody
says, I don't see anything wrong with it. Well, as long as you're
not getting drunk, there isn't anything wrong with it. The Lord
drank wine. They called him a gluttonous
man, a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. There's
nothing wrong with that. But don't you judge the man who
is a teetotaler, who can't, won't... That's okay. That's his business.
It's not your business. And you who are a teetotaler,
don't you look in condemnation of that man who feels there's
nothing wrong with it. It's none of your business. We'd do well if we'd mind our
own business, wouldn't we? Look in verse 3, or verse 1. Him that's weak in
the faith, receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For
one believeth that he may eat all things, another who's weak
eats herbs, vegetables. Let not him that eateth despise
him that eateth not. And look down on him, let not
him which eateth judge him that eateth, which eateth not judge
him that eateth, for God hath received him. Who are you to
judge another man's servant? To his own master he stands or
falls. Yea, he shall be holden up, for God is able to make him
stand. Now, verse 7 and 8. Let's read these two verses together.
They go together. Now this one man Who doesn't
eat, he gives God thanks. The man who does eat, he gives
God thanks too. Both are actuated by love to Christ. One's wrong, the other's right,
but it's really little consequence, is it? One's wrong, the other's
right, so what? So what? You know, I like being
right, don't you? So what? So what? Verse 7, he
says, For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to
himself, For whether we live, we live unto the Lord. You know, Lord knows this is
so, or whether or not this is so, but the Lord's my life. If we live, we live unto the
Lord. He's my life. He's my all. He's my Lord. He's my master.
He's my Savior. We live unto the Lord. Whether
we die, we die unto the Lord. I'm looking forward to dying.
I'm looking forward to not being a sinner anymore. I'm looking
forward to beholding His face. And if we die, we die unto the
Lord. What a blessed place to be. We
live, we live unto the Lord. He really is, He's my Savior. He's all I have. He's all I want. If I live, oh, I want to live
for His glory. If I die, He's my Savior. I die unto Him. Death will bring
me directly into his presence, where I'll behold his face. And some of you young people,
you think, I don't want to die yet. I understand that. I understand
that. You want to experience all this
stuff about life, and I understand that. There's nothing wrong with
being afraid of dying. Somebody says, well, the preacher
wants to die. Well, yeah. I want to live, too. I want to
live too, as long as I'm in Him. But whether we live, whether
we die, it doesn't make any difference. We are the Lord's. We are the
Lord's. Whether we live, we live unto
the Lord. Whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Therefore,
whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. Now, who is the us
he's speaking of when he says none of us liveth to himself? Well, it's the same us as the
us in Romans 8.32. If God be for us, Who can be against this? He that
spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall
he not also with him freely give us all things? That's talking
about every believer. This is not talking about a special
group of believers, a special demographic. This is talking
about every single believer. None of us live to himself, and
no man dies to himself. For whether we live, we live
under the Lord. doesn't eat the meat, he's doing it under the
Lord. This fellow that does eat the meat, he's doing it under
the Lord. This fellow who observes the
day, he's doing it under the Lord. This fellow who doesn't
observe the day, he's doing it under the Lord. Now this is every
believer. Now I believe the best commentary
on this, would you turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Verse 13, 2 Corinthians chapter
5. For whether we be beside ourselves,
it is to God. Or whether we be sober, it's
for your cause. I love when Paul is speaking
to Festus And Festus hears him preaching, and hears the things
he's saying. He says, Paul, thou art beside thyself. Much learning
doth make thee mad. You're crazy, Paul. You're a
fanatic. You're crazy. I love the way
he answered, I'm not mad, most noble Festus. I'm not the one
who's mad. You are. But here's the point. Whether we be beside ourselves,
Wouldn't you like to be accused by those around you? He or she
is a fanatic about Jesus Christ. They're fanatics. They're crazy. They're fanatics about grace.
They're fanatics about the gospel. They're crazy. I mean, fanatics. Wouldn't you like to have that
laid to your charge? I sure would. If we're beside ourselves, if
we are fanatics, it's to him. And if we be sober. You know,
Paul quite often was accused of being too logical, too ducks
in a row, all that kind of stuff, you know, and just, he just,
A, B, you know, it's just so logical and so on, and he was.
But he said, it's for your good. It's for your good. Both of those
things. Verse 14, for the love of Christ. Notice it doesn't say love to
Christ. It says the love of Christ. Christ's love to me. This is so important. It's the
love of Christ that constraineth us. it constraineth us. The love of Christ. In John chapter
15 verse 9 would you, would you turn with me there, I want you
to look at this. The love of Christ constraineth
us. Verse 9, As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Now would you dare to believe
that the Lord didn't say it? As the Father with the same love
that the Father has to me, that's the love I have to you. Let me tell you one thing, the
Father's love is not toward the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not unconditional
love. What's that song? Every time
I hear that song on unconditional love, they just repeat it, unconditional
love. There's no such thing as unconditional
love. It's not real. You don't love
anybody unconditionally. And the father certainly does
not love the son unconditionally. The father loves the son because
he's altogether lovely. Because he's so glorious and
beautiful, he's just like the father. Oh, there's that in the
son that draws the love and the respect and the esteem of the
father. He looks on his son and he says,
this is the son of my love in whom I'm well pleased. Hear ye him. Now that love that
the Father has to the Son is the same love that the Son has
to every believer. Now chew on that. How could that
be? I can tell you how that can be. 1 John 4, 17 says, As he is. How is he? He's perfect before
the Father. He's beautiful to the Father.
He's altogether lovely to the Father. He's without sin before
the Father. He's perfectly righteous before
the Father. He is holiness before the Father
as He is. So are we in this world. Now that is the love of Christ
that constrains us. It constrains us. Greater love
hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Now this love he has to us, it
constrains us. This is a very strong word. It
constrains us. This is where we can't, this
is why we cannot live to ourselves and this is why we cannot die
to ourselves because his love to us constrains us. It constrains
us. It constrains us to do things
that we wouldn't do. And it constrains us to not do
things that we would do. The love of Christ constraineth
us. Now what does that word mean?
It's translated by eight other words in the New Testament. Or
seven other words, excuse me. It's translated holds me. The love of Christ holds me.
The love of Christ keeps me. The word is actually translated
sick. The love of Christ makes me lovesick. The love of Christ stops me.
The love of Christ puts me in a strait. The love of Christ
takes me. And the love of Christ throngs
me. The love of Christ, His love
to me, not my love to Him. We're not talking about my love
to Him. We're talking about His love to me. What it does to me. The love of Christ constrains
me. First of all, His love holds
me and will not let me go. I cannot lose His love. I cannot lose His love. You see, the love of Christ is
eternal. It never had a beginning and
it'll never have an ending. The love of Christ is immutable. It never changes. It doesn't, it isn't strong one
day and weak the next. It isn't powerful one day and
then kind of nondescript. No, it's always, it never changes. The love of Christ is infinite.
It cannot be measured. He cannot love me more. And He
cannot love me less. That's the love of Christ. Now
that's what holds me. That's what keeps me. He will
not let me go. I can't send it away. His love
holds me. And His love keeps me. His love
keeps me. It's always active and it never
fails. It holds me together and keeps
me in. It restrains me. It will not
let me depart. You know the reason I don't depart?
Because He won't let me. That's why. And I don't want to depart either.
He put that in my heart. The love of Christ keeps me. Yes, we're kept by the power
of God through faith into salvation. We're kept by the love of Christ
because He loves me. If your child is playing in the
street and a car is coming and you say, I love you, get out
of the street. And the child says, no. You wouldn't
say, well, I'm not going to violate your free will, would you? You'd
go get your child and bring him out of the street. If it's in
your power, you're going to do everything you can to make everything
right for your child, aren't you? You're going to do everything
in your power. Now, here's the difference between
me and you. While we would do everything in our power, we don't
have any power. He does. He has all power. And that's why you won't depart. He will not let you. Paul was pressed in spirit. That's the word. He was pressed
in spirit and testified. And if you love him, you're pressed
in spirit and you'll testify regarding him. And when you testify,
it's wherever you get the word martyr from. By the grace of
God, you're willing, by the grace of God, you know it's only by
the grace of God, but you're willing to die for the gospel.
He was pressed in spirit and he testified. This word is used
to describe Peter's mother when she was sick. She was taken with
a fever. She lied sick. And one of the
things I was thinking about this, the love of Christ, makes me,
I'm sick of myself. I'm sick of my sin. You see, sin in a believer is much worse
than sin in an unbeliever. Did you know that? You know why? You're sinning against his love.
You're sinning against His grace. And doesn't that make you sick?
Does your sin make you sick? I'm sick. Well, that's what love
to Christ does, or that's what His love to us does. It makes
us sick of our sin. And then, taken. Taken. I'm taken by the love of Christ.
He took me. He took me. I'm taken. And then
the word is used, is translated stopped. With reference to Peter's
sermon, not Peter's, but Stephen's sermon in Acts chapter 7 while
he was preaching Christ, it says they stopped their ears. They
stopped their ears and they ran on him with one accord and they
stoned him and put him to death. They stopped their ears. You
know, somebody that loves Christ, they stop their ears to anything
that doesn't give him all the glory. They stopped it. They won't hear it. They won't
have it. They don't want to have anything to do with it. They
stopped their ears toward that. And then Paul used the word like
this in Philippians chapter 1, speaking of death, he said, I
have a desire to depart and be with Christ, but nevertheless
to abide with you is far better. He said, I'm in a straight betwixt
the two. I have a desire to depart and
be with Christ. But because I love you, I have
a desire to be with you and to preach the gospel to you. Now
here's the point. When you're in a strait, because
of Christ's love to you, you love him, you want to be with
him, and you love his people, and you want to be with them.
He that loveth him that begat, loveth him that begotten of him. There's a genuine love, a real
love to the people of God wherever someone is taken by His love. And His love presses on me, the
constraining love of Christ. Now, look what he says in 2 Corinthians
chapter 5. Verse 14, For the love of Christ
constraineth us. And now he's saying the same
thing Paul said in Romans chapter 14, because we thus judge that
if one died for all, then are all dead. Now, the all is all
he died for. You can't say it's all men without
exception. It's all his people. If one died for all, you know
what's true of every one of them? They're all dead. I'm dead. Law doesn't have anything to
say to me. I'm dead. What's the law have to say to
a dead man? Nothing. The sentence has already been
brought to pass. I'm dead. What a good place. The scripture says you're dead
and your life is hid with Christ in God. What a glorious place
to be. Reckon yourselves to be dead
indeed to sin, but alive unto God through our Lord Jesus Christ. For the love of Christ constrains
us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then are
all dead, and that he died for all, that they which live should
not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them,
and rose again. 1 Corinthians 8. This is another
scripture that I think will cast some light on what's being said. Verse 1, Now touching things
offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge
puffs up with pride, but charity builds up, it edifieth. And if
any man think that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought
to know. But if any man love God, The same is known, is recognized
of him. Now, God sees one thing. Well, he sees a son. He sees
faith in his son. He sees love to his son. That's
what God recognizes. Now, I got this from Henry Mahan,
and I thought it was very good. He said, what is the difference
between a head knowledge and heart faith. What do I mean by head knowledge?
I mean just giving assent to the truth because you see that
it's in the Bible, but not because it really does anything for you.
You give assent, you give agreement. What is the difference between
agreement, assent, head knowledge, and heart faith? Head knowledge has to do with
the intellect. I read it here in the Bible and
I say, yep, it teaches that. I got to admit, it teaches that.
I see it. Heart faith has to do with the
affections. Do you love that salvation is
by grace? Do you love that you're completing
I'm not asking you if you see the Bible teaches it. Do you
love that in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead in a
body and you're complete in him? Do you love being saved by his
righteousness and not having any righteousness of your own?
Head knowledge has to do with correct information, the intellect.
Heart faith has to do with the affections. Secondly, Head knowledge
has to do with facts and heart knowledge has to do with experience.
Now what do I mean by that? I've got something that I think
just opens that up altogether. It's one thing to believe that
the Bible does in fact teach total depravity. And it's another
thing to believe that you personally are totally depraved. all the
difference in the world. Head knowledge has to do with
facts that you see. Heart faith has to do with experience. And as soon as I say that, don't
be looking for experience. Look to Christ, that'll be your
experience. You look to Christ, you'll have an experience. You
look for experience, you're just gonna make yourself miserable
and be filled with darkness and unbelief. So may the Lord give
us grace to look to Christ. And thirdly, head knowledge has
to do with personal gain. How can I get my life better?
Heart faith has to do with the glory of God. all the time. If any man loves God, the same
is known of him. So that's what Romans 14 verses
7 and 8 means, which you turn back there. 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. We belong to Him, and we don't
want it any other way. Let's pray together. Lord, we ask in Christ's name
that you would give us motive of love to you. Lord, deliver us from trying
to examine our brother's motive. Lord, cause us to live only to
you and to die only to you. Lord, let us find our complete
satisfaction that whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. Bless this message for your glory
and our good. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.