I ask you to open your Bibles
to my text. I want to give you a little background
on this 14th chapter of Romans and the subject. The Old Testament believers,
men like Jacob and Moses and Daniel and all of those people, they came up under the Mosaic
Law, under the Levitical Law, the Law of Circumcision. Every
male child at eight days, when he was eight days old, was circumcised
and named on that day. And then they observed all the
feast days, the Feast of the First Fruits. when all of the
first fruits were gathered and brought before the Lord. And
the Passover and Pentecost. Sabbath day, Saturday. The Sabbath
day of the week was a very strict, strict day. A person was only
allowed to walk so far. There was no cooking and work
done. For 2,000 years the Jews observed
that day. The certain meats they could
not eat. They were absolutely forbidden
to eat certain meats. The Thai, 10% of everything they
had, even their herbs, even their spices, everything, whatever
they grew, 10% of it was taken out and brought to the storehouse
to support the tribe of Levi. which was the priestly tribe.
There were 12 tribes of Israel. 11 tribes had land and all that
goes with that. But the Levites never owned any
land. They took care of the tabernacle.
They took care of the worship. They took care of sacrifices.
Theirs was the priesthood. And all of the sacrifices and
the sacraments and the rituals, this was something that went
on all the time for 2,000 years, these people. were under that
Levitical law. Now turn to Galatians 3, and
let's read something about that law. Now, when the word law is
mentioned in the Bible, sometimes it means just the scriptures,
the law and the prophets. Sometimes it means the Ten Commandments
But most of the time in the Old Testament it's talking about
Moses' law, the Levitical law, the law of circumcision, the
law of types, the priesthood, the sacrifices, and all these
things. That's what it means here in
Galatians 3 verse 18. For if the inheritance be of
the law, then it's no more promise. But God gave it to Abraham a
promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? What is the use of this
circumcision, Sabbath day, feast days, priesthood, sacrifices,
tabernacle, all these? What is the purpose of it? It was added because of transgressions. Till the seed, God's chosen people,
should come unto Christ, speaking of Christ here, till the seed
should come to whom the promise was made. That's to Christ. Look back at verse 16. Now to
Abraham and his seed where the promise is made, he saith not
unto seeds as of many, but as of one to thy seed, which is
Christ. So the law was added because
of transgressions, verse 19, till the seed should come to
whom the promise was made. And it was ordained by angels
in the hands of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator
of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises
of God? These things I've been talking
about, the priesthood, the tabernacle, the sacrifices, the Sabbath day,
are these against the promise? God forbid! If there had been
a law given, which could have given life, then righteousness
would have been by the law. Christ would not have had to
come if righteousness could come by serving the law. But the scripture
hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of
Christ Jesus might be given to them that believe. But before
faith came, we were kept under the law, all this Jewish nation
under the law, under the law of Moses. Before faith came,
shut up unto the faith which should afterward be revealed.
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster, our teacher. Our instructor,
tutor, to bring us to Christ. That we might be justified, the
only way you can be justified, by faith. But after faith has
come, we're no longer under the schoolmaster. Now that's what
we're going to be talking about. After you believe, after you
see Christ, you learn Christ, you're no longer under the law.
No longer under these types and shadows and pictures. For you
are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Because
Christ fulfilled all these types. He is our Sabbath. He is our
priest. He is our mediator. He is our
sacrifice. He is our Passover. He's all
these things. Now turn to Galatians 5 and Paul
gives a warning. Paul sounds a warning here in
Galatians 5 about trying to mix. Christ and that law. Trying to
hold on to circumcision, or Sabbath keeping, or the priesthood, or
the sacraments, or the rituals, or the feast day, trying to hang
on to these things and yet believe in Christ, it can't be done.
Now, we've been delivered, we've been set free from that law.
Now, verse 1, chapter 5 of Galatians, So brethren, stand fast, therefore,
in the liberty Wherewith Christ hath made us free, free from
the curse of sin, free from the reign of sin, free from the guilt
of sin, free from the old covenant as a way of life, free. Now don't
be not entangled again with that yoke of bondage. Don't go back
there in that Old Testament and pick up any of those things and
make them necessary to acceptance with God. Don't be entangled
again in bondage. I pause saying to you, if you
be circumcised, that is, if you do that because the Jews did
it, or if you do that to find favor with God, or if you do
that as any type of spiritual obedience and spiritual gain,
Christ will profit you nothing. We've got to trust Christ alone.
Not anything we do assists us or helps us to be redeemed. Christ is our redemption. I testify
again now to every man that's circumcised, if that's the reason
he does it. If you're baptized, just not
just circumcised, but if you're baptized because you feel it's
necessary to put your sins away, Christ will profit you nothing. Anything like that. I testify
to every man that does this sort of thing in order to be accepted
with God, he's a better to do the whole law. He's got to go
back and obey the whole law, every jot and tittle, which is
impossible, totally, completely impossible. Because Christ is
become of no effect unto you, whosoever you justify by law. entertains any thought of being
justified by what he does, by the law, the obedience to the
law, Christ has become of no effect. You've fallen from grace.
You've departed from the gospel of grace, and the hope of grace,
and redemption by grace. You've just departed from that.
For we, through the Spirit of God, we're waiting for the hope
of righteousness by faith. the hope of acceptance by faith,
the hope of eternal life, only by faith, by believing on the
Son of God. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a faith that works by love. All right, that's the background.
Romans 14. Now, most of these early believers
were Jews. These early believers were Jews,
and they were born and bred and brought up under that law. The
Apostle Paul, who was Saul of Tarsus, there was never a Sabbath
day he didn't keep. And he was over 40 years of age
when God saved him. There was never a Passover he
didn't keep. There was never a day of atonement he didn't
come to the priest and look for that atonement to be made. These men were born circumcised. A child born into the home, 8
days old, circumcised and ennamed rigidly for 2,000 years. These men and women were brought
up under that law, bred and brought up under that law, and these
men were all circumcised. They kept the Sabbath, the feast
day. Do you know what Peter said to the Lord when God sent that
sheep down from heaven with all those animals? He said, Kill
and eat. Peter said, Not so. That's a direct command from
God. And he said, No! I'm 50 years old, I've never
eaten anything unclean. Never. And the Lord said, Peter,
don't you call something unclean that plan. I understand him.
I understand him. These men diligently separated
everything they had, 10% for the Levites. It was their religion.
But now they were saved. They've heard the gospel. They've
heard Christ. Who he is, what he did, why he did it, where
he is now. They've heard Christ. And they believe. But I tell
you, these grave clothes are hard to shuck. They're just hard,
hard to throw off. They're difficult. And that was
a problem here. Problem at the churches, in the
early churches. They had a congregation full
of people, like right here tonight, a congregation full of believers.
And here's some of you, 30, 40, 50 years of age, and all your
life you've kept Saturday. You've come to the tabernacle,
to the temple. You've done all these things, and you have a
child born. What are you going to do? Are
you going to bring him into the covenant by circumcision, or
are you going to preach the gospel to him? It's a problem. So Paul
says, listen, verse 1, Him that is weak in the faith receives
you. Weak in the faith. Now, who is this? It's a babe
in Christ. It's one of those Jewish believers,
one who has been recently brought out of the law, brought out of
bondage, brought out of ritualism, brought out of religion of works.
Some of you experienced this very thing. Not out of Judaism,
but out of some other kind of ism. He believes Christ. He believes the gospel. It's
the only way it can be. But he's immature, and he's weak in faith. And he still holds to, because
he was brought up in it. His mama and daddy taught him
this. And he still holds to much of
this tradition and superstition in which he walked and by which
he endeavored to find favor with God. And Paul says here, you
that are strong, You that are strong, you that are knowledgeable,
you that are mature, you that are strong in faith, do what?
Receive this brother. Him that's weak, obeyed in Christ,
got a lot of glory clothes on him, but receive him. Embrace
him. Accept him as he is. Bear patiently
with his immaturity. And receive him not to doubtful
disputation. nag him. Don't pressure him. Don't criticize him. Don't pass
judgment on him. Don't perplex him with your maturity
in his immaturity. Just receive him and pray for
him and put up with him and all of his things that he's brought
along with him. See what he's saying? That's clearly what he's
saying. Now verse 2, one believes that he may eat all things. Now
I told you the Jews, there are some things they couldn't eat.
That's what Peter said. I've never eaten anything unclean.
And one believed that he may eat all things. In other words,
a man, he's correct too. You here tonight who believe
that it's not spiritually forbidden for you to eat anything that's
wholesome. You know what I'm talking about.
Anything that's wholesome You have a liberty in Christ that
you may eat pork or ham or chicken or beef or any kind of meat.
You can eat possum if you want to. It's all right by me. What does possum taste like?
Not like owl, somebody said. But that's what our Lord said.
The Pharisees criticized the disciples because they ate before
they washed their hands. And the Lord Jesus rebuked him.
He said, it's not what you put in your mouth that defiles you.
It's what comes out of your heart. That's where the issue is. It's
in the heart. It's not what you sow. Here's a man that believes
that you may eat all things. But now, wait a minute. Same
verse. Another man who is weak. He's immature. He's a babe in
Christ. He's a new believer. He just
eats vegetables. He won't eat anything. He never
has eaten anything. He never has eaten. And I understand that. He's troubled about it. Meat,
meat that was forbidden in the Old Testament and meat sacrificed
to idols. Some of these disciples and early
believers were buying meat that was sacrificed to idols because
it's cheaper. But this fellow, he choked to
death trying to chew meat like that. He's weak. But now receive
him and love him. and pray for him and wait until
God teaches him. Now verse 3, let not him that
eateth despise him that eateth not. Don't make fun of him, don't
despise him, don't criticize him and ridicule him. But wait
a minute, let not him that eateth not, abstains from eating, judge
him that eateth. For God has received, and you
heard the other day a reader, he's received both of them. They're
both received. The weak child and the strong
child. And listen, the issue is not
over the gospel of substitution. The man that eats and the man
that doesn't eat both believe Christ. Because he says that,
he that's weak in the faith. This man's in the faith. He's
in the faith. So the disagreement is not over
the gospel of substitution. The disagreement is not over
how God saves sinners. The disagreement is not over
the righteous holy law of God, the moral law. The disagreement
is not over repentance, faith, love, godliness. The issue is
over food and drink and things regarding the flesh. and not
the Spirit. So he says, don't fall out over
these things. Don't fall out. Now verse 4,
look at verse 4. Who are you? Who am I to judge
another man's servant? What's this talking about? Well,
every believer, whether he's weak or strong, whether he's
learned or whether he's He is not learned. Every believer is
a servant of Christ. We are the servants of Christ.
We have one Master. Our Lord Jesus said, Don't call
any man your Master. One is your Master, Christ Jesus.
Don't call any man Father. One is your Father, the Lord,
the Heavenly Father. And he says, And to his own Master
this man stands or falls. He succeeds or fails to his own
master. He abounds or he's abased according
to the will of his own master. He's strong or weak according
to his master. He's proud or he's comforted
according to his master. So who are you to judge him? Another man's servant. To his
own master he stands or falls. But now wait a minute. He's in
Christ. He's in faith. He's redeemed. He shall be holding up. He's
God's child. He's not going to perish. You
can be sure of that. He may be weak and may not understand
a lot of things that you do, but he's not going to perish.
He's going to be holding up. He's going to stand. He's going
to be upheld. He's going to persevere because
he's like a tree planted by the rivers of water. that bringeth
forth his fruit in his season, his leaf will not wither, whatsoever
he doeth shall prosper." Why? Because he's going to hold out
faithfully? No. Because God's able to make
him stand. That's what that says. I love
that. God's able to make him stand.
It's not our business to judge another
man's servant. He's not my servant. He's the master's servant. And
whether he's weak or strong, whether he fails or succeeds,
whether he struggles, or whether he's successful, or whether he's
tried or comforted, he's the master's servant. And to his
own master he stands upon. But he won't fall. He'll be held
up. Because God is able to make him
stand. That's right. God's able. All right. Verse 5. Now here's
another problem that came into this early church. One man esteems
one day above another. And tell you what we've got here,
we've got the Sabbath, that's what he's talking about. One
man esteems a day above another. These young Jewish believers,
or these babes in Christ, may have been old some of them, the
observance of days appointed by Moses, especially the Sabbath
day, and the holy days of the Old Testament. Jewish holy days.
Now one man still observes that day. He thinks it's more sacred
than any other day. But another man esteems every
day alike. Read that. One man esteems one
day above another. Another man esteemeth every day
alike. This man says every day is the
Lord's day, and orders his life in prayer and praise. Now look
at the next line. Let every man be fully persuaded
in his own mind in regard to a special day. Let every man
be persuaded in his own mind according to a special day. All
right. Let him be taught of God by the
Word of God. Let him be fully persuaded in
his own heart, in his own mind, either that these days are fulfilled
by Christ or that he keeps a Sunday Christian Sabbath. I wouldn't
advise, I would be very much upset with a man who kept the
Sabbath day because that's fulfilled in Christ. Our Lord lay in the
tomb on the Sabbath day. The early church met on the first
day of the week. Christ arose on the first day
of the week. On the first day of the week when the disciples
met together to break bread, Paul preached to them. And so
if a man were going back to the Sabbath day, he's going back
to circumcision and the law. But you know there are people
who observe a Christian Sabbath? Sunday. Arthur Pink, whom we
love, whose writings are precious, he's very strong on a Christian
Sabbath. Very strong. He fell out with people. I could
tell you some stories. I knew people he lived with down
in West Kentucky. He fell out with a man that went
to the drugstore to get some medicine for his wife one Sunday
and had a little trouble with that because he's strong. And over in England there's an
organization, I don't know a lot about it, but it's LDOS, Lord's
Day Observance Society. What are you going to do about
that? I'm not going to do anything
about it. It's fine. That's fine, because verse 6
tells me how to handle it. He that regardeth the day, regardeth
it to the Lord. If he wants to have a Christian
Sabbath, that's all right by me, as long as he does it for
the glory of God. And there are people in the northern
part of our country who observe Sunday just about like the Jews
did the Sabbath. They're not allowed to do anything
on Sunday, not anything, except go to church. And that's not
all bad. Just forget that. He who regardeth
the day, regardeth it unto the Lord. He who regardeth not the
day, he regardeth it to the Lord. He regardeth it not. All right? I'll tell you frankly, though. As far as me personally, and
this is the way I feel about the Lord, it's a special day.
Because I'm a preacher, and this is my day to preach the gospel
and worship the Lord, but it's the day all of us come together
for that. I had a friend that opened a restaurant down in Dingus, you all know,
many of you know Bergey. her husband opened a restaurant. And I said this, one of the first
things I said, don't keep it open on Sunday. Just don't do
it. Because I personally don't believe
God would bless it. I really don't. Because Sunday
is the busiest day of the week for most restaurants. And church
people, we keep them open. That's right. And all the ladies
that have to wait on the tables, they've got to be there on Sunday.
You're taking them out of the worship to put them in that dress.
Don't do it. She didn't do it. Very successful
operation for a good while. God blessed them. God blessed
them. But I feel like that on the Lord's
Day, it's a day set apart for worship, to come together, to
sing, to pray, to preach. And I'm happy with that. I'm
very happy with that. But what the Paul is saying here,
he says, and these people, the Sabbath was their problem. But
these people, since both parties are concerned with the glory
of God, we should be patient with one another and love one
another and receive one another and rejoice together in the sovereign
grace of God to send us through Christ Jesus our Lord. I'm happy
with the way I handled that. Not just one man esteems one
day above another, another man esteemeth every day alike. First, you've got to be taught
in your own heart about it. That's what he said, let every
man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Don't do anything because
you're ordered to do it by somebody, some human. You've got to be
convinced in your own mind. And if you're convinced in your
own mind, act according to what God has revealed to you. He that
regardeth the day, regardeth it to the Lord. He that regardeth
not the day to the Lord, he does not regard it. eateth to the
Lord, and gives God thanks. And he that eateth not, to the
Lord he eateth not, and gives God thanks. But like I said,
this issue is not how God saves sinners, it's not the blood and
righteousness of Christ, that's not the issue here. The issue
is not repentance and faith and who our mediator is, it's food
and drink. and observe us of days and things
like this. But every day is the Lord's day.
This is the day tomorrow. You'll say the same thing. This
is the day the Lord has made. We'll rejoice and be glad in
it. All right, let's look at verse 7 and 8. None of us lives
to himself. No man dies to himself. For 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. What
does this mean? We do not live unto ourselves.
No man liveth to himself. Well, I'm not a separate vine
planted on a hill. I'm a branch among many branches
growing in the vine of Christ Jesus. Like you regard a vine. All the branches are
part of that. We're not a branch living separate
and apart. We're part of the body of Christ.
I'm not a building which stands separate and alone. I'm a living
stone in the temple of God with all these other stones. My life
touches theirs and affects theirs, influences theirs. I'm not a body. I'm a member
of a body. I'm a member of the whole body
of Jesus Christ, and there are many members. And the hand can't
say to the foot, I have no need of thee. And the ear can't say
to the eye, I have no need of thee. Not one member of the body
can say to any member of the body, I have no need of thee.
So I know my life, my salvation, and yours too is to glorify him
and bless one another. We don't live to ourselves. You
can't do it. Don't separate yourself. Go off. We need each other. None of us
bows to himself. Whether we live or die, we're
the Lord's. We are not our own. We're bought with a price. We're
not at our own disposal. We spend our lives in his will,
his purpose, and we're part with this life at his appointment.
to serve His purpose. And whether in youth or age,
whether in sickness or health, whether in abundance or poverty,
whether in life or death, we belong to the Lord. That's what
that's saying. Whether we live, we live unto
the Lord. Whether we die, we die unto the
Lord. Whether we live therefore or
die, we're His. Now verse 9, to this end, I'm
not going to preach this whole chapter tonight, so I want you
to relax and hear what I'm saying here, and not think, hey, we're
going to be here all night. I'm going through verse 11. So
that's it. We're through verse 11. So I
want you to get this point right here. This is why Christ died. We're here. Read those verses
again. Verse 7. None of us lives to
himself. We don't doubt ourselves whether
we live, whether we die. Whether we live, we live unto
the Lord. Whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we
live, therefore, we're His. This, to this end, He died, rose,
and revived, that He might be our Lord, whether we're living
or dead. He came to redeem us, to purchase
us, to possess us, that He might be our Lord and Master. We His
people. That's what He prayed over here
in John 17. When he was talking to the Father about us, he said,
I pray not for the world. I pray for those that you've
given me out of the world. For they are thine, and all mine
are thine, and thine are mine, and I'm glorified in them. And
Father, I will that those whom thou hast given me be with me,
for I am with his. The Father gave us to Christ.
Our Lord came down here as our representative, our covenant
head, and by his death he redeemed us, and by his life he sanctified
us, he purchased us, we are bought with a price. To this end, he died, was buried, and rose
again, that we might be his. So whether
we eat or don't eat things that are forbidden. Whether we observe
a particular day or don't observe a particular day. Whether we're
weak in faith or strong. Whether we live or whether we
die. We're the Lord's. We're his sheep. My sheep, he
said. My sheep. I love my sheep. I
lay down my life for my sheep. My sheep follow me and they love
me. We're his. He finds us in different places.
He finds us in different backgrounds. He finds us in different religions
and traditions. And He saves us. And we're His. We belong to Him. Weak or strong,
we belong to Him. And we'll never fall because
He's able to keep us from falling. So verse 10, why should I judge
my brother? Why should I judge my brother?
Why should I fall out with him and find fault with him, even
if he is weaker than I am, or I think he is, in some matters? Why should I set it north, divide
from a brother because he doesn't agree with me on certain things?
I'm not talking about the gospel now. We agree on the gospel. We have
to. I'm talking about whether you're going to eat me pork or
not, or whether you're going keep a day or not, or whether
you're going to this, that and the other, food and drink and
these things. That's what we're talking about.
That's what we're talking about. Now, this next verse, this next
line in this tenth verse, For we shall all stand before the
judgment seat of Christ. Now, a lot of people have trouble
with that verse, but leave it in the context. Leave it in the
context now. Whether I eat or drink, whether
I observe a day or don't, I'm the Lord's. Whether I'm weak
and pray the strong, I am the Lord's. All believers are His.
So why should I judge my brother and separate from my brother
and find fault with my brother and set it not, my brother? We
all, the weak and the strong, are going to stand before Christ. And He's the judge. But He's
not our judge. Our sins have already been judged.
This is talking about his throne. This is talking about his judgment
seat. The Father judges no man, he's committed all judgment to
the Son. And he's going to judge the world,
he's going to judge the nations, he's going to judge all wrongdoers.
But we're going to stand before his throne, before him. And when I stand before him,
whether I kept a day or didn't keep a day, he's not going to
change my standing. It's him. Whether I ate pork
or didn't eat pork, it's not going to change my standing because
I'm standing before the one who made me accepted. That's right,
it's Christ. This is His throne. My indulgence
or overindulgence or lack of it or food or drink or duties
or all these things are not the test for me at that throne and
for you. Our test at that throne, do we
know Him? Do we believe Him? Now everybody
else who doesn't know Him, it's going to be a judgment. And where do you get that picture?
All right, let me show you. Let me show you. Look at verse
14. For it's written, just about everything you find in the New
Testament, it will take you back to the Old Testament. And Paul
said, Don't set it, not your brother. Don't fall out over
these things. Be brought together in Christ,
in faith, in the blood, in the righteousness of the Son of God.
That's your union. That's your cement, the love
of Christ that binds the stones together. Don't fall out over
these things because every one of us, weak or strong, old or
young, will stand before Him. And He's the criteria. He's the
judgment. He's the redeemer. These things
won't enter the picture. Not a bit in this world, because
it's written. As I live, saith the Lord, every
knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess me to God. That's what we do there. Where's
that found? Isaiah 45. And this will give
you a real good picture of that judgment seat, that verse. Isaiah 45. Paul is quoting Isaiah
45, verse 23. I have sworn by myself, the words
gone out of my mouth, in righteousness shall not return, that unto me
every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely shall one
say, In the Lord have I righteousness, not in the law, not in my works,
not in my Not in my separation, not in my sabbath keeping, in
the Lord. That's my righteousness. And
that's my strength. Unto him shall all shall men
come, and all that insist against him, they're going to be ashamed.
In the Lord, though, shall all the seed of Israel be justified
and shall grow. I think that's what Paul's bringing
all this together. when he tells us in compassion
and love and to receive one another and be patient with one another
and pray for one another and love one another and preserve
the unity and peace and don't fall out over indifferent things
because we all stand before him and we're his servants, we're
redeemed by his blood and he's the issue, not this thing. I
really believe that's it. I know that's it, I just really
do. That's it.