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Bro. Otis Fisher
Turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 14. Dennis. We have joy because we have what. Well, that's true. But you could not have joy unless you had what? What does joy require? But joy, why do we have joy?
Brandon why do we have joy? Yes, without sorrow. You would not know joy now. Brandon what does belief require? That's right to have beliefs. There must be unbelief now. Brandon you're doing so well. What does death require.
That's right. We're going to make a theologian out of you yet. Joy requires sorrow. Belief requires unbelief. Death requires life. I don't know why I thought of it, but Has nothing to do with that. But I have a cousin or had a cousin.
That said he learned how to swim. The old-fashioned way and I wanted to know what that was. He said some people took me out in a boat in the middle of a lake and threw me out. Little did he know they weren't trying to teach him to swim 14 1 him that is weak in the faith.
Receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. Now Russell Someone comes in and joins the church and he's real weak in the faith first of all. What does weak mean? All right, we're all weak in the faith.
Now that doesn't mean that we have a lack of faith. It just means that there's some things that we don't understand or don't agree with. So we're to receive this one. But not to doubtful Disputations.
What does that mean? David now there are those that like to argue and They argue on anything. So to put this another way. The one who has a little faith Receive him into your fellowship, but not with the view to passing judgment upon his scruples.
That is upon his conduct and upon his viewpoint. And the word now connects is this chapter to the other chapter 13 and we had in that chapter the We dealt with love Will now go into Action having Commanded things and the first part of Romans.
Which are immoral and obviously wrong. Paul now is warns against the dangers of condemning Questionable matters which are not expressly Forbidden in the scripture. The one who has little faith Does not mean One who is weak in great truths of the gospel the facts of faith but rather is refers to the abstract quantity of of faith.
It means that that it means the faith of weak fathers and Falters and hesitates about matters of conduct. He does not know what he should do relative to certain things. What is our law on that joy? What is your law?
You're the one that's weak. Yeah, you come into church and you don't know exactly what to do concerning a certain thing. The first law. The first law is you don't participate. You don't voice an opinion if you don't know.
Well, we're to receive this one in the fellowship of believers with open arms. You may not agree with him, but You're to receive him if he is a believer in Jesus Christ. That is necessary. David what's the difference in a Believer coming into church and he thinks different or a non believer coming into church and he thinks different.
Why? Does a sinner know that? Well, you may not agree with him, but You are to receive this one. In Jesus Christ, you're not to receive him in order to start an argument. I don't think we have much of that in this church and an argument about questionable things.
I Can think of one that used to be here that I'm sure he loved to argue. One group of believers is not to set in judgment upon another group of believers. Some things are not expressly condemned in the scripture, but some believers Separate themselves from these things and if they want to do this, well, that's their business.
These things are not to separate believers. The Schofield Bible has a good reference on this. He says the church has no authority to decide questions of personal liberty in things not expressly forbidden in the scripture.
Is that true David do you understand? What I'm saying Dennis well quit arguing with me then. Never put your brother in a position that would lead him to sin. Now Greg, can you give me an example? Russell.
David give me a good example. All right. Um Dennis. If you violate your conscience Is that a sin? Well, that's all you can answer for. So if when you join the church, there is a Certain thing that would that if you participated You would go against your conscience.
We're to never put you in that position. You hit him. Well just don't participate and If they want to know why tell them but don't say any more than you have to. Well never put your brother. It's not talking about the world, but never put your brother in a position That will lead to sin.
Yes. Yeah. That's what we're talking about. It's far better to Deny ourselves Than the cause of brother to sin. Verse 2. For one believeth that he may eat all things another who is weak eateth herbs. Now Paul is going to use Meat here as an example and it will fit anything.
This verse may hurt the extreme separatist. The strong brother in The faith is the one eating all things. Now we're told in the Bible word for word That God's made everything clean. So David if you want to eat fried cockroaches you go right ahead and I'm to not condemn you on that.
That'd be hard to do. The weak brother is the vegetarian. Strong brother realizes that Jesus made all meat clean. Cleansing all meats. It's found in Mark after the flood. God Gave all meats to the to be eaten according to Genesis 9 13.
Now to who was this law given to? One you can't but start there can't. Yes. All right, and along comes a Gentile and he eats everything. The Jew finds fault with that. We're not to do that. God made a distinction on the clean and unclean, but that was in under the law.
The Gentile did not have the law. So he doesn't observe that in Corinthians see where first Corinthians 8 18. But meat condemneth us not To God for neither if we eat are we the better? Neither if we eat not are we the worse?
You remember that Peter was given the practical example of this. Who come in on the back John. What was the practical example it was given to Peter? Dennis well, that's that's where it was. And that was a shock to Peter.
He he just could not do that. Peter was a separatist and proud of it. The Holy Spirit said to him what God hath cleansed. That call not thou unclean or common. Paul could eat all meats without his conscience bothering him.
But Peter had scruples about it. The weak believer who has a Background of eating vegetables finds eating meat. Repugnant to him of a trouble this morning. What is the Principle one can eat meat and the other cannot eat meat.
By the grace of God one is not to eat meat and the other is to eat meat. Turn to 1st Corinthians, please the 10th verse. 10th chapter 25th verse. David will you read a little bit through that? Dennis 1025.
First of all, what is the shambles? Meat market. All right. All right, you're invited out for lunch for dinner. I call it supper, but. And you and your family go and they said in front of you a big roast roast pork.
It's good. Now, what are you to do? Take it from there? What are you to do? It is shush. But you've never eaten pork at home. You're to eat. But you're not to ask where they got that if if the host volunteers it then you can't eat.
So the moral of story is just don't ask questions. Let not him that Edith despise him that Edith not and let not him which Edith not judge him that Edith. For God has received him. Now David. We've got one here that eats vegetables.
We've got one at the table that eats meat. He'll eat anything. And they're both Christian. What is our. What is the basic thing that we must remember and look at? Yes. He has received both of them so the eating or the not eating makes no attention if the separatist separatist wants to be that way and.
And That's their business. The thing that upsets me is that they want to Straighten me out and they're not in the crowd to do that. I know I need straighten it out. One group Is not to condemn the other.
If you believe that you should not eat meat. Then don't eat meat. Paul is using meat, but it applies to anything for Who art thou that judges. Oh Judges 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 to stand. Paul asked what it right. Do you have? To judge another man's servant. Suppose you sat down to eat and Waitress come by and served you a cold roll full biscuit and You turned to her and Bowled her out for serving you a cold biscuit when they're supposed to be hot.
Is that right? Should you do that? What a house is she gonna know? No, that's not our job. I I'm sure the manager or the head of the house will straighten that out. Well, are you God. Is that the? person Accountable to you.
He is not accountable to you. He is accountable to God. He is going to stand before his own master which we will all do. Can you imagine How that would be. Now maybe you disapprove of my conduct. Maybe you agree with my conduct.
Maybe you're in doubt of my conduct. I Don't have to answer to you. I Answer to God now that doesn't give the teacher or the preacher or anyone else the right To teach anything he wants. Say. The things that we teach are not according to our own interpretation.
You cannot say that's the way that I see that verse because I Does not see that verse. It's the way you interpret it according to God. One man esteemeth one day above another another esteemeth every day alike.
Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Now if people want to meet on Saturday, that's all right with me. They want to meet Monday. That's all right. Want to hold Sunday school Tuesday? That's all right because I'm fully persuaded.
That they can do that and I can still meet on Sunday fully persuaded. What does fully persuaded mean. Brandon what what does it mean to be fully persuaded? You don't have to touch the wet paint when the sign says the bench is wet.
Now Paul changes the illustration diet to the day under question. Some people insist that the Lord's Day is different from. Some observe Sunday is the Lord's Day and others Saturday that's in this world.
If that was the only difference that They had that it wouldn't amount to much. Unfortunately, they're a cult. Not because they meet on Saturday. Paul says that whatsoever we do We should be fully persuaded.
Convinced and assured in our own mind that it is the right thing to do. David that kind of eliminates Russell going along just because we agree and He's over here. If if he doesn't agree Then he shouldn't join in.
Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Means literally he is to be filled to the brim mind heart. Will the total personality a Believer should not or should do only those things To which he can give himself fully and without Reserve how many things would that cut out in our life?
Whatever you do for God You should do. With Enthusiasm by the way. Just what do you do for God? David what what do you do for God? I'm not asking you what we're supposed to do. Dennis what do you do for God?
Greg, what do you do for God? That's right. Let's see if we can comprehend that this morning. You're coming here. You did it for him. You're getting dressed. You did it for him. I think it's sinful the way some people.
Was that same? Lackadaisical attitude. Were to do it enthusiastically. Now it doesn't mean it's the same degree of enthusiasm and everything. Some things it's easier to get it through that enthused about.
Well when you attend church do it enthusiastically. But when and whatever I do for the Lord, I do with enthusiasm. I teach the Bible because I love it. I love to teach it. I'd rather do that than anything that I know of.
One of the reasons Church work is bogged down today. Is that there is a lack of enthusiasm in the working of it people are Persuaded to take it a class are persuaded to leave the music. A man is asked to teach a Sunday school class and he says well.
If you can't get anybody else to I'll take it then. Don't take it. If that's the way you feel it would be better. For the class to have no teacher than to have one is dissented disinterested. I've got to quit.
What's wrong? I think the most The most important word and that is everything. Everything that Dennis has done in his life Has been for the Lord. If I could keep that in my mind As I go about doing things.
Now, it's true. I don't do what I used to do. But and I hope enthusiasm is in that that I do and everybody displays enthusiasm different. So don't judge others by you. All right. Is there anything else?
Well We'll see if we can take up verse 6 next Sunday and here someplace. I'll try to be in better shape next Sunday. Dennis dismisses, please.