Book of Romans - Ch. 14, Vs. 1-5 (01/09/2005)

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?

What? 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 It 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

Fourteen one 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? All right

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

When I'll go into Action having

Commanded things in 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 are 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 the 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 all right

David give me a good example All right

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 Well That's what we're talking about It's far better to deny ourselves than to cause a 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

Clean Cleansing all meats That'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? David to One you can't let's 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 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.

I Have 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 first Corinthians, please the tenth verse

Tenth 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 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? Dennis 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 Pay makes no attention if the separatist wants to be that way

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 sit down to eat and The waitress come by and serves you a cold roll cold biscuit

And you turned to her and Balled her out for serving you a cold biscuit when they're supposed to be hot

Is that right Should you do that?

Well, how else is she gonna know No, that's not our job

I'm sure the manager 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 esteem is one day above another

Another esteem is 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 that 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

It 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 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 away some people Was that same?

lack of physical attitude We're 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 into 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 that's dissented

I've got to quit Yes, 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 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. I got a

Pen here someplace I'll try to be in better shape next