Children be dismissed for Children's Church, and that's ages four through, like, 10, I think, are welcome to follow miss Katie out this direction for Children's Church this morning. Amen. Alright. If you have your Bibles, turn if you would to Romans chapter 14. So Romans chapter 14.

No. He wants to stay in here and hear me, doesn't he? Alright. Yeah. Gotta follow him that way.

Alright. Amen. Alright. Romans 14, and we're gonna start in a moment reading from verse one. So Romans chapter 14 and verse one.

We're continuing a series we started in Romans 12 back several weeks ago. First 11 chapters in Romans deal largely with the doctrine of salvation. Beginning in Romans 12, Paul shifts gears into, okay, now you know you're saved. Now, what are you supposed to do? What are we supposed to do as believers in Christ with this new life that we have been given in Christ Jesus?

Well, we're supposed to give ourselves a living sacrifice in service to our Lord. It is our but our reasonable service to him that gave his life for us. We're to not be conformed to this world. We would be transformed by the renewing of our mind. We are to use the gifts God has given us in his service.

We are to love one another. We're to serve the Lord diligently. We are to live at peace with others. We are to not seek vengeance, but to leave that to the Lord. We are to obey the God ordained authorities in our life.

And Romans chapter 14 is where we are now. So, Romans 14 verse one, Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things, another who is weak eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not. Let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth for God hath received him.

Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own master he standeth or he falleth. Yea, he shall be holding up for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

He that regardeth the day regardeth it unto the Lord, and he that regardeth not the day to the Lord, he does not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord for he giveth God thanks. That eateth not, for the Lord 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. For to this end Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why does thou judge thy brother or why does thou set it not thy brother? For he we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess to God.

So then every one of us shall give an account of himself to God. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Dear heavenly Father, thank you Lord for this wonderful day that you've given us this blessed opportunity to be here in this place to look into your word. Lord, we pray that the spirit might take it as a sword of the spirit and wield it in our lives to conform us more to the image of your son, to convict us of sin, to challenge us in our service, to comfort us in our grief, Lord, to guide us in our journey. We pray, Lord, that you would be magnified and that lives would be changed.

In Jesus' name we do pray. Amen. We are and my overall title for this is in this together. We are in this together. These passages that I'm reading are written to the churches in the city of Rome.

We're not in the city of Rome, we are a church in Clearwater and Largo, Florida. And this is also written to who? It's also written to us. That we might pull together as one in Christ in service to our Lord, that we might make a difference in the world in which we live and that we might bring glory to our Father which is in heaven. One of the overall themes we see as we're going through these chapters is love one another.

Love one another. Love just keeps keeps coming back up. Why has God placed us in this place together that we might love and care for and help each other? That is our joy. To serve our Lord and to serve who?

And to serve one another, to minister to one another. In Matthew seven one, as you read in the bulletin, as you see up here on the screen, it says, judge not that you be not judged. Now Jesus isn't saying don't use wise judgment. Matter of fact, Jesus obviously teaches that we are supposed to use our judgment on things that are right and wrong, who we take into close partnerships and friendships and even the things we do obviously and the places we belong to and and all of that, we are called to use wise judgment and discretion. However, we are not the judge.

Who is the judge? The judge is our father in heaven. And it is our our responsibility to walk around every day as everyone's judge. No. We are sent here to this place not as judges, but as helpers and ministers to one another.

This passage flows naturally from chapters twelve and thirteen particularly in regards to love of our fellow believers. This passage parallels to some extent first Corinthians eight that brother David just read a few minutes ago where Paul's discussing a point of contention in the church at Corinth concerning the eating of meat which had been sacrificed to idols and then sold in the market. Just a very quick explanation. In Paul's day, in these cities like Corinth and Ephesus, these cities were largely pagan. They had many temples and many to many idols, to many false gods where they would make sacrifices.

Some of the meat that were brought to those sacrifices was not burnt up and it was sold, therefore, in the marketplace sometimes at a reduced reduced rate. And so people would buy the meat that had been sacrificed to an idol and then would take it home, fix it, and eat it. Some in the church at Corinth thought this was just terrible. How could you buy meat that had been sacrificed to an idol and take it home to eat it? In their mind, that was connected worshiping the what?

Worshiping the idol. The others said, I'm not worshiping the idol. I'm just buying meat and the meats cheaper and I need meat to eat. And so they didn't see anything wrong with it. There was this big big argument in the church and Paul is trying to deal with that here in first Corinthians eight concerning the eating of meat that had been sacrificed to idols.

Paul's main conclusion was, we know that an idol is just a what? Just a piece of rock. Okay? It isn't really a God and it doesn't change the the meat itself. And so, when you go to the marketplace, you find meat, you can afford it, don't ask, just buy the meat and eat it.

Okay? But, again, Paul said, I understand that some when they eat that meat in their mind, they're still connecting that with what? With worshiping the idol and their conscience is defiled. So don't push them to eat the meat because you're not helping them because in their mind, they're sinning when they eat that meat. And so he says this here at the beginning of the chapter.

Paul says this concerning this debate, now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. What does that mean? We all know that we're right. We all know we're right. You know you're right.

I know I'm right. And on some things we disagree, but you know you're right and I know I'm right. That is just human nature. Okay? We tend to think that we're right.

That only makes sense. I mean, it kinda be dumb to walking around thinking I'm wrong all the time. So we all think we're right. That's the issue isn't just being right. Okay?

So Paul goes on. Now, touching things offered on idols, we all know that we have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up but charity what? Edifier. The word charity also meaning love.

Okay? Knowledge puffeth up. It makes me get the big head. I know everything. Love though causes me to edify to think about who?

Others and not just and not just me. If any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. So you think you know everything? Sorry. No.

Not the case. We certainly don't know everything. But if any man love God, the same is known of him. So it's better to be known not as the know it all, but as the one who loves who? God and to God and others.

In other words, there are considerations beyond what you think you know and who is right. There are many things which God has spoken specifically about upon which there can be no debate. Murder, drunkenness, witchcraft, extortion, lying, sexual immorality, false teaching, these things are all wrong. Okay? And there there is no room for debate on those things.

They're in several lists in the New Testament. Clearly, they are wrong. However, there are other things upon which God has not directly spoken. They may be a little bit less clear. Certain genres of music, beach attire, entertainment choices, which day of the week you set aside to worship, what you eat and what you drink.

These things maybe are not quite as clear in some respects as thou shalt not murder. And upon those things, we do have a certain amount of disagreement in the Christian community. Many of these things can be narrowed down pretty quickly to a very reasonable gray area if we're truly willing to listen to who? The Holy Spirit and follow the principles set forth in God's word. However, Christians still have differing convictions on certain things, disagreements on things ranging from interpretation of scripture on some doctrinal details to what should be done in dealing with a particular situation or need or decision at home or at church or at work.

In addition, we all have differing life experiences that do cause us to see things a little bit differently, to have maybe some other problems which we might face that others might not, a weakness if you will. For example, when I was in my teen years, I became very addicted to rock music. I tried to avoid it because of that harm that it caused in my life. That is part of my life experience. Maybe causes me to look at things maybe in a bit different light than some others do.

Well, we must not compromise God's word or sound doctrine or our own integrity. We also need to be a little more understanding of the weaknesses, the scruples, and the struggles of others, particularly as it relates to questionable things or differences of opinion on what should be done or not. We often think that we have it all figured out and our way is the only way, but sometimes that's not entirely the case. And always thinking that my way is the only way on every little thing leads me to either judge or condemn those who disagree as no goods or dismiss them as goody two shoes when I should be out of love willing to consider maybe their viewpoint or how my behavior might affect them. And that's what Paul is saying here.

He's not asking anybody to compromise, what he's asking people is this, would you at least consider consider others in these decisions and in your actions? You may be right. You can eat meat sacrificed idols and it's not wrong. But please, would you consider that by pushing that on others who have been part of this pagan worship for their entire life, That to them, when they eat that meat, they're still worshiping that what? That idol.

So would you at least consider and be considerate of them? He deals first of all in chapter 14 with this what he calls those weak in the faith. The weakness Paul is speaking of here in regards is in regards to their faith and understanding the scriptures or of our wonderful relationship with Christ under the new covenant in contrast to the old covenant. This was particularly a problem for the Jews where the Gentiles who were saved out of paganism might have an issue with the meat that was sacrificed to idols because they grew up in paganism. The Jews who grew up under the old covenant and under the law of Moses, they had a hard time detaching and understanding the freedom they had in Christ under the new covenant in contrast to the restrictions of the old.

And say as they they still felt it necessary to keep some of those restrictions such as some felt the need to go to the temple and take part in sacrifices where which were but a shadow of the once and for all sacrifice of Christ. But nonetheless, they still felt necessary to go to some of those. Even Paul himself when he went back to Jerusalem went to the temple. They desired to keep the Sabbath and other holy days as they had before and felt guilty if they didn't. They often kept the dietary restrictions of the law and again, guilty if they didn't.

And this led to a bit of a clash between the the Gentile Christians and the Jewish Christians and those who disagreed about one thing or another. And Paul is trying to say, it's not just about who's right, you also need to think about how your behavior or what you're pushing people to do might be affecting them and their relationship with the Lord. Those who saw no need to keep these laws saw the others as weak in the faith for not accepting their freedom in Christ and hanging on to the old ways. Having judged their faith to be weak, they chastised them for it. In some cases, one even to ostracize them for it.

And then Paul says here in verse one again, him that is weak in faith, what? Receive ye. Don't just throw them out and say, hey, you know, you've you've got this wrong. You don't have to keep this and you don't have to. You can eat that and and if you if you aren't gonna just agree to this, we're just gonna toss you out.

You know, Paul says, be understanding. Okay? Give them time. Give them time. In some cases, you know, you might be the one who's wrong and not them.

You know, that does happen. He in verse two, he goes into the eating of meats versus vegetables here. He first addresses their food choices. The weak, quote to speak, so to speak, ate only vegetables. In some cases, the easiest way to avoid an unclean meat was to just not eat meat at all.

You didn't know whether it was clean or not, just eat vegetables. While the strong ate pretty much anything with no regard for old covenant dietary restriction. The temptation was for the one who ate only vegetables to look in condemnation on the one who ate meat as at some transgressor. The temptation on the one who ate meat was to look on the one who only ate vegetables as being weak in the faith and not as mature and understanding that they don't have to follow that anymore. And so there was dissent and contention rather than love.

In either case, they both were wrong in their what? In their attitude, if not their conviction. It was not their job to judge what the other ate, that was between them and who? Them and God. Here's his point.

You're not put in the church to be judges. You're put in the church, magnify the Lord in your own life, and to help one another. That's what we're here for. Let God do the judging on whether this particular meat or this particular food is okay or not. The same is true today.

I personally have no issue with eating meat. I know some Christians do, that's okay. If you wanna eat only vegetables, more power to you. Don't make an issue of it with me, I won't make an issue of it with with you. Lord willing, we'll both will stay healthy enough to be of service to who?

To the Lord. To the Lord. Holy days. Paul addresses the debate over holy days. In another passage, Paul says that to not treat one day above another, every day is what?

Every day is a holy day unto the Lord. But they debated over keeping the Sabbath, to what extent to keep the Sabbath and the Passover and the day of atonement and the day of Pentecost and all these things the Jews kept. Some did not feel they needed to keep these, others still did. Paul adjourned them to be persuaded themselves to make up their own what? To make up their own mind.

You know, go ahead, research it. You figure out what you think is right. You think what God's will is. Be fully persuaded in your own mind and then do that and then follow it. Our accountability again is to the Lord to do what pleases him who is our judge and not to try always to please everybody else.

If we are living to try to please everybody else, we're going to be like a what's the the idiom I might have to explain to you, termite in a yo yo. Anybody heard that phrase? If if you're a little older than me, you may be shaking your head yes. If you're younger, you're going, what? Termite in a yo yo.

Alright. Well, the poor termite inside the yo yo while the yo yo was going up and down is spinning all around and doesn't know which way is up and which way is down. And if we live our lives focused on pleasing everybody else, rather than pleasing the Lord, we'll be like that termite termite and that yo yo, always spinning around not knowing which way is up and which way is down. Likewise, if we expect everyone else to agree with us, try to force our opinions on them or judge them as no goods for their differences or failures as we see them, we will always be frustrated with everybody else because nobody will see everything eye to eye with who? With me.

And we'll also tend to be blind to our own what? Our own weaknesses because we do have them. That's what Jesus is addressing in Matthew chapter seven with the Pharisees. When he says, judge not that you be not judged, he goes on to say, if if you have if your brother has a speck in their eye. Okay?

So there's there's there's something there that's not quite right. And you have a log in your eye, and you try to take the speck out of your brother's eye, well, there's a log in your eye, is that gonna work? No. First, get the log out of your eye and then you can see to help to help get the speck out of your what? Your brother's eye.

Pharisees walked around as everybody's judge, even Christ. And they thought to get the speck out of everybody's life and judge them and look down at them them. Christ said, you're not doing anybody any what Good. Because your goal is not to love and help and guide others into the truth and the relationship with the Lord. You just wanna lift up yourself and put them down.

That shouldn't be the case, certainly in the church of God. In both cases, it will affect our fellowship with them and effectiveness of the church in general. We must allow love to prevail in these matters and accept that God will deal with it as he sees fit, the things we don't all agree on. Our purpose is not as judges but as loving partners. The fact is we have all been wrong at some point.

I never have, but everybody else. And what's sad is to look back at a sermon or a lesson I taught ten years ago and look up the passage and see a phrase I wrote down and go, that made no sense. What was I thinking? That didn't mean to have. Sure that's never happened to you.

Fact is we have all been wrong at some point and will be again. Don't think too highly of yourself. Don't let pride and arrogance ruin a good relationship with your brother or sister in Christ. Where it is clearly needed, lovingly admonish them as Paul tells us, but don't be too quick to jump on them, particularly over things which are in doubt. Galatians six one, Paul writes, brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness considering thyself lest thou also be tempted.

Yes. We do have a responsibility if we have a brother and sister in Christ that is going the wrong way, that's going to lead them into trouble and pain and sorrow, to warn them. We do have that responsibility. But in doing so, we need to do that in what? Speak the truth in in love.

And consider in meekness that we too are susceptible to temptations in our life also, even possibly the one they are suffering. And then in verse 13 of chapter 14, we read this. Verse 13, let us not therefore judge one another anymore, But judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself, but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Now, he's speaking primarily of food there, but it does extend to other things in under the old covenant.

Verse 15, but if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably? Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died? Don't don't let this be a contention. Don't don't don't cause them to stumble into sin over this issue. Let not then your good be evil spoken of.

So it's good to eat the meat, that's fine. But don't don't cause it to be a problem. And in the end, your good to end up being spoken of is evil. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serve with Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men.

Let us therefore follow after things which make for peace and things wherewith one may edify or build up another. For meat destroy not the work of God, all things indeed are pure but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense. It is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine nor anything whereby thy brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God.

Happy is he that condemneth not himself in the 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. So several things there as we close this morning. Don't judge everybody else, judge who? Judge yourself.

Judge yourself. That's our responsibility, is to examine who? Ourselves. Examine ourselves. Paul admonished them to judge themselves and not others, particularly as it pertained to those questionable things or weaknesses of the faith.

And to consider how our use or sometimes abuse of freedom could negatively impact another. For instance, Paul understood that under the new covenant, no food was unclean. In other words, he could eat pork with a clean conscience even though he was a what? He was a Jew as God demonstrated to Peter on a rooftop in Joppa as Cornelius' messengers were coming to get him and take Peter back to witness to a Gentile who would then accept Christ as savior. However, some Jews still felt prohibited to eat it and would have caused a breach in their conscience and felt like a betrayal to who?

To God. They didn't quite yet have that understanding and so they felt it was necessary to restrict themselves. If they went ahead and did it anyway because so and so said it oak it was okay when they still feel felt like it was what? Wrong. Then in their heart, they would have been defiling their own their own conscience.

It would have brought them guilt. It would have affected their relationship or their fellowship with Christ or effectiveness in his service until which point they confessed it or they realized that it was okay. Paul is attempting to get them to see that encouraging them to eat or despising them for not eating would encourage them to do something that would wound their conscience and affect their fellowship with the Lord. Or in some cases, cause them to stumble into further what? Into further sin.

So Paul says, don't don't judge everybody else. Judge yourself, examine your actions and don't unduly go out of your way to offend who? To offend your brother or sister in Christ. The word offend there means to stumble. Don't put something in their path that will make them what?

Stumble. That will cause an offense in their conscience before God or that will cause them to stumble into greater sin. Consider for a moment someone who has had issues with alcohol. You might be of the opinion that it is okay to drink a little bit of alcohol. I would love to be able to find the verse that says, thou shalt not ever drink any alcohol, but I can't find it.

What I can find are several warnings in scripture about the abuse of alcohol. And we do see the devastating effect of alcohol on our society along with many other substances and drugs. Many people have issues, have had past issues with alcohol and drunkenness. You might be of the opinion that it's okay to drink a little as long as you don't get what? Drunk.

Now, drunkenness is clear. No question. In the list, clearly a sin. But you must also consider that many have an issue, many who have an issue with self control in this regard might be encouraged to drink if you what? If you offer it to them and cause them to stumble into what?

To sin. Or maybe even if you just drink it in in front of them, can cause them to stumble into sin. Thus, I have chosen not to drink alcohol at all. Two reasons. Number one, can't get drunk if I don't what?

Drink. So just not gonna happen. Number two, I don't have to worry about who and where and what I say about what I drank and it ever be an issue to somebody who's struggling with that offense. There are plenty other things to drink. Don't need the alcohol.

Why make the issue more complicated than it has to be? Alcohol could be a problem, just I just don't drink it. And basically, at the end of the chapter here in Romans 14, Paul says, if you doubt, don't. If you doubt, don't. And if others doubt, don't push it on them.

You might be likely to cause someone else to stumble. If you think that's the case, then then don't. At the end of first Corinthians eight, again, let me read from there. If you wanna turn back there, I'm gonna begin at verse eight. Verse seven actually in first Corinthians eight, Paul puts it this way, howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol and their conscience being weak is defiled.

But meat commendeth us not to God for neither if we eat it are we better, neither if we eat it not are we worse. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which has knowledge, sit at thee at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him that is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols? And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom Christ died. But when you sin so against the brethren and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

Wherefore if meat make my brother to offend, I'll eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. I don't know if Paul never ate meat, suspect he probably did, but when he knew that it might be an issue at a particular place, he did. And guess what? He lived. He was okay.

This applies to so many things in life from dress standards, modesty particularly for women, to the music I jam to or use in worship, to the language I use or the places I go for entertainment. We may be convinced in our art, well, I can listen to this, I can go here, I can wear that, I can say this, I can sing that. But before you go off by the seat of your pants, put your brain in gear and think how this might affect a brother or sister in Christ, particularly if you're offering to bring them with you. I am responsible to judge myself, not so much others. Number one, that I do what pleases who?

Do what pleases God. First and foremost, what pleases the Lord must be my my highest standard for I live for him or should anyway. Number two, that what I do does not negatively, unduly impact my brother or sister in Christ. We are to edify one another. So that should be something that at least goes through my mind, especially when it's dealing with these kind of things.

Number three, that what I do does not betray my own what? My own conscience or understanding of right and wrong regardless of what other people are doing. And a lot of times I find this particularly with young people that are in a Christian school or around Christians, they just assume that if other Christians are doing it, it must be what? Must be okay. Even though their own heart is telling them it's what?

It's wrong. I've been there. I've done things because other Christians were doing it. Therefore, it must have been right and then later I was felt guilty. And in some cases, I was clearly wrong because Christians do still some still sometimes do things that are what?

Wrong. And Christians can be wrong. So don't betray your own conscience. It's not worth it. It's not worth it.

Do what you think is right before God. Be fully persuaded in your own what? In your own mind. And then number four, that my response to differences with my brothers and sisters in Christ is salted with love and not arrogance or pride. That will cover a multitude of sins if we will just treat each other with love and consideration as God has gone far beyond in treating us, who gave his son to die on the cross for your sins and mine, to save us, to redeem us from our sin, and to adopt us into his family.

If you're here this morning and you are unsure of your relationship with Christ, you're unsure if you have a home in heaven, let me tell you, you can be sure. The Bible says you can know. He that hath the son hath life. He that hath the son of God hath not life. These things I've written to you that believe on the name of the son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

You can know today. If you don't know, I I beg of you, would you receive the Lord Jesus today as savior? Would you come into him with repentance and faith and ask him to forgive you of your sins and trust him to save your soul forever? As we sing this hymn of invitation, most of all, that would be my desire and God's too. Let's pray.

Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day, for all that you've done for us, the opportunity we have to minister to each to one another, and to serve our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I pray that we would recognize the opportunities that we have been given, that we would seek to please you in all things, magnify you in the eyes of others. And we pray, Lord, that you help us also to be considerate of others. Lord, help us to know, give us wisdom in how to react to different situations and to those who have different convictions. Lord, help us to show each other love and help us, Lord, to magnify Christ in all that we do.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. If you take