Lord, I swear there's no pain I know there's no danger In that bright world to which I go Welcome to this podcast from Faith Bible Church in Reno, Nevada. Faith Bible Church is a Christ-centered, Bible-teaching ministry dedicated to bringing the Good News of the Gospel to the whole world. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. And now, for this week's message from Pastor Alan Battle. This morning's reading is from Romans 14, one through four. As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls, and he will be upheld for the Lord is able to make him stand. This is the word of God. In 1054, delegates from the Pope in Rome traveled to Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. They carried a letter of grievances addressed to the patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Michael I. When Constantine became emperor in the fourth century, he moved the capital from Rome to Constantinople in the east. From that point on, a power struggle grew between the churches in the East and in the West. The chief delegate was a bishop named Humbert. He was proud and quarrelsome and an ambitious man. And he had come across a document written by the patriarch, the leader of the Eastern Church, condemning the Pope and the Western Church for several beliefs and practices. So he took this letter to the Pope, and the Pope wrote a response and sent Humbert to deliver this response to the rival leader. When Humbert and his entourage arrived at the capital city, they were awestruck at its magnificence, especially the great Hagia Sophia, the Church of Holy Wisdom. The buildings were grand and ornate, and the formality of the court was imposing. So they were given rooms in the imperial palace, but they were left to cool their heels for several weeks without getting an audience with the patriarch. So Humbert grew impatient. He grew impatient at this snub, at this affront to his dignity. So he finally had enough. He and his two companions entered into the Hagia Sophia Church in the middle of the liturgy that was being led by the Patriarch Michael himself. They marched up the aisle to the altar and they slammed down a document. It was a letter of excommunication against the Patriarch and anybody who agreed with him. On the cover were the Latin words, videat deus et judesit. It means God sees and judges. In retaliation, Michael I, also stubborn and ambitious, excommunicated the Romans. This event is known as the Great Schism. and the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic churches have been separate ever since then. So what was this fight all about? Since the inception of the church in the first century AD, we've experienced plenty of strife and theological wrangling. In the first few centuries, church leaders dealt with one issue after another in the ecumenical councils and produced the creeds, like the Nicene Creed. They wrestled with important issues like the deity of Christ and the Trinity and the virgin birth. This fight between the great halves of Christendom at the time must have been over something really important, right? Well, here's a few of the differences that they had. The Western Church objected to the marriage of priests in the Eastern Church and the East's refusal to baptize their children before the eighth day after birth. The Eastern Church objected to the use of unleavened bread in the West for the Lord's Supper and for fasting on Saturday during Lent and because they didn't sing a certain hymn during Lent. And most appalling of all, Catholic priests shaved off their beards. Both sides were wrong. Both sides were stubborn. And both sides attempted to bully one another into doing things their way. In our passage in Romans today, we're gonna encounter some spiritual bullying. over some issues that were just as inconsequential. It reminded me of those old ads for the Charles Atlas bodybuilding program where the bully kicks sand in the face of the skinny guy. Remember those? So this morning we're gonna talk about spiritual bullies and weaklings. Last week we saw that Christians often need a wake-up call in order to be ready to fight the spiritual battle that we're in. We saw that indulging in the sins of the flesh will lull us into a spiritual sleep that renders us useless to the Lord. We saw that we're living in a crucial time, the church age, an age where the gospel is going out into all the earth with the offer of salvation. for those who will repent of rebelling against their creator and put their faith in Jesus to forgive them of their sins. This is the message given to the church and everything we do must work towards that purpose. So Paul commands us to wake up and fight that spiritual fight. That was last week. But in this passage today, we're gonna see it's important for us to pick the right enemy and the right battles to fight. So we begin in 14.1. As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. So the first thing we have to do is figure out who is this weak person, or these weak persons that he's talking about. And there's a lot of opinions out there amongst commentators. I'm gonna give you four of them. First, they're Jewish Christians that think that they have to continue obeying the law in order to be saved. Those are people who became known as the Judaizers. Then, another possibility is they're those who have adopted an ascetic lifestyle. They think that the more spiritual you are, the more you go without food and drink and other comforts in life. Or they could be legalistic Gentile and Jewish Christians who think they have to separate themselves from any hint of pagan religious practices in order to be truly spiritual. And finally, they could be Jewish Christians who are just hanging on to tradition. not trusting in the traditions for their salvation, but still loyal to the Mosaic law and following the dietary habits and the holy day observances. So we can rule out the first one easily. Paul has already dealt with this false idea taught by the Judaizers. The idea that anyone can be saved by keeping the law. We already have established that, that's not possible. And in his letter to the Galatians, he has very harsh words for those kind of people. He doesn't welcome them, he condemns them. And it cannot be people who are committed to an ascetic lifestyle, because Paul's inclusion of celebrating holy days in the next couple verses, that has nothing to do with asceticism. The third one, legalistically avoiding connection with pagan practices. Well, that one's plausible, but a lot of people think that Paul is dealing with this because a lot of people think that Paul is dealing with the same issue that he discusses in 1 Corinthians concerning meat being offered to idols. But that's not what he's talking about here. In that passage in Corinthians, the restriction is not to eat meat per se, but only to eat meat that's not offered to idols. This passage says that the weak don't eat meat at all. It doesn't even mention idols here. And then again, we have the added issue of holy days. So that leaves the last one, that they're Jewish Christians hanging on to their traditions from the Mosaic law. So except for the Judaizers, it really doesn't matter which one of these is a weak believer though. Why is that? Because he's teaching us to be gracious and accept those who disagree with us on issues that are not clearly taught in scripture. We call these indifferent things, or to use an old King James expression, doubtful disputations. I like that. They're things that the Bible either does not address or is not clear about. So, the issues can change, but the principle is always going to remain the same. The issues of eating meat and celebrating holy days are just two examples of these kinds of things. We could add a lot of other ones, like the modes of baptism, or the style of music that we use in church, or the order of our worship services. or the style of clothing that we wear. Like, should ladies wear hats in church? And the big one back in the 70s when I got saved was whether men could have long hair or not. None of these kinds of differences of opinion should be a cause of broken harmony and fellowship among believers. And this is the focus of Paul's instruction in our passage today. The first thing he says is to welcome the one who is weak in faith. What does it mean to be weak in faith? Does it mean that it's somebody who vacillates, that they're double-minded, or they're carnal Christians? Not at all. It means they have not been thoroughly taught. In the Greek text, it has the definite article the, the faith. He's talking about the whole counsel of God, the complete body of revelation that God's given us. Look at Jude chapter three. Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. He's talking about the faith that has been revealed, not our response and trust to that revelation, but the revelation itself. So we're not talking about carnal Christians here. You can be on fire for God and still be weak in your faith. You can have a zeal for God and have a lack of knowledge. And that's where the problems arise. A guy can be very passionate about an issue like baptism, for instance, and not have the perspective of other opinions to temper his zeal. And that can be annoying. I know, because I was that guy. One time, when I was a brand new Christian, I was attending a wedding where they served both alcoholic and non-alcoholic punch. And when I saw one of my friends who attended a different church dipping into the one with the alcohol, I said, hey, hey, there's booze in there. And he snapped back at me. He goes, I'm 21. Whoa. So I was convinced that Christians should never touch alcohol at that point in my life. And this turned out to be the same kind of scenario that Paul's talking about here. I was passing judgment on him, I was. I said, man, that guy's a bad Christian. And he was despising me at the moment. He was the strong one, though, and he should have welcomed me at the moment. What does that mean, to be welcomed? The New American Standard says it this way in 14.1, now accept the one who is weak in the faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. Accept him. This is the starting point for love in any relationship. Before you can really know and love somebody, you have to accept them into your circle. This is the heart of hospitality. This word is used when Paul, in the book of Acts, where his ship is shipwrecked, right off the coast of Malta, and they had to swim ashore or float in on planks. And it says in Acts 28.1, And when they had been brought safely through, then we found that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us extraordinary kindness, for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and they received us all." That's that same word, accepted, welcomed. This is how we are to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ. even if we have disagreements with them over certain doctrines. We are not to get into arguments over these disagreements. And what reason does Paul give for this? Look at verse three, at the end of verse three again, it says, for God has welcomed them. If God has accepted them, then how can I not accept them? They're my family. And what's the opposite of welcoming and accepting someone? It's to despise. To despise means to treat with contempt, to view as worthless. It's descriptive of a strong emotional rejection of another's very person. It's the word used of the soldiers who mocked Jesus by putting on the robe and the crown of thorns. It's the same word Jesus uses for the attitude of the Pharisees in Luke 18 9. Jesus also told this parable of some who trusted in themselves that they were religious or righteous and treated others with contempt, despised them. It's the same word used in Acts 4.11 where Peter preached to the Jewish rulers. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected, despised by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. They saw Jesus' life and his death on the cross as worthless. To treat someone as worthless is the worst kind of emotional cruelty. Rejection is the deepest kind of pain that a human being can experience. It's unbearable within a family and it's the cause of all kinds of dysfunction and mental illness. And it should never be allowed to exist in Jesus's church. But does this mean that we always have to agree with each other? Of course not. But we don't have to argue about every issue. And when we do, we have to disagree in a godly way. It's possible to discuss and to debate something without rancor, without hostility. Paul says, don't quarrel over opinions. And why? Because when you do, you are usurping the authority of Christ in someone's life. Really? How can we do that? Well, look at verse 4. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? He's talking to both the weak and the strong here. It is before his own master that he stands or falls, and he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand." There's nothing more annoying than a backseat driver or an armchair quarterback. They're putting themselves in a superior position over the ones who are actually doing the thing, right? Paul says here that when you criticize your brother, you're placing yourself over him as a judge and his master. And guess what? There's only one judge and master. That's Jesus. We could save ourselves a lot of grief by just leaving it in his hands. Unless it is a clear matter of right and wrong from scripture, it's not our job to worry about what others believe and do. I love Paul's attitude in 1 Corinthians 4, verses three through five. He says, but with me, it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I don't even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God." Isn't that liberating? It is for me. It's like, wow, I don't have to worry about it. Paul doesn't care what other people think. He doesn't even trust in his own ability to judge himself. But he's not worried about it. He knows that everything is gonna be made clear in the end when Jesus shines his light on our hearts. So if we're saved, this is not a scary proposition. It says here that when he does this, each one will receive commendation, not condemnation, commendation. He's gonna bless us, not curse us. Let's go back to Romans 14, four. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls, and he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. before his own master he stands or falls, the Lord is able to make him stand. If Jesus is your Lord, he will make you stand. He will complete the work that he's begun in you. So stop worrying about who's right or wrong in these disputable matters. Just do what you believe is right and leave it up to God to sort it out in the end. Yet Paul's not saying that these matters are irrelevant or that they don't matter. Look at verse 5. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day observes it in the honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in the honor of the Lord. since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains abstains in the honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. Paul is talking to people who are convinced that they are serving the Lord. Each one should follow his own conscience. Don't conform your conscience to somebody else's will. If you think it's wrong, don't do it. Again, we're not talking about super spiritual guys versus carnal guys or stumbling Christians. Both are focusing on God's kingdom. It says in verse seven, for none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. Remember, Paul's addressing genuine believers here, people who have accepted Jesus as their Lord. If this is true in your life, you belong to him and you've begun to follow him. And the more you learn of him from his word, then the more you're conformed to his image. And the more you're conformed to his image, the more you want to know him and follow him and get more of him through his word. And this process continues until we die, or until the Lord comes back. And this is how weak believers can be transformed into strong believers. And this is why Jesus came. To redeem a people for himself. Verse 9. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord, both of the dead and of the living. The emphasis in this whole passage is on the fact that Jesus is Lord. The word Lord is used nine times in these 12 verses. The most prominent confession of faith in the early church was Jesus is Lord, even more than the confession that he's the Savior. He is Lord of the living and the dead. And we're gonna be joined together with all the saints from Adam until the final few who are martyred at the end times. And then we see in the next section of our passage that this title Lord cannot belong to anyone but God, the creator of the universe. It says in verse 10, why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue confess to God. In this verse, we have one of the most powerful proclamations of Christ's deity in the New Testament. This is a direct quote from Isaiah. Yahweh is speaking and says that one day everyone will call Him Lord. Back when I was working at the Kmart distribution center, I wore a t-shirt that said, every knee shall bow. And this co-worker walked up to me one day, he goes, every knee shall bow? I got to explain to him what that was all about. So how is this a strong proclamation of the deity of Christ? You know, there's some false teachers out there, some whole religions out there that say that Jesus is simply another Lord, a lesser God. But this passage clearly equates Lord with Jesus. And if it isn't quite enough to convince you here, look at what the same author wrote to the church at Philippi. Philippians 2, 9, 10, and 11. Therefore God has exalted him, Jesus, and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. They are one God. We have one God in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Now just look at those two passages together, Philippians and the Isaiah passage from Isaiah 45. It's obvious that Paul is taking this verse in Philippians from the Isaiah passage. Every knee, every tongue confesses that he is Lord. So let's stop focusing on our differences with our brothers and sisters and concentrate on our own responsibility before God. We end today with this sober warning in Romans 14, 12. So then, each of us will give account of himself to God. This is what we should be focused on, our own standing before God. First, we must make absolutely sure that Jesus is our Lord. One day, we'll all have to give an account. We'll all have sins that we're ashamed of and we're all guilty of. But that will not be what determines our final fate. The only question that he's going to ask on that day is, what did you do with my son? Did you welcome him? Did you receive him? because he died to purchase you, to pay for your sins? Or did you despise his sacrifice? You will bow your knee on that day. And I pray that it won't be the first time. Because if you haven't yet bowed your knee to him in this life, I beg that you do it now. Because if you do it on that day for the first time, it's gonna be too late. And so if that issue has been settled, then we must consider how we're using this life that he's given to us. There will be a judgment just for believers where their works will be evaluated. And at that time, he will distribute gifts according to the works that we have done on earth. Some will get great rewards, some will barely make it. but all will make it because Jesus is able to make him stand, to make us stand. Our goal shouldn't be just to store up as much treasure in heaven that we can get for ourselves, but for his glory. So the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic churches are still divided to this day. Over the centuries, both have been guilty of bullying people into conforming to their particular brands of religion. Both churches have fallen into the trap of seeking worldly power. I'm not saying that they've been totally apostate. There've been many faithful believers in both branches. But the theological rabbit trails of many have led them into dead-end traps. That's the danger of not keeping the main thing, the main thing. The main thing is that Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he's coming again to judge the living and the dead. Whether you're strong or weak, if you focus on that, you're gonna be just fine. So let's pray. Thank you, Lord, that you welcome us, that when we place our faith in you as our Lord, that you receive us. You receive us, Lord, without any hesitation. that you bring us into your family and you love us with a perfect love. Lord, we praise you for that. Give us that kind of love for our brothers and sisters. Give us the grace that we need, Lord, the grace that you've shown us. So we give you praise, Father. We praise you and thank you. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening to the preaching of God's Word from Faith Bible Church in Reno, Nevada. We hope that it has been an encouragement to you and that the Word of God will fill your hearts and minds as you walk through this world. If you have been blessed by this ministry and would like to make a small donation to help defray the costs of this podcast, just click on the green support us button at the top of the webpage. Thank you.