The sermon by James Lundquist, titled 'Receive Those Whom God Has Received', focuses on Romans 14:1-4, urging Christians to welcome fellow believers regardless of differing convictions on non-essential gospel matters. The sermon addresses the distinction between 'weak' and 'strong' Christians, emphasizing that all are brethren received by God. It highlights the importance of unity and love, urging believers to avoid disputes over disputable matters. The discussion extends to Christian liberty, encouraging grace-filled sensitivity in interactions and cautioning against legalism. Lundquist stresses that true liberty is about freedom from sin and obedience to God, not indulging personal preferences at the expense of another's conscience. The sermon concludes by encouraging believers to be known for the centrality of the gospel and the sufficiency of scripture rather than secondary distinctions.

Today's sermon text is Romans 14. We'll be reading verses one through four. Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to dispute over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he was weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has received him.

Who are you to judge another servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. The title of the message is Receive Those Whom God Has Received. Receive Those Whom God Has Received.

And that's all Christians. Let's pray. Our God, teach us how to receive those whom you've received. You have received us by your grace, by your mercy, through the work of Christ. Let us not think any different about our brethren.

Teach us how to graciously care for one another, view one another as you view us. The Holy Spirit, I believe in your power to make your word powerful, make your word effective, to grow us, to teach us, to transform us, to correct us, to conform us to our Christ. Would you do that during this time? Amen. As we're going through chapters 12 through 16 through the end of Romans, keep remembering we could start off every message in this section, looking back on the foundational passages for these that really lay out how we should be thinking, the filter through which we should be thinking almost every message through 12, through the rest of the chapters.

Starting with verse 12, verse 1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. The other filter that we need for these chapters is in 13, the end of 9 and 10. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is a fulfillment of the law.

In chapter 14 and part of 15, we're in a section now that's taking all 14 and part of 15, we're being instructed about a reasonable service in loving our brethren with different convictions on non-moral, non-sinful, non-essential gospel beliefs. So what am I talking about here when I talk about non-moral issues? Let me tell you what moral issues are. Moral issues are we're not going to dispute over these. You want to dispute over these?

We've got a problem. But we're not going to dispute over it is sin to commit adultery it is sin to steal to murder to lie to covet to take the Lord's name in vain we're not going to dispute over those things not going to dispute over the Ten Commandments you come to me and say James I think it's a doubtful thing about committing adultery You're not going to find any common ground there. We're talking about non-moral issues. When I talk about essential gospel beliefs, essential gospel beliefs do not start with reformation and the sovereignty of God. That's not where it starts.

When I'm talking about essential gospel beliefs, we're talking about God, man, Christ response. God is holy, he commands us to be holy, I am not, I'm a sinner deserving of the wrath of God, I've earned those wages, Christ, who is God, came, lived the perfect life in my place, died the death I deserved, taken on the wrath of God, was buried, rose again on the third day, and for all who repent and believe in Christ alone for salvation, you'll be saved." There's your summary right there. Nothing about the sovereignty of God, nothing about reform theology, nothing about homeschooling, none of that. Essential gospel beliefs, that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about when we have differences on non-moral, non-sinful, non-essential gospel beliefs.

That's what this chapter in part of 15 are talking about. And we, I, can very easily take these non-essential secondary matters and throw them in the essential camp. Very easily I can do that. Because I have strong opinions about a lot of things. And I can very easily do that.

And we're being taught here not to do that and how to treat our brethren. And the first example we're going to have here in this is about food. And it's going to permeate throughout the chapters and go through the next few weeks. But this one is really focused on food. So let's look at verse 1.

Verse 1, chapter 14. Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. Verse 1, receive your brethren. Receive your brethren.

These are all Christians. Everyone I'm talking about here that Paul's drawing attention to, they are Christians. They are brethren. That's who the book, who the letter was written to. They're brethren.

Now, a couple points on weak and strong Christians. The word strong in the faith is not listed here, not listed till 15, but we know that's what is being implied here, strong. First, let's do a pride check on ourselves. First do a pride check, right? Without even digging into the text right now, without even digging into the text, you've already looked at these verses and say, I eat meat, I'm strong.

I'm strong, it's done, no more do I need to learn about that. I'm strong, I'm the strong one. Just step back a little bit from that, okay? If that's where you are right now, if you're already identified as I'm the strong one, just sit back, humble self, and just listen, and see if maybe God might help us with with that if you've already put yourself in the weak category I want you to step back from that as well be careful of labels careful of labels they can hold you back the the bottom line nobody is strong in everything and weak in everything. We are a mixture of strong and weak.

All of us are in different categories. So be careful of general category that you might put yourself in. I'm only in this camp, I'm only in that. You definitely have a mixture. The concern that that Paul has that God has brought to Paul to write to us ultimately is about unity.

We saw that in Romans 12, four and five. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function. So we be many are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. The concern here is that we do things that don't unify us under Christ. We are One body, individual members, one body with Christ the head.

And so with that concern, Paul tells us to receive one who is weak in the faith. To receive them. This is a tenderly receive, a welcoming receive. This is a draw them in receiving right next to you, one who is weak in the faith. This is not, well, if they come to me, I'll welcome them.

Yes, that's true, but this is a you go get them and receive them let them know that you're just not away from let them know you love them let them know you want them right next to you if you're identifying somebody weak in a category specifically here he's talking about about food in 15 one we'll see a similar thing told us We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak and not to please ourselves. Again, his exhortation is concerned again for the strong toward the weak to bear with their scruples. That means to bear with the weaknesses of the weak, long suffering, patient, patient with them, long suffering, not to please ourselves. It's not out of flattery. It's not to make myself feel better about how how I'm treating them not for me to try to get just an advantage out of them look at me I'm the strongest of the strong of who know it's bearing with them long suffering your goal is for unity who are the week in faith you are the week in faith automatically there's a little pushback if I told you I believe you're weak you're probably going to push back on that you're gonna think change that's a little patronizing right you're gonna you're gonna think that that's you're gonna push back on that so let's help us we're not talking about Paul is not talking about their weak in the faith and their belief in Christ as their savior.

They're not weak in the faith in that they're doubting their salvation. That's not on the table here. What they are, they're weak in their spiritual understanding. They're weak in their spiritual understanding and the application of the Christian faith. They're weak in their Christian liberty.

Both weak and strong Christians are Christians, right? Weak and strong brethren are Christians. Can you be weak in that way of doubts? Yes, you can, but that's not what's in view here. Listen to this, for all we know about these brethren, for all we know, this might be the only areas where they're weak.

Maybe it's only in food, maybe it's only in days, maybe it's only in drink. For all we know, they run circles around us on the essentials, hospitality. For all I know, they run circles around us in submitting to government. For all I know, they run circles around us in how to weep and rejoice with brethren. I think generous of them.

They're called out as weak here, but they may run circles around me in many, many, many, many different areas for all I know. The week though our brethren to be treated, and this is a phrase by Rob Ventura that I like, that I think will come into my vocabulary for a long time I hope. The week though, our brethren to be treated with grace-filled sensitivity. Grace-filled sensitivity. Think how Christ has treated us.

Grace-filled sensitivity. Every day. Mercy's new, that's grace-filled sensitivity. All the time on how you think about them, how he thinks about us and how we're to think about them. So how do we handle the differences?

We are told to receive the week and not to dispute over doubtful things. Doubtful things are things that are Disputable opinions, disputable convictions on non-gospel, non-essential, non-sentful topics. This is about don't argue. This is not about, this is about, if you're coming into this with an argument, you're interested in disputing these doubtful things. Right?

So it's not, we are not to argue, we're not quarreling, these are not endless discussions with your weak brother or sister. This is not drawing attention. Every time you talk to that weak brother or sister, let's talk about this thing. Let's talk about you not eating vegetables. Now why again?

Why again? And that just centers your relationship. That's not to be done either. These issues do matter, don't they? God wouldn't address them if they didn't matter.

They do matter, but they don't matter for salvation. They're not essential matters, he's saying. They do matter, but not to the point that I'm going to argue over them. If I'm arguing with you, and it's really an argument and not a discussion on trying to help one another out, it has nothing to do with loving you, really. It really has to do with 15.1, with me just pleasing myself, who I think I am with a goal to win.

And some people just like to fan the flames, don't they? Like to fan the flames and display their knowledge, please themselves with their knowledge. God has something to say to you about what you think about your knowledge. First Corinthians eight, I'll read probably all of first Corinthians eight later on, but for right now, first Corinthians eight, one and two, knowledge puffs up, But love edifies, love builds up. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.

Be humble about the knowledge I have in who I think I am if I think I'm strong in something. I've had different opinions on some key things through my life. I've started one place, been another place, and now back to it, right? And all the while I thought I was the strong one. But I've been there.

Baptism is the main thing. You can look back. I was a Baptist. I was a Presbyterian. Here I am again, right?

So, so right, so be careful about what you think about your knowledge. If you have grace-filled sensitivity, you would be having discussions with your brethren. You would want to learn their conviction with long suffering, bearing with them, studying scripture not to be used as a hammer. Hey, let's look at scripture. What does God say?

Let us say it to the Lord, gently reasoning together while like in Romans 12, 10, be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love and honor giving preference to one another. These topics are topics that matter and with grace, grace-filled sensitivity you can discuss them but they're not to be the center of our relationship discussions. If you're finding yourself that this is what you gravitate to, these secondary matters, not essential matters, every time you're talking with a person, check yourself, there's other things to talk about. There's other things to discuss. Discuss the essentials of the faith.

Discuss those and let those inform the rest of your discussions. So in verse one, receive your brethren. Verse two and three. Verse two and three. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has received him." In verses 2 and 3, God receives them, so will I. It's that simple. God receives them, so will I. Without questioning, without a side eye, none of that, I will receive them. Because God has.

Now we know from scripture that the strong are right here. God makes a plane here the strong are right. You can Eat meat. Eat all the meat you want. Eat all the meat.

Any kind of meat. We know that God's right. In 1 Corinthians, the stronger right, in 1 Corinthians 10 says, eat whatever is sold in the market. So we know the stronger right, this isn't about being right. Gracefield sensitivities is not about being right and hammering people with that.

So we need to think about what might be holding the weak back from eating meat. What might be holding them back? Why don't they take the other position? What's holding them back? I've got three things I think could be holding them back and and some of these will be croc could be crossovers in the rest of the chapters as well but here specifically influences influences all kind of influences we have we have all kinds of different backgrounds ages how long we've been a Christian cultures a knowledge application of that knowledge who who we've been who've been taught under and how to apply that influence our convictions now not all Jews are weak and all Gentiles are strong.

That's not the point. If you've gone here in this text, I think that's wrong. There can be a mixture. You could have a Jew that's weak in this but strong in drinking in the other areas, right? You have a mixture, so don't take it as all the stronger this or all the weaker that, especially in the Jew and Gentile camps.

But it is helpful to consider this. The Jews have had 1500 years of dietary laws given by God. What meat could they eat? When could they eat it? This separated them from the other nations.

There were lots of things that separated the Jews unto God, wholly unto God, to say they are mine, and the dietary laws around me too, separated them. God, I am still holy, right? As a Christian, I'm still holy, still set apart to you. So this is a key thing. So 1, 500 years.

Just imagine the Christian Jew being told, no more. You're free to just eat. That's a lot of tradition. I don't think any of us in this room have any framework for 1500 years of tradition. There's no Lundquist in my family that was given the first five books of the Bible, the Old Testament, to tell them all this written direct revelation from God on how the Lundquist or the Swedes should behave.

There is none of that direct revelation from from God. That's a lot to to overcome. Just listen to what listen to Peter how hard it was for Peter in Acts 10. In Acts 10 this is where Cornelius is told to go to Peter and Peter is on his housetop and he becomes hungry and he wants to eat and while they made that ready he fell into the trance. Verse 11.

And he saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four footed animals of the earth, wild beasts creeping things and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, rise Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said, not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything common or unclean. And a voice spoke to him again the second time what God has cleansed you must not call common this was done three times and the object was taken up into heaven again right there's a couple applications from this One direct application is preparing them because a Gentile's coming, you're gonna present the gospel to him and the gospel can go to the Gentiles.

Another application is kill and eat, kill and eat. But what did it take? Peter, It took three times, not just for direct revelation, for God to actually speak to him and tell him this is okay. It's a lot to overcome. Influences can be a lot to overcome, so that's one thing.

Another area that could be holding back the weak in faith is fear. Fear. This affects us all as well. The fear of eating meat offered to idols. 1 Corinthians 8, I'll read that here in a little bit.

Fear of offering meat, or eating meat offered to idols. Fear of man. And what are others gonna think if they see me eating? Now what about my brothers and sisters, my blood brothers and sisters that are still Jews? What about that, the priest I still like a lot.

What about this? What about just fear? What if somebody sees me eating meat? This fear of man is strong. Here I think this is a real good example from Galatians 2 where Paul has to rebuke Peter.

Now I've just talked about Peter here and Peter here. I don't mean to come down hard on Peter. Go read 1 Peter 1 and 2. Peter is a wonderful man, a great godly man that God uses in mighty ways. But in Galatians, Paul had to rebuke Peter.

It says, now when Peter had come to Antioch, I, Paul, withstood him to his face because he was to be blamed. For before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles, but when they came, when the Jews came, he withdrew and separated himself fearing those who were of the circumcision. Fear is such a strong emotion that will keep you from progressing, progressing in the faith here even. Peter had that fear. There's a fear of being wrong.

We've all experienced the fear of being wrong at least. Fear of man, yes. Fear of being wrong, Yes. So, hey, I'm fearful of being wrong. I don't want to be wrong, God, on this.

So I'm not gonna eat any, I'm just gonna eat vegetables. I just want to see vegetables. I'm going to go beyond what God is commanded even in the dietary laws. I could stick to that, but just in case I'm in such a pagan area, there might be idols involved, there might be some, I'm just gonna make this rule, no meat of any kind, only vegetables. Right, That fear is strong.

We're even going beyond what God had commanded, which isn't even anymore on those ceremonial dietary laws. That fear is so strong, you'll go beyond even what you believe God has commanded. Another area that can hold back the weakened faith from this area is lack of knowledge. Lack of knowledge that is never complete. So think, I want us to think very generous of our Christian brethren in Rome here.

This lack of knowledge, what do you and I have that they don't have, that they didn't have, right? We've got the full can of 66 books and letters. We have this full canon. Not only do I have this, I have lots of commentaries of people that have thought a lot on this. I have lots of sermons I can listen to.

I have confessions that I can read on this thing. They had pretty much the book, the letter to the Romans was one of the earliest New Testament texts. They had the Old Testament, they might have had a gospel or two. This was one of the earliest ones. Think very generous towards them about their their knowledge they have they're not being rebuked here they're not being weak and strong in the Roman Church is not being rebuked at all.

Turn to 1 Corinthians 8. Turn to 1 Corinthians 8. I'm going to read the whole chapter. Only 13 verses long. In Romans 8, I mean, in 1 Corinthians 8, first I want you to consider it's not the exact same circumstances.

In the Corinth Church, similar to the church in Galatia, they are heavily rebuked for their activities. The church in Galatia is even, you foolish Galatians who has bewitched you. These are strong. This is not what's happening in the church in Rome. But this chapter, chapter eight is helpful for us to understand the teaching on eating or not eating.

So, 1 Corinthians eight. Now concerning things offered to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up but love edifies and if anyone thinks that he knows anything he knows nothing yet is he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by him. Therefore, concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is one God, the Father of whom are all things, and we for him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. However, there is not in everyone that knowledge. For some, without consciousness of the idol, until now, eat it as a thing offered to an idol, and their conscience being weak is defiled. But food does not commend us to God. For neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat we are the worse.

But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours becomes a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble." Yeah, can you eat meat offered idols?

Yes! They are nothing. But 7 and 8 talks about how their conscience are weak. And eat or not eating doesn't commend us to God. Yeah, I'm a stronger brother in this.

OK, great for you. Really good for you. That's not giving you more favor with God. How are you treating your brethren in this area? How are you caring for your brethren?

That's what God really wants to know. That's what God's really concerned about is how are you caring for the weaker brother or sister in this area? Have these grace-filled sensitivities. It's about the gospel. I will never again eat meat lest I make my brother stumble.

I'm concerned about my brother. I'm also concerned about sinning against Christ. I don't want to sin against Christ. In the way I'm treating my brethren have grace-filled sensitivities for those. Now, be clear here.

I'm not talking about, God is not talking about, those for health reasons cannot have meat or have less meat. That's a totally different thing. That doesn't make you weak in the faith. That just shows an effect, a general effect of sin on the world. Our bodies aren't perfect.

That has nothing to do with that. But don't assume because somebody's not eating meat that they're okay. Maybe they're a weak person. There's a dietary reason why they can't eat meat in the first place. And then also we have different tastes and things like that.

We're not talking about that either. So be careful. This is about honoring God in our convictions. Honoring God. Go back to Romans 14.

Verse 6 is next week. But look at the end of verse 6 in Romans 14. He who eats, eats to the LORD, for he gives God thanks. And he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks." Both those who eat or don't eat honor the Lord. That is their intention.

That is their goal. That is their desire. That they are honoring the Lord in these things. In the honor of the Lord. And they both give thanks to the Lord and God just says that's what they're doing that's what the weak and the strong are doing their desires to honor God and they are honoring God in this.

Is their application not exactly right? Yes. Could there be maturity to help them? Yes, because their conviction on this honors God. Paul continues in these verses with a warning to the strong and the weak.

Warns them. Says, strong, Don't despise the weak. Don't despise them. Receive them. Welcome them.

Don't despise them. Don't reject them. I haven't rejected them, says God. Don't treat them with contempt. Don't belittle them.

Here's the tendency, here's the tendency of the strong person towards the weak. You might think something like this, weak? You're just too narrow in your application of scripture. How can you possibly not see the liberty that Christ has bought for you. You're still bound to traditions.

You're still bound to laws. Just eat and prove to me you're not a legalist. If you would eat, you'd prove to me you're not a legalist. Weak. Weak.

The weak say to the strong, right? Don't, like God says, don't judge the strong. Don't judge the strong, and the weak might say, strong, I'm watching you, you're on a slippery slope. You're on a real slippery slope. You do not, you don't have self control in your liberty.

You're on a slippery slope. You're heading off the deep end and I'm real concerned for your soul and that you're going to take the church with you. Right? These are tendencies. They really Think about your own life.

These are tendencies that can come into our minds. So at this point I want to briefly address legalism and liberty. Legalism and liberty. And I'm going to lean heavily on the second London Baptist Confession, chapter 21 of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience. Legalism.

Legalism for me is a trigger word, because it's very rarely used in the right context. It really is. It is thrown around so much by Christians, you legalists, you legalists, you legalists. And I listen for the context, I say you've got the context. Well, that's you're not defining legalism, right.

So legalism, in in the exposition of an inventors exhibition of the SLBC Jim Savascio writes this about legalism, he teaches about legalism by what legalism is not. Legalism is not a strict. Legalism is not a strict, I didn't get very far on this, but legalism is not a strict. Right there, there's a bunch of you being triggered by the word strict. Like no, no, no, no, legalism is strict, they go together, right?

You're triggered right there by that. But listen, don't tune out. Please listen. Legalism is not a strict and conscientious life of obedience to the commands of scripture. Legalism is not pressing biblical duty upon a person.

To expound the word of God and then apply the word to the hearts and consciences of the people is not brow-beating and is not legalism." You know what that is that he just described? What he just described there is called being conformed to Christ. Being conformed to Christ is never legalism. Was Christ, did Christ strictly, I'll use that word, strictly, conscientiously obey every part of the law. Honor God in every part of word, thought, and deed.

Yes. Let's not redefine the term to something it is not. Legalism is anything that involves works righteousness, works justification. It's what the Galatians were called out for for being foolish on believing the heresy of salvation by work of Christ plus dietary laws, plus the ceremonial days, plus drinking, plus circumcision, plus what? If it doesn't stop with Christ, now we're starting to head towards the legalism.

Legalism has to do with salvation, where your hope is. Liberty. Liberty, it is not permission to sin that grace may abound. It is not an excuse to sin or from Galatians 5 make opportunity for the flesh. Our confession says this in paragraph 1 of chapter 21.

The liberty which Christ has purchased for believers under the gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin. Freedom from the condemning wrath of God, freedom from the severity and curse of the law and in their being delivered from this present evil world, freedom from the bondage to Satan and dominion of sin, from the evil of afflictions, the fear and sting of death, the victory of the grave and the everlasting damnation, as also in their free access to God and their yielding obedience unto him, not out of slavish fear, but a childlike love and a willing mind. If we thought of liberty more in these terms, what we have been liberated from and liberated to, especially our free access to God, I say free, purchased by the blood of Christ, and our liberty to obey Christ, if we thought more in those terms, how much more grace-filled sensitivity would we have to our brethren that may believe less liberty in a certain category than I believe. If we thought of our liberty more like this, how petty does our disputing over doubtful things become? In Christian liberty, we are applying wisdom from the Bible, from the Bible in non-gospel, non-sinful areas.

It's not about flouting what I can do. Applying biblical wisdom in the care of those brethren that are weak in the faith. Out of care for them. Oh, you might have the freedom to do it. But does that show love?

Is that your reasonable service? Three points on liberty. We're never at liberty to behave in a way which scripture flatly condemns. We're never at liberty to wound the conscience of another believer by flaunting our liberty before them. When exercising liberty, We are not to hinder our spiritual growth or communion with the Lord.

And Torah helped me with those. That's how we need to think about liberty. So why not despise or judge? Because God has received them. They belong to God.

God has made us brethren in one body. All of us are necessary. How do we know we're necessary? God saved us. God saved you.

You're necessary. You belong in the body. So do we really want to demean or condemn who God has received by His grace. You really want to demean the weak or condemn the strong whom God has. You want to play it?

You want to be on that side of it. I don't want to be on that side of it. I don't want to be on that side of it. Not a bit. Romans 15, 7.

Romans 15, 7. Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. It glorifies God. It glorifies God to receive the weak. It glorifies God to receive the weak and not judge the strong.

That glorifies God. Isn't that wonderful? It glorifies Him. It honors Him. It magnifies Him.

And it dishonors Christ and minimizes his redeeming work to despise and judge the brethren. Receive with grace filled sensitivities, tenderness, love. Murray says it is sin for us to condemn what God approves. It's sin for us to condemn what God approves. He made them His child just like you with the same amount of grace, the same amount of blood spilled, took the same.

The determination of having been received by God, born again and redeemed, is not about eating, it's not about drinking, it's not about days, it's not about home school, it's not about clothing, it's not about tattoos, it's not about head covering, It's not about whether we sing hymns or choruses. It's not about COVID shots and masks. It's not about family integration. It's not about being reformed. It's not about social media and many other topics.

Being received by Christ is about have you repented and believed in Christ alone for salvation. Trust his work alone by grace have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest anyone should boast." If that's the weak or the stronger, Brother, receive them and discuss these matters or not discuss these matters. But receive them. You've been received by God, so I will receive you. Verse 4.

Verse 4. Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. Verse four, our master makes us to stand.

Our master makes us to stand. He holds us up. By despising and judging our brethren, our brothers, our sisters in doubtful things, we are making ourselves our brethren's master. That's what we're doing. That's what I would be doing.

Stuart Allgott says it this way, Who are you to behave as if someone else's servant was answerable to you? As for questioning his ability to stand, be certain that he will. For God is able to make him stand. Stop acting as if you were his master and be careful that your attitude is not less receiving than God's." Who am I to essentially tell God, God, you're not correcting them fast enough. You're not maturing them fast enough.

You're not rebuking them hard enough. God, don't you know you are risking your children, the sheep, the bride, the church's ability to stand. Don't you know that God? That's what I'm doing. When I stand in his place as my brethren's master, I'm saying I know better how to make them stand.

If they would only eat meat, God, oh they would stand so much more. Oh, there's probably a thousand other concerns before you even get to meat. There's a thousand other concerns you should have about me before you start saying, well James eats any meat, he's strong. There's a thousand other concerns before you even get to whether I eat meat or not, what I think about days, what I think about alcohol, what I think about circumcision. Christians are our brethren, not our servants.

God has received and adopted them as children. We will receive them as sisters and brothers. Brethren, we have been received by God. We are born again by his transforming power and our master will make us stand today and for all of eternity. He will uphold you.

He keeps you. He holds you fast as we sing. He is your God. He is your master. Let me, before we get to the applications, let me just let the weight of scripture overwhelm us on this.

That it is God who does this. Not me, not you. Oh, God uses us. May God use the preaching. May God use our fellowship in mighty ways to help each other stand and uphold.

Psalm 37, 23 and 24. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. Philippians 1, 6. Being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.

First Peter 1, 3 through 5. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. John 10, John 10, 27. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.

My Father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. God keeps you. And then the wonderful benediction from Jude. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless.

Not only can he keep you from stumbling, not only does he uphold you, not only does he make you stand, he presents you faultless. What did that take? Blood of Christ, the life of Christ, the work of Christ. That you will stand before the judge, not me. Not me.

Stand before the judge. The judge will look on you because of the work of Christ. Faultless. Faultless. To every brother and sister we have in Christ, He will say that.

He will present you faultless whether you ate meat or not. You'll be presented faultless if you are His. Before the very presence of His glory with exceeding joy. This isn't a side presentation of being presented faultless. This isn't in a side room.

The weak, okay, you go over here. The strong here, any of that? No. He's presenting you before the glory of God. This is your God.

He makes you stand. Before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forevermore. Amen. Our eternal hope is in God's power to make us stand and to hold us up. Applications.

I have three of them. Number one, receive the weak. Receive the weak. The weak in that text or maybe here, in our text, they might be being ignored. And there might be divisions or cliques were happening, separated by weak strong.

Remember, all of us are weak in the faith somewhere. Somewhere I am weak in the faith. You can talk about it. Somewhere I'm weak in the faith. Receive me, receive them, receive your brethren.

It's on each of us to learn about our non-essential differences, not to divide over them and receive the other with grace-filled sensitivities. It's on you to learn and receive them with grace-filled sensitivities. And it's not like, hey, I know you're weak, but look at me, receive you. No, It's just part of conversation. It's not for patting yourself on the back.

It's because they're your brethren and you love them and you care for them and you love Christ who's received you. This happens, this is gonna happen with more interaction. To learn about them, to receive them, have more people in your homes, to talk about different things. It might mean, hey, maybe there is some clickish things, some different divisions happening. Well, intentionally sit in a different place.

You didn't buy that row. You can sit in a different place. You can sit in a different place on Sunday morning. You can sit in a different place when we have fellowship in the afternoon. Maybe try to look out at other people that are sidelined in the church for some reason, that generally eat by themselves or not, hey, look for a mouse, sit somewhere else, no telling what might happen from that conversation and encouragement and building one another up.

So one, receive the week. Two, It is our reasonable service to love one another in our doubtful things. It is a reasonable service to love one another in our doubtful things. Here's an example, an example from my family. We've had close friendships with families, with husbands and wives, that believed in head coverings.

I don't believe in head coverings, but head coverings, for those that aren't familiar with it, it's the lady wearing something on her head, a hat often, it's a scarf of some sort, especially during the worship time, during prayer, during family worship. Those are the main times that you would see that happening. And so in our house that wasn't my conviction. I think this falls in the category of a doubtful thing. Wasn't my conviction, but you know what we did?

In our house, so it wouldn't be an issue if we knew somebody was coming to our house or not, we had head coverings ready. If they came over to our house and they're here for meal and they stay for family worship, it happened a few times where the lady forgot her head covering. It was like, oh, so and so, hey, we've got one for you. You know what that did that what that did is it didn't raise the level of this big discussion and that person's over this like oh man I forgot my head cover am I gonna be okay what's my husband gonna think when I get home or that no we just they're just part of life just did that and and it didn't cause any dissension in fact what it did is it deepened our friendship is what it did. That's an example from what's happened in my life.

Here, the strong were strong in faith, but not in love. That's what he's getting at. The weak are weak in faith, but more importantly was, they're weak in love. Is what Paul's warning is. You can eat or not eat, but don't be weak in love.

Don't be weak in the concern for your brethren that you would cause them you do anything to cause them to stumble that you you are so stuck on I'm going to eat my meat no matter what in front of them. It was a reasonable service for the sake of evangelism for Paul to have Timothy circumcised and Titus not. That was a reasonable service for the sake of evangelism. First Corinthians 9, Paul says, to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. Doesn't mean he just gave in to his convictions.

No, not a bit. He still honored God in the concern for the weak. I have become all things to all men that I might by all means save some it's not mean that he's a chameleon or a hypocrite means he has grace filled sensitivities he's observing the situation learning about the situation say I'll be the one with sacrificial love. I'll do that. And the other person might think about it the same.

That's number two. It is our responsible service to love one another and our doubtful things. Number three. Sovereign Redeemer Community Church should not be known for its doubtful distinctives. Much it depends on me, much it depends on Jason, but it really depends on all of us.

We will not be known for our doubtful distinctions this will be known for we known for one the centrality of the gospel to the sufficient of scripture the centrality of the gospel sufficient scripture all the rest all the rest are really doubtful I have strong convictions about all the rest but that's not what I'm gonna lead with I'm not gonna lead with hey tell me about your church well you know we're reformed Baptist we're confessional we're family integrated on and on and on oh I have opinions about them ask me I have opinions I'm I have strong opinions and I think that my opinions and convictions come forth from the Centerality of the Gospel, from the Suficiency of Scripture. I do believe that. But just think about it, someone asked me about my church and I lead with were reformed were confessional were family integrated that's gonna take you down a discussion, one discussion of disputing, arguing, what about this, what about that, but if you lead with, what church you go to, the Sovereign Redeemer Community Church, oh what type of church is that? You know, we believe in the centrality of the gospel.

What does that mean? The odd man Christ response? You're now into an evangelism? Or if it's a brother or sister, you're now on common ground no matter where they go? And you're starting with common ground?

Sufficiency of Scripture? Oh, what does that mean? I believe that the scripture Is good for all things in life and death all eternity and I trust it has come from God. I trust it Oh, okay. What about this?

What about that? Now your discussion is on God and the scriptures not about whether reformed theology is good or family integration is good or confessions are good. So, Sovereign Redeemer Community Church should not be known for its doubtful distinctions. In summary, receive those whom God has received. Let's pray.

God, there is only one reason why we can think on receiving those whom you have received, because you have received people by your grace. You have taken enemies and made them your friends, made them your children, made them your bride, made them your sheep, made them your church, made them in your body, as you the head made us members of one body. How sweet it is God please teach me more about grace-filled sensitivities. Teach me God. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear when I'm confronted with how I've acted towards a brother or sister, please God, I want to receive them as you have received them.

And God, I thank you that you're the judge. And I thank you Christ that I will stand before you one day in all your glory be accepted because the work of Christ God thank you for teaching us by your spirit amen