WEBVTT 00:00:04.239 --> 00:00:07.519 Disunity has always been a major problem for 00:00:07.519 --> 00:00:11.359 God's people. There are times when the source 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:15.259 of that disunity is satanic, for Satan certainly 00:00:15.259 --> 00:00:19.559 is interested in dividing us. And there are times 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:22.039 when that disunity finds its root in our own 00:00:22.039 --> 00:00:26.760 carnal natures. In fact, as you look at the New 00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:28.660 Testament, it's interesting to note that almost 00:00:28.660 --> 00:00:32.600 every church that is mentioned in the New Testament 00:00:33.420 --> 00:00:37.640 suffered from disunity. The first church, the 00:00:37.640 --> 00:00:43.820 Jerusalem church, had a near split regarding 00:00:43.820 --> 00:00:47.100 the relationship of Gentile believers and Jewish 00:00:47.100 --> 00:00:50.740 believers. The Corinthian church was divided 00:00:50.740 --> 00:00:54.200 over its preachers and leaders. There were certain 00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:57.240 movements going on within the congregation which 00:00:57.240 --> 00:01:00.789 fought against each other. They were so divided 00:01:00.789 --> 00:01:02.850 they even brought lawsuits against one another. 00:01:04.170 --> 00:01:07.670 Then the churches of Galatia were guilty of biting 00:01:07.670 --> 00:01:12.609 and devouring each other, says the apostle. In 00:01:12.609 --> 00:01:14.250 Philippi, there were two women that couldn't 00:01:14.250 --> 00:01:17.670 get along. One was Euodius and one was Syntyche. 00:01:18.849 --> 00:01:21.290 Somebody has said one was Odius and the other 00:01:21.290 --> 00:01:26.510 was Syntyche. And as a result of their problems, 00:01:26.629 --> 00:01:30.560 there was a problem in the church. The church 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:33.000 at Laodicea, the church at Colossae, the church 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:35.799 at Ephesus were instructed by Paul in this matter 00:01:35.799 --> 00:01:39.500 of unity to preserve it. And then the church 00:01:39.500 --> 00:01:42.140 at Rome, which received the epistle we've been 00:01:42.140 --> 00:01:45.379 studying together, seems to have had some problems 00:01:45.379 --> 00:01:49.760 over the observance of Jewish holy days and special 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:53.719 diets. That brings us to our text today, which 00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:59.439 is Romans chapter 14, the first 12 verses. Now 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:02.780 accept the one who is weak in faith, but not 00:02:02.780 --> 00:02:06.379 for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. 00:02:07.900 --> 00:02:10.979 One man has faith that he may eat all things, 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:17.080 but he who is weak eats vegetables only. No wonder 00:02:17.080 --> 00:02:22.979 he's weak, right? Let not him who eats regard 00:02:22.979 --> 00:02:27.389 with contempt him who does not eat. And let not 00:02:27.389 --> 00:02:31.229 him who does not eat judge him who eats, for 00:02:31.229 --> 00:02:35.889 God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the 00:02:35.889 --> 00:02:39.210 servant of another? To his own master he stands 00:02:39.210 --> 00:02:42.689 or falls, and stand he will, for the Lord is 00:02:42.689 --> 00:02:46.810 able to make him stand. One man regards one day 00:02:46.810 --> 00:02:48.990 above another, another regards every day alike. 00:02:49.389 --> 00:02:52.569 Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. 00:02:53.389 --> 00:02:56.370 He who observes the day observes it for the Lord. 00:02:57.090 --> 00:03:00.830 And he who eats does so for the Lord, for he 00:03:00.830 --> 00:03:04.370 gives thanks to God. And he who eats not for 00:03:04.370 --> 00:03:06.689 the Lord, he does not eat and gives thanks to 00:03:06.689 --> 00:03:10.629 God. For not one of us lives for himself, and 00:03:10.629 --> 00:03:14.069 not one dies for himself. For if we live, we 00:03:14.069 --> 00:03:17.789 live for the Lord. Or if we die, we die for the 00:03:17.789 --> 00:03:22.199 Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, We are 00:03:22.199 --> 00:03:26.620 the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived 00:03:26.620 --> 00:03:29.539 again, that he might be Lord both of the dead 00:03:29.539 --> 00:03:32.800 and of the living. But you, why do you judge 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:35.960 your brother? For you again, why do you regard 00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:39.060 your brother with contempt? For we shall all 00:03:39.060 --> 00:03:42.520 stand before the judgment seat of God. For it 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:44.919 is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee 00:03:44.919 --> 00:03:47.139 shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give 00:03:47.139 --> 00:03:51.370 praise to God. So then each one of us shall give 00:03:51.370 --> 00:03:56.270 account of himself to God. Now if each of the 00:03:56.270 --> 00:03:59.110 people in the church had kept his own convictions 00:03:59.110 --> 00:04:01.550 to himself, there would have been no problem. 00:04:02.569 --> 00:04:05.770 The problem was, though, that they began to criticize 00:04:05.770 --> 00:04:09.490 and to judge one another regarding the other's 00:04:09.490 --> 00:04:13.550 spirituality on the basis of personal opinion 00:04:13.550 --> 00:04:19.860 and standards. Many problems of disunity in local 00:04:19.860 --> 00:04:24.019 churches are not problems over fundamental, essential 00:04:24.019 --> 00:04:29.120 doctrines of the Word. Rather, those areas of 00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:33.920 life or opinion where the Bible is unspecific 00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:39.120 are often the areas where there is division and 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:42.860 disagreement. Those areas where there is no clear 00:04:42.860 --> 00:04:46.600 revelation or word from God. regarding what is 00:04:46.600 --> 00:04:50.579 right or wrong. Now, to be sure, there are vast 00:04:50.579 --> 00:04:53.519 areas where the Bible is clear in both directions 00:04:53.519 --> 00:04:58.040 on what is right and what is wrong. But there 00:04:58.040 --> 00:05:01.000 is that middle ground, that twilight zone, that 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:04.839 gray area where the Bible, in some instances, 00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:09.399 is not specific. Where the Bible is clear, there 00:05:09.399 --> 00:05:12.079 is no problem because the Bible is our final 00:05:12.079 --> 00:05:17.350 authority, not what we think. But where the Bible 00:05:17.350 --> 00:05:21.750 is unclear, then there is room for difference 00:05:21.750 --> 00:05:28.810 of opinion and possibly division. I think it 00:05:28.810 --> 00:05:31.790 was Augustine who first said this, and he said 00:05:31.790 --> 00:05:37.009 it well. In essentials, let there be unity. In 00:05:37.009 --> 00:05:42.689 non -essentials, liberty. In all things, charity. 00:05:44.490 --> 00:05:49.149 My friend, that's a good rule to live by. Now 00:05:49.149 --> 00:05:51.589 perhaps we need to explain what the apostle was 00:05:51.589 --> 00:05:54.750 talking about when he speaks in this text about 00:05:54.750 --> 00:05:59.930 the strong and the weak. The weak were those 00:05:59.930 --> 00:06:05.709 who felt they were obligated to live according 00:06:05.709 --> 00:06:09.889 to certain non -biblical rules and regulations. 00:06:11.660 --> 00:06:14.300 That is, these were rules that the Bible did 00:06:14.300 --> 00:06:17.879 not give, but ones which they themselves felt 00:06:17.879 --> 00:06:21.079 were important or ones which other people felt 00:06:21.079 --> 00:06:25.600 were important. Man -made rules, standards, opinions. 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:29.819 The weak were those who felt they were obligated 00:06:29.819 --> 00:06:34.040 to live according to those. On the other hand, 00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:38.250 the strong were those who... had an understanding 00:06:38.250 --> 00:06:41.329 of the boundary of liberty that God gives us, 00:06:41.470 --> 00:06:44.730 and were able, therefore, to enjoy the freedom 00:06:44.730 --> 00:06:47.910 that they had in Jesus Christ with a clear conscience. 00:06:48.829 --> 00:06:53.110 They understood spiritual truths, and they lived 00:06:53.110 --> 00:06:56.970 accordingly. Those were the strong. And today 00:06:56.970 --> 00:07:00.230 we still have the weak and the strong within 00:07:00.230 --> 00:07:05.930 every local church. On almost every issue, There 00:07:05.930 --> 00:07:09.230 are divided opinions. There are at least two 00:07:09.230 --> 00:07:14.730 sides, sometimes more. And often these divided 00:07:14.730 --> 00:07:20.009 opinions create tension, which result in eventual 00:07:20.009 --> 00:07:24.410 division in the church of God. And that is not 00:07:24.410 --> 00:07:30.350 the will of God. What we are in need of are principles 00:07:30.350 --> 00:07:35.160 which can guide us in these gray areas. where 00:07:35.160 --> 00:07:38.860 the Bible does not say yea or nay, right or wrong, 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:44.060 so that we believers can disagree without disunity, 00:07:44.139 --> 00:07:46.800 or as someone has said, so that we can disagree 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:51.519 without being disagreeable. We need some principles 00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:56.579 which will allow us to give the other the right 00:07:56.579 --> 00:08:01.220 to differ on non -essentials without our developing 00:08:01.220 --> 00:08:06.100 bad attitudes toward them. That is what this 00:08:06.100 --> 00:08:08.279 whole section of Romans, beginning in chapter 00:08:08.279 --> 00:08:11.180 14, verse 1, and concluding with chapter 15, 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:16.060 verse 13, deals with, these principles. And we're 00:08:16.060 --> 00:08:18.459 going to look at the first one today, in Romans 00:08:18.459 --> 00:08:25.060 14, 1 through 12. That principle is that we are 00:08:25.060 --> 00:08:30.100 to accept one another. The whole passage that 00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:32.759 we will look at over the course of three Sundays 00:08:33.470 --> 00:08:37.190 lays down three principles which will preserve 00:08:37.190 --> 00:08:41.049 church unity in these areas where there are legitimate 00:08:41.049 --> 00:08:46.570 differences of opinion. Today we will look at 00:08:46.570 --> 00:08:48.929 the first of the principles. That principle is 00:08:48.929 --> 00:08:53.250 accept one another. And he explains to us three 00:08:53.250 --> 00:08:56.629 reasons why we should do that. Reason number 00:08:56.629 --> 00:09:00.700 one is because we are all accepted by God. That 00:09:00.700 --> 00:09:02.720 is, all of us who have trusted the Lord Jesus 00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:06.879 Christ. We are accepted by him, therefore we 00:09:06.879 --> 00:09:10.059 should accept one another. Notice he begins with 00:09:10.059 --> 00:09:13.019 the exhortation in verse 1, accept the one who's 00:09:13.019 --> 00:09:16.440 weak in faith. And he concludes in verse 3 in 00:09:16.440 --> 00:09:19.759 this first division of the text by saying, God 00:09:19.759 --> 00:09:24.529 has accepted him. So the first reason that we 00:09:24.529 --> 00:09:27.190 are to accept each other without judging one 00:09:27.190 --> 00:09:30.149 another is because God has accepted all of us 00:09:30.149 --> 00:09:35.649 with our differences. We are to welcome or to 00:09:35.649 --> 00:09:39.669 embrace, is actually the thought here, one another 00:09:39.669 --> 00:09:44.070 with the same genuineness, the same freedom, 00:09:44.269 --> 00:09:47.690 the same openness, the same understanding patience. 00:09:48.730 --> 00:09:52.750 with which God has embraced and received us in 00:09:52.750 --> 00:09:59.210 Jesus Christ. I need to understand that God has 00:09:59.210 --> 00:10:03.090 accepted my brother who differs with me in these 00:10:03.090 --> 00:10:09.750 areas. It amazes me sometimes, but he has. Do 00:10:09.750 --> 00:10:13.590 you ever feel that way? Do you look at people 00:10:13.590 --> 00:10:16.509 that you disagree with on some of the non -essentials? 00:10:17.580 --> 00:10:20.899 And you say, how in the world can God bless them 00:10:20.899 --> 00:10:23.059 when they think the way they do about that issue? 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:29.279 And yet God does. God has accepted my brother, 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:32.539 and because he has accepted him, I am to accept 00:10:32.539 --> 00:10:35.600 him. I am to do that without a condescending 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:40.279 attitude. I am to do it without a critical spirit. 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:45.720 I am to do it without a judgmental opinion of 00:10:45.720 --> 00:10:48.379 his spirituality. because of our difference. 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:53.980 God has received both my brother and myself, 00:10:54.100 --> 00:10:58.759 despite our sin, through the sacrifice of Jesus 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:04.700 Christ for us both. And on that same basis, the 00:11:04.700 --> 00:11:08.139 sacrifice of Jesus Christ for us both, I am to 00:11:08.139 --> 00:11:11.919 accept my brother. And I'm to do this in spite 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:15.899 of such differences as that of diet, which he 00:11:15.899 --> 00:11:19.860 mentions here. You see, there were some who were 00:11:19.860 --> 00:11:26.600 weak and who only ate vegetables. They were vegetarians. 00:11:27.700 --> 00:11:33.200 And apparently not for health purposes, but primarily 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:39.019 because of a religious conviction. These may 00:11:39.019 --> 00:11:42.159 have been some of the Jewish believers in Rome. 00:11:43.399 --> 00:11:46.620 They were aware that some of the meat, at least, 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:50.080 which was available in the market, had been offered 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:54.519 to the pagan idols before being taken to the 00:11:54.519 --> 00:11:59.259 market. They were also aware that some of the 00:11:59.259 --> 00:12:03.000 meat that was sold was the meat of unclean animals, 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:06.700 according to the Jewish law. And furthermore, 00:12:06.700 --> 00:12:09.480 there was no way for them to be sure that it 00:12:09.480 --> 00:12:12.279 had been properly prepared according to the law 00:12:12.279 --> 00:12:16.960 of Moses. Now, they had a weak conscience about 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:19.179 these things. In other words, they were easily 00:12:19.179 --> 00:12:23.559 provoked to guilt if they would eat meat with 00:12:23.559 --> 00:12:27.379 those uncertainties. And therefore, they said, 00:12:27.419 --> 00:12:31.279 we will eat vegetables only. Those are the weak. 00:12:34.019 --> 00:12:36.440 And then there were the strong who said, we can 00:12:36.440 --> 00:12:39.379 eat the meat. After all, what is an idol? It's 00:12:39.379 --> 00:12:43.830 nothing. It's meaningless. So what if it's been 00:12:43.830 --> 00:12:47.190 offered to a piece of stone or wood? It hasn't 00:12:47.190 --> 00:12:50.429 hurt that T -bone. It hasn't hurt that pork chop. 00:12:51.409 --> 00:12:54.629 And I'm going to eat it and enjoy it. And he 00:12:54.629 --> 00:12:56.970 knew he had that liberty, and so the strong ate 00:12:56.970 --> 00:13:01.730 it. But that was the problem. Over that difference 00:13:01.730 --> 00:13:04.409 of diet, that difference of opinion about whether 00:13:04.409 --> 00:13:06.889 the meat should be eaten or not, there was division 00:13:06.889 --> 00:13:10.360 within the fellowship, apparently. And so the 00:13:10.360 --> 00:13:14.379 apostle exhorts them, he exhorts them to accept 00:13:14.379 --> 00:13:18.179 one another. Wrong attitudes had developed. You 00:13:18.179 --> 00:13:20.340 find those, for example, in verse 3 where he 00:13:20.340 --> 00:13:25.559 says, Let not him who eats despise him who does 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:28.139 not eat. Now you can see the fellow who knows 00:13:28.139 --> 00:13:31.899 his liberty in Christ. Here's the fellow who 00:13:31.899 --> 00:13:35.299 is more restricted in his conscience. And he 00:13:35.299 --> 00:13:38.460 looks down his nose at him. And he says, why 00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:43.120 don't you grow up? You immature little baby. 00:13:44.039 --> 00:13:47.159 Why don't you realize the liberty you have in 00:13:47.159 --> 00:13:52.080 Christ? Put away those childish ideas. And so 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:55.220 he treats his brother with contempt. He counts 00:13:55.220 --> 00:13:59.159 him as nothing. On the other hand, you've got 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:02.980 the weaker brother, the one who does not eat. 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:06.980 And as he looks over at the table where the brother 00:14:06.980 --> 00:14:10.740 with the stronger conscience eats, he says, shame 00:14:10.740 --> 00:14:16.179 on you. You should not eat that meat because 00:14:16.179 --> 00:14:19.519 that has possibly been dedicated to false gods. 00:14:20.539 --> 00:14:24.500 Shame on you for disgracing the Lord Jesus Christ 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:28.320 by the way that you're eating. And so he judged 00:14:28.320 --> 00:14:32.639 his brother. And which group is it that Paul 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:41.740 condemns? Both of them. He says the one who discredits 00:14:41.740 --> 00:14:44.679 and discounts his brother is wrong and the one 00:14:44.679 --> 00:14:49.240 who judges his brother is wrong. He says accept 00:14:49.240 --> 00:14:52.460 one another because God has accepted you both 00:14:52.460 --> 00:14:55.759 with your differences. And if God can accept 00:14:55.759 --> 00:14:58.100 you, surely you should be able to accept each 00:14:58.100 --> 00:15:03.399 other. There's a second reason why he exhorts 00:15:03.399 --> 00:15:05.159 us to accept one another, and that is because 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:08.000 we serve the same Lord, my brother and I who 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:11.820 differ. In fact, in verses 4 through 8, you will 00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:16.340 find the term Lord or kurios used eight times. 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:20.759 The emphasis is on the lordship of Jesus Christ. 00:15:21.679 --> 00:15:25.340 He says that we are his servants. He uses that 00:15:25.340 --> 00:15:29.049 term in verse 4, servants. The word here is the 00:15:29.049 --> 00:15:34.230 word household servant. He pictures God's family 00:15:34.230 --> 00:15:39.090 as a family who all live in one house, a household 00:15:39.090 --> 00:15:42.990 of people. But he says we are all servants in 00:15:42.990 --> 00:15:47.389 this household. God has many servants in his 00:15:47.389 --> 00:15:52.230 household. And his servants are not to judge 00:15:52.230 --> 00:15:55.710 each other. They don't answer to each other. 00:15:56.190 --> 00:15:59.929 They answer to the master of the house is his 00:15:59.929 --> 00:16:03.470 argument. He says the Lord is concerned about 00:16:03.470 --> 00:16:07.149 his servants. The master of the house will see 00:16:07.149 --> 00:16:09.330 that they stand or fall. And then he goes on 00:16:09.330 --> 00:16:13.049 to say regarding our master, the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:16:13.129 --> 00:16:17.750 he'll see to it that we stand. He'll take care 00:16:17.750 --> 00:16:21.330 of us. We answer to him. He cares for us personally. 00:16:22.700 --> 00:16:26.120 That is true of each one of us, despite our differences. 00:16:26.340 --> 00:16:29.639 We all serve the same Lord, those of us who belong 00:16:29.639 --> 00:16:33.899 to him. It is not the place of the servants to 00:16:33.899 --> 00:16:38.340 judge one another, but rather each of us, he 00:16:38.340 --> 00:16:42.399 says, should be fully convinced, verse 5, in 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:46.639 his own mind regarding his own personal convictions 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:55.529 in these gray areas. in these nonspecific matters 00:16:55.529 --> 00:17:00.190 that so often divide us. That is where the Bible 00:17:00.190 --> 00:17:04.390 is nonspecific. Servants of the Lord are not 00:17:04.390 --> 00:17:06.910 to judge each other. That is the Lord's business, 00:17:06.950 --> 00:17:12.049 to do the judging. Whatever the servant concludes 00:17:12.049 --> 00:17:15.329 in his own mind regarding whether an issue is 00:17:15.329 --> 00:17:19.069 right or wrong for himself, he is to act out 00:17:19.069 --> 00:17:21.569 that decision in his life for the sake of the 00:17:21.569 --> 00:17:25.180 Lord. You see, that's the motive for our living, 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:28.740 isn't it? It's not to try to impress other people 00:17:28.740 --> 00:17:32.500 or to put other people down or to compare ourselves 00:17:32.500 --> 00:17:35.740 with others. But he says if we live, we live 00:17:35.740 --> 00:17:38.180 for the Lord. If we die, we die for the Lord. 00:17:38.299 --> 00:17:40.700 So whether we live or die, we're his. He has 00:17:40.700 --> 00:17:44.180 bought us. We belong to him. We are his possession. 00:17:44.259 --> 00:17:50.400 We are blood -bought people. Because he is therefore 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:53.940 our possessor, our kurios, our lord, our master 00:17:53.940 --> 00:17:57.119 in the household, we give answer to him who owns 00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:01.599 us, not to one another. And so on these areas 00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:03.980 where there is room for difference of opinion, 00:18:04.339 --> 00:18:07.440 we are to allow others to differ with ourselves. 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:11.920 Be fully convinced in our own minds we're not 00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:15.299 to be wishy -washy. We're to be fully convinced 00:18:15.299 --> 00:18:18.849 in our own minds And then recognize that we give 00:18:18.849 --> 00:18:20.990 answer to the Lord, just like my brother will, 00:18:21.150 --> 00:18:23.809 who is fully convinced in a different way about 00:18:23.809 --> 00:18:28.950 the same issue. The third reason that we are 00:18:28.950 --> 00:18:32.410 to accept one another is because we shall stand 00:18:32.410 --> 00:18:35.890 at the same judgment seat, verses 10, 11, and 00:18:35.890 --> 00:18:43.049 12. Whether one is weak or strong, he will stand 00:18:43.049 --> 00:18:47.700 before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. The 00:18:47.700 --> 00:18:51.500 judgment seat here is the bema, which was a term 00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:54.119 well known to the Romans of that day. It was 00:18:54.119 --> 00:18:58.160 the tribunal. Still today there is preserved 00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:03.279 in Corinth the bema that was there in ancient 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:08.319 Corinth. The bema was the judgment seat where 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:11.599 the local governing official, whatever he may 00:19:11.599 --> 00:19:15.789 be, would give his decisions. It was there that 00:19:15.789 --> 00:19:18.750 cases were brought for examination for him to 00:19:18.750 --> 00:19:24.190 hear. And so the apostle picks up that term and 00:19:24.190 --> 00:19:26.490 that concept in the minds of the people, and 00:19:26.490 --> 00:19:30.009 he says, now look, we are going to stand before 00:19:30.009 --> 00:19:34.589 the tribunal, the judgment seat, the decision 00:19:34.589 --> 00:19:40.329 bench of Jesus Christ, all of us, whether weak 00:19:40.329 --> 00:19:44.769 or strong. He even says the Old Testament indicates 00:19:44.769 --> 00:19:50.369 this truth. In Isaiah 45, 23, and he quotes, 00:19:50.490 --> 00:19:53.410 As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow 00:19:53.410 --> 00:19:56.990 to me, and every tongue shall give praise to 00:19:56.990 --> 00:20:00.069 God. In this context, it's talking about every 00:20:00.069 --> 00:20:04.150 believer. In Philippians 2, it's embracing and 00:20:04.150 --> 00:20:07.750 incorporating as well every person who's ever 00:20:07.750 --> 00:20:10.109 lived on the face of the earth will someday bow 00:20:10.109 --> 00:20:15.569 the knee to Jesus Christ. He says, so then each 00:20:15.569 --> 00:20:18.750 one of us shall give account of himself to God. 00:20:19.809 --> 00:20:23.589 There is a key parallel passage in 2 Corinthians. 00:20:23.769 --> 00:20:26.769 I invite you to turn there with me to look in 00:20:26.769 --> 00:20:35.650 the fifth chapter of that book. The apostle is 00:20:35.650 --> 00:20:37.910 reminding us early in the chapter that all of 00:20:37.910 --> 00:20:42.480 us... will someday stand before the Lord, and 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:46.480 he says that our desire is that right now we 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:49.599 might labor so that then we will be pleasing 00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:53.720 to him. He says in verse 10 in summary, For we 00:20:53.720 --> 00:20:58.759 must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 00:20:59.180 --> 00:21:04.000 that each one may be recompensed for his deeds 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:07.519 in the body, according to what he has done, whether 00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:13.930 good or bad. My friend, this judgment seat of 00:21:13.930 --> 00:21:18.369 Christ is a future event. Those of us in the 00:21:18.369 --> 00:21:21.049 doctrinal class this morning discussed this briefly 00:21:21.049 --> 00:21:24.569 as we looked into the future at the events that 00:21:24.569 --> 00:21:29.289 are yet to come. This judgment seat of Jesus 00:21:29.289 --> 00:21:32.930 Christ will take place rather immediately after 00:21:32.930 --> 00:21:36.799 the rapture of the church. As far as you and 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:39.220 I are concerned, it is the second appointment 00:21:39.220 --> 00:21:43.420 that we have on our calendars with God. The first 00:21:43.420 --> 00:21:45.940 will be when we see the Lord Jesus Christ in 00:21:45.940 --> 00:21:47.799 the air and we are caught up to be with him. 00:21:47.980 --> 00:21:50.240 And the second appointment that we will have 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:54.079 is when we stand before Jesus at that judgment 00:21:54.079 --> 00:21:56.140 seat. Now there are at least five things I want 00:21:56.140 --> 00:21:58.319 to say about the judgment seat of Christ as we 00:21:58.319 --> 00:22:03.349 look at it. First of all, it is inclusive. By 00:22:03.349 --> 00:22:07.809 that I mean all believers will stand before that 00:22:07.809 --> 00:22:11.329 judgment seat. All who are a part of the church 00:22:11.329 --> 00:22:14.829 of Jesus Christ, save from back at Pentecost 00:22:14.829 --> 00:22:17.170 until that day of the rapture when we are caught 00:22:17.170 --> 00:22:20.150 up to be with the Lord. It is inclusive. There 00:22:20.150 --> 00:22:25.049 is not one of us who can't escape that day. It 00:22:25.049 --> 00:22:29.130 is universal. All of us. All of us must appear, 00:22:29.269 --> 00:22:34.690 it says. Secondly, It is individual. For while 00:22:34.690 --> 00:22:37.789 all of us must be there, it will not be a group 00:22:37.789 --> 00:22:41.049 judgment. It will be a personal judgment, an 00:22:41.049 --> 00:22:46.430 individual judgment. He says we must all appear 00:22:46.430 --> 00:22:51.130 before the judgment seat that what? Each one 00:22:51.130 --> 00:22:56.990 may be recompensed. In other words, although 00:22:56.990 --> 00:22:59.690 we will all be there, there will be some fashion 00:22:59.690 --> 00:23:04.390 in which each of us will personally stand before 00:23:04.390 --> 00:23:08.329 the Lord Jesus Christ and be examined for our 00:23:08.329 --> 00:23:17.829 lives. He says it is inescapable. We must do 00:23:17.829 --> 00:23:23.130 this. That's the third thing. In Romans it says 00:23:23.130 --> 00:23:26.569 we shall stand. It says we shall give an account. 00:23:28.970 --> 00:23:32.170 There's no possibility that any of us will somehow 00:23:32.170 --> 00:23:37.069 get lost in the crowd in that day or keep going 00:23:37.069 --> 00:23:43.630 to the back of the line. We will be there at 00:23:43.630 --> 00:23:47.329 the front of the line at some point. You say, 00:23:47.349 --> 00:23:50.289 wait a minute. What, seven years between the 00:23:50.289 --> 00:23:52.529 rapture and the second coming? We've got to squeeze 00:23:52.529 --> 00:23:55.089 in a wedding there somewhere for the church and 00:23:55.089 --> 00:23:58.549 Christ. I mean, how many millions of believers 00:23:58.549 --> 00:24:00.609 have there been, and you're saying that there's 00:24:00.609 --> 00:24:04.150 going to be a personal judgment for each one 00:24:04.150 --> 00:24:07.950 of us? How is there time for all of that? My 00:24:07.950 --> 00:24:12.700 friend, how much time is there in heaven? Once 00:24:12.700 --> 00:24:15.539 we step out of this world, we are in eternity. 00:24:15.619 --> 00:24:20.359 There is no longer a time reference. So it's 00:24:20.359 --> 00:24:27.279 not a matter of time anymore. We will be individually 00:24:27.279 --> 00:24:32.059 judged. Now the Apostle Paul found that such 00:24:32.059 --> 00:24:36.259 a thought that he calls it in verse 11, the fear 00:24:36.259 --> 00:24:38.660 of the Lord, the terror of the Lord, literally. 00:24:41.839 --> 00:24:44.059 And if he felt that way with the life he lived, 00:24:44.140 --> 00:24:47.059 I wonder how I should feel, how you should feel. 00:24:48.180 --> 00:24:50.579 Oh yes, I'm rejoicing in that thought of the 00:24:50.579 --> 00:24:53.140 rapture and seeing the Lord face to face and 00:24:53.140 --> 00:24:58.079 being changed or resurrected, whichever it shall 00:24:58.079 --> 00:25:02.380 be for me, for you. I'm looking forward to that 00:25:02.380 --> 00:25:04.579 day, but I recognize this too, that immediately 00:25:04.579 --> 00:25:07.680 after that joyous reunion with the Lord and with 00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:11.190 those who have gone before us in Christ, But 00:25:11.190 --> 00:25:14.470 there will come this time of examination at his 00:25:14.470 --> 00:25:20.529 bima. It will be an inquiring judgment. That's 00:25:20.529 --> 00:25:24.450 the fourth thing about it. Inclusive, individual, 00:25:24.910 --> 00:25:29.750 inescapable inquiring. We will be called to give 00:25:29.750 --> 00:25:36.970 an account of the deeds done in the body according 00:25:36.970 --> 00:25:40.660 to what we have done, whether good or bad. Now 00:25:40.660 --> 00:25:43.319 that does not mean that our sins will be exposed 00:25:43.319 --> 00:25:47.960 there. Thank God. Our sins have once and for 00:25:47.960 --> 00:25:51.759 all been judged at the cross of the Lord Jesus 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:59.680 Christ. But there will be some measurement of 00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:07.789 our lives having been wasted because... of time 00:26:07.789 --> 00:26:10.190 that we spent in disobedience with the Lord. 00:26:11.109 --> 00:26:14.210 There will be some way that God is going to gauge 00:26:14.210 --> 00:26:18.690 the bad deeds done, the worthless, is really 00:26:18.690 --> 00:26:22.329 the word there, the worthless deeds done. Not 00:26:22.329 --> 00:26:24.869 that they themselves will be exposed, that is 00:26:24.869 --> 00:26:28.630 the deeds, but there will be some way it will 00:26:28.630 --> 00:26:33.210 be told whether we have been faithful and whether 00:26:33.210 --> 00:26:38.450 we have been unfaithful. And we'll be judged. 00:26:40.609 --> 00:26:44.589 An inquiring judgment. The word appear in verse 00:26:44.589 --> 00:26:49.829 10 means to be made manifest. You and I are going 00:26:49.829 --> 00:26:54.650 to be scrutinized. Nothing will be left uncovered. 00:26:55.970 --> 00:26:58.529 We are very clever right now at covering our 00:26:58.529 --> 00:27:04.509 trails, aren't we? We are able to hide things, 00:27:04.690 --> 00:27:08.170 sometimes even in our own minds and memory. We're 00:27:08.170 --> 00:27:10.170 able to tuck them away where we forget about 00:27:10.170 --> 00:27:16.089 them or we're not embarrassed by them. On the 00:27:16.089 --> 00:27:18.029 other hand, there are times when we do good things 00:27:18.029 --> 00:27:19.809 and we don't even recognize what we're doing. 00:27:21.369 --> 00:27:25.710 God notices it. God takes account of it. We just 00:27:25.710 --> 00:27:28.470 didn't realize that that was such an important 00:27:28.470 --> 00:27:32.250 thing. So whether it be something that was worthless 00:27:32.250 --> 00:27:35.269 or something that was good, all of it will be 00:27:35.269 --> 00:27:38.769 brought to the surface and scrutinized by our 00:27:38.769 --> 00:27:42.410 Lord. And finally, this judgment will be informative. 00:27:44.450 --> 00:27:50.470 As a result of the inquiry, we will be recompensed. 00:27:50.509 --> 00:27:57.309 That word means to receive back one's own. To 00:27:57.309 --> 00:28:02.690 receive back... your own. The idea seems to be 00:28:02.690 --> 00:28:08.450 that we invest ahead of time in heaven, and on 00:28:08.450 --> 00:28:11.309 that day, according to our investment, as it 00:28:11.309 --> 00:28:14.849 were, we will get our return on our faithful 00:28:14.849 --> 00:28:19.130 living. I had a really neat Spanish teacher in 00:28:19.130 --> 00:28:24.349 high school. She's still living, although she 00:28:24.349 --> 00:28:27.839 seemed very near death. to me when I was in high 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:35.180 school. I'll probably send her a copy of this 00:28:35.180 --> 00:28:38.480 tape since I've mentioned her. A really neat 00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:41.799 lady. I remember one story she told us in the 00:28:41.799 --> 00:28:44.680 Spanish class one day about a man who died and 00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:47.779 went to heaven and there were some others in 00:28:47.779 --> 00:28:49.859 a line with him. I'm not saying this is biblical, 00:28:49.940 --> 00:28:53.980 please understand. But it illustrates the point. 00:28:55.059 --> 00:28:57.779 As he was in that line, he watched several others 00:28:57.779 --> 00:29:04.019 ahead of him be taken by an angel to their mansion 00:29:04.019 --> 00:29:06.380 that had been prepared, and it was so beautiful. 00:29:06.940 --> 00:29:12.180 Finally, he was in line to be next, and so the 00:29:12.180 --> 00:29:15.299 angel took him by the hand and led him down the 00:29:15.299 --> 00:29:17.920 street and back an alley, and there at the end 00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:22.809 of the alley was this tar paper shanty. just 00:29:22.809 --> 00:29:24.910 made out of sticks and tar paper. And he said, 00:29:25.029 --> 00:29:28.250 wait a minute, why am I here in this little tar 00:29:28.250 --> 00:29:30.170 paper shanty and all these other people get these 00:29:30.170 --> 00:29:34.410 mansions? And the angel turned to him and said, 00:29:34.509 --> 00:29:37.869 well, we did the best we could with what you 00:29:37.869 --> 00:29:44.109 sent ahead. When you and I stand at the judgment 00:29:44.109 --> 00:29:46.970 seat of Jesus Christ, we are going to be recompensed 00:29:46.970 --> 00:29:51.579 according to the deeds done in our body. right 00:29:51.579 --> 00:29:56.180 now in this life. You say, what has all this 00:29:56.180 --> 00:29:58.000 got to do with accepting one another? We'll go 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:00.119 back to 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and I'll show 00:30:00.119 --> 00:30:03.259 you. For here we have another record of the judgment 00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:07.960 seat. Now remember, the Corinthians were divided. 00:30:09.160 --> 00:30:13.680 Disunity was a real problem to them. The apostle 00:30:13.680 --> 00:30:16.160 rebukes them for dividing themselves over their 00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:21.900 preachers. He says, In verse 10, according to 00:30:21.900 --> 00:30:24.660 the grace of God which was given to me, as a 00:30:24.660 --> 00:30:27.700 wise master builder I laid a foundation and another 00:30:27.700 --> 00:30:30.960 is building upon it. But let each man be careful 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:35.779 how he builds upon it. For no man can lay a foundation 00:30:35.779 --> 00:30:38.720 other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus 00:30:38.720 --> 00:30:42.240 Christ. Now if any man builds upon the foundation 00:30:42.240 --> 00:30:46.319 with gold, silver, precious stones, or wood, 00:30:46.460 --> 00:30:50.650 hay, straw, Each man's work will become evident, 00:30:50.890 --> 00:30:54.329 for the day will show it because it is to be 00:30:54.329 --> 00:30:57.190 revealed with fire, and the fire itself will 00:30:57.190 --> 00:31:00.329 test the quality of each man's work. Now the 00:31:00.329 --> 00:31:03.049 apostle seems to be talking here about this judgment 00:31:03.049 --> 00:31:06.569 seat of Jesus Christ, and in some specific way 00:31:06.569 --> 00:31:08.869 he's talking about the accountability that those 00:31:08.869 --> 00:31:12.930 of us who are pastor -teachers will have. Those 00:31:12.930 --> 00:31:15.269 of us who build upon the foundation of Jesus 00:31:15.269 --> 00:31:20.230 Christ in the lives of other people. And he says 00:31:20.230 --> 00:31:25.589 we need to be careful how we build. He says our 00:31:25.589 --> 00:31:29.490 work will be exposed by fire. Now that is the 00:31:29.490 --> 00:31:33.809 fire of judgment. It's not the fire of hell. 00:31:33.910 --> 00:31:37.130 It's not the fire of purgatory. It's symbolic 00:31:37.130 --> 00:31:39.109 here. It means that in some way he is going to 00:31:39.109 --> 00:31:42.190 judge the works of our lives as they are presented 00:31:42.190 --> 00:31:46.029 before him at the judgment seat. He says, if 00:31:46.029 --> 00:31:48.750 any man's work which he has built upon it remains, 00:31:49.109 --> 00:31:52.329 he shall receive a reward. If any man's work 00:31:52.329 --> 00:31:54.690 is burned up, he shall suffer loss, but he himself 00:31:54.690 --> 00:31:58.569 shall be saved, yet so as through fire. In other 00:31:58.569 --> 00:32:01.309 words, through that judgment, that process of 00:32:01.309 --> 00:32:04.970 exposure. Then he says, do you not know that 00:32:04.970 --> 00:32:07.809 you are a temple of God, that is, as a local 00:32:07.809 --> 00:32:11.549 church, and that the Spirit of God dwells in 00:32:11.549 --> 00:32:16.900 you? If any man destroys the temple of God, the 00:32:16.900 --> 00:32:21.339 local church, God will destroy him, for the temple 00:32:21.339 --> 00:32:25.920 of God is holy, and that is what you are. Now 00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:28.779 here is my point in connecting the command in 00:32:28.779 --> 00:32:32.279 Romans 14 to accept one another with the judgment 00:32:32.279 --> 00:32:36.720 seat of Jesus Christ. We are all going to stand 00:32:36.720 --> 00:32:39.440 before the judgment seat of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:32:39.539 --> 00:32:44.079 We will give answer to him. But if we dare begin 00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:48.359 to judge each other and to be critical of one 00:32:48.359 --> 00:32:52.559 another and create such tension within the fellowship 00:32:52.559 --> 00:32:56.220 of the local church that we begin to divide it 00:32:56.220 --> 00:33:02.599 and thus destroy it in its unity, we bring ourselves 00:33:02.599 --> 00:33:07.480 under the judgment of God and will give answer 00:33:07.480 --> 00:33:10.359 for it at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. 00:33:12.910 --> 00:33:15.670 Now you think about that the next time you are 00:33:15.670 --> 00:33:20.029 tempted to be critical and judgmental and divisive. 00:33:22.950 --> 00:33:26.049 We are the temple of God and the Holy Spirit 00:33:26.049 --> 00:33:30.150 lives in us as a church. And we are to leave 00:33:30.150 --> 00:33:32.789 judgment to our Lord and to the judgment seat. 00:33:32.869 --> 00:33:35.930 We are not to judge each other and be divisive. 00:33:36.309 --> 00:33:41.490 If we dare do that, our Lord will judge us for 00:33:41.490 --> 00:33:45.980 it. I didn't say cast us into hell, but I tell 00:33:45.980 --> 00:33:48.619 you it will be exposed and we will be so ashamed 00:33:48.619 --> 00:33:54.779 and embarrassed at that judgment seat. How important 00:33:54.779 --> 00:33:57.160 it is then that we obey this first principle, 00:33:57.299 --> 00:34:00.279 that even in these areas where there are differences 00:34:00.279 --> 00:34:05.000 among us, areas of legitimate difference, that 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:08.800 we accept one another and not condemn one another 00:34:08.800 --> 00:34:12.099 or judge one another. Now there are many modern 00:34:12.099 --> 00:34:15.320 examples and applications of this. I'm going 00:34:15.320 --> 00:34:19.800 to mention a few. One of the ones that is hot 00:34:19.800 --> 00:34:23.059 in some churches especially is what scripture 00:34:23.059 --> 00:34:27.900 translation you use. There are some people who 00:34:27.900 --> 00:34:30.239 are very convinced in their own minds that the 00:34:30.239 --> 00:34:33.199 King James Version is the only inspired version 00:34:33.199 --> 00:34:36.980 and should be the only one used. I am not among 00:34:36.980 --> 00:34:39.159 them, but there are some who are convinced of 00:34:39.159 --> 00:34:41.929 that. And if they are, God bless them, fine. 00:34:43.489 --> 00:34:46.030 But that should not become a matter of division. 00:34:46.630 --> 00:34:49.010 It should not become an issue of controversy 00:34:49.010 --> 00:34:52.969 in any local church over what scriptural translation 00:34:52.969 --> 00:34:58.730 you use. When a church is divided over that, 00:34:58.829 --> 00:35:01.409 there will be some accounting at the judgment 00:35:01.409 --> 00:35:05.610 seat of Jesus Christ. Another area will be that 00:35:05.610 --> 00:35:09.480 of cultural taboos. Now these kind of changes, 00:35:09.500 --> 00:35:13.099 culture changes. Let me just give you an example 00:35:13.099 --> 00:35:15.079 or two. Some people are quite convinced that 00:35:15.079 --> 00:35:17.820 no Christian should ever go to any movie or attend 00:35:17.820 --> 00:35:22.079 any theater. Their conscience is that sensitive 00:35:22.079 --> 00:35:25.639 about it. It's wrong for them. They are fully 00:35:25.639 --> 00:35:28.599 convinced of it. On the other hand, there are 00:35:28.599 --> 00:35:32.400 those who feel that they can attend what they 00:35:32.400 --> 00:35:36.989 would consider to be a good movie. Without bringing 00:35:36.989 --> 00:35:40.170 condemnation on their own conscience. Who is 00:35:40.170 --> 00:35:45.389 right and who is wrong? Let each man be fully 00:35:45.389 --> 00:35:48.090 persuaded in his own mind and not judge the other. 00:35:48.409 --> 00:35:51.170 Is the principle of God's word. Accept one another. 00:35:52.030 --> 00:35:54.090 What about card playing? There are some people 00:35:54.090 --> 00:35:57.869 who are deaf about using game cards. They say 00:35:57.869 --> 00:36:00.269 they are used in gambling casinos. And to be 00:36:00.269 --> 00:36:03.550 seen playing those cards is an abomination to 00:36:03.550 --> 00:36:06.309 God. I mean, they are fully convinced about it. 00:36:07.230 --> 00:36:09.389 There are other people who see those cards as 00:36:09.389 --> 00:36:12.929 paper and ink and nothing more than that. Who's 00:36:12.929 --> 00:36:15.809 right and who's wrong? Let each man be fully 00:36:15.809 --> 00:36:17.969 persuaded in his own mind and accept the other. 00:36:18.869 --> 00:36:22.389 What about music styles? There are some people 00:36:22.389 --> 00:36:24.190 who are convinced that there are some styles 00:36:24.190 --> 00:36:28.510 of music that are of the devil. And I don't have 00:36:28.510 --> 00:36:30.710 too much of a problem with some music agreeing 00:36:30.710 --> 00:36:35.320 with that. I think that there is some music literally 00:36:35.320 --> 00:36:39.460 of the devil. I think there are some music groups 00:36:39.460 --> 00:36:41.920 today that are of the devil literally and worship 00:36:41.920 --> 00:36:46.780 him. But that's another subject. But there are 00:36:46.780 --> 00:36:48.860 some who are very restrictive in their style 00:36:48.860 --> 00:36:52.300 of music. There are others who have a broader 00:36:52.300 --> 00:36:55.699 latitude of the music they appreciate. Who's 00:36:55.699 --> 00:36:59.480 right and who's wrong? Let each man be fully 00:36:59.480 --> 00:37:02.340 persuaded in his own mind and accept one another. 00:37:03.690 --> 00:37:06.909 What about some of the non -essential doctrines 00:37:06.909 --> 00:37:10.889 or issues that come up? I know a church today 00:37:10.889 --> 00:37:14.130 that is at the point of being torn apart over 00:37:14.130 --> 00:37:19.250 the issue of divorce and remarriage. My friend, 00:37:19.289 --> 00:37:21.269 if you study that issue, you will come up with 00:37:21.269 --> 00:37:24.909 some conclusions for yourself. I have, and I'm 00:37:24.909 --> 00:37:29.170 convinced I'm right. But I know this, there are 00:37:29.170 --> 00:37:31.210 some men that I respect a great deal who have 00:37:31.210 --> 00:37:34.829 a different conclusion about that. Am I to break 00:37:34.829 --> 00:37:37.909 fellowship with them because of that issue? If 00:37:37.909 --> 00:37:40.469 I do, I am sinning against Jesus Christ and his 00:37:40.469 --> 00:37:44.530 body. Because that is a secondary, non -essential 00:37:44.530 --> 00:37:48.030 issue. And while I may have my own convictions 00:37:48.030 --> 00:37:52.329 and preach them, and I will and do, I must give 00:37:52.329 --> 00:37:55.989 him that liberty to do the same. Or what about 00:37:55.989 --> 00:37:59.269 the pre -tribulational rapture? As I told the 00:37:59.269 --> 00:38:02.190 class this morning. There are those who disagree 00:38:02.190 --> 00:38:05.190 with us about a pre -tribulational rapture. They 00:38:05.190 --> 00:38:13.750 have a right to be wrong. Again, there are people 00:38:13.750 --> 00:38:16.389 who are brothers in Christ who differ with us 00:38:16.389 --> 00:38:19.590 on those secondary issues. Are we to divide the 00:38:19.590 --> 00:38:24.059 body of Christ over those things? No. Now we 00:38:24.059 --> 00:38:25.960 should take a position, I think as a church, 00:38:26.019 --> 00:38:28.139 we can teach what we believe, but we ought not 00:38:28.139 --> 00:38:31.420 to divide ourselves over the issue, nor divide 00:38:31.420 --> 00:38:34.559 the body of Christ. We are to accept one another. 00:38:34.699 --> 00:38:37.159 I think you get the point in these applications. 00:38:38.679 --> 00:38:40.940 So let me just close by asking some questions. 00:38:41.900 --> 00:38:46.039 Are you judgmental of other believers in an area 00:38:46.039 --> 00:38:52.380 where the Bible allows him liberty? Can you distinguish 00:38:52.380 --> 00:38:57.039 between your biblical convictions and your personal 00:38:57.039 --> 00:39:03.480 preferences? We all have them. And if you cannot 00:39:03.480 --> 00:39:06.340 distinguish between them yet, you need to mature 00:39:06.340 --> 00:39:12.300 to that point where you can. Can you allow another 00:39:12.300 --> 00:39:16.219 to have a more legalistic position than you without 00:39:16.219 --> 00:39:23.239 despising him? Can you allow a person to have 00:39:23.239 --> 00:39:26.940 more freedom, more liberty than you personally 00:39:26.940 --> 00:39:29.579 have in your conscience without judging him? 00:39:33.219 --> 00:39:37.079 Accept one another. What non -essential issue 00:39:37.079 --> 00:39:40.380 is spoiling your fellowship with some other Christian 00:39:40.380 --> 00:39:47.079 today? What non -essential issue? And that's 00:39:47.079 --> 00:39:48.480 something you need to get on your knees about 00:39:48.480 --> 00:39:51.760 and ask God. to show you how to bring that fellowship 00:39:51.760 --> 00:39:54.860 with that other brother back together and heal 00:39:54.860 --> 00:39:59.460 it. My friend, if you had to stand before the 00:39:59.460 --> 00:40:02.820 beam of Jesus Christ with only that portion of 00:40:02.820 --> 00:40:05.000 your life you've already lived to be examined, 00:40:05.119 --> 00:40:15.440 would you be satisfied? Or would you be ashamed? 00:40:18.190 --> 00:40:20.750 Would you be embarrassed by the way that you've 00:40:20.750 --> 00:40:23.570 lived up till now? What would you want to be 00:40:23.570 --> 00:40:25.829 different if you were to be examined at the judgment 00:40:25.829 --> 00:40:28.849 seat today? What would you want to change in 00:40:28.849 --> 00:40:32.050 your life if you knew today you had to stand 00:40:32.050 --> 00:40:37.550 before Jesus Christ? Whatever that is that comes 00:40:37.550 --> 00:40:43.269 to your mind, then do it. And do it today. Because 00:40:43.269 --> 00:40:46.949 soon we will stand before him. You say, I want 00:40:46.949 --> 00:40:49.210 to live my life the way I want to live it. Fine, 00:40:49.409 --> 00:40:53.210 do it. But you can only live it that way once. 00:40:55.369 --> 00:40:59.010 And then you must give an account. And so must 00:40:59.010 --> 00:41:09.030 I. Let's pray. Would you sing with me? He is 00:41:09.030 --> 00:41:21.289 Lord. He is Lord. He is risen from the dead, 00:41:21.289 --> 00:41:34.489 and he is Lord. Every knee shall bow, every tongue 00:41:34.489 --> 00:41:48.940 confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Have thine 00:41:48.940 --> 00:42:00.920 own way, Lord. Have thine own way. Thou art the 00:42:00.920 --> 00:42:39.059 power. I think we mean that even if it's going 00:42:39.059 --> 00:42:43.760 to be painful to bring us into that mold, even 00:42:43.760 --> 00:42:46.300 if it means cutting some things out of our lives 00:42:46.300 --> 00:42:50.500 that we now think we enjoy or changing an attitude 00:42:50.500 --> 00:42:56.619 or going to a brother and making amends. I pray 00:42:56.619 --> 00:43:00.039 that you will enforce in our lives what we've 00:43:00.039 --> 00:43:03.539 prayed and sung. In Jesus' name, amen.