Title: Precepts to Strong and Weak
Text: Rom 14: 1-15: 4
Date: December 29, 2019
Place: SGBC, NJ
Have you noticed, throughout the scripture, God commands
his saints to love one another. God
command his saints to be longsuffering to one another. He exhorts us to be kind, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake, has forgiven us. God commands us to bear one another’s burdens
including sins, faults, errors and infirmities.
Our Master teaches us to restore a fallen brother in the spirit of
meekness. God says his saints are to be merciful
and gracious to one another. But not one
time, does God command us to accuse, pass sentence or separate ourselves from a
brother in Christ. Our text is no
exception.
Proposition: God commands believers to be gracious and merciful to
each other as we trust each other to God our Savior, Christ Jesus the Lord.
RECEIVE BRETHREN
Romans 14: 1: Him
that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
This is a true
brother who is “weak in the faith.” This
is not someone who believes a false gospel.
Notice, he is weak but he is “weak in the faith.” There is only one faith—the faith God
gives “the faith of God’s elect” (Ti 2: 1); “the faith of the saints” (Rev
13: 10); “the common faith” (Ti 1:4). This
one is “weak” but he is “in the faith.”
He does not worship
the will and works of man; this brother, like all God’s sanctified and
regenerated children, believes God that all men died in Adam and come forth totally
depraved. This weak brother does not believe
God chose his people because of what he foresaw in us; he believes God chose
his people by his free and sovereign electing grace, not based on anything in
us. This is not one who believes Christ
died for all sinners; he believes the truth that Christ accomplished redemption
for his particular people alone so that they must be given life and faith in
him. The weak brother believes a dead sinner
can only be born again by the Holy Spirit’s irresistible grace and made willing
in the day of Christ’s power. He believes
in God’s preserving grace by which the believer perseveres in faith unto the
end—"he which hath begun a good work in you shall perform it unto the day
of Jesus Christ.” So this is a true
child of God—a true brother in Christ.
His problem is that
he is “weak in the faith.” Since
he is a brother I am to receive him even though he be weak in the faith. What does weak in the faith mean?
WEAK AND STRONG IN THE FAITH
Romans 14: 2: For one believeth that he may eat all
things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs
This is God’s description of those strong in the faith
and those weak in the faith. Be sure
to get that: this is God’s word.
First, God says strong faith knows and is
persuaded by Christ Jesus that Christ fulfilled the law so that we are not
under the law but under grace; we have liberty to eat and drink all things. Christ told us clearly that it is not that
which goes in the mouth that defiles a man but what comes from his heart. We have liberty to even eat meat that was
used in the worship of idols. The
apostle Paul had this liberty for he was one strong in the faith.
1 Corinthians 8: 4: As
concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice
unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there
is none other God but one. 5: For though there be that are called gods,
whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 6: But
to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things,
and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we
by him. 7: Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge:…
Secondly, God says weak faith believes he may only
eat herbs/vegetables. Perhaps, this
brother was taught all his life that eating meat is sinful so he has never
eaten meat; he only eats vegetables. Now,
God has brought him out, given him true faith and he truly believes on the Lord
Jesus in spirit and in truth. But he still
has these grave clothes: he believes he should only eat vegetables.
God says the weak brother is in error that is why he is
called weak in the faith. Our Lord says
the brother who eats all things is right to enjoy his liberty that is why God
calls him strong in the faith. But how does God say they should treat each
other?
DO NOT DESPISE OR
JUDGE
Romans 14: 3: Let not him that eateth despise him that
eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God
hath received him.
These brethren are to receive each other.
God commands the strong in faith not to accuse or
criticize his weak brother. The strong
brother is not to pressure or force his weak brother to change. The strong brother is not to doubt the weak
brother’s faith. He is not to esteem his
weak brother as a legalist or an unbeliever.
The Spirit of God says the strong brother is to receive his weak brother
because God hath received him. It means God
has taken my brother unto himself as his own!
Likewise, God says to
the weak in faith, “do not judge him that eateth.” Do not point out that he eats all things and pass
sentence saying he is a sinner for doing so.
The weak brother is not to call the strong brother’s liberty
licentiousness. Again God commands the
weak brother to receive his strong brother for God hath received him.
Brethren, no believer knows anything as we ought. Before God, compared to Christ, we all have
weak faith. Christ said to his apostles,
“Oh, ye of little faith.” Besides,
God’s saints do not see ourselves strong in the faith.
We see our unbelief and pray, “Lord, I believe, help thou mine
unbelief.”“Lord, increase our faith.” Yet,
God hath received us.
Since God has
received my brother, I am to remember God is his Father the same as mine. God hath received your brother, therefore,
you receive him.
Romans 8: 33: Who
shall anything to the charge of God’s elect, it is God that justifieth! Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that
died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God,
who also maketh intercession for us.
MY BROTHER’S MASTER
Romans 14: 4: Who art
thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or
falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
What is the quickest
way to upset us fathers and mothers? It
is when someone passes judgment on one of our children. Likewise, God says, “Who art thou that
judgest another man’s servant?” My
brother is not my servant, he is Christ’s servant. So if I criticize him, I criticize his
Master! Do I believe I could do a better
job? Do I not believe God is able to
make him stand?
How was my brother made Christ’s servant? Same as you. God the Father chose him in Christ before the
foundation of the world by his grace. Christ
Jesus laid down his life for that brother making him the righteousness of God
in him. He is Christ’s purchased
possession!
How does a spiritually dead sinner have spiritual life?
Ephesians 1: 22:
[Christ is] head over all things to the church, 23: which is his body, the
fulness of him that filleth all in all. 2: 1: And you hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins;
How does a child of
God have faith?-
Ephesians 2: 8: For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: 9: Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10: For we are his
workmanship,…
Does Christ give each
believer the same degree of faith?
Ephesians 4: 7: But
unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of
Christ.
Christ, my Master,
gave my brother the measure of faith that he has. So if I doubt and dispute with a brother then
I am being critical of Christ his Master!
Only Christ can increase his faith? Not me! So I have forgotten what we all must
remember.
1 Corinthians 4:7: who maketh thee to differ from another? and
what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
Remember, weak faith
saves the same as strong faith. It is
not the degree of our faith that saves, but the object, the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether weak in the faith or strong in the
faith both are justified and made righteous in Christ. So we are to receive one another, trusting
each other to Christ.
HEART MATTERS
Romans 15: 5: One man esteemeth one day above another:
another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own
mind. 6: He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he
that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that
eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not,
to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. 7: For none of us liveth to
himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8: For whether we live, we live unto the
Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or
die, we are the Lord’s. 9: For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and
revived, that he might be Lord [over
all his people] both of the dead and living. 10: But why dost thou judge thy
[strong] brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy [weak] brother?
for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11: For it is
written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and
every tongue shall confess to God. 12: So then every one of us shall give
account of himself to God.
Remember, we cannot see a brother’s heart, only Christ
can.
He says the brother weak faith believes he should
observe a day. He observes Sunday as the
sabbath day. The sabbath was Saturday
but today some believe it was changed to Sunday. Brethren, if the Sabbath is now Sunday, and
if it as important as some make it out to be, then would not the Bible clearly
say it? This text would be a great place to say it. Yet there is not a hint anywhere. On the other hand, in multiple places we are
told that the sabbath was fulfilled by Christ and we are told not to observe
any day above another.
Colossians 2: 14:
[Christ] Blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which
was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15: And
having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly,
triumphing over them in it. 16: Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in
drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Still, the weak brother believes on Sunday he should go hear
the gospel preached. The rest of the day
he reads scripture, prays, listens to sermons and goes back to hear an evening
message. He believes he should spend all
day devoted to the Lord. A weak brother
believes he should not regard Christmas day because it is a pagan holiday: he
does nothing to acknowledge the Christmas season. The weak brother does not like Halloween
because to him it is sinful to dress in costumes and hand out candy to children.
On the other hand, God
says the brother who is strong faith regards every day the same. To him all days are the Lord’s day and he
worships Christ every day alike. On Sunday, the strong brother goes to hear the
gospel. On his way home, he stops a
restaurant to eat like other days. Then
he goes home and watches a ballgame. If
they have evening service he goes back for the evening message. The strong brother puts no religious
significance on Christmas day but he puts up a Christmas tree, lights and
exchanges gifts. On Halloween he passes
out candy to the children.
What are these brethren to do with each other? Do not intrude upon another brother’s
conscious but “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” You are not to live by my conscience nor attempt
to make me live by yours, “let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind”
concerning what God would him to do.
Every believer—born and taught of our Lord Jesus
Christ—walks in the light God has given him living unto the Lord—"He
that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not
the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord,
for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not,
and giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to
himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die
unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. For to
this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of
the dead and living.” Christ died,
and rose and revived that he might be Lord in the hearts of all his people from
youngest to the oldest. So when God
gives his child life and faith in Christ, though one may be a newborn baby in
the faith, he lives unto the Lord as truly as an aged believer for 50 years.
There is newly born
infant in our congregation. That baby
was not born full grown like his dad. A
believer is not full grown when he is born.
But who would blame that baby for crawling, for eating baby food and
slobbering? God’s children are born
babies. As a baby in Christ he may believe
he can only eat certain meats, observe certain days. He may even take his radio out of his car. But in his heart he is fully persuaded and
does all unto the Lord. So those strong
in the faith are not to blame him for acting like a baby in Christ when his
heart is to the Lord.
If I judge my brother then I play the legalist because I
am saying it is necessary to walk the way I walk. I put myself in Christ’s place. But I am not my brother’s judge, Christ is
“But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy
brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is
written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every
tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of
himself to God.
Brethren, it is not the judgement of men that matters. It
is the judgment of our Master. And Christ shall present us in his
righteousness—holy, unblameable, unreprovable in his sight. So then let us judge this, that we do nothing
before weak brethren that will trip them up.
Next time, we will look at these verses.
For now, let’s read them.
Romans 14: 13: Let us not therefore judge one another any
more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to
fall in his brother’s way. 14: I know, and am persuaded by the Lord
Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that
esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15: But if thy
brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably.
Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. 16: Let not then your good
be evil spoken of: 17: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18: For he that in these things serveth Christ
is acceptable to God, and approved of men. 19: Let us therefore follow after the things
which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. 20: For meat
destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is
evil for that man who eateth with offence. 21: It is good neither to eat
flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth,
or is offended, or is made weak. 22: Hast
thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that
condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. 23: And he that
doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for
whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
15: 1: We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the
weak, and not to please ourselves. 2: Let every one of us please his
neighbour for his good to edification. 3: For even Christ pleased not
himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee
fell on me. 4: For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for
our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have
hope.
Amen!