I'm grateful to be here. I'm grateful you're here. If you got used to, you could just get up and preach without all of this gear. I am of the old-fashioned school that believes that Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, and that a vital relationship with the local church is not an option. It is mandatory. if you would be saved. Brother Conrad Murrell years ago wrote a track, Go to Church or Go to Hell. I believe a persevering church relationship is essential for your proving yourself to be a Christian. You will not prove you are a Christian sitting at home isolated sterilized, and packing your brain with knowledge that you do not use practically in the fellowship and the relationship that is demanded in a local church. I want to speak to you tonight on the subject, things you must remember if you are to persevere maybe endured for a good while in a church relationship, and then they fell out. They could no longer fellowship with the people of God. And they had their causes. And many times, it is not, as we will see, it is not just the weak and the struggling and the uninformed. It is many times those who are very well indoctrinated. in the truths of God. I want you to turn with me. We're going to read a couple of passages of Scripture. Romans 5. And this is the foundation for all that I'll be saying tonight. Romans 5. Something that you need to always keep in mind concerning what brought you out of your darkness and your sin and what factor You must credit for the mercies that were... God just didn't finally figure it out. Well, you need help here. Christ made provision for you before you were born. You believe that? And there was a sense in which not only before we were born, He made provision for us before the very foundation of the world. So God had His people always in mind. But remember this from Romans 5, beginning of verse 6. For when we were yet without strength... The word strength is a word denoting all manner of positive attributes. when you were without knowledge, when you were without understanding, when you were in darkness, when you were dead in trespasses and sins. Notice, when we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die Yet pretervent you afore good men, some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And then in verse 9, much more then, being now justified by His blood, We shall be saved from wrath through Him. Now, turn over to Romans 14. Keep that in mind. Christ died for us when we were without strength. He died before you didn't know anything. About God? About the Bible? About salvation? Christ paid the ultimate penalty for your sins when you were without strength. When you were ungodly. When you were lost. Now listen, as we read from Romans 14. Him that is weak in the faith, Receive ye, the King James says, but not to doubtful disputations, disputings, arguments over doubtful things. There are lots of things and there are a lot of issues that Christians don't agree on. Real Christians. I like the way the New American Standard reads. It says, now except one who is weak in faith, and not for the purpose of passing judgment upon his opinions. That is, receive one who is different in his opinions from yours. And he holds very different views on non-essential matters. Now, there are some matters that we cannot disagree on and even be a Christian. There are essentials. There are fundamentals. But there is a whole spectrum of secondary issues that real, genuine, blood-washed Christians don't agree on. And it is not our duty to try to convert everyone to our opinion. In fact, again, we need to remember. Remember something about God when we think about the text that I read first of all in Romans 5. Christ dying for us when we were without strength. Consider what God wants out of your life. Your life. God is not after your talent. He's not after your abilities. Your sacrifices. He's not after your convictions. He's after you and your love. What God wants from you is for you to love Him. And not just love Him a little, but to love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your might. To love God. More than you love your own life. God is after our love. He's after our trust. That we'd love Him and trust Him. And if we do not trust God, we will not make it through the rugged providences that are in store for us as children of God. We have to trust the Lord. God is after this. After our love for Him, which this comes right up to par with our love for God. God is after your love for the brethren. He wants you to love the brethren. And that includes those that are weak in faith, those that have different convictions, those who are not up to par in doctrinal understanding with you. He wants you to love them and to receive them. Notice the admonition. Him that is weak in the faith receive you, but not for the purpose of passing judgment upon his opinions. Let's read on. For one believeth that he may eat all things, and another who is weak He's a vegetarian. He will not eat meat. Especially meat that has been offered in idols' temple. Notice in verse 3, let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not. Here you have two greatly opposite convictions. How far apart could you get? One believes he can eat. The other believes that he cannot eat. Totally different. Totally interpreting the matter differently. Notice, don't despise him that eateth not. And notice, and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth. Judge when we start sitting in the seat of judgment and point our finger and say, he's not as spiritual, he's not as right with God as I am. You're doing wrong. You're an error. We're not to judge. And it goes on in verse 4. Who art thou that judges 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. It's always interesting to me. It's the weak one who has said that God will make him stand. It's not the strong one necessarily. And if you think about it, some people that you've known that's fallen out with a fellowship and they can no longer go to church, are they just totally ignorant of the truths of God's Word? Or have they come advanced in their knowledge of the Scripture that it has driven them to conclude that no one is right but Me? And only can I have fellowship with my wife and myself, and I'm not even sure about her. Don't judge. Notice we read on. One man esteems one day above another. Do you know people that have a very serious scruple about the Lord's Day, Sunday, the Lord's Day, and have a lot of particular convictions that they won't do this or that on Sunday? I know people like that. Esteem one day above another. Another Christian, another real Christian, esteems every day alike. Notice, let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. You've got to keep your conscience clear before God. And if God has told you and taught you and led you in a particular thing and it's a conviction of yours, then you better not violate your conscience. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Verse 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. Wow! You mean both guys are acceptable when they're on opposite ends of the pole? You mean both are worshiping God? You mean both are right with God? You mean God has received both? Remember, Christ died for us when we were what? Without strength. That's before we were Calvinists. That's before we were Baptists. That's before we were baptized. That's before we made our profession. That's before we were regenerated by the Spirit of God. Let's read on. Verse 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. He that giveth God, for he giveth God thanks. And he that eateth not to the Lord, he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. Here God is getting thanks from both groups. Both Christians. And God is being worshipped. And God is being thanked. And God has received both. Notice, for none of us liveth to himself, and no man dies to himself. Everybody in the family of God lives unto the Lord. And what you do is unto the Lord. No man lives unto himself. We're God's property. We belong to Him. And I'll have more to say there. For none of us live to himself, and no man die to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord. Or whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. Then let me catch one verse in chapter 15, the first verse. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities, the weaknesses, the different convictions of those that are weak and not to please ourselves. The two attributes that God is after in our life preeminently is that we love Him and we love one another. And in doing that, guess what? The sum total of the message of the Bible is complete. When you're doing that. When you're loving your brethren. And you're loving God. In essence, you are Obeying the sum total of all the commandments wrapped up in these two principles. Did you know 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, tells us that it's possible for us to be advanced in knowledge, to be very intelligent and well indoctrinated, to be very gifted, to know the Scriptures and yet have not loved. And thus, if you have not loved, that makes you nothing really in the sight of God, if you have not loved. Now, how are you going to know that you love? How are you going to know? Well, I love everyone that agrees with me. I love everyone that sees eyeball to eyeball with my convictions. I love those that are on the same page theologically with me. No, the love of the brethren is not fleshed out in a perfect environment. It is Fleshed out, it is produced, it comes forth in an environment where there is weakness, infirmities, shortcomings, errors, mistakes in the people of God. And to be able to accept them and to receive them is a high water mark in the sight of God. The only thing that will not fail. You said, I've seen it. I know it's true. Theological knowledge will fail you. Intelligence will fail you. Calvinism will fail you. But love won't. Love is said to be the only attribute that never fails. How strong is this? How vital is this? You know, you need to understand tonight that it is not your awareness of your infirmities. We have them, don't we? It's not our infirmities or our feelings of inferiority that puts us in danger of falling. And falling, I mean falling out of with Christ and falling out with the church. And they would say, you do not fall out with the people of God without falling out with Christ. And so therefore, it is not your feeling of inferiority that puts you in danger, it's your feeling of superiority. that I know more. I'm keener. I'm better instructed. I'm more knowledgeable. I've got greater gifts. I've got a greater comprehension of the things of God. The strong are told and admonished in both chapter 14 and 15 of Romans to bear with the weak to receive. Notice, him that is weak in the faith, receive ye. Receive them. Receive them to the point of helping them without condemning them, without judging them. Now, is there a distinction? Let's ask. Is there a distinction between weak and strong? Sure, there is. There is such a thing as being weak in the faith. There is such a thing as being improperly instructed or not having light on a given truth of the Bible. There is a distinction in believers and the Bible makes it. And experience proves it. There are weak ones in the church and there are stronger ones. Certain people come to mind when you think weaker. are stronger. There are those that are mature and immature. There are those that are well-taught and those that are less informed and ignorant and naive. The Bible distinguishes this difference in three terms. The biblical terms for this distinction in Christians are the terms babes, young men, and fathers. You find those terms used by the Apostle John and 1 John. So there is a distinction in believers. And we cannot deny it. We do not deny it. In fact, again, in the admonition that is in Romans 14, both groups are addressed. Paul says to those that are weaker in faith that they will receive those who do not share their convictions. and not judge them as being less Christians. And then those that are stronger in knowledge are to receive and fellowship and help the weaker if we can without hurting them and condemning them. Now through the years, Somebody asked a question this afternoon about what have you learned through the years that you could share that would be maybe a point of insight and help. Well, I'll tell you something that I've observed through the years, a reality. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. What do I mean by that? I mean, it's your knowledge It's your advanced knowledge that you're vulnerable to pride. It puffs you up that you know something. It makes us presumptuous. And worst of all, it puts us in a critical spirit. Do you know people like that? That they just overwhelm with a critical spirit with everybody who doesn't dot the I where they do and cross the T. It's amazing. So advanced knowledge. A superior grasp of the Bible. And that is wonderful. We want a deeper understanding of God. We want to grow in grace and knowledge. But folks, let's also remember as we grow in grace and the knowledge of God and want to understand more of God's complex, wonderful plan and truth and Word, Let's not let our progress and knowledge outstrip our love and acceptance and graciousness and mercy that we minister and manifest to others that do not know possibly what you know, that do not understand what you understand. So advanced knowledge Advanced, deep understanding is a good thing. But there's a snare in it. You see, it's not just the weak. This is another thing I've learned. It's not just the weak Christian. The ignorant Christian. The less informed Christian. The terribly shallow believer that is vulnerable to falling. Stronger. well-indoctrinated, long-experienced and knowledgeable believers are subject to being overthrown and to forsake the assembling of themselves, not any longer capable of manifesting that quality which is the most distinct quality that a Christian has. Jesus said, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples. Because you love one another. I've seen it. through the years. Preachers fall out and can't go to church. I've seen some of the most promising, intelligent, well-indoctrinated young men, some highly gifted for their age, tremendous insight into the things of God. I've seen them fall. The Scripture warns us all, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. You are never, if left to yourself, far from falling. Never. You will never become stronger or shrewder or more skillful than your adversary is to overthrow you. If God doesn't keep His hand on your life, You will not get by with your knowledge. You will not make it with your understanding. You will make it only if God's grace holds you up and protects you and keeps you. Thank the Lord God is faithful. But let us again understand that all you need to fall is to be given the right set of circumstances and you're a goner. Lord, lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one. He's smarter than you. He's stronger than you. He is a diabolical, slanderer, adversary that can overthrow you in a heartbeat if God doesn't keep your heart and guard your mind against the foes. So your knowledge is not going to be enough. But again, God, I love You. And I love Your people. Love, by the grace of God, will endure, persevere, and continue with the Lord. Not only are we vulnerable to being tempted, your knowledge also, as good as it is, can blind you to your own ignorance. Now, you know a lot of things. Mostly in our grace churches, we've got folks that are pretty well informed on doctrinal truth. Know a lot of things. It's a wonderful thing. But you know what the Bible says about if we think that we know anything? You know what? You really don't know anything. You know so little. We're just all... In the full scope of things? Think about it. The infinite, almighty God and understanding everything about Him. Do you think we've arrived in the full perfections of knowledge? No. Knowledge can blind us. You never will in this world graduate from the school of Christ. You will be a student all of your days. Learning of Him. Submitting to Him. Responding to Him. And furthermore, I'm talking about hymns, responding to Him, living unto Him. Listen, we don't live unto doctrines. We don't live into ideologies. We don't live into philosophies. We live unto a Person. To the living Christ we live. We're never to leave the pursuit of the Person and the presence of Christ for theological sciences. It's the person of Christ we're to love. It's the personal relationship with God that we're to hold to. There are folks that get sidetracked and they get all wrapped up. I talked to somebody recently. He's all wrapped up in the fine points of the doctrines of grace. And that's all that he can talk about. The fine points of grace. And yet he's not been going to church anywhere. I'm just saying, beloved, if your heart is cold toward the people of God, and you no longer can serve people and fellowship with people and worship with people that may not be up to par in a lot of areas, they may not have the convictions you do, or they may have different convictions that seem to be more legalistic than yours. Whatever the case may be, when you come to the place that you can no longer get along with God's people and fellowship with the saints, it's bad business. You're setting yourself up for a fall. If there's anything that Romans 14 tells us and emphasizes us that we who are Christians, we are never to forsake the fellowship of weaker brethren. We're to receive them. and love them. Help them if we can. Nurture them along if necessary. Give them some insight if there's an occasion for it. But never with a spirit of... I know more than you do. That's un-Christlike. Why can't it be? Christ loved me when I was without strength. Before I knew anything, before I had anything, before I was anything, Christ loved me. And shall now I sit as a judge upon the weaker brother? Or shall the weaker brother sit as a judge upon the stronger brother? I think not. Listen, beloved, to begin to withdraw from believers in the church people that are only 100% perfectly aligned with you, that's a bad move on your part. And I've seen it. The mature believer, the strong knowledgeable believer, the well-taught believer must be prepared to fellowship and bear with ignorance, weakness, infirmities, shortcomings of the spiritually immature. And those who have strict, delicate convictions are not to cast away and reject as unchristian people that are in the fellowship that do not share these delicate, strict, convictions. You see, the recipe for all of us is that we love one another and that we be merciful and kind and gentle and long-suffering, helpful, instructive as we can, but if we ever begin to turn sour We're not far from turning out ourselves away from the fellowship of the church. And a normal church relationship becomes intolerable. You cannot allow your progress in the knowledge of doctrines or the knowledge of God You cannot allow that ever to cause you to digress in your ability to fellowship with the weakest saint and serve the Lord Jesus. I've seen it happen through the years more than once. I had a fellow that I knew, he just recently died. He used to be a good preacher. Knowledgeable. A strong preacher. But he came to the place that he could no longer... Well, it didn't happen overnight. It happened little by little. He grew in his convictions in this area and the people didn't have those same convictions. He grew in the knowledge of certain doctrinal perspectives that he believed that were right. And many of them were right, doctrinal perspectives, but it gradually put him in the place that he could no longer. Fellowship. You ever known anybody like that? Could no longer go to church. They could no longer meet with common, average, blue-collar Christians. What a tragedy. What a terrible loss. Falling out. Listen, when you fall out with the church, and away from church fellowship into this fruitless isolation. You see, the crucible of proving that you are a Christian is not in an environment of perfection. It is in a fellowship where there's imperfection. It is in a fellowship where there's shortcomings, and there are needs, and there are problems, and there are folks that don't live up to par. if you please, in some things. And it's being merciful. It's being generous. It's being encouraging to those that are around you that are in the faith. People falling out into this separation and this hypocritical spirit do not know what they are doing to themselves. Go to church. Fellowship with the people. Receive the people of God. Be thankful for the strength and the wisdom and the knowledge and the insight that you do see. But also, be tolerant and kind and generous with those who are true believers. Now listen, I am not saying there's no such thing as bad churches and false Christians and compromised gospel. There are certainly illegitimate ministries. There are certainly illegitimate, false, heretical Babylonian churches in which God's people are to come out of those things altogether. Revelation 18.4. But to not to be able to discern the Spirit of Christ in a brother. And listen, isn't that it? The Spirit bears witness with our spirit. I've seen it through the years. You know, you can meet a person and you don't know really, you're not even talking about the doctrine of grace, or you're not talking about eschatology, or you're not talking about anything, but just they're with them and the radiance of their love for the Lord is something that is discernible. They love God. They love Christ. And to be able to fellowship with those is our obligation. It's our calling. It is our duty. To be able to discern and to love, to take in, to receive the true people of God is an evidence that you are the true people of God. This hypercritical spirit that isolates itself and says nobody's right but me, that is not the Spirit of Jesus Christ. It is carnality at its best. It is ignorance in its most blatant manifestation. Amen. So, here I believe, and thus I speak. Now folks, Dr. Campbell used to say a long time ago, he said, I didn't read this in the funny papers. I mean, I've seen this, folks. This thing of being puffed up with knowledge and coming so narrow and so strict and so harsh and so critical that you can't get along with the people of God and you just withdraw gradually and incrementally from all fellowship of the church. It's happened in more than one case of people that I know. Let me give you just three things more for you to remember that'll help you in your fellowship with the church and persevering in your church relationship. Now, take a look. Let's everybody look around. Look at the people here. Look at the people back. Look at the Christians that are here. Just take a look at them. Here's something, first of all, that we need to remember. Every one of the people of God, they belong to Christ and they don't belong to you. What am I to do with this? Notice verse 3 and 4 in our text. Let me read it. 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." Notice this. For God hath received him. Wow. It doesn't matter somebody's state or level of knowledge or grace or convictions or gifts. They belong to the Lord. Christ has received Him. Notice this. Let's read this. In verse 4, "'Who art thou that judges another man's servant?' Whose servant is these other people? Yours. Pastor, are these your servants? They're Christ's servants. Who art thou that judges another man's servant? And notice, who art thou that judges another man's servant? To his own master. He stands or fall. Who is the master of the other servant? You? No. Christ is. And behold this, to His own master He standeth or falleth, yea, He shall be holding up, for God is able to make Him stand. Shake in your boots, folks. Let me tell you that weak, struggling, half-doctrinated person may be standing in the fateful evil day while you've fallen away with all of your knowledge. Could happen. God is able to make the weak stand. But remember this. People don't belong to you. They belong to Christ. The people of God belong to Christ. He bought them. He created them. He sustains them. He gives them their gifts, their levels of grace. People don't belong to us. You know, a few years ago I had this, it was several years ago actually. Have you ever met these preachers that are spiritual control freaks? That they want to control every microscopic detail of people's lives? Well, you see, they're not only the kind of preachers that bring everybody into some sort of bondage of their own particular interpretations or convictions. They want to bring other preachers into the orb of their control. They're spiritual control freaks. Just remember this. When you Let go of your life to serve Jesus Christ. You gave up your rights to control the lives of anyone else. We don't control anybody's life. It is not our business to micromanage any other Christian. In letting the Lord have control of our life, we have let go of others. And others should have let go and must let go of us. For we all follow our Master. We have to depend that the Lord can lead them and teach them in the way that He knows best. And listen, if you try to take authority and control and micromanage and bring everybody into strict agreement with your opinions, it will be a disaster. You have to let the Lord do His work and lead them and teach them in the way that He seems best. God's got His own regimen. He's got His own program for all of His children. So all of God's people, regardless weak, strong, they're Christ property. Hands off. The Lord. They belong to Christ. They're made by Jesus Christ. And guess what? On Judgment Day, they answer to Jesus Christ. So receive them. Love them. Fellowship with them. Teach them. Be merciful. Be gentle. Sow good seeds of truth and encouragement where you can. But don't be critical. Don't be judgmental. Let God give the interest. You remember when Paul was talking about the Christians and Hebrews going on into perfection and not laying again the foundation of the very beginning principles of Christ? You know what he says in relationship to those other Christians who need to grow? And he said, and this we will do if God permits. Did you know that your spiritual level of grace and growth and understanding and advancement is in the hands of the good pleasures of the Lord? And so is everyone's else. Here's something else before I close. We must remember this. That the church is a mixed variety of souls. By that I mean, the fellowship is always going to be mixed. Even when two or three are gathered, there will be somewhat differences in those two and three. Jesus taught this. There will be weaker ones, stronger ones. There will be those that have more enlightenment, more advanced knowledge, and those that do not. And not only do you have this mix of just weak and strong Christians, Jesus taught in Matthew 13 that the church is never going to be free of all the tares, and the enemy sows the tares, and that's going to be... I've heard preachers say, well, I'm going to draw up a church covenant and a constitution that's going to keep the tares out. Impossible! Jesus said that it would grow together to the very end of the world. Tares sown among the wheat. So the church fellowship is a mixed fellowship. But there are not just tares, there is real distinction in people that are blood washed And they do know the Lord, but there's a variety of conditions. You have that in verse 5 and 6. A pretty big difference. Contrast it. A wide variety of difference in true Christians. Weak ones. Strong ones. Knowledgeable. Ignorant. People that don't know what you do. And you just remember this. When you run across Christians that don't know what you know, there are other Christians that you don't know what they know. Just go on up the line with this, folks. Sure, less knowledgeable. There's those that are highly gifted, and there are those who are poorly gifted. There are those who are very eloquent and they can express the things of God accurately, articulate the truths perfectly, as it were. And then there are those who can hardly put a good sentence together when it comes to the things of God. Aren't you glad Christ received sinful men? Aren't you glad Christ receives the weak, the struggling, the needy? You know, and consider this, and I close in verse 4, holding up for God is able to make Him stand. Here's something that we all need to remember. We're all dependent upon this thing of the grace of God keeping us moment by moment and day by day. In fact, even in the overall picture, who can we really judge as being strong or weak? Do we know? I've seen this. I know this. I am as in much need every day of an infusion of strength and grace to stand as I was the first day of my pilgrimage in this world for Jesus Christ. We need grace. Why have you stood the test these years? I think about Alexei Charles. We've known one another for years. Why is it that you see people standing the test and not falling and staying true to the Lord and His Word through the years? Why is it? Because God is able and has helped them to stand. It's the grace of God in which we all stand, strong or weak. Distinctions. I found this. Distinctions and superior faith and knowledge and maturity can disappear in a flash. Listen. You can be put under certain circumstances that can befall you and everything you've ever learned and known flows right down the tubes. Disappears. As though you didn't know anything. How true it is. God, preserve us. God, keep Your hand on my mind and my heart. God, keep me and cause me to stand. And having done all to stand in this evil day. For we all stand by the grace of God. You know the Scripture tells us of Hezekiah whom the Lord left and tested him that he knew that he could know all that was in his heart. So, a strong one could fall and has fallen. Some of the most gross things that I've seen take place in professed Christians has been from aged pastors. Preachers. Serve God with fear and trembling, all of you. May God preserve us. May God keep His hand upon our mind. And cannot the Lord give the weak Christian immediate infusions of help and strength and power to cause even the weakest Christian to stand and press on and overcome. We had a trial that went through our church here a few, just a couple of years ago. And we had two persons that illustrated this. We had a very strong, knowledgeable, articulate, powerful professor. And then we had a new convert, weak. Not only not well read, hardly able to read. Did you ever know a Christian who couldn't hardly read? And after the shake-up, you know who fell away? Not the weak one. Not the less informed one. Not the one that could barely read. It was the strong one that fell away. Folks, when you look at each of us, it is a fact. You don't know, number one, what they're capable of doing and how things are going to end up with that life. That's why one word of advice to all of you and myself, pray. Pray. Don't judge. Don't fall into a critical spirit. Be gracious, kind, tender-hearted. Use a little cow sense when you hear something said that's not quite up to the full spectrum of doctrinal truth. Eat the grass and spit out the stubble. But don't accuse somebody that says something imperfectly of bad motives and a bad heart. Well, that's what I had on my heart to say to you tonight. And I've said it. And I'm done. Amen.