Now, as many of you know, tonight's study in the Word of God is the fourth in a brief series of studies begun last Lord's Day morning on the subject of the Christian and Christmas in the light of the Word of God. And I gave an extensive review this morning, and I cannot do that tonight. The messages are available on tape for any of you who think you may be profited by considering these things, but suffice it to say that we've approached the subject recognizing that there are natural impediments to any kind of objective treatment of the subject, and therefore we must cry to God for the help of the Spirit. We must get our facts clearly established. And then we must seek to approach the matter before us in a biblical framework that is appropriate to the concerns in hand. And this morning I sought to establish that the answer to the question of what should a Christian do and not do in relationship to the celebration of Christmas brings us into the orbit of that concern that is generally designated as the sphere of Christian liberty. That is, it brings us into contact with those practices which are neither commanded nor forbidden by the revealed will of God, and concerning which each Christian is responsible to act within the principles of the Word of God which apply to the matters of concern. And there is no passage in the Word of God that is more helpful in gleaning the major principles to regulate issues of Christian liberty than is Romans chapter 14. And this morning, we climbed up three steps that brought us to the doorway of that chapter, seeking to establish that any entrance into detailed consideration of the stuff of Romans 14 must begin with step number one, namely the recognition that in the exercise of our Christian liberty, we must never violate the moral law of God or frustrate the goal of the grace of God. According to Romans 14.14 and verse 20b, the concerns of Christian liberty do not have to do with issues that are either forbidden or commanded by the Word of God, or issues which are an expression of the power and operation of the grace of God in the gospel. Christian liberty has to do with things that are clean in themselves, things that are not condemned by God. Anything that is condemned or commanded by the law of God and anything that is in keeping with the goal of the grace of God is a Christian's duty. It is not a matter of liberty. It is a matter of duty, and then we sought to apply that to some of the issues relative to the celebration of Christmas. And then step number two was this, that in relationship to matters of Christian liberty, our participation or non-participation are both equally valid expressions of that liberty. We do not have to prove that we understand our liberty to indulge, to enjoy, to participate in a given activity by actually participating. As long as we understand our liberty as purchased by Christ to be utterly free from rules and regulations of men, we may nonetheless choose not to indulge or to undertake to engage in an activity for which we have complete liberty in Christ, because there are other considerations that would make it wise for us not to indulge in that liberty. And then we concluded on step number three by simply saying, as we move into Romans 14, the question of the weak and the strong brother will not be discussed on this occasion, I hope, in the supplemental message to address it, but it would be too complex and it would convolute the purpose of giving some guidelines for this question, the Christian and the celebration of Christmas. Now then, with that very brief review of what we covered this morning, let us come now to Romans 14, and upon further reflection, I believe that it's realistic to think we shall only be able to touch on two of the four major principles in this chapter by which our judgment ought to be influenced in this matter of the celebration of Christmas and anything that fits in the category of Christian liberty. Follow now as I read Romans 14, verses 1 through 4. But him that is weak in the faith, receive ye, yet not for doubtful disputations. One man has faith to eat all things, but he that is weak eats herbs. Do not let him that eats set it not him that does not eat. And let not him that does not eat Judge him that eats, for God has received him. Who are you that judges the servant of another? To his own Lord he stands or falls. Yea, he shall be made to stand, for the Lord has power to make him stand. What is the first great principle that is laid upon us with respect to this matter of Christian liberty in general and as it applies to various practices in conjunction with the Christmas season in particular? Well, the first principle is given to us in the opening text Let him that is weak in the faith receive ye, yet not for decision of scruples." And then in verse 7 of chapter 15, we have precisely the same injunction, although here it is not a limited command addressed primarily to the strong to receive the weak. but the weak and the strong and everyone in between to receive one another. Wherefore, and it's exactly the same Greek word in exactly the same form of present imperative middle of that particular verb, wherefore receive ye one another. even as Christ also received you to the glory of God. So what is the first great principle that God lays upon us with respect to this matter of the Christian and Christmas in the light of the Word of God? Well, very simply it is this. He says, receive one another with your differing perspectives and practices in conjunction with this particular aspect of your Christian liberty. That's what God says to us. He says to us, receive one another with your differing perspectives and practices in this particular aspect of Christian liberty. Now why did the apostle have to write to these Roman Christians and tell them, receive one another? In the opening verse, the word being the word addressed primarily to the strong to receive the weak. Well, think for a moment of what you know about the city of Rome. It was the center of the Roman Empire. We learn from this very epistle that there were Jews or people of Jewish background in the church at Rome, there were people of pagan Gentile backgrounds, people who came from various segments of the then known Roman pagan world, and here they were all in one congregation. with all of the influences that had shaped and molded their ideas of what was right and what was wrong in their unconverted state, and now they are found in one church, and for some reason there were some of them who were conscientious vegetarians. For some reason they had scruples about eating meats. They were conscientious vegetarians. Others had no such conscience about eating meats. Furthermore, it's clear from verse 5 that there was difference of opinion with respect to whether or not all days should be considered alike, that is, all days except the Lord's Day, the Christian Sabbath, which God does not leave to our discretion whether we shall esteem or not esteem it. He has already marked it out and given it a special place of regard in His own eyes and mandated that we should do the same. But with respect to other days, there was a differing perspective among the membership there in Rome. And furthermore, it's clear from verse 21 that apparently the issue of drinking wine was a concern to some. So here are these people, all within one church, and they have differing perspectives and practices in matters that have no relationship to the moral law of God and no relationship to a life consistent with the demands of the gospel. Whether a man eats meat or not has nothing essentially to do with whether he keeps the law of God out of love to Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. It has nothing to do with whether or not he adorns the doctrine of the gospel in all things. This is a matter of indifference. These are things of Christian liberty. And no doubt these various believers were aware of their differing perspectives and their differing practices. If they were not, then the directives don't make sense. How could the one who is designated weak in faith be the object of the strong's reception if he didn't know who he was? If these perspectives were all kept secret, and the expressions of them all kept in hiding, there would be no social awareness of this diversity. But apparently the diversity was not only existent, but it was evident. And the Apostle here gives what is our first and foundational responsibility in such matters, namely, to receive one another with our differing perspectives and practices in these matters of Christian liberty. So that's the practice enjoined upon all believers. While addressed specifically to the strong in 14.1, we've indicated in 15.7 it is directed to all, in a present imperative, be continually receiving one another. That's the practice in joint. But now notice the pattern of that reception that is given to us. And the pattern is given to us, verse 3, Let not him that eats, said it not, him that eats not, let not him that eats not, judge him that eats. For God has, here's our same word, received him. God has received him. Now look at 15.7. Wherefore receive ye one another, even as after the pattern of Christ's reception of you, even as Christ also received you to the glory of God. So the pattern of my reception of my brethren, who have differing perspectives and practices on non-moral issues, on matters of liberty, my reception is to mirror, is to reflect God and Christ's reception of me. Now let me ask you, when you came broken, by God's law, conscious of your hell-deservingness, aware that if God gave you what you deserve, He would say, depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire. When God came to you in the gospel and spread before you that gospel feast of forgiveness, of pardon, of life, of salvation, deliverance from the guilt and the power of sin, and by the sacred but mighty operation of the Spirit, God imparted to you the grace to repent and to believe. How did this God in Christ receive you? Did He hold you off and say, well, take hold of the pinky of my pardoning mercy, and then I'll watch to see if you behave yourself for a week, and then you can take my second finger. And if you behave yourself for a month, you can have my third finger. And after six months, one hand. And after a year, two hands. And after six years, I'll embrace you. Is that how God received you? Yes or no? They didn't receive you like that. How does God receive us? How did Christ, to the glory of God, receive us? Well, the answer is found in the familiar story of the prodigal. For remember what precipitated that story in Luke 15? The Pharisees were upset. This man receives sinners and eats with them. He receives sinners and eats with them. And what is the manner in which God, through Christ and in Christ, receives sinners? Well, when the Father sees the Son afar off, He doesn't stand there with arms folded and say, well, let's see if He really means it. It says, while the Father saw Him afar off, the Father ran to Him. and threw His arms about Him and kissed Him. That's how the Father in Christ has received us. He didn't say, here's a pinky now, prove yourself and earn some brownie points and I'll give you a second finger. No, no. Now God says to us, here in this assembly, in many ways like Rome, cosmopolitan situation, people from differing national, ethnic, religious backgrounds. Conscience is conditioned about a host of things by many factors that on matters that are not either forbidden or commanded in God's law, on matters that have nothing to do with living a life consistent with the grace and power of the gospel, but in matters of indifference, matters that fall within the corpus of Christian liberty, we must do what this passage says. Receive one another with all of the unfettered, unreserved, passionate abandonment with which God receives us in Christ through the gospel. Receive ye one another as Christ received you to the glory of God. That is to be the pattern of our reception of one another. Now why is that difficult for us? For the simple reason, because we are social beings, we always feel uncomfortable when we're not with, quote, our kind. Don't you feel uncomfortable when you're thrust into a totally different social context? where all of the little symbols and signals of social sensitivity are unknown to you. I've recounted to you my baptism the first time I went to Pakistan. Started to cross my leg and the missionary knocked my foot down and I found out that was a no-no. Reached for a piece of food by my left hand and got it slapped back and found out that was a no-no. Went to reach out to shake a woman's hand and got it slapped. I mean everywhere I turned it was no-nos. And you feel utterly uncomfortable. And there's nothing wrong with that. But you see, if we allow that natural discomfort that we feel in the presence of those whose perspectives and actions are different from ours on non-moral issues, it can subtly allow a barrier to be erected in which the only ones that we receive with unfettered, enthusiastic, passionate reception is those who are exactly like we are. And that is a denial of the gospel. Because in Christ, those distinctions mean nothing. And as the new humanity, the visible representation of Christ, His body on earth, we are to reflect the disposition of the head, even the Lord Jesus. So we have the practice in joy to receive one another. The pattern given, as God and Christ have received us, but then notice the prohibition made. God really boxes us up here. Look at the text. Him that is weak in the faith, receive ye yet not for, now this is a difficult task, two Greek words translated various ways, the old 1901 decision of scruples. You know what that says to most of us? Nada. It says nothing. Well, the marginal reading is, in the 1901, to doubtful disputations. That says next to nothing to most of us. Well, let me give you other attempts to render those two Greek words. We have in the New King James, without passing, I'm sorry, not to dispute over doubtful things. Ah, that's a bit clearer. receive one another, not to dispute over doubtful things, the New International version, without passing judgment on disputable matters. And I believe the sense of it is given in the paraphrase given by Professor Murray in his commentary on Romans, not for the purpose of subjecting the convictions and the thoughts of another, to censorious scrutiny. See what Paul is saying? The pastoral wisdom of Paul at times utterly amazes me. He had the wisdom and the discernment to know that some people might say, sure, I'll receive my brother with his vegetarian convictions. Then having received him, I'll get him in my living room the first time we'll have him over for fellowship, and I'll straighten him out. I mean, I'm not going to straighten him out if he feels I'm holding him off at a distance because of his kooky views about being a vegetarian. How am I going to straighten him out? So I'll receive him, but you see, my receiving of him has as its end to straighten him out. Paul says, no. In receiving him, your end is not to correct him. but to manifest that as God in Christ received you for who and where and what you were in Him by His grace, so you receive one another for who and what they are by the same grace. Receive one another, not for the purpose of subjecting the convictions and thoughts of another to censorious scrutiny. And the Apostle understood the human heart and knows how much there is in all of us a mini-Pope that wants to legislate for everyone else on matters where God Himself has not legislated. And, dear people, the day we cease as a congregation Cultivate the spirit of obedience to this first injunction. There will be imperceptible at first, but eventually manifested scissors and cracks in true, vital spiritual unity. We must be prepared to receive from the heart every brother every sister with an unreserved, wholehearted, passionate reception whom Christ has received with a total, unreserved, passionate reception. Receive one another. Now, you see, it would make a mockery of the genius of the gospel to say that Christ welcomes sinners who don't forsake their sins. Oh no, he doesn't. The scripture tells us, let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, for he will have mercy upon him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. The sinner must abandon his willful breaking of the law of God, whether by sins of omission and commission. He must be prepared to come under the life-transforming ethical implications of the gospel. He is called to repent and to believe. Yes! But when a penitent, believing sinner has laid hold of Christ and the virtue of his saving righteousness, He may still have his vegetarian head. And Christ received him and didn't tell him, uh-uh, get rid of your vegetarian head before I'll take you. Christ took him with his vegetarian head and his vegetarian practices. As silly as you may think they are, they were no impediment to Christ. He says, don't let them be an impediment to you. Receive Him! not with a view to straightening him out, but with a view to glorifying the God who in grace has received you in Jesus Christ, and in the new humanity wants to make it clear that our bond is not that we have a social consciousness on every little detail of activity that makes us feel comfortable with one another, Bigger things than this have bound us into one body. And we need to make it evident. And we will allow no lesser things to fracture that unity. Well, that's the first directive. Receive one another. But then the second directive is given to us in verses 3 and 4. Let not him that eats said it not, him that does not eat, and let not him who eats not judge him who eats, for God has received him. Who are you that judges the servant of another? To his own Lord he stands or falls, yea, he shall be made to stand, for the Lord has power to make him stand. What's the second principle with respect to issues of Christian liberty? Principle number one, receive one another. Principle number two, do not despise or judge one another because of your differing perspectives or practices in matters of Christian liberty. Do not despise or judge one another because of your differing perspectives and practices in matters of Christian liberty. You have two key words in verse 3. Look at them. Let not him who eats, said it not, despise. The Greek word used here is exactly the same word in the well-known parable of Luke 18. I want you to turn there for a moment, or that introduces the parable. In Luke 18, verse 9, And he, the Lord Jesus, spoke this parable unto certain who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and here's our word, and set all others at naught. They trusted to themselves that they were righteous, and they looked down their sanctimonious snoot at all others. And you want to see what it means for them to look down their sanctimonious snoot? You just read the parable. Two men went up into the temple to pray. The one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, I thank thee I'm not as the rest of men. Here he is looking down his Pinocchio-sized snoot, only instead of being turned up, it's down like a long slope. He looks down his nose and says, I thank you I'm not like the rest of mankind at the end of my sanctimonious snoot. despising all others. Thank you, I'm not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even as this publican. You see what it meant when Jesus said, it said of Jesus that He spoke this parable to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous. And they looked down their sanctimonious snoot at all others. They despised others. That's our word. And here in our text we are forbidden to despise others. And then the second word is to judge, that is, to pass an unfavorable judgment to criticize or condemn another. It's the standard word for judge in the New Testament. It's used in Matthew 7.1, Judge not that you be not judged. Do not pass an unfavorable judgment. Do not engage in unjust criticism and condemnation of others. Now, those are our two key words. Now, here again, see the pastoral sensitivity of the apostle. Why didn't he simply say, Don't either of you, those who are Vegetarians don't judge the non-vegetarians, and you non-vegetarians don't judge the vegetarians. Why didn't he just use the same word for both? Because he saw that there is in the human heart a tendency to do a different thing from the differing perspectives. First of all, the person who can eat Anything that is set before him, so long as it's not rancid, it's good food, any kind of meat, he can give God thanks for it and eat it with relish and gratitude. And he sees that poor guy picking over his bowl of veggies. And he has a tendency to do what? To smile with disdainful contempt upon this brother and say to him, don't be silly. You overly scrupulous vegetarian, there you are picking around your bowl of veggies. Man, look at my steak. Do you want a bite? You see, the tendency of the person who understands his full liberty in Christ, and can enjoy the fruits of that liberty, whether it has to do with being able to eat all foods, or to drink his wine, or to have an utterly indifferent spirit to any kind of so-called holy days, except the Lord's day, he can say no day is of any special significance significance, but the Lord's Day, that I cherish in regard, and to any other day that men institute, I say, Bah humbug, I'm Christ's free man." And he sees someone very scrupulous about keeping this day or that day. He sees the vegetarian scrupulous about his bowl of veggies. And what's his temptation? To look down his snoot with a smile of contempt and to say, Don't be silly. God says, don't do that. Don't you do that. Look at the text. The text could not be more clear. Do not let him who eats who understands and enjoys and indulges his God-given, Christ-bought liberty, do not let him despise, do not let him have the smile of disdainful contempt to the man whose conscience will not allow him to eat that meat. How often Have I seen that spirit in people who had come to some fresh understanding of their liberty in Christ and then immediately began to look down their sanctimonious snout at anyone who had a sensitive conscience about matters concerning which they were now free in their conscience? God says, Don't do it. Don't do it. At this point, it doesn't even give us a reason. He just says, don't do it. Let not him who eats, said it not, look down with contempt upon him who does not eat. Why? Because God said it. Don't do it. He'll give us reasons later, but God's not bound to give us reasons. You parents know I've emphasized this in matters of child training. Your child must learn to respond to your directives simply because they're your directives. And you don't need to justify those directives to your children. And when they say, why? You say, because Daddy and Mommy said so. And God says, children, obey your parents. End of discussion. Now, you may judge it wise as they get older that I'd sit them down later and say, now, honey, Daddy and Mommy had a reason for what we said. Now you've obeyed, we'll take you behind the scenes and show you the reason. That may be part of parental training. I do not deny that. I encourage it. But the principle is, if God is spoken, He needs give no reason for what He has said. And in this matter, God forbids anything approaching that which would be called a setting it not, a despising the disdainful contempt, the attitude, oh, don't be so silly with your over-scrupulous conscience. Don't ever, ever, ever entertain that disposition to one whom Christ has received with his, quote, silly, over-scrupulous conscience. He's Christ's purchased property, and your Savior takes account of how you treat His property. Don't do it. But now there's another side to it. Look at the other side of it. What's the temptation of our vegetarian friend over there with his bowl of veggies? He sees you there with your big piece of Western beef, well marbled, and the red juices flowing out of it, and he says, Don't you know you're clogging your arteries? And don't you know that it takes so many pounds of grain to produce that pound of meat? And that could be used for this, that, and the other? And what's his tendency? His tendency is to pass unwarranted judgment upon the brother who has liberty before God to eat his ten-ounce New York sirloin strip steak. And the person whose background and experience and the abuses of alcohol is such that he cannot think of anything but the word demon in front of the word alcohol. He can't conceive how a man could bow over a glass of wine and say, Father, I thank you for all of your good gifts, for food and for drink. and drink his glass of wine, he can't consider how anyone could do that to the glory of God. What's his temptation? To say the only reason you can go through that charade of thanking God for that glass of wine and drinking it is you've got a seared conscience. Oh, so now God made you the judge, Mr. Eater of Vegetables? Is that right? Look at the text. The text says, And let him that eats not judge not him that eats, for God has received him. Let not him that eateth not judge him that eats. Paul saw that the tendency of those with the overly scrupulous conscience on matters of indifference was not to look with disdain and say, don't be silly, but to pass judgment and say, don't be so worldly. I have seen this with the issue of Christmas. Those who have read their tracts and read their booklets and they can prove the pagan origins of December 25th, as I have stated them, it's a fact. And they have shown that there in Israel, in Ezekiel 10, God condemned the idolatrous practices of cutting down a tree and setting it up and decking it with lights. And they say, there's the origin of the Christmas tree. It's pagan, idolatrous worship. And they're so convinced that in their heart of hearts, they really pass judgment. Though they may not do it with their lips, they really pass judgment on anyone who can with a good conscience sit and have communion with God with an open Bible by the lights of his Christmas tree. You say, I don't understand it. I can't. Well, that's your problem. But one thing you must not do, admit you can't understand it, but don't you judge. Don't you judge. God forbids it. God flat out forbids it. And if you're doing it, stop it, because God says, let not him that eats not judge him that eats, for God received him. And when God received him as a penitent sinner, turning his back upon all willful breaking of the law of God, prepared to be cast into the mold of the gospel and live out the fruits of the gospel, neither the law nor the gospel demanded that he become a vegetarian, that he throw out all his Christmas decorations, and that he throw out his half-used bottle of wine if he was not an alcoholic and an abuser of wine. God didn't demand it. Who are you to demand it? God received him with his stripped sirloin in the fridge, his Christmas decorations in the attic, and his half a bottle of wine in the kitchen cabinet. Shame on God! He received him of all those terrible things. Yes, He did. That's what the text says. God received Him. God received Him. You stop judging Him. God's freely pardoned and justified Him in the virtue of the righteousness of His Son. God implanted the graces of repentance and faith And that penitent believing sinner has been received by God through Christ to the glory of God. Don't you judge him. You see how wise this apostle was? How incisive in his treatment of the matter? He knew the tendency of the person here called the weak. We'll call him the non-participant in anything to do with Christmas practices, he knew the tendency of those who can indulge in some measures of that practice without violating the law of God to say to such, oh, don't be silly, and to despise him, to set him at naught. And he knew the tendency of that person to look at this person who can enjoy many of God's gifts in his common grace as well as in his special grace. And with a good conscience, engaged in the outward employment of his liberties in Christ, he knew the tendency would be to take the posture of censoriousness and have the frown of condemnatory judgment, and I'm in debt to Professor Murray for those two terms, the smile of disdainful contempt, don't be silly, or the frown of condemnatory judgment, don't be worldly. Now, what reasons does God give for the prohibition? He does give us reasons. Well, we've already looked at one of them, verse 3, God has received him. And though, again, this applies primarily to the strong, whom the weak cannot understand and therefore wants to judge him, arguing from the analogy of Scripture, verse 7, God has received both the weak and the strong. So we are warranted to say, whoever God has received, for who he is, who are you to refuse? God has received him. But then he gives another reason in verse four. Who are you to judge the servant of another? In other words, God says, when did I pass on my job as judge to you? I'm the Lord of the house. This is my household servant. When did I give to you the assignment of passing sentence on him? And then he uses another set of concepts. To his own Lord, he stands or falls. You see, the reason God gives for prohibiting these attitudes toward those who differ from us, God has received all of us equally in Christ, and God alone is the judge of each one of us. and he doesn't look kindly upon anyone usurping his role as a judge. And then furthermore, though this applies primarily in the disposition the weak would have to the strong, it's a general principle, the last part of verse 4, yes, he shall be made to stand In other words, the weak looks at the strong and says, how can he be so worldly and ever persevere to the end? He eats 10 ounce New York strip sirloin steaks and washes down the baked potato with a glass of wine. How's he ever going to make it to heaven? He's so worldly. You see what God says? Look at the passage. It's beautiful in its incisiveness. He says, to his own Lord he stands or falls yea, and he shall be made to stand, for the Lord has power to make him stand. He's not someone turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. He's a true believer with a healthy conscience, who with a good conscience, enlightened by the gospel and the law, receives his piece of meat and his potato and his glass of wine as gifts of God, gives thanks to God, and in the strength they give, he goes forth to serve God, and God will make him to stand all of your scruples notwithstanding. So you know what God is saying to the person who would try to pull down this man who understands his liberty in Christ? He's saying, look, God's got more power to keep one of his own than your silly man-made rules. Stop it. Now, if you're going to live by your vegetarian rules, live with them until your conscience gets further enlightened. That's why another message is needed on the fact that God does not accept a weak conscience as a constant. A weak conscience is to become a strong conscience, never a defiled conscience. And that gets us into another whole orbit, and that's why I don't want to get into that, but I'll just tease you a little bit with the issues involved. But the principle here is that we must have confidence both directions. that we do not stand in judgment on the person whose perspectives and practices differ from ours, saying, well, if they just go on that way, they'll be so restricted and have such a narrow view of God and hard thoughts of God, they'll probably apostatize, cursing God under their breath that He's a heavenly killjoy. Whereas this person looks at the other brother and says, That man seems to be able to enjoy God's gifts so freely and with such abandonment that I fear he's going to apostatize as a libertarian. My friends, let's have a little more confidence that the God who got us into this in the first place can keep us. Isn't that what he says? Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own Lord he stands or falls. Yes, he shall be made to stand. How? For the Lord has power to make him stand. If he's the Lord's and the Lord has put him in the way, he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it, perfect it until the day of Christ. And he'll bring those across the river with their weak consciences. He'll bring those across the river with their strong consciences. He'll bring all of His people with their differing perspectives and practices safe into the celestial city. So stop wasting spiritual and mental energy biting your nails for your brethren. If you see them overcome in a fault, Restore them. If thy brother sin against thee, rebuke him. Exhort one another daily while it is called to day, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. I'm not discounting all of those biblical injunctions, that if we see someone whose patterns of so-called infuse of his liberty seem to have the signs of a form of bondage. We have every right and responsibility, lovingly, to put an arm around a brother or sister and say, my brother, my sister, I would not encroach upon your blood-bought liberties in Christ for all the world, but may I lovingly, graciously ask you, my brother, are you sure that this area is an area of liberty, or has it become a subtle area of bondage? My brother, Taking your glass of wine is really a matter of liberty. I'd love to see you leave it alone for three months to see if it really is a matter of liberty. If for no other reason, brother, than to set my heart at rest. God knows I have no desire to violate the principles of Romans 14. I do not stand in judgment upon you. I know that to your own Lord you stand or fall, and He's able to make you stand. But I know, He says in His Word, He uses exhortation, lest we be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. My brother, could it be that you're being hardened through the deceitfulness of sin? Yes, you have your liberty. to watch your ballgames on the TV, but the rate at which you talk about this game and that game and the other game and seem to know so much about so many games and so many sports, my brother! Would you mind? May I exhort you and treat you? Keep a little five-by-car, three-by-five card next week and write down all the hours you spend watching ballgames and the hours you spend reading your Bible, nurturing your wife, spending time with your kids, Would you mind just doing that, lest you be hardened? You see, that's a whole other dimension of biblical duty and privilege and responsibility. And I am not in any way, any way speaking against that. But this passage addresses the disposition of heart that we have one to another. What is our duty? The Christian and Christmas? And it applies to any other area that comes within the orbit of Christian liberty. I lay before you these two principles that come to us in the opening four verses. Receive one another and do not despise or judge one another. May God grant that we shall lay them to heart that by the enablement of the Holy Spirit in this congregation, we shall determine that as our own thinking goes back again and again to how freely and unreservedly, and I say it reverently, how passionately God in Christ received us, let us make it evident that in spite of our knowledge that we have differing perspectives and practices on matters of Christian liberty, We do not just gravitate to quote our own kind, but that the brother or sister with his bowl of veggies can sit down at the same table with the brother or sister with his sirloin steak, his baked potato and glass of wine and rejoice together before God. The man with his veggie smiling saying, you look like you're enjoying that steak, that potato and that wine. And this brother says, well, I can't quite figure out how, but you sure look like you're enjoying your lunch. And stretch out their hands and clasp hands and say, Lord Jesus, thank you that the gospel is bigger than our differing dietary perspectives. Thank you that the gospel is bigger and the issues on which we have differing perspectives and practices, and men beholding how diverse peoples of diverse backgrounds with diverse perspectives and practices on non-moral issues receive one another so freely, unreservedly, so passionately that they get an idea of what God does to sinners who come to Him through Christ. If you are here tonight as a sinner, I say it on the basis of the Word of God. The God who has a right to damn you is prepared tonight to receive you freely, unreservedly, with all the passion of His heart. Turn from your sin, trying to construct your own ladder to heaven. Throw yourself upon the mercy of God in Christ, and He'll receive you. And once we've been received, we have one Master to whom we're answerable. Therefore, we're determined not to judge one another, not to look disdainfully upon one another, But remember that by the grace of God, to his own master, a servant stands or falls. I'd urge you, some of you who've indicated you've had a good time as families working through the chapter, to go home and have a score sheet tonight and see how accurate you were on the first two. And God willing, next Lord's Day morning, we'll take up the last two. And then, if it seems appropriate, at a subsequent date, not too far down the line, take up the weak and the strong, since Lord's Day evening next week will be communion. I don't believe it would be appropriate for a communion meditation, but hopefully sometime soon we can take up that other aspect of truth. Well, let's pray. Our time is gone. Thank God for this day and His courts together. Our Father, we never cease to marvel at the richness of your holy word. Oh, how we thank you that it is a lamp unto our feet, a light to our pathway. We need not be left at the mercy of men's opinions and be bullied by men's laws and standards, but we thank you that your holy law The precepts of your word are sufficient to direct us into the way of a life that is well-pleasing to you. And in these areas where you have not spoken with any degree of definitiveness, give us grace to receive one another, to determine that we shall neither despise nor judge one another. May we see all such actions and attitudes as a contradiction of the gospel and refuse to allow them any entrance into our hearts. And should they seek and gain an entrance, O Lord, help us by thorough repentance and pleading for the grace of the Spirit to have such dispositions cast out. We pray for those who do not know the blessedness of being received by you through Christ. O God, as that note has been sounded tonight, make them jealous, exceedingly jealous to know what it is to be received by the God of heaven into the orbit of your goodwill and favor through the Lord Jesus Christ. O God, give them no rest till they know that they have been so received as they come in repentance and faith. Seal then Your Word to our hearts. May these truths percolate into the very stuff of the life of this congregation more and more until by Your grace as the new humanity in Christ We embody these principles. Hear us, receive our thanks for this day in your courts. Be with us in our further fellowship one with another, those who may be gathering in various homes, those who gather with their families. O God, crown this day, your special day, this day of resurrection, life, and power. Crown it with added blessing from your hands. We plead through our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.