Let not then your good be evil spoken of, for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace, and the glory of the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is except for the power of the truth. Amen. All right, verse number 16. Let not then, what does the then refer back to? What's the significance of that? No, it's going back to verse 16 where it's talking about the brethren being grieved by meat. All right. So in other words, part of this whole chapter we were talking about before the last couple of weeks has to do with eating things offered to you. Idols are not eating. It's whether to stop eating. So there's a question. Some that eat, some that don't eat. You don't want to judge one another. If you're genuine Christians, we should respect whatever they do. The good that they do would be to slow them. Yes, Barbara? Stop them. such a stop, stop letting him, so that they were letting him, that church was letting him. And who is referred to in that word, your? The church in Rome. Church in Rome, and by extension, those believers, generally speaking, today in our country, and around the world. So, what does it mean to have, and to give some illustration of how our good might be evil spoken of? In addition to the eating and drinking, Any other instances of that that you might think of? It happens all the time. Give me an illustration. Anybody have hands on that? I can't give an illustration. It just happens all the time. You must know the work of illustrations. We just try to do good to somebody who feels the right thing and then people turn on you when they're... Sometimes that's true. Any illustrations? Anybody have a hand on that? Tell us about it. Those that preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully, is that a good thing or a bad thing? What do the modernist liberals and apostates think of it? They mess it up. That's right. The modernist liberals don't even talk about love. That's all they want to talk about. They don't talk about holiness or about sin or about anything that pertains to the gospel. Who do they leave out as the object of love, however? Who do they leave out? Who do the modernists leave out? as the object of their love. Who do the moderates leave out as an object? Who do they not love, even though they talk about love? Lord Jesus Christ. Who else do they not love? Other Christians. What kind of Christians? Genuine Christians. Genuine Christians. They hate the fundamental Bible. They hate the Christians of these moderates apostates. Yes, Bill? A lot of times when you turn on television, especially during the broadcasting, you're listening to a preacher there. They're talking about their social life and their difficulties with their friends and their family members and getting things done the way they want. There's so little talk of the Bible anymore from a lot of these preachers. I mean, it looks like things are getting really bad. with a lot of them right now, it's becoming very dangerous. They're forgetting the true object of worship is the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what it's really all about. I'm not sure what you said. I'm not sure either. Tell me. In this case, it could be, for instance, you choose to eat meat. and your brother's grief by it, then he's going to speak evil of that. He's going to speak, you know, I say, well, you know, she shouldn't be eating meat, blah, blah, blah. So the point is, don't do something that's going to cause your brother to stumble, so that he's going to speak evil against what you're doing. And maybe some of the things that are neither him or very not biblical ground, but just the general things, if you insist on either eating or not eating, privately, quietly, so you don't stumble in what he's looking at you. In other words, do it by yourself. That's just one thing. This is not some sin. I'm talking about things that are questionable things. They're not either right or wrong for our scripture, but there's some like it, some don't like it. So that's a very important thing, that our good sometimes is evil spoken of. Then it defines the kingdom of God in verse 17. What in general do we mean by the kingdom of God? Any hands on that one? That's part of it. What else? Different ones have different views on it. In general, I think many people believe, for dispensationalists, the kingdom of God is a heavenly thing. Just like the Lord Jesus told Nicodemus, in the morning I can't see the kingdom of God, spiritual kingdom of heaven, where the millennial reign of Christ is on this earth. Not always that follows, but that's what generally some have used as a distinction between the two, of whether the kingdom of God can do heaven. But this is the reign of Christ for the millennial reign of a thousand years on the earth. See, that's the kingdom of heaven down here. When heaven is on earth, the kingdom of heaven is now on earth that Christ has reigned. Many have felt those distinctions, whether right or wrong. There's all kinds of differences of opinion on it, but... Yes, Anna? Straighten her out. The term Kingdom of Heaven is typically used in the book of Matthew. Yes. In Matthew, the Lord is the King of the Jews. Right. And Matthew, he didn't think of his being for the Jews. So there's a lot in there about the tribulation and the Selenium and so forth. And the Lord Jesus Christ offered the kingdom to the Jews. And they rejected it. There was a point around Matthew 13 where basically he knew that they weren't going to receive it. He always knew that they weren't going to receive it. But he changed the ministry at that point. Yes. Because the Jews made it very obvious they were not going to receive the Lord. That's true. So those are the characteristics of the community. If indeed we think, oh go ahead Anna. But then it seemed like they kept fluctuating. They didn't seem to know what they wanted because on like a week before the crucifixion, roughly speaking, they had the, you know, Hosanna. Hosanna. Somebody used this expression that I've never forgotten. They were flippity-jippity. That's a good one. I don't know what it means, but it means they just didn't know what they were doing. A flip-flop. A flip-flop. My grandma did that. I don't know who it was, but that's a good phrase for people who don't know what they're going to do. One way or another. Flip-flops. Okay. My mom would say that too. My mom? Okay. You remember. So, now, the qualification, some of the identification in verse 17 of the Kingdom of God, it's not what? Meat. Not meat? What else is it not? Not drink. But what is it there? How many things? Three things. Three things. What does the first mean? Christ. What is Christ? What's he talking about? What is right? How do you define it? Christ standing before God. Christ standing before God. How is that arrived at? In Christ. In Christ? Is it by good works? Will it give us righteousness? It won't have it. So, like I've read the Book of James, just sent it to the printer today, and the very back page, I define what James is about as a distinction. You know, Paul is always talking about righteousness by genuine faith in Christ, and that gives us righteousness. But James talks about good works and living for the Lord. It doesn't give us righteousness, but that's what the emphasis is, rather than faith in Christ. And so we need both. We need righteousness by faith before God, but then after we're saved, we need to have good works as well. And so that others can see and glorify our Father which is in heaven. All right, so righteousness is, what do the modern-day liberal apostates believe they can get righteousness by? Or the Roman Catholic Church, or other things. What do they say? Yes or no? Good works. That's right, good works. That'll bring righteousness. What does it say in Isaiah? Is it 64-4? All our righteousness is without Christ. I think it's 64 in Isaiah. I can't remember the verse. 64-6. 64-6, yes. God says that. All our righteousness is without Christ. In other words, we've got to be righteous. Let me ask you this. Those who are genuine Christians, do they always live in a righteous manner? No, they do not. Many do not. It's sad. But the Kingdom of God, that's what our goal should be. Righteous standard. After we're saved. 6416. In the books of heaven, is every born-again Christian genuinely righteous? And God said, And so we have righteousness before God, see? So we've got to aim it before the people as well. What's the second characteristic of the kingdom of God, for genuine salvation? Peace. How would we define peace? That's a term I don't know. Could be an actual term. What is that? A tranquil state of the soul whereby something great and assured is earned. That sounds good. With a very nothing. No matter what. Yeah, you're kidding now. You're not quite there yet. That's very good. That's what the psalm called. Is it the peace that passes over sin? Oh, that's in the scripture. Scripture verse. And also Romans 5.1 says what? Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. That's where we get peace. Not through justification. justified and give peace after we're justified by faith. So a peace I give, not as the world gives. That's right. Let not your heart be troubled. Let it be free. So there's all these different versions that have to do with righteousness, a righteous standing before God. And what's the third characteristic of the feeling of God or genuine Christian faith? Joy in the Holy Ghost. Well, the part of the fruit of the Spirit is what? How many parts of the fruit of the Spirit are there? Nine. And which part is this? Love, joy, peace. It's the second part. Love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, the fruit of the spirit. Now, Dr. Schaeffer all the time would talk about these things in her classes at Dallas Theological Seminary. And he would say that there are three things that must be taken care of before we can have the fullness of the Spirit of God, control of the Spirit of God. Two are negative, one is positive. One that negative is what? Grieving out the Spirit of God. What is it that grieves the Spirit of God? Unconfessed, no unconfessed sin, I agree. So if we're grieving the Spirit of God, we can't be filled with God's Spirit. What's the second negative? What is it that quenches the Spirit of God? Disobedience. Disobedient, not following the Word of God, saying no to the Word of God. What's the positive? Walk in the Spirit. Continuous walk in the Spirit. Continuous action in the power of the Spirit of God. If one of those three things, two negative and one positive are true, then there can be the filling of the Holy Spirit and the control of our lives by God the Holy Spirit who indwells us. The fulfilling of the Spirit of God or control of the Spirit of God exists in every Christian. And even in some Christians, does it exist 100% of the time? No. See, what about the other gifts of the Spirit? No Christian. No Christian. All the time. It has to be, as we're, have these three qualifications, yes, that we're still controlled. Now, there's a, what was it I was going to say? Something about... This is very important. We have joy in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is one of the fruits. The Spirit of God is controlled and filled by the Spirit is joy. And can you have joy even though you're sick? Can a Christian have joy when he or she is sick? What if they're in bed and ready to die? Can they have the Spirit of God give them joy? Yes, they can. Sometimes it's not the case, but many times it is. Sometimes when I visit different ones in the hospital, they seem more dressed than the preacher that's visiting them. It's possible that victory, no matter where it is, flat on your back, wherever, that the Holy Spirit of God can give us His joy and peace. So these are the three things, the Kingdom of God, three characteristics. Then in verse 18, in these things, what is referred to in these things? Righteousness, peace, and joy. Righteousness, peace, and joy. If in these things you serve Christ, how can these three things serve the Lord Jesus Christ? Witness to the glory of God. Witness to the glory of God, that's right. In other words, you serve the Lord Jesus Christ if you have his righteousness, if you have his peace, if you have his joy. There is service. Huh? Oh, okay. That's all right. So these are very important things. And these things, and if you do serve the Lord, what does this mean? Acceptable for God. There's two characters. Yes, Barbara? Well-pleasing. Well-pleasing, that's right. There's two particular groups that could be pleased if we're serving Christ. The first group is what? Acceptable for God. The first group is what? in the second group? Now, sometimes God, like always, God sees us. But do people always see what we do? Do they find joy in peace? No. But if we serve the Lord Jesus Christ, God is always pleased with us. We ought to serve so people can see it, too. I think of that verse in Matthew, chapter 5. I don't remember the verse. Let your light so shine, just for a minute, that they may behold your good works. and glorify your father, which is in it. I put it in the very back of the book of James, because I think that's exactly what... It's the outer appearance so people can see. Pardon me? He used to know what that was. It's five, I think. I don't remember the exact verse. But let your light... I think it's five. Five? I think it's five. I could be wrong. I have to look at the back of my handbook. Alright. Sixteen. Sixteen. I'll read it of course. That your life may shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is your name. Matthew 5, 16. 5, 16. Matthew. Matthew 5. You were saying it was James and so on. No, no, no. I said Matthew. Because I thought it was Matthew. Oh yeah, good. I put it in the book. James. James, I had it in the back of my book there. But I said Matthew. So Matthew 5. So I got that nailed in. You know the verse? Can I read 14 and 16? Yes, go ahead. You are the light of the world. The city that is set on the hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men. Very good. That's good. That's good context, isn't it? The light must shine before men. You want to say something? Let your light... Yes, that's very good. And who's the light of the world? What do you say about us, who are genuine Christians? We're the light of the world. You're also the light. See, that's right. So, we've got a little light of mine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. This is important. Now, when people in the dark night, black night, with no light at all, if you have one light, can people see that if they're not blind? Yeah. They can see the light. You know, some people are blind, they can't see, but I mean, people, the light, it shines up even if it's a tiny light. Because something of a contrast is great. And so, lightbearers we should be. So, these survey questions... Oh, excuse me, Anna. Oh, like, um, sometimes at night time, after you've turned off all the lights, then you start to notice little tiny lights. Like, you see light coming in through the window from the street light, or you see, oh look, that electronic device gives off light, so then you know it's all these light sources. Yes, and sometimes you see the little light of the stars, little time light, but you see them if you look out there in the dark world. So, light is important, and we can shine with the light of the Lord Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit giving us joy, peace, and longsuffering in the home. Then in verse number, except for that first career in 1978, yeah, 19, Now here's a command. Who's the astrophotographer here again? Anna? Go ahead, go ahead. Oh, go ahead. Go ahead. In the scene of Egypt and how they had the plague of darkness. Yes. And so there was no light at all. That's right. Even during the day. How many plagues were there in Exodus? Ten. Ten, that's right. One of them was darkness, gross darkness. You couldn't see. What would it be like in the lake of fire? What is one of the terms that's used to refer to hell? Outer darkness. Outer darkness. Fire doesn't have to be flaming up. It could be burning, hot. Our son, Dave, was almost burned to death when his foolish friend came in and lit the Christmas tree, which is related to my Christmas. And then he went out the door and locked the door so Dave couldn't get out. Dave thought he heard Father-in-law's voice, get out the window, Dave. So he got out the window. He was scared. Go out the bathroom. Go out the bathroom. But he had how many percent? 40% of the body burned? 30%. I don't know why I brought that up, but we're talking about fire. See, now that particular, see, he was burned, but he wasn't on fire. He was just squirted. He said it wasn't my fault. He said it was burning inside. So burning can be either big flames or small flames. So that's in verse number 19. We have let us, who is he asked to refer to again? Christian Roman by extension to us here. Here's a command. Now what does the therefore go back to? What do you think? It's past verses. Past verses. And it's acceptable. Serving Christ, probably. Therefore, what are we to follow? What does follow mean? What does follow mean? Go after something. Go after something. Pursue it. Pursue it. Things that make... A person, I think. Pardon me? Or a dog. Yes, you can follow that. Someone that can move. The wise man follows. Start. That's right. The moving start. Follow me. Follow. I will follow thee, Lord Jesus. Follow. Follow me. Follow me. Follow me. And then, that's the 19th. Follow. After. What kind of things should we follow after for January Christmas? Yes, Barbara. Make for peace. Pardon? The things that make for peace. Right. Make for peace. A lot of times they're things that are warlike. He's talking to these Christians this chapter 14 about the eating and so on and so forth. Some eat, some don't. But in other words, you may have your opinion of it. It's not scripture, not the Bible, one way or another. It's not a sin to eat, not a sin to not eat, but try to be peaceful in your church. That's why I think they're talking about the Church of Rome, Rome Italy. And what else? What other things? Not only things to make for peace, what else? Yes, Barbara. Yes, as you say, build up, edify. How does somebody edify someone else? Anybody? Let me ask this question. Do all genuine Christians necessarily want to be edified? It means to build up, see? Some of them would say, what? I'm already built up. You know, I can't make me more built up than I am. Don't talk to me. But you try to edify, build up. Now, if somebody doesn't want to be edified or build up, is there any way possible that you can work it? What do you think? Barbara says no. Bonnie says no. Bill? Edify Jesus Christ. Pardon me? Edify Jesus Christ. Edify him? All right, Barbara. I mean, that's true. They have to have the Lord first in their lives in order for their desire to be edified. So you have to praise that end first, and then as the Lord works on their heart, you can perhaps be more personally edified. Yes. Before you edify someone else, what must first happen? You must be edified. You must be edified. Somebody can't lift the fireman to the floor, I can't lift up some of your legs. I can pick them up. We've picked people up before. That's building them up, standing them up. Anyway, but it takes two people, those that are edified themselves and those that want to be edified, to build up the things that will work. It's a great thing if they're able to work. Yes, Joxy? It's interesting that you edify one another. Yes. It's not all me giving it to you, but it might. That's mutual. Mutual identification. You need it. Exactly right. I mean, those that identify someone else are not the only ones that can be edified. The person you're edified can edify you as well. It works both ways. Absolutely. In fact, when you're trying to help someone else, it really helps yourself too, because it's not sometimes natural to help people. It's not unnatural. Who wants to help that person? I've got enough business myself. But I can help one else. It builds you up to it, helps you as well, to help someone else, even though some people don't believe it. Then, in verse number 19, let's read 20, 21, and 22 together. In fact, 23, finish the chapter. For me, for the work of God, all things indeed are pure, but a deceitful man who heedeth with offense. He is good in every deed of us, but he will drink wine, and then he will provide that bread which comes with it, for his offending is made weak. As for faith, have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself for the sin which he has committed. And he who doubteth is damned for evil, because he has not faith, for the sufferer is not of faith, but of sin." So in Verse number 20, what is true of me? What should not be true using meat in this verse 20? What might have happened just rather than 10? Well, it's a stop sign, destroying out the work of God. Stop destroying, okay. Okay. Well, if we choose to eat meat as opposed to eating rabbits, like the conflict that's going on here, then, you know, if it's destroying our brethren, then we're destroying what God has done in their lives. Yes. Because we're causing them to sin and to stumble. Right? Then it's fumbled. And don't destroy it. Does destroy mean lose your salvation? What do you think destroy means? Could be break up his life, break up his testimony. Could be even shipwreck the person. Could be shipwreck. Not that they're not saved, but their faith could be completely derailed. Could be derailed. They could be walking for the flesh and not back in the spirit even though they're saved. They may not walk for the Lord. The work of God. What is the work of God here? What is the work of God do you think here? The work that God is doing in that person's life. Verse 20. The work of God. Don't destroy God's work. Man is not saved by his or her works. But God has done the work in the life. By the work of Christ. Dying on the cross for the sins. God then works a work and regenerates. the ones that trust the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't destroy the work of God by your meat. Then, how does it define all things here? How does this sentence define all things? Probably speaking of, again, eating or not eating, but what is true of all things in this verse? Well, I was just thinking of drinking. Here, Barbara. Pure. Pure. In other words, in and of themselves. Now, I think speaking of the eating and drinking before others that are just questionable things. Tammy? Well, it's sort of like where God told both Peter and Paul that what God's foot is is called unclean. That idea may be. Right, that's right. In other words, that's not some sin or something in the Scripture. Obviously, anything in Scripture, sin is not pure, but all these things he's talking about, these questionable things, they're not in Scripture, but they're pure. It's not that he said you can't do it or can't do it. But, so, it says all things are pure. But, what's the conclusion then? What makes it evil? Even though it's not, because it's the Scripture, what makes it evil? If you do it with a fence, it's evil for that man who eateth with a fence. So if you refuse to consider that you may be a silly block of wood, then you go ahead and do it anyway, and they're grieved and troubled by what you're doing. Grieved and troubled. For me, it's just that I have to work with that. Like some people, they want it, they're going to eat meat. I don't care what anybody says, they're going to eat meat. So this person eats it. And there's someone in the church body that is very offended by meat, eating meat. You know, so... So that would be offensive to them. And so, you don't... So you don't think this is how you eat meat, and everybody should... For that one person, it does seem sort of strange. For that one person, nobody eats meat. Because it would describe the fellowship. Let's say if you want to go to the closet to eat in at your house and just quietly go separate, try not to fend all of them. With a fence, that's right. Yes, and you could fend other people too by your eating, that's right. That's right, all awful, but you're right. So edification is very important. Then in verse 21, what is good here? It's good to not do anything that causes your brother to be at least a 10. Okay, fine. Weren't you on a diet when you had cancer or something where you didn't eat meat? I didn't want to eat meat for... Macrobiotic. What is it? Macrobiotic. Macrobiotic diet, yeah. You would be with the family, with your mother and father, but you wouldn't eat meat. And they understood. It was something in regard to that particular diet. It was something in one of your cancer diets. Maybe it was part of the cancer diet. Amino acids as well. What is it? Amino acids in lentils and rice and pippa beans. And so like I said, you didn't eat meat, you didn't take the meat. Sometimes your mother, just a little bit won't hurt you. Right now, I prefer not the beef because of the extra, you know, all the different ingredients in it and some fats and oils and I stick to either the chicken or turkey, something like that. It's the fish, something that's not... Of course, I don't eat the fish because it's so poisonous. I don't know whether it's good or bad because of the... Additives. Not the additives, but mercury from Japan, you know. It's filtered in all the different... West Coast, who knows what. Anyway. So that's an illustration of it. It's an illustration, yes. They were destroyed. Neither eat flesh nor anything whereby their brothers come with. They were fattened and made to eat those three things. Anna? It seems like there would be a point where one can become too paranoid about I mean, hypothetically, there would be a problem with everything. So then, would you eat nothing, and then you die of starvation? Right. Well, each of us has his own and her own diets and so on and so forth that have to be... For instance, I don't like anything that has to do with GMO, genetically modified organisms. Poison. And they put this fertilizer It does a good job of making the thing grow, but also it poisons those things. And the people that do that make billions and billions of dollars. I like organic, if I can find it. Sometimes you go to a store or to a restaurant, you don't know whether it's organic or GMO poisoned. You don't know what it is. That's why I like to shop over there at Wegmans, because they're labeled, organic, organic, all over, labels, all kinds of things. We need a place where we can do the whole reading. That's why you have a bill. Even a lot of foods that are labeled as organic are not as pure as you might think because Monsanto has genetically modified the seeds for many of those plants. All the oats and the wheat are modified. But Monsanto is the one that's pushing this GMO stuff. With this Roundup, that's what the fertilizers are called. But if it's genuinely organic, it has nothing to do with Roundup, nothing to do with Monsanto. Completely separate, pure. Those are pesticides that round up. There are other modifications where they treat the seeds. Not so much in the hatching of the seeds, but the way they modify the nature of the seed itself. There was a show on Channel 12 a couple nights ago on that. They were explaining that it seems that all wheat and corn and oats are of modified, come from modified seeds now. Who produced that? Those who were in favor of GMO? Monsanto. Monsanto produced that? Monsanto, yeah. See, that's a lie. They've got a whole bushel of it. Monsanto, a big company? Oh, it's huge. That is a lie. Huge bushel. And they get all this fertilizer, not fertilizer, but the things that make things grow, and Roundup is the name of this thing that they fertilize. And so the organic... That's the fertilizer. I'm not talking about the fertilizer. I'm talking about the structure of the seed itself, not the fertilizer. Well, I know, but the seed itself can be fertilized, can be bad. That makes the seeds bad. See, the fertilizer is what makes the seeds bad to start with. So the organic food is sort of the regular... Some of the seeds there are bad. They're tampered with. The seeds themselves are bad before they put them on the... Well, that could be true. The poison is... Oh, it is. They've modified the seeds because they have copyrights on it now. For example, seedless oranges, seedless watermelon, those seeds themselves have been genetically modified some way so that the watermelon produces very little seeds, so that the orange produces very little, very few seeds. so that the seed itself has been tampered with even before it makes it to the ground. And then once it's to the ground, then they put the grounds up again on top of that to make it worse. It's sad that over, even though 35 or so different countries label GMO products, the United States, no. They don't label. They refuse to label. Why shouldn't we have a choice of a tainted product or one that's not tainted, organic? There we go. It's sad. Funny enough, eating or not eating, it's up to us each. We have to make our decisions, do we not? A lot of people say, oh, you know, our organic, that costs a lot more than the non-organic. Well, if it's food that's good food, it's a few more cents. For instance, organic bananas. You go over to a regular supermarket, you see regular bananas, $0.49 a pound. Organic bananas, $0.59, $0.10 more a pound. But anyway. It's worth the time. It's worth the time. I think it's worth it. But neither eat flesh or drink wine, for they were rather brothers offended or made weak. Then in verse 22, hast thou faith against me, good believers? What do you think he's getting at here? What do you think? 22. Hast thou faith? We're asking. Like good believers? Yes. Ellen? Barbara? Either one. Let me start here. Now I totally forgot my part. Okay! Barbara will love Barbara, though. I know! Barbara, give me some Barbara. Um... I'm sorry, I lost it. That's okay. I lost it. Okay. Anyone else have a hand? Find it? It'll come to you in a little bit. So, we have faith. We have faith. What does it say? What do you do with that faith, in verse 22? I worship myself. Alright. Before God. In other words, you have faith that eating is fine, or eating is not fine. That's enough. You just said what I was trying to say. Oh, good. Thank you. So, in other words, just take it before the Lord. And then, there's a happiness mentioned in verse 23. What kind of happiness is this? Yes, Barbara? That you don't condemn yourself and what you're doing. Alright. And so, in other words, you condemn yourself, because you're hurting the brothers in Christ. But it's very tough. If you think everything's right to eat, but it's not right to eat, it's hard. But this scripture, this chapter, the whole chapter of Romans 14, says that if it's a questionable thing, and one believer says it's okay, one believer doesn't, just make some peace. Make some peace. Have it before God. Or if you want to eat or not eat, Go to your own home, right, in a closet or something. Yes, Chuck? Just out of respect, respectfully, you know, don't engage in that as part of a problem that might be there. You see, that's right. That's it. That's exactly right. They don't consider it a sin to you. Right. But they'll tend not to choose not to do it. Yes. In their presence. That's very good. Yvonne? Scratching my head. Oh, OK. Well, every hand that's raised, I try to calm her. You're like a cat. Excuse me. Yeah, I think it was like that when you met. All right All right And you don't eat, and you're happy. It makes you happy because you've helped somebody else, and you're not offending them. But a lot of people say, I don't care what they say, or offend them anyhow, or do whatever. Well, I do what I'm going to do. That's a selfish way to go. But I don't know, today, just what things would be like that are not essentials, whether it's to have this, I don't know, microphones on or off, or whatever different things about that. playing the piano this way or that way, or some other, something that may have difference with it, but it's not in the scripture one way or another, but we have to be careful we're not hurting or harming a brother. Condemneth not himself. In what sense condemning? Yes, Pastor David? Judging of a sword. Judging of a sword, that's right. Judging not himself, think what she allows. And we allow many things, but we should not allow These are questionable things. Then in verse 23, it's referring to an illustration here about doubting. What would that indicate? What does that indicate? Doubting. Doubting. What's it talking about? They don't really know if what they're doing is right or not. So they think that maybe they're sitting against God. So they are condemned in that faith because they don't have faith about what they're doing. If you doubt what you're eating or whatever, drinking, he's then judged if he eats because he does not have faith. In other words, a Christian should have a faith whether it is right or wrong to eat or not to eat. And the last part of the verse, whatsoever is not of faith is what? Again, in these doubtful things, these doubtful things, you have to have faith in what you're doing, either eating or not eating. If you have a doubt, that's a sinful thing to do. This is a little bit esoteric, a little difficult to understand all these things, but I think that chapter 14 talks about religious liberty, Christian liberty, and things that are not specifically forbidden in the scripture. They're doubtful things. We've got to be careful we're not offending, needlessly, other beliefs. What do you mean by esoteric? very deep-seated, very down-to-earth as we can understand, more pensive natures. Well, it's not that hard to understand. Well, I know, but to get all the details, all these verses... Yes, John? If you're not fully persuaded in your own mind, then to engage in that activity would be a sin to you. He's right. What I'm saying is all these verses are not so... It's just very crystal clear, except the meaning, but to get the context, you have to dig deep a little bit to understand. That's all. Any other comments on Chapter 14 before we move on? We don't have to move on tonight. Well, I guess not. I mean, the particular specifics of early church are one thing. I mean, it was a very big thing in the early church. It may not be so big in the church of the 21st century, at least in this country, but in this time period, it was a concern for many Christians whether what it once was associated with for them. They had come out of a certain culture where meat was associated with evil, heavily associated with evil. And so they could, in the early stages of Christian life, they could disassociate that meat with that wickedness and evilness. And so they didn't want nothing to do with it, at least initially. And maybe in time, as they matured spiritually, they understood that it was nothing. But at least for a while in their life, it was something they didn't want to have any part of. Some of the things today which we may consider, for instance, preachers that preach in t-shirts and shorts. There's nothing spiritual against one another, but sometimes it offends a lot of people. It's a little strange, a little difficult to cope with. All right. Stop right here. But the comments before we close. Let's close. Our father, we do thank you for the words. Some difficult to understand each one and what they talk about. We thank you that we have the privilege. of doing that which is right in Thy sight. If we have faith in Thee, we ask Thee Lord that we may serve our Savior and that we may serve Him with perfect righteousness in Thy sight and even righteousness in our own state. What we do in peace and joy may we serve our Savior and He can give us rich rewards. Help us as we go back and come to our services in the Lord's Name. and direct us and move us each step of the way, and may we glorify our Savior. Thank you for these who are here tonight, those listening by the means, and may our Savior be our primary person to serve and to love. In Jesus' name we ask and pray. Amen.