We welcome you to Trinity Bible Church. The mission of Trinity Bible Church is exalting Christ, encouraging those who know Christ, evangelizing those who need Christ. I am thankful that you would take the time to join us this morning. And my name is Pastor Greg Mazak. I'm the pastor teacher here at Trinity. And it is a delight for me to gather, even though it's electronically, with you all as our church family and visitors too, and to open up God's word together. Before we open up Romans this morning, Certainly, we want to join together in prayer. Before I lead us in prayer, just a thank you to the many of you that are praying for me and praying for our elders and praying for one another. Thank you. God bless you. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know. Let's pray. Father, we come together this morning in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And we thank you for Jesus, his life, his sinless, perfect life. We thank you for his sacrificial death in our place. And we thank you, Lord, that he not only died and was buried, but he rose again from the dead. Thank you that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. He's Lord of the living. He's Lord of the dead. He's Lord of all. And we come to you in Jesus' name this morning, praying that you would help us to worship you in a way that would please you. We pray, Lord, that you would help our country during this difficult time. Bless our president, our vice president. Lord, please bless our Senate and our House. Please give wisdom and grace to our high court, to our state government and local government. Lord, please work in all of their lives that they would make decisions that would help us to honor you. We ask that you would bless those in harm's way, especially doctors and nurses, and first responders who are facing difficult times. We pray for the many who are sick and whose families are going through times of sorrow. We pray, Lord, that people would come to know Jesus through this time. Lord, even if the difficulties of the present haven't affected us personally, help us all to realize that life is a vapor. This life is short. We all need a Savior, and Jesus is the only one who can save us from our sin. We ask that as we open up the scriptures now that you would help us in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, again, as we come together, even during this difficult time, I think there's something good about saying we will consistently open up God's Word and we will take whatever it says as truth because we believe in the inspiration of the Bible. And we are now in Romans chapter 14, believing that this is what God has for our church family. Last week, we were in verses 1 and 2 initially. I read, as for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything while the weak person eats only vegetables. Verse 3. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls, and he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. This whole passage has to do with the difference between weak and strong believers. And I know even for myself in the past, a lot of times I'd come to this passage wondering, wow, am I one of the strong? I hope I'm not one of the weak. And what am I allowed to do? And what am I not allowed to do? And maybe those aren't the best questions. As we looked at last time, let's do a quick review of who these weak and strong are. Number one, they were both believers, according to verse four. Number two, the disagreement was on matters of conscience. according to verses one and two. Another way of saying that is number three, they disagreed on non-moral issues. They weren't disagreeing on should a man stay with his wife or is it okay for two people of the same gender to get married. That was not the disagreement. It was on non-moral issues. And even though they came to different conclusions, number four, both were accepted by God. And interestingly enough, number five, based on verse six, both clearly had a desire to glorify God. Here are two groups of believers. They both love Jesus. They are passionate about wanting to honor him and they come to different conclusions. Why is Paul so welcoming and encouraging us to welcome both sides? Because neither was a threat to the gospel. See, when you add something to the gospel, Paul does not accept it. When you say you have to believe in Jesus and do good works to be a Christian, Paul would not accept that. Paul is saying, as long as what you're teaching is not a gospel threat, then be patient and be welcoming to these other people, to either side. And that's what we reviewed last time. Here's how we put it last time. We called the message welcoming one another. Verse 1 and 2, welcome those who differ. That was our first point. And Paul made that very clear. that welcome him. The New American Standard says accept him. Number two, but don't argue about the differences. And number three, remember that you're not a master, you're a servant. So even if we disagree on whether we're going to eat a certain kind of meat or not, or we disagree on something else that's a conscious issue, We need to remember that even though I may disagree with you, that you answer to your master, you don't answer to me in these issues. Nor do I answer to you. We both answer to Christ. If Christ welcomes us, who are we not to welcome the next person? And again, why does Christ welcome us? Because of the gospel. not because we're good people, but because we have come to put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you have repented of your sin and put faith in Jesus Christ, and you believe the gospel, then you are welcomed, even if you disagree with me on some of these issues of conscience. Today we pick it up in verse 5 of Romans 14. One person regards one day above another, and another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day observes it for the Lord, and he who eats does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God. And he who eats not for the Lord, he does not eat and gives thanks to God. And then verse 7, 8, and 9 kind of fit together. For not one of us lives for himself, Not one dies for himself, for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living." I called this message, Fully Convinced, and I hope why I would pick that title will become more clear as we work through it. What's the first thing we see? It's a review from last week's message, and we're in the same context, so that should be something that's not surprising at all. Notice verse 5. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each should be fully convinced in his own mind. Let's actually start with what we considered last time. Verse 6, second part. The one who eats eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord, and gives thanks to God." The illustration that Paul again reminds us of here in the second part of verse six is this issue of abstaining from meat. And again, most people would believe that we're talking about Jewish believers. So these are people who were raised ethnic Jews, religious Jews. They came to put faith in Jesus Christ. They heard the true gospel, that there's nothing we can do to be forgiven. We need a Savior. And these are Jews who said, Jesus is my Savior. I will turn from my sin, and I will put my faith in Jesus Christ. They're forgiven. Yet some of them would say, I still think we should probably abstain from meat or at least certain kinds of meats. That's what we've been taught. And Paul was very clear. That's fine. Don't look down on that person. If you eat, don't look down on the person who does not. And if you do not, don't judge the person who does. That's the first illustration. We looked at that last time. Today we're going to get a second illustration, beginning in verse 5. One person esteems one day is better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Now, I'm reading here from the ESV, one person esteems, that word can be translated, regards. It's literally the word judges. It's the idea that you look at the evidence, and just like in a courtroom, you make a decision, you make a judgment. One person makes a judgment that one day in the week is better than another day in the week. and notice the next person, while another esteems all days alike. Notice now verse 6, the one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The word observe, slightly different, it's literally the word think. So there are some people who make a judgment based on their thinking that there is one day that is more important than other days. Now guys, think with me. If we're correct in saying this is probably something to do with Jewish believers who thought they should abstain from certain foods and they should observe certain days as special, more than any other day of the week, what day would immediately come to your mind? And it would no doubt be the Sabbath. So here are Jewish believers, and they're thinking maybe it's best that we abstain from meat, that's the best way to honor Christ, and maybe it's best that we observe the Sabbath. The Apostle Paul is saying either way is just fine, whether we're talking about meat, whether we're talking about observing religious days. This is the point that Paul's making, okay? Now, It may be that you're listening to this and you're thinking, wait a second, Greg, here I am, my faith's in Jesus Christ. I know that I'm forgiven because I've trusted in the Lord Jesus, his perfect life, death, and resurrection. I'm not trusting in works at all. But I thought we, as Christians, were supposed to keep the Sabbath. Isn't that correct? Or at least, shouldn't we be keeping what some people call the Christian Sabbath? Let's talk about that. Just this week, I was online looking at different churches, trying to find out if any church is gathering together for public worship services. And I was looking at churches in this area just to try to see what I could come across. And there's a church in town. Not far from here, it's a Presbyterian church. And as I looked at their website, I noticed that every Sunday they have listed worship at a certain time, and then they have Sabbath school. And I thought that was an interesting name, and I thought about it, Sabbath school. And then I was reminded of the fact, that's right, the Presbyterians typically, they would believe that Sunday is the Sabbath. They would call it the Christian Sabbath. And I know from our church family, Some of you are from backgrounds where you would say, Greg, but that's what I was taught. Isn't that accurate? Well, let's just make a few comments that may help. First of all, the Bible is very clear that the Sabbath is Saturday. The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week. In Deuteronomy 5, 12-14, observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy. As the Lord your God commanded you, six days you shall labor and do all your work, But the seventh day, that's Saturday, is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work. So just based on the scriptures we know what day the Sabbath is. The Sabbath would be Saturday. Now I want to go to the very next verse which is Deuteronomy 5 verse 15. you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. And the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. So who is this text addressing? The people that were in Egypt. That's the Jews. And they were brought out of Egypt. And what was to be a sign of what God had done for them? The Sabbath. God gave the Jewish nation the Sabbath. And they were not to work. They were not to gather sticks. They were not to do certain things. as a way of acknowledging that this is what the Lord had done for them. It was a good thing. It was an appropriate thing. And this sign was given to the nation of Israel. So the Sabbath is the seventh day. It's Saturday. That's number one. Number two, the Sabbath was a sign to Israel. You say, is that all? No, actually there's more. Number three, the Sabbath was also a shadow pointing to Christ. For example, I'll read Colossians 2, 16 through 17. No one is to act as your judge in regards to food or drink in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. Let's pause there. Paul says, don't let people judge you. Food or drink, doesn't that sound just like Romans 14? And notice what comes after that in respect to a festival. That's most probably an annual event. A new moon, that would be a monthly event. A Sabbath day, that would be a weekly event. The Sabbath. You say, why? Because those things, they're not bad. But those things are a mere shadow of what is to come. But the substance belongs to Christ. There is nothing wrong with a shadow. A shadow is a good thing, but we don't need the shadow when we have the substance. Example, if I'm waiting for my wife to come home, And maybe I'm around the corner in the garage, and I hear her pull in, and I can see her shadow, because maybe it's towards the end of the day. And I say, hey, that's my wife's right around the corner. I'm glad to see her shadow. But once she turns the corner, I give her a hug and a kiss, and I'm glad to see her. And I'm not concerned with the shadow anymore. There's nothing wrong with the shadow. But once I have the substance, I don't need the shadow anymore. The Sabbath was a shadow. Hebrews 10 uses similar phraseology. For the law, since it is only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Now, I know that that's a lot, but let me see if I can help with that a little bit. The law is a shadow of the good things to come. This is Hebrews. and not the very form of things. And that law, which said there had to be animal sacrifices that take place, and a great sacrifice once a year, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually, year by year, over and over again, make perfect those who draw near. See, there were all of these sacrifices in the Old Testament era that were pointing to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were a shadow. But once Christ came, then we no longer need the shadow. We no longer need animal sacrifices. We no longer need an altar of any kind. You've heard me say this, guys. In our church, we don't have an altar. Why don't we have an altar? Because there's no more sacrifice. I was raised in a tradition where there was a sacrifice of Christ so we were taught every Sunday when we came together. And yet technically that would not be biblical because Jesus Christ offered a once for all, for all time, never to be repeated sacrifice. In the Old Testament, people looked forward to a coming sacrifice. Now in the New Testament era, we look back to that once for all sacrifice. But there is no more need for a sacrifice. Why? Because Christ, after he died, as he was dying, says, it was finished. It is finished. And then what he did on the cross for our sin, suffering and dying, was perfect. It does not need to be repeated. Nothing needs to be added to it. There is nothing else any of us needs. I hope that your faith is in Jesus Christ and you're trusting in that once for all sacrifice. Now, back to point. You say, well, what about all those Old Testament sacrifices? They were wonderful and they were pointing to Christ and now Christ has come. The Sabbath was a shadow pointing to Christ. Let's keep going. Christians don't worship on the Sabbath. Christians worship on the Lord's Day. We worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, because it's the day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. And so we go into the New Testament and we see, yes, this is when Christians worship. And we come together even today. And yet at the same time, you might be watching this and worshiping, and it's not a Sunday. There's at least one family I was talking to, and because of work, she's not able to join her husband on Sunday. And I've encouraged them as a couple. Maybe on Monday afternoon or Tuesday, you could come together and worship together and listen to the sermon. That's a very fine thing to do. But we as Christians don't worship on the Sabbath. We come together and worship on Sunday. Now you might not know this, but early Christians, some of them worshipped on Sunday and kept the Sabbath. You say, what do you mean? Because of their Jewish background. They continued to observe the Sabbath, Saturday. So they would not work at all on Saturday, and yet on Sunday they would worship Christ. Sunday was a day of work for them. You say, now, wait a second, Greg. Are you saying Sunday should not be a day of rest? The Bible doesn't teach it is, doesn't mean it's wrong for you to observe it. Certainly, we know one thing. It is good to rest, and it is good to reflect. And if you would choose to take the day we worship as a Christian family, Sunday, and you say, I really would like to rest and relax that day and reflect on Christ, that's a fine thing. That's a wonderful thing. You say, we should have a day of rest. Well, you know, the Bible doesn't teach that. You may say, I think I'll take a half a day Sunday and a half a day Monday. That's okay. You may take a couple hours each day. Yes, we should rest and it's good to reflect on the gospel. But there's nothing in the Bible that says we have to have a day of rest, be it Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. It's simply not taught. Now, careful. If you say, but I believe it's the best way to honor the Lord, that's awesome. And I'm not allowed to look down on you. And if I disagree, you're not allowed to look down on me. That's what we see here in the text. We welcome believers who differ, whether we're talking about abstaining from meats or observing religious days. You say, OK, so I can just do anything I want. I'm free. This is awesome. Cautious. That's really not what the text teaches. Notice what the text says. I'll go back here to verse 5. One person esteems one day is better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Notice the second half of verse five. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. You are not allowed to say, I'm so glad it doesn't matter. I can just do what I want. As long as the Bible doesn't prohibit it, I'm going to do it. You are not allowed to say that. We are free to disagree. But we are not free to simply say, it doesn't matter what I do. Every one of us must be fully convinced in our own mind. Convinced of what? Let's go to verse 6. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. Pause. If you're going to observe Sunday as a day of rest, if you choose to, and that's fine, then you first of all must be fully convinced, yes, I believe this is the best way to honor the Lord. Let's keep going in verse 6. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord since he gives thanks to God. If you eat meat, you're not allowed just to eat it. You have to be convinced, yes, this brings glory to God. It honors the Lord. While, the end of verse 6, the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. Every one of us must be absolutely, fully convinced that every decision we make, every choice we engage in, brings glory to God. That's how we have to decide in these issues of conscience. We need to have the confidence of Abraham. Do you remember what happened with Abraham? The Lord promised him, even though he was quite old, that he would have a child, and not only any child, but a child through whom all the nations would be blessed. I read Romans 4.19, without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated Abraham. He contemplated his own body, now as good as dead, since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb. Yet with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but he grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured," there's our word, that what God had promised he was able also to perform. Being fully assured there in the text is the same Greek word that we're translating here in verse 5, fully convinced. We must be completely confident, convinced, fully assured that, yes, what I'm about to do brings glory to my God. And if not, of course, I wouldn't do it. You say, why? Well, we didn't get to verse 23 yet, but let's take a peek ahead in Romans 14, 23. He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith. And whatever is not from faith is sin. Now you might be thinking, Greg, wait a second. I thought we were free. We could eat meat or not eat meat. And Paul says either way is fine. That is correct. And we're not allowed to judge the next guy, whether he's more or less conservative than us. That is also correct. But right here it says, I can't eat it if I doubt. That is also correct. Because everything we do has to be from faith, faith. is a noun. Believing is a verb. You've heard me say that before. I have to believe that what I'm doing brings honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. And if I don't believe that, it's not pleasing to God. Guys, the whole church family might agree, hey, this is one way to glorify God. And all of you do that. And inside my heart, I struggle with it. For me to do it would be a sin. Not necessarily the sin of doing something prohibited in the scripture, if it's not prohibited, but the sin of doing something that is not from faith. I am not allowed to do things unless I am convinced that it would bring glory to God. That's what it means to be fully convinced in your conscience. Now, we've looked in this text at two specific examples, just to make this more clear. Paul has helped us think about eating or not eating certain meat that would be very relevant to Jews, something maybe more relevant to us, observing one day above another. Some of you will observe Sunday and you say, Greg, I get what you taught already. I still think it's the Christian Sabbath. My heart to you is God bless you. I accept you. My point being, whatever you do on a Sunday, you have to be fully convinced in your mind that it brings glory to God. Those are the two specific examples that Paul gives us. I covered two additional ones last time. One, in our conservative circles, had to do with women's dress. So there are some people who would say, you know, I think ladies, when they come to a worship service, they should wear skirts and dresses, never in jeans. Greg, what do you think? I would say you're welcome. And if you say, but wait a second, Greg, I actually believe that wearing nice dress, excuse me, wearing nice jeans would be an appropriate way to honor the Lord Jesus Christ. What do you think? I would say you're welcome. We welcome both. And you have to be fully convinced, careful, you are not allowed just to say, but I like jeans better. I like skirts better. You have to be fully convinced in your own mind. We also used another example last time about entertainment, specifically movies. And you might say, again, I have friends who go to movies. I'm just going to go and not worry about it. You're not allowed to do that. You must be fully convinced in your mind that that would bring glory to God. And anything else related to entertainment, sports, would also be true. Let me give two more examples. Let's take schooling. There are people that have very strong feelings of the best way to educate their children. And you should have those. In fact, I'm going to go farther. You should be fully convinced That using the public school, or the private school, a home school, or a Christian school. That is the way you can best bring glory to God. You must be fully convinced. And you're not allowed just to say it doesn't matter who cares. So that would be a fifth illustration. Let me do even a sixth one. Men's grooming in our conservative circles. There have been people that have taken very seriously, you know what, I think we should have standards for guys and how they look related to facial hair. Guys, I've actually gone to a Christian university and I'm thankful to have gone there. that taught that faculty were not allowed to have facial hair. And many churches, I was at a church that had a rule. If you were on the platform, if you sang in the choir as a guy, you couldn't have a beard, you couldn't have a mustache, because allegedly that was a sign of rebellion. Careful. If you think facial hair is a sign of rebellion, you're allowed to think that. And if you're fully convinced of that, God bless you. Remember, you're not allowed to judge those who disagree. But you're also not allowed to say, hey, I'll do what I want. It doesn't matter. It does matter. Now children, OK, kids, I try to do one thing for you each time. Many people used to think that if you had a beard, you were like a scary person. You were a bad guy, OK? So I'm going to show you a picture of a guy with a beard. And you tell me if he looks like a good guy or a bad guy. Kids, what do you think? If I were voting, I hope this is okay to say, I would say he looks like a scary guy. I would not want to meet that guy at night. I would not want to mess with him. I got a feeling he could beat me up pretty easily. He just has that look, and partially the beard, and I'm sure it's more than that, okay? All right, children, I'm going to show you another picture, and you tell me if this looks like a scary guy or a nice guy with a beard. Wow, look at that. There's Pastor Ward. Look what happens, guys. We stop coming together, worshiping as a church family, and Brother Ward goes out and now he's sporting a beard. You say, Greg, what do you think of that? I have an opinion about it. I'm fully convinced in my mind. My question, and I'm gonna be completely serious in this, what does Ward think about his beard? And if you say, well, I've always thought he was handsome. Now he looks even more handsome. Okay, quick. I agree with you. Please note this. But that is not a good enough reason to have a beard. We don't make decisions on, well, I think I look more attractive this way, or whatever. Word must be fully convinced in his mind that wearing that beard or shaving that beard brings glory to God. And the point I'm making is we must be fully convinced in our own mind. I think this passage has a lot more to say to us than most people realize. Every single thing we do, we should be putting through the sieve of, will this bring my Lord maximum glory? Will this show forth his praise? And I think it's obvious to ask the question, why? Why is it such a big deal? That takes us to our third point. Number one, we welcome believers who differ. Two, be fully convinced in your own mind. Three, live out the Lordship of Christ. You say, what are you talking about? All I do must honor the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice here in these last three verses, I'll read 7 and 8, none of us lives to himself, none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord. If we die, we die to the Lord. So then whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. I mean, think of it like two bookends from birth to death. Our whole life should be glorifying God. And when it comes time to die, dying should be about glorifying God. Everything I do must bring honor to Christ. Guys, I'm going to apply this in ways that I believe are accurate. not only the big things, but even the little things. When it's time to eat and you go to a restaurant, does that restaurant actually help you glorify God? And I'm not even going to hit the obvious, because some of you are already thinking, well, I don't think I'd go to that restaurant. You know, it's kind of edgy, it's kind of questionable, and that kind of thing. I'm talking about fast food restaurants that maybe serve food that's not healthy. I'm talking about staying up night and eating junk food that is not healthy and just makes me gain weight, that doesn't help me live for Christ. Guys, in those areas, I am not, I don't believe, free to do what I want to do. I must be convinced that yes, this glorifies God or doesn't glorify God because I am passionate about the Lord Jesus Christ. You say, well, why do I have to honor Christ? Well, again, notice what the text says. It says, none of us lives to himself, none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord. If we die, we die to the Lord. Every single thing we do must be to honor the Lord because, verse 9, for to this end Christ died and lived again that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. What did the Lord do? Jesus Christ died for my sin. He went to a cross and suffered and died in my place, paying the price of my sin. Not only does he die and he's buried, but he's risen again the third day. And because of the death of Christ and the resurrection of Christ, he's the Lord of all. He's my Lord. And I want to please him. And I want to honor him. And I'm going to go even beyond I want to. It's expected. Is it required? Well, let me put it this way. It's a requirement by God's grace I am motivated to fully embrace. Second Corinthians 515, Christ he died for all so that they who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. Because Jesus died and paid the price of my sin it's time for me to live for him. not to get something from him, not to somehow get him to love me more. He already loves me, you know the gospel. But because he loves me so much that I say, yes Lord I want to live for you, I want to honor for you, I want to honor you in all that I do. 1 Corinthians 6.20, I think you know that as well. For you've been bought with the price. Therefore glorify God in your body. Put this all together, guys, and what have we seen? We welcome believers who differ from us. We must be fully convinced in our own mind that everything we do honors the Lord, and thus we live out the lordship of Christ with the heart that all I do must honor Christ, because Christ is Lord of all. Again, as we wrap up. In my background, in my experience, maybe because I deal with college students, a lot of times the sense of Romans 14 has been, okay, this is a liberating passage. I am free. I am free to do what I want. I am free to disagree with other people. And I say, okay, now wait a second, take a breath, and let's be a little more cautious. Here's the real conclusion. Yes, in matters of conscience, I am free. You say free to do what? I am free to welcome those I disagree with. Guys, I am not allowed to look at someone who is more conservative than me. and to look and go, wow, you're such a legalist. You don't understand grace. I'm not allowed to do that. Nor am I allowed to look at someone who's doing something I'm just not comfortable with and saying, I could never do that in good conscience. You're liberal. You're headed for trouble. I am not allowed to do that. These are people who have put faith in Jesus Christ, and because of the work of Christ, the Lord welcomes them. Not because of who they are, not because of what they have done, but because of what Jesus has done. So yes, I'm free to welcome those I disagree with. Secondly, I'm also free to be fully convinced that everything I do honors Christ. And if I'm not convinced it honors Christ, I'm not free to do it. Again, this is the part of the passage I think many people have missed. Just because people say, don't worry about it, who cares, get over it, just do what you want, that is not biblical teaching. If I'm talking about something as simple as a food choice, I use that as a low-level choice, something bigger like purchasing a car, something bigger yet like purchasing a house, something really big like deciding whether or not to get married, whom to marry, whatever issue I'm dealing with, even if it's not forbidden in the scriptures, It doesn't mean I'm free to do it unless I am convinced in my mind that, yes, this is how I can honor Christ. And then finally, number three, I am free to proclaim Christ is Lord in every decision I make. And I hope by God's grace that's true of each of our lives at Trinity Bible Church. Here we are, a group of people in one sense that are similar. We all have faith in Jesus Christ. We all have turned from our sin. We all realize that Christ is the only one who can forgive us. And we have put our faith in Him, trusting completely in His once for all, for all sacrifice. No more sacrifices. because our trust is in Jesus Christ. In that sense, we're all the same. In a second sense, we're all the same. We're all passionate about wanting to please Him. And yet, in another sense, we're different. Because there are things that I do that some of you are not comfortable doing. I understand that. And there are some things that some of you do that I am not comfortable doing. And regardless of whether you're to my left or to my right, and probably depending on the issue, sometimes the same person's to my left and to my right. Because you are welcome through Christ, I am to welcome you. We are to welcome one another. We are not allowed to say, I'm going to do what I want, it doesn't matter. We all must say, I'm going to live for Christ. But we recognize that we might disagree on how we do that. And regardless of how we do it, we, by God's grace, are going to love one another and accept one another because that's what God does for all who put faith in Jesus Christ. As always, you're welcome to send me an email, give me feedback. It was a blessing to open up the scriptures with you today. I hope this has been a helpful study. I hope it's been an encouraging study. And to be frank, I don't mind saying this, I hope it's been a convicting study. I had a brother shoot me an email just this week, somebody I love. He is a person who's a burden to encourage me. He sent me a note. Pastor Greg, thank you for the message and I just want you to know this is hard for me. It's a challenging area and I sincerely replied. I'm glad I'm the only one who's not challenged by this because I am being forced not to re-evaluate what I think. but to reevaluate how I respond to people who think differently, people who Christ accepts. I'm praying that God will help me to become more like Him. I hope you too, let's pray. Father, we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that you would help us, Lord, to understand truly how we are accepted in Christ based on Jesus, his once for all, for all time sacrifice, and how you accept people who believe in Jesus. Lord, help us to be passionate, about pleasing You, honoring You in all that we do. Help us to realize that every decision matters, even as we graciously would refuse to judge those who disagree with us, to look down upon those who come to different conclusions. Help us, Lord, to love those who differ, even as we are thankful that You accept us. All for Your glory, in Jesus' name, Amen. You may have a worship guide that we send out. And there'll be some questions that you can work through on that worship guide. It'll just help you understand and maybe talk about with other people better how you can apply these to your life. Once again, thanks for joining us today. God bless you. Hope you have a wonderful day.