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That's over six he that regardeth the day regardeth it unto the Lord and he that regardeth not the day to the Lord He doth not regard it he that eateth eateth to the Lord for he giveth God, thanks And he that eateth not to the Lord he eateth not and giveth God Thanks as long as you thank God for the food that's in front of you. God says it's okay Whether it's all meats all vegetable or somewhere in between it's fine. Okay now turn to Colossians 2 Colossians 2 And look some of this is going to be reviewed next week because as I said I'm preaching a whole sermon against the Seventh-day Adventist, but it's the Word of God And you know what we're going to cover it here. It's in this chapter. It's great information And I want you to see this in Colossians chapter 2 And you know whenever you preach a sermon as a preacher whenever you write a sermon you're about to preach it God always kind of gives you examples ahead of time because I just gave the gospel to a Seventh-day Adventist a couple days ago In the park and it's like I give the gospel to this guy And I'm going through it and he keeps bringing up the Sabbath day He keeps talking about and look here's the thing I give him the invitation and look this is very Baptist Church Palm Park. He's like oh you guys have church on Saturday Like man, that's great. I said well. We have a church in Manila on Sunday. Oh, I It's like praise the Lord a church that meets on Saturday, but wait a minute Oh, we have a church that meets on Sunday, too That's terrible that's sinful, right But it's like I'm trying to give the gospel and he keeps bringing up the Sabbath day And and what I kept telling him is what does this have to do with getting to heaven? Well, I said, I don't care about that more important is knowing you're going to heaven I kept bringing it back to salvation and he kept bringing it back to the Sabbath day over it and he kept bringing it back to the law and how we have to keep the law and everything and I mean and he told me He told me it's by believing when I said, what does it take to be saved? And I said I know pop And then all of a sudden the other stuff comes out. He says you got to be righteous I said, well the Bible says well long sin among my to it He's like yeah. Yeah. Yeah, but you got to try it's like You're not righteous You don't keep the law you sin you make mistakes. It's like look we're all sinners that need a Savior Your works don't save you. I mean it's plain as day in the Bible, but look unsaved people They don't need to get into an argument about the Sabbath. They need to hear the gospel They'll understand the Sabbath after they get saved it's like well you just entered into the rest of the Sabbath Oh, okay. Now I get it, right And you know what? He kept arguing about the Sabbath He didn't end up getting saved, but let me show you here in Colossians 2 where I also turn I was I showed him Romans 14. I went to Colossians 2 notice this in verse 13 and You being dead in your sins in the uncircumcision of your flesh Colossians 2 verse 13 Hath he quickened together with him having forgiven you all trespasses? Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to His cross and having spoiled principalities and powers. He made a show of them openly triumphing over them in it You say what is that talking about verse 16? Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of and holy day or of the new moon Or of the Sabbath days now Let me just say this is a side point here When we're talking about drink when you're not supposed to judge someone in respect of a certain drink they drink Well, if there's a verse that says it's wrong to drink alcohol, which there is Then that's still wrong And that's not my judgment That's what the Bible says but in terms of somebody Drinking and eating certain things and saying I think this is okay, or I think this is wrong I think it's wrong to eat me I think it's wrong to eat vegetables or whatever the diet would be the Bible said anybody judge you in these things or Respective in holy day Say what is holy day? Well like a holiday? Right holy day holiday So nowadays we don't take our holidays as seriously as they took their holidays because they were meant to be like holy days But you see it's basically the same word here, right? And so basically if somebody wants to celebrate Easter praise the Lord if they don't want to celebrate Easter Then that's fine, too Now I would be disappointed if somebody intentionally didn't come to our church today because it's Easter Sunday And they come every other Sunday except Easter I would be very disappointed in that but I also wouldn't criticize them about it's like okay, and that's fine That's that's their opinion right and so here's the thing if you want to celebrate a certain day you can My family we celebrate Christmas You might say brother Stuckey. I don't think it's right to celebrate Christmas pagan or well look well We don't talk teach our kids about Santa Claus We teach them about Satan Claus not Santa Claus I Mean I think I preached a whole sermon about that on Christmas time, so I don't think it's wrong to celebrate Christmas But you know some people do and that's perfectly fine if they don't want to celebrate We don't have to push our beliefs on them either, okay? Or of the new moon or of the Sabbath days So I show him Colossians 2 verse 16 of the Sabbath dates because the Sabbath day was Saturday Okay, but there was also other days of rest in the Old Testament and what he told me is what says Sabbath days So it's all the Sabbath days except the Sabbath day every week I'm just like how do I even how do I even respond to that I? Mean any day that would be called a day of rest any day. That's the Sabbath I mean that would and I explained to him We don't follow the fourth commandment remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy because Jesus fulfilled that on the cross you say what scripture. Do you have for that Colossians 2 verse 17? Which are a shadow of things that come but the body is of Christ what the Bible saying is Jesus nailed these things to the Cross now. Here's the thing it's still wrong to kill. It's still wrong to commit adultery However the Sabbath day was a picture of Jesus Christ and the same guy tells me well You know when I ask him well, why don't you sacrifice animals? He said well that was fulfilled by Jesus And I said that was not the only thing that was fulfilled by Jesus Christ though And and he's right there were certain things fulfilled the law still applies The moral law but in terms of like cleanliness laws that were a picture of Jesus Christ Those are done away because they were merely meant to be a picture of Jesus Christ And you've got these atheists that mocked the Bible for these laws and we see them in their beautiful because they're a picture of Jesus Christ And here's the thing all of those laws are actually good laws. Anyway, they're just not requirements It's actually healthy to avoid eating the unclean animals. It would actually be good for you There's a reason why they're unclean. It's just not a sin to eat those animals Okay Because Jesus fulfilled them on the cross and I showed him this anyway, it just went over his head Okay now turn in your Bible to Romans 14 Romans 14 Let Me give you a couple examples of some doubtful Disputations that we as Baptist could argue about in church because I don't want any people to get in arguments about this over different opinions on stuff And I want you to understand something So many people love to get their opportunity to be a preacher, right and they're not preaching a sermon, but it's like man I'm gonna preach my mini sermon to somebody else at church for five minutes and tell them why they should change this It's like that is not your place to do that And you will never find me going to people outside of this pulpit and telling them you need to change this I don't do that. I Preach what the Bible says behind the pulpit and you know what? I keep my personal opinions to myself I give advice from the pulpit and I see people that don't follow it. You know, I don't say anything to them That's their choice. Okay, it's not your place to go outside the pulpit and tell people where they got to make all these changes in their life Let me give you some examples of things that could cause some arguments and it's like, you know Honestly people should just keep their mouths shut and one big thing is clothing Clothing causes a lot of arguments in Baptist churches. You say brother Stuckey, you know, shouldn't that be preached? Well, I preached whole sermons on clothing. I preach sermons that people could get offended But you know what? I don't go outside the pulpit and tell people you got to make this change, right? Let me give you an example the Bible teaches we should dress modestly Now here's the thing if we were to talk about nakedness There's a clear line given of this is nakedness between the knee and the waist Okay, and then this area is a bit of a source of debate But here's the thing that gives you a set thing. This is wrong this area of your your body being exposed But what is modest? Well, you know what that can be a matter of opinion depending on who the person is We should all seek to dress modestly However, your opinion of modesty might be a little bit different than my opinion You might have a stricter standard than me for example, let's say, you know You say I want my wife to have a dress down to her ankles. Okay. I mean nothing wrong with that. I Wouldn't have that strict of a standard because you know as long as the nakedness is covered I would consider that to be modest but somebody might have a more strict standard that is okay The problem would be if somebody causes a fight about it or for example You know, I personally I don't think it's a sin to wear jeans with holes in them that are below the knee But I'll be honest with you. I would not feel comfortable wearing jeans that have holes in them below the knees But I'm not gonna say it's a sin either Because none of their nakedness is being exposed. I I wouldn't want my kids to do that, but Here's the thing I'm not saying it's wrong to do that either because I don't have a verse that would say it's wrong to wear jeans with holes In them below your knee. I'm not sure it even existed until the modern times It's like it's like an issue now, right? But it's just like I can't say it would be a sin I mean look I've had jeans before where you know You're outside playing football or basketball and they get holes in them. I've never bought jeans that already had holes, right? I don't know why you'd pay twice as much money for half as many clothes, right better, but you know how people do that It's like well, here's the thing as long as it's not showing off their nakedness. I can't point to a verse where I would say It's wrong. I don't know whether it'd be modest or not. I mean, I just wouldn't feel comfortable doing it myself I would say you see how that's a bit of a gray area situation People have different opinions on how you know kids should be dressed kids that are babies now My personal standpoint is that they're not at the age of accountability So it's not even I mean obviously we our kids wear clothes and we try to dress them up for church and stuff But you know what when kids are one year old It's not really weird for them to be like without wearing their clothes They don't even understand just like Adam and Eve once they sinned. Oh, wow. We're naked It's kind of like kids when they reach that age of accountability So for me, it's not really a big deal how my one-year-old or my three-year-old dresses However, some people it's a big deal to them and look that's perfectly fine. If your standard is more strict than mine I don't want to try to get you to change your standard and I'll show you why later in the sermon why that's important it Is okay that we form different lines in the sand? That's perfectly fine There are some things I might be more strict than you and there might be some things you're more strict than me It's perfectly fine because those aren't things like thus saith the Lord There are plenty of thus saith the Lord's in the Bible, but in things that are gray area situations It's not worth getting into a big fight in trying to criticize other people when you don't even have a verse that shows you're right It's just your opinion Okay We're not talking about somebody tells you at church. Hey, I killed somebody last night. Well, I can't judge you That's not what we're talking about We're talking about things that are just areas that could cause debate and division and they're not even things where it's like It's a clear verse in the Bible. One thing is clothing. Another thing is worldliness now We preach against worldliness, but isn't worldliness kind of a gray area situation. What's worldly? What's not worldly? You know, there's certain things that I might not feel comfortable with because I might consider them worldly and you might not consider them worldly It's okay for us to form a different line in the sand Okay Because ultimately God's the one that's judging us and he's gonna bring to spring delight all the things That are even hidden in the heart the Bible says Well, here's another example. There are religions and this is not my position But there are religions and people that are against drinking caffeine Right. There are people that are against drinking coffee and against drinking coke The Mormons are very famous for that Mormons owned a share of coca-cola while preaching it was wrong to drink caffeine Well, I mean you make money off her. I mean owning part of coke you made a lot a lot of money, right? It's like how about being a hypocrite or I mean, you know, you know what the most common country is to export beef India Talk about being hypocrites. Talk about the love of money. It's against eating meat, but we'll just sell it to somebody else to eat It's like what in the world right look I'm not against drinking coffee or drinking caffeine But you know what? There are people that have that opinion I don't know if there's anyone at our at our church who does have an opinion or not I would try to get him avoid brother Dexter because that could be like his love for coffee right nobody, you know, it's like But it's just like, you know, it's not it's perfectly fine. If someone says I don't think I should drink coffee I think caffeine is bad for you as long as they don't make it a fight That is a topic that's very gray area there's verses that say it's wrong to drink alcohol, but you know with drinking caffeine It's like people can have different opinions and that's perfectly fine Okay, it's not worth making a big issue over. So point number one is this Just examples of doubtful disputations. There are a lot of examples and one thing I found is this people often hold their opinions More forcefully than things that are direct commandments in the Bible if somebody has an opinion about something It's like everybody must believe this or I'll be mad Right. It's like my opinion and I'm sure everybody knows this. I believe soccer is the greatest sport in the world But you know, am I gonna spend my whole life trying to convince everybody we're gonna have a seminar here, right? A special seminar cancel So when they all go through all the reasons why soccer is a better sport than bat and basketball is my second favorite sport But I'm gonna go through all the reasons why soccer is the world's greatest sport and people often hold their opinions very seriously It's just like, you know what it's okay if people have different opinions On gray area topics, right that is okay. Point number one examples of doubtful disputations point to Judging your brother. Okay. What does the Bible say about judging your brother verse 7? for none of us liveth to himself Romans 14 verse 7 for none of us liveth to himself and No, man diet to himself The Bible teaches here in verse 7 this is a very profound verse That none of us live to ourselves and what that means is this you say brother Stuckey I'm committing this sin, but it does not affect anybody else. Well, what about Romans 14 verse 7? None of us liveth to himself You think that your sinful life doesn't affect other people. What about Romans 14 verse 7? None of us liveth to himself when you do wrong you affect other people whether you realize it or not None of us liveth to himself and none of us died to ourselves the Bible says Okay your lives in the way you live your lives They affect other people according the Bible verse 8 for whether we live we live under the Lord and whether we die We die under the Lord whether we live therefore or die We are the Lord's for to this end Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living But why dost thou judge thy brother? So the Bible is trying to say here is this in the first several verses verses 7 through 9 Look Jesus died for everybody Everybody and we're not just talking about everybody we're talking about your brothers and sisters in Christ I mean Jesus died for everybody But we're specifically referring to those that get saved and it's like when you're getting into a big argument with your fellow brother in Christ Remember that Jesus died for that brother in Christ and you're supposed to love your brother or sister in Christ Even if they're obnoxious You're supposed to love your brother and sister in Christ. Okay, that's what the Bible teaches But why does thou judge thy brother or why dost thou set it not thy brother for we shall all stand before the judgment seat Of Christ and so kind of the example would be is if there's divisions in church Where there's this group of the church that says, you know, we sit at the vegetarian table Okay, and then we got people sitting at the carnivore table and then we got people at you know, the balanced Table right the balance of a little bit of everything right? It's like well, those are divisions in church and that's a foolish thing to be divided at Even if people had very different opinions on diet You should still be able to eat with anybody at church and not have a fight and not have a problem one example of this and I I don't know if this happening at our church, but I've known a plenty of examples is People get paired up for soul winning and they get into a fight Outsole winning and It's like I've known of examples of this happening. It's like how do you get into a fight outsole winning? It's like you're doing literally like the most spiritual thing you could possibly do But you're so much in the flesh that you fight with your brother or sister in Christ It's like what in the world and it's just like even if they say something that offends You know what? You can just let that pass and realize you know what we're trying to save people that Jesus died for and this Is more important okay verse 11 for it is written as I live saith the Lord every knee shall bow to me and every tongue Shall confess to God so then every one of us shall give account of himself to God us that are saved We are going to bow down before Jesus Christ in awe and respect of Jesus Christ We're gonna bow down before God and we're gonna be judged based on the rewards we get No sins are ever coming up for a safe person because you have eternal life Now unsaved people they're gonna bow down before God to beg for mercy and There is going to be no mercy coming for them because they're gonna spend forever in hell and they're gonna be judged for all their Sins they commit the great white throne judgment different than the believers judgment the judgment seat of Christ now go to Matthew 7 Matthew 7 Matthew 7 Now I don't want you to be confused about judging your brother because I'm telling you not to judge your brother But you know what you need to have a proper balance on what I mean by that Okay, it's like sometimes people try to make it a point to find a statement by a preacher And then say well, this is not true because of this it's like well You need to have a proper perspective on things like recently I you know I saw it online like I don't try to get involved on online things But a comment I guess I preached a sermon years ago on John 15 about the branches basically being burned meaning if you're someone who's saved, but you're not going soul-winning You're basically taking up space You're basically useless or whatever is what the Bible says in John 15 That is what the parables about and then people got like offended, and I remember people messaged me And they were offended by the sermon. I'm thinking no soul winner would be offended by that By the way, I still believe every word of that. That's what John 15 is about I don't know how else to you know preach that right? That's what it's talking about, but it's just like they try to bring up vague examples like well. What about someone? What about someone who's you know really sick, and they're not able to go you're saying that they're not right with God It's like come on. It's like it's obvious what that means right when I tore my ACL, and I had surgery I couldn't go so winning for like two months, but I didn't get offended by sermons about preaching Now brother Marlon messaged me like a thousand times. He was offended by every now. I'm just kidding all right But it's just like of course you understand. There's exceptions to just about everything right and it's like you can hear something and understand Well, what was he actually meaning by that of course there's exceptions? But do I have to qualify everything I say up here like I preach something now Let me spend five minutes giving you all of the exceptions. You know if you don't go to church You're not right with God, but wait a minute. Let me give you 55 exceptions. That's not how you preach Of course there's exceptions when you're sick and things such as that or when your wife's in labor right there's exceptions We understand that it's like the only reason why you'd be offended though is if you have a reason to be offended It's reality Matthew 7 verse 1 This is the most famous verse in the entire Bible now This has passed John 3 16, and I'm dead serious. They did a study on this This is now the most quoted verse in the entire Bible above John 3 16 except. They only quote two words of the verse Judge not the most famous phrase in the entire Bible Judge not it's like and people try to tell you that you're like okay. Do you know where it says that in the Bible? It's like no Do you know the context of that? Can you tell me the rest of the verse you realize that's not the end of the verse But they're just like the Bible says judge not judge not judge not right just repeating what they've heard Because of the fact they have something to hide that's the reason why they would quote it Judge not that you be not judged because if you're judging someone you're gonna be judged What does that mean for with what judgment you judge? He shall be judged okay with what measure you need? It shall be measured to you again See what the Bible saying is this if I were to look down on someone and make it a big point to gossip about somebody Being you know worldly well I'm gonna be judged in the same white way both by other people, but also by God Because God's gonna show himself merciful to those that are merciful or one of the things that sometimes women can be guilty of They will gossip about how another lady at the church is the biggest gossip They'll tell all the other ladies this person is such a gossip at our church, right? It's like they're gossiping About somebody else gossiping, and I'm just like you know what in the world right? And it's just and you know this is this is usually true like if somebody will point out other people man this person's so bitter They're usually the most bitter person This person has so many problems. They usually they're trying to compensate They got the problems And it's like let us just bring out that old Fashion mirror and put it right in front of you and look at yourself and realize you're the one who has the problem right? Verse three and Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but consider. It's not the beam that is in thine own eye Here's what the Bible shows us here in verse three and we need to remember this Usually when people see a small problem in someone else they've got big problems in their own life and Like this is and look I've noticed this just in myself on a small level that when I start to be not quite as right With God, maybe I'm not reading the Bible as much I start to see all kinds of problems in other people isn't it weird how that works, but when I'm right with God I don't even notice problems in other people, but it's just like you know when somebody has a lot of problems They'll point out a small flaw in somebody else, and it's like to vindicate themselves It's like they have this guilty conscience that they you just can't help but speak these things right and you know whenever you see people That are trying to criticize some somebody on something really small usually they've got big problems that they need to fix That's reality and that's what I've seen in churches It's reality verse four or how would they'll say to thy brother let me pull out the motive out of thine eye and behold a beam Is in thine own eye thou hypocrite? First cast out the beam out of thine own eye And then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mode out of that brother's eye So the Bible says this it's not that it's wrong to judge But you need to get rid of your own personal problems before you can clearly see to judge somebody else if you've got a lot Of problems you're not going to accurately see the problems in somebody else You need to get that beam out of your own eye first the Bible says okay now turn to Romans 14 Romans chapter 14 Sounds like we got a cool guy outside trying to impress someone right You never know what's gonna happen around here, right? I still remember that time like I'm preaching and sound like some sort of rat or mouse mice was up here what in the world right? Because here's the thing in the US rats are pretty small here like they eat cats It's like my cat died last night. What happened the rat got a hold of it It's like what in the world and look I've seen those rats. It was it was kind of scary I saw this giant rat. You know crawling in a sewer, and I'm like oh my goodness, right? Verse 7 Romans 14 forever actually hold on one second Romans 14 verse 13 point number one examples of doubtful Disputations point to judging your brother point three just having care for your brother your sister in Christ Romans 14 verse 13, and let me just say this on the last point be very careful about the hyper Spiritual people the people that are just they literally are holier than they'll bring up something That's very vague and acts super righteous and everything those are usually the people that have some real skeletons in their closet I Mean they'll talk about something. That's really ridiculous like for example is the back of your neck nakedness While they're committing fornication It's like good night talk about being hyper look the people that are hyper spiritual those are the people they got real problems in their Lives and it's like they try to justify by coming with some. I mean the back of your neck. I mean what are we Muslims? It's like good night Do we got to cover up our entire faces even one of our eyes and just like you know there's one little eye can be Seen or it's a sin. It's nakedness. Well. Where's that in the Bible? It's ridiculous Romans 14 verse 13 let us not therefore judge one another anymore But Judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way And the Bible says instead of judging your brother Make it a point that you're not putting a stumbling block in somebody's way to cause them to sin or to do wrong Okay, now the context here if somebody thinks something's a sin. You know what you don't want to try to Convince them to eat a burger if they think it's wrong And we're gonna see why in a second, but here's the thing about this don't don't worry about other people's lives Just make sure you're not living your life in a way that would cause other people to sin do sin and do wrong Okay basically judge yourself an example of this is that when you hear a sermon preached and You walk away and your first thought is brother so-and-so really needed that sermon that was great Sister so-and-so really needed that sermon that was great. You know what that tells me that You Needed that sermon It's like man that sermon about reading the Bible so insert because here's the thing when I hear sermons about why I need to go So any I'm like man. I needed that rebuke. I need to make sure I stay at it man I need to keep reading the Bible. I need to keep praying I need to keep getting worldliness out of my life, but when you hear sermons And you just always try to apply it to somebody else. It's like You probably need to hear it. That's reality Verse 14 I Know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself now look take the context of the entire Chapter it's not saying well. You know what anything you do. It's not unclean well There's examples given at the very beginning of the chapter the direct context was referring to food And that's what he's referring back to obviously there are certain things that are sin the Bible says touch not the unclean thing They're still unclean things, okay But it's referring to food okay, and basically food or anything related like that nothing on we're talking about things that are not sinful Nothing unclean clean of itself, but notice this but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean to him it is unclean You say what does that mean brother sucky? Well? Let's say somebody is a drug addict well drugs are unclean unhealthy their sin They're wrong right. I don't think there's any question about it. Somebody's like a coke addict or heroin addict. That's a sin That's wrong. Somebody's a drunk. That's a sin. That's wrong There's plenty of things in the Bible that would teach us that but let's say somebody is against eating a burger Here's the thing even though it's not a sin to eat a burger if they think it's a sin And then they choose to eat it anyway. It's unclean to them. It would actually be a sin for them Because of the fact they have a standard this is a sin, and they choose to break it because of peer pressure Here's the thing they actually are sinning even though. It's not you know a sin inherently. Do you understand the difference? So here's the thing if somebody at our church has a different diet And they think these things are wrong or sinful you don't want to try to force them to eat those things because you're gonna actually Cause them to sin even though it's not inherently sinful Okay, look my standard. Is it you're allowed to eat any meat any drink. That's not like alcohol or something directly stated I'm not against drinking coffee if somebody's against drinking coffee though I'm not gonna try to trick them into drinking a Starbucks cappuccino or whatever right? It's just like it's okay for them to have that standard We don't want to cause them to sin or do wrong because it is unclean to them even though It's not really unclean if you understand what I'm saying this that's what the Bible says here Verse 15, but if thy brother be grieved with thy meat now walkest thou not charitably destroy Not him with thy meat for whom Christ died Let not then your good be evil spoken of so I don't believe that if a vegetarian joins our church We've got to quit eating meat in front of them I don't believe that's what the Bible teaches But I do believe this we should not try to force them to eat meat if they're against it And so how could you destroy your brother? Well, let's say somebody's new to our church trying to make them feel Let me just take you out to eat and you take them out. Don't worry. I'll pay for it Let me just order for you. And then all you do is order them meat and you know, they're vegetarian It's like you're not walking charitably. You're an obnoxious jerk, right? It's like that's the sort of example we're saying it's just like you know If somebody has a different opinion let them have that opinion don't you don't have to tell them they're wrong Look, we all hear opinions sometimes that we don't agree with But let somebody have their opinion they can have a different opinion than you and you know We seriously get so obsessed with things that are not right or wrong either way It's just someone's personal choice and we make it a big deal that you've got to be just like me. No, they don't We're different people and people can have different opinions and that is perfectly okay Verse 17 for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink. You say what does that mean? Well go to Matthew 23 I want to show this to you fully and here's the thing the first sermons a bit longer The second sermon is gonna be a bit shorter here today. It's gonna balance out Because I want you to understand there are a lot of rules in the Bible and if somebody is right with God Then you know what? They are gonna really follow those rules pretty well However, somebody can follow those rules really well without being right with God So here's the thing if somebody's really living a righteous life on the outside That might be an outpouring of what's on the inside or it might just be fake So here's the thing It's it's not just me drink because honestly the reality is God wants you to get right on the inside If you get right on the inside, you're gonna get right on the outside But just because somebody's right on the outside Doesn't mean they're right on the inside. It could be fake. I mean good night It's like how many politicians and presidents they wear nice suits and everything. They're well-spoken They seem so kind with their words, we just want to help the people we care about them I just want to be a servant, you know or whatever and it's like on the inside. It's like right Matthew 23 verse 25 Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for ye may clean the outside of the cup and of the platter But within they are full of extortion and excess Thou blind Pharisee cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter that the outside of them may be clean also So the Pharisees and the scribes they were right on the outside they came dressed nicely Everything they did was proper and they looked great. But Jesus says on the inside you're wicked Okay, and he says cleanse what's on the inside and the outside is gonna cleanse itself This is why I'm not super obsessed when people are new to our church that they've got to start following all these rules Because the reality is if I'm right and I'm preaching what the Bible says if they're coming to our church long enough They're gonna start changing the outside because The inside is cleansed You know example this when I was in college I had a staph infection in my leg because the Bible gives examples we can understand and I had a staph infection in my leg And you know, I don't like going to the doctor's I really went to too long before I went to the doctors But you know, they had to cut open, you know the leg and there's you know All this blood and everything and they put a sharp object in my leg I think they called a packing the leg and they said we cannot let it heal from the outside In because if it heals on the outside without being healed on the inside you could have a real problem so they kept something sharp inside and every few days they bring it out a couple millimeters and Basically, it's slowly it's slowly healed from the inside out Because what could happen is the outside of the leg could basically heal but the insides not healed and you have a big problem Here's the thing It's a bit dangerous to try to force someone to follow rules if they don't even believe that in their heart They need to be ready for that Okay, and so look, of course, I want to see people make changes But I want it to be sincere and real not that they're trying to impress somebody They actually see what the Bible says they want to do what's right and the outside is a true Manifestation of what's on the inside not just fake but they actually mean it on the inside. Okay Go back to go to 1st Corinthians 4 1st Corinthians chapter 4 1st Corinthians 4 1st Corinthians chapter 4 Now here's the thing we understand The Bible says man looketh on the outward appearance now whether you think that's right or wrong. It's a fact Man looketh on the outward appearance if I showed up here today and I was just wearing shorts and a t-shirt You're gonna form certain opinions about that. I Mean, I'm not saying it's a it's wrong to not wear clothing like this when you preach But here's the thing if I dress in a certain way you form opinions You dress respectfully people respect you go to an interview, right? You know, you got a job interview. What do you wear? Well, you know, I wear shorts and sandals in a t-shirt. Well, good luck getting that job Because they are gonna form judgments on you It's like when I was in the u.s I always wore suits to interviews because I wanted to try to take it as seriously as possible So they would look at me and say man and I wanted them to have the reaction man. He's going a little bit overboard It's like that's good Especially when you're interviewing for math positions because it's just like, you know structure and everything. It's like, okay, you know It's like it's better to be overdressed than underdressed Right now it's not a sin though to wear shorts and a t-shirt, but here's the thing I'm not gonna preach in shorts and a t-shirt man. Look at them the outward appearance But here's the thing about this what we have a tendency to do is when we make changes We expect everybody else to make the same change immediately It's like, you know, let's say a lady quits dressing in a certain way And then the next week she just tries to get everybody else to change how they're dressed It's like you just changed right? It's like give people a chance to grow give them time Okay, and we have a tendency to try to just get people to change Look you have to realize if they get right on the inside they're gonna get right on the outside and here's the thing This is a church where people will hear the Word of God preached I've been at churches where I felt like I had to like teach them the Word of God because they weren't necessarily getting it at Church that's not this church though All you have to do is get someone to come to church and guess what they're gonna get the entire Bible We preach all of the Bible. Okay, so just Trust God's system and make sure you're respectful and give people a chance to grow first Corinthians 4 verse 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you or of man's judgment Yeah, I judge not my own self For I know nothing by myself yet am I not hereby justified But he that judges me is the Lord therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord come and Paul says, you know What I'm not even trying to judge myself, you know, we're gonna find out when the time comes basically What we're getting rewarded for and what we did that was right Who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts And then shall every man have praise of God. Here's the thing. God is gonna reveal what's on the inside of all of us That are saved Anyway, you can do actions on the outside but not that you actually mean it on the inside and you don't just get rewards for the actions you do but also Did you actually do it for the right reason? I mean if you're just doing things to be seen a man if you're gonna pray in the streets to be seen of man It's just like you might have done a good thing by praying but you know what? It's for the wrong reason You're not gonna get a reward the Bible says you need to make sure that the way we live our lives We do it for the right reason We're not trying to get praise of man But we're just trying to do what the Bible says to do go to Romans 14 will close up Romans 14 Romans 14 Romans 14 And this kind of ties into last week's sermon, I mean just about loving your brother, right? It's sort of like a continuation, but that's what Romans 14 is talking about. We're basically I mean, don't be an obnoxious jerk, right? That's kind of a title. You could call this sermon. Yeah, don't be an obnoxious jerk have your opinion I mean keep your opinion to yourself basically, right? that's kind of what the context of the chapter is and it gives many reasons why and Now once you understand the difference if somebody's committing a major sin It's not like why I can't judge them because that's how people try to talk They're like, well, you know what? You can't judge them for getting an abortion Well, the Bible says that's murder So here's the thing that's not even my judgment That's God's judgment. I mean if somebody commits adultery, well, you can't judge them. No, wait a minute I'm not judging when I say thou shalt not commit adultery. I'm quoting a verse where God already made the judgment Okay, and so that's not even judging them. Okay, that's just showing what the judgment is But people get mad at the messenger because of what God said, okay Notice what it says in Romans 14 verse 17 For The kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost For he that in these things serve with Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace and things were with one may edify another So look when we're gonna say things or live our lives make sure we're trying to edify people We have a spirit of peace not to try to cause fights and disputes But we're trying to live our lives where we're basically uniting us as a church not dividing By causing these arguments and disputes about things. Okay verse 20 for me destroy not the work of God All things indeed are pure but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense So the Bible says here in verse 20 for me destroy not the work of God Okay, so here's the thing and meats not referring directly to me, but it's referring to food in general here, but Basically if you have a certain diet Even if you're right that you can eat all things don't destroy the work of God to prove that your rights Look if somebody has a different opinion, let's say somebody's against eating foods They're vegetarian They're vegan by trying to rebuke them or show them why they're wrong You might cause them to quit the church and never grow and not be a part of our church Don't destroy the work of God because of a different opinion about diets I mean doesn't it really seem stupid to do and yet this is a big thing that causes fights as well The Bible mentions it, you know doubtful disputations This is a real issue with churches and as far as I know I'm not aware of it being a big issue here, but you know what things like this can be a big opinion, right? I mean, I'm sure and I'm not doing this in this sermon and I don't want you to discuss this out But if I were to try to form a poll opinion of what is your opinion about President Marcos good or bad? You know what? We'd have a very divided room people would have different opinions or what's your opinion about President Duterte there would be different opinions What is that really worth getting into a big fight about? I mean, is it I mean it really isn't and I understand we all have opinions about stuff Okay, but is it worth making a big fight about something where it's not even a Bible Topic, it's not a Bible. No, it's not worth doing It's better just to avoid things like it and look if somebody says something that you disagree with or goes against your opinion My personal standpoint what I try to do is just kind of ignore it and just think yeah They weren't trying to be rude Even though I disagree with what they say and look I hear people say things I disagree with all the time But you know, it's not the end of the world if they say something that I don't agree with. Okay, it's perfectly fine Don't destroy the work of God because of a different opinion on something all things indeed are pure So here's the thing once again You can eat all things but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense the person who's against eating that it would be Wrong for them to eat it if they think it's wrong It is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine or anything whereby thy brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak now Here's the thing I don't believe this means we cannot eat meat in front of a vegetarian because that would go against our own free will and just Many things in the Bible, but don't make it a point to try to force someone to eat meat if they're against it Okay, keep eating your own food, but don't try to force somebody else into something that they don't believe or agree with Okay, hast thou faith have it to thyself before God Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth So it's better for someone who's against eating something to just not eat it Look, if you're against drinking coca-cola, we're gonna have coca-cola here for lunch. Just don't drink it But also don't try to tell people why it's wrong to drink coke or if somebody says oh, did you want coke? Well, no, I don't want to have coke because of the fact I believe it's a sin because of this this it's like whoa Calm down. All right You don't need to just to preach your sermon on this. Okay, it's perfectly fine for people If they want to or don't want to drink pop, okay And so it says happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth so let people make their own decisions and stuff verse 23 and He that doubteth is damned if he eat because he eateth not a faith for whatsoever is not a faith is sin, so the Bible says this if there is a food and You're not sure You question whether it's sinful to eat it. You shouldn't eat it Because you are sinning because it's not of faith the Bible says whatsoever is not of faith It's in even if it's not inherently sinful. I mean if you think it's wrong To eat ham then you know what? I mean like for example We gave people didn't we gave like hams for gifts for Christmas or something like that Look if your opinion is it's wrong to eat him then hey, you know either you could go home and throw it away Or you know if you don't feel comfortable giving to someone else or just but here's what you don't want to do though is Just tell me why you know, I didn't eat the ham and here's why cuz that would be very rude to me And and nobody did that but it's just like I would be pretty offended if it's like we bought somebody a ham and then it's Like it's one thing if you go home and I'm not aware of it, but it's another thing if you're just bustles It's like oh wow, thanks a lot. I appreciate you letting me know I'll make it a point never to buy anything for you ever ever ever again Right, and it's just like you know what it's okay to have strong opinions about things The problem is when you make it a big issue and cause fights about it. Look we all have in here. Here's the thing Sometimes you see things and I'm not someone who gets really involved in online things with other churches I'm sure everybody's aware of that. You know, I usually really just don't get involved or preach about them or whatever But you know when situations happen in terms of like-minded churches, let me be honest. I always have an opinion. I Just don't tell people my opinion Cuz it has nothing to do with me It just doesn't involve me and look I have a pin I mean we don't we all have opinions about anything that comes up. Of course, we form our own personal opinions Here's the thing though. Does everybody need to hear what your opinion is? Or is it just better to keep it to yourself between you and God Or you and your wife or you and your husband, you know you and your direct family Is it worth making it a big deal and telling everybody else about no, it's not you're just gonna cause fights You're gonna cause problems as a church Once again, we want to be united together as a church and that's how we get 300 salvations in a week If we had all these fights look I want you to realize People like the sermons where I'm just ripping something apart one week. I'm ripping abortion the next week I'm ripping the Jews and the Hindus and the Catholics and the Protestants just every week preaching against something Here's the thing though If that was the spirit of our church all the time It would cause us to get in fights all the time too and everything and it's like as much as we enjoy those sermons Could we love to scream? Amen, right? Here's the thing We need sermons that are just edifying in this chapters about having peace with one another and look it's not always worth getting into fights With other people. Let's close in a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father Thank you for allowing us to be here today and getting to see your word on this topic of Romans 14 Thank you for allowing us to be a church that is united and is doing great things for you right now Help us to always have that spirit about our church God. Obviously, we're all growing We all make mistakes all of us make rude comments from time to time Help us to be willing to forgive our brothers who might say something rude help us not personally to say anything That's rude and help us to be very careful with strong opinions We have where it's okay for someone to have a different opinion and help us remember these things and continue to bless our church in Jesus name we pray. Amen Thank you For that song, turn your notes to song number 52. Song number 52. Zion's hill Song number 52, let's sing Zion's hill Let's sing it on the first There waits for me a glad tomorrow Where things come close we hope and try And when I've passed the veil of sorrow I've fell upon the other side Someday the operation will morph again Someday God only knows it's fair And when the wheels of mortal life Shall hold us still And I shall go to God on Zion's hill Let it someday a new day will begin Beyond the shadows of the truth And all the realms of heaven will be What saints are singing comes to know Someday the operation will morph again Someday God only knows it's fair And when the wheels of mortal life Shall hold us still And I shall go to God on Zion's hill Someday the neighbors will bring him there And all my wonders will be born And all the sloping lives we've taken And I shall sign him before Someday the operation will morph again Someday God only knows it's fair And when the wheels of mortal life Shall hold us still And I shall go to God on Zion's hill Someday your dark ones will be written And all the night of looking past And all the terrors will begin Someday the operation will morph again Someday the operation will morph again Someday God only knows it's fair And when the wheels of mortal life Shall hold us still And I shall go to God on Zion's hill And all my wonders will be born Someday the operation will morph again And I shall sign him before Someday the operation will morph again