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Amen this evening we are in Romans chapter number 14 and we'll begin reading in verse number 1 where the Bible reads hear him that is weak in the faith receive ye but not to doubtful disputation so now in Romans chapter number 14 we begin to get into like a separate subject here obviously we just looked into the different subjects as far as authority is concerned in Romans 13 and Romans 12 we saw the transformation or the renewing of our minds we saw Paul dealing with this matter of the Jews in chapters 9 through 11 but now we can start getting to almost a personal relationship between you and your brethren and he starts off the chapter here talking about those who are weak in the faith you know we ought to receive them and it goes without saying that within a church setting in Christianity there's always those who are strong and there are those who are weak within a church setting in the local church every local church there's always those who are strong but there are those who are weak and the Bible tells us that those who are weak in their faith maybe they don't know the Bible is good or maybe they haven't been in church very long we ought to receive them but the Bible says not to doubtful disputations okay and obviously there's people out there who are weak but yet they're not necessarily sincere okay these people come into churches or they comment on YouTube or they go through social media trying to act like they're sincere about a certain subject but they're not sincere they want to start trouble they want to debate they don't they haven't read through the Bible once and they think they can they can you know just argue their biblical so-called biblical points well the Bible tells us that we ought to receive those who are who are weak in the faith but not to doubtful disputations and in fact the Bible says in 2 Timothy 2 22 or 23 says but foolish and unlearned questions avoid knowing that they do gender strives and we already went through this in different sermons but it's important that we have in our minds that we are to receive people but not so we can strive with them not so we can debate with them not so we can prove our own point okay and let me say this in our church here there is no we're not gonna take a consensus to fight figure out what's right and what's wrong okay or what do we believe what do we don't believe this isn't run as a democracy no church should ever be run as a democracy okay when we receive people who are weak in the faith we want to teach them they'll be taught through the pulpit they'll be taught taught through individuals to teach the Word of God and doctrine but you know what if they come in here causing strife or trying to spread heresy they're getting the boot why because we're not gonna receive that to doubtful disputations now verse number two says for one believeth that he may eat all things another who is weak eateth herbs now let me just start off by saying that the Bible teaches us right here and I'm not trying to be facetious I'm not trying to be funny about this but it's it's it says it right there it says that if you eat herbs you're weak that's what God says okay if you eat only herbs then you're weak according to the Bible now that's true in a physical sense okay and yes we're gonna talk about vegetarians and veganism today just a little bit because obviously the chapter you know talks about it but the Bible tells us right there that if that's what you do and it's referring to the person who only eats herbs because it's making a contrast between those who don't eat just herbs they eat meats as well the Bible says that they're weak they're not only weak physically and that can be proven scientifically but they're also weak in the faith why is that because the Bible tells us over and over and over again that we don't have to abstain from me so you say well how does that prove that they're weak well it shows that they haven't read the Bible you know if there's a doctrine in the Bible that's constantly being hammered or always talked about and you know it's not something you can easily breeze over and someone says that it's not in the Bible that person is weak according to the Word of God why cuz they obviously they're not in the Bible enough to see that the Bible obviously condones eating meat okay since Genesis all the way to revelations there's meat being eaten okay Genesis chapter 3 God kills an animal to clothe Adam and Eve Genesis chapter 19 Jesus Christ eats meat throughout the Levitical law God commands the sacrifices to be accomplished to be done to be offered and to be eaten that's how he pays the men the Levites is by eating the meat the beef okay Jesus Christ even when he resurrected in his glorified state ate fish okay he ate meat he ate food this is a very essential aspect of the Christian life right it's the beef and according to the Bible if you eat beef then you know you're strong right but it says here for one believe it that he made all things another who is weak eateth herbs now let me say this if someone's a vegan which I don't think we don't have vegans there's anybody a vegan here also you're a vegan yeah yeah and the pre-tribulation doctrine is correct that's how much you are just kidding he could take a joke right he could take a joke I don't even know what I you made me lose my place here so I don't think anybody's a vegan here I don't think anybody's a vegetarian but let me say this is they're not evil people who are vegans or vegetarians okay they're not evil people I believe some of them are misled okay but someone who's a vegan someone who's a vegetarian is not evil they're not wicked in any in any sense of the form now there are vegans who are we wicked and evil why is that because there's two sects of them obviously there's one who just believed wants to do it for their health's sake you know they they you know maybe they they lived up a really terrible life as far as far as their diet was concerned and they're trying to improve that by eating vegetables and and only stay staying away from dairy products etc but then there's the other portion which would be considered the militant vegans which teach that you have to abstain from me and you have to eat herbs and only herbs at that point it becomes wicked why is that because simply for the fact that now they're teaching for doctrines the commandments of men something wrong with eating vegetables I think you should eat vegetables okay but when you start teaching that you should only eat vegetables and that you're sinning when you eat meat then it becomes evil okay then it becomes undocumented then it becomes heretical he said do people really say that I knew a guy okay while I was in Bible College I knew a guy who came to our Bible College and he was a vegan okay and he came and and you know what I sinned in the sense of you know I offended him okay I did wrong okay in a sense because I didn't care you know I was just like I told and now I think I was like the dorm supervisor at that time so you know I said okay well you're I said well you know great I'm glad you know if you're vegan you're vegan I'm not I told them and in fact I don't think anybody in the dorms is a vegan and we all eat meat here so if you're gonna live here you're gonna have to kind of put up with that you know what I mean and and here's the thing I you know if that's what you want to do then that's fine but he was trying to just push his doctrine down our throats every single day you know eat this you need to eat this I'm like hey I love fruit but I'm gonna eat it but I'm gonna go eat a burger right now you know I'm not trying to like rub that in your face but that's what we do we just would eat meat and I remember and the reason this guy believed this is because he stayed with the family that believed that and they they brainwashed them they said that they they related eating meat to pharmaca and sorcery just weird stuff weird and they you know they're they're trying to come up and I understand there's GMOs and all these things we got to worry about but some people take it way too far so this guy you know he's like vegetarian or a vegan and you know only eat fruits and and part of persimmons you guys know what persimmons are that fruit that gives you cottonmouth after you're done eating it he would eat that all the time and I was kind of cool I was cool within the sense of yeah I eat fruit but I'm not gonna stop and he's like yeah you need to stop eating that stuff that stuff is so bad for you and you know the Bible says that they you know they only ate vegetables and fruits and in the Garden of Eden and he would just say all these things and I was just like this guy's weak in the faith and I would tell him I said you know the Bible actually says that for you to tell me to abstain from meats is the doctrine of devils I told him that and he didn't believe me and I was like let me show you and even after I showed him he's like no no no no I mean looking back obviously you know if he's rejecting the Word of God he's probably wasn't even saved so I'm gonna I'm gonna share this this the story with you right just to just to kind of elaborate on what we're talking about tonight so you know one day after church we're heading and look I don't eat McDonald's anymore but I used to eat McDonald's back in the day it was like a big thing and if you're in here you eat McDonald's I'm not against you I just don't do it anymore right you're just weak in the faith and I'm just kidding but I remember and he was in my car and I said hey I'm gonna drop you off cuz we're gonna go eat right now he said well can I come with you and I said I don't think you want to come with us cuz we're gonna go eat McDonald's and you know it's me he's like no that's cool man it's cool I want to go I'm like I mean we're gonna be eating hamburgers there and like there's gonna be meat are you sure I say I'm not pressuring you to do this I think I think you should stay home I'll drop you off and I'll even though it's out of the way I'll drop you off and we'll go handle business you know and he's like he's like yeah don't worry about it I'll go I said all right fine you know suit yourself so we go there and remember prior to this I mean he was very militant and going against us regarding me I mean he condemned us like all the time it irritated the guys a lot and so we get there everyone's ordering double cheeseburgers fries just the most unhealthy of stuff you can eat and and we're getting it and he just sitting there and then you know I order my food or I'm like ordering my food and and I look behind me or look to the side of me and he's like grabbing these burgers and I'm like what are you doing he's like I can't take it anymore I'm like what he had ordered this I don't know it was called like the big and tasty or something some fat burger I was like are you really gonna eat that he's like yeah I can't handle this anymore I was like are you sure I say hey I didn't make you buy that you know I was like if you're getting that you're getting down to your own volition are you sure you're gonna eat that and the reason I think obviously in by the way let me say this he said when he did that okay you say well I thought you said it wasn't wrong to eat me yeah but the Bible says he didn't know what to do or excuse me at the latter end of that chapter it says he that doubted his damned if he eat because he eateth out of faith for whatsoever is not a faith is sin so it was wrong to him you see what I'm saying and if it's wrong to him therefore he said he violated his conscience is what we would say and but let me say this he grabbed that burger and he like just tore that thing apart no no vegan style there and he was just so good he's just like he loved it I was like cool man hey you know more prior to if that's what you want you know what I mean and it the night didn't end well you know his conscience was violated and afterwards he was you would think he went to like the bar or something afterwards um but here's the thing deep down inside he wanted to eat that meat all right you know why because we're meat eaters you know there's something within us that says arts is good sirloin steak is good we don't we want to eat meat now here's the thing if you only vegetables and you're a vegan there's nothing wrong with that if that's what you want but don't teach us that it's what God wants okay and look veganism and and and all that stuff it doesn't come from the Bible it comes from Buddhism it comes from Hinduism it comes from all that and they repackage it look for verses in the Bible to try to fit it into their doctrines and say well that's what God wanted okay and that's wrong and here's the thing you can show people verse after verse after verse how the Bible says we could eat me and they're like no but Genesis this the garden of eating this okay now let's read on here it says for one believe it that he may eat all things another who is weak eateth herbs let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not so the Bible instructs us and tells us we shouldn't despise the vegans I'll tell you what vegans I do despise though those who teach for the four Commandments the doctors excuse me for doctrines the commandments of men that's different but if that's something that you want to do it's your preference or we would say it's your standard we can't despise someone for having that standard we can't despise anybody for having any kind of standard if someone has a higher standard in you than you in regards to life their marriage dating finances dress standards whatever we're talking about standards here you can't despise someone for having that standard okay that's a preference we despise them when they teach it as if it's doctrine if they say that you're sinning because you know you don't have my standard then that's sinful right there okay then you're teaching for doctrines the commandments of men nothing wrong with standards I have standards for my wife my daughter my son my family my personal life but I cannot say that you're not right with God if you don't have these standards as well okay that's wrong and I've heard many people allude to that I've heard many people teach that they just they just degrade people for not having their standards that's wrong okay but the Bible teaches us here that we are not to despise someone who just eats herbs why because they're weak okay and we that are strong the Bible says ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and look what it goes on to say let not him that eat it despise him that eateth not and let not him which eateth referring to the herbs not judge him that eateth for God has received him so the Bible says just as we're not to despise the vegans guess what the vegan should not judge us for eating a double-double okay shouldn't be despised or it shouldn't be judged now you may not think that's the best healthy thing to eat that's fine but you can't say that we're not right with God because we eat meat okay go to let me see here go to first Timothy chapter number four so it's not sinful to be a vegan it's not simple to be a vegetarian you know that that's not sinful it's it becomes sinful when you teach that it's biblical to be a vegan okay now in the new heaven and a new earth we're all gonna be vegetarians okay but guess what we're not there right now and that's a different system that's a different time when we have different bodies that makes sense so we have different bodies it's a different system it's it's back to the Garden of Eden times it's when we have a glorified body right we can't survive off of just a vegan diet okay by the way it's expensive and I don't care what anybody I went through so many clips and I've seen so many videos of vegans trying to debunk the saying yeah you can't live off of it but these people cheat I've even seen videos of people who are who are vegans at one time they said I'm quitting I can't do this anymore it's not healthy and they even said on YouTube they'll say this whoever tells you that they're just purely vegan they're lying because they're cheating and there if you see them they're all bulked up and they're all huge and they're like I'm only eating a vegan diet it's a lie they have to cheat in order to do that okay but look what the Bible says in first Timothy chapter number four I've already quoted but we're gonna elaborate on it more it says in verse number one now the spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter time some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils what are the seducing spirits saying speaking lies in hypocrisy having their conscience seared with the hot iron and what are the doctrines forbidding to marry and commending to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them who which believe and know the truth so the Bible says those who believe and know the truth they don't know saving for meats why because they know the Bible teaches it that you can eat the meats now look I've used this verse I remember one time I ran into the one of those United in Christ fools okay who who believe in that crap and he was I don't know what he was I don't know what do you remember what tribe he was from Marcos it's a car okay I don't know if that's Mexicans are from it's a car okay is it all right well haka too so this guy and he's over here we're trying to give him the gospel and he's over here like you guys eat swine I can't believe you guys eat swine you know the Bible's against swine and he told me he's like you eat swine I said yes I said I love bacon and I quoted yeah pork chops I quoted first Timothy four okay I quoted first Timothy four and I talked about I talked about how that's a I said you know that's a doctrine of Devils what you're saying so abstain from meats he goes it says meats are you gonna eat dog remember that when he said that he goes are you need dog I said no that's that's nasty I told I said but I know people who eat dog okay my wife's cousins joy and her husband at that time which is Chris not her husband at that time they eat dog when they're in Cambodia okay soon can you attest to that the people eat dog in those countries and in fact it's a it's thank you brother Jerry anybody else I'm just kidding they eat dog all the time okay in fact in China my sister-in-law says that in China in the meat market they have dogs hanging skinned it's like a delicacy for them now I don't want to eat it I prefer a cow okay that's just you know but I'm not gonna I'm not against someone who does eat it that's it that's what the I mean they're not unclean according to the Bible if it's received with Thanksgiving so I was like so do you dog and I said no I don't eat dog we got enough cows to go around here I don't need to eat dog okay and then he and then he brought out a Bible he's like is this your Jesus and he had like you know the Catholic Jesus and he put like 666 and then like he showed it to me I was like no that's not him that's not my Jesus and he was just like really I'm like yeah I don't that's like a long-haired faggot you know so the Bible says there verse 4 says for every creature of God is good including the dogs and nothing to be refused here's the condition if it be received with Thanksgiving by the way go to those Asian countries and tell them not to eat dog they're gonna be like what that's what we got here in fact to honor you they'll probably give you dog if you come to visit you know so it says that for every creature of God is good nothing to be refused if it be received with Thanksgiving Fred is sanctified by the Word of God in prayer if they'll put the brethren in remembrance of these things thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine where into thou has detained so the Bible says the way I could be a good minister of Jesus Christ is by telling you this don't abstain from meats this that's a doctrine of devil if someone tells you to abstain from meats and the Bible says that that's good doctrine whereas the doctrine of devils of those doctrines that teach you to abstain from the meats okay now let me say this most vegans the reason they're so militant about this is because they worship the creature more than the Creator okay these are people who value a dog's life more than a human life and that's wicked okay I've seen enough videos over the last two weeks that have pissed me off so much in regards to this militant veganism movement how these people literally will go into restaurants it's not food it's murder it's not food it's murder you know there's one lady goes into one of the shops there and she's like I can I get your attention please I'm not lying these people are crazy they're like can I get your thing and she starts talking about this girl and there's a girl name and he goes she was murdered and you literally think that she's talking about a human being he was her name was like snow I think his name was snow right did you see that one and he goes so make sure you remember that when you walk you know you have you know when you order this or whatever you know she's on your plate I was like man if I was there I'd be like can I get an order of snow let me get another order of snow and then they bring in their militant group they're like it's not food it's murder these are by the way all those people I guarantee you they're all for abortion they're all for killing babies and yet they think it's okay or it's not okay to kill an animal but I think it's okay to kill a human being it's wicked and the Bible says it's a doctrine of Devils and I'm not going to repeat obviously pastor Anderson already hit on that very very thoroughly why it's a doctrine of Devils because when they say you know we're that's how it was back in Genesis where you're trying to get back to those that Garden of Eden atmosphere and elements without Christ what is the doctrine of devil when you're trying to do something that God promises you without the Lord salvation right when you try to work your way to heaven because you think you're a good person you've done enough good works all these things but it's without Christ that's a doctrine of Devils you say well we need to get back to the Garden of Eden how they did it back then we are gonna get back to that point but guess what Christ is gonna bring in that millennial rain it's not by you you know trying to eat a vegan diet and all these things and here's the funny thing about these guys okay is that they they're so mad about how these animals suffer when we kill them to eat them which there is no humane way to kill an animal in any vegan who comes up to me and says you know you think it's right I'll be like yeah it's right heck yeah you kill that thing it's not it means nothing to me no cow no cat no dog means anything to me they're just animals okay especially if they're my food but here's the thing but they're so militant against people who believe like me well why don't you go protest in the jungles of Africa then against the lion who kills the gazelle why don't you go over there and say it's not food it's murder why don't you do that to the pack of lions by the way human beings probably are more humane and how they kill animals than the lion is they're vicious they don't even cook it they'll eat it on the spot blood all over the main no mercy okay you don't believe it watching that geo okay when they're like chasing those things and they'll chase the most sickly weak animal by the snap the neck over and done with you know and then there's this guy he's just like yeah but there's they're they're they're sentient beings you know they don't have a yeah of course they're sentient beings they're gonna feel pain obviously but that doesn't mean they're humans okay that doesn't mean that they have a spirit and you could we can do a whole entire study in the Bible how many animals died I mean throughout the just animal sacrifices alone thousands I mean in order to appease God sometimes Kings would offer like thousands of sacrifices and what does the Bible say it was well pleasing unto the Lord it's like thank you for killing those thousand animals that was pleasing to me you know you think of the maniac of Gadara when the when the when the the the demons came out of him and went into the into the swine they violently ran off the cliff into the water into the ocean and just died Jesus okay the one who he's all love yes he's all love and he's meek and he's humble he just like allowed a whole group of pigs just to go and die okay and this is violently you know falling off the cliff it's not the best death to die you're hitting rocks you're drowning it probably wasn't a very nice sound all that squealing I'm just I'm not I'm being honest right but you know what does the Bible say all these poor animals no not at all because God created them for that purpose okay to die and for our for our for our pleasure as well to eat okay to clothe us I mean in Genesis chapter 3 if you want to go back to the Garden of Eden the first person to kill an animal was not a human being it was God skin that thing and gave it to Adam and Eve for clothing okay so this this teaching of veganism is not bad for health reasons or if it's your preference it becomes bad when you teach it as if it's a doctrine in the Bible okay go back to Romans chapter number 14 this is a preference verse 4 says who art thou that judges another man's servant speaking to the one eating herbs again to his own master he stands or followth yea he shall be holding up for God is able to make him stand I'm gonna reach you from 1st Corinthians chapter 1st Corinthians chapter number 4 so the Bible says that they should not judge it okay now this is not a contradiction when obviously because there's people who say you know you shouldn't judge anybody right well this is actually referring specifically to the matter of meats okay because in the beginning of the chapter he's talking about those who are weak and of course in contrast those who are strong we would say those who are spiritual and those who are not spiritual well you cannot judge someone if they're eating meat and say that they're not spiritual based upon the fact that they eat meat okay look at 1st Corinthians chapter number 4 and we'll start reading in verse number let's see verse number 3 but with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you or of men's judgment yea I judge not mine 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 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 so what is the same we can't judge necessarily each other based upon how spiritual are based upon how much Bible reading you do we don't know that we're not there with you reading the Bible when you're memorizing the scriptures or the thoughts do you think in the inner recesses of your heart we don't know those things so I can't say that Chad is less spiritual than me or more spiritual than me based upon the things that he does in secret with him in the Lord himself okay now obviously I can see if Chad is involved in fornication or he's in adultery I can say that guy's not spiritual right now he's in sin but I can't say well you know Chad he eats a cheaper form of meat you know if you're gonna eat meat you're gonna eat some good meat or he eats McDonald's you know probably not the best thing they do what Chad does not eat McDonald's at all okay but let's say he does for example let's say he does we can't say he's unspiritual for that okay that would be wrong to do all right you can't judge anything before it's time we don't know who in fact in this church we don't even know who's the most spiritual I guarantee it's probably not me I don't know maybe it's the person who's the quietest some of the person we would think least likely to be spiritual they're probably the ones who are the most spiritual okay so you can't look at someone's like oh that person's not spiritual you don't know maybe they've read their Bible far more than you have maybe they've spent time in prayer a lot longer than you you know maybe they've won more people to Christ than you or they spend more time winning people to Christ they just don't talk about it we don't know those things we can't judge anything before it's time obviously right there will come a time where we stand before Christ and we're gonna look at it a couple verses here how the Bible tells us about the look at verse number five go back to Romans chapter 14 in verse number five so it talks about this matter of judging and it starts off with with judging people who eat meat but then it segues into judging people for holy days verse 5 says one man esteemeth one day above another another esteemeth every day alike let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind he that regardeth the day regardeth unto the Lord and he that regardeth not the day to the Lord he does not yet or not excuse me does not regard it he that eateth eateth to the Lord for he giveth God thanks he that eateth not to the Lord he eateth not and give it God thanks so in the beginning of that verse 5 in the beginning of verse 6 it talks about just a steaming a day what is that a holy day okay a holy day is simply a day that we would esteem above other days okay Christmas would fall into that category Easter would fall into that category your birthday might fall into that category okay these would be considered holy days to you because you esteem those days more special than the other ones okay now I believe in in in celebrating Christmas I've always believed that I believe in celebrating Easter I've always believed that even as an unsafe person I believe that I believe in celebrating birthdays but we can't despise those who wouldn't celebrate those things okay now I will say this is that we shouldn't celebrate holidays that have a satanic agenda behind it for instance Halloween that should not be a day that we as Christians esteem well I thought you esteem one day above another yeah but if it has a satanic agenda behind it obviously we can't esteem that day now here here's the thing on October 31st if you want to celebrate Christ by doing something completely different than what typically is done on Halloween that's up to you we can't despise you for that we can't say well everyone should stay home on October 31st you can't go out because it's Halloween well no because one man is steaming today better than the next okay so you need to be fully persuaded in your own mind what you believe what you want to do look I think it's fine to have Christmas trees in the house I love Christmas trees I've always been raised to have Christmas trees I never thought anything wrong with Christmas trees and you know when I came to church I remember my father-in-law had a Christmas tree in the church and people would criticize him all the time for it do you know Jeremiah and he's like what that's the most thing I've ever and everyone I heard that was like I read the verse in Jeremiah I was just like this isn't talking about a Christmas tree just because it says death right that's how you know that's why they say that they believe it's a Christmas tree because it says deck we said what does it have to do with any deck the halls with bows that's why I'm kid I kid you not it's talking about an idol it's not talking about a Christmas tree okay go to Colossians chapter number two so in Colossians 2 Paul the apostles telling the Church of Colossae that don't let any man judge you in a holy day right and now obviously he's talking about the holy days that are observed in in the Levitical law that God had commanded his people to observe but this could be applied to any holy day okay for instance Martin Luther King Day I don't celebrate Martin Luther King Day you know that's it's it's a it's a date that people esteemed to celebrate this wicked adult or a communist I don't know steam that day it's like whatever it's like any other day to me look at Colossians 2 16 says little man therefore judge you and meet or in drink or in respect of a holy day or of the new moon or of the Sabbath days which are shadow of things to come but the body is Christ now it says even of Sabbath so it even goes as far to say if you want to celebrate the Sabbath and not do anything on a Saturday more power to you that's what you want to do but don't teach that I'm supposed to do it so it's not bad yet seven day Adventist okay it's not bad to take that Saturday off if that's what you want to do not do anything if that's your preference to do that then that's fine but don't teach others that they need to do that or that they're sinning if they don't I'm for having a day off okay it's good to have a day off all right but you can't teach that as if it's a doctrine and I find it interesting that anytime I've run into seven-day Adventist or I've run into these fools from United in Christ all these things I'll show them Colossians chapter 2 and it's just like they just glaze over it yeah but you know I was like wait wait you haven't you haven't wait hold on don't move on yet it says right there what do you make of that and then the guy who I spoke to in East LA who was from the tribe of Issachar he said you know he's quoting Paul and then all of a sudden I show him what Paul said in 1st Timothy 4 and I show him what he said in Colossians chapter 2 he said yeah well Paul was wrong so he's right when you want him to be right but he's wrong when you don't agree with what he says you know go back to Romans chapter 14 they're fools United in Christ are fools okay bunch of racist fools you know and they're violent they cuss they're violent they're by the way if you look at the their track record a lot of these guys beat their wives they rape them they they they do all kinds of wicked things they'll call out ladies in the street and say you're gonna be my sex slave a bunch of wicked people and let me say this most of these religions that are far fetched like this they're always tied into some sort of sexual perversion always okay it's always tied into something like that Mormonism all that stuff they're always tied into some sort of sexual perversion just like the United in Christ verse 7 of Romans chapter 14 it says for none of us liveth to himself and no man diet to himself for whether we live we live unto the Lord and whether we die we die unto the Lord whether we live therefore or die we are the Lord's so it's teaching us there that we don't just live unto ourselves we obviously out of take into account that you know we're an example to people okay now here's the thing is is the Bible also teaches us that if someone doesn't believe you should eat meat you know and and you know you ought not to put a stumbling block before them to eat meat okay why because you ought to walk charitably that's why it says you don't live unto yourself so you got to take other people into consideration you got to be considerate of others and of their beliefs okay and if you have a standard that's different than someone else's you know I'm not saying you have to conform to their standard for their sake but respect of the fact that they have a certain standard them you may not have and just leave it at that you know don't badmouth them don't think it's bad no if that's what they want to do you let them do it okay look at verse number nine says for to this and Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living but why does thou judge thy brother or why does thou set at not thy brother still speaking to the one who eats herbs for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ now go with me for what's the second Corinthians chapter number five you'll find that phrase also in second Corinthians chapter number five so it's telling the brother who eats herbs don't judge your brother and then he follows it up with because aren't we all gonna stand before the judgment seat of Christ so in other words Christ is gonna be the one judging us okay he's the one who's gonna make manifest these things look at second Corinthians chapter number five verse number ten says for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that which he had done whether it be good or bad it's not referring to what that which is sinful that which is not that it's referring to that which is good and bad referring to the quality okay verse 11 knowing therefore the terror of the Lord so verse 11 comes right after appearing before the judgment seat of Christ it says knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men but we are made manifest unto God and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences now I don't think the terror of the Lord is referring to help in this in this verse right here I think it's referring to the fact that you're gonna give an account why because it's terrible it's terrifying okay you're gonna be judged by Christ not for your sins but by the for the work that you've done so they're knowing therefore the terror of the Lord you know cuz the Lord obviously when he first came he was meek and lowly but when he comes back he's ruined with the rod of iron strict okay no messing around all right well knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men what is persuading men I believe that's talking about so many knowing therefore that we're gonna stand before God we're gonna give an account we want to make sure that we are persuading men preaching the gospel trying to get people saved because we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ so the person who wants to turn the grace of God into lascivious ness or maybe they're they're saved but they're just kind of living a worldly life and they're just not living for God they're not so winning that's fine and that's what they want to do but guess what they're gonna experience the terror of the Lord one day okay they're gonna be the ones where they're their works gonna be wood hands stubble not gold silver precious stones which we're gonna look at that verse in just a little bit so the Bible says we will be judged for these things not for our sins but for the works we've committed and the Bible says you know that Christ comes quickly and his reward is with him now go to 1st Corinthians chapter 3 we're gonna see what this judgment looks like 1st Corinthians chapter number 3 and by the way 1st Corinthians 3 1st Corinthians 8 and 10 they all kind of have subjects dealing with what's going on in Romans chapter 14 1st Corinthians 3 verse 12 says now if any man build upon this foundation gold silver precious stones would hey stubble every man's work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is what sword is referring to the wood hairs stubble gold silver precious stones if any man's work abide which he hath built there upon he shall receive a reward if any man's work shall be burned he shall suffer loss yet but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire so that's what obviously we don't know exactly what it's gonna look like when God provides these these rewards for us we know it comes after the rapture that's where the judgment seat of Christ is because his reward is with them that's when he comes but the Bible tells us there that it's gonna be tried by fire so everything we've done for the Lord is gonna be tried by fire you say what if we preach the gospel but we don't see a whole lot of people saved I believe you'll still be rewarded okay because obviously we can't he can't base the rewards based off based off of someone else's decision to reject Christ if we're doing what we're supposed to be doing you know the command is not for us to save people obviously the command is to preach the gospel which saves people and when they get saved we can take credit for saving them obviously but obviously not everyone's gonna get saved who we preach the gospel to but that doesn't mean your labor is in vain you will be rewarded according to that you see what are the wood hands stubble I believe that's talking about Christians who have a whole lot of activity going on in their church but not really doing anything you know bus ministry okay and look I'm sure there's sincere people in the bus ministry or bus workers who actually winning their bus kids to Christ and they're seeing them saved but that's very far few and in between okay that's that's that's very scarce that's very rare to see that okay and the years that I've seen the bus ministry this Saturday for the Sony mega marathon I let a bus kids of the Lord I let a bus kids the Lord has been in church for years and a church that's in this area ie Monterey Park I said do you go to church anywhere she said yes and she told me for how long I said are you gonna percent sure that if you died today you go to heaven she said yeah I said why and she said I've trusted Christ as my Savior I said good how do you believe you can lose your salvation she says oh yeah of course wasn't even saved then I led a bus kids mom to the Lord I'll do it in a Sony mega marathon you know and you know this person's bus kids have been coming to church for a long time and then it clicked to them maybe they should witness to the mom too you know what about the mom what about the parents wasn't even saved well after I led those people to the Lord I said now make sure you tell your bus captain your bus worker the Bruce me he has said hi you tell them now they're like oh yeah definitely I'm like yeah because I know that I know the people there I said make sure you tell them I said hi and by the way if they get mad because I let them to the Lord then they're wicked you know look if I think I let someone to the Lord and then someone comes later on and say hey that person wasn't saved but they got saved I let him to the Lord you know I would feel a little bad obviously it's like oh man I thought I let a person to Lord but you know what thank God that they got saved praise the Lord it's not about pride it's not about you know how many people we could know the most important things that they got saved but a lot of these churches they're filled with a lot of activity I think that's the wood-hand stubble it just seems like they're doing a lot but they're not necessarily doing a whole lot okay go back to Romans chapter 14 I was talking to pastor McMurtry this week and we're discussing what our discussion is gonna be for the soul winning conference and it's gonna be things that get in the way of soul winning and we basically had a conference him and I over the phone and he said at the end of it we talked for like a long time at the end he said we basically need to do exactly what we just did right now at the conference because we were just listing off things they really just get in the way of soul winning okay so winning is the greatest work and let me say this it's the work that will provide and produce the gold silver precious stones not the wood-hand stubble okay so uh brother Chad Morgan's wife told my wife you know I like our churches because they're just minimalist churches you guys ever heard of the minimalist mindset I know you've heard of it you guys ever heard of the minimalist you ever heard of that no one raise your hand if you've heard of it okay minimalist is basically you just like minimize your life I mean like you just get rid of everything you just only you only own I think it's like 20 things or something like that and she said I love the church the fact that our churches are minimal you know it's just just a couple things so winning hard preaching and that's it it's like it's like we just leave it at that you know because we want to make sure that we have quality well how do you have quality will you just make sure you're good at just a few things you know and you can produce a lot but when you when you spread yourself too thin you start you start getting involved in activity they're just not gonna produce anything okay Romans chapter 14 verse 11 says for it is written as I live say it the Lord every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God so then every one of us shall give an account of himself to God let us not therefore judge one another anymore but judge this rather so people look at this verse and say see you're not supposed to judge but it says but judge this rather so we got to understand what we have to judge we judge what the Bible tells us to judge we judge we judge not in areas that God tells us not to okay then no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brothers way now go to 1st Corinthians chapter number 8 so it's telling us we ought not to put a stumbling block you know and maybe I don't know to this day I kind of fight with if I made that guy stumble or not I feel like I warned that guy enough I told him hey we're going to McDonald's I'll drop you off you know do what you want I don't want you to go cuz I want you to stumble but he went anyway so man I don't know maybe it was his fault but I we need to make sure that we don't put a stumbling block before the breath even if they just eat herbs or or whatever it may be why because the Bible tells us to in 1st Corinthians chapter 8 and verse number 1 we'll read the the these verses here says now it's touching things offered unto idols we know that we have excuse me that we all have knowledge knowledge profits up but charity edify it so why is it saying that it says we have knowledge what's the knowledge well we're gonna look in just a little bit we know that these stupid idols are just nothing we have the knowledge from God that these things are dumb they're deaf they can't do anything but then it says this knowledge profits up but charity edify it so because we know that the idol is nothing we can eat the steak that was offered unto the idol because we know this is nothing this guy's not gonna use it I just eating myself but then it says charity edify it though so what does charity do it vonteth not itself so in other words it thinks of others it is themes others better than themselves right verse 2 says and if any man think that he know with anything he know with nothing yet as he ought to know but if any man love God the same is known of him as concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols we know that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is none other God but one for though there be be that are called gods whether in heaven or in earth as there be God's many and Lord's many but to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him how be it there is not in every man that knowledge for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as the thing offered unto an idol and their conscience being weak is defiled but meet commendeth us not to God for neither if we eat are we the better neither if we eat not are we the worst but take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak so what is the same well the liberty that we have is the fact we have the knowledge that this isn't bad for us you see knowledge produces liberty when you read the Bible you understand hey I have the liberty to eat meats okay but it's talking about people who maybe were saved out of that okay the idolatry now in our country there's some of this going on but in other countries for instance in Cambodia and Laos okay and these Southeast Asian countries they still offer things to idols well some people people get saved out of that you know that becomes a stumbling block to them all right if you eat it before them now it says there in verse number 10 for if any man see thee which has knowledge sit at me in the idols temple shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols so what is the same if you sit down with a guy who just got saved and maybe they got saved out of you know offering me to idols and you obviously know this isn't wrong this isn't sinful but the guy who's watching you may think it's sinful and it may violate his conscience so it's telling us that we ought to be charitable and say we're not gonna eat this because it was offered to idols you know now it won't be wrong for you but you're not doing this for you remember no man liveth unto himself you're doing it for his sake for his conscience because he's a babe in Christ okay so what do you do you drop him off you come back and you get that mean all right and say get out of the way idol and then you just get the steak and bam you hit that thing up but before the person who believes that that's wrong you know we ought to be charitable towards them it says in verse 11 and through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom Christ died but when he sinned so against the brethren and wound their weak conscience look what it says he sinned against Christ man wherefore if me make my brother to offend I will eat no flesh while the world stand it lest I make my brother to offend that's a lot of love right there he's like man for his sake I'm not gonna do it cuz I don't want him to be offended by it now go to 1st Corinthians chapter number 10 so not only does it talk about not causing the the brother because it talks about the brother this is someone who's saved to stumble but it also talks about 1st Corinthians chapter 10 talks about the unsaved okay look at verse 19 what shall I what shall I say then that the idol is anything or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything very similar to what we just read but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice the devils and not to God and I would not that you should have fellowship with Devils you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of Devils you cannot be partakers of the Lord's table on the table of Devils do we provoke the Lord to jealousy are we stronger than him and look what he says verse 23 all things are lawful for me but all things are not expedient all things are lawful for me but all things edify not so remember what we read in the previous chapter in Corinthians it says that charity edify ith so it's saying here look we can still eat it cuz it's lawful unto us we have the liberty to do it but does that mean it'll edify the brother you know just because it's lawful just because it's expedient just doesn't mean it's edifying so it takes a mature Christian to not only understand yeah the Bible doesn't condemn what I'm doing here to eat this but it takes it even more mature Christian to say but will it offend my brother well or will it edify him okay that's maturity maturity is when you start thinking of others you're not always thinking about yourself okay and it says here verse 24 let no man seek his own but every man another's wealth whatsoever sold in the shambles that eat asking no question for conscience sake shambles is another word for meat market it's not it's not necessarily a word that we would use today but it simply means like a meat market it's where the you go to again these Southeast Asian countries or even Hispanic countries I mean when I went to Guatemala like 11 years ago they had shambles they would have the meat I mean the chickens are just hanging there's flies all over them you know they got the fish there and they put salt on the fish to preserve it it stinks to high heaven but that's that's that's how they buy their meat okay but it's saying there what's over sold sold in the shambles that eat asking no question for conscience sake so when you go to these places and you see the meat there it's potentially this is me that could have been offered to idols but guess what I ain't asking nothing I'm just gonna buy it okay for the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof amen if any of them that believe not bid you to a feast and you'd be disposed to go whatsoever set before you eat asking no question for conscience sake so don't ask me hey I see you got a Buddha there just just quick question before we pray and eat was this offered to that you know don't ask any questions just eat it but if any man saying to you this is offered in sacrifice and titles eat not for his sake not for yours for his that showed it and for conscience sake for the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof conscience I say not thine own but of the other for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience okay so he's saying don't do it for their sake for if I by grace be a partaker why am I evil spoken of for that which I give thanks whether they're for you eat or drink whatsoever you do do all to the glory of God so it's saying you shouldn't do it for his sake because he's obviously understanding that you're Christian right and if he's offering you food that he totally was offered in titles he's gonna think oh this guy doesn't even care yeah it's him it's all you know it's all religious all the same man you know he's saying don't do it in other words don't let your good be evil spoken of don't let your good be evil spoken of okay now the best thing to do is just say just eat that thing real quick or something and if he tells you afterwards like oh man I wish you'd told me that in the beginning not really right you know just don't ask any questions so it the Bible tells us that we ought to do that which is edifying how are you charitable charitable you're charitable towards your brother if they just got saved out of that you don't eat it before them but also towards the unsaved for their sake so we're not a bad testimony to them okay and again we have the liberty to eat it but God is saying if you want to be charitable if you want to edify you shouldn't do it for these people's sakes okay go back to Romans chapter 14 and verse 14 says I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself but to him that is esteem with anything to be unclean to him it is unclean 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 it says there it makes a distinction it says some people say that these the food that you're eating is unclean well where do they get in that concept from they're getting it from the Levitical law the book of Leviticus is broken up obviously there's 27 chapters but it's broken up into three different aspects talking about the rituals talks about the priesthood and then it talks about the purity laws okay the rituals focus mainly about the sacrifices how to do it etc then you have a priesthood where God is deputizing them and showing them what is specifically they have to do but it also deals deals with purity laws okay this deals with the laws as far as putting people to death for kidnapping or whatever it may be or putting an adulterer to death or if they fornicate if they're unclean they give them basically just physical instructions how to stay clean but it also deals with certain animals you're not supposed to eat okay of course Leviticus 16 talks about the scapegoat and so on and so forth but it deals a lot with animals that are clean animals that are unclean and they'll say if they don't part the hoofed and they're unclean all right now in the New Testament in Acts chapter 10 we see God himself telling Peter don't call that which is common unclean and he makes Peter eat of the unclean animals of the Old Testament okay so if God is the one telling him to do that it's showing you that this was a shadow of things to come because why was God telling him to do that was he saying nice dude start eating shrimp sorry eating swine it's okay well that was part of it but more so than that he was teaching him that don't just go to the Jews go to the which you would consider to be common or unclean which is the Gentiles does that make sense so it's telling us it's showing us that these purity laws in reference to the animals that are clean or unclean these were a shadow of things to come and in Hebrews chapter 9 that's why it tells us that which is done of meats drinks and diverse washings and carnal ordinances they're done away with okay because they're already fulfilled in Christ and God is telling us look don't call that which is common unclean don't say that the Gentiles unclean you can go witness to him they can be saved but also on a practical level don't call the swine unclean you can eat it you're not sinning if you do it okay so we're not gonna go into Acts chapter 10 you know the story look at verse 17 in Romans chapter 14 says for the kingdom of God is not mean and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost for he that in these things service Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men let us therefore follow after these things which make for peace and the things were with one may edify one another for me destroy not the work of God all things indeed are pure but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense it is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth just reiterating that point again or is offended or is made weak has hast thou faith have it to thyself before God happy is that he that can commit excuse me that condemneth not himself in that thing which is he alloweth it's awesome he's like the guy who knows these things keeps it to himself he's happy you know he can eat the double-double just with the pure conscience he's like this is okay God's pleased with this I can eat this you know the sirloin steak okay the hot dog beef from Costco or whatever cook get that guy out of here you know that stuff it's okay that in the Bible even says happy is the man you know cuz you know the truth you're like yeah this is cool this God's got God's cooler God's good about this but they look what it says verse 23 and he that doubted this damned if he eat because he eateth not a faith for whatsoever is not a faith is sin now it's not saying damn as if like he's gonna lose his salvation or he can't get saved okay it's just talking about you know he's sinned is what he's done because he's eating out of faith that guy who ate that big and tasty you know he sinned you know cuz he was like he believed that that was sinful therefore when he ate it was sin you know what he should have just done is just memorized first Timothy chapter 4 read Acts chapter 10 10 times and just come to the conclusion God was okay with this he should have read where Jesus ate meat in in in Genesis chapter 19 beef he ate beef you know lamb shanks okay he ate fish in the Gospels you know the Bible even says in in the millennial reign in Zechariah chapter 14 that there's gonna be meat being seed the Bible says pots in Jerusalem there will be seed okay it's all over if you would have just read that he could have just not sinned you know therefore that person is not happy according to the Bible because they've understood man I violated my conscience I've sinned against God so what is the gist of Romans chapter 14 obviously it's talking about meats it's talking about herbs those who are weak those who are strong but more so it's really just dealing with how do you deal with one another because obviously both sides have an imbalanced way of dealing with one another those who eat meats often condemn those who don't okay then despise them well that's wrong but then on the flip side the militant vegan wants to judge the person who's eating meat well that's also wrong in fact it's even more wrong please the Bible says it's a doctrine of Devils you see the one who's eating me in his looks down despises the person who eats vegetables or only a plant-based diet they're just not walking charitably the person who's a vegan who's condemning and judging the person who's eating meats the Bible says they're partaking of doctrines of Devils gets even worse let's go ahead and bow our heads and have a word of prayer father we thank you so much for this day thank you so much for the meats that you allow us to eat freely we can enjoy them and you know if if if this life in this life we only eat just just to sustain ourselves obviously you gave us taste buds to taste to enjoy what that what you've given to us every good gift and every perfect gift from above from the father of lights and thank you for that we're thankful for the knowledge found within your word where you tell us where we can freely eat these things I pray that on that note of course that you'd help us to walk charitably towards our brethren and that we cause none to stumble help us not to just live unto ourselves but recognize that we're being an example to others and the others are watching us and help us to grow in that area Lord thank you so much for the Liberty you've given to us but help us not to use Liberty as an occasion to the flesh and Jesus then we pray Amen