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Psalms 82:1-8 A Psalm
of Asaph. God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the
gods. How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked?
Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver
the poor and needy; Free them
from the hand of the wicked. They do not know, nor do they understand; They
walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are unstable. I said,
"You are gods, And all of
you are children of the Most
High. But you shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes."
Arise, O God, judge the earth; For You shall inherit all nations. Father God, I ask that you bless all
that read you Holy Word and that you will fill their heart with your truth and
revelation your Sons resurrection. Watch over your children and guide them on
all they do. We give you all the glory and praise. Amen!
Romans 14:1-12 NKJV
This
week’s lesson pertains to the Law of Liberty, or in other terms Law of Doubtful
Heritage, Dogma, or Things. These verses pertain to true believers, and is not
talking about non-believers. As a true believer it is how one is to live and
treat fellow believers. We aren’t to judge and look down on other true
believer’s if they are of another denomination. If they are a true believer
then we are all brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. The key word here is of
course true believer. Do they know Jesus with their heart or with a head
knowledge? Do they believe and place their faith in what Jesus did at Calvary
on the Cross, or just know what he did? Do they practice the teachings of God’s
Holy Word the Bible or the teachings of their denomination? There is a huge
difference here with one resulting in being saved and the other not being
saved!
1 Receive one
who is weak in the faith, but
not to disputes over doubtful things.
Another way of phrasing
this verse is, accept other true believers who are weak in faith, and don't
argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.
Receive
one who is weak in the faith; the
idea here is to accept new Born Again individuals into the fellowship of
seasoned believers who had a sense of right and wrong about the correctness of
certain scriptural teachings. We should not allow a new believer to go to
society for interpretation of scripture, but to bring him or her into the
fellowship of true believers. It is to help them understand the true meaning
instead of the education or former habits of belief. Paul is telling us that a
new believer may be weak, that is, not fully established, or not with a clear and
understandable view about Christian liberty.
But not to disputes over doubtful things; the last part if this verse is
telling us how to help a new believer. We are to do this with love, grace,
compassion, and empathy, not with harshness and denunciation. It is our duty as
Christians to clarify things a new believer may be carrying over from his
former way of life or by taking literally what the Word says and not fully
comprehending what the verse actually means. It may be questions about modes of
dress, rites, conduct, what to eat and not eat, New Testament vs. Old
Testament, ceremonies, etc. We must receive him affectionately, to admit him to
fellowship with us, to talk freely and kindly with him, and to do him good,
will have a far greater tendency to overcome his sense of right and wrong.
2 For one
believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.
This verse is dealing with
the faith of a believer. Those with a strong faith and full understanding of
what Jesus did at the Cross knew there was no restrictions on what they could
eat. It was new converts from the pagan world that struggled with the eating of
meat. They came to the realization that their old ways of sacrificing meat to
idols and then eating it was wrong. It wasn’t the eating but the sacrifice made
to a false gods that was wrong. Therefore some became vegetarians to avoid any
possibility of eating any meat that was sacrificed.
How would Christians end
up eating meat that had been offered to idols? After a sacrifice was presented
to a god, only part of it was burned. The remainder was often sent to the
market to be sold. Therefore a Christian might easily buy such meat in the
marketplace or eat it at the home of a friend. It was the strong in faith that
fully understood what Jesus did and knew there was nothing wrong with eating
meat that had been offered to idols because idols were worthless, but the
problem was especially sensitive for Christians who had once been idol
worshipers and choose to avoid meat because of their misinterpretation. The
strong lived by faith in Jesus. Paul also deals with this problem in 1 Corinthians 8.
3 Let not
him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat
judge him who eats; for God has received him.
What this verse is stating
is those that eat anything must not look down on those who don't, and those who
don't eat certain foods must not condemn those who do. God has accepted them
when they placed their faith in Jesus Christ. The one thing we must remember as
seasoned Christians the weaker in faith and even those that don’t believe are
watch us. Using this example of Paul’s of eating meat, a person weak in the
faith may deem it ok to eat meat sacrificed to an idol, by not fully
understanding what faith in Jesus is all about. Therefore we would cause the
new believer to stumble and sin by continuing in the practice of idolatry. For
example, in current times if a proclaiming Born Again believer uses foul and
blasphemous language and someone of a weaker faith hears this, they would think
it is ok to speak this way. This would cause the weaker to sin by observing
this action. In reality a Born Again Christian will not speak this way. This type
of language is taken from the believer when they have a Spiritual Birth.
4 Who are
you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed,
he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
Who
are you to judge another's servant?
Actually this phrase is stating or asking what right do we have to judge one of
God’s believers (servant)? None whatsoever!
To
his own master he stands or falls;
the servants master is the one who judges and the servant will stand or fall
depending on his faithfulness. Anyone that places their faith in Jesus and goes
before the Lord in humble confession, Mercy and Grace are always extended, and
the individual is instantly restored. Take Peter for example, he failed when he
denied Jesus, but he continued to trust Jesus and through sorry and confession he
was forgiven. Judas on the other hand ceased trusting in Jesus and who he was
and fell. He was caught up in himself and his greed and didn’t have faith that
he would be forgiven if he had asked for it.
Indeed,
he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand; through the power of the Holy Spirit God
will enable His servant to stand as long as he keeps his faith in what
transpired on the Cross by Jesus. It is only through the finished work of the
Cross that this can be accomplished.
5 One person
esteems one day above another;
another esteems every day alike.
Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.
One
person esteems one day above
another; this
actually is referring back to Jewish Sabbaths. The custom of Jewish people of
Paul’s time, and also of some current religions in keeping the Sabbath, which
is Saturday. The New Testament has no command of a particular day designated as
the Sabbath. It is by faith a true believer lives by not by rituals or laws. If
we live by rules and rituals, then our faith is not faith, it is works.
Another
esteems every day alike; a person that lives by faith lives
every day being dedicated to the Lord. He strives to live in Jesus likeness and
doesn’t pick out a certain day to give special or more praise and worship over
the other days.
Let
each be fully convinced in his own mind; This whole verse isn’t about something that is immoral,
therefore if one person wants to pick out one day to observe as a special day
to dedicate to God, and another person wants to dedicate every day to God, then
do it. Just don’t get into an argument about who is right or wrong.
6 He who
observes the day, observes it
to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not
observe it. He who eats, eats
to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he
does not eat, and gives God thanks.
Paul is just reiterating
the previous verses with this verse. If one wants to pick a particular day and
others want to pick out every day; or some eat meat and others don’t want to
eat meat, then that is ok as long as it is done unto the Lord and thanks is
given. If it is done because of some ritual, thinking it will make one more
holy and sanctified in God’s eyes, then it is works and not faith.
7 For none of
us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
Paul is telling us that as
a true believer we do not live to please our self. We live to please God and to
do His will. If one is a true believer the glitter, glamour, materialistic
things of the world hold no value in a Christians mind. What is always present
on a Christians mind is to please God in all things. They are content with what
they have. They search and question what direction to go and what God wants
them to do. Matthew
16:24 Then Jesus said to His
disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 2 Corinthians 5:15 and He died for all, that those
who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them
and rose again.
8 For if we
live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore,
whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
This verse is saying the
same thing as verse seven. If we belong to the Lord then all facets of our life
belongs to God. Everything we do, we have, our family, our job, our hobbies,
our property, and our bodies belongs to God whether alive or dead. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is the temple
of the Holy Spirit who is in
you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore
glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived
again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
The main purpose of Jesus
dying for us was to enable us as lost souls, to have a chance to come into his
loving arms when we give our heart, mind, strength, and soul to Him. This
sacrifice is the definition of LOVE. Something so magnificent, words cannot
describe. As a believer Jesus is Lord of the living while they walk this earth.
He is also Lord of the dead when a believer passes from this earth because they
go directly to heaven and Jesus is their Lord in Heaven.
10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you
show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat
of Christ.
Don’t forget this is
referring to the brotherhood of true believers and each person is accountable
to Christ, not to others. Jesus will do the judging at the Judgment Seat. This
is a judgment of what we did for Jesus and His kingdom. This is for rewards and
where we will be placed in God’s Kingdom, this is not the Great White Throne
Judgment. If one stands before the Great White Throne, they are non-believers
and will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
While the church must be uncompromising in its
stand against activities that are expressly forbidden by Scripture (adultery,
homosexuality, murder, theft, gossip, covetousness, etc.), it should not create
additional rules and regulations and give them equal standing with God's law.
Many times Christians base their moral judgments on opinion, personal dislikes,
or cultural preconceived notion rather than on the Word of God. When they do
this, they show that their own faith is weak, they do not think that God is
powerful enough to guide his children. When they stand before God and give a
personal account of their life, they won't be worried about what their
Christian neighbor did.
11 For it is written: "AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD,
EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL CONFESS TO GOD."
AS
I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD;
“as I live,” tells us that God’s word will never die, because God will never
die. As Christians we can depend on God’s word to take us through anything in
our life. God’s word is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and will never
change.
EVERY
KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME;
to bow the knee is an act expressing homage, submission, or adoration. It means
that every person shall acknowledge Him as God. This verse is from Isaiah and refers
particularly to the honor his own people (Israelites) should render to Him, but
Paul uses it that all saved men, women, and children should confess to God,
whether Jewish or Gentile and give account to Him.
EVERY TONGUE SHALL
CONFESS TO GOD; in
the Hebrew, “every tongue shall swear.” Not swear by God but to Him, that is,
pay to him our vows, or answer to him an oath for our conduct. This is the same
as confessing to him, or acknowledging him as our Judge.
12 So then each of us shall give account of himself
to God.
Knowing that God’s word
will live and never change it should put fear in one’s life knowing that each
of us will someday be required to give an account of our life and the way we
lived and served Him as a believer.
Romans
1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
for it is
the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…...
Psalms
51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit
within me.
John
3:3
Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I
say to you,
unless
one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Bill Wiesbrock
Last Week’s Trivia: Who was Adbeel?
Answer: Adbeel was the third son of Ishmael.
Adbeel’s name is one of those included in the roll of Abraham’s descendants. Genesis 25:13; 1
Chronicles 1:29.
This week’s Trivia: Who was Adin?
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