Disclaimer:
Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording including sermon title, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copies and quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
DOUBTFUL DISPUTATIONS
Romans 14:1-5, "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."
Doubtful Disputations! Now that describes the disputes and discussions of nearly every conversation in the world of Christianity. Everywhere I go, pious, self-righteous and religious people are having heated discussions over little nit-picking details of living a sanctified life. The problem is that, by the time each side presents its arguments and attempts to “convert” the other from the “error of his ways”, they are both acting as though they don’t even know what sanctification means. There are very little Christ-like attitudes showing now.
These same types of attitudes were becoming prevalent among the Christians of the church in Rome. Some, who were converted from Judaism to Christianity, and others who were converted from the idolatrous worship of Roman and other idols of gentile worship, were arguing and discussing just what constituted a sanctified life.
The argument in the Roman church was concerning the eating of meats and the observance of certain feast days and rituals. Without going into detail on the specific arguments of each side, let me say that the real problem was not in what foods were or were not being eaten. The real problem was not in whether the gentiles would observe the Jewish feast days. The real problem was a spiritual problem.
The Christians in the Roman church had begun to cause great divisions among themselves and placing condemnation upon one another. This would grieve the Holy Spirit and could eventually destroy the church at Rome.
The Bible still says in Luke 11:17, "But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth."
The Christians at Rome were bigoted and prejudiced against one another. There was no unity of Spirit. There was no tolerance for one another. Each side was convinced that it was right and there could be no compromise.
Now I don’t believe in compromising the message of the Gospel. I don’t believe in compromising the requirement of living a sanctified life that is dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ. I refuse to compromise the truth of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and I refuse to compromise in the fact that Jesus is the only way to eternal life.
But sometimes we must learn to tolerate or to compromise in order to maintain peace and unity within the Body of Christ, the Church. If everyone had to live according my personal standards there would be many who would think that my standards of “holiness” are far to strict and just as many who would believe that I would be far too lenient.
You see, the problem that all us have is that each of us has his/her own standard of righteousness! The Bible is not very specific in laying out a step-by-step path to the sanctified life. God, in His wisdom, has given allowance for each of us to “Work out our own salvation with fear and trembling”, according to Philippians 2:2.
Who among us is so righteous, so holy, so good, and so perfect in the sight of God that we have been given the right to establish the bounds of what is sanctified and what is not? Who among us can be the first one to cast a stone at someone else for what we perceive as sin his or her lives?
The great Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul, lets us know exactly how holy, righteous and sanctified we are when he says in Romans 3:9-12, "What then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
I have attempted to live a sanctified life and I’m sure that every born again, blood bought, Jesus loving, sin-killing, member of the true church does the same thing. But, even in my best efforts, I have failed God so many times. If I can’t live in absolute perfection, then how can I expect anyone else to do so?
I remember the words of Paul again when he says in Romans 7:18-25, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil, which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."
There is the answer to our dilemma! None of us are perfect, none are without sin, none are holier than another – we are all saved only by the Blood of Jesus Christ. Without the Cross of Christ, none of us would enter heaven. My trust must not be in my works, good or bad. My trust must not be in my self-discipline, my spirituality, and my obedience to my conscience or my skills in ministering to the Lord. My only hope is in the Blood that Jesus shed upon the Cross.
How can I point fingers of accusation at anyone to point out the sin in their lives when I am just as guilty as they are? How can judge another man’s heart? How can I know what he thinks, what he feels or the troubles he bears? Folks we are so quick to judge but so slow in showing compassion and love one to another when we catch another in a fault.
Jesus said in Matthew 15:11, "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man."
Too many times we lay our own personal convictions and our own beliefs of what a sanctified life consists of upon the shoulders of everyone around us when Paul is saying to the Romans, “let each of you be persuaded within himself” what is right or holy.
Not every man is tempted the same. None of us are alike. God made each of us as an original and not as carbon copies. We are made in the image and likeness of God our Creator, but from the moment of our creation the differences begin to show. God loves variety and so He created us of different races, different ethnic backgrounds, with different likes and dislikes, with different passions for a wide variety of activities, with different hair, eyes, and each of us with our very own personal fingerprints and DNA.
If God loves variety that much and has created so many people through the ages, shouldn’t it be reasonable to believe and accept that God also allows for those differences in living a sanctified and holy life unto Him. No wonder He says that each of us is to work out our own salvation.
I cannot lay my personal convictions of what a sanctified life must be upon you and you can’t do that for me. The sanctified and holy life that you live before God is what God has placed upon your heart just as it is for mine.
Paul says that there is nothing evil within itself. To believe that certain types of meat are evil or that some days are more evil than others is to believe that the Creator gave us great stumbling-blocks to make us fall from grace. I can’t believe that my God, who is pure love and wants us to live with Him for eternity would create things just to trip cause us to fail.
It is not a question of which day is better than another. It is not a question of whether one food is better than another. It is not a question of which clothes are better, or which of anything is better than another. The whole problem is that we tend to judge righteousness by our standards rather by the standards of love, compassion and understanding that God uses. He looks upon the heart, not upon the outward appearances.
Please, do not misunderstand. I cannot and do not condone living any way we want to. There must be fruits meet for repentance. There must be a holy, sanctified life for without holiness, no man will see God.
Anyone who truly has a relationship with Jesus Christ will do everything in his or her power to be like Jesus. We will ever strive for perfection and to be made into His perfect image. Sin has no place in the life of a believer. But, it is not my place to condemn another brother because he does things differently or believes in some minor point of doctrine differently than I do.
Too many of us have an attitude like the one I have heard stated in some of the motivational speeches. I have heard it said that you could criticize anyone as long as you say “Bless Their Heart” before you spew out the venom of criticism and judgmental attitudes.
Well, I just want to say, “Bless their Heart”, those people who use their own self-righteousness, that is like filthy rags in the sight of God, to judge another, had better stop and do a check up on their own relationship with Jesus. Most of the time, the one who does the criticizing has real problems with condemnation, pride in his heart and a spirit of prejudice that is far more damaging than the one who he criticizes.
Paul’s words to the Roman church are simple. Quit judging other people by your own standards. Quit condemning those who believe or act different. While there are some things that are obviously sinful, not everything that you don’t like is sinful. Not everything that you consider sinful to yourself is sinful for others. It’s what in the heart that matters.
Whatever is in the heart will be made manifest in time! You can’t fake it forever. The real you will be revealed.
God has given us all liberty through his death on the Cross. Trust in the Blood of the Lamb for your salvation and nothing else. Use not your liberty to be a stumbling block for another. Live the sanctified life that God has put before you and let others do the same. Let the Holy Spirit lead them even as He does you. Judge not, for you don’t know the heart of that man or woman. Love them, pray for them and let’s all go to Heaven together.
Yes, a holy life is necessary. A sanctified life is needed. But let God lead us, each one, into that life as He wills. Let us pick up the Cross that is before us, identify with the Cross of Christ and trust God for the rest. He is the Righteous Judge, not any man.
2 Timothy 1:12, "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."
