How Would Jesus Judge?
Romans 14:13-16 · Brian White · May 18, 2025
Romans (2022-25), No. 123
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/49261939292812

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Well, good morning. We have a full circle moment for us, especially me in particular. I don't want to make anyone feel bad at all, but we did move away from here 19 years ago. So if that helps you feel any better this morning, that's what I'm here to do. It's good to be back here for sure. You know, I've been a believer my whole life as long as I can remember. But I really feel like it was here that our five years that we spent here was really when I grew up. And so this place has been very special to me, to my whole family. And so just to be here, it's very important to us right here to be able to teach. This is where I learned how to teach, to learn how to study. And the Lord has done tremendous things in my life and my family's life because of it.

So that being said, I was told yesterday I had to come up with a title. And so you know those wristbands of what would Jesus do? How would Jesus judge, right? So I think after the service, we got some bands created. So if you can grab one, they're on the foyer on the way out. All right. Suggested donation, absolutely. So the title is, How Would Jesus Judge? So we're going to talk about that today. All right, so how I usually like to teach is, of course, we have our passage, which will be verses 13 through 16 of chapter 14 in Romans.

But I also like to take a step back and just make sure that we have the big picture. All right, so the big picture in the book of Romans is chapters one through 11 is pretty much nothing but doctrine. And if I remember correctly, there's only a couple of commands in there. And so it's a whole lot of information, not as much of here's what you're supposed to do with that yet until we get to chapter 12. And for the rest of the book of Romans 12 through 16 is pretty much nothing but application.

All right, it's the therefore in chapter 12 verse one. So with that in mind, we've been talking the last few weeks in Chapter 14, something about class warfare. We have some class called the strong and another class called the weak. This is how Paul coined it. I didn't make that up. Class warfare, strong and the weak.

And the goal, ultimately, that we'll get to probably in the next month or so is Romans 15.7.

Romans 15.7, which looks a lot like this. Accepting each other.

Romans 15.7 says, now you strong and you weak accept each other just as Christ also accepted us.

So that's where we're going. Before we get there, we have to talk about what this strong and weak, how we're supposed to be doing this together. So the accepting of each other, it's almost like we're gonna get to the point where the strong and the weak have to celebrate our differences. And we have to do this together.

First, before we get there, let's talk about some of the highlights of the application portion of Romans. So chapter 12, verse one talks about presenting your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice. Verse five says we are one body in Christ. Verse 10, we're to be devoted to one another. Also in verse 10, we're to outdo one another in honor. Verse 13, we are to contribute to the saints' needs. 18, we are to be at peace with all men. 13, eight, we are to love one another. Nine, we are to love your neighbor. 10, love does no wrong to a neighbor. 14, we are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

14, one, accept the weak. By the way, accepting is not a tolerating. The word literally means to welcome cordially, to cordially welcome someone who is weaker. It's not just a toleration, right? I think it starts out that way. It can start out that way, tolerating. But the point here is to welcome cordially. And why?

Because in verse 12, we will all give an account. So with that being said, let's get into our passage today, which is Romans 14 through 13, which was read earlier. Therefore, let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this, not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Therefore, do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil.

Okay? So before we dive into the details in this passage here, let's have some reminders. Remember, Roger talked about this a few weeks ago, When Paul's talking about the weak, they're weak in the faith. And if you remember how Roger kind of handled that, he said accurately that in the Greek, there's the definite article the. So not weak in faith, but weak in the faith.

So what does the definite article do to that? What does it do? It takes it from a subjective, kind of growing in the process faith, and it makes it objective. And anytime you have the word the in front of faith or there's several other descriptions of it, it's talking about a body of truth or the body of doctrine.

So what he's really talking about is the weak in the faith, or you might think of them as maybe immature or babes in Christ, maybe a new believer, might be somebody who has grown a little bit, but maybe regressed. Point is, is that we're not talking about somebody who just has a hard time believing. We're talking about somebody who hasn't been taught as much or doesn't know as much as somebody called the strong, right?

The last few months, I've had the opportunity to teach the book of 2 Peter, and so I have a reference, 2 Peter 3.16. Peter himself says, hey, in Paul's letters, there are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do with the other scriptures. So who twists to their own destruction? Not the people that don't know anything or the people who are intelligent and know a lot.

He says they're ignorant and unstable. Now we have to do a little work with these English words. The word for ignorant, it simply means untaught. Simply means untaught. Now this might be a willingness or a lack of willingness to be taught. Or simply, he knows a lot of things, but he hasn't been taught the faith. And then the word for unstable literally means to be double-minded.

Think of James 1.7, the double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. So the word here for unstable is somebody who kind of vacillates.

Maybe somebody who reads this commentary and says, oh man, he's got it right. Or this commentary and says, I think he's got it right. And then there's a third commentary in there. Oh, I think that's right. And just keeps going back and forth and back and forth. It can't really get stable on what the faith actually is. And so what do these people do? They twist. They twist to their own destruction. They twist what? What do they twist? They twist the faith.

Paul's writings is what Peter's talking about here. So why would some things in Paul's writings be hard to understand? Because they are. Some of them are, right? You think about the end of Romans 5 when it says, hey, where sin abounds, what abounds all the more?

Grace. Let's end right there, right? Let's not go on to chapter six. Let's end right there. I'm just gonna use that and I'm gonna apply that in my life. So the more Courtney sins, and he does sin, the more grace abounds, right? You see how that could easily be twisted, right? Easily be twisted. Now, nevermind when you get to chapter six, he's going to talk about, should we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid, right?

But it's easily, it's one of those things, and there's several things in Paul's letters, so much so that the apostle Peter would describe them as difficult. And so if you're not taught and you vacillate from here and there, you can twist. And by the way, that word for twist, it's kind of a descriptive word for a torture, a torturing device that was literally meant to kind of tear your body apart, your limbs apart. That's the severity in which the ignorant and unstable can do to the Word of God if they don't understand Paul's letters, which of course you have to spend some time in. Now, could some of the regression be...how could someone regress from maturity, from being taught the faith?

You think about Hebrews 5, think about, hey, you know, I have many things to talk about, but you can't handle it because you've become dull of hearing. All right, so you have somebody who could have progressed in the faith but hasn't practiced it. In fact, it says it there in Hebrews 5 that basically if you're out of practice, you're going to become dull of hearing. All right, you were sharp, now you're dull of hearing. And it makes me wonder in this context here in Romans, you know, could the strong who have progressed in the faith, could they become weak?

And I think the answer is yes. The twisting could also be due to someone trying to fit Paul's letters into their own theological system. Well, Paul certainly couldn't have meant that because it goes against what I already think. So we need to understand that whether we're strong or we're weak, it does not have to do with subjective faith, it has to do with being taught the Word of God. All right, so, weaken the faith.

Some other reminders. The weak, as talked about in scripture, they have a tendency to pass their hang-ups to other believers. Roger talked about that the last couple of weeks. They have a tendency to pass their hang-ups to other believers. They also have a tendency to be overly sensitive in their conscience. You ever met somebody who you just kind of have to walk on eggshells around?

You know, you can't truly live the freedom that you have in Christ. And as has been discussed the last couple weeks, the weak tend to be legalistic or rule followers. Reminded in verse 10 of Romans 14, but you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? Why?

For we will all stand before the judgment scene of God. Mike talked about this last week. We will all stand before the judgment seat of God. God's the judge. Sometimes, sometimes we like to act like we're the judge, especially when it comes to a weaker believer and their understanding of liberty.

I've been a soccer coach for the last several years, and this past season was a little challenging for me because I had a handful of players who liked to play coach for me. And I had to, all throughout the season, had to remind them, I appreciate it. I know you're trying to relay my messages, but I'm the coach. Sometimes God has to remind us, hey, settle down with your judging. I'm the judge.

And then in verse 12, so then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. Notice it does not say that we will give an account for others. And as we'll see in the next couple of verses, leave the other person alone. It does not say we will give an account for others. All right, verse 13, therefore, let us not judge one another anymore. This word for judge, Anybody know what the word for judge is? I can't remember, Roger, did you mention this a couple weeks ago? It's the word krino. There's a reason I'm pointing that out, as you'll see here in a minute. Krino.

Let us not judge one another anymore. This is in the present tense. When you have commands of don't do this or stop this in scripture, there's a difference between don't start this Stop doing this. This is a stop doing this because it's happening Therefore let us not continually judge one another anymore. So you need to stop doing this because you are doing it okay, but rather Determine this the word for determine is crino so We should not be judging. We should stop judging. However, we should judge. Reno, okay? You're hoping I explain this, right?

So stop judging one another, but rather determine this. And the English here actually gets this, I think, fairly correct when it says rather determine this, because this is in the aorist tense. This is a determination to stop doing something or do something. So stop judging, but rather, once and for all, determine this.

And then you have to ask the question, determine what? And oh, by the way, before we get there, you ever been in a situation or have you ever talked about how we should stop doing something or we should act this way or maybe in the political realm, it's like, hey, we need to be more loving to this particular group or that particular group. And by the person saying we, they mean you. I do this all the time, especially when I'm a soccer coach. I'm like, hey, we gotta stop playing this way. And really, I'm talking about a couple of players, right? Here, Paul's saying, let us not judge one another anymore.

You think Paul was doing that? He's the one writing this, right? But what's interesting, he says, but rather you, in the Greek, it's the emphatic you determine this. Why would he say you determine this? I think it's because Paul was already there. He's like, I've already determined this.

Well, what is the this? Not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way. That's what he was determined, that Paul was determined to do, and he's telling us to do the same thing. Determine once and for all, you need to do it, I need to do it, not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way. So what is this talking about? Well, the word for obstacle literally means something that can be tripped over.

Anyone, so I'm looking around the crowd, kind of gauging whether you guys have played Mario Kart or not. Some of you probably have. Some of you are probably familiar with it. Well, it's a Nintendo game. It's like a driving game. And if you're in first place or you're ahead of somebody else, they can throw a turtle shell or a banana peel and you can trip over it or you're driving along and all of a sudden you run into this banana peel and it just kind of makes you spin around. It slows your momentum. So I know we're not playing Mario Kart here, but this is kind of the idea, right? Your weaker brother is chugging along in his Christian walk. Don't be throwing the banana peel and making him stumble. Don't put the obstacle in his way, right?

And the word for stumbling block literally was used for the trigger of a trap. And the description is that it was a snare used to catch an animal or a victim as he walks by. And by the way, these obstacles or stumbling blocks might be temporary. He might not even intentionally mean to do it. Or it could be permanent. It could be somebody who has been dealing with addiction for a while. and they're becoming victorious over it, they're doing really well, it's for you not to put something in their path to either cause them to stumble, trip a little bit, or to revert back to that addiction.

Now, should we know everybody's kind of hangups in order to not offend them? My understanding is when you're offended, you choose to be. whether you're choosing to be offended or not. The idea of a stumbling block, the way this word is described, to catch an animal or a victim as it walks by, I think is a great picture for the rest of this passage that we're gonna talk about, and I'll tell you why here in a second. So we have, you know, you have staying the course, you're walking on the path, you're staying the course, sometimes you have the tendency to veer off the course, all right? So think about it this way, from a believer's perspective, you're walking with the Lord, you're being taught, you're walking with the Lord in the manner of your understanding of how you're being taught, your understanding of the word, and sometimes you can veer off course, with maybe your lack of understanding, or you're simply not taught.

Or you're taught the wrong thing, possibly, right? The idea here is for us not to intentionally cause another believer to veer off course. Especially a weaker believer, because maybe they're just gritting their teeth and just trying to make it. They're trying to figure this Christian life out, and maybe you already have. at least more so than they have, don't intentionally put something in their way to cause them to veer off course. Because I know, uh, the, the, uh, uh, kind of the, the story of, of like an airline pilot, right? You're on course. If you veer off just a little bit, you're not going to get to your intended destination. That's the idea.

Don't intentionally put something in another brother's way. I'm reminded of James 1, 13 through 14. It says, let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

All right, the idea of being lured is a hunting or a fishing term, right? To be lured from its kind of safe place, And this idea of being enticed is, the lure, I'm sorry, is a fishing term. The enticing is like a hunting term. It's also a term that was used for trying to get the animal that you're hunting out of its safety net or its safety place.

Think of like a cave, right? You're hunting the animal, the animal's in the cave and you're trying to get it to come out. Anybody have a cat? Anybody's cat ever been under their bed and you're just trying to get it out? No, just us? Okay. All right. We used to have a couple of cats and they would never come out of the bed and we would do some ridiculous things to try to lure them out. All right? So here clearly in James, he's talking about our own selves. Each person is tempted when we are lured and enticed by our own desire.

So there's some shiny object that's tempting us out of our safe place, our cave, our place of safety. So I'm thinking about this and in conjunction with this kind of like safe place of not tripping over something. in Romans 14, and I think the safe place that we're being lured or enticed out of is our position in Christ. I think of Colossians 3 where you have died and our life is now hidden with Christ in God. Is that a safe place? That's a very safe place to be.

And if you're walking in your position, you're walking with Him, you're walking in the Spirit, this is our default. If we're believers in Christ, this is our default. It says here clearly in James 1 that each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Well, you have to be someplace else in order to be lured and enticed from that place. So I think this is talking about walking with the Lord Jesus Christ daily, moment by moment, and then the temptation comes.

That's what it's talking about here in James, but in Romans 14, it's talking about don't do that to other people too. Don't do that to your fellow believer, especially one who you consider to be weaker. Back to Paul, verse 14. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself.

Before we go on, let's talk about these words. Paul says that I know. This is in the perfect active. So I know, the perfect tense, I have come to understand with abiding results into the future. I know. And not only that, I'm convinced. But this word convinced is a perfect passive. which means the convincing happened from somebody outside of himself. He says, I know, and I'm convinced in the Lord Jesus. But really, because it's a perfect passive, perfect passive means he was acted on outside of himself. Well, what acted on Paul for him to be convinced? Well, it says in the Lord Jesus, but I think it's better to be translated by the Lord Jesus. He's been convinced by the Lord Jesus. Now, what was he convinced of?

He was convinced that nothing is unclean in itself. So, we're talking about objective truth because there's a but here. He's talking about objectively, I know, perfect tense, and have been convinced, perfect tense, that objectively the truth is that nothing is unclean in itself. However, To him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. So we've moved from objective truth to subjectivity. Ron Merriman said it this way, objectively, nothing is unclean in itself.

The legalistic Christian is more subjective than objective. The more doctrine you know, the more objective you are. The more capable you are of making decisions objectively, the stronger you'll be. Because you'll have known, you'll come to know and be convinced of what is actually true.

However, we have here someone who thinks something is unclean. And if he thinks something is unclean, to him, it is unclean. it really comes down to perspective, right? It's like the old phrase, you know, it's kind of like, well, whatever works for you, whatever floats your boat or whatever blows your hair back. But I think in these, in these specific situations, When you know you're convinced, you've been convinced that nothing is unclean. However, to somebody else, they think something is unclean, specifically food.

I think it's important for those of us who have been convinced, it's important for us not to say things like, well, I'm sorry you feel that way, right? It's easy to do that with somebody who's easily offended, who's chosen to be offended. I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm sorry you can't eat this meat because you're so weak that you think this meat has been sacrificed to idols.

Now, as a side personal note, I have to tell you, I've been teaching for a long time and more times than not, whatever I'm teaching that week, the Lord always gives an analogy during the week before. And I'm thinking, well, how could the Lord Jesus Christ give me an analogy this week about meat sacrifice to idols, and yet he did it?

We were on vacation in Mexico this past week, or as I like to say, short-term mission trip. And we were sitting next to some Muslims who had a really nice piece of meat on their plate. And it was different from the buffet that everybody else was kind of eating from. And my wife, Jill, was like, oh, wow, where's that meat? I want to go get a piece. And he was like, well, it's a special meat. We had to have it, you know, a special request.

But he's like, you can, you know, feel free to go eat it. And, of course, we couldn't because we knew it was sacrificed to idols. So most of that is true. Actually, all of it's true, right? And the first thing, we looked at each other and we're like, there's the analogy. Never fails, never fails. All right, so we have objective truth that you know and have been convinced of.

If that's true of you, be very careful in your dealings with somebody who has this subjectivity that is different than what you know to be true. Four, if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. So the first thing we see here is for if. This is a first class condition. This is assumed to be true, this scenario. This is assumed that your food is going to hurt your brother in this scenario, right? So let's talk about the word hurt. Hurt in English, doesn't quite get it. The word here for hurt means A weighed down conscience. A weighed down conscience.

So, what's he talking about here? I'm thinking the weaker believer in this scenario is trying to stay the course. Trying not to veer off the path. His conscience, he's like, okay, so I'm, right now I'm being victorious over this addiction or this thing in my life that has kept me from growing spiritually. And I'm working on it. I'm not convinced yet. I see you, I see you with your freedom. Walking in freedom, walking in liberty.

I see that and I'm secretly judging you, honestly. I'm secretly judging you. However, you stronger, stronger believer, if you weigh my conscience down by your liberty, by forcing your liberty on me, you're kind of forcing me to veer off the path. My conscience is trying to stay clear, but my conscience is now weighed down because you've thrown this obstacle in my path. So because of food, don't do this for your brother. And if you do, you're no longer walking according to love. This is agape love. It is unloving for you to intentionally do this to another brother.

He says, do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Destroy is such an interesting word in the English because it makes it sound really, really intense and severe, doesn't it? Well, it kind of is. You think about the scenario where the weaker brother is walking down the path, trying not to veer off it, and really with his conscience trying to stay clear and clean, and he doesn't want that weighed-down conscience, because that weighed-down conscience leads to guilt. And guilt leads to looking at himself, and not at the Lord Jesus Christ. So he says, do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. The word for destroy is kind of like fracturing or loosening of his conscience.

Do not loosen his conscience from where his steady state is. Where his steady state is. Paul says, I know and am convinced his steady state is in the objective truth. A weaker believer is trying to get there. but he isn't quite there yet. And you, the stronger believer, you're like, what's the big deal, right? My steady state is there, his isn't. We need to be cognizant of that. We need to be aware of that. So do not loosen his conscience to the point where his conscience is weighed down and it causes him to sin. Don't do that with food, right? Don't do that with food.

Why? Because Christ died for him also. Did Christ die for you? Yes. Did he also die for your fellow believer? Yes. Are you in the same family? Yes. Another example from my soccer season this year and previous years as well, it drives me absolutely nuts when teammates laugh at each other for making a mistake. Drives me nuts. Think about that. Think about your fellow brother and sister in Christ. Would you laugh at them for making a mistake? How does that make them feel? Is that really edifying them?

So do not destroy with your food, your liberty, him for whom Christ died, because we're all on the same team, right? Therefore, do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil. So what is the good thing here? What's he talking about? Steak from Shanahan's?

Your liberty, your freedom that you have in Christ. How do you know you have freedom in Christ? Because you've been taught the faith. The doctrine that Paul has gone over and over and over with in his letters, you have freedom in Christ. Freedom in Christ is a wonderful thing, but to him who doesn't think he has as much freedom as you do, subjectively, Don't destroy him for whom Christ died, right? Subjectively, he's not there yet. Now, in this particular verse, do not let what is for you, your liberty or your freedom, be blasphemed against. That's the word. Bespoken of as evil is the word blasphemed. Don't let him do that.

All right, so now we really have class warfare because the strong shouldn't be doing this to the weak, and the weak shouldn't be doing this to the strong, but here in about 15, 16 verses, it's gonna say, hey, cordially welcome each other, celebrate your differences, we're all on the same team. Let's look at some principles, 1 Corinthians 10, 10.23-33 says, all things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.

Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions, for conscience' sake. For the earth is the Lord's and all it contains. If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions, for conscience' sake.

But if anyone says to you, this is meat sacrificed to idols, do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience sake. I mean not your own conscience, but the other man's. For why is my freedom judged by another's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?

Whether then you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved." So what are they trying to do by saying, hey, I'm here to inform you that this meat is sacrificed by idols?

Is this the tyranny of the weak? Is this the tyranny of the chosen offense? Are we who think we are the strong, are we to just say, well, I have to give up everything because there's weaker believers around me who don't know that they have freedom in the fact that all things are clean and there's nothing unclean. I'm convinced of it.

But yet, of course, there's always some, as Chester McCauley says, some informational Christian. who just seems like he needs to inform me. If we go back a couple of slides, he says, if an unbeliever invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience sake. If it was sacrifice to idols, I don't want to know. I'm just going to enjoy it. But if some information Christian comes along and says, that steak at Shanahan's, can't eat it.

What do you do? You gotta put the fork down. That's what he's saying. Why? Because, I'm not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many so that they may be saved. So what's the motivation? Is the motivation, come on weak believer, you know this stake is fine. I don't believe it was, I mean whether it was sacrifice and idol, that idol doesn't even exist. There's only one true God. Is that the right way to handle it? Maybe, maybe not.

But what he's saying here is, Paul says, Why am I slandered for my freedom? Is this really the tyranny of the weak?" And then he comes to his senses, I think, and says, you know what? It's so that they may be saved. So what's the motivation? So it's not necessarily we need to keep our radars up because, oh, there might be some Christian who's offended around because of my freedom.

I don't think it's that at all, nor is it. The fact that we should just be like, well, I'll just succumb to your weakness until you get strong. They need to be taught. They need to be taught out of it. And that doesn't necessarily mean you need to teach them out of it.

However, there is a cognizance, there is an awareness, and we need to have our radars up so that we don't cause a brother to stumble intentionally. Because what's the goal here? The goal here is not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many. It's edification, so that they may be saved.

Now, did Paul just succumb to the weak in everything? Did he ever ruffle any feathers? Let's go to 2 Corinthians 7, 8 through 9. It says, for though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it, for I see that the letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while.

I now rejoice not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance. For you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation. But the sorrow of the world produces death. So Paul ruffled feathers, but what was his motivation? The salvation of the many. And maybe not the salvation that is typically talked about, from an unbeliever to become a believer, but the sanctification process. That was his motivation.

We have an example in Titus, talked about this a little bit in Sunday school today. 3, 9 through 11, Paul tells Titus, hey, but avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful, he's self-condemned. Does this mean we should never ever talk about genealogies or debates or theology or doctrine? Does that mean we should never talk about this and avoid people who do?

I don't think that's what he's talking about. What I do think he's talking about is, hey, don't you do it for the motivation of showing the other person that you know more than them. If that's your motivation, you're really destroying your brother. Your motivation should be for edification. And if it gets to the point where endless genealogies and Jewish myths and all that stuff gets to the point where it's a, oh, okay, I'm getting to the point where now I need to defend the fact that I do actually know more than you. It's a being aware that, okay, I've stepped over the line from edification to, all right, now it's just a contest between me and the other guy to see who knows more.

But if that guy is constantly doing that with me, Just avoid him because he's not edifying you and he's really kind of throwing the obstacle in your path to get you to sin with him. In closing, to those of us who think we are strong, Paul has something to say in Philippians about himself. He says, not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet, but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Get this. Therefore, all who are mature, let's have this attitude. And if in anything you have a different attitude, guess what?

God will reveal that to you as well. However, let's keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. So in other words, well, actually first notice that if you think you're strong and you're really not, God will reveal that to you. But what he's really saying here, in other words, it's wherever you're at, if you think you're mature, keep on living that way. And God will let you know.

Either way, we must keep pressing on. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we're so grateful for your word here and your encouragement for everyone in the body of Christ. to those who are stronger and those who are weaker. We're all one in Christ, and may we all understand that, and may we all understand that we would be not here without you and without your mercy and your grace and your sacrifice on the cross for us to even be talking about this today. And Father, we know that your ultimate goal is to accept and welcome cordially all those who are believers in Christ, and may we who think we are stronger Have the attitude that we can always be revealed or exposed by you. And may we have the attitude, the humility to be corrected by you through your word. And may we also just love each other. and not put an obstacle or a stumbling block in anyone's way, because we are all, our goal is maturity in you and to be conformed to your image. We thank you for that, and we love you, Lord, in Jesus' name, amen.