I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing 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: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Romans 14:14-18

What is the Kingdom of God? This is a good question, and the Apostle Paul answers this question under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Paul states “For The Kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” The Kingdom of God is not about carnal things, its not about things that please the flesh its about living in communion with Christ 

So why do we as Christians worry so much about carnal things? As Paul taught earlier, divisions in the body of Christ about what food we should eat, or what day we should worship, in the end these are carnal issues. Jesus said “Unless you are Born Again, you wont see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3) You can try to keep the law perfectly, but you still wont enter the Kingdom of God, why? Because you must be Born Again in Christ, you must be regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle Paul states “do not let your good be spoken as evil” If you are fully convinced in your mind that you must eat a Kosher diet, then why use that as evil to condemn your brothers and sisters in Christ? If you feel fully convinced that you shouldn’t celebrate the incarnation of Christ on Christmas, then why turn that to evil and attack the Church? You see what you believe is doing good for The Lord is actually turning it into evil again the Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God is not about food or sacred days, the Kingdom of God is about righteousness, the fruits of the Holy Spirit , peace , love, joy, and self control. Don’t be a stumbling block for the body of Christ, remember a Kingdom divided against itself will not stand! I would like to end with a quote by JC Ryle “The day is coming when there should be a congregation that shall never break up, and a Sabbath that should never end, a song of praise that should never cease, and an assembly that should never disperse.”

The Kingdom of God is eternal communion with our Lord Jesus Christ, not the carnal things of the world, be Born Again and produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Christ, Amen!

For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. Romans 14:9-13

Jesus Christ Is Lord! This should be the foundational belief of every Christian, Jesus should be the Master of your life, because Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead on the 3rd day, defeating sin and death forever! Chirist is Lord of both the dead and the living, so why do you pretend that you are The Lord? We seen this yesterday in the comments sections, Christians condemning other Christians for the days they worship on or the foods they eat, do you not read the teachings given to us by the Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit?

Paul reveals “For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ” Everyone will stand before Jesus and give an account for their life, including myself, are you ready?  “every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.” (Matthew 12:36) Lets stop condemning your brother and sister in Christ, because its going to condemn you! Its one thing to teach and correct, its another thing to condemn your brother and sister as if they are a child of the devil. 

The reality is this, “Every knee shall bow to Christ, and every tongue confess to God” As the Apostle Paul reveals “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Philippians 2:10) I want you to notice here, every knee will bow to Jesus, including everyone in Hell (under the Earth) will bow to The Lord , every knee in Heaven, every angel and demon including Satan, every human good and evil, will submit to The Lord Jesus Christ!  

“and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:11) Not only will every creature that ever existed bow to Jesus, but every creature will acknowledge Christ Is Lord! Every creature, including ourselves, will confess that Jesus Christ is ruler , Creator, Master, and God over everything including ourselves! Are you ready to bow to The Lord Jesus Christ? 

Knowing that Christ Is Lord, the Apostle Paul pleads “Let us not therefor judge one another anymore” (v13) Jesus Christ Is Lord, we are not, bow to the King of all Kings, The Lord of All Lords, submit to our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,(Titus 2:13) Amen!

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 it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth 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. Romans 14:5-8

The Apostle Paul continues to teach, we as Christians are under the Law of Liberty and not the Law of Moses. Holidays and Sabbaths are still a big contention within the Church, many Christians have even divided because of the days they worship, this is divisiveness caused by Satan. As Paul teaches “One person esteems or considers one day above another, another esteems or considers every day alike” So who is correct here? The Holy Spirit answers “Let everyone be fully convinced in his own mind”

Christmas is a great example of a divisive holiday. I personally love to celebrate the Christmas season with my family, I love the time to reflect upon the incarnation of Christ, a beautiful mystery that without it none of us would be saved! However there are some who refuse to celebrate Christmas because they believe it has pagan roots. We have a family in my Church that doesn’t celebrate Christmas, and somebody came to me and asked what should we do about this? I said nothing, nobody is obligated to celebrate Christmas, as I use this text for my discernment. As the Apostle Paul states “He that regarded the day, regarded it unto the Lord”

The Apostle Paul also wrote the warning to the Church of Colossae “Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath.  These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17) The Holy Spirit warned not to judge other Christians based on what day they are worshipping or observing, so why has the Church divided over this matter? Because Satan knows as Jesus warned “A house divided will not stand” (Mark 3:25)

Paul gives us a great revelation, all of these feast days and Sabbaths are a shadow of Christ! Jesus is our Sabbath Rest (Matthew 11:28, Hebrews 4) without Jesus you will never enter into the Rest of God! Now some of you may disagree with me, and that’s alright, as long as we give this day to The Lord, and not to observe for legalism. 

One thing to remember, that Christ Is Risen on Sunday Morning (Mark 16:9, John 20:1, Luke 24:1, Matthew 28:1) All four gospels tell us Jesus rose on a Sunday morning, this is why we as a Church worship on Sunday. The early Church also began to worship on Sunday morning because of the resurrection of Christ “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread” (Acts 20:7) There is nothing pagan about worshipping on Sunday morning, because as the Apostle Paul said “If Christ isn’t Risen, our faith is useless” (1 Corinthians 15:17) 

So whatever day you worship or observe, or whatever you may eat, do it for Jesus Christ, your Lord. “For if we live, we live for The Lord” (v8) Amen!

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. Romans 14:1-4

One thing Satan likes to do is divide the Church, and there are many unnecessary divisions within the body of Christ. One thing we need to remember you are saved by grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8) You are not saved by “Keeping The Law” as nobody can keep The law. You need to understand as a Christian you live under the Law of Liberty which is Christ (James 1:25, Galatians 5:1)

So there are some brothers and sisters in Christ who still try to keep parts of the Mosaic Law , including the dietary laws. The main example we will use here is pork, eating swine was considered unclean and forbidden under the Mosaic Law. But we have to remember you are in a New Covenant with Christ (Luke 22) not under the Mosaic Law. The Lord Jesus said  “So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” (Mark 7:18-19) Christ taught its the sin in our hearts the defiles us, not the things from the outside such as foods.

God gave the Apostle Peter a vision of the New Covenant “And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” (Acts 10:13-15) The Lord was trying to teach Peter he was in a New Covenant , not the Mosaic Covenant, as Peter was hesitant to preach the gospel to Gentiles and was still trying to Keep The Law.

So back to the Apostle Pauls teaching, there are still some Christians convicted not to eat pork, and as Paul is teaching us, That’s OK, if they don’t want to eat pork because of their conscience then they dont have to, if you want to eat pork, go ahead, as its the heart that defiles us and not foods. There are going to be Christians who think a little differently than you, show them love and respect, rather than getting into useless arguments! As Paul says “Not to disputes over doubtful things”

“For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables” If a Christian believes as The Lord taught all food is purified, then let them eat, if a Christian wants to try and Keep The Law, let them go.  “Let not him who eats despise him who does not” Don’t have divisions over secondary issues. If Jesus is our Lord, He is our Master, we answer to him! “Who are you to judge anothers servant”? Be united at The Lords Table, Christ is our sacrifice, our Lord, by his body and blood we have been redeemed and made Children of God! Amen!

And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Romans 13:11-14

It’s time for the Church to wake up! As the Apostle Paul has warned the Church, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit “It is high time to awake out of sleep”! Think about this, Paul was warning the Church 2,000 years ago, how urgent is our time right now! “For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed”! Jesus is coming back! This is a guarantee , are you ready? Are you ready to stand before The Lord and give an account of your life? Are you preaching the gospel and warning others?

The night is far spent, the Church has wasted many years fighting within itself. The Church has spent more time trying to conform to the ways of the world, falling into the sins of the world, falling into the false doctrine that has infiltrated the Church. Wake up brothers and sisters! The day is at hand! Christ is coming back for His Church, looking for a spotless  bride (Ephesians 5:27)  not a harlot! But many have falling away, many have listened to the doctrines of demons rather than the written Word of God (1 Timothy 4:1)

As the Holy Spirit speaks “Therefor let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the Armor of Light”! But the worldly Church today loves the works of darkness, in fact they celebrate it!  Many “Christian” denominations such as the Methodist and Presbyterian have Pride Sundays, they have drag queen shows in the sanctuary, they have transgender Pastors! The abominations have invaded the Church, and instead of the body of Christ fighting the works of darkness, they embrace them! They are cowards, spineless conversions, who claim to love Christ yet trample on his blood, they are more wicked than the unconverted sinner

Brothers and sisters, put on the Armor of Light, as our Lord said “You must be Born Again” (John 3:3) You have to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, washed by the blood of Christ! You can’t live by the flesh and expect to inherit the Kingdom of God, these are works of darkness. You must be crucified with Christ, you must be buried and raised again to walk in the newness of life (Romans 6) “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in sexual immorality (carousing/debauchary) not in drunkenness and intoxication, not in strife or envy, but In the Lord Jesus Christ!

Put on the Armor of Light, put on The Lord Jesus Christ, repent of your sins and put your faith in Christ! Submit to The Lord because time is running short, the day of salvation is at hand! Make no provisions for the flesh! Amen!

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 13:8-10

In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) A lawyer, an expert at the Mosaic Law, asked Jesus “What must I do to inherit eternal life”? This is a good question, however the man was asking Jesus this question to try and trap him into saying something blasphemous. Christ answer basically was Love God and Love Your Neighbor. It seems simple right, just Love God and Love your Neighbor, that is the fulfilment of Gods Law, but is it really that simple? Do we truly Love The Lord God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength? Do we really love our neighbor as ourselves? The reality is we fall short every single day, this is why we need Jesus!

The Apostle Paul , under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, echos the teachings of Christ as Loving your Neighbor as the fulfillment of The Law of God. Paul begins by listing some of the Ten Commandments, Don’t commit adultery, Don’t kill, Don’t steal, ect What we need to understand is when we commit these sins, we are hurting other people. Sin is not only destructive to yourself, but its destructive to others. If we truly loved our “neighbor” we would stop gossipping about them, stop stealing from them, stop lusting after them. Your sins have consequences!

Jesus really took our understanding of The Law to a new level, Christ said “Anyone who even looks at a woman with lust, has already committed adultery in their heart” (Matthew 5:28) Some “Christians” think its ok to look at pornography, however you are committing spiritual adultery according to The Lord. Not only that, you are not loving your neighbor. The demand for your sins, is causing another person to be enslaved to a life of abuse and mistreatment. This is just one example, do you really think you Love God and Love Your Neighbor?

“Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefor love is the fulfillment of The Law” (v10) Think about your actions, are they harming your neighbor? Are they harming your spouse or your family? Are they harming your Church? You are not just accountable for yourself, you are accountable for others. You have a responsibility to Love others as yourself, but unfortunately most of the world just love themselves.

We will fall short of the glory of God, we all have sinned and will sin again (Romans 3:23) This is why we need Jesus, every day, every hour, every minute, we need to crucify the flesh and be sanctified by the Holy Spirit, we need to repent and put our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation and not ourselves (Mark 1:15)  Amen!

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:17-21

One of the things that differentiates Christians from the world, is how we respond to adversity. Jesus warned us as the Church, the world will hate you, because it hated Him (Christ) first (John 15:18) So as the Apostle Paul is teaching us, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, don’t repay evil with evil! Jesus gave a deeper teaching on this “If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39) So do you still think its easy to be a Christian? When someone does evil to you, we don’t respond with evil to them, why? Because “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” says The Lord!

Even though we live in a fallen world, we are to be the Light of the World, the Salt of the Earth (Matthew 5) The Church is not to live like the world, don’t be conformed to the ways of the world, be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2) If it is possible, live in peace with everyone! (v18) Now notice it says, if its possible, often times peace is hard to find, as The Lord warned us “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer (take heart, have peace) I (Christ) have overcome the world! (John 16:33) In the world you will have tribulation and war, but in Jesus you will have the peace which surpasses all human understanding!  (Philippians 4:7)

“Do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath”  (v19) Our human instinct is to fight fire with fire, however as Jesus warned “those who live by the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52) If you live by violence you will die by violence, what you reap is what you sow (Galatians 6:7) You need to take a step back and let God fight your battles for you, this seems unnatural to the flesh, this is where your faith is tested as God said “Vengence is Mine, I will repay” says The Lord (v19)  The Lord will fight for You, you just need to hold your peace or be still (Exodus 14:14) A concept most of us can’t comprehend, vengeance is Gods!

How do you fight your battles then? You fight evil with good, “Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” (v20) That neighbor you have been fighting with, give them a gift with no explanation. That co-worker you have been at odds with, buy them lunch with no notice. Evil doesn’t know how to respond to good, its like heaping coals of fire on their heads. Let everyone see Christ living inside of you, don’t be like the world, overcome evil with good! (v21) Amen!