Living for the Lord: Embracing Christian Liberty

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 does 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 does 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 more for this end Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the Dead and living. [00:00:21]

Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind don't be mechanical over this matter know what you're doing have reasons for what you do don't allow people to impose forms upon you but have an intelligent understanding that every men be persuaded in his own mind listen to your conscience recognize it needs to be enlightened but always listen to it and never act against it now that's his first answer but he's got a second answer and it's to this week um this evening and this second answer is to be found here in this sixth verse. [00:02:52]

The spirit in which we decide one way or the other is innocence even more important than the decision itself so what are you saying it is this you must decide this so late in intellectual terms you start with it but you don't stop with that you must do it currently and objectively that's something we always need to be reminded of as Christians the devil always tempts us to become academic or theoretical or currently objecting it's one of the greatest dangers confronting any Christian and particularly particularly the more intelligent Christians. [00:05:36]

He that eateth eateth to the Lord for he giveth God thanks and he that he does not to the Lord he eateth not and giveth God thanks he repeats in order to give it emphasis and to bring it a very very clever now take this word regard which is an important one he that regardeth the day regardeth it unto the Lord it's very similar to the word esteemeth which we've already been looking at in verse 5 it means if you like mine me that means thinking about that means understanding you know that's the same word exactly is the Apostle abused in the 8th chapter in verses 5 and 6. [00:07:22]

The point is that in both cases they are governed by the consideration that they belong to the law and they are concerned about pleasing him and doing what is right in his sight now I with the tenth chapter or the portion of the tenth chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians at the beginning because the Apostle there is really saying exactly the same thing it's the same principle whatsoever he do whatsoever ye eat or drink or whatsoever you do do all to the glory of the Lord that's the political this is the same thing exactly that he's saying here in this 14th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. [00:08:48]

The really big and the important thing is loyalty to the Lord concerned about keeping his commandments concerned about manifesting his glory in this phrase and the spirit which in humility and thankfulness is offering praise to him now assess fall hold on to that and see them that you've been exaggerating the importance of these meats and these days so he sums up by saying that as long as we have been emitted by these twin motives of ministering to the glory of God and offering him thanks we cannot be going wrong in any serious way or manner really. [00:17:02]

None of us liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself well whether we live with event of the Lord and whether we die we die unto the Lord whether we live therefore or die we are the Lord's you see what he's doing he has started with particulars but he rises from the level of the particular to the general and now he's going to show that this is true in the general realm as well and if it is therefore true in the general well then how much more so must of necessity be true in the realm of the particular so he's not foot is not forsaking his argument. [00:18:57]

No Christian lives all dials one for his own benefit or for his own pleasure that's what he say when he says little men who liveth unto himself no men no Christian should live for his own pleasure or his own benefit no Christian should live according to his own will his own understanding or his own inclination no Christian in exactly the same way they should die for his own benefit or his own pleasure no Christian should die according to his own will or his own understanding or his own inclination now this is I say where this principle becomes of course such a tremendously important one this is fundamental to Christian living. [00:24:09]

The biggest principle of all is that we are to live entirely to his glory and who he is practice not for ourselves and this governs the whole of our life and he finds life but it is also to govern our cunning and perhaps we are still more likely reliable to forget this second district even than the first aspect the people in general not prepared to say well of course I my life should be in the hands of God you surrender your life to Him you don't just live to please yourself you don't just live to satisfy your own ideas or to carry out your own ideas. [00:25:03]

We as Christians do not decide when we die we shouldn't want to decide when whether or how we do or where without that's what he's saying the Christian doesn't do that he says none of us die earth to himself he's not in control is not in charge that is what it suicide to a Christian should always be unthinkable and for this reason not because the thing itself is run so much and that it means that the Christian himself is taking the decision the suicide is a man who decides to put an end to his life Paul is saying here a Christian doesn't do that the Christian does not die to himself he doesn't take the decision or determine this matter. [00:26:46]

The Christian should not be concerned in any way to arrive at the decision about this method he must always submit now let me give you another quotation well this great the puzzle is saying this in self same thing perhaps in a slightly Philomela take what he says in the second epistle to the corinthians and in chapter 5 he's been describing at the end of chapter 4 the terrible trials and tribulations through which he was passing and he says our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal to glory while we live mottled look at the fitment of the things which are seen but that the things we cannot see are the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal. [00:27:49]

The Christian is a man who lives in the Lord and for the Lord exactly the same thing applies to death death is gain it means to be with Christ if I'm in this world it's Christ if I die what is it to be with Christ which is far better so if I'm alive it's Christ if I'm dead I'm with Christ it's Christ always in life and in death Christ governs everything he is the Lord and what matters above everything else is our relationship to him well my dear friends don't you see that if we only grasp this as we should it would revolutionize not only our lives but still more our thoughts of death unless many Christian people dishonor their Lord and bring dishonor upon his name in their dying. [00:44:30]