Romans 118
Brian Kocourek
KJV Romans 13:12-14:1
¶ The night is far spent, the day
is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on
the armour of light.
I like that term, the armor of Light. For if we walk IN the
Light as He is in the Light we have fellowship one with another and the Blood
of Jesus Christ Cleanses us from all sin. That’s 1 John 1:7
And here it not only cleanses us, but
protects us. And Paul calls it the armor of Light.
Paul used the same word that was translated as
the word instruments in Romans 6, and I want you to notice the context that it
was written in.
ROMANS
And look what he tells us the right form of
doctrine will do for you, it frees you from sin which is unbelief…
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of
righteousness. 19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of
your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to
iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to
righteousness unto holiness. 20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were
free from righteousness. 21What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye
are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made
free from sin, and become servants to God, ye
have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the
wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
Now, what we are looking at here is an
attitudinal and behavioral change as a result of the Gift of Life we receive
from God through His Word. These love letters when received in the proper
light, so move you that you begin to do things right, and that is
righteousness. And that is why Paul continues with this thought in Romans 13:13
and says, …
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; (Now, what then is he talking about when he says
let us walk honestly. He’s telling us that we should get rid of all the phony
churchianity stuffed shirt Christianity so called, and just walk honestly, be
your own self. Don’t try to be what you are not meant to be but be yourself.
But put off the old man, the man of the flesh. Just lay that aside and put on
Christ. In other Words, just be so clothed in the Anointing that you haven’t
got your own thoughts coming. As brother Branham said, its now how big you can
make yourself, but how little you can get and how much of yourself you can get
out of the way.)
Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in
strife and envying. (And frankly
these last two NOT’s that Paul mentions are more prolific among religious
people than among any where else. He said it’s not Strife or envying, because
if you are yourself and you allow others to be themselves, then it does not
matter to you whether they have it al together or not, and neither does it
matter to you whether you are the perfect specimen of Christianity or not, but
you are at peace in Christ and you know that you have been forgiven for your
sins, al that you ever did and all that you ever will do. You have been
forgiven, and thus we should look upon all the brethren in that same light. For
if we are to put on Christ which the word Christ means The Anointing, then if
we have that same anointing upon us, we will do the same things, and think the
same things, and act in the same way and say the same things that the Anointed
One did. And as He hung there on that Cross even after the anointing had left
Him, He said, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. There was not
strife in those words. There was no envy in those words. Those were the Words
of one who knew His own relationship to His God, and He said, Father…Father,
forgive them for they know not what they do. Therefore, we se the Apostle Paul
tell us)
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the
flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.
Now, what does it mean to make no provisions for
the flesh? It means that we are not to make future considerations for the
flesh, especially the lusts or strong desires of the flesh.
It’s one thing to fall from Grace here and there,
but to willfully fall shows something diabolically wrong with our relationship
to God, our Father.
In I JOHN 3:7 we are told Little children, let no man deceive you: he
that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
So we see here that righteousness is defined in
God’s Word as doing what is right. The word righteousness is an old English
word and it means right-wise-ness. And if a Person has right-wise-ness he will
manifest it by doing what is right. Now, that does not mean that you are perfect
in all your actions, or ever will be. Christians are not perfect, but they are
forgiven. And don’t ever forget that.
Now, John goes on to say, 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for
the devil sinneth from the beginning.(Now, what is sin? It’s
unbelief.) For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of
the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God
doth not commit sin;(That is he does not disbelieve or at least he
does not willfully disbelieve. That doesn’t mean that you will always be
victorious in your walk, it just means that you will not willfully walk away
from what is right. I know a brother, and I consider him a good friend who had
such a hard time with the do’s and don’t of the Message that he just walked away
from it about 18 years ago. He never denied that it was right, but he just felt
that he could not live it. And you know he was right. There is no one that can
live it on their own. But that is what the Holy Spirit is all about. He said,
if we be any other wise minded He would reveal it to us. And when you walk in a
way that is not pleasing to God, He let’s you know. That’s just being one of
His children. And how many of you parents do the same thing for your children.
You let them know when they have departed from the right path, and so does God
with His children. Now, Schofield pointed out that these words, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; The
word commit means to initiate. He that is born of God does not initiate
unbelief or acts of unbelief. That does not mean that you have never been
trapped into it by the devil, nor does it mean that you never again will be
trapped into it. It simply means that you don’t purposely go out looking to do
evil. And why is that?) for his seed remaineth in him:
and he (God, and thus His
Nature in you) cannot
sin, because he(that’s you) are born of God. 10 In this the children of God are
manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is
not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
You see if you are truly born of God, then you
really have no desire to sin, and to live in a way that is unpleasing to the
Lord. But that does not mean that you can not be trapped into it. I like the
way Wuest has translated this verse. He says, He that is born out from God does
not habitually continue in sin, and that is exactly the way brother Branham
taught this. He said we all make mistakes and fall, but if you are born again
it strengthens you that when you do fall you have a comforter there to assure
you that although you have come short of the Glory of God yet you are still His
Sons and daughters.
This same Apostle also told us in this same
letter to the Romans that there is none that is righteous, no, not even One. ROMANS
And seeing that there is none capable on their
own of being righteous, God gave us a provision for the flesh. And that is the
blood of His dear Son. Therefore when Paul tells us to not make any provision
for the flesh it is because God has already done that and if we try to do the
same, then we have only a covering for our flesh, like Adam and Eve with their
fig leaf religion. Now, we are not to make any provisions for the flesh, which
means we do not make any excuses either. But we must simply admit it when we
stumble and fall, for surely the Lord has promised to lift us up out of the
pit. And He has made a provision for our flesh towards righteousness. Then
let’s not frustrate the works of God by going in the opposite direction and let
us not initiate sin, but rather, be thankful that when you do sin there is a
blood covering for it. Now, let’s continue with these thoughts that Paul is
peaking to us as we move on ahead into chapter 14.
14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, [but] not to doubtful
disputations.
Now, this is where I want to get to this morning as
we move into chapter 14. Although we began in chapter 13, the same thought
continues into chapter 14 as well. And although these thoughts come from the two
different chapters in the Book of Romans, Chapter 13 and 14, they are still
speaking of the same topic. And that topic is the behavior of the believer
towards one another. When these Epistles were written they were not written
with paragraphs and chapters, as though the Apostle Paul was writing a book. He
wasn’t writing a Book, he was writing letters to believers in
Sometimes I think we have a tendency to make this
Book we call the Bible a Book of Disputation rather than the Words of God to
His people to help us in putting on Christ. Yes, this is more than a Book, it
is the instruction of God Himself through men, to you and I. Not written as a
Book, but written as Letters to His Children. And Brother Branham called them
Love Letters. So we see that this compilation of love letters that has been
compiled into a Book we call the Bible, was not written as a code of LAW as
though we have 66 Books of the LAW but the whole Word of God is every bit tied right together.
Sixty-six Books, wrote by numbers of men, hundreds of years apart, and not one
contradicts the other one, not a one, every one of them perfect. Never was a
piece of literature wrote like It in all the world. They've been for two
thousand years, trying to alter the Lord's Prayer, to put one word to It or
take one away from It to make It better. You just can't do it. Oh, It's
perfect. It's the Word of God. And I believe this Bible is the inspired Word of
God. Every Word of It is inspired. I don't believe that parts of it and other
parts are not, but the entire word of God is God breathed. I believe It's all
inspired. It's either all right or all wrong; and if It's all mixed up, then we
wouldn’t know what to do. But It's, every bit, the Truth. I'm willing to
sacrifice my life at any moment for THUS SAITH THE LORD that is written in here.
JEHOVAH JIREH 56-1209E E-46 I think you... You know the
Bible is a love letter. You just don't read It like this and say, "Oh,
so-and-so, and so-and-so, and so-and-so." You don't get it. The Bible
said... I don't care how much education you got and how many Ph.D.'s and
LL.D.'s you got. You'll never know the Bible till the Holy Ghost will reveal It
Himself.... Jesus thanked God. Said, "I thank Thee, O Father, that Thou
hast hid these things from the eyes of the wise and prudent and will reveal
them to babes such as will learn." You don't have to be smart. You have
to--to humble yourself. God's words are secret love Letters to His Church. Now,
my wife, how I love her. And she'll write me a letter when I'm overseas and
she'll say, "Dear Billy, I... I'm... Tonight with the babies, I have just
put them to sleep. I'm a..." go to talking like that. Now, that's what she
wrote on the paper. See? But I love her so much that I can read right between
the lines what really she means. See?
47
Now, that's the way it is with God. Not because you know so much, but
because you love Him, and He loves you, set down and read His love Letter. And
He will just speak to you right between the letters. The real context is in the
text, and the context is revealed by the
Holy Ghost. Oh, that would make a Methodist shout. Think of it, brother,
how that is. That's right. See? It's a
love Letter, a love affair between you and your Maker. And He will reveal
it to you as you have need of.
Now, in getting back to Romans 14:1 Paul says, Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, [but]
not to doubtful disputations.
Now, it is true that there are many doubtful
disputations out there. The Two Souls doctrine, and the Seven Thunders
doctrine, and the Female Holy Ghost Doctrine and the Fullness of the Godhead in
the Bride doctrine…Polygamy, and what more, but these are not the doubtful
disputations that the Apostle Paul is Speaking of here. This entire passage of
Scripture is dealing with the relationship of the Believers in how they are
getting along with each other. And he says to us, Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but
not to doubtful disputations. In other words, he says, he that is
weak in the faith receive them into your fellowship but not in such a way that
you are constantly riding them for their weak nature, and their weak Christian
walk.
NIV: accept him whose faith is weak,
without passing judgment on disputable matters.
Amplified: As for the man who is a weak believer,
welcome him into your fellowship, but not to criticize his opinions or pas
judgment on his scruples or perplex him with discussions .
In other words, if they are weak in faith, they
will also be weak in their opinions and will show that weakness in the way they
conduct themselves. But it is not for us to be correcting them every time they
make a mistake. That is the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. All we are
asked to do is to have a welcoming spirit toward them, and be open with them
and honest toward them, but if they have opinions which show some weakness of
faith, just let it go and God will deal with the,
I remember when Jesus was waling with Peter one
day after His resurrection and Jesus had made a comment about that John would
not die until he had seen the Lord Jesus in His Kingdom. John tells us the rumor went out that he would
not die.
And when Peter asked about John, Jesus said to
Him , What is that to thee, follow thou me. In other words, get your eyes off
everyone else but me. And that is how we come to that place where He has the
preeminence. When everyone has their eyes on Christ instead of each other.
Romans 14: 2 For one believeth that he may eat all
things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. 3 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. 4 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. 5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another
esteemeth every day [alike]. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6 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. 7 For none of us liveth to himself,
and no man dieth to himself. 8 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. 9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose,
and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. 10 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. 11 For it is written, [As]
I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall
confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to
God. 13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather,
that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in [his] brother's
way. 14 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. 15 But if thy brother be grieved with [thy] meat, now walkest
thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. 16
Let not then your good be evil spoken of: 17 For the