Romans 14 - People Are the Priority
Notes
Transcript
Romans 14
Romans 14
I want to start with a story. It is about two brothers. They were raised in a good home. Great parents, not perfect but great. These brothers were close and had everything they could want. They lacked nothing. It was what some would call a religious upbringing but they did not think of it like that. Their parents had a deep faith. Before they had kids they would regularly get together to spend time with God. God was the foundation of their marriage and life.
Again, these two brothers lacked nothing. The older one was a farmer like his father and enjoyed raising crops. He liked spending time in the field. He enjoyed planting, watering, and growing things. It was hard work but he enjoyed it. It was a major focus in his life.
His brother enjoyed animals. He liked spending time with them, raising them, leading them, he had a shepherds heart. He loved his little flock and enjoyed spending time in the open fields with his animals and with God.
The more time the younger brother spent raising his flock and sitting in the fields he started have a growing devotion.
The older brother decided one day to give some of his crops to God as an offering. His younger brother moved by faith decided to give the first born of his flock as an offering. It was his honor to trust God with what he had knowing full well there was no guarantee the animals would give birth again.
God accepted this offering and blessed him. His brother became enraged and started obsessing over the incident. He did not understand why God accepted his brother’s offering and rejected his. Was he not good enough? What made his brother so special. What made his offering better? Why should he be accepted? All of his anger was focused not on what he could do but what his brother did. More than this in his anger he felt God correcting him. How could God do this? First he accepts my brothers offering and then he corrects me?
He can’t stand it any longer and convinces his brother to come out to the field away from their parents. Once he got away from where anyone could see him he grabbed a rock and smashed his brother in the head sticking him dead.
This was the first murder in history. Cain kills his brother Abel and nothing will ever be the same.
God comes to Cain and says, “What have you done? Where is your bother?” Cain, indignant says, “Am I my brothers keeper?”
Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about disputed matters.
One person believes he may eat anything, while one who is weak eats only vegetables.
One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not judge one who does, because God has accepted him.
Who are you to judge another’s household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able to make him stand.
One person judges one day to be more important than another day. Someone else judges every day to be the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind.
Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, and he gives thanks to God.
For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself.
If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Christ died and returned to life for this: that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living.
But you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Therefore, let us no longer judge one another. Instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in the way of your brother or sister.
I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean.
For if your brother or sister is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy, by what you eat, someone for whom Christ died.
Therefore, do not let your good be slandered,
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and receives human approval.
So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.
Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong to make someone fall by what he eats.
It is a good thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble.
Whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith, and everything that is not from faith is sin.
The answer to the question Cain asks is yes, he was and we are our brothers and sisters keepers.
The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. The second is like it, love your neighbour as yourself.
In Romans 14 what we are seeing is that in truth, in the Gospel, people are the priority and we are to be looking out for them.
God first but then people are the priority.
At Journey we have 6 key items that make up our Culture. They are
People are the Priority
Faith
Authenticity
Truth in Love
Intentionality
Holy Discontent
We are not doing a series on these although we should at some point soon. But here in Romans 14 see that people, in truth and in the Gospel are the priority.
There are a few key verses from Romans 14:
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
In Rome they were arguing over meat sacrificed to idols. Some people thought an idol is not real so what does it matter. Some people said no it’s the intention behind it.
Who are you to judge another’s household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able to make him stand.
This is not about having a conversation over right and wrong. This is not about how to have a dialogue with someone. This is straight up judging and condemning a fellow believer.
For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself.
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
We will give an account of ourselves and our actions to God. We will answer for things.
Not only is not just you, it is you and God but it is also you God and other people.
If we look at the fruits of the Spirit they are outward focused.
For if your brother or sister is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy, by what you eat, someone for whom Christ died.
Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.
In verse 15 you can replace the word food with almost anything.
Again people are the priority. In the church we should be a beacon of hope shouting from the rafters that people are the priority.
The problem is that so often our differences are what we are known for. So often we are known for what we are against. We are more often known for our desires and preferences than for loving people.
Who is our Enemy?
Who is our Enemy?
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.
People are never the real enemy. They can be opposed to us. They can be against us, but they are not the real enemy.
Politics for example, we demonize the person and talk about how evil someone is. We can’t just disagree we have to make someone out to the devil in the flesh.
We can attack policy without destroying a person. Why is this important?
Because people are the priority. What we desire more than to have our political person in office is for people to know and experience the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
If we get on social media and are known for how we tear down someone (anyone) will someone approach you for the love of God?
I chose to abstain from talking about politics on social media for two reasons.
Because I am not going to change anyones mind.
Because I want people to know they can talk to me.
I have opinions. I have very strong opinions. Ask me and I will tell you. But what I want more than to express my opinions is for people to know Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Gifts
Spiritual Gifts
We argue over spiritual gifts.
There are those who believe that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit have ceased with the closing of the Canon. They are called cessationist.
They believe that when 1 Corinthians 13:10 says that when the perfect comes the partial will pass away it means that we do not have need for supernatural gifts anymore. They see no need for spiritual miraculous gifts.
Some do not believe in spiritual gifts because they have not operated in them or because they have seen them abused.
Others embrace the gifts of the Spirit and say they are available to all people who follow Christ.
The point is not whether the gifts of the Spirit are still active. I of course believe they are. It is something I teach and participate in.
The point is not whether you believe or don’t believe. Not whether you operate or do not operate in spiritual gifts.
What matters is faith working through love.
We should never look down on someone who holds a different position than us on this and we should never break fellowship over it.
People are the Priority
People are the Priority
We go back to Cain and Abel. Cain asks am I my brothers keeper? Yes, yes you are and yes, yes we are. We are called to lift people up, to ask the question does this, whatever this is, lift them up. Am I calling my fellow human up? Am I lifting them or cutting them down? Does this build up or tear down?
When we sit around and start arguing with other Christians on these things the people who need to know Jesus get lost in the infighting.
