Romans 14
Notes
Transcript
As you read through Romans 14 , maybe like me you were a bit shocked
I mean Paul has been sort of laying it on kinda think and sort of giving it to us
And then we get to Romans 14, as I prepared and read through this I sort of had to read it a few times
I don’t want to make things more complicated than they need to be but this seems pretty simple
1 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. 2 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3 The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Paul is telling the church in Rome to accept those who are weak in faith
Understand that the church in Rome was made up of believers who had Jewish people and Gentile people
Some of those Jews were strong believers and had left the old Jewish law behind, others had not
Some of the Gentiles were strong believers and came to faith with little to no Jewish influence and others had not
See there were multiple people who were strong believers
There were others who were weak in their faith in Jesus Christ, and yet still believers
I think today we call them seasoned or older believers and others new believers
Just like Pauls message to the church
To accept those who are weaker in faith
Notice first and foremost
This is not a call to accept just anyone and their lifestyle
These are to believers about believers
Please hear me these are people who have repented of their sin and accepted the free gift of what Jesus did on the cross and in the grave
These are people who if they died tonight they would spend eternity in heaven because they have been saved by Jesus
Paul calls the church to accept those with weaker faith
Not so that you can come down on them or ridicule them or make fun of them
We are not to accept them to use them as teaching points and come down on them or belittle them so as to not make them feel welcome
Paul calls us to welcome them
He uses the dietary laws as an example
There were some believers in Rome who were comfortable eating anything and everything
And yet there were some other believers who still adhered to the Jewish dietary laws
Paul reminds the church that we are to not look down on each other
That God is at work and we are to not judge their walk with Christ
So lets be clear this morning
Here we read you are not to judge
but as brothers and sisters in Christ we are to care for each other
See there is a difference between where they take the Lords Supper here at church or wether they continue on in sin in their lives
As believers in Jesus we would like each other to grow at the same rate as each other
But that does not happen that is why it is called a Personal Relationship with Jesus
Because as we will see from Paul as long as you are walking with Jesus and towards Jesus then you are moving in the right direction
Please understand these people are already saved
They are not walking towards salvation but they are already saved
5 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. 7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
Paul explains that it is a personal relationship with Jesus
And everyone is at a different spot and the next person
That is not to say that you can just do what you want
That the other brothers and sisters in Christ are to just allow you to do what you think is right
If God said something about it what you think doesn’t really matter
And to love our brothers and sisters in Christ we are to say something in love and caring for them
All the while knowing that everyone is at a different spot in their walk with Christ
And church that is what makes up the church
Paul says that wether he eats or doesn’t he, he does it for the Lord
It sort of like people and their giving
Some of you give more than 10% and that is great
And some of you give less than 10%
Paul says that we shouldn’t look on either with contempt they are giving to the Lord
That everyone is at different spot in their walks with Christ
And that the focus is they are walking towards Christ
No matter where you are on the path that is your relationship with Jesus as long as your are walking with Jesus
Church that is the discipleship purpose
To take the stronger believers and help the younger ones grow in their faith in Jesus
This means that the stronger believers cannot become cynical with the younger believers
If the weaker or younger believers always see the older and stronger believers always complaining they won’t want to grow in Christ
Our job it to help them grow in Christ not cause them to stumble
Remember you continue to walk towards Jesus because we belong to Him
9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
We do all of that, we give and eat or give less or don’t eat
Because God is the God of the universe
Because the God is the God of the world and everything in it and under it and above it
As believers in Jesus Christ we are servants of the God Most High
That is why we do that
That is why we give, that is why you may not understand how your finances will work but you continue to give
That is why you strive to grow in your faith
Church that is why you show up to pray believing God will hear the cries of your heart
That is why you read a book over and over again
Because you are a child of the most High King you are a servant to God
10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.” 12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
Paul reminds you the church, you fellow believers that you are not to judge with contempt
That each and everyone will stand before God and give an account of himself to God
Understand this is not a judgement with contempt
but that we as believers are to be a fruit inspector and as a believer and a member of a local church you have given other believers authority to in Jesus name call you on the carpet
In hopes to win you back to Jesus if you start to walk in the wrong direction
Remember Paul is speaking in terms of being condescending
To look down upon and belittle them for the way their walk is in Christ
But rather to loving care for our brothers and sisters in Christ is to go to them in love and help grow them in Christ
13 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.
Rather than being judgemental and condescending towards each other
To think you are better then them or more spiritual than them
It would be better served to not be a stumbling block to your brothers and sisters in Christ
Paul reminds another church to do the same thing in not becoming a stumbling block
13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.
It is important to the growth and discipleship of other believers and the church that you and I not become stumbling blocks to each other
It also reenforces how you and I are to do what we can as far as we are concerned to live at peace with each other
especially within the church
14 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. 15 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.
Paul is explaining that he knows and believes that Christ has made all the food clean and good for eating
This truth is confirmed when Peter has a dream and explains of course Jesus I won’t eat anything unclean
Jesus explains to Peter that what God has created is not unclean
To the Believer who still adheres to the jewish dietary law
Continue to seek the Lord
To the believer who eats anything and everything ensure you are not becoming a stumbling block to your brother and sister in Christ
So just because you can doesn’t mean you should
Just because you can eat it that it is clean before God to eat of anything and everything
If it causes your brother and sister in Christ stumbles by you eating it
You shouldn’t being eating it
And I might add you might ought to add a conversation in there
Once again church we cannot become a stumbling block to our brothers and sisters in Christ
16 Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
Don’t let what is lawful and right for you to do become evil for a brother and sister in Christ
Its about being right before God
I heard a story about a Sunday School teacher from our Church in Oklahoma
We lived a small town Anadarko, OK and one of the Sunday School teacher was an avid fishermen
And once a year he would go to the liquor store and purchase a 6pack of beer to make catfish bait
For years his wife was on him that he shouldn’t being doing that because what if someone saw him
He explained that everyone knows him and why he buys the 6pk of beer
Eventually it took sometime but He was convicted that what would someone think if they say him and didn’t know him
So he found another catfish bait
If eating or something else you are doing is still right before God
But it causes your brother or sister in Christ to struggle in their faith with Christ then you are wrong
19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. 20 Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. 21 It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. 22 The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
Church we are to live at peace with each other and that includes those in the church
We are not to tear each other down but we are to build each other
For those of you who are stronger in faith continue to encourage and build up those who are weaker in their faith
Continue to help them grow in Christ as they walk closer to Jesus
Church as we come to a close this morning
I will leave you with this scripture
11 Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
This is a call and a reminder to live at peace with each other as best you can
It is also a call to help encourage each other to continue to grow in Christ
To do that we cannot be a stumbling block for anyone else
The church needs the younger and weaker believers because it shows we are seeing people come to know Christ and are still young in their walk with Christ
The strong believers need the younger believers so they can disciple them and in doing that they themselves grow
We ensure we are causing people to stumble by running after Jesus ourselves
So church this morning as we move to our time of invitation
It is an invite to walk with Jesus
Wether you don’t know Him personally and would like to know Him personally this morning
Or maybe you know Jesus personally and have struggle this morning is a call to return to walking with Christ
Or maybe there is another decision that needs to be made
The altar is open
