Romans 14:1-13 "Christian Liberties"

Let’s Pray!

Good morning, Calvary Chapel Lake City!

Thank you for joining us today as we continue in our study of Paul’s epistle to the Romans!

Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 14. Romans 14:1-13 today.

We are deep into the application portion of Romans, which began in Chapter 12.

The first 11 chapters of Romans laid a strong foundation of doctrine… for the final application chapters of Romans to stand upon.

And these exhortations in Romans chapters 12 & 13… many are not natural for us to live out… truly Paul describes supernatural behavior… a work of the Spirit.

Last time we wrapped up Chapter 13, where Paul urged believers to love your neighbor as yourself…

… which also was a teaching of Jesus… and Lev 19:18.

Paul wrote, “Love does not harm to a neighbor”… which is a clear link from the last chapter to today’s passage.

And, Paul wrote about how time is short… it’s time to awake… our salvation is nearer… the night is far spent… the day is at hand.

Jesus will return… and therefore we are to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light… to put on the Lord Jesus Christ… and “make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill it’s lusts.”

Which is a danger that causes division… especially in light of what happens regarding fleshly outbursts… over Christian freedoms…

Which becomes Paul’s final focus beginning in Chapter 14… ending at 15:13… which center on “Christian Liberties”… which is our message title today.

Let’s read our passage now… and in reverence for God’s word, if you are able, please stand as I read.

Romans 14:1–13 “Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.”

Praise God for His word. Please be seated.

V1 again reads, “Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.”

Here Paul addresses what he titles “doubtful things.”

Or, “differing opinions”; “disputable matters”… “what they think is right or wrong.”

Paul presents two examples in our passage… eating certain foods, and what day to celebrate the Lord.

Today, we can think of the tension between Christians on matters of opinion on all kinds of things…

Dress attire… what is modest? What is appropriate for church? Sunday best or casual clothing?

Music… is secular music appropriate?

What worship labels are acceptable?

What style of worship is acceptable?

Some churches play contemporary music… some sing hymns only… some are purely a cappella.

Holidays… should we celebrate Christmas? If so, is it ok to have a tree and lights? What about Easter egg hunts? Is it ok to go Trick or Treating?

Purchases… can I buy a big house and a luxury car? Or am I supposed to live humbly and give more to the Lord?

What is the correct translation of the Bible? KJV only… or are the other texts more accurate… like NASB and ESV?

Can I buy from companies that support anti-biblical causes?

Should I vote? How should I vote? Republican, Democrat, Libertarian… Green?

Are contraceptive devices ok to use?

Homeschool… public school… or Christian school for my kids?

Can I get tattoos? Or piercings? Just ears… how about the nose… or eyebrow?

Can I dye my hair? Which color?

Can I drink, smoke or chew? Or go with girls that do?

There are a number of issues that the Bible does NOT clearly speak into… and many opinions that Christians disagree over.

Fortunately… the rest of our application section in Romans is very helpful… in addressing our dealings with one another in light of issues of conviction… or conscience.

BUT… and hear me… this is important… this chapter is NOT addressing doctrinal issues (like salvation)… or clear commands for Christians found in Scripture.

Paul is NOT addressing clear Biblical teachings on God’s commandments like we read last week… love your neighbor as yourself.

Paul now guides the church on Christian preferences to which there is NO clear biblical mandate.

He’s talking about personal convictions… not God’s clear directives… and the importance of love over liberties.

Which makes all the sense. Are not our relationships with one another… and our unity in the body… MORE IMPORTANT than opinions?

Of course relationships and unity are more important…

And loving each other is acceptable to God… getting into arguments over doubtful things is not.

The first thing Paul writes in the next chapter Romans 15:1 reads, “We then who are strong ought to bear with [or be sensitive to] the scruples [the weaknesses] of the weak, and not to please ourselves.”

And… even more piercing is what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 8:12 with this very topic in mind… “But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.”

Believers are Christ’s bride… whom He died for… so it’s important to Christ that we “play nice with others”…

… and elevate unity and love OVER disputable matters.

And… what a blessing it is to us… to have this guidance from Paul… to hopefully NOT fall into this error… and NOT wound one another… and NOT sin against Christ.

This will be a three or four part lesson… today in vv 1-13 we will talk about Christian Liberties…

… next week in vv 14-23 we will talk about exercising love over liberties.

… and the week or two after, in Rom 15:1-13, we will discuss bearing with one another’s burdens.

All of which is driving at Christian unity and love… our willingness to sacrifice our freedoms as an expression of our love towards one another… as imitators of Christ.

Paul devotes quite a bit of thought to this topic.

Because people tend to get hot… over Christian freedoms… and the convictions they hold.

Paul even weaves right into V1 the idea that there is a tendency for some to dispute or quarrel over opinions.

So, praise God that we have guidance on this subject.

I suggest reading 1 Corinthians Chapters 8 & 9 on your own time where Paul also discusses ‘matters of conscience.’

And, what’s interesting about matters of conscience… is two Christians could have opposing views in these matters and both also be in the center of God’s will.

You have to take these things before the Lord in prayer… in searching the scriptures… and be obedient to your convictions.

And, know… your convictions may change over time.

You may have a conviction today that you won’t have in the future.

Spurgeon… who drank and smoked early in his ministry… as prescribed by his Dr. as a relaxant… eventually gave both up due to health, moral and biblical convictions.

I’ll tell that story in a bit.

You may have been raised under strict rules that others don’t adhere to… and perhaps a healthy church environment brings you more to center…

… NOT to sinful practices… but to a healthy center.

A healthy environment can foster Christian freedoms.

More important… knowing we are all in process… Paul addresses how are we treating one another?

Paul commands in V1 “receive one [“receive” is an imperative… a command, not a suggestion. Accept one… ] who is weak in the faith.”

The weak brother in the way Paul presents… is the one who is restricting what they consume… or what day they worship.

In Paul’s day… there were many Jewish Christians who were raised under the 613 commands of the OT… many of which no longer governed New Testament believers.

… like worship on Sabbath (our Saturday)… in Acts a pattern was set forth of gathering on the first day… Sunday.

And… you can imagine how much of a mental transition that would be.

Also… strict dietary restrictions forbidding meats like pork and shellfish… blood was to be drained from meat (so… no medium-rare steaks… which is just a shame).

And… their loyalty to the Mosaic law… versus finding freedom in Christ… was what made them weak.

Plus, there were Gentile converts… many who came out of Pagan religions… and they held strong convictions against eating meats sacrificed to Pagan Gods…

… which in this context was another example of weakness.

So… those who maintained these restrictions are the ones who… in Paul’s context here… that he describes as “weak in the faith”…

Weakness is not a sin issue.

It’s not a reference towards their salvation… they are probably strong in belief towards Jesus Christ…

It’s not a reference towards their devotion to holiness… or dedication to Christ.

But they are weak in coming into a full understanding of the freedoms we have in our faith.

They presently hold tight to certain convictions… that they felt was God’s will for their life… but… their convictions were not clear biblical prohibitions under the New Covenant.

And, they are considered “weak” therefore because they were not walking in the freedom or liberty we have in Christ.

And, don’t think this was just a challenge for minor league Christians… even the big guns struggled here.

Peter… in Acts 10 had to be convinced in a vision from the Lord that he could eat items that were NOT kosher… meaning “fit” or “proper.”

And this vision prepared Peter to receive Cornelius… one of the first Gentile converts.

He may have been the first… but in Acts 8… the Ethiopian Eunuch also converted. So, who was the first? You can debate that later.

But back to the point… Peter was growing stronger in the faith and even entered the household of Cornelius … which Jews did not do… as they considered Gentiles unclean.

Peter said in Acts 10:28 “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.”

So… exercising this new found freedom was a huge step for Peter.

Peter was growing stronger, but in Galatians 2, Paul noted a relapse of Peter where he would not eat with Gentiles for fear of the Jews.

Which was a step in the wrong direction.

So, Paul… concerned for the Gentiles knowing a Gospel that was not mixed with law.

… confronted Peter’s hypocrisy publicly… for not being straightforward about the truth of the Gospel… a doctrinal concern.

And, I use this as an example… and a reminder that we are all in process.

Peter grew in freedoms, but at times… still struggled.

So… Paul… wisely instructs to “receive” or “accept” the weaker Christian.

Paul will make his case why we should do so in Chap 14… and then conclude with this summary statement in Romans 15:7 “Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.”

We can just imagine how many allowances have been extended to us by Christ.

He has been so accepting of us with all our quirks… our traditions… and personal convictions.

How hypocritical it would be for us to not receive a weaker Christian who has a sensitive conscience… who feels the need to refrain from… even biblically permissible practices.

They are still a Christian brother or sister… and their spiritual maturity is NOT a requirement for fellowship.

So, we are to receive them.

And, be sensitive to them… understanding as the stronger… more mature Christian…

That this weaker Christian is beloved of Christ and may be weak for a reason:

They may be young in their faith (as a babe in Christ).

They may be bound by legalistic traditions.

They may be spiritually malnourished by a lack of good teaching.

Sometimes people just have a moment of weakness… like Peter… slipping back into Jewish tradition when pressured by others.

And, sometimes we are just in a bad head space… life’s been pretty rough… people have been kind of rotten… and we are not in the right frame of mind…

We’re already feeling a bit beat up… a little vulnerable… and for whatever reason… someone else’s liberty may offend or stumble a weak or momentarily weakened conscience.

You know… we’re kind of complex creatures. And God loves us anyway… “Christ received us, to the glory of God.”

Praise God. Hallelujah.

Now… one more thing on this verse…

Look at the second half of V1… Romans 14:1 “Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.”

The NET Bible reads “… do not have disputes over differing opinions.”

NASB reads “… but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”

NLT reads “… don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.”

Receive the weaker Christian… fellowship with them… but have good boundaries… don’t engage in arguments about their convictions which fall into the category of NON-ESSENTIALS.

Essentials of the faith… Jesus is God… the Triune Nature of God… Salvation by grace through faith…

Roll up your sleeves and battle that out in love.

But, convictions like… “don’t put up a Christmas Tree?”

And wearing everyone out by connecting Christmas trees to Saturnalia? And making Christmas a pagan holiday?

Many Christians think, “I don’t even know who Saturnalia is! I’ve never given a moment of thought to Saturnalia. Saturnalia Smaturanalia for all I’m concerned.”

What does any of that have to do with a tree and remembering the birth of our Lord? That’s NOT what Christmas is about… at least not for me.

There’s a difference between one who has strong convictions… and can hold those convictions in love.

Versus… one who has convictions and they wear everyone else out… with their convictions.

Receive the one with convictions… but don’t let them put a mind trip on you.

Love them, but don’t feel like you need to give in to their preferences… and certainly don’t argue over doubtful things.

vv 2-3 “For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.”

What an appropriate verse in consideration that we are having Fellowship Lunch today!

I hope you’re not stumbled by the “Breakfast for Lunch” theme.

Can you imagine the first Fellowship Lunch in the early church?

Blend a strong Jewish component with their dietary restrictions… like eating NO seafood.

Add a strong Gentile component who were on the SEE-FOOD diet… you know “I see food and eat it.”

What could go wrong… having a pot-luck with those two groups?

Some Gentile walks in… all smiles and ignorant to Jewish custom… carrying pulled pork…

What a mess that must have been!

This probably inspired Paul to write Romans 14.

I remember being at a potluck in the Philippines and someone brought Dinuguan… Filipino pork blood stew.

People were really hesitant to eat it. You’re thinking, “Yeah no kidding… there’s no way I’m eating blood soup nothing! I don’t care if it’s the blood of a Unicorn… I’m not eating it.”

Filipino’s… on the other hand… weren’t weirded out by blood soup because it was blood… but because of Old Testament law like Lev 17:10-11 which restricted eating blood.

I remember my Pastor addressed it from the Pulpit letting everyone know to follow their conscience, but we are not Jews… and we are not under the Old Covenant…

And, he said.… “And I like dinuguan… don’t eat it if you don’t want to, but we have freedom to eat in Christ.”

I tried it… it was Lami Kaayo! So tasty!

We should do a “Filipino” themed potluck some time… one of you can bring dinuguan.

But… as far as what vv 2-3 are saying… the stronger Christian believes he may eat all things…

That’s my kind of diet. The “eat all things” diet.

We can think about Peter’s vision in Acts 10… all kinds of four-footed animals… wild beasts… creeping things (I’ll pass on that… crunchy on the outside)… and birds of the air… all were Kosher now!

Paul declared in 1 Corinthians 10:23 “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.”

In the context of foods… it was permissible for Paul… a Jew… to eat all the foods sold in the market, but it may not be beneficial for himself or others.

Same passage… Paul wrote, 1 Corinthians 10:25–26 “Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; 26 for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.”

But doesn’t that support the Pagan sacrifice industry Paul?

Paul writes just buy and eat the meat… don’t ask questions. The meat comes from the Lord… man cannot defile what the Lord gave to us as good.

Paul in several places wrote about people spouting commands they made up to abstain from things of the world… they taught Asceticism… avoidance of possessions and luxuries of the world to be more spiritual.

Simply speaking… they taught as Paul wrote in Colossians 2:21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle… ”

Paul disagreed with this and asked the Colossians, “do you subject yourselves to regulations… to the commandments and doctrines of men?”

Listen to this… Paul continued Colossians 2:23 “These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.”

Being an ascetic was not profitable… and it’s still taught today… even in Christianity.

Many Orthodox churches … monastic orders … Amish and Mennonite… practice a form of asceticism.

And, people do this… I know people who have left freedom in Christ… to pursue man made regulations and traditions. And it’s sad and unnecessary.

Warning against those who would deceive people with such teachings… Paul wrote in Titus 1:15–16 “To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him...”

Christians are “pure” meaning clean… and all things… including the foods we eat are pure.

Don’t take that as a license to sin… because that’s certainly NOT the point Paul is making

Some people abuse Christian freedoms… as a justification to participate in sinful behaviors…

Like getting drunk which the Bible clearly prohibits in verses like Ephesians 5:18 “And do not be drunk with wine...”

Christian freedoms in no way permit sin.

What Paul’s essentially saying here… is you don’t need to give head space to regulations from other people that are Pharasaic in nature.

So… in V2… “one believes he may eat all things”… this is the stronger Christian operating in freedom…

But don’t use that as a license to over indulge… that’s not helpful for your health…

A fruit of the spirit is self-control.

“he who is weak eats only vegetables”… they are weak because they have a sensitive conscience are under man-made regulations… and not living out freedoms… liberties in Christ.

Regardless… as Paul presses in V3… the body of Christ should operate in mutual forbearance… because God has accepted both strong and weak Christians…

There is a tendency for both the strong and weak Christian to err in their treatment of one another… so, Paul warns both…

The stronger Christian who is living in freedom to eat… they must guard their heart to not despise or “treat with contempt”…

… “to not look down upon” other Christians who have a conviction against food in this illustration, but it could be a number of other issues.

God has received or accepted the weaker Christian… thus we should too. We should love them…

And… to the weaker Christian who has many convictions… “let not him who does not eat judge him who eats...”

That’s your conviction. You have no biblical right to judge someone else a sinner who doesn’t live up to your conviction…

And, again… we are not talking about sin issues… or doctrinal issues.

We are talking about matters of personal conscience in which the Bible is gray.

If God is not judging them and has received them… who are we to do differently?

As we go through a passage like this… there is a tendency for each of us to search our souls and ask, “Am I the strong or weak Christian?”

And, I think the answer is both… DEPENDING on the issue… and depending on the moment in time.

You may be very strong in freedoms on one issue and weak on another issue.

You may be weak, but in time grow strong.

You may be strong, but then have a weak moment.

If we’re honest… we are all a little weak and strong, and so it’s important for us to be loving and patient with one another.

This becomes important because every single church is made up of both strong and weak Christians. That is just the reality.

We are all in a different stage. We all have different upbringings. We all have different convictions.

So, play nice with others.

Besides… church would be kind of boring if we only had one kind of people who all shared the exact same convictions.

There is strength in diversity. Typically churches die without diversity.

Plus diversity in thought challenges us to consider our viewpoints.

And, opens doors for discipleship and to be as iron sharpening one another.

And, so we are to not judge, but receive the weaker Christian.

But, it’s also important to be reminded what V1 stated… receive the weaker one, “but not to disputes over doubtful things.”

If every church yielded to the person with the weakest conscience regarding liberties, there would be no freedoms.

So, there’s a balance. There’s a delicate line to walk and Paul gives us some guidance here with these matters.

And challenges us…

V4 “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”

Each believer is a servant of the Lord… and since we are not the master of each other… we do not have the authority to judge the Lord’s servant.

To his own master he stands or falls… meaning he is approved or disapproved.

In the context of judging… the previous verse applied a judgmental attitude towards the weaker Christian who judges the freedoms of another.

And, a judgmental attitude is wrong because God will help them stand…

In error, one may judge someone freedoms, but they and their liberty are approved by God.

Paul wrote in Colossians 2:16 “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths...”

Often… a major violator of putting people in bondage and judging people… is human religion.

High Church especially and historically has created non-biblical rules, regulations, ordinances, and a religious calendar created by traditions of men.

But Christians cannot be justly condemned for feely eating, drinking or not strictly observing holy days.

Paul said they are but a shadow of things to come… the substance is of Christ.

They OT festivals and feasts pointed to Christ, but He came… why would we then continue to focus on the shadow?

There is a tendency… in matters of conscience… for people to get caught up… and even have genuine concern for another believer who is walking in freedom…

And to judge that they are on a path leading to destruction in following their freedom…

“I just know they will shipwreck their faith… they are walking in compromise because they hung Christmas lights… because they didn’t fast during lent… because they participated in an Easter egg hunt… I think they are now worshipping Ishtar.”

My Pastor told a story of a lady rebuking him after church because they served coffee. “Caffeine is a drug and you’re going to get everyone addicted!”, she said.

So they told her that everyone was already addicted to caffeine… and they took her outside and pelted her with mini-moos (single serve creamers). His words… not mine.

There are so many examples of how we can see things differently… and continuing to vv 5-6, Paul provides some illustrations…

vv5-6 “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.”

Can you imagine being raised a first century Jew in Israel… when celebrating Sabbath on our Saturday… was woven into your belief system… into your very culture.

But, you came into completion in Christ. You accepted Jesus as Messiah… and the church is meeting on the first day… Sunday.

But, imagine how much that would rock you to your core beliefs and convictions. How many OT scriptures and patterns were set forth for Sabbath worship?

But, now Sunday worship? This would have been a tremendously difficult adjustment.

And, this is what Paul is addressing when he writes about ‘esteeming one day above another.’

You may think this is an old issue, but groups like Seventh Day Adventist, Seventh Day Baptists, Church of God (Seventh Day)… and several other denominations still hold to Sabbath worship.

Which is fine UNTIL they judge other Christians who are observing a different day to the Lord.

And, that has happened. Probably the worst offender historically has been Seventh Day Adventists.

Founder Ellen G. White, argued that Sunday worship was introduced by the early Roman Church under pagan influence… and has linked Sunday worship to the "mark of the beast" in Revelation.

Truly, Sunday worship which was patterned after the day of Christ’s resurrection… and meeting on the first day as seen in verses like Acts 20:7 and 1 Cor 16:2.

Plus, nowhere in the NT are Christians directed to keep the Sabbath.

Our verses here in Romans 14 clearly teach against a judgmental attitude regarding the the day one worships… or the food they eat…

In that illustration Seventh Day Christians would be weaker in our context today… thus the stronger Christian’s role would be to not despise them… and not dispute with them over this opinion… based off vv 1 & 3 in our passage.

The key point of these verses is the focus should not be the day or the food… but the heart attitude behind the practice. Is it unto the Lord?”

1 Corinthians 10:31 reads, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

We gather on Sunday and then have Fellowship lunches with all kinds of non-kosher foods…

And, it’s all pleasing to the Lord… because we gather unto the Lord… to worship Him… to receive from His word.

And, then to fellowship and eat unto the Lord.

All to the glory of God. And, if someone doesn’t like it… well… we’ve got some mini-moos for them.

Some of you may have heard the story about Charles Spurgeon when, in 1874, Dr. Pentecost preached… from Spurgeon’s own pulpit… and publicly challenged whether Spurgeon could smoke.

I doubt Dr. Pentecost was ever invited back.

Spurgeon is quoted saying in response, “I intend to smoke a good cigar to the glory of God before retiring to bed tonight."

He praised God that, as I gathered, brandy and a cigar, relaxed him before bed.

But… here’s where things took a turn… English businessmen began to market the cigars Spurgeon smoked.

And, signs were posted in stores reading, “Spurgeon smokes!”

Spurgeon began to hear complaints from parents… when they encouraged their children not to drink or smoke… and the kids replied, “But Spurgeon does…”

We’ll read in Romans 14:15 “Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.”

So… as time progressed… Spurgeon gave up smoking and drinking for three major reasons…

One… it was no longer helpful… Spurgeon’s health was failing from gout and kidney disease… and what he once justified as a relaxant was becoming detrimental to his health.

Two… it was not edifying to others… he was concerned about his influence and being used for advertising by English businessmen. To avoid being a stumbling block… and to be a good spiritual example… he gave up smoking and drinking.

By 1880, Spurgeon advocated for total abstinence to protect his flock from ills seen in society.

In 1882, Spurgeon was quoted saying, “Next to the preaching of the Gospel, the most necessary thing to be done in England is to induce our people to become abstainers.”

And, in both situations… partaking or abstaining… he said he did it unto the Lord and he gave God thanks.

He followed his convictions. But, in time, his convictions changed and he elevated love over liberty…

He laid aside his personal freedoms to avoid leading others astray… especially because of his calling as a Pastor.

"And now you know… the rest of the story."… as Paul Harvey would say.

Paul continues in vv7-9 “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.”

These are challenging verses… as they now bring in the lordship of Jesus Christ in how we live and how we die.

Life as a Christian should be centered around Jesus… and not to elevate our personal desires above Him (which is idolatry)

Jesus lived, died, rose, and presently lives seated at the right hand of the Father… to be the Lord… the Master… and the judge of both the living and the dead. He is over all.

Christ is to have supreme authority, priority, and centrality in the lives of believers. And, there are many Bible verses that testify of Christ’s pre-eminence in our lives.

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Christ is to be central in our lives and in our very identity.

1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”

Philippians 1:20 “… Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.”

The list is long.

And, the point is… since Jesus plays a central role in our lives… since we are the Lord’s…

We should not live simply to please ourselves and live by our preferences.

We should live and die to please the Lord.

Since Jesus is Lord… we should submit to his word.

Because if we can’t take a passage like we’re reading today and live it out… then we are NOT living to the Lord.

And, everything we do in this life… and how we exit this life… ALL is subject to Christ’s scrutiny…

Do we glorify the Lord by how we live and die… and this passage tells us one way we do so is how we treat one another within body regarding liberties.

vv 10-12 “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written: [And, Paul quotes from Isa 49:18 and 45:23 to affirm the certainty of this event] “As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”

These verses are intended to melt the heart of any believer who is in error.

If we are judging our brother (the weaker) or showing contempt (the stronger… no one gets a pass)… regarding liberties… we are out of our lane.

It’s not our job. Each person stands before God and will answer to God as to whether they were faithful to Christ.

Worry about yourself and if you’re living to Christ.

Because… a day is coming when we will stand before Christ’s Judgment seat.

This is called the Bema Seat Judgment (c.f. 2 Cor 5:10, 1 Cor 3:13-14)… where believers are judged… not for Salvation (that’s the Great White Throne judgment for unbelievers)…

… but for our faithfulness to Christ… and the motives behind our works.

And we are rewarded or suffer loss based upon our living to the Lord… and adhering to His word… and His will for our lives… including our faithfulness in liberties and respect for where others are in their liberties.

V13 “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.”

Paul’s conclusion statement here both sums up his previous thoughts and will introduce our passage for next week which emphasizes the importance of our love for one another…

… as a greater priority than our liberties.

Paul really nails this down in 1 Corinthians 8:12–13 “But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”

Paul was willing to sacrifice his freedom for other believers in love.

Because wounding them was sin… it reflects a prideful and nasty attitude… and Paul says this is a sin going beyond them… it sins against Christ because He died for them… and they are part of His body.

It’s a blessing that we have Christian freedoms… and it’s important that we recognize the importance of knowing that we have varied convictions.

Thus, we must elevate brotherly love to not judge one another in this area… and to not despise one another’s opinions… and to not stumble one another.

And in so doing… we honor the Lord… and can expect to hear “well done” when we give an account to Him.

Let’s Pray!

We are now going to take communion… remembering all the Lord did and is doing in our lives. Our communion passage is…

1 Cor 11:23-31 “...the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.”

Please distribute the elements...

Communion is a time for us to look three directions…

We look back remembering Jesus’ sacrifice… His broken body and shed blood for the remission of our sins.

His new covenant. Salvation by faith through grace.

Look forward in hope of His imminent return… we proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. He is coming.

This is also a time to look inward for a moment of self-examination…

To reflect on our treatment of other Christians… have we been loving… and unselfish… (per the context of Paul’s passage)?

Reflect and also confess to God any unconfessed sin.

Examine yourself… in order to partake in a worthy manner.

But, the reality is… none of us are worthy… so Praise Jesus… because only in Him have we been made worthy.

Once you have prayed… take the communion elements individually.

Our worship team will play one worship song, and then close us in prayer.

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If you have never accepted Jesus as Lord...

...either let the cup pass and do not partake in communion -or- the better option...

Pray and trust Jesus as your Savior today.

Believe that His death was the sufficient sacrifice for your sins.

… and then take communion.

Our prayer team will be available to pray with anyone who needs prayer as we close.

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