What Your Life Could Be, Romans 14, Part Two
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Last Sunday we explored and 15 and we barely scraped the surface. So I have decided to go deeper this morning as there are so many facets to and the life that Paul offers to us in is the light life, it is the free life, the Nothing But Jesus life…
Romans Overview—What Your Life Could Be (12-16)
Romans is neatly divided into three sections: is Paul’s diagnosis of the human race. That we are all born in sin, that we cannot save ourselves. In Paul addresses the sin of the culture, in , just when Christians are feeling good about ourselves and just when we have divided humanity into us and them Paul says there is no us and them just US collectively. That those inside the church and those outside the church all need a savior, that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. is the Deliverer. Paul unpacks the Gospel of Jesus Christ and shows us from many different angles how glorious this grace is. And then , the section we are in now is the description of what your life could be, which is the title of this part of the series, when your heart is gripped by the Gospel that Paul articulated in . So three sections: diagnosis, deliverer, and description. And you could divide all of scripture into these categories.
=The Free Life
And so I find it interesting to note the issues that Paul addresses in because he finds these to be important issues. And the more I study , the more convinced I am that is the key to loving your neighbor not only as yourself but as Christ loved us. Because love your neighbor as yourself while being the golden rule and the summary of the law, the second greatest commandment, it isn’t the ultimate standard that Jesus set for us. The standard he set was when he said in , give you a new commandment, love one another as Christ loved you. Not as you love yourself, but as Jesus has loved you. There is a big difference between the two.
Last Sunday we explored and 15 and we barely scraped the surface. So I have decided to go deeper this morning as there are so many facets to and the life that Paul offers to us in is the light life, it is the free life, the Nothing But Jesus life.
Let’s take the issue of alcohol. Some say drinking any alcohol is a sin. Others say only drunkenness is a sin. Others say Chuck, you are crazy for even bringing this up. Let’s get practical.
Let’s take the issue of alcohol. Some say drinking any alcohol is a sin. Others say only drunkenness is a sin. Others say Chuck, you are crazy for even bringing this up. Let’s get practical.
What is your perspective?
For me, growing up it was never an issue. We didn’t have alcohol in the house. It wasn’t an issue my Dad preached about one way or the other as far as I can remember. It just wasn’t an issue. We didn’t drink. And that was that. But in all fairness, I would say that growing up, the church I was in would have definitely been a church that frowned on drinking. It was never said, but let’s be real. That was the basic idea. So you have some of the greatest men I have ever known who most likely wouldn’t say that drinking was a sin, but would basically say don’t do it. Bad idea. Slippery slope. They would probably say, what about the kids—if the kids see an adult drinking, that is bad. What about non Christians—if a non Christian saw a Christian drinking that would be a bad testimony. What about alcoholics—don’t we learn our lesson…why play with fire, just have a coke…a diet coke, with a cheese steak…that causes heart disease.
So that was my context…then I did a missions retreat with a group of missionaries in Europe. These guys were some of the greatest theological minds in the world all together on a retreat where I was leading worship. They are from our tradition theologically. One of them was Derrick Thomas, another was Richard Pratt, another was David Robertson. These are theological giants from our faith tradition. Every night at dinner, there were two bottles of wine set out on each table. They didn’t even wait to see if they would order wine. The bottles were pre-paid. Every night. So here we are at our table, a group from our church, none of us were going to drink, so I remember missionaries coming over to our table saying, are you going to drink that? No…can we have it because we are out. This may offend some of you…it shouldn’t. Just as the first position I detailed shouldn’t offend those who do drink alcohol.
So I had two contexts—one group of godly Christ centered people saying bad idea, abstain…another group of equally godly Christ centered people asking us for our extra wine.
A while back I was counseling a young adult. They had partied in college, and by the time they were graduated and in the real world, guess what? They were an alcoholic. Caught up in this horrible vortex. I will never forget what this person said, he said, the very first time I sipped a drink I knew I was an alcoholic. So…that seems to be a position to not drink.
A few years ago, when we acquired Tall Oaks Classical School, I attended their end of the year event. It is called Protocal. It’s unreal. The guys are assigned to the girls. They do toasts, they act like real life human beings. It’s remarkable. They invite dignitaries to come and interact with the students and guess what they provided to the dignitaries? An open wine bar. Scandal. Here you have one of the classiest schools, a school that is producing pheneomenal students who love Jesus and serve Jesus and they were serving alcohol in front of the students.
Another conversation with a recovered alcoholic…he was sharing that he thought we should use real wine in communion. Yet he hadn’t had a drop of alcohol in decades.
We marginalize each other.
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
Weak Faith=Strong Conviction on Non-Essential, Unfounded Conviction
What is a weak faith? A weak faith is holding a strong conviction in an issue that is not essential for salvation. A weak faith is holding a strong conviction in an issue based not on Scripture but on your own view or personality. A person can have a weak faith in one area of life and not in another area of life. A weak faith is a lack of freedom in a certain area of life.
One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
Pagan Sacrifice
I set the context last week, but I want to go even deeper into the context today. This isn’t talking about being a vegetarian. The issue was that just as Jewish people sacrificed animals to God, pagans sacrificed animals to THEIR false gods. Just as Jewish people would only sacrifice an unblemished animal to God, would only sacrifice their best animal to God, pagans also would only sacrifice their best animals to their gods. When these animals were sacrificed, meat would be left over from the sacrifice. This meat was very valuable because it came from the pick of the litter. The meat came from the most unblemished animal. So the meat market would sell this choice meat and advertise it as such. That this choice meat came from an animal that had been sacrificed.
Those Who Abstain=Weak Faith
So you can understand why some would hold a conviction not to eat that meat. It had been sacrificed to a pagan god. The issue seems black and white…don’t eat that meat that had been sacrificed to a pagan god…but Paul makes a shocking statement in verse 2 when he identifies the person who won’t eat the meat sacrificed to the pagan god as a person with WEAK and not STRONG faith.
Paul is tackling the biggest issue of the day…but to us eating meat or not means nothing. It isn’t relevant. So let me see if I can hit an issue maybe closer to home.
Alcohol
Some say drinking any alcohol is a sin. Others say only drunkenness is a sin. Others say Chuck, you are crazy for even bringing this up.
What is your perspective?
For me, growing up it was never an issue. We didn’t have alcohol in the house. It wasn’t an issue my Dad preached about one way or the other as far as I can remember. It just wasn’t an issue. We didn’t drink. And that was that. But in all fairness, I would say that growing up, the church I was in would have definitely been a church that frowned on drinking. It was never said, but let’s be real. That was the basic idea. So you have some of the greatest men I have ever known who most likely wouldn’t say that drinking was a sin, but would basically say don’t do it. Bad idea. Slippery slope. They would probably say, what about the kids—if the kids see an adult drinking, that is bad. What about non Christians—if a non Christian saw a Christian drinking that would be a bad testimony. What about alcoholics—don’t we learn our lesson…why play with fire, just have a coke…a diet coke, with a cheese steak…that causes heart disease.
So that was my context…then I did a missions retreat with a group of missionaries in Europe. These guys were some of the greatest theological minds in the world all together on a retreat where I was leading worship. They are from our tradition theologically. One of them was Derrick Thomas, another was Richard Pratt, another was David Robertson. These are theological giants from our faith tradition. Every night at dinner, there were two bottles of wine set out on each table. They didn’t even wait to see if they would order wine. The bottles were pre-paid. Every night. So here we are at our table, a group from our church, none of us were going to drink, so I remember missionaries coming over to our table saying, are you going to drink that? No…can we have it because we are out. This may offend some of you…it shouldn’t. Just as the first position I detailed shouldn’t offend those who do drink alcohol.
So I had two contexts—one group of godly Christ centered people saying bad idea, abstain…another group of equally godly Christ centered people asking us for our extra wine.
A while back I was counseling a young adult. They had partied in college, and by the time they were graduated and in the real world, guess what? They were an alcoholic. Caught up in this horrible vortex. I will never forget what this person said, he said, the very first time I sipped a drink I knew I was an alcoholic. So…that seems to be a position to not drink.
A few years ago, when we acquired Tall Oaks Classical School, I attended their end of the year event. It is called Protocal. It’s unreal. The guys are assigned to the girls. They do toasts, they act like real life human beings. It’s remarkable. They invite dignitaries to come and interact with the students and guess what they provided to the dignitaries? An open wine bar. Scandal. Here you have one of the classiest schools, a school that is producing pheneomenal students who love Jesus and serve Jesus and they were serving alcohol in front of the students.
Another conversation with a recovered alcoholic…he was sharing that he thought we should use real wine in communion. Yet he hadn’t had a drop of alcohol in decades.
So this issue of eating meat was an explosive one…I am sure everyone sitting here has an opinion on drinking alcohol…it was the same then for meat.
Another example is worship.
Strong Convictions Can Equal a Weak Faith
Paul says if you have a strong conviction on these secondary issues, especially if that strong conviction isn’t held up by Scripture and especially if you impose it on others especially through judging them…your strong convictions doesn’t amount to a strong faith but a weak faith.
Doesn’t that go against everything we believe when it comes to behavior of Christians? We see a Christian who “lives by their convictions” and we don’t call that a weak faith, we call it a strong faith.
Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
Doesn’t this drive you crazy? Paul doesn’t draw lines in the sand. He doesn’t say this group is right, this group is wrong.
One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
Paul says both groups are honoring God. In the world, disputable matters become a zero sum game. There will be a winner and a loser. With Paul the only winner is the first one to defer to the other. With Paul the only winner is the first one to be poorest of spirit. But isn’t it wonderful that Paul doesn’t take sides…isn’t it wonderful that we aren’t expected to have all the right answers when it comes to the secondary matters? Wouldn’t that be a lot of pressure? Isn’t that grace?
Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.
Stumbling Blocks Both Ways
Stumbling Blocks Both Ways
Stumbling Blocks Both Ways
Once again Paul doesn’t settle for a zero sum game where there is a winner and a loser. Paul says if your brother doesn’t share your conviction don’t put a stumbling block in front of him…don’t make him feel guilty…the person with a weak faith puts a stumbling block in front of the person who is free when they judge them.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
In Contempt
Not only do we judge others, but we hold them in contempt of court. Do you know what that is? It is to stop the trial, to stop listening to what the other person is saying, and to throw them in prison and hold them in contempt.
In other words, the person who isn’t free shouldn’t put a stumbling block in front of the person who is free. We don’t usually hear it put like that. Usually it is the other way around. The person who has freedom shouldn’t cause his brother to stumble because of his freedom.
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. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
So Paul is saying on one hand, those who aren’t free shouldn’t judge those who are free…those who aren’t free shouldn’t put a stumbling block in front of those who are...but then he says those who ARE free shouldn’t make others stumble because of their freedom.
Paul Aligns Himself with Those who are Free
Paul isn’t landing on either side. And here is the interesting part…Paul aligns himself with those who are free. But he still doesn’t use that as an opportunity to take sides.
I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.
14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.
Paul says flat out, I am free. He says I am convinced, and then he strengthens it and says I am fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus. See what Paul is doing here…he is still standing by his conviction while leaving room for other convictions. Why doesn’t Paul lay down the law? Why doesn’t Paul say this way is right, this way is not right? So all that sounds good until you put it into practice. Because from a wordly perspective, it doesn’t work. Because in the world, disputes like this one become zero sum games. There is one winner and one loser. Paul doesn’t lay down rules…he puts it back on the people and says, if you are in Christ you will know what to do. If you truly have faith, that faith will produce love for the person who isn’t like you. It’s utterly amazing.
For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.
15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 1
Faith is what produces love.
“Christianity can be summed up in the two terms, faith and love. Receiving from above which is faith, and giving out below, which is love.” -Martin Luther
In other words, our faith in Jesus will fuel our love for others.
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
15 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
Our faith in Jesus will cause us to compete not to be right, but compete to defer to one another especially on the non-essential matters.
What is it that will cause us to love one another in this way? Trying hard? Hearing the Good News of the Gospel again and again and again. Until our love for one another is perfect, we still need to hear the good news of what Jesus did for us. That he was totally right on all things, yet he laid down his life for us.
Because you can apply this passage not only to worship, but to every area of life. To every area of disagreement you have with a friend, with a spouse with a child. And this isn’t about the black and white issues of life, but the gray areas. The areas that are disputable.
Politics
Because when we have a position that we hold, here is what we do….we harden in that position. Think about Thanksgiving dinner. Think about the political conversations that come up. You have one person on one side, one on the other. These are two people who supposedly love each other…were raised in the same family, same values, same everything, but their political opinions could not be more different. And they argue. And what happens. Does one of them say, you know you are right, I am wrong, I am now on your side, I now adopt your political opinion. That never happens. How many facebook statuses about politics have convinced the other side to change their opinion. I would say zero.zero percent. Negative percent if there was such a thing. Why is that? Because we are sinful. Because we are arrogant. Because we have hardened in our opinions and nothing can move us off of that opinion.
Can you soften in your position? Isn’t that the whole game when it comes to relationships? In the big things but also in the small things? Isn’t that what Paul is after? Faith producing love. We should be competing now to have our voice heard but competing to be the first to defer to each other. We should be competing to be the poorest in spirit.
And isn’t that the free life? How restricting is it…how miserable is it…to always have to have your position accepted by others? To handle others….to control them…to impose your will on them? That isn’t freedom—it seems like it would be, because don’t you have the right to sepak your mind…that is what the world says freedom is…but that is actually slavery…freedom is not needing to be heard, freedom is deferring to another.
Freedom is also being free and humble enough to change. Paul explicitly says that the person who is restricted isn’t free and even has a weak faith. If you hold a strong, angry conviction in something that is not essential for salvation, that isn’t strong, that’s weak. And sometimes it is weak because you are flat out wrong.
Peter and Changing
But what if the other side is right? What if the other side has some good points to consider? Not just to consider, but points that would move you over to their side? Does that ever happen with any of us?
The Apostle Peter walked with Jesus and there was one episode that was recorded in the gospels several times and any time an episode is recorded over and over again, it’s important. Jesus said in the clearest terms possible that no food was unclean. That meant that it didn’t matter any longer whether or not they ate meat or vegetables. This was a huge proclamation by Jesus—the kind that means little to us, but got Jesus nailed to the cross. All foods are clean. That meant that Gentiles who came to Jesus, believed in Jesus, didn’t need to follow the food laws that the Jews had followed. In fact, it meant that the Jews didn’t need to follow the food laws once Jesus had fulfilled the law. He declared all foods clean. Several times. And the Apostle Peter was his right hand man and heard it first hand from the horses’ mouth. So much so that Peter told John Mark who wrote the earliest Gospel, Mark, about this episode and Mark recorded it. Fast forward a couple of decades. Peter is now a giant of the early church, an example, he has tremendous courage, he has been imprisoned for his preaching, and yet, Peter who had witnessed Jesus say all foods are clean, wouldn’t eat a meal with a Gentile because they were unclean and eating unclean foods. How dense can you be? How stubborn and arrogant can you be? So finally in it takes this bizarre vision and a concurring dream by a nice guy pagan to make Peter see that all foods were clean. Finally, Peter changed.
Isn’t Peter’s journey just like ours? What will it take regardless of the issue, regardless of the opinion, the dispute whatever it may be, for us to be brought over the other side? Think about this in marriages…a husband and wife have a fight, the husband is wrong…why is it so hard for us to admit we are wrong? Why is it so hard for us to change our stance?
Paul says, I want you to be free. I want you to be moving more and more towards freedom. I want you to apply nothing but Jesus to every issue and it will become clear where you should land and many times that is far from our hardened position.
I think we are seeing that in the political world today. I hate politics. If I thought politics was the way to save people I would have become a politician. I don’t feel politics should be mixed with the Gospel. So this isn’t a political statement—I have my own political views, you don’t know what they are and I like it that way.
I’ll give you two scenarios—one will offend 50 percent of you, the other will offend the other 50 percent of you. So the next time you think we are trying to be relevant or cool or whatever, remember this moment because I am about to be the least seeker sensitive that I can possibly be.
You have people who believe in helping the little guy. In showing mercy to the exiled...even mercy to animals…and to the environment…and all the issues that liberals would fixate on. It’s all about helping people…until it’s a baby in the womb. Now if you have had an abortion, the last thing I want is to heap shame on you…there is forgiveness, there is no way that I can know what it is to be you…so that isn’t my point. My point is that the same people who hold a belief system that we should help the poor, show mercy, let people in the country who are fleeing their own country, things like that, should be the same people who are the most pro-life. But they usually aren’t. Why? Because of hardening in a position.
What about the other side? many times even when our testimony is soiled we will stay firm in our opinions. That has happened to both sides—all sides of the political world. I hate politics. If you have a candidate who may hold some of your positions---some—but yet their behavior is anything but reflective of what you know to be right—and you not only still support that person, but defend that person? You have lost your way. You are so hardened in your position that even brazen sin, sin that if the other side was committing would make you go nuts. But even brazen sin doesn’t let you change your opinion. Or even call wrong wrong. And we are all like that. We harden in our opinions on a variety of issues.
Paul says, I want you to be free. I want you to be moving more and more towards freedom. I want you to apply nothing but Jesus to every issue and it will become clear where you should land and many times that is far from our hardened position.
Why the Strong Conviction in the First Place?
But here is another thought…why are you worried about this issue at all in the first place? It could be something in the church…it isn’t done the way you want it done, or it could be an issue in a relationship, or a marriage, or whatever. Instead of being instinctively divisive, instinctively this is right, this is wrong, I need to take my stand step back and ask if this issue has any eternal value…
We said earlier that a strong conviction on a secondary matter may not mean you have a strong faith but that your faith is actually weak. That is an incredible statement. Why? Because your strong conviction is misplaced. The strong conviction should be reserved for the core stuff...
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Stan and Not Worrying about Stupid Stuff
I was speaking to one of our elders this past week about the issue of worship in the church. And he told me that he loves classical music, he loves the old hymns…he said his wife loves new songs. And the thing I loved is that he said, but it isn’t worth getting upset over it. When you think about what Jesus did for us and how short our time is on this earth, are these issues really worth the energy? Are they really that important? Paul says the kingdom of God isn’t about all these secondary issues. The real issues are whether or not the fruit of the spirit is growing in you…whether or not you have peace and joy in all things. Whether or not you are willing to lay down your preferences. You say, well I’m offended, I have my preferences…
Isn’t the whole name of the game in relationships to overlook offenses.
Counterintuitive
*From world’s perspective not possible. Zero sum game. Winner and loser.
*From nothing but Jesus perspective should be competing to see who can defer the most to the other.
*You know how much you are maturing in your faith and how much you even believe when your faith results in love especially in disagreement.
*But it doesn’t because we are so weak.
God rewards those who seek him. not those who seek doctrine of religion or systems or creeds. Many settle for these lesser passions, but the reward goes to those who settle for nothing less than Jesus himself. And what is the reward? What awaits those who seek Jesus? Nothing short of the heart of Jesus.
Max Lucado, Just Like Jesus: Learning to Have a Heart Like His
*This is even evident when you see giants of the faith, pastors, theologians holding their opinion on a gray area, not even a black and white area, as gospel, as law.
A nothing but Jesus person probably isn’t focused on the gray issue in the first place.
A nothing but Jesus person is always moving towards more and more freedom not less.
A nothing but Jesus person is radically interested in what the Scriptures say and not in human opinion or tradition.
Max Lucado, Just Like Jesus: Learning to Have a Heart Like His
A nothing but Jesus person knows that the result will be counterintuitive. Instead of winning and losing, there is only competing to defer to one another.
For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Unity in Christ—Risen
Paul says that if we live in this counterintuitive way deferring to one another, that is when great things start to happen…that is when unity happens…Paul says that is when we live in such harmony together in Jesus that we glorify God with one voice even though there are a ton of different opinions. That is when a marriage starts to really click and starts to really glorify God and set an example when husband and wife defer to each other.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
Paul says that if we live in this counterintuitive way deferring to one another, that is when great things start to happen…that is when unity happens…Paul says that is when we live in such harmony together in Jesus that we glorify God with one voice even though there are a ton of different opinions. That is when a marriage starts to really click and starts to really glorify God and set an example when husband and wife defer to each other.
In a word, live together in the forgiveness of your sins, for without it no human fellowship, least of all a marriage, can survive. Don’t insist on your rights, don’t blame each other, don’t judge or condemn each other, don’t find fault with each other, but accept each other as you are, and forgive each other every day from the bottom of your hearts.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
During Jesus’ ministry, the disciples were constantly fighting with each other over secondary matters. And Jesus had created this monster by bringing together a bunch of guys who were from wildly different backgrounds. It would have been like having a democrat, a libertarian, a republican…and a communist all on the same team. And so they are at each other’s throats pretty much through the whole gospel. Who is the greatest among us…which one is going to sit at the right hand of Jesus…but something amazing happened when they got nothing but Jesus. When they had a view of the risen savior.
There is a great scene in the movie Risen…it is after the resurrection, Jesus commissions the apostles to go into the world and get it done, to share Jesus with everyone, to make disciples....and this diverse disagreeable bunch of guys all with different ideas of how things should go, these guys who had scattered from one another a few days before, in the movie, the camera pulls out and you see the disciples running together as one. On mission. Not worried about the stupid stuff…the secondary matters…but on mission urgently running together to go share nothing but Jesus. Not looking to the left or to the right. Not stopping to deal with non essentials. Not stopping to even develop a view on a non essential…but with their eyes fixated on Jesus and sharing him with others.
Because while deals with what Paul calls disputable matters, Paul says there are other matters that aren’t disputable at all...
for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
Indisputable. Paul says, remember the real stuff. Paul makes probably the most glorious statement in all of when he says in verse 4...
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
The Lord makes us stand. Whether we are right or wrong, weak faith or strong faith, Jesus, not us, makes us stand.
That the Lord formed us, that he knows us intimately. Indisputable.
That Jesus entered our hell so we could have his heaven. That is the indisputable stuff.
That Jesus enters our failures, our messed up ness so we can be part of his family. Indisputable.
We can be like Martin Luther who said, So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: "I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!
Indisputable.
That is the indisputable nothing but Jesus stuff. That nothing separates us from his love. That there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Indisputable.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
That God loves us unconditionally. Indisputable.
Read more: https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/the-promises-of-god-10-powerful-bible-verses-1/#ixzz5E4BIELU1
A nothing but Jesus person probably isn’t focused on the gray issue in the first place.
A nothing but Jesus person is always moving towards more and more freedom not less.
A nothing but Jesus person is radically interested in what the Scriptures say and not in human opinion or tradition.
A nothing but Jesus person knows that the result will be counterintuitive. Instead of winning and losing, there is only competing to defer to one another.
Look underneath the issue—look underneath the frustration, the anger, the wanting your way, and see if Nothing but Jesus is underneath all of it or something else. Do you even get nothing but Jesus.
Think about Jesus. He has the perfect position.