ROMANS 14 | TRUST THE PROCESS

LAST WEEK

We looked at how the follower of Christ should see Authority.

What we as representatives of Christ, should be like in our workplaces.

The evidence we should leave people with as image bearers of Christ.

As always, the podcast is up on our website, Youtube, and iTunes.

Feel free to like, comment, and subscribe

THIS WEEK

We will look at more practical instruction

I believe Paul desires for the Roman Church to represent Christ well

I believe there are things that this church was doing well, but they still had a lot of opportunities to grow on a practical level.

I believe that even today, we have a lot of growth opportunities as a church, and as the Church.

TURN WITH ME TO ROMANS 14

Romans 14 NKJV

1 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. 14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 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. 16 Therefore do not let your good 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 serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. 21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. 22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself 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 he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

PRAY

Romans 14:1

Romans 14:1–4 NKJV

1 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.

CHURCH, SINCE COMING TO FAITH IN 2003, I’VE REALIZED A COUPLE THINGS

PERFECTION COMES AS A GIFT THAT WE CAN ONLY UNWRAP IN HEAVEN.

WE ARE ALL ON DIFFERENT JOURNEYS TO THAT GIFT.

Some of us have just begun following Jesus

Some of us have just begun following Jesus

Some of us are further along

Some of us have gone backwards or grown stagnant

One thing we can all count on is the fact that if we are still breathing, we are not yet perfected.

IF WE HAVE THIS MINDSET, WE WILL IMPACT PEOPLE ON A GREATER LEVEL.

WE WILL BE ABLE TO RECEIVE ALL PEOPLE IN THE SAME WAY WE WERE RECEIVED BY GOD

RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE AT

WITH THIS MINDSET, WE WILL BE ABLE TO BETTER HANDLE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE DIFFERENTLY THAN WE DO.

We will know how to graciously and truthfully present Christ to them.

If they do not believe what you believe

If they believe different than you do

If when it comes to faith, they are weak, or sick, and need strengthening

Receive them, and agree that you have more in common with one another

Receive them, and edify them

Received them, and bring them back into fellowship with God

Receive them, and remind them of the promises that are yes and amen in Christ.

Don’t let doubtful things separate you from people

Don’t let disputes over minor things build a greater chasm between you and others.

Church, sadly this is such a common theme in Christendom

LET’S REWIND FOR A MINUTE, AND PUT OURSELVES IN THIS CULTURE

LET’S THINK ABOUT THE PARADIGM SHIFT

THE SWITCH FROM JEWISH BELIEFS TO FREEDOM IN CHRIST

ON A DIETARY LEVEL, WHICH IS WHAT PAUL IS TALKING ABOUT

Would open the Jewish community to the world of Lobster, Pork Chops, and all kinds of other foods

But that switch would stumble people that were still stuck in their Jewish ways

There were some Jews that dove deep into the freedoms they had in Christ

There were also those who stuck to their Jewish Heritage

What was happening in the Roman Culture was that these two groups of people began to judge one another.

One because they had freedoms and the other because they saw themselves as “Holier than thou”

PAUL IS LIKE: STOP IT!

WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE ANOTHER’S SERVANT?

WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE PEOPLE WHO PRACTICE DIFFERENTLY THAN WE DO?

WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE OTHERS FOR THEIR FREEDOMS

WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE OTHERS FOR WHAT CHRIST HAS BROUGHT INTO THEIR LIVES

TO HIS OWN MASTER HE STANDS OR FALLS

If God is truly doing a work in them, who are we to judge them for areas that are still being worked on?

Church, it is so easy to discount the invisible work of the Holy Spirit

It is so easy to count people out, and judge them for any little thing that we do not agree with

We don’t realize what we are doing when we count people out

In counting people out, we are giving up on God

Church, we need to stop counting people out

For in counting people out, we are giving up on God

We are giving up on His ability to transform

We are giving up on the power of the Holy Spirit

We are leaning on our own understanding, and we don’t have the mind of Christ when we give up on the transformative work of the Gospel.

We forget that God is able to make him/her stand in His Power.

Romans 14:

WHAT ELSE WAS GOING ON IN ROME?

Romans 14:5–12 NKJV

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.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST’S?

DO YOU EVER WONDER WHY THEY WORSHIP ON SATURDAY’S?

DO WE JUDGE THEM FOR NOT HAVING A SUNDAY SERVICE?

PAUL SPOKE TO THIS 2,000 YEARS AGO

WHETHER PEOPLE WORSHIP ON SATURDAY, SUNDAY, OR MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

DON’T TRIP ON THEM

YOU, BE FULLY CONVINCED.

YOU, BE CONVICTED OF YOUR WHY.

WALKING WITH JESUS, WORSHIPPING JESUS, IS MORE THAN A “ONCE A WEEK THING”

Whether we are in church or out an about, We are image bearers of God

What we do, and what we eat, and our thankfulness should be to the Lord

For we are living for Him and His glory

If we live, we live to the Lord

If we die, we die to the Lord

For those of us who have placed our faith in Christ, and the work of the cross and the hope of the resurrection, WE ARE THE LORD’S!

He is our Master

He is creating in us a masterpiece

He is the potter and we are the clay

This is why Christ carried the cross and was nailed to it

This is why He rose from the grave

That He might be Lord of the Living and the Dead

What does this mean?

Paul is proclaiming His Lordship over

Those who died in faith before He came

Those who lived presently during the time of Christ

And all throughout history

He is Lord of all.

He is the Lord

There is no one like Him

He is undefeated

He hasn’t withheld anything good from us

He is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords

The One who was and is and is to come

The question is, do we recognize him as such?

Are we willing to come under His lordship

His Care

His Authority

His Love

His Grace

His Mercy

Are we willing to make Him the center of our lives?

Base every decision and subsequent action around the person and work of Jesus Christ?

FRIENDS, IF HE IS OUR LORD

WE SHOULD REFRAIN FROM JUDGEMENT OF OTHERS

WE SHOULD STOP DESPISING OTHERS

SPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE ON A DIFFERENT JOURNEY THAN WE ARE

Church, we need to understand that God is a better judge than we are

We, have no authority to judge people and their decisions.

Our track record of mistakes puts us on the same level as them

Just so we are clear

“Every knee will bow, Every tongue will confess who God is”

Every tongue will confess who God is”

Either to his glory or to our shame

If we believe this, we should be more concerned with our actions than the actions of others

One thing we can do to impact this proclivity is to realize how messed up we are before we open our mouths about others.

Warren Wiersbe said something along these lines

Before you fire off correction to another soul, point the cannon at yourself and examine your soul, see if there is anything unclean thing. Once you’ve realized your own depravity, you will be ready to graciously minister to those who have sinned.

NOT ONLY SHOULD WE STOP JUDGING OTHERS

WE NEED TO REALIZE THAT WE ARE STUMBLING THOSE WHO JUST BEGAN THEIR JOURNEY

WE NEED TO STOP TAKING THINGS INTO OUR OWN HANDS AND AWAY FROM THE HANDS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

TRUST THE PROCESS

TRUST THE WORKING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

TRUST THAT HE KNOWS MORE THAN WE DO

Romans 14:14–23 NKJV

14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 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. 16 Therefore do not let your good 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 serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. 21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. 22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself 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 he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

Romans 14:14–18 NKJV

14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 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. 16 Therefore do not let your good 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 serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

PAUL HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED BY THE GOSPEL

BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY

HE KNEW, FROM HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS, THAT NOTHING WAS UNCLEAN IN AND OF ITSELF

IT WAS PURELY SUBJECTIVE TO THE PERSON WHO JUDGED IT

THOUGH WE HAVE THE LIBERTY TO DO ALL THINGS

THERE WERE THINGS THAT AS LEADERS IN THE CHURCH AND IN THE COMMUNITY, THAT WE MUST ABSTAIN FROM

THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE MUST NOT DO.

THE WAY WE SEE OURSELVES IN CHRIST, WILL DICTATE HOW SERIOUS WE TAKE THIS COMMAND

THE MORE WE BELIEVE THAT WE ARE IMAGE BEARERS OF THE GOD WHO CREATED US

THE MORE OUR ACTIONS WILL ALIGN WITH OUR FAITH

THE MORE WE BELIEVE THAT WE ARE REPRESENTING CHRIST

THE MORE WE WILL CONSIDER THE PICTURE WE ARE PAINTING WITH OUR WORDS AND BEHAVIORS.

If we grieve our brothers and and sisters with any action, we are no longer walking in love.

If our actions destroy the faith of others, we are not walking in love.

Just because we enjoy this freedom, doesn’t mean we are to boast in it

Be aware

Be mindful

Do not let your good, what you think is good, be spoken of as evil.

For the Kingdom of God is not in eating or drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the holy spirit.

For this is how we present ourselves as a living sacrifice before the Lord

Serving Christ, preserving His image, and making much of His name.

That we may be approved of men throughout the world.

Friends it is the abuse of our freedoms that cause confusion.

People say, I dont get it, some of you do and some of you dont.

Is Christ divided?

Is the House Divided?

Why are their so many denominations?

Because we make much of the minor issues

Because we forget all of the great things we have in common and divide over silly things

SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

Romans 14:19–23 NKJV

19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. 21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. 22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself 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 he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

WE MUST PURSUE THE THINGS WHICH MAKE FOR PEACE AND THE THINGS BY WHICH WE MAY EDIFY THE BODY OF CHRIST

Seek after these things

Make way for these things

Put some effort into these things

DO NOT DESTROY THE WORK OF GOD FOR THE SAKE OF YOU BEING RIGHT

DO NOT BASQUE IN YOUR FREEDOMS AT THE EXPENSE OF YOUR BROTHER AND SISTER

LET YOUR ACTIONS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

FOR HAPPY IS HE WHO DOES NOT CONDEMN HIMSELF IN WHAT HE APPROVES.

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO IT IN FAITH

BE FULLY CONVINCED

IF YOU CANNOT DO IT IN FAITH, IT IS SIN.

BOTTOMLINE.