Romans 14:13-23

Introduction (Gain interest, Identify the Fallen Condition Focus, Read Text)

I ask you, are you here today and do you think that your brother or your sister is worthy of the same grace that God has given to you.

Even when you do not like them? Even when no one likes them?

Are they still worthy of grace? Absolutely.

Now if the truth of grace is that it can stretch to any individual regardless of their race, social status or likability then we now have an issue.

See we have became modern day boulders stooping to the level of the unsaved by holding grudges, gossiping, and living deceptive lives through our Christianity while causing our future or current brothers and sisters in Christ to stumble.

Our deceptive lives are leading people away from Christ.

Main Idea of the Text (MIT)

Don’t cause another to depart from walk away from the gospel through our actions

Main Idea of the Sermon (MIM)

Live lives that display Christ like qualities rather then deceptive stumbling blocks.

Interrogative (MIM put in the form of a question)

Are you a stumbling block through your words, actions and heart?

Transition Sentence with a Key Word that leads to the unpacking of the text

The description Paul is giving us in regards to being a stumbling block to our brother is in short, to not judge our brother on non-doctrinal issues.

Romans 14:13–23 KJV 1900

Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. Let not then your good be evil spoken of: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Main Body

For us today, the meaning of this text is simple.

If the issue is not an issue that impacts the kingdom it is not an issue in which is worth causing our brother/sister to faulter in their faith.

However, this still leaves us with a very broad definition of what it means to cause our brother to stumble.

An example for us is one of when the non-doctrinal issue at hand causes us to lead or brother/sister into wrath, vain arguments, lies, a misdirected focus or various other present issues and sins.

If we are directing or leading in a direction that isn’t toward the kingdom we are a failure to our brothers and sisters.

Division 1 with Scripture reference in brackets [ Daniel 2:31-]

So Paul wrote in Romans 14:15-16

Romans 14:15–16 KJV 1900

But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. Let not then your good be evil spoken of:

In these verses the present issue was that of the law regarding what was allowed to be eaten and what was not.

Paul obviously celebrated the freedom that the people had to eat what they so desired.

However, he had an in detailed push to the way in which their actions may cause another to stumble.

He says “For if your brother is grieved by what you eat you are no longer walking in love”.

Paul’s push here was not for the Christians in Rome to renounce their freedom and do whatever the people desired regarding their food but he did push an encouragement to the roman Christians that an issue such as what they could and couldn’t eat was not an issue of grace.

The grace that covered Paul still covered the weaker Christians, though the weakness was an issue with the other Christians it was not a means to cause a continued weakening among the people.

Explanation

The truth of our salvation is that it is truly for anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord.

It isn’t a conditional gift given to the Christian who is the most political, or the most involved, or the most spiritual.

It is for anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord.

That being said I pray you are close to God and strong in your faith but if you are you are not better then another.

In fact you suddenly have a lot more weight on you as you just as the Roman Christians had to, you have to lift up the weak believers and build them up.

You certainly cannot tear them down with earthly desires and beleifs.

The question we must ask ourselves today “Is the earthly issues worth more to us than the kingdom issues?”

Illustration

Imagine, entering into the gates of heaven.

Everything is perfect and immaculate. Here you stand.

Do you think for even a moment that you are thinking about the earthly issues of the world?

Absolutely not, standing in Gods glory you will fail to find yourself dwelling on earthly issues.

Why, because your kingdom mission is simply to praise and bring glory to God.

God deserves our glory because we fail to deserve his grace and he chooses each day to bestow it to us despite, our inability to live in his image.

Argumentation

Friends, since we cannot live in his image apart from his gift of grace we have a decision to make in regards to our kingdom decisions. Are we strengthening the kingdom or weakening it?

Application

Paul’s words in verse 17 are gut wrenching. He says “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy and the holy Spirit”

I am certain for some in Rome this was awful to hear.

I can envision a young roman Christian, unwise in the meaning of righteousness, newly committed to the kingdom and just beginning to grow in the faith.

Feeling as though the food he eats directly impacts him because the law for ages has said “you can eat this” or “you can’t eat that” an elderly Christian follows behind him and begins to yell at him for his young belief.

Though the young Christians belief was wrong this was not justification for the elderly Christian to kill his witness and therefor disallow himself to lead the young believer.

He could have adopted the young believer in a spiritual sense and lead them to Christ

Instead he caused the young believer to see a false picture of what Christians are like over an issue that was wrong but did not affect the believers salvation.

Transition

So I ask you again, Are earthly issues more important to you?

Division 2

Paul continues in verse 19 and says “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbringing”.

Paul’s encouragement is simple, build the kingdom.

Work for the advancement of the people of Christ.

Uplift the army of believers. Friends how are we building for the kingdom.

Are we not building at all, do we find ourselves tearing down through earthly issues and desires?

Paul continues in these final verses which I want to read again as I feel they are some of the most powerful words in regard to our message today Romans 14:20-23 says (read verses).

Romans 14:20–23 KJV 1900

For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Paul in theses verses is covering his bases and once again saying do not pass judgement on account of the food that is being eaten. Paul is not saying here that freedom is a bad thing.

I imagine Paul celebrated the freedom that was being enjoyed but what he is saying is that there are some that do not understand it yet. Do not pass judgement on those who do not understand.

Explanation

They aren’t at the pinnacle of their faith yet.

Yet this doesn’t rid them of the gift of grace and it is certainly not a time to pull them from Christ rather it is a time to try to draw them to him.

To display leadership and while you may not disagree with someone political or personal stance you know that they are a child of Christ and their belief doesn’t rid them of the opportunity to have received grace just love them.

In short church, we have to learn to keep our mouth shut.

Illustration

I illustrate this in simplicity, many who are unwise in the scripture have not completely understood the word of God.

I may use the example of myself.

In scripture the word never leads us to believe that a drink of alcohol would be a sin.

It simply says “do not be a drunkard” and “do not have strong drink in excess”.

Now I do not drink but if many of you were to find me at a bar enjoying a drink you would immediately think bad thoughts. It isn’t to say I was drunk, I may not even be drinking to start with but your mind would go directly to “did you see what the pastor was doing”.

I say this because the immediate issue is that if it is not an issue of scripture and grace then it is pointless.

I should not place myself in a situation in which you would look upon me and either justify drunkenness or see me as “not practicing what I am preaching”.

For this reason it would be wise of me to avoid bars and drinking altogether not because it is a sin but because I may cause a stumbling block for my brother.

Application

Certainly, you do not want to sit here today knowing you caused your brother or sister to fall into sin or fall away from God. Paul’s argument was the same.

It isn’t an issue of righteousness do not cause your brother to stumble over it.

Conclusion (Reiteration, Visualization, Gospel Integration, Appeal)

In conclusion, I want to ask you to ask our Lord here today how you may have a focus on the issues of righteousness and the kingdom and not on the issues of the world.

How you can lead people to Christ and develop opportunities to lead your fellow Christian closer to Christ and not farther away.

Maybe you sit here today and you say I do not know the God of righteousness who gives us this immaculate irreplaceable gift of grace.

You now may say I want to come to Christ a broken shell of a person and be restored.

Whatever it may be today I pray you focus on the kingdom and not on the earth.

Let me tell you something, most of those who have not heard the truth of the gospel or they have heard it but they do not understand we can say is mostly our fault.

David platt said “While Christians choose to spend their lives fulfilling the American dream instead of giving their lives to proclaiming the kingdom of God, literally billions in need of the gospel remain in the dark”

So I say one final time, why does this happen? Because our focus is that of this earth.