Walk in Love

And you may be seated.

I'm here we go.

Okay, it's not Packers. I can leave it there. That's sacrilegious, got to check these things, you know. Thank you very much. Let's go ahead and praise, shall we have a new father, we come before you, and we are in need of your Grace. Today, we ask for your revealing Spirit to teach us to convict us. Through the preaching of your word. Today, we offer you our love, we offer you our bodies. We offer you ourselves and we want to say, use us as you will Transformers as you might

And we just thank you for loving us as you do. In Jesus name, amen.

Has any any of you warn those? Steel-toed boots ever. I remember asking if some of your member Geneva Crawford, I remember asking Geneva Crawford about steel, toe, boots around cows and I don't know. The technology might have advanced to, she was over 100 when she died. It might be Advanced. And since then she said, you don't wear steel-toed boots around cows getting worse again, stepped on by a cow is getting stepped on by a cow. And having the steel toe, crush your toe permanently, instead of, you know, just until the cow moves. I'm not a cow. I hope somebody can use me of that but you might want to put your steel. Toed boots on today because the passage before us might step on some toes, I hope to not do so. So that's just kind of like a warning. A little bit of a community warning, the two maybe listen up. Review your heart asked the spirit to work on you. And at the same time, if I say anything that offend you, I apologize in advance. Come talk to me about it. Let's not break Fellowship because of it. And, and I want to talk about a song right off the get-go. I called this song with Chris, it's my British. I call Eminem Eminem because I can never say magnificent marvelous, matchless in a row, I always say the word about love and we'll talk about Reckless Love Because by the way, the love of God is never Reckless. You see the love of God is always measured. And in its measured Ness it is unmeasured. It is Limitless Reckless and flies as a popular Christian song is so popular in in declaring to us. That The Reckless Love of God, Reckless and flies. By the very definition of the word that God hasn't considered the results of his actions.

The love of God is as Matt. Papa Aaron Keyes, Luke Brown Keith and kristyn Getty have. So purposefully written it is magnificent. It is marvellous, it is matchless, never Reckless. It is measured. You might even say, but in its measure, Dennis, it is limited. That is the measure of the love of God is unlimited. Let me just read it for you. Were going to sing it next week. Magnificent marvelous, matchless love to vast in a standing to tell forever existing in world of Bob. Now offered and given to all over Fountain of beauty, Eternal, the Father, the spirit, the sun, sufficient and endlessly generous. Magnificent marvelous, matchless love The love of God is is matchless. It is magnificent as we Ponder the love of God, we could there has and there will be volumes written of it. Tons of ink spilled on it thousand of trees, cut down to hold the paper. That will be produced to hold the page that we could write of this wondrous love of Jesus.

the Book of James was very, very

Focused on speech epics and ethics are great. But I'd like to be able to quote Doug moo to you if I might I think it's on my phone. Is that real realization didn't put it on a sticky note.

I want on Facebook to welcome everybody to Facebook. So if you're watching online, another welcome to you. There's there's a lot of people joining us some from a over state lines and others just from their homes because of cold. So, welcome to you. Here we go. Pulling this up. I can't get in the next 5. Seconds will skip it, but I think I got it right here. Notes. Dewey, I have it on my iPad but I gave my iPad to my kid. This is statistics.

That's okay. I'll get to find it on there much faster.

How about I give you the gist of it Doug movie said of the love of God, that it is the Central Christian epic. That the love of God, not to us, but the love of God in us to other people as revealed in Romans 12 13. And 14 is defined as the Central Christian ethics. That is the thing that we do to show that we are Christians. You remember what Jesus himself said? He said others right? Come grocer we exist to see people come to Christ as a church to grow in Christ and to serve Christ together it's okay to see people come to Christ Jesus. That all men will know that you are my disciples by your that the other love for one another, by your loved one for the other, it's the Central Christian ethical obligation.

Obligation is how we live our Christian Life.

Let's do this. Define obligation.

Frank's going to pull up a little definition here for me. Bound a Duty or commitment the condition of being morally or legally bound to do something. If you want to come to Christ, we talked about for the last 15 weeks prior to this. That the gospel makes a difference, right? The god of the universe in Beijing. Then Begins the transformation of your spiritual DNA to be from something that did not have pricing. He was at war with Christ to someone who is united with Christ and is indeed changed from the inside out.

But then our actions not to earn that love because God already loves us limitlessly boundlessly, magnificently marvelously match, mostly not recklessly.

Because of that, love Our obligation as Christians then becomes to live in accordance with the love of God. One for the other

I hope you're familiar with Romans 12:1. It's one of the most significant passages and the entire Bible and all of the book of Romans really is, I think you might be familiar with the book of Romans the Apostle, Paul sending a letter really a support letter. So a Christian Missionary support letter to the church and Roman and get I'm going to go to Spain on Mission when I come through Rome I'm going to ask for your physical support. I'm going to ask for your moral support. I'm going to ask for some food went after his money. I'm going to ask her some courage and courage meant and the Book of Romans is kind of him laying out the entirety of the Gospel to the church in Rome.

Saying this is what the gospel that I will tell to the people of Spain. Modern-day Spain is Again, Douglas at the bulk of Roman then. Focuses on how God has acted in Christ. This is something you should jot down, there's three sections all with the word individual in it. So if you want to take some notes, take these notes, The Book of Romans focuses on how God has acted in Christ to bring the individual Center into relationship with himself. That's chapters, 1 through 4. Chapters 1 through 4 of Roman are all about the individual Center, being brought into a new relationship with God, to provide for that individuals, eternal life, and Glory, that's chapters 5 through 8. And then to transform that individuals life on earth. Now, see, the gospel makes a difference. Just ended and with each other forever in the new heavens and a new Earth raining along with Christ. Not just then but also the now, but now becomes Our obligation, not out of

Frustration or anger or like indebtedness in a negative way but in a positive way in love we're to walk in love with one another until Romans 12 begins with. I peeled you therefore Brothers. It's it's a begging. It's it's an appeal, it's a calling out. By the mercies of God. To present your bodies, a Living Sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. My Friends Are Spiritual worship, is everything that follows a Nat and Romans 12:13 and following. And we get to chapter 14. With the context of that, we are fulfilling the law through love Romans 14:8 owe. No one anything except to love each other. For no one shall burn up. The one who shows, another has fulfilled, the law for the Commandments, you shall not commit adultery. You shall not murder. You shall not steal. You shall not covet. And all any other Commandments are summed. Up in this word you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Who does that sound like love? God, love people. That's what the law is, and its entirety.

But then, 14, Paul goes from addressing a universal problem in the church. How to live as offering ourselves as living sacrifices to a specific problem that's going on in the church in Rome? The Roman Church was made up of like other first century churches. A number of individuals families that would gather together at someone's house. In most instances, probably be out at the number 39, T, the big houses, the people who had a lot of wealth. And so you have people gathering in groups of 5 and 6 and 7 and maybe 10 to 15 maybe 20 or 25 and in some cases 30. But certainly know the size of this room even if we look around me feel like, man this is empty and they would have Amongst themselves and in between the other churches. And in most churches, probably, the way it would have worked, if you had the Jews on one side of a community and the Gentiles and another, just because of the way, socioeconomics and distance fell, you would never want to go to church. That was three times as far away as the one that's close by. And so, then the divisions began to arise among the Jews, probably primarily and the Gentiles.

And we get to Romans, 14. I'll invite you to go ahead and stand for the reading of God's word will read the entire chapter.

Romans 14:1 from the English Standard Version. As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him. But not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything while the weak person eats only vegetables.

Let not the one who eats despise, the one who abstains and let not the one who stands passed judgment on the one who eats for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass? Judgment on the servant of another, it is before his old master that he stands or Falls and he will be upheld for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person is deemed. One day is better than another while. Another seems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observed, as an honor, the Lord, the one who eats and honor the Lord. Since he can thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains and honor, the Lord, and give, thanks to God for none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself or if we live, we live to the Lord. And if we die, we die to the Lord. so then, Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lords. For to this end Christ died and lived again that he might be lured, both of the living and the dead. Pass judgment on your brother or why do you despise your brother for? We will all stand before the Judgment seat of God. For it is written. As I say, as I live says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. 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. I know them persuaded in the Lord, Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But it is unclean for anyone who thinks it is unclean. Where's your brother is grieved by what you eat? You are no longer Walking In Love by what you eat. Do you not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil 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 the servers price is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and from Mutual up building, do not for the sake of food. Destroy the work of God, everything is 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, the faith that you have keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. but whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not for Faith, for whatever, does not proceed from faith is sin, We're going to throw one in there, just for good measure. From 15 one. We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the feelings of the week and are not to please ourselves. This is God's word. I invite you to go ahead and take your seats. We've done a little bit of contextual context in so I can make that a verb. We've looked at that the surrounding passage a little bit. Look at what Romans is, where Roman where, at in Romans, this is kind of where it falls in the argument, very, very briefly.

If you've never sat down and just read through, Romans, I encourage you to do that, beginning to end or listen to it. It's an extremely powerful book, theologically probably the most powerful book in the entire Bible.

A little bit of cultural context now.

You're familiar with the Old Testament. Probably only a little better than the first century. Non-jewish. Christians were familiar with the Old Testament book of Romans, he's referring to the Torah, the Old Testament law primarily given by Moses to the people of Israel.

And the problem, if you could say that with Jewish Christians was, they weren't sure how they were to respond to the why, what was their relationship to the law in the era of the church? After Jesus Christ, comes and fulfilled the law where they still supposed to follow, all of the wall. And the short answer is no. The short answer is is no. On the other hand, you have the Roman Believers, the Roman believers who understand because they have come to God. Through Christ. And they have understood that these gods of the Roman served. They are nothing that aren't real, they're not exist and they're not powerful. And so for example if there is food or wine that is sacrifice to an idol. That's fine to eat. It is sacrifice to do nothing. So I will go ahead and eat it and I'll go ahead and drink and especially if it might have been sacrificed to an idol because it was almost impossible in the Roman world, to go to a butcher to pick up meat without it having been sacrificed to Idols first. And so, just to be safe, the Jewish Christians continue their Jewish practice of only eating vegetables, and they were weak cuz I didn't have any protein.

That's a joke. But it does help us to understand and maybe kind of aligned ourselves text, really with, which group is the weaker Brother In this passage. As for the one who is weak in faith, Paul identify. And as we can see here, in the way this is written, welcome him. So I wouldn't say to you, hey Week 1, Welcome the week. One, I would be speaking to the strong one. Let's read that again, Romans, 14:1 asked for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him but not to quarrel over opinions.

One person believes he may eat anything. While the other person, the weak person only eats vegetables is it right to eat meat? Of course, Paul think so because he calls the one who eats vegetables week You never call yourself week, you always think of yours, the strong one don't want you to do today. I want you to put on a hat that you're probably all. We're already unconscious subconsciously wearing and it is I am the strong one. Which means this message is for you today. We rarely think of ourselves as the week 1. Our perspective is always right in our own mind. Otherwise we would change our perspective. To ask for the one who is weak. You're the strong ones contextualizing at 2 today, right? So Grace Community Bible Church. Each of you who is strong Think about the person is weak in faith. Welcome them. But not to quarrel over opinions. The reason you engage with somebody who has a theologically less than perspective than yourself or philosophical or life goal. Lesson is not to engage over opinions, are your opinions is extremely important and, and we could go back and look text you, it's more stuff. We don't have time for that. And let me just tell you that the upshot is this We're not talking about black and white biblical sin issues here. I think this applies. Well, Paul didn't mean it for this. Paul meant it for the things. He literally said that is to say food, meat, wine and opinions. Write it to today's society. By saying the things that are not biblically definite. We talked about this conversation or sermon on how we do church. We don't compromise that statement of faith that we have. These are the 10 Essentials. This is who God is, this is what the Bible is and what it says about our condition and relation to God, and a lot of ways, it comes straight out of the book of Romans.

But don't quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the other person, the weak person only eats vegetables, let not the one who eats despise, the one who abstains and let not the one who abstained to pass judgment. On the one who eats for God has welcomed him.

I put on the steel toes.

A year ago.

16 months ago to be precise. We canceled Services people in online. Are we went online? I preach from my basement. You stayed home.

And it was hard.

It's hard for everybody.

When you go to work and go to school, And we were less affected than most people in the country because we live in a relatively, small town. And, and we really didn't even peek until months and months later and tell, as we came out of quarantine, Let Me Back To Life as usual.

Peak Valley, Peak Valley.

Myself the elders as we talked about it.

Our goal has been from the start to remain unified and not to allow this issue to divide us. And what I see happening, I've had has happened over the last sixteen months. This one issue may be more than any other issue in the entire Church's history threatens to divide our church right down the middle. Bye.

Opinions. perspectives, the way that we act based on the information we have,

Throughout almost every single one of Paul's Epistles. He condemns disunity in the church in the strongest of terms and so I must do the same anything that threatens to divide us. That is not biblical truth. We must abstain from allowing us to be divided by Who's going to think about from a couple of the perspectives that I'm hearing in church and kind of encourage us to gather in love and unity and it's this or on one side of the church.

I quite literally everybody over here. Just gotten comfortable.

The church, we have people that went into quarantine. Did like it experts say we have to do. It said you know what, it's not a big deal, bottom line, we will not live in fear. Which is, by the way of great biblical principle. We will live in Freedom that we have in Christ. We're not going to get vaccines. When I going to wear masks, we're not going to social distance. We're not going to wash your hands. Well,

and on the other side, we have people that went into quarantine

That could not wait to get out of quarantine everybody hates 14. Everybody hates covid the unifying thing. Right? It's all so horrible. It's okay. We got a social distance, 62 part. We got a mascot. We're going to we're going to insult or have a filters to capture all the germs. We're going to do everything we can to win the vaccine comes out. We're going to get that vaccine because we want to love our neighbor. By the way, is a Biblical principle. Love your neighbor as yourself. Whether I agree with you or not, I support your decision making because I talked to a number of you, about the specific issue. And as I talk to you, I hear things that are very reasonable things. Like my really, really good friend. Got really, really, really, really sick from the vaccine. And I don't know anybody that's had a really negative impact because of covid risk or my family at risk over something that's untested. That's, that's a summary. And I say, you know what, weather agree with you or not? I affirm that as sound thinking from reasonable people, On the other side of things, I hear things like this. All of the research is showing that the vaccine is safe. I've gotten the vaccine and I haven't gotten covid. Oregon covid-19, because I would hate to give it to somebody else. I want to show love to my neighbor as myself. I want to stop this stupid thing in its tracks. Everybody should get a vaccine, everybody should mask up. We should do whatever we can do as a community to get rid of this and whether I agree with you or not, I support that as logical Thinking by reasonable people.

So you right now wherever you sit, self identify yourself as though. Stronger brother. You're right right. Right.

Put read this passage again, a little bit of a contextual lens on a application wise, not necessarily interpretive wise, for those of you who are following along really specifically who is week as for the people that you disagree with welcome him but not to quarrel over opinions.

One person believes he may.

Master not mask. One person believes he may. Anti-vaxxer backs.

Well, the other person does the stupid thing. I mean, does the opposite

What the one? Who does the thing? That is different from you.

Let not the one who doesn't think that is different from you do not despise them.

And let not the one who abstained passed judgment on the one who eats for God has welcomed him. The point of this first part of the passage, is that God is welcome to, you got his, welcome to each believer. Got his welcome to anyone who will come to him through Christ. That's the hope of the gospel. And we dare not start to put additional things to the gospel. What you were, you can come to Christ, but you can't come to church. Unless you wear Master, don't wear a mask, unless you back to your not vaccine that is out of line with a text in Scripture. You come to Christ. Wonderful. There were no prerequisites. You can come to church. There are no prerequisites. You come to church as you are because you come to God, as you are and you allow God to do the work inside. Bridgeport, who are you to pass? Judgment on the servant of another. The brief version of this is Paul has multiple times address all of the Christians in Rome including himself that wasn't a Christian and he's identified them all as household slaves. As a household slaves, you are accountable for everything in your entire life to your owner. Dunkin Dunkin Donut flavor here. Explaining the exegesis, right? This is what the passage talking about. So if you've let you say or a household slave, and somebody comes over to visit your Master's house, they'll come around saying I poured the wine. This way, serve the food, this way, keep the household. This way. I'm not accountable to you go. Talk to my master.

In the same way for you to pass judgment, on the servant of another is before his own master that he stands or Falls and he will be of help. So who are we all the household Servants of each? One of Christ.

Is, I'm not going to go judge you based on your opinions, from my opinions perspective because you're going to be held accountable to your master. I'm not your master Christ as your master price. Is also my master, my job isn't to come and hold you accountable in that way. That is the job of God. We could, we get up take the next couple of verses in a couple of different interpretive ways. I think, either one helps us to understand the point, one person esteems. One day is better than another well, another essenes all day. So like let's just say that the Jews over here. The Jews Christians are still observing June holidays. And over here Beach, Christian non-jewish, Believers are are not observing the Jewish holidays, I think more likely over here. The non-jewish Christians are still observing pagan holidays holidays, at celebrate this God or that. Or this celebration of that celebration. And they're saying, it's just a cultural celebration, it's just a chance to get together and fellowship. It's like celebrating the Fourth of July. What's anti-god about that? He's not a real God. How dare you engage in that celebration recent. This is just, this is just what I said, he does. If I want to engage going to be in the world and not other world. I've got to celebrate this. I'm not celebrating it tooth. That original DD. I'm celebrating to God.

46, the one who observes the day observed in honor of the Lord is the one who doesn't observe the day.

Observe and give thanks to God for none of us live to himself and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord. If we die, we die to the Lord. So then whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lords. If you're here and you are not the Lord's, if you can't, self-identify as curios, the kyrgios felt the Lord, the household slave master. If your slave master is not Jesus Christ. I encourage you to put on the bombs, the yolk. Of the freedom. And Jesus, that is the irony of being a Christian as we become a slave to be set free. And if you want freedom in Christ, then submit to Jesus as your master.

Verse 942 this and Christ died and lived again. Why? So that we might be both be Lord. Both of he might be lured, both of the living and the dead. You want to talk about contrasting perspectives?

That is the unity that Christ brings unifies. Even the dead and the living. Because he is Lord of all verse 10. Why do you pass judgment on your brother? We can see already that Paul has primarily already tipped his hand as to, which he thinks is the better argument, the weak and the strong, you're the strong, right? But even for the strong, he has words of chastisement. Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? The one casting judgements the week one, I can't believe you. I'm only eating vegetables over here in this. Broccoli is really nasty but how dare you have that steak? And use that filet and that was good but you're not following you look well because you're eating at the sacrifice what I do for you. Passing judgment one on the other. Or you. Why do you despise your brother? Look at him over there. Can you believe that? He still thinks that you shouldn't drink wine and shouldn't eat food? Don't they know the gospel, don't they know the freedom that is in Christ. Despised.

So he chastises both for, we will all stand before, the Judgment seat of God for your actions and he's also going to judge you for that interaction that just happened. You judging him and you despising the other What is written as I live? Says the Lord. Every knee shall bow to me. You think that you're not accountable to Jesus Christ? You think that you're not at the temple to God. As I say, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God. There we go. So I'm going to be before God at the end. It's not a Biblical truth, you can't unite over it, don't worry about it, let God pass judgment.

Should you vaccinate should you mask up? I have my opinion just like Paul had his but the point is if non-biblical is extra biblical to say that. This is what you have to do that we can make good biblical argument one way or another, but it has come to the point where it is dividing us and I can tell you 100% of that is non biblical. We never divide over things that are not patched Jewel, issues and is not his actual issue verse 12. So then each of us will give an account of himself to God to, what's the way forward. How do we walk together in love Basin, all the 13 there for Let us not pass judgment on one another, any longer guys, I know this is controversial, it started out controversial and I was hoping to kind of like this, it wouldn't be a big deal instead. It has gotten more and more and more divisive and people have put down their Roots, they're in a good stamps, they're ready to fight because it has become an identity level issue for them for us, for almost every single one of us. And it's not worth the fight. I had a conversation recently with somebody that I hold very dearly in my life and it was actually over this exact issue about covid, right in about a response to covid and where I'm kind of at is where I can always been at. I'm trying to understand what's actually happening. I'm I'm trying to find good sources of information so that I can have good input so that I can make wise decisions it. So in this conversation, I have somebody in this conversation that I respect and I'm trying to get at the truth, right? I don't claim to know what the truth is. I think I see through glass extremely dimly and I'm thinking it'd be nice to put some focus on this. Cuz I'm trying to get at it and even is I broached the subject. With this person, I can see the Flames. Laughing at the bottom, the foundation, and the entire conversation, which is key to the in integral to the relationship. It starts to rush up the foundations of I disagree with the direction I disagree with wasn't worth that fight. I heard you as your engagement people about this or anything else. Controversial non-biblical, if it starts to get too heated.

I denied today at 5 this morning, it was like 60. It was beautiful man. You should all been out there. And there'll be that. Little rub that disagreement but better than it having become a nuclear explosion blowing up the relationship. So therefore let us not pass judgment on one another, any longer. Let's be done with it. We can't control covid. We can't control the nation's response. We can't control whether Kirksville puts a mass maintain order. Anything like this, right? But we can control is our response, one to another and so I encourage us, let us therefore not pass judgment. On each other any longer we've been doing that long enough, But rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. So here's the, here's the rule, right? If you want to get practical, the rule is this. If you disagree with somebody. That's okay.

If you upset somebody. That's okay, too. I can't believe that you were eating that that broccoli. No wonder your week, no protein. I you you ungodly rats. I cannot believe you're eating that made sacrifice to Zeus.

Okay, to be angry. It's going to be upset. It's okay if it's your actions upset, somebody else. You can't control their actions and reactions. however,

never put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know nothing is clean or unclean, he's over here. But it is unclean for anyone who thinks it's on clean. But are you playing both sides here? Know if your conscience demands according to the scripture that you should not do it, then don't do it if you absolutely need that vaccine so that you can protect other people by guile. You better get that vaccine and you cannot get the vaccine because you're afraid it will kill you and you were convinced of it, then you better not get the vaccine.

And even those are not quite moral issues as these were so take that into account as well.

For if your brother is grieved by what you eat? You are no longer Walking In Love grieved is not upset.

grieved is what's happening to Millennials and zinnias in our country by the church,

Many, many Daniels are millennials in this country are looking at the church and saying, I cannot believe your response to this thing. I cannot believe how the church as a whole is responding to covid and I reject it. I reject the church I reject Christ that it stands for or like one conversation, I had to the friends, they decide to start doing deconstructionism, you know, that is of the body of Christ Church lining up with the teaching of scripture. So instead of trying to figure out what may be going on in in in deceptive there saying here's a baby, there's a bad water whoosh and that looks look at the tax and let's figure out what we want to add back in until they're flipping through scripture and they're saying love each other. That seems like a good thing. But the problem is, when you toss out all of Orthodoxy and started, nothing you are going to be extremely limited by your extremely limited perspective. And the things you add back in your own, faith are not the things that line up with you teaching. The entirety of scriptures, you could read Romans, and it's the best book in the Bible just about About to ask her, it's right.

We have two thousand years worth of really, really good. Deep thinking, wonderful exegesis leading to the Urology that helps inform our presence and if you just take the baby and throw him out with the bathwater, spend your life about a baby. Where are you going to take a bath if you can have a baby. So they're left with church. No Jesus sometimes.

And that's on. Us. That's on the church because as they looked at the church, the church became the stumbling block.

Therefore, let's not pass judgment on one another any longer. It's not about who's right here, but if your demand of being right, causes somebody else to apostate, and abandon the faith in our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ, how dare you. Paul says, I know them, persuaded that nothing is unclean and itself is unclean. If you anyone who thinks it is, I'm clean for your brother's Dream by what you eat. You were no longer Walking In Love. Here's what he says by what you eat by your opinion and living out your opinion, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.

The subject, the object of, Christ's death and sacrifice on the cross for your opinion.

Wow.

So, they do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. I cannot imagine more appropriate words for our time than that. Christ is the ultimate good in the world in history.

In the world is speaking about him as though he is evil. Because of our actions. And I have to say like, every take a breath me to write like, People are going to reject Christ. Either way, they're going to do what they're going to do and we can talk about the media. We can talk about bias we can talk about. Well, yeah. But they're expanding the actions of some and well that's fine. You're not responsible for their actions. Let's just stop being. So Global be a little bit local. Here is does our church has actions say to Kirksville. What what are we saying when when Truman students come right freshman week? Coming up here and international dinner last night. So, most International students. First year, students are all on campus as they come. And, as they are seeing this interesting complex place called Kirksville for the first time and what do they see when they hear or think about if they even think about Bryce Canyon Bible Church? What does it say about their potential or actual relationship with Christ? Does it say yes follow after Christ or is it putting a big stumbling block? Because of an opinion that we have that we are living out.

By what you eat by your opinions, by any non theologically important thing. don't buy any of those things by any perspective or response to covid, don't Destroy the one for whom Christ died.

Do not let what you regard as a good as good. Be spoken of as evil for the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking. we could put so much in place and I think have good interpretive reasons to do so or or permission to do. So the gospel, if you could say that is not about and you could just make a list all of these things that are that have split the church over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, throughout hundreds, and even thousands of years. That's not what it's about for. The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the holy spirit, it's about love. Each other Walking In Love. You can't walk in love and put somebody a stumbling block in front of somebody that causes them to reject Christ. Whoever guster's Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. You can't be approved by men. If you're putting stumbling blocks in front of them, keeping them from coming to Christ because of an opinion. That is not of the tack.

Upshot. So then,

Let us pursue what makes for peace and for Mutual up building. It's about being on on Mission folks. It's about come grocery literally on her what we said every week. We hear Grace give me Bible Church exists to see people come to Christ. We had somebody recently come to Christ. A few people want to get baptized. Let's do it in the next couple of weeks. Okay? What's do what you want to get? Baptized talk to me. Will fill this thing next week the week after the week after while have a baptism. We go long enough that a baptism we should be looking around saying, wait a minute, I thought our whole purpose was to see people come to Christ. Why we had any baptisms recently, given about celebrating the coming to Christ of a person and affirming it in them in. As a congregation receiving them into membership of the body of Christ. It's a celebration, it's being a mission, we're growing, we're doing Sunday school sometimes, and all of these things to help us about Roots more than than it is about leaves. We're growing in the word and our understanding and love, and appreciation of the Texan of God.

We're pursuing we are doing Kingdom building. We're serving together. We're going into the community were doing the mud run together because it's a way that we can get dirty with our friends and a clean start away. If you know what I mean and build connections with each other, we're doing things like donuts for dads and we're going out and we're giving out those donuts to our friends to the to the dads of the men in our life. We're going out and we're doing things like our jobs in soccer. We're doing things like the things we do everyday. And we do it together. Hey, I need some help with this, I need to go down and cut some trees to my neighbor's property, so that I can heat my furnace. Can you come with me and use the ax and kind of make a way for my four-wheeler? All for Christ. It's on Mission. It's it's it's on purpose. But sometimes you're not meeting and when covid spiking, when there's the stuff in the meeting, their stuff on social distant, I mean, social media, and there's all of these conversations going on. We stopped looking outward, we stop. We'll start looking inward. How do I disagree with Facebook? Is the people who feeds we're seeing are our friends.

Oh great. All those people. You disagree with your friends or the only thing you ever see your people that agree with you until your first baptism comes Limited I'm joining you in that. Like I don't know what to do to those, but I do know. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for Mutual up building encouragement Ministry Together, live life together. Do not for the sake of food. Destroy the work of God. Go Kingdom. Building don't do destroying the work of God. Verse 19 verse 20. Everything isn't anyone stumble by what? He eats didn't get in the first time, Paul saying it again, it's wrong. It is sinful. If you call somebody else to stumble, based on your living out your opinions, So what would the tax have is to do? If somebody's causing us to stumble, we go to them and we have that conversations that I'm really really struggling to pursue Christ here. I'm really really struggling cuz I think you're stupid. I disagree with you because I'm trying to pursue Christ here and there's just barriers in the way and some of the where is my Christian Community, and if I'm honest I don't understand how you can be a Christian and live like this with that and it's authentic and it's real. As you talked about it, maybe you should change your actions. Maybe you should stop insisting that everybody needs a maybe you should put on a mask. For the sake of the name.

It is good not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. It's good to put on a mask. don't give you like math because when I call somebody else to stumble, it's good not to talk about vaccines. Every time you're around your friends don't like to wear mask because you know what? It's causing him to stumble. How could you have faith? How could you live in such fear all the time?

Disengage.

The faith that you have keep between yourself and God, give you that advanced wasn't raining all the time, haven't you? It's not Evangelistic, it's not about. Don't share your faith with others. Don't tell people about Jesus. We use the term sharefaith when we were trying to tell other people about Jesus, no sharing our faith. In that sense is

You don't have enough Faith to eat meat but I do.

I got faith. You do not. I am better and you are snot.

Mayhem.

And that sort of sense. Keep your faith to yourself. What is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves because the worst the only thing worse than what we're talking about. So far is for this guy who like the only vegetable just convinced we should eat vegetables to start eating meat just because of peer pressure. You get the back to you and you start wearing your mask and whatever. You know I don't know how to contextualize this anymore. And you're convinced you should or shouldn't and you're doing the wrong thing.