Walking & Not Tripping Others

Introduction

Open Your Bibles to Romans 14

Today, we are picking up last week

Last week, we were talking about the dangers of judging others

We’re not talking about confronting the sin that we see in our lives and in the lives of our brothers and sisters

Rather, we’re talking about judging their lives and choices. And we discussed several good reasons to avoid judging others.

We remember God called our brothers and sisters righteous through the blood of Jesus, so we shouldn’t contradict Him

We remember we can’t focus on holy living ourselves when we are busy judging others

We remember that we will be judged for our actions, not theirs, and so we focus on ourselves

And so, we are called to focus on our own walk with Christ, and avoid judging those whose walk looks a little different than our own.

But this week, we’re reminded that we’re not off the hook just yet

Not judging your brother doesn’t mean you don’t have responsibility for them, which makes the things we do matter all the more:

Romans 14:13–23 NASB95

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

PRAY, Invite the church to sit

*LISTENING GUIDES OUT

When I was a kid, we loved playing hide and go seek in the dark

Everyone that played took it very seriously

We played with no flashlights

Everyone wore camo or black

We made hiding holes in the woods, hid in trees, high grass, and sometimes in plain sight

But by far, the most sinister rule of our game were the booby traps

Those who were hiding were allowed to set traps for the seekers, so long as they weren’t overly dangerous

My favorite trap involved trip wires made from sewing thread.

Fun fact about thread, pull one strand really tight and it is nearly invisible

And while it breaks easy, it also cuts and can cause the unsuspecting victim to stumble

I would tie three lines.

The first was about ankle level

The second was two or three steps forward about head level

The last one was five steps past the second one, ankle high again

The idea was that if someone found me, I could lead them through my gauntlet

I would jump, duck, jump

My opponent would stumble over the first, and then whiplash onto there back when they hit the second.

Then, just in case they recovered or made it through, the last one would catch them off-guard and trip them again.

This plan was great for me, but it was horrible for my friends, because it caused them to trip

And when someone else did it to me, I stopped using that trap: because it isn’t okay if my victory causes harm to others

In today’s passage, this is exactly what we are told to avoid

God’s word is clear. In the first 12 verses

You should not judge those Jesus died to save just because you disagree with them

But today, we’re going to look at three reasons we also need to look carefully at what we are doing for the sake of our brothers, and why their welfare is as important as your freedom

Let’s look at the first one together:

Romans 14:13–15 NASB95

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.

The first reason we have to watch our walk for our brothers and sisters is this:

Doing what is allowable is not good if it trips your brother

EX: There is nothing wrong with hamburgers.

They are delicious

But, when I’m trying to eat healthy and you invite me to lunch, and you take me to a hamburger joint, you are causing me to stumble

And this is the point: If something isn’t sinful, but your brother thinks it is, then it is sinful to him

AND, even though it isn’t sinful to you, if by watching you do that thing, your brother is led to do it, then you have led your brother into sin

It is more important to keep my brother from falling that to practice my own freedom

Think of it like this. Verse 15 puts it well:

Even if I’m allowed to do what I’m doing, if doing it causes pain or temptation to another, it isn’t loving to do it

Failing to act in love is sin for you, as a follower of Christ

Look at what Jesus said:

John 15:12 NASB95

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

Jesus commanded that we love one another as He loved us

so, failing to love your brother by leading Him to disobey is sinful

It is disobedience for him because he believes it is wrong and does it anyway

It is sin for you, because you unlovingly led him astray

Remember: the person that Christ died for is far more important than my liberty for what I desire

Let’s continue:

Romans 14:16–19 NASB95

Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.

The second reason we have to watch our walk for our brothers and sisters is this:

Denying yourself for peace and joy with your brother is glorifying to God

There is a simple way to keep what you know is okay from being called evil: don’t do it!

As a parent, there is nothing sweeter than watching a child with the right to be angry be gracious and kind

I watched one of my kids do this the other day.

One child hit the other

The other child chose not to hit him back

As I bragged on that decision, the child confessed he didn’t strike back because another adult was standing there

As important as what is okay and not okay, as what you do and don’t have a right to do, is the perception you action can have, and how that affects the Gospel

The joy, peace, and unity of the body is worth me going without something that I know is okay and even enjoy

It is more like Christ to deny yourself than to enjoy what harms another at the expense of the body

EX: I have a pastor friend who was gifted a brand new convertible sports car by a wealthy church member.

It was his favorite kind of car, his dream car.

But, he chose to trade it in and buy a new minivan instead for 2 reasons:

First, he had two kids, and a sports car was impractical

Secondly, though, was that he didn’t want to cause a hindrance for people in the body who would decide that he was not a good steward because of his loaded sports car

Would it have been wrong to keep his sports car?

No! In fact, if I were him, I probably would have kept it if at all possible

But, even more glorifying to God than enjoying that good gift was giving it up for the sake of those weaker than himself.

Let’s not lose the forest for the trees

This doesn’t mean you can’t have nice things,

Whether you’re a pastor or a banker, you can have a nice car

But, it is good for us to be mindful of others

No one ever lost favor for sacrificing for another’s sake.

Many have broken hearts and led others astray in the name of selfish pursuit

Let’s look at the last section

Romans 14:20–23 NASB95

Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

The last reason we have to watch our walk for our brothers and sisters is this:

It is only right to live by your convictions if doing so does not tear down the convictions of others

EX: Picture two men standing on scaffolding on either side of a wall

One man is working diligently to make the wall taller. He carefully, painstakingly lays each brick.

On the other side, the other man is collecting bricks. And, to his delight, he keeps finding new bricks on the wall that are loose and easy to take

It wasn’t the second man’s intention to work against the first, but that is what he is doing

The wall cannot grow so long as one man is working in opposition to the other

This is what we do when we allow our freedoms in the things we approve or enjoy inhibit the convictions of our brothers and sisters in Christ

If God is working to grow you, but I lead you to sin by doing things you believe are wrong, I am tearing down what God is building up!

It isn’t the act that is wrong for that person, it is that they are choosing to act against what they believe God would have them to do

In that, they step out of their faithfulness and sin, and you sin by acting unlovingly

It is good to live in the freedom God gives us, but it is far better to give up freedom for the sake of another

Now, this doesn’t excuse you to do whatever you want and blame it on your brother

Each of us is accountable for what we approve of and participate in

You will answer to God for what you called acceptable, what you approved of, and what you participate in

You have freedom to choose-but what you choose had better be honoring to God

You are charged to live by your convictions and to let others do the same

Don’t condemn someone else that doesn’t share your conviction, but stand by your conviction

If I’m with my Presbyterian brother and he drinks wine “responsibly” and believes that’s ok, it isn’t my place to condemn him

but I also need to live by my conviction and not drink myself

It is not my place to tear down another man’s conviction, but what convictions I have, I need to live by because those convictions should be born out of my faith and obedience to God

If your conviction is born out of obedience, and you break that conviction, then you are being disobedient

BUT, when you see that your liberty tempts others to stumble in their convictions, be willing in humility to sacrifice for them in love

After all, it is by our love for one another that people know we are followers of Jesus

John 13:35 NASB95

“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

INVITATION:

This is the heart of what chapter 14 is driving at. You and I must act in faith

Everything you do must be done to glorify God: so what you do against your convictions is sinful to you

Focus on doing what it is God has called you to do

And as you choose how to live in God’s freedom, consider first the others around you who might be tripped by your freedom

We don’t judge those that don’t share our convictions; instead, we sacrifice what may be allowable because we love our family too much to watch them fall

Walk straight on the path God has placed you on, not looking around at the path of others; But as you walk, be careful not to trip those beside you.

PRAY