Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Does anyone remember what Ben Parker says to Peter Parker just before he dies?

He says what is probably the most well-known line in comic-book history.

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

Of course, some would attribute the saying to Voltaire.

Lord Acton also famously said, “Power tends to corrupt.

And absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Why do I bring these two sayings up?

Because both of them are true and both of them can describe the life of those who are strong in faith.

Some see that their strength comes with responsibilities—obligations.

Many Christians, however like to show their strength but forget about their obligations.

I hope that by the end of this morning that we see three reasons God has given the church the strong in faith.

The first and longest is the build up the weak in faith.

The second is to bear with the weak in faith.

Finally the third is to embody Christlikeness.

Build Up the Weak

Bear With the Weak

Embody Christlikeness

Build Up the Weak

The first reason that God has given the church those who are strong in faith is for the purpose of building up the those who are weak.

We’ve been in Romans 14 now for four weeks.

Some may be thinking that we’re beating a dead horse by now.

But Paul wrote 23 verses on this issue because it is an issue that needs to be addressed in the church today.

So we see Paul stating

There’s that word again: destroy.

Last week, we saw Paul used the word “destroy.”

Here it is again.

It’s a different Greek word, but is synonymous with the word in verse 15.

And once again, we are called not to destroy.

We are fragile beings.

God in his patience doing a work in each of us.

And it is the inconsiderate, selfish man or woman who may be strong in faith but immature in love takes no account of how God is working and what God is working in us.

They come along with their Christian liberty, their right to eat or drink or what have you, and unravel all the years of work God is has done.

Is food that important?

Is alcohol that important?

One may not see any issue in eating or drinking.

It’s all clean.

And they are right.

Paul is on their side.

Jesus is on their side.

It is indeed clean.

But it’s not a matter of cleanness or uncleanness anymore.

It’s a matter of right and wrong.

Whatever that “thing” is, that food or that drink or whatever it might be, it becomes wrong to the person who disregards God’s work in his brother or sister’s life.

So let’s say a bunch of us go out to dinner and I know your stance on alcohol.

It’s a terrible wrong in your mind.

Though I know that, I order a glass of wine with my dinner and inwardly or outwardly say, “Get over it,” my clean wine has become an evil not to you!

But to me.

What was clean and good becomes evil when it is that which causes your brother to stumble; if it unravels, ruins, destroys the work of God within a brother and sister, then the strong—the powerful—have a responsibility, an obligation to abstain.

It’s not hypocrisy to do it in private.

Paul says that is how it ought to be.

“The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God.”

This isn’t saving faith that Paul is talking about, but the faith that allows you to have your Christian liberty.

Leon Morris clarifies, “He is not speaking here of saving faith but presuming it.

He is thinking rather of the faith that enables anyone who has it to follow without hesitation or scruple a course of action which his weaker brother cannot follow.

That faith he should not parade, but exercise it where only he knows about it.”

So rather than parading my wine-drinking in front of those who would be wounded or even destroyed by it, I would drink it in my own home or at very least away from those who would be wounded.

Otherwise, I am actually judging myself for what I deem a respectable act.

Which points us back to

When we only think about our own approval of things, only what we find respectable, and do not bring others into account, we bring judgment, and rightly so, upon ourselves.

But we are blessed when we live for others.

Rather than living for our liberty, we live for the work of God in others.

And so, as we see in

This command to please our neighbor is the flip side of not pleasing ourselves in verse 1.

Rather than living to please ourselves, we live to please our neighbor.

To what end?

For his good.

In other words: to build him up.

God has given the strong in faith to the church so that the strong can build the weak.

And do not be under any disillusion that the strong in faith are always strong in faith and the weak in faith are always weak in faith.

What one may be strong in in one area, they may be weak in another.

And vice versa.

So again, we have this idea of mutual upbuilding.

How do we do that?

First, build your relationship.

Make it a point to love each other without conditions.

Like it or not, we are a product of our environment to some degree: for good or for bad.

Some of us were reared in homes where alcohol was abused and so we live in fear of alcohol itself.

It would be wrong for us to drink.

Some of us however were reared in homes in which alcohol was never used.

We were taught that it was wrong and bad and took it as gospel truth.

Some of us saw alcohol consumed responsibly and have no worries about it whatsoever.

Can we love each other despite our upbringings and despite our differences?

Can we build our relationships so we can speak truth into each other’s lives—in love?

Highland View is a pretty conservative church and so most of us could not understand why any Christian could vote Democrat as abortion is one of Democrats greatest agendas.

Other Christians cannot understand how their brothers and sisters could vote Republican as Republicans show little to no concern for the immigrant or alien.

Can we love each other despite who we vote for?

Would a Democrat be welcomed here, loved with open arms?

Would we intentionally build the relationships that need to be built?

Some of us do not see how anyone could smoke cigars or cigarettes or a pipe or get a tattoo as it desecrates the temple of God.

Yet others would argue that smoke was used within the temple and it was decorated with cherubim and pomegranates and almond blossoms.

Can we love each other despite our smokiness and ink or lack thereof?

Some cannot fathom sending kids to public schools.

Others cannot imagine having to homeschool them.

Can we love each other despite where our children go to school?

Are we able to build relationships so as to be able to build one another up?

Let’s work on building our relationships.

Let’s love one another without conditions.

Until that is done, mutual encouragement will not be seen for what it is.

Instead it will be a smokescreen for a hidden agenda of making them conform to me.