Put On Love By Putting On Christ
[format] => 1 [safe] =>ROM 243 - Unity in Diversity - Part One - Rom 14:1-12
We're STILLLLL flying out of the Launch Pad of Rom 12:1-2
where we turned the Christian TALK - into the Christian WALK
Last week Paul taught us to “Put on Love, by putting on Christ”- & that message is an absolute prerequisite to this one
because without us putting on the Agape love of God We'd have no hope of ever pulling off these next 2 Msg's
Psa 133:1 - NKJ 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
& just how good, & how pleasant is it
for us to dwell together in unity?
Well - Jesus made it basically His FINAL request
in His High Priestly Prayer of Jn 17
RIGHT BEFORE his Betrayal & Arrest
Jesus prays to the Father
Jn 17:20-21 - ESV
20 “I do not ask for these only [His disciples], but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
FIRST - Jesus prays that our Unity would be JUST AS
HIS Unity is with the Father (which is mind-boggling enuf)
But then Jesus directly ties our UNITY - to our ABILITY
to bring the Gospel to the world
(end V.21) so that the world may believe
SO - how do you think The Church is doing today in this Critical Area of UNITY ?
Or do you think this little poem might sadly paint
a more accurate picture of the church today;
Believe as I believe, No more, no less;
That I am right, And no one else, confess;
Feel as I feel, Think only as I think;
Eat what I eat, And drink what I drink;
Look as I look, Do always as I do;
Then, and only then, Will I fellowship with you.
Why is it - that this Poem
seems to better describe the Church today
than the prayer of Jesus Himself?
Because in our natural (sinful) minds
we think UNITY can only come from UNIFORMITY
& so - DIVERSTIY (the opposite of UNIFORMITY)
In our natural (sinful) minds brings - Our JUDGMENT!
& THAT is the problem that "Sets the Stage"
for our 2 Part Msg - "Unity IN Diversity"
I need to begin - by making VERY CLEAR
the SUBJECT MATTER - Paul is talking about here in ROM 14
In these matters
There are ESSENTIALS
There are NON-ESSENTIALS
There is LOVE (which we saw last week)
in Regard to the ESSENTIALS - Paul wrote to the Galatians
just prior to writing Romans
Gal 1:8-9 - ESV
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
NOW THAT would fall under the ESSENTIALS !
In the SAME WAY - You can go today to our website
& read our "What We Believe" statement
We Believe . . .
That there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all.
That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, without error in the original manuscripts, and the infallible rule of faith and practice.
That all people are sinners by nature and choice and, therefore, are under condemnation; that God regenerates by the Holy Spirit those who repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Lord; that Jesus Christ baptizes the seeking believer with the Holy Spirit and power for service, often subsequent to regeneration.
In the Universal Church , the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members.
THOSE - are the ESSENTIALS that we believe
HOWEVER - this text in Rom 14 is NOT talking about the Essentials
Rom 14 - is talking about the NON-ESSNTIALS
& so we need to HEAR THIS very clearly today
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
Now the Church in ROME had some divisions
starting over the NON-ESSENTIALS
& you know - the SAME Divisions
that existed in ROME in 65 AD
Can exist in Nuevo Today - Right?
See - In Rome there were Christians
from very different backgrounds
There were Previously Pagan Gentiles
who came from an extremely WORLDLY background
& there were Previously Religious Jews
who came from a legalistic RELIGIOUS background
& each of these New Christians brought some of their background into their new life w/ Christ - just like you & I do today
& it caused some problems back then - just like it does today
& so today - God's Word is going to begin to TEACH US
How we can prevent the enemy from using our SELF-Nature
to start discord & division from inside the church
which is something that He is very good at
So PLEASE - Let's allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to EACH of us
where we need to apply this exact truth to our lives
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
Remember - we're coming out of the
"Put on Love by Putting on Christ" msg in CH 13
Rom 14:1 - ESV 1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
Paul begins this section on NON-Essentials - by telling us
we are to Welcome one who is "WEAK in Faith"
BUT We are NOT - to welcome him
in order to quarrel over opinions
As in - "Sure, come on in "Brother", have we got a thing or two to straighten you out about"
NOT like THAT - But instead to truly welcome him
& notice right up front Paul NAMES this Christian
as one who is "Weak in Faith"
This DOESN'T mean - Weak in the Basic Christian Faith (as in belief)
but weak in the assurance of Faith (re: Non-Essential things)
& so - in Vs2 Paul uses his first Non-Essential EXAMPLE
& he also defines this one who is "Weak in Faith"
Rom 14:2 - ESV
2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
Paul's first example is about "Eating" - but it's just an EXAMPLE
This text is NOT about "Eating"
in fact - to make it about "Eating" would be Causing
the exact problem - Paul is trying to correct
So he says - For example, One person believes he may eat anything, while the WEAK person eats only veggies
Isn’t it interesting that Paul Implies
the person with Liberty to eat anything is STRONG in Faith
& the person who has restrictions on what they eat is WEAK in Faith
Don’t we kind of assume it’s the other way around
But Paul says - "NO, actually they're weak in Faith"
But DON'T worry about it - Truly WELCOME THEM
THEN - in V.3 - the Holy Spirit CONVICTS BOTH
the Strong in Faith - AND - the Weak in Faith
Rom 14:3 - ESV
3 Let not the one who eats [strong] despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains [weak] pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
So - the FINAL ANSWER IS
NO Judging each other on Non-Essentials like FOOD
STRONG - Do NOT Despise those with Restriction
WEAK - Do NOT Pass Judgment on those w/o Restrictions
See - the Jewish Christians in ROME
had a real problem with meat - (just as an Example)
Partly because of the O.T. Dietary Laws
Partly because the animals may've been sacrificed to idols because that was the cheapest meat available
& so the Jewish Christians
began JUDGING the Gentile Christians for eating this meat
& the Gentile Christians began
DESPISING the Jewish Christians for Judging them
& THE FIGHT IS ON - - Not that different from today, is it?
Leslie Flynn, Great Church Fights
A Christian from the South may be repelled by a swimming party for both men and women, then offend his Northern brother by lighting up a cigarette. At an international conclave for missionaries, a woman from the Orient could not wear sandals with a clear conscience. A Christian from western Canada thought it worldly for a Christian acquaintance to wear a wedding ring, and a woman from Europe thought it almost immoral for a wife not to wear a ring that signaled her status. A man from Denmark was pained to even watch British Bible school students play football, while the British students shrank from his pipe smoking.
Do you see it ??
Have you ever seen it in a church you've been in ??
In 1982 – My wife had just started attending a church
a debate began over whether we should start singing
some of these new “Calvary Chapel Style" songs
along with the Hymnal Songs
That debate - ended with the church disbanding the pastor leaving the ministry - & the church building which had housed a Christian church for over 100 years being sold to the “Metropolitan Community Church” which is the openly homosexual church
& they really appreciated us destroying each other so they could have our church building
When Non-Essentials become Essentials
the enemy almost ALWAYS WINS
NOW - back to our text in Rom 14
Paul's talking about eating Meat
which is not really an issue in the Christian church today
However - allow me to "Suggest" some things that can
easily Destroy the Unity of the church that Jesus prayed for
How do you think other Christians should act toward; 1) Movies - or TV shows 2) Make-Up, especially on young girls 3) Playing Cards 4) Dancing 5) Types of Music 6) Sports 7) Tobacco 8) Alcohol (not to excess) 9) Bible Translation 10) Material Wealth
Now – does the Bible give us some guidelines in each of these areas - - YES!
& next week - we’ll be looking at some of those guidelines
but the problem is – the church has a tendency to turn God's guidelines into battle lines
& that is a very, very sad thing
Paul's 1st thought ends in Rom 14:4
& it ends with an Exclamation Point
Rom 14:4 - ESV
4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Remember – we are talking about non-essential's here
& Paul says - WHO made you GOD ?
Why do we think that person should be accountable to us?
The NLT puts it so perfectly clear
Rom 14:4 - NLT
4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord’s help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval.
On NON-Essentials - This is Incredibly GOOD Counsel
They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong.
We’ll see more on this in a minute (Paul's going to CLOSE with it)
But 1st - Paul wants to put another example in
to make sure we don’t think this is really about FOOD
Rom 14:5 - ESV
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
Again - let me refer to the NLT
Rom 14:5 - NLT
5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.
This controversy involves the Sabbath day
The Jewish Christians truly felt the Sabbath day was more holy than any other day of the week
The Gentile Christians believed that every day was equally holy
Paul’s advice is very simple Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind
Again - the "Sabbath Day" issue is an EXAMPLE
this teaching is not actually ABOUT the Sabbath
But let me continue with that Example
There is a Christian Church (big in a city near here)
who are VERY SERIOUS about the Sabbath Day
To find out HOW Serious - I went to their official Website
& looked up their guidelines on keeping the Sabbath
Their OFFICIAL guidelines on the Sabbath
instituted by the General Conference on July 9, 1990
Contain 6,269 WORDS on HOW to keep the Sabbath
(my computer counted them for me)
6,200 Words on how to keep the Sabbath
which Rom 14 uses as an Example of a NON-ESSENTIAL
But here's the deal - IF their 6,000 words
are causing them to TRULY HONOR the LORD
Then we have got to say Praise God & Keep Honoring the Lord
& according to our text today;
If WE are Honoring the Lord by esteeming ALL days alike
Then they should be saying - to US
Praise God & Keep Honoring the Lord
But WHETHER it's about Eating FOOD or Esteeming DAYS
The Holy Spirit's point here is very CLEAR
Lets Read Vs's 5-6 together - ESV
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
On non-essentials – each believer must sincerely go before God
to determine what position they should take
& then - the rest of us should allow them to take that stand
BUT - - What is the FOUNDATION that we are called TO USE - to make these decisions ?
What is the BENCHMARK ?
The BENCHMARK for us making these decisions . . .
AND - the BENCHMARK we must use to allow others
to make their own decisions
The BENCHMARK - is The Lordship of Jesus Christ
In the areas considered non-essentials - the Determining factor
is the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your life
Are you DOING that, or NOT DOING THAT,
BECAUSE Jesus Christ is your LORD
Are you Truly Honoring Jesus as your LORD
by what you're doing or NOT Doing
If you are doing that thing in Honor of Jesus as your LORD
Then ROM 14:6 says (3 times) - That's GOOD
& Vs's 7-9 explain WHY this Must Be our BENCHMARK -
he Foundation of ALL we do
Rom 14:7-9 - ESV
7 For none of us [us Christians] lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For 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 Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Let me give you just V.8 from the NLT - to clarify this
Rom 14:8 - NLT
8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
If we are LIVING to Honor the Lord, or
if we are DYING to Honor the Lord
The Real Issue is - WE BELONG to the LORD
& SO - Two Christians can have two different “positions”
on Non-Essential matters
& both be HONORING the Lord
So - to whatever “position”
the Lordship of Jesus Christ has brought you to
HONOR Him in that As your LORD -
but don’t mistakenly think that everyone else around you should hold the same “position” - or look just like you
Now - there’s one more Strong Encouragement
to NOT JUDGE one another on these NON-Essential matters
Rom 14:10-12 - ESV
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 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 will give an account of himself to God.
Paul closes today w/ a very powerful encouragement for Christians to NOT Play JUDGE
He says – when tempted to judge, a brother we should instead - consider the judgment seat of Christ
2Cor 5:10 - ESV 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
This is the “Bema (Judgment) Seat of Christ”
It is reserved for believers only
& it’s a judgment where the things that we’ve done as believers are judged
& 1Cor 3:10-15 say;
- Our Foundation is Jesus Christ
- Whatever we build on that Foundation here, will be tested by fire
- To either burn away the useless - or prove the valuable
- & there will be rewards & loss
for what we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ here & now
& I PROMISE you - on THAT Day
when we stand before Jesus Christ the only actions we will be accountable for, will be our own
We will not be concerned - nor be given the chance to discuss
the actions of any other person
so why are we so interested in discussing them now?
Please - Let's TRULY APPLY this to one another
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
UNITY in the midst of DIVERSITY
always covered in AGAPE LOVE for one another
Let's Pray
<-->
ROM 243 - Unity in Diversity - Part One - Rom 14:1-12
We're STILLLLL flying out of the Launch Pad of Rom 12:1-2
where we turned the Christian TALK - into the Christian WALK
Last week Paul taught us to “Put on Love, by putting on Christ”- & that message is an absolute prerequisite to this one
because without us putting on the Agape love of God We'd have no hope of ever pulling off these next 2 Msg's
Psa 133:1 - NKJ 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
& just how good, & how pleasant is it
for us to dwell together in unity?
Well - Jesus made it basically His FINAL request
in His High Priestly Prayer of Jn 17
RIGHT BEFORE his Betrayal & Arrest
Jesus prays to the Father
Jn 17:20-21 - ESV
20 “I do not ask for these only [His disciples], but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
FIRST - Jesus prays that our Unity would be JUST AS
HIS Unity is with the Father (which is mind-boggling enuf)
But then Jesus directly ties our UNITY - to our ABILITY
to bring the Gospel to the world
(end V.21) so that the world may believe
SO - how do you think The Church is doing today in this Critical Area of UNITY ?
Or do you think this little poem might sadly paint
a more accurate picture of the church today;
Believe as I believe, No more, no less;
That I am right, And no one else, confess;
Feel as I feel, Think only as I think;
Eat what I eat, And drink what I drink;
Look as I look, Do always as I do;
Then, and only then, Will I fellowship with you.
Why is it - that this Poem
seems to better describe the Church today
than the prayer of Jesus Himself?
Because in our natural (sinful) minds
we think UNITY can only come from UNIFORMITY
& so - DIVERSTIY (the opposite of UNIFORMITY)
In our natural (sinful) minds brings - Our JUDGMENT!
& THAT is the problem that "Sets the Stage"
for our 2 Part Msg - "Unity IN Diversity"
I need to begin - by making VERY CLEAR
the SUBJECT MATTER - Paul is talking about here in ROM 14
In these matters
There are ESSENTIALS
There are NON-ESSENTIALS
There is LOVE (which we saw last week)
in Regard to the ESSENTIALS - Paul wrote to the Galatians
just prior to writing Romans
Gal 1:8-9 - ESV
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
NOW THAT would fall under the ESSENTIALS !
In the SAME WAY - You can go today to our website
& read our "What We Believe" statement
We Believe . . .
That there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all.
That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, without error in the original manuscripts, and the infallible rule of faith and practice.
That all people are sinners by nature and choice and, therefore, are under condemnation; that God regenerates by the Holy Spirit those who repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Lord; that Jesus Christ baptizes the seeking believer with the Holy Spirit and power for service, often subsequent to regeneration.
In the Universal Church , the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members.
THOSE - are the ESSENTIALS that we believe
HOWEVER - this text in Rom 14 is NOT talking about the Essentials
Rom 14 - is talking about the NON-ESSNTIALS
& so we need to HEAR THIS very clearly today
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
Now the Church in ROME had some divisions
starting over the NON-ESSENTIALS
& you know - the SAME Divisions
that existed in ROME in 65 AD
Can exist in Nuevo Today - Right?
See - In Rome there were Christians
from very different backgrounds
There were Previously Pagan Gentiles
who came from an extremely WORLDLY background
& there were Previously Religious Jews
who came from a legalistic RELIGIOUS background
& each of these New Christians brought some of their background into their new life w/ Christ - just like you & I do today
& it caused some problems back then - just like it does today
& so today - God's Word is going to begin to TEACH US
How we can prevent the enemy from using our SELF-Nature
to start discord & division from inside the church
which is something that He is very good at
So PLEASE - Let's allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to EACH of us
where we need to apply this exact truth to our lives
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
Remember - we're coming out of the
"Put on Love by Putting on Christ" msg in CH 13
Rom 14:1 - ESV 1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
Paul begins this section on NON-Essentials - by telling us
we are to Welcome one who is "WEAK in Faith"
BUT We are NOT - to welcome him
in order to quarrel over opinions
As in - "Sure, come on in "Brother", have we got a thing or two to straighten you out about"
NOT like THAT - But instead to truly welcome him
& notice right up front Paul NAMES this Christian
as one who is "Weak in Faith"
This DOESN'T mean - Weak in the Basic Christian Faith (as in belief)
but weak in the assurance of Faith (re: Non-Essential things)
& so - in Vs2 Paul uses his first Non-Essential EXAMPLE
& he also defines this one who is "Weak in Faith"
Rom 14:2 - ESV
2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
Paul's first example is about "Eating" - but it's just an EXAMPLE
This text is NOT about "Eating"
in fact - to make it about "Eating" would be Causing
the exact problem - Paul is trying to correct
So he says - For example, One person believes he may eat anything, while the WEAK person eats only veggies
Isn’t it interesting that Paul Implies
the person with Liberty to eat anything is STRONG in Faith
& the person who has restrictions on what they eat is WEAK in Faith
Don’t we kind of assume it’s the other way around
But Paul says - "NO, actually they're weak in Faith"
But DON'T worry about it - Truly WELCOME THEM
THEN - in V.3 - the Holy Spirit CONVICTS BOTH
the Strong in Faith - AND - the Weak in Faith
Rom 14:3 - ESV
3 Let not the one who eats [strong] despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains [weak] pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
So - the FINAL ANSWER IS
NO Judging each other on Non-Essentials like FOOD
STRONG - Do NOT Despise those with Restriction
WEAK - Do NOT Pass Judgment on those w/o Restrictions
See - the Jewish Christians in ROME
had a real problem with meat - (just as an Example)
Partly because of the O.T. Dietary Laws
Partly because the animals may've been sacrificed to idols because that was the cheapest meat available
& so the Jewish Christians
began JUDGING the Gentile Christians for eating this meat
& the Gentile Christians began
DESPISING the Jewish Christians for Judging them
& THE FIGHT IS ON - - Not that different from today, is it?
Leslie Flynn, Great Church Fights
A Christian from the South may be repelled by a swimming party for both men and women, then offend his Northern brother by lighting up a cigarette. At an international conclave for missionaries, a woman from the Orient could not wear sandals with a clear conscience. A Christian from western Canada thought it worldly for a Christian acquaintance to wear a wedding ring, and a woman from Europe thought it almost immoral for a wife not to wear a ring that signaled her status. A man from Denmark was pained to even watch British Bible school students play football, while the British students shrank from his pipe smoking.
Do you see it ??
Have you ever seen it in a church you've been in ??
In 1982 – My wife had just started attending a church
a debate began over whether we should start singing
some of these new “Calvary Chapel Style" songs
along with the Hymnal Songs
That debate - ended with the church disbanding the pastor leaving the ministry - & the church building which had housed a Christian church for over 100 years being sold to the “Metropolitan Community Church” which is the openly homosexual church
& they really appreciated us destroying each other so they could have our church building
When Non-Essentials become Essentials
the enemy almost ALWAYS WINS
NOW - back to our text in Rom 14
Paul's talking about eating Meat
which is not really an issue in the Christian church today
However - allow me to "Suggest" some things that can
easily Destroy the Unity of the church that Jesus prayed for
How do you think other Christians should act toward; 1) Movies - or TV shows 2) Make-Up, especially on young girls 3) Playing Cards 4) Dancing 5) Types of Music 6) Sports 7) Tobacco 8) Alcohol (not to excess) 9) Bible Translation 10) Material Wealth
Now – does the Bible give us some guidelines in each of these areas - - YES!
& next week - we’ll be looking at some of those guidelines
but the problem is – the church has a tendency to turn God's guidelines into battle lines
& that is a very, very sad thing
Paul's 1st thought ends in Rom 14:4
& it ends with an Exclamation Point
Rom 14:4 - ESV
4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Remember – we are talking about non-essential's here
& Paul says - WHO made you GOD ?
Why do we think that person should be accountable to us?
The NLT puts it so perfectly clear
Rom 14:4 - NLT
4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord’s help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval.
On NON-Essentials - This is Incredibly GOOD Counsel
They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong.
We’ll see more on this in a minute (Paul's going to CLOSE with it)
But 1st - Paul wants to put another example in
to make sure we don’t think this is really about FOOD
Rom 14:5 - ESV
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
Again - let me refer to the NLT
Rom 14:5 - NLT
5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.
This controversy involves the Sabbath day
The Jewish Christians truly felt the Sabbath day was more holy than any other day of the week
The Gentile Christians believed that every day was equally holy
Paul’s advice is very simple Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind
Again - the "Sabbath Day" issue is an EXAMPLE
this teaching is not actually ABOUT the Sabbath
But let me continue with that Example
There is a Christian Church (big in a city near here)
who are VERY SERIOUS about the Sabbath Day
To find out HOW Serious - I went to their official Website
& looked up their guidelines on keeping the Sabbath
Their OFFICIAL guidelines on the Sabbath
instituted by the General Conference on July 9, 1990
Contain 6,269 WORDS on HOW to keep the Sabbath
(my computer counted them for me)
6,200 Words on how to keep the Sabbath
which Rom 14 uses as an Example of a NON-ESSENTIAL
But here's the deal - IF their 6,000 words
are causing them to TRULY HONOR the LORD
Then we have got to say Praise God & Keep Honoring the Lord
& according to our text today;
If WE are Honoring the Lord by esteeming ALL days alike
Then they should be saying - to US
Praise God & Keep Honoring the Lord
But WHETHER it's about Eating FOOD or Esteeming DAYS
The Holy Spirit's point here is very CLEAR
Lets Read Vs's 5-6 together - ESV
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
On non-essentials – each believer must sincerely go before God
to determine what position they should take
& then - the rest of us should allow them to take that stand
BUT - - What is the FOUNDATION that we are called TO USE - to make these decisions ?
What is the BENCHMARK ?
The BENCHMARK for us making these decisions . . .
AND - the BENCHMARK we must use to allow others
to make their own decisions
The BENCHMARK - is The Lordship of Jesus Christ
In the areas considered non-essentials - the Determining factor
is the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your life
Are you DOING that, or NOT DOING THAT,
BECAUSE Jesus Christ is your LORD
Are you Truly Honoring Jesus as your LORD
by what you're doing or NOT Doing
If you are doing that thing in Honor of Jesus as your LORD
Then ROM 14:6 says (3 times) - That's GOOD
& Vs's 7-9 explain WHY this Must Be our BENCHMARK -
he Foundation of ALL we do
Rom 14:7-9 - ESV
7 For none of us [us Christians] lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For 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 Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Let me give you just V.8 from the NLT - to clarify this
Rom 14:8 - NLT
8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
If we are LIVING to Honor the Lord, or
if we are DYING to Honor the Lord
The Real Issue is - WE BELONG to the LORD
& SO - Two Christians can have two different “positions”
on Non-Essential matters
& both be HONORING the Lord
So - to whatever “position”
the Lordship of Jesus Christ has brought you to
HONOR Him in that As your LORD -
but don’t mistakenly think that everyone else around you should hold the same “position” - or look just like you
Now - there’s one more Strong Encouragement
to NOT JUDGE one another on these NON-Essential matters
Rom 14:10-12 - ESV
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 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 will give an account of himself to God.
Paul closes today w/ a very powerful encouragement for Christians to NOT Play JUDGE
He says – when tempted to judge, a brother we should instead - consider the judgment seat of Christ
2Cor 5:10 - ESV 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
This is the “Bema (Judgment) Seat of Christ”
It is reserved for believers only
& it’s a judgment where the things that we’ve done as believers are judged
& 1Cor 3:10-15 say;
- Our Foundation is Jesus Christ
- Whatever we build on that Foundation here, will be tested by fire
- To either burn away the useless - or prove the valuable
- & there will be rewards & loss
for what we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ here & now
& I PROMISE you - on THAT Day
when we stand before Jesus Christ the only actions we will be accountable for, will be our own
We will not be concerned - nor be given the chance to discuss
the actions of any other person
so why are we so interested in discussing them now?
Please - Let's TRULY APPLY this to one another
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
UNITY in the midst of DIVERSITY
always covered in AGAPE LOVE for one another
Let's Pray
<-->
Message Number:
ROM 242
Scripture:
Rom 13:8-14 1st message in a 4-part series on UNITY in the body of Christ.
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<p>1st message in a 4-part series on UNITY in the body of Christ.</p>
ROM 243 - Unity in Diversity - Part One - Rom 14:1-12
We're STILLLLL flying out of the Launch Pad of Rom 12:1-2
where we turned the Christian TALK - into the Christian WALK
Last week Paul taught us to “Put on Love, by putting on Christ”- & that message is an absolute prerequisite to this one
because without us putting on the Agape love of God We'd have no hope of ever pulling off these next 2 Msg's
Psa 133:1 - NKJ 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
& just how good, & how pleasant is it
for us to dwell together in unity?
Well - Jesus made it basically His FINAL request
in His High Priestly Prayer of Jn 17
RIGHT BEFORE his Betrayal & Arrest
Jesus prays to the Father
Jn 17:20-21 - ESV
20 “I do not ask for these only [His disciples], but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
FIRST - Jesus prays that our Unity would be JUST AS
HIS Unity is with the Father (which is mind-boggling enuf)
But then Jesus directly ties our UNITY - to our ABILITY
to bring the Gospel to the world
(end V.21) so that the world may believe
SO - how do you think The Church is doing today in this Critical Area of UNITY ?
Or do you think this little poem might sadly paint
a more accurate picture of the church today;
Believe as I believe, No more, no less;
That I am right, And no one else, confess;
Feel as I feel, Think only as I think;
Eat what I eat, And drink what I drink;
Look as I look, Do always as I do;
Then, and only then, Will I fellowship with you.
Why is it - that this Poem
seems to better describe the Church today
than the prayer of Jesus Himself?
Because in our natural (sinful) minds
we think UNITY can only come from UNIFORMITY
& so - DIVERSTIY (the opposite of UNIFORMITY)
In our natural (sinful) minds brings - Our JUDGMENT!
& THAT is the problem that "Sets the Stage"
for our 2 Part Msg - "Unity IN Diversity"
I need to begin - by making VERY CLEAR
the SUBJECT MATTER - Paul is talking about here in ROM 14
In these matters
There are ESSENTIALS
There are NON-ESSENTIALS
There is LOVE (which we saw last week)
in Regard to the ESSENTIALS - Paul wrote to the Galatians
just prior to writing Romans
Gal 1:8-9 - ESV
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
NOW THAT would fall under the ESSENTIALS !
In the SAME WAY - You can go today to our website
& read our "What We Believe" statement
We Believe . . .
That there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all.
That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, without error in the original manuscripts, and the infallible rule of faith and practice.
That all people are sinners by nature and choice and, therefore, are under condemnation; that God regenerates by the Holy Spirit those who repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Lord; that Jesus Christ baptizes the seeking believer with the Holy Spirit and power for service, often subsequent to regeneration.
In the Universal Church , the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members.
THOSE - are the ESSENTIALS that we believe
HOWEVER - this text in Rom 14 is NOT talking about the Essentials
Rom 14 - is talking about the NON-ESSNTIALS
& so we need to HEAR THIS very clearly today
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
Now the Church in ROME had some divisions
starting over the NON-ESSENTIALS
& you know - the SAME Divisions
that existed in ROME in 65 AD
Can exist in Nuevo Today - Right?
See - In Rome there were Christians
from very different backgrounds
There were Previously Pagan Gentiles
who came from an extremely WORLDLY background
& there were Previously Religious Jews
who came from a legalistic RELIGIOUS background
& each of these New Christians brought some of their background into their new life w/ Christ - just like you & I do today
& it caused some problems back then - just like it does today
& so today - God's Word is going to begin to TEACH US
How we can prevent the enemy from using our SELF-Nature
to start discord & division from inside the church
which is something that He is very good at
So PLEASE - Let's allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to EACH of us
where we need to apply this exact truth to our lives
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
Remember - we're coming out of the
"Put on Love by Putting on Christ" msg in CH 13
Rom 14:1 - ESV 1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
Paul begins this section on NON-Essentials - by telling us
we are to Welcome one who is "WEAK in Faith"
BUT We are NOT - to welcome him
in order to quarrel over opinions
As in - "Sure, come on in "Brother", have we got a thing or two to straighten you out about"
NOT like THAT - But instead to truly welcome him
& notice right up front Paul NAMES this Christian
as one who is "Weak in Faith"
This DOESN'T mean - Weak in the Basic Christian Faith (as in belief)
but weak in the assurance of Faith (re: Non-Essential things)
& so - in Vs2 Paul uses his first Non-Essential EXAMPLE
& he also defines this one who is "Weak in Faith"
Rom 14:2 - ESV
2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
Paul's first example is about "Eating" - but it's just an EXAMPLE
This text is NOT about "Eating"
in fact - to make it about "Eating" would be Causing
the exact problem - Paul is trying to correct
So he says - For example, One person believes he may eat anything, while the WEAK person eats only veggies
Isn’t it interesting that Paul Implies
the person with Liberty to eat anything is STRONG in Faith
& the person who has restrictions on what they eat is WEAK in Faith
Don’t we kind of assume it’s the other way around
But Paul says - "NO, actually they're weak in Faith"
But DON'T worry about it - Truly WELCOME THEM
THEN - in V.3 - the Holy Spirit CONVICTS BOTH
the Strong in Faith - AND - the Weak in Faith
Rom 14:3 - ESV
3 Let not the one who eats [strong] despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains [weak] pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
So - the FINAL ANSWER IS
NO Judging each other on Non-Essentials like FOOD
STRONG - Do NOT Despise those with Restriction
WEAK - Do NOT Pass Judgment on those w/o Restrictions
See - the Jewish Christians in ROME
had a real problem with meat - (just as an Example)
Partly because of the O.T. Dietary Laws
Partly because the animals may've been sacrificed to idols because that was the cheapest meat available
& so the Jewish Christians
began JUDGING the Gentile Christians for eating this meat
& the Gentile Christians began
DESPISING the Jewish Christians for Judging them
& THE FIGHT IS ON - - Not that different from today, is it?
Leslie Flynn, Great Church Fights
A Christian from the South may be repelled by a swimming party for both men and women, then offend his Northern brother by lighting up a cigarette. At an international conclave for missionaries, a woman from the Orient could not wear sandals with a clear conscience. A Christian from western Canada thought it worldly for a Christian acquaintance to wear a wedding ring, and a woman from Europe thought it almost immoral for a wife not to wear a ring that signaled her status. A man from Denmark was pained to even watch British Bible school students play football, while the British students shrank from his pipe smoking.
Do you see it ??
Have you ever seen it in a church you've been in ??
In 1982 – My wife had just started attending a church
a debate began over whether we should start singing
some of these new “Calvary Chapel Style" songs
along with the Hymnal Songs
That debate - ended with the church disbanding the pastor leaving the ministry - & the church building which had housed a Christian church for over 100 years being sold to the “Metropolitan Community Church” which is the openly homosexual church
& they really appreciated us destroying each other so they could have our church building
When Non-Essentials become Essentials
the enemy almost ALWAYS WINS
NOW - back to our text in Rom 14
Paul's talking about eating Meat
which is not really an issue in the Christian church today
However - allow me to "Suggest" some things that can
easily Destroy the Unity of the church that Jesus prayed for
How do you think other Christians should act toward; 1) Movies - or TV shows 2) Make-Up, especially on young girls 3) Playing Cards 4) Dancing 5) Types of Music 6) Sports 7) Tobacco 8) Alcohol (not to excess) 9) Bible Translation 10) Material Wealth
Now – does the Bible give us some guidelines in each of these areas - - YES!
& next week - we’ll be looking at some of those guidelines
but the problem is – the church has a tendency to turn God's guidelines into battle lines
& that is a very, very sad thing
Paul's 1st thought ends in Rom 14:4
& it ends with an Exclamation Point
Rom 14:4 - ESV
4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Remember – we are talking about non-essential's here
& Paul says - WHO made you GOD ?
Why do we think that person should be accountable to us?
The NLT puts it so perfectly clear
Rom 14:4 - NLT
4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord’s help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval.
On NON-Essentials - This is Incredibly GOOD Counsel
They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong.
We’ll see more on this in a minute (Paul's going to CLOSE with it)
But 1st - Paul wants to put another example in
to make sure we don’t think this is really about FOOD
Rom 14:5 - ESV
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
Again - let me refer to the NLT
Rom 14:5 - NLT
5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.
This controversy involves the Sabbath day
The Jewish Christians truly felt the Sabbath day was more holy than any other day of the week
The Gentile Christians believed that every day was equally holy
Paul’s advice is very simple Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind
Again - the "Sabbath Day" issue is an EXAMPLE
this teaching is not actually ABOUT the Sabbath
But let me continue with that Example
There is a Christian Church (big in a city near here)
who are VERY SERIOUS about the Sabbath Day
To find out HOW Serious - I went to their official Website
& looked up their guidelines on keeping the Sabbath
Their OFFICIAL guidelines on the Sabbath
instituted by the General Conference on July 9, 1990
Contain 6,269 WORDS on HOW to keep the Sabbath
(my computer counted them for me)
6,200 Words on how to keep the Sabbath
which Rom 14 uses as an Example of a NON-ESSENTIAL
But here's the deal - IF their 6,000 words
are causing them to TRULY HONOR the LORD
Then we have got to say Praise God & Keep Honoring the Lord
& according to our text today;
If WE are Honoring the Lord by esteeming ALL days alike
Then they should be saying - to US
Praise God & Keep Honoring the Lord
But WHETHER it's about Eating FOOD or Esteeming DAYS
The Holy Spirit's point here is very CLEAR
Lets Read Vs's 5-6 together - ESV
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
On non-essentials – each believer must sincerely go before God
to determine what position they should take
& then - the rest of us should allow them to take that stand
BUT - - What is the FOUNDATION that we are called TO USE - to make these decisions ?
What is the BENCHMARK ?
The BENCHMARK for us making these decisions . . .
AND - the BENCHMARK we must use to allow others
to make their own decisions
The BENCHMARK - is The Lordship of Jesus Christ
In the areas considered non-essentials - the Determining factor
is the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your life
Are you DOING that, or NOT DOING THAT,
BECAUSE Jesus Christ is your LORD
Are you Truly Honoring Jesus as your LORD
by what you're doing or NOT Doing
If you are doing that thing in Honor of Jesus as your LORD
Then ROM 14:6 says (3 times) - That's GOOD
& Vs's 7-9 explain WHY this Must Be our BENCHMARK -
he Foundation of ALL we do
Rom 14:7-9 - ESV
7 For none of us [us Christians] lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For 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 Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Let me give you just V.8 from the NLT - to clarify this
Rom 14:8 - NLT
8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
If we are LIVING to Honor the Lord, or
if we are DYING to Honor the Lord
The Real Issue is - WE BELONG to the LORD
& SO - Two Christians can have two different “positions”
on Non-Essential matters
& both be HONORING the Lord
So - to whatever “position”
the Lordship of Jesus Christ has brought you to
HONOR Him in that As your LORD -
but don’t mistakenly think that everyone else around you should hold the same “position” - or look just like you
Now - there’s one more Strong Encouragement
to NOT JUDGE one another on these NON-Essential matters
Rom 14:10-12 - ESV
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 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 will give an account of himself to God.
Paul closes today w/ a very powerful encouragement for Christians to NOT Play JUDGE
He says – when tempted to judge, a brother we should instead - consider the judgment seat of Christ
2Cor 5:10 - ESV 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
This is the “Bema (Judgment) Seat of Christ”
It is reserved for believers only
& it’s a judgment where the things that we’ve done as believers are judged
& 1Cor 3:10-15 say;
- Our Foundation is Jesus Christ
- Whatever we build on that Foundation here, will be tested by fire
- To either burn away the useless - or prove the valuable
- & there will be rewards & loss
for what we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ here & now
& I PROMISE you - on THAT Day
when we stand before Jesus Christ the only actions we will be accountable for, will be our own
We will not be concerned - nor be given the chance to discuss
the actions of any other person
so why are we so interested in discussing them now?
Please - Let's TRULY APPLY this to one another
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
UNITY in the midst of DIVERSITY
always covered in AGAPE LOVE for one another
Let's Pray
<-->
ROM 243 - Unity in Diversity - Part One - Rom 14:1-12
We're STILLLLL flying out of the Launch Pad of Rom 12:1-2
where we turned the Christian TALK - into the Christian WALK
Last week Paul taught us to “Put on Love, by putting on Christ”- & that message is an absolute prerequisite to this one
because without us putting on the Agape love of God We'd have no hope of ever pulling off these next 2 Msg's
Psa 133:1 - NKJ 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
& just how good, & how pleasant is it
for us to dwell together in unity?
Well - Jesus made it basically His FINAL request
in His High Priestly Prayer of Jn 17
RIGHT BEFORE his Betrayal & Arrest
Jesus prays to the Father
Jn 17:20-21 - ESV
20 “I do not ask for these only [His disciples], but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
FIRST - Jesus prays that our Unity would be JUST AS
HIS Unity is with the Father (which is mind-boggling enuf)
But then Jesus directly ties our UNITY - to our ABILITY
to bring the Gospel to the world
(end V.21) so that the world may believe
SO - how do you think The Church is doing today in this Critical Area of UNITY ?
Or do you think this little poem might sadly paint
a more accurate picture of the church today;
Believe as I believe, No more, no less;
That I am right, And no one else, confess;
Feel as I feel, Think only as I think;
Eat what I eat, And drink what I drink;
Look as I look, Do always as I do;
Then, and only then, Will I fellowship with you.
Why is it - that this Poem
seems to better describe the Church today
than the prayer of Jesus Himself?
Because in our natural (sinful) minds
we think UNITY can only come from UNIFORMITY
& so - DIVERSTIY (the opposite of UNIFORMITY)
In our natural (sinful) minds brings - Our JUDGMENT!
& THAT is the problem that "Sets the Stage"
for our 2 Part Msg - "Unity IN Diversity"
I need to begin - by making VERY CLEAR
the SUBJECT MATTER - Paul is talking about here in ROM 14
In these matters
There are ESSENTIALS
There are NON-ESSENTIALS
There is LOVE (which we saw last week)
in Regard to the ESSENTIALS - Paul wrote to the Galatians
just prior to writing Romans
Gal 1:8-9 - ESV
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
NOW THAT would fall under the ESSENTIALS !
In the SAME WAY - You can go today to our website
& read our "What We Believe" statement
We Believe . . .
That there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all.
That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, without error in the original manuscripts, and the infallible rule of faith and practice.
That all people are sinners by nature and choice and, therefore, are under condemnation; that God regenerates by the Holy Spirit those who repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Lord; that Jesus Christ baptizes the seeking believer with the Holy Spirit and power for service, often subsequent to regeneration.
In the Universal Church , the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members.
THOSE - are the ESSENTIALS that we believe
HOWEVER - this text in Rom 14 is NOT talking about the Essentials
Rom 14 - is talking about the NON-ESSNTIALS
& so we need to HEAR THIS very clearly today
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
Now the Church in ROME had some divisions
starting over the NON-ESSENTIALS
& you know - the SAME Divisions
that existed in ROME in 65 AD
Can exist in Nuevo Today - Right?
See - In Rome there were Christians
from very different backgrounds
There were Previously Pagan Gentiles
who came from an extremely WORLDLY background
& there were Previously Religious Jews
who came from a legalistic RELIGIOUS background
& each of these New Christians brought some of their background into their new life w/ Christ - just like you & I do today
& it caused some problems back then - just like it does today
& so today - God's Word is going to begin to TEACH US
How we can prevent the enemy from using our SELF-Nature
to start discord & division from inside the church
which is something that He is very good at
So PLEASE - Let's allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to EACH of us
where we need to apply this exact truth to our lives
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
Remember - we're coming out of the
"Put on Love by Putting on Christ" msg in CH 13
Rom 14:1 - ESV 1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
Paul begins this section on NON-Essentials - by telling us
we are to Welcome one who is "WEAK in Faith"
BUT We are NOT - to welcome him
in order to quarrel over opinions
As in - "Sure, come on in "Brother", have we got a thing or two to straighten you out about"
NOT like THAT - But instead to truly welcome him
& notice right up front Paul NAMES this Christian
as one who is "Weak in Faith"
This DOESN'T mean - Weak in the Basic Christian Faith (as in belief)
but weak in the assurance of Faith (re: Non-Essential things)
& so - in Vs2 Paul uses his first Non-Essential EXAMPLE
& he also defines this one who is "Weak in Faith"
Rom 14:2 - ESV
2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
Paul's first example is about "Eating" - but it's just an EXAMPLE
This text is NOT about "Eating"
in fact - to make it about "Eating" would be Causing
the exact problem - Paul is trying to correct
So he says - For example, One person believes he may eat anything, while the WEAK person eats only veggies
Isn’t it interesting that Paul Implies
the person with Liberty to eat anything is STRONG in Faith
& the person who has restrictions on what they eat is WEAK in Faith
Don’t we kind of assume it’s the other way around
But Paul says - "NO, actually they're weak in Faith"
But DON'T worry about it - Truly WELCOME THEM
THEN - in V.3 - the Holy Spirit CONVICTS BOTH
the Strong in Faith - AND - the Weak in Faith
Rom 14:3 - ESV
3 Let not the one who eats [strong] despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains [weak] pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
So - the FINAL ANSWER IS
NO Judging each other on Non-Essentials like FOOD
STRONG - Do NOT Despise those with Restriction
WEAK - Do NOT Pass Judgment on those w/o Restrictions
See - the Jewish Christians in ROME
had a real problem with meat - (just as an Example)
Partly because of the O.T. Dietary Laws
Partly because the animals may've been sacrificed to idols because that was the cheapest meat available
& so the Jewish Christians
began JUDGING the Gentile Christians for eating this meat
& the Gentile Christians began
DESPISING the Jewish Christians for Judging them
& THE FIGHT IS ON - - Not that different from today, is it?
Leslie Flynn, Great Church Fights
A Christian from the South may be repelled by a swimming party for both men and women, then offend his Northern brother by lighting up a cigarette. At an international conclave for missionaries, a woman from the Orient could not wear sandals with a clear conscience. A Christian from western Canada thought it worldly for a Christian acquaintance to wear a wedding ring, and a woman from Europe thought it almost immoral for a wife not to wear a ring that signaled her status. A man from Denmark was pained to even watch British Bible school students play football, while the British students shrank from his pipe smoking.
Do you see it ??
Have you ever seen it in a church you've been in ??
In 1982 – My wife had just started attending a church
a debate began over whether we should start singing
some of these new “Calvary Chapel Style" songs
along with the Hymnal Songs
That debate - ended with the church disbanding the pastor leaving the ministry - & the church building which had housed a Christian church for over 100 years being sold to the “Metropolitan Community Church” which is the openly homosexual church
& they really appreciated us destroying each other so they could have our church building
When Non-Essentials become Essentials
the enemy almost ALWAYS WINS
NOW - back to our text in Rom 14
Paul's talking about eating Meat
which is not really an issue in the Christian church today
However - allow me to "Suggest" some things that can
easily Destroy the Unity of the church that Jesus prayed for
How do you think other Christians should act toward; 1) Movies - or TV shows 2) Make-Up, especially on young girls 3) Playing Cards 4) Dancing 5) Types of Music 6) Sports 7) Tobacco 8) Alcohol (not to excess) 9) Bible Translation 10) Material Wealth
Now – does the Bible give us some guidelines in each of these areas - - YES!
& next week - we’ll be looking at some of those guidelines
but the problem is – the church has a tendency to turn God's guidelines into battle lines
& that is a very, very sad thing
Paul's 1st thought ends in Rom 14:4
& it ends with an Exclamation Point
Rom 14:4 - ESV
4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Remember – we are talking about non-essential's here
& Paul says - WHO made you GOD ?
Why do we think that person should be accountable to us?
The NLT puts it so perfectly clear
Rom 14:4 - NLT
4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord’s help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval.
On NON-Essentials - This is Incredibly GOOD Counsel
They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong.
We’ll see more on this in a minute (Paul's going to CLOSE with it)
But 1st - Paul wants to put another example in
to make sure we don’t think this is really about FOOD
Rom 14:5 - ESV
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
Again - let me refer to the NLT
Rom 14:5 - NLT
5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.
This controversy involves the Sabbath day
The Jewish Christians truly felt the Sabbath day was more holy than any other day of the week
The Gentile Christians believed that every day was equally holy
Paul’s advice is very simple Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind
Again - the "Sabbath Day" issue is an EXAMPLE
this teaching is not actually ABOUT the Sabbath
But let me continue with that Example
There is a Christian Church (big in a city near here)
who are VERY SERIOUS about the Sabbath Day
To find out HOW Serious - I went to their official Website
& looked up their guidelines on keeping the Sabbath
Their OFFICIAL guidelines on the Sabbath
instituted by the General Conference on July 9, 1990
Contain 6,269 WORDS on HOW to keep the Sabbath
(my computer counted them for me)
6,200 Words on how to keep the Sabbath
which Rom 14 uses as an Example of a NON-ESSENTIAL
But here's the deal - IF their 6,000 words
are causing them to TRULY HONOR the LORD
Then we have got to say Praise God & Keep Honoring the Lord
& according to our text today;
If WE are Honoring the Lord by esteeming ALL days alike
Then they should be saying - to US
Praise God & Keep Honoring the Lord
But WHETHER it's about Eating FOOD or Esteeming DAYS
The Holy Spirit's point here is very CLEAR
Lets Read Vs's 5-6 together - ESV
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
On non-essentials – each believer must sincerely go before God
to determine what position they should take
& then - the rest of us should allow them to take that stand
BUT - - What is the FOUNDATION that we are called TO USE - to make these decisions ?
What is the BENCHMARK ?
The BENCHMARK for us making these decisions . . .
AND - the BENCHMARK we must use to allow others
to make their own decisions
The BENCHMARK - is The Lordship of Jesus Christ
In the areas considered non-essentials - the Determining factor
is the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your life
Are you DOING that, or NOT DOING THAT,
BECAUSE Jesus Christ is your LORD
Are you Truly Honoring Jesus as your LORD
by what you're doing or NOT Doing
If you are doing that thing in Honor of Jesus as your LORD
Then ROM 14:6 says (3 times) - That's GOOD
& Vs's 7-9 explain WHY this Must Be our BENCHMARK -
he Foundation of ALL we do
Rom 14:7-9 - ESV
7 For none of us [us Christians] lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For 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 Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Let me give you just V.8 from the NLT - to clarify this
Rom 14:8 - NLT
8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
If we are LIVING to Honor the Lord, or
if we are DYING to Honor the Lord
The Real Issue is - WE BELONG to the LORD
& SO - Two Christians can have two different “positions”
on Non-Essential matters
& both be HONORING the Lord
So - to whatever “position”
the Lordship of Jesus Christ has brought you to
HONOR Him in that As your LORD -
but don’t mistakenly think that everyone else around you should hold the same “position” - or look just like you
Now - there’s one more Strong Encouragement
to NOT JUDGE one another on these NON-Essential matters
Rom 14:10-12 - ESV
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 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 will give an account of himself to God.
Paul closes today w/ a very powerful encouragement for Christians to NOT Play JUDGE
He says – when tempted to judge, a brother we should instead - consider the judgment seat of Christ
2Cor 5:10 - ESV 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
This is the “Bema (Judgment) Seat of Christ”
It is reserved for believers only
& it’s a judgment where the things that we’ve done as believers are judged
& 1Cor 3:10-15 say;
- Our Foundation is Jesus Christ
- Whatever we build on that Foundation here, will be tested by fire
- To either burn away the useless - or prove the valuable
- & there will be rewards & loss
for what we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ here & now
& I PROMISE you - on THAT Day
when we stand before Jesus Christ the only actions we will be accountable for, will be our own
We will not be concerned - nor be given the chance to discuss
the actions of any other person
so why are we so interested in discussing them now?
Please - Let's TRULY APPLY this to one another
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
UNITY in the midst of DIVERSITY
always covered in AGAPE LOVE for one another
Let's Pray
<-->
ROM 243 - Unity in Diversity - Part One - Rom 14:1-12
We're STILLLLL flying out of the Launch Pad of Rom 12:1-2
where we turned the Christian TALK - into the Christian WALK
Last week Paul taught us to “Put on Love, by putting on Christ”- & that message is an absolute prerequisite to this one
because without us putting on the Agape love of God We'd have no hope of ever pulling off these next 2 Msg's
Psa 133:1 - NKJ 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
& just how good, & how pleasant is it
for us to dwell together in unity?
Well - Jesus made it basically His FINAL request
in His High Priestly Prayer of Jn 17
RIGHT BEFORE his Betrayal & Arrest
Jesus prays to the Father
Jn 17:20-21 - ESV
20 “I do not ask for these only [His disciples], but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
FIRST - Jesus prays that our Unity would be JUST AS
HIS Unity is with the Father (which is mind-boggling enuf)
But then Jesus directly ties our UNITY - to our ABILITY
to bring the Gospel to the world
(end V.21) so that the world may believe
SO - how do you think The Church is doing today in this Critical Area of UNITY ?
Or do you think this little poem might sadly paint
a more accurate picture of the church today;
Believe as I believe, No more, no less;
That I am right, And no one else, confess;
Feel as I feel, Think only as I think;
Eat what I eat, And drink what I drink;
Look as I look, Do always as I do;
Then, and only then, Will I fellowship with you.
Why is it - that this Poem
seems to better describe the Church today
than the prayer of Jesus Himself?
Because in our natural (sinful) minds
we think UNITY can only come from UNIFORMITY
& so - DIVERSTIY (the opposite of UNIFORMITY)
In our natural (sinful) minds brings - Our JUDGMENT!
& THAT is the problem that "Sets the Stage"
for our 2 Part Msg - "Unity IN Diversity"
I need to begin - by making VERY CLEAR
the SUBJECT MATTER - Paul is talking about here in ROM 14
In these matters
There are ESSENTIALS
There are NON-ESSENTIALS
There is LOVE (which we saw last week)
in Regard to the ESSENTIALS - Paul wrote to the Galatians
just prior to writing Romans
Gal 1:8-9 - ESV
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
NOW THAT would fall under the ESSENTIALS !
In the SAME WAY - You can go today to our website
& read our "What We Believe" statement
We Believe . . .
That there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all.
That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, without error in the original manuscripts, and the infallible rule of faith and practice.
That all people are sinners by nature and choice and, therefore, are under condemnation; that God regenerates by the Holy Spirit those who repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Lord; that Jesus Christ baptizes the seeking believer with the Holy Spirit and power for service, often subsequent to regeneration.
In the Universal Church , the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members.
THOSE - are the ESSENTIALS that we believe
HOWEVER - this text in Rom 14 is NOT talking about the Essentials
Rom 14 - is talking about the NON-ESSNTIALS
& so we need to HEAR THIS very clearly today
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
Now the Church in ROME had some divisions
starting over the NON-ESSENTIALS
& you know - the SAME Divisions
that existed in ROME in 65 AD
Can exist in Nuevo Today - Right?
See - In Rome there were Christians
from very different backgrounds
There were Previously Pagan Gentiles
who came from an extremely WORLDLY background
& there were Previously Religious Jews
who came from a legalistic RELIGIOUS background
& each of these New Christians brought some of their background into their new life w/ Christ - just like you & I do today
& it caused some problems back then - just like it does today
& so today - God's Word is going to begin to TEACH US
How we can prevent the enemy from using our SELF-Nature
to start discord & division from inside the church
which is something that He is very good at
So PLEASE - Let's allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to EACH of us
where we need to apply this exact truth to our lives
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
Remember - we're coming out of the
"Put on Love by Putting on Christ" msg in CH 13
Rom 14:1 - ESV 1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
Paul begins this section on NON-Essentials - by telling us
we are to Welcome one who is "WEAK in Faith"
BUT We are NOT - to welcome him
in order to quarrel over opinions
As in - "Sure, come on in "Brother", have we got a thing or two to straighten you out about"
NOT like THAT - But instead to truly welcome him
& notice right up front Paul NAMES this Christian
as one who is "Weak in Faith"
This DOESN'T mean - Weak in the Basic Christian Faith (as in belief)
but weak in the assurance of Faith (re: Non-Essential things)
& so - in Vs2 Paul uses his first Non-Essential EXAMPLE
& he also defines this one who is "Weak in Faith"
Rom 14:2 - ESV
2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
Paul's first example is about "Eating" - but it's just an EXAMPLE
This text is NOT about "Eating"
in fact - to make it about "Eating" would be Causing
the exact problem - Paul is trying to correct
So he says - For example, One person believes he may eat anything, while the WEAK person eats only veggies
Isn’t it interesting that Paul Implies
the person with Liberty to eat anything is STRONG in Faith
& the person who has restrictions on what they eat is WEAK in Faith
Don’t we kind of assume it’s the other way around
But Paul says - "NO, actually they're weak in Faith"
But DON'T worry about it - Truly WELCOME THEM
THEN - in V.3 - the Holy Spirit CONVICTS BOTH
the Strong in Faith - AND - the Weak in Faith
Rom 14:3 - ESV
3 Let not the one who eats [strong] despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains [weak] pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
So - the FINAL ANSWER IS
NO Judging each other on Non-Essentials like FOOD
STRONG - Do NOT Despise those with Restriction
WEAK - Do NOT Pass Judgment on those w/o Restrictions
See - the Jewish Christians in ROME
had a real problem with meat - (just as an Example)
Partly because of the O.T. Dietary Laws
Partly because the animals may've been sacrificed to idols because that was the cheapest meat available
& so the Jewish Christians
began JUDGING the Gentile Christians for eating this meat
& the Gentile Christians began
DESPISING the Jewish Christians for Judging them
& THE FIGHT IS ON - - Not that different from today, is it?
Leslie Flynn, Great Church Fights
A Christian from the South may be repelled by a swimming party for both men and women, then offend his Northern brother by lighting up a cigarette. At an international conclave for missionaries, a woman from the Orient could not wear sandals with a clear conscience. A Christian from western Canada thought it worldly for a Christian acquaintance to wear a wedding ring, and a woman from Europe thought it almost immoral for a wife not to wear a ring that signaled her status. A man from Denmark was pained to even watch British Bible school students play football, while the British students shrank from his pipe smoking.
Do you see it ??
Have you ever seen it in a church you've been in ??
In 1982 – My wife had just started attending a church
a debate began over whether we should start singing
some of these new “Calvary Chapel Style" songs
along with the Hymnal Songs
That debate - ended with the church disbanding the pastor leaving the ministry - & the church building which had housed a Christian church for over 100 years being sold to the “Metropolitan Community Church” which is the openly homosexual church
& they really appreciated us destroying each other so they could have our church building
When Non-Essentials become Essentials
the enemy almost ALWAYS WINS
NOW - back to our text in Rom 14
Paul's talking about eating Meat
which is not really an issue in the Christian church today
However - allow me to "Suggest" some things that can
easily Destroy the Unity of the church that Jesus prayed for
How do you think other Christians should act toward; 1) Movies - or TV shows 2) Make-Up, especially on young girls 3) Playing Cards 4) Dancing 5) Types of Music 6) Sports 7) Tobacco 8) Alcohol (not to excess) 9) Bible Translation 10) Material Wealth
Now – does the Bible give us some guidelines in each of these areas - - YES!
& next week - we’ll be looking at some of those guidelines
but the problem is – the church has a tendency to turn God's guidelines into battle lines
& that is a very, very sad thing
Paul's 1st thought ends in Rom 14:4
& it ends with an Exclamation Point
Rom 14:4 - ESV
4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Remember – we are talking about non-essential's here
& Paul says - WHO made you GOD ?
Why do we think that person should be accountable to us?
The NLT puts it so perfectly clear
Rom 14:4 - NLT
4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord’s help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval.
On NON-Essentials - This is Incredibly GOOD Counsel
They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong.
We’ll see more on this in a minute (Paul's going to CLOSE with it)
But 1st - Paul wants to put another example in
to make sure we don’t think this is really about FOOD
Rom 14:5 - ESV
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
Again - let me refer to the NLT
Rom 14:5 - NLT
5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.
This controversy involves the Sabbath day
The Jewish Christians truly felt the Sabbath day was more holy than any other day of the week
The Gentile Christians believed that every day was equally holy
Paul’s advice is very simple Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind
Again - the "Sabbath Day" issue is an EXAMPLE
this teaching is not actually ABOUT the Sabbath
But let me continue with that Example
There is a Christian Church (big in a city near here)
who are VERY SERIOUS about the Sabbath Day
To find out HOW Serious - I went to their official Website
& looked up their guidelines on keeping the Sabbath
Their OFFICIAL guidelines on the Sabbath
instituted by the General Conference on July 9, 1990
Contain 6,269 WORDS on HOW to keep the Sabbath
(my computer counted them for me)
6,200 Words on how to keep the Sabbath
which Rom 14 uses as an Example of a NON-ESSENTIAL
But here's the deal - IF their 6,000 words
are causing them to TRULY HONOR the LORD
Then we have got to say Praise God & Keep Honoring the Lord
& according to our text today;
If WE are Honoring the Lord by esteeming ALL days alike
Then they should be saying - to US
Praise God & Keep Honoring the Lord
But WHETHER it's about Eating FOOD or Esteeming DAYS
The Holy Spirit's point here is very CLEAR
Lets Read Vs's 5-6 together - ESV
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
On non-essentials – each believer must sincerely go before God
to determine what position they should take
& then - the rest of us should allow them to take that stand
BUT - - What is the FOUNDATION that we are called TO USE - to make these decisions ?
What is the BENCHMARK ?
The BENCHMARK for us making these decisions . . .
AND - the BENCHMARK we must use to allow others
to make their own decisions
The BENCHMARK - is The Lordship of Jesus Christ
In the areas considered non-essentials - the Determining factor
is the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your life
Are you DOING that, or NOT DOING THAT,
BECAUSE Jesus Christ is your LORD
Are you Truly Honoring Jesus as your LORD
by what you're doing or NOT Doing
If you are doing that thing in Honor of Jesus as your LORD
Then ROM 14:6 says (3 times) - That's GOOD
& Vs's 7-9 explain WHY this Must Be our BENCHMARK -
he Foundation of ALL we do
Rom 14:7-9 - ESV
7 For none of us [us Christians] lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For 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 Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Let me give you just V.8 from the NLT - to clarify this
Rom 14:8 - NLT
8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
If we are LIVING to Honor the Lord, or
if we are DYING to Honor the Lord
The Real Issue is - WE BELONG to the LORD
& SO - Two Christians can have two different “positions”
on Non-Essential matters
& both be HONORING the Lord
So - to whatever “position”
the Lordship of Jesus Christ has brought you to
HONOR Him in that As your LORD -
but don’t mistakenly think that everyone else around you should hold the same “position” - or look just like you
Now - there’s one more Strong Encouragement
to NOT JUDGE one another on these NON-Essential matters
Rom 14:10-12 - ESV
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 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 will give an account of himself to God.
Paul closes today w/ a very powerful encouragement for Christians to NOT Play JUDGE
He says – when tempted to judge, a brother we should instead - consider the judgment seat of Christ
2Cor 5:10 - ESV 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
This is the “Bema (Judgment) Seat of Christ”
It is reserved for believers only
& it’s a judgment where the things that we’ve done as believers are judged
& 1Cor 3:10-15 say;
- Our Foundation is Jesus Christ
- Whatever we build on that Foundation here, will be tested by fire
- To either burn away the useless - or prove the valuable
- & there will be rewards & loss
for what we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ here & now
& I PROMISE you - on THAT Day
when we stand before Jesus Christ the only actions we will be accountable for, will be our own
We will not be concerned - nor be given the chance to discuss
the actions of any other person
so why are we so interested in discussing them now?
Please - Let's TRULY APPLY this to one another
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
UNITY in the midst of DIVERSITY
always covered in AGAPE LOVE for one another
Let's Pray
<-->
ROM 243 - Unity in Diversity - Part One - Rom 14:1-12
We're STILLLLL flying out of the Launch Pad of Rom 12:1-2
where we turned the Christian TALK - into the Christian WALK
Last week Paul taught us to “Put on Love, by putting on Christ”- & that message is an absolute prerequisite to this one
because without us putting on the Agape love of God We'd have no hope of ever pulling off these next 2 Msg's
Psa 133:1 - NKJ 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
& just how good, & how pleasant is it
for us to dwell together in unity?
Well - Jesus made it basically His FINAL request
in His High Priestly Prayer of Jn 17
RIGHT BEFORE his Betrayal & Arrest
Jesus prays to the Father
Jn 17:20-21 - ESV
20 “I do not ask for these only [His disciples], but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
FIRST - Jesus prays that our Unity would be JUST AS
HIS Unity is with the Father (which is mind-boggling enuf)
But then Jesus directly ties our UNITY - to our ABILITY
to bring the Gospel to the world
(end V.21) so that the world may believe
SO - how do you think The Church is doing today in this Critical Area of UNITY ?
Or do you think this little poem might sadly paint
a more accurate picture of the church today;
Believe as I believe, No more, no less;
That I am right, And no one else, confess;
Feel as I feel, Think only as I think;
Eat what I eat, And drink what I drink;
Look as I look, Do always as I do;
Then, and only then, Will I fellowship with you.
Why is it - that this Poem
seems to better describe the Church today
than the prayer of Jesus Himself?
Because in our natural (sinful) minds
we think UNITY can only come from UNIFORMITY
& so - DIVERSTIY (the opposite of UNIFORMITY)
In our natural (sinful) minds brings - Our JUDGMENT!
& THAT is the problem that "Sets the Stage"
for our 2 Part Msg - "Unity IN Diversity"
I need to begin - by making VERY CLEAR
the SUBJECT MATTER - Paul is talking about here in ROM 14
In these matters
There are ESSENTIALS
There are NON-ESSENTIALS
There is LOVE (which we saw last week)
in Regard to the ESSENTIALS - Paul wrote to the Galatians
just prior to writing Romans
Gal 1:8-9 - ESV
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
NOW THAT would fall under the ESSENTIALS !
In the SAME WAY - You can go today to our website
& read our "What We Believe" statement
We Believe . . .
That there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all.
That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, without error in the original manuscripts, and the infallible rule of faith and practice.
That all people are sinners by nature and choice and, therefore, are under condemnation; that God regenerates by the Holy Spirit those who repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Lord; that Jesus Christ baptizes the seeking believer with the Holy Spirit and power for service, often subsequent to regeneration.
In the Universal Church , the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members.
THOSE - are the ESSENTIALS that we believe
HOWEVER - this text in Rom 14 is NOT talking about the Essentials
Rom 14 - is talking about the NON-ESSNTIALS
& so we need to HEAR THIS very clearly today
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
Now the Church in ROME had some divisions
starting over the NON-ESSENTIALS
& you know - the SAME Divisions
that existed in ROME in 65 AD
Can exist in Nuevo Today - Right?
See - In Rome there were Christians
from very different backgrounds
There were Previously Pagan Gentiles
who came from an extremely WORLDLY background
& there were Previously Religious Jews
who came from a legalistic RELIGIOUS background
& each of these New Christians brought some of their background into their new life w/ Christ - just like you & I do today
& it caused some problems back then - just like it does today
& so today - God's Word is going to begin to TEACH US
How we can prevent the enemy from using our SELF-Nature
to start discord & division from inside the church
which is something that He is very good at
So PLEASE - Let's allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to EACH of us
where we need to apply this exact truth to our lives
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
Remember - we're coming out of the
"Put on Love by Putting on Christ" msg in CH 13
Rom 14:1 - ESV 1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
Paul begins this section on NON-Essentials - by telling us
we are to Welcome one who is "WEAK in Faith"
BUT We are NOT - to welcome him
in order to quarrel over opinions
As in - "Sure, come on in "Brother", have we got a thing or two to straighten you out about"
NOT like THAT - But instead to truly welcome him
& notice right up front Paul NAMES this Christian
as one who is "Weak in Faith"
This DOESN'T mean - Weak in the Basic Christian Faith (as in belief)
but weak in the assurance of Faith (re: Non-Essential things)
& so - in Vs2 Paul uses his first Non-Essential EXAMPLE
& he also defines this one who is "Weak in Faith"
Rom 14:2 - ESV
2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
Paul's first example is about "Eating" - but it's just an EXAMPLE
This text is NOT about "Eating"
in fact - to make it about "Eating" would be Causing
the exact problem - Paul is trying to correct
So he says - For example, One person believes he may eat anything, while the WEAK person eats only veggies
Isn’t it interesting that Paul Implies
the person with Liberty to eat anything is STRONG in Faith
& the person who has restrictions on what they eat is WEAK in Faith
Don’t we kind of assume it’s the other way around
But Paul says - "NO, actually they're weak in Faith"
But DON'T worry about it - Truly WELCOME THEM
THEN - in V.3 - the Holy Spirit CONVICTS BOTH
the Strong in Faith - AND - the Weak in Faith
Rom 14:3 - ESV
3 Let not the one who eats [strong] despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains [weak] pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
So - the FINAL ANSWER IS
NO Judging each other on Non-Essentials like FOOD
STRONG - Do NOT Despise those with Restriction
WEAK - Do NOT Pass Judgment on those w/o Restrictions
See - the Jewish Christians in ROME
had a real problem with meat - (just as an Example)
Partly because of the O.T. Dietary Laws
Partly because the animals may've been sacrificed to idols because that was the cheapest meat available
& so the Jewish Christians
began JUDGING the Gentile Christians for eating this meat
& the Gentile Christians began
DESPISING the Jewish Christians for Judging them
& THE FIGHT IS ON - - Not that different from today, is it?
Leslie Flynn, Great Church Fights
A Christian from the South may be repelled by a swimming party for both men and women, then offend his Northern brother by lighting up a cigarette. At an international conclave for missionaries, a woman from the Orient could not wear sandals with a clear conscience. A Christian from western Canada thought it worldly for a Christian acquaintance to wear a wedding ring, and a woman from Europe thought it almost immoral for a wife not to wear a ring that signaled her status. A man from Denmark was pained to even watch British Bible school students play football, while the British students shrank from his pipe smoking.
Do you see it ??
Have you ever seen it in a church you've been in ??
In 1982 – My wife had just started attending a church
a debate began over whether we should start singing
some of these new “Calvary Chapel Style" songs
along with the Hymnal Songs
That debate - ended with the church disbanding the pastor leaving the ministry - & the church building which had housed a Christian church for over 100 years being sold to the “Metropolitan Community Church” which is the openly homosexual church
& they really appreciated us destroying each other so they could have our church building
When Non-Essentials become Essentials
the enemy almost ALWAYS WINS
NOW - back to our text in Rom 14
Paul's talking about eating Meat
which is not really an issue in the Christian church today
However - allow me to "Suggest" some things that can
easily Destroy the Unity of the church that Jesus prayed for
How do you think other Christians should act toward; 1) Movies - or TV shows 2) Make-Up, especially on young girls 3) Playing Cards 4) Dancing 5) Types of Music 6) Sports 7) Tobacco 8) Alcohol (not to excess) 9) Bible Translation 10) Material Wealth
Now – does the Bible give us some guidelines in each of these areas - - YES!
& next week - we’ll be looking at some of those guidelines
but the problem is – the church has a tendency to turn God's guidelines into battle lines
& that is a very, very sad thing
Paul's 1st thought ends in Rom 14:4
& it ends with an Exclamation Point
Rom 14:4 - ESV
4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Remember – we are talking about non-essential's here
& Paul says - WHO made you GOD ?
Why do we think that person should be accountable to us?
The NLT puts it so perfectly clear
Rom 14:4 - NLT
4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord’s help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval.
On NON-Essentials - This is Incredibly GOOD Counsel
They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong.
We’ll see more on this in a minute (Paul's going to CLOSE with it)
But 1st - Paul wants to put another example in
to make sure we don’t think this is really about FOOD
Rom 14:5 - ESV
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
Again - let me refer to the NLT
Rom 14:5 - NLT
5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.
This controversy involves the Sabbath day
The Jewish Christians truly felt the Sabbath day was more holy than any other day of the week
The Gentile Christians believed that every day was equally holy
Paul’s advice is very simple Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind
Again - the "Sabbath Day" issue is an EXAMPLE
this teaching is not actually ABOUT the Sabbath
But let me continue with that Example
There is a Christian Church (big in a city near here)
who are VERY SERIOUS about the Sabbath Day
To find out HOW Serious - I went to their official Website
& looked up their guidelines on keeping the Sabbath
Their OFFICIAL guidelines on the Sabbath
instituted by the General Conference on July 9, 1990
Contain 6,269 WORDS on HOW to keep the Sabbath
(my computer counted them for me)
6,200 Words on how to keep the Sabbath
which Rom 14 uses as an Example of a NON-ESSENTIAL
But here's the deal - IF their 6,000 words
are causing them to TRULY HONOR the LORD
Then we have got to say Praise God & Keep Honoring the Lord
& according to our text today;
If WE are Honoring the Lord by esteeming ALL days alike
Then they should be saying - to US
Praise God & Keep Honoring the Lord
But WHETHER it's about Eating FOOD or Esteeming DAYS
The Holy Spirit's point here is very CLEAR
Lets Read Vs's 5-6 together - ESV
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
On non-essentials – each believer must sincerely go before God
to determine what position they should take
& then - the rest of us should allow them to take that stand
BUT - - What is the FOUNDATION that we are called TO USE - to make these decisions ?
What is the BENCHMARK ?
The BENCHMARK for us making these decisions . . .
AND - the BENCHMARK we must use to allow others
to make their own decisions
The BENCHMARK - is The Lordship of Jesus Christ
In the areas considered non-essentials - the Determining factor
is the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your life
Are you DOING that, or NOT DOING THAT,
BECAUSE Jesus Christ is your LORD
Are you Truly Honoring Jesus as your LORD
by what you're doing or NOT Doing
If you are doing that thing in Honor of Jesus as your LORD
Then ROM 14:6 says (3 times) - That's GOOD
& Vs's 7-9 explain WHY this Must Be our BENCHMARK -
he Foundation of ALL we do
Rom 14:7-9 - ESV
7 For none of us [us Christians] lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For 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 Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Let me give you just V.8 from the NLT - to clarify this
Rom 14:8 - NLT
8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
If we are LIVING to Honor the Lord, or
if we are DYING to Honor the Lord
The Real Issue is - WE BELONG to the LORD
& SO - Two Christians can have two different “positions”
on Non-Essential matters
& both be HONORING the Lord
So - to whatever “position”
the Lordship of Jesus Christ has brought you to
HONOR Him in that As your LORD -
but don’t mistakenly think that everyone else around you should hold the same “position” - or look just like you
Now - there’s one more Strong Encouragement
to NOT JUDGE one another on these NON-Essential matters
Rom 14:10-12 - ESV
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 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 will give an account of himself to God.
Paul closes today w/ a very powerful encouragement for Christians to NOT Play JUDGE
He says – when tempted to judge, a brother we should instead - consider the judgment seat of Christ
2Cor 5:10 - ESV 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
This is the “Bema (Judgment) Seat of Christ”
It is reserved for believers only
& it’s a judgment where the things that we’ve done as believers are judged
& 1Cor 3:10-15 say;
- Our Foundation is Jesus Christ
- Whatever we build on that Foundation here, will be tested by fire
- To either burn away the useless - or prove the valuable
- & there will be rewards & loss
for what we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ here & now
& I PROMISE you - on THAT Day
when we stand before Jesus Christ the only actions we will be accountable for, will be our own
We will not be concerned - nor be given the chance to discuss
the actions of any other person
so why are we so interested in discussing them now?
Please - Let's TRULY APPLY this to one another
in Essentials - UNITY
in Non-Essentials - DIVERSITY
in All things - LOVE
UNITY in the midst of DIVERSITY
always covered in AGAPE LOVE for one another
Let's Pray
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Message Number:
ROM 242
Scripture:
Rom 13:8-14 Brief Description:
<p>1st message in a 4-part series on UNITY in the body of Christ.</p>