Romans 14:13-23
Getting on the Same Page as God about When Christians Disagree (Part 2)
Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Love!
Introduction
A. Tomorrow is the day that we celebrate memorial day
B. For a lot of you it is a day off
C. But why do we celebrate Memorial Day?
D. We celebrate memorial day to remember the men and women who fought for our country’s freedom
E. In our Christians life we have a lot of freedom we have a lot of liberty that we can take, and that is to be enjoyed
F. However, with Freedom comes what? Responsibility
G. The same way we have a responsibility to our country to protect our freedom
H. We have a responsibility in our Christian life
I. We have the responsibility to Pursuit Love
J. To pursuit Love in all our actions
K. Today we are going to look at how to love when Christians disagree, specifically
a. Christians affect each other
b. Christians must have priorities
c. Christians must help each other grow
d. Christians must not force their opinions on others
I. Christians affect each other (13-15)
A. Explanation
1. What you do what you say what you eat, everything that you do can and will affect each other
2. What we have to realize is that our actions do affect one another
3. If you do not believe me, watch sports, you will see someone a little victory celebration and then watch kids repeat that action
4. Therefore we need to make sure that what we do does not affect a person in a negative way
5. In these verse Paul is using food as an example
6. For Paul there is no such things as unclean food, that is to say there is no such thing as if you eat certain food it is a sin
7. However, for some of the Romans Christians this was a problem
8. Paul was dealing with people who would be completely offended if he did eat some meet
9. What is the great commandment? Love one another
10. If we are acting in love we will abstain from eating the meet in front of the other person
11. Do you remember what is says in 1 Cor. 8:1? (Read It) Knowledge Puffs up, Love Builds up
B. Illustration
1. Many kids will believe that they have monsters living under their bed or in their closet
2. Mothers know this is not true, they know the only thing living under their bed is stuff growing on the garbage under the bed.
3. However what do mothers do, do they come in with their knowledge and just tell the kid to get over it?
4. No, with love they will sit at the bedside, talk to the child, and assure him that everything is secure
5. Then the child can go to sleep without fear
6. Knowledge plus love helps the week person grow strong
C. Application
1. What can we apply to our lives?
2. There are certain things that we need not create disputes over
3. I mention last week about Music weather I should listen to just Christians Music or if Secular music ok
4. If I am with someone who does not listen to secular music I am not going to listen to it around the person
5. Does that mean that I agree with their opinion?
6. Not necessarily that means I will not try to destroy my brother, rather instead I will act in Love
7. I really really like Chicken wings
8. My favorite place to eat chicken wings is Quaker Steak and Lube, as you may or may not know in many ways it could be considered a bar
9. If by going to a bar would cause a fellow Christians to become distressed, I would not longer go their
10. I like the wings a lot, but is there any food out there that is worth destroying someone?
11. No
12. Our Actions do affect each other, do your best not to let your actions negatively affect another
II. Christians Must have priorities (16-18)
A. Explanation
1. Take a look at verse 16 through 18, the Phrase what you consider good refers to the liberty enjoyed by the strong in faith
2. The church in Rome, what they consider good is the fact that all food are clean and every day is sacred in the eyes of God
3. The path of God’s grace is a broad path with lots freedom, no a restrictive path of arbitrary rules that make no sense
4. What happens is we have the uncanny ability to major on the minors
5. Just like the Pharisees of the old, we worry about things we just do not need to worry about
6. Stuff like what we eat or drink, whether to dance or not dance, home schooling private schooling or public education and we give the impression that these things are centr4al to God’s kingdom
B. Illustration
1. Let me give you some extreme examples of this
2. My professor at Toccoa told me of two people in his church who hadn’t spoken to each other for 30 years all because the one wanted red carpet in the sanctuary and the other wanted blue
3. Churches have split over the matter such as location of the piano and serving meals on Sundays after Church
4. Christmas Trees. There was a church that had members who wanted a Christmas tree, and then there were some who did not want it. They argued that tree were inherently pagan. The 2 groups got so mad they actually got into fists fight over this. The one group was latterly dragging the tree out and the other group was pulling it back in. They filed lawsuits against each other, and the fight became so public he whole community could see it. The imagine that the community would get is that being a Christian was about a Christmas tree
5. All of those examples, every one missed it. The missed the whole point of the our Verse of the Week
6. Yes, again we have a verse of the week!
7. Verse 17. (Read it)
8. Our focus needs to be on these things, not little trivial pursuit type of issues
C. Application
1. Let’s apply this to our lives
2. Not the externals, but the eternals must be first in our lives: righteousness, peace and joy
3. Not what to eat what to drink, the Kingdom of God, the Christians life is not about a list of do and don’t the kingdom of God is about Righteousness peace and Joy
4. If our focus is on Righteousness, peace, and joy we would not have Christians fighting with each other or minor matters
5. What about you?
6. Are you embracing kingdom priorities? Is your aim to let gray areas stay great and focus on important issues like:
a) Helping unchurched people be made right with God through the good news
b) Displaying God’s peace in your willingness to forgive other Christians
c) Building up one another with love?
7. Or are you more concerned with getting your own way?
8. We have to embrace spiritual priorities
9. Spiritual Priorities are essential to the harmony in the Church
III. Christians must help each other grow (19-21)
A. Explanation
1. Let’s key into verse 19-21
2. The Bible tells us to make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification
a) Make every effort, EFFORT. This does not happen just sitting around waiting for peace.
b) In order for this to happen we need to make a passionate commitment to pursue peace
3. I like the word Edification. The Greek term here is a construction term that as used to describe the process of making a building stronger
a) On my house I had to make my railing stronger, I had to edify it. I added at 4x4 post to the ground and attached it to the railing, now it is stronger
4. The opposite word of Edification is found in verse 20. Again this has its roots in construction. Basically tearing down a building like a demolitions team
5. Weather we like to admit it or not, our actions as followers of Jesus either strengthen or weaken our Church.
6. We like to think that our lives are totally private and individual, that the church community isn’t really effected by our choices one way or the other
7. But the Bible clearly teaches us that is not the case. We are called the Body of Christ
8. When we refuse to use our freedom to pursue love, the whole church community is significantly weekend, we become a kind of demolition team
9. If this goes on to long, soon the entire group who refuses to pursue love will totally destroy a Church
10. What is more important in life food or God? Obviously God, so if food, or any other “liberty”, is causing problems, don’t eat the food
B. Illustration
1. As you know Jackie Robison was the first African American to play in the Major league. During his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie received constant verbal abuse and jeering from the fans. During a home game in Brooklyn, Jackie made and error. Even Jackie’s own fans started jeering and ridiculing him, and he just stood with head down in shame. As the fans shouted insults, the dodger short stop “Pee wee” Rease walked over, put his arm around Jackie, and then turned and faced the crowd. The crowd was immediately silent, and Robinson later said that the arm around his shoulder saved his career.
C. Application
1. Let’s apply all of this to our lives
2. Sometimes we do things in our lives that leads even fellow Christians jeer and taunt us.
3. Thank God for those people who come over, put their arm around us, and help us face our critics.
4. Thank God for those people who constantly are edifying, reinforcing, strengthen us
5. Thank God for those people who do not seek to destroy
6. What about You?
7. Have you been edifying, have you been strengthening, building up each other?
8. Or are you a member of the demolitions team
9. I am constantly amazed at how just a little bit of edification, a little bit of reinforcing, a little making someone stronger, effect people so much
10. Sadly I am also constantly amazed at how just a little bit of destruction, a little bit of tearing down, a little bit of making someone weaker, effect people so much
11. Our job is to be Builders, to be reinforces to be strengthens, we need each other to help us grow
12. By the way in construction who does what job? You put the person that does not know anything on the destruction crew. The talented people who get paid more are the ones who do the building
13. Make it your goal, to be a construction worker who builds peace and edification
IV. Christians must not force their opinions on others (22-23)
A. Explanation
1. There are certain things that we must agree on
a) The Fact that Jesus died on the cross and rose again
b) The fact that if we ask Jesus to forgive our sins He Will
c) The fact that Jesus will be coming back
d) And so on
2. However there are a lot of things that are honest areas of disagreement
3. In these honest areas of disagreement we must never allow them to ruin our fellowship
4. Some of us have convictions about things that others do not
5. No one can borrow another Christians conviction and be honest in his Christians life
6. Even if a persons convictions are immature or week, he must never violate his convictions
B. Application
1. Let me give you an example. Jim was working on his car. Jim needed helped. He called his body from Church Bob over because bob was a pretty good mechanic. Both Jim and Bob loved their wives. No one ever questioned that. When Jim was married he placed that wedding ring on his finger and never took it off, he thought that if he took it off he would be breaking his vows. Now Bob on the other hand would take his ring whenever he was doing something that might hurt the ring, such as working on a car. He took it off not to “break” his vows, but just to protect his wring
2. So Bob get to Jim’s house gets ready to start working and places his ring in his pocket
3. Jim is shocked. He does not know how to respond. Bob then forces Jim to take his ring off
4. Bob intention were only to help Jim not get his ring dirty, Jim takes it wrong
5. The next thing you know Jim is now tempted to do other things that will cross the line. Perhaps take his new secretary to lunch even though he knows its not a good idea
6. You see, what no big deal to Bob becomes what could ultimately destroy Jim’s marriage
C. Illustration
1. What can we learn from this and apply to our lives?
2. There is no reason to push your convictions, or lack of convictions, on someone else
3. It does no good
4. There is no need to do that
5. WE might think that something is such a little deal, but the other person it could mean a lot to them
6. Look at verse 23
7. To try to interfere with someone convictions is interfering with their faith
8. I do not care what your personal convictions are
9. What I want you to do is ask yourself this question
10. Is what I am doing or not doing based on my Faith in Christ
11. Am I making every decision based on my dependence on God?
Conclusion
A. Life liberty and what? The pursuit of happiness?
B. No, Life liberty and the pursuit of Love!
C. That is what God called us to do
D. Let me make a couple of concluding thought
a. #1: The Bible is not a list of do and don’ts. We are given principles not specifics on how to live that we should apply to our lives
b. #2: Every one has a different list of convictions. Some have more some have less
c. #3: Do not let these convictions destroy the work of God. Rather practice love.
E. What about you?
F. Have you been acting in love?
G. Have you been building each other up, reinforcing, making stronger
H. Or have you appointed yourself the foreman of the demolition team?
I. If you realize that you have been acting as a demolition member today and you would like to be transferred to the building team here are the steps:
a. First apologize to God, tell him your sorry for how you acted
b. Next apologize to the person you have been tearing down, tell them you are sorry for how you acted and ask them to forgive you
c. Finally, and this will take a lot of time and effort, Make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification
d. We can not just sit there and expect all of this to happen overnight
J. This is a process this is long process, this process, it’s worth it!
K. The question is our you on the same Page as God about When Christians disagree
