Where We Have Been? Series 1 - The Wrath of God Revealed (Romans 1:1-3:20)

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1 Series 2- The Righteousness of God Revealed (Romans 3:21-5:21) Sermon 1: Justified The Great God Exchange! Sermon 2: Justified Cha-Ching! Your Account is Full! Sermon 3: Justified You re in Right Standing! Sermon 4: Justified God s Gift to You! Where We Have Been? Series 1 - The Wrath of God Revealed (Romans 1:1-3:20) Sermon 1: Introduction to the Book of Romans: No Excuses Sermon 2: God s Wrath against Unrighteousness: Worship and Sex Exchanges Sermon 3: God s Wrath against Self Righteousness: Hypocrisy Sermon 4: God s Wrath against Everybody: Descriptions of Hell Series 3 Pathway to Freedom (Romans 6:1 8:39) Sermon 1: Dead to Sin Sermon 2: Not a Slave to Sin Sermon 3: Not Married to Rules Sermon 4: Determined to be Spirit Led Sermon 5: Spirit Led Living (Adoption) Sermon 6: Believing God is For You! Series 4 Israel, God & You! (Romans 9:1 11:36) Sermon 1: Feel the Tension - Did you Choose God or did God Choose you? Sermon 2: The All Inclusive Gospel Sermon 3: God s not done with Israel Sermon 4: You are Grafted into Israel (Romans 12:1 16) Sermon 1: I ll be a Living Sacrifice (Part 1) Sermon 2: I ll be a Living Sacrifice (Part 2) Sermon 3: Live like a Christian Session 4: - Today! Can t we all just Get Along (Part 1) 1

2 I. Two Types of Christians Rom. 14:1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. A. The call is for us to accept the brother or sister whose faith is weak. We might be surprised at how this phrase is being used because it has nothing to do with how strong ones faith actually is. It has nothing to do with lack. In this context those whose faith is weak does not mean that they have a hard time believing in God for healing, moving out in spiritual gifts, or believing in God for BIG THINGS. In fact, the person whose faith is weak may actually be extremely spiritually strong! B. In this context, faith actually means something entirely different than saving faith or believing God for the impossible. Rather, it deals with the sensitivity of the consciousness that one has because of their faith in Jesus. Strong Faith = less sensitive consciousness as their faith is not bothered by disputable matters. Weak Faith = more sensitive consciousness as their faith is bothered by disputable matters. C. The text says we are to Accept him whose whole faith is weak, meaning we do not pass judgment on those who have a more sensitive consciousness towards their convictions because such things are disputable manners. 1. Some things in the Bible are indisputable (facts not open for debate). The incarnation of Christ. Jesus dying on the cross for the purpose of cancelling out (forgiving) our sin... Faith in the finished work of Christ unto salvation. Being saved by grace, not through works. Becoming a new creation.. THESE THINGS ARE INDISPUTABLE, NON- NEGOTIABLE FACTS. 2. On the other hand, some matters are disputable. Disputable meaning they are debatable because they are not a hard facts or are non-essentials and are not contingent upon us being saved. Paul is saying don t pass judgment on disputable manners. 2

3 3. For example: Are TATOOS against God s will in our lives? Some Christians would say, No because nowhere in the Bible does it mention such things. The Bible does not say anything about tattoos. They would say God is more interested in my heart and not the ink on my skin. They would say, Show me where in the Bible it says not to get tattoos? Besides, some of my tattoos glorify God and I want to make a statement to others that I am a Christian by getting a tattoo (Christian verse or image of Jesus). Opposing Christians would say, There is no way God would want us to get tatted. If you want to make a statement to others that you are a Christian, you should do it with your lifestyle and speech, not through tattoos If God wanted us to get tattoos, we would have been born with them. On the other hand, the Bible say s our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament temples did not have graphite. So, why should we graphite our bodies with the art work of man to cover up our skin that God created? We are to be good stewards of our bodies and putting permanent ink on our skin is not biblical. 4. So there you have it, TATOOS is a disputable manner. There are arguments on both sides of the fence. Same could be said for, watching certain PG-13 movies and rated R movies, drinking wine and beer as well as smoking cigars. 3

4 D. In this context, Paul is writing to a church that seems to be passing judgment towards one another over non-essential disputable matters - such as food!! There is most likely a mixture of 2 Scenarios. Yet, the second scenario may be more accurate. 1. Scenario #1 You have Jewish Christians who have followed the Law on what not to eat their whole life. They would have been rigorously trained to refrain from shellfish and pork (unclean). Then, you also have Gentile Christians who could care less about what types of food they ate. They would eat everything and not care. Therefore, some of the Jewish Christians could be judging these Gentile Christians for not conforming to the Law of Moses in their eating habits, which considered pork and shellfish unclean. 2. Scenario #2 Gentile Christians have just gotten saved from the pagan world of Rome who worshiped several different gods in which meat was being offered up to idols. After sacrifices were presented to a false god inside a pagan temple, only a portion of the meat was used. The rest of the meat would go to the market in order to be sold. Therefore, a Christian may easily, and sometimes unknowingly, may purchase the meat in order to bring home and eat. In this case, should Christians be eating this type of meat (knowing that the meat being purchasing were the left over s from a pagan sacrifice)? Some Christians have a faith that allows them to eat everything because they have a less sensitive conscious. Rom 14:2 One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The person who eats only vegetables does not actually have a lesser faith. The vegan may actually have strong faith even the faith to move mountains! What Paul is saying is that the man who only eats only vegetables is more sensitive and does not want to take the chance of eating meat that has been sacrificed to idols because he does not want to taint his own worship before God. 4

5 E. Modern Day Hypothesis: 1. Imagine if all the meat in this country were left over meats that were dedicated to pagan Gods and were then sold to fast food chains for making burgers. Imagine if all the meat from McDonalds and In N Out was part of the left over animal sacrifice, which was dedicated to the Roman fertility hunt goddess Dianna after a homosexual drunken orgy, which included self-mutilation at the pagan temple? 2. Now imagine, if some of us in our service today were bringing to service In N Out burgers in which you knew the meat Can you imagine the inward judging Christians were having with one another over this issue? Some of you could care less. If this is you, your consciousness is less sensitive as this is not going to affect your faith. Therefore, you will eat everything, without thinking twice if the meat was sacrificed to an idol or considered unclean. Yet, on the other hand, some of you, out of respect for Jesus, would choose to be vegans immediately. If this is you, your consciousness is more sensitive. Thus, if you went to restaurant knowing that all the meat were from left-over sacrifices to idols, it would bother your faith. Therefore, you would not eat the meat, or most likely, even step into the restaurant. 5

6 II. Instructions to the Two Types of Christians A. Rom. 14:3a The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, 1. Do not harass those who have a more sensitive in their faith. Hypothetically, do not look down upon them because they are choosing to not eat the same meat you are eating because they are convicted about it. 2. Some examples of our time would be Do not look down on other Christians. Who refuses to get a tattoo like you because it violates or disturbs their faith. Who refuses to watch the same movies you do because it disturbs their faith. Who refuses to drink the same wine you do because it bothers their faith. Who refuses to listen to the same music as you do because it disturbers their faith. B. Rom. 143b-4 and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 1. If your faith is bothered by the Christians who. Who eat that type of unclean food Who get tattoos Who watch those type of movies Who drink wine Who listen to that type of music. 2. You must not condemn them because in Christ God has accepted them. 6

7 C. Rom. 14:5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 1. Paul is not going to pick sides. Paul is saying Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He realizes that different Christians have different convictions when it comes to disputable matters. Some Christians may have been delivered from former religions in which they considered certain days sacred and are now carry those days into their Christian walk in order to worship God. If that is the case, great! Some Christians consider certain days more holier than others. While other Christians can care less and count every day the exact same as they try to live for God. 2. No matter what your convictions are on disputable matters, you need to be fully convinced that it is either ok or not ok in your own mind. As long as you give thanks to the Lord for what you are doing. Are getting tattoos ok or not ok in your mind? Are you fully convinced. Is watching certain PG-13 or Rated R movies ok or not ok? Are you fully convinced? 3. In these disputable matters, you have full biblical permission to be fully convinced in your mind to lean one way or another. Yet, whatever way you lean, the instruction is to not judge other Christians who lean in the opposite direction you do. 7

8 D. Rom. 14:8-13 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11 It is written: " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' " 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. 1. Judgment seat of Christ is reserved for Christians for who will give an account to Jesus. 2. Each individual Christian will have to give their own account for their individual actions. 3. The bottom line is focus in on your own walk with God. Stop passing judgment on others for how they are living their Christianity on Disputable Matters. You are going to stand before Christ, and give an account for your own actions based upon what your mind is fully convinced of. 8

9 E. Rom. 14:13-18 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 14 As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15 If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16 Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. 19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. 1. Stop passing judgment on one another and act in love by making up your mind not to put up a stumbling block If you know you eating a bacon cheeseburger is offensive towards someone who thinks bacon is unclean, then do not eat it in front of his face with a big smile. If you know a Christian brother is against certain movies, do not rub it in their face. Example, Hey Bob (who is sensitive to action pact violent movies) what are you doing Friday, you want to hang out, we are going to go and watch such and such movie.don t worry it s not violent, (wink wink). In love, do not become a stumbling block to others. Many Pastors have to live here. If the congregation found out that their Pastor saw that movie or drove that car or drank that glass of wine or got that tattoo it would affect the faith of others and set themselves up for being judged by other Christians who are weaker in their faith (bothered by their faith) Although the Pastor may not be sinning in his own mind, the mature Pastor is conscious in not becoming a stumbling block for others. 9

10 2. The kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Therefore, instead of judging other people about personal convictions over disputable things Allow them to see the kingdom of God operating through you so they can see the fruit of God in your life despite your personal allowances (such as eating unclean meat ). 3. If you who are not convicted about drinking wine and are like so what causing the weak in their faith to be bothered by your actions, then you yourself are sinning. Again, It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. If you smoking cigarettes, offends other Christians, but you are convinced in your own mind its ok, then for the sake of love stop smoking in front of them. If you have offensive tattoos, then for the sake of love, cover them up if you even think others could be offended and stumble in their faith. If you are at a restaurant and you notice another Christian couple at the table who goes to your church, then do not order that glass of wine.. especially if you know that it will bother the faith of the other believer. Again these are disputable matters, and I am not saying they are sin or not sin. It is between you and God, but for the sake of love be careful that you are not causing others to stumble. 10

11 F. Rom. 14:22-23 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. 1. If your mind is fully made up on certain convictions as being sin, then for you, and you alone it is sin. Do not try to tell others that it is sin and force them to have the same view point on disputable matters. If you feel that watching this movie or that movie is sin, then in your mind it is a sin. Keep it between yourself and God. If you feel every once in awhile you can have a glass of wine, then in your mind it is not a sin. However, if you are pressuring someone to drink wine, and they are fully convinced in their mind that it is a sin and they listen to you and drink it, and now feel condemned, then he is sinning because his personal faith is telling him that he has sinned. 11