Romans 14:1-23 – Romans

Our reading this morning is from Romans chapter 14.

Romans 14 · chapter mention

So do open that up, and I would encourage you keep that open while Colin is speaking to us.

City kids, where are you?

Give me a wave, city kids.

Oh, there's some over there, some over there.

Okay.

We have a question this morning.

The question's for everybody, but especially for the city kids and teens.

So watch out for this in the reading.

And the question is what sort of things would the kingdom of God be made up of?

Okay?

What sort of things would the kingdom of God be made up of?

So watch out for that.

Let's read Romans 14.

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him.

But do but not to quarrel over opinions.

One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.

Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.

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.

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.

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 gives thanks to God.

While the one who abstains abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.

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.

For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord, both of the dead and of the living.

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.

For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue confess to God.

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Therefore, let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.

For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love.

By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.

So do not let what you regard as good to be spoken of as evil.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.

So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Do not for the sake of food destroy the work of God.

Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.

It is not good to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.

The faith that you have keep between yourself and God.

Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.

But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith.

For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

And so reads God's word.

Love opinions.

One of my opinions is that I like to see them well treated.

Anyone here watch Marvel?

Marvel?

Oh fabulous God's people.

Me and my daughter started watching Marvel recently.

We got the Civil War.

I don't know if you got to Civil War and where Captain America and Iron Man take different sides.

Now, do you know what?

Those are both opinions that I hold very, very strongly.

But differently.

Do you know what I mean?

I I hope, do you know, if uh if if we were out and and someone decided, I know, I've got a great idea, I'm gonna treat Colin's wife and children horribly, I'm gonna have a big problem with that.

I I hope that if we get talking over lunch and you've landed on Iron Man's side, that we don't come to blows.

Do you know what I mean?

It's it's good to have opinions.

But it's also good to figure out how do you hold the opinions you have.

And so when it when it comes to uh I I have I have the view that my wife and kids should be respected, and I and I hold that tightly.

I have the view that I am utterly convinced of as well that Cap is right and Iron Man's wrong.

But I kind of hold it with an open hand.

Where we're we we can agree to disagree, we don't have to come to blows over this one.

And you know what?

It's so important that you get your opinion right.

And yeah, it's just as important with all the opinions that we have that we figure out, yeah, okay, but how should I hold it?

I'm not I'm not saying that we're not convinced we're right, but but with the opinions that we are convinced of, some of them have actually got to be held with a closed hand, and some of them have got gloriously gotta be held with an open hand.

Can you imagine if if I got those wrong?

Like, could you imagine, you know, uh my my youngest, my oldest daughter is is 13.

Uh uh Heaven forbid she starts dating soon, right?

Uh but imagine when that happens and she's going out with a lad who treats her awfully.

And and I say, oh well, you know, you win some, you lose some.

But then I find out that the same lad has taken Iron Man's side and doesn't think Captain America is right, and we come to blows.

It's like, what's going on?

That you gotta know what opinion you take, but you've also gotta work out how am I gonna hold it?

And even if I'm right, that my wife and daughter should be respected, and Captain America is right, if I hold those in the wrong way, they actually become very ugly very quickly, don't they?

Yeah, I personally think that my daughter should be respected, but you know, if if her boyfriend thinks otherwise, you know, peace be with you, actually that'd be really ugly.

And and as we're reading through Romans 14, it really is this simple.

It's saying, when it comes to loving Jesus and putting your faith in him, hold it with a closed hand.

Eternity's at stake.

But there's a hip other stuff that it's good to be convinced of, but go easy on each other.

Listen, that's pretty much me done.

Okay?

Take it, run with it, work it out.

Uh, but if you want a bit more, go to go to Romans 14, uh, pick it up, and and you've been you've been working through, I presume you've been working through uh uh Romans, and this wasn't Mark just sort of thinking, I I know, I've got a great idea.

Let's throw Romans 14 at a guest speaker.

I'm assuming you've been you have Ben, haven't you?

Yeah, so you've been working through Romans.

This just wasn't a nasty trick.

Um uh gorgeous passage in Romans 13 where where where the picture of loving each other is uh pick it up uh 1310.

Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

And and you've been working your whole way through Romans, and and he's dealing with these Jews and these Gentiles coming from very different cultural, religious, social backgrounds, and he's saying, for all of you, we get right simply with the empty hands of faith, as we trust in what Christ has done for us.

That's it.

We come with the empty hands of faith to receive a righteousness that the law could not give us, that Christ gave us on the cross by paying the price for our sin.

And and then in Romans 13, he's like, okay, now how you how are you gonna live with each other?

You know, you've got you've got you Jewish people coming from a law background, you Gentiles, people coming uh uh from not a law, how are you gonna work out each other?

And Paul's answer is love each other.

Because actually love is the fulfillment of the Old Testament law anyway.

And if you're there in Romans uh 13, verse 11, 12, 13, 14, he's saying, uh, and and as you go out into the world, I want you to uh don't live in sin, don't don't follow the dark ways of the world.

But now he's talking about, and how do you deal with each other?

And his answer is would you go easy on each other?

Seriously, go easy on each other.

You you know what it is for all of you to come to the cross with the empty hands of faith, to trust God for the salvation of your soul, and now you're trying to work out what does it look like to live for God, and you all come from such different backgrounds, go easy on each other.

And let's work it out.

So, uh Romans 14, verse 1, uh pick it up there.

Romans 14:1

Uh let me let me let me read a few verses of the first half of 14.

Except uh the one whose faith is weak without quarreling over disputable matters.

One person's faith allows them to eat anything, but another whose faith is weak eats only vegetables.

The one who eats everything must not eat with contempt towards the one who does not.

And the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.

Who are you to judge someone else's servant?

To their own master, servants stand or fall.

And they will stand, for God is able to make them stand.

One person considers one more day sacred than the other, another considers every day alike.

Each one should be fully convinced in their own minds.

Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord.

Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord and give thanks to him.

For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.

If we live, we live to the Lord.

If we die, we die to the Lord.

So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life, so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

You then, why do you judge your brother or sister?

Why do you treat them with contempt?

For we will all stand before God's judgment seats.

It is written, Asurely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before me, every tongue will acknowledge God.

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

Now, as you follow that through, you'll be getting the flavor of what they're squabbling about.

They're squabbling about uh whether you should eat meat or only vegetables, whether you should observe certain days or or not.

And uh if if you flick down to verse 21, you'll see that wine is included in there.

Uh, and so you have you have some people uh who are who are saying uh you should only eat vegetables and water and you should observe these special days, and you have other people who are saying, listen, we can eat whatever we want, and all days are the same.

And so they eat meat and they drink wine and and and they don't mark special days.

And Paul is is saying, he's not saying, well, who knows?

He's saying there is there is a right answer and there is a wrong answer.

And and those who've come from a Jewish background are trying to work out, well, what does it look like to live for Jesus now?

And and they're saying, I think, I think it would be honoring to God if we if we still uh uh didn't eat the meat and the wine, we observed the special days.

Uh now if you've if if you've read the Old Testament, you know that that the Jews were allowed to eat meat and drink wine.

Uh do you remember Daniel 1?

Do you remember when uh when when he's he's been brought to Babylon and uh and and and they're they're schooling him in in the Babylonian ways and they're changing his name and they're taking on the Babylonian name.

Do you remember Daniel draws a line in the sand?

He says, I won't eat your meat and I won't drink your wine.

Because I'm in exile.

Uh and Isaiah 22 says that when God's people go into exile and there's all sorts of feasting, they should be mourning, and so don't eat the meat and don't eat, don't drink the wine.

And and for whatever reason, these Jewish folks seem to be taking that on.

Um, and they're saying, for us to honor God and live a life that that pleases him, we're we're we're gonna go vegetarian, we're gonna abstain from alcohol, and we're gonna mark the special days.

Now, Paul says, uh chapter one, sorry, chapter 14, verse 1, that there are those who are weak in faith and those who are strong.

And and he's not shy in saying there is a right answer.

Uh, you'll see it in verse 14 and verse 20.

He is utterly clear, all food is clean.

Stop worrying about it.

However, I get that some people have come from a background that makes that hard.

I was gonna say hard to swallow.

Uh, that makes that makes that hard to take.

I get it.

He's not saying there's no right answer.

There is a right answer, you're free.

But some of you will find that hard, and and so so don't worry too much about it.

And uh he's he's saying to these these Jews who still want to hold some of these practices, that though he doesn't agree with them, he wants them to live at peace with the Gentile Christians.

He's saying the Gentiles are right, they are free to eat the meat and drink the wine and and celebrate all days.

But what's beautiful is that he says, I want you to live with each other.

Now I want you to to see the two things that he says.

Have a look at verse three.

The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not.

The one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does.

And and those are two different things.

Um imagine the one who knows I'm free to drink a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon tonight when when I'm watching Captain America whip Iron Man, right?

He's saying, for for for me, you must not look down on, ah yeah, but but but Ben's sitting at home and he thinks he's not allowed to, silly, silly, silly Ben.

Okay?

He's saying, don't look down with contempt on on their restrictions.

Don't treat them with ridicule and nastiness.

But then he goes and says, and and you you who are weak, um Ben, I don't know if you do drink red wine, but let's say you don't.

He's not supposed to look at me and judge me and say, oh, look at that dirty, rotten sinner Colin, who's gone home to crack open a bottle of red.

Then I I'm not to look down on him and he's not to judge me.

In fact, look look at what he says.

Who are you, verse 4, to judge someone else's servants?

To their own master, servants stand or fall, and they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

One person considers one day more sacred than another, another considers every day alike.

Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind, whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord, and whoever meet, uh whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God, and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

For none of us lives to ourselves alone, and none of us dies to ourselves alone.

Now, here's what's really important.

Do you see where he says you know how to judge each other?

Like, what are you what are you doing judging someone else's servant?

Let Jesus sort that out.

Now you've got to be crystal clear here of when it comes to things that you hold with a closed hand, they're very, very different to the things that you hold with an open hand.

Because there are times when God's people have to make decisions, they have to make calls, they have to make judgments.

Now, do you know what's amazing?

Is uh uh your your pastor Mark is up with us at the minute preaching through Galatians 4, right?

And do you know what Paul's saying in Galatians 4?

He's saying to the Judaizers who would come in and say, You're not, there's a you're not a proper Christian unless you do the food stuff and the day stuff and the circumcision stuff.

And do you know what Paul says in Galatians 4?

He doesn't say, and I go easy on each other, peace be with you.

He says that's a false gospel.

He goes to town on them.

And here's the difference.

In Galatians 4, the Judaizers are coming in and saying, You're not a proper Christian unless you do this.

And Paul takes the gloves off and he goes for them for the throat and says, Stop saying that, that's wrong.

That's not what they're doing in Romans 14.

In Romans 14, these Christians, Jew and Gentile, know it's all by faith, and they're trying to work out what does Christian living look like.

They're not saying to each other, um, be unless you do these days and this this meat and the wine thing, you're you're not in.

They're saying, how do we live to honor Jesus?

And and so the first thing here is that whenever Paul says, don't judge each other, he's talking about this open-handed stuff.

If the Jewish Christians started saying you're you're not properly saved unless you obey the special days and the food laws, Paul would be like, hey, I'm gonna kick off.

Can't say that.

You're out.

Forget it.

Um but but Paul also can take the gloves off.

Uh do you know 1 Corinthians 5, where uh a man is, what is it, sleeping with his mother-in-law, and even the pagans know it's wrong.

And Paul says, You should have kicked them out.

Everybody knows it's wrong.

This lad is living in high-handed, unrepentant sin that even the pagans are like, boys, what are you at?

This is a mess.

Okay?

So for Paul, if if you turn something into a gospel issue, like the food laws, Paul's saying, You're you're I got a big problem with you.

This is not, let's agree, disagree, let us live in peace, you're you're out.

If you're living in high-handed, unrepentant sin, Paul's like, no, no, game over.

You can't be at that, you gotta pick Jesus or sin, which is it?

In Romans 14, these are both groups who, in their heart of hearts, believe that what they're doing is right.

These are two groups that understand this is not a salvation issue, this is working out how to live for Jesus in an honorable way.

And and so Paul is saying, in this type of situation, not these two, in this type of situation where someone in their heart of hearts is trying to work out how do I live for Jesus, and they're not making it a salvation issue, go easy on each other.

You you want to see what he does when when people try and make it a salvation issue.

Look at Galatians.

Really quite strong.

You want to look at what he's dealing with, God's people who are living in high handed unrepentant sin and they know it's a sin, they just don't care.

Uh, read 1 Corinthians 5.

Paul can be pretty black and white.

He's talking to people who know that they are saved by faith alone.

And they're trying to work out what Christian living looks like, and in their good-hearted, trying to best conscience are trying to honor Jesus, and they've come to different opinions.

And what he says, verse 12, so then each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

He's saying, stop yapping at each other.

When it comes to these issues, open-handed, we're trying to work out how to live for Jesus.

We're not trying to earn ourselves away.

We're trying to work out how to live for Jesus.

In our heart of hearts, we're trying to do our best to understand God's ways.

He says, Stop yapping at each other and know that you and God have got to do business.

And even if I get it wrong, that beautiful picture at the end of verse 4, who are you to judge someone else's servant to their own master, servant stand or fall, and they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

I bet I've got some stuff wrong on how to honor Jesus in my life.

Not because I'm trying to, but because I'm human and fallen.

And I know that whatever I've got wrong, and maybe I've got something wrong about Sabbath or spiritual gifts or baptism or end time or whatever else you want to throw on that.

And if I've got it wrong, it's not because I'm trying to get it wrong.

I'm trying my best to figure it out, but I'm not terrified that on the last day, if I've got my view on Sabbath wrong, that I'm going to be condemned for it.

Because I will stand before God because Christ has done it all.

Now, the day I start saying, if you don't do Sabbath my way, you're not a proper Christian and you're going to hell, Paul has something stronger to say.

Read Galatians.

But if you're trying to work it out in good conscience, someone's going to get it wrong.

And we got to learn how to be at peace with each other.

Disputable issues.

Paul's not saying they're not right or not wrong.

He has a very clear view on who's right and who's wrong.

And he's saying, please be at peace.

Pick it up at verse 9.

For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life, that he might be Lord of both the living and the dead.

God has brought us together through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And so when we are going on this journey of what faith lived out looks like, go easy on each other.

Be at peace with each other.

And then I'd love you to pick it up at verse 13.

Because if if you've been with me so far, I think that's that's the easy part.

He's saying the weak, the weak have got it wrong, but they think they're right.

The strong have got it right and they know they're right.

But strong, don't look down on them, and weak don't condemn them, don't judge them.

Happy so far?

It's lovely, smooth, it's nice.

It's gonna get tricky now, okay?

So stay.

So are we happy with the with the easy part?

The weak, they've got it wrong, but they think they're right.

Uh the strong have got it right and they know they're right, but all of them are trying in their best conscience to work out how to how to honor Jesus.

Um then pick it up at verse 13.

Therefore, let's stop passing judgment on one another.

Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

I'm convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself.

But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it's unclean.

If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.

Need you to get that principle.

Okay, imagine Ben and I.

Uh imagine I'm having the glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, and and Ben thinks it's an it's a total sin to drink alcohol.

Okay.

Um and let's let's say Ben is is is a new Christian uh and he goes around and I'm I'm I'm in with a few of you, and and we all have our glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, and and Ben comes in believing in his heart of hearts that this is a sin.

And then he's watching me and all my buddies sin in his mind.

We're not, it's okay, but in his mind, we're sinning.

And so Ben thinks, okay, sin's back on the table.

Pour me a glass, too.

And and so and so he takes a sip of of the finest red wine that Carrot McCross has to offer.

The action is fine.

But the intention, what's going on in his heart, is that I'm gonna sin against God.

It's fine, these boys are sinned against God, so I'll sin against God.

And and and so Paul is saying, but if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is.

It would be wrong for them to do it.

If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you're no longer acting in love.

The glass of red wine is not unclean.

But if Ben thinks it is, and he sees me drinking it with my buddies, and so he does it thinking it's okay to sin against God.

I've just I've just led this lad into a sin of intention in his heart.

Even though there's nothing wrong with what he did, his motivation doing it, his intention behind it, is to walk la-di-da into sin.

Do you remember what Paul did not like?

He did not like issues that that compromised the gospel of grace, and he didn't like high-handed, unrepentant sin.

I've just led him into what he believes to be a sin, and he is high-handed unrepentant of it.

And I have used my freedom to destroy him.

Because you'll find that's a very slippery slope.

Because once Ben thinks, well, it's okay to sin with uh against God with with the bottle of red wine, well, what else is it okay to sin against God with?

And and I have led this child of God on the first step towards walking away from Christ.

Uh and so Paul's saying, you know, you think this and you think this, you're wrong, you're right, but live at peace and account to God.

But actually, the way you relate to each other matters.

And and I I can't use my freedom to lead someone into what they think is sin.

Now it is so important to get that right because uh do you see verse 13?

If your brother or sister is is distressed or grieved because of what you eat, you're no longer acting in love.

So if if I'm gonna distress her or grieve Ben, I sh I should just put the bottle of red wine away when he comes.

But it's really important to get what that means.

Um I I'm gonna take it you don't have a problem with drums.

I don't know, I don't know what you squabble about.

I'm I'm gonna take it that you don't squabble about.

Am I okay on this, Ben?

Safe territory.

Will was there, I was looking at thinking that that has to be a safe bet.

Okay?

Uh there there are there are there are some some Christians who would say drums no place in in the worship of God's people.

Okay.

Um in fact, I was I was once working with a church who were looking to bring drums in, uh and and and there was um there was one person in the church who was very unhappy about it and and believed that it would be dishonoring to God to bring drums in.

Uh and I was I was chatting with the church leader of, okay, that's tricky, how are you gonna work this out?

And he said, My hands are tied.

I said, Who tied them?

He said, Romans 14 tied them, because if we bring this in, it will distress uh my my brother and he'll get very angry.

I was okay.

Do you think if you invite Will to your church and and and crack open the drums, that that Sunday night he's gonna go out and buy a drum kit and secretly bring it to his home and quietly drum away while no one's looking, indulging in what he thinks is a sin.

Are you worried that you're going to lead him into unintentional conscious sin against God?

And he laughed at me and said, No, I'm worried he's gonna shout at me.

Okay, okay, that's not that's not Romans 14 then.

Romans 14 is is saying, when when you're trying to work out how to handle things where where people take a different view, don't distress Ben.

And when I say don't distress Ben, what I don't mean is that I'm scared Ben will shout at me, and so I'm not gonna drink my Cabernet Sauvignon.

What it's saying is, if if I crack open that bottle and I lead him in a sin, then just don't do it.

He is too important to lead him into that sin.

It's not saying to me that if if Ben is really grumpy with me and shouts at me, that I have to hide all the bottles from him.

In fact, what would Romans 14 say to Ben and I in that situation?

It would say to Ben, stop judging me.

And it would say to me, stop looking down on Ben.

And if there are people who would be led into sin by my drinking of red wine, then don't do it.

What it doesn't say is be held hostage by people who get angry.

Do you understand the difference?

And Romans 14 is a glorious passage of how to handle these difficulties and opinions and squabbles, but you've got to read it right.

Otherwise, people think they end up being handcuffed by something that Paul doesn't say in Romans 14.

So keep going with me.

Uh we've got as far as verse 15.

Pick it up, uh, end of verse 15, start of verse 16.

Um, do not, by your eating, destroy someone for whom Christ died.

Okay?

Do you hear the fear?

With my bottle of red wine, I don't want to destroy Ben.

It's not that I'm worried he's going to get upset with me.

I don't want to, I don't want to lead him into sin.

So don't by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.

Therefore, do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification.

Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.

All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.

It's better not to eat meats or drink wine or do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

So, whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God.

Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.

But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith, and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Do you get the picture of what he's saying?

Okay?

He knows all food is clean.

But if you think the food is unclean and sinful to eat, and you go ahead and eat it, then you haven't acted in faith, you've acted in sin.

So people who know that they're free to do certain things should use their freedom with discretion in a way that doesn't lead those who are weaker in faith into sin.

That is very different from saying someone who is weak in faith gets really grumpy with me and judges me, therefore I have to do whatever.

Actually, this passage would say the person who's weak in faith and gets really grumpy about this should stop judging.

And the one who is free should stop looking down.

And the one who is free should not lead those who are weak in faith and and uh and and could be tempted to follow in what they think is a sinful way innocent.

Don't do that.

But it doesn't solve all the problems for us.

And uh I want you to I want you to think about some of the things that that you guys might wrestle through.

I purposely didn't ask Mark, what are the sore points?

Okay?

Because isn't it glorious to just put your foot in it and not know it?

So I don't know what you squabble about.

I don't know what some of you think this and some of you think that, and some of you think whatever.

What I love, what I would love you to explore is Paul isn't saying, you know, be filled with doubt over your opinion.

He's saying hold it right.

And on these opinions that are not about salvation and are not about high-handed unrepentant sin, these positions that are about trying to work out how to live for Jesus in a way where your heart is behind it and you're sincere, hold them with an open hand.

Learn to live at peace.

Do you remember how Romans 13 started?

Love is the fulfillment of the law.

When we're trying to work out these opinions, it's good to know that the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking, but of righteousness, peace, joy in the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification.

I don't know what your view on Sabbath is.

I'd love you to lead to peace and mutual edification.

I don't know what your view on baptism, on spiritual gifts, on the end times.

I don't know what they are.

But would you hold them in a way that leads to peace and mutual edification?

Would you be convinced of them deep in your heart and leave your brothers and sisters to answer to God knowing that we all answer to Jesus?

And work it out for yourself.

And then hold it with an open hand where you neither look down on someone nor judge them.

Not where you scrap your opinion, but where you learn to hold them right.

Where you learn to hold them with an open hand.

I think I saw this worked out beautifully over the summer.

It was just a joy.

Um and any anyone go to Kinfire?

Ah, fabulous.

Uh I saw this worked out beautifully.

Uh uh if if you were there, you know the new Irish Arts uh band came and the music was just precious.

It's beautiful.

Um but I had plenty of friends there from uh a Christian background that that wouldn't do uh music to songs and would only sing Samps.

They are amazing brothers and sisters in Christ that I respect and love the socks off.

I think they're wrong.

They think I'm wrong.

Peace be with us.

And and and we were there, and the music was was was fabulous, and we were singing our our hearts out.

And and what are you supposed to do?

Because you have you have brothers and sisters in Christ who think the the best way to honor God is to not have music and only sing Psalms, and you have other brothers and sisters in Christ who think it's good to make music and sing spiritual songs.

Well, how do you how do you hold those two together?

How does Romans 14 help?

Well, first of all, I I hope my brother in Christ who doesn't use music, I hope he knows that I didn't sit down one day and figure try to figure out how would I best dishonor God, I know I'll I'll throw music to my songs.

That whatever I'm doing in singing with music to my songs, I'm I'm doing because in my heart I believe I'm I'm I'm trying to honor Jesus.

And and I'm confident with him that he's not sitting there with a high-handed, unrepentant sin of saying, I reject music because I want to dishonor God.

There is an understanding that we are both trying to work this out.

Okay?

What would Romans 14 say?

Uh I think Romans 14 would say is I shouldn't look down on it.

I shouldn't sneer and say, ah, those poor people.

If only they knew.

I shouldn't ridicule them.

I shouldn't look down on them.

I shouldn't mock them or sneer at them.

And and what would it say for for my friends?

I think it would say for my friends is they shouldn't judge me.

They shouldn't stand outside the room and wait for me to come out to rebuke me and call me to repentance every time I sing to music.

I I think Romans 14 would say uh uh that I uh ought to be fully convinced of my position and I will answer to Jesus for it and leave him alone.

I mean, if he wants to talk about it, absolutely.

But but I'm not gonna go after him.

And and I think he should be fully convinced in his own mind and not uh continually call me to repentance for it.

What else should it mean?

Um I think it should mean that uh when when the kids go off, that the organizers of Kinfire should not be trying to sneak little bits of musical instruments into the hands of the kids of these parents.

Thinking, ah, if only they could taste the bit of freedom.

It's like, no, what are you doing?

You know, even if that kid is allowed in freedom to play these instruments as the singing is going, it in their mind it's a sin, and you're you're trying to lead them into what they think is a sin.

Stop that! Don't be at it.

Do you know what it doesn't mean?

It it doesn't mean, because a few families were there, that Kinfire should say, right, we're gonna send the new Irish arts band home.

Doesn't mean that.

Do I think that when the new Irish arts band is playing, that my friend who's standing beside me, who is utterly convinced that we shouldn't be singing to music, do I think he's quietly going to start uh dishonoring God when he goes back to church and bring music in?

No, I don't I don't think I don't think that's gonna happen.

I do not think I am going to lead these people into what they think is sin.

Do you know what did happen?

The new Irish arts played, and and I stood beside my friend, and he respectfully didn't join in the singing, and I sang my heart out, and we praised God together.

And that wasn't easy for him.

And he didn't judge me, and I didn't look down on him.

And we worshiped God together.

And then on the last session, you know what happened?

All the musicians in the new Irish Arts group they took their earplugs out, they stepped away from their instruments, and they put Sam 100 on the screen.

And we sang our heart out.

And my brother beside me was in tears of joy that he and his people would be cared for so much that that would happen.

Did Romans 14 command that that should happen?

No.

But if you read Romans 14, wouldn't you want to?

Wouldn't it bring joy to your heart that even though you know you don't have to send the Irish arch uh orchestra uh musicians home?

If you read Romans 14 that the kingdom of God is uh is is is not about eating or drinking, but about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, let us make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification when you want to.

Romans 14 is not saying that we have to be held hostage in a way that we can't upset people.

What it's saying is love each other.

And actually, this is going to be worked out differently in conferences, in churches, in families.

You are going to take different views on stuff.

And I love Paul's realism.

Because he knows what's true, he knows how precious the gospel is, and he's telling these guys listen, as you go forward, you're not always going to agree.

If you think that the church and your church is always going to agree on everything, you're like yearn for a shock.

We can squabble like the best of them.

And I think the plea of Romans 14 is not, I'd be wishy-washy and say, I don't really believe anything, apart from justification by faith alone.

No, no.

Go and work out what it looks like to honor Jesus in the way that you do your Christian life, and yet learn to carry it with an open hand.

Learn to carry it in a way where you don't look down or you don't look up and judge, and we figure out what would it look like?

What would it look like for righteousness, peace, and joy?

What would it look like for us to make every effort to love each other, knowing that we disagree on these issues, and yet what unites us is Jesus Christ.

What unites us is coming to Him with the empty hands of faith.

Love does no harm to a neighbor.

Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.

I don't know what lies ahead for you guys.

I guarantee you.

At some point you'll have to make decisions.

And some of you will think this, and some of you will think this.

And my prayer for you is that you would hold those things right.

That you would think, how do I take what I believe?

And know that my brothers and sisters will answer to God, and that He calls us to live in the peace that He has given us in Christ and to seek the mutual edification of each other.

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