Expound: Romans 14-16 - Part A

You and I rather than putting stumbling stones in our brother and sisters worry. We should be putting stepping stones in their way, stepping stones so they can mature not stone wall and get tripped up we should leave them when we give our lives to Jesus changes our lives, priorities, and of today on connect with Skip Skip shares how you can live by the law of Christ.

Love that esteems others higher than yourself again. We want to let you know about a resource that will help you unlock the riches and mysteries in God's word is your personal Bible study time, frustrating direction.

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Sometimes it's tough, but exposure to the Bible consistent exposure to the Bible. I would add on a daily basis with the consistent desire to obey it will do more for you than any other thing that I can think?

Take the mystery out of studying specific pastors how to stand by the joy you $25 and Bible teaching ministry. I got you don't have to be afraid to enjoy it. I think today securely/often for copy night Romans chapter 14 somebody once said that a man wrapped up in himself makes a very small pack. There are millions of tiny packages out there people all wrapped up in themselves in their own world in their own rights what's in it for me.

Don't you recognize what I am all about business. A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small package when it comes to the church, the body of Christ, a group of not perfect but redeemed people and when it comes to dealing with one another. We ought to be willing to give up our rights give up our status to be able to provide unity in the church. I remember years ago and I got a little clip of it for this evening. I remember reading a little a little piece by Karen Manes called the brawling bride was a parable the brawling bride and in this parable. It's at the most climactic part of the wedding ceremony, everybody's in place families are all seated on the groom and the attendants are all waiting up in the front. The bridesmaids of come down the aisle. The ministers upfront Bible in hand and then the song starts to come.and all the everybody stands all the eyes looked toward the back of the room where the bride is coming down the aisle and when they see her.

Everyone lets out a gasp. Everyone in the crowd says because the bride is limping down is ripped. It's covered with mud. One of her eyes is purple and swollen. Her hair is all messed up. And in this parable, the groom is Christ the bride is the church and Karen Manes, who writes this parable the brawling bride says toward the end of that.

Doesn't he deserve better than this, his bride, the church has been fighting again in chapter 14 the apostle Paul addresses how we get along with each other by preferring one another, even though we have knowledge that it's okay for us to get involved in certain activities that we would call gray areas. Some black snow white is not you shall do this or not do this.

It has to do with days to worship.

It has to do with dietary regulations and somebody might say well I know better and I am I have knowledge I'm more educated. That's not a big deal but not everybody has that knowledge. Not everybody is as bright as you are so what you need to do. Being so awesome and mature and so far along in your faith and so highly educated in spiritual things knowing that you need to mix that temper that with love because you're dealing with the bride, the bride of Christ. I found an alarming set of poles a while back said 61% of the American public is about 3/5 says that the chief purpose of life is his enjoyment and personal satisfaction. That's the that's the chief end-of-life.

That's why am here that I might enjoy myself and find personal pleasure will that didn't surprise me as much is the next part of the statistic. 50% of those who said they were born again Christian, said the chief end-of-life is personal enjoyment and satisfaction. Well, once again, a person wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.

When you get that going in a church. It can be detrimental so in chapter 14 Paul is has said none of us lives to himself or dies to himself. We live and die to the Lord, for we are the Lord. Now let's just pick it up in verse 12. So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. You and I rather than putting stumbling stones in our brother and sisters way we should be putting stepping stones in their way, stepping stones so they can mature, not stumbling stones so that they were falling get tripped up but we should lead them for maturity. So how do we do that practically well. Paul will say the law of love is love that balances out your liberty in Christ and your knowledge of what you can and cannot do so will I have the freedom to do this or that or listen to that kind of music or get involved in these activities. Okay fine he will say I'm glad you have that knowledge.

I'm glad you are persuaded but keep in mind. People who do not share your value system. Keep in mind there are what he calls the weaker brother the weaker sister.

They have their own scruples, their own sensitivities toward things we have to watch out for that. So if you have the freedom to listen to it. Certain kind of music you appreciated.

You love the court changes you love the complications and the intricacies and yet somebody else is over at your house, and doesn't share the same appreciation for it. But even thinks that it's wrong for them as a believer to listen to that certain type of music, whatever it could be if you go to your stereo and say really what listen to this turn in all the way up to 10 will is that love, that's love for yourself. That's a man wrapped up in himself, making himself a very small package.

If you have the freedom he will say to eat meat at the diet you can eat anything you want to that person's as Tom. I have a problem.

I'm a vegetarian and and not only that, but let's go back 2000 years the meat that you have in your table was sacrificed to an idol in the temple down the street while in love would say Ocala just put it away that I won't do it so you could you could go through a number of these kinds of activities and he will say that liberty and knowledge must be balanced with love. I know verse 14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus. There is nothing unclean of itself, but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food.

You are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food. The one for whom Christ died. Today there are no ceremonial dictates as to what you can and can't eat is nothing in the New Testament that says you you can't have certain types of food. There are no dietary restrictions for us New Testament believers as there were for the Jewish people in the Old Testament under the old covenant under the law of Moses eating or not eating won't make you closer to God give you heartburn if you eat it, it can make you fatter if you read it you can make you unhealthy or healthy, depending on what it is you eat, but it will make you closer to God.

So though you have knowledge and you are persuaded that certain things are okay. Paul again makes the case. The law of love must prevail, and that that that's just not in Romans is also found in Corinthians we will see is also found in Philippians, he will say let nothing be done. Philippians chapter 2. Let nothing be done with selfish ambition or conceit, but in the lowliness of mind, let's let each esteem others better than himself. I'm good with steam you more important than my liberty at this point I'm to place your sensitivities as a higher value than what I have the freedom what my rights are as a citizen to do so.

This is a greater listen, I let's go on all get to. Therefore, do not verse 16. Let your good be spoken of as evil, for the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit is about being right with God doing the right thing for each other.

It's bringing peace among brothers and sisters it's it's spreading out the joy when we gather together that's the kingdom of God, for he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

Therefore, let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense look at the first part of verse 20 do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food very living Bible says don't undo the work of God for a chunk of meat and you could translate that out you could extrapolate that out. Don't undo the work of God for a cigarette or a cigar. Don't undo the work of God for a beverage of your choice an alcoholic beverage. If you know somebody there is going to take offense to it and be stumbled by at all that there there weaker people. I'm stronger and more mature okay in your advanced maturity and love that. Why destroy the work of God for for a chunk of meat think of God working in a person's life.

Think how amazing that it's that the God of heaven and earth would work in a human being, so that he might work through that human being, so he doesn't work in the Bible says. And in Ephesians 4 we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, where his workmanship or his palette were his work of art. One translation says we are his workmanship, so no one would in their right mind would think of taking a Rembrandt and defiling no one would walk up to a Rembrandt painting go in Anna. I'm in a put a little stick man right here.

Watch this dry little stick man right right here with a net Rembrandt picture you be handcuffed and taken to jail and hauled before a cordon note.

Nobody would think about doing that to a Rembrandt or van Gogh or what if you decided to take a Stradivarius violin is to put electric guitar pick up on to deface and to file something that is valuable is a work of art is incomprehensible how much more so than to take a human being made in the image of God, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, a brother or sister on their way to heaven, in whom God is working his work in don't destroy that just because you have rights and you have freedom, don't destroy the work of God. Don't undo the work of God for a chunk of meat or for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles, or is offended or is made weak.

Do you have faith have it to yourself before God.

Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves, but he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith. For whatever is not from faith is sin. In this case, the rule of thumb is let your conscience be your guide to be careful with that. I'm not saying that when it comes to all matters of faith, let your conscience be your guide. Because your conscience can be wrong can be worked into Seaview when it comes to gray areas, not black-and-white. As you can say what comes the deity of Christ. My conscience is I don't care what your conscience is on that issue. Frankly, but when it comes to eating meat or worshiping on certain days or certain types of music or your freedom to imbibe innocent and certain drink with your wife at a meal, that's up to you. That's let your conscience be your guide and have faith in an and act in faith, but when there are other people observing you. That's where liberty and knowledge must be balanced with love something of it this way when a child is born into a home everything in that home changes. Everyone in that house. Changes may be you are the habit of leaving the scissors on the coffee table in the living room. In times past. Not anymore.

You don't you put that away.

You cover-up light sockets you mail things on the wall so they don't move as that baby turns into a toddler and you put things away for the sake of love now is that child grows from toddlerhood to young childhood to adolescence, etc. you will ease those restrictions and give that person more responsibility, but at first you are considering the weakness of that tender trial and you're saying that life is vital. It's important I can't exercise the same kind of freedoms I had in the past is because you love them or imagine a child afraid of the dark and mom says sweethearts time for you to go to bed and little Johnny to go to but there's a monster in my room, there's no mantra in your room. I have knowledge I'm persuaded. I know better than you do.

I'm an adult. There's no monsters in your room. There is, is under the bed and in the closet now. What a mother drag her son into the room sick while only a dumb one would anyone smart would turn on the light open the closet, look under the door to the monsters gone must be in my room tonight. I'll take care of okay mom, you take care of you all take care daddy I'll get or she might see daddy is him. I don't know but but she will consider the weakness of the child and act in love. We then verse one of chapter 15. We then who are strong ought to bear with this scruples. The sensitivities of the week and not to please ourselves. It's not about you sent about your rights is not about what you can do what about me let each of us please his neighbor for a good leading to edification.

For even Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me care, Paul is quoting the 69th Psalm, a messianic Psalm is Psalm that predicts the suffering of the coming Messiah hundreds of years before Messiah was born. Psalm 69 a very notable messianic Psalm, so he is quoting that the reproaches of you fell on me. The point he is making is that even Jesus when he lived his life didn't live his life with his own rights in mind. With his own my own personal passion in life is my own pursuit is.

He lived knowing that there were others around many lives for others. In fact, he lived to please his father. He said I always do those things that please the father.

It was Jesus who said the Son of Man did not come to be served. The Son of Man came to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. Think about Jesus pleased other served others. How he would teach crowds long into the night long into the evening. Sometimes he would be doing miracles and sometimes teaching and when his family came to see and they realize that even taking time to eat.

He was serving others was thinking about others. We saw people with an infirmity and healed them howl at the Last Supper.

He washed his disciples feet.

Took taking the role of a servant, and then not only taking the role of a servant of the Last Supper, but he knew within a few hours he would be dying on the cross so he was the one suffering. He was the one who would suffer. He was already feeling the brunt of that he said now my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow. He said to his disciples, and yet he is thinking of others at that Last Supper, washing their feet when they put him on a cross. Think of the things he said on the cross, father forgive them.

They don't know what they're doing to the thief, today you will be with me in paradise to his mother. Mother receive your son and and let John thought of his is own mother being taken care of in the future, which is noteworthy because anybody who is ever suffered physically knows that pain can be so all-consuming and turn your thoughts almost exclusively inward on yourself.

It's hard for you to think about others when you're suffering in your pain. So here is Jesus who would have every right to be totally consumed with his own trial his own execution, but is thinking of others. The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me. Back in 1896. I don't expect any of you here to remember that, but back in 1896, and author wrote a book became very famous still as famous today though under another name.

The book was called in his steps. The author was Charles Sheldon and it was a story about a church group of believers who made a covenant with each other that for the next period of time. I think it may have been even a year but it was a least six months. They decided that they would covenant together as God's people that they wouldn't do anything they would make any decision they would make any action without first filtering it through the thought. What would Jesus do what would Jesus have me to do here what would Jesus have me to do their called in his steps that spawned the what would Jesus do bracelet movement that were popular. They still around today. They still are coming back okay so these things kinda recycle but that whole idea of what would Jesus do came from that and and so Paul is thinking. Think of what Jesus did think it would. Jesus did and what Jesus would do when you're dealing with your brother and sister and some of these dicey situation which are not there to please your self. Exercise your own personal rights necessary Skip message from the series expound use to share how you can keep these messages coming your way to connect you and many others around the world with God's truth. Did you know that every day you're part of an invisible spiritual battle, but you can have absolute confidence, knowing that Christ has already won the war. That doesn't mean the enemy is going down without a fight. Far from it, but we share these Bible teachings to equip listeners like you in your faith so you can be prepared for any challenges you face when you give a gift today. You not only keep these messages coming to you but you give a boost to others. Faith as well. Here's how you can give right now to get today simply call 800-922-1888 that number again is 800-922-1888, or give online@connectwithskip.com/donate. That's connectwithskip.com/donate your support is vital to help connect more people like you to Christ. So thank you for giving generously today and did you know there's a great biblical resource available right at your fingertips through your mobile access. Several of Skip's Bible reading plan due version Bible and dive deeper into several books of the Bible to gain new insight. Just search skip-version Bible sure to come back next shares.

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