Romans 14

The Weak and the Strong in Romans 14

Beginning chapter 14 verse 1 to chapter 15 verse 13. Here the word of the Lord as. For the one who is weak in faith welcome him but not the 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 is 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 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 lords. 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 shall confess to god.

So then each of us will give an account of himself to god. Therefore, let's 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 is 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 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 a building. 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 good not 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 in chapter 15.

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up for christ did not please himself.

But as it is written the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction that through Endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures We might have hope.

May the god of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another in accord With christ jesus that together you may with one voice glorify the god and father of our lord. Jesus christ.

Therefore welcome one another as christ has welcomed you for the glory of god. For I tell you that christ Became a servant to the circumcised to show god's truthfulness. In order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs and in order that the gentiles might glorify god for his mercy as it is written.

Therefore I will praise you among the gentiles and sing to your name and again it is said rejoice Oh gentiles with his people and again praise the lord all you gentiles and let all the peoples extol him.

And I again isaiah says the root of jesse shall come. Even he who arises to rule the gentiles and him will the gentiles have hope. May the god of hope Fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the holy spirit you may abound in hope.

What Do You Accept?

May the lord add his blessings to the reading of his holy word. Well, what do you accept? What do you find acceptable? And what do you find unacceptable? Now by accept I don't mean Your preferred or your favorite.

My favorite ice cream is haagen-dazs, but i'll accept bluebell Ben and jerry's. Even briars maybe there are things i'll accept but they aren't my my preferred. I don't think though i'll accept store brands.

No, i'm not going to accept that when I was a kid. The grocery stores had a particularly cheap brand of ice cream. Maybe herbie remembers this called so cheap. They couldn't even call it ice cream. Remember ice milk.

Yeah ice milk it was unacceptable I heard on npr now. I don't know if it's true. But I heard it on npr that if bears break into your house and open the freezer, which they can do. They will accept The good brands of ice cream.

They'll they'll accept your haagen-dazs, but they will not accept cheap store brands. Bears will not eat your food lie and vanilla bears. Have standards, you know. What about your standards. What will you will accept?

What what about dress for church? When I first went to california in 1987, I was shocked by how casually people dressed for church. It's unacceptable to go in shorts and an untucked shirt father. I would show these californians How men dress for church.

Men go to church in a suit and tie now after a couple of years? Well, they taught me and I was going to church in shorts and of course. No tie. When visiting back home in alabama, someone greeted me at church with hey, where's your tie?

After a few years later in the same church, even the pastor was preaching without a tie the unacceptable became Acceptable, even if some people still didn't prefer it between what we prefer ideally haagen-dazs suits and ties.

And what we won't accept store brand ice milk. But men coming to church with no shirt at all between those two categories the ideal and the unacceptable is another large really vast category called the acceptable.

What would you accept and why? Why would you accept something that is not ideal? Why would you do that? When it comes to the church when it comes to the things of god, is there even really such a category as the merely acceptable?

Does everything have to be ideal? We had a man who started coming here a few years ago who said that he was he was really excited To be here because here everything is perfect. And there's no reason he said there's no reason to ever put up with anything in church.

That's not perfect. There's only the pure and the unacceptable nothing in between. And we were saying that I was thinking Uh, I hope this works out. But he's probably going to be trouble. It's just a matter of time Before he finds something about us.

That he thinks is not ideal and thus unacceptable. I tried to address that attitude in my teaching but to no avail. He didn't last very long. Here we see What we should accept and why in three pairs? Of nouns three things that are first principles and brothers second peace and faith and third strength and servants.

Here paul is continuing from where we left off last week flowing right out of chapter 13 where he said in verse 10 Love is the fulfilling of the law. You know, we live in the age of love not law and so living in love also means living in the church.

Which means living with the weak? With the merely acceptable. With great cares the impact of our lives. On others on the church christians today often not only have no category of the merely acceptable.

Between the perfect and the unacceptable they also often have no category for these other people. Who are these other people who with us with with them? Between between there's them there's me and there's god.

What's this other people I keep hearing about the church. Remember the lady who said I know who I belong to. Meaning that it was just jesus and her which is just the same as just her. What was missing in her calculation was?

Love for a particular group of people the other believers for whom christ died whom she should know she belonged to. But there was not a hint of that of even understanding that there were others that she needed to be aware of.

To people like her. It's just me individually and god remember that testimony to modern american spirituality the footprints poem. So holy they think. That i've seen bible covers with it on it. Which is their way of saying they wish it was in the bible.

They're trying to get it in there the best they can. In the poem when looking back on his or her life. From the narrator, there's just two sets of footprints of the sand. There's just jesus and the believer walking together.

No one else included. No church, not like our church covenant. We walk together in christian love now for them. It's just i'm walking with jesus. No one else is just me the church. Then they think exists only to help get the message out to other individuals.

Who are also walking alone? With jesus, so there's just a lot of individuals walking alone with jesus. There's no no no group of people walking together with them. And so if they drift from church to church, they're unconnected.

They're not belonging. It really doesn't matter because it's all about just jesus and me which it looks a lot like just me. We don't belong to a body. We're just looking after ourselves. And so if you want to eat meat, but you find yourself in a church full of vegetarians.

Well, then just switch churches. If you want to drink wine, but you find yourself in a church full of teetotalers. Move to a drinking church. If you want to wear a suit and tie or a dress. And yet some are so uncouth as to wear shorts and no tie.

Well go find a church just for you. Everyone dresses just like you if you insist that everyone be your race. Well, you can always find churches like that today. You don't really have to love anyone in church.

Because love means sacrificing for people it often means putting up with the acceptable even if it's not ideal. Being sir. Breyer's ice cream when you'd really much rather have agandas. But in chapter 14, we're to allow our liberty to be constrained.

By love to accept each other and so put up with a merely acceptable to edify each other. That's the principle. The principle in chapter 14 verse 1 for the one who is weak in faith. Welcome him. You would almost kind of think he would say rebuke him for being weak get strong you people.

No, he says welcome him. Welcome the weak who are wrong, by the way. And welcome them not just to indoctrinate them in your point of view. To make them accept your perfect beliefs and practices. He says not to quarrel over opinions.

And the word there translated opinions there might sound familiar. There's a greek word for you dialogus moi. It's where we get dialogue from. There are things that you can dialogue about you can debate you can converse.

While accepting the other person as a believer in the new members class I tell people that there is a popular in times doctrine that you can believe and be a member of the church. You won't be left behind if you believe it.

But I can also make fun of you for believing it. That's the principle. It's wrong. But it's acceptable. This is the value of the statement of faith. Doctrine is not stated in the confession of faith are usually Dialogable that is we can talk about it now some people have no concept of the wrong but Acceptable if it's wrong that it's heresy.

They say every doctrine is either perfect or heretical. Meaning that you should divide over it and reform. People are famous are really infamous for this attitude. It's our way or The broad way to destruction they think.

The examples he uses here are first with meat. And in verses two and three and then with holy days in verse five. The the meat apparently had to do with kosher laws that meat sacrificed to idols here.

It's kosher laws whether the meat was slaughtered the right way whether it's clean or unclean. Especially with the blood drained out of the animal. There were christians still keeping the kosher laws the clean laws of meats.

Probably mostly jews by ethnicity and upbringing and they would be afraid that the meat you were serving them. You went to their house. They went to you invited them to their house and you served them some kind of meat.

They would probably be afraid well, this is not clean. You were raised a barbarian. And so you don't know how to slaughter the right way. And so they would eat only the vegetables and these are those who are weak in faith.

They're the weaker brother. Now they are weak. Because they're wrong. They don't understand what we saw in mark 7 last fall that the lord. Jesus declared all foods clean. Or what paul says in colossus chapter 2 verse 16 about the sabbath being a shadow that is fulfilled by christ and now.

Understand they're not depending on their law keeping to be saved. To be right with god or else paul would indeed rebuke them like he does the legalists in galatians. They just don't yet fully understand their freedom in christ now over the last 200 years.

There was a strong temperance movement among christians in the u .s. That taught that christians cannot drink any alcohol. It goes so far that most baptist churches revise their church covenants to include a prohibition.

Against quote drinking alcohol as a beverage and in fact when we adopted a covenant for this church. We basically take the typical baptist one. Revised it a little bit and one of the things we revised is we took out that statement and replaced it with we refrain from Intoxication because that's what the bible prohibits.

It doesn't prohibit any drinking now, but that belief Thrived on what paul calls here weaker brethren and it was obviously wrong. The lord. Jesus drank and even made wine. Yes, it's wine. It wasn't grape juice.

Sorry. But here's the principle even though the prohibitionists were wrong. They're acceptable if someone believes that they shouldn't drink. They can do that they can believe that and live that way. The problem came with they didn't understand the principle and wouldn't let others have the freedom to drink in moderation.

They would pass judgment on the one who drank. Even without even without getting drunk. They they forgot the principle welcome the one you think you might be wrong by the way. But the one you think is the weaker brother if someone won't eat meat unless it's slaughtered the kosher way.

Then either slaughter it the kosher way or make some Delicious vegetarian dishes if they still think that they have to strictly keep the sabbath. No work and no going to restaurants no stores because that makes others work.

Didn't let them. You know don't invite them out to eat on sunday and so tempt them to violate their own principles. Some think that we shouldn't use anything from the traditional liturgical calendar. No advent christmas lent Good friday easter.

So don't make them. That's the puritan position. You don't recognize any of those holidays now. I actually mostly agree with that. Except I think we can use some christmas hymns around christmas time and use good friday to challenge the theology of glory.

The triumphalism of our day that you can just you believe god, you know suffering we use that to challenge that. But the truth is that all days are holy so really. It's it's those clinging to those traditional quote holy days who are the weaker brothers or sisters and if we totally ignored christmas.

And we just went right through december every service and sang no christmas carol. Nothing, no decoration around here and no mention of it in any of the sermons. The weaker brother or sister would be offended they would.

And so we sing a few songs. And I throw in some christmas related sermon illustrations for them. They think it's christmas themed. Not really but they think it is and really that's not hard to bear is it?

That's not hard to bear. That's easy to put up with. Isn't it? Is it saying joy to the world? That's not it's not like a great burden to have to bear is it? So notice here for both these issues eating meats and holy days.

Paul elsewhere shows that he has strong And aspired and so absolutely true views on them in first timothy chapter four. He says false teachers will come he calls them liars with seared consciousness. So he's using a really strong language who will require abstinence from certain foods.

That's what sets them apart. That's how you know who the liars with seared consciences are. They're saying don't eat that. Like the meats here and he says that god created to be received with thanksgiving and he says nothing is to be rejected.

He even says that those teaching Don't eat certain foods they are teaching. Here's a famous phrase doctrines of demons the very strong language about people teaching abstaining from certain foods in first timothy, but here He's saying that christians who won't accept unkosher meat.

You are too welcome. That's the principle. Why? Because they're brothers. Again in colossians chapter 2 verse 16 He tells us not to let anyone judge us if we're not a strict sabbath keeper a sabbatarian.

If we work someone sunday after church someone scolds us for it. Really? It's the scolder who doesn't understand What the sabbath is? He's the weaker brother. But here in verse 5 if one person esteems one day as holy it has to be kept.

We'll accept him. In verse 6 he's doing it in honor of the lord. Now the person with no category of the merely acceptable is going to say wait. Hey paul. Why don't you set him straight? Tell the weaker brother that he's wrong.

That his doctrine, is it perfect? Rebuke him, but paul says Accept him. Accept him because he's a brother. He's honoring the lord. This is his life of a living sacrifice. Including him in his dying in verse 8.

Just be convinced. He says in verse 5 that you're eating or drinking or you're not keeping the holy days. Or or keeping them be convinced that you're doing it for the lord. Not just for your convenience.

Not just because you're serving money. Or you like the taste or whatever it is. You're eating or drinking not just for that. You're doing it really for the lord, even if he's wrong. He's not eating meat because he's afraid it's unclean.

Or he's keeping some holy days holidays. Because he thinks some days are more holy than others still in verse 10. He's your brother or sister. Why do you pass judgment on your brother second time? Why do you despise your brother?

Just because he drinks a glass of wine at dinner. Like someone else I can think of with a capital s. Or because he's so weak in knowledge that he doesn't drink. You don't judge those who the lord hasn't because We will all stand before the judgment seat of god.

God is the judge Of the acceptable. But what do you accept. Accept each other because you're your brothers and sisters. That's the principle. Second pair of nouns is peace and faith beginning in chapter 14 verse 13 therefore.

In verse 13 since god is the judge not you and you are brothers and sisters. He says decide make this decision in your mind resolve it. Never to put a stumbling block. That is something to trip over an offensive thing.

In the way of another christian. Make that a resolution in your life. Instead choose peace at verse 19. Notice what he says starting in verse 14. I know and have been persuaded. This is the truth he's he has he is by revelation.

He has the perfect ideal doctrine. Nothing is unclean in itself. There is again in this in this passage. Anything you eat or drink is all clean. Anyone tells you different they're wrong. Do you want to eat a rare steak with lots of blood in it you can.

You can have blood pudding. How do you spell how do you pronounce that z dofu? She's shaking her head. Don't even try. Yeah, whatever it's a chinese thing. Blood curd sounds horrible. Why you would want to eat that?

I don't know, but whatever you can if that's what you want to do. You can drink a glass of wine or beer. But it is unclean for anyone who thinks it is unclean. If you think it is sinful to drink a beer.

And you do it anyway. Maybe because everyone else at the party is someone hands you a bottle that you don't want to look uncool. So you drink it or maybe because you really like it just like the taste but you still believe it's the devil's brew.

You just think it's your weakness. I can't withstand it. Well, you have sinned. You cared more about how you appeared to others or you cared more For the taste than you did for obeying god, even if you're wrong about How you obey god?

If you believe sunday is the christian sabbath that you should work on and and yet you work because you're just so greedy. You have to make a few more dollars. Well, you have sinned even though I think you're wrong about the sabbath.

And if you eat the blood or you drink the beer. Now even if you're one of the strong you're one of those like paul who knows that nothing is unclean in itself. You know that you're right. Your doctrine is perfect or.

You work on sunday after church. But another believer sees you. And another believer knows you're doing it and here again notice the church intrudes. It's not just you and jesus walking alone in the garden when the dew is fresh on the roses.

And verse 15 if you're eating or you're drinking or your freedom grieves another brother or sister. Then you are no longer walking in love. You're free to eat meat if it's not kosher even pork. You're free to drink wine or beer.

You're free to watch many kinds of movies. No, not porn. And yes, you're free to work on sundays after church, but in each of those decisions. Do you know to whom you belong? Who you're attached to the impact of your life on the church?

Are you thinking corporately of your place in the body? You even take that into account. Do you think well, what will this decision mean for those other believers for whom christ died? It might be acceptable to me.

It might be acceptable to you. But is it acceptable to them? Well here they had jews and christians are mixed together in the same church. And some of the jews had a hard time accepting now they could eat things like pork.

And the gentiles didn't have any problem with that at all and probably brought some delicious pork to the love feasts. And they insisted that they were free to do so and they were right. But were they free to disrupt the harmony of the church.

To offend other people other believers we could serve real wine here for the lord's supper and have a little more bite to it. Like most likely the lord jesus did when he first instituted it we're free to do that.

But what if someone alcoholic with a weakness for alcohol tasted it and then because of what that little taste we gave them. They couldn't control themselves later. That taste drove them to go back to drunkenness our freedom.

Is it worth their soul? Our freedom is good in verse 16. But if it grieves if it divides if it stumbles other christians. Then we've used it for evil because of verse 17 the kingdom of god that's being ruled by god.

What we are to seek first. Is not a matter of eating and drinking. Of you finally getting that steak the way you like it really juicy. Or that beer you crave. No, it's about righteousness. It's being right with god.

It's about peace that's harmony a restored relationship not only between you and god. But between you and everyone else god has made peace with and it's about joy in the holy spirit. So in verse 18 if you serve christ not yourself, you are acceptable to god and others.

Who does god accept? Those who serve christ by serving his body. So then in verse 19, let us pursue what makes for peace and mutual up building that's edification. Notice the word mutual there in verse 19.

Many people's only criteria for selecting your church is what does what's it do for them my edification individually here? He says pursue what? Makes for others edification. Who do you accept? Do you accept your weaker brother or sister.

Or you like a lot of reformed people so determined to be right to be perfect. To only accept the ideal that you'll you'll go to war with anyone who doesn't understand as perfectly as you do. Well, if so verses 20 to 23 are for you.

Don't for the sake of food or drink or music or dress or all days being holy even if you're right. Destroy the work of god. The work of god is saving people even weaker people. And building up the body of christ edifying the church not just you.

If you destroy that if you cause people to stumble simply because you're right. That's unacceptable. You could educate their conscience. But don't violate it. Christian maturity is being aware of and caring about the impact of our lives on on the body.

Again luther is right. A christian man is the most free lord of all. Remember this from last week. Christian man is the most free lord of all and subject to none. A christian man is the most dutiful servant of all and subject to everyone.

So even if you know because you're strong. Your doctrine is right. And you can eat that. You can drink that. You can work on that day. It's good if you refuse because you want to cause you do not want to cause your brother or sister to stumble.

You have the faith that gives you freedom to eat or to drink or to work or to watch. But they don't they don't have that faith yet. And if they eat or they drink or they work on sabbath or whatever if they do that without faith because you Encourage them to you led them to.

Well, then they have sinned. Sin is anything that is done without faith. What's acceptable? Is peace and faith. Third pair of nouns. Strength and servants. Starting in chapter 15. So you're strong. Congratulations, you have faith that all foods and drinks are clean that all days are holy.

Your doctrine is right. Still we ought to bear with the failings of the week in chapter 15 verse 1. They should know better Than to think that they can't eat some foods or drink some drinks. They should know that it's all acceptable.

They should know that there's no Advent season or any of these holy days. But they don't and for now that failing of theirs. We can accept. Not to please ourselves. But our neighbor particularly our fellow church member that's who he's talking about here.

Please him or her. You're strong. But use your strength. To bear with the weaknesses of other christians that strength like the lord jesus. Who was a servant? Strength and servants. You know, jesus didn't please himself at one point.

He he taught peter that he jesus. He was exempt from the temple tax. Because he was the son of god. He did not have to pay that tax. The son of the king doesn't have to pay taxes, right? Jesus told peter.

So i'm exempt from this tax. But in order not to offend people. We'll pay he said. He was strong. He had perfect faith, but he still bore with the weaknesses of others indeed. He became a servant by bearing insults for us and those insults belong to us.

But fell on him. He served us by bearing them. The old testament tells us about him beforehand and it was written in verse four for our instruction. It's written for we christians. It was not for a for a former time a former dispensation for a bygone age.

It's for us telling us how to live in harmony that we might with one voice glorify god. In verses seven and eight and it tells us about the servant. Christ became a servant. He served the jews by fulfilling God's promises to them.

He fulfilled those promises and he served we non-jews by bringing people from all nations to glorify god. Because of his mercy. Remember how chapter 12 starts. In view of god's mercy of all that he described in the first 11 chapters now to prove that paul quotes four scriptures from psalm 18 deuteronomy 32 psalm 117 and isaiah 11 all to show.

That the inclusion of the gentiles people from all nations all these people with their blood pudding and their rare steaks and their No tradition of sabbath keeping that it wasn't a mistake. It wasn't an afterthought.

Some have taught that god's first plan was to send jesus for the king to be king of the jews. And only when that didn't work out god decided well plan b start the church. And here paul shows that including the gentiles people from all kinds of ethnic groups.

Including them to praise the lord that that was always his plan. Who does god accept? Some people from all nations. So should you. Even if you're strong be a servant. And accept those god accepts thus in verse 12.

You're filled with joy and peace and believing through faith and can overflow in hope. Because of the holy spirit. Then paul concludes this letter showing that we present ourselves as a living sacrifice.

And three pairs of verbs. Things to do. Three pairs of verbs from chapter 15 verse 14 to the end. Preach and send. Second meet and greet and finally watch and glorify. What are you to do now that you're filled with joy and your peace and you're overflowing with hope?

First preach and send. That's what paul is doing living as a sacrifice to bring the gospel to the gentiles. That's our ancestors. I don't think we have any jewish people here. Not that I know of in verse 16.

He is a minister of christ jesus to to the gentiles. That's who he is so that the offering of the gentiles. Otherwise god has an offering that he's gathering. Like a sacrifice like they gave at the temple and he's taking them from the gentiles the offering of people living sacrifices.

And paul his mission is to take this offer these people giving their life of living sacrifices and offer them to god. And that offering should be acceptable. There's that key word again acceptable in verse 16.

It probably won't be perfect though. Will it? You think we're going to be a perfect sacrifice? Ideal. You know, is he going to bring the gentiles to perfection us. You think you're going to be perfect really?

Perfect obedience by word and deed in verse 18. The offering of worship like in the temple of believers from every ethnic group won't be perfect but it can be Acceptable to god. That's paul's priestly service.

He calls it verse 16 his work for god in verse 17. Why he preaches the gospel to where christ has not yet been named in verse 18 to give god an acceptable sacrifice. And we're to do the same. Give god an acceptable sacrifice beginning with our lives.

And then lead others lives. That's what he's written this long letter for not just to teach them. But to encourage them to send even to send him in chapter 15 verse 24. I hope to see you in passing as I go to spain and to be helped in my journey there by you.