Romans 14:5-12
The Christians duty to create & maintain unity in the
church
Part 2
Welcome!
Would you open your Bibles to...
Eph 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
Eph 4:2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
Eph 4:3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Pray
Intro
√ Can Christians dance?
“Some can, some can’t!”
Funny, but the sad truth is that Christians break fellowship over, argue about, and even wonder aloud if someone can be saved who has different personal convictions about how one lives out their faith.
Paul called these personal convictions...”doubtful things” in vs. 1
Doubtful things = scruples
Scruples? Those personal convictions that have zero to do with one’s...
Spirituality
Salvation
Sanctification
...in fact according to the Bible these personal convictions have as much to do with our standing with God as our personal favorite color! Nothing!
Last week we looked at one of the hot topics in Paul’s day...
...diet.
Eating meat vs. not eating meat
This week Paul looks at another hot topic...
...holy days.
Ap. Very important because so many of the problems that separate believers and cause trouble in the local church relate to how we deal with one another regarding our personal convictions about how we please God in our life.
Our job according to Paul’s instructions in chapter 14 are...
The Christians duty to create & maintain unity in the church
...a call that we must not fail to work for with all our strength and love!
Example #2 - holy days (vs. 5-6)
Rom 14:5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.
Rom 14:6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
√ The issue of holy days
Remember that the group to whom Paul is writing is a collection of believers with very different backgrounds.
The local church in Rome...
Differing levels of spiritual maturity
Vastly different cultural background - Jew & Gentile
Diverse social status - citizen & slave
...all coming together as One people to worship God through their new faith in Jesus.
The question then...
On what day do we worship?
For the Jewish believer the answer was almost always the Sabbath.
The Sabbath was the cornerstone of Jewish life by which he/she expressed one’s faith and devotion to God.
From the time a Jew was born they were taught to honor the Sabbath.
The Mosaic Law is filled with Sabbath regulations.
The religious leaders had developed hundreds of rules and regulations regarding what was, and was not acceptable conduct on the Sabbath.
Ex. Can’t spit on the Sabbath - create a furrow in the dust - work!
So, for the Jewish believer the Sabbath (sunset Friday to sunset Saturday) still held a very special place in their hearts. It was almost blasphemous to them to even think about not keeping the Sabbath.
But for the Gentile believer the Sabbath held no special significance. Many of the Gentile believers had taken to meeting at sunrise on the first day of the week in honor of Jesus’ victory over Death.
We find references to this in the scripture and early church records:
Troas:
Act 20:7 Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.
Corinth & Galatia:
1Co 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also:
1Co 16:2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
The early Church fathers record that they met on Sunday - the first day of the week.
√ The conflict
Jewish believers found themselves at odds with their new Gentile brethren.
Upset that the Gentiles worked on the Sabbath!
Upset that the Gentiles felt no conviction at all to protect and keep the Sabbath!
Gentile believers on the other hand were upset because they were made to feel like “second class” citizens in the KOG because they didn’t keep the Sabbath.
So they found themselves fighting with one anther, breaking fellowship, even proclaiming that a person wasn’t saved if they didn’t keep the Sabbath and the Law of Moses!
√ The solution
Note verses 5 & 6...
Rom 14:5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.
Rom 14:6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
Practice your personal convictions, but don’t judge those who don’t hold the same convictions you do!
But who’s right!
Both! Why? Because Paul says that the day a person worships or esteems to the Lord isn’t important...
...rather, the act of worshiping God is what really matters.
Isn’t that great! God accepts us right where we’re at. If I’m convinced that worshipping on the Sabbath is how I can best serve God...
...do it!
If I’m convinced that worshipping God on Sunday in memory of Jesus’ victory over Death is how I can best serve God...
...do it!
Just make sure that you worship God and don’t condemn your brother who thinks differently!
√ Special note
Regarding the Sabbath it is interesting to note that it is the only one of the 10 commandments that neither Jesus, nor the apostles command Christians to keep!
Ex. We’re told not to worship idols, practice sexual immorality, covet, etc. But not one time are we told to keep the Sabbath!
Why?
Exo 31:16 'Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.
Exo 31:17 'It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.' "
The Sabbath (and circumcision) are a covenant sign between God and the Nation of Israel binding them together through the Old Covenant.
The Church is bound to God by a New Covenant in Christ’s blood which completely replaces the Old Covenant as Paul has so thoroughly proven in the first 8 chapters of Romans!
None of us is an Island! (vs. 7-9)
Rom 14:7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
Rom 14:8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
Rom 14:9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
√ Attitude
Before Paul closes his instructions concerning our duty to work for and maintain unity in the local church...
...he touches on our attitude regarding our personal convictions!
Paul recognized that the believers in Rome could very easily have given lip service to his instructions while maintaining an attitude of smugness toward those who hold different convictions.
So he deals with it by reminding us that...
√ None of us is an island
Paul Simon sang about being an island - but the truth is that everything we do and say has an impact on those around us.
As we read in I Cor. 8 last week regarding Paul’s liberty in the eating of meat offered to idols he said...
1Co 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
His point there, as well as here in Romans 14:7-9 is that what we do and say has an impact upon the people around us that we must take into consideration for the sake of expressing love.
Paul’s motivation for not eating meat was one of love. He wasn’t just skipping his Big Mac for the sake of obedience...
...he was willing to forego the practice of his personal convictions because he loved those who held different views.
It’s like a gift - if it’s given in an attitude of love it will be a blessing. If it’s given with an attitude of begrudging obligation it will be a point of contention.
Ex. Kids taking out the trash - I rather do it myself and demonstrate the right attitude than put up with a person who takes the trash out with a bad attitude.
Ap. How much more careful should we be with our attitudes in the local church!
I love the Christian who is willing to do anything for Christ and His people!
Ex. Mission trip to Mexico - live by pastor Chuck’s proverb
“Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be broken!”
Unfortunately our hosts told us that the majority of Americans who came to work in the clinic came with attitudes.
Rather than do what was needed to be done, if they couldn’t do what they prepared themselves to do...
...they didn’t do anything!
Stay home!
Ap. Be ready for anything!
I’m so blessed by the folks in our fellowship who come expecting to be used!
They don’t even care what they’re asked to do - their attitude is that if it needs being done and it will be a blessing to God’s people - then they’re all over it and with a cheerful attitude!
√ So, as we practice our personal convictions we want to do so in a way that allows people with different convictions to feel loved.
God is watching (vs. 10-12)
Rom 14:10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Rom 14:11 For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God."
Rom 14:12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
√ God is watching!
Paul reminds us that God is watching how it is that we treat, and think of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
In fact, he says that we will be judged for how it is that we judge one another in these “doubtful things”!
That’s heavy!
The “judgement seat of Christ”
This is the bema seat - the throne before which every believer will stand to receive their reward from Jesus for their faithful service.
Paul reminds us that we will have to give account for our behavior and attitude toward other Christians.
So - don’t get hung up on your personal convictions!
√ Know your role!
Let God judge each person and how it is that they live out their faith.
Our job is to strive for unity.
Ap. If it’s not a salvation or sin issue don’t stress about it!
Ex. Music
John MacArthur says that the church needs to return to hymns because today’s worship chorus’ lack doctrinal clarity.
Bill Gothard says that all rock music is bad because the drum beat is rooted in occult ritual.
Vs.
Martin Luther who took music from the beer halls of Germany and changed the lyrics.
William Booth - Salvation Army who used marching band instruments to attract crowds to whom he preached the Gospel.
Dating vs. courting
Joshua Harris - “Why I kissed dating goodbye”
vs.
Greg Laurie - “Christian dating”
Ap. When you find good and sincere Christians on completely opposite sides of an issue...
...you can be sure that it’s a “doubtful thing” and it is not worth fighting about.
Rather, we need to follow our personal convictions and extend love and grace with a Godly attitude toward those who differ from us.
Close
√ Work hard for unity in the local church.
√ If you’ve got an issue with someone - deal with it in your own heart!
Don’t condemn them for the liberty they have in Christ by thinking of yourself as more spiritual or pleasing to God because you don’t eat meat.
√ The result is that the local church becomes a powerful weapon in the hand of God to bring down the works of Satan in NW Arkansas!