Living And Serving In Unity Series

SERMON BRIEF

Date Written: October 29, 2012

Date Preached: October 28, 2012

Church: Oak Park BC (AM)

FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS

Series: A Series In Romans

Title: Living and Serving in Unity

Text: Romans 14:1-10 [NLT]

ETS: Paul taught there were some truths that could NOT be compromised but here emphasizes that there are things that are not as dogmatic and his point was that unity & love were more important than winning an argument.

ESS: There are truths in which we cannot compromise, but there also are many things that we must simply agree to disagree upon, this is why Paul stresses here that unity is more important than winning an argument.

Introduction:

A couple of weeks ago we looked at ch13 and saw how to flesh out a plan for godly living and how Paul taught the church in Rome!

This morning we are going to look at the 1st 10 verses of ch14 where Paul addresses a problem that seems to be prevalent within the church.

Now there is no direct mention of the problem by Paul NOR is there any mention by Paul on how any of their leaders had inquired about help for such a problem…

We still have to remember that Paul did NOT start the church in Rome, but this letter was actually a letter of introduction for Paul TO the church… but it is evident here that some of the leaders had expressed an issue to Paul that he felt he needed to address…

So let’s READ these 10 verses and then we are going to jump in and see what the problem was, what the issues were, the principle Paul presents to change the situation there in Rome…so take your Bible and turn to Rom 14:1-10

I will be reading this morning out of the New Living Translation and it will be on the screen as well…Let’s read:

[FOLLOW ME AS I READ v1-10]

1Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval. 5In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. 6Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. 7For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead. 10So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

[FOLLOW ME AS I READ v1-3]

The Problem Presented – v1-3:

1Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.

Now what we learned a couple of weeks ago is that in ch12 Paul went from teaching doctrine to explaining practical action and living for the believer.

Here Paul is addressing the congregation about a matter that is NOT very godly and NOT a good witness to the world around them…

We see Paul mention 2 sets of people here, he calls one “the weak” and then Paul implies a 2nd group to which we attribute the opposite character… let’s call them “the strong”.

Paul speaks to BOTH groups and I want us to understand that Paul is NOT judging either body at this point, but he is merely setting the stage to explain the godly path in this situation…