Essential Instructions For Christian Life Series

Essential Instructions for Christian Life

The Book of Romans

Romans 14:1-9

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared November 6, 2021)

MESSAGE:

*We all need guidance in life. King Duncan found a list of Kid's Instructions on life, and here are my two favorites: 9-year-old Rocky said, "Always wear a hat when feeding seagulls." And 12-year-old Joel said, "Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat." (1)

*That's pretty good advice, right? But we've got much better guidance here in God's Word. Tonight's Scripture gives us some essential instructions for Christian life.

1. AND THE FIRST IS: DON'T MAKE MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLEHILLS.

*This is God's message for us in vs. 1-3, where Paul said:

1. Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.

2. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

3. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.

*Verses 1-3 in The Message paraphrase say:

1. Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with -- even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.

2. For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume all Christians should be vegetarians and eat accordingly.

3. But since both are guests at Christ's table, wouldn't it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn't eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table.

*Verse 1 in the KJV says, "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations." God wants us to avoid "doubtful disputations." In other words: Don't argue about things that don't matter, because there is a good possibility you will do more harm than good.

*Don't make mountains out of molehills. In vs. 5-6, God's Word mentions another example:

5. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.

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.

*God doesn't want us to dispute about doubtful things. He doesn't want us to make mountains out of molehills, but sometimes we tend to do just that.

*This problem arose in part because there was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles in the early church. Well, the Jewish Christians naturally wanted to cling to the old ceremonial ways, such as circumcision, strict dietary laws and observing the Jewish holy days. The Gentile believers weren't inclined to do that, and most important, it wasn't God's plan for His church.

*This was such a controversy that the mother church in Jerusalem held a council, and listen to what Peter said at this meeting. Acts 15:5-11 says:

5. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.''

6. So the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.

7. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

8. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to us,

9. and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

10. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

11. But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.''

*Well, thank God for the Gospel of Jesus Christ! But this disagreement between Jewish and Gentile Christians continued to fester in the early church, and this wasn't the only kind of argument among those believers.

*All during the Lord's 3-year ministry, the Apostles argued about which of them was the greatest. They even did it on the night before the cross! Luke 22:23-27 tells us that after the first Lord's Supper: