Handling the Issues of Life
Romans 14:1-12
* Let’s begin our time this morning thinking of a duo, duet, and a “one-two” punch. This duo has the ability to steal, kill, and destroy. It can steal your reputation, kill your faith, and it can destroy your testimony. This dangerous duo is our heart and mouth. Believe it or not, the Bible teaches that these two are totally intertwined. Let’s read 2 scriptures.
* Matt. 12:34 - For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. (HCSB) Prov. 4:23 - Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (NKJV) Think about that, “The ISSUES” of life. What comes to your mind when you hear that word, “issue?” Certainly, the word carries many different meanings. However, when put this way we know that it means a problem, argument, disagreement or the like. In point of fact, an issue is something that demands our consideration & attention.
* In our text we read, “Don’t argue over doubtful issues.” What is the world are “doubtful issues?!”
* Were I to offer my personal definition, it would be “secondary issues” or “non-essential items” or maybe, “personal preferences.” It would seem that since Bible days there has been a tendency among the church folk to raise personal preference and desire to the level of theology. There are some issues which cannot be compromised at all, but there are far more issues which are based on our own opinion. Perhaps this is why Saint Augustine is quoted as saying, “In essentials, unity, in non-essentials, liberty, but in all things, charity.”
* Let’s refrain from making this merely a Bible lesson today and let’s agree to make this a personal lesson. That is, truths which we both take and respond to PERSONALLY. I know that many of us have said this phrase to me, “I have issues.” Let view this matter of issues in 2 categories.
1. DIVISIVE ISSUES – These are the doubtful issues (I.E. secondary, etc) which are debatable as well as those which accommodations can be made. Paul speaks to three as examples for us;
a) Practical things - The practical thing he begins with is “eating anything.” Paul writes that “one person believes you can eat ANYTHING while a “weaker person” only eats vegetables. Today, diets are big stuff. Fats, Carbs, sugars, and the like have become hugely controversial and have given birth to a multi-million dollar, “health” industry. Infomercials with weight control and health directives always include “a healthy diet” disclaimer. Yet, this is not the “eating” which Paul is talking about. Additionally, we can ‘think’ that Paul is referring to all those dietary restrictions for the Jewish people, which God laid out, in Leviticus. But the one old law which was doubtful & debated dealt with meat.
* In the context of His writing, Paul was referring to eating of meat which had been offered to idols. The circumstances were something like this; Meat was brought into town in mass quantities to be sacrifices to the pagan gods. The priests of those gods couldn’t devour it all, the gods (idols) had no need of the meat, and so a large quantity was left over. To keep the meat from spoiling (as well as to promote a profit, I would suspect), the leftover meat was taken to the market place (kind of like a secondary market) where it was sold to the public. The problem was that there was so much of this meat available that the public never knew where the meat had come from.
* The problem was compounded by the long standing belief which said believers would be sinning if they ate that type of meat. Many scholars this was, in large measure, new converts, those who had problems turning loose of the Old Way of the law and embracing the new way of liberty.
* I call this an example of “practical things” because there is nothing more practical than eating. Can you imagine a church dividing over eating? (Well, maybe) Candidly, to read verses 2-4 gives us a picture of an issue which was indeed divisive. Two groups of people had two basic beliefs, one was based on law while the other based on liberty and look at the hard feelings; “look down” on the other and “criticize” the other. If this is the First Church in Rome, it must not have been a Catholic Church; it must have been a Baptist church. Paul simply says, YOU MUST NOT DO IT.
* Does this message confuse anyone? Don’t be critical, don’t be pharisaical, and don’t be ungodly. This is a practical divisive issue.
b) Professional things – May I offer this? When someone wants to find an issue, if they cannot find it at one level of life, they will move on to another. If it weren’t bad enough to divide over practical issues, it would seem the some began the “hotline” concept of attacks. You know what the “hotline” concept is? Sure you do, at least once in your life you have been the recipient of a phone call which began “did you know?” Have you ever read 1 Timothy 5 where he is addressing the young widows, calling on them to remarry, have children, and manage the household? He says do this so you won’t become ‘busybodies.” The Greek work means “to become busy about trifle things and other people’s affairs while neglectful of their own personal important matters.” Paul asks a penetrating question which might help some of us, “Who are you to criticize?” The object of this question is this, “Who are you to criticize how a person or his workers perform, it’s none of your business.”
* I have no desire to be unkind but in today culture, it would seem that everyone seems to KNOW what everyone else SHOULD be doing.
* Criticism has almost become a spiritual right if not a spiritual gift. We can take any leader in the church and everybody knows about what that leader should do than the leader does. In fact, if the youth leader, the kitchen worker, or the Sunday school teacher, doesn’t do it like WE WANT them to, our conclusion is that they have missed the vote and need to hear from ME because I know best. Paul asks “Who are you?”
c) Pious things – I use the word pious because it speaks of religious. The text is talking specifically about days of worship. Here’s the picture; the Jews, know as the Judaizers, continued to worship on Saturday (the old Sabbath). The new generation of believers was worshipping on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, in honor of the resurrected Lord! Who was right? Paul submits that the answer is YES!! Under the Old Testament way of thinking, it was all about the law. Under the New Testament (after Calvary’s cross and Jesus’ teaching), it was about liberty. Law or Liberty, which will it be. The law is about bondage while liberty is about ‘breaking free.” Didn’t I read somewhere the Jesus came to set the captive free?
* Paul wrote to the churches in Southern Galatia about this very issue and concluded in chapter 5 that we should “Stand firm and free in Grace and don’t submit to bondage of the law.”
* The applications for this thought are too numerous to review. Let’s just look at a couple of possibilities; what time should we have Worship on Sundays? Should we have Sunday evening services or can we have other things which assist us in being stronger disciples? What day of the week should we have our mid-week prayer service? Is a home church a Biblical type of church? Should a church ever have two services? Can a church have 2 campuses? The list goes on and on. One more, can a church have RED carpet? Here’s the thing, most of the time the issues which divide us are not Biblical, theological, or in the light of eternity important.
* However, there are some issues which we better have right.
2. DECISIVE ISSUES - While the divisive issues are used by Satan to promote our selfish desires and inclinations, these are the divinely important issues.
a) Acceptance of Others. – Verse 1 begins with Paul’s admonition for us to accept “anyone” who is weak in faith. That word “accept” is a interesting word. It means “to welcome”, “to receive”, “to associate”, and befriend without stirring up religious arguments. One of the killers inside the church family today is the lack of accepting of others. If they are unlike us, it becomes our “mission” to change them to think and be like us instead of like HIM. One of the discoveries the men made last year in Men’s Fraternity was how little they knew about men they had known so long. If that’s the case about long time, wonder about the new folk.
* Look around and see how many people you REALLLLLY know. Candidly, even some of the ones you think you know pretty well, you’d probably be surprised at how little you know them. How long has it been since you sat with someone who is a member here and had a conversation about family, friends, faith, and life? (Supper Club)
* This is a decisive issue because Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Godly love is not given at a distance. It compels us to become closely acquainted with others, building relationship, and receiving everyone.
b) Accountability to God. At least 3 times in our text we are told that it is our own responsibility to stand before Lord God. Let’s get a grip on being accountable to God. Verse 10 says, “We must all (believers) stand before the judgment seat of Christ,” while Verse 12 says, “we will give an account to God.” So, we will give an account at the Judgment seat of Christ. As I have said before, only the authentic believers will make it here.
* According to Matthew 12:36 we will give an account of every idle word. 1 Timothy 5:24 says we will give an account of the lives we have lived. Luke 16:1 assures us our Stewardship will be examined. Ezekiel 3:18 and Acts 20:26 make it clear that we will account for our witnessing. And for leaders, Hebrews 13:17 tells us that we have a special accountability.
* We need to face this decisive issue. We will give an account to God. It was bad enough to account to my parents, principle, and professors. I could pull the wool over their eyes. But God can see things THROUGH my eyes, know things in my minds, and sense what is in my heart.
* The judgment seat will be an examination, a full disclosure of all that I have done. This what Jesus was speaking of when He said, “All the secrets will be made public” and Paul wrote, “You will know as you are known.” Talk about an issue to decide your life’s direction, this is it.
c) Attitude about Christ. – This is THE most decisive question I know. It is one which needs to be addressed. What exactly is my attitude toward Christ? The attitude we have about Christ isn’t determined by what we say on Sunday, but how we treat Him on Monday. It’s not about the stirring testimony we give, it’s about the visual testimony we live. The real question is how do we treat Christ? Consider 3 unusual thoughts;
1) Some Special Date – When we were teenagers, we dated. And if we wanted to make a super impression for some special girl, we went the extra mile. We even put on deodorant that night. Actually, we wanted her to see the best in us, not the warts, so we “put on the dog.” I wonder if we think that we can fool God as easily as we fooled our date. Do we only show up on Sundays with our best?
2) Some Social Bait – I thought about this and know it will be offensive to some, but I think it fits. There are some who run with people who make them look better and thus become more socially accepted. Over 20 years ago there was a move made entitled, “Can’t buy Me Love.” The young man in the movie was an outcast who wanted so badly to be a part of the “in-crowd”. He was a hard-worker but was left out of all the cool parties. One day he came to the rescue of the #1 girl on campus by giving her $1000 she needed. What he asked in return was for her to go out with him for a month so the kids would think he would cool. She was His ticket in. Over my life time, I have seen and heard people say that they were a member of a particular church because of business reasons, social reasons, and the like. If we love Jesus, we become more attractive to some.
* Jesus does not wish to be our special date or social bait. He is not someone who wants an arms-length relationship; He is so serious about you and me that He died to connect with us. He wants to be;
3) A Soul Mate – There is much debate whether each of us has a soul mate with which we can have a wonderfully happy lifetime, but the concept is very much apropos. But think about the concept with me; if you had a ‘soul mate’ wouldn’t you want to spend your life closely entwined? Wouldn’t pleasing them take center stage in your life? Would it be drudgery or a pleasure to do what they ask? Would you really be embarrassed to mention their name in public?
o I submit that when we surrender our life to Christ, He becomes like our soul mate and we are glad to carry Him wherever we go, whatever we do, and let Him hear all we have to say.
o And our relationship to Him, impacts how we handle every issue in life. For if the mouth speaks from the heart and out of the heart flow the issues of life, to have Him in our heart means that He is in every part of our life.
