Welcome back to Basic Training. We have 1 weeks remaining in our study of the book of Romans after today.
I love preaching out of the book of Romans because it is a book that draws us closer to God. The words of Paul which were inspired by God can bring revival to the hearts of those who read this book and take to heart the messages within.
I can sense that God is doing awesome things within Prairie Family Church. I see the growth that is taking place, not necessarily the physical growth of the church, as encouraging as it is, but rather the spiritual growth that you as individuals are experiencing on a daily basis.
If the church can move closer to God and be all that God desires it to be, then we are doing our job.
The one thing we need to remember about this spiritual growth is that every time we hit a newer, higher level in Christ the enemy will turn up the heat of his attacks.
Satan hates it when the church does what it is supposed to do. That is why you will often hear me say, “New level, new devil.”
He is prowling around like a lion to see who he can devour. Be on guard against the enemy. Be ever vigilant to stay firm in your faith and follow God regardless of what the enemy of our souls throws at us.
If we keep our eyes on God, He will fulfill His promises in our lives and He will fulfill the purpose of Prairie Family Church, A gather that began 15 years ago, to build healthy families in the greater Bismarck area.
Prayer
Father,
Open my eyes so I can see Your truth.
Open my ears so I can hear Your voice.
Open my mind so I can understand Your Word.
And open my heart so I may receive all that You want me to receive. AMEN
We started off by discussing the doctrinal truths found in the book of Romans and for the last couple of weeks we have been discussing the practical application of those truths.
The simple fact is, if we are not putting into practice the truths and practical applications that are contained in God’s Word then we are wasting our time.
We are told in the book of James that we are not just supposed to be hearers of the Word, but we are supposed to be doers of the Word.
That is what the last few chapters of Romans gives us; it teaches us how to be doers. If we are not doing what God’s Word asks of us then I would say that we are no better off than those who do not know Christ as Savior.
That is why the Apostle Paul tells us to not conform to the pattern of the world.
Last week I shared how we as Christians are supposed to live in respect to our government. We determined from Romans 13 that we are suppose to support our government as long as that government does not contradict the Word of God.
We also were reminded once again of our obligation to love each other and to love others. Love should be the only debt we have according to Paul.
There was an urgency to what Paul was writing. He stressed the need for Christians to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
It was time then and it is time now that all believers stand up and be counted for Christ and to make a mark for God in this world.
Today and next Sunday we get to see in Romans 14 and 15 how Paul continues to teach us how to live as believers. More basic training for us.
Today’s training is in consideration. As we allow the righteousness of God into our lives He produces within us a life of consideration.
In the English language the word consideration has 6 meanings. It is the third meaning that applies to what the Apostle Paul is sharing.
Consideration in this Scripture means thoughtful and sympathetic regard for others. For example your mom might say to you, “Please show some consideration and clean your room.” That makes this a Mother’s Day Sermon.
Paul teaches us that we need to be considerate of those around us and in Romans 15:1-3 he gives us the example of consideration that we should all follow.
We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” Romans 15:1-3 NIV
Jesus Christ is our prime example of how we are to be considerate of others. This was something that at times the disciple’s struggled with.
There were times that the faith of the disciples and the actions of the disciples were not what it was suppose to be. They struggled much of the time and they struggled in being considerate to others.
Their struggles are well documented. But let me say that even though they struggled in these areas they went on to accomplish great things for the Kingdom of God. They were church planters, evangelist, writers, and soul winners.
This is encouraging for us because there are times that we may struggle with how we treat others but even though there are weak times we can still do awesome things for the Lord if we just keep our eyes on Jesus and work towards fulfilling His will on earth.
As I stated, Jesus is our prime example to do what is right and to treat others with consideration. Jesus, who is God had every right to do whatever He wanted and He had every right to treat others however He wanted.
Let me explain this statement.
While Jesus, the Son of God was on this earth, He could have at any moment taken any type of action or performed any type of miracle He wanted to.
For example, while Jesus was being beaten by the guards, when they were pulling out His hair, when they were whipping Him with the cat of nine tails, when they were nailing Him to the cross, at any moment, Jesus could have called for the angelic forces of heaven to come down and put them all to death. But Jesus did not do this.
Instead of doing the things that would satisfy His own needs and desires, Jesus set those thing aside and followed the will of the Father and allowed Himself to be the sin sacrifice for the world.
That’s why Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
That is what being considerate to the needs of others is all about. Setting aside our own fleshly desires so that the needs of others may be met.
Jesus’ example is some awesome. He set aside His own desires so that our need for salvation and reconciliation could be met. We have greatly benefited because Jesus was considerate of our needs.
He obeyed the will of God even though He could have chosen a much easier path. His exercise of freedom was to do the will of God and be considerate of the needs of everyone else.
It might sound kind of nerdy, but in Star Trek 2, Spock said that “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one.”
Jesus’ example is for us to consider the needs of others first and Paul brings this to light in Romans and teaches us that we need to follow Jesus’ example.
In Romans 14 Paul explains how we can be considerate to others.
The very first verse is key. “Accept the one whose faith is weak…”
The person whose faith is weak is a person who does not have a full understanding of what it means to be a child of God . basically what Paul is saying is that everyone is at a different level in their walk with Christ.
The one thing that all Christians have in common is the fact that Christ died to save each of them. We have all been washed clean of our sins by His blood. But we are not all at the same place in our walk with God.
We range from the brand new Christian to the believer who has followed for many years and everywhere in between.
For Paul’s time that meant that there were some who still were clinging to some of the old ways. They still believed or followed unbiblical actions or superstitions. Paul was far enough along in his walk with Christ that he was able to enjoy his Christian liberty and freedom from these things, others were not able to do so.
In Romans 14 and 15 Paul is dealing with divisions in the church.
The church at Rome was divided over diets and days.
The ones that Paul calls “weak believers” would eat only vegetables, because the meat they could buy in the marketplace was generally leftovers from offerings to pagan idols.
The ones that Paul calls “strong believers” said that they could eat anything because idols were not real and meat was just meat.
And in regards to days, the weak believers kept special holy days whereas the strong believers said keeping special days does not save you, only faith in Jesus can save you.
But both sides in this church argument agreed on one thing. Both sides agreed to judge and despise each other. We don’t need this in the church today!
Paul did not believe that there was any religious merit in eating certain foods or keeping certain days. But for Paul that was not the point.
The point in any religious disagreement is that we should not put down those who disagree with us, even when we know that we are right. That is why Paul says, “We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak” in Romans 15:1.
The same thing still happens in the church today.
People in the church today argue over all sorts of things.
They argue over should the pastor wear a suit and tie or can he come in jeans and a sports coat.
They argue over hymns and choruses, guitars or organs.
They argue over the Holy Spirit, over when Jesus is coming again, and all sorts of other things that can be interpreted either way in God’s Word.
There are some things that we should never argue about. For example the deity of Christ. The Word of God is clear that Jesus is God. John 1:1, 14 and 1 John 4
We should not argue about the resurrection of Jesus. This is a truth that is confirmed in God’s Word.
We should not argue about how we get to heaven, Jesus said no man can come to the Father except through Him.
We should not argue about who salvation is for, first for the Jew then for everyone else. That is why Jesus came to this earth.
And we should not argue about the things God hates. According to Meredith’s Book of Bible Lists there are 45 things which God hates. I’ll just give you the first ten.
1. Homosexual acts (Leviticus 18:22)
2. Bestiality (Leviticus 18:23)
3. Idols, and the materials used to make idols (Deut. 7:25)
4. Blemished sacrifices (Deuteronomy 17:1)
5. Worshipping the sun, moon or stars (Deuteronomy 17:3-4)
6. Divination (Deuteronomy 18:10)
7. Astrology (Deuteronomy 18:10)
8. Enchanters (Deuteronomy 18:10)
9. Witches (Deuteronomy 18:10)
10. Charmers (Deuteronomy 18:11)
We have liberty in Christ by we must understand that there are things we can do, things we can’t do and things God doesn’t care either way. Or does He?
There are times that we may not have a problem with something but a brother or sister in Christ might struggle with it and worst yet it might cause them to stumble and fall away from God.
That is why Paul wrote, 13 Therefore let us stop passing
judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to
put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or
sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord
Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards
something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If
your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat,
you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating
destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let
what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the
kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of
righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because
anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and
receives human approval. Romans 14:13-18 NIV
Paul says there are things that we are permitted to do that may be stumbling blocks to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
A stumbling block is anything that might cause someone else to commit a sin.
Notice what Paul says, “stop passing judgment on one another” and “not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way” of others.
As believers we must live with the Judgment Seat of Christ in view. All that we do as believers will be judged by God. On that day all the meaningless differences will fade away and we will be viewed on how we treated others and what we did for others and if we judged others and if we caused others to fall.
We don’t want to cause spiritual injuries to others by our actions.
For example: if you say me drinking a beer, I would imagine that some of you might stop coming to church here. Why? Because for some, my example would not be good.
The Bible doesn’t tell us that we should not drink alcohol, it does tell us not to be drunk. So Scripturally would I be wrong to drink a beer? No.
But if my actions might cause someone else to sin, if they have take a vow to not drink or if they don’t think it is right to drink and I offend them or cause them to fall then I am guilty of placing a stumbling block before them.
I am not being considerate of my brother or sister.
That is why Paul says, 19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. Romans 14:19-21 NIV (84)
A believer who knows that he or she has the liberty to do something, but for the sake of someone else makes a decision to not do that thing is living a life of consideration and they are living a life worthy of the high calling of God.
This is the best thing that anyone could do for a brother or sister in the faith, assist them in their walk by considering what things we do in life that can either make or break their walk.
Once again Paul is echoing the words of our Savior when He said, 6 But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Matthew 18:6 NIV (84)
Are you living a life of consideration?
Or are you a stumbling block?
If you are a stumbling block then would you be willing to ask God to forgive you and would you be willing to ask God to help you?
He is ready to help you!
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