This morning I again begin with a question that I would like three volunteers to answer, “What has been the most peaceful and relaxing vacation or day away from home that you have ever had and why?”
I wasn’t sure what we were going to hear this morning but I was fairly sure that “peace and quiet” or “everybody had a good time or got along together” was going to be mentioned in some way.
Peace is one of those things that everybody seems to want more and more of these days especially at this point in history and this particular week with our Presidential election on Tuesday. But what kind of peace do we seek?
Jesus spoke often of peace sometimes in a contradictory way. In Matthew 10:34 Jesus said. “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! No, I came to bring a sword.” Yet we read in Luke 2:14 the angelic proclamation, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.” Finally we read in John 14:27 Jesus said, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” What is Jesus getting at?
In the first instance Jesus is talking about the cost of following Him and that it will cause tension in families between those who follow Him and those who do not. In the second instance (one we will hear frequently in the next two months) the angels announce the peace of God on those whom He favors with the coming of the Christ child. In the third instance Jesus is telling the disciples during the Last Supper that the peace that He is giving them is not the peace of the world – here today and gone tomorrow because it is based on circumstances instead of the character of God – but a peace of heart and mind that is very different from what is offered by society.
Our text for this morning is in the middle of a chapter that addresses the issue of conflict that arises through differences of opinion. Such conflict is common at work, at home, at school, on the playing field, and at church. Conflicts run the gamut from differences of opinion on how to do something to serious personal conflicts that can cause splits to take place.
The conflict that Paul is addressing in this passage of scripture has to do with the eating of meat offered to idols. Some believers felt that it was wrong to eat meat that had been offered and others did not feel the same way. Paul is trying to help them sort through the conflict and come to a set of decisions that is designed to strengthen the relationship between believers by respecting where the other believer stands on not just this issue but other issues as well. Why? Verse 13, “Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not put an obstacle in another Christian’s path.”
Now there are some things that scripture is clear on which leave no room for disagreement. Things like the value of human life, the need for salvation, and the reality of final judgment to name a few.
But there are differences of opinion on other issues that we need to learn to make allowances for in such a way as to not cause another follower of Christ to lose faith and give it up. That is where the peace of God comes in.
In verse 14 and following, Paul does what every good pastor tries to do, he points believers to a “common ground” that all must stand on – the effect of one’s actions on the faith of another by saying in verse 15 “If another Christian is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.”
A very important way that we please God is by allowing the peace of God to not just dwell in our hearts but to serve as a guide in living in peace and harmony with one another. “The Christian faith,” or as Paul puts it in verse 17, “The Kingdom of God,” “ is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Now perhaps you are asking a question like, “Where does the line get crossed from pleasing God and not causing someone’s faith to fall to needlessly trying to please people over things that really do not matter?” I’m not sure if Paul addresses this question or even makes a distinction. But it is a question that we ask.
I want us to notice a couple of things in Romans 14 that may give us the right answer to this question. These things also help us understand the process of unity that comes as we pursue peace between one another.
First, the focus of the chapter is on those whose faith is still developing or weak as we read in verse 1, “Accept Christians who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.” Paul writes to help the more mature believers help the weaker believers to grow in their faith by not doing things that would cause a weaker believer’s faith to collapse.
Two key words to notice, accept and don’t argue, are really important in strengthening peace and unity in the church and therefore please God. One of my commentaries makes a good point on this matter by defining a strong believer and a weak believer.
“Our faith is strong in an area if we can survive contact with worldly people without falling into their patterns. It is weak in an area if we must avoid certain activities, people, or places in order to protect our spiritual life. It is important to take self-inventory in order to find out our strengths and weaknesses.”
Second, Paul is addressing the issue of a critical spirit. Criticism is an acid that eats through the hearts and souls of people very, very quickly. In verses 10 –13 Paul strongly encourages believers to not resort to condemning other believers over such issues that arise from differences of opinion, in this case, regarding the eating of meat offered to idols or, as we read in verses 5 and 6 regarding how and when to observe the Sabbath. Paul refers to them as matters of personal conviction in verse 6.
There are many matters of personal conviction that we do not share with family members or friends, politics often being one of them, or in this state, families who split their loyalties between Indiana and Purdue! What Paul is counseling the Roman church toward is to be gracious and not let these things lead to criticism or condemnation so that those whose faith is weaker in these matters do not lose faith. Why?
The essential aspect of the Kingdom of God is not about what we eat or drink but about the kind of life that we are living. We please God when we focus not on differences of opinion in certain matters but on developing a life that is good, peaceful, and joyful in and through the Holy Spirit as Paul says in verse 17.
Remember the set of words that I shared with you last month that would pop up on a regular basis in this series? They were, “follow,” “God,” “purposes,” “Bible,” “motivation,” “love,” and “obedience.” This passage deals with some of these things.
Now, let me make clear a very important distinction. What Paul is dealing with in this passage are issues of preference and personal belief about things that matter, but compared to the larger and more important core Biblical principles regarding our faith and life, are minor. Paul is telling the mature believers to downplay those issues and not make them an issue.
But, when it comes to the major Christian doctrines of our faith or clearly stated Biblical standards of behavior that is another matter and another sermon. Let me give an example.
Let’s say that someone decides that there are other ways to Heaven than through Christ and they are your kids’ Sunday School teacher. So they begin to say in class something like, “You know Jesus is important but we can come to God in other ways as well” and they begin to share about other religions as a way to God. What would you do? Say, “Well they know more than I do” and leave it at that? Or would you say, “Hey, that’s not what we teach at our church and that is not what the Bible says!” and then do something about it? Which is another sermon as there is a Biblical process to properly address conflict.
There is a difference between what Paul addresses in this chapter and what Peter says in Acts 4:12, “There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them.”
There are certain beliefs and practices that are basic to our faith and life that are non-negotiable.
Third, and finally, Paul is addressing the issue of what is at the core of God’s Kingdom – a life characterized by certain things. In this case, we have them listed in verse 17 – not about minor issues of personal preference – but about issues of character and lifestyle.
“The Kingdom of God,” he says, “is not about ritual but about character.” This is something that Jesus dealt with from time to time in His public ministry. Several times, as recorded by the Gospel writers, the Pharisees’ criticized Jesus and the Disciples’ practices.
We have an example in Luke 11:37-40, “As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table. His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the ceremonial washing required by Jewish custom. Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are still filthy—full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?”
Too often we major on the minor issues instead of dealing with the major issues. Peace, God’s peace, eludes us because His peace is found only as we let go of a critical spirit and shift our focus from issues of preference and onto issues of faith and life.
One of the historic characterizations of our Church has always been that of a “Peace” Church. For some people that has meant a commitment to peace that includes pacifism. But it means much more than that. It means that we please God when we allow the values of God’s Kingdom to become our values. As Gil Stafford has said, “It is a church where the reign and rule of God are uppermost.”
Peace enters the picture because as we allow the Kingdom’s agenda to become our agenda, one very clear characteristic emerges and gives the church a very credible witness to the community – a peace between its members that seeks to reconcile differences between members in a God honoring way. As Stafford also says, “The Church of God Reformation (we are known as a movement not a denomination) was from the beginning convinced that it is the will of God for the peacefulness of the church’s reconciled relationships to be augmented by miracles of healing and restoration.”
We please God as we live in peace and harmony with each other. Is that true for you? Is that true for us as a church? Do our relationships give evidence of God’s peace and thus give us credibility?
Sometimes I ask people, “Do you have the peace with God in your heart?” That is one of the ways I ask people is they are right with God because if they do not have peace with God they are not right with God.
But this question is also applicable to us who have said that we are saved. God’s peace is a fragile thing because it can easily be destroyed by conflict that remains unresolved. Are you at peace with God? Are we at peace with one another?
If not, God is not pleased and our ministry is being hindered. What do we need to do to let God’s peace freely flow through us and between us? I think we know. Let’s do it! Amen.
(Commentary comments are from NLT version of Quick Verse Multimedia Life Application Bible © 1997 by Parsons Technology)
