WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.960 Well, this morning we're continuing our ongoing study in Paul, Paul said it to the Romans, 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:12.400 and we're going to turn back to the passage that you've read for us in chapter 14. 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:18.240 We're going to look at the whole section, but we can perhaps just read again verse 13, 00:00:18.240 --> 00:00:22.920 which in many ways points us towards the great themes being set before us here. 00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:28.640 Therefore, let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:36.439 to put a stumbling block or a hindrance in the way of a brother. 00:00:36.439 --> 00:00:40.719 As many of you will know, we've been working through this letter over the past few months, 00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:45.200 and working through a letter in the New Testament or a Gospel or any book of the Bible is a wonderful 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:50.920 thing to do because it means that you cover all the ground that's been set before us in 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:51.920 that book. 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:58.040 That's one of the great advantages of going through a book chapter by chapter. 00:00:58.039 --> 00:01:02.240 And one of the other advantages of doing it is that it means you sometimes come to passages 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:09.920 that raise issues and questions that we perhaps would normally not maybe talk about or think 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:12.920 about that often. 00:01:12.920 --> 00:01:17.599 And a very good example of that is here in Romans chapter 14, because this passage in 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:26.079 many ways is all about what we should do when Christians disagree. 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:32.480 What should we do when Christians disagree? 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:36.920 The great theme of this letter of Romans is the Gospel. 00:01:36.920 --> 00:01:41.679 Paul's giving us just this wonderful explanation about how the good news of Jesus Christ works. 00:01:41.679 --> 00:01:44.879 As we've been saying, the letter divides into two big sections. 00:01:44.879 --> 00:01:49.239 You've got chapters one to 11, which are all about knowing the Gospel. 00:01:49.239 --> 00:01:54.560 They're full of amazing theological teaching in these first 11 chapters. 00:01:54.560 --> 00:02:00.320 And from chapter 12 to the end of chapter 16, the letter is all about living the Gospel. 00:02:00.320 --> 00:02:04.400 The chapters are full of brilliant practical instruction. 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:07.840 And the whole of the letter combined of these two parts is a great reminder that in the 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:16.000 Christian life, the theology we know must always shape the day-to-day life that we live. 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:20.000 So from chapter 12 onwards, Paul becomes very practical. 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:25.439 And in terms of our day-to-day living as followers of Jesus Christ, there are certain things 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:29.919 that are clear and that are non-negotiable for us. 00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:35.039 So for example, in chapter 12, Paul tells us that we are to give our whole lives as a 00:02:35.039 --> 00:02:36.479 living sacrifice to God. 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:38.639 Being a Christian isn't just something for a Sunday. 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:42.479 It's for every single part of our lives. 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:44.039 We're told to do various things. 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:45.039 We're told to pray. 00:02:45.039 --> 00:02:46.240 We're told to be hospitable. 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:52.520 We're told to resist the temptation to take revenge against those who hurt us. 00:02:52.520 --> 00:02:55.719 Chapter 13 gives us further non-negotiable instructions. 00:02:55.719 --> 00:02:58.600 We are to be responsible citizens. 00:02:58.600 --> 00:03:00.520 We are to love one another. 00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:04.520 We are to walk in a way that we should. 00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:07.560 Alongside these obligations for what we should do, there's various things that we should 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:08.960 not do. 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:15.760 So chapter 13, verse 9 summarizes some of the 10 commandments that we looked at in the 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:17.799 New City Catechism this morning. 00:03:17.799 --> 00:03:19.319 Do not commit adultery. 00:03:19.319 --> 00:03:20.319 Do not murder. 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:21.319 Do not steal. 00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:22.319 Do not covet. 00:03:22.319 --> 00:03:24.159 Later in the chapter, he gets a little bit more specific. 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:29.519 He says we must avoid orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality and sensuality, quarrelling 00:03:29.519 --> 00:03:30.840 and jealousy. 00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:36.959 All of these things and many others are non-negotiables for the Christian. 00:03:36.959 --> 00:03:44.079 These are the major things that we must either do or not do. 00:03:44.080 --> 00:03:51.920 Now for all of us there are times when we fail and we slip into so many of these things. 00:03:51.920 --> 00:03:56.720 But none of those, that feeling doesn't make any of these things right when we do slip 00:03:56.720 --> 00:04:01.640 our response that we want to repent because we never depart from the conviction that 00:04:01.640 --> 00:04:06.840 these are things that are of major importance. 00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:10.880 And all of these instructions, these major instructions are emphasizing the fact that 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:14.240 as Christians we are now different. 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:19.800 We are living a new life as new people as part of a new humanity being restored through 00:04:19.800 --> 00:04:26.480 the coming of Jesus Christ and the inauguration of His kingdom. 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:29.800 And so there's major things that we do. 00:04:29.800 --> 00:04:33.120 There's major things that we don't do. 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:37.719 And I think it's probably fair to say that the majority of Christians are in agreement 00:04:37.719 --> 00:04:39.079 about these things. 00:04:39.079 --> 00:04:46.319 I know there's always exceptions but we would all agree I think that the Ten Commandments 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:51.279 are of major importance in terms of how we live our lives. 00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:53.839 But then we come to chapter 14. 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:59.799 And chapter 14 is dealing with the fact that alongside these major issues there are also 00:04:59.799 --> 00:05:04.240 a lot of minor things. 00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:14.680 And when it comes to these minor things, Christians are most definitely not in agreement. 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:16.960 And that was true for the Christians in the early church. 00:05:16.960 --> 00:05:18.519 Paul gives us two examples. 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:20.439 Firstly, he spoke about diet. 00:05:20.439 --> 00:05:23.879 So some Christians were comfortable eating anything. 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:27.280 Others were not comfortable eating meat. 00:05:27.280 --> 00:05:32.560 And it's very likely that a key factor in that was that the meat you bought at the local 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:38.800 market in cities like Rome or Corinth came from animals that had been sacrificed to 00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:41.280 the Greco-Roman gods. 00:05:41.280 --> 00:05:48.300 And so people worried about that association and they're thinking, well, this meat's come 00:05:48.300 --> 00:05:51.480 from an animal that's been offered to an idol. 00:05:51.480 --> 00:05:52.480 Should I eat it? 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:53.680 Should I not? 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:54.680 Not sure. 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:56.920 There's the question of diet. 00:05:56.920 --> 00:06:03.000 Finally Paul talks about observing particular religious days and there are perhaps maybe 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:06.520 reasons why they felt like that in Rome. 00:06:06.520 --> 00:06:10.800 It could have been because it seems to be the case that there was a transition in the 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:16.800 New Testament from the Jewish Sabbath on the Saturday to the Christian Sabbath on a Sunday. 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:18.560 Sunday was the day that Jesus rose from the dead. 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:22.240 It's the first day of the week and that was the day in which Christians met. 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:26.240 And for some of these Christians, they may have found it very hard to just treat Saturday 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:28.240 like a normal day. 00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:33.600 They'd grown up and Saturday had been different and now we're worshiping on Sunday and maybe 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:35.960 they found that difficult. 00:06:35.960 --> 00:06:39.879 It may also have been connected to the various high days of the Jewish religious calendar. 00:06:39.879 --> 00:06:47.160 So they were various feasts, festivals, high days in the Jewish calendar and people may 00:06:47.160 --> 00:06:49.480 have felt, well, I still want to acknowledge these. 00:06:49.480 --> 00:06:51.439 And interesting example is Pentecost. 00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:56.040 So Pentecost was a Jewish festival 50 days after the Passover but it had great significance 00:06:56.040 --> 00:06:59.920 for the Christian church as well as Acts chapter 2 will tell you. 00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:03.040 And so maybe some people thought, well, Pentecost, that's a special day. 00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:06.760 We should observe that day every year. 00:07:06.760 --> 00:07:10.240 So some Christians were happy to eat anything. 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:12.820 Others thought that certain foods were wrong. 00:07:12.820 --> 00:07:18.640 Some Christians were happy to eat all days except Sunday as the same. 00:07:18.640 --> 00:07:23.920 Others weren't so sure and wanted to acknowledge these high days. 00:07:23.920 --> 00:07:27.040 And of course, it's exactly the same today, only maybe it's even a thousand times more 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:34.480 complicated because although most Christians are agreed on the majors, there's huge disagreements 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:36.600 on the more minor issues. 00:07:36.600 --> 00:07:42.840 And in some ways, in fact, the major issues can give rise to minor questions or minor 00:07:42.840 --> 00:07:47.200 issues on which we don't agree. 00:07:47.200 --> 00:07:52.439 So for example, in chapter 13, Paul says towards the end of the chapter that Christians should 00:07:52.439 --> 00:07:58.800 avoid drunkenness, they should avoid sexual immorality and they should avoid quarrelling. 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:02.959 So these things are all prohibited for the Christian. 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:06.639 But you have to ask, well, what about the minor issues related to these things? 00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:12.959 So we agreed drunkenness not appropriate for the Christian, but is it okay to drink alcohol 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:16.079 at all? 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:20.819 And some Christians say yes, other Christians say no, absolutely not. 00:08:20.819 --> 00:08:28.959 So for sexual immorality, for the Christian sexes to be kept within the bounds of marriage. 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:33.039 But is it okay to kiss your girlfriend? 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:34.639 And some say yes, absolutely. 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:35.639 Others no. 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:40.840 Remember watching a program on TV in America, these young couples would wait for their wedding 00:08:40.840 --> 00:08:45.439 day for their first kiss. 00:08:45.439 --> 00:08:47.360 Different views. 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:51.680 Everything is wrong, absolutely wrong. 00:08:51.680 --> 00:09:00.600 So is it okay to write a blog about a Christian you disagree with? 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:03.039 These are the kind of questions that arise. 00:09:03.039 --> 00:09:07.919 There's huge differences of opinion among Christians about many, many issues. 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:14.519 And even within this congregation here, I am sure we all have lots of different opinions. 00:09:14.519 --> 00:09:19.879 And our question today is what do we do when Christians disagree? 00:09:19.879 --> 00:09:25.600 What do we do when these minor issues lead us to fall out? 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:28.720 Well Romans 14 is a chapter that tells us the answer to these questions. 00:09:28.720 --> 00:09:33.159 And it gives us some very interesting and some very important practical advice. 00:09:33.159 --> 00:09:37.039 And we're going to come to the practical steps that Romans 14 sets out shortly. 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:41.639 But before we do that, I want to highlight that underlying the practical steps that 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:50.600 Paul gives us here, there are two very important theological truths that must shape our perspective 00:09:50.600 --> 00:09:53.039 in terms of this whole issue. 00:09:53.039 --> 00:09:57.279 And so before we come to the practical instructions that Paul gives, I want us just to highlight 00:09:57.279 --> 00:10:01.919 two areas where we're being challenged in this chapter. 00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:05.879 We're being challenged I think in terms of how we view God. 00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:10.759 And we're being challenged in terms of how we view others. 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:18.559 So in terms of how we view God, Romans 14 emphasizes a fundamental theological truth. 00:10:18.559 --> 00:10:22.319 God is judge. 00:10:22.319 --> 00:10:25.799 We read in that in the middle of the chapter, none of us lives to himself, none of us dies 00:10:25.799 --> 00:10:26.799 to himself. 00:10:26.799 --> 00:10:29.600 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:33.439 So then whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lords. 00:10:33.439 --> 00:10:37.120 For to this end Christ died and lived again that he might be Lord both of the dead and 00:10:37.120 --> 00:10:38.120 of the living. 00:10:38.120 --> 00:10:43.759 Why do you pass judgment on your brother or why, or you, why do you despise your brother? 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:47.360 For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:51.399 For it is written, as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue 00:10:51.399 --> 00:10:53.120 shall confess to God. 00:10:53.120 --> 00:11:03.399 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. 00:11:03.399 --> 00:11:11.240 And within this whole concept of the fact that God is judge, I think there's two absolutely 00:11:11.240 --> 00:11:15.759 fundamental but easily forgotten truths of reality. 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:19.799 First, God is judge. 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:27.120 Now that may sound so obvious, but it's something that we must highlight because I think today 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:31.840 it's a theological topic that we maybe don't want to talk or think about too much. 00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:37.240 When we talk about God's judgment, we tend to think of a kind of bygone day of quite 00:11:37.240 --> 00:11:43.879 intimidating or even harsh sounding preaching. 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:49.560 But yet it is absolutely vital that we recognize this truth. 00:11:49.560 --> 00:11:51.879 God is judge. 00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:54.200 And that makes perfect sense. 00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:59.759 If God is all powerful, if he's all wise, all knowing, if God is our Creator, our ruler, 00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:01.360 our master, our king. 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:09.080 If God is the supreme being of all reality, then he most definitely is also the one who 00:12:09.080 --> 00:12:14.800 has the position, the power, and the prerogative to judge. 00:12:14.800 --> 00:12:24.759 In fact, if you think about it, it's surely absurd to believe in God and not recognize 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:28.960 that he is judge. 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:36.720 And the implication of that is immensely serious for everyone here because we are accountable 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:38.639 to him. 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:44.320 If he is judge, then every single one of us will have to give an account of ourselves 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:46.800 to him. 00:12:46.800 --> 00:12:52.200 Now this is why the Gospel message is amazing because the good news is that if you are trusting 00:12:52.200 --> 00:13:02.080 in Jesus Christ, then you have nothing, nothing to be afraid of in terms of God's judgment. 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:07.080 Because the penalty for all the mistakes that you and I have made has been paid in full 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:09.280 by Jesus. 00:13:09.280 --> 00:13:14.160 And with our trust in Jesus, our judgment will not mean condemnation. 00:13:14.160 --> 00:13:19.440 It will be the final seal of our eternal salvation in him. 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:24.440 The Christian has to give an account of himself. 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:29.600 But the amazing thing is that he or she won't be doing that on their own. 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:39.280 In Jesus Christ, you have a perfect advocate by your side. 00:13:39.280 --> 00:13:47.320 But for the person who's not yet a Christian or who's maybe not willing to think about 00:13:47.320 --> 00:13:50.160 it becoming one. 00:13:50.160 --> 00:13:59.600 If you don't become one, if this is true, if verse 12 is true, then you'll be standing 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:05.320 before God on your own. 00:14:05.320 --> 00:14:08.120 What does that make you think? 00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:10.400 Does it even worry you at all? 00:14:10.400 --> 00:14:12.600 I don't know. 00:14:12.600 --> 00:14:18.240 But a lot of people, it doesn't seem to bother them. 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:23.279 When they hear the whole question of judgment before God, they respond by thinking, well, 00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:24.279 it's a lot of rubbish. 00:14:24.279 --> 00:14:29.320 It's not going to happen. 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:32.240 It's a kind of easy answer to just dismiss it really, isn't it? 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:38.240 And think, well, I don't think that's true. 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:42.120 But in that whole question about judgment and whether it's real or not, I heard I've 00:14:42.120 --> 00:14:44.279 really an interesting quote. 00:14:44.279 --> 00:14:45.840 And you maybe have heard it yourselves. 00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:53.480 Or everyone here who's a fan of the Alec McDonald band will know this quote. 00:14:53.480 --> 00:14:59.759 Karl Marx, as I'm sure you all know, famously said that religion is the opium of the people. 00:14:59.759 --> 00:15:01.039 And he didn't mean that in a positive way. 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:02.639 He meant it in a critical way. 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:08.799 He was arguing that religion gives people false illusions of happiness. 00:15:08.799 --> 00:15:13.359 And that's masking the realities of all the problems in society that need to be addressed 00:15:13.359 --> 00:15:19.759 through a shift in class structure and all that Marxism involves. 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:24.639 His big problem with religion was that it was just kind of numbing people to the realities 00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:26.000 of what was going on around them. 00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:31.439 It was like a drug that just made them happy and detached them from reality. 00:15:31.439 --> 00:15:33.199 So it's very famous, Karl Marx. 00:15:33.199 --> 00:15:34.439 Religion is the opium of the people. 00:15:34.439 --> 00:15:36.959 Lots of people have agreed with him. 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:42.240 But there's a quote from a Polish poet called Czesłom Miloś. 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:44.960 I don't know if that's the right pronunciation. 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:48.840 That challenges what Marx says. 00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:51.040 And his quote, I'll just put it up for you here. 00:15:51.040 --> 00:15:59.160 He says, a true opium of the people is a belief in nothingness after death. 00:15:59.159 --> 00:16:08.279 The huge solace of thinking that for our betrayals, greed, cowardice, murder, we are 00:16:08.279 --> 00:16:14.199 not going to be judged. 00:16:14.199 --> 00:16:19.079 He's saying that the real opiate, the real mind numbing drug is to believe that you're 00:16:19.079 --> 00:16:23.279 not accountable to God at all. 00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:29.120 And if when someone like me talks about judgment, if your response is to think, well, I'm not 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:39.639 that's just fantasy, then I think you really need to think about that quote. 00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:45.360 The astonishing thing is that all of us worry a lot about how other people are going to 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:47.279 judge us. 00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:52.320 So we worry about how we look, how successful we're going to be, how we perform at work, 00:16:52.320 --> 00:16:55.560 how well off we are, how other people are going to judge us. 00:16:55.559 --> 00:16:59.359 All of these things bother us, I'm ashamed to say it bothers me what people think of 00:16:59.359 --> 00:17:01.159 me. 00:17:01.159 --> 00:17:08.759 But do we ever stop and ask ourselves about how God is going to judge us? 00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:12.559 It's something we've all got to think about. 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:18.440 But as you think about it, please also remember that the whole point of the Gospel message 00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:23.000 is that through Jesus Christ, we can all have hope on the day of judgment. 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:28.079 In fact, the Bible tells us that if we trust in Jesus, we can have confidence for the day 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:29.079 of judgment. 00:17:29.079 --> 00:17:33.119 That's how perfect Jesus' work is. 00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:38.880 If you trust in Him, it's very simple, you just trust in Him. 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:44.240 You're totally, utterly and completely safe. 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:48.319 But Romans 14 is reminding us something that we must never forget. 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:53.200 God really is judge. 00:17:53.200 --> 00:17:57.480 But that means something else that's very important. 00:17:57.480 --> 00:18:01.079 You are not judge. 00:18:01.079 --> 00:18:05.319 If God is judge, I'm not and neither are you. 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:06.319 And you say that's so obvious. 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:08.519 Of course, we're not the judge. 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:13.079 And I'm quite sure if I look back over my life, I can think, I can safely say I have 00:18:13.079 --> 00:18:19.759 never, ever, ever, ever stood up and said, I am judge. 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:25.359 And yet I've judged people thousands of times. 00:18:25.359 --> 00:18:30.399 And so although we say in theory, God is judge, I'm not, yet we constantly judge others. 00:18:30.399 --> 00:18:32.000 We criticize others. 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:33.839 We fall out with others. 00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:37.960 And every time we do that, we're forgetting that God is judge and we are not. 00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:43.160 The theological reality that God is judge means that we should always be ready to leave 00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:46.960 things to Him. 00:18:46.960 --> 00:18:48.840 Always ready to leave judgment to Him. 00:18:48.840 --> 00:18:53.039 That's what Romans 12, 13, 14 emphasizes before us. 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:55.319 And it's so much better to leave it to God. 00:18:55.319 --> 00:18:57.480 He is the one who knows the whole story. 00:18:57.480 --> 00:19:01.200 How many times have you passed judgment over a person or a situation and then realized, 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:03.680 I didn't know the whole story. 00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:07.400 I've done that before. 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:09.280 God knows the whole story. 00:19:09.280 --> 00:19:11.880 God is the one who is always absolutely fair. 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:14.000 God is the one who has all the wisdom needed. 00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:18.680 God is the one who cannot ever get it wrong. 00:19:18.680 --> 00:19:21.400 That's why judgment is God's work. 00:19:21.400 --> 00:19:25.480 And our default position should be to leave judgment to Him. 00:19:25.480 --> 00:19:28.680 In the same way that we are answerable to God, so to our others. 00:19:28.680 --> 00:19:31.960 It's before God alone that they stand and fall. 00:19:31.960 --> 00:19:34.280 And so we leave judgment to Him. 00:19:34.279 --> 00:19:39.039 We want to recognize that God is judge and we are not. 00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:42.440 So we're being challenged in terms of how we view God in this chapter, which is a good 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:44.000 and a healthy thing. 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:49.160 But we're also being challenged about how we view others in Romans chapter 14. 00:19:49.160 --> 00:19:52.039 So here's how we test for you. 00:19:52.039 --> 00:19:59.680 So here's a long list of opinions held by Christians that most of us in here, well, 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:04.079 a good chunk of us in here probably don't agree with. 00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:09.319 So we have Christians who argue that you should only think psalms. 00:20:09.319 --> 00:20:12.199 Christians who argue you should not participate in sport on a Sunday. 00:20:12.199 --> 00:20:17.240 Christians who say that you should pray in a private tongue, a kind of unintelligible 00:20:17.240 --> 00:20:18.240 language. 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:22.039 Christians who say you should not drink alcohol. 00:20:22.039 --> 00:20:26.679 Christians who say you should wear clerical clothing, like a collar or something like 00:20:26.679 --> 00:20:27.679 that. 00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:36.640 Not you all, if you want, can. 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:38.279 Christians who say celebrate certain days. 00:20:38.279 --> 00:20:40.480 So some would say let's celebrate Easter, Christmas. 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:44.560 Some will say we should have special communion seasons, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, with 00:20:44.560 --> 00:20:47.840 preparatory services before a communion service on a Sunday. 00:20:47.840 --> 00:20:51.240 Some Christians will say only use one Bible version. 00:20:51.240 --> 00:20:54.799 Often that will be the King James version, not necessarily, but Christians who will 00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:56.480 hold to that view. 00:20:56.480 --> 00:20:57.480 That's the only one we should use. 00:20:57.480 --> 00:21:01.480 Some Christians have very strong views about homeschooling, and that we should prioritise 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:04.200 that, not use state schools. 00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:08.200 Some Christians can be very loyal to a church building, so they have a building that they've 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:12.519 poured their time and energy and money into, and they're very loyal to that. 00:21:12.519 --> 00:21:17.160 Some Christians have the view that when you sing, you should raise your hands to sing. 00:21:17.160 --> 00:21:20.079 Some of the view that when we have communion, we should only use one cup. 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:23.039 There's a lot of different views about the role of women. 00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:26.440 Some people would come in here and say that the women should be doing far more. 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:30.240 Some people would come in here and say that the women should be doing far less. 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:35.880 Some people would argue that we should have communion every week. 00:21:35.880 --> 00:21:39.120 Lots and lots and lots of different views. 00:21:39.120 --> 00:21:46.880 As you read through Romans 14, we've been challenged in terms of how we view others 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:48.480 and how we view all of these people. 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:52.960 I should have also said that we could have added all the numerous different denominations 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:56.600 across the Scottish church scene to that list. 00:21:56.600 --> 00:21:57.799 So here's your test. 00:21:57.799 --> 00:22:02.960 When you look at that list and when you think of people with all of these views, what should 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:10.799 be the first word that comes to your mind when you think of these people? 00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:19.559 They're your family. 00:22:19.559 --> 00:22:28.839 And then again, Paul uses the word brother in chapter 14. 00:22:28.839 --> 00:22:35.799 And when he's talking about the people who disagree with you, he's talking about your 00:22:35.799 --> 00:22:39.359 brother and sister in Jesus. 00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:43.079 He's making it absolutely clear that when we disagree as Christians, the person you're 00:22:43.079 --> 00:22:53.319 disagreeing with is your family, your brother or your sister. 00:22:53.319 --> 00:23:00.319 Now within that family, Paul highlights that some are stronger and some are weaker. 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:02.839 So you've got the one who is weak mentioned in 14.1. 00:23:02.839 --> 00:23:05.759 You've got those who are strong mentioned in 14.15. 00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:07.960 What does that mean? 00:23:07.960 --> 00:23:13.039 Well I once heard another free church minister, Joe Bernard, who's now in America speaking 00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:14.039 about this issue. 00:23:14.039 --> 00:23:16.440 And he said something that I thought was very helpful. 00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:23.720 He said it would be good for us to maybe think of this in terms of sensitive and confident. 00:23:23.720 --> 00:23:26.720 So the weak Christian is the one who's sensitive. 00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:28.559 The strong is the one who's confident. 00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:32.700 And I think that does capture very well what's been said here. 00:23:32.700 --> 00:23:36.960 Some Christians are very sensitive about certain minor issues. 00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:41.079 Christians are not shaken in their confidence when it comes to these things. 00:23:41.079 --> 00:23:43.600 Now here's a really interesting little point to note. 00:23:43.600 --> 00:23:47.240 So I want you to recognize what Paul is saying here. 00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:52.440 The sensitive one, the weak one, is the one who has very strong views about a certain 00:23:52.440 --> 00:23:54.799 issue. 00:23:54.799 --> 00:24:03.960 So Paul is saying to have really strong views about a minor issue is a weakness. 00:24:03.960 --> 00:24:10.720 Interesting, interesting. 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:17.079 But he's emphasizing that above all else, whether strong or weak, we are brothers and 00:24:17.079 --> 00:24:19.640 sisters in one family. 00:24:19.640 --> 00:24:23.920 He also emphasizes another very important point about how we view others in verse 15 00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:25.840 of chapter 14. 00:24:25.840 --> 00:24:31.960 When it comes to the Christian who disagrees with us, what are they? 00:24:31.960 --> 00:24:34.400 What are these people? 00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:40.960 Verse 15 tells us they are the one for whom Christ died. 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:45.720 And that immediately is pressing home to us the immense value of the person that we don't 00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:47.759 agree with. 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:51.860 So the Christian who thinks that we should have communion every week, the Christian who 00:24:51.860 --> 00:24:55.960 thinks that all the women in here should be wearing head coverings, the Christian who 00:24:55.960 --> 00:25:00.759 thinks that we should be dancing while we sing and worship, the Christian who thinks 00:25:00.759 --> 00:25:03.559 that we should be using a different Bible version. 00:25:03.559 --> 00:25:12.599 These are all people who in God's eyes are worth the blood of Jesus Christ. 00:25:12.599 --> 00:25:20.039 They're incredibly precious. 00:25:20.039 --> 00:25:24.119 And I need to pray that when I meet people I disagree with, that God would press home 00:25:24.119 --> 00:25:26.599 to my heart how precious that person is. 00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:38.279 It's a great reminder that behind an opinion that we really don't like lies a person who 00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:43.240 God really loves. 00:25:43.240 --> 00:25:48.359 So our perspective has been challenged and it's good to think about that. 00:25:48.359 --> 00:25:51.240 We must always remember that God is judge and we are not. 00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:55.919 We must always remember that as Christians, even when we disagree, we're still a family 00:25:55.920 --> 00:26:00.759 and our brothers and sisters are so precious to God. 00:26:00.759 --> 00:26:03.320 So these are the foundations that Paul sets before us. 00:26:03.320 --> 00:26:08.200 For the last five minutes or so I want to just look at the practical lessons that Paul 00:26:08.200 --> 00:26:13.440 gives to us on the basis of these foundational principles. 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:15.759 And he basically gives us a list of dos and don'ts. 00:26:15.759 --> 00:26:19.039 There's certain things we should do, there's certain things that we must not do. 00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:21.200 So we'll start with the don'ts. 00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:27.559 In verses one to three he says in verse one, don't quarrel over opinions. 00:26:27.559 --> 00:26:29.920 So there's practical lesson number one. 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:34.880 It's so easy to start an argument over minor issues. 00:26:34.880 --> 00:26:40.160 It's so easy that when we encounter people who are of different opinions to us over certain 00:26:40.160 --> 00:26:46.039 things our instinct can be to start a quarrel or to start a kind of confrontation. 00:26:46.039 --> 00:26:48.279 Paul simply says don't do that. 00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:56.559 He also says in verse three, even more significantly, he says do not despise that person. 00:26:56.559 --> 00:27:01.599 And that word despise is I think really important because it basically means to think of something 00:27:01.599 --> 00:27:06.519 or someone as of no account or of no worth. 00:27:06.519 --> 00:27:07.720 And it's so easy to do that. 00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:11.079 We can think that other people's opinions are not worth bothering about. 00:27:11.079 --> 00:27:14.319 They're just stupid opinions. 00:27:14.319 --> 00:27:19.000 And we think that the person who expresses that continue is not worth their concern because 00:27:19.000 --> 00:27:22.399 they're too old fashioned or they're too modern or they're too out of touch or they're too 00:27:22.399 --> 00:27:23.599 concerned to be in touch. 00:27:23.599 --> 00:27:27.159 And we can dismiss people. 00:27:27.159 --> 00:27:33.679 We can think that they're not really worth it because their view is different to ours. 00:27:33.679 --> 00:27:40.159 And of course that's the exact opposite of what Paul has just taught us. 00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:45.200 He's taught us about the astonishing worth and value of our brothers and sisters. 00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:47.480 That's why he says don't despise others. 00:27:47.480 --> 00:27:50.600 So that's practical lesson number two. 00:27:50.600 --> 00:27:54.279 And then the third one, he says don't pass judgment, don't judge. 00:27:54.279 --> 00:27:57.040 And that's self-explanatory from what we've been seeing. 00:27:57.040 --> 00:27:58.040 God is judged. 00:27:58.040 --> 00:28:02.759 That means that really does mean that you're not judged. 00:28:02.759 --> 00:28:06.800 And that really does mean that you should not judge. 00:28:06.800 --> 00:28:10.040 Then in verses 13 to 16 he gives us more practical instructions. 00:28:10.039 --> 00:28:15.639 Verse 13 says don't put a stumbling block in front of others. 00:28:15.639 --> 00:28:19.159 Now that's an important thing to think about it because when we meet somebody who we disagree 00:28:19.159 --> 00:28:26.440 with there can be a very strong temptation for us to want to see them stumble and fall. 00:28:26.440 --> 00:28:30.279 And so we may be absolutely certain in our minds that this person's view on this certain 00:28:30.279 --> 00:28:33.680 issue is wrong and inappropriate. 00:28:33.680 --> 00:28:36.720 And we can have a desire to show them that they're wrong. 00:28:36.720 --> 00:28:40.960 We can have a desire to kind of pull the rug out from underneath them and watch them fall 00:28:40.960 --> 00:28:44.519 so that we will be proved right. 00:28:44.519 --> 00:28:47.640 Paul says don't do that. 00:28:47.640 --> 00:28:53.480 And it's, this is where we are really challenged. 00:28:53.480 --> 00:29:02.000 So nearly 20 years ago a percentage of the free church left informed what's now the free 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:08.640 church continuing and it was a hard and a difficult time. 00:29:08.640 --> 00:29:14.160 And we have to ask ourselves the question do we want to see the free church continuing 00:29:14.160 --> 00:29:19.440 stumble or thrive? 00:29:19.440 --> 00:29:26.839 Paul says don't put a stumbling block. 00:29:26.839 --> 00:29:32.319 It's just one for us all to think about in lots of contexts. 00:29:32.319 --> 00:29:33.720 That's just an example. 00:29:33.720 --> 00:29:38.319 Verse 15, there's a really interesting phrase in verse 15 just at the end there, third 00:29:38.319 --> 00:29:44.480 line from the bottom, do not destroy the one for whom Christ has died. 00:29:44.480 --> 00:29:51.240 That's teaching us a vital lesson because Christians can destroy each other over minor 00:29:51.240 --> 00:29:54.559 issues. 00:29:54.559 --> 00:29:58.039 Christians can destroy each other over minor issues. 00:29:58.039 --> 00:30:00.519 We often talk about the church being persecuted, don't we? 00:30:00.519 --> 00:30:04.839 And we pray for people around the world who face persecution from external forces. 00:30:04.839 --> 00:30:09.559 So you can go to countries in Central Asia or in Africa where the government or where 00:30:09.559 --> 00:30:15.559 locals will persecute the church from without. 00:30:15.559 --> 00:30:19.440 And it's a desperately difficult situation for people to face and we should never ever, 00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:20.799 ever stop praying for them. 00:30:20.799 --> 00:30:23.679 And we might face the same thing ourselves. 00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:28.880 We are very blessed that in Scotland over many generations we have not faced external 00:30:28.880 --> 00:30:38.039 persecution but boy we've been good at persecuting ourselves. 00:30:38.039 --> 00:30:42.480 We're really good at persecution from within. 00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:46.920 And that's why when we face somebody with a different opinion to ours always think to 00:30:46.920 --> 00:30:54.600 yourself I need to protect this person, not destroy them, protect this person whom I disagree 00:30:54.600 --> 00:30:57.600 with. 00:30:57.600 --> 00:31:03.400 Then in verse 16 Paul says, don't let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 00:31:03.400 --> 00:31:06.680 Now that's an interesting verse because I think it could be interpreted in more than 00:31:06.680 --> 00:31:08.840 one way. 00:31:08.840 --> 00:31:14.400 When I first read that verse I thought to myself well I think that means stand up for 00:31:14.400 --> 00:31:16.400 what you think is right. 00:31:16.400 --> 00:31:19.680 So if you think that something is right don't let people speak badly of it. 00:31:19.680 --> 00:31:23.040 If you think that something is good don't let people speak badly of what you think is 00:31:23.040 --> 00:31:24.280 good. 00:31:24.280 --> 00:31:27.800 But the more I think about it the more I think I'm wrong. 00:31:27.800 --> 00:31:31.080 I'm not convinced that is the right way to understand that verse because I think it kind 00:31:31.080 --> 00:31:36.240 of comes out of that it sort of shifts the whole context of the chapter. 00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:40.960 Now I'm thinking that the way to understand that verse is this. 00:31:40.960 --> 00:31:45.120 Paul is saying that you could hold to something that's perfectly good. 00:31:45.119 --> 00:31:49.439 So for example having a nice glass of red wine with your dinner you might think, you 00:31:49.439 --> 00:31:52.959 might hold to that, that's been perfectly good. 00:31:52.959 --> 00:31:57.679 But if that then becomes a stumbling block to your brother or sister for whom drinking 00:31:57.679 --> 00:32:05.959 alcohol seems an insurmountable possibility for a Christian, if that difference of opinion 00:32:05.959 --> 00:32:13.519 becomes a fallout then what you regarded as good is now going to be spoken of as evil 00:32:13.519 --> 00:32:16.279 because it's caused this damage. 00:32:16.279 --> 00:32:24.639 And so if we push what we think is good too hard then it can lead to evil, it can lead 00:32:24.639 --> 00:32:29.639 to hurt, it can lead to others looking on and thinking why did these people fall out 00:32:29.639 --> 00:32:31.279 and they'll speak badly of it. 00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:34.680 Paul says don't do that. 00:32:34.680 --> 00:32:38.240 And then there's another interesting command in 151. 00:32:38.240 --> 00:32:42.519 He says do not please yourself. 00:32:42.519 --> 00:32:49.039 And our natural instinct is often to think that we are right and it's often to think 00:32:49.039 --> 00:32:54.319 that what pleases us is what should happen and it can be a very pleasant feeling to prove 00:32:54.319 --> 00:32:56.920 yourself right. 00:32:56.920 --> 00:33:05.200 I can only speak for men but it's definitely something men enjoy I think being proved right. 00:33:05.200 --> 00:33:07.599 Paul says don't do it. 00:33:07.599 --> 00:33:09.359 Do not please yourself. 00:33:09.359 --> 00:33:13.839 So easy in a disagreement to think well the number one objective is that I get what I 00:33:13.839 --> 00:33:16.399 want at the end of this. 00:33:16.399 --> 00:33:19.359 Paul's saying no he's saying the absolute opposite. 00:33:19.359 --> 00:33:22.799 So when Christians disagree these are the things that we should not do. 00:33:22.799 --> 00:33:26.919 And then last of all he tells us things that we should do. 00:33:26.919 --> 00:33:29.000 So we'll go through these very quickly. 00:33:29.000 --> 00:33:34.559 141, 157 you see a repeated word it's kind of like a bracket the beginning at the end 00:33:34.559 --> 00:33:37.439 of this section it's the word welcome. 00:33:37.440 --> 00:33:42.559 We're to welcome those who think differently on minor issues that's conveying the idea 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:45.320 of acceptance of bringing people alongside. 00:33:45.320 --> 00:33:50.120 In other words it means not keeping your distance from the people you disagree with. 00:33:50.120 --> 00:33:56.080 It means not ostracizing them and yet that's so often what happens. 00:33:56.080 --> 00:34:01.759 And yet it's so interesting verse 7 of chapter 15 gives us a comparison between how we welcome 00:34:01.759 --> 00:34:04.680 others and how Christ has welcomed us. 00:34:04.680 --> 00:34:19.159 Let's think for a moment how many holes could Jesus find in your theological opinions? 00:34:19.159 --> 00:34:21.480 And yet does he keep his distance from you? 00:34:21.480 --> 00:34:24.000 Of course he doesn't. 00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:26.960 He welcomes you. 00:34:26.960 --> 00:34:30.440 Does he blog about you? 00:34:30.440 --> 00:34:33.559 Does he look down on you? 00:34:33.559 --> 00:34:35.320 No. 00:34:35.320 --> 00:34:38.920 He's our example in it all. 00:34:38.920 --> 00:34:43.079 So we are to welcome one another. 00:34:43.079 --> 00:34:47.920 Verse 21 of chapter 14 highlights probably what's the main sort of themes running through 00:34:47.920 --> 00:34:52.960 the whole chapter that we should be ready to accommodate to the sensitivities of others 00:34:52.960 --> 00:34:57.119 in order to preserve peace and joy and fellowship. 00:34:57.119 --> 00:34:59.159 Paul says the same thing in 1 Corinthians chapter 8. 00:34:59.159 --> 00:35:05.920 He says if food makes my brother stumble I will never eat meat lest I make my brother 00:35:05.920 --> 00:35:06.920 stumble. 00:35:06.920 --> 00:35:12.279 It's a great emphasis that the default position is that we should put the sensitivities of 00:35:12.279 --> 00:35:14.960 others before our own. 00:35:14.960 --> 00:35:19.759 And this is really one of the key practical instructions of Romans 14. 00:35:19.759 --> 00:35:25.119 So for example supposing Derek and I had a difference of opinion about an issue. 00:35:25.119 --> 00:35:27.639 Say for example the frequency of communion. 00:35:27.639 --> 00:35:33.960 So say I said we should have communion twice a year and Derek said no we should have communion 00:35:33.960 --> 00:35:41.400 every week and we started this discussion about whether which one was right. 00:35:41.400 --> 00:35:46.759 What kind of response is Romans 14 calling us to? 00:35:46.759 --> 00:35:54.559 Well it's saying that my approach is to say we'll go with Derek's view. 00:35:54.559 --> 00:36:01.239 And Derek's approach should be to say we'll go with Thomas's view. 00:36:01.239 --> 00:36:12.119 And interestingly the one who concedes his position is the one who's stronger in faith. 00:36:12.119 --> 00:36:17.000 And it's important to recognize this because it's the opposite that we often see. 00:36:17.000 --> 00:36:20.480 So Derek and I say no my way, my way. 00:36:20.480 --> 00:36:22.639 And then we go further back. 00:36:22.639 --> 00:36:24.639 No. 00:36:24.639 --> 00:36:28.400 Then we have two St. Columbus's. 00:36:28.400 --> 00:36:29.400 All because of what? 00:36:29.400 --> 00:36:33.039 Nothing. 00:36:33.039 --> 00:36:37.239 We must never ever let minor issues become battlegrounds. 00:36:37.239 --> 00:36:39.199 Major issues yes. 00:36:39.199 --> 00:36:43.400 And please, please recognize that distinction. 00:36:43.400 --> 00:36:46.719 Major issues we are uncompromising on. 00:36:46.719 --> 00:36:48.000 We have to be. 00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:53.039 The authority of Scripture, the deity of Jesus Christ, salvation by faith alone, they're 00:36:53.039 --> 00:36:56.599 major issues we stand up for them resolutely. 00:36:56.599 --> 00:36:59.039 But not minor ones. 00:36:59.039 --> 00:37:02.079 Not minor ones. 00:37:02.079 --> 00:37:07.559 Then 14.5 says that we must be convinced in our own minds. 00:37:07.559 --> 00:37:08.559 Sorry there's a typo there. 00:37:08.559 --> 00:37:11.880 There should be a D at the end of minds. 00:37:11.880 --> 00:37:16.719 Each one should be convinced in his own mind. 00:37:16.719 --> 00:37:20.159 Now that's a really important point. 00:37:20.159 --> 00:37:21.559 It's saying two things in fact. 00:37:21.559 --> 00:37:27.559 It's saying first of all that in all of this Paul is saying you do not need to change your 00:37:27.559 --> 00:37:29.399 opinion. 00:37:29.399 --> 00:37:34.799 So Paul said I'm not going to eat meat if it offends my brother. 00:37:34.799 --> 00:37:40.439 But he is still convinced in his own mind that eating meat is perfectly okay. 00:37:40.440 --> 00:37:47.039 And he was more than ready to change his actions without changing his mind. 00:37:47.039 --> 00:37:52.800 He was ready to change his actions without changing his mind. 00:37:52.800 --> 00:37:55.800 So Romans 14 is not saying you're always going to be wrong. 00:37:55.800 --> 00:37:57.039 Always concede your position. 00:37:57.039 --> 00:37:58.119 Always change your mind. 00:37:58.119 --> 00:38:00.800 Always just be shaped by whatever body else thinks. 00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:01.880 It's not saying that at all. 00:38:01.880 --> 00:38:06.960 But it's saying even if you know you're right. 00:38:06.960 --> 00:38:12.119 Still be considerate to the sensitivities of your brother or your sister. 00:38:12.119 --> 00:38:14.679 Paul is saying that be convinced in your own mind. 00:38:14.679 --> 00:38:16.400 You don't need to change your opinion. 00:38:16.400 --> 00:38:19.599 But secondly behind that lies a really important implication. 00:38:19.599 --> 00:38:26.679 Paul is saying if you're going to hold a strong opinion on something make sure you've thought 00:38:26.679 --> 00:38:29.960 it through. 00:38:29.960 --> 00:38:33.400 Make sure you are actually convinced about it in your own mind. 00:38:33.400 --> 00:38:38.760 Make sure you know why you hold that view because often Christians can hold very, very 00:38:38.760 --> 00:38:45.480 strong views about a minor issue and they have absolutely no idea why they hold that 00:38:45.480 --> 00:38:48.960 view. 00:38:48.960 --> 00:38:51.680 And that's a really important thing to think about that. 00:38:51.680 --> 00:38:56.519 I remember being challenged by that wonderfully. 00:38:56.519 --> 00:38:59.280 It was helpful in a way. 00:38:59.280 --> 00:39:05.440 Remember somebody asking, there was a lecturer at ETS saying to us, how many singing should 00:39:05.440 --> 00:39:07.200 you have on a Sunday morning? 00:39:07.200 --> 00:39:11.200 We all said, four. 00:39:11.200 --> 00:39:15.880 And he said, why? 00:39:15.880 --> 00:39:17.880 And we were speechless. 00:39:17.880 --> 00:39:21.400 Now four songs is great. 00:39:21.400 --> 00:39:22.400 It's brilliant. 00:39:22.400 --> 00:39:23.560 But we had no idea why we did it. 00:39:23.560 --> 00:39:26.160 We just did it. 00:39:26.160 --> 00:39:28.880 And he asked us numerous other questions about our habits. 00:39:28.880 --> 00:39:29.880 Why? 00:39:29.880 --> 00:39:30.880 Why? 00:39:30.880 --> 00:39:31.880 Why? 00:39:31.880 --> 00:39:32.880 And most of the time we couldn't answer it. 00:39:32.880 --> 00:39:34.720 Paul is reminding us, think things through. 00:39:34.720 --> 00:39:38.360 It's important to think things through. 00:39:38.360 --> 00:39:45.160 We have to be careful of football theology. 00:39:45.160 --> 00:39:47.880 Sometimes in football we just love stuff because we love it. 00:39:47.880 --> 00:39:50.280 So we love a player because he's joined Aberdeen. 00:39:50.280 --> 00:39:53.880 We hate a player because he's joined any other team. 00:39:53.880 --> 00:40:00.280 We don't think things through, we just do it because that's what we are. 00:40:00.280 --> 00:40:01.960 It's really important to think things through. 00:40:01.960 --> 00:40:04.559 Be ready to listen, ready to learn. 00:40:04.559 --> 00:40:07.400 Be convinced in your own mind. 00:40:07.400 --> 00:40:08.920 Last couple of things. 00:40:08.920 --> 00:40:14.480 14, 19, 15, 2 uses the same phrase or same language, the idea of building each other 00:40:14.480 --> 00:40:15.480 up. 00:40:15.480 --> 00:40:17.760 Isn't that interesting? 00:40:17.760 --> 00:40:25.880 A disagreement is an opportunity if it's handled correctly to build each other up. 00:40:25.880 --> 00:40:30.200 And that should always be our goal, to encourage one another, to support one another. 00:40:30.200 --> 00:40:34.760 In an environment of righteousness, peace and joy, which is what the kingdom of God 00:40:34.760 --> 00:40:37.880 is all about, Paul's just told us, we can help each other learn. 00:40:37.880 --> 00:40:39.380 We can build each other up. 00:40:39.380 --> 00:40:41.760 We can recognize each other's sensitivities. 00:40:41.760 --> 00:40:47.120 And we may even be able to resolve many of our differences. 00:40:47.119 --> 00:40:54.319 And then lastly, the instructions that we get in 14, 6, and then next in, bring up the 00:40:54.319 --> 00:40:59.079 next slide in a moment, 22 and 23, tell us that our priority and focus should always 00:40:59.079 --> 00:41:00.079 be on God. 00:41:00.079 --> 00:41:03.639 So here Paul says, if you're going to eat, you do it in the honour of the Lord. 00:41:03.639 --> 00:41:07.079 If you're not going to eat, you're doing it in the honour of the Lord. 00:41:07.079 --> 00:41:13.359 Same he talks about towards the end of the chapter, he's saying, keep the priority between 00:41:13.359 --> 00:41:15.440 yourself and God. 00:41:15.440 --> 00:41:20.240 And so our motivation is important. 00:41:20.240 --> 00:41:25.320 So if we abstain from alcohol, if we want women to wear hats, if we use a certain Bible, 00:41:25.320 --> 00:41:32.240 if we dance as we worship, if we do all that because we want to honour God, then good. 00:41:32.240 --> 00:41:36.000 But if we're doubtful about something, as it says at the end, if you think, well, I 00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:39.159 don't think this is right, but I'll do it anyway because I don't really mind what God 00:41:39.159 --> 00:41:40.159 thinks. 00:41:40.159 --> 00:41:41.159 That's not good. 00:41:41.159 --> 00:41:43.960 In fact, it's a sin. 00:41:43.960 --> 00:41:50.119 And so we want to remember the importance of our heart in all of this as well. 00:41:50.119 --> 00:41:54.559 But I want to emphasise that never forget in all of this that God is patient and gracious 00:41:54.559 --> 00:42:01.159 and kind and we should just simply be exactly the same ourselves. 00:42:01.159 --> 00:42:06.199 So there's lots of things that we must do and lots of things that we must not do when 00:42:06.199 --> 00:42:08.199 Christians disagree. 00:42:08.199 --> 00:42:11.880 Interestingly, these are non-negotiables. 00:42:11.880 --> 00:42:16.760 So how we respond to minor issues is a major issue. 00:42:16.760 --> 00:42:21.360 Does that make sense? 00:42:21.360 --> 00:42:25.840 What I'm saying is the instructions of Romans 14 are incredibly important. 00:42:25.840 --> 00:42:29.760 And that makes perfect sense because if you just think about it, how many of the church's 00:42:29.760 --> 00:42:39.840 problems would be solved or avoided if we listened more carefully to this chapter? 00:42:39.840 --> 00:42:44.120 So Romans as a whole is an amazing book. 00:42:44.120 --> 00:42:47.800 And we want to identify ourselves with that book so much, don't we? 00:42:47.800 --> 00:42:51.360 We all want to be Romans chapter three Christians. 00:42:51.360 --> 00:42:55.039 We hold to justification and to atonement and to all of these great truths. 00:42:55.039 --> 00:42:57.480 We all want to be Romans chapter three Christians. 00:42:57.480 --> 00:43:03.240 We all want to be Romans chapter eight Christians, all that talk of adoption and hope and security 00:43:03.240 --> 00:43:06.100 and inseparability from God's love. 00:43:06.100 --> 00:43:08.500 We all want to be Romans eight Christians. 00:43:08.500 --> 00:43:11.559 We all want to be Romans 12 Christians, a living sacrifice. 00:43:11.559 --> 00:43:15.800 You read that chapter and you think, I want to be a Romans 12 Christians. 00:43:15.800 --> 00:43:17.199 We're Romans three Christians. 00:43:17.199 --> 00:43:18.360 We're Romans eight Christians. 00:43:18.360 --> 00:43:20.440 We're Romans 12 Christians. 00:43:20.440 --> 00:43:26.079 Are you a Romans 14 Christian? 00:43:26.079 --> 00:43:28.360 Let's pray. 00:43:28.360 --> 00:43:37.440 God our Father, we thank you for the teaching of your word and we acknowledge that at so 00:43:37.440 --> 00:43:47.159 many times we can get our priorities mixed up and so often we can elevate minor issues 00:43:47.159 --> 00:43:49.760 to a place that's not warranted. 00:43:49.760 --> 00:43:54.079 So often we can be concerned about our own sensitivities and what we want at the expense 00:43:54.079 --> 00:43:59.519 of the spiritual, good and health of others. 00:43:59.519 --> 00:44:03.400 Help us Lord to remember that you are judge. 00:44:03.400 --> 00:44:08.480 Help us to remember that our brothers and sisters are so precious. 00:44:08.480 --> 00:44:13.680 Help us to live out the teaching of Romans 14. 00:44:13.679 --> 00:44:33.679 Amen.