In Non-Essentials, Liberty Romans 14:1-15:7 Message 3 in our 4-part series called Growing in Grace Sunday, September 27, 2009 Speaker: Phil Hainaut

A.What does this passage teach us about Christians and non-essentials? 1. The issue here involves disputable matters (v.1) “Accept him whose faith is weak without passing judgment on disputable matters”

(v.2) “One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables” (v.5) “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike” (v.14) “As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself” (v.20) “All food is clean” (v.21) “to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else”

A.What does this passage teach us about Christians and non-essentials? 1. The issue here involves disputable matters 2. The disputes involve Christians of strong and weak faith (v1) Accept him whose faith is weak (v2) One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables (v15:1) We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak

B. What does the passage teach us about how a Christian ought to act when faced with disputable matters? 1. Be fully convinced about the issue in your own mind before God, so that you do not sin and condemn yourself by what you approve

(5b) Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind (14) As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean (16) Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil (22,23) So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

B.What does the passage teach us about how a Christian ought to act when faced with disputable matters? 1.Be fully convinced about the issue in your own mind before God, so that you do not sin and condemn yourself by what you approve

B. What does the passage teach us about how a Christian ought to act when faced with disputable matters? 1. Be fully convinced about the issue in your own mind before God, so that you do not sin and condemn yourself by what you approve 2. Act in love (v.15) If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love

B. What does the passage teach us about how a Christian ought to act when faced with disputable matters? 1. Be fully convinced about the issue in your own mind before God, so that you do not sin and condemn yourself by what you approve 2. Act in love 3. Please others for their good, not yourself (15:1b,2) says: “… not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”

B. What does the passage teach us about how a Christian ought to act when faced with disputable matters? 1. Be fully convinced about the issue in your own mind before God, so that you do not sin and condemn yourself by what you approve 2. Act in love 3. Please others for their good, not yourself 4. Carry the burdens of the weak (v15:1) We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak.

B. What does the passage teach us about how a Christian ought to act when faced with disputable matters? 4. Carry the burdens of the weak 5. Accept the weak as Christ accepted you (v.1) Accept him whose faith is weak (15:7) Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you

B. What does the passage teach us about how a Christian ought to act when faced with disputable matters? 5. Accept the weak as Christ accepted you 6. Do not pass judgment on, look down on, or condemn other Christians or their views and practices (v1) Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters (v3) The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does (v10) You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? (v13) Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.

B. What does the passage teach us about how a Christian ought to act when faced with disputable matters 7. Abstain from doing anything that becomes a stumbling block or obstacle that causes another Christian to fall, destroys them, or destroys the work of God in their lives (13b) Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way (15b) Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died (20) Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. It is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble (21b) It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

B. What does the passage teach us about how a Christian ought to act when faced with disputable matters 7. Abstain from doing anything that becomes a stumbling block or obstacle that causes another Christian to fall, destroys them, or destroys the work of God in their lives 8. Do whatever builds others up (v19) Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification (v15:2) Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up

B. What does the passage teach us about how a Christian ought to act when faced with disputable matters 8. Do whatever builds others up 9. Serve Christ by doing what leads to righteousness, peace, and joy (v17-19) For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification

C. Why act with love towards weaker Christians in disputable matters? 1. Because God has accepted weaker Christians (v3) The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him

C. Why act with love towards weaker Christians in disputable matters? 1. Because God has accepted weaker Christians 2. Because Christ died for weaker Christians (v15b) says: Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died

C. Why act with love towards weaker Christians in disputable matters? 3. Because All Christians belong to, are servants of, and are only accountable to God, their Lord or Master (v4) Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls; (v7-13) For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' " So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.

C.Why act with love towards weaker Christians in disputable matters? 3. Because All Christians belong to, are servants of, and are only accountable to God, their Lord or Master 4. Because it is God who can and will ultimately make weaker Christians stand, not us (v4) Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand

C.Why act with love towards weaker Christians in disputable matters? 3. Because All Christians belong to, are servants of, and are only accountable to God, their Lord or Master 4. Because it is God who can and will ultimately make weaker Christians stand, not us 5. Because true Christians are well-meaning (v6-8a) He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.

C.Why act with love towards weaker Christians in disputable matters? 4. Because it is God who can and will ultimately make weaker Christians stand, not us 5. Because true Christians are well-meaning 6. Because the kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace, and joy, rather than the many irrelevant things Christians fight over (v17,18) For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

C.Why act with love towards weaker Christians in disputable matters? 6. Because the kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace, and joy, rather than the many irrelevant things Christians fight over 7. Because we should find endurance and encouragement in the example of Christ and of other biblical men and women who lived to please others 8. Because living out your Christianity in this way brings praise to God (v15:7b) In order to bring praise to God

In summary: Since God has accepted and died for all Christians. Since we all belong to, are servants of, and are only accountable to God. Since God ultimately makes Christians stand. Since true Christians are well-meaning. Since God’s kingdom is about righteousness, peace, and joy. Since we find endurance and encouragement in the biblical examples of Christ and others. And since it brings praise to God… In disputable matters: Be fully convinced before God. Act in love. Please the weak for their good and not yourself. Carry the burdens of the weak. Accept them. Do not pass judgment on, look down on, or condemn the weak. Abstain from anything that causes their destruction or falling away. Build them up instead. And serve Christ by doing whatever leads to righteousness, peace, and joy.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.