Romans 14 | The Upward Way | Bible Study with A. Z. Adams — Transcript

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1. 0:00Romans chapter 14 verse 1.
2. 0:03Now, accept the one who is weak in
3. 0:06faith.
4. 0:08But not for the purpose [music] of
5. 0:09passing judgment on his opinions.
6. 0:13One person has faith that he may eat all
7. 0:15[music] things.
8. 0:17But he who is weak eats vegetables only.
9. 0:21The one who [music] eats is not to
10. 0:23regard with contempt the one who does
11. 0:25not eat.
12. 0:27The one who does not eat is not to judge
13. 0:29the one who eats.
14. 0:30For God has accepted him.
15. 0:34Who are you to judge the servant of
16. 0:36another?
17. 0:37To his own master, he stands or falls.
18. 0:41And he will stand, for the Lord is able
19. 0:44to make him stand.
20. 0:47In the previous verses
21. 0:49of Romans [music] 13, the last chapter,
22. 0:53Paul was teaching us how to live in
23. 0:56love.
24. 0:57And he wanted us [music] to put aside
25. 0:59all jealousy and all strife and to walk
26. 1:02in the light of love, the same light
27. 1:05that John speaks of in his epistle.
28. 1:07Okay?
29. 1:09But then he immediately starts Romans 14
30. 1:12by telling us to accept one another
31. 1:16even when we are not all in perfect
32. 1:18agreement.
33. 1:20He says some among you are going to be
34. 1:23weak in faith.
35. 1:25And they're going to feel that they
36. 1:26can't eat meat.
37. 1:28This is because [music] in Paul's day,
38. 1:30especially in the pagan cities,
39. 1:34the meat market was tied to pagan
40. 1:38worship.
41. 1:39Just like in the Jewish world,
42. 1:41>> [music]
43. 1:41>> the rabbi had to sanction the slaughter
44. 1:45of meat and say that it was kosher.
45. 1:47Somewhat similar to that, in the pagan
46. 1:50world,
47. 1:51when animals were killed, even for the
48. 1:54market,
49. 1:55it was often blessed by an idol.
50. 1:59They would often tie it to an idol.
51. 2:03And Paul is saying and he's going to say
52. 2:05elsewhere,
53. 2:06"I don't really care.
54. 2:08I don't really care what they said over
55. 2:10my burger before I ate it.
56. 2:11>> [music]
57. 2:11>> I'm still going to eat it with a clear
58. 2:13conscience."
59. 2:14But now he's saying, "However,
60. 2:16let's live for love.
61. 2:18Let's not hate or reject or judge the
62. 2:22brother who feels like he can't eat it,
63. 2:25who feels like he can only eat
64. 2:26vegetables because they're not blessed
65. 2:28by idols.
66. 2:30Do you understand? And he's saying,
67. 2:31[music]
68. 2:32"Don't judge each other.
69. 2:33Because ultimately, you're not serving
70. 2:36yourself. You're serving the Lord.
71. 2:38And
72. 2:39you don't want to judge another man's
73. 2:41servant.
74. 2:42Don't be full of harsh criticisms. Don't
75. 2:46seize upon what you think is wrong, even
76. 2:48if it is wrong.
77. 2:50Don't seize upon it.
78. 2:52Put love first.
79. 2:54Live for your neighbor.
80. 2:57Who are you to judge the servant of
81. 2:59another?
82. 3:00He's not yours. He belongs to Jesus.
83. 3:04To his own master, God,
84. 3:06he will stand or fall, and he will
85. 3:09stand, for the Lord is able to help him
86. 3:10stand, to make him stand. Verse five,
87. 3:13"One person regards one day above
88. 3:16another.
89. 3:18Another regards every day alike.
90. 3:21Each person must be fully convinced in
91. 3:23his own mind."
92. 3:25So, he's saying it's less important that
93. 3:28we drill down and establish whether we
94. 3:31should practice
95. 3:33church on Sabbath, Saturday, or Sunday.
96. 3:36That doesn't really matter.
97. 3:38He's going to say it's Saturday, and
98. 3:39he's going to say it's Sunday. All that
99. 3:41matters is that you're completely
100. 3:43convinced and doing it for the Lord.
101. 3:45That you're convinced in your own mind.
102. 3:47One person regards one day as
103. 3:49holier than another, and the other does
104. 3:51not, it doesn't really matter.
105. 3:55One person regards one day above
106. 3:57another, another regards every day
107. 3:59alike. Each must be fully convinced in
108. 4:01his own mind.
109. 4:02He who observes the day, observes it for
110. 4:05the Lord, and he who eats does it for
111. 4:08the Lord,
112. 4:09for he gives thanks to God. And he who
113. 4:12eats not, for the Lord he does not eat,
114. 4:14and he gives thanks to God also.
115. 4:18For not one of us lives for himself,
116. 4:21and not one of us dies for himself.
117. 4:24For if we live, we live for the Lord,
118. 4:28or if we die, we die for the Lord.
119. 4:31Therefore, whether we live or die, we
120. 4:33are the Lord's.
121. 4:35He's saying it's less important
122. 4:37>> [clears throat]
123. 4:37>> what you eat and what you don't eat,
124. 4:40what days you observe and what days you
125. 4:42don't observe. That doesn't matter as
126. 4:44much as that you do it
127. 4:47as a praise and an honor for the Lord.
128. 4:50And if you do it for the Lord, I need to
129. 4:52respect you for how you do it.
130. 4:57For to this end Christ died
131. 5:00and lived again, that he might be Lord
132. 5:04both of the dead and of the living.
133. 5:08But you,
134. 5:09why do you judge your brother?
135. 5:12Or you again, why do you regard your
136. 5:15brother with contempt? Some of Some of
137. 5:17the church was judging the brother and
138. 5:19saying, "He shouldn't be eating meat. It
139. 5:21was sacrificed to idols."
140. 5:23And others are saying, "You should be
141. 5:25eating meat, you man of little faith."
142. 5:27And he's saying you're both wrong.
143. 5:31For we will all stand before the
144. 5:33judgment seat of God. For it is written,
145. 5:35"As I live, says the Lord, every knee
146. 5:37shall bow to me, and every tongue shall
147. 5:40give praise to God."
148. 5:42So then, each one of us will give an
149. 5:44account of himself to God.
150. 5:48We're going to have to answer.
151. 5:50He doesn't answer to you, he answers to
152. 5:52God.
153. 5:53Therefore, let us not judge one another
154. 5:56anymore,
155. 5:58but rather determine this, not to put an
156. 6:01obstacle or a stumbling block in a
157. 6:05brother's way.
158. 6:07This brother is on a journey. This
159. 6:09brother is trying to make it to heaven.
160. 6:11This brother is trying to live by a
161. 6:13clear conscience and legitimate faith.
162. 6:16And faith is a journey. If faith were
163. 6:18not a journey, stumbling blocks would be
164. 6:20no threat. But if he's trying to get
165. 6:23further down the track, don't put a
166. 6:25stumbling block in his path. What is a
167. 6:27stumbling block? It's telling him he has
168. 6:29to do something that he doesn't feel the
169. 6:31faith to do.
170. 6:32Or he has to stop doing something he
171. 6:34doesn't feel the faith to stop.
172. 6:36Don't put stumbling blocks in each
173. 6:38other's paths.
174. 6:41If the actions that we're doing, we're
175. 6:43doing with a clear conscience toward
176. 6:45God.
177. 6:46He's just told us in the previous
178. 6:47chapter, there are some things we need
179. 6:49to quit.
180. 6:50Promiscuity, strife, jealousy.
181. 6:53Those things are not done with a clear
182. 6:54conscience toward God.
183. 6:56But there are things that people are
184. 6:58doing that may be more right and less
185. 7:00right, but if they're doing them with
186. 7:01the right attitude, let's preserve the
187. 7:04attitude while we figure out the details
188. 7:06in time.
189. 7:09I know and am convinced in the Lord
190. 7:11Jesus
191. 7:13that nothing
192. 7:16is unclean in itself.
193. 7:21But to him who thinks anything to be
194. 7:24unclean, to him it is unclean.
195. 7:28So Paul is saying it's your conscience
196. 7:31that matters.
197. 7:32Paul says, "I know and I am convinced in
198. 7:35the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean
199. 7:38in itself."
200. 7:39What he's saying is
201. 7:41the meat doesn't matter.
202. 7:44The vegetables don't matter.
203. 7:46The motivation and the heart toward God
204. 7:48is what matters.
205. 7:51Paul is more concerned with relational
206. 7:53righteousness. What this means about my
207. 7:56faith and relationship with God and with
208. 7:58my brothers than the details.
209. 8:01These things don't have value in and of
210. 8:03themselves. They don't make us more
211. 8:05righteous or less righteous.
212. 8:07But why we do them?
213. 8:09That's where it becomes critical.
214. 8:12For if because of food your brother is
215. 8:15hurt,
216. 8:16you are no longer walking according to
217. 8:18love.
218. 8:20Do not destroy with your food him for
219. 8:24whom Christ died.
220. 8:27So he says, "I'm convinced that you can
221. 8:29eat it.
222. 8:31But if you do if you use your liberty
223. 8:33and your liberty makes someone else
224. 8:35stumble
225. 8:36and they lose faith,
226. 8:38you're destroying him for whom Jesus
227. 8:41died.
228. 8:42You're not living in love."
229. 8:47If it's because of food
230. 8:49that your brother is hurt,
231. 8:52you are no longer walking according to
232. 8:54love.
233. 8:55Do not destroy
234. 8:57with your food him for whom Christ died.
235. 9:01Therefore, do not let what is for you a
236. 9:03good thing be spoken of as evil. Don't
237. 9:07do things that you have a good
238. 9:08conscience about but that cause other
239. 9:10people to hurt,
240. 9:12to stumble.
241. 9:15Live to help others. And this is what he
242. 9:18was saying in the end of chapter 13.
243. 9:22Therefore, do not let what is for you a
244. 9:24good thing be spoken of as evil.
245. 9:27For the kingdom of God
246. 9:30is not eating and drinking
247. 9:33but righteousness
248. 9:35and peace and joy
249. 9:39in the Holy Spirit.
250. 9:41What kind of righteousness?
251. 9:43Love that fulfills all the law and the
252. 9:45prophets.
253. 9:46Love for one's neighbor.
254. 9:48That's the righteousness. Peace that
255. 9:51puts other people's conscience and fears
256. 9:55before our own liberties.
257. 9:57And joy.
258. 9:59Being able to have the peace and joy and
259. 10:03celebration with our brothers and
260. 10:05sisters in the Holy Spirit.
261. 10:09This is the kingdom of God.
262. 10:12God's rule is real. God's dominion is
263. 10:15real when we don't make our liberty the
264. 10:18point and we don't make our austerity
265. 10:21the point, but we make righteousness,
266. 10:23peace, and joy with our brothers the
267. 10:25point.
268. 10:27For he
269. 10:28who in this way serves Christ is
270. 10:31acceptable to God and approved by men.
271. 10:35So this kingdom is the way we're
272. 10:37supposed to serve Christ through
273. 10:39righteousness of love.
274. 10:41Amen. Through the peace
275. 10:44of the Holy Spirit, through the joy of
276. 10:47the Holy Spirit. So then, we pursue the
277. 10:51things which make for peace
278. 10:53and the building up of one another.
279. 10:57What is going to make for peace in the
280. 11:00congregation? What is going to build
281. 11:02each other up?
282. 11:04Do not tear down the work of God for the
283. 11:06sake of food. What's the work of God?
284. 11:09The body of Christ.
285. 11:11It's the building up of the body of
286. 11:12Christ. That's the work. That's the
287. 11:14project that God is doing. Don't tear it
288. 11:17down for food.
289. 11:19All things indeed are clean,
290. 11:21but they are evil for the man who eats
291. 11:24and gives offense.
292. 11:27So if you
293. 11:29if you ask, "Can I eat this meat?" The
294. 11:31answer is yes. but if you do it and
295. 11:33cause offense to somebody else, it's
296. 11:35evil.
297. 11:38It is good not to eat meat or to drink
298. 11:41wine or to do anything by which your
299. 11:44brother stumbles.
300. 11:47Does the Bible allow me to drink wine?
301. 11:49Yes.
302. 11:51Does drinking wine
303. 11:53cause my brother to stumble when
304. 11:55alcoholism is the number one killer
305. 11:59in the world in which we live today?
306. 12:01Yes, it does.
307. 12:02Can I bear the weight
308. 12:04of opening the gate to something that
309. 12:07could take a brother's life
310. 12:09that is more likely to cause a car death
311. 12:11than anything else? No, I can't do that.
312. 12:14So, I'm going to forego that liberty
313. 12:16because it's going to cause hurt.
314. 12:19And I It's not about my personal
315. 12:20liberties.
316. 12:21>> [music]
317. 12:21>> I'm trying to build a culture that
318. 12:23preserves life.
319. 12:25I'm trying to build a culture that
320. 12:27builds the body, that builds peace,
321. 12:30that is more about them than about me.
322. 12:33And if I'm building a culture that is
323. 12:34about me, it's not the kingdom of God.
324. 12:38But if I'm building a culture that is
325. 12:40not about my liberty, but is about
326. 12:42loving them,
327. 12:43that's the kingdom of God. The faith
328. 12:45which you have
329. 12:47have as your own conviction before God.
330. 12:50Happy is he who does not condemn himself
331. 12:53in what he approves.
332. 12:55But he who doubts is [music] condemned
333. 12:57if he eats because his eating is not
334. 13:00from faith, and whatever is not from
335. 13:02faith is sin.
336. 13:05You have a conviction that you can do
337. 13:07some of these things. Okay, good. That's
338. 13:08That's great.
339. 13:10But you're not a You're not living by
340. 13:12yourself. You're part of a church.
341. 13:14You're part of a body.
342. 13:16You're part of a kingdom.
343. 13:18Make Do what makes for peace.
344. 13:21And if if you are convinced in your own
345. 13:24heart that you can do this, but he's
346. 13:25not, and you do it, You put a stumbling
347. 13:27block before him.
348. 13:29So, stop acting like your liberty is the
349. 13:31whole question.
350. 13:33Live for love.
351. 13:36Pursue the things which make for peace
352. 13:39and the building up of one another.
353. 13:42Not the tearing down of one another.
354. 13:45There's a way to live
355. 13:47where everything [music] that comes out
356. 13:48of your mouth is tearing down somebody
357. 13:51else, tearing down the body, tearing
358. 13:53down
359. 13:54that church over this church, tearing
360. 13:57down that ministry over this ministry.
361. 14:00And there's a way to live where we're
362. 14:02building each other up.
363. 14:04Where we're not judging weaknesses, and
364. 14:06we're not judging strengths, we're just
365. 14:08not judging.
366. 14:09We're trying to build one another up in
367. 14:12love.
368. 14:13And whatever is not of faith is sin,
369. 14:17including liberty.
370. 14:20>> [music]
371. 14:27[music]