Sermon Tone Analysis

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SLIDE 2

Rom 14.

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INTRO:

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Today’s passage continues with the same message that was found in the study from last week.

Though the overall topic is the same, the nuances are different.

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Last week’s passage built a case… and this week’s passage is the application.

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Paul is addressing a congregation of believers who are very diverse in their convictions.

Some are ok with the eating of certain kinds of meat… others only eat vegetables.

Some hold to the importance of observing certain religious holidays.

Others think of every day as having the same amount of significance.

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Paul’s advice is this:

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Whatever your conviction is… be fully convinced in your own mind.

… … - - Now, obviously, Paul would not give a pass to a person who was fully convinced that they could commit adultery, or that they could commit murder, or that they could worship idols.

The SCRIPTURES ARE CLEAR ON THOSE, AND MANY OTHER BEHAVIORS- Paul is addressing areas of conviction that do no trespass the clear and concise teachings of scripture.

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If you have a strong conviction about not eating meat, and your traditions combined with the teaching of scriptures support your conviction… then you should not eat meat.

God honors that conviction.

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But, if you do not have such a conviction, because you believe, based on the teachings of the scriptures, that it is completely ok to eat something that may or may not have passed by an idol, because you believe, an idol is actually nothing… then you can eat that t-bone steak, and God honors your faith on this matter.

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Since we are always looking for a rule or a guideline that is telling us what is right and what is wrong… we often miss the entire point of this passage..

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The Jewish scholars scoured through the law and the prophets and gave the people of Israel 613 specific rules that they were to follow… -That made things easy.

That brought control to every situation in life…

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But, the reality is… the Bible is not that inclusive as it pertains to every single activity in life.

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Sometimes, when the scriptures are not abundantly clear on what is or is not commanded, we are left to our convictions.

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And because we all have varying degrees of conviction… based on our history, based on our understanding of the Word, based on the situations we are in at a certain point in our life… -We have a hard time with compatibility.

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And so, this was a big part of our message last week.

God wants us to demonstrate His love and His grace in the midst of our fellowship.

He wants us to show the world around us, that we can handle our differences… not with conflict… not with division… not with judgment or distain.

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But rather, with love and consideration for one another.

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He also made it clear… that when it comes to these differences in conviction… we are responsible… to the one who is doing the convicting.

- We don’t need to be judged or despised by our fellow believer… we are doing what we do, in good conscience, before the Lord.

He is the one who judges us, on the matters where He is the one who convicts us.

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This is the information that we need to have in hand… when we read the first word in verse 13:

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Therefore… because of the lesson laid out in the previous verses…

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let us not pass judgment on one another.

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SLIDE 3

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Paul is still speaking to both parties here… the offended and the offender.

The weaker brother, and the stronger brother.

The eater and the abstainer.

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We know he has included to the weaker brother, because the passage tells us, to not pass judgment.

The one who abstains from eating the meat, in the example given in vs. 3… is the one who judges.

The one who eats the meat… in the same example… is the one who disdains.

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We often overlook this fact, because the thrust of this message seems to apply mostly to the strong.

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But here’s the reality… whether our views or legalistic or liberal… the lesson here is the same.

No matter what our convictions might be… there may be things that we do that cause others to stumble in their faith.

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Obviously, the one who eats meat in front of the vegetarian… may cause some of them to struggle.

But that doesn’t mean that the vegetarian’s beliefs aren’t controversial to other believers.

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This is a principle for everyone… but, it only applies, in the areas where our convictions of liberty cause a problem for those who have convictions of constraint.

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Here is what we are called to do:

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WE ARE TO ‘DECIDE’ TO NEVER PUT A STUMBLING BLOCK OR HINDRANCE IN THE WAY OF A BROTHER.

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This is a decision of resolve that we are called to make… not in the moment where there might be conflict… but rather.. RIGHT NOW.

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DECIDE NOW… That we are going to be mindful of how our actions might affect our fellow brother or sister in the faith.

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I keep going back to this passage in … but I think it’s vital in understanding how this principle plays out.

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SLIDE 4

I Cor 9.

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I want you to take note of something here… something that we might not always think of.

Paul does things, that would set stumbling blocks in front certain people groups.

He admits it, right here in this passage.

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In this passage, Paul is telling us, that he does things intentionally, that would probably offend the Jews.

He does things intentionally, that would offend those who are under the law… He does things intentionally, that might offend those outside the law.

He does things intentionally, at different times… but all for the same purpose.

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The purpose, is not to prove what he thinks he is or is not allowed to do, based on his convictions.

The purpose, is to serve the people he’s ministering to.

So, yes, his action might be a stumbling block to a Jew, while he’s ministering to a Gentile… but he would not stumble the Jew, while ministering to the Jew.

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He considers his audience, and takes action to behave in a manner that does not distract them with offense.

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Some would read this, and they think that they have to behave a certain way in every circumstance, all the time, in the off chance that a ‘weaker brother’ might see them eating a pork chop and sipping a glass of wine down town at The Commonwealth.

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That is not at all what Paul is saying.

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Paul is simply calling the reader, to follow his example of discernment.

Be mindful of those to whom you are ministering.

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When you are with the teetotalers who have strong convictions about alcohol… don’t flaunt your beer privileges… when you are hanging with your Hebrews roots buddies… don’t bring bacon to the potluck.

In terms of evangelism… be mindful of how other cultures think..

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When you go to other countries… learn how to say the right or the wrong thing.

Years ago Teen Missions had a drama team doing evangelism in England… and they would invite people to their event by telling them there would be punch and cookies.. and that they would be the ones wearing red suspenders.

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I’m sure a lot of people showed up at those events… They just told them, that they would be the ones wearing red garter belts, prostitutes would be present, and they’d be serving alcohol.

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When we go to places like India… even though it’s going to be 90 degrees… we leave our shorts at home.

Men wearing shorts is weird in places like India.

It would be a distraction in our ministry.

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And yet, when I’m back home in America… in the summer time, I pretty much only wear long pants on Sunday.

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The key… think more, about your ministry to the other person… than about your personal liberty to do what you feel is right.

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SLIDE 5

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1 Cor 14.

Paul is sharing his personal conviction with emphatic terminology.

He both knows and is persuaded in the Lord Jesus.

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From what Paul has learned about the grace of God… from what Paul has learned as a follower of Jesus.

From what Paul has learned, as one who received the message of the Gospel directly from Jesus..

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…he knows… that nothing is unclean in and of itself.

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Paul is speaking directly to the idea that some things are holy, and some things are common.

Some foods are clean, and some foods are unclean.

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And yes, when they operated under the law… there was a difference between that which was holy and that which was common.

Common bread became holy bread in the tabernacle.

Common incense, when mixed properly and used according to the instructions, became holy in the tabernacle.

Common gold became holy, when it was forged into the image of the Mercy Seat.

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Many foods and activities in daily life were labeled clean or unclean.

If someone touched a dead body, they were ceremonially unclean for a period of time.

Because they were ceremonially unclean, they had to go through a process of becoming clean again before they could come and worship in the temple.

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Animals, based on their diet, or the manner in which they organize themselves, or their physical make up , were deemed clean or unclean to eat.

Though this was made very specific in Leviticus, as far back as the days of Noah, they recognized that some animal were clean… that is, edible… and some animals were unclean.

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God was teaching a lesson to humanity… There was a difference between common and holy.

And the lesson wasn’t about food, incense or gold.

It was all about the people.

Things that were clean and unclean were part of the lesson.

They were illustrations.