Romans # 25 Rom 14-1 thru 14-23
We’re going to continue on the Book of Romans today.
I. ROM 14:1-4
A. In these Vs here Paul is dealing mostly with JUDGING one another.
1. In (V 1) he says, “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.”
a. People are at all different levels of spiritual maturity. When Paul says, “Receive them, but not to doubtful disputations.” He’s saying don’t quarrel about differences of opinions.
i. You might find out that you’re wrong.
2. If God shows you something, don’t try to force that on someone else. And don’t judge them for not doing it.
a. Paul says, “You’re not their master any way, God is.
b. If God isn’t judging them, who are we to judge.
B. ROM 14:5-8
1. Let me read this to you from the NIV translation it much clearer.
a. (Romans 14:5-8) “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 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. 7 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8 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.”
b. One thing that Paul says here is that “We belong to the Lord.”
c. We are the Lord’s. He purchased us with His own blood.
i. Sometimes people think that they don’t want to belong to anyone, thinking that it means some kind of bondage.
ii. But this is where our liberty or freedom lies.
d. There was a time when we were really in bondage to sin, Satan was our Father, but now we have been Translated into God’s kingdom.
i. Now God is our Father and we have been set free from the bondage of sin.
2. In these Vs here (ROM 14:5-8) Paul is mainly talking about judging one another because of the differences that we may have, but these little difference don’t matter, as long as it’s not against the Word of God.
II. ROM 14:9-12
A. Again Paul is dealing with judging one another.
1. In (Romans 14:9) It says, “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.”
a. One of the reasons that Jesus came to Earth was that we would no longer be judged by one another.
b. He is our Lord and Master, It’s His job to judge, not ours.
2. In (V 10) Paul says, “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
a. Paul uses the words “Judgment Seat” here, in the Greek it is the “Bema” seat.
i. It is the seat where Christians will appear, but it is not a judgment seat like we would think, it is a reward seat.
ii. This is where the Lord will determine the rewards that we will get or lack of rewards.
iii. He is the Righteous Judge. He will judge us exactly according to our works.
b. The greatest area that Christians will be judged is in the area of faithfulness.
i. Faithfulness in church, in prayer, in the Word, in walking in love, faithfulness to what God has given us to do.
ii. In (MATT 25) we have the story of the servants that received 5, 2, and 1 talents. Those that went out and did what the Lord told them to do, came before the Lord and the Lord said to them, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”
iii. There rewards were based on faithfulness.
B. ROM 14:13-14
1. Paul comes right out and says, “Let’s stop judging one another.”
a. 1 COR 11:31
b. What Paul is telling us here and in (ROM 14) is that we should not judge one another, but judge yourself, so that you will not be a stumbling block to someone else.
2. In (V 14) Paul said, “there is nothing unclean of itself.”
a. His statement refers to eating food.
i. Jewish custom…
ii. There is no food the is unclean of itself.
b. But if someone feels that it is wrong to eat something or If you fell that it’s wrong to do something that the Word does not much on, then it’s wrong to you, but if you don’t fell that there is anything wrong with it, don’t worry about it or feel any condemnation.
i. Sometimes the Lord will deal with someone not to do something, because they have a problem with it.
c. Like watching TV.
i. The Lord might tell someone to stop watching all TV because they have a problem with it.
ii. But you can’t force that on someone else.
C. Romans 14:15-23 From the NIV.
15 If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16 Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
22 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. 23 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.
WOLCC Thurs. 1/18/96