Four things to remember before judging others:
I. We should accept those who are “
Romans 14:1 (NIV84) Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.
A. Accept weaker Christians because we are in the same
Romans 14:2 (NIV84) One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
B. We must give grace in
Disputable Matters: “Non-essential issues in the Christian life; “Gray areas” in which the Bible does not spell out clear guidelines”; ESV=“quarrels of opinion”.
II. We are not responsible to
Romans 14:3 (NIV84) 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.
A. The
B. The
Romans 14:4 (NIV84) 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. God is responsible to
Allow God to change people. He is not only willing, but He is
perfectly ABLE to do so.
III. Only God can judge people’s heart
Romans 14:5-6 (NIV84) One man considers one day more sacred than another; an-other 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.
A. We should allow every Christian to act out of honest
Romans 14:7-8 (NIV84) 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. Regardless of your convictions, we all
We are servants of the Lord and only He has the RIGHT & ability to change us.
IV. Jesus will judge
Romans 14:9-12 (NIV84) For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 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. 11 It is written: ” ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘eve-ry knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ ” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
A. We will all have to give an
Are YOU ready to stand before Jesus?
Discussion Questions:
1. What did you learn from this message? Share one point that stood out to you.
2. Paul talked about “disputable matters” in this section of Romans 14. Make a list of non-essential issues and a list of essential issues for the Christian.
3. What matters more to God: the nonessentials, or the attitude of our hearts, which affects our salvation? Why?
4. Why should we have a humble attitude when it comes to the nonessentials? Is there room for different (but correct) interpretations of a text?
5. Following Paul’s instruction to accept others, what practical strategies can we imple-ment when we disagree with others over their interpretation of a text or doctrine we may disagree with?