Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and devotions. Let's jump on the computer here and make sure everybody's gonna join us live online.
Let's go ahead and make sure everybody is able to join us live almost perfect. Well, good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and ocean disorder every day you and I, we get together a little bit coffee. We get into God's word and we throw it out love some more together and this year 2022. We'll make it all the way from the book of Acts to the book of fine Lehman. So good to be with you this morning. Why don't we have some coffee? We'll pray we'll get into work. That's great. Father, we thank you for this. What a joy and a blessing it is to get to hear from you each and every day. Lord, we pray that as we read your word you bless us Father, we pray that you if you're a teacher, we pray that we would know you and that Lord you would teach us by your Spirit, to have peace, joy and righteousness in Jesus's name. Are you ready? Go Romans chapter 14 Yuning apples 14 and we'll read through Chapter 15 In that first six. So here we go. I know that I am convinced by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself, but to him who considers anything to be unclean. To him, it is unclean. Yet, if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food, the one for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things, is acceptable to God and approved by men. Therefore, let us pursue the things which make for peace, and the things by which one may edify another do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats the defense. It is good neither to eat meat, nor to drink wine, nor to do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before happiness He who does not condemned himself and what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats because he does not eat from faith. And whatever is not from faith is and we then who are strong ought to bear with his rules of the week and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good leading to edification. For even Christ did not please himself. But as it is written, the reproaches of those who approached you fell on me for whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have, oh, Now may the God of patience and comfort rent you to be like minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may be that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Well it's an amazing passage we have so we need to ask ourselves a What is this about be what's the best verses sunrises and see what are we called to do in response to that? So what is this about but he's continuing on almost wrapping up this whole section on this tension between the Jewish people and then Gentile and the church and Rome. I mean, people the Gentiles would mercilessly mocked Jewish people for their dietary restrictions. And Jewish people would look down their noses on Gentiles who would eat this week. And yet Romans who came to Christ now are struggling with well, there's certain meat that they can't eat because it was sacrifice idols. So their consciences are burdened, and people are looking down on them. So there's all these people who are dealing this way with one another and hopefully spirit here tells us a way forward in this and its way of love and patience.
See on this first part, verse 14, through verse eight team, that first paragraph he's saying, In all reality, there's nothing unclean. Right? It's not what goes into your mouth that makes you unclean, but comes out. This is why Paul says that I know that I I know and I'm convinced by the word Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself. Right. So he's going back to what Jesus said that there's nothing unclean right? It's even God Himself and brought down the sheet in a book of Acts before Peter, and told him to eat and what he's declared clean. Let no man to call unclean as there's nothing unclean in and of itself. But in verse 15, right, great you latch on to that truth. Yet if your brother is brief, because of food, you are no longer walking in love. And the body it just said the fulfilling of the commandments is to love your neighbor as yourself. And so if in your freedom you are destroying your brother, you're not loving, so you're not keeping the commandments. You're not bringing glory to God. This is not what Christ has called you to. Do not destroy with your food, the one for whom Christ SEE the kingdom of God isn't about food. It's about loving one another. It's about loving God. Christ died showing his love for that seat next to you. So don't go and destroy him because of something as silly as food with the kingdom of God. Is about righteousness and about peace and about joy. It's it Stop Stop it with this food stuff right? Stop it with your your judgmentalism and stop it with your trampling on people's consciences right this one's getting that year in love your brother, don't worry about your own personal rights but let us pursue the things verse 19 through 23, that next paragraph once you're getting it, oh, verse 19, and verse 23, I think are the heart of the verses and he says, Therefore, let us pursue the things which make peace and the things which one may edify another do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food in numbers 23 but he who doubts is condemned if he eats because he does not eat from faith whatever is not a faith is sin, that peace with each other. It's like Paul elsewhere would say you know, if I have to never eat meat again, that's fine. I'll become a vegetarian for life. It means that somebody could see when we need to make sure that in our Christian liberty, status a blessing from God, we don't then trample the consciences of our brothers and sisters and forced upon them something that would make them violate their consciences. Now, this is especially important when it says in verse 23, but he who doubts is condemned if you eat because he does not eat Psalm eight and whatever is not a thief. It's so let's let's paint the scenario. There's a 60 Brandon Christian, who's really struggling with his meat that was bought in the marketplace is really struggling with this. What would you say yes to members in the church that are within this is a group of three people that the Roman Christian can't eat that make sacrifices, because this consciousness is you have one brother. And that brothers sitting there going, you know, man I get it. Yeah, I was. I totally understand that. So you know, when you come over for the barbecue later, we'll roast some vegetables. Don't worry about it. You don't have to eat the meat. I totally get it. But then you have another person let's say she's a sister in the church. And she's this Jewish woman has done amazing freedom in Christ. Right the dietary laws are gone. She's rejoicing is wonderful, and, and she wants everybody to know this freedom they have in Christ. And she comes and she's like, Yo, what's going on? Here? Why isn't there any meat on the barbecue? Come on we can we can have this meet the brother who is sympathetic towards this new roman Christian he says he's really struggling with this right so we're just gonna we're just gonna go all Daniel on this right? We're just going to eat vegetables will be all right. And she says, Oh, he's trampling down my conscience. Why are you such a pansy? Come on. Don't you know all things are are clean. Just eat it. You'll be fine.
She's trampling on that person's conscience. And if he was being pressured, strong run into eating that food. She's being tightened over his conscious. If he ate that food, it's sin for whatever is not safe to sin. So we need to be careful right how we treat other people we need to be able to put our own rights, our own privileges on Christian liberty and Christ, if it means that we can love our brothers and sisters now. I'm gonna say you're right. There's a tyranny of the person with a free conscience. There's also a tightening of what would Paul would address in the book of Galatians with the Judaizers, the tyranny of the weak conscience. When the person with a weak conscience doesn't love their neighbor doesn't want to be at peace, but they tell everybody in the church no one's allowed to do this. You cannot handle you cannot teach you cannot touch and they try to force their will and their conviction on everyone else. And it actually brings into the church through the backdoor. Legalism and self righteousness. So both of these often strong personalities and very firm convictions, by principle, ended up actually ripping apart the church and this is what Paul is saying, Look behind you. Right, no, no center on Peace Center on Joy center on righteousness show love to one another and then in this last section, verses one through six of chapter 15. What is this good networks it just what we've been talking about right? In verse one, it says, bear with the scruples of the weak and not these, and not to please ourselves, right? If we're the strong brother if we're the strong sister we ought to bear with the weak consciences of those who struggle with things. Wonderful, you have a more liberal sense of Christian liberty. That's, that's great. So not because they are demanding it, because it brings glory to God, that peace with all men so long as it depends upon you love that person. That might mean that we give up some of our Christian liberties at times. And there's certain people I go around that there are certain topics certain things certain areas in life that I'm not going to talk about it. But just like, I know that there are some people in my life who I've really struggled with alcohol, and the Lord delivered me from that sin. And for a while though, I remember when I had to practice total abstinence, putting to death, the simple desires of life, life being a former drunkard. But now I know that okay, I can have a beer or two and that's not a big deal. But there are certain people in my life that are still struggling with it. So I'm not going to go out to eat and purposely order some alcohol in front of them and cause them to stumble and fall. Right? No, hold on. We love these people who care for them. Who have the stronger conscience ought to be motivated first, by love for even Christ did not be some self. Jesus is our example of Jesus or with a weaker conscience all the time. So we ought to follow after Him. This is where verse five and six I think is wrapping up this section. Now may the God patience and comfort, great view, to be like minded toward one another according to Christ Jesus, that you mate with one mind and one mouth glorify God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is patient with you. So we can be patient with others. Bring them along the journey. Walk with them as they continue to progress and be patient with the weaker brother or the weaker system. Show them the joy there is the following Christ. You know, it was my pastor. We just very gently and slowly walked me through this, this reality that no Brian, not all alcohol is sinful. Actually, here's the logical reasoning behind it. And here's how we follow Christ with one another. They did it in such a gentle and humble way. And so thankful to him for it. So what are the best verses what would you underline in your Bible? I got a whole bunch here underlined. You know, what would you underline in your Bible I have, oh,
I have verse 15. I have verse 17. I have verse 19, and 20. I have verse, one, three and five and six, you do better. Minimizing that down let me know what would you underline and your Bible is the best verse that summarizes if you're on Facebook or YouTube, just write that down in the comment. Lastly, what are you called to do in response to this? Are you going to be like Christ? Will you be patient? Will you be loving? You have the stronger conscience? Will you live by judgment, wisdom? Or will you pursue joy, peace and righteousness? What is it in your life? Maybe there's some extra biblical standard or maybe even biblical principles, but they aren't God's commandments that you've been forcing on others out of your conscience? Are you the tyrant of your Christian liberty? Or are you the tyrant of your weak conscience? I'll leave that with you. There's all sorts of principles there. But whatever is not done a faith. We must have a clean conscience about these things. When your own heart you ask yourself, am I showing Christ like patients and they're showing Christ like love? And me showing Christ like joy and peace of righteousness? Father, we thank You that You have been so patient with us that you have been so humbled that you came from heaven in the lightness that you might emphasize with us in every way you put aside your crown right? You put aside your glory that you hadn't Haven't you put aside all your all your pomp and stance and you have patience and understanding. You challenge Lord, that's the shirt. You taught us the things of your law. And Father, you have shown us the way we ought to live with God, we pray that you would please let us be often Jesus's or made a piece of Jesus Christ washed over your soul. And may the patience of God well up in you a love toward others that would endure and build up your brothers and sisters of Christ. May you enjoyed this day. And I'll see you tomorrow. Bye.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai