(#455) Romans 14 - Do You Value the Differences Between You and Others?Being Different is Good...Right?
(#455) Romans 13 – Feb 24, 2019 -TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - Do You Value the Differences Between You and Others?
Welcome To BARAH MINISTRIES a Christian Church Rory Clark Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…a Christian Church with worldwide impact. My name is Pastor Rory Clark. At Barah Ministries, our God is the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We make a difference by teaching the Word of God from God’s perspective, and not from man’s perspective.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - Do You Value the Differences Between You and Others?
Sovereignty is a little used word today, yet it is a powerful and descriptive word. What is sovereignty?
SOVEREIGNTY Having supreme power or authority…number one in rank…having independent power…having indisputable power…being in complete control of everything that happens.
What a perfect word to describe our perfect God, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What a perfect word to describe each member of the Triune Godhead! God is Sovereign…His is the Name above all names.
In Isaiah, Chapter 46, God reminds The Jewish Race of His uniqueness and His Sovereign power…in Verses 9 and 10, God says of Himself…
ISAIAH 46:9 “Remember…I am God…and there is no other God…I am God, and there is no one like Me…”
ISAIAH 46:10 “Declaring the end from the beginning…and from ancient times declaring things which have not been done (He predicts the future)…saying, ‘My purpose will be established and I will accomplish all My good pleasure…’”
Our Sovereign God knows the future because He controls it. In Daniel, Chapter 4, Verses 34 and 35, King Nebuchadnezzar admits what we will all realize and admit…either now or in the future…
DANIEL 4:34 “…I, King Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my sanity returned to me…and I blessed the Most High God and I praised and honored Him…the One who lives forever…for His dominion (control) is an everlasting dominion (over everything)…and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.”
Our Sovereign God is a permanent fixture in the universe.
DANIEL 4:35 “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing…but God does according to His will…(He does what He pleases) among the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth…and no one can ward off God’s hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”
No one can question God.
Our Sovereign God sits on the throne of the Universe. Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verses 3 and 11 describe God’s Sovereignty well…
EPHESIANS 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…
EPHESIANS 1:11 …who works all things into conformity with His will…
Nothing in the universe happens without our Sovereign God’s permission. Job said it well in Job, Chapter 42, Verse 2…
JOB 42:2 “I (Job) know that You (God) can do all things…and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.”
Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 16 and 17 sum up God’s sovereignty well…
COLOSSIANS 1:16 For by the Lord’s almighty hand all things were created…both in the heavens and on the earth…visible things and invisible things…whether thrones or dominions (the heavenly angelic hierarchy)…whether rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
COLOSSIANS 1:17 He is before all things…and in Him all things hold together.
Our sovereign God is the CAUSE. As the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said, our He is the “unmoved mover” … our God holds the universe together with the word of His power. What a great Person to have on your side! Welcome to a place where you can learn how to be in relationship with the Sovereign God of the Universe, and where you can learn about His personal plan, His will and His purpose for your life.
Let’s celebrate the Lord in song! The Lord Jesus Christ tells us that if we study His Word, we will know the truth, and the truth will make us free. As believers in Christ, we know God makes us free. We are children…heirs… of the Living God. Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 36 tells us…
ROMANS 8:36 …if the Son makes you free…and of course He does…you will be free indeed.
Let’s listen to a Christian singing group out of Australia as they tell us what being free really means from our Lord’s perspective…we are free to be… here’s WHO YOU SAY I AM by Hillsong...let’s listen!
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
WHO YOU SAY I AM Hillsong
OPENING PRAYER Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Thank you Father for making us different…and through studying Your mind, thank you for helping us value the differences between us and others…
Let our differences be the things that bond us…let our differences engender a need for each other…help us to recognize how important unity is, and how destructive the delusion of independence can be…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - Do You Value the Differences Between You and Others?
Most people don’t.
A Pastor transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the ten thousand-member church where he would be introduced as the Pastor that very morning. He sat outside the church for thirty minutes while it was filling with people for the morning service. Only three people out of the seven to ten thousand people filing in said hello to him. He asked people for change to buy food – no one in the church gave him a penny.
SLIDE “Does anyone have any change?”
He sat in the front of the church auditorium, and he was asked by the ushers to please sit in the back. He greeted people…only to have his greeting met with stares and dirty looks. People were looking down on him. As he sat in the back of the church, he listened to the church announcements. The elders of the church declared excitedly, “We would like to introduce to you your new Pastor.” The congregation began clapping and looking around in joyful anticipation. When the homeless man sitting in the back stood up and walked down the aisle, the clapping stopped.
SLIDE Pastor Jeremiah Steepek
All eyes were on him. He walked up to the altar and took the microphone from the elders, who knew what the Pastor was doing in advance. He paused for a moment…then he read Matthew, Chapter 25, Verses 34 to 40…
MATTHEW 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are the blessed ones of My Father…inherit the kingdom My God and Father prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”
MATTHEW 25:35 “‘For I (the King) was hungry…and you gave Me something to eat…I was thirsty…and you gave Me something to drink…I was a stranger…and you invited Me in…’”
MATTHEW 25:36 “‘…I was naked, and you clothed Me…I was sick and you visited Me…I was in prison and you came to Me.’”
The righteous didn’t remember ever ministering to the King.
MATTHEW 25: 37 “Then the righteous (believers in Christ) will answer Jesus and say, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You…or when did we see you thirsty and give You something to drink?”
MATTHEW 25:38 “‘And when did we see You a stranger and invite You in…or when did we see You naked and clothe You?’”
MATTHEW 25:39 “‘When did we see You sick…or in prison…and come to You?’”
MATTHEW 25:40 “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine…even (and especially) to the least of my brothers…then you ministered to Me.’”
After Pastor Steepek read this passage, he looked towards the congregation and told them all what he had experienced that morning. Many began to cry, and many heads were bowed in shame. He said, “There is no condemnation for those in union with Christ! Today I see a gathering of individuals…not a church of Jesus Christ’s disciples. The world has enough individuals, but not enough people reflecting the virtues of the Christ. When will YOU decide to become disciples?” Then he dismissed his new congregation.
Reflecting Jesus Christ is more than just talk. It’s a lifestyle that allows others around you to see His unconditional love in action. So a question for reflection…is your life a reflection of your Savior?
Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, one of the best teams in the history of American football, six times a Super Bowl champion, was arrested this past week as part of a sting operation, and was charged with soliciting a prostitute. Allegedly, the police have his indiscretions on video.
Robert Kraft is Jewish. By the world’s standards, he is a powerful man. Yet he fell…he made a mistake if these allegations are true. A reminder…he is innocent until proven guilty. If he visited our congregation today, could you look at him, knowing of the allegations…knowing he is imperfect…and welcome him with open arms without judging him? Most can’t. Most won’t. It will be interesting to watch the world trample this great man… forgetting all he has accomplished…instead focusing on a single mistake.
It’s really a shame, because no one knows what it’s like to be at the point of an organization of this magnitude. No one knows what it’s like to be under the kind of scrutiny that goes with this chosen profession unless you have done it. Yet everyone is quick to judge him as immoral or deviant or whatever other vile things people say. It’s hardly a way to treat anyone.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ didn’t treat people that way…Matthew, Chapter 9, Verses 10 to 13…
MATTHEW 9:10 Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in Matthew’s house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.
MATTHEW 9:11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with tax collectors and sinners?”
Remember, a sinner is an unbeliever. Many of the sinners the Pharisees were talking about were prostitutes. The Pharisees would never be caught dead associating with “these kind of people” … at least not in public.
MATTHEW 9:12 But when Jesus heard the things the Pharisees were saying, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician (who need a relationship with the Lord), but those who are sick (sinners) need a physician.”
MATTHEW 9:13 “But you Pharisees need to go and learn what this means: ‘I (the Lord Jesus Christ) desire compassion…and not animal sacrifice’ … for I did not come to call the righteous (believers in Christ who need no salvation)…but I came to call sinners (to a change of mind about Christ).”
The Lord didn’t care how it looked that He was hanging out with tax collectors and sinners.
Well these stories and this passage transition us into our study of Romans, Chapter 14…and the study of this chapter begins with a question. Do you value the differences between you and others? How do you treat others, specifically other believers in Christ? Let’s listen to Romans, Chapter 14 in its entirety. As you listen, create a picture in your mind of what the Lord is communicating to us with the passages of this chapter.
ROMANS 14:1 Now accept the one who is weak in faith…but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.
ROMANS 14:2 One person has faith that he may eat all things…but he who is weak eats vegetables only.
ROMANS 14:3 The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat… and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats…for God has accepted him.
ROMANS 14:4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master a servant stands or falls…and the servant will stand…for the Lord is able to make him stand.
ROMANS 14:5 One person regards one day above another…another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.
ROMANS 14:6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord…and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God…and he who eats not, it is for the Lord he does not eat…and he gives thanks to God.
ROMANS 14:7 For not one of us lives for himself…and not one of us dies for himself…
ROMANS 14:8 …for if we live, and we do, we live for the Lord…or if we die, we die for the Lord…therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
ROMANS 14:9 For to this end Christ died and lived again…that He might be the Lord… both of the dead and of the living.
ROMANS 14:10 But you…why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
ROMANS 14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me…and every tongue shall give praise to God.”
ROMANS 14:12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
ROMANS 14:13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.
ROMANS 14:14 I (Paul) know and I am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself…but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
ROMANS 14:15 For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to unconditional love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.
ROMANS 14:16 Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil…
ROMANS 14:17 …for the kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking…but the kingdom of God is about righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
ROMANS 14:18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and is approved by men.
ROMANS 14:19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and which make for the building up of one another.
ROMANS 14:20 Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense.
ROMANS 14:21 It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.
ROMANS 14:22 The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
ROMANS 14:23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith…and whatever is not from faith is sin.
This passage talks about differences between the strong and the weak… which one are you? A question for reflection…when you notice differences between you and others…do you value them? When we return from our five-minute break we’ll hear more about the intent of this chapter.
FIVE MINUTE BREAK Unconditional Love Donna Summers
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - Do You Value the Differences Between You and Others?
Let’s welcome Deacon Denny Goodall with the offering message.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
EPHESIANS 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation…and the sword of the Spirit…which is the Word of God.
OFFERING VERSE
EPHESIANS 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit…and with this in view…be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints…
OFFERING FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE Dave McClure, Instrumental
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - Do You Value the Differences Between You and Others?
God values our differences…in fact he created us to be different. God knows everything about you…and He is “BARAH-ING” you…He is making something out of nothing. Here’s Francesca Battistelli (BAT-TIS-STELLI) to sing about it in her song HE KNOWS MY NAME.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
HE KNOWS MY NAME Francesca Battistelli
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - Do You Value the Differences Between You and Others?
Welcome back!
Do you value the differences between yourself and others? How can Christians be in unity when all of us are so different from each other? Clearly God wants us to find out! There is no theme change as we move from Romans, Chapters 12 and 13 into Romans, Chapter 14…we are still being commanded to love our neighbors unconditionally, just as we love ourselves. If there is one word that explains the whole of Christianity it is LOVE…unconditional love.
The French say, “Viva la Difference!” Long live the differences! One of the greatest ways to reflect Jesus Christ is to value the differences. Luke, Chapter 7, Verses 36 to 48…
LUKE 7:36 Now one of the Pharisees (Simon) was requesting that Jesus dine with him…and so Jesus entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.
LUKE 7:37 And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner (an unbeliever and probably a prostitute)…and when she learned that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she (came to listen to Him and) brought an alabaster vial of (very expensive) perfume…
LUKE 7:38 …and standing behind Jesus at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and she kept on wiping them with the hair of her head…and she kept on kissing Jesus’ feet and anointing them with the perfume.
LUKE 7:39 Now when the Pharisee (Simon) who had invited Jesus to dinner saw this, he said to himself, “If (for the sake of argument) this man (Jesus) were a prophet, He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him…that she is a sinner.”
Remember “sinner” means an unbeliever…most likely a prostitute.
LUKE 7:40 And Jesus answered him … “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And Simon replied, “Say it, Teacher.”
LUKE 7:41 “A moneylender had two debtors…one owed him five hundred denarii (about two years of wages)…the other owed him fifty denarii (about three months of wages).”
LUKE 7:42 When the debtors were unable to repay, the moneylender graciously forgave them both. So which of the debtors will love the moneylender more?”
Oh snap!
LUKE 7:43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom the moneylender forgave more.” And Jesus said to Simon, “You have judged correctly.”
LUKE 7:44 Turning toward the woman, Jesus said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house…you gave Me no water to wash my My feet (as is custom)…but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
LUKE 7:45 You gave Me no kiss (a standard greeting)…but since the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss My feet.
LUKE 7:46 You did not anoint My head with oil (as is custom), but she anointed My feet with perfume.
LUKE 7: 47 For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven… for she loved much…but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
LUKE 7:48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven (an absolutely completed action for your benefit).”
Do you value the differences between yourself and others? Romans Chapter 14 contrasts the strong and the weak among believers in Christ. Which one are you? And if you are strong, how do you treat the week? In the next few lessons you’ll get a chance to examine yourselves in the matter of your unconditional love and your treatment of others.
GOD WANTS YOU! Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
The closing moments of our study are for the benefit of anyone who does not have a personal relationship with the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We want you to know that GOD WANTS YOU.
When a person evangelizes to you, they are presenting a gospel message for your consideration. They know they cannot “convert” you, although the pressure you experience from some of them might feel like that’s what they want to do. Most are simply giving you facts to consider…facts that you may or may not know.
For example…if you have ever had Jehovah’s Witnesses come to your door, they are evangelizing you. If you have ever had members of the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints come to your door, they are evangelizing you. Unfortunately, both of those groups are inviting you to share eternity with them in the Lake of Fire, because neither of these groups believe that Jesus Christ is God. I have family members who are part of one of these religions, and in spite of my best evangelism efforts, my family members don’t want to hear anything I have to say.
Many parents are leading their children to a destiny in the Lake of Fire. If you want to assess whether or not you’re a good parent, just ask yourself a simple question…are you influencing your children to have a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Sovereign God of the Universe? He is the only way to get to heaven…John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…
JOHN 14:6 Jesus said to the doubting apostle, Thomas, “I am the way (to salvation), and I am the truth (through the gospel message…the Word of God), and I am the resurrection life…and no one comes to God the Father (in heaven) but through believing in Me.”
If a gospel message makes it sound like you have to work to get to heaven, it’s probably a false gospel message. Second Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 1 warns…
SECOND PETER 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people…just as there will also be false teachers among you…who will secretly introduce destructive heresies…even denying the Master (the Lord Jesus Christ) who bought them (to earth)…bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
Romans, Chapter 11, Verse 6 says…
ROMANS 11:6 …if salvation is by grace (a free gift from God)…and of course it is…it is no longer on the basis of works…otherwise grace (as a free gift) is no longer grace (free).
Romans, Chapter 4, Verse 4 says you can’t work for salvation…
ROMANS 4:4 Now to the one who works (for salvation), his wage (for his work) is not credited (to his account) as a favor (from the grace of God), but (his wage is credited) as what is due for the work.
Do you want to get to heaven free of charge? Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…
ACTS 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
John, Chapter 3, Verse 36 warns…
JOHN 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment… but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”
John, Chapter 3, Verse 17…
JOHN 3:17 For God the Father did not send God the Son into the world to judge the world…but the Father sent the Son into the world that the world might be saved through Him.
Take the free gift of eternal life right now! There’s no time to waste! God wants you. If you want to go to heaven when you close your eyes in this life, simply believe of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
Why did the Lord Jesus Christ go to the Cross in our place to die for the sins of all mankind? Here’s June Murphy to tell us in her song, ALL BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO.
CLOSING SONG
ALL BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO June Murphy
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
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