Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Romans

Romans 14 Introduction Part 1

INTRO: The issue of Christian Liberty is always confronting the Believer and the church who tries to please God with their behavior. What can a Believer do and what should he/she not do socially and personally? Let's see what some people think.

  In the late 1800's choirs that wore robes were considered worldly by some Christians.

  A Christian from the South may be repelled by a co-ed swim party while at the same time offend his northern brother by lighting up a cigarette.

  A Christian from Canada thought it worldly for a woman to wear a wedding ring while a Christian from Europe thought it almost immoral for a wife not to wear a ring that signaled her status.

  A Christian man from Denmark cringes over  British Bible School students who play football, while the same these British students would look down on the Dane for smoking a pipe.

  Charles Spurgeon was criticized for riding in a first class compartment on a train between speaking engagements. Mr. Spurgeon, what are you doing up there? I am riding in the back in 3rd class taking care of God's money. Spurgeon replied, I am here in 1st class taking care of the Lord's servant.

  2 of the most famous Christians in the Victorian Era in England were Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker. Both were mighty preachers of the Gospel who fellowshiped together and even served in each others pulpits. Until one day they had a disagreement. Spurgeon accused Parker of being unspiritual because Parker attended the theater. Spurgeon however, smoked cigars which many would condemn.

  No smoking, drinking, dancing, gambling, going to the movies, playing cards, listening to rock music, no sports activities played or attended on Sundays.
  No jeans, no sneakers, no shirts w/o a collar for boys and men, no slacks, no ornate jewelry, no abundance of makeup for women for worship services.

  This is a statement many Christian schools and churches make their members sign if they want to attend there.

  COME ON! God is not pleased with these self-righteous opinions and the divisions in His Church that they make.  We all need to learn to Grow Up!

EXP:  While the Bible contains many clear commands, it is also silent or ambiguous about many issues. These 'gray areas' have always been the source of disputes and conflict among God's people..and I might add, to their shame.

    The can do's treat the can't do's like immature children.  The can't do's treat the can do's with criticism and judgmental attitudes. Both are majoring on the minors and God's work is hindered as well as the testimony of Christlikeness to the watching world.

  What principals should guide us when our actions are criticized by others or when we feel critical toward someone else's behavior? Romans 14 will help us answer these questions. But before we can dive into the text, I feel it necessary to set the stage by examining the basic issues before we look at the specifics of Rom. 14.

Trans: To that end I want to briefly answer the question 'What really is Christian Liberty' ?

I. What Really is Christian Liberty?
  Let's listen in on a conversation that just might have taken place back in Paul's day concerning this very issue.

Ill:  Your doctrine of grace and liberty is dangerous! Paul's enemies argue. Why, if Christians are free from the Law, they will live wicked lives! We need the Law to control them!

  People have used this same argument down through the centuries. The problem is that they have not understood that it is Grace and not the Law that is the greatest teacher and controller in the world. For many, Christian liberty, or the lack of it, is a control issue. And what these individuals try to do when they tell you that you can't do this or you should do that is take the role of God over your life. And that is sin.

  Paul, in Gal. 5:1 exhorts us to stand firm in our Christian liberty. Because, he says,  if we slip back into legalism, we risk returning to the bondage that Christ's death on the cross freed us from. You see, Christian liberty is freedom.

DEF: Christian liberty is the freedom to love and serve God and His people.

Use Overhead 1

  Understand that this is in reference to those things indifferent, silent or neither stated as good or bad. It is in reference to those things either not specifically prescribed nor directly prohibited in Scripture.
 

ILL: John Calvin said ' We are not bound before God to any observance of external things which are in themselves indifferent but that we are now at full liberty either to use or omit them.'

  Paul says in Romans 14:14 that there is nothing unclean of itself. By that he means there is nothing unholy. With these words Paul is stating that all external things fall under our liberty as Christians. Provided that our conscience is in agreement and provided it doesn't offend or cause a fellow Christian to stumble.

Read: 1 Cor. 10:23-24

  This text must be our guide in all things as they relate to our liberty, or freedom in Christ.

ILL: Martin Luther once said ' A Christian man is the most free lord of all and subject to none. A Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all and subject to every one.

 Although these two statements may seem to be contradictory, they are eternally and practically true, especially when viewed in light of the 1 Cor. 10 passage I just read. We are only free when we are loving God and others and serving both to the glory of God.

Conclusion:
  It seems that sometimes, the freedom that Christ gives us is often more than some can handle. So in order to gain control of their lives and those around them whom they deem as becoming more worldly, they try to keep their faith safe by adding a lot of rules that really aren't Scriptural.

  Christians talk about freedom in Christ but more often than not, what the unbelieving world sees is not freedom but a bunch of do's and don'ts. That is the religion of the Pharisees not of True Christianity. And unbelievers are not drawn to God by that kind of lifestyle.

    Understanding Christian liberty will help us to better understand the whole weaker brother, stronger brother issue. Who really is a weaker and stronger brother? This is the question we will examine next week.

  Remember, Christian liberty is the freedom to love and serve both God and His people.

  Leave this place living out your freedom, in love.

Christian liberty is freedom from our old life of sin  and freedom for our new life in Christ.

Christian liberty is not however:
1. The freedom to sin since we now live under grace.  (Rom. 6:1-3)
2. The freedom to break man's laws. (Rom. 13:1)
3. The freedom to do that which will offend another. (Rom. 14:19-20)
4. The freedom to do any activity that gives the appearance of evil, even if the activity is in itself not sinful. (1 Thess. 5:22)