Romans 14:13–18Scripture
This morning we have made our way to Romans chapter 14. Our assignment today is 13 through 18. Thirteen through 18. At the heart of this portion of Scripture, we see service to one another, at least that's my take on it. It talks about many things. It talks about righteousness. It talks about opinions and preferences. It talks about Christ. But at the heart of it, there is a difference between serving self and serving others, serving self and serving Christ. And for me, that is the heart of the message. And honestly, it is the antithesis of our culture. For many of us set goals in life and set our course based on what we will become, what we will accomplish, what we will do, the awards we will win, and the things that we will do with our life. Many of us consider retirement, and we consider how we might retire, how this will affect us.
And at the end of the day, the Christian life is not about you.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 1:15
Is it? About laying your life down as Christ laid his down, and he calls us to this type of living. It is a righteous living. It is one that can only be empowered by the Holy Spirit.
And so we read this morning in Romans 14:13–18. "Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is
Introduction
Unclean in and of itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking, the kingdom of God isn't a matter of eating or drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men." That's good stuff. I felt it necessary today to name the sermon. I named it "Dueling basins." Not dueling fiddles, not dueling guitars, but dueling basins. You might be asking me this in your head, "What does that mean?" Many of you might not even know what a basin is. Here is one thing we can gather from this verse: serve others, not yourself. So where does the dueling basins come from, and what does that have to do with Romans 14 and service? I'm glad you asked. John 13:3–5 says this: "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him."
Many of us fight for titles and positions. We want to be somebody. Yet Jesus removes his and serves somebody.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 4:07
That is the heart of Christ, and if we are going to serve him, we must be like him. There's another basin, the only other basin in the entire Bible. Maybe you remember when Pilate was presented with an option of what to do with this Christ. He too handled a basin, and he took the basin, he washed his hands, and he said, "I want to wash my hands of this decision. Let it be done to him what you please. I will not make this decision." It is amazing, because in the most difficult time of Christ's life, right before Gethsemane, right before the cross, he takes a basin of water and he serves other people. Then there's another basin, which we know about, where Pilate takes a basin and serves himself.
Pilate took a basin of water and put himself first. Jesus took a basin of water and put others first.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 5:22
Which are you? Which are you when you're home? Which are you in your workplace? Which are you in your relationships? Which are you in your prayer life? Come on, man, if that ain't meddlin', I mean, I don't know what meddlin' is. Which are you? I want to talk about four things this morning specifically. I want to draw out four ideas and concepts that maybe help us consider what our service is like to others, and whether our service is framed by service to Christ or our service
Point 1Redirect your energy from judging to serving
To self. Paul then warns us and cautions us. Point one: the redistribution of our energies. We're going to go through this verse by verse. Well, we're going to pull several verses out. Verse 13, as a reminder: "Therefore let us," here's the command, "let us not pass judgment on one another any longer." Okay, I can stop doing that. But he doesn't end there. He redistributes energies from one thing to another. He cautions us to not do one thing, but empowers us to take the energies from what we used to do and apply it to something else. What is the something else? "But rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother." Now, as we read that may be a bit confusing, because there's a lot of terminology here that lays pictures that you may take off and do what you please with. But Paul is speaking specifically here of how those energies must be used and in what way. You cannot forget where we've come from, and you cannot forget or not consider where we're going. Here the Apostle Paul calls for us to take energies from one thing and apply it to another. In other words, specifically, he tells us to use the energies we spend on judging others, to take that energy and apply it to serving others. How do we serve others, then? By not parading your preferences in front of others. That's it. That's what he's saying. That's how you become a stumbling block, by taking your preferences that we've been hearing about eating and drinking, taking your preferences and throwing it in people's face, even though they're against that you feel free to do that, they don't feel free to do that, and you take your preferences and you parade it before them like it's not a big deal.
That's not serving others. That's serving self.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 8:40
Do you hear the heart of service even from the first verse? Not parading your preferences in front of others. We have a tendency in our life to prioritize our preferences, and that makes you a stumbling block. That's what he's saying here, or in other words, a rock of offense. Does that remind you of another verse in Romans, anybody? One person. Listen to this, Romans 9:33. That's what it reminded me of: "As it is written, 'Behold, I am'" (everybody say "I am"). Who do I say that you are? God said to Moses, "I am." "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." Who is God making a stumbling block and a rock of offense? Jesus Christ. Shawn, what does that have to do with this situation? What does it have to do with this? I mean, because we're being commanded by the Apostle Paul here to not become a stumbling block. That's what we're being commanded. We're being told that we become a stumbling block and a rock of offense to another brother when we parade our preferences in front of them in our disagreement with one another. I believe that oftentimes when we do this, when we parade our preferences, it is our attempt to wield the authority that is solely God's.
Only God can lay a rock of offense, and the only rock of offense that has been laid is Christ.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 10:35
So when you become a stumbling block or a rock of offense, you become, in essence, you strive to become the I Am of the situation. But the Bible says the only rock of offense is Christ, and you ain't him, and you're not God. So he cautions us then to stop parading our preferences. Stop it. This isn't serving people. This is tripping people. Tripping, you know the phrase, "You be tripping." I like that. You be tripping people. Some of you be tripping people all the time. I'm not trying to be hip, just track with me though for a second. Like, I felt stupid saying that.
Your life becomes a stumbling block when you parade your preferences.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 11:49
We're guilty of attempting to step into the role of the I Am when becoming a stumbling block
Point 2Freedom is not liberty
To our neighbor. This is blasphemy. It is the greatest act of blasphemy. Number two: freedom is not liberty. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Oh man, how many of you have lived long enough to know that happiness is not your course, even as a believer? Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Notice it didn't say freedom, it says liberty. I want to start here as we kind of go in this, look at the verse. Where do you pull this from? "Freedom is not liberty." What are you talking about, Shawn? Verse 14 says, "I know and I am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean." Notice the limiting factor is your thought life. Notice here that there is, that we have been liberated. We have been liberated from ceremonial law in Christ Jesus. There are certain things we have been liberated from that we were once under, that was once our slave master, but now Christ is our slave master. We have been liberated. I want to start here though before we talk about freedom is not liberty. I want to talk about this Scripture. It has a tendency to pull some bad ideas out of it, is used to pull bad ideas out of it. Bad theologies are birthed out of the use of the Scripture, and so I want to speak very candidly to this, because this seems to be confusion in the midst of our conversations, which really we have adopted without much consideration of what it means. We say things sometimes because our grandpappy said something, and our family said something, and our pastor said something, and it's common phraseology that we've heard and adopted without much critical thought. So I want to caution us here in this text. "I know and I'm persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean." I want to start with this:
Sin is not relative. It is not sin for one person and not sin for another.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 14:38
Well, Shawn, but why does it say, "but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean"? Like, your thought life has the power to change what God has declared? If God has declared it as clean, it is clean. If God has declared it as unclean, it is unclean. What you think about a thing doesn't change what God has declared. Notice how this starts out. It starts out with the declaration of God. Everything, there is nothing, that nothing is unclean in itself. That's what the declaration is, specifically regarding eating and drinking. That's the declaration. If nothing is unclean, then nothing is unclean.
Your opinion does not change the cleanliness of a thing. What God has called clean is clean, what God has called unclean is unclean.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 15:41
I can look at my dogs all day long and think they're a cat, but they ain't a cat, they're a dog. Are you with me? Need I expand? And although you think your thought life is the epicenter of all mankind, it is not. God's is. God's is. You will see here that it does not become unclean because of what you think about it. It is simply saying that what you think shapes your perspective. That's what it's saying. This is where many people get the concept that sin is relative to each individual, but they don't understand this text. Do not forget that Paul laid out for us earlier that there are two individuals here. They are those who see certain foods as unclean and those who see the same foods as clean. He goes on to say that neither is a sin. What is a sin? Neither. So how do you get this idea that it becomes a sin? Neither are a sin, either abstaining or indulging. Neither are a sin. That's God's declaration. That's Paul's declaration, that this is simply an issue of preferences that are shaped by how people think and their perspective on the issue at hand. That's what this is saying. Now from there, let's move on to this: freedom is not liberty. They are different. Freedom is not the same thing as liberty. Liberty, and I looked this up, and I quote, this is not my saying this is what I read, I like it: "Liberty emphasizes the importance of individual rights and the limitations of governmental power, while freedom is more focused on the ability of individuals to pursue their own interests." We have been liberated in a sense, but we are not freed to an unrestricted pursuit of self-interests. How do you know that? Because even in our freedom we are bound by our service and how we walk before others so that we do not cause them to stumble. I'm free. Yeah, but you can't parade it. I'm free. Yeah, but don't you parade your preferences or you make someone stumble. I'm free. I'm a slave. I'm free. God, you freed me so I can do what I want. Not if it causes a brother to stumble. But I'm free. You're free to slavery. Oh, listen. You were a slave to sin. You with me? You are now a slave to righteousness. But I'm free from sin and bound to righteousness.
It was so fun as I transferred from here to here for three seconds. Now you're a slave again. Amazing, right?
Because service really is bondage. If I'm going to be in bondage to anything, it's going to be Christ.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 19:31
It's going to be him. Oh man.
Point 3Righteousness produces peace
Okay, number three: righteousness produces peace. I've been in homes, I've been in some homes, and not very, there's some homes you don't have to be there very long to realize there ain't a whole lot of peace in there. Come on now. Some be like, "You talking about me?" I don't know, I mean, you're there more than I am. How peaceful is it? Because an indication of the righteousness of those who are in a home is made evident by the peace there. Oh, come on now. Come on, man. Your relationships. Let's talk about, let's not talk about homes, that's too personal. Let's get more personal. Let's talk about relationships. Okay, peace in relationships becomes indicative of the righteousness of the individuals in that relationship. Verse 17: "For the kingdom of God," everybody say "kingdom of God" real quick, if you want to, you don't have to, because, do whatever you want, but I like "kingdom of God." I like that. "The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking." So what is it not? Now, some of us talk about what it's not. We tend to focus on the negative part of this, but the important part of this text is what it is. What is it? What is the kingdom of God? It's "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." That's good. That's good. I hear this a lot, and if you've been in church any amount of time, this seems to be a confusing term. It should be an explained term, but it's not. What is righteousness? You hear a multitude of different things from a multitude of different denominations. We often zero in on what the kingdom is not, but here in this text he says that righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, it's no, that it's not that the kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. So what is righteousness?
Righteousness is conformity to the nature, the will, and the law of God.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 22:28
That's what it is. That's the best explanation I could give you, because it's so much, but it really is that: righteousness is conformity to the nature and the will and the law of God. It says the kingdom of God is righteousness and peace. Righteousness and peace. How would this affect your prayer life to understand that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy? Right? It is conformity to the nature and to the will and to the law of God. How would it affect the way that you see Matthew 6:9–10? "You should pray like this: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, your kingdom." What is the kingdom of God? It's righteousness. What is righteousness? It is conformity to the will, the nature, and the law of God. "And now your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Let me ask you a question. In your home, do your children see the nature, the will, and the law of God? This is why we pray, "Thy kingdom come"
To my home. Guess how it comes? Through righteousness in your home. That's how it comes. That's how it comes. You know what righteousness produces? Peace. Where do you get that, Shawn? Because it says that the kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy. But what where do you get this idea that peace comes from righteousness? I'm glad you asked. Isaiah 32:17 says, "And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness," oh, I love that one, "and trust forever." Oh man, "and trust forever." I actually was preparing for some meetings that I had the privilege of leading in Orlando this last week during what they refer to as a hackathon for the IT department, as they prepare to develop new software to help advance Bible translation around the world. There are some issues that they ran into on the field that we were trying to remedy, and so we had some of our best developers, some of our best IT personnel, trying to figure out how to remedy these issues so that Bible translation would not slow down, but that which has the power to save could go forth into every tongue in the world. One of the things we considered was a statement by Simon Sinek. He is a secular guy, and he teaches leadership, but one of the things that I thought was so fascinating that he shared was this idea of big-cat bankers. Remember that season there for a little bit where it was all over the news, where these bankers were getting these gigantic bonuses and they were laying off people left and right in the organization? So as they were performing massive amounts of layoffs, these bankers were traveling and getting multimillion-dollar bonuses. Right? Which basin do you handle? The offense was not that they got a bonus. Track with me, that was not the offense. The offense is not that somebody receives money. We expect that our boss makes more than us. That's not the problem. Matter of fact, we don't get too offended when our boss has a bigger office than us. That is to be expected. The issue, though, is when that which has been received, a bonus, received money, received a bigger office, treats those around them as if they are disposable, but serve themselves rather than the people they were called to serve. We start having a problem with that. Let me break this down for you this way. Right, the issue is not a $200 million bonus to the big banker. The issue was they sacrificed people to get the bonus. That's the issue. If I were to tell you today that I were going to take $200 million and give it to Mother teresa, you wouldn't have a problem with that. Why? Because she serves others. See, the issue is not the money.
The money is amoral. The issue is how it's used.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 27:50
One comes from a basin of serving self, and the other handles a basin of serving others. Which are you, husbands? Which are you with your wives? Which are you?
Did you know that serving others so that you can be served is still serving self? That's manipulation.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 28:16
That's not serving, that's a farce. Oh, and listen, if you've been in the church any amount of time, you know how to say all the right things and look impressive. But I've been in the church just as long, if not longer, and I would say to you, some people who look the most Christiany are not, because we know how to put on the right face and say the right things and do the right things. But at the end of the day,
There's a reason why God judges our heart in the end,
Pastor Shawn Gray · 28:55
because the actions, because the profession, because what we say, because what we know to say is not necessarily indicative of the heart of an individual. So we are cautioned: which are you? Are you someone who serves self? Are you someone who serves others? Righteousness produces peace. I asked this question, so then the question remains: who is God? Who is God, if righteousness takes on the nature of God, okay, his nature, then who is he? What's his nature? And where do we discover the nature of God? If we are to live righteously, we should know his nature. Knowing his nature helps us and assists us in living righteously. Number one, here's two ways you know who God is. You know who God is, number one: the law. The law is broken up into two sections, two tablets: love God, love your neighbor. Notice the service is there because it's his nature. We see what he loves and what he doesn't love. We see what he cares about and what he doesn't care about. And, ladies and gentlemen, it is his glory, and it is men he laid his life down for, you and I.
Who are you to determine who is worthy of his love? Who are you to determine who is worthy of yours?
Pastor Shawn Gray · 30:39
Who are we? Number two: we see the nature of God in Jesus Christ the Son. We see his nature. We see him handling a basin, and we see his nature. The kingdom of God, I love this. I love this. I'm trying to make sure I do this properly. I don't even know how to go about it. How do you, where's that at? I'll make sure I do this right. All right, "for the kingdom of God," verse 17.
I think it's verse 17, let me check and make sure. You might have to put that back up there. Yeah. Will you go back to verse 17 for me? Righteousness produces peace. Would you go back to that real quick? Okay, verse 17. There it is: "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." I love that. The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking.
There's two issues here. Okay, there's two issues here. There's two things here that you can live in. You can make a priority what you eat and what you drink. You can be inundated with that. That could be your focus. That's the matter that you're concerned with, or righteousness and joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. Which are you in? Which are you in? The kingdom of God is not in eating or drinking, or to put it another way, in your preferences. Are you with me? That's not the kingdom. It's not in eating or drinking, or it's not in what you prefer, your preferences. That's not what the kingdom of God is in. So what is the kingdom of God in? What is the kingdom of God a matter of? It's a matter of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, not your preferences, not your
Point 4Serving others is serving Christ
Preferences. Okay, last point, it's going to be real short and I'm done: serve Christ.
"Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men." Oh man, what is happening here? I didn't hit save or something, so just give me a second.
Okay, hold on. Matthew 25.
Turn there. Verse 40. Look at verse 31. You there? Did we, did I already have the Scripture up there? Okay, good, that's what I thought. Okay, so: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory," talking about the end, final judgment, "when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?'" It is not what you eat or drink. "'And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" Verse 18: "Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men."
How do we serve Christ? Whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me. How do we serve Christ? By serving one another.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 36:49
Oh, I thought I served Christ by being locked in a closet and praying endlessly for all hours of the day.
Listen,
You could be the biggest Holy Roller and not serve Christ,
Pastor Shawn Gray · 37:14
because he tells us, we asked them in the end, "How did we serve you? How did we not serve you?" "Whatever you did to the least of these, you did to me." Let me ask you a question. Have you made your preferences a priority over the people you were called to serve? Do you worship at the throne of your preferences?
You cannot worship at the throne of your preferences and say you worship Christ,
Pastor Shawn Gray · 37:38
because worshiping at the throne of your preferences makes you a stumbling block to the people that your service should be to, and that service to them is evidence of your service to Christ. Which basin do you handle? Do you serve others, or do you serve yourself?
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