Paul gives some final exhortations that make for peace in the church before he signs off.
Romans 14: Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another
1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honour of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honour of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honour of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.
8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;
11 for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God."
12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Do Not Cause Another to Stumble
13 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.
14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.
15 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.
16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil.
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual edification.
20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.
21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.
23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Romans 15: The Example of Christ
1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2 Let each of us please his neighbour for his good, to build him up.
3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me."
4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,
6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles
8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,
9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name."
10 And again it is said, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people."
11 And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him."
12 And again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope."
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Paul the Minister to the Gentiles
14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God
16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.
18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience---by word and deed,
19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God---so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;
20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation,
21 but as it is written, "Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand."
Paul's Plan to Visit Rome
22 This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you.
23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you,
24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while.
25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints.
26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.
27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.
28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you.
29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,
31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,
32 so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.
33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Things to think about…
Let’s take Rom 14:1 very seriously. We are all at different places theologically. Let’s keep the cross central and do as Paul says “not quarrel over opinions”. It’s important to discuss issues we have with each other but not quarrel over them. In Paul’s day the issue was whether the Sabbath day should still be kept, or that the foods in the OT law should still be kept, Rom 14:2-12. Those who knew their freedom in Christ did not believe these laws needed to be kept, others did. In our day issues about Israel, end times, church polity can divide Christ’s body. Let’s not do that.
What is Paul’s meaning when he says “the weak person eats only vegetables”, Rom 14:2. We could have some fun with this verse couldn’t we. Paul is saying we have been given all food including meat to eat, Gen 9:3, but some have made the choice not to eat meat. If meat is not eaten because it has been offered to an idol or some other spiritual devotion other than Christ, some had made a choice not to eat. Paul makes the same argument in 1Cor 8. But the gospel is free and rules over any other law that says do not handle, do not taste, do not touch, Col 2:21. Paul wants even our eating and drinking to bring glory to God, 1Cor 10:31.
A good example of what Paul is talking about in Rom 14:13-23 is alcohol. Some do not drink, others do. This is an understanding that we come to within our own faith. The most important thing is that we never put a stumbling block before others especially if we know someone has had a previous unhappy history with alcohol. Whatever we eat or drink it must be done in accordance with our faith in Christ, Romans 14:23.
Are you strong in Christ? Then the fruit of that will be that you do not mention the issues or the freedoms you have in Christ with those who do not share your convictions. True freedom means that you do not lord your doctrinal freedoms and understandings over those who do not share the same conviction, Rom 15:1-7. Pray for grace, wisdom and discernment as you speak with those who do not hold your convictions in these areas.
Paul’s point in bearing with one another in love is that we grow in our hope and be filled with joy and peace for our future by the power of the Holy Spirit, Rom 15:8-13. A noble purpose that all in Christ’s body should aspire to.
Obedience to our calling allows us to have a right pride, Rom 15:17. Paul is proud of his work in Christ. When we know we are perfectly fulfilling our calling in Christ, being proud of our work is a natural and blessed disposition. God desires us to rejoice in the fruit of our labours as they honour Him.
Paul was always working for the gospel. He even wanted to go to Spain, Rom 15:24, 28. There is some evidence that he did get there, but we can’t be certain. It is calling to be working right up until the day we are taken to be with our Lord. Let’s never retire from this blessed work while we still have life and the ability to tell one more person about the gospel. Paul wanted to finish here initially, Rom 15:33. But thought of more to say. Final chapter tomorrow.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Cell groups off over the school holidays.
Prayer Points
1. Pray for Angie as she lost her mum. Praise the Lord for the gift of faith and the example she has been to many. Continue to lift Angie and family in your prayers.
2. Pray for the new year that 2024 may be when the Lord visits his people. May He begin with me.
3. Pray for the families that have lost loved ones in the storms over the new year period. Pray for Christ’s peace.
4. Pray for the new arrivals at Christmas to CBC, may they find a home with us.
5. Please continue to pray for Glenys Zawada. Back for rehab as a day patient.
6. The conflicts in Israel and Ukraine. Praise for the peace of Jesus to reign.
7. Mathys has a prayer time at church on Monday afternoons. He would be happy for you to join him and to send prayer requests.
8. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you to be saved. Pray for the blessing over the new pastoral care and hosting program.
9. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Praise god for Sunday’s message and ministry – Thanks Graham, Ben, Zac, Suzy, Ashley, Ric, Bec, Doug.
2. Praise God for the new year. Pray He gets the glory as we make our plans that He guides our steps.
3. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
2. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for January...
Q. 16. Who were our first parents? A. Adam and Eve.
