Series:God With Us Title:Accepting One Another Despite Differences of Opinion

Sermon Text: Romans 14:1-12

Supplemental Texts:  Genesis 50:15-21 and Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13, Matthew 18:21-35

Preacher: Josh Kleinfeld 

Memory Verse:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 

Romans 14:1-12

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,

‘every knee will bow before me;

    every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. 

Christian Acceptance is Pulling Out a Chair for the “Other” to Sit In

Romans 15:7 

Five Essential Steps Towards Accepting Each Other as Christ Has Accepted Us (Romans 15:7)

1. Move from contempt to curiosity

2. Move from defensiveness to deference

3. Move from competition to community

4. Move from judgmentalness to forgiveness

5. Move from opinion based living to faith based living 

Which of these moves do you need to make?

Ask Jesus for grace to accept others as He has accepted you. 

Ask Him for wisdom to know the practical steps to show His acceptance.

Ask Him for courage to take those practical steps.

 Message Reflection Questions 

1. Read Romans 15:13. Pause for 2 minutes to meditate on this.

2. What actions do you think are most important in keeping and maintaining unity in the church? How do we keep unity when there is difference of opinions?

3. Read Romans 15:7. Make a list of ways that Jesus has “welcomed” us. Add to that list, ways that we as Christians can welcome like Christ.

4. How are Paul’s instructions in Romans 14:1-12 a guide to living out Romans 15:7? 

5. What is the difference between contempt and judgment? Why are both sources of division in the church?

6. What do you think causes us to become judgmental or contemptuous? Which verses in this passage give guidance on how not to be that way?

7. Confession Time: Which part of this text do you find most challenging to apply?

8. Testimony Time: In what ways has Jesus’ acceptance of you led you to change the way you view and interact with others?

9. Prayer Time: Who do you know that needs to know about God’s acceptance available to them through Christ? Take time to pray for them.

10. Prayer Time: Which of the 5 moves towards acceptance do you need to make? Ask for grace to accept others as He has accepted you, for wisdom to know practical actions, for courage to make that wisdom into action. 

Daily Readings

It’s our last week of Romans readings! You can download the whole plan at www.stillnaz.com/pray.  

As you follow the plan, consider these questions:

1. What does this text say God does "for" or "in" or "with" us?

2. What does this text invite me to be or do?

3. Who can I share this with? 

Day 1: Romans 16:1-2, Acts 18:18-21

Day 2: Romans 16:3-16, 1 Corinthians 16:19-24

Day 3: Romans 16:17-18, 2 John 6-9

Day 4: Romans 16:19-23, Revelation 12:10-12

Day 5: Romans 16:24-27, Romans 1:1-7 

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