LBC Sermons & Messages

Text: Romans 14:19-f.f.

Have you ever played Simon Says? The kindergartners that I drove this year love to play and they watched like a hawk to see if anyone was cheating and not playing right. In a sense, God is playing
Simon Says with us and says, if you want peace you must follow.

God sets it all up by telling us to stand on truth and to push each other using truth. Then he tells us that God is Lord and the Spirit can do His job better than us. He also reminds us that we all will stand before God and give an account for what we did for Him.

Now God tells us, once you get the facts straight and put these concepts in motion, we must follow after these things which make for peace, Rom. 14:19. The word, follow means to pursue or press toward, Hosea 6, I Tim. 6:10, 11, II Thess. 3:7-9. Satan does not want us to be at peace so he will attack and we must fight.

Paul also discusses offences, vs. 20, 21. Offenses will come and once you offend, it is hard to recover, Prov. 18:19. We must be careful to not offend our brother and sister. However, when one walks with God, the offence is overcome by truth, John 15, 16. The more we know God, the less the offenses come.

On this issue, Paul goes on to encourage us to have our faith to God alone, vs. 22. We do not live and answer to each other but to God, Matt. 6. We also must be convinced in our faith with God, I Cor. 16:13, Gal 5. When we are convinced, we will not be easily offended.

Lastly, God tells us that if we knowing rebel and do something that will offend, we are damned, vs. 23. God goes on in James 4 to tell us that even if we know to do good and do it not, it is sin.

So, are you willing to follow God and press for peace?

Text: Romans 14:7-13

We have entered into a passage of scripture that sheds some light on the biblical command for judging. The first key is truth. When we base our judging on the Word, it is not us but the Word who does the judging.

In the next few verses, 7-13, we see the second key and that is to remember that we all will stand before God and give an account. In verses 7 and 8, we are given a picture of what true Christianity looks like. Those who have given their name to the Lord are not allowed to be self-seekers. The Spirit moves us to please God.

Then in verses 9-13 we see the fact that we all will stand on our own before our great King and give an account. I Cor. 3:1-15 shows us that we all have the opportunity to lay a godly foundation and live to God or lay a selfish foundation and serve self. Then all foundations will be tried by fire and self will be consumed.

In the parable of the servants and the talents, all three had to give an account for what they were given. The two who used their talents and invested them were pleasing to the master. The one who squandered his talent was very displeasing to his master. We will all one day stand before the King and give an account.

Lastly, God will settle the score. Our job is to be obedient and serve the great king. Ps. 75 tells us that God is judge and he raises up and puts down whom He desires. Rom. 12 tells us that God is the judge and He will sort things out. II Tim. 4:1 also reminds us that God is able to judge the quick and the dead. So, let us serve the King, judge each other with the Word and remember that we will give a personal account to the King.

Verse 7 also reminds us that the lives which we live are not ours and they do not affect just us. This is evident all throughout scripture. Generations reap the decisions of one person whether good or bad.

The first one that comes to mind is Adam. In Genesis, God gives Adam and Eve a clear command, to keep the garden but only do not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They were tempted by Satan and fell to his lies and now, generations later we are still reaping his decision. Mankind is now plagued with sin and must face destruction apart from Christ.

Joshua 22:20 gives us insight on the man named Achan, Josh 7. Achan sinned by taking a few little articles from Jericho when they defeated it. He hid them under his tent and when the armies went to take Ai, a much smaller town and less fortified, thousand of soldiers perished. In the end, Achan, his wife, children and all his possessions were stoned and destroyed. His one decision affected everyone around him.

II Chor. 27:1, shows us the other side of the spectrum. The mercy of God was touched because of the life of David. Many generations had passed, but because David was a man after God’s own heart, God had mercy upon the descendants of David.

Lastly, Christ is again the ultimate example. Mankind was doomed to a life in Hell. Christ was obedient to the Father and through the life he lived, gave, and now lives again, man can have freedom. Christ gave himself and has affected all of mankind.

So, the life which you and I live is not our own and the way in which we choose to live it affects everyone. It could possibly affect generations to come. Will we choose to live to Christ or will we bring God’s judgment on those around us because of our own selfishness?

Text: Romans 14:1-8

Paul starts off this chapter by talking about the weaker brethren and how we are to receive them but not to doubtful disputations, or meaningless babble. This means we are not to receive them based on nothing more than truth. Ps. 1:1, 2 tells us much about the Christian and truth.

Blessed is the man who stands on truth, blessed by God Himself not mere man. There is no greater foundation than that of truth. When one stands on truth, his footing is always sure and steady for truth changes not. So, what are you standing on? Those who live to Christ will stand on truth.

Then Paul gets into judging others. Let me ask you, according to scripture, who is supposed to judge. I have had many Christians tell me that we are not supposed to judge for we are sinners just like those we are judging. Well, scripture is clear about the issue. God is the judge, Heb. 10:30, 12:23. God is the great judge and He knows all and is wholly just and gracious. However, Matt. 7:1-5 and John 7:24 make it clear that we are to judge as well. The difference is that God is truth and we must use the truth. Remember, that one who judges must be standing on truth and it is the truth that judges not our opinions.

Back in Ps. 1 we see what happens to the one who stands on truth. They are consistent and unshakable. Christ is unchangeable and if we are to be like Him, we must be too. The only way to accomplish this is a life lived in the relentless pursuit and enactment of truth. When we stand on and live out truth, we will be like the tree planted by the river and we will be able to stand in our faith no matter what is going on around us. Choose truth and use truth.

Text: Matthew 25:14-30

Today we will finish up our series on stewardship. We have discussed three stewardship principles and applied them to time, money, relationships and now talents. Remember that God owns everything including talents that all come from Him, Matt. 25:14, 15. God is in control of our talents, Matt. 25:19-23. He gives certain ones to certain individuals and some more than others. Also, we must use these talents to bring honor to God not self, Matt. 26, 27.

In Eph. 4:4-11, we see that there is one body, meaning the local church. We all are part of each other and all have a different role to play and functions to perform. The Lord himself grants to its members the talents he deems worthy according to the measure of faith. So, our boasting must be in the Lord not self.

I Cor. 12: 24-f.f. tells us that the Lord puts together the church with the talents and it is no accident. Now, what happens when one does not perform his or her function? If you have ever broken a leg you know that the body unconsciously uses the other leg to compensate and sometimes hurts the good leg. The same thing is true in the body of Christ. So, for the health of the body, we must perform the tasks for which we are blessed.

Lastly, Eph. 4:12-16, shows us how to use our talents and bring honor to God. When we help each other, we honor God. When we serve each other, we serve God. When we strengthen each other, the body is stronger as a whole and able to reach out to the world more. So, will you use the God given talents which you posses or will you squander them and use them for self as the one talent servant? Remember, talent is not yours but rather your Maker’s.