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Romans 14:1-12;
There once were two math teachers working in the same high school. One teacher was clearly very gifted at math. The whole education process for this teacher was easy. In fact, she got a doctorate in record time. It was unusual for a high school teacher to have a doctorate but she had one. Who knows perhaps she was waiting to be called by a university. The second teacher was certified as a high school mathematics teacher but she struggled to gain control of the subject matter. It wasn't easy for her. Interestingly, the brilliant math teacher was not the best teacher of the two. She simply didn't have the patience to help the students who didn't get math right away. She couldn't understand why it was so hard for them. The other teacher understood why some of her students didn't get it right away. She knew how to help those students learn without getting discouraged. This story is probably repeated in many schools. I can witness to that fact because I was in a high school who had similar two teachers. I had them both. The first teacher so turned me off to math so badly I never came to the point I even like math. The second teacher was able to teach me what I needed to know to pass my math requirements for high school. Why am I telling you these stories about math teachers? Leading people to grow and learn is important. Guiding people in any field takes patience and understand. In fact, a good teacher knows we learn as much from our mistakes as we learn from what comes easy. Ridicule, arrogance, and a lack of patience hinders a teacher from guiding their students. What does this aft to do with our scripture today? Mature Christians are called to help those who are weak in their faith. The letter to the Romans was written by Paul to help the Christians in Rome to help each other grow in their faith. If you have a strong faith you are called by Christ Jesus himself to "Make disciples for the transformation of the world," but you must be patient with those you are showing the way to Christ. Every Christian is called to help others grow in the faith. When we help others grow we help ourselves grow in faith. Paul teaches us, "Welcome the one who is weak in faith but not in order to argue about the differences of opinion." --Romans 14:1 Know-it-all Christians turn people off more than they help people. Mature Christians are in danger scaring weaker Christians away with arrogance or judgment. We can't bring anyone to Christ by looking down our noses at the people around us. Truth be known most of us have experienced the arrogance or judgment of some who think of themselves as "correct" Christians. They know which translation is the correct one. They know which church is the best church. They know how we must be baptized, take Communion and believe the right way. We've all known people who have been turned away from Christ because of people who think they know everything about Christ. Last week I attended the PTL service at 9:00 AM. The preacher, for which I have forgotten his name, preached a good sermon on anger. He pointed Jesus got angry. He got angry at the money changers, and even at Peter. What surprised me during his sermon he said, "Paul wrote, "These three, Faith, Hope, and Being Right." I knew he was wrong, and his congregation yelled out he was wrong. What was he wrong about? Yes, these three, faith, hope, and love. I firmly believe we are called to stand up for what we believe in. I love being a Jeremiah and standing up for Christianity and other things I believe are right. I appreciate Nancy celebrating our constitution. Three Cs are under attack, Capitalism, Christianity, and the Constitution. I believe I am right about that statement, but what I forgot is to speak out in love. Hate, in any form is a tool of the Enemy. Years before Paul wrote the letter to the Romans he wrote several letters to the Corinthians. Paul saw the congregations there dividing up fighting over who was better than each other. He wrote, "When jealousy and fighting exist between you, aren't you unspiritual and living by earthly standards? When someone says I belong to Paul, and some else says, "I belong to Apollos," aren't you acting like people without the Spirit?" --I Corinthians 3:3-4 Even Jesus' disciples struggled with who is right in the faith and who is not. One day John came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." Jesus replied, "Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. FOR ONE WHO IS NOT AGAINST US IS FOR US." --Romans 9:39 Thermopolis is a small town and even here the Christian community is divided among several faith communities. Having a variety of churches is a good thing, but judging other in our believes is a mistake. We should go to the church that helps us grow in our faith the most, but looking down our noises at other Christians is a sin. Judgment is the work of Christ not ours. Look at the life of Paul. Once a judgmental Pharisee Christ himself helped him become a mature Christian. Christ called him to be an apostle. The book of Acts reveals how Paul was knocked off his arrogance by Christ. Following that life changing experience Paul spent three difficult years preparing himself for his ministry with the Gentiles. He knew his stuff, but he learned how to be as patient with new and weak Christians as Jesus was with his disciples and all the people who were listening to him. In fact, In Paul made this point in his letter to the Corinthians, "As a matter of fact I could not talk to you as I talk to people who have the Spirit. I have talked to you as though you belonged to this world as children in the Christian faith. I had to feed you milk not solid food, because you were not ready for it." --I Corinthians 3:1-2 Paul knew what it was like to get it wrong, but he also knew what it meant to open himself up to the Spirit of Christ to grow in his faith. He knew Listen! The only way for us to avoid becoming an arrogant Christians is to humble ourselves before the Lord. As Isaiah predicted it and as Paul quoted, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to the Lord." --Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:11 This is the only way. We must take a knee in front of Christ. Yes, Paul knew what it meant to take a knee. Like I said he had been an arrogant Pharisee. He knew all the rules that made him a good rule giver. In fact, he was so dedicated with his cause he made it his mission to go out and get rid of those incorrect the Christians. But the road to Damascus was not the beginning of his road to be a Christian. I believe his life began to change as he watched Stephen stoned to death. He watched as Stephen faithfully look up to the heavens and say what Jesus had said on the cross, "Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing." Soon Jesus struck him down making him one of the greatest Gentile evangelists in history. Paul, not only took a knee, he praised the Lord for changing his heart. Paul knew what it meant to take a knee before his savor, and to praise him as the Lord of his life. The letter to the Roman Christians speaks to us as well. We are called to be witnesses our faith with mercy and love. Paul was teaching us not to get distracted by lessor concerns, but to focus on bringing people to an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savor. Let me make this point. Paul wasn't saying it doesn't matter what we believe. The basic teachings of the Christian faith are eternal. Living by the great commandments to love God, neighbor and self does matter. Believing that Christ Jesus was raised from the dead and believing this saves us from eternal death does matter. But much of what separates modern Christians from each other distracts us and those looking to us. How we take communion or how we are baptized or which translation we read isn't central to being a Christian. If one style of church brings you closer to Christ stay with it, but we must not judge people who don't do these our way. It's not our task to judge other Christians. What matters is we listen for the Holy Spirit as we grow in our faith. Our heavenly Father is far more concerned about our heart and faith, then some of things we focus on. It just doesn't matter what kind of food we eat, or how we take communion, or how we baptized as long as we our heart is right with the Lord of our lives, Christ Jesus. The Pharisees missed the point about the Sabbath and so do we. The Pharisees forgot why they did ritual hand- washing. It was about coming before our Heavenly Father with the right spirit. "Every knee will bow. Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord at the name of Jesus." This phrase is repeated twice in the Old Testament [Isaiah 45:23; Psalm 95:6] and three times in the New Testament [Romans 14:12; Philippians 2:10-11; Ephesians 3:14]. "Every knee shall bow; every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Our Heavenly Father wants us to humble ourselves so the Holy Spirit can speak to us. I want to thank you because I believe most of you in this church get it, although I believe we need to be reminded from time to time. "Every knee shall bow; every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."
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