Woo hoo! It’s Tuesday! I’m so glad you’re here to study with me. We’re close to the end of Romans, but we’re not there yet. This chapter is 23 verses. I think you’ll find it very interesting. And we’ll pray for understanding.
Let’s Pray:
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for this letter. Thank You for breaking it all down into chapters so we could go slowly and see more just by doing so. Help us understand what we’re reading today, in a new way. Bless every moment spent in studying these words. Here it is, Lord, what do you want us to see, to know, to understand?
July 21, 2020
Romans 14
Read Romans 14:1 in the MSG
Cultivating Good Relationships
Welcome with open arms fellow believers who ______ see ________ the ______ _____ do. And don’t ______ all _______ them _______ time they ____ or ______ something you don’t ________ with—________ when it seems that they are __________ on _________ but _______ in the ________ department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. _______ ______ __________.
Who are we supposed to welcome with open arms? ________________________
Why might this be difficult (under normal circumstances, not counting the social distancing and cancelled church services we’re under now) ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Define the word cultivate: ___________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Choose the definition that means the most to you in how you are to treat other believers. _____________________________________________________
Read Romans 14:2-4 in the MSG
For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can _______ _______________ on the _________, while another, with a ____________________ background, might _____________ he ____________ only be a _________________________ and eat ___________________. But since both are ___________ at _____________ table, wouldn’t it be _____________ _______ if they fell to ___________________ what the other ate or didn’t eat? _______, after all, ________________ them ________ to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God’s ________________? If there are ___________________ to be ________ or ______________ to be ____________, God can __________ ________ without _______ ______.
We should never begrudge another believer for what he eats or doesn’t eat. List some reasons from the Scripture of differences in what people eat.
__________________________________
__________________________________
Who invited us all to the table? ________________
Does this little bit at the end remind you of a story Jesus told? It’s not explicitly the same meal, but the whole guest-list thing reminded me of this one. What does the NIV title this parable? ___________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Only the best and most anticipated celebration we have ever been invited to attend. Faith, precious faith is all that matters. This will happen. It is sure to come.
Let’s remain in the NIV for a while now. You’re already there if you clicked the story above. Did you actually read the story? _____________________________________
There’s nothing like the Words of Jesus to work within you and grow your faith.
Read Romans 14:5-7 NIV
5 One person considers one _____ more _________ than another; another considers every _____ ________. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.6 Whoever regards one day as __________ does so to the Lord. Whoever eats ______ does so to the Lord, for they ______ _________ to ______; and whoever ___________ does so to the Lord and ________ ___________ to _______. 7 For _______ of us ________ for ________________ ________, and ______ of us ________ for ______________ _________.
The Message calls this “convictions of conscience.” If you think one day is more special than another, use it to thank God. Same as what you are convinced you should eat, you should always _________ _______. For we don’t live alone and we don’t die alone. We are always in-dwelt with the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5) and Jesus and the Father are with us and watching over us at all times; shielded as we are by God’s power (1 Peter 1:5) and held fast in the hands of Jesus (John 6:37).
Read Romans 14:8-9 NIV
8 If we live, we live for the _______; and if we die, we die for the ________. So, whether we ______ or _____, we ____________ to the __________. 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.
Why did Christ die and return to life according to verse 9? _____________ ________________________________________________________________________
The message says this for verse 9:
That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.
Petty what? ______________________
Have you ever thought about how we disagree and argue with one another as being tyrannies? Yet they are certainly petty more often than not.
Define the word tyranny: _____________________________________________
Read Romans 14:10-11, now in the AMP
10 But you, why do you ___________________ your brother? Or you again, why do you ______ ________ on your [believing] _____________ or __________ him with ___________________? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God [who alone is judge]. 11 For it is written [in Scripture],
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall give praise to God.” (Isaiah 45:23)
Read Romans 14:12-13 AMP
12 So then, each of us will _________ an _______________ of himself to _______.
13 Then let us _____ _________________ _____ ______________ _____________, but rather determine this—not to put an _______________ or a ________________ ____________ or a source of _________________ in another believer’s way.
Define Criticize: __________________________________________________
one of those definitions is more appropriate than the other in this and most of the rest of our lives as well.
Read Romans 14:14-17 AMP
14 I know and am ___________________ [as one] in the Lord Jesus that ______________ is ____________ [ritually defiled, and unholy] in ___________; but [nonetheless] it is unclean to anyone who ___________ it is unclean. 15 If your brother is being _____ or _______________ because of ______ [that you insist on eating], you are _____ _____________ ____________ in _______ [toward him]. Do not let what you eat __________ and ______________ ______ one for whom ____________ ________. 16 Therefore do not let what is a _______ thing for you [because of your freedom to choose] be spoken of as _______ [by someone else]; 17 for the __________________ of ______ is not a ____________ of ___________ and ____________ [what one likes], but of ____________________ and _________ and _______ in the Holy Spirit.
Righteousness, Peace and Joy: marks of the family of God. And how do we get righteousness, peace and joy? They are all __________ of faith. Only through _________.
Read Romans 14:14-17 AMP
18 For the one who ___________ Christ in this way [recognizing that food choice is secondary] is _________________ to God and is _____________ by men. 19 So then, let us pursue [with enthusiasm] the things which make for peace and the building up of one another [things which lead to spiritual growth]. 20 Do not, for the sake of ________, _______ down the _______ of ______. All things indeed are [ceremonially] clean, but they are wrong for the person who eats and offends [another’s conscience in the process].
Pursue, this is why I love the AMP, the included explanations. How are we to pursue the things that make for peace? ______________________ you can change it to an adverb rather than a prepositional phrase.
What else are we to pursue? The building _________________________________
___________________________________________ which means helping them grow ______________________.
It’s all about loving one another. If you’re doing something for someone else’s benefit you’re not eating food that will ________________ someone. You’re not denigrating a day someone thinks is special. Living in love, remaining in Jesus will make us into unoffendable people. It’s all about ________________ _______________. That’s what I have a blog for. To help you ________ your __________.
Read Romans 14:21-23 AMP
21 It is _____ [to do the right thing and] not eat meat or drink wine, or do _______________ that ___________ your brother and _____________ him spiritually. 22 The _______ which you have [that gives you freedom of choice], have as your own _______________ before ______ [just keep it between yourself and God, seeking His will]. __________ is he who has no ___________ to ___________ ___________ for what he _____________. 23 But he who is _______________ [about eating a particular thing] is _________________ if he eats, because he is not ___________ from _________. Whatever is not from ______ is _____ [whatever is done with doubt is sinful].
Acting from _________ makes all the difference in the world. Because whatever is not from faith is _______.
Let’s pray.
Father, thank You for these explicit words. Thank You for revealing ways we can live in love, thank You for revealing once again that faith is critical. We must have it if we’re going to live the way You want us to. Help us to really believe this, to remain in you and to love one another. In Jesus’ name. Amen.