Love Over Being Right: Embracing Unity in Community
Summary
In today's message, we explored the profound truth that love triumphs over being right. We delved into Romans 14 through 16, where Paul provides a masterclass on living in community with people who are not just different but deeply different. The essence of Paul's teaching is that unity in the church is more important than uniformity, and love should always win over being right. We are called to fight for relational unity rather than personal victory, recognizing that our differences should not divide us but rather enrich our community.
Paul addresses the tension between Jewish Christians, who maintained strict religious practices, and Gentile Christians, who came from different backgrounds. He emphasizes that we should not look down on others for their convictions, as God has accepted them. The challenge is to discern whether our convictions are universal truths from God's word or personal preferences. We must guard against elevating our personal preferences to the level of God's word for others.
The call to action is to practice empathy, understanding where others are coming from before jumping to conclusions. We are encouraged to love others even when it stings, choosing to limit our freedom for the sake of another's faith. Paul reminds us to always ask, "What did Jesus do?" and to follow His example of sacrificial love. Jesus didn't win arguments; He won people. We are called to imitate Him by embracing people and loving them selflessly.
Furthermore, we are challenged to sacrifice a life of comfort for a life on mission. Paul exemplifies this by his ambition to preach the good news where Christ has never been heard. We are reminded that the good news of Jesus is for the whole world, and we all have a part to play in God's mission. Finally, we are encouraged to embrace transformational grace, not just transactional grace. The church is not about positions or titles but about everyday people serving God and each other. Grace is the power of God at work in our lives, transforming us and empowering us for an incredible mission and purpose.
Key Takeaways:
1. Fight for Relational Unity: Unity in the church is more important than uniformity. We must fight for relational unity rather than personal victory, recognizing that our differences should not divide us but enrich our community. This requires us to discern whether our convictions are universal truths or personal preferences. [07:08]
2. Practice Empathy: We are called to practice empathy by understanding where others are coming from before jumping to conclusions. Accept others as God has accepted us, without imposing personal standards on them. Assume the best in others rather than choosing to believe the worst. [12:57]
3. Love Others Even When It Stings: Love should always win over being right. We must be willing to limit our freedom for the sake of another's faith, choosing to love first. Our freedom is real, but love is more important, and if exercising our freedom hurts someone else's faith, it's selfishness. [17:01]
4. Sacrifice Comfort for Mission: We are challenged to sacrifice a life of comfort for a life on mission. The good news of Jesus is for the whole world, and we all have a part to play in God's mission. The most spiritually comfortable place is in the center of God's will, choosing mission over comfort. [20:55]
5. Embrace Transformational Grace: Grace is not just a transaction that saves us but a transformation that empowers us to carry the good news to others. The church is about everyday people serving God and each other, united under the banner of Jesus Christ. Grace is the power of God at work in our lives, transforming us and empowering us for an incredible mission and purpose. [25:12]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:30] - Introduction to Romans
- [01:45] - Disagreements in Love
- [03:10] - Unity Over Uniformity
- [05:00] - Paul's Blueprint for Community
- [07:08] - Relational Unity vs. Personal Victory
- [09:30] - Accepting Differences
- [12:57] - Practicing Empathy
- [15:20] - Love Over Being Right
- [17:01] - What Did Jesus Do?
- [19:00] - Sacrificial Love
- [20:55] - Life on Mission
- [23:30] - Transformational Grace
- [25:12] - Embracing Grace in Community
- [27:00] - Call to Action and Reflection
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Romans 14:1-4
2. Romans 15:7
3. Matthew 11:28-30
---
Observation Questions:
1. In Romans 14:1-4, what specific issues were causing division among the early Christians in Rome? How did Paul suggest they handle these differences? [07:08]
2. How does Paul describe the relationship between Jewish and Gentile Christians in Romans 15:7, and what does he encourage them to do? [17:01]
3. What is the significance of Jesus' statement in Matthew 11:28-30 about His yoke being easy and His burden light, especially in the context of religious practices? [12:57]
4. According to the sermon, what is the difference between relational unity and personal victory, and why is it important in the church community? [07:08]
---
Interpretation Questions:
1. How might the issues of food and sacred days in Romans 14:1-4 reflect broader challenges in maintaining unity within a diverse church community today? [07:08]
2. What does it mean to "accept each other just as Christ accepted you" in Romans 15:7, and how does this acceptance bring glory to God? [17:01]
3. In what ways does Jesus' invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 to take His yoke upon us challenge the burdens we often place on ourselves or others in religious contexts? [12:57]
4. How does the sermon suggest we discern between universal truths from God's word and personal preferences, and why is this discernment crucial for church unity? [07:08]
---
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a recent disagreement you had with someone in your church or community. How did you handle it, and what could you have done differently to prioritize love over being right? [12:57]
2. Think of a person in your life who holds different convictions than you. How can you practice empathy this week to better understand their perspective before jumping to conclusions? [12:57]
3. Identify a personal preference or conviction that you have elevated to the level of a universal truth. How can you adjust your approach to ensure it does not become a barrier to unity in your community? [07:08]
4. Consider a situation where exercising your freedom might harm someone else's faith. What steps can you take to limit your freedom for the sake of their spiritual growth? [17:01]
5. How can you actively participate in God's mission this week, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone? What specific action will you take to live on mission? [20:55]
6. Reflect on the concept of transformational grace. How can you embody this grace in your daily interactions, and what is one practical way you can serve others in your community this week? [25:12]
7. Identify one person you have disagreed with recently. How can you pray for them and encourage them this week, choosing to love rather than insisting on being right? [25:12]
Devotional
Day 1: Unity in Diversity
In Romans 14 through 16, Paul emphasizes the importance of unity in the church, highlighting that unity is more important than uniformity. He addresses the tension between Jewish and Gentile Christians, urging them to accept one another despite their differences. The key is to discern whether our convictions are universal truths or personal preferences. By doing so, we can enrich our community rather than divide it. Paul calls us to fight for relational unity rather than personal victory, recognizing that our differences should not be a source of division but a means to enrich our community. [07:08]
Romans 15:5-7 (ESV): "May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God."
Reflection: Think of a person in your church community with whom you have a disagreement. How can you prioritize unity over being right in your relationship with them today?
Day 2: Empathy in Action
Practicing empathy involves understanding where others are coming from before jumping to conclusions. Paul encourages believers to accept others as God has accepted them, without imposing personal standards. This requires us to assume the best in others rather than choosing to believe the worst. By practicing empathy, we can build stronger relationships and foster a more inclusive community. Empathy is not just about understanding but also about actively choosing to love others, even when it is challenging. [12:57]
Colossians 3:12-13 (ESV): "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."
Reflection: Identify a situation where you have judged someone without understanding their perspective. How can you practice empathy and seek to understand their viewpoint today?
Day 3: Love Over Freedom
Paul teaches that love should always win over being right. We are called to limit our freedom for the sake of another's faith, choosing to love first. While our freedom in Christ is real, love is more important, and if exercising our freedom hurts someone else's faith, it becomes an act of selfishness. By choosing love over being right, we follow the example of Jesus, who prioritized winning people over winning arguments. [17:01]
1 Corinthians 8:9-13 (ESV): "But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ."
Reflection: Consider an area where your freedom might be causing someone else to stumble. How can you choose to love them by limiting your freedom today?
Day 4: Mission Over Comfort
We are challenged to sacrifice a life of comfort for a life on mission. The good news of Jesus is for the whole world, and we all have a part to play in God's mission. Paul exemplifies this by his ambition to preach where Christ has never been heard. The most spiritually comfortable place is in the center of God's will, choosing mission over comfort. By embracing this call, we can participate in God's incredible mission and purpose for our lives. [20:55]
Acts 20:24 (ESV): "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are choosing comfort over mission? How can you step out in faith and embrace God's mission today?
Day 5: Transformational Grace
Grace is not just a transaction that saves us but a transformation that empowers us to carry the good news to others. The church is about everyday people serving God and each other, united under the banner of Jesus Christ. Grace is the power of God at work in our lives, transforming us and empowering us for an incredible mission and purpose. By embracing transformational grace, we can be agents of change in our communities and beyond. [25:12]
Titus 2:11-14 (ESV): "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."
Reflection: How has God's grace transformed your life? In what ways can you extend this transformational grace to others in your community today?
Quotes
"Now let me hit pause and say, because he's dealing with, hey, you know, someone has this conviction and another person that doesn't have that conviction. Don't condemn one another. This isn't Paul giving us the, you know, freedom to just say, well, I can just define what it means, what sin means in my own life. And you can't say anything. No, it's not a free for all. God still has guardrails. In fact, Paul doesn't disregard all of much of scripture that at sometimes spells out for us what is sinful behavior and what is not. But what Paul's saying is let's stop building fences where Jesus hasn't." [00:07:29] (36 seconds)
"And the warning that I think we all need to take from this is that we need to guard against elevating any of our own personal extra biblical preferences, convictions to the level of God's word or the Holy Spirit for someone else's life. And so the church in Rome they were dealing with this and Paul comes in and says you know God values unity so much we need to fight for the unity not fight with one another and for the Jews this was super common this issue because they were familiar with the teachers called rabbis that they had disciples followers you can kind of picture them like a pastor of a church but they had a group of followers and they had the Old Testament law and if you followed a rabbi a rabbi would have a yoke it was called a yoke you know what a yoke is right it's it's a device that traditionally would couple to a pair of oxen together it was a burden right and they were yoked together so a rabbi would have a yoke and what this was was that rabbi's interpretation of what it meant to obey the law and so rabbi would take the law and he would have like 10 15 other rules or behaviors of this is what you have to do or not do in order to follow the law and Jesus comes along in Matthew chapter 11 and he says come to me all who are burdened and I will give you rest and then he says this take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easy and my burden is light so Paul's first instruction is clear accept one another in the church accept one another he reminds us then that God has accepted us how many are thankful that God accepted you if you're a follower of Jesus and so he reminds us that God has accepted you our differences even when they involve sincere convictions for our lives should never divide us and we need to remember what Paul says that God is God is the judge I'm not the judge I'm not your judge you're not someone else's judge and all this because God places such a high value on unity within his family called the church that he says fight for the unity avoid division especially when it comes to preferences but you know it's super easy to major on the minors isn't it for example have you ever debated with somebody whether pineapple is a legitimate topping for pizza I know within our staff this is like it comes up all the time this is a major debate and I'm not saying that this is a moral issue but some on our staff I mean they'll go to the mat on this one" [00:08:40] (163 seconds)
"And if you're in a life group, if you're in a life group, imagine somebody storming out of the life group saying, I'm never coming back because someone ordered pineapple on the pizza that was delivered to the life group, right? It's silly, it's ridiculous, but oftentimes in a parallel spiritual sense, we allow divisions for issues just as small. And that's what Paul's dealing with here. And there's more to it. There's a lot more to it that we're going to discover. But let's start there." [00:11:13] (28 seconds)
"So Paul emphasizes love in our interactions even if we are free in Christ to eat this or to consider a certain day holy, that we must be mindful of others when it comes to our convictions. In verse 15 he says, and if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. So I have freedom to do it, but if you know this distresses somebody that maybe their faith is different and they don't have that conviction, you're not acting in love if you exercise your freedom. Don't let your eating ruin someone else for whom Christ died. You see, it's not just about being right, it's about being loving." [00:14:45] (43 seconds)
"And so our freedom is real and it can be a part of the discipleship process with somebody to kind of figure out what they think is right or wrong and what does God's word say and what are my convictions. And so freedom is real, but love is more important. And if your freedom and exercising it hurts someone else's faith, it's not freedom anymore, it's selfishness. So the question we must ask ourselves is, are we willing to limit our freedom for the sake of another's faith, to walk in love even when we could be right about the issue?" [00:15:28] (33 seconds)
"You remember those bracelets, WWJD, what did that stand for? What would Jesus do? I'm going to flip it a little bit. Ask yourself, what did Jesus do? Paul does it. He shifts our focus to the ultimate example, which is who? It's Jesus. And so what did Jesus actually do when faced with people who were different, who were loud, who were wrong, who were hostile? What did he do? He loved. He sacrificed. He brought them in. Jesus' example, he didn't live for himself. He lived to serve others, even when it meant laying down his life. That's his example. He reconciled both Jews." [00:16:21] (41 seconds)
"And most of us in the room are thankful he reconciled Gentiles. How many are Gentiles? I am Gentile. Thank you, God. He reconciled both of them into one family, showing us how to love, showing us how to love beyond our differences. And so Paul encourages us with this in verse 7 of Romans 15. Therefore, accept each other just as Christ accepted you. And everybody say, so that? So that God will be given glory." [00:17:00] (31 seconds)
"Always ask, what did Jesus do? Well, Jesus didn't win arguments. Jesus won people. That's what I want to do. I want to imitate him. That's what it means to be a disciple. It's an imitator. So ask, what did Jesus do? Then follow that example. Embrace people. Even if they hear Yanny or Scooby or like pineapple on their pizza or their convictions extra -biblically, their preferences are different. And then love them selflessly just as he has loved us. The big question, how can I take the initiative this week to reflect God's love in my relationships?" [00:17:32] (43 seconds)
"Think about how Jesus lived out sacrificially. If you don't know, get into God's word. Talk to somebody. How did Jesus deal with a situation like this? He loved them sacrificially. And this week, I'm going to look for ways to follow his example, whether that's reconciling in a relationship, whether it's serving a friend or a family member who is hard to love, or laying down your rights for the sake of someone else." [00:18:32] (27 seconds)
"I think what we heard at the beginning is an example of this as Pastor Dave and Tiffany follow the voice of the Lord. And it's the same thing for your life. Scripture says, my life and your life, if you're a follower of Jesus, is not my own. I was bought with the price. Therefore, in my body, I'm going to honor God. What I do with this life, I'm going to honor God. So choose a life of mission rather than a life of comfort. Paul goes on to speak about his mission and his heart, his passion to bring the message of Jesus to places who had never heard the good news of Jesus. In chapter 15, verse 20, he says, my ambition has always been to preach the good news where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. See, for Paul, life wasn't about comfort, but fulfilling the mission of God." [00:19:04] (49 seconds)
"Coming to the end of his race and saying, I have finished strong. He wanted to partner in this letter. He wanted to partner with so much going on. It's so good. You guys got to dig into Romans. He wanted to partner with the church in Rome. In fact, Paul wanted Rome to be his kind of launch pad to go to Spain. And before he goes to Rome, he's going to go to Jerusalem and bring an offering, like a kingdom builder offering to those people from another church. And his heart was for the church and for people who didn't know Jesus." [00:20:00] (28 seconds)
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained only on this specific sermon. Do you have any questions about it?