Seek Peace and Pursue Unity in the Body of Christ

Jesus wants unity in His Church because togetherness is to our great advantage as believers and the thing our enemy dreads most. In this message, Adrian Rogers explains the power of unity and what happens when we seek the things that make for peace.

God is saying to you today,
“l heard your prayer. I’m able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all you could ask or think. I am making a way for you. I have you in the palm of My hand.”

Because what God wants in the church.
And if you’re listening through television in your church, as well as this church is unity in the church.
Let me tell you three things about unity. Number one, it is the desire of the Savior.
Jesus wants unity in his church. I wanna tell you something else about unity.
It is the delight of the saved.
If there, there’s nothing more heartbreaking than to be in a church where there’s division, there’s nothing more glorious in my estimation than to be a part of a church where you have a sweet fellowship and a oneness of spirit.
Is that not true. Unity is the desire of the Savior.
It is the delight of the saved and it is the dread of Satan. It is the dread of Satan.
Satan uh gets very nervous when God’s people dwell together in unity, when they become one.
Because when we dwell together in unity, we become a winning team. Profound truth.
Simply stated, this is love worth finding with pastor teacher and author Adrian Rogers.
Take your Bibles now and turn if you will with me to Romans chapter 14, as we’re continuing through the book of Romans, a solid word for an unsure age.
That’s what the book of Romans is. It has been called the Constitution of Christianity.
And for a number of weeks now, we’ve been making our way through this wonderful book and very frankly, we have only touched the very surface of this book.
We could spend indeed not uh weeks, months, but years and never do a full exposition of the book of Romans.
Uh I want to tell you something as you’re finding the book of Romans chapter 14 about the devil and what the devil would like to do?
The devil had rather send division in the body of Christ than to open a porno palace or open a new distillery.
Did you know that uh Satan wants to divide the brethren?
Now, what we’re gonna be talking about today is unity in the church.
And uh the key verse here in chapter 14 is verse 19.
Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace. And that’s the title of our Message today.
The things that make for peace because what God wants in the church.
And if you’re listening through television in your church, as well as this church is unity in the church, let me tell you three things about unity.
Number one, unity is number one, a matter of lordship that is the essential, the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Now, look, if you will in verse nine of this chapter, uh and, and this is another key verse four to this end, Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord and both of the dead and the living.
It is a matter of lordship.
Now, there were some incidentals when you compared to the fact that Jesus is Lord, don’t seem so important, for example, uh they were, they were disagreeing over the matter of diets.
Go back now to verses two and three. Now, Paul, well, let’s begin verse one.
Him that is weak in the faith receive ye but not to doubtful disputations.
And that means take a new believer.
Somebody who is weak who doesn’t understand a lot of things receive him into the church.
But don’t argue with him about incidentals, doubtful disputations.
That’s just uh arguing about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin for he goes on in verses two and three says for one, believeth that he may eat all things.
Another who is weak, eat herbs, herbs is vegetables.
Now, uh in the church, uh there were some people in Rome who had been saved out of raw paganism and in paganism, they made blood sacrifices uh to their pagan gods uh to their idols.
And these people have been saved out of that paganism.
And they saw that some of the people in the church were buying that meat that had been offered to idols and they were eating that meat.
And these uh New Christians weak in the faith. They were scandalized. They, they were former pagans.
They, they said, how could you possibly, how could you possibly partake of that kind of food?
Why I lest I should touch any of it, any of it. I’ve become a vegetarian.
And, uh, then Paul says in verse, uh three, let not him that Edith despise him that Edith not that is if you’re strong and these Jewish, uh these Jewish believers who’ve been in the faith for a long time, they knew that an idol was nothing.
They knew that meat is meat and, and that idol was just a stick or a stone.
And, and just sheer rationality said, there’s nothing wrong with this food.
And, uh, so, uh, they, they were a little hacked at these pestiferous uh weaker brothers who said, uh, uh you ought not to be eating that.
And so they’re looking down on these people who are uh criticizing them and, and Paul says, let, not him that Edith despise him that Edith not and let not him, which Edith not judge him, which Edith for God hath received it.
They were just divided over an incidental whether or not to eat food that had been offered to idols.
So that, and, and the matter, Paul is saying, look, it’s a matter of lordship, not a matter of diet.
And now here’s the second thing that was dividing them, not only diets, but days.
Look, if you will in, in uh verse 51 man esteemed with one day above another another Estee everyday alike, let every man be fully persuaded in his own heart.
Do you see how Paul is dealing now with the incidentals? Now, how did this work out?
Well, the Jews who thought it was quite all right to eat this meat that been sacrificed to idols also had come out of Judaism and they had their special high holy days.
And even though they had become Christians these high holy days that the Jews had meant so much to them.
So they observed these days. Now, these pagans had not observed these high holy days and uh these days didn’t mean anything to them.
And uh the early Jewish believers looked down upon these pagans because they would not keep those high holy days.
And they said, well, it’s just a day we’re, we’re saved and we’re in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now again, Paul is saying, look, it’s not a matter of diet. It’s not a matter of days.
It is a matter of devotion. Jesus is Lord.
Now folks, we can get divided over incidentals, but we must stay united over one thing Jesus is Lord.
Now get that down in your heart.
If you don’t, it’s gonna be a long hard ride in this matter of being a Christian now because Christ is Lord.
Listen, when somebody receives Jesus Christ is Lord, we receive him and we don’t divide over incidentals.
That’s the way he leads out this chapter. Look in verse one. Him that is weak in the faith.
Receive. You don’t argue with him not to doubtful disputations. Don’t, don’t divide over incidentals.
Uh And he says the same thing in chapter 15, verse seven, therefore receive you one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
Learn this about being a Christian. You listen to me, we can be brothers without being twins.
We don’t have to be just alike.
If we are from the same family, we can have different ideas, different opinions of different things there, you can have unity without having uniformity.
Now, why should we welcome those who differ with us?
Why should we not try to make everybody lock uh march and lock step?
Well, first of all, uh we ought to receive them because God has received them and their salvation is from God.
Notice verse three, let him that Edith, let not him that Edith despise him that Edith not and let not him that Edith not judge him that Edith.
Now watch this. Here’s the key for God has received Him. Our folks.
When God receives somebody, you better receive them. Say amen.
When God has received Him, you had better receive Him. See you, you see His salvation is from God.
We if, if the brother or the sister is a Christian, we’re in the same family.
Why we’re even in the same body And so if you, if you hurt Him, you dishonor the father and you harm self.
So put it down. Why, why do you receive a weaker brother? Well, number one, his salvation is from God.
Number two, his his service is to God. Look in verse four.
Who are thou that judges another man’s servant to his own master. He stand or fall. Yeah, he is.
He shall be holding up for God is able to make him stand.
Now, if you have somebody working for you in your business, who am I to come in there and tell him to do this or not to do that or to criticize the way He does what he does in your business.
He doesn’t answer to me. It’s your business. He answers to you.
Now, folks in the same way, brothers and sisters in Christ are servants of God.
They’re not your servant. And who are you to judge another man’s servant to his own master?
He stands or falls. Uh So it’s not your job to pull him down and you don’t have to prop him up.
Uh The Paul goes on to say it’s a great statement on eternal security.
God is able to make him stand. God is able to make him stand.
Now, we’re talking about why we should receive one another. Number one, uh His salvation is from God.
Number two. His service is to God. Number three. Look at it right here and in verse four.
His security is of God. God is able to make him stand.
Uh He may not be where you are spiritually just give him time.
You don’t pull your radishes up by the roots to see how they’re growing and then jam them back in the ground again.
Give him time. God will help Him to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
His salvation is from God. His service is to God.
His security is in God and his stewardship is to God. Look in verses 10 and 12.
But why does thou judge thy brother? Oh, why thou said it not by brother?
That is to say to Him, you’re not worth much for, we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
For it is written as I live, sayeth the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God.
And when Mark and I stand before Jesus Christ, I’m not going to have to answer for Mark.
He’s not going to have to answer for Adrian.
His stewardship is to God and my stewardship is to God and your stewardship is to God.
And so, you know, rather than going around judging other people, we better get ready to answer to God ourselves.
Isn’t that right? We better get ready to answer to God for ourselves.
Now, folks, uh so many times we’re out there looking at other people rather than looking at ourselves and others I can see but praise the Lord.
There’s none in me. Well, listen, Paul says, receive him. His salvation is from God.
His service is to God. His security is in God. His stewardship is to the Lord.
But you see, you just come back to one thing.
That’s the reason Paul said, look, it’s not a matter of days. It’s not a matter of diets.
It is a matter of devotion.
Jesus Christ is Lord to this end, he, he died and rose and revived that he might be Lord of the living and the dead.
And the, the, the unity in church is not in the organization, not in the music, not in the preaching.
It is in Jesus Christ. Our Lord say amen in essentials, we have unity.
Donald Gray Barnhouse was a great Presbyterian preacher and he went to a conference one time to preach and it was a Bible conference and some of the women there were not wearing stockings.
And uh some of the older ladies in the church were scandalized that some people had come into the worship service and were not wearing stockings.
And uh they told Barnhouse about it. And here’s what Barnhouse said.
He said, did you know that the Virgin Mary did not wear stockings?
And he said that they were first worn by prostitutes in the 15th century.
And then he said a lady of nobility wore stockings one time to a court ball and that was a scandal to many people.
But before long, people in the upper classes began to wear the stockings.
And then Queen Victoria began to wear stockings and then wearing stockings became the badge of a prude.
See, those are incidental things.
Sometimes we say this is right or that is right and these are incidental things.
Now, listen to me, we’re talking about the things that make for peace.
Number one in, in, in essentials unity. That’s a matter of lordship.
Number two, in, in uh unity, not only is a matter of lordship. Unity is a matter of liberty.
That’s the second point. Unity is a matter of lordship. That’s the first point.
Number two, unity is a matter of liberty. That’s the second point. Look, if you will.
Now, in verse 17 of this chapter for the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink.
That is what you eat or what you drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
When you’re saved, our Lord sets you free now. Uh Liberty has its rights.
There’s certain things that I can do just because I’ve been set free in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Uh verse 14, Paul said, I know and I’m persuaded by the Lord Jesus. There’s nothing unclean of itself.
Uh This, this, this meat offered idols. There’s, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Look, if you will in verse 22 has thou faith, have it thyself before God. Uh I know Paul.
Paul is just saying, look, I have faith. There’s nothing wrong with this meat.
I could eat this meat if I wanted to.
I have my rights and, and you see liberty has its rights now, but not only does liberty have its rights.
Liberty also has its responsibilities. Look, if you will in verses 16 and 17, now, Paul is talking about things that are good, nothing wrong with them.
But he says in verses 16 and 17, let not then your good be evil spoken of.
That’s the responsibility of liberty.
Look at the balance in this chapter, liberty has its rights and liberty has its responsibilities.
I know that it’s fine. Nothing wrong with it, but I don’t want my good to be evil spoken of.
Now, you see Paul says, there’s some things that I’ll give up because it’s no big deal.
If I give them up, the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, joy, uh and, and, and righteousness and joy in the Holy Ghost.
We’re here, there are souls for the Lord Jesus Christ and, and, and, and there, there’s some things that are incidental and there’s some things that are fundamental.
The thing that is fundamental is that Jesus Christ is Lord and, and in, in uh it’s a matter of lordship and it’s a matter of liberty.
We have liberty, but liberty has its rights and liberty has its responsibilities.
Now, here’s the third thing I wanna say unity is a matter of lordship.
Unity is a matter of liberty and last of all, unity is a matter of love.
Uh Look, if you will in verse 15, but if thy brother be grieved with, I meet now walk us.
Thou not charitably, charitably. That means in love. Charity.
And the, and the King James version is love.
Now, if you, if you wound the weaker brother, you’re not walking in love.
Now, let me tell you what love will do in a church. Love will keep your brother from stumbling.
Look in verse 13, let us therefore, let us not therefore judge one another anymore, but judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.
Look in verse 21 it is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine or anything whereby thy brother stumble or is offended or is made weak.
Now you see love says I’m not going to give him a reason to stumble.
Now, there’s certain things in life that I don’t do not because I think that they would hurt me, but because I think they may hurt somebody else who would see me doing those things and I wouldn’t want to cause anybody else to stumble.
Now, I don’t drink wine. I don’t touch it. I’m not, I’m not, I don’t drink beer.
I don’t drink alcoholic beverages. I believe it’s wrong.
I, I believe I could give you a Bible reason.
And I have done this on occasion, why no Christian should drink even moderately.
But one of the major reasons I wouldn’t do it, even if I thought I could argue the case is I wouldn’t want to call somebody else to stumble.
I’ll tell you if you were to walk in a restaurant and see me sitting in there drinking a beer or wine.
It would hurt my testimony before most of you and special little Children.
If you had a son, a teenager but said, well, I wanna go out with the boys and drink some beer and you say you ought not to do that.
Well, Pastor Rogers does it. He’s a good man.
You see, we have to be careful, folks, we have to be careful that we don’t do anything that causes somebody else to stumble.
Uh It’s good neither to eat uh meat or to drink wine or anything whereby thy brother is offended or stumbles or is made weak.
And so, uh love does not give somebody a reason for stumbling and love does not give somebody a reason for sorrow.
Look in verse 15, but if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walk us down, not charitably, I wouldn’t want to do anything that would break your heart even though I said I have every right to do it would you say?
But pastor it grieves me to see you do that.
And then he says, don’t destroy your brother with your rights.
The word destroy here actually means to overthrow it, to ruin.
Don’t mar his well being love uh does not give my brother reason to stumble.
Love does not give my brother reason for sorrow. Love does not give my brother reason for separation.
Look in verse 19, let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace.
Uh uh and whereby we may edify one another.
Love says, what can I do that will maintain the unity in the church.
Uh We, we must, we must not do anything that causes uh division or separation.
And last of all, love must not give my brother reason for suspicion. Suspicion.
Look in verse 16, let not then your good be evil spoken of and look in verse 22.
Has thou faith have it to thyself before God happy as he that condemn not himself in the thing which he allows.
Now, what does all of that mean?
It means look, perception is one of the cruelest forms of reality.
And if, if uh somebody sees you do something that in itself is not bad.
But Paul says, don’t let your good be evil spoken there.
I, I years ago I, I shared this story with you down in Florida.
I had a lady come to see me and alcohol was her problem. Ultimately, we got there.
But one of her problems I I counsel with her, she reached in her pocket book at the close of the session and took out a pint of whiskey and said, Pastor, I’m finished with that and set it on my desk fine.
We, we prayed and, and, and I felt God had done his job and she walked out and now I’m sitting with that pint of whiskey on my desk.
I, I said, this will not do so.
I, I said, well, what will I do with this pint of whiskey?
Well, I’ll throw it in the trash can. I said, no, I can’t do that.
The janitor, you know, you’re coming, pick that out, trash can.
Uh, well, uh, I, I don’t wanna leave it sitting on the desk.
Uh, somebody come in here. I know what I’ll do. I’ll, I’ll hide it behind my books.
I said, oh no, that’s worse.
Just, just as sure as I put that pint of whiskey behind the, behind my books, somebody’s gonna come down and pull and look in there.
It’ll be, what am I to do with this Pint and Whiskey?
Uh, well, I gotta get rid of it.
How am I, how am I gonna get rid of it? I’m sure I could drink it.
What am I gonna do with it?
And so, uh, I said, well, I’ll, I’ll dispose of it on my way home in some neutral spot.
So I put it in a bag and put it in my car.
I said, God, if I have a wreck. Don’t let it happen. Lord.
And, and, and so I’m driving around with this, this half pint of whiskey in my car and I stopped at a wooded spot and I said, well, I just walk out there in the woods and throw it away.
And I said, what if I get caught out in the woods with this half pint of whiskey out here?
Somebody sees me out there, folks.
I, I breathed the prayer and walked out in the woods with that bottle and I, I don’t believe in littering, but I did, I poured it out and killed some ants and, and, and threw that bottle away.
Just look, I’ve, I’ve got incriminated now that you say that’s such a silly thing. Yeah, maybe.
But you know what the Bible says, don’t let your good be evil spoken eye.
Don’t do anything to cause anybody to be offended. Now, folks listen to your pastor today.
We’ve got a wonderful church.
Those of you who are listening by television, I believe your church may be a wonderful church.
Don’t get divided over incidentals, ok?
Not over days, not over diets, not over opinions, not over what somebody else does if you know your rights fine, but also exercise those rights in love and receive one another.
When people come into church, they may not know what you know, they don’t need to be criticized, they need to be loved, they need to be received and to help them to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.
Isn’t that true? Now, folks, you know what makes this church the great church that it is, is not a, what, it’s who his name is.
Jesus. That’s what we started with Christ is Lord. He’s like the hub of a wheel.
Our membership, the rim of that wheel, the members, the spoke in that wheel and the closer the spokes get to the hub, the closer they get to one another.
Our unity is in Jesus. Let’s bow together in prayer heads bowed and eyes are closed.
Would you begin now to pray for people in this congregation that may not have yet received Christ as their personal savior?
And Lord remember one day you receive Christ and you know what it means to you, to know Jesus, just pray that others might come to know him and wild heads are bad and eyes are closed, precious friend.
Would you like to receive Jesus?
You see the Bible says we will receive one another because he has received us and I can promise you that he will receive you.
And Jesus said to him that cometh unto me, I will never cast away. If you’ll come, he’ll receive you.
I promise you say what if I’m not one of the elect?
If you come to Jesus, you are the elect. Just come, just come, come to Jesus.
Pray this prayer, Lord Jesus. I need you.
I want you thank you for dying for my sins.
I believe you’re the son of God.
I believe you paid for my sin with your blood on the cross.
And I now this moment yield my heart and life to you.
I, I receive you as my Lord and as my savior cleanse me.
Save me, Lord Jesus. Pray that from your heart, save me, Lord Jesus.
Pray it and mean it, save me, Lord Jesus. Did you pray it? Then pray this?
Thank you for saving me and Lord Jesus because you’ve saved me.
I will follow you all the days of my life.
And if you will only help me, I will never be ashamed of you.
Help me never ever to be ashamed of you, Lord Jesus because you died for me in your name.
I pray amen.