Romans Chapter 14 Verses 1 – 4

•Division and weakness have crept into the church. Into even our relationships between one another, personally and corporately because we so often refuse to heed the Word of God. Disputes over doubtful things rips apart at the seams best friends, co-workers, families, even church families…

•Paul is clear here. This should not be so. There are things that scripture tells us are wrong…things that we should absolutely avoid and stand fast and firm against. With those things, there is no question. But in these areas where the scriptures do not speak specifically, then we are to have this latitude in the receiving of each other.

•And I’m not sure if you noticed, but the one that was weak was the one that ate only vegetables. There is an entire Bible study in that statement alone because immediately we would go for the other dude. The one who was scarfing down the meat and the cheese and the deserts…but not so Paul says…who cares if one eats carrots (*shutters) and one does not! Look at you all bent out of shape man about what someone else is snacking on! Where’s your heart at, if that’s your focus…sounds…weak to me.

•The key to this statement and really to every sound, clear, practical, powerful teaching you find in the pages of God’s Word…the key to every promise, every warning, every truth, everything you read, as you apply it in your own life, is verse 4. “Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”

I want to develop that statement for a few minutes together with you. I’d like to offer you a thought and then invite you to go and try it out. Really, what good is a thought…what good is truth if you have no heart to walk in it man…Jesus said that it’s like a house built on shifting sand…might look nice, might be functional when the sun is shining…but bring the rain, bring the difficulty and it falls…

As we saw this morning, Chin and Scott being raised up to the position and responsibility and privilege of pastor here in this church, all I’ve done for the past 2 and a half years is just what I’d like to do with you this morning. Offer thoughts, invitations for wisdom and then step back and watch…precisely what I’ve done with them…to see what foundation they would choose for themselves, for their families, for their ministries. Would they choose the solid rock and take what the Bible says and lead out with it, uncompromising and unrelenting as they pursued hard after Jesus…or would they choose a coloring book?

A coloring book? Let me explain. Bill Gates, one of the wealthiest men on earth has several very precious possessions. One of which rests in his library. He is the owner of a sketchbook used by Leonardo Divinci. This sketchbook is valued at $30.2 million dollars! Extremely valuable. Now, if you were to sit down my little ones, my 3 year old son and my 7 year old daughter, and place in front of them Leonardo Divinci’s sketchbook and a coloring book with some crayons…which one do you think they would choose?

There wouldn’t be a choice would there? Within moments they’d tear into those crayons and they’d be busy coloring! Link would probably be running down the hallway dragging the crayon along the wall!!! They may even add some color to the sketchbook! Why? Because they think like children…they don’t perceive the value in the sketchbook…and although they have been offered leisure, what feels good…pleasure-and-play alongside of extra-ordinarily rare-and-unique…their minds, the mind of a child, readily dismisses that which is of true value when faced with a moment of temptation.

The fact is, we do the same thing. We have on our laps this morning, on our nightstands, in our cars, in our iPhones, iPads, iPods…all over the place man in this country…we have the most valuable book that will ever exist in all of eternity and yet we color our days away by not heeding it…and the storm comes man…and we fall. But something that Chin has grown to not just know but to understand, something that Scott has grown to not just know (what the hizzy hey is good with knowledge when it is left in the ears?), he has grown not just to know this but to see it, experience it himself…that no one, no book, no earthly wisdom, no passing pleasure, no sensual satisfaction is able to make him stand…God alone is able to make him and you and I stand.

You don’t know what to do about your job, about your marriage, about your mom, about your dad, about your kids, about your church, about this government, about your day…God is able to make you stand man! Where in the pages of this power does it say to make something out of your life!? Make Jesus out of your life man!! He’ll take care of you! > Will you believe it or not? Your behavior will find you out and ultimately so will your house…when the storm comes! I’ve learned this throughout my walk with Jesus, man…He reminded me of it this week.

On Wednesday night, we got home from church late, much like we always do. We pulled into my driveway a little bit before 11pm. We unloaded the truck, got the kids to bed and went lights out around 11:30ish. At 8am the next morning, Brantley and I were leaving for the day. I was about to drive him to school and we turned the corner to face my driveway and immediately I stopped. Something wasn’t right. I looked around my coldisac confused for a moment and then asked Brantely, “Where’s the truck?” It was gone.

I spend much of the morning on the phone with the police and the insurance company, telling the story, filing the report, doing the paperwork and after speaking with the insurance company, they informed me that I’d be contacted by an agent who would handle the details of the claim. I went through my day and that afternoon after I had gotten home, I saw my neighbor outside.

Now many of you know the situation with my truck. The ignition malfunctioned shortly after I bought it and the key one day, just refused to come out. Some of my mechanic buddies worked on it and concluded that the entire ignition assembly would need to be replaced and that ain’t cheap…well, many of you may already know this, I am. I concluded that I could just live with it instead of fixing it…

So the situation was, the truck was most likely unlocked with the key in the ignition. I know, I know, what an idiot! So I told my neighbor this and immediately out of his mouth, “well don’t tell the insurance company that for sure!” And I looked at him and I said, “Every day, I would rather suffer the consequence of truth then the consequence of a lie…” He looked at me somewhat strangely; like I was stupid…I knew he has a collection of coloring books…

You see insurance typically won’t cover you if you’ve been overtly negligent…I knew that, it didn’t matter. My truck may be worth around $10,000 but April and I didn’t care…crayons and coloring books don’t interest us…we know that God is able to make us stand…We have built upon the solid rock no dag on storm changes that.

The insurance agent called. The entire conversation was recorded and she asked me straight out, “were the keys in the car?” I replied, “yes they were.” She lit up with excitement. “I am so glad you told the truth. That is so very rare and I am trained, well trained to perceive voice inflection and to use conversational tactics to discover lies and when a lie is discovered, you’re sunk…it’s even a federal offense…insurance fraud, and I am proud of you that you’d be truthful with me.” So we talked for a moment about truth and I told her that my neighbor had even advised me to lie, she said, “it’s a great thing you didn’t listen to him!” I agreed. It’s better to heed the Word of God than the Word of man.

Then, the moment, “I suppose I won’t be covered now right,” I said. Without delay she responded, “not a chance, you are completely covered! Just because you left the keys in the car that does not give a thief the right to steal it!” Awesome I thought as I breathed a sigh of relief and gave the glory to God.

That’s not all though.

Fast forward to Friday. Around 4:30pm my phone rang. It’s the Aurora police department. “Sir, we’ve recovered your vehicle. Two suspects are in custody and you can pick it up between now and 7pm at the impound lot.” We took off immediately.

An hour later I approached the truck expecting to find it banged up, destroyed, imperfect (oh the horror!)…nothing. Not a scratch. Stereo in the dash, subwoofer in the back, all my paperwork…there…glove box filled with my stuff…and what’s this? iPod…not mine. Tactical light, not mine. Digital camera, not mine. Bottle of Tommy cologne, not mine, two pairs of sunglasses, not mine. Infrared binoculars, not mine, isotoners….not mine…MINE NOW!

What!? Now I’ll call Aurora PD and make sure they don’t want me to turn this stuff in but look at this! Check this out! God is able to make me stand! Not survive! Not sit comfy on the comfy couch…NO! God makes me to stand! The position of strength! They meant to plunder me, I plundered them! Or should I say, God gave my enemies into my hand!!!

In 1 Samuel, the Philistines and their champion blasphemed God and at the command of the Lord the people of God engaged and after Goliath was slain the Philistines were plundered! In 2 Kings Chapter 7 the Syrians rose up against Israel and the Lord said “engage” and they were plundered! Jeremiah 30:16 says, “‘Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured; And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; Those who plunder you shall become plunder, And all who prey upon you I will make a prey!”

God is alone able to make us stand! Galatians 6:7 says, “don’t get this wrong! God will not be mocked! Whatever you sow…you will also reap! Of the flesh to destruction, or of the spirit to everlasting life.”

Put the coloring books away. The wasted time. The lost days. The lost moments. The busted relationships as Paul speaks of in Romans 14…the lost opportunities, the decay man…put it away! Build now, today, start RIGHT NOW, build upon the solid rock man…however you feel, whatever the situation is, whatever the circumstance…you have no excuse to deny God and go after the flesh…and in the end man…you’ll end up plundered. Not God’s will or plan for you folks…He has ordained you, each of you as His ministers of truth man…to mount up on wings of eagles, to run and to not grow faint…to stand when they can’t and to hold fast when the storm comes…

Take this out of your ears and install it into your life today man…because God alone is able to make you stand!