And while you're turning in your Bibles to Romans and chapter 14, allow me to remind us of the presentation this coming Saturday. Thank you very much. The public lecture. I mentioned this morning for those who were here, but a number of you tend to be out in the various preaching points and hence the need to repeat the announcement. And brethren, it's a big thing. We have begun a university. And it simply means that we are taking the gospel into the world of education, and especially tertiary education. We are arguing for the fact that all knowledge actually comes from God. And he has revealed that in his word. I think the deacons want you to see a little better. Hence the switching off of the lights. They'll switch them on so that you can see me afterwards. But the point that is being made is that as part of our effort to challenge our community, to challenge our nation concerning the foundation of knowledge in the Christian faith, we are inviting scholars from around the world who are at the cutting edge of that sphere in which they are. And so, for instance, there, Professor Derek Schuman is from Calvin College in Grand Rapids in the USA. And if you look at his qualifications, which you can't easily see from the screen because they are quite sort of densely populated there, but he's in the world of computers and technology. And he's written, in fact, a textbook that we use at the African Christian University. So when he's dealing with faith and technology, he's not coming from a background of ignorance. He's someone who is a solid Christian and he has studied that aspect of the world and consequently he's coming at great expense to come and teach us concerning faith and technology. And so the appeal is that we should be there. I mean, it's us who are bringing it. The African Christian University is not something over there. It's something that we ourselves have begun and we are working at developing, and we hope in due season that your children will make use of it in due season. And so let's be there, but more than that, let's spread word so that our friends, especially those who are Christians, can come and be strengthened in realizing that when we go into the realm of computers and the internet, and cell phones and all that goes with technology. that we are not leaving our faith behind and then going into the world. Actually, the foundation is exactly the book that we hold on to. All right, so please let's do that, and it will make the cost of having the professor here even more worth the while. We are having it at 10 hours this coming Saturday at Lusaka Baptist Church. And let's fill up that huge auditorium, not only with ourselves, but also with our friends. Okay, Romans chapter 14. And this time we really look at verse 19, just one verse, but let me quickly give the background. We're making our way through chapter 14 of the book of Romans. And in this chapter, the apostle Paul has been concerned about bringing together what I would call two warring parties. And it's been essentially the Jews and the Gentiles because of the kind of backgrounds, religious backgrounds that they are coming from. Once upon a time they could live like that because, you know, the Judaism was exclusively for Jews and the rest was out there in the Gentile world. But with the coming of the Christian faith, it's not for Jews and not for Gentiles, it's for everybody together. Anyone who turns from sin and puts their faith in the atoning sacrifice of God's own Son. Invariably, when people have lived apart religiously for thousands of years, and then you bring them together, you expect trouble. And that's what was happening. So there was need to deal with this issue so that they can learn to be together, to serve the Lord together. So that's what the Apostle Paul essentially deals with here. And what it deals with are basically scruples and qualms. In other words, if we look at chapter 14, verse one and two, you begin to understand. As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. And what does it mean to be weak in faith? Well, listen to this. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. We see also in this five, one person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. So it's those issues. that were causing disquiet and discomfort in the Christian church. And what we noticed from the way the Apostle Paul handled it is that, first of all, he began with those whose faith is weak. In other words, those individuals who are not able to participate in either eating something or some other kind of activities, that other believers have the religious freedom to do so with a very clear conscience. And the apostle Paul began with them all the way up to verse 12. And basically he was saying to them, stop condemning your friends. They are saved. They love the Lord, they seek to save the Lord, and the only reason why there seems to be a difference between you and them is that their faith enables them to participate in things that your faith does not allow you. So, don't condemn them before their own master they stand or fall. And he says, indeed, they will stand because the Lord enables them to do so. And then from verse 13, he turns the gun onto those who are strong, those whose faith enables them to do a lot more than their friends can. And he says to them that you too must do something. And in their case, it is stop despising those whose faith does not allow them to do the kind of things that you are able to do. Don't despise them. Instead, reduce your own freedom. Hold back the kind of things that you are able to do out of love for the brethren. Hold back. And again, it's clearly an area that we struggle with, because often we find that those of us who are weaker in the faith are very quick to condemn others. And those who are strong in the faith, in this sense, tend to say, why should I Stop doing what I enjoy to do just for the sake of these people. Let them mature up. Let them grow up. Me, I'm not going to limit my freedoms. And what the Apostle Paul has done in this chapter, clearly inspired by the Spirit of God, is to address both sides. Now we are still on the side where Paul is addressing those who have greater freedoms. And this is what he says where we are. Let's begin from verse 16. So do not let what you regard as good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. And then our text, so then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up building. What has Paul done here? What Paul has basically said is, number one, the way you conduct yourself, don't allow yourself to end up in a situation where that which you approve, that which is good in your eyes, The brethren around you are condemning as evil. Don't allow that sort of thing to occur. And later on he will talk about how to do it, and it is by holding back your freedoms. But one of the things he then mentions is this issue of the kingdom of God. In other words, the way in which we grow in maturity in dealing with one another is when we begin to think more broadly concerning the Christian faith. When we start thinking more in terms of what is it that God is doing in the world? How is it? gathering in his people. How is he leading his church forward? The kingdom of God. And he says, when you take those many steps backwards, you soon see that it's not a matter of eating and drinking. The kind of things you are quarreling about, the qualms that you are battling over, He is saying, you soon discover that it's bigger issues, bigger issues. And what are those bigger issues? He says, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. He says, that's it. Those are the issues that make up the kingdom of God. Righteousness in terms of a righteous life before God. Peace in terms of peace with God and consequently peace with one another. and then joy, and that joy being in the Holy Spirit. In other words, not because it's your birthday, but it's because you are in Christ, and therefore the fruit of the Spirit is flowing through you and touching so many other people around you. The Apostle Paul says in the following verse that those who serve Christ in this way, in other words, when you keep those big things first, and you are living for them, and you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ that way, God is pleased, and even men are pleased, he says here. And that's when he goes now from the indicative where he's talking about what the kingdom of God is. And then he goes into the imperative. In other words, what should we do? And that's what I want us to quickly look at this evening. What should we do? Verse 19. So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. It's the exact opposite of what's currently happening. What's currently happening in the church in Rome is an atmosphere of acrimony, an atmosphere of finger pointing an atmosphere of tearing the church apart. In other words, there is no peace. And when you really inquire why are we failing to have peace in this church, you are told it's about vegetables and not vegetables. That's what's happening there. And the Apostle Paul is saying, let's go the opposite direction. instead of going in the direction of squabbles and going in the direction of destroying the church, let's go in the opposite direction, the direction of peace, the direction of mutual upbringing. Let's begin with the first, which is the direction of peace. The direction of peace. He's saying there that we must make it our priority to pursue what makes for peace. Now, what is peace? Peace is not just the absence of fighting. Because, trust me, if that's the definition of peace, then the graveyard is the most peaceful place. Because among the dead, there are no fights. But that's not peace. Peace is where there is life, and then you are finding harmony and goodwill. Harmony and goodwill. So life is there. We've got our wills, we've got our desires, we've got our wants, but in the midst of that, we are able to harmonize our lives and go together. Another example that I can give, I don't know how many of you ever ran what is called the three-leg dress. Now, the three-leg dress was basically something we ran in primary school, and you tied your left leg to your friend's right leg. And so you assumed you had three legs. And then you had to run in order to win the race. Now, it can turn people into the worst of enemies. Because you're supposed to reach some sinking of your motions and your movements. Anybody who is full of himself and himself alone, I must win. After all, my father is here, my mother is here. They've come to watch this race. I must win. It doesn't take long before they fall to the ground. And the reason why they fall is because that person is not concentrating on harmonizing his movements, holding back himself sufficiently to move at the same pace as the friend. And invariably, where that fails, it produces something else, a bad relationship. In other words, you lose the goodwill. And so, when you are rising up from the ground, it is finger pointing. It is, you see, you were running too quickly. I always tell you, no, you ate too much food, that's why you couldn't run, and so on. And then the battle continues. You become enemies of one another. You lose the sense of goodwill. And therefore, there is no peace. So really, peace is when these come together. There's something you are doing, so it's not in the graveyard, you're not dead. and then you deliberately are harmonizing your lives and then having this honor and respect and goodwill that you are sharing among yourselves. Now, the point that we have here concerning this aspect of harmony is that where you have disputes over doctrine and practice, this condition is inevitably threatened. When there is a difference, a dispute maybe is a better term, over doctrine for instance, you get to the point where you are unable to harmonize and unable to have goodwill towards each other. And also, where that dispute is about practice, we do it this way, I want us to do it this way, and somebody else wants it to be rather different, you find that peace is threatened. Now, where the it is over a major issue, what in theological circles we refer to as a gospel matter. In other words, we understand that to believe this is to go to hell, to teach this is to send other people to hell. That's a gospel matter. Then it's only right that there shouldn't be harmony. It's only right that there should be contention and dispute. And we see this from Acts 15. Acts 15, just the first two verses. Acts 15, verse 1 and verse 2. The Bible says there, and some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. That's what they were teaching. And obviously you and I will agree that that wasn't just an error, it was serious heresy. And so we read in the following verse, verse two, and after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. They were sent to the apostles and elders about this question. There could not be peace. There couldn't. Because the souls of men and women were at stake. The same Paul who is saying in Romans 14 that, look, put this aside and accept one another. In Acts 15, was not putting it aside, he was not accepting. There was a battle. And so brethren, the point is that where there are major issues to do with the eternal well-being of souls, heaven or hell, we must refuse to have peace at such a cost. But where, as it is the case here in the book of Romans, where it is not a gospel issue, then we should agree to disagree and remain in harmony and goodwill. We should be able to say, I don't agree with you, but you're my brother, you're my sister. Let's continue in fellowship together. I should still respect you, though I disagree with your view on this matter. That's what Paul is talking about here. Let's pursue what makes for peace. Let's not blow up the whole place over a secondary non-gospel issue. As was the case in this text, over eating vegetables or eating meat, whether observing a day as more important than another, and then I've given over the series so many other examples, just to make us see the kind of things we tend to split over that are non-gospel issues. So it says there, pursue what makes for peace, but it also says, pursue what makes for mutual up-building, mutual up-building. The actual Greek word for a building is exactly as it sounds. It's the equivalent of edification. So pursue what makes for mutual edification. And edification, you can easily understand building is to do with buildings. Edification, edifice, again, is actual building structures, and so on. And so really, what it's talking about here is that we must allow a situation in the church where we can see actual progress, where the church is doing something, where we are making our lives to grow. I'm able to go to church, and when I go back home, I'm saying, I have learned something. that's going to help me spiritually. And it's not just I have learned something from the preacher, but if we're in a kind of Bible study context, I would say the brother who was sitting there, his insight really helped me to understand the faith. The sister who was sitting there, when she made that comment, ah, I could see, that's where I've been going wrong, and so on. So that interaction is actually causing growth. but not only during church services. It is as we are visiting one another that we are actually helping one another to build our lives, to become better and stronger Christians, to grow in our Christian faith. That's what he's talking about here. He's saying pursue what makes for mutual up-building. In other words, whereas we do a lot of our learning from those who are pastors and elders and Bible study leaders and so on, there is also a lot that has to do with us learning from one another. Hence the phrase mutual up-building. Mutual up-building. Now, the truth is you can only Allow others to help build your life if you think that they are safe guides. If you think they are safe guides. Once you allow gossip and slander to do its job, I'm just saying, guess what? He eats meat. is not saved. So when you are now together in that meeting, you are unable to actually learn from one another, because the atmosphere has been polluted. and the situation has deteriorated to the point where there is spiritual disaffection. Spiritual disaffection. It's easy to do that, to spoil the atmosphere in the church. And you can't miss it. One is that people actually miss services. They just don't want to be there. One, because of the fact that there is that disconnect, the spiritual disaffection is there. Bible studies, they don't want to be there. Why? Because someone has said something about the Bible study leader, and consequently, I can't listen. Even if he's talking, I'm not listening. Or the person might be there, but it's in body only. The whole time, even when he said, let us turn to chapter 13 of Romans. Obviously, the person isn't listening. They don't want to learn. They can't wait for the time to finish and to go away. What's happened? In between the meetings, there was talking and talking and talking that has destroyed the atmosphere so that the ability to learn from one another has been destroyed, has been destroyed. So we need to ensure that there is an ambience that precludes spiritual disaffection, precludes it, that there's an atmosphere where we can actually go to church longing to learn, be in a Bible study where we are sharing and I'm willing to listen. And how do we do that? It is by avoiding, elevating non-gospel issues to the place of gospel issues in our hearts. In other words, yes, on the issues that Paul and Barnabas differed with other teachers from Jerusalem, that was a gospel issue and was right at the end of any meeting to go in small groups and say, no, no, no, I don't agree. I mean, surely the law of Moses has been satisfied in the death of Christ. That teacher is wrong and so on. And the whole situation becomes impossible. But when it's a non-gospel issue, and based on that, you cause an entire church to fail to function, to fail to learn from one another. As Paul is saying here, by what you eat, don't destroy the church. Surely, you can say, I put that food aside. You still go to heaven. Don't cause the church to fail to go forward. So those are the two areas. He's saying there needs to be a peaceful atmosphere, harmony, yes, goodwill, a sense of positive feeling, vibes towards one another and especially to the person who's teaching. But then secondly, also an ambience where I can learn from you, you can learn from me. What I'm interested in, as we draw towards the end of looking at this verse, is that in dealing with peace and mutual upbringing, let us not forget that Paul is talking about pursuing. He says there, so then, let us pursue. Let us pursue. Now, to pursue suggests Intentionality. You don't pursue something by accident. No, you deliberately want to. And then it also suggests strenuous effort. You don't pursue something lying on your bed half asleep. There's a lot of energy that comes out of that. And then thirdly, pursue suggests a goal in mind. Let me give two obvious examples. Think of a war situation. There's a battle and maybe terrorists, they've attacked a shopping mall. And the crack team has been brought in, and they have managed to surround the place. And in due season, they discover that the terrorists have actually gone out through the sewer system, come out some distance away, and they've run in the southern direction. And then you are told that this anti-terrorist group has pursued the terrorists. There are three things you can think about. Number one is that it's intentional. It didn't just happen. It's a decision they made. Number two, they are not sparing any energy. They are not. And then number three, they've got a goal to catch those guys or better still, kill them. But they've got a goal. That's what pursuing does. Oh, let's use another example. You're a student and you're studying medicine. And someone asks you, what are you studying? And you answer like this, I'm pursuing a career in medicine. I'm pursuing a career in medicine. Three things will be pretty obvious. Number one, it is that you processed the matter and made a decision that this is the way I'm going to go. Number two, you don't study those thick books through intravenous fluid while you're sleeping. No, you burn the midnight candle. You know it. While your friends are playing, you are busy studying and studying and studying. And number three, the goal is very clear in sight, that one day I'll be a doctor. That's what pursuing is about. In other words, when Paul says, so then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding, he is suggesting that there is a deliberate decision that we are making. That in this place, we want a church of peace. We want a church that has an ambience where we are learning from one another. Because that's what the church is supposed to be there for. It's not just a place to come and meet, but it's a place to come and learn. And therefore, we are going to strain every muscle, we are going to stretch every sinew and ligament to make sure that we preserve that. To make sure we preserve it. If we won't sleep, We won't lie back. We won't just assume it's going to happen. No! If there is anything that is disturbing the peace and the atmosphere of mutual upbringing, we want to deal with it. We want to deal with it. And we want to deal with it now. Because we've got a goal in mind. And the goal is this. We want an ambience where there is peace. We want an ambience where I can listen to my brother or my sister who is teaching with an open heart and an open mind because I want to learn there is harmony. There is goodwill between us. Paul is saying, be so that. Be deliberate about it. I want you to notice that although I'm calling my sermon, Pursue Peace and Mutual Edification, that's not exactly what Paul is saying. Paul is saying, pursue what makes for peace. Pursue what makes for mutual upbuilding. In other words, peace and mutual up-building is not something you aim for directly, otherwise it eludes you. But what you do is you deal with all those foxes that are threatening the peace. You deal with them, and as you deal with them, the result is peace. As you deal with the things that are undermining mutual up-building, then you end up with an environment where there is mutual upbuild. So it's really saying pursue what makes for. Once you deal with it, you end up better. So the difference is something like this. When you go to see a doctor and the doctor says, What can I do for you? What you tell the doctor is actually not the disease you are suffering from. You tell the doctor the symptoms. You say, you know, I've got this headache, which is not going away. And then now I've had these heart palpitations and so on. You speak about the symptoms. And as the doctor is listening, he's He's trying to arrive from his vast training at what the disease could be that is producing those symptoms. And finally, he will lay his hands on the disease. And it's the disease he will seek to deal with. And as he deals with the disease, the symptoms go away. and therefore you end up with the headache gone, you end up with your heart palpitations gone, and so on. But he did not deal directly with that. He dealt with the disease. So what Paul is saying is this. pursue the disease, whatever it is that's causing the atmosphere of acrimony and lack of peace and so on. Deal with it and deal with it quickly so that the atmosphere can come back to normal. I'll give you another example, I won't spend time on it because that's not our point for now. Here it is, verse 20 and 21. We'll look at it next time, but I want you to notice how peace is being brought about and how mutual education is being brought about. Verse 20, do not for the sake of food destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he does. It is not good to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. In other words, what you should therefore do is stop it. And then what will happen when you stop it? You end up with an atmosphere of peace and an atmosphere of mutual upbuilding because you've dealt with it. This thing that is causing your brother to stumble, you've said, fine. I stopped eating meat when he's around, of course. I stopped eating meat when he's around. Sort of fighting that, look, this is my favorite right now. I can manage without meat for some time to come. Because I love my brother. I love my sister. So that's what he's talking about here. He's saying, when he's saying pursue, he's not saying pursue peace directly. Indirectly, yes. But you are pursuing, you are dealing with the terrorists that are causing the whole place to go up in smoke. Those are the ones you are dealing with. And once you've caught up with them and you've dealt with them, the atmosphere in the city comes back to normal. And it's important, brethren, that we realize that. We must remove those items that hinder peace. We must remove those items or those activities that kill the atmosphere of education in the church, where we are no longer able to learn from one another, so we are being built up together. We must deal with them. so that the church remains a place where we can listen to one another and grow. And this is sometimes not so much that it's somebody else. Often it's the kind of things you yourself are doing or love to do, which in the process rub everybody the wrong way. So it might be you needing to say, uh-huh, I think for the sake of peace, for the sake of having an atmosphere of mutual edification, let me stop it. So the question is, are we doing that? Are we deliberately doing that? Are we a church that can say there is peace among us? Can we say that? That we are able to sit and happily learn from one another. Can we say that? And are we very deliberate that when it is clear that there is a disease that is causing the atmosphere to fail, that we pursue, deliberately pursue because we want the atmosphere in the church to come back to normal so that we are learning together, learning together, building our lives together, growing together, becoming something of a real educational entity. Or, putting it a little differently, are you the one who is the cause of the disunity and destruction? Because you are hanging on to what is a non-gospel issue. You are really hanging on to it, as if the whole of life, God's glory, whatever, is completely at stake, heaven is going to be lost, souls are going to go to hell, and you are hanging on to it. When really, it's a qualm. It's a scruple. The apostle Paul is saying, let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuild. Let's be deliberate about it. Remember what I said, intentionality. Straining every muscle in us. And we've got a goal we want to achieve. There's a song we sing, and we'll be singing it today. For I'm building a people of power. I'm making a people of praise. that will move through this land by my spirit and will glorify my precious name. We should be saying, build your church, Lord. Make us one, make us strong. Join our hearts, Lord, through yourself. That's what we should be saying. That's what we should be pressing towards of, for, build your church. that we might be a church, a people, where that atmosphere is deliberately preserved, deliberately so. We are intentional about it because we want to see the church go from strength to strength. That's what we want to see. Yes, we will have our differences. Yes, we will talk about our differences. But we will not allow them to hinder God's agenda for the church, to build his church. Amen.