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The Power of Influence (Romans 14) · Wetumpka Church of Christ Online

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Romans chapter 14, you have a discussion through inspiration.
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That Paul provides to us about issues that are matters of
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opinion, whether to eat certain things, refrain from eating
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certain things, whether to honor certain days or not honor
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certain days, there's nothing that is discussed in.
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Romans 14. That is a matter of doctrine
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that is irrefutable, or Or a condition of fellowship or a
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condition of being in right standing with the Lord.
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And so, in the middle of that discussion and verse 7, Paul
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says, for none of us live lives to himself.
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No man dies to himself in the in the immediate context for that
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passage is found. I believe what is being
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discussed. There is the fact that we don't
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live on this Earth randomly and independently, we live on this
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Earth because God put us here and when we leave this earth
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will return in some form or fashion.
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Whether that is to hear depart for me or whether that is to
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hear, well done, but we return to God, ultimately.
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We're here because of him and ultimately will return to him in
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some form or fashion. And so we don't live to
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ourselves. We don't diet or seven other
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words. We're not the the captain of
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your own ship, the the ruler of our own destiny, but in the
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broader context, if you've got a translation that has sub
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headings or gives you a brief description of what's going on,
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that particular passage by the translation that I'm reading
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from this morning has above Romans.
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Chapter 14 Christian influence. And so, the ways that we
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interact with each other, of course, there are things that as
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Christians. We cannot compromise of that
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make us who we are as followers of Christ, and they are pillars
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of our foundation and they cannot be a compromise any shape
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form or fashion, but that's not not, what is being discussed in?
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Romans 14. These are matters of personal
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opinion, personal conviction. Not matters of Doctrine.
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And so, what, I believe Paul is trying to say when you read the
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chapter and it's LT is. Let's Be Careful in how we
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impose our will or influence on one another.
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Let's not be a stumbling block to one another and at the same
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time. Let's not try to impose our will
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on someone when we're dealing with something that is a matter
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of opinion, as you will know, in Matthew Chapter 5, beginning in
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verse 13 immediately preceding. The what would maybe call the
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introduction to The Sermon on the Mount and that is the
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listing of the Beatitudes. You have the Man, that Jesus
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gives us to be both Salt and Light.
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And if you consider the Beatitudes introduction and you
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can consider verses 13 through 16 point number one of that
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masterful sermon from the master teacher.
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So Point number one, for those of you that are going to follow
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me be Salt and Light in other words, be people of influence,
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both Salt and Light influence. What they touch, don't they but
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here's something that we need to consider.
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There's a sweet spot. For both of those things, is
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there not. Is it possible to have too much
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salt? Is it possible to have too much
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light? We'll try staring directly into
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the Sun for more than about three seconds and you'll learn
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real fast that it's possible to be exposed to too much light.
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So there's a sweet spot for both of those things.
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We know when they're present. We know when they're absent, but
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we know also when we have too much or too little, don't we?
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And so there's that sweet spot for salt where it gives us this
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wonderful influence. And it's not to diminished.
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It's not too, overpowering is just right.
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And when it comes to our Christian influence, we need to
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be looking for that sweet spot where our influence is the most
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beneficial, where it's the most positive to the person or the
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people that we are trying to influence in a positive way.
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So, I believe, part of what Paul is saying, in Romans 14 is don't
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just try to impose, your, will your Our feelings exert your
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influence on someone. When it in that particular
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context with that particular thing.
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It's not necessary. At the same time.
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We also want to be influencing in ways that God wants us to
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influence. So he wants as we know when we
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need, just that right? Amount of light.
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If there's something that you need to read.
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You need a certain amount of light in that room where you're
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trying to read to be able to read there.
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Such a thing as having not enough light.
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There's such a thing as having too much.
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And so what the Lord is calling on us to do, is to be people of
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influence. Absolutely.
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But to exert that influence in the best way possible.
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So that the person that we're trying to be salt to the person
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that we're trying to be light for that.
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We're doing it in such a way that what is the ultimate
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objective of both of those exercises who is being glorified
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by the effort that we're putting in, Let your light so shine
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before men that they may see your good works.
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And so your father may be glorified in heaven.
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So the ultimate objective is so that God may be glorified so
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that his kingdom might be expanded.
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So we're trying to use our influence that we have as
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Christians. This command this instruction
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that were given to be both salt and light to use it in such a
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way where it is, beneficial, beneficial to the person that
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we're trying to influence and Not detrimental that were
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drawing them closer to Christ, not pushing them farther away.
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And man. That's a hard Balancing Act to
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find. Is it, I think it's a challenge
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for each and every one of us to find that that sweet spot, where
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where the right amount of salt where we're the right amount of
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light so that God is being glorified and he is being
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benefited by the efforts that we are putting in one thing I want.
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To consider this morning is the fact that we all have influence
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and we exert it every day to everybody that we interact with
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whether we're consciously aware of it at the time or not.
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You are affecting people in either a positive or negative
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way, by the way that you interact with them each and
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every day. We all are exerting a certain
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level of influence, you know, then we experience that with our
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families almost every day. How many of you who are married
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you wake up in a certain mood. And quickly after interacting
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with your spouse, you find yourself in a different mood and
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that can happen. Either way, right?
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You can wake up on the wrong side of the bed and your spouse
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can help you with a little attitude adjustment, you know,
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feel better and look better and do better and be nicer.
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But don't we have? And I think this happens more
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often this end of it, where maybe our spouse wakes up.
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Right side of the bed. We wake up on the wrong side of
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bed. And before we know it, we've
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dragged him over to the wrong side of the bed with us.
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Are our moods are contagious. Our attitudes are contagious.
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We're even having effects on people at times and we have no
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idea that we are yesterday, Benjamin about the Wetumpka post
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office and the line began for those of you that are familiar
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with, we took a post office, the line began in between the two
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glass doors. So that's where the line began.
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And so, in that situation, you can do one of two things.
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You can either express your aggravation and your outrage at
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the fact that a bunch of other people had the exact idea you
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had at the time, you know, it's always how dare they have the
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exact idea that I had at this point in time to come to the
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post office, right now, and Saturday morning.
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Is that what we tend to do? I cannot believe the traffic on
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the road. Well, aren't we part of the
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traffic on the road? I can't believe how many people
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are in. This store.
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Will. We're one of the people in the
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store. I can't believe everybody chose.
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Just restaurant on this particular occasion where one of
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the ones that shows the restaurant, it's always
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everybody else's fault. And so you have a decision to
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make and when you're in the line, your body language, you
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don't have to be saying anything, your body language can
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affect the mood of everybody behind you.
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And so the lady that was directly in front of me who I
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met in between those two glass doors.
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She was not blaming everyone else.
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She blamed herself. She says, this is what I get for
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choosing to deliver or mail. These two packages this late in
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the month, and she just, I could see the Smile through her mask.
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I could just tell she was not bothered by the situation.
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And so I fed off that and I decided, you know what, I'm
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going to make the best of this situation to.
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Okay, so the line proceeds and about 10 minutes later.
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We're maybe three or four from the front, and she she does not
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have earbuds in. She has nothing.
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That is providing. I believe the music that caused
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her to just kind of start dancing with her packages and
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you I'm standing behind her and she's just, I think she's
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singing have you. Self A Merry Little Christmas
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and there's no music playing in the post office.
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She's got no ear buds in. She's just at here.
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I am telling you this 24 hours later.
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I fed off that. And I was able then to benefit
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from the influence that she was having on me.
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She didn't say but just a few words.
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I didn't know who she was personally, but I fed off that
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just the body language just her disposition.
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Just the way that she was handling that situation.
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Many of you know that my daughter Brooke is a manager at
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a Chick-fil-A and every time we see her, if it's been a while.
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She has a list of stories to tell us about customer
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interactions. You would think everybody would
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be happy to be at Chick-fil-A Jeremy.
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I mean, you're about to get the Lord's chicken and, and it's
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going to be a wonderful occasion.
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You're going to get treated nicely.
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There should be no reason for anybody to be unhappy at
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Chick-fil-A, but I can tell you based on what I'm hearing for a
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first-hand experience. There are a lot of unhappy
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grouchy, people going to get their food at Chick-fil-A.
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And me, and she has told us some stories.
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I mean, are you kidding me? As so, her her mood is being
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affected all day, every day, when she's at Chick-fil-A,
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either positively or negatively based on the interaction that
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she having with the customer at the time.
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She told me one story where this person is just laying into her
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and anybody else within earshot about something that wasn't
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going, according to their expectations, for that
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particular experience. And there was one of the regular
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customers that was next in line. The, she knew and she always had
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a pleasant exchange, and he just kind of had a little smile on
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his face. While this person is just, I
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mean, showing themselves for anybody and everybody who's
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present, and he just got a little smile on his face, and he
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just kind of watching him and he comes up to her immediately
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after and has something encouraging to say about the
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job, they're doing. And and so immediately, she was
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able to, you know, get that bad experience, out of her mind and
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and get it lifted up again by here's here's someone who's
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acting like a decent human being and every day.
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We as Christians have the not just opportunity, but we have
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the responsibility to be Salt and Light.
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That is exerting a positive influence on.
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The people that it we're interacting with on a daily
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basis. We can never lose our influence.
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We're going to have it. I think the broader application
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going back to Romans chapter 14 and verse 7, the broader
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application. No man lives himself.
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And no man, dieth to himself. We talked about the immediate
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context and the application but the broader application is is we
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have this level of influence whether we want it or not.
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There have been athletes before, who have said.
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I'm not a role model. Now, you're a role model whether
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you want to be or not. We have influence that we can
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exert on our fellow man, whether we want to have it or not.
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So influence doesn't go away but influence can change through
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carelessness. We can we can ruin our influence
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on our fellow, man, but through care fullness.
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We can restore our influence and be a wonderful example of Salt
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and Light in our homes, in our workplaces, in our communities,
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this time of Here most of us probably washed watch one or
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multiple versions of A Christmas Carol.
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There's probably being 40 different film renderings of
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that Charles Dickens story. Why does it resonate with us?
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Why do we watch that? Same story?
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We know exactly what's going to happen with the with the three
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ghosts and and how he is before and how he is after, when we
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whatever version we're watching at the very end, especially if
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it's done. Well, by the person portraying
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Ebenezer Scrooge, don't we just Want to hang out with him.
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We wanted nothing to do with him for 95% of that film.
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But he goes through such a remarkable transformation that I
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find myself. And one of the last things you
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know when crash it comes back to work the next day and you know,
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everybody's are acts like he's going to be as typical old
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grouchy self and you know turns the tables on him and one of the
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last things he says is will talk about your raise this afternoon
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over a Christmas Bowl. I don't know what a Christmas
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bowl is, but I always think those of I want some of that.
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And I want to have some of that with you have been these are--,
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the guy that I wanted nothing to do with for, for the first hour
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and a half of this film. But men now I just want to hang
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out with you. I want to have a Christmas bowl
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with you. I want to go to your nephews
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house with you. I want to walk down the sidewalk
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with you. Because of the transformation
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and the change in his influence, the Lord calls on us as
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Christians to what, Romans 12:1 to not be conformed to the
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world, but to be transformed. To be different to be better
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than what the world has to offer.
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You may have heard. I think it's a famous Gospel
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quartet song called the baptism of Jesse Taylor.
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Let me just read the lyrics for you quickly this morning because
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it it gives us another picture of a transformation.
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That occurs among the local taverns, they'll be as slack in
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business because Jesse is drink and came before the groceries
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and the rent. Among the local women.
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They'll be a slack and cheating because Jesse won't be stepping
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out. Again.
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The scars on Jesse's knuckles were more than just respected.
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The county courthouse. Records tell all there is to
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tell the pockets of the gamblers will soon.
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Miss Jessie's money and the black eye of the law will soon
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be well. For now, on Nancy, Taylor can
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proudly speak to neighbors. Tell how much Jesse took up with
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little Jim. Now, Jimmy's got a daddy and
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Jesse's got a family and Franklin counties.
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Got a lot more, man. The chorus goes.
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They baptized Jesse Taylor and Cedar Creek last Sunday.
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Jesus gained a soul and Satan lost a good.
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Right arm. They all cried.
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Hallelujah, is Jesse's head went under because the time he went,
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because this time he went under for the Lord.
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This is just an example of fictional song, Maybe it's based
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on a real person. I don't know of the
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transformation that we can experience, as followers of
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Jesus Christ. And the fact that we can go from
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being someone with a bad reputation that exerted a very
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negative influence on everybody. We saw, we can transform that
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into someone who everybody wants to see.
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I know you've heard the saying before we all.
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We all every one of us. Light up a room.
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Sometimes we light up a room. When we enter.
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Sometimes we light up the room when we exit.
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We're lighting up the room, one way or the other.
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And it's up to us to determine which at which point in time of
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the visit. We're lighting up the room when
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we arrived or when we leave. Our influence lives on after we
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die, Hebrews 11:4, Abel's. The first hero of Faith
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mentioned in that great chapter and remember and talking about
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the fact that he offered his Sacrifice by faith and that God,
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Justified him through this sacrifice.
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And at the end of verse 4, it says though, he being dead yet.
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He still speaks at least 4,000 years, had passed between that
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sacrifice that Abel had offered in the Hebrew writer, their
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inspiration writing about it. Now another 2,000 years have
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passed 6,000 years, at least since April offered that
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sacrifice, but though he being dead yet.
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He still speaks in 2020 because of the influence that he was our
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influence follows us, even after we die.
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The things that we say, the advice that we give the example
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that we set those things, stay with us.
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I know you've got things that you heard, your parents say that
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you heard your And parents say I use the word blooming about 15
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times a day in all kinds of contexts.
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I don't know the origin of that word.
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Like I might just say to Wendy. I just stubbed my toe on the end
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of the blooming bed. You know why I say, blooming 10
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to 15 times a day. That's what my granddad said.
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And it just stuck with me when he was angry.
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Whatever. That was.
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He was angry about was blooming. What a positive spin.
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And to put on something that you're blooming is normally
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really good thing. So I guess it puts a positive
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spin on, you know, knocking your toe against the end of the bed,
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but we have these examples in our life of people who have
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influenced us either positively or negatively, and many of us,
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probably, all of us are still reaping.
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The benefits from some positive influences of those who have
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already gone on to be with the Lord.
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This is one of your classic three points in a poem.
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Lesson this morning. So let me just share one poem
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with you. The illustrates the influence
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that we can have on people long after we've left.
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This poem is titled the bridge builder, an old man going alone.
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Highway came to a Chasm deep in Gray.
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The old man crossed into Twilight.
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Dim. The Sullen stream had no fear
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for him. But he turned when safe on the
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other side and built a bridge to span the tide old man, said a
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fellow Pilgrim near you were wasting your strength with
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building here. Your journey will end with a
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close of the day. You never again will pass this
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way. You've crossed the chasm deep
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and wide. Why build this bridge at evening
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tide? The Builder.
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Lifted his old gray head, good friend and the path.
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I have come. He said there follows after me
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today, a youth, whose feet must pass this way.
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This Has them that has been as not to me to that fair-haired
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youth May a pitfall be. So too, must cross in the
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Twilight. Damn, good friend.
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I'm building this bridge for him.
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We do indeed have influence that affects people now and has the
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ability to affect people that love us and we love long after
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our days in this life are gone. How are some of the ways that we
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influence one? Another?
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First Timothy chapter 4, and verse 12, Paul says to Timothy
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let no man despise your youth, be an example to the Believers
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in word and conduct and love and spirit and faith in Purity.
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Why, why is Paul telling Timothy to do these things?
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Because he realizes that Timothy, as we all do have this
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power to influence. And so Paul is saying recognize,
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your ability to influence and use that ability to influence
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people in a positive way in one of the ways that we can
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influence people either positively or negatively.
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Especially those people who are closest to us is with the words
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that we use Ephesians 4 verse 29, let no corrupt communication
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proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for the use
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of edifying. That it may Minister grace to
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the hearers. We have such power in the words
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that we use, you. Probably remember more acutely,
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the times that someone wounded, you with words in your past,
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then when you were wounded in some physical form or fashion.
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Words can have a lasting negative effect.
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They can have a lasting positive effect.
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So these words that have great powerless, utilize these words
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and such a way that we're using them.
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What does Paul say again for the use of edifying that it may
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Minister grace to the hearers Colossians 4:6?
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Let your speech be always with Grace seasoned with salt so that
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you may know who you how you met ought to answer every man.
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So what is a Christian being told to do, taste your words?
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Before you speak them. What do most people do in the
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world? They don't taste test their
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words at all. Before they come out, you
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experienced that in the workplace.
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You experience that people that you interact with on a daily
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basis. So many people just let whatever
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fly out with without taking one second to taste those words,
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too. Ensure that they are palatable
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for the hearer. And so God is calling on us to
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be careful with our words because they are influential
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either for good or for bad. I used a phrase that I that I
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heard and learned one time that has come back to haunt me over
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and over again, in my communication, particularly with
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my family. There's one occasion where they
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think someone that lives in my home will change names to
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protect. The innocent will just All are
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mending, nesser. She said something along the
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lines of you're making me mad or making me angry.
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And I had recently learned this phrase only you can make you
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angry. Has that phrase ever come back
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on me. Every time I have ever said to
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this person. You're about to make me angry.
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Yeah, I'll sometimes I'll use the whole if you were like me
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and watch The Incredible Hulk, when you were a kid and, you
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know, the little intro to The Incredible Hulk was the scene
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where Bruce Banner says, don't make me angry.
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You won't like me when I'm angry.
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And so I, you know, I'll say to any of your making me mad.
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You make it and shook only you can make you angry, man.
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I wish I had never learned that phrase in used it because then
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what can you do? What can you do?
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Well, I'll say, okay, you know, maybe you cannot, maybe only I
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can make me angry, but if I ever get an award for being angry, I
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get called on the stage to receive that award.
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I will list you at the top of the people to think.
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Thank you for helping me. Thank you for helping me be this
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angry today and receiving this award for my anger.
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Our words can have great influence either, for good or
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for bad. I warned her that she was going
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to get called out this morning. So hopefully I'll get my
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hamburger steak. Anyway, she's watching from
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home, but hopefully I'll be okay in our manner of life.
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We have great influence Philippians 1:27.
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Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that
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whether I come and see you or I'm absent, I may hear of your
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Affairs that you stand fast and one spirit with one mind
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striving together for the Faith of the Gospel.
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We have an individual influence. We have a collective influence
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as the church that meets your Wetumpka.
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And so there's so much that we can do to influence our
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community positively collectively.
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There's much that we can do to influence our community
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individually. May we not lose sight of the
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influence that we have and by our conduct, not just by the
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words that we speak. But our manner of life, our
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disposition The Way We Carry ourselves, just going back.
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That woman in the post office. Just she had a song in her head.
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It was a positive influence to those around her without even
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saying a word in our conduct on a daily basis.
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We can exert great influence by the love that we have for our
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fellow, man. John 13 and verse. 35, Jesus
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says to his Apostles by, this shall all.
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Men know that you are my disciples.
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If you have love one for another, I'm sure you've heard a
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thousand times. People don't care what, you
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know, until they know how much you care.
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And Jesus said, what is going to draw people to you to make them
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interested in hearing what you have to say is to see the love
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that you have for one another. The ways that you love with
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thats how people are going to know that you're my disciples.
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That's going to be the stamp that's going to be the sign.
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Is the love that you have for one another, the Lord is calling
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on us, Matthew chapter, 22, and verse 37 to love him, with all
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of our heart, our soul, our mind, our strength.
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We are to invest in God with everything that we have and by
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doing. So the invest in our fellow man
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by exerting this positive influence.
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Let me close this morning with one more, tiny little poem.
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You are writing a gospel a chapter each day by the Deeds
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that you do. And the words that you say me
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and read what you write, whether faulty or true say, what is The
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Gospel? According to you?
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I know you've heard before the phrase.
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You may be the only gospel, that someone hears.
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So we have this ability to influence.
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And as a very powerful ability that we have to use either for
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good or for evil. How are we exerting our
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influence this morning as children of God as brothers and
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sisters. Jesus Christ as submitting to
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him as our Lord and savior. Are we allowing the example that
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he set for us? To control our day-to-day life.
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In the ways that we're interacting with our fellow,
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man, the words that we say, our disposition our conduct did
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those things mirror, what God has called on us to have being
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that perfect amount of salt, being that right amount of light
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so that we are influencing those around us in a way that brings
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them closer to Jesus Christ, if they already have a relationship
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with him, but brings them closer to a desire for relationship
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with Jesus Christ. If they don't have one with him
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yet, may we be people of great influence.
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If you are a child of God this morning, but you need
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encouragement. You need prayer.
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Let's pray within for you right now.
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If you're not a child of God, but you want to become one by
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faith. Repenting of your sins,
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confessing Jesus Christ is Lord. Baptized into Christ for the
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remission of your sins. Maybe you've heard a thousand
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times. What you need to do, but for
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some reason, you've not acted on that knowledge.
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Don't wait, another moment. We'd love to add a brother or
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sister to the kingdom, this very morning if we can help you or
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pray within for you, please come as Together, We Stand and sing.