Romans-Scope of the Gospel

Introduction

I am humbled and excited to preach the Word of God today. Thank you Pastor Marcus for trusting me to lift up God’s Word and make much of Jesus today!

Last week Pastor Marcus did a phenomenal job of explaining a difficult passage to understand at surface level. He dove into the difficult and convicting truths that we need to be confronted with. Causing another to stumble can “destroy the work of God” and so sacrificing our liberties

Now, in Romans 15:1-7 Paul presses deeper into that exact point he has been building his case for Unity through Self-Sacrifice. Paul addresses the stronger brother urging them bear with the failings of the weaker brother, but he broadens his scope not just to us, but in the text today he points to the greater example: Jesus. He points to our Lord and Savior as the perfect proof to why we MUST bear with the failings of the weak, with a great purpose in mind: deep gospel unity that brings about glory and honor to God the Father and becomes a witness to a lost world.

Let’s dive into the text:

Read Romans 15:1-7

Romans 15:1–7 ESV

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Notice this is:

Community Text: Bear the failings of another brother, please his neighbor for his good, to build him up, live in harmony with one another, together with one voice glorify God, welcome one another. Pursue authentic relationships CR core value.

Christ centered text: Christ didn’t please himself but bore our reproaches on our behalf, Christ is our point of unity, as Christ welcomed you

Self-Sacrifice over Self-Interest. (v. 1-2)

Re-read Romans 15:1-2

Paul specifically addresses the strong. He encourages the strong to take the first step towards peace.

We ALL think we are the strong one...

look back at the context: Loving one another (Ch 12) and Not passing judgment (Ch 14)

It’s not just an OPPORTUNITY but an OBLIGATION to love and bear with the failings of your weaker brother or sister.

It’s the Motive that Matters (Phil. 2:3 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

DEFINITION: “bearing with”: Doesn’t just mean that we “tolerate” or “put up with” but that we should put our SHOULDERS UNDER these failings, and meaningfully HELP our weak fellow-believers to CARRY them.

There is two pitfalls that we can make as we are walking the path of self-sacrifice:

We can cast people off because they are too much to deal with and exercise our license of freedom as a weapon towards the weaker.

We can coddle the weaker brother and fall into legalism.

Our aim should be to pull them up not just point them out—> our aim is to build them up don’t break them down

v. 2-There is a qualifier to loving the weaker brother: for his good, to build him up. It’s not about the human terms of feeling. Christ sets the terms of being built up for good. (Discern what is for building someone up in purity, love, truth, maturity in Christ). That means that the love we show to the weaker brother doesn’t “coddle” the immediate wants, but seeks to love with the eternal good in mind.

Refusing to live a life of self-pleasing should be the mindset of EVERY believer, whether the strong or the weak! At the end of the day: The gospel is the top priority above everything else.

And Paul says this: What better example of that than Jesus?

Self-Sacrifice makes you like Christ (v.3,6)

Re-read Romans 15:3

PATTERN YOUR LIFE AFTER THE MASTER! (Pause) Paul points to Christ as our ultimate example. When it comes to inconvenient and self-sacrificing love, Jesus is the greatest example we can find to model our lives.

With sweat pooling like drops of blood, Jesus did not give into his own wants in the Garden of Gethsemane. He submitted to the Father’s will, and with it the eternal good and upbuilding of others. He didn’t choose momentary desires, whether his own or others.

At ground level, Jesus could have submitted to His own desire to avoid earthly death, torture on the cross, and separation from the Father. Instead, Jesus put aside self-preservation to fulfill the divine will of the Father. And in that moment HE CHOSE it. Hebrews 12:2 is so profound “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who FOR THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” There was a greater purpose, salvation for all. There was a greater glory, seated at the right hand of God that OUTWEIGHED THE COST OF HIS SUFFERING AND SELF SACRIFICE. Jesus endured for our salvation, our unity, our example, AND for His eternal glory.

**Paul is appealing to the greater to affirm our obligation to the lesser.**

1 Peter 2:21 says this “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an EXAMPLE, so that you might FOLLOW IN HIS STEPS.” Paul does this many different times and here he appeals to the greater sacrifice of Christ to encourage us to follow through in a lesser degree. If Christ gave His life we can lay down our liberties to build up our brother/sister. It’s not about whether you want to have that drink or not, if you want to eat that BLT or not (lol), if you want to sing this or that type of worship music, if you want to sit in that seat or not.

Think about this for a moment: Christ’s unending love frees us from pleasing our own desires and agendas. Get this: Because we are pleased in God and in the knowledge and assurance that Christ is pleased with us, we are actually free to turn from ourselves and look to the good of others and their needs over our own. Our SECURITY in Christ work makes a way for greater SELF-SACRIFICE for our brother. What a grace from God!

Self-Sacrifice requires the Spur of Scripture (v. 4-5a)

Read Romans 15:4-5a

This passage is so practical! Guys DON’T MISS THIS: Paul points us to the Scriptures (Old Testament) and tells us that it was written “for our instruction.” Instruction means far more than imparting INTELLECTUAL knowledge. The emphasis is on PRACTICAL knowledge. APPLIED KNOWLEDGE that produces two different things: ENDURANCE and ENCOURAGEMENT that leads us HOPE.

ENDURANCE: It comes from the idea of PATIENT endurance. Endurance through the Scriptures is a gift from God produces through a few different things:

Patience to submit to God’s divine will.

Patience under human persecution and the opposition of the Enemy.

Patience as we bear with our brothers (Galatians 6:2)

Patience in waiting for promises to be fulfilled.

As we read Scripture we find the endurance of others before us:

Job under many afflictions was patient through it all.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob patiently waiting as travelers with God, embracing the covenant promise in a strange land.

Joseph patiently forgiving the unkindness of his brothers and bearing the false accusations of his master.

David in many trials, patiently waiting for the crown and not injuring Saul.

Jesus patient under all of the trials.

Even in the life of Paul we see that he isn’t speaking out of empty words but real experience in the area of endurance. Paul wrote Romans while he was working in Corinth. Paul didn’t have an easy time in Corinth. He had a plot against him by the Jews, and was opposed and hated by them, and the Jews made a united attack on Him and brought him before the tribunal. So Paul spoke out of brutal experience and resolve that God-given endurance and encouragement through His word and presence brings hope!

ENCOURAGEMENT: The Word brings us encouragement along with our patience to endure.

The Word encourages us to rise above fear

To think little of earthly things that mean nothing.

They command us to find our joy in God.

They encourage us to rejoice in our tribulations because they make us like Christ.

Think of these examples:

Enoch walked with God

Abraham found God as his shield and great reward

David strengthened himself in God

Hezekiah spread his letter before the Lord

They produce comfort as well.

The Holy Spirit is named our Comforter

The Scripture comforts us by its’ gentleness, fullness, certainty, and graciousness.

Our own experience with Scripture is the best testimony to its comforting and encouraging power.

It produces HOPE

The hope of salvation

The hope of the second coming of Christ

The hope of future glory

Thank you God for your Scripture! AMEN?! God’s Word carries us!

Self-Sacrifice Drives Supernatural Unity. (v.5-7)

Re-read Romans 15:5-7

Romans 15:5–7(ESV)

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Paul knows that without the Holy Spirit we don’t have a chance! (Say it again!) Paul utters a prayer that God of endurance and encouragement (the same as in the previous verse) would grant you to live in harmony together.

God is the source: God, who possesses endurance and encouragement, would use them both through the instruction of the Scripture to bring about hope in the life of both the weaker and stronger brother for the purpose of accomplishing harmony and unity in line with the example of Christ Jesus!

Christ is the example: Christ purchased for us on the cross: A blood bought and spirit-filled harmony that brings supernatural unity with one another.

Christian Unity calls for Close Proximity (PURSUE AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS)

That means we ought to be walking with someone…(DISCIPLESHIP)

None of us have arrived.

We won’t agree on everything all the time

We all have seasons of weakness.

We all have something to contribute to each other’s sanctification

The more Christ fills our spiritual vision, the greater the unity in the Church becomes. FOCUS ON CHRIST!

Accountability is a good thing!

All of this brings glory to God!!!! This is the purpose. This Christ-centered unity drives us to deeper worship, greater community, and a GROWING community! (Leads into application)

Application (Land the plane!)

Always missional tissue. What is the world seeing in US as the Church that is different than their experience? This was written to believers in order that we might live in such a radical unity through the power of Christ. However, it doesn’t just impact THE CHURCH but also the watching WORLD.

When we live this way, it will impact those around us:

The Church

Family

The World (our neighbors, coworkers, family members, grocery clerks, bank tellers, restaurant waiters, cashiers, etc.)

God’s love is different than the world. It’s not a one and done, but a pursuing, forgiving, patient, sacrificing kind of love.