Christlike Selflessness Romans 15:1-13
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1 Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves.
2 Each one of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
3 For even Christ did not please himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
4 For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.
5 Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus,
6 so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.
7 Therefore welcome one another, just as Christ also welcomed you, to the glory of God.
8 For I say that Christ became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises to the fathers,
9 and so that Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praise to your name.
10 Again it says, Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people!
11 And again, Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples praise him!
12 And again, Isaiah says, The root of Jesse will appear, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; the Gentiles will hope in him.
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Introduction: Christian liberty from last week. This leads into this week where the focus shifts from understanding to unity.
The weight of what Paul is saying here is that we as the church ought to have a level of unity that is reflective of our relationship with Christ. Now there are many things that can divide us but Paul is laying a specific concern here, Christian liberty. This does not mean that we bend on what is clear but also we must not break on what is not clear. (music for example, things that are not inherently wrong).
Weak vs. Strong
The weak one from last week:
1 Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about disputed matters.
2 One person believes he may eat anything, while one who is weak eats only vegetables.
The weak one is the one who thinks they are more spiritual than the other because they choose to abstain from certain things. This person has great zeal but poor judgement.
3 One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not judge one who does, because God has accepted him.
Now Paul moves us to how people with different convictions about different things must function with each other. (in house discussions).
Obligation of the Strong
It has been established that those who are weak show their weakness by judging unrighteously. In fact they are self righteous people who chose to fill in blanks for others that God has not.
But now, what about that other group? (we go back and forth between groups at different times).
1 Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves.
If you consider yourself to be strong that you have an obligation to be outward focused Christian. My question is going to be “Who are you discipling, Who are you engaging with, What are you willing to do and sacrifice?”. The answer to those questions will reveal what’s really in your heart.
Here’s the truth: we are very self-centered which in-turn turns to self-righteousness.
The weak are judgmental and the strong can shuck their obligation because of own selfishness. (As a Pastor I talk to a lot of people and what I’ve learned over 12 year of doing this is that
Here’s where we ought to be:
1 Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves.
2 Each one of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
We ought to be seeking to do those things that build up (in Christlikeness) each other.
THIS IS WHAT CHRIST DID FOR US
3 For even Christ did not please himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
Christ did not please Himself=our example
the insult=us, we did this and how did Christ handle our weakness
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.
(he’s quoting a psalm)
PAULS prays right in the middle of this
5 Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus,
6 so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.
WELCOME ONE ANOTHER
7 Therefore welcome one another, just as Christ also welcomed you, to the glory of God.
8 For I say that Christ became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises to the fathers,
9 and so that Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praise to your name.
10 Again it says, Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people!
11 And again, Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples praise him!
12 And again, Isaiah says, The root of Jesse will appear, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; the Gentiles will hope in him.
We need the Holy Spirit
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.