The Necessity of the Church (Romans 15:1–13)

CPS: The church is a necessary community where believers follow Christ, support each other, and unite to glorify God.

Introduction

Welcome to Back to Church Sunday. It is so good to see you here. And whatever your thought process is about church, whatever your motivation was to come to church today, we are glad that you are here. And I’m going to talk about something you might find interesting. I’m going to discuss why Christians go to church. I’ve titled today’s sermon, “The Necessity of the Church.”

A lot of us may have different histories with church. I grew up in church. As a kid, as long as I can remember, my Mom and Dad took me to church. I was in a church somewhere.

Some of us grew up Catholic. I kind of grew up the opposite. I grew up in the Bronx, NY and my mom and dad would take me to this pretty large Pentecostal church in the middle of the hood. These were some excited people.

And the one thing I remember about church is that it was long. We would get there early for Sunday school. I don't know how long we were at church. I know it was hours. I know when we came to church, the sun was up and when we left the church, it was dark outside, the sun was down. It was dark.

The church is where I learned to draw. My mom would give me some paper and some crayons, and I would sit and do art artwork for hours while this guy on the pulpit would be yelling and excited about something.

As a child, I put my faith in Jesus in that church. It wasn't a perfect church, no church is. But as later in my life when I got away from church and wasn't interested in it, I would reflect about my time of life in Jesus and realize that the life I found in Jesus was always better than the life I found in the world. And that if I follow Jesus, I follow him along with other Christians in a community of people called the church.

We'll talk today about the necessity of the church and why the church is a necessary community for you and for me. I'm going to give you four key truths about the church and then share with with you three reasons why the church is a necessary community.

We are in Romans 15:1-13. We have been studying through the book of Romans and are now getting to the last two chapters of the book. Romans is a letter from the Apostle Paul to a church, a group of Christians in Rome. Even though we are in the early years of the church, the gospel has already reached Rome and there are a small group of Christians there that Paul is reaching out to. Paul plans to get to Rome to be part of the Christian work there. So he writes this letter to prepare the Christians there for his arrival.

Now when I say the word church, just remember that church is not a physical place you go to. The word church literally means “gathering.” The church is simply a community of followers of Jesus Christ who gather together to worship and glorify God. That's going be important for us to keep in mind today as we talk about the necessity of the church. When we’re talking about the necessity of the church, we’re talking about the necessity of gathering together with other Christians as one body glorifying God together.

In the last few chapters of this letter, Paul has been admonishing the Christians to live in love with one another. That theme of love is going to carry us into chapter 15 where he is going to get into the necessity and the beauty of the church united together. So let's get into Romans 15:1-13.

Scripture Reading

Romans 15:1–13 CSB

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.

Pray

As we start looking at this text, I'm just struck by that last verse where he prays that we should overflow with hope. How many of us need to overflow with hope this morning?

In fact, let's start with that last verse first as an introduction to our text. He says in Romans 15:13:

Romans 15:13 CSB

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.

Now remember in verse 13 when he says “you,” when he says “fill you with all joy,” when he says, “peace as you believe,” when he says, “that you may overflow,” the you there is not some ambiguous group of people. The “you” there is the church.

Four Key Truths About the Church

And just from this last verse alone, we learn four key truths about the church. So before we look at the necessity of the church, it's important to see four important truths about the church that you need to know.

The first truth is that,

Key Truth 1: The Church has Hope from God

He starts his off in Romans 15:13 by saying, “Now may the God of hope…” Hope is a funny word to define. Ask somebody what is hope, and they'll say, "It's hope.” Hope is something that's more understood on the inside rather than definable.

Hope has to do with expectation. It has to do with what I expect to happen. And if I have expectations that things will be good, I will have hope to see those good things come to pass.

Hope is what drives people to buy lottery tickets. “I hope this ticket will win.” Hope is what will drives someone too continue to be the fan of a sports team that continues to lose. You say, “I hope this will be the year that they win.”

But the hope that the Bible talks about is a hope that is better than hope that we see in the world. Sometimes what the world calls hope is nothing more than wishful thinking.

Biblical hope is a confident expectation. It is not based on what I wish God would do. Biblical hope is based on who God is, and what He has already accomplished. That’s why he is, “The God of hope.”

Peter describes the hope that the church has as coming through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He says this in 1 Peter 1:3,

1 Peter 1:3 CSB

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

The hope that the church has, coming from the God of hope, is a hope that's not based on wishful thinking. It is a hope based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because he lives, we have a living hope that we live in him.

And notice that the church has something else here. People who put their faith in Christ have something Peter describes as a new birth. And this concept of the new birth leads us to the second point about the church that we see in Romans 15:13.

The second truth we see about the church is,

Key Truth 2: The Church has Holy Spirit Power

In Romans 15:13, it says the church has hope “by the power of the Holy Spirit.” What does he mean when he says that the church has hope by the power of the Holy Spirit?

In 1 Peter 1:3, we read that God has given us new birth.

1 Peter 1:3 CSB

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

Again, when he's saying “us,” Peter is talking to believers in Jesus Christ. So for those who believe in Jesus Christ, God gives to those believers something he describes as a new birth.

When someone puts their faith in Jesus Christ, there is a new birth of spiritual renewal within a person. It is a spiritual resurrection from the dead within the life of a believer in Jesus Christ. Because he lives, we live.

Within this spiritual renewal comes a new identity. Someone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ moves from someone who was dead in their sin to someone who is now alive in Jesus Christ.

Their new identity is that they are now a child of God. Through faith in Jesus Christ you are born into the family of God. Your identity is now in Jesus.

This new identity, this resurrection of the spirit within the man or woman who puts their faith in Jesus Christ, this all happens through the power of the Holy Spirit. God gives people new life in Jesus Christ by the power of his Spirit. The church, the people of God have Holy Spirit power.

A third truth about the church from Romans 15:13 is this,

Key Truth 3: The Church is Filled by Faith

Romans 15:13 describes the church as as having a filling from the God of hope. He says, “may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe .”

Romans 15:13 CSB

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.

Within that statement are really two truths:

1. That God does the filling in your heart. Joy and peace don't come from external pleasures. It doesn't come from having lots of money. It doesn't come from relationships. It doesn't come from anything on the outside. Joy and peace needs to be filled within you, and that filling needs to come from God.

2. But here is the interesting thing. Here's this connection between God’s work within you and your response to it. This filling from God comes as you believe. In other words, God works in conjunction with your faith. He works within you as you believe in him, in Christ.

There is something incredibly important to God about faith. It's the requirement that he puts before you. He says, “Do you trust me?” Because belief really has to do with trust. I will not believe you if I don't trust you. But if I fully trust you, I will believe what you say. And God asks, “Do you trust me?”

Galatians 5:22 tells us that joy and peace are a work of the Holy Spirit, or a fruit of the Holy Spirit, within the life of a Christian. When you shift your mind and your heart to a heart that fully believes in God's power through Jesus Christ, you shift your focus from the your present circumstance to the God who has power over the present. By the power of the Spirit of God, your faith will produce joy and peace because you trust that God has control over anything you face.

The Bible describes it this way in James 1:5-6,

James 1:5–6 CSB

5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

When you doubt in God's power, when you doubt that God is present with you, you are telling God that the storm you are facing is greater than him. Faith says God, you are bigger than the storm. Faith says God I will trust who you are, and I will trust in your power.

Romans 15:13, the verse with four truths about the church, is a prayer. It is a prayer that the church would people of God filled by faith. Faith, trust in God, is essential to being a believer in Jesus Christ.

The fourth truth about the church in Romans 15:13 is that,

Key Truth 4: The Church Overflows by God’s Power

He says in Romans 15:13 “so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” The church overflows in the hope of God when it is aligned and in step by faith with the power of God's Spirit.

The term for “overflow” in Romans. 15:13 has to do with having more than enough, or having an abundance. When the people of God are living by the Spirit of God, they are filled by his joy and peace, so that, or for the purpose of, the church having an abundance of hope by the power of God's Spirit as a testimony to the world.

You can follow the progression in this verse. The God of hope fills you with joy and peace as you believe, according to your faith. And a faith aligned with the power of God will have an overflow in a testimony to the world of the hope that is only found in Jesus Christ.

Now these four key truths that we learn about the church from Romans 15:13.

Four Key Truths About the Church in Romans 15:13:

The Church has Hope from God

The Church has Holy Spirit Power

The Church is Filled by Faith

The Church Overflows by God’s Power

These four key truths about the church leads to the necessity of the church according to Romans 15.

I want to outline for us three points about why the church is necessary.

The first point,

Point 1: The church is a necessary community of Christ-followers.

Before we get into the church as a necessary community of Christ followers, I believe it's important to describe for you what the church is not.

The church is not a bunch of money-hungry individuals trying to get a tax break who ask hurting people for money. There are better ways to make money than running a church.

The church is not about any individual person or pastor or preacher.

The church is not a rock concert or a place to learn positive thinking or getting three tips on how to become a better person.

The church is none of those things. The church is a community, and a necessary community, of men and women who follow Jesus Christ. John 1:14 tells us that Jesus is the Son of God, the eternal God who took on human flesh and dwelt among us.

Our Lord, who lived a perfect life, and although he was without sin, he died on the cross for your sins and for mine. He then rose again from the dead on the third day, and his resurrection is one of the most attested to facts in history. He ascended into heaven and will return one day.

He is the example for the church and the only one we follow.

Jesus calls the church to live a powerful, selfless life. Romans 15:1-3 describes Christ as our example of selflessness and sacrifice. It says,

Romans 15:1–3 CSB

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.

Notice that the church community is called to pattern their lives after Jesus Christ. The life of Jesus is a pattern of selflessness.

Philippians 2:6-7 says although he is God, he humbled himself by taking on human flesh.

He loved others by healing the sick, driving out demons, and performing miracles

He sacrificed his life on the cross for the sins of the world

Even while he was on the cross, in Luke 23:34, he prayed for his enemies, saying “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.”

Jesus is the perfection of selflessness, but everything in our culture caters to us.

Our culture values, independence and self reliance.

Our culture values the focus on self, “What's in it for me?”

But what happens in a culture that only focuses on self? I think you see it today:

Increased isolation and loneliness

A decline in empathy and compassion for others

Materialism and consumerism

The breakdown of the family

The church is a gathering of broken people who need a perfect Savior. We are sinners in need of his saving grace. The church is a gathering of people who have tasted and seen that the Lord is good.

The church is necessary because the world needs more people who follow Jesus.

Second,

Point 2: The church is a necessary community for mutual support.

Christians are not called to be Lone Rangers. We're not meant to be off in a mountain somewhere by ourselves.

Some people argue that, “I don't need to go to church to be a Christian.” On it’s face, technically that’s true. You are not saved because you attend a church. You are saved through faith in Jesus. There is only one way to God, and that is through putting your faith, your trust, in Jesus Christ.

But when you are born again, you're not born and then left on the side of the road to die. In Jesus, you are not an orphan. You are born into a family, a community. The Bible says that when you are born again, you become a child of God and we are brothers and sisters in Christ. Your family needs you, and you need your family.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus established the church. The church is not something that came after the fact. The church was established by Jesus himself for his people.

The Church Builds Each Other Up

Part of the purpose of this community is to build each other up in Jesus Christ. The church is a place where we bear the weaknesses of one another. Take a look at Romans 15:1 again:

Romans 15:1 CSB

1 Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves.

Christians are called to come around one another, loved one another, and help each one of us grow in Jesus.

The Church is Encouraged through God’s Word

The church is also a place where we encourage and strengthen one another through God's word, where we unpack the Scriptures and read them together for our mutual endurance and encouragement. Take a look at Romans 15:4:

Romans 15:4 CSB

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.

God has given his word to his people, the church, so that his people would endure, that we'd endure through the storms and endure through the struggles of life. He gave us his word so that we would endure and be encouraged, be strengthened, by the Spirit of God using his Word in our life.

Some have said that the Bible stands for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. That's fine, if that's helpful. God's word is authoritative and it is Instructions for life. If you want to hear a word from God, open up the pages of the Bible and read his word.

The Church is a People who are Accepted

The church is a community of people where you are welcomed and you are loved. Take a look at Romans 15:7,

Romans 15:7 CSB

7 Therefore welcome one another, just as Christ also welcomed you, to the glory of God.

Jesus did not die for only a certain group of people. He didn't die only for a certain ethnicity or certain class. Jesus died for the rich and the poor, for the sick and the healthy, for every ethnicity. Jesus died for the world. That means that he died for you.

We are all people for whom Jesus died for. He accepted us as we were but didn't leave us there. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, the old life is gone. He's taken it on the cross. In exchange, he gives you his life.

And since we have been so freely accepted in him by his blood on the cross, we are welcome in his family, his community, the church.

The church is not a bunch of perfect people. The church is not a bunch of people who are trying to be better. The church is accepted and loved by the one who makes us better. He is our healer and our Lord.

Last

Point 3: The church is a necessary community of unity for God’s glory.

If we as a church are bonded together in Christ and focused on building up one another in Jesus, we will be a community of people unified in Jesus.

The amazing thing about following Jesus Christ is that Jesus breaks down the barriers between us. One of the biggest barriers in Bible times in the first century Israel were the barriers between Jews and Gentiles. There was nothing that would bring these two groups together. They had nothing in common. That is, until Jesus. Because of the cross, Jesus can bring two groups of people who want nothing to do with each other and unify them in him.

Romans 15:8-9 speaks of these two groups of people coming together to glorify God:

Romans 15:8–9 CSB

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.

What is he saying here? He's saying that Jesus became a servant of all as he fulfilled the promises of God to Israel, and his mercy is for the Jews and the Gentiles. Jesus is the mercy of God to the world and he brings us all together so that we would be a people unified in him to the glory of God.

The world wants unity, but the unity that the world teaches is not enough. Our society teaches tolerance. It says, “I know we all think differently. We believe differently. We have different ideas. But at the end of the day, we should all just tolerate each other. We should coexist.” All tolerance really says is, “You live over there. We'll live over here. We'll just tolerate each other. I won't bother you, you won't bother me, we'll say hello in the store and we'll be fine.”

Tolerance is not unity. Tolerance is just parallel existence. It's disconnected. It doesn't offer any unity or mutual love one another.

Jesus doesn't offer us tolerance. Jesus offers you something bigger and better than tolerance. He will give you a new heart and a new life.

Jesus loves you enough not to leave you where you are. Where we are without Jesus is brokenness. Where we are without Jesus is sin. Where we are without Jesus is rebellion against God and a desperate situation.

Jesus loves you enough not to leave you where you are. The Bible says that through faith in Jesus Christ, your life will be changed. And that is for the good.

Jesus doesn't tolerate you. He changes you. He makes you into the man or woman that he wants you to be. And when you get to know Jesus, that's a good thing. That is a beautiful thing. There is a life that God has for you that is bigger and better than anything you've ever dreamed.

This is all that God asks, “Do you trust me?” Do you trust God enough to take him at his word? Do you trust God enough to say I want to be unified in him? Do you trust God enough to let him change your life?

Trust Jesus today, and let him change your life. Let’s pray.

Conclusion

Prayer

Last Song

Doxology

Numbers 6:24–26 CSB

24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you; 25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’

Jude 24–25 CSB

24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.

You are dismissed. Have a great week in the Lord!