Romans 15:1-13
Notes
Transcript
We are back at Romans
I hope you have enjoyed digging into Romans
Paul is sort of continuing on from Romans 14 ish
We are to come along side those who are younger and weaker in their walks with Christ
Church we are to be disciple makers
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
We are to go we talk about that often going out into our daily lives
As we live our lives and then we are to intentionally go out with the goal of sharing the Gospel
We are teach and share with them what we ourselves have experienced
Then we are to make disciples
Which means church we are to spend time with them and help them grow in Christ
Paul is going to share that with the church in Rome
1 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. 2 Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.
We are to help them
We are to lift them up
We are to come along side the younger and weaker and newer believers to edify them
Encourage them to grow in Christ
We are to care about the younger believers
Rather than tearing them down we are to help build them up
Paul says this again to another church
1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Look out for the interest of others
We are to love others
In TNT we have been going through the 10 commandments and I know we have gone over them here in Big Church
But to sum up the 10 commandments as Jesus did we are to Love God and Love people
Jesus calls us to love people especially those who are brothers and sisters in Christ
Which means we are come along side them and encourage them to
We are to do that because Christ is our example
3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” 4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Christ didn’t do it for himself
But He did it because of His love for us
God demonstrated His love for us
That whilst we were still enemies of God
One commentary puts it this way
“Like Jesus, the strong in Rome should be willing to serve in love even those who are being nasty to them”
Jesus as our example while being beaten and spit on and the people hurling insults at him left and right
While people were being nasty to Him Jesus still choose to be obedient to the point of death on the cross because of His love for you and I
And church as believers in Jesus He is our example of how we are to be to others
Jesus showed us what it is to love people
Then Paul reminds us why we have the Old Testament
To give us instruction
What to see what worship looks like read the Psalms
Want to see people sold out for Jesus in the midst of turmoil read Daniel
Want to see Gods plan for a chosen nation read Genesis and Exodus
The Old Testament was written for us and church still serves a purpose that continues to give us hope in our present day and age
Then Paul goes right into the church being unified for one purpose
If Jesus is our example of loving people, then He calls us to be unified as believers
5 Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If God who we just read about gives us perserveance through those difficult times we read about thanks to the Old Testament
And gives us plenty of opportunity to read about the many many times of encouragement
We pray as a body of Christ that He would unify us
So that we are of the same mind
Not that we think they same although sometimes that would get ride of the junk within churches
But to have the same mind is to have the Mind of Christ
That we are all on the same page of music and at the same exact spot on the music sheet
Because when we are not on the same page it doesn’t work
When we are not at the same spot on the same page it still doesn’t work
But we sure try and keep at it
Church we need to be one accord to be unified more than as one commentary puts it a pep talk won’t do
This type of unity is something that only an intervention of God can accomplish
It is no longer enough to come and sing some songs and here a 30 min message and go that was a good message
It is about as John Lennox says to pour over the Word of God in our individual lives and then bring that to big church and allow our batteries to get recharged only to be sent out equipped to do the Work of God as a unified body
See when we pour of the Word ourselves and then discuss it here and get plugged in truly hearing from God through the power of the Holy Spirit we become unified
Because of all of that
Because of all that Jesus has done for us and called us to
Paul reminds us
7 Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.
We are to accept one another
Notice we are to do it as Christ did
He loved us but didn’t leave us where we were when He found us
We shouldn’t leave people where they were when we encounter them
Often times they are in the midst of a storm or in the water struggling to keep their head above water
Like Andrew in the New Testament our job is to introduce them the savior Jesus Christ
Then as believers our job is to edify them and help them to grow in Christ
If they don’t want to grow then church we become salty peanuts where they desire the living water in their lives
To help encourage them to grow in their relationship with Christ
Paul continues
8 For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, 9 and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, “Therefore I will give praise to You among the Gentiles, And I will sing to Your name.” 10 Again he says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, And let all the peoples praise Him.” 12 Again Isaiah says, “There shall come the root of Jesse, And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, In Him shall the Gentiles hope.”
Paul continues to explain that yes Jesus because a servant when He died for the Jews
And He became a servant when He died for the gentiles
Paul is continues to explain that Jesus came to seek those who are lost doesn’t matter their family lineage
Paul is continuing to drive the point home of
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;
That God’s word has not failed when he reconciled the Jews and the Gentiles
That because of Jesus they life each and every person who believes
Paul sort of puts the period on the debate between Jew or Gentile
That as stronger believers we are to welcome everyone to help grow them in Christ
Think of Paul before when he was Saul, had it not been for older stronger believer He would not have grown in Christ
And had he not grown in Christ he would not have been obedient to Christ to go and share the Gospel with the gentile thus not fulfilling the promises of scripture of salvation to those who would repent of their sins and trust Jesus
That it was no longer about Jewish or Gentile Family blood but are you washed in the blood of Christ
Paul illustrates this by using the Old Testament that again was written for us to know
He brings them back up so that we know Gods word is faithful and true
Paul leaves you and I with this
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul desires that God will fill you and I with Joy
See there is Joy in knowing Christ
There is depression in living in this world but having Christ inside you and knowing Christ personally
That stats say people who identify as believers are generally happier
Don’t over complicate it, if you know Christ personally then you have the joy on knowing the creator of the universe
You have the joy of knowing you have life and that nothing can separate you from that love of God
Paul says that he desires God will fill you and I with peace
to know God personally is to know peace Himself
To know that God has a plan no matter what
To know that in the midst of the storm we know personally the calmer of storms Himself
that is the peace we are talking about, the peace that this world or the people of this world cannot and will not understand
Then Paul ends this section with knowing Christ is having the power of the Holy Spirit
Let me leave you with this
If you know Christ personally then you have the same power that raised Him from the dead living inside you
mic drop right
To know the Spirit of God Himself now lives inside me such amazing power in that
That will allow us to welcome and care for those who are newer and weaker believers
That gives us the wisdom to help them grow in their own personal relationships with Christ
So church as we come to a close this morning
The band will come up
Maybe you are here this morning and do not know Christ personally
I would invite you to come and know HIm today
There will be people down front who can show you in the Bible how you can know Christ personally
Or maybe you do and this morning God has convicted you about not helping those grow in Christ
Or maybe you need to spend sometime in prayer at the altar
The altar is open
