Righteous Living: Stronger Together

Romans 15:1-12

(Read Scripture First)

Intro: (5 Minutes)

When people look at a church from the outside, they often measure its strength by what they can see: the size of the building, the number of programs, the quality of the music, or even the budget. But let me ask you—are those the things that really make a church strong? I would argue no. A church could have the most beautiful building, the biggest budget, and the flashiest programs, and still be weak at its core if the people are not united in love.- The great news for our fellowship we have seen the endurance of your love for one another and there is more ahead.

The true strength of a church is not measured in square footage or dollar signs, but in how the people of God live together in community. A strong church is one where believers bear with one another, encourage one another, and build one another up. This isn’t just my opinion; it’s what Scripture says.

Paul writes in Romans 15:1–2: ‘We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbor for their good, to build them up.’

Paul is saying that the strength of a church is found in how it loves—how it chooses to carry the burdens of the weak, how it puts the needs of others before self, and how it builds up rather than tears down. That’s what makes the church strong in Christ.

 9   The Christian life is not a competition with others; we have a common goal and we grow together in the strength and grace of the body of believers. George Verwer Come! Live! Die! (1972)

George Verwer

How do we remain- though this church has hand great resolve, we are to not let our guard down; or if you are new to the faith may these words from Paul bring us all into a great understanding that our strength is found in the great work God does and we submit in humility. Today we will find Three Truths from the Text on a how a church remains strong

1. They Endure Together

(vs 1-4)( 10 minutes)

The strength of the church is not based on what one individual can bring but rather all of our lives living enduring together.

Base of a life of faith; not works; but responsibility

Paul provides how this takes place

there is going to be diversity in the church-

Diversity can be uncomfortable

I am finding a church that…

Strong- in their faith

Weak- in their faith

Here again in Romans we find the beauty of the church. Diversity in faith

What is the joy that comes with strength in faith

To bear- patience

Where is it hard for you to have patience.. for me it is…

This is where you can bet that you will be called to endure with the weaker believer in faith.

In this text it is the Gentiles that we be asked to endure with the Jews.

Patient/endure - depth - sticking around (not so hard in Rome, harder today)

This takes place in the church

Produces moral character- why should we serve what am I going to get out of it… maybe nothing, but i am here to tell you that through your serving you will see their edification.

All are called to serve- each other. Where are you serving? - not just the structured church setting.

Serving- please (vs 2)

1 Corinthians 10:33 “33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.”

Serving leads to their edification- building up/ strength

Romans 14:19 “19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”

Ephesians 4:16 “16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

Paul is deliberating on the freedom of the gentiles in relationship to the Jewish brethren

Where does this truth come from.

Christ

How does Christ deal with you and me.

The insults from sinful man towards God Jesus received!

Mark 15:36 “36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.””

Were we once weak in the faith of course.

2 Corinthians 8:9 “9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”

Some even today are, you are basing your salvation upon your works, your personal righteousness.

Christ is the beginning and we have the privilege of walking in that same faith and responding as Christ has done for us that we endure together.

Through the scriptures we can have hope!

How do we loose our endurance?

What drowns out hope

Discouragement

Judgement

is it even worth it

Where is our hope it is in Christ (vs 4)

Resurrection

Sovereignly working in ones life

Is coming back again.

When we need some encouragement to endure let us gather in the scriptures

I have found when we gather that which was once so hard to do the Scriptures can tear down those barriers. (Counseling room)

We endure together and we build one another up and trust in the redeeming work of Jesus. This builds strength in our churches

Faith learns to live with seeming inconsistencies and absurdities, for we live by promises and not by explanations. We can’t explain life, but we must experience life, either enduring it or enjoying it.

Warren W. Wiersbe

2. They Glorify God Together

(vs 5-6)( 10 minutes)

The church in number must surrender and glorify God together

This is not an individual achievement

The endurance together doesn’t come from our strength nor does the faith.

It comes from God who grants the blessings to the church

It is from God for our spiritual maturity and death to self.

Take up your cross, love others.

God gives perseverance and the building up

He does so in order that we would be of the same mind.

What is this same mind?

Lets elaborate

Romans 10:8–10 “8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Romans 12:16 “16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”

Simply put there will be things we endure with one another but when it comes to God we are unified by Christ and our to move our differences aside and praise Him together. There is far to many absolutes apart from Jesus!

One accord- not many voices but one.

My kids love to talk at the same time.

the result of the same mind; the same voice

This sure does make it clear.

Glorify to give God the high honor

in our lives all we do.

In the endurance we do this.

Matthew 5:16 “16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

He alone is the one to receive the Glory

3. They Welcome Together

(vs 7-12) (10 minutes)

The strength of the church is found in their relation in being like Christ in how they welcome one another. (accept)

So Jesus says, “If a man welcomes the poor, ordinary people, the people who have no influence and no wealth and no power, the people who need things done for them, he is welcoming me. More than that, he is welcoming God.”

William Barclay (New Testament Scholar)

What divides us; what causes us to be unwelcoming- it is our pride or our righteousness. we are strong when we are welcoming to each other. i can say this church does a great job of being welcoming.

Let us keep this up becuase I want this to be powerful as we move forward into what God is doing.

Stories of welcome reception

Accept- Welcome; welcoming

This welcoming comes from their relationship in faith to Christ you is the example of the acceptance

Christ is welcoming

Jews and Gentiles

Jews (promises given to the fathers vs 7)

Deuteronomy 32:43 “43 “Rejoice, O nations, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And will render vengeance on His adversaries, And will atone for His land and His people.””

Gentiles

Through His mercy on the ungodly

Romans 4:5 “5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,”

Romans 11:30–32 “30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.”

As the church has the mind of Christ we accept/welcome one another becuase Christ has redeemed us all.

Closing

At the start, I asked you: what really makes a church strong? We’ve seen the answer from God’s Word. It’s not buildings, programs, or budgets. It’s not talent or resources. It is the people of God choosing to bear with one another, to put others first, and to build each other up.

So here’s the challenge: will we be that kind of community? Will we be a church marked by patient love, selfless service, and words that build rather than break? If we do, we will be a strong church—not because of our own power, but because of the strength of Christ shining through His people. And when the world looks at us, they won’t just see a congregation—they will see the living body of Christ made strong by love."*

Therefore Here is your personal application:

Application:

Will you endure?

It is a non negotiable becuase of Christ

Paul calls those who are “strong” to carry the struggles of the “weak.”

This means patience with immaturity, gentleness with failure, and compassion for those who stumble.

Application: Instead of being frustrated by someone’s weakness, ask, “How can I help carry this with them?”

2. Is your voice louder than all the rest?

One voice not many

Can w be unified

Paul says we are “not to please ourselves.” In other words, strength is not for self-advancement but for service.

This is counter-cultural: the world says use your strength for your benefit; Christ says use it for others.

Application: Look for one person each week you can serve sacrificially—with no expectation of return.

3. Let us rejoice in our diversity

Trust God with the outcome

Paul writes, “Each of us should please our neighbor for their good, to build them up.”

Words and actions can either strengthen or weaken the church. We are called to be builders, not critics.

Application: Before speaking or acting, ask, “Will this build up the body of Christ or tear it down?”

Communion: We do this together!

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 “23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”