Christmas: The Source of our Unity and Hope

Call to Worship

Matthew 1:18–23 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the One who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. “And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place in order that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.””

Elder: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you!

Reading of Scripture

Isaiah 11:1–10 “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh. And He will delight in the fear of Yahweh, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor render a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with uprightness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will put the wicked to death. Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist. And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a young boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. And the nursing baby will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will do no evil nor act corruptly in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh As the waters cover the sea. Then it will be in that day, That the nations will seek the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a standard for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious.”

Romans 15:4–13 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through the perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God of perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. 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, 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.” And again he says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, And let all the peoples praise Him.” And 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.” 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.”

Christmas: The Source of our Unity and Hope

Introduction

There was once a man, named Peter Pauper, who was very poor and destitute through no fault of his own. Circumstances just came in such a manner that he found himself in unavoidable poverty. But, as his name indicates, poverty seemed to be his state of being. He was thus awaiting his circumstances to change when his friend, Doctrine, happened by. Doctrine always seemed to know what to do. So, Peter Pauper asked Doctrine, “what should I be doing so that my circumstances will change?” Doctrine replies, “you should assemble with the church and seek the Face of God.” So, Peter Pauper sat and pondered this.

The next day, he found himself once again awaiting his circumstances to change when his friend, Popular happened by. Popular always knew how to lift your spirits. So, Peter Pauper asked Popular, “what should I be doing so that my circumstances will change?” Popular replies, “why do you need to change? Jesus loves you just the way you are.” So, feeling better about his situation, Peter Pauper sat down and pondered this.

The next day, he found himself once again awaiting his circumstances to change when his friend, Lawyer happened by. Lawyer always knew what was wrong with someone’s situation. So, Peter Pauper asked Lawyer, “what should I be doing so that my circumstances will change?” Lawyer replies, “There is nothing you can do to change your circumstances. You deserve them.” So, feeling pretty awful about his situation, Peter Pauper sat down and wept.

The next day, he found himself once again awaiting his circumstances to change when his friend, Agape, happened by. Agape was not the strongest with systematics, nor was he very popular, nor could he really tell you why you deserved to be in the circumstances you found yourself in, but, you never stayed in the same place when he came around. So, Peter Pauper asked Agape, “what should I be doing so that my circumstances will change?” Agape replies, “come with me and I’ll show you.” He then, bent down, and took Peter’s hand to help him get up. So, Peter Pauper gets up, and goes with Agape into the house of God.

Peter Pauper represents every one of us. But so do each of his friends. We’ve probably all given someone cold doctrine, or warm assurance, or harsh condemnation—all without the gospel love that actually brings change.

A person can move from their stagnant place by taking up their bed and walking. But God has ordained that these changes take place within a body that shows true love among its members.

Our text today emphasizes two things: unity and hope. Both of these are grounded in love. We have unity with each other, other believers, by means of our self-sacrificing love: my life for yours. And we have resurrection hope of glory because of the love that Christ first showed us. And it is because of this love that Christ first showed us that we are enabled to love one another.

So, in this story, you see that Doctrine had the right answer but gave no power to obey, Popular gave comfort but no path to change, Lawyer had the right diagnosis but no grace of the Gospel. Only Agape had the solution. And the solution required a kind of lack of judgment towards the weaker Peter Pauper, a participation in his situation (he bent down and took his hand), and a willingness to stop and consider another’s need.

This serves to illustrate our two points today, both are founded on self-sacrificing love:

I. Unity in Christ Romans 15:4-6

II. Hope in Christ Romans 15:7-13

Let’s Pray

Unity in Christ

Romans 15:4–6 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through the perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God of perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This is the end of Paul’s discourse beginning in chapter 14. He argues in Romans 14:7 “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself...” We are not our own. Everything we do is in relation to the body of Christ. And we need to live like it. He argues that because of this we ought not “...tear down the work of God for the sake of food...” (Rom 14:20) and he encourages them to “pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” (Rom 14:19).

He cautions that the strong are to accept the weak (Rom 14:1). Example: Those who believe that drinking alcohol is OK, are to accept those who believe that drinking alcohol is not OK. And we accept them not to pass judgment on their opinions. Nor do we try to pressure them to partake. Theologians call matters that are neither commanded nor forbidden in the Scripture adiaphora, which means, “things indifferent.” These are not trivial matters, but they are also not commanded by God. And we must not bind someone else’s conscience on matters that God does not speak clearly about. This is why Paul says in Rom 14:23, “...he who doubts is condemned if he eats...” (Rom 14:23). Meaning, if you believe this indifferent matter is sin, and do it anyway, then to you it is sin. Do not pass judgment on adiaphora. And also, do not offend your conscience in order to fit in. We are to accept even those with more scruples than we have, and not in order to pass judgment, but so that we can deny ourselves for more important matters: the unified glory of God.

And Paul is not talking about matters of orthodoxy or Christian morality. We do not have liberty to deny the Truth or to live lawlessly. True believers will be seeking the truth and seeking to live in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord. So, Paul is not saying that we should all live as we please and not judge each other. He is simply saying that with regard to indifferent matters we are to prefer one another. And that the stronger (those who have more freedom) are to bear with the weaker (those who have more scruples).

And chapter 15 begins by saying this. The strong should bear with those who are weak. Paul is describing the believer with more scruples as weaker and we are to bear with them patiently.

We are to please our neighbor, for his good, to build him up.

And Paul’s proof text for this exhortation is Psalm 69:9 quoted in verse 3, “...And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.” (See Rom 15:3) - Jesus took our penalty and Paul is saying we should be doing the same for each other: my life for yours. Self-sacrifice.

Paul then uses this written account in Psalm 69, to say, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through the perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Rom 15:4) - We are to live this way because Christ lived this way. It was written down so that we might be instructed by it. So that we would persevere, be encouraged, and thus have hope. We love our neighbors because Christ first loved us. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. Christ said: “my life for yours.” And let this same mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

The section ends with a benediction in verses 5-6 wherein Paul notes that the ultimate source of our perseverance and encouragement which come to us through the Scriptures, is God Himself.

“Now may the God of perseverance and encouragement...” connected with “...the perseverance and encouragement of the Scriptures...”

This is Paul’s prayer that God would grant what Paul has been exhorting them to do, highlighting our ultimate dependence upon God to do this work in us by His word and Spirit. We are not doing these things of our own accord, rather, God is working in us both to will and do of His good pleasure. He mediates this process through His Spirit and His word. As we said when we looked at Romans 13:14 “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ...” - God is preparing us for heaven. And He does that by a diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption. We become more “heaven-like” as we put on the clothing of light. The clothes that are fitting for the day. And the source of this is the light of God, it burns away our flesh, and prepares us for heaven.

As God prepares us for heaven, we learn to prefer others over ourselves. And the result of this is one mind, with one accord, and one voice - a unified witness to the goodness of God.

“...may...God...grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus. So that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”

As we all grow in our “heavenliness,” we should become more and more unified. And as we become more and more unified, our public witness grows stronger. John 13:35 “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Christians ought to be learning how to live among each other, among other people. Christ brings unity and peace. If we do not have unity and peace, then we must ask, “from whence come wars and fighting among you? Come they not of your own lusts?” (James 4:1) When we prefer our own wants and desires to those of others around us, then we will have quarrels. But if we put on the Lord Jesus Christ, make no provision for the flesh, and say with our Lord to our neighbor, “My life for yours,” then we will have peace. If we prefer others to ourselves, then we will have true unity.

So, we are to consider others in how we live and die (Rom 14:7), in what we pursue (Rom 14:19), in what we eat or drink (Rom 14:20), and the strong are to support the weak (Rom 14:1, 23). And in so doing, we will be of the same mind with each other. This will result in a unified will and voice that glorifies God. This is true Christian unity. We are not judging the standards of others, nor are we living in such a manner that invites the judgment of others. Rather, we are living by dying. We take up our cross and follow Jesus, saying with Him: My life for yours.

Hope in Christ

Romans 15:7–13 “Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. 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, 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.” And again he says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, And let all the peoples praise Him.” And 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.” 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.”

This inspires the main section of our text wherein Paul is exhorting the Roman believers to follow Christ’s example. And then he quotes four Scriptures (2 Sam 22:50, Deut 32:43, Ps 117:1, Is 11:10) before ending with another benediction that they might be filled with all joy and peace in believing, so that they would abound in hope.

Paul says first, that Christ came to confirm the promises given to the fathers. This vindicates the Jews. It verifies that the promises, the oracles, that they maintained were true. The Christ had come. Yahweh was true to His covenant name.

But secondly, He came not just to save the Jews, but to save the entire world. And the prooftexts are to support this: that Christ came to save the entire world.

But from whence cometh our help? In whom do we have hope?

Isaiah 42:1–4 ““Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul is well-pleased. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. “He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. “A crushed reed He will not break And a faintly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will bring forth justice in truth. “He will not be faint or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.””

Wait expectantly = hope.

It was because Jesus became a man, because He was born as a baby that we have hope. He came to die, to live a life of suffering, with no fixed land, no wife, no children, no house; despised and rejected, betrayed, and ultimately killed. And He endured all of that for the very people who killed Him. Paul says, “Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God...” Christ became a servant to the Jews in order to show mercy to the Gentiles.

Therefore, the Jews cannot despise the Gentiles since Christ came to save them, and the Gentiles should not be unwilling to follow the example of their Lord in service to the Jews. This is how Christ broke down the “wall of partition” between Jew and Gentile. As Paul says in Galatians 3, in a covenantal sense, there is no longer any difference between Jew and Gentile. Christ came so that the entire world, Jew and Gentile, would be saved.

And fittingly, Paul ends this section again with a benediction, praying to God that these Roman believers would have joy and peace in believing so that they would abound in hope. How? By the power of the Holy Spirit.

And so, let’s point out again the textual connection between verse 4 and verse 13. Just like we said that God is the ultimate source of the perseverance and encouragement that come through the Scripture. We also see that God is the ultimate source of our hope. This hope also comes through the Scripture as we saw in verse 4. But here, it is by the power of the Spirit.

“...so that through the...Scriptures we might have hope.”

“...so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

There are connections like this throughout the New Testament. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to prepare us for heaven. And this is only possible because of the birth of Jesus 2000 years ago. During advent, we wait expectantly for the coming of the Messiah. The one who will bring forth justice and truth. The one who will break down the barriers between races and people. The one who establishes peace and unity. Because of Christ there is peace on earth and goodwill toward mankind.

Christmas is the ultimate reason that we can have unity with each other and hope for a bright and glorious future in fellowship with God, through Christ.

Communion

John 13:34–35 LSB

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Every one of us has failed to live up to this commandment of Jesus: Love each other as I have loved you.

We have instead caused fighting and quarrels because we prefer ourselves to other people.

So, let this time be a time of renewal. We come to the table of our Lord where we are reminded of true self-sacrificing love once more as we partake of the broken body and poured out blood of Jesus Christ. Let His sacrifice and our proclamation of it nourish your faith and strengthen your resolve to say this week: my life for yours.

If you are baptized and in good standing with the body of Christ, harboring no unrepented sin against God or your neighbor, then we invite you to eat and drink with us in remembrance of Christ.

If you are not baptized, or if you are harboring sin in your heart toward God or your neighbor, then we ask you to refrain from the Supper, repent of your sins, and receive Christ—and we invite you to seek membership in His church.

The Bread

Give thanks

1 Corinthians 11:23–24 LSB

...the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was being betrayed took bread, 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.”

Read during distribution:

Psalm 72:1–7 “O God, give the king Your judgments, And Your righteousness to the king’s son. May he render judgment to Your people with righteousness And Your afflicted with justice. Let the mountains lift up peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness. May he give justice to the afflicted of the people, Save the children of the needy, And crush the oppressor. Let them fear You while the sun endures, And as long as the moon, from generation to all generations. May he come down like rain upon the mown grass, Like showers that water the earth. May the righteous flourish in his days, And abundance of peace until the moon is no more.”

Psalm 72:18–19 “Blessed be Yahweh God, the God of Israel, Who alone works wondrous deeds. And blessed be His glorious name forever; And may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.”

The Cup

Give thanks

1 Corinthians 11:25 LSB

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.

Read during distribution:

Matthew 3:1–12 “Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’” Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea, and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. “And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.””

1 Corinthians 11:26 LSB

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.

The Lord’s Prayer

Matthew 6:9–13 LSB

“...Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Matthew 6:14–15 LSB

“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

The Commission

Matthew 28:18–20 LSB

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Numbers 6:24–26 LSB

Yahweh bless you, and keep you; Yahweh make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; Yahweh lift up His face on you, And give you peace.’