Rom 15:1-7
Notes
Transcript
1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.
18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
If I am honest, when I hear these verses, in my flesh, This all sounds really hard and annoying, and in some ways unfair.
What is the point?
6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is glorified in a special and unique way when people who (from a human perspective) have no business living together in unity do it anyway.
What does it mean to glorify God?
Our gaze and honor is directed upward to God as he truly is
Our gaze and honor points others upward to God as he truly is
Who can glorify God?
Can the spiritually strong person?
Can the spiritually weak person?
I firmly believe that the answer to both of these questions is yes.
This is not a perfect analogy because no analogy is perfect, but think about it from a human family perspective.
Can a infant bring joy to his parents? Can a 11 year-old bring joy to her parents? Can a 39-year-old bring joy to his parents?
We, and when I say, we I include myself have a tendency to think that people need to get to a certain level before their life starts to bring glory to God.
A certain level of behavior, a certain level of knowledge, a certain level of having your stuff together.
Here is a beautiful and ironic truth let’s say I’m one of the Strong that Paul talks about
To Fully glorify God I need weaker Brothers and sisters, Younger, more immature believers, People who have hang ups that I don’t have.
If you said OK, let’s get a group together to bring the most glory to God like the Power Rangers or the avengers or the guardians of the Galaxy or LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosch. The natural tendency would be OK. Let’s get some people with experience. Let’s get some people with their act together. Let’s get people with skills and talent. Let’s get people who are well known and well spoken. Let’s get some spiritual bodybuilders.
A group of mature, strong believers who block themselves out from the outside world with a “us four and no more mentality” might reveal a sliver of God’s glory, but it doesn’t reveal God in his fullness
God and his great infinite Wisdom are more fully seen when strong and weak live together as brothers and sisters in love in unity
1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
living to please ourselves is the root of issues in life, family, community, church
living to please yourself destroys peace, harmony, and unity.
“for his good” does not mean whatever they want, or cater to their whim but it means take their needs into account and do what is best for them, setting aside your own preferences.
“For his good” might not mean that he looks and acts more like you
Sometimes the actions and words of the week are hurtful.
serve even those who are being nasty to you
Taking care of a baby
Our Ultimate Example - Jesus
Our Ultimate Example - Jesus
3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
SIDE NOTE
Paul uses a reference from the Old Testament and then gives this little sidenote that I think is worth taking note of:
4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
You cannot know God without encountering him as he has revealed himself in his word.
You cannot know God without encountering him as he has revealed himself in his word.
Notice I didn’t say knowing a ton of Bible trivia, Or knowing some Greek words
They benefit you:
Gain endurance/perspective/strong foundational knowledge
Since they reveal an eternal unchanging God, they apply to today And allow us to see God at work throughout human history. They help us to see why things are the way that they are.
gain encouragement/comfort/hope
Since God had a plan of salvation from before time began, all of scripture is the story of Jesus. If you start your understanding in Matthew mark Luke and John you are missing the whole first 2/3 of the story.
Have you ever watched a movie with someone who keeps asking you 100 questions like: Who is this? Wait a minute this is so-and-sos son.? Why don’t they like each other? YOU NEED TO WATCH THE FIRST THREE MOVIES.
When you see the whole story, you gain perspective, which helps you endure, and you gain comfort that God is in control, which should give you hope even when he ask you to do something hard like give up your comfort and privilege and rights in order to live together in unity.
Pauls Prayer That God Would be Glorified in His Church
Pauls Prayer That God Would be Glorified in His Church
5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The same God that created the heavens in the Earth, the same God who freed the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, the same God who parted the Red Sea and knocked down walls of Jericho is the God that can make it possible for us to live together in unity by sending his Son Jesus to die for sinners like you and me and by working transformation in my heart.
We can be united because we stand together as sinners who need a savior
We stand together as Sinners who have believed in Jesus and called out to God for salvation and redemption
We stand united together because no matter what our past is and no matter where we stand now in our journey with Jesus, weather we are weak or strong, mature or a baby in the faith. 1 John 1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
it is in our unity of worship that God is glorified
10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.
10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
When we praise divided it is lesser praise.
2.
Paul is not praying for uniformity he is praying for unity
This prayer is not for uniformity of personality, preference, or background, but for unity in Christ.
3.
Unity is not enough. Unity needs to bring praise and glory to God
Tower of babel vs building the temple
I’ve been in clubs that were united, or sports fandoms that were united
I have been in churches where they were united in their gossip or complaining or desire for comfort or love and respect for their pastor
Those are lesser unities. Those are tower of babel unities
So What?
So What?
Because of How God has revealed himself in his word and through his son and because of what Jesus has done:
7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
How welcoming are you?
Is your instinct to judge, separate and assign value to people or to see them as like you?
Do you see people as problems or hinderances?
Do you have currently have relationships with people who are at a different place in their faith journey?
