WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:05.759 Romans chapter 15, starting in verse 1. 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:07.440 Okay. 00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:10.880 If you are able to, please stand with me for the reading of God's Word. 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:24.000 Now, we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. 00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:28.399 Verse 2, each one of us is to please his neighbor for his good to build him up. 00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:30.640 For even Christ did not please himself. 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:35.920 On the contrary, as it is written, the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. 00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:44.000 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. 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:55.679 Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice. 00:00:56.320 --> 00:01:00.560 Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted you to the glory of God. 00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:11.120 For I say that Christ has become the servant of the circumcised on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises to the fathers, and so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:16.000 As it is written, therefore I'll praise you among the Gentiles, I'll sing praise to your name. 00:01:16.159 --> 00:01:18.640 Again it says, Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people. 00:01:18.799 --> 00:01:22.400 And again, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, let all the peoples praise him. 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:29.680 And again, Isaiah says, The root of Jesse will appear, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles, and the Gentiles will hope in him. 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:38.159 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. 00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:42.239 And Lord, I thank you so much for this morning, and I ask that you would be glorified today. 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:51.680 I ask that you would fill me with your Spirit to teach your word, that you would fill the hearers with your spirit to rightly divide, and that ultimately we would glorify you as a result. 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:52.400 In your name. 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:53.280 Amen. 00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:55.760 Go ahead and have a seat. 00:01:56.719 --> 00:01:58.560 So we are continuing forward here. 00:01:58.640 --> 00:02:01.200 What really started in chapter 12 and chapter 13. 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:04.959 A little more practical application of what all of this has looked like. 00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:12.159 So Paul has been doing a whole lot of theological heavy lifting all the way up through chapter 11. 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:30.319 A whole lot of establishing what this salvation actually means, how that applies, how that applies to a church that is built up of Jews and Gentiles with different with different traditions and important cultures and ideologies and such, and how we actually can function as a body as a result. 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:36.960 And so he's been doing a lot of building up to that, and then the last few chapters have really been about like, so this is how we actually get along. 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:42.159 So as a parent, if I tell my kids, can you please just get along? 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:43.599 That means nothing. 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:46.000 Because there's so many loopholes. 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:47.360 There are all the loopholes there. 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:50.800 But he's giving here more practical information of what this looks like. 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:55.199 And so we're continuing forward here in chapter 15. 00:02:55.439 --> 00:03:01.919 So this is a fundamental thing that we need to understand here to get the gist of what is happening here. 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:03.599 And this is the best way I can put it. 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:11.199 For those of you who have kids or who have raised children and such, two very big differences. 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:40.560 Number one, there is the feeling, the empathy, when your child is hurt, your child is disappointed, or just sad, whether your child skins their knee and comes to you crying, or they have lost or popped their balloon that they got 35 seconds ago, but this is now the most important thing in their life, or they are disappointed because they didn't go to do something. 00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:48.319 And those tears or the hurt or the frustration pull on our hearts because they're our children. 00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:51.280 And God wired that way to continue the species. 00:03:52.879 --> 00:04:07.120 Now, in contrast, and the best way I could put this, because I did a lot of traveling this week, um, a lot of plane hopping, um, there is the child behind you in the plane that's crying or screaming. 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:11.840 Most people don't have the same level of empathy there. 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:18.319 So that was actually directly behind me on one of my flights. 00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:24.879 However, we live in this world of inexpensive noise canceling headphones, which is so gross. 00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:29.519 So I was able to express empathy because it was convenient for me, apparently. 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:46.079 I don't know, but with that in mind, there's a huge difference between our children being hurt or sad or disappointed or frustrated, and then the child that is freaking out in smoke enclosed places that you're just like, I just need to sleep, right? 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:47.199 What why? 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:48.720 What's the difference? 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:53.279 Well, one of them is ours, one of them is not. 00:04:54.160 --> 00:05:06.720 One of them is our problem and our responsibility and our connection, and the other one is ultimately not our responsibility, not our problem, and we may not see them again, and so therefore we don't feel a responsibility to have that thing. 00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:33.199 And this is really informs how we can view this passage in Romans as a whole, because we have a mixture, we've said this a million times, but it's important, of Jewish believers in the Church of Rome who are still Jewish and who have their uh traditions and their laws and such that are important to them, and are also followers of Jesus. 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:46.639 And then we have Gentiles who don't have any of those, have their own things they struggle with, have a lot of uh sin issues that are very clear in that sense, and love Jesus. 00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:54.560 Those two sides are not going to get along if they view each other as the kid on the plane. 00:05:55.680 --> 00:06:04.000 They can only we can only do such if we consider ourselves truly as part of the same body, as Paul talked about in Romans chapter 12. 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:16.319 So the fundamental issue is whether we truly believe we are part of one body of image bearers, one part of the body of Christ, and also that we all have fellow dignity as bearing the image of God. 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:17.439 Does that make sense? 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:27.199 So none of this works if we don't have that understanding, because otherwise we'll just be like the I'm not going to be able to bear with other people because they're so annoying. 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:32.160 As opposed to, okay, this is important and we need to work through this and need to deal with this. 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:34.560 And that's the that's the distinction with that. 00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:36.160 So we hit verse one. 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:43.360 It says, now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not to please ourselves. 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:50.480 So right off the bat, two things that I have noticed with this passage and having taught through this passage before and having heard this passage taught. 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:57.920 Fundamentally, almost all of us consider ourselves to be the strong one in the verse, right? 00:06:58.319 --> 00:07:01.279 I'm just gonna throw that, but we're just let's just be real. 00:07:01.439 --> 00:07:06.480 We're just saying, nobody sits there and goes like, yeah, I'm the weak one without strength, probably. 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:08.959 We're gonna go like, oh yeah, no, that's me. 00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:12.959 I'm I'm strong, I'm mature, I'm definitely more mature than that person next to me. 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:14.800 Definitely. 00:07:14.959 --> 00:07:15.839 Oh my goodness. 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:20.319 And I saw this thing online and how these people were acting, and what so we're definitely the strong ones, right? 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:21.600 Okay, so point number one. 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:23.199 We always think we're the strong one. 00:07:23.759 --> 00:07:31.680 Point number two, somehow that doesn't excite us to bear the weaknesses of those without strength. 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:32.560 Right? 00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:55.120 We go as far as to say, we are more mature, we are more strong, we are more wise, we are more, but that does not translate often to, and therefore, we bear the responsibility to take the punch, to actually have the difficulty, to actually be patient, to actually be uh long-suffering in that sense. 00:07:55.199 --> 00:07:59.839 So that's the struggle with this thing, is that we often be like, yeah, well, we're the mature, obviously we're the mature ones. 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:08.079 I have never been to a church in all of our travels and everything that said, we are actually not the mature ones, and we're not the ones who have all the answers. 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:15.519 And yet, the difficulty is that we can often say, and therefore everybody else has to get on our training. 00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:16.000 Right? 00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:18.079 Okay, so that's the challenge with that. 00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:19.519 Paul is challenging us here. 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:25.279 Hey, if we're strong, we have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:26.160 And that's the challenge. 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:34.080 The goal is to, if we are mature enough, we should not be thinking about how to please ourselves in that sense. 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:42.639 Back to the parenting analogy, although it breaks down at a certain point, but ultimately, there's a whole lot of parenting that involves pleasing and taking care of others. 00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:43.600 Right? 00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:48.720 I love my children to the core. 00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:52.080 I do not love Minecraft as much as they do. 00:08:53.919 --> 00:09:01.919 But I listen to what they're telling me about it and what they're building or what they've read or these different things because they're my children and they're important to me. 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:12.480 So, continuing, verse two, each of us is to build his neighbor up for his good, to is to please his neighbor for his good to build him up. 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:25.200 So, we are all to please our neighbor for their good to build them up, to strengthen, to edify, to build up. 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:34.080 So we are to look to our neighbor and to, for their well-being, for their benefit, to please them, to build them up. 00:09:34.559 --> 00:09:45.679 So, this is where I jump to my brain, automatically goes to Luke 10, uh, 27 through 37, where they ask Jesus, you know, what are the greatest commandments? 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:50.960 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, sign, heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:56.240 And then somebody who thinks it's a good idea to talk at that moment goes, yeah, but who's my neighbor? 00:09:56.799 --> 00:09:59.919 It's like, well, okay, basically, like I found the loophole. 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:03.600 Love your neighbor yourself, yeah, but who really constitutes as my neighbor? 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:04.080 Right? 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:09.600 And at that point, um, Jesus gives the parable of the Good Samaritan. 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:16.240 I am not going to go in detail through the Good Samaritan because that would be its own sermon. 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:24.000 So I think that passage is the passage that informs our faith today. 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:26.960 So, and how we can how we must act. 00:10:27.039 --> 00:10:30.159 So, having that said, I'm just going to gloss over it right now at this point in time. 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:45.039 Basically, Jesus gives this example of a man of a Jew who's going down the road, and he is taken and beaten by robbers and left naked, wounded, and penniless, bleeding out in the road. 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:52.639 And then his fellow countrymen, the religious leaders, are walking by and they see him, and they cross over to the other side and keep going. 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:55.200 Another one crosses over to the side and keeps going. 00:10:55.360 --> 00:11:04.480 And a Samaritan, who is the they are, the Jews and the Samaritans are basically like siblings that hate each other. 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:08.399 There's a lot of reason behind that, just we'll take that as faith value for today. 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:21.600 So, and yet the Samaritan sees him, takes pity on him, binds him up, gives him medicine, puts him on his own animal, locks him, brings him to an inn, and gives money to say, and if there's anything else, I'll pay for it. 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:22.559 And he says, Well, which one? 00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:24.240 And Jesus says, Well, which one was the neighbor? 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:26.080 He's like, Well, the one who actually showed mercy. 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:28.080 And he's like, Yeah, go and do likewise. 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:36.240 So, it's interesting because here we're saying, build up, please your neighbor for your good, for his good, to build him up. 00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:37.120 What does that look like? 00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:38.799 That is not an issue of convenience. 00:11:38.960 --> 00:11:44.720 That's not an issue of taking care of our neighbor for the sake of, yeah, those who are actually in our bubble. 00:11:44.879 --> 00:11:46.879 We're gonna take care of those guys. 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:49.600 And everybody on the outside, sorry, not so much. 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:53.679 Jesus kind of blows a hole in that by saying, Oh, by the way, the one who was a good neighbor was a Samaritan. 00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:58.639 And he was saying that, by the way, to a group of Jews who would be super offended by that. 00:11:59.440 --> 00:12:09.120 So, with that in mind, as Paul is going through these practical applications here, bear the weaknesses of those without strength. 00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:12.960 Please one's neighbor for their good to build them up. 00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:15.440 And then he just he just continues just to drive the point home. 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:18.559 Because in verse 3, for even Christ did not please himself. 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:27.600 It is such a uh churchy cheap shot to say, oh, by the way, Jesus did this, so you got nothing. 00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:34.639 That's usually what it is, but it's so true that it's basically you can point to Jesus and be like, okay, by the way, you have all we have our loopholes and we have our things that are. 00:12:35.039 --> 00:12:38.000 Well, Jesus kind of did this, and he didn't have to. 00:12:38.080 --> 00:12:39.279 And it's like, okay. 00:12:39.519 --> 00:12:41.440 So what does that look like? 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:43.440 Even Christ did not please himself. 00:12:43.759 --> 00:12:44.720 His example here. 00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:46.559 Christ didn't live for himself. 00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:51.279 Who is uh where was Jesus in this example he's about to give? 00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:53.759 Jesus is, it turns out, God. 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:59.200 If that's new, we haven't been doing a good job in Romans. 00:12:59.759 --> 00:13:01.440 So, Jesus is God. 00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:17.039 And yet, for the sake of those who are the enemies of God, being us prior to Christ, he actually came to earth in human form while still being God. 00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:19.120 And suffered. 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:30.399 Suffered horrifically, in innocence, having done nothing wrong, and yet suffered and died, rose again, paying the price for our sins. 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:37.279 So here's the example, the ultimate example of burying the weaknesses of those without strength and pleasing one's neighbor for their own good. 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:39.039 Jesus did that. 00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:43.519 And in the verse here, on the contrary, it's written, The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:47.600 He's quoting from Psalm 69, which is a cry for help amidst reproach. 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:58.080 It brings me that to that imagery of Jesus in the garden, crying out to the Father, and yet, not my will, but your will be done, is what Jesus said at that point in time. 00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:04.559 Saying, God, if possible, take this cup from me, but not my will, but your be done. 00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:06.799 And so Paul is connecting the dots here. 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:09.440 The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:19.600 The idea of those who uh have enmity towards God, Jesus took those insults upon himself. 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:21.279 He received those. 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:24.399 So we really don't have anything to complain about. 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:28.000 Like we really don't have anything to really feel aggrieved about. 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:33.440 Because show hands how many of you have been crucified by your enemies. 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:35.279 No liars in the room. 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:35.679 Good. 00:14:35.919 --> 00:14:39.039 So, with that, this is a this is a big deal with that. 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:50.720 He's showing basically this is the fundamental aspect of the cross is that we actually bear each other's weaknesses, we actually please one another and not for ourselves. 00:14:50.879 --> 00:15:01.600 The fundamental aspect of the faith is not how do we maintain and build up and serve our own selves and our own team and our rights and our privileges therein. 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:05.120 So, he continues in verse 4. 00:15:05.360 --> 00:15:14.159 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. 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:22.240 Paul bouncing off him, just quoting Psalm 69 and saying, Whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction. 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:33.279 We are to read and understand scripture for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the scriptures. 00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:50.000 So when we turn to scripture and we study scripture, the end, like the fundamental response should be hope through endurance and through encouragement from the scriptures. 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:54.320 We should be encouraged that number one, whatever's happening, whatever is going on is temporary. 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:56.559 Whatever difficulties we have is temporary. 00:15:56.720 --> 00:16:07.440 Whatever's super frustrating about our neighbor, also temporary, but then also that Jesus provided the ultimate example, the ultimate way of demonstrating that. 00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:17.759 And also, we have hope in that we have an inheritance for those of us who have faith in Jesus, reserved in heaven, preserved, undefiled, untouched, waiting for us. 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:26.799 So whatever is happening now is nothing compared to what is happening in the future. 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:30.720 And yet, what's happening now always seems so big and so frustrating. 00:16:31.039 --> 00:16:37.120 I am confident I had a really bad day in 2014. 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:41.919 I could not begin to tell you what happened on that day. 00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:43.519 I don't even remember what day it was. 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:47.679 I don't remember, but I'm pretty sure the odds are good I had a bad, but I don't remember it. 00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:54.799 That they're gonna be our life in the scope of eternity for those of us who follow Christ. 00:16:54.960 --> 00:17:04.319 And so it's amazing the things that we make as if this is the ultimate goal and the ultimate experience in the walk in Christ. 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:06.880 And I'll talk about that more in a moment. 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:13.119 And so in verse 5, we have our first benediction in this passage. 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:13.920 There's two of them. 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:15.440 We got a two for one. 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:29.359 He says, Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice. 00:17:31.119 --> 00:17:33.839 It's possible that Paul is concerned about unity here. 00:17:35.359 --> 00:17:41.359 May the God who give encouragement and endurance grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus. 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:46.559 You may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind, with one voice. 00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:52.799 Burying one another's weaknesses, building each other up. 00:17:53.119 --> 00:17:54.640 Found the mic, still working. 00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:58.240 Uh burying one another's weaknesses and building each other up. 00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:03.680 It's awesome here in verse 5 that it's God who gives endurance and encouragement. 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:05.519 We're not drumming it up. 00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:09.440 We're not just like, you know, digging deep and finding our with that. 00:18:09.920 --> 00:18:14.400 He is the source of it, and so therefore we come to him for it, and therefore he provides it in that sense. 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:24.960 But that's there's an encouragement in that sense because otherwise we can sit there and be like, I just need to be a better Christian, and therefore I will have endurance and encouragement, resulting in hope in that. 00:18:25.599 --> 00:18:28.240 No, I just need to be closer to God. 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:31.119 I need to draw closer to him, dig deeper in him. 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:31.920 In that. 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:35.359 Hopefully, this is not new information considering all that we've gone through in the book of Romans. 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:38.880 I challenge you just to really listen through a lot of what we've gone over. 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:46.000 There's a lot of, for the breadth of Romans, there's a lot of repetition that's really important in there because he says this because we need it. 00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:51.440 So, but he may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another. 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:57.119 Same mind, harmony together, according to Christ Jesus. 00:18:57.440 --> 00:18:59.200 Not harmony according to sin. 00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:00.720 Right? 00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:05.519 Not harmony according to your favorite sports team. 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:11.039 Not that it's a bad thing, but that's not part of, you know, your little bubble according to Jesus. 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:15.519 So the entrance to this harmony is Jesus or not Jesus. 00:19:15.599 --> 00:19:17.119 That's what this boils down to. 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:23.039 So that you may, and the result, so you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice. 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:28.480 The goal here is the picture that we see in Revelation of Adam. 00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:38.240 Praising the Lord with one mind, one voice, multitudes of all tribes, tongues, and nations, united in giving God glory. 00:19:38.319 --> 00:19:42.480 And that is the goal here that Paul is speaking of here. 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:44.799 May God do that with us. 00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:45.759 How do we do this? 00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:48.240 How do we live in harmony with one another? 00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:53.200 How do we glorify God with one mind and one voice? 00:19:56.960 --> 00:19:59.839 Number one, we grow in God, as I talked about. 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:02.640 We draw closer to Jesus, we dive deeper into Him. 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:09.680 The closer we are, we all are to God and to Jesus, the closer we all are to each other as a result. 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:12.720 That's just common sense in that. 00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:14.559 So that's the most important thing. 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:22.960 But number two, um the weaknesses of those without strength. 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:34.480 Building up our neighbors, pleasing our neighbors, taking reproach, being in harmony, speaking with one mind and one voice in that. 00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:39.039 We cannot do this. 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:48.880 We cannot demonstrate what we will be doing for all eternity when we are dividing over secondary and tertiary issues. 00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:56.559 And so that is the biggest challenge in all of this, with us being the strong ones, right? 00:20:56.880 --> 00:20:59.279 And bearing the weaknesses of others. 00:20:59.920 --> 00:21:13.440 That does not mean bearing our own tribe and our own bubble, who are the true ones, and the other people who don't quite align on all these other issues, these ancillary issues, those are not the ones that we don't have to worry about that. 00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:20.480 And that is the challenge, and that's really the biggest challenge in the last few years for the Evangelical Church of America. 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:28.480 If we are so focused on things that are not salvific issues, we will divide. 00:21:29.200 --> 00:21:33.039 That's what's happening in real time in the Church of Rome here. 00:21:33.920 --> 00:21:36.960 And yet we think it's noble to do so somehow. 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:39.200 That we're some there's that. 00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:47.440 I'm gonna get this wrong, but there's that idea, there's that weird thing I've heard about in like World War II, right? 00:21:47.680 --> 00:22:02.079 World War II ended, and yet there's the the Japanese soldier who didn't know that World War II was over and was still fighting, was still living out there, and they basically like at one point in time they Found them and like, dude, war's been over for a decade. 00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:03.440 And it's like, what? 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:07.759 We do not want to be those kind of Christians. 00:22:08.160 --> 00:22:08.480 Okay. 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:11.759 That doesn't mean we're not passionate about things. 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:12.400 I understand that. 00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:17.920 But when these are the things that keep us from living in harmony with one another and with one mind and one voice, it's wrong. 00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:18.720 It's just wrong. 00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:20.720 So let's just put it this way. 00:22:21.279 --> 00:22:24.559 And I'm not making a statement one way or the other about these things. 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:25.839 This is just an example. 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:26.720 Bless you. 00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:36.000 How many of you in the last month had a disagreement with somebody about whether or not Vietnam War was a good thing? 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:40.799 Yet, was that not a huge issue in its day? 00:22:41.599 --> 00:22:44.160 Huge divisive issue, and you're looking at me like you ain't even born yet. 00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:44.480 I know. 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:46.640 I read, okay? 00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:56.400 How many of us have had issues with uh gasoline rationing and gas ru gas lines from the early 80s in the last month? 00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:59.279 Yeah, it's been expensive, but you know, same thing, right? 00:22:59.440 --> 00:22:59.680 Okay. 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:02.240 Weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. 00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:02.799 Do we find those? 00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:03.599 Do we not find those? 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:04.960 Who cares right now, right? 00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:08.480 Okay, let's take this to the church if we can. 00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:10.960 Did Benihan destroy the church? 00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:12.319 Nope. 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:13.039 We still here? 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:13.759 We good? 00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:17.039 Okay, well, how about the emergent church? 00:23:17.359 --> 00:23:18.559 That take us down? 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:20.640 Are we still following Jesus? 00:23:21.359 --> 00:23:22.319 Still following Jesus? 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:23.519 Okay, good, good, good. 00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:25.119 Did love wins win? 00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:40.720 No! And you may you guys may not know what I'm talking about, but all of these things, I have like the, especially the church things, I have seen in real time Christians who love Jesus losing their minds. 00:23:40.960 --> 00:23:45.920 Because this is the thing that's going to destroy the church and is going to lead everybody astray. 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:49.599 It didn't happen. 00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:51.920 Now, do we want to be aware? 00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:52.240 Yes. 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:53.519 Do we want to be silver-minded? 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:54.000 Yes. 00:23:54.160 --> 00:24:07.359 But my goodness, one of the things that is painfully true, but like there was a uh on a podcast, I heard this historian PhD in history, this guy in a seminary, and people go like, well, what's the most important thing to learn about history? 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:09.519 It's like that people don't learn from history. 00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:12.160 True. 00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:13.200 But seriously. 00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:15.759 And yet we're still fighting these wars. 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:18.079 We are still dividing. 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:20.720 We are even more so than any other time. 00:24:20.880 --> 00:24:27.839 In the last few years, the church has done an amazing job of building teams. 00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:32.480 And that looks nothing like what we just read. 00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:34.240 Hard punches, I understand that. 00:24:34.319 --> 00:24:36.640 I've been on a plane a lot this week, so here we are. 00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:40.000 But this is the important thing. 00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:46.799 If we are holding on to those secondary and tertiary issues, not just having our convictions, because convictions are good. 00:24:46.880 --> 00:24:48.240 We talked about that over the last few weeks. 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:51.279 Those are important and those are good, and you don't need to compromise those. 00:24:51.359 --> 00:25:11.039 However, if we are dividing from other Christians as a result of these things, and not about Jesus, then we are that soldier living out in the in like the wilderness decades after the war is over and still fighting the war, what good does that do? 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:16.079 The outrage, the angst, the division. 00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:24.160 If you think that's not happening, I'm not going to be offended if you just open your social media for just a moment and look. 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:25.200 Yeah? 00:25:25.359 --> 00:25:26.000 Okay, good. 00:25:26.160 --> 00:25:26.480 Okay. 00:25:26.880 --> 00:25:28.799 Moving forward, point two. 00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:31.039 Unity amidst differences. 00:25:31.440 --> 00:25:37.839 Verse 7, therefore accept one another, just as Christ also accepted you to the glory of God. 00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:41.839 Accept one another, receive one another. 00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:43.759 As Christ accepted you. 00:25:43.839 --> 00:25:50.480 So this is not just putting up with somebody, because I'll be honest, you know, the way I'm wired, I'm looking for all the, I'm looking for the loopholes, right? 00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:51.519 Okay, it's true. 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:56.480 So I can put up with the weaknesses and such, but now he's saying to accept and receive. 00:25:56.960 --> 00:25:57.920 That's a whole nother thing. 00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:00.799 That's a little more familial than I'm comfortable with. 00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:10.720 And so he's saying to accept one another just as Christ accepted you to the glory of God. 00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:24.160 Do we have as much of a case to be injured, aggrieved, frustrated with one another as Jesus had against us? 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:26.319 No. 00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:30.079 I want to be careful to explain what I'm not saying. 00:26:30.240 --> 00:26:34.079 I'm not saying, therefore, if there's issues, just forgive and move on. 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:39.680 Work through these things if it's possible to work through these things, obviously. 00:26:39.839 --> 00:26:42.960 That may take time and work and such. 00:26:43.119 --> 00:26:51.759 That's not the these passages can be used in really harmful ways to say, hey, you've been hurt, just get over it, it's fine. 00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:53.839 And it's it doesn't work that way. 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:58.960 Part of being a body is working through things and having that. 00:26:59.039 --> 00:27:03.759 And if you're in a position where you're not safe, be safe. 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:13.680 You know, that's not, this is it's amazing how many times these passages in really weird situations can be used to basically uh cover over abuse. 00:27:13.839 --> 00:27:16.559 And that's not what we're saying here, in any way, shape, or form. 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:24.079 However, you know, the extreme examples aside here accept one another, just as Christ accepted you to the glory of God. 00:27:24.559 --> 00:27:29.279 For I say that Christ became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God's truth in verse 8. 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:31.200 Okay, pausing there for a moment. 00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:37.920 Christ became a servant of the circumcised. 00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:57.440 So, Jesus, who came to fulfill the law, came to earth to serve the circumcised, who were bound up in hundreds of years of extra laws and traditions. 00:27:58.000 --> 00:27:59.759 You think about that for a second. 00:28:00.400 --> 00:28:06.720 Jesus could have showed up and said, by the way, I'm God and you're wrong. 00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:11.759 So they don't sell that greeting card. 00:28:12.319 --> 00:28:13.359 Thank goodness. 00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:20.240 So, with that, he became a servant of the circumcised. 00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:22.720 He lived through these things. 00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:23.839 Can you imagine? 00:28:24.240 --> 00:28:28.880 Because Jesus, he went to the feasts in Israel, right? 00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:30.319 He celebrated things. 00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:32.559 It would have been very easy for him to go. 00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:37.039 By the way, these things point to me, and I'm me, so you're welcome. 00:28:37.920 --> 00:28:41.200 But he actually went through this. 00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:49.279 He lived on earth three years, sinless, living amongst that, bearing with this, bearing with the traditions. 00:28:50.079 --> 00:28:56.960 I love the example, the fun scenarios where he's like, at one point he's just like, how long do I have to put up with you guys? 00:28:57.200 --> 00:28:57.759 How long? 00:28:58.400 --> 00:29:00.079 It's like it's it's encouraging in that sense. 00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:23.680 But he did! And he did that in the midst of a group that was not only bound up in law and traditions in their own specific things, but also at no point did he actually dismantle the Pharisees and the Sadducees, or the Herodians, or the Herodian Empire, or the Roman Empire. 00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:25.519 Not why he was here. 00:29:26.319 --> 00:29:39.279 So, even though these things actually were challenging, were not biblical even, and actually were harmful in that sense in time, that's not why he was here. 00:29:40.880 --> 00:29:46.640 He became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God's truth to confirm the promises to the fathers. 00:29:46.880 --> 00:29:53.440 He did this to confirm the promises to all the four fathers, that the Messiah would come. 00:29:55.440 --> 00:29:58.160 And so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. 00:29:58.319 --> 00:30:01.680 So in that one sentence, he addresses both sides of the room, the Jews and the Gentiles, which is the Lord. 00:30:01.839 --> 00:30:07.200 Jesus came as a servant of the Jews, so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. 00:30:07.359 --> 00:30:12.720 And he continues here, therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praise to your name. 00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:15.839 That's in out of 2 Samuel 22, 50. 00:30:15.920 --> 00:30:19.119 And then again, rejoice you Gentiles with his people. 00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:26.799 And uh we see that in Psalm 68, 32, and then again, praise the Lord all your Gentiles, let the people praise him. 00:30:27.119 --> 00:30:33.920 And then in Isaiah, the root of Jesse will appear, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles, the Gentiles will have hope in him. 00:30:34.160 --> 00:30:37.200 Out of Isaiah 1, uh 11, 1 through 10. 00:30:37.359 --> 00:30:42.799 All of these passages, again, here's an interesting thing that strikes me in this moment. 00:30:43.039 --> 00:30:50.240 He's still having to lay the foundation that the Gentile salvation was always a part of God's plan. 00:30:50.480 --> 00:30:52.160 We're in chapter 15. 00:30:52.400 --> 00:31:06.799 If you think about this as like a letter, we're like way deep in this letter, and he's still being and he's still laying that foundation of, by the way, salvation of the Gentiles is a thing and is a part of God's plan from the beginning. 00:31:07.519 --> 00:31:16.400 So that should be encouraging because we don't always get it the first time or the second time or the second hundredth time in these things. 00:31:16.480 --> 00:31:25.920 He is how many different times, how many different passages has Paul taken out of the Old Testament to point to these things, to point to the fact that this is God's plan. 00:31:26.240 --> 00:31:27.839 It wasn't an afterthought. 00:31:27.920 --> 00:31:37.200 Um, so he's continuing here again, pulling from the prophets, pulling from the wisdom books, pulling from the historical books, saying this is a part of everything. 00:31:37.359 --> 00:31:42.559 Speaking to a church that is, well, think about this for a second. 00:31:42.880 --> 00:31:50.480 The Church of Rome, you had Jews who were converted to Christianity. 00:31:50.960 --> 00:31:51.599 The way. 00:31:52.160 --> 00:31:59.359 You had Gentiles who responded to the gospel and gave themselves over to Jesus. 00:31:59.680 --> 00:32:05.519 You had Jews, believers and not, who were all expelled from Rome at one point. 00:32:05.680 --> 00:32:07.599 You can see that in the book of Acts. 00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:11.839 Roman Empire had it, and they're like, you all you all get out. 00:32:12.960 --> 00:32:14.559 And then they come back. 00:32:15.279 --> 00:32:21.680 So it's one thing to be a part of a church of different ethnicities and traditions and such. 00:32:21.759 --> 00:32:24.960 It's another thing to have been there at the beginning. 00:32:25.279 --> 00:32:30.960 And then live been kicked out, and then come back and be like, there's Gentiles everywhere, man. 00:32:31.119 --> 00:32:31.839 What's going on? 00:32:32.160 --> 00:32:32.640 What's going on? 00:32:32.720 --> 00:32:35.440 Why who's been holding the line here? 00:32:36.480 --> 00:32:46.480 So, in a sense, it's encouraging to me that when Paul is writing to the Church of Rome, he is still having to remind them you are all part of one body. 00:32:46.799 --> 00:32:48.720 Jews, Gentiles. 00:32:49.839 --> 00:32:50.480 Law. 00:32:52.240 --> 00:32:53.599 Struggling with sin. 00:32:53.839 --> 00:32:55.200 Back and forth and back and forth. 00:32:55.359 --> 00:32:57.039 Legalism, hedonism. 00:32:57.279 --> 00:33:00.079 That is like, you guys are still working this out. 00:33:00.160 --> 00:33:03.440 But by the way, this was still God's plan from the beginning. 00:33:06.960 --> 00:33:09.119 Can you imagine how difficult it would be? 00:33:09.279 --> 00:33:10.640 Like, okay, think about this. 00:33:10.880 --> 00:33:14.160 A week from today, we're having a potluck here, right? 00:33:14.640 --> 00:33:18.079 Imagine a church of your own potluck with the Jews and the Gentiles. 00:33:18.400 --> 00:33:19.039 Right? 00:33:20.720 --> 00:33:23.920 On one side, you have to have the kosher aspect of that. 00:33:24.559 --> 00:33:27.839 And on the other side, it's just like a free-for-all. 00:33:28.079 --> 00:33:30.799 And there's like, what are you, what do you even, you can't even eat that. 00:33:30.880 --> 00:33:32.240 Did you even cook that? 00:33:32.559 --> 00:33:34.079 What's going on, guys? 00:33:34.319 --> 00:33:37.680 Let's just imagine the mess that that is. 00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:43.279 And Paul is telling this church, hey, bear one another's weaknesses. 00:33:43.599 --> 00:33:45.839 Please your neighbor to build them up. 00:33:46.319 --> 00:33:47.680 Take the punch. 00:33:49.680 --> 00:33:56.000 Be encouraged through hope, through endurance, and live in harmony. 00:33:56.160 --> 00:33:59.759 Glorify God together with one mind and one voice. 00:33:59.920 --> 00:34:01.200 All based on what? 00:34:01.759 --> 00:34:05.759 Jesus is the entry point there. 00:34:07.200 --> 00:34:13.360 Not Jesus plus this is how we do this one thing and how we don't do this one thing, and this is how we do it. 00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:14.400