United We Stand!
Romans 15:1-6
Intro: A bus driver and a minister were standing in line to get into heaven. The bus driver approached the gate and St. Peter said, "Welcome, I understand you were a bus driver. Since I’m in charge of housing, I believe I have found the perfect place for you. See that mansion over the hilltop? It’s yours.
The minister heard all this and began to stand a little taller. He said to himself, "If a bus driver got a place like that, just think what I’ll get."
The minister approached the gate and St. Peter said, "Welcome, I understand you were a minister. See that shack in the valley?"
St. Peter had hardly gotten the words out of his mouth when the shocked minister said, "I was a minister, I preached the gospel, I helped teach people about God. Why does that bus driver get a mansion, and I get a shack?"
Sadly St. Peter responded, "Well, it seems when you preached, people slept. When the bus driver drove, people prayed."
-Well, I hope we have more praying than sleeping going on today. Just pretend I’m driving the bus and you’re on board.
-As we continue the topic of unity today, The story is told of a little boy sitting on the front steps with his face cradled in his hands, looking very upset. His father came home and asked him what was wrong. His sad son looked up and said, “Well, just between us, Dad, I’m having trouble getting along with that wife of yours.”
-A little girl who was forced to eat alone at a small table in the kitchen as part of her discipline for disobeying. As her parents tried to ignore her, they heard her pray out loud: “I thank Thee, Lord, for preparing a table for me in the presence of mine enemies.” (Brian Bill, sermoncentral.com)
-Well, every family faces times when it’s hard to get along. Sometimes families don’t communicate very well and when something questionable is said or done by one member, it becomes easy for the other family members to assume the worst and turn against him or her.
-Church families are not immune to this sort of thing, even if the members have experienced God’s grace and forgiveness. Let me just say that strife and disagreement will come to every church. The Roman church had it. The Corinthian church had it. Even the Philippian church had some problems between two prominent leaders. People who follow Christ don’t always see eye to eye with one another. Paul disputed with Barnabas so strongly that they parted ways. Paul rebuked Peter in front of God and everybody for being two-faced in his treatment of Gentile believers. So, the problems will come up in every church. Somebody isn’t going to like something! The important thing is how we are going to respond. Are we going to insist on our own way? Are we going to recruit people to adopt our point of view and gather a following, thus creating division, or are we going to find Biblical ways to work through our differences with other members in the family? Are we going to boycott the church and just stop coming, since we cannot agree with everybody on everything?
- Max Lucado in his book A Gentle Thunder, tells a story about a man who encountered
another man carrying a Bible. “Are you a believer?” “Yes,” he said excitedly. I've learned that you can't be too careful who you fellowship with, so I began to ask him some questions. “Do you believe in the virgin birth?” “I do.” “Do you believe in the deity of Christ?” “No doubt.” Could it be that I was face-to-face with a real Christian brother? Nonetheless, I continued my checklist. “Do you believe in the return of Christ?” “I believe it is imminent.” “What about the Bible?” “It is inspired,” was his immediate answer. I was getting excited. “Are you a conservative or a liberal?”
He was getting interested in me, too. “I'm a conservative.” I asked him as my heart began to beat faster, “What denomination are you a part of?” He said, “I am a member of the Southern Congregationalist Holy Son of God Dispensationalist Triune Convention.” I was excited, because that was my denomination. I asked him,
“Which branch of that denomination are you?” He said, “I'm a part of the pre-millennial, post-tribulation, non-charismatic, King James, one-cup communion branch.” My eyes misted over. That was my branch as well. I had only one other question. “Is your pulpit wooden or Plexiglas?” “Plexiglas,” he replied.
I recoiled in horror. “Get away from me, you heretic.” (Bob Joyce, sermoncentral.com)
-We can always find differences, but if we will commit to working out the rough spots and learn to genuinely love and care for the spiritual family members God has put in our lives, then we will be able to glorify God together as we do life with each other and with Him!
-Let’s consider some action steps that will help us work through the rough spots.
1. Be Considerate
Romans 15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
-Don’t be selfish! Love cares about others and is not self-seeking.
-From ch. 14, Paul refers to the strong as those who feel very secure in their salvation and they don’t sweat the small stuff. It is quite possible that he is referring especially to some of the Gentiles who had become leaders during the 5-year or so absence of the Jews, when they had been expelled from Rome a few years earlier. Perhaps some of the Gentile leaders were making it their mission to convince Jewish believers that it was okay to eat whatever they wanted. It didn’t really matter if someone else had offered the animal at the meat market to some pagan god. God looks on the heart and you are not worshipping some other god just by eating some meat.
-Now this argument may have been true for the Gentiles, but they failed to understand or appreciate the deep convictions most Jews had against anything associated with idolatry. So they were trying to convince the Jews that they should go against their conscience and eat the meat from the marketplace.
-So Paul has already told them not to look down on those with a weaker conscience and especially not to despise them. Now he tells these Gentiles that they are obligated to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please themselves. He tells them to be considerate of their Jewish brothers and sisters and not to just do their own thing.
-Our Christian freedom is not defined by what we can get by with. Our freedom in Christ in based on what honors God and strengthens His people, the Church. Paul calls them to love, not to selfishly doing what they want to do. Be considerate!
2. Build up your neighbor
Romans 15:2-3 Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me."
-Don’t do something that you know could shake the faith of another believer! Instead, please them to build them up. That doesn’t mean that you can only do what he or she approves of. Pleasing one’s neighbor means that we don’t place the stumbling blocks in their way by using our liberty to do what deeply offends them. Don’t offend someone else’s conscience simply because the activity seems okay to you! Instead, grow up, build them up, encourage them, pray for them!
-Then Paul pulls out the ultimate trump card and says that even Jesus did not please Himself. The clear implication is that we should not please ourselves either! If Jesus had pleased Himself when He faced the cross, He would have called for thousands of angels to rescue Him and destroy all His enemies. Instead, He endured shame and hateful insults. He didn’t deserve to be insulted; He deserved to be worshipped! He didn’t deserve to be beaten and abused; He deserved to be honored and esteemed!
-If Jesus was willing to endure the shame and abuse surrounding the cross, surely our differences we have with one another are worth letting go of! Build up each other! Don’t think that you always have to be right! Even if you are, never let your freedom become someone else’s bondage! Christians care for each other! That’s who we are and it’s what we do. If not, then we are missing the most important tenant of our faith – love!
-Love is considerate. Love builds people up. It does not disregard them or tear them down.
3. Build up yourself through God’s Word
Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
-The best way for us to grow in love is through the Word of God! Verse 4 gives us 4 things that the Bible (God’s Word) can do in us – if we will receive it.
God’s word teaches us (Who He is; right and wrong; how to do life with God)
Strengthens us (endurance, strength and faithfulness to stay the course)
Encourages us (breathes courage into our spirits motivating us to keep on)
Gives us hope (strength for today & hope for tomorrow, Christ’s coming)
-Don’t limit your exposure to God’s Word to Sundays or special occasions. Make it a daily part of your life to read at least a chapter or two. God wants to teach you who He is and who you are. He wants to strengthen you, encourage you, and give you hope for each day!
4. Be One
Romans 15:5-6 5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
-Unity glorifies God! Division dishonors Him. Unity shows who we belong to because it isn’t possible without Him! God is the One who gives unity to His people. Some groups require uniformity, but that does not produce true unity. Uniformity is the product of mind control and manipulation. It is common in cults and seeks to override the uniqueness and creativity of each individual.
-That’s not how God works. He has gifted each individual uniquely within the family of God, and each person is to use their gifts to serve God and one another.
Ephesians 4:11-13 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:2-3 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
-Unity takes work, but it is also something God supernaturally gives to His Church – if we will receive it and walk in it. If we will pursue unity with one another, our lives, our worship, and our witness to others will take on new life! We will have a greater impact on the world around us when we stand together in the grace and love of Christ!
Conclusion: Since we are all so different, but part of the same family, we have an obligation before God to be considerate of one another and not just do our own thing. It is also our duty to build up one another, not doing anything that would weaken the faith of another brother or sister. We need to build ourselves up by reading or hearing God’s word. And lastly, we need to be in harmony with one another, showing the world around us that God is real because He has changed our hearts and given us a genuine love for one another.
-Maybe God is speaking to you about one or more of these areas today. Perhaps you need to work on being considerate, or building others up, or maybe you really need to get into God’s word and start reading your Bible. Maybe something is messing with your relationships so that unity is just a far off idea that has little to do with you. God wants to help you wherever your struggle is.
-Maybe you aren’t part of God’s family yet. It’s not too difficult to become a follower of Jesus Christ and a member of His family. The Bible also calls this salvation or being saved. Whoever calls on Jesus will be saved. Romans 10 says if we confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. Are you ready to do that today? Maybe you’ve done that, but you’ve gotten away from following Jesus on a daily basis. He is still calling to you, inviting you to come back to Him with a fresh start. Will you respond to Him today?
(Prayer)
