The Spirituality of Mutuality
Romans 15:7-17
Intro: Mutuality speaks of a reciprocal relationship between two or more people. It speaks of shared interests, values, and common goals. It involves give and take, and indicates a potentially close bond between the people involved. One major asset that is common among those who have put their faith in Jesus is their identity. While we retain our individuality with the imprint of God in us, we also identify with the Church, made up of Christ followers.
-Now, I may be splitting semantic hairs here, but I believe there is a difference between who we are and what we do. They are related, but in my estimation, being typically precedes doing. In other words, what we do should flow out of who we are. That is why it is so important for us to know who we are in Christ – to know who He has designed us to be. Once we realize who we are and embrace that identity, then the behavior should flow out of that identity. If we repeatedly do things that are contrary to who we are (or out of character with who we are), then our life can get out of balance and our behavior can deeply impact our sense of identity. Because of this, there are many Christians who are having an identity crisis. They aren’t really sure that justification applies to them because they base their identity on their mistakes and failures instead of on the finished work of Jesus. Folks, if you have put your faith in Jesus for your forgiveness, and are trusting in Him, then your identity has been established: you are a child of God because you are known and loved by God. When God the Father looks at you, He sees Jesus in you and the righteousness of Jesus all over you. You are accepted and loved by God.
-Now, as a result of our new identity, our behavior and lifestyle should become consistent with who we are in Christ, or consistent with who Christ is in us. Jesus would not lie, steal, or take advantage of another person. He would not condemn or despise other family members, as some of the Roman Christians were apparently doing. So because of who we are and who lives in us, God helps us change our behavior/actions to ones that honor Him.
-Collectively, I believe this applies to the church as well. Our identity reveals that we are the people of God, called by God to know Him, honor Him, and represent who He is to a lost world. If we will be the church (aka the Bride of Christ), then we will live like the pure Bride we are! But if our identity hasn’t really changed, then we might just find ourselves doing church (showing up, putting in our time, singing the songs, maybe contributing something here and there, waiting to be ministered to), but never really becoming who God designed us to be.
-So, even though it is not the main point of the sermon today, let me just say that it is of utmost importance for us to realize who we are in Christ as individuals and as mutual family members together, representing Jesus. As we take on our new identity in Christ, that affects not only our relationship with God, but with one another. Gaining new identity in Christ implies that new actions will follow that are in keeping with who you are. This section of Scripture in Rom. 15:7-17 shows us several actions that are appropriate and should be expected from the people of God. Let’s look at them.
1. Accept one another (7)
Romans 15:7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
-There is a story about a young couple that had just moved into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside (back when people still did this). “That laundry is not very clean,” she said. “She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.” Her husband looked on, but remained silent. Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, she would make the same disparaging comments. About one month later, the woman was surprised to see some lily white laundry on the line and said to her husband: “Look, she’s finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her how to do it?” To which the husband said, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.” (Brian Bill, sermoncentral.com)
-How are you doing at making room for people? What if they do not fit your idea of what a Christian family member should look like or act like? It could be that you are not seeing through a clean window and it makes you think that everyone around you has a problem. How do we respond when someone does not seem to accept us? Do we think that lets us off the hook so we don’t have to accept them? Do we base our acceptance of them on their treatment of us? Do we get angry if someone does not accept us and check out of the game? Spiritual pride can sneak in so easily, blinding us to our own weaknesses, but highlighting the perceived failures of others.
-So rather than judge, condemn, or despise one another over trivial matters, Paul tells the Christians at Rome to accept one another! Stop the fighting. Cut the arrogance! It’s not all about you and what you like or don’t like! It is about honoring God!
-How should we accept one another? Just as Christ has accepted us – warts and all! Jesus knows our failures and shortcomings, but He still accepts us and has confidence that we will make it! We should accept one another, knowing that just as God’s grace is enough to help us in our weaknesses, so it is enough for our brother or sister.
-How important is acceptance as we do life together as God’s family? It might help to think in terms of the opposite of acceptance. Rejection. How many people will you be able to encourage and build up by rejecting them? Not very many. The symbol of our Savior on the cross is the symbol of the kind of acceptance God wants His family to have. Arms open wide, leaving ourselves vulnerable, placing ourselves at the mercy of others. Acceptance is the open invitation to share life with another human being. Acceptance is the willingness to share space, share ideas, share the credit, share resources. Acceptance says, “I value you and will invest in your life. You are worth my time! You are worth the investment!”
-When we are willing to love one another with the language of acceptance, it will bring praise to God! His Church will be strengthened and more people will be drawn to Jesus by His love and acceptance that is seen in us!
2. Glorify God together (8-12)
Romans 15:8-12 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs 9 so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name." 10 Again, it says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." 11 And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples." 12 And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him."
-Paul said to accept one another because God’s plan has always been that both Jews and Gentiles be included in His plan. That’s what these verses (8-12) indicate. David, a Jew, wrote about praising God among the nations or Gentiles. And then the Gentiles are invited to rejoice along with God’s people, the Jews. Believers from all over the world are called to join in and sing praises to God together.
-The implications of this had to be shocking to some of the Jews, especially early in the life of the New Testament church. Most Jews would have nothing to do with Gentiles. In fact, it was against Jewish law for Jews to enter the house of a Gentile or to allow Gentiles to enter their homes. Gentiles were considered defiled and unclean and everything they touched could become potentially unclean to the Jews. Some of this had changed by the time Paul wrote to the Romans, at least for those Jews who had believed on Jesus.
-But the idea that Jews were supposed to accept Gentile believers completely and even worship together with them was still kind of difficult for a typical Jew to deal with. Nevertheless, just as God had told Peter not to call unclean what God had cleansed, so the Jews in Rome were being instructed by Paul to accept them. And it went the other way as well. Gentile believers needed to accept Jewish believers and if they were going to worship together, they needed to show a little bit of sensitivity to their Jewishness, and not knowingly walk all over their customs and traditions.
-Revelation 7:9-10 gives us a picture of Jews and Gentiles from every nation worshiping God together: 9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
-If there are people in God’s family that you don’t like, and never want to be around, you’d better ask the Lord to help you figure it out because if you’re going to heaven, you’re going to be hanging out with God’s family for a long, long time. And you know God’s going to make sure that you get to hang out with those you had trouble accepting while on this earth. Let’s learn to glorify God together now! That pleases Him and strengthens His Church!
3. Hope in God (13)
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
-Hope brings joy and peace. No hope means no joy, and no peace.
-Why would we want hope to overflow? When you drink something, do you want it to overflow? No, because we just want enough to satisfy our immediate thirst. But the idea of overflow here is better understood in the context of a hot, dry, setting where a person is parched and wants nothing more than a surplus of cool, refreshing water to overflow on them. Not just fill their cup but to flow beyond the boundaries and refresh them completely.
-Romans 5:5 says “hope does not disappoint us [or let us down], because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
-This overflow relates directly with the power of the Holy Spirit in the sense that we are not to keep this refreshing hope to ourselves! When it overflows, it gets on everybody around us! We are supposed to share the hope that we have in Jesus with the people He has placed in our lives (saved and not yet saved)! How does this work?
-Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
-After this happened in Acts 2:4 and they were all filled with the HS and spoke with other tongues, Peter told the people what was going on and quoted from the OT: Acts 2:16-18 …this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy…. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
-Listen! Hope comes when we encounter Jesus, but hope overflows when we are filled with the Holy Spirit! Our hope can be contagious to those around us when it is real, when it is relevant, and when it is energized by the power of the Holy Spirit! Being Spirit-filled makes us want to speak out boldly the good news about Jesus!
-So, how can we be filled with the Holy Spirit?
Luke 11:9-13 9 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
-Ask the Lord to fill you with His Holy Spirit! Seek Him and receive all that He wants to do in your life! The result will be an overflow of hope and life that touches people all around you!
4. Instruct one another (14-15a)
Romans 15:14-15a 14 I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. 15 I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again,
-Jesus has called us to make disciples. That involves more than simply leading someone to pray a prayer, asking God to forgive sins. Discipleship involves instruction, as we teach people to follow the words of Christ. One model of discipleship includes teaching people to know God’s word; training them to do God’s word; and transforming them to be who God wants them to be.
(Remind) – Everyone is a minister. Teach and Learn from one another. You have a lot to offer! Please offer it to those around you.
5. Proclaim Jesus! (15b-17)
Romans 15:15b-17 …because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.
-Again, we are all ministers of the gospel, the good news about God and His love for mankind. We don’t all have the same gifts, nor are we equipped the same. God has strategically placed us where we are so we can reach certain people with the good news about Jesus. We should be looking for opportunities to tell people about Jesus everywhere we go.
-Saint Francis of Assisi – “Preach the gospel at all times -- If necessary, use words.” Let your life be a living illustration of the good news of God at work! Then you will have opportunities come when you can speak up and share who Jesus is and what He has done in your life.
-Sometimes, the most spiritual thing you can do is to simply love and accept one another. When you have differences with someone, learn to work through them, keeping the relationships intact. Don’t burn your bridges. God wants you to do life with Him and with His family!
-As we do that, we will have the credibility or believability to share with others.
John 13:35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
1. Accept one another (7)
2. Glorify God together (8-12)
3. Hope in God (13)
4. Instruct one another (14-15a)
5. Proclaim Jesus! (15b-17)
