Text: Romans 15:1-4 (NIV)
Prayer:
As Christians, we have many responsibilities. Some are to God, some to ourselves, and some to others.
A mature child of God realizes all three responsibilities.
The question is – Are you weak, or are you strong?
For the sake of the discussion, lets say you are the stronger one tonight.
The divine duty of strong Christians is to consider the needs of all believers. If we are strong in the Lord, we must meet the needs of those who may be weak.
This passage recognizes that there are those who are strong, and there are those who are weak. There are times when the stronger will look down on the weaker.
And, as a result, the stronger will become frustrated.
If you consider yourself not to be among the weaker:
· You should be careful so as not to be condescending to anyone.
· You must bear the infirmities and shortcomings of the weak.
We all have our infirmities; but the weak are more likely to suffer more than other than the strong do.
We must consider the weak; and not put them down.
Let us encourage them, and support them in spite of their infirmities and shortcomings.
Through their shortcomings, the weak may choose to judge or to censure us, or to speak evil of us.
None the less, we should learn to be patient with them.
We must learn to bear their weaknesses and console them. We cannot distance ourselves from them.
We see this to be the case with Christ.
He bore the weaknesses of His disciples many times.
We must also bear the infirmities of our fellow believers-
1. Empathizing with them. (It could be us next time.)
2. Show genuine concerning for helping them.
3. Minister strength to them with the love of the Lord.
We must bear one another’s burdens.
What is troubling them should at least concern us.
We must not look to please ourselves.
Rather, we must please God.
We must deny our own feelings, and be more considerate of our brother’s weakness and infirmity.
Mature Christians mustn’t expect to please themselves.
Rather we must please God by pleasing our neighbor (literally, fellow Christian).
We must not make it our business to gratify all the little desires of our own heart. It is good for us to examine ourselves, so that we may be the better person.
There are two lessons we must learn:
1) The first lesson we have to learn is to deny ourselves,
Matthew 16:24
…Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
In this case denying ourselves means we are to please our brethren. We are to soften our spirit man, to teach us the art of compassion for the weaknesses of our “neighbor” brethren—
We deny ourselves for two reasons. First for the glory of God and secondly for the edification of others.
Think of how considerate and loving the church of Christ would be if Christians would study how to please one another, when we think of how the world is fighting among itself.
This is not to say that we are to please others in a sinful way, or consenting to any their sins. If we please men with sin, we are not being the servants of Christ we called to be.
But we should please our brothers for their spiritual good. This means to edify them.
This is not just for them, but so they can edify others. That is, to edify the entire body of Christ.
For example, let me tell you about the patio stones at the house. They have been joined for about 30 days. The longer they sit close together the better they are squared off and fit one another, and the stronger and more even they become.
Christ is our cornerstone. Even Christ did not please himself. The self-denial of our Lord Jesus is the best example we have to live by.
Christ did not please himself.
He did not concern Himself with His own reputation, or how easy His life would be, or His safety, or His pleasure.
He did not have anywhere to lay his head.
He lived upon alms, and would not allow the people to make Him the king.
They said, “Master, save thyself!” But He did not.
John 5:30
“…I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”
Consider that Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, and even endured the hatred of the religious and the sinners.
2) The second lesson we must learn is be more sensitive.
Jesus felt the suffering of others.
John 11:32-33
32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."
33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.
Phil 2:7
“…but made Himself of no reputation…”
His whole life was a self-denying self-displeasing life.
He bore the infirmities of the weak.
Hebrews 4:15
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses…”
Whatever dishonour was (or is) done to God was a personal offense to the Lord Jesus. He was grieved for the hardness of people’s hearts and how they cursed and mocked God.
When the saints were persecuted, Christ was offended. What was done to them as done against himself:
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Christ also endured the greatest indignities on the cross. This was His greatest sufferings.
Every sin is a kind of reproach to God.
The guilt of all of the reproaches against God fell upon Christ, when he was made sin for us.
The Lord laid upon him the iniquities of us all, and he bore our sins in his own body upon the tree.
Romans 5:16
but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
Jesus said,
“Forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Considering His purity and holiness, the infinite love of the Father to Him, and His eternal concern for His Father’s glory. Nothing could be more against Him, than to be made sin and a curse for us, and to have the reproaches of God fall upon His shoulders.
It was the just for the unjust.
Closing: Read 1 Peter 3:18.
We must not please ourselves, for Christ pleased not himself; we must bear the infirmities of the weak, for Christ bore the reproaches of those that reproached God. He bore the guilt of sin and the curse for it.
It was Jesus Who bore the sins of the wicked, whereas, we are only called to bear the infirmities of a few weak brethren.
By comparison, we are only called to bear a little grief and inconvenience.
Even Christ:
· Who must have been happy in the heavenlies with the enjoyment of himself and His Father.
· Who did not really need us, or our talents.
· Who thought it not robbery to be equal with God.
· Who did not please Himself, rather he bore our sins.
Therefore we must go and do likewise:
For that which is written of Christ, concerning his self-denial and sufferings, is written for our learning; he has left us a great example.
