An On the Mark Church Where Love Abounds
Romans 15:1-13
1. Our lives are constantly hanging by a thread.
2. The horrors of the Asian earthquake and tsunamis have shocked all of us.
3. When human lives are on the line, other things fade in insignificance.
4. And so we pray and give to help rescue and relief efforts, but our efforts cannot bring back the dead, nor can they offer long term comfort to the many people who have lost loved ones.
5. But there is something we can do that makes a lasting impact on lives, and that is to reach people with the Gospel, disciple them to maturity, and glorify God by loving one another.
6. An although we are not working at a feverish pitch as relief volunteers do, we are to consistently moving toward reaching, connecting, and deepening.
7. But it is so easy for the church to get sidetracked.
Main idea: What is the difference between a church and a social club? A church family and a group of independent believers who converge in the same location? A church that hits God’s mark and one that misses it? Three principles nurture an “on the mark church where love abounds.”
I. The Principle of CONSIDERATION (1-6)
1. It means we do not merely seek to advance our own AGENDAS, but that we look out for others as well, as Christ did (1-4); we seek to sustain others, give room for others to be different, and show a spirit of concern…just as a gentleman should get the door for a woman or a man carrying a heavy box, so the strong must look out for the weak…
(1) note: Paul is not afraid to label people weak….
(2) these people are not ready to be confronted (that will drive them away)
(3) people that are weak in the faith do not understand stronger believers; strong believers do not make sense to them…so if you are well grounded in Scripture and have tried to make Christ the Lord of your life, you need to remember what it was like when you were a new or weak believer…
· We are to do this to help edify (build up) others!
· Please understand: if we were to put into one word what church gatherings are about, it would be edify… Christ set the example: He came to bless others, not to please Himself…edification includes worship, as we will see in a few moments, but it is the broad term that encompasses what a church is supposed to do when it gathers…
· The Scriptures nurture us privately so that we may strengthen others; if we do not
take in, it then becomes hard to dish out; the well runs dry
· The implication is that all Scripture is profitable for us to study, even the Old Testament, because we can find principles there to apply to the church age…
2. Consideration is AMPLIFIED by: (verse 5)
(1). ENDURANCE…you are there for others and they are there for you; you are serving the Lord faithfully for the long haul; it demonstrates that we need to be patient with people and take the time to explain and lead them along…
(2). ENCOURAGEMENT…you are seeking to build up others with positive, appreciative, and affirming words…
The famous stock broker, Charles Schwab, once said, "I have yet to find the man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism." (Source: Neal Gray, Sermoncentral)
(3) UNITY…unity not based on race, politics, education, or income levels, but a common faith and love for Jesus Christ
3. Notice here how much God is pleased when believers of different races and cultures unite their voices in praise to God, rejoicing in Him; in a similar way, God is pleased when His children gather together to praise His Name in song from the heart. The issue here is not how complicated or simple the music is; the issue here is that people who would not normally be together are together because of Christ, and they unite their voices in heartfelt song. It is beautiful in its simplicity. This is the type of worship that pleases God.
(1) true worship requires both the heart and the mouth
(2) that is why we can plan music (for the mouth), but we can’t plan worship
What is the difference between a church and a social club? A church family and a group of independent believers who converge in the same location? A church that hits God’s mark and one that misses it?
Churches that hit the mark embrace the principle of consideration.
II. The Principle of MISSION (7-12)
1. The church: a COMMUNITY of believing Jews and Gentiles
· Christ accepted us when we turned from our sins and believed in Him; when others do the same, we should accept them (welcome them into our hearts)
· this acceptance brings praise to God, therefore rejecting those Christ has accepted does the opposite
2. God has only made ONE racial distinction, Jew and Gentile, and in Christ, even that is done away with
· by the way, this proves that the weaker brother of chapter 14 is indeed a new or weak Jewish believer…
· Christ became a servant to both groups; He did not abandon the Jewish faith, but completed it; He did not force the gentiles to convert to Judaism. Both groups were received by faith in Him.
3. We must ELIMINATE the cultural barriers that divide us
4. God wants all sorts of people to find unity by their FAITH in Christ, not their skin color, gender, age, place of national origin….
· we need to learn that the CROSS comes BEFORE the flag. I love my country, but I am a Christian BEFORE I am an American…
5. Racism and stereotyping others is a NASTY business
· This is not a New Testament innovation; Paul quotes a HEFTY number of Old Testament verses to prove God’s plan to reach the gentiles…all this is for His glory….and when we lose sight of that, we lose sight of much of what the church is all about…
· Rev. 5:9, “And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.’”
· When we think that it is more important to evangelize resistant Americans than to spread to the Gospel to spiritually hungry people in the rest of the world, we are guilty of Spiritual Racism…and sadly, this in our nation’s trend…
6. Wes Richard writes, “Stephen Covey has written “7 Habits of Highly Successful Families” in which he describes the ingredients that create strong families. One principle he suggests is to begin with the end in mind. What he means is that you should ask yourself what kind of family you really want to be and then work toward that vision of your family. Another habit is Seek first to understand . . . then to be understood. Listen to the thoughts and feelings of others, then try to communicate your own thoughts and feelings. A third one is Synergizing. This is about two or more people working together to produce more than they could produce separately by building a mutual problem-solving atmosphere based on loving, learning and cooperation.” (Source: sermon central)
· You can see how this is pretty much what Paul is saying; we have to work together for the greater good, tolerate our cultural differences, but keep our common mission in focus: REACH, CONNECT, DEEPEN
7. Yet we forget what the church is all about and get sidetracked on trivia.
1917: Russian Orthodox Church bishops were having a convocation: came to a heated debate with fusing and feuding. A few doors down the street another meeting was going on. The Bulshavics were together plotting the overthrow of the Czar. Revolution- the beginning of what we now know as Communism. What was the church arguing about while the Empire was crumbling around them? Candles, were they to be 18” or 22” long.
(Source: Guy McGraw, SermonCentral)
What is the difference between a church and a social club? A church family and a group of independent believers who converge in the same location? A church that hits God’s mark and one that misses it?
Churches that hit the mark focus on mission.
III. The Principle of Dependence (13)
1. What about a church’s collective VERTICAL relationship toward God?
2. The Christian life is not so much about DOING as it is BEING
3. Much of life is about CONTROL. We want a savings account so we are not as vulnerable to the unforeseen. We insulate our houses and install heating and cooling systems so that we are not as vulnerable to the elements. Some people get into control so much that they become perfectionists and micromanage anyone they can.
4. But the walk of faith is not about control. It involves DEPENDING upon God to do only what God can do.
(1) we can amuse ourselves, increase our serotonin levels, and enjoy life, but there is a certain joy that only God can give…a joy despite circumstances…Paul wishes believers that joy, but the source is from God, not personal choice alone…Joy defines the Kingdom (14:7) through trust (faith), the agency
(2) we can take pills, listen to harp music, or buy portable water fountains to created a peaceful environment and that’s great, but there is a certain peace that only comes from God… it is the peace of knowing we are right with God and that He is sovereign and out for our best interest…that He has a plan for us…
(3) and these combine to cause us to overflow with hope (awaiting the future events he discussed in chapter 11) when everyone else has given up on life….or searching for happiness…we know better times await, if not here, then in eternity….
5. All of these things come by the power of the Holy Spirit…
· As we grow in the Lord, the Christian life is less about what we do for the Lord, but more about what God does through us….
· Our limits are pushed, we find ourselves doing things and saying things that do not originate within ourselves as we learn to tap into the Holy Spirit’s power by faith…more I can’t’s but He cans…not all the time, but sometimes!
What is the difference between a church and a social club? A church family and a group of independent believers who converge in the same location? A church that hits God’s mark and one that misses it?
Churches that hit the mark put themselves in positions that stretch their faith and where people learn to depend upon the Holy Spirit to work beyond our own abilities.
