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When we're pursuing unity before we're pursuing the truth, that's unity at the expense of the truth. And then it's not even real unity. Unity must be grounded upon the truth. More specifically, we are unified when we are holding fast to Christ Jesus, when we understand the text.
Many of the Bible stories and verses we think we know, we don't. When we understand the text, promote sound doctrine while exposing the faulty.
Here's your host, Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky. Romans chapter 15 again today as we finish up the paragraph that we've been studying this week, verses 1 through 7. If you want to open up your Bibles and join with me there.
Romans chapter 15, beginning in verse 1. We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up.
For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction that through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God. Let's go back to verse 4 here. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction that through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.
And of course, what Paul is talking about here is what was written in the Old Testament. That is what he is addressing to these Roman Christians. What we read in the Old Testament is for our instruction and that through endurance and through the encouragement of these scriptures that were written by the prophets, we might have hope.
Because we know that God was faithful to fulfill his promises in the past and so he will be faithful to fulfill his promises in the future. The promises that Jesus gave to his disciples about his return and we also read about in the New Testament, we know that the Lord will come again because God was faithful to fulfill those promises that he had given to his people Israel in the Old Testament.
We read from the Apostle Paul in Philippians chapter 1 that he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it on the day of Christ Jesus. But there's another way that we should also consider these promises that were given in the Old Testament.
God was not only faithful to fulfill the promise of blessing, but he also fulfilled the promise of his judgment when he said to the Israelite people, if you will not be faithful to me, if you whore after all of these other false gods that the pagans worship, well, I will drive you off the land.
I will turn you over to your enemies and they will force you out. Your blessing, the blessing that I have given to you will no longer be upon you. My hand of protection will no longer be with you and your enemies will come against you and they will conquer you.
So God was faithful to fulfill even those promises. He is a God of love and grace and mercy and blessing, but he is a holy and a righteous God and he will not let those promises of judgment go unfulfilled either.
And so these things that we read about in the Old Testament, let them be a warning to us. Now, as we read this statement here in verse 4 of Romans chapter 15, this can also apply to us being the New Testament.
What was written down in former days was written for our instruction. And that goes for what we're reading from the as well in the New Testament, that through endurance and through encouragement, we might have hope.
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another. So this endurance and encouragement given to us through the scriptures is granted to us by God. It is given to us by God.
You've heard me say this before. If you've been a long time listener of this program, or even if you have watched what videos, because I've said it there as well, the way that God brought all things into existence, speaking a word and it came to be.
So he brings about saving faith in the life of every believer the same way. We heard the word of God spoken. We came to faith and turn from our wicked ways. And so this endurance and this encouragement that is spoken about here, this comes about by the word of God also.
We hear the word of God, whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another. So when we hear the scriptures, it gives us endurance and encouragement.
And also it is by the will of God that we are granted to live in harmony with one another. The truth is what forges unity in the church of Jesus Christ. It's not unity at the expense of the truth, which is what's happening in the Republican party right now.
What's being placed at the forefront is this desire for unity rather than a desire for truth. And so when Ted Cruz stands up before the Republican National Convention last night and says, vote your conscience rather than vote for Donald Trump and people boo him.
And there are Republican politicians at the end of that meeting last night who were saying, oh, yeah, it was totally selfish for Ted Cruz to do that. Well, that's because they've placed unity before the truth.
And they know that, which is why they booed, because their consciences are defiled. They are pursuing unity instead of the truth, unity before truth. When we're pursuing unity first, before we're pursuing the truth, that's unity at the expense of the truth.
And then it's not even real unity because it's not founded on something solid. It won't hold fast. It will dissolve. Maybe it will look like unity for a time, but it won't remain. So this is not just happening politically.
It happens in the church as well. In fact, I'm sure that one of the reasons why this is happening in the political realm is because it's been going on in churches for a long time. Churches that are placing a greater emphasis on being unified without addressing sound teaching, sound doctrine, good theology.
And when the teaching is not solid, when it is not founded on the rock-solid gospel of Christ Jesus and teaching that in a right way, then that unity is not going to last. The Apostle Paul said to his servant Timothy, 1 Timothy 6, 3, to hold fast to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness.
So when we are devoted to right teaching, what is produced from that is godly living. But if we're not devoted to right teaching, then not only will we not have godliness, but unity will not exist in the church either.
Yet again, there are churches that place an emphasis on unity ahead of an emphasis on the truth. Beth Moore did this a few years ago at a conference that was hosted by James Robison. It's a message that has been entitled, Are You Thirsty?
At least that's the way that I see the clips floating around on YouTube under the title, Are You Thirsty? And it was in that message that.
Beth Moore said the following. I believe that God placed it on my heart to tell you that as it comes and it will, if we'll own our thirst, it will. If we'll be willing to stop telling what it has to look like, it's coming, it's coming.
But we must be prepared in advance for scoffers. I will say that again. We must be prepared in advance for scoffers. I want you to look at one another and say, be prepared for scoffers. And here's the thing, the unbelieving world scoffing is not going to bother us that much.
We are used to them thinking that we are idiots. Can we just own that one? I mean, we're used to that. Of course, they think that we've got that one down. That's not what's going to bother us so much.
What's going to bother us? And I believe that God is saying, get prepared for it. So you know in advance it's coming. So when it does happen, you are not all disturbed and all rocked by it, but it's going to come from some in our own Christian realm.
Going to want to debate. They're going to say that's not the. Okay, now see the interesting.
Thing about what she's saying there. She's actually scoffing. I don't know if you noticed that or not, but she's scoffing those who will say, is this what the scripture is saying? Are we actually doing this according to what the scriptures say how this needs to be done?
And she is scoffing at those who would say such a thing, who would be devoted to the truth and right teaching. Unity will not happen in the church. Godly living will not happen among God's people unless we are devoted to the sound teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So our devotion must be to the truth and then unity will be produced from that. So as we go on here, may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice, glorify the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now as a church, we must find ways to improve on this and strive for it more and more that we would one voice glorify the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. But notice before we got to this, we first read that whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction.
There was a devotion to the scriptures and the sound word of Christ first before we got to this charge to be unified. And even then the unification happens in Christ Jesus in accord with Christ Jesus.
Let's go on verse six, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are unified in our praise to God through Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul said to the Philippians, Philippians chapter two verse five, to be of one mind in Christ Jesus and to the Ephesians, Ephesians chapter four, he said this, I therefore a prisoner for the Lord urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. That goes back to Romans 12 three, where it says for by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Each and every one of us are going be at different levels of maturity in our walk of faith, but we will be unified in Christ Jesus, looking after the needs of one another as we put others needs ahead of our own bearing with the failings of the week and not to please ourselves.
Each of us must please his neighbor for his good to build him up. As we read in verses one and two here of Romans chapter 15. So here's the last verse of this of this paragraph, verse seven, therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God.
This unity that we experience in the body that happens because of our devotion to Christ is all for the glory of God. As we are in the faith in Christ Jesus, there should be an evidence of a growing of that faith in the members of the body of Christ.
So we didn't just make a declaration of the gospel. We didn't just make a declaration of membership to a church, but among the people of God, there should be an evidence of an increasing love for one another.
We're growing in our love for one another in the body of Christ. There should be an increasing holiness in our lifestyle. When we first came to Christ, we were still babies at this holiness thing. Okay.
There's still probably some bad habits that needed to be worked out of us as the spirit was doing this work in our lives. So there should be evidence of in the people of God, an increase in holiness. And there should also be an increase in belief in sound doctrine.
We are continuing to learn according to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we grow in understanding of these things, we love God, we love his word. And so we grow in our understanding of that word.
These are the evidences that will exist among a people of God, that we are the people of God when we're growing in love for one another, when we're growing in holiness, and when we are growing in our love for God and his word.
And God, I desire that that would be the cry of our heart that we would say with David in Psalm 119, Lord, how I love your law. I meditate on it day and night. May we love your truth, your word, and our churches would be grounded upon that foundation of the truth of Jesus Christ so that there may be unity.
There would be a growth in love for one another. There would be a growth in godliness in our pursuit of holiness. And Lord, we grow to love your word and our understanding of your word all the more. And we know these things happen because we hold fast to Christ Jesus.
And it's in his name that we pray. Amen.
Thank you for listening to When We Understand the Text. Pastor Gabe is the author of the book 40 of the Most Popular Bible Verses and What They Really Mean. Available in paperback or for your Kindle found at our website at www .utt .com.
Join us again tomorrow as we grow together in the study of God's word when we understand the text.