Connecting the One Another Passages

Living Sacrifice and One Another Commands in Romans 12–15

Doing the fair today so him and candy won't won't be with us for worship.

All right i'm here because you're not feeling well so hopefully she will make.

It for church. Mike. Yes ma 'am. Does anybody want to testify how they woke up this morning and what a beautiful morning it was? Oh yes. It was very nice and cool.

It was cool this morning. I was so happy. I went outside and like man this is great. I didn't have to uh be soaked with sweat getting to my truck. A little chilly for you this morning Jack? Well Jack open us up with a word of prayer this morning would you?

Okay. Good morning God. Thank you for this day that you give to us on planet earth. We thank you for this good will that you've given to us. But most of all we thank you for our savior Jesus and for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We ask you to watch over us as we open your word this morning. We ask you to guide us, be with Michael as he leads us in his study. And also father thank you for everything that you give to us each day.

But we thank you also for the Bible. Without the Bible we would not know how much you love us. We pray this in his name. Amen.

Reading Romans as a Single Connected Letter

What I had planned to do this morning was do Romans chapter 15. And but what I'm gonna do is because we have so many of these in the book of Romans. I was going to back up and it's lengthy what I'm going to read.

So if you'll bear with me. I just want us to see the continuity. I think when on Wednesday night we talked about when doing a discourse you have to see how everything's connected to one another. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to read chapter 12, 13, 14, and 15.

And I want you to hear how all that these chapters are so connected together. Remember when the Bible was written it did not have chapter and verse separation. That came much later. 16th century. And then later it the verses were put in.

So it would have been read as a complete letter. So I'm going to start in chapter 12 verse 1 and just read through the I'll probably read to the end of chapter 15 or maybe to the middle of chapter 15.

I'll just figure out where I want to stop and then I'll stop. Therefore I urge you brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship.

And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what the will of God is and which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought but to think so as to have sound judgment as God has allotted to each man a measure of faith.

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function so we who are many are one body in Christ individual members of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to each of us each of us ought to exercise them accordingly if prophecy according to the proportion of his faith if service in his serving and he who teaches in his teaching or he who exhorts in his exhortation and he who gives do it with liberality and he who leads lead with diligence and he who shows mercy do it with much cheerfulness.

Let love be without hypocrisy the poor what is evil cling to what is good be devoted to one another in brotherly love give preference to one another in honor not lagging behind in diligence being fervent in spirit serving the lord rejoicing in hope persevering in tribulation devoted to prayer contributing to the needs of the saints practicing hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep be of the same mind towards one another and do not be haughty in mind but associate with the lowly.

Do not be wise in your own estimation and never pay back evil for evil to anyone respect what is right in the sight of all men and if possible as far as it depends on you be at peace with all men. Never take for your own revenge beloved but leave room for the wrath of god for it is written vengeance is mine i will repay says the lord.

But if your enemy is hungry you feed him. If he is thirsty you give him drink. For in doing so you will keep burning coals upon his head. And do not overcome evil with evil but overcome evil with good.

And every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from god and those which exist are established by god. Therefore whoever resists the authority has opposed the ordinances of god.

And they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior but for that of evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority. Do what is good and you will have praise for the same.

For it is the minister of god to you for good. But if you do what is evil be afraid for it does not. For it does not bear the sword for nothing. For it is the minister of god to to be the avenger who brings wrath on the ones who practice evil.

Therefore if it is necessary to be subject to it is necessary to be in subjection not only because of wrath but also for conscience sake. For because of this you also pay taxes. For rulers are the servants of god devoting themselves to this very thing.

Render to all what is due to them. Tax to whom taxes do custom to whom custom fear unto fear and honor to whom honor is due. Oh nothing to anyone except to love one another. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

For this you shall not commit adultery. You shall not commit murder. You shall not steal you shall not covet. And if there is any other commandment it is summed up in this saying you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Do this. Knowing the time that is already in the hour is upon you to be awakened from sleep. For now salvation is near to us than we believed.

For the night is almost gone and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day not carousing not in drunkenness not in sexual promiscuity or sensuality and not in strife and jealousy.

But put on the lord jesus christ. And do not make provisions to carry out the lust of its flesh now except the one who is weak in faith. But do not i'm sorry but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.

One person has faith that he may eat all things but he who is weak eats vegetables only. And the one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat. And the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats for god has accepted him.

Who are you to judge another man's servant to his own master. He will stand and he will fall and he will stand for the lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another and another regards that day alike.

Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind that he who observes the day observes it to the lord. And he who eats does so for the lord for he has given thanks to god. And he who eats not for the lord he does not eat and he gives thanks to god.

For not one of us lives for himself. Then not one will die for himself. For if we live we live to the lord. If we die we die to the lord. Therefore whether we live or we die we are the lords. And for this end christ died and he lived again that he might be the both the lord of the living and the dead.

But you why do you judge your brother or you again. Why do you regard your brother with contempt. For we will stand before the judgment seat of christ. For it is written as i live says the lord every knee will bow to me and every tongue shall give praise to god.

So then each of us will give an account to himself before god. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore but rather determine this not to become a stumbling block in our brother's way. I know and am convinced of the lord jesus that nothing in and of itself is unclean but to him who thinks itself it to be unclean to him it's unclean.

Or because of food your brother is hurt and you are no longer walking according to love and do not destroy with food him for whom christ died. Therefore do not let what is for good for a good thing be spoken of you as evil.

For the kingdom of god is not eating and drinking but righteousness peace and joy in the holy spirit. For he who is in this way serves christ and acceptable to god and approved by men. So then we pursue the things which make for peace and for building up one another and do not tear down the work of god for food sake.

All things indeed are clean but they are evil to the man who eats and gives offense it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble the faith which you have have as your own conviction before god.

Happy is he who does not condemn himself and what he has approved. But he who doubts condemns if he is eat because he is eating is not eating from faith and whatever is not done from faith is sin. Now we are strong.

Ought we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength. And not just to please ourself each of us is to please our neighbor for his good is for our edification and his edification.

For even christ does not please himself. But it also is written the reproaches of those who reproached fell upon me. For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction so that through perseverance and encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.

Now may the god who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to christ so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify god and the father of our lord jesus christ.

Therefore accept one another just as christ also accepted us to the glory of god. For i say that christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of god to confirm the promises given to the fathers and to the gentiles to glorify god for his mercy as it is written.

Therefore i will give praise to whom among you. I'm sorry. Therefore i will give praise to you among the gentiles and i will sing to your name. And again he says rejoice oh gentiles with his people. And again he says praise the lord all you gentiles let all the peoples praise him.

And isaiah says therefore there shall come from there a root of jesse. And he who arises to the rule over the gentiles and in him shall the gentiles have hope. Now may the god of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the holy spirit.

And concerning you my brethren i myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another. But i have written very boldly to you on some point so as to remind you again because of the grace that was given to me from god to be a minister of christ to the gentiles ministering as a priest as a gospel of god so that my offering to the gentiles may become acceptable sanctified by the holy spirit.

Therefore in christ jesus i have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to god. For i will not presume to speak anything except that christ has accomplished through me and resulting in the obedience of the gentiles by the word indeed in the power of signs and wonders and the power of the spirit so that from jerusalem and round about as far as ilacrium i have fully preached the gospel.

And thus i aspired to preach the gospel not where christ had already named so that i would not build upon another man's foundation. But that is as written they who had no news of him shall see and they who have not heard shall understand.

And for this reason i have often been prevented from coming to you but now with no further place from me in these regions. And since i have had for many years a longing to come to you whatever i get wherever i go i go to spain.

For i hope to see you in passing and to be of help you on my way when i have first enjoyed your company for a while. But now i'm going to jerusalem serving the saints from macedonia to acacia i have was pleased to make a contribution to the poor for the saints in jerusalem yes they were pleased to do so and they are indebted to them.

For if the gentiles have shared in their spiritual things they are indebted to the minister to them also in material things. Therefore when i have finished this and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs i will go on my way to spain.

And i know that when i come to you i will come in the fullness of the blessing of christ. Now i urge you brethren by our lord jesus christ by the love of the spirit to strive together with me in your prayers to god that i may be rescued from those who are disobedient in judea and that my service for jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints so that i may come to you in joy by the will of god and find refreshing rest in your company.

Now the god of peace be with you all. Amen. That was a lot. But do you see how we when we started back in chapter 12 doing the one another's how all of these are connected to one another. How i just said one another how they're all connected to each other.

And that um it begins by doing what in chapter 12 that we would present ourselves as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable and blameless before god. And how are we to do that. It's how we interact with one another.

And we've gone through quite a few of those we had um about last week was not judging one another and not um condemning someone for an issue of conscience. Um and just and specifically this had to do with a brother eating meat or drinking wine.

And you may remember what the context of what was. How would we know what was who what meat and drink had a problem. Anybody remember what the problem was with eating meat and drinking wine. Was something wrong with the meat.

That's right. It was sacrifice to idols. And what did paul say. Is there really anything wrong with the meat itself. No but for a person in their conscience go oh wow this person just sacrificed this animal or whatever it was this drink offering to this deity.

Then it goes out the back door and it was sold in the marketplace. Um yeah. And it was good meat because they had to bring the choices meat. They didn't bring. Um what was left over after they cooked up something at the house.

They were bringing the best thing to their deity. Ma 'am. No ma 'am they didn't burn it all. Just like the under the mosaic legislation all the meat wasn't consumed under some. It was if you remember um i think it was hoppius and phineas eli's sons.

Did you don't know. If you remember if you ever read through that that narrative it's funny. Well it's not funny. It's just how that they do it. They would they would bring the meat. And they'd say you're not.

They weren't supposed to put it in the pan first. They were supposed to just hand them the meat. They were going to take that meat. They would save it to eat. How are they. Well they were telling them throw it in the pan first so they can burn all the fat off.

And if they didn't have enough if it wasn't lean enough they'd want more meat. They were extorting god's people. And god told eli for what they were doing. If you remember they're having sex with the women and all that nonsense.

And eli god told eli hey i'm gonna i'm gonna kill him because of it. And then he goes on to say um their sins will never be atoned for that's the passage i always go to when somebody says hey jesus died for everybody.

Okay. Well what about this one. It says here that their sins will never be atoned for so it was the choicest meat in a burnt offering style that that was consumed in its whole. Um the some of the wine went out the back door was sold in the market.

Um so they had those that were eating that were being offended. Um but then when you get to chapter 15 as he talks about issues of conscience in in 14 you get to chapter 15. And these are going to be the couple of verses we'll focus on.

He says we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those that are without strength and not just please ourselves. Is he talking about bearing the weaknesses of those who aren't physically strong.

Okay so how would we how would we explain weaknesses here. How would we how would we understand that.

How would you explain that someone who thinks that their salvation depends on what they eat or this or that and and uh you'd have to explain that those things aren't what we base our salvation on.

Okay in this case they would think that what they were doing what could possibly remove their salvation. Okay i'll say that. Okay. What else. Yep yep very much baby. Very weak. So when we see weakness um that would be an area of weakness that um you would say hey this person thinks they could lose your child.

Hey i'm not gonna lie when i came to faith in christ i remember uh looking at my mom and uh i said she said what's wrong. She'd pick me up and i said um i was a new christian. I say new i mean very new.

And um i said i'm scared. And she says i've never heard you say that in 28 years of your life i said i'm afraid that god will strike me dead if i fail at being a christian. And i i sincerely at the time thought that if i failed that i would lose my salvation and that god would kill me now.

I didn't know what i know today. I didn't know what i knew three years down the road and all of that. And god worked in my heart and all of that. But as a new believer like you said you might think there's something that you have to do to continue to hold on to this.

I knew that god saved me. But i didn't have anybody at that particular time of my life to begin to walk. And i was saying i'm a new christian. I had nobody to to to walk through these things with me. And those things i was reading in my scripture that says hey if you continue going sending willfully without receiving the knowledge of after receiving knowledge of truth the only thing that remains for you is a fiery indignation of a wrathful god that will consume his adversary.

That's scary. So as people that that was a i was a weak christian trying to understand these tough passages. So when it says here um we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength.

Well how do we bear those weaknesses. We who are strong those of you that have walked with the lord for many many years. How do we bear those witnesses. How would how would we take someone and my particular we'll just use because i use myself as an example how would we walk with someone who is weak in that matter.

How would we do that.

Maybe correcting them and saying you know because that could be offensive. I think you just have to let the holy spirit to be convicting and as they're learning from reading god's word and preaching if they would understand.

Yes ma 'am i agree with that. It's sitting down and spending time in god's word and then showing them what the word of god says and then let the holy spirit work in their own heart. That's exactly what we have to do.

But what does it take. It takes takes time out of our schedule which we're so busy and we all are that we're going to have to sit down with this person and we're going to have to walk through the scriptures find out where these areas of weakness are.

And um not to be corrective on the stumbling block i understand what you mean by that we don't want to cause a a hindrance specifically when it talks about being a stumbling block here that's actually the greek word scandal on a scandal and it actually in this particular case is you're you're going to cause something to cause that person to sin.

That's in this particular case let's say um gary. And uh gary decides he's going to go to that temple and buy some meat. Well gary knowing that i am weak he says hey there ain't nothing wrong with that meat.

That's good meat that steaks good. We're going to go pick some up. Well me being a new believer we're talking about the context of this story this situation. Uh him knowing that that bothers my conscience and that if i did that i'd feel like i was sinning.

Gary shouldn't say hey mike i'm gonna come pick you up man i'm gonna buy you some groceries from from the backdoor temple. Why. Because he he he knows that that bother that's bothersome to me and he knows that i feel like that i would be sinning against god in doing so.

So gary being the the stronger more mature brother goes. You know what i'm not gonna do that if i need to go buy mike some groceries i'm gonna go down to the hassad market or whatever and get good. You like you want to say something.

He's gonna buy his his own groceries and he's got no issue with backdoor. Sure. Just don't go flum in front of you don't come home with the bag that says that said temple diana's precious meat. Yeah. Yeah that's right.

Um that's what we that's what we should not do. So that's how we're to bear and how we bear the weak and help them. Um the some individuals that helped me through that very um very difficult and learned time of my life were very patient.

Um i mean y 'all know me my personality dude i'm could be combative. Um i would have to say i know what i'm reading but i know what you're saying. Um so it took some men that were patient and that the very um very understanding of where i was coming from.

So i was thankful for that. Um it says. But each of us in verse two each of us is to please his neighbor for his good into his edification. For even christ did not please himself. But as it is written and this is from this is from uh psalm 69 verse 9 the reproaches and some of your translations may say taunts the reproaches of those who reproached you fell upon me.

Christ’s Example of Bearing Reproach and Serving Others

So here it is when it gives once again as it has through this this entire discourse from chapter 12 to where we're at they use christ as the example that when christ was reviled did he revile back. No when christ was ridiculed did he ridicule back.

Could he have. Yeah. I mean jesus could have said you know what you know good worthless individuals. Did you know who i am. And in my sinful condition i go man why didn't he do that at times. I know that's what i would have done.

I know he ain't like me. But that's what i would just like man. Just maybe just one time. If he did just drop the hammer on a couple of them. Yeah he'd be the third brother of the sons of thunder. I certainly uh i can relate with the with the sons of thunder.

Yeah. Um yeah. I mean in that particular case i i relate to james and john here it is they realized that jesus was the the long-awaited king. And the samaritans had just said no man you're not welcome here.

I mean you do realize this is the king of glory wanting to walk on the dirt in which he gave you. And they ridiculed him. Um but what did jesus do. He never like it said. And when we looked at um let this mind be in you.

Um this this like-mindedness when we went to um if he uh philippians chapter 2 it says let this mind be as in christ who did not hold himself of a reputation of being equal with god. Hey he was equal.

He was god of very god. The only difference between god the father god the spirit and god the son is the fact that jesus christ had flesh and bone. That's it. That is it. Hebrews says that jesus christ is the exact representation of the invisible god.

What did he tell philip. Oh that's it. One of the best things that you hear him say at the upper room discourse philip says man when will we see the father. And he looked at him and kindly told him that night.

Not he was betrayed. And he said philip how long have i been with you. He said don't you know if you've seen me you've seen the father. Man what a thing. Hmm. So it says that jesus did not do anything to please himself.

And when those it says they taunted him. And this was a a a prophecy from psalm 69 when they ridiculed him and made reproaches to him what did he do. He kept his mouth shut. Now there was times when he would um he would put them in their place.

And he did that most of the time with religious people um even when he in matthew 23 when he finally had all he was going to take and he walked out of the temple for the last time. Um he told them you whoa whoa whoa you brood of vipers.

And he called condemnation on them. And he told them that the next time he even told kaiathus the next time you see me it'll be in glory. It'll be in judgment. And that's exactly what happened the next time kaiathus saw him.

It was in judgment. Um but jesus did not ever do anything to please himself. Who was he doing. Ultimately who did jesus come to please. And who are the recipients of him. Pleasing the father. We were yep his neighbor which is us.

And it goes on in verse 4 it says whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction. What's the earlier times. What was written in earlier times. It would have been old testament. That's right.

That would have been the teaching document for these people. So whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction. He says the same thing here he says in corinthians when he says hey these things were written to you about the children of israel and their disobedience.

So that you wouldn't do the same things that they did and die in unbelief. That's basically what he's saying here. It was for our instruction so that through perseverance and encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope.

Verse 5. Now may the god who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you. That's loaded right there. Who gives the perseverance god does. Or christ. Yeah god or christ who gives encouragement holy spirit.

And then it says here that it would grant to you what the same mind with one another according to christ jesus it is all the work of god. Perseverance encouragement and the like-mindedness within the church is all by the power of the spirit through the work of god through the applied person and work of jesus christ so that you may be in of one accord and that you may with one voice glorify god and the father of our lord jesus christ.

What's the purpose of all of not but this particular 36 that we fixed out. What's the purpose of the one another glorify god. Here's the thesis statement for it. Here's the book end of it right here that you would have one voice.

But what's that one voice. That one voice is that there is no other way which men can be saved other than that of christ. That's the one voice. Do we have some difference in opinions even amongst believers about certain things.

Yeah. But hey we better have some actual doctrinal foundational truth. And one is this that jesus christ is the only way of salvation that is the regeneration of the holy spirit that awakens a man from his deadness that gives him the ability to repent which means turn from unbelief to belief.

And that the only way to to have our sins acquitted and have the applied imputation of jesus christ is through the power of the spirit through jesus christ. That's it. Those are foundational truths. And that's the one voice that we would glorify god.

And in verse 7 and we got to start wrapping up. Therefore except when does anybody say receive one another. Yeah it does. It's therefore except one another just as christ also accepted us to glorify god.

For i say that christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of god to confirm the promises given to the fathers and for the gentiles to glorify god for his mercy as it is written.

Therefore i will give praise to you among the gentiles and i will sing to your name. And again also he was a rejoice old gentiles in his people. And again praise the lord all you gentiles and let all the peoples praise him.

And then isaiah said there shall come the root of jesse who will arise to rule over the gentiles. And in him shall the gentiles have hope. Hey this would have been shocking to the jews. You see how many times the word gentile jews there that would have been shocking.

And if you know anything about the book of romans what happened was there was an edict. The the edict of claudius in i think it was 54. It uh or 49 and it ran all the the jews out of rome the church of rome.

So what were all the the believers in rome at this point between let's just say between 49 and 54 they were all pagans. They were all gentile. Well when he died in 54 who starts coming back into the church the jews start coming back to rome.

Well this would have been shocking to the jews to go. Oh wow these gentiles are in the same level as we are. And if you just go back to romans how many times like in the beginning he said who are you old jew.

To think that you're better than the gentile. So you obviously there was a a riff here. What paul says. Right here again. Hey this is a praise to you among the gentiles. Oh peoples old gentiles praise the lord let all the peoples rejoice.

And then he says here in verse 12 that the reason for christ's coming that root of jesse was from the from the descendant which would have been david he said uh will arise to rule over the gentiles. And in him shall the gentiles have hope.

And that was that that would have floored them because the salvation for the jew was never for the gentile. They obviously didn't read their old testament because that's an old testament quote. Um so therefore back to verse 7.

We're to accept one another just as christ accepted us to the glory of god. Well it's all of them jew and gentile. When jesus came he didn't make any distinction. He died for the jew and for the gentile.

And he made a way for all of them to to be um saved just just the way the the the type of the the exodus saved the jews out of egypt. Now he's saying we're god saves the gentile the same way by leading them out of bondage and providing a way of salvation.

Government, Conscience, and the Limits of Obedience

All. Right. Yeah we got five minutes for riots or demonstrations. Anyone any comments disagreements. How often do y 'all not raise your hand. How often do you read longer sections like that. Longer four or five chapters at a time to see how they fit together.

Like i said the other night that's hard for me to read like that because as i'm reading i'm going man uh 14 connects. There's verses in 14 that connect to 13. And my mind starts and it's in my own mind starts putting things in order and how they all connect to one another.

So sometimes it's hard for me to read just longer passages like that. Does it make it harder it can. Yeah yeah. I'm not opposed. Anybody haven't studied bibles but study bibles and cross-references bibles or i don't have one.

So it makes it difficult because of the all the headings. Yeah all the headings you fix like something.

Yeah i just i kept wishing that we'd go over 13. Okay right now that whole part is so i don't know. Well here here's how we need.

To look at it and this is what's often missed about chapter 13. Now we don't have too much but i'll make it quick. Listen what he says. It says therefore whoever resists the authority has opposed the ordinance of god.

And they have opposed will receive condemnation for upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior. So what is it saying. It's saying that the government has been put in in place for not people who do good but for people who do what evil.

I ain't gonna make no bones about it. We're in a we're we're in a time and i don't get all government. I don't get into all that because i don't particularly think the pulpit's the place for that. Okay but i will say this we are under a nation that rewards evil yes and punishes good.

And if you read this text you tell me one place in this text that it says that we're to obey the government when they punish good. Just tell me it ain't here and i'm not concerned about what john macarthur says.

I'm not concerned about any other pastor that says that um we're supposed to obey the ordinance no matter what. Because it says right here it's when they do good when they do good. And it says here rulers are not for the cause of fear for good behavior but for evil.

Do you want to have no fear of authority. What kind of authority are we supposed to fear. Fear those who punish evil. And if you're not doing evil you ain't got nothing to worry about. It says do what is good and you will have the praise from the same.

Well who's the same. The same's the governing authority. So if you're doing good and your government authority is not praising you for doing good that tells you the atmosphere that we're living in has to know what's good and what's not.

And it's subjective to what they've.