Recap. Big Picture – how it fits together…
Romans 15 – first part flows from Romans 14. So a recap is helpful.
You may have thought –full of theological truth. So it seems like a bit of an anticlimax, in the final chapters to be focusing on a problem about diets and calendar.
That would be a mistake. In Paul’s mind, this is a climax he has been working to. This is one of the reasons he is writing this letter. When he has been discussing Jew and Gentile, he was had this goal, what he now discusses, in mind.
What matters to Paul is, what you could say ‘’hospitality’’ – 14:1 begins with accept other believers or ‘’welcome.’’
He begins with that phrase, and he ends his discussion in 15:7 with ‘’welcome one another as Christ as welcomed you.’’
As we heard when William read, Paul’s mission to the Gentiles – as he shares in the second half of Romans 15, is about pioneering – to reach the unreached – to proclaim the Messiah where he is not known.
And that mission of Paul does not exclude the Jews.
And the gospel is not meant to give Jews or Gentiles a superiority or inferiority complex towards each other.
For Paul, a church community, torn by intercultural division, subverts the gospel. Paul wants to unite a community which is no longer hospitable or welcoming or hospitable towards each other, he wants to unite this multicultural, international community.
He wants this church to be gospel shaped – living out this letter’s theme that Jews and Gentiles are one body in Christ, that they equally need God’s grace and have both equally received it.
They need to lovingly welcome each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, being aware of each other’s convictions, but knowing these are not the most important to Christ or in the kingdom – a kingdom whose focus is righteousness, justice, joy and peace.
Paul’s aim – that they share life together as a community, they worship together, harmoniously, peacefully as one body. And as they do so, they are a small but a powerful witness to the world of God’s intentions for the whole world.
So a question Paul would leave us with, as we move from chapters 14 into 15 would be:
On a day when the church remembers conflict in the world past and present – how can you pursue peace within your church community more actively?
Pleasing/ Service (Romans 15:1-6)
In Romans 14, he has talked about not judging other believers. He has told them to make sure they do not put a stumbling block in front of a believer and trip them up.
Now he says ‘’each of us should please our neighbour for their good, to build them up.’’ This is not about people pleasing. This is about service. And the model is – Jesus.
He says that Jesus did not please himself. He did not put himself first, he put others first.
This is described in much detail in Philippians 2 1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Philippians 2:1-5
Paul then describes how Jesus, in all his majesty, became human, he went to the cross, he laid aside his rights, and served us, put us first.
And so Paul says to the Philippians and to the Romans – we are to be servants of each other, we are not to seek to please ourselves but others, a Jesus shaped life, is a cross shaped life, a servant shaped life…
To please others – means to act for their benefit, to seek to build them up. And by doing so we imitate Paul, and we imitate Christ. Jesus ‘’even Christ did not please himself’’ in v3 – Jesus is our example and our motivation how to relate to other Christians.
What he is saying to us – ‘’a truly unified, loving community, is possible, only when, like Christ, believers seek the interests of others, than their own.’’ Michael Gorman, Apostle of the Crucified Lord, pg 467.
Q. On Remembrance Sunday, part of the worship remembers those who served others, through their role in the armed forces, primarily in the Two World Wars, but also in other occasions since.
In what ways are you already serving others rather than pleasing yourself? In what ways do you need to begin, motivated by Christ’s example?
Acceptance / Welcome (15:7-13)
Accept one another then just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Accept as we said could be translated welcome. Hospitality – welcome – and it is grounded in Christ, and the aim is to bring glory, praise to God.
Then Paul shares a number of verses from all over the Hebrew Bible – Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Psalms.
These verses show God’s plan for the Gentiles to join the Jews – in one body – in glorifying and praising God. V8 – Christ became a servant of the Jews both for their benefit – to fulfil the promises made to the patriarchs, and also for the benefit of the Gentiles. In these verses all of Romans 1-11 is summarized here : God’s faithfulness to the Jews and his mercy to the Gentiles which creates a praise filled, hospitable, welcoming people. As the Jews and Gentiles accept each other as different, yet equal participants in God’s salvation, they witness to their society.
The Gospel shows us how to accept others.
It is about mercy. God opens the doors to the Gentiles. He could have kept it closed and restricted to the Jews. But he did not.
The verses also point to God’s big plan – one body! Branches grafted into the tree with the natural branches. Disunity goes against that great plan of one united, praising body.
So no room therefore for judgementalism, or despising, or racism or antisemitism within the church.
To do so, goes against the gospel.
Remembrance Sunday reminds us of how divided humanity has been, and how it continues to be, as wars continue in many places today, even on this continent of Europe within Ukraine.
How can the gospel you have received help you maintain or build unity instead of divisions, with the Christians you disagree with or don’t like…
Evangelism and Discipleship (14-29).
Paul moves, v14-30 into discussing his own ministry, and plans to visit Rome on the way to Spain.
His goal – that the Gentiles would be an offering, acceptable to God, sanctified by the Spirit.
It is similar to Romans 12 – offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship.’’
Paul is committed to discipleship, and not merely evangelism. He shares that he has always desired to preach the gospel among the unreached, and that has moved him to now want to travel to Spain.
Yet he seeks not to just make converts but disciples.
When I became a Christian, through one of my best friends Jesse, after that night of Sept 27 1993, every day for 6 weeks after that evening, Jessie popped round to my room to see how I was doing, answering questions, she bought me my first bible, to help me get into a pattern of prayer, reading the bible, she helped me to come along to the local Christian Union – university group – and introduced me to different people…
She was committed to my discipleship and not just my evangelism or conversion.
Is there someone you can invest in who is a younger believer? Is there someone you know who has been converted to Christ and they would appreciate meeting up with someone older in the faith, to help them become more that offering to the Lord.
One of the themes I was reminded of from my sabbatical was a commitment to discipleship is important within a church – so we are not just a church of UP – worship and prayer – we are not just a church of OUT – seeking like Paul to have people discover the mercies love and goodness of Christ, we are a church of IN – seeking to be disciples, to be apprentices of Jesus and how to live Jesus shaped, gospel shaped lives.
Q. On Remembrance Sunday, particularly where veterans are involved, they may remember individuals, friends, officers etc, those who made an impression or difference to their lives. In your life, as a follower of Jesus – who made a difference? And what would it take to copy that example in the life of another?
Paul then moves on to share about his desire that the gospel goes to the unreached areas. He has ministered in the Eastern Mediterranean, all the way to Illyricum which is north of Albania, across modern day Greece, into Turkey etc… and now he seeks to go to Spain. And he wants the Roman church to v24 – to assist him on his journey there.
The Joshua Project which is a Christian organisation which collects data on the spread of the gospel and shares info on how to pray for people’s groups which have been only marginal reached or not at all. Reached means less than 5% of that people group is Christian. There are 17,259 people groups; 7220 would be called unreached. That accounts for around 3.4 billion people. Jesus commission – go and make disciples of all nation- there is much work still to be done.
Can you assist – as Paul hoped the Romans would – in the evangelisation of our world, through your prayer, giving, or perhaps going?
Or those who are unreached around you – in your work areas, your family networks, your friends – how can the Lord help you reach those unreached? Could our Christmas services be an opportunity to invite them along? Or perhaps Alpha – which we run in January – a place they can explore, ask questions etc?
Finally. Prayer (v30-33 – plus v5-6 &13).
V30 after all his input and sharing his travel plans, he asks for prayer. ‘’I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.’’ V30.
He asks for prayer for: rescue and protection from unbelievers in Judea;
For successful ministry : that the gift would be welcomed and received in Jerusalem.
For his plans to come to fruition : v31-32 – so he can come to Rome.
He is saying – here are my struggles, my challenges, join with me in them, by praying for me and for them… (Keller, Romans 8-16).
He doesn’t only ask for prayer – he has been praying for them. We saw that in this chapter
v5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus…
V11 – May the God of Hope fill you will joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Spirit.
His example we learn from. Yes. He teaches.
But he does not forget prayer. He prays as if it all depends on God…
The Church in Rome has struggles. He has joined in their struggles by praying for them. Now he invites them to join in his struggles now.
Tim Keller puts this really well
‘’Christians can always help a struggling brother or sister by praying. Christians can always come alongside those whom they have never met, by praying for them. We can give up our time for those who are giving up their lives, in prayer. … Our prayers are part of our service to our fellow Christians.
As the Reformation pastor and theologian John Calvin put it: “The godly ought to pray for their brethren … they are to assume their person, as though they were placed in the same difficulties.”
(Commentary on Romans, chapter 38)
(Quote from Keller, Timothy. Romans 8-16 For You: For reading, for feeding, for leading (God’s Word For You – Romans Series Book 2) . The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition).
Remembrance Sunday causes us to reflect again on past conflicts and wars but those present. In the wars of today, where Christians are struggling, can you enter into those struggles by praying for those Christians, and then continuing to do so daily? Maybe it is the local church, maybe it is a Christian NGO organisation?
You may say you do not know them. Most of the Roman Christians did not know Paul yet he asked them to join in prayers for him, and he prayed for them…
Conclusion.
Recapped the Big Picture and Romans 14.
Did not please himself – follow the servant example of Jesus in how you treat other believers.
Welcome / accept them as Christ has accepted you – mercy, grace, no room for discrimination, to despise
Discipleship – a commitment to it.
Evangelism to the unreached – are we committed to it.
Prayer – to join in the struggles, Paul asked pray about his anxieties, about rescue / protection, about successful / fruitful ministry, and about future plans…
Shall we now pray…