ROMANS 15
2 Outlines
Romans 15:1-7
LIVING KINDLY
THE CONSIDERATION OF THE WEAK Vss. 1-2
THE COMPASSION OF CHRIST Vs. 3
THE COMFORT OF THE WORD Vs. 4
THE CONFORMITY THROUGH CHRIST Vss. 5-7
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Romans 15:1-7
UNSELFISH LIVING
You can begin the
message with your favorite illustrations or quotes on selfishness.
Each one of us has a
selfish streak inside of us. We can all have a "me first" attitude if
we are not careful.
When it comes to getting
along with other people in the church, especially those who might be considered
"weaker brothers" we need to learn to live in an unselfish manner.
To begin with, because
of the cross we need to make a decision to strive to live in an unselfish
manner. Romans 6:6 reminds us that we died with Christ
on the cross. Romans 6:11-13 admonishes
to count ourselves as dead to but alive to God. If we died to sin, we died to
selfishness!
Romans 12:1 reminds us that we are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice
to God.
Romans 15:1-7 enhances
the Scriptures we just mentioned by providing 4 suggestions for enhancing the
defeat of selfishness in our lives.
BACKGROUND
This section is actually
the concluding argument from Romans 14. Romans 14 is the contrast between the weak brother and the
strong brother. The weak brother is more legalistic, more tending towards rules
and regulations about diet, observance of days, where to go, and what to do.
The strong brother realizes that he is free of the rules and regulations of the
Old Testament that deal with diet and holy days.
Romans 14:3 - The strong
brother is not to despise or think little of the person who is not as free as
he is. The weaker brother is to be respected for his convictions. The weaker
brother is not to judge the stronger brother. He is not pronounce
judgment on the stronger brother. God has accepted both of them.
Romans
Romans
Romans
Romans 14:21-23 - We are
to honor the conscience of the weaker brother. If he can't do something by
faith it becomes sin to him if he violates his own conscience.
With all this in mind,
the stronger brother is given some tips for not being selfish. Instead, the weaker brother will be
helped. Actually all of us are helpful
if we follow these directions.
SET SOME GOALS - Vss.
1-2
There will always be
weaker brethren in a thriving Christian church.
There will be those weak
because they are new Christians.
There will be those weak
because of sin habits.
There will be those weak
because of poverty.
There will be those weak
due to personal sickness, sickness of a loved one, or loss of a loved one.
There will be those weak
due to immaturity.
There will be those weak
due to weak conscience.
There will be those who
are emotionally weak.
With this in mind there
are two goals we should have for our behavior towards weaker brethren.
1. We are to bear the
infirmities of the weak. (Vs. 1) When we do we will not please ourselves.
Galatians 6:2
When we bear the burdens
of others we will pray for them, listen to them, spend time with them, help
them financially, and support them during tragedies.
2. We are to please our
neighbors. (Vs. 2) This means I am to work at edifying or building up that
Christian brother or sister for his or her own good.
I can build up that
person by not offending him with my own strength and by sharing with him what
God is teaching me. I can also build up that neighbor by being a model of
Christ centered living.
SEE THE SCRIPTURES -
Vss. 3-4
1. I can look to Scripture
for the model of Christ. This verse
refers to the sacrifice of Christ for my sin. He took the reproach for sin that
should have been mine. Christ did not please himself on the cross, but was
concerned with the good of the world. I can follow this example of unselfish
living, and the other examples that Christ set.
2. We can also learn
from all the examples found in Scripture. This verse, I believe, specifically refers to the Old Testament, but is applicable to the New
Testament as well. In the Old Testament
we learn of:
The example of Abraham
willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac
The example of Hosea who
accepted being married to a harlot so God could make a point
The example of Moses who
continually interceded for the rebellious Israelites
And there are many more
examples for us to follow from the Scriptures that will teach us how to deal
with weaker people.
SHOOT (AIM) FOR UNITY -
Vss. 5-6
Vs. 5 - The God of
patience can and will make you patient, if you let Him.
The God of consolation
will help you to console others, if you let Him.
The word likeminded here
means to think the same thing.
We will think the same
thing when we seek to be patient instead of getting our own way.
We will think the same
thing when we seek to console others instead of criticizing them.
Vs. 6 - Notice here what
brings glory.
When we have one mind
and one mouth within a congregation, we are bringing glory to God. Psalm 133:3
The church is a single
unit. It is a team. It is individuals working together.
Therefore, shoot for
unity!
SEEK TO ACCEPT - Vs. 7
The key word here is
"receive". The word means "take to one's self". It means to
take a special interest on the part of the receiver. It suggests a welcome.
We are to receive others
as Christ has received us. Christ accepted us with no strings attached. It is
about time that you and I started to seek to accept others this same way.
We may not agree on
every point of doctrine.
We may not agree on
every point of separation.
We may not agree about
who our closest friends are.
We may not even care
particularly for the person's personality.
But when a person is
sincerely born again, we need to accept them as Christ accepted us.
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Romans
CHRISTIAN OPTIMISM
I've met quite a few
optimists in my time and probably far more pessimists and cynics. I like
optimists better because they tend to lift me up. Pessimists tend to drag me down with them.
Like anywhere else, in
the church there are both optimists and pessimists.
Often a pessimist will
hold a church back with it's gloom and doom while an
optimist will get the church to think and act in positive ways.
Now, I'll admit that
there are times when Christians are unrealistically optimistic. But by and large, I feel that we Christians
are not optimistic enough.
Why should Christians be
optimistic? It's because of a little
four letter word called "hope".
Hope is something that God provides for the Christian. Romans 5:1-2, Romans
5:5, Romans
Now when we think of the
word hope, we often think of somebody doing some wishful thinking, like "I
hope I get that raise," or "I hope I pass that test", or "I
hope the Pirates win the World Series," or "I hope Mom serves apple
pie for dessert."
But according to James
Montgomery Boice, in the Bible the word hope means certainty. Boice says,
"
the only reason it is called hope rather than certainty is that we do
not possess what is hoped for yet, although we will." James Montgomery
Boice, Romans, Volume 2, ©1992 by Baker Book House,
It is my desire that
this church would be full of Christian optimists. Christian optimists have a tremendous impact
on other Christians and on unsaved people. Hebrews 10:24-25, 1 Peter 3:15
If we are going to be
Christian optimists we need to know something about hope. This morning I'd like to encourage you that:
WE NEED TO ASK IN HOPE
Now, you probably
already know that faith is a requirement for answered prayer. James 1:5-8, Mark
If we are going to see
God answer our prayers, we certainly need to pray in faith. I think of hope as an extension of
faith. First we believe that God is
going to answer our prayers, and then we look forward to the answer. 1 John 5:14-15
When we ask for
something that is the will of God, we believe that God will answer the prayer
and we are also confident. I believe
that confidence is akin to hope! If I am
not confident I don't have hope. If I am
confident, I have hope.
WE NEED TO ACT IN HOPE
The way we act should be
a reflection of our hope.
If we are Christians we
should want other people to become Christians too. Therefore we will want to act in such a way
that will bring others to Christ and encourage other Christians. Matthew
5:14-16
The first way to impact
others for Christ is to preach a sermon to them. I mean a sermon of actions, not a sermon of
words. Let them see your good works of
acting the way a Christian should and they will glorify God because of you.
Christians are also
supposed to use their words for Christ, but people will not listen to you
unless your words are backed up by your life's actions. 1 Peter 3:15
As people see in your
actions the hope that Jesus gives, they will want to hear your words. As you live a godly life, people will ask you
the secret of your hope in Christ.
And our actions of
living and witnessing for Christ will be blessed! Psalm 126:6
The precious seed is
God's Word. As we sow it in tears, we will reap results in joy. It might be the
joy of a soul saved or the joy of a Christian who was helped to grow.
Christian, when you act
in hope, you live and speak for Christ.
WE NEED TO ABIDE IN HOPE
The Christian has a very
special hope.
The Christian's very
special hope is that Jesus is coming. 1
Thessalonians 4:16-17
We are to look forward
to the coming of our Lord Jesus.
And we need to realize
that Jesus could come at any time. Luke 12:40
Looking forward to the
Lord's coming is to affect our behavior and our attitude.
Titus 2:11-13 - The blessed hope
of the Christian is the return of Christ. It is His glorious appearing. If you
are looking forward to his coming you need to deny ungodliness. Ungodliness is
simply anything God does not approve of. There should be no time for it in your
life.
If you are looking
forward to his coming, you should also deny worldly lusts. Worldly lusts are
those desires that get out of hand and cause us to sin. In 1 John 2 they are described as the
"lust of flesh", the "lust of the eyes" and the "pride
of life".
If you are looking
forward to Jesus coming, you're sober or serious about your behavior.
If you are looking
forward to Jesus' coming, you're doing what is right or righteous. How would you feel if Jesus returned and He caught
you doing something that did not please Him?
If you are looking
forward to Jesus' coming, you are doing what pleases
God or what is like God. Your standard
of behavior is high. That's godliness.
The coming of Jesus for
you should be such a blessed hope, that you look forward to His coming and want
your life to be in order when He arrives!
WE NEED TO ABOUND IN
HOPE
Romans
First of all notice that
God is the God of hope.
God is the one who is
responsible for hope.
The reason you have hope
at all is because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. Jesus died for you
there. Because of His death and your
faith in Christ, you have hope!
God made the plan that
made your hope possible. He is the God of hope.
Notice two essential
things that God wants you to have.
God wants you to have
joy.
God wants you to have
peace.
And He doesn't want you
to have just a little joy.
And He doesn't want you
to have a little peace.
He wants you to be
filled with joy!
He wants you to be
filled with peace! John 15:11, John 14:27
Joy and peace come in
believing! If you trust Jesus enough to obey Him, you will be filled with joy. If you trust Jesus enough to pray and cast
all your care upon Him, you will be filled with peace. If you are filled with
joy and peace, you will abound with hope. Hope appears to be a result of our
joy and peace! But hope is also the result of the work of the Holy Spirit in
our lives. The fruit of the Spirit
includes both joy and peace. The filling
of the Spirit also fills me with hope.
God wants you and I to
abound in hope, and He helps us to do this through His
Holy Spirit!
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