So people of God in Christ, in our study and proclamation of Paul's letter to the Romans, as we come now to Romans 15, we have, you might recognize, just two chapters left. And we are in the third section, which contains the apostles' teaching about the Christian life. Remember that well-known triad of themes, sin, salvation, service, or guilt, grace, and gratitude. As we know our sin and guilt before God, we are taught, so we come to learn how deep and urgent is our need for salvation. And as we gain the glorious knowledge of the Gospel, God's plan of salvation through Christ, so we are moved, if we truly understand it, we are moved then to live joyfully and thankfully before God throughout our lives. So maybe we can see how our study of God's Word around these three themes serves to bring about a growing faith. As we know our sin more, we recognize and appreciate more what it is to have Christ as our Savior. And the more we recognize and appreciate the worth and the glory of Christ our Savior, we arrive at a greater joy and a deeper gratitude by which to serve Him in love more and more. We hear these words from the Apostle Paul. It's a recurring call from God in Scripture for the Christian life, more and more. I hope you're committed to that. Sin, salvation, service or guilt, grace and gratitude. It's an appropriate and a helpful way. It's a helpful way for us to outline the book of Romans. Even more, it provides us with a way really of reading all of God's word. These three themes are certainly found throughout the Bible. Even from the beginning, upon the creation of all things, the life of mankind was to be lived in response to what God had done and what He had given and provided. After six days of creation, God was done, which is why God rested on the seventh day. His creation was finished and His blessing to mankind was full and complete. It was the blessing of life in a new and beautiful creation. And what was man's part in the beginning? Only to live by the gift of life, only to enjoy what God had made for him, only to eat and drink and procreate all as a blessing from God and by a thankfulness for what he had done. So hopefully we are growing. I want us to grow in having a right perspective on our lives as believers in Christ. Hopefully we are becoming more conscious and more deliberate about living in response. Such an important word, living in response to the salvation that we have in Christ. And one significant emphasis given by the Apostle Paul is that the Christian life is to be lived in the church. In the church. Faith in Christ must certainly first be personal. Because the call of Christ comes to each of us individually. You must answer for yourself. I must answer for myself. And we want our children. We want our children to grow, to answer the call of Christ for themselves, each of them personally believing in Christ and seeking to live for him. But we must also come together as we are this morning. What a delight to see you all, to have us all together. We are together as the church to live out our personal faith but to live it out corporately, as we say, to live out together our faith as the body of Christ on earth. So starting in Romans 14, verse 1, and now continuing through the first part even of Romans 15, Paul is teaching and calling for love, for unity, and patience within the church. We can see the cohesion of this passage even though it entails one chapter and part of the next. We can see the cohesion of this passage by comparing his opening language in Romans 14, verse 1, with his concluding statement then in Romans 15, verse 7. Let me show you a set of bookends. In Romans 14, verse 1, he writes, as for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. And now in Romans 15, verse 7, he writes, therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God. It's a set of bookends. as we say, marking the start and the finish of this portion of Paul's instruction. So one more time, one more time, the repetition communicates the need, right? So we need to submit to God's Word. If it's repetitious, it needs to be repetitious. We need to hear it. over and over again. So one more time on what is basically the same subject, how must we relate to one another in the church? Again, the more basic point is that Christians belong in the church, but how then must we relate to one another in the church? Here now Paul changes his metaphor to that of building up The first point is the call to edify others. Are we prepared through the course of the Christian life, by way of our membership and fellowship in the Church, to edify others, to build each other up within the Church? In chapter 14, its instruction was more the call not to tear down, But even as we refrain from tearing down, we also must be intent upon building up. Verses one and two read, we who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up. One important lesson for parents, to teach their growing children and for the church to teach our covenant children as well, is that with size and strength comes responsibility. As children grow, they become bigger in size than other children younger than them. Of course, if they're older, then they start out bigger than their younger siblings and other younger children. So the point is not just that they are bigger, but they are stronger and strength and power can be used, of course. Either for good or for evil. Children must be taught to use their size and their strength, not for the mistreatment of the smaller and weaker, but for their good. It's part of being a steward of what God gives us. Whatever God gives us, yet it remains His. But God gives us blessings so that we might use what He gives us to honor Him, and we honor Him as we take up His purposes, as we yield to be the channel of His blessing to others round about us. That's really what Paul is talking about here in verse one. For we who are strong have an obligation. We have an obligation. With strength comes responsibility. We have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. The natural practice of sinful man is to use his advantage to take advantage. It's an expression we use to refer to even great sin, as in, he took advantage of her, or she took advantage of the opportunity to make someone look bad. So once again, Paul is not denying that there are right and wrong opinions. He is not denying that there are both those who are weak and those who are right. The point, however, is that those who are right, those who are stronger in their faith, must use such advantage, not to take advantage, but we might say to give advantage, to coin a phrase. Instead of taking advantage, we are to give advantage. If the advantage is ours, then the advantage is ours to give and not to be used to take. Out of our greater strength and maturity in the faith, we are called to be a blessing. called to build up our younger or weaker brother or sister. Even more, the call is to bear with the failings of the weak. The word here in the original carries the idea of a burden, being willing to bear the burden of building up a brother or sister. The point is that it will not necessarily be easy. Fair warning given. It will not necessarily be easy. It will be a burden to bear. The point also is not that we just avoid the weaker brother. Again, it's not enough to refrain from tearing him down or her down. We must bear the burden of seeking to build him up. So let's consider tearing down versus building up. What are some ways that we might tear down and what could be done to the contrary, to build up? Take, for example, the ubiquitous example of gossip. Someone in the church is weak. Someone has met with failure of whatever kind. It becomes a topic of conversation. Some of it is true and the rest is mere conjecture. Or it brings up other failures from the past. First of all, let's refrain from gossip altogether. But let there also be an instead. refrain, but instead, instead to the contrary of gossip, we can seek out the person who has failed and is being gossiped about. We can pray about and look for ways to encourage that person. How about outright lies? Lies and even half-truths told about a person certainly tears them down. But instead of just not lying about another person, we can speak the truth to their recommendation. We can tell others what we appreciate about another person. We can even tell that person himself or herself the blessing that he or she is to us. It's really animal-like. It's animal-like behavior to devour the one who is already injured and weak. But we bear the image of God when we have mercy and when we care for our weak brother or sister. But perhaps the easiest thing we can do to build up a brother or sister in the Lord is to greet that person, to interact with that person. When we know we have disagreements with someone, we most easily just separate from them. And isn't that enough that we avoid tearing them down by just having little, if anything, to do with them? We don't greet them at church, we don't ask them how they're doing, we don't inquire about known challenges and struggles in that person's life. But how is that bearing with that person? Instead, and again, we can remember how much we actually have in common with that person. And on that basis, we can seek a brotherly and a sisterly relationship with the intention to build him or her up. This is exactly what Christ did for us. Let each of us recall this. or know it. Perhaps this morning for the first time, this is exactly what Christ did for us. The behavior being described here is the behavior of Jesus. So the second point is imitating Christ. Verse two again says, let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up. And then verse three adds four, Christ did not please himself. But as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." Here's another place to see that the Christian life must be lived in response. And although we speak of imitating Christ, the point is not that Christ only showed us how to do it. It is true that Christ sought throughout his ministry to build others up. Can we miss that? Can we deny it? Christ sought throughout his ministry to build others up. He never did a miracle simply to put his power and authority on display. He never made a rock levitate and move, you know, across the room or across whatever area he was in. Instead, our Lord did miracles, every one in order to help people, to heal and deliver them, but also as signs to help them believe what he was teaching them. And so even by way of his teaching, Jesus was seeking to build up those who were listening to him. And yet his approach to ministry, his concern for others is certainly an example for us. And the Christian life must be lived by imitating Christ. But the thing to see is that even as our Lord sought to build others up, they were the very ones who were trying to tear him down. The problem, often, with looking to Jesus as an example to be followed, is that we tend to minimize the example. Jesus didn't do His ministry just to build up the weak and helpless. Instead, He did His ministry to build up the weak and helpless who were even opposed to Him. Let that sink in. This idea and perspective on our lives is captured in the prophecy that Paul quotes in verse 3, having called us to build one another up, Paul quotes Psalm 69 to say, for Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me. At first reading, it might be difficult to understand the connection. But if we think about it, the connection is not only clear, but it's a great lesson for us. The quote is from Psalm 69, a Psalm of David. And the words are those of David as he was suffering from the denial of his authority as king. So David, as the God appointed king of Israel, is recognizing that those who reproach him are reproaching God. Believers in Christ can take the same perspective, that as they are following Christ, thus those who oppose them are not finally opposing them, but opposing Christ. So, don't take it personally when you're opposed in your Christian faith. They're not really opposing you, unless you and your pride would put yourself in the position of Christ. They're opposing Christ. And if they oppose Christ, as our Lord Himself told us, surely they will also oppose us. Therefore the question of Christ to the Apostle Paul, before he was the Apostle Paul, why are you persecuting me? Isn't that a strange question? Paul, previously known as Saul, was persecuting the church. But Jesus said to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? We can understand Paul's answer. Who are you, Lord? But here's the answer, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. So it's easy to say WWJD. You know those letters I would imagine. What would Jesus do? It's easy to say that. It's easy to think that we are imitating Christ when we just try to be kind to others. And that is an imitation of Christ, there's no question there. But what truly did Jesus do? What would Jesus do? Well, first we need to ask, what did Jesus do? What Jesus did is that he suffered and he died for sinners. He suffered and died for the very ones who desired and worked for his suffering and death. Are we sure we want to imitate Jesus? We should be, because as he has done for us, so he calls us to do for others, starting with, and especially with, our relationship with each other within the church. And so finally, blessing unto God's glory. We have in Romans 15, once again, a kind of doxology. That together you may, with one voice, one voice, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is our ultimate end. Not just that we would be saved, not just that we would be unified, not just that we would not bicker and fight and struggle against one another, but that we might glorify God through our unity. So be right. I have no doubt that you are right in whatever opinion you hold. But even as you write, seek to build others up unto the glory of God. It's an important thing. It's a telling thing to see the words, one voice, the one voice of the church. We all have our own voice, but when we sing, we sing with one voice to the praise of our God, But even more, as we live, as we live out our faith, our personal faith, as we live out our faith together, it is to do so so as to bring about one voice in praise to God. And again, we have this closing bookend to welcome one another. You might recall from several times ago that this gives us indication that Paul's talking about Gentile believers who were coming into the church. They weren't given to obey the Old Testament law. And so those who were in the church already as Jewish believers and not yet able to let go of the ceremonial law, so there was that conflict there. Paul says, don't let that divide you. Welcome one another. I always like to see how we interact with each other before the worship service, how we interact with each other after the worship service, how we visit with one another, how we welcome one another. We're supposed to start at 1045. We don't often do that, right? But the upside of that is There's just so much good fellowship going on within the church, and that's as it should be. So indeed, let us seek out our closest relationships in life. It's not wrong, and there's much that is right about having a relationship with others outside of this congregation. But let us hear the call to seek a close relationship with one another within this congregation. It's what it means to be a member of the church and to be a member of a unique congregation of God's people. So on the Lord's day to be sure, but throughout the week as well, by way of phone calls and texts and emails and even personal visits, let us seek to build each other up. Do you know what's going on in your brother's life, in your sister's life? If you don't, then you should. And if you do, but it hardly changes anything, then that's not the way it should be. Instead, unto God's glory, let us build one another up. And in order to do that, we need to know, brother, what are you facing? Sister, how can I pray for you? And to greet one another, to ask one another, how is it going? Does this not serve as a great blessing to us when somebody just remembers the struggle that we're in and ask us how we're doing? And if we know what a blessing that is, then why do we not bless others with that same concern? We have a great power. The Holy Spirit is indeed a great power that we have to be a blessing to others. And it's not rocket science. It's not complicated. It's just the matter of caring for others, building each other up. By showing concern, we'll talk about this more tonight as we look at Jesus' concern for the people and His compassion. As we show concern and as we show compassion for others within the church, we build each other up. We become that body of Christ that is so filled with His Spirit that others might come in and see, indeed, something supernatural is going on here, something amazing, something wonderful is going on here within this church. this very body of Jesus Christ. Let's close in prayer. Father in heaven, we just thank you that you have filled our lives with such glorious purpose. But we do confess our sin and that we resist that purpose. While you are gathering your people, we too often work to divide your people. Help us not to please ourselves, as Paul says, but to seek to please our brother or our sister. Help us to build one another up within the faith in Jesus Christ that we share. In His name we pray, Amen.