of God's Word to Romans chapter 15. We are now in the last two chapters, That in some ways started all the way back in Romans 12, but specifically is tied to all of Romans 14, and then kind of comes to a conclusion at this point, and then Paul will start to make a new transition in the book. So again, we'll be reading Romans chapter 15, verses one through seven. And I'd remind you, this is God's holy and inspired word. 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 accordance 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 pray. Lord, we do want to come to you asking for your help. We would recognize that what we are experiencing, what we are taking part of, is something, in some senses, spiritual. Lord, we know by your word that we need your grace in order to hear And so we do pray that you would give us ears to hear. Lord, we pray that you would take this, your word, and that you would apply it to each of us. Show us what you would have us to do. Lord, wash us, remind us of the gospel and of the riches we have in Christ. We'd ask it in his name and for his glory, amen. Well, we wanted to start by bringing up someone you may have heard of him, you may not have. His name is Kyle Carpenter, and he's the youngest living person to have received the Medal of Honor. He joined the Marine Corps in 2009, and he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010. And in an interview, he said, That, the fighting taking place there in Afghanistan, it was very intense. And on November 21st, 2010, Kyle's unit had established a lookout position on the roof of a building, and he was near the end of his shift with another member of his unit when the opposition attacked. They threw a bunch of grenades on top of this building, and one of them took an enormous toll. Kyle woke up in the hospital five weeks later, and to this day his memories of what happened remain blurry. But a military review of the incident determined that he had covered the grenade with his body to save the life of the serviceman who was deployed there with him. And Kyle's act of bravery serves as a reminder of the profound impact of selflessness and sacrifice. Like Kyle, who courageously covered the grenade to save his fellow Marine, our passage calls believers to emulate Christ's selfless love. Paul instructs us to live in harmony and to glorify God together, echoing the sacrificial love that was demonstrated by Christ In verses one and three, Paul tells us to bear with one another and to encourage one another following the example of Christ's selflessness. Our first heading is Christ-like love bears with the weak. Christ-like love bears with the weak. In verse one, Paul writes, we who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak. We took a sneak peek at this verse last week. Paul's beginning to wrap up his conversation that he's been having regarding the minds and the consciences that are needing to be renewed by the word of God. He's been pressing the church In Rome, to strive for unity, we've been learning that we must be patient and tolerant of other people's views. All of this has been couched in a discussion about weak and strong believers. The church in Rome was divided into two groups, the weak and the strong. The weak believers believed that they needed to continue to keep the Old Testament food laws and that they also needed to keep the feast days. You see, they were weak in the sense that they needed to grow stronger in their knowledge and understanding of God's word, like a new believer that needs to grow and learn and mature in the faith. The strong believers Paul is referring to are the believers in Rome who understood that the food laws and the feast days of the Old Testament were fulfilled in Christ and that they're no longer binding on the New Testament church. So the strong believers are the ones who are further along in the faith and that have had time to grow and to learn. You can see how, in some way, each one of us, at times, are the strong believer, and at times, each one of us are the weak believer. You may be further along in discipleship than some, therefore, you're the strong, but not as far along as others. In that way, you are the weaker, and that's okay. Paul wants us to be patient with one another, to help each other, to build each other up. Let me ask you a question. What obligations do you currently have? We have obligations associated with work. We have obligations associated with family life. Some of us are students. We have obligations regarding school. We have certain obligations with regard to our health, others with regard to our finances. If you work, you have responsibilities associated with your job, such as attending meetings, completing tasks, meeting deadlines. If you're married and you have a family, you have other obligations. You have to provide for your children, cook meals, run errands, manage household chores. The point is we all have obligations. And one obligation that we all share is found in verse one. Consider what it says. We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. The word obligation carries a significant weight. The Greek word used here denotes a moral or ethical duty, a sense of indebtedness or responsibility. You see, this isn't a suggestion or recommendation, but rather a binding obligation grounded in the principles of Christian love and unity. Paul's addressing those who are spiritually mature or well grounded in the faith. And again, almost all of us represent the strong believer in someone's life who's around us. Paul says, rather than focusing solely on your own interests or privileges, understand that you have a duty to bear with the failings of the weak. In verse two, Paul continues, let each of us Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. Rather than looking down or judging others who are weaker, Paul instructs the stronger believers to come alongside them. He instructs them to offer encouragement and guidance, to provide practical help as well. You might ask, well, what would that look like if I'm the strong believer in people's life, and certainly I am for some people, what would that look like for me to come alongside and help them? Stronger believers can engage in mentoring relationships with those who are spiritually younger and less mature in the faith. This might involve meeting with them to read the word, to do Bible study, to pray with them. It involves discipleship. They can offer support and encouragement to those who are facing difficulties and challenges in their lives. They can offer words of comfort and reassurance. Strong believers can serve as examples of Christ-like character and conduct for those who are weaker in the faith. They can demonstrate love and humility and selflessness in their own lives. They can demonstrate what it means to be forgiving and patient and kind. After all, that's exactly what Paul wants us to do, follow Christ's example. In verse three he writes, for Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me. Paul's emphasizing the selflessness of Christ and drawing a parallel between Christ's sacrificial attitude and the behavior that we are called to emulate. Jesus was willing to set aside his own desires and comforts for the sake of others. Instead of seeking personal gratification or avoiding discomfort, he willingly endured suffering and reproach to fulfill the Father's will and to bring about the redemption of his people. Paul quotes Psalm 69 verse nine here. It's a messianic psalm that foretells of the suffering and rejection that the Messiah would endure on behalf of God's people. By quoting this passage, Paul highlights the messianic identity of Jesus and emphasizes his role as the one who will bear the reproaches of his people. Paul's point is to highlight the example of Christ's selflessness, and his sacrificial love is the ultimate model for believers to follow. Just as Christ willingly bore the reproaches and sufferings of others, we're called to adopt a similar attitude of selflessness and willingness to sacrifice for the good of others. So as we consider Christ's selflessness as our model, Paul draws our attention to another aspect of Christ-like love. In verses four and five, Paul encourages believers to live in harmony with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus. We see that Christ-like love lives in harmony. That's our second heading. Christ-like love lives in harmony. You won't all identify with this, but some of you will. I don't know about you, but I find that getting older is a little bit challenging. I have less energy than I used to, that is for sure. And for some reason I'm stiff. And both of these things, fortunately, are things that I could probably resolve if I eat a little better, maybe do some exercise, that might be good, maybe stretch a little, right? I wouldn't be quite as stiff. But I'll tell you what, even though there are hard things about getting older, I wouldn't want to rewind the clock, and I'll tell you why. Because as you go through life and as you experience life, you learn. You learn oftentimes the biggest lessons you learn in life are through mistakes. And so I wouldn't wanna go back because I wouldn't want to erase that history, those lessons that I've learned. Well, Paul talks about something similar in our passage. He talks about the scripture and how we can learn from and benefit from them. Consider verse four. For whatever was written in former days was written for your instruction. God has given you the scriptures for your instruction. Throughout the Bible, God is communicating his will to you. He's telling you about who he is. He's telling you about his character. He's telling you about his redemptive plan. As you engage with the scriptures, you're invited to learn from the examples that you're given. You're invited to learn from the teachings and principles that are contained within its pages. You see, the scriptures serve as a reliable guide for navigating life's challenges and to help you make decisions. And most importantly, through the scriptures, you grow in your relationship with God. He speaks to you through his word. That's why you want to be reading it. God speaks through his word. God's given you the scriptures for your instruction. It's a precious gift from him. Not all saints have, through the years, had the ability to have his words. Only in recent years, in the last hundreds of years, that the churches had the word of God they could take home and read and know and hide in their heart. Verse four says, for whatever was written in former days was written for your instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope. Paul's telling us something about the Scriptures as a whole, but we need to be mindful of the context. He's just quoted from the Scriptures, hasn't he? And he says, hey, we can be instructed by this. And he's quoted Psalm 69, verse nine. You can see that quote in verse three. It says, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me. This is Jesus talking to the Father. He prays, Father, the sins of those who have sinned against you fell on me. This is an example of the kind of verse that can encourage you and help you to endure when you're struggling to love others. And let's be honest, between your own weaknesses and the weaknesses of the people around you, it can be challenging, super challenging to love others. So Paul reminds us of the cross. Be patient with others around you. Be gracious, loving. Remember Jesus endured suffering on your behalf. He was willing to bear with your reproaches, with your sins, with your weaknesses, even to the point of death. The cross reminds us of the lengths Jesus was willing to go through for the weak and the broken, sinners like you and me. Remembering Christ's example can encourage us and humble us. And it could help us to persevere when we're struggling to love others. And we learn from verse five, it's gonna take prayer as well. Draw your attention to verse five. Paul writes, may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus. You see, Paul's hope and prayer for the Church of Rome here. And notice what he says about the Lord. He's called the God of endurance and encouragement. He's the God of endurance and encouragement. What does he have the ability to do? He has the ability to grant you the grace that you need to be able to live in harmony with others. He has the ability to grant us the grace we need to fulfill the obligation he told us about in verse one. You remember it, we're obligated to bear with the failings of our brothers and sisters. We're obligated to humble ourselves and to love others. The stronger members of the community should demonstrate patience and understanding towards those who are weaker in faith or conviction. This type of harmony involves a spirit of humility and selflessness and mutual care that reflects the love of Christ. This kind of unity requires prayer and the unifying work of the Spirit. Beloved, pray. Pray, I'm serious. Write it down, put it somewhere where you remember. We're forgetful, aren't we, about things we need to pray for? We are, it's the truth. Pray, pray, pray for the church. Pray for our denomination. Pray for our presbytery. Pray for this church. to achieve unity that transcends preferences, differences of opinion and disputed matters in the church, we need God to intervene. We need him to pour out his grace upon us and to empower us. We need a heart change, don't we? We need an ivy of grace, a continual drip, pray for the church. Paul prays that the church in Rome will live in harmony with one another, praying that they will find the grace to glorify God together with one voice. He says that we should welcome one another in Christ as he has welcomed us for the glory of God. That brings us to our third heading. Christlike love glorifies God with others, Christ-like love glorifies God with others. As a teenager, I learned to tune a guitar by ear. And I learned to tune a guitar by ear by watching guitar players tune. Imagine that. They strike two strings. And when the strings are out of tune, there's like this pulsating tone that goes. The more out of tune it is, the faster the pulse goes. Almost the more aggravated the pulse is. And I noticed as I watched guitar players tune that as they turned the tuning key in the correct direction and the notes, the two notes were starting to come together, that pulsating would get slower and slower and slower until they were just smooth and in harmony. That's how I learned, oh, if I turn it this way, I'm going the wrong direction. But if I turn it until it gets smooth, boom, there it is. That's how you tune a guitar. Well, you might have noticed that Paul is using language that alludes to music as he prays. Paul uses terms like harmony, in accord with, and with one voice evoking imagery of musical harmony and unity. Let's read verses five and six. 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. Can you see the allusion to music in Paul's prayer? The image of believers living in harmony with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus conveys the idea of each individual contributing their unique gifts and perspectives to create a beautiful symphony of unity within the body of Christ. We're not all the same, are we? No, we're not. In fact, we're very different. different ages and different stages, different backgrounds, different callings, different visions, different perspectives. And that's okay, that's okay. That's the way it's supposed to be. It's part of God's plan for the church. And he says she's beautiful. She's beautiful. Just as different musical notes come together to form a harmonious melody, we're called to unite in Christ, expressing our love and devotion to God with one voice. Harmonious voice. Paul's been emphasizing the importance of believers living in harmony with one another and glorifying God together as one unified body. Then he draws practical implication from it all in verse seven. Consider what it says. Therefore, therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God. In verse seven, Paul exhorts us to welcome one another. He says to welcome others as Jesus welcomed you. If we consider the language that's having been used throughout these passages, we realize in this scenario, us and Jesus, guess who's the strong and who's the weak? Jesus is the strong one and we are the weak people. And so the question is, how does Jesus treat the weak? If we're supposed to follow his example, how did he welcome you? How does he welcome people? Jesus welcomed people with a radical love and acceptance. He welcomed them regardless of their background or status or past mistakes. He demonstrated this welcoming attitude through his actions and his teaching. He embodies compassion and grace in his interactions with others. One of the primary ways Jesus welcomed people was by showing genuine interest in them and meeting them right where they were at. He didn't make them chase him down, did he? He met them right where they were at. He engaged with individuals on a personal level. He took the time to listen to their stories. He addressed their needs and he offered them hope and healing. Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus welcome everyone who came to him, regardless of societal norms or religious traditions. You might think of Zacchaeus, the woman at the well. He reached out to the marginalized, the outcasts, the broken, the weak. He demonstrated that his love is inclusive and unconditional. You can come to him. Jesus welcomed the sick and the oppressed. He offered them physical and spiritual restoration. He also welcomed children. He recognized the value in the kingdom of God. He welcomed sinners like you and me, extending forgiveness and opportunity for transformation. One powerful example of Jesus's welcoming nature is seen in his encounter with the woman who was caught in adultery. You remember that from John chapter eight. Despite the condemnation she received from others, Jesus responded to her with compassion and mercy. He offered her forgiveness. He offered her a fresh start. In this encounter, Jesus demonstrated his willingness to welcome and restore those who have fallen short. He demonstrated the importance of grace and redemption. Jesus welcomes sinners and outcasts. He welcomes the weak. He welcomes all who are willing to come to him with open arms As followers of Christ, we're called to emulate his example by extending the same kind of radical welcome and acceptance to others. In John 13, verses 34 and 35, Jesus gives a clear command to his disciples about loving one another. He says, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. Here, Jesus not only exhorts his disciples to love one another, but he also sets the standard of love, which is his own sacrificial and selfless love. This kind of love, this kind of welcome brings glory to God. Paul says, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God. This passage teaches us to emulate Christ's selfless love by bearing with one another, by living in harmony and glorifying God together. Christ-like love bears with the weak, showing patience and understanding and support to those who are spiritually younger and less mature. It involves humbly coming alongside of others, offering encouragement and guidance and demonstrating Christ's love in our actions. Christ-like love also lives in harmony as depicted by Paul's imagery of a beautiful symphony of unity within the body of Christ. Just as different musical notes come together to form a harmonious melody, we're called to unite in Christ, expressing our love and devotion to God in one voice. Christ-like love glorifies God by welcoming each other just as Christ has welcomed us. Jesus welcomed people with love and acceptance, regardless of their background or their past mistakes. As followers of Christ, we're called to extend the same kind of welcome and acceptance of others, bringing glory to God through our sacrificial love and unity. I want to encourage you. I want to encourage you to meditate on Christ and his welcoming heart this afternoon, this week. Think about those scenarios I pointed out. Emulate his selfless love. As we do so, we bring glory to God through our unity, our harmony, and our sacrificial love, reflecting the love of Christ to the world around us. Amen. Lord, we would come to you. hearing that we are to follow the example of the Lord Jesus. God, I can't think of a bar that's any higher. but you are merciful and gracious. Lord, we need your help. We've heard from your word that we need to pray. And so we would call upon you, Lord, to do a work in us. We would pray for the denomination we're a part of, for our presbytery, for this church. Lord, we'd ask that you would bring unity, that you would sustain unity where it exists. Lord, we'd ask that you would help us to grow together, to walk with one another, to strive with one another in a good way, in a loving way. Lord, help us to grow in Christ, in our sanctification, in our knowledge, in our understanding, and mostly in our love for one another. Lord, we need your help. We'd ask you to hear our prayer in Christ's name, amen.