Our scripture reading is Romans chapter 15, verses one to seven. And this is the sermon text. Let me encourage you to find that in your Bibles, open your Bibles up to that place, and then keep it in front of you as we study it together. It's right in the middle of a whole section. It's sort of, we're kind of coming into the middle of the conversation. The Apostle Paul started this discussion in chapter 14, verse one, and he's addressing sort of a conflict in the church in Rome where some were strong and some were weak. And the strength and weakness, and we'll talk a little bit more about this momentarily, but it had to do with issues of conscience. The strong were those whose consciences were more informed by the word of God, and the weak were those who felt guilty about certain things that God did not really forbid. And the thing that most struck me about it, and I did a study of it with a church plant back during COVID, and in Paul's day as people debating over is it okay to drink wine and is it okay to eat meat that had been offered the sacrifices, not by us but by someone else but then sold in the market. And Christians fell out in different ways. But several years ago we sort of had similar kinds of polarization. Should we wear masks or should we refuse to wear masks? Should we How should we respond to this and that? And the thing that really struck me was that God didn't really come down on one side or another, but he basically said, how you treat one another is more important to me than which decision you make. He wants us to get stronger. He wants us to become more knowledgeable of God's Word and our consciences to be better informed. But we're not to sin against our consciences. And we're not to cause others to sin against their conscience. So chapter 14 is more speaking about Don't hurt those whose consciences are bound where God doesn't bind them. Chapter 15 sort of shifts gears and says positively help them. So listen to Romans chapter 15 verses one to seven. 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 accord 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. Again, please keep your Bibles open to this passage, but let's pray together. Our Lord and our God, as we reflect on this scripture together, we ask that you would be pleased to be our teacher and God. May you grant the gracious work of your Holy Spirit to illumine our hearts so that you open your word to our minds and hearts and that you open our minds and hearts to your word. Give us grace to be faithful hearers of your word, but give us grace as well to be effectual doers of your word. For Jesus' sake, amen. Quite a few years ago, our family used to get a kick out of a certain TV commercial. And it would picture something, I don't actually know whether this was just a store in this locale or it was nationwide so that you might have seen it too, but it would picture something ridiculous. One that comes to mind is there was a fellow with a bald spot on his head. So he takes a can of brown spray paint and he starts spraying the bald spot on his head. And then the voice comes over the screen saying, that's not natural. But oak expresses, and I was talking about this furniture that was made out of oak, that was natural, etc., etc. Well, the reason that came to mind is because as I was studying this scripture, I thought, okay, the Lord is calling us to genuine Christian fellowship where the strong and the weak not only tolerate each other, but they positively serve each other and help each other, and especially those who are stronger are called to serve each other. That's not natural. That's not natural. In fact, it's kind of rare to see. Not as rare as we might think because the Holy Spirit is at work. But it's still something that doesn't come naturally to our fallen flesh. And so the Lord calls us to behave this way. And it seems impossible because it's not natural to us, but it is possible because of Jesus Christ. It's not natural, but it is supernatural. So follow along in your Bibles. There are four basic points, and the first is a stunning obligation. Actively pursue your stunning obligation in Christ. Christian fellowship. is your gospel duty. So look especially at verses 1 and 2. It starts out this way in verse 1. We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak. Just going to pause there for a moment to ask that question. Who is the strong and who is the weak? And I already mentioned that in Paul's day, it largely fell out on Jewish and Gentile lines. And because of the incarnation of Christ and his perfect righteous life and his death and his resurrection, the old covenant had served its purpose. The specific arrangement with all the ceremonies and specific laws, what we, from our New Testament perspective, would call civil laws and ceremonial laws, these have been, they've done what God designed them to do. And Christians aren't bound by that anymore. But this was kind of hard for those Jewish Christians who grew up eating kosher only. their stomach to think of eating something not kosher. I mean the Apostle Peter, the Lord The Lord told him through this vision to kill and eat these unclean foods. And Peter three times told the Lord no. I mean, to tell the Lord no, that means it's a pretty strong conviction on your part. And finally, the Lord got through to him that this isn't the case anymore. But this was how Jewish believers were. And not only with that, but with circumcision and all the Old Testament laws. Then we sing Psalm 119, O how love I thy law. It's sweeter than honey from the honeycomb. It's purer than gold. And we can still sing that from a New Testament perspective through Christ, but not in the same way that an Old Testament believer would who is still under all those ceremonies that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. And so this is sort of where the lines were drawn in the New Testament church in the days of the apostles as Gentiles were being converted and they were being taught, yes, you need to follow the moral law of God, you must You must turn away from sin, but these Old Testament laws that have served their purpose are not binding anymore. Well, these were the strong, those whose consciences weren't bound by that, and that would include Jewish Christians too, like the Apostle Paul, like the other apostles. Although Peter had a lapse at one point, not because he didn't know better, but because he feared man. But he got inconsistent at one point. But it was a struggle that was going on. And the Lord didn't say, okay, all of you have to line up on this side, or no, all of you have to line up on that side. He said, no, look, those of you who are strong need to bear with the failings of the weak. Now, as I've thought about this and thought about myself, I mean, isn't it our temptation always to say, well, obviously, I'm one of the strong ones, because it's me. Of course, I'm one of the strong ones. But I think that as we're honest with ourselves, we have to say, well, by God's grace, we do have certain strength. And by our sin's fault, we do have certain weaknesses, too. We're each sort of strong and each sort of weak. And the strong are to bear with the failings of the weak, and the weak are to not judge the strong. That was in chapter 14. But what does it mean to bear with the failings of the weak? And that's what verses 1 and 2 talk about. So on the one hand, it means that we need to crucify self-seeking. We need to kill that impulse to seek ourselves, to put ourselves first. And we need to do so, first of all, so that we bear with the weak. Look at verse one again. We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak. That's our obligation. It's a gospel obligation. We don't earn our favor with God by doing it, but because God has saved us, we now walk in the good works that he's prepared beforehand for us to do. And these are those good works, bearing with the failings of the weak. And isn't it striking? It's not just the weaknesses of the weak. But it's the failings of the weak. The weak are actually wrong at certain points. And in some ways it hinders the church that they're wrong in these points. But the strong are not to kick them out of the church, the strong are to bear with those failings. And not just bear with them, the word that's translated bear with also means to bear, that is to carry. So if the weak are making the church limp a bit, the stronger to sort of bolster up those weaknesses in order that the church doesn't have to limp along. In other words, we're to act in accord with the slogan of Boys Town. Boys Town is an orphanage. It's still in existence, but it started way back in the early 1900s. And it's an orphanage, and now it's got broader ministries than that. But they had the picture of this one boy carrying another boy, and the boy on his back is crippled, and he says, he ain't heavy, he's my brother. And that was the slogan of Boys Town, which was made into a pop song by the Hollies, you might remember that song. Pretty good song, too. And it's a good sentiment for us believers because that's sort of the gist of this text. We're to think of one another, even the weak who might try our patience, he ain't heavy, he's my brother. Don't think of each other as burdens but think of each other as opportunities. Opportunities to be Christ-like and serve. Why kill self-esteem? First, so we can bear the failings of the week. But secondly, so we don't indulge ourselves. We have an obligation not to please ourselves. But pleasing ourselves is exactly what comes naturally to our fallen flesh. This is why Jesus says in this gospel call, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. We're to deny ourselves. We're to crucify self-seeking. We're to turn away from this pleasing of ourselves that comes unnaturally to us and say, no, God is more important. Jesus is more important. Jesus' redeemed children are more important than self. So on the one hand, crucify self-seeking. On the other hand, cultivate loving service. Look at verse two. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up. This is not what the Bible calls man-pleasing and the Bible condemns man-pleasing. Man-pleasing would be going along to get along, compromising, or it might be flattering in order to manipulate people. which God condemns, but this is the loving your neighbor as yourself which God commands. Notice how Paul qualifies this, let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up. That is in order to help, in order to encourage, in order to edify, in order to foster growth in grace and in knowledge. So, in other words, the Lord says don't be a self-pleaser, don't be a man-pleaser, be a God-pleaser by being a man-builder, by building up one another in the body of Christ. But what does that look like? And I think in a nutshell, we can say it looks like Jesus. It looks like Jesus. So this is the second point, the supreme example. Always follow your supreme example in Christ, because Jesus is the gospel foundation for true Christian fellowship. Now look closely at verse three. For even Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me. as it is written. So it quotes from Scripture and it quotes from the Old Testament. It quotes from Psalm 69, verse 9 in particular. The reproaches of those who reproach you, fellow man. In fact, the New Testament early Christians, the apostles, seem to see Psalm 69 as especially talking about Jesus and about his suffering and crucifixion. And so that psalm is quoted of Jesus and I forgot to write down how many times but it's over a half dozen times in the New Testament and this is one of those places. The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me. So this sums up Jesus's whole walk. People hate God, they reproach God, but Jesus stood between sinners and God and let those reproaches fall on him. He was willing to take reproach for our sakes. He was here basically to seek and to save the lost, that's us. And he was willing to suffer reproach and insult for our sake and worse. One of the principles of Bible interpretation is when the New Testament quotes Old Testament scripture, it doesn't mean just these few words that are quoted, but it actually, it's supposed to remind you of the whole passage. So for example, in Roman Catholicism, some of you might have Roman Catholic backgrounds, but when they would talk about the Our Father, they mean the Lord's Prayer. Or when they would talk about the Lord is my shepherd, they mean Psalm 23. And that's sort of the way the New Testament uses the Old Testament. So when it quotes this pertinent part, it's reminding us of the whole passage. And let me just read the verses surrounding this verse that's quoted. Psalm 69, verses six through nine. Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts. Let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. It is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons, for zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. David wrote that by the Holy Spirit, but he wrote that as a prophet, and it perfectly describes Jesus. It's fulfilled in Jesus, and Jesus perfectly lived up to that, better than David did, but alas, it exposes our shortcomings. It reminds us once again, genuine Christian fellowship isn't natural, so how can we do it? And this brings us to point three, which is supernatural power. to have the ability to cultivate genuine Christian fellowship, seek the supernatural power that's found in Christ. So look closely at verse 4. Kind of that quote from Psalm 69 makes Paul, leads Paul into this sort of digression. 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. So what's this talking about? Whatever was written in former days? It's talking about the Bible, in particular the Old Testament, which was the books of the Bible in existence at that time. But Christ's fulfillment of Psalm 69 leads Paul into this brief comment on the Bible, but it's a really profound comment on the Bible as well. And just remember, he's especially talking about the Old Testament. So as you look at this verse, notice five things. First of all, the whole Bible, including the Old Testament, was written for us, was written for our instruction. The whole Bible was written for us, that's the second thing. Whatever was written in former days, or the New International Version translates it, everything that was written in former days. The whole Bible was written for us. So these Psalms, Psalm 69 for example, was written for us. The whole Old Testament was written for us. We can't just set it aside, but it's the background to the New Testament. In fact, to understand the New Testament, we sort of need that background. Third, the whole Bible is about Jesus. Paul's application of Psalm 69 to Jesus is a good example of why the risen Christ was able to explain to his disciples on the Emmaus Road what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself, Luke 24, 27. All the scriptures are about Jesus. And that's why in John 5, 39, Jesus could say to the Pharisees, you examine the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. And it is these very scriptures that testify about me. See, all the scriptures, the whole Old Testament and the New Testament is about Jesus. when my kids were little, would come home on Sunday after church and I'd ask them, what was Sunday school about? And they sort of learned to say, it was about Jesus. That was always right. I usually wanted it to be a bit more specific than that, but it was true. And what's the Bible about? It's about Jesus. And that's true. And it's all about Jesus. It points to Jesus in lots of different ways, but it is all about Jesus. Fourth, just still looking at verse four, the whole Bible is practical for us. It's practical for us. Not only is the Bible able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, but through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope. The Bible can bring encouragement that produces endurance so that we might have hope, so that we look beyond the present sufferings to the glory that is to come. And fifth, the whole Bible is God himself speaking to us. It is God himself speaking to us. So look how endurance and encouragement is used in verse four, that through endurance and the encouragement of scriptures, We might have hope. But then look how it's used in verse five. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live, et cetera. So the endurance and encouragement that are ascribed to the scriptures are also ascribed to God, which makes sense because the Bible is God's word. The Bible is God speaking to us. And I love the way the Westminster Confession speaks about the Bible. It's the highest, The highest standard of right and wrong, of true and false in the church is the Holy Spirit speaking in Scripture. Not just what was said a long, long time ago but speaking now because the Word of God is living and active and powerful. So the Lord points us to the Bible and now look closely at verses 5 and 6. It responds to that by with this May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together with one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So if verse four is talking about the Bible, what is verses five and six? It's a prayer. It's in response to what was said about the Bible. But it's a prayer, and it's a prayer that sort of takes what was said about the Bible and applies it to God's people. Now may God, the God of endurance and encouragement, grant you this harmony. And we'll come back to this a bit more, but what I wanted especially to point out is the way to get the supernatural power that we need to live the in Christian fellowship, genuine Christian fellowship, this fellowship that's not natural, that's supernatural, how do we get that supernatural power is by going to Jesus through the means of grace, by diligently using the means of grace, the Word of God and prayer in a nutshell. So keep breathing in God's Word, keep breathing out your prayers in response. Keep breathing in God's Word, keep breathing out your prayers. That's what we're doing in public worship. We breathe in God's Word, we breathe out our prayers and praises. That's what we do in family worship. Breathe in God's Word, breathe out our prayers and praises. That's what we do in secret worship in the closet. We breathe in God's Word, we breathe out our prayers. and praises. We call these means of grace. Means of grace as in they're means or tools or instruments that God uses to give grace to us. But in another sense, we could also, just from a different vantage point, we could call them means of faith. From God's point of view, they're means of grace. They're tools he uses to give grace to us. From our vantage point, they're means of faith. They're tools that we use to cry out to God for the grace that we need. They're pathways to Jesus. They're the way to go in faith to Jesus. Which brings us to point number four. When you crucify self and follow Christ, drawing on the strength to do so by using the means of grace, you'll discover that genuine Christian fellowship produces superlative fruits in the body of Christ. That's the point, superlative fruits. In other words, when we draw near to God and he draws near to us and he draws us near to one another, it produces good fruits. So look closely at verse 2. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. The first fruit will be edification. As you behave this way, you are built up, but at the same time, your brothers and sisters in Christ become built up. And as a result, the whole congregation, the whole body of believers is built up. And as a result of that, it spreads beyond the local church, that the body of Christ beyond the local church is built up. And so one of the fruits of our drawing near to God and then relying on him and responding in this self-giving way is edification. Now look at verse four. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction that through endurance and the encouragement of scriptures we might have hope. This is the second fruit. The second fruit will be hope. Not just the subjective, I wish or maybe this might happen and I hope it does, but no, this confidence that it will happen because God has said it will happen and he gives us that assurance in our hearts that it will happen. The hope that there is something beyond the natural. What comes naturally to us isn't what what defines what we'll be like. It's the supernatural power of Christ applied to us by the Holy Spirit that defines what we will be like. And there's hope also that there's something beyond this present fallen world, this present evil edge, and that's the glory that is yet to come in the life to come. This produces edification, it produces hope. Look at verse five. This is the prayer. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another in accord with Christ Jesus. In line with Christ, what Jesus is like, now you'll live in harmony. And harmony is unity. There would be true unity there, but it's not just the unity of. everybody conforming to one another, as if God has a celestial cookie cutter that he makes us all look just exactly like each other. God doesn't. God loves variety. And he won't cooperate with that. That's sort of a form of legalism. That's human. That's kind of our human legalism that tries to make everybody look like we come out of the same cookie cutter. But no, what God brings us into is unity and diversity in harmony, harmony with one another so that it is true unity but it's variety at the same time. That will be a third fruit, harmony with one another in accord with Christ Jesus. in accord with Christ because God is in harmony too. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Three distinct persons, one God. But we are in his image and we're to accord with him. And finally, look closely at verse six. That together, with one voice, you, plural, y'all if you're from the South, youns if you're from Western Pennsylvania like me, youns, but you plural, may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that together, not apart from one another, not in independence or isolation, and with one voice, that voice might be singing in harmony or speaking in harmony, but it's one voice, you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." So a fourth fruit will be unified worship and witness. And think of the beauty of the worship when God's people, weak and strong, from different backgrounds, different social strata, different ethnic groups gather together because they love Jesus. And because they love Jesus, they love each other. Think of the beauty of that kind of harmonious worship. And think of the power of that kind of harmonious witness. Isn't it the case that one of the obstacles to effective witness in our world is the division within the body of Christ? Even within local churches, when people don't get along with one another, it sort of makes other people wonder, was this stuff really true after all, that God reconciles people to himself and each other? Well thank God he's sovereign and he not only rules, overrules, he overrules our own failures, but he calls us nevertheless to keep pressing on in reliance on his grace to bear one another's burdens, to bear one another, the strong to bear the failings of the weak so that the church becomes more and more a harmonious unity. And our text concludes with verse seven, which in one sense maybe is the beginning of the next section, but it's also the end of this one. Verse seven, therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God. So in the body of Christ, we're not just to welcome each other politely. with just superficial greetings, but we're to welcome each other as Christ welcomes us, as Christ has welcomed you. Well, there's the good news. Christ welcomes us. Christ welcomes you. He welcomes you because of God's sheer grace. He welcomes you because he himself has accomplished everything that you owe to God. He has performed all your duty for you. He has paid all your debt for you so that it was impossible for death to hold him and he rose triumphant from the grave. And He has welcomed you in that He gives the Holy Spirit to dwell in you, to work in you what He has worked for you. Christ welcomes you. And what does this welcome look like? Well, he welcomes us even though we don't deserve it, even though we deserve the opposite. He welcomes us in our weaknesses and in our failures. He welcomes us in love. He welcomes us with forgiveness. He welcomes us completely. And he says, now, that's how you're to open your hearts and your lives to each other, to other Christians. And that's not natural. It goes against our natural grain, but it is possible because it's supernatural. From Jesus Christ, we can receive forgiveness for our natural self-seeking, and we can receive cleansing from our natural self-cleaping, self-seeking, and we can supernaturally receive this welcoming and loving heart for one another in the body of Christ. And through Jesus, then, we start to build up our brothers and sisters in their faith, and we come together with our varying strengths and weaknesses. And for Jesus' sake and by Jesus' supernatural help, we start saying no to self in order to help each other. And the more we grow together as a unified body, loving and serving each other, the more we bring glory to God, the more we bring good to the kingdom of God, the more we bear witness to the world around us. Hallelujah. Let's pray together. Living in true God, this isn't natural. We think with guilt fillings of our shortcomings. At the same time, we praise you that Jesus has succeeded where we continue to fail and that He has poured out His Spirit who is working within us the things that Jesus has worked for us, conforming us more and more to the image of Jesus. And one of the tools that you use is to actually put weak and strong people, different kinds of people together in the body of Christ so that we stretch each other's faith and patience and we become instruments of sanctification in each other's lives. And we pray, Lord, that you would grant us all that humility, that brokenness of heart, and that poverty of spirit that would cause us to rely upon you, to recognize that apart from you, we can do nothing. And we pray that bit by bit, and day by day you would conform us more and more to the image of Christ as individuals, as families, as a congregation, as part of the worldwide body of Christ so that you would prepare for your son a bride without spot or wrinkle or any such thing which you will reveal in her glory when Jesus returns in power and in glory. Fill our hearts with hope. and with confidence and as a dedication to working towards that end. For Jesus' sake, amen. Let's respond to God's word by singing together hymn 405, I love thy kingdom, Lord. Lift up your hearts and receive God's blessing. Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and forever, amen.