Folks, listen to the description that the Apostle John gives us of heaven in Revelation 7, okay? So two verses here. Listen carefully. You can open up your Bibles. You can look at it up on the screen. I always like to encourage you guys to open your Bibles up. Revelation 7, 9 and 10 says this, After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count. from every nation. and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes. And palm branches were in their hands, and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb." Now first off, what an awesome picture of what God's church will someday look like. Amen? Second, notice how John describes the bride of Christ when she stands before Him in all her glory. He describes her as coming from where? Every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues. And yet despite her widely diverse background, there will one day be fantastic unity as she stands before her God as one body, as one bride, all dedicated to the glory of her one God. Folks, over the last couple of sermons, In Romans, we've been looking at how Christians with diverse cultural and maybe ethnic, really religious backgrounds are supposed to get along with each other in the church. You'll remember in Acts 2, the church began on the day of Pentecost with mostly ethnic Jews, right? coming from all over the known world at that time. They were there for Pentecost. In verse 5, listen to this. We're just going to cover this real quick. Now, there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. So all these Jews had come in from all the different nations surrounding her and come there to fellowship and celebrate. Pentecost. Then in Acts 8, we saw the inclusion of the Samaritans in the church. Now, the Samaritans were the much hated half-breeds between half-Jew and half-Gentile. That's who the Samaritans were. Okay? Then in Acts 10, as the Gospel reached out into the Gentile world, beginning with a man named Cornelius and his entire household. After that, we see the gospel spreading really throughout the whole Roman Empire. Even within the city of Rome, the gospel reached men and women from widely diverse cultural, ethnic, religious backgrounds. So the question is this, how can such a diverse group of people from such religious difference in backgrounds, histories, personalities, likes, dislikes, get along with all their preferences and practices, how can they get along and be involved in one body? Beginning in Romans 14, we saw some foundational principles by which Christians of diverse backgrounds can be unified with one another. And we've seen that that affects each and every one of us. This is not just theory, right, for some folks back in Rome 2,000 years ago. Here's what tends to happen. The strong tend to look down on the weak for their limitations. And the weak, however, they tend to condemn the strong because of their liberties or their worldliness. However, Paul very clearly condemns all such judging. And that's what we saw in Romans 14, one through 12. And again, if you weren't here for that sermon, I would highly, highly encourage you to go back to it. Then in Romans 14, 13 through 23, that we saw that section last week, Paul urges the strong not to be a stumbling block for the weak by flaunting their liberties in front of others. in a way that might cause them to stumble. On the contrary, Paul says that we need to walk in love, which means that we must limit our freedoms for the sake of our brothers or sisters in Christ. One author put it like this, the benefits which our liberties offer are so small and the blessings for limiting our liberties are so great that this should not be an agonizing decision. Amen. It should not be an agonizing decision. In Romans 14, Paul's emphasis though, as you'll remember, was largely negative. He said this, in verses 1-12, he basically said, don't judge. That would be my title that I would give verses 1-12. And then in verses 13-23, it's don't offend. Alright? Don't judge and don't offend. You can just maybe put that in the margin of your Bibles just as a reminder. However, now in chapter 15, Paul shifts his argument to a more positive emphasis. And as he does this, he takes it to a whole new level. So let's look at chapter 15, verses one and two. We'll just read the first two verses and we'll just keep going along. Here's what he says. Now, we who are strong, ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good to his edification. And we'll stop right there. That's almost enough to chew on for a few minutes and then to digest, right, to swallow. So by saying we here at the very get-go, Paul identified himself with the strong believers in Rome, those whose personal convictions allowed them more freedoms than those who were weak. And one commentator noted this. He said the idea is that of showing genuine, loving and practical consideration for other believers. We are not to argue about minor issues or to be critical of those who may still be sensitive about our former religious practice or taboo. The injunction is for more mature believers to voluntarily and lovingly refrain from exercising their liberty in ways that might needlessly offend the consciences of less mature brothers or sisters in Christ, those who are without strength." I thought that was well said. Now the phrase, without strength, that you see here. Look at verse 1 again. Now, we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength. That phrase without strength really means powerless. It means disabled, okay, and incapable of doing or experiencing something. And as we discuss the strong and the weak, please remember, and I mentioned this before, please remember that these are relative terms, okay? We're all strong in some ways. But we're also all weak in different ways. God doesn't grow all believers with the same rate in the same areas. And that's why we need what? A body. That's why you need a body. Some believers grow more quickly in one area, and others grow more quickly in another area. But just because one hasn't reached your level of maturity we're not to look down on him or her, right? Now look at verse 2. Paul writes, each of us is to please his neighbor for his good to his edification. You can underline that. That is so good. But how are we to understand this? Doesn't this contradict Paul's statements elsewhere warning us of the dangers of pleasing men? Think about it. Galatians 1.10, for am I now seeking the favor of men or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. Or what about 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 4? But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, and here it is, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts. So the question is this, when should we please men, Paul, and when shouldn't we be about pleasing men? And that's a really good question, but one with a very simple solution. When the choice is between, listen carefully, when the choice is between pleasing others or pleasing God, then God must always take the precedence, amen? God must always take the precedence. But when the choice is between pleasing others or pleasing ourselves, then our neighbor must always take precedence. Let me repeat that once again, because we get the first part of the equation, but we rarely get the second one. When the choice is between pleasing others or pleasing ourselves, then our neighbor must always take precedent. Brothers and sisters, that's the principle we find all over God's word. And here in this passage, Paul is talking about pleasing others rather than pleasing ourselves. And this dovetails perfectly with what he's been saying to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 8 verse 13. He says, therefore, food causes my brother to stumble. I will never eat meat again so that I will not cause my brother to stumble. You guys get that? One of the ministries that Lois and I love and love doing and enjoying a lot is premarital counseling. And this topic frequently comes up as we seek to help two young people from diverse backgrounds come together to get ready to bring both of those backgrounds into one life, one family. And this topic frequently comes up. Since they come from diverse backgrounds, diverse families, there can be things which one of them has always done and never had a problem with, but which can cause the other some hesitation and some conscience qualms. In that case, the biblical thing to do then is for the stronger believer to voluntarily limit his or her freedoms for the sake of their soon-to-be spouse. No believer should ever run roughshod over another believer's conscience. And that's what Paul is talking about here. Again, look at verses 1 and 2 once again. Here the apostle teaches us that the strong have an obligation, the word is really, to bear the weaknesses of those who are less mature in Christ. And the word that Paul uses here for bear actually means to pick up or carry a weight. Alright? So in Mark 4 verse 13, it's used to describe the carrying of a pitcher of water. Alright? In Acts 21.35, that same word is used to describe the carrying of a man. And in Luke 11.27, it's even used to describe the carrying of a child in a womb. So what's Paul really saying here then? He's saying that the stronger not to sit idly by, listen carefully, criticizing, being frustrated by, mocking, And we can sum it all up together, judging their weaker brothers or sisters in Christ, but rather, he says, they are to shoulder or bear or carry their burden with them. One commentator I read said that to bear here does not mean putting up with and forbearing with an attitude of begrudging. It means to bear the weak along, to support them. To carry them along as a father or mother would carry a child, in love and tenderness and understanding and care. Don't get angry with them, don't defy them, don't cut them off from your love and concern, but try to please them. patiently instruct them and edify them to their own good. They don't need criticism. They need instruction. They don't need neglect. They need attention. Remember, only the believer who has presented himself or herself to God as a living sacrifice will carry out this duty with delight rather than drudgery. I hear an amen. Listen once again to the last sentence. Remember, only the believer who has presented himself or herself to God as a living sacrifice will carry out this duty with delight rather than drudgery. So how are we doing at this? Again, remember that we're all Partly weak, partly strong. Probably depends upon where we're at in any given situation. So we all have a role to play with this. Think about the wording here. The very fact that we're told to interact with our weaker brother for his edification indicates that we're going to talk about how the Bible speaks to those issues with that person. But as we do engage one another in discussion, we must never look down on someone with a different conviction. Instead, show them genuine love and support and be willing to carry them along. I love my brother or sister in Christ enough to overlook his weaknesses or her weaknesses. We see this beautifully lived out for us by Paul himself. We saw last week that Paul sought to edify the Romans about the issue of food. Romans 14 verse 14 says, I know and I am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But the very next verse he goes on to say this in Romans 14 verse 15, Folks, our focus should never be on pleasing ourselves. Instead, we're to see how we can please our neighbor for his growth, his benefit, his edification. And in so doing, we will please God. Folks, don't you want to please God with your life? Then you're going to have to carry your neighbor at times, your fellow brothers or sisters in Christ. Again, this corresponds beautifully when we open the Bible a little bit further and we come to the book of Philippians, the Philippians 2 attitude that should really characterize all of our lives. It says this in Philippians 2 verses 1 through 5, listen, therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, Verse two, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Here it is, getting into the meat now of Philippians 2. It says, do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit. But with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus." That's the attitude we're to have. That attitude. In short, our consideration for our brother must take precedence over what we would personally like to do. Our first concern must be for God's glory, and then secondarily, for the edification of our brother, sister, and the Lord. When Paul pointed out the necessity of humility among Christians in Philippians 2, he pointed to the supreme example of who? Who did he point to? Jesus, correct? You're going to see a lot of glazed looks today. When Christ used this example, he pointed to Jesus, or when Paul did, excuse me, And now here, as we're looking at our text in Romans 15 verse 3, Paul uses our Lord once again as his supreme example of someone who lived not to please himself, but to please his Father. Look at verse 3, Romans 15 3. It says, for even Christ did not please himself. But as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on Me." We'll stop there. In the Gospel of John, when Jesus was asked if He wanted something to eat, John 4 verse 34, Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. Doing God's will was more important to Jesus Even eating was. As a matter of fact, doing God's will was His food. It was the thing that really kept Him going. Matthew 12, 46 through 50, Jesus said that doing the Father's will was more important to Him than family. Folks, is that true for you? I see a lot of people that turn that thing upside down. As much as we love family here at Cornerstone Bible Church, Jesus Christ takes precedence. He must take precedence over husband, wife, son or daughter. Christ must have the supreme position in our lives. Luke 22-22.42, he said that doing the Father's will was more important than his own desires. As we saw in Philippians 2.8, it was more important to Christ than life itself. Jesus did not live to please himself, but he lived to please the Father. Obedience to the Father's will was our Lord's number one burning passion. And folks, I don't think I need to tell you this, but this should be our number one burning passion as well. What was true of Jesus needs to be true of us. Our lives are not to be about fulfilling our own wills and doing our own thing, arranging our circumstances to meet our own preferences to the exclusion of all else. God saved us and he is in the process of sanctifying us, that's making us more and more like his son, Right? For His own glory and His own purpose. And as we grow in our Christ-likeness, as we grow to become more and more like Jesus, we are being changed from self-centered, selfish people living only for themselves into godly, other-centered people who live to please their God. And it's a difficult transformation, is it not? It's not easy. That's why we have to learn a lot of lessons over and over and over again. But the quicker that we simply, as the Lord has us in that armbar, don't really take me literally here, and as we simply tap out and say, uncle, and we repent, right? And are humble and teachable and learn that lesson, the quicker we can move on to the next lesson. Now look at the end of verse three again. Here the apostle quotes from Psalm 69.9 and applies it to Jesus. It's a little confusing, but listen to what he says here in the second part of verse three. He says, but as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me. In other words, those who mocked God, whether in word or in deed, mocked Christ as well. Paul's point here is that we as Christians should have the same willingness to please the Lord despite misunderstanding, despite ridicule, despite slander or persecution, yes, even despite death itself. Why? For the good of our brothers and sisters in Christ, for the building up, their sanctification, their Christ-likeness. One commentator noted the following. He said Christ never looked after himself. The whole world knows this. The foxes have holes and the birds of the heavens have nests but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head. Yet his whole life from early morning till late at night and often into the night was occupied in ministry to others. The constant drawing upon him by the multitudes, upon his time, his love, his teaching, his healing, was a marvelous proof that they could count on the absolute absence of self-pleasing in him. Amen. Amen. Phillips Brooks, the great preacher, lived from 1835 to 1893. Once asked the operator of a local stable for the best horse he had. Brooks explained, I'm taking a good friend for a ride, and I want the very best for the occasion. As a stableman hitched up a horse to the buggy, he said, this animal is about as perfect as a horse could be. It's kind, it's gentle, intelligent, well-trained, obedient, willing, responds instantly to your every command, never kicks, balks, or bites, and lives only to please its driver. Brooks then quietly said to the owner, do you think you can get that horse to join my church? We might chuckle, but think about it. What a powerful church that would be if we all possessed those qualities. Folks, the more we grow in our Christ-likeness, the more we will think about the needs of others and not just ourselves. Let me say that one more time. Think about this. The more we grow in our Christ-likeness, the more we will think about the needs of others and not just ourselves. And our example is none other than the head of the church, our Master and Lord Jesus Christ, just as Paul said here in verse 3, for even Christ did not please Himself. That was His ultimate example. Alright? Paul then moves on to a new source of inspiration. We see it in verse 4, the Scriptures itself. Look at verse 4, Romans 15.4. It says, for whatever was written in earlier times, was written for our instruction so that through perseverance and encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope." Folks, I love this verse. How many of you guys love Romans 15 verse 4? If you didn't raise your hand, shame on you. Just teasing. I love it because it completely destroys the faulty notion that the New Testament believer has little or could receive little benefit from the Old Testament Scriptures. The reason the Apostle Paul brought this up right here is because he's defending his application of Psalm 69.9, what we just read, the verse prior to verse four, to Christ. He was applying it to Christ, now he's gonna defend it. Paul wants the Roman Christians to understand that the scriptures were written beforehand for the instruction of contemporary believers as well as for the Old Testament believers who first heard them. Now the words, whatever was written in earlier times, undoubtedly refers to the divine truths we now call the Old Testament. Yes, they were written for the times in which they were recorded, but Paul says right here that they were also written for our instruction. And folks, that not only included Paul and his listeners of 2,000 years ago in Rome, that also includes all of us here in Lake Stevens in 2019. The whole Bible, both the Old and the New Testaments are of extreme value and relevance for Christians today. The late well-known creationist Dr. Henry Morris agrees. He wrote this, The Old Testament Scriptures were all written for our benefit today, as well as for the pre-Christian Israelites. Paul very frequently quotes from the Old Testament as authoritative, as in the preceding verse, for example, "...and clearly believed all of it to be divinely inspired and in every way profitable for Christians." 2 Timothy 3, 15-17. "...By no means should Christians limit their Bible study to the New Testament." End quote. Do you guys agree with that? be reading through the whole Bible, all right? You can read, I would encourage you guys to read, be reading through the New Testament probably multiple times in one year, but read through the Old Testament at least once a year, folks. Probably talking about two chapters in the Old Testament a day, not a ton, all right? And if you take two in the New Testament, you'll probably get through the New Testament at least two times. J. Vernon McGee, How many of you guys used to listen to J. Verne McGee? Oh yeah, a good number of hands. A well-known Bible teacher said this about this verse. He said, I don't know where I read that from. I frequently receive letters from folks who say, I didn't know the Old Testament was so practical, or I had not realized that the Old Testament had such meaning for us today. I did not know it spoke of Christ as it does. Paul here says that it was written for our learning. In my opinion, the greatest sin in the church of Jesus Christ in this generation is ignorance of the Word of God. Many times I've heard a church officer say, well, I don't know much about the Bible, but... And then he gives his opinion, which often actually contradicts the Word of God. J. Verne McGee goes on, he says, why doesn't he know much about the Bible? These things were written aforetime for our learning. God wants you to know His Word. As an officer of the church, are you boasting that you are ignorant of the Word of God? Well, you had better get down to business and find out what God has said to you in his word. Ignorance of the Bible is the greatest sin of the hour in and out of the church. Paul says these things were written for our learning. He goes on, what will a knowledge of the Bible do for you? That we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. The word of God imparts patience, comfort and hope. You won't find any hope in the daily newspaper. You won't find any real hope in modern literature. Look at any field and see if you can find any hope. There is none whatsoever. It is dark and dismal when you look out at this world today. My friend, the only place you can find real hope is in the Word of God. Amen? You guys just have to look out. I don't care what television set it is or what news station, especially the news, right? Anything you read, where's the hope? Folks, so many professing Christians never take time to read and learn from the many Old Testament stories and examples. Matter of fact, one of the reasons why so many believers have such a difficulty understanding the New Testament is because they have little knowledge and understanding of the Old Testament. The New Testament comes after the Old Testament. In other words, the New Testament is built upon the foundation of the Old. Folks, get to know the Old Testament. And when you do, then I guarantee that the New Testament will open up for you as it never has in the past. It really will. Now I don't know if you've noticed, but the Apostle Paul often breaks into prayer or praise right in the middle of his writing. He does it several times all throughout Romans. And that's what we see in verses 5 and 6. Look at verses 5 and 6. He says, Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus. Folks, this was Paul's prayer for the Roman believers. No doubt it's God's desired prayer for us as well, right? Or Paul's desired prayer. He knew this would go further. Now stay with me for a moment and let's look at how these verses tie into the preceding one. Verse 4, the Apostle Paul made it clear that the Old Testament scriptures are useful to the saints. But he also knows that scripture is ineffectual without the direct help of the God of the scriptures. Therefore, Paul offers up this prayer to that God. Paul prays that the God of perseverance and encouragement would grant the Roman believers to be of the same mind with one another. This is not a call for the believers in Rome to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. No way. It's not what he was saying. The things that God demands of us, He readily gives us by His own grace and mercy. Thus it was the Apostle's desire that God would grant the believers in Rome unity. A unity in regard to matters on which the Bible is silent. Again, we're not talking about issues of sin. Issues where book, chapter, and verse can be applied to them, right? Then there's no reason for us to pray about it, right? Oh, I need to pray if I should do this sinful thing or not, or stop doing this sinful thing. No, you don't need to pray about it. I guarantee it. Just read this verse and obey. But we're talking about issues, right? The gray areas of life that oftentimes cause so much heartache. And here's Paul praying for the church in Rome, and no doubt that same spirit would be for us here in Cornerstone Bible Church. Paul's not saying to ignore false doctrine or godless living, okay? And it's important that he keeps stressing this point. Because being of the same mind or having unity within the church has not come about by finding the lowest common denominator upon which everyone can agree. That's the fallacy of the ecumenical movement, right? That's the fallacy of the World Council of Churches in the United Nations. That's the fallacy of the church growth movement. And that's the fallacy of the even more recent emerging church movement. Folks, true and genuine unity in the church comes about through the careful study and careful application of this truth. That's what brings real unity. And it's such a joy to really hug a brother or sister in the Lord and to know that they have that same belief. True harmony in the church can only come about when we as Christians believe that what this book teaches and agree to, and agree to follow its precepts and principles. Unity in the church can occur when both the strong and the weak humbly submit to the commands and principles that we've been looking at in Romans 14 and 15. That's when true unity can occur. Again, both the strong and the weak have pitfalls to avoid and responsibilities to fulfill. Correct? Both must stop being selfish and demanding their own preferences be respected by all. Both must stop looking down on or condemning the other. Instead, both must work hard to build the other up in Christ Jesus, and let go of your petty differences, the things that so easily cause us to get upset with one another. Folks, our common goal needs to be Christ-likeness for the soul's sake of glorifying our great God and King who is coming back very, very soon. How sad to be quibbling over unbiblical issues when in fact what we really need to be doing is simply dying to ourselves. Now once again Paul points to the supreme example of our Lord and Savior in order to help promote a godly unity among believers. This is what he does. Look at verses 7-12. These are our last verses. Therefore accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers. and for the Gentiles to glory, excuse me, to glorify God for his mercy as it is written. Here it is. Therefore, I will give praise to you among the Gentiles and I will sing to your name. Again, he says, rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people. And again, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him. Again, Isaiah says, there shall come the root of Jesse and he who rises to rule over the Gentiles and him shall the Gentiles hope. Jesus is our ultimate example in every area of life and faith. And here in these verses Paul points out that just as Jesus accepted and received us, that is both Jews and Gentiles, we too are to accept and receive everyone else. And Paul doesn't address a specific group here in verse seven. Rather, he's calling on all of us, both strong and weak. See how he's bringing it back in together here? We all have responsibilities, okay, in this area. So he's calling on both strong and weak, both Jew and Gentile, both male and female, young and old, to accept one another with love and understanding in the fullest and deepest sense of the word. If God, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, has accepted us into his divine family, then how much more should we be willing to accept each other despite the fact that we still carry many sinful trappings from our old unredeemed flesh? One author said the following about this verse, said, Failure to accept one another in love and compassion is an affront to the Savior who accepted us. A congregation that is divisive quarrelsome, contentious, and judgmental, gives the world reason to ridicule Christ's church and to reject the one who is their only hope of salvation. Amen. Now in verse 8, Paul points out how Jesus received the Jews. Look at verse 8 again. For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision. That phraser, to the circumcision, is a reference to the Jews. And then in verse 9, Paul points out how Jesus received the Gentiles. Verse 9, he says, And for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy. Again, don't forget that the book of Romans was written both to Jews and Gentiles who had come to Christ in the city of Rome. Major metropolitan city like Rome, people from nationalities all over the world, they were getting saved and they're coming together in one church. And obviously, there's going to be some some factions, some cliques, right? But both groups, Paul wants to remind us, made up the church. And Jesus received both groups to himself, even though they were as culturally diverse from one another as you could get. For the Jews, Jesus satisfied perfectly all the civil, ceremonial, and moral laws of the old covenant, and in so doing fulfilled all the promises that God had made to the Jewish patriarchs. The scribes and the Pharisees often accused Jesus of breaking the law, but that charge was completely trumped up, right? Completely false. A lot of trumped up things being said today. Yeah, you get what I'm referring to. Jesus held to God's commands perfectly, just as He said in Matthew 5.17, He says, However, what Jesus did not do was to try and keep all of the man-made traditions that the Jews had come up with over the years. He rejected those. But Jesus was not only the servant to the Jews, he was also the servant to the Gentiles. And he points it out conclusively by listing off several Old Testament references in verses nine through 12. I should say, Paul did that. Paul wanted to point that out. Now look at verse nine, because he quotes from, you can write these down, this is where this, verse nine comes from Psalm 18, verse 49, all right? You probably have that someplace in a little note in your Bible. Here it is, and for the Gentiles to glorify God, and God for his mercy, as it is written, therefore I will give praise to you among the Gentiles, and I will sing to your name. In verse 10, Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 32, 43, Again, he says, Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people. In verse 11, he quotes from Psalm 117, verse 1. You start to realize how much or how well Paul knew the Old Testament Scriptures. Folks, they did not have the study Bibles that we have today, right? Or they didn't have books like the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge like we have today. Let me find some good parallel verses and we just open up the book and there's a dozen of them. Verse 11, Paul quotes from Psalm 117, verse 1, here it is. And again, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise Him. And finally, in verse 12, Paul quotes from Isaiah 11, verse 10. Again, Isaiah says, "...there shall come the root of Jesse, and he who rises to rule over the Gentiles, and him shall the Gentiles hope." You guys hoping Him? That's us then. That's us. We're fulfilling that verse. All of these passages clearly demonstrate that it has always been God's plan not only to bless the Jews through their Messiah, but also to bless the Gentiles as well. Their mutual love for the Savior was to result in a mutual love for one another. And that was to result in a bride for Jesus that though culturally and ethnically diverse and have different religious backgrounds would be beautifully and perfectly unified for the glory of our God. Now, we do have one more verse, sorry, I almost forgot verse 13. Paul ends this section with a very appropriate benediction for all the people of God. Verse 13, Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. What better way to close off this portion of Scripture, Romans 14.1 to Romans 15.13, than with a beautiful benediction of intercession for all the people of God. Paul mentions neither Jew nor Gentile here, but rather he addresses the entire body of Jesus Christ as one unified whole. And he beautifully petitions the God of hope. He petitions this God of hope to fill His people with all. What does he say here? You can underline these words, joy, peace, and hope. Folks, do you have that in your life right now? Do you possess joy? Peace and hope? As one author I read put it, it expresses the apostle's deep desire for all believers to have total spiritual satisfaction in their beloved Savior and Lord. Amen. Amen, amen, and amen. Folks, as we conclude our study of Romans 14.1 to 15.3, I want to give you seven biblical principles or guidelines to think about if you truly want to glorify God in the gray areas of the Christian life. You should have this in your bulletin there. Now you adapted these from John MacArthur's book, called Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong. Incidentally, if you're looking for a really good read, this is it, all right? This is a good, how many of you guys have read this book before? Ken, I know you're a faithful promoter of this book, and Ken and I, I think we read this together, didn't we, years ago? Many years ago, many moons ago. It's a great book, you guys, it's a great book. Now, these seven principles apply to all those areas where you don't find book, chapter, and verse, right, giving specific commands regarding them. Instead, there are, however, ruling principles found in God's Word, which we can apply to those areas that we're not so sure about. Issues like what kind of entertainment's acceptable? You guys, if we took a survey here, we'd all come up with different things. Now there are some things that we should obviously, we should all agree upon. What kind of music is okay? But there's no book, chapter, and verse. What kind of clothing is appropriate? Will God be upset if I eat or drink that? What about celebrating certain holidays or not celebrating certain holidays? Now, some would say that since God's Word doesn't speak directly to these issues, then we're free, right? We're off the hook to do whatever we want to do, but that's not quite right. God's Word really does give us some very practical guidelines and principles. that should guide and govern our Christian freedoms. And that's why this book is so timeless. That's why this book is so timeless. When is the last time you really stayed up debating with your brother or sister about that meat that you just bought from Safeway because it had been sacrificed to the idol Moloch in the back room? Right? Probably not. But there are issues today that we deal with in our culture that we need to have some good answers for. So let's look at these real quick. Let's look at these. Principle number one is the edification principle. You guys thought I was going to let you out really early, didn't you? Ask yourself, will this activity produce spiritual benefits? That's the question. Will this activity produce spiritual benefit? In 1 Corinthians 10.23, Paul explained that all things are lawful, but not all things are, what's the word? Profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. Some people in the Corinthian congregation were exercising their Christian liberty without any regard for the spiritual good of others, even for their own good. But Paul corrected that thinking by reminding them that unless something is spiritually profitable, it's probably not worth doing. So based on this verse, believers should ask themselves, will this activity enhance my spiritual life and the spiritual life of others? Maybe my wife, my husband, my children, my neighbor. Principle number two is the enslavement principle. Ask yourself, will this activity lead to physical or spiritual bondage? Paul wrote this in 1 Corinthians 6, 12. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Paul only wanted to do those things that were spiritually profitable. And part of that entails avoiding those things that might result in personal enslavement. Paul knew that his only master was Jesus and he did not want to be enslaved by anyone or anything else, correct? Friend, we all need to be very careful about doing things that can be habit forming. Do not allow yourselves to be in bondage to anyone or anything. And I really mean it that way. Anyone or anything. It's not healthy for somebody to be codependent on you. Even though it might give you a ego boost, it's not healthy for them. Or on anything. It doesn't matter what. So we're not to allow ourselves to be in bondage to anyone or anything. And why not? Because if you're a Christian, then you are a slave of Jesus Christ. Greek word is doulos. And Jesus said in Matthew 6, 24, no one can serve, what? Two masters. Only one, we only get one. Principle number three is the exposure principle. Ask yourself, will this activity expose my mind or body to defilement? Paul wrote this in 1 Corinthians 6, 19 through 20. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body. So ask yourself if the decision you're about to make will expose you to the sinful, lewd, and debauched elements of a fallen society unnecessarily. I know we all have to go off to work, right? We have to be in those environments. I get that. That's not what I'm talking about. Listen to Romans 12.1, though. Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. How you choose to use your body along with what you choose to put into your mind should always reflect your concern to honor your Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Folks, indiscriminate TV watching today, I don't see how that's possible. It's only gotten worse, and worse, and worse, and worse. And you're going to have to be real careful. Again, you're not going to hear me saying, thou saith the Lord, right? You've got to be careful though. Principle number four is the esteem principle. Ask yourself, will this activity benefit others or cause them to stumble? Paul wrote this in 1 Corinthians 8, 8 and 9. But food will not commend us to God. We are neither the worse if we do not eat nor the better if we do eat. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. In exercising our Christian liberty, we must be sensitive to our brothers and sisters who may have a more restrictive conscience than our own. If we know that a choice of ours would cause another Christian to stumble and possibly sin, then we should love a brother or sister enough to restrict our freedoms. And Paul went so far as to say this in verse 13 in chapter eight. Folks, do you love your Christian brother or sister enough to limit your liberties for their sake? Principle number five is the evangelism principle. Before we do anything, we need to ask ourselves, will this activity further the gospel? Further, the cause of the gospel. 1 Corinthians 10, 32 and 33, give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved. Folks, Paul was far more concerned with reaching the lost, reaching others with the gospel than he was with exercising his own liberties. He was willing to set his freedoms aside for the sake of the gospel. That's why he said, I become all things to all men, so that I might win some, right? Are you willing to do that? Is the gospel your foremost goal? Principle number six is the ethics principle, and these last two. Ask yourself, will this activity violate my conscience? It is dangerous to do anything that violates your conscience. Do you realize that? Romans 14.23, He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin. Folks, if we sin, if we act in any way that goes contrary to the convictions of our own faith and conscience, So if your conscience is troubled by what you're contemplating doing, then here's a real simple thing. Don't do it. Right? Don't do it. It's been said that the softest pillow a man can have is the pillow of a clear conscience. Amen? Amen. Isn't that how true that is? And principle number seven is the exaltation principle. Ask yourself, will this activity bring glory to God? The summary and goal of the six principles mentioned above can all, or seven, these are six, seven, boil down into this one. Listen to what Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 31. He says, "...whether then you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Folks, we, all of us who claim to know and love the Lord Jesus Christ should have glorifying Him as our highest aim and greatest goal in this lifetime. Amen? Let's pray. Lord, these principles aren't easy. It's easy when we look at these things in a theoretical manner. But when we need to adjust our own lifestyle for the sake and love of a brother or sister in Christ, Lord, it's hard. But God, you never give us commands without also the ability to do these things. So Lord, I thank you so much for your spirit that works within us. Each one of us is in a different place in our Christian walk, but Lord, you've called us into one family and one body. And I pray that the strong would not look down on the weak for being weak. And I pray that the weak would not condemn the strong for exercising liberties. And I pray that we would love each other, Lord, enough to put our brother or sister over and above ourselves. Lord, for your glory, I pray these things for this church. In Jesus' name, amen.