We still have a couple more studies
here in the Book of Romans. Turn to chapter 15 if you would.
The Apostle Paul continues here in this 15th chapter with his
plea for a mutual affection between believers and a unity between
us. Unite us. Be of one mind, the
mind of Christ. He's not talking about a unity
with all religious people. There's a lot who believe in
this world that the Lord Jesus would desire us to be unified
with all of religions, and that's not true at all. That's not true
at all. Paul is not encouraging you and
I to be unified with the Catholics, or anyone who preaches works. Our Lord condemned those who
sought acceptance with God by their own righteousness, saying,
leave them alone. They are blind leaders, whited
sepulchers. That means dressed in the white
robes, what they claimed to be the white robes of God's righteousness,
yet it was their own righteousness that they preached. It was their
own free will that they preached. Paul would not tolerate those
who departed from the gospel. He says these words, he says,
if any man preach any other gospel, let him be accursed. Paul is
pleading for you and I to love and have forbearance among those
who know and love our Redeemer, who find their peace and their
hope as you and I in the sacrifice of our Savior Christ Jesus. In
verse 1 of Romans chapter 15, we read these words We then that
are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not
to please ourselves. When we are strong, when we,
we then that are strong, he says. Mature believers, as mature believers,
we know that there is no strength in us, don't we? Paul knew that. Paul knew that. He himself knew
that he was not strong in the flesh. In 2 Corinthians 12.10
he writes, therefore I take pleasure in the infirmities. He took pleasure
in his infirmities. He took pleasure in his weakness. I take pleasure in the fact knowing
that I am weak, looking to my Savior for my strength. He says, he goes, I take pleasure
in my infirmities, in my reproaches, in my necessities, in my persecutions,
in my distresses, for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then
am I strong. But they that are strong in the
faith of Christ, strong and sure of their deliverance of Christ
from meats and drinks and from the observance of days and the
bondage of ceremonial law, we ought to bear. We ought to bear. with those who have doubts and
fears, who've seen failings and frailties of being weak. Their
weakness arises usually from immaturity of faith, babes in
Christ, from a lack of knowledge of their freedom and the blessings
in Christ. Now I want to stop there for
just a moment because I need to share this with you. Some
of us are going through some severe trials in our own lives
right now. With weight so heavy upon us
that they bring us to tears. That does not mean we are weak
in faith. That means the body and the mind
is weak. But we still believe in Jesus
Christ our Savior. That's what drives us to look
to Him. We still know that we look to Him. We may not feel
the strength in our own minds. We may not feel the strength
in our own bodies. But we know who is all strength. This is where we need those who
are not going through trials right now. That they might come
to us and remind us. Even though we don't need to
be reminded. Even though we don't need to be reminded. Somehow
or another, God gives us comfort in that. Maybe not right away,
but somehow he does. Verse one again, when we, we
then that are strong, ought to bear the infirmities of the weak
and not to please ourselves. Here's how we bear the infirmities
of our brothers and sisters in Christ that we love so much.
We love them. We love them. I know you're going
through what you need, what you gotta go through right now. Weakness
of the flesh being ill, our age. I have personal things in my
own life that I'm going through with my daughter. Some of you
know what I'm talking about. Knowing that you love me. Knowing
that she loves me despite how weak I am in my situation. I
pray that her knowing how much I love her strengthens her. I pray that whatever you may
be going through, that you might know how much we love you and
how much we encourage you to continue in the faith and the
faith of who our Savior is and what He's done for us. 1 Peter 4, verse 8, we read these
words, and above all things have fervent charity, that's love,
fervent charity, deep, personal love for each other among yourselves,
for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. In Proverbs 10, 12, we read these
words, Hatred stirreth up strife, but love covereth all sins. We don't seek to please ourselves,
but we seek to bring peace and raise up our brothers and sisters
in Christ. Hold your spot there. Turn to
the right, if you would, over to Galatians. I want to read
two verses over in Galatians chapter 6. You say, but I haven't
I haven't been found in fault, John. I haven't faltered. Yes, we have. Brothers and sisters
in Christ, we get out of bed in the morning and we falter. And you know we do. As a child
of God, you know just as well as I do that we get out of bed,
we open our eyes, we take that first breath in the morning,
we falter right there. Brethren, chapter 6, verse 1. Brethren, if any man be overtaken
in fault. That doesn't mean we go out...
That's not just talking about those who go out and do something
that's a sin against God. That's talking about doubting.
That's talking about being weak in the faith. That's talking
about turning away from our Savior and looking to the troubles of
the world. That could be just as much a fault as anything else.
Ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness.
Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted, bear ye one
another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Back in our
text. It is my great desire, and I pray this is yours. I pray
the Lord will lay this on every heart here today, listening to
these words. Seek to make all of our brethren
feel wanted. to feel appreciated, to feel
needed. Look at verse 2 of our text,
back in our text, chapter 15, verse 2. Let every one of us
please his neighbor for his good to edification. What that's saying there is that
no part of the gospel should ever be sacrificed for peace.
No part of the revealed Word of God is to be denied to keep
weak brethren from to keep them happy. This would certainly not
be for their good or their edification. We don't edify men by encouraging
them in a doctrinal or a moral error. But in the matter of personality,
temperament, and things indifferent, meats and drinks, we should sacrifice
our liberty and our rights to all comfortably being happy while
seeking to instruct one another in the Word. Well, how can we
instruct one another in the Word? Trust Christ. John, Kathy, just
trust Christ. Verse 3, For even Christ pleased
not himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproached
thee fell on me. Our Lord sought not his own comfort,
he sought not his own ease, he sought not his own profit, nor
his own glory. He subjected himself to every
inconvenience, every suffering for the good of his people. If
our Lord acted in such a manner, how it ought to condemn us when
we indulge in our own rights, our own desires, at the expense
of a family member of God. Our Lord was rich, yet he became
poor for our sakes. Look at verse 15. or verse 4,
for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning, that we through the patience and comfort of scriptures
might have hope. That's a quotation from Psalm
69, verses 7-9. The apostle is teaching us the
doctrine, this doctrine, and he's exhorting us to practice
in principle. He proves it by the Word of God.
2 Timothy, verses 3, 16-17, we read this, it says, "...all Scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all
good works." And if that's not enough, Paul, He refers us to
this in 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 2. As newborn babes, desire the
sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby. We ought
to read scriptures not to gratify our curiosity or to prove our
position, but to nourish ourselves. Nourish ourselves and increase
our hope in Christ. Look over Romans, we're in Romans
already, but turn back to chapter 10 if you would. Romans chapter
10, I'm going to look at one verse back there in Romans chapter
10, verse 17. So then faith, faith, how does
it come to us? By the hearing. Faith comeeth
by hearing. Where are you going to hear the
word of God? Where God's people come together. I'm so thankful
that our brother Mike and Shirley are here this morning. They're
not able to be with us for the 11 o'clock study. They have some
appointments they have to go to. But they're here for the
10 o'clock. Where are they going to be edified
today? Where am I going to be edified? Where am I going to
be built up in the faith where my brothers and sisters in Christ
are? Sister Cheryl and Sister Shirley, they can't be with us
personally, but they're here in the best way they can be in
the Zoom, here to have fellowship with us, here to see and to hear
what we're going through, to be edified by you and I through
the hearing of God's word. What a blessing. You could have
easily just said, you know what, I don't have time to be there
today. Instead, he says, I don't have time to be anywhere else.
I need to be here this morning. What a blessing to me. What a
blessing to me. So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God. Back in our text, verses five,
we read these words, Romans chapter 15, verse five, now the God of
patience. Aren't you thankful? Aren't you
thankful the Lord is patient with us? Do you know, I got, I am so impatient. I am probably
the most impatient person I've ever met. Ask Kathy. I have no
doubt she'll agree with me that I'm the most impatient person
she's ever met. She's known me a long time. I am so, so thankful that my Lord
continues to teach me over and over and over again. Almost daily
it seems nowadays. That's patience. The God of patience,
now, the God of patience, in consolation, grant you. Here's
a prayer. Paul's given us a prayer. He's
praying for you and I. That he might grant you and I
to be like-minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus. Paul is offering a prayer up
for all believers. It would be well for us to spend
much time in that prayer ourselves. He says, now the God of patience
and comfort, this is His attribute, our Lord's attribute. He has
been patient and long-suffering with the race of Adam and with
His church and with you and I. He has borne our sins, He has
healed our backslidings, and He has heard our confessions. And He's comforted us. He's comforted
us. A real solid comfort comes from
Him against whom we have sinned. He comforts us in every trial. He stands by us through every
fall. He encourages us with every error. He says, I shall not leave you. Next we read in that scripture,
he says, grant to be like-minded one with another. May God give
us patience as Christ has patience with us. May he give us the ability
to be long-suffering with each other, to be forgiving of each
other, and even more important than that, to be a source of
comfort to one another. Have you ever been some in some
situation where you just couldn't find any comfort from someone
in the world who knew not God. Oh, John, I know what you're
talking about. Cousin John, Cousin John, I know
what you're talking about. If you would just do this, maybe
God would... If you would just do this, maybe...
That's what the friends of Job said, isn't it? Didn't Job, when
the Lord cursed him, or didn't curse him, when the Lord let
the devil take his family and all of his stock and all of his
animals and his health away from him, didn't his friends come
to him and say, man, if you'd have just done this, God wouldn't
have done that to you. He found no comfort in the ways
of the world. Where are you going to find comfort?
Coming to your brothers and sisters in Christ who have been in the
situation you've been in? Maybe not the exact same situation,
but the pain of the heart, the stress of the world around you.
This is still hard for me to talk about, so forgive me. But
some of you know that my brother Lee's oldest son was taken from
him. The Lord took him early in life.
Pastor Gene, as you know, lost him and Judy, lost one of their
sons. My brother Lee found no comfort from his mother. He found no
comfort from cousins and friends. He found comfort from one of
God's sheep who had been through what he went through. He found
comfort in God's people coming together and reading God's word. Romans 8, 28. All things are for our good.
He found comfort. I don't know what it's like to
lose a child. I couldn't give Lee the comfort,
but he found comfort in me coming together with him to read God's
Word. Only God can give somebody that
kind of comfort. Let us be like-minded towards each other as Christ
is towards us. Let us be an example. Look over
at Ephesians. Christ being our example. Turn
over to Ephesians. Turn over to Ephesians chapter
4. Look at two verses with me there,
if you would. Ephesians chapter 4, verses 3-32. And grieve not the Holy Spirit
of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day speaking, be put away from you
with all malice. Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven
you." You know, there was a time when I needed to be forgiven.
There was one in my life, and I'll just say this, he died in
prison. so that way you don't confuse
him with someone else. There was a time when I needed
to be forgiving. Why did I need to be forgiving?
Because Christ forgave me. I don't hold that out before
you to be a braggart of any kind. I'm telling you the only way
I could be forgiving was because I saw how forgiving our Lord
is to me. He's my example. He's what makes
it so easy for me to say, I forgive you. He's what makes it so easy
for you, for you to say to each other,
I forgive you. Henry Mahan wrote these words.
He says, when I have forgiven every wrong against me, When
I have borne every hard word or thought, when I have overlooked
every weakness and comforted every fallen friend, I still
have not endured one atom of what Christ bore for me and from
me. Look over at Matthew 18. Matthew 18, beginning at verse
21. Then came Peter to Him and said,
Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive
him? Until seven times? And Jesus saith unto him, I say
not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven. Seventy times seven. Do you know our Lord has forgiven
us more times than that? Look back at our text, verse
6. Two more verses. We'll cover it now. That ye may
be with one mind and one mouth, do what? Read these next two words. That
ye may be with one mind and one mouth, glorify God. I mentioned this, I think, in
Friday night study. Best counseling I can give you,
best counseling you can give anybody. Does it glorify God? Does it
glorify God? Is what you're thinking, is what
you're doing glorifying God? Is what I'm doing glorifying
my Savior? Even the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, as it says there in the last part of verse 6. Our Lord
is glorified when the perfections of His nature are recognized.
When the work of His hands is praised. when His mercy and grace
in Christ Jesus are received, when His people approach Him
in worship and adoration, when our lives and our conversations
are agreeable to His calling, how can we glorify Him when our
hearts are divided, when our spirits are divided, if our doctrine
is divided? Be of one mind. 7 of our, back in our text, chapter
15, wherefore receive you one another as Christ also received
us to, what? The glory of God. Everything
Christ did, everything He did, this is my Son in who I'm well
pleased. Isn't that what God the Father
said? Everything our Lord and Savior did pleased the Father
and glorified Him. And in such, because they are
one, it glorified the Savior. He receives all the glory. He
shares it with none. Receive one another, it says,
into our hearts with affections. Embrace one another, whether
Jew or Gentile, weak or strong, old or young, male or female,
and as Christ received us. How did Christ receive you? You
remember what it said back in Romans chapter 5, verse 8? This is how the Lord received
me. But God commendeth His love toward us, and that while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Whoo! And then it closes with these
words, to the glory of God. This ought to be our motive,
our chief motive out of all ends. Everything we do, to the glory
of God. Look one more time over, one
more verse if you would, over 1 Corinthians, just one page
to the right. Two pages to the right. In my book. 1 Corinthians, the last three
verses. Oh, let this be our walk in this
world, that no flesh, verse 29, that no flesh should glory in
His presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption, that according as it is written, he that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord. Amen.