Romans chapter 15. Romans chapter 15. I just want
to read three verses, kind of continuing on from where we left
off last time. I'll begin reading in verse 14.
And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye
also are full of goodness. filled with all knowledge, able
also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, brethren, I have
written the more boldly unto you in some sort as putting you
in mind because of the grace that is given to me of God, that
I should be the minister of Jesus Christ of the Gentiles, ministering
the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable,
being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. There's much here in this,
and I suppose it could be broken down and preached on for quite
some time, no doubt about that. But I want to try to concentrate
on this thought, and this will be my title, and it kind of gets
to the heart of what I want to try to give to you this morning.
My title's this, Never Stop Gospel Encouragement. Or you could say
never cease from encouraging one another in the gospel. It's
already been stated here, well stated already twice this morning. And it's been stated over and
over and over from this podium, from behind this podium for years
and years, even back when Earl was here. Preaching Christ is
paramount. To the lost and to the saved. I know there are those in this
day who think along this line, the gospels for the lost, and
then walks for the saved. It's just not so. The gospel's
for the saved and the lost both. Saved and the lost both. Our
text, yea, this whole letter is Paul preaching Christ to the
saved. because that's who he's mainly talking to is he saved
people. There are a few references to
the unsaved, but this letter is written to believers, to saints
in God. There is, however, one caveat
when preaching Christ to the saved. The caveat is acknowledging
to the saved the evident work of God upon them and within them. It is to encourage one another
by the preaching of the gospel, to encourage one another as saved
men and women of the manifestation of the grace and mercy and compassion
of God upon us and within us. It is never relent in such encouragement. We can never so grow even in
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
that we still don't need growth in grace and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We never graduate from
that. This was already kind of jokingly,
some of us were, actually, Ellen and I were talking, I told her,
I said, I'm Mr. Positivity. I'm known for being
Mr. Positivity. But when it comes
to encouraging one another in the gospel, by the gospel, with
the gospel, that's paramount. Paramount. Now think about this.
Think about God's work upon the saved. That I should be the minister
of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. Ministering what? The gospel
of God. That's the central thing. ministering
the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable. That's a mouthful. Being sanctified
by the Holy Ghost. Well, there we see the work of
God upon the saved, but we also see here, Paul mentioning this,
God's work within the saved. Verse 14, and I myself also am
persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness. That's a mouthful too. Ain't
it? Filled with all knowledge. That's
another mouthful. Able to, oh, now we can criticize
one another, but that kind of comes naturally, don't it? That's
easy for us. Let me put it this, we don't
need God's help to do that, Joe. But what? Also able to admonish. So then we see the third thing,
never relenting in such encouragement. Verse 15, nevertheless, brethren,
I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort. Paul spoke
about some things in this letter that you don't really hear delineated
in detail anywhere else in the scripture. You hear it referred
to, but not dealt with in detail like Paul deals with it in this
letter. Nevertheless, brethren, I've written the more boldly
unto you in some sort as putting you in mind because of the grace
that is given to me of God. So, a few thoughts in light of
these three factors. Remember the three factors. God's
work upon the saved, God's work within the saved, and that we
should never relent encouraging the saved by the gospel of Christ. May our God make us to never
abandon encouraging or admonishing one another. We're able to. because
of the work of God upon us and within us. So just three things. I remember, when Paul said nine
things, I remember hearing Henry, some of you remember he had the
preacher school there at 13th Street, and he said, never tell
them how many points you got, especially if it's a lot, because
it'll scare them to death. So I only have three. So that's
one third less scare that I gave you than Paul gave me. But also
reminded of this, and I know I've told you all this before,
but years ago when Henry had the big conferences and Rolf
Barner was still alive, and of course Henry had a lot of younger
preachers preaching, and Rolf told Henry, he said, now you
need to start assigning some of these young men a text or
at least a subject for them to preach on because they're jumping
around way too much. So Henry said, the next year
around I did that. He said, but also assigned Rolf
one too. And Sid Roth got in the pulpit and said, the one
thing I hate is for somebody to assign me what I'm supposed
to preach about. All right, be that as it may.
Think about these three things. The preaching of the gospel of
God. Again, and I will say a lot about
it. The preaching of the gospel of God is paramount. And the
gospel of God is the preaching of the cross that is the sufferings,
the substitutionary work of the Lord Jesus Christ. His birth
is vital, but his birth means nothing apart from his cross.
Had he just been born and teach us all the right things, we'd
have still perished and went to hell, Jack. Got to have the
cross, and you got to have the preaching of the cross. But why? Because it pleased God. First
Corinthians, if it pleased God, that's good enough reason. Now,
I realize that's not good enough reason for most folk, but it's
good enough reason with God's folk. The preaching of the gospel
of God is paramount, again, verse 16. Second thought, the preaching
of the gospel of God by the sanctifying work of the spirit of God. God's
got to be in this thing. As Rolfe used to say, and others
have quoted, if my voice is the only voice you hear this morning,
you will have heard nothing of any spiritual, eternal value
to your soul. The preaching of the gospel of
God by the sanctifying work of the spirit of God is the sole
means of expressing being accepted by God. Nothing we do makes us
acceptable. It's all what God has done for
us. upon us and within us that makes
the difference. And all of that is based upon,
as Paul ably said, what Christ did for us on Calvary's tree. And I like that point. Yes, he
kept the law, but if all he'd done was kept the law and teach
us about keeping the law, we'd have perished. be to perish. So remember, the preaching of
the gospel of God, and the gospel of God is particular. It is absolute. It's not wishy-washy. It's not
a little bit of this and a little bit of that. It's one thing,
the person and work of Jesus Christ the Lord. So the preaching
of the gospel of God is paramount. The preaching of the gospel of
God by the sanctifying work of the spirit of God is the sole
means of expressing. I'm saying expressing. We don't
accomplish it by preaching the gospel. We're expressing what's
been accomplished. of expressing being accepted
by God. Think about this, rebuke only
when absolutely necessary. That's something I wish I could
learn that lesson. And you know as well as I do, in a lot of
these so-called churches out here, that's all some preachers
do is rebuke, rebuke, rebuke, hammer, hammer, hammer, right?
Warn, warn, warn, right? That's all they do. They call
it preaching against sin. And let me tell you something,
I know a lot of these fellas, or at least I used to know a lot
of these fellas, they usually only preach against the sins
they don't feel they're too guilty of. Listen to me. Rebuke only
when absolutely necessary. Encourage always. Even if you
don't think it's needed. Rebuke only when absolutely necessary. Encourage always, even if you
have to have a rebuke or two, in the midst of the encouragement.
You still got to be encouraged. Encouraged. Again, it's easy
for us to point the finger. And I'm not preaching down to
you here. And Penny and I talked about this some yesterday. It's
easy to point the finger because we all still have our old self
with us. And sometimes that old self shows
up. I mean, it really shows up. Most
of the time we try to keep him hid. We know he's there, but
we try to keep him hid, right? But sometimes he just shows up
on the scene. When he does, maybe we need a
rebuke. but we need to be encouraged
too. Because if all I ever hear is rebuke my life as a child
of God would be miserable because I deserve rebuke every day. Even if it don't show itself
out here and I'm kind of able to keep it hidden, it's still
down in here. We're drawn away of our own lust. That's an inside thing. So again,
oh God help us. Rebuke only when absolutely necessary. Sometimes it's best just to listen
and not even rebuke. Because they may have already
been rebuked by the Lord himself. And all you're doing, I'm doing,
is pouring salt in a wound that God's opened up. But we always
need to encourage no matter what. I know I need that. Now here's
the last thing, the third one. It's the longest one, it has
three under it, so I guess I've still got six. Always acknowledge
God's work upon and within his gospel called believing people. We believe God in spite of ourselves.
Don't we? We believe God in spite of ourselves. Joe, I believe God fully. but
I certainly don't always walk fully. I believe God fully, but
I don't always talk like I believe God fully. You know what I'm
saying? Always acknowledge God's work
upon and within his gospel called people. That's what encourages. I'm not talking about bragging
about one another, I'm talking about acknowledging God's evident
work in somebody. In spite of themselves. in spite
of themselves. That's why long suffering's put
in there almost always. When it's talking about equality,
why? Because we're not a people, we're hard to deal with. You
know, a saved person can be harder to deal with than a lost person
because you expect it out of a lost person. You don't like
seeing it in a saved person. But it's there, right? It's there. That would be, again, verse 14.
Three God-wrought factors. Again, I said this is a mouthful,
and I wish I had the words to, when I preach this, everybody
says, but boy, I understand that all, I got it now. No, that's
probably not what happened here this morning. But think about
this, these three God-wrought factors, full of goodness. But
think of it in this line. That's not full of personal goodness.
Oh no, Paul said, in me that is in my flesh dwells how much
goodness? No good thing. Okay, so we're not talking about
personal goodness. Full of goodness. And here's the meaning of this.
Have sympathetic concern for one another. That's the basis
of being full of goodness one toward another. It's having sympathetic
concern for one another in spite of the fact that we're still
falling. Because we need the help. We need the encouragement. Think of this one, filled with
all knowledge. In other words, you have a true
spiritual perception. When God saves you, don't mean
you all of a sudden become great at trigonometry. It doesn't mean
that when God saves you, all of a sudden you begin to understand
all the deep things of God's book. That's not what he's talking
about. I know everything I need to know. And anything I don't know today,
it's because God knows I don't need to know it today. And if
I need to know something tomorrow that I don't know today, God
will give me that understanding, that spiritual perception when
circumstances dictate. And let me put this so this is
not just some wish you, when God Almighty in his providence
moves you or puts you in a particular circumstance, he will give us
each grace to deal with that circumstance in spite of us. Knowing this, though a righteous
man fall, he shall not be utterly cast down. And fall we will. You remember what Micah said,
rejoice not against me, O my enemy, when I fall. Not if I
fall. The fall's coming. The only way
I could not fall again is if God took me right now. That's
the only way. If I live 10 more seconds, there's
gonna be a fall. Even if it's not evidenced out
here. It's still down in here. I've talked with people, there's
things that I wouldn't dare mention to people. The things that's
crossed my mind while I'm trying to preach the gospel. And you
know what, you can't just say, well, I'll never think of that
again. When you tell yourself that, that'll be the thing you
think about over and over and over and over. Yeah, just mention it, it brings
it up. I'm just a harbinger of happiness. Full of goodness, but it's to
have sympathetic concern for one another, filled with all
knowledge. We have spiritual, let me put it this way, we know
him. Whom to know is to know everything. Even if all that
knowledge is not, this may not be the best word, Joe, you or
Paul may come up with a better one. Even though we don't always
or can't always access that knowledge, apply that knowledge, we know
him whom to know. He's the one that created all
this. And he understands how all of
it works. Here's the third thing. Full,
field and all. That's an amazing word, isn't
it? It's there. It's upon us and
it's within us, but it's never to be presumed. Now, I'll try
to let the scripture itself explain or give us some help with what
Paul's talking about. This full of goodness, filled
with all knowledge, able to admonish one another. Me, actually encouraging
somebody else? Who am I to be admonishing or
encouraging someone else? Because sometimes the encouragement
takes a rebuke with it, right? It needs a rebuke with it. Who
am I to be rebuking anybody? Who am I to point the finger
at you? The old phrase is, I got three or four pointing back at
me. Turn to Ephesians four. Now think about this, and I'll
make a statement or two, but I'm not gonna try to explain
it too much, because I'll just confound the issue, okay? Ephesians
4, listen to the words, or read them if you're following along,
but if you're not following along, just listen to what God's book
says through his apostle. And he gave some, who gave? God.
And these things aren't gifts. They're actually God's, or Christ's,
well that's still true, they are the God-man's ascension gifts
to his church. And they're all people. They're
people. Other people, right? And he gave
some apostles, and some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors
and teachers. For what? For the perfecting
of the saints. See that? For the work of the
ministry, for the edifying, the building up, encouraging. Encouraging,
edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity
of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
And I think, when will I ever get there? And my mind says,
well, when I awaken his likeness. That's true. But I'm telling
us, it's all already in here. This was an astounding thing
to me when I realized it. As we'll see, we have the new
man. When we get to glory, we're not
gonna have a new new man. The old man will be gone. And
this faulty, dying, decaying flesh will be gone. We'll have
new, incorruptible, immortal bodies. But what's already in
us is all we'll ever have in glory, Jack. it just won't be
veiled under this flesh and morass of corruption. When I seen that,
that boggled my mind. Because it seems like I see very
little of that new man. I see the old man quite well,
but I know this, I don't see him probably as well as I ought
to see him. But let's go on. Now look, verse 14, that we henceforth
be no more children, tossed to and fro, now there you go. Here
you go, carried about with every wind of doctrine. Earl used to
illustrate like the sleight of hand when he talks about the
little shell game. That person doing that trick, if they're
good at it, they know where that thing's at all the time. Look
what he says, that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to
and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the
sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive.
There's some people that wants to deceive other people. That's
the name of their game. What was that fellow we watched?
We didn't watch him long. He was preaching the other day,
and it was all about giving and money and just yelling and hollering
and screaming, and he never said a word. Look, but speaking the truth
in love. Let's not talk about, well, I
just give people my mind. They don't need your mind. Sometimes
it's best to keep quiet about some things. It's not talking
about facts, it's about truth. Who God really is. Who Christ
really is. What Christ actually accomplished.
Where Christ is now and what he's doing now and what we really
are in and of ourselves. But speaking the truth, but it's
to be how? In love. And folks, you can be
proud of grace. I've been there. God gives you
a little knowledge, a little understanding. Actually, you
have it all, you just don't realize it. But he's given you a little
knowledge, a little understanding, and then you find yourself in
the place of an argumentative person. Because I know they're
wrong. These people don't even have
any idea they're wrong. But if they're that blind, you telling
them ain't gonna help them none. The only message that will encourage
them, and that's only by the power of the Holy Ghost, is the
preaching of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the law
they can find out what sin is, find it defined, but only in
the cross of the Christ do you see how bad sin really is. That
God had to do that to his son for sins to be forgiven. But
speaking the truth in love may grow up into him and all things.
Now think about it. A baby is just as much a full
human being as us older people here this morning, right? But
they still have to what? Grow up. They're not more human
when they grow up. Sometimes I think we become more
inhumane as we grow up. But you get the illustration?
It's all there in that little package. The brains are there. Now some of the wrinkles may
have to, as they learn, But it's all there, and I know I don't
like the word, but the potential's there. Especially in the illustration
of that little baby, the potential's there, okay? But speaking the
truth in love may grow up into him in all things, which is the
head, even Christ, from whom, he's central, he's it, he's the
man, from whom the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted
by that which every joint supplies, We're here to help one another.
But it all comes from the whom, right? Okay, so we get that,
we get that. From whom the whole body fitly
joined together, compacted by that which every joint supply,
according to the effectual working. Thank God it don't depend on
us. According to the effectual working, in the measure of every
part maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in
love. God ordained this thing. And
in spite of what we see about ourselves that we're gonna see
here in a moment, it's still here. God's doing exactly what
he purposed to do from eternity in his total, absolute wisdom. Now look at it. Make an increase
of the body under the edifying of itself in love. This I say,
therefore, because this is so. This I say, therefore, and testify
in the Lord that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk
in the vanity. Where does it start? Inside.
Inside. It's not just about this out
here. It's in here, in the vanity of the mind, you see it? Walking
out as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of the mind, having
the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness
of their heart. And that's where we were at one
time. who be past feeling have given themselves over into lasciviousness
to work all in cleanliness with greediness. And we most of the
time read stuff like that and what does our mind say? Immoralities,
right? Fornication, adultery, murder,
theft. It may be religious ritualism. Ceremonialism, it may be religious
lies. that seem really clean and moral,
but they're lies on God. That's included in all of it. But, thank God for that three
letter word, Joe. But ye have not so learned Christ. if so be that ye have heard him,
and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, that
ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man which
is corrupt according to deceitful lust. You see it? Why did God
leave us like this? So that we'll continually trust
him in this world. And so that when a fellow believer
does, falls, slap on their face, We know I've been there too. I've been there too. Here, let
me help you. No, baby, let me help you. Jack, I wish I could
always do that, but I don't. If so be that you've heard him
and been taught by him as the truth, put off the old man. Verse
23, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that ye put
on the new man, which, think about, this is a mouthful again,
which after God is, not will be one day, but is created in
righteousness and true holiness. I know there might be a better
word, forgive me if it ain't a great one, but the potential's
there, Jack. It's already there. God helped
me to access it. Helped me to take the one, kind
of like a coat, put it off. Oh, he'll be back tomorrow. He'll
be back this evening if it's the morning time. But put it
off and put the other on. You see it? Put the other on.
And then what's he start to do? All right, here's some things
that are wrong. And here's some things that are
right. You see it? There is never any wrong in acknowledging
the grace of God upon and within his people. Let me briefly read
you, these are examples. These are not illustrations.
They're not types or figures. These are actual examples and
I just want to read them to you. I don't want you to just listen.
Make sure I'm in the right spot. As ye also learned of, we've
already heard this this morning, Epaphras, our dear fellow servant,
who is for you a faithful minister of Christ. Well, that may go
to his head. He's already got the old man there. His head's
already filled with self. But Paul's encouraging him, both
the Colossians and this man. You see it? Who also declared
unto us your love in the spirit. Here's another one. Listen to
what God's word says. Epaphras, who is one of you,
a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently
for you in prayers. Well, Paul, don't brag on that. No, he's encouraging that man.
He's trying to encourage these people. He's still one with you,
even though he can't be with you right now. fervently in prayers
that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God,
for I bear him record. You see it? He's not bragging
on the man, he's acknowledging the grace of God upon him and
within him. Here's another one. Let me find
this one. Now we're almost done. Yet I supposed it necessary to
send unto you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labor,
and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered
to my wants. For he longed after you all,
and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard he'd been sick.
For indeed, he was sick nigh unto death." We thought he was
gonna die. But God had mercy on him, not
on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon
sorrow. But I send them to you the more
careful. Once he was well, get back there, back there to see
if it was full. All right, not quite done yet. Here's one more. Remember, this is God's word. This is not one worm bragging
on another worm. This is one believer encouraging
other believers. We need encouragement. We need
to be reminded, hey, God's grace is upon you and within you. I
know what you are. None of us know how bad we really
are. If we did, Joe, we probably would go mad. I think I'd really
go mad if we seen ourselves like God really sees us. All right,
listen to these words. This is a little lengthy, but
I wanna give you the whole one. All right, beloved, thou doest
faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren and the strangers,
this person that John's writing to, which have borne witness
of thy charity before the church. See it? See it? Whom, if thou
bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt
do well. Help, give them some pocket money. You know, if they
need a little food to take along with them. Help them out, if
they need a new coat. a new pair of shoes, something, you know?
Help him out. Because that for his name's sake,
they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore
ought to receive such, that we might be fellow helpers to the
truth. I wrote unto the church, but diatrophies, who loveth to
have the preeminence of known men, receiveth us not. Wherefore,
if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, pratting
against us with malicious words, and not content therewith. But
doth he himself not receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them
which would, and casteth them out of the church. Now which
one do you want to live under? John said, I'll deal with him
when I come. Okay, beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that
which is good. He that doeth good is of God,
but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. Demetrius hath good
report of all men, and of the truth itself, yea? And we also
bear record, and ye know that our record is true. I've got one more passage. And I'll close with prayer. Turn
to Proverbs, if you want to look at this one. I like this one. This is a proverb. Make sure I have the right verse.
Yes. Now listen to this one. Heaviness
in the heart of a man maketh it stoop. It doesn't matter where
that heaviness come from. From within, you can't get away
from that. but without they come to, okay?
Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop, but a good word
maketh it glad. That same heart that can be so
depressed and downtrodden, all's it takes, Jack, is just a good
word, an encouragement. Let me help you, it's okay. You
remember what, you remember how, I can't, yeah, I can to some
degree, But it's like when Joseph said to his brethren, after he
revealed to them who he really was, don't fear. It's okay. It's okay. You meant it for evil. God meant it for good. Heavenly
Father, encourage us. Help us to encourage one another.
Strengthen us, lead us, and guide us. In Christ's name, amen.