After the service tonight, could
some people help to put the tables up for Vacation Bible School?
Ask Kelly what to do. She'll be there to tell you. Question. Are the first 11 chapters of
Romans more important than the last five chapters? Now, why would I ask a question
like that? Well, the first 11 chapters of
Romans are the clearest exposition of the gospel of God's grace
we have anywhere in the Bible. I love the book of Romans. In
the first three chapters, he talked about people without a
Bible, without a revelation, the Gentiles, and people with
a Bible, with a revelation, the Jews. And he says they're all
in the same place. There's no, they're equally sinful. Paul says we've before proved
that they're all under sin. And then in the latter part of
the third chapter, he dealt with the great doctrine of justification. How God justifies sinners and
makes them without guilt before him. Oh, the glory of the gospel. And then in chapter four, he
tells us about faith. What does it mean to believe
God? In chapter five, he talks about what happened in the garden.
How when Adam fell, we fell. And we became condemned and we
were made sinners by what Adam did. And then in chapter 6, he
talks about the blessings of union with the Lord Jesus Christ. And then in chapter 7, aren't
you thankful for the 7th chapter of Romans when he talks about
the struggle of the two natures? What I hate, I do. What I want
to do, I don't do. I'm so thankful for that chapter.
In chapter 8 of Romans, somebody once said Romans 8 is to the
New Testament what Isaiah 53 is to the Old Testament. That
glorious passage of the golden links of salvation for whom he
did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his son. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
then he also called. Whom he called, then he also
justified. Whom he justified, then he also glorified. What
shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? And then chapter 9, that glorious
chapter regarding God's electing mercies. It's so clear. The children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but
of him that calleth. And then the 10th chapter, Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved. And then
the 11th chapter about salvation open to the Gentiles. What a
glorious passage of Scripture. I love the way chapter 11 ends. I think this is one of the most
glorious passages in all the Word of God. In verse 33, this
is the way he concludes what he'd said in these first 11 chapters. Oh, the depth of the riches,
both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God. How unsearchable are
his judgments and his ways past him find out, past finding out.
For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his
counselor? Or who hath first given to him,
and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him and through
him And to him are all things to whom be glory forever. What a glorious doxology to these
first 11 chapters of Romans. The greatest exposition of how
God saves sinners found in the whole Bible. Now he begins chapter
11 or chapter 12 with these words. I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. Now he talks about these first
11 chapters as the mercies of God. And in light of the mercies
of God, you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service. And then in chapter
13, he talks about our responsibility to the powers that be, the government
that God has placed in position, and how we're to submit to that
government. In chapter 14, he talks about how we're to receive
the weaker brother, and we're not to be his judge. Chapter
15, he goes on with the same thing, and then the salutations
of chapter 16. But here's the question. Are
those what people call practical admonitions? And I really don't
like that. I don't like to call anything practical because it's
in the Bible, it's practical. There's no such thing as theoretical
doctrine and then we get into practical doctrine. No, not at
all. But the question is, do we believe that those first 11
chapters are more important than the final five chapters? Now, if we do, My understanding
of the first 11 chapters is wrong. If I look at those first 11 chapters
as more important than what's being said in chapters 12 through
16, my understanding of the first 11 chapters of Romans is wrong. Now, my love for Christ himself
is demonstrated by my love to you. And your love to Christ
himself is seen in your love to me. And any profession we make with
regard to our understanding of these 11, first 11 chapters are
meaningless without this reception of one another. He says, receive
one another, and that means embrace one another, welcome one another,
love one another, bring one another in, take one another in. Don't
hold off, but receive one another as Christ received us to the
glory of God. Now you think of this scripture
in Matthew chapter 25. The Lord said, in as much as you've done
it to the least of these my brethren, you've done it to me. and did
as much as you did it not to the least of these, my brethren,
you did it not to me. Now John said in 1 John 5 or
1 John 3 15, we know, listen to this scripture, we know that
we pass from death to life because we love the brethren. Now you think about what he said.
What did he mean by that exactly what he said? We know! We've
passed from death to life. There was a time when we were
dead and now we live. And we know we've passed from
death to life because we love the brethren. John said in 1
John 5, he that loveth him that begat loveth him also that's
begotten of him. And by this shall all men know
you're my disciples. You remember that scripture in
John chapter 13? By this shall all men know you're
my disciples. By your love one toward another. He didn't say that by this shall
all men know you're my disciples because of your understanding
of justification or election and your orthodox beliefs. As important as those are, there's
no salvation apart from those. I wouldn't dare give anybody
any hope that they knew the Lord that would reject any of that
truth. But our Lord said, by this shall all men know, not
by your orthodoxy, but by your genuine God-given love one to
another. Romans 15, our text. This is the ending thought, really,
of chapter 12 that began in chapter 14, and he switches gears beginning
in verse 8, and we'll be considering that soon. But he says in verse
5, Now the God of patience and consolation, what a name for
our God, grant you. You anything we have, he's going
to have to grant it to us, isn't it? He's going to have to give it
to us. grant you to be like-minded one toward another, according
to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify
God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, wherefore receive
ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now, his thinking had began in
chapter 14, verse 1. Him that is weak in the faith,
receive him. Embrace him. Bring him in. Welcome him. Say what Moses said
to his father-in-law. Come with us. We'll do you good. Not judging him, not being critical
of his wrong views, but Receive him. Receive him. What a blessing
that is. Look in verses 7 and 8 of Romans
14. None of us lives to himself.
No man's an island. No man dies to himself. You're
going to have an influence on somebody else. For whether we
live, we live unto the Lord. Or whether we die, we die unto
the Lord. Whether we live or whether we
die, we are the Lord's. Look in verse 13 of this chapter. Let us not therefore judge one
another anymore. Don't let the weak man judge
the strong man. Don't let the strong man judge
the weak man. We've already gone over on what
all that means, but I think of this admonition, stop judging
right now. Never do it again. You have no right to judge your
brother. Stop doing it. Verse 13, let
us not therefore judge one another anymore, but rather, judge this
rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall
in his brother's way. I know and am persuaded by the
Lord Jesus that there's nothing unclean of itself, but to him
that esteems anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if
I rather be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably?
Say, well, it's his problem. He's got the wrong view of things. But he says, destroy not him
with thy meat, for whom Christ died. Let not then your good
be evil spoken of. Look down to verse 19. Let us
therefore follow the things which make for peace. and things wherewith
we may edify and build up one another. For meat destroy not
the work of God. All things indeed are pure, but
it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither
to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother
stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak. Deny yourself these
things, to keep from offending your brother." And then, look
in chapter 15, 1 through 3, we then that are strong ought to
bear the infirmities of the weak, not to correct them, not to think
it's our place to correct them, and not to please ourselves.
Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good edification,
for even Christ pleased not himself, but as it is written, the reproaches
of men that reproach thee fell on me. Now, what I get out of
that, well, it doesn't matter what I get out of it. I shouldn't
have said something like that. What it means is this. My example before you is very
important. And your example to me is very
important. And how I treat you is how I
treat Christ himself. And I want to set an example
to all my brothers by, yes, being sound in the faith, I wouldn't
ever take away the importance, the critical importance of being
sound in the faith. Someone that's not sound in the
faith is someone who's not in the faith, period. We believe
the gospel. But I also want to be an example
of being merciful, a peacemaker, not contentious, quick to forgive. I got a lot I need to be forgiven
for, and I want to be quick to forgive. I want to live in such
a way as I can be generous with my money. to give to the cause
of Christ. I don't want to get myself so
tied up in the things of this world that I can't freely and
generously give. I want to be a bold witness of
Christ and I want to live with the idea that you are watching
me and following my example. Now, I want to watch you too
and follow your example. Not in a bad way, I don't mean
a, I want to look to see how you're doing, but this is the
importance of this passage of scripture. I think it's interesting,
twice in this passage of scripture, we have the phrase, one toward
another. Look in verse five. Now the God
of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one toward
another. Verse 7, wherefore receive ye
one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. And then in verse 6, he says
that you may with one mind, and this is the way it ought to be
with me and you, that with one mind, really believing the same
thing, thinking the same thing, with one mind and one mouth,
We glorify God. And let me give you some scriptures
with this phrase, one and another. Mark chapter 9, verse 50, have
peace one with another. Don't be contentious, be a peacemaker.
The Lord said, blessed are the peacemakers. As much as lieth
in you is, live peaceably. with all men. Have peace one
with another. Now when there is strife, when
there's contention, the wise man said, by pride only cometh
contention. Have peace, have peace one with
another. John chapter 13 verse 4, wash
ye one another's feet. Oh, our feet get so dirty. I
need to hear the gospel. That's not so much talking about
washing somebody's feet literally, although if you want to wash
somebody's feet literally, go for it. I'd prefer not doing that. But I do want to wash your feet
spiritually by preaching the gospel to you. We get our feet
so dirty in our walk through this world. Wash ye one another's
feet. Then Romans chapter 12 verse
5 says we're members one of another. Members of the same body. We're
going to be spending eternity together. Romans 12 10 says be
kindly affection one to another in honor preferring one another. Romans 12 11 says have the same
mind one toward another. Romans 14.13 says let us not
judge one another anymore. Romans chapter 14 verse 19 says
edify, build up one another. Romans 15.5 says be like minded
one toward another. Romans 15.7 says receive, receive
one another. Romans 16, 16 says, Salute one
another. Salute one another. Treat each
other with respect. Salute one another with a holy
kiss. 1 Corinthians 11, verse 33 says, Carry for one another. 1 Corinthians 12, 25 says, Have
the same care one for another. Galatians 5, 13 says, By love
serve. one another. Galatians 6.2 says,
bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Ephesians 4.2 says, forbearing one another in love, forbearing
one another. Ephesians 4.32 says, be kind
one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. forgiving
one another. Oh, I want to be somebody who
is quick to forgive. Ephesians 5.21 says, submitting
yourself to one another. Philippians 2.3 says, esteem
each other as better than self. Colossians 3.9 says, lie not
to one another. First Thessalonians 4.8 says,
comfort one another. with the gospel. Comfort one
another with these words. Hebrews 10.24 says, Consider
one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking
the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some
is. Now I would like to provoke you, not to irritation, but to
love me. I'd like for you to provoke me
to love you. James 4.11 says, Speak not evil
one of another, And James 5.9 says grudge not one against another. Don't hold a grudge. James 5.16 says confess your
faults one to another and pray for one another. And 1 Peter
4, 9 says, use hospitality to one another. Aren't those scriptures
beautiful about how we are to treat one another? And that is just as important
as the first 11 chapters of Romans. And if I Disregard that, I prove
I really don't have any understanding of the first 11 chapters of Romans. I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. Now let's go back to Romans chapter 15, verse 5. Now
the God of Patience. God controls everything. Therefore,
He's patient. He's not upset. He's not in a
hurry. He's in absolute sovereign control
and He's patient. The God of patience and consolation. The God of comfort. I love that passage of scripture
in Isaiah 40. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and tell them, you say to them,
that their warfare is accomplished. And he doesn't say their warfare
is accomplished. Tell them their warfare will be accomplished
if they, and then fill in the blank, He said, tell them their
sin is pardoned. He doesn't say, tell them their
sin will be pardoned if they fill in the blank. I don't get
any comfort from anything like that. But oh, how it comforts
my heart to know that my warfare is over. My iniquity already
is pardoned, put away by what Christ did for me. Now that's
the God of patience. That's the God of consolation. Now he prays that God will grant,
will freely give us this special blessing of being like-minded. Now the God of patience and consolation
grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ
Jesus. Now what is this thing of being
like-minded? Because as far as that goes, we're different. We're
different. I mean all of us have something
about us that makes us different from somebody else. And we're
different. So how do we how do we reach
this thing of like minded that certain things I like that you
don't like. There are certain things you like that I don't
care anything about. And every one of us are like
that. We're different. We're human beings. We all have
our differences and so on. So how do you go about being
like minded. Well let me ask you this. Do
you believe that Jesus Christ is all in your salvation? You
really believe that? Me too. You know what that means? We're like-minded. Do you believe that the righteousness
of Jesus Christ is the only righteousness there is, and you wouldn't claim
anything else? Do you know how I believe the
exact same thing? We're like-minded. Do you believe that salvation
is all of grace? You really believe that? I mean
you believe that to the point that you have peace because you
know salvation doesn't have anything to do with your works. You really
believe that? You believe it's all of grace? Yeah, I believe that
too. I believe that too and we are like-minded. We're Fellowship
is fellows in the same ship. We believe the same things. This
is what this true like-minded is. It's not a uniformity. It's believing the same things. It's not trying to overlook our
differences. It's believing the same things. That's what it is
to be like-minded. And this is something that only
God can grant. The God of patience and Consolation
grant you freely bestowed upon you to be like-minded one toward
another according to Christ Jesus. Now, if you don't believe that
Christ is all, if you don't believe that God elected a people, if
you don't believe Christ died for the elect, if you don't believe
God's grace is invincible and irresistible, If you believe
somebody can preach the gospel and not preach those things,
we're not like-minded. We don't believe the same thing
at all. We believe totally different. But if we're like-minded, we
believe the same thing, don't we? Richard, I've known you for
35 years, I reckon, and there's not a hair's difference in what
you believe and what I believe. We are like-minded. And the only way this like-mindedness
comes from is not by people trying to get it together. It's something
that God grants. Look in verse 6. That you may
with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ. with one mind and one mouth. Now, do you know there should
never, now listen to this carefully, there should never, there should
never be divisions among believers. It's excuseless. It happens. It happens because look at 1
Corinthians chapter 3, or 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Verse 10, Now I beseech you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all
speak the same thing, that there be no divisions among you, but
that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and
in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto
me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe,
that there are contentions among you. And remember the scripture
says, by pride only cometh contention. Look in 1 Corinthians chapter
3. He picks this thought up. He says in verse 1, And I, brethren,
could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal,
even as unto babes in Christ. I fed you with milk, and not
with meat. For hitherto you were not able to bear it, neither
now are you able. For you are yet carnal. You act
like unbelievers. For there is among you envying,
and strife, and divisions. Are you not carnal, and walk
as men? There were sinful men. There are divisions, but there
shouldn't be. There shouldn't be. Every believer
should be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same
judgment. Now, turn to Ephesians chapter
4. This shows us what that one-mindedness is. Ephesians chapter 4. I love
this passage of Scripture. Verse 1, I therefore, the prisoner
of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation
or the calling wherewith you are called, with all lowliness. You know what that is? That means
humility. Humility. Are you humble? Yeah, I sure
am. I question that, but may God give us grace to walk together
in humility, esteeming the other as better than themselves. With meekness and long-suffering,
forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity
of the spirit in the bond of peace, now he's talking about
where our like-mindedness is, there is one body. You know,
all this stuff about different denominations in religion is
pure you-know-what. That's the most polite way I
think I can say it from the pulpit. If I wasn't in the pulpit, I'd
use the other word. But it is pure you-know-what. There's nothing
in the Bible about that. There's only one body, the Church
of God's elect. The general assembly and church
of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. The church
that Christ loved and gave himself for. Feed the church of God,
which he hath purchased with his own blood. The church of
God's elect. Now, they're local churches.
They make up the one church. And that's the church membership
I want to be in. People always talk about, do
you have a church membership? Nope. Nope. Why not? Well, I don't see anything in
the Bible about it. You can't show me in the scripture
where the Bible says you have to have this church membership.
I don't see it. You know why I don't see it? Because it's
not there. But I tell you the church role I do want to be in,
the general assembly in church of the firstborn whose names
are written in heaven. Now, I want my name on that role, don't you?
Whose names are written in heaven. But there's only one body. The
church where the gospel is preached, where the gospel is believed,
where the gospel is loved. There's only one body. There's
not two. There's not denominations. There's not divisions. There's
one body. And there's one spirit. We're all born, if we're believers,
we're born of the same spirit. He gave us life. And the reason
we believe the same things is he's put those things in our
heart. We have the same experience. We all experience our utter need
of sovereign grace. We're nothing but sin. And we
need Christ. And God the Holy Spirit teaches
us that. He teaches all His children the exact same thing. There's one Spirit. Even as you're called, in one
hope of your calling. Now I love thinking about this.
There's only one hope. Let me tell you what my one hope
is. See if you agree with me. See if this is your one hope.
The only hope that I have is that everything that God requires
of me in every respect, He looks to His Son for. My only hope
is that Christ died for me. That's the only hope I have. My only hope is that His righteousness
is my personal righteousness before God. I don't have any
other hopes. I don't have any hope in anything
else. Now every believer says to that, Amen. That's my hope
too. That's the only hope I have. And then he says there's one
Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, the one who
must be successful because he's the Lord. There is, next he says,
one faith. The faith of God's elect. The
acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness. It's the
faith that every single believer possesses. I believe the precise
same thing. He's all. He's God. His righteousness
is the all. He's the Lord. He's the Lord. There's one baptism. Baptism by immersion. And the
only baptism there is is baptism by immersion. And what it symbolizes
is union with the Lord Jesus Christ There's one God, the God
of the Bible. Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy
God is one God, revealed in three persons, but there is only one
God, the God of the Bible, who's above all and through all and
in you all, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Now back to our
text in Romans 15, Now the God of patience, verse
5, in consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another
according to Christ Jesus that you may with one mind and one
mouth glorify God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, verse
7, wherefore receive ye one another as Christ also received us to
the glory of God. Now understand, first of all,
this is a command. This is spoken of in the imperative. Receive one another. It's not optional. To fail to
do so is to disobey God and to sin against Christ. And we're to Welcome one another
is what the word means. Take one another in. Embrace
one another. Receive one another into our
heart. Not holding off, but completely. Not putting you on probation,
but completely. Receive ye one another as Christ
received us. Now how did Christ receive me?
I'll tell you how he received me. First of all, he received
me freely. And He received me as perfect
in Himself. He received me as I really am
in Him, holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight.
He received me as His own dear child. He received me completely. He didn't hold me off. He embraced
me completely. He embraces me completely even
right now. Now you receive one another as
Christ also received you. Now notice what it says. Wherefore
receive ye one another as Christ also received us to the glory
of God. Now God's glory is what's more
important to Him than anything else. He said, my glory I will
not share with another. And when Christ received me,
he received me as a sinner. That's how he received me first.
This man received the sinners and eateth with them. But he
received me as I am in Christ, holy and unblameable and unapprovable.
And he received me completely and this glorified God. And when we receive one another,
as Christ received us, this glorifies God. Now, don't ever get in this
trap of just your own little narrow sphere. Every believer,
without exception, is to receive one another, to welcome one another,
to embrace one another. What a blessing it is to have
fellowship in Christ. And, well, there's some people
that are just different than me. Well, it doesn't matter.
You're still to receive them. You're still to receive them. And to
do so to the glory of God. And I tell you what, people who
believe what these first 11 chapters of Romans teach, you know what they do? They receive
one another. They receive one another to the
glory of God. May God give us grace to receive
one another, to embrace one another, to welcome one another, to take
one another into our hearts. That is the responsibility of
every believer to every other believer. Amen? It's true. May God give us grace to do it. Let's pray together. Lord, how we thank you for the
gospel that unites our hearts together. For the grace that
unites our hearts together. Lord, cause us to be those who
receive one another. not to doubtful disputations,
but to receive one another as Christ received us to the glory,
to your glory. I bless this word for Christ's
sake. In his name we pray. Amen. We got Dwayne.