Glorifying God in Unity of Purpose
The Glory of the Gospel: Studies in the Book of Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 19 viewsLiving for others leads to harmony which glorifies God
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OPEN: The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir has a powerful sound as they sing songs of praise to glorify God. The Choir has hundreds of members and each of them has his or her distinctive voices and ranges of musical ability. They are not identical, but as they harmonize their voices they produce a unified praise song to the Father.
OPEN: The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir has a powerful sound as they sing songs of praise to glorify God. The Choir has hundreds of members and each of them has his or her distinctive voices and ranges of musical ability. They are not identical, but as they harmonize their voices they produce a unified praise song to the Father.
TRANSITION: The individual choir members do their part and they do that part in accordance with the music as written for the entire choir. In like manner, when the individual members of a family of faith are in one accord, the result brings glory to God.
As we look together in our text in Romans 15 this morning, we are going to observe principles that will be of help in our continuing attempt to glorify God in a manner worthy of who He is.
READ the Text: Romans 15:1-7
We will begin at the end this morning as we look at Paul’s prayer for the congregation at Rome as found in verses 5 & 6 of our text.
Paul is bringing a petition of intercession to God in this prayer. He is asking God to allow the congregation to live in harmony for the purpose of glorifying God. This is a wonderful prayer, and it reveals the heart of a pastor as Paul is desiring for this congregation to be in such a position as to where God will bless them with this result.
NOTE: While God can do anything, He generally does not bring blessings when His people are not living in such a was as to receive them. Therefore, it is of vital importance to us to know what is expected and to live in such a way that we can receive His blessings.
Believers are to live for others and not for ourselves (Romans 15:1-2)
Believers are to live for others and not for ourselves (Romans 15:1-2)
Explanation: Paul is bringing his letter to the congregation at Rome to a close and he is giving final instructions in this last section that began with Chapter 12. If you recall, the first two verses of Chapter 12 deal with acceptable worship, and these instructions will help us to achieve this result.
The preceding section of the letter (chapter 14) dealt with principles for navigating the “gray areas” of life and Paul addressed the mature believers (the strong) and the unformed believers (the weak). These are not two distinct categories or levels of believers as in 1st class believers and 2nd class believers. Having 2 (or more) levels of believers would NOT result in harmony!
Paul is therefore instructing the strong believers (he includes himself in this group - note the preposition “we”) to remember that each of them has an obligation to the unformed or immature believer. This means that they are accountable (will give an answer for to God) for how they treat other believers. He instructs them NOT to live to please themselves, but to live in such a way as to encourage and build up the weaker brother or sister.
Illustrate: This is counter-culture. This is 180 degrees from the “O’s” creed of “just do you.”
Application: Paul adds the term neighbor, a word that implies relationship. We should be gracious to all people, but we should not take the people closest to us for granted and treat them with less respect (cf. Galatians 6:10)
Believers are to follow the example of Christ (Romans 15:3)
Believers are to follow the example of Christ (Romans 15:3)
Explanation: Paul immediately references the example of Christ following his instruction for the stronger to live for the weaker. This is exactly how Christ lived His life on earth. He was focused on meeting the needs of others. He demonstrated His love and compassion for people by living with them, feeding them, touching the untouchable, and spending time with them. The Creator of the Universe entered His creation in a manner that demonstrated His willingness to meet the needs of lesser beings. Jesus did not live for Himself!
Argument: While Jesus did minister to the physical needs of others (feeding and healing), He knew the greatest need was for humans to be in right relationship with God. Jesus’ ultimate purpose was to prepare people for the Kingdom of God and He did this by pointing to Himself as the Saviour of the world.
Application: As a member of the family of faith you are called to love other family members as Jesus does.
Believers are to encourage one another with the Word as we go through the difficult times (Romans 15:4)
Believers are to encourage one another with the Word as we go through the difficult times (Romans 15:4)
Explanation: Paul reminds the believers that the call to Christian living is not a trouble-free experience. God did not promise that He would shield His children from pain and heartache in this fallen world. Paul emphasizes this principle by using the word through. He uses the word through because believers are called to endure the storms of life by living through them. We do not get a pass.
Argument: But believers are never alone in the difficult times. Paul instructs the believers to encourage one another through the Scriptures. We are called to minister to one another through the use of the Word. It is in the Word of God that we know that God will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5); it is in the Word that we hear Jesus saying “in the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). It is also in the Word where we hear the command to walk worthy of our calling, and “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ehp 4:1-3)
Application: As you are called to minister to one another through the Word, you yourself must be in the Word. Paul is writing to the members of the congregations, not to just the leaders and pastors. Each of us must take this responsibility seriously so that we can be used of God to do our part to maintain unity within the body.