The Example of Christ
15:1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles
8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name.”10 And again it is said,
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”11 And again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him.”12 And again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Paul the Minister to the Gentiles
14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers,1 that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written,
“Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand.”Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome
22 This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. 28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected,2 I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing3 of Christ.
30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Footnotes
[1] 15:14
Or brothers and sisters; also verse 30
[2] 15:28Greek sealed to them this fruit
[3] 15:29Some manuscripts insert of the gospel (ESV)
Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another
14:1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master1 that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess2 to God.”12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Do Not Cause Another to Stumble
13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.3 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.4
Footnotes
[1] 14:4
Or lord
[2] 14:11Or shall give praise
[3] 14:21Some manuscripts add or be hindered or be weakened
[4] 14:23Some manuscripts insert here 16:25–27 (ESV)
Submission to the Authorities
13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Fulfilling the Law Through Love
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
(ESV)
A Living Sacrifice
12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,1 by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.2 2 Do not be conformed to this world,3 but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.4
Gifts of Grace
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members,5 and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,6 with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Marks of the True Christian
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,7 serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.8 Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it9 to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Footnotes
[1] 12:1
Or brothers and sisters
[2] 12:1Or your rational service
[3] 12:2Greek age
[4] 12:2Or what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God
[5] 12:4Greek parts; also verse 5
[6] 12:8Or gives aid
[7] 12:11Or fervent in the Spirit
[8] 12:16Or give yourselves to humble tasks
[9] 12:19Greek give place (ESV)
Categories
Saturday Study
Saturday Study
Romans 7-11 (3-23-19)
While I recently preached on this passage, I thought it would be good and helpful to revisit some points I made then and expand on a couple things in today’s Saturday Study. Let’s grab our Bibles and dig into Romans 11:33-36.
Romans 11:33-36 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:33-36 is where we, scripturally, get what is called the Doxology. It is a historic song that the church loves to sing:
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
In other words, how deep are the riches of God and how deep is the wisdom and knowledge of God. Let’s break down Romans 11:33-36 to help us answer who God is. To do this I want to pick apart this passage in a different order than written. Let’s start in verse 36.
Romans 11:36 “For from him and through him …”
- All things are from Him and through Him.
Paul says, “‘In him we live and move and have our being’” in Acts 17:28.
Ezra says, “You are the Lord, you alone; you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.” In Nehemiah 9:6.
David says, “Whatever the Lord pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps” in Psalm 135:6.
Solomon says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly from the Lord” in Proverbs 16:33.
Job says, “He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away” in Job 12:23.
Daniel says, “… he removes kings and sets up kings; …” in Daniel 2:21.
All things are from Him and through Him! He is God! He is worthy. It gets better.
Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! …
- The riches and wisdom and knowledge of God are really deep! That is what the “Oh” means! Ohhhhh, really deep!
How deep is God? How vast? How rich? In the 1st century, they would say, “A cattle on a thousand hills belongs to God” quoting Psalm 50:10. In an agricultural society, to say, “A thousand hills and all the cattle on them belong to the Lord” was a way that communicated “this is the expanse of the riches of God.”
Romans 11:35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”
- Because He owns it all, no one can give a gift to God so that one is to be repaid by Him and thereby put God in one’s debt. You can’t give God something He doesn’t already own.
If everything is His, you and I have nothing to give Him that He doesn’t already own. This means, in the end, that God owes no man anything. He owes us nothing. Your very existence has been gifted to you by His grace. Every bit of laughter, every tasty morsel of food, every smile on your face is His grace, and He owes us nothing.
Romans 11:34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
- No one can counsel God and give Him insight that He doesn’t already have.
Let me ask you, “What is the thing we tend to offer to God more than anything else? More than worship, more than obedience, more than respect, more than trust, more than honor?” We offer Him counsel. “God, I think, you should … How could you … God, why would you …?”
This is like when a four-year-old in the car seat is asking his dad if he knows where he’s going. Or worse, telling his dad which way he should go.
Nobody gets to counsel God. Nobody gets to give God advice. Nobody gets to straighten God’s path—no one.
Isaiah 55:8 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.”
Does He say to come bodily to the throne with our supplications? Yes. But we come with reverence and we come ultimately to yield to Him, and to seek His face and His will—not to tell Him.
Romans 11:33 … How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
- His judgments are often unsearchable and His ways often inscrutable and unfathomable—meaning they are understood by the mind of God and not the mind of man. This doesn’t mean we cannot understand Him. It just means we understand what He wants us to understand. He will remain being God and we will remain being His subjects.
We do understand much of how God works and His judgments. Paul spends the first 11 chapters of Romans describing such things. Today, this truth is still true. How could anyone scrutinize God? You and I can’t even comprehend and figure out our own shortcomings and our own failures. And yet, we’ll scrutinize God? He is God and we are not! This is good news!
There is so much to say about who God is, I could go on for days. The Bible sure does.
But we must move on and answer this question. What is God alone due? The answer is glory. We use the phrase “glory of God” so often that it can begin to lose its deserved awe. God’s glory is like the sun in the sense that it is no less blazing and no less beneficial just because people ignore it or don’t have a full comprehension about how radiant it is.
So, what is the glory of God? The glory of God is the holiness of God put on display. It is the infinite worth of God made manifest—His importance above all else.
Isaiah 6:3 … “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
When the holiness of God fills the earth for people to see, it is called glory. Holy means “set apart from what is common.” In speaking of God’s glory, God’s infinite value shines. God’s glory is the radiance of His holiness, the outpouring of His infinite value. “The glory of God” is a way to say that there is an objective, absolute reality to which all human wonder, awe, veneration, praise, honor, acclaim, and worship is pointing. God alone is truly worthy of our worship and wonder forever!
This brings us back to Romans 11:36—to its perfect climax.
Romans 11:36 … and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
- To Him are all things. To Him be glory forever!
The glory of God is the ultimate purpose of everything that exists.
What is included in “all things”?
- God is ultimately for God’s glory:
God is God-centered! It is important that we see that Scripture teaches that the primary reason that God acts, and saves, is “ultimately” for His sake and His glory and not ours.
Colossians 1:15-18 He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, the in everything he might be preeminent.
Everything that exists, including our lives, exists ultimately for the glory of God. Not only do we exist for God’s glory, but we are saved ultimately for the glory of God.
Isaiah 43:25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”
Ezekiel 20:44 “And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the LORD GOD.”
It is vital that we acknowledge that God is ultimately for God. His eternal glory is the highest purpose in all that He does.
- The universe, and everything in it, is ultimately for God’s glory:
The glory of God is the goal of all things.
Psalm 96:1-3 Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
What this helps us understand is that the things of life are the everyday things we have come to enjoy. These things He has created and entrusted to us, are to be enjoyed so that we will see Him as central to it all and give Him praise.
How do we glorify God alone in our daily living?
We treasure Him above all else!
Our ultimate purpose in life is to give God glory; and the best way we can do that is to not begrudgingly crouch on bended-knee for every hour of our lives. Instead, our lives will most purely, authentically, and fully point to His glory and wonder when it is an overflow of our satisfaction in Him!
In the 17th century, the Westminster Shorter Catechism was written to bring a clarity to our ultimate purpose for life. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Notice that is says, “chief end”—not chief ends. What the original authors had discovered was this—giving God glory and enjoying Him forever are the same thing.
True, authentic praise of anything comes out of the mouth of one who has found great enjoyment in it. If not, then that praise is quite possibly founded in something fake or mechanical. Who wants that kind of praise? Nobody.
My favorite quote is one of John Piper’s most famous sayings, “God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him.”
When it comes to the greatest thing you and I could ever, and will ever, enjoy, it is God Himself that He has given us! It is “in Him” that we will become most satisfied.
Glory to God alone means that God is the ultimate prize. Those who want Jesus just to get heaven and not God will not enjoy heaven because eternity in God’s kingdom is all about the glory, wonder, and majesty of God.
In heaven, we will be in the perfect and holy presence of the God of the universe in all His power and glory. If you don’t get this, then you still don’t get God. If you don’t like this, then you still worship the idol in your heart and not God.
So, when we are looking for the best way to give God unceasing glory and praise, we don’t accomplish this by trying really hard to be a “good Christian”. We accomplish this by feasting deeply in Him; and as a result, we will overflow with praise and glory that will terminate not on us and our temporary pleasures, but on Him and His eternal supremacy!
The Apostle Paul got this when he said in Philippians 3:8, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord …”
How does Paul glorify God above all else? By treasuring Christ above all else so that everything else in his life is as nothing by comparison. I count everything—money as loss; food as loss; beauty as loss; friends as loss; family as loss; job and success as loss; graduation as loss—in comparison with the treasure that Christ has become for me.
In the words of the hymn, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
In Christ, to God alone be the glory, colors every corner of your life. Your motivation of self-glory is replaced with a deep desire to glorify Him above all else.
In this, we begin to ask questions we’ve never asked before:
How can God use this relationship I’m entering into, to bring glory to Himself?
How can I use this new job to bring glory to God?
What is God trying to teach me through this circumstance, ultimately for His glory?
How can I use this new car for God’s glory?
How can I use my apartment for God’s glory?
How can I use this computer for God’s glory?
What can I do in my retirement for God’s glory that I couldn’t do otherwise?
How would God have me use this tough time for His glory?
In Christ, God’s glory is why we do what we do. Why we have what we have. It’s why we date this person, but not that person. Why we speak like this, and not like that. It’s why we live like this, and not like that. It’s why we work hard, as for God, not just for men. It’s why we give sacrificially. It’s why we volunteer our time and talents. It’s why we hold fast to God’s word. May he be glorified in us all.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Joshua Kirstine
Disciples Church