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Rom 245 - Our Source & Example of Unity - Rom 15:1-13
 
This is our 4th & Final message on Unity in the Church
the 3 previous msgs on this subject - weren't enuf
The Holy Spirit wants to drive home the Critical Importance of our UNITY
& more importantly - He wants to make it clear Who our SOURCE & EXAMPLE of UNITY is
We're going to actually start with yet another review of Jn Ch 17
But before we do - LET'S PRAY
We’ve referred to Jn 17 many times during these msg's
Because when Jesus Christ knew - He was only hours away from the Cross
He prayed this prayer - that's been called “the greatest prayer in all of Scripture” & “the Holy of Holies” of the Gospels
Because In this prayer, we have the privilege of listening as Jesus prays to His Father, just before giving His life for us
He begins by praying for Himself, to prepare Himself - for what He will go thru
Then He prays for His Disciples, to prepare them - for what they will go thru
& then He prays for Us, to prepare us - for what we will go thru
& when He prays for us, His clear & overwhelming burden - is for our Unity
In 3 Vs's Jesus prays for our unity 4 times
& when the omniscient Christ prays for the church
& He knows what we need most, & He prays for it here;
John 17:20-23 - NLT (turn ?)20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
& So – again listening in on that prayer - again let me ask you
How important do you think Unity in the church is to Jesus Christ ?
 
 
In Jesus' Prayer for our Unity
We see 3 great truths that we're going to take INTO our study of ROM 15 today
#1) The POWER for our unity – John 17:2222 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.
#2) The PURPOSE of our unity - John 17:2121 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
#3) The PERFECTION of our unity – John 17:2323 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
This is; 1) where the Power for our unity comes from 2) what the Purpose of our unity is for 3) what the Perfection of our unity looks like
Now let’s turn to Rom 15 - & watch how this unfolds
 
We'll start in V.1 - but we'll see these 3 major truths starting in V.5 (but don’t read ahead)
Paul starts in V.1 with the same definition he's used before of those STRONG & WEAK in faith
Rom 15:1 - ESV1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Remember - STRONG & WEAK Do Not have to do with the faith of Salvation
but with Faith in LIBERTY - in the Non-Essential issues
& the obligation is for those who are Strong in this faith of Liberty
to “bear with” - which means LIT - TO CARRY, to BEAR THE BURDEN OF
the "short-comings" of those who don’t have the same Faith in Liberty
to BEAR WITH - is NOT just to “put up with” other believers The idea is to CARRY they're short comings
 
Let's read Vs's 1 & 2 together
Rom 15:1-2 - ESV1 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.
Remember - the CONTEXT is still the NON-ESSENTIALS
& V.2 says - Let us TAKE CARE of one another to build one another UP
One of the clearest signs you can see of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in a person's life
is when they genuinely set aside their own interest and truly strive for the OTHER person's good
When one Christian sacrifices his own good (his SELF) in order to build up (edify) another
It's a Pretty God Sign that Jesus is actually LORD in that believers life
F.F. Bruce says;It is so easy for a Christian whose conscience is quite clear about some course of action to snap his fingers at his critics and say, “I will do as I please.” & though He has every right to do so, that is not the way of Christ.
& in order to make sure we understand exactly HOW we are to do this
in V.3 - Paul uses Christ as our example to follow
Rom 15:3 - ESV3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
Jesus Christ left His place of Indescribable Glory & He "CAME DOWN" for us
in Jn 6:38 Jesus says - ESV38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
& instead of the Eternal Glory & Honor that Jesus rightfully & justly deserved
Isa 53:3 says of Him - ESV3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Jesus set aside His Eternal Glory & Honor
& He willingly became despised and rejected by men even taking OUR SIN upon Himself
So that He could accept YOU & I to Himself
& now today, He calls us to a MINUTELY comparable sacrifice
He calls us to Sacrifice our SELF interest & to Sacrifice our SELF focus
in order to accept other believers to ourselves
Compared to His Sacrifice it doesn’t seem like much to ask - - does it?
Now - In V.4 - Because Paul just quoted the O.T. in V.3
He pauses to write a 1 Vs GEM about the Power of the Scriptures
Rom 15:4 - ESV4 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.
THIS is a GREAT Vs.
Your Bible is God's Supernatural WORD (communication) to you It's His Love letter to you
 
The more you MAKE USE of it The more you RELY on itThe more you BELIEVE it
The more ENDURANCE you will gain from itThe more ENCOURAGEMENT you will gain from itThe more HOPE you will gain from it
So there's a quick "1 Vs. Exhortation" to remember to CONSUME God's Word every day
(as Job says) Treasure it more than your Physical Food cause it's more important
Now - Back to the subject at hand - Unity in the Church
Remember - I said the 3 truths we saw in Jesus' prayer start in V.5 of Rom 15 ?
In Vs's 5-6-7 - we have those Same 3 truths in this text
Rom 15:5 – (The POWER for our unity) - ESV5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,
May the God of endurance and encouragement
Those are the same words used in V.4 for what we get from studying the Scriptures - See it ?
& now God is described as the God of endurance and encouragement
 
Isn’t it interesting - that in a msg about UNITY in the Body
God is described as the God of endurance and encouragement ??
As if to imply - that we will CERTAINLY NEED the God of ENDURANCE & ENCOURAGEMENT
If we're going to Live in UNITY in the Body of Christ
& notice closely in V.5May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another
As always - this is NOT something we work up but something GRANTED to us - as we Abide in CHRIST
& then finally (end of V.5) - this HARMONY with one another is to be IN ACCCORD WITH Christ Jesus
The GK word translated "IN ACCORD WITH" means LIT "By a Similar Process"
We are to live in HARMONY with one another BY A SIMILAR PROCESS as Jesus Christ ??
Are you KIDDING ?? - - NO, God's not kidding
"In accord with Christ Jesus" means We are to do this "By a Similar Process" as Jesus did
& so (we have to ask) - exactly HOW DID Jesus do it ?
(turn over) Phil 2:5-8 - NLT
Phil 2:5-8 - NLT5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
THAT - is HOW Jesus Christ DID IT !!
& ROM 15:5 says we are to live in Harmony with one another BY A SIMILAR PROCESS as Jesus took
In Fact - Phil 2:5 says We are to have THE SAME ATTITUDE as Jesus had
He gave up His rights - Humbled himself - Even to death so that He might ACCEPT us to Himself
Which (we'll see in a moment) is exactly what we are called to do for one another
But FIRST - as long as we're here in PHIL CH 2
WHAT is the CONTEXT - when V.5 says we must have the SAME ATTITUDE that Christ Jesus had ?
The CONTEXT is in the Previous 4 Vs's so let's just go ahead & read those
 
Phil 2:1-4 - NLT1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
Those are the Vs's leading up to V.5 - - that says: To do THIS - we must have the same attitude that Christ had
& THIS - is the HOW of us Living in TRUE UNITY
 
Back to Rom 15
We've seen (#1) the POWER for our UNITY it's Granted to us by God In ACCORD with (by a Similar Process) as Jesus Christ took
now - NUMBER 2 - The PURPOSE of our unity - is seen in V.6
Rom 15:6 - ESV
 
Rom 15:6 - ESV6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The PURPOSE of our Supernatural UNITY is that we would GLORIFY GOD !
Jesus made it very clear in His prayer in Jn 17
That our Supernatural UNITY Would have a DIRECT IMPACT on the world believing that He was sent by God
Again - Jesus prayed in Jn 17:23 - NLT23 . . . May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
Jesus prayed that our Perfect Unity would be a Great Witness to world - to Glorify God
Unfortunately – Our in-ability to live in unity is an incredibly POOR witness to the world & certainly does NOT Glorify God
& so this Command to live in UNITY comes w/ a very heavy responsibility
We've seen (# 1) The POWER for our UNITYWe've seen (# 2) The PURPOSE of our UNITY
& now - NUMBER 3 - the PERFECTION of our UNITY
When Jesus prayed in Jn 17:23 (that we just read) for our perfect unity
That word “perfect” means MATURE or COMPLETE
Which means that our Unity would be "In ACCORD with" (By a Similar Process) as Jesus Christ's
& so - in Rom 15:7 we have the PICTURE of our Complete or Mature Unity (The "Perfection" of our Unity)
Rom 15:7 - ESV7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
The word "Welcome" strikes me a little strange but the NLT really makes it clear
Rom 15:7 NLT7 Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.
There it is . . .
Accept each other JUST AS (In the same way) as Christ has accepted you - so that God will be given Glory
How was it again that Christ accepted us Oh that's right . . . He DIED for us
& now - we are called to accept one another JUST AS (in the same way) Christ accepted us
THAT is the fulfillment (the "Perfection") of our CALL to UNITY in the Body of Christ
When we ACCEPT one another Just As Christ Accepted us ! - AMEN ?
Let’s re-read the heart of the message today from the NLT & we'll see the 3 truths all together
Rom 15:5-7 - NLT5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. [POWER for our unity]6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. [PURPOSE of our unity]7 Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. [PERFECTION of our unity]
Man - That's GOOD, isn’t it ?
God gives us the POWER for our unity in ChristThe PURPOSE of our unity is to Glorify GodThe PERFECTION of our unity is when we accept each other JUST AS Christ has accepted us
The first time we went thru Romans here - in 2001 2 Days before I taught this msg God gave Marti Liem this poem
Marti LiemThe casting of your shadow – all my brightness naught comparesYearning what I should be – yet grieving how I fareGlimpses of your likeness – how they fade short of my graspDo I dare plead “Savior, like You is all I ask”
This entire series is summed up in that last statement “Savior, like you is all I ask”
As we humble ourselves - Like Jesus didAs we set aside our own rights - Like Jesus didAs we sacrifice ourselves for the benefit of one another
THEN we will be able to ACCEPT each other JUST AS Christ ACCEPTED us !
& then Jesus' OWN PRAYER in Jn 17:23 will be answered
Jn 17:23 - Jesus prayed to the Father - NLT23 . . . May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
May we allow that prayer of our Lord to actually come to pass in our lives, and in our church
Now - Paul finishes this long exhortation on UNITY
By reminding the JEWISH Christians That Jesus Christ came for the GENTILES TOO
It seems he does it - to put an EXCLAMATION POINT on the fact that Jesus died for ALL BELIEVERS Equally !
Something we need to be constantly reminded of ourselves
Rom 15:8-9(A) - ESV
 
Rom 15:8-9(A) - ESV8 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 (He became a servant) in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. . .
Jesus Christ became a servant to the Jews to show God's truthfulness - & to confirm God's Promises
AND - Jesus became a servant in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy
& now - Paul Cites FOUR O.T. passages that refer to the Salvation of God - Coming to the GENTILES
Starting in Rom 15:9(b)-12 - ESV9 . . . 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.”
Jesus Christ came as The Sacrificial Servant To Show God's Truthfulness To Confirm God's Promises So that both Jews & Gentiles might GLORIFY God
& I love those last words of V.12 . . . in him will the Gentiles hope
 
There was a time - when we were ALL without hope
But because of the indescribable sacrifice Jesus Christ made We now - in Christ Alone - We Have Hope
& it is only by each of us RECEIVING & BELIEVING in that sacrifice that Jesus Christ made
that each of us - can receive the Promise of Rom 15:13
Rom 15:13 - ESV13 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.
I pray that you have made that Commitment Today
to BELIEVE & RECEIVE the Sacrifice Jesus Christ made for YOU
Let’s pray