Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Romans

Romans 15:7-13

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Title: 'God's Church is a Ministering Church:The Ministry of Edification pt.2
Text: Romans 15:7-13

BACKGROUND: I began Romans 15 by stating  that this chapter answers the question 'How does the weaker brother grow into a stronger brother?'

  Remember I said that instead of us bullying or haranguing a weaker brother to 'grow up' in their faith, God uses His Church to motivate those with a weaker, less informed faith, to have a stronger, more informed faith.

  I said that one of the key words in Chapter 15  is ministry, and that the theme of the messages in chapter 15 would be 'God's church is a ministering church'?

  Romans 15:1-13 is about the ministry of edification. We examined vs. 1-6 a few weeks ago and the three points to that message are found in your sermon notes.

  Today we will continue to examine the ministry of edification in the church and how God uses it not only to grow the weaker brother into a stronger brother, but, to promote oneness in the church.

TRANS: Now that we are caught up, turn in your Bibles to  Rom. 15:7 where we will find that the ministry of edification also involves...

IV. By everyone accepting one another (Rom.15:7-12)
Read: Rom. 15:7
 A. Wherefore
      Wherefore is an important word in the Bible. It is like the word Therefore. So when you see the words therefore, and wherefore, what are you supposed to do? (See what they are there for) In this case wherefore connects verse 7 with verse 6.

Read: Rom. 15:6

  Paul is continuing to tell us how we are to live so that we bring glory to God. He told us in vs. 5 one way we do that is to be of the same mind toward one another, to have the same single minded purpose and passion in life. As one mouth, one body of Christ, we might worship God together.

 B. Accept
  Verse 7 tells us another way we bring glory to God... it is when we accept one another. To accept means that we not only welcome one another into our church but also into our homes.

  Paul once again gives us the example of Jesus Christ. Who by grace accepted us into His family and as we read in John 14, accepts us into His heavenly home as well.

  Paul in verses 8-12 goes on to tell us to what extent Jesus went to accept us and by His example, challenges us to do the same.

Read: Rom. 15:8-9a

What was Christ's example?
 C. Christ's Example: Servanthood
  Jesus became a servant to the circumcision (Jews) to fulfill the promises made to their forefathers in Scripture.   Jesus became a servant to the Gentiles so that God would receive glory for His great mercy to the Gentiles, a people who were once not a people of God.

  Jesus showed the faithfulness and mercy of God when He accepted the radically different Jew and Gentile. Which, by the way, are qualities that we are to show to one another as well. Because they edify and bring glory to God.

Read: Rom. 15:9b-12

 C. The People's Response
  There is a beautiful progression in the promises that Paul quotes from the OT. Follow with me. Vs 9b-12

 1. The Jews give glory to God AMONG the Gentiles.
 2. The Gentiles rejoice WITH the Jews.
 3. The Jews and Gentiles TOGETHER praise God.
 4. Christ shall reign over  ALL.

  The response of those to whom God was faithful and to whom God was merciful, is the same ,and it is offered TOGETHER. The Jew and Gentiles are no longer separate but One People, and together they will praise God and bring glory to His name.  The partition wall has, in Christ, been removed, and there is but one Shepherd for the one flock of God.

APP: What Rom. 15:7-12 is saying is that we must follow Christ's example of faithfulness and mercy by truly accepting one another as Christ accepted us. When this happens we will build one another up, edify one another, in our faith. Because we will see how faith is to be truly lived out. And God will be glorified.

TRANS:  The ministry of edification involves accepting one another, it also involves, according to verse 13...

V.  By everyone being filled with the Holy Spirit (Rom.15:13)
Read: Rom. 15:13

  What does being filled with the Holy Spirit have to do with edification, the weaker and stronger brother and oneness?...EVERYTHING!

 A. A Vessel to be Filled
  Paul pictures the Believer as a vessel into which God pours joy and peace  in abundance.

Note: the conditional clause where there is true faith.

  It is in the overflow of Joy and Peace that Hope is experienced.

  Verse 13 is Paul's prayer on behalf of the Roman believers. He knows that for a church to be effective in the ministry of edification, and to be one,  it must be Spirit filled.

  Because building up others, often at the expense of our own feelings and wants, is unnatural.
  Because our natural motivation is not ministry to others but devotion to self.
  Paul knows that the Believer who is filled with the Spirit will not be and can not be filled with himself. Joy, Peace and Hope can not be possessed apart from a right relationship with God and only the Holy Spirit can give them to us because they are fruit of His work in us.

 B. How a Vessel is Filled
  The questions may be asked, what does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? And how can everyone in a church be filled with the Holy Spirit?  Whenever God was about to do a work through one of His obedient children they were first filled with the Holy Spirit.

Look at     Lk. 1:15, 41, 67     Acts 2:4,   4:8,31    Acts 7     9:17     13:9

  You will find individuals, living in obedience to God and through whom God was about to use. When a person becomes a Christian, they receive the Holy Spirit as a gift from God. Since the Christian life is one of continual growth, called sanctification, the Holy Spirit ought to have an ever increasing amount of control over the life of the Christian.

 Being filled with the Holy Spirit does not mean we have some emotional, or mystical event. To be "filled with the Spirit of God" means in a very practical way, that a believer has surrendered to the Lordship of Christ and sincerely desires to be directed by the Holy Spirit. So that Christ may be glorified in their life.

 One of the most compelling evidences of a Spirit-filled life is a consistent, Christ-like, Christ honoring lifestyle.

  But, the truth is, not everyone in a  church will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

  There are some who have not yet invited Jesus into their lives to be their Savior and Lord. They will not be filled with the Holy Spirit until they are first  indwelled by the Holy Spirit when they ask Jesus into their lives, to save them from their sin and accept his free gift of salvation.

  There are some who have professed Christ , maybe they have said the sinners prayer, have even been faithful in church attendance,  perhaps for many years BUT, they have never yielded their life to Christ's authority. They are just going through the motions of Christianity. They too will not be filled with the Holy Spirit until they seek forgiveness of their sin and salvation in Jesus Christ..

  Then there are those who have been truly saved by the work of God in their lives but are now practicing sin. They close off a part of their life to God's presence and by their active, deliberate rebellion they are disobedient to the Word and will of God.
They may posses the Holy Spirit but they will not be filled with the Holy Spirit while in active rebellion. They must repent of their sin and yeild to the Holy Spirit's control.

  Finally there are those who also have been truly saved by the work of God in their lives and they are striving to follow Jesus by how they live.

  They read and study God's Word, they are faithful in Worship and energetic in Service.
  They desire that no part of their lives be hidden from the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit.
  They are actively working to live obedient lives to the Word and Will of God.
  These are the ones God's Spirit will fill with Joy, Peace and Hope to overflowing.

  These are the ones who bring glory to God.

  These are the ones Paul is talking to...is He talking to you this morning?

Conclusion:

  You see, there can be no true hope, no true Joy no true Peace in your personal life apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit having free reign in your life.

  And apart from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you will not have the Holy Spirit in your life.

  There can be no true Hope, no true Joy, no true Peace in our church, apart from the Holy Spirit being allowed to rule and reign, to lead and to guide us.

  Apart from this body of Believers being Spirit Filled and Spirit led, there can be:

 no effective ministry of edification,
 no opportunity for true spiritual growth for the weaker brother,
 no chance to show true love by the stronger brother,
 no acceptance of one another,
 no commitment to God's Word,
 no chance to bring glory to God,
 until as a body, all who are truly found in Christ, follow Christ's example of serving one another, being obedient unto death and desiring to bring glory to God in all they, we do.

  Church of God, Believers by faith in Jesus Christ, Be Filled with the Holy Spirit!