The Hope of "and"

 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. (Romans 15)

Paul has repeated over and over again how the Gospel is for Jew and Gentile alike.  Rather than being one or the other, both can and will praise God together as one people in Christ. He, and He alone, gives hope to all. Not only do we share that hope; we also share one faith, one joy, and one peace. May we find the fulness of Christ God offers in our hearts today, and may we share it with one another to live this joyful, peaceful life of hope. 

Enduring

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. (Romans 15)
Endurance.  We often think of it when it comes to runners in marathons and other kind of athletic races, but fail to keep it in mind when it comes to relationships.  We give up too easily - whether it be at work, at home, or in the Body of Christ. We give up on one another, and in a sense, on ourselves. We don't think we can do it anymore, and we are right. We cannot. We need the God of Endurance and Encouragement to graciously give us His endurance. We need to run into His embracing arms, and trust in Him. He is able. We are not. 

Taking Responsibility: for Ourselves, and others...

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. 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. (Romans 14)
Selfishness. That is a core problem we all face.  It is at the root of failed marriages, failed businesses and failed churches.  We need to take responsibility for our selfishness.  We also need to look out for one another.  When we combine the two: awareness of our tendency toward self-fulfillment, and an awareness of the needs and vulnerabilities of one another, we will go a long ways toward maintaining unity in the body (going back to chapter 12), not offending one another, and moving forward together on the path God has for His people.  It is a faith journey of togetherness in and toward fellowship with God.  Let's see how unselfish we can be today. 

No Good Answer

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 confess to God.”

12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

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.

Paul begins with this pressing question: "Why?" It's one of those questions that has no good answer.  Again, with the theme with which this letter began: we are without excuse. We have no excuse for our judgmental attitudes and actions. All it does is alienate us from others and put a hindrance in the way of the Gospel message from our lives.  We need to be as unoffensive as possible to others. This does not mean "compromising our convictions", but it does mean letting God deal with the heart of others, just like He does with us. Notice how verse 18 goes back to verses 1,2 - this is what pleases God: our submission to His Spirit and our pursuit of peace and oneness with fellow believers.  Let's do this!

Living TO the Lord

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 master 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. (Romans 14)

Often in our Christian lingo we talk about "living for the Lord", as if we are doing God a favor by our behavior.  Paul prefers to talk about living TO the Lord, with Him as our goal and our end, heading in His direction. It's not about us, but Him.  When that is our perspective and goal, there is a lot less time for looking around, comparing, and criticizing one another.  There are definitely clear instructions of Scripture from God as to what to do and not do to please Him. By His Holy Spirit, he helps us continue to apply those principles in developing convictions to carry us through this life and toward His eternal presence. Today, let's ask Him not how we can live "for" Him, but "to Him.

What Are We Living for?

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. (Romans 13)
Having dealt with the divisions that come through diversity, Paul makes a unified call to responsibility in the way we live - united, together.  We need to get up and get going.  We are to have clear heads, clean bodies, and pure motives. We are to live not for all the "pleasures" of life, but for the sake and glory of Christ. It is spiritual "back to school" time - getting up on time and not sleeping in; not sitting in a dark room watching TV, but turning on the light and studying God's word; "dressing up" in such a way that people see Jesus and not some selfish selves.  

The Opposite of Revenge...

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. (Romans 13)
The paragraph before this was on the Law of the Avenger - that we need to entrust justice and any "revenge" to proper authorities - not take it into our own hands. Rather than revenge, the only thing we owe to fellow believers is to love. When we truly love we will seek to do no harm, only what is best for them. Hard? Yes? But truly possible in the power of Christ Who works within us. So as you see fellow worshippers today, and some of them you'd rather avoid, ask God how to love them and seek their good.  Don't run away from them, run to them. 

The Law of the Avenger

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. (Romans 13)
Recently, our congregation has been studying the topic "living unoffensivedly in an offended world." We live in a time when people do not care if they offend others, yet are easily offended by anything others do, say, or do not do or say to them. We like to hold on to our right to "righteous anger" as an excuse for our bad behavior.  The fact is we do not have the right, or the ability, to judge others behavior - and motives - only God does. For day to day living, He has chosen to give the carrying out of justice and judgment to government authorities. To be sure, such activities will always be imperfect, anse sometimes downright corrupt. But throughout history, including the Old Testament, there has always been this "Law of the Avenger" - we are not to take justice away from government and into our own hands; otherwise, we end up with a wild west, or "Hatfields and McCoys" kind of partiality, because in the midst of the conflict, we simply cannot see clearly. Government has its place; it is a God-appointed institution without which anarchy will rule. It is part of trusting God and His sovereignty to let it do its job, and "gulp", even pay for it to do so.  

Some Things Deserve Explanation...

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, 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. 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 it 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. (Romans 12)

Lists. This one is almost twice as long as the Ten Commandments, and, in a sense, goes deeper.  Rather than six commands having to do with our relationship with those around us, we have many that reach into our attitudes and motives.  Yet Paul rattles them off without any explanation, until we get to the last one. "Never avenge youreselves." Here, he thinks, we need a little counter-cultural explanation and encouragement. Since righteousness is a big character quality for God's people, we can become the righteousness police, finding reason to wish, and may nudge along, judgement and punishment to those we think have been less than righteous - especially toward us. To keep us from doing so, Paul instructs us to go overboard the other direction: do all we can to show love, forgiveness, and kindness to such persons, so that we do all we can on our part to restore them.  That is counter-cultural!  The thing is: by the time we go through the rest of the list, and seek in Christ's strength to live that way, we realize that this last, toughest, and almost incomprehensible "law" is in fact possible after all, through Christ Who strenghtens me...

The Bodies of The Body

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, 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. 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, 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, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 11)

It is amazing how often we pluck verses out of context. Like here: Verses 1 and 2 are some of the most preached on, memorized, and applied in scripture, yet we stop there and come back later to verses 3 through 8 as a separate and somewhat unrelated study. But the word "for" which begins verse 3 says otherwise. We are to live holy lives in our bodies because we are part of the Body of Christ. We are not the lead in the play; Christ is. We are not performing a one-act show; we are part of the biggest production on earth. Each one of us is important to God, but not all important. We each have the possibility of making the Body function fully, or infecting the thoughts, words, attitudes and actions of the Body by individually sinning in our bodies and minds. So let's be the Body in our bodies, and in our thoughts, and in our motives. Let us all be all in, serving the LORD and one another generously, zealously, and cheerfully. 

The God of Mercy

25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
    he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
27 “and this will be my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”

28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
    or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
    that he might be repaid?”

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11)

None of us has a right to brag - none of us.  It all comes back to the character of God - that He is righteous and merciful. He is merciful to those on the run from Him. We are all disobedient and rebellious - sometimes hardened in our own way.  That makes it impossible for us to figure out how He will do things. Just as it was a mystery how He would ever bring Gentiles into a relationship with Him, along with the people of Israel, it is in His mind alone how He will draw the Jews back to Him. God has this. He is all-powerful. He is merciful.