Greetings

Romans 16:1-16

Greet one another with a holy kiss.

All the churches of Christ greet you.

Romans 16:16 ESV

Romans is a letter from the heart of Paul, the Apostle. Romans also is a doctrinal thesis that lays out both the truth of the Gospel and the practicalities of how that truth is to be lived out. This letter reveals the depth of Paul’s insight and understanding. It also shows his passion. In this epistle, we see reflected the truth of his statement in Philippians 3:8-9.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith (Philippians 3:8-9 ESV)

In this passage from Philippians, we find the “why” of Paul’s life. Everything he did was shaped by this one overriding passion; that he could “gain Christ.” Why did Paul have the friends he had? Why did Paul make the trips he made? Why did Paul write the letters he wrote? Why did Paul say the things he said? Why was Paul willing to suffer hardship and imprisonment? Why? Because he was determined to gain Christ.

In his endeavor to gain Christ, Paul built relationships with a disparate group of people. These people were from different ethnic backgrounds, different social backgrounds, different economic backgrounds and different linguistic backgrounds. They differed in every conceivable way, and yet Paul was tied to them with the strongest bonds of love.

As we begin our look into the final chapter of the book of Romans, we come to a list of greetings. In these greetings, we will see the relationships that the heart and passion of Paul forged. We will see how a strong, successful businesswoman was used of the Lord to advance the Gospel. We will see how a husband and wife team worked together in the Gospel. We will see how a single man and a single woman served Jesus. And, we will see how a couple dedicated themselves to mission work.

These are not all of the people we meet in this chapter, but they will help to show us that each of us has a place in God’s work. Whether we are strong or weak, bold or timid, male or female, married or single, the Lord can use each of us, and He will use us if we are willing.

In Romans 16:1 we meet Phoebe.

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. (Romans 16:1-2 ESV)

First, you will notice Paul commends Phoebe. This is a recommendation. In those days, it was the practice for people to carry letters of recommendation when they traveled to a new place. This was important for the early Church to guard against false teachers and those with malicious intentions. Since the close of this epistle includes the recommendation of Phoebe, it is the assumption of most of us that Phoebe is the person who carried the letter from Corinth to Rome.

We can thank her for seeing that it arrived safely in Rome and is preserved for us to this day.

Next, we see that Phoebe was a servant of the church at Cenchreae.

Cenchreae is on the coast/water and was the port city of Corinth. We do not know if the Christians of Corinth met in Cenchreae or if there was more than one gathering of believers in Corinth. Our assumption is that because of persecution the believers met in the port city because it was more “out of the way.” This would mean that Phoebe was a vital part of the Church in Corinth/Cenchreae.

The word translated “servant” by the ESV is the word “διάκονον” (diakonon). This is the word Paul uses nearly 10 years later when writing to Timothy. In 1 Timothy 3:8-10, he says:

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. (1 Timothy 3:8-10 ESV)

From this passage, we know that the Church had an office called “deacon.” This office was established early in Acts when Stephen and 6 others were elected to serve in the distribution of food. In verse 11 of 1 Timothy 3, it says:

Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. (1 Timothy 3:11 ESV)

This verse has an issue in its translation. It appears that the word “women” is translated “wives” based on the assumption that a woman could not serve in the office of “deacon.” “Wives” is not a mistranslation, because wives is a possible translation of the word used, but wives is not the primary meaning of the word. Thayer, in his Greek lexicon, defines the word in 1 Timothy 3:11 as “universally, a woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow.”^[1] As an example of a literal translation of the text of 1 Timothy 3:11, Young’s Literal Translation renders 1 Timothy 3:11,

Women -- in like manner grave, not false accusers, vigilant, faithful in all things. YLT^[2]

In 1 Timothy 3, Paul first gives the qualifications for the office of overseer or bishop. Then in verse 8, he uses the word likewise to lay out the qualifications for the office of deacon. And, without a break, he says, “In the same way, Women...” The natural progression and context of the passage would be to assume that women in the office of deacon would “in the same way” need to meet the listed qualifications. Given that 10 years earlier Paul used the word “deacon” in introducing Phoebe, it is reasonable to assume that the Church in Corinth had at least one woman in the office of “deacon” and that she was qualified according to the qualifications Paul lays out in 1 Timothy 3.

In her office of deacon of the Church in Cenchreae, Phoebe was entrusted with Paul’s letter to the Romans. She apparently had both the means and the respect of the Apostle Paul to be entrusted with such a task.

The next thing I want to point out about Phoebe is that Paul says, “…she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.”

“Patron” is defined as: “a person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, cause, or activity.”^[3] Now, if, as Paul says, Phoebe was a patron to many, it is safe to assume that she had money. Based on this assumption, it is not difficult to imagine she had business that would take her to Rome. Legal or trade matters could easily have required the trip. However, we are given no details. Please note that Paul instructs the Christians in Rome to “help her in whatever she may need from you.” From the greetings that follow, we learn that there were members of the imperial household in the Church. Therefore, people with significant political influence were among the believers.

Whatever the circumstances, we have a lady who had means and a reason to travel to Rome, who was a trusted member of the Church in Cenchreae. We do not know how she traveled, but for a woman to tackle such a voyage in that day and time, she was strong, independent, resourceful and apparently successful. We do not know if she was married. There is no mention of a husband or household.

I would like to make two comments.

First, there is a place in the Church for strong, independent, resourceful and successful women.

Second, Phoebe strikes me as what our American culture is pushing as the model for all women to follow. The culture seems to insist that women must have their own careers, be independent and strong, and be successful apart from men.

Looking at the greetings in Romans 16, two couples are listed: Priscilla and Aquila, and Junia and Andronicus. These couples also serve as models for Christian service. Throughout the Scriptures, we find women in many roles, and it is not good to find one role and say “all women should fit this model. God has created each person unique, and each person has a unique role or place to fill. Priscilla was not less in her service to God because she was married and had a partner. Paul’s list of friends and co-workers in the cause of Christ shows a wide variety of people.

Phoebe was in Paul’s life because they shared a “why.” Paul lived to gain Christ. Apparently, Phoebe shared the same passion. For this reason, they were friends and workers together for a common cause. As part of the fruit of this partnership, we enjoy the epistle of Paul to the Romans.

In reading Paul’s recommendation of Phoebe, I am reminded of why. Why should we welcome somebody in the Lord? Why should we behave in a way worthy of the saints?

Because, we make it our goal to gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of our own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ. In these greetings, we can see a why that is worthy of our devotion and our lives, a why that will bind us together in love.

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^[1] https://biblehub.com/greek/1135.htm (accessed February 1, 2019).

^[2] https://biblehub.com/1_timothy/3-11.htm (accessed February 1, 2019).

^[3] https://www.google.com/ (Accessed February 1, 2019).

Striving Together

Romans 15:20-33

“My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.” Romans 15:20 NLT

When Jesus ascended into heaven, the whole world was unreached. His followers immediately set out to reach the world with the Good News.

Paul is talking about reaching unreached people when he says, “My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard.”

While the idea of an unreached people group is not new, the emphasis in the 21st century Church has shifted from “countries” to “people groups.” To help us understand the difference, I have included here a lengthy quote from The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Church.

At the time of the Lausanne missionary conference in 1974, there were evangelical Christians in most countries around the world. During the conference, a missiologist named Ralph Winter drew the attention of the missionary world to the priority of unreached people groups. A people group is not the same as a country. Members of a people group share the same ethnic identity. They typically have a common language, a common religion, and a common history.

A country, defined by a fixed geographical border and a central government, usually has more than one people group living within it. People groups, on the other hand, often spill over political borders and live in more than one country. When Jesus commanded his followers to make disciples of all nations (Matt, 28:16–20), he used the word ethne, which refers to people groups and not to geopolitical countries.

Examples of people groups would be the Catalan and Basques of Spain, or the Kurds of Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. Everyone is part of a people group. But some people groups have access to the gospel (such as ours, if you are an English-speaking North American like me), and some do not. Ralph Winter pointed out to the evangelical world that there were still thousands of people groups that no one was trying to reach with the gospel. Unless someone intentionally crossed barriers of language and culture to bring them the good news of Jesus, they would remain lost in darkness. Beginning in the 70s, the focus of evangelical missionary activity shifted more and more toward unreached people groups.^[1]

Reaching unreached people is part of the Church’s DNA. The word “ethne” as used in the New Testament did not have in mind international boundaries as we might assume when we hear the word “nations.” The heart of the Church given by the Holy Spirit has always been that all may know, no matter what their ethnicity may be.

At the end of Romans 15, Paul makes an appeal for the believers in Rome to “strive together” with him, which I am sure they did. The Church continues to “strive together” in the cause of the Gospel as we see in the missionary efforts going on around the world. In Paul’s words, we find a recipe for striving together, making common cause in the Gospel.

In Romans 15:20-33, we see that the early Church was 1) united in purpose, 2) united in partnership, and 3) united in prayer.

First, we see that they were united in purpose. We see this in verses 20 and 21.

When Paul says, “and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named,” (Romans 15:20 ESV) he is addressing something that lies at the heart of the Church’s purpose.

Jesus spoke on a number of occasions of the worldwide ambitions of His kingdom. When He ascended to heaven, He left us with orders to “Make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19) When He taught about how the end would come, He said:

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14 ESV)

Romans 15:21 quotes the prophet Isaiah when it says:

But as it is written, "Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand." Romans 15:21 ESV

We see in these words the desire for everyone to know and understand the Gospel. The promise of God to Abraham included the words “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” The global ambitions of the Church are built on the foundation of love from which grows the passion and desire that everyone might know the truth.

This purpose of God to reach all the families of the earth is shared by us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Having been baptized by the Spirit into the Body of Christ, we strive as one for the cause of the Gospel. We are united in purpose. Because of this unity of purpose, we are also united in partnership. In Philippians 1:5, Paul even speaks of the partnership of the Gospel.

We see this partnership of the Gospel at work in Romans 15:22-29.

Paul speaks about how he has longed to visit the Roman Church but was hindered because of his continuing work. His work, of course, was preaching the Gospel to those who had never heard. However, the work had progressed to the point that there were Gospel preaching churches in places like Colossae, Philippae, Ephesus, Corinth, Thessalonica, and so on. Because the work had progressed to this point, Paul set his sights on regions yet further from Judea and names Spain as his next mission field.

As Paul speaks of his plans, a deep partnership is revealed. The churches of Macedonia and Achaia were sending financial assistance to the Church in Jerusalem.  In this act, we see not only love in action but the temporal or physical nature of what is spiritual kinship. Paul states:

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. (Romans 15:27 ESV)

One aspect of our partnership in the Gospel is the obligation to support each other. The principle of reciprocity was established in the Law of Moses as the Apostle Paul points out in his letter to the Corinthians.

For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain." Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. (1 Corinthians 9:9-10 ESV)

We owe a debt of gratitude to those who have wrestled in prayer and labored for our benefit in the gospel. For example, it was because of farmers, mechanics and their families that I heard the Gospel. They gave of their time, their money and their love so that our small community would have a church, a Sunday school and a vacation Bible school. I owe these people a debt of gratitude that I can never repay. However, I can, as the saying goes, pay it forward. This is the kind of obligation Paul is speaking of in Romans 15:27. This is why he says, “For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.”

In Romans 15:22-29, we see that Paul fully expects both to bless the Roman Church and to be blessed by the Roman Church. He expects to bless them spiritually and to be blessed materially. He assumes they will partner with him in his efforts to reach Spain with the Gospel, and that they will be happy to do so. In this, we see another aspect of our partnership in the Gospel. He expects them to be happy to help because our partnership in the Gospel is a source of much joy and blessing. We cannot measure the joy that comes from knowing that our resources and efforts have brought the truth of the Gospel to those who have never heard, just as we cannot measure the joy of knowing that our children have grown up to love Jesus and follow Him. Our partnership in the Gospel is both an obligation and a privilege.

We have seen how we are united in purpose and partnership. Paul closes this chapter by showing that we are united in prayer. He says:

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, (Romans 15:30 ESV)

Prayer is where purpose and partnership come together, where the heart for the work and the heart for the people come together in a plea to Heaven for guidance, strength and provision.

Paul asks for prayer for his immediate concerns. He asks for prayer that he would be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, that his offering and service to the saints in Jerusalem would be accepted and that he would be brought safely to Rome.

All three of these request were granted.

The offering and messages from Macedonia and Achaia were successfully delivered.

The unbelievers in Jerusalem made every effort to kill Paul, and God used Roman soldiers and a Roman prison to protect Paul from the hands of his would-be assassins. God used these same efforts and people to transport Paul safely to Rome. In the meantime, Paul had a furlough of study, prayer and ministry in prison for two years in Caesarea, where he ministered to the governing authorities of the region. And, although he was a prisoner, he did make it to Rome with joy and was refreshed in their company just as he had requested in Romans 15:32.

…so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. (Romans 15:32 ESV)

Prayer is where striving together in the Gospel begins. We are united in purpose and partnership, and this finds its expression in our prayers. We communicate with missionaries so that we can know what to pray for specifically, so that our prayers go beyond “God, bless the missionaries.” As we fellowship with each other, we learn of each other’s burdens and concerns so that we can bear each other’s burdens in prayers and petitions on each other’s behalf.

We do not control the results, but we continue faithful in prayer. No one, including Paul, expected their prayers on his behalf to be answered in the way that they were. However, their prayers were answered. Paul’s prayer request was “so that by God’s will I may come to you...” He did not lay out the route or the means for God to get Him to Rome. He most likely had in mind a sea voyage, but probably not as a prisoner. We must not forget that God works all things according to His purposes. The NLT translates Ephesians 1:11 to say, “He makes everything work out according to his plan.”

Prayer is joining together in purpose and partnership with each other and the Holy Spirit to see God’s will accomplished on earth. Jesus told us He is with us until the end of the age. We are to continue striving together until that end, His return, comes.

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^[1] https://www.imb.org/2016/11/22/what-do-we-mean-by-unreached-peoples-and-places (Accessed January 23, 2019).

Persuaded

Romans 15:14-19

And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. (Romans 15:14 KJV)

Most of us think we know people.

We become pretty good judges of character.

In our high school yearbooks, we single out the class clown and the most likely to succeed.

Jesus said we would know people by their fruits. Therefore, a certain amount of judging or judgment takes place and some of it is necessary. For example, if someone is needed to give a speech, one would not choose the shyest person in the class. To varying degrees, we all make judgment calls. For another example, I have never called my mother for help with car trouble. On the other hand, my father is an excellent resource for car problems.

Some of our judgments are more important than others. Things like who one hires, or who to go to for advice and counsel are examples of decisions having more impact than who one talks to about car trouble. The process of making these judgments involves time, experience and assumptions.

Assumptions can help us or get us into trouble. Today, I want to look at some assumptions that we should make in favor of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Romans 15:7 tells us to, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:7 NIV) The passage we are looking at today, Romans 15:14-19, will help us with the accepting of each other. To this end, we will look at: 1) our assumptions, 2) our role, and 3) our goal.

First, Let’s look at some assumptions that we should make about brothers and sisters in Christ.

Romans 15:14 says:

And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. (Romans 15:14 KJV)

Where it says, “I myself,” this is Paul talking to the believers in Rome. He had never traveled to Rome, and while some people he knew were among the believers in Rome, Paul had not met the majority of the believers. From his letter, we understand that there were both Jews and Gentiles in the Church in Rome. So, their backgrounds were as diverse and varied as possible. We also know that their faith was being reported all over the world (Romans 1:8).

Of these diverse believers, Paul says, “I am persuaded of you.” Other translations say, “convinced,” or “satisfied.” This word “persuaded” or “convinced” is used often in the New Testament. Two examples of its use are:

1)      For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, (Romans 8:38 KJV)

2)      Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6 KJV)

Therefore, Paul is convinced, confident or persuaded of truths about believers he has not met. This means he is making assumptions. He is judging facts about their character without seeing or meeting them.

He assumes three things are true of them. These things are actually true of every believer. Let’s look at the verse again. It says:

And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. (Romans 15:14 KJV)

The three things he says he is persuaded of are:

1.       They are full of goodness.

2.       They are filled with all knowledge.

3.       They are able to admonish one another.

Paul has good reason to make these assumptions. All three of these things are imparted to each believer by the indwelling Spirit of God. As we have already learned:

Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Romans 8:9 ESV)

Every believer has the Spirit of Christ. If I can refer you to the Scriptures again:

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13 ESV)

Because of the indwelling Spirit, Paul can say he is persuaded that the believers in Rome are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to admonish one another. In 1 John 2:20 the Holy Spirit is said to give all believers knowledge.

But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. (1 John 2:20 ESV)

We also can assume the same three things about other believers.

1.       They are full of goodness.

2.       They are filled with all knowledge.

3.       They are able to admonish one another.

These assumptions should influence all our relationships with other believers. However, as Jesus said:

Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16 ESV)

If a person is not a believer, then these assumptions are not true. Sadly, not every person who says he is a believer is telling the truth. Jude wrote to the Church to warn us of such people. He says:

For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:4 ESV)

Therefore, while we are safe in assuming the Holy Spirit and goodness dwells within other believers, we need to be wise. Jesus taught that just as we know a tree by the fruit it produces, so also we know people by the fruit they produce.

After stating his assumptions, Paul says that he has written rather boldly by way of reminder (verse 15). He says he has this boldness because of the grace given to him by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles (verse 16). He is talking about his role, his assigned task. Paul was called by God to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. He says that he had the priestly duty to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles so that the Gentiles may become an offering.

As a priest, Paul’s offering was the Gentiles. He spoke in a similar manner when he said:

Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. (Philippians 2:17 ESV)

Offerings and sacrifices were part of the Law of Moses. From the time when Abel offered a lamb until the time when Jesus died on the cross, sacrifices were part of man’s relationship with God. Jesus died for our sins once for all, and now we are called upon to offer up ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2).

We are also called a royal priesthood and a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). We each have an offering to bring.

Paul was unique. He was the Apostle to the Gentiles. His job is done, and he has gone ahead of us into the presence of Jesus. Each one of us is unique and has a role to fill. Each of us should live boldly in the role God has called us to. Our job is not finished, and the best evidence for this is we are still here. Since we have assumed other believers have the Spirit of God and knowledge, we must boldly remind each other of what is written. So that, each of us can boldly fill the role God has called us to. We are to encourage each other as long as it is called today (Hebrews 3:13).

We assume that every believer is given the Holy Spirit, and this shows up in both the fruit of the Spirit in each person’s life and the role that each person fills in the Body.

Since we all have one Spirit, we all work toward one common goal.

After Paul explained why he had written so boldly and what he assumed about the believers he had never met, he said:

Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. (Romans 15:17 NIV)

He gloried in Christ Jesus. In another place, he said:

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 3:8, 13-14 NIV)

Paul’s goal was to know Christ and be found in Him. This goal is reflected in what he says in Romans 15:18-19.

I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. (Romans 15:18-19 NIV)

We share the same goal with Paul and with our fellow believers, to know Christ. We glory in Christ and what Christ has done through us.

Because of his unique calling, Paul gloried in preaching the gospel in places like Jerusalem and Illyricum. I have never been to those places. That is not my calling. Why should I be jealous of Paul? We both have the same goal, but God has called me to a unique role.

We can accept one another to bring glory to God (Romans 15:7). We can also submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21). We can function as a Body with our assumptions about each other, our unique roles and our common goal. These things make us one.

Joy and Peace in Believing

Romans 15:1-13

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 15:13 ESV)

This verse sums up what we will be working toward today: hope!

Our God is a God of hope.

By the power of the Holy Spirit we can abound in hope.

Our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ is at the root of being filled with all joy and peace in believing.

Psalm 69 contains prophecy about our Lord Jesus. It is the Psalm most often quoted in the New Testament. John 2:17 quotes it when Jesus cleared the temple. John says that it is written about Jesus, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” In this verse, John is quoting Psalm 69:9. 

For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. (Psalms 69:9 ESV)

Paul also quotes Psalm 69:9 in Romans 15:3, but he quotes the last half of the verse. "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me."

While these verses point to Christ, they come out of experiences in the life of David. David experienced unjustified persecution, and this Psalm speaks of both his pain and his hope in those circumstances. 

Since Paul quotes this Psalm in Romans 15, I want to look at some of the context of what is being said in the Psalm. Psalm 69 says:

More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore? O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons. For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me. But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. (Psalms 69:4-13 ESV)

David is talking about going through some deep stuff. He wept. He humbled his soul with fasting. He made sackcloth his clothing. The internal suffering in these verses is authentic, deep and personal.

Many of you have hidden pain; pain that no one else knows about, not even your family. Your spouse or your closest friend might have some idea, but you are alone in your pain. You are not alone in the sense that there are no others with similar pain, but alone in that you are not in touch with those who share your pain.

What is worse, if you share your pain in church, you will be judged.

Sometimes, even well-meaning people can make the most insensitive comments.

At times, after I have opened my mouth and spoken words that I immediately realize are insensitive, I feel like the scarecrow in the “Wizard of Oz,” “If I only had a brain...”

Romans 15:1 starts out the chapter with this statement:

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. (Romans 15:1 ESV)

A number of questions come to my mind regarding this passage. The first of which is “What are the failings of the weak?” 

I wonder if opening my mouth and speaking incentive words is not a failing of my weakness. 

Romans 14 has just finished admonishing us not to judge our fellow believers. Romans 14:22 says:

The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God.

Heaven knows that we have a tendency to judge each other, and the Scriptures warn us quite a few times not to judge each other. In regard to judging, I have another question about Romans 15:1. 

Who are the strong that this Scripture is addressed to?

They must be the one’s who, according to Romans 14:22,  have “...no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.” 1 John 3:21 puts it in these words:

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God. (1 John 3:21 ESV)

So, if our heart does not condemn us and we know we are right with God, when our brother or sister condemns us, we have an obligation to bear with their weakness, and not to please ourselves. 

Romans 15:2 says:

Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (Romans 15:2 ESV)

According to this verse, as the strong ones, it is up to us to please our neighbor. However, our English word “please” is misleading in this context. This does not mean make our neighbor happy. The word used in the original Greek means to willingly render service. 

Pleasing ourselves would be to put the offending weakling in his/her place.  Something like, “Do you know what I have been through today, and you want to quibble over drinking coffee/wearing make up/my hair style...!

People often do not understand or have any concept of what you have gone through or are going through and their insensitive words can hurt deeply. However, it is important for you, the strong one, to hold on to your hope, the hope you have in Jesus Christ. 

You know that God disciplines the child He loves. Pain does not make our faith weak. Honestly, as horrific as it sounds, if God did not love you, He would not trust you with trials. Romans 15 asks us to consider the sufferings of our Lord Jesus as our example. Verse 3 says, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 

The weak will reproach the strong.

It is the one without understanding who says, “You must have sinned and that is why you have cancer.” 

If someone says this to you, take a deep breath and resisting the impulse to kill, gently explain the gospel of Jesus Christ and how His blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 15:4 gives us this encouragement:

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. (Romans 15:4 ESV)

This passage is why I said we who are strong must hold onto our hope. The Scriptures give us encouragement. We must endure and we find the strength to endure through the encouragement found in Scripture.

Verse 5 encourages us to live with the same mind. The ESV translates it harmony. However, in this case the NIV captures the meaning of the original much better than the ESV. The NIV says:

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had. (Romans 15:5 NIV)

As verse 5 has stated, God gives endurance and encouragement through the Scriptures. Our hope is in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ. The attitude of bearing with the failings of the weak is the attitude that Jesus lived with. He bore our sins and our sorrows. However, He bears with our weakness for a purpose - to build us up. 

Romans 15:2 has said:

Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (Romans 15:2 ESV)

Remember, to please our neighbor in this context means to willing do service. Romans 5:8-12 is an illustration of how Christ became a servant to both the Jews and the Gentiles for the glory of God. 

Romans 15:6-7 speak of how we will glorify God by following the previous instructions. In other words, by living for the building up and strengthening of others, we glorify God. Next, verses 8-12 illustrate this truth through the example of Jesus. This parallels the teaching of Philippians 2:1-11 that we should have the same attitude that Jesus had, and that as a result of what Jesus did, God has highly exalted Him.

Romans 15:8-12 speaks five times of the nations glorifying God because of Jesus Christ.

We are His Church. He commissioned us to make disciples of all nations. Nations here is the same word as Gentiles. Our whole purpose is to see the Gentiles glorify God because of Jesus Christ. What we are talking about here is a very important part of the Church fulfilling its mission.

The strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak; not to give the weak control but to help them grow.

When God does a mighty work in your life with suffering like Jesus went through, He does it for the purpose of strengthening His Body, the Church. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 says:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV)

2 Corinthians speaks of comfort and how we as believers receive comfort from God. Romans 15 speaks of hope. Romans 15:4 says that the Scriptures give us hope. Romans 15:12 says, “...in him will the Gentiles hope.” 

We offer hope to the world; hope that there is salvation in Jesus Christ, and hope that they can find comfort and help for their pain, lostness or suffering. What better way to offer hope than to be an example of what hope does in a person’s life!

We are not perfect, but we are being perfected in Christ. The strong ought to help the weak. I am afraid though that we mistake who is strong and who is weak. A person can be physically very strong and spiritually very weak. A person can be intellectually very strong and spiritually very weak.

Holding onto our hope in Jesus Christ and gently teaching others to do the same leads to joy and peace in believing. Romans 15:13 says:

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 15:13 ESV)

If we live for the building up or strengthening of others rather than to please ourselves, we will experience this joy and peace in believing. The joy of the Lord will be our strength and we will be filled with hope.

His Sheep

His Sheep

John 10:27

Many voices call out for our attention.

Many would-be shepherds call out, “Follow me!”

For example, Google, in an effort to scan every book in existence, calculated that there are 129,864,880 unique books in the world. Each of these books represents a voice calling out to be heard. Not all say, “Follow Me,” but many do.

Another example would be political campaigns. How many candidates run for office and call out “FOLLOW ME”?

Of course, I am myself a preacher and must include my voice in our considerations. Many preachers call out “Follow Me!”

Which voices do you choose to listen to?

How do we know which voices are reliable guides?

John tells us that Jesus was the Word, was with God in the beginning and He was God. He came and dwelt among us. This is found in the first chapter of John as John introduces his subject. This means that God, our creator, was living among us. John 1:14 says:

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. (John 1:14 NLT)

Jesus’ voice is unique among all the voices that call out, “Follow Me!” He also calls out, “Follow Me,” but His voice alone has the authority and power of Heaven behind it. This claim to be the only voice with the authority of heaven behind it is backed by evidence. This evidence is from a number of sources. While many sources could be listed, I will mention only four. First, history provides evidence. Second, creation provides evidence. Third, reason provides evidence. And fourth, people provide evidence.

However, even with the abundance of evidence, much confusion exists. This is explained to us in the Bible when John says:

Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this, we know that the last hour has come. (1 John 2:18 NLT)

The confusion exists because of the spirit of antichrist that is in the world. In 1 John 4:3, John repeats his warning about the antichrist and adds to it saying:

But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. (1 John 4:3 NLT)

In this second passage about the antichrist, we see that the spirit of antichrist is “indeed already here.”

It is important to make a distinction between Antichrist, the person, and the spirit of antichrist. Let’s look at 1 John 2:18 again.

Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. (1 John 2:18 NLT)

Notice, it says, “You have heard the Antichrist is coming...” In this case, “the Antichrist” is singular and is referring to a unique individual. However, as the text continues, it says, “...many such antichrists have appeared.” In this second case, “antichrists” is plural and refers to many such or of like nature. The spirit or nature of antichrist is found in the name, antichrist. “Anti” which means “over against, opposite, instead of,” and “Christ” which means “God’s Anointed One.” The confusion exists then because many would be “instead of” Christ. In other words, many would stand in His place.

Jesus warned us that this would happen. When speaking to the Jewish people and their leaders, Jesus used the illustration of a shepherd and said:

I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! (John 10:1 NLT)

In this passage, those who would be in the place of Christ are termed “thieves and robbers.” These are said to “sneak over the wall.”

Then Jesus gives some clarifying teaching. He says:

I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. (John 10:7-9 NLT)

As has been noted, Jesus’ is the only voice with the authority of Heaven. Now we see Jesus stating that He is the gate for the sheep. He specifies that the true sheep do not listen to the thieves and robbers. However, the thieves and robbers sneak over the wall posing as shepherds. These are voices that call for attention, but Jesus said the true sheep do not listen to them.

Jesus warns:

Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. (Matthew 7:15 NLT)

Of all the many voices calling for attention, which do you listen to?

Do you know the voice of the Savior?

The leaders of the Jews during Jesus’ time were controlled by the spirit of antichrist. They confronted Jesus on many occasions. One such incident is recorded for us in John 10:22-27.

It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:22-27 NLT)

In this confrontation, we get a glimpse of the conflict of voices, the voice of antichrist or the voice of Christ. We see the reference Christ makes to evidence. He says, “The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name.”

Jesus said, “Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.” (John 10:7) He offered many convincing proofs to back up such a statement. But, there was a heart problem. He says, “But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep.”

Do you want to be one of His sheep?

A sheepfold is a place of safety. The shepherd guides and protects the sheep. In this illustration, we are all sheep. The question is who we will follow not whether or not we are sheep. The Bible tells us “All we like sheep have gone astray.” (Isaiah 53:6) The voice we choose to follow is a matter of life and death; consider that false prophets are like ravenous wolves. Jesus promises, “Those who come in through me will be saved.”

In John 10:27, Jesus gives three marks of His sheep. If we have these marks, we will know that we are His sheep, and we will also know which voices to listen to.

He says:

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

The first mark of His sheep is that they “listen to His voice.” 

In John 10:5, He says,

They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice. (John 10:5 NLT)

Do you listen to His voice? He says:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29 NLT)

I fear lest by listening to the many voices in the world around us, we should fail to enter into His rest. There are practical steps each of us can take to listen to His voice.

First, we can spend time alone with Him each day. There are things that we make time for each day. We shower, and we eat each day. We are too busy not to make time to be alone with Jesus. Working, living and rushing about life without making time to be alone with Jesus is like working, living and rushing about without taking time to eat. Either one leads to death.

The second practical step we can take to listen to His voice is we can choose carefully both what we listen to and what we read. Books, articles, videos and music that point us to Jesus are plentiful.

The third practical step we can take to listen to His voice is we can choose to be in church, Sunday school and Bible study. 

The more we listen to His voice the more familiar it becomes. Then the more the second mark of His sheep enters into our consciousness. 

Jesus says the second mark of His sheep is “I know them.”

Do you like to be recognized? How does it make you feel when you get up each morning and your loved one, your spouse, child or parent is glad to see you and says “Good morning,” and hugs you?

Jesus tells a parable about a shepherd with 100 sheep. When the shepherd gathered his sheep at the end of the day, one of them was missing. So, the shepherd left the 99 safe in the fold and went out and searched for the one until he found it. The point of that story is that as His sheep, we are precious to Him. In John 10:11, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (NASB) When Jesus says, “I know them,” He is also saying that He is willing to die for them. Jesus knows His sheep. He is glad to see them in the morning and hug them. He will keep them safe.

Jesus says the third mark of His sheep is “they follow me.”

Do you follow Jesus?

Have you followed Him in baptism?

Have you followed Him in service?

When Jesus called some of His Apostles, He said:

Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19 ESV)

This happens naturally when we follow Jesus. We are like a city set on a hill whose light cannot be hidden. When the Apostles followed Jesus, they had different roles. Peter was the spokesperson. John was the friend. Judas managed the money, and so on. When we follow Jesus, it does not mean that we all serve in the same way. Some serve by giving, some by working and others by teaching. However, everyone has a place. All Jesus’ sheep follow Him.

Of all the voices calling out, “Follow me,” which have you chosen to follow? If you have decided to follow Jesus’ voice, these three things will mark your life:

1. You will listen to His voice.
2. He knows you.
3. You will follow Him.