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.