Lesson 33 – Romans Chapter 15:1-18
To recap chapter 14 briefly, Paul revealed to us the problem of questionable things that can happen to Christians, and what to do when sincere Christians disagree about personal practices. It’s just a fact that within the church we have mature and immature believers. In Paul’s day, the church was composed of Jews and Gentiles, so of course there were going to be differing opinions. As we see in the church today, people will seek out worldly amusements differently. We closed out the chapter with a quote from St. Augustine that bears repeating; “In essentials, there must be unity. In non-essentials there needs to be liberty. But in all things, love and charity.”
The title for our lesson tonight is: Living to please others… if we’re living to please God, then naturally we would be living to please others.
Rom. 15:1-2
“We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.”
Paul is continuing with his argument from chapter 14 that the weaker brother is the one who seems to have the legalistic tendencies. Perhaps the less mature believer clings to legalistic ways because having black and white viewpoints gives them a certain level of comfort.
It’s really hard to say because we don’t know the mind or heart of another person, only our own mind and heart.
Bear with the scruples of the weak…
Scruples or infirmities: the Greek defines it as, “of an error arising from weakness of mind.” In other words, be considerate of those who are sensitive about things, such as eating, drinking, and what days are for worshipping.
And not to please ourselves… Paul is guiding us back toward loving our neighbor when he says this. The more “mature” believers should have this love capacity within them to do this. I say “should” because not all mature believers have this. Some might argue, that kind of behavior or lack of love shows a level of immaturity.
Rom. 15:2
“Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.”
As believers we should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.
Edification… (oikodomē) the act of one who promotes another’s growth in Christian wisdom, devotion, happiness, and holiness. We can even use the word “selflessness” here in which Jesus is our perfect example, He was all about serving others rather than Himself.
Phil. 2:3-5
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
This brings us back to Rom. 14:19…
“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.”
We’ve talked about being in the body of Christ as being like a team sport, this holds true here as well. If we are to please our neighbor for his good, leading to edification, this may require some self-sacrifice on our part, and that’s okay because according to Romans 12:2, we’re to be a living sacrifice for the Lord. By helping others do what is right and building them up in the Lord, again, may require some personal sacrifice on our part.
Rom. 15:3
“For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”
Paul 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.” (LSB)
Reproach synonyms: express a poor opinion of · dislike · be against · object to · find unacceptable · take exception to · not support · frown on · take a dim view of, or be dissatisfied with.
Jesus is the ultimate model for the believer. He rejected self-gratification so that He could clearly represent His Father in every way.
II Cor. 8:9
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Paul has been asserting that the strong Christian is to stand tall, to be an example for the weaker believer. In some situations the strong Christian might be a little reluctant to give up some personal freedoms, that is until he looks upon Jesus and sees what Christian perfection is truly all about. The strong Christian needs only to measure his own sacrifice to the sacrifice of Jesus and then it all comes into perspective rather quickly.
Rom. 15:4
“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
Verse four is directed to both the mature and immature believer, showing us that having a devoted life of reading the Scriptures will produce a harvest of patience, comfort, and hope.
Psalm 43:5
“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God!” (NLT)
Every time you pick up God’s Word, if you’re paying attention, you’re going to learn something. If we turn to God’s Word to find true hope, we will be satisfied.
Heb. 4:12
“For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
The Word of God is all we need besides God Himself. It will counsel, guide, and protect us.
II Tim. 3:16-17
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (NASB)
The Word of God is our only source for truth, anything else is only man’s opinion.
We need to understand that we can never find true hope in something that isn’t faithful or something that can fail or disappoint us, which is what happens when we place our trust, faith, and hope in humans or anything else other than Jesus Christ, our true living hope.
Rom. 15:5-6 (Paul’s prayer for the church)
“Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Have you ever stopped and thought about the patience of God? Why should you be patient with God? Because He’s patient with you. Do you realize how patient God has been with you? Think about it. If you were God, how long would you put up with you?
Grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus…
We need to be like-minded in Christ. Jesus has been patient with us, we therefore need to be patient with others. It’s not always easy. We can sometimes become impatient with younger Christians, just as parents can become impatient with their children. But the Word of God can help give us the “patience and comfort” that we need.
Jesus prayed to the Father when His time was drawing near to the cross. One of the things He prayed for was the “oneness of mind” that we have been talking about.
John 17:21-23
“That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”
You, God, and the body of Christ as one, is one unbeatable team. Just think about the perfect oneness we will experience once we’re in heaven, and with that we’ll all Glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… together.
Rom. 15:7
“Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.”
Reflecting on all this oneness and unity in Christ, Paul says, Therefore receive one another. This introduces the conclusion of the discussion that started back in chapter 14, where Paul began with the command to receive the weak believer. Thus, the command to receive one another is addressed not to just the strong believers, but to all believers.
Just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God…
The NASB words it; accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us. God loved us and accepted us when we were lost. We’re sinners by nature and choice, each one of us is in need of a Savior.
Rom. 5:8
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
The word accept is an interesting word, in the Greek: pros-lam-ban’-o which carries the meaning of receiving something or someone to oneself with special concern.
In Acts 18 when Apollos “began to speak out boldly in the synagogue,” Priscilla and Aquila lovingly “took him aside” (“aside” is the same word pros-lam-ban’-o) and explained to him the way of God more accurately (Acts 18:26). This brings more meaning for us, which is, to take by the hand in order to lead aside.
In Matt. 10:40, Jesus uses a slightly different verb…
“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
The person who receives the Son also receives the Father. There is no such thing as believing in God the Father without believing in God the Son. Therefore, to accept one another is to accept Christ Himself, by having the mind of Christ.
This is all To the glory of God…
Rom. 5:1-2
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Our very salvation through Christ brings glory to God.
Eph. 1:11-12
“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.”
One might think God dishonors Himself and tarnishes His glory by rescuing sinners from their sins. To the contrary, Paul says throughout Ephesians that God’s salvation of sinners actually brings Him glory.
Eph. 1:4-6
“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Let’s Praise God for the glory of His grace!
Rom. 15:8
“Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers,”
“Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises He made to their ancestors.” (NLT)
The word servant can be defined here as Minister. Jesus came as a Minister of the circumcision, meaning, to the Jews.
Rom. 2:10
“But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good – for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.”
Jesus came to the Jews and lived as a Jew in order to share the truth with the Jews.
To confirm the promises made to the fathers…
• What were the promises made to Abraham and the patriarchs?
God made a twofold promise to Abraham. The first was a material promise that he would be the father of many nations and that kings would descend from him. God promised him that his progeny would inherit the land of Canaan, an expanse that God defined as stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates River.
The second, but more important promise was a spiritual one. God promised Abraham that in his Seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. This promise encompasses the life and work of Abraham’s best known and most esteemed descendant, Jesus Christ. We serve a God who always keeps His promises.
Rom. 15:9a
“And that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy,
Jesus came to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles. The Jews saw God’s truth in Jesus. The Gentiles saw God’s mercy. Paul himself ministered to the Jews by explaining to them the truth of God, and by showing the Gentiles the mercy of God.
Rom. 15:9b-12
As it is written: “For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, and sing to Your name.”
And again he says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!”
And again: “Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!”
And again, Isaiah says: “There shall be a root of Jesse; and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope.”
Paul quotes II Sam. 22:50, Ps. 18:49, Deut. 32:43, Ps. 117:1, and Isa. 11:1,10… Paul defiantly knows his Scriptures! He quotes from all three divisions of the Old Testament, the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms, and from three great Jewish leaders, (Moses, David, and Isaiah) to demonstrate that God’s purpose was always to bless the Gentiles through Israel. Although the nation of Israel has been set aside for the present (we saw this in chapter 11) both the Jews and Gentiles are being brought together in the church.
The root of Jesse is a title for Jesus our Messiah. Jesse was the father of David, and the Son of David was the promised Messiah. Our hope is in the root of Jesse!
Rom. 15:13
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Here Paul blesses us with a beautiful benediction. He’s interceding for all of God’s children, and it’s directed to the Body of Christ. He’s asking God to fill us with all joy and peace, to everyone who believes in Jesus.
This is reminiscent of Phil. 4:7…
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
That you may abound in hope…
What is hope? Hope is the absolute expectation of the coming of something good. All throughout Scripture, hope is most often referred to in combination with the coming of Jesus.
Being one with Christ, the believer experiences through the power of the Holy Spirit, hope, peace, and joy. Just reading this prayer from Paul should give you a spiritual lift!
Rom. 15:14-15
“Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God,”
“I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them. Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace,” (NLT)
Peter wrote something very similar to this…
II Peter 1:12-13
“Therefore, I will always remind you about these things – even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live.”
Maybe Peter and Paul had conversations about sending reminders out to the churches, Scripture doesn’t indicate this.
But isn’t oy strange how the things we want to remember, we forget. And the things in our mind we wish to forget, still hang around. Perhaps satan may have a hand in this. In the parable about the farmer planting seeds it says:
Matt. 13:19
“The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.” (NLT)
So, Paul says to us, that he knows that we know many things when it comes to God’s Word, and all you need is a little reminder to jog your memory. And this is true, how many times do you hear or read a scripture, and you say to yourself, “Yes I know that one,” it just wasn’t on top of your mind. This is why Bible study is so important, we need to stay in it to keep it on top of our minds. And the older we get, the more crucial it becomes.
Rom. 15:16
“That I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”
“So that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.” (NLT)
D. L. Moody, a shoe salesman captured by Christ, who became one of the most effective soul-winners of all time, purposed in his heart as a young man that he would never let a day go by wherein he didn’t talk to at least one person about Jesus Christ. One night it was approaching midnight and, because of the events of the day, he had not shared the gospel with an unbeliever that particular day. So he went out into the streets of Chicago, found a man, and said, “Sir, are you ready for heaven?” “Mind your own business,” said the startled man. “This is my business,” Moody answered. Imagine if you told one person every day about Jesus.
Verse 16 can be seen as a reminder for us as well, that we should be sharing our faith with the world. You might be thinking to yourself, “I’m just not comfortable talking to people about spiritual things.” Well, you’re not alone, many believers feel the same way.
I Peter 3:15
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”
When we sanctify the Lord in our hearts, by setting Him apart as Lord of our life, we discover that we do not need the answer to every question people ask.
Standing on God’s Word we can boldly declare that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No other world religion has a book of such miraculous power. No other book offers you a loving relationship with a God who loves you enough to let His only Son die for you. No other belief system has a resurrected Savior who came back from the dead to prove that He alone has defeated sin, death, and satan. Because of all these truths you can share your faith with confidence.
There’s a story about some women who took their children out for a picnic near an old cemetery. While mothers were preparing lunch, the children could be seen playing hide and seek among the headstones. While the world plays games around tombstones, eternity is only a heartbeat away. Once a person breathes their last breath, they awaken in eternity, the question is, where does that person spend eternity? Our witness to the world is one of the ways God uses us to call people to Himself. Don’t be intimidated when people refuse to listen to you, they’re not saying “no” to you, they’re saying “no” to God.
Paul saw himself as serving in a priestly ministry, by giving the gospel message to the Gentiles, offering up sacrifices to God. The “sacrifice” is the Gentile believers who have been made acceptable to God because they have been sanctified, that is, they have been set apart by the Holy Spirit for God’s service.
Rom. 15:17-18
“Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient.”
“So it is right for me to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. I dare not boast of anything else. I have brought the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I lived before them.” (NLT)
In other words, Paul gives the glory to Jesus and to Him only by saying, “I’m only going to tell you what I have seen, of what the Lord has done through me by His grace.” Paul walks the walk and talks the talk, telling of a world that has been changed by Jesus. Jesus is to always get all of the glory! Paul wasn’t boasting in what he had accomplished as an apostle, but only in what Christ had accomplished through him.
Tonight, we’ve talked about living a life to please God and those around us… this will most certainly take a sacrifice on our part.
Peter and Paul gave us reminders about the things we’ve learned in the Scriptures… that we should apply them to our life and help guide other believers to do the same.
Finally, don’t be afraid to tell others about Jesus.