Lessons from Paul's Personal Greetings

Romans 16:1-27

As World War II was coming to a close, American soldiers began to wonder about the sacrifices that were made to fight the war.  They had gone through many sleepless nights in battle, many weeks of being hungry and many fellow soldiers had fallen at their side.  They had left home to fight for what?  They had left wives, children or girlfriends to fight an enemy on the other side of the ocean...but why? 

In the movie series, Band of Brothers, you see a portrayal of what the army soldiers went through.  The documentary was about E(Easy) Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment.  They were a part of the 101st Airborne Division. 

A discontentment was growing among the soldiers as to their involvement in this war.  And then, they saw it.  As Easy Company was travelling through Germany they saw what was unexplainable.  It was an image I’m sure they would never get out of their mind until the day they died.  In just a few brief moments the anguish of the war made sense.  They finally saw what they were fighting for.

Paul's Example

Romans 15:14-33 

Praise God for his indescribable gift!  It is too easy to overlook the blessings we have in Christ.  I know we all face challenges and even trials of many kinds.  And yet, in Christ, we have something which the world simply does not have.

Friday night around the campfire we were talking briefly about our inability as individuals to serve others and accomplish worldly achievements.  In particular, we were talking about not being able to pursue achievements which would be to our own advantage and I don’t even mean selfish advantage.  Arguably, these advantages to pursue now would allow the chance to have more freedom to do good in the future.

So, there is room for people to go in either direction.  I don’t think working hard now to have a future opportunity is wrong.  Nor do I think that serving others now to the point where an opportunity is lost is wrong.  What I am saying is how we concluded the discussion Friday night … in Christ.

Psalm 37:8 “Do not fret—it leads only to evil.” and I Peter 3:6 (ESV) “Do not fear anything that is frightening.”  The world can be a confusing and complex, difficult and sometimes scary place.  Why then shouldn’t we fret or fear?

Because the Lord says, “Do not be afraid for I am with you,” throughout scripture.  Twice in Genesis (26:24 and 28:15) including the exhortations “I will bless you, and I will watch over you wherever you go.”  Twice in Isaiah (41:10 and 43:5), including the familiar verse Isaiah 41:10, “Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  Then, in Jeremiah where times were bleak for the Jewish people, we see God’s promise five times!  (1:8, 1:19, 15:20, 30:11, 42:11, 46:28)  These verses also include the promises, “I will rescue you; the enemy will not overcome you; I will save you; I will deliver you.”  Twice in Haggai, the LORD Almighty declares, “I am with you.”  And then Jesus says to us in Matthew 28:20, “And surely I am with you always.”

Accept One Another Like Christ Accepts You

Romans 15:1-13

Have you ever been in a situation where another person was driving you crazy, and you wanted to put them in their place? Or maybe you just wanted to give up because you were tired of putting up with them. How about relating to someone struggling with a sinful habit or attitude that just isn’t a temptation for you, and you wonder why it’s such a big deal for them all the time? How should you react? Do we have to put up with other people regardless? How does Jesus want us as his disciples to behave with people that we just don’t understand or get along with? Well, there’s a clue in our title for today: Accept One Another Like Christ Accepts You. This is a very important part of our Christian walk and can make a big difference in all our relationships. Let’s pray as we begin.

Do Not Destroy the Work of God

Romans 14:1-23

Good morning!  We are closing in on the end of our series on the book of Romans.  In fact, the series will conclude on the last Sunday of this month.

Last week’s message talked about submission (always a popular topic) and clothing ourselves with Christ.  This week’s message is going to carry that thought forward giving us additional things to think about in how we relate to one another especially in the areas of personal conviction and conscience.

I realize that for me that is a pretty short introduction, but we have a lot of ground to cover today, so let’s pray and jump right in to Romans chapter 14.

Father God, we need Your insight continually.  Please help us to see our conduct rightly.  Please fill our hearts and minds with Your Holy Spirit as we look into Your Word.  Show us what You have for each of us.  We pray in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.