:: By Gordon Boughton
As we get closer to Christmas we become more conscious of his first coming …
And our community is preparing itself (for what, it doesn’t really know!). But businesses are winding down, Christmas stockings will go up …
Our letterboxes are stuffed with K-mart catalogues.
Choirs start appearing in shopping centres.
This is Christmas.
But it’s his second coming, the appearing of the Lord Jesus in all his glory which we should be preparing ourselves for.
This day will come
Surely -in fact it’s more certain than our own death/ whether we have faith or don’t have faith.
Suddenly.. like a thief in the night/ in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.
And Divisively.. Jesus will return and separate people eternally “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats”.
(pause)
Last week Gordon looked at Assurance. “Jesus is coming: Am I worried?” was the title of the talk … and God willing, there was no-one who went home UNSURE.
Romans 5:9!!!
(pause)
I want to take you to another angle of the second coming.
Not putting aside that first talk (which is very important), but building on it, … all as part of our preparation for this great day- the second coming of the Lord Jesus.
Romans 15: 1-13 is the passage.
Paul is writing to a mostly gentile church (that is they are mostly NON-JEWS), and in chapter 14 and 15 addressing a particular problem within the church.
There are weak Christians and strong Christians.
The weaker Christians are probably Jewish Christians. And they know they are saved by Jesus and Jesus alone, but they don’t realize that they’ve been freed from all of the Old Testament religion … like special holy days that had to be kept, and unclean food like pork or sea urchins …
They’d grown up since childhood knowing that it was wrong to eat pork … and so it’s very hard for them realize they are free now to eat anything- It would be a like going from 1st gear to 10th gear for them …. very difficult.
The “stronger” Christians are probably gentiles, and they DO realize their freedom. They do realize they can eat anything- as Jesus said.
They know that they don’t need to be circumcised … they had their place before Christ, but now we’ve entered a new age..
(pause)
Now I’m not sure what struck you when it was read for us.
One of the things that struck me is all the Old Testament references ….
- verse 3 – v 9 – v10 – v 11 – v 12.
These quotes come from the whole range of Old Testament writings. …
Psalm 69, Psalm 117
2 Samuel 22
Psalm 18
Deuteronomy 32
Isaiah 11.
(pause)
Paul is teaching the church, (mostly gentile Christians!), from the Old Testament.
On the one hand …
The Old Testament doesn’t apply to us anymore.
We don’t need to keep the food laws or the sacrifices …We don’t have an altar anymore … this is a table, not an altar!!!.
On the other and- the Old Testament is very important. And important to how we’re to live NOW.
Paul quotes it again and again, in this very “pastoral” end of his letter.
(pause)
And most importantly, the Old Testament helps us understand Jesus.
(this is all background knowledge … we haven’t come to the passage yet … just some observations).
The Old Testament is the lens through which we see Jesus.
• Paul says in one of his other letters, that all the promises of God find their “YES” in Christ.
(2 Cor 1:20)
• Jesus HIMSELF explained to his disciples after he had risen from the dead, that all the law and the prophets and the Psalms are fulfilled in me.
(Luke 24)
And likewise, Paul when he teaches us about Jesus, and how we’re to live as the community of Jesus, …he quotes the Old Testament ….
That’s why all these Old Testament passages are here.
So let’s have a look at the passage- vv 1-3 and this first quote. (read).
(pause)
Today – There are still some who believe church must be on Sunday. – There are others for whom drinking alcohol is wrong. – and Christians who’ve been converted from some religions that eating meat is wrong.
They just can’t bring themselves to do it.
Paul says …“bear with these people and don’t please yourself”.
Don’t put someone in a situation where they are forced to eat or drink, or forced to break the Sabbath.
But be like Christ.
Endure the hardship … for in so doing, you are being like Christ.
(pause)
And this is not co-existence.
This is not saying “just endure”. “Just put up with each other”
This is much stronger
This is saying … make effort to build up!. Be positive and pro-active in our encouragement.
Love!
Which may mean cost, inconvenience, foregoing our own freedom, a hassle, … some extra preparation …. in order to serve others …
(pause)
We often think congregations just grow. That it’s easy.
But it’s not.
Hebrews says- “Let us CONSIDER how to stir up one another to love and good deeds”.
It takes thought.
But WHY build each other up???—> … Psalm 69 verse 9, as the Old Testament said he would …. Read v 3b.
Our Lord Jesus was abused and mocked, …. The magnitude infinitely greater than what we’ve suffered.
Those who reproached God, reproached Jesus.
And he endured the shame of the cross!.. for us … how dare we do anything else than NOT please ourself .
How dare we complain …
How dare I not help ….
How dare I not love for him who Christ died, as well as died me.
(pause)
And so as we understand Jesus, through the BIBLE- in particular the Old Testament.
Paul says there is a general principle at work.
Read verse 4.
And here we get to our theme- The second coming of the Lord Jesus.
Our preparation for our Lord’s coming is to read our Bibles. The Old Testament (which was written for us- isn’t that amazing!!! The Old Testament was written for us, for those after Christ) …. and even moreso the New Testament, for there it is even more clear, as God explains how Jesus fulfils the promises of God.
The Bible or Word of God gives us HOPE.
In a world where people lets us down.
Where promises get broken again and again.
We live in a world where people don’t often want the truth.
The magazines we read try to sell us a life that we know is not satisfying, and yet we buy them and believe them.
The novels …people would rather read the Da Vinci Code or than the Bible, …
I was talking to someone the other day who works in company that does deal with other business partners, and lying is just part of the game.
… we have a God of endurance and encouragement…and who gives us hope.And a God who has PROVED IT!!!!!
(pause)
How ????
Verse 4 …
“through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures”.
In times of discouragement and suffering …
When we read out Bibles, the Scriptures give us encouragement.
For time after time, even though people of God reject him and don’t keep their promises … God is faithful and does keep HIS promises.
He promised Abraham to make him into a great nation. Genesis chapter 12. And he did.
He promised Noah that he would establish a special covenant with him. And if Noah built an ark following the directions God gave him, he would save him from the flood.
And God did.
God promised Moses that he would deliver Israel from the Egyptians … and to bring them into a land – a good and big land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And God did.
And so on and so on.
Even to the promise of Jesus.
- God promised to David that someone would come who would sit on David’s throne forever.
One like David- a king of universal dominion.
- and Isaiah made it clear in the 6th century BC, that his kingdom would be established by God’s servant.
Who would die for the sins of the world.
And when we get to the pages of the New Testament, we find small number of Bible believing Jews, waiting for this day.
Reading their Bibles.
Enduring.
Elizabeth. Zechariah …
Mary.
Humble servants, patiently waiting for the arrival of God himself.
Waiting for the redemption of Israel.
Simeon, at the temple, when Jesus was presented – the Bible says was waiting for the consolation of Israel.
Anna the prophetess who recognized Jesus at the temple as the one to bring redemption to Israel.
And then, right through the life of Jesus, in his actions, in his words, … he fulfils God’s Word.
And so the promises of God are fulfilled in him.
Flowing from this is the fulfillment of God’s promises to all the nations, also which occurs through Christ, but in the ministry of the Apostle Paul.
And so … vv 8- v 13.
Do you see how the Bible gives us hope.
The Old Testament, and it’s fulfillment recorded in the New Testament give us hope.
Hope that is rock solid ….
We’re not talking about a wishful thinking sort of hope … hoping for the best kind of hope.
This is a certain, sure, confident hope.
It proves itself true.
Jesus says “Heaven and earth will pass away, … but the word of the Lord stands forever”!!
And it works!
For the Gentiles in Rome who are struggling to accommodate and adjust and PLEASE their Jewish Christian brothers, … if they didn’t’ have the Bible, …they wouldn’t endure.
They wouldn’t bother.
You would go the easy option and break up …
And may churches who don’t believe the Bible, or don’t teach the Bible, do just that … it’s just too hard.
But the Bible says, this is how it’s meant to be.
And God has a plan … a good plan.
It is difficult to worship God with someone different than us. But endure!
Take courage …trust the promises of God.
It’s not the end goal,.. but it’s on the right track.
Read your Bible!…
(pause)
(Conclusion: Trusting the Bible.)
(pause)
Paul prays a prayer …in verse 5.
It’s a prayer that we will do what God says.
And in the end someone who believes God’s Word, is someone who does what God says.
And someone who does what God says can only do it by the grace and help of our Father.
He says ….Read v5-v 7.
-> Read your Bible and do what it says!!.- bring it to church (so it’s yours, and you get used to using yours- you learn your way around it). – read a bit every day … in the train, at morning tea, before you go to bed.
“It’s written FOR US!”
“For our instruction”
“So that we might have hope”.
There’s an English folk singer named Steve Tilston, who is a brilliant guitarist and song writer.
He’s written a song about an elderly widower who emigrated from Pakistan to Britain, and was neighbours with Tilston.
Tilston is not a Christian as far as I know.
But this man was …
Tilston wrote a song called “Anthony believes”.
Here’s a couple of verses …
“Life is but a firefly
That glimmer in the darkest night,
Weaves a trace before the eye
That lingers though it’s gone from sight …
Life’s all a game of mystery,
Destiny and chance.
Science thinks it holds the key
For all to see the atoms dance.
So many dreams and none,
So many webs have been spun,
So many friends have taken their last leave and gone.
Anthony believes that Jesus will return.
What a difference isn’t there?
Let’s pray.