Slides: Building Each Other Up

Building Each Other Up
Romans 15:1-14

 
¹ We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. ² Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. ³ For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” ⁴ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

⁵ May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, ⁶ so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷ Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. ⁸ For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs ⁹ so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.” ¹⁰ Again, it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” ¹¹ And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples.” ¹² And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.” ¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁴ I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.

 
I saw them tearing a building down,
A gang of men in a dusty town.
With a “yo heave ho” and a lusty yell,
They swung a beam and the side wall fell.

I asked the foreman if these men were as skilled
As the men he’d hire, if he were to build.
He laughed and said, “Oh, no indeed.
Common labor is all I need.”
For those men can wreck in a day or two,
What builders had taken years to do.

I asked myself as I went my way,
Which kind of role am I to play?
Am I the builder who builds with care,
Measuring life by the rule and square?
Or am I the wrecker who walks the town,
Content with the role of tearing down?

Build each other up

• Bear, please, build
• Do as Jesus did
• Build on the Bible
• Bless and pray
• Admire and affirm

Bear, please, build

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (15:1-2)

Carry burdens

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ… each one should carry his own load.  (Galatians 6:1-5)

Strong carry weak

• Spiritual: confident carry fragile
• Physical: healthy carry sick
• Financial: rich carry poor
• Intellectual: learned carry ignorant
• Emotional: stable carry troubled
• Relational: bold carry shy

Try to please others

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible… I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means

I might save some. (1 Corinthians 9:19, 22)

Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. (1 Corinthians 10:32-33).

Build each other up

Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:24)

Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Do as Jesus did

For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”… Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:3,7-9).

Build on the Bible

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (15:4)

Use the whole Bible

Everything that was written. (Romans 15:4)

All Scripture is God-breathed. (2 Timothy 3:16)

• Did Jesus only believe “red letters”?
• May we ignore some “dispensations”?
• Should we “unhitch our faith from the Old Testament”?

Hebrew Scriptures (Tanakh תנ״ך)

• Law (Torah תּוֹרָה, Pentateuch)
• Prophets (Nevi’im נְבִיאִים)
• Writings (Ketuvim כְּתוּבִים)

Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. (Luke 24:44)

⁸ For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs ⁹ so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.” [2 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49] ¹⁰ Again, it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” [Deut 32:43] ¹¹ And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples.” [Psalm 117:1] ¹² And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.” [Isaiah 11:10]

Bless and pray

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (15:5-6)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (15:13)

Admire and affirm

I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world… (1:8)

I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. (15:14)

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it… the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you... his anointing teaches you about all things. (1 John 2:20-27)

Build each other up

• Bear, please, build
• Do as Jesus did
• Build on the Bible
• Bless and pray
• Admire and affirm