“Acceptance – In God’s Way”

Scripture: Romans 15:1-13

This is our seventh and last week of looking at what 4 chapters in the Book of Romans has to tell us about the Christian life. We could probably have completed this topic with one sentence though – “Live the life that Jesus led, and taught, and proclaimed, for our lives!” It may very well be as simple as that!

Of course, the Christian life isn’t really simple at all – not in any way, shape or form. It requires a divine and Godly focus in life, a righteous commitment to live as God would have us, and a complete personal dedication to live out the teachings of Jesus Christ. And anyone who has tried this way of life knows that it sounds far easier than it actually is.

So how did Jesus live in a way that would glorify his Father? After all, he was as human as you and I are! And just because he was also fully God, he still needed constant prayer and connection to the Father just to stay in his way, and even at that, he struggled with what he was being called to do. And that is exactly where we should be – called, loved, included, committed, and yes, even struggling.

Read Romans 15:1-6

We are not to live in a way that builds ourselves up (to “please ourselves”), but rather in a way that pleases others. This is more than just about other people, though – it is about the purpose of the Church; it’s why God has ordained the Church; it’s why the Church even exists! And verse 3 tells us that Jesus never sought to “please” himself – he gave himself, and all that this required of him, for the weak brothers and sisters of this world, and that means you and me. And the reference to weakness doesn’t mean that we are failures, but rather that we are helpless to gain the good things of God all by ourselves. And our strength to help others who have yet to come to the Lord’s grace, comes from our faith and trust in Christ.

Paul offers a quotation from scripture that comes from the Psalms – Psalm 69. The psalm is credited to King David, and is a lament in which he begins with the words “Save me O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.” In scripture, “water” is generally a metaphor for chaos, so we are led to understand that David is feeling that the chaotic existence of this life is wearing him down, and that he is on the verge of drowning in the world’s evil. He is too weak to save himself from the world’s darkness, and looks to God for his salvation. Doesn’t that speak perfectly to Jesus, and his last few days of human life? He needed the Father’s strength, too!

The apostle also tells us that this is why we have the scriptures! For him, Scripture only consisted of the Hebrew text – the New Testament canon had yet to be chosen. And yet, these early faith communities had letters from the disciples and apostles that were being circulated throughout the network of churches. And the early church leaders were always working to make the connection between the life of Jesus, and the promise of Messiah. They read of Jesus’ teaching, and while they would discover that his way reflected the Law of Moses in a few ways, more times than not, he was explaining and fulfilling the Law in ways that no one had ever expected, and in ways that many rejected.

Scripture, the word of God, not only brings us the truth of God as it has been written throughout the ages, but it gives us endurance in faith, and encouragement to truly be the Church for this world. They tell us of the promise of Messiah and who he will be for us. But Israel changed Messiah’s story to suit their situation in the world, and they forgot the message of the suffering servant who would win the world (Isaiah 52:13-15), and instead, made Messiah into a conquering and majestic warrior, who would only redeem Israel.

And Paul ends this part of the passage with a prayer for the church, that a “spirit of unity” would descend upon us in one way - with one message, one mind, one heart, and through one voice. That together, we would sound the glory of Almighty God, that others would pick up the song of praise, and come to know the hope and life that faith in the Son of God can bring to all who believe. And that will be the day when true and glorious worship fills our hearts and sanctuaries!

Read Romans 15:7-13

How welcoming is Jesus? It is total. When he went to Calvary to surrender his life to the hatred of earth, it was to win freedom from death, and forgiveness from sin, for all who would come to him and his ways by faith. The welcoming heart of Jesus is for all who would open the door for him.
There are a number of versions of a famous painting from the 1820’s that depicts the Lord standing in front of a closed door, knocking and waiting for those inside the house to open it and welcome him in. Most of these versions poignantly and intentionally omit any means for the Lord to open the door himself from the outside. Only the ones inside can let Jesus into their lives. (Revelation 3:20)

Jesus is anxious to welcome us, but the question is how ready are we to welcome him, and will we be just as welcoming of others? And he broaches the subject of welcoming the Gentiles into the faith, which would have been a stumbling point for the Jews. They had apparently forgotten Isaiah 49:5-6 in which they are told that Messiah will not only gather Israel back together again, but that he will also be a light and salvation for the Gentile world. It appears in verse 6 that salvation for Israel is nowhere near enough for the eternal God – he wants everyone within his creation to have the same chance that the Jews had been given.

Paul then lifts up four passages to support his point. The first is from Psalm 18, and in verse 49, the psalmist says that he will praise the name of God among all the nations – ALL the nations! Why would he extend the glory of Jehovah God to the pagans, unless the Lord intended to offer them his goodness, too? It isn’t that Israel’s promise will be diluted – it will be shared and available to all the world.

The second passage is from Deuteronomy 32:43. We read that the nations (again, plural, not just Israel), will rejoice and praise the name of Jehovah, and that the Lord will take measures to settle accounts for the oppression and persecution against all of his servants. The people of other nations will be treated no differently than the people of Israel will be.

The next is from Psalm 117:1-2. Again, the nations will rejoice in the Lord because of the love and faithfulness that is shown to all who serve the one and Almighty God.

The last is from Isaiah 11:10, where we read that Jesus, the “Root of Jesse”, will be a banner, a guide, a point of reference, for peoples (plural!), and they, too, will be welcomed into his glorious resting place.

He is reminding us of just how welcoming and loving Christ really is, and that his people need to be just as welcoming and supportive of others in their needs. The Christian life demands acceptance of others in the extreme. So a few questions that we all need to consider for our own lives:

How accepting are we of others who look different than we do? If a black couple, or Hispanic couple, or Asian, or Middle Eastern couple walked through our front door, would they feel welcome, would they be invited to sit beside you, would they find a home here?
What would Jesus do?

How accepting are we of others whose cultural status is different from ours? What if a person walked in, dressed in old and tattered clothing, hungry and in dire need of a bath – would you invite them to sit with you, would you help them with our order of worship if they weren’t familiar with it? Would you invite them to join you for a meal following worship?
What would Jesus do?

How loving would you be toward a person who came in, acting arrogant and aloof, and wanted you to know just how much they knew about the Bible and that your understandings were totally wrong, to the point that it became insulting? Would you help them to understand our order of worship, even if they seemed to find it lacking? Would you invite them to come back next week?
What would Jesus do?

How accepting would you be toward a single mom, who came into our worship, with three young children, all of whom were restless and out of sorts? Would you help her care for her children, or would you suggest that she take them downstairs and out of our hair?
What would Jesus do?

I expect that we have all known “church people” who would not have been very loving toward any of these people. But that isn’t what Jesus would have us be and do. Being accepting and loving and caring in God’s way is anything but natural for us, but it is something that we can learn, and practice, and become far better at than the rest of the world is.

God wanted Israel to know that he had “chosen” them, not to be a special people, but to be a people who would reach out to those who were unlike them; to care for those who they had always avoided; to touch the lives of the sinners of the world, not in condemnation, but in love; that they weren’t the only ones who deserved God’s grace and mercy.

Do any of us think we are special, or do we see ourselves as Godly. There’s a huge difference, you know!