Well, thank you, Mark and Jake, for leading us. And I want to say a special thanks to Mark for preaching last week and filling in, and for Andrew leading the music. Appreciate that. We had a nice time, a little getaway, and it's good to be back. 

We're going through the Book of Romans on the last Sunday of the month for our communion service. The last several months, we've been looking at the practical application section of the book. And after perhaps the greatest doctrinal treatise ever written in the first 11 chapters of Romans, Paul exhorts us, beginning in chapter 12, to apply these great truths in our lives, to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God as we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds. 

The instruction we've been most recently studying in chapters 14 and 15 is to receive one another in the faith. The discussion has been about doubtful things, those areas that the Bible does not clearly command or forbid, and how disputes over these things within the body can cause a great division and damage to the fruitfulness of the church. Paul has highlighted things like eating certain foods or observing certain days as examples of how division can come over areas of personal preference. 

We saw in chapter 14 that we are not to dispute over these things, but the brother who understands his liberty in Christ is to yield to the weaker brother so as not to cause him to stumble. If a brother cannot work on the Lord's day in faith because of his personal conviction, we should not ask him to help us to make hay on a Sunday afternoon. Only by lying about their conviction concerning that, though. Or if a brother does not believe it is right to eat a certain food, then we should not serve it to him for dinner when he comes to our house, causing him to have a crisis of faith. 

Rather than disputing over these things or trying to cause others to have our convictions, we should receive our brothers and sisters, and that's the exhortation that Paul comes back to in our text today. Receive one another just as Christ received us to the glory of God. This is the heart of our message this morning. 

In Paul's time, there was a great danger of a division between Jews and Gentiles, even in the church. The Jewish Christians had a tendency to hold on to traditions, to observing dietary restrictions, observing days according to the law, and they often did not fully understand their liberty in Christ. This was true for some Gentile believers as well because of their history, their religion, their culture. It was a potential serious problem in the early church, and we see it come up often in the scriptures. 

But God wants us to understand, Paul in our text today wants us to understand, that it was always God's plan to bring Jew and Gentile together in one in the church in Christ. And God is faithful to the Jew and to the Gentile through the promises made to the fathers. 

Listen to Genesis 12 at verse 1. It says, "Now the Lord had said to Abram, 'Get out of your country, from your family, from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'" 

In these foundational promises given to Abraham and reiterated to Isaac and Jacob, we see the origin of the nation of Israel through the seed of Abraham. And we also see the promise of a blessing to all nations through Abraham's seed. 

Turn over to Galatians 3 with me. Galatians 3 at verse 13, please. Paul explains this in Galatians 3.13. He says, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,' that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." 

Brethren, I speak in the manner of men, though it is only a man's covenant. Yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds as of many,' but as of one, 'and to your seed,' who is Christ. In this I say that the law, which was 430 years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 

God gave promises based only on his character and nature. They were unconditional promises made to Abraham concerning the nation of Israel and a blessing to all nations through Jesus Christ. Paul explains this in detail in Romans 9 to 11. 

In chapter 9, verse 1, he says, "I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have a great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises, of whom are the fathers, and from whom according to the flesh Christ came, who is overall the eternally blessed God." Amen. 

Now at the end of that chapter in verse 30, Paul explains the problem for Israel when Jesus came. He said, "What shall we say then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith? But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone, as it is written, 'Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on him will not be put to shame.'" 

Brethren, my heart's desire, Paul's pouring out his heart, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant—this is the problem for religious men in our day as well—for they being ignorant of God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own righteousness have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. God's plan and promise through Abraham is salvation by his seed, Christ, to all men who will believe, Jew and Gentile. Romans 1:16, Paul makes this clear, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for who? For everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'" 

It has always been the plan and purpose of God to save Jew and Gentile by grace through faith because of Christ. Turn over to Ephesians 2 with me. Ephesians 2 at verse 11, Paul writes, "Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands, that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ, for he himself is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity." 

God has broken down the wall of separation. God has made one new man in Christ. Therefore we should receive one another. That's the heart of Paul's thinking in our text. God has made one new man in Christ, Jew or Gentile, through faith, by grace, because of what Christ did on the cross, therefore we should receive one another; we should not put up walls of division based on our preferences. That's the message of our text. 

Let's look at Romans 15 in our text, at verse 7. Romans 15:7 says, "Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us to the glory of God." 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, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy, 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." 

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. 

I've given you five points on your outline this morning. First, receive one another. Second, to the glory of God. Third, a servant to the circumcision. Fourth, mercy for the Gentiles. And fifth, joy, peace, and hope. 

Well first we see in our text, receive one another. This word translated "receive" is a very important, interesting word. It has the connotation of intimacy. It means to draw one close, to take hold of them and bring them close. It's used three times of eating or taking or receiving food. It's an intimate word. In Philemon 1, Paul uses it this way, speaking of Philemon, he says, "I am sending him back, Onesimus; you therefore receive him, that is, my own heart. Receive him, take him to yourself, welcome him as you would me." 

It's used of Peter, taking the Lord aside and rebuking him. Can you imagine that? Picture that in your mind, that he grabbed him by the shoulders and he took him aside. He took him and rebuked him. It's used in Acts 28 on the island after the shipwreck when the people took Paul and the others in and warmed and fed and cared for them. 

Paul is exhorting us, rather than to cause stumbling and division in the body by exercising our liberty at the expense of the weaker brother, rather we should draw our brothers close and receive them to ourselves in fellowship in the Lord in truth. And our common goal in this unity in the faith should be to glorify God. 

Paul says, "Receive one another as Christ received you to the glory of God." How did Jesus receive you? Was there no conflict? Was there no division? Was there perfect agreement when Jesus died for you? While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Christ received us based solely on his grace and mercy, not because of anything that we did. We didn't have to clean ourselves up in order to come to Christ for God to bring us to himself. 

And Paul says, we are to receive one another in this way. Christ received us, drew us close to himself, loved us, and brought us into fellowship in spite of our sin and animosity and division toward him. We are to receive our brothers unconditionally, not when they share the same convictions we do, but unconditionally as brothers and sisters in Christ for the glory of God. 

And here we see the motive. Look back to the previous verses in Romans 15 at verse 1. He says, "We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let each one of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, 'The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.'" 

"For whatever things were written before were written for our learning that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 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." 

Therefore, receive one another just as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Our life now is to live for the one who died for us. We are to be focused on bringing glory to God in everything that we do. We do this when we are unified, when we have the same mind, when we receive our brothers and sisters as Christ received us. And this for the glory of God. 

We must set our mind and focus on Jesus, on the gospel. When we think about how Jesus received us, what can our response be? Mark read that text this morning, 1 Corinthians 11. "Do this in remembrance of me. Do this in remembrance of me." Remember what? Remember the cross. Remember how Jesus came and took on flesh and became a man and died in our place so that we might live. 

What can our response be but thankfulness? What can our response be but praise and glory to God? Where is there division and selfishness in that? 

Turn over to Matthew 18. I want to read a parable. It's not a perfect parallel, but I think it serves as illustration. Matthew 18:21. Then Peter came to him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you up to seven times, but to seventy times seven." 

Now we're not talking about sin in our passage, but we're talking about receiving one another as Jesus received us, about grace and mercy and unity. Look at this illustration that Jesus tells in verse 23. 

"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him saying, 'Master, have patience with me and I will pay you all.' 

Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat saying, 'Pay me what you owe me.' So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 

So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' And his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you from his heart does not forgive his brother his trespasses." 

Well this parable is much like what Paul is telling us in Romans 14 and 15. Think about how petty, how selfish, how unthankful it is of us when we fight and dispute over personal preferences with our brothers and sisters in the church. When I must have my way, thinking about how Jesus receives me, how He draws me close to Him, how He encourages me and provides for me and works through me, how then should I treat my brothers and sisters? 

When we think about who we were in Adam, when we think about how Jesus died for us, was buried and rose again, accomplishing our salvation because of His great grace and love for us, when we think about how Jesus received us, how can we not receive our brothers and sisters in Christ? Not because they agree with everything we say. Not because of some worthiness in them in our eyes. But because Jesus has received him. That's what Paul said earlier in the chapter. You receive your brother because God has received him. 

Because we are brothers in Christ, because our goal is together to bring glory to God and men to Christ. Nothing else really matters. Certainly not our own preferences or desires set in contrast to or at the expense of my brother. Receive your brother as Christ received you for the glory of God. 

Next we see that Jesus was a servant to the circumcision. Verse 8 says, "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." 

We've touched on the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob already, and in the unconditional promise of a blessing to all nations in the gospel, in the seed of Abraham, who is Christ. The promise of eternal life, of salvation, was given to Abraham through his seed, Jesus, through the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which is Israel. 

And Jesus has fulfilled this prophecy of salvation by grace through faith by promise for Jew and Gentile. In Acts 3:24 it says, "Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days," Peter says. "You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' To you first, God having raised up His servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you in turning away every one of you from your iniquities." 

To the Jew first. Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies concerning salvation, and He came to Israel offering Himself as the Messiah, as King. But John 1 tells us He came to His own, and His own received Him not. However, for as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God. 

There's a remnant, and there will be a final fulfillment of all the promises made to Israel, but here Paul speaks of the blessing to all nations through the seed of Abraham, and the point is this, Jesus fulfilled that promise. He is the seed of Abraham by promise, but not only for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles. Look at verse 8 in our text again. 

"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, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, 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.'" 

There is fulfillment for the promise of salvation to Israel in Christ, and there is mercy for the Gentiles, a blessing to all nations through the seed, Jesus. Paul gives us several Old Testament prophetic quotes to show that the great plan of God has always been to bring salvation to the nations. 

Did you know that's why God chose Israel? Why He called them out as a nation? He established them as a nation for the very purpose of being a witness for Him, a witness to the nations. We see this in Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount. He says Israel is a city on a hill, a light to the world. God intended for Israel to walk after Him, to keep His judgments and do them, to be a separate people, to tell of His excellent greatness for the very purpose that the nations would be drawn to the only true God. 

It was always God's intention to bring salvation to all men, Jew and Gentile. The nation of Israel did not fulfill the command of God to be a witness to all nations, to follow Him and live by His Word. They became exclusive. They rejected the nations and they walked after their own way. 

But in this time that we live now, in this church age, God has cut a new channel of blessing. No longer are we a city on a hill, no longer are we a separate nation, but in the church we are all one in Christ. God has ordained in this time that the believers, Jew and Gentile, become one body in the church and we live among the pagans. We live as sojourners and pilgrims, as witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to preach the gospel to every creature, to invite every man to believe Jesus and become one with the body through faith in Christ. 

And the application here, in light of this great truth, is that we are all equal in the body. We are all one in Christ. Galatians 3:28 says there's neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither slave nor free, there's neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

I just want to make a note here, Israel will ultimately fulfill God's intention for them in the time yet to come. We studied this in Hebrews 2 when we were working through Thessalonians, that God is going to bring to pass the plan He intended for the nation of Israel. Listen to Zechariah 8:22. It says, "Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to pray before the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, in those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'" 

They're going to fulfill God's plan to be a witness to the nations. This is a prophecy concerning the coming millennial kingdom where God will fulfill all the promises to Israel and the nation will worship Him and be a witness for Him, just as He always intended. God's will indeed will come to pass. 

But the issue at hand in our text is that there was a great tendency, there was a danger of division in the body along the lines of Jew and Gentile, those with the law, those without the law in the time that Paul wrote this. And there's still a tendency today to divide along cultural or historical or even ethnic lines, to divide the church based on personal preferences or convictions, the way we dress, what our church services look like, what we eat, what days we observe. 

Men have a propensity to divide along some sort of line, to separate themselves from each other and to dispute and fight, to have their own way. I grew up in a somewhat, at least compared to here, culturally diverse area. There was a distinct division between the black community and the white community. This was the context in which I grew up; it was what I knew and had experienced. 

It was fascinating to me when I moved up to the Hurley-Ironwood area back in the late 80s, early 90s, that there were only white people. And yet, there was still division; there was still disputing and a line drawn between the Finns and the Italians or the Apostolics and the Evangelicals or whatever. Men have this tendency to fight, to dispute, to divide themselves. I have a friend; his dad was 100% Finlander and his mother was English, and he married her, and his entire family, until he died and his wife died, they spoke Finnish around her and wouldn't accept her, so she couldn't understand him. 

Why are men like this? They're like this because they're born in Adam and they want to divide and they want to have things their way and they want to fight. But the gospel, the gospel ends all of this, or at least it should. We're not talking about sin here in Romans 14 and 15; we're not talking about sin or false teaching or doctrine that can divide the church. We're talking about preferential issues, disputes over doubtful things. 

The gospel must end these kinds of senseless divisions for the sake of Christ, for the glory of God. And that's why we must continually come back to the gospel, preach the gospel to ourselves every day. I may not have the same conviction as my brother concerning this issue or that, but am I really going to divide myself from him, judge him, condemn him because he doesn't see things just as I do, or have the same background as me, or dress like me, or act like me? What are we doing here? 

The gospel and the glory of God is what matters, is our goal, is our purpose. Receive your brother just as Christ received you, grace, mercy, love, unity, one mind, one purpose. Lay all those preferences aside, draw your brother to yourself, sacrifice your liberty in Christ for the sake of the weaker brother, and have sweet fellowship, building one another up in the Lord, encouraging one another, speaking necessary words for edification.

And point each other to Christ, point each other to the gospel, to how Jesus received you, and then glorify God in all that you do. Christ is a servant to the Jews, Christ has mercy for the Gentiles, there is grace in the gospel for every man who will believe. And it is in this way and only this way that we can have joy and peace and hope. 

Look at verse 13 of our text. "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." Our God is the God of hope. Our salvation is built on the promises of God in Christ. Think about religion, the religions of man. There's no hope, there's no confidence there. 

I think about the religion that I grew up in; it's no different at its core than every religion invented by men, every religion that has ever existed in the world, a works-righteous system at its core: do this, wear that, participate in this, write this ritual, perform this work, give this money, do this charity. None of this deals with the true problem of my sins against the Holy God. 

And because the division has not been dealt with and I am continually and forever on a fool's errand to work my way to heaven, seeking to establish my own righteousness through the law, there's no hope. There's no peace. There's no way for me to be righteous, to experience reconciliation and redemption. And what I find as a man in Adam in religion is that I cannot live up to the standard, to any standard really, and most often I chuck the whole deal. No peace, no joy, no hope, no salvation. 

But in Christ, because of the gospel, because of what God has promised and brought to pass based solely on what Jesus has done, I can be saved. I can be saved from the wrath of God for my sins. He Himself is our peace. He has fully paid the price on the cross in His one-time death in my place for my sins, and God has shown that He is satisfied with the payment of Christ by raising Him from the dead with power. There's no work I could do, no religious experience. I could have, nothing I could give to add to what Jesus has done. It is finished. 

And now because of what Jesus has done, I can receive the righteousness of God by faith alone. I can be brought back into a right relationship with God, that which separates me from God, my sin has been dealt with at the cross. Romans 5:1, Paul says, "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 the hope of the glory of God." 

Turn over to Romans 3:21, one more passage before we close here. Paul explains this tremendous plan of God in Romans 3:21. He's just told us about all men being guilty, the vile sinners are guilty, the religious men are guilty, all men are guilty, no one is righteous, no not one. In 3:19 he says, "By the works of the law, no man will be made right with God." It's not by works. 

Verse 21, here's the good news, the contrast: "But now, the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there's no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." 

Paul says the same thing, 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For He made Him, Jesus, who knew no sin to be sin for us in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 

And my brothers and sisters, we are one in Christ in the church, one body with one mind and one purpose. That's what we have to stay focused on; that's what we have to not lose sight of. We are ambassadors for Christ, we are His witnesses in the world, we've been entrusted with the words of reconciliation, the gospel. We are here to live to the glory of God, to sing His praises, to tell His truth and live in consistency with who we are in Him. 

We're not to divide along preferential lines. We're not to condemn those who do not share the same convictions as us in the areas of doubtful things. We are to focus on Jesus. We are to focus on the gospel, on our purpose here in this time. And we are to receive one another, just as Christ received us, for the glory of God. And in this mind, in this life, there's peace, there's joy, there's eternal hope. This is what Paul's teaching us in this chapter, and it's good news, my friends, good news. 

Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we're so thankful, so thankful for the gospel, for the cross that we come together this morning to celebrate in the communion service to remember what You've done for us, that You finished the work, that You paid the debt in full, that You were a propitiation, a full, satisfactory payment for the sins of all men, in order that God might demonstrate His righteousness at the cross. 

But not only that, that He might be just, but also that He's able to justify the one who has faith in Jesus. Thank You for that good news, that glorious plan that could only be conceived in Your mind. Thank You for bringing the gospel to us through faithful witnesses, for drawing us to Yourself. Thank You for the salvation that we have in Christ. Help us to remember that every day and to tell others this good news. In Jesus' name, amen.