Series: Romans
Title: Glorify God by Oneness
Text: Rom 15: 5-6
Date: February 23, 2020
Place: SGBC, NJ
Our text today gives us God’s name—Romans 15: 5: Now the God of patience and consolation…
Then we are told God’s grant—Romans 15:
5…grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
Then we see God’s purpose—Romans 15: 6:
That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Then we hear God’s admonition—Romans
15: 7: Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the
glory of God.
Divisions: I. GOD’S NAME II. GOD’S GRANT III. GOD’S PURPOSE IV.
GOD’S ADMONITION
Proposition: Rather than focus on differences, glorify God with
one mouth being of one mind—because the way we glorify God is by our oneness.
Title: Glorify God by Oneness
GOD’S NAME
Romans 15: 5:
Now the God of patience and consolation…
The God of our salvation is the God
of patience. Spiritual patience comes from the
God of patience.
God effectually
teaches us patience and works it in us by his grace as a fruit of the Spirit of
God. Patience is produced only in
chosen, redeemed, heaven-born sinners. It
is worked in us by God’s grace, by his Gospel, and by his Providence. — “Tribulation
worketh patience.”
What
are some attributes of God that glorify his patience?
God’s
omniscience
glorifies his patience. We only know
part of men’s thoughts. We can be
patient because we do not know that in the heart men hate us. But God knows our hearts entirely. Yet God is patient, longsuffering,
forbearing.
God’s
power glorifies
his patience. We have to patiently wait
because our limited power makes it so we cannot do otherwise. God has all power to do as he pleases with
his own. Yet, God is still pleased to be
patient with his people.
God’s
righteousness
glorifies his patience. We would be
unjust not to be patient with one another sinners because we are sinners, too. Yet, God is righteous. It would be just for God to cease being
patient with us. Yet, in Christ, for
Christ’s sake, because God is righteous, he is patient with us.
We
could go on and on. God is everything we
are not. And his very character
glorifies his patience. In fact, God’s
grace is such that each of his attributes glorify every other attribute.
Also, the God of our
salvation is the God of comfort or consolation. Spiritual comfort comes only
from the God our Father who is the God of consolation. Our Lord Jesus
Christ, his dear Son, is himself “the consolation of Israel”, our
Comfort. God the Holy Spirit is “the
Comforter” sent down from heaven to comfort chosen, redeemed sinners.
Brethren, would you grow in
patience? Would you be comforted? Then flee to the God of patience and comfort. That is his name, the God of patience and
consolation.
GOD’S GRANT
Romans 15: 5: The God of patience and consolation grant
you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
If are patient and comforting and likeminded
toward one another it is because “the God of patience and consolation grant
you to be.” This is true of everything
we have received.
James 1: 17: Every good gift
and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of
lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Sinful flesh cannot produce godly patience
nor godly consolation nor godly like mindedness. Only the God of patience and comfort can grant
the gifts of righteousness. He only does
so to those who are his chosen people.
How does God grant patient forbearance and
longsuffering? He does it by the Spirit
of God teaching his child how patiently forbearing and longsuffering God has
been to us.
Every elect child of God is
seen in the prodigal son. We took
everything our Father gave us and lived for ourselves. But the prodigal’s father watched and waited
for his son. God our Father watched over
us and waited for the appointed hour to bring us to ourselves to see our sin
then draw us to him. By patient forbearance
and longsuffering God preserved us while we were only God-hating rebels against
him
Jude 1:1: Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them
that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and
called:
Does it seem Jude got it out of order? You would think it would read sanctified,
called and preserved. No, God the Father
sanctified his people when he chose us in Christ. Then all the days of our rebellion, he patiently,
forbearingly preserved us in Jesus Christ.
Then at last, he called us.
Believer think of
how much God was offended by our sin and vileness before him while we were dead
in sins. We were “children of wrath
even as others.” In God’s nose, we
were a sulfurous stinking abomination. We
actively transgressed against God in Adam.
We willfully sinned against him all the days we walked in ignorance. Yet God was patient, longsuffering and forbearing
with us. He protected and preserved us
every step of the way. That gives more
light to Psalm 37.
Psalm 37: 23: The
steps of a good man [good in Christ alone] are ordered by the LORD: and he
delighteth in his way. 24: Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down: for
the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
Not only before,
but after God called us, he continues to be patient and forbearing with us for
Christ’s sake. We still harden our hearts against him every time we
do what we know his word forbids. We
knowingly, willingly sin against him every day.
Yet, God continues to patiently forbear with his chosen children
It was God’s patient forbearance
by which our sins were remitted. He
waited patiently until his Son came and put away all the sins of his elect. Instead of pouring out wrath upon his people,
God patiently waited, then God poured out wrath on him in our place. What was that? It is called the forbearance of God.
Romans
3: 25: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood,
to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through
the forbearance of God;
Brethren, as the apostle
Peter said, we must “account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation”
(2 Peter 3:15). Brethren, before
the law, Christ has put away all our sins.
But all the sins of our flesh are still open and naked before our
heavenly Father? Yet, he bears with each
and every infirmity, heals our backslidings, forgives our iniquities, patiently
hears our cries, relieves our burdens, and carries us. God shall not destroy this word until his
longsuffering has saved each and every elect, redeemed sinner.
It is by making us to know God’s patience toward us, the
Spirit of God creates the fruit of patience and longsuffering and forbearance
in the heart of his saints. He continually
teaches us his patience toward us. Then
he sends a trial. At first, we are
overcome by our flesh. Therefore, we are
impatient with a brother or sister in Christ.
Then the Spirit of God reminds us of the patience of our God toward
us. God speaks in our heart, saying,
Isaiah 46: 3: Hearken
unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which
are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: 4 :And even
to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I
carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will
deliver you.
So he brings us to say, “If God has been—and still is—so
patient and forbearing with me—how can I not be so with my brethren?” Believer, is God patient with you? Is God
longsuffering to you? Then how we ought
to imitate his patience toward our brothers and sisters in Christ, toward
unbelievers and rebels, and even toward our enemies. (2 Cor 4:16; 1
Ti 6:11; 1 Thess 5:14; 1 Ti 3:1-3; 2 Ti 2:24-26).).
Likewise, the God of
consolation gives us likemindedness by making us comforters, by coming in
the Holy Spirit and giving us comfort. Comfort
begins in us by the Holy Spirit convicting us in our hearts. Have you noticed that in John 16?
John
16: 7: Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is
expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not
come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8: And when he is
come, [how will he begin to comfort] he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment: 9: Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10: Of
righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11: Of
judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
The Spirit of God teaches us our sins then
comforts by showing us how Christ put them all away. He makes us know we are all unrighteousness then
comforts by showing us Christ is our Righteousness. The Holy Spirit shows us we must stand before
the judgment seat of God then comforts us that our judgment has been settled in
Christ on the cross.
The Spirit of God must continue to do this
for a believer all our days. Often, we start
thinking too highly of ourselves. We
begin to think of how much we have done for a brother and how little a brother
has done for us. It may be true. But it is always our sinful flesh overcoming
us when we begin to think like that. We
feel sorry for ourselves. Then we become
impatient. Then rather than comfort, we want
to hurt. We have to be reminded that we
are nothing but sinners. The worst of
sinners. We have to be reminded that Christ
is our Righteousness and our only Judge.
He is my brother’s judge, not I. Then
God must comfort us by turning us to Christ our Consolation. We will not know why God is the God of all
comfort and we will not know how to comfort our hurting brethren except God
does this work in our hearts and in providence.
It is through this work that
God makes us likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus. He makes us likeminded that we are
nothing and Christ is all. Likeminded in
patience, longsuffering, and forgiveness toward one another. Likeminded in being a source of comfort to one another.
Notice, this likemindedness is
according to Christ Jesus. It means
at least three things.
One, Christ is the reason
God grants patience and comfort and likemindedness to his people. According to the blood of Christ, God can grant
gifts to his people justly, making his mercy abound.
Two, Christ is also our perfection
of patience, comfort and like mindedness.
God’s saints are complete in Christ.
We are not looking for acceptance by our patience or ability to comfort.
The GodMan is he alone whose patience and comfort and likemindedness was
perfect. Christ is the believer’s
Righteousness in all things.
Three, Christ is our example
of patience, comfort and likemindedness.
We have no better example to follow than Christ who said that he came to
do, not his own will, but the will of his Father that sent Him (Joh_6:38). There is no better example to follow in all things. We must behold
Brethren, everything is right
when it is according to Christ.
Let us be patient and comfort one another and be likeminded according
to Christ Jesus. Everything in life or death shall be well with my soul when
it is according to Christ.
GOD’S PURPOSE
Romans 15: 6: That ye may with one mind and
one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is God’s purpose: that we
may with one mind and one mouth glorify God the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. God is glorified when we are
one in faith in his dear Son. He is
glorified when we are united in his Son.
God is glorified when we seek to help and comfort one another, in patience
and love and mercy. God
our Father is glorified because he worked it in us and we give him all the
glory. And the Father is glorified
because it glorifies his Son.
Believer, that should be
reason and constraint for us be of one mind with our brethren. God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ sent
his only Son into this divided world and through Christ’s precious blood he has
made all God’s elect one in him. In the
end, in Christ, all God’s elect shall be one—"That in the dispensation
of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things [his people]
in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:” (Eph
1:10) Seeing that we are inseparably
one in Christ, let us be one toward one another. Life is too short to be otherwise!
GOD’S ADMONITION
Romans 15: 7: Wherefore
receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
What a way to give this admonition! How did Christ receive us? When we were weak and guilty. He received us freely and heartily. Christ received us into fellowship with him, as
joint heirs with him.
That is how we should receive
one another. We should patiently,
forbear, overlooking all weaknesses and infirmities and differences of opinion. We should receive one another freely with our
whole heart. We should receive one
another into fellowship, as heirs together of the grace of God.
Remember the context. These brethren differed as to meats and days. Paul said receive one another as Christ
received you, without doubting, and be silent on those things wherein you
differ—with one mind and one mouth glorify God instead.
Brethren let us not speak on
things wherein we differ. Doing so we will
dishonor God by division. Instead, speak
on things wherein we agree which are the necessary things that glorify our
triune God in Christ for our salvation.
That promotes peace and unity in Christ.
Doing so we “Glorify God by Oneness.”
Amen!