Joy & Peace in Believing

We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples [or the weaknesses] of those that are weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each 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 Jesus Christ, that you may with one mind and with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In a world that only honors the strong, the church is called to bear with the weak the way Christ bore with us.

A Race Won by Kindness

Some of you may know the name Joni Eareckson Tada—a great Christian woman, author, and speaker. At a young age, a diving accident into shallow water left her paralyzed from the neck down, yet God has used her life in awesome ways. She tells a story about her husband, Ken, who serves with the Special Olympics as a track-and-field coordinator.

At one session he blew the whistle to call the contestants to the line for the 50-yard dash. The first two to the line were a young girl with Down Syndrome wearing thick glasses and a squatty boy in baggy shorts. When the gun went off, they all started down the track. But the boy in the baggy shorts saw some friends in the infield and veered off toward them. Ken blew the whistle to bring him back, to no avail. The girl with Down Syndrome was in the lead, but as she neared the finish line she saw her friend running off, and she ran after him. She reached him, gave him a hug, and brought him back to the track, and they ran hand-in-hand the rest of the race. They finished last, but they finished.

The Competitive World and the Different Kingdom

That demonstration of kindness is not something we normally see in a competitive environment. In the actual Olympics, when a runner hits a hurdle or stumbles to the ground, you know for certain no one stops—even a teammate—to help them finish. That would never happen in such a competitive environment.

The reality is, we live in a competitive environment every single day. The scientific theory of natural selection—"survival of the fittest"—has enormous social implications. It does not stay in science; it works its way into every aspect of our lives. Especially here in the United States, we live in a very competitive culture. You don't even have to play the game to be competitive—some people in our church have never played football, but they are fiercely competitive about the Chargers. We understand this dog-eat-dog world where only the strong survive.

But the kingdom of God and His church are to be different in every single way. Not only is our society built on survival of the fittest, it is wholly committed to the philosophy of self-fulfillment—satisfying your desires, your needs, your wants. God's kingdom and church are to be a sanctuary from this worldly ideology, a place where that mindset does not rule.

Look at verse 2: "Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification." That is totally different from the world we live in. And verse 1 says the strong "ought to bear with the weaknesses of those who are weak, and not to please ourselves." The world's mindset is the opposite—we live to please ourselves and to be the winner. Yet within the Body of Christ those are not to be the ruling philosophies. Probably every one of us here counts ourselves among the strong; we read "those who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak" and think, "Well, I'm the strong one, and I know who the weak ones are." But we are to please our neighbor for his good and for his growth.

Bearing One Another's Burdens

Paul says in Galatians 6:2, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." As we have moved through these last chapters of Romans, we have seen again and again that the whole law is summed up in love. Jesus said in John 13:34 and 15:12, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you."

This is totally contrary to the worldview of our day. We have sayings like, "You gotta get your act together!" or "Suck it up, princess!"—I happen to like that one. We look at someone who can't carry their own load and say, "Get your act together! You're not gonna bring me down!" Because the ruling philosophy is that you have to be strong, shrewd, and cunning to survive, and it's all about you. But Paul says the strong are to bear with the weak and not please themselves, pleasing their neighbor for his good. That is to be the ruling mindset within the Body of Christ.

Ambassadors of Heaven

Do you realize the Scriptures call you and me ambassadors of Christ? Wherever we go, we are representatives of His kingdom, His glory, and His doctrine. In Titus 2 Paul says our conduct is to "adorn the doctrine of God our Savior"—the way we live is to beautify His teaching. When we gather as the Body of Christ, this is like heaven's embassy upon the earth. Philippians 3 says we are citizens of heaven, and 1 Corinthians says we are ambassadors of Christ. We come here to receive His doctrine, then carry it forth to the world. That means people are to see in your life and mine, without ever reading the Bible, what God's kingdom is like. That's a high bar—but that's what He has called us to.

So the question comes: What do people think about the kingdom of God by our conduct? Would people want to be citizens of our kingdom by looking at the way we live? We live in a nation people from all over the world are trying to enter because of what we have here. Are people trying to immigrate to our kingdom, the kingdom of God? Do we live in such a way that people look at the church and say, "I want to be a part of that—I want citizenship in heaven"? How is my life reflecting Christ and the kingdom of God?

The Mind of Christ in Philippians

Philippians has been called the book of joy, because Paul speaks much about joy and rejoicing in it. The church at Philippi was near and dear to his heart; he had planted it, and they exhibited joy. In Philippians 2:3 he writes, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit"—is that not contrary to the world we live in?—"but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." Notice it does not say never look out for your own interests; it says not only for your own.

Why should we do this? Verse 5: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but He made Himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a bondservant... And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." This is the mind of Christ, the way we see Him live.

Receiving the Weak

In Romans 14 Paul taught that we have liberty in Christ, but some believers, because of their background or upbringing, have set limiting standards for themselves. One person says, "I have liberty to do this," and another says, "No, I cannot do that." Romans 14:1 answers: "Receive one who is weak in the faith."

Remember picking teams at recess—kickball or whatever the game was. If you were the captain, you wanted players who would help you win, because we live in a competitive environment. That mindset is drilled into us from the youngest ages, and we bring it right into the church. We don't come into the church perfect; we are still being sanctified, so we carry that competitive mindset into the Body of Christ. By our nature we struggle with the command to receive those who are weak in the faith—to accept onto our team the very ones we'd otherwise pass over.

Carrying that same line of thinking into chapter 15, Paul says we not only receive the weak, but the strong ought to bear with their weaknesses and not please themselves, seeking instead to please them for their good and edification. Yes, we have liberty in Christ. Yes, some may be weaker in their comprehension or application of the faith. But out of a heart of love, as we are transformed into Christlikeness, we receive them and seek to build them up—not so they stay weak, but so they grow and no longer remain in that place of weakness. The faith of Christ is not about pleasing myself, but about pleasing my neighbor for his good and his growth.

Two Objections—And Christ's Example

When was the last time you intentionally set out to deny yourself, your own pleasure, for the good and growth of another? When I consider that, two objections come immediately to mind. First: if I live like that, I'll get trampled on; people will walk all over me. Second: no one else is doing it, so why should I? You may say, "Pastor, you don't understand my workplace or my school. If I live this way, I'll get walked all over, and nobody else is living that way."

And yes, that may actually happen. But if the purpose of our Christian life is self-preservation and comfort, you need to recognize you have put your faith in a false gospel that cannot save you. And second, Christ is never glorified by such a life. The Christian life is not about "me"; it is about Christ. There are churches completely focused on "ME"—but the Christian faith is about Christ being glorified, honored, and lifted up.

To the objection "no one else is living like this," look at verse 3: "For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, 'The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.'" No one else is doing it—well, Jesus did. So when I say no one else is doing it, who am I following? Not Christ, but the world. Verse 1 says we are not living for ourselves but for others; verse 2 says we live with the good and growth of others in view; verse 3 gives the model—Christ, who lived not to please Himself.

The Reproach That Fell on Christ

But here the deeper objection wells up: Jesus was trampled on. If I live like that, that means death—He lived that way and was crucified. And that is true.

Notice the end of verse 3: "The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me." Paul is quoting Psalm 69. Interestingly, he quotes only the second half and applies it to Jesus, while John applies the first half. Psalm 69:9 says, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up," which John, in John 2, applies to Jesus cleansing the temple. Jesus came into the temple courts—likely the court of the Gentiles, the only place non-Jews could worship God—and found it turned into a swap meet with sky-high exchange rates. He overturned the moneychangers' tables and drove out the buyers and sellers, declaring, "This is to be a house of prayer, and you have made it a den of thieves." John says this fulfilled Psalm 69. Paul quotes the second half: those who hated and reproached God directed their hatred at Jesus, because He is God incarnate.

Why does Paul quote this here? Because he knows our objection: if I live this way, I'll be trampled. He answers, "Yes, that may be true." Why? Because you and I are ambassadors of God. The hatred of those who hate God will be directed at us, just as it was at Jesus. He taught this: "If the world hated Me, know that it will hate you also" (John 15:18); "You will be hated by all for My name's sake" (Matthew 10:22; Matthew 24:9; Mark 13:13). They don't hate you just because of you—they hate you because of who you represent.

You may have experienced this even on a small level. You walk into a room where someone is suffering—a loved one has died or been diagnosed with cancer—and they know you're a Christian who represents God. Angry and bitter at God, they zero in on you: "I don't want you here!" Not because of who you are, but because of who you represent.

Blessed Are the Persecuted

So Paul brings us back to Psalm 69 because the reproaches that fell on God came upon Christ, and Jesus told us the world would hate us too. In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:10, Jesus says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Because we are ambassadors of God, we may experience the persecution and reproach aimed at God.

Verse 11: "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you." The world will trample on you for humbly following Christ's example—but when they do, remember that humbly following Christ brings ultimate exaltation and salvation. How do we know? In those Gospel passages where Jesus says, "You will be hated by all for My name's sake," He adds, "but he who endures to the end shall be saved."

If the reality of reward were not there, suffering for Christ would be foolishness. Paul says as much in 1 Corinthians 15: if Christ is not raised and we will not be raised with Him, then all we do for His name is nonsense, and we are of all men most miserable. But we have the sure word of God's promise—those who endure to the end shall be saved. There is a salvation, a reward, an exaltation for those who suffer for righteousness' sake. That is why Jesus says, "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad." How many of you rejoice when people are mean to you? It seems like foolishness—until you hear, "for great is your reward in heaven." Not "you might get something," but great is your reward.

James 4:10 says, "Humble yourselves in the sight of God, and He will lift you up." This is contrary to everything our culture teaches, but James is quoting Jesus, who said in Matthew 23:12, "He who humbles himself will be exalted." Not "might be"—will be. There is absolute certainty this will come to pass.

Written for Our Learning

Why does Paul reference the Psalms? Verse 4: "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." The things written in the Old Testament were written for our instruction. This is why it is terribly unfortunate that many Christians never read the Old Testament. Research from Barna and LifeWay—Christian research organizations—found around 2010 that less than 20% of professing Christians read their Bible regularly, and fewer still spend much time in the Old Testament, often because they're told, "We live in the New Testament."

But in 1 Corinthians 10:11 Paul says all these things happened to the children of Israel "as examples"—the Greek word is typos, "types"—and "they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the age have come." Many who believe we are living in the last days say, "I'm a New Testament believer; I don't need that Old Testament stuff." But Paul says precisely those living at the end of the age need to learn from what happened to Israel.

He drives it home in Romans 15:4—those things "were written for our learning, that we through the patience"—the deliberate, loyal study of them—"and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." You've probably met someone facing trials who reaches despair and says, "I have no hope." What is the answer? Paul gives it here: through the patient, loyal study of the Scriptures we have hope.

God, the Source of Patience, Comfort, Hope, and Peace

Verse 5: "Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another." He is the God of patience and comfort. Verse 13 calls Him "the God of hope." Verse 33 calls Him "the God of peace." These things—patience, comfort, hope, peace—come from Him. He is the well, the source, the origin.

So if you say, "I'm lacking in patience," or "I'm lacking in peace," or "I'm lacking in hope," who is the source? God is. If you're lacking in those things, it's an indication you're not connected with Him, not abiding in His word with His word abiding in you. It falls back on us, not on Him. It's not that He has failed to be who He is; it's that we have not been where we need to be. That's convicting—I must be abiding in His word, His word abiding in me.

Notice Paul is petitioning God in verse 5. He prays that the God of patience and comfort would grant the church to be like-minded toward one another, according to Jesus Christ—by the power of Christ. By nature, because of sin, we live divided, contrary lives, but God by His grace desires to bring us into like-mindedness. Why? Verse 6: "that you"—plural, y'all, as they'd say in the South—"may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." God wants us united in Him so we would honor and glorify Him together. Sadly, many outside the church look at us and see division. But God's desire is that we be united in Christ, glorifying Him with one mind and one mouth.

Receive One Another as Christ Received Us

Verse 7: "Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God." This echoes 14:1, "Receive one who is weak in the faith." Because God is to be glorified by us with one mind and one mouth, we are to receive one another—the weak as well—so they grow and experience the good of Christ, and so we all together glorify God with one voice.

Remember, when we came to Christ, we did not come as strong. We were utterly unable to stand on our own, and He received us. If you were the one chosen last at recess, Jesus is the captain who says, "Yeah, I receive you. I want that one." We call that foolishness—and the Scriptures agree: "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise," the weak things to confound the strong. Receive one another just as Christ received you.

Jesus Came for Jew and Gentile

Verse 8: "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." Paul turns slightly, but it fits the context. Jesus became a man—Philippians 2 and John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us... full of grace and truth." Why did He come?

Paul gives two reasons. First, Jesus came to the Jewish people to fulfill God's promises to their fathers, because He who promised is faithful. In Genesis 12 God told Abraham, "In you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed"—a promise of the Messiah blessing all nations. And to David God promised a king would always sit on his throne. So Jesus came in fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham, David, and Israel.

Second, verse 9: Jesus also came so the Gentiles—the non-Jews—might, together with the people of God, "glorify God for His mercy." Paul then proves this from the Old Testament, because one of the problems in the early church was division between Jewish and Gentile Christians. Some Jews would never have picked a Gentile for their team—though a few Gentiles appear right in Jesus' own line.

So Paul stacks up the witnesses. From the Psalms (18:49): "For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, and sing to Your name." Some might say the psalmist could be wrong—so Paul turns to the law, Deuteronomy 32:43: "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!" Then back to the Psalms (117:1): "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!" And finally the prophets, Isaiah 11:10: "There shall be a root of Jesse"—Jesus, in the family tree of David's father—"and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope."

Dealing with this cultural divide—the Gentiles claiming they were stronger because of their liberty, the Jews claiming their limiting standards—Paul says God has made us one. He wants us to receive one another, not unto disputes over doubtful things, but so that Jews and Gentiles alike, with one voice, one mouth, and one mind, would together worship, serve, and glorify God.

Joy and Peace in Believing

Verse 13: "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing." Don't miss those last words—in believing. God is the God of peace, hope, patience, and comfort; He is the source of joy and peace. But these things are laid hold of not by having Abraham as your father, not by keeping the Sabbath—they are grasped by faith.

"May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing"—why?—"that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." These things come from God; He is the source and origin. We lay hold of them by putting our trust in Him, no longer trusting our own good works or our lineage, but trusting Him for our salvation. As we put our faith in Him, these things become ours, and we abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. God, make that a reality in our lives.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You that You have made it accessible—hope, joy, peace, patience, comfort—these things are accessible to all who put their faith in You. Whether we come from a Jewish or Gentile background, whether we are black or white or Hispanic, whatever we may be, it's not just for Americans, not just for Jews; it's for all people who put their faith in You. God, thank You for Your saving power in Jesus Christ. Amen.