From Church Relations through Missions to Eternal Worship (Romans Sermon 111)

Up in the heavenly realms, according to Revelation chapter 4, there is a throne with someone sitting on it. And the 24 elders and the four living creatures and 100 million angels at least encircle that throne and they celebrate and they worship Almighty God continually day and night, praising and saying, “Holy, holy, holy.” And they say, “You are worthy, our God, to receive honor and praise and glory and blessing, for You created all things. And by Your will they were created and have their being.” That worship of God the Creator is going on incessantly in the heavenly realms. Wouldn’t you love to be there right now? And then in Revelation Chapter 5 there’s a different picture. I’m not preaching on Revelation this morning, I’ll get to Romans in a minute, but I just love the vision of the heavenly worship, it just has the power to make you glad. It has the power to make you happy and to give you strength to fight sin. And so I think we ought to be meditating much on heaven, don’t you?

And so in Revelation 5, as Revelation 4 celebrates God the Father or God the creator, so in Revelation 5, we have a celebration of God the Redeemer, Jesus Christ. And this is what the Scripture says, “Then I saw a lamb looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne.” Meditate on that. “Encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll, the title deed of the earth some call it, it may be so. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb and each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song. ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were slain, and with your blood, you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.'”

Oh, what an awesome picture of heavenly worship of Christ the Redeemer, whose blood is shed for people from every tribe and language and people and nation. They are His. Many of them haven’t heard about it yet but they will because the missionaries are going to reach them some day, but they are His already, they are blood-bought and they belong to Christ. And so there’s this extended scene of heavenly worship for Christ, the Redeemer that’s going on right now.

As a result of that vision of worship, I believe, John Piper introduced his great book on missions called; Let The Nations Be Glad! In this way, this is what he said at the very beginning,

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exist because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity but worship abides forever. Worship, therefore, is the fuel and the goal in missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. ‘The Lord reigns. Let the earth rejoice. Let the distant coast lands be glad!’ (Psalm 97:1). ‘Let the peoples praise thee, O God, that all the peoples praise Thee, let the nations be glad, and sing for joy!’ (Psalm 67). But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God and worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish. Missionaries will never call out, ‘Let the nations be glad’ who cannot say from the heart ‘I rejoice in the Lord…I will be glad and exalt in thee. I will sing praise at thy name, O Most High’ (Psalm 104:34; 9:2). Missions begins and ends in worship.”

Oh how powerful is that?  Christ came, took on a human body. Suffered on the cross, bled and died, and was raised from the dead to make the nations glad, to make them eternally glad. Not just glad for this afternoon because they get to eat their favorite lunch. Not glad just for the next six months, because they’ve had a good harvest. Not glad for the next couple of years because their first born son was born to them this morning. Not glad for the next number of decades because they finally get to marry the girl of their dreams. All of those things are temporary. No, Christ came and suffered and died on the cross and was raised from the dead on the third day to make them eternally glad in Himself. Eternally glad in God. Glad forever and ever and ever and ever. Now, that’s a powerful amount of gladness.

And you may wonder what could be the fuel, the eternal fuel of that much rejoicing? It can only be an infinite topic, it can only be an infinite subject, and that is the glory of God. It is God, the Creator, who by His will, He created all things, and they have their being, and also Christ, the Redeemer. These are infinite topics and they will keep us busy in gladness, forever and ever. The Lord reigns, let the nations be glad. Let the distant shores rejoice. Christ came to make the nations glad in him, in his reign, in his sovereign supremacy and in his delightful personality.

Wouldn’t you love to know him better? Wouldn’t you yearn to know Him better? I do. I yearn to know Christ better just as Paul did in Philippians 3. Just to know Him, what a delightful personality, we’ll have eternity to search that personality forever and ever. And this was His stated goal, to make people from every tribe and language and people and nation eternally glad in Himself. It was His stated goal before the foundation of the world. But I say to you at present, the nations are not glad in Him. They are not glad in God’s eternal power and divine nature, they are not glad in God’s immutable throne, not according to His eternal purpose. There are some in the nations that are glad, but they all belong to Him, each one of them.

And so what is the solution to that problem? Well, it is missions. It’s missions. It’s people like you and me going across the miles and reaching out with the gospel to those who are not yet glad in God’s sovereignty, not yet glad in Christ’s redemption. It’s missions, that’s the solution of the problem. As Paul already stated in Romans chapter 10: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent, as it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.'” So what’s the problem? Well, in God’s infinite wisdom, the preachers, the missionaries, they must be sent. They must be sent out. The sending ones are the church. The church, therefore, must be a healthy, strong, united sending pad, launching pad for missions.

And I believe that Paul is writing in this section to the Roman church, so that they will be united around that purpose. That they will be a united launching pad for missions to the Gentiles. That’s his purpose, that’s why he wants them to be united. Now, let’s do a little review. Romans 14, we’ve seen that the church in Rome was a divided… Not a divided church, a mixed church. I don’t want to say divided, but they could have been divided because they were struggling over what we call debatable issues. And so Paul in Romans 14:1, urges them not to divide over debatable issues, but rather welcome each other and not dispute over these debatable issues.

Well, what would they be? Well, we’ve seen in our studies in Romans 14, it would be how the law of Moses would take part in the ongoing Christian life, and perhaps issues connected to paganism. Like what about eating meat sacrifice of idols and all of these debatable issues? His like, “Let’s not divide, let’s not have Jews and Gentiles dividing over these things. We cannot have it.” And so, therefore, he desires the church to be united, to be genuinely united and not crushed by division. And so he wants this mixed church of Jews and Gentiles to love each other, and welcome each other.

I. Review: From Church Relations to Worldwide Worship

Now, last time, we saw that the present struggle in Palestine between Jews and Gentiles, Hezbollah and Israel and all of that, are really just the modern chapters of an ancient struggle. And frankly the whole Jew-Gentile struggle is itself a subset of the conflicts that all human beings just tend to have. The reason is we’re not at peace with God, therefore, we’re not at peace within ourselves and therefore we’re not at peace with other people in the world, whoever they may be. And so any division in conflict is really all united in that way. The church of Rome, we saw last time had the seeds of its own destruction already planted in its sin nature. It’s not easy for sinners to come together and be in close contact with each other without division and controversy and strife starting to crop up. And so, he desired the unity of the church.

Now, I said last time in John 17:23, Jesus prays his High Priestly Prayer, and he prays in this way, he says, “May they, the church, be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.” In other words, as we become more and more Gospel united, as we become more and more one as the Father and the Son are one, in this world now, as the world is watching that unification process, then the Gospel is heightened in it’s estimation in the hearts of the unbelievers and they see the power of the Gospel to transform lives, and they’re attracted to it. They believe that Christ was sent by God, the Father, it is therefore essential to the advance of the Gospel that these local churches be united, that they be genuinely one.

So what’s the flow of thought here in Romans 15:7-13? I think what’s happening is this. First, all things should be done to the glory of God, all things. Salvation plan itself was worked out before the foundation of the world to be maximally for the glory of God, that’s how God desires to glorify Himself with this redemption plan. That redemption plan, before the foundation of the world, included both Jews and Gentiles. Not Jews alone, but Jews and Gentiles. Christ was sent to fulfill that plan, and He, Himself, is the pattern for Jew-Gentile unity. He accepted sinners like us and therefore we should accept one another. Jew-Gentile unity and worshipping God was prophesied to the patriarchs and the promises made to the patriarchs and to the prophets, as we’ll see this morning.

The ultimate and then would be that elect representatives from every tribe and language and people and nation would be around the throne worshipping God, God the Creator and Christ the Redeemer, forever and ever, blood-bought, cleansed from their sins, they will be around that throne forever and ever, and therefore we should get along. We should get along with each other in the local church. We should love each other. We should get over our petty divisions and disagreements and troubles, whatever they may be. Because someday, we’re going to spend eternity together around that same throne. And the more we can imitate that now the better it will be for the advance of the Gospel. That’s the whole flow of the argument and that’s what’s going on here.

II. Review: Remedies to Church Division Seen Last Week

Now, last time I gave you six remedies to this Jew-Gentile division, which I said by a connection extends to really any division in your life; Your marriage, your parenting, and church, etcetera, but focus on the issue of Jew-Gentile division in that local church.

1) Understand God’s Ultimate Purpose: His Own Glory

First, I said we need to understand God’s ultimate purpose, and that is His own glory. If you focus on God’s glory, it’s going to be hard for you to bicker about whatever is top on your list. You diminish and shrink, in your own estimation, and God becomes greater and greater. And so, you’re able to get beyond your divisions and controversy.

2) Understand God’s Second Purpose: Our Eternal, United Delight in His Glory

Secondly, we should understand God’s second purpose, and God’s second purpose is to make us eternally happy in His own glory. He really wants to love us and give us gifts, and so He wants to give us Himself as the highest gift and secondly, He wants to give us each other as a lower gift, lower than Himself, but still glorious and wonderful. And I don’t mean ourselves as we kind of are now, all messy in our sin and our selfishness, but I mean, He wants to give us each other glorious in Christ forever and ever. And so, that’s what He’s doing, He’s giving gifts to us.

3) Obey God’s Command: Accept Each Other Wholeheartedly

Thirdly, we needed simply obey His command. He’s told us in 14:1 and then in 15:7, we should accept one another. We should just accept one another, we should welcome each other and treat each other that way.

4) Follow Christ’s Pattern of Acceptance

Fourth, we should follow Christ’s pattern of acceptance. I said last time that Christ gives us both the why and the how of accepting one another. Why should we accept one another? Because Christ has accepted us. How should we accept one another? In the manner that Christ accepted us, and we saw it in all the different ways that Christ welcomed people and so we should welcome each other that way.

5) Understand Christ’s Servanthood “to the Jews First”

Fifth, we should understand Christ’s servanthood to the Jews, understand it, and see how Christ came as the servant to the circumcision of the servant to the Jews, and how He served them by taking their griefs and their iniquities and even their sins to the cross, not as a potentate, but as a humble servant.

6) Understand Christ’s Commitment to God’s Truth

And then, sixthly, last time we said we need to understand Christ’s commitment to the truth.

III. God’s Purposes for the Jews and Gentiles: Eternally United Worship

Now, this morning, we’re gonna look at four new remedies, four remedies to Jew-Gentile division remaining. And each one with the goal of Gentile worship.

1) Believe God’s Promises to the Patriarchs

2) Glorify God for His Mercy to both Jew and Gentile

3) Believe God’s Prophecies to the Prophets

4) Rejoice in Hope, United by the Holy Spirit

First, to believe God’s promises to the patriarchs. Second, to glorify God for His mercy to both Jews and Gentiles. Third, to understand the prophecies of Jew-Gentile unity. And fourth, to hope in our glorious future together. Let me tell you something, through all that, my goal is just make you happy in your eternal future with the body of Christ. I want you to walk out happy in Christ.

You know something it’s really commanded. It says we’re supposed to rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. There is so much to rejoice about. So I want your problems and whatever struggles you may have brought into this sanctuary this morning to shrink into insignificance compared to the glory that’s going to be revealed in us. That’s my desire ultimately.

So let’s look at the first one, and that’s to believe God’s promises to the patriarchs. Now, who are the patriarchs? What do we mean by that? Well, look at verse 8-9, “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, so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy.” The patriarchs are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. David in another place is called the patriarch and that’s fine. But these are the great leaders of Israel from antiquity past. And some promises were made to the patriarchs. Well, what promise in particular?

Well, the first and greatest promise concerning Jew-Gentile unity came in the original call of Abraham when he was still living in Ur of the Chaldeans, way back in Genesis chapter 12, what I called, when I preached on that passage, the ancient origin of modern missions. And there it is in Genesis 12, “The Lord said to Abram, Leave your country and your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you unto a great nation and I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse. [And listen] All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Now the word peoples, somebody once asked a preacher, “Is that a word? Peoples? I mean, isn’t people plural already? So, why do you put the S on at the end, peoples? Well, peoples, as we’ll talk about in a couple weeks, but they are identifiable people groups, like nations defined by language and culture and by geography. Peoples, nations. All peoples on earth will be blessed somehow through Abram of Ur of the Chaldeans. Now how can that be? Well, we know because we’re further along in redemptive history. We know it’s because Jesus Christ is the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Jesus Christ is the son of Abraham, He’s descended from Abraham. He’s the fulfillment of that promise. We also see the promise made to the patriarchs in Abraham. In Genesis 22:17 and 18, after God had commanded him to sacrifice his son, his only son, Isaac, whom he loved. And Abraham was willing to do it and just as he’s about to plunge the knife into Isaac’s heart and kill him, the angel of the Lord stopped him. He said, “Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son, whom you love.” And then he said this, “I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me.”

So how are we all blessed in Abraham? Well, we all know it’s through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was a Jew, he was born of the Jews, he came and ministered to the Jews. He was a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And so Christ came to confirm these promises made to the patriarchs, specifically that Abraham would be a blessing to all nations. And so Paul wrote in Galatians 3:8, “The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.'” And Paul says in Romans 4, that all of us, Jew or Gentile, all of us who have believed in Jesus Christ, who have repented of our sins and have trusted in the saving work of Christ, we are children of Abraham. We are adopted into Abraham’s family. We are engrafted into the olive tree, and we’re receiving nourishing sap from that root system. We are children of Abraham. And so Christ came to confirm those promises, so therefore, how can Jews and Gentiles not get along? This thing was predicted way back in 2000 BC, that Jews and Gentiles together would be blessed by Abraham’s offspring, by Christ.

Secondly, we need to glorify God for His mercy, both to Jew and Gentile. Look at verse 9, “so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy.” That’s Paul refers to the purpose of God in making these promises to the patriarchs. God’s desire has always been worldwide, but it’s still self-focused. What do I mean by God’s purpose being self-focused? We already covered that. God wants to give you Himself, He wants to get your eyes off of all of your earthly concerns and troubles and difficulties and gets you to focus on Him. And so, therefore, Gentiles and such, I think we all are, although there may be some Jews among us, but most of us are Gentiles, we Gentiles need to glorify God for His mercy. We need to focus on God for His mercy and give Him thanks.

Since all of us are sinners, we should come to the realization that it’s only by mercy that any of us stands before such a Holy God. It’s only by mercy that we’re actually going to get to be there, surrounding the throne with the hundred million angels in that high and holy place that God lives. Only by mercy will sinners like you and me ever get to be there. It’s only by mercy that we will live forever and ever. And so therefore, we need to glorify God for His mercy. Well, that is a uniting feature, isn’t it? God has been merciful to this one and also to this one, how can they not love one another? How can they not welcome one another?

Now, mercy, the mercy of God was a big theme of Romans 9-11, as he’s dealing with the whole Jew-Gentile issue and eternal predestination, all those things. And it culminated in this marvelous statement about God’s mysterious plan. In Romans 11:30-32, he says this, “Just as you [Gentiles] who are at one time disobedient to God, have now received mercy as a result of their [the Jews] disobedience, so they [the Jews] too have now become disobedient in order that they [the Jews] may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you [Gentiles].“ You see how He unites Jews and Gentiles on the topic of mercy? “For God has bound all men over to disobedience, so that He may have mercy on them all.”

Let me tell you something, when we get to heaven, we will not want to talk about us. You won’t want to talk about you. I think at one level, you’ll be thoroughly sick of the topic. It may preoccupy you now more than it should, but it will not preoccupy you in heaven. And if you think about yourself at all, it will be just to glorify God for His mercy. Amen? To glorify God for His mercy, that’s what you’ll think about yourself. O, how merciful has God been to me. And I think the more you think about it now, the happier you’ll be in Christ. Who are we then to not welcome somebody else? How can we not glorify God for His mercy to us? And secondly, how can we not glorify God for His mercy to others? And thirdly, therefore, how can we not be merciful to each other? It just totally affects the way you treat each other. It totally affects the way you treat people who are giving you a hard time. Someday, we’re going to be standing before the throne and all of that will be gone. How can we hold it against each other now? What a waste of time. What a waste of time to hold something against somebody. Let it go.

And I’m not saying we don’t follow the church discipline issues and try to show somebody. Out of love for them we do it, but not because I need it done for myself or I’m going to be angry and I’m not going to go to that church anymore, and all that stuff. No, we let it go. We glorify God for His mercy.

Thirdly, we need to believe God’s prophecies through the prophets. Look at verse 9-12, it’s just a majestic golden chain of prophecies of how God, speaking through the patriarchs, speaking through the prophets said, “I intended this from the beginning, before the foundation of the world, that Jews and Gentiles together would glorify God for His mercy.” He’s proving it from Scripture. As it is written, “‘Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles. I will sing hymns to your name.’ And again, it says, ‘Rejoice O Gentiles with His people.’ And again, ‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Sing praises to Him, all you peoples.’ And again, Isaiah says, ‘The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations and the Gentiles will hope in him.'”

A golden chain of four prophecies, a string of quotations from the Old Testament, one from each of the major sections of the Old Testament, one from the history books, 2 Samuel, one from the law books, in Deuteronomy. One from the wisdom literature, in Psalms, and one also from the prophets, in Isaiah. And so he binds all four parts of the Old Testament in a united voice to prove one thing: God has always intended this united Jew plus Gentile worship around a single throne forever and ever in heaven. That’s always been His purpose. This isn’t a new thing. It’s to quiet therefore Jewish Christians from thinking that God never really intended to save Gentiles. It’s from quieting Gentiles who think that they’re second class citizens and don’t really deserve to be there, somehow.

Some Christians, even go so far as to say that the Gentiles were God’s plan B. Perhaps you’ve heard this among some dispensationalists. And they’ll say that God was really working through Israel, but they rejected Christ. Oh, what a surprise, we have to go to plan B. They haven’t read Romans 9-11, I guess. Nothing surprises God. As a matter of fact, He ordained it so that God could bind the whole human race together in disobedience and have mercy on them all. That’s what it says, we just read it. But they’re saying, “No, no, God’s on His plan B now, it’s been going on for 2000 years, this extended plan B.” A backup plan. And that we are kind of inserted after the 69 weeks of Daniel before the 70th week, we’re just kind of the big parenthesis, what a long parenthesis inserted in there, plan B.

Well, look, I’m not going to get into all of those eschatological details this morning, but I will say this: God intended before the creation of the world to save both Jews and Gentiles through Christ, and these prophecies should end that question forever. And by the way, it’s not just four in the Old Testament, there are dozens and dozens of these kinds of predictions and prophecies, that God has always intended to save Jews and Gentiles in Christ.

Now, the Jews themselves had a difficult time grasping that God had a saving intention toward Gentiles. That, my friends, is a gross understatement. The Jews had a difficult time accepting that God had a saving intention toward the Gentiles. You remember in Acts 22 when Paul was giving his testimony to his Jewish countrymen in Jerusalem? And they’re listening to the road to Damascus conversion. There are listening to all the things that God had done in Paul’s life quietly, until he got to a certain point. And this is what Paul said, “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, ‘Rid the earth of him. He’s not fit to live.'” Do you have a sense of a national allergy to a single word? The word is Gentiles. What a dirty nasty word to those nationalistic Jews back then.

But Paul saturates the quotes in the word Gentiles. Do you see it? Over and over. I will praise you among the Gentiles. I’ll sing hymns to your name. Rejoice, O Gentiles with His people and praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. And sing praises to Him, all you peoples and the Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations and the Gentiles will hope in Him. Is that an accident? No, he chose those. The Gentiles, God had a saving intention toward the Gentiles.

Now, the first of the four prophecies is the one that David gives in 2 Samuel 22, it’s also Psalm 18, and he’s celebrating his own deliverance from Gentile enemy. So it’s a little bit strange to be included in the string, but it’s fascinating, really. David says, “You have delivered me from the attacks of the people. You have made me the head of nations. People I don’t even know are subject to me.” So he’s talking about how he’s become a ruler there in Palestine. But if you look more closely, it’s really seen from a messianic perspective, like David is representing Christ. And so basically people that had been warring against him are now bowing down before him and serving him. Is that you? Were you at one point warring against Christ, fighting against Him, and now you’re gladly bowing before Him? Yes, it is. Psalm 18 is your story and Christ is your King. And at some point, you Gentiles, you came and you bowed before Christ and He became your Savior. You took His yoke upon you and you learn from Him because He’s gentle and humble in heart. You bowed your knee before Christ the King. And so it says, “I will sing praises among the Gentiles.”

And then the second quotation, the original context is Deuteronomy 32, and the context is one of celebrating God’s deliverance from enemies. But whereas, the first quote is David celebrating in the midst of the Gentiles, now the Gentiles themselves are urged to take part in the celebration. Look at verse 10, “Rejoice O Gentiles, with His people.” Would you like to join us? The Jews are saying, “Why don’t you come along? Why don’t you rejoice with us?” What a glorious pre-figurement of our heavenly praise, Jew and Gentile together worshipping Christ in perfect unity. Again, note the theme of rejoicing. Well, friends, I have a great job to do this morning, I get to preach on happy rejoicing verses. Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people, a sense of delight.

Now the third quote carries this theme even deeper, a direct command to the Gentiles to praise the Lord in Psalm 117, that’s the shortest Psalm in the Bible. Just two verses, and this is what it says: “Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol Him, all you peoples.” Why? “For His mercy has been abundant toward us and the truth of the Lord endures forever.” Why should the nations praise the Lord? Because His mercy has been abundant to us forever.

And the final prophecy is a prediction that the Gentiles will actually in fact glorify God for His mercy. See, the first is David celebrating among the Gentiles. The second two are urging the Gentiles or even commanding them to take part, but the fourth says what? They will. Not just they might or they’re commanded to, they actually will hope in the Root of Jesse. Look at the prophecy. Again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations and the Gentiles will hope in Him.”

Now, the Root of Jesse is Christ, of course, and Gentiles hope in Him, when they hear the gospel, they realize that His blood was shed for their sins and they realize that this world is not all there is, and financial and physical and relational suffering and struggling is not all there is, there is a glorious world waiting for us and it’s getting closer and closer every week, and that is my hope and yours. The Gentiles will hope in Him, that is in Christ.

So first, David rejoices in the Lord in front of the Gentiles, then Moses urges the Gentiles to celebrate with his people, then the psalmist commands all the Gentiles to worship Him, all nations, and then finally, Isaiah predicts that it’s going to happen, that every nation will find its hope in Christ.

The final factor of unity and Jew and Gentiles in this benediction in verse 13. Rejoice in hope, united by the Holy Spirit. Look at verse 13 on how rich it is. “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.” Look at all these delightful, wonderful words here: God, filling, hope, joy, peace, trust, overflow, hope, power, Holy Spirit. These are delightful things that Paul is in effect praying for the church there at Rome.

So, basically, may the God of hope fill you, church of Rome, with all joy and peace as you, church of Rome, trust in Him, so that you, the church of Rome, may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s what he wants them to do. It’s a benediction pointing them. And in effect he’s saying, “You know what, your hope is someday you’re going to be at that throne, you’re going to worship, Jew and Gentile, together forever.”

You know what I would like? I would like a little manna from heaven, dropping down to feed on while I’m on my exodus through the wilderness of sin until I finally get to the promised land. I want some heavenly worship to drop into my life everyday, I want to eat it, I want to feed on it, and be happy in heaven now, while I still have time to advance the gospel and get along with my brothers and sisters here in this world and do things that will glorify God, like a warrior for Christ. I want to eat that manna now. And so I say to you that you could be happier in Christ than you are, and so could I. We need to feed on this manna, friends. You need to meditate much on Revelation 4 and 5, and whatever visions of heaven from Scripture you want to meditate on, and realize that God has a glorious saving plan intended for the ends of the earth, and for your life too.

The future is unspeakably glorious, and it only comes in verse 13, as you trust in Him. According to your faith, it will be done to you. As you’re trusting in Christ, you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. So trust in what I’m saying. These things are sure and certain realities, they just haven’t come yet. Christians are the only ones who can deal with that category. Sure and certain realities that haven’t come yet. That’s the essence of Christian hope. And someday, it’s going to be ours.

IV. Review and Application: Unity and Joyful Worship of God’s Glory

Now, by way of review, last two weeks we’ve seen 10 remedies to the problem of Jew-Gentile disunity in that 1st century church in Rome and by connection, we can look up to our church here, your own situation. First, we saw understanding God’s ultimate purpose, His own glory. Secondly, understanding God’s secondary purpose, our delight in His glory. Thirdly, simply obeying God’s command to accept each other. Fourth, following Christ’s pattern of acceptance as He has accepted us so we accept one another. Fifth, understanding the nature of Christ’s servanthood to the Jews, so that we Gentiles wouldn’t be arrogant toward the Jews, but realize He went to the Jews only in His earthly ministry. So let’s understand His servanthood to the Jews. And sixth, understand His commitment to God’s truth, He came to make God truthful, to vindicate His truthfulness for those promises that were made to the patriarchs. Seventh, believe God’s promises to the patriarchs concerning Jew-Gentile unity. And eighth, glorify God for His mercy to both Jews and Gentiles. And ninth, understand the prophecies that someday Jews and Gentiles will together be around the throne worshipping Christ. It’s going to happen. And tenth, hope. Actively hope by faith in our glorious future together.

Alright. Well, how do you apply this to your life? You may be saying to me, “You know, Pastor, this sounds wonderful, I can see that you’re excited about it, at least. But the question is, I don’t actually have a Jew-Gentile problem in my life. I mean, I have problems in my life, but I’m really not struggling with the Jew-Gentile question. It’s really not something I’m wrestling with.” Or you might extend it to First Baptist Church Durham, you say, “You know, we’re really not struggling with the Jew-Gentile problem here.” Well, remember what I said at the beginning; all problems of disunity have their root in the same place. And that is our relationship with God. And if your relationship with God is what it needs to be, then it’s going to factor out into a peace with God that you experience and extends to a peace within yourself. Well, you know that God’s at peace with you by Jesus’ blood, and so therefore, be at peace within yourself, and then you extend it to every relationship that touches you in your life.

It’s not just a Jew-Gentile question. It’s a Gentile-Gentile question, how we’re getting along with each other. Issues of reconciliation with the body of Christ continue to be paramount. We, as a body, need to be united more than we are. I will not say to you that I see great problems of disunity in the church. There was a time that I did, but not anymore. That’s gone. Now, there’s an essential and a sweet unity and already good things are flowing as a result of that, but I think we can do better. I think we can know each other and love each other more than we do. And out of that will come an intense white hot power for worldwide evangelization. That’s what I’m yearning for in this church. So, let’s apply it to our church. Or apply it to your marriage.

I think you ought to meditate more on the fact that the two of you are going to spend, in Christ, if you’re both Christians, the two of you will spend eternity worshipping God together at the throne. So whatever stuff is troubling you right now, can you please let it shrink into its proper insignificance in the face of that? I’m not saying you don’t have questions you have to resolve. I’m not saying you shouldn’t talk things through and talk about your budget, your finances, how to parent your kids, whether you should sell this home and move into that one or whatever. I’m not saying these issues don’t need to be discussed, I’m just saying keep them in a heavenly perspective, and be happier than you’ve been in discussing them up ’til now. Be content in the fact that someday you’ll be in perfect unity even on that question.

So, meditate, I would say, frequently on your heavenly future, and have full delight in worship. Can I speak to the issue of corporate worship? If we’re all going to be worshipping in heaven, can we worship better than we do? You might say, “What do you mean?” I mean, can we just come ready to worship? I mean, come ready to just be hot and passionate and worship? And it’s our job to be prepared for that and to stimulate you to worship. But I think it’s so important for you to be hot and ready and passionate for worship as well. Get yourself ready every week for corporate worship, because we affect… The leaders affect your worship, but you affect one another as well, and when you’re standing next to somebody who’s singing with all his or her heart, doesn’t that move you? You may want to move for some reason, right? Depending on their skill level.

Alright, but there’s just something powerful about being in a congregation that’s passionately by the Spirit, worshiping God corporately. Let’s worship God. And then finally, let’s live for God’s future glory and the advance of the church. There’s still peoples, people groups that haven’t heard the name of Christ. We’re going to talk more about that, not next week, but in the following weeks. Let’s be involved in worldwide evangelization to the ends of the earth.

If you’re listening to me and you’ve never given your life to Christ, the joy and the happiness that I’m talking about here today is only available one place. It’s only available in Christ. Only through faith in Christ can you know this kind of eternal joy. It’s only place. I so praise God for Haley Herb and for the work that God’s done in her heart. What a powerful testimony. That can happen to you. If you have never trusted in Christ, you can give your life to Him right now. Don’t leave this place without repenting and trusting Christ for the salvation of your soul. Close with me in prayer.

Revelation 5:6-9 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

John Piper: Let the Nations Be Glad

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.

Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal in missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. “The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!” (Psalm 97:1). “Let the peoples praise thee, 0 God; let all the peoples praise thee! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy!” (Psalm 67:3-4).

But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish. Missionaries will never call out, “Let the nations be glad!”, who cannot say from the heart, “I rejoice in the Lord.   I will be glad and exult in thee, I will sing praise to thy name, O Most High” (Psalm 104:34; 9:2). Missions begins and ends in worship.

Christ came and died to make the nations glad. Not glad just for this afternoon, because they have had a good lunch. Not glad just for the next six months, because they have had a good harvest. Not glad for just the next few years, because they have had their first child born healthy. Not glad for just the next few decades, because they have married the girl of their dreams.

No… Christ came, suffered, died, and rose again on the third day to make the nations ETERNALLY glad

Glad forever and ever and ever!

Now, that’s a powerful amount of gladness!!!

What could possibly keep us glad for an infinite amount of time? Only and infinite source of happiness, and the only infinite source of happiness is HIMSELF

“The Lord reigns… let the nations be glad, let distant shores rejoice.”

Christ came to make the nations glad in HIM… in His reign, in His sovereign supremacy, and in His delightful personality… forever and ever

This was His expressed and stated plan from before the foundation of the world BUT the nations, at present, are NOT glad that Christ reigns

They are NOT glad in God’s eternal power and divine nature They are NOT glad in God’s immutable throne

What is the solution to that problem? It is missions, and nothing less than missions As Paul has already stated:

Romans 10:13-15 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

So what’s the problem?

Well, in God’s infinite wisdom, the preachers must be sent! The sending ones are the church

The church must be healthy and united in order to send its preachers to the distant shores So, Paul is writing to the Roman church about UNITY

In Romans 15:7-13, we move from local church unity, to worldwide missions, to eternally united worship

Review:

I.   Review: From Church Relations to Worldwide Worship

A.  Modern Chapters of an Ancient Struggle

B.  Jew-Gentile Conflict a Subset of Human Conflict

C.  The Church at Rome: Seeds of Its Destruction Already Planted

D.  Unity of the Church Essential to Its Mission

John 17:23 “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

E.  Summary of Flow of Thought

■      All things are done to glorify God… that is the center of everything

■      The salvation plan was worked out before the foundation of the world

■      It included BOTH Jews AND Gentiles from the very beginning

■      Christ is the Pattern for Jew-Gentile Unity: He accepted sinners like us, we should accept each other

■      Jew-Gentile unity in worshiping God was prophesied to the patriarchs and the prophets

■      The ultimate end: Elect representatives from every nation will be perfectly united in worshiping God forever

■      So we should accept one another deeply, gladly now, as Christ has accepted us

F.  Six Remedies to Jew-Gentile Division Listed

■      Understand God’s Ultimate Purpose: His Own Glory

■      Understand God’s Second Purpose: Our Delight in His Glory

■      Obey God’s Command: Accept Each Other

■      Follow Christ’s Pattern of Acceptance

■      Understand Christ’s Servanthood to the Jews

■      Understand Christ’s Commitment to God’s Truth

G.  Four Remedies to Jew-Gentile Division Remaining: Each with the Goal of Gentile Worship

■      Believe God’s Promises to the Patriarchs

■      Glorify God for His Mercy to Both Jews and Gentiles

■      Understand the Prophecies of Jew-Gentile Unity

■      Hope in Our Glorious Future Together

II.   Review: Remedies to Church Division Seen Last Week

A.  Understand God’s Ultimate Purpose: His Own Glory

1.  Man-centered thinking is the root of all human division

2.  Basically: Human strife and conflict will cease forever in heaven where God’s glory takes its rightful place as the center of our existence

B.  Understand God’s Second Purpose: Our Eternal, United Delight in His Glory

1.  God’s ULTIMATE purposes were God-centered

2.  God’s SECONDARY purposes were human-centered… He LOVES us

3.  The greatest measure of love is what it will sacrifice, what it will GIVE to the one it loves

4.  God’s gifts are lavish

a.  The greatest gift God could give us is HIMSELF… that we might be overwhelmed eternally by His very presence

b.  The second greatest gift God could give us is EACH OTHER… especially once we have been perfected, cleansed of all sin, radiant in Christ’s righteousness, shining in Christ’s glory

c.  Therefore God is working out a beautiful salvation plan in which racists and bigots and self-worshipers will be saved from their racism and bigotry and self-worship to adore and glorify God

d.  AND as they do, they find delight in each other as a secondary blessing: people from every tribe and language and people and nation falling on their faces together… perfectly united in one thought: THE GLORY OF GOD

C.  Obey God’s Command: Accept Each Other Wholeheartedly

1.  Bookend commands:

Romans 14:1 [Welcome] him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.

ESV Romans 15:7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

2.  Simply put: God commands us to accept one another, to welcome one another

D.  Follow Christ’s Pattern of Acceptance

1.  Paul answers two questions about Jewish and Gentile Christians acceptance of one another: “AS CHRIST HAS WELCOMED YOU”: WHY? And HOW?

2.  Why should we accept one another? Christ is the motive for our acceptance of one another

How can we refuse to accept someone else if Christ has not refused to accept us?

3.  How should we accept one another? In the pattern of Christ! AS warmly and lovingly as Christ forgave and cleansed and loved and welcomed you!

4.  Christ answers WHY and HOW!

E.  Understand Christ’s Servanthood “to the Jews First”

1.  Christ’s great love to the Jews should remove any Gentile tendency to look down on their Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ; it should cause us to revere the Jewish roots of our own faith

2.  It also gives us the pattern of how we treat each other: as servants not as Kings

F.  Understand Christ’s Commitment to God’s Truth

Vs. 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

1.  Christ’s coming was to display the truthfulness of God, specifically in keeping his promises to the Patriarchs and His prophecies through the Prophets

2.  Vindication of the name of God, of the glory of God as a truth-telling God is uppermost in Christ’s list of motives

3.  Christ’s powerful display of the truthfulness of God is a sure and certain foundation for Jew-Gentile unity in the church

III.   God’s Purposes for the Jews and Gentiles: Eternally United Worship

A.  Believe God’s Promises to the Patriarchs

Romans 15:8-9 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

1.  Paul mentions the Promises made to the Patriarchs

Genesis 15:3-6 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” 4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars– if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

The idea: a child of promise (Isaac) was a pattern of Christ who would come AND also a multitude of descendents as numerous as the stars

Genesis 22:17-18 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

2.  Once again roots the ministry of Christ in the Old Testament promises; but notice the promise: through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed

3.  The central promise for Jew-Gentile unity came in the original call of Abram from Ur of the Chaldees

Genesis 12:1-3 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

The Jews tended to forget that “all peoples on earth” would be blessed through Abraham

The true fulfillment of the Promise to Abraham was Christ… God promised to bless Abraham himself directly… and so he did, not just in life but in eternity

And God also blessed the Jews as well, by causing them to multiply and to inherit the Promised Land

But the ultimate fulfillment of the promises to Abraham is in Christ, the Savior of the world Through Him and Him alone did Abraham bless all peoples on earth

This is a solid basis for Jew-Gentile unity

Genesis 17:4-6 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.

Paul sees Jew-Gentile unity in the fulfillment of this promise:

Romans 4:16-17 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring– not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed– the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

Both Jews and Gentiles can call Abraham their father by faith in Christ

4.  These promises made the Abraham pointed to Jew-Gentile unity in Christ

Galatians 3:8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”

B.  Glorify God for His Mercy to BOTH Jew and Gentile

Vs. 9 so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy

1.  Thus Paul refers to the PURPOSE of God in making these promises to the Patriarchs

a.  God’s desire has always been WORLDWIDE but still self-focused

b.  God wants to give people from every nation on earth the gift of Himself, that we may GLORY in Him

c.  Since all of us are sinners, that will only happen if He shows us extreme mercy

2.  Mercy was the culminating theme of Romans 9-11 as well; our need and receiving of mercy through Christ unites Jews and Gentiles

Romans 11:30-32 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

3.  The theme of mercy is vital to the unity of Jews and Gentiles, and of the church as a whole

a.  If God has shown us mercy, how can we not show the same to each other?

b.  God has taken the catalogue of all our sins, all our evil thoughts and intentions, all our vicious words and thoughtless actions, all our selfishness and blasphemy and greed and self-indulgence… all of that mess, and covered it with the blood of Christ… shown us extreme mercy

c.  How can we not glorify God for His mercy to us?

d.  How can we not also glorify God for His mercy to others?

C.  Believe God’s Prophecies to the Prophets

vs. 9-12 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.”

1.  Golden Chain: Paul lists a series of quotations from the Old Testament

2.  One from each of the major sections of the Old Testament: one from the Law, one from the History, one from the Writings, one from the Prophets

3.  Paul’s point is obvious and clear: God has always intended for the Gentiles to be united with Jews in true worship of God

4.  This is to quiet Jewish Christians from thinking God never intended to save Gentiles

5.  This is also to encourage Gentiles that God is their God too

6.  Some Christians think that the church was God’s “Plan B”

a.  Some dispensationalists think this… that the church age was the grand “parenthesis” inserted between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks of Daniel 9

b.  God’s original plan was to save only Jews

c.  When the Jews rejected Christ, God then turned to the Gentiles… Plan B

d.  The original call of Abram and these prophecies refute this strange way of thinking forever

7.  Jews themselves have had a hard time grasping that God does not show favoritism, and that He had saving intentions toward the Gentiles

Acts 22:21-22 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'” 22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”

a.  They thought that God had chosen the Jews in order that He might ultimately reject the Gentiles

b.  But God, in His original call to Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees, showed His intention to save a great multitude from every tribe on earth

8.  These prophecies prove forever God’s intentions were inclusive, including BOTH Jews and Gentiles

a.  The common link word in all these quotations is “Gentiles”

b.  The common theme in all cases is united worship for God and for His Christ

c.  The first three, it seems, implies the Jews are urging the Gentiles to worship the true God… and the fourth one says they definitely WILL worship

“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.”

i)  In the first one, David in Psalm 18:49 / 2 Samuel 22:50, is celebrating his own deliverance from Gentile enemies, and there is more a sense of triumph over them…

Psalm 18:43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me.

ii)  but if you look more closely, it is seen from a Messianic sense… Christ was hated by all the earth, and has triumphed over our true enemies; now he will rule all nations by His power

iii)  David and Christ are singing praise to God among the Gentiles, and they are listening to that song with delight

iv)  In the second quotation, the original text is Deuteronomy 32:43; the original context is one of celebrating God’s deliverance from enemies; but whereas in the first quote David is celebrating in the midst of the Gentiles, now the Gentiles themselves are urged to join in the celebration

Vs. 10 “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people”

v)  What a glorious prefigurement of our heavenly praise, Jew and Gentile together worshiping Christ in perfect unity; again, note the theme of REJOICING… a joyful celebration in heaven… why not also on earth??

vi)  The third quote carries this theme deeper: a direct command to the Gentiles to praise the Lord, Psalm 117, and to celebrate; amazing, the second and only other verse of that briefest of Psalms gives the clear reason for the Gentiles to praise the Lord

Psalm 117:1-2 Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. 2

Psalm 117:2 For his mercy has been abundant toward us: and the truth of the Lord endures for ever.

It is on the basis of God’s mercy and truth, the very attributes Paul extols here in Romans 15:7-13, that the Gentiles will worship God

9.  The final prophecy is a prediction that the Gentiles will in fact glorify God for His mercy in Christ:

Vs. 11 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.”

a.  This is a clear prediction in Isaiah for the future of the church

b.  The “Root of Jesse” is Christ

c.  He will arise to rule over the ends of the earth

d.  The Gentiles will HOPE in Him

So we see a progression:

First, David rejoices in the Lord in front of the Gentiles Then, Moses urges the Gentiles to celebrate with His people

Then, The Psalmist extends the command to ALL the Gentiles… ALL nations Finally, Isaiah predicts that every nation will hope in the Root of Jesse, the Messiah Thus Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles began and will ultimately be fruitful

Thus also Jew-Gentile unity makes perfect sense

D.  Rejoice in Hope, United by the Holy Spirit

Vs. 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.

1.  Tone is delightful, filled with good attributes for the people of God

a.  God

b.  Filling

c.  Hope

d.  Joy

e.  Peace

f.  Trust

g.  Overflow

h.  Hope

i.  Power

j.  Holy Spirit

2.  These are truly delightful frames of mind, dispositions of soul

a.  God will spread a banquet of worship in the heavenlies in the future

b.  BUT He wills for some of the crumbs to fall from the table now so we can feast on it in the present

3.  Paul is speaking a benediction on the church at Rome

a.  Pointing them to God… His power and provision to fill them

b.  Pointing them to the Holy Spirit… who ministers these good things to each one of us

4.  The future is unspeakably glorious

5.  That future will be shared by people from every race

6.  We’ll all be stunned, amazed, stupefied, astonished and overwhelmed at the same time

7.  That future is guaranteed by the faithfulness of God to His promises

8.  “As you trust in Him” is the key

a.  Only by believing in the promises of God can this kind of joy-filled unity in a local church be fulfilled

b.  Only by knowing what our future is in the eternal plans of God, and trusting that God has the power to bring it about can we taste it now, ahead of time

IV.   Review and Application: Unity and Joyful Worship of God’s Glory

A.  Review

1.  Problem: Jew-Gentile disunity

2.  Paul’s Ten Remedies to the Problem of Disunity in the Church

■      Understand God’s Ultimate Purpose: His Own Glory

■      Understand God’s Second Purpose: Our Delight in His Glory

■      Obey God’s Command: Accept Each Other

■      Follow Christ’s Pattern of Acceptance

■      Understand Christ’s Servanthood to the Jews

■      Understand Christ’s Commitment to God’s Truth

■      Believe God’s Promises to the Patriarchs

■      Glorify God for His Mercy to Both Jews and Gentiles

■      Understand the Prophecies of Jew-Gentile Unity

■      Hope in Our Glorious Future Together

B.  Apply to Your Own Life

1.  All problems of disunity are ultimately in view

2.  Issues of reconciliation within the church body continue to be paramount

C.  Apply to our own Church

1.  The church must be a place of open, warm acceptance of people

2.  This does not mean acceptance or tolerance of sin, of course

3.  But it does mean there

D.  Meditate Frequently on our Heavenly Future: Full Delight in Worship

1.    Give full primacy to worship in your mind and thought

2.  John Piper put it best in Let the Nations Be Glad

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church,

E.  Live for the Future Glory of God in the Advance of the Church

1.  This church needs to become more and more committed to world missions

2.  The joy and delight of unreached people groups should be a primary focus of this church