Romans 15a Harmony in the Church

Romans 15a Harmony in the Church

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  www.rossvillechurch.com 781 SalemRoad, Rossville, GA 30741 May 15, 2011 Acts 4 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other Name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
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  Romans 15 1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please our-selves. 2 Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. 3 For even Christ pleased not Himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached Thee fell on Me. We learned in Ch 14 that the strong are those who trust in the grace of God , not living with a troubled conscience over non-Biblical prohibitions . The weak struggle with man's traditions and customs , and matters of conscience .
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  God doesn't expectHis children to be self-centered , living to please ourselves . God's children should walk in love , and love seeketh not her own . 1 Corinthians 13:5 Love seeks not her own way , will , satisfaction , etc. But -- we no more live for the pleasure of others than we do for our own pleasure; 2 " for his good to edification " Galatians 5 13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh , (to indulge the sinful nature ) but by love serve one another.
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  3 Foreven Christ pleased not Himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached Thee fell on Me. Jesus lived to please the Father , God Almighty. To do that, He bore the sins of the whole world. And, He served those who needed Him, whenever they needed Him.
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  Jesus bore thecurse of sin, when He died on the cross. Jesus bore the vile sins of the wicked ; we are only called to bear the failings of the weak. 3b The reproaches (shameful wrongs) of them that reproached (brought shame on) Thee fell on Me.
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  Luke 9 23 And He (Jesus) said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself , and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. To follow Jesus is not a life of ease and comfort. It is a life of self-denial, trials, tribulations, and persecutions. We are not to bring troubles upon ourselves through sin , but when troubles come, bear them with grace .
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  Matthew 11 28 Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (I will refresh your soul) . 29 Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. We wear ourselves out and destroy our peace, trying to do what we think must be right. Jesus wants us to be meek and lowly, like Him , doing only what God gives us to do. We will find rest for our souls.
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  Text : Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. We have many examples in the Old Testament Scriptures of men and women who stood strong ; They did not stoop at standing time! God tells us of these that we may receive patience and comfort from their lives.
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  Hebrews 11 mentionsmany of these men and women of faith who stood for God. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, all died in faith , not having received the Promise. Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, all chose to serve God in faith, believing His Word. Rahab the harlot believed God, helped the Israelites, and was saved when Jericho fell. She became a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ.
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  Gideon, Samson, Jephthah,Barak, David, Samuel, and many more men and women stood true to God . As we study their lives, we are able to gain patience and comfort to serve God as they did.
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  5-6 Nowthe God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 14 1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations . (debates; disputes)
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  Our like-mindedness isaccording to Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "I am meek and lowly in heart." Those who are strong in grace can humbly bear with the weaker brothers and sisters.
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  7 Whereforereceive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. If Jesus has accepted us , with all our weaknesses and failures, and He has : We can certainly accept one another , Just as we are .
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  God will save you from the bondage of sin and the torments of hell. The Shed Blood of Jesus Christ will wash away your sins .
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  If you believethe Truth , the Gospel of Jesus Christ: that Jesus is the Holy Son of God; If you believe that He came to this earth, born of a virgin , to live as a man , yet without sin; If you believe that He gave His life , shedding His Blood -- for you ; All that remains for you to do is to ask .
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  Pray a prayer something like this: Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of Your Son , Jesus Christ. I want to be born of Your Spirit into Your family. Lord, be merciful to me a sinner and save me from the bondage of sin and the torments of hell. I ask You to forgive me of my sins, washing them away in the Blood of Jesus . I thank You Lord for my salvation. Amen.
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  If you sincerely prayed that prayer, You are a born again child of the Living God. Your sins are forgiven ; you are cleansed . Your testimony can be as simple as: "I love the Lord and thank God for saving me."
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  We are baptizing two folks today. Romans 6 explains why we need to be baptized and what it means . Water baptism is a ceremonial testimony of what God has already done in our heart. When I place one under the water , he or she is saying, "I have died to sin and worldly pleasure." When I raise one up out of the water, he or she is saying, "I am alive unto God to live according to His Word . "