Romans

Jackie's in now come and read a chapter 15 for us versus 1 to 13. We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the week and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through the endurance taught in the scriptures and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope May the god who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had?

That with 1 mind and 1 voice, you may glorify the god and father of our lord Jesus Christ. Accept 1 another then, just as Christ accepted you in order to bring praise to god. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of god's truth so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed and moreover that the gentiles might glorify god for his mercy as it is written Therefore, I will praise you among the gentiles. I will sing the praises of your name. Again, it says, rejoice you gentiles with his people.

And again, praise the lord all you gentiles. Let all the peoples extol him. And again, Isaiah says, the root of Jesse will spring up, 1 who will arise to rule over the nations In him, the gentiles will hope. 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. Let's pray.

Father, Help us now. As we've, prayed before, but help us we come to your word, please help us not just to switch off or be entertained, but please help us to take this to heart and mind and action. In Jesus' name, amen. Does god have his own plan or, you know, is he sort of waiting around to to fit in with ours? Where we just sang a children's song that says he doesn't say oops.

But sometimes we we get the idea that god is a bit like a genie in the bottle. And, we have our plans, we have our desires, we have things that we're working towards and we pray or we rub the bottle and the genie comes out and he should secure those plans. And, if he doesn't secure those plans, then we don't even believe that he exists, or we have doubts because he doesn't seem to be doing his job as the genie that we think he is. Sometimes we get the idea that god has his plans, but he's doing them somewhere off somewhere else in in the universe. He's largely left this world to itself.

He's given a few rules and guidelines and Sometimes he'll come back and intervene every now and then, but largely, it's down to us to make this world a better place. Sometimes we get the idea that god's always on the back back foot. He's always trying to make a deal. He'll he'll try and bring 2 parties together and make an acceptable deal. He works day and night on that deal.

The Bible is like a 500 page document, and only if people would read it, then they would see it the best deal on the table and everybody would vote for it. So sometimes we think of god like that. But when you actually open the Bible, you see that god has a plan, a definite plan, and he's not gonna make deals. It's not a short short term plan. It's an eternal plan.

And all opposition to this eternal plan will fail. You need to mark those words. They will fail. Don't make any mistake about it. His plan will be fulfilled.

And is being fulfilled. God doesn't compromise. He doesn't put a deal on the table for us to vote on. He has a plan. Just go on to Ephesians.

Keep your finger in in Romans 15, but Ephesians chapter 1. Just have a look at ephesians chapter 1. So you have Romans, you have 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, you have Galatians and ephesians. I think that's how it goes. Have a look at ephesians chapter 1, and this is where we see god plan.

Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 8 to 10. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he purposed in Christ. So there is wisdom and understanding as he makes known. There's no more mis We don't have to be into mystery religions and wonder what's gonna happen to the world and what's what is there a plan and do we have to do some kind of mysticism to try to find out stuff? There's no mystery anymore.

With wisdom and understanding, he's made it known. Then it goes on in verse 10, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment, and here's the plan. To bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. God's awesome plan is to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. The word, under Christ, basically, is is to sum up.

He sums up everything under Christ or sorry unity. He sums up everything under Christ, including those who are rebellious, including those who are rebellious in the spiritual realms, the demons, and satan himself, including those who are rebellious human beings on the earth everything will be reordered, and they will, whether they like it or not, submit to Christ, under Christ. He'll sum it all up. God's righteous and just and perfect order will be fully restored everywhere in whatever realm you're in under the rule of Jesus Christ. So here's the divine architect, And he's published his glorious construction plan.

He's already laid the foundation for this construction The foundation is the death and the resurrection of the lord Jesus Christ. The completion of the building on that foundation stone is only a matter of time. We'll see it soon, the completion, but it's all going to plan Now, if you want to see the building site that shows us that the construction has started, Then you need to look at god's people. You need to come into the local church, like here. This is Jesus construction.

He's already constructing unity. People from different backgrounds. Different tastes and likes, different personalities, different things that upset them, different things that make them laugh. People from different nations and tribes and races coming together to praise god, the heavenly father. That's his construction built on the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Christians learning to give up their own rights, and to love each other, and to put each other first demonstrating that Jesus is their ruler. As he rules over them, as he unites because that's his task. These people People brought out from the powers of darkness and selfishness and sin now giving up their rights and loving. God's plan has started very clearly. And the church is a witness to a very dark evil divided broken world.

Look at the construction. If you're still in Ephesians, just go over to Ephesians chapter 3. These are just mind blowing words. Ephesians chapter 3 verse 10 and 11. His intention sorry.

His intent was that now through the church, did you hear that? His intent is that now through the church, the manifold wisdom of god should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose, but he accomplished in Jesus Christ our lord. There's the eternal purpose. It's accomplished in Jesus Christ our lord, and the manifold wisdom of god that shows this wonderful plan is seen through the church. If you come to church, you need to know that that's the purpose of the church.

Did you know that this morning? You just come because it's a traditional thing to do, or you had to do put out the chairs, or you had to preach, or something like that, Did you just come because of that? Or are you actually coming and saying, we are demonstrating here now, demonstrating See, a demonstration is a loud declaration, isn't it? When people demonstrate they're out there with signs, you know, shouting out to the government. We're demonstrating the manifold wisdom of god right now to the heavenly realms right now.

There are angels and demons looking at this place. I'm going, my amazing How did that bunch of people come together to be united? Only the power and the rule of Jesus Christ could do that. Isn't that amazing? God is fulfilling his plan in the local church here and now in Cornerstone.

Extraordinary, and other local churches all over the place. Hooki Vangelical Church up the road, Chestington up the road, emmanuel tollworth. And so we go on and commission churches, This is an amazing event that we're at here. We're right at the heart of the universe. We're right in the construction plan of god here You wanna see the future?

Well, the future is in Revelation. Revelation chapter 7 verse 7. Let me read it to you verse 9 rather. After this, I looked. Here is John.

He's looking in heaven and there before me was a great multitude that no 1 could count. There are millions and billions of people. No 1 could count them from, where from. England, Yep. Every nation, tribe, people, and language.

Standing before the throne and before the lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands, and they cried out in a loud voice salvation belongs to our god who sits on the throne and to the lamb. God has fulfilled his pro purposes. His plans. The only question then we have is not whether god's plans are gonna be fulfilled.

They are. We've just plucked into the future. The only question we have is you and me. Will you work? Towards this plan, or will you oppose it in your life?

Will you be an opposer of the plan of god? Or will you be a supporter and a worker towards it? Not only in your words and in your theology, but in your life. And so with all of that, that brings us to Romans 15. Romans 15, 1 to 30, we enter into the church.

Remember the construction of god. And the specific question that we're asked here is Are you working for unity in this church? Are you working for it, not just believing in it, not just having a theology of it, are you working with god on his construction or are you opposing it? Which 1 are you? So with that, let's get into the passage.

Romans 15 My first point is Christ star example, part 1, So you can probably guess what all the other points are going to be. Christ our example, part 1, don't please yourself, please your neighbor. You see that in verses 1 to 3. Christ our example, part 1, don't please yourself, please your neighbor. Look at verse 1.

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. That is an extraordinary sentence in a culture of me and about how I feel and about my rights, that is a radical sentence, isn't it? We who are strong or to bear with the failings of the week, and not please ourselves. You see, when we not please ourselves, we show the rule of Christ over us. We're demonstrating that.

Paul basically says disregard yourself. Stop going on about yourself. Look at verse 2. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good to build them up. We should be asking how do I build up the person sitting me or to the person at the back of the room or at the front of the room or the other side of the room.

How do I build them up? By the way, the word ought in verse 1 is that debtor word. We saw that in Romans chapter 13, I think verse 8 where we're a debtor to love. We're in debt to love. That's the word.

We're we're owing a debt and the word bear in verse 1 is carrying a burden. We shoulder it's not just putting up with people. It's not just tolerance, so I can bet I can I can just about bear her, you know? Yeah. It it doesn't mean that.

It means carrying the load. There used to be an old song by the the hollies. You may remember it. We talked about literally physically carrying his brother. Do you remember that song?

He ain't heavy. He's my brother. Ever heard of that? Yeah. He a I love that.

I used to love that song. He ain't heavy. It's a bloke carrying a brother. He ain't heavy. It's like saving private Ryan sort of stuff.

He ain't heavy. He's my brother. That's the attitude that we should have. He in heavy is my brother. The strong owe a debt to carry the failings of the week, because when it says, the failings there, it literally is weaknesses of the week.

So it should be the strong owe a debt to love to carry the weaknesses of the week Strong people, you see the trouble of a strong people, they're tempted to wield their strength, to crush, to discard the weak, But we're told to carry the weaknesses of the week pulses. Now we need to understand just what a big deal that was to the original readers that Paul was writing to in first century Rome. It really was a big deal. So this isn't some little stuff going on here. 1 of the big issues that Paul is dealing with throughout the book of Romans is unity.

1 of his big themes between Jews and gentiles. And you see that again and again. Now you've got to get this For the Jew, their whole history told them that they were selected, chosen, people of god. The whole history told them that. They're chosen out of all the other nations, They're a small nation, but god chose them.

They're called, to be holy. Separated, people for god, people who are different to everybody else around them. That's their whole history. They were different in the way they dressed. They were different in the food that they ate.

They were different in the words that they spoke. They were different in the way that they worshiped. They had a different religious day to everybody else. Every single thing they did said we are different to everybody else. Now what happens is in Rome, some of those people from that background become followers of the lord Jesus Christ.

Along with some people from the gentile background that didn't have those rules. And now, god is calling and constructing his church from all nations. And here is this person who was brought up a Jew who's become a follower of Jesus sitting next to a pagan, a gentile. Normally, if he bumped in or had close quarters with a pagan or a gentile, he'd run home quickly and wash himself. Now he's taking the lord's supper with him.

My goodness. This is intimate. This is odd. You see, the lord Jesus saves people from totally different cultures. So don't start lording it over each other, thinking your culture is better than another Paul is saying.

If you think you're strong, then you serve the weak, not judge them. That's what he's saying. And how do you do that? How do you do that? By keeping your eyes on Christ.

Look at verse 3. This is why every point is Christ our example. Look at verse 3. For even Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. He didn't please himself.

Jesus took the burden of insults Jesus took the insults. Now, perhaps what's going on here is that the Jewish or those from Jewish background who become Christians are being insulted by their Jewish family or the Jewish community for mixing with these dirty gentiles, perhaps they're being insulted. And it would be very easy for the Christians from a gentile background to say, we're free. We can eat pork. We can do what we like.

But it would make the insults even worse. And so the argument here is that Christ is taking the insult He didn't please himself. He took the insults. You should be alongside your brothers and sisters. Don't use your freedom.

Absolutely, you are free to eat anything you like now, but don't use your freedom to destroy a brother to flaunt it in front of someone. If you are strong, use your strength to help the weak, That's what Christ did. For even Christ did not please himself. But as it is written, the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me, you just think about how attractive Christ was to weak people. Just read through the gospels.

He's he weak people came to him. He didn't compromise on his holiness, but weak people sinners came to him. Those that thought they were strong were condemning Jesus, weren't they? For the weak people coming, but he came for the weak and the outcast and the smelly and the broken, and the sinners. You see that?

Paul writes about Timothy in the book of Philippians, and it's a very interesting little thing he says. This is what he writes about Timothy. I have no 1 like him who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For listen to this, Imagine receiving this as a church. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

But you know that Timothy has proved himself because as a son with a father, he has served me in the work of the gospel. Everyone looks out for their own interests except Timothy. That's that's it, Timothy. And if you know Timothy, he was from a gentile background, and he was circumcised in order to reach the Jews. You see what he did?

I mean, who wants to volunteer for circumcision? Yeah? Well, Timothy did because he was with the Jews. So Christ star example, part 1, don't please yourself, please your neighbor. Christ star example, part 2, know the plan of god.

And you get that in verses 4 to 6. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through the endurance taught in the scriptures, and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope. May the god who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind towards each other that Christ Jesus had so that the 1 mind and 1 voice you met with 1 mind and 1 voice, you may glorify the god and father of our lord Jesus Christ. It's interesting. Verse 5 is a bit like a prayer.

May the god who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind towards each other? That Christ Jesus had. How we how is that gonna happen? How are we gonna have that attitude of mind? How are we gonna Well, it's god who gives that.

Do you see that? This this is a miraculous thing. God is the 1. My god who gives It's god who gives that. So it comes from god.

But you see it obviously comes from god. The grace of god comes to us. But you see how it comes from god. Through the scriptures. Did you notice that?

It's through the scriptures it comes. Look, verse 4. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the scriptures and the encouragement they provide, we may have hope. And then he goes on and says that that's a gift of god. It's god's grace.

It's the scriptures that are gonna bless you. Now here, I think he's talking about the old testament scriptures that repeatedly, as we'll see in just a minute, are talking about a future day when Jew and Gentle will worship and praise god together in unity and in harmony. There'll be differences and very difficult differences, but there will be harmony. Notice the word hope here. Look at verse 4, you it's there's there's hope these are hope words that they're looking forward.

He's saying, That's the plan of god. Get the plan of god in your mind and you'll know where your life should be going. That's what we're working towards. So let the plan of god that is clearly in the scriptures and written out the plan of god was a mystery, but now is very clear Let that plan of god direct how you live. That's how Christ lived.

For the joy, he says. For the joy set before him. He endured the cross. And then when you see what is the joy set before him, Well, if you read something like Psalm 22, the joy set before him was to present a people from all over the world to god the father. So for the joy of this unity, of this people from all nations, Jesus endured the cross.

Get the plan of god in your head and follow the example of Christ, and the attitude of Christ will be in you. And it's not just a wallpaper, sort of unity, you know, where you wallpaper over the cracks of the wall. This is a unity, Paul, once, of 1 heart, 1 mouth, 1 mind. And it's that oneness that shows and reveals that Jesus' lord to the glory of god. So Christ our example, part 1, don't please yourself, please your neighbor.

Christ our example, part 2, know the plan of god and live in the light of it. Christ our example, part 3, praise god. You get that in verses 7 to 12. Have a look at this. Sorry.

My voice is going. I've been battling with a cold. Look at verse 7. Except 1 another, then. Just as Christ accepted you in order to bring praise to god.

Justice Christ accept how did Christ accept you? Strong, were you? Religious, obeying the law, good bloke, handsome, gorgeous, Is that are they the people accepted? He accepted the strong, not that nasty pathetic week. Those who are gonna follow the laws completely, those who are young and have something to offer, those who are rich Is that how Christ accepted you?

It's exact opposite, isn't it? He didn't accept you because you had any He accepted you because he laid his life down for you. He accepted you because he loved you. It's the same that, reason that is is is is is told about Israel. Why did god choose Israel?

Not because they were the strongest of the nations, but they were the weakest. So god went after the weakest. Yeah? And then the only reason why god chose them was simply that because he loved them. Not because they were lovable, don't twist it, Don't stop so, you know, why did God choose me because he loved me?

Well, I don't blame him. You know, don't do that nonsense. No. He loved us. He gave his life for us.

It's a definition of grace giving himself to someone so unworthy generosity pouring out his soul and his body and his mind and his person on the cross to save us. It's nothing to do with me other than I was weak and a sinner, that's the only stuff I bring to the party. He paid for everything to bring me to god. It cost him. So accept 1 another like Christ accepted you.

It will cost you. If it doesn't cost you, then they're probably the same sort of people as you are. And they're easy to accept because when you look at them, it's like looking in the mirror. But if they're irritating and ugly, it's probably like looking in the mirror, but actually, you know, they're the people. The weak ones, if you think you're strong, then you love.

You give yourself like Christ. As Christ has accepted you, you accept 1 another. The word accept is a lovely little word in the Greek. Do you know what it means? Pull in close.

Pull in close. You accept that you pull them in close. Jesus said this in Matthew 10. Anyone who welcomes me welcomes you welcomes me. Anyone who welcomes me welcomes the 1 who sent me.

You see that? Welcome, except. Anyone who welcomes, accepts you, accepts me. And the 1 who accepts me, accepts the 1 who sent me. When you pull a weaker brother or sister close to you and accept them, you're pulling Christ closer to you.

And when you pull Christ closer to you, you pull the father closer to you. Do you see that? It's worth finding someone in Cornerstone you really don't like. Yeah? Talk to them afterwards.

If anyone comes to talk to you afterwards, it's because they don't like you. Yeah? Now, accept them. Pull them closer. We're gonna see in chapter 16, I've been really looking forward to try and get my head around 16, 16.

Where it talks about greet 1 another with a holy kiss. What nurse does that mean in Britain? But the idea is that we accept that we bring closer. We bring closer to each other. Except 1 another then.

Justice Christ accepted you. In order to bring praise to god. That's the ultimate aim. As we accept 1 another, we bring praise to god. See, Christ, our example, part 3, is about Christ accepting us and us accepting others for the praise of god.

That's the great aim. That Jesus would be praised because when we accept each other, when we love each other, when we owe the debt of love to each other, Jesus is ruling, and the world sees it. God is praised. Look at verse 8. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of god's truth.

So that the promises made to the patriarchs, those are the original fathers of the Jews, you know, Abraham and Isaac and those sort of people, so that the promises made to the patriarchs may be confirmed or have been fulfilled. Now just follow this. This is more difficult. Why did Jesus come? He was born of a Jew under the under the law in order to redeem those under the law.

He was born of the Jews, why, to fulfill the promises of god to them that a Messiah would come, a servant would come to serve them. Yeah? And as Jesus fulfills that promise, then he gives mercy to the gentiles, So he came to serve as the servant king of Israel to fulfill god's plan and purpose to bring the gentiles in as well. So look at verse 9. Do you see the argument?

And moreover, that the gentiles might glorify god for his mercy. As it is written, therefore, I will praise you among the gentiles. I will sing the praises of your name. Again, it says, rejoice you gentiles with his people. And again, praise the lord, all you gentiles, let all the peoples extol him.

And again, Isaiah says, the root of Jesse will spring up 1 who will arise to rule over the nations in him the gentiles will hope. So you see his argument. He comes as a servant fulfilling the promises to the Jews in order then to show mercy to the gentiles. They're the 2 big words. Watch them in your bible reading.

Faithfulness mercy. Faithfulness mercy. That is the very character of god, faithful to his promises that he had come as a servant to the Jews, merciful to no hope as the gentiles. That's what he is. And the coming of Jesus brings those together, faithful mercy.

Just turn to, Ephesians just 1 more time. We're nearly there. Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. And verse 12.

Here is Paul writing to the gentiles. He's a non Jewish people. He's writing about the mercy of god. And he says to them, Remember that at that time you were separated from Christ excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenant of the promise without hope and without god in the world, and there's that wonderful 2 word, but now. You see it?

Once you were without hope, but now. Once you were excluded from Israel, but now, Once you weren't citizens of god, but now in Christ Jesus, you who were once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the 2 groups 1. And has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself 1 new humanity out of the 2, thus making peace.

And in 1 body, to reconcile both of them to god through the cross by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him, we both, Jew gentile, have access to the father by 1 spirit. It's extraordinary what he's done. That is his purpose That is what he's done.

He's brought no hopers to be but now as once was as to be in but now as people that were not children, to be children, people that far away to be near. People that under the judgment of god, to be cleansed and forgiven by the glorious blood of the lord Jesus Christ. So we have unity. And in that unity, we demonstrate the faith or mercy of God. This church should be a visual aid to the angels to the demonic realm and to the world that Jesus is lord.

That's what the church is about. It's not a club. It's not a part time, you know, thing that you go to, like the gym. This church is a demonstration right now of god's faithfulness to his word and his mercy to no hopers It is an utter visual aid of his plan. It is his construction work.

Put a hard hat on and come in and have a look. That is now my argument with atheists. I think you've heard me say this before. When an atheist says, can you prove god? I say absolutely.

A hundred percent I can put cost I can prove. But what are you talking about? I'm amazed. Don't you know? Are you an educated person?

Haven't you read, don't you know what? Where? Where? Where have you been? You can prove god absolutely.

Or do it? Okay? But I don't think you're ready. Now, you're not ready. Definitely.

Just by the way, you just did that. How dare you say on the okay. You think you're ready. Yep. Okay.

I'll prove god Sunday morning. Come to church. Told you you wouldn't listen. Here is a demonstration that Jesus is lord as he brings us together, people that offend and hurt and upset each other, but who forgive and love and care, who are not prejudiced who get things wrong, but are not prejudiced, who don't look down on another race, but love other races that give their lives for other races, like that young man who went out to the senator Islands or whatever they're called and gave his life good on him. He loved, he loved people, and that's what the church does.

So when you come here on Sunday morning, your explaining the mercy and the faithfulness and the lordship of the lord Jesus Christ. But if you are about disunity, Then you are satan's fifth columnist, worming your way into the church. Trying to dig up the foundations. If there's disunity, My goodness. You are in serious serious trouble because you will fail And for all eternity, you'll know those things.

It's interesting that if you go through all of the quotes and verses 9 to to 12 or 13 are all to to 12 rather are all quotes from the Old Testament part of the Bible. You'll see that Paul quoting from the law, the prophets, the writings, and the Psalms. The law, the profit, the writings of the Psalms, and if you're in the know on that sort of stuff, that was a summary of all of the scriptures. So Paul is saying, this is the plan. This is the summary.

This is the plan of all the scriptures. So my fourth point. Cornerstone, hear the word of the lord. Firstly, live together in love and be part of god's plan in Christ. There's a there's an old ditty that some of you will know, and it it goes like this.

To live above with those we love, Oh, that will be glory. To live below with those we know, that's another story. That shouldn't be, actually. Well, it will be, of course. But you know, the orderliness about loving another Christian the orderliness is extraordinary because it shows that Jesus is lord.

God is faithful and merciful. Christianity turns the world's thinking upside down concerning the strong and the weak, doesn't it? It's completely opposite. The world thinks those who are strong and have power and the beautiful people, they're the ones that should be allowed to trample or use their use the vulnerability of the week for their own benefits. Follow your dreams, stamp on people, but it sucks and it's evil and it's of the devil.

The Bible turns that whole mindset upside down, we're transformed in our thinking regarding the strong and the weak. And the rich and the poor. I mean, James takes that up, doesn't he? You think you're rich because you've got money, you're poor. It's it's interesting how the Bible just turns things around.

So those who are strong are obligated to the week. If you go through the old testament, you'll see that there's laws for the widows and the orphans and the aliens. You know, foreigners that are amongst us. And we're not just to sort of tolerate them. We're actually to give them advantages and to help them.

So that's the first thing. If this stuff is true, Cornerstone Church hear the word of the lord, live together in love and be part of the plan in Christ. Second thing, stop being offended. Are you 1 of these people that are offended? Too quickly.

We'll stop it. We're living in a world that is teaching our young people to be offended just like that. You've gotta be offended. Our our culture is now called a snowflake society. I heard 2, people debating this word and saying how offensive that was, and it should be banned.

Because they're snowflakes. They melt at any anything that said. Hey, be careful if you're offended quickly. This Monday or last Monday, on, on, on the radio, on radio 4, on start of the week, I think it's called. They were discussing.

There was a university press professor called John and Hade. I'm not sure quite how you say his name. He's professor of, ethical leadership at New York University. He says that his university On everything, every paper that's put out and all the students know, there is a number that students are encouraged to ring immediately a lecturer or professor says anything that offends them. Immediately.

They are told that not to wait until after the lecture to make sure that they heard right. Or did you mean that? Immediately, they must ring the number. He's saying you can hardly lecture anymore. You can hardly say anything.

You have to go through all your notes and cross out anything that might offend anyone, and therefore the lecture isn't real. That's the culture we're in. People looking to be offended. It's the other way around with Christianity. We're looking to love and to forgive and not be offended.

Don't worry. I know you didn't mean it. I know you called me that, but I I guess you didn't mean it. Or if you did, I'm probably that anyway. That's the sort of attitude, isn't it?

Thank you for telling me that I'm a complete nut of moron. Yeah. Thank you very much. You're right? And they are right, aren't they?

So why are we offended? So stop being offended, look for unity, look for love. If a brother or sister is speaking badly, then they might need to be told. That's not the way to speak. I've had people do that.

Rose has been really gracious to me sometime. I've said things that are outrageous that come out of my mouth. And, you know, and very kindly should Pete. That's not the best way to do. He's absolutely right.

Please help me to change. That's a full time job. But how kind of her? Stop being offended. Third thing is, look at Romans chapter 1.

And verses 14 to 16. Just look at Romans chapter 1 verses 14 to 16. Paul starts his letter here and you'll see that he starts and ends the same. He is outlining his mission to the gentile world, and his reason for writing Romans. Here it is.

I am a debtor both to the Greeks and non Greeks. That's Jews and non Jews as well. Both of the wise and the foolish. That is why I'm so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. For I'm not ashamed of the gospel, here we go, for it is the power of god to bring salvation to everyone who believes first to the Jew, then to the gentile.

His heart is to go to the nations, to bring the Greeks, non Greeks wise, foolish Jews, gentiles together because that is god's plan It's always been god's plan, and god is praised for that. We must be about that. Callstone church where we hear the word of the lord, there are nations around us. We've got to think about how we reach them. We need to be united in proclamations, why we invite people to all our services so that they can hear the word of the lord.

It's why we do evangelism. But there are big groups of people in our area, Polish people. We're not touching them. They're law largely taken up with Roman Catholicism, a false religion. And we need to have a heart.

How do we reach them? Is there anyone god's brought to us? We need money to do that. We need to pay someone to be able to go and do that. We need money, thousands of pounds to do that.

Well, are we about building god's kingdom? Is there anyone that's got some thousands of pounds. Or if I got a pound, I could put to it, to it. We've gotta do this. There are Asians in Tollworth that need reaching.

We need to reach them. We need to help the Koreans, and love them, and bring them in. We need to have a vision for the nations that are actually around us. So let's do that. How are we gonna do it?

Who's gonna be raised up? Where's the money gonna come from? This is the nature of the church. Are we united in proclamation. 4 thing, Psalm a hundred and 17, It's worth reading.

You could memorize a whole Psalm. Psalm a hundred don't just memorize a verse, memorize a whole psalm. This is it. Praise the lord, all you nations extoll him all you peoples. For great is his love towards us and his faithfulness to the lord endures and the faithfulness of the lord endures forever praise the lord.

Praise the lord. Praise the lord for the church. Praise the lord for different nations and different cultures and different tribes. Praise the lord for the Koreans that come with their lovely food and their nice smiles. Praise the lord.

Praise the lord for the Scottish, the mean buggers that come amongst us. Praise the lord for them. Praise that sorry about that. So I don't know where that came. Praise the lord.

Praise the praise the lord for for the English and the welsh and the Germans, and the Dutch, the Dutch, for pim. Praise the Lord for him. Yeah? Praise the lord for for the Indians and all of the nations and the Europeans and the Polish and Serbians and all of those that come, praise the lord. When someone is from from a different nation, praise the lord, particularly praise the lord.

Fifthly, and I'm done. This whole section chapter 12 right the way through to 16 is all a section about love and working out the gospel. We've looked at how we love. We've looked at gifts that we have. Everyone in the church has a gift.

Use it. Don't hide it. Use it. Use it for god, to serve, be hardworking, don't be slow in using your gift Whatever it is. What is it?

We're about the body and building up the body. What is it you could do to build up the body? To reach the lost. There are loads of lonely people around, perhaps, you could visit lonely people. And all of this is to take the gospel so that so many different types of people will come and praise the lord.

Let's have a moment of quiet, and then I'll hand over to Phil.