Romans 12:14-16

Good morning. It is good to be here with you all. For those of you who are newer, my name is Jake Risner. I'm an elder here.

! And this is my very first sermon. Nonetheless, the Christ family, so prepare for impact.

My only objective this morning is that we would see the scripture a little more clearly.

If we walk away with even an ounce of better understanding of what the Lord is communicating to us about himself through this text, praise the Lord. Mission accomplished.

So I trust that you all have been gleaning from our study in Romans. We are going to continue on into Romans 12, verses 14 through 16.

Romans 12:14–16

So if you would, turn with me there to Romans 12, 14 through 16.

Our text reads,

Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

This text falls in the middle of Paul's instruction for how the Christians ought to be conducting themselves.

The ESV puts the header, marks of the true Christian, over these passages.

So this is particularly within the context of the church, but not exclusively.

Clay did a great job last week explaining how this chapter starts the practical instruction of self-sacrificial love.

So to best understand and apply our particular verses, we're going to consider and look back at two specific things within the larger arc of the book of Romans.

One, the sinful lifestyles present within the church.

And two, the clarity given to the Jew and Gentile dynamic.

So looking back at the end of chapter one, we find a host of unchristian behaviors and practices identified among the unrighteous.

But at the beginning of chapter two, Paul says,

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges, for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself,

because you, the judge, practice the same things.

So Paul establishes that he is privy to this misconduct and the hypocrisy within the church

and paints the picture of what a selfish, self-seeking congregation looks like.

But the second contextual item to recall is this Jew-Gentile dynamic.

The Lord has uniquely used Paul to author this letter.

As a Jew born in a Roman province, he has dual citizenship.

He has the cultural credit to speak to both of these people groups, even though he has not yet with them personally yet.

In his introduction, he is sure to include that Christ is a descendant of David, but that the gospel is for all nations.

So then that would include the Gentile nations.

So then throughout the letter, Paul addresses the misunderstandings of the Jews and the Gentiles within the churches of the region.

The Jews seem to think that they are special because they are the people of God, the ones who received the law and the prophets.

And the Gentiles seem to think that they are extra special since they got grafted in, despite the Jews being the firstfruits.

And so Paul gives a lengthy theological address how in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile.

We are justified through faith alone, and the gospel is for all that would repent and believe, those that confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God rose him from the dead will be saved.

The ethnic descendants of Abraham were a foreshadow to the future chosen people of the faith.

In chapter 9, Paul quotes Hosea, a Jewish prophet, in regard to the Gentiles becoming God's people who were not his people.

Before the foundations of the earth, God chose a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation to be his chosen race.

And this is a glorious reality.

And with this doctrine, how ought the mixed congregation do community with one another?

Are the Jews to preside over the Gentiles since they are the chosen people from the Old Covenant?

Or should the Jews get on board with the Gentiles since they are in Rome?

Or should they create segregated churches to avoid the dissension?

What do they do with these doctrines that Paul has laid out?

As we have read and studied the past couple of weeks, they should be one body.

Working in unison, being of the same mind in Christ, Christ is the head of the body.

And additionally, they should not be affiliated with those kinds of sins referenced in chapter 1.

Envy, strife, gossip, slander, haughty, boastful.

These are the antithetical prescriptions to what Christ would have his children be and do as they are adopted into the same family.

Those who act that way presume upon the kindness of God.

So this contrast, starting in chapter 12, is not only for the Jew to Gentile relationship.

It is for the member to member relationships within the church.

But it is drawn out in light of the ethnic differences.

And so with these things in mind, we're going to look back into our decks.

If I were to give the note takers an outline, it would be sympathy towards the unsympathetic.

That's verse 14, sympathy towards the unsympathetic.

Verse 15, the two-sided coin of empathy.

And lastly, humility produces harmony.

And we're going to see through these three verses that the common denominator is an outward, self-sacrificial love.

So starting in verse 14, we read,

Bless those who persecute you.

Bless and do not curse them.

Paul has uniquely experienced this kind of blessing.

He was himself a persecutor of the Christians, but he has now been persecuted.

And so he knows exactly what he's addressing when he gives this command.

He has been an example of this, sort of blessing your persecutors already.

And even in his post-conversion humility, he says back in chapter 9,

I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers.

He has gone from intentionally cursing Christians to now having such a heart for the lost that he would be accursed in their place.

He doesn't have that authority, but he expresses this heart change from persecutor to persecuted.

And he knows what it is to suffer the wrath of evil men, yet he contends with the Romans to bless their persecutors.

Those in Rome, especially the Jews, have already experienced a bit of persecution.

The Jews are a people accustomed to being taken captive, to being uprooted, turned to slaves, released back to their homeland.

And over the span of their heritage, they have a lot of persecution represented.

More relevant to this letter, it is recorded in Acts 2, that Aquila and Priscilla had met Paul and Corinth after all the Jews were commanded to leave Rome under the rule of Claudius.

They were permitted back in a few years later, but nonetheless, they were driven out for their Christian beliefs.

And this is a good image for the definition of persecute.

It means to make, to run, to flee, to put to flight.

It can have other implications, but it's still in the framework of doing away with a certain people or a certain ideology.

And perhaps the Jews have had in their mind that their enemies should suffer for the wrongdoing, as would be the case in the Old Covenant law.

That is, if the chosen people are faithful to God, they would have relief from their enemies.

Or maybe the Gentile believers have been susceptible to cursing the ones that banned the Jews originally out of brotherly affection.

Whatever specific reason for their persecution or their cursing, Paul is contending with them that instead of cursing them back, they should bless them.

The command is not only to endure the persecution or to ignore your persecutors.

It's a step further than that.

It's two steps away from the treatment that they have been receiving.

They are to bless those who persecute them, who don't deserve it.

The word bless is the same word we get eulogy from.

It means to praise, to speak well of, to invoke a blessing upon someone.

In Luke 6.28, amidst the Beatitudes, Jesus says,

Bless those who persecute you.

And immediately followed by that, he says,

Pray for those who abuse you.

Be reminded of when Stephen was being stoned to death.

He prayed to God, saying,

Lord, do not hold this sin against them.

Or better yet, when Jesus was being executed,

he says, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

The goal of Gentiles and Jews is alike,

to know Christ, to make Christ known to all peoples.

Even amidst their persecution,

they are to have sympathy and wish upon all men

that their souls be turned to God

in hope and faith that they would be saved.

This would be a hot topic in the coming years

when Nero would assume authority

and literally burn Christians

to serve as lampposts at his garden parties.

And thankfully, we serve a God

who is sovereignly preserving his bride

so that the gates of hell

shall not prevail against it.

In light of this context,

the Christians in Rome,

how much quicker should we be

to bless our persecutors?

Our suffering is futile

to what many of our brothers and sisters

over history,

and even currently across the globe,

suffer.

Ours may look like

being made fun of at work

or being ignored

or belittled at the family Thanksgiving.

We may not be the popular one

at the dorms.

I would not be surprised

if some of us soon

are called to suffer more severely.

I haven't heard of much of that

in the long ago yet,

but maybe being fired from a job,

being sued for what the world

would call hate speech,

or failing college courses

for not submitting to the hive mind

of the secular world.

Nonetheless,

the Christian will be persecuted,

severe or mild,

and when we experience it,

we should bless our persecutors.

We should pray for their salvation.

We should see their sin

ultimately against the Lord.

When you are persecuted

for righteousness' sake,

do not avoid the value

of persecution

by cursing those

who curse you.

We ought not

curse our persecutors

like perhaps the Jews

were doing in Rome

as they were driven out

by the government,

but we are to bless them.

And in doing so,

you will show your persecutor

there's a greater hope,

hope in Christ.

What good would it be

to suffer for unrighteousness?

That's no sacrifice at all.

That's getting what you deserve.

But if you suffer for righteousness,

the Lord may use it

to reveal himself

to the persecutor,

and you will be blessed.

What would our current status be

if Christ had responded

with cursing?

We all,

before regeneration,

are called enemies of God,

and yet while we were still sinners,

Christ died for us.

He did not curse us.

Christ himself became a curse

so that those who cursed him

might be blessed.

Live as holy sacrifices,

point others to Christ,

and be sympathetic

to the unsympathetic.

Verse 15 is a two-part

exhortation of empathy.

Rejoice with those who rejoice

and weep with those who weep.

Where Paul was calling

the persecuted

to be sympathetic

to the persecutors,

now he is calling the church

to be empathetic.

Empathetic is to understand

and to share the feelings

of another.

The Jews and Gentiles

come together

to form a very diverse church

with many differences.

They have different upbringings,

different culture,

different expectations.

They are instructed

to try and understand

their brothers and sisters

who have different experiences

and predispositions

so that they can be unified

as they rejoice

and as they weep.

In the previous passage

in this chapter

about the church

being one body

with different members,

we read that the Lord

uniquely gives different gifts

to different people.

Across the broader extent

of the letter,

the Lord has used

the Jews and Gentiles

individually

to fulfill

his various objectives.

the Roman Christians

need to set aside

their envy

and their pride

from one another

in order to rejoice

in the things of God.

They are on the same team.

If the Gentiles

have now received

the gospel

that was first presented

to the Jews,

that's something

to praise God about.

If that means

that they are grafted

into the same root

as the Israelites,

they should praise God.

As we spoke earlier,

the promise of faith

is not just for those

of Abrahamic lineage.

The Gentiles have been welcomed

into the covenant people

and this calls for rejoicing.

It doesn't say it specifically,

but I assume

that Paul is addressing

dividing lines

on when and how

to rejoice

with the other group.

They may be reluctant

to rejoice

with the opposite ethnicity

and the presumption

that their own kind

will fulfill that duty.

They have their own family

to do life with.

Why should I bother?

Type of mentality.

But there is

no other group.

We are one body.

There should not be

cliques or posses

of people in the church

such that it would exclude

rejoicing together.

It is not wrong

to have relationships,

a deeper relationship

with fewer people,

but it would be wrong

for a church culture

to organize itself

where the members

are severed

from the rest of the body

such that it would

exclude rejoicing together.

And this takes a lot

of outward

and selfless thinking.

If you are jealous

or envious

or covetous

over one another's

success or blessing,

you will not be able

to rejoice

with one another.

We have to be

so content

in the Lord

with what He

has given us

and namely,

salvation,

that when we see

others rejoicing,

we can celebrate

with them.

We can praise God

when someone else

has received something

that we have not.

Our hope is in Christ alone,

not in our comforts,

not in our family,

not in our work,

or our grades,

or our roommates.

If Christ is your treasure

and the church

is your family,

rejoice like a family

when one of their own

has been blessed.

There are times,

however,

when it is not helpful

to rejoice

with those who rejoice.

Pagans often rejoice.

The pride marches

bear many smiles

and cheers of people

in complete rebellion

to our Lord.

People who worship money

instead of God

rejoice when they

deceitfully make money.

Pro-choice activists

rejoice when laws

are passed in favor

of murder.

We ought not

to rejoice in these things.

We ought to rejoice

with the truth

as Paul says elsewhere.

Love does not rejoice

at wrongdoing,

but rejoices with

the truth.

Jesus sets a precedent

in Luke 10

of what we should rejoice in

when he rejoices

in the Father

revealing the hidden

things of the gospel

to a specific people.

He commands his disciples

in that same chapter

to rejoice

that their names

are written in heaven.

We are also called

to rejoice in our sufferings

as suffering presses

on to hope

that does not put us

to shame.

Luke 15 says

that there will be

more joy in heaven

over one sinner

who repents

than over 99

righteous persons

who need no repentance.

So we rejoice

in the things of God

and namely

the Lord reconciling

sinners to himself

whether Jew

or Gentile.

Isaiah puts it well,

I will greatly rejoice

in the Lord.

My soul

shall exult

in my God

for he has clothed me

with the garments

of salvation.

On the other side

of the empathy coin

we are called

to weep

with those

who weep.

The call is similar

to rejoicing.

We must be empathetic.

We must put ourselves

in their shoes

and try to understand

what they're going through

and respond accordingly.

Living in a fallen world

there will always be

instances of weeping

and the Romans

were not exempt from this.

As we mentioned earlier

the Jews within the church

have already been

run out of town

before.

Rome at this time

is filled with idols

and false gods

and this may cause weeping

as they watch

the dying world

around them

in rebellion

to the one true God.

There could be

Gentile family members

that are still

worshiping these

false gods.

Maybe some of the Jews

are having a hard time

being second class citizens

away from their homeland.

There are various things

that the Gentiles

and Jews

could be weeping about

that would differ

from one another

but they are called

to empathy

and not

tribalism.

They can't sit around

as a member weeps

and ignore it.

They are called

to weep

to feel the pain

to recognize the hurt

to get in the trenches

with them.

When one member suffers

the whole body suffers.

There's no room

for prideful annoyance

of another's suffering.

You don't have to be

a pastor

or a counselor

or to have

experienced the same

kind of trial

to weep

with someone.

If you don't have

the words to say

just weep.

Christ again

is our ultimate

model and reason

for this.

If his spirit

is within us

we will walk

in his ways.

Christ was a man

of sorrows

acquainted with

deepest grief.

We do not have

a high priest

who is unable

to sympathize

with our weaknesses

but one who

in every respect

has been tempted

as we are

yet he was

without sin.

He was born

in the likeness

of men.

He and his

loving kindness

experienced

what we experience

as humans.

During his ministry

when Lazarus dies

and some of the

disciples are sad

and weeping

Christ wept.

He knew that

he would bring

Lazarus back to life

but he stopped

and he wept

with his people

anyway.

He came to us

and he got in

the trenches

with us.

He could have

stayed upon

his throne

comfort and

ease

but he

forsook that

to come and

bear burdens

with us

and we are

called to have

that humility

not to be

arrogant or

selfish but to

go and to

bear burdens

with our

brothers and

sisters.

Now Christ's

mission was

ultimately to

bring about

reconciliation

not just to

have the

human experience

but he did

accomplish that

mission through

his earthly

ministry.

Being as we

are yet without

sin he would

become the

perfect sacrifice

on our behalf.

like rejoicing

there are also

things we

shouldn't weep

about.

Godly grief

or sorrow

is different

than worldly

grief.

Christians

grieve when

we recognize

that the

fallen state

of the world

is not what

it's supposed

to be.

We see and

experience the

thorns wrapped

around the

beautiful terrains.

The ground we

work has been

cursed.

We also see and

experience spiritual

thorns wrapped

around the heart.

By nature we do

not seek for

God.

we sorrowfully

battle with

sin even as

believers.

And it can

grieve us to

see family and

friends who

reject the

gospel.

Paul writes

to the

Philippians,

for many of

whom I have

often told you

and now tell

you even with

tears walk as

enemies of the

cross of Christ.

Things are not

how they ought

to be.

The result of

sin causes

things to be

bad.

Work is

difficult.

Our bodies

wear out and

expire.

Childbirth and

child rearing is

painful.

Our flesh wants

to indulge.

Our emotions

control us.

And ultimately

our hearts are

wayward.

When we see or

experience this

reality, we

weep.

These are

legitimate things

to be sad

about.

And I want to

be clear, we do

not weep as if

there is no

hope.

There will be an

end to this

suffering.

As TJ brought

up this morning

at the Lord's

Supper

gathering, it

is not worth

comparing to

the glory that

will be revealed

to us.

But it still

hurts in the

now.

And we would

do well to

weep with

those who

weep.

The world

also weeps,

but it does

not weep in

the same way.

The world

weeps when

their flesh

suffers, when

they don't get

their way, when

their indulgences

are withheld,

when good and

godly moral

ideologies are

recognized as

good.

as the

church weeps

when God

is not

honored rightly,

the world

weeps when

God is

honored.

And this

ungodly

weeping is

a foretaste

for the

unrighteous.

When God's

common grace

and his

presence is

withheld in

hell forever,

there will

only be

weeping and

gnashing of

teeth.

So Paul is

not committing

us to weep

with anyone for

any reason,

but we weep

with those who

weep in a

godly way.

And the

ethnic differences

within the

church of

Rome there

should not

hinder that.

Moving into

verse 16.

Live in

harmony with

one another.

Do not be

haughty, but

associate with

the lowly.

Never be

wise in

your own

sight.

We come to

our final

point,

harmony from

humility.

The end

goal, living

in harmony,

is insulated

with ways to

achieve that

goal.

The first

layer, as we

just discussed,

is empathy,

and now

secondly, forsaking

ego and

putting on

humility.

These are the

means to the

end of

achieving

harmony.

I want to

recall back in

chapters 1 and

2, at the

end of the

number of

those listed

sins that

Paul sums up

in chapter 2,

verses 6-8,

he will render

to each one

according to

his works,

to those who

by patience and

well-doing

seek for glory

and honor and

immortality,

he will give

eternal life.

But for those

who are

self-seeking

and do not

obey the

truth, but

obey unrighteousness,

there will be

wrath and fury.

So also

remember that

throughout the

letter, Paul is

correcting the

Jews for

boasting about

their heritage,

and to the

Gentiles for

boasting about

their adoption

into the

spiritual family.

He just

exhorted them

to be

selfless

with a

nuance

towards

action,

but now

he's exhorting

them to be

selfless

with a

nuance

towards

thought

and

perception.

Verse 16

in the

ESV

flows really

well,

but it

doesn't quite

hit the

literary

consonants

between the

first sentence

and those

latter two.

I think

the NASB

is helpful

here.

The NASB

reads,

be of the

same mind

toward one

another.

Do not be

haughty in

mind,

but associate

with the

lowly.

Do not be

wise in

your own

estimation.

So you

pick up on

the thread

of like-mindedness

a little more

with that

translation.

And verse

3 is pretty

similar.

I say to

everyone among

you not to

think of

himself more

highly than

he ought to

think, but

to think

with sober

judgment.

And the

word translated

think there

in verse

3 and mind

here in

verse 16

is the

same root

word.

So it

adds to

that theme

of cognition,

perception,

wisdom.

Verse 16

is not

saying we

all must

have

perfectly

uniform

theology.

In fact,

Paul permits

different third,

maybe second

tier issues to

be present

within the

church later

on in

chapter 14

when he

concludes that

each one

should be

convinced in

his own

mind.

That's

regarding what

is clean

to eat

and if

we should

esteem

one day

more

significant

than

another.

But these

minds are

different.

The one

in 14

and the

one here

in 12

are two

different

words being

used.

The mind

seen in

chapter 14

is the

same as

verse 2

in chapter

12 when

we studied

the renewal

of your

mind.

It is

more

specifically

the

intellectual

aspect

of your

thinking and

there is

room for

disagreement

there.

the mind

we see

in chapter

12 is

a little

more

emotionally

driven.

It is

the

thoughtful

expression

of how

you feel

about

something.

We see

it depicted

when Jesus

tells his

disciples that

he is going

to Jerusalem

to suffer

and die

and Peter

rebukes

him and

Jesus

responds

get behind

me Satan

for you

are not

setting

your mind

on the

things of

God

but on

the

things of

man.

So

Peter

was

thinking

emotionally.

Paul

in our

text is

exhorting

these two

different people

groups to

have a

unity of

spirit.

Not just

an intellectual

common ground.

That's a

club.

We are

called to

have a

thoughtful

brotherly

affection for

one another.

When you

consider the

glory of

God and

saving the

people to

himself,

it will

cause you

to reflect

emotionally

on your

common

inheritance

with your

brothers and

sisters.

there's

no room

for

disagreement

here in

our text

in heart

or spirit.

The church

is a

people with

one voice

that glorifies

one God.

We weep

together,

we rejoice

together,

we endure

persecution

together,

all for the

sake of

Christ.

In

Philippians 2,

Paul says,

complete my

joy by being

of the same

mind,

have the

same love.

That is

being of the

same mind.

That

objective will

not be

accomplished

if everyone

is perceiving

themselves as

set apart

from the

rest.

If the

Gentiles or

the Jews

think that

they are

special because

they're given

position within

the kingdom,

there can't

be unity

or like-mindedness.

The community

of believers

won't function

well.

The feet

of the body

will be

stumbling

over one

another.

You can't

use both

hands to

write at

the same

time.

Because the

task before

us is the

same,

to glorify

God,

to know

Him,

and to

make Him

known,

there's no

room for

solo missions.

This is a

team sport.

God has

called a

people to

Himself.

If everyone

is a

quarterback,

then who

blocks the

quarterback?

And who

retrieves?

We have to

be more

concerned with

the job

getting done

than with

who gets

the recognition.

And in fact,

the text tells

us to associate

more with those

not getting

recognition.

whether this

is associating

with people

of low

state or

things,

the principle

is the same

way to

associate

with the

lowly.

Don't

strive to

associate with

the high

class,

the ones

who get

the spotlight,

but condescend

to the

lowly.

If we are

caught up in

pursuing lavish

lifestyle and

high status,

we end up

worshiping

ourselves instead

of God.

That disunity

and selfish

desire contrasts

the Lord's

will for

unity and

selfless

living.

To quote

from Philippians

again,

verses 5

through 7

shows us

the glory

in having

a corporately

humble

mindset.

Have this

mind among

yourselves,

which is

yours in

Christ Jesus,

who though

he was in

the form of

God,

did not

count equality

with God

a thing to

be grasped,

but he

emptied

himself by

taking on

the form

of a

servant.

This

like-mindedness

that we

have is

derived from

and only

from Christ

Jesus.

The Spirit

of God

dwells within

the believer,

causing him

to do the

kinds of

things that

Christ does,

pursue the

kinds of

things that

he pursues,

because Christ

stooped down

to be a

servant,

suffering for

the sake of

his people,

we put on

humility and

servitude for

the sake of

God's glory to

the benefit of

the church.

So finally,

we see in our

text that to

pursue harmony,

we can't be

wise in our

own sight.

Just because the

Jews have

studied the law,

that doesn't

mean they

can't be

taught the

spiritual

things that

God has

revealed to

the Gentiles.

Conversely,

just because we

are not under

the law

anymore doesn't

mean the

Jews can't

illuminate the

beauty of

God's grander

arc of

redemptive

history throughout

the Old

Covenant.

The individual

can't be the

smartest one in

the room all

of the time.

At least they're

not supposed to

perceive themselves

as the wisest.

Their goal should

always be God's

glory and not

their own.

When that is

the true heart

of the believer,

it won't matter

who reveals the

Lord's will.

It will mostly

matter that the

Lord's will is

being exalted.

The mixed

congregation needs

to praise God

in giving insight

to their brothers

and sisters of

the faith,

regardless of

their ethnicity.

The book of

Proverbs is filled

with exhortations

to seek counsel

outside of yourself,

and one verse

that ties particularly

well into our

text is a

Proverbs 11,

14.

It says,

Where there is

no guidance,

a people falls,

but in an

abundance of

counselors,

there is safety.

Not one of us

here holds all

the wisdom of

God in and

of ourselves.

The Lord has

uniquely and

preciously grown

and matured

some of us at

different paces

in different ways.

He has even

concealed some

things from all

of us.

So, we

will never

know all

things as

God knows

all things.

In fact,

from now

until eternity,

we will be

exploring the

immeasurable

riches of

God's wisdom

and glory.

So, as the

creation,

not the

creator,

we need

humility and

our self-perception

to recognize

only God's

word is

all true,

is all

authoritative,

and all

wise.

In

exemplary

fashion,

Paul boasts

in his

weaknesses so

that God

would be

proven strong.

He humbly

exhorts the

Corinthians in

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3.

He says,

Let no one

deceive himself.

If anyone

among you

thinks that he

is wise in

this age,

let him

become a

fool that

he may

become wise.

For the

wisdom of

the world

is folly

with God.

For it is

written,

he catches

the wise

in their

craftiness.

And again,

the Lord

knows the

thoughts of

the wise

that they

are futile.

So,

let no one

boast in

men,

for all

things are

yours,

whether Paul

or Apollos

or save

us,

or the

world or

life or

death or

the present

or the

future,

all are

yours and

you are

Christ's and

Christ is

God's.

Even the

apostle Paul,

well studied

as a Jew

and a

Pharisee,

miraculously

saved on

Damascus Road,

he was granted

much spiritual

authority and

power.

He humbly

confesses that

even his

wisdom is

nothing apart

from Christ's.

So,

in order to

glorify God

as a church,

we must be

humble in

recognizing all

things come

from him,

we did

not create

ourselves,

we came

into the

word to

us,

true wisdom

that comes

only from

the Spirit.

In closing,

I want to

leave you with

a few

reflections and

some encouragement

regarding

application.

the overarching

instruction is

to live

selflessly.

Remember that

before salvation,

you too were

an enemy to

God, and

had it not

been for his

grace and

his mercy,

you still

would be an

enemy.

So, have

sympathy for

your

persecutors.

Within the

church, be of

the same mind

in such a way

that you first

know what's

going on in

the personal

lives of your

fellow members,

and then respond

accordingly.

The body of

Christ does

not keep to

itself.

We care for

one another.

We deny our

own fleshly

desires in

order to

serve one

another.

So, do not

let jealousy

withhold rejoicing.

Do not let

pride or

insecurity

withhold weeping.

In humility,

strive to be

of the same

love with

people who

are different

than you,

with people

who wouldn't

be your

friend on

paper, per

se, but

are your

family in

Christ.

Lastly,

consider that

you are

created and

sustained by

God.

If you

have any

wisdom, any

wise thought,

any understanding,

give God the

glory.

In doing so,

you spur one

another on to

love and good

works as you

glorify God.

As a means of

encouragement, we

elders have been

very heartened by

the way that you

all serve one

another in

humility and

empathy.

We see and we

hear the

compassion you

have for one

another regularly.

I have

personally

experienced the

rejoicing and

weeping with

you all.

Our sentiment

is that of

Paul to the

Thessalonians

when he said,

Now concerning

brotherly love,

you have no

need for anyone

to write to you,

for you yourselves

have been taught

by God to love

one another.

For that,

and indeed,

is what you are

doing to all the

brothers throughout

Macedonia.

But, we urge

you, brothers,

do this more

and more.

Let's pray.