We will proceed and turn with me to the book of Romans, Romans chapter 15, just read through. Remind you once again that we are going through the Book of Romans and now we are slowly finishing the theme that we have been looking at for quite a while now. We have been from chapter 14 and verse 1. All the way to where we are now, we have been dealing with the subject of Christian unity, and more specifically, that the real practical unity of the Christian Church The local church, and often threatened by crowds, individuals, having the scruples of the background that they are coming from, and the baggage that they come with into the Christian church. that is not gospel-related in a direct sense, but often causes a lot of disunity between believers. The Apostle Paul has wrestled with this in a way in which he hasn't taken sides at all between one group or the other, and in their own day, it was largely between Jews and Gentiles. He hasn't done that. He has instead tried to get the weak to Stop judging the strong and let the strong also bear with the shortcomings or the weaknesses of the weak. In other words, get on together. In fact, to borrow the phrase that you have used a number of times, it is that you want to welcome one another. Welcome one another. And then, of course, while you are together in the same boat and ship, you can then continue dealing with some of these issues. Now, we are in chapter 15, and we'll read from verse 7 all the way to verse 15. Romans, chapter 15, beginning with verse 7. The Bible says there, Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. So I tell you that Christ became a servant to the second size to show God's truthfulness in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs. and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name. And again it is said, Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people. And again, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and with all the peoples, extol him. And again Isaiah says, the fruit of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Well, the last time we were discussing scripture, we were seeing the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, as it is shown in verse 7. Therefore, welcome one another, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. And basically, what we were saying there is that if we look at the way in which Our Lord Jesus Christ entered into fellowship with us at the point of our convention. We realized that in fact he entered into fellowship with us when we had so much package that was totally wrong. The Lord did not wait until we were perfect in our doctrine and perfect in our lives before he would say, okay, let me associate with you. He didn't do that. Rather, he brought us to repentance, he brought us to faith in himself, and he said, fine, now let's go on this journey together. And it has been while we have been on this journey, some of us 5 years, some of us 30 years, some of us 40 years, that it has been slowly, deep, with all the cobwebs in our lives. And all Paul is saying is that that's our wonder. we should follow his example rather than our natural tendency which is, first of all, before we can have any dealings with each other, let's settle these issues. And Paul is saying, don't do that. Instead, welcome another as Christ has welcomed you. That redounds to the glory of God. Well, this evening, we are going further, and in fact, we are consuming quite a few verses there. I think it's five entire verses that we are looking at, verse 8 down to verse 12. And we see the subject of the Church's diversity being in its very DNA. In other words, in its very nature, the New Testament Church was supposed to be heterogeneous rather than homogeneous. And because it was meant to be that way, we need to learn to coexist with the package that we are bringing in and the package that others are bringing in as well. That's really the way that our support is winding up the subject that it must be bringing. So what you're looking at there is basically the whole notion. The way in which thought winds up everything. And you can't miss it from the way in which it begins the stage and says, sure, I'll tell you. So I tell you, nevertheless, everything that I have said before, this is the reason why. This is the concluding argument. This is the big picture that justifies what I am saying about you accepting one another instead of devouring one another over this non-gospel issue. So I tell you, and what do I tell you? that Christ prepared his servants to the circumcise to show God's truth. It's interesting how as soon as Paul began in chapter 15, going towards his conclusion, Jesus Christ became the center of our focus. You see this in verse 3, For Christ did not please himself, but he disliked the reproaches of those who reproached Pharaoh or me. You also see it in verse 5, May the glory of Jesus Christ grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus. In other words, according to the mind and the attitude of the Lord Jesus Christ. According to what Christ would want us to do. When we also notice it, in verse 6, that together, union with one is what is glorified in the Holy Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, the one who is the Son of God, we pray through him to this God, and he is at the center of our worship. And then the last thing we saw last time is the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, Paul is not done yet. He brings us again to Jesus. But this time, he's not so much looking at Jesus as an example, he is now looking at the Lord Jesus Christ in terms of his mission. What is it that he came to accomplish when he came on earth? Let's take a few steps backwards and look, because when we see that, we begin to see afresh, that what we are fighting over, we ought not to be fighting over. And what did Jesus come to do? He says, he came as a servant to the circumcised. He came as a servant to the circumcised. Now, the actual literal phrasing of that statement emphasizes the word servant. in great emphasis has to do with the word to begin with, or at least the phrase that is at the beginning of your speaking. And in this particular case, the statement is this, Christ, a sacrifice became to the Jews or to the circumcised. Christ, at that time, came. In other words, when Jesus Christ came here on earth, he specifically came to serve the Jews. And when I say serve the Jews, it is S-E-R-V-E, rather than S-A-V-E. He came to serve the Jews. The second time, he came to fulfill a particular role of service among them. What is that service? Well, let's all spend a little bit of time, because it really helps us to understand how Paul's reasoning is the conclusion of everything that he has talked about so far, from the beginning of chapter 14 up to where he is. Why would he come to say that the Bible says here, to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promise that you gave to the patriarchs, in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. I'm sure mine is getting to be misty and blind and so on. Don't worry. That's the way I felt when I began studying this class as well. But it soon becomes clear to me What he is saying is this, that when the Lord Jesus Christ came, he came to serve the Jews in order to fulfill God's promises to the people of Israel. The promises that God has made, because he's a God of truth, he's a God of faithfulness, he cannot go against the promises that he has made. Jesus came to God's people, the Jews, in order now to bring to fulfillment these great promises that were made across history to the patriots, that is, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He came to bring those to complete fulfillment. And what are those promises? The promises were that Israel was going to become a blessing to the Gentiles, that the Gentiles were going to be cat and pasture of the people of God, not the Jews themselves. Now let's see if you want some. There are a lot of them. Maybe we do two in the Old Testament, and then we should be quite content to jump into the New Testament. So go with me to Genesis, and chapter 12. Genesis is a book. Where we have the call of Abraham. The call of Abraham. Verse 1 to verse 3. Now, the Lord said to Abraham, go from your country and your kingdom and your father's house to the land that I will show you and I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. Let me say this. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonours you I will curse. And in you all the families, all the nations, all the ethnic groups of the earth shall be blessed. So I'm barely beginning with you, but I'm not ending with you. I'm not even ending with those who are going to come out of your oils. But through those who are coming out of your oils, there will be a grace that will touch all the ethnic groups across the earth. Let's jump to Genesis chapter 22. And then we'll go to Acts, because this is a bit more complicated. So Genesis, chapter 22, and verse 18. Genesis 22, and verse 18. This is one of the beginning areas, since the beginning of the 15th. And the next one was called Abraham a second time, from heaven, and he said, by myself I am strong. Hence, that statement about the God of truth. Our God infected in our text. Okay? By myself, I have sworn to declare the Lord. Because you have done this, and I am in heaven with all your sons, your only sons, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and as the sun in its own position. And your offspring shall possess the gift of his enemies, and his enemies. And in your offspring, or shall all the nations of the earth be blessed? In your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you obeyed my voice." Go quickly then, Acts and chapter 3. This is in the very beginning of the New Testament Church. The very beginning. And this same text is quoted at chapter 3 and verse 25. Let me begin from the beginning. And all the prophets were spoken from Simon. And those who came after him also proclaimed these things. You are the sons of the prophets, and in the covenant that God made with your fathers, that's what patriarchs is, with your fathers, saying to Abraham, and in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. All the ethnic groups of the earth shall be blessed. So what Jesus came to do when he came to the nation of Israel is to say, okay, God had promised your father a major promise to Abraham and to the Jacob. That promise has not been fulfilled up to this time. I have now come to bring it into realization. You are now about to have your boundaries broken open so that the blessing that goes through to pull out of the nation, out of your people, and bless the nations of the world, that's going to happen now through me. Jesus Christ. Amen. How did that happen? Well, let's go to Ephesians 2 to see this. Ephesians 2, and we begin to read from verse 11. Ephesians 2, and verse 11. Therefore, remember that at one time you jinn-devils in the flesh, so you are the outsiders, called the mass circumcision, by which is called the circumcision which is made in the flesh by demons, again it repeats. Remember that you were at that time, separated from Christ, alienated from the dominion of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise. You were outsiders because of your sin, having no hope and without God in the world. So you were outsiders and the blessings of God were within the boundaries of the natural children of Israel. Listen to this. Joseph said, but now, in Christ, you who were far off, have been brought near. How? That's the question we're asking. How? Here it is, by the blood of Christ. So Judas, he came to teach, he actually came and fulfilled the promise of God. He brought into operation the truth of God, that God himself had said. And here it is just looking. For here it is looking at our peace, who has made us both one. and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility, half by abolishing the law of commandments, expressing ordinances that he might create in himself while in crime in the place of truth. so make peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body against the ages through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. I mean, we could go on, but the point that has been made today is that it was through the cross It was the fact that now you did not need to bring lambs and sheep and goats and whatever other sacrifices and take them to the temple in order for them to be sacrificed by some priest. Jesus fulfilled all that once and for all. So it doesn't matter whether you're a Jew or a Gentile. You repent of your sin. You believe in Jesus. You then come into this new body, the body of Christ, on exactly the same terms with a Jew or Gentile. You are now one family in Christ. That's what Jesus came to do. To not so much say, okay guys, let's welcome the Gentiles in, is to avoid the whole thing and begin a new body. the body of Christ. And everybody comes in on the same terms. Repentance towards God and faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus. That's what Paul means back to our text, when he says, he came as a servant to the servant side, to show God's truthfulness, to show God's truth, to show God's faithfulness to what he has promised. promised to David in order to fulfill the promises given to the patriarchs. And what is this promises given to the patriarchs? In order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. Nevertheless, in this new point, Diversity is part of the game. It's part of the game. The sort of monotonous aspect of the Old Testament church has been completely shattered. as Jesus has begun this new body in fulfillment of all the promises of God to the patriarchs. The Gentiles are now in. The Gentiles are now in. In other words, it is in the very DNA of the nature of the new Testament church, that there is going to be variety, is going to be diverse. In fact, a number of visions, don't even use the word gentiles, they simply use the name nations. Nations. And that in itself symbolizes the understanding that it's not just one group of people coming to join another group of people. It's an entire variety of people out there that are coming in to join together with this group called the Israelites, so that you may now be in the same body worshipping And I love the way the Apostle Paul captures this when he says that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. In other words, as the nations come into the Church, what do they do? Well, what do we do? We sing amazing things. How sweet the sound that saved a wretched man. to Christ, because through Him, our sins are forgiven. Through Him, we are reconciled to God. Through Him, we are welcomed into heaven, together with the entire host of God's people. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and me, with all my Gentile background, I can walk up to everyone and say, Hi, we are one family because Christ has come, saved me, the Jews, in terms of fulfilling the promises given to their forefathers and then I'm included in that process. Well, as usual, when the Apostle Paul touches the Jews about Gentiles, he always knows that I'm touching a wrong belief. And therefore he goes back to their own writings in order to show them that in fact it was God's plan from the beginning, that it was not an afterthought. that in the prophetic writings of the Old Testament, already the non-Jews, the nations, the Gentiles are actually already spoken about in future days as those who will be participating with the people of God in the worship of God. And so, for those of you taking notes, I don't need to tell you to refer to these passages. It's got Psalm 18, verse 49. Psalm 67, verse 5. Psalm 107, verse 1. And then Isaiah 11, verse 10. Let me take you through them again. Psalm 18, verse 49, is the one that is quoted in verse 9. Psalm 67, verse 5, is the one that is quoted in verse 10. Psalm 117, verse 1, is the one that is quoted in verse 11. And Isaiah 11, verse 10, is the one quoted in verse 12. No, save for yourselves. It's not me you're saving. It's there in the manuscripts that I read to you in the supper. Well, first we will go through the scriptures and then I want to speak about the implications of this. Verse 9, as it is written, Therefore I will praise you among the churches and sing to your name. In other words, I will be in the same group with the churches worshipping you. Well, it was said, and again it is said, Rejoice, O Gentiles, with these people. With these people. So again, you are Jews and Gentiles together, rejoicing in God. Just say it again. Praise the Lord, O you Gentiles. and let all the peoples, all the nations, all the families, extol Him. Again, clearly, the Gentiles are being called to participate in worshipping Yahweh. And then the last, through Messiah, the root of Jesus will come, that's referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, even He who arises, listen, to rule the Gentiles. So Luke is coming to rule the Jews, he's coming to rule the nation of God, to rule the Gentiles. And in him will the Gentiles rule. The Gentiles will also put all their stake on Jesus, that He is our Saviour. Without Him we cannot change. So there's no way that a Jew can look at his messages and start treating Gentiles as two outsiders. Paul is saying this is no longer futuristic, this is not some millennial era that might be coming, some future, it's happening. It's happening. Christ has come. He has come to serve those promises given to the Black Lives. He has fulfilled those seven promises. So this is now happening now. It's happening now. Now, if it was the Jews only who were to make up the church, there would be no issue of quarrels and struggles at all, because their entire behavior was codified in the Old Testament. It was codified. But the problem now is that you're bringing in the nation. bringing the Gentiles. And the Gentiles are not monolithic. They don't have one culture. They have as many cultures as the nations themselves. So inevitably, differences arise. Now, at the beginning, when they were just having a church, there were a lot of people that just assumed that it was the Gentiles that were going to betray us. And so they began to say, you must obey the laws of Moses, you must be circumcised, you must, you must, you must, you must. And thankfully, the Pentecostal Indians, the Apostles, and the elders in Jerusalem, as we establish the scriptures of creation, said no, no, no, a thousand times no. Our God, God of Gondar, is not going to be thrust upon the Gentiles. No. It is justification by the grace of God, by faith of God, and in Christ Christ. Let's not start putting these waves that we ourselves are struggling with. Let's not try and then thrust them upon the Gentiles. Let us open the door wise and say if you have respect, if you have confidence, let each other know it. Come in. Come in. Now, some of them We meet each other. Have you seen it yet? I was only 18 years old. Generally so. There were moments that 18 years was wrong. The community, some officers, special agents, others handled all things alike. from their own ground. They're talking, saying, I've repented, I believe in Jesus, am I not coming there? And it's also saying, come now, come to me. Because the best way to enter is repentance to God's word and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus has come, he has fulfilled all the requirements on the cross, so we cannot separate anything else from Him. Sons ate food, sacrificed for others, others put it, because to them animals were real. They were real drones. And therefore, to eat food that has been offered to a girl with a small g, and then I start participating in it, my conscience kills me. So what should we do? Should we say, This is the Baptist Church of Adea that allows eating food when you try to go to idols, and there's a second Baptist Church of Adea that's the opposite, keeping you there. No! Rather coming into the same church, and then the strong, there is the weak. You must be together. was to help find each other while we were strong and bearing with the weight. Some old slaves got others unconscious. That, I think, according to the Americans, was the center of it all, through which even a simple war broke out. Because again, it was a real show. It's a tip-toe. They're coming from the outside. And some of them with large foundations, and they've been bringing in a fortune to slaughter them, of course, or be inherited from their parents. And they love their slaves. But they hate slaves. But I'm not going to say, no, we cannot get together. How can you monitor me? What have you painted? What have you painted in Christ? So what happens? What can be changed? If you want to walk up and talk about it, then you can talk about that issue of slavery. You can debate that issue of slavery. It may not be your generation that will resolve it. It may be your parents or your parents' parents who finally resolve it. But you must be in the same church. Why? Because faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is what gives you access into this world. despite the differences over the issue of slavery. Come in, come in. For this government will not present their issue, which is less polite, but some things can be polite. Some apply. Some use contemporary songs, devotional. Samurai must be full of this humanity's inner strength, as that's Kei no Hikosu. It must be agape, and it must be Samurai's only. Why can't we do it? Will it come? And while you are there together, talk about it, but don't put acceptance as a function. First of all, you are going to feel, well, whether she sings songs for me, et cetera, that's not going to make me feel good. Nah, nah, nah. Because that's not the basis on which Jesus has brought this person into the Christian church. Welcome one another first, and then continue debating this issue. And who knows, it might be your parents or your great-grandparents who find a resolution. But in the meantime, accept one another. In Bojagi, some can argue Some watch football. Some watch films. Others don't. Why should we do it? Should we at the end say, you know, you who watch football, go and accept your best practice, football, or whatever. What can we do about it? We make faith, worship in the Lord, in the Christ Church. Two more precarious and adversarial difficulties. Some dress up for change, while others dress as their own will be. Some express male and female affections, while others segregate male and female within a place of worship. Briefly, I can go on and on to the next slide. The point I'm going to say is this. Gentiles come in with their bodies. They come in with their bodies. And if we are going to pull the rope while we are at the treehouse, what's going to happen is that the few of us who are already at the treehouse, once we're there, the situation is there. I hope you understand the concept of tree house and the rock. It's a small little hut on the tree, but in order for you to get there, you need to put a rope like that, and if you don't want kids to come and ruin the day, once you're up, you just pull up like that, carry it up, and that's it, you're set. But you can easily do that in the context of the church. where we are more and more and more issues that the person must get over first before he is welcome. And the police say, no. It's not your church. It's Christ's church. And he came and fulfilled his agenda in a glorious way by his death on the cross. How dare you start arguing for this position? How? It's not your church. In fact, these people, they've been welcomed already into this body of Christ. They've been welcomed. They are children of God, heirs of the Father, jointly heirs of the Son. So welcome them. And then said, but what about this? We'll talk about it later, but I'd like to tell you a few pieces. Let's go together. Open your head. I'm not saying you want to do this. I wish you what Paul is trying to say here, that it's in God's very hand and it's in the DNA of the Church for it to be led first, to be led first. And therefore, we will not always be completely perfect at God. with some of the people that are trying to get away due to their political views. Some kind of baggage that causes us to really squirm when we see or hear the things that are able to do to clear conscience. But already, the point of focus is this, we choose to condemn and if nothing wrong with them, others can realize that this adversity is because it's in the very DNA. Jesus is bringing in people from all kinds of religions. all kinds of nations, all kinds of ethnic groups, they are all coming to say, praise the Lord, praise the Father, praise the Son, praise the Spirit, praise the Three in One, O our Saviours from our sins. What we should be ready to do is to embrace one another and sing with our ears of the Father, We are together in the earth and the sun. We are children of the King. We are family. Dear Father, Father in Heaven, thank you for what you are doing across the globe, bringing men and women from diverse backgrounds into your kingdom. God save us from being so myopic that we only want in the Church those who cross the teeth and dot the eyes is exactly as we do them. Oh Father, save us from that. and help us to be like Christ, to welcome all who are gentlemen as they are, and then together to work through these issues that cause us to suffer. Lord, you will help us to do this for the sake of Christ. Amen.