The Church At Brierfield

There is a lot of emphasis on serving God, and there should be, but there is not enough emphasis on serving each other.  We are commanded to serve one another in love.  (Gal. 5:13)  The word serve in this verse literally means to be slaves of one another.

After washing the disciples feet, Jesus said “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”  (John 13:15)  He served them in the lowliest, most demeaning way imaginable in order to give us an example of how we should serve each other.

It is easy to serve God out of pride, but humility is required to serve other people like Jesus did the disciples.  As long as we consider ourselves better than other people, or even as good as other people, we will not be their slaves.  “In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”  (Phil. 2:3b)

We can’t be concerned about our reputation either, if we are to serve like Jesus.  We must “let this mind be in [us] which was also in Christ Jesus, ” who “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant.”  (Phil 2:5, 7)

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Paul is grateful to God for the Romans and their faith.  He thanks God through Jesus because He alone can give us access to God the Father.  “[He is] the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through [Him].”  (John 14:6)

Notice, also, that Paul does not thank the Romans for their faith.  He thanks God because He is the soure of their faith and every other thankworthy thing within them.  The same is true of us.

The Roman’s faith was being talked about around the world.  That is an impressive commendation.  It is interesting that it was their faith being talked about.  The buzz was not about their buildings or their programs or their preachers or their music or their great numbers.  Instead, the buzz was about their faith.  Would that our churches today be known for their faith in God.

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.  (Hebrews 11:1, NLT)

Romans 1:7 – Romans 1:9

“The fruit of the Spirit is … self-control.”  (Gal. 5:22, 23)

Self-control is the ability to properly control our emotions, desires and actions.  In every situation we have to choose between the desires of the flesh and the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Self-control is all about choosing well.  The only way we can consistently choose well is to always be under the influence of the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to produce self-control within us.

Paul, … To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul now addresses his letter.  He is sending it to all the believers in Rome.  It is interesting that he did not address it to a specific “church” in Rome.  He sent the letter to the city as a whole.  In a city that large, there must have been multiple congregations but they acted as one church.  We should be one today as well and not have so many divisions among us.  This oneness is an important part of our witness to the world and it glorifies God.

I do not pray for these [twelve disciples] alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  (John 17:20-23, NLT)

The roman believers were beloved of God and so are we.  God dearly loves His children and we are precious to Him.

We are not just called to be saved from sin but to be the saints of God.  In the bible, we are referred to as saints 61 times, Christians 3 times, and believers 2 times.  God’s preferred word for His people is saint and it refers to everyone who believes in Jesus.  (2 Thess. 1:10)  A saint is a holy one who is devoted to God and living a godly life.  We are all called to be saints of God and need to live up to our high calling.

Grace and peace in life come from God the Father and God the Son.  Every time these words are used in a saluation in the bible they are in the same order, grace and then peace.  This is also the order they actually come to us in our lives.  First we must receive the grace of God and then we can be at peace with Him.  Without the grace of God we are His enemies and can never have peace with Him or in our lives.

Romans 1:6 – Romans 1:8

“The fruit of the Spirit is … gentleness.”  (Gal. 5:22, 23)

The fruit of gentleness is marked by mildness, meekness, and humility.  A gentle person will not be harsh, overbearing, or severe when working with people.  There will be a lack of vanity and self-importance.   They will not be arrogant, prideful, or boastful either.  Jesus is the perfect example of gentleness.

Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.  Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.  Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.  Though He was God, He did not demand and cling to His rights as God.  He made himself nothing; He took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form.  And in human form He obediently humbled Himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.  (Phil.  2:3-8, NLT)

among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

The Romans are among those mentioned in verse 5 that the apostles were commissioned to tell about Jesus.  They became believers when they heard because Jesus personally “called” them to Himself.

Jesus initiates salvation by calling or inviting us to believe on Him.  If He did not initiate the process, we never would.  Once He gets our attention, we are responsible to believe on Him, His crucifiction and resurrection, to save us from our sins.  This in one call we really need to answer.

Romans 1:5 – Romans 1:7

“The fruit of the Spirit is … faithfulness.”  (Gal. 5:22)

Faithfulness is the characteristic of someone who can be relied on and is dependable.  A faithful person is devoted and committed to do what ever Jesus wants them to do.  A faithful person is full of faith and believes that “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”  (1 Thess. 5:24)  We can be faithful because God is faithful to work through us.

“The fruit of the Spirit is … goodness.”  (Gal. 5:22)

Goodness refers to uprightness, virtue, and moral excellence.  This is a quality that only naturally belongs to God.  Jesus said “No one is good but One, that is, God.”  (Matt. 19:17)

Paul makes it clear that we don’t have goodness within ourselves.  “There is none who does good, no, not one.” (Rom 3:12)  Paul, himself, is no exception to this rule.  “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.”  (Rom. 7:18)  We should all have the same opinion of ourselves.

Yet, by God’s grace and power, we can be truly good and virtuous as we allow the Holy Spirit to produce goodness fruit in our lives.

Sermon by Joe Clark on Sunday, August 2, 2009.

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“The fruit of the Spirit is … kindness.”  (Gal. 5:22)

Kindness is characterized by gentleness, grace, tenderness and compassion.  It shows a genuine concern for others and their needs.  It is about being kind to people and doing kind things for them.

So often hurt feelings and disagreements are caused by a lack of kindness rather than by real issues.  It seems that we are unkind in our words more often than our actions.  We must keep in mind that “A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.”  (Prov. 15:1)  A harsh, sharp, or angry response to a simple question is often the cause of big problems in churches.

So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.  (James 3:5)

Jesus showed great kindness toward people.  If we will give the Holy Spirit control of our lives, He will produce the exact same kindness in us.