Welcoming as Christ Welcomed: Building Unity in the Church

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy,
[00:00:30] I guess we've done too much of that.
[00:00:59] I don't have big enough plans to go.
[00:01:01] I see all your hands watching me.
[00:01:30] In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:01:59] Amen.

[00:02:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
David.

[00:02:25] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
David.

[00:02:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Today is the day the Lord has made.
[00:02:32] Let us rejoice and be glad in it and let's quiet our hearts as we open with our young people leading us in worship.

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
On this night the King is born in a cattle shed.
[00:03:12] Sheldon's love will keep him warm in his manger bed.
[00:03:17] What a wonder!
[00:03:41] What a story!
[00:03:42] What a joyful sight!
[00:03:48] Another ordinary Bethlehem night
[00:03:58] Here the angels share the news tidings of great joy Now our Savior comes to you in this baby boy What a wonder, what a story, what a joy
[00:04:29] God is with us on this Bethlehem night.

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
They certainly set the tone, didn't they, for worship this morning?
[00:05:08] Welcome to First Presbyterian Church of Mooresville.
[00:05:10] Our mission is loving God, loving people, and making disciples.
[00:05:15] If you're new, if you're visiting, please afterwards know that we have a parlor looking back to your left, and we'd love to properly welcome you.
[00:05:24] Let's open our service by joining our hearts with a call to worship.
[00:05:28] You can see it printed in the bulletin or up on the screen.
[00:05:36] Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot, yes, a new branch bearing fruit from the old root.
[00:05:43] They will not harm or destroy each other on my entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full as the knowledge of the Lord, as the sea is filled with water.
[00:06:18] Let's together pray to the Lord a prayer of invocation.
[00:06:23] Lord our God, come and fill us with the spirit of the promised root of Jesse.
[00:06:29] Gather us in your peace, teach us your wisdom, and make your presence glorious among us.
[00:06:36] As the earth will be full of your knowledge, let our worship be full of you today.
[00:06:42] In Christ's holy name, amen.
[00:06:45] If able, please stand for a hymn of praise.

[00:06:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
[00:07:27] Let us adore him, O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him
[00:07:53] We voice our angels sing in exultation
[00:08:25] O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him Christ the Lord Yea, Lord, we greet Thee O this happy morning
[00:08:59] The Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.

[00:09:22] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
O come, let us adore Him.
[00:09:22] O come, let us adore Him.
[00:09:23] O come, let us adore Him.

[00:09:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Let us affirm together our faith through the words of the Apostles' Creed.
[00:09:37] You can find that in your bulletin.
[00:09:39] I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.
[00:09:57] He descended into hell.
[00:09:59] The third day he rose again from the dead.
[00:10:02] I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
[00:10:25] Amen.
[00:10:25] Please be seated.

[00:10:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Last Sunday, we lit the first candle in our Advent wreath, the Candle of Hope.
[00:10:49] We light it again as we remember that Christ, who was born in Bethlehem, will come again to fulfill all of God's promises to us.
[00:11:04] The second candle of Advent is the candle of peace.
[00:11:07] Peace is a word that we hear a lot.
[00:11:09] It is one of the things that we hope for.
[00:11:11] Christ brought peace when he first came to us, and he will bring everlasting peace when he comes again.
[00:11:19] The prophet Isaiah called Christ the Prince of Peace.
[00:11:22] When Jesus came, he taught the people the importance of being peacemakers.
[00:11:28] He said that those who make peace shall be called the children of God.
[00:11:33] We light the candle of peace to remind us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and that through him peace is found.
[00:11:40] Peace is like a light shining in the dark place.
[00:11:44] As we look at this candle, we celebrate the peace we find in Jesus Christ.

[00:11:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Let us pray.
[00:11:56] Thank you, God, for the peace you give us.
[00:11:59] As we wait for all your promises to come true and for Christ to come again, assure us of your presence with us.
[00:12:06] Help us today and every day to worship you, to hear your word, and to do your will by sharing your peace with others.
[00:12:15] We ask it in the name of the one who was born in Bethlehem.
[00:12:19] Amen.

[00:12:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
[00:12:59] Amen.
[00:13:04] We, the Lord of hosts, sing his salvation.
[00:13:12] Bless his name, show forth his praise in his holy house.
[00:13:22] Rejoice, ye heavens, and be joyful on earth.
[00:13:34] Alleluia!

[00:13:40] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Alleluia!

[00:13:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Rejoice, ye heavens, and be joyful on earth!
[00:13:52] Rejoice in the praise of the Lord!

[00:13:59] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Alleluia!
[00:13:59] Alleluia!

[00:13:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Alleluia!
[00:14:26] Rejoice ye angels!
[00:14:30] Rejoice all ye nations!
[00:14:36] Glory to the Lord!
[00:14:44] Alleluia!
[00:14:44] Alleluia!

[00:14:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
I'd like to invite my wife Amy up to make a special announcement.

[00:15:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Good morning church.
[00:15:11] You all have a tremendous opportunity ahead of you this weekend.
[00:15:16] On Saturday and Sunday, I'm All in the Night visitors will be performed at the 143 Broad building at the Performance Coffeehouse building.
[00:15:26] And it is an incredible program.
[00:15:28] It is absolutely my favorite musical probably of all time.
[00:15:33] And you are not going to see a better Christmas production than what we're going to give you next weekend.
[00:15:38] In case you don't know,
[00:15:41] All the adult singers, the Three King, the Mother, all the adult singers are actually professional singers.
[00:15:48] And I say this is a tremendous opportunity for you because rarely does a church do anything where you can invite someone of all ages.
[00:15:56] So to a Mall in the Night visitors, you can bring a three-year-old, a two-year-old, a one-year-old, you can, Paul, you bring all your friends, okay?
[00:16:05] Everybody will enjoy this production.
[00:16:07] And I say it's a tremendous opportunity because this is an outreach opportunity, okay, for all ages.
[00:16:15] This show, it is beautiful.
[00:16:17] The music is beautiful.
[00:16:18] Greg's going to be playing the piano.
[00:16:19] The singers are professional.
[00:16:21] Caleb Folk and Emmaus Hamilton will play them all again this year.
[00:16:25] They're incredible.
[00:16:28] Raise your hand if you saw it last year.
[00:16:29] It was incredible.
[00:16:31] Raise your hand if you didn't think it was incredible.
[00:16:34] I'll push you down after service.
[00:16:37] But it was incredible and you don't have to take my word for it because I came prepared with quotes.
[00:16:42] Alright, here's what Linda Robinson said about it.
[00:16:44] Sorry Linda, I didn't ask your permission for this.
[00:16:47] I took my grandchildren last year, high school and elementary ages.
[00:16:51] We all thoroughly enjoyed the story, the music, the dancing, the costumes.
[00:16:55] The children in the church will be dancing this year.
[00:16:59] The acting and the set, we're looking forward to attending the performance of a mulligan this year.
[00:17:04] Then, Ann Telford said,
[00:17:06] Last year's Amal production was fabulous.
[00:17:09] It is.
[00:17:10] It is fabulous.
[00:17:11] And this is why I say it's an outreach opportunity.
[00:17:13] You do not have to be embarrassed about what this production is going to be when you go and invite your friends and neighbors.
[00:17:19] It is good.
[00:17:20] Okay?
[00:17:21] David told me not to scald you.
[00:17:23] I'm not going to scald you.
[00:17:24] Alright, it was fabulous.
[00:17:26] I enjoyed it so much that I came home and searched for it online.
[00:17:30] I watched the TV version and I thought David's production was equally good and it was so special to be able to see a live performance.
[00:17:37] I'm looking forward to seeing it again and that's Ann Telford.
[00:17:42] One great thing that we're adding to the program this year is that Zeb Nelson, our youth director, will be doing a gospel message at the end of the program.
[00:17:50] The gospel is shared throughout the program, and it's a beautiful way, but we just thought to truly be outreach, we need to give that special gospel message.
[00:18:00] So that's an opportunity for you too.
[00:18:02] So reach out to your family and your friends and your neighbors.
[00:18:05] Anybody and everybody, they're going to love this production, and we hope to see you there next weekend.
[00:18:09] Thanks.

[00:18:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Thank you, Amy.
[00:18:16] A few different announcements for today.
[00:18:18] Today is Pledge Sunday, and so we have two baskets up front.
[00:18:23] It's okay whichever basket you put your pledge in.
[00:18:26] We have the operating budget that we give our annual pledge towards, and then this year we have the legacy.
[00:18:33] Pledge.
[00:18:35] We shared that with you a few weeks back at our 150th celebration.
[00:18:40] You can go online and see details.
[00:18:41] There are brochures in the back.
[00:18:43] There are two phases.
[00:18:44] Phase one is $1.85 million, but it's really addressed towards this portion of our church, the sanctuary.
[00:18:53] We've been blessed.
[00:19:00] Our leadership pre-pledged, and already a million dollars has come in towards that.
[00:19:10] And anything additional, this pledge is not an obligation.
[00:19:14] but it's an act of worship and I think we're doing the right thing we call it legacy because we're looking not only for now but towards future generations the second portion of that is I think close to 2.5 million and there's a lot of refurbishment looking at the spaces and again we hope as we go along of the pre-pledges I think our largest pledge was 450,000
[00:19:39] and several pledges for a thousand or five thousand or ten thousand i think there's a two hundred thousand dollar pledge and two one hundred thousand dollar pledge i can tell you this in god's eyes from the widow's might to the rich man's gift it's a heart thing and so whatever comes in we will use towards the benefit of his kingdom whatever operating budget we're at the place now as a church that we are giving ten percent of every dollar
[00:20:05] Directly to missions that was a 10-year goal and we're blessed with the faithfulness God's the faithful one but in our response to his faithfulness we've been made it through these years to get to 10 percent so today when we get to the after Moses preaches there'll be a hymn and if you feel led to do so during that time you can come forward and place your pledge it's an act of worship
[00:20:30] Some of you have already turned in your pledges, so don't feel awkward if you don't come forward.
[00:20:37] That's not something.
[00:20:38] And some of you may have come today going, oh no, I didn't realize today was Pledge Sunday.
[00:20:41] Just take a pledge card from the back when you leave and pray over it.
[00:20:44] We wouldn't want you to do so without having thought and prayed over that.
[00:20:50] So today is Pledge Sunday.
[00:20:51] Now next Sunday we have a congregational meeting after this service.
[00:20:57] For the purpose of approving the slate, if you look at the insert, we have six officers or six elders that have been presented or prospective elders.
[00:21:08] The nominating committee did their work.
[00:21:11] At this meeting, right after the third service, you can technically add a name to that if there's someone that you would like to nominate.
[00:21:21] Since I've been here, that's not happened, but you're allowed to do so.
[00:21:24] And then we either approve the six, or if there's an extra person or two, we then do a vote for six.
[00:21:30] And then they will be brought before those six selected in January.
[00:21:37] We have an officer's retreat.
[00:21:38] There'll be some training.
[00:21:40] and then in January they will be installed.
[00:21:43] So keep that in prayer.
[00:21:45] Again, you can look over those.
[00:21:47] There's a bio here in the insert.
[00:21:48] We will send this week through constant contact an electronic copy that you can look over that and pray over that.
[00:21:56] And then we have a special treat this afternoon at 3 o'clock.
[00:22:02] Jordan, Moses' wife, she's an ordained EPC pastor.
[00:22:09] Well, with Moses being here and she becoming part of this congregation, this church family, she has felt led to transfer her ordination to ECO.
[00:22:21] And so, and she's actually, you need a role in ECO, so
[00:22:24] She will serve on the MPT committee of the North Carolina Presbytery.
[00:22:29] She will also offer herself for pulpit supply.
[00:22:32] So the Presbytery, North Carolina Presbytery, will be here in the sanctuary 3 o'clock today for a worship service.
[00:22:40] Moses has been very kind.
[00:22:41] He's preaching this morning.
[00:22:42] I will preach at her ordination service, and then Moses will give a charge to her.
[00:22:48] And so that's 3 o'clock in the sanctuary.
[00:22:51] We encourage you.
[00:22:51] We invite you to be part of that service.
[00:22:53] Celebration.
[00:22:55] One last announcement and we'll go into a time of prayer.
[00:22:58] For our contemporary service, Carrie Smith, who served as the worship leader for the last four and a half years, she will be stepping down this month.
[00:23:08] And she will, her last Sunday will be our combined service, and then her last time leading worship will be Christmas Eve, the 11 o'clock service.
[00:23:18] So we will recognize her formally on the 21st when we do our joint worship service.
[00:23:24] And then Laura Rumpel has graciously...
[00:23:28] Let's now join our hearts together as we come before the Lord in prayer.
[00:23:55] Heavenly Father,
[00:23:58] It's neat to be in a intergenerational church cradle to grave as we open the service for our children to set the tone.
[00:24:08] We're thanking for a young family who, with the linens lighting the Advent candles this morning, as we set the tone recognizing your son Jesus in this Advent season and the peace that he brings to our lives.
[00:24:25] Lord, we pause for a moment
[00:24:27] to quietly confess our sins.
[00:24:40] We claim that promise when we confess our sins, you're faithful to forgive us and cleanse us of all wrongdoing.
[00:24:50] Lord, outside your Son, Jesus, we are in a sense helpless
[00:24:57] When it comes to our spiritual peace, and we thank you through him, we can find that deep-rooted peace.
[00:25:05] Lord, you never promise us a life without turmoil, without pain or suffering, but you do promise the gift of your son for those who receive him.
[00:25:18] And that deep-rooted peace, that eternal peace, we receive that big picture, although we live in a broken world.
[00:25:26] And we experience war and rumor of war.
[00:25:31] We can find that peace which is so elusive, that peace that goes beyond human understanding in and through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
[00:25:42] Lord, as children of God, may we be ambassadors of peace.
[00:25:47] May we represent you well.
[00:25:49] Lord, we ask for peace in this church, in our community.
[00:25:57] Lord, we pray that impossible prayer as we read the headlines and we see so much turmoil and war and we do pray for peace globally.
[00:26:09] And Lord, we have this certainty there will be a day where that peace is promised, an ultimate peace.
[00:26:19] a new heaven a new earth a day of judgment and Lord we will there will be no reason for those in this room that are believers or those on the live stream to be worried or concerned because you were always good to your promise those who place their faith in Jesus Christ and Lord and Savior will be good eternally Lord I pray for anyone in this room that may be struggling
[00:26:48] Maybe it's an illness or a diagnosis.
[00:26:52] Maybe it's something financial.
[00:26:55] Perhaps there's a struggle in what the future may bring, and a fear or an anxiety.
[00:27:01] Lord, I pray that that person, that individual, can bring that to you, not as a final resort, but can prioritize, to understand and trust that you not only have the power to heal, to guide, direct,
[00:27:19] but you care Lord when we pray Lord may we pray not my will but thy will be done and I pray for that peace in the life of that person right now who so deeply needs your healing touch Lord as we continue in worship this morning we do claim that prayer that Jesus taught his disciples and we offer it to you with one voice our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name
[00:27:46] Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:27:52] Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
[00:27:59] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
[00:28:03] For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
[00:28:08] Amen.

[00:28:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
[00:29:03] Amen.
[00:29:35] for sinners here, a silent word is pleading.
[00:30:01] Nail smear shall pierce him through, the cross be borne for me, for you.
[00:30:03] Hail, hail, the Word made flesh,
[00:30:26] Salvation brings their loving hearts enthroned in.
[00:30:51] Praise, praise the Son on high, the Virgin sings in lullaby.

[00:30:52] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Joy, joy for Christ is born,

[00:31:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Amen.
[00:31:04] You may be seated.
[00:31:04] Our passage for today as part of our Advent scheduled reading is coming from Romans chapter 15.
[00:31:16] I know that's actually pretty great timing compared to last week.
[00:31:19] But before we get into Romans, I want you to think with me about the opening chapters of the book of Acts.
[00:31:26] As we remember, the disciples were in the upper room after Christ ascended and they were waiting in Jerusalem.
[00:31:33] They were praying for the promised Holy Spirit to come and to do what they didn't know.
[00:31:38] But Jesus said to wait, so they were waiting.
[00:31:40] Meanwhile, while they were waiting, it happened to be the Feast of Pentecost.
[00:31:44] Jerusalem was now filled with thousands upon thousands of pilgrims from all directions to celebrate the feast.
[00:31:52] And the disciples were praying,
[00:31:54] Waiting until one moment later, power happens.
[00:31:58] The Holy Spirit is poured out.
[00:32:00] The Gospel of Jesus the Messiah is proclaimed in every language and 3,000 people believe.
[00:32:08] But what did they believe?
[00:32:10] Did they believe a new religion?
[00:32:12] Was a new cult created and they converted from their Judaism?
[00:32:17] Or perhaps...
[00:32:19] They finally saw as Jews, faithful Jews, that Jesus was the fulfillment of their scriptures.
[00:32:27] That he really was and is Israel's Messiah and began to follow him more faithfully.
[00:32:34] And from that moment, thousands joined the newborn church of Jesus.
[00:32:39] And Luke tells us from that day more and more people were added to their number.
[00:32:45] But what was leading to the growth constantly after Pentecost?
[00:32:51] Well, the end of Acts chapter 2 and the end of Acts chapter 4 gives us the answer.
[00:32:57] They welcomed one another.
[00:32:59] They served one another.
[00:33:00] They broke bread in each other's houses.
[00:33:02] They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching every single day.
[00:33:06] They were of one heart and of one mind.
[00:33:10] And the author of the book says the Lord added to their number daily.
[00:33:15] Not first because they formed a brilliant evangelization strategy to go out to all the ends of the earth.
[00:33:21] Not first because they organized the best personalities and characters and made a great outreach team to go out into their communities.
[00:33:31] Actually, they just lived as a community radically shaped by the gospel, by loving each other.
[00:33:38] Before they were a missionary force out in the world, they were a reconciled welcoming family in here.
[00:33:47] Before they went out to change the nation to proclaim Christ, they changed the way that they treated each other.
[00:33:56] So that brings us to our passage today in Romans chapter 15.
[00:34:00] Throughout the entire letter, he has spent chapters teaching what is the gospel and how it changes us as individuals, how we are meant to repent, how we are justified in Jesus, how we are to walk in holiness.
[00:34:13] And last week at Romans 13, we looked at Paul's call for each of us to wake up and to strive for holiness and to get right in our Christianity walk with Jesus.
[00:34:25] But now Paul says, if the gospel then is real in you,
[00:34:29] It must become real among you.
[00:34:32] If Christ has welcomed you, you must welcome one another.
[00:34:39] Before we can worry about what's going on out there, we must know that God is very interested in what's happening in here.
[00:34:48] Because here Paul is saying that all of this theology and doctrine means nothing if we don't live with Christ-like welcome.
[00:34:57] So that's our big idea for today.
[00:34:59] Just as Christ welcomed you, welcome one another for the glory of God.
[00:35:06] Our passage is chapter 15, verses 1 to 13 of Romans.
[00:35:10] Hear now the word of the Lord.
[00:35:13] We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
[00:35:20] Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor.
[00:35:26] For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
[00:35:34] For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction.
[00:35:39] So by the steadfastness and by the encouragement of the word of the scriptures, we might have hope.
[00:35:46] May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:36:02] Welcome one another therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
[00:36:10] For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God, in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
[00:36:25] As it is written, Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles and sing praises to your name.
[00:36:32] And again he says, Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.
[00:36:37] And again, Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him.
[00:36:42] And again Isaiah says, The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles.
[00:36:49] In him the Gentiles shall hope.
[00:36:52] May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
[00:37:02] This is the word of the Lord.
[00:37:04] Thanks be to God.
[00:37:06] So Paul ends all the theology and the talk and the teachings of Romans with one simple command.
[00:37:13] We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
[00:37:20] This is his summary of the entire letter because after this portion, he's just sharing his travel plans and he says his greetings and that's the end.
[00:37:29] So he categorizes the recipients of this letter into two groups, the strong and the weak.
[00:37:34] The strong are believers who felt free in their faith.
[00:37:37] They had a settled confidence in the gospel, knowing that ritual or religion could no longer define their holiness.
[00:37:46] But the weak, they still loved Jesus, they were sincere believers, but they were also very cautious.
[00:37:52] Most likely they came from stricter backgrounds and they just feel safer with more rules, more safeguards.
[00:38:00] But notice how here Paul doesn't say to the weak, hey, get your act together, come on, get over it, be more like the strong.
[00:38:08] No, who does he speak to?
[00:38:10] The strong.
[00:38:12] The strong are not called to superiority, they are called to serve.
[00:38:17] The Roman church was a wildly diverse group of people, culturally, ethnically, spiritually, all sitting at the same table, worshiping one Lord.
[00:38:28] But with that diversity, created what Paul calls some disputable matters.
[00:38:34] Now these are not issues of salvation, they're not issues of doctrine, but I'll call them differences of conscience.
[00:38:41] What food should I be eating?
[00:38:44] What days are actually special days that we should celebrate?
[00:38:48] How do I show reverence to God?
[00:38:50] Those types of things.
[00:38:53] Does this thing still feel too close to my old life?
[00:38:58] Paul's concern with all of these issues is that when a minor issue becomes a major issue, welcome shrinks.
[00:39:07] People begin pulling back, they begin to judge one another.
[00:39:10] People divide and form these little factions in the body.
[00:39:15] Paul says, if you are strong in faith, your strength is not for you, it's to help carry someone else.
[00:39:24] And he roots all of this in Jesus.
[00:39:27] Paul quote quote Paul quotes from Psalm chapter 69 verse 9 the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me referring to Jesus Jesus carried burdens that were not his to carry he would move towards sinners not away from them and suffer the consequences of that he gave up his comfort to lift the helpless of all the stories we could choose I'll just choose a few think of Matthew
[00:39:56] Everybody walks by hating him, probably spitting on him, calling him a traitor.
[00:40:03] And here comes Jesus, follow me.
[00:40:06] What about Zacchaeus, another tax collector?
[00:40:09] No one would go even near him or invite him anywhere, he's a traitor to his people too.
[00:40:15] But he goes looking for Jesus, and Jesus goes looking for him.
[00:40:19] Today salvation has come to this house.
[00:40:23] The woman caught in adultery,
[00:40:26] The children that the disciples were rebuking.
[00:40:30] Outcasts, the poor, the lame, the sick.
[00:40:33] Peter, who denied him three times.
[00:40:36] He washed Judas' feet before he would betray him.
[00:40:41] Jesus welcomed all.
[00:40:43] Not after they matured, but in their weakness.
[00:40:49] Christ did not insist on his rights.
[00:40:51] He didn't prioritize his preferences.
[00:40:53] He did not please himself.
[00:40:57] This is how you were welcomed.
[00:41:00] That's why Paul says, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.
[00:41:05] The word for welcome here is proslambano.
[00:41:09] It's a biblical form of welcome which means to draw someone close, to make space for them in the sense of, think of the dinner table, you are forcing chairs aside to squeeze one more in.
[00:41:21] It's to receive someone for their good.
[00:41:25] Now this kind of welcome does not mean tolerance.
[00:41:28] It doesn't mean avoiding conflicts or disagreements.
[00:41:34] It doesn't mean that you can tell someone, hey, you can do whatever you want, you do you.
[00:41:40] No, this form of welcome is sacrificial, Christ-shaped love.
[00:41:46] It looks like holding my freedom lightly as I hold your growth tightly.
[00:41:51] It looks like I choose people and having a healthy relationship over prioritizing my preferences and what I think is right.
[00:41:59] It means carrying some inconveniences instead of creating conflicts.
[00:42:04] It means being patient with the slow growth of others because Jesus was patient with me the same way.
[00:42:13] Bearing with the weak does not mean lowering the truth, but it does mean lowering me.
[00:42:19] Sometimes it's a small thing that can be blown out of proportion and it's up to us whether we continue to make it an issue of preference or an opportunity for grace.
[00:42:29] And sometimes it's as small as how we respond when someone moves a chair off the platform.
[00:42:37] Years ago before I came to this church they told me a story about three chairs that happened to be here right behind me.
[00:42:43] And apparently at some point in time this center chair was moved off the platform and put away.
[00:42:50] and, well, that rubbed some people the wrong way.
[00:42:54] The older group said that, you know what, that chair was donated by so-and-so, it carries tradition and weight, it's supposed to be there.
[00:43:01] We can't have worship without it.
[00:43:03] And there was another group that said, it's just a chair.
[00:43:09] Now, for some of us, we might find that interesting, maybe a little humorous, until a situation like that happens to us, right?
[00:43:17] Because when that event took place, as the story goes, both sides felt they were right.
[00:43:23] One said it didn't matter, one said it really matters, and in the middle, welcome shrank.
[00:43:29] One small preference becomes the hill to die on.
[00:43:32] A disputable matter becomes an ultimate matter.
[00:43:36] And when that happens, the gospel-shaped welcome of Christ gets pushed out of the room.
[00:43:41] Same church, same Savior, just different consciences.
[00:43:47] and Welcome Shrink.
[00:43:50] This is the tragedy that Paul is trying to prevent.
[00:43:54] Not because chairs don't matter, but because people matter more.
[00:44:00] And if Jesus left heaven's throne to welcome you, surely we can welcome one another when someone moves or doesn't move a chair.
[00:44:09] But let's be honest, this kind of love, does it come naturally for us?
[00:44:15] I would say not.
[00:44:17] Our instinct is not to put other people's consciences above my own preferences.
[00:44:24] My instinct is not to lower myself instead of demanding my way.
[00:44:30] To welcome like Jesus is not natural.
[00:44:33] It's supernatural.
[00:44:35] So where do we get a heart that is capable of something like this?
[00:44:40] Well, Paul says we need the Scriptures to do it.
[00:44:44] Right after quoting Psalm 69, Paul adds, For whatever was written in the former days was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
[00:44:58] So why does he bring up the Scriptures here?
[00:45:01] Because you cannot welcome people like Jesus unless the Word of God has shaped you into the likeness of Jesus.
[00:45:09] Left to our own devices, we drift towards irritation, tribalism, surrounding ourselves only with people like us.
[00:45:18] And so God gives us his word to reshape our hearts.
[00:45:23] Paul says the scriptures give endurance.
[00:45:26] It's the strength to keep loving even when our patience runs thin.
[00:45:32] That it gives us encouragement, courage that is put back into our hearts when we're tired, when we're disappointed, when we are tempted to give up on each other.
[00:45:41] And hope, confidence that God is still working in the mess, even in messy relationships.
[00:45:49] Without Scripture, welcome dries up.
[00:45:53] Some of the stories that the Bible teaches us,
[00:45:56] In the book of Genesis, Joseph, betrayed by his very own brothers, continues to endure the suffering, trusting in the purposes of God.
[00:46:06] Think in the history books, 2 Samuel, 1 Samuel, King David, before he's king, is being persecuted by King Saul.
[00:46:14] And when King Saul gets separated from his army, he's alone in the cave and falls asleep.
[00:46:18] David finally has the chance to get vengeance on his enemy.
[00:46:22] But does he?
[00:46:24] No.
[00:46:25] He shows us restraint and honoring the Lord's anointed.
[00:46:30] Think of the prophets.
[00:46:31] Prophet Jeremiah who experiences opposition from his own family, from his brothers, his sisters, his fellow Jewish people, but he keeps proclaiming the Word of God because the Word of God is like fire shut up in his bones.
[00:46:45] The entirety of the Psalms teaches us how to bring our raw emotions to the Father instead of weaponizing them against our neighbor.
[00:46:56] The stories of the Bible train us to stay with people who think and grow differently than we do.
[00:47:03] Scripture strengthens us to carry one another's weaknesses without giving up.
[00:47:09] Now the funny thing here is that when Paul talks about the Scriptures, he's talking about the Old Testament.
[00:47:15] We in the modern day have a greater benefit than Paul and the Church of Rome has.
[00:47:20] We have the Gospels.
[00:47:22] We have all of Paul's letters and the Apostle's letters.
[00:47:25] We have the book of Revelation.
[00:47:27] And like he tells Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 3, all the scriptures God breathed and all of it is useful for equipping the saints for good works, including the good work of welcoming one another.
[00:47:42] So then Paul prays in verse 5.
[00:47:45] May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, so that together you may with one voice glorify God.
[00:47:56] Scripture gives us endurance, encouragement, and hope.
[00:47:59] God uses that to grant harmony.
[00:48:02] Harmony produces a one mind, one voice people, and a one voice people glorifies God by welcoming one another.
[00:48:12] Unity is not held together by good, fun personalities or having natural chemistry.
[00:48:18] Unity is scripture formed.
[00:48:21] When the word of God shapes us, we become like a choir with different parts, but singing in one pitch, making one song for us.
[00:48:31] And whenever worship becomes about personal preferences, that is where welcome begins to disappear and unity dies.
[00:48:40] There was once a man I know who dearly loved a particular worship tradition, the doxology or the Gloria Patria, and I love singing those things.
[00:48:48] But at some point, the service changed the way that they would do worship and remove the doxology or the Gloria Patria.
[00:48:55] And this man became very frustrated because worship cannot go on without those things.
[00:49:00] And when he wrote a letter to the pastor, to the music people, and they responded that worship does not need those things, those things are not essential to worship God, this man's heart hardened, grew resentful, and then backed away from the church and rarely ever came back.
[00:49:19] His preference became the measure of faithfulness.
[00:49:23] and the truth is that his preference hardened his heart.
[00:49:27] Instead of letting scripture shape his endurance and his flexibility, preference became ultimate, welcome shrank and in the end he lost the very community that scripture was meant to strengthen.
[00:49:42] John Calvin once wrote that God so esteems the unity of his servants that he does not want his glory sounded forth amidst discord.
[00:49:53] Unity is not optional for worship.
[00:49:56] Unity is worship.
[00:50:00] So how do we get there?
[00:50:02] We have to let scripture, not our preferences, define us and tune us.
[00:50:07] We let the word, not our personal tastes, be the tuning fork of our hearts.
[00:50:13] And scripture whispers again and again, you were welcomed at this table, so make room at the table.
[00:50:22] Not by pretending that differences don't exist.
[00:50:25] Not by forcing everyone to be the same, to think the same.
[00:50:30] But by allowing God's word to shape our endurance, our encouragement, our hope, and our unity.
[00:50:38] And as scripture forms us, God answers Paul's prayer.
[00:50:42] He will give us one mind, one heart, one voice, and make us into a community that is able to welcome one another as Christ welcomed us.
[00:50:53] Now, by this point, some of you might be thinking, all right, Moses, I get it.
[00:50:56] Welcoming, yes, cool.
[00:50:58] Bible, yay.
[00:51:00] Is this whole sermon just about us being nice to each other and just being more polite?
[00:51:06] On the one hand, yeah.
[00:51:09] But on the other hand, Paul says, no, no, no, this is much bigger than that.
[00:51:15] Our welcome is woven to the mission of God that has been spanning all of Scripture since the beginning of time.
[00:51:22] Christ became a servant to the Jews.
[00:51:24] He came as Israel's Messiah to prove God keeps his promises to the patriarchs, but also he came in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for witnessing his great mercy.
[00:51:39] To welcome is to join God's cosmic plan of redemption for all people.
[00:51:45] And Paul shows this and demonstrates this by quoting four particular verses.
[00:51:50] I don't think he's quoting randomly here.
[00:51:53] He quotes from four specific passages across the entirety of the Old Testament.
[00:51:58] What we'll call the Tanakh, the Torah, the Nevi'im, which stands for the Prophets, the Ketuvim, which stands for the Righteous.
[00:52:05] From Torah, he quotes Deuteronomy 32, the Song of Moses.
[00:52:09] And at the very end of Moses' life,
[00:52:12] He prays, Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people, because Moses envisioned a day where Jew and Gentiles would both worship the God who saves.
[00:52:22] Then in 2 Samuel 22, 50, he quotes, I will praise you among the Gentiles.
[00:52:28] David, after seeing all that God has done, saving him from King Saul, saving him from the Philistines and all the enemy nations, he prophesies, I will praise you to the ends of the earth, so that all nations would witness the goodness of God.
[00:52:42] Then he quotes from Psalm 117, the shortest psalm in the entire Bible.
[00:52:48] Great psalm, by the way, to memorize.
[00:52:49] It's only two verses, I think.
[00:52:53] And the one verse, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles.
[00:52:58] It may be the shortest psalm, but it has the biggest and broadest invitation.
[00:53:04] And then lastly, Isaiah 11.
[00:53:08] The root of Jesse will come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles, and in him will they place their hope.
[00:53:18] Isaiah looks forward to a day, this promise of a Spirit-filled King, Jesus, who would gather the world to himself.
[00:53:27] Every welcome we participate in is a preview of that future of God.
[00:53:33] The nations hear Israel's praise.
[00:53:35] The nations rejoice with Israel.
[00:53:37] Now the nations praise the Lord and the nations hope in the Messiah.
[00:53:43] This is not Paul's innovation or a new idea.
[00:53:46] This is God's ancient promise.
[00:53:50] One people from all nations with one voice praising the one Lord.
[00:53:57] The Roman church, Jews and Gentiles sitting side by side, fulfillment of that prophecy.
[00:54:03] All of us today, different backgrounds, stories, personalities, histories, darknesses, but sitting side by side, prophecy fulfilled.
[00:54:16] This is not coincidence.
[00:54:18] This did not happen on accident.
[00:54:21] This is the work of God since the beginning of time.
[00:54:25] When you welcome someone who doesn't worship like you,
[00:54:28] It doesn't vote like you.
[00:54:29] It doesn't raise kids like you.
[00:54:32] It doesn't prefer the same style of worship or service as you.
[00:54:36] But who has been welcomed by Jesus, that's not just being nice.
[00:54:42] That is joining God in His great mission to create one new humanity in Jesus.
[00:54:48] Welcome is not politeness.
[00:54:50] Welcome is not just a program a church puts on.
[00:54:54] Welcome is prophetic.
[00:54:55] It is missional.
[00:54:57] It is eschatological.
[00:54:58] It's a preview of the final gathering of every tribe, nation, and tongue to come and worship the risen Lord Jesus.
[00:55:06] So then, Paul ends his massive theological argument from Romans 1 to this moment with a benediction.
[00:55:14] May the God of hope fill you all with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
[00:55:27] Why joy?
[00:55:27] Because joy makes room for others.
[00:55:31] Why peace?
[00:55:33] Peace is the soil that unity grows out of.
[00:55:37] And why hope?
[00:55:39] Hope keeps you from giving up on each other when people are slow to change and community is hard.
[00:55:48] But notice the phrase, as you trust in Him.
[00:55:51] Joy, peace, hope, it doesn't come from having a great personality or having a positive attitude.
[00:55:58] It comes from trusting in the very promises of God.
[00:56:02] The commentator Robert Mounce once wrote that our role as Christians is one, to maintain a relationship of continuing trust in God.
[00:56:13] Everything else is in His hands, and He never fails.
[00:56:18] And then Paul adds, by the power of the Holy Spirit, which means this, Christian welcome is supernatural.
[00:56:26] Christian unity is supernatural.
[00:56:29] Christian hope is supernatural.
[00:56:31] We don't and cannot conjure up these things.
[00:56:36] We can only receive them.
[00:56:38] The Christian life is God's empowering presence in the midst of life's uncertainties.
[00:56:45] So Paul prays that the God of hope would so fill us that hope will overflow into our relationships, into disagreements, into unity, into welcome.
[00:56:56] Not by effort.
[00:56:58] Not by personality and not by having preferences, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.
[00:57:06] So as I close, I want to close with this.
[00:57:10] When you look at Romans 15 as a whole, Paul is not simply asking the church to be nice or more polite.
[00:57:18] He's asking to go beyond the surface level and to embody the welcome of Jesus our Lord.
[00:57:25] He says to every church and every generation, before you change the world out there, let the gospel change the way you treat each other in here.
[00:57:34] Because a church that welcomes like Jesus is not just warm, it's prophetic, it's missional, it's powerful.
[00:57:46] It's beautiful to a watching world that can't help but be drawn in by the welcome of Jesus.
[00:57:54] This is not something we can manufacture, my friends.
[00:57:57] This is not something that we can just push ourselves into by trying and sheer willpower.
[00:58:03] This is not personality-based hospitality or having the best extroverts be the greeters at the door, even though our greeters are awesome.
[00:58:13] This can only be done by the supernatural work of Christ among his people.
[00:58:20] Christ welcomed you when you were weak.
[00:58:23] so you can welcome the weak.
[00:58:26] Christ bore your burdens so you can bear the burdens of others.
[00:58:32] Christ laid aside his rights so you can lay aside your preferences.
[00:58:38] Christ brought you near so you can draw near to those who aren't like you.
[00:58:45] Christ made space at his table for you so you can make space at yours.
[00:58:54] And when we live this way, even imperfectly, maybe even hesitantly, I tell you something astonishing happens.
[00:59:04] We're not a people that just happen to get along.
[00:59:07] We become a preview of the coming kingdom of God.
[00:59:11] We become a living testimony that Jesus really is Lord of us all and all people.
[00:59:17] We become a signpost pointing to the day when every nation and tribe and tongue will hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:59:26] So the invitation today is simple.
[00:59:29] Let Christ's welcome become your welcome.
[00:59:33] Let Scripture tune your heart to God's heart.
[00:59:38] And let the Holy Spirit empower your unity so that as we trust in Him, God would fill us not with resentment, not with suspicion or rivalry or jealousy, but with joy, with peace,
[00:59:58] with overflowing hope.
[00:59:59] I'm almost done, I promise.
[01:00:00] It's the hope that this church, this family, this family can glorify God with one voice, one Savior, one Gospel, one family, one welcome.
[01:00:20] Amen?
[01:00:22] Would you pray with me?
[01:00:29] Christ, we give you glory.
[01:00:33] Jesus, we honor you and look to you.
[01:00:38] Teach us all that we don't know, and what we do know, refine us to look more like you, Lord Jesus, so that the earth could be filled with the knowledge of God, and not just knowledge, but the practice, the power, the love of God.
[01:00:56] Help us to be a people that looks more like Jesus every day, not just to the world but to one another, that the nations and the world would be drawn into communion with you by our love.
[01:01:10] We pray all this in the name of Christ our Savior.
[01:01:14] Amen.
[01:01:46] I simply remind us all of the installation and ordination service for Jordan this afternoon at 3 p.m. Come and affirm her and support her as we pray together and worship together.
[01:01:58] Invite you for next weekend to go to a mall and enjoy just the gospel message being preached in creative, artful ways.
[01:02:05] And as the community comes and gets to hear the story for themselves.
[01:02:09] And above all else, if you walk away with anything today, walk away with this.
[01:02:15] No matter how hard you try, you're going to fail.
[01:02:20] And that's okay.
[01:02:22] The only perfect thing you can do is to follow the perfect one who leads you, who loves you, and has welcomed you as you are.
[01:02:34] In the same way, go and make room at the table for someone else.
[01:02:40] We get to witness more of the kingdom of God in our midst today.
[01:02:44] Amen.
[01:02:47] So in the words of our brother Paul and the word of God, may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another according to our Savior Christ Jesus so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord with one mind and one voice.
[01:03:07] May the God of hope fill you with all joy, with all peace,
[01:03:14] as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
[01:03:20] Amen?

[01:03:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Amen.
[01:03:39] Angels from the heavens
[01:03:45] of the Earth.
[01:03:58] We who say creation's story, not of a Messiah's birth, bow and worship the
[01:04:20] God is now residing on earth as the infant light Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ the newborn King
[01:04:54] of Christ Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit,
[01:05:28] Thee, the Lord descending, in His temple shall appear.
[01:05:47] Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ the divine.

[01:05:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Those who generously come and have pledged, Lord, to give in service to your kingdom.
[01:06:01] And for all those who are praying about what to give or considering, Lord, we simply just ask that whatever it can be given for your kingdom, that you multiply it for your glory.
[01:06:14] And that every gift, Lord, would go to the glory of your name and to service and ministry so that more and more people can continue to be blessed by the message of the gospel and by the love of your servants.
[01:06:26] We dedicate all these things to you and we pray in our Savior's name, Jesus.
[01:06:32] Amen.

[01:06:42] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
The Gospel of the Lord.
[01:07:39] In Jesus' name, Amen.