My throat my voice got stronger. So, let me ask for that whoever was praying to do that again. And, I can get rid of this. It's mainly a tickle that just hits me. And, so we are in Romans chapter five this morning.

Romans chapter five. Sorry, 15. Yeah. Romans 15, not five. I'm in Romans five on Thursday.

So, if you want to hear the message from Romans five, that that you'll have to come back for on Thursday. Actually, I think I'm to chapter six now but Romans 15 this morning. We started back in Romans 12 about three or four months ago. When you get to Romans 12 in the letter, Paul's letter to the Romans, when you get to chapter 12, you get to the kind of the practical section. In the first 11 chapters of Romans, Paul is dealing with more tecternal, doctrinal issues primarily that of salvation and the gospel which is paramount that we understand because it is the foundation and basis of of our faith and what we do and how we live as Christians.

But there is the issue of applying this to our life and how we live for Christ and what it means to be a Christian. To be a Christian doesn't just mean that you're going to heaven. To be a Christian does doesn't just mean that you're escaping hell. Being a Christian means that you are a child of God. Being a Christian means that you are a servant of Christ.

Being a Christian means that you are part of a new family, the family of God. Being a Christian means that you have a purpose in service to the Lord. And you have a mission to bring others to Jesus Christ and to be a light, salt and light in this world. So Paul begins to deal with those type of issues and how that applies to our life in Romans chapter 12. Speaking to the church there, church is not a building with a sign out front that has a name.

Church is a group of Christians who meet together for edification and worship and proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the word of God. As the church in Rome needed to grow in the Lord and to be a better testimony for Jesus Christ in Rome, so does the church today and so does Missouri Avenue Baptist Church today need to grow in faith and in the love of Jesus Christ that we might shine even more brightly in the neighborhood that God has placed us in for our savior Jesus Christ, that we might find avenues of service and ministry to one another as the body of Christ, as the body is made up of members who who minister to each other as the different organs and members of my body minister to one another. If I didn't have feet and legs, I couldn't be standing here this morning and couldn't be running my mouth. Okay? If I didn't have eyes, I couldn't be reading the word of God to you to hear today.

If I didn't have a heart pumping blood through my body, well, they would be in a sad situation. Okay? Wouldn't be able to do any of those things. Each one of the members ministers to the others that we can perform the will of God in our lives and enjoy that. And so same is true of the body of Christ, the church.

We are here to minister to one another so that we can more fulfill, more fully fulfill the mission of our savior and the purpose of being here as the family of God today and Paul addresses those things in these chapters and how we are to conduct ourselves as a church to perform that. We get to chapter 15 and we are going to read down through verse 12. Maybe through verse 13 and Paul kind of wraps up this particular section of his letter. So let's read this together. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves.

Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproach thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now, the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one toward another according to Jesus Christ Jesus. That you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God even the father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Wherefore, receive ye one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers, the circumcision being the Jews. Verse nine, and that the Gentiles, those who are non Jews, might glorify God for his mercy as it is written. For this cause, I will confess to thee among the Gentiles and sing unto thy name. And again, he saith, rejoice ye Gentiles with his people.

And again, praise the Lord all ye Gentiles and laud him all ye people. And again, Isaiah's saith, there shall be a root of Jesse and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles in him shall the Gentiles trust. Now, the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. Let's go to the Lord once more in prayer. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day and for this opportunity once again to praise your name, to look into your word.

I pray Lord that you would give us deliverance. I pray that you would Help us Lord to see the areas in our own lives that you need to change, that we need to yield to you so that you can to conform us more to the image of your son, that we might be more profitable servants in your church and in your kingdom, that our light might shine more brightly to the lost and dark world around us, the light of Jesus Christ. Lord, that you might be magnified in our lives this day and in this service. In Jesus' name, we do pray. Amen.

Yes, we are in this together in 2024. I did preach a message last Sunday on pertaining to New Year's, but it was still actually 2023 because that was New Year's Eve. So this is our first Sunday in 2024. And we are in this together. We should therefore look not every man on his own things, but every man, every person, also on the things of others.

Paul's instruction, Philippians chapter two. We'll come back to a little later. We can accomplish much in 2024 if we can unite together as one family in Christ with a common purpose and ministry. We are his body. We are his body here on the corner and in the community of Largo in Clearwater, Florida.

We are one family in Christ. We are brothers and sisters in the Lord with a common purpose ministry. One family in Christ recognizing our common bond and common love for Christ and one another in the spirit that he has given to us. One family weeping with those who weep, rejoicing with those who rejoice, lifting up the fallen, carrying one another's burdens, showing mercy and grace and compassion. One family with a common purpose to share the love of Christ in word and in deed that he might be magnified in us before the world, producing the fruits of righteousness and conversions to the faith.

We are one in Christ Jesus. We are one family here gathered together today, praying for some of our family that are ill and can't make it this morning. As such, Paul wraps up this message to the church in Rome in these verses to the Romans. If the church is to prosper and grow in faith and knowledge and love and numbers, for the testimony of our Lord who bought it with his blood, we must be one. Unity in Christ is important.

It is vital, particularly as a local body in Christ. We must use our God given gifts in the spirit faithfully and freely in ministry to one another. That this segment of the body of Christ may grow into a glorious testimony for Christ here in Pinellas County, Florida. I think we already have a good testimony. I think we can have a better one.

I think we can have a more far reaching one. I think God would desire that for us here in this place. As Paul explained in the preceding passage, we do not all agree on everything. We do not all agree how to apply all the principles we find in God's word to our life, to every aspect of our life, or to every decision that we make. We are individuals.

Therefore, there will be disagreements. There will be differences in in how we approach situations in life. There there will be differences of opinion on what kind of lights to install or what color of carpet or what time to have a service or any number of things. We're individuals. But God has placed us here that we might learn to work how together.

I think we do a pretty good job of that. I think we can always do better, and we need to keep that before us. Unity is important. True unity, not uniformity that is forced, but unity that comes from a common faith, a common purpose, common ministry, a common love. There will be poor choices made by most every one of us somewhere along the line.

Sometimes in ignorance, sometimes in stubbornness. There are those who in immaturity will be hard pressed to see the error of their way. At times, may be difficult tonight to know who is right and who is what's wrong. Many things are black and white and very clear in scripture, but some things are a little bit gray. In some cases, it will matter greatly what's right and wrong.

In some cases, it won't matter much at all what color the carpet is or what lights you put in or what color you paint a wall. Often one person or one group will ascribe weakness to the other and vice versa. Paul mentions that here in verse 15, but then the we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak. He begins chapter 14 with something similar. Him that is weak in the faith receive ye but not to doubtful disputations.

Don't cause them to doubt. Don't argue with them. Receive them. So, we must learn to be what? Loving and patient.

Loving and patient. Patience is a virtue. I mentioned that in a message recently. We must learn to be patient with each other. We must learn to listen both to the Lord and others.

We must learn to be teachable and strive together to reach our God given potential as a church and as individual members of the body. If you go to school to learn, you're not going to learn much if you're not what? If you're not teachable, if you're not listening, if you're not willing to consider that what the person is teaching you, the person who is teaching you might know something that you don't or that you might have something wrong and that you need to change your opinion or conviction or application. In order for us to be united and in order for us to grow, we must all be what? Teachable.

That includes this guy up here. Every now and then I look back at a sermon that I preached five years ago and I scratch my head and go, that I I didn't have that? That's not what that word meant. I I implied that wrong. Has that ever happened to you?

Yeah. We're all still in the process of learning. We must be patient. We must listen. We must be teachable.

We must strive together to reach our potential as we learn from who? Not just from me, not just from your Sunday school teacher, but as we learn from each other. God gave us own unique abilities and spiritual gifts that we might learn from each other. How to be more like who? More like Christ.

Not writing off others who are different or immature or ignorant or weak in the faith has lesser children or disposable members. There are no disposable members. They all matter. This finger matters, and so does this thumb. So does this nose.

I don't want to lose any of them. They all matter. And as members of the body of Christ, everyone matters. And we need to see every member that way. We need to learn to as Paul says here, starts out in chapter 15, we need to learn to bear the weaknesses of others.

How does Paul view those weak in the faith? He views them as brethren who need a little bit of help. He doesn't view them as rebels. He doesn't view them as no goods. He doesn't view them as useless.

He just views them as brethren who need help in understanding and applying and and dealing and growing in the faith. These weaker brethren being young and ignorant and sometimes a bit misled in the faith did not need castigation or condemnation. They needed patience and love and encouragement, guidance, and the truth. That takes time. And we have to be patient with one another.

Because we're growing. Growing in our knowledge of the truth and in the faith of Jesus Christ. We need to desire the sincere milk of the word. We we need to feed at the table of God's word because we need to continue to grow and and learn. And sometimes we need each other's help to do that.

What we don't need is somebody to kick us when we're down or to write us off or to talk behind our back. Some take to teaching and help better than others. Some need more patience than others. Some just aren't going to get everything. It's okay.

We're one in Christ. We need to bear with one another's weaknesses. We need to to lift up those that are struggling in their knowledge or application to faith. In this context, Paul is particularly speaking of the Jews who still thought it necessary to keep many aspects of the law. You see, many of the Jewish brethren who had come to know Christ, some who lived in Rome, they they were stuck between the old covenant and the the new covenant.

They had come to faith in Jesus Christ who they realized was the Messiah that God had promised, who had died on the cross to save his people from their what? Sins. And had come to trust in him as their risen Lord and savior. But yet, they had been brought up under the old covenant. They had been brought up with all of these rules and all of these restrictions and ceremonial laws and civil laws and and these things like dietary laws and and certain days of the year that they were required to do certain things on.

And they still felt the need to practice a lot of those things. And they they even felt if if they didn't keep the Sabbath as they were required to under the laws, Jews, or or if they ate certain types of meat that they were kind of turning their back on on God and and their heritage as Jews and what God had given them. Paul dealt with this in the preceding passage to chapter 15. He said, you don't judge people based on what day they honor as long as they honor who? God.

Don't judge them on dietary restrictions as long as they eat to the glory of who? God. This was difficult. Some of the Jews judged others who ate pork, and others judged them because, hey, you're weak in the faith. You can eat pork.

We're under the new covenant, not the what? The old. And Paul said, don't argue all day long over meat. Serve the Lord. Work together.

You're one in Christ. In in Paul's letter to the Corinthians, in the city of Corinth, the vast majority of converts were not Jews, they were Gentiles. And he was dealing with a group in the church at Corinth who were considered weak in the faith as well. But these were Gentiles. And it wasn't because they were stuck in the tasks of the old covenant.

It was because they had been saved out of paganism that there was meat that was sold in the marketplace that had been slain before an idol And they felt like they couldn't eat that meat because it had been slain before a what? An idol. And Paul said, well, we know that an idol is just a piece of what? It's just a piece of stone. There there are no other gods but but one and the fact the meat was slain in front of a stone does not change the the meat and so when you go on the marketplace, don't ask where the meat came from.

Just if you need the meat, buy the meat. But he said, but be understanding of those who are weak in the faith. Who were they? Well, those were the Gentiles that have been saved out of paganism who had practiced in the temple these sacrifices. And when they knew that the meat they were eating was sacrificed to an idol, in their mind, they were worshiping the what?

The idol. So Paul says, quit beating them up over it. Quit attacking each other over the issue. If you don't wanna eat the meat, don't eat it. If you do, eat it.

Just don't worship an idol, okay? But there's nothing wrong with the meat, but quit fighting over this. Get along. Let the love of Christ overcome these differences. Bear with the infirmities, the the shortcomings, the challenges, the weaknesses of others.

We do that in a family, brothers and sisters and moms and dads because no moms and dads or brothers or sisters or daughters or sons are perfect. But yet, we manage to live together and work together. As one in Christ because we're a what? We're a family. Yeah.

We're a family. A church is a family too. It's not our job to judge the weak or ignorant or castigate them, to offend them purposefully or condemn those who are struggling, but to seek to understand them, to help them. Encourage them. Exhort them.

Bible word. King James word. Lovingly correct them. If necessary, forgive them rather than being a hardhead or inconsiderately causing them to stumble into sin or lose hope. In verse four of chapter 15, it says, for whatsoever things were written a fore time or written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of scriptures might have what?

Hope. You don't want to steal people's hope. You don't want to trod them under the foot that they lose hope you want to give them hope, true hope through God's word the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ it brings hope. We should be encouraging that, not discouraging it. Too often, we just dig in our heels and close our ears.

Sometimes we call people names, besmirch their character, talk behind their back. This should not be. This is not the love of Christ, and this is not unity that should be evident. It's not unity that brings success in the body of Christ and growth. It is human nature, but if you're a child of God, you have the divine nature living inside of you.

Burying the weak means not only putting up with them, but looking for ways to help them, to see to help them to see what is right without looking down on them. Looking at members of the church not as hindrances or difficulties, but as opportunities. Every one of you that here this morning, when I look out this congregation, I see an opportunity. That's why I'm up here preaching. You're not an obstacle.

You're not a hindrance. You're not a difficulty. You're a blessed opportunity. And this is a wonderful privilege and has been particularly in this church and in with this family. He has placed us together in the body at this place to help each other through life and in such a way as to glorify the Lord.

Love bears all things. So as we grow in our love toward one another, God helps us to bear with the frailties of others, the ignorance of others, the differences of opinion or practice. Love teaches us how to bear long with what we see as frailties or errors of our brethren in Christ as they learn to bear long with whose frailties? Mine. Yours.

Because we have them too. To love them not just in spite of their failings, but in a manner of speaking because of them. Because God put us together, because we need each other. We need each other because we're not perfect and we haven't arrived, and we have a ministry, therefore. And rather than seeking to please ourselves, to get our way, to look for ways instead of looking for a way to please ourselves, to look for ways to help and encourage one another patiently.

Not only is this addressed here, but it's addressed in Hebrews ten twenty four and twenty five. There were some in the early church that for various reasons had chosen not to gather together. They had they had ceased to come together to worship with a a local body of Christ, a local body of believers and they didn't see that as being all that important. Well, the writer of Hebrews disagreed under the inspiration of who? The Holy Spirit.

So, maybe we ought to listen. You're here today. So, you're listening. Well, there's a lot of Christians out there that once did go to church but no longer do. And they ought to be.

They really ought to be. Because God has a family, a church family for them to be a part of, to minister in, to learn from, to bring glory to his name. Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. To provoke unto love and to good works. To push, to encourage, to love and to good works.

How are you gonna do that if you don't have contact? How are you gonna do that if you don't come together? Now I know today, sometimes we think that, you know, texting is contact. Okay? And, there are conveniences and opportunities that texting does provide and phone calls and emails.

But don't let that be all. Don't let that be all. Personal contact, face to face conversation, Nothing can replace that. I can't see your face on my phone unless I'm FaceTiming. Okay.

When I'm texting, I don't see your face. I I don't see how you respond to what I say nor do you see how I respond to what you say. It's not the same. It's not the same. You can't put your arm around somebody through texting like you can in a church.

Let us consider one another to provoke into love and the good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting, encouraging one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. What day is that? That's the day of Christ's return. The day of Christ's return. Is it drawing nearer?

Of course it is. Every day is a day closer, right? It's always drawing near. It was drawing nearer a thousand years ago than it was the year before. But you know something I think I see in this verse and in the world in which we live that it is drawing nearer.

There are things in our world politically, geopolitically that are lining up that the return of Christ may be very soon. The degeneration of our society also leads one to believe that God is not going to continue to put up with this much longer. When man decides that he's born a man or a woman and decides he's going to be the opposite gender from which God created him, there's something messed up there and something that God's not gonna continue to put up with long. The day of Christ's return is soon and as the day draws nearer, while we still have opportunity to see those lost in darkness find the light of Jesus Christ, the darkness is going to grow darker. For Satan feels that his time is coming to a close.

And we see how that in the world we live in today, we are no longer the silent majority, we are silent, unfortunately, too often, becoming the minority. We need to shine brighter. We need encouragement. We need strength to stand against the flow of the world in which we live. We have God's word.

We have his spirit, but we also have who? We have each other. If we will see each other as an opportunity, an advantage, an opportunity for growth, an opportunity for ministry, an opportunity to unite as one in Jesus Christ and shine even more brightly against the darkness that Satan seeks to engulf this world in. Not in pleasing ourselves, but in pleasing others. In verse fifteen, one and two again, says, we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, not to please ourselves.

Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good, our neighbor's good to edification. Our actions in general should be done in consideration of how they might affect others, in the body of Christ, not because we need the approval of others, but because they matter. I need the approval of one. Who's that? Jesus Christ.

But you matter. Particularly you and the body of Christ matter. And the actions that I take and how they affect you, to me, that matters. To you, it should matter too. And that's what Paul is saying.

Let's think about others, not just ourselves. In, first Corinthians nine, Paul puts it this way, for though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all that I might gain the more. So Paul says, I am free from who? All men. Because I serve who?

Jesus Christ. And I'm free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews, I became as a Jew that I might gain the Jews. To them that are under the law is under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law. To them that are without laws, without law, being not without law to God but under the law of Christ, then I might gain them that are without law.

He's talking the Jews versus the Gentiles. To the weak became I as weak that I might gain the weak. I am made all things to all men that I might by all means save some. Paul said, yes, I am free in Christ to do as he approves and what pleases him. I'm accountable to him.

However, I have also made myself accountable to others. I am reminded as I make my decisions that my decisions are either going to help draw people to Christ or can turn people away. Are they going to give them hope or rob them of hope? Going to bring them joy or steal their joy? Gonna push them towards Christ or push them away?

Paul says, I don't walk on eggshells but I do walk in love and we don't need to walk on eggshells but we do need to walk in love And remember that every one of us matters to God, to Jesus, and should matter to every member of the body of Christ because we are in this together. Our example, Jesus Christ and I'm gonna close by reading from Philippians two. This morning, Paul writes Philippians two verse one, if there be, therefore, any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any bows and mercies, In other words, if this is real, your love for Christ and one another is real. Fulfill ye my joy that you be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in loneliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant, was made in the likeness of man, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross. He is our example. He suffered long with the frailties of his family, of his disciples, of his countrymen, even suffered for their sins on the cross and ours too. We through his love and his power, can be united as one in Christ, suffer long with the frailties of each other, encourage and help each other, and work together.

We'll talk about the working together part in the Sunday night service, if you can come back this evening. And if you're here today, you don't know what it means to be part of the body of Christ, the family of God. Let me leave you with this verse. John one twelve, as many as received him, that's Jesus, to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name. Have you put your faith in Jesus Christ to be the Lord and savior of your life?

If you will, you can become a part of our family today and more importantly, his. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for all that you've done for us. Help us Lord to see others out of eyes with love and concern, with the eyes of Christ, with a vision to what we can be individually and together in the cause of Jesus Christ in this place. Lord, unite us together in your love.

Unite us together in your word. Unite us together in purpose and mission to be the light in the dark world of the day in which we live. Forgive us of our failings. Forgive us of our selfishness. The times we open our mouth and things come out that shouldn't of the thoughts that we have against others.

Help us to learn to forgive. Help us, Lord, to learn to value every member of this body and every person creation of yours and a soul that needs Jesus. And we pray if there be one here today that is yet to receive the Lord Jesus as Lord and Savior, we pray that they would come as give this hymn of invitation today, that we might show them how they can know Christ and become part of God's family. In Jesus' name, we do pray. Amen.

Take your hymn books if you would turn to 432. 432. We don't have the words on the screen for the invitation. 432 and let's sing together. Rescue the perishing, care for the dying.

The Lord has spoke to your heart today. I plea