Sunday School Lesson

1. Romans 15:14-21; 30-33
Reach
May 31, 2020
His Followers Sunday School Class
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA
What’s the number one thing?
The glory of God!
1 Corinthians 10:31 NASB
31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Focus of Today’s Lesson
• See the conclusion of chapter 14’s “Principles of Conscience” evolve into
“Self-denial on Behalf of Others” with examples from the life of Christ.
• See Paul explain his reason for writing to Rome and his attempt to gain
their support for subsequent mission activities.
• Gain familiarity with the Greetings and Love Expressed in chapter 16.
Romans from 30,000 feet.
• Paul’s letter to the Roman churches provided them much needed details
about the theology of salvation by faith (Chapters 1-11) “The great
exposition.”
• The final chapters explained how to live out that faith in relation to other
people (Chapters 12-15:13) “The great exhortation.”
• Conclusion (Chapters 15:14-16:27).
The Christian Churches in Rome in 57 AD
• The churches were struggling with unity of Jews and Gentiles coming from
very different backgrounds.
• Christians converted from Judaism had trouble letting go of the dietary
and ceremonial laws.
• Christians were struggling with understanding the freedom and liberty
found in Christianity.

2. “passing judgment on disputable matters”
• “disputable matters” – Eating meat, drinking wine and observance of
Sabbath and festivals.
• “Adiaphora” – Things neither prohibited nor required by the Christian faith.
• “non-salvation issues” – Activities not prohibited by Scriptures, and
therefore, not affecting salvation.
Reminders from Romans 14 (NASB)
1 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing
judgement on his opinions.
4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or
falls; and he will stand, for the lord is able to make him stand.
12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this―not
to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.
Self-Denial on Behalf of Others
Romans 15:1-2 NASB
1 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength
and not just please ourselves. 2 Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good,
to his edification.
• These words continue the idea of Chapter 14.
• They take it from the specific to the general.
Romans 15:7
7 Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of
God.
• Much of the New Testament is devoted to exhorting us to love one another
and to live our lives in such a way as to maintain unity.
John 15:12 & 17 NASB
12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved
you.”
17 “This I command you, that you love one another.”
Ephesians 4:1-3 NASB
1 Therefore, I the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of
the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness,
with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to
preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

3. Ephesians 4:31-32 NASB
31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away
from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted,
forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
This type of message flows throughout the New Testament, particularly in the
writings of Paul. Having grown up as a Pharisee, Paul knew what it was to judge
others and their behavior against the standard of himself. He knew the capacity
for judgement to become persecution. He was himself a persecutor.
But in Christ, Paul had experienced forgiveness and restoration. He knew the
love of God that was revealed in Jesus, and he wanted nothing less for all men.
Conclusion of the Great Exhortation
Romans 15:13 NASB
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that
you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
• This benediction concludes the exhortation of Romans 12:1-15:13.
Conclusion of Romans
When Paul recognized the opportunity to write to the church at Rome (afforded
by a pending trip by Phoebe) he saw a chance to encourage and instruct, but
also a chance to recruit their goodwill and support for a future mission to Spain.
Paul began to lay this out to them in Chapter 1:8-13. In 15:14, he returns to that
objective in earnest.
Many scholars believe Paul realized that he had been very direct and possibly
harsh in his correction and instruction to the Roman house churches. He may
have felt a bit awkward considering he had not founded this church, nor had he
even visited it.
He begins this section by commending them, and then takes them into his
confidence.
Romans 15:14-16 NASB
14 And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you
yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to
admonish one another. 15 But I have written very boldly to you on some points so
as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God, 16 to
be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of
God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by
the Holy Spirit.

4. Romans 15:17-21 NASB
17 Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to
God. 18 For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has
accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word
and deed, 19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that
from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the
gospel of Christ. 20 And thus I aspire to preach the gospel, not where Christ was
already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation; 21 but as
is written,
“They who had no news of Him shall see,
And they who have not heard shall understand.”
In Romans 15:22-29, Paul expounds his plans and reasoning, eventually stating
his intent to spend time with them on his way to ministry in Spain.
To further seal the bond of fellowship with them, Paul asks them to intercede for
him through prayer.
Romans 15:30-33 NASB
30 Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit,
to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, 31 that I may be rescued
from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem
may prove acceptable to the saints; 32 so that I may come to you in joy by the
will of God and find refreshing rest in your company. 33 Now the God of peace
be with you all. Amen.
Chapter 16 is filled with greetings and benedictions. It seems that there may be
too many for just one letter. This has prompted numerous theories to try and
account for all of them.
The fact remains that in the manuscripts we have, all of these appear. Why they
are all there is not something we will be able to resolve.
The Plan of Hope & Salvation
John 3:16-17 NASB
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the
Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through
Him.”
John 14:6 NASB
6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to
the Father but through Me.”

5. Romans 3:23 NASB
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a NASB
23a For the wages of sin is death,
• Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
• Even Jesus, the only one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life to
pay the penalty for our sin.
• The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the “second death” explained in
Revelation 21:8.
Revelation 21:8 NASB
8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and
immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the
lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
• Anyone who’s lifestyle is one or more of the sins listed in Revelation 21:8,
will experience the “second death,” if they do not repent.
• To Repent means to turn around, to go in the opposite direction, to turn
away from sin and believe in Jesus.
Romans 5:8 NASB
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23b NASB
23b but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Revelation 21:7 NASB
7 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be
My son.”
• Romans 10:9-10 explain to us how to be overcomers.
Romans 10:9-10 NASB
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that
God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person
believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in
salvation.
Romans 10:13 NASB
13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

6. Do you have questions?
Would you like to know more?
Please, contact First Baptist Church Jackson at 601-949-1900 or
http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/