Roman 12, 9-21
Last week we addressed that great issue of being concerned for one another of thinking as Hodge put it of everyone being "one of our own". Paul now adds to this idea in verses 15 and 16. He writes:"Be happy with those are happy, weep with those who weep. Have the same concern for everyone. Do not be proud but accept humble duties. Do not think of yourselves as wise." As has been our habit over the past weeks so let us consider these verses as we read them in a different translation.
The NIV reads: "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited."
Paul amplifies his thinking about matching the moods of others in 1 Corinthians 9v 19ff "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law......to those not having the law I became as one not having the law so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."
So we are not only to share with those in the fellowship in a real and meaningful way but we are also to match the moods of others by being if you like with them where ever they are without compromising the faith. We are to walk as closely with them as it is possible to do without compromising the faith in order to try and win them over for Christ.
A man called Boreham writing during the first world war likened this whole process to a game of dominoes.
He wrote, "It occurred to me whilst we were playing that life itself is but a game of dominoes. Its highest art lies in matching your companion's pieces. Is he glad? It is a great thing to be able to rejoice with those who do rejoice. Is he sad? it is a great thing to be able to weep with those who weep. It means, of course, that if you answer the challenge everytime, your pieces will soon be gone.
But, as against that, it is worth remembering that victory lies not in accumulation, but in exhaustion. The player who is left with empty hands wins everything......
The beauty is that anyone can play the game. You have but to grasp two essential principles. You must clearly understand in the first place that, at every turn, you must match your companion's play, laying a six beside his six, a three beside his three, and so on. And you must clearly understand in the second place that the whole success lies not in hoarding but in spending. Victory lies in paying out the little ivory tablets with as prodigal a hand as possible. It is better in dominoes to give than to keep. It is better to play a domino with twelve black dots than a domino with only two. Dominoes teaches me to measure my life by loss instead of gain, not by wine drunk but by wine poured out...."
And so he goes on....it is in truth a most helpful little illustration. For brings home to us the reality and depth of that simple phrase "rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep." It allows us a real insight into the depth of Paul's thinking and also of our own response to this command.
As Paul puts meat onto the bones of verses 9 & 10 the great challenge to love like Jesus becomes ever clearer and the road we must travel to be like Our Saviour seems ever the harder. And impossible it would be without the transforming grace of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.
However we are not only to show sympathy understanding and friendship we are take good care of our attitude. Which is why Paul now says :
"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of a low position. Do not be conceited,"
I don't know about you but as soon as I begin to read these words "live in harmony with one another" I am instantly drawn back into the Old Testament and there in particular to the Psalms. The Psalms are of course always a source of great and wondrous blessing to the eager soul and so consider Psalm 133 which we quote in its entirety:
"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on he beard, running down on Aaron's beard down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion, for there the Lord bestows his blessing even life evermore."
I heard a man once say that the Bible always provides its own commentary on what it says and by reference to the passage as a whole or elsewhere the Holy Spirit would shed light on a verse and how wonderfully true this is of this passage where we have already seen Paul explain his thoughts more fully in Corinthians and now here we have the Psalmist David shedding further light for us in this beautiful Psalm on Paul's writings.
"Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited."
This whole attitude problem is highlighted in 3John verse 9ff "I wrote to the church but Diotrpohes who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church."
Here then is the problem illustrated in church life, There are those of love to adopt airs and graces even within the church and who like to think of themselves as important - the rules and regulations don't apply to them.
Paul warns us against this.
However such an attitude is rare even among the redeemed. We need to look at Jesus closely if we are to learn what it means to be humble.
Consider Matthew 11v29 : "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 13v55:" Isn't this the carpenter's son?"
Luke 9v58 "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."
John 1v46 :" Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?"
Isaiah 53v2 "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him"
Luke 7v34 "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, "Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners"
John 7v15 "How did this man get such learning without having studied."
Luke 22v27 :"For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves."
Isaiah 53v3:"He was despised and rejected by men..."
John 5v30 :"By myself I can do nothing..... I seek not to please myself but him who sent me."
John 8v28:" I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me."
We can add nothing to the words of Our Saviour on the matter and will end with some thoughts on "Do not be conceited." This idea occurs only seven times twice in Romans and five times on Proverbs. So let us close with Solomon's words on this matter in Proverbs 3v7 "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil."