Romans 14:7–9
Introduction
● identity of church determined by object of love – self or God?
● symptoms of deep sickness in church- burn out, immorality, money making, psychological distress
● much ministry directed to symptoms not causes e.g. people in denial
● personal problems need relational not technical resolutions
● danger of the “spiritualising of discomfort.”
● unlike contemporary spiritualities e.g. New Age, the goal of the gospel is not human happiness
● no national transformation until the church is re – discipled
Adam’s Self
● Adam illustrates the core problem in human life is not suffering but self
● in Eden (“delight”), everything was pleasurable (God, wife, nature, work, food)
● the one thing not (directly) pleasurable was the tree of knowledge (Gen 2:9, 17); therefore temptation centred on this tree
● to be “like God” (Gen 2:5) – no- one has the right to deprive you of anything
● not easy for first couple to step into temptation; the boundary they had to move across was the Word of God spoken to the centre of their lives
● when the centre of life moved from Creator – Father to self, they became unlike God and died
● the momentary excitement of self – assertion was followed by guilt and shame (Gen 3:7; 2:25)
● superficial covering could not heal them on the inside (Gen 3:21)
● the cultural obsession with entertainment is powerless to deal with the inner problem of self- centredness
● the Word of God penetrating the heart transforms the person and conforms them to itself
Jesus’ Self
● his original message is not about himself but the Father’s kingdom (Mark 1:15)
● the central passion of Jesus life is the word and work of the indwelling Father (John 3:34;10:38; 14:110)
● the crowds did not see beyond Jesus’ ministry to the Father
● this was because their centre was their selves
● Jesus teaches that God must be central (Mark 12:29- 32)
● the baptism of Jesus illustrates this (John 1:33; Luke 3:21-22)
● only at this point is he filled with the Father’s joy and the Spirit’s power (Acts 10:38)
● this is because the baptism is the first public step to the cross; demonstrating Jesus loves the Father more than he loves himself
● all of Jesus ministry illustrates this central fact (Luke 4:28-30; John 8:59;10:39)
● cross fully reveals Jesus loves Father more than self
● Mark 14:34 = grief over loss of object of love
● Mark 15:34= no way of expressing love for God, therefore loss of knowledge of Sonship
● challenge of mockers, “save yourself” (Mt 27:40; Luke 23:35), if responded to, would prove that Jesus was not the Son of God/like God
● victory of the cross = Jesus loves without feeling loved until all our selfishness is destroyed
● cross = Jesus loving Father > self; resurrection = Father loving Son > self
● Father places Jesus at centre of new creation/world religion
● “Jesus” given all authority (Matt 28:19); name above all names (Phil 2:9); in this name people are saved (Acts 2:38;4:12;10:46;22:16); baptised (Acts 8:16;10:48;
19:5); delivered (Acts 16:18;19:13); healed (Acts 3:6, 16); Spirit given (Acts 2:38; persecuted (Acts 5:41; 1 Pet 4:14)
● centre of the message has moved from thekingdomofGodto the proclamation of Jesus
Our Self
● Galatians 2:20 – this is an accomplished fact
● beyond the work of the cross is the way of the cross
● maturity moves past self-centred appropriation of the benefits of Jesus’ death to living for him
● our true pleasure is giving him pleasure (Rom 12:1-2; 1 Cor 7:32; 2 Cor 5:9; Gal 1:10; 6:8; Eph 5:10; Col 1:10; 3:20; 1 Thess 4:1; 1 Tim 2:3; 5:4; Heb 11:6; 13:21;1 John 3:22)
● our true glory is in giving God glory (Rom 11:36;15:17;16:27; 1 Cor 10:31; 2 Cor 1:20etc.)
● we do not fall in love with the fact that God loves us, we love God for himself
● not my experience of God, but his of me
● example: willingness to undergo nervous breakdown
● love God more than one’s own life (2 Cor 4:11; Rom 8:36cf. 2 Cor 1:8-9; Eph
3:13; Phil 3:10;Col 1:24)
● people in the culture are seeking spiritual reality e.g. young man in Bali and Gallipoli comment, common factor is sacrifice of those who loved others more than themselves
Conclusion
● “The man who has died to self has no ambitions and has nothing to be jealous about. He has no reputation and so has nothing to fight about. He has no possessions, and therefore nothing to worry about. He has no rights, so therefore he cannot suffer any wrongs. He is already dead, so no- one can kill him.
● God seeking the end of superficial therapeutic entertainment culture
● raising up mature believers who will love him more than family, finance, comfort, ministry, health etc.
● “Don’t ask what your God can do for you; ask what you can do for your God.”