Message from December 30, 2023 in Tarzana.
This message is taken from Romans 15:13. The entire section beginning at verse 7 is about accepting, receiving, or welcoming one another. Earlier Paul wrote we should so accept one another because God has accepted us (Romans 14:3) and now writes we should accept one another because Messiah accepts us (Romans 15:7).
Paul then goes on to write that both the Jewish and Gentile believers ought to accept one another for this was God's plan and purpose from the beginning. To support this point Paul reaches back into the Hebrew Scriptures to defend his statement. He quotes from II Samuel 22:50 and Psalm 18:49; Deuteronomy 32:43; Psalm 117:1; and Isaiah 11:10.
Paul appeals to these verses for two major reasons: First, they are progressive in nature. The first passage quoted speaks of David praising God among the Gentiles. The second passage speaks of Gentiles praising God with the Jewish people. The third passage is a call to Gentiles to worship God. And the fourth passage speaks of Gentiles worshipping God in the messianic kingdom.
Second, each one of these passages are quoted from a different section of the Hebrew Scriptures which serves to strengthen Paul's argument. He quotes passages from the Writings, the Law, and the Early and Latter Prophets. In doing this Paul has assembled the strongest defense of his statement.
Paul then concludes with the first of three benedictions to his letter to the believers at Rome (15:13, 33; 16:25-27). In it he expresses the desire that his readers would be filled with joy and peace. This joy and peace, Paul tells us, is sourced in God, experienced by those who place their faith and trust in him, with the result that they would be empowered by the Holy Spirit, so as to overflow with hope. May this be our experience not only in 2024 but all the days of our lives.
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