The Book of Romans: “Life Together…The Way God Intended”

The Book of Romans 

Welcome:

Good morning, and welcome to Eastern Shore Baptist Church. I’m really glad you’re here today. My name is Stuart Davidson, and I’m the pastor here.

If you’re a guest with us this morning, thank you for being here. At the end of the service, I’ll be in the foyer, and I’d love the chance to meet you, say hello, and invite you to come back and worship with us again.

I also want to take a moment to mention our prayer line. The number is 251-222-8977. Anyone can use it. If you have a prayer request, an upcoming surgery, or something going on in your life, we would love to know how we can pray for you. When a request comes in, a member of our prayer team will pray for you right then. In some cases, someone from the prayer team may even reach back out to you.

We believe in the power of prayer, and we believe God cares about what’s happening in your life.

Introduction:

Before we jump into the text, I want to start with something familiar to a lot of us.

Years ago, there was a sitcom called Cheers   It starred people like Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, and others. I was pretty young when it first came out, but even then, it was clear that Cheers became a major pop culture moment. In many ways, it still is.

Most people remember the theme song. You probably hear it in your head the moment I mention the show.

“Where everybody knows your name.

Where everybody’s glad you came.”

Friends, that song captured something deep inside the human heart. Cheers wasn’t just a bar on a TV screen. It was a place of belonging. If the characters had a bad day, they went there to drown their sorrows. If they had a good day, they went there to celebrate. It was their community. In many ways, it was their family. And over time, those characters almost became like family to millions of people watching at home each week.

There was something comforting about knowing that show would be there. It gave people a sense of connection, acceptance, and routine, even if it was just for thirty minutes at a time.

Here’s the truth. What Cheers offered through a bar pales in comparison to what God offers through the church, through the body of Christ.

The body of Christ is not a building. It’s not sticks and bricks. It’s not a steeple.

The body of Christ is not a Bible study, a program, or a ministry.

The body of Christ is people.

Even though we are different in age, background, personality, and preference, we share one defining commonality, our love for Jesus. That shared love allows us to do life together the way God intended.

We actually see this picture clearly in the early church. Acts 2 tells us that the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to breaking bread, and to prayer. They met together regularly, shared their lives, shared their meals, shared their burdens, and shared their joy. It wasn’t just attendance. It was togetherness.

That kind of life, that kind of community, that kind of belonging, is what God designed for His people.

And that’s why the title of today’s message is

Life Together…The Way God Intended.

Today’s Message:

“Life Together…The Way God Intended”

Introduction of Today’s Thought:

One of the things we have to remember about the church is that it is filled with people living different stories, yet we all belong to the same body.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been spending time with a widow in our church whose son has been given a terminal cancer diagnosis. These days have been unimaginably heavy for her. There has been grief, mourning, pain, and suffering. There have been prayers asking God to be merciful, asking for healing, while also wrestling with the reality of a body that is failing. 

Just a few days ago, I went to see her son in the ICU. I prayed with him and shared the gospel with him. When I got back into my car afterward, I’ll be honest, I just cried. It was heartbreaking.

That very same day, I was driving back across the bay, my phone rang. On the other end was a brother from our church who was overflowing with joy. He had been out of work for a couple of months. Finances were getting tight. We had been praying together that God would open a door, that He would provide a way for him to care for his family. God answered that prayer. He was offered a job that was actually better than his previous one, and it paid more. He was overjoyed.

In the span of just a few minutes, I was holding grief in one hand and joy in the other. Tears and praise lived in the same moment. That’s the reality of life in the body of Christ.

That experience captures what Paul is teaching us in Romans 12. 

Friends fill in the blanks under today’s thought. 

‘Living like Jesus is knowing when to clap, when to cry, and when to come alongside.”

The church is not made up of people who are all feeling the same thing at the same time. The church is made up of people who love Jesus and choose to walk together through every season of life.

That’s the life together God intended.

Today’s Thought:

Living Like Jesus Is Knowing When To Clap, When To Cry, And When To Come Alongside!

Introduction of Today’s Quote:

That kind of life together is only possible because of who Jesus is and how He treats people. When you read the Gospels, you see a Savior who moves toward brokenness, not away from it. He does not keep His distance from suffering. He draws near.

Dane Ortlund captures that heart of Jesus in a helpful way. Listen to these words:

Today’s Quote:

“The cumulative testimony of the four Gospels is that when Jesus Christ sees the fallenness of the world all about him, his deepest impulse, his most natural instinct, is to move toward that sin and suffering, not away from it. In your suffering, when the fallenness of the world closes in on you and makes you want to throw in the towel, there, right there, we have a Friend who knows exactly what such testing feels like, and sits close to us, embraces us in solidarity. This is the compassionate heart of Christ for sinners and sufferers.”

-Dane C. Ortlund, “Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers” 

Introduction of Today’s Scripture:

If you’ve been with us in Romans 12, you know that Paul has made a shift. Now, this morning, we're going to be reading Romans 12, verses 15 and the first half of verse 16. He has moved from what we believe to how we live. After spending eleven chapters explaining the gospel, Paul now shows us what the gospel looks like when it is lived out in everyday relationships.

The verses right before this passage deal with loving one another sincerely, honoring one another, serving one another, and showing hospitality. Paul is painting a picture of life together inside the church.

Today, we’re going to focus on just one and a half verses. I’m not going to read all of verse 16. I want us to slow down and really hear what Paul is saying here. I’ll be reading from the Christian Standard Bible.

Romans 12:15 through the first part of verse 16.

Statement of Faith:

“We are opening the living and powerful Word of God…truth without error, breathed out by Him, and fully sufficient for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. It is our authority, our guide, and our hope. In honor of the God who gave us His perfect Word, I invite you to stand with me as we read it together.”

Today’s Scripture:

Romans 12:15-16 CSB

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another.”

Pastor: “This is the Word of the Lord.”

Congregation: “Praise His name. Praise His Holy name.”

Paul Reminds Believers To…

I. Laugh Loud “Rejoice with those who rejoice...”

Friends, this morning I'm excited to introduce the centerpiece of today's message. These next three points. I believe when we read Romans 12, verse 15, and the first part of verse 16, Paul is giving believers some wonderful advice. Right here in Roman numeral one, I believe that Paul is reminding believers to "laugh loud." Go back and look at verse 15. "Rejoice with those who rejoice." 

The word rejoice comes from the Greek word pronounced khy-ro.

This word means to be glad, to delight, to take joy in something. This word is not passive. It is an active choice. 

khy-ro is not describing a private feeling you keep to yourself. It is joy that is expressed, joy that is shared, joy that is entered into with someone else.

Paul is not saying, feel happy for them internally. He is saying, step into their joy. Participate in it. Celebrate it with them. Let their joy become your joy.

God calls us to celebrate the joy of others without comparison or competition, because shared joy strengthens gospel community. Rejoicing is not about what is happening to you. It is about what God is doing in the life of someone else. 

Look at the explanation that I provided for you there on your outline. 

“God calls us to celebrate the joy of others without comparison or competition, because shared joy strengthens gospel community.”

I’ve watched this play out countless times in the life of the church. When Paul tells us to rejoice, he is not talking about a feeling we wait on. Much of what Paul calls us to in Romans 12 has nothing to do with how we feel in the moment. In fact, we often feel the exact opposite of rejoicing.

Rejoicing is a decision. It is a choice made with the mind before it ever reaches the heart. It is a choice that pushes past our flesh, our sin, and our constant tendency to compare our lives with the lives of others.

People can sit in the same room, worship together, and hear the same message, yet live in very different seasons. 

Some are celebrating answered prayers. Others are still waiting. 

Some are rejoicing over new jobs, promotions, or financial stability. Others are praying for provision and wondering how they are going to make it another month.

Some couples are enjoying marriages that have lasted decades, built through years of faithfulness and forgiveness. 

At the same time, others are longing for God to bring the right person into their life. They love the Lord, they are faithful, and they wrestle with waiting.

Some families are celebrating new babies and growing households. Others are quietly grieving miscarriages or longing to hear good news that has not come yet. 

Some are praising God for healing. Others are walking through treatments, test results, and difficult conversations.

Paul understands this reality. That’s why he gives us a command, not a suggestion. Rejoicing with others is not always natural. It is not always easy. It often runs directly against what we feel. Still, when we choose to rejoice with those who rejoice, we make a conscious decision to trust God’s goodness and timing.

That’s what it means to laugh loud. It is choosing joy over jealousy. It is choosing gratitude over comparison. It is choosing obedience over emotion. When the church learns to rejoice this way, shared joy strengthens the gospel community and reflects the heart of Jesus to a watching world.

In the news recently, there was a story about an 88-year-old Army veteran named Ed Bambas in Michigan who had struggled with financial hardship after losing his pension and caring for his late wife. A young man doing a “kindness tour” stopped at the grocery store where Mr. Bambas worked, heard his story, and shared it online. That encounter went viral, and within days more than 1.7 million dollars was raised to help him through his situation and provide some real blessing to his life. A surprise celebration was then planned to hand over the funds to him.  

A stranger did not look at Mr. Bambas’s struggle and walk away. Instead, he chose to step into the story of that man’s life and celebrate what God was doing through his community. That joy in someone else’s blessing multiplied beyond what anyone expected.

I love what Paul shares with us in his letter to the Philippians. Philippians 4:4...

Philippians 4:4 (NIV)

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice!”

Paul Reminds Believers To…

I. Laugh Loud “Rejoice with those who rejoice...”

II. Cry Close “…weep with those who weep.”

So friends, Paul reminds believers first to laugh loud. Again, go back to the first part of Romans 12:15: Rejoice with those who rejoice. 

Now, under Roman numeral 2, you can fill in these blanks: Not only should we laugh loud, but we should also cry close. 

Go back to the next part of verse 15: Weep with those who weep. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. 

You can see that I'm giving you another explanation of our second point. 

“Following Jesus means drawing near to hurting people with compassion and presence, not distance or quick answers.”

The word weep comes from the Greek word pronounced klah-yo.

This word means to mourn, to lament, to openly express grief. 

It carries the idea of audible sorrow, visible emotion, real tears. This is not sympathy at a distance. This is shared grief. It is personal ksorrow that steps into someone else’s pain.

Paul is not telling us to feel bad about someone’s suffering. He is calling us to suffer with them. To weep with someone is to enter their hurt without trying to fix it, explain it, or rush it along.

Practically speaking, weeping with people means presence over answers. It means listening more than talking. It means sitting in silence when words would only cheapen the moment. It means resisting the urge to quote a verse too quickly or offer a solution too soon.

Weeping with people says, you are not alone. Your pain matters. I may not understand everything you are going through, but I will walk with you through it.

This is exactly what Jesus did. He did not stand at a distance from suffering. He drew near. He touched the broken. He entered grief. He wept with those who wept, even when He knew resurrection was coming.

That’s what it means to cry close. It is choosing compassion over convenience. It is choosing presence over platitudes. It is choosing love that stays, even when the pain does not leave quickly.

That kind of sorrow shared strengthens the body of Christ just as much as joy shared does.

The idea of weeping with someone came into sharp focus for me on October 26, 2009. I was 31 years old at the time, serving as the youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Montgomery. That day was a Monday morning. I was sitting at a breakfast Bible study at a local diner in downtown Montgomery when my phone rang.

It was a desperate call. The voice on the other end told me that a young man from our youth group had taken his life. His name was Cole Ellis. Cole was in the eighth grade. I had never walked through anything of that magnitude before. The person on the phone asked me to come to Cole’s house immediately.

I remember getting in my car and feeling completely inadequate for the moment. I did not know what to say. I did not know what to do. I just knew I needed to be there.

When I arrived, I will never forget the scene. Cole’s father, Mike, was in the front yard. He was lying face down in the grass. He was not quietly crying. He was wailing. Cole’s mother, Rebecca, was in shock. Her grief was silent, stunned, and overwhelming.

Before long, several men from our church arrived. My pastor at the time, Jay Wolf, was there, along with others. When they saw Mike, they did not offer explanations. They did not say it was going to be okay. They did not say God had a plan. They did not talk about future good, foundations, or outcomes. None of that mattered in that moment.

What they did was run to him. They wrapped their arms around him. They got down in the grass with him. They wept with him.

There is something powerful, even sacred, about hearing one man wail in grief and hearing other men wail with him. That is what it means to weep with someone.

Weeping is putting someone else’s sorrow above your own comfort. Weeping is showing up even when it is inconvenient, even when you feel inadequate, even when you do not have answers. Weeping says, I am here, and I am not leaving. I will sit in this pain with you. I will hold you up when you cannot stand on your own.

That is what Paul is calling the church to do. Cry close. Enter the grief. Share the sorrow. Stay present.

Solomon understood this rhythm of life. He knew there are moments for joy and moments for deep sorrow. Listen to what he wrote in Ecclesiastes 3, verse 4.

A time to weep and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn and a time to dance.

Paul Reminds Believers To…

I. Laugh Loud “Rejoice with those who rejoice...”

II. Cry Close “…weep with those who weep.”

III. Pursue Peacefulness “Live in harmony with one another.”

We have made it to our last point and finally entered the first part of verse 16. Paul reminds believers to pursue peacefulness, to live in harmony with one another. 

Another great word would be unity, having fellowship (the Greek word would be koinonia, fellowship). One heart that beats united. 

Again, there on your outline is an explanation of the point Christ-like living chooses humility and unity over pride and preference. Actively protecting peace within the body of Christ. 

Sometimes the things that divide the body of Christ are not theological at all. They’re practical, personal, and often a little silly.

• The thermostat. Half the room is freezing, the other half is sweating, and everyone is convinced their number is the godly one.

• Carpet color. Blue was spiritual. Brown felt safe. Someone still misses the green from 1998.

• Whether the preacher wears a suit, a tie, or no tie at all. Too formal for some, not formal enough for others.

• How loud the music is. One person wants to feel it in their chest. Another wants to hear their own thoughts.

• Where the Sunday School class meets. Upstairs or downstairs. Close to the coffee or far away from the kids.

• What time the service starts. Too early for some. Too late for others.

• How long the service lasts. Some are checking their watches. Others are wondering why we ever have to stop.

• Chairs or pews. Cushioned or not. Moveable or permanent.

• The temperature again, because it always comes back to the temperature.

Each of those things seems small, but when preferences outweigh humility, they can quietly chip away at unity. Paul reminds us that harmony is not about getting our way. It is about setting our minds toward Christ and choosing peace over preference.

Paul uses a phrase built around the Greek word pronounced fro-NEH-oh.

This word means to think, to set one’s mind, to have a mindset or attitude. 

Paul is not talking about surface level agreement or everyone liking the same things. He is talking about shared direction of the mind. Harmony starts in how we think before it ever shows up in how we act.

Romans 12:16 literally carries the idea of being like-minded toward one another. It is a call to align our attitudes, our priorities, and our posture toward each other around Christ.

Harmony does not mean uniformity. It does not mean everyone has the same preferences, opinions, or personalities. Harmony means we choose humility over pride. It means we value people over preferences. It means we submit our way of thinking to the mind of Christ.

In the church, disharmony almost always begins in the mind before it ever shows up in words or actions. When our thinking shifts from we to me, unity begins to erode. When pride replaces humility, harmony fractures. When preferences outweigh love, peace is lost.

Paul is calling the church to a shared mindset shaped by Jesus. When believers set their minds in the same direction, toward Christ, the result is peaceful, unified life together. That kind of harmony protects the body and strengthens relationships. 

That is what it means to pursue peacefulness. It starts in the mind, flows into the heart, and shows up in how we treat one another.

Again, the wisdom of Paul wins out. You can read his words with me in Colossians 3:15 from the English Standard Version. 

Colossians 3:15 (ESV)

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

So friends, Paul has given us three reminders from Romans 12:15 and 16.

 • We're to laugh loud rejoicing with those who rejoice

 • We're to cry close weeping with those who weep

 • We are to pursue peacefulness to live in harmony with one another

Friends, I am more convinced than ever that the church has to look different from the world. Jesus wants us to live as a shining beacon, a city on a hill. I love what I heard a pastor say not two weeks ago. He told a man protesting in his sanctuary during a Sunday morning worship service, "Jesus is the hope of our city; He's the hope of the nations." But friends, if the church is broken, what hope is there to offer?

Friends, I'll conclude this sermon by saying let this information be your inspiration. 

Let This Information Be Your Inspiration!

Closing Prayer:

Father God, we come to you today with hearts filled. We have worshipped you. We have fellowshiped in your name. We have opened your word, and Lord, you have spoken to us.

Father, today I pray that you will take my meager offering of a sermon and that Lord, you would compound it powerfully. That Lord, you would use what I have said today—what I have gleaned from your word—so that it would encourage someone, uplift another, comfort someone who is hurting, or tell someone who feels alone that we love them.

Lord, today I pray that there might be someone who makes a decision to follow you, to make you their Savior, inviting Jesus into their life and allowing the Holy Spirit to take control.

Lord, I would ask if someone is here today that wants to join this fellowship, give them courage and boldness to step forward. Father, if someone is seeking baptism, Lord, rise them out of their pew; let them be excited about what the Spirit has cultivated inside of them.

Lord, this is a house of worship but it's also a house of prayer, and if someone today just needs a moment to commune with you, Lord, give them that time.

Lord, thank you for your word, thank you for its witness, thank you for its work on our spirits and souls. We pray this in Jesus name, Amen.