"Instruct One Another" 1-22-23

Overview

Instruct One Another

Scripture lists only one area of competency required of a pastor: teaching. Paul tells Timothy that an overseer must be "an apt teacher" (1 Timothy 3:2; 2 Timothy 2:24). Yet the ministry of teaching is not confined to pastors. Stephen taught the Jewish leaders Acts 7, Philip taught the Ethiopian eunuch Acts 8, Priscilla and Aquila instructed Apollos Acts 18, older saints are charged to instruct younger ones Titus 2, and parents are to teach their children Ephesians 6. God brings His people into community not by accident but by divine appointment, and one essential mark of that community is that we teach one another.

Paul writes to the church at Rome, "I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another" Romans 15:14. Their goodness is a compliment to the Holy Spirit at work in them, producing the fruit listed in Galatians 5:22–23. Their being "filled with all knowledge" reflects the Spirit's work through sound doctrine. Together, these qualify ordinary believers to instruct, exhort, and restore one another—exhorting daily so no one is hardened by sin's deceitfulness Hebrews 3:13, restoring the wayward in gentleness Galatians 6:1, and speaking the truth in love so we grow up into Christ Ephesians 4:15. The aim is maturity—not arrested spiritual childhood but adults in our thinking 1 Corinthians 14:20 who long for pure spiritual milk and grow up into salvation 1 Peter 2:2.

But Paul presses further: "Nevertheless, on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder" Romans 15:15. Teaching is not only the giving of new knowledge; it is also the holy work of reminding the saints of what they already know. Repetition is the key to learning because we are forgetful people—and our forgetfulness is not merely intellectual but spiritual. Moses warned Israel to take care lest they forget what their eyes had seen Deuteronomy 4:9. Peter resolved to keep stirring up his readers by way of reminder, even though they already knew and were established in the truth 2 Peter 1:12–15. We need to keep hearing the gospel: that Christ died for our sins, bore the wrath of God, rose from the grave, and washes us clean. We need to keep hearing that God is Immanuel, with us always to the end of the age, and that He is sovereign, working all things together for good for those who love Him Romans 8:28. In our sin, we drift back to the lie that we must make ourselves right before God; we need brothers and sisters to remind us that He has already made us right through the blood of Jesus.

So consider: Who can you instruct today? Who needs to be reminded of what they already know but desperately need to hear again? You have been equipped by the Spirit, filled with knowledge, and made competent by God for this very work. The Word we have to share gives life. Teach, church, teach.

Transcript

Would you open your Bibles, please? 3s

With me for our time of study today to Romans the 15th chapter. 5s

Romans chapter 15, if you're using a Pue edition, you're going to find that on page 143. 10s

Romans the 15th chapter. 17s

I have always been interested in this fact. 22s

In the Bible there is only one area of competency listed to be a pastor. 26s

One area. 37s

So if you write a ministry description, biblical ministry description of the competency required 39s

to be a pastor, so the one thing listed under competency. 47s

There's a host of qualifications that you see in Scripture with regard to the office 54s

of the pastor, but there's only one thing listed in the Bible that a pastor needs 59s

to be competent in. 68s

Do you know what it is? 71s

What it is? 73s

Teaching. 77s

That is the only thing listed that a pastor has to be competent in. 81s

Paul put it this way. 91s

1 Timothy 3, 2 Timothy 2. 92s

He said that a pastor, we see in the New Testament that the pastors are referred to as 96s

bishops, overseers, elders, they're all synonymous terms. 101s

We understand it as pastor. 104s

Paul says that a pastor must be quote an apt teacher. 107s

An apt teacher. 112s

In other words, they need to be able to do that. 113s

But also what is true, right? 118s

Is that teaching is not reserved to the pastor's office. 121s

It's not reserved to that at all. 125s

For example, we see an Acts 7th chapter that Stephen was teaching the unbelieving leaders 128s

of the Jewish people. 135s

We see an Acts 8 that Philip was teaching the Ethiopian about Isaiah 53. 137s

We see an Acts 18 that the husband and wife team of Priscilla and the Aquila were teaching 146s

Apollos. 152s

Paul mentions in Titus 2. 154s

The older men and the older women should teach the younger men and the younger women. 157s

Paul mentions in Ephesians 6 chapter that parents should teach their children on and on and on the list goes. 164s

We continue today in our series, one another. 175s

God's vision for community. 180s

We've studied thus far that God brings us together. 185s

We're not here by accident. 188s

We're here by divine appointment. 190s

God brings us together. 191s

He brings us into community. 194s

What a beautiful witness that is to a world who really increasingly doesn't understand community, 199s

much less the community of God's people, the community of faith. 206s

We study how God by God's grace. 213s

He brings us into this community and that there are elements of this community. 215s

This elements that are expressed in our life together. 220s

We've studied last week that one of the elements is to serve one another. 225s

Here's another element. 231s

I want to explore with you today. 232s

That is God pulls us together as his community that we are to teach. 235s

One another. 245s

To teach. 246s

One another. 249s

And our text is exhibit A for this. 252s

The author of Romans is Paul. 260s

Paul was writing a letter to the church at Rome that was made up of primarily Gentiles, non-Jews. 264s

And he says here in the 15th chapter some lovely things about the church. 273s

Look on the E.P. at verse 14. 280s

Paul writes, 283s

I myself feel confident about you, my brothers and sisters. 284s

That's just another way of seeing those that are fellow Christians. 290s

I feel myself feel confident about your my brothers and sisters that you yourselves are full of goodness. 295s

What a glorious thing to say. 306s

What Paul's getting at here is moral character. 308s

And what he's doing is he's really complimenting the Holy Spirit. 313s

Because the moral goodness, the goodness that is being expressed, is all the work of the Spirit in the lives of the church. 319s

Paul writes in Galatians the 5th chapter that the fruit of the Spirit, the manifestation of the Spirit in our lives is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness. 329s

Gentleness, faithfulness, self-control. 341s

And so when Paul says to the church at Rome, 347s

commending them for their goodness, he's really commending them for the work of the Spirit in their lives. 350s

Is Paul saying that the church at Rome is perfect? 360s

No, there's no such thing as a perfect church, right? 363s

What he is saying is, 367s

I have heard that there is this goodness expressed from you, and that's a compliment to the Holy Spirit. 369s

I myself feel confident about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness. 383s

And then secondly, he says, filled with all knowledge. 389s

So not only is there this expression of the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, 396s

this manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit, 401s

but they've also been filled in Greek. 405s

It's a past tense in the words, it has been done for them. 408s

That as the word has been proclaimed and taught the Holy Spirit has filled them with correct doctrine, 413s

with correct teaching, with correct understanding. 420s

And we're the first sermon I mentioned, Francis Schaefer, 428s

and he correctly points out that the early church did two things. 431s

One, there was orthodoxy, right thinking, right understanding of doctrine. 435s

And secondly, there was orthodoxy of visible community. 442s

That's what we're studying in the sermon series, right? 446s

Paul here is lifting up the fact that they have been taught the correct things, 449s

because doctrine manifests itself in everything. 456s

But a beautiful thing for Paul to say to the church at Rome, 463s

this goodness that's being expressed, this doctrine here that you have been given, 468s

and then he writes that they are able, last part of verse 14, 476s

able to instruct one another, 482s

able to instruct one another. 487s

Why is that important? 495s

Because God brings us together, 499s

and He calls us, he empowers us to teach each other, to teach each other. 502s

I think of Hebrews, the third chapter. 514s

They are the author of Hebrews, right, this, but exhort one another, 519s

every day as long as it's called today, 523s

so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 526s

Part of our teaching of one another is that we exhort one another, 533s

because we are all sinners and sin is all around us, 539s

and so we exhort to faithfulness to God's ways as part of our teaching. 543s

Paul says in Galatians the 6 chapter, 551s

my friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, 553s

you, who have received the Spirit, should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. 558s

We teach one another. 568s

We teach one another. 570s

When there is someone who has caught in unrepentance over sin, 573s

in a spirit of gentleness and with the understanding that we are fellow sinners, 578s

we teach them the importance of repentance. 583s

We call them to them. 589s

We teach one another. 591s

Paul writes in Ephesians 4, 596s

He calls us to speak the truth in love. 599s

We are called them to teach one another. 605s

The truth and what is the truth? 609s

The truth is God's word. 611s

The truth is the one incarnate, the Lord Jesus Christ. 613s

And what is the purpose of all of this? 618s

What is the purpose of our teaching one another? 621s

The purpose of our teaching is that we might move to maturity, right? 624s

We are not called to an arrested development into childhood in our faith. 629s

But we are called to continually by the grace of God move to maturity in the faith. 640s

The deeper understanding and walk with the Lord. 648s

Returity. 654s

Paul says in this way, 656s

First Corinthians, the 14th chapter, 658s

Brothers and sisters do not be children in your thinking, 660s

rather be infants and evil, 664s

but in thinking be adults. 667s

Peter says this, 670s

like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk, 673s

so that by it you may grow into salvation. 678s

Paul and Ephesians 4, 684s

we must grow up in every way into him who is the head into Christ. 686s

We're called together by the grace of God, 696s

and as we look at this one another passage of which we are called to be about, 699s

and inspired by the Holy Spirit to be, 703s

we are empowered to teach one another. 707s

And what's the purpose of that? 711s

So that we'll grow up, right? 712s

And we never arrive, do we? 714s

In fact, the more we grow up, 718s

the more childish we understand ourselves to be, right? 720s

But we are called to continue to grow up into maturity. 725s

That's the aspect of teaching. 730s

Teaching then expands our understanding of who God is and what he's done and what he will do. 733s

It expands our understanding of his magnificence and his promises. 739s

It expands our understanding of his greatness. 743s

Teaching moves us into maturity, absolutely. 747s

But in this text here, in Romans 15, Paul is getting at something else with regard to teaching. 753s

He's getting at a method of teaching and a great purpose for it. 761s

Scientists tell us that over the course of a lifetime, 777s

we will hold one quadrillion pieces of information, 782s

one quadrillion pieces of information. 792s

They also tell us that in the average day, 797s

we will have 70,000 thoughts, 802s

70,000 thoughts in an average day. 807s

And they also tell us, and we know, right? 814s

That when given information within one hour, 822s

we will have forgotten 56% of what we shared with us. 827s

In one week, we will have forgotten 66% of that information. 833s

And one week later, 75%. 843s

56% in an hour, 66% in a day, 75%. 851s

In a week, we are a forgetful people. 861s

Every good teacher knows, every good teacher knows 872s

that the key to learning is repetition. 878s

The key to learning is repetition, or to put it another way. 886s

We repeat things so that we learn, 892s

or to put it another way, learning is linked to what to repetition. 895s

Or to put it another way, repetition, repetition, 902s

is the key to fill in the blank, learning. 908s

So to summarize, then, to learn, we must repeat, 911s

because repetition is linked to learning. 917s

Do you get the point? 921s

Do you do it around me for? 925s

But take care, and watch yourselves closely. 928s

So as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen, 934s

nor to let them slip from your minds all the days of your life, 939s

make them known to your children and your children. 944s

Because in our sin, in our sin, we can forget who he is, 948s

what he has done, and what he does. 967s

Paul writes, 977s

I myself feel confident about you. 979s

My brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, 982s

filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 988s

Nevertheless, on some points, I have written to you rather boldly, 998s

by way of reminder. 1008s

Who was Paul teaching? 1012s

He was reminding them. 1021s

What was he teaching? 1024s

He was teaching what they already knew. 1027s

Why? 1032s

To remind them. 1034s

Peter says this in second Peter, 1038s

therefore, I intend to keep on reminding you of these things. 1040s

Though you know them already, and are established in the truth that has come to you, 1047s

and I will make every effort so that after my departure, 1054s

you may be able at any time to recall these things. 1059s

Teaching leads us into maturity. 1067s

In teaching, we understand, and are given new knowledge. 1071s

In teaching, we move into maturity, where we can make greater connections and greater understanding. 1076s

That's an aspect of teaching. 1083s

It moves us into maturity. 1084s

But also an aspect of teaching is to teach us and remind us, 1086s

what we already know. 1097s

Right? 1100s

We already know. 1102s

We know the gospel. 1107s

We know it. 1110s

We know that the Lord Jesus Christ has died for all of our sins. 1113s

We know that the Jesus took on himself the wrath of God when he went to the cross. 1118s

We know that the perfect spotless Lamb of God was our substitute on the cross. 1126s

We know that we have been reconciled on to God through the blood of Christ. 1133s

We know that the tomb is empty. 1138s

We know that death is overcome. 1140s

We know that the victory of the cross and the empty tomb that word is put together with the ordinary of the water. 1142s

And we are washed in that word. 1149s

We know the gospel. 1152s

We know it. 1156s

And we keep having to hear it. 1161s

So we won't forget. 1168s

We know that God is with us. 1174s

We know that. 1175s

We know that He is a manual. 1178s

God with us. 1180s

We know that He is with us in the most difficult of times. 1181s

And the most challenging of times. 1185s

We know that He is with us when problems just perplex us. 1187s

And we don't see solutions. 1191s

We know that He is with us always to the end of the age. 1192s

And we need to keep on hearing that. 1198s

So we won't forget. 1205s

So we won't forget. 1208s

We know that He is sovereign. 1213s

We know that He is in control. 1215s

We know that He is all powerful. 1217s

We know that for us as Christians, all things works together. 1219s

For good to those who love the Lord. 1224s

We know that. 1227s

And we need to keep hearing it. 1229s

So we won't forget it. 1235s

So we won't forget it. 1239s

Because we have a tendency in our sin. 1243s

To forget it. 1247s

We have a tendency of its difficult times of life to forget who God is. 1251s

We have a tendency to return to an understanding that somehow we have to make ourselves right before God. 1258s

And we need to hear once again that no God has made us right through the blood of Jesus Christ. 1265s

We need to hear it. 1271s

Because we should not forget it. 1276s

Paul reveals why He is doing this. 1283s

He reveals His call. 1286s

Verse 15, when He says, never the less on some points. 1289s

I've written to you rather boldly by way of reminder because of the grace given me by God to be a 1293s

minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God. 1301s

Paul understood that He was called to do this. 1311s

Paul understood that He was called to teach that He was mandated by God. 1315s

God brings us together. 1322s

He brings us together in a community. 1324s

He brings us together because we need to teach each other. 1328s

We need to teach each other constantly. 1338s

So we won't forget. 1349s

So who is it today? 1356s

Who is it today that you can teach? 1361s

Who is it today? 1366s

Maybe you just can remind them of what they already know, but what they need to hear? 1371s

Who is it today that you can instruct? 1379s

Because you, brothers and sisters, have been equipped for that. 1386s

And God has made you competent to teach. 1394s

I myself feel confident about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, 1405s

filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 1415s

Nevertheless, on some points I've written to you, rather boldly, by way of reminder, 1421s

the word that we have to teach gives life. 1430s

Teach, church, 1444s

teach. 1449s