Not Ashamed-Part 44- Unnatural Responses

Introduction- Romans 12:14-18

Last week we considered the instructions given to us conccerning the sincerity of our love and the demonstration of that love for God and for others.

Tonight we will see how we are to respond in various circumstances in our relationships with others.

The overall theme of these verses is that we would desire to be at peace with others and that our behavior would not stir up strife.

As followers of Christ the way that we respond to various situations in the context of our relationships with others should be clearly distinguishable from the way the world at large responds.

Responding to Persecutors (Vs. 14)

The natural response to persecution would be to become angry towards them, to curse them, and to wish them ill.

Yet because we are followers of Christ this must not be our response.

Here we are instructed to bless our persecutors which is exactly the opposite of the natural response.

Rather than ill will we are to demonstrate good will towards them, rather than cursing them we are to bless them, rather than becoming angry with them, we are to maintain a good spirit towards them.

This is a difficult task and quite frankly we will not be able to do so, at least not genuinely, without the Spirit of God’s enablement.

We must resist the temptation to follow the pattern of the world in such circumstances and instead do as Christ has instructed us.

Matthew 5:44 KJV 1900

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

When we respond in this manner we will distinguish ourselves from the unbelieving world.

Real Empathy (Vs. 15-16a)

Here we are instructed to demonstrate real empathy with others as we rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with them that weep.

Again this is not the natural response in such situations.

It can often be difficult to rejoice with them that rejoice because our natural tendency is to be envious of them for the blessings that cause them to rejoice.

Illustration- churches often look at other churches in the community as their competitors and thus when a church enjoys success and growth there is envy rather than rejoicing. On a personal level many find it hard to rejoice with others when God blesses them if they have not enjoyed the same blessings themselves.

When it comes to weeping with those that weep this again is not our natural response. The natural response to the those who weep is that we would ignore or avoid them in order that we would not be brought down with them.

Yet as followers of Christ we must come alongside them and weep with them because of the love that we have for one another, their grief should grieve us as well.

This empathetic response is again the demonstration of the sincere love that we have for one another and will again distinguish us from the unbelieving world.

This is especially beneficial when we are all of the same mind toward one another and we share in one another’s joy and grief.

Real Condescension (Vs. 16b)

Condescension- Voluntary descent from rank, dignity or just claims; relinquishment of strict right; submission to inferiors in granting requests or performing acts which strict justice does not require.

Here we are instructed to condescend to men of low estate. In our society today we often think of being condescending as a negative and yet in the context it is used here condescension is what is needed.

Again this is not the natural response of men. The natural man displays a preference for “high things” those things which are prominent and held in high esteem.

Yet as followers of Christ we are to display the opposite tendency being willing to condescend to those who are not well-known or well-respected.

We must resist the temptation to display a partiality for men of reknown and significance. We must be willing to serve even the most lowly individual as Jesus Himself did.

Much of Jesus’ earthly ministry was spent among those who were the lowly, the outcasts, the people that society at large did not value.

This does not mean that our ministry should be exclusively to these but the natural tendency in society is to ignore these people because they do not have the ability to pay back your investment in them and yet as followers of Christ we must value these just as much as any other.

This verse ends with the warning that we would not be wise in our own conceits.

This simply means that we must not suppose that we know who is worthy of our investment. We tend to assume that the investment in the “lowly” is not going to pay off while the investment in the “prominent” will and yet God has proven time and time again that this is not always the case.

God has called and mightily used many from among the “lowly” in society.

Refusing Recompense (Vs. 17)

This again is an unnatural response. We are instructed here not to respond in kind to the evil treatment of men.

The natural tendency is to return evil for evil and yet this must not be our response.

The evil others commit may harm us and yet we must not stoop to the same level and return evil for evil.

As followers of Christ we are called to a higher standard and that is to do what is right towards all men regardless. Even when their evil behavior has negatively impacted us, we must resist the temptation to cease to do right by them.

Acts 24:16 KJV 1900

And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

We ought to have the same desire as did the Apostle Paul that we would live with a clear conscience not only towards God but also in our interactions with men.

Once again this type of response will clearly distinguish us from the unbelieving world.

A Summation (Vs. 18)

This verse provides somewhat of a summation of the instruction that has been given with regard to our interactions with others in the previous verse.

Ultimately it should be our desire to live peacably with all men so much as is possible without compromising our convictions.

This verse basically states that so much as it relies upon us we should endeavor to keep the peace with all men.

When we follow the instruction given in the previous verses, this will be the end result.

We may not always be at peace with all men but we should not be the one who stirs up strife or contention.

The world should know that we are not willing to compromise the truth of God’s Word and the convictions we have as a result but they should also know that we desire to live in a manner that promotes peace and not conflict.

It is not peace at any cost as some would practice, but we should not be looking for a fight or seeking to stir up strife.

Matthew 5:9 KJV 1900

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

1 Peter 3:11 KJV 1900

Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

Regardless of what some may think we are not called to be offensive and harsh but rather quite the opposite is true.

We can take a bold stand for the truth without being brash, and unkind.

Conclusion

The way that believers respond in their interactions with the lost and with one another ought to distinguish them from the unbelieving world.

The follower of Christ must demonstrate a consistent pattern of resisting their natural impulses and instead allowing the Spirit of God to enable them to respond as scripture instructs.

We cannot do it on our own but through the power of the Spirit of God we can demonstrate a noticeable distinction in our relationships with others.