Romans 12:3-21
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Living for Jesus in Difficult Times.
Living for Jesus in Difficult Times.
Good morning my friends, Here we are, we are at the second week of Advent, and moving closer to Christmas.
With Christmas moving closer and closer, I want to encourage you to worship, to spend more and more time in prayer and praise, specifically thanking God for His glorious gift.
The gift of His Son, the Lord Jesus.
It is hard to imagine that God would do that, that He would give so sacrificially to a broken world, He did that for us, because He loved us.
Wow....
So be faithful each day to worship and give God praise as we move toward this special day.
Now today we come back to the book of Romans, chapter 12 and we will look at the rest of the chapter, verses 3-21
Now remember, last week we looked at the first 2 verses, and it was there Paul called for believers to present themselves as a living sacrifice before God. Submitting ourselves before Him wholly and freely asking nothing but giving our self in worship.
Also, Paul says we are called to be transformed (not only salvation) but in the mind so that we might discover and know the good, perfect and acceptable will of God.
And with this text Paul gives further instructions for living in this text and this is where we will begin today.
So lets look at this first thought....
1. Be Humble.....
Humility is a difficult pathway in life. The reason being is sin, that old nature likes to be boastful, it likes to blow or toot its own horn.
But as we open this text, Paul calls for us to change our way of thinking
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Did you see what Paul said there?
Paul in this writing to those believers in Rome, and he admonishes them to not think they are better than others around them.
You know why? Pride kills. Look at what he says in verse 3… “...for by the grace given to me....” Paul once thought a lot of himself and his place in this world. Remember he was a Jew, a Pharisee, from the tribe of Benjamin, zealous and the list goes on and on…
But Paul had a life changing experience, you see that in Acts chapter 9, God saved him, redeemed him and later called him to the the last of the Apostles.
Remember, Paul has just reminded them that not to be conformed to the world which includes they judgement they exercised about themselves toward others. They were to have a transformed mind which meant they could not let pride rule their lives and speak judgments on others.
So what were they to do.... push pride out of the way. the send of verse 3 says they were to think with sober judgment.
Now the word “think” is unique here, it is not having this intellectual process in the way one views something, it really connotes the way they as Christians think of themselves with respect to others in the church.
Paul says that’s pride and it will kill your spiritual life and the life of the church.
Lets take a page out of Paul's play book for us now, We were shown mercy and grace, God saved us. We were lost sinners and in need. He saved us and has treated us just like everyone else.
* No one gets more than anyone else in the household of faith.
So w are to be humble, we are all the same at the foot of the cross.
Now look at verse 3 again
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Paul says the only thing that is different is the measure of faith that God has assigned....
What does that mean? Lets break this into a couple thoughts...
A. First off, faith is given to all, and it is given equally. God has not given me any more faith than you, but how we believe and trust God in the midst of that faith is it.
Let me ask you a question, Did Peter have faith, Yes! But there was a moment he doubted, literally was double minded as he walked on the water and he then began to sink.
Peter had faith, He trusted but in a moment of crisis his faith waned and doubt set in..
So God has given the same faith to all. But going on to what Paul says next, we know with great certainty that God gives different members have different gifts.
B. God gives different gifts… Look at verses 4-6 again Romans 12:4-6
4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;
So Paul reminds them, just as the physical body is made up of many members, each having its part and importance. So it is the church. every member is important and each has it’s own skill or “gift” that serves the rest of the body and the Lord.
So we might be the little toe, but can we say it’s not important. No! Can we live without it, yes but the body has to learn t be steady on 4 toes not the intended 5. So it may seem unimportant, but friends it is important.
So are each of us. I’m not more important than you, and vice versa. We are to be humble, thankful and working together to serve others and our Lord.
So be humble.... Now you might say, I dont know my gift. I can help you with that, discovering it. Just ask me to help.
Now lets move forward… to our second thought today… are you ready?
2. Be Genuine....
Not only are you to be humble, but Paul calls us to “Be Genuine....” or you might say be real. Be genuine in all that you are as you live toward others. Let’s go back to our text, verses 9-13
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Paul shares some very important thoughts with the reader here. As a child of God these truths cannot be neglected, they cannot be overlooked. So here is what he says.
A. Let your love be genuine
Love is one of the many blessings of God, He has loved us and through that love we better understand the work He does in and though us. And likewise as God has loved us, we are called to love others as well.
Here Paul reminds us to have a sincere love toward those around us, we cannot pretend to love others, we are to have unhypocritical love.
God commanded His people to love one another in Leviticus 19:18 and Jesus tells us in the New Testament, that we should love others just as He loved us John 13:34....
Think of this, the love that God had for the Son, that love was shared with mankind and so Paul says let you love be sincere. We could also cite Paul’s word in I Cor 13:1-3, love is at the center of all we do.. remember what Paul summed up at the end of I Cor 13....
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
So how can we show that love? How can we reveal it?
1. Hate what is evil…cling to what is good....a true characteristic of love says we must hate evil. This isn't a new thought, if you love God we must hate evil.
Psalm 97:10 says “ O you who love the Lord, hate evil...” But the sad thing is Satan has so shaped our culture, people are lulled into a state of tolerance toward sin and sinful actions.
2. Outdo one another in showing honor.... set the standard to defer to another instead seeking to let yourself be first. Paul tells the church at Philipi this, listen to Paul words in Phil 2:3
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
3. Never lack zeal, Be fervent in Spirit, Serve the Lord.... In your service before God and others, do it with all your heart and soul. Do that task, as if you are doing it for God and God alone. Paul has said on more than one occasion Col 3:23
23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
Serving your family, don’t do it for them, do it for Jesus. Serving other, do it for Jesus. Serving someone who is difficult to love, do it for Jesus. there is where we honor God my friends.
Listen to what Paul says next in verse 12....
4. Rejoice in Hope, Patient in tribulation and Constant in prayer.... When you read this, you see Paul is admonishing those believers to keep their eyes on the prize that awaits them. Listen, what we rejoice in here, while good is temporal. Our true hope is the fulfillment of our salvation, when we finally see Jesus in His city.
So in that hold that hope close to your heart, remembering that any suffering here is for a little while. And that is difficult, it is difficult to be patient, confident in times of suffering, tribulation. But the only way to achieve this is by prayer.
To remain on your knees in prayer allows us to keep hold of the truth and promises of God. And here this, if Satan can keep you from prayer then He doesn’t have to worry about you disrupting his dark kingdom.
The last thing Paul would challenge those believers and us for that matter, that is still tied to letting our love be genuine is this...
5. Give to other needs of other believers and show hospitality.... Paul has always encouraged others to do good to all people, especially those in the house hold of faith.
In the early church there was great needs, poverty was high and the so were those in need of help. Not much had changed when we look around today. We should take care of those around us in need.
It’s not the governments responsibility, it is the church’s responsibility to help their brothers and sisters and to do so generously.
Showing hospitality is a bit different, in Paul’s day there were not many Inn’s for Christians and others who were traveling. So it was critical for others to help those passing through, like Paul or other leaders when they visited their communities.
Today, we can show hospitality by simply seeking to serve each other from our abundance. A meal, a place to find comfort, assisting someone who is home bound or helping someone get to and from doctor’s appointment.
What is common for each of these things Paul has shared? Love is the common denominator. Genuine love can and will find victory in all that we hope to do for the glory and honor of God.
How is your love? Bless every home will test your love… if you will not pray for those around you, how can you say you love people...
Do you have genuine love....
Now just one last thought today… Paul knows and understands that life in this world is challenging, difficult at times… but the challenge is the same...
3. Over come Evil with Good...
As we look at the last part of chapter 12, We find Paul sharing Christian characteristics that will make a difference in the lives of those around us.
So just has Paul has called for people to be humble, to love genuinely, here he challenges believers to overcome evil with good.
Lets look at verses 14-21...
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Let me ask you a question, does this remind you of anything?
It sounds kind of like the Beattitudes that Jesus shared on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Right?
So Christians are called to treat those outside the household of faith the same way we treat those in the church, in love.
So lets look at how Paul is telling the church to act in the midst of a hostile world, and friend pay attention. Why? The world is growing more and more hostile toward the church, toward Christians.
So look at what he says.... Bless those who persecute you and do not curse them. Wow, those who treat you terribly, bless them and do no harm to them, not even to speak poorly of them or to curse them.
Here is what I see.... Paul is calling us to have the same mind Jesus had… Jesus loved those around him, even on the cross He said “... Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing…” Luke 23:34, ...
So as Rome’s attitude toward the church was changing.. when they harm you or hurt you, when they lock you up or beat you. Ask God to bless them and do not curse them.
Why should we do this? Well if you drop down to verse 19 for just a minute, look at Paul’s words.. Romans 12:19
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Paul is reminding us of a great truth, God is the Sovereign Judge of the universe and all who are in it. It is not up to us to punish those or return violence to those who have harmed us.
Why?
The Lord is the only one who can fairly repay the wages of a person’s actions, He alone is judge. He will repay in due time all those who have done evil.
Paul knew the church didn’t have to fight against Rome, God would take care of them in due time, and the same is true for us. God will take care of every person and group that seeks to hurt His church....
Now let move on.... go back to verses Romans 12:15-18
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
When you look at verse 15, I want you to see my friends something special. In a lifetime, people experience blessings and of course sorrows. but remember my friends, we are the church, we are a living family so when one rejoices we rejoice and when one is hurting, we all experience that hurt.
Do you remember the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15), when he returned the father called for all to rejoice, even though the elder brother did not… And do you remember when Lazarus died, the family was struck with sorrow and the Scriptures tell us that Jesus wept John 11:35 , ...
And as the body, again, we are all the same, no one is over another or better than another. We are the body! So the command is to love one another, care for one another and live peaceably with one another.
Now verse 20-21 is unique… Romans 12:20-21
20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
What does Paul mean by this phrase “....for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”.....
When you express love by both word and deed, toward those around us, especially those who are evil, those actions will glorify God.
But it will cause your oppressors to feel shame for their wrong doings to you and or the church. It will bring them under conviction and should lead them to conversion, but it they harden their heart toward God they face judgement.
My friends, the love of God, and good deed done in his name will always overcome evil.
So what is our responsibility?
We remain humble, we are all the same, made in the image of God. and thus we should treat everyone well, regardless of who they are...
We are called to love genuinely, we should share the love of God by what we do and say...
And we are to always seek to overcome evil with good.
This is what is required of us, as we living in front of God.
So how are you doing if you had to grade yourself?
Lets pray...