Overcoming Evil With Good

Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
A life that is sacrificed to God. That is what we have been talking about. Paul has laid out the idea that we are to be living sacrifices to God. He has spent a great deal of time working on what is salvation in this letter to the Christians is Rome, but now as he gets into practicalities, he is emphasizing what a Christian Life Looks like.
Last week we talked about our gifting as God has continued to gift us as we grow in him. The Holy Spirit has gifted you, as You grow in Christ your gifting will be down to the very heart of who you are.
But in that gifting we have to deal with others in fellowship and that is what this is all about. How the sacrificial living plays out in our fellowship with others. One where love is the is the key test to our sacrificial living, loving especially our enemy.
Romans 12:9-21
Romans 12:9-21
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Love in the Face of Evil
Love in the Face of Evil
Rome was a place of great things at the time of Paul’s writing. An empire. but it was also a place that in order to keep the peace didn’t like change or things that was different.
If you have studied history you know that this is a common theme. Christians being new and a change faced hate, evil, persecution. And this would and is a temptation to retaliate instead of love.
Jews had already suffered in Rome, having been expelled from the city several years before by the emperor Claudius, who ruled prior to Nero. They were eventually let back in, but the damage that was done. The resentment. The trauma.
Yet Paul was calling to overcome evil with good, with love.
The Church in Rome had a new group of people joining it Jews and Gentiles working together, Slaves and free. Yes there was conflict. You know that thing we pretend doesn’t happen at churches but does and we often just pack up and leave because we don’t want to deal with it. There wasn’t options back then.
The love of which Paul speaks is agape, the selfless, unconditional expression of grace and compassion exemplified by the love of God for sinners (John 3:16; Rom. 5:5, 8).
Just as nothing can separate the believer from the benefits of God’s agape (Rom. 8:35, 39), so nothing should be able to come between a believer and his or her love for sinners (Rom. 13:10; 14:15).
Without hypocrisy.
“Hypocrite” was used in the Greek world of the actor who wore masks to portray the emotion of his character—sincere Christians wear no masks. What you see is (should be) what you get, and Paul says that others should see love.
It would be hypocritical to hate what is good and cling to what is evil; therefore, hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Fellowship
Fellowship
We like to talk about fellowship as a part of church life. But it can only truly happen when we abhor what it evil and cling to what is good. We like to hold on to grudges, be bitter, instead of letting it go or forgiving.
Chip Ingram in his book “Living on the Edge” sums up this section saying. “Authentic Community Occurs when the real you (v9) Meets Real Needs (v10) For the right Reasons (v11) in the right way (v12-13). (Ingram 166)
The Real you is authentic without mask, hating what is evil. Cling to what is good
Meetings needs, being devoted to one another in brotherly love. Giving preference to one another in honor
For the Right Reasons of serving the Lord as a living sacrifice. We love because we are first loved.
In the right way which is upward focused. We can tell when we are focusing wrong as a church because we start looking at each other. That person did this. I don’t like the way they did this. Those people are in a click and I am on the outside. Instead our focus should be up, rejoicing in hope, devoted to prayer, preserving in time of troubles. Contribution to the need of the saints.
Who are the saints - Believers.
And no matter what the circumstance. If it is outward struggles or inward, in the church or outside the church, we pray for those who persecute us
44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Just as Jesus did in Luke 23:34 “34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.”
You may not be able to control others behavior but you can yours. So as far as you are concerned love or at least work towards it. I know we aren’t perfect but we can work towards.
In Praying for you enemy. In Feeding them , Living a life of sacrifice we leave it to God to handle.
And prayerfully we aid them in coming to a place of repentance to God.
14 For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
God will handle it. It is an act of Trust.
We are to be a blessing. Proverbs 25:21-22
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
22 for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.
This might be referencing an Egyptian ritual in which a penitent showed his repentance by carrying on his head a dish containing burning charcoals on a layer of ashes.
Next Steps
Next Steps
The point of last section in Romans 12 is to do toward others what God has done toward us: forgive as we have been forgiven (Eph. 4:32).
God loved us when we were enemies (Rom. 5:10; Col. 1:21).
Though Israel is an enemy of the gospel still (Rom. 11:28), God loves her.
And we are to love those who are our enemies.
We are not to be overcome by evil but to overcome evil with good.
The believer’s response to God’s mercy is personal sacrifice that will strengthen life in the church as well as personal relationships.
Bibliography
Bibliography
Ingram, Chip. Living on the Edge: Dare to Experience True Spirituality. New York, NY: Howard Books, 2009
Boa, Kenneth, and William Kruidenier. Romans. Vol. 6 of Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000.
Questions for Further discussion
Questions for Further discussion
What is the main idea that Paul emphasized in Romans 12 according to the sermon?
How does the speaker define the love that Paul speaks of in Romans 12:9-21?
What does the speaker mention as the key test to sacrificial living in fellowship with others?
What does Chip Ingram sum up as the essence of authentic community in the sermon?
How does the speaker suggest believers should respond to their enemies according to Romans 12?
How does the concept of agape love relate to the sacrificial living discussed in the sermon?
In what ways did the early Christians in Rome face challenges related to being sacrificial in their love towards others?
What biblical reference does the speaker use to support the idea of loving one's enemies in the sermon?
According to the sermon, how does sacrificial living strengthen both life in the church and personal relationships?
How can believers apply the concept of agape love in their relationships with others on a daily basis?
What does it mean to authentically abhor what is evil and cling to what is good in the context of fellowship, as discussed in the sermon?
How can believers respond to conflicts and disagreements within the church community in a way that aligns with the teachings of Romans 12?
In what practical ways can believers work towards loving their enemies as instructed in the sermon?
How can believers demonstrate genuine forgiveness and sacrificial love in their interactions with difficult people, as outlined in the sermon?
What steps can believers take to shift their focus from inward struggles and conflicts to upward-focused living, as suggested in the sermon?
How can believers cultivate a spirit of prayer and perseverance in times of trouble within the church community, based on the teachings in Romans 12?
In what ways can believers trust God to handle situations of conflict and persecution, and actively be a blessing to those around them, as discussed in the sermon?