FCC Love One Another Series: The Gospel Transforms Our Church (Romans 12:1-13)

Lord of the Rings

aura around the ring of power

only get glimpses of its true power

the gospel of Jesus is powerful

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

when gospel seed lands in right soil of our heart, produces up to 100 fold

but the gospel doesn’t only change YOU

the gospel creates a community

supernatural love (1 Corinthians 13)

Jew/Gentile

the gospel changes your home

The Gospel Transforms Our Church

only the gospel has the power to transform our church

The gospel (1-11)…

Paul has laid out God’s plan of salvation history

Gentiles are condemned

even Jews are condemned

only hope is in Jesus (GOSPEL)

salvation by works is a hopeless cause

your works are not good enough

because they are not perfect enough

only Jesus perfectly completed work and sacrifice on your behalf is enough

salvation is by grace through faith

salvation is not what we deserve

which is why it is called grace

Romans 11:33-36 pew Bible # 1126

now Paul shows how gift of salvation leads to a new life

transforms our life (12:1-2)…

therefore

since you are radically changed by the grace of God through Christ…

I appeal (urges) to you

NT sacrifice—to present your bodies as a living sacrifice

not a bull, not a goat, BUT YOU—ALL OF YOU

our culture screams “it’s all about me”

Christ from the cross cries out “it’s all about Me”

Christ gave His all

in return, He is worth our all

Jesus paid it all

All to Him I owe

Sin had left a crimson stain

He washed it white as snow

which is your spiritual worship

spiritual could be translated rational (λογικός) just makes sense

in light of God’s mercies in Christ

give Him your ALL

not one foot in & one foot out

not halfhearted worship

not lukewarm worship

not your Sunday mornings

not your tithe

ALL your days, ALL your finances, ALL your devotion

isn’t He worth it?

living sacrifice

in Christ

were dead but now alive (Eph 2)

problem: living sacrifices can choose to crawl off the altar

thus, we have to deny ourself, take up our cross daily, and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23)

be transformed

μεταμορφόω — metamorphosis

a radical change into something completely different

caterpillar—>butterfly

Mark 9:2—same word as Jesus being transfigured

how does this happen?

do not be conformed to this world

our mold better not be this world

People magazine, GQ, and social media better not be our guides

Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and LeBran James are not our models for life

but be transformed by the renewal of your mind

we are metamorphosed when we no longer suppress the truth of God’s Word (1:18)

a renewed mind does not think like the world

girlfriend at work who doesn’t know Jesus will not give you the same advice as a godly Christian walking with the Lord…she can’t

this is why you need godly Christians real close to you (like @ FCC)

who will point you to the Bible

once we discern God’s perfect will from His Word

we put it into action

otherwise we will not experience the full metamorphosis (life-changing power of the gospel)

the gospel will not only save you but transform you into the likeness of Jesus

but the transforming work doesn’t stop with you

which transforms our church (12:3-8)…

God’s mercies in Christ

reconciled us to God

and to one another—Jew/Gentile

like Paul is saying, “Congratulations!!! You are now one big happy family!!!”

but how’s this gonna work???

pride is not welcome

we live in a ME society that looks out for only 3 people—me, myself, and I

PRIDE is in; HUMILITY is out

don’t be weighted down by anyone (marriage or especially a church)

BUT NOT IN GOD’S FAMILY

humility will need to replace pride

and it starts with our thinking (4 TIMES)

12:3

not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think

but to think with sober judgment (“to think soberly”)

starts with a battle in the mind (Rom 12:2)

how do you attack pride?

think of your salvation—remember how you were saved

not by merit, but by grace

you did not get what you deserve

what’s the point of humility?

12:4-5

what’s the point of humility?

we need every member of our body, and we need every member of this church

consider our physical bodies

organs have interdependent relationship with one another

each organ is unique, but its identity is corporate

each organ contributes and depends on every other organ to contribute as well

should any organ cease to contribute its unique function, the whole body starts to suffer

Gary DeLashmutt in Loving God’s Way

“Imagine for a moment that your physical organs have the capacity of self-awareness, free choice, and self-expression. Suppose your liver, for example, didn’t agree with the corporate aspect of its identity. What if it decided, “I feel confined by these other organs—they are impairing my growth as an individual! I want to be free to be me!” Or what if it decided, “I feel like I’m an unnecessary appendage. It doesn’t matter whether I contribute anything to this body—it’ll be fine without me.” If your liver began to believe either of these assertions and acted consistently with these beliefs, you would be dead in a short time. Regardless of what your liver believes, it is a member of your body. As such, it needs the contribution of your other physical organs, and it makes a vital contribution to the overall healthy of your body.

What we understand and affirm about our own physical bodies, we often deny about ourselves as Christians.”

as a member of FCC, no matter what you feel, you are part of the body

everyone has unique role & is needed for us to be complete

strange

if bladder stopped functioning, headed to doctor

spiritual part of body stops functioning, we just try w/o them

health

if we are to be a healthy body, we need all parts operating

we need you, and you need us

tempted

we are tempted to think we are unimportant to the church

we are tempted to think we can live w/o the church

BUT God corrects our thinking through His Word

we must function as He designed us

one correction needs to be made in the American church

we are providers, not consumers

American church goers ask, “What’s in it for me?”

NT Christians ask, “How can I serve?”

The Compelling Community

“Spiritual consumers commit to a congregation to the extent that commitment benefits them;

spiritual providers commit because of the benefit they’ve already received in Christ.”

is the preacher wanting me to come to church more?

maybe, but that’s not the real issue

you can attend every meeting on this campus and still be a consumer

the way to be a provider is to utilize your spiritual gift for the benefit of the church

1 Cor 12:7

Gary DeLashmutt in Loving God’s Way, 22

“How can we discover our spiritual gifts?…We will discover our gifts only when we are involved with other Christians. God gives us spiritual gifts to build up other Christians. As we try to build up others, He will also affirm our areas of strength through the consistent feedback of other Christians who benefited from our service. But we will never get this sort of feedback unless we relate actively and regularly to other Christians.”

many of spiritual gifts are NOT FULLY utilized on Sundays when we gather

BUT THAT CANNOT BE HOW WE THINK OF CHURCH (1-2 hours in this building)

do we have such an interdependence on one another that shows our love for one another?

because the gospel does transform our love for one another

and transforms our love for one another (12:9-13)

emphasis will be on 3 statements about love

let love be genuine

look to Jesus’ example and command to love like He loves

John 13:34–35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.””

meaning

some translations—let love be without hypocrisy

genuine/sincere—lit. “without play acting” (BDAG)

emphasize false love that was possible between Jews and Gentiles

FCF—temptation to run from genuine, deep relationships

deepest joys and greatest hurts have come from relationships

all relationships have sin and grace (gold and dross)

easiest way to stay away from hurt—keep relationships shallow, surface level

also missing deepest joy

RS—let God transform our love for one another

what does it mean to have genuine love?

marked by affection, honor, and zeal (12:10-11)

false ways to love

love for gain

love for show (Pharisee)

being more involved with fellow Christians will expose more of THEIR SIN and MY SIN

if I truly want to be transformed into the image of Christ, then bring it on

God keeps us in messy relationships for His redemption purposes

Relationships: A Mess Worth Making

“We would prefer that God would just change the relationship, but he won’t be content until the relationship changes us too. This is how God created relationships to function. What happens in the messiness of relationships is that our hearts are revealed, our weaknesses are exposed, and we start coming to the end of ourselves. Only when this happens do we reach out for the help God alone can provide. Weak and needy people finding their hope in Christ’s grace are what mark a mature relationship. The most dangerous aspect of your relationships is not your weakness, but your delusions of strength. Self-reliance is almost always a component of a bad relationship. While we would like to avoid the mess and enjoy deep and intimate community, God says that it is in the very process of working through the mess that intimacy is found. Which relationships are most meaningful to you? Most likely they are the ones that involved working through difficulty and hardship.”

let your love be genuine

press into relationships with one another

do not run from them

love one another with brotherly affection

some translations—be devoted to one another in brotherly love

who would people say you are devoted to?

family (of course)

Paul is now saying your family is now a whole lot larger

devotion is now to all those brothers and sisters in Christ (especially members at FCC)

philadelphia—warm, familial love

this does not come natural

this is why Paul says that it takes devotion

seek to show hospitality

how does this have anything to do with love?

which means “lover of strangers”

Heb 13:2 really picks up literal meaning

LN “to receive and show hospitality to a stranger, that is, someone who is not regarded as a member of the extended family or a close friend”

gospel changes our relationships

“We’re not only sinners made alive; we’re strangers made one.”

church of this size means people are strangers to you

why combined service

why name tags

BUT doesn’t automatically mean you seek to show hospitality

NT uses—commanded or required

φιλοξενία (Rom 12:13)

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling (1 Peter 4:9)

Acts 28:7—Publius hosting Paul for 3 days (hospitably)

requirement of an elder (hospitable—1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:8)

when we gather

starts when you arrive

give preference of best parking spots to others

don’t rush in and rush out—plan to linger

since hospitality means “lover of strangers”

guests are a priority

try your best to welcome guests

temptation is to talk to people we know

fight cliques by prioritizing guests

how different would it be if you asked a guest to sit by you on their first visit

or invited them to lunch afterwards

what groups of people are strangers to you?

what if you chose to sit in a different pew every week (gasp)

FOR THE PURPOSE TO GET TO KNOW SOMEONE NEW?

different stage of life

young; mature

kids; no kids

relationships are a priority in a church

and when we scatter

primary way of hospitality in NT times

host strangers in your home (no hotels)

if we reduce church to a service on this property, we have missed the point

we must see church as people to invest in, not a building to sit in

since we are the family of God, we don’t let social barriers get in the way of who we invest in

age, race, stage of life, income level

invite people over for dinner

I hear there is a lunch today

attend a wedding of members you barely know

picture this: college students inviting families to dorm rooms for ramen noodle dinner

our world would not know what to do with this

evangelistic strategy

John 13:34-35

not dismissed, but sent

sent to love God, love each other, and love our world

The Gospel Transforms Our Church

INTRODUCE RILEY RAY