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By the Mercies of God...
Hurricane Dorian battered the Bahamas for nearly 2 solid days.
180+ mph winds destroyed everything.
The death toll continues to rise as hundreds of people remain unaccounted for.
There is a realization of just how powerless human beings are when something like this happens.
We cannot stop a hurricane and we cannot stop the storm of God’s wrath that is fixed on us outside of faith in Christ.
We will not understand these verse, or the verse from last week, until we get the magnitude of what Paul says here.
“While we were powerless...”
180+ mph winds destroyed everything.
The death toll continues to rise as hundreds of people remain unaccounted for.
There is a realization of just how powerless human beings are when something like this happens.
We cannot stop a hurricane and we cannot stop the storm of God’s wrath that is fixed on us outside of faith in Christ.
“At the right time…Christ died for the ungodly.”
“But God demonstrates his own love for us...”
“While we were still sinners...”
“Christ died for us.”
By the mercies of God, not by our effort, not by our religious deeds, not by being a good neighbor, a hard worker, a devoted parent, or a caring person.
Our only response is SACRIFICE.
Giving ourselves fully and completely to the Lord as our most appropriate act of worship.
Last week we talked about the indicators of genuine love from verse 9-13
Today we continue with 14-21.
Genuine Love PRODUCES TRANSFORMATION
What Paul commands in vs 14 is outside of any natural impulse any of us would have.
To bless means to seek the good of someone.
Paul is telling us to seek the good of those who hurt us.
This is a command that is DISTINCTLY Christian.
But this is a command
It is only by faith in Jesus that we can bless those that persecute us.
most human being would respond to love with love, goodness with goodness.
But responding with love to someone who is persecuting your is uniquely Christian.
The very posture of this verse goes against the grain of our culture.
It is easier today that ever before to speak out against our enemies through social media and our connectedness we can defend ourselves, slander someone without actually saying their name.
We can argue without ever speaking an audible word.
But the posture of this passage speaks to a much higher call and a much more glorious purpose.
You don’t seek to bless those who hurt you without a radical reorientation of the Spirit of God.
You don’t give up the opportunity for vindication without a transformative experience with the redeeming work of Jesus and the Spirit of God bearing fruit in your life.
The love of Christ we have experienced WILL BE transformational.
It is only a redeemed heart that would ever be willing to forfeit their own salvation to ensure his people would be saved.
Genuine Love PROMOTES HARMONY.
The word harmony here is literally translated “minding the same thing toward one another.”
Paul is calling them to be united in mind with one another, to live in harmony.
Harmony is when everything is functioning together is a smooth and unified manner.
Think of a car engine running perfectly, the valves opening, the spark plugs firing, the air coming in and exhaust going out.
That is harmony.
We often think that Harmony requires complete agreement, but that is not true.
Harmony comes from what we have in common:
We are all saved by the grace of God by faith in Christ.
We all have the Spirit of God if we have trusted in Christ.
We all have the Word of God as our guide in all things.
The only way we maintain harmony is when we do not let PRIDE rule in our hearts.
Pride sows the seeds of discord within the church.
The tendency to think of oneself as worthy of preferential treatment robs from the transformative power of the Gospel in our lives.
(Never be haughty) If the Gospel’s declaration that you are not worthy of salvation, but Christ died while you were yet a sinner doesn’t humble you, then unity and harmony are not possible.
(never be wise in your own sight) If we rely on personal preferences, traditions, what we are most comfortable with, rather than being guided by the world of God, we will not have harmony.
Genuine Love PURSUES PEACE.
Paul says to not pay back evil with more evil.
Little is gained in returning evil for evil.
He is not talking about justice, but seeking to avenge yourself when you have been hurt or sinned against.
We feel the need to strike back if we have been struck and often act out or our emotion and our desire to save face in the eyes of others.
But Paul says our response should rather be to seek peace “so far as it depends on us.”
The pursuit of peace is driven by the humility that we don’t have to win.
It comes from finding our identity not in what other people think of us, but what God thinks of us in Christ.
It comes from the willingness to pay a price in order for peace to be attained.
Pursuing peace will cost us, but the reward is far greater.
Pursuing peace leads us to avoid the damage of disharmony.
The way we pursue peace is found in the next verse.
rom 12 19
Let the vengeance and justice of God be the source of your motivation for pursuing peace.
All injustice, all sin, all pain will be paid for in full, either in Christ’s saving work on the cross, or in punishment from the Lord.
We can rest, knowing that justice will be served.
Genuine Love PERSISTS in FORGIVENESS.
There is true rest in genuine love because you no longer have to carry around the pain and anger of being hurt or sinned against.
But harmony absolutely re
Though it is not explicitly mentioned in this passage, forgiveness is how we can accomplish what Paul commands in verses 19-20.
How else are we ever going to be able to “Feed our enemies” or “give them something to eat.”
Only when we can forgive in reflection of how we have been forgiven are we able to do that.
I think about the story of Joseph in Genesis.
sold into slavery by his brothers out of jealousy.
Then tossed into prison after being falsely accused of rape
He finally makes it to the second in command in Egypt, and God brings his brothers to him.
He has every right based on our standards to kick them out and let them starve, or even to send them to jail like he ended up in.
But Joseph forgave his brothers, proclaiming “What you meant for evil, God used for good.”
Joseph was able to forgive when he saw the bigger picture of God’s grace and love.
Genuine Love PROCLAIMS CHRIST.
Both in our words and our deeds.
Paul is saying “Serve the needs of those who persecute you in order that the love of Christ may be exemplified in you.”
1 peter 2 9
Peter is speaking to a people who are being harassed, beat up, ostracized, imprisoned, and even killed for their faith in Christ.
And rather than saying, “Keep quiet; stay away from those that might hurt you.” or “Don’t let them beat you up, get your bat, get your gun and defend yourself.”
No, like Paul, Peter says
Know who you are in Christ- you are not defined by the world’s standard, but by God’s standards.
Also, proclaim with our mouths the excellencies of the one who called us out of darkness and brought us into marvelous life.
Speak the name of Jesus not as a good teacher and a friend, but as a righteous and holy savior who has set you free by His mercy and Grace.
Be good to those who persecute you- be honorable, abstain from the passions of the flesh.
Be different, not for different sake, but because Jesus has transformed you.
Let your conduct be driven by the Spirit of God not the passions of the flesh.
rom 8 5-
gal 5 22-2
The Spirit in us allows us to be walking, talking billboards to the Glory of God.
2 cor 5
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