I Promise to Put Others First

Introduction

I have questions today! Do you?

What is happening to our nation and our world? Are we feeling the birth pangs of the final days before Christ returns for His church?

What should we do? Pretend this pandemic was no big deal? Folks, it was and is a big deal, with 100,000 Americans dead, businesses and jobs lost, fear choking the life out of people, confusion rushing through our world like an out of control wildfire. What is going on?

And then we have the brutal and senseless killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. His death is just the latest in a growing list of similar tragedies. No wonder the African American community is upset.

However, the current burning down of businesses and out of control aggression towards law officers and others in authority has much deeper connotations than meets the eye. We know that curse-ridden aggression, violence, destruction, and hatred are evil. Anyone can see, if their eyes are open, that evil has flooded our streets.

There are plenty of well meaning people trying to make their voices heard…speaking out against the brutality shown to George Floyd and others. But those well meaning people are getting buried under the flood of people whose intentions are set upon destruction and chaos.

The enemy of our souls, the liar and destroyer, Satan himself is working overtime. Make no mistake, when evil floods our streets, media, homes, and politics, we are at war. It may feel like we are at war with people that seem to be instigating this madness. We are not! Rather, we are in a spiritual battle for the soul of our nation and our world.

Since this is a war…how do we, as followers of Christ, make a difference? Do we fight fire with fire - hate with hate - violence with violence? No! That will only get us deeper into the pit. This is a spiritual war…we must fight it with spiritual tools:

Ephesians 6:10–17 NIV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The Apostle Paul wrote those words to the church at Ephesus. They were engaged in a battle to defend and uphold the truth of the Gospel against “sheep in wolves’ clothing”.

Today’s promise is found in Romans 12 - In the first 11 chapters of Romans Paul drives home the great hope we have in Jesus - the promise of salvation because of His sacrifice. He also emphasizes the fact that salvation is for all people, Jews and Gentiles alike

The Message of Romans 17. Our Relationship to God: Consecrated Bodies and Renewed Minds (12:1–2)

Now all believers, irrespective of their ethnic origin, are brothers and sisters in the one international family of God, and so all have precisely the same vocation to be the holy, committed, humble, loving and conscientious people of God.

Beginning in chapter 12, Paul exhorts the believers about how they should live..

Romans 12:1–2 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Our focus today is upon what Paul taught them about Christian living. Our promise for this week is not a promise from God to us, but from us to God and one another

Romans 12:15–16 NIV

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Jesus' love moved Him to give Himself for us - His love in us motivates us to give ourselves for each other and the world.

Transitional: “I promise to put others first”

How can we effectively put others first? It’s all about God’s love working in us and through us

Sincere Love (Romans 12:9a, 14)

“Let love be without hypocrisy” (9a)

“Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.” (14)

The church is not a theater or a stage — The love of God is real and it belongs in the real world

As we love one another with sincerity - the world will take note. Jesus’ love was not an act or a show…it was as real as it gets.

How can we keep the promise of putting others first and loving them with God’s love?

Discerning Love (9b)

It is about more than feelings or emotions - the love of Christ in us sees clearly and loves accordingly

“Hate what is evil; Cling to what is good.”

God’s love is not blind - it is deeper than that

Let us love others so deeply and passionately that we hate every evil that would come against them to destroy them.

If we discern and know someone is under attack, that is our call to pray and act accordingly

Love’s hatred of evil is a strong abhorrence — visceral

Love’s clinging to what is good can be described as sticking or bonding…with super glue…determination based upon discernment.

How can we keep the promise of putting others first and loving them with God’s love?

Devoted Love (10)

“Love one another deeply, as brothers and sister. Outdo one another in showing love” (10)

philostorgos…a word used to describe the natural affection/love you have for close relatives — but Paul applies this word to the tender, warm affection which should unite the members of God’s family.

How can we keep the promise of putting others first and loving them with God’s love?

Enthusiastic Love (11)

“Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord.”

Fervent in spirit — bubbling (boiling) over, aglow with the Spirit

Use that fervor in service to the Lord and love to others

How can we keep the promise of putting others first and loving them with God’s love?

Patient Love (12)

“Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.”

No matter what we face, we can love passionately because we have hope in Christ’s return one day - this fact motivates us to love more deeply than every

How can we keep the promise of putting others first and loving them with God’s love?

Generous Love (13)

“Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.” (13)

The Message of Romans 19. Our Relationship to One Another: Love in the Family of God (12:9–16)

Origen commented: ‘We are not just to receive the stranger when he comes to us, but actually to enquire after, and look carefully for, strangers, to pursue them and search them out everywhere, lest perchance somewhere they may sit in the streets or lie without a roof over their heads.’

How can we keep the promise of putting others first and loving them with God’s love?

Sympathetic Love (15)

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (15)

This verse (and 16) is CENTRAL to today’s message

The love of God in us cannot be apathetic towards other people’s joys or pains.

Our love should cause us to identify with them…sing with them, suffer with them.

Our love seeks to walk with them in the depth of their pain…experience their emotions, their laughter, and their tears

Our love causes us to be with them in spirit

How can we keep the promise of putting others first and loving them with God’s love?

Peaceful Love (16a)

“Live in harmony with one another.” (16a)

Literal: “Think the same thing towards one another.” Be of the same mind…live in agreement with one another.

When it comes to fellow believers, we should have a common mind, because our minds have been renewed by Christ

How can we keep the promise of putting others first and loving them with God’s love?

Humble Love (16b)

“Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.” (16b)

Do no be a snob - do not heap judgement upon the world

Yes, we recognize evil…we acknowledge it…but we fight it on God’s terms…a spiritual battle.

Associate with the humble...

Jesus associated freely with with social rejects and calls us to do the same with equal freedom.

CONCLUDING CHALLENGE

We cannot turn a blind eye:

To sin, pride, hatred within our own heart

Towards self, fellow believers, family, friends, the world around us

The tragic condition of our nation and the world

If we don’t pray and demonstrate God’s love, who will?

We have a voice…we must use it to point others toward the only hope this world has

Prayer, repentance, humble attitude

2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Jesus' love moved Him to give Himself for us - His love in us motivates us to give ourselves for each other and the world

The world is on the precipice of final judgment.

Those that don’t know Jesus need to hear the truth and be invited to follow Him and experience His love

The people of God should not be silent but our message should not be one that gets caught up in the mud, evil, and hatred so common on social media

We have the message…the truth…the only hope anyone has

So let us pray diligently, motivated by God’s love in us, motivated to see our world flooded with the love of Christ

Let us act and speak out of the love of God in us.