A New Command - Part 3

Thank you for taking a few moments from your time gathering together to join us. It is great to see everybody.

What has been a Challenge this past week? What has been a victory this week? What does your work schedule look like as things are changing? How are your relationships and thoughts you have as you return to work? Is there a unique dynamic at work?

Announcements:

We are inviting you to join us for outdoor chapel at All American Chapel 1100 on Sunday.

This Tuesday, June 2nd, men’s group will meet back at the Hospitality House this at 6pm. I will Zoom at 745 pm for those that would like to join us that way.

We will have sign ups for the quarry June 13 and July 3rd. We are limited to 25 people for now.

Prayer and Praise -

For the past few weeks we have been looking at the command that Christ has given us. We began by looking at this verse and that we can see the newness is not the command to love one another, but rather the source of the command is new. That is the love we are to love others with is, the love that comes from Jesus Christ. When love people the way that we are loved by Jesus we will testify to those that are around us that who we really are, that we are Jesus disciples. For those of you who are joining us for the first time this passage comes from John 13:34-35, Jesus is in the upper room giving loving his disciples and leaving some final teaching with them.

English Standard Version Chapter 13

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. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

We then discussed what were some challenges that could keep us from loving other and what we could do to love others well.

The first challenge that I saw was the challenges that came from within. The second challenge that was most prevalent was maybe that we were not sure how best to help in ways that would be effective.

As I began to reflect on what we discussed I think that Romans 12 would be a helpful chapter for us to study that would expand on what it would look like for us to love one another as Jesus loved us.

Last week we looked at Romans 12: 1-8. This passage, from what I attempted to point, shows us that there are challenges that come from ourselves and how we then overcome these challenges. We overcome our challenges by presenting ourselves to God as a sacrifice and renew our minds so that we do not conform to what the world may have us bend to.

One of the things that I find interest in is wood working. Recently I was looking at some crazy projects that people completed. I saw this chair someone made out of strips of plywood that was bent in to a curved shape. I was curious to see how this completed. So I watched a couple of videos that showed how it was done. What it involved was a form or forming table, a ton of clamps, and water. Now I was curious at this because the one thing you want to keep away from wood is water as it can weaken and damage the wood. That was the point the water was used to weaken the wood. I will save you the details on why this works, but as the wood is wet it can be bent and plied to the shape that it is being conformed to. As I was watching this video it occured to me that this is kind of what we see in Romans 12:2. The water is what we put in our mind. The media we listen, watch, and read the activities we participate in, and thoughts we have and things we tell ourselves. The mold or form is the worldview through which we interpret these things. To what shape then are we being formed. Are we being formed to look like Christ or the world in which we live?

As to help us understand what our form should look like, Paul continues in verse 3 with how we are think of ourselves correctly. I use this term because the passage says that we are not to-think of ourselves more highly that we ought. This also includes those that may think too low of themselves too. A dear brother in Christ jokes around when he paraphrases the a Bible passage calling it MOV My own Version, though this is not orthodox he uses these paraphrase to help us better understand the passage. MOV would that that we are not to think more highly or lowly of ourselves that we ought to. The point is that we are to look or think of ourselves in light of how God would look at us or think of us. I include this because there is a prevailing worldview in our culture that encourages people to view the self in a poor light, but this is a backwards way of elevating the self in a different and often subtle way.

So, with the correct view of ourselves in mind we are can observe people that are around us together are all different. Forgive my obvious observation but I think it important. You cannot compare things that are different and expect them to be or function similarly. Yet the passage instructs us that we are still all unified in one body in Christ. Our unification is in Jesus alone, nothing else. We may enjoy or not enjoy similarities or differences that exist among ourselves, but we are still loving one another and coming together in Christ Jesus.

So how do we do this? Paul does not leave us there and say figure it out. He gives us instructions that we can see how we can express this love we have from Christ to each other. Lets read Romans 12:9-21.

English Standard Version Chapter 12

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.

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.

Verse 9 I believe is key. Be genuine in your love. You cannot fake this.

Verses 10- 16 are within the body of Christ is

Verses 17-21

From our passage today,

What are the ways that Paul teaches us how to love one another Jesus’ disciples? (Romans 12:9-21_