Rom 12-Some Marks of the Body

| Some Marks of Christ’s Body! Romans 12 (NLT)

February 5, 2006 1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.3 As God’s messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.6 God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. 7 If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.9 Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.12 Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. 13 When God’s children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.14 If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible.19 Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, “I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,” says the Lord.20 Instead, do what the Scriptures say: “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you.”21 Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good. PRAY Scripture memory:Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. – Romans 12:4-5 NIV  INTRO:The family where every member lived for themself…  The basis: God’s mercy      The starting point, the crucial cornerstone…      There is no way we can apply the truths we will be looking at this morning apart from the supernatural work of the Spirit of God in our hearts and lives. The challenge: A new paradigm for livingRomans 12:2 NASB – Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind….NLT Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.      Note how both are passive: Do not BE conformed, rather BE transformed. The recipients: Those who are a part of Christ’s body – A local church (vv. 4-5)4 NIV Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. The image: A body with many very different but necessary partsF    Each part is different (v. 5 NIV – these members do not all have the same function)The toe is not a finger. The knee is not a muscle. The eye is not an ear, etc. F    Each part functions uniquely (v. 5)The eye cannot touch or hear. The hand cannot enable us to walk. The muscles cannot work apart from the bones. F    Each part is necessary (v. 5 – one body with many members)If you had to lose a part of your body, which part would you chose to lose? F    Each part functions interdependently (v. 5 – each member belongs to all the others)The more coordinated the workings of the body, the more beautiful it is to watch and the more that is accomplished. The characteristics: (Sincere love and Humility)F    Sincere love (v. 9) – NIV Love must be sincere….Ø   Love which is not “hypocritical” (v. 9)9 NASB Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 9 NLT Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good.A hypocrite is one who is pretending to be something he/she knows that he is not. Appearance is everything. Driven, not by genuine love for God or for others, but rather love for self and a desire to look good in the eyes of others.Hating what is evil, clinging to what is good – the same in private as in publicLoving others because we are so loved by God – as God is our witness…, not so that others will think well of us – like the love of a childA group of professional people asked a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" "When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." – Rebecca- age 8"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." – Chrissy -age 6 "Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." – Danny - age 7 "If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," – Nikka - age 6  "Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." – Elaine-age 5 Love ever gives—Forgives—outlives—And ever standsWith open hands.And while it lives—It givesFor this is love’s prerogative—To give—and give—and give.! John Oxenham

 Ø   Love which is devoted – Family devotion (vv. 10-12)10 NASB Be devoted to one another in brotherly love;  “Blood is thicker than water”…Stepping into a family squabble…We do not walk away from family… – We are always family…The difference between being married and living together… |   | 11 NASB serving the Lord; Our mutual commitment is bound up in our commitment to our Lord. We serve God as we serve each other. We love God as we love each other. 1 John 4:20 NCV If people say, “I love God,” but hate their brothers or sisters, they are liars. Those who do not love their brothers and sisters, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have never seen. 12 NASB devoted to prayer… It’s hard to really be angry with someone while praying God’s blessing on them. Ø   Love which is Persevering (vv. 12, 21)12 NASB rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, 21 Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.Hope enables us to rejoice, even in the midst of difficulties. Perseverance flows out of hope, so what is our hope? Our hope is that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil. 1:6NIV)Can you see evidence of God’s hand in the lives of those around you, rejoice in the hope that God is not finished yet.Do people rub you the wrong way, through thoughtless or critical words? Do you, at times, feel unloved and unrespected? Be committed to persevering. Don’t give in to the temptation to give up on each other. God won’t.12 Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. Ø   Love which is forbearing (vv. 14, 17, 18, 21)14 NASB Bless those who persecute you; bless & do not curse. 17 NASB Never pay back evil for evil to anyone…. 18 NASB If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men…. 18 NLT Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. This speaks to our need to bear up when we feel attacked, when we feel unappreciated or unjustly criticized. It speaks both to our need for forbearance with each other, but also to our need to help each other stand up under difficulties from the world around us…21 NLT Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.21 NASB Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.God calls us, if we are his children, to lay down our lives, to set aside our rights, and to live to honor Him. He laid down His life for us that we might live, all the while we were rejecting Him and even persecuting Him.1 Peter 2:23 NCV –  People insulted Christ, but he did not insult them in return. Christ suffered, but he did not threaten. He let God, the One who judges rightly, take care of him.Are you an overcomer? Or are you a reactionary? Do you give others power over you, or do you overcome their sin with God’s goodness? Ø   Love which is empathetic (v. 15)NLT When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow.NASB Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep…. Contrasted with apathy and often flows out of ignorance – like the survey on the college campus…It is amazing how much mutual sorrow and/or mutual celebration bonds us together… Ø   Love which is Practical (v. 13)13 When God’s children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.13 NASB contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Let us love not merely with words, but with our actions1 John 3:18 NLT Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. The beauty of love: the giver benefits FAR more than the recipient. (Acts 20:35 – It is more blessed to give than to receive.) F    Humility (vv. 3, 10, 16)Humility is not so much thinking less of yourself as it is thinking of yourself less.3 NIV Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgmentThis means that there is a danger in thinking either to highly or to little about ourselves.When we think to highly of ourselves, what happens?Ø   We try to do things in our own strengthØ   We are critical of other’s mistakes or shortcomings.Ø   We try to take on more than we should.Ø   We communicate a certain arrogance or disdain towards others.Ø   We have a hard time being a part of a team, because we have a hard time trusting anyone else to do things “right”When we think to little of ourselves, what happens?Ø   We are unwilling to try new things.Ø   We are shattered when things we try don’t work out as we hoped for.Ø   We are quick to quit when the going gets tough.Ø   We reject God’s grace as though it was given on the basis of merit.Ø   We are more concerned with our own self-image, with how others view us, than we are about God’s glory or loving those around us. 10 NASB Give preference to one another in honor…. 10 NIV Honor one another above yourselves.This is not natural. It is natural for us to seek honor for ourselves. It is natural for us to be jealous when others get honor we feel that we deserve. However, it is not godly. It is godly for us to “3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than [ourselves.] 4Each of [us] should look not only to [our] own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5[our] attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2:3-5 NIV)In other words, the Christ-like thing for us to strive for is to see each other honored, to see those around us lifted up.10 NLT Take delight in honoring each other. When we are truly a body, we all share in the joy and in the sorrow of all the other parts. We all share in the honor and in the success of all the other parts. Finally:16 NASB Do not be wise in your own estimation. We talked about that last week. It is the fool who will not consider a brother or sister’s counsel. A Truth to Remember:We do not have to stand alone. We do not even have to stand alone by faith that God, at least, is with us. We are a part of a body, and that body is on our side, from the head, which is Christ, to the smallest part. A Challenge to Consider:How can you shift your focus from your individual role in the body to that of the good and the success of the body as a whole?   |