Romans 12
Notes
Transcript
We have ended a major portion of our Romans Bible study.
We have ended a major portion of our Romans Bible study.
We still occasionally get some questions from Paul but they’re in a different context. He’s concluded his points From chapter 1 to 11 that corrected misunderstandings about salvation, faith, and righteousness. He answered objections to his teachings and the gospel. Now we’re moving on to the big What now?
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Sometimes there is a lot in a little verse. Let’s break it down. Therefore, in this case meaning on the basis of the previous 11 chapters Paul makes this appeal on the foundation of God’s mercy. Which is to say since God has not destroyed you like you have deserved so present yourself as a living sacrifice.
Short aside to Leviticus, because I know Brenda will appreciate it.
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. If any one of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people. This is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to the Lord, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord. And the priest shall throw the blood on the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.
This law is Given to Israel while they’re out in the wilderness. People would take their normal food and kill it out in the wilderness and come back with the meat. But they took it outside to hide the fact that they were sacrificing it to some freaky goat demons… So new rule for everyone… ya know cause Carl ruined it for everyone. But what’s interesting here is that if they don’t offer this meat as an offering to God it will be considered murder. That would be your end. So God made them dedicate everything they killed for meat to Him while they were out there, and obviously permanently banned the sacrifices to goat demons… This presentation of all the meat as sacrifice before they ate it was to get them back in line. They had to first acknowledge that what they had they owed to God. Our lives are like this meat. We owe it to God. Turn to God as a living sacrifice. How can we be sacrifice and yet living? Because we died with Christ, and were buried and raised with him. We mirror that symbolically in our baptism. Now we have been offered up to God. What did these sacrifices that Israel brought do after they were offered to God? The nourished the body of Israel. It’s Holy and acceptable to God through Christ it is our spiritual worship - this word for worship Latreian the root word is Latreuo but it’s a word that means service. It’s worship but worship through action. Serving God is worship. There are many ways we serve, some obvious like roles in or services for the church like the ones who teach our children, or some not as obvious but made clearer with things Christians are all called to do. Feed the Hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, visit those in prison… All of those things are worship, because they’re serving.
Okay verse one down, we’re pickin’ up speed here!
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We get some stark warnings about being like the world, 1 Pet 1:14 “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,” and 1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” eek how do we avoid that? I can tell you it isn’t by trying really hard, it isn’t a matter of willpower, it’s just a natural result of our minds being transformed through immersed in the Word. Think about these two words conform and transform. If I were to talk about cookie dough and said we were going to conform the cookie dough you might think of a cookie cutter that shapes the cookie to what you want. But if we talk about transforming cookie dough you would be far more likely to imagine the finished cookie that is changed, moist, buttery chocolaty, chewy goodness… okay might have wandered off a bit there imagining some cookies… sorry. These are two different things and they describe two entirely different processes. Will you be molded by the world or will you be made new by God? Unlike a cookie that can do both that is not an option for the Christian. In that process we can test things against the Word that has been changing how we think we hold up the world around us and can see the will of God because it’s been revealed through scripture and as we are transformed by the scriptures through the work of the Holy Spirit we will know what is good and acceptable and perfect.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function,
First, clearly discern what gifts you have and how good at those gifts you are. Overestimating your abilities will likely hurt the church if you’re serving that way. Underestimating your ability can also hurt the church because you aren’t serving where you might do the most good! You might not know, you can also grow into some of those things but one thing is for sure you’ve got something. The whole church will be filled with people who function differently and are gifted differently.
so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
These and many more are gifts we need to be exercising with each other.
In 9 through the end we get these indicators of what real Christians are.
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
First, don’t be fake nice reject evil embrace good
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Love each other, make it a competition outpace each other in love for one another!
Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Don’t be the last to the party of enthusiasm over the work of God, be unrelenting spiritually and serve God completely.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Be lifted up by the promises of God to come, do not be hasty when trials are placed at your feet, be a marathon runner in your prayer life.
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Make sure those in your family of faith aren’t going needy, search out ways to make people at home.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
It is tough but endure and lift up your oppressors, lift up not tear down.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Have empathy and walk alongside your brothers and sisters wherever that might be.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
Peace should be on your lips, conceit far from your tongue, and the haughty not among your company. Don’t fall to pride with a glance in the mirror.
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
Don’t try and solve your problems like the world does. Be respectful and honoring to those who’ve wronged you.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
aka don’t be a Karen
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.”
It’s God’s kingdom come not ours, wrongs against us are forgiven and we move on.
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.”
It’s okay to love someone to death… even if that’s literal
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Do not use evil to overcome. Goodness will win in the end and it shall overcome evil.