Romans 12
Part 1
Sometimes Romans 12 is called the Little Bible or the Christian’s Manuel because it covers a lot information on how we are to live our lives toward God and toward others. From this chapter I will be preaching several lessons that will help us gain a much deeper understanding of this beautiful chapter and that will cause us to examine how well we are doing as servants of God. Let us begin with verse 1:
Romans 12:1 I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service.
Everything Paul has been
talking about in the previous chapters about God’s mercy and His grace has
built up to this one. The word beseech means to beg or to plead so Paul was
begging or pleading these Christians to commit themselves to God. The reason he
gives for this is the mercy of God. God’s justice demands that our sin be
punished, but because of His love for us and His great mercy He withheld His
punishment and has given us a chance to be redeemed as taught in:
Romans 5:8 But God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us. 9 Much
more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through Him. 10 For if when
we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much
more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but
we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now
received the reconciliation.
God is the Father of
mercies (2 Cor. 1:3). While we deserved death, He gave us His best, His only
begotten Son. When we remind ourselves of what God has provided for us through
His Son it should cause us to want love God enough to sever Him with our entire
being. His mercy has been granted to everyone according to:
Romans 11:32 For God
has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
God’s mercy and His grace
had made it possible for us to have the forgiveness of our sins and to avoid
the wrath of God. It has also offered us the hope of eternal life in heaven
instead of eternity in hell.
In order for us to
embrace the mercies of God so that we can go to heaven we are to present our
bodies as a living sacrifice. The word present means to give something over to
another. We are to give our bodies to the Lord and use them to serve Him.
Notice it is a living sacrifice, which means it is spiritual and not physical
as was under the Law of Moses.
Under the Law of Moses,
the priest would kill the animals, but their deaths were only a temporary
solution because more animals had to be killed. Thanks to Jesus and His
sacrifice on the cross, animal sacrifices were rendered obsolete. The writer of
Hebrews explains it this way:
Hebrews 9:11 But
Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater
and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this
creation. 12 Not with the
blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy
Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and
goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the
purifying of the flesh, 14
how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve
the living God?
Jesus was the perfect
sacrifice and He made the covenant for Jews and Gentiles come about. The first
step in making ourselves a living sacrifice is to die in Christ. Paul explains
how this is done in:
Romans 6:1 What
shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who
died to sin live any longer in it? 3
Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into His death? 4
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life. 5 For
if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also
shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man
was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with,
that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we
believe that we shall also live with Him,
9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies
no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for
all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon
yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Unlike the animals that
were physical killed and did not come back to life, when we submit ourselves to
will of God and obey His Word, then we sacrifices ourselves in spiritual sense.
As Paul points out, when we are baptized in water, is the point that we die with
Christ and our sins are removed. When we are raised up out of the water, we are
alive and it is this beginning of lives as a saved child of God. We have become
dead to sin, but alive to Christ. Hence, we are a living sacrifice.
Paul also tells that we
are to be “holy, and acceptable to God,” As I said, obeying the gospel by being
baptized for the forgiveness of your sins is just the beginning of presenting
your body as a living sacrifice. Under the Law of Moses an animal without a
blemish was to be used as a sacrifice. In similar way, we are to live our lives
to best of our ability without a blemish. As Paul Said:
1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do
you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in
you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price;
therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
So, being a living sacrifice is something that we continue to be as we give ourselves to God. It like this story I read about some natives whose village was flooded. Those upstream heard of the disaster and decided to help. They drew a large circle in the dirt and everyone brought gifts and placed them in the circle. One man, having nothing to give, simply stepped into the circle and gave himself.
That is what we must be willing to do daily when we become a Christian because we must offer our whole body as living sacrifice. For example:
We must sacrifice our eyes so that the lust of the eyes must be replaced with the study of God’s Word so that we can be guided into all truth and know how to use our eyes for pure things and know when to turn them away from evil things. As David said:
Psalm 119:105 Your
word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
We are to sacrifice our ears of the ears so that they do not focus on gossip or evil words. Instead they must be trained to hear the Word of God because through hearing is how our faith grows:
Romans 10:17 So then
faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
We are to sacrifice our
bodies from getting involved in the works of the flesh:
Galatians 5:19 Now the
works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lewdness, 20 idolatry,
sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,
dissensions, heresies, 21
envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you
beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who
practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
As Paul said, If we do
not we will miss out on heaven. We are to replace the works of the flesh with
the fruit of the Spirit:
Galatians 5:22 But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, 23 gentleness,
self-control. Against such there is no law.
24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh
with its passions and desires.
We must sacrifice our hands in that what replace doing evil
things with them with doing good as we labor in the
Galatians 6:10 Therefore,
as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of
the household of faith.
We must sacrifice our feet from running toward sin and use them to run toward righteousness because we must run the race of Christianity in order to make it to heaven:
1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you
not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run
in such a way that you may obtain it.
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is
temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown,
but we for an imperishable crown.
We must sacrifice our tongue from speaking cruel angry words:
Ephesians 4:29 Let no
corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary
edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
Instead we must train our
tongues to speak with love:
Colossians 4:6 Let your
speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how
you ought to answer each one.
We must sacrifice our love in that we no longer just love ourselves, family or friends first because God must become our first love:
Matthew 10:37 "He
who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves
son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 "And he who does not take
his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
While I did not cover
every part of the body, the message is clear. You must be willing to give your
entire self over to God because anything less is not enough. We belong to Him,
we are His servants, and we show that by our words and our actions.
Paul also says that this
is our reasonable service. The word reasonable means rational, which means that
our service that we reader to God is to be done intelligently by following the
Word of God. We are not to blindly follow some manmade rituals, our service,
which can include our worship to Him, must come from a heart that is trained by
the Word of God.
Romans 12:2 And do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect
will of God.
Paul is not offering us a
suggestion here. He is commanding us to not be conformed with this world. He is
not talking about this earth, but the people who live in it and the worldly ideas.
Peter tells us to do the same:
1 Peter 1:14 as
obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in
your ignorance; 15 but as He
who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
When we choose to obey
the gospel and become a child of God, we undergo a change because we conform
ourselves to Christ and His ways, which will cause us to become separated from
worldly ways. As John teaches:
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. 16
For all that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away,
and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
We can no longer love the
world or be part of it is sinful ways. We must completely shift our love toward
God and His ways. Sadly, sometimes Christians allow the world to get the best
of them. When this happens disaster follows especial when it creeps into the
church. I always hate to hear about a church that has chosen to move away from
the Scriptures to conform to what is popular in the world. As John pointed out,
if we stay committed to the will of God by living our lives by His Word and
never compromising it for the sake of the world, then we will abide forever.
The best place for us to
start is by transforming our minds to the way of Christ. As Peter said:
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be
sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to
you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
Our minds is one first
places that the devil will attack because our thoughts will determine our
actions, which is why it is imperative that we learn to be spiritual. As Paul
said:
Romans 8:5 For
those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the
flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the
Spirit. 6 For to be carnally
minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and
peace. 7 Because the carnal
mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor
indeed can be. 8 So then,
those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
If we ever hope to be
pleasing to God, we have to train our minds with the Word of God and keep our
attention focused on the ways of righteousness:
Colossians 3:1 If then
you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ
is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
2 Corinthians 10:4 For the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down
strongholds, 5 casting down
arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,
bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
Once we gain control of our
minds and we bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
then we will have the foundation we need to live for God with our entire being.
When we do this Paul says that it will “prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Once we have renewed our
minds toward the way of Christ, we have the attitude to be able to see clearly
that the Word of God is true. We will be able to gain a deeper understanding of
what God wants from us and what the benefit are from doing so. As we reflect on
Christian live, it will prove to us and it can show others that when you give
your entire being over to God, that you will have to peace, happiness, and hope
that God has promised. This will prove what is that good and acceptable and
perfect will of God.
As we come to the close
of our lesson, let me ask you some questions:
1.
Are you
presenting your body as a living sacrifice for God?
2.
Are you
willing to put God first in your life above your family and yourself?
3.
Are you
conforming to the world or are you continually transforming yourself toward
Christ and His ways?
I want you think about
these questions as you examine your own life. If you have been listening to
what I have said, then you will know that if you are not presenting your body
as a living sacrifice, willing to put God first in your life, or you are not
transforming yourself toward Christ every day, then you are not living you life
as should because have not learned to give all of yourself to God. I hope, this
lesson will help encourage you to look at your life and change your ways if you
are failing to be a living sacrifice because it worth it. When we give all of
ourselves to God, then we can be confident of our salvation, and we can rejoice
in God’s mercy and His grace.
Romans 12
Part 2
This morning we began looking at Romans 12. We examined the first 2 verses, which taught us that we must be willing to be a living sacrifice for our Lord by not conforming to the world, but by transforming ourselves to be like Christ daily and by giving our entire being to God especially our minds. Tonight we are going pick up in verse 3.
Romans 12:3 For I
say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of
himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God
has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
Here we see a
continuation from verse 2 for the need to bring one mind under control. Notice
his charge is to everyone. It is easy for us to lose sight of being humble
especially here in
As Christians, we must
learn to be humble because without humility we cannot receive the grace of God
according to:
James 4:6 "God resists the proud, But gives grace
to the humble."
Jesus is a great example
of the kind of humility the we should have.
Philippians 2:5 Let
this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God,
did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation,
taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of
men. 8 And being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death,
even the death of the cross.
Jesus was equal with God
because He is part of the Godhead. Though He was equal with God, He never
assumed a role that made Him better than His Father. Instead, He approached everything
He did with humility. He submitted Himself to the Father’s will and was
obedient to the point of death.
In a similar manner, we
are must realize that we are equal with those that around us. Not one of us is
better than the other in the site of God. As Paul said:
Galatians 3:28 There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither
male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Like Jesus, we should be
willing to respect those around us and keep our minds humble no matter how much
people boast about us or no matter what great feats we might accomplish. If
anyone deserved to have a haughty attitude it was Christ. If He could be humble
knowing who He was and all that He could do, we have no reason for not being
able to learn humility because who we are and we can do does not even come
close to who and what Jesus could do. Paul further instructs us about how
humble we are to be in:
Philippians 2:1
Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love,
if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being
like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one
mind. 3 Let nothing be
done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each
esteem others better than himself. 4
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the
interests of others. 5 Let
this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
This is what being humble
is about. When we can get to the point where we remove the selfishness from our
lives and we can esteem others better than ourselves then we are following the example
that Christ left us. This passage is not teaching that other are better than
us, but it describes what being humble will cause us to do just as Jesus was to
the Father.
Remember Paul said that
we are not to think too highly of ourselves, so we can think of ourselves and
even be proud of ourselves, but we are to do it soberly. The word soberly
means: “to be balanced, sane, in one's right mind." When we think of
ourselves, we must do so wisely and accurately. Since the opposite of sane in
insane it tells us that inflating our self worth over others is insane.
Earlier in, Romans 11,
Paul also warned the Gentiles about being boastful about the salvation that had
been given to them:
Romans 11:17 And if
some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were
grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness
of the olive tree, 18 do not
boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do
not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then,
"Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." 20 Well said. Because of
unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but
fear. 21 For if God did not
spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness
and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if
you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
Since the Gentiles were
being saved and added to the church, they had no right to start boasting about
their salvation over the Jews who had rejected God up to this point because if
they boasted about this, He could easily cut them off.
With this principle in
mind, we must also not find ourselves boating about the talents God has blessed
us with. As Paul said in verse we are to think soberly “as God has dealt to
each one a measure of faith.” Some Christians are able to do more than others,
but every Christian has something he or she contribute. Let us never use our
abundance of talent to boast over those with less. Instead, we should be
thankful for what God has given us and be thankful for what God has given
others. Instead of looking down on someone who cannot do what you can,
encourage them become many times those who start our with less talents can
develop news one if they will simply put the time and effort in to do so.
Paul expounds on this in
the next few verses:
Romans 12:4 For as
we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are
one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing
according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if
prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in
our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation;
he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows
mercy, with cheerfulness.
Many times, Paul
described the church as body. How many bodies are there? There is just one.
Each individual member makes up that one body. Every part that makes it up is
equally important. Without all the members with their various functions in
place, the body cannot function as it should. Paul talks more about this
concept in:
1 Corinthians 12:12 For as
the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body,
being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all
baptized into one body -- whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free -- and
have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many. 15 If the foot should say,
"Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body," is it therefore not
of the body? 16 And if the ear
should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body," is it
therefore not of the body? 17
If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the
whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18 But now God has set the
members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. 19 And if they were all one
member, where would the body be?
20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one
body. 21 And the eye cannot
say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; nor again the head to the
feet, "I have no need of you."
22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to
be weaker are necessary. 23
And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on
these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater
modesty, 24 but our
presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given
greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25 that there should be no schism
in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one
another. 26 And if one member
suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored,
all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now
you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
Again we have the thought
of equality within a diversity of talents that make up the body of Christ. One
cannot function without the other. We are each taught to use whatever our
talent is for the Lord and we are to be unified in thought and deed.
Philippians 1:27 Only
let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and
see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one
spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
If we fail to work together for the unity of the faith and we fail to use
the talents that God has blessed us with, then we make the body of Christ
weaker and we do a great disservice to God. We cannot be the kind of Christians
that do not use the abilities God has blessed us with. As long as we are able,
we should use our talents to glorify Him and help grow His kingdom.
Can you image the apostle Paul writing in one of his letters that he was
tired of serving the Lord and that he felt that he had done enough so he was
going to let Timothy and Titus take his place? I cannot imagine because Paul
said he was one of the hardest working apostles that there was (1 Cor. 15:10).
There were certainly times were he longed to be with the Lord more than he did
on this earth, but he knew his work would continue to benefit the church:
Philippians 1:23 For I am hard pressed between the two, having a
desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 24 Nevertheless to remain in the
flesh is more needful for you. 25
And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you
all for your progress and joy of faith, 26
that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to
you again.
It wasn’t until Paul was in prison awaiting execution that he said:
2 Timothy 4:6 For I am already being poured out as a drink
offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I
have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Let us never be the kind of Christians that give up our fight of faith or
using our talents for the Lord until we can no longer physical do it or we die.
Doing this is part of offering up ourselves as a living sacrifice.
Let me ask you, are you doing your part? Are you using your talents for the
Lord? I hope that you are because God deserve it.
Before I close out the lesson I want take a quick look at the seven
different things that Paul said that we should be using for the Lord as found
in:
Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according
to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let
us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering;
he who teaches, in teaching; 8
he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads,
with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Prophesy was a miraculous gift and at the time Paul wrote this there were
still those that could prophecy about
things, but the ability to prophecy was only temporary, but while it was still
being used it played its part in the growth of the church.
1 Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but
especially that you may prophesy. 2
For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one
understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But he who prophesies speaks
edification and exhortation and comfort to men.
Paul deemed prophecy one
the greater miraculous gifts because it was used for edification, exhortation,
and comfort. While the gift of prophecy ended in the first century the gift of
preaching God’s Word has not and continues to be a source of edification,
exhortation, and comfort.
Ministry may not be what
you think. It simply means to serve. This is one of those gifts that each
Christian should strive for because serving God and serving others is basic
part of Christianity.
Galatians 5:13 For
you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as
an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Certainly some are much
better at serving others and they should continue to develop their skill, but
as I said, all of us should be working on this talent. As Paul said in:
Galatians 6:10-11 Therefore,
as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of
the household of faith.
Teachers are also a must
to help any church grow. A teacher has the ability to take Scripture and
explain it in a way this is logical and easy to under. It is not that a person
cannot understand the Scriptures without a teacher, but a teacher makes it
easier. Of course not everyone can be a teacher of God truth in the church
because James says:
James 3:1 My
brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a
stricter judgment.
With the talent of
teaching comes this warning because when you teach it means that you are
supposed to know what the Scriptures teach. If you teach amiss and lead people
astray then as a teacher you will be judged for that. While being teacher
publically of God’s Word is limited, every Christian should be able to teach
others about how to get saved and some the basic principles of Christianity. We
even teach people about righteousness by how we live our lives and conduct
ourselves around others.
So, let us not be afraid
to try and grow our talent in this area and get to the point where we know the
Scriptures well enough that we can teach them. One thing I love about being
teacher is that it causes me to dig deeper in God’s Word, and I love being able
to teach others and open their eyes to the Scriptures.
Paul adds this about
teaching:
2 Timothy 2:24 And a
servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach,
patient, 25 in humility
correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them
repentance, so that they may know the truth,
26 and that they may come to their senses and
escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his
will.
Part of teaching others
involves being patient and not getting into useless arguments. Once again, we
can see that it takes humility to effective correct someone that is opposing
God’s truth. Notice, this is for everyone because everyone is a servant of the
Lord. The wonderful benefit of teaching someone the truth is when they listen
to it and turn back to God because you can know that you helped someone get
right with God.
We have the gift of
exhortation, which means that a person has the ability encourage, motivate,
comfort, and warn people. For example, Barnabas was given his new name because
he was great exhorter. His new name meant son of encouragement (Acts
4:36). We defiantly need exhorters in
the church today. While all of can should work on getting better at this
talent, others have be blessed in the area and have the ability say the right
words at the right time. As:
Exhorters are greatly
needed in the church today, whether the exhortation is given on behalf of the
lost, those who are sick, or those who are in sorrow. The ability to use certain words at the right
time is always important. Solomon said,
"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver"
(Prov. 25:11).
Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold
In settings of silver.
Paul also mentions the
gift of giving and that is to be done with liberality. Liberality means sincerely,
not self seeking, openness of heart manifesting itself by generosity (Thayer).
Again, everyone is to give of their means, but God has blessed some more than
other with the ability to be able to give more. Without Christians who are
willing to give the church suffers because it takes money to spread God’s Word
and to be able to help those in need. Paul gives this charge to the rich:
1 Timothy 6:17 Command
those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in
uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to
enjoy. 18 Let them do
good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a
good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
Paul talks about the gift
of leadership and says that those who lead must to do so with diligence, which
means they will eagerly seek to lead. Not everyone can be a leader, but this is
another gift that we need in the church. We need men that are willing to step
up and be a great example for everyone else to follow. This would certainly
include men to lead the congregations as elders. The Bible shows on several
occasions on what happens when no leadership is in place, and it always end in
disaster. So, those have are blessed to be leaders in the church need to use
their talents.
Finally, the seventh gift
Paul mentions is the gift of mercy and he says we are to give it with
cheerfulness. This is person that is good at forgiving another and who full of
compassion and shows great kindness to others. Again, this another one those
gifts that we should all work on, but some Christians seem to naturals at this.
Being merciful is definitely needed in the church.
Paul has just mentioned
seven out many gifts that people may be blessed. Though the gift of prophecies
was limited to the first century the whole idea is that we must use whatever
gift we have been blessed with from God to glorify Him and to help build up His
church and His people.
The question becomes, are
you using your talents that God has blessed you with for the cause of Christ or
are you allowing your talents to go to waste?
I hope if you have been
holding back on what God has blessed you with that you will start using it for
the glory of God. In this second lesson we have learned how we are not to think
too highly of ourselves because we are not better than anyone else. We learned
that each us have different gifts from the Lord that we are to use to help
God’s kingdom grow. When we fail to use our talents and work together as one
body, then the church suffers.
ROMANS 12
PART 3
If you were not here last
Sunday, we begin looking at Romans 12 and we covered verses 1 – 8. We learned
that we are to offer our entire being as a living sacrifice to God, and we are
not to think to highly of ourselves because we are not better than anyone else.
We also learned that each of us has been blessed with various talents that we
are to use for the Lord and the furtherance of His kingdom.
If I were preaching
tonight, I would have divided the remaining of verses of our chapter into two
sermons, but since I do not have that privilege, I will simply make due with
the time I have this morning. Let us read the first section we will be examining:
Romans 12:9 Let love
be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate
to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one
another; 11 not lagging in
diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing
steadfastly in prayer; 13
distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
The first observation you
can make from this section of Scripture is that is a close parallel to the
fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. It speaks of the proper
attitude we are to have about ourselves, others, and our service to God.
Let love be without hypocrisy.
We cannot be the kind of
person that has superficial type of love it that we tell people that we love
them, but we don’t really mean it. The idea of hypocrisy, play acting or
pretending to be someone you are not. As Christians, our love must be genuine
as John says:
1 John 3:18 My
little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in
truth.
As Paul teaches:
1 Corinthians 13:1 Though
I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become
sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and
all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing. 3
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my
body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
If we are not motivated
by love for God and love for others than no matter how many good deeds we do,
no matter how well we follow the commands of God, it is nothing and will serve
no purpose. It like trying to win a car race with using water as your fuel, you
not ever cross the finish line. We cannot replace a genuine love with anything
else and make it into heaven. So, let us always do our best to be motivated by
a genuine love and not a pretend one.
Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
Here we have a great
contrast between our attitude toward evil and good. The word Abhor means to have “a vehement dislike for something, to hate strongly, to have a horror of” (BDAG,
Thayer). Paul is teaching us to hate evil and despise it because
when evil triumphs it means that more people have lost their way. This thought
of hating evil was also taught in the O.T. as well:
Psalm 97:10 You who
love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers
them out of the hand of the wicked.
Psalm 119:104 Through
Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.
One cannot love the Lord
and love the evil way. No, we must hate evil, because God hates evil. If we
become a student of God’s Word, we will have no problem understand what evil is
and how ugly it is. We must have the same attitude as David who said:
Psalm 101:3 I will
set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It
shall not cling to me. 4 A
perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.
Hating evil does not mean
that we hate the person that is doing the evil, we simply hate the sin they are
involved in. When we can develop such a disgust of sin, it make it less
appealing and will cause us to stay away from it and make it easier for us to
want cling to what is good.
The word cling means “to
glue, to glue together, cement” (Thayer). Like our shadows are glued to us, we
must be glued to the truth. We must stand firm in God’s truth and goodness so
that the evil cannot pull us away. Paul summed it up this way:
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever
things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there
is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy -- meditate on
these things.
When we bind ourselves to
way of righteousness, the it will be easy to do what Paul says next:
Be kindly
affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to
one another,
The word affectionate is
a word used to describe the love that a parent has for his child. When we
become Christians, we become part of a family. We are to have this same kind of
affection that we have for our blood kin as we do for our brothers and sisters
in Christ.
We are to honor them,
which means to show reference or respect to them, and we are prefer one another
just as we would one of our own blood kin. That is how close we are to be and
the kind of love we are to have each other. When we love each other like this,
it shows the world that we are disciples of Christ as John writes:
John 13:34 "A
new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you,
that you also love one another. 35
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one
another."
Next, Paul said:
11 not lagging in diligence, fervent
in spirit, serving the Lord
We love God and are
motivated by love then we are not going to be lagging in diligence. This
carries the idea of not being a lazy Christian. In fact, laziness should not be
part of any Christian’s life. We are to be fervent, which means to boil with
heat, be hot. In other words, we are to be on fire for the Lord, which is just
the opposite of being lazy. We should be eager to serve the Lord for all that
He has done for us. As Paul said:
Colossians 3:23 And
whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you
will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Next Paul says:
12 rejoicing in hope, patient in
tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
Every Christian should
rejoice in the hope that God has made possible for us all. When we think about
how God is involved in our lives, how much He loves us, and how we have the
hope of living in heaven for eternity, it should be easy for us to rejoice.
Knowing what we have to look forward to will make it easier for us to be
patient even when we are under great tribulation.
Those in the first
century, were able to keep their heads high even though they were being
imprisoned and many times put to death because of their hope in God. None of us
will probably every have to suffer that kind of tribulation. If these first
century Christians could handle their tribulations, it shows us that we can
handle our minor tribulations we might suffer today.
Whether severe or light
tribulation comes our way, one thing that will help us through our trying times
is continuing steadfastly in prayer. It is very comforting to know that we can
pray to God and that He is listening and answering our prayers. While prayer is
a great tool for dealing with tribulation, it is not the only time we are to
use prayer because we are to continue to pray in the good times and the bad
times. As Paul told the Ephesians:
Ephesians 6:17 And
take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God; 18 praying always with
all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all
perseverance and supplication for all the saints --
Every Christian should cherish the wonderful
avenue of prayer and not take it for granted. Pray every day. Don’t waste an
opportunity to speak to God.
Next Paul says:
13 distributing to the needs of the
saints, given to hospitality.
Again, this speaks of the
care that we have for one another just as we would for blood kin. When our
child needs help, we give it to them. When our mother or father needs help, we
give it to them. In similar way, when our brother or sister in Christ needs
help we give it to them. This was the attitude that the first century
Christians had as we read in:
Acts 4:34 Nor was
there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or
houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the
apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
We are also told to give
to hospitality, which literally means to pursue the opportunity to host or
serve others. This is not as common today as was back then because people can
stay hotels and other places, but we should not shy away from being hospitable
to others and we certainly should not shy away from serving others.
Now, let’s take a look at
the remainder of our chapter.
Romans 12:14 Bless
those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice,
and weep with those who weep. 16
Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things,
but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. 17 Repay no one evil for evil.
Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as
depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give
place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will
repay," says the Lord. 20
Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a
drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.
Much of this has to do
with how we treat others who treat us poorly.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not
curse.
This is where
Christianity can become very difficult because when someone gets in your face
and starts cursing at you and yelling at you, it almost seems natural to give
it right back to them, but God’s Word says just the opposite. Instead of
matching the sinfulness of the person in our face, we are to bless them that is
to talk well of them. Peter teaches us the same thing in:
1 Peter 3:8
Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another;
love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or
reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were
called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
Jesus tells us we should
pray for them (Mt. 5:44) and even do good to them (Lk. 6:27). It is not an easy
think to do, but that is to be our approach to those who oppose us.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and
weep with those who weep.
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul
links this idea of rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who
weep with Christians. Some suggest that this also includes those of the world
in our text, but if we link with the statement of being of the same mind in
verse 16 it would also be limiting it to our fellow Christians because we are not be of the same mind of the
world.
Even if our text is
saying to rejoice and weep with those of the world it would not mean that we
rejoice when they excel in evil or weep with them when them fail at doing
something evil, it would simply mean that we rejoice when something good
happens to them such as them having a baby and weeping with them when they lose
a loved one.
Mainly, I believe this
talking about how we are to have compassion for each other and be concerned
about others just as we would for own blood kin.
16 Be of the same mind toward one
another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do
not be wise in your own opinion.
When we view each other
equally and realize that we are the same in God’s eyes it will help us to view
each other the right attitude. When we use the Word of God as our source for
living our life, then we can be of the same mind having the same goals.
Once again, Paul is
emphasizing the importance of training our mind to be humble and not setting
them on high things. He also understands the importance of the company that we
keep.
1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not
be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."
Knowing that hanging
around worldly and haughty people can corrupt, no wonder he tells us to
associate ourselves with the humble because that is the example we need to
follow. That is the kind of influence that we need. When we train ourselves to
be humble and we hang around those who are humble, then being wise in our own
opinion will not be much of problem for us.
Sometimes being wise in
our own opinion is hard for some because they feel like what they think is more
important that other people think and if they don’t get their way then they
will walk away. There is no compromise with them because they feel that if
things are not done their way then it will not work. Paul says:
Galatians 6:3 For if
anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
While there is nothing
wrong with having an opinion, we must not be the kind of people that think that
our opinion is the only on that matters.
Finally, Paul says:
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have
regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live
peaceably with all men. 19
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for
it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the
Lord. 20 Therefore "If
your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so
doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.
This is easier said then
done. It is very tempting to do to others as they do to us, but as Christians,
we are to do everything in our power to keep the peace and not to return evil
for evil. This is not teaching that we cannot defend ourselves, but our first goal
is to resolve all conflicts peaceably and we are to strive to combat evil with
good.
Doing good to your enemy
can strike a blow that is more effective than forceful revenge because it will
strike them at the heart. For example, notice Saul’s reaction when he found out
that David could have taken his life, but didn’t.
1 Samuel 24:16 So it
was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said,
"Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his
voice and wept. 17 Then he
said to David: "You are more righteous than I; for you have
rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. 18 "And you have shown this
day how you have dealt well with me; for when the LORD delivered me into your
hand, you did not kill me. 19
"For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore
may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.
So, do your best to
conquer evil with good. As Paul said in:
1
Thessalonians 5:15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone,
but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
In conclusion, we can see why this great chapter is sometimes called the Little Bible or the Christian’s Manuel because it teaches a great deal about living the life of a Christian. As we have learned, Christianity requires a full commitment, and we cannot be lazy in the pursuit of righteousness. We must train our minds daily with the Word of God so that we can continue transform ourselves into being more Christ-like so that we can encourage and lead others to be faithful as well. We must work together for the unity of the faith with a humble spirit. We are even called to treat our enemies kindness and we are to pray to them.
None of these things we have studied in this 3-part series
are optional, we must continue to grow stronger in the faith and put our trust
in God and His Word as we continue add all these qualities mentioned in Romans
12 to our lives.