Sermons

For the past couple of weeks we have been in Romans the 14th chapter…Paul has been writing to the church in Rome attempting to bring the Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians together to resolve issues that threaten to divide the church.

As with in any church there are conflicts on how things are to be done…Paul’s desire is that the stronger Christians would interact with the weaker Christians …obviously not talking about weak when it comes to physical strength but weak in how they perceive biblical truths.

Paul is emphasizing that stronger Christians have a responsibility to the Church to assist in resolving differences of opinions.

The desire is to calm tensions and disunity…to encourage each other to work together…to stop judging each other over issues that are non-essential or non-moral.

Within the Church there are three basic biblical categories of behavior…1) moral behavior…2) immoral behavior, and… 3) non-moral behavior—actions where right and wrong cannot be applied (Ps. 1:6; 2 Chron. 28:19; 1 Cor 5:11; 1 Cor. 6:9).

In chapter 14 Paul writes about two of the issues…both non-moral …one was the eating of foods…and the other dealing with Jewish holidays and feasts.

At the expense of going over these two issues again…and I’m not…the focus was on the Jewish Christians who were set in their ways and the Gentile Christians who believed Old Testament commands regarding food and holidays no longer applied to them.

See the same two problems today…
ONE…people who believe the Old Testament is outdated…it’s not…AND

SECONDLY…the self-sufficient person who believes because of what Jesus did on the Cross…‘I am now free in Christ.’ …you’re not…these new converts thought that the N. T. allowed for them to be self-sufficient …‘I can now make it on my own’… “thanks God I can take it from here” no you can’t.

Everybody…there should never come a time in our lives when we can say to God…I am now self-reliant …because in reality…we are never self-reliant.

The modern definition of freedom is doing whatever I want to do…by ignoring the reality of our sinful nature it leads us astray from God’s commands.

Christian liberty doesn’t mean doing what I want to do…it’s being free from everything that hinders us from serving God …true happiness is not in our independence but in our dependence of God.

Have you ever thought of the Old Testament as being instructional?…there are benefits to reading the Old Testament…some things do apply to us…probably the reason Paul quotes a lot out of the Book of Isaiah.

His point being that these things weren’t written just to entertain us…they were written for our learning…instruction…and encouragement.

Obviously…in the 21st century the issues that divide Christians are different from those of the first century but the desire for unity is still paramount.

Here’s the importance of Christian unity…we share in the same glory…we one day will enjoy the same heaven…we believe in the same Savior…belong to the same Father…believe the same truths—do we have differences?…YES… but we have much more in common than we have differences.

That should be the encouragement for us to love one another…and to promote true spiritual unity.

Christ does not require that we agree on every issue… BUT…because some issues are essential we are not to believe the opinions…ideas…or the philosophy of those who would have you to accept statements about the Bible that are not true…don’t entertain them…don’t consider them…don’t discuss them.

In the church today there are two primary ‘bones of contention’ that sever church unity:

ONE is unbiblical teaching…there is a host of people who have slithered their way into contemporary evangelicalism who are teaching and preaching heresy.

Unbiblical teaching and preaching are rampant in mainline Protestant denominations…the result is people have become captive audiences to those who preach outlandish lies and half-truths…Daystar…Word and INSP.

Many of these money-grabbing charlatans are gaining worldwide prominence, and because of their diverse teaching they develop self-righteous attitudes toward those who disagree with them.

The result of self-righteous attitudes is spiritual pride…it can bleed over into how people view themselves and others…spiritual pride can be exhibited in a number of different ways…many times not even detectable by the person who is doing it.

Even on a personal level spiritual pride can hinder our fellowship with each other …here are some of the ways spiritual pride is exhibited.

—Judging how spiritual someone is by their church attendance.
—Judging how spiritual someone is by their ministry activity.
—Judging how spiritual someone is by how you perform your duty as a Christian,
—Judging how spiritual you are based on how you live your life.

Don’t judge your spirituality on what you’ve done…or on what you haven’t done…the fact that you haven’t robbed anybody… murdered anybody…haven’t committed adultery…haven’t lied or cheated on your income tax…that you haven’t abused your wife or children doesn’t elevate you spiritually.

That kind of attitude is what Paul is warning the Christians in Rome about…Get deeper than that.

SECOND bone of contention is something I’ve mentioned for the past two weeks and I’m going to mention it again…because it can have disastrous implication in the church…opinions.

When imposing your opinion on someone you need to ask:
• Is my opinion consistent with Scripture?
• Am I trying to bind my opinion on someone else?
• Is my opinion going to harm someone else?

Here Paul is more concerned about the manner in which we deal with differences than about the fact that we have differences…because really that’s something we’re always going to have…differences with one another [15:5].

The guidance Paul gives to the Roman Christians is still applicable to us today.

Paul calls on them and us to do three things:
1) welcome those with whom we have differences [1]
2) not to judge each other [4,10]
3) not to compromise Biblical truths. [14:5]

In one of Jesus’s final prayers before His crucifixion He prays to the Father regarding our unity [John 17:20-23]

20 …I pray 21 that all of them may be one…just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us…22 …that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.

In verses [5-6] of chapter 15 Paul is offering up a similar prayer of unity for the Roman church…of how we should treat one another:

5 Now may the God who gives perseverance—someone who is unfaltering…unhesitating—and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ 6 so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul makes an interesting statement…asking God to grant that we might have the same mind as Christ.

Obviously an important trait for Christians…so important that Paul is praying for it to happen…in [1 Cor. 2:16] Paul declares it’s something we have already attained…we have the mind of Christ.

The word ‘mind’ used here means the seat of consciousness…it means looking at life from Jesus’s point of view…having His values…His desires…His thoughts…the ability to maintain the same focus as Christ did.

As Christians we have been given the ability to see what is spiritual and to think what Christ thinks.

So…what does Christ think?…that we may be one as He and the Father are one…unity.

True unity doesn’t come because of organizations…or denominations…it doesn’t mean that every believer or every church looks exactly alike…it doesn’t mean we have to be in agreement in our ‘opinions’.

Unity occurs because of what we have in common in Christ.

Aided by the Holy Spirit believers have been given access to the thoughts of Christ.

SO…how do we do that?…it doesn’t come naturally or without effort.

Although it’s a gift that is given to every believer…we must develop that gift in order to experience its full impact…HOW…by reading…memorizing…and meditating on Scripture…spending time in prayer in the presence of Jesus…that is the only way by which we can have the same mind as Jesus.

In 1 Corinthians Paul lists some truths concerning having the mind of Christ:
1) The mind of Christ stands in contrast to the wisdom of men [1 Cor. 2:5-6].
2) The mind of Christ involves wisdom from God, once hidden now revealed [7]
3) The mind of Christ is given to believers through the Holy Spirit [10-12]
4) The mind of Christ cannot be understood by those without the Spirit [14].
5) The mind of Christ gives believers discernment in spiritual matters [15].

We can never reach true unity until we have the mind of Christ…being like-minded does not relate to doctrine…attitudes…opinions…desires…or habits …but to our relationship to other Christians.

With respect to habits…it’s been said that when you live by yourself all of your annoying habits disappear…(Readers’s Digest 2/07/p. 107).

In Romans 8:17 Paul uses three Greek words that defines our position in Christ… words that reveal the importance of looking at life from Jesus’s point of view…having the mind of Christ… and what we can expect when we do.

All three Greek words are compound words that start with the prefix συν 4862 meaning to be joined closely together in tight identification.

FIRST he says we are heirs with God and joint heirs with Christ… συγκληρονόμος 4789…first three letters (soon) mean closely identified with …the last part of the word is used of believers sharing in the inheritance of the heavenly father…and…being a joint heir with Jesus.

All that the Father gave His Son will also be given to us…His adopted children …that’s the meaning contained in that word.

The second Greek word beginning with prefix sum (συν 4862) also in [17] is συνδοξασθῶμεν 4888 means to be glorified with…in our inheritance as joint heirs with Jesus…we will also share in His glory.

Go back to Jesus’s prayer in [John 14:22] I read earlier…here’s what Jesus prays to the Father… 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me.

The first two parts of [17] are spectacular because it says that as children of God we are His heirs…and secondly that we will share in His glory…BUT…the third part of [17] is a little scary…it what’s keeps many people away.

That’s what the third sum (συν 4862) is suggesting…συμπάσχομεν 4881…the word means to suffer with Him…this word is used only two times in the entire New Testament…this is where as Christians we start to back away.

Does it mean that we must suffer with Christ in order to be glorified with Him? …is Paul suggesting that if we don’t suffer with Christ we won’t have His glory as though somehow our suffering earns us glory?

So what kind of pain is Paul talking about?…is it just persecution?…because some of us will never go through the persecution other people have had to endure around the world.

I think Paul is referring to all the groaning that comes with the futility of living in this fallen age…persecution…trials…troubles…tribulation…calamity… natural disasters… sin …disease…death…and the other miseries we face in this life.

This all falls under the heading of suffering…when Jesus said ‘Through many tribulations (θλίψεων) we must enter the kingdom of God [Acts 14:22] that word tribulations in the Greek encompasses all those ideas.

Those are all the things appointed for us in this life to keep us from loving this world…to being conformed to this world.

If none of these things existed…it would be easier for us to become accustomed to the comforts and pleasures of this world and not rely on God.

There are three great truths in this one verse…ONE is that we are going to receive a great inheritance…TWO is we will receive our own glorification …and THREE…that we are going to suffer in order to receive it.

We are not alone in a hard world…we are the children of God…we are co-heirs, co-glorified and…co-sufferers…as the children of God united we are united with the Triune God…that fact should change the way we live our lives.

What Paul has been suggesting in these two verses is confounding to the modern -minded person…that as Christians we should not be judging…despising … or criticizing those whom we disagree with.

Go back to Jesus’s prayer in [John 17:22] I read earlier…Jesus prays to the Father

22 that they may be one as we are one

The unity Jesus prayed for was not an invisible spiritual unity…not a mussy huggee…feely…cuddly…type of relationship…but a unity that the world can see…a visible unity among believers that will make the world realize that Christianity is not just another religion.

True spiritual unity comes from God…and results in glory to God…Jesus’s prayer…Paul’s prayer, is that we all grow in our understanding and practice of true Christian unity to God’s glory.

In the Christian Church some matters are disputable and some are not… there are some essential doctrines that are not disputable:
(1) human depravity
(2) Christ’s virgin birth,
(3) Christ’s sinlessness,
(4) Christ’s deity,
(5) Christ’s humanity,
(6) God’s triunity,
(7) God’s grace,
(9) the necessity of faith,
(10) Christ’s atoning death,
(11) Christ’s bodily resurrection,
(12) Christ’s bodily ascension,
(13) Christ’s second coming,

On the other hand…there are some doctrines that are disputable:
—Dispute that baptism washes away sin…it doesn’t
—Dispute that baptizing people is for the forgives of sin…it doesn’t.
—Dispute communion is eating/drinking Jesus’ body and blood…it doesn’t.

These are conflicts within the church…more specifically they are doctrinal issues specific to some Christian denominations…which adds to the confusion by unbelievers on which church to join.

Last week we looked at the issue of so-called legalistic behavior in the Church …an issue that Paul writes extensively about…covering all of Chapter 14 and through the first 14 verses of chapter 15.

Paul is dealing with how to manage conflicts in the church…and the manner in which we deal with differences…because really that’s something we’re always going to have…differences with one another…it’s just human nature.

Then from these differences people develop self-righteous attitudes toward those with whom they disagree.

In Romans 14 Paul deals with two kinds of disagreements among Christians… last week we talked about the first issue that began with the formation of the Church 2000 years ago…the eating of certain foods.

One group freely ate everything…they were convinced that Christ had freed them from all the dietary restrictions of the Law.

The other group…also true believers…felt strongly that it was necessary to continue to follow at least some of the dietary requirements from the O. T.

Paul’s intent was to bring both sides together…the guidance Paul gives to the Roman Christians is still applicable to us today.

Paul calls them and us to do three things:
1) Welcome those with whom we have differences [1]
2) Not to judge each other [4,10]
3) Not to compromise Biblical truths. [14:5]

As Christians we need to be careful when it comes to ‘judging’ others…the scripture ‘judge not that you be not judged’ [Mat. 7:1] has some merit…but with exceptions…don’t judge on non-essential matters…or matters of personal opinion… ‘this is what I think’ where the Bible gives no command or guidance.

Judging someone based on your opinion of what they’re doing is unacceptable.

The only guidelines found in the Bible about judging another Christian is when designated leaders of the Church collectively make a Bible-based decision against a Christian who has violated a commandment from God.

That’s the rub…what’s divinely commanded and what’s not?

Some things God declares…some things God dictates…some things God commands…some things God forbids…on some things there is no debate…BUT…on some things the Bible is a little less defining.

In some things God has left us to our freedom and our conscience to determine what is acceptable to us…at least two areas in which that thinking is dangerous:

FIRST…because a law has been passed or a court has ruled that something is legal is not the criterion of right and wrong…it’s not whether a governing authority allows it or permits it…but whether God commands it.

This was exactly the dilemma the Jewish women had in Egypt…Pharaoh declared that any Jewish born males should be killed…telling the midwives:

When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and you see it is a son then you shall put him to death. [Ex. 1:16]

An obvious dilemma…what to do…

But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them but let the boys live [17]
Were the Jewish women wrong?…a favorite seminary discussion question…was hiding Jews in Nazi Germany and defying German law wrong?

SECOND…I like to refer to what I call as ‘opinions’ …things that are not necessarily directly addressed in the Bible…things I rarely if ever preach on but things that people like to debate…argue…disagree…and judge others on.

Drinking beer… playing cards…shooting pool…throwing darts…going to movies…smoking cigars…gambling…non-essential matters where the Bible does not give specific commands or clear teachings on…things that we can refer to as disputable matters but with very little guidance in the Bible.

Here’s the direction from God…I might engage in something I don’t think God would disapprove of…but if that is going to cause a fellow believer to stumble in their Christian faith and sin…don’t do it.

Here’s the problem…hear it all the time… ‘I’m free in Christ’…go online and there’s no shortage of songs about ‘freedom’ …especially Christian songs…something about Christian composers…they write and sing songs that emphasize our freedom from everything you can imagine.

There are things Christ has freed you FROM…and there are things Christ has freed you TO DO.

Things Christ has freed you FROM

For someone to be freed…you must first have to be bound or imprisoned… that’s exactly what we all were at one time…bound to the instincts of sin…we had no power to overcome its influence…it was our ruler and it held us captive.

Here’s what non-believers have no concept of…before receiving Christ whatever sin wanted that’s what sin got…they had no power to overcome its influence…doesn’t necessarily mean you were out living a wild lifestyle…it means that the primary authority in your life was your sinful nature …that’s what controlled you.

People say… ‘oh if I don’t want to do something I just don’t’ do it’ …it doesn’t work that way…you are controlled by your sinful nature.

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires… [Rom. 8:5]

Here’s what a life controlled by a sinful nature looks like…the decisions that are made are all about us…what we like…what we want…what’s good for us… what’s comfortable for us…what’s going to benefit me.

Now…here’s what’s confusing about being a Christian…it’s the frustrating part of Christianity…we are no longer under the control of our sinful nature…BUT …we will never in this life reach the place where we will be perfectly satisfied with ourselves…sin will always be crouching at the door [Gen. 4:6].

A verse out of Genesis that symbolizes sin as a wild animal lying in wait like a predator…waiting for its next victim.

I sincerely hope that you haven’t convinced yourself that you’re as good as you’re going to get.

That’s the sanctification part of being a Christian…the more we grow in likeness to Jesus the more conscious we become of our many continuing imperfections…
always growing but never getting there until we are finally with Jesus.

One of the benefits of being a Christian…God gives you a new nature …He fills you with His Holy Spirit…He has freed you so now you are no longer under the control of your sinful nature…you have a choice…unbelievers don’t.

The assurance is that one day these bodies will be replaced by glorified perfect bodies…BUT for now because the Holy Spirit lives in you… you are no longer under the control of your sinful nature.

What Christ has freed you TO DO.

Again…just like an unbeliever doesn’t realize they are controlled by their sinful nature…neither do they realize that it is only when you are free in Christ that you have a relationship with God.

People have this strange idea that regardless of their lifestyle…even if they’re a Christian they can have fellowship with God at any time…Bible says you can’t.

You cannot be in fellowship with God if you are not free…that’s what sin does…it denies us fellowship with Christ.

Beginning in [5] Paul addresses another issue that is still prevalent in the Church today…should we honor Jewish sacred days…festivals…feasts …and Sabbaths.

5 One man regards one day above another; another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and
he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. (Romans 14:5-6).

An issue that is still controversial today…the issue of which day should we observe the Sabbath…is it Saturday or Sunday? …does it matter? Why is it even important?

The issue is what to do about disagreements in the church over certain days and what to do on those days.

There seems to be an increased awareness of the Jewish roots of Christianity… many Christians are advocating the adoption of these practices as requirements in their lives and the lives of others.

Specifically there were seven holidays…or feasts…that were commanded by God to be observed as part of the Old Testament commandments:

Passover (Ex 1-15; Lev 23:4-5)
The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Ex 12:14-17; Lev 23:6-8)
The Feast of First fruits (Ex 14:21-31; Lev 23:9-14)
The Feast of Weeks [Pentecost] (Lev 23:15-22)
The Feast of Trumpets (Lev 23:23-25)
The Day of Atonement (Lev 23:26-32)
The Feast of Tabernacles (Lev 23:33-44)

Here’s what’s interesting…every one of these feasts has been observed by Israel for thousands of years…not realizing that each one has a connection with Jesus.

So…should Christians observe Jewish holidays and practices?…theologically speaking…the answer is NO… [1Cor. 10:31 / Eph. 2:14-22] the fallacy is that some Christian leaders think the requirements of the law still apply to Christians today…this attitude reflects a misunderstanding that Christ fulfilled law.

Jesus fulfilled the law with His death on the cross…delivering us from the requirements of the law…as a result…we are no longer obligated to keep these feasts because they were a shadow of things to come…that have all been fulfilled in Christ [Col. 2:8-23].

In [14:5] Paul tells us…Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind…

Paul is saying each one should have his own conviction…a conviction that comes through an understanding of the scriptures…not simply adopting the values or ideas of those around you.

For someone to be fully convinced in his own mind suggests there has been some wrestling with the issue…that there may have been different perspectives regarding an issue…BUT…having become fully convinced it is then important
to live consistently with that decision.

Here you have two groups in the church disagreeing over what days are sacred and what foods should or should not be eaten…seems pretty tacky…BUT their feelings are strong to the point that they are starting to say things and do things that are destructive to Christian fellowship…despising and judging each other.

SO, how does Paul keep unity among believers on issues that are not central to the Christian faith…about minor matters from becoming divisive? …he’s not going to solve the problem by telling people to lighten up.

Instead he says, ‘Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind’ … how is that solving any issues…here’s what Paul is saying…the way for disagreeing Christians is not judgmentalism…despising others…or by not accepting each other.

Paul’s remedy for the tensions created by strong-minded Christians who have firm but differing convictions is not for all of us to become wishy-washy.

People without opinions tend to be able to get along pretty well with everybody and every decision…that serves no purpose…it creates an attitude of… ‘Well I guess I’m good with that, sounds OK to me.’

Let me remind you of what I said earlier…‘opinions’ are things that are not necessarily directly addressed in the Bible…things that people like to debate… argue…disagree…and judge others on.

That’s why Paul advocates that…each one should be fully convinced in his own mind …it’s a timeless approach that should be the way Christians handle all issues in the Church.

He’s not saying that we must be fully convinced that our way is the only way …BUT…that every person should be fully convinced that what I’m doing:
1) Is not sinful
2) Is honoring to Christ
3) Is the best way I can think of for me to act in this situation.

There are divisions in the church today…some are minor…what color to paint the sanctuary…some are more significant…but regardless…we need to realize that whatever the issue…that our position is right and everybody else is wrong.

Paul’s direction for us is that we shouldn’t just do what we do by habit…or because everyone else does it…rather…we need to take the time and effort to study Scriptures and think it through biblically…do what you do because you believe that it glorifies God and is not sinful, convinced in your own mind.

We’re going to look at what has been a major problem in the church for centuries…the favorite sport of Christians trying to change each other.

In chapter 14 Paul continues to explain what righteous living by faith looks like…he’s drawing a distinction between a believer who is strong in faith and one who is weak in faith.

Someone might say “Just looking at my lifestyle I’m not overly confident…but I’m sure God is mostly pleased with the way I live BUT…unfortunately… there are those who …drink beer…play cards…shoot pool…throw darts…play musical instruments, dance…go to movies…smoke cigars…gamble…women who wear lipstick and long pants …there’s an endless list of things that in my opinion I’m sure God is not happy about.”

What we’re really talking about is ‘opinions’ …things that are not necessarily directly addressed in the Bible…things I rarely if ever preach on.

Here’s the problems with opinions:
FIRST…if the Bible expresses only human opinions…then any part of it is subject to my opinion…there’s nothing wrong with having an opinion about what the Bible says…but it’s important to remember that the Bible conveys God’s opinion and any deviation from that is suspect to being in error.

SECONDLY…opinions are issues the church has never been able to settle… WHY…biblical illiteracy…people who aren’t sure about what the Bible says but have their own opinions and remain tied to unscriptural ideas and myths.

What we’re dealing with is a misunderstanding of the principles that are set forth in Romans 14…the problem of what some consider to be Christian taboos …things that go against Christian ethics…all the no-no’s that Christians like to throw in the face of those who do such things.

The question is…if you’re opposed to those things…then how do you have fellowship with somebody who does those things…who lives a lifestyle that is different than yours…who does things that you don’t approve of as a Christian?

That is exactly what Paul is speaking to in Romans 14…then Paul refers to something that was specific to a 1st century Christian.

The issue that occupied the early church was the eating of meat…one group freely ate everything…if there was food on the table…they ate it…they were convinced that Christ had freed them from all the dietary restrictions of the Law.

The other group…also true believers…felt strongly that it was necessary to continue to follow at least some of the dietary requirements from the O. T.

They were afraid that in the local meat markets some of the food had been sacrificed to idols or had been blessed by pagan priests…a concern even in the Corinthian Church…of eating things sacrificed to idols [1 Cor. 8:7].

A serious legitimate concern…Paul addresses this in 14:1-3:

1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does…

For many of the early converts the problem was they had come from a background where it was acceptable to believe in many gods…they were involved with idol worship prior to conversion.

To eat meat that had been sacrificed to an idol would cause their conscience to tell them they were participating in pagan idolatry all over again.

For them it was a big deal…for us today we’d say…sounds kind of lame… everyone knows idols aren’t real…they don’t actually exist so ignore the idea.

That’s exactly Paul’s sentiment…as strange as it sounds to modern readers not every Christian back then possessed that knowledge…for many Christians that was a real issue…they didn’t want to do something that would offend God.

The ones with the weak faith were the ones whose conscience was violated if they ate the meat…Paul makes a decision regarding this difference of opinion.

FIRST of all…for the more mature believer…instead of shaming the weak believers…they should have been more sensitive to the weak person’s position of not wanting to eat the meat.

SECONDLY…the more mature Christian showed a lack of understanding… they should have been sensitive to the believers who didn’t feel comfortable eating sacrificed meat because they believed it offended God.

Let me give an example…using alcohol as the example…it could be anything …here’s my call as a Pastor regarding making the decision about drinking…

Will it offend other Christians? (1 Cor. 8:4-11; Romans 14:15) Will it harm my testimony? (1 Cor. 10:27-29; I Thess. 5:22)

Paul is actually speaking to both groups…as Christians we are not to despise or judge those who hold opposite opinions…especially when it is not directly addressed in the Bible.

Judging someone based on your opinion of what they’re doing is unacceptable.

When it comes to Biblical teaching…there are essentials…and there are non-essentials…an essential would be moral teaching such as sexual immorality …this is clearly wrong.

Non-essentials are other things that could be considered opinions…such as food and alcohol…schooling our children-home—public—Christian…type of car or house to own…political affiliation… these are more matters of opinion…things that Christians are to tolerate each other on.

Instead of saying how foolish they were for not eating the meat the stronger Christians should have been more sympathetic to their feelings and responded in kindness to their concerns.

Allowing them to remain in their belief until they were better informed…that meat sacrificed to idols was still just meat because the idol was worthless.

We ought not judge or look down on those with different opinions.

There is a caveat to that statement…I’m not suggesting that we accept the opinions…ideas…or philosophy of those who would entice you to accept or believe statements about the Bible that are not true…don’t entertain them… don’t even consider them.

Here’s how naive people are about Jesus…they think that because He was only human He was limited to what first century humans knew…He was unaware of the complexity of living in such sophisticated times as the 21st century.

He couldn’t possibly know about things such as depression…bipolar disorders… autism…dementia…Alzheimer’s…or…have an awareness of the millions of other things that centuries of knowledge has taught us.

And so they adopt non-biblical ideas about things because today we are more knowledgeable…especially on how the world was created…how man came into existence.

Even denominations within what we call Christian have developed ‘new ideas’ regarding what the Bible teaches about…creation…evolution…marriage… abortion…women in leadership roles…even new ideas about Jesus that conflict with what the Bible reveals:

…That Jesus is not an eternal being but instead is the first of God’s creations… He had a beginning.
…That Jesus was just a man…He was not divine.
…That Jesus was a loving compassionate man who went about doing good and would never bring himself to punish anyone.

They fail to realize that…yes…Jesus was fully human…but He is fully Divine as well…He has always been.

And because He is fully Divine…He already knows the future and everything that is going to happen…Jesus has already been in the 21st century…He knows everything that man will suffer from or invent …there is nothing that man…can …will…or do…that is not already known about by God.

Because Christianity has failed to expand and accept new ideas…including many things that are unscientific…or because we won’t accept unbiblical practices …or because we are unwilling to entertain different ideas or opinions about the Bible…they consider us to be stagnant and regarded as outdated.

Problem is…Christians need to loosen up a bit…be more accepting to new ideas …be more accommodating to other possibilities.

They’re right…we’re not accepting or accommodating to other possibilities… and we shouldn’t be.

Paul is not saying… ‘Whatever you want to believe about anything…is OK’. He is not saying that…he is not saying anything and everything is OK.

That’s the religious mindset in American society today…the attitude that emphasizes tolerance over doctrine.

It’s crucial to keep in mind that the world sells itself as being enlightened… open minded…and progressive…all the while portraying Christians as being backward…and in the dark.

Actually it’s the world that’s in the dark …the world doesn’t realize that
… God has revealed Himself in nature and in His word [John 17:25]
… man is NOT basically good [Rom. 3:10-17]
… the purpose for living is NOT to collect all the stuff you can
… death is NOT a place of eternal peace

As Christians… it’s always good to suggest to someone the flaws and dangers of doing something that is in direct opposition to the Bible…BUT

As a Christian…we should not impose our freedom onto someone else.

In [4] Paul is using a first century comparison to explain the distinction between a believer who is strong in faith and one who is weak in faith…the importance of not imposing your opinion on someone else.

Who are you to judge the servant of another?

Again…this is a first century illustration they could identify with…one man should have nothing to do with another man’s servant…he has no power over him…no right to question his actions…to condemn him…to look down on him…or be critical of him.

Putting this into a modern-day application…as a Christian…you are not another Christian’s master…you are not to have a hateful heart toward those with different opinions…particularly over issues the Bible is not specific about.

It’s not the role of servants to pass judgment or condemn each other…nor are we to make determinations or opinions regarding Scripture…no one is a self-appointed critic of God…we are all servants of the same Master.

If God has revealed to you that you need to stop doing something…you need to stop…that’s why I don’t do New Year’s resolutions or Lent…He’s not indicating stopping for a limited time…He wants you to stop it altogether.

And if God has revealed the need for you to stop doing something…don’t shove that onto someone else…it’s more advisable to let God reveal to them the need to stop…He’s a little more subtle and a whole lot less hateful.

When someone makes the statement: ‘let God reveal it to me’ the obvious response is…OK how does that happen…how does God reveal something to me?

God still speaks to people today…the question isn’t is God speaking… because He is…the question is are you listening.

God has revealed Himself in times past and in numerous ways today:
• Audible Voice • Angelic Visitation • Visions and Dreams • Signs • The Written Word • Through People • Creation and Nature • Through Our Conscience • Mass Media

Another way God speaks to us is through circumstances…No such thing as luck in the life of a believer…or of being in the right place at the right time.

I can assure you…that at some time in your life…no matter how young in years you are…or how new a Christian you are…God has put you in a situation… used circumstances for His good.

Here’s how this works in the life of a believer…God didn’t place you or me here so we could post pictures on social media…or just hang out until we die.

He’s placed us where we are because we are in the midst of a battle…a war… you and I are active participants…there are no bench warmers in the conflict involving good and evil.

God has put you where you are for such a time as this…and its’s not a coincidence…it’s not by chance…it’s not an accident.

That phrase ‘for such a time as this’ gets tossed around frequently…often without much thought to the original meaning or context.

The book of Esther…one of two books in the Bible that does not mention God’s name…is where this phrase originates from.

The book of Esther is a book about Jewish history…about a Persian king who has been persuaded to annihilate the Jews throughout his empire.

Esther is his queen…she’s Jewish…she wants to avert this disaster by talking to the king…she was told by her cousin…that it was no accident that she was the queen of Persia…she was there for a reason…God had allowed her to attain royalty for such a time as this.

Problem…back then not even the queen could talk to the king without his permission…it could result in her death.

Esther had been given the opportunity to save all the Jews living in Persia…she had been chosen by God to set aside her own interests…to let go of her own ambitions…that’s really God’s desire for all of us…to be focused on God’s purpose for us and on others rather than ourselves. [Philippians 2:4]

4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Self-sacrifice is one of the major themes of the New Testament…it is the most basic commandment in the Bible…that we love God with all our heart…soul… mind and strength [Matt. 22:36].

If we are to fully obey God in this life…we must sacrifice our rights and our desires…we are to willingly limit our freedom and set aside our own rights to pursue the purpose God has called us to…we are called to be self-sacrificial.

In Esther’s case…it would mean she would have to insert herself into the king’s
affairs…something that could cost her her life…but:

the king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him. [Esther 8:4]

She pleaded her case and disaster was averted.

This is essentially what happen to Joseph…circumstances determined the outcome of his life.

His brothers throw him into a pit to get rid of him…he’s taken out of the pit and sent to Egypt where through a series of coincidences and circumstances he’s promoted to the number two man in all of Egypt and eventually saves the entire nation of Israel from starvation.

Looking at Esther’s situation and the many others in Scripture God used for His purpose…Moses …Abraham…Ruth…Hannah…Joseph…David…Mary…Paul and the disciples…like them…God has given each of us a job…He has opened opportunities for you to be used.

Good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them [Eph. 2:10]

To miss a kingdom assignment because we’re too caught up in our personal affairs is one of the greatest tragedies we could ever face.

As I read these four verses the issue is not correcting our thinking about food… because food is not the issue.

If all of us think hard enough we can recall the time when we have made judgements against fellow Christians.

Christ does not require that we agree on every issue…but He does call us to love one another…in the 21st century the issues that divide Christians are different from those of the first century.

Here Paul is more concerned about the manner in which we deal with differences than about the fact that we have differences…because really that’s something we’re always going to have…differences with one another.

The guidance that Paul gives to the Roman Christians is still applicable to us today…Paul’s intent was to bring both sides together…he calls us to welcome those with whom we have differences [1] not to hold one another in contempt or judge each other [4,10]

He calls us to recognize our connectedness to each other…not to believe that our position is right and the other is wrong…to not judge others and hold them in contempt…BUT…to acknowledge that each of us is accountable to God.

This morning I’ll be preaching from Romans 13 verses 11 – 13.

11 And knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.12 So then lay aside the deeds of darkness…
13 not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

There are two things in this text that God wants…He wants us to get up… and to get going.

FIRST is to get up….that’s why Paul begins with the phrase “knowing the time” …something that is clearly the ultimate issue in Paul’s mind.

As Christians our time is limited…either because of death…or the Lord’s return…if you’re not a Christian it’s limited as well…but only in death…we’re living in the time between Christ’s first coming and His second coming…a time referred to as the ‘Church Age.’

Paul is encouraging us as Christians to know the time…to realize that we live in the age of forgiveness and righteousness that came with the arrival of Jesus 2000 years ago…BUT…we’re still captive to the old age of guilt…sin …sickness and death…we live in the overlap of two ages.

Paul wants us to focus on the fact that time is finite…it’s not to be wasted… again…our time is limited either because of death or the Lord’s return.

Time for us all is ticking away second by second…hour by hour…until one day we stop to recognize just how far time has brought us.

For most, this realization happens when your children graduate from high school or college ….when your child marries…when you become grandparents…when you realize you’re the oldest person in the room…these are points of transition.

You realize time has passed…this is what Paul is teaching in this passage…you need to know the time and make every day count because we never know just how many more days on this earth we have!

There are those who believe that God determined the length of our lives…that God decided the number of days we will live…personally I don’t believe it.

But either way…Paul’s point is he wants us to examine ourselves to consider our spiritual condition.

The word here for time is καιρός…meaning opportune time…not clock time… when Paul says knowing the time he’s inquiring into are you making the most of the opportunities God gives you.

For those Christians who are snoozing through life look at verse 11 again.
Paul says…it’s time to wake up…

The natural reaction is…wake up from what?…we need to wake up from our spiritual sleep…from laziness…from apathy …indifference…and complacency …we need to wake up to the urgency of the days in which we live.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins shows the church asleep…a parable about the end of time and the Lord’s return…instead of staying alert…these 10 ladies became spiritually sleepy.

Scripture says five were foolish…but all 10 of them…not just five…were sleeping when they should have been awake.

In the context of Romans 13:11, Paul is telling us what to wake up for…warning believers to be aware of the shortness of time left in your life.

Many Christians are slumbering in a deep spiritual sleep…unaware of God’s purpose to transform and use them.

As a result…they put a giant pause in their relationship with God because they keep hitting the snooze button on God’s alarm and His plans for their lives.

They haven’t advanced spiritually any farther than they were…1, 5, or 10 years ago…knowing only the elementary teaching about Christ [Heb. 6:1] having not spiritually progressed one inch.

Remember Paul is talking to Christians …he’s sounding the alarm to every believer in the church…the time has arrived…it’s time we got up.

That segues into the SECOND point…we need to get going.

God didn’t place you or me here so we could post pictures on social media…or just hang out…He’s placed us where we are because we are in the midst of a battle…a war…you and I are participants in a conflict involving good and evil.

God has put you where you are for such a time as this?

That’s a phrase that gets tossed around frequently without much thought to the original meaning or context.

The book of Esther…one of two books in the Bible that does not mention God’s name…is where this phrase originates from.

The book of Esther is about a Persian king who has been persuaded to annihilate the Jews throughout his empire.

Esther is his queen…she’s Jewish…she wants to avert this disaster by talking to the king…problem…back then not even the queen could talk to the king without his permission…it could result in her death.

She was told by her cousin…that it was no accident that she was the queen of Persia…she was there for a reason…God had allowed her to attain royalty for such a time as this.

She had been given the opportunity to save all the Jews living in Persia…she had been chosen by God to set aside her own interests…to let go of her own ambitions…but it would mean she would have to insert herself into the king’s affairs…something that could cost her, her life…but in Esther’s case:

the king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him. [Esther 8:4]

She pleaded her cause and disaster was averted.

Like Esther…maybe not as intense…God has given each of us a job…He has opened opportunities for you to be used.

Good works which God prepared beforehand that we should
walk in them [Eph. 2:10]

To miss a kingdom assignment because we’re too caught up in our personal affairs is one of the greatest tragedies we could ever face.

Heavenly opportunities fly by…as a Christian…if you’re not following Christ as your Savior…seeking opportunities for service…you’re asleep.

I don’t think it would be a stretch for me to say that we live in a fallen world.

It’s a fact that the boundaries get pushed out a little further every month…crime becomes a little more shocking…headlines seem to be more depressing …and the moral line that so many of us grew with gets a little more blurred.

All around us we have reminders that Jesus’s return is getting closer and closer …could be the meaning of [12] The night is almost gone…that’s the importance of staying awake…of not becoming complacent so we don’t wind up like the 5 girls who were sleeping and got left behind.

What Paul is referring to here is the closeness of Christ’s return…now…if the night was almost gone 2000 years ago when Paul wrote this, how much further has the night moved along since then…how much closer is God’s return today?

There are many verses that encourage us and promise us that one day the Lord will return…verses to motivate us to holy living…[Phil. 4:4-7; Titus 2:11-13; Heb. 10:24-25; James 5:7-8; 1 Pet. 4:7-11; 2 Pet. 3:11-14; 1 John 3:2-3).

There are two issues associated with the Lord’s return…both can have a negative effect because of the way people think about Jesus’s return.

ONE…is the danger of being ho-hum about religion…people who have either grown tired of Christianity or see no reason to be associated with the Church.

There’s mounting evidence that people in the ages of 23 and 38 are as likely to say they have no religion…rather than to identify as being Christian.

Christianity means nothing to them…think about the seriousness of this…ages 23 to 38 are the child bearing ages…if as parents they don’t see any urgency in being in the Church how do you think they’re going to raise their kids?

People who are so caught up in their everyday activities that tomorrow’s no different than today…sun comes up…sun goes down…not even the reality that one day they’re going to die distracts them from their ho-hum thoughts about eternity.

The SECOND issue deals with those who are Christians…Christians who are so secure in their eternal destiny but have become lackadaisical in their commitment…simply biding their time…Jesus says there’s a danger in that:

take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, (Luke 21:34).

Paul reiterates:

12 So then lay aside the deeds of darkness…13 not in orgies and
drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

The natural reaction is…that’s making some awful ugly assumptions… remember…this is addressed to Christians…when you look at these vices you’re probably saying…NOT ME…never would I do that.

These vices are not necessarily identifying the behavior in a Christian’s life…but more closely are representative of the evil that is possible for those who are living a life outside of Christ…rather than the actual sins committed by someone.

It’s not that these people have forsaken Christianity…it’s the type of behavior that represents a life of self-will…these may not be actual vices but are the result of the selfishness that can result when we seek only what’s best for me or what I want…the result has the potential to lead to that type of behavior.

THIRD ISSUE associated with the Lord’s return involves people who are so caught up in how current events are signs of Jesus’ return they become sidetracked…people whose whole thought is on nothing more than we are living in the last days before Jesus returns.

NO WHERE is there any indication that Jesus will come back this year…next year…or ten years…or even a hundred years from now.

People are so obsessed with end time prophecies…being so focused on something that probably will not even happen in their lifetime that they miss out on God’s plan for them now.

Matthew 24-25…known as the Olivet discourse…Jesus makes it clear that the fulfillment of these two chapters is in a time the disciples would never experience…a time that no Christian will ever experience…so why are people so fixated on it?

Jesus was speaking of a coming time of indescribable horror in the world that will focus on the nation of Israel as spoken in…Isaiah…Jeremiah… Daniel… Zechariah…Corinthians…Thessalonians…and Revelation.

There are a number of indicators in Matthew 24 that refer to the distant future…that many people mistake for what is occurring in the world today:

1. False Christs [v.5] 2. Wars and rumors of wars [v. 6]
2. Famines [v. 7] 4. Pestilences [v. 7]
3. Earthquakes [v. 7] 6. Persecution [v. 9]

Does anyone think that these things just started within the last few years? …all these things have been going on since Jesus walked the earth.

That’s why people are saying the same thing today they were saying 2000 years ago: [2 Pet. 3:4]

Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our ancestors
died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.

Hal Lindsey in his book ‘The Late Great Planet Earth’ lays out with accuracy some important events that must take place before the tribulation.

1) The Twelve Tribes return to their homeland…started 1948.
2) The Jews to possess the ancient city of Jerusalem…DONE 1967
3) The Jews have to rebuild the Temple on the old Temple site.
4) Reinstatement of Jewish sacrifices.
5) The desecration of the Temple immediately preceding Christ’s return.

SO…is Jesus’ return imminent? …NO…any attempt to tie Matthew 24:1-31 to Christ’s return for His church is exegetically incorrect.

Matt. 24:1-31 has nothing to do with the rapture…imagine Jesus talking about the end times and one of the apostles stands up and says in the middle:… “but hey Jesus….what about the rapture?”

The mystery of the Rapture would not even be revealed until 20 years later.

For those who are serious about end time (eschatological) events…the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple are events that will occur in the future …during the tribulation…they do not apply to believers in the Church Age since they will either have died or been raptured before the Tribulation.

Paul says…salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed [13:11]… that’s strange wording…always thought salvation is believing…is Paul suggesting that salvation is a future event?…Paul’s usage of the term salvation reflects the idea that salvation is a past…present…and future reality…that God’s work in a believer is ‘layered.’

I want us to look at salvation as being layered…a concept that encompasses the past…present…and future…all that is included when we accept Jesus as Savior.

Scripture is clear…redemption…the act whereby God declares us free from sin, begins with salvation and justification…it continues on in regeneration and sanctification… and then is finally brought to completion in our glorification.

SALVATION – The act whereby we confess Jesus as Lord and Savior
REDEMPTION – Jesus paid the price that freed us from sin.
JUSTIFICATION – the act whereby God declares us sin free.
IMPUTATION – the act whereby God imputes Jesus’ righteousness on us
REGENERATION – the act whereby we are spiritually reborn.
SANCTIFICATION – the life-long process of growing spiritually.
GLORIFICATION – the believers’ ultimate and final state of perfection

“In the ultimate sense we do not experience the totality of salvation the moment we {are} born again; that is just one aspect of salvation. The fullness of our salvation will not take place until our glorification when we enter into heaven.”

In these three verses…Paul is encouraging people to awaken from our spiritual sleep…from our unresponsiveness…and inactivity concerning the things of God.

Paul IS NOT addressing unbelievers in this verse…this is not an attempt to get people to become Christians…he’s talking to Christians who have already believed and have been converted…that is evident in the phrase “salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.”

The future aspect of our salvation ending in glorification is nearer now than when we first believed…every day we get closer to that appointed time.

Either in death when we go to be with the Lord…or when He returns to remove all sin and bring us into glory.

Let me just say this…it is not my intent to have you question your security in Christ…nor…in this text is Paul instructing us to become Christians all over again.

For those who belong to Christ you are already a new creature in Christ…you are already His children…His holy ones…His loved ones.

What Paul is saying is put on the character that reflects your new identity…that is in essence is what verse [14] is saying: put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

In other New Testament books Paul speaks of ‘putting on Christ’ as something already done [Gal 3:27]

What remains for us as Christians is to…dress like it…live like it…talk like it …and act like it.

One way God reveals Himself is through the lives of those who believe in Him.

Are you living a lifestyle that reveals God is living in you?

The long-time belief is that God just loves everybody…that notion is starting to collapse…there is a growing trend among conservative Pastors who rebuke the idea that God loves everybody.

I read more and more about Pastors who are concerned about people in their congregations who are nothing more than hell-bound Christians.

Hell is a place of total…conscious…eternal separation from God…the person who rejects God…never submitting to Him in repentance…never accepting Him as their Savior and dies, will spend eternity without God.

The legitimate concern is for those who believe God loves them and are yet on their way to hell…who have never experienced the transformed life…but believe God loves them.

As we increasingly start to be conformed into the likeness of Jesus our life should begin to reflect the effects of what a transformed life looks like.

There are certain identifying marks of a true born-again Christian…they are living transformed lives…their lives reflect the inner workings of the Holy Spirit.

In Roman 13, Paul reveals what a transformed life looks like…if you were with us the past couple of weeks, I shared what Paul revealed as marks of a transformed life…without going into great detail…

ONE mark of what living a transformed life looks like is the use of the spiritual gift God has given to every member so we can serve others.

I want to reiterate on the importance of spiritual gifts.
FIRST…there are no benchwarmers in the body of Christ.
SECONDLY…Christians will be held accountable how they used their gifts.

God will personally evaluate every Christian’s performance…not based on the importance of the gift…but how effective you were with the gift you were given …what you did with it…and how you used it…for personal gain or God’s glory.

The SECOND mark of living a transformed life is reflected in the traits identified in [13:9-21].

This long list of traits is actually what a transformed life looks like…it’s not a list of do’s and don’ts…it’s not a life lived on sincere intentions….it’s living that results from a conscious decision to be obedient to God’s standards of righteousness.

THIRD mark of living a transformed life is our behavior towards government

We’re told to be in subjection to the governing authorities because they are established by God…those who resist that authority resist the ordinance of God and will receive condemnation upon themselves.

Your objection to how the government is being run is expressed through the ballot box…not the ammo box.

God never condones the use of…violence…looting…rioting…killing…or the destruction of public or private property for any reason or purpose.

Here in Romans 13:8 Paul gives the FOURTH mark of living a transformed life; how we should conduct ourselves towards our neighbors:

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another

On the surface that seems pretty elementary…but this actually may be the key to solving most all of the problems we struggle with in life.

HOLD IT …Owe nothing to anyone…there are a number of ways in which that can be applied…various applications.

ONE…application is…just looking at the first four words…owe nothing to anyone…is Paul mandating that Christians are NOT to borrow money …or if we have…we should be doing the Dave Ramsey 7 Baby Step plan to pay off debt while building wealth?

So what does the Bible say about money and debt…is that statement even referring to money?

It doesn’t say … it’s a sin to borrow.
It never says that you are out of God’s will when you borrow…but the way this is written in the Greek…to no one owe nothing…some argue that we are not allowed to be in debt for any reason.

‘To no one’ (Μηδενὶ)…is one word…and ‘nothing’ (μηδὲν) is one word… combined they are a double negative…like saying ‘no’ ‘not’ …when you combine those with the word ‘owe’…a present imperative…it’s a command.

Together that phrase appears to be suggesting to not continue owing…stop being in debt…that’s a bad translation of that phrase…that’s not what it means.

This goes back to the original statement in Greek ‘to no one owe nothing’ it doesn’t means that we should never be in debt…it doesn’t prohibit the borrowing of money or using charge accounts…that is not Paul’s thought here.

Owe nothing to anyone…is not about borrowing …it’s about paying what you owe…it uses the word “owe” in a positive way.

It’s saying… pay to all what is owed to them…taxes to whom taxes are owed… revenue to whom revenue is owed…respect to whom respect is owed …honor to whom honor is owed.

When he says [8] owe no one anything…he doesn’t mean you should never incur debts…it means…when you do…pay them…Christians have an obligation to pay their bills.

It doesn’t say … God will bail you out of debt.
God has not promised to get us out of debt…Philippians 4:9 tells us that God will meet our needs…but He hasn’t promised to cancel the consequences of unwise decisions.

It doesn’t say … debt is an exercise in faith.
Again…God has not promised to get us out of debt…foolishness says that supernatural debt cancellation happens when you believe in your heart that God will miraculously clear your debts…NO He won’t…God is not in the business of getting you out of your responsibilities to your debtors.

It doesn’t say … it’s a sin to loan money.
Jesus tells us ‘Not to turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you’ [Matt. 5:42] …He even applies this principle to our enemies in their time of need …‘love your enemies and lend to them without expecting to get anything back’ [Luke 6:35].

It doesn’t say … it’s a sin to be rich.
Here comes the largely misquoted statement that ‘money is the root of all evil’. WRONG…it’s not a sin to be rich…but the Bible does give a warning concerning riches:
those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the LOVE of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Tim. 6:9–10).
Ninety percent of the scriptures using the word ‘debt’ are about how we should respond to it, and only ten percent on avoiding it.

What does the Bible say about borrowing?
Exodus 22:14 – If anything is borrowed, it should be paid back.

Ps 37:21 – The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
SECOND…application of…owe nothing to anyone…is focusing on the second part of that phrase…except to love one another.

In the statement…owe nothing to anyone except to love one another…Paul is identifying the one debt most Christians are not even aware of…the only thing we are allowed to owe…our obligation to love one another.

It’s been said:
…Moses gave 613 commands or laws to the Jews
…David reduced them down to ten (Psalm 15)
…Isaiah further reduced them to five [33:14]
…Micah bound them into just three [6:8]
…Jesus condensed the entire 613 Mosaic Laws into just two commandments
[Matt. 22:37-38] …then reduced it even further:

that you love one another as I have loved you [John 15:12].

Here’s the difficulty…Paul’s statement ‘owe nothing to anyone except to love one another’…parallels Jesus’ statement…that you love one another as I have loved you.

Regardless of what anyone else may say or do…our command is to love…it’s not ‘I’ll love you if you love me’ …others do not have to love you in the same manner before you love them.

This is where things begin to get a little confusing…when Jesus says… that you love one another…He is not talking about the 1960’s flower child love where we just love everybody…or the response to everything is: ‘I love you man.’

Verse 8 is not talking about the mushy…want to do good…emotional…out of obligation…lip service …kind of love that is characteristic of people in general.

There is one debt that you will always owe and never be able to pay off fully… the debt of love to others.

That should be the type of love we have for one another as Christians…it’s not about what we get out of it…it’s about what we give to others.

Side note…never let a relationship end because of your lack of love…if it ends let it be because the other person refused to receive your love.

Jesus set the example of love for us with Judas…at the last supper…Jesus knows Judas is about to betray Him…despite that…Hebrew tradition has Judas sitting in the place designated for the most honored guest…[John 13:21, 25-26]…to the left of Jesus.

Then…Jesus, knowing Judas’s intention…avoids humiliating him in front of the other disciples.

Godly love refuses to do anything that might offend someone [Matt. 16:6].
Godly love is forgiving [Eph. 4:32 / Matt. 6:14-15 / Luke 6:36-37].
Godly love does no wrong [Romans 13:10].
Godly love is characterized by humility…gentleness…and patience [Eph 4:2].
Godly love does not cause people to stumble morally or spiritually [Rom 14:21].
Godly love is kind…not jealous…does not brag…is not arrogant…does not act unbecomingly…is not provoked…does not rejoice in unrighteousness [1Cor. 13]

That is the kind of love Paul is referring to…supernatural Godly love which is only given to the spiritual believer through the power of the Holy Spirit.

To love as Christ loves is only possible as we abide in Him and He in us…IF we are to fulfil the law of Christ by loving others as Christ loved us, and IF we are to owe nothing to anyone except to love one another – this can only be done in the power of the indwelling Spirit.

Loving the people that cross our path every day…all the while living a life of integrity and showing consideration towards others, is the mark of a true believer.

You’ll never reach the place where you can say… “Now I love others as much as I ought to” …no matter how long you’ve been a Christian and how much you have grown as a Christian…you still have room to grow in love.

An interesting concept…Paul mentions twice…[13:8] ‘he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law’ …‘love is the fulfillment of the law’ [10].

Interesting that Paul would bring up the law when in just a few earlier verses he makes the point that:

we are not under the law but under grace [6:14]
that we have died to the law in Christ [7:4].

Immediately after writing about the importance of loving one another Paul goes on to quote the Law [9] by stating four Commandments:
You shall not commit adultery…murder…steal…covet

How do I know if something written in the Old Testament apples to me today?… if it’s repeated in the New Testament.

Again…the foolishness that says the Old Testament is out of date…or…just let love be your guide, is misleading.

SO…What is the possible relevance in stating these four Commandments… and why just these four?

The Ten Commandments are broken into two sections…the first four are vertical commandments…they reflect how we are to relate to God:

1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol.
3. You shall not wrongfully use the name of God.
4. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

The four Paul mentions comes from the second part of the Ten Commandments. They are the six horizontal commandments that reflect how we are to relate to each other.

5. Honor your father and mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness.
10. You shall not covet.

These four commandments are fulfilled when we “love your neighbor as yourself”…they draw a boundary around what is acceptable and what is not.

When you look at the Ten Commandments through adult eyes you discover they are much broader than what is taught in a children’s Sunday School class where they are learned as a set of do’s and don’ts…when applied to our daily life they help us feel a closer connection to God.

Think about this…when we practice true biblical love which is to love your neighbor as yourself none of these four Commandments are a possibility…we become conscious of the wrong we’re doing when we commit adultery…murder … steal …or covet because love is controlling our decisions and actions.

In the 13th chapter of Romans Paul is defining what a transformed life looks like …it all starts in [9] ‘let love be sincere.’

Contained in these four words is the proof of whether someone’s faith is genuine.

Paul puts love at the top of the list…without love it questions how serious a person’s profession of faith really is….without love living a transformed life is impossible.

So the question Paul is asking us here, is…are you living a lifestyle that reveals God is living in you?

Are you paying your debts? …not just the financial ones you owe…BUT…are you working at paying the debt that you will always owe…the debt of love for others?

Christians who have been conformed into the likeness of Jesus and are experiencing transformation is the indication of a life lived with God.

13:1-7

Is government a good thing or a bad thing?

When the topic of ‘government’ is brought up people often have a less than enthusiastic response…most generally…anger…disgust…rebellion…frustration and despair often characterize our response to those who rule over us.

Last week the Senate passed a $433-billion-dollar Inflation Reduction Act that the Congressional Budget Office says will actually have a negligible effect on inflation…but The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) suggested that Americans in almost every income category would see their taxes increased. SO…Is government a good thing or a bad thing?

After writing for eleven chapters about what justification by faith is…Paul turned his attention to how it transforms the lives of believers.

Paul is not saying that all who are born again are living transformed lives…quite the opposite…He’s saying that believers can live transformed lives…a process accomplished by the work of the Holy Spirit.

For the past two weeks we have looked at the results of what living a transformed life looks like…ONE is thru the use of spiritual gifts that God has given to every member of His church so we can serve others.

The SECOND result of living a transformed life is reflected in the traits [12:9-21].

In Romans 13:1 Paul continues to describe what it means to be ‘transformed by the renewing of your mind’ …directing us that as Christians we are to be subject to the governing authorities.

In chapter 13 of Romans Paul give guidance regarding how we are to react to the government.

13 1Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that                                exist have been established by God.  

2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.
4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on wrongdoers.
5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.
7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Some Bible teachers believe that these first seven verses in Roman’s 13th chapter contain the clearest and most specific New Testament teaching on a Christian’s responsibility to civil authority.

Let me start off by saying … there are occasions in which Christians may disobey civil authorities … any time government requires a Christian to do what God forbids or forbids them to do what God commands … then the Christian must disobey.

There’s the always popular Romans 13 scenario used in Seminary … you’re living in Germany in the 1930’s and the Nazis come to your house and want you to turn over any Jews you may be hiding. Knowing their fate, do you subject to the governing authorities and turn them over or defy the directive and continue to hide them?

But … our basic posture toward government according to the New Testament is to be submissive and obedient citizens of the state.

Now…my job as a Pastor is not to get into politics from the pulpit…my opinion is no more important than those Hollywood celebrities or the man cleaning the restroom at the Quick Trip.

I am not called to give my opinion or change the emphasis from the gospel to politics…OR to support legislation at the expense of teaching the Bible.

In the first seven verses of Romans 13 Paul lists five principles:

1) [13:1] – That every person be subject to the governing authorities because God ordains all human governments.

Sometimes when reading Scripture, it’s good to remember the circumstances the writer was in when they wrote the Bible… I can’t help but believe that when the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write this chapter…based on the persecution Christians were suffering at the time…that Paul wasn’t seriously questioning God’s reason.

Remembering that Paul wrote this during the reign of the two worst tyrants known to history…Roman emperors Nero and Caligula.

Despite the brutality they were suffering under Roman rule…Paul is telling Christians to be subject to the government…to not resist governmental authority.

What Paul says in 13:1 is not something specific to Romans…being subject to governing authorities is a common theme throughout the New Testament regarding how we are to react to and regarding our allegiance to government.

In writing to Titus Paul directs him (Titus 3:1–2).

Remind them [believers] to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient

Peter echoes the same sentiment [1 Peter 2:13, 14, 15].

Be in subjection to every human institution, where to a king as one in authority or to governors…for such is the will of God.

Paul was not claiming that earthly governments must be obeyed because they are good or trustworthy…that’s never implied…most generally they’re not.

Many of them are immoral…unjust…and ungodly…but…regardless…Paul was establishing the principle that we should be subject to earthly governments because in spite of their faults:

1) There is no authority except that which God Himself has permitted, and the powers that exist do so by God’s sovereign appointment. [Rom 13:1]

Civil government is by divine decree…there is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God.

That is in full agreement with what I read last week in my daily Bible reading from Daniel …written thousands of years ago…it is God who ‘sets up kings and removes them.’ [2:21] He doesn’t need our help.

2) Human government is one of the way God restrains the influence of evil in the world. [2 Thess. 2:7]

There are FIVE restraints:

ONE… Government… God has ordained governments to have authority on the earth to punish bad behavior and encourage good behavior (1 Peter 2:14) …government in any form is a gift from God to restrain evil.

TWO…our conscience…this is a personal restraint…People have a sixth sense to know right from wrong…every human being has the law of God written in their heart…every human being comes into this world knowing the difference between right and wrong [Rom. 2:15].

THREE…the third restraint is family. One of the reasons God gave marriage and told them to populate the world was so people would be born into families where the father and mother would invest in the training up of their children.

FOUR…the Holy Spirit…He is the restrainer…according to God’s timetable the Day of the Lord and the accompanying judgement will not start until what is keeping evil in check is taken out of the way.

The one holding evil in check and will continue to do so until the proper time is none other than the Holy Spirit [2 Thess. 2:6-8].

FIVE…fifth restraint is a spiritual restraint…biblical churches are a restraint against evil because they are filled with people who teach the truth… pastors who proclaim how people can be saved…and preaching God’s Word that changes sinners into saints [Rom.. 10:9-10].

Unfortunately, over the last century our country has been on a trajectory to remove these restraints from society.

….When families are broken society will see the rise of wickedness because the restraint against evil has been weakened.
…When the government becomes corrupt, then morality will not be enforced.
…When the country is filled with false churches then people will not be restrained spiritually from their sin., and the country will descend into chaos.

Many times, to be subject to the governing authorities is not a black and white issue.

The term…be subject to the governing authorities…in [13:1 / Titus & Peter] includes a lot of ideas other than just paying your taxes…it’s consenting to legal regulations…it’s obeying legal authorities…it’s following societal rules…it’s being obedient to speed limits…stop signs…curfews…building codes…fishing and hunting licenses and many other laws.

In the sixties all I wanted to do was go to college…run track…and drink beer… the government decided it best that I should take a boat ride to a country I couldn’t even find on a map and engage in a miliary conflict with people I didn’t even know.

People who had never done anything to me …and as far as I knew all they wanted was to be left alone which was fine with me because all I wanted was to get back home to Beverly.

BUT…for me to defy the government’s directive to go into military service… as a Christian…would I have been in violation of God’s directive to…be subject to the governing authorities?…would I have been resisting governmental authority which God established?…if you’re familiar with that time a lot of people did just that…and went to Canada.

Imagine you’re a Christian farmer living peacefully in colonial America…word comes that a bunch of politicians in Philadelphia have declared independence from Great Britain.

Knowing what Paul says in Romans 13 about being in submission to governing authorities…what should you do? Remain loyal to England or side with those rebellious colonialists?

INTERPRETATION 1
Many evangelicals believe that the American Revolution was wholly justified …they believe that the rights to life…liberty…and the pursuit of happiness… not only are divinely endowed but justified at whatever the cost…including an armed rebellion if necessary…therefore the American Revolution was justified.

INTERPRETATION 2
Many evangelicals—John McArthur—strongly believe that the Revolutionary war was forbidden by God and our founding fathers were in direct opposition to God… that the United States was born out of a violation of Romans 13:1.

In Paul’s day the Romans severely persecuted Christians…they could have easily taken Jesus’ teaching about the coming kingdom of God as a reason to take up arms and rebel against the Romans….would it have been justifiable based on Nero’s actions to kill Christians?

How could Roman Christians be loyal to a government that persecuted them… denied them their civil right…stole their property…and had them executed simply for being Christians?

So the question to the church in Rome was…how shall we think about Caesar… do we support him or not…Paul believed that the civil authorities were ordained by God and Christians were obligated to obey the laws of the land.

As Christians our basic posture toward government…according to Scripture…is to be submissive and obedient citizens of the state [12:1] …in addition…we are also to pray for earthly governments to fulfill the tasks God has given to them [1 Tim. 2:2] …even those we believe are in opposition to God.

Someone asked me ‘should we pray that bad things happen to evil rulers?’…after all the Bible has some pretty terrible things to say about evil people.

Psalm 137 ends with: “dash their babies’ heads against the rocks” …if you’re familiar with the ‘imprecatory Psalms’ they ask God to curse…destroy…invoke judgement and calamity on people…how can we pray things like:

Let his years be few…May his children become fatherless, and his wife a widow. May his children wander as beggars and be driven from their ruined homes. May creditors seize his entire estate, and strangers take all he has earned. Let no one be kind to him; let no one pity his fatherless children [Psalm 109:8-12]

The imprecatory psalms help us to understand the hurt and outrage that the Jews were experiencing…so what is our directive? TWO THINGS:

FIRST…To pray an imprecatory prayer is to pray as Jesus taught us to pray…as Christians we long for God’s kingdom to come…that it will be on earth as it is in Heaven. [Mat 6:10]

Praying the imprecatory psalms is not a call for violence…but a call to faith… we pray for God either to convert or curse the enemies of Christ…notice that the judgment and the destruction is left in the Lord’s hands.

It is the Lord who brings about judgment and it’s not for us to take judgement into our own hands…imprecatory psalms do not promote an attitude of hatred, but an attitude of desiring God’s justice.

If we’re going to submit to Paul’s command—to be in subjection—imperative voice in Greek…a command that applies to every believer in whatever part of the world and under whatever form of government you’re living under…then we have to figure out how this kind of prayer fits into our lives.

The problem comes in when those who are less than receptive to God’s Word want to marginalize Scripture because it doesn’t fit their agenda…they say verses like this too often are used to crush dissent…stifle protests…and discourage civil disobedience that Christians should be engaged in.

They want to tell you the Greek word for ‘be in subjection’ (ὑποτασσέσθω) is ‘submit’ and it does not always meant to obey…it does mean obey.

For them staging protests…sit-ins on the floor of their local government representative’s office…chaining themselves to a bulldozer to protest environmental injustice…or standing outside of abortion clinics harassing women is acceptable. Angry protests against women having abortions is not the way to win hearts.

Will there be times when we as followers of Christ are called upon to stand up and say “NO” in the face of evil and injustice?…probably…but

God never condones that we use violence…looting…rioting…killing…or the destruction of public or private property for any reason or purpose.

For the first time in U.S. history the FBI conducted a search at the residence of a former President…as a result some radicals are calling for violence…even suggesting a civil war…again…it is God who ‘sets up kings and removes them.’ [2:21] He doesn’t need your help.

People willing to break laws they deem are unjust to promote Christian ideas is wrong. [Rom. 13:1-5 / 1 John 3:4] …God is a God of order not chaos [1 Cor. 14:33].

Let me just say this…you can certainly disagree with me…but…if you believe that protesting unjust laws by using violence is the right thing to do…then as a Christian you should be willing to submit to the punishment for breaking such laws.

2) [13:2] – When you resist government authority which God has established you are actually opposing God Himself and you’ll come under His judgement.

Over the past couple of years in this country it seems violence has become the acceptable way of expression.

3) [13:3-4] – the purpose of civil government is to protect law-abiding citizens and punish lawbreakers.

4) [13:5] – there are two reasons to be in subjection to the government …fear of punishment and for conscience’s sake.

What does that mean…for conscience’s sake…your conscience is part of your personality that helps you determine between what is morally good and bad.

Your conscience is what makes you feel guilty when you do something wrong …actually it’s the working of the Holy Spirit that causes you to ‘feel’ bad… and who encourages those who follow God to do what Paul demands in [12:9] ‘hate what is evil…hold fast to what is good.’

5) [13:6-7] – we should pay taxes because government officials are servants of God. Another painful obligation.

Again…last week the Senate passed a $433-billion-dollar legislation that some say will increase your taxes…SO…is government a good thing or a bad thing?

Paul…through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is reminding Christians that we are to be model citizens…known as law abiding…obedient rather than rebellious …respectful of government rather than demeaning of it…BUT…not forgetting that as Christians we should speak against injustice…immorality… and ungodliness but all within the framework of civil law.

We must do it with respect for civil authorities…doing good and living peaceable within an ungodly society…so that the power of God can be seen in our transformed lives.

New Year’s resolutions are examples of the universal human desire to have some control over your life…you’re thinking…either you’re confused on what time of the year it is…or you’re repeating a sermon from last January…neither.

New Year’s resolutions are similar to Lent…you stop doing something for a while but eventually you go back doing what it was you gave up.

I know Lent has nothing to do with the stopping of doing something because it’s sinful…I realize that for those who celebrate Lent as a Christian observance it’s a time in which you give up doing something as a way of practicing self-discipline by making it a sacrifice to the Lord.

I’ve never understood that…giving up something as a way of reminding us of the sacrifice Jesus made during the 40 days in the desert when He didn’t eat.

I’m not seeing the correlation between Jesus fasting and me giving up something for only 40 days…seems both Lent and making of New Year’s resolutions are a way of doing something that somehow makes us feel better about ourselves.

It really doesn’t matter whether we make good on those promises…just committing to them…if only for a few weeks…gives us a feeling of having some control over our lives.

As Christians all of us would say that we want to change so that we can be more like Christ…but…when it comes right down to it…change is hard.

It’s like climbing an icy slope…just when we think we’ve made some progress …we slip back down to the bottom.

So how can we change for good?…for good I mean both in our character and in our behavior…how can we change to become more like Jesus?

If you’ve ever tried you know it’s not as easy as just saying it…here’s why… the playing field is not level…some have a more difficult battle than others.

If you grew up in a home where there was frequent conflict…where your parents split…where you were verbally…physically…or even sexually abused …or even now you live in a situation that is less than joyful…you’ve got a lot more issues to deal with than those who grew up or now live where that is not the case.

Or maybe you’re involved in certain substance abuses such as drugs or alcohol where the battle is more difficult for you to overcome.

Now…because this is church and I am a Pastor I’ll tell you the right motive for wanting to change…1) could be that you want to be a better person…2) maybe it’s because you’ve grown weary of how your life’s going…but more realistically…it may be because at some point in your life you realized that you were a sinner deserving of God’s judgment.

Every person at some point in their life experiences that feeling…that you were a sinner deserving of God’s judgment…the difference is YOU reached out and took hold of that offer to change…while others continue to reject it.

In our efforts to have a more calming and desirable life people are told to turn to God who will bring you relief and make you feel better.

You can go to Google and find all kinds of heartwarming…soothing…and encouraging stories about how God wants to take your worries…problems…and difficulties from you.

There are countless articles on:
surrender your worries to God and you will find strength
God will solve all your problems
God’s purpose behind your problems

I don’t want to make light of that…because God does want to be intimately involved in our lives…but there’s a major difference in asking God to intervene in our worldly affairs and people using God to get out of their problems.

Here’s what happens all too frequently…people don’t want change…they just want God to get them out of the misery they’re in….then when they’re free from that issue they put God back in the closet until the next time they’re in a jam.

God knows your intent and your sincerity.

Some may present themselves as being a faithful child of God …even having people believe they are…when in reality they don’t even believe in God.

BUT…just to show how sincere they are, they practice some form of Christianity at certain times of the year… notable at Christmas and on Easter (Resurrection Sunday) …with some even being a little more committed than that… their Christianity includes a one-day-a-week service.

People putting on Christianity as if it’s a set of clothing…not wanting to surrender to the lordship of Jesus…not wanting to present their life as a living sacrifice…just wanting to use God to get out of their problems until the next time He’s needed.

Let me share with you something of the character of God…see this in the Old Testament… a repeated problem with Israel…they would sin…then God would bring judgment on them…they would repent…then God would forgive them and restore them…until the next generation came along and the whole process began all over again.

One day God told the Prophet Jeremiah I’m getting tired of this…God’s patience does run out [Jer. 11:14]:

“Do not pray for this people nor offer any plea for them because
 I will not listen when they call to Me in the time of their distress.” 

A rather harsh thing to say…probably something you didn’t know was in the Bible…BUT…just to emphasize the point, this is what God told Isaiah regarding the same thing:

When you spread out your hands in prayer I will hide My eyes
from you…I will not listen. (Isa 1:15)

That’s not what you want to hear from God.

But it’s a reality…those verses kind of dispel the idea that God hears your prayers regardless of your situation…that’s what people are told…BUT… there’s a fallacy in that statement.

People who reject Christ’s teaching but still believe He hears their prayers…NO He doesn’t.

There is a marked difference between how God deals with those who are in a relationship with Him and those who are not…when we are out of fellowship with God our prayers are hindered…it’s the result of a positional problem between us and God…it’s not a God problem.

People want to believe that those verses from Jeremiah and Isaiah are Old Testament verses when God was…more punitive…quicker to punish…more judgmental…and stricter…BUT…He’s not like that now…those are no longer applicable characteristics because they were written before Jesus came to earth.

God is the same yesterday…today…and forever [Heb. 13:8] …there is no change from the Old Testament to the New Testament…the truth is the God in the Old Testament and the God in the New Testament is the same God.

In fact, Jesus spoke of hell more than any other biblical person…thus we can conclude that there is no difference between the two testaments…God remains the same…how He treats us is consistent…His love for us is consistent…His
hatred of sin is also consistent.

He loves us but He does not like our sin…as a result…it is our sin that separates us from fellowship with God.

People are so convinced that nothing can separate us from the love of God [Rom. 8:39]…that is a true statement…but sadly some have the idea that they can live however they want and still be confident God hears their prayers…He doesn’t.

Scripture describes at least five types of people whose prayers aren’t heard: https://media.faith-bible.net/topical/when-god-wont-listen
Atheist
Unbelievers
Church-Attending Evildoers
Intentional Idolater
Sinning Believers

Notice that two of the five groups whose prayers aren’t answered include church people…church attending evildoers and sinning believers…here’s why:

we know that God does not hear sinners; [John 9:31]

People justify themselves by using the term ‘sinner’ …most people readily admit in the general sense of the word… “Well, we’re all just sinners”. That gives them some relief in thinking we’re all in the same boat…NO we’re not.

NOW…does sin live in us…YES…even as Christians we struggle with sin.

The real difference between a sinner and a saint is whether or not Christ is in you.

The Bible makes a clear distinction between sinners and saints…even Billy Joel says so …“I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.”

In the generic sense of the word…everyone who is descended from Adam is a sinner…that’s all of us…BUT…there are 67 uses of the word saint in the New Testament… always referring to those who trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior.
In that respect…you are no longer a sinner.

You might have sinful tendencies…you might even sin…you will sin…Bible says so…BUT…you are no longer a sinner…you are a saint.

Here’s where the difference shows up…there are times in your life when as a committed Christian you pray and it seems God is silent…actually He’s not…when that occurs it is for a completely different reason…another sermon.

That’s totally different than when God is silent because we’re living a deliberate lifestyle of disobedience and He elects not to answer.

Here’s what’s important…you may lack the marks of a committed Christian, but God can transform you into a true disciple if you simply surrender and let Him have His will in your life.

The difficulty is in doing what Paul suggests in 12:1…making the claim of being a Christian but not willing to completely give ourselves to God.

Neither in Romans, nor in any other of his epistles did Paul suggest a simple, automatic transition from defeat to victory…Christian living is a process of spiritual change accomplished by the work of the Holy Spirit. (Zane Hodges)…

When we fail to give ourselves to God by being born again…we cannot live transformed lives…what is the mark of a transformed life?

The transformed life is a life of serving others in the church.

Last week we looked at one way in which the transformed life is accomplished.
It is through the use of spiritual gifts that God has given to every member of His church so we can serve others.

Beginning in [9] Paul gives another way in which the transformed life is accomplished…it’s not a list of do’s and don’ts…he gives a comprehensive…but not exhaustive…list of the basic …practical…characteristics of the Christian life.

He tells us what a transformed life looks like…it’s not a mystical life lived on good impulses…or sincere intentions….it’s practical living that results from a conscious decision to be obedient to God’s standards of righteousness.

For the Christian….the only productive…and truly satisfying life…is the self-disciplined life…when we conform our outer lives to our inner lives…goes back to [1]
present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God.

The only way that can happen is by the transformed renewing of your mind [2] …so how do we get that?

It comes as the result of an unmistakable pattern of godly…righteous living…a life demonstrated by a desire to change and become a new creation…HOW? By hearing God’s Word taught at church…week after week…month after month.

If you only hear a couple sermons a year you can’t have the transformed life… there won’t be enough of the Word of God in you to renew your mind…you need to hear the Word of God taught on a weekly basis.

‘There you go again…just wanting more people to preach to’ …here’s the importance of being in Church…it’s the cumulative impact of the teaching of God’s Word…we change as our thinking changes.

Dedication won’t produce a transformed life.
Promising to serve God won’t produce a transformed life.
Being baptized won’t produce a transformed life.
Taking communion won’t produce a transformed life.
Sitting in church won’t produce a transformed life.

Change comes as the Spirit of God takes the Word of God which we have been taught week after week…month after month and changes our thinking …as our thinking changes so does our behavior.

The Holy Spirit will take the Word of God and renew your mind…so what does ‘renewing of the mind’ mean in the Bible?

Simply stated…it means seeing the world…yourself…others…God…and interpreting life through the lens of God’s Word…has nothing to do with your personal experiences…life’s issues…or the opinions of others.

In [9-21] Paul lists a series of rapid-fire exhortations that we are tempted to overlook because there doesn’t seem to be any logical connection to the spiritual gifts that just preceded it.

This list is the second way in which the transformed life is accomplished…one way through the use of spiritual gifts and beginning in [9].

The transformation of your behavior is to live a life characterized by the ideals listed in v 9-21.

A transformed life can be expanded into four applications
1) Personal duties [vv. 9]
2) Family duties [vv. 10-13]
3) Duty to other people in general [vv. 14-16]
4) Duty to those who are avowed enemies [vv. 17-21]

The details of those applications are spelled out in verses 9-21…they’re printed in your bulletin.

The decision was should I go over each exhortation slowly being sure to explore every thought in detail…or do like what Paul did…take the section as a whole and grasp the overall point rather than stopping over every detail.

I’m not going to talk about them individually.

But real quick…suppose this was part of your daily Bible reading…two hours later how many of those exhortations do you think you could remember…more importantly…what effect did they have on you…did they transform your heart and mind?

Reading over a text like this one…once and quickly has little effect to produce all the things mentioned in these 12 verses…so what are we to do?

This whole section can be summed up in verse [9]…maybe why Paul lists it first: let love be without hypocrisy…love must be sincere.

Paul closes out chapter 12 by describing what sincere love looks like…it’s contained in the next 12 verses…everything he mentions is motivated by love.

Paul is revealing the kind of behavior produced by a renewed mind by giving examples of how this love is expressed.

Everything goes back to verse [1]. When we present our bodies a living sacrifice to God He will transform our lives into a life that is good and acceptable and perfect.

Last week we looked at the mistaken idea people have regarding what is involved in being a Christian…it’s not just hanging out until I die then I go to be with Jesus in Paradise…nowhere is that suggested in Scripture… what is mandated is that we become interdependent with other Christians.

Paul goes into an explanation on the importance of why that is…it has everything to do with what God has given each member in the Church…Paul is revealing two mysteries never before known until then.

One is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit…nowhere in the Old Testament is there any reference to believers being indwelt by the Holy Spirit…in fact very few people in the Old Testament were ever even temporarily indwelt by the Holy Spirit…it was not until Pentecost that Christians were permanently indwelt by the Spirit.

Secondly is the concept of spiritual gifts…the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life regenerates us…transforms us…sanctifies us …seals us…and comforts us…and it is through the Holy Spirit that we are given spiritual gifts to helps us to continue Jesus’s work on earth.

God doesn’t call us into our individual ministries then just expect us to somehow get it done.

No such thing as ‘if God calls you He will equip you.’ To believe that God will miraculously give you supernatural understanding of the Bible is foolishness.

God does not magically give you everything you need in order to use your gift to His glory.

It can be thought of as all the resources that YOU provide and GOD provides so together we can in unison with God successfully carry out our purpose in life.

God gives you the spiritual gift that will best suit His purpose based on every aspect of who you are…where you came from…your past successes and failures, your background…your level of education…everything you’ve accumulated from your life experiences.

That may mean going to seminary…learning a second language…knowing how people function in a different culture…whatever you need to do to be equipped for your life’s assignment.

That’s why every person’s gift is hand-picked by God to effectively fulfill your role in the body of Christ.

God knows exactly WHERE you need to be and WHAT you need to do in order for you to be equipped for your life assignment.

So, what is the benefit if any of knowing what your spiritual gift is? …because.

Knowing your spiritual gift is key in knowing where to focus your time… talent…and effort for the greatest impact in God’s kingdom.

In Romans 12:6-8 Paul uses the analogy of the human body to remind us that even though we have many different parts in our body it is still one body…each of the parts of the body work together to make the entire body healthy.

Without these different gifts the church would be as useless as a body made up entirely of hands or legs…that is why every believer is perfectly gifted.

KEY – Every believer receives the exact gift and resources best suited to fulfill his role in the body of Christ.
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.
If your gift is prophesying…prophesy in accordance with your faith.

7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach.

8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously, if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

The gifts listed in verses 6-8 are prophecy…service…teaching…exhortation… giving…leading…and mercy…don’t know why Paul elected to mention just these seven gifts because in other letters he lists additional gifts…nor does the order in which they are listed indicate a preferred status.

In Romans 12 Paul makes mention of two types of spiritual gifts…the speaking gifts and the serving gifts….every person in this sanctuary…if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, has either a speaking gift or a serving gift.

There are few subjects in the Bible that have more widespread difference of opinion than spiritual gifts…does everyone have a gift? …are all the gifts still functioning today? …how many gifts does each person have?

God has graciously given gifts to each of us… every believer has at least one spiritual gift…it is possible that some may have more than one spiritual gift… BUT …every believer does have at least one gift.

As with all things God loans us…it comes with a caveat…a warning… gifts are not for our benefit…they are to be used to serve others and bring glory to God.

Scripture makes it clear that gifts are given according to God’s sovereign will [1 Cor.12:11,18,28] thereby we should not despise another person’s gifts…should not despise our own gift…neither is there room for pride…we should be content with what God has gifted us with.

I want to reiterate on what I said last week…I want to push back on you a little …here’s the problem in the church… lay people failing to earnestly seek out their spiritual gift…they are becoming more like spectators at a baseball game than active players.

Far too often believers neglect their spiritual gift and let others who are less gifted do the work they should be accomplishing…but because the work needs to be done…it gets done by others who are less qualified or already overworked.

In smaller churches where there is a shortage of believers there may be a certain ministry that is needed but with no one to meet that need…it’s not unreasonable that someone in the Church, seeing that need…asks the Lord to give them the ability to meet that need…even if it is not in the area of their spiritual gift.

SO…if God determines what gift we get…what does Paul mean when he says to earnestly desire the greatest gift [1 Cor. 12:31] …what’s up with that?

In regard to gifts there are four important factors concerning gifts:

FIRST…there are no benchwarmers in the body of Christ…every member has been given a gift…Christ never meant for us to idly sit around waiting to go to heaven…it was always His intent that we should be using our gifts.

SECONDLY…Christians will be held accountable how they used their gifts. [Matthew 25] The Parable of the Talents represents that reality…it’s ugly…God will personally evaluate every Christian’s performance…not based on the importance of the gift…but how effective we were with the gift we were given …what we did with it…and how we used it.

Christians who are unaware of their spiritual gift…even more serious…who are aware of them but don’t use them…face serious consequences for that neglect.

THIRDLY…we should not boast about our gift as if one is of greater importance than another…nor should we belittle or criticize those who don’t have the same gift as us…why would God give one church all preachers?

FOURTHLY…don’t envy the gifts of others…God gave you the gift that best suits your individual personality and will best benefit His church…also we should not compete with one another.

It is possible that more than one person in the church has the same gift…no competition within the family of God.

I want to briefly share with you the seven gifts of Romans 12:6-8 and how they are used within the church.

1. If prophecy according to the proportion of his faith.

There’s a lot of controversy in defining the gift of prophecy.

…Some interpret this gift as a special gift that belonged only to the apostles… and like the sign gifts of…tongues…miracles…and healing…prophecy ceased after those men died.

…Another thought is that the gift of prophecy is based on something God brings to mind…unlike the gift of teaching which is based on the study and explanation of Scripture… prophecy is based on something God brings to mind but not necessarily a prediction.

…Third idea is that prophecy is still relevant today…and should be thought of on a par with what the apostles wrote…as inspirited and inerrant.

…Fourth idea is that the speaker should have the confidence and assurance that they are truly God’s public spokesperson to God’s people to…instruct…warn… admonish…rebuke…correct…challenge…comfort…and encourage.

I believe the gift of prophecy is valid for today…but…it is not to predict the future…nor is it equal with Scripture in authority or inspiration…the preacher who proclaims the Word of God acts in a prophetic role…speaking for God.

Using the gift of prophecy in ‘proportion’ is important…that word proportion in the Greek means:
…that what I say must be in line with inspirited Scripture
…that you don’t enter the pulpit and just ramble on about something that is not revealed in Scripture
…that you should not go beyond what God has given you to say
…being cautious to never speak on your own authority or from your own resources.

Something people…especially preachers…need to be cautious of is attaching God’s name to something for emphasis…of enticing people to do things because he has been instructed by God…for instance…preaching God’s going to reward you for giving money.

God deals harshly with those who use His name in that manner…when Paul asked the church for donations to support the Jerusalem church he doesn’t invoke God’s name to emphasize the importance in giving…instead he says:

‘I am not speaking this as a command’…in other words…this concept of giving has not been given to me by the Holy Spirit…I’m suggesting you do this.

While preparing my sermon and before entering the pulpit I ask for the gift of prophecy…despite the fact I have my sermon written down in front of me I am still reliant on God to bring to my mind thoughts…words…applications…and insights beyond what I have prepared that are in agreement with Scripture.

All for the purpose that will have the greatest effect in people’s lives…that will penetrate their hearts…that convict…that encourage…console…and guide.

2. The one with the gift of service should humbly serve.

It’s an unfortunate truth that people are basically self-centered and self-serving …I realize that’s a hard concept to accept…sometimes even at the expense of others…this is due to our sinful nature that convinces us that serving ourselves is what is best and is what makes us the happiest.

The gift of service is broad in its application because all of God’s people should be serving one another…we are all called to serve…not only the people we see in our daily lives but we should be looking for opportunities to serve the oppressed…the orphaned…and widows…that’s why the gift of service often takes place behind the scenes.

God is far more interested in the why you serve than in how well you serve… He’s always looking at your heart…are you serving willingly and eagerly out of love…or because you feel you need to…or if you don’t do it it’s likely not going to get done.

The gift of service is unique in that when you serve others with your God given gift of service it feels like you’re just doing what you love.

3. The one with the gift of teaching should humbly teach.

The gift of teaching is the gift that has the special ability to interpret and present God’s truth understandably.

Here’s the benefit of having gifted teachers in the Church:
• Christians who have the gift of teaching search for truth.
• Christians who have the gift of teaching diligently study Scripture to find the truth.
• Teachers help keep the Church focused on truth. They are alert to false doctrine.
• Teachers instinctively question anything that seems inaccurate and motivates them to search out the truth.

Like the gift of preaching/prophecy…teachers are instructed to teach [vv. 6] –“according to the proportion of his faith…” that means to be careful to:

… teach in accordance with the gospel that has been revealed to you
… not go beyond or make presumptions about what the text means.
… means you can’t just wing it…you should be diligent in your efforts to teach in a careful and detailed way.

4. The one with the gift of exhortation should humbly exhort.

The gift of exhortation is also known as the gift of encouragement…the word exhortation means to advocate or comfort…it comes from the same Greek word paraclete from which the title of the Holy Spirit comes from.

Those with the gift of exhortation attempt to bring out the best in people… especially with respect in bringing them to spiritual maturity…now most people would say…I would enjoy that…but there is also another side to the gift of exhortation…that may at times include rebuking someone.

Exhortation includes rebuking fellow believers for their sins…something that may be painful…it is not to condemn people but to call them to action.

5. The one with the gift of giving should give sincerely

From Scripture there are a number of things that can be learned about giving:

…All believers are encouraged to give.
…Anyone, no matter what their financial resources can have the gift of giving.
…We are to support the Christian ministry by giving part of what we have.
…We are to give with pure motives.
…We should not use our giving manipulatively to gain power or status.
…We should give to meet legitimate needs.
…We should give expecting nothing in return.

This is not a spiritual gift reserved for the wealthy because there’s another aspect to giving…there is the gift of sacrificial giving that involves the giving of one’s own possessions to others.

With respect to giving…should we be helping other Christians before we help non-Christians… Galatians 6:10 can be a controversial verse in that regard:
As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,
especially to those who belong to the family of believers

I believe in our efforts to do good we should not overlook the priority Paul sets that we are to do good to everyone…but I think our emphasis should be to pay special attention to the family of God first.

6. The one with the gift of leadership should lead with diligence.

A leader is someone who has been given the ability by God to inspire and coordinate the actions of others…but most commentators understand it here to mean ‘to lead’.

The wording ‘with diligence’ means that you can’t be a passive leader…you must take the initiative.

That’s why a spiritual leader is to encourage…empower…and inspire others to be leaders as well…a spiritual leader guides people toward godly goals and behaviors…unity and love are values that a spiritual leader promotes.

7. The one with the gift of mercy to show mercy with cheerfulness.

Those with the gift of mercy have a divine ability to sense hurt in a person and respond to it with love and understanding…very closely related to the gift of encouragement.

Mercy givers are attracted to people in distress…they love the people that most of us tend to run away from.

Here’s something we can all identify with…people who are suffering can tell whether you’re there helping them as a duty…or because you genuinely care.

Has to do with what I said about the gift of service…are you showing mercy from the heart or because you feel you need to?

Here’s the thing about people who are suffering:
…they don’t need to hear about how much you’re sacrificing to help them
…they don’t need to hear about a similar instance in your life
…they need to be comforted.
…they need someone to point them to the Lord as their strength.

Those who have the gift of mercy are more likely to sense how others are feeling…that’s why scripture says with cheerfulness [8].

Said a lot this morning…some may be saying ‘too much’…so in closing I want to sum up with THREE THINGS:
1) Important things to remember about gifts
If you preach Preach God’s message and nothing else
If you help Just help, don’t take over
If you teach Teach without slant or personal interpretation
If you are encouraging Be careful not to get bossy
If you lead Don’t manipulate
If you are showing mercy Don’t get irritated or frustrated

2) It’s important to remember that most of these spiritual gifts have corresponding commandments for all believers…in other words…all Christians are to show to some extent the gift of…service…giving…exhortation and mercy …we can’t opt out of showing these attributes by claiming that’s not my gift.

3) That we not just have an understanding of some of the spiritual gifts God has given…but more importantly that you realize that sitting in this sanctuary there are people who possess these gifts.

Last week we began looking at where Paul makes the transition from teaching about what to believe…to…how to behave…what God expects from His people.

I shared with you the single verse in Scripture that I think provides the theological framework for what it means to follow Jesus…along with the consequential change it demands in response to that decision. [Romans 12:1]

I urge you… to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy
and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship

That sums up how we as Christians are to approach our relationship with Jesus …here Paul makes an urgent plea and presents God’s strongest argument for giving ourselves to God…he says. “I urge you,” to present your bodies…not just to make a cursory attempt…but to be sincere in your intentions.

This verse can be broken down into four elements of what is needed to have the victory in the Christian life.
The SOUL must be given to God
The BODY must be given to God
The MIND must be given to God
The WILL must be given to God

Being a Christian is not just going to church occasionally or simply believing in God…it’s a total commitment of…soul…body…mind…and will…that makes you a Christian.

After sharing the four elements we need to give to God for us to be successful in our Christian life, Paul continues this line of thought by reminding us of what our role within the body of Christ is.

The mistaken idea is that after I become a Christian I just hang out until I die then I go to be with Jesus in Paradise…nowhere is that suggested in Scripture …what is mandated is that we become interdependent with other Christians.

Goes back to the need to be in Church… ‘all you want is for people to come to church so you can have more people to preach at’ …well yes…but spiritually it’s more involved than that…consider what not attending church indicates:

…it brings into the question regarding do you love the Lord
…do you love other Christians or is being with other believers not your preference.
…it says I don’t need the teaching of the Bible
…I don’t need the corporate worship of God
In verses [4-8] Paul begins to explain the importance of being in corporate worship…it’s not for your sake…it’s for the sake of those who are there with you.

Paul goes into an explanation on the importance of why that is…it has everything to do with what God has given each member in the Church…Paul is revealing a mystery never before known until then…spiritual gifts.

But before talking about them he makes what seems to be an out-of-context-statement.

God has allotted to each a measure of faith [3]

When mentioning faith…Paul is not talking about saving faith…as believers you already have that…so what does he mean by a ‘measure of faith?’

This is in reference to God equipping every believer with the kind of faith needed for you to function in the body of Christ…it can be thought of as all the resources that you provide and God provides so together we can successfully carry out our unique roles.

Have you ever thought that God is calling you to do what you cannot do with the ability you do not have…that hints at maybe you’re not supposed to succeed… ever think that God wants it that way…why would God desire that?

God calling you to do what you cannot do and not having the ability to do it… that is why many times people don’t accept jobs in the church, because they feel they lack the ability to do the job.

That is exactly what God wants…God wants people to feel they lack the ability to do them…because it then forces you to rely on Him rather than on yourself.

God wants to bring you to a place where you cannot function on your own.

Let me share with you a couple areas that need to be further defined with respect to how God works in giving you the ability to succeed in your individual calling.

Ever heard the statement “If God calls you He will equip you” …that far too often gets misquoted…I put that right along other statements that people claim are in the Bible…statements like:

—God helps those who help themselves
—Cleanliness is next to godliness
—God works in mysterious ways
—God loves the sinner but hates the sin
—God causes all things to work together for good.
As nice as they all sound…and as reassuring as they can be…none of those saying are in the Bible…and neither is ‘If God calls you He will equip you.’

Hebrews 13:20-21 seems to suggest that…Now the God of peace…equip you in every good thing to do His will…isn’t that saying God will equip you? …NO it’s not.

Let me share something with you regarding interpreting the Bible…one of the first principles of sound biblical interpretation is that scripture is its own interpreter …in other words, the Bible is not subject to our own personal opinions or private interpretations.

Before we can assign a meaning to any passage, we must first search both the context of the passage in question, as well as the whole Bible to see how the word is used throughout scripture.

When two or more passages are similar but not exactly alike…the clearer one explains the other.

The word ‘equip’ in Hebrews 13 seems to imply that God is going to magically give you all the resources needed to perfect your spiritual gift…WRONG.

Earlier I said that the ‘measure of faith’ can be thought of as all the resources that YOU provide and GOD provides so together we can successfully carry out our unique roles in this life.

That includes every spiritual…intellectual …physical…and emotional resource needed to achieve that…that’s not something God magically gives you.

Here’s where good biblical interpretation of Scripture is necessary…in Luke 6:40 Jesus uses the same exact word as in Hebrews 13…‘equip’, but context indicates a different meaning:

A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone after he has been fully trained (equipped) will be like his teacher.

Here the word ‘equip’ means trained…Jesus is suggesting that you have to do something…being fully trained means being taught…God doesn’t mysteriously give you the knowledge you need to fulfill your purpose…at times it is painfully learned.

God knows exactly WHERE you need to be and WHAT you need to do in order for you to be equipped for your life assignment…may mean going to seminary …learning a second language…knowing how people function in a different culture…whatever you need to do to be equipped for your life’s assignment.

God will use every aspect of who you are…where you came from…your past successes and failures…your background…your level of education…everything you’ve accumulated from your life experiences…even sending you back to school at age 58…all to perfect you and bring about His will in your life.

Then God gives you the spiritual gift that will best suit His purpose based on all those factors…God does not give us gifts for which He doesn’t provide every spiritual …intellectual…physical…and emotional resource we need to successfully exercise them.

KEY – Every believer receives the exact gift and resources best suited to fulfill his role in the body of Christ.

That’s why every person’s gift is hand-picked by God based on your life experiences to effectively fulfill your role in the body of Christ.

Again…‘measure of faith’ is all the resources that YOU provide…what you learned…and what God provides so we can carry out our unique roles.

These gifts are given to each believer through the Holy Spirit for us to serve in the church.

Another area that needs to be further defined with respect to gifts …again …here’s where things begin to get a little confusing…everyone is born with inherent abilities and talents…but spiritual gifts are different than talents and abilities.

Natural talents are abilities we are born with…a special natural ability that you possess…it isn’t something you learned…you just have them…for example, someone might be a naturally fast runner.

Abilities or skills are something that you acquire…through experience…by being taught…by your own personal observations…by trial and error…they are capabilities acquired.

Spiritual gifts are God-given manifestations for a spiritual purpose.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Before listing some of the gifts, Paul explains the what…why and reason for gifts so we might have a better understanding of yet another aspect of how the Holy Spirit works in the life of a believer.

The Holy Spirit in a believer’s life regenerates us…transforms us…sanctifies us …seals us…and comforts us…but it’s through His spiritual gifts that He helps us to continue the work of Jesus on earth as well as building up the body of Christ in love.

Hence the importance of varying gifts within the church…without these different gifts the church would be as useless as a body made up entirely of hands or legs…that is why every believer is perfectly gifted…as a result no gift should be sought after and no gift should be neglected.

Another burden I have is in regard to gifts…as Christians we will be held accountable for how we used our gifts…[Matthew 25] The Parable of the Talents represents that reality.

Again…being a Christian is not just going to church occasionally or simply believing in God…God will personally evaluate each of us on how effective we were with the gift we were given…what we did with them…how we used them …that also includes talents…abilities and any other resources God gives…we will be held responsible for how we used those.

Christians who are unaware of their spiritual gift…and even more serious…who are aware of them but don’t use them…are facing serious consequences for that neglect.

Here’s what’s important…on the surface some gifts…speaking gifts…seem to be more glamorous than the service gifts…unfortunately as a result people with the gift of serving might think that since they can do nothing else in the church, they must have the gift of Serving.

That attitude belittles the gift of service and the person who has that gift…it’s an insult to the person who has the gift of Serving…because there are no menial gifts.

That’s why God will evaluate every Christian’s performance…not based on the importance of the gift…but how we used what we were given.

In Romans 12:6-8 Paul describes seven gifts and uses the analogy of the human body to demonstrate how they are to be used.

He reminds us that even though we have many different parts of our body (the heart, liver, arms, legs, eyes, etc.) it is still one body…and that each of the parts of the body work together to make the entire body healthy.

4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,

5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

When exercised according to the will of God these different gifts do not fracture the body but serve to bring the body together.

Gifts are for the body, the church, and not the individual…hence the importance of using the gift God has given to each member of the church…to bring the body together.

That’s the intent in describing these as parts of the human body…there are many parts and functions but only one body…Paul identifies these gifts:

6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying…prophesy in accordance to your faith;

7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;

8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

The spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament fall into three categories:
Sign…Speaking…Serving

The speaking gifts imply an audience; the sign gifts imply that there are observers; the service gifts imply that there are people being served.

Let me speak to the ‘sign’ gifts…biblical sign gifts refer to the gifts of… speaking in tongues…the interpretation of tongues…healing…working miracles…and prophesying.

The controversy in the church today is do these gifts still exist…some believe that they only existed in the New Testament period and have since ceased.

There are numerous denominations within what is referred to as ‘The Church’ … all known as mainline Christianity…these are the churches that are generally recognized as being in agreement with what is known as basic Christian beliefs.

Basically it is the beliefs as outlined in the Apostle’s Creed:
…that Jesus was born of a virgin
…that he came to die for our sins and then rose again bodily
…acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord
…that Jesus is in heaven at the right hand of God interceding for His church
…that He sent His Holy Spirit at Pentecost and He is living in each believer
…that we are looking forward to the return of Jesus after which we will spend eternity together.

Now…with regards to spiritual sign gifts… sometimes mainline Christian denominations have different ideas with respect to their usage.

Some believe that the sign gifts were given to distinguish the true apostles from those who were false …as a result…these sign gifts ceased after the apostles died… probably even earlier…that is why none of the sign gifts—healing—miracles—and speaking in tongues—is found in Rom. 12.

The other passages that mentioned spiritual gifts [1 Corinthians 12 / Eph. 4:7, 11 / 1 Peter. 4:10-11], written years after Romans, also make no mention of sign gifts…therefore, the seven gifts mentioned in Romans 12 are all within the categories of speaking / serving.

Regarding the speaking and serving gifts there are several key truths:

FIRST…we are all part of Christ’s body…no single person is the central figure.

No one single person is more important than the other members…just as no one single part of your body is more important that the others…they all work in harmony together.

SECOND…all parts of the body need to work in harmony with each other …in our human bodies if each part decided to work independent of the brain there’s a problem…the body becomes dysfunctional…to be effective, the body has to work in harmony.

In the same way, Christians are called to work together to accomplish the work of God…to be effective we have to work the way we have been designed to work…this is an important feature not only within the individual Church but within the Church as a whole.

Pastors should accept the role of ‘leader’ in the Church…our church for example is a corporation…it has a president—the pastor…an executive secretary—Elaine…and a finance chairman—Richard…those positions are only to fulfill the requirement by the state regarding corporations…they carry no assertive decision making qualities within the church.

No single person within the church has the decision-making authority to determine or designate how the church will function…it is decided by a committee and then generally voted on by church members.

We were joking last Sunday after church regarding who gets a key to the church…normally that is reserved for those who are committee chairpersons or those needing access to the church such, as the janitor…like possessing a key to the front door somehow puts you in a prestigious position within the church.

THIRD…the individual gifts are given to each member within the Church for God’s edification…no single gift within the church is any more important than any other gift within the church.

Here’s the problem in the Church…goes back to the burden I have…lay people fail to earnestly seek out their spiritual gift…they are becoming more like spectators at a baseball game than active players.

Far too often they neglect their spiritual gift and let others who are less gifted do the work they should be accomplishing…but because the work needs to be accomplished…it gets done by others who are already overworked.

It’s important before we even begin talking about the gifts mentioned in [6-8] that we have an understanding of the importance each member of this church possesses…the potential that has been loaned to us by God so we can fulfill the purpose He has set before us all.

Romans 12 transitions from Paul’s teaching about what to believe…to…how to behave…what God expects from His people.

The apostle Paul in Romans 12:1 provides a theological framework for what it means to follow Jesus along with the consequential change it demands in response to that decision.

That’s the issue…not only with ‘Christian’ people but people in the church as well…aren’t Christians and people in the Church the same people?…NO.

Some might refer to them as unregenerate church members…so…who are those…church members who profess to know Christ yet do not come to Church…or who come only occasionally…those who have no fruit of holiness …those who consistently bear bad fruit…those who are not repentant…those who do not have persevering faith?

Well hold it Pastor…that’s pretty judgmental…I think you’re a little too critical by categorizing non-attending members as unregenerate…besides not coming to church is not specifically given in Scripture as the mark of a Christian.

Consider what the failure to attend church indicates…it says that the professed believer does not love the brethren…doesn’t need the teaching of the Bible… doesn’t relish the corporate worship of God…going even as far as indicating that the environment of believers is not their preferred environment.

They want the acknowledgment of being called a Christian…of being known as a Christian…but they’re really not prepared to live a life that accompanies that decision…that is exactly what Paul is suggesting [Rom. 12:1]:

I urge you… to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship

I have a burden as a Pastor…it’s something that’s inferred in this verse…it’s not plainly expressed, but is important to know…and unfortunately millions of people on ‘That Day’ are going to experience the reality of what this verse means and the consequences of failing to acknowledge its importance.

This verse is directed at Christians…to those who for their whole lives have lived a lifestyle that was absent of living a life that was pleasing to God… churches are filled with people who do not have the evidence of spiritual life, yet sincerely believe they are right with God.

Some because they’ve been lied to and deceived regarding the lifestyle change that accompanies a profession of faith…others because they just don’t care.

The more I study the Bible the more I’m convinced that the path and the gate leading into Heaven is indeed narrow.

Here Paul presents God’s strongest argument for giving ourselves to God…he says. “I urge you,” to present your bodies…therein lies the difficulty …wanting to make the claim of being a Christian but not willing to completely give ourselves to God.

Statistics show that most people don’t come into a worship service prepared to give their whole selves over to God…truthfully I don’t know why they even come to church…George Gallup contends that fewer than 10% of evangelical Christians could be called deeply committed.

How scary is that…so what is the criteria that makes up this 10%…because I would really like to think that I’m included in the 10%…it’s been suggested that how you answer a survey of 8 questions determines who could be considered –to be an evangelical:

—Do absolute moral truths exist?
—Is absolute truth defined by the Bible?
—Did Jesus live a sinless life?
—Is God the Creator of the universe, and does He still rule it today?
—Is salvation a gift from God that cannot be earned?
—Is Satan real?
—Does a Christian have a responsibility to share Christ with other people?
—Is the Bible accurate in all of its teachings?

Did you answer yes to these? …because a lot of Christians don’t…as an evangelical Church we do answer yes to all eight of those questions and hopefully you did to.

Here’s what’s even more important than your ‘yes’ answer…is whether your life shows it…that should be question number nine…does your life show that you are a Christian?

In my last couple of sermons I have made mention of God’s remnant…goes back to the statement only 10% of evangelical Christians are deeply committed.

That 10% are the people who offer (their) bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…who are actually committed Christians in the Church today.

But there’s certainly no shortage in ways people identify themselves as being Christian…lapel pins…neck chains with crosses…bumper stickers…all to bring attention that they are believers.

Paul is saying that might be all well and good…but

The most obvious identifying mark of who is a Christian is one living a lifestyle that reflects that commitment.

People don’t identify Church with the idea of offering their bodies as a living sacrifice…that’s too demanding…too confining…too restrictive…preachers don’t want to preach that.

When the average person looks at the spectrum of “Christianity” and all that goes with it…it can be baffling…it can be confusing…especially when looking around at those who claim to be Christian but their life reflects no identifying marks that shows that they are Christian.

Why is that…one reason is the pseudo-Christian religious that claim to be Christian…claim to teach Christian principles but actually distort and deny fundamental Christian doctrines.

That’s the difficulty with those who claim to be religious or spiritual…they often have enough information to be saved…but the teaching that has been added to the truth convinces them that Jesus is not enough so they make great efforts to do all they can to earn God’s favor.

That’s why Christianity is not a religion…we can never earn eternal life by working for it… people are saved by believing in Jesus…not by behaving good enough to earn God’s approval.

We are too deeply stained by sin to ever attain God’s approval…therefore… salvation must be received by faith as a gift from God given through Jesus…a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law. [3:28]

The followers of those false religions are in the same spiritual condition as those who think they are true believers but are not.

They both lack the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives which is the true indicator of who is and who isn’t a Christian…should have been question ten.

You can tell me all day long you’re a Christian…but without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in your life the Bible says you’re no more than a clanging cymbal.

As a result…they just stumble through life believing they are saved when they are actually living outside of God’s presence.

Often times it’s virtually impossible to distinguish a true disciple from a false one…and unfortunately they will probably continue to always do so because the commitment is too demanding.

What Paul is addressing in [1] could be thought of as the three distinguishing marks of a committed Christian:

First, the committed Christian’s purpose for which we exist is to give glory to God.

The only concern we should have is to give glory to God…living so that whatever we do brings glory to the Lord.

Our motives…our goals…our reason …our purpose…is to give the Lord glory in everything we do…so that our life reflects the attributes of God, and God is praised by the way we live.

Second…and perhaps the most distinguishing mark of the committed Christian, is that they are filled with God’s love….not just a superficial love.

The Oxford Dictionary defines superficial as: “existing or occurring on the surface…not thorough…or deep…or complete…as committed Christians…as believers in Christ ours is a God-given capacity to love.

What kind of love marks a true disciple? Jesus said, “Love one another, even as I have loved you.” [John 13:34] …Jesus’ love is selfless…sacrificial… indiscriminate…understanding…and forgiving…that’s the standard.

Unless your love is like that, you have not fulfilled the commandment Jesus gave to His disciples that you love one another, even as I have loved you.

It’s like the person who claims to be a good person…what’s the standard…it’s not to be good…it’s to be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect [Matt. 5:48] …sets the bar a little high doesn’t it?…but that’s one of the identifying marks of a committed Christian and how people will know that you are Jesus’ disciple.

A third mark of the committed Christian is loyalty…discipleship is more than a promised loyalty…discipleship demands a practiced loyalty.

Peter is the example of the gap that exists between promised loyalty and practiced loyalty.

Peter boasted that he would stand by the Lord regardless of the circumstances but failed miserably by denying Jesus to save his own life…something not done in silence either…he did it loudly and with cursing before many witnesses.
That’s why for many…it’s easier to write out a check or even double the amount than to turn themselves over to God…because dropping a check into the offering box is far easier than making the commitment to be a Christian.

Unfortunately…people do identify the Church as an organization that is money oriented…they’re more than familiar with the pressure to give money to the church…no problem in that area…they may not be able to tell you about Christian doctrine but they can tell you the church wants your money.

I don’t preach on money…don’t like to…don’t need to…but I just want to make one comment regarding giving.

Putting money or a check in the offering box represents a commitment to the ministry of the church…BUT NOT…as some preachers like to tell you…as a way to get God to open up the windows of Heaven so He can give you stuff because you’re giving money to Him…no He doesn’t…and no He won’t.

So, what does the Bible say about giving to the Church…Paul addresses this issue in two different letters…in 1st and 2nd Corinthians.

Paul is emphasizing the fundamental principle of giving that’s still the standard for today…it’s a voluntary decision…with no amount or fixed percentage attached as some pastors would have you believe.

Nowhere in the New Testament is a fixed amount or percentage mentioned or even inferred…nowhere is there push by the church to collect money…First… we don’t push…Second…I don’t know who or how much you all give…it’s none of my concern…finance committee wouldn’t tell me anyway and shouldn’t.

So what is the motivation for people to give to the Church… could say they are motivated by human kindness…just wanting to help…but the Bible doesn’t say that…Paul gives the reason why people give in [2 Cor. 9:8].

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things, at all times, you may abound in every
good work.

There it is…the reason for giving to the church…this verse explains how God works when we give to the church and to others.

It has nothing to do with you giving money in the hopes that…‘you can’t out give God’…so give generously …that’s why some translations incorrectly translate this as…God is able to bless you abundantly…the Bible doesn’t say that…it says…God is able to make all grace abound to you.

Here’s the Peluso Paraphrase of [2 Cor. 9:8]:
…God is able to make all grace abound toward you…when you cheerfully give to assist other Christians God will reward you.

…Always having all sufficiency…having the necessities of life.

…you may abound…being furnished so richly that you have an abundance.

…in every good work…so you can give a donation to share with others.

The key to the three marks of being a committed Christian is found in [2] …to not be conformed to this world…what does that mean?

The word “conformed” essentially means to assimilate the lifestyle or values of the world…to be or become behaviorally or socially similar whereby we become molded into the world’s standards.

The term “world” and secularism are synonymous…it’s not referring to the physical world but rather a philosophical view of how we perceive things according to the world’s values…its beliefs…and morals which are in opposition to God’s.

It is true (not if) …it is true…that we are all created and not merely the result of an accident of nature…everyone is a product of God’s creation.

And because we are all created what happens in this life is not meaningless… you’re not just floating through life…there is life beyond the grave…so then… the most important question is “how do I attain that life beyond the grave?”

The most popular answer is that you have to earn it…that’s where religion comes in…in almost every religion in the world there is some formula for how you can earn God’s favor and gain life beyond the grave.

That’s the difference between faith and works…the Jews tried to earn righteousness by doing things…the Gentiles attained righteousness without trying…what’s the difference? Gentiles attained righteousness as a gift by faith in Jesus.

Jesus’ prayer was not for God to take us out of the world [John 17:15] …or that we live in isolation like some monk…He is asking us to keep ourselves clear of the world’s system of life which is contrary to His Word.

Paul is saying…don’t allow the world to be part of you…Satan is mounting a deadly attack against the body of Christ…it is so subtle that many don’t see it even happening.

Satan is slowly bringing the world into the Church…bringing the behavior of the world into the behavior of Christians…so what was once unacceptable is now considered normal or “acceptable to God.”

It started 2000 years ago…instead of the church influencing the world…the world and its culture have influenced and taken over the church. Paul lists them [2 Tim.3:2-5]

2 People (who) will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,

4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God

5 having a form of godliness but denying its power.

At first glance we might say… ‘yep, that’s pretty much a good description of lost people…BUT NO…Paul is describing the traits of professing Christians who are in the church but are living like lost people.

That is the issue in the church today…I want to follow Jesus but I’m really not prepared to live with the change that accompanies that decision.

SO…how does one adopt the distinguishing marks of being a Christian?…[2] Paul focuses on that one essential means…be transformed by the renewal of your mind.’

As Paul transitions from teaching theology to teaching on Christian behavior he emphasizes that obedience and sacrifice are the only appropriate responses to God’s merciful work in our lives (Rom. 12:1).

Then building on that idea he commands us to be transformed and changed spiritually (Rom. 12:2).

This is an amazing truth in scripture. This change does not occur because of anything we do…it’s not duty driven because it’s what God commands…it comes by knowing God and His word…we can experience effortless change in our life simply by renewing our minds to the truth of God’s word.

Proverbs 23 says: as a man thinks in his heart so he is…our actions are a result of what we think.

Intellectually we may believe something to be true but the proof is in how we act…this is why it is so important to renew our minds with Scripture…to take it and implant it in our hearts so that it is in alignment with what God has said.

If what is in our heart is scripture then we will act based on that belief.

It is true (not if) …it is true…that we are all created and not merely the result of an accident of nature…everyone is a product of God’s creation…but not everyone is a child of God.

And because we are all created what happens in this life is not meaningless… you’re not just floating through life…there is life beyond the grave…so then… the most important question is “how do I attain that life beyond the grave?”

The most popular answer is that you have to earn it…that’s where religion comes in…in almost every religion in the world there is some formula for how you can earn God’s favor and gain life beyond the grave.

That’s the difference between faith and works…the Jews tried to earn righteousness by doing things…the Gentiles attained righteousness without trying …what’s the difference? …the Gentiles attained righteousness as a gift by faith in Jesus.