Romans Lesson 15

Pastor Brian Back with another lesson, continuing the book of Romans

Transcript

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Welcome to Life in the Word, our verse by verse study of God's Word. This is Pastor Brian McDaniel, and I'm glad you joined us today as we continue in our study in the book of Romans. And today we'll be in Romans chapter twelve. So as we begin, turn to Romans chapter twelve, verse one. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with all of you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice, the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Verse two. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. So these verses are a call to commitment, a commitment to live our lives for the Lord. And their challenge was compelling to me when I first read them. I was going through, I was when I was a young Christian, I was struggling, and these verses really went to my heart and helped me get my life figured out a little bit more in my walk with Christ. So the word commitment, what does that mean? Well, for a follower of Jesus Christ, commitment means a total lifelong surrender of one's life to God, making him their highest priority, excuse me, and living out his will daily through our actions, words, love, and obedience, even when it's difficult. So tonight I want to spend some time considering the riches of our commitment to Christ under four different headings. The basis of commitment, number one, the character of commitment, two, the demands of commitment, number three, and the effects of commitment. The basis of commitment are the mercies of God that Paul has quite literally spelled out for us in the eleven preceding chapters of Romans. God's mercy to this terribly fallen race that we live in, this world that we live in, his mercy through the provision of his son has been revealed to us in these verses. And radically, sinful man was totally lost in our sins, and we deserved God's wrath. But God, my two favorite words, but God provided a radical righteousness through the person of His Son, which made possible a new life for sinful men and women like us. And in view of this mercy, God calls us to commitment. And the greater our comprehension of what God has done for us, and the greater our appreciation of all that, the greater our commitment should be. I think you would agree. So when Paul writes verse one, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you, he's not asking for a favor, but rather stating an obligation. It's an obligation to think about what Christ has done and make our commitment accordingly. This is scarcely anything, or excuse me, there's scarcely anything more important for building our commitment than increasing our understanding of the greatness of God and his mercies toward us. I love Romans 5.8, one of my favorite verses. It again starts out, but God, and again, I love those two words. We were all lost, all of us were sinners, we had no hope, no future, but God had a plan for us. 5.8, but God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. That's the basis for our commitment, what he has done for us. Something we can never do for ourselves. So, next let's look at the character of commitment. The character of the commitment is given in the last half of the verse. Give your bodies to God for all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice, the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. So this commitment has two prominent characteristics. One, it's total and it's reasonable. The totality of this commitment comes dramatically to us through the language of the sacrifice. Give your bodies to God. I mean, what does that mean? Well, it refers to more skin and bones, more than skin and bones. It means to give your whole self, your will, your actions, and physical being as a living sacrifice for God's purposes rather than living for self. Now, in the Old Testament, when sacrificing an animal according to God's law, a priest would kill the animal and place it on the altar as an offering to God. And sacrifice was very important in the Old Testament. It was required. God required animal sacrifices in order to provide a temporary covering of sins, only temporary, and to foreshadow the perfect and complete sacrifice of Christ. It revealed to people that they were sinners. They needed a savior. The animal sacrifices weren't going to go on. They couldn't go on. They really meant nothing to God. Leviticus 17, 11 says, for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. I mean, even when Adam and Eve sinned, animals were killed or sacrificed by God to provide clothing for them. And after the flood, Noah sacrificed animals as God is an offering of thankfulness. Sacrifice was important in the Old Testament, but then God made it clear that obedience from the heart was much, much, much more important than spilled blood. God wants our hearts. God wants us to offer ourselves, not animals, as living sacrifices, daily living us, setting aside our desires to follow His, putting all our energy and resources at His disposal and trusting Him to guide us. Whether you're at home or work or a movie or church or vacation, wherever you're at and whatever you're doing, we need to offer ourselves to God and give Him all of ourself to do His will. All believers are called to be totally committed to Christ. And for Paul, true worship and offering ourselves to God is reasonable and logical because it's consistent with a proper understanding of the truth of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. Total commitment is the only rational course to take when you really see who God is and what He's done for us. Nothing else makes sense. And halfway commitment is irrational. A lot of believers today give God part of their life and keep other parts for themselves. They're saying, everything is yours, Lord, but this relationship, this deal, this pleasure, this habit of mine, I won't let go of that, God. I need that. But the rest you can have. That's not acceptable, God. Part of you is not enough. That's beyond spiritual logic. Anything less than total commitment is false worship. We're deceiving ourselves if we're doing Christian things and speaking Christian words but are not committed, totally committed and consecrated to Jesus Christ. Sam Schumacher said it well, quote, to be a Christian means to give as much of myself as I can to as much of Jesus Christ as I know. This is why as we grow in the knowledge of his grace and mercy, we should be more committed at age 21 than 16, and more so at 35 and 45 and 60 and 70. This is a process that we all go through. It's a process of God's growth until we go home, until our final days. So having seen the basis and character of commitment in verse 1, we turn to the demands of commitment in the first part of verse 2. Notice that in verse 2 there are two commands. The first is negative. It says, don't copy the behavior and customs of this world. And the second is positive. But let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. So there are two sides of commitment. So what does the negative command, don't copy the behavior and customs of this world mean? Well, Paul's warning us about following the selfish and corrupt patterns of this fallen world that we live in. Christians are called to a different lifestyle than what the world offers. We are to live as citizens of a future world. And I know there will be lots of pressure to conform to this world, lots of it. I struggle with it, and to continue living according to the script written by the world, but believers are forbidden to give in to that pressure. We must be careful while we read, while we watch and listen to, and most importantly, we must not be afraid to be different. We must daily stay focused on God's word, growing in knowledge of it and allowing it to change us and strengthen us. There's no other way to keep from conforming to God's or conforming to this world's lifestyle. No other way but through God's word. We need the word. You need to be reading it. You need to be reading it daily. So don't copy the customs and behaviors of this world. Then comes the positive command, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Transformed makes me think of the word metamorphosis, the changing from one form to another as in the transformation of a tadpole to a frog or a caterpillar to a butterfly. But the full meaning is much, much richer. We're transformed into a new person. We become new creations with a new longing for God, for his word, and a desire to serve others emerges from within us. This inner transformation produces a Christ-like character through faith and obedience to Scripture. How does all this happen? Well, God transforms us into new beings by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit initiates an inner change that renews the mind, changes the way we think, and the tool the Spirit most frequently uses to change our way of thinking is God's Word. Hebrews 4 12 says, for the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting through soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. The Holy Spirit uses God's word to alter our desires from self to God and to produce a Christ-like character in us. And transformation is a lifelong process of daily surrender, learning to love and serve others, and finding strength to resist sin, ultimately moving us from spiritual death to spiritual life. And as we answer the call to commitment, we are called to voice a monumental no to the schemes of this fleeing evil world and a determined yes to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in renewing our minds. I mean, let me ask you, do you want to look like Jesus Christ in this world? At work, at school, in your neighborhood? Or does that terrify you? So the final phase of verse 2 reveals the effects of genuine commitment in our lives. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. You know, during my many years of ministry, the most asked question that I've received is how do I know what God's will is for my life? Does God want me to get married? Who does He want me to marry? What does He want me to do for a job? Where will I live? And my answer is usually, I have no idea. But I mean, how would you answer that question? I do have a form of foundation that I give to people when they do ask me that, that's based on God's word. And here's what I tell people who ask. Number one, believe in Jesus Christ. That's God's will for you. Believe in Jesus Christ. This is the foundational act of accepting God's will. Number two, be sanctified. Live holy lives. Avoid sexual immorality. Strive to become more and more like Christ. And number three, give thanks in all situations. Four, do good works. Live righteously and do what is good. Serve and help others. And number five, lastly, seek God. Keep seeking him. To know him personally and draw closer and closer and closer to him until your last breath. And to put all this together in simple terms, it means the will of God is for us to live our lives to please him, period. We live to please God. We live to bring God glory and honor. You know, I don't remember what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I'm sure it wasn't this. I'm 100% sure, 100% sure I did not want to be a pastor. But God had other plans. And he put a series of circumstances in front of me that I responded to, beginning with my wife telling me one Sunday morning, or Saturday, I guess it was, that I had to teach fourth through sixth graders on Sunday morning. I'd never taught before in my life. Not the scripture, not the Bible. Then the junior high pastor a few months later asked me to fill in him for a few weeks, a couple weeks, while he took finals at seminary, which I fearfully and hesitantly did. But he never came back. And through other circumstances, so I remained that pastor, took that position over, that role. I knew it was God's, when that all happened, you just know it's God's will. And through other circumstances, or let's call them opportunities that God placed in front of me over the years to follow, I eventually ended up where I'm at, pastoring at this church in Scottsdale, Arizona. This was not the will for my life that I saw it, but this was God's will. I made a commitment to God when I became a believer, and when opportunities to serve him arose, I took them. I knew it was God's will, and I said yes. Was I afraid? Absolutely, many times. But there always were opportunities that I took were always, as I looked at them, opportunities to grow in my faith. And that's what I wanted. I wanted to become closer to God. I don't know what God's will is for your life, but when God puts an opportunity in front of you, say yes. Thank him and do your best. And what's what God will do for you, and God will do through you. A life committed to God has the power to perceive what God's will is. I believe that. And the one who's committed to God sees life with a sure eye. He or she knows God's will, and they find God's will to be good and pleasing and perfect. So, the review, what is the basis of commitment? The mercies of God and his love for us, his sacrifice for us on the cross. What is the character of our commitment? Well, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be living and a living and holy sacrifice, the kind you will find acceptable. What are the demands of commitment? Well, there's two. First is negative, don't copy the behavior and customs of the world. Then the positive, don't let God, or excuse me, let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. And what is the effect of commitment? Knowing the will of God. Nothing but total commitment of our lives to God makes any sense. He holds the universe together by his power, for everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. Romans 11, 36. So total commitment to God is the only logical way to live as we await for his return, his second coming. So let us live under the logic of God. Let us be committed to him, fully committed to him, because he is coming back, and we will all answer to him. So let's be prepared. So assuming we are committed Christians according to the guidelines of Romans chapters 1 and 1, verses 2 and 3, how do we who are having our minds renewed and our lives transformed think about life as we live it? Specifically, how do we who have had our minds renewed think about ourselves, about fellow believers, and about our spiritual giftedness? Well, Paul answers these questions in the next verses 3 through 8. So first, how are we to think about ourselves? Verse 3. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning. Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Perhaps Paul knew of some individuals in the church at Rome who thought they were better than others. And I mean the opening verses of chapter 14 give us a hint of this, where it says, Accept other believers who are weak in their faith, and don't argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. So this issue is especially significant in light of Paul's teaching up to this point in the letter to the church in Rome that consisted of both Jews and Gentiles. And I'm sure the Jews thought they were superior because they had all the history, the background, the promises, the covenants. Inflated pride has no place in a believer's life. The Jews are not better than the Gentiles, and the Gentiles are not better than the Jews. Rather, all are dependent on God's mercy for their salvation. There's no room for pride. And what happens when pride enters a church? It undermines the oneness, the unity that is vital to the growth of the church. Healthy self-esteem is important because some of us think too little of ourselves, and others, on the other hand, some of us overestimate ourselves. Honest and accurate self-evaluation comes by knowing the basis of our self-worth. And what is the basis of the self-worth of a believer? Well, it's our identity in Jesus Christ. Apart from him, we aren't capable very much by eternal standards. In him, we are valuable and capable of great worthy service. Evaluating yourself by the worldly standards of success and achievement can cause you to think too much about your worth in the eyes of others and thus miss your true value in God's eyes. You shouldn't care what other people think. We understand this. We have an audience of one, our God, and our goal is to live a life that pleases Him. He alone will judge us one day. So live your lives every day like you're trying to please God. Verse 3 ends with this Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. God has allotted each believer a standard of faith by which to measure himself or herself, and that standard is Christ. If we truly make Christ our standard, we will experience a reality of the opening beatitude in Matthew chapter 5, which says, God blesses those who are poor in spirit and realize their need for him, for the kingdom of God is theirs. If Christ is our standard of measuring ourselves, the tendency to exalt ourselves by comparing ourselves with others will be curbed. Those who pride themselves because they are more gifted than another believer will cease their foolishness when they make Christ the standard of measurement. A clear focus on Christ then is the key to thinking rightly about ourselves and should be the goal of our spiritual practices. This is a call to profound humility to all followers of Jesus Christ. So from thinking rightly about ourselves, we move into verses four and five to think rightly about fellow believers. Verses four and five stressed the one body of which we are all members. Verse four, just as our bodies have many parts, and each part has a special function, five, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. So replacing the national identity that had once set apart God's people, Israel, Paul gives a new picture of the identity of God's redeemed people of his church, which consists of both Jew and Gentile. They are the body. We are the body. Each of us has one body, but it has many parts eyes, ears, fingers, toes, blood vessels, muscles, and it goes on and on and on. And all the members of our body do not have the same function. Not every part of our body can see, not every part hears. Instead, each part has a specific function, and they all must work together if the body is going to move and act correctly. And so it is with Christ's body, the church. The body of Christ is made up of many believers who all perform different yet vital functions. And as our bodies cannot be taken apart, so each member, each believer in the body of Christ belongs to all the others. We're together. We're one. Together they all work together to make the body work. Understand, the body doesn't exist to serve the members, and the body is not dependent on one or two of its members to run the show. Every person in the church body has his or her part to do. And when it's not done, Done this way, the body always suffers. And because we all have different backgrounds, experiences, we're in different places on our walk with Christ, with different abilities and giftedness, only in Christ is there basis for unity that transcends our differences. Christ holds it all together. Look at verse 6. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. God has given us each different gifts so that we can build up his church. And we must be humble and recognize our partnership in the body of Christ and then get to work. Only then can we can our gifts be used effectively, and only then can we appreciate others' gifts. God's gifts differ in nature and power and effectiveness according to his wisdom and graciousness, not according to our faith. God gives us spiritual power necessary and appropriate to carry out each responsibility. But these are God's gifts to his church, and he gives faith and power to each of us as he wills. So what is our role then in the body? Well, our role is to be a faith is to be faithful and to seek ways to serve others with what Christ has given us. And in thinking rightly about our gifts, we must consider a few simple truths. Okay. First, we all have gifts. No Christian is left out. You may not have one of those specifically mentioned in these verses right here, though you might, but you do have at least one spiritual gift. And two, the list here is not extensive. It's not exhaustive. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 lists several other gifts that the believers are given. So a lot of people have also asked me, how do I know what my gift is? Well, Christians generally discover their spiritual gifts through a combination of prayerful seeking, examining their passions and abilities, and receiving confirmation from their faith community. The method I've used, and I believe is a good method, has worked for me and many, many others, is testing your gifts, finding your gifts through active service in the church. Basically, I'm saying try something. If there's a spot available, if there's a need there, find those needs and try it. Doesn't mean you're stuck there. But if you see it bearing fruit, seek feedback from mature believers. See what they're saying. Maybe that's for you, maybe it's not. I started out that way. I remember the very first thing I did was teaching young children with my wife. That was not for me. That was not my gift. They had to get me out of there as fast as they could. But you keep looking. There's more and more opportunities in every church to find a place where you belong and where your giftedness is at. So getting involved in various ministries allows Christians to test their abilities and see if it's something you find joy and purpose in. Pay attention to areas of ministry or needs in the church that draw your industry or passion and go for it. Try it. Back to verse 6. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. The gifts Paul mentions in this last list fall into two categories primarily, speaking and serving. Words spoken speak to our hearts and minds of grace. God's grace and acts of service show grace and action. And again, this list is not exhaustive. There are many gifts, most of them hidden from the public. There's a lot of people out serving this church that you don't even know they're serving. They're in the background. There's others like myself and other pastors, we're up front. Those that are behind the scenes are just as important as those that are out front. All of our actions must serve and magnify God. That's why God gave us these gifts. And the first gift Paul speaks of here is prophesying. So what is the gift of prophesying in the New Testament? Well, the gift of prophecy in the New Testament is a spiritual gift involving divine enabling to receive and communicate a spontaneous message from God, primarily to strengthen, encourage, and comfort believers in the church. It focuses on forthelling, proclaiming God's truth for a current situation, rather than just foretelling the future with the goal of building up the church. Often it simply means faithfully and boldly teaching and preaching God's word. Verse 7. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. Verse 8. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you the leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. I mean these are seven wonderful gifts, are they not? They're perfumes for the body of Christ. And if Paul's advice here was followed, how think how the healthy the church in America would be today, how healthy your church would be. Remember, whatever your gift is, God gave it to you, therefore use it. Use it for his glory. Verse nine. Don't just pretend to love others, but really love them. Hate what is wrong, hold tightly to what is good. Verse ten. Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other. The word for love here is in the Greek is agape. Do you know what agape love is? Well, here the word is used to indicate the kind of love Christians are to show to others. A godlike love that loves regardless of the circumstances. It's a deliberate love that decides it will keep loving even if it's rejected. We're challenged to live out the highest love and to do so with the highest sincerity. Our love is to be genuine, not counterfeit. Verse ten then ends with the words take delight in honoring each other. This is the way it should be in the church family. Healthy families have a mutual respect for one another, no matter the differences we have. Unfortunately, it seems the church is a place for contention, which usually involves the Tate family. Do you know the Tate family that attends your church? There is old man Dictate, who wants to run everything, while Uncle Rotate tries to change everything. Their sister Agitate stirs up plenty of trouble with the help from her husband Irritate. Whenever new projects are suggested, hesitate and his wife Vegitate want to wait until next year. And then there's Aunt Imitate who wants our church to be like all the others. Devastate provides the voice of doom, while potentate wants to be a big shot. But not all members of the family are bad. Brother Facilitate is quite helpful in church matters. Cousin Meditate always thinks things over and lends a hand. And of course there's the black sheep of the family, Amputate, who has completely cut himself off from the church. Don't be like the Tates. Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other. As Christians, we honor people because they have been created in God's image, because they are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and because they have a unique contribution to make to Christ's church. Verse eleven, never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Verse 12, rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble and keep on praying. So what is our confident hope? Well, all that God is in store for us. We don't have to fear our future when it's in God's hands. Christ is the reason we can be joyful in all circumstances. And how can we be patient in our troubles? Well, we can be patient in our troubles and trials, but never forgetting that God is always in control and by persistent prayer. A trademark for believers is prayer. It's our lifeline to God. We must be persistent in praying both individually and corporately. Verse 13. When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Our care for brothers and sisters in Christ should reach down right into our wallets and purses, and it can cost us. Hospitality. Hospitality means being friendly to strangers, not just friends. Christian hospitality differs from social entertaining. Entertaining focuses on the host. The house is spotless, the well food well prepared and abundant, and the host is relaxed and good natured. Hospitality, in contrast, focuses on the guest, their needs. Whether a place to stay, nourishing food, a listening ear, or acceptance. These are their primary concerns. Hospitality can happen in a messy home. It can happen in a dinner table where the main dish is nothing but soup. Always be eager to practice hospitality. And the word practice is instructive. It reminds us that hospitality improves with practice. 1 Peter 4 9 tells us show hospitality without grumbling. Hebrews 13 2 tells us don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. Verse 14. Bless those who persecute you, don't curse them. Pray that God will bless them. I mean, have you ever been persecuted for being a Christian? It's kind of rare in this country, but it's growing, growing here and around the world. Certainly are the uh currently there are over fifty countries where being a Christian is a great risk. Christian persecution has reached record highs with over 388 million Christians facing high levels of discrimination and violence and death. On January 4th of this year, a pastor in India was attacked during a prayer meeting by a mob of 40 Hindu nationalists because he was sharing the gospel with other Hindus. The pastor was dragged away from the house and beaten with sticks and then paraded through the village for nearly two hours. He was eventually taken to a local Hindu temple where his hands were tied to a metal rod, and he was forced to consume cow dung and drink water from a sewer, all in an effort to deny Christ and return to their Hindu religion. But this man, this pastor, did not. He was eventually freed by police and is now living in a shelter. Question. So how can this pastor and thousands of others who have been beaten, raped, tortured, and kidnapped because of their faith in Jesus Christ live in obedience to verse 14 and what Jesus said in Matthew 5.44. But I say, love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you. How? Well, for persecuted Christians, forgiveness is not a natural emotional response, but a supernatural act of obedience rooted in the example of Jesus Christ who forgave his executioners on the cross. It's an act of choice to release the right to seek revenge and instead entrust justice to God. This forgiveness is only made possible through the divine power of the Holy Spirit and remembering how Christ has forgiven us. And we must remember that forgiving those who persecute is often a journey that takes time and effort to build this spiritual discipline. It doesn't happen overnight. I've heard testimony of testimony from these people who've lost family members, who've lost everything because of persecution. And it doesn't happen. But eventually, many, many of these people, I've heard their testimonies, eventually come through a practice where they start praying for those other people, those people who killed, those people who maimed, those people who burned. Next, Paul commands us in verse 15. Be happy with those who are happy and weep with those who weep. Believers are to identify with the world in the ups and downs of human life, to be a healing balm for a cold world. Chuck Swindall says the world is characterized by indifference, noncommitment, disengagement, no sharing or caring, meals eaten with headphones turned up loud, even separate bedrooms, each with your personal television, TV, and turntable private toily, and it's none of your business attitude. No hassle, no conflict, no accountability, no need to share or reach out or give a rip. Just watch the numbers and look at nobody. Enter the loving believer. He who weeps with those who weep and rejoices with those who rejoice. This person is a light leading to Christ. George Fox, the great Quaker, recorded this prayer in his diary. I pray to God that he would baptize my heart into all conditions, so I might be able to enter the needs and conditions of all. Ephesians 6 18, stay alert and persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Hebrews 3 13 3. Remember those in prison as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. These verses remind me daily that I must be praying for our brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering terrible persecution and for their faith in Jesus Christ. Most American Christians ignore what's happening to persecuted believers. That's their problem, not ours. But Scripture makes it very clear that all believers are the church. There's one church, one God, and one Savior, Jesus Christ. So please do what you can for the thousands of believers around the world who live in constant fear of abuse and death at the hands of violent extremists. Verse 16. Live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people, and don't think you know it all. A fitting illustration of this comes from the life of Chief Justice Charles Evan Hughes. When Mr. Hughes was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, he moved to Washington and joined a Baptist church there. His father had been a Baptist minister, and Hughes had been a lifelong witness to his own faith in Christ. It was the custom at that Baptist church to have all new members come forward during the morning service and be introduced to the congregation. On this particular day, the first to be called was a Chinese laundryman, A Singh, who had moved to Washington from San Francisco and kept a laundry near the church. He stood at the far side of the pulpit. As others were called, they took positions at the extreme opposite side. When a dozen or so people had gathered, A Singh still stood alone. Then Chief Justice Hughes was called, and he significantly, purposely stood next to the laundryman. Christians are to associate with everyone, the ordinary people, the unimportant, and the outcast of society. Now verses fourteen through sixteen, call for a caring heart that is vulnerable to the world. Verse 17. Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone will see you are honorable. Verse 18. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 19. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God, for the scriptures say, I will take revenge. I will pay them back, says the Lord. Verse 20. Instead, if your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads. This is supremely radical because it's unnatural. Our condition reflexes to hit back, isn't it? I mean revenge sells. In fact, a common platline in movies geared towards primarily men is a heroic character enacting revenge. As we watch the story unfold, we delight to see the enemies blown up, shot up, drowned, or pummeled. One reason that we love such movies is that we love to see justice. The world that we live in is filled with injustice. We experience it daily. Our spouse does not respect us. Our children do not obey us. Our boss promotes an incompetent worker. A church member spreads malicious gossip about us. Someone breaks into our car and steals our computer. We sometimes just wish we could see people get what they deserve, don't we? The Bible doesn't deny the realities of this world. We are surrounded by injustice. But in this fallen world, Christians must look to God as the ultimate judge who will set right all wrongs. Paul instructs us to never pay back evil with more evil. Never take revenge, but leave it to the wrath of God. I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord. Towards the end of his life, it was said that W. C. Fields was reading the Bible, and a surprised friend asked him why he was doing so. And Field answered, Looking for loopholes. Looking for loopholes. In retaliation to this text, or excuse me, in relation to this text, there are no loopholes. We are never under any circumstances to circumstances to avenge ourselves. Any plans that we may have to the contrary are from the devil. Look again at verse 20. If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. Paul tells us to befriend our enemies, to forgive them. Why? Well, first forgiveness may break a cycle of retaliation and hopefully lead to mutual reconciliation. Two, it may make the enemy feel ashamed and change his or her ways. And number three, look at verse 21. Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. By contrast, repaying evil for evil hurts you just as much as it hurts your enemy. Even if your enemy never repents, forgiving him or her will free you of a heavy load of burdens. You know, I often tell people when they have someone they're struggling with, and I deal with this a lot. People say, I can't stand that person. They've hurt me, they've said something about me, they've just they've demeaned me, they they I can't forgive them. And what I will always tell the person, I tell you, if there's someone like that in your life, you need to pray for them. Just like these persecuted Christians who pay for those who have killed and maimed and raped, you need to pray for your people that are your enemies, people you don't like, people that have done something bad to you. Pray for them. And prayer may not change them. And I'll guarantee though, prayer will change you. You will begin to see these people the way God sees them. You'll begin to have the patience and the compassion for them that Christ has for them. So pray for people and let prayer change you. Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. So here in chapter 12, Paul has gone full circle. His words to us are the demands of commitment or having our minds renewed and our lives transformed. And the Holy Spirit can do all this through us if we'll give him our bodies, our lives to God because of all he's done for us. That's the end of chapter 12. I hope you've taken something from this that you can apply it to your life. And I pray you'll you'll continue to stay in God's word. And I hope that you'll uh join us next week as we get back into Romans. We'll be in Romans chapter 13. Until then, have a blessed week.