Fleshing Out Godly Living Series

SERMON BRIEF

Date Written: October 12, 2012

Date Preached: October 14, 2012

Church: Oak Park BC (AM)

FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS

Series: A Series In Romans

Title: Fleshing Out Godly Living

Text: Romans 13:1-14

ETS: Paul gave the church in Rome continues to instruct in godly living.

ESS: This passage gives believers today the essentials for True Christian living

Introduction:

Last week we completed our look into chapter 12 where we found Paul instructing believers that they should become living sacrifices to Christ…

However, in the latter part of that chapter we find Paul teaching these believers… that to become the living sacrifices they should be… that there were some basic essentials that must be present in their lives!

We looked those essentials last week and saw 1st how every believer needs the essential of the right kind of affection in their lives…

This type of affection is found in the Greek word for love, which is agape! This type of love loves without condition… this is the love like God has for the world. This type of love is essential for believers…

We also looked and saw that a 2nd essential for the believer and it was the essential of the right attitude… in other words we take our walk with Christ and our witness to the world serious and it become THE priority of our lives…

Finally we looked a 3rd essential Paul laid out and it is the essential of the right kind of ACTION! This essential is how we flesh out the 1st two essentials in our lives! It is how we LIVE OUT our lives IN CHRIST.

Last week we only looked at v13 for examples of these ‘actions’, but, Paul continues giving examples thru the rest of ch12.

Paul gives us many examples of those RIGHT actions. These are things Paul teaches that are essential to enhance our witness to the world around us!

BUT in these remaining verses of ch12 as Paul lays out the ‘right’ actions for believers…we find that it represents the ATTITUDE of AFFECTION all believers should have…

As I said before these ‘actions’ are the result of FLESHING out our beliefs and convictions within the body of Christ AND to the world around us!

Before we move onto ch13 I want to briefly go over what Paul tells us in the last of ch12…Paul says…

15Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. [when they are sad, join them…when they are happy, join them… support those in your life!]

16Be in agreement with one another. [you can disagree with others but still be agreeable in spirit – sometimes we have to agree to disagree] Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. [pride is the downfall of ANY believer…]

17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Try to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. [rise above the fray and take the high road is what Paul is saying here…don’t stoop to the pettiness of others]

18If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone. [this means that you do what you possibly can to be at peace with others, but you cannot MAKE them be peaceable, but you can do all in your power to make it happen…and if they are not peaceable, you still extend the olive branch to them and seek peace…]

19Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord.

[you’ve heard, ‘I don’t get mad, I get even…’ well here Paul lets us know that sort of attitude is DEFINITELY NOT the Christian attitude or action! The focus of the believer MUST be on forgiveness and reconciliation… NOT VENGEANCE]

20But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.

[Jesus commanded us to love those who spitefully use us and mistreat us… this is no different. When you see your enemy down, reach down to give them a hand up… and what Paul is saying here is that sort of attitude and action on our part will literally blow their minds!]

21Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good. [When we return GOOD for EVIL the world takes notice… it is NEVER going to be easy and it will go against everything we have ever heard or believed, but it is our calling… these things are essential to fleshing out our Christian walk in a lost and broken world]

So we can see that Paul makes a solid effort in these verses to clarify what were the proper actions for believers… what Paul is teaching here is that these 3 crucial characteristics are the 3 basic essentials of what your life should look like in Christ!