A Living Sacrifice To God
Part 9
Scriptures: Romans 12:15-16
This message is the conclusion of my series “A Living Sacrifice To God.” In this message we will look at verses fifteen and sixteen.
Some of you know that I like the cartoon “Calvin and Hobbes” by Bill Watterson. If you have ever read the stories of Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes then you know that he is not a typical child. Calvin is an only child and with his imagination, his stuffed tiger Hobbes is truly alive. I remember one of the stories I read where Calvin was standing at the bus stop in a very foul mood. He was not having a good morning and it showed on his face. As he waited for the bus, his friend Susie walks up all cheery and happy and speaks to Calvin. Calvin, being in his foul mood, angrily snaps at Susie. Susie cannot understand why Calvin snaps at her so she snaps back. Now both of them are standing at the bus stop in a really foul mood. In the last scene of the script you see Calvin standing there smiling as he thinks “nothing helps a bad mood like sharing it!” Calvin felt better after making someone else feel as bad as he was feeling. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever done this? If you have ever done this then this morning you will discover that your actions are the opposite of what Paul says in verse fifteen of Roman’s chapter twelve. Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”
In the first half of verse fifteen Paul writes, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice...” It means something when you can share with others something good that happens in your life. I mean, to be able to share something with someone who will rejoice with you is important. This person could be a family member or friend but they understand why you are rejoicing and they choose to rejoice with you. This is not the person who would be negative when you are rejoicing. This is not the person who would “rain on your parade” as you excitedly share the good news which has you excited. No, this person would be excited with you and help you rejoice. They may even think of other people for you to call to join in the rejoicing. This is what Paul was talking about as it relates to how we interact with others when they are experiencing both good and bad times. He was talking about empathy. Empathy is “the ability to identify with and understand somebody else's feelings or difficulties.” You can show empathy both when you rejoice with someone and when you are hurting with someone. Empathy is about understanding what someone else is feeling and joining in with them so they do not have to go through the experience alone.
This verse tells us that when someone shares good news with us about something happening within their life we should not respond with a lack of enthusiasm. We should be excited for them. I have been excited before and shared my excitement with someone who was not excited for me. Not only were they not excited for me, they were not happy that I was being blessed. Have you been there? While these feeling are sometimes associated with jealousy they are also often associated with what is happening in the individual’s life. Sadly, I have been on both sides and I can tell you that raining on someone’s parade or having them rain on our parade feels good. It is a truth that it is sometimes difficult to be excited for someone else when you’re not in a good place in your own life? What Paul is telling us is that regardless of what is going on in my life I need to get my focus off me and rejoice with them that do rejoice. This is an important emotional response that Christians should have for others. This response demonstrates maturity in spiritual growth as we acknowledge the experiences of someone else. So if someone comes to us and are rejoicing about something wonderful happening in their life, we must set aside our own personal feelings about what we are dealing with to be able to join in with them in their rejoicing. This is not something that can be faked. We have to do this sincerely from our hearts.
The word “rejoice” is from the Greek word chairo and it means “to be glad, to be full of joy, or to be elated.” Now understand this, the word “rejoice” is a command, not a suggestion! Have you ever notice how people read some things in the Bible as suggestions or recommendations versus as a command? If it is something they agree with and is easy to do then it could be interpreted as a command. However, if it is something that is difficult to do or something that goes against what they want to do, then it’s viewed as more of a suggestion or recommendation. What we are reading here is a command. So when Paul says we should rejoice “with” them that rejoice, he was commanding us to join the person(s) in their rejoicing. Now what does this rejoicing look like?
How many of you have seen or read the stories of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh? If you have read these stories or seen the cartoon then you might remember two of the other stuffed animals in the story line. I want you to think about Tigger and Eeyore. Tigger is boisterous and exuberant and truly one-of-a-kind. He eagerly shares his enthusiasm with others - whether they want him to or not. He always sees the positive side of things and is always rejoicing. Then there is Eeyore. Eeyore is gloomy and not a fan of much other than eating thistles. Although he seems to be in a constant state of depression and negativity, his loyalty wins the hearts of his friends. Tigger and Eeyore are polar opposites; one is high energy and the other has no energy at all. Now consider which one of these stuffed animals you would like to share your excitement with if they were alive. Which one of these animals are you when others are sharing their excitement with you? Paul was telling us to be like Tigger when it comes to rejoicing with those who are rejoicing. If they are jumping up and down and excited, jump with them. Be excited; show some emotions!
I know some of you may be thinking, “But I may not feel like rejoicing depending on the day and what I am dealing with!” Well the Scriptural response to that is “Get over it!” It is not about what we are feeling. It’s about what the other person is feeling. Remember, that other person chose you to share in with their excitement. There was something about you that led them to you to join in with them. Think about how selfish it would be for you to throw cold water on someone else’s joy just because you are don’t “feel like” rejoicing at that moment! What if you were Tigger and the person you chose to share your excitement with was Eeyore? How would you feel? Would you not possibly lose some of your excitement as Eeyore begins to tell you about all of the things that could go wrong with what you are experiencing? You’re excited about a job promotion and your Eeyore warns you the dangers of moving to a new job. You’re buying your first home in a new neighborhood and your Eeyore tells you about their research on all of the crime in the area. You buy a new car and your Eeyore tells you that particular brand does not have a good repair history. Do you see what I am saying? We are to truly rejoice with those who are rejoicing without raining down on their parade. So rather than disappoint the person who is excited, we should push our own emotional struggles aside for a few minutes and rejoice with the other person and as Paul says in the second part of this verse, it also applies to when the person is weeping.
Paul tells us to “weep with them that weep.” Again, this is really about empathy. The word “weep” in the Greek means “to wail, to sob or to shed tears.” A very good example of this is found in Mark 5:38 when Jesus went to Jairus’ house and found “them that wept” because Jairus’ daughter had died. This perfectly presents the idea of weeping and sobbing that is portrayed by this word in the Greek. Just as it is appropriate for us to rejoice with those that rejoice, it is also appropriate for us to weep with those who weep. We will all face times when we will weep because something has happened and we will need someone to stand (or sit) with us. I will always remember the morning after my mother died. I could not sleep so I got up while it was still dark and went to the basement of Nikki’s parent’s home and just cried. Nikki’s father came down the stairs and saw me and he just sat on the stairs and waited. He never said a word; he just sat there so I would know that he understood and that I was not alone in what I was dealing with. Shortly afterwards Nikki’s mom came down the stairs and she walked over and just sat beside me on the couch and hugged me as I cried. I do not know if Pop went and got her, but at the moment that I needed it most, I had two people who were weeping with me as I wept. This is the support that we as Christians should be willing to give to those we interact with. And let me be clear, those that rejoice and those that weep do not have to be Christians for us to join in with them. This is our response to the world around us.
I am reminded of my niece Travonda who demonstrated this. One day she was riding in a car with a friend and they pulled to the side of the road as a funeral procession passed by. My niece started to cry as the procession passed. Her friend looked at her and asked her if she knew the person who had died. My niece looked at her and said “No.” Her friend then asked her “Then why are you crying?” My niece told her, “I was thinking it could have been someone I know….” This thought got her to a point where she wept with those who were weeping. This is what Paul was talking about when he said we are to rejoice with those rejoicing and weep with those who are weeping.
In verse sixteen, Paul writes, “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.” Do you know what it means to be of the same mind “towards” one another? In my job I attend a lot of business meetings in restaurants. During these meetings over a meal I pay close attention to how the individuals I am with treat the wait staff. I am sensitive to this because both my mother and my daughter waited tables in their career. My daughter has shared many stories (both good and bad) of how she had been treated by some of her customers when she was a waitress. So I watch people closely to see how they treat the wait staff to determine if they believe because of their jobs they are superior to them. If someone talks down to the servers or demonstrate an air of superiority, I do my best to treat the wait staff even better as an example to those I am dining with. Sometimes it changes a person and other times the person is so caught up in their own importance that they cannot see that their behavior is wrong. This is what Paul was talking about in this verse, being of the same mind one towards another.
The word “mind” in this verse comes from a Greek word that means “to think, to consider or to ponder.” It carries the idea of intense reflection and as used in this verse is a negative meaning that this verse is strongly prohibiting us from thinking ourselves superior to anyone else. He was telling us to stop being consumed with or by “high things” as demonstrated in our opinions and behavior patterns that accompany a person who has an attitude of superiority. Instead of having a superior attitude Paul was telling us that we needed to “condescend to men of low estate.” The word “condescend” comes from two Greek words that conveys the message that “those who think too highly of themselves need to move away from such exalted thinking of themselves and be led to join or to associate with men of low estate (men who are humble, modest, simple, and unpretentious.) In other words, these are common, ordinary, everyday, normal people. One key point, the term “low estate” does not mean “poor.” There are many proud and arrogant people who are poor just as there are many humble rich people who you would never know they are rich by how they interact with you. “Low estate” does not refer to financial status; rather, it refers to an attitude towards life, towards oneself, and towards others. Regardless of a person’s station in life, they never allow themselves to think they are better than someone else.
Finally Paul closes verse sixteen with “be not wise in your own conceits.” Have you ever met someone who thought they knew everything about everything and it was their way or no way? Paul said that we should entertain humble thoughts about our own knowledge and not think that it is greater than it is. We are to take heed of having an over inflated opinion of our own wisdom, as if we wanted neither divine assistance and guidance, nor the advice and counsel of our brethren. This is the person who thinks that no one can tell them anything because they already know. This person will often tell you that they have tried something already that you’re suggesting or they tell you why something will fail based on their experience (and they have an experience with every situation.) While people in general are naturally proud creatures, we must accept that we do know or have experienced it all. There is room for growth in all of us which closes the door on our being so wise that no one can tell us anything. Thinking that you can always learn more keeps the door open to that possibility.
As I close out this series, I want you to reflect on what Romans chapter twelve has told us. This one chapter teaches us what is required (becoming a living sacrifice through the renewing of our minds) in order to interact with the world around us. When we make the commitment to totally sell out to God it is at that point that we also decide to learn what this means. I have told you before that true spiritual maturity are not what we demonstrate within these four walls on Sunday, it is how we live outside of these four walls when no one is watching us. Yes we can act all spiritual and holy while we are here, but when we are in those tough situations Monday thru Saturday and we would like to use those colorful words that describe how we are truly feeling, that is the time that we know just how spiritual we really are. When our buttons are pushed and we want to lash out as the world does, that is how we know how mature we are. Once we sell out to God and become living sacrifices, we begin to renew our minds through His word to understand how that new life shows up. He spends the rest of the chapter telling us how to use our gifts as we interact with those around us; he tells us how to behave like Christians.
The world is selling us a lie. It is telling us that Christianity is all about self-pleasure and prosperity. It is telling us that all is well because we have grace and we have no need to worry about the things we do. The world is telling us that even as Christians we can treat people poorly if they deserve it and as we are the “blessed of God” we have earned the right to look down on others who must not be doing God’s will in their lives if they are struggling. This is what we are being taught. I encourage you to go back through this chapter and see what God is telling you. Which voice are we willing to listen to in these last days in order to bring more people into a relationship with Christ?
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
(If you are ever in the Kansas City, KS area, please come and worship with us at New Light Christian Fellowship, 15 N. 14th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102. Our service Sunday worship starts at 9 a.m. and Thursday night Bible study at 7 p.m. We look forward to you worshipping with us. May God bless and keep you.)
