Love in Action part two
Romans chapter 12:14-21
Introduction-
We have been in a sermon called “Love in Action” and we didn’t get finished last week and I am not sure we will finish it this morning either because I believe there are several truths that we can and must live out as believers in Christ.
If we don’t finish today, I will try to wrap it up next week.
Last week we said that:
Love must be sincere- your love, my love must be sincere and it must line with Christ love
Your love must not have ulterior motives that are not pure.
It must not be lacking in zeal. (For others and for God)
It must be patient, joyful, faithful, and it must be lived out in our lives.
It is easy to talk the talk but it is not easy to walk the walk!
How many this morning are sick of the same old same old and are willing to go see what God has for you?
A lot of us believe we are better Christians than we are. We all need to practice what we preach
Let’s talk to the Father about it
Prayer-
Father, today as we look at the rest of this passage, we see very quickly that we would not be able to love like Jesus without the help of Jesus. We would not be able to love those that persecute us without realizing the depth that Jesus loves us. Help us this morning to grasp your love and love like you love and be more Christ-like. In Jesus name Amen.
Romans chapter 12:14-21 Read from Bible
Wow!
Blessing others… that is a whole lot different than the world. The world trains us to think it is all about us
Rejoicing (laughing) with and morning (weeping) with others…
You are being asked to live in harmony (one accord) with each other, when this world is in such a mess.
You have to go back to the beginning of this chapter- Romans Chapter12:1-2
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Paul tells us that for the believer the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. It is where the Spirit of God dwells and where the Spirit of God wants to work from.
Apostle Paul reminds us that we can use our bodies to do everyday tasks, everyday functions but to remember that is also where the Spirit of God has taken up residency.
In view of God’s mercy, (I don’t know about you) I want my body to be a body of sacrifice.
When I go to work, home, office, playground, yes, even to church, my body will be a place of worship.
Real worship is giving back to God all of you! It is being a mirror, reflecting Christ everyday.
That is why you cannot love like Christ, be joyful in the things of God, faithful in prayer, patient in your trials, act in brotherly love… without Christ in you.
It is not your nature, unless Christ has changed you from where you were to where you need to be. Amen!
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
Remember I said that your love must be sincere- Christ love- you must hate what is evil and cling to what is good.
When everything in you says I can never do that! Christ says that you are to bless those who persecute you.
You can’t do it, but Christ in you can do it!
First of all this scripture is not that you need to be a human punching bag (physical or emotional) for someone and if you are in physical danger, you are not told to stay in that dangerous situation.
It is not about putting yourself in harm’s way for the sake of someone else’s evil.
You would not leave children under your responsibility in a home or place that is dangerous to their welfare.
This verse is directed to the way we respond to people who are the ones that rub us the wrong way.
The ones that make our lives difficult just because they can.
The ones where our personalities just clash and you cannot get on the same page to make good decisions together.
Christians are to meet these kinds of persecution with prayers for those that persecute-
Plato said “That a good man will choose to suffer evil rather than to do evil; and it is always evil to hate.”
We have as our example Jesus on the cross. Badly treated, insulted, hurt, wrongfully accused and he prayed for them and forgave them. He gave it all so you can have it all!
We are not ALL called to be martyrs for Christ, but we are called to forgive like Christ.
We can forgive and not put ourselves in the same situation again.
There is not greater force to move people to Christianity than forgiveness. (Repeat)
Stephen died praying for those that stoned him to death (Acts 7:60) one of the men there that day was Saul, who later was Paul the apostle to the Gentiles and a servant of Christ.
Stephen’s death impacted Paul.
He saw the love of Christ in action.
He saw that faith was more than what was convenient, but a sacrifice that was lived out everyday of his life.
St. Augustine said “The church owes Paul to the prayer of Stephen.”
Many persecutors have become followers of Christ because of the faith they once sought to destroy, because they have seen how Christians can forgive.
Illustration- (In the News awhile ago)
The man who was killed by a police women who had the wrong apartment and thought this man was an intruder in her apartment.
The courtroom scene plays out like a movie.
Police officer Amber Guyger shoots a man in his own apartment after thinking he was in hers.
Victim’s brother Brandt Jean forgives her and asks the judge for permission to go hug her.
Judge Tammy Kemp not only allows the hug but gives her a hug and one of her bibles.
No matter which side of this trial you are leaning, you have to admit that it was a God moment to forgive like that and move to reconcile the situation.
It did not change the guilt of the officer or the pain of loss from the victim’s family.
We saw vengeance move to forgiveness and God intervening and showing His mercy and grace.
In view of God’s mercy… the choice was to forgive.
The choice to not only want to see the persecution stop but to see the persecutor be blessed- it is a God thing!
We are going to see in a moment that forgiveness is about moving yourself forward after being wronged and not being tied down by un-forgiveness and hatred. (That is for somebody this morning)
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; morn with those who morn.”
We have to be careful with this verse because it would be easy to say laugh with those that laugh and cry with those that cry but there is more to this-
We are to be happy for those that are happy- even if they got the job that we were hoping and praying for-
We are to be happy for the things that God gave others but has not given us- (yet) (maybe not at all)
We need to be careful we are not getting the two mixed up!
Careful that we are not laughing at someone when they are weeping- (because inward we are glad that it happened to them) because we feel they got what they deserved.
It is indeed hard to congratulate others on their success if their success disappoints us.
“Live in harmony with one another.”
I believe everyone brings me happiness- Some when they come and some when they go!
Living in harmony or one accord means that you are not going to be the vindictive trouble maker-
Know anyone like that? Everything and everybody has something wrong with them and they will fix them. They have an opinion about everything and everybody.
We do not always have a say on what the government does but we will always have a say on how we act and react to things in our life.
(18) If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with one another.”
What does living in harmony mean when we are so different?
Age differences (Baby Boomers to Gen A-Z)
Cultural differences
Economic and educational differences
Church experiences/ I had a bad experience in a church but I would not let it keep me from my God. I don’t know what you came to do but I came to praise the Lord!
Life experiences- both good and bad
Live in harmony taken from the Greek means “to be like minded”- but if we can quickly see the differences, how can we be like minded?
We are to be like minded in our attitude for Christ and wanting to do what Christ would do.
We can agree to disagree and do it with an attitude of Christ.
Verse 18 hangs with this- if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with one another.”
“Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.”
Avoid being prideful and snobbish
I don’t know about you but I am not all that and a bag of chips! I am glad that I am on my way to heaven because of the blood bought death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and on my own merit, the bible says “I am as filthy rags.”
Did you know that the church has to be the place where the rich and the poor have equal seats at the table with God!
One illustration is of a new convert in an early Christian congregation coming to church and the Christian leader points to a place “Will you sit there please”? But the man says “I cannot sit there, surely not beside my slave.” “Will you sit there please, says the leader again. The man then walks across the room, sits beside his slave and gives him the kiss of peace.
Not being prideful is to remember that we are all equal in the eyes of God. There is no slave at the cross.
Jesus Christ died for all.
There is no room for being conceited at the cross when you consider what Christ has done for us.
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.”
1 Peter 3:8
“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.”
Philippians 2:1-3
“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose”
Paul says that we are to live at peace with all! He gives two qualifiers
If it is possible
As far as you can.
Paul knew it would be hard
He knew that there are times as Christians that you will have to stand your ground and not back down.
Christianity is not a watered down easy going tolerant of everything relationship with the Lord.
Everything that God has asked us to do, He has already done for us and knows that it is hard- that is why we need to be empowered by His spirit and not doing things in the flesh.
Emptying ourselves
Humbling ourselves
Putting others before ourselves-
Let me finish the verse in Philippians 2:5-9
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus; who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even on a cross.”
He knows that it is easier for some to live at harmony than others. We are different-
Don’t believe me-
Morning people and night people
Extrovert and introverts
Those that love to be out front and those who hate to be out front.
Ford/ Chevy
Pepsi/Coke
The list can go on and on!
Closing ………………………………………………………………………………………….
As we wrap up for today, we realize that to love like Christ, we need Christ in our lives- today it is not enough to know about God, we need God in our lives!
He offers Himself to us so that we can bless those who persecute us with the heart of Jesus.
To truly understand that without Jesus, we make bad decisions-
To receive God’s mercy is to understand that we must forgive because of how much has been forgiven us by Christ.
We have no control of the actions of others, but we do control how we act and respond in life.
Prayer-
