Title: 3 Effective Antidotes to Spiritual Poison Scripture: Romans 12:12
Type: Expository Where: GNBC 6-12-22
Intro: When I was a young pastor the church used to meet at Montgomery Hall. We rented the building on a Sunday but was used for all sorts of events during the week. The basement area was less than optimal and without our knowledge they had an infestation of mice. In order to combat this this had put out rat poison! A toddler unwittingly ate some of this poison and we had to take her to UIHC as the excellent ER staff gave the wee girl activated charcoal and proceeded to pump her stomach. Girl safely survived the incident and is alive and well today with no side-affects! Thank God for activated charcoal. It was an antidote for her poisoning. An antidote is a medicine given to counteract a particular poison. There are poisons to the Christian life. Many. Are also antidotes. In Romans 12:12 apostle gives 3 powerful antidotes the Christian needs to take so as to overcome specific spiritual poisons.
Prop: In Rom. 12:12 we’ll realize three powerful antidotes against spiritual poison.
BG: 1. Romans written by Apostle Paul winter of 56-57AD from Corinth.
2. Several spiritual poisons must avoid in the Christian life. In Romans 12:12 we can read the antidotes to these poisons of hopelessness, impatience, prayerlessness.
3. Martyn Lloyd-Jones observes (ibid., p. 402), “Tribulation, hope and prayer always go together in the New Testament and it is a very good way of testing ourselves to ask whether they always go together in our experience. They should.”
Prop: Let’s look together at Rom. 12:12 to appreciate 3 Powerful Antidotes to Pernicious Spiritual Poisons.
I. 1st Powerful Antidote: (You) Rejoice in Hope.
A. Paul Prescribes his first Powerful Antidote.
1. Beware of the Spiritual Poison of Hopelessness.
a. Illust: Have you ever looked over a situation you or a loved one was in and uttered the words: “It’s a hopeless situation!”? Of course, we all have. Our enemy, Satan, wants to discourage us and make us feel like things will never get better...like there’s no way out. He wants us to believe that we’re all alone. Many Christians struggle with depression. Want to keep it hidden. Embarrassed. We usually isolate ourselves and feel like no one else can possibly understand. Satan wants us to keep things hidden in the dark. However, God is Light, and when we discover what He has to say and shine His light into our situation, it brings freedom and hope. People often feel embarrassed by depression or thoughts of suicide, but friend, your situation is not hopeless. Don’t give into despondency. Purpose to Rejoice! Tell someone else and get it out in the open.
b. Even godly saints can experience depression: Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, Martin Lloyd Jones,the hymn writer, William Cowper, have suffered from severe depression. Probably some of you are depressed right now. But since joy and hope are the opposite of depression, we all should try to understand what the Bible teaches about how we can have such joy and hope, especially in the face of difficult trials.
2. Examine Paul’s Prescription to this Particular Spiritual Poison.
a. Illust: So we see Paul getting out Dr. Luke’s Lippincott’s (Spiritual) Pharmacology book. Pages thru, “What is the antidote for hopelessness?” Rejoice in hope! Listen to this wonderful quote by Dr. Robert Morgan: “When you cannot rejoice in your circumstances, you can rejoice in the anticipation of what God is going to do with them, thru them, and because of them.” (Morgan, 100 Verses, p.141) Think about that, dear friend. Your circumstance are difficult. Not making light of them. But let’s turn our attention from the circumstances to the anticipation of what God is going to do with, thru, and because of them! Let’s believe Christ for what He is going to do in our lives.
b. Illust: Most people don’t like rainy days. I love them. Probably because part Irish. A lot of people are depressed by a string of rainy days. Yet there is something to ponder: On a rainy day the sun still shines as brightly as ever in the center of the solar system. It is unchanged by our particular forecast. Same is true about our Lord. I may be depressed or discouraged but God is still omniscient! He is still omnipotent! He is still omnipresent!
B. What Does Paul mean when he tells us to: “Rejoice in Hope!”?
1. What is the Apostle’s antidote to the poison of hopelessness?
a. “rejoice” -?a????te? – Word is used 6x in the NT. Either by Paul or Luke. It means to be well, to thrive, to favorably lean towards another. (Illust: While You Were Sleeping – Joe Jr. – referring to Jack and Lucy. “You was leaning…” )
b. o command Christians to rejoice under difficult circumstances is hard to understand without a context. We can understand why people who are facing opposition would need to pray—they must seek the grace of God to sustain them during their trials. We can understand why they should give continual thanks for the mercies of God that they continue to receive. But why must God's people rejoice during times of trial and persecution? The answer is found by looking to the future and the eternal hope promised to every Christian, which is the context for the command to sufferers to rejoice in difficult times. That’s what Paul is writing about in this section. (Rom. 12:9ff)
2. What is the Hope we are told to rejoice in?
a. “Hope”- ??p?d?- Word used 12x in NT, again, every use is either by Luke or Paul. It carries the idea of anticipation with pleasure, expectation, and confidence.
b. What Paul is referring here for us is the eternal and undilutable hope of our salvation! It is eternal life! It is our blessed hope. I Pet. 1 tells us that unlike the lifeless hope embraced by non-believers, Christians possess a living hope (1 Peter 1:3). This living hope includes an imperishable inheritance that we, though having it in part already, will one day enjoy it to the fullest (vv. 4–5). Illust: I’ve told over the years I have always liked the Detroit Tigers. I can hope they will play in the World Series this year, in spite of their 23-33 standing, I can hope. But let’s be honest. It’s in vain. Paul says we can rejoice in hope because its not in vain! Christ is risen. We can rejoice because it is imperishable! It isn’t going to rust, tarnish, or fade away! PTL!
C. Applic: Christian, if you are here today and you are discouraged by the poison of hopelessness in whatever trial you or your loved one is going through, please let me remind you to Rejoice in Hope! You have hope! You have eternal life! You know Christ! Dear one, if you are here today and don’t know the Savior, I can understand your hopelessness. Nothing makes sense. Feel all alone and desperate. May I encourage you to call on Christ?
II. 2nd Powerful Antidote: Be Patient in Affliction.
A. Paul Prescribes his second Powerful Antidote.
1. Beware of the Spiritual Poison of Impatience.
a. Impatience is a spiritual poison. When we do not have patience (impatience), it wreaks havoc on relationships. It can lead to confusion, strife, heartache, and termination of a relationship. We must be patient with one another. The closer the relationship, the more patience may be required. Illust: However, not having patience with God can have dire consequences in our lives. Remember Abram and Sarai? God promised them a child yet in Gen. 16:1ff, Sarai comes up with a plan whereby Abram sleeps with her servant Hagar. And boy, did that ever work out well! Or remember King Saul, about to go into battle in I Sam. 13. His army is quaking in fear and about to abandon him. Needs to hear from the Lord yet Samuel is nowhere to be found! Instead of waiting as was told, he goes ahead and violates his office as king and burns offerings to the Lord. Saul’s impatience cost him dearly because He would not have a dynasty in his name, as with David. His sons would not follow him as subsequent Kings because of his impatience. Imagine losing such a powerful anointing from God. Jesus, our Lord, and savior could have come through his line instead of David’s. I shutter to think what my impatience has cost me in my lifetime.
b. Impatience in affliction is a particularly potent spiritual poison. We don’t want to be in pain. We don’t want to be in suffering. We want everything to go back to what it was like before… Our impatience causes us to miss the focus and point of what Christ is doing in our lives.
2. Examine Paul’s Prescription to this Particular Spiritual Poison.
a. Illust: Once again the Apostle asks Dr. Luke to borrow his book! What is the antidote for impatience? “Be patient in Affliction” Again, Dr. Morgan gives us incredible insight: “Patience is hope in different clothing. It’s the ability to wait calmly as the Lord works everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.” (p.141)
b. “I hate pain. I try to avoid suffering, and I don’t go out of my way to look for affliction. But pain, suffering, and affliction find me. They find all of us. If you are free of these things, brace yourself and be patient. All you have to do is live long enough. Suffering and affliction are human conditions. And when suffering and affliction come, be patient, remembering that God is sovereign. And thank God that He is sovereign over suffering, using affliction first for His glory and secondarily for our good. But that doesn’t mean we have to like it, nor is patience easy in the face of suffering and pain. But, remember, the important things in life are generally formed over time. The strongest tools are forged by the hottest fires. The most beautiful artistic expressions take the most energy and care to create. So it is with the beautiful thing called “holiness.” It is not achieved quickly, or without effort, or in the absence of pain. In our instant society, much to our disappointment, there is no such thing as “microwave holiness.” – (Michael Beates, Ligionier.)
B. What Does Paul Mean when he tells us to: “Be Patient in Affliction!”?
1. What is the Apostle’s Antidote for the poison of Impatience?
a. “patient” - ?p?µ????te? (hypomenontes) – Only used 1x in entire NT. Word can mean to remain, to persevere, to endure, bear bravely, calmly. That applies to all areas of our lives. Finances. Physical illness. Emotional suffering. Persecution for your faith. What area are you being afflicted in? Be patient dear one. God is at work.
b. Affliction can draw us closer to Christ or drive us away from Christ. It can be a tool of the Lord’s to build our trust in Him or it can be a wrecking ball of belief in His goodness. Whether a heavy or light malady, we accept disruptions as either a blessing or a curse. Sometimes pain is produced in circumstances totally out of our control, other times our unwise decisions create cruel consequences. Either way God uses our afflictions for His glory and brings us sweet comfort.
2. Paul tells us to be Patient in our Affliction.
a. Affliction - ??p?d? – thlipsei – literal or figurative pressure. Anguish, burden, persecution. Today, we might say we are “stressed out” over… It’s affliction. In all that stress and affliction we become more stressed and impatient. Result of that is more stress.
b. God is described by Jeremiah as a potter, and we are described as clay (Jer. 18). The most pliable clay is that which has been most thoroughly mixed, beaten, rolled, and, finally, pushed and pulled on the wheel. Only then the potter, with care and patience, begins to pull and shape the clay into something beautiful. But it is painful to be pulled and drawn into a new shape. Do you feel pulled in every direction, drawn thin and fragile, left out to dry, placed in a fire of unimaginable heat? The Potter is having His way with the clay, and the vessel He makes will be beautiful in His hands.
C. Applic: Brother or sister, are you experiencing affliction in your life right now? Bear it with the grace and mercy God gives us in Christ.
III. 3rd Powerful Antidote: Be Persistent in Prayer.
A. Paul Prescribes his third Powerful Antidote.
1. Beware of the Spiritual Poison of Prayerlessness.
a. Prayerlessness is a toxic poison that is killing the American Church today. We have our programs. We have our beautiful buildings. We have our wonderful worship teams. We have pleasant preachers. We celebrate our coffee centers. Yet prayer is a precious commodity! Our churches lack prayer. Our preachers lack prayer. Our pews lack prayer. In our prayerlessness we look to the world for their solutions instead of to the hand of benevolent Heavenly Father Who promises to meet all of our needs! Mt. 6:33; Phil. 4:19; Romans 8:32
b. Year after year various polls (Barna, etc.) highlight the fact that the American Church is not a praying church. Most American Christians do not pray. Period. Prayerlessness is probably our greatest sin as the American Church. PRAYER IS OUR HIGHEST PRIVILEGE. To be able to enter into the Presence of God, no appointment necessary. Any time we want, no secretary or gatekeeper to pass through. The problem is, we don’t want to outside of our wish lists. At least not with any passion to be with God. Too many times, it’s a glorified version of eating broccoli…we do it because we know we need to and it’s good for us. Do we realize what an awesome privilege it is to be able to have a conversation with God, whenever we want? (Try that with the President, Governor, Corporate exec., etc.)
2. Examine Paul’s Prescription to this Particular Spiritual Poison.
a. Illust: The apostle once again asks his traveling companion for his spiritual pharmacology text. Thumbs through the text for the next corruptive condition: Prayerlessness! What is its antidote: Ah ha! “Persistent Prayer”! Illust: Charles Spurgeon offers this sage advice: “Whenever your hope seems to fail you and your joy begins to sink, the shortest method is to take to your knees in prayer.”
b. In my experience it is our trials that often drive us to be devoted to prayer. You’ve probably had the same experience that I’ve had, where you work through your prayer list, but without much intensity or fervency. But then a trial hits and you pray often and fervently. The more intense the trial, the more intensely you pray. As you think about the trial often during the day, you cry out to God for help. Prayer is the lifeline that lays hold of the living God to supply our needs during times of tribulation. Being devoted to prayer is the only way that you can rejoice in hope and persevere in tribulation
B. What Does Paul Mean When he says to: “Be Persistent in Prayer”?
1. What is the Apostle’s Antidote for the Poison of Prayerlessness? Persistent PRAYER!
a. Persistent - p??s?a?te????te? – constancy. To show steadfast strength so as to persevere or endure in the midst of hardship or difficulty.
b. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Matt 7:7-8). Seeking and knocking indicate persistence. While we might look for something briefly and then give up if we don’t find it, seeking implies an ongoing, perhaps lengthy search. Similarly, we don’t usually knock by softly tapping a door just once and then leaving if there’s no answer; we rap sharply a few times, and if no one comes forth we’ll usually try a few more times. So, the Lord uses images of repetition for prayer. Indeed, the very word “repetition” comes from Latin roots denoting vigorous, repeated asking (re (again) + petere (to ask, beseech, or even to attack, go at, or strive for)). Repetition, by its nature, is often vigorous and even pestering. Jesus teaches this concept in the parable about the persistent widow (Lk. 18) who wears down the unrighteous judge through her persistent prayers.
2. Paul Tells us to Persistently Pray.
a. Illust: EM Bounds: Nothing distinguishes the children of God so clearly and strongly as prayer. It is the one infallible mark and test of being a Christian. Christian people are prayerful, the worldly-minded, prayerless. Christians call on God; worldlings ignore God, and call not on His Name. But even the Christian had need to cultivate continual prayer. Prayer must be habitual, but much more than a habit. It is duty, yet one which rises far above, and goes beyond the ordinary implications of the term. It is the expression of a relation to God, a yearning for Divine communion. It is the outward and upward flow of the inward life toward its original fountain. It is an assertion of the soul's paternity, a claiming of the sonship, which links man to the Eternal. (Necessity of Prayer, ch.6)
b. Illust: One of the great revivals of the last century took place off the west coast of Scotland in a small group of islands called the Hebrides. Between 1949 and 1952 a wide spread revival swept through these islands in answer to the prayers of God’s people. Two elderly sisters, Peggy and Christine Smith lived in a tiny cottage outside the village of Barvas. Declining health. Began to pray for revival. Post war decline in church attendance left many of the islands’ chapels nearly empty. But these two ladies had a passion for prayer and revival. Every morning and night for several years they prayed until God broke through! Sent Evangelist Duncan Campbell. First week only a handful of people in the church. Campbell discouraged. Sisters prayed. Finally break through. Knew they had heard from God. W/o explanation, sisters told Campbell to go to the village, enter the biggest building in town and crowd will be gathered to hear you. The evangelist thought was very odd. Having come this far decided to go into town. For some unknown reason dozens of people had gathered in the largest barn that was in town. Campbell entered in, and obediently began to preach. Scores were saved! Revival began.
c. Applic: How can we put verse 12 into practice? Honestly evaluate yourself in light of these three phrases. Are you grumbling in depression or cynicism? Then you’re not “rejoicing in hope.” Are you giving up or despairing in your trials? Then you’re not “persevering in tribulation.” Are you grabbing every remedy that the world has to offer to get out of your trials? Then you’re not “devoted to prayer.” You can’t begin to grow in these qualities until you honestly evaluate where you’re falling short. Second, reflect each morning on what you have in Christ. You have been saved from sin, freed from death, joyfully look forward to the 2nd Coming of our Savior.
