Steep Turnpike Evangelical Church 26 th February 2012 Romans 12 v 9-21 Devoted Christian Living

This passage reads a bit like “The Twenty Commandments” on how to love one another

Love must be sincere: 1. Hate what is evil; 2. Cling to what is good. 3. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. 4. Honour one another above yourselves. 5. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. 6. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

7. Share with God’s people who are in need. 8. Practice hospitality. 9. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 10. Rejoice with those who rejoice. 11. Mourn with those who mourn. 12. Live in harmony with one another. 13. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.

14. Do not be conceited. 15. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. 16. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 17. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 18. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

19. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 20. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Let us look at each one and see what it means to us today

1. Hate what is evil. Hate is a strong word, but there are some things God hates, and we must do the same Evil is everything that is opposed to God, as personified in Satan It is the ultimate source of sin, which we are also to hate

2. Cling to what is good. Cling means to hold on tight even when something tries to drag us away Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. 3 John 1:11

3. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Devotion means loyal commitment True love comes only from God Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 1 Thessalonians 4:9

4. Honour one another above yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4 Do we even know what our brothers and sisters need?

5. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. To be zealous is to be “on fire” for someone or something We need to be on fire for God, like Jesus was

So He made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves He said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” John 2:15-17

6. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Joy, patience and faithfulness, like love, are fruit of the Holy Spirit Here we are told why we need them They enable us to keep praying in difficult situations while we wait for our eternal destiny

7. Share with God’s people who are in need. Devoted love to our brothers and sisters cannot just be a matter of words Real love requires action No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. Acts 4:32

8. Practice hospitality. They say “practice makes perfect” Are we getting enough practice? When is the last time you (or I) invited a brother or sister (who is not also a friend) to dinner ?

9. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. If loving our brothers and sisters is sometimes hard, what about loving our enemies? Humanly speaking, this is impossible It is solid proof that God is at work in our hearts

10. Rejoice with those who rejoice Why? Joy shared is joy doubled When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. Luke 1:57-58

11. Mourn with those who mourn. Why? Sorrow shared is sorrow halved Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

12. Live in harmony with one another. Not only will this make church life more enjoyable, it also brings a blessing from God How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! ……….. For there the LORD bestows His blessing, even life forevermore. Psalm 133:1-3

13. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Pride gives us an inflated opinion of our achievements It can turn us into snobs who won’t mix with so-called “low achievers” We need to realise that anything we can do well is a gift from God

14. Do not be conceited. Conceit is vanity about who we are, rather than what we have achieved If anyone had reason to think He was special, it was Jesus But what was His attitude?

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. …….. 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. Philippians 2:3-7

15. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Human nature is to hit out when we are harmed or threatened But again, we need to have the same attitude as Jesus - When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when he suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:23

16. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. Doing right does not come naturally, we have to take care about doing it We are to be witnesses to everyone Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

17. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. It is not always possible because there are some who are determined to cause trouble for Christians But the lack of a peaceful relationship with our neighbours must never come from us

18. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Are we ever tempted to “get our own back” when we are wronged God is the only righteous judge who knows every heart

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:14

19. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” And our hope should be that these “burning coals” will warn him of God’s coming judgment and bring him to repentance

20. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. We all love movies in which good triumphs over evil But this victory is for everyone of us who trusts in Jesus Why is our victory guaranteed?

God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:13-15

1. Devotion to God 2. Devotion to God’s people 3. Reacting to our enemies in the same way as Jesus did So what does devoted Christian living mean?