WEBVTT 00:00:00.280 --> 00:00:02.700 Romans Chapter 12 is where we're going to be together today. 00:00:03.320 --> 00:00:05.740 This is a beautiful section of scripture. 00:00:05.740 --> 00:00:06.520 Romans Chapter 12. 00:00:06.520 --> 00:00:09.150 We're in a transition place in this book as we've studied together. 00:00:09.480 --> 00:00:12.700 And today we're going to talk about three areas of a transformed life. 00:00:12.700 --> 00:00:17.150 We're going to explore some areas that Paul wants to engage and what it looks like to have a transformed life. 00:00:17.200 --> 00:00:24.380 And if you categorize the book of Romans, really chapter 12 is this transitional place where you can put the first 11 chapters in 00:00:24.380 --> 00:00:30.110 one section and chapters 12 to 16 in another section, the first 11 chapters. 00:00:30.280 --> 00:00:34.400 Talk about your relationship with God, how to know Christ and find your identity in Him. 00:00:34.400 --> 00:00:35.820 It's the gospel, right? 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:39.100 In Chapter 12 to 16 is now how to live out the Gospel. 00:00:39.120 --> 00:00:46.120 What does that look like in your life now that you choose to have responded to the invitation that Christ has given you by putting faith 00:00:46.120 --> 00:00:48.960 in him, finding new life in him, identity in Him? 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:53.380 Now God's got a purpose for your life that he desires for you to live out. 00:00:53.460 --> 00:00:54.400 So what does that look like? 00:00:54.420 --> 00:00:56.820 This is the expression of your faith becoming tangible. 00:00:57.140 --> 00:01:04.360 That's Romans chapter 12, really to the end of the book and Romans chapter 12, verse one and two is one of those passages of the Bible where 00:01:04.360 --> 00:01:06.360 people love to memorize this. 00:01:06.440 --> 00:01:13.480 For some, it's one of their most favorite verses in all of the Bible, where Paul begs us, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a 00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:17.590 living, sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of service. 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:24.800 And don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is the good and acceptable perfect will of God. 00:01:24.940 --> 00:01:31.650 It's the laying down of your self, which these verses are really the antidote of where society struggles. 00:01:31.820 --> 00:01:38.960 Because what society tends to teach you in a, in a godless environment is the way that you discover your meaning in life is to look deeper within you 00:01:38.960 --> 00:01:41.670 and whatever makes you happy, that's what you pursue. 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:48.780 And so if you start that journey, what you ultimately find is, yeah, you might find some temporary pleasure in the things that you do in this life. 00:01:48.780 --> 00:01:52.880 But ultimately there is this deeper, unsatisfied part of yourself. 00:01:52.880 --> 00:01:59.900 You can't discover within you the reason you were created because you didn't make you and Romans Chapter 12, verse 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:07.180 one and two gives you an alternative far different than simply looking inside of you, but rather it's looking beyond you to the one who made you. 00:02:07.180 --> 00:02:08.259 And that is God. 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:11.560 If you don't surrender your life to God, who is your creator? 00:02:11.600 --> 00:02:13.320 Who made you for a purpose? 00:02:13.320 --> 00:02:15.920 Anything you choose to do apart from that is simply subhuman. 00:02:16.920 --> 00:02:18.780 It's less than your divine design. 00:02:18.860 --> 00:02:25.260 The only way you fulfill the purpose for your existence is to find who you are, not within you, but beyond you. 00:02:25.260 --> 00:02:26.470 And that is in the Lord himself. 00:02:26.680 --> 00:02:33.280 And the way that you do that is surrendering your life completely to Him to discover what God has made you for in Christ. 00:02:34.340 --> 00:02:41.460 Your journey with the Lord begins in the in the humility of your soul as you come before the cross, recognizing Jesus gave 00:02:41.460 --> 00:02:45.260 his life for you so that you can find life in him. 00:02:45.500 --> 00:02:49.470 And then in that life you have the opportunity to respond. 00:02:50.420 --> 00:02:57.700 And in Romans chapter 12 and starting in verse nine, Paul then starts to lay out for us what it looks like in a 00:02:57.700 --> 00:03:04.980 world where we are surrendered to the Lord desiring to live for him, the tangible expression of our 00:03:04.980 --> 00:03:05.480 faith. 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:12.780 And in verse nine, he starts, really this explanation of the living in a proverbial way, this wisdom literature of 00:03:12.780 --> 00:03:18.920 talking to us, of how our lives should mimic a life of Christ when we are surrendered to him. 00:03:18.940 --> 00:03:26.360 And as Paul describes this as starting in verse nine, this is not an exhaustive description of what a Christian life surrendered to the Lord should look like, 00:03:26.360 --> 00:03:33.400 But it begins to help us understand really the foundation of how our lives should be lived in 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:36.440 light of surrendering completely to the Lord. 00:03:36.920 --> 00:03:44.440 And when Paul writes this, he also writes this in recognition that sometimes our circumstances and relationships are 00:03:44.440 --> 00:03:51.620 difficult, but yet God doesn't want to wait till things look easy to work in your life. 00:03:51.620 --> 00:03:57.100 Rather, God chooses and desires to want to work in your life in every circumstance. 00:03:58.200 --> 00:04:05.540 And so when Christians come to this sort of a passage, what we begin to learn is Christians learn to rise 00:04:05.540 --> 00:04:10.280 above the environment and set a tone for a new way of life. 00:04:10.320 --> 00:04:17.660 They develop a new culture in living in a society of their people as they gather together because of 00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:19.140 what Christ has done. 00:04:19.160 --> 00:04:23.720 And so Paul starts this these three areas of being transformed in the Christian life. 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:30.880 And one of the foundational thoughts he expresses for us at the at the very beginning here is let love be genuine, let 00:04:30.880 --> 00:04:31.780 love be genuine. 00:04:31.780 --> 00:04:33.950 The idea of being genuine is it's not masked. 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:35.180 You're not you're not a pretender. 00:04:35.880 --> 00:04:36.480 You're not loving. 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:43.740 In order to get something, you're not simply loving, in order to boast in a flattery toward someone else, or to manipulate somebody 00:04:43.740 --> 00:04:47.340 to get really something that you want that's not biblical love. 00:04:48.340 --> 00:04:54.700 Biblical love is about surrendering your life and helping someone else become all that they're called to be in the Lord. 00:04:54.700 --> 00:05:00.080 It's about laying your life down to serve for the benefit of another and the only way. 00:05:00.080 --> 00:05:02.220 This can happen is supernaturally. 00:05:03.260 --> 00:05:08.460 The only way this can happen is if you find your life completely filled in Christ. 00:05:08.760 --> 00:05:13.600 You don't need the approval of others because you've been satisfied in your identity in Jesus. 00:05:14.100 --> 00:05:21.140 If you don't find your life complete in Christ, you're going to be constantly looking for other things and other places and other people in this world 00:05:21.140 --> 00:05:28.400 to give you affirmation in who you are and trying to build you up because you're lacking in your purpose 00:05:28.400 --> 00:05:32.530 and understanding of who you are in light of how God has made you. 00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:40.960 But when we are secure in our identity in Christ, we don't have to come to other people in order to discover 00:05:40.960 --> 00:05:43.000 who we are because we've found it in the Lord. 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:49.800 And therefore, when we engage in relationship, our life can be a life of service because our life is found complete in Christ. 00:05:52.100 --> 00:05:57.480 But Paul is going to recognize as we go on a little further here that it's not always easy. 00:05:58.460 --> 00:06:05.760 There's a poem that says to dwell above with those we know that will be the glory. 00:06:05.760 --> 00:06:10.900 But to dwell or excuse me to dwell with those we know that will be the glory. 00:06:11.220 --> 00:06:14.480 But to dwell below with those we know, that's a different story. 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:14.560 Right? 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:19.020 He's saying there is there is complexity in our relationships. 00:06:19.020 --> 00:06:19.140 Right? 00:06:19.140 --> 00:06:21.240 We long to be in eternity and where it's going to be perfect. 00:06:21.700 --> 00:06:24.500 But right here, right now, it's hard. 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:28.440 There's circumstances that make life difficult. 00:06:28.440 --> 00:06:35.820 And so to let love be genuine is a certainly a high calling and only comes with a life completely surrendered 00:06:35.820 --> 00:06:38.540 and discovering identity in the Lord. 00:06:39.500 --> 00:06:46.560 And what's important about Christian love to understand is that our love, according to what Jesus is saying here, is this agape 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:50.300 love, this unconditional sacrificial type love. 00:06:50.300 --> 00:06:52.790 And it's not a feeling. 00:06:53.120 --> 00:06:57.160 Certainly there are feelings engaged in love, but more than a feeling, it's a decision of the will. 00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:00.670 You understand who God called you to be. 00:07:00.820 --> 00:07:08.100 And therefore, by a decision of your will, you are willing to surrender your life in order to honor God and bless others. 00:07:08.960 --> 00:07:16.500 Now, hopefully you enjoy the feeling of that experience, but sometimes sometimes you feel the sacrifice more than necessarily 00:07:16.500 --> 00:07:17.640 the happiness. 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:19.980 But there is fruit on the back end of that. 00:07:19.980 --> 00:07:23.160 If we remain faithful to what God has called us to. 00:07:24.320 --> 00:07:28.200 But the only way to experience this journey is dying to self. 00:07:28.260 --> 00:07:33.380 And so when you think about this transformed life and Paul's going to give us three aspects of that. 00:07:33.380 --> 00:07:37.580 And point number one in your notes is this He wants to deal with your relationships in the church. 00:07:38.520 --> 00:07:40.160 It starts with your relationships in the church. 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:47.200 And so as Paul gets to verse nine, then he really gives this pre-game speech as a coach of trying to get the troops out now and saying, okay, now 00:07:47.200 --> 00:07:51.980 that you understand the first 11 chapters of what it looks like to find your identity in Jesus, let's do this. 00:07:51.980 --> 00:07:52.860 Let's go team. 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:53.320 Right. 00:07:53.320 --> 00:07:54.460 Here's your playbook. 00:07:54.460 --> 00:07:58.720 Now go live it out and what Christ has called you to in this world. 00:07:58.940 --> 00:08:05.940 And so he deals beginning with this relationship with the church, because this is the foundational place for where we communicate about our identity 00:08:05.940 --> 00:08:08.600 so we can successfully live it in this world. 00:08:08.640 --> 00:08:12.740 And he says then abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good. 00:08:13.580 --> 00:08:20.660 And what Paul is recognizing is if you genuinely love people, you're going to have a disdain for 00:08:20.660 --> 00:08:22.580 the things that destroy their souls. 00:08:23.940 --> 00:08:31.440 You're going to want to stand in defense of them even when they don't want you to stand in their defense and to 00:08:31.800 --> 00:08:33.740 encourage them along, in truth. 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:38.169 Now, there's a way that Christians would engage this passage that's absolutely obnoxious. 00:08:38.400 --> 00:08:43.600 And there's a way that we can engage this passage that is honoring to the Lord and a blessing to others. 00:08:44.179 --> 00:08:51.280 And what I mean is sometimes Christians will take a passage like this and just because it says abhor what is evil, they'll use that as an 00:08:51.280 --> 00:08:52.700 excuse to be a jerk. 00:08:53.220 --> 00:08:55.500 And God doesn't want you to be a jerk, right? 00:08:55.740 --> 00:08:58.190 God cares about what you believe, the truth of what you believe. 00:08:58.380 --> 00:09:00.470 And God also cares about how you behave. 00:09:01.240 --> 00:09:04.600 The way you behave is an expression of what you believe. 00:09:04.680 --> 00:09:06.910 And people can tell when you communicate. 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:10.380 If you're speaking down to them or you're speaking in order to build them up. 00:09:11.100 --> 00:09:15.260 But it's important that we stand for truth, because truth is what sets us free. 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:21.160 And in fact, we know within this world that as Christians, we war against a spiritual battle. 00:09:21.540 --> 00:09:27.870 Paul tells us in Ephesians that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against forces of spiritual darkness. 00:09:28.100 --> 00:09:33.790 We are not here in this world as God's people to fight against people, but God has called us to fight for people. 00:09:34.160 --> 00:09:35.940 And the thing that sets them free is truth. 00:09:37.220 --> 00:09:44.360 And when you think about the way that spiritual forces work within the Bible, even Satan, Satan is referred to in Second Corinthians Chapter 00:09:44.360 --> 00:09:45.780 11 as an angel of light. 00:09:46.620 --> 00:09:49.480 An angel of light is an angel that gives you positive feelings, right? 00:09:49.500 --> 00:09:52.260 Satan doesn't show up saying kill, steal and destroy. 00:09:52.740 --> 00:09:55.240 Because if that was his message, nobody's going to believe that. 00:09:56.040 --> 00:09:57.120 Nobody wants to follow that. 00:09:57.160 --> 00:09:58.980 But you know all that Satan has to do. 00:10:00.880 --> 00:10:02.280 It's not get you to kill, steal and destroy. 00:10:04.140 --> 00:10:06.960 All he has to do is to get you to believe a lie. 00:10:08.600 --> 00:10:11.780 Because if you can believe a lie, you can destroy your life. 00:10:13.660 --> 00:10:15.860 And the way you know that is just go back to the Garden of Eden. 00:10:17.260 --> 00:10:18.150 And the Garden of Eden. 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:19.280 All Satan did. 00:10:20.760 --> 00:10:21.700 Will say surely. 00:10:21.820 --> 00:10:22.580 Did God say? 00:10:24.580 --> 00:10:26.840 He wanted Eve to question the truth of God. 00:10:27.620 --> 00:10:29.700 Now, I think it's important in your faith to ask questions. 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:31.040 That's how we learn. 00:10:32.680 --> 00:10:38.340 But to then take the step of taking truth and disbelieving what God said when God had plainly told them. 00:10:39.660 --> 00:10:43.780 So they began to believe that what Satan wanted was better for them than what God had said. 00:10:45.560 --> 00:10:47.460 And all they did was believe a lie. 00:10:48.740 --> 00:10:50.870 But that lie led to the destruction. 00:10:52.340 --> 00:10:52.980 Of really the earth. 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:58.980 Abhor what is evil. 00:11:00.660 --> 00:11:01.500 Hold fast. 00:11:02.600 --> 00:11:04.300 To what is good. 00:11:05.580 --> 00:11:09.280 I mean, even in our culture today, what we're taught is you define your truth. 00:11:10.140 --> 00:11:12.940 But the problem with that is you're not the creator of truth. 00:11:13.940 --> 00:11:14.870 Truth is not subjective. 00:11:15.340 --> 00:11:16.940 Truth Ultimate truth is objective. 00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:20.140 There's times where we can have things that are subjective. 00:11:20.900 --> 00:11:24.640 Like I could declare to you the best basketball team in all of the NBA is the Utah Jazz. 00:11:26.040 --> 00:11:29.060 The end of the season has proven otherwise, right for some of you. 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:33.300 But I choose to reject what you have to say about it, right? 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:34.610 To me, that's all that matters. 00:11:34.680 --> 00:11:37.340 So there's some subjective subjectivity in that. 00:11:37.340 --> 00:11:39.080 But we're talking about ultimate truth. 00:11:39.080 --> 00:11:43.100 There is objective truth that defines who we are as human beings. 00:11:43.100 --> 00:11:45.160 And that is that is not me to define that. 00:11:45.160 --> 00:11:49.140 It will lead to the destruction of my soul because I didn't make me. 00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:53.300 And I might find temporary pleasure in buying into that lie. 00:11:53.820 --> 00:11:56.500 But ultimately, there's an emptiness in where I'm at. 00:11:56.520 --> 00:12:04.000 And if you really love someone, if you really care about someone, you're going to abhor the things that destroy them and talk 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:08.920 about the things that will encourage them down the path of life for all of eternity. 00:12:09.180 --> 00:12:10.860 Finding their purpose and identity in the Lord. 00:12:12.580 --> 00:12:14.140 In our culture that is not popular. 00:12:15.820 --> 00:12:17.260 But for God's people, it is important. 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:19.880 We're not just talking about. 00:12:19.880 --> 00:12:21.180 Well, I don't want people to get mad at me. 00:12:21.180 --> 00:12:22.470 We're talking about souls forever. 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:25.580 Living in eternity forever. 00:12:25.580 --> 00:12:27.280 We're talking steaks of heaven and hell. 00:12:27.280 --> 00:12:28.280 Life in Jesus. 00:12:28.280 --> 00:12:32.900 Knowing him or not, that is far more important than whether or not someone gets upset with me. 00:12:33.860 --> 00:12:40.980 Now, there is a way that you do that that's important and still honoring people which Paul goes on and further and 00:12:40.980 --> 00:12:42.300 talks about that right in verse ten. 00:12:42.300 --> 00:12:48.420 He goes on and says, Love one another with a brotherly affection, outdoing one another in showing honor. 00:12:49.180 --> 00:12:55.590 This idea of brotherly affection is recognized that when God moves within your life, he's also bringing you into a family. 00:12:56.560 --> 00:12:57.690 And this is his family. 00:12:57.880 --> 00:13:04.200 And the way that we treat one another in God's family is important because you're referenced in Scripture as the bride of Christ, right? 00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:09.900 And you don't want to be an affront to Jesus's bride because you're going to lose that battle right like this. 00:13:10.140 --> 00:13:13.580 There is nothing more honoring, I think, to the Lord than the way that you might treat his bride. 00:13:13.700 --> 00:13:16.740 Like I tell my boys all the time in our home, guys, you want to love me? 00:13:17.060 --> 00:13:17.540 Love your mother? 00:13:18.840 --> 00:13:19.080 Right. 00:13:19.100 --> 00:13:20.860 And I'd say the same thing is true with Jesus. 00:13:20.900 --> 00:13:27.300 You want to be the tangible expression of wanting to demonstrate your concern and care for Christ. 00:13:27.320 --> 00:13:31.420 Start with God's people, encourage them devoted to one another. 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:38.760 One of the beautiful things about the early church in Acts Chapter two, it tells us when they first gathered in Acts chapter two, verse 41, 00:13:38.820 --> 00:13:43.370 that they were devoted to the apostles teaching the breaking of bread and sharing all things in common. 00:13:43.460 --> 00:13:49.710 They did a wonderful thing when they gathered and it says in verse 47, and the Lord was adding to their number day by day, those who were being saved. 00:13:50.820 --> 00:13:57.620 The society around them saw how beautiful the fellowship was within that community, and it became contagious people in a good way. 00:13:57.680 --> 00:14:00.080 It's the only only time being contagious is good. 00:14:00.300 --> 00:14:00.600 But. 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:01.780 But in a good way. 00:14:01.800 --> 00:14:07.700 It was invitational to want to belong to a community that really cared about one another as they lived out their identity. 00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:11.220 For the Lord, you can't do what God has called you to do without people. 00:14:12.460 --> 00:14:14.140 It's even in Romans 12. 00:14:14.140 --> 00:14:15.660 You see this laid out, right? 00:14:15.680 --> 00:14:17.240 Lay your life down for the Lord. 00:14:17.240 --> 00:14:19.480 And the very next thing he says is, Let's talk then. 00:14:19.480 --> 00:14:23.660 How you're living and how you're living is all about relationship for him. 00:14:24.520 --> 00:14:27.490 Because in order to live what God has called you to live, you need relationship. 00:14:28.460 --> 00:14:30.400 God wants you to glorify him in this world. 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:34.000 And the best place to do it is with people, because God made people in his image. 00:14:35.680 --> 00:14:40.560 And so he says with his brotherly love and outdoing one another in showing honor. 00:14:41.280 --> 00:14:44.060 And if there is one thing our culture needs to know today. 00:14:45.320 --> 00:14:47.010 It is how to show honor. 00:14:48.460 --> 00:14:50.440 You want the kind of life that God can bless. 00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:52.030 Be a person that shows honor. 00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:55.670 You send honor up, Lord sends blessing down. 00:14:56.440 --> 00:14:59.660 And I don't mean that in some prosperity way. 00:14:59.660 --> 00:15:01.380 It's literally that's the way God blesses. 00:15:01.880 --> 00:15:08.910 If someone in this world acts shamefully and your response is to throw mud back, that's not the kind of life God can bless. 00:15:10.100 --> 00:15:12.040 And showing honor becomes important. 00:15:12.040 --> 00:15:15.970 I mean, you see the plague of our society today and where it's at and it's lack of honoring people. 00:15:16.760 --> 00:15:24.360 And if you can't honor a person, you can at least honor the position because that's how a society operates and 00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:26.460 that's the way the Lord desires to move. 00:15:26.500 --> 00:15:28.160 And his people, as we learn to show honor. 00:15:28.460 --> 00:15:31.440 And the place that begins is the home. 00:15:32.580 --> 00:15:37.020 The home sets the tone for how a generation will be raised to show honor. 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:41.770 You look at our culture today, you see no honor, and you wonder what in the world happened. 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:44.520 And the answer is it's found in the destruction of the home. 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:47.260 It speaks to what's happening in the home. 00:15:48.020 --> 00:15:54.180 And so what we have in a generation now is a problem that's been arise because what's not been taught is how to honor within the home. 00:15:54.220 --> 00:16:01.260 In fact, when you look at the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 20, the first Four Commandments deal with our relationship with God. 00:16:01.260 --> 00:16:04.520 The next Six Commandments deal with our relationship with one another. 00:16:04.660 --> 00:16:12.600 And do you know the first commandment out of all the commandments that God gives in dealing with our relationship with one another is verse 12 Honor 00:16:12.600 --> 00:16:13.200 your. 00:16:14.460 --> 00:16:16.040 Father and mother. 00:16:17.860 --> 00:16:20.050 This is the first commandment that comes with a blessing. 00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:28.280 Out of all the Ten Commandments, it's funny when you go read those Ten Commandments that are written in Exodus chapter 20, it's that one that's given a blessing 00:16:28.280 --> 00:16:34.220 that if you learn to honor, you're going to have a life that will be blessed both practically and spiritually before the Lord. 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:42.460 You go to an employer and you think an employer, they want to promote people in certain positions and you think they're going to go with the complainer 00:16:42.460 --> 00:16:45.830 or they're going to go with someone that can show honor even when it's difficult. 00:16:46.580 --> 00:16:47.570 That's a respectable person. 00:16:49.100 --> 00:16:54.580 And it's the kind of way that God can move in this world by someone who really wants to demonstrate his goodness in life. 00:16:54.600 --> 00:16:56.660 I mean, your ultimate example in all of that is Jesus. 00:16:58.780 --> 00:17:00.920 I think about even the end of his life the way that he was. 00:17:01.380 --> 00:17:08.579 He was brought before public shamed his scourged crown of thorns, put on his head, beaten 00:17:08.579 --> 00:17:09.880 and hung on a cross. 00:17:09.900 --> 00:17:10.660 And what does he say? 00:17:11.060 --> 00:17:11.819 Father, forgive them. 00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:14.300 Father. 00:17:14.760 --> 00:17:15.359 Forgive them. 00:17:16.660 --> 00:17:22.369 I mean, he looks at a thief who cursed him and within a few moments later, from his own mouth thief. 00:17:22.520 --> 00:17:23.980 You will be with me this day in paradise. 00:17:26.839 --> 00:17:27.619 It's incredible. 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:31.280 Showing honor. 00:17:31.320 --> 00:17:34.800 And then he goes on and says, Do not be slothful in zeal, but fervent in spirit. 00:17:35.020 --> 00:17:36.380 Serve the Lord. 00:17:37.900 --> 00:17:43.900 You know, one of the greatest challenges I think Christians face is the idea of passivity. 00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:48.060 The sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden was the sin of passivity. 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:50.580 And God told Adam not to eat of the fruit. 00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:51.860 He didn't tell that to Eve. 00:17:51.860 --> 00:17:52.980 He told it directly to Adam. 00:17:54.320 --> 00:17:56.740 Adam was then responsible to share that with Eve. 00:17:56.740 --> 00:18:03.760 But what did Adam do in that moment rather than rather than say something to Eve in the midst of the serpent interacting with her, It tells us in Scripture that 00:18:03.760 --> 00:18:08.620 Adam just sat passively by her and watched her take steps towards her destruction. 00:18:08.620 --> 00:18:10.820 And once she ate of the fruit, Adam thought, Oh, she didn't die. 00:18:10.860 --> 00:18:12.050 Let me let me have a bite of that. 00:18:12.200 --> 00:18:13.560 And then God shows up, right? 00:18:14.760 --> 00:18:15.710 That was the sin of passivity. 00:18:16.740 --> 00:18:23.860 Guys, can I tell you, I love to remind us as men that in your life, in your home, if you remain passive, the people that 00:18:23.860 --> 00:18:30.900 suffer from that, women and children and ladies, that doesn't mean then just throw all the responsibility on the 00:18:30.900 --> 00:18:31.340 guys. 00:18:31.400 --> 00:18:32.260 It's the same thing for you. 00:18:32.340 --> 00:18:39.560 God's giving you responsibility in this world, and when you don't fulfill that responsibility, the people around you that God has called you to love, to minister, to be 00:18:39.560 --> 00:18:43.460 an influence on, to represent Jesus to we suffer. 00:18:44.920 --> 00:18:50.680 But rather what God desires for us to have is a is a zeal, a passion for Jesus. 00:18:50.680 --> 00:18:53.840 And I know in our culture again today that's not a popular thing. 00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:55.930 But before the Lord, it's honoring to him. 00:18:55.960 --> 00:19:00.520 It's okay to be excited about a sports team, but don't you talk about your beliefs. 00:19:00.660 --> 00:19:01.040 Right? 00:19:01.060 --> 00:19:01.860 That's what we say. 00:19:02.140 --> 00:19:05.660 But we think when you express those things, there's a there's a way you want to do it. 00:19:05.660 --> 00:19:08.360 That's honoring to the Lord and a blessing to people. 00:19:09.080 --> 00:19:16.180 But being zealous is not a bad thing in Scripture, a zeal for the Lord and fervent in spirit, meaning that God has 00:19:16.180 --> 00:19:18.980 put his spirit within you, for you to live out that purpose in this world. 00:19:18.980 --> 00:19:20.040 And so serve the Lord. 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:28.500 When you when you look at American history, there's a book called Planting Missional Churches, and he talks about what's happened in America over the really 00:19:28.500 --> 00:19:29.530 the last century. 00:19:30.620 --> 00:19:33.090 And it's been this decline in Christianity. 00:19:33.800 --> 00:19:41.540 And part of it, I would say, is because Christians started treating church or try to treating our community like 00:19:41.540 --> 00:19:48.540 a like a religious ritual rather than a life, a lifestyle, meaning people started to look at Christianity more 00:19:48.540 --> 00:19:50.220 like churchianity than Christianity. 00:19:51.140 --> 00:19:56.740 You knew on Sunday, Well, we just follow this religious practice of we show up to church because that's just what you do on Sunday. 00:19:58.120 --> 00:20:05.040 But eventually people because they lost their passion of wanting to know God and just started performing a religious, religious act. 00:20:05.800 --> 00:20:07.440 They forgot what they were doing to begin with. 00:20:07.620 --> 00:20:10.640 They really they forgot the reason why. 00:20:13.580 --> 00:20:19.340 And what's happened in America is this steep decline in our belief in the foundation of who we are. 00:20:20.900 --> 00:20:26.320 In 1900s, early 1900s, 28 churches for every 10,020 11. 00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:30.720 The last time this statistic came out, there were 11 churches for every 10,000. 00:20:30.840 --> 00:20:31.630 I can't even imagine. 00:20:31.740 --> 00:20:37.920 Now that Covid's taking place, there were a handful of churches that closed during COVID, what those statistics might look like. 00:20:39.660 --> 00:20:45.140 But it speaks to the importance of God's people being fervent and what the Lord is doing in our lives. 00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:46.240 And then He goes on and says this. 00:20:46.320 --> 00:20:47.980 He says, Rejoice in hope. 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:52.060 Be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 00:20:53.580 --> 00:20:57.320 Rejoicing in hope is this idea of rejoicing over and over. 00:20:57.320 --> 00:21:02.860 The joy and joy again, because you're reminding yourself of what you ultimately have in Christ. 00:21:02.880 --> 00:21:09.180 You're not forgetting its remaining in the forefront of your identity in the Lord and all the hope that you have in Him. 00:21:09.260 --> 00:21:11.440 You know where the end lies. 00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:13.740 You know you have the victory in Jesus. 00:21:13.780 --> 00:21:17.980 And so in this in-between there might be some ups and downs in life that you're going through. 00:21:17.980 --> 00:21:25.160 But because of that, you have this ultimate hope, because you know where your peace ultimately lies and you know 00:21:25.160 --> 00:21:27.010 what you ultimately have in Jesus. 00:21:28.920 --> 00:21:30.800 When you know the end of the game. 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:34.720 It's easier to go through the journey. 00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:37.810 Because what you have in Christ endures. 00:21:39.500 --> 00:21:46.580 And so therefore, because of that hope and that reminder in our life of what we have, we can be patient in that tribulation that we 00:21:46.580 --> 00:21:49.460 go through and tribulation for us. 00:21:49.480 --> 00:21:56.720 Then knowing that things might be rocky and hard, we know that ultimately it's not going to be taken away from us because what we have in Christ 00:21:56.720 --> 00:21:57.580 will last. 00:21:57.780 --> 00:22:03.500 The tribulation then becomes a place for us to demonstrate our ultimate faith in Jesus. 00:22:03.980 --> 00:22:09.010 Tribulation becomes an opportunity to prove to the world where our hope lies. 00:22:09.360 --> 00:22:16.520 Jesus said to us in John chapter 16, He doesn't say to you, Look, come to Jesus and you're not going to have tribulation, but rather John, chapter 16, 00:22:16.560 --> 00:22:17.300 verse 33. 00:22:17.300 --> 00:22:19.960 He says, You will have tribulation in this world. 00:22:21.100 --> 00:22:21.920 But take hope. 00:22:23.380 --> 00:22:25.760 Because I have overcome. 00:22:29.240 --> 00:22:31.240 My great grandmother before she passed. 00:22:31.300 --> 00:22:36.920 I remember she had a stroke when I was a kid and she endured a lot at the end of her life through that. 00:22:37.600 --> 00:22:38.780 But she would always say the same thing. 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:41.360 This too, shall pass. 00:22:43.160 --> 00:22:45.420 This too, shall pass. 00:22:45.860 --> 00:22:52.280 I remember watching her in her older age with all that wisdom, and she would have her kids come in or grandkids come in. 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:53.000 All worked up. 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:54.280 I was just a little kid, you know. 00:22:54.340 --> 00:22:56.440 I didn't know anything other than outside is fun, right? 00:22:56.560 --> 00:22:58.860 That was I had no problems in the world at that point. 00:22:59.020 --> 00:23:02.060 But they would all come in, they would be worked up and she would just look at him. 00:23:02.060 --> 00:23:04.600 It was just that comment would bring this peace. 00:23:04.600 --> 00:23:05.440 This, too, shall pass. 00:23:06.620 --> 00:23:10.020 It's just a reminder that in that moment, you're in a hard spot. 00:23:11.350 --> 00:23:12.790 But this too shall pass. 00:23:14.780 --> 00:23:17.780 Don't lose perspective of what you have in Christ. 00:23:18.560 --> 00:23:19.300 Let me say it like this. 00:23:21.160 --> 00:23:24.380 You'll never have to apologize for the things you don't say. 00:23:26.980 --> 00:23:28.220 Use that for Facebook later today. 00:23:30.860 --> 00:23:35.340 There's a moment where you get worked up and you just want to spew the venom that you felt. 00:23:36.760 --> 00:23:39.240 And this, too, shall pass. 00:23:41.560 --> 00:23:42.860 Be patient in tribulation. 00:23:44.840 --> 00:23:49.180 Rejoice in the hope that you have in Christ and be constant in prayer. 00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:52.950 To not be prayerful when you go through adversity is foolish. 00:23:54.400 --> 00:23:57.100 You think not be careful in general is foolish. 00:23:58.260 --> 00:24:01.200 You have access to the King of kings and Lord of Lords. 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:10.300 But in those moments of trial, prayer gives us the opportunity to either ask God to change it, and if he doesn't change it, to 00:24:10.300 --> 00:24:11.720 at least walk with us through it. 00:24:13.280 --> 00:24:15.380 That's a beautiful promise that God gives to all his people. 00:24:15.460 --> 00:24:20.120 The reality is, most of the time God doesn't magically change the circumstance. 00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:23.480 Or miraculously, I should say. 00:24:25.880 --> 00:24:30.300 But what he does promise is to strengthen the believer as you endure the hardship. 00:24:31.540 --> 00:24:32.660 And prayer is that way. 00:24:32.660 --> 00:24:39.700 We have the privilege of being able to connect to him and really to seek his will through it, because it becomes easy 00:24:39.700 --> 00:24:44.220 when you're enduring tribulation to want to become self-focused. 00:24:44.260 --> 00:24:44.400 Right. 00:24:44.760 --> 00:24:51.800 Or to throw this pity party and just sit in misery rather than to see it from a godly perspective and recognizing 00:24:51.800 --> 00:24:56.280 Jesus walked through the darkest of storms and brought the greatest of glory. 00:24:57.480 --> 00:24:59.220 And he remained faithful to the father. 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:00.780 Even in the night he was betrayed. 00:25:00.860 --> 00:25:01.980 What was Jesus doing? 00:25:02.180 --> 00:25:02.770 He was praying. 00:25:04.220 --> 00:25:09.320 He was praying and the darkest day of history became the greatest moment of rejoicing. 00:25:09.880 --> 00:25:12.900 And the same is true for us that we have that place of connecting with God. 00:25:12.980 --> 00:25:20.040 And when we fill this place of despair, not realizing how God could even turn that around, seeking him in prayer and watching him work out by being faithful to 00:25:20.040 --> 00:25:20.480 him. 00:25:20.740 --> 00:25:24.570 And then he goes on and says, Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 00:25:28.100 --> 00:25:33.020 Don't just be willing to be generous and hospitable, but rather he's encouraging us to even pursue it. 00:25:34.220 --> 00:25:40.480 And when we talk about contributing, we're not talking about enabling people to carry on and poor behavior. 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:46.360 But what we're recognizing is to say there comes sometimes in life where we're bearing burdens that are too much for us. 00:25:47.460 --> 00:25:54.500 And it is helpful when brothers and sisters in Christ come around you to help you carry that boulder until that weight can be carried on your 00:25:54.500 --> 00:25:54.760 own. 00:25:56.700 --> 00:26:03.760 And so we have the privilege as a community to contribute to the needs of one another to help each other live what God has called us 00:26:03.760 --> 00:26:04.700 to live for him. 00:26:04.820 --> 00:26:11.960 And this is kind of contrary to the to the way that we walk in this world, like we being 00:26:11.960 --> 00:26:18.170 self-focused and thinking about being selfless, especially in terms of contributing with money. 00:26:18.280 --> 00:26:21.290 Like for us, we don't talk about we don't want to talk about money. 00:26:21.320 --> 00:26:24.500 Don't you touch our money because we really it's an idol for us. 00:26:24.540 --> 00:26:29.420 But this Saturday we were we entered into the topic for our men's group on the topic of money. 00:26:29.420 --> 00:26:36.460 I didn't lead this discussion, but, I kept thinking in my own heart when it comes to finances in this 00:26:36.460 --> 00:26:43.660 world, this is just another avenue to express where your heart is in the Lord and God gives you all kinds of gifts in this world to 00:26:43.660 --> 00:26:44.740 use for his glory. 00:26:44.800 --> 00:26:52.200 And one of the ways that we get to tangibly do that is through the way God has blessed us financially to help people out, contributing to the needs of others. 00:26:52.640 --> 00:26:56.350 And in that it's a display of where my heart really lies. 00:26:56.940 --> 00:27:03.100 Like if you read Romans chapter 12, verse one and two, where it tells us, lay your bodies down as a living sacrifice for the Lord. 00:27:03.340 --> 00:27:06.340 The idea is a complete sacrifice for the Lord. 00:27:06.360 --> 00:27:12.130 If you want to see the mission of God move forward, it happens on the sacrifice of God's people as we lay ourselves down. 00:27:12.420 --> 00:27:13.290 Let me give you an example. 00:27:14.780 --> 00:27:19.970 As a church, we have been pressed for space as a pastor on Sundays. 00:27:20.540 --> 00:27:23.500 I find myself in a difficult place, like I love. 00:27:23.600 --> 00:27:28.540 I would love to invite more people to church, but sometimes I think to myself, but we don't have enough places for people to sit. 00:27:29.500 --> 00:27:33.380 We can't even invite people to come and be a part of the church because we don't have enough places for people to sit. 00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:36.560 Like, where is that in Scripture where Jesus tells us to reach people? 00:27:36.560 --> 00:27:37.400 But I'll never mind. 00:27:37.420 --> 00:27:39.140 We don't have places to sit. 00:27:39.180 --> 00:27:39.380 Right? 00:27:39.380 --> 00:27:44.140 But if we're serious about living the mission that God has called us to live, we need to build a bigger building. 00:27:44.520 --> 00:27:51.500 But if we're going to build a bigger building, it's got to be about God's people understanding the need and wanting to contribute to the cause in order to build that building. 00:27:51.560 --> 00:27:57.960 To do that in our future, there's going to be an opportunity to make that kind of sacrifice, to demonstrate our love for the Lord. 00:27:59.700 --> 00:28:00.940 To live out his mission. 00:28:02.040 --> 00:28:03.700 It's really not about the money. 00:28:04.720 --> 00:28:08.980 It's about the mission that God has called us on and whether my heart is in tune to it. 00:28:10.120 --> 00:28:15.980 And if it is, then I'm going to give of myself where the Lord leads in the need to do that. 00:28:17.080 --> 00:28:20.900 Sometimes it may be through my voice, sometimes I may teach, sometimes I may serve with my hands. 00:28:20.900 --> 00:28:21.660 Other times I may give. 00:28:23.300 --> 00:28:25.440 But it's to make a difference in this world. 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:27.940 Guys, I can't think of a better place in America. 00:28:27.940 --> 00:28:28.840 You can do that. 00:28:29.880 --> 00:28:36.850 And you think about the need in Utah, Lehigh, Utah, 80 plus thousand people. 00:28:37.260 --> 00:28:41.080 And this is the only freestanding evangelical church in our community. 00:28:42.280 --> 00:28:44.000 In fact, we didn't even build this. 00:28:44.100 --> 00:28:47.420 We kind of retrofitted a bar, which is kind of cool that you come to church in a bar. 00:28:47.560 --> 00:28:47.860 Right. 00:28:47.940 --> 00:28:53.140 But we're now it's a picture of really the transformation that God makes in our life. 00:28:53.400 --> 00:28:54.630 Every once in a while, I'll meet people. 00:28:54.640 --> 00:28:57.400 They're like, Yeah, I used to come here and I don't want to come back here, right? 00:28:57.510 --> 00:28:59.070 I used to come here for different reasons. 00:28:59.540 --> 00:29:04.960 Like, that's a beautiful story then, because it deals with the transformation that God brings in our lives, right? 00:29:04.980 --> 00:29:10.400 He takes us from this place of darkness, and he moves us in this place of light, living for his glory in this world. 00:29:10.560 --> 00:29:13.660 And now we have an opportunity where we can build a building like however we want. 00:29:13.720 --> 00:29:15.940 We can build a building and you can be a part of that. 00:29:15.940 --> 00:29:19.920 And that's a beautiful thing to live this on mission to keep making a difference in this world. 00:29:20.220 --> 00:29:22.740 We want we want our community. 00:29:22.940 --> 00:29:30.280 If our church were to ever be gone, God forbid, we want our community to ache over our absence because 00:29:30.280 --> 00:29:33.080 what we did in our community was such a blessing to the people. 00:29:34.600 --> 00:29:41.860 It's about the mission that God calls us on to contribute to the needs of the saints and to seek to show hospitality the way that you care for others. 00:29:43.600 --> 00:29:46.960 Hospitality is an important word in scripture. 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:51.390 You think anything that Jesus taught in the Bible, he taught around really around a table, around a meal. 00:29:51.760 --> 00:29:57.890 His most important lessons happened as they were eating a meal together and being hospitable with one another. 00:29:58.040 --> 00:30:02.680 When you study leadership in Scripture, hospitality is always a word that quickly follows. 00:30:02.740 --> 00:30:07.000 In fact, the appointing of pastors in ministry or elders leaders in the church. 00:30:07.360 --> 00:30:11.360 The Bible talks about hospitality very early on in that description. 00:30:11.780 --> 00:30:14.500 Need to be a hospitable people in all that we do. 00:30:15.640 --> 00:30:17.160 There's an emperor Julian. 00:30:17.180 --> 00:30:23.200 Some of them he's often referred to as Emperor Julian, the apostate. 00:30:23.400 --> 00:30:25.550 But he said this about Christianity in the fourth century. 00:30:25.620 --> 00:30:27.290 He said, Atheism or Christianity? 00:30:27.360 --> 00:30:32.560 They referred to Christianity as atheism in the first few centuries because Christians only worshiped one God. 00:30:32.740 --> 00:30:34.780 And in Rome you were supposed to worship many gods. 00:30:34.780 --> 00:30:35.650 So they were looked at as atheists. 00:30:36.560 --> 00:30:43.560 But he says atheism has been specially advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers and through the care for the burial 00:30:43.560 --> 00:30:44.260 of the dead. 00:30:44.260 --> 00:30:51.540 It is a scandal that there is not a single Jew who is a beggar and that the godless Galileans, which was a reference to Christians, care 00:30:51.540 --> 00:30:55.120 not only for their own poor but for ours as well. 00:30:55.120 --> 00:30:59.680 While those who belong to us look in vain for the help that we should render to them. 00:31:00.540 --> 00:31:04.620 He's saying, You know, the way that Christianity was making an impact is by loving the people around them. 00:31:05.380 --> 00:31:12.450 In Rome during that day, if people suffered from some sort of ailment or even in poverty, it was looked at as a cursing from the gods. 00:31:12.960 --> 00:31:18.580 And therefore because the gods had abandoned them, if you stepped in and tried to love on them, then the gods would also curse you. 00:31:19.080 --> 00:31:21.840 But Christianity came in and said, That's not how it works at all. 00:31:22.440 --> 00:31:26.060 When Jesus came to those that were humble and weak, Jesus loved the sinner. 00:31:26.480 --> 00:31:28.340 Jesus cared for us in our need. 00:31:28.560 --> 00:31:31.950 Jesus served us at our lowest by becoming the servant of servants. 00:31:32.180 --> 00:31:39.460 This is the DNA of who we are and so Christians made a difference in this world by caring for the beggar and the destitute, 00:31:39.660 --> 00:31:41.390 the widow and the orphan. 00:31:42.120 --> 00:31:43.880 Second, is this your relationship in the community? 00:31:43.880 --> 00:31:48.930 And I'm going to move really fast in these bless those who persecute, bless and do not curse them. 00:31:48.980 --> 00:31:51.710 This is a verse of disarming those in opposition. 00:31:52.600 --> 00:31:58.320 The natural response for us is to retaliate, to persecute those who persecute us. 00:31:58.320 --> 00:32:02.400 But what Paul is saying in this passage is, look, it's difficult to hate people that love you. 00:32:03.040 --> 00:32:04.960 You know, they might spew their hate. 00:32:04.960 --> 00:32:08.120 You smother them in love, because after a while they're going to quit. 00:32:08.760 --> 00:32:15.920 They can't stand they're going to look like a disgusting person to other people and how they treat you because you've been nothing but compassionate 00:32:15.920 --> 00:32:17.260 back towards them. 00:32:17.420 --> 00:32:21.080 He goes on and says, Bless those who persecute. 00:32:21.080 --> 00:32:22.900 And he says, Rejoice with those who rejoice. 00:32:23.240 --> 00:32:24.590 Weep with those who weep. 00:32:24.720 --> 00:32:31.280 So not only are we wanting to disarm the opposition in how we bless those who persecute, but we're also discovering opportunity in this verse. 00:32:31.460 --> 00:32:38.640 We're trying to find a way to connect with people in this world and the way that you want to do that in ministering for Christ is when people rejoicing, rejoice with 00:32:38.640 --> 00:32:40.640 them, which is different than society. 00:32:40.940 --> 00:32:45.400 Society is get jealous over that right, and destroy them and tear them down and tell them how you could do it better. 00:32:45.700 --> 00:32:52.720 But as Christians, we want to rejoice when people are rejoicing and when people are going through hardship, we want to weep with those who we want to meet them where 00:32:52.720 --> 00:32:53.180 they're at. 00:32:53.980 --> 00:33:01.160 I find sometimes people say some strange things and sometimes awful things when people are in a place of 00:33:01.160 --> 00:33:01.640 mourning. 00:33:02.260 --> 00:33:07.720 And can I just encourage you as followers of Christ that sometimes we just say too much when people are in mourning? 00:33:08.420 --> 00:33:14.760 Rather, what's more important is simply your presence and a reminder that I love you being with them job's friends. 00:33:14.760 --> 00:33:21.820 If you read the Book of Job when he was in his misery, Job was comforted by his friends for the first few weeks when they just sat with him, but is when they opened 00:33:21.820 --> 00:33:23.880 their mouth that they said stupid things. 00:33:25.120 --> 00:33:28.460 Just being with people and weeping with them when they weep. 00:33:28.520 --> 00:33:29.780 It's biblical, it's beautiful. 00:33:29.780 --> 00:33:33.600 And it's connecting with them in that moment, discovering that opportunity. 00:33:34.200 --> 00:33:36.660 And then he goes on verse 16, live in harmony with one another. 00:33:36.660 --> 00:33:38.960 Don't be haughty, but associate with the lowly. 00:33:38.960 --> 00:33:40.640 Never be wise in your own sight. 00:33:40.880 --> 00:33:42.830 And this now is talking about being approachable. 00:33:43.340 --> 00:33:48.640 Not only are you discovering a way to connect to people, but you also want to remain approachable in how you minister to people. 00:33:48.640 --> 00:33:55.780 And this idea of living in harmony is saying to us, Look, don't look down on people, don't be haughty above them, but associate 00:33:55.780 --> 00:33:59.330 with the lowly and don't act like you've got it all figured out. 00:34:00.300 --> 00:34:06.160 Be wise enough to realize that you don't and to be able to be approachable enough that people can speak into your life. 00:34:06.920 --> 00:34:11.980 You need that sort of a humility to be able to ask the question, If you were me, what would you do differently? 00:34:12.840 --> 00:34:13.960 Hey, what about your life? 00:34:13.960 --> 00:34:15.000 Are you blind to that? 00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:19.449 You really need to be open to and what God desires to do in you and through you. 00:34:19.880 --> 00:34:25.320 And so Paul's giving us this opportunity to connect with community in order to make a difference in the last. 00:34:25.320 --> 00:34:26.659 Is this overcome evil? 00:34:28.199 --> 00:34:29.639 Overcome evil. 00:34:29.820 --> 00:34:36.620 And he says, repay no evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 00:34:38.520 --> 00:34:42.199 And Paul saying, Here, you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. 00:34:42.280 --> 00:34:43.010 That's what he's saying. 00:34:43.340 --> 00:34:50.520 Don't repay evil with evil, but give thought to what is honorable in the sight of God rather rather than retaliate, which is what 00:34:50.520 --> 00:34:52.639 human nature often desires to do. 00:34:55.480 --> 00:34:56.100 Respond. 00:34:57.320 --> 00:35:00.300 By giving thought to what is honorable in the sight of all being mindful. 00:35:01.560 --> 00:35:02.900 God, this situation is difficult. 00:35:03.000 --> 00:35:04.080 These people are hard. 00:35:05.320 --> 00:35:07.580 But God, what would bring you glory here. 00:35:09.220 --> 00:35:10.850 How can I represent you? 00:35:11.260 --> 00:35:11.580 Well. 00:35:12.700 --> 00:35:14.000 He says, if possible. 00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:17.580 So far as it depends on you live peaceable, peaceably with all. 00:35:18.520 --> 00:35:22.960 And Paul's recognizing look, as we're trying to be mindful of how to honor the Lord in this world. 00:35:23.930 --> 00:35:27.360 Sometimes it's not always possible to keep the peace. 00:35:28.060 --> 00:35:35.250 But as much as it is possible with you, keep that place of peace and peace doesn't mean be a coward. 00:35:35.260 --> 00:35:36.640 Peace doesn't mean tuck tail and run. 00:35:36.640 --> 00:35:38.250 Peace doesn't mean sweep it under the rug. 00:35:38.500 --> 00:35:40.980 Jesus said be peacemakers, not peacekeepers. 00:35:41.240 --> 00:35:41.960 Peacemakers. 00:35:41.960 --> 00:35:49.100 Which means you pursue things that are difficult for the purpose of peace so that you can speak and love on people and 00:35:49.100 --> 00:35:50.320 their need in life. 00:35:51.620 --> 00:35:58.300 He's encouraging us in this passage to live this sort of way and to be mindful of this, that evil wants to destroy this world. 00:35:58.440 --> 00:36:02.310 But God has called you to be a light and to broaden that platform. 00:36:02.500 --> 00:36:07.500 So be mindful of how you walk in this world because you're representing the Lord wherever you go. 00:36:07.820 --> 00:36:13.640 And just be mindful of the way that you treated Christ and how Christ chose to respond to you. 00:36:13.900 --> 00:36:16.840 Don't respond back to the people the way people have responded to you. 00:36:16.840 --> 00:36:19.480 Respond to people the way that Jesus responded to you. 00:36:21.980 --> 00:36:23.380 God demonstrated his love to you. 00:36:23.420 --> 00:36:26.000 And while you were a sinner, Christ died for you. 00:36:27.380 --> 00:36:33.480 Of possible so far as it depends on you live at peace with all people in showing them and showing them honor. 00:36:34.260 --> 00:36:36.880 And then he goes on and says, Beloved. 00:36:38.360 --> 00:36:40.620 Never avenge yourselves. 00:36:41.640 --> 00:36:44.270 But leave the leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written. 00:36:44.400 --> 00:36:45.320 Vengeance is mine. 00:36:45.320 --> 00:36:46.860 I will repay, says the Lord. 00:36:48.320 --> 00:36:55.340 Now, this is a beautiful passage because this says to you, whatever you're frustrated about, whatever you're mad about, 00:36:55.480 --> 00:36:57.820 whatever bitterness is just eating you up. 00:36:58.820 --> 00:36:59.320 Let it go. 00:37:01.260 --> 00:37:01.700 Let it go. 00:37:01.720 --> 00:37:03.200 And here's why you can let it go. 00:37:04.580 --> 00:37:09.610 Because what God wants to do is far better than anything you're going to do in your strength anyway. 00:37:11.600 --> 00:37:17.260 God's wrath, I promise, is more powerful than your vengeance. 00:37:18.380 --> 00:37:20.130 And the truth be told, your vengeance. 00:37:22.040 --> 00:37:24.020 Your vengeance is limited in its scope. 00:37:24.020 --> 00:37:25.400 You don't understand the full picture. 00:37:25.600 --> 00:37:28.310 God, who is a god of wrath against injustice. 00:37:29.300 --> 00:37:30.440 God has the whole picture. 00:37:31.540 --> 00:37:32.500 And God cares about you. 00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:37.520 And what God wants to do to the injustice that has happened to you. 00:37:38.780 --> 00:37:40.960 Is far greater than anything that you're going to do with yourself. 00:37:40.980 --> 00:37:42.960 And if you believe in a God who is that big? 00:37:43.980 --> 00:37:44.960 You can let it go. 00:37:46.060 --> 00:37:52.160 Now, let me say, sometimes in life there are bad things that happen to us, and you may need to call some authorities to get involved. 00:37:52.200 --> 00:37:55.660 That's your right as an American if someone has violated something against you. 00:37:56.820 --> 00:37:56.920 Right. 00:37:57.620 --> 00:37:59.560 But to carry the bitterness around. 00:38:01.060 --> 00:38:03.730 To think that you're the executioner of the justice. 00:38:05.560 --> 00:38:09.280 Is something for us that's becomes too much to bear. 00:38:09.320 --> 00:38:13.700 But he's encouraging us, reminding us of the wrath of God being far greater. 00:38:14.160 --> 00:38:21.300 And for people who live in maybe a country where we don't have the type of rights as America or the type of protection or the type of police care 00:38:21.300 --> 00:38:28.340 that may be involved or the judicial system, this verse becomes a very comforting verse for them to know that there is a God concerned for the life. 00:38:28.420 --> 00:38:29.600 And then he says this to the contrary. 00:38:29.740 --> 00:38:31.100 If your enemy is hungry, feed him. 00:38:31.100 --> 00:38:32.440 If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. 00:38:33.160 --> 00:38:37.770 And for so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head. 00:38:38.680 --> 00:38:42.200 It carries this idea when you read this verse, some people might think, Well, that's it. 00:38:42.300 --> 00:38:44.960 Like I get to throw burning coals on someone, right? 00:38:44.960 --> 00:38:45.600 By being nice. 00:38:45.600 --> 00:38:46.300 That's what I'm going to do. 00:38:46.300 --> 00:38:47.980 And I don't think that's what this passage is saying. 00:38:47.980 --> 00:38:50.680 So there's a little bit of debate over interpretation of this passage. 00:38:50.680 --> 00:38:53.740 But let me let me give for you what I think this passage is saying. 00:38:54.360 --> 00:38:58.560 It's not my burden to have to carry the justice of this world, but those things are in the hands of God. 00:38:58.560 --> 00:39:00.020 He's far greater at it than me. 00:39:00.140 --> 00:39:04.630 I just need to trust and do what God has called me to do because I believe in a big enough God to handle those things. 00:39:04.960 --> 00:39:09.000 And so rather what I do in this passage reminds us if my enemy is hungry, feed him. 00:39:09.000 --> 00:39:10.300 If he's thirsty, give him something to drink. 00:39:10.300 --> 00:39:13.170 And in so doing a heap those coals on his head. 00:39:13.520 --> 00:39:14.700 And the first century. 00:39:15.380 --> 00:39:16.700 It took a lot to build a fire. 00:39:16.940 --> 00:39:23.940 If your fire went out the first place that you would go to is your neighbor and you would ask them for some coals to put back in your fire, to stoke your fire, to get your fire 00:39:23.940 --> 00:39:24.520 burning again. 00:39:25.100 --> 00:39:27.240 When you would get those coals, you would put it in a bowl. 00:39:27.320 --> 00:39:29.240 You would take that bowl, you would carry it on your head. 00:39:29.520 --> 00:39:32.880 When you would carry that head to your house, you had a decision to make. 00:39:33.120 --> 00:39:36.340 How long are you going to keep this hot burning coal in your head before you take it off? 00:39:36.360 --> 00:39:36.560 Right. 00:39:36.680 --> 00:39:38.780 It's provoking you to make a decision. 00:39:38.780 --> 00:39:41.850 You don't want that fire next to your face for very long. 00:39:42.140 --> 00:39:44.400 And so the decision is, what are you going to do with that? 00:39:44.400 --> 00:39:51.560 And so what he's saying in this passage is when God's people respond in a godly way to others, even if they're hateful people, they've got to make a decision 00:39:51.560 --> 00:39:53.070 of what to do with you. 00:39:54.120 --> 00:39:56.060 How can I hate that person back? 00:39:56.740 --> 00:39:57.710 They seem to be different. 00:39:58.660 --> 00:40:06.170 While the way that they're living in this world and the joy that they have in Christ and the rejoicing that they have and the genuine care for other people, 00:40:06.340 --> 00:40:10.440 they don't know what to do with that because in their heart they're trying to hate you, but you're making it so hard. 00:40:10.620 --> 00:40:14.440 And so they've got to make a decision, leave the coal in their head and let it burn right. 00:40:14.440 --> 00:40:18.830 Heap the judgement or use the coal that you gave them in order to bless their family. 00:40:18.840 --> 00:40:20.240 They they've got to decide to do with it. 00:40:20.240 --> 00:40:21.340 What are they going to do with you. 00:40:21.380 --> 00:40:22.940 That's what Paul is saying in this passage. 00:40:23.060 --> 00:40:26.340 And he goes on and says, don't be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. 00:40:28.680 --> 00:40:30.000 Do you know what doesn't drive out evil? 00:40:31.600 --> 00:40:31.760 Evil. 00:40:34.300 --> 00:40:35.820 Hate will not destroy hate. 00:40:37.220 --> 00:40:38.740 Evil will not destroy evil. 00:40:40.400 --> 00:40:41.920 Only love does that. 00:40:43.700 --> 00:40:46.850 God's people are called to be a light in darkness. 00:40:48.780 --> 00:40:51.860 The only way we can live this sort of calling. 00:40:53.160 --> 00:40:57.930 Is to be confident and secure in the identity that we have in Christ. 00:40:59.740 --> 00:41:02.100 When our lives are completely surrendered to him. 00:41:03.620 --> 00:41:07.820 We don't need the affirmation of the world to find our value and meaning. 00:41:08.580 --> 00:41:09.840 It's important to have encouragement. 00:41:10.220 --> 00:41:10.560 Yes. 00:41:11.620 --> 00:41:18.660 But what we ultimately have in Jesus makes all the difference in the world, so that no matter how the world responds, it's not going to shock 00:41:18.660 --> 00:41:19.060 us. 00:41:19.960 --> 00:41:22.020 The system of the world is built on self. 00:41:23.080 --> 00:41:25.100 It follows a different path. 00:41:26.280 --> 00:41:28.700 But we who belong to Christ find a new identity in him. 00:41:28.780 --> 00:41:30.450 So let me let me close with this. 00:41:31.360 --> 00:41:34.340 George Mueller lived in the 1800s. 00:41:34.340 --> 00:41:34.560 Really? 00:41:34.640 --> 00:41:36.960 His life spanned almost all of the 1800s. 00:41:36.960 --> 00:41:38.580 He was born at the beginning of the 1800s. 00:41:38.580 --> 00:41:40.160 He died, I think, in 1895. 00:41:41.600 --> 00:41:44.820 But George Mueller, the beginning of his life, was not a godly life. 00:41:46.220 --> 00:41:50.080 George Mueller was a well educated man. 00:41:50.080 --> 00:41:52.800 He attended church sometimes, but he was not a Christian. 00:41:53.800 --> 00:41:59.960 And one time some of his decisions that he made landed him in jail and he knew something needed to change. 00:41:59.960 --> 00:42:02.260 And so he visited a moravian mission. 00:42:02.340 --> 00:42:05.700 A Moravians were some of the most remarkable people in church history. 00:42:05.700 --> 00:42:09.740 They were the most missional minded people, I think, really to exist in church history. 00:42:09.740 --> 00:42:13.950 And when he visited them, his life was changed forever because he found salvation in Christ. 00:42:15.340 --> 00:42:20.140 Eventually, George Mueller moved from Germany to England and Bristol, England. 00:42:20.140 --> 00:42:21.640 He started an orphanage. 00:42:22.720 --> 00:42:28.440 During his lifetime, George Mueller ministered to over 10,000 orphans that stayed within his homes. 00:42:28.820 --> 00:42:29.680 I'll show you a picture of that. 00:42:30.780 --> 00:42:35.920 And it says in the 1800s that some 8 million plus dollars passed through the hands of George Mueller. 00:42:37.300 --> 00:42:42.360 But when George Mueller died, his possessions totaled less than $1,000. 00:42:44.720 --> 00:42:51.720 George Mueller was one who believed if he trusted in God, that God would supply all he needed to do what he called 00:42:51.720 --> 00:42:52.580 him to in this world. 00:42:54.020 --> 00:42:57.490 And because of that, God used him to make a difference. 00:42:59.280 --> 00:43:00.580 From a broken beginning. 00:43:01.840 --> 00:43:02.920 He became an inspiration. 00:43:04.500 --> 00:43:05.300 To believers. 00:43:06.540 --> 00:43:10.520 Can I tell you some of the some of the most impressive, inspiring Christians to me? 00:43:12.200 --> 00:43:13.780 Are the ones who've endured hardship. 00:43:15.240 --> 00:43:16.280 But still remain faithful. 00:43:17.420 --> 00:43:20.030 And honoring to the Lord in the way they treated others. 00:43:22.000 --> 00:43:29.200 And the fruit of that, if you get near them long enough to see the fruit of that, how dark hearts are transformed in the goodness of God's 00:43:29.200 --> 00:43:33.220 grace is inspiring to continue to follow the same path. 00:43:34.520 --> 00:43:38.300 Romans Chapter 12 Is that calling on my life and your life, too? 00:43:39.400 --> 00:43:46.420 The only way that happens is to find our hearts completely surrendered to the Lord and our identity secure 00:43:46.420 --> 00:43:46.880 in Him.