Well, welcome. I appreciate you being here. I know there's a lot of places you could be on a Sunday morning, and I count it an honor and a privilege to get to be here with you. A couple of things, just by way of information for you. Some of you are, aware of, John Wright going in for surgery. Heather here, his wife is our our lead administrator, both for the church and for the Maywood Center. And so John has been with us for years and years and years.
Dear friend, great servant of God through this church went in for, went in for a quadruple bypass surgery on Friday and they got in and decided they only had to do three and not four. So that was an internal prayer right there. But he's in the ICU, was recovering well, got a long road, as you can imagine. So I just give you that for those of you who are aware of John and we're wondering, that's the information for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, that's the information.
But if you'll just put John on your prayer list, please, when you go before God and pray on his behalf, I appreciate that. And Sean's great to see you here this morning, man. I've been praying for you. Love you. John, thank you for your investment in Sean's life and, being the guy. Being the guy. Hey, Romans 12 for going through the through the book of my friend Johnny isn't here, is he? Is Johnny Richards here? He was. He was here. First service, Johnny ritual. Vietnam veteran guy.
Just a just a stud of a man. You've been serving this church a long time. At the door. Hasn't been around as much lately with some health stuff. And he's moving with his family to Washington. And so I was asking because we kind of honored him in the first service, but I guess he needed to take off. So anyway, again, it's one of those things, if you know Johnny, you know, just keep him in your prayers. It's a good move for him. If you don't know Johnny, keep him in your prayers.
It's a good move for him. But anyway, I just wanted to be able acknowledge him if he were here. I love that guy. Hey, Romans 12, we're going chapter by chapter through this book, and Romans 12, Paul turns a corner. And in typical Pauline style, the way Paul writes, Paul always gives doctrine before duty. He always says, here's your position in Christ, and here's your practice as a Christ follower. And it's always doctrine first before he gets to the duty part.
And so here's here's his part of part of his emphasis is he wants us to know so that we will do, but he doesn't want us to stop with doing. He wants the doing to become becoming. Okay, so most people just stop with the know. Well, now I know. So I'm going to explain this to me now I know and then they go on with life. Paul's point is, it's not enough to know you have to do, but it's not enough just to do because that's a religious robot.
The point is, transformation to actually become is a there's an existential peace to this is it is knowing, but not just knowing. It is doing but not just doing. It's actually becoming. And chapter 12 is when Paul turns the corner to the becoming part. This is who we are to become and what he's done. He's he's outlined 11 chapters of doctrine. So that will have a foundation for the doing so that we will become right. You understand what I'm saying? But he has to set the foundation first.
He has set the doctrine first, because if we don't know why we're doing something, we're just told to do it. We've tried that before. It's called religion and it just burns us up. Do this. Don't do that. Why? Just because you know, it just. And so Paul says, look, I want you to know why. And I want you to have a reason why. And his reason is because of everything that God's done for us in Christ. That's what the first 11 chapters were all about.
He says, I'm going to give you the foundation of doctrine, because with the foundational doctrine, it's just really just duty. And so understand who you are in your position in Christ before you try to practice the life of a Christ follower and our position in Christ. That Paul took 11 chapters to define for us is this that every one of us are sinners. We've broken God's command, and because of that, we're outside of a right relationship with him. And something has to repair that relationship.
And what Paul has showed us is that we can't repair that relationship on our own because we can't be good enough. We can't even live up to our own standards of living, let alone love the God standard. Right? And so someone had to fix that relationship. And so in those first three chapters, he did an incredible job of saying, here's the here's the nastiness of sin. This is how dark and deep and brutal sin is, and we're all guilty of it.
And then in verses or in chapters, the last part of three, all the way through chapter eight, he talks about the grace of God, and he puts the grace of God against the backdrop of the darkness of sin. And grace just looks amazing, like God did all of this for us so he can invite us into this relationship not based on what we've done, but by his grace, undeserved and unmerited favor and blessing through faith not a result of anything we do.
And so it's like he's like, God has done all of this as David said, there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ. All the condemnation that I deserve for my sin was leveled on Jesus. He took it all so I can stand before God by his grace through faith. And God looks at me as if I've never sinned. Like one ounce. It's amazing and I did nothing to deserve it. It was just gifted to me in Christ. I just have to believe it.
And so Paul says, in light of all of that, this incredible mercy, mercy is not getting what I deserve. I deserve condemnation and death and destruction and damnation. Mercy is when God withholds that and he levels that against his son, not against me. Grace has given me something I don't deserve, which is the unmerited and undeserved favor of God. All the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm, co-heirs with Christ like he's given me all of this. I didn't deserve any of it.
And Paul saying, in love, that's the foundation. And until you understand the foundation, all the rest of what Paul is going to tell us is, is just religious duty. He's going to say, I have a transformed mind. Why? I don't know, just because you need a different mind, you need to do different. Well, it doesn't make it it doesn't make sense if I don't understand the foundation, like the foundation is because of what God has done for us through Christ. He's been so good.
He's been so gracious to us. In light of all that, now we become something different and so, chapter 12, this is the big idea for a chapter 12. I want you to get this. Our transformed life is the sermon that our huddle will always hear. We have to understand this. Our transformed life is the sermon that those in our huddle, those 8 to 15 around our lives, will always hear in parenting. I say it like this.
You've heard this said that our kids learn more by what's caught, then by what's taught, right? We could tell them everything, but what they will catch is what they see, not what we say. And so it's the same thing with our faith. Now, we have to say, parents, you have to instruct your children, but your life better look like your instruction to them. You follow. And so we have to say, but our spiritual, our Christian life has to look like those things we say.
So our transformed life is the sermon that our huddle will always hear. And so Paul takes a turn now from all the doctrine. The first 11 chapters and says, now, in light of all of that, how good God is, this is what a transformed life looks like. This is what we are to do. And so in verse one. Oh, let me say this, I didn't say this, but let me say this, did I? I shared that part yet. Yeah. Verse one here we he says I appeal to you.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, I'm making this appeal by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. He said, I'm I'm making this appeal to you by the mercies of God, in light of everything that God's done, how merciful he's been. He took what you deserve, what I deserve, and put it on his son.
And he invited us into this relationship with him because he values us that much, that he wants to repair the broken relationship. And he's done all the work. And now he invites us into this relationship. But in light of all he's done, he says, I appeal to you to present your bodies as living sacrifices. Now in the Old Testament, they would always do sacrifices, like at the temple, you know, whatever it was a, a lamb, a dove, whatever they, you know, for this animal put on sacrifice.
What Paul is saying is take that imagery. He says, I don't want you to be a dying sacrifice. Jesus already died in your place. Now I want you to be a living sacrifice. Here's the problem with living sacrifices. Living sacrifices have a tendency to crawl off the altar, you know, down and saying, like, God, I'm yours. And then I'm going to get off this and I'm going to do my own thing. We keep crawling back on, crawling back off and crawl back on the crawling back off.
That's the problem with living sacrifices, he said. But I want you to offer your whole body, your whole self as a living sacrifice. It's a choice, he says, that you have to make. It's a decision of the will to say, God, I understand all that you've done for me through your son. And my response to that is to offer my whole life as a sacrifice to you. Here's here's part of what he's saying God wants you, not just your work. And God wants your choice, not just compliance that you follow.
Yeah, see, most religious people just simply try to live in compliance. And then when they do, they look down at people who are not in compliance. Right. The like Karen at the HOA is always it just. And so God got it in your compliance. He wants he wants your choice. He wants you just not what you do. So offer your whole life to him as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. When Paul uses that word holy, he he's talking about you said, I want you.
You have to make a decision to holy living and yield to what holiness does, burns away all that which is unholy. I appeal to you in light of all that God has done to offer yourself. Make it a choice, not just compliance, to offer all of yourself as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Some verses say, or sometimes I say, which is your spiritual act of worship in essence, here, here's what he's saying. He's saying that.
That that idea, your spiritual worship. It literally means a reasonable worship. It literally means this is the the reasonable response. That's what it means in light of all God's and the reasonable response, the true and proper response is given your life as a sacrifice to God. Literally, it means of the word. Here's what he's saying living a transformed life is living a life according to the word. That's what Paul saying in light of all that God has done, are true.
Proper, reasonable response is to live a life according to the word which is holy and acceptable to God. You follow well. You track any questions yet is only verse one. We got like 21 to get through. Now watch. He says, I want you to be like this. This whole offer of your life. How do you do that? Well, he gives us instruction. Do not be conformed to the world, to this world, but be transformed by how?
By the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. It's just, look, I'm not just saying that we need to offer our lives to God because of what he's done. I'm going to tell you how this happens. And the way this happens, he says, is don't be conformed, but be transformed. That word conform, literally means in the Greek it means chameleon. Don't be a chameleon. You know what a chameleon is?
This is who I am until I'm in this environment. And the moment I'm in this environment, I look just like the environment around me. Follow. Well, so many of us claim to be Jesus followers and then get in an environment that doesn't look like Jesus, and we end up looking just like the environment. Right. Yeah. He said, don't you got a choice to make? Don't chameleon eyes I don't that's a word. Don't be conformed. Like be transformed. That word transfer means metamorphosis.
It means there's an actual change of being. He says, don't be conformed to the pattern of this word, to this culture. Don't look like it, but be transformed. Well that's great. How do you remember how he said to be transformed? Do you remember by the renewal of your mind? It's a choice. We just don't sit back and say, okay, God, go ahead, do what you want to do. Like there's a choice. There's a there's a commitment because of everything. The heat God's doing, all the heavy lifting.
Yeah. Now there's a commitment choice on our part by the renewing of your mind. Philippians four eight. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there's any excellence, if there's anything worthy of praise, think about these things. It's a conscious decision, a choice. Renew your mind. You. Easier said than done. Oh, yeah. Now listen. Don't be conformed.
Be transformed by the renewing mind. Then you'll be able to test and prove what God's will is. One of the reasons, I think there are so many people who are trying to follow Jesus, who end up asking, What's God's will? Why this? Why that? I suggest you from what Paul says, without a renewed mind, you cannot know the will of God. I'm going. Without a new mind, you cannot know the will of God.
And I think that's why so many people sit in church trying to do right, but end up asking the question at the end of day, What is God's will? What does he want? Why does he allow? Why does he do reason this? Because we're not be an active participant in the renewal of our minds. Now, I grew up like I was born in 67, so you can do the math. You know how old I am. But my formative years. Okay. 80s music is the best music the world has ever known. I'm just saying it just.
It just is 70s were pretty cool. The 60s was like, hey, something new is happening. 70s is a pretty cool 80s was the Paramount 90s 2000 is nothing but trash. It just is bad. I'm not going to talk about, you know, as of late. But here's my point. When the majority of what goes through my ears, into my mind is the theology and the culture of the 80s, that is not going to lend itself to a transformed mind of holiness. Do you follow the father?
I love 80s music, but if I want a transformed mind, what needs to go through my ears, into my mind is the holiness of God, not the music of the 80s. Right. There are so many people that when we're at home, music's on. We get into the vehicle, drive. Music's on the. And when. That is the primary source of our theology and doctrine and worldview and standard. Those messages are contrary to the holiness of God.
There is no way in God's green earth that I'm going to renew my mind when it's constantly filled with things that are other than the holiness and the worldview of my God and Savior you follow. And here. So let's not play games anymore. I won't even talk about what goes into our head on this thing. And this source said, this is where the rubber meets the road. This is where Paul turns the corner. This is where it gets tough, and this is where it has to move from knowledge to doing to becoming.
I am someone different now. I guarantee you that I can look back on my life and my spiritual low points. And there is a direct correlation to my spiritual low points. And the difficulty in relationships when I'm muted. The words of God in my head. And those words were coming from many other things. You follow, you know. I'm. Why is this important? Because our transformed life will be the message that our huddle will always hear.
And I cannot be transformed and know the will of God without my mind being renewed. See, what Paul saying is, I don't want you to blend in like me, and I want you to break out like a transformation. That's what he's saying in light of what God's done. Don't be conformed to the standard, the culture, the movement of the world that is contrary to the holiness of God. You'll see at the end of the day, what we have to understand is this is that a mind shift is what creates a life shift.
Amen. And so many of us are trying to do right to make a life shift without ever having a mind shift. Approved for the Christian life is not what we say. The truth. The Christian life is a transformed life and that transformation is ongoing. It's not stagnant, ongoing, continually renewing our mind. So that's verses one and two. We only got 21 to get through. Let me pick up the pace a little bit. Look at this. Verses three, four and five.
For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, saying, look, listen, like just come down off the high horse a little bit. Let's have a sober judgment of ourselves. It doesn't mean think less of ourselves, it just means think more of others. So let's just like, be humble here, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. God's given us a measure of faith.
For as in one body, we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function. So we though many of us are one body in Christ and individually we're members of one another. Here's what he's saying. He's going to talk about spiritual gifts in just a moment, but he gives a warning. He says, before you talk, before we talk about ourselves, just be humble and just be humble. Don't start thinking about what other people need to do. Consider what you need to do.
Don't start to think about you over them. Just just be humble. Have a sober opinion of yourself because he's going to start talking to us about this idea of spiritual gifts. And I want to explain this idea of spiritual gifts to you. Let me read the passage, and then I'm going to come back and explain some stuff. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.
Let me tell you this the moment someone aligns their life with the father, by his grace through faith in the son, by the grace of God, the Holy Spirit imparts to that person a spiritual gift. It's a gift. You're not born with it. Depending on what God wants to do through your life at that moment of salvation, he gives you a spiritual gift and it's to be used. And then he goes into this.
If prophecy is that gift in proportion to your faith, to our faith, if service is that gift in serving the one who teaches in his teaching, the one who exhorts in his exhortation, the one who contributes in generosity, the one who leads with the zeal, the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness. Let me unpack this. Every one of you in here, every one of us, if you have a relationship with Jesus, has one of those spiritual gifts. Every one of us. Here's what I want.
One of the things I want to drive home. Giftedness does not equal maturity. So sometimes we look at someone with a spiritual gift like, wow, they're really gifted. It doesn't mean they're mature. There's a lot of gifted people who are super mature. Okay? So don't don't make the equation that this spiritual gift looks like, oh, they've got to be a mature Christ follower. It's not the same now.
Much spiritual maturity will not come without the exercise of spiritual gifts, but just because the extra spiritual gifts happen doesn't mean they're mature. I just want to. I just want to make that point. The idea. I'm going to do a little bit of Bible teaching. Okay, so can I do just a little bit of like pretend like I'm a teacher right now?
Like, and so for, for Bible students, we know that there's generally accepted three sections of spiritual gifts in the New Testament Romans 12, first Corinthians 12, and Ephesians four. That's generally accepted the three areas of spiritual gifts. I want to make the suggestion that this in Romans 12 is the only true list of spiritual gifts, because it's the only place in the New Testament where the word gifts is used in relation to spiritual gifts.
First Corinthians 12. Ephesians four does not use the word gifts. It's talking about something different. And so I want to suggest to you that this list right here is the true list of spiritual gifts. The others are a little bit different, all from the Holy Spirit. But these this list in Romans 12 are for the purpose of, this is the only place a gift is used, is for the purpose of expounding the word and expanding the work.
This list in Romans 12, they're given to us for one of two purposes to either expound the word or to expand the work. This list is different than what's in first Corinthians 12 and Ephesians four. What's listed there is the first Corinthians 12 is the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. How the Holy Spirit kind of reveals the Holy Spirit's work of the world. And Ephesians four is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. But the only place giftedness is used is here in Romans 12.
And every one of you, for every relationship with Jesus, have one of these gifts. And that gift is given to you by the grace of God, so that you will use it. Not ignore it, not waste it. Not develop it. To use it and to develop it. Use. And so let me just go through these. I want you to be aware with these spiritual gifts are, where am I? Now I in verse five let me go to verse. Let me go to verse, verse six.
So follow on the computer back there having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. Let us use them. I read this already, I did okay, I won't go. I don't want to read it again. There's. Let me tell you what this is. So verse six says, if you got to give a prophecy, then prophesy in proportion to your faith. Here's what this prophecy is not foretelling the future. Prophecy is forth telling the truth in the moment. That's a biblical prophecy.
It might involve future, but not necessarily what prophecy? The spiritual policy is seen in this instance. Here's the truth of Scripture. For this instant you understand some of you have that gift. You can. You see the situation, you see the scenario. And like this is the Word of God for this people at this time. That's a spiritual gift, a prophecy. Okay. In verse seven, if it's serving in service, some of you have the spiritual gift of serving. That is the Greek word diaconate.
It's where we get our church word deacon. It means literally those who do the menial work at the church, deacons and deacon S's are not those who sit around the table telling the pastors what they have to do and how to spend the money. Deacons in the church, according to the word, is the gift of service. They're the ones who unclog the toilets, and they're the ones who change the burned out lights serving. They're the ones who do all the renovation of our buildings.
It's a spiritual gift to a serving, and some of you are uniquely gifted to do that. Do it. Please. Because otherwise, this guy has her. Some of you are gifted in this. The gift of prophecy. Expounding the word. The gift of service. Expanding the work. And then he says, what's that teaching? If. If it's teaching, do it, use it. If teaching is different than prophecy. While prophecy says this is the word for this moment, teaching is instruction in the word and the ways of God.
Here's the Word of God. Here's the instruction to understand. And some people are gifted in teaching. And if that's your gift, teach somewhere something of God. Expand the word or expound the word, and let other giftedness expand the work. Exhortation. If it's exhortation, exhort. Exhortation is different than prophecy and teaching. Exhortation is encouraging to do what you already been taught. And so prophecy will say, This is God's Word for this moment.
Teaching will say, this is how you flesh it out. And exhortation will say, now let me encourage you to do it. Do become you understand? It's all the gifts to expound the word. And then he says, if your gift is giving, then give generously. I think all of us desire to be generous. I don't think all of us are generous. We judge ourselves by our intent. But Paul says, look, don't have the intention to be generous. And there are some, like with biblically, the tithe, the 10%.
That's not generous. It feels generous. Goes to those feels like a lot of money. But that's duty generous as well. Beyond that it means like abounding, generous. And there are some people who have been spiritually gifted just off the desire, but spiritually gifted both to make money and whatever money they make to give generously to it. Do you know why we could pay this entire site off in nine years? Because everybody here has been faithful.
So if you're here, the expectation that you're faithful in your finances. But we've had some people who are gifted in generosity to make sense and and through their giftedness, some of us expound the word and others help expand the work you follow. So if you have the spiritual gift of prophecy, of of general, of giving awesome. Give and give a lot. Here's the great promise about giving. The Bible says that God will never be indebted to anybody. You can never out give him ever.
And the Bible says, whatever measure we used to give God will use to give back to us. And he says, and if your gift is leading, then lead with zeal. That word zeal is going to come up again in chapter 11. That word zeal means grit, and it means grit. If if any of you are leaders or have been a leader, you know how difficult leading is. You know how hard it is. It's hard work. I don't care what is your leading Leadings hard.
The most difficult things to lead are volunteer organizations because you got no. You got nothing to hold over anybody. The most difficult things in the world lead us to lead our volunteer organizations. And then Paul said, look, if you're gifting us with leading, then lead and have some grit, have some backbone. Don't quit. It's going to be tough. It's going to be hard.
They're going to be people that you're going to pour into that will just going to look at you and you just have to just have some grit. They're going to walk out on you. They're going to promise they're going to be with you and a couple of years to go and they're going to walk in. They're going to see him again, have some grit. Don't tap out. It ain't going to be easy. It's tough. Right? Right. And nobody could cry for you. Just lead.
And then he says if it's merciful then be merciful with some cheerfulness. Some of you, your hearts are so empathetic to what people go through. Like it? Just when their hearts break, yours break like you feel. You just don't see. You feel it and everything in your bones. You just want to be merciful to them and be like, how can I come along and say, how can I like you? Just understand. And Paul says, that's a hard that's a hard place to live. Don't let it over warm overwhelm.
You do that with cheerfulness because you got some spiritual reserves. Maybe that they don't have. You know how this thing plays out. He says, whatever that is. Like you do that, use it so, and you fall in one of those areas and expounding the word or expanding the work. Use your gift. You understand. And then did you ever see old movie? I just popped in my head, The Chariots of Fire. If you ever see that movie Chariots of Fire. If you haven't, you need to go watch. It's like in the 80s.
It's the old movie, but it's great. Eric Little, this Christian missionary, world class runner and one of the he was having a he was a qualify for Olympics on multiple events. But one of them was was, was was going to be held on Sunday. And he was just he was like, look, I said, Sunday is the Sabbath. I'm not going to do anything. I'm not even going to run in the Olympics on Sunday. And he was talking to someone about this, this who God made him to be. And he says, God made me fast.
And when I don't run, I hold him in contempt and. I heard that when I was in high school, I thought, that's brilliant. When I don't do what God gifted me to do, I hold God in contempt. You've been gifted. To be used. That's what Paul said. Verse nine. Look at this. Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil. Hold fast to what is good is a let just look. Just be authentic and sincere in your love for each other. Don't. Don't play games with each other.
Be authentic and sincere and these just abhor what is evil. Hold fast what it is. That word abhor means treat it like it's cow manure. It means literally. Yeah, to detest it, be repulsed by it. Now, I don't know how many of you, if we're supposed to take what is evil and simple and treat it as come. I don't know how many of you have a the if you have a cow manure collection like on purpose at home like you have them displayed there labeled what the cow ate and this was the result of it.
Do any of you? None do. You don't have these that you keep in, in jars, that you keep it soft and moist so you can examine the texture and the consistency and a little bit of the aroma. Still none. None of you. Yeah. Well, I don't have a cow either, but I do have a bulldog. Oh. You know, when Paul says a boar, what is evil, he means be like, don't play with this. Now, I'll invite you on behalf of my bulldog diesel. Would any of you like to know?
Just put your hand in and feel this, like a little bit. I mean, you don't have to really live in the sand, you know? But. But just want to play with it a little bit. Just dabble though. It's really not going to hurt you. I mean, you know, I can just one week party. You just going to interview. You can feel the weight of it. The squishiness of it. Anybody who you take. No. There you go. There you go. Yeah. Feel good? It's a wet rag.
It's not really my dog stuff. So. But how many of you were like, don't you? Right. Like it's coming at me. I was like, That's what Paul saying. That's how you respond to evil. Like, we have to get to the point where we say, I'm not going to flirt with it anymore. I don't want it even coming at me. Do you understand? And so I'm going to cling to what is good. I'm going to hold fast to it. Look at verse ten. Love, one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
I love that verse. It means we should be in competition with each other to out honor each other. Like, not in competition as a hey, look at what my kid did. Or hey, look at the vacation I took, or hey, look at how great this is. Not that competition, but the competition into how to out honor each other. Do you understand that? Like, we're going to be so honorable with other people, with each other? Do not be slothful in zeal. Be fervent in spirit. Serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope.
Be patient in tribulation. Be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. I learned this verse, this a little different translation. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord. That's how I learned it. Here's what that means. Don't be lacking in zeal. It means, as far as your spiritual lives are concerned, we ought not be lacking in grit. There's a stick to it ness to faith. Tribulation is going to come.
Difficulties is going to come. People are going to be difficult and stupid. I'm I'm not going to walk back on who I am becoming in Christ. I'm not going to you know what? I'm out. There's a stick to it. There's a grit to it. Never be lacking in zeal. Be gritty, have a backbone keeper. Spiritual fervor. That means there's a red hotness to it, like red hot coals that whatever. Because I am not lacking in zeal and I'm keeping my spiritual fervor wherever I land. A fire is going to start.
That's what that means. And so many of us been so chameleon ized. That we look like there's no backbone and there ain't no fire. Starting where we land. Like, I want to be a fan of Jesus. But I don't want to be like a fanatic. Come on. And Paul, in view of what God has done in view of his mercy, in view of his grace, this is the only logical, reasonable, responsible response. All right, all right. Don't be lacking. And so keep your spiritual fervor. Serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope.
Listen. It says, rejoice, Joyce in hope. Don't rejoice in results, even in the difficulty before the results show up. I am a person that rejoices in the Lord in the hope of God, not in the results of what he produces, just in who he is. Be patient in tribulation. Hold on. Don't tap out yet. Wait. Sitting in a little while. He is not forgotten about you. He hadn't neglected you. He doesn't sleep nor slumber. So be patient in tribulation and be constant in prayer. Just keep going before God.
God, it's me again. Luke 11 and Luke 18 are two parables Jesus told about being constant in prayer. And Jesus said this. Keep praying because one day God just might answer your prayer just to get you to shut up. That's what he said. Luke 11 Luke 18. You read it. Sometimes we are so persistent with God. He's like waving because you know he's Jewish. Oh, in vain. Just do what he said so he'll quit bugging me about it. Be constant in prayer. Yeah. And then he says this I you know where I am.
Well, oh, thank you. Contribute to the needs of the saints and see to show hospitality. Did you know that in the early church hospitality was a style of evangelism, like they would invite people over and foreigners and illegal aliens and invite them over and be kind and generous, and in that kindness and generous, tell them about Jesus. Why? Because they're transformed. Life was the sermon that others were hearing. The guy know what time it is? Let me wrap this up. I'm gonna go through 14 or 9.
Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep at those who weep. Listen, we cannot weep with and rejoice with at a distance. It requires relationship, and I am in it with you, and I'll go through it with you. I'm not going to abandon you. This is a transformed life to live in harmony with one another. Do not, be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. It's like love. Just get along. Repay no one evil for evil.
But give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. Look. Sometimes it has to be enough to let the other person be right there. It has to be enough to say, you know what? I'm going to be at peace with you. And the best way for me to do is just not to fight if possible. So far, so good. Depends on you. Live peaceably with everybody. Look, I think you're wrong. And I think I'm right. But it doesn't matter. It's this type of relationship. I'm gonna let you be right. Oh. Thank you.
These are the best way to destroy an enemy. Is to make him your friend. It's the best way to destroy an enemy. Make him a friend. Who cares if they think they're right and you're wrong? It's it's a if it's an opinion thing, who cares? Is far like it far is. It depends on you. Live at peace means don't seek out confrontation. Don't seek out to be contrary. Some of us I get if you're like me, like I'm. Sometimes we just like to argue. We just argue for the sake arguing.
We just like to beat people and just to be a peace. Look, we just. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God. For it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. Look in verse 20, to the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him something to drink, for by doing so you'll reap. Oh, you'll heap burning coals on his head. Finally. Do not be overcome by evil. Overcome evil with good. Promise. Some of us.
Look at that. Oh! Burning coal. Yeah. Got him finally. It's not talking about it in the essence of cruelty. It's talking about it in the realm of kindness. Be kind. Here. Here's what he's saying. Two possibilities for burning coals on your head. One, your kindness is going to burn them up. Not be cruel to them. Your kindness is going to just make them simmer. The other option is it's the burning coals that you give to them is so they can start their own fire for their own good.
It's never intended for cruelty. It's always intended for kindness. Why is this so important? Because we've already established that our transformed life will be the sermon that our hunter will always hear. It's why this is so important. And so we're left with a question. In view of all God has done for us through Jesus, are you willing to offer your whole life to him? To draw a line in the sand. No more chameleon. To completely renew your mind.
To take all in, in all this, in this whole chapter that Paul's talked through here. What about our lives is missing? Nothing that covers our whole life. So in view of God's mercy. Are you willing? Am I willing to offer our whole life for transformation and renewal? And don't just do different. Become different? Chapter 12 is a good word in it. Yeah, yeah. Okay, so let's pray and apply it. All right. Father. Thank you, thank you. Just thank you. Thank father.
Sometimes I am so aware of where I fall. Far short. And I thank you that there's no condemnation in that for me. Because I am in your son and he in me. Thank you, my friends. In this moment, I want to give you the opportunity to become exactly what the Apostle Paul has instructed us to become transformed, not conformed. So in this moment between you and the father, I would invite you in prayer to say something along the line just in your own commitment. God, I want to be transformed.
I don't want to blend in anymore. Because you've already done so much for me. This is the best way I know how to respond. Give me a transformed life. Help me choose a renewed mind. Help me abhor evil. Cling to what is good. Let me live a life that honors you and honors your people. That embraces how you've gifted me and serve you. As best as I know how I give my full self to you. Do in me what only you can do. And I thank you for that transformation. God, I thank you.
You are a good God and your word is alive and active, sharper than any two edged sword that both cuts and repairs. So, father, continue to do what you do through your Holy Spirit to produce a great harvest in our hearts. Because of this word that's been so. We love you. Help us to love you more. In your name I pray. Amen. This one I love you. It's been good to be together this morning. Here's your homework. Go back and read chapter 12 A Little Bit New Eyes.
Look through that list of spiritual gifts and see where you think you might. And then let us help you take some next steps. Okay, I would love to know how we can help you take next steps. Either go to our our our our start here booth right out front there or the welcome center. If you're kind of new here, we'd love to walk with you through these next steps that you need to take. And then in preparation for next Sunday, read chapter 13.
Okay. Read chapter is all about how we're supposed to live now in light of what God said. And it there's some implications here. So let's read that. You good. All right. Let's sing.