Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Romans chapter 12 as we continue our study through the Word of God. Tonight we are beginning Paul’s fifth and final main division of his letter to the Romans, which covers Romans chapter 12 through Romans chapter 15 verse 13, a section that will deal with application!
Paul has spent that past 11 chapters dealing with what God has given to us, all the blessings, all we have and now he turns it around and tells us to walk accordingly, give back to God, it is a section on application, as I have said. Obviously this is a very practical section and truly the key to a productive and satisfying Christian life, giving your all to the Lord.
Too often we focus so much of our attention on doctrine, on what God has for us but we miss out on the application part. Don’t get me wrong, doctrine is very important, but if you don’t apply it to your life, then it is meaningless! It would be like studying the law of gravity for years, have all kinds of degrees in this field, you have all the principles down, all the information you can gather, and then one day, as you are walking on the top of a building, you step off the ledge and come crashing down to the ground. It was not that you had the wrong information about gravity. It is not that you didn’t study enough about gravity. You just didn’t apply it to your life! Many Christians do the same with the Word of God, they have all the information, but they don’t apply it to their lives and then they wonder why they feel defeated, why they have no happiness!
Folks, this is where the rubber meets the road, you might say, for in applying these truths of God to your life you will find happiness, doing what you were created for. And as we have seen in the past 11 chapters of Romans, all that we have in Christ, and as Paul said in Ephesians, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.” Ephesians 4:1. So with that said let’s begin reading in Romans chapter 12, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us this evening as we walk with Him.
In knowing all that Paul has shared with us regarding God and what He has given to us, Paul is urging us to live a life that is pleasing to God. Morris put it this way: “When he uses this pattern Paul is saying that the Christian life is dependent on the great Christian doctrines.” You see, we don’t live a life that is separate from the Word of God but a life that is according to the Word of God!
Why should we live unto God? Because of all the mercy He has shown us, like justification, sanctification, election, adopted into the family of God, God’s Spirit indwelling us, the love of God and so much more that we have already covered in the first 11 chapters of Romans. It is as Harrison said: “Whereas the heathen are prone to sacrifice to obtain mercy, biblical faith teaches that divine mercy provides the basis of sacrifice as the fitting response.” You see, how can we not live unto God with all the mercy He has bestowed upon us?
Now Paul tells us that we are to be a living sacrifice unto God. That is our lives are to be placed on the altar to be offered up as a burnt offering, totally given to God, and it will be a sweet smelling sacrifice unto God as we do. Too often we give God portions of our lives but not our entire being. He wants it all and as we do, He gives it back to us so we may bring Him glory! As we give ourselves to God, Paul tells us that it is our “reasonable service” or literally “spiritual worship” for the word “service” in the Greek is LATREIA (lat-ri’-ah), which speaks of the worship of God! So not only is a life given to God reasonable service but it is also our reasonable or spiritual worship unto God!
Here is the contrast between living a life as you please and living a life as a sacrifice unto God. Being “conformed to this world” speaks of becoming like this world, influenced by this world, this system of man apart from God whose ruler is the Devil himself as Paul tells us, “whose minds the god of this age has blinded . . .”
II Corinthians 4:4. It is easy to just stand there and let the world press you into their mold. But Paul is telling us that we need to resist being put into their mold because, as Paul said in Romans 8:6-8, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
As you surrender your life unto God as a living sacrifice, you will not be conformed to this world but you are being “transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The word “transformed” in the Greek is METAMORPHOO (met-am-or-fo’-o) and it speaks of a metamorphosis that is taking place in our lives. The only other two places this word is used in the New Testament is in Mark 9:2-3 where we see the transfiguration of Jesus and we are told, “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.”
The other place is in II Corinthians 3:18 where we are told, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Folks, as we behold the face of God, as we spend time with him, as we surrender our lives to Him, our lives will be transformed into the image of God, a metamorphosis will take place. This begins the moment we get saved and it continues on through our entire lives until we go to be with the Lord! In other words, the new nature that God has placed in our hearts will manifest itself in our lives!
What is “that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”? We may know it but many times it is not seen in our lives, we have the head knowledge of what God wants, but because we refuse to surrender, to apply, we are not being transformed into the image of God but conformed into the image of this world! To live in the will of God is to know all that God has for us, to yield ourselves as a sacrifice unto Him, resisting to be conformed to this world but submitting to the transforming power of God in our lives – it is reading and applying the Word of God. You see, as we do it is then you will be able to prove what the will of God is for your life, to live holy lives unto Him as He shows us. Are you willing to submit and be transformed or to resist and be conformed?
Before we move on, let me read to you the J. B. Phillips translation of Romans 12:1-2, it is powerful. He said: “With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give Him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to Him and acceptable by Him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the Plan of God for you is good, meets all His demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.” I like that!
Paul is going to speak on putting these things into practice, a section on Spiritual gifts. Now, let me say this, before Paul speaks of these various gifts, he speaks on humility, that God has given each of us a measure of faith by which we can serve Him and as we serve Him we minister to the body of Christ, not exalting ourselves or thinking we are something special, these are grace gifts, we don’t deserve them but God graciously gives them to us. Please understand this, you can never be too small for God to use you but you can be too big! Thus, we need to humble ourselves before God and He will lift us up, may we not forget that!
Now there is the body of Christ in its totality, which speaks of all believers and yet there are the individual churches that make up the body of Christ on a local level. Within that body are many members that have different gifts that are to be used for the betterment of the body. The Holy Spirit gives these grace gifts that we don’t deserve for us to use, not to put on a shelf or glory in. As one person put it, “When the Spirit of God is free to work in a church, there is diversity.” Not in a bad way, but a good way! It is as Paul said in I Corinthians chapter 12, “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all . . . But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” I Corinthians 12:4-7, 11.
When a body is functioning properly, when it is healthy, each part does what it is called to do. When you cut yourself and start to bleed, the clotting mechanism in the blood comes into action to prevent you from bleeding to death. Also, the white blood cells are activated to prevent any infection from getting a foothold in the body. You see, if those clotting factors said, “Hey, I am sick and tired of always coming to the rescue when bozo here does something stupid. Let someone else get involved, I’m taking a rest!” If that were to occur, you would bleed to death no matter how small the cut was! Because of the action or non-action of one, the entire body was affected and not in a good way!
The same is true for the body of Christ. We are not in competition with each other but we compliment each other! Too often it is the other way around as we let pride drive us instead of the Spirit of God! You see, we are here to help each other, and to keep the body here at Calvary Chapel healthy; we need to exercise the gifts that God has given to us. Now for those who hop from one church to another, they are not helping the body to function, they are many times like a parasite drawing from the body but never giving back. Others feel they have no gifts, I disagree, you just don’t use what God has given to you! And if you are using your gift and you are causing division, problems wherever you go, then you are not using them correctly. You see, the gifts are for building up, encouraging, comforting, correcting when needed, always for the betterment of the body!
When you look at the body of Christ, we are His hands, His feet, His mouth, His ears and-so-on, as this story illustrates for us:
“After World War II, a group of German students volunteered to help rebuild an English cathedral that had been severely damaged by German bombs. As work progressed, they became concerned about a large statue of Jesus, whose arms were outstretched and beneath which was the inscription: ‘Come unto Me.’ They had particular difficulty trying to restore the hands, which had been completely destroyed. After much discussion, they decided to let the hands remain missing and changed the inscription to: ‘Christ has no hands but ours.’” God can use whatever He wants, but He has chosen to use man to be His representative here on this earth, may we serve Him faithfully!
Now as Paul starts speaking of these gifts here in Romans they are primarily the speaking and serving gifts, as well as in Ephesians chapter 4. In I Corinthians they are more of the sign gifts, the ones that people tend to focus on the most, but all these gifts are important and need to be exercised in the local body of believers. Also, keep in mind that the Bible does not give to us an exhaustive list of these gifts, but they do lay down a good portion of what the Holy Spirit gives to us to use for the body of Christ!
When we think of prophecy we think of foretelling or speaking of things that will come to pas before they happen. But I see this gift as primarily, but not exclusively used as we forth-tell the things of God, proclaiming the Word of God to people and according to I Corinthians 14:3 we are told, “But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.” As we speak forth the Word of God it will edify, exhort and comfort people! Also, Peter tells us “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” I Peter 4:11. Also, Paul tells us in II Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” So the gift of prophecy, not prophet, is a supernatural ability to speak forth the Words of God, which may or may not have a predictive nature to it.
The second spiritual gift that Paul mentions is that of ministry, not a title but it speaks of action, it speaks of service unto others. It is as Paul said in Philippians 2:3-4, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” It is serving others not out of compulsion but out of love even when it seems they don’t deserve it!
The third spiritual gift that Paul speaks of is that of teaching, not just speaking forth the Word of God, but now explaining, applying it to our lives. Not all teachers are pastors but all pastors are teachers, at least they should be or what are they sharing with their people? Thus, teaching is a supernatural gift of the Spirit!
The fourth spiritual gift that Paul speaks of is that of exhortation or the gift of stirring people to go on, encouraging them to keep going, to take those steps of faith. The word “exhort” in the Greek is PARAKALEO and it is made up of two different Greek words, PARA, which means, “by the side of” and KALEO, which means, “to call.” Thus, the word “exhort” means “to call by the side.” It can be translated helper, counsel, urge, comfort, encourage in the faith. When Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit He called the Holy Spirit the PARAKELETOS, which has the same basic use, to comfort, to come to ones side to help and thus, we are to do the same. It is as Paul said in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” You see, it speaks of getting people to move, to spur them on, that is the gift of exhortation.
The fifth gift that Paul speaks of is that of giving and it speaks of a supernatural giving of oneself. It is a cheerful giving as Paul spoke of in II Corinthians 9:6-7, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” And we see a great example of this gift being exercised in the believers in Macedonia back in II Corinthians 8:1-5 where Paul tells us, “Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.” The gift of giving not only speaks of the giving of our money, but our time, our talents, and-so-on.
The sixth gift that Paul speaks of is that of leadership or administrations. And the idea is that of not only setting the course but also persevering on, not giving up. So often people are just plain lazy, they procrastinate, the work does not get done. That is not leadership. Here, this supernatural gift is one that will set the example for others to follow and spur them to go as the leader goes!
Lastly, the gift of mercy, the showing of sympathy, compassion to a person and bringing them the comfort of God. Also notice that as this gift is exercised it is done with a cheerful heart, not one that complains on how merciful they are to people! Mercy truly is an action word; it is not passive as we reach out to others in the love of God. Again, this is a supernatural gift of the Spirit as a person gives to others the mercy of God, shows them the love of God!
Now in saying that, some may come to the conclusion that since they don’t have a certain gift, it negates them from acting a certain way. I disagree for Paul said in Colossians 3:12-17, not speaking of spiritual gifts but spiritual living, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Notice, what you put on, what you fill your life with will be manifested in our actions and thus, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and His nature will flow from you!
Paul spoke of giving ourselves to God as a living sacrifice. Then Paul speaks of the spiritual gifts that have been freely given to us for the body of Christ to function in a healthy manner. Now Paul is going to speak of how we as Christians are to behave and he starts out with our love not being hypocritical, no hypocrisy, but sincere, genuine! The idea here is, some say, “I love you, I’ll pray for you!” when in reality they are thinking, “You are a jerk and I can’t wait for you to go!” Again, may the spirit and not the flesh guide your mind and thus, if it is, what will flow from your mouth will match up and you will not be living in hypocrisy!
It is easy to get caught up with the dirty jokes, the rude remarks, but you are being transformed, not conformed to this world. Thus, hate that which is evil and cling to that which is good! It is as Paul said in Philippians 4:8-9, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Do we as Christians have good manners or are we obnoxious around people? Are we lazy or diligent in the work that God has called us to do? Is our heart boiling over with the things of God or is it just simmering or cold as we serve the Lord? Again, walking as God has called us to walk, in holiness and in sincerity!
In the dark times can we rejoice because our hope is in the Lord who will see us through? Can we wait upon Him during times of tribulation, learning to be patient and wait upon Him? Are we prayer warriors or do we shoot up prayers as a last ditch effort? Do we have a love for strangers or just the close group we associate ourselves with? You see, Jesus said in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Again, just practical thoughts and it is like Paul is just firing them out there for us to evaluate alongside our lives so that we may correct what needs to be corrected.
The nineteenth century Englishman Robert C. Chapman wrote: “Seeing that so many preach Christ and so few live Christ, I will aim to live Him.” Did he accomplish that in his lifetime? His friend, J. N. Darby said of him: “He lives what I teach.” Also, William Arnot, the popular nineteenth century English author, had this legacy that he left behind regarding his life: “His preaching is good. His writing is better. His living is best of all.” May people say that about us as we live for the Lord, may we live what we believe!
You see, you are not going to be able to give to people what you yourself have not received or are not living. Paul put it this way in II Corinthians 1:3-7, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.”
“I can do that if people are just nice to me but if they are mean, don’t do what I want them to do, then they are only getting what they deserve!” Think about that, did God give to you what you deserve? Not at all, thus, extend to others that same love and forgiveness as God has extended to you and that is what Paul speaks of in the next verse.
That is hard but that is what God calls us to do; it is not just a suggestion. Jesus put it this way in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:43-48, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” “You can’t do that!” You are right, but as you submit yourself to the Holy Spirit He will empower you to love people unconditionally! Bless people!
Try to get into the persons mind, have compassion on them, which in the Greek carries with it the idea of getting into the skin of another, feel as they feel! Also, keep yourself humble; don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought to! How important that is for us to keep in perspective!
This tells me that it may not always be possible to live at peace with people but don’t use this as an excuse. It is not because of your actions; it is that they refuse to! The great black scientist, George Washington Carver once said: “I will never let another man ruin my life by making me hate him.” Good advice! Try to live at peace with people, do all you can!
How often do we want to give people what they deserve and that is wrong. God will deal with everyone, even us! Paul tells us that we are to care for our enemies, give to them what they need to live and it will be like heaping coals of fire upon their head. And some of you are thinking, “Good, I’ll heap those coals high on your head!” That is not the point. Paul is probably referring to an ancient Egyptian custom that when a person wants to demonstrate a public repentance, he would carry a pan of burning coals upon his head. Thus, by our doing good, it may cause them to see their evil and repent. In other words, love them to death!
A great example of this is given to us in I Samuel chapter 24 where David is on the run from king Saul and as they are hiding in a cave, Saul enters the same cave to take care of some personal business, not knowing David and his men are in there. David could have killed Saul but he didn’t and as Saul left, David came out and spoke of how he honored the king, not taking his life when he could have. The response of Saul to the heaping of these coals upon his head by David, being kind to Saul is given to us in I Samuel 24:17-21, “Then he said to David: ‘You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the LORD delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. Therefore swear now to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father's house.’”
How true this is. We can allow evil to overcome us if we stew in a situation, if we refuse to let it go, if we refuse to do good. Darby said, “If my bad temper puts you in a bad temper, you have been overcome of evil.”
A great example of what should be done regarding evil is given to us by Abraham Lincoln. You see, Massachusetts’s congressman, Thaddeus Stevens, wanted to completely crush the south after the Civil War. But Abraham Lincoln wanted to make peace, to heal the wounds and forgive. But Thaddeus Stevens slammed his fist down on the table and said, “Mr. Lincoln, I think enemies ought to be destroyed!” Abraham Lincoln very quietly responded and said, “Mr. Stevens, don’t I destroy my enemy when I have made him my friend?” You see, destroy the enemy with the love of God, point them to Jesus and make them your friend, a child of God. May we learn from Lincoln’s example!
As we have seen, this is how we are to walk, to apply the things of God to our lives, and by the power of God’s Spirit we will be able to. Let me leave you this evening with these words from John as he said: “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” I John 2:3-6. Let Jesus be our example to follow after!