Scripture referenced 11 passages
The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
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Isaiah 25:1 opening encouragement before worship: 'Lord, you are my God. I will exalt you. I will give you thanks for you have worked wonders, plans formed long ago with perfect faithfulness'
1 Yahweh, you are my God. I will exalt you! I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago, in complete faithfulness and truth.
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Keep this verse
Galatians 6:9
one of two verses cited in the email that started the message, about not growing weary in doing good and reaping in due season
9 Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up.
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Acts 15:39
the contention between Paul and Barnabas becoming so sharp that they parted from one another, used to contrast with Galatians 6:9
39 Then the contention grew so sharp that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him, and sailed away to Cyprus,
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Romans 12:1-2
the therefore urging believers to present their bodies as a living sacrifice and be transformed by the renewing of their minds
1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.
2 Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.
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James 1:5
if any of you lacks wisdom, let him go to God and ask, He gives it generously
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him.
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Romans 12:3-21
the full hortatory section proclaiming how believers are to live in light of God's mercy, covering gifts, love, humility, repaying evil, and overcoming evil with good
3 For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.
4 For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don’t have the same function,
5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
6 Having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, if prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith;
7 or service, let us give ourselves to service; or he who teaches, to his teaching;
8 or he who exhorts, to his exhorting: he who gives, let him do it with generosity; he who rules, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.
10 In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor preferring one another;
11 not lagging in diligence; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope; enduring in troubles; continuing steadfastly in prayer;
13 contributing to the needs of the saints; given to hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.
19 Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”
20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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Lamentations 3:22-23
read before the offering: because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, his compassions are new every morning, great is your faithfulness
22 It is because of Yahweh’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail.
23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
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Genesis 12:1-3
God's promise to Abraham: I will bless you and those you bless I will bless, and those you curse I will curse, connected to the command not to curse persecutors
1 Now Yahweh said to Abram, “Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.
2 I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who treates you with contempt. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”
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Deuteronomy 32:35
vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord, cited as the source of the quote in Romans 12:19
35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense, at the time when their foot slides; for the day of their calamity is at hand. Their doom rushes at them.”
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Proverbs 25:21-22
if your enemy is hungry give him food, if thirsty give him water, for you will heap burning coals on his head, cited as the source of Romans 12:20
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink:
22 for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and Yahweh will reward you.
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1 Peter 2:23
when Christ was reviled he did not revile in return but entrusted himself to the one who judges rightly, connected to never taking your own revenge
23 Who, when he was cursed, didn’t curse back. When he suffered, didn’t threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously.
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Recap
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
The regular preacher, Carl, was out sick, so Ryan stepped in to lead worship and preach. The message worked through Romans 12, reading it as the practical outworking of everything Paul has already established earlier in the letter, and pressed the congregation to consider what it actually looks like to live as one body offering itself to God.
What was said
Ryan opened by noting that Romans 12 begins with a "therefore" that reaches all the way back through the theology of Romans 1 through 11. Everything Paul has argued about guilt, grace, and God's mercy to both Jews and Gentiles now becomes the basis for how believers are meant to live. The word "urge" already leans toward a command, and the grounding for it is simple: God has been merciful. That mercy is the reason to act.
The first two verses set the frame for the whole chapter. Presenting your body as a living sacrifice is a voluntary act, which is different from the animals of the Old Testament sacrificial system that had no say in the matter. Believers who have received mercy are being asked to willingly place themselves in God's service. The world runs on one-upmanship and self-preservation, Ryan said, and if Christians do the same, there is no visible evidence that God has the power to change anything.
The renewal of the mind is the mechanism by which a person begins to discern God's will. Ryan connected this to a prayer from the twelfth step of AA, which asks God to clear away wrong thinking so that the actual truth can be seen, even when it is uncomfortable. A mind being renewed by God will gradually stop overestimating itself and start operating with what Paul calls sound judgment, seeing both its own limits and its God-given gifts more clearly.
The gifts listed in the chapter, prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy, are not achievements but things God has wired into different people. Ryan's point was straightforward: whatever God has gifted you to do, be doing it, and do it without pretending. Love free of hypocrisy means you are not grinding your way through something that was never your gift to begin with. The call is to find what God has built into you and keep exercising it.
The second half of the chapter gets very specific about behavior inside the body and toward people outside it. Ryan moved through commands about honoring one another, weeping with those who weep, not thinking too highly of yourself, and not repaying evil for evil. He paused at "if possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people," noting that it acknowledges peace is not always possible, but the responsibility for your own part in it still stands.
The section on vengeance brought in the story of Paul and Barnabas, which Ryan had introduced earlier in the sermon. Paul eventually came to see that John Mark, who had abandoned the first missionary journey, was genuinely useful for service. Judgment had given way to something more like mercy. The picture of heaping burning coals on an enemy's head, Ryan said, is not about revenge. Every commentator he read understood it as a description of how treating an enemy well can bring about conviction and change in that person, just as Saul was convicted when David refused to kill him.
The final verse, "do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good," Ryan read as carrying the weight of the whole chapter. Evil is passive if you do not resist it, and the Christian's resistance is not retaliation but the ongoing, costly, consistent practice of doing good. That takes truth, humility, and the kind of renewed mind the chapter started with.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
- The preacher talked about Paul and Barnabas separating over John Mark, and how both men kept on journeying even after the disagreement. Has there been a time in your own life when a sharp disagreement with another believer led to something unexpected or even good? What did you learn from it?
- Romans 12 opens with an appeal to present ourselves as living sacrifices because of the mercies of God. Where in your life right now do you find it hardest to actually live that out, and what do you think gets in the way?
and 3 more questions in the guide
Read the full transcript 8,129 words
Speaker 2He came.
Speaker 3Good morning. First b, I'm not Carl Clemmer. Carl is unfortunately sick this morning. Carl is unfortunately sick this morning, but we're going to fill in and do our best. Please, please sing out as loud as you can.
So it'll cover some mistakes and smooth out the bumps. But here's an encouraging word from Isaiah 25 to lead us into worship. He says, Lord, you are my God. I will exalt you. I will give you thanks.
I'll give thanks to your name for your for you have worked wonders, plans formed long ago with perfect faithfulness. He's looking back at the evidence of God's goodness. And let's sing of it. Won't you guys stand on up?
Speaker 2My history your faithfulness walked beside me the winter storms may wait for spring will be. I see the evidence of your goodness all over my life. I see your promises and fulfillment over all over my See the cross, the empty grave, the evidence is endless. All my sin is rolled away because of you, oh Jesus.
Speaker 1There are a few announcements and the clicker. Will you click through them for me, Nick? Awana. Awana is happening tomorrow night, Monday nights at First BR. Awana at 05:45.
Kids club start, and it'll go six through 07:30 is the norm. And here we go. What's next? Copies of proposed church constitution revisions are available in the church office. You want to see that, one of the last things that this board of elders did was go through and make some changes, corrections.
A lot of them just were clarifying things. But if you want to, you're welcome to go grab one of those and study over it. We'll have another meeting later on to approve or what's the opposite? Disprove? No.
We'll have another meeting to ratify that later on. There is a congregational meeting today too between services. We're going to recognize the volunteers I think right during this service, but we'll discuss the vote and the budget and discuss and vote on Tim Williams as a BOT member and Berkley Johnston as an elder, Connect hour down the hall between services. Addie, would you stand up? They've heard your number, but would you just wave.
Here you go. That's Addie. She's in charge of the kitchen right now and the Connect hour specifically. If you have any questions, just talk to her and that would be great. There is a connect hour today or coffee down there at least.
So if you're going to come to the congregational meeting, just run down and grab something and come back pretty quickly. I'll try to remind you that the end of the sermon. Sisters Saved by Grace is a women's Bible study on Thursday nights at six. They eat together. They study God's word together and pray together.
They're doing a twelve week study on creation started just this past week. JH Women's Community Bible Study meets in this room on Wednesdays from ten to noon. They actually spread out in small groups for the latter half of that time, but that has been a good study going through the book of James. Oh, boy. This is the first I've heard of this one.
Two thousand twenty four men's snowmobile retreat. February 23 through the twenty fifth, up at Old Faithful Christian Ranch. That is a fun time. I have to say, fellas, if you if you enjoy riding snowmobiles, Old Faithful Christian Ranch is a great home base and it's 100 for adults, dollars 75 for kids. Can call Richard Largie at the back door right there.
You can call him, (508) 742-5724, if you want to get in touch with him about that. He knows a lot more about it than anybody else. Membership class usually is the third Sunday. Since we're having a congregational meeting between, we bump that till next week. And between services in my office down this hall, second door on the left is a membership discovery class.
And this, so this is going to be part of the message today. But Carl said, when we started thinking about that congregational meeting, it started expanding and expanding. He said, why don't we do this during the services? Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body, and this is the representation of that right here, right now. We are many parts of one body, but we all belong to each other.
So for our volunteer recognition, I'm going to ask you to do something. We don't we do the we do the standing up for the songs, but we don't do a lot of stand up, sit down, kneel stuff, right? We don't do a lot of that. I'm going to ask you if you have ever volunteered in the nursery here. If you have ever volunteered in nursery here, would you stand up?
There are a lot of these, so you don't have to be afraid. There you go. You've ever volunteered stay up, stay up, stay up. If you've ever volunteered in children's church here, you ever taught a Sunday school class, you've ever been down there for crowd control. Yeah.
Okay. Stay up. Stand up and stay up. Awana volunteers. Any Awana volunteers here?
If you have ever, not just this year, if you have ever. Okay. Middle school and high school youth group. Anybody work with middle school and high school youth group? Alright.
Middle school and high school Sunday school. I know there are more of you that are sitting there like, I'm not going do this. Adult Sunday school. Anybody ever been a part of an adult Sunday school class here? Alright.
First the Bible writers. If you've ever written one, see you now. Now I know who you are. All right. If you're a first being the Bible writer, connect hour, you have made something to be enjoyed between services down the hall.
All right. Come on. There are more of you. There are a couple more of you. See.
I'm going keep on going. Monday night meals. You have ever made a meal for Monday night church? Yeah. Chili cook off meal.
Kitchen ministry. Have you ever washed the towels every single week? We have people that do that. It's so nice to reach in there and have clean towels. You all remember First BBQ?
We did that all summer. If you ever did anything involved with First BBQ, anybody? About small group leaders and hosts, you've led a small group at your house or you have hosted it at your house. Men's alliance, extending back to when it was men's fraternity. Yep.
Yep. Tech team. He's already standing in the booth. Property and grounds. If you have shown up for a church workday or you have, helped with building or tearing down something in association with this church.
Then served on the Board of Trustees. Anybody? Anybody? If you've served on the Elder Board, once an elder, always an elder. If you have played on the worship team, we've got a pretty deep bench.
It's kind of nice. How about security team? Now there are some of there are several of you all that show up really early. They might not stand up because they don't want anybody to know who they are. Okay?
Security team shows up early, goes through all the rooms downstairs, makes sure the church is clear before anybody else gets here and does a little prayer walk, security team. Bereavement, Bereavement. We've had some of our bereavement team that's moved away recently. That is an incredible ministry at a difficult time. Greeters, those we used to call them frontline team, and there are some of them back there doing that right now.
Communion setters, we have a couple of ladies that do that most weeks. Ushers. And then there's one that I don't know if he's here, but do you all know Francis? Ferry? Yes.
Chances are he put the chair where you're sitting in it, right, or where you're standing near it. He moves chairs and tables incessantly. He's constantly here almost every day moving something from where it is to where it needs to be. And then Kimberly Schindel, thank you all so much. These are the volunteers that I want to appreciate right now.
And I believe that there are more than that, but you all just feeling like, oh, shucks. That's not really. I didn't only do that once. But it's as we are called. We're many parts of one body, but we all belong to each other.
Does anybody have another announcement that needs to be made? Well, then let's get back into it.
Speaker 2Okay. Alright. Why don't you stand up?
Speaker 3We'll keep we'll keep worshiping worshiping God. This next song we're gonna sing is God So Loved, and it's, like, you know, an obvious verse is, for God so loved the world that, he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Let's sing of it.
Speaker 2Come all you weary. Come you you thirsty. Come to the well that never runs dry drink of the water come and thirst no more thirst come all you sinners come find his mercy come to the table he will satisfy taste of his goodness find what you're looking for God so loved the world that he gave us is one and only son to save us whoever believes in him will live forever is waiting there for God so loved the world that he gave us is one forever defeated now it is well I'm walking in freedom God so loved God so loved the world God's the praise God praise God from whom all blessings flow praise him praise him for the wonders of his love praise praise God praise God all blessings God's soul of God's soul of bring all your failures bring your addictions come lay them down at the foot of the cross Jesus is waiting there with open wonderful is my love for
Speaker 3God, we we just come before you this morning on a Sunday morning here in Jackson, Wyoming, and we just thank you for your grace and your mercy that you have on our lives. And we just remember you today. You are are are full of goodness and and mercy. And we just come before you and worship your name. And we just pray that we would become your grace and mercy and your goodness in this in this world.
And it's in your name we pray. Amen.
Speaker 2But it could fill me man's empty praise they're not enough then you came along and put me back together and every desire is not here in your love oh there's nothing better than you oh there's nothing I'm not afraid to show you my weakness, my failures and flaws luring them all, and you still call me friends because the God of the mountain is the God of the valley. There's not a place mercy and grace won't find me again oh there's nothing better than you lord there's nothing better than you lord there's nothing nothing is better than you turn shame into glory You're the only one who can. You turn graves into gardens. You turn bones into armies. You turn seas into our ways.
You're the only one who can. You're the only one who can. Oh there's nothing better than you lord there's nothing better than you lord there's nothing nothing is better nothing than Oh, there's nothing better than you. Oh, there's nothing than you. Oh,
Speaker 3You can have a seat for a minute. This is the, worship through giving part of the service, and I'll invite the, the ushers to come on forward. We're gonna sing Morning My Morning. And from, Lamentations three, because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed. For his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. Before we sing, Ray, would you pray?
Speaker 1Thank you for this day, Lord. Thank you for that reminder too that your mercies are new every morning. A fresh start. Lord, thank you. Without it, we would be consumed.
In Jesus name, lord, we we can we can carry forward. We can keep on going. And in this body right here, the ones gathered in your name this morning. Lord, I pray that you would renew and transform us, that we would begin to see things anew with a clearer vision with your eyes. God, show us the way.
In spirit, empower us to walk in it. In Jesus name, I ask your blessing on this offering. Lord, that you would, bless and multiply the gift, but also the giver, to do your kingdom's work. We pray to ever be doing your will in your way, and we're thankful. Amen.
Speaker 2Daily I surrender grace for the day is all that I need. Surprised by mercy and it's new every morning. Awaken my soul to sing. Awaken my soul to sing. I will trust where you lead.
I will trust when I can't see morning by morning great is your faithfulness breath by breath overtaken by wonder one step at a time when I'm overwhelmed Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Awaken my soul to see. I will trust where you lead. I will trust when I can't see. Morning by morning great is your faithfulness to me I will trust with all my heart you are good morning by morning great is your faithfulness to me all fear be reminded my future is secure oh my father has spoken and he keeps his every word all fear be reminded my future is secure has spoken and he keeps his every word I will trust I will trust you morning by morning oh morning by morning I will where you lead I will trust trust when I can't see morning by morning great is your faithfulness to me I will trust with all my heart you are good you always morning by morning great is your faithfulness morning by morning great is your faithfulness to
Speaker 1It's time for children's church downstairs. How are y'all? How's everybody? Doing alright? Enjoying the January thaw?
The passage today, I saw the Email that went out the other day and there were two verses that started it off. These two, Galatians six nine and Acts fifteen thirty nine. Now, they're sent. Acts is a a travelogue basically of missionary journeys in the early church but also how the gospel is spreading. So, Acts 15, that's on up there.
That's not just the original apostles. That's also Paul and that's a travelogue. Okay? Galatians is sent to a church that has accepted the grace that God has given and is being tempted to go back to the law. So, that's two different situations and I know that But if you're going through life and you're holding on to the Bible for your direction, and you turn to the page in Galatians that it says, and let us not grow weary while we're doing good.
For if in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Thank you Lord. I needed that today to be able to go forward. But if you flop the same Bible open, I had somebody call me this week that said this is their way of determining where they're going and what they're doing. Oh, then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another.
This is Paul and Barnabas. Right? Paul and Barnabas had been on a missionary journey. John Mark was with them. And when they started the second missionary journey, it went something like this.
Paul says, we ought to go visit all those churches that we got going and see how God has blessed and grown and what they might be going through with that we might be able to help them with. Don't you think, Barnabas? Yes. Let's take Mark. No.
Can you see that that's two well meaning believers? Barnabas, this encourager. Oh. He was the encourager that called Paul in in the first place because of Paul's knowledge of the word and his dramatic transformation. And and Barnabas actually had to say to the people at Antioch, hey, no.
This guy's good. He can be trusted. Jesus transformed his life. He's not that guy that used to drag us to the council. He's not the guy that used to kill us.
Well, he is that guy, but he's not that guy. He's a new creature. Christ has gotten him, and he's pulled him in. So Barnabas and Paul were very close, obviously. But then over this question, now Paul says, it's been dangerous.
Everything that we have undertaken has been dangerous. And Mark deserted us, and he left us. And it left me wondering if he's a part of the team or not. And I can't trust him. Oh, that's hard.
That's really hard when you're trying to do the Lord's work and you're having trouble trusting one another. And so both of these are in scripture. We look at them and go, well, which which is it? That's it. Well, which is it?
Which is it in my life for this time? I can say it can be either, but what we're gonna go to next is helpful and determining. How do we discern God's will and a way forward. So I took the passage for this week. The the rest of the passage is gonna be from Romans.
And I took it and I just wrote it out long hand. This is not normally a part of my process. And if you can read that, bless you. I don't write by hand a whole lot of note here and there, but it's just two pages. This is it.
It's two pages. Not double spaced, single spaced, but there's a lot about how to live Christian life in this section. If you look at Romans chapters one through eight, and we are doing that. First being the Bible is in Romans one, and we've been going just a few verses at a time. We've had a lot of different people bringing out important pieces of two or three verses each in Romans one.
But Romans one, two, three basically declares that all mankind, men and women in all ages, are guilty before God and they deserve judgment. Now, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth are explaining the way that God has made a way that we can be right with him. So Romans chapters one through eight is this theology lesson. It's got almost all indicative. These things have come to pass and because these things have come to pass is what we're getting into.
Nine, ten, and 11 deal with a slightly different question, but still very important. It's what do we do between the Jews and the Gentiles. The Jews have had this news for a long time and the Gentiles have just received it. And in the fullness of time, what's going on there? That's nine, ten, and 11 in Romans.
And then we get to what is called the hortatory section or the exhortation section, which begins with a therefore. The whole reason I just described Romans one through eight and a little bit of nine, ten, and 11 is because that's what that therefore is there for. It goes all the way back all the way back to the whole of all of the teaching so far in Romans. And there's not a commentator that I know of that disagrees with that. It's every bit of in what is in Romans gets applied here.
These first two verses, could go on their own as a sermon, but I wanna do the entire chapter of Romans 12. I won't preach as much as I will proclaim that this is true. I've been through it multiple times, multiple different translations, and I'm gonna let it be the hammer if if you will. Is that okay with you all? It's okay with me.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, urge. It's leaning towards a command already. Right? I urge you. You should pay attention to this.
This is how we should live in light of all that God has done. I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God. Has God been merciful to you? Can I get an amen? Amen.
Yeah. Do have we gotten the punishment we deserve? No. If God has been merciful to you, then that's the grounding for this. I urge you, by the mercies of God, take those into account.
Now y'all y'all be presenting your bodies. And in the Jewish mind, it was a holistic thing. Mind, body, soul is together. In the later times after this, when it is spread through the Romans, there were people called the Gnostics that really put a separation between the soul, spirit, and the body. That's not what Paul is doing here.
He's saying, you present every bit of you as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God. You have been called righteous by the blood of Jesus, by the mercy of God. You have been called righteous, and he's asking you to voluntarily present yourself in that way alive to God. This is your spiritual service of worship. This is your, in some translation says, reasonable service since he has done all of this for you.
Now, will you not act as a living sacrifice? A lot of commentators also see in this that the sacrifices of the Old Testament themselves really didn't have a choice. Someone else was going, this one looks good. That one looks good. Check it out, blemish up to the side.
This one looks good. This one is good. Alright. This is gonna be the one. This one will carry and kill, and that animal had nothing to say, nothing to do about that.
It was a sacrifice. He's saying believers, God has made a way. You've accepted that way. I'm urging you because of that mercy. I'm urging you to voluntarily put yourself into the position of being of service to God and to not be conformed to this world.
If we as believers do things the same way that the world does things, how in the world would they ever know that God has the power to change and transform? If we go with the same tactics, if we follow the same norms, how will they know a holy God? We're to present ourselves as holy set apart sacrifices. I belong to my Redeemer. I belong to my God.
He will give me the power to walk out that. Don't be conformed to this world. And the last thing that I said last week in both services, I read over a prayer. It's the from the twelfth step of AA actually, and it says, it's called the set aside prayer. Lord, help me to set aside everything that I think I know about myself and everything that I think I know about the others and everything that I think I know about the process and everything I think I know about you, Lord.
Help help me to set aside basically the errant thinkings in my mind, the stinking thinking. Some people have even said the drinking thinking. Help me let go of all of that stuff. Lord, what I want from you is for you to clearly show me the actual truth even if it's hurtful for me, even if it's difficult for me. That dovetails so nicely with not being conformed to this world, but being transformed by the renewing of your mind.
And James James says that, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him go to God and ask for He gives it generously. Go to him. Don't wonder where I should go to get wisdom. Go to God. Don't be back and forth about, I'm not sure he's gonna tell me.
Ask seek knocks as he'll tell you. Keep on knocking. Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And this is the discernment piece that I was talking about. Why?
Why would you wanna constantly be being transformed by God into his will, into his way, and have a renewed mind so that you may prove, so that you may know what the will of God is. In some Bibles, you'll see it as temporal. It'll say, and then you will know. If you can get to the place of presenting yourself before God, asking for his wisdom, refusing to do things the way the world has always done them. Like, you remember the scene from the untouchables?
He brings a knife, you bring a gun. You know what you know what I'm talk talking about? Everything else is one upmanship. Right? If you're get a bigger gun.
Get a bigger gun. Get a and everything gets more and more. That's the way the world does things. But turning your other cheek is not the way the world does things. That's not the norm.
Certainly, we need to be able to articulate the Christian message and perspective. But man, our walk is really really important for how that message will be received. So that you may prove or and then you will prove, you will know what the will of God is. That will, that will which is good and acceptable and perfect. I've heard a lot of people make distinctions between these three.
I honestly don't see them. God's will is good. He wants our best. Some people really differentiate. I think good, pleasing to him, and acceptable and perfect.
Good, pleasing and acceptable is the same word. And perfect. As mature as it can be at this point, an acorn is perfect. An acorn that is starting to sprout out, perfect. It's perfect all the way until it's an actual oak tree.
That's perfect. Okay. As mature as it can be at this point. So that you may be able to prove what God's will is in any situation that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Is it that we should stay together in this work in God's name and treat each other like the rest of this chapter will say or is it time to say adios Barnabas?
Paul speaking very personally. Never met these folks before. I think he's been concentrating. I actually think Ephesians was a sketch for Romans. A lot of the stuff is covered.
Some of it in the same method. For the grace of God through the grace of God that was given to me, the way that God saved me. I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think. Think about Saul. You think Saul thought more highly of himself than he ought to think?
I'm right about this, Pharisee. I know how this is supposed to go and they're wrong. They're wrong. And we're gonna prove them wrong. We're gonna drag them into court, kicking and screaming, and we're gonna do whatever we can to punish them.
Some of them worthy of stoning. Some of them are worthy of this and then directly, he hears the voice of Christ through though he's blinded on his road to Damascus, he says, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? The body of Christ Right here assembled. If someone is persecuting the body of Christ, they're persecuting Christ. Paul.
Paul. So he's by the mercies of God realized the error of his ways. And through the grace that was given to him, he's saying, be humble and not to think too highly of yourself, but to think so as to have sound judgment. You can look at yourself, as James says, in a mirror and understand who you are, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. If you are renewing your mind and you're looking at yourself, you will begin to see yourself with probably less self confidence and more God confidence.
Humility is very very important and I think that this this whole chapter, that's what he's urging us towards. But to think so as to have sound judgment, just as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many parts in one body, each of us individually have lots of parts in the body. Talked to somebody this morning who's having a shoulder surgery, another person having a different kind of shoulder replacement, somebody else who's having, a cancer removed. Talked to all of those this morning.
And all of these parts, we need for them to function well. Just as we have many parts in one body and all the body's parts don't have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ. We are individually parts of another. When somebody's out, we notice. Right?
Ryan is great for filling in. Just jumps right in. No problem. He's got it covered. But we miss our brother, and it says, man, we need to pray for Carl.
Thank you, Lord, for Carl. We who are many are one body in Christ. I love y'all. I'm glad you're here. That's great.
I just love you. Look around and see the faces and think, they've got my back, right? They've got my back. We are in this community doing the best we can together. And if we're not, we're open to the urging, right, to do better.
Paul's urging us to do better right here. However, since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given us, it it was something that God gifted us, and they're different for each of us. Each of us is to use them properly. If the gift is prophecy, and prophecy at this time could have been foretelling the future but it's also the same word is for forth telling what God has already said. In that sense, this is prophecy.
Right? I'm saying what the Lord has already says. Prophecy. Do that in proportion to one's faith. God has given you the opportunity and he's given you the ability be exercising it.
And if it's service Oh, good day for the volunteer recognition. Right? If it's service in the act of serving, that's what you should be doing. God has gifted you to be thinking about things. I look around and I think, I'd have never thought of that in ten thousand years.
Right? I never would have considered putting silverware at both ends of the bill deal down the hall down there. I never thought about that. Mean, find silverware. I'm not I'm not that kind of service guy.
Now changing somebody's tire, pulling them out of the snow, you know, I'm that kind of service guy for sure. Be doing it. I think that in proportion to one's faith is like to the gift that you have been given. Be doing what it is that God has wired you to do. If it's service, then do it in the act of serving.
Be serving. Or if it's one who teaches, be doing it in the act of teaching. Or for the one who exhorts, and that's somebody who pushes a little bit. They push others out. I just had three of them look up at me like, oh, he's gonna call me by name.
That's somebody who will lean in and say, hey, brother. How are you doing? How are feeding yourself? How are you feeding your soul? How are feeding your flesh?
How are you feeding others? Hey, that's that's exhortation. Just even think about it. Come on. We can do this.
What's your five year plan? For the one who exhorts, an exhortation is an urging. It is a pleading with someone to do something good, an exhortation. This is the hortatory section. That's what this is.
The one who gives with generosity. Amen. Thank you. Thank you all that you give with generosity. Yesterday, I had three different opportunities on a Saturday when normally nobody's here where we were able to say yes to somebody in need because y'all have been giving with generosity.
I'm thankful for that. The one who is in leadership to do it with diligence. Don't be the absentee landlord. Don't be the one that's hard to get in touch with and doesn't really care. It's always off somewhere else.
You remember next telephone, those phones. Had a buddy back in Georgia who was head of a fencing crew, not like with swords, but like building fences. And he had that self that and it just feels like they're right there nearby. He would go to the beach and hang out at the beach for a week or so. And every once in while, he'd go, hey.
Did the supply show up at so and so yet? I'll be right over. And just hang up. He wasn't anywhere near there. He wasn't even he wasn't even thinking about going there.
He just did it to keep people on their toes. If you're gonna be a leader, be diligent about it. Don't just take it as the office and not work it. Right? There are some of you who are in positions that you were asked to be on and you're serving on that board.
And if you're in leadership on there, consecrate that leadership to God. Ask him to show you what is well pleasing and perfect. The will allow for the renewing of your minds and direction. For the ones who shows mercy, do it with cheerfulness. It's not always easy to help people.
Do you know that? Yeah. But if you're gonna be one who shows mercy, do it with cheerfulness. If your mercy is like, I know I ought to do this. I guess I'll give some.
Okay. I'm here at the hospital. Well, how do feel? Please. Please.
Please don't do that. The one who shows mercy, do it with cheerfulness. Love must be free of hypocrisy. Let that settle in. Love, free of hypocrisy.
Don't just act like it. If there's a way that you've been wired, live that out. When you start trying to act and just kinda grunt your way through, it's obvious. Find the gift that God has given and look for opportunities. Most likely, brothers and sisters, if you have a gift of encouragement, you'll know it because people will leave with a smile and say, man, that guy is so encouraging.
Right? If generosity is your thing, that's one of the quieter of the gifts. We don't always hear about that. But it will be something that just wells up. It's gotta be free of hypocrisy.
It can't be an act. Detest what is evil. That's a command to detest something. Detest what is evil and cling to what is good in most situations that we find ourselves in. There's such an entangled messy situation.
There is an element of evil that is at work and there is an element of good that is at work. We must continually as a group insist on detesting evil and its influence and cling to what is good. Plain spoken. We hit this one three times last week. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love and give preference to one another in honor.
If you look at that, you might say, well, Paul Barnabas didn't. By separating, they did. Paul and Barnabas disagreed about who should go on that journey, but both of them kept on journeying. Both of them kept on going. Later on, we hear from Paul.
We don't hear anything written by Barnabas. Right? But later on, we hear from Paul that send John Mark with that coat, please. It's cold here, and I could use him. He's useful for service.
You know what? Though he failed him on that first missionary journey, Mark's life showed that he was not a quitter and not a failure, and Paul recognized that. Praise God. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. I trust that God is working in you, and I cannot say that he's not.
I'm devoted to you too and I want what's best for you. Give preference to one another in honor. The ESV right here says, outdo one another in showing honor. Not lagging behind in diligence. Not lagging behind in diligence.
It takes work to do this. Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord even when it's hard. Go into God and say, and it's hard. And he's saying, keep on going. Do you remember the prophet Jeremiah calling out?
God's told him, he says, man, take this message, have Barak write it down, take it to the people, and he does, and the people hate it, and they tear it up, and he throw him in a pit and he's down in the pit and he's going,
Speaker 2no, no, God. Is a
Speaker 1The weeping prophet. I did what you said and they didn't listen to me. He says, Jeremiah you're my man for this. I knit you together in your mother's womb. You are my man for this and I want you to take this message.
He said the same exact thing again. Barack wrote it down again. Took it back to the people again. They wrap it in wrap a rock up in the paper and throw it in the river. But you know what?
He did he had forty years of faithful proclamation ministry. Forty years. Almost no fruit. But when I look back, think, man, Jeremiah, he's so good. Keep on listening.
Keep on being fervent in spirit and serving the Lord. There will be times where it feels like nothing good is happening. Keep on renewing your mind. Keep on trans having, transformed mentality that God is at work and he knows what he's doing even when I don't know. I love that in Jeremiah, the message never changed.
Right? It was the same each time they didn't listen to it and he kept on saying. Rejoicing in hope. Persevering in tribulation. By the way, anytime the the New Testament says hope, you have to remember that's not just that hope.
Rejoicing in hope. Hope is, I'm rejoicing in what will be. It is an absolute certainty that has not yet come to be in temp in time. In our temporal way of living. It's not yet come to pass, but it's something that absolutely certainly will happen.
Be rejoicing in that hope. Be persevering in tribulation, and be devoted to prayer. Contributing to the needs of the saints. Be looking around. If there's anybody that needs help, be practicing hospitality.
And bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. All the way back to Genesis twelve one through three when God gives his promise to Abraham. He says, I'm going to bless you. That's what I'm gonna do.
I'm going to bless you. And those that you bless, I will bless. And those that you curse, I will curse. That sounds like a lot of responsibility, God. This New Testament here, he's making it clear.
Don't be cursing other folks. Don't be trying to tear them down. You attempt always a blessing for them. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.
If there are a lot of them pursuing you, why they might be pursuing you. Consider the merits of the murmuring, maybe you're off track. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Some weeks I just kind of say from up here, it's been a difficult people week. This one goes beyond that. There's a lot of hurting, and there's been a lot of weeping with those who weep this week. But you know what? Joy comes in the morning, and there's been some rejoicing with those who rejoice too.
I'm thankful for the office staff here that we can process through stuff together. I'm thankful for the prayers of the people, for those of us that are in the in the role doing this. All this sounds like Philippians two. Be of the same mind toward one another. More reciprocal commands.
By the way, I didn't hammer it last week over and over. It's impossible to do the reciprocal commands if both sides aren't in it. It can't be reciprocal. In fact, if one side is acting out everything towards the other and the other one is not acting it out at all, it's abuse. Right?
Reciprocal commands require that both sides be taking part. Be unified this says, each other. Be unified to each other. Be of the same mind toward one another. And how do we do that?
Don't be haughty in your mind. Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought. He's already hit that twice since the beginning of the chapter. Be of the same mind toward one another. Don't be haughty in mind, but be willing to associate with the lowly.
If you're in a position of leadership, there's no VIP section. Okay? You are responsible for loving everyone. You're responsible for taking care of everyone. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
Another way of saying be humble. Never repay evil for evil to anyone. Never repay evil for evil to anyone. We'll hit this again in verse 20. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
Does that Wait a second now. In English, I'm looking at this. It says, respect what is right in the sight of all men. Can you all think of anything that's right in the sight of all men? I can't think of a single thing.
You know when they voted a while back, the senate voted to cancel daylight savings time and there was a 100 to zero. And then it wouldn't make it through the house. Isn't that great? Like, we can't agree on anything. That's not what this means.
It says, respect what is right and do that before the people. Right? Do that in front of everybody. If you can respect what is right. If you're sitting in a meeting and there are people and they're arguing, arguing, arguing and you take a side and you say, well, that was a good point but I'm not gonna mention it.
You're not doing this. You've got to respect what is right. Okay. Respect was right. And you do that wherever you are in the side of all people.
If possible. If it's possible and it might not be. If it's possible, so far as it depends on you, you be at peace with all people. I can I can say right now, I get upset by thinking about people from the past that harmed somebody that I love, and I I can feel it? Come on.
You know what mean? I could feel tensed up, But I can say right now that I have consciously let all of that go consciously. Occasionally, I'll sneak back in there. It'll get me. And I can say today, this morning, right now, that I don't think that I have anything against anybody.
I honestly don't think I have anything against anybody. I haven't done that. But tomorrow, there'll still be an opportunity. Does that make sense? Also, if you got anything against me, would you let me know, please?
I wanna make it right. If so, it's so far as it depends on you. If it's possible, be at peace with all people. That's a good one to just remember and hold very, very close to that. Never take your own revenge, beloved.
Never take your own revenge, beloved. But leave room for the wrath of God. Leave room for the just judge of all. In first Peter, Peter says that when Christ was being reviled, he did not revile in return. When he was being crucified, he did not lash out at those guys.
He continually entrusted himself to the one who judges rightly. That's what this is. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God. For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. That's Deuteronomy thirty two thirty five.
Vengeance is mine and retribution. In due time, their foot will slip. Yeah. Your enemy looks like he's standing tall and you're beaten down, but it's not immediate, but it will come to pass. For the day of their disaster is near and impending things are hurrying towards them.
Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. Verse 20 says, but if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you'll heap burning coals on his head. Burning coals on your head sounds terrible.
If I love my name, but I wouldn't wanna hurt him that way. Every commentator that I read in this one, every language commentary, everybody else points out first of all that it's from Proverbs. If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he's thirsty, give him water to drink. Sounds like a terrible battle plan.
For you will heat burning coals on his head. That the imagery there, some people cited is is from other traditions and some people cited as being all of them cited from right here because it's the same verbiage exactly. But the burning coals is the way of bringing about change, transformation, and redemption. If they, like Saul, expected David to kill him while he had the chance and he didn't. He said, you had a chance and you didn't kill me.
And Dave was like, I'm not gonna touch the Lord's anointed. Right? It's not I'm not I'm not gonna do that. And Saul recognized and was convicted by David having done the right thing. That's where we are.
He's saying that the act of the coals on their head is actually, it helps them to have a changed and transformed mind. If you're able to withstand hatred and treat them well. Where that proverb ends is it says, and the Lord will reward you. Actually, it says it above here, vengeance isn't mine. I will repay.
This is a great phrase if you don't know much Spanish and you just wanna learn a couple of couple of words. Means God will repay. And you could say it with a smile and it'll mean, yeah, that was a kindness that you just presented me with and God will repay for that. I can't do it. But you also hear it where people say it with a smile like, that sorry joker just did something so mean to me and God will repay.
Dios recompenser is a great one to know. If your enemy is hungry, feed him. Treat him well. And then the last verse is, do not be overcome by evil. This is interesting because it's passive.
Do not be overcome by evil. Evil is around us. Evil is afoot. Evil is insidious and the devil's working his way into every human institution as best he can. He's trying to tear down not build up.
So do not be overcome by evil as passive. If you don't resist, it would be easy to be overcome by evil. And for the Christian, what that looks like is acting out the same way. Acting out the same way. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
That involves truth, and it involves humility, and it involves dedication, and it involves doing what it is that God has called you specifically to do as you encourage the whole body. Would you stand with me? And I think we're gonna skip the last song because I'm way over and we got a congregational meeting. How about a doxology? Lord, we recognize that goodness is from you.
We recognize that. So we'd like to sing about it. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above ye heavenly host.
Praise father, son, and holy ghost. Amen. May the Lord bless and keep you and make his face to shine upon you and give you peace that passes all understanding. Amen.
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