Hi and welcome back. Today we are going to be finishing up chapter 12.
In the following verses Paul is going to list some characteristics that every believer should have when interacting with others
Romans 12:9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
If your love is genuine it comes from the heart.
It’s not forced and it doesn’t have an ulterior motive. Love should be without hypocrisy. Since Paul mentions evil right after he talks about love, then we should abhor anything that is unloving, hateful and with malicious intent. He proceeds to say hold fast to what is good. Again within the context of love we should cling to that supernatural love that only God can provide.
Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
When we speak of brotherly affection that kind of love is enduring.
The Greek for brotherly affection is Philadelphia. And as we all know Philadelphia is known as the city of brotherly love. We may have a bunch of folks that we like to hang out with. But, it’s that one friend that’s always there for you. That one friend that goes above and beyond.
Proverbs 18:24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
We are all Brothers and sisters in Christ.
When we go to church it should be like coming home to family.
The second part of verse 10 says outdo one another in showing honor.
Paul speaks of this like a competition. If someone shows us honor we should be motivated to honor others more than the honor that was bestowed upon us. We need to lift each other up.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
If you’re encouraging someone and honoring them don’t let it be a once in a while thing.
This verse says just as you are doing. In other words, keep on going on. Stay the course be a blessing each and every day to someone.
Romans 12:11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Have you ever seen a sloth in one of those wildlife documentaries?
If you watch the TV long enough you might fall asleep. Sloths don’t get very far very fast. So Paul is pretty much building on the previous verse. He says don’t be slothful in zeal in other words don’t be lazy in your enthusiasm for others. If you’re going to honor them, do so enthusiastically. The second part of this verse says be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. You need to have a fire and a passion in your spirit and out of that comes the desire to serve the Lord. It’s all a matter of the heart. We need to be all in, ready to serve.
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
These three commands are instrumental in our spiritual and emotional well-being.Let’s break this verse down and look at the instructions that Paul has laid out for us.
We rejoice in our hope,
the coming of our Savior, the redemption of our bodies and the eternal glory yet to come.
Be patient in tribulation.
No matter what our circumstances, wait on the Lord. God is working all things out for His glory.
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Next, be constant in prayer.
Prayer is our spiritual lifeline to the Father. As we’re going through those tribulations we need to be constant in prayer. Prayer gives us the power we need to endure. Prayer brings about peace in the midst of turmoil. Prayer is the closest we can get to the omnipotent God. As we pray we acknowledge that it is through Jesus Christ that our prayers can be heard. So we always pray in Jesus name, amen.
Romans 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Contribute to the needs of the saints.
We are all part of the body of Christ. So when part of the body is lacking, we need to be there to fill that need. We all have saints in our church that are going through something. Don’t always wait for the other guy to step up to the plate. Be there for that elderly person, or that individual that has fallen on hard times. Remember, this is your family.
Next we need to seek to show hospitality.
I can’t count how many times my wife and I have been invited to dinner by a member of our church family. It’s always a blessing to share a meal and some good conversation. Don’t always be on the receiving end, reach out and invite someone into your home. Maybe take that hospitality to the next level and have a Bible study in your home. Get to know your church family. We need to build up, encourage and edify each other.
Romans 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
So far everything Paul has asked us to do has been something we should want to do.
Now we get to the hard part. Bless those who persecute you. Oh my. This could mean persecution for our faith or any situation where we are treated badly. We need to refer back to verse 12. Be continually in prayer. It is impossible to bless someone who has wronged you without the power of the Holy Spirit working through you. So give it all to God.
Just remember persecution is part of being a Christian. It just comes with the territory.
2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
Moving on to our next verse.
Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, I can empathize with your situation.
But can you really? Can you get down in the trenches with someone who has lost a loved one or found out they have cancer? We need to be willing to walk beside our brothers and sisters through the good times and the bad. So many people run the other way when they hear someone is going through a hard time. They don’t know how to relate to them. But if we have the love of Christ in our heart, we can relate. Just as Jesus empathized with Mary at the loss of her brother Lazarus. Jesus knew that he was going to live, yet he weeped with Mary and was a comforter for her during that time of sorrow.
Romans 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited.
If we are going to live in harmony with one another we need to not be haughty or arrogant.
But we need to be there for others with all humility. It’s hard to lift someone up when all you can do is tell them how much better you are than them. Leave your conceit at the door.
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Verse 17
Romans 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
It’s only human to want to seek revenge for someone who has wronged you.
But we should see this as an opportunity to show the love of Christ and to demonstrate how a Christian should live his or her life. People are watching us and they are looking for opportunities to find fault with our faith and our integrity. Don’t give them the opportunity.
Romans 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
The very start of this verse says if possible.
It’s not always possible to live peaceably with someone. There is a time for disagreements and a need to speak truth into someone’s life even if they don’t want to hear it. But we need to seek peace in all that we say and all that we do. That peace depends on you. In other words, be ready to forgive someone, or apologize for the wrongs that we’ve committed on them. Sometimes peace can be hard when two parties think they are both right. In that case relinquish your need to be right and yield to the other person’s convictions.
Romans 12:19 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.
Again we should never repay evil with evil.
Any revenge that we might impose on someone is nothing compared to the wrath of God. God knows all about extracting vengeance on those who have wronged us. We may not see that wrath being played out in this lifetime. But rest assured God will have the last word
Romans 12:20 To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.
If we show the love of Christ towards our enemy it will heap burning coals on his head.
In other words it will shame them and possibly just possibly bring them to Christ. Never waste an opportunity.
Our last verse for today sums up our entire lesson.
Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Do not be overcome by evil. Evil wins when we live for ourselves and not for Christ. Don’t let evil get a foothold in your life. We are more than just conquerors. But overcome evil with good. We have the power of almighty God at our disposal 24/7. Through that power we can do good despite the evil that is around us. Let’s be overcomers for Christ.
This brings us to the end of chapter 12. In chapter 13 we are going to look at how we should live in relationship to the government that has been placed over us.
As always I’d like to thank you for listening and may you have a week full of opportunities to share this good news with those that need to hear it.