ROMANS 12:9-21 RELATIONSHIPS CHANGED BECAUSE OF THE GOSPEL2015 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Romans 12:9-21 Relationships Changed Because Of The Gospel

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2015.

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It would be, I counted probably about 28 points, and that's kind of a lot to keep track of or to ask you to like write down in your notes. Because in this passage, the Apostle Paul, he's not so much trying to, you know, get across some main things, but he's hitting a bunch of different topics that are just the result of us being changed by the gospel message. And so I titled the message, Relationships Changed Because of the Gospel.

And you could divide it, if you really wanted to, into two main groups. That is relating to fellow believers and relating to enemies or those who come against us. And God, as a result of the gospel in our lives and hearts, wants a change. And he does make a change in us. And he calls us to relate to one another as believers and to relate to the world around us in response to what he has done for us

in the gospel in response to what he has done for us through the blood of Jesus Christ being poured out for us. And so as we believe in Jesus, these are things that we need to practice, but at the same time, they're things that need to be or that are the kind of automatic result of believing the gospel. And so because of the gospel, this is how our relationships should look. And so as we walk through these things this evening, we're

I want to encourage you in this, that as you look at these different elements of our relationships with one another, and if you see problems, you know, maybe you don't measure up to what Paul is describing here and how our relationships should look, that the way to address those issues where we don't measure up

is not by making ourselves to be really determined or trying really hard. We can't really fix these areas. But these are things that God can fix as we recognize where we fall short, as we recognize our deficiencies, and we go back to the gospel, back to the grace of God, and ask God to make a change in our hearts. God can change your hearts so that you have the right relationship that he's called you to have with the people around you.

And so we're going to start in verse 9 and work our way down through the rest of the chapter. And so let's look at verse 9. It says, And so the very first thing he says here is, Let love be without hypocrisy.

Now, last week, we got to look at our role in the body of Christ. And as a result of the gospel, as a result of God's work in us, we have the awesome privilege of having a part in the kingdom of God and having a specific function to perform. And they're referred to as spiritual gifts, that we've been gifted this role in the body, this function in the body of Christ. Now,

Now, it's interesting as he talks about those different gifts or functions that we have in the body. And then the very next verse, the very next sentence, he says, let love be without hypocrisy. And you can compare that to 1 Corinthians 12.

There is the Apostle Paul is talking about the body of Christ and the different members of the body of Christ and the different, you know, functions that there are within the body of Christ. And then, you know, from chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians, he goes into chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians. And what's 1 Corinthians chapter 13 about? It's okay, you can say it out loud. It's love. It's love.

It's all about, hey, he says, I'll show you a better way. And he goes into the definition or the description of what godly love looks like. And then from there, he goes into chapter 14 and continues to talk about spiritual gifts. And so you can see that this idea of having a role or a function in the body of Christ is attached to permanently the idea, the understanding that we are to love one another.

We see that in 1 Corinthians, and we see that here. And so as he talks about the roles, he says, let love be without hypocrisy. Warren Wiersbe says this. He says, love is the circulatory system of the spiritual body, which enables all the members to function in a healthy, harmonious way.

I thought it was interesting as John shared the exhortation from Aaron Eichelberger. He said, you know, the first line there of his encouragement is, there's one thing we ought to be great at as a church, and that is love. And that's the truth. That's the reality.

Because of the gospel, because of what God has done in your life and the way that he has shown his grace and mercy towards you, the response should be for us who have believed in Jesus, the response should be for us to love one another. And not just love one another, but he says here in verse 9, let love be without hypocrisy.

And that word hypocrisy, it means undisguised or sincere. I like the kind of the original origins of the word. I don't know if original origins is a little bit too redundant to say that, but it originally meant to be inexperienced in the arts of acting.

So have you ever watched a movie or a play or something and thought, you know, that guy's not a very good actor because, you know, they don't, you know, play the part very well. It's obvious, you know, that they're not really into it or something. They can't act very good. And that's the idea here is let love be without hypocrisy. That is, don't be a bad actor in your love.

Now, that doesn't mean you should practice and become a better actor in your love. But the point is, be inexperienced at acting out love because you only know how to do it genuinely. You only know how to be real in your love for one another. You only know how to be sincere and you don't know how to fake it. I think for us as believers, a lot of times we've learned how to fake love for one another.

And so our relationships are affected by it because we have this fake love for one another. And so there's this really just kind of shallow surface stuff that we talk about and deal with. And there's not a real genuine sincerity of our love for one another. And there is hypocrisy. David Guzik points this out too. And he says a lot of what, you know, would pass as Christian love is really just hypocrisy. That hypocrisy

that we are not really meaningful in our love for one another many times. And so as we respond to the gospel message, as we respond to the love that God's given to us, he calls us to love others in that same way.

Can you imagine if God loved you, but he was just faking it? That would be terrible, right? He was just, you know, pretending to love you, just pretending, you know, to care about you and wasn't really sincere in it. That would be a terrible thing. And it's also a terrible thing for us if we're just pretending. So be inexperienced at pretending to love and learn to really genuinely, sincerely care for people around you.

Well, he goes on here in verse 9 to say, abhor what is evil. So as we love one another, we are also supposed to abhor. That means to detest with horror. So it's a great, great, you know, an intense response to evil.

That you don't want any part of evil. That you don't want to have any part of evil doings, evil talkings, evil practices, whether it be in your life or in somebody else's life, that there is to be this abhorrence, this horror-like abhorrence

oh no, you know, we can't do that. We can't practice that. We can't allow this to go on. That there's this detesting, this horror, you know, like you go watch a horror film and it freaks you out and you're like, you know, freaked out and scared. And that's how we should feel about evil. Not that, you know, it's gonna conquer us, but just no, heaven forbid that we ever practice or engage in the things that are evil. And so our response to the gospel is,

should be that we abhor what is evil. But then also he goes on at the end of verse 9 to say, cling to what is good. And this word cling, it means to glue together, to cement, to fasten together permanently. And so it's the contrast. We're to detest with horror the things that are evil and we're to grasp hold of the things that are good. And so in your relationships with one another, abhor what is evil.

Detest it. Don't put up with evil. Don't put up with sin or wrongdoing. Cling to what is good. It's kind of like what Paul said later on in Philippians. He said, you know, whatever is lovely, whatever is pure, whatever is good or of good report, think on those things. Like make a conscious decision. Make a conscious effort to cling to what is good. To set your mind on the things that are good. Make a conscious effort to cling

Center your conversations around things that are good. As you relate to one another, as you fulfill your role in the body of Christ, cling to what is good and abhor the things that are evil. This is part of the response or the change that takes place in our lives because of the gospel. Verse 10, it goes on to say, "'Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, "'in honor, giving preference to one another.'"

And so continuing this idea of loving one another, he says, be kindly affectionate with brotherly love. Now, both of these words that are used here to say kindly affectionate and brotherly love, these are talking about very strong family words. The kindly affectionate is the love that is expressed between parents and children or wives and husbands. It's that affection, that close personal love for one another.

And then brotherly love describes the love between brothers and sisters, siblings, that love that you have for one another. And so you can see here, Paul is saying for us as believers in Jesus, we're to have a sincere love that's not fake for one another. And it's meant to be a love like we have for our family, right?

That as brothers and sisters in the Lord, we are to love one another in that way, in that capacity, and with that strength, and with that loyalty. You know, it's interesting because I think we could all complain about different members of our family, right? Different members of your family get on your nerves, right?

but they're still your family and you still love them no matter what. And even when they mess up and bug you and irritate you and frustrate you and even when they make mistakes and it hurts you or even when they're just being punks and they hurt you on purpose,

They're still your family and you still love them and you still have that relationship and you still, you know, include them in parts of your life and you're a part of their lives. And there is meant to be this family relationship that we have with one another, right?

Because as we come together as believers in the Lord, even if we do our best to abhor what is evil and cling to what is good, we're still going to hurt each other. We're still going to bump into each other, rub each other the wrong way. We're still going to make mistakes. And sometimes on purpose, we're going to hurt someone else. But we're to have a kind affection towards one another and a brotherly love, bonds of loyalty.

so that we treat one another well. We treat one another as family, even in the worst circumstances. Now, it's not always the worst circumstances. And so, as we're relating to one another, there needs to be this kind affection. It's a gentleness. It's an expression of how much we care for one another with kindness, with gentleness.

And it's the brotherly love, you know, the camaraderie, like, hey, we're in this together. I'm with you and you're with me and whatever you might be facing, you know, I want to help you with it. And that's another part of family as well, that we come together to deal with things that we face in life and we address them together and we let each other know you're not alone. And so we're to have these kinds of relationships with one another. Notice, though, it's because of the gospel.

Because you're a recipient of grace and I'm a recipient of grace and we've both been forgiven and so we forgive one another. And we both have been redeemed and so we stick together and help each other to stay faithful to what God has called us to do and to live the life that God has called us to live. And so our response to the gospel, the effect of the gospel in our hearts should bring about this kind affection and brotherly love towards one another.

He goes on in verse 10 to say, in honor, giving preference to one another. In honor. The idea of honor here is to set a value on something, a greater value. And so as we give preference to one another, it's because, you know, I want you to know

I value you. I think you're valuable. And so why don't you go ahead and go through the door before me? Or why don't you go ahead and have the better seat? Or why don't you go ahead and, you know, have your choice of the buffet before me? You know, you have the better options. You know, I want to give it to you because I think you're valuable. I think you're important. And I want to express that to you. And that's what he's talking about here.

And so, you know, we are to give preference to one another because of the value that we ascribe to each other, that we let each other know you're valuable to me, to the Lord. You're an important part of what God wants to do.

And so we're to show this respect, this honor. Another way to put it is, it's just good manners. You know, just show your fellow believers respect and honor. Show good manners. And don't just be looking out for yourself all of the time. Well, going on into verse 11, it says, "'Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.'"

And if you've been around for a bit, you know this verse because it's my favorite verse in the scriptures. I've shared it frequently. But again, I'd like to just hit some of the highlights here and remind you that it's connected to the previous passage. So as he's talking about your role in the body of Christ, we're to do that with this love for one another, this kind affection for one another, with ascribing this value to one another and giving preference. And now he goes on to say we're to do this diligently, right?

So fulfill your function in the body of Christ. Fulfill the role that God's given to you. And don't be lagging in diligence. That word lagging, it means to be sluggish or slothful. Don't be lazy in your diligence. The idea of diligence here is a diligence that comes from passion. Or it's a haste that comes from enthusiasm.

So, you know, when you are moving quickly because you're really excited about something, that's the idea that's being described here. And so have that kind of attitude, have that kind of heart, be excited about your role in the body of Christ. And so then be diligent in it and don't be lazy in stirring yourself up and getting excited about what God wants you to do.

As I taught this verse recently, I made this point from there, and that is always give your best. That's a good capture, I think, of this idea of not lagging in diligence. That as you fulfill your role in the body of Christ,

always give your best. Do the best that you possibly can. Not that it has to be the best that the world has ever seen, but it's your best. Do the best that you can as you, you know, minister to people around you, as you pray for people around you, as you teach the Sunday school lesson, or lead the worship, or share the gospel, or whatever it is. Just do the best that you can do. And that's an

an important part of not lagging in diligence. But he goes on to say to be fervent in spirit. Now here's the source. So in order to be this, you know, to have this zeal on the outside and to always give our best,

That's on the outside. That's the external. So first it needs to start within. And so within there needs to be this fervency in spirit. And how do you keep your spirit fervent? How do you keep that intensity within? Well, I always like this word fervent because it means to boil or to seethe. And so the idea is, you know, like when you take a pot of water and you set it on the fire and

that it begins to heat up, and it begins to intensify, and it begins to boil. And if you let it sit, it'll begin to boil over. Now, if you take it off of the fire, then it will cool down, and it will stop boiling. It will stop seething. And I think it paints for us a good picture that we are to keep ourselves in contact with the flame. That is, keep ourselves in contact with Jesus and

And as we keep ourselves in close contact with Jesus, the result will be this boiling in our lives, this fervency in us. And as we stay close to Jesus, we will continue to boil. And that overflow then, the boiling over will be the next part of the verse, and that is serving the Lord.

And so our response or the automatic result of spending this time with Jesus and being in close contact with Jesus is that we will serve him and we will be diligent in it and we won't be lazy in it because we're excited about doing what God has called us to do. And so we're to be busy serving the Lord and diligent in it, fulfilling our role, fulfilling our function in the body of Christ.

And it's not just busy doing, you know, any activity that comes along, but it's serving the Lord. And so it's doing the things that God directs us to do, fulfilling your role within the body of Christ.

And so this is what has changed because of the gospel. This is a result of the gospel in our lives, that we are now part of the body of Christ. And now, because we're excited about Jesus, we're excited about what he's doing in us, we are ministering to one another, serving the Lord by ministering to one another. And he says, don't be lazy in it, but be diligent, be excited about it as you stay close to Jesus.

Verse 12, he goes on to say, So here he says, So as we serve one another and as we love one another and show this kind affection to one another, we're also to be rejoicing in hope.

Now, this is really important because the next part of the verse, he says, patient in tribulation. So many times we don't love one another. We're not kindly affectionate to one another. And we're not faithful in our serving the Lord and ministering to one another. But we excuse all of that because of the difficult situation that we're in.

And because we're in such a difficult spot, because things are so hard, well, you know, we just are not able to

show brotherly kindness and be kindly affectionate. And we're not able to be faithful in serving the Lord. We're not able to do these things. But here he goes on and he's connecting all these thoughts together saying, okay, yes, there will be times where life is really difficult, where you face severe trials. But even in the midst of that, here's what should take place because of the gospels.

Here's what should be going on in our hearts because of what Christ has done for us. And that is we should be rejoicing in hope. When the Bible talks about hope, it's not about maybe possibility, wish, you know, it might happen, but it's talking about a confident expectation of eternity. But notice the focus of hope is eternity. And so we are to be rejoicing in hope, that is rejoicing in eternity, right?

No matter what's happening in our lives here,

Now, we do go through difficult things. And so sometimes it's hard to rejoice in hope. Sometimes it's hard to look to eternity and think about eternity because the things that are in front of us are huge or painful or agonizing or difficult. And so our eyes get taken off of eternity and we begin to look at our issues and the things that we're wrestling with. But he says, here's the results of the gospel. Here's, because of the gospel, where our hearts should be, we should be rejoicing in hope.

hope. That is fixing our eyes on the things of eternity, the things that are to come. And that will help us to do the next part. And that is to be patient in tribulation. The word patient means basically to endure misery, adversity, persecutions, affliction. It's endurance. Be patient in tribulation because of the

Because, well, remember the things that we've been studying up to this point. In Romans chapter 8, one of our favorite verses, right, is God works all things together for good to those who love him, who are the called according to his purpose. And so God works all things together for good. That's part of the gospel. That's part of the promise of the gospel. And because of that promise, well, it helps us to be patient in tribulation, knowing that

Yes, there is difficulty, there is pain, there is problems, but we can endure it because we know that God will bring good from it. The word tribulation, it describes a pressing together or a great pressure being applied, a crushing or a squeezing. And so when we are being crushed or squeezed by life, we're to be patient, to endure, to sustain life.

our soul rejoicing in hope, looking to eternity, keeping our eyes focused on eternity. The gospel message should continually set our eyes on the things that are to come because we know God has great things in store for us there. And that is when all things will be made right. Well, finally, at the end of verse 12, he says, continuing steadfastly in prayer.

And so as we go through great adversity, as we go through these things and we look forward to eternity, we're to continue steadfastly in prayer. We're to be steadfast. We're to be faithful. We're to continue in prayer.

This is something that we can do because of the gospel. We can come to God. We can be constant in our relationship with God and our calling out to God, casting our cares upon him because he cares for us. Now, we go through great difficulties. There's great affliction. But then notice in verse 13, we also need to remember it's not all about us. And so in our Christian walk, verse 13, we need to be distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

And so as we love one another sincerely and genuinely, and we fulfill our role and function in the body of Christ and look forward to eternity and endure all kinds of difficult things here in this life, we also need to be caring for other believers and distributing to the needs of the saints. This we're distributing today.

It's a word closely related to the word koinonia. And you might be familiar with the word koinonia. It's the word for fellowship, right? And so the idea here of fellowship is that sharing together. And so the word koinonia can be used as communion. It can be used as fellowship. But it basically means to share together or to be a partner together, right?

And so here's the idea, distributing to the needs of the saints is, well, you become partners together to address the needs that exist. Warren Wiersbe describes it this way. He says, And so the idea here of distributing to the needs of the saints is,

is, hey, you know, I see that struggle that you have, the struggle that's there, the need that's there, and I'm going to come link arms with you, and I'm going to be a partner with you in addressing this need. I'm going to partner with you in addressing this problem, and in helping you overcome and grow it. And so we all grow together because while we're joined together, we're partners together in helping to accomplish something.

what needs to be accomplished in this situation, whatever the need might be. And so it might be a financial need, or it might be, you know, a growth type of need, a maturity type of need, or it might be, you know, a relationship type of need, or some other thing that whatever the need might be, I'm going to join with you. Let me help you. We'll partner together, and we'll deal with this need that is there. But then also, he says, we're to be given to hospitality.

So although we might be, you know, facing tribulation and we might be going through great difficulty, we're to have this hospitality as a part of our nature and character as well. The word hospitality, it means love to strangers. We're to be able to express love to strangers. And so

First of all, distributing to the needs of the saints. That's you and I as believers, fellow believers. You know, I see you struggling, and so I come alongside, and I partner with you, and we overcome. But this idea of giving to hospitality also speaks of those who are not believers. It's those who are outside of the faith. And so we don't just love each other and then, you know, forget about everybody else. But we also need to have a heart of love for the people around us, for the world around us.

And to be given to hospitality. Now, this word that is translated here, to be given to hospitality, is interesting. Because in the next verse, it's going to be translated, persecute.

So the same idea of someone persecuting. And so if you can think about, you know, someone persecuting someone else, there's that pursuit that happens in the persecution, right? Like persecution is not just kind of just general, you know, problems that are thrown out. Persecution is targeted. You know, it's trouble that's like, hey, you know, brought to specific people or to a specific person, right?

And so it's a pursuit type of word, and it can be translated that to pursue with the idea of hostility or with the idea of love. And so that's the idea. The idea is to persecute strangers with love or to pursue them with love. So you're going to have to maybe, you know, put on your running shoes and chase after some people in order to love them.

But that's to be part of who we are as believers because of the gospel.

And if you think about the way that God has loved us and expressed his love towards us, he put on his running shoes, right? He took the initiative and said, you know, I'm going to send Jesus. And Jesus became a man and walked this earth and died upon the cross. Like, it's all God's initiating. And all that we do as believers, or before we were believers to become believers, is respond to God's love.

He's the one who pursued us with love. He persecuted us with love. And that's what we're called to do now to others. And so we are to love one another sincerely. We are to join with one another, partnering with each other in dealing with the needs that are there, the issues that are there. But also, we're to have our eyes and our hearts on the world around us and be pursuing the

chasing after, looking for opportunities to express the love of God to the people around us. This is all because of the gospel. We have this love for the world around us because it's the love that God has given to us and now calls us to give to others around us. Going on to verse 14, it says, "'Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.'"

So now he's kind of changing gears. And so if you wanted to divide it up into two sections, we finished talking specifically about the love for one another and the relationships we have as believers. Now he's talking more about those who are outside and really in opposition to you as a believer.

And so as we talk about enemies, really these next few verses are going to be talking about persecution and enemies and those who come against you. I think it's really important to consider this one thing that Warren Wiersbe says. He says, Unfortunately, some believers have enemies because they lack love and patience and not because they are faithful in their witness. Sometimes we have enemies because we lack love and patience.

Because we haven't responded well to the gospel. And so the sincere love and the being given to hospitality and all of those things that we have just been talking about, when those things are missing in our lives, well, it's very easy for us to have enemies because we're not representing Christ well and we don't express the love of God and we're not, you know, being the way that God has called us to be. And so that's the wrong kind of enemy to have.

But sometimes we have those kinds of enemies because we haven't allowed the gospel to really transform our hearts. But then there's another kind of enemy where there are people who are enemies because, well, they would be enemies of Jesus too if he was here.

Because you represent him so well and they're against him. Well, now they're against you because you represent Jesus. And so it's one thing to have an enemy because while you're being faithful to the Lord, you're expressing the love of God, you're representing him well. And it's another thing to have an enemy because you don't love and you don't have patience and you don't care about people. And that's the wrong kind of enemy to have. And so there will be enemies, but here's how we're to respond to them.

In verse 14, bless those who persecute you. To bless someone, it means to speak well of them. So when they persecute you, when they chase after you with hostility, speak well of them, bless them. You can understand immediately, this is the opposite of what we would want to do. This is not natural. This is not normal. And this is a radical result of the gospel. That is, we allow God to change our hearts constantly.

with the gospel message, with the grace of God, the result will be in us that we begin to bless those who persecute. This isn't just talking about, you know, someone accidentally, you know, ran into your car and then you get out and you go, oh, you know, I'm sure you didn't mean that, you know, and you're gracious to them and you're kind to them. This is someone who runs into your car on purpose, right?

Now you get out of the car and you have different words to share at that time, right? It's like, hey, what's wrong with you? And you could begin to, you know, be very harsh with that person who has persecuted you, who has chased after you, who's done something to you intentionally. But understand that when we respond that way, it's, well, it's a reflection of the reality that our heart has not been fully transformed by the gospel, right?

Because of the gospel, because of what God has done for us, we are to learn to bless those who persecute us. So those who are harsh towards you, those who hurt you, those who speak poorly of you, those who, you know, attack you or bring different attacks against you, speak well of them. Bless them. He says in verse 14 at the end, "'Bless and do not curse.'"

The idea here of cursing is to wish someone evil. So it's very easy, right? It'd be very tempting to wish someone evil when they've been attacking you. But this is, again, a reflection of a heart that needs to be changed by the gospel.

And so again, I would encourage you, if you find yourself not measuring up to what Paul is describing here, this isn't something you can, okay, I'm going to wake up tomorrow, I'm going to try really hard, and I'm going to bless those who persecute me because, you know, I'm really determined, I want to do this. It's not going to work like that. But here's what you got to do. You got to take your heart back to the gospel. Recognize your need for grace so that you can show grace to people around you. Recognize your need for mercy so that you can show grace to people around you.

so that you can show mercy to the people around you. Recognize the way that God deals with you and treats you and the way that he relates to you so that you can learn to share that same love, that same kindness, that same gentleness with the people around you. And so yes, there's some decisions you have to make and some things you do on purpose, but you have to make sure

For the most part, I would say these are heart issues which you have to take to God and ask God to change your heart as you recognize this does not measure up. I don't measure up with what God's called me to be. My heart needs to be transformed by the gospel message. Well, verse 15, he says, rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Now, this is sometimes easy to do and sometimes this is difficult to do.

To rejoice with those who rejoice. Sometimes it's easy because you are genuinely joyful over the things that happen in other people's lives. And so Richard wins the lottery and I go, hey, why didn't I win the lottery? He's joyful, but I'm weeping as he rejoices. I wanted that. Sometimes we weep with those who rejoice and we rejoice with those who weep. Tragedy happens and we're like, yeah, all right.

I was hoping they would get that. I was hoping they'd get what's coming to them. But neither of those are good examples of how we are called to be. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Now again, I think this goes back to that sincere love for one another that we're called to have. When we have a genuine love for one another, when that person you love is blessed, you'll be blessed too.

When they get promoted, you'll rejoice too. When they experience great things, even though you may be lacking in some of those same areas, you'll be able to rejoice with them. And then when there are those who weep, when you have a genuine, sincere love, you'll weep along with them because you don't want them to hurt. You don't want them to sorrow. This is the way that we are to relate to one another. And I would suggest this is the way that we're to relate to one another today.

Within the body of Christ, and I would say that we have challenges with this verse, within the body of Christ. It's not always easy, even in the church, to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. But that's where our hearts need to be because of the gospel, that we have a sincere love for one another. But even more than that, I would say this is the way that our hearts need to be towards those who are outside of the body of Christ as well. That we rejoice with those who rejoice and we weep with those who weep.

That we have a genuine, sincere care for people around us. And so when they're blessed, when good things happen to them, that we rejoice with them. But then also when the tragedy strikes, when the difficulty happens, that we don't rejoice over it, we don't celebrate it, but that we weep with them. And that's hard. You can't make yourself care about someone like that. That's the result of the gospel.

And so again, where we fall short of these things, we need to go back to our relationship with God, back to the gospel message, back to remember what Christ has done for us so that we can learn then to do that with those around us, that he will transform our hearts by his example of the way that he's related to us. Verse 16, be of the same mind towards one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble.

Do not be wise in your own opinion. So he shares a few things here in verse 16. First, be of the same mind toward one another. The idea here is that there's to be unity in our midst. There's to be harmony, that we have the same mind towards one another, that we're

you know, like the golden rule, right? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That's the general idea here, that we're going to have the same kind of mind, the same kind of mentality, that we want each other's best. We want, you know, what's good for each other, that we come together, that we join together in unity. But some of the challenges to that, he addresses. So he says, do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. So one of the

hindrances to being of the same mind or being together in unity is when we set our mind on high things. That is, you know, I really don't have time to talk to you because I'm really trying to, you know, fit in with this more important crowd. And so I'm going to go talk with them. That person's worth talking to you.

You're not really helping me in my position. You're not really helping me in my popularity. You're not really helping me in the goals that I have. I have this high thing in mind. I want to accomplish this. Again, whether it be in the church or the workplace or wherever, we have this high thing in mind. And so then we don't associate with the humble. We start thinking, ah, you're not really worth my time.

You're not really worth spending time with. You know, you don't really help advance my cause. You don't really help me get to where I want to be. And so I don't associate with the humble because I have my mind on high things. It's an enemy of unity because we're devaluing those around us. And so he says, don't set your mind on high things. Don't be so, you know, set out for success or for some type of prosperity that you belittle others around you.

The commentator William MacDonald says, we should avoid any trace of snobbishness and should be as outgoing toward humble, lowly folk as those of wealth and position. So, you know, don't just look at the wealth and the position and think, all right, well, that's the person I want to be friends with. That's the person I want to talk to. And so then we start to disregard the lowly and the humble. No, no, we're to associate with all people, to not show favoritism in that way.

But another enemy of unity is at the end of verse 16. He says, do not be wise in your own opinion. Are you wise in your own opinion? Now, this can be a little bit challenging because, you know, if someone comes to me and shares about a problem or an issue, I'm pretty convinced right off the bat that my approach to the situation is going to be the best one. I'm wise in my own opinion. Yeah, I think, yeah, probably I got the best solution. Let me tell you what I think you should do.

And for us to have that type of attitude, for us to think that we have the answers, that we know what's best, it causes us to be divided. It causes there to be this divisions between us. We're not of the same mind because while the other person is thinking, well, no, I'm wiser than you are. I know how to work this out. I know how to deal with this. I know how to handle this situation. There's to be a humility amongst us. We might have the right answer sometimes,

But also, I know this is a hard thought, you might not have the right answer. You might not know what's best. You might not think the right way. And so there needs to be a humility. Don't be wise in your own opinion. If you're of the mindset that, you know, well, all these fools, if only they would listen to me, you know, things wouldn't be so much better.

you better watch out. There's going to be some problems because, well, being wise in your own opinion isn't good for you because you're not as wise as you think you are. Well, verse 17, he goes on to say, Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. Repay no one evil for evil. Notice it doesn't say repay some people that are especially evil, evil for evil. He says, Repay no one evil for evil.

So there's no occasion, there's no situation where it's right to do evil to someone who's done evil to you. There's no situation where God says, you know, they've been so bad, they've done enough bad stuff. I mean, they've just crossed the line. And so now you can be evil towards them. Repay no one evil for evil. No, that's not how you're to behave.

You don't fight fire with fire. That's not a biblical principle in that sense. Instead, he says, have regard for good things in the sight of all men. Have regard, pay attention to, hold fast to, honor good things. But notice what he says, in the sight of all men. So he's not just talking about good things that you think are good or good things that other believers think are good, but have regard for good things that are considered good by all men.

Have a high regard for good things and make sure that you don't repay evil for evil. He's continuing this thought for the next couple of verses. In verse 18, he says, So don't repay evil for evil, but hold on to good things and have regard for good things to try to live peaceably with the people around you. Now, notice what he says here. If it is possible.

There's a condition here. So there's, he's leaving room for the opportunity. You know, it's not always possible to live peaceably with all men. There's going to be situations where people don't like you, where there's conflict, where there's trouble, where there's turmoil with people around you. So first of all, he acknowledges that there are going to be those situations. When those situations happen, he says, make sure that it's not because of you.

That it's not because of you that there can't be peace. If you're the barrier to peace, well, there's a problem. That's something that should not be because of the gospel, because of what Christ has done for you and the way that he's worked in us and changed us. It should cause us to desire to bring peace to the people around us, to the relationships that we have in the world around us. And so if it's possible, it's not always possible, but

But many times it is possible. So for your part, as much as depends on you, you do the best that you can to live peaceably with all men. Now, he's not talking about men as a gender. He's talking about humanity as a whole. With every person, do the best that you can, as much as depends on you, to live at peace with them. Yes, even that person that you're thinking about right now, do your best to

Verse 19. Here the Apostle Paul quotes from Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 35. And this is God speaking saying, vengeance is mine. Vengeance belongs to God. He owns the right to vengeance. It's his right.

And you can't take up vengeance on your own without violating the rights of God. It's his right. And so he's saying, don't take matters into your own hands. Do not avenge yourselves. The idea here of avenging is to make things right. Don't pay back evil for evil. It's not your responsibility to make others get what they deserve. God says, it's my responsibility to

It's my responsibility to make sure that justice is served. And God is faithful. He is going to make sure there is going to be no injustice when all things are said and done. All things will be made right. Vengeance is mine. God says, I will repay. Many times we do evil when evil is done to us because, well, we want that person to pay. And God says, no.

That's my bill. I owe that. You don't pay that. That's not your responsibility. Let God repay. And so he says, give place to wrath. So instead of you avenging yourself and making that person pay on your own, he says, leave room for the wrath of God. You have regard for good things in the sight of all men. You focus on that. Do what's good.

And focus on the sincerity of love and focus on those things that God has called you to do and leave to God's arena the things that are God's, specifically vengeance. God says, that's mine. That belongs to me. You don't have ownership of that. You don't have the right to execute vengeance, but I do.

And God's promise is that he will repay. Sometimes we're kind of fearful, like, hey, God, it looks like they're getting away with it. So, you know, I'm going to step in here because they can't keep doing this. They need to, you know, learn some lessons. They need to be set straight. And God says, no, no, no, you can trust me. I will repay. Verse 20, therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink.

For in so doing, you will heap coals of fire on his head. Now he quotes from Proverbs chapter 25. And so he says, okay, so don't avenge yourselves. That's God's arena. Leave place for God's wrath. Let him repay. So then what are we to do? He doesn't just tell us what not to do. He tells us, here's what you should do instead. If your enemy is hungry, feed him. So that person that you want to repay, you want to make them pay for what they did to you.

He says, here's how you should treat them instead. Now, you can understand this is radically different than what we would want to do naturally and normally. This requires a radical transformation because of the gospel. And if you don't line up with this, if you fall short in this area, I would encourage you to go back to the gospel. Remember, teach yourself, train yourself to know what God has done for you. Because you, as an enemy of God, were hungry and God fed you.

And as you learn to appreciate what God has done for you, he will transform your heart so that when your enemy is hungry, you will feed him. And if he is thirsty, give him a drink. He says, for in so doing, you will heap coals of fire on his. Now this idea here of heaping coals of fire on his head, there's a couple of ways of understanding this. But basically, it's speaking about shame, right?

Listen, when someone has done you wrong and you do kindness to them, there's a conviction. There's a burning that takes place. And they may not testify to that immediately or even after a long time. They know wrong that they've done. They know harm that they've inflicted. And when kindness is returned, it brings conviction. It's used by God to bring shame.

Thomas Constable, the commentator, says it this way. He says, the person who receives good for evil feels uncomfortable because of his neighbor's love. This guilt may convict the wrongdoer of his or her ways in a gentle manner. And so you see here, the point is to show kindness to those who have hurt you. And that will bring conviction upon them. It will give them opportunity to repent. And I like what Dave Guzik said. We can destroy our enemy.

By making him our friend. That's the best way to destroy an enemy. You want to make them pay. You want to destroy that enemy. Make him a friend. Be friendly to them. And it will bring conviction to them. Finally verse 21. Do not be overcome by evil. But overcome evil with good. And this is kind of a good summary to sum up these enemy verses that he's been talking about. Don't be overcome by evil.

The idea here is, you know, people are doing evil for you, against you rather. They're doing evil against you. They're hurting you. They're harming you. And you're kind of resisting. But finally, it's like you're just overcome by evil. And now you got to do evil back. That's all I could take now. Boom. I'm going to do evil back. Don't be overcome by evil. Don't come to that point. But instead, overcome evil with good. Destroy that enemy with goodness. Not by hurting them back, but by doing good to them.

And you can conquer them. You can conquer evil with good, with doing what God has called you to do. That's the best thing. That's the most powerful attack you can bring against evil is to do what's right, to do what's good, to do what God has called you to do. Don't be overcome by evil. George Washington Carver once said, I will never let another man ruin my life by making me hate him.

I will never let another man ruin my life by making me hate him. That hate that we have for others, it ruins us, not the other person. I'm sure you've heard the saying, right? Bitterness, having bitterness is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies. It just doesn't work that way. Don't be overcome by evil. Don't let those things that are done against you by the people around you

cause you to do what's wrong and to be in a bad place. Don't ruin your life or let other people ruin your life by making you hate them, by making you do evil against them, but instead overcome, be victorious, have great victory in your life with good, by doing good even to those who hurt you. And so within the body of Christ,

We're to have great, strong, loving relationships. And we're to join together and partner together and help each other overcome difficulties and affliction and meet needs and have this love for one another. Outside of the body of Christ, we're to pursue with love those strangers and those that need the Lord. And even when they come against us, when they persecute us, when they pursue us with harm, with evil, we're not to return that evil. But we're to turn around and try to overcome that.

the evil that they bring against us, the hurt and the harm that they bring against us with the love of Christ, with the goodness of God, meeting their needs, ministering to them, even those who hurt us. Let's pray.

Lord, I pray that you would help us as we see these different things that you call us to be as a result of the gospel. I pray, Lord, that you would help us to recognize, Lord, if we fall short in any of these areas, I pray that you would help us, Lord, to recognize how you have related to us, how you've dealt with us in each of these areas, Lord, and you've shown us the way.

And God, I pray that we would be moved by your love and your mercy and your grace towards us, your kindness towards us, your goodness towards us. Lord, you did not repay evil for evil, but Lord, you overcame evil with good.

And so you've done that in us. And I pray, Lord, that as we see you and what you've done for us, that you would help us then to express that well and accurately to the world around us and to one another as believers in Jesus. So Lord, transform us by your grace and mercy and help us to live that out as we walk in the midst of the people around us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

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