Sermons From My Heart

In 1930, a movie was made about World War I called “All Quiet on the Western Front”. In one scene, some American soldiers were talking. One soldier asked, “Where do wars come from anyway?” Another replied, “Well, one country gets mad at another country, and they start fighting.” The first soldier asked, “Do you mean that one piece of land gets mad at another piece of land?” “No,” the other replied, “the PEOPLE of one country get mad at the PEOPLE of the other” The first soldier picked up his rifle and started walking away. When asked where he was going, he said, “I’m going home. I’m not mad at anybody”.

Don’t you wish it was that easy? Don’t you wish we could just walk away from war? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. The Christian way is the pacifist way. Pacifists claim to be peacemakers, but sometimes being a peacemaker means going to war. The great Roman Emperor Julius Caesar once said, “If you want peace, prepare for war”.

How should we treat our enemies?

One day long ago, when things were looking darkest for the free world, Adolph Hitler was addressing a large audience in Germany. In the front row sat a man of pronounced Semitic appearance. Following his address, Hitler came down from the platform, walked up to this man and said, “While I was speaking, you were laughing. What were you laughing about?” The man replied, “I wasn’t laughing. I was thinking”. “What were you thinking about?” asked Hitler.

“I was thinking about my people, the Jews, and that you are not the first man who didn’t like us. A long time ago, there was another man who didn’t like us. His name was Pharaoh, and he put heavy burdens on us down there in Egypt. But for years we Jews have had a feast called Passover, and at that feast we have a little three-cornered cake and we eat that cake in memory of Pharaoh”.

“Years later there was another man who didn’t like us.  His name was Haman and he did his best to get rid of all the Jews throughout the realm of King Ahasuerus. But for years we Jews have had another feast called the feast of Purim and at that feast we have a little four-cornered cake and we eat that cake in memory of Haman”.

“And while you were up there speaking, sir, I was sitting here thinking and wondering what kind of a cake we were going to eat to remember you by”.

The Jewish man had a point. We must love our enemies if at all possible, but sometimes we need to heed the words of an old Irish blessing that goes like this. “May God bless those who love us, and those who do not love us, may He turn their hearts. If he does not turn their hearts, May he turn their ankles so we may know them by their limping.”

No one wants war. Pacifists believe that if we prepare for war, we will get war. In their view, the only way to achieve peace is to eliminate the causes of war, but sometimes this means going to war.  Sometimes war is the only way to get rid of dictators and terrorists like Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Hussein and bin Laden. The goal of pacifists is admirable and in fact we must try to avoid war if possible, but sometimes war is necessary and inevitable. Sooner or later war destroys those who resort to it, especially with nuclear weapons.

True pacifists believe in fighting with the weapons of the Holy Spirit. The pacifist position has always been a respected minority position among Christians. Jesus was not a pacifist. Just look at what he did to the moneychangers in the temple! He even told his disciples to be armed with swords-not for fighting snakes, but for self-defence. That’s why Peter was able to cut off the soldier’s ear in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before Christ was crucified.

What does God have to say about Iraq, Saddam Hussein, the Taliban and el-Qaida? The Old Testament gives several examples of situations where war is necessary-even desirable. War is something that can be learned, just as peace can be learned. Peace comes when all sides experience the freedom to be whole, creative and participating in decisions that affect their destiny. Peacemaking does NOT mean obtaining security at someone else’s expense. One of the recent popes said it well. “If you want peace, work for justice”. On some occasions working for justice means literally fighting for justice.

The New Testament ethic for individuals differs from the mandate for national leaders. Individuals are called to “turn the other cheek”, but Romans 13:4 calls a national leader “God’s servant, an angel of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer”. If there were no enforcers of justice, chaos would prevail. War is always a tragedy, but occasionally the alternatives are worse than war.

A just war must follow St. Augustine’s guidelines:

1. It must be declared by a legitimate authority

2. It must be carried out with the right intention
3. It must be approved as a last resort

4. It must be waged on the basis of proportionality. That is, the good to be accomplished must be greater than the suffering and killing that will be unleashed

5. There must be a reasonable chance of success.

6. It must be waged with all the moderation possible. In other words, it must follow the rules of The Hague and Geneva Conventions. Civilians and POWs are to be protected as much as possible.

War is hell. It might be necessary at times, but it is not “good”. It is evil. We find strength not in our weapons, but in our faith in God. War is a tragic fact of life in our world. God prefers peace, but he often sends his people into war. He does so under three conditions:

1. To liberate oppressed people.

2. To punish evildoers

3. To defend themselves

Is God against war and military people? No. Is pacifism the right way for Christians? Not necessarily. Is the violence of war ever acceptable? Yes. Is there a time to go to war that is right? Yes. As I mentioned earlier, on rare occasions the alternatives to war are worse than war. Surely no reasonable person believes the world would have been better if Hitler had not been defeated. In fact, many historians believe that if the British and French had intervened in 1936 when Hitler illegally occupied the Rhineland, World War II could have been prevented. The League of Nations was unwilling to enforce its own mandate, and the League died.

A more modern example occurred in 1991 when Europeans tried to solve the problems in Yugoslavia without American help. But when the situation in Kosovo degenerated into genocide, no other nation was willing to act without American help. The U.S.-led coalition stopped the genocide and brought war criminals to justice.

The great German Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonheoffer was a pacifist at the beginning of World War II, but before the war ended, he was part of a failed plot to assassinate Hitler. The Gestapo imprisoned him. He died at age 39 on Nazi gallows at the Flossenbürg concentration camp, stripped of clothes and dignity. His close friend and biographer, Eberhard Bethge, said this about Bonhoeffer’s decision to try to kill Hitler: “A Christian should not kill…but there are times when you are responsible for human beings around you, and you have to think about all means to stop that man who is killing.”

Today, we live in a society which teaches us in so many ways to love ourselves and to “look out for number one”. Well, that’s not what Jesus taught, and that’s not what people learn in the military either. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he should lay down his life for his friends”. Countless soldiers have done that over the years, and we remember their sacrifices every Remembrance Day. They threw themselves on top of grenades or covered the flank on a dangerous mission, or in some other way paid the highest price. They died young, on fields of battle all over the world. Their example of courage and self-sacrifice could be well learned by many Christians today who live their faith somewhere between comfort and commitment.

For those who say they are human shields, if you want to see the real human shields, look up the names of the emergency workers and public servants who died on 9/11; look at the soldiers, sailors and emergency workers who put their lives on the line every day for our safety and security; look at the names on the cenotaphs in communities throughout this country; walk the rows of crosses and see the Stars of David at Normandy, Pusan and thousands of other cemeteries in this nation and around the world and see the people who hated war but made the Supreme Sacrifice.

War is simply enforcing a law by protecting yourself, your fellow citizens and all freedom-loving people with great numbers from those who would destroy you and them. An enemy will destroy us unless we defend ourselves. War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest thing. We must pray that God will use war to bring salvation and freedom to many. We have been at war against tyranny and evil for a long time, but in our complacency, we have bought into the notion that if we ignore the problem long enough, it will go away. Osama bin Laden declared war on the free world on 9/11, but he merely put into practice what he had been preaching since 1983-we simply failed to get the message before 9/11. Problems do NOT go away if they are ignored. In fact, they only get worse unless they are dealt with.

War is righteous when we preserve freedom. When we fight to free innocent people, we are fighting a righteous war and for a righteous cause. We can’t lose if we pray and ask God for a revival. We need to lift those whose families are touched by war. We are to resist evil in ALL its forms. We are to go on the attack. That’s why we fight people like Hitler and bin Laden. Behind every evil dictator who would destroy freedom, behind every evil force that would bring fear into the hearts of people is the evil one- SATAN. Peace at any price is not peace-it is appeasement.

Those whom God loves as a father may despise all the hatred of the entire world. As we abide in Christ-finding strength through his enabling grace to be conformed to his image, we find the ability to do as he commands, including fighting in wars for our country. If we love one another as Christ loves us, we will willingly give up our lives for our friends. Martyrdom is a daily part of the Christian life, just like many of our veterans were prepared to die for their country.

We all need friends and they need us. Friends are necessary, not just for emotional support, but also because there are some responsibilities we simply cannot handle alone-like fighting alongside your buddies in a war for a just cause. Sometimes you just get so desperate that all you want is to have a flesh and blood just like you next to you. He doesn’t have to understand everything that’s going on in you. You just want him there, next to you, because he cares, listening, feeling, his hands clasping yours, his eyebrows rising and falling with your stories, his sighs answering your sobbing, and who is willing to go down with you, a friend ready to take the last plunge with you.

There can be no greater love for one’s friends than to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, even to the point of death. Every human institution works best when relationships are firmly based on mutual respect and human values, at the root of which is love. As we move toward a global civilization no other value system will prove worthwhile. Laying down one’s life for his friends, like Christ laid down his life, is no accident or suddenly pressed decision with no time to think. It is a committed, deliberate, calculated action of friendship for all.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but it takes an entire lifetime to forget them. At every Remembrance Day service we hear the line, “At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them”. We must remember them, and the supreme sacrifice they made, so we can enjoy the freedoms we have today. True love is costly. A true lover gives the best he can offer and is willing to sacrifice everything he has for the beloved. True friends-like veterans, armed forces personnel and emergency services personnel- will lay down their lives for each other and those they are trying to rescue and protect.

The friendship of Jesus had no motive other than sheer goodness and love. He asked nothing of his friends except to stand by him in his final hours of anguish and decision in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus defined the crucial test when he said on the night before he was crucified, “Greater love has no man than this, but that he lay down his life for his friends”.

(An audio version of this message can be found by clicking this link: John 15 verses 12-17 We Will Remember Them)

Remembrance Day 2014 was a special day in a special year. On Remembrance Day we pause to remember and give thanks for those who fought in wars past to preserve our freedom and those who still work to protect our freedoms today. In 2014 we also remembered three significant events in history: the 100^th anniversary of the start of WWI, the 75^th anniversary of the start of WWII and the 70^th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy during WWII.

Anniversaries are times of celebration and reflection. Remembrance Day is a time to reflect on wars past and present. We live in chaotic times, but the world has been in chaotic times since the beginning of time. We have been fighting wars since the beginning of time, and we are still fighting wars today. Since the end of World War II, there have been more than 250 wars worldwide.

Here in Canada, we might think that we are immune to this. After all, the last time a war was fought on our soil was over 200 years ago during the War of 1812. Unfortunately, having this view is like looking at ourselves through rose-coloured glasses. The 2014 shootings at the National War Memorial and Parliament Hill and the 2014 hit-and-run death of a soldier in Quebec should serve as reminders that no one is immune from the forces of evil and terror.

No one in his or her right mind wants war. The cost in terms of money, property damage, injuries and death is astronomical, and those of you who have been in battle know what I am talking about. We must love our enemies, if at all possible, but sometimes we need to heed the words of an old Irish blessing that goes like this. “May God bless those who love us, and those who do not love us, may He turn their hearts. If he does not turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles so we may know them by their limping.”

Unfortunately, there are times when war is necessary. When I was preparing this message, I came across the message I delivered on Remembrance Day in 2006. In that message, I mentioned that pacifists believe that if we prepare for war, we will get war. In their view, the only way to achieve peace is to eliminate the causes of war, but sometimes this means going to war.  Sometimes war is the only way to get rid of dictators and terrorists like Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Hussein, and Osama bin Laden. The goal of pacifists is admirable and in fact we must try to avoid war, if possible, but sometimes war is necessary and inevitable. Sooner or later war destroys those who resort to it, especially with nuclear weapons.

War is hell. It might be necessary at times, but it is not “good”. It is evil. We find strength not in our weapons, but in our faith in God. War is a tragic fact of life in our world. God prefers peace, but he often sends his people into war. He does so under three conditions:

1.      To liberate oppressed people.

2.      To punish evildoers

3.      To defend themselves.

True pacifists believe in fighting with the weapons of the Holy Spirit. The pacifist position has always been a respected minority position among Christians. Jesus was not a pacifist. Just look at what he did to the moneychangers in the temple! He even told his disciples to be armed with swords-not for fighting snakes, but for self-defence. That’s why Peter was able to cut off the soldier’s ear in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before Christ was crucified.

Our spiritual battle plan is similar to a military battle plan. We have objectives, strategies and tactics. Satan and Jesus plan their attacks and direct their forces just like a military general does. We have to put on spiritual armour just like soldiers have to put on battle armor. Our armour is Christ himself. He fights Satan on our behalf just like armed forces fight battles on behalf of their political masters. The real battle in life is against Satan and evil in all of its forms. Our opponents bring evil into our lives just like enemy armies bring evil onto a physical battlefield.

Life is a battleground. Those of you who have fought in times of war know what it is like to be on a real battlefield. You were armed and ready for battle against the forces of evil just like each and every one of us has to be ready to fight the same battle. You had to be watchful, and so do we. We have to watch out for obstacles that will make us stumble on our walk of life, and our veterans had to deal with obstacles such as barriers, barbed wire and mines. Our struggle with evil will result in certain victory because of God’s promise to be with us in good times and in bad times.  Our veterans had to keep their minds on their duties in order to improve their odds of success and survival. We as Christians have to increase our chances of success in spiritual warfare by keeping our minds on God’s word. Our veterans had no guarantee that they would win their battles, but they didn’t give up. They persevered in spite of harsh conditions, and so can we because we are bold soldiers in God’s army.

Veterans fought to free people from the bondage of occupation by hostile forces. Spiritual warfare also involves freeing people from bondage-the bondage of sin and evil. There were many times when our veterans cried out in despair for God to protect them. After all, there is an old saying that “there are no atheists in foxholes.” Christian warriors are also encouraged to turn to God in faith. In both cases, evil in all of its forms is resisted. God helps us in our struggles. He will stand with us during the battles of life just like he stood with our veterans in wars past and just like he stands with the members of our armed forces today. He will give us the ammunition and the equipment we need to fight the battle.

So how can we fight the enemies of today and win? The answer is simple. We must use weapons that are similar in nature to weapons used by soldiers in times of war. These similar weapons were outlined by the apostle Paul in the reading from Ephesians 6:10-17. Each piece of this armour of God is an ethical quality which is derived from the character of Christ and which is ours through faith.

First, we have to put on our helmets. Just like a physical helmet protects soldiers in battle, a spiritual helmet protect Christian soldiers. A soldier on the battlefield has confidence that his helmet will protect his head, and a Christian soldier has confidence that nothing can separate him or her from the love of God. As Paul says in Romans 8:31-39, if God is for us, who can be against us?

Next, we are to arm ourselves with weapons. In the case of a soldier on the battlefield, these weapons include guns and grenades. On the spiritual battlefield, the weapon is the truth of the Word of God.

We are to wear a belt. A soldier’s belt allows him to carry his weapons. A spiritual warrior wears the belt of truth-truth about himself or herself, relationships, God and God’s love, our spouses and children and relatives. The belt of truth allows us to live truthfully and not to live a lie. The belt of truth is the best weapon to use for fighting evil.

We are also to arm ourselves with shields of protection. A soldier on the battlefield today or a police officer on duty wears a bulletproof vest and a helmet. Riot police are also equipped with face shields and full-length body shields. A Christian soldier has the resources of the greatest shield of all-Jesus Christ. He stands with us and fights with us and for us against Satan’s attacks.

A good soldier also needs good footwear. Soldiers wear boots that have to meet tough regulations. Christians are to wear the sandals of peace. Just like a soldier’s boots provide traction for every type of terrain, the good spiritual boot called the Gospel gives Christians the stability of sure footing when we face pain and fear. These spiritual boots will allow us to take the gospel anywhere and everywhere, just like a soldier’s boots will allow him to go anywhere and everywhere.

Even the best equipment does not offer a 100% guarantee of safety, survival and victory. On Remembrance Day we remember those who made the supreme sacrifice to ensure victory in wars past. We have heard the list of donations that have been made and wreaths that have been purchased. All these wreaths and all of the donations are in memory of those who fought and died in battle. To many of us, these people are just names on a sheet of paper or on a cenotaph, but to those who made the donation or purchased the wreath, these people were husbands, fathers, sons and brothers, many of whom went off to war and never came home. They are still remembered and missed by those they left behind. They are remembered on the cenotaphs in communities throughout this country and on the rows of crosses at Normandy, Pusan and thousands of other cemeteries in this nation and around the world.  They were people who hated war but made the Supreme Sacrifice.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this message, 2014 marked the 100^th anniversary of the start of WWI, the 75^th anniversary of the start of WWII and the 70^th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy during WWII. Have we learned anything from these events? Have we learned anything from war at all? The answer to both questions is both yes and no. Warfare has taught us that it is something to be avoided if possible. In the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows. One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means. How much longer must we play at deadly war games before we heed the plaintive pleas of the unnumbered dead and maimed of past wars?”

One thing we as society have not learned from war is that we live in a world where the ambitions and greed of a few can cost the lives of thousands. Nazi Germany was a good example. Hitler’s greed for land and his ambition to get rid of the Jews cost millions of lives. Is it even possible to live peaceably with others? In a recent newspaper column, Billy Graham was asked why nations can’t get along with each other. He was also asked if warfare could be eliminated if poverty was eliminated. He stated in his reply that “Even if all poverty were somehow eliminated, we’d still have conflicts and wars. This is because our real problem us deeper than economic inequality, or other social or economic problem. Our real problem is within ourselves, within our own hearts and minds.”

As long as there is greed and evil in this world, there will be war. War will only cease when we live according to the way God wants us to live, and that will only happen when Christ returns. Until then, there will always be a Remembrance Day, because there will always be a need to remember the lessons of war as well as those who made the Supreme Sacrifice.

(An audio version of this post can be found by clicking this link: Ephesians 6 verses 10-17 Spiritual Warfare and Real Warfare)

Bibliography

1.      Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)

2.      Franklin Graham, “Standing Strong in Battle.” Retrieved from www.bgea.org

3.      Stephen Davey, “Dressed for War.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

4.      Dr. David Jeremiah, “The Armor of Righteousness.” Retrieved from www.davidjeremiah.org

5.      Dr. David Jeremiah, “Christ our Armor.” Retrieved from www.davidjeremiah.org

6.      Pastor Rick Renner, “Spiritual Warfare is real.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

7.      Dr. Neil Anderson, “Choosing Truth.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

8.      Sheri Rose Shepherd, “Stand.” Retrieved from Biblegateway@e.biblegateway.com

9.      Pastor Rick Renner, “Are You Dressed in the Whole Armor of God?” retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

10.  Bruce Epperly, “Justice for Veterans and the Vulnerable: A Veterans’ Day Reflection.” Retrieved from www.patheos.com

11.  Dunnam, M.D. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 31: Galatians/Ephesians/Philippians/Colossians/Philemon (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982)

12.  Craig Condon, “We Will Remember.” Retrieved from the author’s personal sermon library

13.  Billy Graham, “Why Can’t Nations Get Along?” Retrieved from www.arcamax.com

In Romans 15:14-21, Paul talks about his evangelistic ministry as if it is the activity of a priest bringing his offering to the Lord in order that the heart of God might be gladdened. Having talked about God’s ministry to the Gentiles in the first part of this chapter, Paul now lays out the principles by which he carried out the ministry God gave him. There are many motivations to evangelism that are detectable in Paul, but overriding even the concern for the lostness of the lost is the deep desire that the Lord might be honored and glorified by the reconciliation of men and women through the work of Christ on the Cross. While he never hesitates to affirm his position of authority and responsibility as the one to whom “grace [was] given,” there is a humble aspect to his statement as he affirms also his complete dependence on the Lord.

Not wanting to jeopardize his relationship with the believers in Rome by seeming to be insensitive, presumptuous, or unloving, Paul sets out to explain how he could write such a forthright letter to a church he did not found and had never visited. The believers in Rome hated evil and loved righteousness, attitudes their lives clearly displayed. Goodness (a desire to serve) coupled with knowledge and spiritual understanding will naturally manifest itself in ministry to one another.

The word “minister” derives from the Greek word for “liturgy.” It is a priestly word pertaining to sacrifice. Paul saw his ministry as a sacrifice to God and himself as a living sacrifice. The goal of ministry is not only to see people saved or baptized-or even to join a particular church. The ultimate goal is their sanctification. In fact, the Great Commission of Matthew 28 is not just one of conversion but of discipleship.

Although Paul’s practice was always to present the gospel to the Jews first in every city he visited, his primary apostolic calling was to the Gentiles. Having referred to himself as a minister, a word with priestly overtones, Paul explains that his priestly ministry is to present to God an offering of a multitude of Gentile converts. Paul’s goal was to reach those who had never heard the gospel—the primary function of a New Testament evangelist. But for pastor-teachers, building on the foundation laid by such an evangelist is the crucial part of their ministry

Paul is not boasting about himself but glorifying in what Christ has accomplished through him. He characterizes his ministry to the Gentiles as being in word and deed. Paul’s impact on people was not just intellectual (though that was formidable), his life made an impact as a living epistle illustrating the resurrection reality of Jesus.

Paul would not create the appearance of rivalry with other apostles and teachers. His work in Rome was not to usurp another missionary’s work but to pass through to western regions where the name of Christ was not yet known. The distance between Jerusalem and present-day Albania and Yugoslavia is about 1,400 miles. Paul said he preached through that whole area, taking the gospel to the Gentiles. But he didn’t just preach-he was involved in the whole spectrum of establishing the Gentiles in a relationship with God: salvation, church planting, discipleship, problem-solving, and conflict resolution.

The miracles in Romans 15:19 authenticated Paul as a true apostle of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 12:12 he refers to them as “the signs of an apostle,” and “signs and wonders and mighty deeds.” There are no apostles today but there is the word of God.

The mighty preaching, the powerful living, the remarkable conversions are all attributable to the work of God in him and the flow of blessing through him. Paul’s entire ministry was based on the grace of God. Believers are not only saved by grace, they serve by grace. Believers simply serve and leave the results to Him. Every Christian has been given grace to minister in some capacity.  Every believer is responsible to encourage and strengthen other believers with God’s Word and is divinely equipped to do so. In spite of their spiritual strength, these Christians needed to be reminded of truths they already knew but could easily neglect or even forget.

When people come to you for advice or with questions, the best thing you can do is show them what God’s Word says about their problem or question and how God’s Word applies to their situation. But you can’t do that unless you know the Word and are allowing it to do its work in you first. Then you’ll be able to offer advice or answer their questions more effectively.

When was the last time you presented the gospel to someone? Are you scared to be the light-giver that God has created you to be? Pray today that God would bring you opportunities to share your faith and give you the courage to take them. Find people committed to Scripture, share your concerns, and let them speak truth into your life. Now step out in faith and keep your eyes open!

(An audio version of this post can be found by clicking this link: Romans 15 verses 14-21 How to Be a Minister on Earth)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1565-1566)
2. Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 253-255)
3. MacArthur, J.F., Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
4. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010)
5. Stephen Davey, “How Does God Answer Your Questions?” Retrieved from stephen@wisdomonline.org
6. Pastor John MacArthur, “Giving Godly Counsel.” Retrieved from internetministry@gty.org

Masiko raced to the garden on the other side of the road. The sun shone warm and comforting on her head as she ran. She waved at a majestic looking kob, a type of antelope plentiful in Uganda, that was watching her lazily from behind some reeds. Masiko gathered some bananas and jackfruit for her mother, then ran back across the road.

She heard the motorcycle too late. Pain seared down Masiko’s leg as she hit the hard ground. A man scrambled off the motorcycle and raced to help her; concern etched in the lines on his forehead.

Weeks later, Masiko was still in the hospital. The bone in her leg had been shattered in several places, and the doctor spoke to her mother in hushed tones about the length of time it would take her to recover.

After Masiko’s mother left that night to care for her brothers and sisters back at home, nurse Afyia came in to check on her. “You are such a sweet girl,” Afyia told her. “You are always smiling even though I know you are in pain.” Afyia adjusted Masiko’s pillow for her. “Masiko, do you mind if I ask you a question?” Afyia’s dark eyes were kind. “How are you so full of joy? Your life has been interrupted by this unfortunate accident, and you have to spend your days in this bed, yet you still radiate hope.”

Masiko grinned. “Afyia, do you know what my name means? Hope! I have hope because of Jesus. I want to show you a Bible verse I read this morning.”

Masiko pulled her turquoise-covered Bible out from under her pillow and flipped to the book of Romans. “Here it is–‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.’ God is the one who gives me hope. No matter what happens, I can trust Him because He gave His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for me so I could have eternal life! I am His child, and nothing can happen to me without Him knowing about it. He has a reason for me being in this hospital. I may not understand, but He is with me, giving me comfort and hope.”

Afyia’s eyes glistened. “Masiko, please tell me more about this God of hope.”

In Romans 15:1-13, Paul begins by actually writing about Scripture and its purpose. This purpose is surprising in itself, given our present-day debates on the nature of Scripture! Paul doesn’t write that it provides us with a moral code or a detailed recipe for a prosperous and good life. No, Scripture’s primary goal is to create hope in us. But we must still ask, what type of hope?

The hope that the Holy Spirit creates within us is not simply for our personal good. It is a hope that is shared with others. It is a hope in which we are a part with many others. In fact, it is the communal nature of this hope that makes it so joyful!

If we are serious about our Christian faith, we must take into consideration how our actions affect others. We cannot grow in faith in isolation from others, and in our interactions with others we should have edification in mind. The phrase “bear with the scruples of the weak” uses the same word Paul used in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens.” This is not a call to tolerance or condescension but a charge to accept people for who they are and to help carry their burdens. Believers are free to exercise their own convictions, but they should do so considering their interest of others before their own. The strong are not to simply tolerate the weaknesses of their weaker brothers; they are to help the weak shoulder their burdens by showing loving and practical consideration for them.

Paul urges the strong and the weak, despite their differing views on these non-essential issues, to pursue loving, spiritual harmony regarding matters on which the Bible is silent.  The onus of responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of those who are “strong,” meaning those who in areas of spiritual freedom are free to enjoy such liberty. A conscious decision on the part of the strong is necessary—a decision to refrain voluntarily and sacrificially from the enjoyment of legitimate freedom if it is necessary for the “pleasing” of the neighbor. To make such a decision and to adopt such an attitude requires remarkable and commendable strength and maturity. This comes from a variety of sources.

First, there is the understanding that Christian life in the community of believers involves concern for the edifying or the “upbuilding” of both the individual and the body. Second, there has to be a desire for the glory of God. There is little that brings honor to the Lord in a feuding, fighting fellowship. Third, there is the factor of the Word of God, which produces “patience and comfort” in trying times and which outlines the principles to which God is committed in His dealings with mankind. Fourth, there is the working of the Lord Himself, as outlined in the apostle’s positive and exhilarating benediction of verse 13. “Hope, joy, and peace” are ingredients needed in great measure by those whose commitment is to edifying those who are locked in conflict. Finally, there has to be some degree of confidence in the people involved in addition to the confidence placed in the “God of hope.” Paul’s expression of this is outstanding.

Christ’s sacrificial life was evidence of His sacrificial love. Paul quoted from Psalm 69, one of the great messianic psalms of the Old Testament. It had meaning in its own day and context, but it also had prophetic meaning for Christ. Paul was thinking of the Old Testament when referring to” the Scriptures.” Christians can find strength to live for others by reading the Scriptures. The Greek word for patience is sometimes translated as “Patient endurance.” The phrase “the patience…of the Scriptures” does not mean the Bible has patience; it means patience and endurance are fruits that come through reading the Bible. The normal Christian life is to be characterized by hope, joy, and peace. As we grow in grace, God wants us to experience more and more of each of them—and if they’re lacking, something has gone wrong.

The practice of spiritual unity is simple to define. It means being like-minded toward one another. The purpose of spiritual unity is equally simple: that God might be glorified. The purpose is unity of thought, but Paul adds that this unity of thought happens “among each other,” according to Christ Jesus.” The unity of thought does not mean that the diversity (“among each other”) disappears. However, the criterion of unity among diversity is Christ Jesus. If Christ remains the decisive factor for the community, then the community can reach unity through its diversity and thus glorify God. Glorification is important but has to be done as a community. In this context, the coming of the Messiah and the hope and promises associated with it, is about the future of the nations and their incorporation in the people of God, alongside Israel.

Salvation for Gentiles was not an afterthought for God. He planned from the beginning that the gospel would go to the ends of the earth. Paul cites four Old Testament scriptures that refer to the Gentiles. The first is from Psalm 18:49 where David, as a type of Christ, says he will confess God’s name among the Gentiles. The last quotation is from Isaiah 11:10, where the prophet says the Gentiles “shall hope” in the Messiah.

In Psalm 117:1, the Gentiles were challenged to praise God on their own. First the Gentiles listened to God being praised. Then they praised Him along with the Jews. Now Paul shows how the Old Testament expected them to praise God on their own. Significantly, the Jews are not mentioned in this verse. The proper blessing in Romans 15:13 is for all the believers in the church at Rome. The Centre of the blessing is the reality that God is a God of hope, perhaps prompted by the reference in verse 12 to the Gentiles hoping in the Messiah.

(An audio version of this message can be found by clicking this link: Romans 15 verses 1-13 God-Given Hope)

Bibliography

1. Jermiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1565)
2. Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 250-253)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomaas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Valerie Nicolet, “Commentary on Romans 15:4-13.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
6. Dirk G. Lange, “Commentary on Romans 15:4-13.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
7. Savannah Coleman, “Living Hope.” Retrieved from info@keysforkids.org

“Everybody likes Lance,” Jessalyn thought as she flipped through a magazine. “He’s so popular at school, and he gets along with Mom and Dad much better than I do. Even Tobin likes Lance better than me.” As Jessalyn turned the page, three-year-old Tobin came over and pulled at her arm. “Play with me,” he begged.

“No,” answered Jessalyn crossly. “Play by yourself.”

“Jessalyn!” Mom called from the back yard. “Come help me weed the flower beds.”

Jessalyn left Tobin and went out on the patio. “Do I have to?” she whined.

“Yes, you do,” replied Mom, so Jessalyn unwillingly joined her mother in the garden. “You can start over there,” said Mom, pointing to the end of a row.

Jessalyn pouted as she slowly pulled weeds. She swatted at a mosquito. After a little while, she noticed a ladybug on one of the plants. “Look, Mom,” she said. “A ladybug. Should I whack it?”

“No!” said Mom. “Ladybugs are our friends. I read somewhere that they eat harmful insects that destroy crops. The article said they’re sometimes caught and shipped to farmers and fruit-growers all over the world and then released in the fields and orchards. We need them!”

“So mosquitoes are just pests, but ladybugs are popular because they’re helpful?” asked Jessalyn. Mom nodded.

Just then Lance stepped out on the patio. “I finished cleaning the garage, Mom,” he called out. “Tobin wants me to take him to the playground. Is there something else I should do, or is that okay?”

“That’d be great!” said Mom. “Thanks, Lance.”

“Mom, why does everybody like Lance so much?” asked Jessalyn as she watched her brothers start down the sidewalk.

“Well . . . why do you think?” replied Mom.

“I guess because . . .” As Jessalyn hesitated, she saw another ladybug. “Because he’s helpful and does nice things for people,” she decided. “He’s like a ladybug, right?” Mom nodded. “I’ll tell him that,” said Jessalyn with a grin. “Do you think he’ll like being compared to a ladybug?”

Mom laughed. “He probably wouldn’t mind, once you explain it.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” replied Jessalyn. “It’s better than being a mosquito.” She thought to herself a moment, then smiled at Mom. “I’d better get back to pulling these weeds!”

The apostle makes a surprisingly strong affirmation of his conviction that in the matters he is discussing there is nothing fundamentally right or wrong about the meat or the day. But if the other person has a strong conscience about the wrongness of participation in the meat or the rightness of recognition of the day, then to that person it is a matter of right or wrong. From a purely biblical point of view, it is not possible to argue the “teetotal” position. If a person feels that partaking of alcoholic beverages is wrong, then it would be wrong for him to partake. But he cannot and must not impose that view on his brother. At the same time, it would be wrong for the brother who has no scruples in this matter to bring pressure to bear on his more scrupulous brother. When understood, the apostle’s words are clear in their direction.

The word “destroy” means to tear down or to keep something or someone from reaching its potential. A lack of love and care for another can cause them to engage in behaviour that wounds their conscience and keeps them from growing spiritually. By the apostle’s definition the strong person is the one who is free in areas of God-given freedom and sees no need to build regulations around his freedom, while the weak brother is the one who feels that he needs help in the area of freedom and adds principles which of themselves may be quite right but which are not biblical in origin.

A Christian’s testimony can be hurt if what he or she does in the name of good is spoken of as evil by others. Paul is not recommending surrendering one’s freedom but using it wisely. The believer’s focus should be on the values of the kingdom of God, not worship styles or modes of dress. The Enemy does all he can to drive people toward division. The Spirit drives God’s family toward unity. Meanwhile the brother who has scruples must live within his own limits because if he contravenes them, he must remember “he who doubts is condemned if he eats”. The inevitability of differences and the possibility of controversies in the Christian church can be viewed either positively or negatively. Paul teaches the Roman believers that they must allow for differences, but they must avoid division. In summary, they must commit themselves to working in love to produce a unified body that demonstrates the diversity of God’s wonderful handiwork.

Paul is talking about “the work of God” in another person’s life. Every believer is “His workmanship created in Christ Jesus,” not to be destroyed or frustrated by another believer’s lack of love or self-control. Christians should use their freedoms to advance the work of God in others’ lives.

If we are not sure that something we would like to do honors God—if we cannot do it in faith—then we should refrain. If we do, we will violate our consciences, experience guilt, and perhaps be driven back into deeper legalism instead of moving toward freedom. A weak believer may be hurt when he sees a brother do something he believes is sinful. But still worse, the strong believer may cause his weaker brother to violate his own conscience. Love will ensure that the strong Christian is sensitive and understanding of his brother’s weaknesses. When unbelievers see a strong Christian abusing his freedom in Christ and harming a weaker brother, they will conclude that Christianity is filled with unloving people, which reflects badly on God’s reputation. The strong believer maintains a healthy conscience because he does not give a weak believer a cause to stumble.

More mature Christians are sometimes tempted to flaunt their knowledge or faith. Paul’s advice is to keep it between oneself and God. Paul’s words in Galatians 5:13 are a good summary of his whole argument in Romans 14:” Do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

(An audio version of this message can be found by clicking this link: Romans 14 verses 14-23 The Strong Help the Weak)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1564)
2. Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 247-249)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J. F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

In Romans 14:1-13 Paul exhorts the Roman Church to focus on offering their lives to God through Christ, not on judging one another’s actions and practices. They were not to spend their time judging themselves as strong in the faith and their brothers and sisters as weak, their eating and Sabbath practices as righteous and others’ as below the mark.

There were in the church those whom Paul describes as “weak in the faith.” By this he means that there were areas of immaturity in their relationship to Christ and His church. This was particularly evident in those who felt it necessary to maintain certain rules and regulations in their Christian lives that were neither taught nor encouraged by the Lord Jesus. For instance, those who came from a Jewish background were fastidious about their eating habits. This was undoubtedly related to the dietary laws that had been part of their religious heritage from time immemorial. They would never eat certain animals and would not eat others unless they were sure that they had been killed in the correct way. Believers saved out of Judaism were in the church at Rome. Rather than running the risk of eating non-kosher meals, they did not eat meat at all.

Apparently, some in the church who felt free to eat meat passed judgment on those who did not. When Paul suggests vegetarians also judged those who ate meat, he is saying the sin of despising and disgracing brothers and sisters can work both ways. Neither behaviour is acceptable to the Lord, both must be avoided in the body of Christ.

The same kind of conflict swirled around the issue of the commemoration of certain days in the calendar. The Jewish reverence for the sabbath was so profound that they had hedged it around with many rules lest they contravene the sabbath laws by chance. The result of their attention to minute detail was a kind of tyranny which they applied to all and sundry, including the Lord Jesus, whose more relaxed approach they deeply resented.

The threat to unity Paul addresses in this passage arises when mature believers—both Jews and Gentiles—conflict with immature believers. The strong Jewish believers understood their freedom in Christ and realized the ceremonial requirements of the Mosaic law were no longer binding. The mature Gentiles understood that idols are not gods and, therefore, that they could eat meat that had been offered to them. But in both cases the weaker brothers’ consciences were troubled, and they were even tempted to violate their consciences. Knowing that the mature Jews and Gentiles would be able to understand these struggles, Paul addresses most of his comments to them.

The weak Jewish believer had difficulty abandoning the rites and prohibitions of the Old Covenant; he felt compelled to adhere to dietary laws, observe the Sabbath, and offer sacrifices in the temple. The strong hold the weak in contempt as legalistic and self-righteous; the weak judge the strong to be irresponsible at best and perhaps depraved. The weak Gentile believer had been steeped in pagan idolatry and its rituals; he felt that any contact with anything remotely related to his past, including eating meat that had been offered to a pagan deity and then sold in the marketplace, tainted him with sin. Both had very sensitive consciences in these areas and were not yet mature enough to be free of those convictions.

There is a message here for us 21^st-century Christians as well. When we judge others, we place our authority above God’s. We are all only servants of God in God’s household. We are to focus on God, not our supposed superiority to others. All conduct must take its reference from our service to Jesus whose claim to lordship over all comes from his death and resurrection. We will not have to justify to God the conduct of others, but only our own.

Differences in how we follow our consciences always have the potential to threaten our fellowship as believers in Christ. A story about Ruth Graham, wife of the famous evangelist, illustrates how differences can threaten our unity. Mrs. Graham, dressed and made up as would seem fitting for any American woman in the 1970s, attended a luncheon with wives of conservative pastors in Germany. These German Christians had more conservative ideas regarding how women should look. They did not believe that married Christian women should wear makeup or clothing that made them look too much like the world. As a result, a German pastor’s wife, sitting across from Ruth Graham, became very upset. She thought it was shameful that the wife of this famous evangelist looked so worldly. Why, Ruth Graham was even wearing mascara! The German pastor’s wife became so angry that she started crying right into her beer. Meanwhile Ruth Graham couldn’t understand why the woman was crying, although it bothered her that a self-respecting pastor’s wife was drinking beer at a meeting to prepare for an evangelistic crusade where Christians come together as the unified body of Christ.

There is a major difference between doing things out of a sense of convention and doing them from a sense of conviction. The former approach is often a capitulation to the pressures of external factors while the latter should be the product of deep thought and careful evaluation. Paul wants the believers to deal with their controversial issues on the solid base of commitment to Christ rather than surrender to pressure. God wants us to learn how to live by faith, and that means He doesn’t give us a thick rulebook that answers all our questions. He wants us to develop personal convictions based on our ongoing relationship with Him.

Each Christian must follow the dictates of his own conscience in matters not specifically commanded or prohibited in Scripture. Since conscience is a God-given mechanism to warn and respond to the highest standard of moral law in the mind, it is not sensible to train yourself to ignore it. Rather, respond to its compunctions and as you mature, by learning more, your mind will not alert it to those things which are not essential.

God is pleased with the individual Christian because of Christ, not because of his or her views on peripheral matters. Christians are to have the same attitude, striving toward unity, not unnecessary dissention. Love and fellowship in Christ should be the basis for Christian acceptance of one another.

Christians will stand one day before Christ’s judgment seat, not to determine their salvation, but to have their works examined for the purpose of rewards. How Christ evaluates each believer is what matters, and His judgment does not take into account religious tradition or personal preference. Paul’s point is that every Christian is ultimately responsible to the Lord, and while we do have the responsibility to encourage, correct, and edify each other, we do not have the freedom to take over the work of evaluation. This only the One who will eventually sit on the Judgment Seat is qualified to do.

Every believer should make sure their conscience does not condemn them and then act on what they believe, being responsible for making judgments about things not specifically covered in Scripture. The centre of the Christian life is faithfulness and love toward God-whether in obeying Scripture or seeking to apply scriptural principles to.

What sort of account would you have to give to Jesus of the way you lived this past week? What would you tell Him about the way you lived today? Would He be happy about your plans for tomorrow?

(An audio version of the message can be found by clicking this link: Romans 14 versees 1-13 Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1564)
2. Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 244-247)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F., Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers)
5. Alyce McKenzie, “You Be the Judge (Not!): Reflections on Romans 14 verses 1-12.” Retrieved from www.patheos.com/about-patheos/alyce-makenzie
6. Mark Reasoner, “Commentary on Romans 14:1-12.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

God is love, and the law reflects God’s character; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. Obedience is never about slavishly following rules, but always about eagerly pleasing a loving God. Since God’s love for us has been poured out on us, Paul here calls us to allow this love to extend towards our neighbor. Why doesn’t Paul mention what Jesus calls the first commandment–to love God with heart, soul, mind and strength? Perhaps because he sees the two commandments as closely related. If a person truly loves neighbor as self, the person is simultaneously loving God. There can be no mystic or recluse who is fulfilling the first commandment of loving God while breaking the second commandment of loving neighbor.

The greatest moral force in the world is not the law but love. Love for God and for others empowers people to do what they cannot accomplish in the flesh-fulfill the law. Love is a theme found throughout Scripture; it is the theme of countless hymns and secular poetry; literature and music are permeated with its message. “Love makes the world go round,” we are told, and there is little doubt that all people hold the idea in high regard, respond to love’s attractive embrace, and in their noblest movements distinguish themselves by acts of love.

The first three words on Romans 13:11 tie the love of God to the Second Coming of the Son of God. What does the phrase “and do this” mean? It means to love one another as Jesus mentioned in Matthew 22:39. Not only must we grasp the reality that love is an obligation, but we must awaken to the reality of the nature of love. There is no doubt that love has its romantic moments and its sentimental aspects. That love has sexual connotations goes without saying, but the love of which Paul speaks is a choice to behave in a certain way, not necessarily because of romantic, sentimental, or sexual feelings, but simply because it is right.

Selecting other commandments from the Mosaic Law, Paul underlines his point and summarizes by reminding his readers of the Lord’s statement that the divine requirement is fulfilled in loving the neighbor. It is necessary to remember that God requires love to be shown first to Himself and then to the neighbor, but Paul’s emphasis at this juncture is on the interpersonal relationships which are to be a matter of prime concern to all believers.

Somewhere on the way from the seeming simplicity of the way life used to be to the overwhelming complexity of the way life is now, a lot of us decided it was all too much to take in.  So we pulled the covers over our heads to avoid the really difficult issues of life that have been thrust right under our noses on the evening news.  We have all kinds of ways of avoiding the hard truths that beg for our attention.  We lose ourselves in the images that play out on our television screens or in the world of social media.  We distract ourselves by overusing alcohol and overusing caffeine.  We become workaholics, keeping busy every waking minute.  Or we just go shopping.  Somehow spending money on something, on anything, seems to make us feel like everything’s really just fine.

But the reality is that we’re sleepwalking. We use these and many other distractions to keep from having to face the painful truths of our world. Paul says, however, that we can’t live like that anymore if we choose to follow Christ.  He says that the light of day has dawned, and we have to pull the covers off our heads and get up to face the sunrise.  Believers are to awake out of sleep, not be complacent in this period of the Lord’s presence. They can only see signs of the Lord’s return if they are awake and alert.

We can no longer afford to linger in the various distractions that keep us stumbling in the dark.  We cannot continue to blame those who are different from us simply because it’s easy.  We cannot continue to ignore the suffering around us because it is too painful to watch.  We cannot continue to indulge our selfishness just because it feels good to do so.

The two main questions related to loving our neighbor have to do with defining what love is and discovering who our neighbor is. The first is answered by the complete biblical statement—we are to love as we love ourselves. This means that minimally we are to have the same concern for the preservation, protection, and respect of our neighbors as we have for ourselves. A normal, healthy person loves himself enough to be concerned about his own safety, security, and station in life. Normal love for the neighbor has at least the same concerns. The second question was answered once and for all by the Lord in the parable of the Good Samaritan: my neighbor is any man in the sphere of my influence whose needs I am in a position to meet or whose sufferings I am in a position to alleviate. To love him is to take action and do something on the understanding that God in Christ loved me first and did something about me.

Salvation here is the third sense of that word in Scripture. Believers were saved in the past through justification, are continually saved through sanctification, and will ultimately be saved through glorification when Christ returns. At the moment of justification, the repentant believer is introduced to salvation that is far from complete—it is initial. At that same moment he also becomes an heir to salvation that is potential, but he must wait till he meets Christ face to face to experience salvation that in the fullest sense is actual.

If Christians were to live as citizens of the eternal age, their “walk” would have to be proper or consistent and that would mean no more involvement in much of contemporary life—the excesses of drunkenness, sexual immorality, partying, and general ill-disciplined capitulation to the base instincts of the sinful nature. Works of darkness are acts of sin people want hidden from sight. Works of light are acts of righteousness. Paul’s reference to armour indicates that spiritual warfare will characterize the wait for Jesus’ return.

Believers are not only to refrain from the sins of the flesh, but they must also not allow them to be a possibility. Love is to be the predominant characteristic of Christ while they await the return of Christ. Many Christians have “put off” the external evidence of selfish excess and indulgence but have failed to recognize that the unresolved conflicts and the intolerable frictions of their Christian relationships are simply the same fleshly attitudes dressed up in more acceptable garb. When recognized as such, they are to be “put off” with equal distaste.

The preventative action that needs to be taken is to “make no provision for the flesh”. We know we should avoid a certain place, but we go there anyway. We recognize a personal weakness for a particular activity, but we tempt ourselves anyway. How often do we fall into sin because we plan for it? Some people make things much harder for themselves by failing to take suitable steps to avoid problems. For instance, the believer who knows he has in the past been guilty of drunken behavior and excessive living is not helping himself if he continues to stock up his cocktail cabinet and regularly throws parties for his old cronies. By so doing, he is making provision for the flesh, and in all probability, he will eventually avail himself of that provision and return to “the works of darkness.”

(An audio version of this post can be found by clicking this link: Romans 13 verses 8-14 Love God and Love People)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1563)
2. Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 237-242)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F., Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomaas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. The Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm, “Sleepwalking.” Retrieved from https://thewakingdreamer.blogspot.com/2013/12/sleepwalking.html
6. Mark Reasoner,” Commentary on Romans 13:8-14.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

Throughout the epistle Paul has described God in authoritative terms. It was His authoritative word that created things that were nonexistent; it is through the obedience of nature to His laws that the visible things portray something of the invisible God; His dealings with His chosen people clearly demonstrate that He is their God and demands their allegiance; and His freedom to deal with them and others as He chooses is defended vigorously, as is His absolute right to judge the world in righteousness. That ultimate authority rests with God is beyond question, but it should be noted that God exercises His authority on earth and in heaven through delegation. The most obvious illustration of this is His appointment of the Risen Lord as Judge. But Paul surprises us by adding that God also delegates His authority to man and appoints “governing authorities” to whom mankind must submit as they submit to Him. In fact, failure to do this is seen as resistance of God’s principles and merits divine judgment.

It is clear that man cannot survive on his own and must, therefore, establish a community in which to live. His involvement in community provides certain things which individualized living would not furnish, but this provision requires a sense of responsible cooperation, particularly with the necessary powers appointed to administer the community. That Christians do not cease to be members of the secular community when they are born into the kingdom of Heaven needs to be reinforced, because throughout the history of the church there have been those who have failed to recognize the benefits the state has provided them and the reasonable expectations the state has of them.

God’s concern for individuals is seen in His concern that society should operate in such a way that man may be free to live as He intended. Authority is necessary if such an environment is to be provided and preserved, so it follows that God-ordained authority is a natural prerequisite for God-ordained order. It is interesting to note that the role human authority is called to play is clearly linked to a realistic appraisal of man’s sinfulness. Society will be spoiled where sinful man is allowed to engage in all manner of evil, and society will never flourish for the common good where man is allowed to squander his life on himself and pursue relentlessly his own self-centered course.

Joseph submitted to the Egyptian authorities; Daniel submitted to the Babylonian authorities; Mordecai submitted to the Persian authorities; Jesus submitted to the Roman authorities. While none of these regimes were godly, God had authorized them all.

Paul encouraged Christians to obey the government even though submitting to a pagan government would be difficult. He also encouraged Christians to love each other. Christians should be well known in their communities for their obedience to government and their love for each other as well as for those outside the church.

Christians must submit to the rule of governing authorities wherever they live. Scripture makes one exception to this command: when obedience to civil authority would require disobedience to God’s Word. The world tries to circumvent the authority of the government. But God says to be submissive to it. God is the ultimate ruler over all earthly rulers. He sets up kings and removes them according to His will. Knowing this, believers are called to pray and submit accordingly. Governments are ordained to protect the community and punish the criminals. For these reasons, they can be a blessing to Christians.

Paul concludes that the Christian must respond to God’s institution of civil authority as the means of working out His purposes in society, as Paul writes in Romans 13: 5-7, “Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing.  Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. “

Fear is a great motivator, but, while Christians are not exempt from either the possibility of doing wrong or bearing the consequences of wrongdoing, they should be motivated to responsible respect for authority as a matter of conscience. They, of all people, should have the highest view of the authority structures of society because they understand better than others how the purposes of God for society require the institution of authority.

Perhaps the major difficulty that Christians encountered was related to the dilemma that faced them when the divinely appointed Government acted in ways that directly contravened divine law. The rule of thumb enunciated by Peter before the Council— “We ought to obey God rather than men”—applied in those early days and still applies today.

In an era when respect for authority is at low ebb, it is necessary to point out that Christians must be very careful to ensure that any act of civil disobedience is a matter of conscience inspired by divine principle, because there is an unfortunate tendency for Peter’s dictum to be applied in a manner far removed from the original intent. Further, it should be pointed out that when the Christian has a duty to disobey the civil authority as clear cut as he would normally have an obligation to obey, his disobedience should be seen as a striking act of conscience because it is so different from his normal attitude of compliance, cooperation, and support. The habitual troublemaker is easily recognized as troubled even when he may have a valid point to make. The consistent Christian whose regular law-abiding stance is suddenly shattered by a conscience-inspired action is bound to cause a stir to get his message across. The refusal of the early Christians to worship Caesar was striking not only because of its inherent bravery but also because of its remarkable contrast to their regular position of “rendering to Caesar what was Caesar’s.”

(An audio version of this post can be found by clicking this link: Romans 13 verses 1-7 Submission to God-Given Authority)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jermiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1562-1563)
2. Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 230-236)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

The message of Romans is that sin’s mastery over humankind has been broken in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The opening verses of Romans 6 are a helpful summary of the new state of things. Former slaves of sin have been buried with Christ in baptism. While it is a drastic form of escape, it is an effective one: a dead slave is a free slave. Paul says simply, “whoever has died is freed from sin”.

Paul goes on, “But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus”.

Just as being enslaved to sin was an embodied existence, so is being alive to God. We bring our bodies to the new life, and so Paul writes in Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship”.

In the epistle to the Romans, the sacrifice of Christ as the means of reconciliation has been clearly described, and Paul specifies that in response the believer is to offer his body to the Lord out of appreciation and celebration. The body may be seen as the “whole person” or perhaps as the means whereby the whole person is expressed symbolically in a physical setting, in much the same way that the defeated general in a military situation would hand over his sword, thereby demonstrating the surrender of his whole being. The sacrifice is to be unique in that it will be “living” as opposed to the normal dying experience of the victim. This points to the fact that believers, when committed to the Lord, show in the lives they live in the body the genuineness of that commitment.

Paul uses God’s mercies as the basis for his appeal to the believers in Rome. The core of Christian commitment to Christ-the believer’s motivation for giving himself or herself wholly to God-is the mercy He has demonstrated toward His people. What God has already done for the Christian is the basis of everything the Christian does for God.

The word “beseech” is the Greek verb parakaleo. It consists of “para”, which means “beside”, and “kaleo”, which means “to call.” The word literally means “to call to, exhort, or urge.” The world “parakaleo” is used 54 times in Paul’s epistles, demonstrating his heart as a counselor and encourager to the infant church rather than a demanding authority over them. A related word is parakletos, or “the Paraclete,” the descriptive name given to the Holy Spirit, who comes alongside the faithful to encourage them in their walk with Christ.

God does not want us to try hard to sin less, but to depend upon His Spirit to be transformed into people who love to please God through willing obedience. That transformation begins with the mind. Because human beings are inveterate conformists, the temptation to simply fit into the picture and fade into the scenery can be practically overwhelming. The committed life, however, is shown by the degree in which the believer stays in the secular world without being trapped by it and without failing to be a witness to it. The tension is aptly described by the Master’s words explaining that we are “in the world but not of it.”

What is a living sacrifice? Negatively, we are not to be passively conformed to this world. Instead, positively, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. With his “renewing minds” phrase, Paul is coming to closure on a minor theme that he has been voicing from the first chapter of the letter until now. This theme is that following the gospel authentically involves thinking in authentic ways about God and one’s own place in God’s world.

In complete contrast to the conforming tendency, the believer experiences a transforming dynamic in his life. To be “transformed” is to be literally “metamorphosed” or changed into another form. We may draw an analogy with the way caterpillars shed their crinkly skins to become transparent butterflies, or we may relate the experience to that of Christ, Himself, being “metamorphosed” on the Mount of Transfiguration when the pent-up glory of heaven suddenly burst through the confines of His physical body. The inward power of this transforming experience is the renewed mind.

The word “conformed” was sometimes used for a masquerade or an act. If people conform to the world’s standards of behaviour, they mask who they are in Christ. The Christian’s life should be marked by transformation, seeing through the renewing of the mind, ever seeking to grow in understanding to discern (or prove) God’s will. The word metamorphosis comes from the Greek word for transformed and indicated change “from the inside out.” The term is used twice in reference to Christ’s Transfiguration. Jesus’ brightness was His inner person shining through, visible on the outside. His brightness should likewise shine through His followers.

There is only one body of Christ, but there is a diversity of gifts within that body, a diversity that ensures the health of the unified whole. If God by His grace gives everyone a unique task in the church, then there is no reason for people to think more highly, or lowly, of themselves than they ought to. The grace of God which brings salvation through faith also brings gifts to the saved believer which he must utilize in the context of the body of believers.

Most believers do not question the truth of the “will of God,” but many regard it as such an obscure mystical reality that they despair of knowing it with any certainty or of doing it with any deep sense of assurance. For many the will of God is as confusing as an Agatha Christie mystery story—an idea that finds unfortunate confirmation in the use of the word “mystery” in many versions of the New Testament. Paul would strongly resist this concept. He rightly insists that the will of God is to be discovered and done with such relish that it will be proved to be good, acceptable, and perfect.

The church is not an organization but an organism, a living and unified entity with many parts. If part of a person’s body just disappeared, they would desperately seek it out. Do believers do the same when a member of their church disappears?

Paul appears to suggest that other believers may abuse their gifts by simply not using them. There is little doubt that, because of the unfortunate tendency of churches to underemphasize the truth of the giftedness of all believers, there are many who have no concept of their gifts while others who know their gifts are given little or no encouragement to exercise them.

Paul means that God equips each believer for a particular task and expects him to discover and fulfill his special role in the context of the believing community. Once this is understood, the believer is delivered from a number of potential miscalculations. He will not aspire to be more than God intends him to be, but he will not settle for being less than he was created and redeemed to be. Accordingly, he will be delivered from an arrogance which is destructive of harmony in the body of believers and will be content to make a “sober” evaluation of his own gifts and calling.

The apostle has spent much time in this epistle explaining how individuals can be reconciled to God and become recipients of the life of Christ in order that they might live in a new relationship to Him. Another important dimension in spiritual experience is related to the fact that if many people become related to Christ, they must develop their relationship with each other. When believers become heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ, they also become fellow heirs with each other. The environment in which these relationships operate is the assembly of believers—the local church. Paul, whose ministry to the Gentiles was characterized by the formation of churches, loved to use the human body as a striking analogy of the functions of the church as mentioned in Romans 12:4-5: “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. “

Our natural tendency to selfishness and individualism militates against the concept of the body of Christ, but the renewed mind produces a different attitude. Those who are instructed from the Word of God by the Spirit of God recognize the uniqueness of the believer’s position in the church and also are committed to being a part of the body of Christ. When Christ was on earth, He inhabited a body similar to our physical bodies and, accordingly, knew something of our physical limitations. But after His Resurrection, He was free to come again in the Person of the Spirit and inhabit numerous individuals who, together, would become the means of His continued activity on earth. So varied were the abilities and ministries of the Lord that it would be ludicrous to expect any one individual to begin to emulate His ministry. But when many people come together as His body, they can collectively begin to demonstrate the multiplicity of ministries which He longs to perform through their united efforts.

What does it mean to be the body of Christ in the world today?

First, you are the flesh of Christ, in the world. You personally are Christ’s body in the world. You are the eyes of Christ and you see the work of God all around you. You are the ears of Christ and you hear the sounds of Christ all around you. You are the mouth of Christ and you speak the words of Christ’s compassion to those around you. You are the heart of Christ, and you share the emotions of Christ with all that you meet. You personally are the hand of Christ, and you stretch out your hand which is Christ’s hand to help others. You are the legs of Christ and those legs carry you to those in need. You are the feet of Christ, and you help others to walk in Christ’s ways. Yes, you are literally and symbolically the body of Christ, the flesh of Christ in your world.

God enables that body to create its own body of work—prophecy, ministry, teaching, challenging and encouraging, giving, leading, and being compassionate. We can do those things alone, but we do them with more discernment and impact as part of a larger body. None of us can do it all. No single community can do it all, either. But God empowers each community to do all it is called to do in its context. It makes a difference to see church not as a noun but a verb, not as a place to go but as a living offering to God. In verses 6-8, Paul mentions seven of the 19 spiritual gifts that are listed in the New Testament. Since none of the spiritual gifts are identical, many believe there is no set, finite number of gifts. The word gift is a rendering of the Greek word charisma, which has as its root the word charis, or grace. Therefore, a spiritual gift is really a grace-gift, bestowed by the God of grace.

The church is the body of Christ in the world today. We are the flesh of God’s love in human form; we are a living organism and a complex organism. And we work harmoniously together, all these different parts working together. Yes, we have our differences and are unique and distinct; and we are to work together harmoniously and in the spirit of Christ’s peace.

Prophecy is a gift used to speak God’s truth. Like Old Testament prophets, some New Testament prophets had the ministry of foretelling-addressing the future. But most probably had the gift of “forth telling”-speaking God’s truth into present situations. Regardless, the prophets’ purpose was to speak words of “edification and exhortation and comfort” to the church. Prophets today do not have the gift of foretelling the future but function as teachers and proclaimers of God’s truth.

The word ministry, or service, is from the Greek word diakonia, from which comes deacon. While every Christian is called to serve one another, deacons do so with a special grace. Teaching if for explaining God’s truth. Teachers study the Bible diligently and search out what the church needs to learn for its edification.

The word exhort could also be translated as “encourage.” People with this gift are moved to come alongside those who are hurting, weak, or discouraged. People with the gift to give do so joyfully and sacrificially.

The church always needs leaders who lead with a sense of what the church should do. The sons of Issachar had a reputation for leadership in the Old Testament. People naturally follow others with this gift. The gift of mercy is the Spirit-given ability to extend love and compassion toward suffering members of the body of Christ. It is reaching out to the outcasts, those whom others ignore.

(An audio version of this post can be found by clicking this link: Romans 12 verses 1-8 Our Transformation)

Bibliography

1. Jermiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1561-1562)
2. Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomaas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 212-221)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. Frank L. Couch, “Commentary on Romans 12:1-8.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
5. Mark Hinkle Shore, “Commentary on Romans 12:1-8.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
6. Mark Reasoner, “Commentary on Romans 12:1-8.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

When Nolan’s mother reminded him that he needed to study his Sunday school lesson and learn the memory verse, he looked up from his work on an airplane model. “Aw, Mom, I know all that stuff,” he argued. “I don’t need to study. I hear all that at church and Sunday school and at Bible Club. I even go to a Christian school.” But when Dad gave him a stern look, he obediently put away his model and worked on his lesson until bedtime.

The next morning when Mom told Nolan to hurry and get ready for church, he frowned. “We probably won’t hear anything we haven’t heard before,” he grumbled as he shuffled toward his room. A few minutes later, he was back again. “I need new pants!” he exclaimed, motioning at the pants he was wearing. “Look at these. They’re getting really short.”

Mom nodded. “I see that,” she agreed. “You’re growing right out of them. We’ll look for a new pair this week.”

“Good idea,” said Dad. He grinned. “I guess those pants must have shrunk,” he joked, “or could it be that you’re growing up?” Then he became serious. “But, Nolan, I get the feeling that you think God is like that old pair of pants.”

“What do you mean?” asked Nolan, looking at his father in surprise.

“Well, you’ve implied that you know all there is to know about God,” explained Dad. “You seem to think you’ve outgrown Him. Actually, you’ll need a whole lifetime to learn about God–what He’s like and what He does and what He teaches in His Word. Even then, you’ll only know just a little. God is so great and so wonderful, we’ll never know all there is to know about him.”

“That’s right,” said Mom. “And if you really think about the things you hear and study, you’ll be surprised by how much you can learn.”

Nolan looked down at the pants he was wearing. “Okay. I get it,” he said. “I’ll pay attention in church this morning to see what I can learn. But first I need to put on some different pants!”

It is sometimes said that knowledge is the accumulation of information, and wisdom is knowing what to do with it. Paul is deeply impressed by God’s unique grasp of both. God’s information concerning human behavior in general and response to the gospel in particular is unique in that it incorporates foreknowledge, and His wisdom in handling the human problem as demonstrated by both Gentile degradation and Jewish obduracy is shown to great effect by the way He used Jewish hardness to bring about Gentile blessing and then used Gentile blessing to bring about Jewish revival. His knowledge and wisdom truly do qualify for the adjectives “unsearchable” and “past finding out.”

It is particularly fitting that Paul’s lengthy exposition of the Christian gospel which started with a description of human failure should finish with a shout of appreciation for divine capability. By doing this Paul demonstrates the truth of the centrality of the Lord in all things, which he then articulates in one of the greatest of all statements: “For of Him”—a reminder that He is the source of all things—“and through Him”—a reminder that He is the sustainer of all things—“and to Him”—a reminder that He is the significance of all things.

Paul, having argued in chapter 11:1-32, that the “hardening” of the Jews, as to number, is not total, rounds up chapters 9-11 with praise to God, praise to the all-wise and almighty Sovereign whose resources, wisdom, decisions, and methods are beyond anyone’s comprehension. The passage before us serves as a hymn of wonder and adoration addressed to God in all his majesty. It expresses the mystery of God’s grace toward broken humanity, a mystery that cannot be fathomed, a mystery that lies in the very majesty of God. Thus we are reminded that our God is the originator, director, and end of all things.

There are many ways to describe God, but let us think of just three of them:

(1) omnipresence

(2) omnipotence, and

(3) omniscience.

These are fairly common words amongst believers, but we may need a reminder:

(1) being present at all times.

(2) all powerful.

(3) all knowing and all wise.

He is everywhere and sees everything, and we have a very limited perspective. He creates and sustains everything, and we are weak in every sense. He knows all, and we know very little.

There are events, circumstances, which, in a special way, display the hand of God, and reveal a deep “knowledge” of him. These events are part of God’s special providence. Special providence concerns his determined purpose to conform a people into the likeness of his Son. From the beginning of time God determined, purposed, to gather a people to himself and to glorify them. So, throughout history we can observe a righteous line, a remnant people, a people saved by grace through faith. Nothing has ever hindered God’s purpose to gather this people to himself, and nothing will ever hinder this purpose. Even the wilful acts of sinful humanity may serve God’s purpose. Take, for example, the crucifixion of Jesus. God’s eternal purpose is realized despite the human sinfulness. It is then we learn something of God’s “wisdom and knowledge.”

As we develop a closer relationship with Jesus, and have a deeper appreciation of the nature, character, and heart of God, through His word, it’s true that we begin to learn that all His actions, plans, and purposes are motivated by His love for us. Although we cannot always understand the ways He chooses to implement His actions, we have to hold firmly to His words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:11, ‘I know the plans I have for you, they are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope’.

However, there can be specific times when God does reveal His plans and purposes directly into our hearts by His Spirit. The apostle Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians 2:13: ‘When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths from God’s Spirit’. Nevertheless, we must always weigh these inner thoughts extremely carefully, and check them against Scripture. We should seek the advice of other trusted, mature Christians, and, if necessary, ask God to confirm His word in some way. Gideon did this in Judges 6:33-40.

When eventually we stand in glory, we will no doubt be given a tour of human history and be shown how in one event after another God was at work. His working in no way violated human freedom or exempted human beings from the consequences of their actions; nevertheless, God was working to bring things to their predetermined conclusion. To understand this fully will be the greatest possible stimulus to praise and worship.

In the meantime, humans who understand in some measure the things of which Paul has written join him in articulating their sense of wonder and take every opportunity to express their appreciation to God for God. In addition, they take seriously the necessity not only to speak His praise but also to show forth His glory by the very lives they live.

The reason that so many Christians today are weak and powerless in this world… the reason that most Christians have never once shared their faith with another person… is because they don’t understand the unsearchableness of the riches of God. Instead, they see God’s greatness as secondary to their own comfort and convenience.

God has not revealed everything about Himself. In our fallen state, we couldn’t handle it if He did. Therefore, as long as we live in these mortal bodies, we must remain humble. We must let God be God. But many are doing the exact opposite-working as hard as they can to humanize God and deify man.

We will never completely understand God’s ways or grasp why He does what He does, but we can worship Him for the goodness and love and mercy that He has already shown us! God’s wisdom and knowledge in His dealings with Israel are rich. His judgments are unsearchable. The ways in which He has worked His plan for the salvation of all people is past finding out.

(An audio version of this post can be heard by clicking this link: Romans 11 verses 33-36 God’s Wisdom)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, p. 1561)
2. Briscoe, D.S.: & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 210-211)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. Rev. Brian Finlayson, “Romans: Praise to God. 11:33-36.” Retrieved from https://www.lectionarystudies.com/sunday21aee.html
5. Rev. David MAinse, “Of Him, Through Him, To Him (Romans 11:36).” Retrieved from www.100words.ca
6. Dr. Jack Graham, “Going the Distance.” Retrieved from jgraham@powerpoint.org
7. “Second Guessing.” Retrieved from seeds@ellel.org
8. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “God’s Ways Are Unsearchable.” Retrieved from www.ltw.org
9. “Outgrown.” Retrieved from keys@lists.keysforkids.org