A Message by Pastor Michael Palmer
Given to
October 18, 2009
SUPERNATURAL CHRISTIAN LIVING:
OUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO THOSE
“OUTSIDE” THE FAITH
Romans 12:14-21
I.
GOSPEL CENTERED
AND GREAT COMMISSION CHRISTIANS WILL BE PERSECUTED
II.
THE
·
The
natural human tendency is to fight back, defend – a “fleshy” response.
·
The
only way to overcome this is to work for our persecutor’s good!
·
“Bless”
is an active word – seek every honest means to do them good!
·
In
order to do this (bless), you must first gain an inner victory wrought
by God’s grace (His power).
III.
THE
·
“rejoice
with those who rejoice” and “weep with those who weep”
·
“be
of the same mind toward one another”
·
In
other words, do not be partial. If there
is no partiality with God (Rom. 2:11; Acts 10:34; 1 Pet. 1:17), shouldn’t the
same be true of us!?
3.
A COMMON TOUCH –
ASSOCIATING WITH A PERSON OF LOW POSITION
·
“don’t
be high minded but associate with the lowly”
·
“live
in harmony with one another”
·
“do
not be wise in your own opinion”
·
Hendriksen
translates this: “ . . . do not be snobbish, but readily associate with humble
folk”
What we need to do is get our eyes
off of ourselves and fix our gaze upon Jesus!
We need to THINK LIKE JESUS! If
we focus on Jesus and His sacrifice for us and continually express our need for
Him, we will become more like Him.
There is no place for pride in our
relationships.
IV.
THE
How is this possible?
It is in the DNA of sinful man to retaliate—to “even the scales” so to
speak, when wronged. A non-retaliatory
response is only possible through Jesus Christ – it is truly a supernatural
work of His grace.
We must realize:
·
The
“scales” (humanely speaking) will never be even!
·
Everyone
has to answer to God.
·
The
purpose of our Christ-like response of “no payback,” but actually doing good, is to win people to Christ, i.e. be a display of God’s
forbearance for our sin.
·
God’s
wrath comes to all who reject Him and persecute His people. “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we
persuade men.”
·
How
we can respond like Jesus: through brokenness, obedience, and humility. We do not want anyone to be the recipient of
God’s wrath.
·
When
we truly release someone to God, it allows them to focus on God and therefore
not focus on us (and our “attitude” toward them). Therefore, it opens up God’s avenue of
conviction in their life!
·
Judgment
and wrath is God’s prerogative, not man’s!
Our scriptural examples of doing this (vss. 17, 19-21) are
Joseph (Gen. 45:1-15; 50:15-21); Elisha (2 Kings 6:20-23); David, when Saul was
after him to kill him (1 Sam. 2:4-26); Stephen (Acts 7:59-60); and above all,
JESUS (Luke 23:34).
Read Donald Grey Barnhouse’s
comment (from How to Get Along with People, booklet 72 of the exposition
on Romans) on Christ’s example below:
When the nations were raging and
the peoples imagining a vain thing, he did not move to destroy them. He did not destroy Adam when he sinned, but
promised a Savior and began the long course of history so that man could have
opportunity upon opportunity to repent and return to God. . . . He did not destroy us when we were ungodly
sinners. He came from heaven to save
us. He came into the camp of his enemies
and allowed them to do their will against him in order to establish the
foundation for our redemption. When we
were without strength, when we were enemies, Christ died for us. Note that he did not save us by demonstrating
his mighty power in some miracle. He
saved us—He saved us by letting us kill him.
How astonishing this is!
And when he rose
from the dead he did not judge those who behaved so wickedly against him. The
It did, of
course. It still does. It can through you.
V.
THE
“ . . . have regard for good things
in the sight of all men” (NKJV)
“always see to it that (your
affairs are) right in the sight of everybody” (Hendriksen)
Read what these two commentators said about this verse:
Since believers are constantly
under the scrutiny of both unsaved persons and fellow Christians, they must be
careful that their conduct does not betray the high standards of the gospel
(cf. Col. 4:5; 1 Tim. 3:7). The verb
PRONOEO, which the NIV translates as “be careful” is literally “to think of
beforehand,” suggesting that the conduct of believers ought not to be regulated
by unthinking habit but rather that each situation be freshly considered so
that the action taken will not reflect unfavorably on the gospel. (Everett F. Harrison and Donald Hagner, Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Romans – Galatians, p.
192)
Paul wants the addressed to live
such lives of thorough consecration to God and genuine love for all, including
even the persecutors, that outsiders will not be given a legitimate opportunity
to complain or accuse (cf. 1 Tim. 5:14), and that slanderers will be put to
shame (1 Peter 3:16). He does not want
the addressed to be a hindrance or stumblingblock,
preventing the unconverted from accepting the gospel (1 Cor. 10:32). Instead, he wants them so to conduct their
affairs that the public conscience (cf. Rom. 2:15) will approve. His noble aim, as a love of God, is that the
devout lives of believers may be a means in God’s hand for the conversion of
sinners, to the glory of God (Matt. 5:16; 1 Peter 2:12).
Calvin has
summarized the meaning of verse 17 as follows: “What is meant is that we ought
diligently to labor, in order that all may be edified by our honest dealings .
. . that they may, in a word, perceive the good and the sweet odor of our life,
by which they may be allured to the love of God.”
(William Hendriksen, Romans, p. 420)
“Do
not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.”
This is all made possible through Jesus changing us in our
inner man. The key is our focus, our
priority of the cross. and being a contagious witness
for Jesus in all that we say, think, or do.
It flows out of the one that has been forgiven much!
How about you. Have you been forgiven? You can be today. You can turn from self and sin to Jesus right
now! And He will forgive you
because He took your judgment!