Romans 12:9-21 Ours to Do: Know God is Good
The Text
Romans 12:9–21 (CSB)
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good.10 Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another.
11 Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord.
12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.
13 Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes.
18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.
20 But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.
21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
The Introduction
Matthew 22:37–40 (CSB) He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
I am always struck by the particular-ness of Matthew's account of the Greatest Commands. It is the uniqueness and the focus is why I quote Matthew's most of all. Jesus replies to the religious and law leaders of his day: "Love the Lord your God with everything you have," and don't miss this, "the second is like it."
Two, dare I say, grandiose, laws that should instantly and properly shows how we have fallen way short of the glory of God. We don't love God with everything we got. We get saved by God and we still fallen way short of that law. And on top of that, there is yet another command that is like it? Now I have two grandiose commands that I am going to fall way short? Love your neighbor?
How in the world can I do that?
By your power and might and in your little heart? No. No. You and I cannot on our own. We don't love God as we ought. We don't love our neighbor as we ought. But watch this:
Matthew 5:17–18 (CSB) “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished.
How many times I have said this? God knows we have fallen short. God knows we cannot rescue ourselves. God knows we are doomed with Satan. God knows. That is why he has sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to obey his law flawlessly and with perfect joy.
Christ fulfills the law for us. In his righteousness, we now have the freedom to obey God because we are his children. Paul will expound on the teachings of Christ what it means to love one another.
Our God
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good.
Know God is Good: No Hypocrisy
Matthew 23:23 (CSB) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, and yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These things should have been done without neglecting the others.
Proverbs 4:24 (CSB) Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly, and don’t let your lips talk deviously.
Don't talk both sides of your mouth. Bless someone then gossip about them behind their backs. That is evil. Abstain from that evil and hold on to what is good.
We need to bless one another and then pray for one another.
Philippians 4:8 (CSB) Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (CSB) Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
It is a wonder why Christ preaches:
Matthew 12:34b (CSB) For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
Proverbs 4:23 (CSB) Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.
10 Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another.
Know God is Good: Love One Another
John 13:34–35 (CSB) “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
1 John 4:7–8 (CSB) Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Another translation: outdo each other in honor. Want to be competitive? This is a perfect place to get that competitive spirit out. Your friend or co-worker or brother or sister honors you? Then you scheme and plot and think of ways to honor them back. Get 'em! Then you keep going back and forth until Christ comes and gets you.
Bring joy to one another. Bring life to one another. And don't fret about how to do it. Your church family will show you--pick up on cues from them. More than that, you have the Holy Spirit--he will lead you and guide you to showing honoring others.
11 Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord.
Know God is Good: Serve with Zeal
1 Corinthians 15:58 (CSB) Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
2 Timothy 2:4–7 (CSB) No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer. Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
What good work that God has set aside of us to do for his glory and the good of neighbor, we get to do it with zeal and diligence. Look, I can tell you not to burn yourself out and don't over do it. But you control your actions. Go and do. However God has built you and gifted you, go and do. You go all in, all gas no brakes--go and do. If you are one to carefully plan, and be cautious, and consider all the angles, then go and do. And everyone in between? Come together with your brothers and sisters and collectively, like the body of Christ, go and do.
12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.
Know God is Good: Hope in Christ
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (CSB) Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Want to know God's will for your life? You got it right there. Rejoice always. Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything.
Right smack in the middle of this compliment sandwich, Paul calls us to be ing patient in our affliction. Earlier in the letter, he says:
Romans 5:1-5 (CSB) Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
And
Romans 8:18 (CSB) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
In other words, our circumstances do not dictate what we get to do and not do.
But I know in the midst of afflictions, sufferings, trials, and tribulations, it is hard to rejoice. It is hard to pray. It is hard to give thanks. Beloved, know that God has you. He has you and he is not going to let go. Rejoice a little and rest a lot in his Son. Give thanks when you can and rest in Christ. Pray and know that you belong to him forever. Amen.
13 Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.
Know God is Good: God is our Provision
Philippians 4:19 (CSB) And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians 9:8 (CSB) And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.
My saints, life is not a zero-sum game. If I give to you, that means I have less for me. So I need to be stingy because I don't have a lot to give.
But you know that God will supply all the grace and provision to do his will? Don't you know that God has the cattle on a thousand hills. He will supply with what you need to do for others. It does not have to grandiose. Think little things. Think small. Think baby steps.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Know God is Good: Bless Others
Matthew 5:44 (CSB) But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
I have considered all the people who have done me harm, who have hurt me so bad that I could not have recovered if not by the grace of God. Do you know what only make sense in mind? Not my petty vengeance nor cursing but that God, who alone is mighty to save, would actually save them! The only thing that makes sense to me is that my enemy would be standing right next to me in heaven worshipping our God. There is no other way.
During the 1800s, there were two famous preachers, John Wesley and George Whitefield. They were friends and they traveled together in ministry, preaching the word of God. But they separated by the sovereignty of God. When Whitefield arrived where Wesley was at, Whitefield found out there was a bit of a smear campaign going on against his name and his ministry--simply because Whitefield preached Calvinism and Wesley had since rejected it since being separated from Whitefield. That cut Whitefield to the heart--not to be reunited with Wesley and not seeing the glory of God here on earth and seeing people come to Christ.
His students once asked Whitefield, "Will we see John Wesley in heaven?" almost in a playful and tongue-in-cheek sort of way. Whitefield' response, as cool as one can be, "I will not see him in heaven." As you can imagine, the students were aghast. Whitefield continued, "When we get to heaven, I will be so far from the glory and brilliance of Christ and Mr. Wesley will be so close and near to the glory and brilliance of Christ and that my eyes will not be able to focus on Mr. Wesley because Christ will be so bright,"
People might mean to do you harm. But bless them. Pray for them. Love them. Where they are at now does not mean that is where they are going.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
Know God is Good: Be Present with Others
1 Corinthians 12:26 (CSB) So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
This is where God has commanded for us to be present with one another. Negative feelings are hard. Sometimes people avoid them at all costs. Tell me, how is that working out for you? God's command here to slow down long enough to sit in the feelings with one another. Stop. Be here. Celebrate with one another. Cry with one another. Don't jump to the next thing. Don't try to say the right words so that people can just get over it. What if we celebrated days on end. What if we truly grieved and took the time to mourn. The world is going to stop. It will be okay. God has us. That is why we call Christ, Emmanuel, God with us. God is with you right now. Sit in him. Relax. Rest in him. He is with you.
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
Know God is Good: Know Yourself in the Sight of God
In Paul's letter to Pastor Titus, he exhorts him to:
Titus 3:1-2 (CSB) Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people.
Why is that? Because God is in us? Yes. As God remembers that we are from dust, so too, that we remind ourselves that we are made from dust:
Titus 3:3 (CSB) For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.
Remember that? I do about my own life. Or in Paul's letter to Pastor Timothy:
1 Timothy 1:12-13a (CSB) I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry—even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man.
I remember when I was a worthless man--claiming to love God but sinning against him all the more. But God did not leave me there. God did not leave you there. What happened? Christ appeared:
Titus 3:4–5 (CSB) But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
And
1 Timothy 1:12–17 (CSB) I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry—even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
We are not better than one another. We are certainly not better than our unbelieving neighbors. You didn't figure out the love and grace of God. You weren't soft-hearted enough, generated enough faith, or smart enough to figure out anything. God gave you that soft heart. God renewed your mind and transformed you from the inside out. God gave you His Spirit. His Son dwells in your heart. God himself has made his home in you. And God gave you that faith to believe and trust in his Son. What did you do to get that from God? Just the sin to hang his Son upon that tree.
Our unbelieving neighbors, friends, and loved ones are all utterly, supernaturally dependent on the grace of God to be saved by God just like us.
If you are not humble (like me), then find yourself some humble people and hang out with them. Like, a lot. Let what they got rub off on you. Praise be to God that he has saved us to himself and to one another.
17-19 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.
Know God is Good: God is our avenger
Luke 18:6-8 (CSB) Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay helping them? I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? ”
My friends, vengeance belongs to God! Don't repay evil for evil. All justice is on God. That is our call: to trust the judgment of Christ.
We pray and hope that God will saved our enemies. We pray for salvation. But in the times of the most wicked and heinous crimes, we ultimately have to trust God is who alone is perfectly just.
I know that is not easy. I know when you have had something taken away from you and you feel like you have the power to at least settle the score. Because of my dad abused me and my siblings, he went to prison for the rest of his life. There was a long time in my own life that I vowed if I could, kill him with my bare hands and I know that I would have slept soundly every night thereafter. By God's precious love for me, he didn't give me over to the rage and lust in my own heart--he saved me and called me to not curse my dad but to bless him in his last days in prison. In my natural self, that thought of blessing my enemies seem offensive and asinine. But with the mind of Christ, blessing my enemies like he did all the way to the cross is the only thing that makes sense.
20-21 But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
Know God is Good: In His Upside-Down Kingdom, We Respond in Kindness
It is not enough to ignore our perceived enemies. We are to bless them. That does not not mean, "Oh, now we get to trust them explicitly." Christ called us to:
Matthew 10:16 (CSB) “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.
No one is asking you to do that. But when you can, bless them. It might be through the visiting booth in prison. It might be through supervised visits. That is more than okay. But where we can, bless one another.
The Response
Now that Christ has perfectly obeyed the law and have given us his righteousness since we turned over our sin, we get to do these things that he has commanded us to do. Are we going to do them perfectly? No. But whatever you do, you neighbor needs those good works and will be so grateful.