Genuine Love
Notes
Transcript
During the Korean War, a group of believers were in a little chapel when communist soldiers barged in with machine guns. One of the soldiers said, "All right, everybody, get up!" So, they got off their knees. He said, "Line up against the wall!" They did what the soldier said to do. Then, that soldier ripped the picture of Christ off the wall and threw it down on the floor. He said, "All right, one by one, I want you to come by here, spit on this picture, and curse His name."
The first three in line were men of the church; they did what the soldier told them to do. They spat on the picture, and they cursed the name of Christ. The fourth one in line was a high school girl. She came up before the picture, and she dropped to her knees. She wiped the spit off with her skirt, and she said, "Go ahead and kill me. I cannot curse His name." The soldier said, "Get up!" they blindfolded that girl and the three men and marched them out behind the chapel. The people inside heard three shots. The soldiers came back in with the girl--alive. The soldier said, "Anyone who gives up what they believe that easily is not fit to be a communist." And they marched out. (Ron Blue, Moody Founder's Week, 1985). You see, that is devotion. Being faithful to the Lord and the lifestyle he calls you to, no matter the cost.
The key to Romans 12 is the idea of devotion. And it is this devotion to the Lord, the dedication of our lives to Him. In light of what God has done for us, we must be devoted to Him and others. Devote yourself to Jesus because of the Gospel.
1. The turning point:
1. The turning point:
Romans 12 is a famous chapter because it marks a turning point in the book. Romans 1 to 11 contains the basic mechanics of what God has done in Christ Jesus to make us right with him. And it's fantastic. Here's a sample. Romans 3:22-24
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
We can be counted righteous, freely, by His grace. And more than that, His Holy Spirit gives us new hearts and life—eleven chapters of tightly packed theology.
But this does lead to the question, ‘What now’? How do we respond if God has done all that for us? Which is where you get to the turning word in the book. You see, the very first word in Greek in verse 1 is the word, therefore. – because of all that has been said in the last 11 chapters, here are the gospel consequences, the way to live.
Because if you're Jewish and you've been religiously worshipping at the temple all your life, if you've been religiously bringing your sheep to sacrifice and you've watched while the priest sprinkles its blood on the altar to cover your sins until next time... do you seriously think you're going to keep doing that stuff now you've understood Jesus?
Or if you've been a gentile pagan. You've been worshipping and serving created things instead of the creator. Idols. Statues. Stuff. Surely, now you've come to faith in Jesus, now that you're forgiven and saved and counted righteous... Surely, that's going to change?
This is precisely what Paul will spell out here in chapter 12, following on from the, therefore. Here is the kind of devotion to God we should have given His mercy.
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
From now on, says Paul, given God's mercy, your devotion to Jesus. Devote yourself to Jesus because of the Gospel.
2. Real devotion:
2. Real devotion:
When Narelle and I were in Singapore, we noticed temples everywhere. If you've been to almost any Asian country, you can't avoid seeing the temples—astonishing architecture, full of history. Typically, there'll be a Buddha statue. And people bring their offerings, maybe flowers. Or food. A gift. Now, the fascinating thing about Singapore is that there are also a lot of old churches there. But not with statues not of Buddha but of Mary. And people are bowing down there, too, and bringing their candles and offerings.
Narelle and I were on a city tour, and we walked past a shop selling Buddha statues that you could take home for your little temple. Buddha Buddha Buddha all in a row. And then there was the Mary section. Mary Mary Mary. One-stop shop. No matter who you want to worship.
Paul says that because of the Gospel, devote yourself to Jesus. All that stuff's finished. And everything's new. Temples. Gone! Sacrifices. Gone. Priesthood. Gone. Rituals. Gone. Because Jesus has finished it. Once and for all. And in their place, read what he says
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Something much bigger. Offer your bodies. As a living sacrifice. Living life where every day, in every action and every decision, you're looking back at the mercy God's shown you, looking back at the sacrifice of Jesus for you, and playing that out in your life as you sacrificial serve others.
That, says Paul, is your devotion. This is your spiritual act of worship, which is revolutionary. And I think we often haven't fully understood it. True and proper worship isn't defined by the purity of what we do here in our service on a Sunday. It isn’t defined by the songs we sing in church on a Sunday morning. Whether they're new ones or favourite old hymns. Look at Paul's words again—verse 1. Our holy and acceptable worship is about offering our bodies as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God. Devote yourself to Jesus because of the Gospel.
This will mean things like putting aside your personal comfort and personal preferences, putting aside your favourite sins of selfishness, and using your body in sacrificial service of others instead of serving yourself. Paul says, in view of God's mercy, forget about comfort. If you want to worship God, then be a sacrifice. That’s devotion, and it's all of life.
It gives us a different perspective on how we live our lives when we see our whole of lives, every moment, waking and sleeping, as worship of God. Everything from putting on our socks to preaching the Word, from stirring the stew to sharing the gospel. It is all too easy to limit our understanding of worship to those things we think of as being specifically religious. Tony Payne wrote, "For modern Christians, it seems, `worship' is increasingly assumed to be no more and no less than an intense, experiential encounter with God, mediated through singing."
According to Paul, true worship and true devotion are much more the right kind of formal church service with the right words at the start and end, much more than singing the latest new songs with your eyes closed and your hands up. It's about being a living sacrifice. Which Paul says starts with not conforming to the world's blueprint and being transformed instead. From the inside out.
3. Transformed thinking:
3. Transformed thinking:
Look at what he says in verse 2.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Paul says, instead of following the way the world works, flip the script. Start with your head. But how does this world think? I want to return to Romans chapter 1, where Paul outlines how the world thinks. And it all started with a wrong worship. Romans 1:25
25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Their worship was messed up, so everything else was out of line. Then, in Romans 1 verse 28, we read
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
We don't value knowing God, so he gives us over to our wrong minds. Furthermore, just as they did not judge as good the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind so that they do what ought not to be done.
That's the pattern of the world. Wrong worship leads to not "judging as good" the knowledge of God, which leads to wrong mind and end up in wrong actions. Skyhooks song horror movie. This is us. Humanity is revealed, precisely as Paul describes in Romans chapter 1.
Except, says Paul, the mercy of God, in Jesus, has changed everything. Romans 12 verse 2 again.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Because of God's mercy in Christ; and his transforming spirit. Right worship. Right mind. Able to judge as good the knowledge of God again. And then from that. A whole different way of living life. The complete picture plays out in more detail from verse 3 onwards.
4. Sacrificial living:
4. Sacrificial living:
Now, if we're going to be transformed by renewing our minds, here's a good starting point.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
This goes right to the heart of our thoughts. Paul says if you're going to get serious about being a living sacrifice, that's the first thing that's got to stop. Self-centredness. Which is just another way of saying self-worship.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
In other words, measure yourself. In terms of how much you're trusting Jesus. And not by anything else. Estimate yourself... As a forgiven and redeemed sinner. Rather than by your results from school, your university degree, your job title, or the size of your house. Or by your IQ score, how good-looking you are, how well connected you are, how well off you are. Or your insecurities, which is really all about how lowly you think about yourself, being the centre of the world.
Throw away the pattern of this world. And be prepared to think less of yourself. And more of others. Because Paul says we've been brought together as a body. Where our common faith in the Lord Jesus is what holds us together as one.
Paul goes on to spell out the implications of that. Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought. But instead, keep in mind that as a church family, as a body, as the body of Christ... you, with all, belong to one another. That you, with all your skills, gifts, and ability, are not just for your convenience. But for sacrificial service.
And when you're using them that way, even if you might not feel like it, that's worship. That's the set-up in verses 4 and 5. Where Paul says,
4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Friends, if you count yourself a part of this church, if you're really part of this community, that's what it will look like. You're a body part. Devote yourself to Jesus because of the Gospel and serve each other.
And it's inconvenient. And it's potentially a bit time-consuming. To belong. To other people. And not just yourself? And yet that's what it's going to mean... to present your body as a living sacrifice. It will mean talking to someone on the phone because you're concerned and haven't seen them for a while. It's going to mean maybe making a meal because you've heard someone's unwell. It will mean using whatever gifts you've got for building up the body in accordance with your faith because all of us are different. And all of us have got something to offer. It is what he outlines in verses 6-8./
6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Whether it's prophecy, which in Paul's New Testament definition in 1 Corinthians 14 verse 3 means "speaking to people for their strengthening encouragement and comfort... " Maybe that's you? If that's your gift, says Paul, you're meant to use it in accordance with your faith. This means if you're trusting Jesus and God's given you some encouraging words to say to comfort someone when they need it, don't just think about it. Don't just say it's inconvenient. Say it! And be encouraging.
... or if it's serving. Get on and serve. However, it is. Because you don't just belong to yourself, you belong to Jesus and his body. ... or if it's teaching. Do something. Too busy to do that? Too important to do that? Paul tells us that’s what real devotion to Jesus looks like. Different worship that leads to different thinking that results in different lives.
What if you've got the gift of encouraging? You know what he's saying. It's all there in verse 8. Give some encouragement. Do it, he says, in proportion to your faith. And do it. With all your heart. If you've got the gift of giving, verse 8, do it generously. Instead of grudgingly. If you've got the gift of leading. Apply yourself diligently. With all your might. If you've got the gift of showing mercy and practical care, do it with a smile because we all belong. Sacrificially. To one another.
Friends, if we do that stuff sacrificially, we are a worshipping church. Devote yourself to Jesus and to one another because of the Gospel. Our music will never be Hillsong or Planet Shakers. And I'm so ok with that. But for so many I'm looking at this morning, you're devoting yourself to Jesus and to one another because of the Gospel. In all kinds of ways. In all types of service. In all kinds of love.
Devote yourself to Jesus and to one another because of the Gospel; that's precisely the kind of worship he wants. He's not so fussed about benedictions and doxologies. Doesn't have a preference for pipe organs or electric guitars. Equally happy with both. But transformed hearts. Transformed minds. Living and serving sacrificially because of the gospel.