26-0823sc Transcript

(0:04) Romans, the twelfth chapter. Let’s have our prayer. (0:09) Most gracious Heavenly Father, we come to you at this time asking you to bless us with wisdom and understanding and insight to help us to appreciate Paul’s writings.

(0:25) We know that Paul is a very deep thinker and his writings reflect that. (0:32) And we pray that the Holy Spirit be able to help us to comprehend the things that he is trying to convey to us through Paul’s writings. (0:45) We ask the blessings upon this congregation and we pray that we will continue to grow, not only in numbers, but also spiritually.

(0:54) We pray these things in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen. (1:01) Not to rehash the lesson that we had last week, but let’s take a look at it and read through the chapter from the New International Version, and let’s read through the chapter itself.

(1:19) Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (1:34) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, (1:45) that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (1:49) For through the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of yourself than he ought to think, (2:00) but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

(2:09) For just as we have many parts in one body, and all the body’s parts do not have the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually parts of one another. (2:26) However, since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them properly. (2:36) If prophecy, in proportion to one’s faith.

(2:40) If service, in the act of serving. (2:44) Or the one who teaches, in the act of teaching. (2:48) Or the one who exhorts, in the work of exhortation.

(2:52) The one who gives, with generosity. (2:55) The one who is in leadership, with diligence. (2:59) The one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

(3:04) Love. Love must be free of hypocrisy. (3:08) Detest what is evil.

Cling to that which is good. (3:12) Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. (3:16) Give preference to one another in honor.

(3:18) Not lagging behind in diligence. (3:22) Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. (3:25) Rejoicing in hope.

(3:28) Persevering in tribulation. (3:30) Devoted to prayer. (3:32) Contributing to the needs of the saints.

(3:34) Practicing hospitality. (3:37) Bless those who persecute you. (3:40) Bless and do not curse.

(3:42) Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. (3:46) Be of the same mind towards one another. (3:49) Do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly.

(3:55) Do not be wise in your own estimation. (3:58) Never repay evil for evil to anyone. (4:03) Respect what is right in the sight of all people, if possible.

(4:09) So far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people. (4:13) Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God. (4:20) For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

(4:25) But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. (4:29) If he is thirsty, give him a drink. (4:32) For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.

(4:37) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (4:43) That’s the reading of the scriptures. (4:47) As we reflect upon this, (4:49) let’s take a look at the beginning of the letter again, like we did last week.

(4:55) It says, Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, (4:59) to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, (5:05) acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (5:10) And do not be conformed to this world, (5:14) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, (5:17) so that you may prove what the will of God is, (5:22) which is good and acceptable and perfect. (5:26) So what is he asking us to do here in this first paragraph? (5:31) How do you see him, Paul, admonishing us to do? (5:47) We’re to be changed.

(5:49) We’re to come to the world to be and be transformed (5:58) by the renewing of our minds. (6:01) We have to keep thinking about what God wants us to do. (6:09) He’s asking us to do things according to his will (6:17) and to not be conformed to the world.

(6:23) Okay. (6:25) That’s easily said. (6:27) What does it mean not to be conformed to this world? (6:31) What is he really telling us to do and to be practical about this? (6:38) We’re supposed to dedicate ourselves to God, (6:42) and in so doing, we are to avoid the world.

(6:48) What are we avoiding of the world that would be offensive to God? (6:54) Scott, do you have some thoughts? (7:18) We’re to make sacrifices. (7:23) Most obvious would be sexual immorality, (7:26) any immorality, contrary to what God wants us to do. (7:32) And we’re to sacrifice, I guess you would say, pleasures of the body.

(7:42) Mm-hmm. (7:45) The embers in our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice. (7:56) There’s nothing that has to be delimited.

(8:02) But what you would expect of the sacrifice, of it being offered. (8:12) And then it involves a mental process because it’s transforming the way we think and our minds. (8:24) And that conforms to the world’s way of thinking, which is contrary to anything contrary to God.

(8:33) Can we be more specific? (8:36) Can I throw in the thought of being righteous? (8:41) When God is looking for righteousness, what is he looking for? (8:45) We know that that’s what he’s looking for. (8:47) He’s looking for people who are righteous. (8:50) I use Job oftentimes as my example because in his conversation with Satan, (8:58) he says, have you considered my servant Job? (9:02) Well, what is he supposed to be considering about Job? (9:10) It’s choose evil.

(9:15) I used that word the other day because I ran out and my computer was not cooperating with me, (9:24) so I had to resort to the King James Version, which was in the pew in front of me. (9:30) So he says, choose evil. (9:33) What does choose evil mean? (9:37) Well, he’s righteous.

(9:39) He’s wanting to do and behave like God wants him to behave. (9:46) And what does God want us and how does he want us to behave? (9:49) Can we use the Ten Commandments as an example of what kind of behavior God wants from us? (9:56) Sure we can. (9:57) What would be that? (9:58) What about the Ten Commandments? (10:02) Is God saying that he wants us to align ourselves up with and behave like? (10:17) We’re not supposed to be worldly.

(10:22) So what does the world do? (10:24) They use the Lord’s name in vain. (10:26) They gamble. (10:27) They drink.

(10:29) They lie. (10:30) They cheat. (10:32) What is Paul telling us to try to avoid once we used to do? (10:37) Take a look at Ephesians.

(10:39) This is just an example of what Paul is talking about. (10:44) I believe it’s in the fourth chapter. (10:57) Yes, it is in the fourth chapter and starting with verse 17 in particular.

(11:04) So he’s asking us to avoid worldliness. (11:06) He’s asking us to quit acting like and adopting the standards and the values of the world itself. (11:14) And that’s what John is talking about.

(11:18) We’re not to walk in the walk of the world. (11:22) So I said, 17th verse I believe. (11:25) I say this and affirm in the Lord that you are to no longer walk just as the Gentiles also walked (11:34) in the futility of their minds, being darkened in their understanding, (11:39) excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, (11:44) because of the hardness of their heart.

(11:47) And they, having become callous, have given themselves up to indecent behavior (11:53) for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. (11:58) But you did not learn Christ in this way. (12:01) If indeed you have heard him and have been taught in him, just as truth is in Jesus, (12:08) that in reference to your former way of life, you are to rid yourself of the old self, (12:15) which is being corrupted in accordance with the lust of deceit, (12:21) and that you are to be renewed in the spirit of your mind and to put on the new self, (12:28) which is the likeness of God, which has been created in righteousness.

(12:34) Therefore, ridding yourself of falsehood, speak truth to each other with his neighbor, (12:42) because we are parts of one another. (12:45) Be angry and yet do not sin. (12:47) Do not let the sun go down on your anger and do not give the devil an opportunity.

(12:53) The one who steals must no longer steal, but rather he must labor, (12:59) producing with his own hands what is good. (13:03) Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for education, (13:17) according to the need of the moment, (13:19) say that so that it will give grace to those who hear. (13:25) Do not grieve the Holy Spirit by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption, (13:32) and all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander must be removed from you, (13:40) along with all malice.

(13:42) Be kind one to another, compassionate, forgiving each other, (13:46) just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (13:51) That’s worldly knowledge, and that’s what we’re going to be confronted with (13:55) when we leave this building. (13:57) So he’s asking us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice.

(14:03) In what way? (14:08) By being righteous, concerning yourself with what the world is. (14:16) You’re concerned about whether or not you’re living up to Jones’s? (14:23) He said, don’t be concerned about Jones’s. (14:26) Be concerned about Smith’s.

(14:31) So he’s saying, I ask you to present yourselves as a living sacrifice to God. (14:42) And that’s basically what he’s asking us to do. (14:47) And so as he gets down to the end of this paragraph, he is saying, (14:53) be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove (14:57) what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

(15:04) So he’s asking us to live our lives righteously, (15:10) acceptable to God. (15:11) That’s what he’s looking for. (15:13) I use Job as an example because Job did not, if you read the book of Job, (15:21) oh, it’s beautiful.

(15:22) The guy was basically a saint. (15:27) He lived his life as a saint, that’s for sure. (15:30) He definitely, when he defends himself, and I forget what chapter it’s in, (15:37) but he starts defending himself about all the things that he did (15:41) because his friends are saying to him, (15:44) you must have sinned somewhere along the way because God’s punishing you.

(15:49) No, God isn’t punishing him. (15:53) He’s being tested, but he’s not punishing him. (15:57) The test is, Satan says, you take all your love and your care away from him (16:04) and he’ll curse you.

(16:07) And so God says to Satan, go ahead. (16:11) I’ll show you I am right about this man. (16:14) I know my men, and I know Job will not curse me and die.

(16:20) And that’s the bet. (16:21) That’s the gamble. (16:23) That’s the bet, and God knows his men.

(16:26) And so he says, go ahead and test him. (16:28) So Job then goes on and talks about how he had his own way of going out (16:37) and looking after people and finding them in need and he would take care of them (16:42) and so on, and God was blessing him. (16:47) And so this is what I think Paul is asking us to do.

(16:53) Paul is basically saying, let’s reread this just a little bit. (16:58) Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, (17:03) to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice. (17:07) So I get up out of bed in the morning.

(17:09) What’s the first thing I do? (17:13) What’s the first thing you do? (17:15) Do you say, thank you, God, for giving me this day? (17:19) Do you dedicate your life to God? (17:22) I’m sure you do. (17:23) You have no intention to going out there and killing somebody. (17:27) You have no intention to going out there and telling a dirty joke.

(17:30) You have no intention to going out there and having sex with someone else. (17:38) You have no intention to doing those things. (17:42) You have every intention of dedicating your life that day to God.

(17:48) And that’s what he’s asking us. (17:50) That’s what he’s telling us. (17:52) Present yourselves, by the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living (17:59) and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

(18:05) And so you are, as Paul points out, you are the servant of whom you dedicate yourself to. (18:14) So you give yourself to cursing and drunkenness and so on. (18:20) You’ve dedicated yourself to Satan.

(18:22) But if you come out and you’re dedicating yourself, you love your neighbors, (18:27) and you’re looking after one another, you’ve dedicated yourself to God. (18:31) And so Paul says, thank thee, God, that you are able to make the distinction. (18:37) And what is that distinction? (18:40) By being baptized for remission of our sins and dying to it.

(18:43) We have the opportunity to make a choice. (18:47) We’ll quit serving Satan, and we’re going to become a servant of God. (18:54) And so we are doing that.

(18:55) So our spiritual service of worship, and do not be conformed to this world. (19:00) In other words, don’t accept the standards. (19:02) This is what I mentioned last week.

(19:04) Don’t accept the standards of the world. (19:07) You have a standard of your own. (19:10) And that standard is God’s standard.

(19:12) This is what he wants you to live up to. (19:16) So be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (19:22) so that you may prove what the will of God is. (19:26) What is the will of God? (19:29) The will of God is for us to be righteous.

(19:32) And he lets us know what he wants us to do in order to be righteous, doesn’t he? (19:39) He lets us know how he wants us to live. (19:43) So when we walk out of that house, we have one purpose in mind, (19:49) and that is to do whatever it is necessary to support our family. (19:53) Do whatever it is to continue to exist.

(19:56) But the main thing is glorify God. (20:01) Make people God-conscious. (20:07) And so we go about making people conscious of God wherever we go, (20:15) whatever we do.

(20:17) And I guarantee you that whoever comes in, any of you, in your presence, (20:25) they know you are God pure in person. (20:29) They know you are. (20:30) Why? (20:32) Because the aura.

(20:34) They can sense the aura. (20:39) They know you are. (20:41) Any questions or any observation or comment that you would like to make? (20:46) Jesus said for us to pick up our crosses and follow him.

(20:55) It means we, as he bore his cross, we deny ourselves and we bow our cross. (21:04) And he said for us to do it daily. (21:09) What does he mean by picking up his cross and bearing it? (21:15) What does he mean? (21:25) His cross was, he was, like John starts out his gospel, he was in the world, (21:34) but the world did not know him and did not recognize him as the creator.

(21:38) He was living what God wanted him to live, and people were persecuting him because of it. (21:45) And people are going to persecute you, us, because we are Christians (21:52) and we need to continue to do it regardless of being persecuted. (21:58) We’re picking up our cross and that cross is dying daily.

(22:04) And so he’s denying yourself. (22:11) That would be the sacrifice of denying yourself. (22:15) In other words, you’re not living according to the way of the world.

(22:19) So what does that mean then? (22:21) That means you are allowing the pleasures of earth to go by you and not dipping your finger in it (22:28) or dipping your toe in it. (22:31) You are not going to be a part of the pleasures of earth. (22:35) You have one thing that’s held out to you.

(22:39) This is what I like about the Colossian letter. (22:43) The Colossian, Paul points out to the Colossian people, the church, (22:47) in the very first chapter, he points out that people are becoming Christians (22:52) and coming into the Lord for what reason? (22:58) For the hope of heaven. (23:01) Christianity holds out the hope of heaven.

(23:06) And Paul points that out because people realize that in order to get into heaven, (23:13) we need to be in the church. (23:17) That’s where it is. (23:19) So he’s telling us, don’t dip your finger or your toe or any part of your body in the pleasures of earth.

(23:28) You’re allowing the pleasures of earth. (23:30) Because all these people think that they are in pleasure. (23:33) They’re getting drunk.

(23:34) They’re having revelries. (23:35) They’re able to gamble. (23:38) And if they win, they go, oh, I won, I won.

(23:43) It is short-lived. (23:47) And they think, why aren’t you participating in this type of happiness with us? (23:53) And so that’s what he’s pointing out here in the bottom of this. (23:57) Yes.

(23:59) So a disclaimer up front. (24:03) I’m not criticizing, and I hope you don’t take it that way. (24:07) I will.

(24:10) But what I love about Romans, whatever we do, God wants us to be righteous. (24:17) No question about it. (24:19) He wants us to do what he wants us to do from our own free will.

(24:26) That’s how we do it. (24:27) Because we love him. (24:29) That’s the goal.

(24:32) But even if we do that and are righteous all day, the point of Romans is that’s not where (24:39) our righteousness comes. (24:42) We’re not righteous because we go out and we didn’t have sex with someone. (24:47) We’re not righteous because we denied ourselves something.

(24:51) That’s not where our right is. (24:52) That’s the point of Romans. (24:55) The problem with the Jews was they were trying to work out their righteousness from their (25:01) own perspective.

(25:03) They were self-righteous. (25:06) Our righteousness is a gift. (25:09) That’s what 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and chapter 8 all tell us.

(25:16) Our righteousness is a gift from God because none of us, we all sin. (25:23) None of us are righteous. (25:26) Not even one.

(25:29) So, I can go out and be the best person that God wants me to be, but that’s not what makes (25:37) me righteous. (25:39) I can do right things. (25:42) I can become more righteous because God has given me, credited me with righteousness.

(25:52) It’s a gift. (25:55) Being baptized didn’t make me righteous. (25:59) God made me righteous.

(26:02) And I obeyed him because I wanted to do the things that pleased him. (26:07) That’s what Jesus is saying. (26:08) I do what pleases my Father.

(26:16) So, yes, he wants us to be righteous. (26:19) But whatever we do, those actions don’t make it. (26:24) It’s a nuance.

(26:26) I get it. (26:27) But it’s important because otherwise we’ll think that we have to do this and if I screw (26:39) up someplace, I’m lost until I go, oh, forgive me. (26:44) And then all of a sudden, I’m saved again.

(26:47) But that’s not what chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 and 8 say. (26:54) Blessed is the man who God takes the sins away. (26:58) That’s the person who becomes a Christian, but he continues.

(27:02) Blessed is the man who God never counts his sins. (27:06) He’s still going to sin. (27:09) Never going to count his sins against him.

(27:12) So he ignores those sins, which means that person’s not actually really righteous. (27:22) He’s credited as righteous. (27:24) That’s where our righteousness comes from.

(27:27) And that’s what takes the burden off our shoulders that I don’t have to feel unworthy (27:37) or I can approach God now with confidence because he gave me his righteousness. (27:45) That’s why I’m righteous because he’s righteous. (27:48) And he gave it to me.

(27:50) And because of that, I want to do what pleases him. (27:56) That’s exactly right. (27:58) I have no complaints with what you have to say.

(28:01) In fact, I endorse everything that you have to say. (28:04) What Paul wants us to know is that we need to continue to walk in the light as he is in the light. (28:11) And that’s what he’s talking about here too.

(28:13) And so for us to be considered to be righteous, we need to behave righteously. (28:20) And that’s what he’s pointing out to us. (28:22) That’s why he can say that now after he’s told us how all this works.

(28:28) Exactly. (28:29) So what he’s asking us now to do is to be aware of what we are. (28:36) We have been saved.

(28:37) God saved us. (28:39) God paid the debt that we owe. (28:41) He justified us.

(28:43) And we are sanctified. (28:45) But sanctified for what? (28:50) We are not in the world. (28:52) And so this is what he’s trying to help us to appreciate.

(28:54) We have been sanctified. (28:56) And because we are sanctified, we are going to behave this way. (29:02) This is what is expected of us.

(29:06) For example, what does it mean to be sanctified? (29:09) To be set aside. (29:12) So did you know that this plate has been sanctified? (29:18) Sanctified for what? (29:22) You’re not going to use it for dinner plate, are you? (29:25) We’re going to go down to the buffet and put food in there? (29:30) We’re not going to do that. (29:31) This thing has been set aside for one particular purpose.

(29:36) And that purpose is to collect money. (29:41) So we have sanctified. (29:44) So you’ve been sanctified.

(29:46) And so what are you sanctified to do? (29:51) To behave the way God wants you to behave. (29:56) And that’s what Paul is asking us. (29:58) Sanctify yourself.

(30:01) Allow yourself to be sanctified. (30:03) And don’t allow yourself to participate in the world. (30:06) To bring yourself out of the world and be sanctified.

(30:12) And then he goes on with a point about don’t think so highly of yourself. (30:17) Don’t think so highly of yourself. (30:20) But he says be sanctified.

(30:23) Don’t allow yourself to participate in those particular activities. (30:26) That’s what he’s asking us. (30:28) Don’t allow yourself to participate in those things.

(30:32) Do what God wants you to do. (30:34) Be righteous. (30:37) What is it to be righteous? (30:40) Okay.

(30:42) I am righteous only because I’m looking for what God wants me to behave and how he wants me to behave. (30:52) And if I behave the way he wants me to behave, he considers me to be righteous. (30:56) He doesn’t say, you’re righteous.

(30:59) But he doesn’t say you’re righteous. (31:02) That’s what he did with Abraham. (31:05) Abraham dedicated himself to doing what God wanted him to do.

(31:10) And that’s the reason why God says, I’m looking for righteous people. (31:15) Is there a righteous person around here? (31:18) Job. (31:19) Job’s a righteous person.

(31:22) Abraham. (31:24) He’s a righteous person. (31:27) Then hopefully he can come into this room and say, you’re righteous.

(31:34) What made me righteous? (31:38) God cleansed me. (31:40) Helped me be sanctified. (31:42) And I am conveying myself and behaving myself in the way God wants me to be.

(31:50) And so he’s looking for righteous people. (31:55) We need to walk him in the light first. (31:58) We’re walking in the light as he is in the light.

(32:00) As long as we’re walking in the light. (32:01) We can make the mistakes because Jesus continues to cleanse us. (32:08) And we can make those mistakes.

(32:11) We can sleep. (32:13) You got a comment? (32:16) I thought you waved your hand. (32:19) Where that verse comes from, (32:22) John, when he’s walking the light, he is in the light.

(32:27) That’s how it goes. (32:29) In the third chapter, it’s called, (32:33) He who does what is right is righteous. (32:36) Job said he is righteous.

(32:39) And so, yeah, he kind of gives us righteousness. (32:44) And once we’re up and running, (32:46) out of our love and appreciation of God, (32:51) we’re doing the righteous work that he prepared for eternity for us to do. (32:59) And Paul says, now that you are in Christ, (33:02) you didn’t learn those things from Christ.

(33:06) He’s bringing you out of that. (33:08) What does Romans start out with? (33:11) Romans starts out with the plight of the world (33:14) and how they are not God conscious. (33:17) In fact, they are doing everything to be un-God conscious.

(33:22) And that’s what he’s pointing out here, too. (33:25) We need to be God conscious in all the things we do. (33:30) And that’s one of the purposes of my sermon today.

(33:35) That we are to be God conscious. (33:38) And they’re not God conscious. (33:40) They are dedicating themselves to the world, to fun, (33:45) to Satan’s way of living life.

(33:49) And so he says, you didn’t learn that from Jesus. (33:52) In fact, what I want you to do is I want you to put off the way of the world. (33:56) That’s what we just got through reading in Ephesians.

(33:59) I want you to put off the way of the world, (34:01) and I want you to accept the way God wants you to live. (34:06) And that’s what he’s saying here. (34:08) I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, (34:11) to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, (34:16) acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

(34:22) And do not be conformed to this world, (34:25) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, (34:29) so that you may prove what the will of God is, (34:33) that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (34:36) What is the will of God? (34:39) Did anybody have any fault with it? (34:43) It’s what God wants. (34:46) Paul says it’s perfect.

(34:48) The will of God is perfect, acceptable, and it’s good. (34:54) He finishes that paragraph. (34:56) The will of God is, comma, (35:01) and he describes what the will of God is.

(35:03) It is good, acceptable, and perfect. (36:00) Paul points out to us what God’s will is in Ephesians. (36:09) He points out that God, when he created this world, had a purpose.

(36:14) It’s his will. (36:16) His will is for us to return to him and be with him eternally in heaven (36:21) by virtue of his gospel, his salvation, (36:27) that he’s offering and proffering to us through Jesus. (36:31) And his will is he wants us to come to him through Jesus.

(36:35) That’s his whole will. (36:38) That’s God’s will. (36:41) And he wants a people to come.

(36:45) And what does Peter say? (36:47) God does not desire that any should perish, (36:52) but that all should come to repentance. (36:55) Isn’t that his will? (36:57) It certainly is. (36:58) And what is his will? (37:00) His will is that those who enter into heaven will praise him (37:05) for his gift that he’s giving to us through Jesus.

(37:12) The offer of being justified and given the opportunity (37:17) and sanctified to come into heaven because of Jesus (37:22) and glorify him because of his will for Jesus. (37:28) Any other comments? (37:30) That’s his will. (37:32) His will is that he wants us to acknowledge him as God.

(37:37) And that’s what Paul is pointing out to us in the very first chapter. (37:41) That they did not, his wrath is against them (37:45) because they did not want to recognize him as a God. (37:51) And Paul recognizes him as God.

(37:54) We started out either last week or the week before last (37:57) by asking, what is Paul’s view of God? (38:05) Paul’s view of God is amazing. (38:12) He is willing to do whatever he has to do in order to be pleasing to God. (38:18) And he’s willing to do what he did because God was willing to reach out (38:23) and save him and provide him with a different course of action.

(38:28) And so instead of persecuting the church, he is now building up the church (38:33) that he was persecuting. (38:35) And so he believes in God. (38:38) And whenever you think in terms of whatever it is, (38:43) he gives God credit.

(38:45) He believes in the divine intervention, providence, and preservation of God. (38:50) He believes in God. (38:53) And that’s what he’s asking us.

(38:56) That’s what Paul is encouraging us, (38:58) to accept the same concept that he has about God. (39:05) And so does Paul present himself as a living sacrifice? (39:11) You bet he does. (39:13) Every day of his life, he was presenting himself as a living sacrifice for God.

(39:19) And that’s what Paul is asking you and I to do. (39:24) Present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. (39:30) Wholly acceptable.

(39:33) So it’s one of those things that is so, so important. (39:41) I rehashed the last three classes, (39:45) but I find the subject is so important, so important. (39:50) And that’s the reason why my lesson today is (39:57) for his namesake.

(40:00) For his namesake. (40:04) And we’re going to be looking at that. (40:08) So Paul points out in verse 3, Romans the 12th chapter.

(40:15) For through the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you, (40:19) not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think. (40:23) Is there anybody who should think more highly of themselves than him? (40:29) Honestly, he doesn’t. (40:31) He wouldn’t do what he’s doing if he thought he was above us.

(40:36) He wouldn’t be doing what he’s doing if he thought he was untouchable. (40:42) He wouldn’t be doing these things. (40:44) For through the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you, (40:48) not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, (40:52) but to think so as to have sound judgment, (40:56) as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

(41:02) Isn’t that something? (41:03) We all have differing measures of faith. (41:08) Yes. (41:09) You ever stop to think about that? (41:13) Paul points in Romans the 4th chapter.

(41:15) Let’s take a look at Romans the 4th chapter. (41:18) Or no, Romans Ephesians the 4th chapter. (41:33) Picking up at verse 7. (41:38) But to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

(41:46) Therefore it says, so apparently our faith is a gift to us in a measure. (41:54) We need to determine what kind of gift we have. (41:59) When he ascended on high, he led captive the captives.

(42:04) He gave gifts to people. (46:58) Now this expression, he ascended, what does it mean? (42:11) Except that he also had descended into the lower parts of the earth. (42:16) He who descended is himself also he who ascended far above all heavens, (42:23) so that he might fulfill all things.

(42:27) And he gave, who? (42:29) Jesus. (42:30) Jesus gave some as, and notice here the various offices, or the various gifts. (42:39) He gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers.

(42:49) Why? (42:49) Why did he do this? (42:57) When did he do that? (43:00) For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, (43:06) for the building up of the body of Christ. (43:10) Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. (43:19) To a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

(43:26) As a result, we are no longer to be children tossed here and there by waves (43:32) and carried about by every wind of doctrine, (43:35) by the trickery of people and by the craftiness in deceitful scheming. (43:41) But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into him (43:48) who is the head, that is Christ, (43:51) from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies (43:59) according to the proper working of each individual part, (44:03) causes the growth of the body for the building of itself above. (44:08) So, we have various leadership gifts.

(44:17) Various leadership gifts. (44:19) That’s what Paul says. (44:20) Jesus gave us various leaderships of gifts.

(44:25) For what purpose? (44:29) To build up the church. (44:31) How are we going to build up the church? (44:33) By helping each other in their faith to God in their Christian walk. (44:40) So that we are no longer tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.

(44:44) And how many winds of doctrine are there out there in the world right now? (44:52) Oh, many. (44:53) You can’t say the count of them, but we’ve got five years. (44:58) Well, Joe, while we were down having coffee, (45:02) mentioned several winds of doctrine that he had hit his toe in from time to time.

(45:12) And I know Joe doesn’t care to mention those things again, (45:17) but those are all winds of doctrine. (45:21) And so we need to be able to know and be firm in what we believe. (45:28) And so that’s the reason why Jesus gave us these various gifts of leadership (45:34) so that we can help one another be solid and not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.

(45:43) So, I know my time is up because I’ve been looking at the clock, (45:48) but that’s one of the things that we need to recognize as far as Romans, the 12th chapter there. (45:54) And we have those particular gifts. (45:59) Paul reiterates those gifts in several other letters, (46:02) but the one letter that really sticks out to me is in 1 Corinthians, the 12th chapter, (46:08) where he talks about we’re a body, but we are members.

(46:16) And each one of us has been given a particular gift. (46:19) And so Paul points out here in the lower part, starting in verse 9, about the various gifts. (46:28) If we recognize the fact that we have this particular gift, let’s make advantage of it. (46:33) Let’s just sit back and wait until somebody asks us for it. (46:38) Let’s reach out and do it. (46:41) And I see that among those who are here right now. (46:47) They are doing what they’re supposed to be doing, and they know what their gifts are. (46:52) So, thank you so much for your attention. (46:54) We’ll pick up on chapter 12 again next week. (46:56) Thank you so much for your attention. (46:58)