Sunday Sermon: Live Peaceably With All (Romans 12:14-18)

You're listening to the preaching ministry of Gabriel Hughes, pastor of Providence Reformed Baptist Church in Casa Grande, Arizona. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on this podcast we feature teaching through a New Testament book, an Old Testament book on Thursday and our Q &A on Friday.

Each Sunday we are pleased to present our sermon series. Here is Pastor Gabe.

Well good morning. A pleasure to be back with you in the Word this morning. You know, Brother Chris had made an announcement this morning and I just wanted to make sure that you heard the same announcement that I did because I thought the response to that was rather tame.

We had somebody donate $20 ,000 to the church building fund. There we go. Okay. Now that's given, again, as a matching gift. So the expectation being that we would match it dollar for dollar. So we could turn that $20 ,000 into $40 ,000.

If we only raise $10 ,000, then that's only going to be $20 ,000. But if we can raise $20 ,000, then it's matched dollar for dollar up to $40 ,000. Does it make sense how a matching gift works? When I worked in Christian radio, every once in a while somebody would donate something like that, would give a matching gift, say, hey, I want to give $10 ,000, we'll match it dollar for dollar if you can get listeners to give all the way up to this amount.

So that's how a matching gift works. And what a blessing for us to be able to receive that. And that we could, as a church, as Chris said, do our part in matching that dollar for dollar and bring it all the way up to double it for the chance to either buy a building or build a building wherever the Lord would lead us to go in that direction.

But we certainly want to be able to have the funds there should that opportunity arise. Thank you as always for your giving and your contributions to our body as Providence Reform Baptist Church continues to grow and look to the future of ministry that God would have for us.

The Marks of a True Christian in Romans 12

Let us in every step of the way remain faithful to the word that has been entrusted to us, that we have been committed to preaching here, but not only preaching, may we hear what it says and do what it says.

We've been in Romans chapter 12, if you want to open your Bible, as we return to this section where we're reading about the marks of a true Christian, that way of love that we should all walk in as we reflect the God of love who has shown himself to us, especially through his son, Jesus Christ, who died for us and rose again from the dead so that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.

As Jesus loved his own, so we also must love one another. And we heard last week from Romans 12, nine, let love be genuine, abhor what is evil and hold fast to what is good. The 17th century Puritan George Gifford said the following quote, the lost continue in sin deceiving themselves with vain hope of God's mercy in the end.

The saved cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and grow in all graces until they have yielded up themselves to have Christ reign in them. So let us, as we studied the word this morning, continue to grow in all the graces that God has given to us in Christ.

In honor of the word of the King, would you please stand? This morning we are reading Romans chapter 12, verses 14 to 21. I'm going to go to the end of the section that we won't look at all of that today, but this is the passage that we will devote to our opening reading.

Hear the word of the Lord. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.

Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God.

For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For by so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. You may be seated as we pray. Heavenly Father, we come to you this morning rejoicing again as we have sung about in our songs and as we read about in your word, rejoicing of the good love that you have shown to us in Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Such undeserved love we have received. We have done nothing to merit the favor of God, and yet you have shown your favor to us, not because of anything good in us, but because you were good to us and continue to be good to us day by day.

I pray that the things that we read about and the things we consider from your word are not just something to make us feel good today, but they indeed fill us up with hope for tomorrow, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow as we sing about in that great hymn, great is thy faithfulness.

Lord, what needs to be convicted in us, I pray that your spirit would convict. What needs to be corrected, may your spirit correct. And where we need guidance, may your spirit direct our course that we may know the way that we ought to go in the manner of Christ, in the way that you expect your children to behave in this world.

Many of us as parents, we guide our children in their behavior. We direct them in the way that they should act. And so you, as our father in heaven, direct in us how we should behave with one another here and even with those who live beyond our congregation.

We thank you for the goodness and grace that you show to us every day. May the love that we have received from God be seen even by others as we read about here desiring to do what is good in the sight of all.

It is in Jesus' name that we pray and all God's people said, amen. I don't know about you, but I feel conviction just about every time I hear that section of the Sermon on the Mount read out of Matthew chapter five, which our brother Alan read for us this morning.

Jesus’ Teaching on Loving Enemies

You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Amen, praise God. I mean, in whatever way that I can get back what somebody took from me, I want to take revenge. They did it to me.

I can do it back to them. And I'm always looking for an excuse to be able to lash out to somebody else. But yet Jesus goes on to say, but I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

And many of us may sit in our pews and we will hear that and we will nod our heads and we will say amen because we're supposed to. But in our hearts, we're probably looking for loopholes. Where is it okay for me to slap that guy back who smacked me?

Where is it okay for me to hate my enemy instead of love him? If he does something to me, don't I have the right to be able to do something back to him? And I don't think I need to expound on this passage or exposit for you exactly what Jesus is saying.

I think you know what Jesus is saying. And this is why we in our flesh want to look for loopholes. I don't want to accept what it is that he's saying. I want to be able to have the right of retaliation.

And yet we've been told not to curse our enemies, but to bless them. As we even read about in the section that we're looking at today in Romans 12 verse 14, bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse them.

Christ’s Example of Blessing Those Who Persecute

And what is our model for this behavior? Well, it's Jesus, isn't it? As Peter says, he who was reviled did not revile in return, but entrusted himself to him who judges justly. And that needs to be our condition and our behavior every time.

Like I said, it's easy for us to sit here and nod along and say amen because it's in the Bible. So I'm supposed to say amen, but this will actually require for us a disciplined approach so that you don't retaliate when somebody strikes you or calls you a name or afflicts you in some way.

We have to prepare ourselves for those moments before we ever even get to them. And so as we read and we consider these things this morning, think for yourself how you might discipline your thinking, your heart, so that you are conditioning yourself before God to react to those who hate you with love and not with cursing.

The Triplet of Love in Romans 12:14-18

Now I remind you as we're in this particular section, I was borrowing an outline from the late Baptist preacher, Alexander McLaren, who said that this is part of a triplet. So if you'll remember back up to kind of what we were reading here, do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

That was verse 11. There's a triplet there. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Then the next verse, we had another triplet, rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

And then verse 13 appears to leave the pattern, but as McLaren pointed out, this is actually part of another triplet, contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. And McLaren pointed out that this is love that speaks in material help.

It was a verse that we considered last week. As we go on, we have the second part of that triplet. So this is part two in verse 14 and we read of love that meets hostility with blessing. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them.

So that's the second part of this triplet, even though it's a different verse, we're still continuing with this theme of three. And then the third one is in verse 15. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

And McLaren says, this is a love that flows in wide sympathy. So again, as we considered last week, love that speaks in material help. Today we look at love that meets hostility with blessing. And then number three, love that flows in wide sympathy.

And as we consider that sympathy that Paul speaks of in verses 16 through 18, this is bookended with that reminder once again, to respond to hostility with blessing. Because then we come back in verse 19 to reading, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God.

That's the same sort of instruction as what is given in verse 14. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Next week, we're going to come to verses 19 to 21, and we'll put more of an emphasis there on what Paul is saying with regards to never avenging yourselves, but leaving it to the wrath of God.

What we want to focus on today are those second and third points. Love that meets hostility with blessing and love that flows in wide sympathy. So, first of all, in verse 14, bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them.

Bless, bless those who persecute you. Now what is meant here by blessing those who persecute you? Well, we don't simply respond to those who hate us by not responding at all. So, just because somebody would make some sort of comment to you or some sort of action against you that would be persecuting in some way, afflicting you somehow, don't just sit there and not say or do anything at all.

But rather, our response instead would be a positive reaction. They react negatively toward us, we would respond with positivity toward them. And the greatest way that we can bless those who persecute us, ladies and gentlemen, is by sharing with them the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let me ask you this, those who antagonize you, those who mean you harm or ill in your life, is your desire for them to become your brother or sister in the Lord? Like how do you respond to that kind of behavior?

Do you think of them, well there's imprecatory Psalms for that person, I am going to pray that God will break the teeth of the wicked, break the arm of the wicked God, this person that means me harm, break their arm.

Is that first where you go in scripture? It is right for us to pray that God's justice would be done in the earth. Amen, hallelujah. But you know that by praying that God's justice would be done in the earth, that means the person that is doing or meaning harm against you, it means that God's wrath would come upon them.

And is that really what you want for this person? That they would perish in God's wrath? Or would your desire for that person be that they would come to know the same grace of God that you have come to know?

To be forgiven of your sins and be included in the family of God so that your enemy would now become your brother or your sister. I remember when my sister was in high school, she was a cheerleader. There's a lot of drama among cheerleaders.

I don't know that I have to say that, you probably know that, but there was some competition between her and another gal, used to be a really good friend. I remember when this gal used to come over for sleepovers at the house and suddenly they're bitter enemies toward one another.

And there was one time where my mom found this sign that was kind of a funny joke. It was something to the effect of like, Lord, help us to love those who persecute us and walk a mile in their shoes. And if they don't repent that you would twist their ankles so that we would know them by their limping.

It was something like that. I just remember the phrase, twist their ankles so that we will know them by their limping. I remember that phrase being in the sign that was bought. Well, then what ended up happening was this friend of hers who had become an enemy of hers actually literally sprained her ankle.

Right? And so then she was known by her limping. And at first it was funny because it was like, ah, what irony, God answered our prayer. But shortly thereafter, my sister actually began to feel rather guilty about that and began to think, was my praying for her actually what caused her to sprain her ankle?

And that isn't what I would want to have to this person. I would rather actually that she would repent and we would be friends again. And so her heart, her affection for this person would be not that she would be an enemy and then all of the things that my enemies deserve would come upon her, but rather that, that we could be friends, that we would be sisters once again.

And is our desire for those who would antagonize us, is our desire for them to become brothers and sisters in the Lord? Do you, do you have an enemy in your life somewhere you wish was actually sitting in here with you today?

And that would be your first desire for them rather than that God's judgment would come upon them. In Matthew 5, 44, also in that section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

And in first Peter chapter three, verses eight through nine, the apostle says, finally, all of you have unity of mind, sympathy and brotherly love, a tender heart and a humble mind. Some of those instructions we see right here in this section we're looking at today.

Peter goes on to say, do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling. But on the contrary, bless for to this you were called that you may obtain a blessing. You would bless those who persecute you, knowing that ultimately God will give me blessing.

What I need in this moment right now is not to feel better about myself by putting down the person who is putting me down, but rather entrusting myself to God and desiring that this person would also come to know the fear of the Lord and the salvation that is given us only in Christ, blessing those who persecute us and not cursing them.

But like I said, we have this tendency to want to look for loopholes. We want to find a way to cheat this. I want to be able to lash out at those who would try to persecute me rather than showing them love.

Responding to Persecution Without Retaliation

I saw this happen in a pretty broad sense online earlier this year. Some of you might remember this. There was a church in St. Paul, Minnesota back in January. There was a mob that came into that church and they had targeted that church specifically because one of the elders of that church worked for ice.

And so they were like, this is the place where we're going to make our ourselves known, our protest known. So they even had Don Lemon, formerly of CNN, along with a camera crew go along with them to this church while they infiltrated the place and began this mob protest in the middle of church while people were worshiping.

There were cameras on both sides. There were people who came in with their cameras and they're videoing everything. And then there were people who were sitting in the worship service that once this mob got up and started doing their thing, they got their cameras out as well because we want to be able to document this in case, you know, when law enforcement starts asking us, well, who started this thing?

We're able to show them with our documented evidence who was really at fault. But then as that footage began leaking online, there were many Christians who were like, we need to arm ourselves. We need more guns in church.

And how dare that church really even lashing out at that church for the way that they responded and saying, how dare they not pull their own guns and with security start escorting people outside of the building.

It began to be a call for more retaliation. We need to be ready to react against those who would mean us harm. I really, frankly, when I saw the footage, I thought that city church reacted wonderfully Christian to that situation.

And I'm very thankful of the witness that they gave and the way that they responded to this mob that came in, disrupted their worship services, and even got into the faces of their children, making children cry in the middle of church.

I had made this comment. If your response to persecution is to arm your church, laying out strategies and contingencies while neglecting to biblically prepare your people for persecution and how to respond to it, you might be thinking more as Americans first and Christians second.

There was a pastor in Texas that hated that I said that. And he accused me of being a homosexual. Not kidding. And said that my comment made him viscerally angry. He said the left is literally threatening our Christian wives and children.

Yes, we preach the gospel and each man should carry two guns always at the ready. That was his response to that. My friends, are we prepared to recognize that the world is going to hate us and they are going to persecute us?

And the New Testament does far more to prepare us for that persecution than to say anything about take up arms and fight back. We don't see that as being the attitude of the New Testament church, but rather that we should bless those who persecute us.

And I'm not opposed to security. Not opposed to it at all. We have a security team here. We have cameras on the outside of our church building as a matter of security. Had a drunk guy come into our parking lot once and try to get into the building.

We called the police. And they took care of the situation. So it's good to have those kinds of contingencies in place. But where do our thoughts run to first? Does it run to retaliating against our enemies?

Or how we may bless those who persecute us? And preparing ourselves for the fact that people are going to hate us and come against us in this world, how should we respond with blessing instead of cursing?

Again, the scripture tells us that Jesus, when he was reviled, did not revile in return but entrusted himself to him who judges justly. And Peter speaks of that so that we would see that example in Christ and we would respond just as Jesus did.

Sympathy With Those Who Rejoice and Weep

So the second part of this, as we're looking at this outline, the second part is a love that meets hostility with blessing. And that should be a mark for us as Christians. But then third, we see a love that flows in wide sympathy.

And this is in verses 15 to 18. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. That's how this section begins. Now rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep. Even though this is kind of marking a wide sympathy that we have for one another, I don't believe that this verse is necessarily given in this context that we must weep with everyone who weeps and rejoice with everyone who rejoices.

Sometimes people weep over dumb things. Thank you Sister Tammy, yeah, that was a great reaction. You probably, those of you who are parents, your kids have cried over dumb stuff, haven't they? And your reaction to them is, come on, grow up.

This is nothing to shed tears over. We actually have a rule in our house that if you cry over a screen, you're done with the screen. If your video game that you're playing or whatever is causing you tears, you're done.

That's it. Or if we've leveled some sort of restriction and now you're pitching a fit over it, well, now that grounding is going to be extended. Screens are not worth shedding tears over. They are a pleasure or a luxury.

They're not something that you have to have and you've spent too much time on it if it's eliciting from you this unreasonable response. That's just a rule that we have with our children. But there are other people out there that will whine and complain over things that are just not worth whining and complaining over.

And we don't need to have some tearful sympathy with those people who are crying over things that are not worth crying over. Or even they're crying over because they want their own sinful, wicked way, we don't weep with them like, oh, I wish you could have your own sinful, wicked way.

No. That's not the kind of sympathy that we're talking about here. But especially in the context of what we're reading about, remember, what was the statement? What was the exhortation that was given right before it?

Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. And right after that, rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. So I want to propose this to you, that in context, this would directly apply to those who rejoice over the fact that our enemies are getting saved or that people out in the world are hearing the gospel and coming to faith in Jesus Christ.

It's almost like there is an evangelistic context to this specific statement. I don't think it's exclusively that way, but that would be the context considering the persecution that was just talked about in the previous verse.

So where there are those who come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we hear stories about the gospel has gone out. People are believing the kingdom of God is growing. Amen. We all rejoice together. Jesus said that the harvester and the planter and the reaper, they all rejoice together in the harvest that is brought into the storehouse of God.

The apostle Paul also speaking in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 saying, I planted, Apollos watered, God provided the growth. We all receive the same reward. So we rejoice together when we hear these wonderful accounts of the good news going out and people coming to faith in the Lord Christ.

But then the other side of that is weep with those who weep. So those who are being persecuted, those who are feeling the weight of the world coming down on them, those who have not yet seen a resolution to their trial or their difficulty, we would weep with them.

And as I said, I don't think it's just exclusively that we rejoice when people come into the kingdom. We weep with those who are being persecuted, but that appears to be the context. We would also weep with those who receive bad news of a medical diagnosis.

We would also weep with those who received bad news of something that had happened within the family. We weep with those who are just experiencing some low depression in life right now that they cannot even really explain, but just feeling the burden on the world upon themselves.

We may not have some wonderful nugget of wisdom to give to them that immediately resolves it. Instead, we just weep with those who are weeping, but we're also rejoicing with those who are rejoicing. Last week, the Franklins had a party at their house, at Greg's house, rejoicing that they're expecting a baby boy, and we all applauded and cheered.

This was a great time of festivity and getting together and rejoicing that a new life has been blessed to their family, and that life is male, praise God. We rejoice together over that. But then when we hear of someone that we love who is experiencing a great and deep trial, then we weep with them also.

We've had times of prayer in that way where we've prayed over somebody and we've wept over the great burden that they're dealing with right now. This is a kind of sympathy that we demonstrate among one another within the body of Christ.

Humility, Harmony, and Association With the Lowly

It goes on to say, and still in the context of this of this wide sympathy that we have with one another, live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

That looks like another triplet there. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly, and never be wise in your own sight. As said in, as said in Romans 3, or sorry, Proverbs 3, 7, be not wise in your own eyes.

Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. And Proverbs 27, 1 and 2 says, do not boast about tomorrow for you don't even know what the day will bring. That's a call for humility. Let another praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger, and not your own lips.

As we have this attitude of humility even toward one another, living in harmony with each other. Our disposition is not to stir people up, be grumpy with one another, and cause division. Whether that person is a believer or an unbeliever, we're not trying to stir people up and cause division.

Now, some of the things that we say and do as Christians, the world is going to hate. Yes, very obviously. But let it be that they hate it because they hate the truth, not because we were acting like jerks in the way that we were conveying the truth.

Avoid being a jerk for Jesus. That's not winning anybody into the kingdom. But even when we speak gently with one another, with love toward others, we present the truth to them. They will hate it because it is the truth.

As much as we can, we must live in harmony with all. And not being proud of ourselves, because there's nothing within ourselves specifically that we should boast in. As Paul said to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1, let he who boasts, boast in the Lord.

We also have this in Psalm 131. This is a song of ascents of David. Oh Lord, my heart is not lifted up. My eyes are not raised too high. I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous to me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul. Like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. Oh Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. That's the entire Psalm, by the way.

I just read a whole Psalm for you. Three verses in Psalm 131. So if anything today, you can say, I heard a whole Psalm in church today. But this speaks of how we do not busy ourselves with things that are too high or marvelous or wonderful for us.

But with a humble and quiet spirit, we come to the Lord and let God's words be our guidance in this world. George Gifford, who was a Puritan in the 17th century, I opened with a quote from George Gifford.

He wrote a book called A Treatise of True Fortitude. Fortitude, by the way, is mental and emotional strength. And true fortitude, he says, is from trusting in God. It doesn't come from ourselves, it doesn't come from our own bodies, but rather a trust in the Lord.

Even a person who has a feeble exterior, you would look at that person, you wouldn't necessarily think that person is physically strong, yet they can have great fortitude because of their trust in God.

Gifford says that worldly boldness stems from pride or stubbornness, while true fortitude comes from trusting in the Lord. By trusting in the power of Christ, he says, believers find the patience and steadfastness needed to face trials, fears, and persecution without giving up.

And this all comes from trusting God. There is, of course, benefit to physical strength, to building up our physical strength. There is benefit to building up our emotional strength in whatever way that you can.

But ultimately, true Christian fortitude comes from the trust that we place in the Lord. Trusting in the power of Christ. And even this keeps us humble. We would not be too proud of ourselves, thinking too highly of ourselves, as Paul had said previously, don't think too highly of yourself, but with sober judgment.

And so, with this humility, we would also associate with the lowly. And that statement, by the way, to associate with the lowly, also means to give yourselves to humble tasks. I had mentioned to you last week, giving to those who cannot give anything back to you.

You don't just bless somebody who can therefore bless you with something, but you give even to those who cannot repay you. That we would care for and love even the least of these brothers of mine, Jesus said in Matthew 25, 40.

We would be willing to associate with the lowly. Those people that it might hurt your reputation to be associated with them. Why is that person hanging out with that person? But you love those that even would not ordinarily be loved by the world.

Preparing to Repay Evil With Good

Never being wise in our own sight, but our wisdom. May we have a wisdom that comes from God. And verse 17, repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. Now, like I said in the beginning, when it comes to having this kind of response, repaying no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.

If you just nod your head and you say, amen, but you do nothing to prepare your heart and your spirit for those occasions when they come, how do you know when someone pays evil toward you that you will be able to react with good?

Again, as I said, this, this takes preparation. It takes discipline. Discipline. We can't just say, amen, the Bible says it, so therefore I'm going to do it. You know, it's not that easy. You know that.

You can have it made up in your minds. I'm not going to get angry over little things so much anymore. Right? It's a good goal. How well did you do with that today? That is a discipline. It is a training.

It is something that is going to take some time, but we would continue to submit ourselves to the Lord always. Again, this growth in fortitude that comes from trusting in Christ, and every day, daily, day by day, we would submit our hearts to God.

God, control my thoughts today. May it not be my thoughts, but your thoughts that I am meditating on. May it not be my actions, the way I want to respond from my flesh, but may I respond and react in a way that is honorable to the Lord, that reflects even the behavior of Christ in the way that he reacted to his enemies.

Christ’s Prayer for His Persecutors

What did Jesus pray from the cross as they crucified an innocent man who had never done a single evil thing in his life? He reacted to his persecutors by praying for them. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.

And you certainly heard those words and read them out of the Gospel of Luke. And maybe you were so moved by those words. What great affection of love that Jesus had, even for those who would kill him.

And I want to be able to react that way too. I want to be able to react like those great missionaries that we hear about, those who were persecuted for their faith. Nate Saint, who preached in Ecuador, was killed by the tribe that was there.

Though he expressed love to them, they put him to death. But the love that those missionaries showed for that tribe, though they killed him later, they would come to faith hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

And the very man who killed, who murdered Nate Saint for preaching the Gospel to him became friends with his son. And they continued to preach the Gospel to lost people there in the nation of Ecuador.

Would that opportunity had been there? Would that opportunity be there to preach the Gospel to other people? If Nate Saint's son had reacted with, I'm going to go take revenge out on those people who killed my father.

And we probably would not have faulted the guy for reacting that way. They killed your dad. I understand you wanting to take justice out on those people in that way. But that isn't the way that he responded.