Well, good morning. Thank you, man, for leading us again so well this morning. Rich songs that
! Prep and bring encouragement to my soul in preparation to preach. Would you open up your
! Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 12. And we're going to continue the study that we've
been in. If you haven't been with us, we've been in Romans for a good amount of time. We'll be here
for a while. But after today starts the sabbatical season for a couple of our pastors, and we'll be
taking a short break after that. Well, last week we were served tremendously, as Jake helped us to
consider what your Bible refers to as the marks of the true Christian from verses 9 through 16.
And by the way, a very quick overview. Paul has labored thus far in the book of Romans to demonstrate
the wonder of God's kindness directed towards those who are condemned by their sin. We know judgment
stood against us pending. Our hope was vanquished, and an insurmountable list of offenses against the
reigning king grew in our accounts. And it was at this time, according to Romans chapter 5 verse 6,
that Christ came and he died for the ungodly. And this great salvation, accomplished according to God's
sovereign purposes, has resulted in a brand new people. That is us who gather by faith this morning
in the work of cross. This is a brand new harvest of those who by grace and through faith enjoy the gift
of justification as object of God's loving affection. So, furthermore, in chapter 12, we've been in this
over the last month or so, we have been reminded that walking in this grace is only because of the work
of the Holy Spirit within local bodies. You see, it's the Holy Spirit that applies the gospel to the heart.
He equips the body with varying gifts to build up one another in love for the praise and the renown of the Lord.
And yet today, we arrive at a sobering topic, one that Paul directs our attention towards.
And it's this, the difficult opposition that remains and is ongoing. And this is the opposition that not
only exists vertically from creature to the creator, but also exists horizontally between fallen creatures
and the new creation, the church, the seed of the woman against, sorry, the seed of the serpent
against the seed of the woman. Now, Paul, as we know, has been subjected to great wrong that is done
against him at the hands of evil men. So, Paul knows the temptation that our flesh feels when wrongdoing
is directed towards us. He has experienced bodily, physical mistreatment. He's been ridiculed and mocked
and abandoned at the hands of men. And he knows that there's an urge that lies very close to the human
heart, one that you have felt and I have felt even this week. The desire to respond to injustice
with anger and self-vindication. Perhaps this timely word this morning arrives at a time that you
yourself have struggled in your response when exposed to the sin of others. Perhaps God, by the power of
his word, intends to break you from your faithless anger that you feel when others wrong you. So, just a few
questions to prepare us to receive the weight of our text. As you think of your life, have you expressed
trust trust in the Lord when he allows you to be mistreated by spouses, by children, by friends, or by
co-workers? Do you trust God when you hear your name being mentioned in a conversation, not a positive one?
And do you trust the Lord when you've been sharing the good news with someone faithfully? And their response,
once again, is not only rejection, but perhaps accusations against you. So, in light of these
expected circumstances, our text calls us this morning to deep and abiding faith that God alone
is able to properly account for all wrongdoing. We are called to trust that one day righteous judgment
will be applied by him according to his wise and glorious purposes. And we are called to trust
that we have been given the assignment to be ambassadors of reconciliation, not ambassadors
of wrath. Let's open and read our text together. Our verses this morning will be verses 17 through 21,
but we'll back up just a few more more verses to verse 9 to not interrupt Paul's development.
God's word says this, let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good,
love one another with brotherly affection, outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in
zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer,
contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 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 and never be wise in your own sight.
Now our verses for this morning. 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.
So we have two primary points this morning that I intend to show you from our text and a few other sub points.
The first main point is seeking the honor of God with our conduct.
And the second, responding to evil with both wrath and with grace in mind.
Now let's focus our attention on the significance of what we see in verse 17. It's described as honorable conduct.
Again, our text says,
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
So our text reminds us that the initial and prominent responsibility of Christians when encountering evil
is to resist the inclination to pay it back in kind.
To return evil for evil is the easy and the natural inclination that many of us feel.
This is kind of similar, something that we've been trained by.
When you are exposed to a physical attack, think of the things that you first do.
Self-protect, defense, preparation against a future attack,
even vocalizing your disapproval of the behavior we have experienced.
We do that as well.
We recall, though, that Jesus instructs us away from these types of responses in the Sermon on the Mount.
Now, you've heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
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.
So Paul picks up this same theme,
and he urges readers to resist responding with self-interest as our great priority
and instead to strive towards the putting on of honorable conduct.
So we must ask ourselves, why is this the case?
What does Paul mean by instructing Christ's followers to acting honorably in the sight of all?
And why is outward conduct important to Paul
when God's enemies seem to be getting away with wounding God's people?
First, it's helpful for us to understand what honorable conduct is that's described here.
And conduct is normally thought of as the package of outside, outward behavior.
The things that you do on the outside, which can be observed and seen and witnessed by other people.
The moral behavior that either conforms or does not conform to a certain set of rules.
That's what we think about with conduct.
But we can see here that Paul means more than just commending outward behavior.
Because he attaches a very important word that is intended to show the essence of how all conduct is to be pursued.
So honorable refers to what is valued on the inside,
which deserves recognition in our behavior on the outside.
The focus here of outward is on outward behavior,
but it also refers to what we value internally.
Now, it's helpful for us to just think of a couple other familiar verses in God's word
that help us to take a broader look at how the word honor is used.
The exhortation to act honorably actually appears earlier in chapter 12, verse 10.
Remember that it says,
In this passage, brotherly honor is commended because this is where God has assigned value and worth.
God has valued the brethren.
He has purchased and redeemed a group of people that belong to him at the cost of his son's sacrifice.
Therefore, the brethren are deserving of our honor.
We see another example in the fifth commandment.
Here God instructs Israel to honor fathers and honor mothers.
Again, this is helpful because it locates honor as a derivative of what God himself esteems and what he values.
So honor is not primarily about maintaining respectful standards or guidelines.
It's not about a moral code, although it may include that.
But it's more directly about pointing us towards that which is worthy of being held to the highest honor,
even in the face of opposition by God's enemies who question God's honor.
Consider for a moment with me a text you may have heard from the prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah 42, verse 8 says,
I am the Lord.
That is my name, my glory.
I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
This pursuit of God's own honor never changes in the providential outworking of his plan.
John chapter 5, verse 21 through 23.
For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,
so also the Son gives life to whom he will.
For the Father judges no one,
but has given all judgment to the Son for this purpose,
that all may honor the Son,
just as they honor the Father.
We see even the judgment of God is carried out in a way
that is purposely meant to ascribe honor to the value of Christ.
God indeed holds righteous jealousy for the honor of his name,
and it's a good thing that he does.
The honor of his faithful character,
the honor of his saving work in Christ,
is our theme as well.
And he desires that this honor should be held in the highest regard
when things are going well,
or when we are exposed to the sinful outworking,
the evil rebellion that sometimes the Lord has called us to.
You see, there's more at stake in responding to evil
than we normally think of.
The goal is not just to avoid losing our cool.
As Jake reminded us last week,
there's an expectation that evil will be the regular course
for all Christians in their discipleship.
It ought not to surprise any one of us
when we're faced with frequent opportunities
to express honor to God as we encounter evil.
Romans 12, 14 says,
Bless those who persecute you.
Bless and do not curse them.
2 Timothy 3,
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life
will be persecuted.
Notice the certainty of that expectation.
And Acts 14, 22 says,
Strengthening the souls of the disciples,
encouraging them to continue in the faith,
and saying through many tribulations,
we must enter the kingdom of God.
Bearing with evil, then, is not an accident.
It's not an inconvenience.
It's not a mistake.
It is an intentional tool the Lord uses
to reveal the surpassing worth, glory,
and honor of His name.
So why so much focus already on this one word, honor?
Well, if we are honest too often,
honor for God is the furthest thing from our minds
when we are exposed to wrongdoing.
Instead, we labor for other things
that we value more in the moment.
We cling to the esteem and respect
that we feel entitled to and deserving of.
And instead of honor for God,
we replace honor for ourselves.
Do you recognize this tragic replacement
even in your own responses as of late?
Every time we object with outward conduct,
which seeks to repay evil for evil,
we grasp for honor for ourselves
above honor for God.
Let's continue forward by looking at the last few verses
and the last few words in verse 17 and into 18.
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.
At first glance, this seems like a very difficult instruction
for us to follow, if you notice what Paul is saying.
Uphold God-honoring behavior
in the sight of your adversaries.
Isn't this a wasted endeavor?
They aren't going to see God's value
because they are spiritually blind, you might think.
The same goes for living peaceably
among those who do not value peace
and rather seek for discord.
Doesn't Paul understand his own words
in Ephesians chapter 2?
In Ephesians 2, he says that
you are dead in your trespasses.
And these are those that we are called
to honor God amongst.
But the point that Paul is implying
is that when God chooses to save
and to redeem, to rescue the lost,
he often does so
through the conduct of his children
as downstream grace from the cross
flows from you
to these enemies
in visible form.
Listen to this same emphasis
in a few other passages in Scripture.
God does indeed
call us
to be aware
of how our conduct
appears
to the lost.
And the goal
is so that grace
may become visible
in their eyes.
2 Corinthians 8.21
For we aim
at what is honorable
not only
in the Lord's sight
but also
in the sight of men.
Grace
becoming visible.
Matthew 5.16
In the same way
let your light shine
before others
so that they may see
your good works
and give glory
to God.
Grace
visible
in our conduct.
1 Peter 2
verses
verse 12
Keep your conduct
among
the Gentiles
honorable
so that when they speak
against you
as evildoers
they may see
your good deeds
and then
glorify God
on the day
of visitation.
The Bible
makes this
so clear
that God
is committed
to pursuing
his glories
and he
will
open eyes
that are currently
bound
shut.
So sight
is
important
to God.
Is it
important
to you?
are your
co-workers
going to
understand
why you
respond
the way
you do?
Probably
not.
How about
when you
are patient
the next
time
your children
disregard
your
instruction?
You might
think
a hundred
times
they've
disobeyed
me
and a hundred
times
they have
not
benefited
from my
patient
instruction.
Why not
try
a harsh
word
that gets
their
attention
quickly?
Beloved,
our
instruction
is not
in vain.
Just as
God has
done for
us when
we least
expect it,
God may
use the
demonstration
of your
gracious love
in response
to God's
enemy to
soften the
enemy's
heart and
expose them
to the
grace of
Christ.
Perhaps
it's a
long-suffering
response.
Perhaps
your trust
in God
is clear
when you
are patient
although
maligned.
Now,
as we
transition
to our
second main
point,
I'll remind
you it's
responding to
evil with
both wrath
and grace
in mind.
We must
notice that
Paul connects
his
exhortation
of honorable
and peaceful
conduct to
the wrath
and the
vengeance
of the
Lord.
Verse 18
says this,
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.
Let's not
move too
quickly without
giving proper
weight to
the strength
of this
connection
that Paul
is making.
Paul is
not grounding
his argument
in your
response
because it
is convenient
and makes
your life
easier.
He's not
saying that
family holiday
gatherings will
be a lot
more pleasant,
although I'm
sure they
will if you
restrain
yourself when
evil is
directed at
you.
Rather,
he is
grounding
his claim
in the
most
sobering
of
realities
for
followers
of
Christ
to
heed.
Vengeance
is
coming.
Holy
wrath
against
rebellion
awaits.
Now,
I believe
there are
two
primary
reasons
that
Paul
makes
this
connection
for us.
The first
is we
are prone
to
minimizing,
forgetting,
or living
as if
God's
coming
judgment
isn't
the
greatest
of all
concerns
in the
world
today.
And the
second
is because
being aware
of God's
coming
wrath
motivates
us
towards
urgency
and
compassion
for those
who stand
under
God's
judgment.
Perhaps
this example
may be
of some
help.
On a
weekend
trip
a few
years
ago,
Lisa
and I
had
thought
a
suspension
bridge
adventure
would be
quite a
bit of
fun
when we
went to
Tennessee.
I
didn't
realize
that upon
taking a
few steps
things would
get very
uncomfortable
for me
as I
walked
my way
towards
the center
of the
bridge.
Each
light
breeze
that I
felt
more like
a gust
of wind
every step
that another
bridge
walker
would
take
shook
and
reverberated
in the
wooden
support.
The bridge
swayed a
lot
stronger
than what
I could
see when
I was
on the
ground.
See,
the truth
is I
didn't
make it
quite far
at all
on the
bridge.
I
probably
only made
it 20
or 30
steps
before my
body
started to
panic
and to
stiffen
up.
I
walked
back
quite
slowly
deliberately
holding
on to
the
side
rope
while
others
passed
by me
with
ease.
And
while I
was safe
when I
got back
to solid
ground,
I was
still
feeling
the
effects
of
walking
out
towards
that
danger.
My
heart
was still
beating
fast,
my
breathing
remained
quick,
and the
tingling
in my
body
was
ongoing.
How
had I
forgotten
my
great
fear
of
heights?
It
was a
mystery,
didn't
make
sense.
Lisa
knew I
was afraid
of heights
and yet
I
had
forgotten.
Well,
certain
fears
are
intended
to
reverberate
with
permanency
in our
bodies,
beloved.
See,
lesser
fears we
may feel
for just
a few
hours,
a bad
dream
comes
to
mind.
Worse
fears
may last
a few
days or
even a
few
months,
but
great
fears,
eternal
fears,
that we've
been rescued
from,
ought to
leave an
impact on
the wise
for
eternity.
You see,
God's
judgment for
rebellion
against his
authority is
a fear that
is intended
to remain
with us
and inform
every
interaction
that we
have
with those
who still
stand
condemned
under the
weight
of their
sin.
This is
what our
text is
leading us
towards,
brothers and
sisters.
Remember
the wrath
of God.
Live
with a
present
awareness
of your
deliverance
from the
darkest
of paths
that you
once walked
on.
God's
So what
are we
to remember
exactly
about God's
wrath?
Here are
three quick
things.
God's
wrath is
always
justified.
God's
wrath is
always
correlated
with his
anger.
And God's
wrath is
eternal.
So it is
always justified.
We see this
from Romans
chapter 1
in verse
18.
It says,
The wrath
of God
is revealed
from heaven
against all
ungodliness
and unrighteousness
of men
who by their
unrighteousness
suppress the
truth.
Listen to
Colossians
chapter 3.
Put to
death,
therefore,
what is
earthly in
you,
sexual
immorality,
impurity,
passion,
evil desire,
and covetousness,
which is
idolatry,
on account
of these,
the wrath
of God
is coming.
God's
wrath
is
justified.
Every
action
is
accounted
for.
God's
memory
is
perfect,
but not
only is it
perfect,
it sees
both the
outside
and the
inside
expressions
of our
rebellion
against
him.
These
things
are
clear
and
accounted
for.
Because
God is
entirely
righteous,
he will
not miss,
there will
not be
any
hiddenness
to the
sins
that we
thought
were
kept
in the
dark.
All
evidence
is preserved
and his
justice
is applied
appropriately
at every
level.
Number
two,
God's
wrath is
correlated
with his
anger.
Romans
2,
verse
8,
for
those
who
are
self-seeking
and do
not obey
the truth
but obey
unrighteousness,
there will
be wrath
and anger.
May help
us to
remember
that this
is not
just a
picture
of justice
applied
like a
third-party
courtroom
where the
judge is
unaffected
by the
offenses.
God
himself
is
personally
affected.
He
has
been
offended.
He
has
been
displeased.
His
gifts
have
been
desecrated.
His
grace
unappreciated.
His
sacrificial
love
has
been
neglected.
His
warnings
unheeded.
His
mockery
celebrated.
His
rules
disregarded.
And
his
glory
unappreciated.
And
God's
response
to these
things
is
his
clear,
firm,
white
hot
anger.
His
anger
is not
like
ours
which
rises
and
cools.
God's
displeasure
against sin
is continual
and will
remain so
without
waning.
Number
three,
God's
wrath is
eternal.
At the
conclusion of
Matthew
chapter 25,
Jesus
describes
the
outcome
of the
wicked
with
these
words.
These
will go
away
into
eternal
punishment,
but the
righteous
into
eternal
life.
So
God
who
hates
wickedness
is
preparing
to
demonstrate
his
displeasure
against
sin
for
all
eternity.
Second
Thessalonians
1
in verse
9,
they will
suffer
the
punishment
of
eternal
destruction
away
from
the
presence
of
the
Lord
and
from
the
glory
of
his
might.
One
more,
Revelation
chapter 14,
another
angel,
a third
followed
and sang
with a
loud
voice,
if anyone
worships
the beast
in its
image
and
receives
a mark
on his
forehead
or on
his
hand,
he
will
also
drink
the
wine
of
God's
wrath
poured
full
strength
into
the
cup
of
his
anger
and
he
will
be
tormented
with
fire
and
sulfur
in
the
presence
of
the
holy
angels
and
in
the
presence
of
the
lamb
and
the
smoke
of
their
torment
goes
up
forever
and
ever
and
they
have
no
rest
day
or
night.
This
is not
just
a
scare
tactic
although
it
indeed
is
scary.
There
is a
future
real
day
that
awaits
all
who
have
not
been
saved
by
the
blood
of
the
lamb.
Have
you
given
thought
to
this
brothers?
Have
this
even
crossed
your
mind
when
you
are
mistreated?
Have
you
forgotten
that
you
also
have
been
delivered
from
this
same
evil?
easy
to
put
the
wrath
of
God
in
the
background.
After
all,
we've
been
saved,
delivered
from
wrath,
and I
no longer
have to
worry
about my
final
judgment.
But
billions
still
bear
their
condemnation.
And
those who
have yet
to hear
the good
news
of the
gospel,
even
though
they may
have
heard it
a thousand
times,
they
still
have
time
remaining
to
repent.
We
cannot
forget
this.
If
you're
struggling
to
respond
with
honorable
and
peaceful
conduct,
this
text
suggests
that
you
may
be
forgetting
what
you
have
been
delivered
from.
Would
you
repent
today
from
believing
that
the
greatest
offense
of
sin
is
those
that
are
against
you?
Would
you
forsake
selfish
expressions
of
treating
your
reputation
as
the
highest
law
of
the
land?
Again,
the second
reason that
Paul
connects
our
conduct
to
the
wrath
of
God
is
because
it
cultivates
urgency
and
compassion
for
those
who
have
not
yet
been
saved
by
the
work
of
Christ.
Please
look
again
at
verse
20
and
verse
21.
Excuse
me,
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
with
evil,
but
overcome
evil
with
good.
These
verses
imply
that
every
act
of
love
towards
an
enemy
positions
them
to
run
away
from
coming
judgment.
As
effective
as
coal
which
sears
from
the
flames
is
your
display
of
grace
represented
in
your
conduct.
Do
not
underscore
the
impact
that
this
may
have.
There
is
hope
yet
that
remains
as
long
as
God
has
restrained
His
judgment.
Listen
to
what
Paul
says
in
2
Corinthians
verse
5.
Let
me
just
start
in
verse
11
and
I'll
go
ahead.
It
says,
therefore
knowing
the
fear
of
the
Lord,
we
persuade
others.
And
down
to
verse
18
through
20.
All
this
is
from
God
who
through
Christ
reconciled
us
to
Himself
and
gave
us
the
ministry
of
reconciliation.
Therefore
we
are
ambassadors
for
Christ,
God
making
His
appeal
through
us.
We
implore
you
then
on
behalf
of
Christ
be
reconciled
to
God.
Now
if you
are with
us
this
morning
and
you
currently
hear
my
words
and
you
know
your
sin
is
exposed
if
it
were
uncovered
by
a
holy
and
just
God
hear
this
important
appeal.
Recognize
that all
of your
sins
deserve
judgment
even
one
and
they
will
be
judged
unless
you
are
delivered
by
someone
outside
of
taking
judgment
upon
Himself.
What
good
news
in the
very
next
verse
in
2nd
Corinthians
that
Christ
has
come
for
this
very
purpose.
2nd
Corinthians
chapter
5
says
for
our
sake
God
made
him
to be
sin
who
knew
no
sin
so
that
in
him
we
might
become
the
righteousness
of
God.
Put
your
trust
in
him
today.
Turn
from
your
sin
and
join
us
as
those
who
have
been
delivered
from
this
great
judgment.
As we
close
and give
thought
to
final
application
the
great
question
that
remains
from
our
verse
is
this
where
does
your
trust
reside
when
sinful
behavior
wounds
you?
there's
only
two
answers
my
vengeance
or
the
king
of
kings
the
eternal
God
whose
throne
stands
forever
who
alone
is
able
to
account
for
all
wrongdoing
so
beloved
God
is
worthy
of
all
of
our
faith
and
all
of
our
trust
whenever
he
calls
us
to
walk
in
opposition
for
some
of
us
that
opposition
may
be
small
may
receive
it
within
our
homes
on a
day
to
day
basis
and
for
others
there
are
days
that
lie
ahead
in
loss
in
J.C.
Ryle's
book
five
English
reformers
there
is a
notable
description
of
given
of a
man
named
John
Rogers
who
approached
his
last
hours
with
faith
holding
out
a
reconciliatory
call
to
all
who
would
observe
and
put
him
to
death
listen
to
this
description
it
says
up to
that
day
men
could
not
tell
how
English
reformers
would
behave
in
the
face
of
death
and
could
hardly
believe
that
they
would
actually
give
their
bodies
to
be
burned
for
their
religion
but
when
they
saw
John
Rogers
the
first
martyr
walking
steadily
and
unflinchingly
into a
fiery
grave
he'd
be
burned
alive
the
enthusiasm
of the
crowd
knew
no
bounds
they
rent
the
air
with
thunders
of
applause
even
the
French
ambassador
wrote
home
a
description
of
the
scene
and
he
said
that
Rogers
went
to
his
death
as
if
he
was
walking
to
his
wedding
by
God's
great
mercy
he
died
with
comparative
!
ease
and so
the
first
Marian
martyr
passed
away
beloved
may
we
endeavor
to
put on
such
faith
as
John
Rogers
to
approach
wrongdoing
ahead
in the
same
manner
for
the
glory
and
the
honor
of
the
Lord
and
for
the
future
deliverance
of
those
that
will
one
day
sing
the
Lord's
praises
alongside
of us
in
his
presence
please
pray
with
me