In the past weeks, as we’ve studied Chapter 12, we’ve seen Paul’s instruction as to how faith responds to God.  The reasonable response in light of what has been accomplished…the answer to the question. “Why do I not sense the palpable presence of Power Himself in my days, in my life…?”  “Why is it that I could care less about reading the Bible or studying the Bible or spending time in prayer, just talking to God…?” “What am I doing wrong?”

Verses 1 and 2 answered that for us.  Then Paul went on to teach of how faith responds to the church.  The reasonable response man…to the family of God in light of what Jesus has done…in glimpsing an understanding of His mercy, grace and love…the answer to the question, “why is my ministry stalled?”  Or, “what is my ministry in the first place?”  “Hold up, what’s ministry!”  “Why do I feel as if I don’t do enough?”  “Why do I feel as if folks are better than me?”  “Why can’t I seem to fit in?”  “What am I doing wrong?”  Verses 3 – 8 answered that for us…

Now with a thorough understanding of doctrine, (Chapters 1 – 11), and after walking us through how we are to respond in light of that doctrine to God, and how we are to respond to the church, now Paul finally says, “you’re ready for the scoop man of how you go out there and respond in faith to the world.”

Yes how you handle the day and yes how you rise above and absolutely conquer issues and strife and worries and complications and obstacles and predicaments…how to soar man…how to win as Paul would say, “run this thing out in such a way as to win, man” in 1 Corinthians 9…but more importantly how you and I are to fulfill a) the commandments of Jesus; to place God first and then our neighbors even before ourselves thus pressing in on the mind of Christ and walking worthy of the upward calling of Christ; fully pleasing to the Lord and b) to make disciples man.  This is it!

“If this is it, doo wop, please let me know!”  I love that old 80’s song…and I’m letting you know!  This is it!  Jesus said go and be salt, have some flavor, preserve them man…be a light…light up the darkness…but how Lord?!  Romans Chapter 12!  Jesus said to go out to all the world and yes make disciples, yes baptize them but here’s the batteries…teaching them to observe all things (to see the truth man…to understand the truth and then to walk out the truth) and then the final piece of the primary pattern of passion….”do this,” Jesus said, “and lo I am with you always!”

Christian, here are your marching orders.  Here is your war room briefing. 

Romans Chapter 12 Verse 9

• “Let love be without hypocrisy.”   How many did I just lose right there?  Hypocrisy, the claim of one to have beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform.  Oh man.  Lord, how we need You.  “No worries, mate…lo, I am with you always.”  “But Lord I’ve messed up so much.  I told them that I’m Your follower, I told them about church, I even told them what I learned at service the other day and then I went off man when they offended me…”
• “Son, I said I’m with you…the question is, are you with Me?”  “Well, yes Lord I am…”  And Jesus responds, “then do as my Word says.  Abhor what is evil…hate it…and cling to what is good.  I’ve given you good…I’ve showed it to you…first hand, one on one…when I showed you the cross…humility son.  Submit yourself to truth, breathe in courage and take up your cross.”
• “Yes, Lord.”  > “Um, Joe, are you busy?  I just wanted to tell you that I’m ashamed of how I acted.  I’m so sorry to have been like that.  Please forgive me…”  And the Bible says that a kind word turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1).  And all of the sudden, whether they accept it or not, whether you were even wrong in your perspective or not…doesn’t matter…you’re free and you are filled with the presence of God…
• Abhor evil Paul tells us.  Man we don’t even dislike evil.  You get that?  Know that nature you have?  That sin nature?  Do you think it abhors evil…please.  This is an act of the will man…this is an act of revelation homes…as you walk with the Lord and understand doctrine…as you present yourself a living sacrifice, as you walk in your gifts in the church, man reality emerges and you begin to see sin for what it is…and its reach…and the cravings of the flesh become so very dull compared to the strength of the Spirit…but understand man…this is to be learned through steps 1 and 2…go out in the world without having your mind right through the first two parts of chapter 12 and tell me you abhor evil…I don’t buy it!

Romans Chapter 12 Verse 10

• What on earth is so confusing about that verse?  Irreconcilable differences, give me a break!  Talking about how you’re a Christian and yet your most intimate relationship, the one between you and your wife, between you and your husband is a mess?  Romans 12 Verse 10.  Are you certain that Jesus is your Lord?  “Love, honor and preference to eachother.”  The Word of God just fixed every marriage in this room! 
• Oh but we’re talking about the world, aren’t we?  So that boss who is a hot head, that neighbor who is oblivious…love, honor, preference?  Well isn’t that what the Lord did…when He took up His cross…when they beat Him down and mocked Him by putting a bag over His head and punching Him and then saying, “prophecy oh King, who was it that hit you?”  And what did He do?  He died for them!!!  And you want to talk about how you’re neighbor has got you so messed up because his dog keeps stealing your newspaper!  BACK TO STEP ONE MAN!
• “What am I doing wrong?”  THIS man….And Paul even hooks us up with a step down into the nitty gritty of it…

Romans Chapter 12 Verses 11 – 13

• I heard a story this week of a missionary candidate who was to appear before an examiner.  A veteran missionary…one who had been in the battle, serving the folks, long days and short nights, he was to make the determination if this young candidate was ready for the field.  So he instructed the candidate to be at his house at 5am.  The candidate arrived at 4:55am. 
• “Wait for me,” the examiner said as he ushered the candidate into his study.  Three hours later the examiner returned and said, “how do you spell baker?”  “B-a-k-e-r,” answered the young candidate.  “What’s two plus two,” responded the examiner.  “Four,” answered the candidate.
• The examiner thanked the candidate for coming and showed him out.  When meeting with the mission board, the examiner stated, “I highly recommend this candidate.  He is ready.  I asked him to arrive at 5.  He arrived before 5.  I tested his patience and made him wait three hours in my study and he didn’t say a word.  I insulted his intelligence by asking him ridiculous questions to which he humbly and readily responded…he will do well on the field.”
• You see we’re interested in credentials and qualifications, but the Lord is interested in character.  Be fervent for the Lord Paul says no matter how simple or insignificant that service might appear to be…because in doing so you might just be qualifying yourself for even greater service…and by not doing so…possibly disqualifying.
• Parents ask you to do something, “why me?”  Disqualified…stumped and dead ended right there.  Neighbor needs your help…grumble grumble grumble…yea I’ll help you just as soon as I get my paper back from your dog!  Dead ended right there!  “What am I doing wrong?”  Are you absolutely GIVEN to hospitality?
• Hint…if steps 1 and 2 are right…yes you are….

Romans Chapter 12 Verses 14 – 16

• Whoa whoa whoa WHOA!  Christianity is for the weaklings…?  Christianity is a crutch!?  Walk this out with me!  This is strength on display man.  This is the power of someone who has nothing to prove and only a Savior to love…a Lord to rep, man!  “Bless those who persecute you; rejoice when they get the new ride, the new job…instead of you…seek humility and reject personal wisdom!?”  Entirely contrary to our nature isn’t it? 
• I mean this is proof this is God’s word and not man’s!  Who would write this?  “Hey, I want to write a best seller…”  Yea, not going in this direction!  Yet the number one book ever, over 6 billion in print, in nearly 2,500 languages, not the New York Best Seller the universal best seller ever!  Why?  Because eternity is tattooed on the heart of every human being…a need to be free…an absolute craving for the transcendental superior…Christianity is the opposite of weakness…it is for the champion.
• For the courageous.  For the one who has the intestinal fortitude to deny what will feed their sin disease and suffer for the sake of someone else’s ethereal and eternal freedom, man.  Not so that they can feed their sin disease…that’s the very definition of political correctness but man we take up our cross just as Jesus did and we show them grace, we show them love, we do not shy from the truth yet we never wield the sword of truth outside of the very mission of righteousness and love…

Romans Chapter 12 Verse 17

• Paul already said to abhor evil; here is a necessary step in that mysterious scrath ‘n sniff.  “Scratch ‘n sniff?”  Yea, in other words, there is MUCH to be learned but you won’t learn a dag on morsel of it until you actually do it!  Until you actually set out to abhor evil!  And the first step to abhorring evil, hating evil that is, repaying no one with evil…is to identify it.
• We waste so much time trying to figure out what’s wrong with eachother when God has called us to examine ourselves!  David said, “search ME oh God!”  Man, clear vision and immediate discernment of direction as to what on earth to do in this or that situation comes with the identification of evil and the rejection of it…and all of that is mirror work man…
• Where are you with the Lord?  Is your life about you or is it about Him?  Do you believe Him?  Do you accept Him as your Savior AND your Lord?  Will you do as He says…and man that’s easy, we should do what He says simply for the wisdom of it all…we don’t have to agree or even like it…my kids hate veggies, so what.  They want to play in the busy street, so what.  Do what daddy says man or your body will be frail and squishy…no nutrients…and do as daddy says so that your safety is just that, safe.
• God said to Satan in the book of Job, “He fears God and hates evil…or abhors evil…”  And so to abhor evil, you must fear God…you must grow in Him man and understand His awesomeness, His otherness and then mirror work complete, get into the church and then church work working…pound the pavement man!  Marching orders received Paul!

Romans Chapter 12 Verse 18

• This implies that it is not possible to live peaceably with some people right!?  “There is a time for war,” says Ecclesiastes 3:8 and we are to be ready, prepared, willing, able, trained, strong and filled with powerful energy against it man to run out and meet them but we must make sure when we charge them that we are on the side of righteousness man…in other words we have received direct command to do so from our Commander and He is well pleased in even the condition of our heart as we engage…but we will engage!
• To be ready, prepared, willing, able, trained, strong and powered up at all times and ready to engage yet to bless those who persecute you is the very demonstrated definition of meekness.  Strength under control man…power harnessed and useful to the Master…a picture of Jesus man…

Romans Chapter 12 Verses 19 – 20

• This is exactly how Jesus Christ acted towards us.  That while we were sinners, His enemies, completely turned from Him and in rejection of Him, He took my cross, my punishment and my shame of my sin was heaped upon Him and man…He is worthy to receive my worship!
• That neighbor that annoys you, that coworker that disrespects you, the husband that has grown aloof, the wife that has become apathetic…the friend who betrayed you, the ex-wife that defames you…DO NOT SHARE IN THEIR MISERY but set your heart to abhor evil, to cling to good, to honor God, to represent Jesus and to free them from their misery.  Pray the Lord of the harvest man (Matthew 9:38) that He may grant repentance (2 Timothy 2:25) for truly the harvest IS plentiful but those that have the strength to labor in the fields are so very few (Luke 10:2).

Romans Chapter 12 Verse 21

• “Lord, what am I doing wrong?”  “Son, you’re bent on being defeated by evil.  Learn good.”  Message received Lord.  I’m so thankful for the clear, practical, sensible…reasonable instruction of Paul.
• As he taught us doctrine, the why behind the what, so very essential to understand as we walked through chapters 1 – 11.  Now he’s stepped us through one of the most, if not the most, critical, vital, essential chapters of the Bible concerning growth in the Lord.  First, get our relationship right with God.  Nothing happens horizontally in our lives until our relationship vertically is correct.
• Then, get active man.  Serve your brothers and sisters in the Lord.  Use your gifts…all of them.  Develop them, get powered up and then get out into the world…they already know that religion is wrong, secular Christianity is a joke…they already know that…angry preachers and self-help schemes…the world, especially this “knowledge” generation, see’s right through that man…go show them something real. 
• But first, get real yourself.  Do not be overcome with evil man…quit being defeated.  Grow in your love of Jesus man…”What am I doing wrong?”  I’m not loving the Lord.  Simple as that…all the strife, every problem, every worry, every emotional strain, every blow of the Bible bazooka, Lord help me love You more and to crush Satan under my feet.