How we respond to God’s infinite mercy
is our discipleship. We sing I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning
back, no turning back. Do we know
what we are saying when we sing?
Do we understand that our response to
mercy and grace is our discipleship?
Having been rescued from sin and death by the love of God, what will we
do?
Paul concluded this 12th chapter
by saying, don’t let evil get the best of you.
Overcome evil with good. That’s a
good executive summary but there is a whole bunch packed into the intervening
20 verses.
Let’s start unpacking. We won’t even get through the first sentence
before we need to stop. Here are three things
right from the start:
· Therefore
· In view of God’s great mercy
· I urge you
Therefore
tells us that there was something before.
It could simply refer to the fact that all who come to know God will come
the same way, by his mercy; but more than likely it means considering
everything that has been said up to this point—in the previous 11
chapters—something will follow that connects to it. This seems logical because Paul in the next
few words addresses God’s mercy directly.
In view of God’s mercy is a condition we should consider in what is
to follow. Considering that we fell
short, couldn’t fix ourselves, were under God’s condemnation and wrath in that
state, but God did everything that had to be done to make us right with him—he
chose mercy for us—then shouldn’t we have an appropriate response to such great
mercy?
I urge you
is a personal appeal. Paul used plenty
of expository appeals along the way. He
uses analysis and builds his argument with his prose much of the time, but this
time it’s personal. I urge you! Paul wants this to be a personal challenge to
his readers. He is saying, with my whole
being I beckon you to respond to the grace and mercy that you know in Christ
Jesus. God loves you more than you can
comprehend. Do something about it. Respond.
How do I respond? Let’s finish the sentence.
Offer your bodies as living sacrifices to God.
Your whole life should be holy and pleasing to God. Everything you do should bring glory to
God. It is as simple as Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe.
How do we pay this debt? With our entire lives—with everything that we
are.
In the Old Testament, the only
sacrifice that got to live was the scape goat, and it got dumped in the desert
with a year’s worth of sins to carry around.
For the rest of the warm blooded animals lined up for sacrifice, their
time as a living thing ended at the altar.
Those sort of sacrifices are no longer
needed. The blood of Jesus was a once
and for all sacrifice for sin. Now our everything is to be given to God and in
this sacrifice we find life. Paul didn’t
know what an oxymoron was but he surely wanted to get people’s attention with
this unique combination of words.
In one sense, the words don’t go
together. The sacrifice by definition
does get to live. But in sacrificing our
entire lives to God, we finally come to know life in the full.
And we haven’t even finished the
sentence. This response is our spiritual
act of worship, reasonable act of service, true worship—the only acceptable
response to love so great is everything that we are.
Are bodies are a living sacrifice, but
we respond mind and body. The second
verse is as full as the first.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world any
longer tells us that we have already been conformed to the world to some
extent. The words any longer tells us to put the brakes on.
Up to a point, the world has shaped
all of us. We are the clay but in many
ways the world has been the potter. The
patterns of the world have shaped our lives.
Some of those patterns are tolerable.
When you are driving on the interstate, get in a lane and stay in
it. Quit texting and roaming across 3
lanes.
Do not conform to the patterns of the
world does not mean drive in the pasture instead of on the highway. Sometimes if my GPS does not have the updates
for a new segment of highway or interchange, it shows me driving across open
country or a body of water.
Paul is saying what the proverbs said
centuries before. There is God’s way and
there is everything else. Enough with
the everything else. We will do this
God’s way.
We seek his kingdom and his
righteousness and that means turning away the things of this world that want
mastery of your life. We have one Lord
and he alone is our Master. We can’t
serve two, if we find that there is someone or something in this world that
calls us to serve him or it, turn away.
Turn away. The patterns of the world that want to be our
master don’t get our loyalty or attendance or support. They don’t get to mold us anymore.
So we put the brakes on and do a 180
degree turn. We don’t let the wrong
potter mold us. Great metaphors, but how
do we do that?
It begins in our minds. We begin with wherever we are and become
transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Transformation is a process.
Salvation may come in an instant but
transformation is a process. I am
getting out of my car an onto my tractor for my next metaphor.
Visualize a plowed field before
anything has been planted—row after row of plowed sandy loam and clay just
waiting to blow into Kansas. If it rains,
the water that doesn’t soak in will run off, mostly down the rows, occasionally
breaking over a row as contour and gravity have a little dance.
Sometimes it makes a rut—not a row but a rut
cut out by the water itself. If the
field doesn’t get reworked before the next rain, the water will go the same way
and the rut will get deeper. Rain will
follow existing patterns.
For that to change, the farmer has to
get back on his tractor again. He might
have to break out a blade and reshape the contours and terraces.
Our mind uses patterns. When our mind gets new information, it
automatically tries to fit it into an existing pattern. That’s the way the mind works. For many things it is absolutely
wonderful. To undergo a transformation,
it takes a very concerted and deliberate effort.
We must renew our minds. We must plow the field again ready to receive
a new pattern—a new way. We have to
change not only the way we think, but we must manage the information that comes
into our minds.
If it doesn’t belong, don’t let it
in.
But what about that stay thought that
just showed up? I don’t know how. It just popped into my mind.
What do I do? Kick it to the curb. Elsewhere Paul would say capture it and if it
is hostile to the Lord get rid of it.
Take it captive. Don’t give it
freedom to roam among the other good thoughts going about their business in our
brain housing groups.
Wow!
Gotta love all the metaphors
and analogies but I need some nuts and bolts. Here are some nuts and bolts:
· Come with a teachable spirit. You must want God to plow the entire field.
· Read your Bible. That’s more than the verse of the day.
· Study your Bible. Think of Bloom’s Taxonomy or variations
thereof.
o
Knowledge—I know
what it says and can generally remember it.
o
Comprehension—I
understand what it says.
o
Application—I can
do what it says.
o
Analysis—I can
make connections, see relationships, identify categories.
o
Synthesis—I can
break it down and put it back together again.
I can write a midrash.
o
Evaluation—This
is not a test as we often think. I can
find the value in what I have learned.
· Meditate upon God’s word. That can be the verse of the day. This is different than study.
· Engage fellow believers in growing in God’s
word. As iron sharpens iron, so one man
sharpens another.
· Listen during prayer.
· Find a time to be still—not just
silent—still. Just be in God’s presence.
Then you will start to realize
transformation through the renewing of your mind. If nothing seems to be happening, go back to
the first step. Come with a teachable
spirit.
We are almost through the first two
verses. Do these things and you will
begin to see what God has in store for you.
We like to say what God’s will is.
We sometimes use not knowing what
God’s will is or what he has in store for us as an excuse to do nothing. We feign the words, “I sure wish that God
would reveal his will to me. I sure wish
he would tell me what he wants me to do.”
If we want to know what God’s will is,
Paul says here is what you do. Give your
whole life to God and renew your mind, then you will know what God’s will is.
Sometimes we think, what if I get the sorry end of the stick in
God’s will? Then we need to
understand that God’s will is good, pleasing, and perfect. We need to stop asking questions formed by
the patterns of the world and accept that God’s will is good, pleasing, and
perfect.
The third verse you have heard
throughout Paul’s epistles. You have nothing to boast in other than
Christ. You don’t need to get puffed up
or claim victory on your own.
Sober up! Engage a sound mind. Sing Jesus
Paid It All. Even the measure of
faith that brings us to the salvation that initiates this thing called
discipleship came from God. In this
thing called discipleship we are to judge ourselves knowing that God has given
us both faith and gifts.
We are sober—of a sound mind if you
will—and ask, “What am I doing with what God has given me?”
Get ready to set your dictionary aside
and read in context. Paul will use the
terms faith and grace in multiple contexts.
If you look up grace in the theological dictionaries you will find
something along the order of unmerited
forgiveness from God.
That’s a good definition, but grace
does not restrict itself to that definition.
In the grace we have received we find that God’s favor is poured out
upon us beyond being saved from sin and death.
We have gifts that come from God that are realized in his grace and
manifested as we act upon the faith we have been given.
You might be thinking that this
explanation doesn’t make things any clearer. Let’s break it down.
Grace is big! It is more than just a get out of hell free
thing. It is about being free to live
the life God has wanted for us since before we knew we existed. Grace is big!
With our salvation, God gave us
gifts. He’s like that. Giving is his thing and he is good at
it. Our gifts produce fruit only when we
use them. But he has equipped us to use them.
Paul includes a familiar discussion
and analogy. We are one body and have
many functions. That’s the way our human
body works and Paul says that’s the way the body of believers work as
well. And we are specially equipped with
gifts from God.
Paul enumerates: prophecy, service, teaching, encouraging,
helping others, and giving. He could
have continued. This list is not to the
exclusion of other lists. His intent was
not to make a list of all of the gifts that God gives with his grace.
His intent was to tell believers that
discipleship requires those who have received faith and gifts to use them. If God gave you the gift of encouraging, take
the measure of faith that you have and use the gift.
You don’t need anything else to put
the gift to use. You have the
faith. You have the gift. Use it!
What if I don’t know what my gift
is? Find out!
I will go a little further here. You already know what your gift is or gifts
are. God’s Spirit that resides within
you has been telling you. If you don’t
know then take some Be still
time. Start listening.
Stop listening to the expectations set
by the patterns of the world and listen to the Spirit that lives within
you. Then take the measure of faith you
have been given and put the gift to work.
I left one off of Paul’s list: mercy.
I don’t know that I have the spiritual gift of mercy but I am called to
practice mercy several times a week, and Paul’s note on mercy hit home. Do it cheerfully.
There has to be a Burns Flat exception
to that counsel. Time and time again I
talk with people when their lives have become unmanageable because of a series
of bad decisions and they need help. After
some conversation, I find that they don’t really want to change the way they
live they just need someone to help pay their bill.
You might think that a semester or two
at the school of hard knocks might be the best course of action but what about
the 3 or 4 or 8 kids in the household that will be taking cold baths at least
until the water is cut off too.
Sometimes, I just have to pray to God
to help me fake being cheerful. He
doesn’t grant that request.
Love must be sincere. It must be genuine. I am permitted no dissonance between mercy
and joy. I can’t grit my teeth and be
cheerful at the same time.
Does that mean that I don’t speak the
truth in love?
Absolutely not. I am to hate evil and hold tightly to what is
good. In me that translates to passion
towards God’s ways.
Some probably put me in the permanent
nut case category after I spent a year preaching the Proverbs. I did not get this classification because I
preached proverbs but because they brought out a passion in me.
There is God’s way and there is
everything else!
How can I be cheerful in being
merciful to someone who surely doesn’t deserve anything? It’s God’s way and that’s how I want to
live. That’s discipleship.
That’s responding to God’s great love
that we did not deserve. Now as
followers of Jesus—disciples—we look out for each other in every way. We honor and value and respect each other
more than we have ever done before.
Here’s one that I want you to put in
your lexicon of oxymorons: Lukewarm
disciple. You might think that
there are a lot of those, but such a person should not exist.
In response to God’s great love and
mercy, we are to respond passionately—with zeal. We are on fire for Christ.
Here’s a term for you—On
fire Christian. It is not an
oxymoron. It should be a redundant
term—on fire and Christian. Some people
think that being on fire for Christ means jumping up and down with your hands
raised high and they don’t’ want any part of it.
That’s exactly what being on fire for
Christ is for those people. For me, I am
equally combustible for Christ with both feet on the ground. My passion for him often manifests itself in
my writing, my preaching, and my service.
What are some symptoms of being an on
fire and zealous follower of Christ?
· Being joyful in hope
· Patient in affliction
· Faithful in prayer
· Caring and sharing with fellow believers
· Hospitality
Once upon a time I wrote an article
called Metrics for Christians. I had a little fun postulating how we could
measure our discipleship. You have to
have metrics, right?
How about attendance? Surely that had to be one. I even offered that people out to get extra
credit for staying awake during the sermon.
Knowing the words to the songs. That has to count.
Keeping both eyes closed during the
prayer.
Of course the tithe. Yes, it is 10% off the top. Max points for strict adherence. Extra points for giving beyond the tithe.
The list went on. I don’t remember how many I put out there to
bait the reader. Those who did not know
me probably wondered if I was serious or not.
Then out of the blue, I added:
Love you enemy.
Love your enemy. Now there’s a truth teller. What’s the point of having an enemy if you
can’t hate them? Note that Jesus was not
telling his disciples to love “the enemy”, but those people who just don’t like
us.
So Paul throws in a little graduate
level discipleship here in this 12th chapter as well. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.
I can get motivated about being a
living sacrifice. I can sing All to Jesus I surrender. All to him I freely give. I can sing it.
I love the thought and process of
renewing my mind. Digging into God’s
word, listening to what he has to say when I convince my whole being to be
still, and taking my faith and my gifts and getting after it is just cool
beans.
But this bless those who persecute you—there should be other options. How about I wring your neck and throw your
funeral in for free as an act of compassion?
That could work.
But what I want—or think that I want
in my mind still conforms to the patterns of this world—and is not the good and
pleasing and perfect will of God.
My whole life is given as a sacrifice
to God. I willing surrender my will to
his, especially in view of the undeserved mercy that I have received and now
live in. So as joyfully as I share with
the body of believers, I need to want my enemies to know that same joy.
I have decided to follow Jesus. I will not repay evil for evil.
I will even go so far as to consider
the thoughts and opinions of others who do not believe and probably don’t like
me very much and do my best to live in harmony with them.
I will not compromise being a living
sacrifice and re-plowing my mind to receive the mind God has for me, so I will
fully trust God to deal with the wicked.
If he wanted me to do it, he would have put it in my commission.
Maybe, just maybe, in being God’s love
by meeting some basic needs in those who pretty much hate me, they won’t be
able to sleep until they figure out what is going on with this crazy Jesus
follower.
Maybe, somewhere in the discord that
my mercy and compassion creates in their world-ordered life, their hearts will
break and they will receive the Holy Spirit.
That’s knowing God’s good, pleasing,
and perfect will and letting it have its way in my life.
And we come to the end of this very
packed chapter on discipleship and this final statement.
Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.
So what do we say?
It’s all yours. My life is yours. My mind is yours. Plow my field. I will take my gifts and leverage them with
the measure of faith that you have given and produce good fruit.
I live for and in your will—your good,
pleasing, and perfect will; and in so doing I will overcome evil with good.
Amen.
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