Making Sure We Serve with the Right Attitudes
Romans 12:9-21
Sept 8, 2024
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church of Ballincollig
I. Introduction (Galatians 5:13; Romans 12:9-21)
A. Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
B. The Letter to the Romans proves that we have ALL been showed great mercy by Almighty God
1. Even when we were sinners, Christ died for us – Jews and Gentiles
2. Saved by God’s grace, not by our own goodness and works
3. And Gifted to be Christ-like – not natural talents, but spiritually gifted:
a. To do something great in THIS life, here and now…
b. To serve one another!
C. Listen to HOW we should serve one another… (Romans 12:9-21)
1. Romans 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation.
2. Abhor that which is evil;
3. cleave to that which is good.
4. Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love;
5. in honour preferring one another;
6. Romans 12:11 Not slothful in business;
7. fervent in spirit;
8. serving the Lord;
9. Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope;
10. patient in tribulation;
11. continuing instant in prayer;
12. Romans 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints;
13. given to hospitality.
14. Romans 12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
15. Romans 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
16. Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
17. Romans 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil.
18. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
19. Romans 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
20. Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
21. Romans 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
22. Romans 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
D. We will only get down to verse 11 today, but what a list!
E. Some Preliminaries
1. Did you know there is more information given on HOW to use God’s gifts (12:9-21), than about the gifts themselves (12:6-8)?
2. Did you know God is more interested in the Christian having the right attitude about God’s gifts, instead of having the right gift?
3. So, Use your service Gifts - don’t hide them! Do something for the Lord here!
4. Make sure you use God’s gifts for others - none of the following items has any instruction on how to use any of God’s gifts on yourself!
F. These are New Testament commands just as valid as the Old Testament ones
G. These are non-negotiable
1. You cannot “weasel” out of doing these things if you are a Christian
2. The truth is, if you do these things, with the right attitudes, you will actually have fewer problems in your home, and in your life
3. And this church body of believers will be strong and healthy and better able to stand against all the wiles of the devil
II. Message
A. Love Each Other Without Difference (Romans 12:9)
1. Romans 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation...
2. The first commandment is, Love EVERY believer
3. “Dissimulation” means without partiality, equally, similarly
a. It simply means “without picking favourites.”
b. Dissimulation means, to divide something up so somebody gets more than somebody else. (i.e., Counting up cookies, 1 for you, and 3 for me)
c. You can’t love one person 100% and another person only 10% - that would be dissimilar. hypocritical
d. When it comes to loving the brethren, the idea is that all of God's people are your brethren, and, although you may not like some of them as well as you like others, you are still to love them equally without dissimulation.
e. Jacob failed to love his children equally – and it caused a major problem in his home, when he honoured his favourite son Joseph with a special coat
f. You and I have got to love each other equally, actively, without hypocrisy
g. Matthew 5:46-48 For if ye love them which love you [SELECTIVE LOVE], what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. [BY LOVING ALL THE BRETHREN]
h. Go back to Matthew 5:44,45 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
4. We are supposed to love the brethren – the family of God right here
a. You can’t love the entire world, but you can love everyone in your church!
b. John 13:34,35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
c. 1John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
d. 1John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
e. If there are people you can’t love, then are you even saved?
5. So,
a. Do not just “say” you love the brethren
b. Actively love each other without hypocrisy – without noticing skin colour, accent, age, past hassles, etc
c. Be sensitive to what people are going through
d. Find out who has a need, and then meet it. Prepare a meal, pay a bill for them, mow their garden, spend time just talking and laughing
e. Be genuine in your love towards everyone in the church body
f. Show love in every thing you do, and love with sincerity - realness
6. If we preach, or serve, or teach, or exhort, or give, or rule, or extend mercy without love as the reason we do it, then we will:
a. Burn out
b. Become bitter
c. And HATE the very people Jesus called you to love
d. Now you know why so many Christians burn out, become bitter, and even hate other Christians…
e. Because they stopped loving the people they were trying to serve
B. Abhor evil - stay clear of anything that even looks evil (Romans 12:9)
1. Romans 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
2. Abhor evil - that's a commandment!
3. This is not a popular command… it is a negative commandment
4. To "abhor" means to hate intensely
a. To decide that something is revolting. That it makes you disgusted.
b. There are sins that should make you sick to your stomach
c. So a Christian is supposed to love people, but must still abhor sin
d. Loving people and serving people does NOT mean loving their sins, and their wrong doings – and Christians can get up to some deep sins
5. What are things that are clearly evil?
a. Public nakedness, porn, perverted behaviours
b. Witchcraft
c. Rebellion and sedition
d. Idolatry and the mockery of God
e. Murder
f. Isn’t it strange that all of those things and more are the mainstay of most every movie?
g. Did you know that 30 years ago, much of what is normal today was abhorrent, and was seen as disgusting by Christians?
h. The culture of the world didn’t see any problem with that stuff, but Christians did
i. But now modern “churches” are normalising homosexual unions, and rock music in worship and anything goes fashion
j. The more the world normalises sin, it seems the more churches normalise it too!
k. If we want the world to wise up about what is sin, then churches need to get back to abhorring sins and reproving sins once again!
6. Hate every sin, in OUR own hearts, not just “out there in the world”
7. Not easy because some sins are pleasant and fun, and are hard to hate.
a. It is hard to hate thievery, when you are good at it and you get a lot of money from it
b. It is hard to hate lying when you seem to always get ahead by it
c. It is hard to hate taking drugs when they make you feel so peaceful and good
d. It is hard to abhor porn when it seems to satisfy you
e. But you had better realise there is nothing good that comes from evil except guilt, fear, shame, and death
f. The Christian takes this as a commandment, and trusts God is right, and not their heart, and not their girlfriend
8. So, Draw a line and hold it fast dear Christian
a. Do you abhor filthy language on TV shows? You should!
b. Do you abhor sex scenes in movies? You should!
c. Do you abhor alcohol? You should!
d. Do you abhor the abortion and murder of unborn children? It should disgust you that it has become a right!
e. Do you abhor covetousness in you, constant complaining by you and others? You should!
f. Do you abhor laziness? You should!
g. Are you disgusted by homosexuals influencing children? You should be!
h. Do NOT allow yourself to get used to the sin and evil of our culture!
i. Draw some lines in your life that you decide you will not cross, based on what the Bible says, and stay on the right side!
j. AMEN!
C. Cling to everything that is good and pure and right (Romans 12:9)
1. Romans 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
2. Don’t be out of balance…
a. Yes, we need to be Hating every sin
b. Buut we must also be Clinging to everything that is good
3. To cleave means to tightly hold onto something, tight GRIP, and not let go of good things for something the world says is better or more exciting
4. The reason why our generation is slipping faster and faster into darkness and self destruction is because Christians are not holding onto the things that are good and clean and pure anymore! We are believing so many things are outdated…
5. What are some things that are good that we must hold to? Cling to?
a. No sex before marriage – not outdated at all! It is the Smart thing to do! It is so nice to sit down and have a burger than has not been nibbled on by someone else before you!
b. Marriage itself – not living together; not partnering, co-parenting, co-habitating. Marriage is good! Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
c. Your family, your wife or husband are GOOD things – do not let anything or anyone separate you! proverbs 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.
d. Prayer and personal worship are good things to do – cling to your prayer time, and time with God! Every day, life makes it hard to hold to these things!
e. Giving your money away is a very good thing to do and keep doing
f. Thinking good about people. 1Corinthians 13:4,5 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
g. Hold tight to your Bible – don’t let anyone or anything like your “smart” phone replace it!
h. Hold onto our church – we are not much, but Jesus DIED for His church to be here!
D. Show kind affection towards each other with brotherly love (Romans 12:10)
1. Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
2. To be kindly affectioned means, Treat Christians with great respect
a. Treat each other like FAMILY!
b. Treat younger women as sisters, not as possible girlfriends
c. And treat older women like they are your mother
d. 1Timothy 5:1,2 Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.
e. Honour older Christian men like they are Dad (1Peter 5:5) Likewise, ye younger [MEN], submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
3. Show affection to each other – that is an order!
a. Show love for each other!
b. Do you do that? Do you look people in the eye when you meet up with them and say, I love you brother?
c. 2Corinthians 13:12 Greet one another with an holy kiss.
d. You may say, “we don’t have that in our culture”
e. God says, “You have a new culture – a Christ like culture!” Show it!
4. Start being kind, and gentile – respectful of each other – not constantly fighting with each other
a. Our parents worked hard at teaching us to be kind
b. Life and the world has a way of turning people into terrorists!
c. Making us mad at everything and everyone!
5. Some of you may have grown up in a horrible family – always fighting
6. Doesn’t matter. If you are born again, you live according to new rules, and new abilities.
a. Start treating fellow believers as brothers and sisters
b. Make people know they are loved, not only by God, but by other Christians
E. Honour and prefer each other over the world (Romans 12:10)
1. Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
2. That means preferring to be with Christians over class-mates, work-mates, sports matches, garden-clubs, unsaved friends, and unsaved family members
3. And it means to speak honourably of each other
a. Remember when you were a kid and you bragged about your father?
b. Or when someone said something derogatory about your brother and you came to their defence?
4. To prefer means to give MORE honour to the Christians sitting around you than you do to:
a. Johnny Depp
b. Britney Spears
c. Elon Musk
d. Simon Harris
e. Christiano Rinaldo
f. Barrak Obama
g. Donald Trump
h. Or any other 100 popular people you may be looking up to right now
5. Philippians
2:3 Let nothing [NOTHING YOU DO] be done through strife or
vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than
themselves.
So, don’t force your way by fighting, but esteem/honour others more than you do
yourself
6. You won’t serve and love people you don’t respect on purpose!
F. Work hard serving one another (Romans 12:11)
1. Romans 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
2. The word “slothful” is from a sloth
a. A sloth is an anteater. It's a big animal with a long snout, and it's noted for slowness.
b. It doesn’t ever rush anywhere
c. It just lumbers along and eats and sleeps
d. God is commanding us to NOT be lazy and slow in our service to each other like a sloth is
e. But to serve “vigorusly” – with vigor, loads of effort, hard work!
3. Nobody ever hired someone to do nothing, or as little as possible!
a. Every employer expects the best from their employees
b. They pay you to work hard
c. Why do we think we can come and do nothing in our church and think it doesn’t matter?
d. We work for the Lord not really for pay, but out of great love for HIM!
4. So, have you been born again, baptized, and coming to church…
a. And yet never come out with us soul-winning on a Saturday for an hour and a half?
b. And never go the extra mile, or do the hard things like helping in Children’s church, or cleaning, or handing out a Gospel tract
c. That describes some of you sitting in here today doesn’t it?
5. Let’s ALL start getting BUSY in the business of serving one another
G. Stay Fervent and Passionate about Serving People (Romans 12:11)
1. Romans 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
2. Do everything with passion instead of being passive
3. How do we normally serve?
a. We serve our employer, our bills, our friends, our family
b. But when it comes to serving each other, we have nothing left over! Just sit here!
4. Fervent in spirit means passionate, excited, expecting success, joyful
5. Who do you think a coach puts out on the playing field?
a. An excited, ready, pumped-up player?
b. Or a depressed, bummed-out, barely-there player?
6. Check your heart and see if you have lost your joy, and GET IT BACK!
a. People rob us every day of our joy – joy-suckers
b. Decide to rejoice in the Lord how often? Always!
c. And start serving, sweeping, mowing, cooking, cleaning, preaching, teaching, praying, giving, loving, serving… with joy!
7. You will always get it back by doing the last part of the Scripture…
H. Serve the Lord - you are serving the coming King of kings (Romans 12:11)
1. Romans 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
2. What a great truth
3. We are not just serving people
a. Many of who are hurting, and very worthy of our time and help
b. But many others are messed up, self-absorbed, arrogant, mean, angry, disrespectful people, who don’t seem very worthy
4. But with every act of service we do, we need to do it “as if we are doing it to the Lord Jesus” - We are serving the living Lord of Life
a. So, Treat one another as if you were doing something to Jesus Himself
1) Matthew 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
2) Matthew 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
3) Matthew 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
4) Matthew 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
5) Matthew 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
6) Matthew 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
7) Matthew 25:40 And the King [THAT’S JESUS] shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
b. Serve the Lord Jesus at work
1) Colossians 3:22-24 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
2) That’s OUR reality! We are not serving mere men when we are at a job!
3) You need to treat your boss not like he deserves, but like he is Jesus Christ
c. Serve the Lord Jesus at home
1) Ephesians 5:22,23 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
2) 1Corinthians 7:33,34 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
3) Treat each other like they are more important than yourself! Like they are the Lord
d. Serve the Lord in every moment of every day (Colossians 3:23) And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Do everything you do for Him
III. Conclusion (Romans 12:9-11)
A. A tough list of instructions of Paul to us as we serve one another… (Romans 12:9-11)
1. Loving every believer gathered right here
2. Hating every sin, in OUR own hearts, not just “out there in the world”
3. Clinging to everything that is good
4. Being kind
5. Putting other people ahead of yourself - so opposite to the world's philosophy of life
6. Do everything with passion instead of being passive
7. Serving the Lord Jesus Himself
B. These are New Testament commands just as valid as the Old Testament ones
C. These are non-negotiable
D. We need a radical change in our attitudes
E. It is time that we ask God for a change of heart, and a renewed desire to be what we were all saved to be… servants