Romans 12 Part A

Romans chapter 12. I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service and be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God for I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think but to think soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith for as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office so we being many are one body in Christ and every one members one of another having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us whether prophecy let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith or ministry let us wait on our ministering or he that teacheth on teaching or he that exhorteth on exhortation he that giveth let him do it with simplicity he that ruleth with diligence he that showeth mercy with cheerfulness that love be without dissimulation abhor that which is evil cleave to that which is good be kindly affection one to another with brotherly love in honor preferring one another not slothful in business fervent in spirit serving the Lord rejoicing in hope patient in tribulation continuing instant in prayer distributing to the necessity of Saints given to hospitality bless them which persecute you bless and curse not rejoice with them that do rejoice and weep with them that weep 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 recompense no man evil for evil provide things honest in the sight of all men if it be possible as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men dearly beloved avenge not yourselves but rather give place unto wrath for it is written vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord therefore of thine enemy hunger feed him if he thirst give him drink for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good now I have given an outline as most of you will have and pointed out that from in verses 1 & 2 we have our relationship with God and then in verses 3 to 8 we really have our relationships with one another in assembly life and then over to the last page we have the from verses 9 to 21 the fruit of the spirit I think I mentioned yes I did in verses 3 to 8 you have the gifts of the spirit and then you have the fruit of the spirit in verses 9 to 21 now I'm going to point out one or two things I'm not going to be long in my outline introduction Bible studies should stretch us so I'm going to say some things that will stretch us a little bit and some you might feel it's over your head well we had Andrew Douglas a preacher of many years ago and he was in our home assembly and someone complained to him that he was giving teaching that was over people's heads and he said well I'm shooting where their heads ought to be well I'm not sure that that's always a good idea because the Puritans said a man who shoots over people's heads doesn't prove he can got a better ammunition it proves he can't shoot so there's two sides to it but what I want to do is point out something that is very very interesting I have tried I would say really for years to sort out the last part of this chapter without any success I thought there is something about this that I'm not understanding because it seems like a list of miscellaneous statements and we know that the Holy Spirit of God does nothing miscellaneously there's a pattern in every part of our scripture and so I was trying to sort it out and just the other day looking at it in the original in the Greek language I saw something that I have never seen before I checked on the internet put in a question and I got one out of all the millions I didn't check the millions by the way I hadn't time but I found only one person who had any insight into it and he even didn't explain it but I want to show you something starting at I've marked it down here from verse 11 from verse 11 down to 13 in the Greek language there are seven statements and every one of them and this is where we may lose some but I do want to help you stretch a little bit there are students here and you should be thinking about stretching every one of them is an adverbial participle and every one of them is in the same structure and what I did is I took them into my word processor and put them into a stanza form like the believers hymn book you know how we have one line after another and they are absolutely beautiful when you look at them that way not only that the last word just like our own poetry the last word in each adverbial phrase rhymes it's a perfect rhyme and I'm going to give it to you I know it won't mean much to most but just here the last word in each the last word in each of the proverbial participles the first one is the aunties then do the aunties caron t's hoopin man on t's pros carter on t's kunan on t's day o counties and you can just hear the rhythm as it goes down it's absolutely beautiful and I believe that the Spirit of God with using Paul was actually giving the believers a poem now some places they have said there are poetry like Ephesians 1 some claim that I haven't been able to see it there but this is clearly poetry now you might say why bother well keep in mind in New Testament times the believers did not have a copy of the Bible most of them wouldn't have it so what is the best way for them to remember the exhortations of someone who gave them the Word of God it would be read in the assembly well poetry is a wonderful way to remember things and so there's a lot of poetry in the scripture and I would say even somebody who knew no Greek at all if I gave him these seven words taught them how to pronounce them somewhat because I pronounced it in English for you not in the Greeks would never say it the way I said it but just using even our English form I would guarantee that almost everyone here could likely memorize those seven things in about an hour and it would stay with them I was noticing this morning as our brethren were taking part in Thanksgiving different quotations that are beautiful quotations from scripture that are easy to remember they're able to get up and praise the Lord with them two brethren quoted from Revelation chapter 1 brother Barnes quoted from Ephesians chapter 2 another brother from a Hebrews chapter 1 brightness of his glory express image of this person phrases like that stay with us and the Spirit of God I believe and even in our beautiful King James Bible which is so nice to memorize the what we would call the cadence of something makes it so easy to memorize and remember so these things do matter in fact brother skates and I were talking privately in chapter 11 at the end you have and again it may stretch the minds of some but let's stretch a little bit you have at the end a chiastic structure in the at the end of the book of our chapter 11 where it speaks there all the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God and we're not going to explain a chiastic structure you can look that up if you want but again it's a way of memorizing and in the Old Testament the Psalms so often are alphabetical or they are something of a nature that is easy to memorize in fact someone 21 is a beautiful song I've been studying that for a while and I couldn't prove this to you but I from my reading in someone 21 there are 58 syllables not words and not in the English in the Hebrew there are 58 syllables before a special statement and there are 58 syllables after and there's a central statement in someone 21 and it is the Lord is thy keeper and there are 58 syllables before and 58 syllables after and that's purposeful by the writer because it again you have chiastic structure in someone 21 so all I'm saying is I think I'm and because it was just the other day I haven't really formalized this whole last section but I would say the key to the last part of Romans 12 is the poetic structure of that part now again you get away from the poetic structure when you go to verse 14 because in verse 14 you have the first imperatives in that section so that's just something that I think should be should be of interest to us if we're here to Bible study for some of us it's serious business I mean even of the brethren who study and so take a look at that and and other features of this chapter I think you'll find them interesting one other thing and then I'm going to stop brother Dunsire and I have had some interesting conversations privately about gifts and he doesn't agree with me and the feeling is mutual let me suggest something and I don't mind push back and I know brother Dunsire certainly will be giving it all I know that already but I have struggled I've been saved 50 years plus and I have struggled with trying to categorize the gifts of Romans 12 and I can't that's one thing second thing is I would say if we ask most believers even the oldest believers here what is their gift they would say well I'm not really sure I just help where I can why is that you say well it's because they're not exercise no I don't think so I believe the gifts of Ephesians 4 are distinctive gifts and gifted men if you like that are permanent those gifts can be exercised at will one commentary I was reading on Romans chapter 12 suggests that the gifts of Ephesians 4 are such that even when a person is away from the Lord they can still exercise that gift because it's an ability that is permanently given the same commentary suggest something that I'm inclined to agree with and brother Duncan Dunsire doesn't agree with that'll make for interesting conversation brother I've never thought of you as an authority no you and I are good friends the the interesting thing is that he says that in Romans 12 it links with 1st Corinthians 12 and 7 where it says the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all what does that mean this commentator suggests that it means that a believer has to be in a spiritual condition and being in that condition when a moment comes that a certain need exists that person manifests that ability and so one day a person from us may need mercy and it's not that I'm a merciful person and that's my gift but rather at that moment the Spirit of God takes of the fruit of the Spirit and one of those would produce mercy in my heart and therefore I act in mercy and I meet the need another day there may be a need to give to somebody in some form or other and so that same believer not because they don't have the gift of mercy or they don't have the gift of giving they just have a manifestation of the Spirit will that will come upon them at that moment then they will give and so that these gifts are really momentarily and brother Duncan told me not to use that word in the Bible study but I'm using it anyway a momentary manifestation of prompting of the Holy Spirit that causes me to do something I would say I'm leaning that way I'm willing to have pushback on it of course but to me it makes more sense secondly instead of a believer wondering what gift do I have what they will be doing is seeking to be in fellowship with God so that at any moment whatever the need is they can meet it and then we're not worrying what is my gift but we're really more concerned what spiritual state am I in and one of the reasons I say that is because when you look at 1st Corinthians chapter 12 there are two series of nine gifts earlier in the chapter and later in the chapter now when you compare the two lists some are the same and some are different and in 1st Corinthians 12 you have a total of 13 out of the 18 because some are repetitive then you have seven here in Romans chapter 12 the miraculous gifts of 1st Corinthians 12 are gone but what you would call ordinary gifts which any one of us can manifest are available in chapter 7 even the teaching gift to me is not necessarily public but it could be even a sister as well as a brother like Titus chapter 2 that the older women are to teach the younger women there's a moment where someone needs to be taught and the Spirit of God has revealed to me the answer to that need and I then speak that word and it's not that I am a teacher but rather at that moment I have a moment when I teach now that's just food for thought I can't say I'm completely settled and it's a recently new thought but I am leaning that direction now the problem is some people say well then it means that only a few people have gifts well I would say yes but everybody is gifted see I would distinguish between having a gift and being gifted and I believe every believer is gifted from time to time the other thing is it places more responsibility on us as believers because we need to keep in a spiritual state if we want to be used by the Lord because it's a manifestation of the Spirit therefore we can't have the Holy Spirit of God grieved with us so rather than a person leaving a Bible study like this even if we all agree which we won't but even if we did that what I said was true even if we agree a person should never leave this gathering say now I find out I have no gift no you will be gifted and you need to be even more exercised because you can't be lethargic about your spiritual state otherwise you cannot expect to be used so I'm going to leave it there I wanted to bring that right out at the beginning so at least we have some thought about where we're going and also that there's no surprises when I would bring it up now having said all that let's start at chapter 12 and verse 1 and 2 let me give you two viewpoints on that some brethren believe that it is a collective presentation that is that the whole assembly is being called upon to present themselves others say it is individual brother Barnes had brought up the question are not the question the idea that there was division in Rome and this is a problem therefore it could be that the believers are being called upon to unify and work together that's a possibility but I leave that open I'd like to hear what our brethren feel about this and then keep in mind and I know we I need to do this to keep in mind that there are believers here who need practical advice we all do and I trust that we can get something that everyone will leave here edified not just informed one other thing brother Higgins has to leave early and so he will be leaving and we want to thank him for being with us not so much on my behalf but on behalf of the assembly it's been good for us to be together here and safe journey home on the general flow of thought here why does he begin with this verse 1 and 2 to present your bodies then moves to gift then moves to the fruit of the spirit being seen in the life of the believer is there is there a thought that flows through the chapter brother Higgins I know you have some thought about that why don't you give us some help on it when I had just thought that as you've been telling us the development of both usefulness for God as well as my relationship among believers is going to be dependent upon verses 1 and 2 a total yielding of myself to God in in consecration and in willing submission to whatever his will is for my life so I think there is a moral progression if we can use that word that we were tracing through the chapter brother Jim can I appeal to brother Sandy would you suggest Sandy that the whole thrust of the chapter is Paul's appeal to the conscience of the believer regarding his Christian living it starts with consecration that's the early verses then it starts from that the flow evidented by humility in this life and then love expressed to other so the first part is God word concentrate consecration then the next part is self-worth then the next part flows out to the world I think that's what you had yes certainly I think not to take away but he begins with one of the significant therefores of Romans doesn't he chapter 2 chapter 5 chapter 8 now chapter 12 one of these key statements therefore in light of what I have just told you and that would be chapter I would take a chapter 11 as well 9 10 11 not just back to chapter 8 in light of this tremendous doxology at the end of chapter 11 therefore here's what's the only reasonable thing you can do you're going back for a moment just to that brother Higgins the last statement of Romans 11 of him through him to him and so it's a call upon us to make sure we fit in that framework God is actually the generator of everything he is the guide of everything he is the goal of everything of him through him to him therefore let's get within that framework that pathway so that we can be used of God brother a lot of the earlier brethren's you'll find in some commentaries they will tell you that verse 1 goes back to the end of chapter 8 that nothing can separate us from the love of God but it seems that the spirit of God is dealt with that subject and cleared it up because most brethren today would teach that is based on the subject matter before us in the previous 11 chapters and with the sovereignty of God in absolute righteousness dealing with Jew and Gentile that's what we have in chapter 3 the epistles written as far as I'm concerned to manifest God's righteousness that's what it's all about in the light of that this is how you have to live your life that's right would you say brother Dunsire that just what you've said since God is moving in chapters 9, 10, and 11 we're to get into the flow of that in chapter 12 I guess so and we've got as well the fact that it's not just the mercy of God these this is the mercies of God and the word is different going right through we've been we've seen highlighted God's mercy God's acted in mercy in different ways this is a different word these are the tender mercies of God and sums up the whole thing it's a new thought and it's an overall thought and overarching what God has done and it becomes the basis of Paul's plea to them that they might present their bodies so it's the way God's dealt with us yes because of how he's dealt with us so kindly and so gently yes you have a responsibility and how God deals with the nations is not isolated from how he deals with us exactly the purpose of God is a solid toward the nations as it is toward us as you have said brother Barnes this idea of mercy here is a loving compassionate term isn't it yes and the word that he uses at the very beginning brother Jim I beseech you that's one of Paul's favorite words it's sort of a he's trying to push them to entreat them with compassion urging them on brother could I ask maybe two things here maybe related firstly many times you hear brethren speak of and linking this with the different offerings but would you see the offering of the Levites here who are presented as a living sacrifice to serve God number one and number two what is the significance in the epistle of the body present your bodies going back to chapter 1 in the body and as you developed it so could you help us there well I I would agree with your brother Higgins that it's really Levitical service that's in view and as regards the body it seems brother Barnes likely as a thought on this but I'll just say it seems like the body had been used in the past in a wicked way and the whole being now is going to be including the body which in chapter 1 was used to fulfill their own lust is now going to be used as a holy thing for God yes I think so I mean as Sandy was saying go back to numbers chapter 8 for the for the Levites yes but they're interesting there it's a command yes Moses was told to tell Aaron to offer the Levites for the service and then the offering then comes service which is interesting here because in 12 it's offering of the body and then service but the point being I think as well we've been there before in chapter 6 and in chapter 6 we have the body yielded again in this sense neither yield the word yield in chapter 6 same word exactly as the word present in chapter 12 in verse 1 so we've got the fact that God has has dealt with us in terms of the fact that he's come out and it says you were dead and to sin alive and to God through Jesus Christ so a change has happened now there's a response and it says neither yield your members instruments that's negative but the positive yield yourselves unto God and your members as instruments of righteousness and to God so that's indeed a plea again on the basis of what God has done so I take it here we have it again and I think I'm with you the body here is more than the physical thing that's right although we've had it there the picture in chapter 6 we've expanded it here and it's the whole self but of course you go on later to the to the mind but the body is the whole being that I have at my disposal to give to God it's interesting brother you mentioned numbers 8 that chapter begins with the lampstand yeah I've got the light in the sanctuary good the light of testimony yeah and we had some reference to that in chapter 11 that would be olive oil and so on and then there follows this presenting themselves in service can we have some help on the presenting of the whole being the body brother McCullough you have mentioned it to me already so tell us what you're thinking well the idea if you look into it it's an act in the past that leads to a conduct of life it's a moment when I realize the claims of God upon me now that comes early in Christian experience for some others that may be some years afterward they recognize he's Lord and because of this I'm going to present my body to him for his use his service I think in that right yeah and I think in Acts chapter 9 with Paul both took place at the same time that's Lord what will thou have me to do that's ideal but with some it takes a while and sadly for some it never happens but it is I remember what mr. Conduct said years ago that I really enjoyed he said it's a crisis with a course of course right I understand that I mean in terms of I can see that being here what you mentioned earlier about the bodies being the bodies in the assembly no I mean how how does that how does that figure how does an assembly present your bodies a living saga what's the thinking behind that the brethren take up you well if they take that view I think again it goes back to what brother Barnes has just mentioned brother skates and that is the body really symbolizes the whole being so it's not limited to the body but the body is through it or the instrument through which we express our obedience to God and so if we look at it collectively there could have been disunity in Rome and therefore one is going that way one's going the other and there could be a call to unity that every one of them have to come to a moment am I going to work together with the rest of these believers and just present myself to be functioning in the assembly where I am and instead of saying well I don't like working with him or her and she's got a I don't she doesn't even dress right and he doesn't do this right and so on there's a unity of thought and a determination that the will of God is going to come out in this company of believers if you look at it collectively I would say this though even if you take it collectively a person can never do collectively what they've never done individually no yeah there's a parallel in Macedonia 2nd Corinthians chapter 8 Paul gave them the opportunity to give they were very poor they had to think hard about it and they were suffering deep persecution and what should we do and their action was first gave their own selves to the Lord so there was an opportunity where they thought about what God had done it was something before them and it became a moment of I hate the word crisis they'll say we're in a moment but a reflection serious reflection on their lives I was individual each one of them no it says the churches of God in Macedonia oh yeah yeah but the grace of God given to the church of Macedonia yeah and then it says they gave their selves to Lord and it says churches in the context so there was a general movement among the believers yeah that's if it's if you look at this then in in the group setting assembly I would have real difficulty in verse 2 yeah that's right be not conformed to this world okay the assembly could not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind surely that would be individual that's the oh you know I said a general movement and I mean what I mean is that was the general movement among the believers they were doing it individually so that it became a characteristic of the whole but it maybe didn't necessarily was every one of them maybe there were one or two but it could be said overall as a generality they gave their selves to the Lord I think what we're I think both of us that agreed that this is individual not corporate what I was thinking here is we have the thought of surrender now let me suggest this and maybe some of your brethren will disagree with me there's a principle in the scriptures it's redemption salvation worship and service now the word here your reasonable service that's a different word it's your worshipful service now brethren we have a problem we see a young brother saved a couple of months later he's never opened his mouth publicly in worship brother would like you to give your testimony and we push them into a Sunday school class and brother more wrong we're wrong and they're taken up with service and like the bride they say they've made me keeper of the vineyard but my own vineyard have I not kept if you are going to yield your body a living sacrifice you're going to know have to know something about worship because what does worship do it gives me an estimation of my God and of the Lord Jesus it gives me an estimation of self because there's no pride in a man that's worshiping it's gone because he's occupied with him full surrender is in a man that's worshiping then we'll come on in verse 3 to this fear of service is that why you would call it a spiritual service reasonable here's a question for you brother skates the renewing of your mind why is the word mind in the singular and it's the idea of plurality almost as if there's one mind in the assembly