HOME WHERE I
BELONG
Romans 12:9-21
Some people have a knack for making you
feel right at home—whether you are meeting them for the first time, or visiting
them in their home for the 50th time. Something about the way they treat you communicates that you belong,
that you are welcome, that you are totally accepted right where you are and
just as you are.
I have had that experience many times in my life as I have come to know
Christians from all over the country as well as all over the world. When the presence of Christ is so real that
you know He is there, you cannot help but feeling right at home!
In India dining with good Christian friends, the vast cultural
differences melted away because of the love of Christ. In Africa visiting in the home of other believers,
the distinctive nature of our individual worlds were insignificant as we felt
right at home in a place where the joy of Christ was apparent. In Poland, the language barriers and
different political histories could not distract us from observing the rich
goodness of Christ at work in their lives making us feel completely at
ease…just like we were at home!
The same has been true as I have been in homes around this city and our
nation. Wherever we go where Jesus
Christ dwells in His fullness, we can feel completely at home—He is there!
Of all the
places you should be able to feel right at home, when you come to the various
meetings of the church here at Providence you should always feel at home. That is because we always should be able to
sense that we are accepted and that we belong and that we are valued and loved
whenever we get together with other members of the body of Christ.
THESIS: Demonstrating character as the body of Christ always develops community
within the body of Christ.
When Paul wrote
to the Romans, he urged them to give themselves fully to Christ so that the
fullness of His life would be evident in them.
Romans 12:1 I urge you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable
to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
When
that happens, our lives begin to reflect His life and character and we find
that we are not only transformed by the renewing of our minds (12:2), but the
character of our lives becomes like His as we are “conformed to His image”
(8:29).
If the body of Christ lives out the
genuine character of Christ, we cannot help but enjoy the blessing of genuine
community in Christ. The balance of
Romans 12 offers a unique insight into how that can happen.
Let’s look at four principles that come from this text that apply to our
commitment to building community and deepening the fellowship we have with one
another in Christ. As we look at these
principles, let’s think about what we can do to put them into practice!
I. A LOVING ENVIRONMENT CONVEYS OUR DEEPEST AFFECTIONS
--One of the greatest needs in every heart is the need to be
loved, to know that someone cares.
--Where better to enjoy that deep sense of affection than when
you come together with others who have made their home with Christ?
·
LOVE
THAT IS…
A. SINCERE
Rom. 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy…
--If our love is superficial, insincere, hypocritical, the
façade will wear thin quickly and our lack of love will become apparent.
--Therefore, if we find that we do not naturally do well in
demonstrating love and struggle with an insincere heart, Paul goes on to
challenge us not to give up or to give in.
B. DEVOTED
Rom. 12:10 10Be devoted to one another in
brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
--Sincere love will be accompanied by a devoted, undivided
heart that will not relinquish its pursuit of genuine affection—it will keep on
loving even when it does not feel like it or find compelling merit in the one
to be loved.
--Devoted love persists until it perceives what Christ sees
in the individual, or at the very least loves the other person by faith knowing that Jesus loves them and so can
we!
C. HUMBLE
Rom. 12:10, 15-16 10…give preference to one another
in honor… 15Rejoice with those
who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty
in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation (do not be
conceited—NIV).
--One of the biggest hurdles to overcome in our willingness
to love one another without conditions and without showing preference is
composed of pride, conceit, haughtiness.
--If we allow ourselves to do so, we will forsake our
responsibility to love others because we are so intent on seeking love that we
ignore our charge to give it.
--We want to be loved so badly by those we prefer that we
short-change those who would profit greatly from the attention and care we
could give them were we not consumed in our own selfish pursuits!
D. DISARMING
--Sincere, devoted, humble love will always be disarming
because it shows up where people least expect it and pushes aside all the
reasons not to love others—it loves in spite of all those reasons!
--That is true even in the case of those who have actually
hurt you and deserve to be shunned, pushed away—but we show the true presence
of Christ when we love them anyway!
Romans 12:17-20 17Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is
right in the sight of all men. 18If
possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19Never take your own revenge,
beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the
Lord. 20“But if your enemy
is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing
you will heap burning coals upon his head.”
1. No Hint
of Revenge (even blesses our persecutors)
--When strangers happen in among us and see that there is no
bitterness, no pettiness, no spirit of revenge, no effort to return evil for
evil—they know that they have stumbled onto something genuine, something that
only God could produce.
2. Peaceable
--They will see people who love each other enough to take
the low place in humility before each other and who will hold no grudges but
initiate whatever it takes to make peace and cultivate an environment of grace
among the people called by the name of Christ!
II. A HOSPITABLE ATTITUDE EXTENDS OUR WARMEST WELCOME
--Love in practice cannot help but show up in a spirit of
hospitality which openly welcomes others with the warmth and affection of Jesus
Christ.
[“hospitality” – Literally, “love of strangers”]
·
A
HOSPITALITY THAT IS…
Romans 12:13
contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
A. GENUINE
--Just as our love must be sincere, so our hospitality must
be genuine, honestly and openly welcoming others into the family atmosphere
where people “feel at home.”
--Granted, there are some who have the special spiritual gift of hospitality, but all of us can
practice hospitality in the way we treat each other.
--Hospitality is intended to put others at ease so that they
feel comfortable, welcome and know that they are right where they belong!
B. GENEROUS
--This kind of hospitality also has a very practical side in
that it reaches out to contribute to those who have found themselves in need.
--That is usually thought to be financial need, and it
certainly has that application, but it also recognizes that there are other
needs in people’s lives that only the hospitality of a generous heart will
recognize and meet—like the need to be accepted, the need to belong, the need
to be loved—all of which cost us little but buy great blessings in the lives of
those in whom we invest these things.
III. AN ATTRACTIVE LIFE APPEALS TO OUR MOST NOBLE
DESIRES
--Love and hospitality provide a solid foundation for
building a warm, caring community.
--But there are a couple of other factors involved which
Paul mentions in this passage as well…factors that appeal to the most noble
desires of those who want to belong to something that is good, attractive and
right.
People will look first for something that appeals to their good
instincts, that is attractive to them personally. But if they do not find it, eventually, they will settle for
something less just to be able to belong.
Why not present a legitimate alternative that is attractive, appealing
and a community that would be desirable by anyone?
·
A
GOODNESS THAT IS…
A. PURE
Rom. 12:9 9Let love be without hypocrisy.
Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good… 21Do not be overcome by
evil, but overcome evil with good.
--Our life together will be good when we not only refrain
from evil but agree together to abhor what is evil, to hate what grieves our
heavenly Father and casts shadows upon the glory of Christ.
--Living for what is good attracts others to come alongside
and join in a holy pursuit—because it is right and because you can always “feel
at home” doing what is good and not sneak away into dark corners to hide what
we are doing.
Our homes should be characterized by that kind of goodness that is pure
so that all who come to our homes will feel safe, protected from what is evil,
and free to enjoy all that goes on in that pure environment.
B. RIGHTEOUS
Rom 12:17 17
Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
--When the community values are good and line up with all
that God desires, it will be a place where we can gather around what is right
in the sight of all men, what is respectable and good, what is desirable and
honored by all.
--Godly people want what God wants and can feel good about
pursuing godly ends together with others who have the same desires and
objectives…we find great satisfaction when we know that our pursuits are noble
and we are surrounded by like-minded people who care about us and what we care
about.
IV. A JOYFUL
SPIRIT AWAKENS OUR HIGHEST HOPES.
--The last, and perhaps one of the greatest attractions to
community (running a close second to love) is joy.
--When our lives are filled with joy, people find themselves
wanting to rejoice with us.
The kids have always enjoyed the song by the puppet ministry called the
“Laughing Song” because the majority of the song is just laughter. Before you can catch yourself, you realize
that you are laughing along as the joy of laughter has swept you up and caught
you in waves of delight. In much the
same way, when you are around joyful people, even the grumpiest and most
critical and negative people have a hard time resisting the urge to rejoice
with them.
--In this passage, Paul describes this kind of joy.
Romans 12:12, 15 12rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to
prayer…15Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who
weep.
·
A
JOY THAT IS…
A. FERVENT
--Just as we are exhorted to be “fervent in spirit” (12:11),
so we need to be fervent in our expressions of joy, rejoicing with great
eagerness and warmth.
--There is something about joy that cannot be anything less
than fervent, anything less that enthusiastic, anything less than exciting.
--When there is excitement and fervent joy in the lives of
the community of Christ and in the fellowship of faith, curious folks will show
up just to see what is going on!
--In a world so full of sorrow and hopelessness, finding a
place full of joy captures the attention of those who happen upon it…may we
spread it freely wherever we go!
We are also called upon to “weep with those who weep.” There is a time for that and true community
will also come alongside those who mourn and will bear their burdens with
them—just as we said last week. But
even though God calls us through times of brokenness and through times of
grief, the normal state for a child of the King of Glory is JOY!
B. ENCOURAGING
--Such joy encourages those it touches and makes them want
to take their place among those who rejoice together.
--Though your sorrows may last for the night, joy comes in
the morning! (Psalm 30:5)
--There is something unusually healing and encouraging and
faith-building…and welcoming…about a community filled with the inexpressible
joy of Jesus Christ!
C.
CONTAGIOUS
--And that joy is contagious!
Everyone who comes through the doors
here at Providence should be able to feel right at home! They should see and experience genuine
biblical community and enjoy the fellowship of the Spirit as those around them
live out the life of Jesus Christ and model His character in the way they
relate to one another.
Demonstrating character as the body of Christ always
develops community within the body of Christ.
What is God
calling you to do to present yourself as a living sacrifice to Him today that
will contribute to the fellowship of Christ here? What does He want to build into your life that may be lacking,
but when present would greatly enhance the sense of community here in this body
of believers?
God will develop
the community if we will demonstrate the character of His Son!
Providence Baptist Church
© David Horner 2003
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