Practical Christianity

… There are certain scriptures that one tends to avoid because they are so well known, so often gone over, that the temptation is to say, what possibly can there be said on these verses that hasn't been said before? What new slant could there possibly be that will enable us to maintain concentration for about thirty minutes? And yet, again and again, we feel compelled to look at some well-known words in order that they might come to us in present power under the leading of the Lord. Certainly I feel compelled to read with renewed emphasis the first two verses of Romans 12. I have only once ever compared notes before a meeting with another brother with whom I was in tandem. This was in preaching the gospel about thirty years ago, and it led to utter disaster. This means that after the powerful challenge that we had on these profound truths that we've been considering today so far, it comes to me with renewed emphasis that the verses that the Lord has led me to read are those which we should be rightfully engaged with tonight. I want, very simply, to draw your attention to three basic questions that I would suggest we all need to face relative to these two verses, Romans 12, verses 1 and 2. The first one is, what is the main force of the passage? Secondly, whatever challenge it brings, have I faced up to it? And thirdly, do I continue to live in the light of what I know to be true? Putting it even more basically, what is it? Have I done it? Do I continue in it? I'd like, first of all, to say what I've concluded after much meditation over the years, no doubt in concert with most of us here, but my experience of keeping company with 200 believers at any one time is that one need not apologize for saying well-known things. In a company this size, there is most likely to be at least one person who hasn't heard it put quite this way before, and there may be many more, while having gone over it, haven't really faced up to the issue. And for everyone in that kind of situation, there are 10 or 20 of us who think perhaps we know what the force of the passage is, but perhaps it's long since lost its power over the lives that we live before the Lord. What then does the scripture teach? See this. In the light of what I have learned, of the mercy of God towards me and for me, have I come to this crisis in my life and experience? In the face of all that he's done for me, have I come to this crisis point where I'm willing to say everything that I am, everything that I do, everything that I have is to be handed over once and for all to the God who has shown such mercy towards me? Without going into the details of the text, it can be acknowledged that the words that are used are such to bring us to this inevitable conclusion that the only right response from a true appreciation of the mercy of God is commitment, full commitment to the God who has saved us, and that commitment is total and it's irrevocable. We have considered today already, and rightly so, that the measure in which or to which the truth of God has had an effect upon us can be readily seen by the life it has produced. No accident that in the portion that we have read, the address to the Ephesian elders, that their attention was drawn, that the manner of life of the apostle fully backed up all that he said to them. Now I want to say this before I go further. It's not a matter of having such an understanding of the scriptures that we can give lectures about it or that we could talk more clearly about the truth of God. Scriptures abound which reinforce the right conclusion that right belief leads to right behavior. The truth of God, rightly understood, produces a life that honors God. Scriptures abound which emphasize that again and again, and this is one of them, certainly. And we hope to go into a few of the implications of these verses. But before we do, I would like to draw attention to one of two situations which may well apply to each of us who are here today. Maybe that some of us feel limited in the response that we can make before a savior God because we feel we cannot understand the scriptures. We are not such students of the word of God as we would like to be, and however hard we try, we cannot come to a clear understanding that would enable us to talk about them clearly. I am assured that there are many simple, real believers who, without being able to give an orderly, detailed treatise on the things involved in Romans 12, verses 1 and 2, and yet their lives demonstrate that they are living in the light of that basic appreciation that God who has moved towards them in mercy, that the only right response is that the life that we are privileged to live here in responsibility until the coming of the Lord has to be entirely consistent with the gospel we have believed. Again I say it, there may well be many of us who, while we cannot give an exposition or talk about these verses, demonstrate in our lives that they are being put into practice. Now that is a happy thing. But the other situation may well also be true. There may well be many of us in a company like this who, as soon as the verses are mentioned, can come out with things that are right, things that need to be stated again and again. We have everything in its right place. We can give an orderly exposition of what the verses mean, and yet it is patent that our lives cannot be subjected to the kind of scrutiny that the eye of a holy God demands. Both are necessary. Right belief, well grounded in holy scripture, and the kind of lifestyle that is commensurate with that. Let us commence as the apostle does here. I suppose in summary we could say he's appealing to the force of the truth of God expounded certainly in the first eight chapters, and then after the little digression showing how Jew as well as Gentile will ultimately be brought in on the line of mercy leading at the end of chapter 11 to that wonderful doxology or the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God and so on. And then appealing on that ground, he says, I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercy, the compassion of God. We know from Titus that our Christian life began as the recipients of the mercy of God. We are saved by the mercy of God. We know that as our lives are lived here before the Lord, we are assured that goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life. And happily we are reminded by Jude that being translated out of this responsible situation at the coming of the Lord, the final act which translates us is looked at by Jude as an act of mercy, awaiting the mercy of our God. Mercy all the way. And Paul says to the Romans, in the light of that mercy, which of us is there that doesn't appreciate the mercy of God, not by any works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his mercy he has saved us. Well, this is the lever for the plain exhortation that comes to us. Now, again let us say, we may well understand the bearing of the words. We may well have heard lectures many times on these things. But the crisis point is this, the challenge today is this, have I ever, in the light of what I have appreciated of the mercy of God, come to this point where I have said if that's what he's done for me, I'm going to hand myself over to him once and for all, lock, stop and barrel, to be available to him as it pleases him and not me. Now, again, in case we don't get time later on, let us say, yes, have we come to that? May it be that we say, yes, I've come to that crisis point in the history of my soul. I've handed myself over once and for all. Reference has been made to the passage of time. With the passage of time, since we first trusted Christ as Savior, since we came to this recognition that there was only one reasonable conclusion for us to come to, that if he'd done all that for us, there is only one outcome, and that is full, total, irrevocable commitment to do the will of God while we are left here upon earth with the passage of time. Since we first came to that conclusion, has there been any slipping away in the daily practice of our lives? Has there been any giving up? Has there been any departure from that conclusion which was right then and is just as right today? Now, that's the main force of these verses, but let us look at some of the detail. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present, well, we've spoken of, this is the word which justifies the common construction put upon it. This is not a daily thing. There is a daily challenge in Christianity, but this is a once and for all transaction entered into realistically, intelligently, as a result of meditating upon the mercy of God, that ye present your bodies. Scripture distinguishes for us between spirit, soul, and body. We do well to seek out those scriptures which distinguish the sphere proper to the spirit, the soul, the body, and to see the care with which the Holy Spirit distinguishes and yet brings them all together. Other scriptures, and while perhaps we might look into these verses and see that which is relative to the spirit, the soul, and the body, even if we don't go that far, there is certainly this, there is that which is relative to the material part of our being, the body, and there is that which is relative to the immaterial part of the being. And there are other scriptures which seem perhaps to put spirit and soul on the one side and the body on the other. Now for those, and let us again bring the challenge to our hearts, have we all been the recipients of the mercy of God exercised towards us in the giving of his son to be our savior? If so, our souls are saved for eternity, but here, a present aspect of our salvation, the apostle brings before us that there is a need to present our bodies a living sacrifice. Our bodies are the vessels or the vehicles of the expression of that which the spirit and soul appreciates. It is through the body that we are enabled to serve the will of God here upon earth as long as we are left here, and it is our bodies that we are invited, that we are constrained, that is demanded of us as a living sacrifice. The people of God upon earth for many centuries have been used to the delivering up of sacrifices to God, the delivering of the life even unto death. There have been those who for the sake of the testimony have delivered themselves up even unto death. Stephen for one was faithful unto death, and he, Stephanus, crown, undoubtedly receives the crown of life in answer to his faithfulness. But this kind of sacrifice enjoined upon us here is not something which means our life of responsibility is ended upon earth and we depart to be with Christ, which is far, far better, but rather that kind of sacrifice that means every moment of every day until the coming of the Lord, we make ourselves available to him in every department of our lives. We are good at encouraging children to enter into good commitments. We teach them good words to say and to sing, but let us allow the force of simple words we encourage the children to take upon our lips, bear with them the force of our bodies being a living sacrifice. And it's when we come down to this kind of thing that we can measure ourselves against the plumb line of Holy Scripture. What do we say to the children? We encourage them to sing words like, be careful, little feet, where you go. Be careful, little hands, what you do. Increasingly, be careful, little ears, what you hear. Be careful, little eyes, what you watch. Present your bodies, a living sacrifice unto God. All that will be acceptable to him. If in the smallest details of our lives, where we go, who we go with, what we do, the kind of thing that occupies our time, the kind of ambition that we set for ourselves and our families, it's in this kind of detail that we can have the opportunity to demonstrate whether we are prepared to present our bodies a living sacrifice. Holy, sanctified, set apart to God, holy, acceptable unto God. For we rejoice in the earlier chapters of this and other epistles, where we exult together that we are not only accepted by God, but that we are acceptable to God as to our eternal standing before him. This is what the meditation upon the mercies of God, the compassions of God towards us leads us to rejoice in. The only proper response to that is that we live in such a way that in our daily practice, we are acceptable unto him, the one who has made us accepted in the beloved one because of the exercise of his mercy towards us, which is your reasonable, rational, intelligent service. At the interval, one or two of us were conversing about Christian writings, and the eye and the ear as vehicles for the understanding and comment was made upon a book with the title Through the Eye to the Heart. In other words, through the eye, we receive transmission of information in one way or another. It passes into the mind so that the will is submitted. It goes into the heart in order that our hearts might be affected, but it doesn't stay there. The word of God, having had its own effect upon us, moves through the eye, the mind, the will, the heart, and ultimately finds expression through the feet and the hands and the members of these bodies. A very similar kind of thing is said in chapter six, isn't it? How can we possibly, living in a defiling world, keep clear of all the sin and the defilement that there is round about us? Therefore the apostle says in chapter six, there's only one way. Yield yourself once and for all to God and yield your members daily, constantly, consistently as members for righteousnesses, righteous acts before the world and before the eye of a merciful God, which is your reasonable service. It is this word reasonable or intelligent which encourages me to make a kind of statement which perhaps needs examination. I come originally from a part of the country where very frequently we were led to understand that anything that began or passed through the mind would be tainted by the God of this world, and there is always the danger. But a twin danger was that we might have responded to that by saying, well, if that's what happens when we exercise our minds, let us not be on the line of treating things reasonably intelligently in our minds, let us always go for heart matters rather than head matters. Well, scripture and time have brought the conclusion that if our hearts are to be rightly affected, it is only in the light of a right appreciation in the presence of God by the exercise of our minds. The gospel which says so much about heart matters, the epistle to the Philippians, is also the epistle which tells us so much about the need and the exercise of the mind. We need to think these things through. As we think them through, there is only one possible conclusion. The only right service for God is that which is made possible by handing ourselves over once and for all to the God by His mercy has saved us, your reasonable, intelligent service. I suppose I have to say it with care, but I've come to this conclusion. This phrase, which is your intelligent service, could well be expressed like this. It is an intellectual decision of the renewed mind. Scripture says, ye have the mind of Christ, ye have the thinking faculty of the Christ, you have the way of thinking of the Christ, and when we exercise the capacity, the God-endowed capacity to think with our renewed minds, it leads us to the inevitable conclusion that we must hand ourselves over, spirit, soul, and body, to be devoted to the service of the will of God here upon earth. And then in verse 2, and we must pass on, be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. In case there be any who haven't heard this before, let us recognize again that what is considered in the first phrase is this. Even for Christians, there is the grave danger that we will fashion our lives by what is round about us. Our lives taking shape by the environment in which we live here in this world. Be not conformed to this world, to this age, the spirit of the age in which we live. Recently, I was in a locality where something sad was going on amongst Christians, and with a shrug of the shoulders, one of the local brethren said, well, I suppose it's the spirit of the age. It may well be, but that's every reason why we need to exercise our renewed minds and to avoid being characterized the way we meet, the way we dress, the way we spend our time, the way in which gifts are encouraged to express themselves. All these things could so easily bear the stamp, the character of the spirit of the age. When we bear in mind that scripture says most plainly that Satan himself is both the prince of this age and the God of this age, if we are governed by the spirit or the fashions of this age in whatever sphere of our lives, we are allowing ourselves to be controlled and motivated by the constant opposer of Christ, Satan himself. Be not conformed to this world. Certainly, the force of this would affect me in what way I allow my feet to go, what I put my hands to, how I use my eyes and ears and all the natural senses, and here we are turned away from that which is fashioned from the outside, from the environment, and again much more might be said about that, but be ye transformed. As others have well said, not conformed, not even reformed, but transformed, and again Here we have a word which tells us that the fashion of our lives, the way that we live, rather than taking character from things round about, is the life that's produced by an inward transforming power, and what does the scripture say? Renewed by the renewing of your mind. Yes, we have been renewed. There is a once and for all renewal. No student of the epistle to the Romans can go through the earlier part of the epistle without coming to the right conclusion that there is nothing about us, of ourselves, which can be used in the service of our God, not what we are in ourselves. We need the old everything about us to be brought intelligently under the scrutiny of the truth of God, and to realize God's assessment of all that pertains to ourselves as having been judged, brought to a judicial end in the cross of Christ. We need to meditate upon the cross of Christ and all that it means. The love that was expressed, the righteousness which was shown, the grace that abounds to us because of it, and all the assessment of a holy, righteous God on all that we are in ourselves as having been brought to an end in the cutting off of the Christ. Anything that there is for good is that which God has implanted within us, and we've been given a completely new way of thinking. It is that which leads us to the right conclusions from the God who's shown his mercy towards us. And how does he end the verse? That ye may prove. There is a kind of proof which is a considered judgment of the mind. There is that kind of proof which is theoretical, but there is that kind of proof, and this is the proof here, which is a practical demonstration of the effect of what we know to be true. That we may prove in our own experience, in our homes, in our studies, in our work, in our fellowship, in our witness, in our service to God and to man, there is that which we can prove experimentally, which is the alone product of the meditations and the intelligent conclusions of the renewed mind. Now this is progressive, but how does it start? We may well come back to where we started, and I realize that everything that's been said is extremely basic and simple. How possibly if for the first time tonight I have come to this conclusion that in the face of all that God has done for me, the only right thing for me to do, the only right way of thinking, is to hand myself over completely, irrevocably, once and for all, to be devoted to the service of God here upon earth. What should be the first thing that I should be doing? How can I find expression of this seemingly profound thing? We've trusted Christ as Savior. We are not under law. We are under grace. But in our immediate circumstances, there are things that we know are right. Things that we know we should be doing again in our home lives, in our relationships with our parents, our children, our brothers and sisters. There are things that we know are right in our relationship with them. Very often we don't do it. We are not proving that good and acceptable and perfect will of God if there are things that we know that are right, and we are not doing them. In our local assembly, there are things that we know we should be doing and saying, and we are not doing them. There are things that we know we should not be doing and not saying, and we insist on doing them. Oh, let us commence with what we know is right. Let us do the right thing in every sphere of our lives, and we will begin to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. When the Lord Jesus was here upon earth, he was able to say that from the outset he was committed to putting into effect the will of God, the will of him that sent him. At this present time, the will of God is to be put into effect. The will of God is to come to light in the practical righteousness of the lives of those who appreciate the mercy of God. What a tremendous privilege that we have been left here for other reasons and for this, that through our bodies, in our lives, we can give expression to that which is well pleasing to God. May well be that there are those here who have been hearing these things, saying these things 40, 50, 60 years and more. To what extent do they continue to be true of us if ever we have come to this conclusion? I would close with the challenge again. What is the main drift? What is the moral power of these verses? Have I done it? Have I handed myself over once and for all? I have owned, I have confessed the name of Jesus as Lord. Do I live in such a way that it is apparent to all that the Lordship of Christ is paramount in every department of my life? Have I come to that conclusion? Have I put it into practice? Has there been any waning of its force, its moral power over the life that I live? Scripture says, we look, we love his appearing. We long for the day when the will of God will be seen in all its universal power in and through the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we shall be with him then. If our lives will not be hid then, our lives will be manifested when he is manifested. Oh, but there is the opportunity now for the will of God to be manifested in the lives that we live, if only we have a right appreciation of the extent and the character of his mercy towards us. …

… Ernie Brown made reference in his opening remarks to a press article that day, reading, Christianity proper is not primarily concerned with changing the outside world, but is concerned with inward change of the individual. Well, my first thought there was, I wonder if that reporter was at Catford on Saturday, and paid due attention to the scriptures that had been read in the afternoon and evening, because really, that was what was the burden of the day, in the light of what God has done for us, in mercy, through his Son, in the light of that, what response are we prepared to make? Indeed, what response is demanded from us? And again, having appreciated the response that is necessary, to what extent do we continue to live in the light of that irrevocable conclusion, we may well have come to many years ago. Well, certainly, these verses 1 and 2 of chapter 12 of Romans, have indeed that message. Christianity proper is not primarily concerned with changing the outside world, but is very much a matter of inward change of the individual. However, having considered that primary matter, one thing that becomes evident in the rest of the epistle, from chapters 12 to 16, is that indeed, the outward behaviour of those who have faith in Christ, certainly that is very changed indeed. Every aspect, every department, every detail of the life, is intended to be affected by the appreciation of the goodness of God towards us as individuals. Now, I find it no accident that the next few chapters, which we hope to look into, if the Lord will, detail for us many of the things that are involved. Things that should come to light if that inward change has really taken place. And the way in which every department of our life is looked at, in turn, I would suggest that we commence now, just as a little digression, but a pertinent one, Scriptures here and there, that tell us what these departments of our life are, and the way in which they need to be regulated. First of all then, let us look at the minor prophet Micah, chapter 6 and verse 8. He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. Keep in your mind these phrases, to do justly, firstly, secondly, to love mercy, thirdly, to walk humbly with thy God. Now turn over to Titus, chapter 2, and verse 12. All well-known verses. Titus, chapter 2, verse 12. The grace of God teaches us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. The three words to notice there are living soberly, righteously, and godly. Second Timothy, chapter 1. Sorry, First Epistle of Timothy, chapter 1. Verse 13. The Apostle Paul, speaking of himself, he says, Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious? But I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. That's all we want to read for the moment. These scriptures, among others, encourage me to conclude that there are three basic facets of our life as Christians. Firstly, what we are in ourselves. Secondly, what we are towards others. And thirdly, what we are Godward. If you like, selfward, towards others, and Godward. And as we look at chapters 12, 13, and 14, I'm sure we shall find that in that order, chapter 12 is primarily concerned with what we are in ourselves, what our motives are, why we act and how we act in various situations, in various environments, and yet the emphasis always is not so much what we are doing, but the attitude we have in ourselves in whatever sphere. Chapter 13, we shall find, is more concerned in the activities, in our relationships with others, whereas chapter 14 is very much a matter of what we are before the Lord. Now, just going over, linking together these other scriptures, in Micah, chapter 6, what we are in ourselves is very much crystallised, the attitude that is desirable is spoken of as loving mercy. What doth the Lord require of you but to love mercy? It's a basic attitude of mind and heart which comes out in our life. Towards others, what doth the Lord require of you to show mercy? To do justly, doing the right thing. Let me say, as I often find myself saying, very often, my difficulty is not knowing what I should be doing, but my difficulty is, I very often don't want to do it. Doing the right thing, doing justly, is all so easy, and yet so difficult. The matter is plain, the scripture is clear, our conscience is touched, we know exactly what we should be doing, and yet we don't want to do it. And again, the third aspect of the life there in Micah 6, walk humbly with thy God. Oh, let us realise that being not conformed to this world, not taking our character from the external fashion and environment of this world, but being transformed according to the renewing of our minds, is very much related to what we are in ourselves, what we are towards others, and what we are before the Lord. I think the best summary of this threefold aspect of life is given in that verse in Titus. The grace of God which has appeared and has been exercised towards us, the God who has been so graciously disposed towards us, the grace of God which has done that, it now teaches us, the grace of God educates us that it is required of us that we live soberly in ourselves, righteously towards others, and godly before the Lord. And I would like to suggest that we look at that heading, walking soberly, in Romans chapter 12. A basic outlook that should be true of us. So chapters 12, 13, and 14, we'll be looking at to see an amplification of what it is to walk soberly in chapter 12, righteously in chapter 13, and godly in chapter 14. Now, I read that verse in 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 13, just to give an indication of the tremendous change that took place in Saul of Tarsus. Speaking of himself, in his eyes, I cannot say it for him, he said it of himself, the chief of sinners, he looked back and said, I now realize I was wrong in every department of my life. And he goes into it. He says, as to myself, he said, if you look at the literal meaning of the words, he said, I was an insolent overbearing man. That's what he was in himself. As far as other people were concerned, he said, I was a persecutor. And as far as God was concerned, he said, I was a blasphemer. Wrong in every department of his life. Now, Paul, having learned the lesson, he's well equipped to give us proper guidance as to how we should live our lives in each of these spheres. So having said that, let us look at the detail of chapter 12. How orderly scripture is. How orderly that which comes through the vessel, the apostle, under the control, guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Verses 1 and 2, which we looked at on Saturday, cannot look at again, gives us the overriding principles. If you like, having considered the doctrinal aspects in chapters 1 to 8, the dispensational aspects in chapters 9, 10 and 11, we come to the practical part of the epistle, the answer in our lives in chapters 12 to 16. And verses 1 and 2 give us the heading over the practical part of the epistle, especially chapters 12, 13 and 14. Now, after that, we get a fairly clear split in the rest of the chapter. Verses 3 to 21, overall, give us how we should live soberly. Now, this is confirmed in the very word that is used in verse 3. As often happens in the Psalms, so it is in some sections of the New Testament that the first thought expressed, one of the first words that is used, gives us a heading over the section. And here, thinking soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Now, verses 3 to 8, as such, or certainly 4 to 8, give us a vital consideration, the truth of the body. We'll have to come back to that. Verses 9 to 16, how that attitude expresses itself within the assembly, and we'll look at that. And then verses 17 to 21, how this attitude is to be shown outside of the assembly with men at large. But we shall note this there when we look at those few verses, that it's not so much the activities themselves, but the personal attitudes, the personal considerations that come to light in these various spheres. So let us turn back now to verse 3. 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. Let us take account that when the apostle, in verses like this, in a general way, speaks of any man, he's saying any Christian. Brother and sister. In other words, we cannot say, well, half of us are excluded for a start. It's speaking about basic Christian attitudes and is intended to be a challenge to each of us. And it says that we have to have a right assessment of ourselves. Again, these things are so straightforward, direct and simple, aren't they? Have a right assessment of self. The way it's put here, it would seem that we are all inclined to be charging about, all wanting the cheap place, all wanting to be up and doing, and we need to have the brake applied to us. Well, there may have been times in history, there may have been times in our own lives where this has been true. But why do we need the challenge of that? That we shouldn't overrate our potential as Christians. I think a far greater danger nowadays is that we tend to underestimate the things that we can do in the Lord's work. Sadly, nowadays, when there's a job to be done, responsibility to be taken, rare indeed to find a queue of over-enthusiastic individuals demanding that they be allowed to do the job. Sadly, in many localities, it's a question of the few willing horses finding that by dint of necessity that the certain individuals, few of them, always get the jobs to do because no one else seems to have the time. And of course, the old adage applies, if you really want something doing, ask someone that's busy and they'll make time for it to be done, but those who have a very light program indeed won't be able to squeeze it in, such is human nature. But let us take the warning whichever way it applies to us. Let us not overrate ourselves. Let us not assume that certain things, because they are glamorous or dramatic, are the things that we should be doing so that we can receive the acclaim of the Brethren. But at the same time, let us avoid the twin danger of self-effacement to the degree where it becomes mock humility, mock modesty, and saying, oh, whatever it is, you can't expect me to do that, I'm just a lowly brother, I'm just a humble sister, don't expect great things from me. We need to be conscious that as the truth of the body is the figure that's introduced here, there is a part for us to play and once we are aware whatever role we should be filling, the exhortation here is, get on with it! That's how I read these verses. As in other scriptures, for comparison, Ephesians 4 looks at the truth of the body and the matter of gifts. In Ephesians 4, the gifts come down bestowed from the ascended head in heaven. 1 Corinthians 12, the truth of the body there, the gifts are bestowed and are to be executed in the power of the Holy Spirit. But here, in keeping with the context, tracing things back to their source, we find that the gifts are given by God. But, the lesson I would like to draw in the time available is this. The figure of the body is intended to give us the impression of that which is an integrated whole working for the good of all with each fulfilling the role for which it is rightly designed. No argument between the members of the body, each knows the role that it has to play. We all know that in the natural body that if one member or organ of the body is deficient or if there is any disability, anything distorted, that there has to be a measure of compensation. Another member, another organ has to try and make up for whatever is lacking. So it is in the body of Christ. If I am not doing that which God has designed me for and fitted me into the integrated whole, it means that there will be more strain on someone else because I am not doing what I should be doing. Now, I will leave for your private meditation what these various roles are. But the impression I get in them all is that whatever it is, get on with it! Not in any ostentatious, flamboyant, extravagant way, but there is a job of work to be done and very often if the Lord makes me aware of a particular need in my own locality, it is at least half an indication that he wants me to do it. And certainly if in a quiet way there is something to be done, I make my services available, it will soon become obvious whether or not I have any gift in that particular direction. And I am sure that if there is a job to be done for which I am suited and I apply myself, not thinking more highly or less highly of myself than I ought to think, I am sure my local brethren will be glad to identify themselves with what I am trying to do to help things on locally. Now, just in passing, I was very much encouraged when verse 7, the first part of verse 7 was explained to me. I remember a very mature brother saying to me, do you want to minister? And I said, oh that's way beyond me. And he said, well do you know what it means? He says, to minister, he says, is standing by to lend a hand. Well that was a very homely way of putting it. And I thought it was a good one. Without thinking more highly of myself than I ought to think, wouldn't I like to be one of those locally who's always standing by to lend a hand to be available for any little job that comes along and willing to take the strain. And I'm sure, if we look at these terms in a similarly simple way, we'll find that we needn't exclude ourselves at all. But, what is emphasized in each of these cases is the need that is there, the way that God has gifted one or another to do the job. One of the things involved at the end of verse 3 and verse 6 is that if God places a gift within the assembly in an individual, he will also endow that individual with the capacity to carry it out. There's a balance between the gift that needs to be exercised and the faith and the grace that God makes available in order that it might be put to good use. Now, that's a summary there, and he ends that section in verse 8 with a reminder. It's not so much what is done, but the way that is done that will need the lasting impression. How often has there been a difficulty amongst brethren, not because of what has been done, but because of the way in which it's been done. Oh, let us ensure that while we are assured before the Lord that what we are doing is the right thing, and that he wants us to do it, that we do it in a way which doesn't give offence, even to the matter of showing mercy with cheerfulness. Now, that is verses 4 to 8. The living soberly, having a right estimation of ourselves coming out in the truth of the body in the assembly. I suppose we should pause there. Do I take it from this and other similar scriptures that the first outlet for my activities and energies should be in my local assembly? If the Lord has been pleased to show me that a certain group of Christians in a locality or where I should be as my spiritual home, if I feel free to indulge the various privileges that are available there, shouldn't that really be the first sphere in which my activities should be seen? In everything that takes place that I do, in good conscience before the Lord, be related first of all to that. That certainly seems to be one of the things that comes out in the verses. Now, certainly the verses that follow, 9 to 16, refer not so much to the expression of the gifts that come to light, but the general tenor of the fellowship of local Christians. And again, no time for all the detail, but notice this kind of thing. Verses 9 to 13 give such a high quality of the expression of practical Christianity that one would tend to think well, this certainly is the way to universal popularity. Any Christian acting like this, won't all their fellow believers think they are absolutely wonderful? Not always so. Verse 14 goes on to say bless them which persecute you, bless and curse not. The Lord Jesus in his personal ministry while here upon earth, and all the major apostles bring it to light in their ministry, remind us that one thing we cannot be assured of, if we serve the Lord with all our might, in good conscience, not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, one thing that's sure is that Satan will ensure that problems come along. And perhaps it may well be, those that we love the most, those we want to serve most dearly, our local brethren that we see so often and think so much of, it may well be that it is in that very sphere where we are misunderstood, things we say and do are misconstrued, misinterpreted, even to the point where we feel that we are almost getting a persecution mainly. Well, the apostle says, even in this, your attitude, whether with your fellow Christians or even those without, has to be so Christ-like that there's nothing about your reaction to unjust persecution that could give rise to any offense. It's a high standard. It's always true that the Lord never brings his standards down to the measure of our finite experience. He always gives us the potential and the incentive of being drawn up to be a pattern which is commensurate with the grace that is being shown towards us. Another thing, verse 15, Rejoice with them that do rejoice, weep with them that weep. Nothing new under the sun, you know. A word which has crept into the English language over the past, I don't know, 20, 30, 40 years, I suppose, is this idea of empathy, of entering into others' feelings, putting yourself in their shoes, knowing what makes them tick, knowing how they would react in a certain situation so that you can help them. We are exhorted here to act just like that. Our attitude has to be such that we are willing to enter into the joys of others, enter into the sorrows of others, to feel for them, to have fellowship with them in whatever the Lord is bringing them through at the present time. And of course, the supreme example, the Lord Jesus himself became qualified to be the great high priest, the great priest over the house of God, learning obedience in the things that he suffered, able to enter into the things that we have to bear, and so, able to sympathize, succor, and save. The truth of the high priestly grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. But, he ends this section, verse 16, be of the same mind one to another. If we all exhibited the features in this sober self-assessment, not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, what a difference it would make when we have business to discuss, arrangements to make, when there's outreach to be undertaken, when we have problems, financial problems, ecclesiastical problems, whatever they may be, if each conducted himself and herself in this way, what a tremendous difference it would make. Be of the same mind one toward another, mind not high things, be not high-minded, condescend to men of lower state. I suppose it's one of the cases where the authorized version tends to give a slightly wrong impression, no idea of condescension, going along with the lowly, as it might more accurately be rendered. The figure is something like this. If I'm taking a little child for a walk, my normal stride might be about four feet. The little toddler I'm taking for a walk may have a normal step of about say, a foot. Now, it would be most cruel of me, wouldn't it, to race along and yanking the little child along by the arm, expecting it to measure my stride step for step. Of course, what a sympathetic parent or adult does, the normal stride of the adult is shortened to accommodate the normal step of the little child or toddler. And I'm sure that's the figure that's employed here. Going along with the lowly, not demanding that those with the shorter stride have to attempt to overreach themselves and suffer strain. But there's lots of dignity, isn't there, in an adult accommodating this normal stride to that of the toddler. In fact, there's a particular charm, isn't there, when an adult is seen to be caring and loving and sympathetic and guiding the toddler along step by step. I would suggest that something of that is involved in going along with the lowly. And not with any over self-esteem again. Be not wise in your own conceits. Now, the last point that needs to be dealt with in verses 17 to 21, the attitude to others. Now, this is not yet activities towards them as such. That comes more particularly in chapter 13. But here, one aspect of living soberly with a right estimation of self is the way in which we act. The way in which we react, we might say, when others are acting unfairly towards us. It is not a Christian virtue to react violently. It is not a Christian virtue to try and get our own back. And I think, as we read this, the fundamental impression is, if we suffer wrong, if we are treated unjustly, leave it with the Lord. Oh, how easy to say. How hard to do. Just the Lord will recompense. If there's vengeance to be administered, leave that to the Lord. When the Lord, the righteous judge, shall set things right. We are now in the day, the period, which is characterized by what is termed in scripture the patient waiting of the Christ. Not waiting for Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ, who deserves every honor, who deserves the highest place of esteem. He's patiently waiting, not forcing the issue, not demanding it, not trying to set things right by himself. He's waiting until the Father gives the word, and then he that shall come will come and will not tarry. In the meantime, the Lord Jesus is patiently waiting. We are in the day of the patient waiting of the Christ. If the Lord Jesus, in perfect grace, the one who deserves every honor, every acclaim, if he is willing to wait until matters are set right, if he's prepared to wait patiently until then, if we are to be Christlike in our activities, in our attitudes, we have to have this fundamental matter of waiting patiently that if things need to be put right, it will be the Lord Jesus who does it. I think we could well take away this very difficult verse. 20 If thine enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirst, give him drink. For in so doing thou shalt heap calls of fire on his head. Bit of a paradox. Sounds as though, if I'm done wrong, I can rub my hands in unhappy anticipation and say, it's alright, the Lord will sort him out, calls of fire on his head, the kinder I am to him, the worse he'll get. Of course it doesn't mean that at all. It's not a prayer, it's a statement of fact. There are other scriptures like this, which state in a simple, clear way that if there is any sorting out to be done, any adjustment to be made of others, it is our portion to wait patiently, leave it to the Lord, and in fact, if we are gracious and loving and kind as the verse indicates, it will ensure even more that the Lord, the righteous judge, when he comes, will take whatever action is necessary. And when we consider the times that we have been unjustly treated, unfairly assessed, where we have been burning with a sense of injustice, think of the many times where perhaps we have misjudged others, that we would come down on them like a ton of bricks when we were sure we were right and they were wrong. How better if at both the giving and the receiving end, we act in the way that Romans 12 outlines, not thinking more highly or less highly of ourselves than others, but leaving things to the Lord. Perhaps, as we come to the close, perhaps the wisest attitude of all, for each of us would be, to be as generous as possible in our assessment of others and as hard as we like to be with ourselves. Perhaps the flesh in us tends to underestimate the virtue in others and overestimate the virtue in ourselves. Let us so carry out the plain injunctions of Romans chapter 12 that it will be seen that the first call upon our thinking is this, that the grace of God has indeed educated us to think soberly while here in this present world. Our closing hymn tonight is number 88. I haven't been able to find many hymns which directly comment on the kind of thing that's in Romans 12, but I have found these hymns which tell us of the virtue seen to perfection in the Lord Jesus Christ. And I'm sure one of the things involved in the opening exhortations in Romans 12 is that in taking account of the mercy of God we spend time in happy holy contemplation of the Son of God in whom these things are seen to perfection. …

… The Epistle to the Romans, chapter 13, verses 1 to 14. This is now the third of four addresses on some of the major practical issues that come to light in the later chapters of the Epistle to the Romans. In the first of them, we looked at chapter 12, verses 1 and 2, and we concentrated then on considering together the total, irrevocable, once and for all commitment that is entered into as the only reasonable, intelligent response to the soul that rightly appreciates the movements of the mercy of God towards us. The phrase, the mercies of God, the compassions of God, chapter 12, verse 1, is undoubtedly a reference to the major treatise on the aspects of the salvation of God that are outlined in chapters 1 to 8, and then after that necessary dispensational study in chapters 9, 10, and 11, in view of all that is gone before, the Apostle says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God. And we saw in verse 2 of chapter 12 that not taking our character from the fashions of this age in an outward way, but every department of our lives being transformed by that inner power, by the renewing of our mind, proving in our movements here in this world, experimentally, what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. When Christ was here personally, the will of God was seen to come to light in him personally. He has gone on high by the Spirit. We are enabled in our practical movements to demonstrate what is good and acceptable and perfect in accordance with the will of God. And the development of these things is seen in the major aspects of our life, selfward in chapter 12, towards others in chapter 13, and finally Godward in chapter 14. And on this occasion, we are going to look at chapter 13. Again, by way of recapitulation, mention has been made that we do from time to time in Scripture get summaries of these things. For instance, Micah chapter 6 verse 8, giving us a good indication of what is required of us by our God, outlines these three aspects. And again, Titus 2 verse 12 tells us of the need. In fact, it tells us of how the grace of God educates us, enabling us to live soberly as to ourselves, righteously as to others, and godly as before the Lord. And in chapter 12, we looked at what it is to live soberly, as indeed verse 3 of chapter 12 states. Now we look in chapter 13 as to what it is to live righteously as to others. One of the special marks of those who trust in the living God is that their lives are marked by practical righteousness. And in chapter 13, we see how, first of all, this is seen in our attitude to the higher powers, the powers that be, those who are in authority, and we'll be looking a little at that. Then how we meet our commitments day by day, in civil terms, financial terms, social terms, how we are seen to live righteously before all. And then, in view of the day that is at hand, the sense of urgency that this imparts to the lives that we live. If we want a verse as a heading, in chapter 13 it's given towards the end. If in chapter 12 the summary or title is given in verse 3 of that chapter, in verse 13 we need to look at verse 13, where we are exhorted, let us walk honestly, that perhaps is as good a summary as any as to the content of chapter 13. Let us walk honestly. And then a final exhortation right at the end, put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof. So then, into the detail of the chapter. This matter of being subject to the powers that be is something which is dealt with here and there in the New Testament, and consistently so. If we look first of all at 1 Timothy chapter 2, where we have the apostle writing to the younger man Timothy, he says, I exhort therefore that first of all, of first-ranking primary importance, supplications, prayers, intercessions, giving of thanks, be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. It is a salutary lesson, indeed, that our prayers on behalf of all men, especially on behalf of kings and all who are in authority, is not that we might have an easy time, as a superficial reading of those verses might seem to indicate, but rather that we may lead a quiet, peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, free without fear of molestation, to be able to get on with the job for which we have been left here, to preach the gospel, present God as Saviour, who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. So, then, a prime responsibility of the Christian company, and we as individuals, is that we might continually be before the face of God, praying that there might be right conditions in which we can get on with our responsible job of presenting God as Saviour. If we turn to 1 Peter chapter 2, again after the most sublime truth concerning the church of God as a chosen generation, exhibiting a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, showing forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light, the need to walk as strangers in pilgrims, immediately afterwards we have this necessary exhortation, Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme, or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Note again, in Peter, the link with submission to every ordinance of man to king and to governors is linked with the fulfilment on earth, the bringing to light of the will of God. Now those scriptures are very close indeed to what we have at the beginning of Romans 13. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers, for there is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained of God. If we look a little further down the chapter, we note in verse 5, wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience's sake. First of all, it is incumbent upon us as Christians to do the right thing. It is part of walking honestly, living righteously, that of all the people living on earth at any one time, surely if there be any company of people who are seen to do the right thing, keeping to the law of the land, complying with the requirements of the government of the day, it should be seen coming to light in the Christian. Now there are two reasons given for this. Ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience's sake. As to the wrath, Peter again decries the possibility. He warns us that if we are to suffer, it is not to suffer as wrongdoers. What a sad witness it would be if we were known in our locality as those who didn't comply with the righteous requirements of these powers that be. There may occasionally be occasions, and this perhaps is looked at more in chapter 14, where the lordship of Christ is the limiting factor. But generally speaking, the requirement laid upon us is that we must needs be subject partly for wrath in order that we do not fall foul of the law or the application of the law locally or regionally or nationally, otherwise, as the scripture says, wrath will come upon us. The powers that be are there for the punishment of evildoers. How sad again it would be if we Christians were deemed to be wrongdoers and for wrath we were brought before the powers that be. The second reason given, also for conscience's sake, it is given to us to appreciate intelligently that the powers that be, the authorities in power at any time, have been allowed to be put there by God himself. They are his ministers. He is the minister of God to thee for good, verse 4 says. Indeed, they are put there by God in order that those who do wrong might be punished and that those who do well are commended. Of course, the powers that be are responsible to God for the way they use the power that is granted unto them and scripture abounds with witness to the fact that very often men given power, allowed as such by God, are taken to task responsible to God for exceeding the power that God has granted to them. And so we turn to these verses in more particular. The general statement then is given. The details follow it up. Rulers are not a terror to good works but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good and thou shalt have praise of the same. That as to wrath, but then the Christian has the intelligent conscience to realize that the powers that be are ordained of God and therefore the Christian conforming as far as his conscience allows is enabled to put into practice that which is a witness to all about that the powers that be are the ministers of God for the moment. This involves not only the general scope of things, it also involves the detail. And so we turn to verse 7. Render therefore to all their dues tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. The Christian meets his or her commitments as they fall due. I sometimes feel that time has been wasted in the past by discussing whether or not in the view of the coming of the Lord it is right or righteous for Christians as individuals to own their own homes, to have their own cars, to enter into major financial commitments which would be left unfulfilled at the coming of the Lord. Over the years I've come to the conclusion that these verses are not speaking so much of major capital commitments, but what they do say is if we enter into any contracts, any bargains of any sort, that the Christian is known as one who meets his or her commitments as they become due. Again, perhaps a measure of inconsistency has come into Christian witness whereby brethren have felt free to own their own homes and yet as a matter of conscience have felt it improper to own the building in which we gather to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, I think these scriptures are quite clear that entering into commitments, meeting them as they fall due, whether it's the fuel bill, whether it's the rate, whether it's a mortgage payment, whether it's a bank loan, we meet our commitments as they fall due. Whether it's tribute, tax, inland revenue, whether it's the local rates, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour. Now there's a positive note to concentrate on, isn't it? That while it may be that there are commitments that we would not meet at our peril, it may be that in a positive way we should be more assured in our witness of giving honour to whom honour. Perhaps we need to lose our reserve. Perhaps we need to give honour where it is due, more readily, more vocally than we have in the past. And moving on to verse 8, the apostle says to the Romans, Oh, no man anything, a grand summing up. Perhaps if we want a simple heading over this part of the chapter, it could be contained in the two words, pay up, simple, direct, practical evidence of walking honestly, living righteously, paying up as our commitments become due. But notice the lever, notice the background, notice what is given here to back up with force what the apostle says, Oh, no man anything but to love one another, for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Not a question here of slavishly meeting commitments, not a question of slavishly following a set of rules or regulations, but prompted by love, that wonderful divine quality which is the source of all, Oh, no man anything. There are debts which we can discharge day by day. Let us see to it that we meet our commitments as they arise. But there is a debt which is indischargeable, an indischargeable debt, a debt of love. Oh, again, how this flows out from and takes character from the first eight chapters, that wonderful account as to how all our needs have been met by the mercies, the compassions of God. There is a debt we shall never be able to repay. Perhaps we might regard that as a major capital commitment which we can never arrange to be diminished. We can do nothing about exhausting that. What we can do, perhaps, is pay a little bit of the interest as it becomes due, Oh, no man anything but to love one another. Let us see to it that as well as meeting financial commitments and moral commitments, administrative commitments, family commitments, let us see that our relationships with others, we are known as those who exhibit love in a very practical way. He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. I suppose they have fulfilled the righteous requirement and the spirit of the law. Interesting here that in verse 9 we get a recounting of five of the commandments delivered to Moses for the people of God upon earth in his day, as is well known, five of those commandments concentrated on the responsibility of man Godward. The other five, the responsibility of man manward to others. And here in verse 9, in keeping with the setting of chapter 13, how to live honestly, righteously towards others, that there are five examples given and they are the five that describe our relationship to other men. Thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet. Summing them up, if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, Namely, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Simple, clear, practical exhortations that enable us to realise perhaps freshly, vividly, the need for practical righteousness in all our movements here in this world. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, demonstrated in the way we act in this practical way. God works no ill to his neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. How fitting, how orderly, how right that in this chapter on walking honestly, that that responsibility to others given so early in the word of God is recalled for our reminder and instructions. And so the Apostle moves towards the end of his exhortations on this aspect of our life and from verses 11 and 12. If he has been speaking about an indischargeable debt that we owe to God for all his wonderful compassions towards us, and in the light of that, that we must do all that we can within our power, day by day, to meet our practical righteous commitments as they fall due, after exhorting us in simple terms to pay up, we come to another character of exhortation in verses 11 and 12. If verses 7 or perhaps 6 to 10 describe the meeting of our commitments, the debts that have arisen, in verse 11 and 12 we speak not here of an indischargeable debt, we speak of a known time, that, knowing the time, this practical section of the epistle started with what is described as a reasonable, intelligent, climactic conclusion that we came to, a crisis in the history of our soul, and all that flows out from that takes character from that. So here again it is a matter of some intelligence, it is a matter of something that we know, knowing the time, that the night is far spent, the day is at hand, there is a day coming, God has indeed appointed a day, when he will rule, administer the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained, whereof he has given assurance unto all, in that he has raised him from the dead. God's man, Christ, has been appointed, that when the time comes, and only the Father knows the moment when that has arrived, but we know, if not the date, we know that there is a time which has been declared, Acts 17 verse 31 reminds it, as we've quoted, God has appointed that day, when his man, God's man, will be in full command, universal sway, and things will be conducted in a righteous fashion, because the Lord, the righteous judge, will be in full command. And, knowing that there is such a time as that, we live in the light of that day, even now, we anticipate the righteous living, the righteous administration, that shall be extant in that day, knowing that this present dispensation is drawing towards its close, knowing the time, it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Scriptures abound with references to the fact that the knowledge of the coming of the Lord in power and great glory to set up his kingdom is a salutary lesson to the Christian, that in the light of that day, when everything shall be seen in proper perspective, when everything shall be governed, administered in a way that is in accordance with the will of God, that we now, in the light of information we've been given about the future, have an extra incentive to bring into effect in a practical way the will of God upon earth, even now, knowing the time, it is now high time to awake out of sleep. If the major exhortation in verse 8 was pay up, the major exhortation in verse 11 is wake up! We are children of the day, not children of the night. We are children of light, not the children of darkness. Again, the implied challenge comes home to us, how sad it would be if we, the children of day, were involved in the activities more appropriate to the night. How sad it would be if we, the children of light, were marked by the features of moral darkness, and the demonstration that we give in our lives is inconsistent with the gospel that we carry and seek to preach. And so the exhortation comes, let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, let us put on the armour of light. A practical preservative against darkness and the works of darkness. A practical preservative against the things of moral night, or to wear the garments of practical righteousness, quite simply doing the right thing, because we know it is the right thing to do, because it is the will of God for us. See how these things are bound together in this chapter. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, let us put on the armour of light, let it be seen that we are children of the day. Let it be seen that what we do is consistent with what we say and the gospel that we have believed. Let us bear in mind again what chapter 12 says in this overall heading to the practical section of this epistle, that we are exhorted to walk honestly, so that we might prove experimentally in our lives what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The exhortations close by a tremendous contrast, let us walk honestly as in the day, we are children of day, let us comport ourselves, let us behave in a way that is appropriate to that which falls under the scrutiny of the living God. Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. These things are traced to their source in the last verse. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, how well we recognize that in the Gospels and the things that are added in the New Testament epistles tell us in that one what perfect way the Lord Jesus Christ in all that he did as he moved here in the days of his flesh, acted, spoke, moved and lived in such a way as was well pleasing to God and brought to light here upon earth that which was well pleasing to the God who had sent him and that which was that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Here we are then faced with this overall exhortation, put on in a practical way by the way that we live righteously before the world, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. Earlier chapters in the epistle go into the necessary study that while our sins have been dealt with once and for all, while sin has been judged in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, God has pronounced his judgment upon sin as such. God has seen fit to allow us to continue here in this world, the flesh still in us, the root still there, but under the grace of God. We have been endowed with the capacity transformed by the renewing of our mind. We've been endowed with the capacity to put on in a practical way the features of our Lord Jesus Christ and we are enabled to make no provision of the flesh, not allowing the features of the flesh to show themselves in the way that we live, making a tremendous victory for the grace of God, giving us the power, giving us the incentive, and here we are with our responsible lives to live in the light of the coming of the Lord, knowing the time that it is high time to awake out of sleep, our salvation nearer than when we believed. How sad it would be if in the closing days immediately before he comes that we were to give up, that we were to become weary, that we were ceasing to put on the features of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we got so weary that we began to make allowances for the flesh to show itself in a way that we wouldn't have dreamed of doing when first we trusted the Savior. And as the chapter ends, let us accept the exhortation to ourselves. Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, but let us see to it, not in strife and envying, but in this basic overall way, putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, making no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. Let us see to it then that while this is indeed a separate section, something that we need to consider itself, that it fits in with living soberly in chapter 12, and as we hope to see on another occasion, everything done as unto the Lordship of Christ, living godly here in this world, that there is this wonderful balance between what we are in ourselves, in our basic attitude selfward, what we are in our relationship to others, walking honestly as in the day, and then as that overall consideration in chapter 14, whether we live. We live unto the Lord, whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's, but as to the detail of that, we must leave that for another occasion. …

… Those who've been able to be with us on each evening will, I'm sure, be kind and tolerate a minimum amount of recapitulation, so that we know where we are embarking tonight. Saturday evening, following on, I trust, in the will of the Lord from Saturday afternoon, we concentrated on the basic principles which should govern every department of our life. In order that we on earth might exercise our privilege and responsibility in so moving, so walking, so living, that the will of God might be brought to light in a very detailed, practical way in the lives we live here on earth. Not to take shape, not to be conformed outwardly to the fashion of the age, but rather to be motivated and to be shaped by the transforming effect of an inward power, the life that God has given us. And after looking at that, I thought it was worthwhile to spend three evenings showing how these things are developed in the epistle to the Romans in chapter 12, 13, and 14. Like others have said in conversation after the meetings, these are matters we think about, they crop up in our Bible readings and discussions, we think about them from time to time, but it's not often that in a formal way there is an opportunity to develop in detail the things that are mentioned in the chapters. Now that's what we've been trying to do this week. And in order to provide a link, we have quoted once or twice that grand verse in Micah 6, verse 8, which outlines for us what the Lord, our God, requires of us. Look it up. That other verse, Titus 2, verse 12, enjoining us, we who've been educated by the grace of God, to the end that we might live here in this world in a way that can be described variously as sober, righteous, and godly. And we looked, first of all, in detail at chapter 12, which presents for us how it is that we can live soberly, with a right assessment of ourselves. Fastening particularly on chapter 12, verse 3, 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. So we are enjoyed to be right in ourselves, in our basic attitude selfward, and having a right estimation of ourselves, neither too high nor too low, but just as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. And then last night, we looked at chapter 13, which expands the phrase which comes towards the end in verse 13 of chapter 13, let us walk honestly, parallel, very close to what Paul says to Titus, that we might walk righteously, that we might live righteously here in this world. And then tonight, the third aspect of our life, covering everything in these three facets of it, not this time what we are in ourselves, not this time our relationship with others, but our relationship directly with the Lord. And so in verse 8, we have a verse, a statement, that can well be taken as a heading over the chapter, whether we live, we live unto the Lord, whether we die, we die unto the Lord, whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's. Now we hope to look at some of the aspects in chapter 14, and to get the sense it really continues through to verse 7 of chapter 15. As on the other evenings, no time for every detail. Pointers, we hope, will be given, which we can all take away and meditate in the presence of the Lord. As on other evenings, time will only permit the presentation of a judgment which has been arrived at over some time, some years perhaps, in meditating on the Scriptures, comparing Scripture with Scripture. Of course, as on other evenings, it would be possible to state another point of view. There are many. But my responsibility tonight, to give you an indication of conclusions that I've come to over the years, and this I would hope to do, and I trust that you would receive them in that spirit, meditate upon them, and indeed, as this very chapter says, let everyone be fully persuaded in their own mind. If we look for them, I think we will see three threads running right down this chapter, not necessarily confined to certain sections of verses, but things to look for and note and meditate upon. The first thing that we might see is liberty. Liberty is a major topic in the chapter. Another major topic is lordship, and a third major topic is love. Liberty, lordship, and love. Now, the chapter does split itself into three fairly recognisable sections, not necessarily with those three headings, but I would suggest that in parallel with that thought of liberty, lordship, and love, we also look at three sections of the chapter. First of all, the first nine verses. And I would pose the question as to whether or not we feel that proper Christian attitude is better summed up or needs to be on the line of liberty or license. I think that that's the kind of perplexing problem that crops up whether we judge a way of life, either in ourselves or in others, as liberty or license. This is followed, and I would suggest verses 10 to 14, where what is stressed is the individual's privileges and responsibility, the privileges and responsibilities of the individual, and it's very much an individual matter. And in the third section, verses 15 on to the end of the chapter, verse 23, I would suggest that a challenge comes to us, certainly to me. Am I on the lines of construction or demolition? Am I building up or am I pulling down? You see, as on the other evenings, these are basic practical matters that perhaps we think about, and perhaps we should talk about them more. Now, we hope to go through each of these three last-mentioned sections. First of all, the first nine verses. Now, in each of these sections, we find fairly readily an important statement, and then based upon that statement, and in the light of that statement, we get an exhortation, a statement of truth, a statement of fact, and then following on from that, an exhortation. Now, before we go section by section into chapter 14, perhaps it will be well to clear any doubt by mentioning what the major topic is in the chapter. There's always room at the front. Romans chapter 14. The temptation is, when terms like this are used, Christians who can be assessed as strong, Christians who can be assessed as weak, we go either one of two ways. Before we look at the detail, before we examine the context, either we are self-confident, assertive individuals, notwithstanding what chapter 12 says about that. We are fairly confident that we try and do the right thing, so even before we examine the context, we assume, well, it's talking about the strong, it's talking about the weak. Well, obviously, being talking about the strong, that's the way I do things and view things, and the weak are the people who disagree with me. Now, that is a conclusion which is so easy it springs to our mind. However, if we are on the other side and are self-effacing to an unnecessarily large degree, maybe we will think the proper thing to do is to say, well, I'm so weak in everything. Everyone else is strong, and I'm the weak one. Now, either attitude, if it hasn't examined the context, is at least a mistake. I'll put it stronger, it's an error. We need to examine the context to see what it's all about. And it's an important consideration because most of the teaching of the chapter follows on from it. It is not referring to evil, the toleration of evil in any way, neither doctrinal evil, ecclesiastical evil, moral evil, or any other kind of evil. There are other scriptures which deal with that. What is under consideration are things which are not vital to the Christian testimony, things which are a matter of individual judgment, where initial prejudice and environment might largely shape what our attitude is. Now, the immediate problem when Paul was writing to the Romans was that there were some converted Jews who felt strongly that the dietary restrictions, that the recognition of certain calendar days, and the keeping of them in a formal, rigid way, was something that should be continued in Christianity. Their whole mode of life was geared to that kind of rigid self-discipline. And the Apostle teaches in many places that a vital feature of Christianity is liberty, that not the material things like food and drink or habits of keeping certain days is vital to Christianity. And as we look into it, Christianity is spiritual and moral, rather than primarily connected with the material. And because of that, he uses this as a necessary example of the day. Others, Gentiles perhaps, more prone to it than others, they had been used to a very flagrant breach of all moral code. They were used to throwing everything overboard, doing as they like. At the same time, they had conformed with a way of life that was pagan, and now they had been relieved from that. They had been ushered into true, full Christian liberty, and they were determined to enjoy it. But the matters under consideration were not matters of Christian truth, they were matters of dietary restrictions and habits concerning certain days. Of course we can say, well, largely, if not entirely, that kind of thing doesn't bother us particularly. It may well. And if it arises, this is the chapter for it. But certainly it is a basis for us to challenge each of our hearts as to what we consider important and vital in Christianity, and where it is that we draw the line and say, well, these are matters of Christian conscience in an individual. Now, with that preamble, we look at this first section, verses one to nine. It mentions, you will see, and this is the reason for the suggestion, verse two, one believes he may eat all things, another who is weak eateth herbs. Not weak in the sense of physically weak, but, and this is the paradox I suppose, when I first heard this scripture referred to, I assumed those that were strong were those that were firmly disciplined, who recognized a fairly rigid code, and had the moral strength to stick to it without deviating. And those that were weak were those who weren't able to keep to the code, and just pleased themselves. But, as we read the chapter, we find that the opposite is the case. We find that those who are strong in the liberty in Christ Jesus are those that recognize that the kingdom of God is not connected with material things, such as things that we eat, we can drink, it's connected with moral values, moral features, like righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, which we've come to at this time. But, having introduced that, in verse four, we get the statement in this particular section, which we need to take account of. To his own master he stands or falls, and the exhortation based upon this, and this is why I anticipated in my reading of it, end of verse five, let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. And then an even more important verse, giving the reason for that exhortation. How worthwhile it would be if I recognized that while I have so much in common with my fellow believers, that while I have such sweet, happy, consistent fellowship with my local brethren, in the ultimate there are certain matters which are the responsibility of the individual brother or sister to the Lord. To his own master he standeth or falleth. And because of that, it means that unless it's a matter concerning the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, something vital concerning his person or work, if it's a question as to how we conduct things while we are together, if it's a question the day of the week or the time of day when we do something, if it's a question of which foods we are free to eat, which we abstain from, these are matters which are the individual responsibility of each brother and sister before the Lord. Now it sounds so obvious, but over the years how much difficulty there's been amongst the people of God over this kind of thing, if not in detail, certainly the principle. So the golden rule is, to his own master he standeth or falleth. And let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. I would certainly say, as on another evening relative to chapter 12, I would suggest that we are wise in this kind of consideration to be as generous as possible in the assessment of our brothers and sisters. And if we are to be rigid, let us be rigid with ourselves. If we want to be strong, let us be strong to ourselves. If we are to be weak in the sense of saying, this here is safety in keeping to these regulations, I will eat certain animals, I will not eat certain animals, on principle that's between my soul and the Lord. There's another thing as to being fully persuaded in our own mind, which I'll deal with now, although it comes right at the end of the chapter. I used to work in an office and an organization where, when tools were made, first of all there was a master drawing made. And because the drawing was detailed and it needed care and a lot of expenditure in its execution, there were four words printed on the paper before any drawing was commenced, before the design was started. There were four words and there were these. If in doubt, ask. Good advice. But since those days, I've always felt that for the Christian, in the light of this scripture and others, as far as my personal conduct is concerned, I would be well advised to have inscribed upon my mind, before I make any plans for my life, these words. If in doubt, don't do it. I'm not saying that I should be saying to other people, because I have a doubt you don't do it for myself. If I have any doubt as to whether some course of conduct is honoring to the Lord or something that could be used by Satan to stumble another believer, I would be well advised to put it to one side and not to engage in it, rather than stumble another believer. Now, we'll come back to that later in the chapter. But let us look at verse 7. What is the overriding principle as to whether a thing is right or not? Or whether I should be engaged in a certain thing or not? I would suggest that verse 7 tells us most strongly, the overriding consideration is the lordship of Christ. Liberty, Christian liberty, oh yes, if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed, Christian liberty. But the Son, who makes us free in a sphere of liberty, is the one who is also our Lord. If there is to be any circumscription of the liberty that he gives us, surely only he is the one who can circumscribe such liberty. Not as the Son here, but as Lord. We are happy to confess him as Savior and Lord. Perhaps when we first do that, we little realize how much is involved in acknowledging his lordship over us. We need to recognize, don't we, we are placing ourselves under his authority, under his control, under his supremacy, under his lordship, under his power. And when we come here to verse 7 and 8, we read, none of us lives to himself, no man dies to himself. Now here is a happy consideration. If I'm left here to live upon earth as a responsible Christian, I'm to live here as unto the Lord. I recognize his authority, his control, his direction in all I would seek to do. However, if the Lord, who is in full command of me, and I've been happy to acknowledge that by handing myself over to him, if he decides that my time of responsible living on earth is to come to an end, having lived unto the Lord, I am then prepared to die unto the Lord. If we live, it's unto the Lord. If we die, it's unto the Lord. Whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's. It would preserve us from a lot of fretting, wouldn't it? Scripture says, fret not thyself because of evildoers. But here's another place where we could apply the term, fret not thyself, whether the Lord decides you should be living or dying. As long as we are living, it is unto the Lord. If we die, it is unto the Lord. What contentment, what composure there comes to the one who accepts the Lordship of Christ in this way. And again, the closing part of that section, to this end, Christ both died and rose and revived. As it is in the authorised, very much in parallel with Revelation 1 verse 18, is it? Where the Lord presents himself as the living one who became dead and behold is alive forevermore. I'm aware, as you are, that the more literal translations content themselves by saying he's the one who died and lives in that order. And again, he died, he lives. Well, he died unto sin once, this epistle tells us. And he lives unto God and so as the one who has every right, both on the grounds of creation and on the grounds of redemption, and the one to whom we have willingly submitted as our Lord. But the one who demonstrated he's competent to be the Lord by going into death, overcoming it and coming out of it victoriously, the one who died and now lives, he is the one unto whom we live or die as it pleases him. Now, that is the matter of liberty or license. Let us not use the true liberty of Christianity as a license for the flesh. Where you and I draw the line on that, of course, is very much a matter of personal communion with the Lord. But in verses 10 to 14, we see where that individual responsibility comes to a head. The reason given, after warning us not to judge our brother or sister, we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Oh, how prone we are to make judgment seats of our own, to attempt to call the brethren before my judgment seat, that I might make an assessment, that I might make a judgment, and that I might be able to assess the worthiness of my brother or sister. Scripture here says we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, every tongue shall confess to God. Again, every tongue shall confess not to me or to you, but to God. It is a matter of having everything in right order, in right perspective, before the Lord who died, rose again, and now lives. So then, every one of us shall give account of himself to God. We know it, but sometimes we don't act as though we knew it. Sometimes we act as though we are going to give an account of our brethren to God when the time comes, and because of that, we have to make sure that we take every opportunity of putting them right on the smallest detail, so that when they come to the judgment seat and give account, that everything will be right. Well, we are encouraged to wash one another's feet. We are encouraged to minister Christ to each other. We are encouraged to apply regularly the refreshing power of the Word of God to each other in the power of the Spirit of God. But that's not what's under consideration here. When the final reckoning comes, it is as individuals before the Lord, and that is what the Apostle is stressing here. So, there is the statement, every one of us shall give account of himself to God, and the exhortation, let us not therefore judge at one another anymore, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. Now, this is where I return to what I mentioned earlier. A very sensitive point with me, when I was feeling my way, beginning to study the Scriptures for myself, beginning to have regular fellowship with like-minded believers, anxious to do the right thing, there was one aspect of my conduct I began to have a conscience about. I began to think, well, I'm not really sure whether I should be doing this particular activity or not. And I suppose the Holy Spirit of God was guiding me in the way that was right. But I wasn't sure. I suppose most of us have been at that stage in our spiritual career where there's something we were doing, some way of spending our time, where we began to wonder, is it right or would it be better if I dropped it? Well, while I was wondering whether or not to drop it, I was amazed one day to see a Christian brother that I respected greatly, twice my age, many more years of Christian experience than I had, and he was doing the very thing that I was beginning to be doubtful about. And, of course, the devil very quickly put in my mind, well, if it's all right for him, it's all right for you. I respected him as a very forceful gospel preacher, regular at all the meetings, able to take part quite fluently in all the meetings, seemed to be a very fine upstanding of what a Christian should be. And yet, here I, at a very sensitive stage, was wondering whether or not a thing was right. This is what causes me to say, if in doubt, don't do it until you're quite clear in your mind before the Lord. But I would say, perhaps for another two years, I lingered in that condition of doubt. I'd been stumbled by this nagging thought, if he's free to do it, why should I be bothered? Oh, I was stumbled. I can look back and see now, perhaps if I'd responded to the promptings of the Holy Spirit under the Lordship of Christ and put that activity to one side, perhaps I would have been able to make quicker progress, I would have developed, I would have matured that much more readily and that much earlier in my Christian life. Now, that's what one of the things involved in this chapter. The chapter says quite clearly, all right, you have liberty before the Lord. Certain things some Christians do, some don't. You feel free to do it, you're in good conscience before the Lord, well in good, to the Lord's, to the man's servant, to the man's Lord he stands or falls. Well, there is this added consideration. If it occurs to you that something you do, or the way that you do it, might stumble a less well-instructed brother than yourself, you'd be well advised to drop it. Whatever it is, whether it's a hobby, the way you spend your time, the way you spend your leisure, the kind of job you have, whatever it might be. As the scripture says here, if it's not something you can do in faith, in dependence upon the Lord, you shouldn't be doing it. That's another important aspect of this chapter. I'm enjoined here, whatever I do, in life or in death, do it as unto the Lord. Now, if I feel there's no harm in it, why should I not do it? Other people may not, but I see no harm. Another consideration is this. If I cannot do it as unto the Lord, in other words, if I cannot do it with the sense of his authority and his power resting upon me, if I cannot do it as unto the Lord, under his lordship, it's an indication I shouldn't be doing it at all. Now, that's the kind of thing that this scripture tells me about, I'm sure. And there is another consideration. Verses 15 to the end, after saying, these are things we need to consider because it's brothers and sisters for whom Christ died that this is about. Verse 17 makes another major statement. The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. I would put it this way. The kingdom of God is a moral kingdom. It's about moral issues and spiritual issues. It's not about material things like eating habits. But what it is about is the expression of love one to another. Yes, there is liberty. Yes, there is the lordship of Christ. But this third major consideration is the matter of love. There may well be things that I feel free to do or think I shouldn't do. But what the overriding consideration here is whether I do it or don't. The manner in which I do it or don't do it is not a manner which gives rise to the impression that I'm either judging my brother and sister or despising them, to use the language of the chapter. But everything I do is geared for the good, the benefit, the spiritual and moral welfare of my brothers and sisters. And that's what this last section is all about. Verse 19, then, the ensuing exhortation, let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another, building up. We were exhorted rightly from scripture on Saturday afternoon not to be biting and devouring one another. Here, in a positive way, we are exhorted to build up rather than destroy. To build up what is of God rather than looking for something to demolish. I read an article in a current magazine not so long ago, something that's often occurred to me over the years. Rightly, we have principles, but the principles we have should be the principles on which we gather. The principles to govern the way we do things, rather than negative principles about ways in which we don't gather, things that we don't do, activities that we aren't mixed up with. The more we can be occupied with positive principles and positive applications of those principles, the better we and our gatherings shall be. And, the end of the chapter, whatever it is, it is to be done in faith. Verse 23 to me seems to say, if in doubt, don't do it. If I have a doubt, do something with misgivings, or if I refrain from doing something with misgivings, my doing or not doing is not of faith. The scripture is quite clear about that. If it's not of faith, it is of sin, and it is not pleasing to the Lord. In the light of all these things, I think the best thing I can do is read again the summary that the Apostle gives in the first seven verses of chapter 15. We've thought about liberty, and lordship, and love. We've thought of our individual privileges and responsibilities. We've thought of the care we need to take not to stumble one another, and now we come back to the grand summary of the Apostle himself, beginning in chapter 15, verse 1. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor, for his good to edification. And then the reason given, the perfect example in this, as in all things, is Christ himself. For even Christ pleased not himself, but, as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproach thee fell on me. And then he gives this happy little benedictory comment, verses 5 and 6. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus, that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. If we seek to live soberly, righteously, and godly, doing all things unto him, whether in life or in death, it may well be that the outcome will be that God is glorified, and that blessing follows here upon earth. …