Sermon Notes - Romans 12:9-21 - Live your faith - Littleby Baptist Church - May 4, 2025

1.        Paul’s letter to the Roman’s has taken a turn.

a.        He is now encouraging us to let our minds to be renewed.

b.       To be what they were created to be.

c.        And for us to be transformed.

d.       Part of that is for us to see ourselves and others, as God sees them.

e.        We are not to think too highly of ourselves.

f.          And in turn, don’t think too lowly of others.

g.        We are all created in God’s image.

h.        He wishes that all would be saved.

i.          And all who believe are His children.

j.          He loves each one of us.

2.        He has also called and gifted each of us.

a.        Each of us have different gifts.

b.       But the important part is that we are to use that gift according to the faith we have in Christ.

c.        If Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we need to use the gift He has given us.

d.       As it takes all of us being faithful servants to carry out His will.

e.        To reach the lost.

f.          To meet the needs of the many around us.

g.        To teach the next generation of believers.

h.        And so much more.

3.        We are to be His instruments of His love to those around us.

4.        As we continue today, the focus is still on how we are to be transformed.

5.        How our minds and behaviors are renewed and improved through the work God is doing in us.

6.        Romans 12:9

a.        Our love must be sincere.

b.       It must be true.

c.        Jesus uses Love to describe the two greatest commandments.

d.       Loving God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

e.        Loving others as we love ourselves.

f.          Love is at the core.

g.        A foundational element of Christian behavior.

h.        As our minds have been transformed from worldly to Godly.

i.          As they have been renewed to what God created them to be.

j.          Our love is to be sincere.

k.        It is it to be genuine.

l.          With true and genuine love, we should be detesting evil and clinging onto what is good.

m.     True and genuine love is not simply emotion.

n.        It is what drives us to be who we are created to be.

o.        To use the gifts, we have been given.

p.       To cling to our God as He uses us as He sees fit.

7.        Romans 12:10

a.        Through our faith in Jesus Christ.

b.       We have all been grafted into God’s family.

c.        We are brothers and sisters.

d.       We are family.

e.        We need to love each other accordingly.

f.          Forgive each other.

g.        Support each other.

h.        Encourage each other.

i.          Lift each other up in prayer and in praise.

j.          Honor each other by recognizing the work they are doing.

k.        Recognizing the calling in their lives.

l.          Simply we are to love each other in a way that is seen in our words and our actions.

8.        Romans 12:11

a.        Three quick statements.

b.       Do not lack diligence in zeal.

c.        Do not let our pursuit of what is good interfere with the zeal we are to have in serving our God.

d.       We have a lifelong responsibility to serve God.

e.        We need to keep going.

f.          We need to stay after it.

g.        Be fervent in the Spirit

h.        Let the Holy Spirit guide you.

i.          Let Him burn in us.

j.          Build an excitement in us.

k.        Show us what God can do.

l.          It is not about what we can do, but what God can do through us.

m.     This verse ends with Serve the Lord

n.        As we constantly seek God.

o.        Letting Him lead us.

p.       Let the Holy Spirit work in us.

q.       We need to follow that leading.

r.          And serve God wherever He takes us.

s.        Christian faith is about loving and serving God and others.

t.          Let God guide you and serve the Lord for all of your days.

9.        Romans 12:12

a.        Hope… patience… prayer.

b.       For us to be able to rejoice in Hope while we walk through our afflictions, we are going to need to be in prayer.

c.        1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray constantly”

d.       We need to be in prayer.

e.        The only way we can make it through this life is by talking to our God.

10.   Romans 12:13

a.        Care for the needs of our fellow brothers and sisters.

b.       And show hospitality for those in need.

c.        In Paul’s day, travelers normally sought a place to stay from someone.

d.       There wasn’t a local hotel for people to stay at.

e.        Paul is encouraging followers of Christ to willingly and lovingly offer to meet the needs of their brothers and sisters.

f.          He is also making a practical suggestion on how to do this, offering them a place to stay when they visit.

11.   Now Paul transitions from how Christ followers are to interact with each other to how they are to interact with non-believers.

12.   Romans 12:14

a.        If our thinking has been transformed by God.

b.       If we are detesting evil and clinging to what is good.

c.        As a person persecutes us, we should be blessing them.

d.       Pray for them.

e.        Love them.

f.          Be generous to them.

g.        Care for their needs if you are in the position to do so.

h.        Forgive them.

i.          There is nothing on this list that is necessarily easy.

j.          But as a follower of Christ with a renewed mind.

k.        Seeing people as God sees them.

l.          We would want them to be blessed.

13.   Paul quickly shifts back to how we are to relate with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

14.   Romans 12:15

a.        Demonstrate sincerity in our love for our brothers and sisters.

b.       I would say as we are showing love to all people this is something that is true in how we are to interact with believers and non-believers alike.

c.        Part of loving others as we love ourselves.

d.       If we truly love others, their joy and sorrow will be our joy and sorrow.

15.   Romans 12:16

a.        This verse ties back to some level of what we were taught in verse 3.

b.       Romans 12:3

c.        We need to see people the way God sees them.

d.       See them with our renewed mind.

e.        Seeing ourselves realistically and others in the same light.

f.          Knowing that we are all God’s loved children.

g.        We are all precious in His sight.

h.        That we should not be full of pride or be wise in our own eyes.

i.          We tend to get ourselves into trouble, when we think we have the answers or when we think we have it all figured out.

16.   Paul once again bounces back to how Christ followers are to interact with non-Christians.

17.   Romans 12:17

a.        Do not do evil for evil… hopefully an obvious answer for us.

b.       If we are a follower of Jesus, evil should be something we avoid.

c.        If we have been transformed by God, we should not respond with evil to others.

d.       We should not be retaliating at all.

e.        Especially as we remember that everyone is loved by God.

f.          What is meant by the last half of the verse is…

g.        That as Christ followers, our responses should be viewed as honorable.

h.        By anyone who is watching.

i.          Today that may seem like it is hard to believe possible.

j.          But it can happen.

k.        You treat people respectfully.

l.          You will not agree on everything.

m.     But you could have mutual respect if you handled yourself sensibly and honorably.

18.   Romans 12:18

a.        This is in alignment with Jesus’ teaching.

b.       Matthew 5:9

c.        We are to be peacemakers.

d.       If it is at all possible, we are to live in peace with others.

e.        Goes with the be a blessing to those who persecute us.

f.          And the don’t pay evil for evil.

g.        We will be in conflict with the world around us.

h.        The world hated Jesus, and it will hate us.

i.          That hate is not to be an excuse for us to make things worse.

j.          Or to not even try.

k.        We need to do what we can to be a positive witness to the world around us.

19.   Romans 12:19

a.        Do not avenge yourself.

b.       Leave it in God’s hands.

c.        This is not a case of not defending ourselves or our loved ones.

d.       Avenging is responding in kind to the person who has hurt us.

e.        They killed one of ours so we are going to kill one of theirs.

f.          That is avenging… that is not justice.

g.        Vengeance is up to the Lord.

h.        Justice, as in letting someone pay the price according to the law of the land for their crimes, is the right thing to do.

i.          Defending innocent life in the moment is the right thing to do.

j.          Seeking vengeance or retribution is not.

20.   Romans 12:20

a.        From Proverbs 25:21-22.

b.       Earlier we were told to bless those who persecute us.

c.        Jesus tells us to love others as we love ourselves.

d.       Feeding our hungry enemy sounds like a blessing.

e.        Giving our thirsty enemy something to drink could be a sign of loving them.

f.          The heaping fiery coals... means that we may be softening their hearts.

g.        Showing them kindness.

h.        Blessing our enemies.

i.          Loving them as friends, as ourselves.

j.          Could lead them to seeing the love of God in you.

k.        Could lead them to repent and turn to Jesus.

21.   Romans 12:21

a.        Resist the temptations of evil.

b.       Work to overcome it.

c.        Be transformed.

d.       Be renewed.

e.        Respond with the good, the blessings, with love.

f.          Do not let it corrupt you.

g.        Remember you are a new creation in Christ.

h.        Draw near to God.

i.          Spend more time with Him.

j.          Let that good be seen as you stand true to the faith you proclaim.

22.   Our faith in Jesus, should have an impact on our lives.

a.        It should transform us.

b.       Renew us.

c.        Embolden us to walk as Christ followers.

d.       Using the gifts our Lord has given us.

e.        As we spend more time with our God, it will impact how we live our lives.

f.          The ways we respond to conflict.

g.        How we react to people who try to hurt us.

h.        How we are to love each other and those who do not know Jesus.

23.   It can be a tall task.

a.        We won’t get it all right.

b.       But our Jesus forgives us.

c.        Praise God for that.

d.       Ask Him to show you where you need to improve in how you live as a Christ follower.

24.   If you are not a Christ Follower.

a.        I would love to talk to you about our Lord Jesus.