The Goal of Our Ministry Part 3 | Romans 12:9-21

Scripture

• Romans 12:9–21

About this sermon

Introduction: Horizontal relationships are vertically dependent. Our relationships with people simply manifest our relationship with God. That is always true for better or for worse. That doesn’t mean that every time a problem arises in my relationships with people it is because I’m not right with God. But it does mean that how I think about those problems and what I do to address those problems will demonstrate whether I’m right with God. I want us to see that connection as we walk through this list together. The authenticity of love spoken of (9a) depends on the knowledge and the concern that I live my life before the face of God. Who else really knows if my love is real or not? Who else really knows if my claim to love is a hypocritical front? So if the genuineness of love is a concern to me, it is because I believe that God’s view of me matters. I care about what God knows to be real or not real. The knowledge of God’s knowledge of me can be both troubling and comforting. If I’m not where I should be it is troubling. It doesn’t matter what positive thoughts you have of me if God knows me to be in the wrong place. On the other hand, it isn’t all-important what negative thoughts you have of me if God knows me to be in the right place. ESV 1 Corinthians 4:3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. (1Co 4:3 ESV) The purity of love (9b) depends on my desire to approve and to disapprove of that, which meets with the approval and disapproval of God. It is God’s own purity, it is God’s holiness, that would teach me to care about departing from evil and giving myself to what is good. It is my desire to please the one who is absolutely pure that would move me to reject that which is not pure and to marry to myself to that which is good in His sight. The affectionate and unselfish demonstrations of love of verse (10) depend on the desire of a child of God to please our Father with how we relate to our spiritual family. It is truly belonging to His spiritual household that gives me the capacity and the desire to love the other members of the household with brotherly love. It is that same affection that causes me to rejoice when other members of the family are honored and to lead the way in showing others honor. So what I’m saying is that my personal devotion to love, and my interpersonal expressions of love, are all tied inextricably to my own relationship with God. Horizontal relationships are always vertically dependent.

Topics

• Service & Ministry