“Being Constant In Prayer Propels Us To Overcome Evil” Romans 12:9-21 Sermon Notes 2-10-19

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(1) Walk Thru The Word:  Romans 12: 9-21  (ESV)

Being Constant In Prayer Propels Us To Love & Serves with zeal

⁹Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

¹²Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

(2) Walk Thru The Word:  Romans 12: 14-21  (ESV)

The Humble Are not haughty & Live in harmony

¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Footnotes:

a 1 Or brothers and sisters

b 1 Or your rational service

c 2 Greek age

d 2 Or what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God

e 4 Greek parts; also verse 5

f 8 Or gives aid

g 11 Or fervent in the Spirit

h 16 Or give yourselves to humble tasks

i 19 Greek give place(2) Walk Thru The (3) message map — Rom. 12: 3 – 8

The Book of Romans: Session 20

(3) “Being Constant In Prayer Propels Us To Overcome Evil”

1. Rom 12: 3 Sober Judgement Thinks In Conformity with God’s Standard

• God Resists The High Minded Proud
• God’s standard is humility… who realistically see ourselves as God see us by “thinking God’s thoughts about ourselves and others.”

1. Rom 12: 3 The Sober Minded Fulfill (Live Up To) Their Measure of Faith Potential
2. God Transforms US Individually To Co-Operate Collectively As One Body By Exercising Our Proportioned / proportional Gifts
3. Rom 12:4 Renewed People Humbly Fulfill Their Roles & Responsibilities As The Body of Christ

(4) Rom 12: 9 We Either Abhor or Grow Accustomed to Evil …

abhor (detest) what is evil; (evil, bad, wicked, malicious, slothful.) We either abhor or grow accustomed to evil. 

Evil is that which …

• is full of labors, annoyances, hardships;
• brings toils and added trials into our lives
• always ha negative results

We grow accustomed to evil through an intentional 3-step propaganda process that was learned through brain washing… 

We either abhor or grow accustomed to evil. 

Getting us accustomed to evil. 

• Desensitization, which is accomplished by getting people used to seeing it. If one has an aversion to taking a shower, sooner or later one gets used to being wet. So, we see images of same sex couples in almost every ad, which contains at least one vignette of a same sex couple.  We also have grown accustomed to seeing images of women doing all the men’s jobs
• Jamming occurs through bombardment, overload and saturation of the images.
• The goal is to jam our initial inhibitions against sin.
• The result is the searing of our consciences.
• Conversion is when people become allies of the cause/issue. This occurs by getting them to be perceived as an aggrieved persecuted minority, the purpose of which is to hitch their cause to the civil rights movement. So, if you disagree with the  movement, you are called a racists or Nazi hater. American opportunity is now called American privilege, which means Americans are rich bad people, who has unjustly acquired wealth, and so needs a global organization, like the UN to right the wrongs from which American’s have benefitted.  So, our wealth must be distributed. 

Jamming: As a verb to jam means

1 he jammed a finger in each ear: stuff, shove, force, ram, thrust, press, push, stick, squeeze, cram.

2 hundreds of people jammed into the hall: crowd, pack, pile, press, squeeze, squish, cram, wedge; throng, mob, occupy, fill, overcrowd, obstruct, block, congest.

3 the rudder had jammed: stick, become stuck, catch, seize (up), become trapped.

4 dust can jam the mechanism: immobilize, paralyze, disable, cripple, put out of action, bring to a standstill; clog.

5 we were just jamming and his amp blew: improvise, play (music), extemporize, ad lib.

As a Noun, Jam is used for

1) a traffic jam: congestion, holdup, bottleneck, gridlock, backup, tie-up, snarl-up.

2) We use jam informally in the expression “We are in a real jam: predicament, plight, tricky situation, difficulty, problem, quandary, dilemma, muddle, mess, imbroglio, mare’s nest, dire straits; informal pickle, stew, fix, hole, scrape, bind, tangle, spot, tight spot, corner, tight corner, hot/deep water, can of worms.”

Conversion convinces us that good is evil and evil is good.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. …

Proverbs 17:13 If you repay good with evil, evil will never leave your house. …or If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house. (= Wages of sin are death)

Matthew 12:35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. …

Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of …

Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Psalm 38:20 Those who repay my good with evil lodge accusations against me, though I seek only to do what is good. …

Conversion occurs when we accept political the mainstream media to define abortion in our minds. Abortion, truly, is not an issue of reproductive rights or women’s health. An extremely small percentage of abortions are performed to save the life of the mother and actually only one-half of one percent of abortions are done because of rape or incest. The majority of abortions occur because it is the most convenient option for a woman that does not want to deal with the consequences of having a child.

Micah 3:2 2you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off my people and their flesh from off their bones,

Through the concept of Feminism we have been desensitized, Jammed and Converted to believe very false notions about males and females. …

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/young-men-giving-up-on-marriage-women-arent-women-anymore

Young men giving up on marriage: ‘Women aren’t women anymore’

Hilary White points out that Suzanne Venker says in her article, “The War on Men,”  for the first time in US history, the number of women in the workforce has surpassed the number of men, while more women than men are acquiring university degrees.

“The problem? Venker wrote is “feminism [is] pushing them out of their traditional role of breadwinner, protector and provider – and divorce laws increasingly creating a dangerously precarious financial prospect for the men cut loose from marriage – men are simply no longer finding any benefit in it.

As a writer and researcher into the trends of marriage and relationships, Venker said, she has “accidentally stumbled upon a subculture” of men who say “in no uncertain terms, that they’re never getting married.”

“When I ask them why, the answer is always the same: women aren’t women anymore.” Feminism, which teaches women to think of men as the enemy, has made women “angry” and “defensive, though often unknowingly.”

“Now the men have nowhere to go. It is precisely this dynamic – women good/men bad – that has destroyed the relationship between the sexes. Yet somehow, men are still to blame when love goes awry.”

“Men are tired,” Venker wrote. “Tired of being told there’s something fundamentally wrong with them. Tired of being told that if women aren’t happy, it’s men’s fault.”

The real problem with human relationships, says the Bible, is sin. And the wages of sin are death.

 Venker says.

“It’s the women who lose. Not only are they saddled with the consequences of sex, by dismissing male nature they’re forever seeking a balanced life. The fact is, women need men’s linear career goals – they need men to pick up the slack at the office – in order to live the balanced life they seek.”

The gap, of 22 percentage points, between the value Millennials place on parenthood over marriage, was just 7 points in 1997. The research found that Millennials, many of whom are the children of divorce and single-parenthood themselves, are also less likely than their elders to say that a child needs both a father and mother at home, that single parenthood and unmarried couple parenthood are bad for society.

Because people allow themselves to be desensitized and converted to advocating for perversion, God give them over to a reprobate mind.

Romans 1:28 KJV And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Rom 1:28 Good News Bible = Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do.

Rom 1: 28 NIV Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

NAS & NIV = depraved mind,

NLT = foolish thinking

ESV =  debased mind

Thus …

CEV = That’s why they do all sorts of indecent things.

NAS =  to do those things which are not proper

Another way of looking at what happens we are converted to believing that evil is good and good is evil is expressed in Titus 1:16. 

Titus 1:16 KJV They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. 

• Reprobate = unfit, failing to pass the test, unapproved, counterfeit

Titus 1:16 NIV They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

Titus 1:16 NLT Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.

Titus 1:16 ESV They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

Titus 1:16  NAS They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.

(5) Walk Thru The Word: 2 Tim 3:16 – 17 (ESV)

Scripture Is The Barometric Standard

Scripture Is The Solution to Avoid backsliding

2 Tim 3:16-17 says:  ¹⁶All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The Bible is the Barometer, the Standard 2 Tim 3:16-17 says:  16All Scripture is…

• breathed out by God = inspired by God, and breathed from the Holy Spirit into and through the people God used to write the Bible. Being of divine origin makes the Scriptures sacred and imbued with power to transform the human character to reason, which changes our thinking, which changes our values and drives character and behavior changes.
  • and profitable = beneficial, useful, helpful or serviceable, i.e. Advantageous –
• for teaching = for providing instruction and functions for the appropriate dissemination of information,
• for reproof = conviction, proof, possibly: a persuasion; reproof inner conviction focuses on God confirming His in birthing of faith (“the internal persuasion from Him,” hat by which a thing is proved or tested
• for correction = reformation, setting straight (right) again.  properly, suitable because straight, i.e. restored to its (original) proper condition; hence, correction (referring to something that is aptly “straightened out”).
• , and for training = discipline; training and education of children, hence: instruction; chastisement, correction; the rearing of a child, training, discipline; the cultivation of mind and morals, and employs for this purpose now commands and admonitions, now reproof and punishment): Ephesians 6:4 (cf. Winers Grammar, 388 (363) note); (in Greek writings from Aeschylus on, it includes also the care and training of the body.) (See especially Trench, Synonyms, xxxii.; cf. Jowett’s Plato, index under the word Education). 2. “whatever in adults also cultivates the soul, especially by correcting mistakes and curbing the passions; b. according to Biblical usage chastisement, chastening (of the evils with which God visits men for their amendment): Hebrews 12:5 (Proverbs 3:11), f (see ὑπομένω, 2 b.), ; (Proverbs 15:5, and often in disciplinary correction; nurture  
• in righteousness = justice, justness, righteousness, righteousness of which God is the source or author, but practically: a divine righteousness. Judicial approval (the verdict of approval); in the NT, the approval of God (“divine approval”) what is deemed right by the Lord (after His examination), i.e. what is approved in His eyes. the condition acceptable to God
• 17that the man of God = God, the Creator and the supreme being who owns and sustains all things
• may be complete = fitted, ready; ready now, prepared to function (efficiently) in the immediate present), equipped (2 Tim 3:17, stressing the end-impact of Scripture on the receptive believer. equip fully (a teacher) — accomplish, thoroughly furnish) for every good work ( intrinsically good, good in nature, good whether it be seen to be so or not, the widest and most colorless of all words with this meaning..

DETEST, verb transitive [Latin , to affirm or bear witness. The primary sense of testor is to set, throw or thrust. To detest is to thrust away.] To abhor; to abominate; to hate extremely; as, to detest crimes or meanness.

To Abhor & DETEST Evil means … We determine or discriminate what to detest or what must be detested.  This requires us to do which of the following?

• Must we have a standard against which to determine or judge what to detest or what is destable, and why it is abhorrent?
• The Bible is the Barometer, the Standard 2 Tim 3:16-17 says: 16All Scripture is breathed out by God ( inspired by God, and breathed from the Holy Spirit into and through the people God used to write the Bible.  ) and profitable () for teaching (), for reproof (), for correction (), and for training () in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be complete (), equipped () for every good work.
• We then affirm or bear witness that is not in line with The Word of God; or it is refuted by the Word of God
• set, throw or thrust. To detest is to thrust away.] To abhor; to abominate; to hate extremely; as, to detest crimes or meanness.
• be over-proud, have a personal perspective that thinks beyond what you should which regulates or leads to improper behavior

Micah 3: 2-3 denounces abortion, which is

Micah 3: 1-12 Denounces ungodly Rulers and Prophets, who should know better.

1And I said: Hear, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel!

Is it not for you to know justice?—²you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off my people(a) and their flesh from off their bones, 3who eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones in pieces and chop them up like meat in a pot, like flesh in a cauldron.

4Then they will cry to the LORD, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil.

5Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry “Peace” when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths.

6Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without divination. The sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be black over them; 7the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God. 8But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.

(6) Rom 12: 9-11 We should Serve The Lord with A Holy Spirit motivated Zeal of Fervent Love vs. a Lackadaisical, Listless faith

Loving with ^9-10Genuine Brotherly Affection

 Abhors Evil, Holds Fast To Good,10shows Honor, ¹¹Is Fervent in Spirit & Serves with zeal

failing to pass the test, unapproved, counterfeit

Rom 12: 10 ¹⁰Love one another with brotherly affection.

a one another (lead the way, passing on the right example) in showing honor. (Have God’s heart to perceive the value and worth He ascribes to us. Ask God to give us His heart for each other, so we have God’s heart for God’s people.)

¹¹Do not be slothful in zeal, (diligent, earnest, enthusiasm) be fervent in spirit (spiritual fervor, ardently passionate (“boiling”) with interest or desire in our service to the Lord) serve the Lord.

Rom 12: 10a ¹⁰Love one another with brotherly affection. (love like you are part of God’s Heavenly family of born-again, adopted people!)

NIV & NAS “Be devoted to one another in love.”

Rom 12: 10b Outdo one another (lead the way, passing on the right example) in showing honor. (value one another, perceive the value and worth with which God views us. Have God’s heart for God’s people. Ask God to give us His heart for each other.)

Beware lest we fall into the lukewarm condition of Rev 3: 15-22 

(7) Walk Thru The Word: Christ Stands At the Door and Knocks  (ESV)

Rev 3: 15-22 15“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. …

(8) Rom 12: 12-13 Constant Prayer Prepares our hearts &

Propels Us to Hope & To Contribute 

Constant Prayer Propels Us To Rejoice In Hope, Be Patient in Tribulation & Contributes To The Needs of The Saints by Seeking and Showing Hospitality

Rom 12: 12-13 Constant Prayer Propels Us to …

To Rejoice In Hope, Be Patient in Tribulation & Contributes To The Needs of The Saints by Seeking and Showing Hospitality

• ¹²Rejoice in hope, (expectation of what is sure/certain, so we trust with have confidence)
• Confidence NW 1828 CONFIDENCE, noun = trusting in, or reliance upon; an assurance of mind or firm belief in the integrity, stability or veracity of another, or in the truth and reality of a fact.
• be patient (stand my ground, show endurance, (c) I endure, bear up against, persevere) in tribulation, (persecution, affliction, distress)
• be constant in prayer. (exchange of wishes with God) (P-R-A-Y)
• ¹³contribute (to participate & share in) to the needs (those things which he is scarcely able to do without of the saints and
• seek (pursue aggressively chase, like a hunter pursuing a catch) to show hospitality (share generosity by entertaining in one’s home)

(9)  Let Us Pray!

This Pattern for Prayer mirrors our experience.

Imagine your spirit entering God’s throne room, and as you approach God’s presence you …

P  — Praise

R  — Repent

A   — Ask for others

Y  — Ask for Yourself

(10)  Let Us Praise!

P = Praise — R = Repent — A = Ask for others — Y = Ask for Yourself

P = Praise — Psalm 100: 4 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”

Psalm 22:3 (KJV) But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

1 John 1:5 “God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

As we enter into God’s light it exposes our darkness. We must resist the tendency to run or shy away, (as Adam & Eve did once they sinned in Eden) which we should not do, because grace covers us (just as God covered Adam & Eve). 

(11)  Let Us Repent — in prayer we repent!

P = Praise — R = Repent — A = Ask for others — Y = Ask for Yourself

R = Repentance  (change of mind in the inner man/heart/character) to feel or express sincere regret or remorse about our wrongdoing or sin

1 John 1: 8-10

⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

The proper response when God’s light reveals our darkness and the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, is to agree with God and admit it. Say, “Yes God, I did it, and I’m sorry. Please help me not to do it again.” 

We, thus, act upon 1 John 1: 9 and confess/agree with God that our sin is offensive to Him, and He is faithful and just to forgive.

“Just” refers to how God’s wrath against sin was satisfied through the death of Christ on the Cross.  God forgave us 2,000 years ago, when He hung our sins on Christ on the Cross.  Confessing is practicing, and walking in, that forgiveness. 

Confession clears our conscience before God, and with all barriers removed, we can experience a pure intimacy with God. 

Josephus, Antiquities 13, 11, 3) “repentance is “especially the change of mind of those who have begun to abhor their errors and misdeeds, and have determined to enter upon a better course of life, so that it embraces both a recognition of sin and sorrow for it and hearty amendment, the tokens and effects [outcomes] of which are good deeds.”

2 Cor. 7:10 says, in the NLT For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

1 John 1: 9 “Confess” = agree. We agree with God that our sin is sinful.  

Confession removes barriers between us and God, so Heb. 10:22 is a reality in our lives.  “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

(12) in prayer we Ask / Request!

P = Praise — R = Repent — A = Ask for others — Y = Ask for Yourself

It is in this intimacy that fosters us opening out hearts to God to bring our petitions and deepest longings before Him.

A = Ask for others 

Y = Ask for Yourself

In Matt 6:7-13 & Luke 11:2, Jesus gives us a pattern of concepts to progress through in prayer.

Matt 6: 7 – 13 says, ⁷“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

¹¹Give us this day our daily bread,) ¹²and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  Some manuscripts add For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen)

In Matt 6: 7-13 & Luke 11: 1-4  Jesus gives us instructs us to follow this 7 Step Prayer Pattern, which involves …

• Mt 6: 7-8 Keep in focus Who God Is and what He Is Like — “7“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
• Mt 6: 9- ⁹…“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” means we acknowledge God’s name is holy, we treat it with reverence. This is line with 10 Commandments 1-3, which states 1) Have no other god before me; 2) make no graven or molded images that represent me — probably because we’ll get it wrong, as John 4:24 says, God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” 3) Do not take the name of the Lord in vain; meaning don’t use it in cursing or in pledging.  Note that when we place our hand on the Bible in course to testify, we say, “
• Let your kingdom come, let your will be done) on earth as it is in heaven. Our politics should be a reflection of God’s will as stated in His Word!
• Verse 11 teaches us to ASK for our daily needs ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread, (c= Or our bread for tomorrow) An example of this is in Exodus 16:35 when for 40 years, God gave enough manna for each day. Joshua 5:12, says the day they ate from the produce of the Promised land was the day the manna stopped. (See also Deut 8:16, Num 11 and John 6: 31 & 49, among other Scriptures)
• ¹²and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,” means we need to have God work in our hearts, so we are people who confess our sins and also forgive other people with the forgiveness we seek from God.
• x¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (d= Or the evil one; means we need to be sensitive as disciples who closely follow God and who can gives us wisdom and strength to avoid evil.
• Because God has all power, and His “is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen” He is capable to complete the good work He started in us. Phil 1:6 says, For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Prayer then becomes a two – way communication.

We come before God to speak to Him, and He speaks to us. 

We can experience a pure intimacy with God in a two-way communication that involves us opening out hearts to God to bring our petitions and deepest longings before Him.

Prayer then becomes a two – way communication.

We come before God to speak to Him, and He speaks to us. 

We can experience a pure intimacy with God in a two-way communication that involves us opening out hearts to God to bring our petitions and deepest longings before Him.

(13) Rom 12: 14 – 16 The Wise Live In Harmony

¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless (confer what is beneficial — especially prayer) and do not curse (imprecate evil on) them.

• Note: imploring God to help them repent is not a curse. There are no less than 20 imprecatory prayers in the Psalms

Psalm 5:10) “Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.”

¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice (are glad of God’s grace), weep with those who weep. (mourn, lament Proverbs 25:20 Singing songs to a troubled heart is like taking off clothing on a cold day or like pouring vinegar on soda.)

^16aLive in harmony (have understanding, to think God’s thoughts about others) with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with (enjoy the company of) the lowly

^16bNever be wise (conceited ) in your own sight (poor personal perspective that negatively regulates outward behavior).

[bctt tweet=” if people would act on the principles of the gospel, the world would soon be at peace. No man would suffer himself many times to be overwhelmed in this way with coals of fire. It is not human nature, bad as it is; and if Christians would meet all unkindness with kindness, all malice with benevolence, and all wrong with right, peace would soon pervade the community, and even opposition to the gospel might soon die away.” username=”LibertyCF3″]

(14) Rom 12: 17 – 19 Living Peaceably Can Pour Wrath on Enemies.

¹⁷Repay no one evil (malice flowing out of a morally-rotten character) for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable (praiseworthy as an outward sign of the inward good the Holy Spirit works in our hearts) in the sight of all.

¹⁸If possible, (if it is within our power) so far as it depends on you, live peaceably (live in the condition of God’s peace &, integrity of being) with all.

• Note Paul & Barnabas had a falling out in Acts 15:38-40. They agreed to disagree.
• Acts 5:29 shows how all the apostles preached The Bible despite religious and government leaders forbidding it, and punishing them for doing so.

Acts 5: 28 – 30 ²⁷And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, ²⁸saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” ²⁹But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³²And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” ³³When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. ³⁴But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up … ³⁵and said to them … keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; ³⁹but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So, they took his advice, ⁴⁰and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. ⁴¹Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. ⁴²And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

Back to Romans 12:19

¹⁹Beloved, never avenge (dispense justice by exacting the penalty of a crime) yourselves, but leave it to the wrath (not a sudden outburst, but rather God’s fixed, controlled, passionate feeling against sin) of God, for it is written, “vengeance (vindication, judgment fully executed with God’s core-values and standards) is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

(15) Rom 12: 20 – 21 The Christians Live Contrary To The Enemy’s Way

²⁰To the contrary (in juxtaposition to the way the world thinks and behaves), “if your enemy (one who is openly hostile (at enmity), animated by deep-seated hatred, bent on inflicting harm) is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink;

for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Heap Burning Coals =  Therefore, if thine enemy hunger … – This verse is taken almost literally from Proverbs 25:21-22. Hunger and thirst here are put for want in general. If thine enemy is needy in any way, do him good, and supply his needs.

This is, in spirit, the same as the command of the Lord Jesus Matthew 5:44, “Do good to them that hate you,” etc.

In so doing – It does not mean that we are to do this “for the sake” of heaping coals of fire on him, but that this will be the result.

Thou shalt heap … – Coals of fire are doubtless emblematical of “pain.” But the idea here is not that in so doing we shall call down divine vengeance on the man; but the apostle is speaking of the natural effect or result of showing him kindness. Burning coals heaped on a man’s head would be expressive of intense agony. So, the apostle says that the “effect” of doing good to an enemy would be to produce pain. But the pain will result from shame, remorse of conscience, a conviction of the evil of his conduct, and an apprehension of divine displeasure that may lead to repentance. To do this, is not only perfectly right, but it is desirable. If a man can be brought to reflection and true repentance, it should be done. In regard to this passage we may remark,

(1) That the way to promote “peace” is to do good even to enemies.

(2) the way to bring a man to repentance is to do him good. On this principle God is acting continually. He does good to all, even to the rebellious; and he designs that his goodness should lead people to repentance; Romans 2:4. People will resist wrath, anger, and power; but “goodness” they cannot resist; it finds its way to the heart; and the conscience does its work, and the sinner is overwhelmed at the remembrance of his crimes.

(3) if people would act on the principles of the gospel, the world would soon be at peace. No man would suffer himself many times to be overwhelmed in this way with coals of fire. It is not human nature, bad as it is; and if Christians would meet all unkindness with kindness, all malice with benevolence, and all wrong with right, peace would soon pervade the community, and even opposition to the gospel might soon die away.

1. Lyth, D. D. says “These coals of fire …

• may melt his heart — making him more receptive to Christ
• can awaken shame – leading to repentance
• but if he repent not, will attract the just vengeance of God.

Psalm 94:1 O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!

(16) Biblical Christianity stands in Contrast to interfaith covenants

Rom 2:15 … the work of the law is written on our hearts, …

Zero Hedge Reports: Zero Hedge Reports Signing on Feb 4, 2019 in Abu Dhabi A historic interfaith covenant was signed in the Middle East on Monday, and the mainstream media in the United States has been almost entirely silent about it.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-02-07/snyder-one-world-religion-looms-pope-islams-top-imam-sign-historic-covenant

A historic interfaith covenant was signed in the Middle East on Monday, and the mainstream media in the United States has been almost entirely silent about it.

Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, considered the most important imam in Sunni Islam, arrived at the signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi with Pope Francis “hand-in-hand in a symbol of interfaith brotherhood”.  But this wasn’t just a ceremony for Catholics and Muslims.  According to a British news source, the signing of this covenant was done “in front of a global audience of religious leaders from Christianity, Islam, Judaism and other faiths”…

The document calls “to stop the shedding of innocent blood and bring an end to wars, conflicts, environmental decay and the moral and cultural decline…”

We need to beware, however, because its authors do not quote immutable Scriptures that secure our inalienable rights. But instead relies upon human councils to make moral decisions, based upon values that originate from we know not where. 

The Two Horned Beast of Rev 13: 11-18 11Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.f

Zechariah 5 The Flying Scroll

1Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll! 2And he said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.

The Scroll vs. 3-4 contains 2 sides of “the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land.” For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side. 4I will send it out, declares the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name.

”a 3Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side. 4I will send it out, declares the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones.”

A Vision of a Woman in a Basket

5Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, “Lift your eyes and see what this is that is going out.” 6And I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is the basket that is going out.” And he said, “This is their iniquity in all the land.” 7And behold, the leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket! 8And he said, “This is Wickedness.” And he thrust her back into the basket, and thrust down the leaden weight on its opening.

9Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. 10Then I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they taking the basket?” 11He said to me, “To the land of Shinar, to build a house for it. And when this is prepared, they will set the basket down there on its base.”

Note Shinar is the land of Bad or Babel or Babylon, which is where the woman who rides the beast is in Revelation 17: 1- 6

Revelation 17: 1- 6 1Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute [spiritual adulterer of many RC saints to pray to] who is seated on many waters, 2with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality [all the rulers of the earth visit the Vatican], and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” 3And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns [= the one world government 1st beast of Rev. 13: 1—xx). 4The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.

Purple & scarlet are the colors of the Pope’s scarf and the Red sea of Cardinals, whom together participate in “Transubstantiation” – a cup full of abominations]  5And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” 6And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. [The RC Church along with Islam have mass-murdered true Bible believing Christians throughout their entire history.]

(17) Rom 12: Rom 12: 9 Loving with Genuine Brotherly Affection Activates us to hold fast to what is good

Rom 12: 9 9Let love (= agapé, goodwill, love, benevolence, esteem) be genuine (un-hypocritical, unfeigned, without hypocrisy, sincere).

abhor (detest) what is evil; hold fast to (cling, glue yourself to; join closely, cleave, adhere to, I keep company with; be intimately connected in a soul-knit friendship) what is good.

What is Good = ²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome ((to subdue — conquer, overcome, prevail against, get the victory. absolutely, to carry off the victory, come off victorious)) evil with good. (agathós) describes what originates from God and is empowered by Him in our lives, through faith.; excelling in any respect, distinguished, good)

Psalm 94:1-23  ¹O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!  ²Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! ³O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? ⁴They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.

⁵They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage.

⁶They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless;

⁷and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.” ⁸Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise?  ⁹He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? ¹⁰He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge— ¹¹the LORD—knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath.(a)

¹²Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law, ¹³to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.  ¹⁴For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; ¹⁵for justice will return to the righteous and all the upright in heart will follow it.

¹⁶Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? ¹⁷If the LORD had not been my help; my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. [But since God helps us, we will not be silenced.]

¹⁸When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.

¹⁹When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

²⁰Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame(b) injustice by statute?

²¹They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death

²²But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge. ²³He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out.

Being Constant In Prayer Propels Us To Overcome Evil

3 John 1:11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God.

Amos 5:14-15 ¹⁴Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said.¹⁵Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Luke 6:27-30

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, …

1 Peter 3:9

Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

Romans 8:35-39 ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(18) Let’s Pray that God ReAwakens, ReInvigorates & ReEstablishes Us in Our Calls In Christ!

 Let’s Pray:   “God please bless us with Spiritual growth, and humility that enables You to lift us up!” [email-download-link namefield=”YES” id=”354″] 

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