Romans 12:17-21

Well, good morning. Thank you, man, for leading us again so well this morning. Rich songs that

! Prep and bring encouragement to my soul in preparation to preach. Would you open up your

! Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 12. And we're going to continue the study that we've

Romans 12 · chapter mention

been in. If you haven't been with us, we've been in Romans for a good amount of time. We'll be here

for a while. But after today starts the sabbatical season for a couple of our pastors, and we'll be

taking a short break after that. Well, last week we were served tremendously, as Jake helped us to

consider what your Bible refers to as the marks of the true Christian from verses 9 through 16.

And by the way, a very quick overview. Paul has labored thus far in the book of Romans to demonstrate

the wonder of God's kindness directed towards those who are condemned by their sin. We know judgment

stood against us pending. Our hope was vanquished, and an insurmountable list of offenses against the

reigning king grew in our accounts. And it was at this time, according to Romans chapter 5 verse 6,

Romans 5:6

that Christ came and he died for the ungodly. And this great salvation, accomplished according to God's

sovereign purposes, has resulted in a brand new people. That is us who gather by faith this morning

in the work of cross. This is a brand new harvest of those who by grace and through faith enjoy the gift

of justification as object of God's loving affection. So, furthermore, in chapter 12, we've been in this

over the last month or so, we have been reminded that walking in this grace is only because of the work

of the Holy Spirit within local bodies. You see, it's the Holy Spirit that applies the gospel to the heart.

He equips the body with varying gifts to build up one another in love for the praise and the renown of the Lord.

And yet today, we arrive at a sobering topic, one that Paul directs our attention towards.

And it's this, the difficult opposition that remains and is ongoing. And this is the opposition that not

only exists vertically from creature to the creator, but also exists horizontally between fallen creatures

and the new creation, the church, the seed of the woman against, sorry, the seed of the serpent

against the seed of the woman. Now, Paul, as we know, has been subjected to great wrong that is done

against him at the hands of evil men. So, Paul knows the temptation that our flesh feels when wrongdoing

is directed towards us. He has experienced bodily, physical mistreatment. He's been ridiculed and mocked

and abandoned at the hands of men. And he knows that there's an urge that lies very close to the human

heart, one that you have felt and I have felt even this week. The desire to respond to injustice

with anger and self-vindication. Perhaps this timely word this morning arrives at a time that you

yourself have struggled in your response when exposed to the sin of others. Perhaps God, by the power of

his word, intends to break you from your faithless anger that you feel when others wrong you. So, just a few

questions to prepare us to receive the weight of our text. As you think of your life, have you expressed

trust trust in the Lord when he allows you to be mistreated by spouses, by children, by friends, or by

co-workers? Do you trust God when you hear your name being mentioned in a conversation, not a positive one?

And do you trust the Lord when you've been sharing the good news with someone faithfully? And their response,

once again, is not only rejection, but perhaps accusations against you. So, in light of these

expected circumstances, our text calls us this morning to deep and abiding faith that God alone

is able to properly account for all wrongdoing. We are called to trust that one day righteous judgment

will be applied by him according to his wise and glorious purposes. And we are called to trust

that we have been given the assignment to be ambassadors of reconciliation, not ambassadors

of wrath. Let's open and read our text together. Our verses this morning will be verses 17 through 21,

but we'll back up just a few more more verses to verse 9 to not interrupt Paul's development.

God's word says this, let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good,

love one another with brotherly affection, outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in

zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer,

contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you,

bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. Live in harmony

with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly and never be wise in your own sight.

Now our verses for this morning. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable

in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God. For it is written, vengeance is mine,

I will repay, says the Lord. To 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. Do not be overcome by evil,

but overcome evil with good.

So we have two primary points this morning that I intend to show you from our text and a few other sub points.

The first main point is seeking the honor of God with our conduct.

And the second, responding to evil with both wrath and with grace in mind.

Now let's focus our attention on the significance of what we see in verse 17. It's described as honorable conduct.

Again, our text says,

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.

So our text reminds us that the initial and prominent responsibility of Christians when encountering evil

is to resist the inclination to pay it back in kind.

To return evil for evil is the easy and the natural inclination that many of us feel.

This is kind of similar, something that we've been trained by.

When you are exposed to a physical attack, think of the things that you first do.

Self-protect, defense, preparation against a future attack,

even vocalizing your disapproval of the behavior we have experienced.

We do that as well.

We recall, though, that Jesus instructs us away from these types of responses in the Sermon on the Mount.

Now, you've heard that it was said,

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil.

But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

So Paul picks up this same theme,

and he urges readers to resist responding with self-interest as our great priority

and instead to strive towards the putting on of honorable conduct.

So we must ask ourselves, why is this the case?

What does Paul mean by instructing Christ's followers to acting honorably in the sight of all?

And why is outward conduct important to Paul

when God's enemies seem to be getting away with wounding God's people?

First, it's helpful for us to understand what honorable conduct is that's described here.

And conduct is normally thought of as the package of outside, outward behavior.

The things that you do on the outside, which can be observed and seen and witnessed by other people.

The moral behavior that either conforms or does not conform to a certain set of rules.

That's what we think about with conduct.

But we can see here that Paul means more than just commending outward behavior.

Because he attaches a very important word that is intended to show the essence of how all conduct is to be pursued.

So honorable refers to what is valued on the inside,

which deserves recognition in our behavior on the outside.

The focus here of outward is on outward behavior,

but it also refers to what we value internally.

Now, it's helpful for us to just think of a couple other familiar verses in God's word

that help us to take a broader look at how the word honor is used.

The exhortation to act honorably actually appears earlier in chapter 12, verse 10.

Remember that it says,

In this passage, brotherly honor is commended because this is where God has assigned value and worth.

God has valued the brethren.

He has purchased and redeemed a group of people that belong to him at the cost of his son's sacrifice.

Therefore, the brethren are deserving of our honor.

We see another example in the fifth commandment.

Here God instructs Israel to honor fathers and honor mothers.

Again, this is helpful because it locates honor as a derivative of what God himself esteems and what he values.

So honor is not primarily about maintaining respectful standards or guidelines.

It's not about a moral code, although it may include that.

But it's more directly about pointing us towards that which is worthy of being held to the highest honor,

even in the face of opposition by God's enemies who question God's honor.

Consider for a moment with me a text you may have heard from the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 42, verse 8 says,

Isaiah 42:8

I am the Lord.

That is my name, my glory.

I give to no other,

nor my praise to carved idols.

This pursuit of God's own honor never changes in the providential outworking of his plan.

John chapter 5, verse 21 through 23.

John 5:21–23

For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,

so also the Son gives life to whom he will.

For the Father judges no one,

but has given all judgment to the Son for this purpose,

that all may honor the Son,

just as they honor the Father.

We see even the judgment of God is carried out in a way

that is purposely meant to ascribe honor to the value of Christ.

God indeed holds righteous jealousy for the honor of his name,

and it's a good thing that he does.

The honor of his faithful character,

the honor of his saving work in Christ,

is our theme as well.

And he desires that this honor should be held in the highest regard

when things are going well,

or when we are exposed to the sinful outworking,

the evil rebellion that sometimes the Lord has called us to.

You see, there's more at stake in responding to evil

than we normally think of.

The goal is not just to avoid losing our cool.

As Jake reminded us last week,

there's an expectation that evil will be the regular course

for all Christians in their discipleship.

It ought not to surprise any one of us

when we're faced with frequent opportunities

to express honor to God as we encounter evil.

Romans 12, 14 says,

Bless those who persecute you.

Bless and do not curse them.

2 Timothy 3,

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life

will be persecuted.

Notice the certainty of that expectation.

And Acts 14, 22 says,

Strengthening the souls of the disciples,

encouraging them to continue in the faith,

and saying through many tribulations,

we must enter the kingdom of God.

Bearing with evil, then, is not an accident.

It's not an inconvenience.

It's not a mistake.

It is an intentional tool the Lord uses

to reveal the surpassing worth, glory,

and honor of His name.

So why so much focus already on this one word, honor?

Well, if we are honest too often,

honor for God is the furthest thing from our minds

when we are exposed to wrongdoing.

Instead, we labor for other things

that we value more in the moment.

We cling to the esteem and respect

that we feel entitled to and deserving of.

And instead of honor for God,

we replace honor for ourselves.

Do you recognize this tragic replacement

even in your own responses as of late?

Every time we object with outward conduct,

which seeks to repay evil for evil,

we grasp for honor for ourselves

above honor for God.

Let's continue forward by looking at the last few verses

and the last few words in verse 17 and into 18.

Give thought to do what is honorable

in the sight of all.

If possible, so far as it depends on you,

live peaceably with all.

At first glance, this seems like a very difficult instruction

for us to follow, if you notice what Paul is saying.

Uphold God-honoring behavior

in the sight of your adversaries.

Isn't this a wasted endeavor?

They aren't going to see God's value

because they are spiritually blind, you might think.

The same goes for living peaceably

among those who do not value peace

and rather seek for discord.

Doesn't Paul understand his own words

in Ephesians chapter 2?

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

In Ephesians 2, he says that

you are dead in your trespasses.

And these are those that we are called

to honor God amongst.

But the point that Paul is implying

is that when God chooses to save

and to redeem, to rescue the lost,

he often does so

through the conduct of his children

as downstream grace from the cross

flows from you

to these enemies

in visible form.

Listen to this same emphasis

in a few other passages in Scripture.

God does indeed

call us

to be aware

of how our conduct

appears

to the lost.

And the goal

is so that grace

may become visible

in their eyes.

2 Corinthians 8.21

For we aim

at what is honorable

not only

in the Lord's sight

but also

in the sight of men.

Grace

becoming visible.

Matthew 5.16

In the same way

let your light shine

before others

so that they may see

your good works

and give glory

to God.

Grace

visible

in our conduct.

1 Peter 2

verses

verse 12

Keep your conduct

among

the Gentiles

honorable

so that when they speak

against you

as evildoers

they may see

your good deeds

and then

glorify God

on the day

of visitation.

The Bible

makes this

so clear

that God

is committed

to pursuing

his glories

and he

will

open eyes

that are currently

bound

shut.

So sight

is

important

to God.

Is it

important

to you?

are your

co-workers

going to

understand

why you

respond

the way

you do?

Probably

not.

How about

when you

are patient

the next

time

your children

disregard

your

instruction?

You might

think

a hundred

times

they've

disobeyed

me

and a hundred

times

they have

not

benefited

from my

patient

instruction.

Why not

try

a harsh

word

that gets

their

attention

quickly?

Beloved,

our

instruction

is not

in vain.

Just as

God has

done for

us when

we least

expect it,

God may

use the

demonstration

of your

gracious love

in response

to God's

enemy to

soften the

enemy's

heart and

expose them

to the

grace of

Christ.

Perhaps

it's a

long-suffering

response.

Perhaps

your trust

in God

is clear

when you

are patient

although

maligned.

Now,

as we

transition

to our

second main

point,

I'll remind

you it's

responding to

evil with

both wrath

and grace

in mind.

We must

notice that

Paul connects

his

exhortation

of honorable

and peaceful

conduct to

the wrath

and the

vengeance

of the

Lord.

Verse 18

says this,

if possible,

so far as

it depends

on you,

live

peaceably

with all.

Beloved,

never avenge

yourselves,

but leave it

to the

wrath of

God.

Let's not

move too

quickly without

giving proper

weight to

the strength

of this

connection

that Paul

is making.

Paul is

not grounding

his argument

in your

response

because it

is convenient

and makes

your life

easier.

He's not

saying that

family holiday

gatherings will

be a lot

more pleasant,

although I'm

sure they

will if you

restrain

yourself when

evil is

directed at

you.

Rather,

he is

grounding

his claim

in the

most

sobering

of

realities

for

followers

of

Christ

to

heed.

Vengeance

is

coming.

Holy

wrath

against

rebellion

awaits.

Now,

I believe

there are

two

primary

reasons

that

Paul

makes

this

connection

for us.

The first

is we

are prone

to

minimizing,

forgetting,

or living

as if

God's

coming

judgment

isn't

the

greatest

of all

concerns

in the

world

today.

And the

second

is because

being aware

of God's

coming

wrath

motivates

us

towards

urgency

and

compassion

for those

who stand

under

God's

judgment.

Perhaps

this example

may be

of some

help.

On a

weekend

trip

a few

years

ago,

Lisa

and I

had

thought

a

suspension

bridge

adventure

would be

quite a

bit of

fun

when we

went to

Tennessee.

I

didn't

realize

that upon

taking a

few steps

things would

get very

uncomfortable

for me

as I

walked

my way

towards

the center

of the

bridge.

Each

light

breeze

that I

felt

more like

a gust

of wind

every step

that another

bridge

walker

would

take

shook

and

reverberated

in the

wooden

support.

The bridge

swayed a

lot

stronger

than what

I could

see when

I was

on the

ground.

See,

the truth

is I

didn't

make it

quite far

at all

on the

bridge.

I

probably

only made

it 20

or 30

steps

before my

body

started to

panic

and to

stiffen

up.

I

walked

back

quite

slowly

deliberately

holding

on to

the

side

rope

while

others

passed

by me

with

ease.

And

while I

was safe

when I

got back

to solid

ground,

I was

still

feeling

the

effects

of

walking

out

towards

that

danger.

My

heart

was still

beating

fast,

my

breathing

remained

quick,

and the

tingling

in my

body

was

ongoing.

How

had I

forgotten

my

great

fear

of

heights?

It

was a

mystery,

didn't

make

sense.

Lisa

knew I

was afraid

of heights

and yet

I

had

forgotten.

Well,

certain

fears

are

intended

to

reverberate

with

permanency

in our

bodies,

beloved.

See,

lesser

fears we

may feel

for just

a few

hours,

a bad

dream

comes

to

mind.

Worse

fears

may last

a few

days or

even a

few

months,

but

great

fears,

eternal

fears,

that we've

been rescued

from,

ought to

leave an

impact on

the wise

for

eternity.

You see,

God's

judgment for

rebellion

against his

authority is

a fear that

is intended

to remain

with us

and inform

every

interaction

that we

have

with those

who still

stand

condemned

under the

weight

of their

sin.

This is

what our

text is

leading us

towards,

brothers and

sisters.

Remember

the wrath

of God.

Live

with a

present

awareness

of your

deliverance

from the

darkest

of paths

that you

once walked

on.

God's

So what

are we

to remember

exactly

about God's

wrath?

Here are

three quick

things.

God's

wrath is

always

justified.

God's

wrath is

always

correlated

with his

anger.

And God's

wrath is

eternal.

So it is

always justified.

We see this

from Romans

Romans 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

in verse

18.

It says,

The wrath

of God

is revealed

from heaven

against all

ungodliness

and unrighteousness

of men

who by their

unrighteousness

suppress the

truth.

Listen to

Colossians

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3.

Put to

death,

therefore,

what is

earthly in

you,

sexual

immorality,

impurity,

passion,

evil desire,

and covetousness,

which is

idolatry,

on account

of these,

the wrath

of God

is coming.

God's

wrath

is

justified.

Every

action

is

accounted

for.

God's

memory

is

perfect,

but not

only is it

perfect,

it sees

both the

outside

and the

inside

expressions

of our

rebellion

against

him.

These

things

are

clear

and

accounted

for.

Because

God is

entirely

righteous,

he will

not miss,

there will

not be

any

hiddenness

to the

sins

that we

thought

were

kept

in the

dark.

All

evidence

is preserved

and his

justice

is applied

appropriately

at every

level.

Number

two,

God's

wrath is

correlated

with his

anger.

Romans

Romans 2:8

2,

verse

8,

for

those

who

are

self-seeking

and do

not obey

the truth

but obey

unrighteousness,

there will

be wrath

and anger.

May help

us to

remember

that this

is not

just a

picture

of justice

applied

like a

third-party

courtroom

where the

judge is

unaffected

by the

offenses.

God

himself

is

personally

affected.

He

has

been

offended.

He

has

been

displeased.

His

gifts

have

been

desecrated.

His

grace

unappreciated.

His

sacrificial

love

has

been

neglected.

His

warnings

unheeded.

His

mockery

celebrated.

His

rules

disregarded.

And

his

glory

unappreciated.

And

God's

response

to these

things

is

his

clear,

firm,

white

hot

anger.

His

anger

is not

like

ours

which

rises

and

cools.

God's

displeasure

against sin

is continual

and will

remain so

without

waning.

Number

three,

God's

wrath is

eternal.

At the

conclusion of

Matthew

Matthew 25 · chapter mention

chapter 25,

Jesus

describes

the

outcome

of the

wicked

with

these

words.

These

will go

away

into

eternal

punishment,

but the

righteous

into

eternal

life.

So

God

who

hates

wickedness

is

preparing

to

demonstrate

his

displeasure

against

sin

for

all

eternity.

Second

Thessalonians

1

in verse

9,

they will

suffer

the

punishment

of

eternal

destruction

away

from

the

presence

of

the

Lord

and

from

the

glory

of

his

might.

One

more,

Revelation

Revelation 14 · chapter mention

chapter 14,

another

angel,

a third

followed

and sang

with a

loud

voice,

if anyone

worships

the beast

in its

image

and

receives

a mark

on his

forehead

or on

his

hand,

he

will

also

drink

the

wine

of

God's

wrath

poured

full

strength

into

the

cup

of

his

anger

and

he

will

be

tormented

with

fire

and

sulfur

in

the

presence

of

the

holy

angels

and

in

the

presence

of

the

lamb

and

the

smoke

of

their

torment

goes

up

forever

and

ever

and

they

have

no

rest

day

or

night.

This

is not

just

a

scare

tactic

although

it

indeed

is

scary.

There

is a

future

real

day

that

awaits

all

who

have

not

been

saved

by

the

blood

of

the

lamb.

Have

you

given

thought

to

this

brothers?

Have

this

even

crossed

your

mind

when

you

are

mistreated?

Have

you

forgotten

that

you

also

have

been

delivered

from

this

same

evil?

easy

to

put

the

wrath

of

God

in

the

background.

After

all,

we've

been

saved,

delivered

from

wrath,

and I

no longer

have to

worry

about my

final

judgment.

But

billions

still

bear

their

condemnation.

And

those who

have yet

to hear

the good

news

of the

gospel,

even

though

they may

have

heard it

a thousand

times,

they

still

have

time

remaining

to

repent.

We

cannot

forget

this.

If

you're

struggling

to

respond

with

honorable

and

peaceful

conduct,

this

text

suggests

that

you

may

be

forgetting

what

you

have

been

delivered

from.

Would

you

repent

today

from

believing

that

the

greatest

offense

of

sin

is

those

that

are

against

you?

Would

you

forsake

selfish

expressions

of

treating

your

reputation

as

the

highest

law

of

the

land?

Again,

the second

reason that

Paul

connects

our

conduct

to

the

wrath

of

God

is

because

it

cultivates

urgency

and

compassion

for

those

who

have

not

yet

been

saved

by

the

work

of

Christ.

Please

look

again

at

verse

20

and

verse

21.

Excuse

me,

to 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.

Do

not

be

overcome

with

evil,

but

overcome

evil

with

good.

These

verses

imply

that

every

act

of

love

towards

an

enemy

positions

them

to

run

away

from

coming

judgment.

As

effective

as

coal

which

sears

from

the

flames

is

your

display

of

grace

represented

in

your

conduct.

Do

not

underscore

the

impact

that

this

may

have.

There

is

hope

yet

that

remains

as

long

as

God

has

restrained

His

judgment.

Listen

to

what

Paul

says

in

2

Corinthians

verse

5.

Let

me

just

start

in

verse

11

and

I'll

go

ahead.

It

says,

therefore

knowing

the

fear

of

the

Lord,

we

persuade

others.

And

down

to

verse

18

through

20.

All

this

is

from

God

who

through

Christ

reconciled

us

to

Himself

and

gave

us

the

ministry

of

reconciliation.

Therefore

we

are

ambassadors

for

Christ,

God

making

His

appeal

through

us.

We

implore

you

then

on

behalf

of

Christ

be

reconciled

to

God.

Now

if you

are with

us

this

morning

and

you

currently

hear

my

words

and

you

know

your

sin

is

exposed

if

it

were

uncovered

by

a

holy

and

just

God

hear

this

important

appeal.

Recognize

that all

of your

sins

deserve

judgment

even

one

and

they

will

be

judged

unless

you

are

delivered

by

someone

outside

of

taking

judgment

upon

Himself.

What

good

news

in the

very

next

verse

in

2nd

Corinthians

that

Christ

has

come

for

this

very

purpose.

2nd

Corinthians

chapter

5

says

for

our

sake

God

made

him

to be

sin

who

knew

no

sin

so

that

in

him

we

might

become

the

righteousness

of

God.

Put

your

trust

in

him

today.

Turn

from

your

sin

and

join

us

as

those

who

have

been

delivered

from

this

great

judgment.

As we

close

and give

thought

to

final

application

the

great

question

that

remains

from

our

verse

is

this

where

does

your

trust

reside

when

sinful

behavior

wounds

you?

there's

only

two

answers

my

vengeance

or

the

king

of

kings

the

eternal

God

whose

throne

stands

forever

who

alone

is

able

to

account

for

all

wrongdoing

so

beloved

God

is

worthy

of

all

of

our

faith

and

all

of

our

trust

whenever

he

calls

us

to

walk

in

opposition

for

some

of

us

that

opposition

may

be

small

may

receive

it

within

our

homes

on a

day

to

day

basis

and

for

others

there

are

days

that

lie

ahead

in

loss

in

J.C.

Ryle's

book

five

English

reformers

there

is a

notable

description

of

given

of a

man

named

John

Rogers

who

approached

his

last

hours

with

faith

holding

out

a

reconciliatory

call

to

all

who

would

observe

and

put

him

to

death

listen

to

this

description

it

says

up to

that

day

men

could

not

tell

how

English

reformers

would

behave

in

the

face

of

death

and

could

hardly

believe

that

they

would

actually

give

their

bodies

to

be

burned

for

their

religion

but

when

they

saw

John

Rogers

the

first

martyr

walking

steadily

and

unflinchingly

into a

fiery

grave

he'd

be

burned

alive

the

enthusiasm

of the

crowd

knew

no

bounds

they

rent

the

air

with

thunders

of

applause

even

the

French

ambassador

wrote

home

a

description

of

the

scene

and

he

said

that

Rogers

went

to

his

death

as

if

he

was

walking

to

his

wedding

by

God's

great

mercy

he

died

with

comparative

!

ease

and so

the

first

Marian

martyr

passed

away

beloved

may

we

endeavor

to

put on

such

faith

as

John

Rogers

to

approach

wrongdoing

ahead

in the

same

manner

for

the

glory

and

the

honor

of

the

Lord

and

for

the

future

deliverance

of

those

that

will

one

day