A Community of Grace Part III

Our Church: A Minister of Grace ... Even to the World

We're in the middle of a series emphasizing the ministry of grace. We have seen that grace saves us (Romans 9-11). We have seen that this same grace which saved us, actually transforms us ... and uses us to help others be transformed and made holy ... and ... whole (Romans 12:1-21). We even touched on how this same grace which transforms us, making us holy and whole, fits us for ministry to those in the world ... who might well be persecuting us (Romans 13:1-7).

In this sermon I want to more greatly emphasize this concept of God's grace fitting us for and fueling our ministry to the world. All too often we lull ourselves to comfortable sleep in our pews ... what a way to demonstrate our thanksgiving to the God who saved us by his grace.

Lets take a look at Romans 13:13 & 14:

Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (ESV)

When considering these verses isolated from their context, many of us in the Southern Traditional Church will quietly shout "Hallelujah!" We have personal morality down to a fine science, wagging our high and holy heads at those in the world, "Nanna Nanna Boo Boo, stick your heads in hell-fire doo doo!" Yet we might be amazed or even shocked to read these verses in context. The question is why did Paul write these verses?

Let us read them in their context beginning with Romans 13:8:

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. the night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the day time, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (ESV)

Again why did Paul write for us to "walk properly in the day time, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality ... etc.?" While at first glance it would appear that he is asking those Roman Christians to be good little boys and girls because Santa-Jesus is always watching and is about to return soon with gifts for all good little girls and boys! However, that reindeer simply doesn't fly far.

Question: What happens to us when we're fat and happy following Grandma's Thanksgiving meal? That's right ... we find the nearest couch and fall asleep. If you think about it, all those personal sins listed in verse 13 are simply excesses of things that are right and good.

• orgies ... extreme excess of group fun and pleasure
• drunkenness ... excess of relaxation in a beloved group
• sexual immorality ... excess of marital intimacy breached by married and non-married (but often lonely) folks
• sensuality ... excess emotional strokes of my 5 senses. (If God did not mean for us to enjoy pleasurable visuals then why did he create the mountains or oceans or waterfalls or flowers?
• quarreling ... excess of wanting my way respected
• jealousy ... excess of my appetite desiring something another has

These examples, while yes ... sins of the flesh, are merely excesses of things that are right and good. I believe Paul discusses these in this context to illustrate that our appetites often get in the way of effectively loving our neighbors as God would have us do. We are to "make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."

So often when we think of aspects of the corporate worship service which are of dire importance to me, we tend to drift into that which makes us comfortable. I wish to suggest that instead of nurturing our own comfort in the worship service ... we seek to nurture our compassion for our neighbors ... otherwise we disrupt the ministry of God's grace.

Keep in mind that considering Romans 13:1-7, Paul is defining neighbor as anyone ... including the unbelieving world.