Download 1. Knowing and Embracing God`s will for us in times of Xenophobia

-1Sound recording: record the whole service.
Romans 12 – Knowing and Doing the will of God
1. Knowing and Embracing God’s will for us in times
of Xenophobia
2. Intro:
Topic: God’s will for us in times of Xenophobia?
Audience: All, affected victims and others
We want to know God’s will for us. So many variables, and options.
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God’s will is easy to know, and easy to test.
o Doesn’t change: God doesn’t change His mind
o God’s will is the same for every believer
o Revealed in various passages
 1 Thes 4:3: your sanctification
 1 Thes 5:18: to give thanks in all circumstances
 1 Pet 2:15: silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing
good
 Romans 12
Read Romans 12:1-2
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your
bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your
spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern
of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then
you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good,
pleasing and perfect will.
Therefore [Obs]:
1. God’s will for you in Xenophobia is: For you to offer your body as a
living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God
2. This involves, acc, being very different from the world [conform to
transform, outer to inner]
3. This happens by a process called renewing the mind (doing that today)
4. AS you trust God, and let yourself be transformed, you will prove to
yourself that this IS God’s will, and
that God’s will is GREAT (“good, pleasing and perfect”)
So. Easy. In a few minutes established that we can know that will of God, that
we DO know the will of God, and we can affirm it by experience!
But easier said than done.
- “I urge you” - … why do you think he’s urging? They aren’t doing it. And
it’s not natural.
OBS: The difficulty is not knowing the will of God (discovering what it is) but
doing it.
[Illus: Every kid knows what the “magic word” is, but how often is it used?]
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-2Q: Why, if it is so obvious, do we need to be urged and urged… why do we not
do it when we know what it is?
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v3 has answer. (Linked to v1-2 by “for”. Telling Why he’s urging them.)
THE Greatest hindrance to our offering is PRIDE.
Read v3
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of
yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with
sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has
given you.
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(sacrifice is expensive. Costs. “Living” – ongoing.
Pride gets in and says, “I don’t have to sacrifice”, “I have rights”, “Doing
that kind of service is below me”, or religious language - “I don’t have
the gift of service”
Living sacrifice crawls off the altar
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I know upfront, we all know from past experience, that what God calls
us to do, at cost to numero uno, will be met with this kind of resistance.
– When we argue like this, that’s not offering our bodies as living
sacrifices.
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That’s why – greatest motivation upfront: “In view of God’s mercy”
Our little sacrifices that we resist are nothing compared to the
undeserved, unrestrained love of Christ, gushing out of His veins when
He sacrificed Himself to us!
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Considering His great mercy melts the resistance. Assures us that we
can trust Him with everything we are. He has provided all the faith
required to do it.
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KNOWING and embracing God’s will in Xenophobia? Not as complex
as you might think.
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God wants you to respond appropriately to His mercy, and be for Him
what He is for you – a living sacrifice. No matter what the variables and
the options are.
P.S. “Body” – makes it tangible. Not just in word but deed. “Take my
life and let it be…
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Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold,
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-3Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine:
Take my heart, it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store:
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
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2 cor 5:14-15
For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died
for all, and therefore all died. 15And he died for all, that those who live
should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them
and was raised again.
3. POINTS ABOUT BEING A LIVING SACRIFICE
1. It requires humility (3)
- you aren’t going to be a living sacrifice if you think it’s below you
or “it’s not for you”
- that’s not sober judgement –
- if you cannot say, Lk 17:10, “We are unworthy servants; we have only
done what was our duty.” then you think more highly of yourself that
you ought.
- V3: “God has given you” each one has received a measure of faith, and
no measure is too small.
o Illus: Lk 17 – “If he sins rebuke. If he repents, forgive. And if he
sins 7 times, and then repents 7 times, forgive!” And they said,
“Increase our faith” … He said, if you had faith as small as a
mustard seed, you could say to the mulberry tree, uproot
yourself and be planted in the sea…and it would obey”
- Each one has.
- Requires humility to : ACCEPT God’s will, and SACRIFICE.
- APP:
o What are your usual excuses? (“Honour one another above
yourselves” [10])
2. Each living sacrifice looks different (6)
- although every Christian has faith, its outworking is different, because
God has apportioned different abilities.
- Read 6-8
6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's
gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[b]faith. 7If it is
serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is
encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of
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-4others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern
diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
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involves taking what you have and are, and offering that. So what it
looks like compared to others is not an accurate indication of whether
it’s a living sacrifice or not, because only you know what you’re capable
of.
The place you find yourself: responsibilities and abilities, “what can I
offer”
The promptings of God. Each accountable personally to God.
APP
o Stop comparing, and start offering what you can.
3. Every living sacrifice loves its neighbour (4-9)
- fulfils the 2nd greatest commandment
- notice that v4-9 are all relational
o members of one another, prophecy, serving, teaching,
encouraging, contributing, leading, showing mercy.
- “living sacrifice” means living in a world of others, doing to others as
Christ has done to you.
o Need for testimony of this in times of xenophobia!
- Illus: 1 cor 13
- APP
o God’s will in Xenophobia? Love! All across the board.
o Pray for stirring.
4. A living sacrifice goes all out (8,9)
- v6 – must give in proportion to our faith. – a bit unclear. To what
degree is our faith? Until v8
o contributing: giving can be tough!
 Generously! Pour it over, all the way. Not withholding. No
hidden motives
o Leading: tough!, resistant, rebellious! E.g. Moses. Frustrated yet
always playing his role.
 Eagerness! Zeal for those who are led
o Showing mercy: a slog! Every week. Unappreciated.
 Cheerfully! Not begrudging, glad for receiver
- Point: All out!
Col 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
- V9 : summing it up. Love is love. Has to be all out-love.
- If it’s half service, it’s not a living sacrifice.
4. Conclusion
The will of God for you in Xenophobia is not secret. It is that you “offer …
living sacrifice, holy…”
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-5That means, taking into account everything that God has equipped you with,
from abilities, to possessions, and going all out to use that to love others like
Christ.
5. COMMUNION
I though it would be appropriate to have communion at this point, because the
whole motivation for living in God’s will like this is, “..God’s mercy” – the
consideration of the sacrifice of Himself on the cross for our sins.
COMMUNION: Call men to the table.
- A celebration in fellowship
- 1 John 1:3
3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have
fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son,
Jesus Christ.
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although the communion table speaks of personal salvation, cannot do
communion on your own. Salvation is into the body – have seen, “and
each member belongs to all the others”
whether we are victims or not. One body in fellowship.
Let’s consider that great mercy: Eph 2:4-10
4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us
alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you
have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in
the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he
might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to
us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and
this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one
can boast.
PRAY:
- as Daniel prayed, we don’t come to You in confidence because of our
righteousness, but because of your great mercy.
- [In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance
that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you]
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His great mercy is so much more than withholding judgement on us.
He took that judgement on Himself.
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Therefore, at the last supper, took bread, broke it and said, (Lk 22:19)
“This is my body, given for you, do this in remembrance of me”
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In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is
the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. – THE
PROOF of God’s covenant, sealed. He shed His blood, without which
there is no forgiveness of sins.
CONTINUE COMMUNION…
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Collect cups
6. PRAY FOR AFRICA time.
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Invite King up to give information about Xenophobia
“You are in fellowship with us, and we care about you.
Q: What is happening at the moment with Xenophobia?
Q: How can we pray?
PRAY
7. Message 2: Doing God’s will as a victim of
Xenophobia
Audience: Victims
Romans 12:9-21
Living sacrificially: involves serving (10-13) and serving often calls for
suffering (14-21)
- instinctively know this
- were told by Christ
- were warned by Paul. But don’t like to acknowledge that this is part of
the deal.
Context: There were people in the same situation then. Different cause, same
effects
You might identify with these: [and what they mean]
- V12, Affliction [Tribulation]: Pressing, Distress, Oppression
o The Experience. mental and physical
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V14, Persecute: Personal intention to harm by others.
Making you a slave of fear
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V15, Mourning: Pain of loss – losing what is dear to you
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V17, means people are paying you with evil
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V19, means there is injustice, and reason to fight back
They had the same pressures. Paul may as well have been writing to the same
circumstances
In this situation, they were called, as always, to know and embrace God’s will:
to offer themselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing.
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How does a persecuted person do God’s will in Xenophobia?
Some answers:
o V12, 14, 17-21
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!completely abnormal behaviour.
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-7o Therefore: call to be transformed! (2)
- Everything naturally will be screaming against it. – Part of being a
living sacrifice.
- “No, I cannot. It is too much”
- Must remember v3: it’s not about your rights, that is thinking to highly
of yourself. Don’t let pride get in the way.
o God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Therefore, you can.
Why is it necessary?
- This is part of God’s calling for His people. And you find yourselves in
this position right now. Time to exercise the faith that God has given to
you.
- In the footsteps of Christ.
- Passage: 1 Peter 2.20-25
o God wants people saved. God of mercy. [Jonah! John the
Baptist]
o To be saved from darkness to light
o Living like Rom12 achives 1 Peter 2
 Sermon: The Gift of Suffering for Christ
 Contrast of worldly suffering and Christ-like
suffering
o World sees Christ
o Learn the fear of God
o Find their shame – leads them to repent
8. App
Your temptation is this: Fear, and let fear rule your hearts. Run away. Find
security (ask wherever you can).
But don’t lose perspective while you try to wisely deal with the situation.
Godly wisdom includes God in the picture. A big God.
One of the greatest opportunities for your refinement. One of the greatest
opportunities to witness to God’s faithfulness and goodness. (Both to other
foreigners and to the evil people). A light shining in the darkness.
If you plead with God to use you, I am certain He will – Because this is His
will!
But I expect fear, distorted perspective, and pleading for safety… speaking as
one who knows I would be doing the same. But God’s missionaries, running
away from the darkness, while they carry the only hope with them. Happening
because there is no knowledge of God.
[Let us as a church learn what life is about through pressured times like this.
What would YOU do?]
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