We have all heard the colloquialism: “as light as air.” This can be a misleading comparison. Actually, air has a bit of substance, weighing 14.7 pounds per square inch at sea level, and about 12 pounds per square inch in Denver, a mile above the level of the sea. In other words, a few things are “lighter than air,” but to be as “light as air” only means we are lighter than things like rocks, cars and water. The scientific instrument used to measure the weight of air is the barometer. There are several varieties of barometers with the simplest being a glass tube with mercury inside. Simply put, when the mercury in that tube drops, it shows that the pressure of the air is getting heavier, and when it rises, then the air is getting lighter – the barometric pressure is rising. Incidentally, when the barometer is rising it means we will probably have a clear day, depending on how high that barometer goes up. It is expected to be pretty high for the next two weeks. When the barometer falls, it indicates that bad weather is on its way. And in some places when the barometer rapidly drops, it means you had better run to the storm shelter. Do not pass “go;” do not collect $200.00. Simply put, the higher the barometer gets, the clearer and nicer the weather will be.
In my Bible Romans 12:9 ends in a period, and I don’t see another period until the end of verse 13. That means that verses 10-13 are all one sentence. It is a long sentence, but it is all one basic thought. And there are nine very simple and practical elements contained in this sentence.
In our last few messages, I’ve been trying to place before you things which should set us apart as Christians. I would like to be the kind of Christian the Lord saved me to be, and that could very well make me different from a great many other professing Christians. And I would like you to join me. In the process, as we all mature and become more Christ-like, it should make our church stand out from the crowd of churches in our community. We have already looked at several Christian characteristics which ought to be prominent in our lives. Now, I’d like to add verses 10-13, to those Christ-glorifying characteristics.
Let’s pretend that the nine items in these verses are notches on a spiritual barometer. The higher the mercury rises in this barometer, the more clearly we will be able to see the face of the Son. And the higher we rise in this barometer, the more clearly our neighbors will see the Son of God in us. If this barometer drops too low, there could very well be a storm of divine chastisement on its way.
The first notch reads, “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love.”
Tell me if this following statement isn’t true: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we LOVE the brethren.” Isn’t it one of the characteristics, one of the natural traits of the children of God that we love our siblings? And “he that loveth NOT his brother abideth in death.” Amen? Both those statement are direct quotes from I John 3:14. We all know, intellectually, that we are supposed to love all the saints of God, and if I asked you about some specific person, you might tell me that you love them – “in the Lord.” Why do we have to add that qualifying statement – “in the Lord?” What does that mean? Does it mean that we don’t really love them in any real and tangible way?
Before he moved away, I was acquainted with the local Assembly of God pastor. Despite the many theological differences between us we, became relatively good friends. Part of that relationship was due to the fact that we are both children of God, and we met in a non-Christian environment. If we had first met in a church or religious context, our relationship probably would have been strained. Yet we are brothers in Christ, and there was an unspoken realization of that relationship. That should be true whenever we meet another child of God. We should be friends, because we are brothers. When we are out knocking on doors and I run into a member of some evangelical church after a dozen Mormons, Roman Catholics, agnostics and heathen, tha brief contact always perks me up.
Love of the brethren is one thing, but this verse isn’t talking specifically about that. This exhortation speaks about tender kindness towards those who are our brethren. This takes love to a different level; the level of some sort of genuine positive relationship. For example Ephesians 4:32 says, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Kind and tender affection takes a person from the words “be ye warmed and filled” to actually warming and feeding a brother who is in need. It also means putting up with your brother’s foibles and even forgiving him for his offences against you. Usually, the larger a church becomes the more common that cliques and groups develop. It is natural. But when those cliques become differing parties, different voting blocks and tribes that church is in trouble. And that is what Paul saw in the Corinthian church. I Corinthians 3:4 – “For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” Carnality – living in the flesh – keeps us from loving, in a practical way, our brethren in Christ.
Our lives are going to be stormy and our church will be gloomy, if we’re not kindly affectioned one to another.
The second line on our barometer reads: “preferring one another and honoring them.”
Nearly everyone has their particular sets of preferences. Do you prefer coffee or tea? Coke or Pepsi? Liver and Brussel sprouts or steak and potatoes? We have our own personal preferences. But preferences can be changed and trained. For a while you might prefer soda pop over water, but seeking to live a more healthy life-style you may deliberated choose water over pop, until it becomes not only a habit, but your preference.
Paul, here, exhorts us to change our preferences from ourselves to others. Here are two people who are getting married – creating a new family – each party needs to learn to put the other first in this new relationship. The man who prefers his own happiness and pleasure over that of his wife is doomed to a miserable life. Literally defined, to “prefer others” is to “let them go first.”
Added to that there is honoring others. To let someone go first, isn’t necessarily the same thing as honoring them. We might want someone to go ahead of us so that the lion will eat them before it eats us. Paul is telling us to let others precede us for the purpose of honoring and magnifying them.
Can you say that your barometer is rising?
Third, we have: “not slothful in business.”
It appears that all nine of the items in this sentence are spiritual, except this one. However, that isn’t quite true. The word “business” here isn’t talking about secular commerce, but rather simple “diligence.” Paul is giving us an exhortation against spiritual laziness. Movement and exercise can be beneficial in so many ways. You could say that one reason my wife had knee replacement surgery four weeks ago was “friction.” God created things in young knees to separate and lubricate the bones in our joints. In many people, over time, those materials eventually wear away. And when the lubrication and padding is gone friction increases, so does the pain and mobility. This slowing down is a part of life, and it is a part of physics, not just in knees but many other things.
Including our service for God. If we don’t work at spiritually lubricating the working parts of our service for the Lord, it will become painful. So Paul exhorts us: work at not being slothful. Take your supplements, and get your exorcize. Even in your old age, remain zealous in God’s business.
And this leads us to the fourth notch on our barometer: “fervency of spirit in serving the Lord.”
The word “fervent” refers to something like the boiling of water. Paul urges us to be excited about our service for Christ – to be ardent, passionate and zealous. The opposite of fervency is coldness or a simple lack of emotion. I know that He was talking about a church, but what does the Lord Jesus say about a lukewarm attitude? “I will spue thee out of my mouth.” It is not a good thing to be spued from the mouth of Christ.
The Lord is definitely unhappy with service in His name that is less than fervent and full of faith.
The fifth mark on this barometer is called “rejoicing in hope.”
Obviously, there are all kinds of hopes in this world. There is hope that the North Koreans don’t send their missiles in this direction. Many have hope that their cancer won’t return. And there is hope that this summer we might be able to take a quick vacation. Some have hope that they can get out of debt, or this or that. But the greatest of hopes, the Christian hope, is related to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I think that it is terribly sad that more and more people are turning away from the doctrine of the imminent return of Christ for His saints. Some people seem to think that it is somehow intellectual to deny the obvious and to inflate the mysterious. There are more and more Baptists, who believe that we are somehow already in the Tribulation. But the only way that is possible is if we manipulate and allegorize large portions of the Bible. We are neither in the Tribulation, nor are Christians commanded to look for the Tribulation. And if our hope is the imminent coming of Christ, then there is obviously reason for rejoicing. But if between that hope and where we stand right now, there are the judgments of the Book of Revelation then I am at a loss to understand the possibility of rejoicing.
I think that we have theological reasons to rejoice in the hope of Jesus’ soon return. But many otherwise sound Baptists are so busy with other hopes and other problems that they can’t obey Paul’s injunction. Do it. Meditate on the second coming; think about it; talk about it. Fill your heart with the scriptures which speak about the translation of the saints. If you do, you’ll take another step up the barometer of the Lord. This is one doctrine which should give us an excitement and joy in the midst of a dark, despondent world. This is a doctrine which should invigorate our evangelical relationship with our neighbors.
The sixth notch is called “patience in tribulation.”
This isn’t talking about the seven year tribulation, but rather the simple, day-to-day trials of life. Paul is saying essentially the same thing as Peter in his first epistle or James in his: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” I thought about using the Lord Jesus as the perfect illustration of each of these nine points. He certainly knew what it was to be tested, and He demonstrated the epitome of patience. Our objective in this world is to be more like our Saviour.
Then there is PERSISTENCE in PRAYER.
Remember that we’re talking about rising above the foggy miasma of the world – into visions of Christ. Each of these things clear more and more of the earthly fog away from our eyes. With each of these things we draw more nigh unto God.
And of course, prayer is an obvious part of our ascendance. What can bring us closer to Christ than directly talking with Him? But the thing to remember this evening is that prayer is just one of many marks on this barometer.
Paul reminds us to pray constantly and quickly. He’s talking about an attitude as much as he is a practice. You don’t need to close your eyes to pray. You don’t need to enter your closet and get down on your knees to pray. But obviously there is certainly nothing wrong with these steps. But it is impossible to pray without ceasing, if we have to kneel and withdraw ourselves, and close our eyes. Paul is exhorting us to constantly stay in touch with the Lord, cultivating a submissive and seeking heart. We need to learn to see God in every situation and we need to learn to depend on Him in every situation.
The eighth mark on our barometer is GENEROSITY.
“Distributing to the necessity of the saints.” William Newell said in regard to this verse: “When you obey this injunction and begin wisely to inquire about the saints’ needs, you will be astonished at two things: First, at the actually pressing necessities of many saints all about you; And second, at the way God will supply your own necessities as your minister to them.”
When the Lord’s first church was putting this principle into practice… When “not one of them said that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common,” the result was that “neither was there among them any that lacked.” Was it that the rich people in the church outnumbered the poorer people, and so everyone was well-fed? Or was it that the Lord blessed the generosity of everyone meeting the needs of both the giver and the receiver? “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” Certainly our imitation of Christ in this area, has to bring us closer to the very heart of Christ.
Then finally, “given to hospitality.”
The word “hospitality” is literally “love to strangers.” This is a corollary to the distributing to the necessity of the saints. This time it is talking about “strangers,” and therefore possibly to people who are not saints. We are to be as hospitable to the publicans and sinners as the Lord Jesus was.
I’ll close by pointing to a common word with a hidden, interesting meaning – “given.” This Greek word is found 44 times in the New Testament. It is interesting that in ten of those occurrences it is translated “follow,” as in “follow the practice of hospitality and expressing love to strangers.” But in addition to “given” and “follow,” 26 times what word is translated “persecute.” In other words, the English word“given” doesn’t come close to expressing the intensity of what Paul said. Do you remember Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables, and the policeman’s pursuit of the hero? It went on and on and on and on for years, until the poor cop was consumed by it. That is the kind of approach that we are supposed to have toward this hospitality. We are not only to be quick to respond to the needs of others, but we are to earnestly seek it.
I have known many men who claimed to pastor “New Testament” Baptist churches. Most of them used that description to speak of their doctrinal position. “We are fundamentalists rather than rationalists or liberals. We believe the doctrines of the Bible.” But if we are going to be truly “New Testament” then we need to be Biblical in practice as well as doctrine. And it is in our practice that the world will begin to see that we are unique, Heavenly, Christ-like. The world is not going to study our doctrinal statement, but it will recognize our Christian love and other Christian characteristics.
How close does Calvary Baptist come to the Lord in these things? How high have we arisen on the Lord’s spiritual barometer? Are we only as strong as our weakest member? I hope not. As individuals and as a church, we need to push the mercury up until we are constantly looking into the face of our Saviour.