Sticky People - January 10, 2021

By Pastor Chuck Ryan

Sticky People

(“Over Come Evil with Good”, vs.21)

 

Text: Romans 12:1-21; Matthew 13:1-2

Thesis: The Apostle Paul was instructing the Christian to see the world through the eyes of Christ and to adopt the method of Christ in reaching a lost world. “Overcome Evil with Good, vs21)”

 

1. Learn to be like Christ by allowing God to transform your minds. (vs1-2)

“Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is---his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (vs2a)

1. Submit yourselves to God’s transformation. (Many are “sitting on the outside but standing on the inside”. 😊)
2. Recognize to be like Christ requires that you change the way you think about life.
3. The result is revealed in verse 2.

The definition of insanity, “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Albert Einstein 😊

 

1. Learn to be like Christ in service. (vs3-8)
2. The Apostle Paul prior to listing various types of services states the prerequisite is humility. (vs 3)
3. Jesus was humble. (Read Philippians 2:5-11)
4. The Apostle Paul listed Christ-like service in verses 4-8.
5. Jesus proclaims the types of service he is involved in:

                “So, he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” (Luke 7:22)

 

III. Learn to be like Christ in Love. (vs9-21)

“Love must be sincere”. (vs9a)

1. The love of Jesus Christ made him attractive to the world.
   “Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.” (Matthew 15:30)
2. The Love of Christ made him approachable.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Mathew 19:14)

1. The Love of Christ was revealed through acts of kindness.
2. The heart of Jesus is expressed in the following song:

                 “Come and dine,” the Master calleth, “Come and dine”;
You may feast at Jesus’ table all the time;
He Who fed the multitude, turned the water into wine,
To the hungry calleth now, “Come and dine.”

1. The Apostle Paul admonishes the believer to “Not to be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” (21)
2. “Do not repay evil for evil…Do not take revenge…If your enemy is hungry, feed him…” (vs17&19)
3. Jesus conquered evil through good deeds and acts of kindness and the greatest of these was his death upon the Cross.

     Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” (John 15:13)

 

Jesus was the ultimate “Sticky Person”