Over the next seven weeks, we will be in a series of talks we are calling 13 Verses. The point of this series is to help people live, not just exist.
We were created by a good and perfect God who has an intention and purpose for our lives. When we discover what that is, we live the best life possible.
Was written in approximately 57 AD by the Apostle Paul
Paul didn’t plant or start the church gathered in Rome but had spiritual leadership in that church.
Rome was the dominant economic, political, and military force in the 1st century. Strategic city and a strategic church.
The Roman people were polytheistic. Meaning they worshiped many different gods.
Stands in deep contrast with the Christian claim that there is only One God. That Jesus is the way, the truth the life, and no one gets to the Father except through Him.
In Rome, it was the social norm to worship multiple different gods. Each home, each city, and each temple would have different sets of gods for the people to worship.
To deny the Roman gods’ divinity was rebellious, and there was an enormous social cost to Christians (abuse, imprisonment, isolation, and even execution).
The book of Romans is a book that helps Christians be Christian.
And there is at least two important parts of a Christian being a Christian:
How a Christian thinks,and;
How a Christian lives.
The theological terms are orthodoxy(meaning right thinking) and orthopraxy (which means right practice).
This series focuses on orthopraxy(how to live right).
9Lovemust besincere. Hate what isevil; cling to what isgood. 10 Bedevotedto one anotherin love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:9-10)
Love.
It’s no surprise when describing how a Christian should live Paul starts with “love.” The Old Testament, Jesus, and Paul declare this is the defining characteristic of Christian living (1 Corinthians 13:1-3, Matthew 22:37-39).
Love must be sincere.
Sincere means without hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is when we believe or say one thing and do something else. Paul’s reiterating here that Christians are both to function in right belief and right living.
Hate what is evil.
There are three categories of evil:
the devil
the world
the flesh
To hate evil means:
To hate the devil and his obsession with sewing confusion.
To hate the systems in our world that promote the distortion and silencing of God’s voice that allow evil to go unchecked and even become normalized.
To hate the struggle with evil that happens internally. To hate our own sin.
Cling to what is good.
The word ‘cling’ is the same word Jesus described a man and woman becoming ‘one’ at marriage (Matthew 19:5).
Paul is saying that we are to become so familiar with goodness that it becomes second nature. That ‘goodness’ and ‘you’ become inseparable.
Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)
When Paul says ‘one another,’ he is referring to Christians being devoted to other Christians. We are to be committed to our brothers and sisters in Christ in a love that looks much like a healthy family.
Paul here is echoing something Jesus said:
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35).
The people who attend Hope City church aren’t to be strangers to you who happen to be Christians. They are your family. By being a part of this church, you are choosing them as your family.
So what does it look like for you to be devoted to the other believers at Hope City? What does it look like for you to increase your devotion to ‘one another’?
Coming back to church in-person?
Joining a small group?
Joining a serve team?
Setting a regular time to pray with others from your church?
Financially partnering with one of our local or global partners?
We all value something. Values are the guiding principles that steer our life. They are the core ethics and principles that are the desired end state for how we want to live our life.
What do you value?
VALUE FOUR: PEOPLE FIRST
We choose to invest in the potential God has placed in others. This is helping people develop into passionate, stable Christ followers. (1 Corinthians 10:24)
This is about deference. It is about respect for others. (Romans 14:1-7)
How are you at helping others succeed?
What lift can you bring to someone today?
Hope is one of the greatest things we can bring into people’s lives. (1 Peter 1:3-4’ Psalm 39:7). We need to distinguish between optimism and hope.
VALUE FIVE: UNITY
We choose a culture of peace by getting along, showing respect and presuming the best of each other.
3 aspects about unity:
Unity is a choice – Romans 14:19
Unity begins in the mind – 1 Corinthians 1:10
Unity is intentional – Ephesiasn 4:1-2
VALUE SIX: TALK AND TELL
We seize every opportunity to talk and tell about Christ and what He’s done in our lives. (1 Peter 3:15)
You are a walking billboard for Jesus and what He can do in someone’s life.
Do you have a “let me in there” mentality? (Acts 21:13)
VALUE SEVEN: FUTURE ORIENTED
We can’t stay here. You can’t stay here.
This value screams, “God always has a next for you.”
Isaiah 43:18-19; 2 Corinthians 5:17
What you value matters. How you steer your life matters. May you be known for living out values that matter. May you be someone who lives for things beyond the temporal. May you honestly say these are values I want to live by.
Click HERE to get a digital copy of our “7 Values To Live By.”
We all value something. Values are the guiding principles that steer our life. They are the core ethics and principles that are the desired end state for how we want to live our life.
What do you value most?
VALUE 1: PASSIONATE
We are passionate about our relationship with Christ and what He is doing in others.
What are you most passionate about?
Isaiah 26:9; Psalm 73:25; Psalm 42:2; Psalm 63:1
One of the greatest values you can set for your life is your constant and continuous passion for God.
Most of us are good at “God I need you”, but we’re not so good at “God I want you”.
Two things about passion:
It’s a pursuit – It’s a daily thing experienced in daily ways through daily motivation.
It takes work – It doesn’t just happen. (Psalm 25:15)
VALUE 2: TRY HARD
We do our best to make it look like we tried. We believe God uses and honours our best efforts to make a difference.
You have been gifted by God and you can either bury that talent or expound it 10-fold. Try hard says I will use what I’ve been given to make a difference. (Colossians 3:23)
It’s recognizing our effort is a form of worship to God. So in our workplace, we step up; in our spiritual life we are determined; in our physical health we are motivated; in our relationships, we are engaged.
VALUE 3: LEAN IN
We do whatever it takes to accomplish shared vision and goals.
This value reminds us we don’t live life in a silo. It reminds us that there is more to life than me, myself and I.
It pushes us to stop and help, stop and listen, stop and engage.
This value costs the most expensive thing we own: love and time.
Hebrews 13:16; Philippians 2:4
You don’t grow without intention. You don’t further yourself without a guide. I’m whispering in your ear, “let’s do this!”.
QUESTIONS:
What value is going well for you?
Which one do you need to implement in a greater way?
– The most important thing in life is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” (Luke 10:27) – – Be focused on knowing God more (Philippians 3:10). Good questions that help gauge this:
How much time in a week do you spend intentionally growing in your pursuit of Christ?
When was the last time you just sensed His favor on your life?
In this past week, were you led by God to do or say something to someone?
What thoughts are you in the habit of thinking? How does your thought life shape who you are?
How do you naturally enjoy God?
– Being focused means creating a weekly church routine. Stay engaged otherwise you may drift. – What’s one thing you can do to know Jesus more?
2. BE INTENTIONAL
– Jesus’ last words to his disciples were to go and make disciples. Peter and John did just that. (Acts 4:20) – The Christian faith was never meant to be individually contained. It was meant to be told and spoken. – We can be intentional in three ways:
We can love through our words
We can love through our deeds
We can love through our finances
–What’s one thing you can do to love people more?
3. BE HOPEFUL
– Christians don’t live as people without hope. (Romans 5:3-5) – Hope can’t thrive in the presence of a heavy heart. (John 14:1; Psalm 91:2) – We bring hope by the way we speak. (Proverbs 18:21) – What’s one way you can bring hope to someone today?
4. BE READY
– Jesus is coming again. We are not on the planning committee we are on the welcoming committee. – Keep watch and be ready. (Matthew 24:42) – If anything is separating you and Jesus, deal with it and make yourself ready. – What is one thing you need to do to be ready?
Do you ever wonder what it looks like to take what you’ve heard in the past series and live it out in a practical sense in our lives? Do you ever wonder how others are being impacted by the messages each week and if God is speaking and moving in the lives of others? And if He is… HOW is He?
Well, we have introduced a BRAND NEW PODCAST SERIES called “The Recap”, allowing us reflect on our past series and celebrate what God is doing in our city and through Hope City Church!
Summer has JUST wrapped up along with the remarkable eight-part series, Weeds, exposing the things in our life that hold us back! There have been so many incredible things happen in our midst as a church and in our city, PLUS, we have explored eight different topics that forced us to look beyond the surface in our lives. We wanted to create a space for us to process this together – a space that brings insight into what others experience as they process through these series and what God is doing in our community.
This is a series about things that can distract, hinder, and prevent us from fully thriving in our Christian life. Things that can choke out the work of God in our life. (Mark 4:1-20)
Addictions are the things that control us even though we believe we can control them. Paul wrote, “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14). Your addiction should never master or rule over you. Paul said, “I have the right to do anything, but I will not be mastered by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12).
6 Questions to see if you are mastered by something:
Do your friends and family say you have a problem?
Do you continue even though you are hurting people?
Do you arrange your schedule around it?
Can you go a week without it?
Is it leading you to isolation and damaging your relationships?
Are you trying to keep it a secret?
Lies we tend to believe:
1. You are defined by your addiction. – Our adversary wants us to personalize and internalize our addiction. – You are who God says you are.
2. You will always live with guilt and shame. – Satan wants to convince you that you are not only defined by your addiction, but you are debilitated by your addiction. – Guilt traps us, shame hinders us, but Jesus frees us. He says you can be justified.
Good Advice:
No more excuses (Philippians 4:13)
Take drastic steps (1 Corinthians 15:33; James 4:7)
Fill the void (Ephesians 5:18)
God Advice:
His grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9).Don’t allow a rerun to ruin your reset.
If you are struggling with an addiction there is power in the name of Jesus to set you free. Take our freedom session course. Sign up at hopecity.ca/freedom-session
