• Paul was in Corinth when he wrote Romans. The first four chaps of Corinthians talks a lot about getting along (unity). Romans 12 shows us how to do it.

• vs 1 - Foundation -- Worship leads to Winning.

• ** When we properly WORSHIP God in a spiritual relationship we WIN w/others in earthly relationships. How?

• Sacrifice - The foundation of all relationships is a willingness to surrender.

• We are to be the living dead - alive but dead (don't let your body or soul rule you).

• vs 2a - In order to be the living dead we need to transform.

• We change at the level of identity.

• Our brain has to catch up with our new identity through renewal.

• Renounce / Replace takes place in the MIND! This is healthy thinking.

• ** Healthy people thinking healthy thoughts have healthy relationships.

• vs 2b - Healthy thinking allows us to see as God sees (we will know His will).

• vs 3 - Healthy thinking people are humble.

• Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, but yourself less - putting others first.

• vs 4-5 - Humble people accept others (vs 5).

• Acceptance is the lifeblood of intimacy.

• Belonging is one of our core human needs.

• This verse says, "I accept you because you belong to me and I belong to you!"

• vs 6-9 - We're all different - prophet, servant, teacher, encourager, giver, leader, merciful.

• Healthy thinkers accept people for who they are.

• vs 9a - Love is the foundation for acceptance.

• "Without hypocrisy" - You shouldn’t say one thing and think/feel another.

• vs 9b - True love involves compassion with standards.

• We don’t love someone if we are secretly enjoying evil.

• vs 10a - "Brotherly love" - familial love is not based on performance.

• No bad behavior can change your love for family.

• vs 10b - Honor - do what you know they want and need w/out having to be asked.

• Honor communicates PRIORITY.

• The best relationships are serving competitions.

• “You go first…” “No, you go first…” Try to outdo each other.

• vs 11 - Love naturally grows cold if you don’t proactively stoke it.

• Zeal = enthusiasm / fervent = passionate, servant-hearted as unto the Lord…

• vs 12 - be hopeful, patient when things get hard, prayerful…

• vs 13 - be generous and welcoming.

• vs 14 - Bless those who treat you bad.

• vs 15-16a - One of the key signs of a successful marriage is “Shared Meaning.”

• Be on the same team, sharing in joys and sorrows.

• Have the same goals, share the same dream - you’ll naturally grow close.

• vs 16b - reminder to be humble, get down into the other person's situation.

• vs 17 - reminder to not react when treated poorly.

• 5:1 ratio - you need to make 5 positive comments to one negative.

• 20:1 ratio - the healthiest couples are in this range.

• vs 18 - Behave like what he's listed above and there will most likely be peace.

• Acceptance is the foundation for peace.

• vs 19 - one more encouragement to not react to mistreatment.

• Trust God to handle the situation and you will not sin.

• vs 20 - respond to evil with good.

• An enemy is someone who’s crossed your boundaries.

• Spouses must erect, communicate, and honor boundaries.

• vs 21 - this is the 4th time Paul has mentioned this - the only way to combat evil is by doing good.

• You have to be on OFFENSE if you want healthy relationships.

• When you respond to evil with good it gets you out of your vicious cycle of contention.

* There things we are to do with God:

* 1) TRUST Him (vs 5-6) - we are to find our security in Him, which means to give Him our allegiance.

* 2) FEAR Him (vs 7-8) - we should know God’s love includes mercy and justice. Which one we receive is up to us.

* 3) HONOR Him (vs 9-10) - doing what He wants us to do with a heart to please Him.

* One of the best ways to honor Him is with our money.

* There are three classes of sinner:

* 1) Simple - naive people who believe anything but examine nothing. They stare blankly at you when you present truth.

* 2) Scorners - they think they know everything and laugh at things that are important. They sneer at you when you present truth.

* 3) Fools - they have no spiritual desire and only care about themselves. They snarl at you when you present truth.

* When it was God’s time to speak, what would He say?

* He didn’t point out the fallacies in what they said.

* He asked them questions about the ordinary things they see and experience every day.

* Why?

* So they could get back to the main issue - Who is God?

* They needed to see inside the things they took for granted - the sea, storms, animals, light, rain, dirt, water, etc.

* God had to remind these men of His almighty power holding the world together.

* Are you discouraged?

* Who’s keeping your heart beating? Who made your lungs to take in the ari you’re breathing now? How about the trees in your yard - who made those and keeps them fed?

* When we are tempted to questions what, when, where, why, and how, God always responds with WHO!

* The Lord’s prayer involves us asking for forgiveness for our debts (Matthew 6:12) and trespasses (6:14).

* A debt is when we fail to do what we’re supposed to do.

* A trespass is when we’ve done what we shouldn’t have done.

* This verse tells us we are to “do good,” which honors our debt to love others.

* And it also tells us we are to “hate evil,” which keeps us from trespassing against others.

* Obeying this verse is how we live out the Lord’s prayer.

* The first thing Paul mentions after talking about transformation was humility.

* The number one thing a transformed mind will NOT think about is itself.

* Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.

* On this foundation you can then accept everyone for who God made them to be - vs 4-8.

* Unity and cohesiveness is the result of a community walking in transformation.

* These four verses are powerful to help keep men who struggle with sexual temptation pure.

* Job says that if his heart is drawn to other women (vs 9),

* Then let his wife become another man’s slave and mistress (vs 10).

* That’s why he ends with vs 12 - “For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction.”

* If you’re a man struggling with sexual temptation think of this like Job did.

* Would you make that deal? If you give in to that sin then you are ok with your wife doing the same?

* No man in his right mind would take that deal.

* This will help you NOT want to give in to the temptation.

* “For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness…so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.”

* How do you overcome temptation?

* The same way you gave into it!

* How did you give into it?

* You made a decision to do it.

* The temptation came, you said yes, and death occurred.

* Reverse this.

* The temptation comes, you say no, and life takes place.

* It’s that simple.

* Don’t focus on saying, “no” to death - focus on saying, “yes” to life.

* Romans 7:11 - Behind every temptation is a lie from the devil.

* The key is to expose the lie and target it with God’s truth.

* vs 1-3 - Abe wasn’t a “Christian,” but he had a credit on his account.

* This is how people got saved in the Old Testament.

* Their trust in God was credited as righteousness (being in “right relationship” with God).

* Like me at the Chipotle line - all five of my family members go first, the lady at the register punches in their order and amount, then runs a tab until I get there to pay the bill.

* They were able to take their food and eat because their meals were “credited” to them.

* I happen to be the one who pays the bill - always!

* The same is true - Abe’s faith gave him the credit he needed so Jesus could pay the bill.

* vs 4-5 - Switching Accounts

* Paul is telling them they can’t work for salvation - only faith can get it for you.

* Otherwise God would be in your debt - when you work your boss “owes” you something, but God owes us nothing.

* Jesus “switches accounts” with us.

* Imagine you have $10 in your account and another guy has $1million.

* He tells you he wants to switch accounts with you if you simply trust that he has the money and he will do what he says, and that you will tell the world about his generosity.

* Would you do it?

* This is what Jesus does for us, but it’s our choice.

* We have nothing. He has everything. He will give it to us if we place our faith in Him.

* It’s like me not just paying for my kids at the Chipotle line, but giving them my credit card.

* The number one core human need is the need for security.

* Security asks the question, “who can I trust?”

* A baby learns to trust her mom.

* As she grows some type of trauma will hit where her faith in mom will be shattered.

* Mom didn’t come through like she thought.

* Will she continue to trust her mom?

* Maturity says she will as she grows to understand her mom isn’t perfect.

* This same trust is what we are to place in Jesus (faith like a child).

* Romans talks about JUSTIFICATION - we are justified by faith.

* God looks at us “just as if” we haven’t sinned.

* We get this through faith in Jesus.

* Faith is all about trust - we trust that Jesus is Savior and He died for us.

* We trust in Him, placing our faith fully in Him, finding our security in Him alone.

* When we do this we are seen by God “just as if” we have never sinned.

* We are justified.

* This thought brought about the protestant reformation.

* vs 31 - the law is still good - it leads us to faith.