Romans
108
If Possible, Live
Peaceably with all Men
Brian Kocourek
Now, This morning in examining this 18th Verse of Romans 12, we will first begin by looking at the first part of this statement, where Paul says, If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, and that is the key to the rest of this verse where we are commanded to live peaceably with all men. But it all depends here on what lieth in you. In other translations such as the NIV and the Wuest this verse is read as…
WUEST & NIV & Amplified translation of Romans 12: 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with
everyone.
Now, the word
possible here is the Greek word dunatos
{doo-nat-os'} which comes from the root dunamis which speaks of power.
The word means – to be able to do
something, powerful, mighty, excelling in something, strong in soul: to bear
calamities and trials with fortitude and patience; strong in Christian virtue
Now the fact that
this scripture speak of being able to do this thing, it places the full
responsibility of your action within you. If it be possible, if it lies in you
to be able, live at peace with all men. Then what if it doesn’t? What if it
isn’t possible within us, then what? Now,
in reading this verse we see that sometimes it may not be possible for you to
live in peace with all me. But it all depends on what is in you. For the word
possible speaks of inner strength as a factor in your living at peace. Strong
in soul, to be able to bear trials and calamities with fortitude and patience.
And this speaks of strong Christian Virtue. We find the same Greek word used as
able in Luke 14.
LUKE 14:31 Or what
king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and
consulteth whether he be able
with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
Now, as we have seen
this word was translated as possible and able but the real key lies deep within
your soul nature. For if you try to do so with just the merits of your flesh,
you most likely will fall, but if your soul has been quickened to the Life of
God in You, then
with God all things are possible.
MATTHEW
MARK 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all
things [are] possible to him
that believeth. If thou canst believe, all things [are] able to him that believeth.
Therefore it all
comes down to whether or not you want to believe that you are able. Did not The
Apostle Paul tell us that God would not place any trial upon us that we were
not able to bear?
I
CORINTHIANS 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to
man: but God [is] faithful, who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].
MATTHEW
ROMANS
Do you realize that
no matter what happens in this hour, you have a promise from God and He is here
to bring to pass what He has promised? But it takes His God life in you to come
to maturity to bring forth in you that Promise of a change of the body. He has
promised it to us, and He has placed everything you will have need of for that
change, now it is a matter of timing.
JOHN 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am
the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a
branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire,
and they are burned.7 If ye abide in me,
and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto
you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye
be my disciples. 9 ¶ As the Father hath
loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye
keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my
Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken
unto you, that my joy might remain in
you, and [that] your joy might be full.
Now, we have just
read where Jesus tells us that it all depends upon God. We are of ourselves
nothing, but He is everything, and we of ourselves can do nothing, but He is
more than able. So then our focus must not be on self, but on the will of the
Father.
LUKE
Therefore if God is
with you Who can be against you. We are able, and all things are possible if
you would only believe. For with God all things are possible. He who gave His Word
is here to confirm it.
Even Jesus was dependent
upon God, His Father to either give him that inner strength. LUKE 22:42 Saying, Father, if
thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine,
be done.
Paul, also said He knew for what reason He was willing to suffer, knowing that what things he had committed unto God, He was more than Able to keep for him.
II TIMOTHY
Who on their own has been able to have children at 100 years old or even 90 years old like Abraham and Sara had. But Abraham knew that God who gave the promise was more than Able to perform that which He had promised.
ROMANS 4:19 And being not
weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about
an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God
through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being
fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22
And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
HOUR IS COME
51-0415E E-17 Now, the right mental attitude... All you
along here, do you understand what I mean when I say, "The right mental
attitude?" That's... Your right mental attitude towards God's Divine
promise will bring any promise to pass. Now, maybe you don't believe that. You
say, "Well, my faith is weak." I wouldn't confess it. See? Don't let
the devil know that. Always say, "I've got good faith. I believe God with
all my heart." See? Don't testify nothing of the devil. And when you
accept Him as your Healer, don't never act like you're sick or crippled any
more. Believe that you're healed. Take Him at His Word. Then it's all over on
God then and not on you. See? You... As long as you take God at His Word, then
the Word will produce what It promised to do. Is that right? Now, have faith,
believe Him with all your heart.
SEEKING AFTER JESUS 53-0531 E-14
And now, listen to this closely. Any Divine promise of God, the right
mental attitude towards any Divine promise of God will bring it to pass. If you
can look at it right and believe it in that way that it's written, say,
"God, it's Your Word," and take the right mental attitude towards
that Divine promise, it'll bring it to pass; 'cause there's no defeat: faith
cannot be defeated. There's no defeat to faith. Watch the ministry of our Lord.
He did not claim to be a great person: borned in a--come by the way of a stable
door; went out the way of capital punishment; owned about one garment in His
lifetime; never had a place to lay His head; never went very far; traveled
along humbly; lived among the peasants; spoke a very common language. He was no
great person. Or claimed not to be. The Bible said He took on Himself of no
reputation, made Hisself no reputation.
AT THY WORD 53-1204 E-50
You don't know how you'll get up out of that chair, and get away from
there tonight. See? You don't know how you're going to do this, and how these
other diseases are going to be healed, "But at Thy Word, Lord, I'm going
to let down the net." "At Thy word, Lord, I'm going to rise up from
here. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but at Thy Word, Lord." That's
it. Take God at His Word, and God's spoken Word must--will materialize and
produce just exactly what It says It will. Listen. The right mental attitude
towards any Divine promise of God will bring it to pass. I don't care what it
is. If--if you plant, if you want corn, you plant corn, water corn, leave corn
alone. It'll produce corn. Is that right? Wheat will produce wheat. The promise
of salvation will produce a Christian. The promise of the Holy Ghost will bring
It to you. The promise of Divine healing will make you well. Any Divine promise
of God... And the Bible said that the Word of God is a Seed. Is that right?
E-51
Jesus said that a sower sowed. And if you'll just take It in your heart
and don't dig It up every day to see how it's getting along. Just sink It in
your heart and settle It. That's all. Walk right on. God will take care of the
rest of it. He's obligated to His Word. Do you know that every thing that you
see tonight is God's Word materialized? Do you know your body is God's Word
materialized? Do you know them beans there is God's Word materialized? Do you
know that concrete is God's spoken Word materialized? You know this whole earth
is God spoke and said, "Let there be," and He believed His Own Word
and a earth come into existence? If it didn't, where did it come from? Well,
you say, "It come off the sun." Well, who spoke the sun into
existence? See? Everything is God's Word. The worlds were framed by the Word of
God. The Bible said so. God just spoke it, and He believed His Own Word, and
that's what it was.
In the Book of Luke,
we here Jesus tells us how to test our abilities. LUKE
In other words get
yourself focused on receiving the promise. Don’t be thinking of how you will
receive it, but focus on receiving it, and possessing it. That’s the key. Think
in terms of already having past tense received it because God who is Able has
promised it, and He is not a man that He could lie.
II CORINTHIANS 9:8 And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having
all sufficiency in all [things], may abound to every good work:
EXPECTATIONS
50-0405 E-13 Just for a little text, if I should call it
that, I want to speak for a moment or two on the word of
"Expectation." We always get
what we expect. When people expect anything, well then they usually get
what you look for. It's the mental attitude that you have. Remember this, and
never forget it. The right mental attitude towards any promise of God will
bring it to pass, the right mental attitude towards any promise of God. It
doesn't take gifts of healing to heal sick people, any person in here has a right
to meet Satan anywhere, if you're a Christian, and defeat him on any grounds
that he could stand on. When Jesus Christ was here on earth, and in Him dwelled
the fullness of the Godhead bodily, all the great powers of God was in His Son,
Christ Jesus. For the Scripture tells us that God was in Christ reconciling the
world to Himself. All things was delivered unto Him, though He spoke nothing
but what the Father told Him. He healed no one but what He first saw being
healed. For He said, "Verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing in
Himself, but what He sees the Father doing." That was
EPHESIANS
II CORINTHIANS 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not
carnal, but mighty (able) through God to the pulling down of strong
holds;)
II CORINTHIANS 12:10 Therefore I take
pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in
distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong (made
able).
WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST 53-1213M E-8 The right mental attitude towards any Divine
promise of God will bring it to pass." See? 'Cause it's a seed. It has to. And if the right mental attitude, you just
take the right mental attitude towards any Divine promise, watch it
materialize. See? No matter how it looks, if it looks impossible, if God said
so He makes it possible. Is that...?... wonderful.
GOD IN HIS WORD 57-0323 E-35
You believe God is in His Word? The Bible said that the Word of God is
like a seed that a man sowed. Now, you people here in
TITUS 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. And what makes us able? Sound Doctrine.
JUDE 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on
your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love
of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22
And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with fear, pulling [them]
out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. 24 Now
unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless
before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, [be]
glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.