Romans  108

If Possible, Live Peaceably with all Men

March 23, 2003

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 19:23  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24    And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25 When his disciples heard [it], they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

 

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 11:28  Come unto me, all [ye] that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.

 

 

 

ROMANS 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39    Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

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 18:27  And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

 

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 1:12  For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

 

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 12:25  And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? 26    If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? (In other words he is telling them that if you can’t even do for yourselves those things which affect you alone, then how do you expect to do anything greater? But then he tells them the key, which is God Himself who is able.)  27  Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more [will he clothe] you, O ye of little faith? 29  And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30    For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32    Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  

 

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 Saint John 5:19.

 

EPHESIANS 2:14 For he is our peace,

 

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 California raise a lot oranges, citrus fruit. Did you know that that little tree when you plant it just about that high, half inch high, that every bushel of--of peaches, apples, oranges, grapefruit, everything that that little tree will ever bear in all of its life on the earth, is in it when you set it out? That's right. Certainly it is; it's a seed, and the life is in the seed. The only thing you'll have to do is to water the seed. Well, I... You put me on record tonight in these recorders. I have no apology for this remark that I'm fixing to make. I believe, and can prove, that the right mental attitude towards any Divine promise of God will bring it to pass. Yes, sir. The right mental attitude, but you've got to have the right attitude. The--the attitude is what brings the results. If you say, "Yes, yes, I believe it but I don't know now." That's not the right attitude. The right attitude is to receive it, and say it's "THUS SAITH THE LORD." Then it's right.

 

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.