No Ordinary Faith
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· 8 viewsGod has called us to display a Christlike love to others, especially to those of the household of faith.
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Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good.
Introduction: Love is a word that we have thrown around a lot in our culture - to the point that we have diluted it of meaning. We use it in so many incidental ways. For example, I might say that I love to eat Tacos. I also might say that I love puppies. Now I don’t love those two things in the same way, right?
I remember as a teenager, how many girls I was “in love with” - usually a new one each week.
I came across a post on the internet where people were challenged to describe love in 5 words. Some of these are pretty good, some are funny, and some are inappropriate for a church setting and therefore won’t be shared.
“Thinking as ‘we’ not ‘me.’”
“Support though ups and downs.”
“Letting her paint my fingernails.”
“Wiping away his eye crust.”
“Wearing PJs and eating takeout.”
“Valuing her life above mine.”
Of course, we have also seen an assault upon love in recent times. The notion that “Love is Love” is an example of that.
At first glance, this seems like a noble concept. But when you understand it, you will see it for what it really is - deception.
This is what the world means when it says, love is love: The idea is that any sexual relationship marked by affection and respect – between consenting adults of whatever gender or number – is a legitimate form of love and hence beyond reproach.
Love is Love is really lust, masquerading as love.
So let us take some time today to talk about love.
The Source of Our Love - God
The Source of Our Love - God
God is Love.
That phrase comes directly from scripture.
The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Love is an essential attribute of God. It is a core aspect of his character, his person. It in no way conflicts with other aspects of his character such as his holiness, righteousness, justice, or his wrath.
All of his attributes are in perfect harmony with each other since He is perfect.
In the Greek culture, they had 4 primary words for love. Each described love in a different context.
Eros - we get the term erotic from this word. It is romantic love.
Storge - Love within the context of family such as the love between a father or mother and a child.
Phileo - Brotherly love or the love displayed in close friendship. (Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love.)
Agape - is a general term of love but it can also refer to the Love that God has for his children - the unconditional love.
When Paul writes, “let love be genuine.” He uses the word Agapao.
The love that we should have for others has God’s love for it’s foundation.
The only way we can even come close to expressing true love is through our relationship with God.
Agape love does not come naturally to us in our sinful state. However, it does come naturally to God and is an integral part of Him.
By drawing closer to Him and experiencing His love, we can begin to understand what this real love means. Only through Him can we show and experience agape love.
Agape isn’t born just out of emotions, feelings, familiarity, or attraction but from the will and as a choice.
Matthew 22:37-39, also known as “The Greatest Commandment,” instructs us to agapao God with all of our being and love our neighbors as we would love ourselves, while Matthew 5:43-46 instructs us to even agapao our enemies.
The Need to Scrutinize Our Love - Without Hypocrisy
The Need to Scrutinize Our Love - Without Hypocrisy
Paul said we are to let our love be without hypocrisy.
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.
Pastor Steven Cole points out some truth about the kind of love we ought to have for others.
“The English word “sincere” comes from two Latin words meaning, “without wax.” Dishonest merchants would fill a crack in a pot with wax and glaze over it, selling the defective pot as if it were just fine. Only later would the buyer discover that the pot was worthless. So honest dealers would stamp sine cera on the pot, verifying that it was without wax.
The Greek word that Paul uses means “without hypocrisy.” The word was used of the masks used by actors on the stage. You have probably seen these in advertisements for stage plays in our day. Some of the masks were happy, others were sad. The actor did not necessarily feel as the mask signaled, but the mask showed the role that he was playing. Paul says that our love for one another is not to be a phony mask or role playing, but rather be the real thing.To love without hypocrisy and without expectation, we must be empowered by God's Spirit living inside of us.”
No doubt, you have experienced hypocritical love at some point in your life. It might have been from a family member or a friend. It might have happened in the worst place possible - a church.
When you come to church, you expect genuine love. Correct? Nothing is worse than fake love.
True, but I would also remind you that the church is made up of imperfect sinners and sinners sin.
Hypocritical love comes from a selfish heart. Unlike real love which puts the interests of others first.
Going back to when I was a teenager and thinking of all the girls I “loved”… That was a purely selfish love on my part… mainly because I didn’t necessarily experience selfless love at home.
We should constantly evaluate or scrutinize our love for others to make sure we are genuine - without hypocrisy - without any mask.
Why is that important for love in the context of the church? I like what Warren Wiersbe wrote about the matter: “Love is the circulatory system of the spiritual body, which enables all the members to function in a healthy, harmonious way”
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 555.We Must Stand Firm in Our Practice of Love (vv. 10-21)
And by the way my friends, that is precisely why Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 13 (It was in the context of how we ought to treat one another as the body of Christ.)
If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known. Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.
We Must Stand Firm in our Practice of Love (vv.9b-13)
We Must Stand Firm in our Practice of Love (vv.9b-13)
The verses that follow Romans 12:9a give a practical way in which we ought to love. Some are related to how we ought to love the body of Christ. Others are mostly how we ought to love those outside of the body of Christ.
I don’t have time this morning to walk through all of these seemingly random commands. We are just going to focus on the ones up to verse 13, and the rest of the chapter I will assign to you as homework.
(There will be a quiz next week.)
“Detest evil; cling to what is good.”
Biblical love is discerning. Since God hates sin, to be indifferent toward sin is the same as being indifferent toward God.
No doubt you have heard people say, “don’t judge me.” We hear that a lot on the street; “doesn’t the Bible say to judge not?” Or maybe you have heard the expression, “don’t judge people who sin differently than you do.”
The verse they use to back that up has been ripped out of context. Jesus refers to hypocritical judgement in those verses.
In fact Jesus said in John 7:24
Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
We are not hating anyone when we call attention to their sin. We are doing so because we recognize that sin has consequences and we love them.
Did you child ever come near something dangerous when they were growing up - say, a hot stove? Did you tell them, “I love you and you can do whatever you want?”
He also gives a positive command here - cling to that which is good. Be glued to it!
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
It’s easy do do one and neglect the other one.
“Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters.”
The word Paul choses here is Philadelphia referring to the natural love among brothers but he also ads another word referring to family affection. It is a word that originally applied to blood relatives but now he applies them to Christians.
This is a command, not a suggestion to try whenever you feel loving.
“Take the lead in honoring one another.”
Illus. After resigning his pastorate to go lead another church, a pastor was approached by an endearing older member of the congregation. She wept over the pastor’s decision to leave and said, “Things will never be the same.” The minister tried to console her by saying, “Don’t worry, I’m confident you will get a new pastor who is better than me.” She continued to cry and replied, “That’s what the last three pastors have said, but they just keep getting worse.”
File that under how NOT to honor one another.
If we seek to honor one another, we won’t be concerned if no one honors us.
Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord.
When it comes to serving the Lord and his church, we should always be zealous to serve.
It’s easy to sit back and say, well - “so in so is not doing their part!” God says, “You don’t worry about them. What are you doing? Take the lead!”
To be fervent in Spirit is to be boiling hot.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Ray Stedman said, “The way to rejoice in hope is explained by the two others things mentioned here. You can rejoice in hope because you are patient in affliction, and you are patient in affliction because you have been faithful in prayer. That is what makes you patient. So, when trials come, the thing to do is to begin with prayer.”
Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
There we come to verse 13
Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.
Christians meeting the needs of the saints was one of the marks of the early church.
And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
We have so much help available these days through the government, they we often forget that the church is responsible for helping it’s own. And even some of the government help is not enough to meet the needs that people have at times. Don’t believe me? Try to live on Social Security disability alone.
“Practice hospitality”
If a believer, often poor, was traveling far from home, they depended upon the hospitality of the saints to meet the need for lodging and food.
In our day, do we open our homes to other believers for fellowship, encouragement, and refreshment? Do we share with our brothers and sisters in their time of need?
As I said earlier, we must stand fast in the practice of our love. The source of our love is God and it must be genuine.