Love Fulfills
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Romans 13:1-7 discusses government
God instituted government all the way back in Genesis
It was designed to protect
Here in Romans 13, we see that Paul is saying that the government will punish bad as it is the minister of God to us for good
We understand that we ought to obey the law
There is no legitimate religious reason why we “can’t” follow the speed limit or why we “can’t” pay our taxes
In fact, verse 6 and 7 say we ought to pay tribute to the government
However, we also understand (Pastor Lloyd has mentioned it often) that the moment the government steps out from underneath God’s authority we no longer have the obligation to listen to the government because we are to obey the higher authority.
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Mounce states, “The believer’s ultimate allegiance is to God. Wherever the demands of secular society clearly violate this higher allegiance, the Christian will act outside the law.”
The Principle of Love and the Law
The Principle of Love and the Law
up to this point Paul has focused on what a Christian must do in terms of his behavior.
He has given commands on how to treat your enemies, how to live sacrificially for the Lord.
He has said that the Christian ought to be benevolent in giving.
That he ought not be lazy
That he ought to be patient
He must be a servant of all
But now Paul turns his attention to the greatest law of all…LOVE
Love is to be premiere in the life and heart of a believer
There is nothing greater than love
I would challenge anyone to think of something greater than that
1 Corinthians 13:1–13 (KJV 1900)
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Without Love, a believer is nothing.
His talents, his abilities, his personality, his charisma, his bank account, his job, his status, his rank, his position, his influence…all worthless without love
a person can give without loving nut cannot love without giving
The Christian is to allow no debt to remain outstanding except the one that can never be paid off—“the debt to love one another.”
Love’s debt is large.
Says Paul, "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law" (v. 8).
Love will always have the interests of the creditor in view.
This is not a precept to forbid a Christian from entering into a contractual agreement whereby he obtains a properly bonded loan.
It does, however, forbid the Christian to borrow money beyond his ability to repay.
It is very easy nowadays to accumulate debts which strain income to the breaking point.
The Christian is to avoid this kind of thing.
It is just as dishonest to buy more than can be paid for and to keep the creditor waiting for his money, as it is to steal.
Nothing will ruin a Christian testimony faster than chronic indebtedness.
Love touches the Christian’s conscience and makes him eager to live beyond reproach in this matter of money.
The story of Zacchaeus illustrates this. ]No sooner had this dishonest tax collector come face to face with the Lord Jesus than he exclaimed, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold."
Said Jesus to him, "This day is salvation come to this house" (Luke 19:8-9).
Zacchaeus was not saved because he wanted to put his financial affairs in order.
He wanted to put his financial affairs in order because he was saved.
His personal contact with the Lord Jesus won his heart and quickened his conscience.
Phillips put it this way:
While other debts may be discharged, the debt of love is always owing. Any payment made on this debt does not release us from continued indebtedness. "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another." This is the reason for the Lord’s remarkable answer to Peter when Peter raised the question, "Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?" The Lord’s answer was, "I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven" (Matt. 18:21-22). When Peter has forgiven his brother seven times, he has not even begun to discharge his debt of love. He must forgive and forgive and forgive, realizing that such is the love of God. Love’s debt is large.
The Practicality of Love and the Law
The Practicality of Love and the Law
So many commandments in the Old Testament, so hard to keep them all
Even the Ten Commandments are extremely difficult to keep
Impossible to keep
I’m so thankful for the simplicity of the New Testament
Yes there is quite a bit of precepts and principles we ought to grow in but if we focus on one things everything else will fall into place
Verse 9 makes it clear that we wouldn’t break the law if we just loved like we ought to
The Lord Jesus reduced the Ten Commandments to two, underlining the heart of each of them and placing the emphasis on love rather than on law.
"The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:29-31).
Jesus added, "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matt. 22:40).
Paul underlines the last five because they deal with love’s duty to mankind.
When a rich young ruler came to Christ wanting to know what he must do to inherit eternal life, the Lord Jesus simply quoted to him these five commandments.
When the young man claimed to have kept all these from his youth up, Jesus showed him in a single sentence that he had done nothing of the kind.
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
The young man went sorrowfully away because "he had great possessions." The Lord’s sword thrust to his conscience revealed in a flash that he really did not love his neighbor as he loved himself.
A man who loves his neighbor as himself will not
Defile his neighbor’s wife
Nor murder him
Nor steal from him
Nor lie about him
Nor covet anything he has
The underlying principle of the Judaism was/is law.
The underlying principle of the Christianity is love.
Imagine love, like that which Paul describes in 1 Cor 13, being turned on one’s neighbor!
No wonder Paul says that "love is the fulfilling of the law."
Love’s moral conscience fulfills the law not only out of debt and duty but also out of desire.
There is a sense of duty in love.
Our culture promotes love as only desire and emotion
But this is not Biblical love
In our marriage vows, we say “for better or for worse, richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health.”
each of those takes choice and duty
It’s easy to “love” when everything is going well but if you stop loving when things go sideways was it really love?
Godly love will continue to love no matter what
That is what God did for us
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.