Rooted In Love: How do we Love one another

Introduction

Greeting

Hello, hybrid family its always a honour to gathering together on sundays commuion with each other and honour the Lord, so thank you for coming.

Why

Many of you know were currently in a series called rooted in love, the question might be asked why? The reason is its the whole point of The scriptures it everything had to be summarized to one word it would be love. Love Caused God to created the world, Love caused the father to send his son, Love Caused christ to lay his life, Love turned a violent man like paul to be sacriffe lamb for the church. Love is the call of the the church to one another to the world.

Story

I was watching a show where this Special Agent, who is so though and strong, Got shot in the show and in the show she started transcending into the afterlife and in the after life what she sees a person and that person was here father who died when she was 9 years old and her last word was dont go to work and she was upset with him. She breaksdown and looks at her father and say i wish i told you i love you so much and the father looks back at her and say i know. I hit me no matter how old we get or we all crave love and i belive we were designed to love God and one another.

Context

The apostle paul, a man who turned from persecuting the church to planting churches all over asia minor planted a church in rome. The people of this church were both jew and gentle and that brought conflict because even though they both came to beliuve in jesus as lord and saviour there was differences in culture in the church. These differences were regarding food, festivals and sabbathes which were required under the old regulations. The Apostle writes in the first 8 chapters a theological grounds for why both jews and gentiles are accepted and he grounds there salvation in the finished work of jesus christ. Then he moves into the implications of the cross, which he says is the whole law is fulfiled in loving another he spells that out for us practically.

Transition

Lets look to the screen as we will start from romans 13:8-10

Text

Romans 13:8–10 NIV

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Teaching

The apostle paul, sees all of the commands simply summarized in Loving God and Loving our neighbrors as ourselves. This isnt a new command but was spoke by jesus christ himself, The law was a list on commands and instructions for life but if you had to abscrat the bones of all the commnads what remains is love. You should committed adultery why becuase humans arent things to use for sexual persure but people to love. You should murder because There existed is a reflect of God and its a gift God gave them. You should covet because what anothers have doesnt belong to us it belongs to them. The underlining pattern is a care for somone else as if they were yourself. This fulfills and reveals the heart of God. This is actually an ongoing debt why because Christ paid all our debt on the cross and payed with his perciosu life something we cant afford to pay but we are indebited to love.

Story

The number one thing that kills unity in a marriage, family or church is bitterness and resentment. Many people dont understand how God hates disunity. What does it mean when we hold resentment, its a sign we need to talk to the person who hurt us or we need to forgive or pray for there forgiveness. I have seen it destory individuals, familys, and churches and if we are to be united like christ desires us to be is we cant be cowards but have the conversations nessery and forgive. we have no right to hold on to resentment but we have a ongoing debt of love.

Transition

I want to tell you a story about saint augustine

Text

Story

Saint augustines life was transformed by his verses, he was born in north africa his mother was a christian but his father a greek and he reejected christinaity when he was young. He felt his home and went to greece or rome to be edcuationed and he started to behavior like the people of his day by having orgies and he got his a women pregent. He was a seeker so he pursued many philopsical ideas of his day but they all fell short. Until he might a bishop that reasoned with him about the realities of christiainity and one day he was near courtyard and he heard a child saying pick and read pick up and read and he didnt know whose voice it was nor where he came from but went through a bag and found the new testament and he opened the scriptures and it landed on romans 13:11-14.

Romans 13:11–14 NIV

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Teaching

He said deep joy and light shined in his heart becuase God had spoke to him through this verse. The apostle shifts his focus to two main ideas one that salvation is near, what does that mean the in scripture salvation is spoken of in three pharses one is when we frist belived in jesus the bible says we got saved becuase we trusted in christ work for us, but when the holy spirit came to live inside you, the bible says you are being saved in a ongoing sense because the spirit is renewing your mind, bring conviction and comfort and revelation but the ultimate work of salvation is when Jesus returns because that is when our salvation is complte because we recieve our bodies, creation is retored and we co rule with christ in his kingdom. Paul is saying that jesus is returning soon so wake up from your sober be aware of the spiritual realities of life. Live a life that shows your aware of the spiritual realities.

Transition

In the remain passage he addresses a problem in that church that is still a problem in many churchs. How do we unit if we have theological differnces that are essential for salvation?

Text

Romans 14:1–8 NIV

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Story

many times in the church we are quick to call people fasle teachers and phophets or judge christians who hold different views then us. Paul here isnt saying dont judge a christian who is living like the world or is comprising essential doctrines for salvation but there rather his making a difference weak and faiith and we should care and strenthen our brothers.

Teaching

The apostle is addressing the differnces in the jews culture and gentile culture. The jews have decieded to quick the dietary laws and holidays and sabbath but the gentles arent adopting them. So one group is judging the another group. This is causing division but paul gives them tells them to not to judge a christian in a apppraoite matter when theres freeedom in christ regarding food and sabbth and holidays. Let each person do what there conciousness allows them to do. 2. Receive all things with thanskgiving 3. He reminds us our lifes isnt for ourshelves alone but rather we and our lifes belong to the Lord.

Transition

Let us be slow to judge our christians over matters that are essential. As pauls goes on to say we all will give a account to God for our actions at the end of days and be rewarded for it or not.

Conclusion

Application

Brothers and sisters, What needs to change in our thinking or behaviour that will allows us to love our neighbor? Im leave that question for you to judge with the Lord.