Genuine Love Part 2
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Sermon Title: Genuine Love Part 2: Love in Action
Scripture: Romans 12:13-16
Occasion: The Lord’s Day
Date: May 19, 2023
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Scripture Transitions Sermon Title|Quotes |Emphasis| Illustration
PRAY
Ephesians 1:2 “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
(Short Welcome)
Last week we began unpacking what genuine love is and what it looks like.
So far we have learned that genuine love:
Genuine love is given at conversion.
We cannot muster up genuine love on our own.
Love without conversion is not genuine.
Genuine love comes from the one who is love, God.
He pours his love into our hearts at conversion through the Holy Spirit.
Genuine love Hates evil and it holds fast to what good.
Genuine love has brotherly affection for the Church.
Genuine love outdoes others in the body of Christ in showing honor.
Genuine love is not slothful in serving Christ and His body, it is zealous (Diligent).
The Holy Spirit help us to genuinely serve Christ in love.
Genuine love rejoices in hope, it is patient in tribulation, and it is constant in prayer.
Genuine love amid circumstances is hopeful, patient, and prayerful.
Paul continues on in our portion of scripture today showing us Biblical love in action.
Which is the title to my sermon: Genuine Love Part 2: Love in Action
V13 is love in action within the body of Christ, and vv14-16 is love in action with those outside the body of Christ.
We will unpack vv13-15 in this way:
Love in community.
Love in adversity.
Love in unity. (Next Week! Don’t miss it!)
In a broken world filled with counterfeit love, today’s text if received by the Holy Spirit and applied it will not only transform you, but it has the power to transform our Church and our community.
So without further a due, let us dive into this love in action!
First thing we see in our text today is genuine LOVE WITHIN THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY.
Point One: Love in Community
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
I will even go so far as to say, we can only grasp the depths of v13 when you have a covenant membership framework Within a local church context.
v13 inherently implies a commitment that goes beyond caring for the needs of every saint everywhere.
It has a conation that implies a close partnership with other christians.
Illustration: When you go into partnership with others in the secular world it requires a contract. It requires commitments and responsibilities.
Merriam-webster defines partnership this way: a relationship resembling a legal partnership and usually involving close cooperation between parties having specified and joint rights and responsibilities
V13 implies close cooperation, binding commitment and specified responsibility.
v13 flourishes within God’s design of covenant communities.
Some of you might ask, what is a covenant community?
A Covenant community is a community of Christians who have promised and committed before God and before a specified local body of believers to love God and to love one another.
It’s shared a faith.
It’s shared possessions.
It’s shared finances. (not socialism!)
It’s shared support.
It’s shared service.
It’s sharing of our lives with one another!
Much like marriage, I have a unique a special commitment to my wife to seek her good, to care for her, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health.
That commitment is only to my wife.
Similarly, this is the kind of commitment that the scriptures teach us flourish within a specified local body.
Genuine love for God and others is cultivated within the context of covenant community.
To the world, the christian community has always been seen as a radical community!
Why is it radical?
Because of what Paul says here in v13:
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
On the surface this doesn't seem all that different from much of the philanthropic work here in Sanford.
But we have to do some word-work to grasp what Paul is saying here.
The word “contribute” in the greek is koinōneō. It means to share with. To have fellowship with. To communion with. it means partnership.
The difference between what the Church does within the body of Christ and what philanthropic organizations do here ins sanford, boils down to this word: partnership.
It’s exactly what Paul communicates in Philippians 1:3-5
Philippians 1:3–5 (ESV)
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,
because of your PARTNERSHIP in the gospel from the first day until now.
The Church partners with each-other to care for one another needs (which by the way, the word needs here refers to the physical needs)
There are no handouts within the body of Christ.
Here is what I mean: Covenant communities don’t seek to receive from our brothers and sisters, but we joyfully give and share what we have with one another.
We share our resources (how have many or few), our time, our possessions, our life with one another.
This means that we can all help each other in some way.
Rich or poor, we can all contribute to the body of Christ within our means.
Everyone is included, no is excluded from contributing!
Illustration early on in our need neighbors contributing water and food.
How might you contribute today to those in need in our congregation?
John says this in 1 John 3:17
But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
V13 is a call to put our money (resources) where our mouth is.
Randy Alcorn says this,
“God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving” -Randy Alcorn
John Piper says,
“The orientation of a christian is not to “work to have” but to “have to work to give.”-John Piper
This was the reality of the early church community.
This was the radical christian life and christian love that turned the world upside down for Jesus!
Acts 4:32–37 (ESV)
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold
and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus,
sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
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,
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
But here is the caveat in all of this:
You will never contribute to the needs of the saints in this way if you think for a second that your possessions belong to you (Acts 4:32)
You will only ever store up your treasures in heaven, and freely give your resources, and sell your possessions and give it to poor when you realize that all that is yours is actually His.
1 Corinthians 4:7–8 (ESV)
What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings!
This is extremely important to grab a hold of today.
This can completely transform how you give your life and your service to Christ and his body.
So how can we grab a hold of this today?
2 ways:
Nothing that you have is yours. So to withhold from God is to rob God.
Malachi 3:8 (ESV)
Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions.
To withhold in contributing to the needs of the saints is to rob God of what is his!
2. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4, you already have all you want. You have already become rich in Christ.
The point here is that, in light of the mercies of God in the gospel, in light of what we inherited Christ , we will inherit the world paul says in chapter 8. We are rich in Christ in-light of the gospel!
Our earthly bank account will never reflect our heavenly bank account.
And holding fast to this truth makes us radically generous here on earth.
Why?
Because as christian we know, that evertime we give away what is Gods, we are actually storing up more riches in heaven.
Every time money goes out to meet the needs of his people, riches are being direct deposited into our heavenly bank account.
AND we are growing in faith here on earth.
In simple terms: Giving is Gaining.
Do you see the gospel in this pithy statement?
This is exactly what Christ did for us.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
Christ become poor by giving up his very life so that we might become eternally rich in Him
He gave so that we could gain.
“Contributing to the needs of the saints” in other words, is the a way in which we are reminded of the gospel and the way in which the gospel is displayed among us.
When we humbly contribute to the needs of the saints we are pointing to and reminding each other of the humility and generosity of our savior who humbled himself to the point of death on a Cross so that the spiritually impoverished among us might become spiritually rich in Christ.
Rich in salvation, forgiveness, joy, peace, glory, honor, and majesty.
Paul says just a few verses earlier:
Romans 12:8 (ESV)
the one who contributes, in generosity;… the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Beloved how might you be generous today, modeling your savior, in your contributions to the body?
What is keeping you from cheerful acts of mercy?
Then Paul couples this partnership with a commitment to pursing and practicing hospitality.
Romans 12:13 (ESV)
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
The word hospitality here conveys to welcome christian guests or strangers.
The regular rhythm of the covenant community is to invite and welcome christians into our homes.
This idea of strangers is fascinating to me.
Because it seems to go beyond the local body to the universal body of Christ.
It seems to focus on the catholicity and unity of the Church.
RCS isn’t the only Church in Sanford.
We must go out of our way not only welcoming guests into our home who come to our Church on a weekly basis, but those in other churches in our area (or don’t have a church home.)
Example of Marble and Jose welcoming Traie and Savanna into their home and the joy of having missionaries with us.
AND We must do these things without grumbling
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Why does peter say this: Because it can often take sacrifice. Such as set up, preparing a meal, etc.
(Recommend: The gospel comes with a house key book.)
*Encouragement to young parents:
1. Have people over and have them help you!
2. Seasons where people should have you over!! Baby sit your kids. That’s hospitality!
It can be challenging but it’s worth it!
This idea of seeking here means that we should be going out of our way to practice this kind of kindness.
This kind of hospitality was built from the start of Christianity.
Jesus teaches in the gospel about the importance of welcoming our christian brothers and sisters.
And of course in the 1st century there were a lot of christian travelers.
Hotels or Inns where always filled up, and frankly there was just no place for christian travelers.
So welcoming christians guests was serious business. Jesus.
How Jesus taught on hospitality was radical and counter cultural!
Why was Jesus’ teachings on christian hospitality so radical?
Jesus says in Matthew 10:40
“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.
John Piper says,
“Hospitality for Christ’s sake welcomes God.” -John Piper
The author of Hebrews says this,
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Hospitality is a serious matter for Christians.
It is so serious that Jesus himself taught that one of the way we will be seriously judged is by our hospitality.
This isn’t a matter of being a hospital person.
To Jesus this is the mark of genuine Christian who has a transformed love.
Genuine love in others words will produce a desire in us to show hospitality to our christian brethren.
Have everyone turn to Matthew 25:31-46 (Stranger, brothers here referring to Christians)
Matthew 25:31–46 (ESV)
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave ME food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a STRANGER and you welcomed ME,
I was naked and you clothed ME, I was sick and you visited ME, I was in prison and you came to ME.’
Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see YOU hungry and feed YOU, or thirsty and give you drink?
And when did we see YOU a STRANGER and welcome YOU, or naked and clothe YOU?
And when did we see YOU sick or in prison and visit YOU?’
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these MY BROTHERS, you did it to ME.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave ME no food, I was thirsty and you gave ME no drink,
I was a STRANGER and you did not welcome ME, naked and you did not clothe ME, sick and in prison and you did not visit ME.’
Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see YOU hungry or thirsty or a STRANGER or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to YOU?’
Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these [MY BROTHERS], you did not do it to ME.’
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
People will know that we are christ’s disciples by how we love one another.
To be Christs is to be hospitable.
Just as Christ welcomed you when you where a stranger, seek display the glories of Christ’s kindness in the way you welcome others.
Let love be genuine:
Contribute to the needs of the saints, and practice welcoming christian guests into your home.
What is holding you back from practicing hospitality?
What are some of the fears you have?
How can Christ and His Word help you over come your fears this morning and help you to open up your home to to those in the body of Christ, and as we learned today, welcome God into your home in so doing ?
Transition:
You see genuine love is radical too this world.
But the truth is: this is the ordinary way of life for the christian.
There is a new way for christians.
In the 1st century, christians were often referred to people of the way.
Jesus is the way, and those who follow him, follow in his way.
And this way of christian living was absolutely transformative for communities and cities through history. (Still is today!)
Why?
Because the gospel was not only being preached, the it was being lived and seen.
The gospel displayed is often the means through which the gospel preached is recieved.
One the most radical ways God advanced and is advancing his gospel in the world is through what Paul teaches in the subsequent verses.
How do christians respond to adversity?
How does genuine christian love respond to adversity?
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
We’ve seen Christian love in covenant community but now we turn to see genuine love in adversity. Specially with those outside the faith here in verse 14.
Point Two: Love in Adversity.
How does christian love interact or engage with a world that is hostile to Christ and his followers?
It blesses and does not curse.
As humans we have no authority or power to call down blessings or curses on anyone.
This authority and power is reserved for God alone.
So Verse 14 is a command in response to being persecuted for being a christ follower: It’s exhorting us to call on God and his power NOT to reign down curses on our enemies but to ask God almighty, our Father, to rain down blessings on them.
Why?
Because It is our priestly duty in Christ to bless those who persecute us.
1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
So now as people who have received mercy, we extend the mercy of God through prayer on behalf of those who persecute us.
The apostle Paul is pulling this teaching from Christ.
Matthew 5:44 (ESV)
But I say to you, Love your enemies and PRAY for those who persecute you,
Luke 6:27–28 (ESV)
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, DO GOOD to those who hate you,
BLLESS those who curse you, PRAY for those who abuse you.
Now, please understand this:
If you are being physically harmed or even emotionally and mentally abused, our duty as Christians is to refer to civil authorities. We must trust the authorities God has put in place to execute His righteousness and justice.
Meanwhile as christians, Christ call us to press into our priestly office, and pray.
The question is: How are we to pray?
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,
who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
So we pray for our communities, our cities, and our federal and local government.
1. We pray that they would lead quiet and dignified lives.
At the heart of our prayers of blessing is that those who are lost among us and often times in opposition to us (to Christ!) , our prayer is that they would be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth!
Our fervent intercessory prayer on behalf of our community is that they would know that there is only one true God, and that there is only one mediator between God and men, and it's the God-Man Christ Jesus!
That Jesus alone is “ just and the justifier of the one who has faith in [Him and his gospel].” Romans 3:26
That is our prayer.
Genuine love prays for God to reach down into the hearts of wicked men, and saved them.
And friends, God not only has the authority to do that, but he has the power to pull off the answer to that prayer!
Story of Polycarp:
In the early days of the Christian church, during the reign of the Roman Empire, persecution against Christians was rampant.
One notable example of blessing a persecutor comes from the story of Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna.
When Polycarp, at 86 years old, was arrested and brought before the Roman authorities, he stood firm in his faith.
During his trial, the proconsul urged him to renounce Christ and swear allegiance to Caesar, but Polycarp calmly replied, "For eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and Savior?"
As the soldiers prepared to burn him at the stake, Polycarp prayed aloud, asking God to bless his persecutors and forgive them.
Polycarp's unwavering faith and genuine love moved many, including one of the Roman soldiers assigned to execute him.
This soldier, witnessing Polycarp’s unwavering faith and love even in the face of death, later sought out Christians to learn more about their faith.
Through the influence of Polycarp’s blessing and prayer, this soldier came to faith in Christ.
This story beautifully illustrates the power of Romans 12:14.
Polycarp's act of blessing his persecutors not only exemplified Christ's love but also led to the salvation of one of his enemies.
Let us be encouraged this morning to bless those who oppose us, trusting that God can use our acts of genuine love to make the gospel visible and compelling.
But on the other side of the coin here in verse 14, Paul shows us that Genuine love refrains from asking Good to curse our enemies.
What would have happened of Polycarp prayed to curse his enemies?
It could have possibly prevented the romans solider from being saved!
So Paul literally says here “Stop cursing your enemies!”
How in the world can we pull that off?
Because in our flesh, it seems so natural to ask God to curse our enemies.
How can we orient and align our hearts to God’s word here?
We need to look into the mirror of the gospel everyday to change our hearts in this.
We need to be reminded that Christ on the cross did not ask the father to curse us but to forgive us.
Christ on the cross did not seek to pour out his wrath on us, but through love, to give us life.
We need to be reminded that instead of God cursing us to hell because of our rebellion against him, He blessed us in the beloved by sending his own son to be a curse for us
We will only bless our enemies when we realize that we were once God’s enemies.
Maybe you have forgotten the gospel, beloved.
Maybe you have forgotten that you were an enemy of God at one time.
Maybe you have forgotten that you were dead in your sin.
Maybe you have forgotten the words of Ephesians 2:1-3 that tell us that at one time you were pawns of satan doing his bidding in this world and God stepped in being rich and mercy and showed you grace.
Conclude point two:
Only by looking into to the mirror of the gospel everyday can we, by the Spirits help, be a compassionate, gracious, and a merciful people.
What sin, or what trauma, is keeping you from blessing?
Repent today if you have been cursing your enemies.
For this is not Good’s will, beloved.
Transition:
Here is the thing: As long as we are here on this earth, we will face adversity in this world, but what verse 15 points to us is that we will also face adversity within us.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
How does this verse point that we are at war with indwelling sin?
I will answer my own question with a question to reveal the answer:
Which one command is harder to obey here in verse 15:
To rejoice with those who rejoice?
Or to Weep with those who weep?
The answer is (drum roll please): The harder command to obey is to rejoice with those who are rejoicing!
This reveals our inner adversity! Our inner battle with indwelling sin.
Our battle with the adversary within-PRIDE and ENVY!
Pride and Envy are best friends.
But Paul says,
1 Corinthians 13:4 (ESV)
love does not envy or boast;
A counter fit love is envious and boastful.
To counter this evil within us, Christ is constantly at work to humble us.
Because Genuine love is paved through humility.
Humility strengthens our ability to sympathize and empathize with others.
God ushers in events in our lives that help us to decrease so that not only Christ might increase but that others might too increase in our lives.
God brings us low so that we might be able to truly step into the joy and sadness of others humanity.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Romans 12:15 is about stepping into the humanity of others.
Christians can rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep at the most human level.
We are image bearers! We share solidarity with believers and unbelievers in this way.
As image bears we can relate to each other.
Unbelievers and believers alike face the same human struggles of fear, sadness, joy, hardship, and the list goes on.
We can rejoice with our lost friends when they get a promotion, graduate from school, have a baby, or purchase a home.
We can come alongside our lost neighbors and cry with them when a family member dies, when someone loses their possession, or when a marriage falls apart, to name a few.
Genuine love steps into the humanity of others and sympathizes!
Oh, for Christ paved the way for us in this, didn't he?
He is the only one who can truly sympathize with us in our pain and agony.
Who can truly rejoice with us in our moments of success and victory.
Hebrews 4:14–15 (ESV)
We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, …
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
I might not be able to know what you are going through today, but I do know the one who does.
Jesus not only knows what you are going through but he can absolutely sympathize with you but he can empathize with you.
The difference between sympathy and empathy is action!
Empathy is therefore greater than sympathy because it moves beyond feeling to action.
It is a choice to share in the pain of another, and that choice always comes at a cost.
You see friends, Christ is the epitome of true empathy.
Apart from Christ, we are not only in a pit of sin and brokenness, but also powerless to get out on our own.
The sin and darkness we're born into separates us from God and all that would heal and fulfill us.
But Jesus doesn't just look down from heaven and say, "Good luck figuring it out!"
Instead, He became human and experienced every type of pain, test, and sorrow we do.
He came into our pit of suffering.
Have you been lonely? So has Jesus.
Betrayed or abandoned? He knows that too.
Tempted relentlessly? Jesus experienced it.
There's no pain or sorrow He can't comfort because He knows exactly how it feels.
We have an empathetic Savior.
Christ’s empathy not only comforts us but also goes beyond human empathy.
Though He joins us in our pit, He doesn’t leave us there.
His empathy bridges the gap between fallen man and our heavenly Father.
Jesus fully understands our feelings because He chose to be fully human.
Yet, as fully God, He remains sinless and holy.
Through the Cross, Christ descended into the depths of hell itself so we who follow Him never have to.
This is why the writer of Hebrews says,
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Reflecting on Christ's supernatural empathy should fills us with gratitude.
Not only is Christ with us. He understands us. He has the power to help us in our weaness
Our response today should be draw near to the throne of grace to receive God’s mercy.
Exhortation to Christians:
Christians, We must also follow Christ in this.
We must be willing to enter into others’ suffering as He did for us.
Which is Paul’s point here in verse 15.
Humble yourself.
Don’t take the easy road in cursing people.
Bless them. Rejoice with them. Weep with them.
If we can do that, we Sanford will know that we are disciples of Christ.
PRAY