Romans 13:8-14

Paul has sort of layed out the letter where he has presented the information and presented the Gospel

For the last few weeks Paul has been giving us a how to

How we are to live or what it looks like to live our lives in such a way that God is glorified

Now that you know the information what are to you do with it or rather what it is supposed to look like

Paul gives us that answer starting in 12

This morning we continue to see the results of what happens when you as the individual allow the Gospel to affect your attitudes and actions

We continue to see what it looks like when you and I submit to being obedient to Christ because of what He did on the cross and in the grave

Essentially what does it look like to walk with Jesus

Now it should be understood that this is not a check list how to

That you can create a how to based off what Paul has said or taught and think OK if I do this then I must be right

Again church you are no better than the Jewish person living according to the law when we do that

But rather this is what it looks like when your living walking with Jesus

I do believe that it could be used to look at your own life and if it doesn’t look similar then what are the things you can do to change that

As a side not quick answer Read your Bible and Pray

And so please understand yes it sounds like a how to and how you and I could easily take and create a how to but don’t

So Paul continues after He has said we are to be in subjection to the government

How you are to pay taxes to be a good citizen

Paul starts this section of the letter

Romans 13:8 NASB95

8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

A few things to note

You could argue that we should not go into debt and we could take a turn and talk about good debt and bad debt, well I couldn’t but I know people who could explain that better than I could

But rather than get into the debt debate

Paul is emphasizing and his focus on the law

To love your neighbor as yourself

That when you do that we fulfill the law

The Jews in this time would have known about this

Remember The Jews were given the original 10 commandments and those were to reveal to us our own sin and drive us to desperation to a point of us knowing and understanding that we need a savior and His name is Jesus

And Paul brings up part of the law for those who would have had a very good working knowledge of the law

Romans 13:9–10 NASB95

9 For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Paul reminds them of the loving your neighbor is to fulfill the law originally given by God to them

We shouldn’t commit adultery, murder, steal or covet

Paul brings up these

We shouldn’t commit adultery because it breaks Gods law and commands

We shouldn’t murder or steal

And then Paul moves to covet and from actions of breaking the law to now a desires which is still more a matter of the heart from the original law

And Paul reminds them if there are any others

Because the Jews took the original 10 commands and created 613 commands

And so Paul says if there are any other commands it is summed up by loving your neighbor as yourself

That when you love your neighbor like you love yourself you are fulfilling the law

When you love your neighbor as yourself you won’t go and steal from them, or murder them

So you can understand that when we do that as Paul calls us to just as Jesus calls us to

we fulfill the law

We know that being obedient is to fulfill the law and to fulfill the law is to love people

Please don’t sit there and think to love people is to approve of their situation or lifestyle

To love people is to tell them they are headed for a cliff that will plunge them off the side of a cliff to die a fire painful death

To love them is to tell them they need to stop or change their ways

To love them is to tell them they don’t have to continue towards that cliff

To love them is to tell them Jesus loves them and died to pay their debt of sin

To love them is to tell them they are sinners in need of a Savior and you would like to introduce them to the savior Jesus

To love people is to do just what Jesus Himself said

If you will recall Jesus had something to say about love

Matthew 22:36–40 NASB95

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 “This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

in TNT’s we are doing through the 10 commandments

We regularly refer back to what Jesus has to say on the matter

So much that even without using their words they know

The first 4 cover our relationship with God, when you are Loving Jesus with your entire being you can and will accomplish the first 4 commands

When you love God with your entire being their won’t be room for any other God or idols

The remaining 6 are dealing with your relationship with other people

When you love neighbors as yourself you will accomplish the remaining 6

But I have been around long enough we like then only when it is convenient, or when its easy

Notice there is no exception with this command or what Paul has to say in Romans

Only love your command when it is easy

Only love your neighbor when they are nice people or they respect you first

Paul is telling the church in Rome that by loving others they are fulfilling the law

As we talked earlier it is not to be a doormat to be used and abused

But we are to share with them the hard things because we love them

Parents we love our kids and wouldn’t you know you don’t always agree with choices or lifestyles

And because we love them we share with them the truth

And church we only love others so much because we have experienced that sort of love

1 John 4:19 NASB95

19 We love, because He first loved us.

We cannot share what we dont know or have

This is Pauls message to the church after they have come to know Christ

this is what it looks like when you and I allow the Gospel to affect our attitudes and actions

To live in such a way as to see Christ Glorified

We do this because time is running short

Romans 13:11–14 NASB95

11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

We know time is running short

We know that we are a day closer and yet we need to so ready for the coming of Christ

final salvation is coming

When Christ comes it will be done

The coming of Christ is almost here and Paul is urging the church in Rome to lay aside the things of this world

Lay aside the darkness

Church flee from sin

Let us lay aside the things of darkness that lead to death and put on the armor of light

let us as Paul would say to the church as Ephesus

Ephesians 6:13 NASB95

13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

We are to wake up and be ready for battle

to flee from sin and walk with Jesus

Paul has just given us what it looks like to walk with Jesus

If you are walking with Jesus you are fleeing sin and preparing for battle

To flee from sin as Paul would say to make no provisions for the flesh

To prepare yourself to flee from sin

Don’t look on sin and desire them

Don’t look at the people getting drunk and think that would help your situation

Don’t look at the people that you think are rich and think that will fix your life

One commentary says this

Don’t seek comfort in sin, don’t flirt with sin

We ensure this doesn’t happen by ensuring our minds are set on the things above and not on the things down here

Colossians 3:2 NASB95

2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

Church we do that by walking with Jesus

We do that by reading our Bibles and praying

And doing it often

Church Paul has shown us what it looks like after we have allowed the Gospel message to affect our attitudes and our actions

Paul has pulled the curtain back on our lives when we Love Jesus with our entire being and love people

So church this morning as we move to our close this morning

The invitation is for you those who do not know Christ as their personal Lord and savior

I would invite you to the front to speak with someone about how you can know Christ personally this morning

Or for those who do know Christ and need to spend sometime in prayer this morning

The altar is open