Romans 13:8-10
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· 31 viewsLove is Superior 5 Behaviors that Make Love Inferior 4 Ways that Love is Superior
Notes
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Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
The Supremacy of Love
The Supremacy of Love
Jesus says that the whole law can be summed up in these two things…
Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Paul is repeating that, reinforcing exactly what he learned from Jesus
Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
a. 5 Ways to Make Love Inferior
a. 5 Ways to Make Love Inferior
The Commandments
Paul moves on to give us a list of commandments from the Bible that are summarized by the law of love.
For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Adultery is not love.
When a person commits adultery, particularly women…they will say, “I did it because I love him.”
But there is not one part of adultery that is loving. A man who truly loves a woman would never degrade her by asking her to sin against herself, her husband, her community, and especially not God. The opposite is also true. A woman who truly loved a man would not cause him to sin against God or these others that are mentioned.
Love has nothing to do with sex and everything to do with a righteous and committed relationship. Now, sex is a part of that relationship, but it is not the definition of that relationship, which is something totally different than what adultery is founded on. Adultery is sex without commitment. Marriage is commitment that involves sex.
More specifically, adultery is founded on lust. Whether that is a lust for attention and affection, or whether that is a lust for sex, it’s lust, and lust and love cannot coexist.
Murder is not love.
Now what is murder? Murder is the taking of innocent life. Justified killing is not murder, but then there is that philosophical question of what justified killing means. Probably the only definition of that applying to our own lives is self-defense under threat of harm. As in, if someone breaks into your home or dwelling, then it will be justifiable. Taking justice into your own hands because of a crime committed, probably not the best route.
Stealing is not love.
We could go extreme in this matter of stealing. Like, if I am given a 15-minute paid break and I sit down for 16-minutes, then I am stealing. It’s not just physically going into someone else’s property and taking their stuff…stealing is something that is very narrow in its definition and very broad in its application.
Bearing false witness is not love.
What is false witness?
Rumors
“You shall not circulate a false report.”
Perjury
Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
This means to willfully tell and untruth to condemn someone
Flattery
A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it,
And a flattering mouth works ruin.
Flattering someone is an attempt to build someone up with the mouth to manipulate them for your cause. It’s not loving
Insinuations
I fear that I shall find you as I do not wish, and you will find me as you do not wish; lest there be whisperings.
Those whisperings are like this… “What do you think about ole Paul there” …. “Well, I mean he’s ok I guess.” that’s an insinuation that he is not good. By the tone of voice and facial expression you use, it is saying one thing and meaning another…bearing a false witness.
Slander
Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother.
This is called back-biting…not building someone up in love, not talking out of concern, but talking to tear someone down.
Not Speaking Up to Tell the Truth
‘If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter—if he does not tell it, he bears guilt.
If you know something, if someone is being wrongly accused, and you let them suffer without speaking up…you are guilty of bearing false witness.
The reverse is true…if you know someone has done something wrong…and I don’t mean something you don’t like…I mean something morally wrong, something criminal according to the Word of God, and you hide it, you are guilty of bearing false witness.
Covetousness is not love.
Instead of being happy for one another, we get jealous. Instead of being content with what we have, we always want more. That it covetousness. That could be positions, responsibilities, stuff, jobs, or even spirituality and spiritual gifts. It’s not limited to material possessions.
Anything else that is not loving.
Paul adds this in incase he missed something.
In The Church
Now, remember, Paul is not writing to the population at large here…he is writing about the relationship of the people in the church. It’s important that we do not commit any of these things at any time…but think about the damage that some of these do to the local church.
Think of how adultery affects the church…what would it be like if one member murdered another…what it would be like if one member stole from another.
But there are sins that fly under the radar in the church and are more damaging and consuming than some of these things…
Bearing a false witness…that will destroy unity like a wildfire.
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.
Do you realize the damage you can do with your tongue?
Do you realize the damage that can take place when you listen and engage in other’s displeasures?
Do you realize the damage that can take place when you don’t step up to defend someone wrongly accused? It hurts beyond measure. It violates trust.
Imagine if you found out that another church member or a leader or the pastor was dogging you out behind closed doors? I’m not talking about someone who you know doesn’t like you..I am talking about someone you think is your friend?
Now imagine if they were doing it to a room full of your other friends and no one stood up for you, and the damage it would cause in your life.
The tongue is a fire, and a world full of evil.
There is really only two ways to handle that kind of situation. Either to say, “We’re not going to talk like that…so sit down and be quiet” or, “I didn’t know you felt that way, let’s go and get them and sit down and talk.”
These types of people will shop for vulnerable members
Let me give you a quick lesson on how these types of flattering, complaining people behave…what they are going to do is they are going to go shopping for someone weak and gullible enough to do their dirty work. They are going to plant seeds of doubt in everyone they can until someone goes and says what they are told to say.
Listen, don’t be used for that kind of mischief. Just tell them, “if it bothers you that bad then lets go to them and work it out, otherwise I’ve heard enough.”
Covetousness
This is another one that spreads like fire. Someone gets upset because they don’t get the position, the assignment, or the responsibility they think they should have gotten and it destroys them on the inside in such a way that they allow it to pour out of them like a raging fire.
What it is, is pride. It’s “I deserved it and I want it, and they have it, so if I cannot have it and find joy in it, then they shouldn’t either, and I will make that happen.” That is the culmination of covetousness.
b. 4 Ways that Love is Superior
b. 4 Ways that Love is Superior
Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
“Owe no one anything”
If you read this without thinking of any of the context, without placing yourself in their situation…reading it through our own lens instead of reading it the way Paul intended…you might think that he is talking about material ownership. You may be thinking here that he is talking about staying away from debt or from borrowing money from other believers.
Would that be good advice? Sure…does that apply here? No.
What Paul is talking about is that our only obligation in the church is to love one another.
Well, how can he say that with such assurance? Because from love, all good things flow.
Here are four ways that love is superior.
Love is Reciprocal
The Bible does command us to love people who don’t love us…it also commands us to reciprocate love.
Look there where it says, “one another”. It is saying, “love one another.” Love in reciprocation.
Here’s the idea…that the people of God in the church are not obligated to do anything except to love one another.
“Owe no one anything except to reciprocate love.” When love is given, we are obligated to give it back. Now, this is not a point to say that if someone doesn’t love us we don’t have to love them, but it’s an illustration to say that we aren’t obligated by the law, we aren’t obligated by commandments, and that we aren’t obligated to submit to unruly and belittling leadership.
We are not obligated to give into church bullies. We are not obligated to give into this covetousness or false witness. We are not obligated to take sides and to join in the ranks of what we think is best…we are only obligated to love.
That is our currency in the church. Our currency inside of the church is relational love that is reciprocated.
What does it take to love?
Church, it takes perfect submission and service.
Now, it’s perfectly obvious that there are hierarchy structures in the church. In the ideal, it is to be pastor lead, committee and deacon served, and congregationally governed. That is the biblical model of the church.
Now, consider this…how it is that deacons are to serve the church? They are to serve the by making love supreme.
Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
What does it say? “Good reputation and ‘full of the Holy Spirit’”.
Fruit of the Spirit
Well, if those that are elected to the office of deacon have a requirement to be full of the Holy Spirit, then they should be examples of the fruit that the Spirit brings.
What is the fruit of the Spirit?
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
The root that all of these things grow from is the Holy Spirit, the trunk from where all the limbs branch out is love.
What about committee members? Should anybody qualify as a committee member?
I believe, and I have a firm conviction that committee members, because they are representatives of the governed congregation, must serve according to their spiritual gifting.
Why?
If a committee member is installed in a position without the gifting of the Spirit, then its doubtful that it was a Spirit led decision.
Sometimes its done out of necessity, sometimes its done for power, sometimes its done out of favoritism, but it should only be done by the Spirit.
The reason that this has to be true is that if love is to reciprocated in the church, then there can be no selfish motivation for seeking a place on a committee, to the office of deacon, or to the office of pastor.
Because if it is done out of selfishness, then it is done out of covetousness , and that is a pathway to making love inferior.
Here’s a good rule of thumb
In the church, the attitude should always be “Here I am” instead of “Here I go”
Love is Intentional and willing
for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Jesus says that reciprocating love begins with your intentional effort.
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them
If you think they ought to behave in a certain way, you behave in a certain way towards them. If you think someone ought to seriously assess their role and service to the church, then you seriously assess yours first.
If someone here is caught in sin and you’d want someone to come to you and build you back up, then you go to them and you build them up. If you would want someone to be patient with you when you are having a bad day and throwing a tantrum, then you be patient with them when they are having a bad day and throwing a tantrum.
Folks, is really simple… “whatever you want men to do, do also to them.”
Bearing False Witness
Sometimes, the devil is going to use people to imitate this type of love.
I’ve had people come to me and try to trap me, I’ve had people send others to me to do their dirty work to get me to behave in a certain way. Here’s is what they do, “Hey, will you give me some accountability and tell me what I can do in this situation in my life?” You give them that advice, and then they turn around and say, “Now, you’ve given me accountability, I want to give you some.” or maybe, “Hey, since I’ve told you about this struggle in my life, I want to know, is this what I heard about you true?”
Do you know what that type of manipulation is? First, it’s an imitation of love. But more importantly, it’s bearing false witness through flattery (coming to ask you for advice, just to turn on you to get some dirt), bearing false witness through insinuation (insinuating that you’ve done some sort of sin instead of lovingly correcting you, they passively aggressively condemn you).
Most importantly, it’s rebellion against Almighty God and the Word of God that says, “do not bear false witness.” It is a crime that is on the big ten. It is a crime of crimes, it is the pinnacle disunity and disgusting behavior.
And I’ll tell you what…to allow that behavior to continue with your knowledge is also and afront to God, it is bearing false witness by association.
How do we intentionally and willingly love?
Washing of the Feet
What is our greatest examples of love? It is when Jesus went and died on the cross for us.
Do you know why we are able to reciprocate love toward our savior? Do you know why we are able to intentionally begin this cycle of love?
We love Him because He first loved us.
Friend, Jesus took the initiative to love us, so that we could return our love back to Him, and to give us the example on how to intentionally and willingly love each other.
Now, I’m not asking you to die on the cross for the church…but here is another wonderful example of Jesus’s intentional and willing service to us.
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
This is a model of intentional effort, given to intentional preparation, transformed into willing service, all for the sake of love.
If you want to intentionally and willingly love others, it’s going to take an intentional and a willing heart. A heart and mind that is focused on loving God, and then loving others.
Love is fulfilling
For he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
If you are in business or working in the service industry, then you’re going to hear this…”Has that order been fulfilled?” That means, has it been completed? Has anyone taken action to ensure that this order is taken care of?
Has it been fulfilled, has it been completed
Do you know what it takes to have a completed church? If you want to have a complete church, then it needs to be a church founded on love.
Think about this in terms of the conversation on the distinction between a marriage and fornication or adultery. Marriage is founded on love and commitment, on sacrifice and servanthood, and the times that those things are vacated in the marriage relationship, the marriage is in serious danger.
Now, fornication and adultery are founded on selfishness and unbridled passion. There is no restraint, there is no servanthood, there is no relationship, it is just a meaningless and empty use of another person to fulfill your own desires.
Marriage is primarily a commitment to serve to and to satisfy God, secondarily a commitment to serve and satisfy your spouse, third, it is a commitment to serve and to satisfy your community.
Fornication, meaningless and unwed sex, and adultery is primarily a commitment to serve and to satisfy yourself. It is the antithesis of love. Why? Because love is focused on God and others, selfishness and sin is focused on self.
Why then is love fulfilling?
Because we cannot find fulfillment in ourself. We cannot find fulfillment within, we can only find fulfillment from above.
Is Love the Purpose?
If you ask a lost person about the purpose of life, sometimes if you ask a religious person about the purpose of life, they’re going to say something along the lines of, “love is the purpose of life.”
But there is a philosophical problem with that statement, it doesn’t make any sense, because that person cannot appropriately define love.
Love is Love?
People think that love is based on an emotion, or they think that it’s some sort of abstract concept that comes from within. They think that pure basic instinct and desire is love.
That is why we see this perverted and redundant statement of the meaning of love, which says, “love is love.”
There again, that statement is redundant and void of any sort of substance.
The only appropriate response to anyone who claims they are doing something out of love, is to discover their definition of love.
If someone is involved in an adulterous affair and they say, “It’s because I love them”, then you need to ask them their definition of love. What you’ll find is they’ll give some kind of response or definition like, “I don’t know” or “They meet my needs” or “I want to love them” or whatever…they have reduced love to some sort of basic instinct or feeling.
If someone is living a homosexual lifestyle or they are living together out of wedlock, then what you are going to find is that their definition of love is based on some sort of basic instinct or feeling.
The Definition of Love
If love is not an instinct, then what is love?
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Church, God is love. God is supreme, therefore love is supreme. He demonstrated His love through intentional and willing action, that was to send His son Jesus to die for us. We reciprocate that love…as in, we love Him because He first loved us. That is love.
Love is Overflowing
Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Now the Bible addresses this issue of a neighbor. Basically, anyone that we can reach is our neighbor. So, we have gone from Paul here in the application section focusing on our relationship to each other, our relationship to the government, and now our relationship to the world…which he defines as neighbor.
The concept here is that love is overflowing.
If we are ever going to fulfill the law out there, we are going to have to fulfill the law in here.
Can you imagine trying to win a lost person to Christ by bringing them into a dysfunctional and loveless church? can you imagine what type of Christians you would produce through discipleship in a dysfunctional and loveless church? If God is love, then how can a loveless church be full of Godliness? It can’t.
Why is love overflowing?
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Why did Jesus say this? Because Jesus knew if He could get His disciples to love one another, then it would overflow into the rest of the world. If they would learn how to treat each other, then they would know how to treat the lost.
If they will submit themselves fully to God, then the love of God, which is that well spring of life, would overflow in them and begin to impact the world around them….for “love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.”
III. Conclusion
III. Conclusion
What kind of church should we be? We should be a church that loves one another, until that love overflows into the community and we fulfill the law in the lives of the people all around us.
