I. INTRO:

· Illustrate “Owing/Indebtedness: personal debt as a weight, my experience at MacDonalds, which isn’t there anymore, near the old Janus theaters, Krispy Kreme, Potpourri Press, which…, But Ed McKay’s new Starbucks,

· . Wanting to fit in is tough, especially tough as a high schooler. Trying to hard makes you look and feel dorky, doesn’t it? But not trying at all makes it almost impossible for most of us. On a packed night after a big game, I was in the middle of a mob at MacDonalds, overwhelmed with that feeling, and was then overwhelmed with another.

· Jesus had loved me so thoroughly and was so loving me now, but did these people know? How many were crying behind those smiles? Would I tell them? Oh, but the embarrassment for one who didn’t fit in! But the debt of love I owed to Jesus…, I could never do much to pay on that unless I died to me.

II.Paying the love debt

· If we “Give everyone what you owe him” ie.- taxes, revenue, respect, or honor, then the only debt remaining would be to love others.

· Why is that still a debt? BECAUSE we owe our King allegiance, love the lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as ourselves.

· Paul says of self & companions, “Christ’s love compels us”, 2Co.5:14

· But one another also applies to unbelievers—all unbelievers, not just those who are likeable and friendly. That truth is the central point of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37).

· Test of godly love is its willingness to sacrifice its own needs and welfare for the needs and welfare of others, even to the point of forfeiting life if necessary. “Greater love has no one than this,” Jesus said, “that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13)

· READ Phil. 2:6–8

III. The role of rules, read vs.8b-10

A. Music: The Houseplant song, tongue-in-cheek look at why focusing on rules fails, while focusing on love works in the Christian life.

· The law was given to help us understand our inability to love God and others perfectly, but in so doing, it taught us that love was putting God and others b4 ourselves.

· My high school teacher: diarrhea of the mouth, and could you please elaborate on that.

· Specific commands are simply development and elaboration on the theme.

· These specifics are listed here: adultery, murder, stealing, coveting

· Like every other form of sexual immorality, adultery comes from selfish, sinful lust, never from pure selfish love demonstrated in a life-long commitment.

· Coveting too, is selfish as it wants what belongs to another, putting us b4 them!

· If we truly love others as ourselves, we will not want to do them any harm. This law Paul quotes is taken from Leviticus 19:18, & Jesus declared it to be 2nd only to the supreme commandment to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37–39), which is taken from Deuteronomy 6:5.

IV. the call

A. Wake Up! The Time is Short! Read vs.11-12a

1. Quit living in our dream world, living as if it’s all about me, and there is always time later to get things right, “the deeds of darkness.”

· Every day brings our end and The End nearer, so we should waste no time getting serious about godly living; living for Him and others.

B. Change Your Spiritual Clothes! Read vs.12b-14

1. Take off the selfish dream of sin, where it is my pleasures at the expense of harming and using others.

· The deeds of darkness, those not done out of love, are usually done in the darkness, which is mostly, but not at all completely figurative.

· Is belligerent, inebriated, immoral activity more frequent in the day or at night? More frequent when everyone is watching, or when we feel that those we respect or those in authority are not looking. When we are walking away from God or when we are walking clad in the armor of light?

· Don’t’ even think about, make no provision for the sinful desires of the flesh.

2. Put on Christ, Putting on the armor of light, the armor of God, Live for God, and thus for others, putting aside the sin dream

· belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, sandals of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

V. invitation

· So… will we slumber spiritually, making plans about how to gratify our selfish desires, or will we clothe ourselves with Christ, and give our lives to paying the love debt?