Know the Time - Part 3
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Introduction
Introduction
Recap: If you were with us last Sunday, we started a series we are calling, “Do you know the time?”
Last Sunday Morning we said that It’s time to Wake Up
Too many Christians are distracted or asleep at the wheel.
Paul reminds us that it’s time to wake up because we are one day closer to Jesus’ return than we were yesterday.
Last Sunday Evening we said that It’s time to walk properly.
We said that we need to understand the time or the hour we live in. Paul uses this metaphor of light and darkness of night and day. The night is almost over and the day is almost here. It’s time for us to stop behaving and acting like people of the night, but instead to act like people of the day.
We said that we need to have on the right spiritual attire. That Paul uses the idea of taking off our sinful nature each day and putting on Christ. What attitudes and habits are in our lives that we need to take off?
Opening Story/Illustration: Back in the summer my wife and I went away for our anniversary. While we were away we decided to go see the movie, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” It’s a documentary about Mr. Rogers. I didn’t watch Mr. Rogers too much growing up, except when I went to my grandmother’s house. All she had was a little antenna and about the only station she got was PBS. So When I would visit her I would watch lots of Mr. Rogers. This documentary about Mr. Rogers was incredibly moving. By the end of the movie I was weeping.
Mr. Rogers was a Presbyterian minister who decided that his ministry was to children and he was going to use the avenue of Television to fulfill his calling.
His television show wasn’t flashy or dramatic or exciting - In fact, it was the opposite of what you would think kids would be attracted to - Yet Fred Rogers was a success. Why? He simply cared about and loved people and this showed, even through the TV screen. One of the stars of the show actually says this, “If you take all of the elements that make good television and do the exact opposite, you have "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood". Low production values, simple set, an unlikely star. Yet, it worked.”
His language of inviting you to be his neighbor was very intentional and biblical. He says, “Well, I suppose it's an invitation, ‘Won't you be my neighbor?’ It's an invitation for somebody to be close to you.”
A Speaking of love, he says,
“Love is at the root of everything - all learning, all parenting, all relationships. Love or the lack of it.”
“The greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they're loved and capable of loving.”
Transition to the text: This morning, I want to echo the words of Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and Mr. Rogers, and remind us that it’s time to love one another. I want to take us back to the beginning of our Passage in Romans, and remind us how important love is.
Text:
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Main Idea: As we wrap up this series on knowing the time, here’s the reminder:
It’s time to wake up
It’s time to walk properly
It’s time to love
Points
Points
You can never love too much
Paul here reminds them that there is this continual obligation to love one another.
The metaphor here is that it is a debt that you can never pay off.
You can never love too much.
This does not mean that we are a door mat
This does not mean that we run around giving people whatever they want whenever they want.
This does mean that we are willing to give of ourselves in way that’s good for the ultimate benefit and growth of the other individual.
The mom and dad who constantly give to their son or daughter and they know he or she is on drugs - This isn’t love because it’s not for the ultimate benefit of the child.
Love isn’t always a yes! Sometimes the most loving thing you can say is no!
You are to never stop working for and giving towards the ultimate benefit of the other individual.
You are to never stop working for and giving towards the ultimate benefit of the other individual.
To love is to give! You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving. Loving is giving of your time, your energy, your resources for the ultimate good of others.
Loving is giving of your time, your energy, your resources for the ultimate good of others.
hat we are made of love
And all the beauty stemming from it
We are made of love
And every fracture caused by the lack of it
As one songwriter put it: “We are made of love And all the beauty stemming from it We are made of love And every fracture caused by the lack of it.”
The fulfillment of the law is love
Love deos
Paul tells us that when we love, we are fulfilling the commandments.
He’s echoing the word’s of Jesus -
Jesus is telling us the most important thing is loving God and loving our neighbor.
Our priorities get so messed up sometimes.
Augustine used this analogy that our lives are often messed up because we have “Disordered loves.” In other words, we love the wrong things.
In his Book, Making Sense of God, Tim Keller talks about Augustine and This idea:
“Augustine taught that we are most fundamentally shaped not as much by what we believe, or think, or even do, but by what we love. “For when we ask whether somebody is a good person, we are not asking what he believes or hopes for, but what he loves.” For Augustine, what we call human virtues are nothing more than forms of love. Courage is loving your neighbor’s well-being more than your own safety.
Honesty is loving your neighbor’s interests more than your own, even when the truth will put you at a disadvantage. And because Jesus himself said that all God’s law comes down to loving God and your neighbor (), Augustine believed all sin was ultimately a lack of love. Look at injustice.
Honesty is loving your neighbor’s interests more than your own, even when the truth will put you at a disadvantage. And because Jesus himself said that all God’s law comes down to loving God and your neighbor (), Augustine believed all sin was ultimately a lack of love.
You may say that you believe in social equality and justice and think that you do, but if you make business decisions that exploit others, it is because at the heart level you love your own prosperity more than your neighbor’s. In short, what you love most at the moment is what controls your action at that moment. “A body by its weight tends to move toward its proper place... My weight is my love: wherever I am carried, my love is carrying me.” You are what you love.
Look at injustice. You may say that you believe in social equality and justice and think that you do, but if you make business decisions that exploit others, it is because at the heart level you love your own prosperity more than your neighbor’s.
You may say that you believe in social equality and justice and think that you do, but if you make business decisions that exploit others, it is because at the heart level you love your own prosperity more than your neighbor’s. In short, what you love most at the moment is what controls your action at that moment. “A body by its weight tends to move toward its proper place... My weight is my love: wherever I am carried, my love is carrying me.” You are what you love.”
In short, what you love most at the moment is what controls your action at that moment. “A body by its weight tends to move toward its proper place... My weight is my love: wherever I am carried, my love is carrying me.” You are what you love.”
Paul is saying here, the order of our loves needs to be - Loving God and loving our neighbor. This is fulfilling the law. This puts our world in the right order.
Loving God - Giving myself, my time, my energy, and my resources for the ultimate benefit and glory of God.
Loving my neighbor - giving myself, my time, my energy, and my resources for the ultimate benefit of others.
Get this in the right order and the rest of your life falls into the right order.
Love does no wrong to a neighbor
Paul goes on to further explain why love is the fulfillment of the law, because love does not harm it’s neighbor.
Who is your neighbor?
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” 27 The man answered, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” 29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ 36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
Jesus was asked this question by a lawyer
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” 27 The man answered, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” 29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ 36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
Jesus turns the question around - Instead of asking, “Who is my neighbor?” The question should be, “Who can I be a neighbor to?”
The answer to that question - Who can I be a neighbor to? - opens the door to anyone you know about, come in contact with, or can impact with the love of Jesus.
As the world has gotten smaller, your neighborhood has gotten bigger
We know more than ever before, so we are more responsible than ever before
Roughly 30% of the world has no access to the gospel
Love does not harm it’s neighbor by keeping the message of the gospel from them.
Love gives in order than your neighbor next door and around the world might hear the gospel.
Missionaries are waiting to Go!
If they can’t get where God has called them to go, how will unreached people hear the message of Jesus?
Pastor says all the time - You might be the catalyst for a miracle. But here’s the thing - Your giving my be the catalyst for someone hearing about the message of Jesus. Your giving of your time, your money, and your energy!
Love gives in order than your neighbor next door and around the world might see the gospel.
Hurricane Michael devastated our state
This is a great opportunity for people not just to hear about Jesus, but see his message in action!
Love gives in order that your neighbor next door and around the world might experience the gospel.
The Bible says, “taste and see that the Lord is good.” People are watching your life and my life - They need to experience the love of Jesus
The love of Jesus primarily travels through people. If you don’t love, how will they ever experience the love of God?
Love is in invitation to the table
In Church, as a kid, I heard a lot about the coming of Jesus and there’s talk about this great banquet that believers, that Christians get invited to.
We believe that one day Jesus is going to call his church, those who follow him, home. In an event known as the rapture. And we believe that after this event, when we join Jesus, that we are going to spend a long period of time eating with Jesus around a table. ()
6 Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. 8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”
This meal is often seen as an exclusive event that only believers are going to be at - and that’s true. But what if, on this side of heaven, instead of thinking of it as a privileged event we get to attend, we began to think about all the people who have yet to know that their invited?
Jesus was God’s invitation to the world - Come and join me. Come and be with me. Come and dine with me. Come and fellowship with me.
Your neighbor next door and around the world needs to know that they are invited to the table.
Why does Paul tell us it’s time to wake up, walk rightly, and love others? Because we are one step closer today, than we were yesterday, to the coming of Christ and there is a world full of people who don’t yet know they’re invited to table.
Who can you be a neighbor to?
Who are you inviting to the table?
How will you give so that they can know?
Conclusion
Conclusion