Romans 13_8-10 Mighty Neigbourly

Mighty Neighbourly Romans 13:8-10

Secular:

Movie… hero is unwittingly entrapped
The villains close around him… burly thugs… pipes… big tattooed arms
Hero bolts….
Wild chase… down street… thugs in pursuit
Run through a crowd just coming out of a theatre
Dodging streetcars…. Narrowly missed by a speeding taxi…
Gun fire from a pursuing car…
Cuts down a quite alley and in a flawless move… worthy of an Olympic gymnast… scales a fences at the end of dark alley
Peers through a hole…
Sees thugs run past…
Sighs… and leans against fence to catch breath…
Just as his puls begins to settle from its peak…
WOOF….
And the scenario begins again….
Looking at Romans 13:8-10… is a little like surviving the intense text of last week… and now WOOF… we face another tough one….

Biblical:

Romans 13:8-10

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

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 neighbour; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Personal:

Too often we view scripture as “EITHER” “OR”
Either – Grace
Or – Obedience
Love or the Law
It is more like that old commercial
In this commercial, a man and a woman are walking through their house. The woman loves peanut butter and she is eating peanut butter and having a great time. The man loves chocolate and he is walking through the house with a chocolate bar. They are not watching where they’re going, they crash into each other and, of course, the chocolate goes into the woman’s peanut butter and there is peanut butter all over the man’s chocolate. They both become angry and she says, “You got chocolate in my peanut butter,” and he says, “Well, you got peanut butter on my chocolate.” But then they taste what has happened and realize this is a great combination — and so is invented the famous Reese’s Peanut Cup.

Bridge:

Love and the Law meet… at your neighbour
Oh, who are the people in your neighbourhood?
Romans has been so explicit about our relationship to God… our need to be obedient and follow him and his love for us… Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Last week we saw how that manifest itself in our relationship to Governing Authorities
This week we get to see the Love and Law of God expressed in our relationship to others!
Loving God is not isolated or independent… it is in relationship to our neighbour… no exceptions!

Body:

Love Debt

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

Owe nothing to anyone…

you also pay taxes, tax to whom tax is due;
custom to whom custom;
fear to whom fear;
honour to whom honour.

Except… Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another
Debt of Love….
Living a Christ centred life… relationship to Government
Living a Christ centred life… fulfillment of the LAW!... in relation to others.
Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
Love of Christ…

To us… big debt
In us… recipients
Through us… paying it forward

John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

Matthew 7:12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Galatians 5: 14For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."

Law fulfilled in Christ * Law fulfilled in us…
Hmmmmm…. Connection?
Presumes first great commandment…
Doesn’t sound like you can live it in isolation… does it?

James 2:8If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well.

**Factoring analogy…

Loving God is not isolated or independent… it is in relationship to our neighbour… no exceptions!

Love in the Law

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 commandments…

Relationship to God

Relationship to Others…

God’s priority must be our priority!

"You shall have no other gods before Me.
"You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
"Honour your father and your mother,
"You shall not murder.
"You shall not commit adultery.
"You shall not steal.
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
"You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbour."

Simple…
Matthew 22:37 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.' (First 4)38 "This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' (Next 6)
It is a command…
It is the expression of genuine faith!
These are not exclusives ideas… the Law and Love
It is fulfilled in Christ and fulfilled in us!

…Love in the Law

Loving God is not isolated or independent… it is in relationship to our neighbour… no exceptions

Love the Action

10 Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Love as a mindset
Lovingly in relationship
Lovingly obedient…
Faith alive?
Faith Dead?
James 2:17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

Love the Action

Living it with your neighbour… Christ in their midst!
Love the Action

Loving God is not isolated or independent… it is in relationship to our neighbour… no exceptions

Conclusion:

Love Debt

Love of Christ…

To us… big debt
In us… recipients
Through us… paying it forward

Love in the Law

It is a command…
It is the expression of genuine faith!
These are not exclusives ideas… the Law and Love
It is fulfilled in Christ and fulfilled in us!

Love in Action

Love as a mindset
Lovingly in relationship
Lovingly obedient…