LOVE SOMEBODY - ROMANS 13:8

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 13)

8 Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

BIG IDEA: WE OWE LOVE.

STEVIE WONDER, ONE OF MY FAVORITE - FAMED URBAN POETS, ONCE QUIPPED, “LOVES IN NEED OF LOVE TODAY - DON’T DELAY. SEND YOURS IN RIGHT AWAY…HATES GOING ROUND, BREAKING MANY HEARTS - STOP IT PLEASE, BEFORE IT’S GONE TOO FAR...."

MR. WONDER, A MAN WITHOUT VISION, YET ABLE TO SEE CLEARER THAN MOST, IS SUGGESTING THAT LOVE HAS BEEN LOST...

IF WE’RE HONEST, WE DON’T LOVE AS GOOD AS WE CAN....

AND SINCE LOVE IS SUCH A STRUGGLE, THOSE WHO TRULY NEED TO RECEIVE LOVE ARE BEING LOST.

SAY, “LOVE SOMEBODY!”

WE’RE HERE TODAY (PHYSICALLY AND VIRTUALLY) BECAUSE WE WANT TO COME THROUGH THIS SUMMER SERIES ((((PUSHED)))) INTO ANOTHER LEVEL OF LIVING - LIVING THE LIFE WE WERE CREATED FOR!

OUR FOUNDATIONAL MESSAGE CHALLENGED US TO HELP SOMEBODY!

TO REACH BEYOND OURSELVES TO STRENGTHEN OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT EVERYBODY IS GOING THROUGH SOMETHING...

SO, I FOUND MYSELF (THIS WEEK) CHILLAXING THROUGH THE WIDER CONTEXT OF ROMANS 14 AND 15, WHEN MY EYES MOONWALKED TO CHAPTER 13!

THE WORDS IN VS. 8 WERE ODD TO ME: DO NOT OWE ANYONE ANYTHING…EXCEPT TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER...

MANY HAVE READ TOO DEEPLY INTO THIS TEXT TO EXTRACT A MEANING THAT WE AREN’T TO BORROW ANYTHING FOR ANY REASON, BUT THIS IS NOT THE THRUST OF THIS TEXT...

PAUL IS USING FINANCIAL TERMS TO COMMUNICATE A TRANSACTIONAL TRUTH (HERE IT IS AGAIN): WE OWE LOVE!

LOOK AT YOUR NEIGHBOR AND SAY, “I OWE YOU!”

AN “IOU” IS A TRANSACTIONAL AGREEMENT THAT HOLDS A PERSON ACCOUNTABLE FOR A DEBT THAT IS OWED…IOU!

WHEN MY FRIEND LOANED ME .50 TO BUY ME A GRAPE SODA WITH FUNIONS, I’D SLIP HIM AN IOU ON A SCRAP OF PAPER. THIS DOCUMENT WAS LEGAL AND BINDING...

WHAT PAUL IS COMMUNICATING HERE IS THIS: EVERY BELIEVER WILL ALWAYS OWE LOVE!

MY FRIEND, PASTOR GAYLON CLARK, CALLED IT “GOOD DEBT!”

SAY, “LOVE SOMEBODY!”

LET’S GET INTO IT!

LOOK AT HOW THE NIV COMMUNICATES THIS THOUGHT: 8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.

THE NIV CAPTURES THE ESSENCE OF PAUL’S ARGUMENT: THE ONLY DEBT THAT SHOULD BE OUTSTANDING IS THE DEBT OF LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER...

HERE’S OUR FIRST MOVEMENT:

LOVE IS AN OBLIGATION!

WE OWE OTHERS OUR LOVE! WE OWE IT…

WE ARE OBLIGATED SCRIPTURALLY TO LOVE OTHERS...

IF WE WITHHOLD LOVE, THEN WE ARE OPERATING IN DISOBEDIENCE.

AND DON’T TRY TO REDUCE LOVE WITH THE “I MAY HAVE TO LOVE YOU, BUT I DON’T HAVE TO LIKE YOU,” MESS...

WHY DO YOU THINK LOVE IS MENTIONED SO FREQUENTLY AND SO STRONGLY IN SCRIPTURE?

BECAUSE THIS IS AN AREA WHERE WE ALL STRUGGLE...

I DID A SEARCH ON MY SERMONS ABOUT LOVE, AND THERE WERE SO MANY! IT’S LIKE THE MOST TAUGHT THEME OF ALL MY SERMONS...

AND YET, WITH ALL THE REFERENCES IN SCRIPTURE, AND WITH ALL THE SERMONS I’VE PREACHED, WE STILL NEED TO BE REMINDED TO LOVE SOMEBODY!

REMEMBER, LAST WEEK’S MESSAGE: WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO BEAR THE WEAKNESS OF THOSE WITHOUT STRENGTH...

TODAY’S VERSE IS EQUALLY AS DEMANDING, WE OWE LOVE!

PAUL FOLLOWS THE COMMAND TO LOVE IN VS. 8, WITH THE COMMANDMENTS FROM THE LAW IN VS. 9: THE COMMANDMENTS, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER; DO NOT STEAL; DO NOT COVET, AND ANY OTHER COMMANDMENT, ARE SUMMED UP BY THIS COMMANDMENT: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.

PAUL IS SO WISE...

PAUL IS SUGGESTING: IF YOU LOVE RIGHT, THEN YOU’LL ACT RIGHT!

IF YOU LOVE RIGHT, THEN YOU’LL REFRAIN FROM BEHAVING BADLY...

LOVING OTHERS KEEPS US TREATING OTHERS AS WE OUGHT!

WHEN WE MURDER PEOPLE WITH OUR TONGUES, IT’S THE RESULT OF A LACK OF LOVE.

WHEN WE COMMIT ADULTERY WITH SOMEONE ELSE’S SPOUSE (IN OUR FLESH OR IN OUR MINDS), IT’S THE RESULT OF A LACK OF LOVE.

WHEN WE TAKE SOMETHING THAT AIN’T OURS, IT IS THE RESULT OF A LACK OF LOVE!

MY OBLIGATORY LOVE FOR YOU KEEPS ME TREATING YOU WITH KINDNESS AND COMPASSION - FAIRNESS AND EQUITY - TRUTH AND CONVICTION!!!

LOVE IS AN OBLIGATION!

Tony Evans Book of Illustrations: Stories, Quotes, and Anecdotes from More Than 30 Years of Preaching and Public Speaking (Love)

DESIGNER clothes are known by their trademarks or designs. You can know if it’s a Tommy Hilfiger or a Ralph Lauren. They have trademarks that make them very visible and very identifiable.

Those who hold an office of a unique kind can be identified by their attire. You can know a doctor by his attire or a policeman by his attire or a judge by his attire.

God has sent forth something as irrefutable evidence that we are close to God—an irrefutable test by which you can measure your own spiritual growth. In fact, so awesome is this trademark of God that He said it would be the major declaration of your faith. Jesus put it this way. He said, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you love one another.”

LOVE IS AN OBLIGATION!

LOOK AT YOUR NEIGHBOR AND SAY, “I OWE YOU!”

(((STOP RESISTING AND START RELEASING)))! - LOVE!

AND WATCH THIS, THIS OBLIGATORY LOVE MUST BE GIVEN WITH EXCELLENCE! - LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF...

WE LOVE OURSELVES WELL!

WE OUGHT TO LOVE OTHERS WELL!

I WAS READING IN THE OT SAMUEL AND KINGS HOW JONATHAN LOVED HIS FRIEND DAVID AS HIMSELF.

HE SACRIFICED FOR DAVID.

HE GAVE TO DAVID TO DEMONSTRATE IS LOVE.

HE WAS LOYAL TO DAVID.

LOVE IS AN OBLIGATION.

I GOT TWO POINTS TODAY.

HERE’S THE SECOND:

LOVE IS A DEMONSTRATION!

VS. 10: LOVE DOES NO WRONG TO A NEIGHBOR. LOVE, THEREFORE, IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW.

DON’T MISS YOUR SHOUT: LOVE DOES...

IT’S A DEMONSTRATION - IT’S ACTION!

STACK IT UP: IT’S AN OBLIGATION: I’VE GOT TO LOVE.

AND IT’S A DEMONSTRATION: I GET TO LOVE!

IT’S A PRIVILEGE FOR ME TO LOVE YOU!

IT’S ONE OF THOSE PRINCIPLES IN WHICH DOING SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE ULTIMATELY BLESSES ME!

BUT WATCH WHAT PAUL SAYS: LOVE DOES NO WRONG TO A NEIGHBOR.

NO WRONG.

THERE IS WHERE OUR DEMONSTRATIONS NEED SOME REHABILITATION!

(((((STOP HURTING AND START HEALING))))))!

WATCH THIS: YOU DON’T GET TO DETERMINE WHAT IS OR ISN’T HURT!

THE OTHER PERSON DETERMINES THAT!

THE DEMONSTRATION OF LOVE IS NOT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO GRADE YOUR OWN PAPER...

THE OTHER PERSON GRADES YOUR LOVE!

OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO LOVE OTHERS AS WE LOVE OURSELVES...

WITH THE SAME CONSISTENCY...

WITH THE SAME EXCELLENCE...

WITH THE SAME INTENTIONALITY...

LOVE IS AN OBLIGATION: STOP RESISTING AND START RELEASING.

LOVE IS A DEMONSTRATION: STOP HURTING AND START HEALING.

I’M DONE...

I BEGAN WITH THE URBAN POET STEVIE...

I’LL END WITH ANOTHER URBAN POET - PRINCE...

WHO SAID, “I WOULD DIE FOR YOU!”

HIS LOVE WAS SO GREAT THAT HE WAS WILLING TO DIE AS A DEMONSTRATION...

HE EVEN CALLED HIMSELF A MESSIAH IN THIS PIECE...

WELL, THAT’S GREAT POETRY, BUT BAD THEOLOGY...

BECAUSE SCRIPTURE SAYS THAT GOD DEMONSTRATED HIS LOVE TOWARDS US IN THIS: WHILE WE WERE SINNERS CHRIST DIED!!!

IT WAS A DEMONSTRATION...

TAKING THE SINS OF MAN...

CARRYING THE BURDENS OF MAN...

PAYING THE PRICE OF OUR DEBTS...

AND DYING IN OUR PLACE!!!

HERE’S A BETTER SONG:

Living, He loved me

Dying, He saved me

Buried, He carried my sins far away

Rising, He justified freely forever

One day He's coming

Oh glorious day, oh glorious day