Love In Action Part One Series

Love in Action

Romans chapter 12:9-21

Introduction-

Good morning, if you could turn to Romans chapter 12. We will be looking at Paul’s letter to the church concerning our everyday actions. He lays out how as believers we should be representing our faith and our relationship to the Lord and to the people we come into contact with.

Last week, I quoted D.L. Moody “Catch on fire for Jesus and people will come and watch you burn” many people liked that comment- This morning I ask you do you like it enough to live it out in your life?

You see people are watching, what are they going to see? A person on fire for the Lord or are they going to see a struggling Christian that never seems to be getting the right foothold of their relationship with the Lord?

Romans chapter 12:9-13, but first let’s have a word of prayer-

Prayer-

Father, today I ask that as believers, we would take a look at our relationship with you and also how that relationship would affect those we come into contact with- Are we who we say we are and do unbelievers desire to be around us because the love of Jesus is shining in our lives? Would you speak to each one of us today so that we could have the right relationship with you and with those around us? May we be the same person at all times.

Romans chapter 12:9-13 Read from Bible

Apostle Paul presents to his congregation and I present to you this morning ways we are to live our lives everyday.

Wither we are having a bad day or a good day.

Wither we are in sickness or in health.

Wither we are blessed or going through a trial.

The chapter begins with how we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord.

It is no longer us living but Christ who lives in us!

The Holy Spirit of God dwelling in us and desiring to empower us to live productive and sacrificial lives for Christ.

He then tells us that we belong as Christians to something much bigger than ourselves and that we are… as believers a part of the body of Christ.

Again, we see that as believers, it is not about us as much as it is about Him who lives through us.

Then he picks it up in verse 9 about love.

Hang on- Jesus does not want us to love like the world because we are different- at least we should be more Christ-like the longer we are believers.

There has to be a time when mercy gets involved and forgiveness happens not because someone deserves it, but because it is what Christ would do.

The same kind of mercy and forgiveness that was shown to you by our precious savior.

Minister George Whitefield while watching a criminal going to the gallows said “There, but for the grace of God, go I”

There is a way of forgiveness that pushes people deeper into the muck of life and then there is forgiveness that lifts them up out of the mud and restores them.

Real forgiveness is based on love and never superiority. (Being a Christian forever)

Paul records several everyday ways for living the life that God intended for a believer.

He then gives us guidelines for living and fellowshiping with our neighbors.

Shows us how we are to approach good and evil that we are faced with everyday.

(9) “Love must be sincere-Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

We can read that as your love must be sincere. You must hate what is evil and cling to what is good.

Let’s break that down - He is talking to the church- he is talking about your love, my love as believers.

It must be completely sincere.

It must be the real deal.

There must not be hypocrisy, acting, no ulterior motive.

No ulterior motive- wow! That would get a lot of us in trouble- Most relationships start by attraction and what we want…right? Like Matt Lablanc who played Joey Tribbiani from the TV series friends… “How you doing!” Flirting with loving others, but not seriously loving others for the right reasons.

Some call it cupboard love- your eye is on the prize. You are being nice because there is something that you want. The motive is to get that person to like you because you like them.

That might work for a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship- it has to start somewhere- but what about if you were nice to someone just because you want something they have/ something that they can do for you.

In women/ men doing that to the opposite sex, we would call them a gold digger.

Jesus tells us John 13:34-