We Must Live by God's Love
The Book of Romans
Romans 13:1-10; Romans 5:5-10; Romans 8:28-39
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared October 14, 2021)
MESSAGE:
*Today we will take a good look at the kind of love God wants us to have for other people. Turns out that it is the same kind of agape love that God has for us. The original words for agape love are found over 250 times in the New Testament. And Paul gave us a wonderful description of this love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
*There the NKJ says:
4. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5. does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6. does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7. bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
*We find this kind of agape love in Scriptures like Matthew 5:44 where Jesus said, "LOVE your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." It's also in Luke 10:27 where Jesus said, "'You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'''
*Christianity is a faith of life and love. That's because the God of the Bible is the only true and living God. He alone can give us eternal life, and it all flows out of His agape love. Now God wants us to live by His kind of love, and tonight's Scripture helps show us why.
1. FIRST: WE MUST LIVE BY GOD'S LOVE BECAUSE WE ARE DEBTORS.
*Paul talked about our debts in vs. 6-8, and here the Apostle said:
6. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing.
7. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
8. Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
[1] THIS SCRIPTURE FOCUSES FIRST ON OUR LEGAL DEBTS.
*And paying our taxes was at the top of Paul's list. That's because this chapter started by declaring God's will for Christians to generally submit ourselves to earthly government. In vs. 1-5, Paul wrote:
1. Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
2. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
3. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
4. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
5. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake.
*Now, at its best, a government does good things for its people. It protects us from the bad guys and defends our freedom. That's what God designed government to do. But tragically, most governments throughout most of history have been horribly corrupt. And we must never put government above God! When government tells us to disobey God, we should disobey government.
*Last time, we saw two Old Testament examples from the story of Moses' birth in Exodus 1-2. We also saw a great New Testament example in Acts chapter 4. There Peter and John were on trial at the high court for preaching about Jesus. And Acts 4:18-20 says:
18. . . They called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19. But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.
20. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.''
*God wants us to resist government whenever necessary, but respect government whenever possible. And part of our God-given duty is to pay our taxes, so again in vs. 6-7, Paul said:
6. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing.
7. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
*Verse 7 in the KJV says, "Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor."
*That word "dues" simply means debts in general, and in vs. 6-7, Paul is telling us to pay our public debts. He mentioned two of these public debts: "tribute" and "customs" or "taxes." John Phillips explained that "'tribute' was especially the yearly tax levied on persons or real estate. It would correspond to our income and property taxes. 'Custom' was an indirect tax on goods. It would correspond to our sales tax. There were also bridge tolls, road taxes, harbor dues, and property taxes, as many taxes as greedy officials could invent."
*William Barclay explained that these taxes were collected in Paul’s day by the publicans. They were the most hated men in the country because they served their nation's Roman conquerors. Tax collectors were also notoriously dishonest. Not only did they cheat their own countrymen. They tried their best to swindle the government. They also made a thriving income by taking bribes from rich people who wanted to avoid paying the taxes they owed."
*Phillips said, "The publicans also had great power to take out their spite on people, play favorites, and inflict hardship. They could force merchants to stop their journeys, unload their animals, and open every package. They could ransack through it all, read private letters, and generally make life miserable for people.
*But here in Romans 13, Paul did not go into the rights and wrongs of the taxation system. He simply tells Christians that a nation’s leaders have a right to monetary support." Therefore, Christians should pay their taxes. (1)
*After discussing these public debts, Paul turned to private debts, and in vs. 8 Paul tells us to "owe no one anything except to love one another. . ." On the surface, you might think Paul is telling us to never borrow money from anyone. And there are some good, godly people who hold this view.
*I once went on a mission trip with a man from Georgia. He had refused to buy a house because of his interpretation of vs. 8. Instead, that man had rented a house for ten years, and he actually seemed a little proud of that. Well, I knew I wasn't supposed to argue with this stranger, and I didn't have the heart to tell him that he was probably paying his landlord's mortgage. But I wondered if he ever thought about that.
*Paul is not telling Christians to never borrow money. He is telling us to always pay our debts. William Barclay helped us understand when he wrote: "It seems a thing almost unnecessary to say. But there were some who even twisted the Lord's Prayer. They taught that praying, 'Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,' cancelled out our obligation to pay back any money we owed! Paul had to remind people that Christianity is not an excuse for refusing to pay obligations to our fellow men. Quite the contrary: Our Christian faith is the reason to fulfil them to the utmost." (2)
*John Phillips explained that "godly love will always have the interests of other people in view, including the people we owe money to. This verse is not a law to forbid Christians from properly borrowing money. But this Scripture does forbid Christians from borrowing money beyond our ability to repay. Today, it is very easy to pile up debt that strains people's finances to the breaking point. Christians are to avoid this kind of thing. It is just as dishonest to borrow more than we can repay, as it is to steal. And nothing will ruin a Christian testimony faster than chronic indebtedness." (3)
*This doesn't mean Christians won't face financial hard times, and sometimes get behind in our bills. But the biblical principal is that we should be hard working and humble living enough to keep our debt to a minimum. The biblical idea is that we always be diligent to pay our financial debts.
[1] HERE PAUL FOCUSED ON OUR LEGAL DEBTS, BUT THEN HE FOCUSED ON OUR LOVE DEBT.
*And again in vs. 8, Paul said, "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law."
*Notice that our love debt is an obligation to other people because it is an obligation to our God. The obligation is that we must keep God's law, and "he who loves another has fulfilled the law." That word "fulfilled" has the idea of satisfying some requirement to the fullest. It's the idea of abundantly supplying something, filling something up, even cramming it full.
*"He who loves another has fulfilled the law," and Church: GOD'S LOVE IS THE ONLY WAY THAT WE CAN FULFILL HIS LAW.
*But because we are weak, because we all fall short of the glory of God, and because this broken world always needs more love, our love debt is the debt we can never fully repay. And we must live by God's love because we are debtors.
2. WE ALSO MUST LIVE BY GOD'S LOVE BECAUSE IT TRANSFORMS OUR BEHAVIOR.
*This is part of God's message for us in vs. 8-10, where Paul said:
8. Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he 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 bear false witness,'' "You shall not covet,'' and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.''
10. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
*Here in vs. 9, Paul listed the last five of God's Ten Commandments. All of these Commandments and every other law of God is "summed-up," "wrapped-up" or "contained" by godly love. That's what "comprehended" means in the KJV.
*All of God's laws are summed up by the commandment: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." And we all need more of God's love because nothing else can inspire the kind of good behavior God wants to see in us.
*Godly love will surely help the way we treat our families. This truth also shows up in Scriptures like Ephesians 5:25-27. There Paul said, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." Then in Titus 2:3-4, Paul urged the older Christian ladies to teach the young women to love their husbands and children.
*Godly love will help transform the way we treat our families. And no matter how good things are today, they can still get better through the love of God! But if you are having family problems right now, don’t give up! Everybody goes through times of trouble. And remember that nothing can help more than God’s unselfish, faithful, sacrificial love. That’s why 1 Peter 4:8 says, "Above all things have fervent love for one another, for 'love will cover a multitude of sins.'''
*Godly love can transform our families because it transforms our behavior. Pastor James Moore told a great story about God's transforming love. James' friend Roy and his wife were going through an awful time. Their daughter, Debbie, had become rebellious and arrogant. She was constantly getting into trouble, but Roy and his wife kept on loving, forgiving, and praying for Debbie.
*When their daughter was 16, she ran away from home. All kinds of terrible reports came back about the lifestyle Debbie was living, but nobody could pinpoint exactly where she was. Finally, Roy got word that somebody had seen Debbie in Memphis, so Roy and Pastor James went to look for her.
*James said, "I'll never forget that experience or the look on Roy's face as we searched all day and into the night for his prodigal daughter. Written large on his face was this look of intense urgency and deep love. as we went into one dive after another, one bar after another, one teenage hangout after another.
*And everywhere we went, Roy would do the same thing. He would show people the picture of his daughter and ask if anyone had seen her. No luck. They either hadn't seen her, or they weren't talking. And everywhere we went that day, Roy stuck a picture of him and his wife near the door. With it was a note that read: 'Debbie, all is forgiven! We love you! Please come home!' (Signed) Mom and Dad."
*They didn't find Debbie that day, but two weeks later she did come home. She was dirty and hungry, but okay. Debbie said, "I couldn't believe my eyes. I walked into this bar one night and saw my mom and dad's picture and that note. And then, I went to another place, and another, and another.
*Everywhere I went there was my mom and dad's picture, and that note forgiving me and pleading with me to come home. And for the first time in my life, I realized that night how much my mom and dad love me! I have hurt them so many times. I have broken their hearts so many times. And still they came looking for me, still they love me."
*Pastor James asked, "Where did Roy and his wife learn to love like that, to reach out like that, to forgive like that? You know, don't you? They learned it from Jesus." (4)
*And that kind of godly love will transform the way we treat our families. It will also transform the way we treat our friends, our neighbors, and even our enemies. Again in vs. 9-10 Paul said:
9. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery,'' "You shall not murder,'' "You shall not steal,'' "You shall not bear false witness,'' "You shall not covet,'' and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.''
10. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
*Love doesn’t hurt neighbors. It helps them! Jesus showed us this truth in the story of the Good Samaritan. But before you hear the Scripture, remember that the Jews and Samaritans were bitter enemies in that day.
*Luke 10:25-37 says:
25. . . Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him (Jesus), saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?''
26. (Jesus) said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?''
27. So he answered and said, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'''
28. And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.''
29. But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?''
30. Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.
33. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34. and went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'
36. So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?''
37. And he said, "He who showed mercy on him.'' Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise.''
*Church: We must live by God's love because it transforms our behavior.
3. BUT MOST OF ALL, WE MUST LIVE BY GOD'S LOVE BECAUSE WE HAVE RECEIVED IT FROM OUR SAVIOR.
*In this letter, Paul first talked about God's love in Romans 5. There in vs. 5-10, the Apostle spoke to all Christians and said:
5. Now hope does not disappoint, because the LOVE of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8. But God demonstrates His own LOVE toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
*Praise the Lord! Then in Romans 8:28-39 Paul said:
28. And we know that all things work together for good to those who LOVE God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
29. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
31. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32. He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
33. Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
34. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
35. Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36. As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.''
37. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who LOVED us.
38. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39. nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
*Church: The love of God has been given to us in ways we won't begin to understand until we get to Heaven. But in John 3:16 we know that "God so LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." And in John 15:13 we know that Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." This is kind of love that led Jesus to die on the cross for all of our sins.
*That's how much God loves us! We have received the love of Jesus Christ, and now we must give His love.
*1 John 4:7-11 talks about the love we have received, and the love we must give. There John said:
7. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
10. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
CONCLUSION:
*All Christians have received the love of Jesus Christ. Now we must live by His love. Let's seek more of God's love and find more ways to share it with other people. God will surely help us. Trust in this truth as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) Sources:
-EXPLORING ROMANS by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "Their Right to Our Monetary Support" - Romans 13:7 - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
-BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES (NT) by William Barclay, Revised Edition - Copyright 1975 - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - "The Man Whom All Men Hated" - Matthew 9:9 - https://www.primobibleverses.com/view/william-barclay/the-growth-of-opposition-matthew-91-34
-EXPLORING THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "Matthew - The Willing Disciple" - Matthew 9:9 - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
(2) Adapted from BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES (NT) by William Barclay, Revised Edition - Copyright 1975 - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - "The Debts Which Must Be Paid and the Debt Which Never Can Be Paid" - Romans 13:8-10 - https://www.primobibleverses.com/commentary/william-barclay/romans/13
(3) Adapted from EXPLORING ROMANS by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "Love’s Debt" - Romans 13:8 - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
(4) Adapted from Sermons.com sermon "Encounters with Christ IV" by James Moore - John 4:7-15
