Sermon Romans 13:8-14 Love One Another

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

New Covenant Presbyterian Church

Sermon Romans 13:8-14 Love One Another

September 10, 2017

I am continuing today with my series of sermons drawn from the Book of Romans.  Last week, in chapter 12 we saw the foundation of living a Christian life.   As sinners, forgiven by a gracious God, we are now transformed.   Our minds are made new.  We have new ways of thinking.   And we love one another.  We show grace and love to everyone.   We love the victims of violence.  We love victims of hurricanes.  And we love those with whom we disagree.  We love our enemies.  Today we will look a little closer at our obligation to love.  But first, let’s pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

In 387 AD, a 33-year-old man presented himself in church for baptism.  He his was Christian, but he took a roundabout way of coming to faith.  He had been promiscuous and was falling behind others of his age and abilities.  His mother had been praying for him, hoping that he would return to church.  He moved from town to town looking for employment.  His mother went with him to take care of him.  He loved singing in church, but his lifestyle was too far away for him to be considered a Christian.  His struggles deepen into despair, and he turned to scripture for answers, but quickly abandoned this effort.  Finally, he reached the end of his rope.  One day he just cried out, “How long O Lord?”  Just then a children’s tune came to his mind.  He sang to himself, “Take it and read it”.   This must have come from God he thought.   Immediately he picked up a Bible and read:

Romans 13:13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Suddenly the Holy Spirit took charge.   This young man was filled with faith.  So he presented himself for baptism and studied for the priesthood.   When his mother died he moved to North Africa where he founded a monastery and became a bishop.   His name was Augustine.   Bishop Augustine was one of the greatest Christian thinkers and writers the world has ever seen.   He was transformed through the reading of Romans 13 to which we turn today.

Jesus told us that he had come not to abolish but to fulfill the law.  And he said that there are two commands that sum up all the obligations we have.  The first is that we must love God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength.   The second is that we are to love others just as we love ourselves.  If we love God and love others, have we obeyed God’s law?  Yes.   Let’s turn to the Romans 13 and read for ourselves about what we should do as Christians of faith.

Romans 13:8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

The one obligation we have as Christians, before all others, is to love.  Love, agape, is a gift of God for God’s people.  God is love.  We receive God’s love as a gift.   We give God’s love away to others.  Love is a mark of the church.  A Christian community will be, by definition, a loving community.  Christian mystics have said that when you love you stand on two feet, love of God on one foot and love of neighbor on the other.  The mystics said that the love of God and the love of neighbor are actually the same because God has become our neighbor.  

If we are to love our neighbor, we must first define who our neighbor is.   Are members of the church our neighbors?  Yes.   So we should love one another.   Are people who live in the community your neighbors?  Yes.  So love them as much as you love yourselves, and invite them to worship.  How about Christians being persecuted in dangerous places in the world, are we to love them too?  Yes.  Our love for others must stretch around the world.

There is one particular group we need to talk about.   There are children, living here in America, who came here with their parents from other countries.   Many of these children have parents who do not have proper documentation to live and work in America in violation of American law.   President Obama decided to selectively enforce immigration laws to allow these kids to go to school without fear that their families would be sent home.  President Trump has decided that selective enforcement is not the proper way to deal with this problem, so he is phasing out the DACA program.   Congress is debating the proper way to deal with this problem.   Now, I really know very little about immigration laws.  And I have to trust congress to make a good decision.  What I do know is that as a Christian I am called to love these kids.   This Thursday at 1 pm, a group from New Castle Presbytery, the Matthew Action Committee, MAC, will be here to discuss this issue.  Lunch will be provided.   Please join us.

Now according to Paul, loving others fulfills the law.  I often visit people in the hospital because this is something I can do to love them.   We I get to the hospital I sometimes have a hard time finding a place to park.   Is it ok to park illegally, provided that I bring God’s love to patients in the hospital?  The answer to this is no.   If I park illegally I will get a ticket.  Loving others does not relieve me of the obligation to obey the laws of Delaware.   State laws are necessary for the well ordering of society.  Just imagine the nightmare on the streets if we had no traffic laws.

But all the law can do is to regulate our behavior.   Love goes way beyond this.  Love changes our hearts.  When we receive the gift of love we are transformed into people who love.   There is no need for law to regulate our behavior with one another because we already love one another.  There is no need for police to enforce laws when we are already filled with love for each other.  And when all the members of a church receive this gift of love that church is characterized by practices of radical love and generous hospitality.

All of this is revolutionary.  Our society is built on law.  We put many resources into law enforcement.   Those who violate the law are imprisoned.    But we desire for a society built not on law but on love.    Just imagine if everyone loved each other.   If that were true the only laws we would need are those to facilitate our ability to love.  If everyone acted on the principle of doing no wrong to anyone then there would no longer be a need for police, lawyers, judges, and prisons.

Imagine your neighborhood if everyone loved each other. Your community would be built up.  No one would hoard resources out of greed because love would cause them to share what they have.  No one would practice unethical business behavior because businesses would love their customers.  Kids could play outside again because you would love your neighbor’s children.  No one would experience the pain of discrimination or the power of privilege.   Imagine if we lived in loving communities.

Of course, there are a lot of things trying to prevent us from living harmoniously in loving communities.   Whenever we try to execute God’s gifts, evil will try to stop us.   The devil will do whatever he can do to stop us from loving one another.   Just as he led Adam and Eve into lives of disobedience so too will he tempt us.   And that temptation is great.   Our only hope is that Jesus will be in our midst to protect us as we are transformed into a loving community.  And Jesus promised that whenever two or three of us gather in his name he will be with us.   With this promise in mind, it is vitally important that we gather together for worship, prayer, and Bible study because when we gather together in groups Jesus is with us and we become transformed into a loving community.  

After our second service today we will be dedicating our new adult study rooms.  The purpose of this is to ask Jesus to be present whenever two or more people gather in those rooms.   I urge you to use those rooms by attending Bible studies on Sundays and Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings.  We gather together to study scripture.   God transforms us into a loving community.

You may be wondering, What is the rush?  I am so busy I have no time to attend Bible studies.   Maybe, after I retire I can go.  But right now I have my life to lead.   If you think this way, and many do, consider this from Paul.

  

11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

The time of waiting is over.  It is time to clothe yourself with Jesus Christ.   It is time to make worship a priority in your lives and come to church every Sunday.  It is time to make Bible study a priority in your lives and come weekly.   The time is short.  Don’t wait too long.

As a young adult, I was a loner.  I did have many friends.  You would call me a couch potato.  I knew I had a problem and I needed God’s help.  So I prayed.   I prayed for a softer more loving heart.   And it worked.  God drew me to a loving community, the church.  There I learned how to love others.  I attended worship each week.  I got involved with a singles group and Bethel Bible Series.   My heart of stone began to melt.  I started to make friends and participate in activities.   I was transformed into a far more loving person.  I believe that all of this was an answer to prayer.   And I believe that God answered my prayers through the church.   

I have benefited so much from this that I want others to experience it for themselves.   That’s why I am a pastor today.  I want people to experience the transformation to new life that I experienced.   That’s why I encourage you to come to worship every Sunday and attend Bible studies.  I want you to experience transformation to new life.   And I want New Covenant Church to become a loving community.  Let’s pray.

Holy Spirit we ask this day to enter the hearts of all of us in worship.   Turn our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh.  Transform us into people who love one another.   Bless us with faith and the desire to know more of God.   Bless us with the need to attend worship and Bible studies regularly.   Bless us with the presence of Jesus Christ whenever we gather.   In his name, we pray.  Amen.