Have you ever thought about the variety of ways
that we all use the word love?
I'm gonna guess, hopefully I'm right,
you have told your spouse very recently
that you love her or you love him.
But you may have also said,
or at least you've heard somebody say,
I love my dog.
I love the weather we're having right now.
I love that movie that I saw last week.
I love ice cream.
Now, think.
Do you love ice cream, movies, the weather, and your dog
the same way that you love your spouse?
Now, I hope nobody would say yes.
But I'm just trying to show this word love.
We have a hard time nailing down a definition.
We have a hard way of describing what we mean.
But most people, if you do pin them down,
in some way they will use the word feeling
to describe what they mean by love.
That's the most popular way to describe it today.
You hear it all the time.
Somebody can fall in or out of love.
Some people have a burning love one day,
but later on it burns out.
We just have a difficult time describing what the word love means,
but the Apostle Paul didn't have that problem.
I want you to turn with me to Romans chapter 12
and see how he described the love that God intends for his children,
us, to demonstrate toward one another.
And as we go through this, we're going to see,
as Paul describes love,
it's an attitude.
It is a mindset,
not really an emotion.
What we're going to see is that God commands us to love one another.
And you think about it.
If God commands us to do this,
to love one another,
it cannot be a feeling
because you cannot make someone.
You cannot command someone to feel a certain way.
Can you?
No, love is something that we do.
Love is a choice.
Love is a commitment.
It may or may not be
something we feel
in every situation.
This kind of love is described in Romans chapter 12,
verses 9 through 13.
But before we read this,
I want you to keep something in mind
because what we're going to read,
in some ways you're going to think,
well, this just is impossible.
And it's impossible to love
a certain person
like this.
Keep in mind,
Paul is writing to Christians.
The other long description
or comments on love
is in 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 13
about what love is
and all these kind of things,
how superior love is
above everything else,
the greatest Christian virtue.
Paul writes in Romans,
he writes in Corinthians
to Christians.
When God saved us,
He put His Spirit in us.
We have the ability,
not because of our strength,
not because we're something special,
we have the ability
because the Spirit of God lives within us,
to love people
just like we're going to read about
in this chapter.
You can love
some hard-to-love people
in your life.
And there are people
who are hard to love.
There are people that
it's just everything within you
as a Christian
to love.
But we can.
The key is
we've got to
cooperate with the Spirit of God
when He prompts us
to keep our mouth closed,
when He prompts us
to act a certain way
towards some of these
hard-to-love people.
We've got to cooperate
with the Holy Spirit
and we've got to learn
to develop this loving attitude
that will translate
into loving actions
like we read about
in these verses.
Romans 12.
Let's read it.
Verses 9 through 13.
Let love be genuine.
Abhor what is evil.
Strongly hate
what is evil.
Hold fast
to what is good.
Love one another
with brotherly affection.
Outdo one another
in showing honor.
Do not be slothful
and zeal.
Be fervent
and spirit.
That's a little s
in most translations.
It is what I'm reading
today in ESV.
He's talking about
our spirit here,
not the Holy Spirit.
Although that's not,
it's possible
He's talking about
the Holy Spirit.
But we're going to
take it as
do not be slothful
and zeal.
Be fervent
in your spirit
as you serve
the Lord.
Rejoice in hope.
Be patient
in tribulation.
Be constant
in prayer.
Contribute to the needs
of the saints
and seek to show
hospitality.
We're in a series
from Romans 12.
We're talking overall
about how God
wants us to live
like a Christian
wherever we are.
We've talked about
living like a Christian
in our relationship
with Him
and really focused on
that requires
wholehearted commitment.
We've talked about
how to live
like a Christian
in the way
that we think
about ourselves.
It means,
as we saw
in verses 3 through 8,
don't think too highly
of yourselves.
Don't be prideful.
But the opposite
of that,
humility,
is not don't think
I can't do anything
that I know anything.
The opposite is
be objective
about yourself.
Be realistic.
You have talents
and gifts
and abilities
that God has given you
and if you'll be
faithful to Him,
you can use
your talents,
gifts,
and abilities
in some great ways
in people's lives
as well as
in serving God.
Now,
in this section,
we're talking about
living like a Christian
in our relationships
specifically
with other Christians.
That means
we're talking about
how we should love
one another
in this church
as brothers and sisters
in Christ.
We're talking about
how you should love,
we should love
other Christians
in our lives
and a lot of you
work with other Christians.
A lot of you
go to school
with people
who are truly Christians.
Some of you
do things
on the weekends,
just interact
with people
in this area,
other places
who are Christians.
We're talking about
the love that exists
among believers
wherever
and get this,
in your home,
if your spouse
is a Christian,
if your children are,
this is how
it's supposed to be
in the way
you relate,
act,
speak
to one another
at home.
Now,
when we read
these verses,
I don't know
if it really
stood out to you
this is all
describing
genuine love.
Verse 9,
the first part,
let love be genuine,
that's sort of
like the statement
and the rest
of this
is a description
of what
genuine
or sincere
love is.
It makes sense
if you think
this is the Apostle
Paul writing
and in 1 Corinthians
chapter 12
he gave this
long list
of instructions
about spiritual
gifts
gifts.
And then he
followed it up
in 1 Corinthians
13 by talking
about what love
is.
Here in Romans
12 we have
a condensed
version,
verses 3-8
of him talking
about spiritual
gifts
and now in
verses 9-13
a condensed
version of what
he says in 1
Corinthians 13
about love.
Let's look at it.
If we're serious
about pleasing
God by living
like a Christian
then we've got
to love each
other genuinely.
Look at verse 9,
that's the statement.
Let love be
genuine.
The word
genuine here
means without
hypocrisy.
The word was
often used
in that day
to describe
an actor
on a stage,
somebody who
was playing
a role,
somebody who
would hide
behind a mask
that they held
up.
Well Christian
love is the
opposite of that.
Christian love
is supposed
to be sincere.
It's supposed
to be real.
It's not supposed
to be phony.
How much
of our lives
are truly
real?
Think about it.
We are good
at playing a part
when it comes
to projecting
the image
we want people
to see
in us.
You think
about it.
There's people
in this room,
you play
one part
at work.
You play
another part
that's different
at home.
And you may
even play
a third part
here at church.
Or
if you're
younger,
you may do
it that way
at school
at home
at church.
church.
Most of us
in this room
we're southerners.
Most of us
in this room
we are southern
born and southern
bred.
When we die
we'll be southern
dead.
We know that.
That's just
who we are.
Now everybody
here didn't
have the
advantage of
being born
in the south.
But I'm
going to guess
you got here
as quick as
you could.
So you're
here now.
You know
some of the
things I'm
about to
say.
We who
are southerners
we know
how.
We know
how to
fake things.
You know
as southerners
we pride
ourselves on
a lot of
things.
We think
at least
about all
the many
positive
qualities
that we
have.
But being
genuine
is not
really a
strong
suit.
We've
learned how
to be
nice
from an
early age.
How many
of you
have ever
said this
or done
this or
had it
said to
you?
You talk
to someone
on the
telephone
or you
talk to
them in
person
and as
you get
ready to
end the
conversation
before you
say goodbye
before they
say goodbye
one of the
last things
they'll say
is come
to see us.
How many
of you have
heard that
all your
life?
Come to
see us.
They don't
really mean
that.
No.
If I have
a conversation
with,
I'm not
going to
pick on
my,
if I have
a conversation
with,
who could I
pick on
in here this
morning?
I'm not
going to
pick on
Rick this
morning.
Go ahead,
I'll
Rick,
okay?
If I have
a conversation
with Rick
and we get
ready to
wind it down,
he says,
come to see
us,
hang up.
Well,
just out
of the
blue,
out of
the blue,
I show
up ready
just to
come in
and sit
down and
visit for
a while.
He's
going to
be mad.
He's not
going to
appreciate
that.
In this
day and
time,
everybody's
busy.
Everybody
has something
to do.
Nobody's
sitting at
home waiting
for somebody
to come
by just
out of the
blue,
knock on
the door
and say,
I want
to come
in and
visit with
you a little
while.
that's
just not
how life
is today.
But we
say things
trying to
be nice
that we
don't really
mean.
You know,
one of the
worst things
that we do
as Southerners,
one of our
worst sayings,
what is it?
Bless your
heart.
That's
Southern
license to
gossip and
slander,
just say
anything you
want about
someone.
I'll bet
we've got
teachers in
this room
that you
have said
this,
bless his
little heart.
He's the
dumbest child
I've ever
had in my
classes.
Some of
you may
have said,
or some
of you may
have had
one friend
say to
another
friend,
she's got
the ugliest
baby I have
ever seen.
Bless her
heart.
We do
that now.
You know,
I'm going
over the top
with this.
But we
have a
way,
most of
us,
we have a
way of
projecting an
image that
is not
real.
We have a
way of
saying things
that we
really and
truly do
not mean,
and we
have a way
of saying
things that
we do
mean,
that is
mean,
literally.
We try to
camouflage it
in some
way.
Most of
us have
had a
lot of
practice
play
acting
about a
lot of
things,
including
expressing
love.
What Paul
is saying
here is,
be real,
be genuine
in your
love for
the people
around about
you that you
should be the
closest to.
be sincere.
And as I
said earlier,
because the
Spirit of God
lives within
us, we
can.
We can be
real people
and what we
say is what
we mean.
We need to
learn to do
that.
It's something
that we're
commanded to
do.
Let love
be genuine.
But what
will that
look like?
Let's look
now.
Let's look
at what the
rest of these
verses describe.
We must
demonstrate
genuine love
verses 9b
through 13.
First of all,
sincere love
is discerning.
He says,
abhor what is
evil, hold
fast to what
is good, or
hate what is
evil, cling
to what's
good.
Christian love
is not a
sentimental
love.
Christian
love, it's
not the warm
fuzzies.
It requires,
in this case,
looking at what
he's saying
here, it
requires a
violent
hatred of
evil,
and a
strong
attachment
to what's
good.
Some
Christians
think that
love means
you're just
always nice.
Everything's
always okay.
You never
respond negatively
to any
behavior.
Some people
have the
idea, if
you're a
Christian and
you love
people, hate
won't even be
a part of
your vocabulary.
Well, that's
not true.
We're supposed
to hate
evil and
cling fast
to, hold
strongly to
that which
is good.
Our problem
is, a lot
of people,
including
Christians,
define right
and wrong
by their
own standard
of what's
right and
wrong, or
by their
own standard
of what's
loving.
Think of
it this way.
A lot of
people think
sex outside
of marriage
cannot possibly
be wrong.
We
rationalize.
if it
takes place
in the
context of
a loving
relationship.
That's how
many people
justify
premarital
sex.
We love
one another,
or even
adultery,
or
homosexuality.
It just
seems like,
and it is in
today's world,
today's culture,
the idea is
you do what
feels good
to you.
You define
all your
terms.
You define
truth,
you define
love,
and you do
what you
think is the
loving thing
to do.
Here's the
problems.
Christians
don't get to
do that.
God does
that for us,
and He's
done that in
His Word.
God defines
for us what
is right and
wrong, what
is evil and
what is good.
He defines
for us what
love is as
we're reading
here and also
in 1 Corinthians
13.
That's just a
more lengthy
example.
God has
established real
standards,
objective
standards of
what evil and
good behavior
is in His
Word.
So whatever
God calls
evil, whatever
God calls
sin, it is
evil.
It is sin.
And we
should hate
it.
we should
hate strongly
that which
is truly
evil.
Do you?
But whatever
God says is
right, whatever
God says is
good, that
is what's
right and
good.
And that's
what we should
cling to, hold
close fast to.
Do you?
Let me make a
clarification here.
This is not
teaching that we
are to hate
evil people.
We'll see later
on in our
studies on down
past verse 14,
we're called to
love our enemies.
But we're to
hate evil.
As the old saying
goes, we love
the sinner but
hate the sin.
Sincere love
is discerning.
Sincere love
is also devoted
to others.
Look at verse
10.
Love one
another with
brotherly affection.
Outdo one
another in
showing honor.
The first
command in
this verse
10 is love
one another with
brotherly love.
our relationships
with other
Christians is
supposed to be
as close as
relationships with
our biological
brothers and
sisters on our
good days.
You know,
brothers and
sisters are known
to fight like
cats and dogs.
Brothers and
sisters are known
to hurt one
another.
But on their
best days,
brothers and
sisters will
defend one
another and
hurt the person
that tries to
hurt their
brother and
sister.
Paul is saying
that as
Christians,
we're a part
of God's
family.
There is a
spiritual family
that we're a
part of that
should be as
close as
brothers and
sisters under
the ideal
brother-sister
relationship.
The second
command here is
that we should
outdo one
another in
showing honor.
The idea is
that you respect
others first.
You're not
going to do
this if you
don't respect
them and put
them first.
The idea is
sincere love
seeks the best
for the one
you love,
not yourself.
The best
example I've
ever heard in
just people
living and
doing came
from children.
Lisa teaches
music at an
elementary school.
One year,
several years
ago now,
a brother and
sister both
tried out for
honors choir.
The sister
made it.
The brother
did not.
When Lisa
explained to
the brother,
your sister
made honors
choir and
you didn't,
you know
what he said?
He said,
well, if only
one of us
could make it,
I'm glad it
was my sister.
And he
meant it.
He loved his
sister.
And he
was happy
for her
to get
that honor
above
himself.
And he
was genuine.
It was the
real deal.
Sincere love
is devoted
to others.
Sincere love
provides us
with positive
energy.
In verses
11 and 12,
look at it.
Do not be
slothful in
zeal,
but fervent in
spirit.
Serve the Lord,
rejoice in
hope,
be patient in
tribulation,
be constant in
prayer.
Let's look at
this quickly
here.
Love is
enthusiastic.
Another way
that can be
translated is
love is not
lazy or
indifferent when
it comes to
service.
Serving God
and serving
other people
is what it's
talking about
here.
Sincere love
will cause us
to want to
do our best
in fulfilling
our responsibilities
to other
people.
We won't be
lazy or half-hearted
about it.
And you know
what I'm
talking about.
There are
things that you
do in life
that you
love,
you thoroughly
enjoy,
but it's
hard.
It's a labor
of love.
It may be
your job,
it may be
a hobby,
it may be
something fun
you just do
with your
friends or
your children
or someone.
You work
at it,
you sweat
at it,
you get
worn out,
but you
love it.
It's a labor
of love,
you're not
lazy in it.
And what
Paul is saying
here is we
have the right
kind of love
for one another
when we've
got to get
in there
and roll
up our
sleeves
and do
some things
to meet
one another's
needs,
we'll do
it enthusiastically.
We won't
do it
begrudgingly,
that's not
love.
We won't
be lazy
in doing
it.
Love is
patient.
It enables
us to
persevere
and not
give up
in hard
times.
Everybody
has hard
times.
Life is
not simple
for anyone.
Most people
thankfully,
it sort
of comes
and goes.
There's
people in
this room
right now,
right now
life is
great for
you.
You
couldn't
ask for
things to
be better.
There's
people in
this room
that life
is very
hard right
now.
It's the
hardest you've
ever gone
through.
Love is
patient in
that it
will help
us sometimes
just to
take one
more step.
It'll
help us
to continue
on.
And let's
think especially
in difficulties
with certain
people.
Love will
help us to
be patient,
to work
with them,
to build
bridges,
not to
burn them.
Love motivates
us to pray.
If we truly
believe that God
answers prayer
and we love
people,
doesn't it make
sense that we
ought to want
to pray for
them?
Let's just
be real
honest.
There's
people in
your life,
you just
love to tell
them what
you really
think.
There's
people in
your life
that you
don't like,
you don't
like what
they're doing,
they irritate
you, and
if you could
just get by
with it, if
it could be
Groundhog Day,
remember the
movie?
You could just
do whatever
you wanted to
do, say
whatever you
wanted to
say, and
tomorrow they
wouldn't
remember.
You just
love to
explode on
them, just
tell them what
you think.
We can't
do that.
Groundhog Day
in the movie
was fiction.
We have to
love some
people that
God has in
our life
that's hard
to love, and
everybody has
them.
You know, as
the saying goes,
if you don't
know who they
are, you're
probably it in
your family or
your circle.
And so what
we've got to
learn to do
is love these
people, and
one of the
best ways to
learn to do
that is to
pray for
them.
Pray for
yourself.
God, help
me to be
patient.
Help me to
actually meet
this person's
need in a
genuine,
sincere, kind
way.
And then pray
for that
person.
Pray that God
would work in
the situation to
meet the need,
even to use
you.
That goes on
to verse 13.
Sincere love
meets people's
needs.
He says,
contribute to
the needs of
the saints,
and show
hospitality.
We're supposed
to share with
people as they
have need.
What do we
share?
Whatever it is
that they need
that you can
meet the need
with.
I want you to
look at a
passage of
scripture quickly
from 1 John
3.
It's on the
screen.
This is written
to Christians.
This applies to
all of us.
If anyone has
material possessions
and sees his
brother in need,
but has no
pity on him,
how can the
love of God
be in him?
Dear children,
let us love
not with words
or tongue,
but with actions
and in truth.
Sometimes love
is going to
compel us to
take out our
billfold,
checkbook,
debit card,
and meet a
person's need.
Sometimes love
is going to
compel us to
be inconvenienced
to even sacrifice
to meet a
brother or
sister in
Christ.
Not just a
physical brother
or sister,
but a brother
or sister in
Christ's need.
Showing
hospitalities.
The next one,
that was of
great importance
in the early
church.
It was not
always possible
that there was a
place like a
hotel.
There weren't
that many
inns.
And a lot of
times if there
were, there
were shady,
sleazy places
that you wouldn't
want someone
coming in.
And so, in
the early
church, Christians
who travel like,
for example,
the Apostle
Paul, if he
came to the
church at Rome,
if he came to
Pickens, he
would expect for
a Christian
family to open
their home to
him.
Him being a
stranger to them
on one hand,
but he, they
would have heard
about him.
It wasn't just a
total stranger,
they would have
heard about him.
They, he may
even have some
letters of
recommendation from
another church
or some other
Christians that
they knew of.
And so they
would take him
in.
How that might
apply today is
sometimes we have
had some youth
conferences here.
And we've brought
in some, maybe
college students
from North
Greenville or
Liberty University
or somewhere like
that.
And they're coming
in for a weekend
and we need
families in our
church to house
these people.
That is the kind
of Christian
hospitality we're
talking about.
You don't know
them, but you do
know of them.
We're not talking
about total stranger.
They're Christians.
And so you open
your home to
these kinds of
strangers.
We talked about
several years ago
as a church
family, partnering
with a church
that on the coast
of South Carolina,
that if they had
a hurricane and
they had to
evacuate, we
talked about
enlisting church
members to open
our homes to a
couple or a
family from a
church, say in the
Charleston area, that
had to leave because
of the hurricane.
That would be
Christian hospitality
as an example.
Paul makes it
clear, sincere
love is a whole
lot more than a
feeling.
It's an attitude
that we display in
our actions.
So I just want to
ask you, in light of
what we've seen
here, are you
demonstrating sincere
love to your
brothers and sisters
in Christ in
particular?
The next question
is, do you want
to?
Is there
something within
you, the Spirit
of God, that
causes you to see
this is what's
right and this is
what I want to do?
Some of you may
say, certainly I
don't do it
perfectly, but this
is my goal.
So you might need
to ask God this
morning to help
you to continue
on to grow in
some of these
areas.
Whatever it is
that God's shown
you, your
response, what it
needs to be, ask
God to help you
right now to
desire and
demonstrate this
kind of sincere
love every day
in all these
relationships we're
talking about,
even the hard
ones.
And ask God to
help you right
now to do
whatever it is to
make the commitment
to start now.
Let's pray.
Dear God, help
us to see that
love is not an
option if we are
your children.
And help us to
see, dear God, that
we cannot be
selective about how
we love and who
we love.
So show us right
now, dear God,
what we need to
do about maybe a
changed attitude,
changed priorities,
what we need to
do about confession
of sin, that
would enable us to
leave here ready
to start demonstrating
sincere love.
Father, if there's
anyone in this room
who is not your
child, help them
to understand this
morning how much
you love them.
You love them so
much you sent your
son into this world,
the Lord Jesus,
to die and pay the
penalty for their
sins.
Help them, dear God,
right now to see
their need, give them
the desire to turn
from their sin and to
trust in Jesus and
call upon Him to save
them right now.
You just listen to the
Lord with the heads
bowed and eyes closed
and respond to Him.
If I could help you
during this time, I'll
be here in front to
pray with you.
also
a
you
B
.