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Morning Message Text: Romans 12: 9-21
Love in Action
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.
18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.
Morning Message:
A.W, Tozer says: “For millions of Christians, God is no more real than He is to the non-Christian. They go through life trying to love an ideal and be loyal to a mere principle.” I have given that statement a lot of thought, and I have come to the conclusion that most of us get caught in this trap. It happens to me, and maybe, it happens to you as well. We go through the motions of what it means to be a Christian. We love the idea of our faith, and we try to be loyal to the principle of Christianity. As Christians we come to church, we try to live according to the rules, we even adhere to the tenants of our faith. These are all good qualities for a Christian, but one thing is lacking.
Theology is not just a proposition to be examined. A sterile religious system; an academic subject to debate; a five fold plan; rules; and hoops to jump through. Theology is about a living, vital, personal relationship with the living God through the person of Jesus Christ. We get to know and engage with Him. Cognitive debate alone will not form and nourish the soul.
I’m convinced of the importance of the Spirit and the Word. If you have the Word without the Spirit you will DRY UP. If you have the Spirit without the Word you will BLOW UP. If you have the Word and the Spirit you will GROW UP! This statement seems simple, but let’s think about it for a moment. You can read and study God’s Word every day for hours, but if you don’t have the guidance of the Holy Spirit, your soul will dry up for lack of nourishment. It is the Spirit that makes sense of God’s Word and feeds it to your soul. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit but take no time in God’s Word, you will feel like you are going to blow up because you are unable to express what you believe. You need both in order to grow up and be a mature Christian.
If we listen to the words of scripture and allow them to sink in and allow the Holy Spirit to show us what they should do to change our lives, then we gain true understanding. Listen: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” This is more than going to church. This is more than trying to be a good person and obeying the rules. This is love in action. This comes from a deep devotion to your Savior. This does not come from your mind. This must be stirred in your soul. God hates evil and so should we. Not just because it’s a good idea, but because, in our souls, we should feel what God feels. Now, we should not hate evil people, we should hate the evil that controls their lives. What does it mean to honor one another above ourselves? If someone truly loves another person, they will pursue what is best for them even if it is costly to you. There is a word for that. Do you know what it is? SACRIFICE. Love in action requires sacrifice.
Sound biblical theology should not form smug scholars but passionately devoted followers of Jesus – albeit still flawed. Our treasure, the written Word of God, points to our treasure, the living Word of God—Jesus. In the first century, many mastered the Pentateuch, the scrolls, the first five books of the Old Testament. They memorized the principles but missed the Person. In John 5: 39-40, Jesus says to the religious rulers, “You study the scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.” Think about that!! God in the flesh was standing five feet in front of them, but they missed Him. Why do you think they couldn’t see what was right in front of them? They were functioning in head-knowledge and not in love.
Think about this: The sun in the sky cannot start a fire unless a lens focuses its rays. Our soul-fire comes from a lens-focus-of-life on the Son of God. Jeremiah 9: 23-24 says, “This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.” When you truly know God through his son Jesus you know love. When you truly know love, you put it into action by sacrificing for others and God’s kingdom.
There is a common theme that runs through today’s scripture, do you recognize it? Honor one another above yourselves, never be lacking in zeal, don’t be lazy, glow with enthusiasm for the Lord, share with the Lord’s people who are in need, practice hospitality, leave judgment to God. Living for Jesus is not about obeying a set of rules. here are many religions in this world that will give you a set of rules to follow and tell you that that will get you to heaven. The Christian faith is about receiving the love of God earnestly, and then putting that love into action sacrificially. There is no such thing as an unloving follower of Jesus. The questions are: Will we put that love into action? Will we love sacrificially?
The apostle Paul came to the point of not basking in his religious resume and accomplishments but considered them garbage compared to the excellence of knowing Jesus. Jesus is the treasure. Jesus is the prize. It isn’t just His gifts we want, but Him. We cannot earn the grace of God. Do not let anything in this world seduce you from seeing Him as the treasure. Someone said, “It’s worth it. He is the true treasure that can make all other treasures look like trash.” He is the Pearl of great price. Blessed be His name. Remember this: A. W. Tozer said, “The only sin Jesus ever had was ours. The only righteousness we can ever have is His.”
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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