Sunday, November 17, 2019 - Romans 13:8-14 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd

Sunday, November 17, 2019 - Romans 13:8-14 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd, Battle Ground, Washington, USShow more

Sunday Service Time: 10 AM
Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604
Phone: (360) 975-9356
Email: info@freedomcommunity.church
Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church
Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave. Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684

Sermon Notes:

Romans 13:8-14
In the last few weeks we have dealt with how the Christian is to conduct themselves 1) with other Christians, 2) with the unbelieving world and 3) with the governing authorities.
• And as we jump in today, we are going to find a command that encompasses all of these areas, which is to love all people we encounter.
• And in todays world of high media, social media and internet presence, I would like to challenge us to consider that this includes those persons we see though those venues, which I will explain more after we get into verses 8-10.
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.

First off, I do not believe (as some do) that this is about using credit to purchase, but it certainly speaks to not taking on debt you cannot pay, or over extending yourself to the point where you cannot assist others
• Eph. 4:28 (which is a section that tells us how to conduct ourselves among our neighbors) even commands those who used to steal, now that they are Christians, to work hard so they can meet their own needs and have the ability to help others when they are in need (Acts 20:35, Prov. 11:24, Lev. 19:9-10 )
• Now, if we over extend ourselves (which is in fact leveraging all of Gods resources He has entrusted to us) for our own personal interests, that’s a stewardship problem (Psalms 24:1-2, Matt. 25:14-30)
• And it might make it impossible to tangibly love our neighbor as our self. (Matt. 6:21)

And I do want to mention that we all have these tough seasons in life, where beyond our circumstances (or maybe in our lack of wisdom) we don’t have much to give. But I’ve also witnessed that some who have the least, are often the most generous to others. So, its not all about surplus, it’s about faith, priorities and love.

And, all of the items listed here, which we are commanded not to do, are actions of one person against another. It’s much like the second half of the 10 commandments, for one half deals with our sins against God (first half), while the second half deals with not sinning against each other.
• But here is the point of these verses, that Jesus is telling His followers they are to love those they come in contact with.
• And if we do any of the items listed above, 1) we not only sin against at least one other person 2) and against God, but 3) that sin also shows the opposite of love for those we sin against.
• What is does show is a heart of indifference, consumption or contempt, which is the reverse of our calling as followers of Jesus.

For, if anyone commits adultery, they also cause the other person to sin against their own body (1 Cor. 6:18) and God, endangering the other persons eternal salvation.
• And I hope I don’t have to explain that with murder, but I would like to say there is a great ripple that goes out from such an act, that has caused many to curse God and/or fall into extreme brokenness.
• If anyone steals, bears false witness or covets, they are in fact saying, “that person is less important than me and their loosing something isn’t as important as me getting what I want and/or deserve.”
• And this is why I also mentioned our need to consider our heart for those we interact with through technology, and not just face to face. Even if we never actually meet that other person in person.

I think we have all been made aware of the correlation between bullying on social media and the result of those receiving such criticism, then taking their own lives. (October saw a 10-year-old girl do so)
• And I think we have to be honest that through the many kinds of media we have streaming in and out of our devices, we are being desensitized to the fact that 1) the perverse act, 2) violent interaction, 3) defamation of another’s character, are actually happening to real people God created with a desire that they would be redeemed, and in His presence forever.
• And I believe the advances in technology have created a unique situation to our generation and made it too easy for us to distance ourselves from that reality, since we see these other people as though they almost were a holographic invention, instead of a real person that has only one of two possible destinations for eternity!
• And I would like to ask each of us to consider everyone we see through these media, and everyone we see in person, and acknowledge them as a creation of God, whom He loves
o For a follower of Jesus, it makes it pretty hard for us to do them harm, when we see the way Jesus loves them and wants them to come to saving faith in Him.

So, you’re watching the impeachment proceedings, and your flesh is saying something that is unloving and even contemptuous. What should our response look like in terms of the Spirit ruling over the flesh (8:1-4)? We first take those thoughts captive to Christ by simply confessing them to Him and asking for Him take them (2 Cor. 10:5)
• And then we pray according to His will (1 John 5:14). And the Lord stands strongly against corruption (2 Pet. 1:4), strongly against a lying tongue (Prov.6:17), strongly against usurpers of authority He has given (Num. 12 & 16).
• And you say, “but Rob, that’s what both sides are accusing the others of doing”. To which I say, exactly. So, let the Lord make it all evident and work out the details, because that’s what we are to be praying for. Plus (and this is the big part in loving others), that the Lord would use the result to cause each one of them to turn to Him.
• And what did we want for ourselves? To be pardoned and saved. So, to love our neighbors as our self, we need to pray for their repentance, pardon and salvation. And as we learned in 12:17-21, then it’s God’s to deal with, and He does a much better job than we do!

And as Paul (through the Holy Spirit) is telling us our response is to love our neighbor, he is simply saying exactly what Jesus said (Matt. 22:36-40)
• And we can be involved in all kinds of church related activity, yet as 1 Cor. 13 tells us, if we have not love, it does nothing to transform us and brings no reward.
• So, as we are developing ministry opportunities, or are currently serving, we have to ask if we are loving those we serve under and those we directly serve. Because if not, according to Jesus, we are accomplishing nothing (1 John 4:7-11)

11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

First off, when it says our salvation is nearer, since we know that the very moment we received Jesus we were once and forever sealed (8:35-39), this is not speaking about the act of our sin being forgiven and us being saved
• What this is addressing is that there is a day coming where we will see the fulness of our salvation. For when we were in 8:23-24, we heard “even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly awaiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope…”
• And folks, we know that day means a face to face encounter with Jesus (1 John 3:2) which means we will be home in His presence forevermore!
• This is simply saying we are to see that the time is growing closer with each minute.

But when he speaks of the need for the church (because he is talking to the church) to awake, this takes me back to the book of Jonah. Jonah was called to go to Nineveh, which was NE of Israel, and proclaim the judgement of God was coming. Jonah’s first step was to then get on a ship and head west to Spain, about 2,500 miles in the opposite direction. And to get Jonah’s attention, God decided to kick up hurricane force storm (typhoon). Listen to the account;
“…the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.””

What a picture for us to lay ahold of. Please consider a few things here. Jonah was one of Gods people, and because he had purposely gone the wrong direction, God had to bring a wakeup call.
• Folks, often we blame the world for the calamity that might come upon a group of people, but could it be the calamity is really coming because Gods people are the ones being disobedient? (1 Peter 4:17)
• And sometimes the church is so asleep that God has to send even an unbeliever to wake them/us up.
• Next, we see that while Jonah slept and God worked, those who had false gods, or no god at all, were in desperate search of salvation, but Jonah, the one who knew God, had made himself unavailable to them.
• And finally, while he was trying to ignore what God had sent him to do, attempting to go out from the presence of the Lord (1:3) He was no good even to himself.
So, in summary, 1) He was the real reason for the storm, 2) he slipped off to where he didn’t have to help in others, and 3) he slept through the time when the unbelieving word was in desperate need of his God, and even attempting to figure out who the true God was so they could call out to Him for help.

And I think we have to take some inventory personally and collectively to see if we or the church (the little “c” and big “C” church) have fallen asleep. Are we failing to provide the real presence of Jesus, and the answers to the perishing world, of salvation in Jesus?
• Now, speaking on behalf of this body of believers, buy-and-large I believe we are wide awake
• But if you have not been, then count this as the alarm clock Jesus set for you that’s going off right now.
• Will you push snooze and go back to a spiritually coma, or will you arise, and report to the service of the Lord and the people He wants so desperately to know Him?

12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

I believe there are many people, from all walks of life, that are wondering where we are at in world history. And what I mean by that is people by-and-large have an internal understanding that this cannot go on forever the way it is now. 1) Some think its because of global warming, and they are wrong. 2) Some think it’s because as humans we are going to come to some new stage of enlightenment when we just discover who we really are, and they are also wrong. 3) Others think we just need a one world governmental system, and all will then be right. They’re the most deceived of all. But for all who feel things will not continue as they are for much longer, they are 100% correct.
• But as followers of Jesus, not only do we know what is going to happen, we also have signs of where we are at on the journey, because God has told us, and folk’s the hour is extremely late.
• And all the prophecy that relates to the tribulation period, and what’s going to occur during those last 7 years, are all set in place and the details are just as the Lord told us they would be.
o Yet not one of those things has to occur before the rapture of the church. They are all set up in regard to what will happen after we are gone.
• And the speed with which these things are unfolding is so rapid and constant that I am very confident it could be any moment. But if its years from now, that changes nothing for me, because I know for certain that the night is almost over and the day will come.

And with that awareness, which only the follower of Jesus has, we are given the next instruction, and that is to clean up now, for what is coming. 1 John 3:2-3 states this so clearly, saying;
“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

• I have officiated a lot of weddings and one thing I know to be a certain truth is there is an expectation as to my appearance during the ceremony, and trust me, it would get ugly if I showed unbathed and in dirty clothes.
• And we as followers of Jesus, we are going to be taken from this life and find ourselves immediately in the physical presence of the Lord, and can you imagine showing up in lude t-shirt smelling like whisky?
o Now, of course that’s not how we will appear before Him then even if that was our condition at the time of our departure here, but why should we appear before Him now in this condition?
• Well, Jesus had an encounter with some of the religious leaders, and they had all of the external stuff looking good, but He had this to say to them ““Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Matt. 23:25-26

Folks, someone who never cleans up and dresses up can fake it when need be, but to put on the armor of light, is not a last-minute thing (1 Cor. 3:15), but the preparation of a life with and in Jesus now!
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

In closing, he tells us not only to clean up, but to stay clean! And then list 3 sets of 2 things that are common areas that cause the Christian to live in the dark allies of the night as opposed to walking in the day.
• And truly, if someone comes to me with a situation in their personal life, their work life, the marriage or with other members of family, at least 90% of the time its one of these areas.
• So, when he tells us to make no provision for the flesh, these would be great areas to already have made plans to cut off all provision to. This does not mean your invincible in these areas (1 Cor. 10:12), but if you make provision for, or do not cut off provision to, then you have already lost!

You have an alcohol problem? Then get some counseling, get a sponsor, join a support program, take the pills that make you miserable when you drink…
• You have a flirtation issue at work? Ask for a transfer or get another job!
• You have an issue with pride? Then think about what you’re going to say before you enter into a conversation and don’t talk about you, but rather ask everyone else about themselves, and don’t compare their lives with yours!
• You get where I’m going here!

And folks, I hope we all understand that if we are going to take something off, we really need to put something back on! And there is no more lovely garment than Jesus Christ our King, for He clothes us from the inside out!!!
• Ladies, you will never be more radiant than when Jesus is pouring out of you. Men, you will never be more captivating than when Jesus is shining from within you.
• And this is not primarily for finding a mate. (although that can be pretty effective between those in Jesus 😊)
• Its for drawing the world to Him while we are being transformed for our soon coming, in-person, encounter with Jesus!