If you would, remain standing for the reading of God's Word and turn with me to Romans chapter 13. If you're using a pew Bible, you can find that on page 948. Page 948, Romans chapter 13. I'll begin reading in verse 8. owe no one anything except to love each other. For the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and any other commandment are summed up in this word. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to the neighbor. Therefore, love is a fulfilling of the law. Besides this, you know the time that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone, the day is at hand, so then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify his desires. May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of God's word. Please be seated. So as already has been stated numerous times when we looked at Romans chapters 1 through 11, Paul was addressing correct doctrine. And then when Paul reached Romans 12, he made a shift, and that shift was when we have right doctrine, that is wonderful, but we also need righteous living because of that right doctrine. So our beliefs as Christians, They are to be visible in how we live. God says to us, be holy in all your conduct. Our beliefs are to be evident and seen by all. In 1 Peter 1, beginning in verse 13, we find these words. It says, therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. So not sound doctrine alone, but also righteous living. This fulfills the words, living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. As Christians, just because we have a right doctrine does not mean that we are being a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Our life among this body with other brothers and sisters in Christ, our life among those who are lost, and our life lived in submission to governing authorities is to please the Lord. These three areas Paul has covered. In today's verses, beginning in verse 8, Paul emphasizes that with the body, among believers and unbelievers, among governing authorities, we please him by doing all in love. That is, our attitude, our behavior and heart's desire is to be that of love. Love is to govern the Christian. For example, our submission to the Lord should not be done so with grumbling. Even in the paying of taxes, love is to be our great theme. John MacArthur discusses church history in order for us to learn. He says, to be a testimony to the world, Christians need to live what they profess. Christians today could learn much from early Christians whose lives were such a rebuke to the immoral pagan societies around them. Unbelievers in those cultures found it extremely difficult to find fault with Christians because the more they observed them, the more they saw believers living out the high moral standards the church professed. Our doctrine and practice, they are to go hand in hand as Christians. Our orthodoxy, correct or right belief, is to lead to orthopraxy, that is correct or right action. And the blanket that is to cover them both is that of love, the love of God. Romans 13, verse 8, it says, Oh, no one anything except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Now, this verse is not to be ripped out of Romans and to be used as saying you can never, ever be in debt. We've heard that enough. This is not declaring that borrowing money is wrong, as some have concluded. In context, backing up to verse seven, we are to pay what is due, to whom it is due, taxes, revenue, respect, honor to whom they are owed and when they are owed. We are to not let, to say, we are to let no debt remain outstanding. And in all we do, we are to love each other. All you owe, owe it in love. Love is to govern us as God's children. And with this truth, when it says, owe no one anything except to love each other, owing love never goes away. It never runs dry. You never come to the point in your life, I've accomplished that, I'm done. It never goes away. There is a day in which, by God's grace, the car will get paid off. There's a day by God's grace in which your house will get paid off. There is never a day in which you're done owing love. Christ has loved us. We are debtors to love, therefore we are to love each other. In verse 8, Paul uses the words, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. In verse 10, Paul says, love is the fulfilling of the law. Let us be careful when we hear the words, love fulfills the law. Daniel Dornei notes, the commands of Romans 13, they rest on the gospel. Paul's commands teach believers how to answer God's prior love. We love others by keeping the law. Colin Cruse instructs and warns, love is the fulfillment of the law insofar as the law is concerned to ensure that no harm is done to a neighbor. He is not saying that love leads believers to observe all the demands of the Mosaic law. So not being under the law, but under grace, according to Romans 6, is not declaring we can live a life of lawlessness. We are to love others how we desire to be loved. Following the law, following the law is actually love. In Matthew 22, And Jesus said to them, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets. So love fulfills the law. In Romans 13, nine for the commandments, you shall not commit adultery. You shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and any other commandment are summed up in this word. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore, love is fulfilling of the law. Paul has already addressed love in what some have called the so what section that began in chapter 12, but in Romans 12, beginning in verse nine, he says, let love be genuine. abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good, love one another with bodily affection, outdo one another in showing honor. Our love for others is to be genuine. We are to abhor what is evil. That means as Christians, it is loving to actually hate what is evil. We're to hold fast to what is good. We love one another with bodily affection. That's great and genuine friendship. And Paul, once again, shows us that true love does not love everything. He uses the words, you shall not commit adultery. You shall not murder. You shall not steal. You shall not covet. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. From Romans 12, we learn we are to abhor or dislike what is evil. We are to hold fast or grip tightly to what is good. And in Romans 13, it says, love does not commit adultery. Love does not murder. Love does not covet. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. The law teaches us how to love. Biblical love, godly love, hates what is evil and grips tightly onto that which is good. Godly love does not love everything and godly love does not accept everything. Look at Romans 13, beginning in verse nine. You shall not commit adultery. Love does not commit adultery. Adultery is sin. Love remains faithful. You shall not murder. Love does not murder. Murder is sin. Love builds up. Love encourages. It does not hate. You shall not steal. Love does not steal. Taking what is not ours, that is sin. Love gives. Love cares for others. You shall not covet. When you and I desire something that we do not have and we become so self-involved with it, whether in our actions, in our thinking, being envious, becoming jealous, this is sinful. When we covet, we don't have time and we don't take time to care and to help and to supply the needs of others because we're so self-involved. Love is not self-involved. Love notices the needs of others around them. And any other commandment are summed up in this word. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. This is what is known as the golden rule. Matthew 7, verse 12. So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them. For this is the law and the prophets. So do to others what you want done to yourself. Philippians 2. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each one of you look not only to his own interest, but also to the interest of others. So you count others more important than you count yourself. That means if you're always thinking about you, you have a problem. Love your neighbor as yourself. Look to the interest of others. Love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore love is a fulfilling of the law. It is also not loving to not notice or recognize that you have neighbors. Doing wrong to a neighbor is not love. Love is a fulfilling of the law, and this law does not depart while we are on this earth. Now Romans 13 and 1 Corinthians 13, they are helpful in our pursuit of loving each other. Because love does and love does not. If you will turn with me to 1 Corinthians 13 together. 1 Corinthians 13 is often read at a wedding, but 1 Corinthians 13 is meant for the church. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have and deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind. It does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away. As for tongues, they will cease. As for knowledge, it will pass away. But we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but I shall know fully even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three, but the greatest is love. What baffles me is when you read 1 Corinthians 13 and you get through reading and you go back and you see, look at this, we can have all knowledge. We can understand all mysteries. We can have full faith. And yet, if we don't have love, we are nothing. In this, we find biblical love, godly love does, and godly love does not. We also walk away from 1 Corinthians 13, realizing that if you and I don't love as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are annoying. Like that of a clanging cymbal. Without love, we are nothing. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love rejoices with truth. Love bears all things. Love believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. Therefore, we don't graduate from love. And when you look at faith and hope, the greatest of these is love. In Romans 13, it's interesting that Paul speaks of the negative, what love does not do. He does this because if we love, we fulfill the law. I enjoyed reading what James Montgomery Boyce said this past week about love getting to work. He said, He talked about many things that are absent today in the church. Number one, beginning that love listens. Many Christians, they hate to listen. Some people actually sit here and think, I wonder when this sermon will get over. I'm wondering when Sunday school will be finished. I can't wait for school to end. I'm tired of people talking to me, but love actually listens. time and energy to listen to each other and to be there. In fact, that's a big part of ministry is just being there for people. Love gives. It's giving of yourself, sharing, thinking of the needs of others, not always thinking about the needs of yourself. And love forgives. True Christians forgive because they have been forgiven in Christ. There's no time to hold grudges and become bitter. We're on mission and we're headed home. Love listens, love gives, love forgives, love serves. Jesus said whoever wants to become great must become a servant. Anytime you understand that of a servant, a servant listens, a servant gives, and a servant forgives. They're all connected. As God loves us with his perfect love, we are to love others because we are his. That includes listening, giving, forgiving, and serving. We are to image our great God by loving others. God's love is what makes it possible for us to love. If you're an unbeliever this morning, you don't understand love and you have never loved because it has not been about the glory of God. R.C. Sproul used these words, if our decisions about how to treat others are always motivated by love for God, a singular love for God, we really do not have to worry about the law because the law reflects what is pleasing to God. Love God and do what the love of God requires in every human situation. How great that would be, right? If in every single situation, every conversation and every opportunity that we have, we were thinking solely alone about the singular love of God and glorifying Him. Because we owe love. Our obligation is love. Our behavior is to be that of love. Our motivation in loving is the love of God. We love others because this pleases Him. We love each other. We are to love our neighbor. And our neighbor is everyone. If we ask ourselves a question, Lord, who is our neighbor? We've already decided that some people are not. Love your neighbor as yourself. Everyone is your neighbor. As you take care of yourself, take care of your neighbor. The same love, effort, care, and focus that you have for yourself, love your neighbor. As you feed yourself spiritually, feed your neighbor. Talk of Christ. The same love that you put into getting yourself ready for church on Sunday. Love your neighbor with that kind of detail and focus. Let love govern all that you do. 1 Corinthians 16, 14, let all you do be done in love. So Paul addresses what he has been addressing in Romans 12 and in Romans 13, talking about these different situations. And then he says, in your correct doctrine and in your rightly living, I want you to throw a blanket all over that, and that blanket is that of the love of God. And in the love of God covering you completely, let govern all that you do. Then he gets to Romans 13, verse 11. Besides this, You know the time that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. Salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. So loving one another is living a godly life with the time that we have. And time is all that we have on this earth. And with it, we are to love. Our time is short. We're to live it with love. We can have the right doctrine, but Without right living, we are asleep. And we must not be asleep. We are to wake from sleep, Christian, in love. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. Is this not a wonderful truth? I used to walk into churches. And the longer I was there, I would have a concern. And that concern was the fact that individuals that you would see who are elderly, you would find very few of them who were excited about meeting the Lord. Because you get to a certain age in life and you just know that you have less years to live than when you first started. You know that your time is short. You know you're coming to an end and this is the end of the race for you. Like you're on the second half of that race and you don't know when it's gonna be over. And I would get concerned because I'd be like, people come and they hear preaching week after week and Bible study week after week, but you just knew. Like is there truly a love for God in that person's life? I've started rearranging my thinking when it comes to that now. If we are a Christian, if we have been born again, if we have put our faith, hope, and trust in Christ and Christ alone for salvation, no matter your age or how long you've been walking with the Lord, that is to be evident in our life today. The fact that we love him, the fact that we care for Him, the fact that it's not just what comes out of our lips, but our heart actually is beating for the same thing, that we long to see our Savior. Salvation is near to us now when we first believe. This is a wonderful truth. We haven't experienced the fullness of our salvation yet. Glorification has not yet happened, but it is near now than when we were when we were saved, whether that was days ago, weeks ago, months ago, perhaps years and years ago. We are closer to being at home with Christ than we once were. Justification has occurred if we're saved, sanctification is occurring if we are saved, and glorification is on the horizon. That's how scripture calls us to look upon that. We are closer. We're to look up, keep looking to Christ, and keep marching forward. To take each hour of today as it comes. Focus on that of Christ. Since salvation, and because salvation is near today, spiritual worship is to be our life. We are to be active for God. Boyce says, many who claim to be Christians are asleep. See, it's not just the fact that people sleep in here during worship. People are asleep throughout the week. Christians are called to behave in a Christ-like way to all people, above all, living out the law of love, but many are not actually doing it. As far as all outward appearances are concerned, they are like those unbelievers around them who are spiritually dead. They are not active for God because they are slumbering. Perhaps today's verses will awaken some of us, hopefully all of us, to areas in our life in which we know we are asleep. Salvation is nearer to us. We need to hear the alarm that we find in scripture and wake up. Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The hour has come for you to wake from sleep. Paul didn't stop, verse 12. The night is far gone. The day is at hand. Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. It's as if Paul was speaking to the church today. but he was speaking to the church in Rome, but he is also speaking to us today. He's letting us know these things have always been since the fall of man. These things are not to be our life. He says, the night is far gone, the day is at hand. The salvation has come to us. The mercies of God have covered us. Verse 12, let us cast off and put on. He is calling the church to action. Cast off these things and put on this. Verse 13, let us walk properly. Verse 14, put on. So he's saying, let us cast off the works of darkness. Let us shed the sin that clings so closely to us. Let us put away the sin that easily entangles. And then he gives examples, orgies, getting drunk, sensuality, quarreling, jealousy. These are works of the darkness. These things do not please the Lord. Don't do those things. Cast it off, put them away. He says, walk properly at night like you do in the daytime. You know, at night, it's not only that other people don't see things, at night, you don't see things clearly either. Cast off the darkness, put on the armor of light, walk properly at night like you do in the daytime. Ephesians 6. the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes for your feet, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the spirit and prayer, putting on the armor of light. But specifically here in Romans 13, we only find one other verse in scripture that says, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, Galatians 3, verse 27. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. He's saying dress for action. Dress for love. Do not make any provision for the flesh and its desires. When you're making room for the flesh and its desires, you are pushing away love. No provision, that is no forethought. This means you don't plan on feeding the evil desires of the flesh. The evil desires of the flesh are what Christ came to die for. The armor of light will not be overcome by the darkness. We are to put it on. We belong to Christ. We put on the armor. Things happen in the dark that don't happen in the light. Put on the armor of light. I love the words of Martin Luther. He says, I cannot keep sparrows from flying around my head, but I can keep them from making a nest in my hair. We're to make to not make provision to accommodate our base desires. Instead, we are to provide for our soul by putting on Christ and walking in daylight. So sparrows will fly, sinners will entice, the world will be the world, whether it's day or night, we are to put on the armor of light and live for the glory of God. We are to commune with the Lord in prayer. We're to commune with the Lord through his word. We're to fill our mind with the beauty of Jesus Christ and the fact that we are standing upon the wonderful mercies of his foundation that he has so freely bestowed upon us. We must not put off putting on the armor of light and living godly lives for the glory of God, for you never know when your last day will be. In Galatians 3, it reads, now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith will be revealed. So then the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you were baptized into Christ have put on Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus, and if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. If a person's pattern is not living for the Lord, this person is not concerned about the words of Christ or his return. See, in Romans we also see a great urgency for us to live for the Lord. We need to have the right doctrine, but we also need the right living because Christ is returning for His children. He is returning to judge. We need urgency. In Hebrews 12, it says, let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another all the more as you see the day drawing near. So we are to actually think as Christians, how can I stir up one another to love and good works? And then we meet together as the church and we stir. Like we stir the pot. We encourage each other. We edify one another. We point people to truth. We speak truth. We walk with those who are hurting. We help those who are sick. We encourage one another as we see the day drawing near. If we're not focused on Christ, we're not going to be even thinking about his return. Romans 13. Verse 14, is to be our way. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. As Christians, we must not forget 1 Peter 2, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are a people. You are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. So the church is a chosen race. The church is a royal priesthood. The church is a holy nation. We belong to God. Therefore, love is to govern us. We owe love. The foundation of owing love is the good news of Christ. And my question is, are you standing on this foundation? I'm asking you, if it's more than something that you just profess, is it something that you actually believe? Are you trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation? If you're not, you are not saved. Salvation is by faith alone. That's what Paul has covered through 11 chapters in Romans. Getting the gospel right, because if we don't get the gospel right, righteous living will not happen. And if we are saved, if we know we are, our doctrine is to match that of our living. Our doctrine and our practice, they go hand in hand. May we as God's people live a life that pleases him. That requires us to have a mind that is transformed and not conformed. That's why Jesus used the words in John 8, 31 and 32, if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples. You'll know the truth and the truth will set you free. You're reminding yourself of the truth of God, you're abiding in that. That changes your mind, that changes your living, that changes how you're doing things because you've been set free from the Lord, by the Lord, for the Lord. So we as God's people, we are to please him. So let us see today and every day as an opportunity to love, putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, making no provision for the flesh. Father, I thank you for your holy word. Father, I can't speak for everybody else in this room, but I can speak for myself where I know there are situations in which I have not loved this week. I have not put on the armor of light. conform to the patterns of this world. I have not pleased you. But how much I am reminded of your great love in which you loved us before the foundation of the world and chose us to be yours. I've never been good enough. It has always been about you and your great love. But as your children, you have called us to be holy as you are holy. So we cannot do this alone. This is not something that we do in our own strength, our own power. This is a work of God. So Lord, help us to have a mind that is set on pleasing you. And we have the discipline of getting in your word and meditating upon your word, the discipline of confessing our sins before you each and every day of praying, but also hearing you speak as we read your word. Help us to keep in mind that we are right now closer to glorification than we once were. And from the day that you saved us, Lord, you've been saving souls ever since, and you're still saving souls now. Lord, help us not to play a game with our life, but to be people of your word, people who love others because we have a great love for you. It's the name of Christ we pray and we ask all these things. Amen.