Romans 12, verses 9-13, let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love. In honor, giving preference to one another. Not lagging in diligence. Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Rejoicing in hope patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. We'll end our reading. May the Lord bless the reading of his word. You may be seated. What were sermons like in the first century church? Well, we have a number of sermons in the Book of Acts and in other parts of the New Testament. The best example of a sermon given to believers in a first century church would be the book of Hebrews. In fact, in Hebrews 13 and verse 22, the author of the book, it's a written sermon, but he calls for his readers to bear with his word of exhortation. Bear with my word of exhortation. And that is the language of a sermon. in the New Testament context. And so the book of Hebrews can be outlined as a six part sermon. It would take about an hour to read it through the book of Hebrews from the Greek text. And so it is interesting that the author says he has written a short sermon, just one hour long, and he tells his listeners in Hebrews five, you're really not mature enough as you should be. What would he say to this congregation in terms of our ability to receive and understand? In Colossians 4.16, you see that Paul gave instruction that his letter to them, that it was to be read to the congregation. not just a private letter, read to the congregation, that it was also to be read in the nearby city of Laodicea, and that the letter written to the Laodiceans was to be read in Colossae and in the house churches in Colossae. I think it is safe to say that Paul's letters, the epistles, were not just read, but read and then also explained. We can judge that the Christians in Rome We're certainly capable of receiving deep truth. Again, we've reflected, look at this deep truth written to people who, in some cases, were just delivered out of paganism. And here they are given instruction on the deep things related to God's sovereignty, to election, predestination and the like deep truth given to them. And I think we are right to say this truth would be first read, but then it would be also explained. And so when the first listeners, the first readers, as it were, heard Romans 12, 9 through 13, as they heard all the points that Paul raises, that time would also have been given to explain, to apply these points. And this is the need for every congregation, for our own congregation here. We need to hear the reading of God's word. That is essential. But God has also commanded ministers to faithfully proclaim, to explain the inspired and infallible Word of God. The verses then that we cover this morning are the first part of an important section here in Romans 12 where Paul, I believe, is still expanding on what it means that we present our bodies a sacrifice. I think those first two verses still are part of the foundation For now, what we might call are these bullet points of instruction that we find here in verses 9-13. They continue in verses 14-21. And this style does stand out, doesn't it? We spent considerable time going through Romans 9-11. An extended argument where Paul carefully explains the doctrine of predestination and election, especially as related to the Jewish people. But here Paul gives, as it were, bullet points. The style stands out here. We have thirteen descriptions. Verses nine through thirteen, thirteen descriptions which can be translated as commands. And the first description or command some would believe is actually a heading. Your Bible may have uninspired headings, this may well be an inspired heading. Look carefully, if you would, at verse nine. If you have An honest translation, that is, it puts in words in italics that do not appear in the original text. You know, there are two words in italics that have been added. Literally, the first part of verse nine could read love. That's a noun love without hypocrisy or this is authentic love. That is, this is the heading And the rest of the chapter explains what that means. I have heard 20 point sermons before, and so I suppose I could preach a 12 or 13 point sermon on these verses, and I thought this week I wrestled with what is the best approach for dealing with these verses. I think it makes sense to cover these verses separately. Not that the verse divisions are inspired, but they are helpful at least in categorizing the instruction that Paul gives here. Instruction of who we must be in light of God's sovereign work. Let me provide an initial summary of these verses. What is authentic love? A definition is here given. Authentic love is based on a hatred for evil. and a passionate embrace of good. This love is to be demonstrated in meaningful ways to other members of our congregation. There should be many real examples of brotherly love as we seek to outdo each other in terms of showing honor. It's very easy to give up, to be slack in our described duties. We must seek to be fervent through the Holy Spirit. Keep our focus. on the Lord Jesus Christ. Let hope cause us to rejoice, even as we pass through times of testing. Prayer is not optional. Further, love must be expressed in very practical and outward ways. Love without hypocrisy. That's the challenge for us as a congregation. So let's look at each of the verses here. Verses 9-13. Verse 9, let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Technically or grammatically speaking, there are no commands in these verses. The verses are not written with imperatives, but many versions rightfully translate these verses as commands. This is who we are to be. And so these are the things that we must do. As I mentioned, some scholars believe the first phrase of verse nine serves as a heading for the entire section, and it does stand out from the other phrases and that in that first part of verse nine, there is even no verb. It's just a noun expression. Let your love be genuine is an appropriate translation. It's a good summary. I think for verses 9-21. And the word love is a word you may well know from Greek, the word agape. Douglas Moo notes that the early church chose what was a relatively rare term. There were other words for love. But Paul, the other inspired writers of Scripture, they chose the word agape. to express what was to be the distinctive nature of Christian love. That love which was to be the foundation for all our relationships. And so the word agape is an important word, but Paul says, let your agape, let your love be genuine. Don't let it be a hypocritical love. Because love can be faked. It's possible to act like you love someone. And yet, it's an empty love. It's a love without substance. We might call churches our incubators for fake love. Churches can be incubators of superficial love. That's a danger that Paul is addressing almost 2,000 years ago. Certainly, it must be a danger today. Let your love be real, be genuine. And it's important to point out the love here. We often think of brotherly love, and that's part of the discussion. But Paul is not just restricted to what we might say is the horizontal, is he? Paul, I think, is first thinking about our love for God. If our love for others can be superficial, certainly our love for God can at times be very fake, very superficial. And so true love first must begin with a love for God. And then as Paul shows us here, it's a love for other believers. And it extends even beyond believers as we'll see next week. It's a love for those who would hate and persecute us. And we've reflected before on the warning given to the church in Ephesus. I believe it's Revelation 2. The church in Ephesus. What a faithful church in terms of doctrine. testing those who were false prophets, not following the winds of words which were just appealing to men. And yet that church in Ephesus was warned, you've lost your first love. And many of us have reflected that's a relevant warning for this congregation in terms of our history, in terms of what we have been able to do in the past. It's a relevant warning. And so, seek that your love for God, your love for others, is not just a show. Because it's very possible to fool others. That's not that difficult. A smile, a handshake, you can fool someone else. But can we fool God? Does God not see through our superficiality? Does He not see through hypocrisy? Let your love Be genuine. And then what follows is the description or the command, as it's often translated, abhor what is evil. Interesting how love is then followed by a very strong word for hate. This is the only time this particular word is used in the New Testament. You might call it a holy hatred. It's a horror for that which God's word defines as being evil. abhor evil. As I reflected on this command, I believe there are at least two dimensions for this command. There is a personal dimension. There's also we might say is a societal dimension. Let me explain that. By a personal dimension, that is, we must hate the sins, the temptations that perhaps are unique to us. We have our own struggles, the things that so easily tempt and ensnare us. We must hate those individually. But there's also to be a hatred for that evil, which we see manifest in different ways in the world. I'm not talking about hating people, but hating the evil that is all around us. I was encouraged by R.C. Sproul in his recent Table Talk magazine and also then his commentary on this expression. He writes, and I quote him, he says, I believe the greatest ethical issue today is that of abortion. In recent years, many have come to see terrorism as more concerning than abortion. I am baffled by that because more people were killed on September 10th in the womb than were killed on 9-11 in New York City. More babies were slaughtered on September 12th than adults were killed on 9-11. If we had a camera on the womb so that CNN could show us graphic videos of what actually happens in the slaughter of unborn children. Abortion would be quickly abolished, but the reality of it is covered up. If there's one thing I know about God, it is that He hates abortion. So there are those personal sins which we must hate. And indeed, we must hear the warning of those who hated the external sins and yet fell prey to their own temptations and sins. Let's never waver in our hatred, our holy hatred for that which is evil abortion, a holy hatred for pornography and homosexuality, the taking of God's name in vain. So many other sins which are celebrated as freedom. Where is the revulsion among God's people? Are we sleeping or we should be filled with a true hatred? And of course, then we must be careful. We must hate also those sins which are in some ways particular to each of us. A revulsion for those things which we know we can easily fall into. And here again is the caution I give to everyone here in terms of your choices of entertainment. So much of the music, the movies, other forms of entertainment, do they encourage you to hate evil? Do they inspire you Respond with revulsion to sin. Or are you encouraged to laugh, to wink at evil? Don't be a fool. When it comes to the exercise of Christian freedom, are we led to become just soft and passive? Because we consume so much entertainment that dulls us, that dulls that edge we should have. Is there a clear testimony in your life that you abhor that which is evil? Well, the next command then well follows. Cling to what is good. Cling to what is good. Another strong verb. Your attachment to that which God in His Word defines as being good must be passionate. This verb cling is a verb used to describe marriage. People who love each other, they are bonded together. This verb also used in Corinthians to express our bond with Jesus Christ. And so the verb cling is a good translation. Again, it's a very passionate verb cling to what is good. So, yes, there must be a holy hatred, but it doesn't just end in hatred. It's also a love. compassionate love, a clinging to that which is good. Again, this goes back to the first part of the chapter. It's the will of God that is good. Oh, that we did cling to that which God defines as being good in terms of His will. Second then, verse 10, Paul deals with the love we are to share a congregation to love each other as family. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love in honor giving preference to one another. The city of Philadelphia, from what I understand, is not a very nice city today. It was founded in 1682, you know, by William Penn and given the name the city of brotherly love. And what I understand today is it has a crime rate that's higher than even violent Chicago. Not very much a city of brotherly love. And Paul uses two words which begin with philo, that word for love. Two philo words in the first part of verse 10, translated there as kindly affection, and then the word brotherly love. The word translated there as kindly affection is another word for love. And in Greek literature, it's used to describe love among family, but it also love to non-family members. I think the word has the idea of devotion. The idea of true attachment. That's at the heart of it. Another translation reads, show family affection to one another. We could also say, show true devotion, true attachment in your brotherly love. So it's again, it's a reminder. Do not fake your love for others. Is your love for others in this congregation as real as your love even for your own family members? That's the command. That's the standard. That our love not be then superficial and fake. And the last part of verse 10 adds to this description. There are two ways the last part of verse 10 can be translated. There's a question on one of the verbs used here. The New King James reads in honor, giving preference to one another. The ESV reads outdo one another in showing honor. So the question is the verb to be translated as giving preference or outdo one another in showing honor. And the scholars are divided, so I can't really weigh in. I do like that translation found in the ESV. Outdo one another in terms of showing honor. Because there is, or we easily fall into the spirit of trying to appear better than others. We may not try to be holy, but we're going to look better than someone else. You see this among children, don't you, all the time. Children may not always seek to be obedient, but if they can seek in a case to justify their actions to appear to be better than their brother or sister, well, that's a desirable goal, isn't it? And we do that in more sophisticated or less sophisticated ways as adults. So there's the temptation to outdo someone else, to justify what you are doing because someone else is doing worse. Well, here the goal is outdo each other. but do each other in terms of showing honor. That's the right spirit of competition. I think the words of Paul in Philippians 2, 3, and 4 are a beautiful commentary on this. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. In lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Perfect harmony with what Paul says here in Romans 12, 10. Well then, third, don't quit in the pursuit of true love. Be filled with Holy Spirit fervency as you serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 11, not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. The ancient historian Josephus used this verb lagging as he described military attacks which slowed down as the soldiers became soft, as they lost heart. The word also then in the Greek Old Testament is used to describe the sluggard, the one who is instructed to go and study the ants. And so there is, in the midst of these inspiring commands, there is the reality of how easy it is to become slack. Don't be a one-hit wonder. You attend a camp or you attend a conference and you feel all encouraged. You've heard so much truth and yet how quickly that can pass away. Maybe you hear an inspiring sermon. I hope time to time you do. And all is forgotten by Monday. Not to mention by Thursday. So Paul says, where you see yourself lagging, turn from that. Repent. Identify those areas where you are slipping. Where you know you are spiritually or even physically, you're being lazy. Where do you see yourself slipping in terms of private devotions? Prayer. Renew these efforts. Verse 11 also then specifies how you are to keep from lagging. Don't give up. But then I think Paul gives instruction how we are to not then give up. Most English translations have the word spirit in verse 11 as a lower case word, referring to the human spirit. But I think it makes more sense to see Paul is commanding that your fervency come through the Holy Spirit. Because the grammar in this phrase is very similar to the grammar of the final phrase, which talks about the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, a number of commentators also take this position, but John Calvin then rightfully ask if our fervency comes through the Holy Spirit, why is the command given here? And he gives a good answer for that. He answers it is a duty given to the faithful that you shake off laziness that you cherish the flame kindled by heaven, because most often it is the case that the Holy Spirit is suppressed through your own fault, through your own neglect, through your own laziness. So here is a command. It's a divine work, but the command follows that. Because this is what you are to seek in prayer. This is what you are to want. That fervency that comes not just because you have endurance, but no, it's Holy Spirit given. That's what you desire. That's what you pray for. And then also then beware of the actions which lead to lethargy, to the suppressing of the Holy Spirit's work. The Holy Spirit is sovereign. And yet, Paul says we are to keep in step with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who produces spiritual fruit. And yet we are to desire that fruit that comes through the Spirit. And then the last part of verse 11 appropriately follows this reference to the Spirit. Yes, we must be fervent. And yet fervency, that's not the final goal, is it? The goal is serving Jesus Christ. Douglas Mooe wisely observes, the encouragement to be set on fire by the Spirit is as church history and current experience amply attest open to abuse. Yes, there are many who are very fervent, but they're fervent for their own actions, their own dreams and goals. Here, it's the fervency directed to the Lord Jesus Christ. And the reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, I think, also is a very much encouraged, or it's an encouragement that you not be lazy. Did Jesus live for the weekend? Did Jesus do His work just so He could finally get that rest He so wanted? The empty pleasures, we might say, of life. Was that the focus of our Lord? Obviously not. Think of how Jesus lived His life. Total devotion to do the will of His Father. I believe with divine authority we can say when you are being spiritually lazy, your focus is not on serving Jesus Christ. When you're being lethargic, you know you have the wrong focus. You may be lacking Holy Spirit fervency, yes, but your focus also cannot be on serving Christ. No one can be following Christ and be filled with the spirit of lethargy or laziness. And so make your focus the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray for true fervency that comes through the Holy Spirit. Do not be lagging. Well then, fourth, Genuine love also requires hope, patience and prayer. Verse 12, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. And so here is a threefold pattern that you find in other parts of Paul's writings, hope, patience and prayer. We can turn back to Romans eight. For example, Romans 8, 24-27, Paul says, we were saved in this hope, but hope that is not seen is not hope, for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience, perseverance, or endurance. And then Paul in verse 26 turns to prayer. Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses, for we do not know what we should pray for. as we ought. So the pattern of hope, patience and prayer is found throughout Scripture, especially in the writings of Paul. Paul says rejoice in hope. That is, we are to be characterized by those who rejoice. Why? Because they are rejoicing in hope. And this fits beautifully, perfectly with what our Lord said. Matthew 5. said, Rejoice and be exceedingly glad. Why? For great is your reward where? Your reward in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. When His disciples came back, seeing great testimonies of demons being cast out. What did Jesus tell them in Luke 10.20? He says, Don't rejoice because demons were subject to you. Rejoice, why? Your names are written in heaven. So Paul says, rejoice in hope. And hope looks beyond just what you have here in this life. And helps you focus on the eternal joy we are to have. No one could excuse the Lord Jesus Christ of being so heavenly minded that He was no earthly good. And yet, Jesus often gave the incentive or the reminder, think of eternity. As I have mentioned, I think the problem of most Christians is not that we are too heavenly minded. Oh, yes, there is pietism. There is retreatism, no doubt. But the average Christian is not too heavenly minded and we are too earthly minded. We don't have the proper focus on eternity. That's why our work here on Earth lags and suffers. And so rejoice, not because you have a wonderful life now. Rejoice. in hope. Oh yes, you have been given much in terms of earthly blessings. You're surrounded by the Lord's goodness. But that's not the basis of rejoicing here. Rejoice in hope. Recognize again this morning, the eternal state is not far away. For some here, it may be days, years. It's not that long. before any of us are ushered into the eternal state. Rejoice, then, in hope. If you are often discouraged, it may be that you simply do not have your focus where it should be. Rejoice on the basis of true hope. And this is followed then appropriately by another difficult command, be patient, endure in tribulation. And this again is connected with an earlier portion of Romans. We could turn back to Romans five, where Paul says we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance. What we can say for all of Paul's writings is that they are very realistic. And God's sovereignty is not determined to deliver his people from every difficult situation, not at all. This is the problem with so much of the false gospel today, that you can eliminate unhappiness. You can eliminate pain if you just have enough faith. If you just follow these easy steps, you will conquer all your problems. Is that what Paul is saying here? Yes, sometimes your problems are the result of sin. But that's not what Paul is speaking of here in Romans 5 or Romans 12. He says, endure. That's the command. Endure. And then from Romans 5, we glory even in tribulations. Why? Because they help produce that spirit of endurance. What comes first? Well, that's up to God's sovereignty. Sometimes it's the tribulation that comes before the spirit of endurance. But God and His sovereignty and His providence works together. And then very appropriately, God commands, be steadfast in prayer. That's an important word, steadfast, in the early chapters of Acts. It's used a number of times in chapters one through six. It was the description, we might say, of the early church. They were steadfast in Acts 1.15 or 14. These all were steadfast with one accord in prayer. and supplication translated there is continued, but it's the same verb here. Acts 2.42, they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in prayers. We've noted these things before. The early church was characterized by a pattern of faithfulness and steadfastness in very profound but simple things. So here the reminder You must be steadfast in prayer. Yes, we all have busy schedules. Are we busier, though, than people 2,000 years ago? Well, if we are, it's our own fault, really. If we have time, boy, we should have more time, we would think, than those who lived hundreds, thousands of years ago. Because I think if we're honest, we think of how we budget our time. How much time is given to that which is trivial? mere entertainment. Oh, we we want to be entertained. We think we need it. But really, do we need the hundreds and hundreds of hours that we probably give to these matters? Do we give even a tenth of the time to prayer to other things that will encourage us in kingdom gain as we do to other activities that are far less relevant? That's the challenge. Well, then, fifth and finally, verse 13, showing love in practical and in difficult ways, distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. The first divisions, as I mentioned, are not inspired, but in this case, I think they are helpful. They help us perhaps categorize the different ways that Paul is here speaking in terms of our duties. There are, we might say, our private duties, but then there are outward duties. And this is just following the pattern of Jesus who said love or the greatest commandment is to love God completely. And that's followed by love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. I think that's what Paul is setting forth here. That's the pattern here. Then in verse 13, Paul is focused on love to others to related commands or descriptions that are given here. Authentic love should be demonstrated first by Fellowship. As I have pointed out before, we often define fellowship simply as spending time together. We have meals, fellowship meals, and the like. We call those things fellowship. That's not completely wrong, but fellowship is not just you have a conversation with someone. You enjoy a donut, a cup of coffee. That's part of fellowship. But that's far from the essence. Here, the verb fellowship is translated as distributing. That's in the New King James. Other versions have contribute, but it's the verb form of the word fellowship. And so you could translate this more literally as have fellowship with the needs of the saints. And so I like to define fellowship as conversations and activities that are focused on kingdom gain. That's what fellowship is. You can call it partnering. Call it conversation or work done together that is focused on kingdom gain. That's what Paul is referring to here. Giving money to those who have needs, giving help to those who have needs. That's fellowship. Giving money, giving effort to see the gospel faithfully proclaimed as the Philippians did for Paul. That's fellowship. So let us seek that the time we do spend together, is truly fellowship. Yes, it's good to enjoy conversation, but hopefully that conversation then encourages us in the work that God has set before us. That's the goal for fellowship. And of course, the goal here is giving then to the very real needs of other believers. That is fellowship. That is true love. Then the final command here in the list be given to hospitality. Again, we think of hospitality as having people over, having a meal. That's not the precise meaning, at least, that Paul is calling attention to. That's a good thing, no doubt, but that's not what Paul is directly speaking of here. Hospitality literally means the love of strangers. And in the first century, it meant you were giving assistance. You were giving housing to those who were traveling in the spread of the gospel, whether they were missionaries or just pastors who were traveling for a reason. And the command is you open your home to them. especially the elder. The bishop is called to be hospitable. That is, he's providing assistance. He's providing housing to those who have a need to be on the road. Hebrews 13 says, do not forget to entertain strangers. For by so doing, some have unwittingly entertained angels. Look at the word given in verse 13. Given to hospitality. It's the same verb. That's used in verse 14, where it's translated as persecute. Obviously, the verb has a meaning different in verse 14, but in both cases, it's a strong verb. Here, it's translated as given, which is a good translation. It means it's something you truly pursue. You're given to this. It is a driven pursuit you have, just as there are those who are given to sports. given to other quests. Pursue. Give yourself to hospitality. That's a challenging command. Because generally speaking, there are not that many missionaries that we have to host in our homes or out of town pastors. It does happen, but not that often. Once or twice a year, and generally it doesn't require more than one home to accomplish that. So how do we apply this in our own context? That's a difficult question. I'm not sure I have all the answers. Except to say an application is that you are to pursue going out of your way to help those who are focused on kingdom work. That you go out of your way to be of assistance. Because hospitality, especially in the ancient world, that was not an easy thing to do. So it was a challenging command. And so this is not trivial. This is not easy. Pray that God might guide you in fulfilling this great duty. What it means to go out of your way to be of help. To those who are focused on kingdom work. So as I defined, authentic love is based on a hatred for evil, a passionate embrace of good. This love is to be demonstrated in meaningful ways to others in this congregation. There should be many real examples of brotherly love as we seek to outdo each other in terms of showing honor. Very easy to give up or be slack in our described duties, and so we must seek to be fervent through the Holy Spirit. Keep our focus on Jesus Christ. Let hope cause us to rejoice even as we pass through times of testing. Prayer is not optional. Further, love must be expressed in very practical, difficult, and outward ways. As we conclude, the first thing I would emphasize is thankfulness. If there are any virtues, duties here we are practicing, our first response is let us be thankful. If there is true love, that love is not our own love, is it? That's the love of Christ. And so, where there are those bonds of love and fellowship, and may they grow, may they be increased. But first, let's give thanks. Because if we're doing this, this is not just our own moral self-improvement. This is not a list of how to be spiritually successful. This means live according to the grace of Christ. And if it is present where it is present, let's be thankful for that. As we look at this list, these 12, 13 things, I am sure there is somewhere where you are failing. Examine this list again. Honestly, confess where you are not living as you should, where you are in sin. But God give you conviction, the ability to repent. And then finally, again, this is not something we do in our own strength. So this is not just a list of, here's what you must do, get busy in doing it. No, this is what you do through the grace of Christ. This is what we do together as the body of Christ. And so let us encourage each other, yes, in terms of our duty, but our duty through the grace of Christ. Our duty through the strengthening that comes through the Holy Spirit. You cannot do this in your own power. We will all fail miserably. It will be a superficial love in our own strength. But through the grace of Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that's where there is the ability to fulfill this great calling that is set before us. Let us seek to this great end. Pray with me, please. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. Lord, we know that as a church, we do not always live up to this great standard. We know what the world so often thinks of Christians, thinks of churches. Sometimes those descriptions are grossly in error, and yet sometimes those stereotypes, those characters do contain an element of truth. And so, Lord, may this passage continue to be our marching orders. where we fail, Lord, bring that to light. Bring correction, conviction, so that we may walk as we should. May children and adults, may we both embrace this calling, this great duty to live as the body of Christ in terms of love, even in terms of holy hatred, in terms of kindness and diligence. May you receive, then, all the glory In Jesus' great name, Amen.