The mission of Trinity Bible Church is exalting Christ, encouraging those who know Christ, and evangelizing those who need Christ. I want to welcome you to our second webcast. My name is Greg Mazak. I'm the pastor teacher here at Trinity Bible Church, and we're looking forward to a good time of fellowship today. Our country certainly needs help. We all need help. Let's begin in prayer. Father, we come to you in Jesus' name. Lord, confessing our weaknesses, confessing our great needs, acknowledging that you are the only one, ultimately, who can help us. And so we pray, Lord, that you would be gracious and merciful to us as a country. Please bless our president. Please bless Congress. Please bless our state officials and local officials, even as we battle with this virus. We pray, Lord, that you would meet the needs of your people, that you would meet the needs of our church, that you would, even as we worship together around the Book of Romans this morning, encourage us in understanding better how you'd have us to live all for your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Now here we are coming together again and we're opening up the book of Romans And certainly it would be very appropriate for us to gather together and to have a special series on anxiety or worry, and I've thought about that. But providentially, I thought, I'm just going to trust as we continue to open up to the Book of Romans, taking whatever passage comes next, that the Lord would bless us. I trust that'll take place today. Now if you remember the handout we had last time, the worship guide, it began with a question and it's the same question or at least a similar question that we'll begin with today. I hope you have a worship guide, we emailed it out. How does the teaching of the scriptures in this passage relate to the gospel? And the answer is this slide. I don't know if you got it last time. I hope you'll get it this time. This is a beautiful picture because it reminds me of how Romans is set up. Chapters 1 through 11 about the beauty of knowing Christ, and then Doxology 11.33 through 36, glorifying God for his grace and mercy. And then the duty that we have, chapters 12, 15, and 16 as well. And it's the key that the duty is grounded in the gospel. So we talked last time about the importance of paying taxes and how we have to submit to government. In verse 5 of Romans 13, we pay our taxes, verse 6, even as we submit and respect government officials. Why do we do that? Because of Jesus, because of our relationship to Jesus Christ. See, I was raised in a Christian tradition where I was taught you did good things, you sought to live like a Christian so you could become a Christian, so you would then be forgiven. And thus, if you didn't do good things, if you didn't live like a Christian, then good things aren't going to happen to you. But the Bible actually teaches something radically different, that first, God does something to us. He saves us from our sin. We turn from our sin. We put our faith in Jesus Christ. And then as we're born again through the power of the Holy Spirit, as we are placed into the family of God, then there's duty. And it's hard work. And last time it was about paying taxes. And that's important to keep in mind because that context is going to help us understand what the Bible is teaching us today in Romans chapter 13. I begin with verse 8. Paul writes, owe nothing to anyone. except to love one another. Let's start with that little phrase, owe nothing to anyone. There are more than a few people who have used this text to argue that it would be wrong to take out a loan, that it would be wrong to go into debt. George Mueller is a name I think many of you are familiar with, a godly man that had an orphanage, I believe in England, and he would trust the Lord to supply the need for food for the children, refusing to take out a loan because of this text, and here's a quote, the word says, oh no man, anything, we have no scriptural grounds to go into debt. Question, is that what Paul means in this text of Romans 13 verse 8? I would suggest that's not what it means because every text has a context. I go back to verse 7. Render to all what is, do them, tax to whom taxes do, custom to who custom, honor to whom honor, fear to whom fear. I reverse those two around. We are to pay our taxes. It's in that context that Paul says, oh no man, anything. We have a duty to pay what we owe, even if I disagree with the taxes. We've worked through those first seven verses. In the context, I would argue that we should be paying our debts. That does not mean that it is wrong to borrow money. It is not a sin to be in debt. However, Even though I'm convinced that's the right interpretation, my pastor's heart and my love for our congregation won't let me just go over that so quickly. Guys, we are facing a difficult time. Many people have lost their jobs. Many more are going to lose their jobs. And here we are facing difficulties. Are you nervous, anxious? Well, ultimately, I hope the answer is no, because you know Jesus and you know he's a good shepherd. One of my daughters came up to me even this week and she said, Dad, you know, things are kind of rough and challenging and we had a wonderful conversation. And I began with reminding her, you know, God is so awesome. He's good. He loves us. He's going to take care of us. And then I asked her a couple of questions. I said, honey, before you get nervous, let me ask you. Do you have payments on your credit card? Do you owe money on your credit cards?" She said, no, dad. I said, how about you or your husband? Do you guys have car payments? And she said, well, no, dad, you know that. I said, do you owe anyone anything? She said, well, dad, just the house payment. And I said, honey, I know that you've heard me teach you that through the years. I'm so glad that you're now living that, and this is why. So that when we face a difficulty like our nation is going through, and there's a possibility that you may lose your job and money may get tight, it's really not that big of a challenge. I realize you still have a house payment, that's fine. For a person who's older like me, I would trust that that's not even true anymore. And that if we follow principles that are based in the scripture, then we can face the difficult challenges in life easier, and we don't have to get uptight. And those are things that many of you have learned through the ministry of radio talk show host Dave Ramsey. I'm not saying I agree with everything he teaches. But I am thankful for what he teaches because he teaches foundational principles that help people not to go unnecessarily into debt. And if they do find themselves in debt with things other than their house payment, to work hard at paying off those debts because of times like this. Again, I wish he had maybe perhaps more of a Christ-centered focus. At the same time, I'm appreciative how he has helped many people and the principles that he's teaching Nancy and I learned many years ago from a gentleman named Larry Burkett and I would recommend their teaching Larry Burkett now with the Lord I would if you want to buy a book that will help you with this the total money makeover is an easy book to read you can get copies cheap on eBay and and I would recommend it to anyone who's going through a tough time. But having said all that, let's get back to the text. Let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another. So we should pay all of our debts, but there's one debt we'll never pay, It is this debt. Munch puts it this way, the Christian is to allow no debt to remain outstanding except the one that could never be paid off, the debt to love one another. I've called this message from Romans 13 verses 8 through 10, the debt of love. We have a debt to pay. And Paul begins with that. That's our first point. It's a command. Verse 8, owe nothing to anyone except to love one another. This is what we have to focus on, on believers, that we are to love one another. The command to love, that agape word, the idea of loving someone, not because you're going to get something back, but simply loving them because you choose to do so. John 3, 16 love, God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whosoever believes in him would not perish, but have everlasting life. And we are called to love other people that way. Notice more specifically, it says to love one another. Now as many of you know, if you look up that little phrase, two words, one another, you'll find out almost every time in the Bible it refers to believers. So many people think Paul's focusing here on loving one another, meaning as a believer in Jesus Christ, you've put your faith in the gospel, you would make it very, very clear that you love other believers. That is true. Some people want to maybe broaden it out a little bit and say Paul's going a little broader than that. Either way is fine. It seems to me that phrase one another would focus mainly on believers, but it's certainly true we should be loving all people. And you say, what does that look like? Well, I'm not going to go back because of time, but if you go back to chapter 12, verses 9 through 21, we have gone carefully in, I think, three separate messages how we're supposed to love people. The mark of a Christian is love. You know, for some of us, we've been taught, right, by well-meaning people, that go to church faithfully, dress conservatively, make sure people see you carrying your Bible as you go. And those neighbors or whoever, people will know that you're a Christian. And I'm not against that, but the fact of the matter is the way people really know we're Christians is because we love. And the Bible has called us to love one another. That should be especially with brothers and sisters in Christ. People should see the love that we have for other believers, and again, to go broad, to people in general. And they ought to be amazed because we realize no matter how much we do that, there's still more to do. We could never completely pay off this debt. How do we do that? Well, no doubt there are ways that you love other believers, even as part of the Trinity family. It might be that you pray for others. I'm thankful for those of you who text me and email me and say, hey, Brother Greg, I'm praying for you. I've gotten phone calls and text messages and emails this week, Greg, I'm praying for you. And that's been an encouragement. Sometimes people send me things that put a smile on my face. And again, I don't want to make a light of the coronavirus thing. It's certainly a serious situation. But one of the ladies in our congregation sent me this, and boy, I enjoyed it. What do you do with the coronavirus? Be advised. Avoid crowded spaces. Ride motorcycles. Do not use public transportation. Ride motorcycles. Well-ventilated spaces are virus-free. Ride motorcycles. Protect your nose and mouth. Ride motorcycles. Try not to touch contaminated surfaces. Don't let anyone touch your motorcycle. Avoid shaking hands. Do not remove your gloves when getting off your motorcycle. Keep a safe distance from people who sneeze or cough. Ride motorcycles. Now, here's a sister in Christ, she saw this, no doubt she thought Greg would enjoy seeing it, and I did, and thank you for sending that, and I mean that. We have opportunities in so many different ways, whether it's something a little humorous like this, sending a text, an encouraging note, phone call, reaching out, caring for people, there are many different ways we have to fulfill the command to love one another. It is something that we never will accomplish, right? There are certain debts you might pay off, and then you're excited and say, hey, it's finally paid off, I'm good. And I rejoice with you if that happens. But this is one we continue to work at. owe nothing to anyone except to love one another. And here's the reason why. Second half of verse eight, for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. So Paul gives us the reason this is so important. Love fulfills the law. He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. Now, to love again is this agape word. It's this idea of reaching out and really caring about people in ways that would bring honor to the Lord Jesus Christ. And I think we'll see that in Galatians 5.14, for the whole law is fulfilled in one word in the statement, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. So when we choose to love our neighbor as ourself, what are we doing? We're caring for that person the same way we would care for ourselves. And that's how the whole law is fulfilled in one word. And I say caring because of Matthew 7, verse 12, in everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the law and the prophets. To love your neighbor as you love yourself is to do for your neighbor the same thing that you would do for yourself, right? As my voice gets a little bit dry, as I get a little bit thirsty, what do I do? I get a sip of water. If I were outside and I had a headache, I would come in and grab aspirin. If it was a cold night and I didn't have a jacket, what would I do? I'd go in the house and grab a coat. What does it mean to love your neighbor as you love yourself? It's the idea if your neighbor's thirsty, offer him a glass of water. He looks like maybe he's struggling with a headache, offer him aspirin. Or maybe it's a cold day and he wasn't prepared, give him a coat, lend him a coat, or whatever the case might be. And these would be ways that we treat other people lovingly. Notice what Jesus says, this is the law and the prophets. Now, the Old Testament, the Jewish Old Testament, was divided into three parts, law, prophets, and writings. And so Jesus is saying the teaching of the Bible, Old Testament, you can summarize it right here. that you would treat other people the way you want to be treated, or to say it differently, that you would love people the way you would desire to be loved. Love them as you love yourself. Help them, care for them. Just ask the question, what would you want someone to do for you if you were in that situation? Maybe this picture will help. If you're climbing up a hill of some type and it's difficult, what would you want? You would want someone to reach out a hand. You wouldn't want someone to say, hey, what's wrong with you? Can't you do it? But you would want someone to say, hey, grab my hand, come on, I'll help you. That's, I think, a wonderful, simple picture of what Paul's talking about here in the text, verse 8. It says that, owe nothing to anyone except to love one another, for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. So we have a debt to pay. The command, we have to love one another. The reason, because love fulfills the law. That takes us through verse eight. We still have verse nine and verse 10. And what are we going to see here? Proof. Paul's going to demonstrate the logic of what he just said when he made the point that love fulfills the law. We'll have three sub points here. First of all, the law commands us not to sin against others. Notice what it says here in verse 9. For this you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet. Paul quotes four of the commands from the Ten Commandments off of what we generally call the second table. These are the horizontal commands. The first four have to do with us loving God completely with our whole heart, soul, mind, strength. These last six, more horizontal, having to do with what? Don't commit adultery, don't murder, don't steal, don't covet. And I don't think Paul's just trying to narrow it down to these four because he then says if there's any other commandment, So Paul begins with the reality. The law commands us not to sin against others. But notice what he says next. He makes the point that the law is summarized by the command to love others. Because notice how verse 9 continues. It says, it is summed up in this saying, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. So the Old Testament law that teaches us not to do things like commit adultery, murder, steal, or covet, that that all can be summed up very simply. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. And maybe that's obvious, but let's make sure we get it. If a person commits adultery, unfortunately in our world, sometimes we hear people speak in ways that are so wrong. You know, maybe I shouldn't have, but I fell in love with this other person. Well, that's not love. That would be lust. That would be taking something that you don't deserve to take. That would be hurting someone else. And so the reality would be if I love another person, even if I were attracted to her, then love hopefully would be what motivates me to say, no, I don't want to commit adultery. I don't even want to dwell on committing adultery, right? Or murder or stealing. You get the idea. Why? Because you love that other person. And thus we summarize, these commandments can be summed up in the saying, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Now, many of you know where that famous saying comes from. It comes from the teaching of Jesus himself. All three synoptics record, I give you the account from Matthew 10, beginning in verse 35. A lawyer asked Jesus a question, testing him. It's not sincere. Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. So number one commandment is, Jesus made it very clear, love God completely. Now notice verse 39, the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, On these two commandments depend the whole law and the prophets. Again, law and prophets and writings, three parts of the Old Testament. It's just a reference to the Old Testament. Jesus could say on these two commandments depend the whole Bible. The second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Why do I emphasize that? I have a question to ask. It's a question that we've asked in previous messages. Many of you will remember this, I hope. When Jesus teaches us the great command to love God completely, the second, love your neighbor as yourself, is this a command to love myself? And biblically, the answer would be no. Number one command, love God completely. Number two command, love your neighbor. You say, isn't there a third command? No. Notice the wording of Jesus, the second is like it. And then again, on these two commandments depend the whole law. People like to sometimes take this text, misquote it, misuse it for a psychological application. And thus they say something like this, how can I love God? How can I love other people? I can't even love myself. Notice Jesus doesn't even deal with that. He doesn't go there. Jesus simply says, love your neighbor as yourself. How can he say that? Because everyone loves himself. Guys, I love me. You love you. The challenging part is I'm supposed to love you the way I love myself, and the challenging part for you is you're supposed to love me the way you love yourself. When I'm thirsty, I get a glass of water. It's just normal. It just takes place. The hard part is I have to be looking out for opportunities to do that for you. That's what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. The debt that we have is to love people, to love them like we love ourselves, and Jesus is making that application here. The Apostle Paul, of course, knew that, and thus Paul makes his point that the logic of love, first of all, the law commands us not to sin against others. Secondly, the law is summarized by the command to love, others. And now our third point. Oh, wrong way, here we go. Loving one another fulfills the law. And that's what he says now in verse 10 here in Romans chapter 13. Love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And thus he's, just the logic of it I hope makes sense. Since the law commands us not to sin against others, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't murder, and the law is summarized by the command to love others, it's fulfilled in the command, love your neighbor as you love yourself, then obviously loving one another fulfills the law. And so what we see here in this text is what we as Christians are required to do. Not to get God to love us more. He already loves us perfectly. Not so we can be more forgiven of our sin. We're already forgiven of our sin. Not so somehow God will bless us. God has already blessed us. But in response to what Jesus Christ has done for us, remember that picture at the beginning of Romans. It's because of Jesus, his death on a cross in our place, his burial, and then his resurrection and his ascension into heaven. It's because of Christ forgiving me of my sin, then there's duty. It's hard work. And we are called to pay a debt that, frankly, Paul makes clear we can never fully pay in this life. And he doesn't say it that way so you say, well, then why even try? He says it that way so we never think, hey, I got it, I can stop. No, we never stop. We continue to love one another knowing that love fulfills the law. I close with a illustration taken from Dave Ramsey's website. What will happen is on the radio show, if you listen to it, Dave Ramsey will hear testimonies of people that were in great debt. He'll ask them questions. It's kind of entertaining. You can listen to podcasts if you want. And then at the end, they scream, we're debt free. And if you can't get up to Tennessee to a studio, you could send him an email or whatever with a picture or a video clip. And I'm assuming that's what this is here. Here's a young couple excited that they're now debt free. If that's true that they're financially debt-free, I'm happy for them. And for all of you, if you said, Greg, we are completely out of debt, perhaps except for our home, I would rejoice with you. I think that's a great way to live. But even if you get completely out of debt, even not owing anything on your house, and you're able to yell, we're financially debt-free, technically, That's not accurate. Oh, you may be debt-free financially, but there is still a debt that remains. Let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. I pray, by God's grace, that the Lord will use this text to help us all realize the debt of love that we have to pay. Now I'm going to close in a second in prayer. I hope that you have the worship guide. There's some questions you could work through that'll help you in practical application. And I've gotten really good feedback on last week. I hope you'll enjoy working through it together. I'm going to close in prayer and then you can have a dismissal time into your small groups. Let's pray. Father, you've made it very clear that we are loved by you through Jesus Christ, and we thank you for that. We thank you that every one of us that's turned from our sin and put faith in the gospel, every one of us who is right now following Christ, that we know that we're recipients of your love in a very special way. And Lord, you've given us a duty to love one another, perhaps people in general, certainly specifically our brothers and sisters in Christ. And we pray that you would help us to understand how important this is, that we would embrace this duty and pursue loving other people in an attempt to bring you the honor and glory that you're worthy of receiving. Even as we break up into our small groups now, we pray you'd bless us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.