well it's time to go back on the road with Romans so please come with me to Romans chapter 13 and we've come to Romans 13 verses 8 to 10 now Paul is talking about love and law it's not a new subject he tells in chapter 12 verse 9 let love be genuine and it's not a cul-de-sac because he's laying the groundwork for chapter 14 and remember where we are in the letter light of all that God has done for you chapters 1 to 11 this is to be your response chapters 12 to 16 in the light of who you are chapters 1 to 11 this is how you are to live chapters 12 to 16 so we're in the meat the pith of Christian living so we've jumped in quite quickly because we've got lots of things to think about and say and this morning three points three points and point number one an unpaid debt now Paul has just said pay up chapter 13 verse 7 page 948 pay to all what is owed to them taxes to whom taxes are owed revenue to whom revenue is owed respect to whom respect is owed honor to whom honor is owed pay up but that's not all you owe verse 8 owe no one anything except to love each other. When it comes to love, says the Apostle, pay up. Now what do you make of the first bit of verse 8? Owe no one anything. Does that mean Christians can never borrow money? You can't borrow money to buy a car, you can't borrow money to buy a house. Well, that's not what it says, is it? It says, Owe no one anything. and if it means that Christians can't borrow money it must also mean that Christians can't borrow anything if we're going down that road because it says don't owe no one anything so it means you can't borrow a book can't borrow two fifty for a coffee can't borrow a pair of socks because as soon as you borrow something from someone you owe it to them and it just said owe no one anything so we can't use this verse just as it were draw a line around money and say well Christians aren't allowed to borrow money because the verse doesn't draw a line around money the verse draws a line around everything owe no one anything the verse is not saying you can't borrow it's not saying you can't borrow money it's not saying that you can't incur debt what it is saying is pay up We've just been told, verse 7, pay to all what is owed to them, taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honour to whom honour is owed, owe no one anything. You owe the taxman, pay up. You owe the energy company, pay up. You owe the traffic warden, respect, pay up. You owe the Queen, honour, pay up. Pay what you owe. and of course it does mean paying your bills on time and keeping up with the repayments and don't spend more than you've got so that you can't pay the person back and don't take on loans that you can't repay it's not saying that Christians can't borrow money because actually the prohibitions on if you go down that line on borrowing anything owe no one anything but here's an exception owe no one anything except to love each other. So here's a debt that you never finish paying. The debt of love. I remember someone saying that they'd spent a day making everyone happy and now they were going home to please themselves. In other words, I've paid off my debt of love today and now I owe it to myself. But that's not what it says, is it? Owe no one anything except to love each other. At the end of the day, having put yourself out for others, you've not paid off one penny of what you owe. You're still in debt. You still owe to them your love. Be they a believer of no one anything except to love each other, or an unbeliever, verse 9, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. so this debt of love I never pay it off and I owe it to all and I'm to pay it continually knowing that however much I've paid out I've never paid off the debt knowing that I can never say I've loved enough so we owe it to those who love us, pay up we owe it to those who've never done anything for us, pay up and we owe it to those who hate us. Pay up. Jesus says in Matthew 6 43, read the whole passage, love your enemies. There is such a thing as heroic love, heavenly love, Christ-like love, but you owe it. Even if they persecute you, even if they hate you, pay up. Or point number two, what does love look like? Verse 8, O no one anything except to love each other for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law so I go to Mr. Love I knock on his door and I ask Mr. Love what should I do? Mr. Love says keep the law 1 John chapter 5 By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey His commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. I then go to Mr. Law, knock on his door, and I say, what shall I do? And he says, love one another. So 1 John 3 verse 23, and this is his commandment that we believe in the name of his son Jesus Christ and love one another just as he commanded us so Mr. Love says keep the law and Mr. Law says love one another so law and love are not across purposes law and love are the closest of friends when they sit down they always agree you can't divide them oh no one anything except to love each other for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law now I'll be watching some old episodes of the adventures of Robin Hood with Richard Green I know it won't mean anything for most of you but if you're a certain age you'll remember when I was a young boy Anyway, the Avengers are back anyway and it starts, each episode starts with Robin, he draws his bow and he releases the arrow and then with a whoosh it reaches its target. The Avengers of Robin Hood. Now if love is the drawing of the bow and the releasing of the arrow, the law is the target of which I'm aiming. without love you'll never keep the law and without the law your love will never be on target you might well draw the bow and release the arrow but you're just as likely to take someone's eye out without the law for the commandments, verse 9, 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 so the law is summed up by love love your neighbor as yourself and love is summed up by law you shall love your neighbor as yourself they are the best of friends there's no disagreement between them law and love, well let's clear up some misunderstandings Christian friends, my relationship to the law I'm going to rush through this because we've talked a lot about the laws we've gone through Romans but my relation to the law in my unconverted days what did God's law do to me? God's law stirred me up to sin Romans 7 verse 5 for while we were living in in the flesh our sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit for death in my unconverted days when you told me what pleased God I took pleasure in doing the very opposite and the more you define what pleases God the greater my pleasure in breaking that because God's law was written out there on tablets of stone but engraved on my heart written here was sin so whatever it says out there sin is dominant and it would take God's law and I will rejoice in breaking that law but then I was saved and God took out that heart of stone upon which was written sin and he gave me a heart of flesh and on that heart of flesh Hebrews 8 is now written his law and more than that he's given me his spirit so not only have the desire to keep God's law but I have his power his spirit so that I'm enabled to keep his commands I am capable of real holiness chapter 8 verse 3 for God has done what the law weakened by the flesh could not do by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin he condemns sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit we haven't abandoned God's law on the contrary God's law we now love it I delight in it I want to know what he says I want to live for his pleasure and that law is now written here on my heart which of course is why Jesus has a lot to say about law and he says again law and love are the best of friends this is what he says John 14 verse 21 whoever has my commandments and keeps them here it is who loves me he who loves me will be loved by my father and I will love him and manifest myself to him if anyone loves me he will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him if you keep my commandments you will abide in my love just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love these things I've spoken to you that my joy may be in you and your joy may be full this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you so we no longer we can't keep the law to get right with God of course not the Lord just stirs us up to become greater sinners but we're now new people the Lord's written on our hearts filled by the Spirit we delight in it it's the word of our beloved and we want to live for his pleasure and his glory another misunderstanding some Christians say well you know, real love, it's to be passionate, isn't it? Spontaneous. You've got to feel love. Don't tie me up in knots with laws and commands and do's and don'ts. Isn't that cold? Isn't that legalistic? Okay, we're all for real love, aren't we? And feeling the love. What does that look like? Does that mean, as it were, that Amy and Potchev, when we get together, we have sort of one big, massive group hug and we all feel the love. It's spontaneous and felt and warm. How am I going to show love to my hostile neighbor? How am I going to be spontaneous with him when he can't stand the sight of me because I'm a Christian? If love is to be on target, I need the command. I need to know where I'm aiming. another misunderstanding it says here, love you shall love, verse 9, you shall love your neighbor as yourself Saul said to me, well if I'm to love my neighbor I therefore need to love myself so if I feel rubbish about myself if I have low self-esteem I won't be able to love others is that what this is about? so only those who've got high self-esteem, only those who think well about themselves can do anyone any good well think about it you wake up with a sore neck are you rough with it? you go to the bathroom to have a wash and brush your teeth and what do you do? you do it with care, kindness, patience you're not a bit irritable with yourself, are you? You don't look in the mirror and say, oh, that boring face, I don't want to look at you again. When it comes to ourselves, nothing is too much trouble. I'll go down for some breakfast. And do I just have to put up with anything? No, I think, oof, what did I fancy this morning? And if that morning someone has a harsh word for you, what do you do? You run to your own defense. So do you see, whatever my self-esteem, I do love myself. I am totally committed to my own happiness and welfare I cherish myself you shall love your neighbor as yourself so the same energy and care and thought you give to yourself to your own happiness and welfare then do the same for others are you ever hungry? well then feed your hungry neighbor are you ever lonely? will befriend your lonely neighbor. Are you ever frightened? Well, then comfort your frightened neighbor. Have you ever been an outsider? Well, welcome the stranger. Are you ever misunderstood? Well, understand where they're coming from and side with them against yourself. See what the command is saying? It's saying make their welfare, their happiness, your goal. You owe it to them, whatever the cost to you. At the very least that means do no harm. Verse 10, love does no wrong to a neighbor therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. So we owe a debt of love to all. Says the Apostle, pay up and keep paying up because you never pay it off. What does it look like? What does it look like to love others? What's love on target? well you can sum it up by the second great commandment you love your neighbor as yourself you are as energetic and committed to their welfare and happiness as you are to your own so point number three we need to go a bit deeper now twice Paul uses this word fulfill verse eight oh no one anything except to love each other for the one who loves another has fulfills the law. Verse 10, love does no wrong to a neighbor therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. So what does Paul mean? Love fulfills the law. What's this about? Well, think of the commandments. Paul gives us a sample, doesn't he? Verse 9, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not cover. What does love do? How does it handle those commandments? Does it just, as it were, sort of tick the box? Obey the letter? Does it sort of think, well, I've got to keep on the right side of this? No, what love does, it maxes out the command. It obeys the true intention that lies behind the command. It doesn't just read, you shall not, but it recognizes there's an equal and opposite you shall it fulfills the commandment so when it reads you shall not murder if I live by the letter I think well I haven't murdered anyone have I? but if I live by love I go so much further than the letter I don't just refuse to take life I actually lay down my life to save life for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law again that command you shall not commit adultery if I simply go by the letter well okay I'll leave their spouse alone maybe I'll avoid those tricky situations of one-to-ones and maybe avoid temptation but if I live by love I'll max out that commandment I will love purity I will refuse to take the second look. I'm always careful where my eyes are. And I will allow no one to unlock my sexuality unless they're my spouse. And with my spouse, what do I do? I keep my promises. I love those promises. I rehearse those promises. I keep those promises. I loyally nurture, cherish, deepen the marriage and the intimacy of marriage. again you shall not steal by the letter okay I haven't pinched anything from anyone but love goes so much further you shall not steal in love's hands becomes no I'm gonna work hard and give give generously you shall not covet no love says when I see them prosper I don't think I wish I have what they had I rejoice I'm thankful to see them prosper and actually I use what I have to enrich them So do you see? See what he's saying when he talks about fulfilling the law? Love carries you so much further than the bare letter. Love embraces the very spirit of the command. You can't legislate for love, can you? You can't order someone to love somebody else. But what love does, it takes the legislation, it takes the rules, it takes the commands, and it fills them out, it maxes them out. it fulfills the real intention of the law so much so the law can't ask anything more from you love is the fulfilling of the law and what does that look like? well who perfectly kept the commands? who fulfilled the law? Our Lord Jesus Christ so when you look at his life and his death and his dealings with everyone when you look at the Lord that is what law keeping looks like and as the law and love are best of friends that's what perfect love looks like because the commands are summed up in this word you shall love your neighbor as yourself so simply put a rule of thumb verses 8 to 10 is this follow Jesus Christ is to become my law his example is to bind me at every point I am to imitate him the perfect law keeper the perfection of love so Christian friends love each other fulfill the law follow Jesus. Well, it's time to apply it, isn't it? That was the easy bit. Let's apply all this at Amy and Paul Chapel. Now on Friday at the Luncheon Club we were having problems with lighting the cookers until somebody flicked the switch on the wall and the power went on and the cooker is working now. so there are some church situations that you can sort out by the flick of a switch but there aren't many situations like that most of church life we have to work at actually most church situations we have to we have to pay off our debts, don't we? we have to pay up we need to love owe no one anything except to love each other so Brodden's Sisters of Amien Park Is there anyone you don't like here? Anyone you ignore? Anyone you feel that they need to be put in their place? When you talk with them, when you're with them, somehow you're always pushing them down. Is there anyone here you've never ever spoken to? And you feel no obligation, no debt towards them? Anyone here you've never ever made any effort with? And okay, you haven't murdered them, you haven't run off with their spouse you haven't gone round their house and nicked stuff and I hold up my hands and say, I have one of your books right? I owe it to you, come and get it back from me also if you've got one of my books I'll have it back and you haven't envied them, okay you've kept all the letter haven't you? You haven't done too bad by that but have you loved them? Have you loved them as you love yourself? Have you worked for their happiness, comfort, welfare as hard as you've been working for your own happiness, comfort and welfare? Have you loved them as Jesus has loved them? Because if you haven't, you owe it to them. What does that look like? Well, 1 Corinthians, we've got to come here sometime, haven't we? Love, what is it? It's patient, kind, Love is not envy or boast. It's 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. That's what I owe my brothers and sisters. I owe it to them. You may think, I went to this lot. It's a bit of a challenge, isn't it? Some of the young people were going through the members list and there are 128 members and as they went through the 128 members, they told me they could only find 27 normal people. I wasn't one of the normal people. I don't know what it says about the rest of us. The 101 who aren't normal. Actually, I think 27 is quite generous when I look at you lot. But you know, we're all quirky and strange. I know some people were borderline. But we're all awkward and difficult, and we've all blotted each other's copybooks, haven't we? I've trodden on your toes, you've trodden on my toes. We've done all sorts of things to wrong each other and offend each other, and you look and think, I've got to love them. There are some people who have very attractive personalities, easy people to love. That's fine. What about the 101? Have I really got to love them? owe no one anything except to love each other. For no one who loves another has fulfilled... I'll say that again. Except to love another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Now, Amy Parchapp has got a rule book. And when you join APC, you have the interview, and always on there, you're always reminded of Rule 11, aren't you? I know you've probably got it written somewhere above your bed, so you can remember. But Rule 11, what does it say? I just read out the rule 11.1 all members are expected to take an active interest in the welfare and prosperity of this church by remembering it daily in their prayers by a holy and consistent life and conversation by giving of their substance as the Lord has prospered them and by regular attendance at the services of the church including as able the weekly prayer and quarterly church meetings. Now you can live by the letter or you can take that and say that's a lovely expression of love letter or love, what's it going to be? well think about it the first bit all members are expected to take an active interest in the welfare and prosperity of this church by remembering it daily in their prayers so we pray for each other, don't we, as an expression of love we pray for each other's needs, we pray for those in trials and sorrows and difficulties we rejoice for those who rejoice but I'm to pray for others as fervently as I pray for myself and here's the challenge do we know what to pray for others are we close enough to each other to know what are the needs and the sorrows and the blessings you can go by the letter or you can take it and say love love love I'm gonna take it further I'm gonna max it out goes on doesn't it by remembering you're telling the prayers by a holy and consistent life and conversation let's take conversation first one day when I was about seven I was moaning to my dad about my mum and I was saying she did this and she said that and my father rebuked me he said who's this she? you're talking about your mother you call her by her proper name call her mum our Christian friends, someone upsets me, I take offense and what do we start saying to those around us? We start talking about him or her or them and what are we doing? We're magnifying the distance, aren't we? And there's a sense in which when we talk about him and them and her we're denying the relationship in which God has put us that we're brothers and sisters careful what you say. Anyway, it says love does no wrong to a neighbor so if it's in you to be critical and negative and fault-finding and you're someone in the church who's always magnifying the distance then your wisdom is to say nothing because it says at the very least love does no wrong or go up, let's go on, it talks about where are we by a holy and consistent life now holiness is beautiful isn't it because when you see the Lord Jesus Christ he's a very embodiment of holiness the beauty of holiness holy living looks like Jesus now sometimes the less we see of someone maybe the further away they live from us the more we like them so our relations are inversely proportional to the distance they live from us and we like them because we don't see enough of them for them to get on our nerves but this lot, I see them all the time which is maybe why you've got lots of good friends who live a long way away because you don't have to see them that much and actually the people you see all the time and the ones that God has put you with, your own family maybe you don't know them at all well you're not really friends with anyone we're expected to take an active interest in each other's welfare and prosperity we owe it to them we're to pay up now time's ticking on it's for us to join the dots what does that look like? how am I to live in such a way that I express my love for my brothers and sisters? well what would you like others to do for you? how would you want others to treat you? what would you love them to do for you? Well, it's not difficult then, is it? Because you know what you'd like them to do for you turn it around, do it for them obviously with sensitivity but maybe you need to go on a secret mission to spread the love I'm not going to do it to get any plaudits, I'm not doing it to say, hey look what I've been doing I'm just on a secret mission to spread the love to love others to show the same energy, care, determination as I would show for my own happiness and welfare so it might not mean just, you know, I text a few verses every now and again it might actually mean I've become for someone a kind, wise, constant friend not against texting verses but sometimes you know it's the energy of a finger as against the cost of being a real friend to somebody and it goes on it says by giving of their substance as the Lord has prospered them So giving is part of the debt that we owe to each other in terms of love. And then the final bit, and by regular attendance at the services of the church including as able the weekly prayer and quarterly church meetings. Are love and attendance connected? What do you think? Are they connected? Here's a couple, they're going out. They say they're in love. When one suggests they meet up on a Tuesday, the other says, I'm too tired. What about Wednesday? I'm too busy. What about Thursday? Well, I've got another meeting planned. Well, what about tonight? I'm not feeling too well. And you soon get the message, don't you? The message is, you don't really love me. Because if you loved me, you'd want to be with me. and you'd want to spend time together. Christian friends twice on a Sunday, now I know we have different responsibilities and some have to be in with children and that's all understood, we're not cracking a whip are we? This is about love. Twice on a Sunday, love doesn't need persuading does it? You expect me to see my brothers and sisters twice on the same day? Does love need persuading? What about coming to the prayer meeting? or to the fellowship group love doesn't need persuading, does it? you don't have to be talked into it, do you? and don't take offense if you get challenged on it sometimes I say to people, we missed you at the prayer meeting and they take offense why? they're just looking at it as a cold rule, aren't they? rather than actually as an expression of love all he's saying is we missed you, we love you can't you join with us? and I understand some people can't for various reasons health and other situations but you know what we're saying because love if love is real love champs at the bit you can't hold it back it's a wild horse doesn't need persuading and it never crosses its mind that I won't come to something because I never get anything from it because love never thinks like that, love always thinks I will go to see what I can do for somebody else so that's in your equation I won't come, I don't do fellowship groups, I never got anything from it, I went a few times then you're not thinking in love are you? you said I don't owe anyone anything whereas we're told we have a debt of love love is busy all the time doing others good Oh no one anything except to love each other for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. My point is this Christian friends, it's not a witness, is that love never makes excuses because love always always always finds a way if you love someone you will always find a way to show your love and love never keeps a distance from brothers and sisters they can't bear it, can't bear to be apart for too long So verses 8-10 are lovely aren't they? They're saying look, come on, join hands. Not necessarily for a big group hug, but join hands, join hearts. Let's together live for His glory. How far will the message go? Will it go brain deep or will it go further? And there's a challenge in all this Christian friends. because if I say I love the Lord but I don't feel I owe my brothers and sisters anything I'm self-contained I'll do it my way I don't really need to spend time with them and show my love to them then says the Bible if you say you love the Lord then you're a liar and you're a hypocrite John says so if anyone says I love God and hates his brother he's a liar for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he hasn't seen and this is the commandment that we have from him whoever loves God must also love his brother it's stinging isn't it? it's all easy to say I love the Lord okay well here's his people I feel differently about that if I don't love brothers and sisters they don't feel the love if they don't know that I love them something's very wrong God calls me a liar and a hypocrite. But Christian friends, if we learn to love, learn to love one another, learn to love one another Amy and Paul, what will happen? The love will go out. And if we love each other, we'll know how to love our neighbor as ourselves. And when a weary, assertive, selfish, bullying, intolerant, aggressive world sees God's people so different actually loving each other and loving each other across the generations and loving each other across cultures and when they see actually God's people turning around and loving them then they will know that God is real and they will know that the kingdom of heaven can be found on earth and some of them will be intrigued and they'll ask questions and they'll be drawn and we should be able to tell them of the king of love for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life let's pray Our Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You that it puts us through our paces. But Lord, we thank You there's no threat in the command to love one another. We think of Your wonderful love toward us, the unlovely, the unlovable, those who hated You, and You gave Your Son to the death of the cross. that we might be forgiven, that we might be brought into the embrace of the Godhead, that we might be joined to this universe of love, for You are love. Lord, You have put Your seed in us. We are Your people. We are named by Your name. You have filled us with Your Spirit. We pray that individually and corporately that you would teach us the meaning of these verses and that you would teach us to love to pay that debt to love as you have loved and to bring pleasure and glory to your name because we ask it in Jesus name Amen