If you have your Bibles, we’re going to pick up where we left off in Romans 12. We just studied the first two verses, and today, we’re going to skip down to verse 9 and finish the chapter from there. Some of you may have the heading, “Love in Action.” And that’s what we’re going to talk about today. If you want, you can also place a bookmark in 1 Corinthians 13 because I’m going to be reading a little bit from there as well.
And even though 1 Corinthians was written earlier, it’s placed as the next book in the Bible after Romans. So, it’s easy to find.
Today, I am going to begin by asking, “What is love?”
That’s a great question, because in our society today, I’m not sure if it’s well defined. But if you were to ask the average person, I’d bet they’d define the word ‘love’ as the way in which a person feels about another person.
But that’s only part of the definition of love. If we look at the true Biblical definition of love, it means something much more than feelings.
Scripture: Let’s look at our scripture today. Romans 12:9-21.
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
That’s one of those scriptures that really speaks for itself, doesn’t it? I mean, I could just leave now, and we would all be well fed and happy. But, do you get the picture? Love goes way beyond how we feel. It’s about how we treat one another in spite of how we feel, or how we have been treated by that person. We might rightfully be angry at someone. But as Paul said to the Ephesians, in our anger, we are not to sin. In our anger, we are still called to love.
Warren Wiersbe said, “Love is the circulatory system of the spiritual body, which enables all the members to function in a healthy, harmonious way.”
At the end of 1 Corinthians 12, Paul says in verse 31, “And yet I will show you the most excellent way.” And that segues into Chapter 13, if you want to turn with me there. It’s often called ‘The Love Chapter.’ And here, Paul begins by reiterating the gifts, but adds something to them.
Notice what he adds.
Beginning with verse 1, he says, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
You see how Paul uses these sorts of higher gifts that we might look at and say, ‘wow.’ But then he adds, “But if I do not have love, I am nothing.” What he’s saying is, it’s not how mighty or grand the gift is, it’s how we use it. It’s about our attitude.
In a more everyday sort of way, we could say, “It’s not what you are, it’s who you are.” If I’m the boss, if I’m the biggest celebrity, if I’m the wealthiest person in town, and I don’t have love, I am worth nothing. But, if I am nothing; an ordinary individual who’s trying to earn a living, getting his hands dirty or working at Walmart or whatever it may be, but I do have love. Then I really am worth something. I am worth more than those who have wealth and prosperity.
Paul goes on to give us examples of what real love looks like.
In verses 4-7, he says, “4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
Now, I’m not going to get into this because I have a whole other sermon on these verses, but I am going to say, once again, that this is not about how we feel, but how we act toward one another. It’s a practice. And it can only truly be accomplished as a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Precept Austin asks, Why is this exhortation so vital for believers to put into practice? Because the visual display of this quality of love in the body of Christ is the primary means by which the world recognizes us as followers of Christ.
Remember, Jesus said that in John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Precept Austin went on to say that: We must love each other, because we are members of one family. We are not strangers to each other within the Christian Church; much less we are isolated units; we are brothers and sisters, because we have the one father, God.
Charles Spurgeon said, “Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life. Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend.”
C.S. Lewis said: “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”
We find comfort when we’re not alone. We are comforted by people who know how we feel and what we’re going through. And if you happen to be with someone who is going through something good or bad, let the Holy Spirit guide you into the best way to be there for them.
It will be two years this July since my wife and I split up. Some Christians, mainly because they have gone through it and know what it’s like, were very kind and gracious.
On the other hand, some Christians whom I trusted just poured salt on the wound for the sake of righteousness, thinking they were doing the right thing, like many of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day did. But what does the former Pharisee of Pharisees, Paul, have to say?
Verses 15-16 say, 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Now, I just talked about mourning with those who mourn. But have you ever had a hard time rejoicing with those who rejoice? When we hear good news about someone else, instead of being happy, have you ever been like, “God, what about me? Have you forgotten about me?”
Irish novelist and playwright Samuel Beckett received great recognition for his work, but not everyone savored his accomplishments. Beckett’s marriage, in fact, was soured by his wife’s jealousy of his growing fame and success as a writer. One day in 1969, his wife Suzanne answered the telephone, listened for a moment, spoke briefly, and hung up. She then turned to Beckett and with a stricken look whispered, “What a catastrophe!” Was it a devastating personal tragedy? No, she had just learned that Beckett had been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature! (Today in the Word)
And I hate to say it, but the same is true– sometimes–when someone is going through something hard. Not that we get angry or jealous, but we become apathetic. We have to learn to mourn with those who mourn. We have to learn to care. That doesn’t necessarily mean “get out the tissues and cry with those who cry,” it just means let them cry and let them get out what they need to. Be patient and be a listener. And on our end, maybe we can offer a prayer. Maybe after hearing what they went through, we can give them words of encouragement, or say, “I know how you feel. I’ve been there too,” just like the C.S. Lewis quote.
Sometimes, it’s okay if we don’t have anything to say.
There’s a story from J.D. Brannon in Our Daily Bread – about a little boy with a big heart. His next-door neighbor was an older gentleman whose wife had recently died. When the youngster saw the elderly man crying, he climbed up onto his lap and simply sat there.
Later, his mother asked the boy what he had said to their saddened neighbor. “Nothing,” the child replied. “I just helped him cry.”
Sometimes that is the best thing we can do for people who are facing profound sorrow. Often, our attempts to say something wise and helpful are far less valuable than just sitting next to the bereaved ones, holding their hand, and crying with them.
One of the ways we can help our fellow believers is to “weep with those who weep” (Ro 12:15). Jesus demonstrated that principle when He visited Mary and Martha after Lazarus died. Sensing the depths of Mary’s despair over her brother Lazarus’ death, Jesus shared her grief by weeping (Jn 11:35). Bystanders took note and said, “See how He loved him!” (v.36).
Sometimes the best thing we can do for those who are traveling life’s most sad and lonely road is to “help them cry.” Jesus showed us that it’s important to share another’s tears. Is there anyone who needs your tears today? –J D Branon (Our Daily Bread)
Paul segues that into reiterating what he said earlier in the chapter. In verse 3, he says, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
He says in verse 16: “Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.”
Why does he say this again? Because the beginning of verse 16 bridges the gap. “Live in harmony with one another.” How do we live in harmony with one another? Through many of the things he said already. Through practising true, brotherly love. Through honoring one another above ourselves, sharing with the Lord’s people who are in need, practising hospitality, mourning with those who mourn, and rejoicing with those who rejoice. The sum of adding all that together in a nutshell is: living in harmony with one another, which also means we cannot be conceited. Because being conceited blows the whole thing.
That’s why he had to say it twice.
I know I’ve said this many times, but when I worked for the Buffalo medical shuttle–not as much as the one in Elmira–I took a lot of really poor people. Some live in conditions that I cannot even imagine. Some have mental issues, whether it be mentally slow or mentally ill. Some have just come out of prison, some are getting clean from alcohol or substance abuse; some are starting a new life out of an abusive relationship…and it’s actually pretty rare to have someone who is ‘all there’ mentally and emotionally. Sometimes they’ll tell you their whole life story, and it’s not always pleasant. Especially those who are going to counseling for depression or something along those lines.
That company, the one out of Buffalo, also does airport shuttles. Now, the medical shuttles are billed through Medicaid. But the airport shuttles, well, you have a different clientele. They’re paying out of pocket. They’re the complete opposite of those whom I’ve taken in the medical shuttles. They’re clean, neat, well educated. Sometimes when I pick them up from their homes, they have really nice homes. They’re intelligent and speak well. It’s evident they live a pretty good life. They’re more ‘with it.’
In fact, I don’t know if you remember a few years ago when Solomon Rushdie was attacked with a knife at the Chautauqua Institute? That’s about a half-hour drive Northwest of Jamestown. I took a couple of ladies from the Chautauqua Institution to the Buffalo Airport who were talking in hushed tones in the back seat about international affairs and diplomats, and the United Nations—I think it had to do with that knife attack.
So, having said that, which passengers make me nervous the most? Which type of passenger would I rather be with and which type would I rather not?
Well, I’d much rather take the medical passengers, even if they are a bit different. Why? Humility.
That’s not to say that the occasional airport passenger wasn’t humble. In fact, I’d say the majority of them were. But, there have been just enough for me to say, I’m so glad I’ll never have to take another airport run ever again.
There are some things that I can take, and some things I can’t. I can take dirty, uneducated, and mentally unstable. But I have a hard time being around snobbery. Even if they do tip well.
And I think that’s why Paul emphasizes humility twice in this one chapter. It’s a bigger deal than we often think it is. We can’t have one body, and we can’t have harmony when some pieces choose to separate themselves above others and not be equal. We have to be able to associate with people of a lower position than ourselves. That’s what makes harmony, harmony.
Paul segues from living in harmony to living in peace. Peace and harmony go together. Don’t believe me, just ask any musician from the ’60s. Not that they practiced what they preached. As Larry Norman pointed out, The Beatles said, “All You Need Is Love,” and then they broke up.
So, how do we live in harmony with one another? How do we show true, Biblical, brotherly love to one another? How do we practice what we preach? Starting with verse 18, he says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”
The Body of Christ can’t be one and be taking out revenge on each other at the same time. We have to forgive. And we have to, as best as we can, forget and move on. If there needs to be some kind of justice, let the Lord do the work. Leave it to him.
It’s okay to leave a church or a group of toxic people, or just one toxic person, if you have to. Going back to the Corinthian church, Paul had to address the problem of one toxic person ruining the whole church. The church had to kick that person out in 1 Corinthians, but then in 2 Corinthians, we read where Paul commands them to forgive and accept that person back after that person repented.
Let that be a lesson, too. Give the person a chance to repent.
In fact, Paul ends this chapter with probably the best way to encourage someone to repent. He said,
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
And Paul is quoting here both the Old and New Testaments–Proverbs, Exodus, and the words of Jesus all say the same thing. They all call us to do good to our enemies. Why? Well, I think Abraham Lincoln put it best. He once said, “The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.”
Conclusion: So today, we may not have touched on the essence of romantic love, like I began with. But we talked more about brotherly love. We talked about what love looks like in the church. What love looks like among a body of believers.
And all of this can be applied in every area of our lives. It can be applied to our marriages, our family, our friends, our co-workers, our neighbors, and…our enemies.
These words of truth are not easy, but they never fail. The words of 1 Corinthians 13 are not easy, but as Paul said in verse 8, “Love never fails.”
And he ends Chapter 13, The Love Chapter, by saying, “13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Featured Image by wal_172619 from Pixabay
