God Raised Him From The Dead!

Acts 2:22-41

Introduction

Last fall I read Pierre Burton’s book, The Invasion of Canada. It tells of the war which Canada, or to be more accurate, Britain fought with the United States in 1812. It was a watershed moment in Canadian history. If the American’s had won that war, we would be part of the United States today. Many of the political realities and even particular attitudes which make us Canadian were defined during that war.

Another watershed moment for Canadian history was the signing of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982. It placed the issue of human rights for all Canadians in the constitution and has guaranteed those rights ever since.

There are many watershed moments in history. Watershed moments are times when because of certain events the course of history is set in a certain direction.

One such watershed moment is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether people admit it or not, it has impacted all of human history ever since. For Christians, together with the death of Christ, which we remembered on Friday, the resurrection is the watershed moment which began Christianity and which defines who we are today. So today we have the privilege of remembering and celebrating this watershed moment.

The text I would like to examine today is Acts 2:22-47. I have never preached a resurrection message from Acts 2 before because this is the passage which describes the day of Pentecost. On this Jewish feast day in which the Jews came to the temple to celebrate a harvest festival, many people witnessed the most unusual thing they had ever seen when they saw the Spirit of God come on all believers for the first time. Many did not understand that this was a movement of God so Peter stood up to explain what was happening. In his message, we notice that the resurrection of Christ was an important part of what he had to say. This morning, as we look at this text, we will see how the resurrection of Jesus Christ reveals the purposes of God, the power of God and the presence of God.

The Purposes of God

I heard a story about a group of fellows from this congregation who made a rather long trip quite spontaneously one day. Trevor told it this way, “We went to Winnipeg one day with reservations for the Revolving Restaurant(4 guys in suits) just for fun and ended up in Edmonton. Less than 24 hours later, we were back in Winnipeg.” Most of us don’t live our life that way. We may occasionally do things without planning or forethought, but not too often. Have you ever thought that God did not bring about His plan to save the world on a whim or an impulse? God didn’t decide one day that he would release Israel from Egypt or years later that Jesus would come to earth. He didn’t decide one day while Jesus was on earth, “wouldn’t it be cool if he would die and rise again?” God had a plan. God has always had a plan.

The resurrection of Jesus reveals that plan. In fact the life and ministry of Jesus reveals that plan.

We see God’s purpose in Acts 2:22 which says, “Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs.” Our Bible study group has been studying the gospel of John and in the first 11 chapters the theme which dominates is the question, “Who is Jesus?” In these chapters, we have a series of what are called in the text, “miraculous signs.” These signs are evidence of God at work in Jesus. At one point, the Jewish leaders, puzzled by the fact that a man whom Jesus has healed could see, pointed out to the man, “We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” The man replied, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners…” These stories, using the miraculous signs, point to who Jesus was. This story of the man healed of blindness begins when the disciples asked Jesus, “who sinned, this man or his parents?” Jesus responds, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed.” In other words, God had a plan. He planned to reveal that in Jesus He Himself had come to live on earth.

There are some who believe that Jesus died by accident. They think that He had some radical things to say but he pushed it too far and it got out of hand and that is why he died. However, even in his death we see the plan of God. Acts 2:23 says, “This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge.” It was according to God’s plan that Jesus died on the cross, a message that is found throughout Scripture. In many of these Scriptures we understand that the purpose of Jesus’ death was in order to die in our place so that our sins would be forgiven.

In a similar way, Peter goes on to say that the resurrection was also part of God’s plan. He didn’t plan for Jesus to die and then hope that somehow he would also rise from the dead. Acts 2:24 says, “it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”

Why would he say that? How could he say that? In part, it was because Peter understood that God had planned from the beginning that Jesus, who was without sin, would die but that because He was holy, His death would not be final, but would be the means by which sin and death could be overcome. Death is not a natural phenomenon. It is a punishment given to all humanity because of sin. If death is caused by sin, then one who has not sinned cannot die. That is why “it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” God knew this, it was part of His plan.

We know it was part of His plan because He had revealed that this was His plan in the Old Testament. In Acts 2:25-28, Peter quotes from Psalm 16:8-11. This Psalm reflects the experience of David, the king. But as Peter points out, it reflects on more than the experience of David, it reflects on the experience of one who was to come, the Son of David, the expected Messiah. This Psalm says, “you will not abandon me to the grave, nor let your Holy One see decay.” Peter went on to indicate in verse 29 that David died and so, as he says in verse 31, this refers to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Because the resurrection is spoken of so clearly in this passage from the Old Testament, we know that it speaks of the resurrection of Jesus and we know that God had this planned all along.

The plan of God is summarized in Acts 2:36 where it says, “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” All that has happened – Jesus’ coming, death and resurrection – happened by the purpose and will of God. Jesus came as Messiah, but was not recognized as such. He was put to death according to the plan of God, but was also raised according to the plan of God and is now affirmed as both Messiah and Lord, all according to what God had planned.

Now if the events and details of Jesus’ life and particularly His resurrection are a part of the plan of God, that is good news! What happened was not an accident. I Peter 1:20,21 says, “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”

Does it make any difference to you that the resurrection of Jesus was part of God’s plan?

Perhaps you sometimes doubt that God is real and that Christianity is true. Some people do because it seems so amazing. For some the doubts come because there are so many religions and it seems a little arrogant to claim that Christianity is the true religion.

Josh McDowell has written in a number of places that it is very difficult to disprove that Jesus rose from the dead. It is a well established historical fact, witnessed by many who saw Him alive. If it is a true event as witnessed by history and if it was God’s plan, doesn’t that encourage us to put our trust in Christ?

Perhaps you wonder whether the promise of Jesus return is true. It has been almost 2000 years since Jesus rose from the dead. Still all things go on as before. Will it really happen? But if we know that Jesus’ resurrection was a part of God’s plan and took many years to come to fulfillment, then we can be encouraged to keep on waiting and not lose hope.

Perhaps you sometimes question whether God really cares about people. So many evil things happen in the world and sometimes bad things even happen to us. Does God really care about us? But if we know that God planned for Jesus to die and rise again, then we can be assured that God’s intentions towards us are loving. The purpose for God’s plan is our salvation and the fulfillment of His plan assures us that He wants what is best for us.

Jesus was raised from the dead according to the plan of God. What a cause for joy and celebration!

The Power of God

I remember reading the Dick Tracy cartoons when I was young. From 1931 – 1971 Chester Gould drew these cartoons of detective and crime fighting stories. Beginning in 1964, one of the crime fighting devices which Dick Tracy had was a two way wrist TV for communicating with others. At that time, this kind of technology was of course unknown. Today, it is not at all a far fetched idea. It is possible to communicate with others not only by voice, but also with pictures. It isn’t fantastic, it is normal and expected.

I remember one of the first times that a television program, likely of the Olympics, was broadcast, via satellite, live from Europe to North America. Up to that time, such a thought was fantastic, not to be believed! Today, all of my television programs come to me via satellite and can easily be broadcast live from anywhere in the world. We don’t think it is fantastic any more, it is normal and expected.

I sometimes wonder what we consider fantastic, and impossible today that in 20 or 30 years will seem normal and expected?

Most of us wish that death was on this list. There are a few people who believe that it could be. Whether that will ever happen through the advances of science I don’t know and I actually doubt it. At this point, however, and in all of human history up to this point, that is seen as impossible. However, it has happened once that someone died and rose from the dead and continues to be alive today. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is truly amazing and reveals the power of God.

According to Acts 2:22, the power of God was already shown in amazing ways in the miraculous signs performed by Jesus. The tremendous power of God was shown even more clearly and more powerfully in the resurrection of Jesus. Acts 2:24 says, “God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death…” Wow! That is astonishing. We all know what the agony of death is all about. But Jesus beat that agony! He died, but He didn’t stay that way. God showed His amazing power by raising Him from the dead.

I was quite impressed when I saw the machine at Norstar Industries which uses water pressure to cut steel. Water seems so soft, you can put your hand through it and it easily moves out of the way. But we know that water is also powerful – hydro electric power, dishwashers, the effect of floods have all demonstrated that water has tremendous power. When I saw water cut steel, I guess it just takes that power to another level. There are many powerful things in the world, but as we study them we begin to understand them. The power of God which was demonstrated when He raised Jesus from the dead seems to me to be of another order. That is a power which we do not see anywhere on earth, nor do we understand it.

In Acts 2:32, Peter says, “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.” I mentioned earlier that Josh McDowell has written numerous books and articles indicating that it is difficult if not impossible to refute the resurrection of Jesus. One of the arguments he uses is the empty tomb. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, it would have been easy for the Jewish leaders to point to the place of Jesus’ burial. The disciples, who ran away in great fear, were in no state to have produced a plot to steal the body of Jesus away from dedicated Roman soldiers who guarded a sealed stone. Jesus was beaten and near death and it would have been impossible for him to be revived and make it out of the tomb. All of these things demonstrate that it is reasonable to believe in the resurrection. The other thing that proves the resurrection is the eye witness accounts, which Peter points to here. Those who were present, who had known Jesus saw Him alive. One of the greatest demonstrations that the resurrection is true is the development of the church. What began as a handful of Jewish people timidly following Jesus at first, resulted, 300 years later, in becoming the dominant religion of the Roman empire, which up to that point had been an utterly pagan empire. How could this happen apart from the power of God demonstrated in raising Jesus from the dead?

This is truly something to celebrate, for the power of God demonstrated in the resurrection has wonderful implications for us.

If God is so powerful that He can raise Jesus from the dead, then we really need to ask ourselves, "is there anything He can’t do?” What are the impossible things in your life? Are you facing a devastating illness? Are you finding it difficult to overcome temptation? Do you fear death? Are you facing obstacles that are too big for you to move? If God is powerful enough to raise Jesus from the dead, then surely He has the power to come to your help as well. Of course, we subject that to the sovereign will of God, the wisdom of God and what is best according to the love of God, but power is not in question.

If God is so powerful that He did raise Jesus from the dead, then we also can live. Jesus did not only rise from the dead. Through the power of God, by the resurrection, He overcame death. Since He overcame death, eternal life has also become ours. I said before that death is in the world because of sin. If sin was not present in Jesus and so death could not hold Him, then because of His death, we also are free from sin and death cannot and will not hold anyone who puts their trust in Jesus. That is the power of God as revealed in the resurrection.

What a blessing, what a reason to celebrate when we realize that the resurrection reveals the power of God!

The Presence of God

Following the resurrection and based on the resurrection, we read in Acts 2:33 that Jesus was “exalted to the right hand of God.” During the years that Jesus had been on earth, those who recognized that He was God present with them rejoiced at His presence. Because of His death and resurrection, Jesus died and was glorified and went to be in heaven with the Father. However, the resurrection and subsequent exaltation do not mean that God had abandoned His people. Because Jesus died, rose and was exalted, we read in Acts 2:33, “He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” There is a direct connection between the coming of Christ, the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, the exaltation of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is in this sense that the resurrection of Christ reveals the presence of God.

God has always desired to be with His people and to have a people He could be with. In the Old Testament, he called Israel to be His people and He was with them in a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud when He led them out of Egypt and brought them to the promised land. Later in the history of Israel, he was with His people in the temple. When Jesus came to earth, God was with them in the person of Jesus. But when Jesus died and rose again and ascended to heaven, where did God’s presence go? Where was the presence of God? Where is the presence of God? The exaltation of Jesus and the coming of the Spirit, based on the resurrection demonstrate that God continues to be present with His people. The resurrection makes way for the eternal presence of God with His people. The resurrection makes the way for the Spirit to be God present with His people today.

Sometimes we wonder, “where is God?” There was one moment when there seemed to be a great rift between God and His people, a moment when God was gone. This moment was symbolized by the disciples fleeing from Jesus at the moment of His darkest hour. It was declared when Jesus said from the cross, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” But when Jesus rose from the dead, He met with Mary and said the amazing words recorded in John 20:17, “Go…to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Reconciliation was pictured when Jesus stood on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and beckoned His disciples to come and join Him for lunch. God’s presence was questioned when the disciples stared into the sky as they watched Jesus ascend into heaven, but a restored relationship was promised when the angels said, “He will return.” God’s presence became real for us when the Spirit came down so that never more does any child of God have to wonder, “Where is God?” He is here by His Spirit. Because of the resurrection, the presence of God is permanent, never again to be broken for those who put their trust in Him.

What a joy!

Conclusion

On the day of Pentecost Peter preached and all the people heard this amazing message of the purpose, power and presence of God revealed in the resurrection. But they also heard another message. They heard that they were responsible for the suffering of this one who had come to give them life. In horror and with great guilt, they must have thought, “What have we done!!?”

Because of the resurrection, Peter was able to assure them of grace. Peter was able to point out the way in which they could participate in the purposes of God, the way in which they could experience the power and the presence of God. In His message, Peter called them to repent, to be baptized as a sign of their faith. He promised that if they did so, their sins would be forgiven and they would receive the Holy Spirit.

I suggested earlier that this was a watershed event in human history. In Acts 2:39 Peter said to them, “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” That statement indicates that indeed it is a watershed event. The purpose of God, the power of God and presence of God revealed in the resurrection have implications for all who will follow Jesus, even for us today.

Peter pleaded for them to respond and many did and we have the beginning of the church, a movement that began small at that time, but continues to grow even today, once more showing the great and worldwide impact of the resurrection.

Today as we hear this message again, we also are invited to respond to it. If you have not received Jesus into your life, you can today. The purpose of God is that all people everywhere will find life in Jesus.

If you are weak and in need of help, the power of God is available to you. God invites us to ask Him.

If you are living on our own, God is present to walk with us. He invites us into relationship.

May we respond to the invitation!

May we rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

It’s Wake Up Time!

Romans 13:8-14

Introduction

I don’t know how many times I have told myself, “you need to exercise.” I always have done a little, but only if it was fun and not for too long or too often.

Next month, Lord willing, we are leaving for our study tour to Israel. It will be 21 days of walking and listening and standing. We have been told that if we expect to enjoy the whole time, we should prepare by exercising 30-60 minutes, 4 or 5 times a week. Guess what I am doing? I am exercising between 40 and 60 minutes or more 5 times a week and am motivated to do it. Anticipation of what is coming has motivated me.

The Day Is Almost Here

How many times a day do you look at your watch or at a clock? We always want to know what time it is, but often we are just curious or as soon as we see what time it is, we forget. It doesn’t make much difference, unless we are waiting for an important appointment. Then we truly do want to know what time it is.

In Romans 13:11-12a we read, “…you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near.”

It’s Nearly Salvation Time

What time is it? It’s nearly salvation time. Romans 13:11 says, “our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”

When the Bible speaks of salvation, it speaks of it in three different senses. Salvation refers to the day that we believe in Jesus and the Bible promises that we have received salvation. In Luke 19:9 Jesus says about Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house…” But that is not the only way in which this word is used. It is also used in the sense of God’s ongoing work in our lives. This is the sense in Philippians 2:12 when Paul encouraged the believers, “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling…” When Paul says in Romans 13:11 that our “salvation is nearer now” he is obviously not using either of these senses, because both of them are already with us, not “nearer now.” The word “salvation” is used in a the third sense in this text. Here it refers to the final completion of what these other two senses speak of. The day of salvation referred to here is the day when Jesus will return in order to judge the world and bring His own people to their eternal inheritance.

Sometimes we count the days until a certain event. If you ask a bride-to-be how long it is until her wedding, she will probably be able to tell you. Other times we count the days from a certain event. If you ask a person who has been widowed how long they have been alone, they will probably be able to tell you. Paul does neither here. Although he is counting towards the day, he does not know when that day will be. So instead, he counts from a previous event, from the day they met Christ, and indicates that from that day, the coming day is closer every day.

What time is it? The day of our salvation is getting nearer all the time.

It’s Nearly Day Time

What time is it? Romans 13:12a says, “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.”

Night and day refer not to two parts of the day, but to two ages.

Night refers to the present age which is characterized by life far from God. At night we can’t see because it is dark. We do not know things as they really are. Night is also an imagery of the time when immorality and evil reigns. Our world has plenty of evidence that we are living in the night.

One time when we were traveling, we drove quite late into the night. About 11:00, we set up our tents and camped for the night. It was dark, we had never been to this place before and so had no idea what was around us. That is like it is in our world today. We are camping in the darkness, and we do not know what is around us and what is about to happen.

When morning came, we found ourselves in a beautiful campground. It was in a lush valley with a mountain towering right above us - it was a wonderful place. The day refers to life near to God. On the day when Jesus comes back, all of God’s plan from the beginning and all that Jesus came to do will be finally completed. The darkness of ignorance will be gone and we will see all things clearly. The darkness of evil will be removed and there will be no more wickedness. The darkness of depression will be replaced by joy. The darkness of sadness and loss will become the confidence of fulfillment and peace.

What time is it? It is almost day time!

It’s Wake Up Time

One of the fist things I noticed was someone pinching my toes through the blanket. The next sensation was the smell of Nivea cream. What time was it? It was wake up time. When I was growing up, it was my mother’s morning ritual while she walked down the stairs to our room to moisturize her hands with Nivea cream. Then she would call from the door and if that didn’t work, she would pinch our toes. To this day the smell of this cream reminds me that it is wake up time.

Paul tells us that because our salvation is near and because the day is almost here, it is wake up time.

Is Paul really implying that we are sleeping? That seems to be what he is saying! What does it mean that we are sleeping? John Toews says, that sleep is “a negative image symbolizing the inactivity of the mind, even the complete abandonment of thinking.” Just think of that delicious moment when you have had a great sleep and you are just beginning to wake up. It feels so good and nothing really matters. The reality of the day and what needs to be done has not yet dawned on you. The troubles of the past and all the tasks left undone have not made their way into your brain. You are sleeping and all is well, but all is also not real.

Is that the state we are in? Is it true that we are living as if what is real is not in our brain? Does it mean that we don’t really understand what is true and what is important?

What time is it? If salvation is getting nearer all the time and if it is almost day time then it is wake up time!

So…

What are the implications of that? In Romans 13:12b, Paul uses the word “ “So…,” which implies that there are implications.

Since Jesus is coming back, what matters? How do you live in the reality that it is wake up time? Several specific things are mentioned in this text.

Put Aside The Deeds Of Darkness

If the night is nearly over, then God’s Word tells us that we need to put aside the deeds of darkness. In Romans 13:13, Paul identifies three word pairs which are used to describe some of the deeds of darkness.

The text says, “ not in…” which is a command that we should not be involved in these things. Why is God saying “no” to these things? The deeds of darkness are sin. They are the ways of the evil one. One of the things we know about the evil one is that he likes to destroy. Whenever we engage in these things, we are involved in activities that destroy. Even though they may look like fun or we may think that destruction will not touch us, the truth is that the deeds of darkness always lead to destruction.

The first pair, orgies and drunkenness, refers to the kind of parties we hear about in which people are not in control of themselves and in which they have had too much to drink or have taken drugs. They are the kind of parties where fights are not unusual and self centered, destructive behavior is common. Do we as children of light really want to be there? Do we really want to put ourselves in the place where we may be destroyed by this evil?

The second pair is sexual immorality and debauchery. God has declared His intention for our sexuality. It is that we should abstain from sexual intercourse until marriage and then be faithful to our spouse in marriage. Sexual activity is intended by God to be the physical expression of the deep bond between a husband and wife. If it is seen simply as a pleasurable physical activity, as is common in our world today, the true beauty and depth of its meaning is lost. If it is practiced in any way other than as a loving expression in a committed marriage relationship, it results in brokenness and difficulty. Do we as children of light really want to participate in that which will result in brokenness?

The third pair is “dissension and jealousy” and warns about the terrible consequences when people fight with each other because they are jealous of each other. Dissension is the willingness to fight for what we want and often arises out of selfishness. Jealousy is the hatred of those who have what we want.

If we were to set up a report card, how would we do? Orgies and drunkenness? – do/don’t do. Sexual immorality and debauchery? – do/don’t do. Dissension and jealousy? – do/don’t do. Since the night is almost over and the day is almost here, let us be diligent to throw the garbage out of our lives. In verse 14 Paul says, “do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” A few weeks ago I talked about a Greek word which encouraged us to “pre-think” how we would respond if we are wronged. The same Greek word appears here. Paul is encouraging us not to pre-think how we will engage in the deeds of darkness, rather he encourages us to put aside those deeds of darkness.

Put On The Lord Jesus Christ

I am so thankful that the message is not only negative. Certainly we need to rid our lives of those things which are darkness, but much more importantly, we are called to three positive responses: “put on the armor of light,” “behave decently” and “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The call to put on the armor of light reminds us that we are in a battle. The forces of evil are waging war to win our souls. Satan would like nothing more than to have us distracted from following Jesus and living in the light. He makes the darkness seem so appealing. He invites us to self pity. He tempts us to self-centeredness. The fight is hard. Sometimes we lose a skirmish here and there. It is even possible for us to lose the battle. In Revelation 2,3, God says to the churches, “to him who overcomes.” If we want to be among those who overcome, we must put on the armor of light. Then we will have the protection and the weapons to win this battle. He does not specifically identify what those weapons are here, but in Ephesians 6:11,13 we are encouraged, "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes" and in that passage he does outline the armor of light as truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the Word of God.

In contrast to the deeds of darkness, Paul invites us to “behave decently.” Again there are no specifics. This does not mean that we cannot enjoy the life we have on earth, but it does mean that we are called to do whatever we do according to the practices of light.

I think the most beautiful imagery is the call to “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” People have sometimes asked, “what would Jesus do?” That is significant, but this phrase is more powerful! We have sometimes challenged people to think about what they would do if Jesus was with them. That is important, but this is more powerful! We are called to clothe ourselves with Jesus. We are to have Jesus as our skin or if we look at it another way, we are to have Jesus fill our life and we are to be the skin of Jesus.

Since our salvation, which comes from Jesus and is bringing us to Jesus, is nearer now than when we first believed, rather than becoming less and less interested in Jesus, the evidence of the life of Jesus must be more and more a part of our life. John Toews invites us to, “live now in a fashion appropriate to what we will be.”

Love

If you have been watching the text and the material we have covered, you will notice that I missed a whole section. I have not spoken about Romans 13:8-10. Although it has connections to what precedes it, it also has connections to what follows. Notice that in Romans 13:11 it says, “And do this…” which leads into the discussion about our coming salvation and the coming day and waking up. In other words, because Jesus is coming again soon, the truths found in Romans 13:8-10 are also a part of our response. Another part of waking up is living in love.

Whom To Love

In this passage, the call to love is addressed to us. It is to be exercised on certain people. Who is it that we are to love? There are two specific words used here. In verse 8, we are called to love “one another.” This is a common New Testament imperative refering to our brothers and sisters in the church. But that is not the only direction for our love. According to the same verse, we are also invited to love our “fellow man.” Then in verse 9,10 our neighbor is also mentioned. When we add Jesus’ instruction to love our enemies, there is really no one who is outside of the circle of those we are called to love.

Why To Love

Why is this such an important thing? There are many times when we would rather not know that we should love others. There are many times when we would rather not act in love, but rather hate and be angry with others. Why love? The text gives two reasons why we ought to live in love.

The first is because it is a debt. Paul says, “let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.” How is love a debt?

We have been given an amazing gift of grace. Jesus has taken all of our sins and died for us. We owe Him so much, but we cannot ever pay Him back for what He has given us. In fact, because it is a gift, we must not even try to pay Him back. What He has given us is a gift of grace and it must be received as a gift of grace. So if we are indebted to Him because of His gift of grace, how can we pay this debt? We pay it as we love others, and we need to make sure that we love them in the same way in which we have been loved. Matthew 10:8 says, “Freely you have received, freely give.”

The other reason is that all the right things to do which all the governments and religions of the world have identified as good things are summed up in the command to love. The law given by God on Mount Sinai is summarized by this one law, to love one another.

Paul mentions four laws which come from the second half of the ten commandments. All of them have to do with our relationship with our fellow human beings. All of them are summarized by the command to love your neighbor as yourself, which is a quote from Leviticus 19:18. Love fulfills the law because it allows us to carry out what the law requires. All of these 4 laws are intended to help us love others. So although it is good to know the ten commandments and all the other illustrations of the command to love, there is really only one law we need to remember and that is the law to love one another.

How To Love

How do we carry out this command? Paul gives us a very precise, simple summary when he says in Romans 13:10, “love does no harm to the neighbor.”

When we realize that we will be in heaven even with those we may be tempted to hate today, it puts a different spin on things. Why will we suddenly be able to love those we hate now? What will change? Why can’t we begin to live those conditions now?

In any and every action towards any other person on earth and in any and every reaction towards any person on earth, we need simply ask, “will this do harm or good.” It isn’t always easy to answer that question. Sometimes what seems like love is actually harmful to another person. Therefore learning how to love well takes a lot of practice and constant understanding. The key is to have our mindset on considering how it looks from the other person’s point of view. A few weeks ago we had a very good retreat with the ministerial of our church. We talked about caring for people in our church. One of the things we learned is to stop asking the question, “how are you doing.” Sometimes people don’t want to answer that question. Sometimes they don’t want to answer in depth. Sometimes they have been asked so many times that they are tired of it. We were taught that instead of asking, “how are you?” we should say, “it is nice to see you.” That is one case in which what we have always thought was a loving thing to do, may not perhaps have been so and so we learned a better way to express caring to people.

Conclusion

In 386 AD, Augustine was in the garden of a friend. He was well educated and a teacher of rhetoric, but lived a wicked lifestyle. A number of events had brought him to the place where he was at the point of decision. Weeping, he was almost persuaded to take up a new life, but he lacked the will to make a final resolution. From a neighboring garden, he heard a child singing a song and the words of the song were, "take up and read." Beside him was a Bible and he opened it to Romans 13:13-14 and read the verses we have been looking at. Immediately he was convicted and made a commitment to God. He writes, "No further would I read, nor had I any need; instantly at the end of this sentence a clear light flooded my heart and all the darkness of the doubt vanished away."

Jesus is coming again! Are we living in the light of that expectation? Leaving the deeds of darkness, clothing ourselves with Jesus and living in love are the primary ways in which we can live in the light of that expectation.