Love Must Be Sincere

May 26, 2024

Scripture referenced 15 passages

The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.

Psalm 30 opening encouragement leading into worship

1 I will extol you, Yahweh, for you have raised me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2 Yahweh my God, I cried to you, and you have healed me.
3 Yahweh, you have brought up my soul from Sheol. You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4 Sing praise to Yahweh, you saints of his. Give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
7 You, Yahweh, when you favored me, made my mountain stand strong; but when you hid your face, I was troubled.
8 I cried to you, Yahweh. I made supplication to the Lord:
9 “What profit is there in my destruction, if I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise you? Shall it declare your truth?
10 Hear, Yahweh, and have mercy on me. Yahweh, be my helper.”
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing for me. You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness,
12 To the end that my heart may sing praise to you, and not be silent. Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

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Acts 3

Peter speaking on repentance and times of refreshment from the presence of the Lord

1 Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

2 A certain man who was lame from his mother’s womb was being carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask gifts for the needy of those who entered into the temple.

3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive gifts for the needy.

4 Peter, fastening his eyes on him, with John, said, “Look at us.”

5 He listened to them, expecting to receive something from them.

6 But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”

7 He took him by the right hand, and raised him up. Immediately his feet and his ankle bones received strength.

8 Leaping up, he stood, and began to walk. He entered with them into the temple, walking, leaping, and praising God.

9 All the people saw him walking and praising God.

10 They recognized him, that it was he who used to sit begging for gifts for the needy at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

11 As the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.

12 When Peter saw it, he responded to the people, “You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this man? Why do you fasten your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk?

13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up, and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to release him.

14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,

15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses.

16 By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which is through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

17 “Now, brothers, I know that you did this in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

18 But the things which God announced by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.

19 “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,

20 and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before,

21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets.

22 For Moses indeed said to the fathers, ‘The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him in all things whatever he says to you.

23 It will be that every soul that will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.’

24 Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days.

25 You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘In your offspring will all the families of the earth be blessed.’

26 God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to you first to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your wickedness.”

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Colossians 1:16-17

all things created through Christ and in him all things hold together

16 For by him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for him.

17 He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.

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Colossians 3:16

introduced before singing, let the message about Christ fill your lives

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.

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Romans 12:9-21

main sermon text on sincere love, the first Corinthians 13 of Romans

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.

10 In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor preferring one another;

11 not lagging in diligence; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

12 rejoicing in hope; enduring in troubles; continuing steadfastly in prayer;

13 contributing to the needs of the saints; given to hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse.

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.

16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits.

17 Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men.

18 If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.

19 Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”

20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21 Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

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Proverbs 6

six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him

1 My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor, if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger;

2 You are trapped by the words of your mouth. You are ensnared with the words of your mouth.

3 Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, since you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.

4 Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.

5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise;

7 which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,

8 provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.

9 How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?

10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

11 so your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.

12 A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth;

13 who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers;

14 in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.

15 Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.

16 There are six things which Yahweh hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:

17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood;

18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief,

19 a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

20 My son, keep your father’s commandment, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching.

21 Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck.

22 When you walk, it will lead you. When you sleep, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will talk with you.

23 For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

24 to keep you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the wayward wife’s tongue.

25 Don’t lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.

26 For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread. The adulteress hunts for your precious life.

27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned?

28 Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?

29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife. Whoever touches her will not be unpunished.

30 Men don’t despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry:

31 but if he is found, he shall restore seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house.

32 He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul.

33 He will get wounds and dishonor. His reproach will not be wiped away.

34 For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He won’t spare in the day of vengeance.

35 He won’t regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.

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Amos 3:3

can two people walk together unless they be agreed, on unity and going through motions of religion

3 Do two walk together, unless they have agreed?

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Amos 5

God saying I hate and despise your religious festivals, your assemblies are a stench to me

1 Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel.

2 “The virgin of Israel has fallen; She shall rise no more. She is cast down on her land; there is no one to raise her up.”

3 For thus says the Lord Yahweh: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out one hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”

4 For Yahweh says to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will live;

5 but don’t seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and don’t pass to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.

6 Seek Yahweh, and you will live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel.

7 You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth:

8 seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night; who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, Yahweh is his name,

9 who brings sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the fortress.

10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.

11 Therefore, because you trample on the poor, and take taxes from him of wheat: You have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.

12 For I know how many your offenses, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the just, who take a bribe, and who turn away the needy in the courts.

13 Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

14 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say.

15 Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

16 Therefore Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: “Wailing will be in all the wide ways; and they will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’ and they will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing.

17 In all vineyards there will be wailing; for I will pass through the middle of you,” says Yahweh.

18 “Woe to you who desire the day of Yahweh! Why do you long for the day of Yahweh? It is darkness, and not light.

19 As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; Or he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him.

20 Won’t the day of Yahweh be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?

21 I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can’t stand your solemn assemblies.

22 Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.

23 Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

24 But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

25 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel?

26 You also carried the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

27 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says Yahweh, whose name is the God of Armies.

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Isaiah 1

Isaiah calling out religiosity seven hundred years before Christ

1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2 Hear, heavens, and listen, earth; for Yahweh has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

3 The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s crib; but Israel doesn’t know, my people don’t consider.”

4 Ah sinful nation, a people loaded with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken Yahweh. They have despised the Holy One of Israel. They are estranged and backward.

5 Why should you be beaten more, that you revolt more and more? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

6 From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it: wounds, welts, and open sores. They haven’t been closed, neither bandaged, neither soothed with oil.

7 Your country is desolate. Your cities are burned with fire. Strangers devour your land in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a field of melons, like a besieged city.

9 Unless Yahweh of Armies had left to us a very small remnant, we would have been as Sodom; we would have been like Gomorrah.

10 Hear Yahweh’s word, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah!

11 “What are the multitude of your sacrifices to me?”, says Yahweh. “I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed animals. I don’t delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of male goats.

12 When you come to appear before me, who has required this at your hand, to trample my courts?

13 Bring no more vain offerings. Incense is an abomination to me; new moons, Sabbaths, and convocations: I can’t stand evil assemblies.

14 My soul hates your New Moons and your appointed feasts. They are a burden to me. I am weary of bearing them.

15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.

16 Wash yourselves, make yourself clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil.

17 Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for the widow.”

18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” says Yahweh: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.”

21 How the faithful city has become a prostitute! She was full of justice; righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.

22 Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water.

23 Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves. Everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards. They don’t judge the fatherless, neither does the cause of the widow come to them.

24 Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, the Mighty One of Israel, says: “Ah, I will get relief from my adversaries, and avenge myself on my enemies;

25 and I will turn my hand on you, thoroughly purge away your dross, and will take away all your tin.

26 I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called ‘The city of righteousness, a faithful town.’

27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her converts with righteousness.

28 But the destruction of transgressors and sinners shall be together, and those who forsake Yahweh shall be consumed.

29 For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, and you shall be confounded for the gardens that you have chosen.

30 For you shall be as an oak whose leaf fades, and as a garden that has no water.

31 The strong will be like tinder, and his work like a spark. They will both burn together, and no one will quench them.”

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Philippians 2

don't look out just for your own interest but for the interest of others

1 If therefore there is any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion,

2 make my joy full, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind;

3 doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself;

4 each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.

5 Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.

9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,

11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

12 So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

13 For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.

14 Do all things without murmurings and disputes,

15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world,

16 holding up the word of life; that I may have something to boast in the day of Christ, that I didn’t run in vain nor labor in vain.

17 Yes, and if I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice with you all.

18 In the same way, you also rejoice, and rejoice with me.

19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered up when I know how you are doing.

20 For I have no one else like-minded, who will truly care about you.

21 For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.

22 But you know the proof of him, that, as a child serves a father, so he served with me in furtherance of the Good News.

23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it will go with me.

24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself also will come shortly.

25 But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, and your apostle and servant of my need;

26 since he longed for you all, and was very troubled, because you had heard that he was sick.

27 For indeed he was sick, nearly to death, but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow on sorrow.

28 I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that, when you see him again, you may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.

29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy, and hold such in honor,

30 because for the work of Christ he came near to death, risking his life to supply that which was lacking in your service toward me.

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1 Peter 2

Jesus when reviled did not revile back, entrusting himself to the one who judges rightly

1 Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking,

2 as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that with it you may grow,

3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious:

4 coming to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious.

5 You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

6 Because it is contained in Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen, and precious: He who believes in him will not be disappointed.”

7 For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected, has become the chief cornerstone,”

8 and, “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” For they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed.

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

10 who in time past were no people, but now are God’s people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

11 Beloved, I beg you as foreigners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

12 having good behavior among the nations, so in that of which they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they see, glorify God in the day of visitation.

13 Therefore subject yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether to the king, as supreme;

14 or to governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evildoers and for praise to those who do well.

15 For this is the will of God, that by well-doing you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

16 as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.

17 Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

18 Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wicked.

19 For it is commendable if someone endures pain, suffering unjustly, because of conscience toward God.

20 For what glory is it if, when you sin, you patiently endure beating? But if, when you do well, you patiently endure suffering, this is commendable with God.

21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps,

22 who did not sin, “neither was deceit found in his mouth.”

23 Who, when he was cursed, didn’t curse back. When he suffered, didn’t threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously.

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.

25 For you were going astray like sheep; but now have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

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1 Peter 3

keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles so they may glorify God

1 In the same way, wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; so that, even if any don’t obey the Word, they may be won by the behavior of their wives without a word;

2 seeing your pure behavior in fear.

3 Let your beauty be not just the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on fine clothing;

4 but in the hidden person of the heart, in the incorruptible adornment of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God very precious.

5 For this is how the holy women before, who hoped in God also adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands:

6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose children you now are, if you do well, and are not put in fear by any terror.

7 You husbands, in the same way, live with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor to the woman, as to the weaker vessel, as being also joint heirs of the grace of life; that your prayers may not be hindered.

8 Finally, be all like-minded, compassionate, loving as brothers, tender hearted, courteous,

9 not rendering evil for evil, or insult for insult; but instead blessing; knowing that to this were you called, that you may inherit a blessing.

10 For, “He who would love life, and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit.

11 Let him turn away from evil, and do good. Let him seek peace, and pursue it.

12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears open to their prayer; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

13 Now who is he who will harm you, if you become imitators of that which is good?

14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “Don’t fear what they fear, neither be troubled.”

15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear:

16 having a good conscience; that, while you are spoken against as evildoers, they may be disappointed who curse your good way of life in Christ.

17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, that you suffer for doing well than for doing evil.

18 Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

19 in which he also went and preached to the spirits in prison,

20 who before were disobedient, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, while the ship was being built. In it, few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.

21 This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you—not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers being made subject to him.

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Romans 2:4

the kindness of God is what leads us to repentance

4 Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

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Proverbs 25:21

if your enemy is hungry give him food, if thirsty give him water

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink:

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James 4:17

to know to do right and not to do it is sin

17 To him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin.

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Recap

The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.

Pastor Ray preached from Romans 12:9-21 on what sincere, unhypocritical love actually looks like in practice. He framed the message as the beginning of a longer series on repentance, and he aimed it squarely at the church rather than at the culture outside it. The passage, he said, is the Romans equivalent of 1 Corinthians 13.

What was said

Pastor Ray opened by saying that if he is going to preach on repentance, judgment has to start in the house of the Lord. The ditch the church is most likely to fall into, he argued, is not licentiousness but legalism and religiosity. He pointed to Amos and Isaiah as Old Testament prophets who said God despises hollow religious observance, and he said that tendency is the very thing this passage addresses.

The phrase "love must be sincere" carries the Latin root meaning "without wax." In the ancient marketplace, a cracked pot could be rubbed with wax to hide the flaw, and it would hold until any pressure or heat was applied. Pastor Ray said Paul is calling the church to be what it actually is in Christ, not to patch over the cracks with a religious performance.

He worked through the passage noting that sincere love is inseparable from hating what is evil, because there is a real standard of truth, goodness and beauty, and Christ is that standard. He connected this to Proverbs 6, where God is said to hate haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet quick to rush into evil, a false witness, and anyone who stirs up conflict in a community.

Pastor Ray organized his reflection around three categories he said he has been praying over: willing obedience, reluctant obedience, and outright disobedience. He used David and Moses as contrasting examples from Scripture. God works through both willing and reluctant obedience, he said, but the goal is that people would come to know Jesus because of the way believers act, not in spite of it.

He told a story from ninth grade about a boy named Dennis who knocked him down in the gym and bloodied his nose. Pastor Ray said he presented it to the principal as a misunderstanding between friends, but the truth was he carried a grudge for years. Eventually he felt convicted, had a dream about it, and went to find Dennis to confess that he had been holding hatred in his heart. He described that moment as the difference between outright disobedience and willing obedience to the command not to repay evil for evil.

On the instruction to heap burning coals on an enemy's head, Pastor Ray said the image is not about divine payback. A burning coal landing on someone forces an immediate response. When a believer treats someone who has wronged them with genuine kindness, it forces that person to reckon with what happened. He tied this to Romans 2:4, where Paul says it is the kindness of God that leads people to repentance, and he said the church's loving behavior toward outsiders is the best chance those people have of ever coming to faith.

He closed by sketching what he called a timeline of eternity, showing God's sovereign choosing, the cross, the moment of individual belief, the uneven but upward work of sanctification, and final glorification. Sanctification, he said, is the work of the Holy Spirit and is directly shaped by how willing we are to repent and obey. Knowing what is right and refusing to do it is itself sin, and that applies as much to this list of loving commands as to any list of vices.

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Pastor Ray said that 'sincere love hates what is evil' and that this is one of the distinguishing factors of what love actually is. Does that connect or does it create tension for you, and why?
Pastor Ray laid out three categories: willing obedience, reluctant obedience, and outright disobedience. When you're honest with yourself, which of those best describes where you are right now with something God has been asking of you?

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Speaker 3Well, good morning, friends. Very good to see you this morning. Would you stand with me? I'd love to worship together in song. Here's an encouraging word from Psalm 30 to lead us in the worship.

I am so grateful for the songs. They they pair so well with music. Here it is. Sing praise to the Lord you his saints. Give thanks to his holy name.

Would you join us in singing, come thou fount of every blessing.

Speaker 2And I know thy hands will bring me safely home by thy good grace. Jesus sought me when a stranger wandering from the fallen guide. He to rescue me from danger and to oppose his precious mind. I feel it. Won't you leave the God I love?

Oh, here's my heart, lord. Take it, seal it, seal it for thy courts above. And here's my heart. Here's my heart, Lord. Take it, seal it.

Seal it for thy courts above.

Speaker 1Can you hear me now? Yeah. Announcements. We have a few. Let's see what they are together at one time.

Oh, this here we go. Flower pot art. This is The Lutheran Church is doing this Monday, Memorial Day. It's the twenty seventh, 10:30 to 12:30. They're making flower pot art.

They were are inviting all the folks, all churches in the valley. Anybody you wanna bring along? Flower pot art. Shepherd of the mountains Lutheran, not redeemer, shepherd of mountains. Okay?

First b b q. These are the dates. The first b barbecue. First b b q's are happening June 25, July 23. We're trying to do it once a month.

Between services right out here on the green space, weather permitting. That's the plan. Okay? Are you all with us? It looks like that's getting a good head nod.

Alright. This one, Rabbi Zalman Mendelson called me this week and asked me if I would announce this. This is next week, June 2 at 5PM. So that's next Sunday, 5PM, Unite for Israel Solidarity event on Town Square, Cash And Broadway. He asked and said, bring flags, signs and show your support if you'd like to.

It's sponsored by the Wyoming for Israel. I told him I would announce it and so that is happening next Sunday. I will not be here. If you all go, don't be looking for me. I'm just not in town.

Alright? Sound booth volunteers are needed and we have one up there that has has tried it out. Jeff, thank you very much for for answering the call. But if you think I've got technical facility with stuff like that and I can spend a lot of plates at one time, please let Nick know. We'd love to have a few deep on the bench that would be helpful.

So donations of certain items are needed for our Vacation Bible School. There's a list on the website. If you wanna know more, you can ask Amy Jordan or you can talk to Nick Stern, he is right there. Hometown Nazareth where Jesus was a kid, this is coming up June 24 through the twenty seventh, so that's happening pretty soon. There's no middle school Sunday school class today.

They said they'll see you next week. And today is well, it's Memorial Day weekend. It's marked officially. It's Memorial Day. I I always when I hit this, I paused thinking about my dad.

He's a veteran, but he was not killed in combat or I wouldn't be here. But there are a lot of his friends who were and there are a lot of who have fallen since then. So God, thank you for for those who have answered the call. The ultimate price has been paid. We ask that you would keep us fervent in prayer for those who are actively defending this nation.

In Jesus name, Lord, we wanna be humble before you. We wanna do what is right. Amen. Would you stand with us? I think that's the last one.

That's the last one. Stand with us. We're going to sing few more songs.

Speaker 2Walking down these desert roads, water for my thirsty soul, I need you. Oh, I need you. And your forgiveness

Speaker 3holy water on my skin.

Speaker 2A dead man walking do my be to and

Speaker 3that.

Speaker 2I'm side. Take me under. Baptize, I need you. Oh, I need you. And your forgiveness is like sweet, sweet honey on my lips.

Like the sound of the symphony to my ears. It's like holy water on my skin. Well, I don't want to abuse your grace. God, I need it every day. It's the only thing that ever really makes me wanna change.

Let's sing that again. Oh, I don't want to abuse your praise. God, I need it every day. It's the only thing that ever really makes me wanna change. Your forgiveness is like sweet sweet

Speaker 3So this was Peter speaking in Acts chapter three, and he says, to repent of your sins and turn to God so that your sins will be wiped away. And then, catch this part, that times of refreshment would come from the presence of the Lord. Isn't that good? And he'll send you Jesus, your appointed messiah. Here's another psalm I wanna share with you.

Lord, you are forgiving and you're good. You're abounding and steadfast love to all who call on you. Lord, we call on you today. Lord, would you Holy Spirit, would you do the good work of convincing and convicting? You do so much better than we can.

So Lord, would we listen? Would we call out to you in faith? And be refreshed, Lord, as we turn from what we know is wrong to to to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Speaker 2A thousand generations falling down in worship to sing a song of ages to the land. And all have gone before us. All who will believe the same song of ages to the land. Sing his name. His name's the highest.

And your name is the highest, and your name is the greatest. And your name stands above them all. Your thrones and dominions and all powers and positions. Your name stands above them all. And the angels cry.

Holy, our creation cry. Holy, are you lifted high? Holy, holy forever. Or if you've been forgiven, if you've been redeemed, sing a song forever to the land. If you walk in freedom, and if you bear his name, sing song forever to the man.

Yes. We sing song forever and in the and the angels will cry. To the king of kings. You will always be holy forever. His name's the highest.

Jesus, your name is the highest in your name. Is the greatest in your name, stands above them all. All thrones and dominions, all thrones and dominions and all powers and positions. Your name stands above them all and the angels cry.

Speaker 3This is one of my favorite scriptures from Colossians, and we've just sung it. But it says this, for in him, and he was speaking of Jesus here, that all things were created, things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers, rulers or authorities. All things have been created through him and for him. He's before all things, and in him, all things hold together. That's pretty amazing.

That in Christ, all things, he is holding us right now. All things hold together. And he is the head of this body, the church. Let's keep singing.

Speaker 2Sin had left in crimson stain bewashed in white ass. And in before the throne, I stand in him complete. I'll leave my trophies down at

Speaker 3You can have a seat here for a moment. This is the worship through giving part of the service, and invite the ushers to come on forward. We're gonna sing a song called, speak o Lord from Colossians three sixteen. Let the message about Christ and all its richness fill your lives. Before we sing,

Speaker 2Ray, may ask you to pray?

Speaker 1Sure. God, thank you for this for this assembled crowd assembled in your name, Lord, singing your praises. I pray that you would use us to effectively do your will. Lord, the vessels, the weak vessels that we are, that you would fill us with the gospel, with the good news, and that you would allow us, Lord, the privilege of pouring it out all around this community. In Jesus name, we ask that your gospel would advance, Not in spite of the way we are and act, but through us.

Lord, use us as a channel of your mercy, your grace, your love, your forgiveness. Show us the way that you would have us to walk and empower us to do it, Lord. That's what we're asking for. We wanna do your will and your way. Would you use all that is placed in these plates?

Really? And metaphorically, like, Lord, the time, the consideration, the prayer, all that is given. Lord, would you use it to advance your cause. In Jesus name, amen. Amen.

And it is time for children's church, but not middle school and high school. It's time for children's church downstairs. I forgot one announcement. It didn't There was no slides, so I forgot about it. Cowboy churches happen in downtown immediately after this service.

So that's a gathering rodeo fill. Wilson will be preaching, and they have kind of a ramshackle band thrown together once a year. And I'm the bass player for that. So if you see me sprinting towards the door because the preacher ran long, that's the problem. Okay.

I'm not running from y'all. Repentance. I've been talking about preaching on repentance for a long time. And I'm still working on it, but I'm working on it. I And was a sculpture major from way back, and when you weld something together, sometimes there's a little slag on it, you have to kind of knock the slag off, and then you have to grind.

And if you'll notice, I'm grinding on this and I'm throwing the sparks at you. Do you see that? It's pointed outwards now. I'm getting to it, but I think that I think that the church, I think that we as the church, we have one ditch that we're more likely to pull into and that's the legalistic religious ditch. Instead of the licentious, like do whatever you want ditch.

Now, I've talked about this for years, but I think that if I'm going to preach on repentance, it's time for judgment to start in the house of the Lord. Right? It's not just not doing this list of things. And I've examined that list of vices or the lists of vices in the New Testament for the last six weeks. Every week, I'm going over them, thinking about them, and I'm thinking these are the vices.

And that tends to be the stuff that's in this ditch. The it mentions it occasionally, this ditch, the legalistic side of things. But if I'm going to preach on repentance and I'm starting with the church, I want to start where we need to start, I think. So these three categories, this is not my three points for today. This is what I've been praying about for the last few weeks.

I want to be obedient to what God has for me to do and I want for it to be willing. Right? And we see that in the lives of some of the old testament patriarchs, and in some of the lives of the old testament wonderful faithful ladies. We see a willing obedience. We also see throughout the Bible a reluctant obedience, and God works through both of those things.

When you say, David and he puffs up and said, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that's calling us out? Yeah. I'll do it, willingly. No doubt about it. And he'll go and he does and it goes well for him.

But then we see Moses when he says, you're my guy. You're the one I want to deliver from this land of Egypt and he begins to stump stammer. And he Me? It's reluctant, but there is obedience there. And there's forty years in between.

Right? There's a lot of a lot of happening in reluctant obedience. God wants for us to be obedient. Willing is probably best. Right?

Reluctant, he can still use, but outright disobedience, that's what the prayer I want for people to know who Jesus is by because of the way that we're acting like Jesus, not in spite of the way that we're acting. They figure out who Jesus is. Right? Does that make sense to you? So those are the three categories that I'm praying about.

And in the next few weeks, they'll probably come up. It's it's cooking right now. Next week is graduation Sunday, grad Sunday. Mike, Demetrius will be preaching. But will y'all be praying with me?

Especially as it concerns the sermon today because it's today. But about your willing obedience, your reluctant obedience, and then God show us the place where I'm outright disobedient to what you've called me into. Okay. So with that, we're going go to Romans 12. Romans twelve nine through 21.

To me, is a good is a good sermon for the church. So here it is, love must be sincere. Love must be sincere. And I'm using the NIV. The NIV has taken the text, the Greek text and they have placed it.

I believe that it needs to be in imperatives. They're not technically imperatives in Greek, but it has imperatible force. So that's why I'm spraying these sparks out at you. Love must be sincere really is kind of the title of this passage. By the way, this is sincere.

We get our word sincere from Latin, not from Greek or Hebrew. But it means without wax. Without wax. What they used to do in the marketplace when they made a pot and it was a leaky pot, they take a little wax and rub it in the holes, and it'll stop up the holes for a little while. But as soon as any pressure is applied or as soon as any heat is applied, the wax is gone, the pot is no good.

Means without wax. We wanna be what we really are in Christ. And Paul tells us multiple times, be what you already are. Really be, the Christians. Let your union with Christ be what determines who you are.

So the first line of this doesn't even have a verb in it. When the NIV says love must be sincere, the must be is implied. This is what it says, which is the love without hypocrisy. It's not an act. If we love you, we really love you.

If we are loving, this is the title of the section. It starts off, the love without hypocrisy. Immediately, it says, hate or abhor what is evil. Now, you might see that and go, that's quite the juxtaposition. I think Paul did that on purpose.

Love is sincere. Sincere love hates what is evil. It just does. That's one of the distinguishing factors of what love is. It's sincere and hates what is evil.

And if you think, well that doesn't sound very much like God. It it does. Proverbs six says this, there's six things that the Lord hates. Seven that are absolutely detestable to him. Haughty eyes.

We know that God resists the proud and he gives grace to the humble. So he doesn't like Well, he hates, detest, abhors haughtiness. He hates a lying tongue. He hates hands that shed innocent blood. He hates a heart that devises wicked schemes and can I get a witness?

Wicked schemes. Goodness gracious. New new ways to do evil. Have you all heard of any new scams this week? I have.

People have been taken in. A heart that devises wicked schemes. How can I pull the wool over their eyes so that I can take from them? Feet that are quick to rush into evil. God hates feet that are quick to rush into evil.

God hates a false witness who pours out lies on a person who stirs up conflict in the community. There's the there's a list. Those are things that God hates. If you wanted more, you could go to Amos. Amos remember Amos?

Amos three three, can two people walk together unless they be agreed? God was saying through his prophet Amos that some of y'all are following after me, but some of you are not. You need to be unified. There are some of you who are just getting together and going through the motions of religion and that is not what I like. In fact, I hate it.

I hate. I despise your religious festivals. Religiosity is not a good thing. Religion, as much as it is a relationship with Almighty God through Christ, is great, but religiosity is not. And in the Old Testament, God says through Amos, I hate, I despise those festivals.

Your assemblies are a stench to me. He goes on, I won't, but he does. If you want to read it, it's minor prophet, little bitty, but it has a lot to say for our time today. And if you want to go further than that, Isaiah, seven hundred years before Christ, Isaiah is calling out religiosity in pretty much the same way throughout chapter one. That's why I'm standing right here on this side of the stage.

Y'all showed up this morning to church. Y'all aren't in the licentious ditch over there. You're you're might have been last night, I don't know. But but you're here this morning, so this is what I'm talking to you this morning. Love must be sincere.

It has to be without hypocrisy. Hate what is evil, but also cling to what is good. So when it says hate what is evil, cling to what is good, that is saying that there is such a thing as truth. And there are things that are good and there are things that are beautiful and we should be hating the things that are evil. And we should be hating the things that are ugly.

And we should be hating things that are lies. And that in our day is really really hard. Right? But it does exist. There is a standard.

Christ is that standard. Was his love sincere? While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Yeah. Sincere, all the way to death.

Did he hate what is evil? Yeah. He called it out. He called it out from the Pharisees. He called it out from the Sadducees.

He even called it out at the well, with the woman at the well. He called out a lot of things. He looked for common ground. He affirmed what he could, but he also called out what he couldn't. Clinging to what is good.

The cling there, another form of that word means glue. It's sticky. Be stuck to the good stuff. These are participles for you language nerds. Yeah.

And I'll go back at the end. I think I'm gonna go back at the end and I'm gonna do a straight up. I tried to do all the verbs in the actual tense they are in Greek because when I say that it's imperatival force, that's great, but it can feel a little bit like, my goodness, this guy's preaching straight at me. Well, am preaching straight at you. Excuse me.

I've been preaching it myself for the last six weeks. Hating what is evil, clinging to what is good, there really is a difference and you should be able to discern what that is. So for the r mcd version here, if I'm gonna put it in imperatible mode, it's y'all be unhypocritically loving by hating what is evil. Not who. Okay?

Hating what is evil. Hating the evil and clinging to the good. Be devoted to one another and love. Now this is a letter to Christians, to the Christians in Rome that Paul had never met before, and so he'd never been there before. But he's writing to these Christians, he believes that they are believers in Jesus and he's showing them what love looks like.

Actually, this most commentators when they read from Romans twelve nine through 21 said, this is the first Corinthians 13 of Romans. It's about love. It starts off just saying, love is hating what is evil, clinging to what is good, being devoted to one another in love. Be devoted to one another in love. And in love, it's already defined what that is.

Being devoted to one another involves a standard. Christ is the standard. Beholding on to the good. Don't be proud. Don't be lying or believing lies.

Don't be quick to rush into evil. Don't be quick to shed blood. Don't be quick to start something. The very last line was to get out in the community and just rumble something up. Honor one another above yourself.

This is the Philippians. Philippians two. Right? Don't look out just for your own interest, but for the interest of others. Place others before you actually I like the ESV translation on this.

It says, outdo one another. How? In showing honor. Our culture doesn't really do that very well. There are cultures who do.

Have you seen the sort of eastern nations kind of bowing? Nope. I'm getting a little lower. Nope. I'm getting a little lower.

Outdo one another and showing honor. Rather than wanting recognition for ourselves, for what we've done, be showing recognition for what you see someone do. Outdo one another and showing honor. Never be lacking in zeal. Never be lacking in zeal.

There was a one of the commentators had done his own translation on this one and it said, if I'm remembering close to this, Says, as it regards doing what you ought to, don't be lazy. If you know what it is you ought to do, don't shy away from it. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor. Hold on to the goodness of God, the spiritual fervor and be serving the Lord. Now, that's not just taking care of the nursery, although there's always space.

Always space available. The the list where you did you heard I didn't do the sign up for the connect hour. All those lists are full. I'm not saying you're not doing it, but don't be lacking in zeal. If you see something you know that God is saying do, willing obedience.

Right? Instead of, oh, nobody else is signing up. I guess I can do it. That's reluctant obedience and that's okay too. But willing obedience.

I remember, I don't know which book it came from or which set of mentors it came from, but I will obey right away and with a happy heart. Do you remember this in child rearing? Yes. I will obey right away and with a happy heart. That's that's hard to believe.

Never be lacking in zeal. I wanna do what the Lord wants me to do. If I'm waking up in the morning saying, Lord, I long to do your will. Show me your way and I'll walk in it. You've given me the power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.

There's nothing that I can't do. If you direct me Lord, I will do it. Willing obedience. Never be lacking in zeal. Keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord.

Be joyful in hope. Now, hope in the Bible every time we hit it in the New Testament, the word itself means an absolute certainty guaranteed by God that just hadn't come to pass yet. So Peter can speak of an incorruptible hope kept by the power of God. Be joyful in hope knowing that I've got a future for heaven for sure. There in those mansions sublime, you've got this hope that is there and that should bring to us joy.

Be joyful in hope. Be patient in affliction. In this world, you will have trouble. That's a guarantee. It's one of the promises of God actually.

Promises of Christ. In this world, you will have trouble, but take courage, take heart. I've overcome the world. Be joyful in hope, be patient in affliction, be faithful in prayer. I'll come back around in a wooden translation at the end to that.

Sweet hour of prayer, it's always, always, always available to us. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. It's just that simple. If you see someone in need and you have the means to help meet that need, consider is God telling me to meet that need?

If he is, willingly obey. If you've already known it and you've been reluctant about it or outright disobedient about it, I would urge you to move from outright disobedience up to at least reluctant obedience. There is a blessing there for them and for you if you will do as the Lord directs. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Take care of people. Bless those who persecute you. That doesn't sound right. No. That's what it says.

The folks who are making fun of you, the folks who are chasing you down and deriding you, those are the ones that we are to bless. Consider that Nero was emperor when this was written. Bless those who are persecuting you. Bless and do not curse. That's just not cussing.

Okay? It's not just using the words that we all know what they are. It's not that. It's like wishing evil upon them. Wishing they get their just desserts.

Oh, Lord, no. Please give them the change of heart that brings them from pride to humility. Give them the change of heart that brings them from ignorance to knowing, salvific knowing of who you are and what you've done. God, I pray that a blessing on those who are currently persecuting us. Rejoice with those who rejoice.

One of the great things of this job is I hear more about this sort of stuff than any of y'all. Rejoice with those who rejoice. When there's good news, it travels pretty fast. Rejoice with those who rejoice. And you know what?

The flip side of that is mourn with those who mourn. We need to we need to be with people in their difficulty. Be present with them in that difficulty and be present with them in celebration. There was a wedding shower at our house yesterday. It was just a joyful celebration.

It's rejoicing with those who rejoice. And last week, I mentioned three different folks who are going through extreme mourning and we mourn with them. Right? To know that I've got weddings coming up, think, oh, the joy that's available there and to know that I also have funerals coming up. Be where you are.

Be bringing a blessing into the room when you come. Rejoicing with those who rejoice and the blessing of your presence when you're mourning with those who mourn. You don't have to say much, but being there and weeping with them carries a lot of weight. Live in harmony with one another. It's not just everybody singing in unison, although that's beautiful.

But singing harmony, there's a little bit added when you get all the different parts of harmony. Be living in harmony with one another. This is one in the old testament where it says, it's like oil dripping down over the head and off of the beard all over. It's an anointed place when we can live together in unity, live in harmony with one another. Don't be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.

Amen. This is as plain spoken as it gets, isn't it? Now, I'm standing over here. I've been standing over here the whole time pretty much. How are we doing?

Are are we willingly obeying this? Are we thinking about it? Are we reluctantly? Oh, I gotta I gotta sit with them, I guess. Bible says to I don't wanna just sequester myself away from.

I know better than to do that. God, give me a love for people that are not like me outwardly. Lord, give me a love. Give me your eyes. Give me your eyes.

Don't be proud. What we have, we have given from the Lord. But be willing to associate with people below position and don't be conceited. Don't be wise in your own minds, literally. This is the new American standard on this.

Be of the same mind toward one another. Don't be haughty in your mind. That's one of the things that God hates. Right? Don't be haughty in your mind, but associate with the lowly.

Do not be wise in your own estimation. Allow scripture to tell you whether or not you are being wise. It will tell you. There is a standard. It's right there.

Am I, Lord, being obedient to this or have I think do I think I've got it figured out? No. I'll come back to you later, Lord. I'm pretty I'm pretty good right now. I'll call you in the bottom of a well.

Call you when I need you. Call you when somebody's texting and crosses over the center line. God help us. May we be constant in prayer. Do not repay anyone evil for evil.

That is our that is our way. I had down to tell a story this week. I had a guy in in middle school and high school that was my nemesis. I couldn't stand the guy. I said something to him that he took the wrong way the first time, Maybe.

I said something to him that I didn't I thought it was innocuous. I didn't think it was a big deal, but he took it as being very ugly, racist even. And so that started in the eighth grade. And I just it was always ugly between us. There was never a kind word.

I didn't say much to him, but he never had anything nice to say to me. We played ball with each other, and we'd be on opposite teams every time. He'd never picked me, I'd never picked him, just couldn't stand the guy. He couldn't stand me either. And it came to altercation in the gym one day.

I I kinda did a little shake and bake and went around. I'm not And I went around him and I scored and he said, you carried. You know, carrying is a convenient call if you just got burned. I might have carried, honestly. I did get around him.

I did score. He called carrying, and so I kinda come on, man. You know, walked past, and I bumped him with my shoulder. Just bumped him with my shoulder. There's a whole gym I could have walked in, but we had to get close enough where I bumped him with my shoulder.

He went back and came around from China and hit me so hard that there were two licks past, as they say. He hit me and I hit the floor. It was bad. Bloody my nose, blacked both of my eyes, and then we went to the principal's office. Zero tolerance.

But I, being Christian, knowing that it was wrong to hit him back, I didn't have a choice, I was laying down. But I presented it as, we're friends, we're good friends. It was just a misunderstanding. All of that was lies. It just about knocked me out.

Dennis was the guy's name. And Dennis was like, yep, we're good friends, really good friends. And the principal at the time was a pretty lenient guy, apparently. He didn't suspend either of us. He didn't do anything to either of us.

I talked my way out of getting thrown out of school course. I didn't hit him. So but he didn't get anything either. But from that day on, rather than going, you know what? Jesus said don't hit him back.

And that is kind of my my case that I presented to my folks. It was, yeah, Jesus said don't hit them back, so that's why I didn't hit them back. And my dad says, this is the real world, Ray. You got to hit people back. That sounds good, but and I I'd love to be able to present that as truth, like that's good.

But the real truth was I swore I was gonna get revenge on that guy. I swore that if it was the last thing I did, I was gonna bop that guy and knock him, hit him just as hard as he hit me at least. And I carried it. And I that's silly. I carried it.

That was ninth grade. I carried it. I carried it. He dropped out of school. I still carried it.

And then, I got convicted about it. Had a dream. A dream. And it convicted me. And it was rather than being outrightly disobedient to God that says love our enemies.

Pray for those who persecute us. I was not moved from reluctant. It was willing obedience. It was go find him and tell him that you've been holding a grudge. Go find him and tell him that you have hated him in your heart and that you laid that down.

And I did. And it was a huge deal. I also had a conviction about the guy who was coaching basketball at the time and a few other people. And it makes a huge difference when you will let go of the grudges that you're holding to people and not repay them evil for evil. What he did was not right.

What I did was probably not right in front of that. Don't repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. Now this one, we'll go to a different translation. You can't do what's right in the eyes of everyone, period.

Like Lincoln said, right? You please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all the people all the time. This is be careful to do what is right. In this assembly, where we are the body of Christ and we are holding up a standard for truth and good and beauty, if we are holding each other accountable to that, then yes. Be careful to do what is good and right.

It's a it's a group activity to be able to stay in that. We have the word, it speaks to us individually, but have you already heard what I've said about the y'alls? There's a lot of y'all in here instead of just individually you. If it is possible as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Let it go.

Let it go. If you're holding something against somebody or some group, let it go. You still do sincerely love them and you hating what is evil and clinging to what is good. Clinging to what is good is looking for something to confirm and affirm in everyone, but there's still evil out there which we are to be hating and discerning. But if it's possible, as far as it depends on you, you'd be living at peace with everyone.

I had a professor in seminary. I love the guy, Don Howell. I like the sound of his lecture so much, I recorded almost every one of them. I go back and listen. It was before podcasting was even a thing.

But Don Howell said, A wise and proper estimation of oneself is what provides a secure basis for a generous and loving appraisal of others. Ain't that good? I'm holding this passage up to myself as a mirror for the past few weeks and to you today. Do not take revenge my dear friends on Dennis or anybody else. Don't take revenge my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath.

He's Almighty God. He is the righteous judge when it says in Peter that in first Peter two, it says that Jesus. Jesus, when he was reviled, he did not revile back. Though they were hurling insults, he did not insult back. It said, he continually entrusted himself to the one who judges rightly, that's what this is right here.

Don't take revenge dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath for it's written, it's mine to avenge and I will repay. I've said it a 100 times from the stage that God God will repay. Either they will be justly condemned for their sinful action against you or they'll be mercifully forgiven and you should be alright with either. Leave room for God's wrath. It's much better than yours anyway.

It's his to avenge and he will repay says the Lord. On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. This is a direct imperative. There's no doubt about it imperative verb. If your enemy is hungry and you know it, feed him.

If he's thirsty, give him something to drink. That's straight up Proverbs twenty five twenty one. If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he's thirsty, give him water to drink. And after that, it says, in doing this, you'll heap burning coals on his head.

Now, this is an interesting one. This is interesting because if you look in the Old Testament and you look in the New Testament for these burning coals on someone's head, you're not going to find them on someone's head. But you're you'll find burning coals or burning coals of hail coming down from heaven as divine judgment. And if that's what you read into this and you go, oh yeah, God's gonna get them. Then you haven't let it go.

Okay? You've missed the point. This, you'll heap burning coals on their head. What do you do when you get a burning coal on your head? I I showed you the sparks at the beginning.

If I was really grounding something and sparks were flying into the crowd, and one lands right here, you know what you do? You do something about it. You go, ah. Immediately, you gotta get that thing out of there. If someone's treating you poorly and you treat them well, that forces them to recognize it.

Does that make sense to you? Not everybody will immediately, but when they walk away from that interaction, they'll go, that was really gracious of them. Wow. Why? Why did they let me go?

Why didn't they hold me responsible for what I obviously did to hurt them? I gotta do something about this. I have to examine their claims. I have to understand. You might think, oh, that's not the real world.

But this is what it says. If you leave room for God, he will repay or he will forgive and we need to be okay with both. First Peter, keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles. Could have been translated heathens, it's those who are outside of the family of God. Keep your behavior excellent among outsiders, so that in the very thing in which they slander you as evil doers, and there are plenty of people who are slandering us as evil doers these days.

There always have been. Peter's saying that. Keep your behavior excellent among the outsiders so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers that they may, because of your good deeds as they observe them, that they may actually glorify God on the day of visitation. There's a chance that your loving service to them is what will bring them around. More than a chance, it's the best chance that they have.

If they're not paying attention to the Bible and you are, they don't know what it says and you do. Romans two four. So backing up 10 chapters in Romans, but it's nice. This is right after the gotcha moment. In Romans one, oh, we love to go to Romans one.

They're like, oh, yeah. Yeah. They suppress the truth and they get in their bodies exactly what God wants from them. Yeah. Get them God.

Those hopeless reprobates, good good for them. They get what they get. And then in chapter two, there's a real quick turn and says, and y'all are worse. That's this side. Right?

But then it says, do you think so lightly of the riches of God's kindness and his tolerance and his patience, not knowing that it's the kindness of God that leads us to repentance? We sang in the song like three times in the bridge of that song that it's, thank you. I don't wanna abuse your grace. What does it say, Carl?

Speaker 3I don't wanna abuse your grace, God.

Speaker 1God, need it every day. It's the only thing that really ever makes me wanna change. God is good and he is kind and he's patient and he's loving. The kindness of God is what leads us to repentance. So as I'm preaching on repentance, I'm thinking there's a very kind God that says, start with the house of the Lord.

Start here and call out the things that we're most likely to be most off on. So that we can have a loving presence when we're calling people up out of that ditch. So here we go. This is a timeline, we'll call it a timeline of eternity. It goes in both directions.

God chose from the beginning how it was gonna be. Calvinists will say, yes, finally, he's gotten to this. God did choose from the beginning how this is gonna be and he established the cross. He knew the necessity of Christ's work, his life, his death, his burial, his resurrection, his ascension, and his session if you wanna go that far. That good news that God loved and that while we were yet sinners, he gave Christ to die on this cross.

Lived a perfect life, had a perfect record, and gave it voluntarily on the cross. The news of that atonement that was made is the gospel witness and that goes forth from that very moment. Belief individually for us, belief is the place where we know that we are saved. It says it clearly in the Bible. Now, God chose from the beginning, you can argue that point if you want to.

But at belief, you still have to believe it. It is you are responsible for accepting the gospel witness, taking it in, and belief. And from that point, there is the sanctification process, and it goes up and down. Do you see the ups and downs? It looks like I don't know which mountains, but some mountains.

It's an upward trajectory and this, it's the work of sanctification, which is the work of God. He is directing us in the way that we should go. And if we are willingly obedient, we tend to rise in our sanctification. And if we're reluctantly obedient, we're still rising but it's no sense, maybe. And then we have moments where we're disobedient.

It's not completely exactly tied to that. The most willing obedient people will have times where it's just you feel down, but that doesn't mean your sanctification is going down. We are tried in tribulation, we gain. So sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit. And then, ultimately, saved.

Great mighty day of the Lord or the day of your death, glorification we'll call it. So that is kind of the timeline for each individual human, but it's the timeline of how God's plan works. And that sanctification process has a lot to do with how ready and willing we are to repent. And so are we, you know, James says, to know to do right and not to do it, that's sin. So I haven't been talking so much about the whole list of vices over on the other side, but to know to love the way that this lays it out and not do it, that's sin.

So it's the grace of God. All of this is the grace of God. This process is what we're attempting. It's what we're in the midst of. We're not attempting.

It's happening whether we realize it or not. So willing obedience, reluctant obedience, or outright disobedience. We will kind of come up this will come up over the summer several times. I want to go through something real quick. I already did that.

Here it is. So this is the wooden translation. I put all the verbs back in the way that the verbs read in the passage for you language nerds. Alright? There are only a few of us in here that care.

The love without hypocrisy is Anything in parentheses I'm providing because it's it is implied in the text. Hebrew supplies a lot of verbs. Greek occasionally supply You have to supply verbs. But I'm going to be honest about it and say, the is is just added. The love without hypocrisy is people abhorring evil and clinging to good.

Being devoted to one another with brotherly love, it love. It is people esteeming one another in honor. It is not lagging in diligence. It's being fervent in spirit. It's serving the Lord.

As it regards hope, rejoicing. As it regards tribulation, I left the word out. What are we supposed to do in tribulation? Persevere? Continue?

As it regards prayer, continuing in regards to the needs of the saints, participating, practicing hospitality. That's the way it reads, the word order. In regards to the needs of the saints, participating, practicing hospitality. Y'all, that's mine. It's in the verb though.

It's it's a it's a second person plural. So it is a y'all, no doubt about it. Y'all, be blessed in those who are persecuting you. If they lob grenades and you lob grenades, that's just a case of one upmanship. That's what war looks like.

If they lob grenades, duck and cover, but you don't have to lob them back. You all be blessing those who are persecuting, blessing and not cursing, it reiterates. To rejoice with the ones who are rejoicing, to weep with the ones who are weeping is being of the same mind. Oh, that's nice. I like how that goes together.

Being of the same mind towards one another is the rejoicing with those who are rejoicing and weeping with those who are weeping. Being of the same mind towards one another, not being haughty minded, but willingly going along with the lowly ones, not being wise in yourself, not repaying evil for evil. But you all, prepare ahead of time. This is good. It's all in this one verb.

Be preparing ahead of time to be providing good things before all of the people. Consider it and try to figure out how best you may show a blessing to those who are persecuting you. Consider it ahead of time and decide how it is that we are gonna respond to the onslaught. If it's possible, so far as it depends on y'all, it doesn't always depend on y'all. But if possible, so far it depends on y'all, living in peace with all men, never avenging yourselves, beloved.

But give place for God's wrath. I supply that because it says Lord down below. Give place for if I just said give place for wrath, I'd get a couple of amens, honestly. I put it in there so that you all know that's God's wrath, not ours. Okay?

Beloved, to give place for God's wrath for it has been written, vengeance is mine says the Lord and I will repay. On the contrary, if you're this is individual. Okay? This a lot of this has been collective, but you have to you have to practice it on an individual level. If Dennis is hungry, I should feed him.

If coach Flowers, the coach, is thirsty, I should get him some water. If they act like they act, and I'm a believer, and I act just like they act, there's no way they're ever gonna come to a saving knowledge on my from my witness at least. I have to take the responsibility that God took while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us. Before they make the move towards me, I need to be making the move towards them.

On the contrary, if your enemy should hunger, you feed him. If he should thirst, you give him a drink. For in so doing this, you'll keep coals of fire upon his head. Not being overcome yourselves by evil and that's really easy to do. This is religiosity and legalism is just as sinful and wrong.

Not being overcome yourselves by evil, but you all be overcoming with the good, the evil. Be overcoming the evil with the good. The the word order is like this actually and it's really emphatic. There is a danger of you being overcome by evil but it's not the same exact danger that they over there. God is pulling from both sides back towards the center of the gospel.

Good old gospel message. Hey, you've already won. That's the next song we're going to sing. Would you all stand? I have a bunch of these copies up here.

Some of them have all the imperatives in English listed in yellow and some of them are just blank. And for some reason, they print it on card stock, most of them. If you want one of them, you can take it. They're up here behind the amp. I'll I'll get them out and put them right here on the podium.

But as we consider the next few weeks that I'm gonna be preaching, it'll be we're looking at these vice list and it's a it's a dangerous place for us to sit in our ivory tower and judge that list if we haven't judged this one. How effective are we being in willing obedience to this list? God help us. Amen.

Speaker 2Matter what comes my way, I will overcome. I don't know what you're doing. I know what you've done. Your spirit is my help. You'll fix my eyes on Jesus Christ.

I'll see that it is well. I'm fighting about it. You've already won. And on outer but comes my way, I will to come. I don't know what you're doing, but I know what you've done.

I'm fighting about you've already won. We know how the story is. Them. You've already won. And no matter what comes my way, I will overcome.

I don't know what you're doing, but I know what you've done. I'm fighting them down.

Speaker 1Amen. Y'all let let love be without hypocrisies. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love and in honor giving preference to one another.

God, would you help us do just that? Amen. Amen. How are you?

Speaker 2So much. So much. Hey. How are you?

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Forgiveness Grudges Hypocrisy Loving Enemies Obedience Repentance

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