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November 11, 2007AM

Romans 12:9-14

Loving Under the Influence

 

I wish Paul would make up his mind.

 He says in verse 9, “Hate what is evil”.

  That’s not hard to do.

   It is easy to hate, especially that which is opposed to us.

    Jesus is opposed to Satan.

     Satanists, therefore, consider Jesus to be evil.

      Ergo it is natural for them to hate Jesus because He is evil.

       Satan is opposed to Jesus.

        Christians, therefore, consider Satan to be evil.

         Ergo it is natural for them to hate Satan because he is evil.

          It is no problem to hate whatever we are not.

           Wars are based on that attitude.

           Stamp out, subdue, or annihilate the enemy, those who are different.

             The only reason we have Remembrance Day is because of wars fought.

             We excel at hating what we perceive to be evil.

But then in verse 14 Paul says, “Bless those who persecute you”.

 Is it not the evil people in the world who persecute us?

  Did Paul not just tell us we are to hate what is evil?

   Now Paul is telling us to bless those who are evil.

    So how do we balance these seemingly opposing commandments?

     How can we do what Paul says in vs. 21 “Overcome evil with good”?

      We need to look below the surface.

       We need to see these words from God’s perspective.

 

I   God’s perspective always, always, begins with love.

     No wonder verse 9 begins, “Let love be genuine”.

      Everything we do should be motivated by love.

       The love Paul is expressing here is the love of God.

        God tells us that He is love.

         “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8).

There are worldly versions of love where we love out of convenience.

 We can love easily when we know we are going to get something in return.

  But the agape love which describes God’s love is pure.

   It is a love expressed and demonstrated without conditions.

    It is a total, complete love.

     It is no respecter of persons.

      God loves those who love Him.

       God equally loves those who hate Him.

        The response He receives does not alter His love.

         That is the love, the agape that is to dominate our lives.

          If it is a pure love then why would Paul tell us to love genuinely?

           Is agape not already genuine?

           Is it not already pure?

            Is it not already holy and godly?

            So why would Paul say let your pure, genuine love be genuine?

Bear with me now.

 You are going to have to listen closely if you want to answer that question.

 

II  Let’s consider first the word used in The King James Version.

     “Let love be without dissimulation.”

      Look closely at the word “dissimulation”.

       If you remove the first three letters with what are you left?

        We then see the word “simulate”.

         If something is a simulation what is it?

          It is an imitation.

           It is an artificial environment.

            It is counterfeit.

             It is absent of reality

             It isn’t the real thing.

              It isn’t the genuine article.

               Pilots are trained on flight simulators.

                They pretend to be flying while sitting in a sophisticated box.

                 They could crash that simulator 100’s of times.

                  And every time they are able to walk away without a scratch.

                   It isn’t real.

                    Paul is saying love without dissimulation.

                     Have you ever pretended to love someone?

                      Have you ever gone through the motions and called it love?

                       Paul says, “Do not conceal the genuine article.

                        “Don’t just go through the motions.

                         “Let your genuine love be genuine.”

 

III Are you still listening because there is more?

     The Greek word for without dissimulation or genuine is ‘anupokritos’

      Its opposite would be ‘hupokrisis’ from which we get the word hypocrisy.

       He is saying let your love be without hypocrisy.

        Let it be sincere.

         To be a hypocrite means to be acting a part.

          It means you are pretending to be something you are not.

           Don’t pretend to be a Christian!

           A Christian does not play act.

             Let your love be the real thing.

             Display God’s love in real situations.

               Real situations like when you are surrounded by evil.

                Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

                 Treat people in ways they do not deserve.

                  Don’t force them to earn your love.

                   And even when you hate evil you do it from love.

                    You hate evil because you have a heart of compassion.

                    You abhor or hate the effects of evil on a person’s life.

                     You hate seeing what it does to them.

                      You hate how it destroys the life that God created.

                      Do you love like that?

There is only one way we can love genuinely.

 We must love under the influence.

  When we live under the influence something else is directing life.

   We have seen people trying to drive under the influence.

    Alcohol in their blood stream is dominating their actions and reactions.

     Under the influence of alcohol people do things they would not do otherwise.

      If they were sober they would handle things differently.

       They would act differently, talk differently, and live differently.

        Paul is saying when we love genuinely we are loving under the influence.

         It means we are living under the total dominance of God.

          He is calling the shots.

           He is directing our decisions.

           We do not respond in ways that are natural.

            We handle things differently than the world around us.

             We love under the influence.

“God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn. 4:16).

              We can love as God loves only when we are under the influence of the

              Spirit.

God expects those who follow Jesus to love differently than the world around them.

 When we abhor evil we want nothing to do with the things that destroy others.

  We utterly separate ourselves from the affects of evil.

   We no longer become part of what is hateful or evil or diseased.

    We refuse to be vicious or malicious or injurious.

     And we hold tightly to the things that produce good.

      There is no point in recoiling from evil if we do not equally spring toward

      good.

       Paul says it is not either or.

        Paul says for the disciple of Jesus it is both and.

         There is a cure for petty jealousies and miserable strife with others.

          It lies in a heart that is under the influence of the Spirit of God.

           A heart that is flooded with Christ’s love.

           Paul makes it clear what sort of person we are to be in Christ.

            We cannot be that person in our own strength.

             We can be that person only under the influence of God.

              Have you yielded your life to His love and mercy and forgiveness?

               That is how you let love be genuine.

                That is how you hate what is evil and hold what is good.

                 That is how we would no longer need Remembrance Day.

                  But since we do, let us yield to Jesus’ words.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:39, “But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil.  But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

 Jesus says, “You have heard that is was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others?  (Matthew 5:43-47)

  Are you LOVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE?