I Am Not Ashamed: Love in Action

early to mid-1970 in the heyday of the “Jesus Movement” . The title of the hymn was They’ll Know We are Christians by Our Love. Each of the four stanzas end with the chorus:

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.

What made Christians distinct in the early Roman empire? The spread of the Christian church in its earliest centuries is one of the most amazing phenomena in all of human history. The church was considered a religio prava, an illegal and depraved religion. Wave after wave of persecution was unleashed to squash it. At least two of the persecutions were empire-wide and intended to destroy the church. So how did this young fledgling movement make it?

What made Christians distinct in the early Roman empire was their love for each other as well as for the stranger.

Remember that the apostle Paul is writing to a mixed congregation of Jewish and Gentile Christians in the City of Rome. As the apostle begins concluding his letter, the question is, “How will the world know that they are the people of God?” One might say that the two sections of the book of Romans answer that question. 1st, the apostle outlines what Christians believe — it is the gospel of grace. Chapters 1 through 11 are a doctrinal defense, and theological outline of the gospel. Sinners are made righteous by God through faith in the redemptive work of Christ. This is the great theme of the book of Romans. “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”” (Romans 1:16–17, NIV84). The world will know that they are the people of God because they have believed upon the only begotten son, Jesus who is the Christ. And, having believed, they have been justified through faith.

2nd,the apostle outlines how Christians behave because they have believed the gospel of grace. Chapters 12 through 16 are a guide to Christian behavior. In the vocabulary of our day, we would say the Body of Christ has a Biblical Worldview, and that biblical worldview is fundamentally different than the way the world thinks. Because the Christians in Rome had a worldview based on the gospel, they behaved differently than their pagan neighbors. This is not only true of the Christians at Rome, it is true of the Christians in Linn ... Or at least it ought to be.

In this passage, we see love in action. How will the world know we are Christians?

I. THEY'LL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE FOR GODLY CHARACTER

“Love must be sincere. ... .” (Romans 12:9a, NIV84)

A. CHRISTIANS WILL ESCHEW HYPOCRISY

1. most modern translations read, “let love be genuine” or let “love be sincere”

a. those translations are fine, however they don’t really convey the message Paul is attempting to communicate

b. both the King James Version, and the new American Standard Bible come to the heart of the issue … Let love be without hypocrisy

2. Christians must be a genuine people, and the thing we must be most genuine about is our love for others

a. our love for each other cannot be fake, or pretend

3. unfortunately, like the pagan culture of Rome, our culture values more of what is on the outside, then on the inside

ILLUS. Think "selfies". A survey taken just two years ago reported that the average millennial will take almost 26,000 selfies in his or her lifetime. Respondents to the survey reported that millennial’s average about nine selfies a week. Even a brief glance at a Facebook page, a Twitter feed or Instagram account confirms that millennials are dedicated to chronicling their lives with iPhone self-portraits. If you don’t take a selfie during your vacation or while celebrating a special day, it is almost as if it never happened. Selfie deaths have become so rife in Russia that the government released a guide detailing how not to die while taking a picture of yourself.

a. now then, I’m not here to criticize millennial’s, and their fixation on selfies

1) but it’s a vivid illustration of our culture’s preoccupation with the externals of life rather than the internals of life

b. my point is, what we frequently see and read of each other on social media is the public persona we want people to see, and perceive

1) it’s frequently “fake life” instead of “real life”

ILLUS. An article in the London Telegraph, reported that nearly one-quarter of teens admit their online profile bears little resemblance to reality, and that their recollection of past events has been distorted by their own fabrications. The same article reported that young adults, between 18 and 24, say they frequently lie about their relationships, promotions at work and the holidays they took.

c. social media is turning us into a generation of fakes, and Christians are not immune

4. in a culture where it is easier than ever to maintain a fake persona, the apostle encourages Christians to be genuine — to live and to love without hypocrisy

a. love — genuine Christian love — centers on the needs and welfare of others and not our need to maintain a particular self image to the world

5. not only will Christians eschew hypocrisy ...

B. CHRISTIANS WILL EXALT RIGHTEOUSNESS

“ ... Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9a, NIV84)

1. the apostle tells these Christians at Rome that they must hate what is evil, and cling — literally to “be glued to” — what is good

a. this does not mean that Christians always act righteously

1) sometimes we do not

2) even the apostle Paul struggled with this at times

ILLUS. Remember his confession back in chapter 7? “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:15, 19, NIV84). As they say, “Been there ... done that!”

2. this is every Christian’s confession — we are not sinless, but we are serious about our conformity to the image of Christ, and our effort to flesh out his righteousness in us

a. toward that end we understand that there are some things that are evil which we must loath, and there are some things that are good that we must embrace

3. the Scriptures clearly help us here

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,” (Galatians 5:19–22, NIV84)

a. in vs. 19-21 the apostle lists both behavioral, and attitudinal sins that are clearly evil and ought to be shunned — indeed hated — by professing believers

b. in vs. 22, on the other hand, the apostle lists attitudes and behaviors that are clearly good, and which ought to be in braced by professing Christians

4. unfortunately, we live in a culture that calls good evil, and evil good

a. those behaviors, and attitudes which were once condemned are now celebrated, and one’s refusal to celebrate those things once considered evil is now condemned

b. we see this most clearly in the LGBT revolution of the last 20 years

ILLUS. Our culture now identifies orthodox Christians as on the wrong side of morality. Those who hold to biblical teachings concerning sexuality, and gender identity have now been deposed from the position of moral high ground. The moral revolution is now so complete that those who will not join in on it are understood to be deficient, intolerant, and even harmful to society. The church’s historic teaching on issues such as homosexuality, and gender — shared by the vast majority of the culture until very recently — is now seen as a relic of the past and a repressive force that must be eradicated. Nothing remains unscathed by the sexual revolution sweeping our culture. Just this last week, the no-longer-kid-friendly-entertainment-icon, Disney announced that it’s new live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast will include the studio’s “first ever gay character, and "an exclusively “gay moment" on film.”

5. in the milieu of a culture that calls good evil, and evil good the Bible teaches that they'll know we are Christians by our love for godly character

a. they’ll despise us for it, but our hatred of what God calls evil, and our love for what God calls good will increasingly be the distinguishing mark of the faithful

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.” (Psalm 1:1, NIV84)

b. when we are committed to righteousness and hate unrighteousness this is when we are most like Jesus

6. not only will Christian eschew hypocrisy, and exalt righteousness ...

C. CHRISTIANS WILL EMBRACE ZEALOUSNESS

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” (Romans 12:11, NIV84)

1. we must be zealous in our service toward God

a. the question for us is, Are we passionate about the Savior, and living the life of Christ?

ILLUS. Think of all the things people are passionate about. A few years ago a survey asked the question, “What are Americans passionate about?” The tope five answers, from last to first were: Politics, Capitalism, Family, Freedom, and — No. 1 — Sports, which should come as no surprise to any American. We are passionate about our sports. Think of the zeal that some people have for their favorite sports teams. In our area it's Cardinal Nation, Blues Hockey, and Chiefs Football. There are people who simply eat, sleep, and live for their favorite sports teams. They exalt in their wins, and despair at their losses. They have reams of team statistics memorized. When their favorite team’s season ends, some fans enter a state of mild depression, only to be energized with the arrival of Spring training.

a. I'm not here to pooh-pooh one’s passion for sports, or hobbies, or activities, but I am here to ask, “Do we, as Christians, have the same kind of zeal for our Savior, and living the life of Christ?”

2. we maintain our zeal for the Savior, and living the life of Christ by maintaining spiritual fervor

a. the word fervor literally means to boil over

b. one of the oldest blights in the body of Christ is a lack of enthusiasm

1) this is why our devotional life, and regular worship are so important to the Christian life

2) without a regular infusing into our souls of prayer, and Bible study, and fellowship, and worship we quickly lose enthusiasm for the things of God

3, not only will Christian eschew hypocrisy, exalt righteousness and embrace zealousness ...

D. CHRISTIANS WILL EXEMPLIFY PERSEVERANCE

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12, NIV84)

1. Christians were known in the ancient world for not giving up under the pressures of life — particularly under persecution

2. the apostle writes in vs. 12, Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer

a. now, we could spend a lot of time on each one of those, but taken together Paul is talking about the life that perseveres

1) when life is hard, we are joyful in the hope of the resurrection

2) when life is hard we are patient in our affliction

3) when life is hard we are faithful in prayer

3. nonbelievers in the second century simply could not comprehend how Christians could remain happy when everything was going wrong

ILLUS. Think for a moment about the Dr. Seuss story "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." The Grinch is a bitter, grouchy, solitary creature with a heart "two sizes too small." He hates the Whos who live in Who-ville, and he hates the Who’s celebration of Christmas most of all, and desperately wants to keep it from coming. The Grinch wants to put an end to the Who's unflappable Christmas joy by stealing all of the Christmas-themed items from there homes. And so he does. He slinks into town and slithers from house to house stealing all the Who’s presents, and trimmings, and even takes the Who-pudding, and Roast Beast, and the last can of Who-hash. Despite his efforts, when Christmas morning arrives, Who-ville's warmhearted inhabitants still celebrate the holiday with joy in their hearts. The Grinch does not understand how the Whos of Who-ville can still be happy after he has taken everything from them.

a. second century pagans simply could not understand how Christians could still have joy even after everything had been taken from them

1) it was because the persevered, being joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer

4. They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love for Godly Character

II. THEY'LL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE FOR GOD’S PEOPLE

III. THEY'LL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE FOR OUR ENEMIES

In a culture that is becoming increasingly hostile to orthodox Christianity, how will the world

be able to tell who the real Christians are?

• They'll know we are Christians by our love for godly character

• They'll know we are Christians by our love for god’s people

• They'll know we are Christians by our love for our enemies

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