Sincere Love
Title: “Sincere Love”
Sermon by Nate Wells
Who are you becoming?”
Romans 12:9-21
Love in Action
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
#1 // Genuine love is something you do, not merely something you feel.
What does a transformed person actually look like?
If someone watched the way I treated people this week, what evidence would they see that Jesus is transforming me?
#2 // The clearest test of Christian love is how we respond when people hurt us.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Don’t let someone else’s evil determine the kind of person you become.
Deeep end question: Who currently has enough influence over me that their behavior determines mine?
Romans 12:18 – If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Ephesians 4:15 – Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
Action Step
Am I learning to love people because of who Christ is forming me to become, or does the way I love still depend primarily on how people treat me?
LINK to further study; https://www.soulshepherding.org/jesus-set-boundaries/
Who gets my sincere love naturally—and who has to earn it?
Can I genuinely love someone while strongly disagreeing with them? What would that actually look like?
Why does Paul immediately follow “love must be sincere” with “hate what is evil; cling to what is good”? Could genuine love sometimes require confronting something rather than simply being agreeable?
How much of what I call love is actually reciprocity?I’m good to you because you’re good to me.
Can I sincerely love someone without needing them to like me back?
Do I secretly keep score in relationships? Who initiated last? Who apologized? Who gave more?
When someone is hurting, can I simply “mourn with those who mourn,” or do I immediately try to fix them, explain their pain, or give advice?
What does sincere love require when someone has hurt me but never apologized?
Is there anyone I’m outwardly kind toward but inwardly resent? What would sincerity require of me there?
What am I protecting that keeps me from loving more freely—my pride, comfort, image, boundaries, control, fear of being hurt?
How did Jesus love people sincerely without becoming a people-pleaser?
If the Holy Spirit genuinely transformed the way I love, who in my life would notice first?