May 3, 2008
Text: Romans 12:9-16
Proposition: How can our love be without hypocrisy?
I. Be devoted to one anther in brotherly love. (What is brotherly love?)
A. A forgiving love
1. Brothers may not always live in harmony with one another, but they most always will forgive each other.
a. Jacob and Esau
b. Genesis 33:1-12
c. Twenty years before Jacob had cheated Esau out of his blessing from his father and Esau was going to kill Jacob. Now Esau is coming to meet Jacob with 400 men. I don’t think Esau’s intentions were good. Jacob didn’t believe he was coming in peace. He prayed to God for help. The next day Jacob sent a present to Esau ahead of him. He sent
1) 200 female goats 20 male goats
2) 200 ewes, 20 rams
3) 30 milking camels and their colts
4) 40 cows and 10 bulls
5) 20 female donkeys and ten male donkeys
d. Jacob spent the night before he met his brother wrestling with an angel of God. Jacob met his brother and bowed to the ground seven times before his brother. Esau had a change of heart. He ran to meet his brother and hugged him and kissed him and wept and was glad to see him.
B. It is devoted love
1. Devoted – to give wholly to dedicate. As an adjective – bound by strong affection; loyal zealous.
2. Brothers will do things for each other they wouldn’t do for anyone else.
3. We are to be devoted to one another. Be willing to help even if it may cause an inconvenience for you.
C. It is a true love, unfeigned, not fake, and not hypocritical.
1. II Corinthians 6:6 genuine love.
2. I John 4:9-10, Love can be known only from the actions it prompts. God’s love is seen in the gift of His Son. This love was shown to us not because we are worthy of this love. He chose to love us. This love was a deliberate choice, Romans 5:8. He loved us even while we were his enemies.
3. Love – (Vines) “Christian love whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered.
4. Romans 13:8-10, love does good to a neighbor never harm.
5. True love will have actions. Not just bringing flowers to your wife or girlfriend or taking them on a date. It may be helping someone you don’t really want to take the time to help.
6. Jesus wasn’t eager and excited to be crucified. He was crucified because he loved us. His love was true ours should be also.
7. Joseph’s love for his brothers was true. His brothers hated him. They wanted to put an end to his dreams. They sold him as a slave to some Ishmaelites even though he pleaded with them not to. Several years later after he had become 2nd only to Pharaoh they came to Egypt to buy grain during the famine. Joseph could have made his brothers slaves or killed them if he wanted to instead he fed them and their families. Joseph had a true love.
II. Shares its possessions, Romans 12:13 (How do we share our possessions?)
A. Contribute to the needs of the saints
1. Contribute more than just money. Money is just part of it.
2. Romans 15:25-27, the churches of Macedonia and Achaia were helping the poor people who were in Jerusalem.
3. Contribute to those who live close to you and to those who are far away from you.
a. Help those around you. Take them a meal when they are sick or just home from surgery
b. Go see them if they are in the hospital.
c. Encourage them when they are discouraged.
d. Pray for one another.
e. Acts 9:38-43, Dorcas contributed to the needs of the saints.
4. I Timothy 5:9-10, God wants us to contribute to others. Widows needed to be good workers to be supported by the church.
B. Be hospitable – gladly and generously receiving guests and attending to their needs and comfort. Vines says, a love of strangers.
1. Hebrews 13:1-3
a. Who entertained angels:
b. Abraham and Lot
c. Genesis 18:1-8, Abraham didn’t leave his wife with all the work.
d. How old was Abraham? 100 years old.
e. Even as an old man he had a love for strangers
2. An old man took care of strangers.
a. Judges 19:15-22, this old man was happy to take care of this man and his concubine.
b. Being hospitable takes self-denial. It is not always easy to have guests at your house.
C. Spend time with the saints
1. Saints need each other
2. Have a desire to be with one another.
3. Invite one another over for dinner or just an evening to play games or visit.
III. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, Romans 12:15.
A. Rejoice with those who rejoice.
1. Young girls do this well. One of them starts giggling and they all giggle.
2. We rejoice when a new baby comes into the world. People want to see the new baby and they pass the baby around. And they rejoice.
3. We rejoice when a sinner is born again.
a. There is joy in heaven when a sinner repents
b. Luke 15:7, 10
B. Joy and sorrow can happen at the same time.
1. When the huskers play and win. Huskers fans rejoice, but the team that lost is sorrowful.
2. When the plagues came on Egypt it brought sorrow, but it brought the joy of freedom to Israel.
3. There may be times when we want to rejoice, but the same thing that causes us to rejoice may mean sorrow for another.
4. Don’t rejoice at the destruction of your enemy
a. Job 31:29
b. Proverbs 24:17-18
c. II Samuel 1:11-27, Saul had thrown his spear at David twice. He had chased him all over the wilderness like a fugitive. David had done nothing but good to Saul.
d. David didn’t rejoice over his death. He didn’t say, “Now that this guy is out of my way I can be king.”
C. Weep with those who weep.
1. Emotions are contagious. When people laugh even if we don’t know what they are laughing at we want to laugh. When people are crying we want to cry sometimes. My wife sometimes cries we go a graduation or someplace where there are people crying and I ask her why are you crying. She says, “Because everyone else is crying.”
2. John 11:31-36, Jesus was weeping with Mary. He knew he was going to resurrect Lazarus, but the sorrow of Mary and the others caused him to weep
Conclusion
Proposition: How can our love be without hypocrisy?
I. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love
A. A forgiving love
B. A devoted love
C. True love, unfeigned
II. Shares its possessions
A. Contributes to the needs of the saints
B. Love is hospitable
C. Spend time with the saints
III. Share emotions and sympathies
A. Rejoice with those who rejoice
B. Joy and sorrow can happen at the same time
C. Weep with those who weep. | 
