We are going to be in Romans 12. Children can be dismissed for children's church. So Selena and little John back there, you all ready? Alright. And turn if you would to Romans 12.

We're gonna read the first nine verses together of Romans chapter 12. So Alright. Romans chapter 12, we'll begin reading, in verse one together this morning. Romans twelve one. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as much as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office, so we being many are not one body in are are one body in Christ and everyone members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith, or ministry, us wait on our ministry. Or he that teacheth on teaching, or he that exhorteth on exhortation, he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity.

He that ruleth with diligence, he that showeth mercy with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Dear heavenly Father, thank you Lord for this day.

Lord, guide in our service and work in our hearts. We pray that you would take the sword of the spirit and use it to draw us closer to you, to challenge us in your service, to convict us of our sin, to make us more like Jesus Christ, our savior. For it's in Jesus' precious name we do pray. Amen. So this is part number three of end this together.

We Paul mentions here in verse four that we have a body and the body has many members that have different functions. So is the church, it is the body of Christ and we are different members and we have different purposes and ministries and functions in the body of Christ. The body of Christ functions best when everybody does their part. Just like an orchestra I put on the screen a couple weeks ago, the orchestra sounds best when every every instrument does their part. And the better they do it, the better it sounds and they make beautiful music together.

And we make beautiful music for Jesus Christ as a church when we are all working together, all doing our part, all part, all using the gifts and talents God has given to us in his service. A quick review I feel is in order since I was out of town last week. Remember that in the first 11 chapters of Romans, Paul spends a great deal of time on the doctrine of salvation, which is of course as much needed today as it was then. There's much confusion on the matter of salvation, sadly, today. And so, as then, God see saw fit to guide Paul in spending 11 chapters on that particular doctrine.

Because if it wasn't for the salvation that we have in Christ, all would be lost. It is only thanks to Jesus Christ our savior and the invitation we have to be saved through faith in him that we get to chapter 12 and what follows. We're not gonna spend time on the topic so much of salvation this week as we are in chapter 12. And what is chapter 12 about? Well, chapter 12 is about what to do next after the matter of salvation is settled and sure.

What what do we do next? We're saved. We're children of God. We're on our way to heaven. But is that the end?

No, it's not. It is just the what? It is just the beginning. A new beginning in Jesus Christ. There is much for us to learn concerning concerning what God expects of his church, the congregation of the redeemed in Christ, and this local church, Missouri Avenue Baptist.

Salvation is not the end or an end in itself, it is the beginning of a new and vibrant and full life of service to our savior. And so Paul, he finishes with his thesis on salvation, begins in chapter 12 to talk about what we do next. And what we do next is important. Most of you that are sitting here this morning are saved. You know the doctrine of salvation well.

You know you're on your way to heaven. You know what Jesus has done for you. So why are you here? Well, you're here about what God wants us to do now that we are saved. And that's what Paul is writing about.

The key to a successful church is not charismatic leadership or complex exciting programs. The key is the piety of the individual members, their genuine love for God, for his word, each other, their relationship and fellowship with him. In Romans 12, Paul addresses these. Number one, each member dedicating their mind and body to the transforming power of the spirit and the performance of God's perfect will. That's verses one and two we looked at a few weeks back.

Number two, each member exercising their own spiritual gifts in service to the Lord and to one another without pride or selfishness. That's what he addresses in the next several verses through verse eight. That is the imagery of the body with the members and the orchestra with the different players playing their instruments and making beautiful music for the Lord. And then three is where we are today. Each member extolling and exemplifying the Christian virtues Paul addresses in the following verses of Romans 12.

Virtues that are expressed towards the Lord and towards each other. And the first and foremost of these virtues, these divine virtues which reflect the virtues of Christ Jesus our Lord is what? Is love. Verse nine. Let what?

Love be without the simulation. The first one of these virtues Paul addresses when he gets through with the spiritual gifts, the first one is love. So first of all, I want us to see its preeminence. The preeminence of love in the Christian life in fulfilling God's will as a church and as individual believers in Christ. Galatians five twenty two and twenty three read this way, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law.

As in this list of fruits of the spirit in Galatians five and the list of verses that follow beginning in verse nine of Romans 12, the first virtue mentioned is what? Is love. For from it flow all the others. Love is preeminent. It is the greatest of all Christian virtues.

We're told by the Lord, by Paul here in first Corinthians thirteen thirteen, and now abideth faith, hope, charity. Charity is another word for what? For love. Faith, hope, and love. These three, but the greatest of these is is love.

Now, does it mean the other two are not important? No. Can you be saved without faith? No. You can't be saved without faith.

Is faith important? Very much so. The just shall live by faith. But one day, I'm gonna stand in God's presence and I will no longer need faith to see the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen because I'll see him face to face. But love will continue what?

Forever. One day, hope will be reality. I will no longer look forward to the fulfillment of God's promises because they will all be what? They will all be fulfilled. So the greatest of these, Paul tells us, is love.

It is one we will exercise for all eternity. Is that which testifies most to the presence of God in our lives. First John four seven and eight says this, beloved, let us love one another for love is of God and everyone that love loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is what? For God is love.

For God is love. It is that which testifies most to the presence of God in our lives. It's the love that his spirit has shed abroad in our what? In our hearts that testifies that we are the children of God. Furthermore, in John thirteen thirty five, it is this love that sets us apart in the eyes of others as God's children.

John thirteen thirty five, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another. What is the most distinguishing aspect of our Christian virtue that sets us apart from the rest of the world? It is our love for one another. Now, sometimes the world talks about the word love. And we sometimes because they say, well, it's just all about love.

It's just all about the love. It's about love that we kind of back off from the word love a little bit because love is portrayed as something that it is not in what? In in scripture. It's important that we define the word love. Because God's love according to scripture is the greatest of all virtues.

It's which testifies most to the presence of God in our life and it is the love that sets us apart before the world as God's children. But the word used in these verses for love is the word agape in the Greek. It is one of several words in Greek that is sometimes translated love. It is used often in scripture, particularly for the love of who? For the love of God.

But it is used sparingly in other Greek literature. A lot in scripture, very little in other Greek literature. Why? Well, because it is a selfless and devoted love. In our modern culture, as in the Greek culture of Paul's day, love was often used in a sensual or selfish context.

To the world, love doesn't always mean the same thing that it means in here. Love is used in our culture and to a degree in Paul's culture. Meant maybe I am fond of you, or I am attracted to you, or I have a natural affection for you, or I need you in my life. I love you. Or I want to have some kind of sensual relationship with you.

That is how love is often used in the world in which we live. It's how it's often used in our culture. And if you'll notice what is in common every time I use one of these things? I am fond of you. I am attracted to you.

I have natural affection to you. I need you in my life. What word did I use over and over again? I. Because it's all about me.

But love is not all about me. Not not this word. This word love is not about me. This word is about who? It's about you.

It's about you. It's about meeting your needs. It's about taking care of you. It's about lifting you up. It's about pleasing you.

It's not about pleasing me. It's not about making me happy. It's about making you happy. That is agape love. A word indicating unswerving devotion and allegiance to another and their happiness regardless of the cost to who?

To me. And that's why it is often used in scripture and it is rarely used in other Greek literature. This love is used and embodied in scripture by our God who sent his son, Jesus, to meet our need at his own what? At his own expense. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

But God commendeth or demonstrated his love toward us and that while we're yet sinners, Christ did what? He died for us. This is the embodiment of the word agape. It is Jesus Christ coming to earth. It is God giving his own son to suffer and to die for us that we might have eternal life, that we might have forgiveness.

It was us that did the wrong and it was who that paid the price. It was Jesus. It wasn't us. It was him. What love, what devotion God had for his his lost creation, his sinful rebellious creation that he gave himself to bring us back, to redeem us, and to forgive us.

This is the love of God which should be evident in the lives of his children, both toward God and others. The two greatest commandments on which all the law is anchored and grounded are what? Love the Lord your God with all your heart. Love your neighbor as your self. Who said those were the two greatest commandments?

Jesus did. And they are the foundation of the rest of the law. Because if you love the Lord your God with all your heart, you're not gonna bow before other what? Idols. If you love the Lord your God with all your heart, you're not gonna take his name in vain.

If you love your neighbor as yourself, you're not gonna steal what belongs to them. You're not gonna lie to them or cheat them or certainly not kill them. If you love your parents, you're going to what? Honor them. The foundation of all those commandments is love.

If we truly love the Lord and we love others, then those commandments are, as John puts it in first John, not grievous. In other words, they're not burdensome to us because if you're living out of a heart of love, they come natural. You don't want to steal. You want to be faithful. You wanna be respectful.

And you want to certainly be respectful and faithful to God. By this shall all men know that you are my what? Disciples, that you are followers of Christ, not by your haircut. Now, this is a Christian haircut. Do you want this haircut?

No. Probably don't want this haircut. You probably prefer your haircut. It doesn't say by this shalom and know you are my disciples by your haircut. Doesn't say by this shalom and know you are disciples by your attire.

There isn't a Christian suit. Okay? There aren't clothes that say this is Christian clothes that you wear around. There are certain boundaries that apply to modesty that we should consider. But I meet businessmen all the time that dress like this and they're not what?

Many of them are not Christians. Wearing a suit and tie does not make you a what? Christian and it does not set you apart. By this shall men know you are my disciples by the amount of time you spend in church. Is that what it says?

No. Is it a good thing to spend time in church? Yes, it is. Does God actually command that we spend time in church? Yes, he does.

But is that what sets us apart most? The answer is no. There's a lot of people that spend a lot of time in church that don't know God. Not by our abstinence from worldly things alone. Are there things God says, do not be conformed to what?

This world. There are things as Christians, worldly things that we should avoid. But that's not the thing that God puts here that most distinguishes us. Not by our almsgiving or our good works. Though we should give and we should do good works.

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your what? Good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. But that's not the thing Christ says here. Not by our denomination, not by our confession, but by our love. Even a confession can be false.

But real love, agape love is hard to fake. It's hard to fake. And it and it reaches out to all those other areas of our life. It is the foundation. It is the thing which most distinguishes us as the children of God.

It's what keeps us faithful. It's what is shown in the smile on our face when we talk to others, by our compassion for others and our devotion to God. So the first one mentioned here in verse nine, the first of the virtues is love, and that's consistent several places in scripture. But not only love as in its preeminence, but also its genuineness. Its genuineness.

It says here, let love be without dissimulation. Without dissimulation means without hypocrisy. If we are to be of any use to our Lord and one another, our love must be real and not hypocritical. It's not enough just to, what, say, I love you. Because anybody can say, I love you.

How do you prove it? You prove it by what you do, not by just what you say. Thus, Romans five eight, but God commendeth. That word commendeth means demonstrated. God demonstrates his love toward us.

How do you know God loves you? Because he says so. Not just, but also because of what he did to demonstrate that love. But God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The hypocrite pretends to be something he is not or does things which are false or for selfish reasons.

If we are to be the church of that God wants us to be, the light in our community for Christ, then our love must be real. Unlike the religious crowd of Jesus's day that sadly said one thing but did another. Who walked by, in the parable of the good Samaritan, on the other side of the street while the man that was mugged and beaten lay dying in the gutter. Why did God why did Jesus give that parable to demonstrate to the Pharisee, the lawyer to whom he was talking? That love means what?

It means demonstrating it. If you love your neighbor, then you'll have compassion on them. If love is a put on, others will see it. Like a jacket that doesn't fit right. I was gonna go get a jacket from back in the closet and I forgot.

This one sort of fits right, especially now that I lost a little bit of weight. But if you put on a jacket that just doesn't fit right, well, you got a jacket on but air it's awkward. Everybody notices. It just doesn't something doesn't look right. And when love is a put on and you're doing stuff to try to express love but it's not in your what?

It's not in your heart. It's not genuine. Eventually, others are gonna what? They're gonna pick up on it. There's something awkward because your love is not it's not real.

If it is merely empty words, they're gonna know it. Why? Because they're gonna hear I love you. It's like seeing the cloud coming and here comes the black clouds and we think that when the black clouds get here, there's gonna be what? There's gonna be rain.

And then they just go over and no rain. And there's a lot of people like that. They're quick to say, I love you. They're quick to to put on like they love you, but then the cloud passes over and there's no there's no rain in it and they're gonna catch on. If it's all for show, it's gonna be repulsive rather than what?

Rather than attractive. First Corinthians chapter 13. Paul writes, though I speak with the tongues of men of angels and have not charity or love, I am become as a sounding brass or a tinkling symbol. What does he mean by a sounding brass or a tinkling symbol? Okay?

It means something that just keeps going on and on and after a while it just begins to become what? Irritating. Okay? Imagine somebody hitting a cymbal up here and just hitting the cymbal and hitting the cymbal and hitting the cymbal And there's no other music going on, it's just ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, hitting the cymbal. Is that is that gonna be attractive or repulsive?

It's gonna be repulsive. And so Paul says, he he talks about spiritual gifts in chapter 12. He says, if you're trying to practice these without love, you're gonna repulse people and not draw them. And the one you're going to repulse the most is who? Is God.

Because God cares most about who you are in here. Now, should it affect who I am out here? Yes, it should. But if it's a put on, certainly, God knows it. And you know something, you'll find out that other people do too.

And if it's all for show, it's not gonna last and it's not gonna work. And you're not going to be the light that you ought to be. It is notable that in Romans 12 and and in in Paul's discussion of spiritual gifts in first Corinthians, the first thing that follows gifts is the importance of love. Why? Because without love, all those gifts are kinda useless.

All those gifts are kinda useless without love because that is how they are wielded. They are wielded in love. That's how they make a difference. That is how they attract others to who? To Jesus Christ.

The first and most important virtue key is love. If your love for self far exceeds your love for God and others, then there is a problem and there's work to be done. Find out why. What's the problem, child of God? Ask God for help, deliverance from your self centeredness.

And and be honest, sometimes we love who most? Us. We are a self centered people by nature, but you have a new nature. Let that nature grow and let that nature shine through. If it isn't, then ask God to help you find the problem.

Examine your relationship with him. Confess your sin. The penultimate virtue of the child of God is divine love. Find it. Demonstrate it.

Let it be real. Let it be real. And then finally this morning, its preeminence, its genuineness, and its effect on our morality. Look if you would in verse nine again. Let your love be without dissemination.

Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good. Abhor that which is evil and cleave to that which is good. This is the effect that love should have on us. If our love is genuine, if it is not put on, if it's not hypocrisy, if it's real, it's going to affect several things. The first is this, it's going to affect our morality.

We're going to hate, abhor, avoid that which is evil and we're going to cling to that which is good. And who determines evil and good? God does. One of the ways this love for God is manifested in our lives is by a hatred for all kinds of evil. It is truly impossible to be loving God at the same time loving evil.

When we choose to do evil, we're not thinking about who? We're not thinking about what God thinks, we're thinking about what our sinful lustful desires. If we're thinking about loving and serving God most, then we're going to if we walk in the spirit, Paul says, we will not fulfill the what? The lust of the flesh. But we're not walking in the spirit, we get in trouble.

A genuine devotion to God will result in a hatred for things which anger and displease him, things which he despises. If you love God, are you gonna want to do things that upset and anger him? Are you gonna want to do things that displease him? The answer is no. Not if you love him.

Like the first 10 command first of the 10 commandments indicates when it says, you shall have no other gods before me. That is you shall not have any allegiance or devotion to any other so called God or deity. A true love for God demands an abandonment of all other all other gods. There's only one. One.

He's my God. Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord and thou shalt, what? Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. A true love for God demands an abandonment of all other gods. Allegiance to one God, such as idols made by man's hands, the second commandment.

Or the God of sinful pleasures and amusements. The world is gonna live for those things. It should it be what we live for. You know, a little entertainment and amusement is okay, but is it what you'd live for? I spent the last week on a cruise.

I spent the last week surrounded by a lot of people who lived for, lives for entertainment and amusement. In order to get from one part of the ship to the other part of the ship, guess what they put right in the middle? A casino. Yeah. And you really have to go out of your way to try to get around the casino.

What's going on in there? People living for entertainment and amusement. Or the God of riches and material possessions. Now that goes with the casino too. Sadly, if you live for riches and material possessions, guess what you lose?

Riches and material possessions. But more importantly, eternal possessions. Or the gods of power and fame, or the gods of alcohol and drugs, or the God of vengeance, or the God of pride and self will. If there's any of these, the God of The United States in our culture today, it's the God of self will. All must be sacrificed on the altar of self will.

There are no boundaries which can be erected, no restrictions which can be put in place because it is my right to do what I want. The essence of self love, the opposite of what? The opposite of God's love. The opposite of agape love. The love of Satan, not the love of God.

Satan says, I will ascend up. I will be like the most high. If you love God, then show it and disdain and avoid and repent of that which he hates. Evil thoughts and motives. Why did God bring the flood upon the earth?

Because the every thought of their heart, every imagination of their mind was only what? Evil continually. Starts with your thoughts. Evil thoughts and motives, evil attitudes and actions, selfish attitudes and actions, complaining, griping, gossiping, always negative, evil words and deeds. These things we should what?

Abhor. What does that mean? Well, we spent a couple months, a couple months ago talking about putting off and putting on. What are these things? The things that belong to the old man and they need to be what?

Cast off. If you love God, then show it by loving and being wedded to that which he loves and that we call good. In Philippians four eight, it says to think on these things. What are they? Things that are true, just, fair, honest, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy.

These are the things that we need to think on. Why? Because these are the things that we need to what? To cling to. The word translated cling comes from a Greek word meaning glued to.

These are the things that should stick to us and we do them. Cast off the works of darkness, abhor that which is evil. If you love God, you're gonna hate that which he hates. If you love God, you're gonna love the things that he want, that he loves. Things that are true, just, honest, pure, lovely, of good report.

You're gonna glue them to you, wedded to them. Again, being wedded to the love of a love for God and for the things he loves presupposes an unwillingness to play footsie with the lust of the world and the ways of the devil. First John two fifteen through 17, we'll close this morning with this. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away in the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth, what? Forever. Choose the love of God. Make it preeminent in your life.

Make it real. Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good. Get your priorities right. Large degree, the church in America does not have their priorities right. We love ourselves too much and our God too little.

So we struggle to be the light that we ought to be and we see the results in the world around us. If we are to change the world to be the salt and the light in the darkness, we must first get our house in order. That begins with you and that begins with me. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day, for your word, the reminder of who you are and of your love for us.

Love that you placed in our hearts who know you as your children. A love that should be fed and nourished in our lives as we read your word and draw closer to you. A love that should be evident and real. And Lord, I pray we would open up our heart to your word and to your message and to your spirit that we would allow the love of God to flourish and the love of self, the pride of life to diminish that we might shine more brightly for Jesus Christ in this world today. And we might demonstrate to you that we love you because you first loved us.

Lord, may you be seen in us, we pray. And Lord, if there's one here today that is yet to receive Christ as the Lord and savior of their life, I pray Lord, they might respond to your love today and your invitation to them as we sing this hymn today. In Jesus' name, we do pray. Amen.