Awakening to Love: Living Righteously in Faith

Summary

### Summary

Good morning, everyone. Today, we continue our series in Romans, focusing on chapters 13 and 14. The central theme is a wake-up call from God, urging us to live in love and righteousness. We all have different experiences of waking up, whether it's through an alarm, a gentle nudge, or a startling noise. Similarly, God is calling us to wake up spiritually, to be alert and active in our faith.

Romans 13:8-14 emphasizes the importance of love as the fulfillment of the law. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves, which means obeying God's commandments. Love is not just a feeling but an action that aligns with God's laws. When we follow God's commandments, we are loving others well. This love extends to all people, including those in authority and our fellow believers.

In Romans 13, Paul also addresses our relationship with governing authorities. Despite the persecution Christians faced, Paul urges us to respect and submit to authorities because they are instituted by God. This doesn't mean blind obedience; we must obey God above all. However, we should strive to be good citizens, showing respect and honor to those in authority.

Romans 14 delves into our interactions within the church. We are reminded to love the person more than being right. Whether we are strong or weak in faith, we should not judge each other over disputable matters like food or special days. Instead, we should act according to our conscience and avoid causing others to stumble. The kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking but about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

In summary, God is calling us to wake up and live out our faith through love, respect, and righteousness. We are to be a light in the world, reflecting God's love and truth in all our interactions.

### Key Takeaways

1. Love as the Fulfillment of the Law: Love is not merely an emotion but an action that aligns with God's commandments. When we love our neighbors as ourselves, we fulfill the law. This love is defined by God's guidelines, not our own interpretations. Obeying God's commandments is the true expression of love. [36:05]

2. Respect for Authority: Despite the challenges and imperfections of governing authorities, we are called to respect and submit to them as they are instituted by God. This respect is not blind obedience but a conscious decision to honor the structure of authority while prioritizing God's commands. [50:19]

3. Loving the Person More Than Being Right: Within the church, we must prioritize loving each other over winning arguments or proving a point. Whether we are strong or weak in faith, our focus should be on building each other up and avoiding actions that cause others to stumble. [01:00:38]

4. Acting According to Conscience: Each believer must act according to their conscience, especially in disputable matters. This requires thoughtful prayer and consideration of how our actions affect others. We should be firmly convinced in our minds about what is right or wrong before engaging in specific practices. [01:04:59]

5. God's Sovereignty and Our Role: God is sovereign over all things, including governments and authorities. Our role is to be a blessing in our communities, showing respect and honor while living out our faith. We are called to be good citizens, reflecting God's love and righteousness in all our interactions. [53:10]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[30:41] - Personal Wake-Up Stories
[34:08] - God's Wake-Up Call
[35:23] - Love as the Fulfillment of the Law
[36:05] - Wake Up and Love Well
[38:09] - Loving Our Neighbor
[40:25] - God's Guidelines for Love
[43:19] - Casting Off Darkness
[47:47] - Living in the Light
[49:01] - Respect for Authority
[50:19] - God is Sovereign, Be a Blessing
[53:10] - Historical Context of Authority
[55:06] - Submitting with Conscience
[57:12] - Respect and Honor
[59:59] - Loving Within the Church
[01:00:38] - Love the Person More Than Being Right
[01:04:59] - Acting According to Conscience
[01:08:16] - Closing Prayer

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. Romans 13:8-14
2. Romans 14:1-5
3. Jeremiah 29:4-7

#### Observation Questions
1. According to Romans 13:8-14, what are the specific commandments Paul mentions that are summed up in the command to love your neighbor as yourself?
2. In Romans 14:1-5, what are the disputable matters that Paul addresses within the church?
3. How does Jeremiah 29:4-7 relate to the idea of being a blessing in a community, even when the situation is not ideal? [53:10]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. What does it mean to "cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light" as described in Romans 13:12-14? How does this relate to loving others well? [36:42]
2. How does Paul’s instruction to respect and submit to governing authorities in Romans 13:1-7 challenge or affirm your current views on authority? [50:19]
3. In Romans 14:1-5, Paul talks about not judging others over disputable matters. How can this principle be applied in modern church settings where there are differing opinions on various issues? [01:00:38]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your daily interactions. How can you actively show love to your neighbors in a way that aligns with God's commandments? Think of one specific action you can take this week. [36:05]
2. Consider a time when you disagreed with someone in authority. How did you handle it? How can you show respect and honor to those in authority while still prioritizing God's commands? [50:19]
3. Within your church community, have you ever prioritized being right over loving the person? How can you shift your focus to build each other up instead of causing division? [01:00:38]
4. Think about a disputable matter that has caused tension in your church or small group. How can you act according to your conscience while ensuring you do not cause others to stumble? [01:04:59]
5. Reflect on the idea of being a blessing in your community, even in less-than-ideal circumstances. What specific steps can you take to contribute positively to your community this week? [53:10]
6. How can you remind yourself daily of God's sovereignty and your role in reflecting His love and righteousness in all your interactions? [53:48]
7. Identify one person in your life who you find difficult to love. What practical steps can you take to show them love and respect this week, even if you disagree with them? [01:00:38]

Devotional

Day 1: Love in Action
Love is not merely an emotion but an action that aligns with God's commandments. When we love our neighbors as ourselves, we fulfill the law. This love is defined by God's guidelines, not our own interpretations. Obeying God's commandments is the true expression of love. [36:05]

Romans 13:8-10 (ESV): "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."

Reflection: Think of a specific way you can show love to a neighbor today. How can you align this action with one of God's commandments?

Day 2: Respecting Authority
Despite the challenges and imperfections of governing authorities, we are called to respect and submit to them as they are instituted by God. This respect is not blind obedience but a conscious decision to honor the structure of authority while prioritizing God's commands. [50:19]

1 Peter 2:13-15 (ESV): "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people."

Reflection: Reflect on your attitude towards authority figures in your life. How can you show respect and honor to them while still prioritizing God's commands?

Day 3: Prioritizing Love Over Being Right
Within the church, we must prioritize loving each other over winning arguments or proving a point. Whether we are strong or weak in faith, our focus should be on building each other up and avoiding actions that cause others to stumble. [01:00:38]

Romans 14:1-3 (ESV): "As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him."

Reflection: Think of a recent disagreement you had with a fellow believer. How can you prioritize love and unity over being right in this situation?

Day 4: Acting According to Conscience
Each believer must act according to their conscience, especially in disputable matters. This requires thoughtful prayer and consideration of how our actions affect others. We should be firmly convinced in our minds about what is right or wrong before engaging in specific practices. [01:04:59]

Romans 14:22-23 (ESV): "The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin."

Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you have doubts or uncertainties. How can you seek God's guidance to act according to your conscience in this matter?

Day 5: Being a Blessing in Our Communities
God is sovereign over all things, including governments and authorities. Our role is to be a blessing in our communities, showing respect and honor while living out our faith. We are called to be good citizens, reflecting God's love and righteousness in all our interactions. [53:10]

Jeremiah 29:7 (ESV): "But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."

Reflection: Consider one way you can be a blessing in your community this week. How can you reflect God's love and righteousness in this action?

Quotes

1. "God is calling us to wake up. Everybody say, Wake up. We are called to wake up. We are called to walk in his ways. We are called to be different. We are called to be his people. We are called to be holy. We are called to love well. God is calling us to wake up. And in Romans 13 through 14, it kind of frames this entire conversation." [35:23] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Wake up. Love well. Wake up. Love well. Not always easy. But it's the call that we have all been given to. The call that we have all been called to. It's this idea of loving other people as well. And this whole thing, how it characterizes our time here together. Because this idea of loving our neighbor, this is a call for how we're supposed to interact with all people." [38:09] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Love is defined as obeying God's law in one's relationship with one's neighbor. Love is really just following the law. The obedient thing is the loving thing. The loving thing is the obedient thing. If we want to love others well, we will obey God's commandments. We don't have this option of just defining love on ourself. He doesn't give us. He doesn't give us those options. And he loves us too much just to leave that wide open." [39:42] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "When we go ahead and try to love others and just put our own definitions around it, we will mess it up every single time. When we take this book and we look at this and God defines it for us, and then we're like, wow, I think it, you know, I hear what he's saying here, but I'm going to put some, I'm going to, I think we should really love people in this type of way. We start to mess it up." [41:05] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "God is the one who ultimately knows what we and our neighbors ultimately need. He is the definer of life. Follow. We must keep our perspective of who we are and who God is and what his word is to us. He is the one who defines what love actually looks like. And we are to build our lives on things that are eternal, on his truth, on him, on love and righteousness." [41:59] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "God is sovereign, so be a blessing. God is sovereign, so be a blessing. All right, let's get into our text. Verse one, it says, Let every person be subject, everybody say, be subject, to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath, but also for the sake of conscience." [50:19] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "We are called to be good citizens. We are called to follow the laws and the rules that govern life and create order and safety for all people. And in this text, he calls us to three different things. First, he calls us to submit, right? Submit. We are called to submit. We are citizens of heaven. But we are citizens here in the United States. We are called to pay taxes and to do good and to follow these rules that create order for all of society." [54:26] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "Wake up. Love the person more than being right. Wake up. Love the person more than being right. And to do this, we're going to jump into Romans 14, 1 through 5, and then jump around a little bit more. Starting in verse 1, it says, as for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables." [01:00:38] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "God is calling us to wake up. God is calling us to walk in his ways, to be different, to be his people, to be holy, and to live well. Let us wake up and love well. Let us wake up and remember that God is sovereign, so let us be a blessing. Let us wake up and love the person more." [01:07:36] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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Transcript

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