Recipe for Love: 12 Ingridients (Part 1)

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Recipe for Love: 12 Ingridients (Part 1)
Romans 12: 9-16 NLT
February 4, 2018

“There are people who are very good in cooking but their recipes are kept secret.”

Romans 12:9-16 (NET)
9 Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good.
10 Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another.
11 Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord.
12 Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer.
13 Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:9-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A. The Big Picture

1. Chapters 1-11 speaks about “the mercies of God”
2. Chapter 12-16 is all about the practical responses to “the mercies of God”
3. Chapter 12: 1-2 is our our response to God by offering ourselves as a “Living Sacrifice to God”
4. Chapter 12: 3-8 is “Serving God with our Spiritual Gifts”
5. Chapter 12: 9-16 is about relating to “One another in love”

Notice the phrase “each other” (verses 10, 16) that is repeated 3 times.

B. Recipe for Love: 12 Ingridients

“Love is the ultimate key to relationships.”

1 LOVE MUST BE SINCERE
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“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.”- (v. 9a)

“There's probably no sin worse than hypocrisy. Judas was the greatest sinner who ever lived because of the profound depth of his hypocrisy. That sin is the ugliest sin of all, because it feigns affection when it is actually filled with hate. No vice is more destructive than hypocrisy. On the other hand, no virtue is more wonderful than love.” (John Mac Arthur)

“But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”” (Luke‬ ‭22:48‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

2 LOVE MUST BE DISCERNING
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“...Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.”- (v. 9b)

Sometimes we say, “Love is blind.” God says, “No, love needs clear vision.” Our love needs discernment or else we will end up loving things we ought not to love—and entering into relationships that are not good for us.

While love is supreme, it is never enough.
Not every relationship is a good relationship.
Not every choice is a good choice.
Not every friendship is good for us.
Not every job is a wise career move.
Not every roommate is a healthy choice.
Not every purchase is a wise use of our money.

There are really two parts to making wise choices:

First, you must know what is right.
This is crucial because we live in a world where many people evidently have lost all sense of right and wrong. Everything appears to them as shades of gray.

Second, you must have the courage to choose what you know to be right.

“True discernment gives you vision to see what is right and then the courage to choose to do it.”

“Glue yourself to what is good.”

"Our only security against sin is to be shocked by it. "
When we stop being shocked by sin, we are no longer secure against its invasion into our consciousness. In the society we live in, it's hard to be shocked by any sin because we've become so accustomed to it.

1. “There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests:
2. haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent,
3. a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong,
4. a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭6:16-19‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

“You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked.” (Psalms‬ ‭97:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

3 LOVE MUST DISPLAY TENDER AFFECTION
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“Love each other with genuine affection...”- (v. 10a)

philadelphia- It comes from two Greek words that have been joined together:philos, which means tender affection, fondness, devotion,” and adelphos, usually translated “brother,” but it literally means “one born of the same womb.” So the word philadelphia literally means “tender affection owed to those born from the same womb.” It’s easy to understand why the early Christians adopted this word to describe Christian love. All Christians have been “born of the same womb” through the new birth. The new birth means to be “born from God’s womb.”

“Everyone who belongs to Jesus belongs to me.”

Conclusion:

In our society, the meaning of love has developed into a subjective emotion. From a biblical perspective, true love is demonstrated in sacrificial service to those in need. Certainly it is not devoid of emotion, but it is basically an act of the will. It is not based on whether you necessarily like the person you are serving out of love. Is that kind of love characteristic of your life?

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