2026 09 06 - What DOSEN'T Love Have to Do With It? - Popp

Grace, peace and mercy from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Romans 13. As we continue on our books through the book of Romans with Paul in today's 10 verses certainly go a long ways. Thought about trying to cover all of it and we do have to go for Bible class.

So I'm going to really focus on those last three verses, but I want to touch on those first ones and give you opportunity to look into those more on your own as I think they also contribute to where we end up in verses 8 to 10. He is risen indeed. Alleluia. We continue with Paul's encouragement of the people of Rome and how they should teach, preach, rule, suffer, give, serve, love, live, act, friend, foe and all men. As children of God and current day Christians, how does he desire for us to live and act?

Well, again we're going to study these first 10 verses a little bit. As Paul continued this new study, this new book almost Starting in chapter 12 we talked about, I talked about two weeks ago, Pastor Rick explained last week. This is different. And right away it gets into a little bit of an interesting part. Every person be subject to the governing authorities.

I asked the question, are you scared of God or are you scared of the government?

And what does this look like right as we're talking about are we scared? Is it a level of fear? I did a section on the First Commandment many years ago up in North Carolina for the kids. I remember spending most of the time on the fear of the Lord. We know the First Commandment says we should fear, love and trust in God above all things.

I think we do a great job loving God. I just heard you singing. Certainly there's an amount of trust. You wouldn't be here, but I think fear of the Lord's an interesting idea. This idea of being subject to the governing authorities.

We all grew up in that same mentality where we pushed back against rules, we pushed back against authority. We want to be our own person and yet we craved to know where that line was drawn. I see it all the time. Students who have very nice parents that don't understand how important it is for a child to know where the limits are.

We leave our house in the comfort of knowing we can drive where we want and go to the store and do those things because of rules and laws. But do you desire to be free of this fear?

It's the same thing as usual. When we need it, we're glad it's there. When it goes against us or hinders us from something, we don't like it Talking both governmental authority and God, I think.

So my question for you to start then do what is right. I often question for people that get so concerned about how much our government watches, you know, the cameras and the intersections just had a big deal about that. Or they're tracking all this, they're tracking this. It's a real simple rule. Don't do anything wrong.

Don't run the red light, don't go over the speed. Well, don't go more than seven or eight over the speed limit. Right. You're going to be in pretty good shape. Why do we fear?

Because we're probably doing something we shouldn't be doing.

It's a rule I've used for years with the kids. I think you've heard me say it. If you have to look around before you say something, don't say it. You obviously shouldn't. If you have to look around before you do something, don't do it.

That comes back to conscience. We'll get to that. First, talk about government authority. Oftentimes you think about something as simple as the police, right? Are they God's servant?

God certainly provides people to look out for us. From the very beginning, what we see again from the Israelites, they wanted a king, they got tired of a king, they wanted judges, they got tired of the judges. They desired the authority, but they did not like the oversight. I don't think we're any different. Many, many, many years later.

We often pray almost every Sunday for the protection of those who protect us.

How are we subjecting? How are we offering? Where is our freedom versus how do we submit to authority? I think the law is inscribed in our hearts. You know, again that verse five, I'm going to reread that.

Therefore one must be in subjection not only to avoid God's wrath, but also for the sake of conscience. You know, I often hear the word conscious or conscious, you're conscious. Could we substitute Holy Spirit as people of God who've come to the waters of baptism and ask the Holy Spirit upon our hearts? I think the Holy Spirit does more kidney punching to me than my conscience. We can muffle our conscience.

We can't get rid of the Holy Spirit.

It's again that same idea. We know when we're wrong. Kids always talk about, well, you know, how are kids born that way? Again it's the 2 year old who asked for a cookie before supper. Mom says no.

And he's looking around the corner and he's pushing the chair. He knows what he's doing is wrong. But the Desire for the cookie is more important than the consequences. How do we learn? And again, please don't talk about taxes, right?

I guarantee as soon as you heard verses six, seven, you're like, oh, please don't talk about taxes. Especially when my tax guy's sitting in the room, right? It's like, don't talk about taxes. Tracy's like, you don't know anything about him. You're bad at him.

Just don't talk about him. And he's right, and I'm not really going to talk about him. But I want you to understand this isn't just about money. It's not about paying to Caesar what is Caesar's, and God what is God's. This is still talking about authority, honor and respect.

And we see that certainly in verse seven, right? It's this idea of fear God, honor the emperor, honor the king, as it says in First Timothy 2.

We could do a whole study, a whole Bible class weeks on law and gospel, right and left kingdom and how that works, being Christians in this world. Right now, I'm on the conference planning committee for the 2027pastures conference. A bunch of the pastors want to talk about Christian nationalism, which is a fine topic.

But how many people don't know Jesus and we're struggling to get them the word of God? That was just my question to them. I love, love my nation. I love my God, but I'd like to focus. How do we show Jesus there.

There is a lot of great stuff. First Timothy 2, 1 4. I put in there for you guys to look at this week. Talk about that. Here's where I want to spend our time.

Fulfilling the law through love.

We have heard our whole lives. We cannot do enough for God. We can't earn it. We can't do enough. It's not about us, right?

How do we fulfill the law? Through love. No, no, no, no, no. It's my grace. It's through.

Faith is a gift from God. It's not about us.

So what does this mean? Right, well, it starts off verses 8, 10, you know, owe nothing to anyone. Except this comes right after verses 6 and 7. So this is not an O like verse 6 and 7, right? It's not the same one.

He's talking about what you owe, what you owe. We're talking about physical things. This is a different type. He uses the same term coming off of verses six and seven. But the word O here sounds like obligation.

What we're talking about is paying debts, right? We're not talking about the same Kind of thing one through seven. It's about paying debts and paying off these things.

Now we're talking about what God desires of us. Owe no one anything except love each other. For the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Tracy, is there any way I can pay my taxes with love? I got a lot more love than I do money.

Now, we know it's not the same kind of O. Right? The O here. When we talk about love, when we dive into this idea. And what do they hit us with right away as he gets into love?

The letter of the law. Now, I don't know about you guys. If you were that difficult child like I was. There's a reason again, when I share even the questions, am I sorry? Do I really believe in will I change?

I push back against. My pastor said I could never take communion. What do you mean? I said, will I change? No, I'm a sinner.

Michael, with the help of God, are you trying to change? All right, I'll say yes to that one. Right? That difficult child who pushed back. I'm not married.

I can't commit adultery. Right. I've never murdered anyone. These commandments are easy.

Anybody who studied them knows it's a little more. And besides, then we get into, you shall not steal. It's like, ooh, remember getting caught cheating on my homework in sixth grade by the principal? Guilty.

You shall not covet. Ooh, now we're talking about envy. Yeah. Oh, we can start going through those. But when we look at the spirit of the law, lustful thoughts, hatred and anger.

Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty. And of course, then they throw in all the rest. Honoring authority, putting God first again. It's one of my corniest lines, But I love it because it's my way of showing honor to my wife. Is my wife is the number one reason I break the first commandment.

She's like, no, it isn't.

But I put her first.

We break those commandments. We struggle. How can they throw that in our face right after they ask us to love others, to show us our sin? Well, whoever loves others fulfills the law. That's what it says right away in verse 10.

Love does not, does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore, love is a fulfillment of the law. And I'm like, wait, Jesus fulfilled the law. Jesus went to the cross. Jesus died.

He rose again, defeated the devil. This is what we preach. That was a fulfillment of the law. How can it be about love? Now we go back to what Jesus said.

What are the two greatest commandments? Love, the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul and mind, love your neighbor as yourself. All of a sudden, this idea makes sense. God desires for his people to follow the law as a response to his love. He did all those things not because of how we have lived or what we have done, but because he first loved us.

Right? If you have ever had a baby, do you determine how much care you're getting that baby based on how much they love you back? They'd be in a little bit of trouble, right? I sometimes do that to my cats. I admit it.

You haven't come up. Let me pet you for a while. I'm not combing you. No, I don't do that. I love them.

We love unconditionally, right? That starts the way that we have with a baby. We do. We do. We do.

We do. Not because of what they've done for us. Guess what? That's what Jesus has done for us. It's what God sent His son to do for us.

It's not about what we can do back, because those are filthy rags. Following the law is loving others, loving the unlovable.

This is doing not a done kind of thing. This work will never be done. You know, they always say, as long as one has breath, praise the Lord. Well, guess what? As long as one has breath in life, love others.

Continuing to love. Now you might ask why. Why? Why it's so hard? Why?

Well, fulfilling the law through love.

Yes, it's God's love. Just in case you forgot, let me remind you why. He bled for you, he died for you, he defeated the devil for you, and he rose for you. There's your summary. Monday, Thursday through Easter, right?

But it started his entire life of living that perfect life, his entire ministry, pointing to that day, his life since. Pointing people back to that moment that he showed the greatest love for us and why it is he asked us to love others. We live in a society where everybody wants to know why they tell us what to do, why we love to ask it. Well, ask me why we should love others. I'm going to tell you.

Because he loves you. Because he created you to do that.

Don't ever question God's motives. It's unconditional love. And in our sinful brain, we struggle with that. We might say we want to love unconditionally. And yet our entire lives and our sinful minds are full of conditions.

But not God.

God's unconditional love says, I'm going to love you so much, I'm going to do this for you. And I hope it means you're going to spend eternity with me. How many people don't understand what he did for us? So important. That's how we share love.

God gives us his law, not as a way to earn his love, but to show us what loving our neighbor actually looks like. And we love our friends, neighbors, and even strangers. Not so that God will love us, but because he already does. Jesus paid the ultimate price for you. That is love.

And now forgiven and set free in Christ. We get to take that love into the world we love because he first loved us. Love does fulfill the law, and God's love is where it all begins. Amen.