Worthy of Love
The sermon emphasizes the importance of living a life of love, being blameless in love, and keeping God's commandments in harmony with love to receive forgiveness and be made perfect in love.
Clement of Rome preaches about the greatness and perfection of love, emphasizing that only those whom God has enabled can truly abide in it. He urges the congregation to pray for God's mercy to live blamelessly in love, devoid of favoritism. Those perfected in love by God will be revealed in Christ's kingdom, as written in Scripture. The blessedness of having sins forgiven and being chosen by God through Jesus Christ is attainable through keeping God's commandments in love.
Text
Ye see, beloved, how great and wonderful a thing is love, and that there is no declaring its perfection. Who is fit to be found in it, except such as God has vouchsafed to render so? Let us pray, therefore, and implore of His mercy, that we may live blameless in love, free from all human partialities for one above another.
All the generations from Adam even to this day have passed away; but those who, through the grace of God, have been made perfect in love, now possess a place among the godly, and shall be made manifest at the revelation of the kingdom of Christ. For it is written, "Enter into thy secret chambers for a little time, until my wrath and fury pass away; and I will remember a propitious day, and will raise you up out of your graves." Blessed are we, beloved, if we keep the commandments of God in the harmony of love; that so through love our sins may be forgiven us.
For it is written, "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not impute to him, and in whose mouth there is no guile." This blessedness comes upon those who have been chosen by God through Jesus Christ our Lord; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Sermon Outline
- The Greatness of Love
- The Importance of Living Blameless
- The Reward of Perfect Love
- The Blessing of Keeping God's Commandments
- In harmony with love
- Sins forgiven through love
Key Quotes
“Who is fit to be found in it, except such as God has vouchsafed to render so?” — Clement of Rome
“Blessed are we, beloved, if we keep the commandments of God in the harmony of love;” — Clement of Rome
“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.” — Clement of Rome
Application Points
- We should pray for God's mercy to live a blameless life in love.
- We should strive to keep God's commandments in harmony with love to receive forgiveness.
- Through perfect love, we can possess a place among the godly and be made manifest at the revelation of the kingdom of Christ.