# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_2016_S77
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

CONVENTION
SERMON • 3

It’s All about Love
L E V. 1 9 : 1 5 – 1 8

by t he R ev. Nab il S. Nou r , L CMS Fif th Vic e -Pres id en t
66th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod • July 10, 2016 • Midday Prayer

Faithful followers of the Savior: Christ is risen! He is
risen indeed! Alleluia!
The text is a portion of the Old Testament reading:
“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against
the sons of your own people, but you shall love your
neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:18).
Precious children of the heavenly Father, you who are
loved more than the human mind can comprehend,
God’s love is real, and it’s undeserved, unearned, unmerited. It comes from outside of us. It comes from
the One who loved us enough to go to the cross, to die
for us, and to rise again on the third day.
Today, as the Holy Spirit has brought us to this place
under the theme “Upon This Rock,” we give thanks to
the Holy Spirit for gathering us here to be comforted
and to hear once more the great message of salvation
from the lips of Moses, who tells us that God is love. It
is for this reason I have titled my message “It’s All about
Love.” It is God’s love that motivates us to be the men
and women who we ought to be. It is God’s love that
calls us out of darkness into His marvelous light. It is
God’s love from the front to the finish of all of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, that speaks about
Him who is love and who loved us in spite of ourselves
so that He might make us beloved people of God.

Does that mean it’s easy? No, because you and I know
that some people say things and do things that get us
angry, and then what we want to do is to give them a
knuckle sandwich fast, furious, and forever. That’s the
old nature in us, but we aren’t called to be vengeful or
resentful. We are to reflect the love of God.
If you read Deuteronomy 7, the Lord God spoke with
Moses to tell the Israelites, “I did not choose you
because you were the greatest. Oh no! It’s because I
have loved you. I have saved you by water, by Word,
by Baptism, by Sacrament.” By Jesus, we know the
true love of God that motivates us to love even when
we are not loved. It is God’s love that moves us to
forgive when it’s hard for us to forgive. It is God’s love
that motivates us to be kind when somebody is not
that kind. It is indeed a challenge to live in this world
today because the world hates us. But we are to be, as

Chosen people of God, loved beyond what the human
mind can comprehend, the command in Leviticus is
this: “love your neighbor as yourself.” This is not only a
command but a privilege and a blessing. To love others
in the name of Christ is the greatest honor we have,
and as His beloved people, we have no room in our
hearts for grudges, vengeance, or hate for our brother.
“It’s All about Love”

U P O N T H I S R O C K • Sermon

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