Sermon Resources · Right Here, Right Now

Strength in Love: Resisting Empire Through the Love of God

Drawing from Paul's letter to the Romans, this sermon explores how the early Christian community in Rome was called to embody divine love (agape) as a form of resistance against the power and cruelty of the Roman Empire. Set against a backdrop of political tension, ethnic division, and imperial domination, Paul's practical instructions to the Roman church outline a way of life grounded in genuine love, humility, hospitality, and peacemaking. The sermon connects these ancient imperatives to Wesleyan theology, which places agape at the center of all holy living and emphasizes that there is no personal holiness without social holiness. Through historical and contemporary illustrations, the sermon affirms that overcoming evil with good is not weakness but the truest expression of strength in Christ.

Key Points

• Paul's letter to the Romans was written to a community living under imperial rule, where Christians were perceived as a political threat because they preached equality across ethnic, gender, and social lines.
• Paul's exhortation in Romans 12 calls believers to be transformed by the renewing of their minds rather than conforming to the patterns of the surrounding world.
• Genuine love (agape) is the foundation of all Christian action, expressing itself through humility, hospitality, blessing enemies, mourning with those who mourn, and rejoicing with those who rejoice.
• Vengeance belongs to God alone; believers are called to respond to hostility with kindness, which ultimately overcomes evil.
• Wesleyan theology places agape at the center of all holy tempers, works of mercy, and spiritual disciplines, insisting that personal and social holiness are inseparable.
• The Wesley family modeled this love through resilience, education, and steadfast community presence at Epworth.
• Overcoming evil with good is an active, costly, and courageous form of resistance, not passivity or weakness.

Scripture Reference

• Romans 12:1-21, especially verses 9-21: practical instruction for how love shapes life in community and in relation to enemies.
• Deuteronomy 32:35, quoted in Romans 12:19: vengeance belongs to God rather than to human beings.
• Proverbs 25:21-22, echoed in Romans 12:20: responding to enemies with kindness overcomes hostility.
• Romans 13:10: love does no wrong to a neighbor and is the fulfillment of the law.
• Galatians 5:22-23: the fruits of the Spirit, referenced as expressions of holy tempers in Wesleyan thought.

Stories

The Colosseum: The pastor's visit to the Colosseum in Rome as part of a youth music tour illustrates the scale and symbolism of Roman imperial power.

A Wesley pilgrimage: Summer teaching sessions used a diagram of concentric circles to reinforce the centrality of agape in Wesleyan theology.

The Epworth rectory fire: Six-year-old John Wesley was rescued from a second-story window, leading Susanna Wesley to call him "a brand plucked from the burning." The family later rebuilt a larger, more formal rectory as an act of love and commitment to the community.

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: Free books, given with no questions asked, opened doors for children and demonstrated love and generosity with a ripple effect of changed lives.

The fall of the Berlin Wall: In November 1989, the opening of a gate-prompted by a bureaucratic mistake-led to spontaneous joy, reconciliation, and the dismantling of a symbol of oppression.

Quotes to Remember

This is not about being nice, pliant, or weak. This is about staying close to Christ and not becoming like the Romans.

Remember, in Wesleyan thought, there is no holiness without social holiness.

This love is not always easy. It can come at a cost. But this is the gift of divine love, agape, that leads us to serve God, reject evil, and care for the stranger.

Discussion Questions

Paul wrote to a community living under the constant pressure of Roman imperial power, urging them to love rather than conform to the world around them. In what ways do the pressures of your own cultural or political environment tempt you to abandon the values of agape love?

The sermon distinguishes being nice or pliant from the active, costly love Paul describes in Romans 12. How do you understand the difference, and where have you seen that stronger form of love at work?

Paul instructs believers to leave vengeance to God rather than repaying evil for evil. How do you wrestle with releasing the desire for revenge, and what has helped you trust God with outcomes you cannot control?

Susanna Wesley taught her children the same rigorous coursework regardless of gender and preached in her kitchen when both choices were unconventional. What does her example say about challenging the boundaries of one's time while remaining rooted in love?

The Wesley pilgrimage placed agape at the center of concentric circles of holy living, with works of mercy and piety pointing inward toward love. Which outer disciplines feel most natural to you, and which are most challenging to connect back to love?

The Wesleys responded to a suspicious fire, likely set by a hostile neighbor, by rebuilding a larger, more permanent rectory. What does it look like to respond to hostility with deeper commitment rather than withdrawal?

The sermon describes the fall of the Berlin Wall as a moment when love and openness overcame division and fear. Can you think of a large or small moment when you witnessed something similar in a community or relationship?

Romans 12 calls believers to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. How does practicing this emotional solidarity challenge modern individualism?

The Wesleyan tradition insists there is no holiness without social holiness. How does your congregation reflect or fall short of that integration?

The sermon frames agape love as strength and resistance rather than weakness. How might that reframe a difficult relationship or a situation of injustice in your life right now?

Small Group Guide

Romans 12: Overcoming Evil with Good

Background and Context

This sermon explores Paul's letter to the Romans, written to a Christian community living under the Roman Empire. Paul wrote to address growing tensions between Jewish and Gentile believers while laying out a practical vision of what Christian love looks like in action. Romans 12 offers specific guidance on how believers are to live out agape-the love of God-in community and in the world.

Key Takeaways

Opening Question

Think of a time when you witnessed someone respond to a difficult or hostile situation with unexpected kindness or generosity. What did that moment feel like to observe?

Diving into the Text

Romans 12 contains a rapid series of short, practical instructions. Which one stands out most to you personally, and why?

Paul uses two Greek words for love: agape, the love of God, and philadelphia, brotherly love. What is the significance of using both? How do they differ in what they ask of us?

The sermon describes Roman Christians as looking like a political threat because of how they lived. In what ways might a community practicing Romans 12 look countercultural or threatening to dominant values today?

Paul tells believers to leave room for God's wrath rather than seek personal revenge. How do you wrestle with letting go of the desire for justice or payback when you or someone you love has been wronged?

How does your spiritual life reflect the Wesleyan movement from inner formation outward into service?

Connecting to Life

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, the rebuilding of the Epworth rectory, and the fall of the Berlin Wall show love building, giving freely, and tearing down barriers. Which expression of love is most relevant to your community right now?

Where do you see the distinction between being nice or weak and genuinely living out agape in your relationships or congregation?

Romans 12 calls believers to associate with the lowly and not to claim to be wiser than they are. What does that look like in a culture that rewards status, expertise, and self-promotion?

Closing Reflection

Where is God calling you to practice this kind of love at this specific moment-not someday, but now?

Practical Applications

For personal practice: Read Romans 12 slowly once each day for the next several days. Each time, choose one instruction and look for a specific opportunity to live it out before the day ends.

For personal practice: Reflect on the Wesleyan diagram of concentric circles. Where do you spend most of your spiritual energy-in outward works, in community, or in inner formation? Consider where you may be out of balance.

For the group: Identify one local need your group could address as a concrete act of hospitality or service. Plan a specific date and action rather than leaving it as a general intention.