"Who Is My Neighbor : I am Loved and can Love because of the I AM"

Mark 12:31 KJV 1900

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Luke 10:27–35 KJV 1900

27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

1. One who lives near another. In large towns, a neighbor is one who lives within a few doors. In the country, a neighbor may live at a greater distance; and in new settlements, where the people are thinly scattered over the country, a neighbor may be distant several miles. Such is the use of the word in the United States.

2. One who lives in familiarity with another; a word of civility.

3. An intimate; a confidant.

4. A fellow being. Acts 7:1.

5. One of the human race; any one that needs our help, or to whom we have an opportunity of doing good.

The primary thing God wants from us is to love our neighbor, not to do religious things. Doing religious things is good, but it is not the first thing God wants. God wants us to make loving our neighbor the first order of our lives. To do religious things is only dealing with things such as rituals, observances, ordinances. laws. Such things are lifeless, unfeeling and unresponsive. They are material objects; therefore, they are not helped by our doing them. Only we are helped. They make us feel good and religious, which is beneficial to our growth, but religious things are not what demonstrate our love for God. Loving our neighbor is what proves our love for God. A man may say he loves God, but if he hates and acts unkindly toward his neighbor, everyone knows his religion is profession only.

I. A Commandment: Love Thy neighbor

A. I can love my neighbor because God loves me.

B. I can love because Christ first loved me.

1 John 4:16 KJV 1900

16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

C. I can show my love because Christ showed His love towards us.

1. Death.

2. Burial.

3. Resurrection.

D. I love because Christ’s commands it.

E. I love because it holds a promise of life.

II. A Command Disobeyed.

A. A Priest who did not show love.

1.He passed by.

2. He went to the other side of the road.

Bystander theory, 38 people watched a woman be stabbed, robbed and raped for 30 minutes and did nothing. only one that helped was an old woman neighbor held her into the ambulance arrived 1960’s New York. bad guy stalked her stabbed her.

B. A Levite who was to scared to show love.

1. Looked at him.

2. left him.

C. A Samaritan who showed love.

III. A Command Followed: He helped the wounded man.

A. A neighbor needed help.

B. A neighbor wounds were bound and cared for because he was loved.

C. A neighbor needs were met because he was loved.

1. Without hope.

2. Without love.

3. Without a Savior.