I Am My Brothers Keeper

Introduction

In the Western world, particularly here in America, we often celebrate the ideal of rugged individualism. It’s the belief that with enough grit, hard work, and determination, any person can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and make something of themselves. And let’s be honest—there’s something admirable about that. It instills in us a strong work ethic, personal responsibility, and the drive to overcome adversity. It’s helped shape innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders.

But rugged individualism, when taken too far, has its destructive side. It convinces us that we are entirely self-made. It blinds us to the truth that no one truly walks alone. It whispers that needing help is weakness, and that success is purely the result of your solitary effort. But the truth is, none of us arrives where we are without the help of others. Behind every successful individual is a web of support—mentors, family members, friends, teachers, churches, and communities (slide web), people who stood in the gap when we couldn’t stand alone.

Let me give you a real-world example: Howard Schultz (Slide Howard and Starbucks)  the former CEO of Starbucks. Schultz grew up in a housing project in Brooklyn. His father was a truck driver but never had health benefits or stability. Schultz has spoken publicly about how, when he was seven years old, his father was injured and lost his job, leaving the family in a difficult e situation. He’s said it was the compassion of neighbors and extended family that helped them get through it.

When Schultz eventually became the CEO at Starbucks, he made employee benefits—including health insurance for part-time workers—a priority. Why? Because he remembered what it was like when his family didn’t have anyone to advocate for them. He succeeded, yes, but he never forgot that his journey was made possible in part by the kindness, sacrifice, and investment of others.

This reminds us that we were never meant to journey alone. From the beginning, God designed us for community, not isolation. Even in the earliest chapters of Scripture, Cain asks God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”—and while God doesn't answer directly in that moment, the rest of Scripture gives us a resounding “Yes.”

We are our brother’s keeper. To follow Christ is to carry one another’s burdens, to lift each other up, to protect, encourage, and stand guard over the vulnerable.

We are not just responsible for our own walk with God, but for helping others walk faithfully too. It means we take care of each other—not out of duty, but as a reflection of Christ’s sacrificial love for us. Our Central Message for today is.

Central Message

We are called to be keepers of the covenant, actively looking after and uplifting those in our community as an expression of Christ's love and sacrifice for us.

Transition Statement

As we study this text we will se why we are our brothers keeper. You will be encouraged to see someone, serve someone, stand in the gap for someone So if we’re called to be our brother’s keeper, then the question becomes: What does that actually look like in practice? What does God’s Word have to say about how we treat those around us?

To answer that, we turn todays text. In this passage, God lays out instructions for how Israel is to live in relationship with one another—particularly in how they treat their fellow Israelites who have fallen on hard times. What we find here is not just ancient law, but a divine pattern: a call to restore, to redeem, and to uphold the dignity of our brothers and sisters. In other words, a call to be our brother’s keeper.

Let’s take a closer look by looking at Leviticus 25:39-41

Body

Leviticus 25:39–41 NIV

39 “ ‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves. 40 They are to be treated as hired workers or temporary residents among you; they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 Then they and their children are to be released, and they will go back to their own clans and to the property of their ancestors.

Explain Jubilee

Explain Sabbath Year

Caring for each other is important to |God

Deuteronomy 24:18–20 NIV

18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this. 19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.

Illustration

Imagine a man who owns a successful family-style restaurant. It’s been in his family for generations, but what most customers don’t know is how it all began.

Years ago, his grandfather immigrated to the U.S. with almost nothing. He didn’t speak the language and couldn’t afford housing, but someone took a chance on him. A restaurant owner gave him a job washing dishes and even let him sleep in a storage room in the back. Over time, he learned the business, saved what he could, and eventually bought that same restaurant. He passed it down to his son, who passed it to his son.

Now, the grandson—the current owner—has a dishwasher working in the kitchen. He notices that the young man reminds him of his grandfather: barely scraping by, sleeping in his car, sending money home. One night, the owner stays late and sees the young man eating leftovers in the dark. He remembers the stories he was told. He sees not just a worker, but a reflection of his own story—of how someone once had mercy on his family.

So he does something radical. He helps him to get a small apartment, a secondhand car, and begins training him in restaurant management. Not because he’s legally required to, not because he’s trying to be a hero, but because he remembers what it’s like to be on the receiving end of grace. And because someone once showed compassion to his grandfather, he now feels a sacred responsibility to do the same.

Lets go to the New Testament

Luke 10:25–28 NIV

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

Illustration

The Good Samaritan

It was a freezing winter morning on a busy city street during rush hour. A young woman’s car stalled in the middle lane. Hazard lights blinking, she tried waving people down, but no one stopped. Drivers honked. Some swerved around her with angry gestures. A few even shouted, “Call a tow truck!” as they passed by. She felt helpless, alone, and embarrassed.

Then a man driving a rusty old pickup truck pulled up behind her. He jumped out—no gloves, no fancy coat—and asked if she was okay. She told him she didn’t know what to do. He calmly got under the hood, diagnosed the issue, and even helped push her car into a nearby parking lot out of harm’s way. He offered her his phone so she could call a friend, gave her a blanket from his truck, and waited with her until help came.

She thanked him and said, “Why did you stop? No one else did.”

He shrugged and simply said, “It was the right thing to do.”

We do not have a right to say we love God, if we are not willing to be our brothers keeper.

1 John 4:20–21 NIV

20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Transition Statement

So, after all we’ve seen—through the law in Leviticus, the compassion in Deuteronomy, the command of Jesus in Luke, and the convicting truth of 1 John—the message couldn’t be clearer: we are not meant to live for ourselves alone. We are called, commanded, and compelled to be our brother’s keeper.

But that raises the real question we have to answer today—not just “Do I believe this?”—but “What will I do about it?”

If love for God is proven by love for people… If our faith is seen in how we treat the overlooked, the hurting, and the struggling… Then what does that look like in our everyday lives?

Let’s take a few moments now to move from understanding to application—to ask honestly: How do I live this out? Where is God calling me to step up, reach out, and truly be my brother’s keeper?

Application

This kind of love isn’t just a feeling; it’s a practice. It’s not limited to a moment of compassion on a good day—it’s a lifestyle rooted in remembering what God has done for us and reflecting that grace in our relationships with others.

So let’s talk about where we go from here:

1. Personally: Ask God to Change Your Perspective

Start by asking yourself: Who have I overlooked? Who in my life is hurting, struggling, or in need, but I’ve been too busy—or too focused on myself—to notice?

Have I bought into individualism so deeply that I don’t see those around me anymore?

Have I forgotten those who help me to get to were I am?

Pray that God would give you eyes to see and a heart to act.

Action Step: Choose one person this week—a neighbor, coworker, church member, or family member—and check in. Ask how they’re doing. Offer to pray with them. Help meet a need if you can.

2. As a Church: Be Known for How We Care

What would it look like if our church was known in the community, not just for our preaching or programs—but for how we take care of each other?

Leviticus reminds us that God’s people are to build systems of restoration, not exploitation. Deuteronomy reminds us to leave margin for others. That’s what covenant community looks like.

Action Step: Join or start a ministry of care. Volunteer with the food pantry, help with benevolence efforts, or simply commit to writing one card or making one phone call a week to someone who might feel forgotten.

3. In the Community: Let Compassion Interrupt You

Like the man who stopped to help the woman on the side of the road—you may not be able to fix everything, but you can do something.

Luke 10:28 says, “Do this, and you will live.” Eternal life isn’t earned by works, but it is expressed through love in action. When you stop to help someone, you are living out the love of God.

Action Step: Make space for interruptions. Keep a “blessing bag” in your car. Carry extra gloves or blankets in the winter. Buy a meal for someone in need. Let love inconvenience you.

Closing Challenge

We cannot say we love God if we refuse to love His people. We cannot claim to follow Jesus and ignore the ones He died for. We are our brother’s keeper—not because it’s easy, but because it’s who God has called us to be.

So this week—see someone, serve someone, stand in the gap for someone.x2 Be a keeper of the covenant. Not just in word, but in action. Because that’s how the world sees Christ in us.

Transition Statement

So as we have been challenged to see, to serve, and to stand in the gap, now let’s take a moment to gather everything we’ve heard and let it settle deep in our hearts. Let’s return to the truth of God’s Word and remind ourselves one last time why this calling matters and what it means.

Conclusion

We began this morning by confronting a mindset that is deeply rooted in our culture—rugged individualism. While it can build strong character and perseverance, it also tempts us to believe that we stand alone, that we rise by our own strength, and that we owe nothing to anyone else. But Scripture calls us to a different way. A better way.

We looked at Leviticus 25, where God tells His people not to treat the poor and desperate as slaves, but to restore their dignity and release them in the Year of Jubilee. We heard the voice of Deuteronomy 24, reminding us to care for the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan—because we too were once slaves who needed redemption. We saw in Luke 10 that Jesus affirmed the greatest commandments: to love God and to love our neighbor. And we were confronted in 1 John 4 with the truth that we cannot claim to love a God we cannot see if we are unwilling to love the people right in front of us.

These scriptures aren't random verses pulled together. They form a consistent and convicting pattern: God calls His people to take care of each other. That’s what it means to be keepers of the covenant.

So let’s not walk away today just having heard a message. Let’s walk away living it. Let’s remember our central message:

We are called to be keepers of the covenant, actively looking after and uplifting those in our community as an expression of Christ's love and sacrifice for us.

There was an apartment building in a busy city where neighbors didn’t know each other. Everyone kept to themselves—doors stayed shut, conversations were minimal, and community was nonexistent. One night, a faint burning smell began to drift through the halls. A young woman on the third floor noticed it and heard a smoke alarm going off in a unit down the hall. She paused… but reasoned that it was probably just someone burning dinner. Besides, it wasn’t her apartment. It wasn’t her problem.

A few minutes later, another neighbor noticed the same thing. But he was in a rush to finish a project and figured someone else would handle it. Again, no one knocked. No one checked. No one called.

Within the hour, the fire had spread. The entire floor was engulfed, and multiple families lost everything. Thankfully, no one died—but the tragedy shook the building. People began asking, “How did this happen? Why didn’t someone say something? Why didn’t someone act?”

It wasn’t that they didn’t care at all. It was that everyone assumed someone else would do something… and in the end, no one did.

we live in a world full of spiritual smoke alarms—quiet cries for help, signs of burnout, glimpses of grief, people breaking down quietly behind closed doors.

And the truth is, it’s easier to walk past than to knock. It’s easier to say, “That’s not my responsibility.” But Scripture doesn’t give us that option. God doesn’t give us that option.

We are our brother’s keeper—see others, serve others, stand in the gap for others

So the question is not, “Do you hear the alarm?” The question is, “Will you answer it?”

We are our brothers keeper .