Leviticus 19 - Love Your Neighbor
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Welcome; Rotating Preaching Teaching Team; Good to be Back; Bible in 5 Years - Last week in Leviticus
I am fortunate enough to be tolerated up here every few Sundays...I have a passion for learning and teaching the Word of God and I am feel so privileged to be standing here before you, sharing that passion.
Today’s message has got a lot of takeaway instruction. We will explore practical ways we can follow the “Golden Rule”.
Does anybody remember learning about the Golden Rule growing up? Can anybody recite it?
No answers...
No pressure...but this will be considered alongside your Worship Participation score, AND your Peeking During Prayer score.
************
We keep the Tithing score separated for tax purposes.
JUST KIDDING! Getting back on track here...!
The Golden Rule...
The Golden Rule...
Quick answer
Treat Other People the Way You Want to Be Treated
Treat Other People the Way You Want to Be Treated
This message today is not just to make us smarter, it is to help us learn from God’s Word how to love.
My prayer is that for each one of us, that God would put one or two very practical images from this teaching at the front of our minds this week, and we would take loving actions based on Ancient Biblical truths - 3500 years ago, this was written.
It was a different time, but filled with the same broken humanity we are today. These words are not irrelevant to us, they are connected to us in a very important way: Jesus.
The command to love your neighbor is FIRST found in Leviticus 19. And it is quoted consistently throughout the New Testament.
The command to love your neighbor is FIRST found in Leviticus 19. And it is quoted consistently throughout the New Testament.
I’m going to read you a list of verses, and as I read, remember that for New Testament congregations, the Old Testament was the only Bible that they had.
Leviticus 19 is the portion of scripture that would be going through the minds of the first century church as they were taught and instructed on how to love their neighbors.
14 Let all that you do be done in love.
14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
8 If you keep the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Main Idea:
Main Idea:
Jesus even called back to Leviticus 19:18 when he said that loving your neighbor as yourself was the 2nd greatest commandment in all the law.
18 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.
One place Jesus quotes this is in Matthew chapter 22. Open your Bibles with me to Matthew 22, verse 35.
35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus is very blatantly quoting Leviticus 19 here. His audience would have IMMEDIATELY identified this quote as passage from Leviticus 19.
This is a big deal to God. We should take this seriously.
And so to better understand what Jesus is saying here, we are going to learn from the Scripture that He is quoting. Let the Bible interpret the Bible.
And This begs the question...
How Can I Love My Neighbor?
How Can I Love My Neighbor?
1. I can be generous with my neighbor
1. I can be generous with my neighbor
There are people who depend on you. People that you are responsible to God for. When we think of who we are responsible for, our minds first go to family and good friends.
Yet God’s word teaches that we are also responsible for the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society. Foreigners, the orphan and the widow, the poor, those with disabilities.
An example of this is found in the way that the Israelites were to harvest their crops:
Turn your Bibles way back to the third book, and read with me - Leviticus 19 verses 9 & 10.
9 “ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap [*round] the corners of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard. Leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am the Lord your God.
another way to say this is:
9 “ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, [*do not reap to the very edges of your field, or pick up the crops that were dropped.] 10 [*Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen]. Leave them for the poor and the [*foreigner]. [Why?] I am the Lord your God.
They were to leave the corners of their crops untouched, and if some of the grain was dropped during the harvest, then they were to leave it on the ground.
They WEREN’T to try to MAXIMIZE their return. They WEREN’T intended to achieve 100% efficiency. They were to leave the fallen crops and round their corners - leaving crops at the edges.
Then those who were in need, could come and sustain themselves on what was left.
When we look at the actions of the believers that congregated after Jesus’ death, we see they were very much in tune with this command: Lets jump back to the NT and look at Acts 4:32-35
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
Wow. What a crazy way to live. What a crazy, scary, beautiful, FREEING way to live. What an insane thought?! These people proved that following God’s commands in the EXTREME would result in blessings that had been multiplied by the very Hand of God.
They would have also been familiar with Ruth’s story, found in the book of..........
.....there we go. 10 points for Gryffindor!!
In that story, we find a young widow named Ruth who has very recently witnessed her husband and father-in-law pass away. She finds herself living as a foreigner with her mother-in-law Naomi.
[Remember that word? Foreigner?]
She was in a very DISadvantageous situation. No husband. No blood relatives. Living in a foreign country. No means to provide or be provided for.
How did she survive?
By “gleaning among the ears of grain” of a man named Boaz - to whom she later marries.
How did Ruth and Naomi survive?
They were provided for by God working through Boaz’s obedience.
In this way Boaz loved God and loved his neighbor.
And why are we supposed to do this? Why should believers live this way?
And why are we supposed to do this? Why should believers live this way?
Because I am the LORD, your God.
Because I am the LORD, your God.
Because HE is King. Because He Rules in Heaven and on Earth.
Because I am the LORD, your God. That’s Why.
How Else Can I Love My Neighbor?
How Else Can I Love My Neighbor?
2. I can be honest with my neighbor
2. I can be honest with my neighbor
Let’s continue on to the 11th verse of Leviticus 19:
11 “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.
Those of us who are familiar with God’s Ten Commandments know that this deals specifically with the eighth and ninth commands:
Do not steal.
Do not give false testimony.
And for that reason alone, we should understand that it is unloving to steal and to be deceptive.
Scripture even warns us that deception is a tool of the enemy - and should not be a solution to the Believer’s problems.
44 ...[The devil] ... does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Growing up, my dad had one rule that never changed until the day I turned 18. No matter how old I was, whenever I lied, the consequence was always the same: 3 whippin’s with the belt. If I tried to cover my rear, it became 4.
The same belt that he swung when I was 8, was the same belt that I felt at 17.
If you grew up with strict parents that fully embraced “Spare the rod, spoil the child”...Let me know I’m not alone here.
This was important to him. Because it was important to God.
What kind of relationship can we have if there is no trust?
Speak only truth, and the let the cards fall where they may. Trust that honoring God’s 2nd greatest commandment will result in blessings that outweigh whatever negative consequences you anticipate.
Verse 12:
12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.
What does it mean, to swear falsely by God’s name?
Make a promise or a commitment and use God’s name as your collateral.
ex: “I promise to help you move next Saturday, so help me God.”
Now what happens if you don’t show up on Saturday to help?
Was God unable to help you?
What implications does this place on the Holy God?
A better promise is, “I will help you move next Saturday”.
But there is a more subtle way that we can profane God’s name. If people know that we are Christians, then they will associate our behavior and our attitudes as being Christ like.
If people know that we are Christians, and I pray that they do, because loving God ought to be a part of our personality, then they will associate our behavior and our attitudes as being Christ like.
If you profess Christ with your lips, then live for him.
It should be that if someone asks you, “How does a Christian live?” that you will be able to say to them, “Follow me for a week and you will see how a Christian lives.”
If you are called a Christian, then represent Christ well. It is loving to our neighbors to represent God’s name well.
13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.
Have you ever done a job, and then not been paid for it? Have you ever done your part of a contract, and then had the other side fail to do their part, leaving you on the hook for the consequences?
There is more than one way to oppress and rob your neighbor.
There is more than one way to oppress and rob your neighbor.
The obvious way to oppress and rob is to bully and steal from others. The less obvious way is to withhold that which your neighbor has earned.
If those being addressed by the Levitical law did not pay their hired workers at the end of the day, then those workers would go to bed hungry, and their families would have no food. God forbids this.
Withholding what someone else has earned...is not love. If you have made a deal, then honor that deal.
Honor the financial deals you make with your neighbors. God will honor you.
Husbands, wives... honor the marriage contract that you both signed together before God. You both promised so much more than just loyalty. Stop withholding the parts and pieces of you that BELONG to your spouse. Don’t let your spouses go to bed emotionally and spiritually hungry.
How else does this apply today?
We are to be responsible for those who we hire:
People we employ in our business.
Those we contract, people we hire for services.
People who serve us in restaurants and coffee shops.
You have a responsibility to not only pay them, but to treat with with all kindness and love. The way that you would want to be treated if the roles were reversed.
14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.
And don’t intentionally make someone fall. Don’t lead people astray in word or deed. That’s what it means when it says - “don’t put a stumbling block before the blind”.
Don’t be THAT GUY… Nobody likes THAT GUY.
And if you are THAT GUY today...well Jesus says you don’t have to be anymore. In fact, He is calling you OUT of that.
God is a Father, and He promises retribution to those who prey upon the weak and defenseless. Fear Him in THIS way.
Every father in the room knows exactly what I am talking about.
Mess with my kids, intentionally cause them to stumble...I go from “snuggle bear” to “Grizzly Bear - King of the Savages” in less that 2 seconds.
I’m a pastor so I’m working on this. Currently under construction.
But that is the visual God wants us to see here.
Don’t mess with the weak. Fear me. Why? Because I am the LORD.
Your responsibilities to love your neighbor include the poor, the vulnerable and those who you hire.
Your responsibilities to love your neighbor include the poor, the vulnerable and those who you hire.
How Else Can I Love My Neighbor?
How Else Can I Love My Neighbor?
3. I can act justly with my neighbor
3. I can act justly with my neighbor
15 You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.
16 You shall not go around as a *talebearer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.
We have a firm duty to guard the reputations of our neighbors.
Do you ever hear a news report about a court case and immediately come to the conclusion that justice was not served. I do, I hear about people getting away with terrible things, or maybe receiving a sentence that is far to easy for the gravity of the crime that was committed.
When I see that, there is a part of me that cries out for justice. I am not part of our judicial system, and so I have a very limited influence there. I do know that in time, all people will give an account to God, and that ultimately justice will have the day. But He is the one to judge.
Yet, in every situation where we do make a judgement, we must do so as fairly as possible. Have you considered how slander and gossip can be a form of judging?
The way that we speak about others when they are not present impacts the opinions and judgements that your community make about the reputation of whom you speak. The Bible is very clear on this issue.
18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
and whoever utters slander is a fool.
5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly
I will destroy.
Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart
I will not endure.
28 A dishonest man spreads strife,
and a whisperer [*gossiper] separates close friends.
Here is a poem that reminds us just how dangerous gossip can be:
Remember Me
My name is Gossip. I have no respect for justice. I maim without killing. I break hearts and ruin lives. I am cunning and malicious and gather strength with age.
The more I am quoted the more I am believed. My victims are helpless. They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name and no face. To track me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become.
I am nobody’s friend. Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same. I topple governments and wreck marriages. I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartaches and indigestion. I make innocent people cry in their pillows. Even my name hisses.
I am called Gossip. I make headlines and headaches. Before you repeat a story, ask yourself: Is it true? Is it harmless? Is it necessary? If it isn’t, don’t repeat it.
—————————————————————
We love our neighbors when we refuse to gossip and when we refuse to listen to gossip. Love guards the reputation of our neighbors.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
But what about about the times when your neighbor is doing wrong? When they are doing things that will hurt their reputation?
If gossip is wrong, yet your neighbor is in the wrong, what do you do?
If gossip is wrong, yet your neighbor is in the wrong, what do you do?
17 “Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your neighbors. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin.
[*you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.]
The first thing is don’t harbor hatred. The command is to love your neighbor, so don’t give hatred for others a foothold in your life.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
You can hate Satan. You can hate the powers of evil. But don’t hate people. Pray for people. Love people. Martin Luther King Jr famously has said,
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
-Martin Luther King Jr.
Jesus says, love your neighbor has yourself. So what does love look like when your neighbor is wrong?
Leviticus 19:17 says “Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him”.
So instead of becoming a harbor for hatred, be courageous and go to your neighbor and rebuke the wrong. That sounds very hard, that sounds like a good way to make enemies. But do it with love, and it will bring life.
I have so much respect for people who are willing to have these hard conversations. Instead of taking the easy road of gossip, they go and speak with love and grace in order to win their neighbor.
This principle also applies inside of the Church, and it comes with even more specific instructions:
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
This leaves no room for gossip, and no room for slander. Both are sin, they both breaks down relationships.
Following this teaching is how we destroy the plans of the enemy, that spiritual trickster that wants to steal, kill and destroy. Be direct. Use the truth and love to shine light into the darkness and dismantle the enemy’s plans in our neighbor’s lives.
Call up worship team
As the worship team comes back up, we find ourselves at the final verse of our study this morning:
Leviticus chapter 19 verse 18
The Golden Rule
The Golden Rule
18 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.
Why should we help the stranger and the foreigner?
Why shouldn’t we lie?
Why should we treat the downtrodden and needy with grace and respect?
Why shouldn’t we spread tales about our neighbors?
Why should we love our neighbor as ourselves?
Well, God repeats the answer 5 times in these handful of verses. Why? Anybody?
Raise your hand if you don’t know the answer so I can write your name down.
Because I AM THE LORD, YOUR GOD. Because I am YAHWEH. Because I AM WHO I AM.
So YOU be who I TELL YOU to be.
Ushers, please come around with the offering baskets and grades from last week’s secret test.
The Law of God as found in Leviticus, and as quoted in the New Testament, is convicting. We immediately recognize that we are not keeping it perfectly. It penetrates to our hearts, and we say, “Its beautiful, but its beyond me.”
Don’t worry friends, God doesn’t need you to be perfect. Jesus already was. And is. And is to come.
God’s law points us to Jesus.
God’s law points us to Jesus.
He lived out perfectly, what we could never do. If the law shows us how to love God and how to love people, then Jesus is the prime expression of love. Because Jesus kept the law perfectly, and Jesus loves perfectly.
Jesus is the prime example of how to love our neighbor as ourselves.
In him we see the servant of all, who spoke truth and love.
He took our punishment
He paid our debt
He defeated the grave
He is worthy of all our love, and we can never hope to love as God intended, until Jesus is the Lord of our lives.
If Jesus is Lord over your life, follow his commands simply because He asks.
Because He is the LORD, your God.
If Jesus is NOT Lord over your life, I invite you to approach the door inside your heart...and let Him in. He is knocking this morning.
Let us pray together:
Pray about Loving our Neighbors
Pray over Tithes and Offerings
What a great time it has been exploring the truths in Leviticus. Such a rich book that is ancient beyond many of our immediate understanding.
Before we close in worship...
Before we close in worship...
I’d like to invite you all to begin a new series with us next week. We will start a 4 week series studying the book of Jonah and it is going to be a bit different than our typical series. You might have gotten used to our rotating preaching teaching team...
But, as part of my pastoral training and mission to become an ordained minister, our church elders have extended me the opportunity to develop and teach a 4-week series here in Jarrell on the book of Jonah.
In the process of preparing for Jonah’s 4 chapters, I have amassed a wealth of incredible notes and biblical connections. Jonah is a page and half long in most Bibles, yet it is probably the most sophisticated book of the Bible I have ever studied in great detail.
And there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY that I could fit all I have learned into 4-half hour sermons. It has been driving me crazy knowing how much treasure there is in this very short book, knowing I can’t speak about it all.
So, I feel led to organize a Bible study each week to dive deep and go verse by verse, word by word through this wild page and a half book.
We will get together at 12:30pm every Sunday for the next 4 weeks and study one chapter at a time for 1-2 hours.
If you yearn to eat spiritual meat and enjoy expository bible study sessions, or if you’re a fan of literary structure and the poetic ways God has ordained our Bibles to be constructed...please come.
There is a sign up sheet in the lobby at the Connection Center. Let us know if you plan on joining. Food and childcare...TBD.
For now, let’s finish our gathering in another song of worship to our King and Savior.
For now, let’s finish our gathering in another song of worship to our King and Savior.
