Command of Christ

Command to Love

Recap the commands

Repent and Be Baptized

Pray

Go and Make Disciples

Today we come to the command to Love

In response to a question about what is the greatest command Jesus replies in , ““Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

I’d like to go to Luke’s account to discover what this means.

Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

After getting the answer the smart alec expert in the law asks “Just who is my neighbor”

Jesus then launches into this parable: read it!

The question is a hot question in Judaism.

Mostly it was Jews only who were your neighbor

Often only certain Jews

A man is implied to be a fellow Jew.

On the highway from Jerusalem to Jericho

Drops 3,000 to 3,500 feet in about 17 miles

Jerome called it the “bloody way” because of the violence which so often occurred there.

The first man on the scene was a priest and the second a Levite

These religious leaders were afraid of Thieves, defilement, involvement, and time constraints

All which made them walk on the opposite of the road from the beaten up Samaritan

Jesus shocked the Jews by using the hated Samaritan as the hero of the parable.

Samaritans were half Jew and half pagan, resulting from the resettlement policies of the Assyrian exile of the northern 10 tribes in 72 BC

They had developed a rival temple and rival text.

The hero took care of the hurt man

Oil and wine were medicines for taking care of the skin problems and with its natural alcohol, killing infections.

Took him to an inn and paid the inn keeper enough money to provide for him for about 14 days.

With the promise to pay more upon his return if necessary

Here’s the key point of the parable and Jesus’ answer to the man’s question verse 36

Which was the neighbor?

The scribe or expert in the law answered the one who showed mercy

Couldn’t even say the word Samaritan

Jesus said go and do the same

This extension of “neighbor” from OT “covenant partner” (i.e. fellow Jew) to the hated Samaritan would have shocked this lawyer/scribe.

The Gospel according to Luke Word and Phrase Study

This extension of “neighbor” from OT “covenant partner” (i.e. fellow Jew) to the hated Samaritan would have shocked this lawyer/scribe. Yet, it is this very extension that characterized Jesus’ teaching (and Luke’s emphasis). The OT categories of national and racial emphasis are expanded into global spheres.

Yet, it is this very extension that characterized Jesus’ teaching (and Luke’s emphasis).

The OT categories of national and racial emphasis are expanded into global spheres.

Utley, R. J. (2004). The Gospel according to Luke (Vol. Volume 3A, ). Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International.

Who’s Your Neighbor?

Knowledge is good but it’s useless until it’s put into action.

God calls us to be obedient.

Obedience begins with heart change.

Until your heart changes, you won’t change.

The issue is not so much “who is my neighbor?”

The issue is not so much “who is my neighbor?” The real issue is am I willing to become the person who cannot pass by on the other side?

The real issue is am I willing to become the person who cannot pass by on the other side?

Heart Check

Let’s do a Heart Check

Compassion

In this story who had compassion? The Samaritan!

God is a loving and compassionate God and expects us to be the same.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience”

Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience

Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.a

;

, “If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer in need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him?”

Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

B. Sacrifice

Sacrifice

In the story, the Samaritan sacrificed to help the hurt man.

He paid what was equal to a couple of days wages to care of the man at the inn

He gave up his time and reputation in helping the man

That seems rather small, but for him it was a lot.

We should seek to do the same.

;

, “Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

It is impossible to love your neighbor as yourself if you do not love yourself.

There is an appropriate self-love which is based on God’s priority love for mankind

This means we must sacrifice our wishes and wants to love our neighbors

Utley, R. J. (2004). The Gospel according to Luke (Vol. Volume 3A, ). Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International.

Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

Humble

Again if we really care about others, then we must be humble

It is hard to think of others first if all we think of is ourselves.

Jesus put us first when he died on the cross.

; “Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble,”

;

Overflow

Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

D. Overflow

, “And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we do for you.”

It is out of the love that Jesus has for us that we should love others.

There is so much love that it should just overflow toward others.

Being a Good Neighbor

On the website, The Art of Neighboring, the question on the homepage is, “What if Jesus meant that we should love our actual neighbors?”

Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

Well, the truth is, He did.

On the website, The Art of Neighboring (www.artofneighboring.com), the question on the homepage is, “What if Jesus meant that we should love our actual neighbors?” Well, the truth is, He did. When Jesus said to love our neighbors, He was telling us to love everyone, including our actual neighbors…the people who live next door to us, behind us and in front of us.

When Jesus said to love our neighbors, He was telling us to love everyone, including our actual neighbors…the people who live next door to us, behind us and in front of us.

That’s the best place to start

Here are a few questions for you:

Here are a few questions for you:

• Do you know your neighbors’ names?

Do you know your neighbors’ names?

• Do you know their story?

Do you know their story?

• Do you know how to pray for your neighbors?

Do you know how to pray for your neighbors?

• Have you ever shared your story with your neighbors?

Have you ever shared your story with your neighbors?

• When was the last time you had a conversation with your neighbors?

When was the last time you had a conversation with your neighbors?

• Have you ever shared a meal with your neighbors?

Have you ever shared a meal with your neighbors?

For most of us, if we’re honest, we would probably have to answer no to most of those questions. Why? Because answering yes to those questions would take an intentional investment on our part. I know what you’re thinking (because I’ve thought some of the same things):

For most of us, if we’re honest, we would probably have to answer no to most of those questions.

Why? Because answering yes to those questions would take an intentional investment on our part.

I know what you’re thinking (because I’ve thought some of the same things):

“Who has the time to get to know the neighbors?” “It would be really awkward.”

“Who has the time to get to know the neighbors?” “It would be really awkward.”

“I don’t like my neighbors.” “I never see them.” “They’re different than us.”

“I don’t like my neighbors.” “I never see them.” “They’re different than us.”

“They are in a different life stage than us.”

“They are in a different life stage than us.”

“I don’t know what I would say or even how to start.”

“I don’t know what I would say or even how to start.”

To be honest loving our neighbors means we have to be willing to make time in our schedule and to get out of our comfort zones.

(And I’m sure you could come up with a few more.)

So how can we love our neighbors?

Loving our neighbors means we have to be willing to make time in our schedule and to get out of our comfort zones.

I think one of the things that might help us to get better at loving our neighbors is if we saw the places where we live as “mission points”.

Why do you live where you live? Nice neighborhood? Good schools? Affordable? Need the space? Let’s ask a different question. Why does God have you living there? As followers of Jesus, we are God’s ambassadors (). That means wherever we

go, whatever we do, wherever we LIVE, we are to represent Jesus to the people around us. We are to live our lives on mission (). That means at home, too.

📷So how can we love our neighbors?

Here are a few ideas:

• Introduce yourself to them

• Invite them for coffee in the front yard

• Have a front yard picnic

• Have them over for dinner

• Make them cookies and take them over

• Ask how you can pray for them

• Surprise them with a random act of kindness

• Host a block party

• Offer to help them with a project or maintenance

• Invite them to your Bible Fellowship Group party or fellowship

• Spend time getting to know their story

I would challenge you to come up with some other ideas.

We challenge you to come up with some other ideas. Share them on social media with the hashtag #fbcallenneighbor. We would love to hear your stories.

Imagine if we all decided to start praying for and reaching out to our actual neighbors.

Imagine if FBC Allen members decided to start praying for and reaching out to our actual neighbors. Imagine if we said “yes” to God and our homes became mission points where our neighborhoods could begin to experience the love of Christ. God is looking for followers, people who will listen AND do what He has asked. God loves us and He calls

Imagine if we said “yes” to God and allowed our homes to become a mission point where our neighborhoods could begin to experience the love of Christ.

God is looking for followers, people who will listen AND do what He has asked. God loves us and He calls us to love others ().

us to love others ().

Soon I will roll out Bless Every Neighborhood prayer strategy.

How will you love your neighbor today?