LOVE THE LORD AND LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

PROCLAMATION

“ ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus … ‘Love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”

 

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, which were spoken by Christ according to Mark, a companion Simon Peter.  While in Jerusalem, Jesus again began to teach the crowd.  He told them The Parable of the Tenants. (Mark 12:1-11)  Then, in response to a question from the Pharisees and the Herodians, He told them about paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar. (Mark 12:13-17)  He answered the question from the Sadducees about marriage at The Resurrection. (Mark 12:18-27)  He also answered one of the scribes, the teachers of the law, regarding which of the commandments was the most important one. (Mark 12:28-34)  The scribe told Jesus that He was right, and His answer was “well said” and he went on to elaborate.  Afterwards Jesus told him that he was “not far from the kingdom of God” and no one else dared to ask Him a question.  Then Jesus asked them a question, “How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David?”  If David himself calls Christ ‘Lord,’ How then can He be his son?  That question quieted the crowd. (Mark 12:35-37)  Then Jesus warned them about the religious leaders who did thing just for show. (Mark 12:38-40)

APPLICATION

We are to love The Lord God with all of our capacity and ability, with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  That is to say, we are to love Him with every ounce of our being.  We should love nothing more than we love God.  Additionally, we should love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves.  These two commandments sum up all of the commandments and all of the teachings of the prophets. (Matthew 22:40)

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF

PROCLAMATION

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?  Jesus replied: ‘Love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, which were spoken by Christ according to the Apostle Matthew.  Jesus continued to speak to the people in parables, telling them the Parable of the Wedding Banquet. (Matthew 22:1-14)  Then the Pharisees tried to trap Him with words, but He silenced them as He spoke regarding paying tax to Caesar. (Matthew 22:15-22)  The Sadducees also tried to trip Him up with words and He answered them regarding marriage at the Resurrection. (Matthew 22:23-33)  One of the Pharisees then asked Him which was the greatest commandment in the law.   

APPLICATION

The Lord God should be paramount in our lives and we should love Him with all that we are. (Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27)  We are also to love and treat our fellow man as we would love and treat ourselves.  This “love” is the basis for “The Golden Rule,” “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” (Luke 6:31)  Christ wants us to love everybody, including our neighbors, one another (John 13:35), and our enemies. (Matthew 5:44)  We should love people because God is love. (1 John 4:8)  God dwells within us and His love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:12)  Love is patient and kind, it always protects and preserves, it is trusting and hopeful, it does not envy or dishonor, it is not selfish or disrespectful, it bears all things, and endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)  We are commanded to love one another. (John 15:17)

THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN

Proclamation:

“In reply Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers.  They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest … a Levite … a Samaritan … Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man …’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”  Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by Luke, the physician, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Luke begins this chapter by stating that Jesus appointed seventy-two additional men to go out two by two ahead of Him to every town and place where He was about to go. (Luke 10:1-24)  Then Luke presents the parable of the Good Samaritan which Jesus told them.  The parable was in response to a second question that an expert of the law had asked Jesus after his first question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” He then asked, “And who is my neighbor?”  The parable states that three men came upon a man in need who had been robbed and beaten.  The priest and the Levite passed him by but the Samaritan stopped, offered him assistance, and took him to a place where he could be cared for and paid for the care. (Luke 10:33-35)  Luke ends the chapter by giving an example of how we can get so involved in the busy-work until we miss out on the most important part of why we are here. (Luke 10:38-42)

Application:

Sometimes, like this young man, we do and say things just to justify ourselves. (Luke 10:29)  We know what The Bible says about something and yet we still have questions as he did. (Luke 10:25-29)  Jesus, The Christ, makes it clear that we should do what The Bible says. (Luke 10:26)  He also tells us to help those who are in need. (Luke 10:37)  All too often we, the people of the church, see people who are in need of assistance and we just pass them by.  It is possible to help people in many ways including, but not limited to, giving them money.  We are blessed in order to be a blessing to others.  Jesus said that as we treat the least of the people, He takes it as if that is how we have treated Him. (Matthew 25:35-45)  Knowing what The Bible says does not do us any good if do not live by what it says.

THE HIGHER STANDARD OF CHRISTIAN LOVE

Proclamation:

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father in heaven…” Matthew 5:44-45 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, which He spoke to His disciples and to the surrounding crowd during His Sermon on The Mount.  His point was that the children of God must be better than the children of the world.  The unsaved worldly people love those who love them so there is nothing special about doing that. (Matthew 5:46)  The children of God should take love to a higher level and also love those who do not love them. (Matthew 5:48)

Application:

Sometimes being a Christian is not easy to do.  It is easy to love the people that love us.  However, as Christians, we are challenged to love those people that do not love us.  We are to love, bless, do good to and pray for the people that we would normally hate, curse, want to get even with, and want bad things to happen to.  God's way for us to treat people is not the way we would normally behave.  We are not to treat people badly because they treated us that way. (Romans 12:17)  We are to overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21)  By treating our haters with love we are, in fact, heaping burning coals upon their heads. (Romans 12:20)  Vengeance belongs to The Lord God and He will repay our enemies. (Romans 12:19)  Maybe this is what is meant by "killing them with kindness".  We are to apply the "golden rule" to all people.  We are to do unto others as we would have them to do unto us. (Matthew 7:12)  We are to treat people like we would like to be treated, not as they treat us.  Again I say, sometimes being a Christian is not easy, but it's well worth it.  As Christians, we should live and love by a higher standard.

BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS

Proclamation:

"Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, which He spoke during the beginning of His Sermon on The Mount as recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Matthew.  Peace makers are happy people.  They love, desire, and delight in peace.  They keep the peace that it may not be broken, and they attempt to recover it whenever is it broken.

Application:

Do you know someone who always seems to be trying to keep the peace, always trying to stop two others from arguing or fighting.  They never seemed to want to take one side or the other, saying something like “you are both right and you are both wrong.”  Peacemakers are not just sitting on the fence.  They are capable of making a decision, they have decided that we should all “just get along” and love each other.  The Bible teaches us that we should love our enemies.  Peacemakers are just trying to remind us of that, trying to help us engage rational thought instead of letting our emotions cause us to fly off the handle.  They are at peace with God and their desire is to live in peace with all men, and to have all men live in peace with each other. (Romans 5:1)  Their peace with Christ enables them to be ambassadors of God's message to a troubled world.  So, don't put down those who promote peace, they may be promoting God's message of love.  You may not agree with either side, but fighting is not the answer.

I LOVE YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU

To all of my family and friends, colleagues and co-workers and classmates, associates and acquaintances, preachers and teachers, I just wanted you to know that I love you, each and every one of you, and I pray that The Good Lord will bless you today and continue to bless you.

Today is a special day, and every day is a special day because The Lord God made each one of them.  I will rejoice and be glad in it and I pray that you will also.  While we celebrate and appreciate this glorious Lord’s Day let us say a kind word to someone and encourage them.  Today is a good day for us to do random acts of kindness and demonstrate the love of God.  Let’s not wait until their “Homegoing Celebration” to say something good about someone.  Let the people in your life know that you love them, tell them and show them, while they can appreciate it.

I love you and may God bless you.

Rev Wendell

THE HIGHER STANDARD OF CHRISTIAN LOVE

Proclamation:

“... Love your enemies, bless those that curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you, and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father which is in heaven ..." Matthew 5:44-45 (NKJ)

Explanation:

These are the words of The Lord Jesus, The Christ, as recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Matthew.  Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, and to the surrounding crowd, during His Sermon on The Mount.  He was contrasting how the world acts with how a believer should behave.  The world says love your neighbor and hate your enemy. (Matthew 5:43)  Jesus said that believers should love their enemies.  If they only love those who love them then they are no different from the non-believers in the world. (Matthew 5:46)

Application:

Sometimes being a Christian is not easy to do.  It is easy to love those that love us.  However, as believers, Jesus has challenged to love those people who do not love us.  We are told to love, bless, do good to and pray for the people that we would normally hate, curse, want to get even with, and want bad things to happen to.  God's way for us to treat people is not the way that we would normally behave.  We are to treat them with kindness.  Maybe this is what is meant by "killing them with kindness".  Our being nice to them will be like pouring burning coals on their heads.  Vengeance belongs to The Lord and He will take care of them. (Romans 12:19-21)  We are to apply the "golden rule" to all people.  We are to do unto others as we would have them to do unto us. (Matthew 7:12)  We are to treat people like we would like to be treated, not as they treat us.  As a believer we should live and love by a higher standard.  Sometimes being a Christian is not easy, but it is well worth it. 

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

Proclamation:

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying The Truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.” 1 Peter 1:22 (NIV)

Explanation:

In this letter written by the apostle Peter, an eyewitness to the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 5:1), was written to the scattered believers after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  While the letter addresses remaining faithful in times of distress, suffering and persecution, here Peter provides them with guidelines for living as new people of God and tells them how they ought to treat each other.

Application:
As Christians we are commanded to love one another.  Once we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal savior we, with the help of The Holy Spirit, must really love our fellow man and not just with half-hearted efforts.  Today we use the word ‘love’ very loosely.  When we say 'love' we usually mean 'like, lust, or infatuation', and not the unlimited and unconditional love of God.  The best that we can do is to offer one another a sincere brotherly love, and that requires the aide of The Holy Spirit.  Jesus said that we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves. (Matthew 22:37-39)  This is much easier said than done.  We need to learn to exhibit the type of love for one another which will allow us to meet others at their point of need.  This kind of love requires an action on our part and not just words of hot air.  It is not about looking for or expecting love in return.  Only truly saved souls have the capacity to love like this.  In this case our actions really do speak louder than our words.  We need to pray for God to help us to love one another.

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

Proclamation:

"Jesus replied, 'Love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words of Jesus, The Christ, were spoken in response to a question which was designed to test Him.  An expert in the law asked Him, “… which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:34-36)  Jesus replied, love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  And then He said, “… love your neighbor as yourself.”  After that Jesus said that all of the Law is based upon these two commandments.

Application:
To love God with all of our “heart ... soul ... and … mind ..." identifies the completeness of our love for The Lord.  We should love The Lord God with all of our being, as much as is humanly possible.  We are also to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  Our "... neighbor ..." is not just the person who lives next door, but it refers to all people, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are to have a sincere love for one another, and love one another deeply, from the heart. (1 Peter 1:22)  This type of love is not the worldly “like, lust, or infatuation” but it is a Christian brotherly love.  We are to love the person, not necessarily all of their behavior, and that requires the aide of The Holy Spirit. We should pray daily for God to help us follow these two commandments.  We are to love one another fervently, without hypocrisy, from a pure heart and not with manipulative, self-serving intentions. We need to pray for God's help to love each other in a Christ-like manner.

Demonstrate God's Perfect Love

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God ... Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another ... but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us ... If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is The Son of God, God lives in him and he in God ... God is love ... There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear ... If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." 1 John 4:7-21 (NIV)

The Apostle John offers a description of what perfect love, Godly love is and tells how we can achieve it and demonstrate it. It is The Spirit of God within us that imparts to us the will to love each other.

God loves us and He has proven it. If we love God, we will love our fellow man because God is love and God is within us. We cannot love God and hate one another. We should pray that God will help us to love everyone. We must learn to demonstrate the love of God in our daily interactions with our fellow man.

The Greatest Commandments

"Love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)

In response to a question regarding which was the greatest of the commandments, Jesus offered two new commandments, which taken together summarize the ten commandments.
Jesus basically restated Deuteronomy 10:12 with the first commandment. Then He expanded it for the second because you cannot truly love God and not love all God's people.

We to love God with every aspect of our being. All that we say, do, and think should please God. As hard as that is for us to do, the second one is even harder. We are to love all of God's people as we love ourselves. (If we really loved ourselves, we would take better care of ourselves physically and spiritually.) While none of us can do this, it represents the goal of perfection, that perfect love that each of us should strive to attain. This would make us truly Christ-like.

Walk In And Live By The Spirit

"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by The Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Galatians 5:13-16 (NIV)

In his letter to the Christians in Galatia, Paul is teaching them about Christian behavior and Christian living. Here he is saying just because you are forgiven does not mean that you can commit all the sin that you want. They were supposed to love one another and not fight with each other.

Christian freedom is not for selfish fulfillment, but for serving others. We are to love one another. We are not to act like wild animals, attacking, biting, and killing one another. When we let hate and evil rule us, we destroy ourselves. If we walk in The Spirit, we will not give in to the lust of the flesh or our desire to sin. The Spirit of God is within each of us, but we must yield to The Spirit.

Some Blessings Are Meant To Be Shared

Some of the blessings that we receive are given to us to share with others. Jesus told His disciples, and the Pharisees who were nearby and listing, about "... a certain rich man ... and a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate ... desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table ..." Luke 16:19-31

The rich man lived well, but was tormented in death. The beggar was basically tormented in life, but received a place of honor in death.

The take home lesson is that those of us who have should share with those that have not. We will be judged and have to give an account for the way that we treat the less fortunate poor people that we encounter.

The Greatest Commandments

"Jesus replied, 'Love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.' " Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)

"... Heart ... soul ... mind ..." identifies the completeness of our love for The Lord. We should love The Lord with all of our being, as much as is humanly possible.

"... Your neighbor ..." is not just the person who lives next door, but refers to all people.

Some of us cannot remember or recite the ten commandments in order, but we can all remember these two commandments. Our problem is not remembering them, our problem is
keeping them and living them. We should pray daily for God to help us follow these two commandments.