LOVE THY NEIGHBOR!
Rev. John W. Gerald
I. LOVE, A GODLY QUALITY
Lev. 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I [am] the LORD.
Vengeance and bearing grudges are ungodly qualities, quite contrary to the kind of spirit the LORD wants His children to have. They must be like Him!
II. LOVE OVERCOMES PREJUDICE
Matt. 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
The law allowed for people to exact the same kind of injury upon the perpetrator as he inflicted upon his victim. The grace of God changes everything.
Matt. 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
"...(F)or in so doing you will heap coals of fire upon his head". Doing good in return for evil done to you will be unexpected and disconcerting to our enemies. Their conscience will bother them, in that they have done evil, and you have only done good. It is the best way to make a friend out of an enemy. Then he is no longer an enemy!
III. LOVE DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE
Matt. 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
To be Godlike, we must exemplify Godly qualities. God has blessed his enemies as well as His friends. The benefits of the air to breathe, the rain to make things grow, the sunshine to brighten our days is given to all alike. This is the example we should follow in doing good!
Matt. 5:46 For if ye love them
which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?
IV. LOVE, THE STANDARD OF PERFECTION
Matt. 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
The measure of Christian perfection is taken in how well we follow the example of God in loving one another.
V. LOVE FAMILY AND NEIGHBOR ALIKE
Matt. 19:19 Honour thy father and [thy] mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
These two things are much neglected today. Children are too eager to have their sick and feeble parents committed to homes in the care of other people, and neighbors squabble over petty complaints, and offend each other continuously.
Matt. 22:39 And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Self-love may be the strongest known human love. That is a huge requirement, that we should
love anyone else in the same manner, or with the same measure, as we love ourselves. We could hold anyone with great esteem, but, without the love of Christ in our hearts, we can not love anyone else as much, or in the same manner as we love ourselves!
VI. FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF LOVE
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that
ye also love one another.
The new commandment that Jesus gave his disciples was that they should follow his example in love. Love ye one another as I have loved you! It takes the heart of Jesus to do that! We can not do that unless He dwells within us. We must love in the same manner, with the same kind of love, as he loved.
Rom. 12:10 [Be] kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
We should not have to be reminded to be kind to one another, but it seems that that warning is needed. Selfishness, pride, and greed undercut the good qualities of brotherly love. We should always consider the other fellow’s interest ahead of our own. We should always be glad when he is honored, for we wish to honor him, too.
VII. A DEBT OF LOVE
Rom. 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
We owe everyone a debt of love. We can not ever pay off this debt, though we must always be paying down on it! We must always keep our business in order, so that we may not offend a brother. If we borrow any thing, we must return it in good condition as soon as we have finished the job for which we borrowed it. If it is lost, stolen, broken or damaged, we must make payment, or be reconciled to its owner as soon as possible, for the sake of Christ!
VIII. ALL COMMANDMENTS ARE FULFILLED IN LOVE!
Rom. 13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if [there be] any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Gal. 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, [even] in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Love for anyone will prevent us from doing harm to them. The law is fulfilled from the heart, where it should be kept.
James 2:8 If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
IX. THE DUTY OF BROTHERLY LOVE IS OBVIOUS
1Thes. 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
The Spirit of God within us teaches us to love one another!
Heb. 13:1 Let brotherly love continue.
It is assumed that love for the brethren has been present, for it to continue. When we come to know Christ, we begin to love the brethren. We just find that love springing up in our hearts. When that love begins to wane, spiritual danger exists. Jesus said that: "In the last days, the love of many shall wax cold". It must be the last days now!
X. LOVE WITHOUT PRETENSE
1Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have
purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently:
Unfeigned love is love without pretense, and pure love is love without carnal implications. To be acceptable, it must be most like the love of God.
1John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
XI. TRUE FAITH PROMPTS LOVE
1John 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
That which changes everything else is faith in the LORD Jesus Christ. That they should love one another was the new and last commandment Jesus gave His disciples. It is His commandment to us, as well.
1John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
The proof and seal of our faith is that love from God springs up out of our heart toward our fellowman. This is evidence to us, and to the world which sees our lives.
XII. GOD’S LOVE IS PERFECTED IN US
1John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
"Ought" implies a debt. Because we have received love, we should, of necessity, give love. We owe it to all those for whom our LORD died. He died for all.
1John 4:12 No man hath seen
God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
"I can not see God, but I can experience Him through faith, and in a deeply emotional sense, in my heart". Christian perfection is "Perfect Love". May we experience, and share love like the love of God.
Would you like to be a member of the "Family of God"? Say "Yes" to Jesus today!
I accept Jesus as my Savior, today!
Signed: __________________
Date:____________________
