Sunday, 3 February 2019
CENTRAL TRUTH
Love for God enables us to love our neighbours more effectively.
CENTRAL TRUTH
Love for God enables us to love our neighbours more effectively.
LOVING OUR NEIGHBOURS
MEMORY VERSE: “…Love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore, love is the fulfilment of the law. Romans 13:9b, 10
LESSON OBJECTIVES:
That at the end of this Lesson the student would be able to:
1. Explain what it means to love one’s neighbour.
2. Demonstrate love toward all people.
LESSON TEXTS: Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 1:14; 13:8-10 Matthew 22: 37.
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind.’ 38. This is the first and greatest commandment. 39. and the second is like it: love your neighbour as yourself. 40. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Romans 1: 14 . I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.
Romans 13: 8. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. 9. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 10. Love does no harm to its neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.
BIBLE EXPOSITION INTRODUCTION
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is a beloved and familiar story about the treatment of neighbours. As it is usually applied, the man beaten and robbed is perceived as the neighbour, and a neighbour is defined as anyone we meet who needs help. But Jesus seems to have placed the emphasis on what a neighbour does rather than on who he is. After telling the parable, Jesus asked the skeptical lawyer, “Which now of these three [the priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan], thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?” (Luke 10:36. KJV). A neighbour is the one who has compassion and helps someone in need. So, the question to be examined today is, “Are we good neighbours?”
I. COMMANDED TO LOVE OTHERS –Matt. 22:37-40; Lev. 19:13,18,33-34
A. Treat Your Neighbour as Yourself We see from this activity that even when the strict regulations of the Mosaic Law were in effect, the underlying principle of life for the follower of God was still one of godly love. “The law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane….” (1Timothy 1:9 KJV). Treat a stranger “as one born among you,” Moses told the Israelites. Treat him as a fellow Israelite. That was quite a command for an Israelite who knew his own people were chosen by God. The surrounding Gentiles were heathen. The command illustrates that God never intended to exclude non- Jews from fellowship with Him; it was the Jews who thought they were the sole recipients of God’s mercy, and thereby worthy of special privileges. “Why were the Israelites to be kinder to strangers than strangers were to be to them?” The Israelites were to be kind to foreigners because
(1) the Israelites had been strangers in Egypt and knew how it felt to be left out, and
(2) the Lord was their God. Since Jehovah was a God of love and compassion, His people were to display those same attributes. The command to love others still exists today.
If a Christian loves as God wants him to love and with the fullness with which the Holy Spirit can help him to love, he will naturally keep God’s commands and prohibitions concerning the treatment of others. One who genuinely loves another will not defraud or cheat him, will not return evil for evil, and will not carry a grudge against another.
LESSON OUTLINE
I. COMMANDED TO LOVE OTHERS
A. Treat Your Neighbour as Yourself
B. Two Great Commandments
II. CONCERN FOR ALL
A. Paying off a Debt
B. Keep Doing Good
III. DEMONSTRATING LOVE
A. Love and the Law
B. The Sum of the Commandments
B. Two Great Commandments The two commands to love God and to love one’s neighbour can never be completely separated. Love toward others is dependent on our love of God; and our love of God is proved by our love toward others (1 John 4:20 through 5:2). Yet the two commands are distinct. Loving God, as the New Testament describes it, is not normal for men. We are by our fallen nature born enemies of God (Luke 19:11-14; John 3:20; Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:21). The love for God that Jesus commanded in Matthew 22:37 (quoted from Deuteronomy 6:4, 5) should be man’s response to God’s love. God loves all of man: his heart, his soul, and his mind. It is therefore appropriate that man should love God with his entire being. Loving others is wholly dependent on God’s prior love extended to us. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:11). A Christian’s love for others is a reflection of divine love. Translating God’s love for us into love for others is a work of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). “Does God expect us to love our neighbours even when we feel they are not very lovable? If so, how?” Roman 5:5 suggests another factor for translating God’s love into love of others through us. God does not expect that we will be able to love everyone without His help. The love with which we love one another is actually God’s love poured into us and overflowing into the lives of others; it is an extension of God’s love through us. Through prayer, God gives us His love for others when we cannot love them by ourselves.
II. CONCERN FOR ALL – Rom. 1:14; Gal. 6:9-10
A. Paying Off a Debt “What did Paul mean in Romans 1:14 by saying that he was a debtor? Are we also debtors of the same kind?” Just as God’s love is received for the purpose of being passed on to others, so a commission to preach the Gospel to every creature became for Paul a debt owed to every man, woman, and child. The nationality or culture of his audience did not matter. “The Wise” and “the unwise” are simply restatements of the “Greek” and “Barbarian” labels. Paul wanted every person, no matter where they were from or how educated they were, to hear God’s Word. Paul was writing to Greeks, whose civilization had endowed humanity with many great intellectual and artistic achievements. He wanted to emphasize to them that he also had an obligation to share the Gospel with other peoples, “Barbarians.” Although “Barbarians” has come to mean those who are uncivilized, Paul used it as meaning nationalities other than Greek. Paul could have included “the rich” and “the poor,” “the strong” and “the weak,” “the young” and “the
old.” It made no difference how they were classified; Paul owed them a chance to hear the Gospel message. Such is the missionary spirit that still throbs in the hearts of dedicated believers. Whether it is going in person with the message, or providing financial support so someone else that goes, the feeling of obligation is present. As the Gospel was entrusted to Paul for delivery to others, so has it been committed to us for the same purpose. We owe the lost to the Gospel message. It is indeed a debt to be paid.
B. Keep Doing Good Doing good can be exhausting. We can easily become discouraged, slack off in our efforts, or even give up. Incentive to keep doing good is vital. In Galatians 6:9, Paul provided that incentive in his choice of comparisons. Doing good, he implied, is like sowing seed. We may not see the harvest on the day we plant the seed, but “in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” If the farmer grows tired of planting his seed and plants only half the field, he will reap only half a crop. If we want a full harvest from our planting of good deeds, we must keep on sowing, and be patient like the farmer who waits “for the precious fruit of the earth” (James 5:7). Too many Christians are like children who want to plant seed and pick the harvest the same day. “What is the harvest we will reap if we do not become weary and stop planting good deeds?” Paul did not specify what harvest would be reaped if the believer faithfully continued to plant good deeds. But we know that works, done faithfully as unto the Lord, will produce a good harvest. They may bring comfort and relief to people in desperate need. They may lead a sinner to accept Christas Saviour, a harvest which brings great joy to heaven and to the harvester. Doing good deeds can help reverse the moral deterioration of society and make our communities better places to live in (1 Timothy 2:1-4). In the end heaven will reward the doer of good deeds for his past faithful services on earth. The good we are to do to all men is the work of the Holy Spirit through us. Only as we have a vital relationship with the Lord can our lives bear fruit which will remain for all eternity. The encouragement to do good is made more specific at the end of Galatians 6:10 “Let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” While we should do good to all people, we are particularly obligated to do good and bless the lives of those who are children of God and fellow believers. “To all” indicates that Christian love knows no limitations. Mention of “the household of faith” underscores the fact that Christian love must give priority to meeting the needs of all other believers. It is tragic when believers are seen by the world to be in conspicuous need. Such circumstance suggests that God is not capable of caring for His own. In reality, much of God’s care is delegated to other Christians. Our kindness should extend to all areas of our influence, but especially to fellow believers, demonstrating our strong commitment to the divine law of love. As we meet the needs of believers, we will also be creating an environment that will draw others into the family of God.
“. . . Love your neighbour as yourself . . .” (Matt. 22:39b)
III. DEMONSTRATING LOVE - Rom. 13:8-10 A.
Love and the Law “Does the command to owe no man anything mean that every person buying on credit is violating scriptural instruction?” In one parable, Jesus told of a king who forgave a debt of 10,000 talents owed by a servant who then refused to forgive a debt of only 100 pence. Nowhere in the story does Jesus denounce the fact that there was debt. “Owe no man anything” could be explained as “Do not withhold payment of any current debt.” Paul’s real emphasis was not on monetary debt. By drawing attention to debt, he was emphasizing the supreme obligation each believer has to love others.
The Christian is to settle all monetary debts eventually, but the debt, to love others continues. There is never a point reached where love is no longer required. He that loves another has fulfilled the law (Romans 13:8). All the individual commandments of the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments) relating to one’s fellow man are summed up in the single command, “Love your neighbour as you love yourself.” If you love a person, you would never kill him, commit adultery with his spouse, steal from him, tell lies about him, or covet anything he possesses. So love fulfils the Law, not by destroying it, but by keeping every command of the Law – motivated by love rather than obligation. “If a person disobeys God’s commands, what one thing is he lacking?” The point has already been made that love fulfils the law in that it gives positive motivation for obeying the “Thou shall not’s” of the law. A related truth needs further emphasis at this point: Disobeying any of God’s commands is evidence that the love God requires is not present. Love works no ill to one’s neighbour. The perfect commentary on this truth is found in another passage inspired by the Spirit and given to us through Paul: 1 Corinthians 13. Love is not impatient with its neighbour, but is kind (13:4). It is not proud and boastful, but prefers its neighbour before itself (13:4). Love does not seek its own good, but that of its neighbour (13:5); it even forgets about itself, thinking only of the welfare of others. It is not easily provoked by its neighbour and thinks good rather than evil about others (13:5); it attributes good motives rather than bad to its neighbour. The sum of all commandments concerning how we get along with others is found in one word – LOVE.
Demonstrating such love fulfils the entire law.
LIFE APPLICATION
Doing everything in life with a love for God that guarantees obedience to all of His commands is a tall order. Knowing our usual feelings, emotions and reactions, we can despair of ever achieving and manifesting that perfect love. But God knows we are unable to do so. That is a work of grace, a work of the precious Holy Spirit. God has promised to accomplish that work in us, if we ask Him and let Him. Though the work is completely God’s, we are not thereby absolved of all responsibility. We cannot blame God if we do not see His love in our hearts. When we see imperfections in the love we exhibit we can only blame ourselves. We have not allowed God to do all that He wants to do in us. Make a commitment to do your part in allowing the Holy Spirit to develop the full measure of His fruit in your life. Pray specifically for that perfect love to be formed in your life. There will be setbacks when it seems that Satan is doubling his efforts to keep you from being re-made in the image of Christ. But believe that the work is progressing. At the same time that you are asking God to do His work in your life, begin praying for your neighbours – in the broader definition of the term. Intercessory prayer is praying for others. As you ask God to bless and prosper them – physically, materially, and spiritually – you will find a growing love for your neighbours, placed there by the Holy Spirit
.
DAILY BIBLE READING
Mon: Living Peaceably With Neighbour - Genesis 21:22-32
Tue: Right Treatment of Neighbours - Leviticus 19:9-18
Wed: Protecting Others’ Property - Deuteronomy 22:1-4
Thu: Who is My Neighbour? - Luke 10:25-37
Fri: Ministering to the Needy - Acts 3:1-10
Sat: Reaching out to All - 1 Corinthians 9:19-22
________________________________________________________________________________
SOURCE: Assemblies of God Constitution Android App
Tags
agss
________________________________________________________________________________
SOURCE: Assemblies of God Constitution Android App
Subscribe Our Newsletter
0 Komentar
Post a Comment