Random Acts of Loving Thy Neighbour
Matthew 22:34-40
April 21, 2013
AM
Pastor Craig
Ledbetter
I.
Introduction (Matthew
22:34-40)
A.
Kindness Quotes
1.
Mark Twain said, “Kindness is a
language which the deaf can easily hear and the blind can plainly see!”
2.
Be kind to unkind
people - they need it the most! Ashleigh Brilliant
3.
Too often we
underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an
honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the
potential to turn a life around. Leo F. Buscaglia
4.
Kindness is never
wasted. If it has no effect on the recipient, at least it benefits the bestower.
S. H. Simmons
B.
There is such misery in this
world, that we often forget how much it needs kindness!
C.
When Jesus was
surrounded by Pharisees, and Sadducees, and Herodians and sceptics, a well
trained lawyer walked up to Jesus and asked Him THE most controversial question
of the day (Matthew 22:34-36)
1.
What is THE GREATEST Commandment?
2.
The Jews divided the
law into “greater and smaller” commandments.
3.
No one could decide
which one was the greatest in importance.
4.
Some held that it
was the law concerning all the sacrifices; others, concerning circumcision;
others, about how to worship God, etc.
5.
People would go to
blows based on how they answered this question
6.
This lawyer hoped to
tempt Jesus, and pin Jesus down, and make some people angry at Him, and leave
Him because He would have to decide what so many other “respected” leaders
couldn’t decide!
7.
But Jesus blows them
all away (as usual)!
D.
Jesus gives us our challenge this
morning! He sums up ALL the commands in the Bible (613 of them) into two short
statements:
1.
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”
2.
“Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself.”
E.
The crowd was stunned! Even the
Pharisees were stunned!
1.
Jesus had not grabbed one of the
big ten commandments, or the Levitical worship commandments – He had reached
into Deuteronomy, and grabbed a Scripture from chapter 6:4,5 “Hear, O Israel:
The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with
all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
2.
And then He reached
into Leviticus, not for a command about sacrificing Lambs or Goats or Bulls or
about the temple, or the priests… and he quotes from 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.”
3.
Jesus finished with
these words in Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and
the prophets.
F.
I want to mainly focus on that
second commandment this morning, “To Love thy neighbour as thyself”! And
I want to make a challenge to every person in this room, who names the name of
Christ as their Lord and Saviour! Will you, for the following week, and from
thence on, strive to love your neighbour as much as you love yourself?!
II.
Message
A.
The Command – Love Thy
Neighbour as Thyself
1.
To love a neighbour as much as we
love ourselves, is over half of all commandments in the Bible rolled into one!
2.
The Ten Commandments
are summarised by these two great commandments in Matthew 22:37-40…
a.
The first 4 commandments direct
our love TO GOD (Exodus 20)
1)
Thou shalt have no other gods
before me.
2)
Thou shalt not make
unto thee any graven image... Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them
3)
Thou shalt not take
the name of the Lord thy God in vain
4)
Remember the sabbath
day, to keep it holy.
b.
The last 6 commandments direct
our love TOWARD OTHERS
1)
Honour thy father and thy mother
– your parents
2)
Thou shalt not kill
3)
Thou shalt not
commit adultery
4)
Thou shalt not steal
5)
Thou shalt not bear
false witness against thy neighbour
6)
Thou shalt not covet
other people’s things
3.
All of those last six great
commandments are summed up as “Love people and their property like you love
yourself!”
a.
Listen to Romans 13:8-10 “Owe
no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath
fulfilled the law. 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. Love worketh no ill to
his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
b.
Listen to Galatians
5:13 “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty
for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is
fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
c.
Listen to James 2:8
“If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself, ye do well.”
4.
So, it is a command! It is THE
second greatest commandment in all the Bible!!!
a.
It is NOT something we do when we
feel like it; when it is easy; when it is in our best interest; when we get
something out of it…
b.
It is NOT something
we do when other people are doing it, or because we like being kind…
c.
We do it because it
is right to do – because God told us to do it!
B.
Just Who are our
“Neighbours”? (Jesus answers this in Luke 10:29-37)
1.
Another lawyer came and tried to
trap Jesus (Luke 10:29)
a.
He uses Jesus’ own words of
loving his neighbour
b.
He then tries to
wiggle out of the command by pointing out he didn’t know just WHO his neighbour
was all the time!
2.
So Jesus powerfully teaches him,
and us just WHO are our neighbours (Lk 10:30-35)
3.
Basically,
neighbours are those NEAR us
a.
People we come into contact with
at the shops, in the shopping centre, at the Petrol Station, at the bank, in our
church!
b.
People we work with
c.
People who live up
and down our estate street
d.
Don’t only worry
about the people who are starving and needing attention in
4.
They are usually DIFFERENT than
us
a.
Yes, take care of your family,
and the brethren
b.
But, like the
Samaritan cared about the Jewish man, so should we, MUST we care about people
who are different than us
c.
Did you know that
the Samaritans were HATED by the Jews?!
d.
Yet, here was a man
who had to live with hatred and mockery by the very people that he found himself
helping!
e.
Love those even that
hate you!
f.
The Jews had a
saying, “Love people, unless they are your enemies, or Gentiles!”
g.
Maybe you have a
similar saying… “I love those that love me, and I love those who are LIKE me
(Nigerian, English, Irish, German…)… but all others are ON THEIR OWN!”
h.
Jesus sharply
corrected that!
5.
They usually are needy!
a.
Sometimes evidently – like this
man
1)
Bruised, bleeding, motionless
2)
Nearly naked
3)
Left out in the sun
for hours
4)
Would have died if
someone did not intervene!
b.
Oftentimes, hidden
1)
We have no idea the verbal
beatings in homes
2)
We have no idea of
the hurt and sorrow and pains that people barely carry throughout the day
3)
One act of kindness
could literally SAVE a life, a marriage, a soul!
4)
Because many of the
needs of modern society are SPIRITUAL – not just physical or emotional needs!
6.
Those are your neighbours!
a.
Not just the nice, wealthy,
self-sufficient ones
b.
But definitely
nearby, probably different than yourself, and probably hurting!
C.
A Sinner is Saved to Do Good
Works (Matthew 5:16)
1.
Ephesians 2:8-10
a.
We are saved by faith in Christ’s
work – the only way to be saved from hell!
b.
We are saved UNTO,
or for the purpose of doing good works! “For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works”
2.
Learn to Do Good Works – Not Bad
Works
a.
We are used to hurting people,
and ignoring the needs of others
b.
We thought mainly of
ourselves – our needs, and our priorities
c.
We think we are too
busy – and we usually are!
d.
But we are commanded
to do GOOD works
3.
Titus 3:8 “that they
which have believed in God might be CAREFUL to maintain good works”
4.
Acts 9:36 “Now
there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is
called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did”
5.
1Timothy 6:17,18
“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor
trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all
things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to
distribute, willing to communicate”
6.
Hebrews 10:24
“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works”
D.
It is Called the Golden Rule
(Matthew 7:12)
1.
Mat 7:12 “Therefore all
things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for
this is the law and the prophets.”
2.
Do good to all men
(Gal 6:10)
3.
Treat even strangers
right (Lev 19:34)
4.
Visit the fatherless
and widows, like YOU would want to be (Jam 1:27)
5.
Do it in the NOW if
you can, not tomorrow (Proverbs 3:27,28)
6.
It Is Hard
Work Loving A Neighbour! To Love Someone ELSE as much as I Love MYSELF!
More on this tonight!
E.
The Cost of Caring – HOW
to Love Your Neighbour (Luke 10:29-35)
1.
By Taking Notice
a.
We are an iPod generation –
blithingly going about our business
b.
We walk by so much
hurt and sorrow and need
c.
We are numb, and too
busy to notice hardly anything as a generation anymore
d.
If you are going to
care, you are going to have to open your eyes to the real world around you and
see what’s going on, and get involved in people’s lives and troubles and
heartaches, and DO SOMETHING to help!
2.
By Overcoming Embarrassment
a.
A priest approached the moaning
man on the side of that road to
1)
Surely HE will help this man! A
PRIEST is a good man!
2)
He obviously thought
to himself, that he might get dirty, or bloody, or the man might die while the
priest was trying to help him…and then he would have to explain everything… It
was just too risky!
3)
He was embarrassed
to be seen trying to help the mangled, bloody man.
4)
So he passed by on
the other side of the road
b.
A Levite next came upon the
crumpled body of that man on the side of the road.
1)
A LEVITE, well, he will help that
man won’t he?
2)
He was a busy man,
with very important things to do too –
3)
He too was
embarrassed to be seen helping this man
4)
So he passed by on
the other side of the road, acting like he never saw him
c.
So now comes a Samaritan man
1)
Someone only tolerated around
2)
Half-Jews,
half-Gentiles… not true Jews
3)
Probably doing
business in
4)
He sees a Jewish
man, mostly naked, mangled, moaning on the side of the road
5)
He could have said
a)
Well, it is none of my business
what THESE JEWS get up to
b)
He probably won’t
even allow me to help him since I am a Samaritan
c)
I have a very long
way to go (about 40 miles – 2 days walking) to get home
d)
What will people say
if they see ME a Samaritan, helping this Jew?
6)
But he didn’t say any of that!
7)
He just went ahead
and broke through any embarrassment!
3.
By Taking a Risk!
a.
This Samaritan had NO idea just
what he was getting into – you rarely know
b.
Yet he took the risk
c.
This world needs
some true risk takers – people who risk caring about people
4.
Takes Effort (Luke 10:33,34)
a.
Crossed the road
b.
Had compassion
c.
Picked him up off
the ground, cradled him
d.
Took clean cloths of
his own, and bound up the wounds, and made slings for the broken bones
e.
Took out a small
bottle of oil and poured it on the dry, cracked, raw flesh that had been baked
in the heat of the day, rubbing it in to bring healing and relief
f.
He took another
bottle out of medicinal wine – alcoholic wine – and poured it over the infected
gashes in his flesh, to sterilize them, and clean them
5.
Takes Time
a.
How long do you think all this
took?
b.
Well, he wasn’t
finished yet
c.
This Samaritan put
him on his very own mule, and he himself walked beside it, and took the man to
the next
d.
He stayed with him,
making sure he would be alright
e.
That meant he was
delayed a day getting home
6.
Costs Money
a.
He not only had to pay for an
extra night’s stay in an
b.
AND… he left the
Inn-keeper MORE MONEY to cover any expenses to take care of the man for at least
another day – (food, and lodging, and medical care)
c.
AND… he promised to
return and if there were any MORE expenses, he would make it all up to that
Inn-keeper the next time he came by!
d.
Caring for
people…COSTS!
7.
Look around, and start being a
Light, right around your home, and then around your actual neighbourhood, and
then throughout your village, and then around
a.
We are SALT – helps
1)
Preserve things
2)
Flavour things
3)
Sterilize things –
clean them up
4)
Helps make people
get thirsty! For the Gospel!
b.
And we are LIGHT!
c.
What we DO, as much
as what we PREACH, affects the world around us for GOOD, and helps people know
and worship the God whom we serve!
1)
People need to see our good
works, not our worship!
2)
They need to see the
fruit of what we believe
a)
Soft answers
b)
Firm commitments
c)
Clean and honest
hearts
d)
Enduring marriages
e)
Brotherly love
f)
Putting others ahead
of ourselves!
F.
It is Second to Loving God
First (Matthew 22:36-38)
1.
Most people forget this!
a.
Mat 22:36 Master, which is
the great commandment in the law?
b.
Mat 22:37
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
c.
Mat 22:38 This
is the first and great commandment.
2.
How can we even BEGIN to worry
about each other, and love one another, until we have learned to love God first
and best? (Matthew 10:37)
3.
Humanitarians love
their neighbours, and the Red Cross reach out and care about people all over the
world…
4.
But they ignore the
God who made them
5.
THE most important
command to obey, it to love God
a.
To know Him
b.
To love Him – to
REALLY love Him!
c.
To enjoy Him forever
6.
No Christian in this room can
skip this part of the commandment
7.
Do you love God,
with all your heart, soul, mind, strength?
8.
I don’t it!
9.
But there is where
your love for OTHERS will finally begin
10.
All other love will
quickly dry up, and run out, and produce bitterness and frustration!
G.
A Missing Ingredient!
In all that we are doing, what could it be?
1.
We have the Truth, the Gospel,
the Good News – Gospel tracts, personal testimonies, Bible preaching and
teaching every Sunday and Wednesday
2.
We have what it
takes to get the Gospel into all the world – we have all have the feet and hands
and mouth that it requires!
3.
We have the
neighbourhoods and houses and people to go to – we are not alone, away from
everyone…
4.
And yet, the ONE
thing that will make the Gospel heard, and received, and responded to, is
KINDNESS! Loving people! Loving absolutely everyone you know and you meet!
5.
What a different
world this would be if it constantly met people who loved them, and were kind to
them!
6.
Not loving their
sins and their sinful lifestyles, but THEM, and their souls, and being kind to
them anyway, in spite of their sins!
H.
The Lord Jesus is Our Best
Example (Romans 15:2,3)
1.
Rom 15:2,3 Let every one of
us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not
himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell
on me.
2.
He lives to please
US!
3.
Christ loved sinners
(Romans 5:8)
4.
Christ loved the
ungodly (Romans 5:6)
5.
Can we not do the
same????
III.
Conclusion
A.
How to Love YOUR Neighbour this
week, and from now on…
B.
LOVE MY NEIGHBOUR
CHALLENGE
C.
A contest to see who
does the most Random Acts of Kindness during the eight days! The top three will
be rewarded! To actually accomplish an effective Act of Kindness, you will need
to do all of the following four things:
1.
Actually DO something listed in
this brochure
2.
Tell the person WHY
you are doing it for them
3.
Give them the Tract,
and
4.
Invite them to
Church on Sunday, April 28th!
D.
Some Ideas
1.
Deliver a Thank You note
to the Fire Brigade, or the Garda Station.
2.
Take
colouring books and a box of new crayons to a Doctor’s office.
3.
Take a
case of good bottled water to a regional park where there are joggers and hand
them out with a tract cello-taped to the bottle.
4.
Leave an extra big
tip for the waiter/waitress (along with a tract).
5.
Buy
some new stuffed animals and take them to the children’s wing of the Hospital.
Ring ahead of time to ask if they will accept them.
6.
Do
grass or hedge cutting for someone for free.
7.
Some
people could do with a visit. Older folks that you personally know who are stuck
at home. Go and talk with or just read to them.
8.
Do shopping for
older or infirm/sick people you personally know – include a tract with the
messages.
9.
Deliver
a Free New Testament to every house around your home with a Tract (maybe just
all on your street).
10.
Buy your co-worker a
cup of tea or coffee, or a snack, or even lunch unexpectantly. Make sure you
give them a tract.
11.
Buy a cup of coffee
for the person in line behind you at the coffee shop. Hand them a voucher, along
with a Tract and smile!
12.
Write a letter or
send a package to an Irish soldier. Include a Tract
13.
Write
and encourage a TD (they need it) – include a Tract. Tell them you are praying
for them!
14.
Teens can offer to
do a bob a job for someone and say it is FREE!
15.
Offer
to hoover and clean someone’s vehicle. Tell them you are just doing a random act
of loving your neighbour! Seriously. And give them a tract!
16.
Let someone go in
front of you in line. If someone asks you why you are doing it, then give them a
tract!
17.
Children can colour
a picture for your teacher, and give it to them with a tract saying “Thank you
for being my teacher!”
18.
Make a craft for
your parents, or grandparents (if they don’t come to church), and write on it “I
love you!” and give them a Tract, and invite them to Church on Sunday, April
28th.
19.
Children can offer
to wash the ware for a week for your parents or for whoever normally washes them
(if they don’t come to church) – make sure you give a Tract and invite to Church
20.
Send a
small care package (with tea, cookies, crisps, etc) to a relative that is in
College away from home and include the Tract
21.
Cook a meal for
someone in your neighbourhood that you discover is having a hard time.
22.
Bake something for
someone, and just out of the blue give it to them, along with the Tract.
23.
Thank someone you
know who doesn’t come to Church, for investing in your life (like your parents,
a good friend, etc...).
24.
Leave or hand a
Thank You Card with a Tract for the Postman, Milkman, Rubbish guys, the Garda,
and Fire Brigade.
25.
Ask someone if you
can help them do whatever they are doing, and then give them a Tract.
26.
Offer
to take your neighbour or friend's dog for a walk for them
27.
Babysit for free to
a couple, or parent, who could really use an evening out
28.
Volunteer to do Tidy
Town Clean Up in your Estate
29.
If you just read a
good book, give it to your friend to read next, with the Tract in it
30.
Pay a bill for
someone going through financial struggles
31.
Put a picture of you
and your friend in a small frame, and give it to him/her with the Tract
32.
Leave a gift on the
front porch for a friend or neighbour, with the Tract, and a Church invitation
33.
Bring something
(like flowers, or newspapers) to the local nursing home that will lift their
spirits
34.
Pay for someone's
lunch at O'Crualaoi's, or Dino’s, or Drumstix
E.
The following Vouchers will be
available for you to purchase to give away. You buy them from the church and
then hand them out as random acts of loving thy neighbour!
1.
Vouchers for a free coffee from
Nosh+Coffee and BB’s Shops in Ballincollig
2.
Free Car Wash at the
applegreens Petrol Station
F.
What other ideas do you have that
you accomplished?
G.
Tick the box of each
item you accomplish! If you do the same thing more than once, mark an additional
check after the item, on the same line, and add up all the checks for the total.
1.
HOW MANY TICKS ON THIS PAGE?
_______
2.
HOW MANY TICKS ON
THE PREVIOUS PAGE _______
3.
TOTAL EFFORTS
_______
H.
We will tally them all up Sunday
evening, 28th April, and give testimony of just how thankful people were to just
a little kindness, and just how many people took the Gospel leaflets, and even
stayed around and listened to us give them the hope of the Gospel, and even
those who actually came out to Church next Sunday!
I.
I can’t wait! As a
matter of fact, I have already been enjoying using these tracts and approach for
a few weeks now, and have been so amazed at the responses of people
1.
A man named Dan asked me to take
him home from Supervalu
2.
Waitresses were VERY
thankful for a tip with the tract
J.
The Love Thy Neighbour Challenge!
1.
How many different people can you
be KIND to this week?
2.
How many different
ways can you be kind?
3.
Will you love people
like you love yourself?
4.
How many TRACTS will
you try and get out this week? You have FIVE to start with!
5.
Make it a challenge
to do it constantly, naturally, prayerfully!
6.
How many souls will
actually come out to church Next Sunday, or over the next few weeks, simply
because YOU were kind?
K.
I DARE every one of you to
attempt this challenge and see if you have more fun being kind, than
complaining, and being a grouch around people!!! I DARE YOU!
L.
You may never go
back to being a GRUMP after this week!
M.
Let me say this…
1.
No good work, no best effort, no
matter how religious or sincere, can merit God’s forgiveness
2.
Nothing you or I can
ever do, can be good enough to be accepted by God
3.
Because we are all
sinners
4.
And sinners don’t go
to heaven
5.
But God came to US
like that Samaritan, and offers to us a whole new life – eternal life! If only
you would stop resisting and fighting Him!
6.
Let Him save you
this morning! Ask HIM to forgive you, and wash away all your sin, and make you
HIS child!