Matt. 22:37-40

The Second Commandment

Lesson Thesis: Jesus identified sincere love for neighbor as the second commandment of God’s law.

Lesson Purpose: to teach Christians to live by the motivation of true love for one another

INTRO:

I.       The second is like unto it – As important as the first – Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart...

          A.    Important to your relationship with God

          B.    Important to your well-being on earth

          C.    Fundamental to understanding and obeying all other commandments

II.      When Jesus taught on love he was not speaking of a topic the Jews hadn’t heard

          A.    Deut 6:5 – of course, the text Jesus repeated

          B.    Lev 19:18 – ...thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

          C.    Deut 10:19 – Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt

          D.    But Jesus taught a new standard of love – A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another – Jn 13:34

          E.    So, what is this standard, and how can we apply it in our lives today?

DISCUSSION:

I.       TWO EXAMPLES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

          A.    Joseph

                  1.    Hated by his brethren at home

                  2.    Sold by his brethren in the field

                  3.    Falsely accused by his master’s wife

                  4.    Falsely condemned by a prejudiced court

                  5.    Forgotten and left by one he had befriended in prison

                  6.    Gen 43:29-31 – had to run out of the room to find a place to weep over them

                  7.    Gen 45:1-4 – wept aloud ... come near to me, I pray you

          B.    Moses

                  1.    Unappreciated and refused by Israel

                  2.    Knowing they would not believe him, returned to lead them anyway

                  3.    Dealt daily with disobedient and gainsaying people

                  4.    Ex 32:31-32 – And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou has written

                  5.    Acts 3:22 – For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.

                  6.    Rom 10:1 – Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

II.      WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE? – Luke 10:25-28

          A.    He came as a hypocrite – tempting him

          B.    Knowing that the lawyer knew the answer, Jesus asked him what scripture says

          C.    Trapped by his own answer, the lawyer feebly asked...

III.     WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR – Luke 10:29-37

          A.    & Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan

                  1.    Unidentified victim – doesn’t matter who he is, he is your neighbor

                  2.    The identification of my neighbor depends on MY attitude, not HIS life

          B.    We can’t obey the 2^nd Commandment without rendering aid to those who are in need

                  1.    Are you the priest, the Levite or the Samaritan?

                  2.    “Sorry I can’t help you; I’m on my way to worship” – so, how will God see you when you arrive at the place of worship?

                  3.    “Knowledge + Opportunity = Responsibility”

IV.     LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

          A.    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;

                  1.    Matt 5:46 – For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

                  2.    Matt 10:42 – And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward

                  3.    Luke 23:34 – Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do

V.      LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF

          A.    Eph 5:29 – For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church

          B.    “There are a lot of unlovely people in the world. Can we bring ourselves to love them as we love our own bodies? If we can’t, we are not obeying the command of God.”

          C.    Similarities & differences don’t amount to much – love makes the difference – For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love

          D.    This series planned from Mark’s comment regarding slack attendance – if we love God and 1-A we won’t have that problem

                  1.    Prov 15:17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therein

                  2.    Psa 133:1 – Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity

                  3.    “There is not a nation, a family or a church that can exist long without obeying the second commandment”

                  4.    “Love causes us to want to serve instead of to be served”

                  5.    Rom 15:1-2 – We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification

CONCLUSION:

I.       THE SECOND COMMANDMENT

          A.    I Jn 4:20 – If a man say I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

II.      I John 4:7-8 – Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

III.     I Cor 16:14 – Let all your things be done with charity (love)