The vital importance and primacy of love for God and others

INTRODUCTION We’ve come to one of the most important passages in the New Testament. Jesus reveals what He considers to be the MOST IMPORTANT commandment in the entire Bible—to love God. And He volunteers the second most important commandment—to love our neighbors as ourselves. Everybody has a different…

Pharisees v. Jesus The Pharisees and the Sadducees were growing more irritated by Jesus, believing that he was a heretic and a blasphemer but the power in the words and the manner in which He taught them, caused overwhelming fear and anger in all who were in power in Judea. Sadly, these well-trained,…

Three days ago we remembered those who fought and died to preserve the freedoms we enjoy in this nation. We cherish and celebrate our freedoms, and when it comes to our spiritual freedoms we have infinitely more cause for rejoicing. But immediately after reminding the Galatians of their spiritual freedom in Christ, the Apostle Paul stresses that real freedom should sharpen one’s focus on serving others.

What does it mean to love your neighbor? Who is my neighbor?

I heard about this Pastor. He was raising money for a new sanctuary. He told his congregation one Sunday morning "If anybody will give a thousand dollars, you can pick out the next three hymns." A little old lady in the back raised up her hand and said "Pastor, I'll do it." He was so excited. He said…

Last week I pointed out that the first four "you have heard it said" statements cast us as the ones who commit murder, adultery, divorce and who claim god-like abilities to determine the future. We were the abusers. We were the enemy to God and to others. In the fifth statement, the tables turn. We are…

A just Christian loves his neighbor as himself.

Introduction vv. 25-28 In ancient times there was a woman, tradition says her name was Photina, who had lived a hard life. Her people were outcasts. They had married into families that weren’t approved by national leaders and so they were rejected. In fact, travellers would go miles out of their way…

Many stories are coming out about Americans selflessly meeting the needs of others, during the COVID-19 crisis. But one of the most heart-warming is that of “Invisible Hands,” created by Liam Elkind and Simone Palicano, based in New York City. What makes them so special is that they are college students,…

How do you see yourself? - When you think about what people say about you, what do you think they say? How do you see others? When you talk about other groups of people, what do you say? Reflection is difficult. It is especially difficult because lets face it, we’re biased. We tend to dislike people…

The greatest commandment In today’s Gospel, a scribe came closer to Jesus to ask Him which commandment is the first and the greatest of all the commandments. Through his concern, seeking the answer, the scribe found himself closer to the truth than ever before. The Torah is full of commandments. 613…

Intro Text - Mark 12.28-31 28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” 29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘ Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord…

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” The lawyer in our text gives voice to the question that believers have been asking since the Fall. We might put it into different words, but I’m sure that each person here wrestled with some form of this question. What great thing can I do in order…

We must understand the answer to the question, Who is our neighbor and are we theirs?

Give any human institution enough time, and it will eventually become so complicated that normal people no longer have a clue how things run. Fallen human nature and bureaucracy always go together. Take the tax code, for example. Only professionals who study it for a living can understand it. The same…

Recap. Everyone is our neighbor. A true neighbor loves like the Samaritan in this parable did. Impossible to "inherit" eternal life.

Use the Golden rule by loving your neighbour

Start 1 Entice: The parable of the Good Samaritan is before us today. It is a story that begins with an annoyance. A trick question, a trap. Typical circumstances for Jesus. He does a brilliant job of flipping the man; posing His own questions, producing a pop-quiz which people like us are still sitting…

Intro NACC SC3 came up big. Help desk and set up/tear down. As a pastor it is encouraging to see our people serving before being fed. I loved seeing that many of our folks were there investigating how we might grow as a church. More disciples, better disciples. One thing I’m sure of; we don’t need another…

Welcome Today’s Passage: Luke 1 0 Facebook Group Chat SHARE: Where are you watching from? Prayer Requests not going to ask you to share as much this week Connect George Floyd situation. Protests. Riots. Racial tension. SHARE: In one word, what emotion have you felt this past week? EXPLORE Explore the…

How can I love my neighbor?

God loves community so much that he put statutes in place to protect it.