Caring for the Less Fortunate
What is the Mission of the Church Class • Sermon • Submitted
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The Crux of the matter
Prove
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
Care of the poor is done in respect to God who made all man
Each bear the image of God, and in rejecting the poor, we reject the image of God in them, and in not being generous, we reject the image of God in ourselves.
How Did God instruct his people Israel?
How Did God instruct his people Israel?
“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.
Deut.
Not Harden your heart - but open your hand
Connection between the heart and the hands
You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.
Deut
“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.
9-10
Not only to respond to needs, but to make preparation, and act in ways that anticipate and provide for the needy
Not just a hand out, but provision to allow the poor to care for themselves
“If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.
Lev 25:
For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
:
Care for the poor in Proverbs
Care for the poor in Proverbs
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will repay him for his deed.
:!7
Caring for the poor is done as unto God
Caring for the poor is done as unto God
God’s blessing rest on those who do so
Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
Whoever gives to the poor will not want,
but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself call out and not be answered.
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.
Do not rob the poor, because he is poor,
or crush the afflicted at the gate,
for the Lord will plead their cause
and rob of life those who rob them.
Prov
Set one:
Caring for the poor is done as unto God
God’s blessing rest on those who do so
God’s Judgement on those who abuse the poor
A righteous man knows the rights of the poor;
a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Prov
Set 2
A righteous man look after justice and protection for those who are disadvantaged
Other Old Testament
Other Old Testament
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
PSA 82:4
For you have been a stronghold to the poor,
a stronghold to the needy in his distress,
a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat;
for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,
Isa
The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith,
and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil,
saying of the soldering, “It is good”;
and they strengthen it with nails so that it cannot be moved.
Jesus and the Poor
Jesus and the Poor
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Matt 25:
Caring for the poor is in effect caring for Jesus
And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matt
Care for the poor in the Epistles
Care for the poor in the Epistles
So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Care for the poor and less fortunate directly follows the truth of the gospel. God, came to all of us in our terrible state, and he rescued us. We as his church have a direct call to exhibit the same attitude towards others who are in need. To deny this responsibility is to deny the gospel.