24-0616a - Love Your Neighbor, Part 1, Mike Mathis
Bible Readers: Tom Freed and Roger Raines

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Love Your Neighbor, Part 1

Summary of Transcript (0:05 - 36:58)

Scripture Readings:

1st Scripture Reading (0:05 - 0:29), Tom Freed
First Reading

The speaker reads from Deuteronomy 10:18-19, emphasizing God’s justice for the vulnerable and love for aliens, reminding listeners to love aliens as they were once aliens in Egypt.

2nd Scripture Reading (0:34 - 1:31), Roger Raines
A second scripture

Romans 12:17-20 is read, advocating for peace, against revenge, and to overcome evil with good.

Summary

Preacher: Mike Mathis

(1:36 - 8:07) Health Updates

The speaker expresses gratitude for divine blessings and health updates: 

  • Wally’s eye healing.

  • Kevin’s sinus operation.

  • Ruth’s positive medical report.

  • The speaker’s own clear CT scan post-kidney surgery where cancer was found and removed.

  • Mention of ongoing health issues within the congregation and a specific request for prayers for Linda Noble:

  • Linda suffers from arthritis, restricted in medication use due to a heart murmur, leading to constant pain.

(8:11 - 9:23) Introduction to the Lesson

  • Recap of the previously discussed first commandment: loving God with all one’s heart, soul, strength, and might.

  • Introduction of today’s topic, the second commandment from Leviticus 19:15-18: to love your neighbor as yourself.

(9:25 - 13:32) Explanation of Neighborly Love

  • Detailed reading and explanation from Leviticus 19:

  • No injustice in judgment; no partiality to the poor or the mighty.

  • Emphasis on righteous judgment of neighbors, not spreading gossip or standing against a neighbor’s life.

  • Prohibition against hating in one’s heart, importance of rebuking a neighbor in love, and not bearing sin due to their actions.

(13:32 - 24:28) Definitions and Implications

Discussion on the meaning of "neighbor": 

  • Someone living nearby.

  • A fellow human being.

  • One who shows kindness.

  • Analysis of how these verses from Leviticus instruct on treating neighbors with love, fairness, and without vengeance or grudges.

  • Reference to Leviticus 19:33-34, extending the neighbor concept to include strangers, reminding of their own history as strangers in Egypt.

(24:30 - 25:16) Love as the Underlying Motive

  • The importance of love as the motivator for actions towards neighbors and strangers, supported by 1 Corinthians 13 where acts without love are described as empty or noisy distractions.

(25:16 - 27:51) Love Your Enemies

  • Jesus, as mentioned in Matthew 7:43, instructs to love enemies, contrasting with the old saying of hating enemies.

  • Reference to Exodus 23:4-5 where helping the enemy’s livestock shows that the principle of aiding enemies predates New Testament teachings.

(27:53 - 30:12) Proverbs on Loving Enemies

  • Proverbs 25:21-22 advises to feed and provide for one’s enemy, leading to divine rewards.

  • This aligns with Romans 12:20, where Paul quotes Proverbs, indicating that the idea of loving one’s enemy is consistent across Old and New Testaments.

(30:12 - 31:48) Clarification on Old Testament Teachings

  • The speaker debunks the notion that the Old Testament taught to hate enemies, highlighting God’s perspective of just treatment for all, including enemies.

(31:48 - 35:50) Love as the Foundation of Action

  • Emphasis on performing good deeds out of love, not just obligation.

  • Love should be the motivation for all actions towards neighbors, including those who might not reciprocate kindness.

(35:50 - 36:58) Call to Action

  • Encouragement for the congregation to love God fully and to extend that love to others, even when it is not returned.

  • Invitation for those who haven’t yet to become children of God through faith, repentance, and baptism, to live out these commandments of love.